Lifestyles

Seven appears regularly in the Old Testament, beginning with God resting on the seventh day, while Catholics observe seven sacraments. Ancient Mayans believed in a seven-layered sky. The tree of life has seven branches, while gamblers throwing dice try to roll lucky sevens. The Jewish menorah has seven prongs. Seven also is considered a magic numeral in the occult. Ancient systems of astronomy were based on seven heavenly spheres, while blues songs spoke of the potent mojo of the Seventh Son of the Seventh Son.

In observance of 7-7-7, the Pennsylvania Lottery moved the drawing of its Millionaire Raffle from July 4 to July 7 because of the significance of the number 7 to lottery players, spokeswoman Cris Stambaugh says. It expects to sell all 625,000 tickets for the quick-pick, limited-time raffle. It will award 7,777 total prizes worth $6,456,700. The drawing will take place at 7 p.m.

Not everyone considers it lucky when sevens converge, however. In Rastafarian culture, it can herald doom. The song "Two Sevens Clash," released in 1977 by seminal roots reggae band Culture, warned of dire consequences from the collision of sevens. Legend has it that the song was so convincing that the streets of Kingston, Jamaica, were deserted on July 7, 1977. People were too fearful to venture outdoors on a day when four sevens clashed.

And at least one numerologist can't understand what the fuss is about.

"I don't know where seven being a lucky number came from," says numerologist Francesca Szarnicki, of Harmar. "I don't see seven as a particularly lucky number."

Rather, she says, seven is a spiritual and scientific number, connoting a quest for enlightenment and knowledge.

Couples who marry on 7-7-2007 shouldn't worry, however. Adding the numbers in the dates -- the two sevens plus the sum of the digits in the year 2007 (9) equals 23.

"I always say the number 23 is an excellent money number," Szarnicki says. "This is a marriage that will do very well financially."

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