Thelema Lodge Calendar/Newsletter for January 1990 to February 1990 e.v. Copyright (c) O.T.O. and the Individual Authors, 1990 e.v. ************************************************************************* From the Out Basket Since the Qabalah Series has started up again, here's a demonstration of several techniques for studying words with Berashit (elementary) Qabalah. Those interested in pursuing these methods will find a copy of Crowley's "Liber 777" useful, as well as the various materials provided with the current Qabalah classes. An inexpensive edition of "Liber 777" can be obtained at Thelema Lodge by visitors. This presentation is adapted from "Magical Correspondences", a series of class materials originally used in 1972 e.v. Copyright (c) 1972 and 1990 by Bill Heidrick. These examples use YHVH., the Tetragrammaton. Hundreds of others examples could be introduced for that word alone, but these show some of the most common methods. 1. Words may be looked up in a Dictionary: YHVH = "He/She is" or "He/She causes to be". 2. Words may be compared to other words: YHVH compared to AHYH. HB:Y --- HB:A HB:H --- HB:H HB:A instead of HB:Y HB:V --- HB:Y HB:Y instead of HB:V HB:H --- HB:H AHYH signifies "I am" YHVH signifies "He/She is". Therefore HB:AH is a more direct expression of being than HB:YH or HB:YH. .A unformed being. AHYH-:H forming force. .+Y partly formed being. YHVH:.H forming force : V more completely . H formed being. 3. Words may be analyzed letter-by-letter through correspondences: --- using Tarot cards (see "Liber 777", columns CLXXV and XIV): Y --- The Hermit H --- The Emperor or The Star V --- The Hierophant H --- The Emperor or The Star YHVH is the secret force (Hermit) entering the organizing of forms (Emperor) to teach the true nature (Hierophant) of the order of creation (Emperor). or, using Crowley's correspondence between HB:H and The Star Trump: YHVH is the secret force (Hermit) entering the totality of the creation (Star) to inform (Hierophant) all that exists (Star). --- using Hebrew letter names ("777", columns CLXXV and III): Y --- Hand H --- Window V --- Nail H --- Window YHVH is a reaching into true vision to establish a vision of truth. --- using Astrology ("777", columns CLXXV and VII): Y --- Virgo H --- Aries V --- Taurus H --- Aries YHVH is a quiet harmony established through will in power and firmness and perpetuated by will. The same thing may be done with color correspondences ("Liber 777", columns XV - XVIII); but reactions to colors tend to be somewhat different for different people. Example: Y --- Greenish Yellow H --- Scarlet V --- Red Orange H --- Scarlet YHVH is a living mist inflamed into a glowing fire. or: An existence is acted upon to make it more active. The shapes of the letters may suggest ideas to the mind: Y --- a flame or a sperm cell. H --- a man united with a woman. V --- the erect phallus. H --- union results in pregnancy. YHVH is like a fruitful sexual union. 4. In some cases, traditional meanings are given to the letters of a particular word in addition to the regular ones found in tables of correspondences. This is the case with YHVH. Y --- Father ----- Red ------ Atziluth --- Fire H --- Mother ----- Blue ----- Briah ------ Water V --- Son -------- Yellow --- Yetzirah --- Air H --- Daughter --- Black ---- Assiah ----- Earth Such traditional meanings may summarize the findings of Gematria (the number 52 is informative for YHVH, see below), standard correspondences to a fixed number of letters (any words having the same number of letters may be matched to the same set), or the results of a unique meditation. 5. Words may be analyzed by Gematria: YHVH ---------- Y = 10 H = 5 V = 6 H = 5 10 + 5 + 6 + 5 = 26 Therefore YHVH = 26. Some other words which total to 26 are: ChVZH = 5 + 7 + 6 + 8 = 26; seeing, looking at ChZVH = sight, vision HChBYA = to hide, conceal VDVY = confession ZVGY = dual (see below for more examples) Thus, YHVH is the vision of concealed duality. this justifies viewing YHVH as composed of "male" and "female" letters. YHVH is the word which joins the creator to the created, spirit to matter, man to woman, plan to action and so on. The numbers of the middle column of the Tree of Life add to 26 = 1 + 6 + 9 + 10. this affirms the purpose of the middle pillar of the Tree to be that of YHVH, to join two opposites together by the most direct root. The name YHVH is associated with the Tree of Life diagram in several other ways. The letter names of YHVH may be added up to give another number for this word, (see "Liber 777", columns CLXXV and II: Y = Yod = YVD = 20 H = Heh = HH = 10 V = Vau = VV = 12 H = Heh = HH = 10 --- TOTAL 52 Other words which total 52 include: ABA VAMA; Father and Mother; AYMA; Fertile Mother; BKL; in all Things; BN; Son. (more examples below) There are yet other ways to spell the letters (such as Heh = HA = 6 instead of HH = 10) which give still more numbers. 6. Words may be analyzed by Notariqon: MY Ya'aLH LNV HShMYMH, meaning: "Who shall go up for us to Heaven." : : : : Y H V H or YHVH (This Notariqon uses the last letters of each of these four Hebrew words. If the initial letters are used instead, the resulting Hebrew four letter word signifies "circumcision". Ouch! This double Notariqon is noted by Ginsburg in his "The Kabbalah" as an argument for the divine ordination of the practice of mutilating babies. Ideas obtained by mystical methods need not always militate toward physical practices! It is perfectly valid to treat this as a metaphor for a mental practice. In Qabalah, that would be interpreting the information on a Yetziratic level instead of an Assiatic one.) 7. More complex methods: All or part of the above techniques may be combined and used with a more elaborate pattern or system. An example of this sort of thing is the study of the "Twelve Banners of YHVH". The name YHVH is composed of three different letters, two of which are repeated. It is possible to rearrange the letters of YHVH into twelve different orders, or permutations. These may then be associated with other groups of twelve things: the signs of the Zodiac; the Tribes of Israel, the categories of Aristotle, &c. For this example, the Twelve Banners of YHVH are linked to the signs of the Zodiac, and the results are examined in the light of one of the "traditional" sets of correspondences to YHVH, that of the elements. The order of the banners or permutations of YHVH is important. The method is to start with the usual form of the name and then to get a second form by switching the last two letters about. The third banner is obtained from the second by switching the fourth and second letters. The fourth is obtained from the third by switching the last and first letters. The fifth is obtained from the fourth by switching the last two letters about. The rest are obtained by a repetition of the same series of operations. The twelfth banner automatically is changed by this process into the first, and the whole thing repeats in a regular cycle of such permutations --- this is also the nature of the annual cycle of the twelve signs of the Zodiac. Aries --------- YHVH --- FireWaterAirEarth --- fire on water, air on earth. Taurus -------- YHHV --- FireWaterEarthAir --- fire on water, earth on air. Gemini -------- YVHH --- FireAirEarthWater --- fire on air, earth on water. Cancer -------- HVHY --- WaterAirEarthFire --- water on air, earth on fire. Leo ----------- HVYH --- WaterAirFireEarth --- water on air, fire on earth. Virgo --------- HHYV --- WaterEarthFireAir --- water on earth, fire on air. Libra --------- VHYH --- AirEarthFireWater --- air on earth, fire on water. Scorpio ------- VHHY --- AirEarthWaterFire --- air on earth, water on fire. Sagittarius --- VYHH --- AirFireWaterEarth --- air on fire, water on earth. Capricorn ----- HYHV --- EarthFireWaterAir --- earth on fire, water on air. Aquarius ------ HYVH --- EarthFireAirWater --- earth on fire, air on water. Pisces -------- HHVY --- EarthWaterAirFire --- earth on water, air on fire. Aries --- Harmony of actives (fire and air) on passives (water and earth). Fire leads --- this is the 1st of the fire signs of the Zodiac. Taurus --- Still harmonious in combination, but now the earth is raised above the air --- 1st earth sign. Gemini --- The actives isolated from the passives. Air is advanced --- the 1st air sign. Cancer --- Actives and passives are mixed, but water leads --- the 1st water sign. Leo --- Again actives and passives are mixed, but this time fire scorches earth -- the 2nd fire sign. Virgo --- Actives and passives are isolated. Earth advances in the 2nd earth sign. Libra --- A harmonious mixture of actives and passives. The reversal of the two pairs of Aries. Air advances in the 2nd air sign. Scorpio --- Actives and passives are mixed to counterbalance Taurus, but now water is advanced --- 2nd water sign. Sagittarius --- Actives and passives separated. Fire advanced --- 3rd fire sign. Capricorn --- Earth leads and actives are mixed with passives --- 3rd earth sign. Aquarius --- Actives and passives mixed, air advances --- 3rd air sign. Pisces --- Actives and passives separated, water advanced --- 3rd water sign. Cardinal Quadruplicity: Aries, Cancer, Libra & Capricorn. Aries ------- YHVH In each case the Actives and Passives Cancer ------ HVHY are mixed. The order is the same in each. Libra ------- VHYH Only the starting point is different. Capricorn --- HYHV Fixed Quadruplicity: Taurus, Leo, Scorpio & Aquarius. Taurus ----- YHHV In each case the Actives are mixed with Leo -------- HVYH the Passives, but the order is different Scorpio ---- VHHY from the Cardinals. Aquarius --- HYVH Mutable Quadruplicity: Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius & Pisces Gemini -------- YVHH In each case the Actives are separated Virgo --------- HHYV from the Passives; a different order is Sagittarius --- VYHH seen in each. Pisces -------- HHVY Note that if the banners of YHVH be read as vertical columns in each group of Quadruplicities, the name YHVH will be spelled out in the first of the four columns and the remaining columns will cycle through the letters of YHVH in that same order. The Fire Triplicity: Aries, Leo & Sagittarius. Aries --------- YHVH The elements of Fire (HB:Y), Water (HB:H) Leo ----------- HVYH & Air (HB:V) cycle, but Earth (HB:H) does not. Sagittarius --- VYHH The Earth Triplicity: Taurus, Virgo & Capricorn. Taurus ------ YHHV Air (HB:V) is fixed and the other Virgo ------- HHYV elements cycle. Capricorn --- HYHV The Air Triplicity Gemini, Libra & Aquarius. Gemini ----- YVHH Water (HB:H) is fixed and the other Libra ------ VHYH elements cycle. Aquarius --- HYVHH The Water Triplicity: Cancer, Scorpio & Pisces. Cancer ---- HVHY Fire (HB:Y) is fixed and the other Scorpio --- VHHY elements cycle. Pisces ---- HHVY For a more extensive discussion of the Banners, see "Notes on Liber 777", "O.T.O. Newsletter", Vol. III, No. 9, August 1979 e.v., pp.34-44. The article also presents an analysis of variations in the order of the banners in different sources, including the one in Crowley's "777", and examples of Noteriquon for each of the Banners. Many of the above techniques can be applied with success on names like: AHYH --- Eheieh; ADNY --- Adonai; AGLA --- Agla; YHShVH --- Jeshuah These techniques produce results on any word, but it's easier to start with something having a known mystical significance. It may seem that the work on YHVH has produced many results, but the surface has been merely scratched. Words like BRAShYTh, B'rashit (first word of the Old Testament) have been studied in this fashion for several thousand years and new result keep coming. Each new meaning which supports or expands previously known meanings adds confidence to the use of the word and greater force in ritual. ---TSG ************************************************************************