numbers
The extract is taken from the manuscript of Béla Hamvas' Tabula Smaragdina (III. Fate and Numerology), which was read by, for instance, Miklós Erdély, Péter Legéndy and Gábor Bódy. I do not claim that the piece made the same effect on all of them. I only intend to point out that they knew it.
III. Fate and Numerology
Those who start from European philosophy will never understand archaic thinking, since they do not and cannot have the capacity. The sole purpose of European philosophy being to answer each substantial dilemma from an epistemological perspective finally culminated in its desire to become an independent science. Since, however, science still had a more active relationship with reality, philosophy became a particular type of pre- and post-science: authoritative as well as ephemeral.
Archaic thinking, without exception is initiation, such as the Hindu Sankhya, the Chinese Yi king, the Hebrew Kabbala, the Greek Orphism, the Chaldean astrology and an alchemy of uncertain (probably Egyptian) origin. The claim that archaic thinking is an initiation has the following meaning: it is a theoretical practice as well as a practical theory that provides human beings with a schedule of life practiced through a spiritual initiation into the principles of existence. The last archaic initiation is that of Platon, which was a vague version of Orphism later to be called idealism that begot so many chimeras. It would not be without any benefit to once study the European philosophies from the perspective of: to what extent they involve any hidden intentions for a subconscious initiation. Most likely if one should evaluate Bacon, Spinoza, Hume, Kant, Hegel or Spencer according to the principles of the life-schedule they offer on the basis of initiation it would be shameful to see the abyss of senselessness and above all the endless flatness.
The basis of any archaic initiation is numerology, which applies for the European philosophies even if they are unaware of it. By numerology one means not only the interpretation of numbers but also every consequence of such interpretation. Europe took two types of archaic numerology into consideration. One is the Orphic ten, which became the basis of its numeric system and the other is the Chaldean twelve that is used for the measurement of time. Tradition also knew the Chinese (64), Sankhaya (25) and Kabbala (22) numerologies.
The meaning of a number is fundamental to any interpretation concerning existence.
The numeric concept determines the structure and image of the world where I live and thus the condition, meaning, weight and value of life that I live. The materialization of the numeric concept resulted in its flat, rational, abstract and impersonal characteristics that it became.
However, there is a process by which one can reach perfection and it is the same process that one can make things perfect with. The science of alchemy teaches a transformation of features and elements in a way that it says: the surrounding present world is not the original nature but its destroyed remnant. This decay must be corrected and restored to the original condition of nature. In the language of analogy they called this the process of making gold.
Tabula Smaragdina is nothing but the recipe of how to restore the original and real condition of the world (man, feature, thing, element, metal etc.). This formula exists and in fact it can be uttered in one single sentence or by a formula, perhaps: in the language of analogy alchemy names it the Stone of Wisdom. Stone because it is the fundamental element of any other thinking or formula."