The Secret Science of NumerologyIn a way, 18 is a picture of goal setting. It is the self (1) standing next to
the evolutionary path (8) of accomplishment. Or it is the one (1) setting
the goal in motion (8). The 1 and the 8 total 9, the number of completion
and of initiation. In 9 the goal has been reached and the person is ready
for a new experience. There will be trials and tests for the 9 to pass, tests
that will result in wisdom.
We must take care to choose and taste of the wholesome fruits, choos-
ing good over evil, for that which we taste is swallowed and becomes a
part of us. Each taste should advance us toward our goal: spiritual under-
standing, brotherly love, and becoming the “hook” that draws other seek-
ers to the path of wisdom.
The letter I, like the J and Y, is from the Hebrew letter Yod. (See J,
letter number 10 of the number 1 letters.) The Yod is a candle within the
circle of our being, from the light God called upon in the beginning: “And
God said, Let there be light; and there was light. And God saw that the
light was good...” (Genesis 1: 3,4).
Yod represents reproduction and is the female symbol of the Orient
called Yoni, which is egg-shaped. The egg and sperm unite, forming the
Yod of creation,.
The time of year when all of nature reproduces is during the sign of
Cancer, which has always been 69. When combined they form the Yod,
which is currently drawn like a flame (*). The flame more correctly cor-
responds with the globes of light on the Sephirotic Tree which, when
understood, is the light of understanding, and the bearer of light.
Yod is the first part of God’s name, Yod Hé Vau Hé. Yod is male, Hé
is female, and Vau is both. Yod is the point in the very center of light. It
is the only symbol in the alphabet that stands for both God and man, and
it is the smallest letter. It stands for God’s name, the I of IHVH, yet as a
suffix it means “my,” and refers to man.
The vertical line depicts spirit descending into matter so that man
becomes a living soul. That portion of God remains as a light within each
person, and at the same time reflects outwardly in personality.
In Latin the word for “I” is Io, and it is pronounced like Yod without
the d: eee-oh. The ancient mystics regarded I as the Higher Self, the God
within each of us, whereas “me” refers to the personal self, or ego.
There is more stature to the I than to the me. It is that something
within all of us that gives inner strength, that still, small voice; the Yod;
the Light of God within us all.
When the Greeks borrowed this consonant, they changed the name
to Iota and used it for their vowel I. It became the Roman I and also the
Roman numeral for 1.
There were times that two I’s came together in a word and were con-
fused with U, so in the 11th century the tittle (dot) was added over the
small letter i.