Sacred Texts  Esoteric  Index  Previous  Next 

Numbers, Their Occult Power and Mystic Virtues, by W. Wynn Westcott, [1911], at sacred-texts.com

p. 88

THE ENNEAD. 9.

THE Ennead is the first square of an odd number, it was said to be like the Ocean flowing around the other numbers within the Decad; no further elementary number is possible, hence it is like the Horizon because all the numbers are bounded by it. We find that it was called Prometheus, and "Freedom from Strife," and "Vulcan," because the ascent of numbers is as far as 9, just as the ascent of things decomposed by fire is as far as the sphere of Fire (the summit of the air), and Juno, because the Sphere of the air is arranged according to the novenary system, and "sister and wife to Jupiter" from its conjunction with the Monad. And "Telesphoros" or "Bringing to an end" because the human offspring is carried 9 calendar months by the parent. And teleios or perfect for the same reason, and also called "Perfect" because it is generated from the Triad, which is called "Perfect."

Attention is called to its being an emblem of Matter, which, ever varying, is never destroyed; so the number 9 when multiplied by any number always reproduces itself, thus:—9 times 2 are 18 and 8 plus 1 are nine: and so on as below:

p. 89

In John Heydon's "Holy Guide," 1662, we find that he asserts the number 9 to have other curious properties:—"If writ or engraved on Silver, or Sardis, and carried with one, the wearer becomes invisible, as Caleron, the Brother-in-law of Alexander, did, and by this means lay with his Brother's concubines as often as he did himself. Nine also obtaineth the love of Women. At the 9th hour our Saviour breathed his last; on the ninth day the ancients buried their dead; after 9 years Numa received his laws from Jove; note the 9 cubits length of the iron bedstead of the giant Og, king of Basan, who is a type of the Devil, and there are 9 orders of Devils in Sheol (what we call Hell). It prevails against Plagues and Fevers; it causes Long life and Health, and by it Plato so ordered events that he died at the age of nine times 9."

There are nine orders of Angels, says Gregory, A.D. 381, in Homily 34: Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones, Dominions, Virtues, Powers, Principalities, Archangels and Angels.

From a Christian point of view the numbers represent:—

1. Unity of the Godhead.

2. The hypostatic union of Christ.

3. Trinity.

4. Evangelists.

5. Wounds of Jesus.

6. Is the number of sin.

7. Gifts of the spirit, Rev. i. 12; and Jesus 7 times spoke on the cross.

8. Beatitudes.

9. Orders of Angels.

10. Commandments.

11. Apostles besides Judas.

12. Original Apostolic College

13. College completed by St. Paul.

The Nine Muses of ancient Greece were called daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne (Memory), and were Calliope, poetry; Clio, history; Melpomene, tragedy; Euterpe, music; Erato, love, inspiration and pantomime; Terpsichore, dancing; Urania, astronomy; Thalia, comedy, and Polyhymnia, eloquence.

The Novensiles are the nine Sabine Gods: viz.—Hercules, Romulus, Æsculapius, Bacchus, Æneas, Vesta,

p. 90

[paragraph continues] Santa, Fortuna and Fides. The Sabines became merged with the Romans about 266 B.C.

The Nine gods of the Etruscans were Juno, Minerva, Tinia, Vulcan, Mars, Saturn, Hercules, Summanus and Vedius; the Etruscans also became united with the Romans.

Note in Macaulay's poem of "Horatius," "Lars Porsena of Clusium by the nine gods he swore," in 596 B.C. Lars Porsena led the Etruscans; they were then most powerful: from the Etruscans the Romans took much of their law, custom and superstition.

It is by nines that Eastern presents are given, when they would extend their magnificence to the greatest degree, as mentioned in Comte de Caylus, "Oriental Tales." 1743.

Barrett's "Magus" notes also 9 precious stones, 9 orders of devils, 9 choirs of angels—he copies from John Heydon.

Note in this connection the Nundinals of the Romans, who marked the days by letters into parcels of 8 days, and on every 9th day the people left their pursuits and went to the towns to market; hence the jocular Latin saying, Tres mulieres Nundinas faciunt. These nundinals are a type of our Dominical letters, a set of seven marking out the 8th days. The Romans also held a purification ceremony on male infants on the 9th day of life, hence the presiding goddess of this rite was called Nundina.

The Nones were one of the sets of days composing each calendar month. The Roman Novennalia was a feast in memory of the dead celebrated every 9th year. The Novendiale was an occasional Roman Catholic fast to avert calamities, from this arose the R.C. system of Neuvaines.

There is a Masonic order of "Nine Elected Knights," in which 9 roses, 9 lights and 9 knocks are used.

The Mahometans have 99 names of the deity. Some Jews have taught that God has 9 times descended to earth; 1st in Eden, 2nd at the confusion of tongues, 3rd at the destruction of Sodom, 4th to Moses at Horeb, 5th at Sinai, 6th to Balaam, 7th to Elisha, 8th in the Tabernacle,

p. 91

and 9th in the Temple at Jerusalem; and that his 10th coming as the Messiah will be final.

The ancients had a fear of the number Nine and its multiples, especially 81; they thought them of evil presage, indicating change and fragility.

At the 9th hour Jesus the Saviour died.

Nine is also "the earth under evil influences."

John Heydon in the "Holy Guide," and J. M. Ragon, in his "Maçonnerie Occulte," thus associate numbers with the Planets.

Sun 1 and 4, Moon 2 and 7, Jupiter 3, Mercury 5, Venus 6, Saturn 8, Mars 9.

and the Zodiacal Signs thus:—

The First and the Second Temples of the Jews were both destroyed on the 9th day of the Jewish month Ab. On the 9th day of Ab modern Jews do not wear the Talith and Phylacteries until evening. The day should be spent in tears, and no good comes of work done on that day.

The Talmud in Soteh, 20. 1, says that a woman prefers one measure of fun to 9 of Pharisaic professional goodness.

Nine persons have entered Alive into the Jews’ Paradise; Enoch, Elijah, Messiah, Eliezer the servant of Abraham, Hiram king of Tyre, Ebed Melek the Ethiop, Jabez the son of Jehuda the Prince, Bathia daughter of Pharaoh, and Sarah the daughter of Asher. Some Rabbis add Rabbi Yoshua son of Levi, but he entered not at the door, but climbed over the wall. See Kethuboth, 7. 2.

In the 145th Psalm we find 9 reasons for praising God.

The Great Eleusinian Mysteries were the successors of the Egyptian Mysteries of Isis and Osiris, and were celebrated at Eleusis and possibly also at Athens, in honour of Demeter or Ceres; they occupied 9 days, and were commenced

p. 92

on the fifteenth day of the third Attic month, Boedromion, September: they took place once in every five years.

The Lesser Mysteries were performed in the month Elaphebolion, March, at Agræ on the River Ilyssus in honour of Persephone or Proserpine, daughter of Ceres.

Candidates after reception became Mystæ: in the Greater Mysteries they became Epoptæ. The ceremonies were called Teletai, perfectings. They remained in use for 1800 years, and were only ceased in the time of the Emperor Theodosius, A.D. 395.

Mention of 9 Worthies is found in literature; they were 3 Gentiles—Hector son of King Priam, Alexander the Great and Julius Cæsar; 3 Jews—Joshua, David and Judas Maccabeus; 3 Christians—King Arthur of Britain, Charlemagne and Godfrey de Bouillon.