The Numerology of the 27 Club Musicians

From suicides to drug overdoses to sheer accidents, the world has lost many amazing musicians over the years. But a while back, people started to notice a strange similarity among many of these deceased musicians -- they all died at age 27. With upwards of 50 musicians passing away at this "coincidental" age, the group has come to be known as "The 27 Club."

The 27 Club features a wealth of little-known musicians, but there are some huge names in there as well. Most recently, eclectic singer Amy Winehouse passed away at the age of 27 in 2011, joining the likes of Kurt Cobain and epic '60s icons Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, and the Rolling Stones' Brian Jones in this unfortunate grouping. Interestingly, bassist Kristen Pfaff is also a member of the 27 Club -- part of the '90s grunge band Hole, whose lead singer, Courtney Love, was married to the aforementioned Kurt Cobain; Pfaff and Cobain died just months apart.

So what does this mean -- the number 27 is terribly unlucky? Certainly not. There are many positive traits associated with both the 2 and the 7, as well as the 9 they reduce to. So we must look beyond the basics of the number 27 to see if there's any real significance here. And there is...

In Numerology, the 1 and the 9 are quite significant because, aside from their individual meanings, combined, they represent the concept of major transitions -- the number 9 represents the end of a cycle, and the 1, a new beginning. While learning and letting go and moving forward are all positive parts of life, transitions are highly charged, and can be too much for some to handle. When we humans are faced with something that's unknown and makes us uncomfortable, many will turn to drugs and alcohol to cope, seek a way out through suicide, or engage in reckless behavior that ends up crossing the line. So what's the story with the 1 and 9 here in The 27 Club?

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Life Path numbers

Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, and Brian Jones were all born with a 1 Life Path. Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix, and Kristen Pfaff were all born with a 9 Life Path. This, in and of itself, is quite interesting, but doesn't necessarily explain this strange phenomenon on its own.

Period cycles

The end of one's First Period cycle and the beginning of the next happens anywhere between ages 25 and 34, depending on one's Life Path number. There are only two possible Life Path numbers that would involve a transition between Period cycles specifically at age 27: the 1 and the 9 Life Path. Transitioning between the First and Second Period cycles can be a shaky time, since, up until this transition, the First Period cycle is all we've known since birth. Each one of these six musicians (not including Winehouse) was experiencing this transition at the time of their death.

Pinnacle cycles

The transition between one long-term Pinnacle cycle to the next can happen anywhere between ages 27 and 36, also depending on the Life Path number. There is only one possible Life Path number that would be going through a Pinnacle cycle transition at age 27: the 9 Life Path. This means that Cobain, Hendrix and Pfaff were not only dealing with the uncertainty of shifting Period cycles around age 27, but changing Pinnacle cycles as well.

Personal years

If you've been paying close attention so far, you won't be too surprised to hear that each of these musicians, including Amy Winehouse, was also experiencing either a 1 or a 9 Personal Year at the time of their death. (Except for Jim Morrison, who was in a 2 year -- but he's the only one of these stars who was experiencing a Master number Pinnacle cycle: an 11 -- with another 11 Pinnacle to follow -- so we'll give him a little leeway here.)

The Amy anomaly

Amy Winehouse's numbers deviate just a bit from this 1-and-9 pattern we've been focusing on here, but certainly have their own tale to tell. It's common knowledge that Winehouse struggled with eating disorders and addictions to alcohol and drugs throughout her life. People born on the 14th of the month, as Amy Winehouse was, can often face a lifelong challenge with various vices. And at the time of Amy's death, she was not only at the transitioning end of her 9-year Personal Year cycle and coming up on a change in Period cycles as well (at age 28), but, from birth, Amy was struggling against a 5 Pinnacle cycle -- and the 5 just so happens to be the number that is tied to indulgence and addiction. Further, a person's Sun Number is the number that describes how he or she may handle transition periods -- and Amy's Sun Number was a 5 as well. While 5s are, in fact, the best at handling change, when used improperly, the 5 Sun Number can cause great instablity, and drugs and alcohol all too easily become a coping method for trying times.

By definition, Numerology is all about numbers -- but it's not always that cut and dry. Something named "The 27 Club" doesn't automatically mean the number 27 is the issue at hand. Beyond numbers, Numerology is rooted in the idea of synchronicity, and we now see that it's not just the age of these musicians that matters, but that each and every one of them was experiencing an overwhelming amount of transition in life. Mix that with the substances and the ego that often surrounds musical superstars, and you've got a potential recipe for disaster.

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