Robert Leroy Johnson: 5/8/1911- 8/16/1938

 "The thing about Robert Johnson was that he only existed on his records. He was pure legend" so wrote Martin Scorsese. That pretty much sums things up. To this day, the late great Delta blues singer and guitarist remains an elusive shadow. Not much is known about his life and mystery shrouds his death. Some say he was poisoned. Some say he died from syphilis although he was only 27 years old thus linking him forever with other great musicians who died an untimely death. Think Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix. It's curious, is it not, that the letter "J" dominates all their names?

Numerically, "J" is a "1" and as such are self-starters and usually tops in their field. They leave their mark. And as "J" is the tenth letter of the alphabet it's a "double 1" as the number "10" corresponds to a "1" as well.  That's very heady stuff.

With respect to Robert Johnson's Karmic Number, he's missing a "4". (Just in case you are not familiar with the concept of the Karmic Number it's the letter or letters missing from one's name. It instructs  us what we need to do in order to correct our actions from past or previous lives. It may also reveal our vulnerabilities and weaknesses.  So if you are missing a "7", the most spiritual of all numbers, you may end up becoming a Buddhist and so on.)  "4" is the number most associated with the earth and this makes sense as Johnson is a Taurus and the earth is their element.  The irony, of course, is that everything that a "4" represents-stability and tradition-eluded him. He led a transient and itinerant life. What this means is that because he was unable to obtain the equanimity in that lifetime he will have another opportunity in his next until he gets  it "right".

 "4" is also the number most associated with Death as it symbolizes the sum of "13". Johnson died in a "9" year which always signifies "endings" (as well as fame and exulted status).  His Destiny or Life Path Number was "7" which, in addition to vibrating to the highest spiritual frequency, is most associated with Heaven and things celestial. "7s" tend to be loners and eccentric. They dwell in a non-material world and are not attached to material things. This certainly seems to true of Johnson who never settled down, but was constantly on the move from town to town performing at every stop. 

It's fitting that his Expression Number is"5" which represents the most physical and restless number of them all, which makes perfect sense as "5" is ruled by Mercury the quick-silver messenger to the Greek gods. "5" is your freedom lover. They are your born travellers and seekers. All of this is consistent with what we know of Robert Johnson, which when all is said and done, is not very much.

So it appears as if Scorsese is right. Johnson remains a legend who has obtained almost mythic status. Did he really sell his soul to the Devil one night at the Southern Cross in exchange for the ability to play like a god?  Listen to his music and judge for yourself.