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 seen as the concentration of this Light, whereas I is the projectile Light¹. 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 system². 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) without which there could be no suns.

Finally note that the lower case ‘a’ suggests an ear³ in Form, 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 analyses 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 beth-yod-tau he-he teth-aleph-vau = (2 +10 + 400) + (5 + 5) + (9 + 1+ 6) = 438 = 8 + 200 + 200 + 30 = Book, etc. Indications of this nature abound. The student may profit greatly from meditation upon them.

1 ‘A’ is also the Arrow after a certain mystery (see Liber 418), wherein its projectile nature is also evinced.
2 The proper ordering of the glyphs by their value is presented at the end of the chapter.
3 The organ of Spirit.

The Letter B

THE BOOK Value: 6

B is the first of three “Stable” glyphs whose value is 6⁵, The lower case “b” denotes the 6 in its shape,⁶ which corresponds to its numerical value. ‘B’ uppercase, is The Book, fanned Open, which as can be seen by its Shape is Open to All. By another Means, IT is also the Breasts of Babalon, also Open to All, and Him Alone. Traditionally associated with the “Word” it denotes the Word Spoken⁷ (not the Word living, or made 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.

Notes
Mystically, B 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 revisited⁸ before Balance is achieved and ON is opened, and the N is set to vibration⁹ as is described in Book 418 and Liber Trigrammaton in this book. Finally observe that B in the old Key is beth, which spelt in full equals Book.¹⁰

5 The others are Z, Nf
6 b and 6: symbols denoting a wheel taking its light from above.
7 Note: The Name Babalon = Breasts of Babalon = 441 a number necessary to the birth of a Magus. [The Name Babalon = 106 + 115 + 156 = 221 + 156 = THELEMA + BABALON, pre-418; but post-418, we have N non-final as per 2nd Aire where N
continueth, so that Babalon = 220, and now, “The Name Babalon” = 221 + 220 = 441], [Breasts of Babalon = 106 + 175 + 90 + 176 (L balanced) = 441]. See the Living Key chapter in this book for more on this and similar matters.
8 In the 8th Aethyr.

9 See Book 418 and Liber Trigrammaton included in this book for more on these exalted matters. Note that we can arrive at an explication of formulae via the description of the letters: BABALON which is the 7-fold word of BINH to equilibrate the 4-fold of Chokmah (KAOS) can be now seen as B: Knowledge of the HGA (in the 20th Aethyr); A: The Light Established; B: Conversation of the HGA (in the 9th Aethyr) A: The Light Established; L: The Balance Achieved; O: The Egg of Spirit Formulated (The Process Completed) and N: The Gate or the Way made Open.
Finally observe that etymologically, Babalon signifies the Gate (babal) to ON. And note that historically ON was known as Heliopolis to the Greeks.
10 Beth is beth-heh-tau spelt in full as byt hh faw = (2 +10 + 400) + (5 + 5) + (9 +1+ 6) = 438 = 8 + 200 + 200 + 30 = Book, etc. See Notes on Letter A.

The Letter C

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’. Examples are case, cane, cone, copper, etc. In this case C takes on the Value of 30 which is K, its homophone, holy to DIANA the Huntress, and even BABALON.

Notes
C was born of a modified G. Tz or tzaddi of the Hebrews (which was later abbreviated in sound to ‘s’ and ‘z’) also plays role in the adoption of this glyph particularly when c is ‘soft’ as in the words “once” or “face”.¹¹

Hard C, Soft C—This is a simple case of phonetics, the hard c and k being homophones are given the same value¹². 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.

11 See Section on The Living Key later in this book.
12 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 PR firms 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

THE BOW Value: 8
D is the BOW that makes swift the ARROW. This is the birth of all motion. The A is light fixed in a Star, the B is a vibration, the C is that which receives and bears the Vibration. With D we have the first indication 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 stillness in motion contained in its double loop and centre-fold.

The Letter E

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. It is the source of all that is intelligible and has the power of softening the other vowels as well as consonants, while hardening itself. ¹³

Notes
13 E.g. hardening itself: bed vs. beed; hardening other vowels: bad vs. bade, grim vs. grime, nod vs. node, fuzz vs. fuze, softening consonants: case vs. cease, etc.

The Letter F

THE AXE 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 W¹. And IT required P, the Pregnant Goddess in order to accomplish This.²

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 breath. 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 divide. It is 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.³

When Initial it is 10, which is Ph its homophone (3 + 7), 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).

1 See letters U,V and W in this chapter for more on this mystery.

The Letter G

THE WHEEL Value: 20

Union, Coitus, the pairing of 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. For this reason, it is among the first vocalizations infants or primates or most beasts make. It is 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 children 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 hard C, its Daughter which was used in G’s stead. That C is a direct descendant 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.) Later, 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 (or the E) 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 GH⁴ digraph (e.g. sight (long i) would otherwise be sit (short i). Note also that the uppercase G, is the C (the yoni) taking in the horizontal I (the projectile) 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.

4 Otherwise the GH glyph denotes a process of F (e.g. as in Tough)

The Letter H

THE CASTLE, THE THRONE Value: 7

H is Light in Extension. IT is the Castle and the Throne, as IT is the Chariot and the Armoured Charioteer. For that Castle is the House of the Moon. It is Love and denotes in its shape the Constant Union of two pillars or Ones. Its 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. Observe that the H is silent in those glyphs where it is ineffectual (Rh) or unnecessary (Gh).⁵

The uppercase H denotes a Castle with its two towers in shape, while the lowercase h, denotes the Throne.

Notes

The H is often silent in those glyphs where it is either ineffectual (e.g.: RH) or unnecessary (e.g.: GH). H conceals the Union so that Love’s formula is already fulfilled; while R is Birth or the Phallus exhausted implying either satiation or impotence.

5 G is Union so that Love’s formula is already fulfilled; while R is Birth or the Phallus exhausted implying either impotence or satiation.

The Letter I

A COLUMN Value: 4

I is the Ray, while A is the Star. I is the projectile and A is the wheel.⁶ These two are the male and female counterparts of 4.⁷ 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: that is, the elements are synthesized herein. I is the Ray, the Beam of Light that . It is the Sword of Arthur and other Fables, and the Column of Samson. All these are interchangeable here for each of them denote the Lingam or the Phallus and their Sovereign place in the Body as Sun and Genitor.

Notes

It is in fact, the softening⁸ 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, and 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 Hallelujah, where j retains its original ‘I’ phoneme.

The Letter J

THE HORN OF PLENTY, A HOOK Value: 1, 5

J is the Last. As the Last, it is also the First. for the First and the Last are One on the Wheel. Its Shape denotes a turning of a corner, and contains in it, like the Crescent, a portion of the Circle. This letter was Born from the Union of G acting upon the male I⁹ and phonetically equates to the softened G and this action upon the I produces an “arching” of its lower Parts to transform into the J. The projectile which once pierced, now drags, pulls and suspends, and becomes a Hook to Gore the Flesh, a Plough to till the Earth, and a Rake to Reap.¹⁰ It is the fruits of the Labor of this Hook, this Plough, this Rake that fills the Horn of Plenty.

Notes

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 is in the 17th Century that J makes 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 of the U, and so was inserted after it. Consonants are typically inserted after their mother (or father) vowels.

The Letter 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 or Arms 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), that is the Yoni fulfilled. 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 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 confusion¹¹ and suggests that the K is Rising and will eventually gain ascendency over the C.

There is some Confusion in the History of this Letter as regards the Mystical Tradition.¹² The letter K has traditionally been the glyph for the Hand perhaps indicating onanism and its necessary relation to a virginal status in a sexually mature being. The Hand, a symbol of man’s will and his sovereignty over the Animal, is also the main instrument of auto-eroticism.¹³

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 Author has 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.

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, his motive power.

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

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.¹⁴

The Letter M

A WAVE, A VALLEY Value: 40

M denotes the Great Sea. It is the Water that Binds and Nourishes. Its elastic Flow, its power of permeability, its ability to adopt the form of its container, its very Ebb and Flow—all mimic the powers and Principles of Life. And as IT is a vehicle for Life it is necessarily a precondition for IT.¹⁶

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. It is the most ubiquitous letter in the English language and many others as well. 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 Key¹⁷, 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.¹⁸

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, his motive power.

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.

The Letter N

A GATE Value: 6, 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 ON¹⁹. And that Gate that is N, is the Gate that the Key ON (which is 150) opens, and which opened from one side is 156 (150 + Nf) and from the other 220 (150 + N) which are both BABALON so that the Gate is also the Key.²⁰

Notes

For the purposes of Gematria, the letter N takes two values depending on its position²¹. 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 Flash²², by falling on its side²³. 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 N²⁴ which is the Gate that the balancing of the L (i.e. the squaring of the circle) opens.

The Letter 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. The Cup is implied in both cases, and so reflection (= projection) is the basis of the operation. 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. It shines Golden in the Day like the Cup, which is 200²⁵ and Resh in the old Key, a glyph receptive to the Sun. And in the Sky at Night, it is the Splendour into the Kingdom which is 8 (the 8th sphere - Splendour) into 10 (the Kingdom or Material Plane) or 80. These two states correspond phonetically to the long and short phases of this vowel.²⁶

Notes

O can be 80 or 200, which correspond to its two phonetic phases. At 80 the Egg is Fertilized, the Eye is Established, the Yoni is Fulfilled.²⁷ 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.²⁸

25 See Letter U and Resh in the old Key: a glyph receptive to the Sun.

The Letter P

THE MOTHER 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.

Notes

Note that P shares the value of 3 with soft C, a manifestation of the same in Lunar Form. See also, R the Birth which shows the I emanating from the womb of P; and H which when paired with P denotes the female counterpart to this Power: Ph and F which are equivalent in Sound & Value, for P + h = 3 + 7 = 10 = F which is equivalent to IT in Sound & Value.

P is a bilabial plosive, so that with every P that is articulated in a word a kiss is given, for making the sound ‘p’ requires joining the lips together. Observe also the plethora of young goddesses, nymphs and maidens in mythology that champion the letter: Pallas, Persephone, Pasiphae, Perse, Philia, Phoebe, Psyche, etc.

The Letter Q

THE LION Value: 10

Q, the Lion or the Spermatazoon, 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 primal subconsciousness of man, his animal soul or paleo-cortex. 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. This progression from Ape to Lion portrays this evolutionary or aeonic development in the primal character of Man.

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 manifests the Father and the Goddess for Q = F = 10 = Ph = Ch. Q summarizes then, the Secret of the FreeMasons and the Miracle of the Mass, and in its sound, models the mechanics by which this process is achieved29. For observe that, the Q is always 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.

As a final note, Q shares this power of generation with two compound glyphs, Ch and Ph which are also 10 (soft C = 3 and H = 7) and are that female half to counterbalance the male Q or F.

While S is that Serpent that Climbs the Tree of Life, Z is that lightning flash that shoots from the Crown when IT is Storm-Laden53. 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.

29 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.

The Letter R

THE EMPEROR Value: 9

R, the Emperor is the establishment. It manifests institutional authority and political government and symbolizes all that resists Change.30 R is the abortive Birth: the I emanating from the Pregnant Goddess (P) and hitting Ground. Its glyph is 9 which illustrates 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 931; so that whatever is born of 9 is 9 again and Progress that is Life itself, is halted. In this way, what is Born of the R or Authority is born Dead, and that Authority survives only by replicating and assimilating.

Finally, 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 testicles and lingam in profile). In all cases, the ultimate impotence of Authority is implied.

Notes

Note also how this R is troublesome rendering impotent the W, which is the Vision and the Voice (VV or W)32 (see the Letter W) and eliminates that Fire by which Light and Heat and Sight are possible.

Traditionally, a Solar glyph, we now know that the Sun, a Star, like other Stars is but One in the Body of Nuit. It’s phasing from 200 to 9 in the new key, denotes the end or impotence of the cosmocentric ideal, and the paternal. authoritarian systems 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.

The Letter S

THE SERPENT, THE SON Value: 24, 42

The Letter S has two phases. When final it is the Serpent of Knowledge and Delight and it is 42 in number³³ and has the power of pluralizing any object. Otherwise it is 24 and denotes the Son on the Cross, or the Rosy Cross, who is the Son Crucified in the Name of the Father, the Sun-Solar Beast and the Angel of Tiphareth materialized—for these ideas are all interchangeable here and are resolved to One.³⁴

Notes

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).

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 pressure³⁵ 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 the example of doze and dose).

33 A number associated with the Second Aethyr and the tablet of the 42 names of God incarnate in the Accusers whom the Adept must baffle.

The Letter 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. Both imply Stability and a grounding in the Four. And this grounding can be beneficial or detrimental given the particular case.

Notes

These two values denote new introductions into the Key—as these values have never before in History had a single symbol attributed to them. These glyphs then, denote universal revelations particular to this Aeon and represent as such, advances in the evolution of the species as a whole. These are demoted / promoted from 90 or the Tzaddi in the old key and deal with questions concerning the ROTA, ATU IV and other critical matters discussed at length later in this book³⁶.

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.³⁷ It takes the value of 89, a prime, traditionally associated with the “Wrong” kind of Silence³⁸. Otherwise it is taken as 98 in value.

The Letter 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 Graal39, 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 the 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 to Motion, and the rippling of the liquid distorts the Image into hellish and obscene caricatures of the True Reflection. The importance of this fact can not be overstated.

Notes

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 the Cup or U, is 220, The Law.

Observe also that U = Q x G. 

The Letter V

THE HORNS OF POWER Value: 80

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.⁴⁰

Notes

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.

40 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

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 and mystically corresponds to Vision and Voice, whose two V’s constitute the W.

Called the “Double U”, when activated, it takes on the value of 400⁴¹ 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 Cups⁴² 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 righteous⁴³ wherein the Eye of the Mind is ostensibly shut.

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.

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 not known in English. This is suggestive of the glyph’s modernity. For the German and the Polish, the w is 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.⁴⁴

41 U + U = 200 + 200 = 400 = W

The Letter X

THE WHEEL, THE CROSS Value: 9, 300

As a cross, the ‘x’ 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, garnered under the symbol of the Cross. As the Wheel, the ‘X’ is 300 which is Spirit⁴⁵, that which harmonizes and consecrates the four elements⁴⁶ into one. For this Wheel contains the Cross on its Axle, but now the Cross moveth and Spinneth like the whirling Sword (the original Aleph) whenever that Wheel in set in motion and so causeth Change.⁴⁷

Notes

The letter X, a very modern addition and problematic, is sometimes a Z (xylophone) sometimes a ks (tax) yet others like 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.

45 300 = Shin, Spirit, symbolized by a Wheel. See pages 17-18.

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. 

The Letter Z

THE LIGHTNING FLASH Value: 6

While S is that Serpent that Climbs the Tree of Life, Z is that lightning flash that shoots from the Crown when IT is Storm-Laden⁵³. 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. 

Notes

53 It can shatter the Tree with its blast, set it to Fire and otherwise consume it on its traversal. The only means of withstanding the Lightning Flash is to be electrical oneself. Only in this way, does the Lightning Flash charge the Body of Light, for any obstacle on its path is destroyed including the ‘non-electric’ parts of the Initiate.