The Kabbalah Unveiled. S. L. Macgregor Mathers
reader will be utterly unable to follow the reasoning in this section. unless he reads carefully what I have said in the Introduction concerning the Literal Qabalah under the heads of Notariqon and Temurah, to which therefore I refer him. Any four-lettered name is of course a tetragrammaton, but this term is especially applied to the word of four letters called by biblical translators Jehovah. It must be remembered that the natural course of writing Hebrew and Chaldee is from right to left, and that when it is written from left to right, it is said to be written "backwards," "in retrograde order," or "averse." By the "path of understanding" is meant Binah. the third Sephira. Schechinah is of course the Divine Presence manifested in the path of Malkuth. I have explained in the Introduction the meaning of the term "path" as employed in the Zohar.]
33. But in one balance are they equiponderated. (The balance denoteth the male and the female; and the meaning is, that the fetters I, Yod, and H, He--of which the former is masculine and referreth to the path of the foundation; and the latter is feminine, pertaining to the queen--are interchangeable; since whilst the equilibrium existeth there is an intercommunication between them, and they are joined together as one. Add to this that the queen is also called ADNI, Adonaï, wherein the letter I, Yod, bringeth up the rearguard of the army, as it were; because also it is accustomed to be called the Lesser Wisdom.) And the living creatures rush forth and return. (This is what is said in Ezek. i. 14 concerning the living creatures, which it is accustomed to be said concerning those letters of the Tetragrammaton, which sometimes hold the last place and sometimes the first; as when I, Yod, rusheth forth unto the last place, and when it returneth unto the beginning again; and so also the letter H, He. Likewise, then, also the living creatures are said to rush forth, when the Tetragrammaton is written with the final H, He, because then the whole system of emanatives is exhausted. But they are said to return when the Tetragrammaton is written with the final I, Yod, so that the sense may be collected in such a manner as to return from the last path of the queen into the penultimate of the foundation, which is designated by this letter I, Yod.
[I have defined "balance" in the Introduction, § 29, which see. The "path of the foundation" is of course Yesod, the ninth Sephira, while the queen is Malkuth, the tenth. Yesod is therefore the connecting link between the Microprosopus and the bride. The letter I "bringeth up the rearguard as it were" in the name ADNI, Adonai, because it is the last letter. Ezek, i. 14: the Qabalists by the term ChIVTh HQDSh, Chaioth Ha-Qadesch, the Holy Living-Creatures, understand the letters of the Tetragrammaton. With regard to the "letters of the Tetragrammaton, which sometimes hold the last place and sometimes the first," the following are two examples-namely, as in the form IHVI, Yod, He, Van, Yod, the letter I, Yod, is both at the beginning and end of the word; and in the form which is more usual IHVH, Yod, He, Van, He, the letter H, He, is in the second and last place.]
34. Like as it is written: "And the Elohim saw the substance of the light, that it was good. (Here a reason is adduced from the proposed text itself, showing how the last letter of this form of the Tetragrammaton, namely, I, Yod, may be said to symbolize the bride, since God himself might behold in that light the path of conjunctive foundation, which the word "goodness" pointeth out; but when the foundation is in the act of conjunction--that is, under the idea of communicating goodness--there then is the bride. But also that the word "goodness" denoteth the foundation is proved from Isa. iii. 10, where it is said, "Say ye unto the righteous man" (that is, to the path of foundation, because the first man is said to be the foundation of the world, Prov. x. 25),,that it shall be well with him." Therefore, then do they ascend within the equilibrium. (That is, these two letters, I, Yod, and H, He, mean one and the same thing. Or, again: But behold, how in balanced power ascend the letters of Tetragrammaton. That is, how those letters agree when in conjunction, which before were standing separated in the word VIHI, Vayehi.)
(The "path of foundation" is of course the ninth Sephira, Yesod, which is the sixth member of Microprosopus (see section 16, foregoing). and typifies reproductive power. Malkuth is the queen. We must remember that in the Tetragrammaton, IHVH, I, Yod, is the father (who is not Macroprosopus, though he is implied therein. as the top point of the Hebrew letter Yod is said to symbolize him); H, He, the supernal mother; V, Vau, the son (Microprosopus); and H, He, final, the bride (the queen). And this is their proper order. Other variations of the Tetragrammaton, therefore, alter the position of the letters with regard to each other their normal and correct position being IHVH.]
35 (Whilst the spouse, Microprosopus) was at first alone (he was standing by, whilst the letter V, Vau, occupied the first place, then was he separated from his bride). But all things returned into the unity. (That is, not only were father and mother conjoined into one, because the two letters, I, Yod, and H, He, were combined; but also the Microprosopus returned to his bride, whilst V, Vau, was placed next to I, Yod, in the Tetragrammaton, IHVI, Yahevi. For) V, Vau, descendeth (when in the word VIHI, Vayehi, "and it was done," it occupieth the first place; but in the proposed metathesis it descended into the third place, in order that it might be IHVI, Yahevi). And they are bound together the one to the other (male and female, V, Vau, and I, Yod, the path of beauty and the queen), namely, I, Yod, and H, He (by which are shown wisdom and knowledge, father and mother), like unto two lovers who embrace each other. (By two lovers are understood either V, Vau, and I, Yod, only--that is, at the end; or I, Yod, and H, He, together--that is, at the beginning).
[The "path of beauty," or Tiphereth, the sixth Sephira, is sometimes represented by V, Vau, and therefore sometimes stands for Microprosopus by itself; it is really the central Sephira of the group of six Sephiroth which compose him. The numerical value of Vau is 6.]
36. (Now the author of the "Siphra Dtzenioutha" hasteneth to the latter explanation of these letters, I, Yod, and V, Vau; and concerning V, Vau, he saith): Six members are produced from the branch of the root of his body. (The body is Microprosopus; the root of the body is the mother, who is symbolized by the letter H, He; the branch of the root is the letter V, Vau, enclosed and hidden within the letter H, He; and from that very branch were produced the six members--that is, the entire letter V, Vau, now having obtained the head.)
[The mother here mentioned is of course the third Sephira, Binah. The six members of Microprosopus forming the entire letter Vau in an allusion to the numerical value of that letter being 6.]
37. "The tongue speaketh great things" (see Dan, vi. 8. And by the tongue is understood the foundation--namely, the letter I, Yod, joined with his bride; the speech is the marital influx flowing forth from the bride; for the queen is called the word; but the great things are the inferiors of all grades produced.) [The inferiors of all "grades" or "paths" are the Sephiroth in the inferior worlds.]
38. This tongue is hidden between I, Yod, and H, He. (For father and mother are perpetually conjoined in ISVD, Yesod, the foundation, but concealed under the mystery of Daath or of knowledge.)
[The conjunction of the letters V and H at the end of the Tetragrammaton IHVH is similar to that of I and H at the beginning.]
39. Because it is written (Isa. xliv. 5): "That man shall say, I am of the Tetragrammaton." (The word ANI, Ani, I, when the discourse is concerning judgments, pertaineth to the queen. But whensoever mercy is introduced it referreth to the understanding, like as in this place. In order that the sense may be: The supernal path, which is called I, or the understanding in act of conjunction with the father, is for the purpose of the formation of the Tetragrammaton, and this is one conjunction between the father and the mother for the constitution of the six members.) And that shall be called by the name Jacob, IOQB, Yaqob. (To call by name is to preserve; and another conjunction of father and mother is introduced for the purpose of preserving the Microprosopus, which is called Jacob.) And that man shall write with his hand, "I am the Lord's" (To write belongeth to the written law, or the beautiful path, and the same also signifieth to flow in. "With his hand," BIDV, Byodo, is by metathesis BIVD, Byod, by I, Yod--that is, through the foundation; in order that the sense may be, it may be formed from his influx, so that the Tetragrammaton may be written with