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A Study of Numbers: A Guide to the Constant Creation of the Universe
We lack direct consciousness of Space and Time. We can know of them only indirectly by mass, force, and energy, and by the intermediary of phenomena such as may be tested by our five senses. Without direct awareness of Space or Time, human beings lack two “senses” necessary for the knowledge of all causes. From this imperfection, of which we are always being made aware, is born our need to simplify. Thus we reduce everything to fundamental properties, without paying any attention to the underlying universal organization, the effects of which are all around us.
The result is that the science of numbers, the most wonderful guide to the constant creation of the universe, remains an enormous hypothesis so long as its use has not awakened in us the higher consciousness of a universal order. By deepened knowledge of things and their process of becoming, we must come to recognize Numbers as a truth, and to experience with our senses the living relation of a cause to an effect, this relation being truer and more real than the effect could ever be.
Published in 1917 under the author's given name of René Schwaller, A Study of Numbers is the first expression of the teachings we have come to associate with his later and better known name, R.A. Schwaller de Lubicz. It is a masterly account of the living, universal, qualitative, and casual reality of numbers.
Starting from the irreducible one, Schwaller deals with the unfolding of creation through the cycles of polarization, ideation, and formation. Topics covered numbers, values, and relations; the disengagement of numbers; the harmonic basis of numbers; the development of values; and the establishment of harmony.
The result is that the science of numbers, the most wonderful guide to the constant creation of the universe, remains an enormous hypothesis so long as its use has not awakened in us the higher consciousness of a universal order. By deepened knowledge of things and their process of becoming, we must come to recognize Numbers as a truth, and to experience with our senses the living relation of a cause to an effect, this relation being truer and more real than the effect could ever be.
Published in 1917 under the author's given name of René Schwaller, A Study of Numbers is the first expression of the teachings we have come to associate with his later and better known name, R.A. Schwaller de Lubicz. It is a masterly account of the living, universal, qualitative, and casual reality of numbers.
Starting from the irreducible one, Schwaller deals with the unfolding of creation through the cycles of polarization, ideation, and formation. Topics covered numbers, values, and relations; the disengagement of numbers; the harmonic basis of numbers; the development of values; and the establishment of harmony.
80 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1917
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About the author
R.A. Schwaller de Lubicz
32 books110 followersKnown to English readers primarily for his work in uncovering the spiritual and cosmological insights of ancient Egypt. In books like Esotericism and Symbol, The Temple in Man, Symbol and the Symbolic, The Egyptian Miracle, and the monumental The Temple of Man--whose long awaited English translation has finally appeared--Schwaller de Lubicz argued, among other things, that Egyptian civilization is much older than orthodox Egyptologists suggest, a claim receiving renewed interest through the recent work of Graham Hancock and Robert Bauval.
If his view of Egyptian antiquity wasn't enough to place him securely beyond the pale, he also argued that the core of ancient Egyptian culture was a fundamental insight into "the laws of creation." Everything about Egyptian civilization, from the construction of the pyramids to the shape of a beer mug, de Lubicz claimed to be motivated by a central metaphysical vision about the nature of cosmic harmony and an awareness of humanity's place in the evolution of consciousness. As his translator Deborah Lawlor remarks (introduction to Nature Word 47), Schwaller de Lubicz's Egyptian studies are only a part of his overall work as a metaphysician and philosopher.
Born in Alsace-Lorraine, then part of Germany, René Schwaller grew up in a polyglot atmosphere. (He was later given the title "de Lubicz" by the Lithuanian poet and diplomat O. V. de Lubicz Milosz, for his efforts on behalf of Lithuania in the aftermath of World War I.) Alsace-Lorraine has oscillated between French and German rule many times since Schwaller's birth, and this Franco-Germanic blend lends a curious characteristic to his work. As Christopher Bamford (introduction to Schwaller’s Study of Numbers 1) suggests, Schwaller thought in German, but wrote in French. Added to the inherent difficulties of expressing nonlinear, "living" insights in "dead" linear language, this odd combination places many obstacles before a first-time reader. As he wrote apropos the insights into "functional consciousness," presented in his truly hermetic work, Nature Word (129): "Nature had shown me a great mountain, crowned with a peak of immaculate whiteness, but she was unable to teach me the way leading to it."
Readers wishing to grasp Schwaller's insights may feel that they, too, have found themselves at the foot of a very steep mountain. This challenging prospect would not have fazed Schwaller. He believed knowledge was the right only of those willing to make the effort to achieve it, the elite who would endure suffering in their pursuit of wisdom. This sensibility influenced his political views as well.
(extracted from "Rene Schwaller de Lubicz and the Intelligence of the Heart", by Gary Lachman: http://www.unitedearth.com.au/lubicz....)
If his view of Egyptian antiquity wasn't enough to place him securely beyond the pale, he also argued that the core of ancient Egyptian culture was a fundamental insight into "the laws of creation." Everything about Egyptian civilization, from the construction of the pyramids to the shape of a beer mug, de Lubicz claimed to be motivated by a central metaphysical vision about the nature of cosmic harmony and an awareness of humanity's place in the evolution of consciousness. As his translator Deborah Lawlor remarks (introduction to Nature Word 47), Schwaller de Lubicz's Egyptian studies are only a part of his overall work as a metaphysician and philosopher.
Born in Alsace-Lorraine, then part of Germany, René Schwaller grew up in a polyglot atmosphere. (He was later given the title "de Lubicz" by the Lithuanian poet and diplomat O. V. de Lubicz Milosz, for his efforts on behalf of Lithuania in the aftermath of World War I.) Alsace-Lorraine has oscillated between French and German rule many times since Schwaller's birth, and this Franco-Germanic blend lends a curious characteristic to his work. As Christopher Bamford (introduction to Schwaller’s Study of Numbers 1) suggests, Schwaller thought in German, but wrote in French. Added to the inherent difficulties of expressing nonlinear, "living" insights in "dead" linear language, this odd combination places many obstacles before a first-time reader. As he wrote apropos the insights into "functional consciousness," presented in his truly hermetic work, Nature Word (129): "Nature had shown me a great mountain, crowned with a peak of immaculate whiteness, but she was unable to teach me the way leading to it."
Readers wishing to grasp Schwaller's insights may feel that they, too, have found themselves at the foot of a very steep mountain. This challenging prospect would not have fazed Schwaller. He believed knowledge was the right only of those willing to make the effort to achieve it, the elite who would endure suffering in their pursuit of wisdom. This sensibility influenced his political views as well.
(extracted from "Rene Schwaller de Lubicz and the Intelligence of the Heart", by Gary Lachman: http://www.unitedearth.com.au/lubicz....)
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 3, 2024
An enlightening read and good go-to for anyone wanting to read a "serious" book on sacred numerology
December 11, 2013
Honestly, i'll have to come back to this book again. It's so short but so condensed with information in just a few words. I often have to reread the same thing 3x- and then take a nap after a page to let it absorb. I love the general direction of the book and like how it tries to philosophize the study of numbers not just as a woo-woo spiritual thing, but as a real way of examining the world. I loved the forward in the book- how it touches on "science" as a common day myth- how it states that this knowledge actually existed intuitively for man way before the written scientific method became the status quo, so i'm sure the book and I are on the same page- But again, will have to revisit in the future to really "Get" what was going on here.
June 19, 2022
This is a brief look into the science of numbers, an introductory course. It sufficed in illuminating me with a basic knowledge of numerology and how numbers play into my existence. I’ll definitely pursue a course of study that will take me deeper.
September 6, 2019
o oooh, keep concentrated !!!
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August 20, 2023Ok….
December 25, 2024
A brilliant book by a brilliant author – insightful and thought-provoking!
May 31, 2008
a fascinating and fun read about the possible meaning of numbers, based on ancient egyptian ideology. for me, each page is like a clever riddle. i have read and reread some parts of it to discover new implications each time. schwaller de lubicz is one of my favorite eccentric reads. he's often quoted by scholars while being disowned. a strange fellow and strange reading--which means, some of my favorite stuff.
July 30, 2008
The author is a great master in this subject. The book was ok. It was short. I think other books are better honestly. It's a good way to get a sample of the author's works. The Temple of Man is his magnum opus (IMO), but nearly impossible to digest. I have a that too, but it's very expensive. I recall paying $175 or more for the set.
May 4, 2015
This book has had a strong influence on my life. I have read it several times and I am in the process of re-reading it. I find that it effects me in a different way every time. Even though it's short, it can't really be read in one sitting unless you're already familiar with the concepts. It will change the way you look at numbers.
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September 19, 2018I still don't understand this book after several attempts at reading it.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews