The three matrix goals: personal, social and spiritual

Calculate the personal, social and spiritual goals from a birth date using two examples, check your arithmetic and turn the results into questions.

Three numbers at the end of the calculation

The three goals are the last numbers calculated in the matrix. They do not come directly from the date: each is a sum of points calculated earlier. An earlier mistake therefore carries forward, and an error in A, B, C or D affects all three goals.

Personal goal is the sum of Heaven and Earth.
Social goal is the sum of Line 1 and Line 2.
Spiritual goal is the sum of the personal and social goals.

Below we calculate them for two dates, then explore what to do with the numbers. To see your own result immediately, enter your date in the calculator. It shows where each number comes from.

Before you begin: the rule of 22

Every number in the matrix is between 1 and 22. Reduce a larger sum by adding its digits: 34 becomes 3 + 4 = 7. Watch out: 22 is within range, so it stays 22, not 4. Find more examples in the calculation guide.

Eight points used to calculate the goals

Take the date used for the full calculation in How to calculate the matrix: 15 June 1990. You need eight points:

A, birth day: 15.
B, birth month: 6.
C, sum of the year’s digits: 1 + 9 + 9 + 0 = 19.
D: A + B + C = 15 + 6 + 19 = 40, so 4 + 0 = 4.
F: A + B = 15 + 6 = 21.
G: B + C = 6 + 19 = 25, so 2 + 5 = 7.
H: C + D = 19 + 4 = 23, so 2 + 3 = 5.
I: D + A = 4 + 15 = 19.

On the matrix diagram A is on the left, B at the top, C on the right and D at the bottom. F, G, H and I are the four corners of the square: F upper left, G upper right, H lower right and I lower left.

Personal goal: Heaven and Earth

The personal goal is made from two intermediate points. Both connect opposite sides of the matrix.

Heaven connects top to bottom, B to D: B + D = 6 + 4 = 10, Wheel of Fortune.

Earth connects left to right, A to C: A + C = 15 + 19 = 34, so 3 + 4 = 7, The Chariot.

Personal goal is their sum: Heaven + Earth = 10 + 7 = 17, The Star.

Heaven and Earth form the vertical and horizontal axes, so the personal goal brings all four sides of the diamond into one number. Read it as a direction you choose for yourself, rather than a role assigned by others.

The social goal comes from two lines, each running diagonally between opposite corners of the square.

Line 1 connects the upper left to the lower right, F to H: F + H = 21 + 5 = 26, so 2 + 6 = 8, Justice.

Line 2 connects the upper right to the lower left, G to I: G + I = 7 + 19 = 26, so 2 + 6 = 8. Justice again.

Social goal is the sum of both lines: Line 1 + Line 2 = 8 + 8 = 16, The Tower.

This is no coincidence. Both lines consist of the same four diamond points, A, B, C and D, added in a different order. They are equal for more than half of all dates; when they differ, the difference is always 9 or 18. This does not invalidate the result: continue calculating in the same way.

The diagonals connect the square’s corners, so the social goal concerns your contact with others: the role you take in a team, family or group of friends.

Spiritual goal: the sum of two goals

The last step is the simplest. Add the two goals you already have:

Personal goal + social goal = 17 + 16 = 33, so 3 + 3 = 6, The Lovers.

“Spiritual” sounds serious, but here it refers not to faith but to what brings your choices together. This number connects what you want for yourself with what you give others.

The complete result for 15 June 1990 is: personal goal 17 (The Star), social goal 16 (The Tower), spiritual goal 6 (The Lovers).

A second example in brief: 28 November 1987

This date shows both sides of the rule of 22: day 28 must be reduced, while the social goal of 22 stays unchanged.

A: 28, so 2 + 8 = 10. B: 11. C: 1 + 9 + 8 + 7 = 25, so 2 + 5 = 7. D: 10 + 11 + 7 = 28, so 2 + 8 = 10.
F: A + B = 10 + 11 = 21. G: B + C = 11 + 7 = 18. H: C + D = 7 + 10 = 17. I: D + A = 10 + 10 = 20.
Heaven: B + D = 11 + 10 = 21. Earth: A + C = 10 + 7 = 17.
Personal goal: 21 + 17 = 38, so 3 + 8 = 11, Strength.
Line 1: F + H = 21 + 17 = 38, so 3 + 8 = 11. Line 2: G + I = 18 + 20 = 38, so 3 + 8 = 11.
Social goal: 11 + 11 = 22, The Fool. There is no reduction because 22 is within range.
Spiritual goal: 11 + 22 = 33, so 3 + 3 = 6, The Lovers again. The two examples having the same number is a coincidence, but its divisibility by 3 is not, as explained below.

How to check the calculation without a calculator

The spiritual goal is always divisible by 3. It is one of seven numbers: 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18 or 21. This follows from the formula: the personal goal and both lines come from the same four diamond points. We checked every date from 1900 to 2026, a total of 46,386 days. The Hermit appears most often, for almost one in four dates; The World appears least often, for fewer than one in ten. If your result is 7 or 16, for example, there is an earlier error. A second check: Line 1 and Line 2 are equal or differ by 9 or 18.

If your calculation differs from the calculator, check three things: whether you unnecessarily turned 22 into 4, whether you reduced the sum of the year’s digits (for 1987 it is 25, so use 7), and whether you left a day between 1 and 22 unchanged (15 remains 15, not 6).

Thinking about the goals without predictions

It is easy to treat the three goals as a verdict: the Tower appeared, so something will collapse. That is not how it works. The number does not say what will happen or decide anything for you. Treat it as a topic for reflection: the arcanum offers a word, and you supply the rest.

A simple approach is to ask yourself one question for each goal and write down the answer.

We use the result for 15 June 1990 below. For your own result, take the phrases shown by the calculator for each goal and turn them into questions in the same way.

For the personal goal, ask: in which direction would I like to grow if the choice were mine alone? In the example, the result is The Star, whose phrase is “Quiet hope”. A question might be: what gives me peace when things are difficult, and do I make room for it in an ordinary week?

For the social goal, ask: what do I bring to the people around me, and how do I want to do it? The Tower’s phrase is “Sudden rebuilding”. It sounds alarming, but in practice it is a question about assumptions: which of my habits at work or in a group continue only through inertia?

For the spiritual goal, ask: what connects what I want with what I give? The Lovers represent “A conscious choice”. The question: what really matters to me, and what can I give up to have it?

A few things help keep a calm perspective:

Read the arcanum description on its page and choose one sentence that fits you. You can set the rest aside.
Compare the goals. How the personal and social goals speak to each other is often more interesting than a single number.
Return to the same questions in a few months. The numbers will not change, but your answers may.
If something does not fit, that is information too. You do not have to agree with an arcanum to reflect on it usefully.

Calculate your three goals

Enter your birth date in the calculator to see all three goals and the calculation behind each number. To understand where the other points come from, see the complete step-by-step calculation in How to calculate the matrix.