What is Gematria?
The Chambers
20th Century Dictionary defines gematria as, "a
cabbalistic method of interpreting the Hebrew Scriptures by interchanging
words whose letters have the same numerical value when added".
This is actually a rather restrictive definition because gematria
was every bit as important to other peoples in antiquity, and examples
of its use are more common in the culture of classical Greece than
in Judaism.
Hebrew and Greek
are the two languages with which gematria has been traditionally associated;
until now the gematria of other languages has not been on such a secure
footing. On the following pages I demonstrate that English, with its
origin in Roman script, is every bit as valid a language for gematria;
and that its heritage by this means is as rich as those of Hebrew
and Greek. The only difference being that the gematria coding of English
has been one of the best kept secrets of the English-speaking world.
How does it work?
Gematria works
on the premise that the letters of the alphabet can also be used as
numbers, and therefore words and phrases acquire distinctive numerical
values. A well known example is that of God, whose name spelt in Hebrew,
is IHVH. The values of these four letters
are 10 - 5 - 6 - 5, thus the 'number of His name' is 26. It follows
from this, by means of numerical equivalence, that God is identifiable
with AHBH and AChD
- Love and Unity - because the letter values of these two words sum
as 1 + 5 + 2 + 5 and 1 + 8 + 4 = 26.
Why the name
Gematria?
Gematria is said to derive from the Greek word Γεωμετρια
- meaning Geometry. It may also be compounded with the word Γραμμα
- meaning Writing. The reason for the geometric connection is because
the rules of sacred geometry
play an important part in the secondary encoding of literary cabala.
Isolated numbers, such as 26, have only limited utility: they are
the words of the numerical language. The sentence structure, or grammar
rules, derive from number patterns which are conformed according to
the properties of sacred geometry.
The Creator
We can consider,
for example, a
Vesica Piscis -
one of the most important figures in sacred geometry. A vesica
with a width of 26 -
IHVH (the Creator), has
a height of 45, which is the gematria value of the man he created
ADM - Adam. The difference between God
and man is 45 - 26
= 19. This is the value of the woman created as a companion for Adam,
ChVH - 'Eve'. In this way the
sacred vesica defines the relationship between the Creator
and mankind.
God's primal
act of creation is encapsulated by the first verse of Genesis. The
Hebrew words here - BRAShITh BRA ALHIM ATh HShMIM
VATh HARTz - have a value of 2701. Among the many interesting
properties of this number is the fact that it comprises the sum of
26 squared (676) and 45 squared (2025) - hence the combination of
God and Adam. This means that the 26 by 45 rectangle enclosing the
vesica of creation has a diagonal of the square root of 2701.
In addition to
this, the circle within which the rectangle may be inscribed has a
circumference of 163, and by this means can symbolise that which was
created: AaVLM HZH - 'This World'. It
is also a fact that the area of the rectangle is equal to that of
a square with a perimeter of 139: the value of - GN
ALHIM - the Garden of Eden. Furthermore, the difference between
2025 and 676, gives the value of GN ALHIM
when the final letters N and M
are counted high - 1349. At the same time, the area of the rectangle
is equal to that of a circle with a radius of 19 - ChVH
- Eve.
One can take
this sort of analysis a great deal further, too.
Freemasonry Secrets
- Let there be Light!
It seems that
Gematria constitutes the clavis magna - the great key - to
the secrets of the Freemasons. Therefore, turning this key promises
to be an eye-opener for all of us troglodytes grovelling hopelessly
in 'profane' darkness.
On the other
hand, for the illustrious fellows of the Craft it can only come as
a shock to have the apron raised so brazenly on their privities. It
seems to me, though, that the Brethren should feel neither indignant
nor ashamed at the exposure of their cherished secrets, for neither
of these reactions is appropriate to the process of revelation. A
philosophical approach is inevitably wiser. The honest and upright
Freemason should love truth more than any personal advantage that
might derive from keeping his fellow men in ignorance.
