How to Use the Numbers in Magick & Meditation

The first ten numbers give distinct forms to sacred work. A chosen count can gather a mantra into a definite order, give an affirmation its measure, and mark the completion of a spiritual working. Its proper use joins the power of the number to clear intention, attentive vibration, and a fitting seal.

Let the number serve the purpose

Begin with the purpose of the working, then choose the number whose received qualities belong to it. Read that number’s page before selecting the count. The same outward act may serve different intentions, so the count should be chosen with understanding and held consistently throughout the practice. [The Temple’s core meanings]

The Temple’s instructions for magickal squares join exact repetition to directed affirmation and visualization. Its guidance for vibrating runes likewise emphasizes retaining the selected count during a particular working. These teachings establish the importance of measure and continuity. [Magickal Squares] [Runic Pronunciation]

The exercises here concern only One through Ten. They are simple applications for this numerical course. When following a separate Temple ritual or mantra working, keep that working’s prescribed words, count, sequence, and duration. A numerical contemplation should strengthen the form of the practice being undertaken.

Chant, affirm, and seal

Chanting gives a sacred word or mantra a sustained vocal form. Affirmation states the intended direction of the work in clear language. Sealing gathers the completed operation and establishes its conclusion. The selected number can govern one of these acts or the arrangement joining them; record which role it has.

The Temple teaches AUM as a closing vibration for sealing spiritual work and gives the pronunciation AHH-UUUUU-MMMM. Let its three phases be clear and connected, using an easy exhalation and a comfortable voice. Allow ordinary breathing between repetitions. [AUM: How to Use AUM]

A sealing count belongs to the conclusion of the working. If Nine affirmations are followed by One AUM, record those as two distinct acts with their respective measures. This makes both the numerical intention and the ritual sequence clear.

1 and 2: unity and relationship

One gathers intention under a single governing principle. Use one deliberate utterance to establish a unified purpose, or one closing AUM to gather a simple completed exercise. An affirmation for this study is: “My intention is one, clear, and steadfast.” Let the single act have a complete beginning, sustained presence, and conclusion.

Two places relation and distinction before the attention. Two utterances can hold a deliberate pair: the inwardly understood purpose and its outward enactment. An affirmation is: “My understanding and my action enter a clear and worthy relation.” Retain awareness of the two terms and the relationship being cultivated.

3 and 4: union and established order

Three serves a work of sacred union and threefold order. Three repetitions can be contemplated as the gathering of a beginning, middle, and completion into one act. An affirmation is: “My thought, word, and deed are united in this sacred purpose.” This threefold application is composed for the present exercise; the number’s full Divine teaching remains the foundation.

Four gives a working a form of order and boundary. Place four points at the corners of a square and follow one point with each repetition. An affirmation is: “This work stands in order, with a clear boundary and a firm foundation.” After the fourth utterance, hold the whole figure before the attention.

5 and 6: harmony and integration

Five directs contemplation toward connection, beauty, and harmony. Use five measured affirmations while attending to the parts of the undertaking as members of one harmonious whole. An affirmation is: “The parts of this work join in beauty, balance, and harmony.” Let the intention concern the actual relationships within the work.

Six joins the contemplation of material and spiritual life. Six repetitions may serve an affirmation of their orderly integration: “My spiritual purpose is present in my conduct, and my conduct gives it faithful form.” After the count, identify the concrete act through which this connection will be maintained.

7 and 8: purification and steadfast power

Seven brings purification, consequence, and just measure into the working. An affirmation for seven deliberate repetitions is: “I stand in purity, discernment, and just measure.” Contemplate the quality of your participation, the responsibilities you have accepted, and the clarity required to fulfil them.

Eight serves the contemplation of firm foundation, permanence, and power. Eight measured utterances can establish the intention of steadfastness: “This worthy work is established in strength, steadiness, and enduring order.” Let each repetition renew the same purpose, without introducing a different aim midway through the sequence.

9 and 10: completion and totality

Nine brings the work to its intended completion. The Temple’s Words of Power page specifically uses nine affirmations after vibration and connects Nine with endings in that practice. [Words of Power: The Meditation] A general affirmation for this numerical study is: “This work reaches its fitting completion, and its purpose is fulfilled in worthy action.”

Ten gathers the whole operation. Ten utterances can be followed through the points of the Tetractys, with its rows of One, Two, Three, and Four. An affirmation is: “All parts of this work are gathered into one complete and ordered whole.” Hold the full figure at the end, allowing its distinct parts to remain present within their common totality.

A complete numerical exercise

Choose one of the ten numbers and one appropriate affirmation above, or formulate a sentence faithful to the same teaching. Write down the exact wording and count. Place the numeral and its counted points before you. Settle into a comfortable position, then address the Gods according to your established devotional practice.

Read the number’s meaning, contemplate its figure, and state the affirmation once at each point until its chosen count is complete. Let each utterance carry the same intention. If the exercise includes an established mantra, pronounce it according to its Temple instructions and keep its own count distinct from the affirmation.

Gather the work through a closing AUM, using the count chosen for that closing act. For a simple study of unity, One AUM supplies a deliberate single seal. The Temple’s dedicated AUM exercise also gives Nine repetitions as an introductory practice. [AUM: How to Practice] Choose the form before beginning and bring it to a clear conclusion.

Let the seal gather what has been completed

At the conclusion, hold the stated purpose and the whole figure together in the attention. Complete the final sound, allow it to become silence, and give thanks. The seal marks the gathering of the work; the following silence allows that conclusion to remain clear.

Iamblichus describes prayer as advancing through knowledge of the Divine, communion, and union, and places it throughout sacred operation. [On the Mysteries V.26] This orientation gives number its rightful place in devotion: measured words and acts participate in a work directed toward the Gods.

Record the number, wording, repetition count, and sealing count. Note the understanding gained and the action that carries it forward. Return to the same form with care during the chosen period of study. Through this continuity, the number’s teaching can deepen from a familiar sign into an order faithfully expressed in spiritual work.