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CHAPTER 1
UNVEILING THE SECRET SCIENCE
In The Secret Doctrine, H. P. Blavatsky tells us that the secret laws were passed on orally from teacher to student for thousands of years, and that they were never written down. For centuries, the written divulgence of these secrets had been forbidden out of "necessity" because they could have been wrongly used by the profane and material-minded masses. She added that they would gradually be revealed to true and honest seekers of the New Age and that revelation would come when the time was right. At that time this information would be of use only to the enlightened minds of the day, for no one else would find sense in or use for it.
Certain mystic writers have been entrusted with part of the knowledge, and in the future there will be still others to reveal even more. I believe these ancient secrets are being made known now, in this New Age, or this small portion would not have been revealed to me. Why me? I'm as surprised as anyone. All I know is that I had a deep and honest desire to know and that something has been urging me in this direction all my life.
From the time I was a child I had a great interest in things of a spiritual nature. I thought ancient man must have been very fortunate to have been so close to his beginnings, and so close to nature. The stronghold of opinions had not yet begun to form. Ancient peoples did not have to go far to find forests and other natural scenes of beauty where they could feel the stillness of the environment, hear the song of birds and insects, and feel the strong aura of approaching animals. This was a time before men parroted other men's opinions; when they could learn no other way than by going within and meditating deeply; by joining their Higher Selves to the great consciousness of the Universe about them. I reasoned that in the very beginning there had to be only God, and that in order to create anything it had to come out of Himself. We are all divine substance — intelligent particles in the whole body of our creator.
I used to hear such wonderful lectures in my head that I wished someone would invent a machine that could capture every word that was spoken by that still, small voice. Eventually, I was able to write down some of these thoughts, until I had notebooks filled with them — thoughts that I later found written in other books. Where did these thoughts come from? At the time I believed that they were purely my imagination. But I did tune in to something out there, or within, and it told no lies. I came to trust these inner monologues and in time learned to distinguish them from my own thoughts.
As I grew older I often thought I would like to study ancient Hebrew because it was the language from which all biblical translations originated. But I never expected this research to take me into the very heart of it. It is as though my Higher Self had been prompting me to do this since I was a child.
Symbols are the universal language of the soul.
My research covered a vast number of books related to numerology — books that each held a key thought that struck a chord within me. Through meditation, deductive reasoning, and sudden insights, all of these key thoughts, like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, fit together very neatly.
The secrets themselves have remained hidden by their very obviousness. The science is in the realm of physics, transcendental physics, and entwined with geometry and deep symbolism. Many of its truths are hidden in myths, math, and magic. A few key phrases led me to the unveiling of the secrets themselves, secrets that are described in Chapter 11, "Prelude to Letters," and Chapter 22, "Prelude to Numbers."
In one source I read that all writers of the mysteries would never reveal these secrets clearly. Rather, they would surround a key idea with related material, which would draw attention away from the germ of the idea. Only the true seeker would understand it.
There were other key ideas that seemed to stand out for me in books I read. It was significant that Hebrew letters were also their numbers and that the two were completely interchangeable; that meanings were hidden in the shapes of the letters; and that these letter symbols were regarded as containers of, and manifestations of, concealed virtues. They represented arcane powers of a set and determinable nature which would reveal themselves to one who meditated on them.
It helps to know that when we meditate on any particular symbol it will reveal itself to us. You see, symbols are the universal language of the soul. This was why Pythagoras had those wishing to enter his school meditate on a given symbol and then share the meanings they derived from that meditation before they were accepted as students.
Then there was the fact that Pythagoras taught that a number is a living qualitative reality. It is not just representative of an amount, but a rate of vibration.
The Latin adage, "Omnia in numeris sita sunt" means: "Everything lies veiled in numbers." And H.P. Blavatsky said, "number underlies form, and number guides sound. It lies at the root of the manifested Universe."
There was also the discovery by the turn-of-the-century piano-music composition teacher Mrs. L. Dow Balliet that the letter name of each note had the same vibration as its musical tone. It stood to reason that the sound of every letter in the English alphabet must therefore correspond to the vibration of its numbered place therein.
My subconscious was working on all this information, and I didn't really know that I understood exactly what it was all about until someone asked me why our letters are numbered as they are, and how we can know that their meanings are true. As I explained this, I heard myself giving the answer I had been looking for, and it became clear to me for the first time — but my subconscious had already known.
Then another puzzle was solved in a most unusual way. I read in several sources that Aleph (A) was called "oxhead" and its meaning was "physical generation." For months I pondered that. I could see no connection between an oxhead and reproduction. Then one day I noticed a man wearing a T-shirt with an unusual picture on it. At first glance it looked like the picture of a uterus. Curiosity made me take a closer look: It was an oxhead! The horns are the fallopian tubes. So that was it. The ancients knew anatomy. They knew what the uterus looked like and that it is in the shape of an oxhead. How very well matched it was after all! How ingenious! And how beautifully concealed the secret was in its obviousness. On January 22, 1989, I attended a lecture at the Philosophical Research Society by Manly P. Hall's wife, Marie Bauer Hall. I was amused to hear her say, "God made man to make secrets and he made woman to break all secrets wide open."
CHAPTER 2
THE POWER OF A NAME
A name creates an instant impression. Some of us love our names, while others are uncomfortable with theirs and change them. I noticed that the sounds of various names give us different feelings, as though they are energies.
Our youngest daughter let us know her own name soon after she was born. I cuddled her to me and softly spoke her name: "Kathryn." I recalled how our first two babies, Jennifer and David, had looked up at me and smiled at the sound of their names, but now I got no response. So I repeated, "Kathryn," and still no reaction. We had also been considering the name Julianne. So I said, "Julianne?" and she looked right at me and smiled.
I told my husband about it. He laughed and said it must be my imagination. The nurse overheard, and the next time he came in she said, "I want you to know it's true. I tried it when she was in the nursery and she did not respond to Kathryn. But when I said 'Julianne,' she turned her head to me and smiled. Your wife is right about that." So of course he had to try it, and when he got the same reaction there was no doubt about it — her name was Julianne.
It was interesting to us that she had made the final decision, for until then we had not been able to decide between the two names. Over 15 years later, through the study of numerology, I concluded that our names are not accidental, and that we choose the vibration that will help us fulfill our mission. Even if the birth registrar writes "Baby Girl" on the birth certificate, this is the incoming vibration that holds the clue to the child's talents and destiny.
When I first began working in the movie studios in the early 1960s, I met one of the main drivers on the Warner Bros. lot. He introduced himself, then immediately went into an explanation of his name.
"Now that's not my real name," he said. "I won't tell anyone my real name because it was made famous by a notorious outlaw years ago, and I don't want anybody to even think we are related. So I changed mine legally to the one I use now." No amount of coaxing would pry his natal name from his lips, and he never mentioned it again.
When I was in college, the Dean of Music used an initial for his first name, and his full middle and last names. There again, he would not reveal his real name. Now I notice that quite a few people prefer to use only their initials, or a nickname.
Some names are so common, and there are so many of them listed in phone books, that people have banded together and formed clubs for people with the same name. There are the "Mikes of America," "The Fred Society," the "Jim Smith Society," and a club of Susans called "Sic-M" who are all involved in communications and the media.
A good name is better than a precious ointment.
— Ecclesiastes 7:1
Experts say that when it comes to names, familiarity can breed contempt. For centuries people in crowded countries used formal names with titles before them because the titles generated respect. The act of saying Mister, Misses, or Miss helped people get along with one another.
We associate names with the persons we have come to know, and this makes them very personal. Often we also associate names with things, as in the Salk Vaccine, Disneyland, Steinway Pianos, and Bell Telephone. All these names seem to fit their inventions. Can you imagine a concert pianist playing Disney instead of Steinway? And instead of Disneyland, does it sound as much fun to go to Salkland?
In the advertising world, names are money. Corporations pay a great deal to find the right name for a product.
Even the name of a city can be important and affect an entire community. In January 1987, a portion of Los Angeles called Canoga Park was renamed West Hills. That name change made the value of the homes in the area appreciate $10,000 to $20,000 — all because of a new name.
CHAPTER 3
THE POWER OF THE WORD
Here are the temples of his words," I heard, and I saw weird-looking structures. Some were made of slime, while others were like crystalline palaces.
"Words?" I asked.
"Yes, words. Words are living entities. They are given birth through man's mouth and they continue to live in the fourth dimension, becoming his home at the crossover."
The sight of those structures never left me, even though it was in a dream, a vivid dream. That brief soul journey gave me valuable insight into the power of words and made clearer the meaning of such scriptural references as:
"For I say unto you that for every foolish word which men speak, they will have to answer for it on the day of judgment. For by your words you shall be found guilty" (Matthew 12:34).
Then in my research I found the following statement in Eliphas Levi's The Book of Splendours:
"For in the world to come, all good words spoken in the world at hand will take on living forms, and you are creatures of goodness, you who manifest through the Word that which is true."
The spoken word is powerful because it brings forth a thought, and a thought is the start of every manifestation: " ... for the mouth speaks from the fullness of the heart" (Matthew 12:34). This means that whatever appeals to you is where your consciousness lies, and that level of consciousness is revealed by the words you speak.
According to the Kabbalah, the name of God is found in the vowel sounds because they are the vibrations that form life. If you read this paragraph aloud without the vowel sounds, you will see why they are called "the animating spirit of the word."
The sound of the spoken word can be measured by its rate of vibration, and that vibration can create pictures visible to us on a device called an eidophone. This is a drum-like instrument with a rubbery material across the top. A mouthpiece extends from it that can be spoken into. Then a crystalline mixture is spread on the top, and as different words are spoken into the mouthpiece, the crystals form various shapes.
The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool will ruin him.
— Ecclesiastes 10:12
The vibrational effect of the word "butterfly" causes the crystals to take on a beautiful butterfly formation; "snowflake," the pattern of a snowflake. Such lovely words form lovely pictures. But harsh words do not form beautiful designs at all. Instead, they form haphazard, even grotesque forms as ugly to the eye as to the ear. The invisible takes form before our eyes, based on our words. How important, then, are the words we speak?
CHAPTER 4
THE POWER OF THOUGHT
The spoken word is powerful because it brings forth a thought, and a thought is the start of every manifestation.
This was the subject of discussion in one of my science classes in college at San Diego State in 1957. We had been talking about thought forms and were wondering whether there was any scientific basis for them.
Our professor told us he was aware of a college that had an experimental group who gathered to concentrate their efforts on developing a thought form. First their teacher had them relax to bring their brain waves into the alpha state. He then proceeded to describe a dragon, and as he did so, all the students were to picture every detail as he described it. Once their concentration was unified, a mist began to form in the shape of a dragon, and held its shape until the students lost their power of concentration.
They concluded that thoughts are energy in a certain state of motion, and that collective thinking can be very powerful. Our discussion then shifted to the sensing of certain types of thought forms established in places where people of the same mind gather: shopping malls, bars, places of worship, etc. Obviously there is a different mood connected with each place. We sense the thought forms that have been built up by the mental atmosphere of the location.
Psychics, or sensitive people who may not realize they are psychic, pick up on these thought forms very clearly. Once understood, we see there is nothing supernatural about these things.
Our words leave a thought behind that continues to live. These words produce thought forms that become a part of our own personal energy field that creates a distinct vibration of its own. This vibration is like the kind sent out by a tuning fork and works on the same principle — when sound vibrations are projected on an object of the same natural frequency, the object will begin to vibrate with it. Objects of a different frequency remain untouched.
Dr. Baraduc of Bordeaux invented a machine that actually records the vibrations of thoughts. It registers a high-speed, strong vibratory effect when an intelligent person approaches the instrument, and a feeble, slow rate when someone of low mentality comes near. This shows how thoughts are energy in a certain state of motion. The more force, the higher the vibration. The slower the rate, the less force it contains and it becomes negative in action.
Our whole body goes into action when we think. Our muscles and larynx move, even if it seems undetectable. Scientists have discovered that chest movements are directly related to thoughts and even succeeded in recording them graphically. Each type of thought has a set wavelength!
In 1945, Sir Alexander Cannon, a professor and doctor, learned to compare types of thoughts at a glance by their mathematical interpretation from graphs. The graphs even showed the effects of different types of music on individuals.
Such graphs show another amazing thing: The thoughts of one person actually influence another person by the mere mental atmosphere produced by these thoughts — and it is detectable by the respiration!
We can control our thoughts by taking deep, slow breaths. Some meditation techniques require deep breathing. This is good, for it keeps the mental state in balance and at the same time it is beneficial for the body.
It has been noted that mantras are effective aids in meditation. They are either spoken aloud, whispered, or thought upon, but the most powerful of the three are those repeated in thoughts. This is not surprising, for only in silence can we hear the inner voice.
By nurturing thoughts of contentment, disease can be cured. Likewise, inharmonious and worrisome thoughts filled with negativity can create disease. This is because our immune system is set up to release adrenaline when we are in danger. Stressful thoughts as well as other stress-filled stimuli, such as graphically violent movies, trigger the flow of adrenaline into the bloodstream. At the same time the heart beats faster and acid is released into the stomach.
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "The Big Book of Numerology"
by .
Copyright © 2019 Shirley Blackwell Lawrence.
Excerpted by permission of Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC.
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