"Having permeated this whole universe with one fragment of myself, I remain."
Eleven and twenty-two are master numbers. Unlike every other number composed of two or more digits, they are never reduced to a single numeral but remain as they are, unchanged. Words and names bearing the vibratory values of either of these numbers have in them powers that make for attainment, supremacy and mastership.
Among words of power in the several kingdoms of nature that vibrate to these numbers may be noted iron, one of the foremost of metals for strength and utility. Its number is 11. In the plant kingdom the lily is 22. The horse, a pioneer among animals, is an 11. The highest product of earth's humanity is the Master Jesus,, whose name carries the power of attainment and self-mastery which operates through 11. By angelic instruction He was so named. Later, at the time of baptism into the mystic waters of Jordan, He demonstrated His human mastery by becoming a vehicle of the Christ, a Being of a higher order of life and the Saviour of the world.
The name Christ vibrates to 5. It indicates the awakening of inner powers of individualization. Under its influence the divine spirit within becomes manifest. The name Christ Jesus (5, 11) vibrates to 7, the earth's planetary number, thus harmonizing with the fact that Jesus became the Christed man or the Cosmic Pattern for the inspiration and emulation of the entire human race.
The doctrine of the Trinity in one form or another, is fundamental to all religions. In the Christian religion the threefold Godhead is composed of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. This triune Principle contains the power of 1, 2, and 3, which together form the working basis of the triple activity by which all creation proceeds. "When One wills to create, One becomes many, all threefold".
One, two and three constitute the forces of Will, Wisdom and Activity, which underly all manifestation. They are the forces which build the outer or form world, including the bodies of man. All things on earth are moulded in conformity with an astral or starry pattern. It is this celestial formation of man which was "made in the image and likeness of God".
The purpose of earth evolution is to develop man into a creator, working in harmony with the divine plan. The lessons necessary to that development come through the vibratory rhythms of number. As man reaches the higher stages, he responds to the master forces of 9, 11 and 22. Eleven amplifies the powers of 1; 22 does the same for the forces of 2; and 9 acts in a like relation to 3.
When these forces become fully active in man, he acquires the ability to create new conditions, a new body, and a new life, all in harmony with the divine image in whose likeness he was fashioned in the Beginning. This state of attainment was referred to as the birth of the Christ within.
From what has been said, it becomes apparent that 9, 11 and 22 constitute a higher trinity of power than do 1, 2 and 3. That higher trinity holds the potencies by which humanity will ultimately realize its highest ideals. Incidentally, it may be noted that the added numerals of both trinities reduce to 6, a number under which latent powers are unfolded.
The numbers 11 and 22 vibrate to all the 7 tones of the musical scale. They also respond to the entire planetary octave. By their inclusive powers the Christ consciousness will be brought ultimately to perfect fruition into the life of mankind.
In the mystic series of initiatory signposts, the Hebrew alphabet, the eleventh of its 22 letters if Kaph, which is represented by a maiden closing the mouth of a Lion. Astrologically interpreted, the maiden is Virgo, the Lion, Leo. (The 5th and 6th signs equals 11). Spiritually, Virgo correlates to the feminine principle; Leo the masculine. On the physical plane the masculine dominates the feminine but in the alchemical processes of regeneration, the feminine overcomes this disability. The feminine pole of the spirit is then brought into perfect balance with the masculine. In terms of masonic symbolism, the fallen column of the two which stand at the entrance to the Temple is restored to its upright position. Equilibrium, the soul name for 11, is accomplished.
The cross has been used extensively in sacred symbology both before and after its adoption as the emblem of Christian religion. One of its arms is upright, the other horizontal. This is another representation of the fallen pole, the feminine or Eve principle in man. When this principle will be lifted and brought into perfect balance with the masculine, the cross of struggle, sorrow and sacrifice will yield as a symbol of man's religious aspirations to the two upright columns (11) as the symbol of attainment. It will mark the redemption of the fallen, the cessation of strife, and the realization of at-one-ment with the divine.
The Christ manifested the body that is built under the powers of 11. In the mystic interval between the Resurrection and the Ascension when He gave His deepest teachings to those closest to Him, He appeared to His Disciples, bidding them to view Him in His garment of light. "Behold my hands and feet", said He, "that it is myself; handle me, and see, for a spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye see me have".
The Christ here described the regenerated body which is immune to disease, age, and even death itself. This immortal vehicle which He built for Himself, He taught all others how to build, for He came.as the Life, the Way, and the Truth. All who follow His precepts and in His steps may do the works that He did, and by His own premise, even greater.
The powers of 11 are symbolically referred to in the passage quoted above. The hands represent the masculine principles of Fire and Air; the feet, the feminine principles of Water and Earth. When these four principles are perfectly blended the equilibrium of 11 is attained.
Masons are taught that 11 is the most important number, because "with the possession within of two Units (equilibrium) one may come into possession of all things". This being true, 11 becomes the priestly messenger bringing to all mankind the glad tidings of great joy".
The Ancient Wisdom defines the powers of 11 as follows: "In my grasp are all things held in perfect equilibrium; I bind all opposites together, each to its complement".
These words describe accurately the powers of 11. Ages will pass before they will be fully understood by the majority, and yet more ages before they will become generally manifest in the life of the many. The same is true of 22. These two numbers, 11 and 22, are secret workers - silent, aloof, and alone; their workshop is the cosmos, and their tools are latent forces of the divinity residing in the heart of all life.
Jesus, as previously noted, working directly with the powers of 11, made equilibrium the keynote of his ministry. Joshua, another form of the name Jesus, also attained to the state of Balance. This is indicated astrologically in his ability to make the sun and the moon stand still in the heavens numerologically, in his age which was 11 years.
When 1 becomes 11 the individual interests are merged into the universal and the fire of passion is transmuted into the light of compassion. The qualities of brotherhood and universality become manifest in such a one, and their extension into the consciousness of the race the chief objective of life. The illumined 11 is, figuratively speaking, a pilgrim and a wanderer, with no abiding place except in the minds and hearts of those who need him. Such can truly say with Thomas Paine that "the world is my home and to do good my religion".
Eleven embraces the opposites in both heaven and hell. Both vibrate to 11, and Jesus, an 11, lived, and loved, and served in both.
The two upright columns before the entrance of every Mystery Temple, the Masonic included, are synonyms of the power and purpose of 11. The colors of 11 are black and white, signifying truth latent and active, hidden and revealed. Violet also belongs to 11 and signifies the illumination which the spirit gains through sorrow.
The Books of the Prophets in the Old Testament number 22. This is also the number of Epistles, the Revelation of John included, in the New Testament. While 22, as previously stated, always retains its integrity as it stands, never being reduced to 4, yet it contains the inner vibratory rhythms of the sacred quartenary, as pythagoras called it, and which he refers to in his Golden Verses as a most holy power.
It is the numerical power sounding the keynote of the New Testament Dispensation, the Four Gospels containing the initiatory formulae of the Path which leads to Liberation by the way of the Cross.
In the Hebrew alphabet, Tau, the cross, is the twenty-second letter. It is the final letter in the series of 22. Each letter represents a certain degree of inner illumination. As the powers they hold are developed, they lead to the awakening of the Christ within. The series terminates with the cross (Tau), not as a symbol of pain and tragedy and defeat, but as an emblem of victory over limitation and the release of the spirit into new spheres of freedom. When the Supreme Way-Shower carried the cross up Calvary He was still in the consciousness that had uttered the words, "My yoke is easy and my burden is Light".
The cross is universally used as a symbol for the spirit when encased in a physical body. That being its real significance it enters prominently into the symbolism of other religions beside the Christian, and also into the rituals of the Temple Mysteries. To win freedom from the cross is to secure a release from the bondage of matter.
In biblical literature the Book of Numbers is keyed to the number 11. This Book has been compared to the great epics, the Iliad and the Aeneid. While it is only a fragment of an older and more extended treatise on the meaning of numbers, it still contains a treasury of esoteric values.
The Book deals largely with the Israelites' second year's journey in the wilderness. And the "Lord spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai . . . . . on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt".
And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Make thee two trumpets of silver; of a whole piece shalt thou make them: that thou mayst use them for the calling of the assembly, and for the journeying of the camps. — Numbers 10:12
The spiritual significance of numbers in relation to the life and works of man appear throughout the entire Bible. It is quite obvious in the numbering of the Tribes of Israel. Each of the twelve received a number, and the specific service assigned to it was in harmony with the number power through and with which it worked. The tribes were also formed into certain assemblages. Each family was also given a number and assigned to a particular place and mission. This was done not merely to facilitate regimentation; it was done primarily as an aid in the fulfillment of the spiritual task they were called to perform. It is also to be remembered that the history of the Israelites is the history of man and every incident connected with them has relation to the spiritual development of the individual. The inheritance of the sons and daughters of Israel is the spiritual heritage of the illumined 11.
The Twelve Tribes correlate to the Twelve Signs of the Zodiac. Each tribe expresses the qualities of a certain sign, just as it manifests the powers of a certain number. These Twelve Signs and their corresponding numbers, are all operative in the life of every individual. Man is himself a universe in miniature. With this in mind. valuable personal application can be made of detailed historical facts contained in the Bible that would otherwise be passed by as having neither interest nor value.
The Book of Ruth is attuned to the rhythm of 22. Esoterically, this beautiful Book contains an account of the mystic marriage wherein the transmuted lower nature is brought into union with the higher. The hitherto divided nature becomes unified. This is the true significance of the number 22. It is because the two are in balanced unity that the 2 Twos remain unchanged. The Book of Ruth is a spiritual textbook for the twenty-two.
Looking first to the characters of the Book of Ruth, we meet Boaz, whose name means "swiftness", or "fleetness of spirit"; Ruth means "faithfulness", the most important qualification of the neophyte. Naomi typifies the forces of cosmic or spiritual law. Her name means "pleasantness". Mara, another name for Naomi, means "bitterness". Thus the two names indicate the pleasantness or bitterness experienced as a result of obedience to or violation of the law of the spirit. The reactions experienced by Orpha, one of the daughters of Naomi, was bitter, since she lived in terms of the personality which she represents, whereas Ruth met with "pleasantness" through faithfulness to the spirit which she symbolized.
Ruth is chosen because of her faithfulness and loyalty to become a gleaner in the corn-fields. Later, after having been further tested as to worthiness and ability by both Naomi and Boaz, she is given a present by Boaz when she meets him at midnight beside a heap of corn. There he instructs her in the holy rites of the mystic union which is soon to be consummated, and give to her six measures of barley.
Ruth pledges herself to high and holy living, and follows Naomi into the sacred city of Bethlehem. They arrive just in time for barley harvest. The symbolism is important. Much is concealed in the terms "corn" and "barley". They relate to the high experiences with which the legend deals. The same symbolism was used in the Mysteries of Egypt and Greece which centered in "a reaped cornstock and a mystic marriage". Greek mythology also tells of Persephone returning each year from the underworld through the young corn.
The Book of Ruth closes with the marriage of Ruth and Boaz. The personality has been surmounted and spirit blends with spirit. Their marriage was witnessed by the ten Elders — the powers of 10 through which the masculine and feminine principles come into balance. Under the powers of 11 they attain to perfect equilibrium, and under the master number 22 the mystic wedding is consummated.
The powers of 22 soar above those of 2 as spirit rises above matter. They belong to different octaves of force. By the powers of 22, an amalgamation is effected of the principles of Fire, Air, Water and Earth - and astrologically, of the forces operating through the four fixed signs, Leo, Aquarius, Scorpio and Taurus, which are related to the four principles in the order named. Twenty-two brings the Great Work to completion; the cross becomes the crown.
The early Alchemists described the attainment of 22 as follows: "In every individual of every species there are four elements comprising two males and two females, — by a proper union of these we get a dual being, a second marriage, a new individual".
The "two males and two females" have reference to the four elements of Air, Fire, Earth, Water. When we understand that these also represent the mentality, passions, emotions and the physical body, we recognize wherein the Great Work must always be accomplished.
Twenty-two synthesizes and expands the powers of 11. Eleven develops soul power through loving, selfless service. Twenty-two releases these soul forces. One in whom this occurs becomes a "walker of the skies". He has earned the "Master's wages" and is able to "travel in foreign countries".
Twenty-two is one of power and accomplishment; its colors are cream and coral; its symbol, a cross; and its supreme keyword is light.
Wisdom is the principal thing — therefore get Wisdom: and with all thy getting, get understanding. (Pro. 4:7)
The acquiring of a perfect Balance between two extremes is the supreme purpose of God in creation and of the god in man.
1. What stage of development is portrayed by the numbers 11
and 22?
2. What correlation is there between 11 and the eleventh
zodiacal sign Aquarius?
3. What biblical character can you mention who is attuned to
11?
4. Give keywords particularly descriptive of 11 and 22.
Note: These lessons are not intended for casual reading, but for careful study and meditation, wherein it is hoped that by a lifting and acceleration of consciousness, the student may be able to contact more fully the inner man — that source of wisdom and light eternal which makes life complete both within and without.
— Corinne Heline
