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The Tetragrammaton is the four-letter Hebrew theonym יהוה‎ (transliterated as YHWH), the name of God in the Hebrew Bible. The four letters, written and read from right to left (in Hebrew), are yodh, he, waw, and he. The name may be derived from a verb that means "to be," "to exist," "to cause to become," or "to come to pass." While there is no consensus about the structure and etymology of the name, the form Yahweh is now accepted almost universally, though the vocalization Jehovah continues to have wide usage.

The books of the Torah and the rest of the Hebrew Bible except Esther, Ecclesiastes, and (with a possible instance of the short form יה‎ in verse 8:6) the Song of Songs contain this Hebrew name. Observant Jews and those who follow Talmudic Jewish traditions do not pronounce יהוה‎ nor do they read aloud proposed transcription forms such as Yahweh or Yehovah.

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Did you know...

King Solomon

• ... that King Solomon is revered in Islam as Sulaiman ibn Dawud?
• ... that Babalon is identified with Binah on the Tree of Life?
• ... that The Hierophant tarot card was originally known as The Pope?
• ... that the Goetic demon Decarabia appears as a star in a pentacle?
• ... that the angel Mebahel is used as the logo of Bloodstone Studios?
• ... that accused witch Agnes Sampson confessed personally to King James VI?
• ... that Ip-Djes is the only decanal star to be summoned with iron?

This month in history Representation of Halloween in the United States October - The British fleet lays off Esopus Island during the Revolutionary War. (1777) 2 October - Future King of England, Richard III is born. (1542) 2 October - Author and occultist Arthur Edward Waite is born. (1857) 2 October - Jack Parsons, American chemist, occultist, and engineer is born. (1914) 4 October - The Gregorian calendar is introduced by Pope Gregory XIII. (1582) 4 October - Ritual magician Samuel L. MacGregor Mathers is first initiated into a Masonic lodge. (1877) 7 October - The reference date for the origin of the Hebrew calendar. (3761BC) 9 October - Reginald Scot, author of The Discoverie of Witchcraft, dies. (1599) 11 October - An exorcism for the nuns of Loudun begins during the trail of Urbain Grandier. (1632) 12 October - The Salem Witch Trials are ended. (1692) 12 October - Author and occultist Aleister Crowley is born. (1875) 12 October - Followers of María Lionza undertake their annual pilgrimage to Sorte Mountain in Venezuela. 13 October - Hundreds of the Knights Templar in France are arrested at dawn by King Philip the Fair, and later confess under torture to heresy. (1307) 16 October - George Lusk, the chairman of the Whitechapel Vigilance Committee in London, received the "From Hell" letter allegedly from Jack the Ripper. (1888) 26 October - Author and astrologer Sybil Leek dies. (1982) 27 October - Emperor Constantine is said to have received his famous Vision of the Cross. (312) 27 October - Condemned as a heretic, Michael Servetus is burned at the stake just outside Geneva. (1553) 29 October - The first trial for witchcraft in Paris results in the death of three people. (1390) 29 October - Occultist and author Anton Szandor LaVey dies. (1997) 31 October - Peter Stumpp, the Werewolf of Bedburg, is burned along with his mistress and daughter. (1589) 31 October - Thiess of Kaltenbrun, the Livonian Werewolf, is condemned to be flogged for heresy. (1692) 31 October - The occult horror film Nightmare on the 13th Floor first airs on television. (1990) 31 October - The holiday Halloween is celebrated in many countries.

Featured image Qebehsenuef is one of the four sons of Horus, along with Hapy, Duamutef, and Imsety. Qebehsenuef is usually portrayed with the head of a falcon. In a funerary context, he was responsible for protecting the intestines of mummified people. As ruler of one of the four cardinal directions, Qebehsenuef was associated with the west. Although Qebehsenuef is most prominently found in funerary context as a canopic jar, he is possibly more closely associated with the Egyptian decans. Dutch Egyptologist Maarten Raven argues that the four sons originated as celestial deities, given that the Pyramid Texts frequently connect them with the sky and that Horus himself was a sky deity. Photo credit: The Metropolitan Museum (More Images)

Featured Quote "Witches are firm believers in reincarnation, and they say that 'once a witch, always a witch.'" - Gerald Gardner

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