The Sacred Number Forty-nine

By Patrick Mulcahy

The number forty-nine is greatly emphasized by Master Djwal Khul in the writings of Alice Bailey. It
recurs again and again in her theosophical writings, as does the number seven—the square root of
49. It is clear that Master DK considered these two numbers of very special occult significance.

My own awareness of the significance of the number 49 came via my discovery of the Jacob’s Wheel
mandala and the mysterious esoteric system associated with it. The Jacob’s Wheel mandala consists
of a complex geometric arrangement of the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet.

The main body of the Jacob’s Wheel mandala is composed of three concentric rings (or spiral arcs)
with seven heptagrams positioned on each arc. Each of the twenty-one heptagrams contains a
unique array of twenty-one Hebrew letters. This overall pattern derives a spiral cyclic pathway that
consists of 441 (i.e. 21 x 21) individual steps (or phases). The number 441 can also be expressed as: 9
x 49 = 441. The seven heptagrams on each arc of the Jacob’s Wheel mandala produce forty-nine ‘star
points’, or ‘radiating spokes’ giving an overall total of 147 (i.e. 3 x 49) ‘rays’.
It is thought that the twenty-two Hebrew letters, as they are positioned within the construct of the
Jacob’s Wheel mandala, spell out the names of a hierarchy of angels known traditionally as the
Ofanim. The word ‘ofan’ is Hebrew for ‘wheel’ and thus the Ofanim angels are said to be associated
with the ‘wheels of God’s chariot’.1 These ‘wheel’ angels seem to rule over the various cycles of
circulating energy that move through the Earth’s energy field. We are all, of course, energetically
attached to these cycles because our own physical and subtle bodies are immersed within, and
interwoven with, the field of divine Intelligence that surrounds the Earth sphere. In other words, our
own personal consciousness is part of the global energy-field that embodies the consciousness of
the Earth Logos.

Like the Jacob’s Wheel system, the Enochian magical system (i.e. as clairvoyantly received by Dr John
Dee in the 16th Century) is also constructed on the basis of the numbers seven and forty-nine. The
transmissions (purportedly communicated by angels) include 95 tables that each contain forty-nine
letters in a series of 7 x 7 grids. Forty-nine ‘calls’ (i.e. prayers, or invocations) were also received by
Dee from the angelic messengers, as well as seven tables of forty-nine letters each that derived the
names of forty-nine ‘angels of Light’. John Dee subsequently arranged these angelic names in a
circular format as per the diagram.

1
That is, as described in Ezekiel, Chap. 1 (etc).
It is not known why the angels transmitted the Enochian system of magic to John Dee, but the
system is thought to provide a means of communication between human-beings and the hierarchy
of divine intelligences who oversee the evolution of humanity. The fact that the structure of the
Enochian system is based on the numbers seven and forty-nine further reinforces the idea that these
two numbers are of prime importance to the processes of creation and manifestation in our
universe.

The clairvoyant investigations of C. W. Leadbeater in the early 20th Century suggest that the primal
fabric of the universe is built according to a pattern based on multiples of the number 49. He
described fundamental particles that are composed of groups of bubbles in the absolute aether of
space (i.e. which latter he termed ‘koilon’). He described seven interpenetrating planes of existence
that are each composed of atoms whose number of bubbles are functions of the base number forty-
nine. What he termed the ‘Anu’ (or primordial ‘atom’) is the fundamental unit. Each physical plane
atom is composed of (or linked to) forty-nine astral plane atoms. Each astral plane atom is linked to
forty-nine mental plane atoms, etc, until the ultimate unit of manifestation is reached. Leadbeater
described the shape of the Anu as per the diagram.

Thus, according to Leadbeater each physical plane atom is attached to forty-nine astral atoms, 49²
mental atoms, 49³ buddhic atoms, etc. Each of the seven ‘atomic levels’ forms the basis of one of the
seven planes of our universe.

Let’s return now to the teachings of Master Djwal Khul.

Here are a few significant quotes (from Alice Bailey) that emphasize the importance of the number
forty-nine.
“The wheel of life turns within the wheel of outer form. The matter of Fohat circulateth, and its fire
hardeneth all the forms. The wheel that is not glimpsed moveth in rapid revolution within the slower
outer case, till it weareth out the form. The forty-nine fires burn at the inner center. The thirty-five
circulating fiery vortices extend along the circle of the periphery. Between the two passeth in
ordered sequence the various colored flames.”2
‡‡‡
“The solar Logos forms one center in the body of a still greater cosmic ENTITY. Human beings
therefore, find their place within one of the forty-nine centers (not groups, for a center may be
made up of many groups, corresponding to the different parts) of the seven Heavenly Men.”3
‡‡‡
“The material through which the life proposes to manifest. This material, as we know, is found
within the ring-pass-not in seven grades, and in forty-nine sub-grades.”4
‡‡‡
“These records are mostly used by the Lord of the World and His pupils to ascertain information in
connection with the planetary centers. They are arranged in such a way that the entire record of any
group, however vast and extensive, is embodied in seven sheets of symbols, each containing forty-
nine symbols. These sheets are changed and corrected once every seven years, and are precipitated
on astral matter by an effort of will by the Chohan responsible for the particular group involved.”5
‡‡‡
“The logoic etheric centers become active. The etheric body of the solar system is now complete,
though it will not be perfected till the end of another manvantara. The greater body of vitality is
ready to energize the dense physical vehicle. The seven centers with their forty-nine major petals
are vibrant, and consciousness thrills through every atom in the system.”6
‡‡‡
“A cosmic wheel, or a group of seven constellations… These cosmic wheels, according to the esoteric
books, are divided into forty-nine groups, each comprising millions of septenary constellations. For
purposes of study by the Adepts, they are each known by a symbol, and these forty-nine symbols
embody all that can be apprehended anent the size, magnitude, quality, vibratory activity, and
objective of those great forms through which an Existence is experiencing. The Chohans of high
degree know the forty-nine sounds which give the quality of the consciousness aspect of these great
Beings Who are as far removed from the consciousness of our solar Logos as the consciousness of
man is removed from that of a crystal.”7
‡‡‡

2
A Treatise on Cosmic Fire. Alice Bailey. Pg. 31. From: Stanza XI of The Stanzas of Dzyan.
3
Ibid. Pp. 272-273.
4
Ibid. Pg. 447.
5
Ibid Pp. 856-857.
6
Ibid. Pg. 927.
7
Ibid. Pp. 1085-1086.
There are many more fascinating passages in the Alice Bailey books that refer to the number forty-
nine, and it has been difficult for me to choose which ones to quote here, but judging from all the
above, it appears that the vibrational structure of our universe is based on the numbers seven and
forty-nine (and multiples thereof).

Speaking of vibrations, the Western musical scale, like the occult substrata of our universe, is based
on the number seven. It consists of a series of octaves, progressively rising in frequency, each
containing seven notes.

Considering all that has been detailed above, ideally, if we wish our musical system to fully reflect
the esoteric structure of the universe, then the frequency values of the notes of our musical scale
should be based on the numbers seven and forty-nine.

Interestingly, this is almost true of the seven notes of the equal tempered major scale (i.e. that
correspond to the white keys of a piano keyboard). Amazingly, the frequency values (i.e. ‘pitch’) of
these notes only require a small tweak to bring them into line with the fundamental metaphysics of
our universe.

A minor adjustment sees the notes of the major scale fall precisely into a pattern that is based on
multiples of 49 Hz8. But even though the adjustments are relatively small, the physical and
psychological effects of these 49 Hz-based vibrations are potentially very significant.

Experiments are currently being undertaken to determine the effects of these esoteric frequencies
on human consciousness. It is thought that through the process of ‘entrainment’ or sympathetic
‘resonance’ (i.e. during meditation) certain frequencies of the esoteric scale might assist in the
elevation of human consciousness, and/or the tuning of the human psycho-physical organism to
other planes of awareness. This possibility is suggested by the esoteric theory that the structure of
our universe, at a very fundamental level, is based on the numbers seven and forty-nine.

If you would like to explore the effects of the esoteric scale of note frequencies then you might like
to download my new free e-book entitled Esoteric Harmonics. It’s available for download at the
following location…

Esoteric Harmonics
http://members.optusnet.com.au/~astroqab/sound_book.htm

8
That is, 49 cycles per second.
The Esoteric Harmonics e-book includes sound files that are precise pure (sine wave) frequencies of
the notes of the esoteric scale, and an esoteric sound resource DVD is also available for purchase if
desired.

Further information on the Jacob’s Wheel system can be accessed here…

An Introduction to Jacob’s Wheel

http://members.optusnet.com.au/~astroqab/jw_basic_intro.htm

Some Quotes Concerning the Number 49

Theosophy – C. W. Leadbeater

“When the Solar Deity begins to make His system, He finds ready to His hand this material—this
infinite mass of tiny bubbles which can be built up into various kinds of matter as we know it. He
commences by defining the limit of His field of activity, a vast sphere whose circumference is far
larger than the orbit of the outermost of His future planets. Within the limit of that sphere He sets
up a kind of gigantic vortex—a motion which sweeps together all the bubbles into a vast central
mass, the material of the nebula that is to be.

“Into this vast revolving sphere He sends forth successive impulses of force, gathering together the
bubbles into ever more and more complex aggregations, and producing in this way seven gigantic
interpenetrating worlds of matter of different degrees of density, all concentric and all occupying the
same space.

“Acting through His Third Aspect He sends forth into this stupendous sphere the first of these
impulses. It sets up all through the sphere a vast number of tiny vortices, each of which draws into
itself forty-nine bubbles, and arranges them in a certain shape. These little groupings of bubbles so
formed are the atoms of the second of the interpenetrating worlds. The whole number of the
bubbles is not used in this way, sufficient being left in the dissociated state to act as atoms for the
first and highest of these worlds. In due time comes the second impulse, which seizes upon nearly all
these forty-nine bubble-atoms (leaving only enough to provide atoms for the second world), draws
them back into itself and then, throwing them out again, sets up among them vortices, each of
which holds within itself 2,401 bubbles (492). These form the atoms of the third world. Again after a
time comes a third impulse, which in the same way seizes upon nearly all these 2,401 bubble-atoms,
draws them back again into their original form, and again throws them outward once more as the
atoms of the fourth world—each atom containing this time 493 bubbles. This process is repeated
until the sixth of these successive impulses has built the atom of the seventh or the lowest world--
that atom containing 496 of the original bubbles.”9

Osiris

“Of the many supreme gods, this Egyptian conception [Osiris] is the most suggestive and the
grandest, as it embraces the whole range of physical and metaphysical thought. As a solar deity he
had twelve minor gods under him—the twelve signs of the Zodiac. Though his name is the
"Ineffable", his forty-two attributes bore each one of his names, and his seven dual aspects
completed the forty-nine, or 7 X 7; the former symbolized by the fourteen members of his body, or
twice seven. Thus the god is blended in man, and the man is deified into a god. He was addressed as
Osiris-Eloh.”10

Counting the Omer

“The origins of the omer count, enumerated in the Midrash Rabbah Parashas Emor, explains that
when the Children of Israel left Egypt they were told by Moses that 49 days after the exodus, they
would be given the Torah. The populace was so excited at the prospect of a spiritual liberation,
following the physical emancipation from Egypt, they kept a count of the passing days that ended
with the giving of the Torah at the foot of Mount Sinai. The Torah itself, in Leviticus 23:15-16, states
that it is a commandment to count seven complete weeks from the day after Passover night ending
with the festival of Shavuot on the fiftieth day. Shavuot is the festival marking the giving of the Torah
to the Jewish nation on the 6th of the Hebrew month of Sivan.

“The period of Omer is considered to be a time of potential for inner growth—for a person to work
on one's middot or good characteristics through reflection and development of one aspect each day
for the 49 days of the counting.

In Kabbalah, each of the seven weeks of the Omer-counting is associated with one of the seven
lower sefirot (#4-10): Chesed, Gevurah, Tipheret, Netzach, Hod, Yesod, and Malchut. Each day of
each week is also associated with one of these same seven sefirot, creating forty-nine permutations.
The first day of the Omer is therefore associated with "chesed that is in chesed", the second day
with "gevurah that is in chesed"; the first day of the second week is associated with "chesed that is

9
A Textbook Of Theosophy, by C. W. Leadbeater. 1912. Chapter III.
10
Spiritual Theosophical Dictionary. [http://www.experiencefestival.com/a/Osiris/id/202180]
in gevurah," the second day of the second week with "gevurah that is in gevurah," and so on.
Symbolically, each of these 49 permutations represents an aspect of each person's character that
can be improved or further developed.”11

The Jubilee Year

“The Jubilee (Hebrew Yovel ‫ )יובל‬year, is the year at the end of seven cycles of Sabbatical years
(Hebrew Shmita)…

“The biblical regulations concerning the Jubilee year form part of the Holiness Code, which appears
in the Torah as part of the collections of laws given on Mount Sinai or Mount Horeb. According to
these regulations, the Jubilee was to be sounded once 49 years had been counted…”12

The Buddha

“After asceticism and concentrating on meditation and Anapana-sati (awareness of breathing in and
out), Siddhartha is said to have discovered what Buddhists call the Middle Way—a path of
moderation away from the extremes of self-indulgence and self-mortification. He accepted a little
milk and rice pudding from a village girl named Sujata, who wrongly believed him to be the spirit
that had granted her a wish, such was his emaciated appearance. Then, sitting under a pipal tree,
now known as the Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya, India, he vowed never to arise until he had found the
Truth. Kaundinya and the other four companions, believing that he had abandoned his search and
become undisciplined, left. After 49 days meditating, at the age of 35, he attained
Enlightenment…”13

Esoteric Buddhism – Mantra

“The human mind has so far experienced/recognized about forty-nine different kinds of natural
phonemes swaras – seven of which are regarded as the basic vowels and the others are komal (soft)
and tivra (high notes) configurations of them. Various combinations of these swaras have been

11
Wikipedia. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counting_of_the_Omer]
12
Wikipedia. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jubilee_(Biblical)]
13
Wikipedia. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gautama_Buddha]
compiled into eight basic ragas (classical tunes of shastriya music) and so on..... The gamut of
phonemes and varieties of sounds (musical or otherwise) have been generated thereby.”14

Enochian Magic of John Dee

“In 1581, Dee mentioned in his personal journals that God had sent "good angels" to communicate
directly with prophets. In 1582, Dee teamed up with the seer Edward Kelley, although Dee had used
several other seers previously. With Kelley's help as a scryer, Dee set out to establish lasting contact
with the angels, which resulted in, among other things, the reception of the Enochian or Angelical
language…

“…The reception of Enochian started on March 26 1583, when Kelley reported visions in the crystal
of the twenty-one lettered alphabet characteristic of the language. A few days later, Kelley started
receiving what became the first corpus of texts in the purported Angelic language. This resulted in
the book Liber Loagaeth (“Book *of+ Speech from God”). The book consists of 49 "calls" or prayers in
the Angelic language, but also of 95 great letter tables, or squares made of 49 by 49 letters. Dee and
Kelly said the angels never bothered translating the texts in this book.

“The other set of Enochian texts was received through Kelley about a year later, in Krakow. These
are more important since they come with English translations, thus providing the basis for the
Enochian vocabulary. The texts comprise 48 poetic verses, which in Dee’s manuscripts are called
“Claves Angelicae”, or “Angelic Keys”. The Keys are assigned certain functions within the magical
system. Dee was apparently intending to use these Keys to "open the 49 Gates of
Wisdom/Understanding" represented by the 49 magic squares in Liber Loagaeth:

“I am therefore to instruct and inform you, according to your Doctrine delivered, which is contained
in 49 Tables. In 49 voices, or callings: which are the Natural Keys to open those, not 49 but 48 (for
one is not to be opened) Gates of Understanding, whereby you shall have knowledge to move every
Gate…”

“But you shall understand that these 19 Calls are the Calls, or entrances into the knowledge of the
mystical Tables. Every Table containing one whole leaf, whereunto you need no other
circumstances.”15
‡‡‡
“In the Dee manuscripts, the functions of the 49 Angels of Light (of the Bonorum) are explained in
the following manner. The dictating Archangel, Michael, tells Dee:

14
Eternity of Sound and the Science of Mantras. Pt. Shriram Sharma Acharya. First Edition 2003, Pg. 26.
15
Wikipedia. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enochian_language]
“Now you touch the world; the Governors that work, rule under God; By whom you may have power
to work such things, as shall to God profit of your country and the knowledge of his crettures.”

“At this point, Michael explains to Dee that the Angels work in the world (which we would call
Assiah) and that they are good Angels under God. Furthermore, he hints that material power can be
gained from them, if one possesses the knowledge to direct them. Michael then reveals a set of
tables and says:

“Behold, these tables; herein by their names that work under God upon the earth: Not of the wicked
but the Angels of Light. The whole government doth consist in the hands of the 49 whose names are
here evident, excellent and glorious. Mark these tables and record them . . . This is the first
knowledge. Here you shall have wisdom.”

“The Dee manuscripts then show seven tables, joined together in the form of a cross, which are
collectively called the "Tabula Collecta.”16

Aleister Crowley

“There comes first into the stone the mysterious table of forty-nine squares. It is surrounded by an
innumerable company of angels; these angels are of all kinds—some brilliant and flashing as gods,
down to elemental creatures. The light comes and goes on the tablet; and now it is steady, and I
perceive that each letter of the tablet is composed of forty-nine other letters, in a language which
looks like that of Honorius; but when I would read, the letter that I look at becomes indistinct at
once…

“…And now he shows the tablet again, and he says: As there are 49 letters in the tablet, so are there
49 kinds of cosmos in every thought of God. And there are 49 interpretations of every cosmos, and
each interpretation is manifested in 49 ways. Thus also are the calls 49, but to each call there are 49
visions. And each vision is composed of 49 elements, except in the 10th Aethyr, that is accursed, and
that hath 42.”17
‡‡‡
“... and there cometh a peacock into the stone, filling the whole Aire. It is like the vision called the
Universal Peacock, or, rather, like a representation of that vision. And now there are countless
clouds of white angels filling the Aire as the peacock dissolves.

16
Golden Dawn Enochian Magic, by Pat Zalewski. Llewellyn. 1990. Pg. 77.
17
The Vision & the Voice. Aleister Crowley. Weiser. 1998. Pp. 78-80.
“Now behind the angles are archangels with trumpets. These cause all things to appear at once, so
that there is a tremendous confusion of images. And now I perceive that all these things are but veils
of the wheels, for they all gather themselves into a wheel that spins with incredible velocity. It hath
many colours, but all are thrilled with white light, so that they are transparent and luminous. This
one wheel is forty-nine wheels, set at different angles, so that they compose a sphere; each wheel
has forty-nine spokes, and has forty-nine concentric tyres at equal distances from the centre. And
wherever the rays from any two wheels meet, there is a blinding flash of glory. It must be
understood that though so much detail is visible in the wheel, yet at the same time the impression is
of a single, simple object.

“It seems that this wheel is being spun by hand. Though the wheel fills the whole Aire, yet the
hand is much bigger than the wheel. And though this vision is so great and splendid, yet there is no
seriousness with it, or solemnity. It seems that the hand is spinning the wheel merely for pleasure –
it would be better to say amusement.

“A voice comes: For he is a jocund and ruddy god, and his laughter is the vibration of all that
exists, and the earthquakes of the soul.”18

18
Ibid. Pp. 92-94.
Esoteric Services

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