Numbers & letters

Foreword

Dear Friends:

It is with mingled awe, timidity and appreciation that the pen of my beloved teacher and friend, Margaret Bloodgood Peeke, is taken up where she left it at midnight, November 2, 1908, to indite the foreword to this valuable posthumous work.

Born April 8, 1838, like all in Aries, she has throughout her three score years and ten blazed the way with courage and cheer for others less gifted. During years of leadings at home and in Persia, the Holyland, Egypt, Patmos, Madeira, and wherever learned mystics were to be encountered, she lavishly and esoterically gave of the rich harvest that she thus garnered to those less fortunate who hungered and thirsted for it. Yet like many famous forerunners, as she stood upon the

FOREWORD

threshold of the promised land she was denied the personal privilege of completing all the written words that she had in mind.

As initiates we knoiv that her progression from our sight means for her life immortal, but that she is with us in spirit and in truth we cannot doubt, and in her beloved son 9 E. C. B. Peeke, she has a chosen representative zvho is carrying out the instructions given to him during her last precious days on earth.

Behind the production of this volume on "Numbers and Letters, or the Thirty-two Paths of Wisdom," there is therefore a beautiful spirit of co-operation, and its appearance, just at this time, will bring joy to her host of friends.

As "Bom of Flame" ivas her entering zvedge, and "Zenia the Vestal" her heart's story, this tome and those to follow will accentuate the living power of the Masters.

As a teacher of Hermetic philosophy Margaret Peeke was unsurpassed. Her joy was to interpret,

FOREWORD

not to mystify. She was rooted and grounded in Bible knowledge and nothing shook her faith in its teachings. In them she lived and moved and had her being. "Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him; I will set him on high because he hath known my name/' from her favorite XCI Psalm, were to her living words of daily strength and joy.

As Inspectress General in America of the Martinist Order of France, she did a voluminous work. She was also an ardent Behaie, a member of the Rose Cross Martinist fraternity, and the treasurer of the Light of France Hermetic Society of France.

In her oivn dear words we give "The greetings of universal peace to those zvho love the law of use and seek after truth and knozvledge. To them shall all things come, even powers and dominion and light; for nothing that thought shall grasp or the human mind conceive is impossible. Love and light are the birthright of the human in

FOREWORD

race and free to all. The echo of good words once spoken vibrate in space to all eternity. The portals of the temples are open. Enter thou in."

Lovingly, In Memoriam,

GRACE CAREW SHELDON.

IV

DESCRIPTION OF COVER DE- SIGN.

from mather's "the key of solomon

THE KING."

(Editor's note of Figure I.) The Mystical Figure of Solomon. This is only given in two MSS., Lansdowne, 1202- 1203. It was given in Levi in his "Dogme et Rituel de la Haute Magic," and by Tycho Brahe in his "Calendarium Naturale Magicum," but in each instance without the Hebrew Words and letters, probably because these were so mangled by illiterate transcribers as to be unrecognizable. After much labor and study of the Figure 1, I believe the words in the body of the symbol to be intended for the Ten Sephiroth arranged in the form of the Tree of Life, with the Name of Solomon to the right, and to the left; while the surrounding characters are intended for the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew Alphabet. I have therefor thus restored them. This Figure forms in each instance the frontpiece of the MSS. referred to.

Letters — Continued 109

CHAPTER X. Second Septenary 121

CHAPTER XL Second Septenary — Continued 135

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER XII. page

Third Septenary 150

CHAPTER XIII.

Third Septenary — Continued 164

CHAPTER XIV.

The Chart 174

CHAPTER XV.

Chart — Continued. Canals 181

CHAPTER XVI.

Finale 187

Prologue

"In the beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth." — Genesis I:i.

"In the beginning was the Word (or Logos), and the Logos or Word was with God, and the Word was God.

The same was in the beginning with God.

All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made.

In him was life, and the life was the light of men.

And the light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not.

That was the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into this world.

He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.

He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of

God, even to them that believe on his name.

Which were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father) full of grace and truth."— John 1:1—15.

The same Word is spoken of by Paul, writing to the Collossians :

"For by Him were all things created that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they are thrones, principalities, or powers : all things were created by Him, and for Him."

St. John writing to the different degrees of initiates of the Ancient Mysteries, says, in his first Epistle :

"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled of the Word of Life."

And in the closing of all the prophecies of the Old and New Testaments, the same John sums them up in Revelation, "And His Name is called the Word of God."

In this Word are all the mysteries of NUMBERS. The Absolute Unity that the Word represents; the three mentioned in I John 5 :J, as belonging to the World of Emanation, and which are in perfect agreement with the three on Earth, and in each World, Their harmony is reflected from higher to lower by the three, who always manifest the Unity from which the Triad depends.

The beginning, spoken of in Genesis, was not the beginning spoken of in John, for the Word or Light had not then been manifested, but dwelt in God the Father and was One with Him. When the command went forth, "Let there be Light," it should read, "Let Light be manifested."

For then was the Word manifested, and this Word contains in its Light the creative energy, which should afterwards usher Worlds into existence. This beginning, with which our Bible opens, refers to a World and a time, unthinkable, and unknowable, when the Logos and all creative things were hidden in the bosom of Unity,

From this time, Numbers, or the Ten Principles of the Sephiroth emanating from Unity, began to be made known. Their law of action, inherent in the nature of being, began to take effect in all that should be created. From highest Archangel to lowest human being, these Principles are implanted, and according to the perfection of the being are they manifested in order. These farthest removed from Absolute Unity were less capable of receiving the Light than those who dwelt in the Highest" World. As David said : "God made known his ways (or Laws) unto Moses, His acts unto the children of Israel."

"By his ways" are meant the Ten Laws or the Ten Principles of the Sephiroth, of which the children of Israel, knew comparatively little, but they saw the result of their actions in the works which Moses performed, which were called miracles. This is the meaning of the expression: "The fulfillment of the Law."

"Blessed is the man that delighteth in the Law of the Lord, and in that Law doethhe meditate day and night."

TROLOGUE

The old Egyptians prior to the time of Moses taught these Principles in their worship of Osiris and Isis, whom they regarded as the Rulers of both Worlds : Osiris or the Sun that rules by day, and Isis or the Moon that rules by night, the Rulers of Light and darkness, the visible and invisible Kingdoms. This is why Isis is always represented by the crescent of the Moon upon her head, into which the full orbed Sun finds his place, making a perfect Unity, which represents the great Principle of Bi-Unity, or the Two made one.

Eckarthausen, a most learned Cabalist of the last century, said : "The end of this study of Numbers, and Letters, is to regain the intimate union with the original Light of Unity, whereby man can recover his lost powers by understanding the Ten Numbers or Principles of Being. All sciences, all knowledge, can only be found by man becoming united with God or Unity. Repose, tranquility, and content of self is the first step towards this higher wisdom. We must follow the road daily, never turning to the right or left. This

Eternal Science consists in seven things. First, of the interior of nature. Second, of the relation of the Material World to the Spiritual World. Third, of the forces of the soul, unknown to most men. Fourth, of man's relation to Superior Beings. Fifth, of the influences of these forces upon nature, and of nature's law upon man. Sixth, of the separation of the soul from the body during life. Seventh, of the relation of the living to the dead (socalled).

In the opening sentence of the Old Testament, we find the first indication of the creation of the world, which afterward we find in John's Gospel (Epistle) and Revelation. Here we find an unfolding of the Mysteries and are directed by John to the study of Numbers.

vi

Chapter First. The Worlds

As man lost all, by eating of the fruit of the tree of knowledge in the Garden of Eden, and wandered farther away from his original centre in the Paradise created for him, so must he retrace his way by the same path, until he has tasted of the fruit of the tree of wisdom, that grows in the centre of the Paradise of God.

Starting from Unity, the complete round of these steps must be taken before the soul can regain Unity.

From the highest vibrfl >n of the World of Emanation, to he lowest atom of the Factive Wj: ...1, there is established an eternal and changeable relation, due either to reflection or intimate connection. The Principles represented by Numbers, are the centres of Reflection; and the Hebrew Letters, with their relationship to each other, and to Numbers, form the connecting links. There are Ten Numbers and Twenty-two Letters. These together form the "Thirty-two Paths of Wisdom."

God sends every individual by His Law of self-development to this world for a purpose, but only to a few is delegated a particular mission for the world. Pythagoras at the end of his life, if asked what had been his object, would have replied : "To have mastered the wisdom of Greece; to have wandered in the Temples of Egypt for twenty-two years, knocking at their doors for initiation, finding at the end' of that time wisdom never discovered in Greece, and then returning to estab lish the wonderful Samothracian Mysteries."

Instead of this we find to-day th? 5 : the Samothracian Mysteries are forgotten, their Temples destroyed, Samothrace but a name, and Pythagoras immortal through the Eternal Law of Numbers which he revealed.

At the present day this knowledge is known only in fragments which have come down to us. The true science of Numbers has never been changed, has never failed to prove its Divine origin, in its perpetual adaptation to the Laws of all Worlds, Religions, Races and Individuals. From the stars hung in space, and swinging in their orbits by this Law, to the Name given a newborn child, we find the different manifestations of one unfailing Law.

When Pythagoras taught the music of the spheres, he was speaking of the Law of Numbers. Hung from a central force or Sun, at distances regulated by this Law, and according to the harmony of tones and colors, these enormous Worlds moved through the Ages, as they have done from the be-

-ginning, "When the morning stars sang together and all the Sons of God shouted with joy." It was a lack of this

'.'knowledge on the part of Adam that led to his downfall and ruin; it was the wrong use of these Laws that brought about the destruction of Atlantis. Hyperborea, and Lamuria no doubt owe their extinction to some infraction of these universal Laws.

To begin the study of Numbers at the foundation, we must know the Worlds to w r hich each belongs; the centres that govern these Worlds; the law of their emanation, and the inhabitants they contain.

These Worlds are not enclosed within each other, but are distinguished from each other by the law of vibration, by which they are connected, or separated. They each have a Name, a Ruler, a Law of operation, and inhabitants, who act under the Law of the World they inhabit.

By the Law of Vibration, all Worlds act at the same time, yet never infringe upon each other. While they may blend, it is according to rythmical rules, and as in music and color, they produce perfect harmony. In the brilliant rainbow that spans the sky, the three primal colors, though distinct, mingle in one harmonious whole, and as in music, the first, third, and fifth note must have their fixed places ; so, these Worlds follow the same Law as do the three primal colors after their emanation from Kether or Aziluth.

The names of the Four Worlds are : Aziluth, or the World of Emanation;

Briah, or the World of Creation; Jetsirah, or the World of Formation; Asia, or the Factive World.

Aziluth is the World of most rapid vibrations, the incomprehensible, unknowable World of Light. It is the World of radiation, from whose rays issue all that is manifested in the Universe. Its vibrations penetrate all other Worlds and represent the power or centre of the Universe. Its ruling centre is Kether reflecting the Light from Ain-Soph or No-Thing.

The vibrations of the World of Emanation are white Light. The White Light afterward becomes separated into prismatic colors, as it touches lower Realms of Creation, or centres. Its Hebrew name by which its Ruler is known and called, is "Ehieh." Its first manifestation is the Adonai, who later is seen in different manifestations of his nature, in the other Divine Sephiroths. It is only, however, in those that are in direct communication with the Adonai, and are centres of the different Worlds that this is shown. Here we find the characteristics of the Adonai in the Divine World. The other

Sephiroths of the right and left pillars of each centre form the Triads of the World. The Second World is known as Briah, whose Ruler is the Logos, the Creator of all things. He is another phase of the Adonai, and the Hebrew name by which he is known and called is "Elohim." The name of his centre or dwelling place is called Tipheroth, or Beauty. Being farther removed from the Ain-Soph or Kether, the vibrations of this World are less rapid than Aziluth, and correspond to the highest power of Spiritual Being.

All that assist the Logos in His Creation dwell in Briah; they never leave it, and those who have ever worn material bodies, with the exception of the Divine Son, and a few chosen for a particular mission, like John the Baptist, can never enter it. Of John the Baptist it was said :

"He was sent by God to bear witness. "

Only Messianic characters can ever hope to obtain vibrations rapid enough to dwell within its Light.

It is in Briah that the White Light becomes separated and forms the three primary colors. These colors are represented in the World of Creation by red, the color of the Logos, representing suffering. We find this in the ancient Prophet, who said:

"Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? wherefore art thou red in thy apparel." Numbers 19:2; Nahum 2:3 and Revelation 6:4. This shows plainly that red belongs to the Logos, and tinctures every soul that will be given a material body, with the same color, and makes it a partaker of the suffering of the Divine Son.

In the works of the best Occultists, it is taught that all things were created from a blood red chaos, which undoubtedly refers to the World of Creation, and the color that belongs to it.

The next Divine Centre, in direct communication with Adonai is Jetsirah, whose Ruler is the Christ. The name of the Centre, or World, is Jesod, or the Foundation. The Hebrew Name by which we can come into communication with it is Shadai. It is plainly to be seen that in all after references, to Christ as the Son or descendant of

Jesse, it has apparent connection with the name given to the Foundation (Jesod) and subsequently transformed into the word Jesus.

The Christ was the foundation stone of the Universe and begins His active work in the Ninth Sephiroth, the World of Foundation. The Nine showing that the Three Worlds were subjugated, and would become Eternally His Kingdom.

The color of the Christ World is taken from His Glory (the Son of Righteousness) and is the second of the three primal colors, into which the white ray was divided. This gives the color yellow, and shows the reason why the Church of Rome selected White and Yellow as the color for their standard.

The inhabitants of Jesod are souls destined to go forth and dwell upon Earth and be clothed with shells, or bodies, and gradually to return to the World of Formation from whence they came. The original Archetype forever remains in the Archetypal World, but becomes embodied in different qualities of vesture until we now find Him having an Ethereal form.

The last Divine Centre is the Tenth

Sephiroth and is called Malcoth, or the Kingdom, and is known as Asia, the Factive or Material World. Its Ruler is Jesus Christ, and the Hebrew title that brings a response from it is the Adonai, that we found in the first Sephiroth.

Here we find a return of the Divine activity, from the unmanifcsted Unity, with Adonai partially revealed to Malcuth through the Four Centres. Here Jesus Christ with His Divine human nature comes into this Material World, to unite fallen man with his source.

While Malcuth is in direct connection with Jesod, as the Christ, and the Tipheroth as the Logos, He here in Malcuth submerges Himself in humanity, and permits Himself to be veiled in a vesture of flesh, laying aside His garment of Light, and concealing the Glory of His higher estates, as Centres of the Creative, and Formative Worlds.

Asia, or the Material World, has descended so far from the higher vibrations of the Divine Centres, that it is subject to a continual conflict between good and evil, Light and Darkness.

There is no hope of unifying its vibrations, unless a Mediator be found who has both natures in One, hence has arisen the well founded faith in a Godman, as the only Saviour for the race.

It is in this Factive World that man is seen entirely separated from His Divine Feminine, while Jesus Christ in His dual nature is outwardly expressed for the first +irne in the Number Ten.

As Jesus Christ represented the manifested duality, in the One and the Cipher, the latter stands for the Divine Feminine that exists for all humanity, but has hitherto been unknown, though she has been expressed in all Religions, from the most ancient on record to the modern Romish Church. From Isis of Egypt to the Virgin Mary, blue has been the chosen color of the vestment that she has worn. This color gives to man the hope of Immortality and is used as the great canopy of heaven, of which the Psalmist spoke, when he said : "When I consider the Heavens the work of thy hands."

And again: "Where wast thou when I stretched out the Heavens as a curtain?"

The inhabitants of this Material World are the physical creatures that were conceived in the Archetypal World, were brought into Life in the Creative World, in a germinal state; were given form in the Formative World, and clothed with Ethereal bodies; and in the Factive or Material World, as the Cabalist would say, "Fell into shells, or physical bodies. ,,

The inhabitants of this World are all in a state of Evolution, or development, and according to what has been involved in the germ, will be the perfection to be attained by each creature.

Chapter Second. The Triads And Ten Sephiroths

In the study of the Four Worlds, we found Ain-Soph in the World of Emanation, as the Centre of the White Light, inconceivable, unapproachable, and absolutely independent of the Universe. This represented by Kether, is supported by two of the Sephiroth making the First Triad. As Pythagoras taught : "Every Triad is hung from a Monad."

The head of the Triad is the Centre of power of each World. The Four Divine Centres of the Four Worlds are each upheld by two pillars, viz. :

Kether, Hochmah and Binah are the first Triad of the World of Emanation.

Chesed, Peched, and Tipheroth form the second Triad of the World of Creation.

Netzah, Hod, and Jesod form the Third Triad of the World of Formation.

Malcuth, with Netzah and Hod (the same pillars that support the Christ Kingdom, or World of Formation) form the Triad of the Material World.

The First, Second, and Third Sephiroth, belonging to the nature of Being, have their place in the World of Emanation, and belong exclusively to the domain of Unity.

The Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Sephiroth belong to the World of Creation.

The Seventh, Eighth and Ninth Sephiroth belong to the World of Formation.

The Seventh, Eighth and Tenth Sephiroth belong to the Material World. It must be noticed here that there is a singular departure from the general Law that governs the preceding Numbers inasmuch as in all the other Triads, each Centre has its own pillar for supports, but as this is where Christ stepped from the invisible to the visible, and became manifest, it is for this reason, that the two pillars of the Christ Kingdom must be identical, for the Material World, for one is a reflection of the other. As Christ is the Ruler of the Formative World, and unmanifested, so Jesus Christ manifested in the visible, is the Ruler of the Material World. Both Kingdoms are really one. This is evidence of man's relationship with his Creator and only by his union with the manifested Jesus, and the invisible Christ can he hope for restoration to the Archetypal Being.

Returning to the Sephiroth, at the beginning. Kether is upheld by Hochma, or Wisdom; and Binah, Love or Mercy. These are the two balancing powers of the Universe.

If Justice or Wisdom should predominate over Mercy or Love the severity of nature's Laws, of God's Eternal Law to man, would make existence unbearable. It is the equilibrium, perfectly adjusted and eternal, that makes the Universe harmonious in its activity.

The Second Triad with the Logos for the Centre, and representing Beauty is, strange to say, upheld by Chesed, the Fourth Sephiroth, which is the Principle of Mercy, and Peched the Fifth

Sephiroth, the Principle of Fear. These two, when perfectly balanced, become the Beauty of the Sixth. The Eternal Principle, or sense of Fear that is found in every created thing, is overcome by the knowledge that the Principle of Mercy is forever acting to obliterate it.

The Third Triad whose Centre is the Christ of the Formative World, has on its right and left the Seventh, and Eighth Sephiroth, and Netzah, or Victory, and the Second, Hod or Honor. It is through the Christ Principle working through the invisible World, that Victory comes, and crowns with Honor the Victor. Again the two balance each other, according to the Victory is the Honor, and this is referred to in Revelation 17:14; 21:24; 7:12.

"Blessing, and Glory, and Wisdom and thanksgiving, and Honor, be unto our God forever and ever."

It is only when the invisible Kingdom of Christ is working toward the Material World, preparing it (the Material World) for Jesus Christ, that the Honor, and Victory are made manifest.

The Kingdom of Malcuth, governed

IS by Jesus Christ, God manifested in flesh, was the first and last message of Jesus when He assumed the form of humanity. He did not talk or insist upon any faith in creeds, He did not establish any churches. He announced Himself in His opening sentence :

"Know ye not, that I must be about my Father's business?"

He did not insist upon the worship of the Father, but over and over again, He reiterated the words :

"Seek ye first the Kingdom (Kether), or the Father's Kingdom."

"And my Kingdom is not of this World."

"Thine is the Kingdom, and the Power," etc.

"It is the Father's good pleasure to give you the Kingdom."

"I appoint unto you a Kingdom, as my Father has appointed unto me, that ye may eat and drink at my table in my Kingdom'*

"For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly, into the Everlasting Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ."

"The Kingdoms of this World are to become the Kingdoms of our Lord and His Christ and He shall reign forever and ever."

"His Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom."

A careful study of these texts will show that the relation of the Material World to Jesus Christ is through His union with the invisible Christ.

We shall find that through all ages and Worlds it has been the same Adonai manifesting different attributes of His Divinity that has formed the Centres of the different Triads. Jesus Christ, in the lowest body of humiliation, is still in direct connection with the unmanifested Adonai.

When His work in the physical World was completed, He took His place at the right hand of Unity, and became, not only the Adonai, but the Adonai plus His experiences as a human being, crowned with glory and honor.

The inhabitants of the different Worlds are all under one Law. They are governed by the vibrations of the ruling centres of their Triads, and according to the increase of these vibrations do they rise to higher Worlds, while, as their vibrations decrease in strength and rapidity are they attracted to the lower Realms. Here is seen the form of fallen Adam, until he became a mere creature of dust. From this condition of dust he must be awakened, as it is said, by Daniel, "Many that sleep in the dust shall awaken."

It was for this purpose, that Jesus Christ came. In Ephesians 5:14, we read: "Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you Light." Jesus Christ on account of His descent into the lower Worlds, became greater than the Christ, or the Logos, or even the Adonai, by the fact of the sacrifice of Himself.

Leaving out the Triadic World of Emanation, we have the seven Principles still remaining, representing the Elohim, or Seven Creative Forces, that were in the original counsel of Unity until the Logos created the Worlds and placed over each of them Elohim. As the Ruler of the Earth, Yaveh-Elohim was chosen for this purpose. In Genesis 2:1, we read in the Hebrew: "Yaveh- Elohim created man of the dust of the earth."

In the ist chapter of Genesis it is said in the Hebrew, "The Elohim created the Heavens and the Earth."

The inhabitants of the World of Emanation are the Cherubim, Seraphim, Principalities, Powers, Archangels, and some of the higher Intelligencies. These (with the exception of three or four archangels, who have been sent on a mission with special messages to those living on Earth, as Daniel, Jacob, Abraham, and Mary) never leave their World.

The Cherubim are described in the visions of Isaiah, and Ezekiel, as winged creatures, that go according to the Will of God as breathed forth from the Centre. These go in pairs joined wing to wing. They are sometimes called "The spirits of Heaven," and were expressed by twice Five or Ten, the Number of the Principles. The Seraphim are described by Isaiah in his vision, Isaiah 6:2:

"Each of the Seraphim had six wings; with twain he covered his face, with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly, and one cried unto the other, and said, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Hosts."

When man was driven from the Garden of Eden, there was placed at the East of the Garden, "Cherubim and a flaming sword, which turned every way to keep the way of the tree of life."

These creatures were made of the element of fire, and hence could dwell in that intense Light that emanates from the World of the Sin-Soph.

Opposed to these Seven Elohim, who have their Centres in the Principles represented by the Numbers Four to Ten, are dark, evil powers spoken of as the Seven Spirits of the Abyss, or Maskim. Parsons in his "New Light from the Great Pyramid" says: