Six-Six-Six
Six-six-six, written as 666, is the famous Number of the Beast in the Book of Revelation. It is traditionally associated with the Beast, the Antichrist, the Devil, and later interpretations of Satanism.
Few numbers in Western religious and occult history have carried such fear, fascination, and symbolic weight. Across centuries, 666 has been used to identify enemies, condemn religious opponents, interpret political events, and mark figures believed to embody evil, tyranny, blasphemy, or spiritual rebellion.
The Number of the Beast
The source of the number 666 is the Book of Revelation, attributed to John of Patmos. Revelation is based on a series of apocalyptic visions that John experienced while exiled on the island of Patmos in the Aegean Sea.
In one vision, a beast rises from the sea. It has seven heads, ten horns, and ten crowns. Upon its heads are names of blasphemy. One of the heads appears to have suffered a fatal wound, yet the wound has healed.
The vision then gives one of the most famous and terrifying passages in Christian apocalyptic literature:
“Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.”
The Mark of the Beast
In Revelation, the number is connected with the mark of the Beast. This mark is placed on the forehead or right hand of those who worship the Beast and its image.
An angel warns John of the fate awaiting those who receive the mark:
“If anyone worships the beast and its image, and receives a mark on his forehead or hand, he also shall drink the wine of God’s wrath, and shall be tormented with fire and sulphur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up for ever and ever; and they have no rest, day or night.”
This passage gave 666 its terrifying reputation. It became not merely a number, but a sign of spiritual allegiance, judgement, punishment, and damnation.
666 and the Antichrist
In Christian interpretation, the Beast is often identified with the Antichrist, a final enemy of Christ who deceives the world before the end times.
Because Revelation says the number is “the number of a man”, generations of theologians, occultists, reformers, and conspiracy theorists have attempted to calculate which human name equals 666.
This search has made 666 one of the most controversial numbers in religious history.
Nero Caesar and 666
One of the most common scholarly interpretations connects 666 with the Roman emperor Nero.
Revelation was written in a world shaped by Roman imperial power. Roman emperors claimed divine honours, persecuted Christians, and embodied the terrifying might of empire. When the name Nero Caesar is calculated through Hebrew numerology, it can be made to equal 666.
This suggests that, in its original historical context, the Number of the Beast may have referred to imperial Rome and especially to Nero as a symbol of tyrannical, blasphemous power.
The Number Projected onto Enemies
Throughout history, 666 has been projected onto many enemies.
Religious groups have manipulated names through numerology in order to make them equal the Number of the Beast. The Gnostics were considered dangerous enemies of the early Church, and some Church Fathers identified the Gnostic Ogdoad with the Number of the Beast.
During the Reformation, Protestants applied 666 to the Catholic Church and the pope. They used terms such as Italika Ekklesia and the Greek papeiskos to arrive at the number. Catholics, in turn, applied similar calculations to Martin Luther.
The number has also been applied to Muhammad, Napoleon Bonaparte, Adolf Hitler, and many other political or religious enemies.
The Problem with Numerology
The difficulty with identifying the Beast through numerology is that names and numbers can be manipulated.
Different alphabets, spellings, languages, titles, initials, and transliterations can be adjusted until the desired result is reached. With enough effort, almost any name can be made to equal 666.
This does not make 666 meaningless, but it does make many historical accusations highly questionable.
The number has often revealed more about the fears and enemies of the interpreter than about the actual identity of the Beast.
Aleister Crowley and 666
Aleister Crowley famously embraced the number 666. He often signed himself as The Beast 666 or To Mega Therion, meaning The Great Beast in Greek.
Crowley did not interpret 666 as a symbol of simple evil. Instead, he associated it with solar power. In the Kabbalah, the Sun is linked with the sixth emanation from God, and the magical square of the Sun adds up to 666.
A solar magic square is composed of 36 smaller squares, or 6 times 6. It contains the numbers 1 through 36, arranged so that each horizontal, vertical, and diagonal line adds up to 111. The sum of all the numbers in the square is 666.
In 1934, Crowley testified in a lawsuit and was asked about his use of the titles The Beast 666 and Mega Therion. He explained that Therion means great wild beast and that 666 is the number of the Sun.
Crowley famously said:
“You can call me Little Sunshine.”
666 and the Sun
Crowley’s interpretation of 666 as a solar number is one of the most important occult re-readings of the symbol.
In this view, 666 is not merely diabolical. It is linked with solar force, illumination, vitality, splendour, power, and magical energy.
This does not erase its biblical meaning, but it shows how occult traditions can transform symbols. What one tradition fears as a mark of damnation, another may interpret as a number of radiance, power, and initiation.
666 in Kabbalah and Magic
In Kabbalistic and magical symbolism, numbers are not random. They are understood as vessels of hidden meaning.
Through gematria, letters are given numerical values. Words and names that share a numerical value are believed to have mystical connections.
Because of this, 666 has attracted enormous attention from occultists, magicians, mystics, and numerologists. It has been interpreted as a number of the Beast, the Sun, power, incarnation, imperfection, and material force.
The number six itself is often linked with humanity, creation, and the material world. Six repeated three times intensifies this symbolism.
Fear of 666
Because of its association with the Antichrist and the Beast, 666 is feared and avoided by many people.
Some refuse to live at addresses containing the number. Others avoid telephone numbers, licence plates, receipts, room numbers, or account numbers that include 666.
This fear is called hexakosioihexakontahexaphobia.
The word is long, difficult, and fittingly strange. It refers specifically to the fear of the number 666.
The Stigma of the Number
The stigma surrounding 666 is so strong that it is often avoided in ordinary life, even when there is no religious or occult intention behind it.
This avoidance shows the psychological power of symbols. A number is mathematically neutral, yet culture can charge it with dread, fascination, taboo, and spiritual meaning.
For many people, 666 is not simply three digits. It is a sign of evil, apocalypse, rebellion, and danger.
The Occult Meaning of 666
Occultly, 666 is a number of contradiction.
To some, it is the mark of the Beast and the sign of Antichrist. To others, it is a solar number of magical power. It has been used as a tool of accusation, a symbol of rebellion, a mark of fear, and a badge of occult identity.
Its meaning depends on the system in which it is read.
In Christian apocalyptic thought, 666 warns of false worship, tyranny, and spiritual corruption.
In ceremonial and magical systems, it may also point towards solar force, human incarnation, and the dangerous brilliance of power without divine balance.
The Legacy of 666
Six-six-six remains one of the most famous numbers in the world. It appears in religion, occultism, horror, popular culture, conspiracy theory, music, literature, and magical symbolism.
Its power lies not only in Revelation, but in centuries of interpretation. Every age has looked for its own Beast. Every generation has projected 666 onto whatever it most feared.
The number continues to fascinate because it sits at the crossroads of scripture, apocalypse, numerology, politics, magic, and taboo.
666 is more than a number. It is a mirror of fear, power, rebellion, and hidden meaning.
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SEE ALSO:
FURTHER READING:
- DuQuette, Lou Milo. “666: What’s in a Number?” FATE, October 2005, 10–17.
- Edinger, Edward F. Archetype of the Apocalypse: A Jungian Study of the Book of Revelation. Chicago: Open Court, 1999.
- Godwin, David F. “The Number of the Beast.” FATE, October 2005, 18.
SOURCE:
The Encyclopedia of Demons and Demonology – Written by Rosemary Ellen Guiley – Copyright © 2009 by Visionary Living, Inc.
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