Karmaweb offers numerology readings for £20.00, or compatibility readings for £30.00. An individual reading will study your personality and your karma chart, while a compatibility reading will study these characteristics in twopeople, and compare and contrast them for suitability with one another. That's a saving of £10.00 compared to two individual readings.

Readings can be sent out via email to an address provided by the customer, but a hardcopy printout is also available. The cost for this is included in the price of the reading.

A numerology reading from Karmaweb will include a full analysis of the four major personality numbers as well as a detailed description of the relevant Karma Chart.

• What is numerology?

Numerology is an ancient art, based on the study of numbers to analyse people's lives and personalities.

• Where does numerology come from?

The precise origins of numerology are not known. Many cultures throughout history have practiced a form of numerological science, including the Chaldeans, Mayans, Tibetans and Phoenicians. The Celts supposedly had a form of numerology. Numerology has also been linked to the cultures of Chinese, Hebrew, and Babylonian people, and two and a half thousand years ago, Egyptian priests were using a form of the art.

However, the most common form of numerology is a based on a system developed by the Greek mathematician, Pythagoras, in the sixth century BC, although it is thought he may have drawn on earlier Arabic teachings.

Pythagoras believed that numbers the basis of all creation, and were first of all things in nature. He believed that everything could be expressed in mathematical terms, and that by reducing the world to its numerical form, he could better understand it. This method of studying the world became known as the Italic, or Pythagorean school.

The Pythagorean school uses only twelve numbers in the analysis of personality: 1 through to 9, as well as 11, 22, and 33. Each number is given specific qualities that in turn lead to a larger picture of the personality being analysed.

• How is a numerology reading calculated?

A numerology reading is calculated by studying the name of the subject, and their date of birth, and reducing these to their numerological levels. The numbers are then used in certain calculations to arrive at four specific figures: the Soul Number, Appearance Number, Talent Number, and Destiny Number. The numbers all reflect different aspects of the personality.

They may also be used to generate a Karma Chart. A Karma Chart is a detailed study of the spiritual development of an individual soul as it moves through its life, often across several reincarnations.