Intended English Qabalah?
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Clarification on generating the English Qabalah
We are told in verse II:55
"Thou shalt obtain the order & value of the English Alphabet; thou shalt find new symbols to attribute them unto."
I believe the clues required to generate the truly-intended English Qabalah are cleverly tucked away in this single verse.
The heart of the secret lies in the words** "order & value"**; but let's go through the verse in order to make it clear.
1."Thou shalt obtain"
This seems first of all to make a definite prediction, the use of the word "shalt" implies it will happen. Regardless, it also says to "obtain". Jim Eshelman, in his commentary makes a great point about this word:
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** â'obtain.'This is a critical word. The solution is something he did not already have. It is definitely an acquisition. (There is also an obscure and mostly antiquated use of 'obtain' to mean 'attain to' or 'succeed;' this should be kept in mind for future investigation.)"**Succeed 1 a : to come next after another in office or position or in possession of an estate; especially : to inherit sovereignty, rank, or title
b : to follow after another in orderThis could easily suggest that the English Alphabet is to succeed the Hebrew Alphabet in regards to the Tarot.
2. "the order & value of the English Alphabet"
Jim has a comment on this as well that is enlightening:
â'order & value.' These are the key words of the sentence, and deserve close scrutiny. Only 'value' has gotten adequate attention. But let us not miss the fact that AC was told to 'obtain the order.... of the English Alphabet'! Now, normally we assume we know the order of the English Alphabet. This in itself suggests very strongly that the order is not the same as that of the normal alphabet."
The word "order" is indeed significant, strangely enough by using this proposed English Qabalah, "order" = 22, the number of Trumps in the Major Arcana. I believe that what is meant by "obtaining the order" is to have the English Alphabet succeed the Hebrew in its placement on the 22 Trumps. Attributing the English to the Trumps; we can see it isn't talking about switching around the order of the letters themselves, but instead giving them a new number "order" - something the Trumps already have, hence the word "obtain" (succeed).
In the Tarot each card is already given a number. This Tarot order starts with a 0, not a 1. If we attribute the Alphabet to this ordering scheme, we in effect have changed the order. Usually when numbering them sequentially we think of it as being A=1,B=2,C=3, as is used with the familiar English Simplex system. Nuit seems to speak to this idea in verse I:48;
I:48 "My prophet is a fool with his one, one, one; are not they the Ox, and none by the Book?"
Here Nuit herself seems to be saying, the value of "A" being 0 is more important. This is the value given by the ordering of the Trumps! Jim Eshelman says:
**"Crowley is then said to be 'a fool with his one, one, one,' etc. The Qabalistic meanings of this verse seem so clear that they utterly blind us to the real meaning. On the surface, we note that, in the Tarot, Aleph is The Fool; its value in full is 111 (ALPh); it means 'Ox;' and its value in Tarot (i.e., by the 'Book of Thoth') is 0 ('none'). Just the kind of thing to spill off of a Qabalist's mind, and certainly it serves to give us The Fool as an enigma whose 'solution' is only in the Way of Going. But, first of all, it is not the deepest solution to this numerical puzzle; and, secondly, it obscures the 'plain English' meaning.
Thus, AC is told that he is 'a fool with his one, one, one.' The English construction is the same as if we had said, 'All you ever do is eat, eat, eat!' He was obsessed with One, with Unity; and he is being told that the Answer is not to be found there. The Answer is in Naught."**
Jim hit the nail on the head here, the point is with all this, is that "A" becoming "none" or "naught" is the secret "key." By assigning the usual Trump order to the English "A" becomes "0" or "none".
3. "thou shalt find new symbols to attribute them unto."
This seems so obvious that it shocks me not many have already realized it. "New" sounds exactly like* "Nu"*, and of course *"Nu symbols" *could easily be thought of as the Tarot, which is of course her "Book" filled with symbols. Is it such a stretch to assume this means to attribute the English to symbols of the Tarot; just as we do with the "old letters"? Of course not; easy stuff. Makes perfect sense to update the old system using the most influencial language on the planet. Perhaps we should also rethink why Nuit calls the Hebrew the "old letters", maybe its not because of their age - maybe English is the new?
Ok, back to "order & value" for the real meat of the secret. As Jim pointed out, these are the real words of interest, and he is perfectly right! It all is here, in these two words & one symbol. These two words are connected, and the ampersand between them holds the key. In the original Ms., in* "the original writing of the beast", the "&" looks exactly like a plus sign. I believe this is to point out that "order" & "value" are linked (&="and"=Vav="union"), that through the obtained * "order" using addition we arrive at the* "value."*
"Order" then is our NEW numbering of the English Alphabet. Applying the Tarots ordering of its trumps - starting with a 0, we follow the same serial numbering. "A" is numbered 0 and we continue down the line ending with "Z" being our 25th "card". Using the ampersands hint for additon, we add these order numbers and VIOLA or Abrahadabra - we have a set of "values" for each letter of the English!
A = 0
B = 1
C = 2
D = 3
E = 4
F = 5
G = 6
H = 7
I = 8
J = 9
K = 1
L = 2
M = 3
N = 4
O = 5
P = 6
Q = 7
R = 8
S = 9
T = 1
U = 2
V = 3
W = 4
X = 5
Y = 6
Z = 7[The lowercase letters I believe are doubled in value, I.e. "Z" being a capital, would mean "z" lowercase would be 14. We do not reduce the lowercase. My justification for this is admittedly shaky at this point, but the results are significant enough to inspire me to look for this, and simply admit its optional until realized.]
To recap: the numbering sequence used by the Tarot employing 0, is applied to the English, it is then reduced, and this becomes their value.
WXY & Z
Of course there are four extra letters in the English Alphabet and there are only 22 Trumps. I know. The secret to this problem is given in verse III:47. In this verse is given a set of 3 clues, otherwise called "keys", (which I find significant in hinting at the Tarot).The first is the "line drawn", which is an actual line drawn on the page. This hints at the English if we describe HOW the line was "drawn". The clue says; "then this line drawn is a key", which suggests the secret to unlocking its clue in in how this line is drawn. If we use the page as a reference, and label the sides "top","bottom", "left",&"right", and describe how its drawn in relation to these, we get something interesting. We could say it was drawn "left to right and top to bottom". This reflects the way which would be most comfortable and natural in drawing the mark. The first thing that stands out is its obvious parallel to the words of verse III:73 "Paste the sheets from right to left and from top to bottom: then behold!"
"Right to left" suggests how we read and write in Hebrew, but here, with this line, there is a subtle difference; it describes how we read and write in English. This gives us a clue relating to these "keys", not only to the riddle of verse III:73, which I go into with regards to the Thelemic Tablet, but with the English Alphabet.
The next key is a circle drawn with an equal armed cross within it, or what we could see as another plus sign. This symbol again relates to the English in that it can be seen as a glyph of a circle, thus 22 or ROTA, and a cross symbolising 4, together it is 26, and of course there are 26 letters within the English Alphabet. The cross is the four extra "cards" or letters; these four extra cards are not Trumps (of the circle, 22) but instead attributed to the base elements of Malkuth, and the other part of the Tarot, the "cross" of the elemental suits.
The last key Abrahadabra is not vital in this subject of the English Qabalah, but more importantly relates to the other aspect of the construction of the Thelemic Tablet.
I want to end this explanation of the English Qabalah, with the verse that seems to say it all:
I:46 "Nothing is a secret key of this law. Sixty-one the Jews call it; I call it eight, eighty, four hundred & eighteen."
"Nothing" (0) is "A" secret "key" (Fool) of this law. Applying the 0, the "naught" in relation to the "order" of the English was the key, along with the ampersand hinting at addition (reducing).
The Gemetric results of this proposed English Qabalah is striking. I'll end with the list of a few for your reviewing:
ABRAHADABRA = 28 (Heb. 28 = "power")
Abrahadabra = 56
Nu= 8
HAD = 10
A=0,L=2 (0=2)
AIWASS = 30 (Lamed "L")
LAW = 6
All = 8
ONE = 13
HGA = 13
LOVE = 14
US = 11
BEHOLD! = 22
WHOLE = 22
To Me = 22
THELEMA = 21
FIRE = 25
ROSE = 26
TO ME TO ME = 26
CIRCLE = 26
Nuit = 26
Love = 26
SECRET = 28
LOVE + WILL = 30
TRUE WILL = 31
King = 37
star = 36
HERU-RA-HA = 36
DO WHAT THOU WILT = 5093 93/93
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Well, you may want to consider whether or not those other posts were merely mocking you or not...
Personally, I see no value in the creation of a system with repeating numbers. For instance, allowing 1 = T, or K, or B only allows for more creative possibility in interpretation, which increases the amount of error in attempts to actually communicate anything specific.
But, as to the whole order and value of the English alphabet and all that....
There are two primary correspondences to 26 in qabalah:
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YHVH = 10+5+6+5 = 26
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The Cube of Space is the construct from which the 22 trumps of tarot are created.
- 1 center
- 3 axes
- 6 faces
-12 edges
Total = 22
However, if one adds the diagonals not used in the construction of the tarot trumps:
- 1 center
- 3 axes
- 6 faces
-12 edges - 4 diagonals
Total = 26
To me, this seems like the most legitimate way to use all 26 letters of the English alphabet.
However, it would suggest the creation of 4 new trumps, and one would have to get deep, deep, deep, deep in their understanding of the Cube of Space to do it properly. Not only that, but attempting to do so may reveal why those who presented only 22 trumps made the decision not to include the diagonals and may reveal this attempt at interpreting the passage as inadequate.
I readily confess it is beyond my own ability, and it may be a dead end.
Honestly, it seems beyond me.
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@Bereshith said
"Well, you may want to consider whether or not those other posts were merely mocking you or not...
Personally, I see no value in the creation of a system with repeating numbers. For instance, allowing 1 = T, or K, or B only allows for more creative possibility in interpretation, which increases the amount of error in attempts to actually communicate anything specific.
But, as to the whole order and value of the English alphabet and all that....
There are two primary correspondences to 26 in qabalah:
-
YHVH = 10+5+6+5 = 26
-
The Cube of Space is the construct from which the 22 trumps of tarot are created.
- 1 center
- 3 axes
- 6 faces
-12 edges
Total = 22
However, if one adds the diagonals not used in the construction of the tarot trumps:
- 1 center
- 3 axes
- 6 faces
-12 edges - 4 diagonals
Total = 26
To me, this seems like the most legitimate way to use all 26 letters of the English alphabet.
However, it would suggest the creation of 4 new trumps, and one would have to get deep, deep, deep, deep in their understanding of the Cube of Space to do it properly. Not only that, but attempting to do so may reveal why those who presented only 22 trumps made the decision not to include the diagonals and may reveal this attempt at interpreting the passage as inadequate.
I readily confess it is beyond my own ability, and it may be a dead end.
Honestly, it seems beyond me."
93 Bereshith,
Probably mocking, your right. But, when has any other responses been deleted because of that? Anyway it doesn't matter I guess.
Well, its beyond me too! Honestly I found this, and don't know enough to truly argue it all out. This is one of the reasons I'm sharing it and looking for input and feedback.
You bring up a great point, and I thought the same thing when this idea came to me, however later I saw a proposed EQ of Crowleys that had repeating values as well. For whatever reason he didn't see this as being a problem (I assume), although admittedly he never did anything with it. It was the Sanskrit based EQ.
As for the four extra, as I explain, I feel these could be attributed to the four suits. Do these four HAVE to be Trumps? My take was that perhaps that "circle squared" graphic hinted st this. The 22 being the Trumps, and the equal armed cross being the four elements.
I honestly don't know. It makes sense to me, but I'm no Adept. I was hoping by posting all this I could LEARN or realize where I'm mistaken, or possibly realize how it REALLY fits together IF it was something. Instead (except for you, and thank you) its ignored and mocked.
I don't mind criticism of real merit, like your points. I always assumed folks here, with what we are ultimately trying to do, would be more helpful and mature. Instead of fostering dispersion by (unwarrented) ridicule and mockery.
Thank you for your honest feedback, and good points. I appreciate it.
93 93/93
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@Bereshith said
"Hm.. I didn't know some of that.
Well, you have my opinion, for what that's worth. If Crowley repeated attributions, I have the same criticism of his attempt as well. Those are my only thoughts though..."
I misspoke. Crowley didn't devise a Sanskrit EQ, he had suggested Sanskrit as a base for a POSSIBLE English Qabalah.
After re-reading the source material I had seen years ago, I now realized it was actually devised by David Allen Hulse from Crowleys suggestion.
Just for the record for those interested here is a quote from "The Key of It All" regarding "Crowley's Sanskrit-English. Qabalah Based on Ka-Ta-Pa-Ya-Dhi".
"Crowley's second suggested Qabalah for English involves the use of the phonetic values of Sanskrit as a pattern for English. Crowley did not leave any such correlations in his printed writings. It is extremely doubtful that Crowley was aware of the Vedic numeral code outlined in the Sanskrit chapter found in Book One: The Eastern Mysteries. However, had Crowley been exposed to this marvelous numbering system, he would have been equipped with a valid tool which would have enabled him to render the Sanskrit numerical values for the phonetically equivelant English alphabet letters.
If we parallel the 26 English alphabet letters to their Sanskrit phonetic models, and then substitute the Sanskrit Vedic numbers for the English alphabet numeration, Crowley's envisioned Sanskrit-English Qabalah can be reconstructed."The results are:
A 0
B 3
C 6
D 8
E 0
F 2
G 3
H 8
I 0
J 9
K 1
L 3
M 5
N 0
O 0
P 1
Q 2
R 2
S 7
T 1
U 0
V 4
W 4
X 0
Y 1
Z 6In possible rebuttal to the repeated value problem, do you think that it is actually more of a problem when dealing with Hebrew & Greek? These would create a more open-ended system with too much manipulation based on the fact there are multiple ways to sound out a word (phonetic EQ) and or spell a word. English is more set in its spelling; "Nuit" is "Nuit" etc. Likewise there are corresponding Tarot and their related Hebrew attributed as well, setting apart each repeated value when dealing with a particular letter. Also, the repeated values may show an underlying link, as is the case suggested in the English Simplex and its Enumeration Table with its "5" column (5,14,23) for example. IDK Just a thought!
93 93/93
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Any reference to NAEQ is immediately removed from this forum as an unusually virulent piece of putjlence. Or I move the whole thread to to the Off-Topic / Plain Nuts sub-forum. However, the latter choice would be unfair to this thread as a whole.
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@Jim Eshelman said
"Any reference to NAEQ is immediately removed from this forum as an unusually virulent piece of putjlence. Or I move the whole thread to to the Off-Topic / Plain Nuts sub-forum. However, the latter choice would be unfair to this thread as a whole.
."93 Jim,
I see now. Thank you. I had only a brief peek at that EQ before, but frankly couldnt make heads or tails out of it.
I would truly appreciate any feedback on this idea here of mine. Regardless if relevant only to myself, your thoughts on Bereshiths point of the repeated values would help me. He makes a valid point I initially thought of, but later had found in an Enochian version of an EQ, as well as the above Sanskrit EQ of Hulses repeated values. Your thoughts? Thank you in advance!
93 93/93
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Hello fellow members,
I just started learning The Key Of It All (English Qabalah) and found it verrrrrry interesting, it's incredible how well fit many words in a wonderful way. Look at the web of David Cherubim
"?? You would assume if there was some type of issue there would be enough dignity to let me know.