CHAPTER 1
Introduction:What Is Acrophonology?
Aristotle said, "Know yourself." Acrophonology is about gettingto know yourself!
Acrophonology is based on astrology, but you do not have to befamiliar with astrology to learn from and enjoy this book. Thename you were given was not an accident, and each letter in ithas certain vibrations and energies that correlate to the signs andplanets of the zodiac. Acrophonology will help reveal the powerof your name. At this point, you are probably not aware of howpowerful names are, or of how the many different ways peoplespell their names impact their lives. Acrophonology holds withinit the key to who you are, why you are here, where you are going,and how you will get there.
Through Shirle Kiley's detailed study of the ancient Kabbalah inthe 1950s, she discovered unmistakable and repeated correlationsbetween astrological factors in birth charts and letters in birthnames. A name's letter combinations can be as revealing andilluminating as a birth chart. Because the position and associationof the letters sometimes advances or reduces the power of theenergies combined in a name, it is clear that acrophonology actsin accordance with astrological rules and energy patterns. Theunderstanding of these rules and patterns can unlock the secretshidden in a name and can tap the power that names have heldsince the beginning of mankind.
According to Kiley, whose research this book is based upon, theword acrophonology is derived from the Greek and translatesas "the study of sound in space." The sounds that we hear areactually energy vibrations expressed as sound waves. As energies,these sounds powerfully affect the core of our being. Witness, forexample, how the sound traveling through the air by vocal cordsof a trained singer can shatter glass. Just like music, languageis sound in space, and when voiced, its letters and symbols canactivate energy. Different combinations of letters create differentenergies, just as diverse combinations of notes create differentmelodies.
Acrophonology is an ancient science. It is in the Kabbalah—fivebooks that record the teachings of ancient Hebrew mystics and areknown as the Torah in Judaism. The Hebrew word for Kabbalahmeans "to receive." One of the books, the Book of Numbersin the Hebrew Bible, or the Old Testament, gives instructionin astrology, numerology, and acrophonology. This book holdsknowledge of universal energies that can aid man's spiritualevolution. Energy is constantly changing into matter and back toenergy, as was proved by Einstein's theory of relativity. Space andtime should be considered together and in relation to each other.Space and time can dilate; become larger or wider, however, thespeed of light is the same for everyone. When energy patterns arecombined in a name as sound waves, these sounds can be eitherpowerfully helpful or detrimental. There are twenty-two letters inthe Hebrew alphabet. The Hebrew word for pulse, or a flowing ofenergy, is ratoot, which means vibration. It is a beautiful, mysticalthought that the Light or Creator fragmented into twenty-twodifferent forces to create our universe.
The mathematical code for numerology in the Kabbalah is calledGematria. Gematria is a mathematical method of studying theTorah, the five books of Moses in the Old Testament, in whichevery letter of the Hebrew alphabet has a numerical value—thesame as in Greek, the other ancient language. For example, theHebrew word chai means life, and in Gematria the letters add upto eighteen. The number 18 multiplied by 2, 3, and 4 adds up to36, 54, and 72 which are "special numbers" and mean life, as livinglife to the fullest. Hebrew letters have special powers in their ownnumber and sounds. There are zodiac signs engraved in ancientsynagogues in Israel that connect with numerology, astrology,and acrophonology in the Book of Numbers. The central belief inastrology is that our birth chart is the programming of our souls;that is, that our characteristics are determined by the alignmentof the planets at the exact time of our birth
Jacob, also known as Israel, had twelve sons. Each son was"assigned" to one of the twelve constellations in the order of theirbirth. The twelve constellations relate to the twelve signs of thezodiac. The twelve sons of Jacob were the patriarchs of the twelvetribes of Israel, which many consider to be the beginning ofastrology in Judaism. As there are twelve divisions of the zodiac,there are also twelve months in the year and twelve hours in theday.
The entire works of the Kabbalah are also known as the Zohar.The Zohar was a hidden manuscript for centuries that was mainlyhanded down orally by learned men. The Zohar manuscriptswere discovered in the thirteenth century by the Kabbalist MosesDeleon, but few people took notice. In the sixteenth centuryKabbalist Issac Luria wrote a dissertation on the Zohar to try to"simplify" it for his students. Early in the twentieth century, RavYdhuda Aslag delved further into the writings of the Zohar and ofRabbi Luria to make it more accessible to the public. During the1950s, Kabbalist Yehudah Brandwein completed more of theseimportant works.
Astrologers understand that there is order in the universe throughthe placement and transit of the planets. Each letter of the alphabetis symbolized by a specific planet, and the combination of letterscreates a specific flow of energy and power. You can tell if a personis in a good place or if the planets are wreaking havoc for them!Just as your destiny can be identified through your astrologicalchart, your name can also carry the same weight. You can changeyour name to another vibration, but do not change it at random!You need the help of a professional acrophonologist to changeyour name. In past times, rabbis would change someone's nameif they were extremely ill to "keep the angel of death away." Theywere trying to trick the angel of death, under the premise thata new name would give improved health. Originally the customin Judaism of naming a newborn after a particular person was tobestow these energies to the newborn as an honor to the departedperson. The Hebrew word for name is shaym.
Ancient Joseph Akiba (50–135 CE) devised "The Alphabet ofRabbi Akiba." He equated each letter of the Hebrew alphabetwith a moral or ethical precept. According to Rabbi Joel C. Dobinin The Astrological Secrets of the Hebrew Sages:
In Jewish mysticism, the Bible was considered to be theblueprint of Creation, therefore, the first letter in theBible was initiated. All of the letters of the alphabet wereconsidered to be the tools and the molds with which Godcreated the Universe. Thus, the letters were extremelyimportant; they were thought of as having individualitiesof their own and as being able to enter into discussionwith God.
Words have always had special meanings and magical propertieseven if they are oral and not written. A particular clan inAustralian Aboriginal culture shares oral songs about clan andfamily history. The songs tell about "dreamtime or creation time,"which describes how the features of the land were created. Bysinging the songs in appropriate order, indigenous Australianscould navigate vast distances, traveling through the deserts ofAustralia as they viewed the land. They gave the "keeper" of thesong an inherent obligation to the land. For thousands of yearsAboriginal myth has held that the natural world was created bysong.
A competent astrologer can interpret these energy changes throughthe movement of the planets through the signs of the zodiac; anumerologist interprets them through the numbers of names anddates; and an acrophonologist interprets them through the lettersof your name. This is the reason that Shirlee changed the spellingof her name to Shirle (dropping the second e.) The double e at theend of the name would make for a highly communicative person.It can be beneficial, but it can work in a negative manner if theperson talks too much. Shirlee realized that she had the problemof talking too much, and so she dropped the final e from hername. With this knowledge, anyone can begin to unlock thesecrets that lie hidden in a name and to tap the power that hasbeen associated with names since the beginning of mankind.Every time your name is spoken, whether by yourself or others, itssound waves vibrate through the air, reinforcing your connectionto these vibrations. If someone even thinks of you these vibrationsare activated. Through the letters in our names we can knowthe current energy patterns of our soul. The identification of ourenergy patterns is called our name.
Read, learn, enjoy, and hang on to your hat!
CHAPTER 2
Letter Analysis
This overview is followed by an extensive description of thetwenty-six letters of the alphabet in part II of the book. Listedbelow are the letters, their astrological counterparts, the planets,the astrological symbols or glyphs for the counterparts, and a keyword that can be used for each letter's meaning. A description ofthe energy meaning of each letter is defined as well.
CHAPTER 3
The Housesof the Zodiac
There are twelve houses of the zodiac, which are sometimes calledthe astrological houses. They are the same for every chart, with thefirst house starting from the first degree of each individual chart. Thedegrees can begin with any number, and again that depends on theindividual chart. Only the planets and signs move around the zodiac.Each of the first six houses relate to you personally as an individual.The last six houses are associated with your attitude toward others.
Each house is associated with both a sign and a planet. Both sharecertain characteristics as you will see in the chart below.
House Sign Planet
First Aries Mars
Second Taurus Venus
Third Gemini Mercury
Fourth Cancer Moon
Fifth Leo Sun
Sixth Virgo Mercury
Seventh Libra Venus
Eighth Scorpio Pluto
Ninth Sagittarius Jupiter
Tenth Capricorn Saturn
Eleventh Aquarius Uranus
Twelfth Pisces Neptune
CHAPTER 4
The Role ofKarma: Is It the First Name?
The last letter of your first name represents what qualities you areborn with, and where you have been. It correlates to the left side ofyour brain, which is the factual side. It contains the lessons frommany past lifetimes, which you will apply in your current life. Theright side of the brain is the creative or intuitive side. The right-to-left(like Hebrew) pathway is spiritual. It represents what youhave achieved. "I've been to grammar school; I can do that." Thelast letter of your first name represents where you have been.
Every name carries its own karma. Karma is the relationship ofcause and effect. Each day of your life, you create new karmaby your actions. Each day you make karma; each day you dosomething that will cause a reaction.
The last letter of your name is what you learned in a past life. Thefirst letter of your name is the reaction, and the last letter of yourname is the cause. It was set; you cannot change it. What you dowith the first letter of the name is the reaction.
Someone comes in with an h (Capricorn, Saturn) as the first letterof his or her last name. In this case, the h was karma from a pastlifetime and cannot be changed. The person came in knowingthat they were capable of responsibility; they came in knowingthey were old for their time. The reaction that takes place in thislifetime is through the last letter.
R, u, and h are all karmic letters that must be worked out whenthey are at the beginning of a name. They speak of importantlearning experiences for the person. We act out karma every dayby out reactions to our experience. R, u, and h are working offpast experiences in a past life. Not all karma is heavy; some of ushave already learned karmic lessons, but the lessons of r, u, andh are never particularly easy. It is not that the "owners" are goingto have a hard life; it is just that somewhere along the way, theyhave a heavy lesson to learn. They will possess a certain drive tofind out what that lesson is and experience it.
The karma of the letter r as the first letter in a name is anindependent intelligence and an unwavering sense of logic. Peoplewhose names begin with the letter r will fight to maintain theunderstanding in themselves and others, and they have a right tomake up their own mind.
The karma of u is one of developing generosity; what is valuedand what must be shared. H is the karma of material objects andstatus. The h is learning to handle the spirit guides, who ask whatyou have learned, where you are going, and what you value. Thedifference between the u and the h is that the u represents a desirefor status, and once it is acquired, it must be decided whether itwill be shared. The h will get it regardless and then be forced todecide whether it was worth holding onto or whether it was worththe havoc that it undoubtedly wreaked.
These three letters carry strong karma, and their owners typicallyhave some sort of obsession to manage and learn from. It is helpfulfor the owners to identify this obsession so he or she can work itout consciously until it can be overcome.
All Ruths (r, u and h) will experience tragedy; it may be somethingthat changes their lives—an emotional or physical tragedy. Theyhave elected to come into the world and work out all of their karmain one shot. Do not feel sorry for them; they elected to do this.They relate very strongly at ages forty-two to forty-nine and fifty-eightto sixty. It is the strong Saturn and Capricorn connection(h). They are also very Neptunian and Piscean (t), which is due tothe twelfth house connection. Tragedy does not necessarily meandeath, the loss of a limb, or some sort of surgery. It is just that theyhave a hard road to travel. It is a karmic experience of being tested.What is tragic for one person may not be tragic for someone else.You cannot impose your standards on another person.
Your name tells what you have done in a past life, and what youhave come into in this one, so you can grow.
CHAPTER 5
Vowels,Consonants, andLetter Analysis
Vowels
Vowels represent change in life, while consonants are stable, orconstant. Wherever you find vowels, you can enjoy change.
Ann is a name with only one vowel and two consonants, denoting alack of change in a person with this name. Phillip has two consonants,indicating that an individual with this name is not going to experiencemuch change, either. If the spelling is Phillip with only one l, however,there can be more change in that person's life. See chapter 6 on doubleletters for more information on this name.
If a person comes into life with a vowel (a, e, i, o, u, or y) at the beginningof his or her name, he or she is ready for change. If a person's name endswith a vowel, he or she will always embrace change.
In determining the significance of a name, look for the followingfirst:
1. The first letter in the last name
2. The last letter in the last name
3. If there is a hinge letter in the name
First name: The given name is the personal self or the personality.It is associated with the ascendant or rising sign and the first housein a horoscope.
Surname: Jr., II, III are not used in name analysis. The surnamedescribes how you will go about handling the personality traits,mainly in accordance with societal and familial standards. It isequated with the tenth house cusp and the fourth house cusp ofthe horoscope.
First letter: The first letter of a name is the way in which youspontaneously present yourself.
Consonants: Consonants provide the structures of a name. Theycreate form and stability. They can be equated to earth and airelements in astrology.
Vowels: Vowels are flexible. They are flowing energies that arecatalysts for growth. They can be equated with fire and waterelements in astrology.
Interpretation: Names beginning and ending with vowels indicatethat the person's energies are more flexible, can handle change,and are charged with feeling.
