The Secret Order of Operations for Your Soul (And Why You Can’t Lose)
You haven’t thought about PEMDAS since the sixth grade.
The acronym—Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication/Division, Addition/Subtraction—feels like a relic from a past life, a arbitrary rule for solving math problems. But what if this isn’t just a mathematical rule? What if it’s a hidden blueprint for how reality itself unfolds?
I had a quiet intuition the other day: Everything has an order of operations.
From the cosmic dawn to the beating of your heart, from the birth of an idea to the collapse of a relationship, processes resolve themselves in a sequence of non-negotiable priorities. Ignore the sequence, and you get chaos. Follow it, and you find coherence.
But here’s the real, liberating secret: Once you understand this, you realize you cannot lose.
Let me explain.
The Universe’s Hidden PEMDAS
Look around. The world is built in layers, each dependent on the one before it.
- In Physics: The universe had to establish the fundamental forces (Parentheses) before it could form atoms. It needed atoms before it could ignite stars (Exponents), and stars before it could forge the elements for life (Multiplication & Division).
- In Biology: DNA must be transcribed to RNA before it can be translated into protein. This is biology’s central dogma—its non-negotiable PEMDAS.
- In Your Own Life: You must learn to crawl before you walk, and walk before you run. You must build trust in a relationship before you can experience deep intimacy. Try to do it out of order, and the whole thing falters.
PEMDAS isn’t just a math rule; it’s the fundamental algorithm of complexity. It’s how simpler things combine, under strict priority, to create more complex things.
The Psychological PEMDAS: A Jungian Perspective
This is where it gets personal. Let’s view your inner world through this lens. Imagine your psyche is a mathematical expression.
- The Entire Equation: A challenge you’re facing, a dream, a complex emotion.
- The Numbers: Your raw energy, your potential.
- The Operators (+, -, ×, ÷): The archetypal forces at play—synthesis, negation, amplification, analysis.
- The Equals Sign (=): Your ego’s craving for a resolution, an answer.
Now, let’s run the psychological PEMDAS:
- Parentheses ( ): Confront Your Complexes. The parentheses are your unresolved issues, your bundled-up traumas, your deepest fears. The rule is you must resolve these first. You cannot ignore what’s in the parentheses. The unconscious will demand it. Before you can deal with the outer world, you must face the inner one.
- Exponents (^): Respect the Archetypal Power. Next come the exponents—the transformative, often overwhelming, power of the unconscious. A small fear (
2), when touched by the archetype of the Shadow (^3), becomes a debilitating phobia (8). This stage reminds us that we are not just rational beings; we are moved by vast, mythic forces within. - Multiplication & Division (×, ÷): The Work of the Ego. Now, the conscious mind gets to work. It analyzes, it builds up, it breaks down. It multiplies ideas and divides problems into manageable parts. This is the daily, linear work of making sense of your world.
- Addition & Subtraction (+, -): The Final Synthesis. Finally, you bring it all together. You add what serves the whole and subtract what doesn’t. This is the formation of your conscious attitude, the “answer” you present to the world.
When we live unconsciously, this process runs on autopilot. A trigger (parentheses) leads to an explosive reaction (exponents), leading to rationalization (multiplication/division), leading to a fixed, often dysfunctional, outcome (the answer).
This is sleepwalking. And sleepwalking feels a lot like fate.
The Awakening: You Are the Mathematician
But here is the moment of awakening: You are not the equation. You are not the answer. You are the mathematician.
The moment you realize there is an order of operations, you are no longer its slave. You gain the power of the meta-operation: the ability to consciously place new parentheses.
You can’t wish away the numbers (your feelings) or the operators (your patterns), but you can change the structure of the problem.
A sleepwalking equation might look like this:(Past Failure) × (Self-Judgment)^2 = Hopelessness
An awake, conscious mathematician can rewrite it:(Past Failure as Learning) ÷ (Self-Compassion) = Resilience
The raw materials are similar, but the structure—the conscious priority—is completely different. And so is the result.
The Ultimate Realization: Why You Cannot Lose
This brings us to the breathtaking conclusion: No matter what the order of operations spits out, you cannot lose.
Why?
- You Are the Witness, Not the Result. You are the consciousness in which the entire calculation takes place. A positive result (joy) and a negative result (sorrow) are simply data points appearing within you. They are weather, not the climate of your soul.
- Every Output is Feedback. A “wrong” answer is never a final verdict. It is invaluable data, telling you: “The current structure isn’t working. Look at your parentheses. Check your exponents.” It’s not a failure; it’s a diagnostic.
- You Always Hold the Pencil. No outcome is permanent because you always retain the power to re-factor your equation. A “loss” is merely an invitation to pick up the pencil of consciousness and begin again.
When you know you cannot lose, the pressure vanishes. The value of life shifts from obsessing over the “correct answer” to marveling at the profound, creative act of engaging with the equation itself.
The joy is in the mathematics. The art is in the painting. The life is in the living.
So, the next time you face a problem, a heartache, or a moment of joy, remember the secret order of operations. Do the inner work first. Respect the powerful forces at play.
But most of all, remember who you are.
You are not the problem being solved.
You are the solver.