The Correct Method
Add every digit of your full date of birth, then reduce the total to a single digit — unless the total is 11, 22, or 33, which are Master Numbers and are never reduced.
Step-by-Step Example
Birth date: November 9, 1983 → 09/11/1983
Add all digits: 0+9+1+1+1+9+8+3 = 32
Reduce: 3+2 = 5
Life Path Number: 5 — The Adventurer
Master Number Example
Birth date: February 29, 1992 → 29/02/1992
Add all digits: 2+9+0+2+1+9+9+2 = 34
Reduce: 3+4 = 7. But wait — check intermediate sums.
Day sum: 2+9=11 — This is a Master Number. Stop here.
In the Pythagorean system most commonly used today, the final reduction to Life Path 7 is standard unless the unreduced total itself is 11, 22 or 33.
The Most Common Mistake
Reducing 11, 22, or 33 to 2, 4, and 6 respectively. If your Life Path calculation produces one of these numbers before final reduction, that is your Master Number and it should not be reduced further. This distinction matters significantly for the interpretation.
The simplest rule: if your total before final reduction is exactly 11, 22, or 33 — keep it. That is your Life Path Number.