What is gematria?

gematria is an ancient form of numerical interpretation that uses numerical equivalents of words and phrases to uncover hidden meaning. Gematria originated in the Middle East and was used in both the Hebrew and Arabic languages. It has since spread to other parts of the world, including Europe, India and China. Gematria has been used as a tool for understanding language as well as divination.

Gematria is based on the idea that each letter of an alphabet holds a numerical value. The letters are then assigned numerical equivalents according to their position within the alphabet. This assignment is based upon certain rules, such as whether or not a letter has an associated symbol or a geometric shape associated with it (for example, the Hebrew letter Tav has a corresponding geometric shape--a cross). Once these numerical values have been assigned, each word or phrase can be broken up and analyzed numerically by adding up all of the values associated with each letter in order to find meaning in words and phrases.

Gematria can be used for a variety of practical applications, such as divination or interpreting language-related scriptures (especially those from religious texts). Additionally, gematria can help shed light on literary works by uncovering hidden meanings and relationships between words (an example would be analyzing how words within a text share similar patterns when interpreted using gematria). On another level, it can be used for numerological divination since numbers are believed to have connection with the forces of nature and the universe itself. There is even debate over how gematria may have played some role in cryptography--specifically cyphers created centuries ago by mathematicians like Johannes Trithemius and Blaise de Vigenère.