A
Facts: Alpha and omega are words of power commonly included in hymns,
prayers, and recitations of ceremonial magic traditions.
The stage magician's dove is a symbol of alpha-omega. In Greek
gematria (the study of letter-number correspondence), "the numerical
equivalent of [Alpha-Omega] is 801, made up of Alpha's 1 and Omega's
800. . . . The dove['s number is also 801]. Thus, through gematria, the dove
symbolizes Alpha and Omega."155
In Literature:
• "Elizabeth cast her mind back to the words with which the Archbishop bespoke
his reverence for the sacred things in heaven and earth. 'Alpha and
Omega . . .'" -- Jane Resh Thomas, The Princess in the Pigpen (1989)
• From Sri Aurobindo, "The Book of Beginnings, Canto IV: The Secret
Knowledge," Savitri, A Legend and a Symbol (1995):
Reconstitute the perfect word, unite
The Alpha and the Omega in one sound;
Then shall the Spirit and Nature be at one.
Alpha Beta Gamma
Origin: Alpha, beta, and gamma are the first three letters of the Greek alpha
bet.
Figure 13. The incantation alpha beta gamma is composed of
three Greek letters.
155 Nigel Pennick, Magical Alphabets (1992)