Ok!
I have a question about drawing the Seals and I hope someone out there can help me out.
I'd rather not do trial and error stuff because the errors can be pretty nasty...
Does the writing have to be in Hebrew? For example, in the Lesser Key of Solomon, the Magical Circle requires the Divine Names to be written out in the serpent. On the Figure, they are written in Hebrew, which is not a problem for me to copy/write out however my issue is more about understanding what I'm writing than actually writing it.
I am not fluent in Hebrew. At all. So writing it out, I have no understanding of the words and syntax that I'm penning.
The copy of the Lesser Key includes the translation in Latin lettering (i.e. readable in Modern English). If I write the script out in the translated letters, does the Circle still function? I understand that Hebrew is written and read from Right to Left, so if the translation does work, do I have to write it in Latin lettering from R to L as well?
I'm interested in writing the translation because the room for error is minimal in the words themselves. I know the alphabet, and I can't really screw it up, but with Hebrew, I'm just copying out the squiggles and lines without understanding....
That's pretty much it.
Tl;dr: I want to write the Divine Names in "English" rather than Hebrew because I don't want to screw the Names up. Can I do this, or will I put myself in danger?
Drawing the Seals of Solomon
Re: Drawing the Seals of Solomon
I ended up answering my own question!
I managed to find a useable Hebrew glossary of letters that correspond perfectly to the "Latin-ized" translation of the words and their Hebrew sounds, so rather than worry about writing the words out in non-Hebrew, I've begun painstakingly rewriting line by line of the text to be readable for when I draw the seals and circles.
Apparently Hebrew is considered a sacred script, so it would be best to not substitute it for Latin-based script.
I managed to find a useable Hebrew glossary of letters that correspond perfectly to the "Latin-ized" translation of the words and their Hebrew sounds, so rather than worry about writing the words out in non-Hebrew, I've begun painstakingly rewriting line by line of the text to be readable for when I draw the seals and circles.
Apparently Hebrew is considered a sacred script, so it would be best to not substitute it for Latin-based script.
Re: Drawing the Seals of Solomon
Hello BlackElk,
I don't think that you HAVE to use Hebrew. You can use the Latin letters. But, if you feel that there is something more sacred about Hebrew then you can do your best. So far as misspelling, I would point out to you, as someone who knows Hebrew (although rusty) that even in the Biblical texts there are sometimes variations in the spelling of names. One example I remember is that of 'David,' spelled 'daled - vuv -daled' but sometimes a yud is added. This notion of standardization is more modern. Further, these letters that are thought of as Hebrew actually are not: they're Aramaic. The writing system used before Ezra the Scribe at the end of the Babylonian Exile is called 'Ktav Ivri' and is like the Phoenician letters (which are used by the OTA).
The power of the connection is what really matters. However, if you have this particularly strong feeling about Hebrew then it may be worthwhile to put in the time and effort to learn at lest the basics of the language. The text that I learned from (before I went to Israel) is this one:
http://www.amazon.com/Ha-yesod-Fundamen ... 0873062140
I don't think that you HAVE to use Hebrew. You can use the Latin letters. But, if you feel that there is something more sacred about Hebrew then you can do your best. So far as misspelling, I would point out to you, as someone who knows Hebrew (although rusty) that even in the Biblical texts there are sometimes variations in the spelling of names. One example I remember is that of 'David,' spelled 'daled - vuv -daled' but sometimes a yud is added. This notion of standardization is more modern. Further, these letters that are thought of as Hebrew actually are not: they're Aramaic. The writing system used before Ezra the Scribe at the end of the Babylonian Exile is called 'Ktav Ivri' and is like the Phoenician letters (which are used by the OTA).
The power of the connection is what really matters. However, if you have this particularly strong feeling about Hebrew then it may be worthwhile to put in the time and effort to learn at lest the basics of the language. The text that I learned from (before I went to Israel) is this one:
http://www.amazon.com/Ha-yesod-Fundamen ... 0873062140
Re: Drawing the Seals of Solomon
I would roll with this one. Connection is what counts. If hebrew is what gives your connection strength, then use it.The power of the connection is what really matters.
As far as I go for ritual language, my saying is: "The gods don´t give a fuck which skin colour you have, what language you speak or from which country you are!".
The connection and devotion matter, nothing else.
Just my 2 cents
Ramscha
bye bye