-
The
Sepher Yetzirah
-
(The Book of
Formation)
-
-
W. W. Wescott
Version
-
- CHAPTER
ONE
-
- 1. In thirty-two wonderful Paths of Wisdom did Jah, Jehovah Tzabaoth, the
God of
- Israel, the Elohim of the living, the King of ages, the merciful and
gracious God, the exalted
- One, the Dweller in eternity, most high and holy engrave his name by the
three
- Sepharim-Numbers, Letters, and Sounds.
-
- 2. Ten are the ineffable Sephiroth. Twenty-two are the Letters, the
Foundation of all things;
- there are Three Mothers, Seven Double and Twelve Simple letters.
-
- 3. The ineffable Sephiroth are Ten, so are the Numbers; and as there are
in man five fingers
- over against five, so over them is established a covenant of strength, by
word of mouth, and
- by the circumcision of the flesh.
-
- 4. Ten is the number of the ineffable Sephiroth, ten and not nine, ten and
not eleven.
- Understand this wisdom, and be wise in the perception. Search out
concerning it, restore the
- W'ord to its creator, and replace Him who formed it upon his throne.
-
- 5. The Ten ineffable Sephiroth have ten vast regions bound unto them;
boundless in ongin and
- having no ending; an abyss' of good and of ill; measureless height and
depth; boundless to the
- East and the West; boundless to the North and South; and the Lord the only
God, the Faithful
- King rules all these from his holy seat, for ever and ever.
-
- 6. The Ten ineffable Sephiroth have the appearance of the Lightning flash,
their origin is
- unseen and no end is perceived. The Word is in them as they rush forth and
as they return, they
- speak as from the whirling wind and returning fall prostrate in adoration
before the Throne.
-
- 7. The Ten ineffable Sephiroth, whose ending is even as their origin, are
like as a flame
- arising from a burning coal. For God is superlative in his Unity, there is
none equal unto Him:
- what number canst thou place before One. "
-
- 8. Ten are the ineffable Sephiroth; seal up thy lips lest thou speak of
them, and guard thy
- heart as thou considerest them; and if thy mind escape from thee bring it
back to thy control;
- even as it was said' " running and returning" (the living creatures ran
and returned) and hence
- was the Covenant made.
-
- 9. The ineffable Sephiroth give forth the Ten numbers. First; the Spirit
of the God of the
- living; Blessed and more than blessed be the Living God of ages. The
Voice, the Spirit, and the
- Word-, these are of the Holy Spirit.
-
- 10. Second; from the Spirit He produced Air, and formed in it twenty-two
sounds-the letters;
- three are mothers, seven are double, and twelve are simple; but the Spirit
is first and above
- these. Third; from the Air He formed the Waters, and from the formless and
void made mire
- and clay, and designed surfaces upon them, and hewed recesses in them, and
formed the strong
- material foundation. Fourth; from the Water He formed Fire and made for
Himself a Throne of
- Glory with Auphanim, Seraphim and Kerubim, as his ministering angels; and
with these three
- he completed his dwelling, as it is written, "Who maketh his angels
spirits and his ministers
- a flaming fire".'
-
- 11. He selected three letters from among the simple ones and sealed them
and formed them
- into a Great Name, I H V, and with this He sealed the universe in six
directions. ,
-
- Fifth; He looked above, and sealed the Height with I H V.
- Sixth; He looked below, and sealed the Depth with I V H.
- Seventh; He looked forward, and sealed the East with H I V.
- Eighth; He looked backward, and sealed the West with H V I.
- Ninth; He looked to the right, and sealed the South with V I H.
- Tenth; He looked to the left, and sealed the North with V- H I.
-
- 12. Behold ! From the Ten ineffable Sephiroth do proceed-the One Spirit of
the Gods of the
- living, Air, Water, Fire; and also Height, Depth, East, West, North and
South.
-
- CHAPTER
TWO
-
- 1. The twenty-two sounds and letters are the Foundation of all things.
Three mothers,
- seven doubles and twelve simples. The Three Mothers are Aleph, Mem and
Shin, they are Air,
- Water and Fire. Water is silent, Fire is sibilant, and Air derived from
the Spirit is as the
- tongue of a balance standing between these contraries which are in
equilibrium, reconciling
- and mediating between them.
-
- 2. He hath formed, weighed, and composed with these twenty-two letters
every soul, and the
- soul of everything which shall hereafter be.
-
- 3. These twenty-two sounds 'or letters are formed by the voice, impressed
on the air, and
- audibly modified in five places; in the throat, in the mouth, by the
tongue, through the teeth,
- and by the lips.
-
- 4. These twenty-two letters, which are the foundation of all things, He
arranged as upon a
- sphere with two hundred and thirty-one gates, and the sphere may be
rotated forward or
- backward, whether for good or for evil: from the good comes true pleasure,
from evil nought
- but torment.
-
- 5. For He shewed the combination of these letters, each with the other;
Aleph with all, and all
- with Aleph; Beth with all, and all with Beth. Thus in combining all
together in pairs are
- produced the two hundred and thirty-one gates of knowledge.
-
- 6. And from the non-existent He made Some-Thing; and all forms of speech
and everything that
- has been produced; from the empty void He made the material world, and
from the inert earth
- He brought' forth everything that hath life. He hewed, as it were, vast
columns out of the
- intangible air, and by the power of His Name made every 'creature and
everything that' is; and
- the production of all things from the twenty-two letters is the proof that
they are all but
- parts of one body.
-
- CHAPTER
THREE
-
- 1. The Foundation of all others is composed of the Three Mothers, Aleph,
Mem and
- Shin; they resemble a Balance, on the one hand the guilty, on the other
hand the purified, and
- Aleph the Air is like the Tongue of a Balance standing between them.
-
- 2. The Three Mothers Aleph, Mem and Shin are a great Mystery, very
admirable and most
- recondite, and sealed as with six rings; and from them proceed Air, Fire,
and Water, which
- divide into male and female forces. The Three Mothers Aleph, Mem and Shin
are the Foundation,
- from them spring three Fathers, and from these have proceeded all things
that are in the
- world.
-
- 3. The Three Mothers in the world are Aleph Mem and Shin: the heavens were
produced from
- Fire; the earth from the Water; and the Air from the Spirit is as a
reconciler between the Fire
- and the Water.
-
- 4. The Three Mothers Aleph, Mem and Shin, Fire, Water and Air are shown in
the Year; from the
- fire was made heat, from the waters was made cold, and from the air was
produced the
- temperate state, again a mediator between them. The Three Mothers, Aleph,
Mem and Shin,
- Fire, Water and Air are found in Man: from the fire was formed the head;
from the water the
- belly; and from the air was formed the chest again placed as a mediator
between the others.
-
- 5. These Three Mothers did He produce and design, and combined them; and
He sealed them as
- the three mothers in the Universe, in the Year and in Man-both male and
female. He caused the
- letter Aleph to reign in Air and crowned it, and combining it with the
others He sealed it, as
- Air in the World, as the temperate (climate) of the Year, and as the chest
the lungs for
- breathing air in Man: the male with A.M.S., the female with S.M.A. He
caused the letter Mem to
- reign in Water, crowned it, and combining it with the others formed the
earth in the world,
- cold in the year, and the belly in man, male and female, the former with
M.A.S., the latter with
- M.S.A. He caused Shin to reign in Fire, and crowned it, and combining it
with the others, sealed
- with it the heavens in the universe, heat in the year and the head in man,
male and female.
-
- CHAPTER
FOUR
-
- 1. The Seven Double Letters, Beth, Gimel, Daleth, Kaph, Pe, Resh, and Tau
have each
- two sounds associated with them. They are referred to Life, Peace, Wisdom,
Riches, Grace,
- Fertility and Power. The two sounds of each letter are the hard and the
soft-the aspirated and
- the softened. They are called Double, because each letter presents a
contrast or permutation ;
- thus Life and Death; Peace and War(Evil); Wisdom and Folly; Riches and
Poverty; Grace and
- Indignation; Fertility and Solitude (Desolation); Power and Servitude.
-
- 2. These Seven Double Letters point out seven localities; Above, Below,
East, West, North,
- South, and the Palace of Holiness in the midst of them sustaining all
things.
-
- 3. These Seven Double Letters He designed, produced, and combined, and
formed with them the
- Planets (stars) of this Universe, the Days of the Week, and the Gates of
the soul (the orifices
- of perception) in Man. From these Seven He hath produced the Seven
Heavens, the Seven Earths,
- the Seven Sabbaths: for this cause He has loved and blessed the number
Seven, more than all
- things under Heaven (His Throne).
-
- 4. Two Letters produce two houses; three form six; four form twenty-four;
five form one
- hundred and twenty; six form seven hundred and twenty ; seven form five
thousand and forty;
- and beyond this their numbers increase so that the mouth can hardly utter
them, nor the ear
- hear the number of them. So now, behold the Stars of the Universe
(Planets) are Seven; the
- Sun, Venus, Mercury, Moon, Saturn, Jupiter and Mars. The Seven are also
the Seven Days of
- Creation; and the Seven Gateways of the Soul of Man-the two eyes, the two
ears, the mouth
- and the two nostrils. So with the Seven are formed the seven heavens,~ the
seven earths, and
- the seven periods of time; and so has He preferred the number Seven above
all things under
- Heaven.
-
- NOTE. The above demonstrates the number of
permutations and combinations which can result from fundamental numbers of
energy patterns or archetypes in terms of the factorials of numbers, e.g., 5
factorial (or 5!) = 5x4x3x2x1 = 120. Accordingly, considering the 22 letters
of the Hebrew alphabet as the primeval energy patterns of creation (and they
have been shown to be projections of one Master Pattern), 22! = 22x21x20x .
. . x1 = 1,124,000,728,000,000,000,000. The tremendous versatility of
forms seen in the natural world (and their invisible archetypes) bears witness
to this consideration.
-
-
- SUPPLEMENT TO CHAPTER IV.
-
- NOTE: This is a modern illustration of the allotment
of the Seven Letters; it is not found in the
- ancient copies of the " SEPHER Yetzirah."
-
- He produced Beth, and referred it to Wisdom; He crowned it, combined and
formed with it the
- Moon in the Universe, the first day of the week, and the right eye of man.
-
- He produced Gimel, and referred it to Health; He crowned it, combined and
joined with it Mars
- in the Universe, the second day of the week, and the right ear of man.
-
- He produced Daleth, and referred it to Fertility; He crowned it, combined
and formed with it
- the Sun in the Universe, the third day of the week, and the right nostril
of man.
-
- He produced Kaph, and referred it to Life; He crowned it, combined and
formed with it Venus in
- the Universe, the fourth day of the week, and the left eye of man.
-
- He produced Pe, and referred it to Power; He crowned it, combined and
formed with it Mercury
- in the Universe, the fifth day of the week, and the left ear of man.
-
- He produced Resh and referred it to Peace; He crowned it, combined and
formed with it Saturn
- in the Universe, the sixth day of the week, and the left nostril of man.
-
- He produced Tau, and referred it to Beauty; He crowned it, combined and
formed with it
- Jupiter in the Universe, the Seventh Day of the week, and the mouth of
man.
-
- By these Seven letters were also made seven worlds, seven heavens, seven
earths, seven
- seas,. seven rivers, seven deserts, seven days, seven weeks from Passover
to Pentecost, and
- every seventh year a Jubilee.
-
- CHAPTER
FIVE
-
- 1. The Twelve Simple Letters are Heh, Vau, Zain, Cheth, Teth, Yod, Lamed,
Nun,
- Samech, Oin, Tzaddi and Qoph:They are the foundations of these twelve
properties: Sight,
- Hearing, Smell, Speech, Taste, Sexual Love, Work, Movement, Anger, Mirth,
Imagination and
- Sleep. These Twelve are also allotted to the directions in space:
North-east, South-east, the
- East above, the East below, the North above, the North below, the
South-west, the North-west,
- the West above, the West below, the South above, and the South below;
these diverge to
- infinity, and are as the arms of the Universe.
-
- 2. These Twelve Simple Letters he designed, and combined, and formed with
them the Twelve
- celestial constellations of the Zodiac, whose signs are Teth, Shin, Tau,
Samech, Aleph, Beth,
- Mem, Oin, Qoph, Gimel, Daleth and Daleth. The Twelve are also the Months
of the Year: Nisan,
- Yiar, Sivan, Tamuz, Ab, Elul, Tishri, Hesvan, Kislev, Tebet, Sabat and
Adar. The Twelve are also
- the Twelve organs of living creatures, the two hands, the two feet, the
two kidneys, the
- spleen, the liver, the gall, private parts, stomach and intestines.
-
- He made these, as it were provinces, and arranged them as in order of
battle for warfare. And
- also the Elohim made one from the region of the other.
-
- Three Mothers and Three Fathers; and thence issue Fire, Air, and Water.
Three Mothers, Seven
- Doubles and Twelve Simples..
-
- 3. Behold now these are the Twenty and Two Letters from which Jah, Jehovah
Tzabaoth, the
- Elohim of the living, the God of Israel, exalted and sublime, the Dweller
in eternity, formed
- and established all things; High and Holy is His Name.
-
- SUPPLEMENT TO CHAPTER V.
-
- N OTE.-This is a modern illustration of the allotment
of the Twelve Letters; it is not found in
- the ancient copies of the " Sepher Yetzirah."
-
- 1.God produced He, predominant in Speech, crowned it, combined and formed
with it Aries in
- the Un~verse, Nisan in the Year, and the right foot of Man.
-
- 2. He produced Vau, predominant in n~ind, crow-red it, combined and formed
with it Taurus in
- the Universe, Aiar in the Year, and the right kidney of Man.
-
- 3. He produced Zain, predominant in Movement, crowned it, combined and
formed it with
- Gemini in the Universe, Sivan in the Year and the left foot of Man.
-
- 4. He produced Cheth, predominant in Sight, crowned it, combined and
formed with it Cancer in
- the Universe, Tamuz in the Year, and the right hand of Man.
-
- 5. He produced Teth, predominant in Hearing crowned it, combined and
formed with it Leo in
- the Universe, Ab in the Year, and the left Kidney in Man.
-
- 6.. He produced Yod, predominant in Work, crowned it, combined and formed
with it Virgo in
- the Universe, Elul in the Year, and the left hand of Man.
-
- 7. He produced Lamed, predominant in Sexual desire, crowned it, combined
and formed with it
- Libra in the Universe, Tishri in the Year, and the private parts of Man.
(Kalisch gives " gall.")
-
- 8. He produced Nun, predominant in Smell, crowned it, combined and formed
with it Scorpio in
- the Universe, Heshvan in the Year, and the intestines of l~an.
-
- 9. He produced Samech, predominant in Sleep, crowned it, combined and
formed with it
- Sagittarius in the Universe, Kislev in the Year, and the stomach of bran.
-
- IO; He produced Oin, predominant in Anger crowned it, combined and formed
with it
- Capricornus in the Universe, Tebet in the Year, and the liver of Man.
-
- 11.He produced Tzaddi, predominant in Taste, crowned it, combined and
formed with it
- Aquarius in the Year, and the gullet in Man.
-
- 12. He produced Qoph, predominant in Mirth, crowned it, combined and
formed w~th it Pisces
- in the Universe, Adar in the Year, and the spleen of Man.
-
- CHAPTER
SIX
-
- 1. Three Fathers and their generations, Seven conquerors and their armies,
and Twelve
- bounds of the Universe. See now, of these words, the faithful witnesses
are the Universe, the
- Year and Man. The dodecad, the heptad, and the triad with their provinces;
above is the
- Celestial Dragon, T L 1, and below is the World, and lastly the heart of
Man. The Three are
- Water, Air and Fire; Fire above, Water below, and Air conciliating between
them; and the sign
- of these things is that the Fire sustains (volatilizes) the waters; Mem is
mute, Shin is
- sibilant, and AIeph is the Mediator and as it were a friend placed between
them.
-
- 2. The Celestial Dragon, T L I, is placed over the universe like a king
upon the throne; the
- revolution of the year is as a king over his dominion; the heart of man is
as a king in warfare.
- Moreover, He made all things one from the other; and the Elohim set good
over against evil, and
- made good things from good, and evil things from evil: with the good
tested He the evil, and
- with the evil did He try the good. Happiness is reserved for the good, and
misery is kept for
- the wicked.
-
- 3. The Three are One, and that One stands above. The Seven are divided;
three are over against
- three, and one stands between the triads. The Twelve stand as in warfare;
three are friends,
- three are enemies; three are life givers; three are destroyers. The three
friends are the heart,
- the ears, and the mouth; the three enemies are the liver, the gall, and
the tongue; while God
- the faithful king rules over all. One above Three, Three above Seven, and
Seven above Twelve;
- and all are connected the one with the other.
-
- 4. And after that our father Abraham had perceived, and understood, and
had taken down and
- engraved all these things, the Lord most high revealed Himself, and called
him His beloved,
- and made a Covenant with him and his seed; and Abraham believed on Him and
it was imputed
- unto him for righteousness. And He made this Covenant between the ten toes
of the feetthis is
- like that of circumcision; and between the ten fingers of the hands and
this is like that of the
- tongne. And He bound the twenty- two letters unto his speech and shewed
him all the
- mysteries of them. He drew them through the Waters; He burned them in the
Fire; He vibrated
- them in the Air; Seven in the highest heavens; and Twelve in the celestial
constellations of
- the Zodiac.
-
- The End of the " Book of Formation."
-
-
-
THE
PATHS OF WISDOM AND GATES OF UNDERSTANDING
-
(The 32 Paths of the Sepher
Yetzirah)
-
-
(From "The Holy Kabbalah" by A.
E. Waite)
-
- In the Latin collection of Pistorius the marrow of philosophical Kabbalism
is presented in the form of certain terse propositions or dogmas, according to
one of which the ways of eternity are thirty-two--Viæ æternitatis sunt
triginta duo. These are the Paths of the SEPHER YETZIRAH, namely, the ten
SEPHIROTH and the [twenty-two] letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The doctrine
concerning them is a dependency of this fundamental treatise, but of much more
recent date, and without even an imputed authorship. It tabulates the special
graces and illuminations which may be communicated to man from above by means
of these channels, and is not unimportant, because it shows that Kabbalism,
even on its most speculative and formal side, had a practical application to
the human mind, and was not a purely arbitrary system. It is outside the
province of this work to offer translations to the student, but as in the
present instance it could be difficult to summarize the tabulation more
briefly, I shall give it in extenso, premising only that it has been
translated more than once into English, and is indeed available in a number of
European languages.
-
- I. The first path [KETER or Crown] is called
the Admirable Intelligence [Mystical Intelligence], the Supreme Crown.
It is the light which imparts understanding of the beginning which is without
beginning, and this also is the First Splendor. No created being can attain to
its essence.
-
- II. The second path [CHOCHMAH or Wisdom] is
called the Illuminating Intelligence. It is the Crown of Creation and the
splendor of the Supreme Unity, to which it is most in proximity. It is exalted
above every head and is distinguished by Kabbalists as the Second Splendor.
-
- III. The third path [BINAH or Understanding]
is called the Sanctifying Intelligence and is the foundation of Primordial
Wisdom, termed the Creation of Faith. Its roots are AMeN. It is the mother of
Faith, which indeed emanates therefrom.
-
- IV. The fourth path [CHESED--Mercy, Exuberance or
Generosity] is called the Arresting or Receiving Intelligence because it
arises like a boundary to receive the emanations of the higher intelligences
which are sent down to it. Herefrom all spiritual virtues emanate by the way
of subtlety, which itself emanates from the Supreme Crown. (It contains all
the holy powers, and from it emanate all the spiritual virtues with the most
exalted essences; they emanate one from the other by the power of the
primordial emanation of KETER.--Wescott)
-
- V. The fifth path [GEBURAH--Justice, Limitation or
Severity] is called the Radical Intelligence, because it is more akin than
any other to the Supreme Unity and emanates from the depths of the Primordial
Wisdom (the primordial depths of Chochmah).
-
- VI. The sixth path [TIPHERETH or Beauty] is called
the Intelligence of Mediating Influence (or of Separated Emanation),
because the flux of the emanations is multiplied therein. It communicates this
affluence to those blessed men who are united with it.
-
- VII. The seventh path [NETZACH--Victory or Eternity]
is called the Hidden Intelligence, because it pours out a brilliant
splendor on all intellectual virtues which are beheld with the eyes of the
spirit and by the ecstasy of faith.
-
- VIII. The eighth path [HOD--Glory or Reverberation]
is called the Perfect and Absolute Intelligence. The preparation of
principles emanates therefrom. The roots to which it adheres are in the depths
of the Sphere Magnificence, from the very substance of which it emanates.
(It is the means of the Primordial.)
-
- IX. The ninth path [YESOD or Foundation] is called
the Purified Intelligence. It purifies the numerations, prevents and stays the
fracture of their images (or proves and corrects the designing of their
representations), for it establishes their unity, to preserve them from
destruction and division by their union with itself. (It disposes their
unity with which they are combined without diminution or division.)
-
- X. The tenth path [MALCHUTH or Kingdom] is called the
Resplendent Intelligence, because it is exalted above every head and has its
seat in BINAH: it enlightens the fire of all lights and emanates the power of
the principle of forms. (It causes a supply of influence to emanate from
the prince of Countenances.)
-
- XI. The eleventh path is called the Fiery Intelligence. It
is the veil placed before the dispositions and order of the superior and
inferior causes. Whosoever possesses this path is in the enjoyment of great
dignity; to possess it is to be face to face with the Cause of Causes. (It
is the essence of that curtain which is placed close to the order of the
disposition, and this is a special dignity given to it that it may be able to
stand before the face of the Cause of Causes.)
-
- XII. The twelfth path is called the Intelligence of Light
(or Transparency), because it is the image of magnificence. It is said
to be the source of vision in those who behold apparitions.
-
- XIII. The thirteenth path is called the Inductive
Intelligence of Unity. It is the substance of glory, and it manifests truth to
every spirit. (It is the consummation of the truth of individual
spiritual things.)
-
- XIV. The fourteenth path is called the Illuminating
Intelligence (or Luminous Intelligence). It is the institutor of
arcane, the foundation of holiness.
-
- XV. The fifteenth path is called the Constituting
Intelligence, because it constitutes creation in the darkness of the world.
(or--It constitutes the substance of creations in pure darkness.)
According to the philosophers, it is itself that darkness mentioned by
Scripture (Job xxxviii. 9), cloud and the envelope thereof.
-
- XVI. The sixteenth path is called the Triumphant and Eternal
Intelligence, the delight of glory, the paradise of pleasure prepared for the
just.
-
- XVII. The seventeenth path is called the Disposing
Intelligence. It disposes the devout to perseverance and thus prepares them to
receive the Holy Spirit. (It is the path of Life and Death.)
-
- XVIII. The eighteenth path is called the Intelligence or
House of Influence, (by the greatness of whose abundance the influx of good
things upon created beings is increased) and thence are drawn the arcane
and the concealed meanings which repose in the shadow thereof.
-
- XIX. The nineteenth path is called the Intelligence of the
Secret or of all spiritual activities. The fullness which it receives derives
from the highest benediction and the supreme glory.
-
- XX. The twentieth path is called the Intelligence of Will.
It prepares all created beings, each individually, for the demonstration of
the existence of the primordial glory.
-
- XXI. The twenty-first path is called the
Rewarding Intelligence (or the Conciliating Intelligence or the
Intelligence of Desire) of those who seek. It receives the divine
influence, and it influences by its benediction all existing things.
-
- XXII. The twenty-second path is called the Faithful
Intelligence, because spiritual virtues are deposited and augment therein,
until they pass to those who dwell under the shadow thereof. (By it
spiritual virtues are increased, and all dwellers on earth are merely under
its shadow.--Westcott)
-
- XXIII. The twenty-third path is called the Stable
Intelligence. It is the source of consistency in all the numerations.
-
- XXIV. The twenty-fourth path is called the Imaginative
Intelligence. It is the ground of similarity in the likeness of beings who are
created to its agreement, after its aspects.
-
- XXV. The twenty-fifth path is called the Intelligence of
Temptation or Trial, because it is the first temptation by which God tests the
devout.
-
- XXVI. The twenty-sixth path is called the Renewing
Intelligence, for thereby God--blessed be He!--reneweth all which is capable
of renovation in the creation of the world (or all the changeable things
which are renewed by a new cycle of world creation).
-
- XXVII. The twenty-seventh path is called the Natural
Intelligence, whereby the nature of everything found in the orb of the sun is
completed and perfected.
-
- XXVIII. The twenty-eighth path is called the Active
Intelligence, for thence is created the spirit of every creature of the
supreme orb, and the activity, that is to say, the motion, to which they are
subject.
-
- XXIX. The twenty-ninth path is called the Corporeal
Intelligence; it informs every body which is incorporated under all orbs and
it is the growth thereof.
-
- XXX. The thirtieth path is called the Collective
Intelligence, for thence astrologers, by the judgment of the stars and the
heavenly signs, derive their speculations and the perfection of their science
according to the motions of the stars.
-
- XXXI. The thirty-first path is called the Perpetual
Intelligence. Why is it so called? Because it rules the movement of the sun
and the moon according to their constitution and causes each to gravitate in
its respective orb.
-
-
- According to Eliphas Levi, this verse contains the
secret of the Great Work of Alchemy. The reason assigned is that path
thirty-one corresponds to the Hebrew letter SHIN (Sh), which represents the
magic lamp, or the light between the horns of Baphomet. "It is the Kabbalistic
sign of God or the Astral Light, with its two poles and equilibrated center"
The sun mentioned in the paragraph represents gold, the moon silver, and the
planets correspond to the other metals.-LA CLEP DES GRAND MYSTÈRES, p. 234. It
is needless to say that the SEPHER YETZIRAH and its developments have nothing
to do with Alchemy. As regards the Great Work and Levi's pretended discovery
of its secret, see my annotated translation of his TRANSCENDENTAL MAGIC, pp.
345 - 347.
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- XXXII. The thirty-second path is called the Assisting
Intelligence, because it directs all the operation of the seven planets, with
their divisions, and concurs therein.
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- The comparatively modern accent of this tabulation will occur to the
reader, but its quotation was necessary to exhibit the intellectual profit
believed to follow from the study of Kabbalism, and still more that it was in
the last resource the understanding of man methodized, embracing, as such, the
entire circle attributed to human knowledge. After what manner the Paths
correspond to their various affirmed offices, how they communicate the powers
and graces which abide therein, and for what reason they bear their
distinctive titles must remain open questions. The thesis concerning them
constitutes a body of dogma, and is to be taken or left as such. The Paths are
those of the Tree and its SEPHIROTH.
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