Margo's Magical Letter Page

Viking Runes
Celtic Tree Alphabet
Japanese Shinto Kototama
Hebrew Alphabet of the Kabbalah
Arabic Alphabet
Greek Alphabet
English Consonants

Letter Meanings According to Mystical Traditions

I am aware that similar systems exist also for Arabic, Chinese, Hindi and other languages. However, these are the only ones I could find authoritative sources for. If some reader knows of sources for similar systems in other languages, please let me know. Stefan Etzel in his dissertation has done a similar comparison of sounds for a number of languages. One very helpful overview of such correspondences is in David Allen Hulse.

Viking Runes
(see also 1, 2)

Name	Translation	Tree	English	Meaning
feoh	wealth	elder	f	is a comfort to all men; yet must every man bestow it freely if he wish to gain honor in the sight of the Lord
ur	ox	birch	u	is proud and has great horns; it is a very savage beast and fights with its horns; a great ranger of the moors, it is a creature of mettle
thorn	thorn	oak	th	is exceedingly sharp, an evil thing for any knight to touch, uncommonly severe on all who sit among them
os	mouth	ash	o	is the source of all language, a pillar of wisdom and a comfort to wise men, a blessing and a joy to every knight
rad	riding	oak	r	seems easy to every warrior while he is indoors and very courageous to him who traverses the highroad on the back of a stout horse
cen	torch	pine	k	is known to every living man by its pale, bright flame; it always burns where princes sit within
gyfu	generosity	elm	g	brings credit and honor, which support one's dignity; it furnishes help and subsistence to all broken men who are devoid of aught else
wenne	joy	ash	w	he enjoys who knows no suffering, sorrow nor anxiety, and has prosperity and happiness and a good enough house
hægl	hail	yew	h	is the whitest of grain; it is whirled from the vault of heaven and is tossed about by gusts of wind and then it melts into water
nyd	need	beech, rowand	n	is oppressive to the heart; yet often it proves a source of help and salvation to the children of men, to everyone who heeds it betimes
is	ice	elder	i	is very cold and immeasurably slippery; it glistens as clear as glass and most like to gems; it is a floor wrought by the frost, fair to look upon
ger	summer	oak	y	is a joy to men, when God, the holy King of Heaven, suffers the earth to bring forth shining fruits for rich and poor alike
eoh	yew tree	yew	æ	is a tree with rough bark, hard and fast in the earth, supported by its roots, a guardian of flame and a joy upon an estate
peorth	chessman	guelder rose	p	is a source of recreation and amusement to the great, where warriors sit blithely together in the banqueting hall
eohl-seeg	sedge	sedge	z	is mostly to be found in a marsh; it grows in the water and makes a ghastly wound, covering with blood every warrior who touches it.
sigel	sun		s	is ever a joy to seafarers when they journey away over the fishes' bath until the courser of the deep bears them to land
tir	pole star	oak	t	is a guiding star; well does it keep faith with princes; it is ever on its course over the mists of the night and never fails
beorc	birch	burch	b	bears no fruit; yet without seed, it brings forth suckers, for it is generated from its leaves. Splendid are its branches and gloriously adorned its lofty crown which reaches to the skies
eh	horse	oak, ash	e	is a joy to princes in the presence warriors, a steed in the pride of its hooves, when rich men on horseback bandy words about it; and it is ever a source of comfort to the restless.
man	human	alder, maple	m	the joyous man is dear to his kinsmen; yet every man is doomed to fail his fellow, since the Lord by his decree will commit the vile carrion to the earth
lagu	ocean	willow	l	seems interminable to men, if they venture on the rolling bark and the waves of the sea terrify them and the courser of the deep heed not its bridle
ing	ing	apple	ng	was first seen among the East Danes, till, followed by his car, he departed eastwards over the waves. So the Heardingas named the hero
ethel	estate	hawthorn	oe	is very dear to every man, if he can enjoy there in his house whatever is right and proper in constant prosperity
dagaz	day	spruce	d	the glorious light of the Creator, is sent by the Lord; it is beloved of men, a source of hope and happiness to rich and poor, and of service to all
ac	oak	oak	a	fattens the flesh for the children of men. Often it traverses the gannet's bath, and the ocean proves whether the oak keeps faith in honorable fashion
æsc	ash	ash	æ	is exceedingly high and precious to men. With its sturdy trunk, it offers a stubborn resistance, though attacked by many a man
yr	bow	yew	ü	is a source of joy and honor to every prince and knight; it looks well on a horse and is reliable equipment for a journey
iar	sea animal	yew, hemlock	io	is a river fish and yet it always feeds on land; it has a fair abode encompassed by water, where it lives in happiness.
ear	grave	linden	ea	is horrible to every knight, when the corpse quickly begins to cool and is laid in the bosom of the dark earth. Prosperity declines, happiness passes away and covenants are broken

Celtic Tree Alphabet
(See Nigel Pennick, "Magical Alphabets" and Robert Graves "White Goddess")
Ogham

Examples of Ogham
from Nigel Pennick "Magical Alphabets"

Name	Tree	English	Meaning
beth	birch	b	5, pheasant, death - clearing away of bad things toward a new beginning, Dec 24-Jan 20
luis	rowan	l	14, strengthening of powers of perception and prediction, protection from psychic attack, duck (water goddess), Jan21-Feb17
fearn	alder	f	8, red man (prankster who helps escape to the Otherworld), shaft or axle, foundation of houses, crimson, fire, bridge between the lower world and the upper, Mar 18-Apr 14, seagull
saille	willow	s	16, lunar power rooting in water, fat, Apr-15-May 12, hawk, protection from diseases of dampness, flexibility, amenity to the conditions
nion	ash	n	13, Feb18-mar 17, rebirth, passage between inner world and outer, transparent, snip
uath	hawthorn	h	sexuality, May13-Jun 9, terrible, hag, night crow, purple
duir	oak	d	12, Jun 10-Jul 7, door, wren, Oak King burned alive midsummer, enable to see the invisible and become invisible, strength
tinne	holly	t	11, fire, strength, boldness, fire fatherhood, rebirth of souls, unification, starling, dark grey
coll	hazel	k	9, Aug 5-Sep 1, finding out things, magic shield/protection, binding knots, invisibility, nut brown, crane
quert	crab apple	qu	rebirth and eternal life, apple green, hen
muin	grape vine	m	6, thorny thicket, chieftain, Sep 2-29, titmouse, variegated color, ability to range over a wide area and find what is needed
gort	ivy	g	10, tilled field, second harvest, Sep 30-Oct 27, scarcity, blue, mute swan, changes necessary for growth - need to be related to earth
ngetal	reed	ng	1, rod of measure, preserver of knowledge and memory, enclosing space, Oct 28-Nov 24, goose, writing, clear yellowish-green
straif	blackthorn	st	punishment, strife, wizard's staff, strength to defeat adversity and ward off evil powers, throwing off resistance to one's will, thrush, purple-black
ruis	elder	r	violent attack, blow or throw, broomstick, Threefold Goddess (Fates, Norns, Weird Sisters), red, rook
ailm	elm	a	ability to rise above create a transcendent viewpoint, regeneration, blue, lapwing
onn	gorse	o	stain or blemish, continuous fertility, open country, retention of strength through adversity, gathering small things together, saffron, dun or sand color, sea-bird, cormorant
ur	heather	u	fresh, new, moist, the queen of every hive, luck, entrance to inner worlds, purple (light green), skylark
eadha	aspen, white poplar	e	the shield to every head, hardiness, the essence underlying forms, the spirit that animates flesh, silvery white, whistling swan
idho	yew	i	the tomb to every hope, double-ended stave of death and life, beginning and end; eternal life, wine, bow, dark greeish-brown (blood-red), eaglet

Japanese Shinto Kototama

Name	Translation
u	sincerity and self-reflection
a	mercy and compassion
o	beauty and self-organization
e	judgement and courage
i	wisdom and self-control

Torii Entrance Gate between Spirit and Matter

Objective Consciousness									Subjective Consciousness
wi	ni	yi	ri	mi	ki	si	ti	hi	i
we									e
wu									u
wo									o
wa									a

Hebrew Alphabet of the Kabbalah

(see also The Meru Foundation)

Name	Translation	English	Tarot	Meaning
aleph	ox	'	The Fool	father, mobile wealth, man as a collective unity, lord and master of the earth, unity,
beth	house	b	The Magician	mother, man's mouth, his interior, virility, protection, interior action and movement
gimel	camel	g	The High Priestess	nature, the throat, everything that is hollow and profound, an opening, outlet, canal, organic covering
daleth	door	d	The Empress	authority, the origin of physical existence, division
he	window	h	The Emperor	religion, that which vitalizes, air, life and being, universal life, breath and spirit
vaw	hook	w	The Hierophant	liberty, the eye of man, light, the wind, sound, water, taste and appetite, the knot which unites, the point which separates being and non-being
zain	sword	z	The Lovers	ownership, piercing noises, whichpenetrate the air and reflect themselves in it, a dash or arrow, tends to a given point, connection
cheth	fence	x	The Chariot	distribution, fear, vital aspiration, elementary existence, the field of man, his cares, equilibrium and equality
teth	serpent	t	Strength	prudence, asylum, refuge, resistance, a hiding wall erected to guard something precious
vod	hand	y	The Hermit	order, manifest power, duration and eternity
caph	palm	k	The Wheel of Fortune	force, every subject that is hollow, the half closed hand of man, reflections and assimilation, a mold which receives and communicates all forms indifferently, analogy
lamed	ox-goad	l	Justice	sacrifice, the arm or wing, movement of extension, direction, learn
mem	water	m	The Hanged Man	death, mother, that which is fruitful and plastic, develops a being as much as its nature permits, unites through abstraction one or two of the same species, something taken out from a number of similar things
nun	fish	n	Death	reversibility, every being that is individualized and distinctive, recoils on itself and spreads out
samech	support	s	Temperence	universality, to hiss, string of a bow, circular movement having a definite relation to the circumference of the sphere
ayin	eye	e	Devil	balance, hearing, what is devoid of harmony, the materials sense, the image of nothingness
pei	mouth	p	The Tower	immortality, symbol of expression, man makes himself known to the world, the second race of man, visible means for the spirit's manifestation
tzaddi	fish hook	tz	The Star	shadow, reflection, just, accomplished ends, protection and guidance from above
qoph	back of the head	q	Moon	light, nature's submerged stratum, subliminal consciousness, the evolutionary stage which is behind us
reisch	head	r	The Sun	recognition, individual movement, determination, progress, independence, self-initiated endeavor, direction
shein	tooth	sh	Judgement	sacred fire, movement, sign of relative duration
taw	cross	t	World	synthesis, sympathy and perfection, universal soul

The first letter of the 119th psalm is also the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet; the second verse begins with the second letter; the third with the third and so forth. The 119th psalm goes through the alphabet 8 times before it reaches its conclusion (22x8 = 176 verses).

Arabic Alphabet
(from The Book of Sufi Healing)

Name	Number	English	Meaning
alif	1	a	al-Bari: the Creator
ba	2	b	al-'aql: the Intellect
jim	3	j	an-nafs: Soul
dal	4	d	at-tabi'ah: Nature
ha	5	h	al-Bari' bil-idafah: Creator in relation to what is below Him
waw	6	w	al-'Aql bil-idafah: Intellect in relation to what is below it
za	7	z	an-nafs bil-idafah: Soul in relation to what is below it
Ha	8	h	at-tabi'ah bil-idafah: Nature in relation to what is below it
Ta	9	t	al-hayula: Material world, having no relation to anything below it
ya	10	y	al-ibda: Plan of the Creator
kaf	20	k	at-takwin: Structure transmitted to the created realm
lam	30	l	al-amr: The Divine Commandment
mim	40	m	al-khalq: The Created Universe
nun	50	n	al-wujud: the two-fold aspect of being
sin	60	s	The doubled relation between khalq and takwin
'ayn	70	'	al-tarTib: the chain of commands being impressed upon the universe
Sad	90	s	The tripled relation between amr, khalq and takwin
qaf	100	q	ijtimal al-jumlah fil-ibda: The assembly of all things in the Plan of the Creator
ra	200	r	at-tawhid: Unity, the return of all things to the One, which is their principle and reason for existence

Greek Alphabet
(freely adapted from Nigel Pennick, Magical Alphabets)

Name	Translation	English	Meaning
alpha	bull, cow	a	mobile wealth, the foundation of society
beta	devil	b	demonic challenger to God, the 'Other One', the second
gamma	godliness	g	the triple goddess, creation-continuance-destruction, birth-life-death
delta	4 elements	d	fire, air, water earth completion on the material level human artefacts
epsilon	ether	e	the spiritual element contained in the material, quintessence, breath of life
zeta	offering	z	sacrifice, archangel Michael
eta	balance	e	quality of being at peace with the world, the energy of joy, love, music of the spheres, tendency toward perfection and regeneration
theta	firmament	th	crystal sphere holding the fixed stars, Helios
iota	fate	i	microcosm, the wind, insignificance
kappa	bad luck	k	old age, death, Kronos, the inevitable
lambda	organic growth	l	Golden Section, ascent to a higher level, numerical processes
mu	tree	m	cosmic axis link between the worlds, stability, enclosure, protection
nu	Hecate	n	the hag, nighttime and the underworld, unpleasant necessity
xei	fixed stars	ks	influence of the stars
omicron	sun	o	Helios, Apollo, the circle, light, Christ, the light-bearer
pi	spiritual illumination	p	Mithras, the sun
rho	creative female power	r	fruitfulness, vegetative growth, adaptability, fluiduty
sigma	psychopomp	s	Lord of the Dead, Hermes
tau	cross	t	cross, lunar aspect of the human being, ankh
ypsilon	water	i	flowing, force, though difficult to define
phi	phallus	f	male generative principle, Pan
chi	cosmos	ch	godhead, also private property, possession, gift
psi	midday	ps	light embodied in Zeus, daylight
omega	abundance	o	riches, successful conclusion, seventh heaven, faith, divine plan

Archeometre, Zodiac de la Parole
Shows correspondences between
letters, colors, numbers, signs of the Zodiac
planets and musical notes

Saint Yves d'Alveydre's Archeometre
shows the original Atlantean alphabet
"translates into the material
the word, form, color, smell, sound and taste,
the key to all religions and the sciences of antiquity"

Koons' Diagram of the Spheres
"The Star of Light and Beauty
beneath the Throne of God
It signifies the vast celestial realms
of unknown and perhaps illimitable extent
filled with the subtler fluid, the impenetrable,
the inconceivable, the source, fountain and centre
of all light heat, life, force, gravitation and attraction...
the sun of being, the profound mystery

For biographical details concerning D'Alveydre and Koons, read
Theo Paijmans, Free Energy Pioneer: John Worrell Keely

Gébelin's Alphabet hiéroglyphique
The shared primeval alphabet of 16 letters

Magic Pantacle Used by John Dee
from Nigel Pennick "Magical Alphabets"

Ramón Llull, Magical Squares and the Talismanic Art
from Nigel Pennick "Magical Alphabets"

I have attempted a similar description of the English Consonants based on my own investigations into sound-meanings.
See also examples of Archetypes in the English Consonants.

Margo's Magical Letter Page