I’m not a numerologist nor a code expert, and even though I know Bessler practised alphanumerics, the Caesar Shift and other similar versions of it, as well as chronograms and a variety of ways of disguising information, I have managed to extract some useful information. But until I can prove it is correct it’s still just speculation.
It seems obvious that Johann Bessler hoped at some point, after his death, that people might be intrigued enough to study his books and try to extract the hidden information. Well I’ve tried, as have many people from around the world, but so far without success. For me, success would be the publication of an explanation of how his wheel worked plus a high quality video, a verifiable and repeatable simulation and most importantly a working model. So far no claimants.
One of the results of all the information so far gleaned from the legend of Bessler’s wheel, has been an upsurge in spurious speculation. Numerology for instance, I read that it “is the belief in an occult, divine or mystical relationship between a number and one or more coinciding events. It is also the study of the numerical value, via an alphanumeric system, of the letters in words and names. When numerology is applied to a person's name, it is a form of onomancy.”
For example,“ onomancy is an old-fashioned kind of fortune telling based on a person's name. If three women with the same name sit at a table, one of them will be married within the year. Believe it or not, that's onomancy. The belief in a connection between luck and a person's name is an old one.”
Do I read my horoscope? Not for about 50 years! To believe that the motion of the stars can affect a person’s life is nonsense and to assign meaning to significant numbers which you can relate to people’s names is equally a waste of time.
On the other hand if it can be shown that Bessler used alphabetic substitution, alphanumerics and chronograms to hide useful information, that in itself doesn’t mean that he believed in the original purpose of such beliefs. All it tells us is that he used an existing system to hide information. Those beliefs offered a readymade system for him to adapt to his own purposes. One unfortunate effect of this is that others who practise numerology for instance, search for examples of the belief in Bessler’s works, and finding certain coincidental numbers which they then apply according to the rules of numerology, and pronounce their findings accordingly. To me this too, is meaningless.
I have always believed that it is easy enough to make an argument for a certain conclusion by looking for certain numbers, manipulating them according to procedures laid down in the rules, and present one’s conclusions. The numbers appear to be very elementary and ways of finding them and making one’s calculations, absurdly simple. As you may be able to tell, I don’t believe in foretelling the future in this or any other way.
However I do believe that Bessler hid a lot of information in letters, numbers and drawings, and as many who come here will know, I have many significant examples of this.
Having said all this I do enjoy some of the posts detailing the examples of the numerologist’s art particularly when their conclusions appear so apposite, but in my opinion there is neither use nor value in them, other than as a form of entertainment. If somehow an expert in numerology could make some predictions that could be checked and verified, that would go someway towards reducing my opposition to this belief system.
One thing has always guided me in presenting information about Johann Bessler and that was to try to base it on documentary evidence. If I speculated about anything I tried to make it clear that it was my personal opinion and unsubstantiated.
This subject matter relies heavily on documentary evidence and even circumstantial evidence should be clearly identified.
It is therefore with much regret that I’m going to have to do something to stop people making comments that have no documented evidence to support them and which are presented as fact, when they are personal opinions.
I can’t make it a feature of this blog to require people to sign in, for some reason it’s not possible, which leaves me with two options. Either I stop allowing comments, or I systematically delete all offending comments.
The latter does not appeal, so I will be closing the comments very soon. If those who continue to post comments in support of Ken B’s completely absurd notions wish for the comments be allowed to continue, perhaps they would consider removing them selves from this blog permanently so the rest of us can continue to discuss Bessler in a reasonable manner.
JC
