In ancient times the world was not so overburdened with literature as in the unfortunate present, when millions of books which all treat of the same unimportant matters, things which come and go, mere illusions of the moment, are produced in such numbers. In those days man depended more upon the oral teachings and when ready received his due from a teacher to whom he was led often seemingly by chance. The method of teaching followed was generally the Qabalistic one of using the sacred scrolls, upon which were written glyphs and symbols, and upon this foundation building up a solid structure of knowledge which there is nothing in the modern world to excel. The teachings related to the Macrocosmos, the large world or the Universe, and to the Microcosmos, the reflection of that larger world, called Man. From the teachings hidden in these glyphs One of the methods used to unravel the mysteries hidden in these sacred writings or scrolls is that of Temura or permutation, the anagrammatical method of changing the position of the letters forming a word to create a new word which explains the original. A striking example of this method, which should be of interest to all who are concerned with occult development and to those who are interested in the writings of the Alchemists, is the following: The writers on Alchemy speak of a mysterious substance to which no name is given. It is said to be the cheapest thing in the world and costs nothing, it cannot be bought, but is actually given "for nothing" to all who are entitled to it. What is this mysterious thing? Let the Qabalist answer. It is grace. In these permutations is hidden a teaching of the deepest significance. He who has passed through the fires of life and seen the emptiness of carnal things, of things transitory, those things which at the utmost last but for a life-time, even if that limit be reached, he who has reached this stage becomes MNCh, the one who rests from action. He has discovered after bitter lessons, after repeated trials and tests, that all mundane things are useful only because of the lessons which they teach the Soul. Henceforth, as the looks around him and studies the Sacred Scriptures written in the hearts of men, he sees nothing evil, except in a relative sense. There are only lessons to be learned and a something beyond all forms which is Real and Everlasting. Nothing that is human is evil in his sight, nothing that is human is wrong, there is no sin but what he might himself have committed, no stage but what he himself has passed in his upward climb and knowing the effect of these lessons upon himself he realises that all is for the best and that God in truth, is indeed in his heaven, and that This then is the meaning of the Alchemists when they assert that the, sacred fire cannot be bought but is to be had "for nothing," but this "nothing" is a very precious "something," for it is grace without which no man can safely be entrusted with the Grand Secret. We may read the lessons contained in these Temuras in a shorter way thus:— The grace of God is like unto rich oil pouring out from the Heavens, coming "to nothing is left but the Perfected One, the Tahar or Arhat. This is an illustration of the method called Temura. Let us now study that of Gematria or numerical valuation and incidentally learn the secret of the wonderful number thirty-three, a secret especially interesting to Freemasons. The struggler, the disciple, it is well known, has to be thrown down into the Pit into the depths of matter, to learn the lessons which only can be learned through bitter experience. In the midst of his trials when for a time the Light is shut out from him he cries aloud: "Woe is me, my pain is greater than I can bear." This pain is felt only by the lower man who is being crushed and the teacher reminds the disciple of this and instructs him by means of the perfect number thirty-three. The value of the Hebrew word KABI which means "my pain" is exactly thirty-three, the number well-known to Occultists and Free-Masons. Why is this called the KABI then, which means "my pain" is numerically thirty-three and contains a teaching well worth of study. When the teacher hears this cry and recognises the man as an aspirant, when the disciple thinks that his pain is too great to be borne then is help vouchsafed him. He is instructed to centre himself in God to rise from the Pit into which he has been thrown. The word BAL which means "in God" has the same numerical value (33) as KABI (my pain). We see that the symbol of the Higher Self (A) is centered in this word pointing out to the disciples the goal to which he must attain. The word pain as we have seen it is numerically 33. From this we get the word BAL in God, also 33. In God the Father is to be found, by union the Self is to be known, as we see by changing the letters to those of the same numerical value, viz., ABIKh, literally thy Father (33). These lessons learned, the disciple rises from the Pit and having become one with God returns to the Mount from whence he came and receives the Law as all true Initiates have to do. Then it is said that he will live for ever. These teachings are also found in studying the perfect number 33, for not only does it refer to the Pain of the Disciple, the Father, the centring of the self in God but it shows us that the man returns to the heights after these struggles and really begins to live in the eternal. The word GL meansEXAMPLES OF PERMUTATION AND NUMERICAL VALUATION.