The 3 Letters: C, L, UL
No. 10
LAMED LAMBDA- L LlLl
Sound: l Sound: l as in lot
HEBREW PHOENICIAN GREEK ROMAN PRESENT-DAY
L – 12
In Hebrew, the 12th letter is Lamed (law-med): the outstretched arm
of God in the act of accomplishing. “I am the Lord and I will save you
with an outstretched arm” (Exodus 6:6).
Lamed means ox-goad, which is a pointed stick that urges oxen to
move on. L’s have the ability to encourage others to make the most of
themselves. They can inspire people to make a move in the right direc-
tion, like the outstretched arm of the Lord in Exodus.
Lamed is sexual desire, the force behind all evolution, the power of
the life force to produce manifestation (The Key of Destiny, 72). This
force of desire must be balanced between the physical and spiritual so
that it is used wisely: “Be ye fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth
and subdue it” (Genesis 1:28).
When the Greeks borrowed the letter from the Phoenicians, they called
it Lambda. It later became the Roman L and is the same number in the
English alphabet as in the Hebrew: 12. Only there was no 12 in Hebrew.
After 10 they numbered by tens: 10, 20, 30, etc., the 30th being Lamed.
The root of either 12 or 30 is 3.
L is for “loving.” Its nature is romantic and devoted to family. In
order to “subdue” the passions, it must find the balance between the higher
and lower natures. L has no visible balance line as in A, for example.
L’s can be warm, expressive, and loving, but when upset by circum-
stance, become cold, aloof, and sarcastic: two ends of the same balance
board. L’s need self-control. Sometimes they feel they don’t need this
self-control because they feel attractive and expect others will admire
them just the same. They think they can get away with being critical and
still remain attractive. (So they think.) Yet they are very sensitive.
L is highly creative since it is the 12th letter and 12/3 is the number of
the creative trinity. L has a firm base line so it is balanced on the Earth
plane. It doesn’t rock or scatter so it is not apt to be as impulsive as C. It
gathers where C scatters; it is open to receive its good and tends to hold it
better than the C, so it is wiser in its approach.