One
This is the second article in the series, Quivering Qabalah.
The number one represents the first positive thing. In esoteric systems, one is usually interpreted as a reference to G-d, the ONE. In English Qaballa, the numeral 1 is represented by the letter A, the first magical formula, and the interpretation of this formula is discovered through the English word ONE, which sums to 46. We also want to consider the number 24, which is the sum of G, O, and D.
The first thing to note is that ONE = WOMAN and GOD = LADY. Unlike many systems constructed in previous Aeons, the “God of One” is conceived as feminine rather than masculine in English Qaballa. The equivalent form LADY OF ONE = 95. She is our BELOVED, our DELIGHT, our GOLD STANDARD, she is THE STAR and its RADIANCE.
Returning to the root sum of 46, ONE is the ABYSS, the VOID, and the WIND. Therein, she is the NAGUAL and the SHAMAN. In Mesoamerican tradition, a nagual (pronounced [na’wal]) is a sorcerer who has the power to shapeshift into jaguar form. Similarly, a shaman is a practitioner who interacts with the spirit world through trance or other altered states of consciousness. For both, the goal is to direct spirits or spiritual energies to make changes in perception or in the physical world, for healing and other purposes.
She is also the LION WOMAN, which sums to 92. LION WOMAN is what I call a “doubled name” where each word sums to the root sum and the phrase as a whole is double the root sum. Inana with her foot upon the lion is but the first appearance of the Lion Woman in religion. She also appears as the Egyptian lion-headed goddess SEKHET, which also sums to 92. In some versions of her story, she becomes angry at Ra due to having been deceived by him and leaves Egypt. Old School Tibetan Buddhists know her as Simhamukha, called Lion Face Dakini. (But more about her in this week’s Qaballa Tantra Magick article.)
Continuing our exploration of the number 92, we find the FEMALE who is POISED with PRIDE, on her FEET, holding a LANTERN. She is UNAFRAID to UNDERGO the ORDEAL=53=INANA of DUMUZI.
The ordeal of Inana’s rescue of Dumuzi from the Underworld is an important Sumerian myth about the descent of the ONE into matter and her return to the heavens. This story of her descent can be found in the book Inanna, Queen of Heaven and Earth: Her Stories and Hymns from Sumer by Diane Wolkstein and Samuel Noah Kramer (Harper & Row, 1983). (My unusual spelling of Inanna as INANA results from my work with English Qaballa and will be explained in a future article.)
We can gather more details by multiplying by 3. This yields 138 where we find that her star is SEVEN-RAYED and shining BRILLIANTLY. She loves SWING DANCING and the JOY OF UNION. She finds OLDER TRUTHS among the IVORY BONES.
And when we multiply by 4, we find via 184 that she is the THIRD AND INMOST of the INSTRUMENTS of TIME AND SPACE. By 5 and via 230 she is the COMPLETE MAYHEM of THE SOUTHERN STORM as well as the FINAL UNDERSTANDING which is RADIANT ON THE HORIZON. By 6 via 276 we find that she is established on the THRONE OF THE QUEEN.
Attributions
While my intent is to refrain from making arbitrary attributions which do not arise from the methods of English Qaballa itself, I am making an exception for the planetary attributions of the first ten numbers. My attributions for One and Two may be surprising to some traditional Qabalists and unsurprising to others.
My planetary attribution for the SPHERE OF ONE is the planet Neptune, based on the the fact that ONE is the manifestation of NONE, which I showed to be related to Neptune in the previous article. Neptune is the outermost body classified as a true planet and thus defines the space of our solar system by dividing it from the space outside it. Therefore it is the planet which marks the transition from NONE to ONE.
The title I attribute to the SPHERE OF ONE is “PROUD QUEEN,” both of which sum to 168.
The Reward of One
In English Qaballa, the reward of a number is found by reversing its digits. Thus the reward of 46 is 64. The reward of ONE is the TWIN, the powers of the HOURGLASS and of the WHEELS, the power to UNKNOW, the power to WEAVE, and the power to remain YET YOUNG. I will write more about the Twin in the next article in this series.
Doubling the value of the reward shows the future potential inherent in the reward, in which the LADY OF HEAVEN rules, MAJESTIC, BRINGING “THE BEAST” (BAPHOMET) and the SCARLET WOMAN (APHRODITE) to the ROUND TABLE of the SUN AND VENUS. She will worship in DIRT CHURCH, raise EWES AND LAMBS, and offer FAT SHEEP before the HIGH THRONE. She will wield the QUILL PEN of BES-NA-MAUT, and write of the WORK TO COME, the work of the WINGED ONE and work of the RAINBOW BODY.
Now say to yourself, that ONE is ME.
May we quickly attain enlightenment in order to work ceaselessly for the liberation of all sentient beings.
Quivering Qaballa is a series by Skye Love Hill originally published at Patreon. There patrons can now read the third article in the series, Two. Patrons receive advance access to the Quivering Qaballa series as well as exclusive access to the parallel, Qaballa Tantra Magick series.
