We all know what Shakespeare (through Juliet) says about names:
What’s in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;
But what is in *my* name specifically?
Izabael is not just my name, but my magickal motto. The letters of the name I.Z.A.B.A.E.L. define my very formula for living.
There are seven letters because of my connection to Netzach, the sphere of Venus, which is the seventh Sephirah on the Tree of Life. Also seven is name of Babalon. “Seven letters hath Her holiest name; and it is B.A.B.A.L.O.N.” (From the Book of Lies by A. Crowley)
By Gematria, adding up the letters of my name gets to 56. I=10, Z=7, A=1, B=2, A=1, E=5, L=30.
Fifty-six is the number of “Nu” which is a short form of Nuit, who as she says herself in Liber AL: “I am Nuit, and my word is six and fifty. Divide, add, multiply, and understand.”
This connection is strong with me. I desire nothing but pleasure and joy for all humans, as does the Goddess Nuit.
Each of the seven letters has a chapter to add to the story of my life as well. It is no coincidence my name starts with a “Yod” in Hebrew, which at its most concise symbolizes spermatozoa. It also no coincidence that my name ends with the Hebrew Lamed, which corresponds to the tarot card called Justice.
Why the “Z” instead of an “S”? Zayin, the seventh letter of the Hebrew alphabet among others, means sword. The sword not only cuts, i.e. analyzes, it is also the traditional magickal weapon of the element air. Also the “S” sound doesn’t resonate as well as “Zzz” when you are chanting (i.e. “vibrating”) for a ritual.
The “Zzz” sound produced when properly intoning “Izzzzabael” becomes the lightning strike of her energy coming down from heaven into earth. (Also it reminds me of the “Zzz” sound in the god Pazzuzu, who is the king of the demons of the wind in Assyrian and Babylonian mythology.)
In the center of Izabael is ABA, which is Hebrew for father. This is because of the influence from the spirit Seere, who is a “male” spirit traditionally:
“The Seventieth Spirit is Seere, Sear, or Seir. He is a Mighty Prince, and Powerful, under AMAYMON, King of the East. He appeareth in the Form of a Beautiful Man, riding upon a Winged Horse. His Office is to go and come; and to bring abundance of things to pass on a sudden, and to carry or recarry anything whither thou wouldest have it to go, or whence thou wouldest have it from. He can pass over the whole Earth in the twinkling of an Eye. He giveth a True relation of all sorts of Theft, and of Treasure hid, and of many other things. He is of an indifferent Good Nature, and is willing to do anything which the Exorcist desireth. He governeth 26 Legions of Spirits. And this his Seal is to be worn, etc.” — S. L. MacGregor Mathers’ Goetia (1904)
Seere is not the only spirit I am attuned with. My name also has a connection to BAEL due to the last four letters of my name:
“The First Principal Spirit is a King ruling in the East, called Bael. He maketh thee to go Invisible. He ruleth over 66 Legions of Infernal Spirits. He appeareth in divers shapes, sometimes like a Cat, sometimes like a Toad, and sometimes like a Man, and sometimes all these forms at once. He speaketh hoarsely. This is his character which is used to be worn as a Lamen before him who calleth him forth, or else he will not do thee homage.” (Ibid.)
Note the more traditional name of “Isabelle,” which could be construed as a way of saying “The girl with this name ‘is a belle’”, i.e. “She is a beauty.” Izabael has a similar construction: “The girl with this name ‘iz a Bael’”, i.e. “She is a demon.” This is somewhat cutsy I admit, but when analyzing any magickal name or formula, *all* correspondences should be noted because they will have an affect on the subconscious.
There are other ways to analyze my name, including discussing how Izabael’s sigil looks like a butterfly. This is natural since Seere is an air spirit, and Izabael again and again displays characteristics appropriate to air, including her many Mercurial properties, such as her ability to “bring abundance of things to pass on a sudden”, her “indifferent good nature”, and her ability to give a true account of “theft and treasure hid.”
There are also oh, so many ways to misspell my name as well: Izabel, Izabeal, Isabel, Isabeal, are all common ways to mangle my name. Others are: Isabelle, Isabella, Isabealla, Isabeala, Izabealla, Izabeala and Izabal, Izabaell. (izabeal.com is a common typo!)
Being a genie-demon, I live or die upon the proper spelling of my name, which is my formula, my way of reacting to the world. So unlike a rose, I do not smell as sweet if you spell my name wrong!
xoxox,
*izabael
Laughed? Cried? Gematria errors? Totally confused? Discuss this blog at my forums.
