PLAYING THE NUMBERS GAME; NUMEROLOGY POINTS TO 1998 AS A YEAR OF EXTREMES ON MANY FRONTS.

Byline: Heesun Wee Daily News Staff Writer

Rainstorms mixed with high winds are pounding the Southland this week, triggering floods, traffic accidents and downed power lines.

The culprit: the global weather phenomenon called El Nino.

But ask numerologists what they think about some of the biggest, most unusual events so far in 1998 and they'll offer less obvious, surface-level explanations. They point, instead, to the inherent powers of the numbers in 1998.

This year, according to its numbers, will be full of extremes for the San Fernando Valley and beyond. ``It will be the coldest year, the wettest year, the hottest year,'' said Deirdre Morgan, a Pasadena-based numerologist. ``The stock market will see the extremes. There will be no floor, no ceiling.''

If there's any lingering doubt 1998 will be particularly tricky, consider this: There are three Friday the 13ths this year, the first a week away. Most years harbor only one or two Friday the 13ths - commonly associated with bad luck.

And talk of lucky and unlucky numbers won't be limited to 1998. Interest in the magical powers of numbers will grow as we approach the year 2000. As society gets more complex, human beings instinctually want to make sense of the unexplainable.

``Living in the age we do has heightened our anxiety,'' said Stuart A. Vyse, a pychology professor at Connecticut College. ``Superstitions are a way to cope. It also gives people a sense of personal control in circumstances in which they don't have it (control),'' said Vyse, author of ``Believing in Magic, the Psychology of Superstition (Oxford University Press).''

Unwanted area code

OK, we admit it. Focusing on the power of numbers may be superstitious. You might even brush this whole business aside as nonsense.

But at least take into account what's going on in San Gabriel Valley's Monterey Park, home to the largest suburban Chinese population in the United States. Late last year, the state Public Utilities Commission denied a petition by the city of Monterey Park to change its new 626 area code back to the original 818.

The switch would be an incredible logistical burden, argued San Gabriel Valley business owners. The group of petitioners also pointed out that 626 in Chinese numerology adds up to 14, and the pronunciation of the number in Chinese sounds frighteningly similar to the two words meaning ``certain death.''

What's more, the 818 area code Monterey Park had to give up was doubly lucky. According to Chinese numerology, the pronunciation of the number eight sounds a lot like the word that means fortune.

The commission denied the San Gabriel Valley's petition, fearing an avalanche of other requests for changes based on cultural reasons, said Kyle Devine of the commission.

The final verdict on the impact of the area code's change is still out. ``We'll see if it does have any long-term impact on the growth of the San Gabriel Valley,'' said Mark Steres, assistant city attorney for Monterey Park.

Frenzied freeways

Drawing predictions with numbers can be a murky business. Numbers can signify different meanings in various cultures. Where the Chinese find fortune in the number eight, the school of numerology under which Morgan studied says it's a ``number of manifestation - thinking big, having the courage of your convictions, of leading, of being original.''

So Valley residents might count their blessings that the 818 area code remains a fixture here.

Using her 30 years of experience to analyze some numbers that dominate the Valley landscape, Morgan said our corner of the world is a place of constant change and struggles.

While the presence of the number eight in the Valley makes us big thinkers, she said, we're also surrounded by numbered freeways that make us less than peaceful.

The numbers of the Ventura Freeway (101), for example, represent a paradox. On the one hand, there are two ones which usually point to independence. ``People just saying `me first,' being individualistic and tearing down the freeway,'' Morgan said.

However, the 101 also reduces to the number two, according to numerology rules. And two means cooperation. ``You've got to work with people,'' Morgan said.

The result is a congested freeway brimming with too many individualistic drivers who refuse to flow collectively.

The San Diego Freeway (405) is another quagmire.

The four indicates staying grounded, watching what we're doing. The five, however, means taking short cuts; it's the number of energy, motion and change. ``The four and five are in conflict,'' Morgan said. ``They aren't good numbers for traveling.''

The end result is a bottle-necked freeway packed with drivers who are conscientious and daredevils - conflicts and congestion waiting to happen.

All this talk about numbers is healthy and human, according to Vyse. But we might use our interest in superstitions as a launching pad to hone our critical thinking and decision-making skills. Armed with those abilities, we could scientifically explain some of the seemingly unexplainable, relying less on superstitions.

So when you step out Friday morning, don't let the fact it's the 13th of the month spook you. Use scientific clarity to make your decisions. And if anything bad happens, blame it on El Nino.

Lucky 7, and other

digital

dynamisms

What's in a number? Plenty, if you ask numerologists.

Here's a rundown on the general meaning of some numbers, according to numerologist Deirdre Morgan of Pasadena and psychic Sue Merho of West Los Angeles.

0 Zero sometimes indicates infinity. But when it's associated with an inanimate object, zero carries no significant meaning.

1 One usually means individualism, a ``me-first'' mentality. It also can denote new beginnings.

2 Two is a good thing. Two often refers to cooperation, relationships, marriage and peacefulness.

3 Three is a positive number. Three suggests happiness, optimism and playfulness.

4 Stay away from four. It often indicates death or failure.

5 Five is a tumultuous number. Five generally means many changes, a coming and going from one situation to another. ``It's generally perceived as a negative,'' Morgan said.

6 Six is good news. Six represents love, caring and nurturing. The number often is associated with the home, in other words, a loving environment.

7 Seven is a spiritual number. ``It's a wonderful number of introspection, of going within yourself,'' Merho said. Many people associate the number with overall good luck, Merho added.

8 Eight is an ambitious number. Eight portends thinking big and having the courage of your convictions. In Chinese culture, the number also signifies prosperity and great luck.

9 Nine indicates perfection and/or completion and may connote the notion of wanting to save the world with boundless faith, Merho said.

13 Many people, of course, consider 13 bad news. Some high rises skip from the 12th floor to the 14th floor, intentionally omitting any reference to a 13th floor, and some hotel guests refuse to stay on a 13th floor, Merho said. At one point, a Paris-based company provided extra live bodies for those awkward, superstitious occasions when only 13 show up, said Stuart Vyse, a psychology professor at Connecticut College, and author of ``Believing in Magic, the Psychology of Superstition.''

- Heesun Wee

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In the superstitious world of numerology, is the Valley headed for boom or doom?

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Box: Lucky 7, and other digital dynamisms (See Text)