If you have read The Newaeon Newsletter, Volume III, dual-number 5/6, you may recall that it was written:  "Worse still, though never before, and never since, showing signs of a weak heart, Frater K suffered from a condition called arrhythmia.  The definition of arrhythmia to be found in Taber's CYCLOPEDIC MEDICAL DICTIONARY is as follows:  "(Gr. a- not. -rythmos, rhythm).  Irregularity or loss of rhythm, esp. of the heartbeat. ... Irregular heart action caused by physiological or pathological disturbances in discharge of cardiac impulses from the SA node or their transmission through conductile tissue of the heart."  It is not a very comfortable sensation!  At one point during the Ordeal of the Crossing, Frater Keallach experienced arrhythmia and at no other time before or since.  One may ask what connection this physical disorder has with a spiritual event and the best way to begin answering that is by saying that spirit and matter only appear to be separate and that that which occurs upon one plane of consciousness has its repercussions or reflections upon the other planes.  In this instance the physical disorder (possibly life threatening) was a kind of ripple effect caused by the spiritual ordeal.  The fact that it was "an affair of the heart" that led the Adeptus Exemptus to the brink of the Abyss may not be a coincidence, and I am sure a great deal of heart-symbolism can be discerned from this experience.  Suffice it to say that the disorder was a kind of symptom of the Crossing.  But are there things, is there evidence, to point to the validity of this statement?  Perhaps.  Delightfully we notice that the word "arrhythmia" comes from the Greek word "arythmos" and being Greek in origin we are given the perfect opportunity to study this term via the Gematria of the Greek Qabalah!

One Greek spelling for arrhythmia is Alpha, Rho, Rho, Upsilon, Theta,Mu, Iota, Alpha, the numeration of which is 661 (1+100+100+400+9+40+10+1).  Now 661 is also the numeration of Titan, being the term applied to a member of the race of Giants in Classical Mythology as well as a name for Helios, the Sun.  Titan is also spelled either Teitan or Titane, both of which come to the numeration of 666.  Does this point to the fact that Frater K, through this experience, was approaching a higher form of initiation that would make him a true High Priest or Beast?  A giant among men, so to speak?  A source of Light and Life?  And is not the Sun the "heart" of our system, both macrocosmically and microcosmically?

Apollymi also equals 661 and it means "destroy, kill, lose; be lost, perish, be ruined, die, pass away" and similar things.  Does this not express an aspect of the Crossing as well as the threat of physical death and spiritual failure?

661 is also the numeration of Phoinika, Phoenix, the mystical bird that continually dies and is resurrected from the ashes.  Does not the Adept die, in a magical manner of speaking, in the annihilation of the ego, only to (if he succeeds!) resurrect himself from the ashes?

Latinos, Latinus, also equals 661.  He was the son of Odysseus and Circe, and the story of THE ODYSSEY is the story of an Adept's (I mean of course Odysseus) Crossing of the Abyss, as Liber DCCCXCVIII shows.  In a manner of speaking, each Adept who attempts and especially succeeds at the Crossing is a son of Odysseus.  Furthermore, 661 is the numeration of metoikesia, a Greek word used to mean "the Captivity of the Jews", but meaning basically "carrying off"--and the Adeptus Exemptus certainly IS carried off into the Abyss by the momentum of his initiation!

Arrythmie is another spelling of arrhythmia and has the numeration of 668, which is also the numeration of the following:

Thymon megan, usually translated as "great wrath (or rage)" in Revelation 12.12, but the former word generally means "passion", any kind of passion, and this could be translated as "great passion (or great lust)"--something which led to the Crossing, played a great part in it, as well as did wrath and rage at some points, and which certainly was the cause of the pathological cardiac disturbance itself.

Katharistheti, "Be clean!", the magical words by which the InitiateJesus healed a leper in Matthew 8.3--and the Crossing is indeed a magical act of purification, a burning away of the dis-ease called Ego.

Pathetos, "subject to suffering, must suffer; having suffered; destined to suffer", something which is certainly a harsh fact for the Adept entering the Ordeal of the Abyss.

And interestingly enough, from the Air section of Liber Samekh, one of the barbarous names of evocation, "A-ThELE-BER-SET", A-ThHLH-BER-SET (see Key for English letters used to represent Greek characters), "Thou Satan-Sun Hadith that goes without Will"--very appropriate in this instance.

Now the word arrythmos has three interesting spellings and thus three numerations.  (1) arrythmon = 770; (2) arrythmos = 920; (3) arrythmos (Omega rather than Omicron as 2) = 1650.

770 is the numeration of (a) Orys, as a Greek word meaning only "an unknown wild animal in Libya", but it is also the spelling of Horus ('Orus), the Lord of the present New Æon, the Crowned and Conquering Child, which the Adept Crossing the Abyss as the Babe of the Abyss is identified with.  (b) Erinyes, the Erinyes or Furies, which the Adept certainly feels pursued by during the hazardous Crossing.  (c) Pontos, not only meaning "sea" but being a personification of the sea--and remember that the Crossing is an approach to Binah, the Great Sea.  (d) Klaythmos, "a weeping, wailing, bitter crying", which someone making the Crossing, as well as experiencing the Trance of Sorrow, is likely to experience and which Frater K experienced in the most literal terms.  (e) Metathesis, "transposition, change of opinions, a going over, removal, change; the power or right of changing; a taking up (into heaven)".  (f) Nomodidaskalos, "a teacher or interpreter of the law", which the Initiate certainly becomes upon a successful Crossing and the attainsment of the grade of Magister Templi 8°=3°.  (g) Porismos, "gain, means of gain; able to provide or supply, wealthy, rich, full of resources, inventive, practicable", referring mostly to spiritual wealth and the gain of attainment.  (h) Laikastes, "a wencher", and after all was it not this aspect of the magician's character that led him to the brink of the Abyss!  Finally and perhaps most interestingly, 770 is the total of 690 + 80--690 being one of the numerations of Keallach (Keallach) and 80 that of (Soror) Cyn (KIN; Hebrew: Kaph Yod Nun), the two primary characters in this Play of Nuit--in a sense the Initiated and the Initiatrix.

920 is the numeration of (a) Mormoys, "a hideous she-monster", which the Initiatrix, Soror Cyn, certainly seemed to become at the climax of the Crossing.  (b) Orthomantios, "a true prophet", which he who successfully corsses the Abyss becomes.  (c) Apekdysis, "setting free from, putting off (the clothes):--and it is through the successful Crossing that one is indeed set free from the slavery of ego, during which one removes the ego as if it were a tattered and filthy garment.  (d) Anadidomi, "deliver, to give up, to give forth, to yield; to restore...", all of which apply in this instance in various ways.

1650 = (a) synteleo, "end, complete, finish; establish, make; carry out, bring about", all of which apply to the end of ego's domination, the completion of a series of initiations, and so forth.  (b) Dialyseos, "dissolution, a losing one from anything, parting; a breaking up, destroying; an ending, cessation; cessation of hostilities, peace", all being references to the annihilation of the ego, which ends the seemingly endless war between the conscious and the subconscious mind and brings peace to the Initiate.  (c) Philosophos, "a philosopher, teacher; loving wisdom or knowledge", and interestingly enough this term, said to be first used by Pythagoras, Philosophus, is the 4°=7° grade of "the A.·.A.·.", the first Order of the Golden Dawn to be precise, and this may lead to some interesting speculation.  However, we have said enough on this subject in this place.

Coincidence you say? that the magician making the Crossing should experience arrhythmia--that the word, in its various spellings, should have so many correlations with the experience of the Ordeal via the Gematria of the Greek Qabalah?  My answer to that would be, it is stretching coincidence, that is the theory of it, a bit far and thin, and besides--coincidence? there ain't no such animal!

Be forewarned that the Crossing of the Abyss is no easy matter and that it can pose a genuine physical risk to the one who attempts it.  This is not to say that the attempt is "evil" and that it should not be made, for indeed, even crossing a busy highway poses a risk, but to get to the other side the risk must be taken--but very carefully.

(TNN.IV.3.TP-2, JULY 1985 E.V.)

Alpha (A,a) = 1, Beta (B,b) = 2, Gamma (G,g) = 3, Delta (D,d) = 4, Epsilon (E,e; short-e) = 5, Digamma (F,f) = 6, Zeta (Z,z) = 7, Eta (H,e; long-e) = 8, Theta (Th,th) = 9, Iota (I,i) = 10, Kappa (K,k) = 20, Lambda (L,l) = 30, Mu (M,m) = 40, Nu (N,n) = 50, Xi (X,x) = 60, Omicron (O,o; short-o) = 70, Pi (P,p) = 80, Koppa (Q,q) = 90, Rho (R,r) = 100, Sigma (S,s) = 200, Tau (T,t) = 300, Upsilon (U,u,V,v,Y,y) = 400, Phi (Ph,ph) 500, Chi (Ch,ch) = 600, Psi (Ps,ps) 700, Omega (O,o; long-o) = 800, Sanpi ( -) ) = 900.