Numerology involves the assigning of number values to letters of the alphabet. There are many ways of doing this, but the simplest assignment to the English alphabet is to write the letters in three rows, left to right, one row above the other, and associate a number from one to nine to each column in the rows. The result is that each number from 1 to 8 is linked with three letters, and the number 9 with two letters (there are 27 places in the three rows, but only 26 letters, so one of the places is left blank). This method is described in the 1912 numerological text Numbers: Their Meaning and Magic by Isidore Kozminsky, who describes it as a “new system of numeration.”
The system divides the alphabet into three divisions or degrees. The first nine letters constitute the first degree, the next nine the second degree, and the last eight the third degree. Each letter is represented by a digit number, as follows:
The nine numbers will correspond with the nine segments of the necklace, and the degree will correspond with the position within that segment. (Don’t worry, this will make sense soon!)
For our purposes of charm making, each row of letters may be linked with one of three colors. A to I is assigned the color red, J to R the color blue, and S to Z the color green. The very last place, which has no letter, receives the color black, to signify the end. In this way the combination of a number and a color clearly indicate a letter of the alphabet. For example 5-red would be the letter E, and 7-green would be the letter Y.
The construction of our necklace charm is quite simple. Beads are arranged in nine sets of three from left to right. Each set of three beads is divided from the set next to it by a knot. Ten knots are enough to define and contain nine sets of three beads each. The white beads are merely placeholders, while colored beads indicate letters. A single black bead is placed at the end of the ninth segment on the far right to indicate the end of the necklace, so that it is not put on backwards by mistake.
Before we can make our necklace, we need to decide on our letters. To determine what letters are to be incorporated into our necklace charm, we must begin with our purpose. Each magic charm is made for one purpose, which may be specific or general, and may involve a single event in time or a continuing progression of events. Whatever the purpose, it must be clear enough in your mind to express in a single short sentence or phrase. Ideally the phrase should consist of from five to nine significant words—that is to say, meaningful words, not words such as the and a and and, which may be disregarded in making the charm.
The sentence or phrase must be expressed in the present tense, and must be positive. Avoid the use of negative words. Let us take as an example the purpose for the charm expressed by this sentence: “Love surrounds me and increases daily.” This would be a charm to attract love of a general kind, not necessarily just romantic love. It would result in a sustained loving environment. The key words of the sentence are five in number: love, surrounds, me, increases, daily. From these words, the first letters are selected: L, S, M, I, D.
The selection of the sentence or phrase is the most important part of the making of the charm. It is vital that you meditate on which words to choose and find the brief expression of meaning that most powerfully expresses your purpose for making the charm. If you have more than nine significant words, you must reduce the sentence until there are nine or fewer key words. It is best not to use less than five because otherwise the necklace will have a colorless appearance. If possible, avoid having the same key letter appear more than once. (If the same key letter does appear twice, both are represented by the same bead.)
The beads are knotted onto the necklace thread in order from left to right. In the above example, the letter S occupies the third place in the first segment. Tie a knot on the left side of the thread to act as a stop for the beads, and drop two white beads down on it as placeholders, then a single green bead to represent the S. It is green because the S is in third place in the segment. Tie a knot to end this first segment of the necklace. There are no letters in our charm from the second column, so drop three white beads down the thread to make the second segment, and tie a knot to end it. The letter L occupies the middle of the third segment so drop down a white bead, a blue bead, and a white bead. The key letter D is at the beginning and the key letter M is in the middle of the fourth segment, so the beads are red, blue, white. There are no key letters of the charm’s purpose in the fifth segment, which receives three white beads. The six segment also gets three white beads, as does the seventh segment, and the eighth segment. The key letter I occurs in first place of the ninth segment, so the order of the beads is red, white, black (the final
