When comparing this book to The Complete Book of Numerology by David A Phillips, Ph.D., well, there is no comparison. Alan Oken's book is good for anyone who wants to "play" with numbers and wants a horoscope-like accounting of who they are.
The primary reason I say this is because I believe there is a basic flaw with the formula used by Alan Oken (and to be fair by many others) to determine the Ruling Number. In many cases, Alan Oken's formula will yield the correct Ruling Number ... but, not in all cases. The difference is subtle and I had to work to find it - I did only because, initially, I ended up with two different ruling numbers depending on which formula I used. I later learned that this flaw is a common occurrence.
Here's the difference:
The birth date is used to determine the ruling number. Alan Oken takes each set of numbers (month, day, year) and adds them separately and reduces each one to a single number (by adding two digit numbers together again), then he adds the 3 numbers together. By contrast, David Phillips adds all the number independently (example: DBO 9-13-1967 is 9+1+3+1+9+6+7 (11 and 22 are kept intact as a master number and not reduced - I won't go into why - but, everyone agrees on this. They are added as the number they are.) In many cases, both formulas agree on the master number, but in many cases they don't and someone could end up following guidance from the numerology that ends up being disastrous for them.
The difference in philosophy is this ... and I quote, "Pythagoras (the father of numerology in the sixth century B.C.) recognized "1" as the number symbolising unity in the world and ego in humans. "1" is an absolute number and all other numbers being relative to it and incorporating it. Thus, as every number contains the "1", in Pythagorean numberology, we find the Ruling Number "10" instead of a Ruling Number "1" - there is no ruling number "1".
In many calculations, someone who has a Ruling Number "11" is being calculated as a Ruling Number "2". Do enough calculations using both formulas and you end up finding conflicts. Phillips gives the birth dates of individuals under each Ruling Number, Oken simply mentions their name, so I don't know if he has the right birth date or not. However, do the calculations based on the birth dates in Phillip's book using both formulas (Use Ruling Number 11 as a case study) and there will be at least 3 conflicts.
Also, David Phillips provides, IMO, a better overview of what the numbers mean rather than giving you a "horoscope-like" overview that is difficult to expand on. However, I do like Oken's keywords but wish he had them separated by positive and negative attributes.
There are so many variations in life experience and the negative/positive choices that we make, that it is important to understand the nuances of the numbers. Numerology can be used with intuition, and I believe it should be for those who have developed this ability, but it can be used by the novice and to great result ... if the formulas they are using are correct!! So, beware of the websites that just wanted "some content" and aren't concerned about the responsibility of what they are promoting.
For anyone who has never considered numberology, there are so many coincidences of numbers within the universe, scientific formulas, and our every day lives that it simply can't be ignored. One aspect that not too many go into is the simple understanding that everything in the universe has vibration, including numbers, and that's why in addition to the math part of it, that numerology can be a most powerful tool. Spirit didn't put us here without a roadmap afterall ... and here most of us kept thinking he did.
