The number seven is historically associated with many natural experiences. Seven is statistically the most likely combined number to be thrown with a pair of dice. There are seven colours in a rainbow; there were seven wonders of the ancient world; there are seven notes in the common musical scale; we have seven chakras; there are seven deadly sins; we have seven days in the week; there are seven seas; and we even have seven continents. Each phase of the moon – new, first quarter, full moon, third quarter – lasts for approximately seven days.

Magicians know that 7 is more likely to be chosen when people are asked for a number between 1 and 10. Seven has significance in most major religions. God created the world in six days, and rested on the 7th. The Book of Revelation features 7 extensively, with 7 churches, 7 angels, 7 seals, 7 trumpets, and 7 stars. Seven heavens are outlined in the Koran. There are 7 higher worlds and 7 underworlds in Hinduism.

Claudius Ptolemy of Alexander defined ‘The Seven Stages of Man’, namely: The Moon (0 to age 4), Mercury (ages 4 to 14), Venus (age 14 to 22), The Sun (age 22 to 41), Mars (age 41 to 55), Jupiter (age 55 to 67), and Saturn (age 67 on). Other writings since that time align with these seven stages. Some people welcome the next stage, especially Venus and the Sun, while the more chronologically gifted are dragged kicking and screaming into the inevitable older stages. While the transitions might feel disruptive, they actually make your life more predictable. In each of these stages, your character is partly determined by the experiences you have had in your life. In rapidly changing modern times, those experiences can vary eg growing up with social media.

The overwhelming incidence of seven is important for someone who is calculating or predicting events in the future. A greater proportion of people are more likely to include seven in their calculations (eg with a Lotto win or a horse race), which sometimes means that the winning amount will be shared by a greater number of people.