Course Six: Spectrum, Part 2 271
- The Pentad (five) is the union of an odd and even
number (2 and 3). It is also called equilibrium, because
it divides the “perfect number” 10 into two equal
parts. The Pentagram is the symbol of light, health
and vitality—as well as Witchcraft. It also symbolizes
the Fifth Element (Spirit). The Pentad is symbolic of
Nature, for when it is multiplied by itself the product
contains itself—just as plants start from seeds
and ultimately produce more seeds. A Penta-
gram contains within its center a Penta-
gon, and twelve pentagrams makes up a
three-dimensional duodecahedron. - The Hexad (six) is the perfection of all the parts,
representing the creation of the world. It is called the
form of forms, the articulation of the universe, and the
maker of the soul. A Hexagram, formed by
the union of two triangles (male—point
up; and female—point down), is the sym-
bol of marriage. Called the “The Star of
David,” it is also the symbol of Judaism. - The Heptad (seven) was called “worthy of ven-
eration.” Seven is a sacred number among
many ancient cultures. There are seven
visible planets, and seven Chakras (en-
ergy centers in the body) in Hindu
teaching. A Heptagram (or Septagram)
is also called an Elfstar. - The Ogdoad, or Octad (eight), is
sacred because it is the number of the
first cube, with eight corners. Its keywords
are love, counsel, prudence, law, and con-
venience. The shape of the number 8 is de-
rived from the interwoven serpents on the
caduceus (wand) of Hermes. - The Ennead (nine) is the first square of an odd
number (3x3). It was associated with failure and short-
coming, because it fell short by one of the perfect num-
ber 10. It is called “the number of man” because of the
nine months of gestation before birth. Nine is the lim-
itless number because there is nothing beyond it but
the infinite 10. Its keywords are ocean and horizon,
because these are boundless. - The Decad (ten) is the greatest of numbers, con-
taining all others and returning to the beginning of the
Monad. As the perfect number, ten relates to age,
power, faith, necessity, and memory. Roman numerals
and the 10-based decimal/metric system come from
counting on the fingers—the easiest way to reckon
without written numerals or calculators.
Lesson 3: Numerology
Any complex number, no matter how large, can be
reduced by simply adding together each of the digits
it contains, as often as necessary, until there is only a
single digit left. For instance, 365—the number of days
in a year—would be reduced first by adding together
the digits 3+6+5=14; then adding the 4+1 to get 5.
Thus 5 is the “Magick Number” for a year. This year
in which I am writing—2003—also becomes 5, be-
cause 2+0+0+3=5. As explained above 5 is the Pen-
tad, and it represents light, health and vitality—as well
as Witchcraft. It also symbolizes the Fifth Element
(Spirit). The Pentad is symbolic of Nature, for when it
is multiplied by itself the product contains itself—just
as plants start from seeds and ultimately produce more
seeds. So this is a very good year in which to be creat-
ing this particular Grimoire—as it is my intention for
it to plant seeds of Magick and Spirit!
Words and names can also be reduced to num-
bers in the same way. This is done by assigning num-
bers to each of the letters of the alphabet, in repeating
order, like this: (NOTE: Originally, the 27-letter He-
brew alphabet was used for this, but you should use
the same alphabet in which you write your name!)Number: 123456789
Letters: A B C D E F G H I
JKLMNOPQR
S TUVWXYZThen, using this little chart, you just replace the
letters of a word or name with the equivalent num-
bers. For instance, my first name, Oberon, would be
written in numbers as: 625965. Then, to get the Magick
Number of my name, I would add all those digits to-
gether and reduce them to one, like so: 6+2+5+9+6+5
=33. 3+3=6, so 6 is the Magick Number of my first
name. According to Lesson 1, 6 is the Hexad—the
perfection of all the parts, representing the creation of
the world. It is “the form of forms, the articulation of
the universe, and the maker of the soul.” Not bad!
For dates, you simply write out the date in num-
bers—month, day, and year—just as has become cus-
tomary. The important thing to remember, however, is
to write out the whole number for the year, not just
the last two digits: “2003,” not just “03.”
This system is called Numerology. With it, accord-
ing to numerologists, you can find out many things.
You can apply this system to any word, name, number,
or date. You can use it as a divination system to help
determine a good day to do something, a place to go,
what to name your Familiar, or make any choice be-
tween one thing and another. Just work out the magick
number, and look up its significance!Quest: Your Lucky Number
There are two personal Magick Numbers that every-- Spectrum 2.p65 271 1/15/2004, 9:31 AM