Journal of Geomancy vol. 2 no. 2, January 1978

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THE NUMBERS GAME

by JIM KIMMIS

INTRODUCTION

At the First Cambridge Geomancy Symposium in July 1977, Prudence Jones raised the question of the relevance of a study of numerology to geomancers.  Anyone familiar with the work of John Michell in this field will have encountered theory about the meaning of the number 666 for example, a favourite with numerologists down the centuries, as well as a series of numbers or ratios which apparently bring different systems of measurement into harmony.  Papers by Kurt Gerlach and Josef Heinsch, translated and published by the Institute of Geomantic Research (1) also give space to numerological speculation.  Although the mathematics involved are not especially complicated, this aspect of earth mysteries has not been investigated with the thoroughness employed elsewhere.  In this short article, I wish to re-state the case for ‘geomantic numerology’ and clear up some notions about its counterpart, which may be termed ‘divinatory numerology’. 

DIVINATORY NUMEROLOGY

The system expounded at the Cambridge Symposium is generally known as the Pythagorean system, although it is only a couple of centuries old at most.  Letters of the modern alphabet are assigned to the numbers one to nine, as shown in the first table below.  The immediate objection must be that such a system is over-simple and unplanned; that is, if there is any numerological significance in the alphabet, it is unlikely to have sprung full-grown as soon as the present order of letters was decided.  In fact, as Colin Wilson points out (2), the system is a convenient up-dated version of that used by Cagliostro in the 18th century.  This was said to be based on a scheme used by Cornelius Agrippa, another noted ‘magician’, and Agrippa in turn relied on the Hebrew Alphabet and a modernization of Cabalistic number lore.  For the record, Cagliostro’s number–letter correspondences are shown alongside the modern system:

The letters of a name, or of any word, are translated into numbers, added together and reduced to a single digit.  The resulting number is interpreted by a code which is little changed since Cagliostro’s time.  The ‘traditional’ meanings were: 1 – directness, ambition, power; 2 – balance, gentleness,sensitivity; 3 – versatility, plenty; 4 – endurance, firmness, calmness; 5 – magic, energy, adventure; 6 – dependability, harmony; 7 – mystery, mysticism; 8 – drive, success, persistence; 9 – creativity, achievement. 

In this way, numerology shared the fate of astrology (to which it is now linked) and the Tarot, becoming part of the apparatus of the fairground fortune-teller.  However, it has a more serious past; the Hebrew Cabala became the basis of magic and what is known as the ‘western mystery tradition’, as practised by the Golden Dawn and the modern Rosicrucians and Freemasons.  It would be impossible to do justice to this subject in a brief article,but here it is probably enough to say that the Cabala has two main numerological schemes, which are related to each other.  First, there is the diagram known as the Tree of Life, consisting of ten spheres linked by 22 lines or paths; second,there is a set of number values for the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet.  The values used are the series 1–9, 10–90 and 100–400, and the purpose of the system was to divine hidden meanings from sacred texts by noting words or phrases with an equivalent total value.  A similar system applied to the Greek alphabet of 25 letters, the series used being 1–9, 10–80 {43} and 100–800, and this provides a key to some parts of the Greek New Testament, notably the Book of Revelation.  The literature on this subject, known as gematria, is obscure at best, but the most accessible work is probably that of John Michell (3). 

To complicate matters just a little more, the Irish alphabet also had numerical correspondences which may have applied throughout the literate late-Celtic world.  Robert Graves has gone into this in some detail (4) and he records the following system:
a 1, e 2, i 3, o 4, u 5*, b 5, l 14, n 13, f 8, s 16, h = no value, d 12, t 11, c 9, m 6, g 10, p 7, r 15.  (* the value 5 was either transferred to the letter b or did not properly belong to u. 

Because of its unfamiliar letter-order, this alphabet is known as the BLN rather than the ABC; it is the system recorded in Ogam carvings on some megaliths.  It can be seen that the letter–number correspondences differ radically from any previously mentioned.  In addition to the BLN system, Graves notes that an air of sanctity was attached to the following numbers:
15, 16, 19, 21, 22, 24, 28, 42, 72, 100, 112, 140
Celtic literature is also full of references tor the number three and its multiples, and it is probable that this well-known love of triplicity is far older than the sophistication of the BLN alphabet.  In fact it is possible to find references in most cultures to the particular power or meaning of the numbers 1,2 and 3, even where no system of numerology as such is in use. 

As a final note to this section, although it does not strictly concern divination, it should be noted that Hindu mythology has its own set of sacred numbers, some of, which apparently record astronomical time-cycles only recently confirmed by modern physics (but that is another story).  The Hindu numbers, needless to say, have no obvious correspondence with any western system* of numerology.  The lesson seems to be that numbers have only that significance which a particular culture accords them, and to state with Cagliostro that 7 is the number of mystery is meaningless.  This is not to say that divinatory numerology itself is an empty art – only that it is impossible to define it in terms of absolutes. 

* Editor’s note: O.S.  Reuter, in his rare German two-volume work The Riddle of the Edda (1922) points out that Kali Yuga, the Hindu period of 432 000 years, corresponds numerically to the 800 warriors who rode out each day from the 540 gates of Valhalla. 

GEOMANTIC NUMEROLOGY

When we come to consider the position of numbers in geomancy, we have to cover some of the same ground, but with one important difference; it is not the numbers themselves which are of prime interest, but the ratios they form.  The basis of this assertion is the observation that architecture, land surveying and engineering all rely on geometry and trigonometry.  In some cases it is apparent that structures with the general functions of a ‘temple’ incorporate in their construction particular numbers that relate to astronomical distances.  This, of course, is another vast subject but there are two useful books which provide a clear and comprehensive introduction: John Michell’s City of Revelation and the volume that was evidently its inspiration The Canon (5). 

Using examples such as Glastonbury Abbey and Stonehenge, Michell seeks to reconcile such apparently diverse ‘bits’ of data as the dimensions of the moon and Earth, division of periods of time, British and Egyptian systems of measurement, and the value by gematria of Biblical words and phrases.  That he succeeds in doing this is of far greater interest and importance to students of geomancy than the supposition that somebody’s character is revealed by their name-number. 

In a similar manner, The Canon relates astronomical distances to architecture, with particular reference to Freemasonry; although this order is considered little more than a social club, it was once responsible for the construction of cathedrals and abbeys, here as elsewhere in Europe.  The inference to be drawn from a study of books such as these is that there once existed a comprehensive system of metrology and geometry which enabled men to record the {44} numbers and ratios which measure the universe in their buildings and in the landscape around them.  The ‘mystery of the cathedrals’ has been an open secret for some time, but it is only recently that Professor A. Thom has proved to a sceptical world that British stone circles are based on an accurate and sophisticated system of trigonometry.  With this kind of evidence coming to light, we would be wasting our time by playing the numbers game after the style of Cagliostro. 

The incidence of particular numbers which occur in geometrical schemes of surveying employed for ancient structures is difficult to appreciate as yet, although certain ‘characteristic’ numbers have been suggested.  Josef Heinsch, for example, in the paper already mentioned (1), drew attention to the numbers 17, 19, 21 and 42.  Nigel Pennick has noted the occurrence of the number 23 and its multiples in the area of the Nuthampstead Zodiac.  Bob Lord has found characteristic ‘Heinsch-type’ angles in the Pendle Zodiac layout, which suggests that distances might show the same correspondence with Heinsch’s work.  Michael Behrend noted an emphasis on the numbers 17, 29 and 53 in his metrological work on the polygonal relationship of some sites in Britain (6).  F. Bligh Bond’s research at Glastonbury Abbey, developed by John Michell and Keith Critchlow, revealed 74 as an important number; 74 is a multiple of 37 as are all the ‘triple numbers’ such as 666.  Another number said to be of great significance is 26, the number of JHVH, the Hebrew name of God; it is therefore worth noting that 26:15 is a good whole-number approximation of the vesica piscis ratio of √3:1.  No doubt a considerable list of such numbers could be drawn up, and it may be that characteristic numbers are confined to limited areas geographically.  The point is that their existence has been occasionally noted by individuals working on certain areas but there are no signs yet of any comprehensive system, if such a thing exists.  Correlation of results provides one possible lead; another may be found in numbers preserved in the folklore of a region, and again there is vast scope for research,

CONCLUSION

The application of numerology to geomancy is a largely unmapped field which includes such studies as ecclesiastical architecture, megalithic engineering, and the siting of churches and religious houses, carried out on an objective level, as well as interpretation of numbers and ratios on a more intuitive plane.  I am aware that this article has explored no new territory, but I hope that it has made the distinction between those areas of the study which are barren and those likely to be fruitful.  As the interests of a body such as the Institute of Geomantic Research spread out into an ever-increasing range of subjects, those involved are likely to come across false trails occasionally, particularly when dealing with ‘magic’.  The numbers game is a rich area if you want to go fishing for red herrings! 

REFERENCES

See also: Magic, Supernaturalism and Religion by Kurt Seligman (Paladin), The View Over Atlantis by John Michell and The Secret Country by Janet & Colin Bord which has a section on megalithic numerology.