An excerpt...
The English Alphabet
The Letter A a
THE STAR Value: 4
A is the Star: that Fire Visible in the Sky corresponding each one to a Living Soul on Earth. It is that Point of Light that shines in the Darkness of Night; it is that which is fixed above the revolving Earth to guide the Traveller. Its sound when prolonged is the Song of Ecstasy (Aaaaaa!). When punctuated with H, or the Light, it is the sound of discovery (aha!) so that the A in itself concentrates already that Light into the Wheel, whereas the I, is the Ray, the Hollow Tube wherein was hidden the stolen Fire of Heaven. By extending the middle bar, it becomes the Pentagram. In this way the A, the Star can be see as the concentration of this Light, whereas I is the projectile Light. And these are both the feminine and masculine forms of 4.
Notes
The letter A, takes as its origin, the letter aleph, which in the Old Key was the first and enumerated as 1. The revelation of the Aeon and the Aethyrs reveals three positions (1,2, and 3 or E, F and C) preceding the A in the new system . Together, these three engender and provide the framework for the manifestation of the Star. They are: the Triple Flame and Light (E), the Separation of Space (F) and The Night-Sky (C).
*A is also the Arrow after a certain mystery (see Liber 418), wherein the projectile nature is also evinced.
The Letter B b
THE BOOK Value: 6
B is the first of three "Stable" glyphs whose value is 6 , The lower case "b" denotes the 6 in its shape, which corresponds to its numerical value. B– uppercase, is The Book, fanned open as seen from its figure is Open to All. Traditionally associated with the "Word" it denotes the Word Spoken (not the Word Flesh) and is that Falseness and Illusion which is the Highest truth below the Veil of the Abyss and lights the happy, balanced, golden character of Tiphareth.
Mystically, it is the glyph for the Conversation of the HGA. Its appearance in Formulae such as BABALON for instance, announces the Conversation as the catalyzing initial step, which is again revisited before Balance is achieved and ON is opened, and the N is set to vibration.
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* The others are Z, Nf b and 6: symbols denoting a wheel taking its light from above.
Notes
The proper ordering of the glyphs by their value is presented at the end of the chapter. The lower case a suggests an ear in shape, and the common manner of drawing an ear is an ‘a’ with a loop around one end of it. The Student will note that "the ear’ equals 111 when T is taken as final, and that 111 is the full enumeration of aleph in the old key. One can proceed with such analysis to determine the precise manner in which the glyphs have transitioned. To provide another example, we take the next letter: B, the Book, which in the old Key is beth, which is beth-heh-tau which spelt in full as byt hh faw = 2+10+400 + 5+5 + 9+1+6 = 438 = 8+200+200+30=Book, etc.
The Letter C c
THE YONI, THE WOMB Value: 3, 30
C is the glyph of NUIT. It is the over-arching of the Night Sky (even the crescent of the Moon, after another manner); it is the womb and in a sense represents the Cup manifest in one of its more immediate and practical incarnations. For the first Sky of Man is the wall of the Womb, and the Gash in the Sky from which the Light pours in is the Yoni, and all these symbols are interchangeable here.
As a yoni, or a womb, or a Cup, it is necessarily modified in character by that which is poured into it, or that which it contains. Hence we see that the C glyph takes on two distinct phonetic existences: It can be Soft or Yielding, as in the word Celebration; or Hard and Active as in the word Cat.
As a general rule, the C is Soft when followed by one of the male vowels, E or I as in the words cease, cent, ice, or dice. In this case, C takes the value of 3, which is also P, the Pregnant Goddess.
When followed by one of the female vowels A, O or U, it is usually ‘hard’ in the English language. Examples are case, cane, cone, copper, cute and cuddly. In this case C takes on the Value of 30 which is K, its homophone, holy to DIANA the Huntress, and even BABALON.
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Notes
C was born of a modified G. Ts or tzaddi of the Hebrews (which was later abbreviated in sound to ‘s’) also plays role in the adoption of this glyph particularly when c is ‘soft’ as in the words "once" or "face".
Hard C, Soft C—This is a simple case of phonetics, the hard c and k being homophones are given the same value. In fact, the letter C has no distinct phonetic existence. When soft as in the word "cedar" it is phonetically, an S; when hard as in "case" it is phonetically equivalent to a K.
*However, the attentive Student will note either the addition of a k to a word terminating in c (as in magick) and the growing tendency of people to replace c with a k in alternate spellings of a name or catch-phrase. In this way, "kool" is cooler than "cool" and "Karla" is sexier than "Carla". Most Ad and PRfirms exploit this truth. Instinctively aware of this development, they use its power to attract attention. Finally, by employing it, and disseminating its use, advertisers themselves contribute to the advance of this evolution.
The Letter D d
THE BOW Value: 8
D is the BOW that makes swift (and deadly) the ARROW. This is the first indication of movement. The A is light fixed in a Star, the Bis a vibration, the C is that which receives (say, feels) the Vibration. With D we have the first notion of movement, and it is the primum mobile, that which is All Motion, but Moves Not. It’s value is 8 and by its shape we have a hint of this infinite motion contained in its double loop and centre-fold.
The Letter E e
THE TRIPLE FLAME, THE TRIPLE SWORD Value: 1
E is the Light, the Breath and the Fire in One. The First of the Letters, it is the Foundation of all other glyphs and replaces the aleph as the First, the primum mobile.
The Letter F f
BREATH Value: 2, 10
F is the first of the "lost" father letters, now re-instated with the English Key. It is from F, that U is born; and together they gave birth to the V which in turn fathered the W . And IT required P, the Pregnant Goddess in order to accomplish This. *
*See letters U,V and W in this chapter. The Student will note the transition in the Latin of the p into the f of English as in pater for father, pedis for foot. The Greeks overcame the difficulty by appending an h to the P, hence the ph equivalent to the English F in Greek-derived words such as phonograph, telephone, physics, etc.
Notes
Once considered an axe, at other times a club; and a pin to the Hebrews: F is in reality the source of which all these are the result or fruit. F is Force. F is one of three fricatives in the English Language. The others are S and Th which like the F require air to be forcefully expelled between the upper teeth and the lower lip (labio-dental fricative).
The nature of this force is double, or as is said, it is double-wanded. As 2, it is the force that divides, the axe or the hatchet which makes 2 of 1 (e.g. in the act of splitting a single log in two). And this ‘f’ is the division between the Waters Above and the Waters Below the Firmament it is the Aethyr, or the Aire by which Vision, Hearing, Distance and in a sense, Time, are made Possible.
When Initial it is 10, which is Ph its homophone, and is the female counterpart to the 2 (the 1 0, that is the Lingam standing by the Yoni), the Pregnant Goddess (P) enthroned (H).
This reveals further revisions in the old formulae. IAO, which was revealed to be FIAOF to correct the short-sightedness of IAO, which was enumerated at 93, is in actuality 220.
The Letter G g
THE WHEEL Value: 20
Union, Coitus, the Beloved and the Lover, Summing: all these are symbols pertinent to G. In shape it denotes the Lingam and Yoni conjoined (the C taking in the horizontal I) and also the Child in its Womb. Its very Nature destroys duality and its numerical glyph of (2 0) denotes this Union that is the Reduction to 0 through the Union of the opposite (the 2 reducing to the 0, which is the Great Work). The Wheel is the Circle Squared and all androgynous Gods, and all Child gods preside over its operation and for this reason, it is the first vocalizations infants make. It is also one of the primal letters and corresponds to primal conditions and forces. It requires no teeth and no tongue to pronounce, but only the action of the throat and so it is one of the sounds infants first articulate, as in the "goo-goo ga-ga" of the folklore.
Notes
G is the Union, and it is out of this Union that was born the C. The K and the Q (homophones of hard C) were necessary products and constituents of this operation, which later contributed to the naissance of J. But it was G, the Union, which was the process, by which all these were created. G has a history unlike any other letter. It seems that when Gladness left the world, it took the G with IT. It was G that held the third position ever since the inception of the first alphabets before 2000 B.C. Despite this, the G disappeared for 500 years in the Middle Ages, eclipsed by the rise of the C (hard), it’s Daughter which was used in G’s stead. That C is a direct descendent of G is the reason why C retains all of G’s properties (e.g. turning soft before all the male vowels, and hard before the female vowels.) When the letter G returned, it did so with an accretion and development which it seemed to have been gestating for those five centuries. For it was by uniting with the I that the soft G (as in Georgia) was born. Before then, there had been no equivalent in the Latin script. And it was this G which, in its Union with the male vowels, contributed to the creation of J—a sound in English identical to the soft G. (e.g.: Georgia and Jorja are phonetically equivalent).
Generally, G is soft before E, I, and Y (the male vowels) and hard otherwise, and that G often makes the I "long" as in sign (long i) which otherwise would have been sin (short I). It is not improper to say in this case, that the G excites the I, the Phallus, thus making it ‘long’ or ‘hard’. This holds for all GN digraphs, and is also the case for the GH* digraph (e.g. sight (long i) would otherwise be sit (short i). Note also that the uppercase G, is the C taking in the horizontal I while lower case g which denotes two circles: the taking in from above and from the right, and the wrapping of the tail onto itself of what would otherwise have been a ‘p’ (note: all symbols associated with the third position: c, g, p). Observe that in both the upper and lower case, the letter in shape suggests a taking "into" a circle.
* Otherwise the GH glyph denotes a process of F (e.g. as in Tough)
The Letter H h
THE CASTLE , THE THRONE Value: 7
H is Light in Extension. It is Love and denotes in its shape the Constant Union of two pillars or Ones. Its Goddess is Venus whose number is 7 and denotes Victory for Love is the Law, and so IT is a Fortress ( H ) for it Defends Life, and IT is a Throne ( h ) because it is exalted in the Soul of Man. Its Sound is like the Sigh, and because it is Love, it combines perfectly with more letters than any other in the English set (often softening them in the process), and in so-doing creates a new glyph with its distinct phoneme. Among these we can list, Ch, Gh, Ph, Rh, Sh, Th, Wh.
The uppercase H denotes a castle with its two towers in shape, while the lowercase h, denotes the throne.
The Letter I i
THE LINGAM, A COLUMN Value: 4
I, with A, is the male counterpart to the Star. It is a Ray, and it is the projectile. Its Shape indicates perfection, and the unity, whereas the A indicates the culmination or the harmony of this perfection. Both reduce the 4 to the 1.
Notes
It is in fact, the softening* of the I, which is responsible for many additions of letters and the transition from Latin to the Romance Languages. This ‘I’ in the English gives birth to J (through union with G) and the Y sounds; to H sounds in Spanish and modified G in French and Italian. The introduction of the letter J into English usage can be traced to Spanish influence, in which the softening of the I became a H. Thus original Iesus in Spanish (or Hay-Zeus), becomes Jesus, the letter J in Spanish denoting the English H sound. Similarly, the I in French and Italian took on a soft g instead of a j, as in gesu. The Hebrew glyph Yod, transliterated as I, also plays a contribution in J’s usage in English. An example is Halleluyah and Hallelujah, where j retains its original ‘I’ phoneme.
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* See Letter I - Notes
The Letter J j
THE HORN OF PLENTY, A HOOK Value: 1
J is the Last. As the Last, it is also the First. The First and the Last are One. The Letter J is the last of the letters to be included in the modern English Alphabet (V comes just before). It is also one of only of two affricates in the collection of English Language sounds (the other is Ch as in Chain, but not hard as in Chaos.) It was Born from the Union of G and I.
Notes
It is in the 17th Century that J make its first appearance in the English Language. It took 150 years after that, before it was accepted. Until then, J was viewed not as a letter in itself but as a mere variant of I*. In fact J succeeds I in order of the English Alphabet, because it was essentially born of it. The same holds for the letter V which was born out of the U, and so was inserted after it. Consonants are typically inserted after their mother vowels.
The Letter K, k
THE VIRGIN Value: 30
Of the Three homophones: the K, Q, and the hard C: The K has always been favoured by the Poets. Its very existence is at War with two other letters with which the K must Fight for survival.
In shape, the letter K denotes the Arrow hitting its target. IT is also the Goddess seated on Her Throne (seen from above), her Legs Open in Love—and so there is Success in the Operation, for in Shape it is also the God without standing with an erect Lingam. Its value is 30, that of the hard C, which is the C materialized (30 = 3 × 10 = C × 10, 10 being Malkuth). It’s glyph in numeral, again denotes this process: 30 or 3 0 is the C (3) materializing (0 - the Egg of the Universe). Note the progressive materialization of the same Element: from C, to hard C, to K, to Q: the Sky, (the Sea), the Womb, the Yoni, the Lingam, the Spermatazoon.
Notes
K, Q and hard C, are homophones, and are once more male and female perspectives of the One idea which is summarized in 30. The Letter K is favoured by Northern and Eastern Nations (German, Russian, etc) when using script to denote the phenome that is K, Q, and hard C, while the C is favoured by Southwestern nations (Spanish, French, Italian). The complexity of C, which is phonetically sometimes a K, sometimes an S, has meant that newly created or adopted words with a hard C sound in the English Language are increasingly spelt with a K as the choice of preference. This is done in order to avoid confusion* and suggests that the K is Rising, and will eventually gain ascendency over the C.
In terms of the Mystical Tradition, there is some Confusion as well in the History of this Letter. The letter K has traditionally been the glyph for the Hand. Now, the development of the Alphabets is traceable. Its origins were in Egypt. The Semitics adopted it, and developed upon it. From the Semitics it found its way to the Pheonicians, who gave it to the Greeks and to the Hebrew of the Jews. From the Greek, it found its way eventually to Latin which is the script of the English Language.
The Hand, a symbol of man’s will and his sovereignty over the Animal is also the main instrument of auto-eroticism.
We know that the original Eygptian glyph for the Hand stood for the first letter of the Eygptian word for Hand* which corresponds to the modern letter D, and was identical to it in Sound. However, the Pheonician word for hand began with the voiceless velar plosive which is the sound of the modern K. When they adopted the hand glyph (in shape it resembled an upright hand) they adjusted their system to compensate. In this way the Hand glyph became associated with the K.* This development was already in place by the time the Hebrews took the Phoenician alphabet to devise their own. When arriving at the 11th position, they adopted kaph, which is the word for the Palm of a hand and begins with a K. The English Alphabet throws some light on these matters. A further hint may be taken from the Egyptian papyri, primarily the creation myths: I gathered together my members, and afterwards had union with my hand, and my heart came unto me from out of my hand, and the seed fell into my mouth, and I emitted from myself the gods Shu and Tefnut.* By this act, Kephra creates Shu and Tefnut. Note also that this operation is said to have taken place at Heliopolis, or ON to the Egyptians*. As a rule, this letter is taken to be 30 by the key. This is problematic in certain instances where it is silent as in the words Knowledge and Unknown. We leave this to the discretion of the Qabalist. The Authors have preferred to take the following line of reasoning: that if it is present in the word, it is significant and will continue to be so, until that day it disappears.
*In fact, the Caesars in Rome were not pronounced "the Seezers" but the Keezers. Had the English adopted the K, they would have avoided this error as thedid in their equivalent title ‘Kaiser’. We see that the Russian with czar, have got but half way. Note that Caesar, Kaiser and Czar share the same etymological root.
*dirite.
* It was the Phoenicians who also introduced Q as competitor to K. Later that Latins would introduce hard C into the mix.
* The Book of Overthrowing Apep, British Museum.
* See The Letter N,
The Letter L
BALANCE Value: 50, 70
L is the Balance, without which there could be no Movement. It resembles a Leg and a Foot in shape: that is, the lower parts of Man.
The Squaring of the Circle or its Failure are mysteries that correspond to the letter L, which can take two values, the Upright and the Averse depending on the letters immediately following and preceding it. Whether this letter is Averse or Upright is decided by whether the particular Balance is established or Not.
Technically, the L is said to be Balanced if it is supported on either side by the same vowel (as in Palace or Element). Otherwise, L is said to be Averse. If the L is balanced it will sum to 70 which is the EYE in the old key; otherwise it denotes 50, the old glyph for Death.
Notes
Dr. John Dee* and Edward Kelley first make mention of a special property of this letter, back in the 17th century.* Their research suggested that L can sometimes be an "N that extendeth" — N which in the Old Key was the glyph for Death, which is now known to be a Gate—that this state of Death or lingering about the Threshold or Gate, can Prolong itself unnecessarily. For the failure to Square the Circle would imply Death, a release of energy into Piscean realms over which the letter N presides. Kelley records in his journal that "Avé" explained that Dee must make up the name PARAOAN. Dee asks, "What shall become of the "L" aversed?" Avé replies "In EXARPH there wanteth an "L." Though Dee could not anticipate this: the implication here is that when L is averse, it takes on the Value (and operation) for N in the old Key.
*Note the name: John ‘D’ *Dr. John Dee, A True and Faithful Relation, CASAUBON, London, England, 1659
The Letter M m
A WAVE, A VALLEY Value: 40
One of the Mother letters in the Old Key, its shape denotes a Wave or a Valley carved by a River, and has traditionally been associated with the element Water. Mystically, it has been the symbol of self-sacrifice, of motherhood and the Hanged Man, in the Book TARO. Also, to pronounce ‘m’ requires compressing both lips shut, and thus it has also been associated with Silence in the Tradition*.
Notes
M is sometimes a syllabic consonant: it is considered by some to be a vowel in certain cases. An example would be chasm, where a vowel is implied between the s and the m. As a glyph, it has persisted throughout the Aeons, and its function and properties have remained immune to Change. It’s value remains 40, and being the 13th letter, it also divides the Key, and is a hinge on which the System turns for its numerical value changes Not throughout the Aeons. All formulas for transcending Death require this M as indicated by the passwords and formulae and Godnames presiding over this Place: M**N, MAUT, MAT, AMT, AIMA, NEMO—not one of which is male (NEMO is neither).
* See "The Letter L" and "Special Considerations – L Upright, L Averse" in this Book.
The Letter N n
A GATE Value: 70
N is a Gate, which is the Threshold; and it is the glyph, which in the past has been traditionally associated with Death—that Death that is Regeneration or New Life. It takes on two possible values: 6 or 70 depending on which side of the gate One is ON*. And that Gate that is N is the Gate that the Key ON opens (which is 150, which opened from one side is 156 (150 + Nf) and from the other 220 (150 + N) which are both BABALON.
*Babalon etymologically equivalent to the Gate (Babal) ON and BABAL ON = 156 with N final, and 220 otherwise.
Notes
For the purposes of Gematria, the letter N takes two values depending on its position*. Its value is 70 except when it terminates a word or a phrase (appears as the last letter) as in "Man" or "Babylon". In this latter case, it takes on the value of 6 and becomes a Z, which is the Lightning Flash*, by falling on its side*. This addition contains a new key to the Mysteries of Death, which loses its Aspect of Terror for Humanity, and is discussed in greater length under the letter Y. Later we will see how the letter Y, the Tree of the World, which is the Tree of Life, ultimately culminates in one of the two possible values for N*.
* It is the first letter to take a final value. The other two are S and T, as will be seen shortly. A discussion on the significance of final values is presented separately. Page 6 The English Alphabet
* Z=6 suggests the lightning bolt in shape.
* The Falling of N on its Side, or the N final, which is 6. In shape, an N is a Z on its side and vice-versa.
* See Letters Y and L.
The Letter O o
THE MOON Value: 80, 200
The O is the Moon, the reflective nature of Water and the Egg of Spirit. It is also the Universe or the reflective nature of Consciousness. In both cases, reflection (= projection) is implied. It is 80 when it is New and when Full it is 200. Like the Cup, the Moon is Full when directly facing the Sun: Only then does it Receive fully of its Light and is wholly illumined. And as the Sky at Night, it is The Splendour into the Kingdom which is 8 (the 8th sphere - Hod - Splendour) into 10 (Malkuth, the Kingdom) or 80; which in the Day, shines Golden like the Cup which is 200.
Notes
O can be 80 or 200. At 80 the Egg is Fertilized, the Eye is Established, the Yoni is Fulfilled.* At 200, the Earth is Parched, the Eye is Closed, the Yoni is in Travail. As 200 it is solar—impregnated with the force of 120, while at 80 it is Mercurial in character as evidenced by the Horns.*
* These symbols being interchangeable here.
* The symbol for Mercury is the symbol of Venus crowned with the Crescent Moon, or Horns of Power.
The Letter P p
THE PREGNANT GODDESS Value: 3
Traditionally the symbol of War and of Priesthood, it is She who stands guard: The Pregnant Goddess embodies not only the generative life, but also that attitude of the bearing Mother, who is armed and Mighty to defend and empowered to do All to direct the Future or the Outcome of the Battle.
The Letter Q q
THE SPERMATAZOON Value: 10
Q was first a Monkey. The Sumerians drew the body of the animal with a tail. The letter today retains this tail. Later when the Semitics appropriated the symbol from the Phoenicians, they named it "qoph" which signified "the back of the head", that is, the animal soul of man, or his primal consciousness. Today, we call it the spermatozoon; but it is all of these: IT is the evolutionary motive power within the individual, and that buried force that propels its growth both within its life and throughout the Aeons, and so also that which made the Ape overcome or rise above itself.
Notes
Q is the power of generation which when applied to another element raises it to a higher wheel or plane and manifests the Egg of Spirit beneath it ready for fertilization. (Q = 10, 156 × Q = 1560). It is THAT which reproduces itself into the Egg of Spirit in Its original Perfection (n × 10 = n0, for any integer n).
Note that Q = F and so manifests the Father.
Q summarizes then, the Secret of the FreeMasons and the Miracle of the Mass, and in its sound it models the mechanics by which this process is achieved.* As a final note, Q shares this power of generation with a third glyph, Ch which also is 10 (soft C=3 and H=7) and is that female half (to counterbalance the male Q) of that glyph which is the Chariot of which it is written, "There is no power that may endure, save only the power that descendeth in this my chariot…"*
The Q is followed by the U, except in rare cases, which aptly denotes the Cup. And this denotes the Universal process which to Halt in order to arrive at one free of the other can only be effected with great pains.
*Q sounds like Kw (e.g. kwick for quick, or kwark for quark). A further hint: KW = 90 = 30 × 3 that is the Hard C (30 akin to the Arrow) transitioning upon the soft c (3, akin to the Pregnant Goddess) , that is cc as in success. Also W=60 is the Spirit, concentrated with force upon a point, K=30. Such meditations should provide ample material for experiment.
*Liber 418, 12th Aire
The Letter R r
BIRTH Value: 9
R is the Phallus, flaccid or exhausted as its shape denotes both in the lower case (r, flaccid) and the uppercase (R, fallen); and by its number 9, which also resembles the profile of the flaccid male genitalia (the testicle and the lingam). It’s alteration from 200 to 9 in the new key, denotes the end or impotence of the heliocentric ideal, and the paternal system of old. The new key gives U the Cup for 200, and reveals a new perspective for R, the Osirian Gods, which are now Exhausted.
Notes
Traditionally, a Solar glyph, we now know that the Sun, a Star, like other Stars is but One in the Body of Nuit.
Note also how the R is troublesome, rendering impotent the W, which is the Vision and the Voice (VV or W)*. We have the words wreck, write, wrap, etc, as an illustration. However, in the sense described above, practically, R is the phallus post-coitus, and the womb post-parturition. The New glyph for R denotes Birth: that is The I emanating from the Pregnant Goddess or P. Its glyph is 9 which demonstrates not only this re-birthing but also that particular refusal to change under combination with other elements. Thus the recursive sum on the digits of the product of 9 with any other number is again 9 (e.g.: 9 x 23 = 207 and 2 + 0 + 7 = 9; or 9 x 146 = 1314 and 1 + 3 + 1 + 4 = 9; a final example: 9 x 63 = 567 and 5 + 6 + 7 = 18 and 1 + 8 = 9.) so that whatever is born of 9 is 9 again and progress is halted. Ris the glyph of Birth which invokes the Powers of Death, for all that is born must Die. And in this letter, Death and Birth are one.
Note that the R renders null the W (see the Letter W) - The eyes, and that the human Being is blind at both Birth and Death.
* See Letter W.
The Letter S s
THE SERPENT, THE SON Value: 24, 42
The letter S holds a special place in the English Lexicon as the main symbol for denoting plurality. There is a distinction to be made therefore in the S that terminates the word as it is, (e.g.: chaos) and the S that although terminating the word is not of it, but is suffixed to denote pluralization (e.g.: words). The letter S therefore takes on two values depending on its position. As S final it takes the value of 42 (21 into 2) versus 24 (12 into 2).
Notes
Perhaps the most tortuous of the glyphs, the letter S sometimes denotes a clear hiss as in words like Super or Supper or case. In others this hiss is constrained by bringing the tongue to rest upon the palate, as in the words Sure and Sugar, which appear to compound an h to s. Other times yet, this hiss is entirely constrained until by force of pressure* it releases thundering and rumbling in the throat, turning it essentially into a z especially when terminating a word as in towards and days, or sometimes in the middle of the word : rose, nose (versus doze and dose).
* The pressurized release vibrates the air between the palate and the tongue which creates the sound corresponding to the letter. One can feel this.
The Letter T t
THE TABLE, THE ALTAR Value: 89, 98
T is the table upon which the Banquet is laid; and T is the Altar where the Sacrifice is made. When final it is the Altar, and takes the value of 89. Otherwise, it is 98, and a Table.
Notes
The T final is distinct. The T elsewhere in a word denotes an explosive release of energy. It takes on an entirely different character at the end of the word. It is the most sudden and violent of the terminations and denotes in this case an implosion, or the reverse effect, the value of which is the corresponding reversal of the digits of its usual numerical attribution.* It takes the value of 89, a prime, traditionally associate with the "Wrong" kind of Silence.* The arcs over and beneath the twentieth entry are suggestive of this reversal. Otherwise it is taken as 98 in value.
* See Table I: T = 98, T final = 89
* That of those who are drowned before the vine is planted - technically, the Black Brothers.
The Letter U u
THE CUP (THE URN) Value: 200
So much has been said and hinted at concerning this glyph, that there is little to add for what may be of practical use. Legends of the Graal*, of the Cup of Babalon and others are essentially representations of this glyph in form of legend and folk-tale. However, some oversights are prevalent, and certain other practicalities are often overlooked by rasher Students. Note for instance, that the Cup as IT is, possesses not only the Power to contain and restrain liquids into shape (that is, give them Form), but also all ground or powdered solids (or ash, in the case of an Urn). In the case of the liquid (the most immediate application), the Student will notice that the Cup must be still, that is Fixed, for Reflection on the liquid’s surface to be possible. The slightest vibration sends the liquid in the Cup in motion, and the rippling of the liquid distorts the image, into Hellish and Obscene caricatures of the True Reflection. The importance of this fact cannot be overstated.
Finally, U often succeeds Q. Note that the U is prevalent everywhere without the Q, but that Q, has trouble appearing without the U at its Side. Q and Ch represent the male and female counterparts of that which the U contains. They are each 10, and there union is 20 (the G – the Yoni satisfied), which together with the U is 220.
Observe also that U = Q x G
* The Graal is Nemo and refers to the initiate at such a stage. It does not denote a historical fact, but a process continually present and incarnating in the Universe.
The Letter V v
THE HORNS OF POWER Value: 80
A fricative like the F, and one of the last letters along with the J to be included into the standardized listing of the English Alphabet. It’s original usage was that of an initial U. Thus whenever the letter u appeared at the beginning of a word (e.g. upon) it was written with a ‘v’ (vpon). Born from its mother vowel the U, it was placed immediately after it.
Resembling Horns in shape, V is the glyph of that which born of the skull, gores the flesh and uproots the tree. It’s value is 80, which is that of the soft O, or the new or crescent moon, its corresponding female glyph. Note that both glyphs resemble these horns in shape.*
* The difference between these letters and their correspondents on the pole of the sexes, is in their shape at the root. U and C are right angle images of each other, and differ from the V only at the base, which in the latter case resolves to a point and in the case of the U is a continuous, smooth arc.
The Letter W w
THE EYES Value: 60, 400
Another late addition to the language, this letter at the beginning of a word always denotes the free flow of energy as evinced by its sound – the mouth opening wide and the air passing unrestricted (as in Wah, Weh, Wuh etc) and expresses the free flow of force of the letter F which fathered it.
Its value is that of 60, that is Tiphareth or Human Consciousness into Malkuth, the material plane. It is the source of Intelligent Life.
Called the "Double U", when activated, it takes on the value of 400* which is the totality of the Universe, and as Tau IT is the Crucifixion, and in Shape IT denotes the two Eyes of Horus, like pins, or hot brands in Thine Head, that see into the Horizon, and are fixed on Eternity, and are like two Cups that pour forth the Golden Light to Brighten the World.
W is silent when it precedes R, which is the exhaustion, or the Sleep of Shi-Lo-Am for the righteous* wherein the Eye of HIM is closed.
Note also that two hard cs or two ks (arrow hitting their targets each constituting a pin), or a ‘ck’, denote a ‘w’ which in all four cases are 60, denoting this double fixing, or the pinning of the separate poles wherein the Wheel turns.
* U=200, two U’s = 400 * A foul word and not to be interpreted in its usual sense : Righteousness implies Seperation between two standards, not Union.
Notes
The W is in a sense unique to English. There are only four other European languages that employ W in words native to their language, and these five use the letter to denote yet other sounds that /w/ known in English. This is suggestive of the glyph’s modernity. For the German and the Polish, the wis closer to the voiced labio-dental fricative of the letter , thus employing the teeth and the tongue to restrict the free-flow of air evinced in the English. Instead, the Polish employ a symbol very much like the averse L (Ł) to denote the /w/ sound as we have it in English. In Cyrillic the W sound is denoted with a y shaped glyph, while in Welsh, the W can represent a vowel as well as a consonant, and in Finland the "W" hasn’t been born of the V yet, and is still viewed as a mere variant of "V" and not a separate letter.*
* This is always the case when the effect of a glyph is perceived but not isolated or understood: Humanity seeks to relate the unknown to something it knows. Until it separates the action of its combination with other elements, it sees the new glyph as modifications or variations of an existing glyph.
The Letter X x
THE WHEEL, THE CROSS Value: 9, 300
The letter X a very modern addition and problematic, is sometimes a Z (xylophone) sometimes a ks (tax) yet others a gz (exert, execute), gsh (luxurious), and ksh (noxious). Via the Greek, it came to the English language where it originally denoted a sound identical to Z.
It is the counterpart to the R and the ideas summarized in the numeral 9, especially as these relate to what has been said concerning the exhaustion of the Osirian Gods, i.e. the resurrecting gods.
The Letter Y y
THE TREE OF THE WORLD Value: 6, 70
Y enjoys the special distinction of being the only letter which can be both vowel (e.g. cry) and consonant (e.g. yellow). Here we see that Y, the Tree of Life, the forked road suggested by its Shape, ends in one of two ways: in that Death which is Balanced Life (70 = N = L balanced), or into Tiphareth which is Harmony and Beauty (Nf=6). In both cases, the Letter Y or the Tree of Life, ends in N (the old glyph for death). Yet, this is the Glad Word for Humanity: how the active glyphs (L, Y, N) coalesce into these two: the 70 and 6, wherein Beauty and Love are exalted.
And that path which is fixed and which leads unto Tiphareth, or Sol, is the consonant Y whose value is 6. It is the illusory word which Man, the Son is subject to, and incarnates. So it is also B*, which is the Book. The light of RHK here, is like the lightning flash (Z)*, which is only seen distantly, but soon trembles in the breast (the falling of N on its side*) all of which are 6.
* B=6 * Z=6 suggests the lightning bolt in shape. * Or N final which is 6. Note that N is identical in shape to Z, when turned 90 degrees in any direction.
That path which leads to the open EYE and is the Balance, is Y vowel and takes the value of 70 which is N which is a Gate and Eye and Death. For this Gate is the Gate to the Understanding or Binah, and this Eye is the Eye of Shiva. The passing through the Gate N or the opening of the Eye of Shiva, destroys the Universe. This necessary step is not as dire as it would seem. To perceive the Universe without Error—and this is the meaning of the "Eye of Shiva" or its Opening—requires that the Initiate Cease. This Universe (of the 6), being a Mirror or a Looking Glass, reflects the Image of that which envelops the Eye, and is False unless what looks is No Longer, is Dead, or in this Life, Empty of Light.* Otherwise, All that is Seen is one’s own Reflection. And this path is beyond the Supernals, and IT is the Balanced L which is the key to the Gate that is N.*
* See formulae for NOX: The pure spirit is pure darkness in the same way the Sun does not light up the Space it travels through unless it hits upon a planet or some coarser material: so pure Understanding is Darkness, for it passes the light unto Others and in this way, is invisible and illuminating at once.
* N in shape denotes a gate.
Notes:
The y is called "the greek I" in many languages (I griega, Spanish; i greca, Italian, i grec, French, i grego, Portuguese) or sometimes epsilon. Phonetically, it is kin to the Spanish double ll which is kin to the j in Germanic languages. The Y is a Greek discovery, a gift of the Classical Period and symbolic of that Age. The glyph was absorbed into the Qabalistic systems later on as a welcome development when it was found that the double l had not as elemental constituents two l’s, but was in itself such an element. These two halves then united at the centre, and extended as one down to the root, hence morphing the two bar shape of the double l (like two pillars), into the forked shape of the modern Y. The consonant Y therefore is kin to the double LL and in some cases where the phonetics appears clear and spelling may be in transition – a judicious application of the rule is advised.
In the English language however, the inclusion and subsequent integration of the Y glyph in the language takes an unexpected turn. Here the symbol is used to denote the contraction of two separate letters "T" and "H" and the accompanying sound. Today we still see remnants of this as in Ye Olde English. This symbol "Y" denoting a "Th" was called thorn. However, when coming across a Ye as in Ye Olde Pub, an Anglophone will pronounce it yee and not thee as was originally intended and practiced.
The Letter Z z
THE LIGHTNING FLASH Value: 6
While S is that serpent that Climes the Tree of Life, Z is that lightning flash that shoots from the Crown when it is Storm-Laden. Traditionally seen as a sword that divides, it explodes from ON High, and in an instant, irresistible in its force, traverses the Spheres to discharge its Might on the Ground of Earth.
Ch is the crescent Moon or the Cup or Holy Graal exalted. It is the High Priestess and the Symbol of the Great Work accomplished. Its value is 2 or 10 (3 + 7 or C + h).
As 37 it is something altogether different. It is the Chariot of the old glyphs and 418 fully spelt, which is ABRAHADABRA in the old Key, a formula denoting the Great Work; and actually, "Great Work" in the English Key. It is that Chariot of which IT is spoken, "There is no Power which endureth except in this my Chariot that descendeth from Babalon," and this Ch is the hard c paired with the h, whose enumeration is 30 (hard c) and 7 (h) which united makes 37. Witness then, the power which descendeth from Babalon which lies in Binah, which is the 3, which into 37 is 111 (111 = 37 × 3) and so spans the triune numbers which in themselves are balanced and so Endure.
IT – The miracle of the mass.
ST – The Son on the Cross or on the Altar. Its value is 131 which is S final and T final (42 + 89). 131, the surrounding of the 3, Alchemically, the fire, the serpent on the altar (crucible) conjoined.