The 1 Letters: A, J, SS
No. 300
SCHIN SIGMA: : : : : ΣΣΣΣΣ S SsSs
Sound: sh and s Sound: s as in sun
HEBREW PHOENICIAN GREEK ROMAN PRESENT-DAY
S – 19
The 19th letter of the English alphabet, S, relates to the Hebrew letterSchin, :::::. Schin is the third Mother Letter of creation and represents
the Element of Fire, for Sh is the sound of Fire, and Schin has two
sounds: S and Sh. As the 21st letter of the Hebrew alphabet, it reflects
the creative trinity (2 + 1 = 3) of which it is a part. The Elements of the
Creative Trinity are Aleph (A) = Air, Mem (M) = Water, and Schin (S,
Sh) = Fire.
Kabbalistically, Schin means tooth. This relates to Fire in that by chew-
ing we make food ready for assimilation, just as Fire produces life-giving
heat that is necessary to creation (The Key of Destiny, 297).
Schin represents the Christ principle: “I Am (My teachings are) the
Way, the Truth, and the Life,” which is the basis of the Christian myster-
ies (The Bible and the Tarot, 103).
The shape of Schin suggests a choice of paths: to choose to attain Christ-
consciousness or to continue in the realm of the senses. By choosing the
higher path, our love becomes the Fire of divine love, which expands our
awareness. It is the Way, the Truth, and the Life; thus the Christ principle.
The Phoenician sign for Schin was almost identical to the original
glyph, :::::, looking more like our modern W. When the Greeks borrowed
the sign, they stood it on end and eventually settled on their classic form,
Σ. They called it Sigma and used it for their S consonant. This form was
passed on to the Romans who rounded out the shape to the modern S.
As the 19th letter, 1 and 9, alpha and omega, S barely finishes one
project when it’s ready to start another, so S is a self-starter and achiever.
S is very creative and sets its sights high, for it is 1 and 9 striving for the
perfection of 10. This often makes S a symbol of success.
The 1 also makes S’s enjoy working alone; they do their best without
interference. They dislike taking orders for they know intuitively what
must be done and are capable of doing it. They enjoy expressing their
individuality and don’t worry what others may think.