The Eight Companies
All the Companies of these 40, stood five together, and five together, and so in eight Companies; each of five.1
Clay Holden has pointed out that this observation, taken as an instruction yields a magikal rectangle 5 X 8 = 40. The letters alone are critical for the spelling of the names, the numbers being in a sense purely arithmetic and mechanical for the derivation of the names. Something that cannot for instance be said of the Mysterious 49-fold Tablet from which the names of the family of light, etc. are derived.
This magical rectangle is thus:
and again in Enochian:
Clay also pointed out that sigilla, for the names derived from the Circumference, may be drawn from this figure, in the same way that intelligences are projected on planetary magikal squares or the sigilla of qabalistic hierarchies are constructed from the Rosy Cross Lamen in the Golden Dawn system.
These Sigilla are:
The Number 40
The number 40 is of great significance in biblical symbolism and should be studied in that context. It is unlikely that its use as divisor of the Circumference of the Sigillum is accidental. It usually indicates the idea of “enough” and reference to a few of the more significant occurrences of the number should indicate something of its importance. Nor should it be ignored that this pattern may indicate a ritual cycle based on these Biblical principles such as those that govern the Christian liturgical calendar, in particular Lent.
40 days and 40 nights spent by Noah in Ark
40 days fast by Moses before receiving the 10 Commandments
40 years spent in the Wilderness by the Israelites before entering the Promised Land.
40 cubits height of the pillars of Solomon
40 years reign of Solomon
40 days spent by Jesus in the desert before the temptation of Satan.
40 days Jesus spent with the disciples between the resurrection and the ascension.
1 Δ: Note: All the Cumpanies of these 40, stood five to gather, and five to gather, and so in eight Cumpanyes; each of five.