Huck
2nd Mystery
I promised 2 mysteries of SY, both not commonly known. The first I've shown, it was the fact, that SY and I-Ching both reflect the same mathematical body, which is basically 2^6.
Not 2^5, as stated by Aryeh Kaplan.
The second is about the numerology of the Alphabet, not that, as it is commonly used in the Hebrew number-system.
Common is: Aleph = 1, Beth = 2 .... Iod = 10, Kaph = 20 etc.
In this special context it is counted=
Aleph = 0
Beth = 1
...
Iod =10
Kaph = 11
...
Tau = 21
As you see, this counting methode is identical to the numerolgy used in Tarot.
Tarot knows a Fool = 0 and then 21 other numbers from 1-21.
The same methode is now applied to the Hebrew Alphabet in special context of the Sepher Yetzirah, just observing, what happened inside the applied number-system, when the 22 letters were grouped in special categories, which are "mothers", "double" and "simple" letters.
The special partition of letters in this way is given with the SY, if it is earlier already known and done is unknown.
An analysis of the earliest known forms of Alphabet in the context of the names of letters gives reason to suspect, that a partition of the letters already was done at that time, but in another way as later in SY.
This theme is discussed in the thread about the forms of early alphabet, the probably earlier (original) system is suspected to have been:
letters 1-3 = mothers
letters 4-9 = 6 double letters
letters 10 - 21 = 12 simple letters (ABC-man)
letter 22 = 7th central letter
By the given conditions (an earlier concept was possibly changed with SY), the row " 0-21" is researched, if it possibly explains the reason for change.
In the opinion of autorbis, which detected this context around 1987, just this row explains the reason for the change, also it explains the specific order of SY, for instance, why the mothers just got 1st, 13th and 21th position in the Alphabet.
Autorbis detected the context and during his studies of this object he observed no earlier text, which presented the same conclusion. Also he didn't see any other researcher in the internet, who went similar ways, later, when internet was accessible.
Autorbis published about it in 1987. Also he wrote in an email 1996:
NUMEROLOGY of Tarot and Sepher Yetzirah
I will demonstrate in the following a number game, which I've analyzed out of the informations given by the Sepher Yetzirah. The number game is of importance for the Tarot, because the Golden Dawn related at the end of the last century tarot and Kabbala on the base of the teachings of the Sepher Yetzirah. This action proved to be the main influence on the development of modern tarot.
I hope my poor English will not lead to misunderstandings.
Before I start to explain the number game, I'll give some basic
informations.
The Sepher Yetzirah is a small book of 20 pages and the time of its origin is strongly discussed but unknown. It is clear that it had appeared before the end of the 5th century, sometimes it is dated as early as 2nd century. The author himself declares to be the biblical Abraham, but chosing the name of an outstanding mystical figure is a common feature in this sort of literature in this time (compare the writings of Hermes Trismegistos). The main object of the text are the "32 ways of wisdom". God used them in creating the world.
The 32 ways are shown as a system containing 22 letters and 10 "sephiroth" (numbers 1 -10). The 22 letters are parted in 3 groups, mothers, doubled and simple (3-7-12), the group of sephiroth also (1-3-6). Each entry is related to some other things, of most importance is the relation to common elements of astrology, zodiacsigns, planets, elements.
The Sepher Yetzirah took very much influence on medieval Jews, there are more than 50 commentaries still existing in our time. His simple model dominated the Kabbala and took further developments sometimes a little far away from the original concept. His influence is still alive as seen in the tarot.
I'll show at other places that the 32 ways of wisdom are in some way identical to the 64 hexagrams of I-Ching.
The Sepher Yetzirah is of eminent importance for the tarot, because it presents the first appearence of an arrangement between Hebrew alphabet and astrology, which was later commonly used by the medieval kabbala and from this source projected on the Tarot game (only major arcana), first by
Eliphas Levy and later in a slightly changed order by the Golden Dawn. As the arrangement of the Golden Dawn nowadays is most common, you can reflect, that, for example, 4 (Emperor) = aries is first noted in Sepher Yetzirah (=SY). Naturally the author of SY didn't know any connection to the idea "Emperor", as the tarot was invented 1000 years after his own time, but he reflected aries = he (= 5th letter of the Hebrew alphabet)
and this influenced in the development of time the Tarot attribution of the Golden Dawn. The 5th letter "he" did met card no. 4, Emperor, because the first letter aleph was considered to present card 0, Fool. So the row of Hebrew alphabet and the number row of tarot meet in a slightly changed
order.
0 =1st letter, 1 = 2nd letter, 2 = 3rd letter etc.
As the analysing of the number game of SY will show, the "uniting trick" of the golden dawn surprizingly met the fact, that in some sort of "hidden order" the author of SY himself didn't count aleph, the first letter, so that the letter "he", although the fifth letter and in normal algebra used as number 5, in this "hidden reality" really was connected to the no. 4.
The reason for this curious sorting might have been, that aleph in the religious background always had a very special meaning. It was not regarded as an usual letter, and, for instance in SY. "aleph is the cause
of all other letters".
NUMBER GAME (SY)
mother letters (elements):
0 + 12 + 20 = 32
double letters (planets):
1 + 2 + 3 + 10 + 16 + 19 + 21 = 72
simple letters (signs of the zodiac):
4 + 5 + 6 + 7 + 8 + 9 + 11 + 13 + 14 + 15 + 17 + 18 = 127
all together:
32 + 72 + 127 = 231
The three lines of additions are not given by the tarot but by the
astrological system of Sepher Yetzirah, which is attributed to the Tarot by the golden dawn (which is a small but remarkable difference). Note, that aleph is counted as O, beth as 1, gimel as 2 etc.)
231 is a necessary number (the addition of the row 1+2+3 ... +21). 32, 72 and 127 (near to the binary code number 128) are "nice" numbers that means intentionally constructed. Somebody played a nice number game and it is
open to be explored by everybody studying Sepher Yetzirah.
32 is there because of the "32 ways of wisdom" and the 72 is always well known and constantly appearing in Kabbala (for instance "72-letter-name of God"). But, maybe, you think, 127 is not a nice number?
Sephiroth numbers:
1+2+3+4+5+6+7+8+9+10 = 55
55 + 72 = 127
32 + 127 + 127 = 286
286 is a necessary number again and the natural addition of the rows 1-10 (55) and 1-21 (231).
If somebody wanted to show a 32 in his template (and the author of the Yetzirah wanted to show a 32 because of his "32 ways of wisdom"), 2x127 is a very elegant number-way to put the rest in partitions. To part one 127 in 72 and 55 is choosing an elegant number-way again.
***** Note by Huck: autorbis added in his post the following, however, he regretted it later, as he forgets to explain how it comes to this order of the planets, which appears in the Golden Dawn Tarot interpretation, but not in this form in the SY.
Actually this question leads in complications, as the Sepher Yetzirah obviously "played tricks", for instance in the attribution of planets to days of the week - this riddle is variously discussed and explained by others.
Autorbis assumes, that the SY also "played tricks" with the attribution of planets to letters. By some reason - which stayed finally unexplained - curiously the Golden Dawn applied the correct order of the probable intention of the author of SY - only with one mistake (according to the analyses of autorbis, which are complicated). The mistake is, that the author of SY probably wanted Moon = 1 and Mercury =2 and that the Golden Dawn coordinated Mercury =1 (Magician) and Moon = 2 (Papessa).
end of my ddition, autorbis proceeds: ***
The 7 double letters
Letter numbers:
inner planets (moon, mercury, venus)
1 + 2 + 3 = 6 (= 1+2+3)
special planet (saturn)
21 (=1+2+3+4+5+6)
outer planets (jupiter, mars, sun)
10 + 16 + 19 = 45 (= 1+2+3+4+5+6+7+8+9)
The arrangement of inner and outer and special planets is commonly unknown, but appears in the same way in the Sephiroth-tree (7-8-9 = inner planets, 4-5-6 = outer planets, saturn = special planet.
Sephiroth numbers:
1+2+3+4+5+6+7+8+9+10=55
And 127 is:
1+2+3 = 6
1+2+3+4+5+6 = 21
1+2+3+4+5+6+7+8+9 = 45
1+2+3+4+5+6+7+8+9+10 = 55
6 + 21 + 45 +55 = 127
May be, you think, that is all. It isn't, but it is enough for the moment
and it is open to your critics and questions.
***** So the email ends. From the representation of autorbis in 1987 I know, that the considerations behind the details are complicated and best only communicationable with graphical help. In the moment nobody of us thinks it of great interest to complicate matters - so we leave that for other times.
People already have problems to understand easier things. For the discussion of the alphabet-question it's only of importance to understand, that there is an artificial trick inside the numerology of the SY, which probably was not in existence at the time of invention of the Alphabet. And for that understanding actually the appearance of numbers like
32 - 72 - 127 - 55
MUST be enough.
If somebody thinks, it is not enough, we think, that he may go in the forest and ask the trees for more information, and we behind our own walls simply think, another one, who doesn't understand the talk of numbers ... and we know a lot of them.
The "somebody", who made the trick ....
1. either he knew the row of the Alphabet as "a given fact" - as we know it -,
2. or he was in a position, in which he could influence the row of the alphabet, just arranging it in a fitting way.
The possibilility 2 has many ways, but demands, that the creator of the number-game was very, very early.
Our logic demands, that the inventer of the original alphabet in combination with memory names was earlier ... or the creator of both interpretations (names, AbC-man from 10-21 and SY-logic) was a single person or group, just playing with a double interpretation.
We tend to believe, that possibility 1 is correct. The alphabet was on its run to become a success, and then somebody composed the number-game, which appears in SY.
The arrangement of the mothers is mathematically "ideal", or better "nearly ideal", you've to understand that.
For that make the Alphabet to a circle, "make the snake capture its tail" , I hope, you understand the picture.
Then you have in one segment of the circle:
.... resh, schin, tau, aleph, beth ...
resh is sun (by Golden Dawn)
schin is a mother-letter
tau is the centered planet
aleph is a mother letter
beth is "correctly" moon
This is a perfect "center", here are the most important elements of the binary code hidden - with the exception of some important Sephiroth-elements, which don't belong to the Alphabet order, of course, and with the single exeption of "mem", the third mother letter.
If you've difficulties to get the picture, take a pencil, paint the Alphabet in a circle and they look.
Then go back in the situation of that person, "who did it".
Giving the arrangement a symmetrie, the missing 3rd "mother letter" should have position 11, and, assuming, that the alphabet already existed, would have been letter kaph=20 (cause then you would have 9 letters distance between kaph and beth and 9 letters distance between kaph and resh.
But .... our arrangeur of the Sepher Yetzirah order didn't choose that way, he did prefer to attribute the 3rd mother letter to mem at the 13th position. Why this break?
Of course, naturally:
"He desired to arrange 0 + 12 + 20 = 32"
If he had taken kaph as 3rd mother, then:
0 + 10 + 20 = 30
He didn't like that.
Or, if he had chosen to use 1-22 instead of 0-21, he would have gotten:
1 + 11 + 21 = 33
He didn't like that.
He did choose:
Mem = 3rd mother-letter
Well, then we've a lucky accident. In the "name" list - about which we assume, that at least a big part is of an older age than the arrangement of Sepher Yetzirah - the letter "mem" is associated with water.
Why this? How this? He did choose the "right mother letter" by a numerological calculation, naturally it's a little strange that he just just finds mem=water at the right place.
There are various ways, how this might have happened, without need of a "unbelievable" accident.
Consideration 1: The Alphabet-name row was changed by the arrangeur. "Mem=water" was imported, and, although many old elements were kept, this one was changed according to the interests of the arrangeur. But this would demand a rather early establishment of the arrangement. This might be doubted with good rights.
One may observe in this context: the early form of Mem remembered a rather similar Egyptian form, which also meant water, but which meant "n".
Consideration 2: Mem already meant water, and just this feature caused the arrangeur of the SY-order to think about it in the way, that he did.
Well, I leave it, as it is. Enough for today.
I promised 2 mysteries of SY, both not commonly known. The first I've shown, it was the fact, that SY and I-Ching both reflect the same mathematical body, which is basically 2^6.
Not 2^5, as stated by Aryeh Kaplan.
The second is about the numerology of the Alphabet, not that, as it is commonly used in the Hebrew number-system.
Common is: Aleph = 1, Beth = 2 .... Iod = 10, Kaph = 20 etc.
In this special context it is counted=
Aleph = 0
Beth = 1
...
Iod =10
Kaph = 11
...
Tau = 21
As you see, this counting methode is identical to the numerolgy used in Tarot.
Tarot knows a Fool = 0 and then 21 other numbers from 1-21.
The same methode is now applied to the Hebrew Alphabet in special context of the Sepher Yetzirah, just observing, what happened inside the applied number-system, when the 22 letters were grouped in special categories, which are "mothers", "double" and "simple" letters.
The special partition of letters in this way is given with the SY, if it is earlier already known and done is unknown.
An analysis of the earliest known forms of Alphabet in the context of the names of letters gives reason to suspect, that a partition of the letters already was done at that time, but in another way as later in SY.
This theme is discussed in the thread about the forms of early alphabet, the probably earlier (original) system is suspected to have been:
letters 1-3 = mothers
letters 4-9 = 6 double letters
letters 10 - 21 = 12 simple letters (ABC-man)
letter 22 = 7th central letter
By the given conditions (an earlier concept was possibly changed with SY), the row " 0-21" is researched, if it possibly explains the reason for change.
In the opinion of autorbis, which detected this context around 1987, just this row explains the reason for the change, also it explains the specific order of SY, for instance, why the mothers just got 1st, 13th and 21th position in the Alphabet.
Autorbis detected the context and during his studies of this object he observed no earlier text, which presented the same conclusion. Also he didn't see any other researcher in the internet, who went similar ways, later, when internet was accessible.
Autorbis published about it in 1987. Also he wrote in an email 1996:
NUMEROLOGY of Tarot and Sepher Yetzirah
I will demonstrate in the following a number game, which I've analyzed out of the informations given by the Sepher Yetzirah. The number game is of importance for the Tarot, because the Golden Dawn related at the end of the last century tarot and Kabbala on the base of the teachings of the Sepher Yetzirah. This action proved to be the main influence on the development of modern tarot.
I hope my poor English will not lead to misunderstandings.
Before I start to explain the number game, I'll give some basic
informations.
The Sepher Yetzirah is a small book of 20 pages and the time of its origin is strongly discussed but unknown. It is clear that it had appeared before the end of the 5th century, sometimes it is dated as early as 2nd century. The author himself declares to be the biblical Abraham, but chosing the name of an outstanding mystical figure is a common feature in this sort of literature in this time (compare the writings of Hermes Trismegistos). The main object of the text are the "32 ways of wisdom". God used them in creating the world.
The 32 ways are shown as a system containing 22 letters and 10 "sephiroth" (numbers 1 -10). The 22 letters are parted in 3 groups, mothers, doubled and simple (3-7-12), the group of sephiroth also (1-3-6). Each entry is related to some other things, of most importance is the relation to common elements of astrology, zodiacsigns, planets, elements.
The Sepher Yetzirah took very much influence on medieval Jews, there are more than 50 commentaries still existing in our time. His simple model dominated the Kabbala and took further developments sometimes a little far away from the original concept. His influence is still alive as seen in the tarot.
I'll show at other places that the 32 ways of wisdom are in some way identical to the 64 hexagrams of I-Ching.
The Sepher Yetzirah is of eminent importance for the tarot, because it presents the first appearence of an arrangement between Hebrew alphabet and astrology, which was later commonly used by the medieval kabbala and from this source projected on the Tarot game (only major arcana), first by
Eliphas Levy and later in a slightly changed order by the Golden Dawn. As the arrangement of the Golden Dawn nowadays is most common, you can reflect, that, for example, 4 (Emperor) = aries is first noted in Sepher Yetzirah (=SY). Naturally the author of SY didn't know any connection to the idea "Emperor", as the tarot was invented 1000 years after his own time, but he reflected aries = he (= 5th letter of the Hebrew alphabet)
and this influenced in the development of time the Tarot attribution of the Golden Dawn. The 5th letter "he" did met card no. 4, Emperor, because the first letter aleph was considered to present card 0, Fool. So the row of Hebrew alphabet and the number row of tarot meet in a slightly changed
order.
0 =1st letter, 1 = 2nd letter, 2 = 3rd letter etc.
As the analysing of the number game of SY will show, the "uniting trick" of the golden dawn surprizingly met the fact, that in some sort of "hidden order" the author of SY himself didn't count aleph, the first letter, so that the letter "he", although the fifth letter and in normal algebra used as number 5, in this "hidden reality" really was connected to the no. 4.
The reason for this curious sorting might have been, that aleph in the religious background always had a very special meaning. It was not regarded as an usual letter, and, for instance in SY. "aleph is the cause
of all other letters".
NUMBER GAME (SY)
mother letters (elements):
0 + 12 + 20 = 32
double letters (planets):
1 + 2 + 3 + 10 + 16 + 19 + 21 = 72
simple letters (signs of the zodiac):
4 + 5 + 6 + 7 + 8 + 9 + 11 + 13 + 14 + 15 + 17 + 18 = 127
all together:
32 + 72 + 127 = 231
The three lines of additions are not given by the tarot but by the
astrological system of Sepher Yetzirah, which is attributed to the Tarot by the golden dawn (which is a small but remarkable difference). Note, that aleph is counted as O, beth as 1, gimel as 2 etc.)
231 is a necessary number (the addition of the row 1+2+3 ... +21). 32, 72 and 127 (near to the binary code number 128) are "nice" numbers that means intentionally constructed. Somebody played a nice number game and it is
open to be explored by everybody studying Sepher Yetzirah.
32 is there because of the "32 ways of wisdom" and the 72 is always well known and constantly appearing in Kabbala (for instance "72-letter-name of God"). But, maybe, you think, 127 is not a nice number?
Sephiroth numbers:
1+2+3+4+5+6+7+8+9+10 = 55
55 + 72 = 127
32 + 127 + 127 = 286
286 is a necessary number again and the natural addition of the rows 1-10 (55) and 1-21 (231).
If somebody wanted to show a 32 in his template (and the author of the Yetzirah wanted to show a 32 because of his "32 ways of wisdom"), 2x127 is a very elegant number-way to put the rest in partitions. To part one 127 in 72 and 55 is choosing an elegant number-way again.
***** Note by Huck: autorbis added in his post the following, however, he regretted it later, as he forgets to explain how it comes to this order of the planets, which appears in the Golden Dawn Tarot interpretation, but not in this form in the SY.
Actually this question leads in complications, as the Sepher Yetzirah obviously "played tricks", for instance in the attribution of planets to days of the week - this riddle is variously discussed and explained by others.
Autorbis assumes, that the SY also "played tricks" with the attribution of planets to letters. By some reason - which stayed finally unexplained - curiously the Golden Dawn applied the correct order of the probable intention of the author of SY - only with one mistake (according to the analyses of autorbis, which are complicated). The mistake is, that the author of SY probably wanted Moon = 1 and Mercury =2 and that the Golden Dawn coordinated Mercury =1 (Magician) and Moon = 2 (Papessa).
end of my ddition, autorbis proceeds: ***
The 7 double letters
Letter numbers:
inner planets (moon, mercury, venus)
1 + 2 + 3 = 6 (= 1+2+3)
special planet (saturn)
21 (=1+2+3+4+5+6)
outer planets (jupiter, mars, sun)
10 + 16 + 19 = 45 (= 1+2+3+4+5+6+7+8+9)
The arrangement of inner and outer and special planets is commonly unknown, but appears in the same way in the Sephiroth-tree (7-8-9 = inner planets, 4-5-6 = outer planets, saturn = special planet.
Sephiroth numbers:
1+2+3+4+5+6+7+8+9+10=55
And 127 is:
1+2+3 = 6
1+2+3+4+5+6 = 21
1+2+3+4+5+6+7+8+9 = 45
1+2+3+4+5+6+7+8+9+10 = 55
6 + 21 + 45 +55 = 127
May be, you think, that is all. It isn't, but it is enough for the moment
and it is open to your critics and questions.
***** So the email ends. From the representation of autorbis in 1987 I know, that the considerations behind the details are complicated and best only communicationable with graphical help. In the moment nobody of us thinks it of great interest to complicate matters - so we leave that for other times.
People already have problems to understand easier things. For the discussion of the alphabet-question it's only of importance to understand, that there is an artificial trick inside the numerology of the SY, which probably was not in existence at the time of invention of the Alphabet. And for that understanding actually the appearance of numbers like
32 - 72 - 127 - 55
MUST be enough.
If somebody thinks, it is not enough, we think, that he may go in the forest and ask the trees for more information, and we behind our own walls simply think, another one, who doesn't understand the talk of numbers ... and we know a lot of them.
The "somebody", who made the trick ....
1. either he knew the row of the Alphabet as "a given fact" - as we know it -,
2. or he was in a position, in which he could influence the row of the alphabet, just arranging it in a fitting way.
The possibilility 2 has many ways, but demands, that the creator of the number-game was very, very early.
Our logic demands, that the inventer of the original alphabet in combination with memory names was earlier ... or the creator of both interpretations (names, AbC-man from 10-21 and SY-logic) was a single person or group, just playing with a double interpretation.
We tend to believe, that possibility 1 is correct. The alphabet was on its run to become a success, and then somebody composed the number-game, which appears in SY.
The arrangement of the mothers is mathematically "ideal", or better "nearly ideal", you've to understand that.
For that make the Alphabet to a circle, "make the snake capture its tail" , I hope, you understand the picture.
Then you have in one segment of the circle:
.... resh, schin, tau, aleph, beth ...
resh is sun (by Golden Dawn)
schin is a mother-letter
tau is the centered planet
aleph is a mother letter
beth is "correctly" moon
This is a perfect "center", here are the most important elements of the binary code hidden - with the exception of some important Sephiroth-elements, which don't belong to the Alphabet order, of course, and with the single exeption of "mem", the third mother letter.
If you've difficulties to get the picture, take a pencil, paint the Alphabet in a circle and they look.
Then go back in the situation of that person, "who did it".
Giving the arrangement a symmetrie, the missing 3rd "mother letter" should have position 11, and, assuming, that the alphabet already existed, would have been letter kaph=20 (cause then you would have 9 letters distance between kaph and beth and 9 letters distance between kaph and resh.
But .... our arrangeur of the Sepher Yetzirah order didn't choose that way, he did prefer to attribute the 3rd mother letter to mem at the 13th position. Why this break?
Of course, naturally:
"He desired to arrange 0 + 12 + 20 = 32"
If he had taken kaph as 3rd mother, then:
0 + 10 + 20 = 30
He didn't like that.
Or, if he had chosen to use 1-22 instead of 0-21, he would have gotten:
1 + 11 + 21 = 33
He didn't like that.
He did choose:
Mem = 3rd mother-letter
Well, then we've a lucky accident. In the "name" list - about which we assume, that at least a big part is of an older age than the arrangement of Sepher Yetzirah - the letter "mem" is associated with water.
Why this? How this? He did choose the "right mother letter" by a numerological calculation, naturally it's a little strange that he just just finds mem=water at the right place.
There are various ways, how this might have happened, without need of a "unbelievable" accident.
Consideration 1: The Alphabet-name row was changed by the arrangeur. "Mem=water" was imported, and, although many old elements were kept, this one was changed according to the interests of the arrangeur. But this would demand a rather early establishment of the arrangement. This might be doubted with good rights.
One may observe in this context: the early form of Mem remembered a rather similar Egyptian form, which also meant water, but which meant "n".
Consideration 2: Mem already meant water, and just this feature caused the arrangeur of the SY-order to think about it in the way, that he did.
Well, I leave it, as it is. Enough for today.