According to the mysteries, Aleph (pronounced aw-lef) was the first letter designed by God. Its sound was necessary to breathe out the other letters, for it is the breath of God. It is the Element of Air and is called a Mother Letter because it is one of the basic elements of creation.
Aleph means “oxhead” and its astrological symbol is Taurus, the sign of physical reproduction. The constellation becomes visible at the spring of each year, the time when the Earth grows warm in temperate climates and flowers spring up to herald the start of a new season of growth. The oxhead itself is the shape of the uterus, the horns being the fallopian tubes—all signifying physical reproduction.
Aleph is the breath of life in every man. Adam did not become a living soul until God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life (Genesis 2:7). Here we learn when life as a human really begins—not at conception, for that is when the physical body has just begun to be formed.
Until the moment of birth the soul hovers near the mother, attached to the fetus by the silver cord. It is at the very first breath that the soul enters the new body, and like Adam, becomes a living being. This is why the time of birth, rather than the time of conception, is of key importance to astrologers.
Aleph is the vital principle of all, the breath of life, and it flows even through inanimate objects. Nothing can exist without Air—so we find Aleph in height and depth and also the path between the two. We can see that pictorially in the shape of the English letter A as well as in the Hebrew letter symbol [art].
Aleph is not a vowel sound, but like that of soft breathing from the back of the throat, Air that is necessary for the creative words to float out upon, giving them sound and life. There was no sound in Greek to compare with the glottal consonant of the Hebrew Aleph, so they used this first letter for their A vowel and named it Alpha, meaning “first.”
The Romans borrowed it from the Greeks and called it simply, “A.” All of the Indo-European languages have this A as their first letter, and they all kept the same shape which, ironically, is like that of a diaphragm which helps to push forth air. And A, like the glyph for Aleph, has three lines which represent the Creative Principle: the trio of Will, Wisdom, and Activity.
The lesson of A is that of self-control. The balance line in the middle separates the upper spiritual world from the lower material world, giving the “A” a balance of forces, or energies to help with this lesson.
The A is a picture of a man standing well balanced on two feet. This shows initiative and leadership ability. A also stands for ambition. In a name it adds strength of character. During the year the A is in force, there is a feeling of being in charge, wanting to take the initiative and not be subservient; a person may even feel a little too self-important. The A wants to be in charge. A stands for Aggressive.
When things go wrong, A becomes disturbed and is better off making decisions quickly. The A can become uptight because it usually has its feet firmly on the ground, so when it's upset (upside down) it must try to keep its balance on a point. Unless it decides quickly, it can lose its sense of balance. A is an article that stands for one, i.e., A house, A person.
The negative A is very self-centered, opinionated, and selfish, for it is 1 and thinks of itself as number one.
Since Aleph is “soft breathing” and represents the Element of Air, A is susceptible to colds and respiratory problems. Anyone whose name has A for the first letter or vowel should never smoke. And during the year any A in the name has an increased danger in smoking. It is important for A to learn how to breathe properly, letting lungs expand with each breath. Fresh air is most beneficial.
Aleph is both life and breath. Breath and life are all one. This oneness of life and breath is called ruach in Hebrew, and in Sanskrit it is prana, in Greek it is pneuma, and in Latin, spiritus. Breath, life, and spirit are one. And one is Aleph and Aleph is one.
Aleph stands for the hidden seed of the Godhead and is representative of the secret God power that manifests in man. This makes it clear why the First Commandment is “thou shalt have no other Gods before me.”
Yod (pronounced yode) is the 10th letter of the Hebrew alphabet and corresponds to the letters J, I, and Y, of which J is the 10th letter of the English alphabet.
Yod is the sixth of the 12 simple letters and its main influence is in work. Yod means “hand,” and the symbol itself has been described as “a finger pointing heavenward.”
With his hands, man is able to work and to fashion things. Yod refers to the hands of God originating all there is.
God, the 0, creates man and his world. Man comes from the center of the 0, and stands beside it in 10 as a creator in his own right, using the tools God has provided. With his hands, man fashions his own lesser creations through diligence in work.
All the Hebrew letters were made up of these Yods, for every letter was considered as a creative force. And just as the number 1 is in all numbers, Yod is a portion of the Creative Light Force of God that exists within all of God's creation.
When the Greeks borrowed the Yod, they changed the name to Iota and used it for the vowel I. In Hebrew, of course, there were no letters for vowels, so the Yod corresponds to the consonant forms of J and Y in English.
At one time the I, J, and Y were interchangeable, J being pronounced as a Y, as in Jesu (Yesu). Sometimes the word Yod was spelled “Jod.” In the 19th century the use of these letters was finally made distinct and Y became the diphthong ee-ah, except when it took the place of a vowel. I then became the ninth letter, J the 10th, and Y the 25th. Since J is the 10th letter of the English alphabet, it is the first letter on a new level of consciousness; 10 higher than 1. The number 10 means it has been here before and now has new paths to explore.
J's are usually religious, for J carries a cross that is also a crown. The number 10 is self (1) and God Power (0), so J's seek an ennobled or advanced position in life.
The shape of the letter is like a fishhook with the hook facing the left. Since we write from left to right, the left indicates the past and the right, the future. So the hook facing left tells us that the J has a good memory, and it acts as a cup to retain that memory and knowledge.
J's do not like to be told what to do for they are not natural followers; they are leaders. They have much ambition and creative ways to accomplish their goals.
J's seldom ask for advice, for the 10 insists that they have total self-reliance, drawing upon God Power within. This demonstrates why so many religious leaders had names that started with J: Jesus; John the Baptist; John the Apostle; Jacob, who became the father of the Jewish nation; James the apostle; Jeremiah, a major prophet of the Old Testament; and Joshua, Son of Nun, who took Moses' place.
Also, J starts such words as judgment, justice, and judges. If J is the only number 1 letter in the name, the person can lose confidence. This is because the J is on a rocker, not firmly in position. At times J's procrastinate. J's must be careful of accidents because the 1 is so daring and the rocker is a precarious balance.
The truly negative J is dishonest. But as a rule the J is witty and humorous, cautious and clever. It can be outstanding in its work.
Yod corresponds to the Tenth Commandment: “Thou shalt not covet … ” because Yod is the hand that works to create, it is representative of honest labor. We are all entitled to all we earn. To desire what someone else has worked for is a form of self-condemnation. The good we do is a positive force that returns our good to us, while evil, being the opposing or negative side, continually destroys itself.
The 19th letter of the English alphabet, S, relates to the Hebrew letter Schin, 
. Schin is the third Mother Letter of creation and represents the Element of Fire, for Sh is the sound of Fire, and Schin has two sounds: S and Sh. As the 21st letter of the Hebrew alphabet, it reflects the creative trinity (2 + 1 = 3) of which it is a part. The Elements of the Creative Trinity are Aleph (A) = Air, Mem (M) = Water, and Schin (S, Sh) = Fire.
Kabbalistically, Schin means tooth. This relates to Fire in that by chewing we make food ready for assimilation, just as Fire produces life-giving heat that is necessary to creation.
Schin represents the Christ principle: “I Am (My teachings are) the Way, the Truth, and the Life,” which is the basis of the Christian mysteries.
The shape of Schin suggests a choice of paths: to choose to attain Christconsciousness or to continue in the realm of the senses. By choosing the higher path, our love becomes the Fire of divine love, which expands our awareness. It is the Way, the Truth, and the Life; thus the Christ principle.
The Phoenician sign for Schin was almost identical to the original glyph, 
, looking more like our modern W. When the Greeks borrowed the sign, they stood it on end and eventually settled on their classic form, ∑. They called it Sigma and used it for their S consonant. This form was passed on to the Romans who rounded out the shape to the modern S.
As the 19th letter, 1 and 9, alpha and omega, S barely finishes one project when it's ready to start another, so S is a self-starter and achiever. S is very creative and sets its sights high, for it is 1 and 9 striving for the perfection of 10. This often makes S a symbol of success.
The 1 also makes S's enjoy working alone; they do their best without interference. They dislike taking orders for they know intuitively what must be done and are capable of doing it. They enjoy expressing their individuality and don't worry what others may think.
The 9 makes S very dramatic and emotional. People with these two qualities make good actors, for they can draw from their sensitivities to portray a character.
This letter consists of two C's: one open to the spiritual/mental plane and the other to the material/physical plane, so it not only “sees” both realms and is psychic, but can control both worlds as well. Its serpentine shape symbolically reveals the fact that it has the wisdom of the serpent.
Each C is like an open moon shining its light in its area. The upper half faces the future and is open to spiritual insight as well as talents, intuition, and ideas from the creative level. Being so receptive on the spiritual plane, it enjoys dwelling there in daydreams. Once it discovers the world in the mind it is intrigued by all it can learn.
The bottom half faces the past from the level of the material world, so it remembers back to a younger age than most. Actors whose names begin with S or have S's in their names find that their good memory helps them draw on past experiences.
S may change direction mid-stream in search for the right way to approach a problem. The reverse curve in the letter means sudden changes: changes of mind, of place, of direction. Because of this it is often difficult for an S to plan ahead.
S will, at some time, have to choose between the lower C of sensuality and the upper C of spirituality.
Negative S's think too much of themselves. They assert their independence sometimes to their own detriment. Some turn from the light to the baser path. Otherwise, S seeks wisdom as the serpent form represents.
