Sun: life-giving radiance; Venus: celestial love; Mercury: mental wis
dom; Moon: changes and the future.
In the human microcosm, Atziluth is related to the mind, the su
perconscious, and archetypal principles. These last three aspects are called the Neshamah.
Above these Four Worlds, Qabalists say there is something called the "veils of negative existence," which are: Ain Soph Aur: infinite light; Ain Soph: the infinite; and Ain: the no-thing .
PRINCIPLES OF THE SACRED LANGUAGES
Tradition teaches us that some alphabets have a power and a value that exceeds their secular, everyday usage. This is the case for ancient languages such as the Chaldean language and Egyptian hieroglyphs; it is true of the Greek and Hebrew alphabets and languages.
Four essential principles must be kept in mind before using these languages:
1. Each letter is a symbol that is related to an invisible reality;
2. Each letter has a hidden meaning;
3. Each letter corresponds to a numerical value, which allows you to understand its deeper meaning;
4. Each letter is associated with a unique sound and a specific en
ergy linked to a specific divinity.
Historically, the Greek alphabet was undoubtedly the first to be used in this kind of study and esoteric analysis, as many passages of Pythagoras and Plato demonstrate. Although the Greek language con
stitutes the reference language for all Hermeticists, the progression on the Tree of Life (or the ascension on the way of return) is the same whether you use the Greek or the Hebrew Qabalah. Since the Hebrew Qabalah is the most widely known and used system today (in the Western Tradition), in the next few chapters I will use it to clarify this progression. Please remember that everything that I will be explaining about the Hebrew language also applies to the Greek alphabet.
�
�
t!l n Tet Het
9 8
� El
Tzadi Pe
90 80
r l:'J
Tzadi Pe 900 800
il , �
Zayin Vav He Dalet Gimel
7 6 5 4 3
J) 0 0 .,
A yin Samekh Nun Mem Lamed
70 60 50 40 30
t:l 1 n to
Nun Mem Kaf Tav Shin
700 600 500 400 300
:J. �
Bet Alef 2
'
Kaf Yod
20 10
, p
Resh Qof 200 100
It is possible to classify the letters according to their characteristics presented in one of the oldest texts of the Hebraic Qabalah, the Sep
her Yetzirah.
to 0 �
Shin Mem Alef 3 Mother Letters
n , El ' , � :J.
Tav Resh Pe Kaf Dalet Gimel Bet 7 Double Letters
� , J) 0 :J il ., -p '
Tzadi Vav A yin Samekh Nun He Lamed Qof Yod 12 Simple Letters
t!l n T
Tet Het Zayin 12 Simple Letters (cont.)
The alphabet offers four possibilities. Firstly, the same word can have several meanings, especially since the vowels are not normally written or indicated. Let us offer an example to indicate this point.
The name "ADAM" is written as
01N
and Genesis 1:27 says this means "a man" when written in the generic form (with the vowelA).
When it is written as "ADOM,"
01�,
the word means "red." The110 THE QABALAH, FROM GREEK TO HEBREW
word "ADAMA" written as
i10j�
(Genesis2:7)
"the globe, the matrix."
Thus you notice that, as the vowels are moved, or changed, even though the consonants remain the same, the meaning changes. In the current system, the vowel points are no longer shown, and thus a richness of interpretation is thereby permitted. Thus, ''ADAM" could also mean "red;' and you might superimpose various meanings to in
dicated hidden or a priori meanings. This is the first form of richness that the Hebrew language offers.
Secondly, a word may also contain other words or roots of words, which you may profitably examine. Thus, in the preceding example,
"ADAM"
Cj�
contains the word for "DAM" ("blood;'C"J).
Alsoyou may want to consider the possible union of meanings of the three words ''ADAM;' "red," and "blood." Consequently, I can say that Adam is the Universal Man because all men have red blood. From this the
ory, a moral teaching can be learned: when the blood of a man is spilt, it is the blood of all mankind that is spilt. This simple example shows us the depth of possibilities of such a study.
Thirdly, as mentioned above, each letter represents a number, as Alef = 1, Bet =
2,
etc. This attribute of Hebrew made it possible for a science to develop. This is an impressive revelation for some. For others it is incomprehensible. Indeed, this text and especially the first five books of the Bible can be seen as an allegory, the coding of a science. The Qabalah is thus the oral explanation transmitted from an
tiquity to our modern days. It is divided into three parts. Gematria, Notarikon, and Temurah are the three forms this system takes.
Gematria consists of a system in which words having the same nu
merical values are compared or even considered to be equal in meaning.
The traditional example of this is the word "ONE;' (or "U NITY "), which is "ECHAD" (or ''A CHAD") = 13. "ONE"= ''A CHAD"=
11J�
= 4+
8+
1 = 13. The word for "LOVE" is ''AHAVAH;' which also = 13. "LOVE"=
''AHAVAH" =
i1�1�
T -:-=5 + 2 + 5 +
1 = 13. Thus LOVE= UNITY.M. Horowitz says of Genesis 14:14 that, "As soon as Abraham learned that his brother had been made a prisoner he armed 318 men. The bravest man servant of Abraham was Eliezer. The numerical value of the name Eliezer
(11'1'"?�)
is exactly 318. Thus, when youa new word. The most ''AGLA''
(�?,�),
the sentence: "Atah powerful forever, Lord."'
ters. To accomplish pe each letter by the letter Other such methods of interrelations, which e based on different planes
And fourthly, brew alphabet is by be understood that this be a divine revelation.
entire structure of the The letter Samekh
(0)
relates to the sphere of plane or spiritual with wings, in flames us an example with the
M
Figure 23: T he Sephirotic Tree in the letter Alef, according to Athanasius
Kircher.
2:7)
"the globe, therna-moved, or changed, even the meaning changes. In
various meanings to in
the first form of richness
words or roots of words, in the preceding example, ("blood;'
01).
T Alsohaving the same nu
to be equal in meaning.
"'(or"UNITY"), which
=
"11�
T •: =4+8+was Eliezer. The numerical 318. Thus, when you
see further references to 318 in the Bible, you may also understand that this represents the value of a number, and that it represents the value of the name Eliezer."
Notarikon: The first letter of each word in a sentence comprises a new word. The most celebrated example of Notarikon is the word ''AGLA''
( � '?) �),
which is built from the first letters of the words in the sentence: "Atah Gibor Leolam Adonai," which means "You are powerful forever, Lord:'Temurah: This is the technique of the permutation of Hebrew let
ters. To accomplish permutation, in its simplest form, one replaces each letter by the letter that proceeds or follows it in the alphabet.
Other such methods of permutation are based on more complex interrelations, which enable you to find deeper meanings of a word based on different planes of consciousness.
And fourthly, another means of extracting meaning from the He
brew alphabet is by looking at the shape of the letter itself. It must be understood that this alphabet was considered by the Hebrews to be a divine revelation. The Hebrew alphabet comprises in itself the entire structure of the world. For example, Yod
C)
is a tongue of fire.The letter Samekh
(0)
represents the plane of the material world as it relates to the sphere of the senses, and the letter Shin(W)
the spiritual plane or spiritual sphere. This sphere is sometimes painted as a sphere with wings, in flames (with flames surrounding it). The Zohar shows us an example with the letter Aleph.M
Figure 23: The Sephirotic Tree in the letter Alef, according to Athanasius
The symbol of the mys-tery of supreme thought.
Six degrees.
The symbol of the upper firmament.
The Hidden Ayoths.
112 THE QABALAH, FROM GREEK TO HEBREW
Thus, this language plunges us into a network of hidden intercon
nections as complicated as the drawings in the Irish Celtic Christian manuscripts. The mind can easily get lost in these interwoven and seemingly endless intricacies. At first glance, reason demands that these subtle games will be ignored, where everyone who applies them seems to transform the text according to his or her own will. How
ever, this initial appearance is misleading, as this study of the Hebrew language is governed by very strict laws.
of hidden intercon
lrish Celtic Christian dlese interwoven and reason demands that . who applies them her own will. How
study of the Hebrew