What does “93” mean?
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.
One will often hear Thelemites saying “93” to each other, especially when meeting and departing as well as beginning and ending any formal communication such as letters.
Certain languages such as Hebrew, Greek, and Arabic have letters that are also associated with numbers. The use of the number 93 comes from “isopsephy,” which is the practice of summing the enumeration of certain words in the Greek language.
In Greek, the word “Θελημα” enumerates to 93:
- Θ = 9
- ε = 5
- λ = 30
- η = 8
- μ = 40
- α = 1
- Θελημα = 9+5+30+8+40+1 = 93
Since “Θελημα” means “Will,” saying “93” is short for saying “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.” The common response to this is “Love is the law, love under will.”
In Greek, the word “Αγαπη” means “Love,” and it specifically refers to divine love as distinguished from erotic and filial love. In Greek, the word Αγαπη also enumerates to 93:
- Α = 1
- γ = 3
- α = 1
- π = 80
- η = 8
- Αγαπη = 1+3+1+80+8 = 93
Therefore, in more formal communication one will often find “93 93/93” at the end of the message. This refers to the line “Love [93] is the law, love [93] under [/] will [93].” In speech, this is often simply shortened to “93.”
In short, the use of 93 is a way that Thelemites use short-hand to say to one another “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law” and “Love is the law, love under will.”
Next article: True Will
Love is the law, love under will.