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Liber CMXXII deals with the Parsifal myth as told by Richard Wagner and explains it in terms of the Crossing of the Abyss and the attainment of the Magister Templi 8°=3° grade. Although it was originally written in German, there is enough internal evidence to prove that Wagner possessed information relating to the Greek Qabalah and that much of his libretto may be explained by way of the science of Gematria. 922 is, for instance, the numeration of Parsifal [Parsiphal - see Key for English letters employed to represent Greek characters] and this is also the numeration of the Greek word "boon", meaning "an ox", which is, of course, the meaning of the Hebrew word Aleph [ALPh], the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet attributed to Atu 0 of the tarot, The Fool - and please note that Parsifal is called der reine Thor, "The Pure Fool".
1130 [MCXXX] is the numeration of both the Sacred Sphere [Ieros Doratos] and the Holy Grail [e Agios Poterios]. While Kundry is called forth by Klingsor by the barbarous name of Gundryggia, both names coming to the numeration of 974 [Kyndry & Gyndryggia], which is also the numeration of certain Greek words that well describe Kundry's appearance and character as well as function:
nebrizo, "to wear a fawn-skin"
doloo, "distort, falsify"
panoyrgos, "tricky, crafty, cunning"
basanismoy, "torture, torment", and so forth.
However, it is not here our purpose to discuss Liber CMXXII. In this place we will just barely lift the veil from the Mystery of Homer's Odyssey; we will glance at a work in progress, Liber DCCCXCVIII. And we can here only glance at this work as it is very involved. Unlike Parsifal, The Odyssey is Greek and relies heavily upon the Gematria of the Greek Qabalah.
898 is the numeration of The Odyssey [e Odysseia] as well as such things as:
te polei te megale, "the great city" of Revelation 18.18
agchitheos, which means "near the gods, i.e. like gods or dwelling with gods"
tragopodos, "goat-footed"
and most important here,
NHMO, a word that is not only a simple transliteration of the Latin word NEMO, meaning "No Man" or "No one", but it is also a Greek word meaning "control", among other things, a variation of NEMO [Nu, Epsilon, Mu, Omega, as opposed to Nu, Eta, Mu, Omega].
The Odyssey is, of course, a myth describing the magical event known as the Crossing of the Abyss.
Odysseus [Ulysses] in crossing the abyss of the sea encounters the Sirens, Calypso, and the Siren that most effects he who crosses the Abyss, Circe. He also encounters Choronzon in the persona of Polyphemos the Cyclops, and during this encounter Odysseus calls himself Oytis, sometimes spelled Oytin, and this means "No Man" or "No one", that is Nemo, the Master of the Temple.
Oytis equals 980 [CMLXXX] and this is also the numeration of
tritos, "third", referring to the third Sephira of the Tree to which the grade of Magister Templi is attributed
pepnymenos, meaning "a man of Understanding", referring again to this third Sephira, Binah or Understanding; it is by this title Odysseus is called in Book VIII, Line 388.
980 is also the numeration of Asemi Astron, which means the same thing as the Latin Argenteum Astrum, the Silver Star [A.·.A.·.], and incidentally, 9 + 8 + 0 = 17 and XVII is the Atu number of the tarot card entitled The Star.
Oytin equals 830 and this is also the numeration of such words and phrases as
triton, "third"
e Agion Poterion, "the Holy Grail", attributed to Binah and the Magister Templi Grade
Zeitgest, a German word for the Holy Guardian Angel or True Self, that is the Star, the Silver Star, and much more.
In English a person's name is spelled only one way. For instance, the name of Our Father the Beast 666 is spelled only as "Aleister" in reference to him specifically, although there are, of course, variant spellings. Greek, however, is different, and a single person's name may be spelled several different ways. In magical works these various spellings were often used to arrive at various numerations to point to specific ideas. In The Odyssey the name of Odysseus, for example, is spelled with 15 variations. Some of these, their numerations and some of the other words that come to the same numeration, follow:
Odysei = 692 = akratos, "full strength".
Odyssey [Odysseu] = 879 = ergatoy, "labourer, worker"; egnoka, "know, have knowledge of [of sexual relations], understand"; naykleros, "ship-owner, captain".
Odysseys [Odysseus] = 1479 = odeyso, "journey, travel, to go", in the last refering to the power of a god; the word itself may be the origin of the name.
Odysea = 683 = gyios, "son"; o Agion Kedemonon Aggelon, "the Holy Guardian Angel.
Odyseos = 952 = charisma, "gift" [as an expression of divine grace].
Odysseos = 1152 = agoretyos, "the gift or power of speaking, eloquence".
Odyseys [Odyseus] = 1279 = odeyo, "journey, travel, to go"; Kolazonta, "the chastiser", a destroying angel who figures in Maccabees 7.11.
Odysei = 689 = oydeis, "no one (Nemo)" - Re. 2.17, 5.3, 15.8, 19.12.
Odyssea = 883 = anagkazo, "force, compel"; xipheres, "armed with a sword".
Odyssei = 892 = o Agion Poterion, "the Holy Grail".
Odyse = 682 = tribos, "the Path or course in life".
Odysse = 882 = neleothymos, "of ruthless spirit".
Odysey [Odyseu] = 1079 = naykleroy, "ship-owner, captain"; o on kai o en, "who is and was" - Re. 11.17, 16.5; machemonos, "warlike".
Odyssea = 880 = yioy, "a son"; o parakletos, "the paraclete, the helper or comforter" - Jn. 15.26; phanesomai, "give light"; Arpokrates, Harpocrates.
Odysseia = 890 = Apsinthon, "Wormwood, bitter"; odegeo, "lead, guide, to shew the way"; phronimon, "understand"; melagchlainon, "black-cloaked"; drepanon oxy, "a sharp sickle" - Re. 14.14, 17.
And so on.
Odysseus is also called, both by Polyphemos and Athene, Nepios, and this word which means both "Child" and "Fool" comes to the numeration of 418, the number of the Great Work and the Formula of that Work, ABRAHADABRA. 418 is also the numeration of Aiwass [AIFASS or as A.C. often wrote it, using the old form of Sigma so that English letters could be used and it would still look like Greek, AIFACC]. Furthermore, 418 is the numeration of Pallas Athene. Athene, Goddess of Wisdom and War, throughout The Odyssey, acts as Odysseus' Guardian Angel and the fact that his title Child/Fool comes to the same numeration as that of Pallas Athene points to a strong connection between the two, that is that Odysseus is the Initiate, the Adept crossing the Abyss to achieve the grade of Magister Templi, and that Athene is his True Self or H.G.A. It is interesting to note that 418 is also the numeration of
ta ther, "of the wild beast"
ta Aggloi, "of the English
o odagos, "the guide"
o ogdoas, "the eight"
o aozos, "the minister"
and e keroeis, "the horned".
Aithon, which means "firey burning, flashing, glittering, fiery, fierce", as well as "yellow or tawny", appears in the Odyssey only once after Odysseus returns to Ithaca and by this name calls himself. The numeration of Aethon [or Aithon] is 870 and this is also the numeration of
to eklekton, "the chosen"
oiktoy, "compassion" [the vice of kings]
phoinikis, "a red or purple cloth, a red cloak" - note the red and/or purple robe said to have been worn by Jesus before his Crossing as well as the red-purple cloth that covered the Grail in Wagner's opera Parsifal
synesei, "understanding" - Col. 1.9
and finally o Kyrios, "the Lord or Master", implying that, having Crossed the Abyss, Odysseus has attained, in full, the grade of Magister Templi and now had the right to call himself Master of the Temple, Aethon.
Odysseus is often called "that wretched, sorrowing man", dystenon odyromenon, and indeed, Crossing the Abyss and achieving the Magister Templi grade he must suffer the Trance of Sorrow. Furthermore, this title comes to the numeration of 1941, which is also the numeration of the Greek word/name/title Aosphoros, "the Bringer of Light, the Morning Star", or Lucifer in Latin.
Often called "that man" he is keinos aner, the numeration of which is 714, also the numeration of nomotheoy, "lawgiver", and agathopoioy, "one who does what is good or right".
Referred to as "godlike Odysseus", antitheo Odysei, 1867, calls upon him as "o prophet", ach prophetes.
Called "divine Odysseus" the reference is to his close union with his H.G.A. [Pallas Athene]: theioy Odyseos [theiou Odyseos] = 1446 = Aytoteros [Autoteros], "more himself".
Odysseos theioio = 1326 = e Agia Phylax Aggelos, "the Holy Guardian Angel".
And called "wise Odysseus", Odysea polyphrona = 1984, he is shown to be closely related to "wise Penelope", his wife or priestess as periphron Penelopeia also comes to the numeration of 1984.
But this is enough for this place.
My studies and investigations, my work upon both the Greek Qabalah, The Odyssey, and my career in magick, bringing my personal experiences into this, prove to me, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that, like Wagner's Parsifal, Homer's Odyssey is a record of an Initiate's Crossing of the Abyss and attainment of the Magister Templi grade.
Parsifal, the Pure Fool, made a journey that radically altered his character and gave him great strength. He encountered the Siren in the persona of Kundry and Choronzon in the persona of Klingsor.
Ulysses, the Fool, also made a long journey encountering Circe and Polyphemos.
Jesus too, certainly acting rather foolish from several points of view, but foolish with serious intent, had his Mary Magdalene and encountered Choronzon in several guises before his Crossing was complete, most obviously in the form of the tempting Satan upon one level of his Crossing.
There is a good chance that none of these characters actually existed in the historical sense, but they did exist, and will always exist, in the hearts and minds of us all, in the human consciousness of the planet, for they are archtypal figures and examples of what we all are essentially and what we can and some day must become. We are all the Fool gradually reaching Understanding. For the magician, the Initiate, in specific the Adeptus Examptus, this journey takes on a more dramatic, more powerful aspect. It is intensified by greater knowledge and awareness, and has a much greater effect upon him than upon one who is uninitiated.
There is no Path across the Abyss; that Way is the most dangerous of all and most Adepts and others who attempt it lose their Way. However, disguised as myth and often lost and obscured in religion, Initiates who have made that journey have left us records of their Crossing, virtual maps of the terrain. We have but to discover the keys to unlock the myths within which these directions are hidden. Just such a key is the Gematria of the Greek Qabalah, and with this key the secret of both Parsifal and The Odyssey are revealed.
Here we have but scratched the surface. The further work on this subject could and will soon fill an entire book. A book that I hope will be of interest and assistance to all sincere travellers of the Path who may some day make that Crossing - successfully.
[1997 E.V. NOTE: the full title of the work on Wagner's Parsifal is Liber CMXXII Sub figura MCXXX/Parsifal: A Brief Initiated Interpretation and Explanation by Frater Keallach 93/676. -ED]
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Note: above, when writing Greek words with English characters, an italicized e and o represent, respectively, the Long-E and Long-O sounds of Greek, i.e. Eta and Omega.
Background: First sentence in The Odyssey. "Tell me, O Muse, of the man of many devices, who wandered full many ways after he had sacked the sacred citadel of Troy."
[TNN.IV.2, MAY 1985 E.V.]