by Henry Elders
Harry is obviously the central riddle of The Boomer Bible. The book's numerological meanings can't be deciphered without understanding the numerology of Harry. And perhaps more importantly, we can't confirm the reality of numerological significance in TBB unless we can confirm that the numerology associated with Harry makes sense in the context of TBB. If it does make sense, then we can trust the numerological evidence we uncover in other areas to help us understand TBB. Otherwise, we're just chasing our tails.
The first mention of Harry occurs in the Present Testament, Book of Willie, Chapter 2, Verse 6: "And the son he named, in remembrance of his vision, Harry." As we've already seen, the numerology of this son's given name adds up to 70 or 7. The ICR note attached to "Harry" in this verse connects to Adam.31.5, "Which will also be known as a Holy Davidson." This second appellation is connected in turn to Ned.4.7: "I am the One you have been waiting for." Thus, Harry is also directly associated with the number 1.
That's not the only number we get from this set of
references, however. The second chapter of Willie enables us to calculate
his exact birth date. The atom bomb blast at Hiroshima occurred on August
6, 1945. Numerologically, this date can be rendered a couple of different
ways:
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This gives us quite an ominous view of Harry. Alternatively, we can
calculate the number for August as a word rather than as the eighth month:
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Amazingly, this substitution makes no difference. But if we recall the
blur,
we can allow ourselves to try another tack:
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A gross distortion of what is self-evidently true? Maybe. But let's
follow through:
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We might choose to ignore this outcome if there weren't other kinds of confirmation that Harry is strongly associated with the number 8. (and he's not the only one, either.) But the Sign of Harry in the Book of Harrier Brayer consists of a stylized "H" that must be rendered numerologically as 8. Furthermore, the passage in Willie Ch. 2 that describes the occasion of Harry's birth also includes a direct reference to the astrological imagery of his birth sign:
A cornered lion loomed yellow and fierce in the sky...The lion, of course, represents Leo, which is also represented on the eighth card of the Tarot's Major Arcana.
And these aren't the only numbers we can identify from the first set
of references in Willie. Recollect the ICR reference to Adam.31.5:
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I'll defer interpretation of the meaning of these addends to others
and proceed to computing the sum:
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From other sources (notably ST99's Punk City Papers manuscript), we know there is ample reason to associate Harry with the number 22. There are 22 books in the Present Testament. There are 22 Articles of the Harrier Parish. There are 22 weeks in the Harrier season of Trinity, whose topics are related to the 22 Major Arcana of the Tarot deck. What's distinctive about "Holy Davidson" is that it's the first numerological confirmation of this clearly significant number derived from text. Moreover, this confirmation has been placed at the earliest possible point in the gospels of Harry. Where might we look for more such confirmations?
The most promising place would seem to be the Book of Harrier Brayer. That's where we've already seen 22 in the Articles and in the Table of Harrier Days. It's also the place where we can identify a striking numeric signpost of numerological significance: Hymn 22 of the Hymnal is a rewrite of the doxology in honor of Harry; in cinematic terms, we could consider it his theme music. Thus, three of the five sections of the Book of Brayer manifest varied incarnations of this hugely important number. Might we also find it in the other two sections if we looked in the right places? It's going to take some work, though, so before we immerse ourselves too deeply in minutiae, let's take a moment to consider why it is that 22 is such an important number with respect to Harry.
There is an easy answer. Maybe too easy. The single-digit numbers we've
already identified with Harry are 7, 1, 6, and 8. In order, then:
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Definitely too easy, though. These may be the single-digit numbers most
repeatedly associated with Harry, but it's not hard to make a case for
the other single-digit numbers, too. Harry offers 2 commandments and 2
sacraments (Harrification and Consolation). He has his own Trinity (3).
He has twelve followers (12 = 1 + 2 = 3). He has 4 gospels. And he is linked
more than once in text with the 9 of "ultimate ice." Where does this leave
us?
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Yes, 45 is the number of numbers called out in Pspeciastes, and it is also an echo of the year of Harry's birth. In fact, the imagery associated with this number in Pspeciastes ties in quite directly to the atomic imagery in Willie Chapter 2.
Perhaps this is why Harry is also linked to the 9 of "ultimate ice" (4 + 5 = 9).
This returns us to the question of why 22 is so important
to Harry. Much seems to ride on the Tarot connection, since the 22 weeks
and topics of Trinity that correspond in various ways to the Tarot's Major
Arcana represent the most detailed illustration of the importance of this
number. But there's a chicken-and-egg quandary here. Is 22 important because
Harry employs the Tarot? Or is 22 important in some way that makes his
use of the Tarot natural? And please understand the logical importance
of this question: Harry's use of the Major Arcana automatically
means that there is a direct association with him for every number from
1 to 22.
1 | + | 2 | + | 3 | + | 4 | + | 5 | + | 6 | + | 7 | + | 8 | + | 9 | + | 10 | + | 11 | + | 12 | + | 13 | + | 14 | + | 15 | + | 16 | + | 17 | + | 18 | + | 19 | + | 20 | + | 21 | + | 22 | = | 253 |
= | 10 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
= | 1 |
Numerologically, 22 is a magic number: it encompasses the entire sequence before it and circles back to 1 and unity. That's why 22 is associated with the circle and why it is considered an expression of divine wholeness in the Tarot.
Now can we summon up any interest for an expedition in search of more
22s in the Book of Brayer? The first place we might look is in the Signs
& Symbols.