The Letter 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 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)⁴⁸, which is only seen distantly, but soon trembles in the Breast (the falling of N on its side⁴⁹) all of which are 6.

And 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 Palace of 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. And this is the Balanced L which is the key to the Gate that is N.⁵⁰

Notes

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.⁵¹ Otherwise, All that is Seen is one’s own Reflection.

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 LL⁵² 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.