The Kabbalah Unveiled — S. L. MacGregor Mathers (from Knorr von Rosenroth's Latin) (1887)

is a plural formed from the feminine singular ALH, Eloh , hy adding IM to the word. But inasmuch as IM is usually the termination of the masculine plural, and is here added to a feminine noun, it gives to the word Elohim the sense of a female potency united to a masculine idea, and thereby capable of producing an offspring. Now, we hear much of the Father and the Son, but we hear nothing of the Mother in the ordinary religions of the day. But in the Qabalah we find that the Ancient of Days conforms Himself simultaneously into the Father and the Mother, and thus begets the Son. Now, this Mother is Elohim. Again, we are usually told that the Holy Spirit is masculine. But the word RVCh, Ruach , Spirit, is feminine, as appears from the following passage of the Sepher Yetzirah : “ AChThRVCh ALHIM ChIIM, Achath (feminine, not Achad , masculine') Ruach Elohim Chiim : One is She the Spirit of the Elohim of Life.”

41. Now, we find that before the Deity conformed Himself thus — i.e ., as male and female — that the worlds of the universe could not subsist, or, in the words of Genesis, “ The earth was formless and void.” These prior worlds are considered to be symbolized by the “ kings who reigned in Edom before there reigned a Ling in Israel,” and they are therefore spoken of in the Qabalah as the “ Edomite kings.” This will be found fully explained in various parts of this work.

42. We now come to the consideration of the first Sephira, or the Number One, the Monad of Pythagoras. In this number are the other nine hidden. It is indivisible, it is also incapable of multiplication ; divide I by itself and it still remains I, multiply I by itself and it is still 1 and unchanged. Thus it is a fitting representative of the great unchangeable Father of all. Now this number of unity has a twofold nature, and thus forms, as it were, the link between the negative and the positive. In its unchangeable one-ness it is scarcely a number ; but in its property of capability of addition

INTRODUCTION, ,

it may be called the first number of a numerical series. Now, the zero, o, is incapable even of addition, just as also is negative existence. How, then, if 1 can neither be multiplied nor divided, is another 1 to be obtained to add to it ; in other words, how is the number 2 to be found ? By reflection of itself. For though o be incapable of definition, 1 is definable. And the effect of a definition is to form an Eidolon, duplicate, or image, of the thing defined. Thus, then, we obtain a duad composed of 1 and its reflection. Now also we have the commencement of a vibration established, for the number I vibrates alternately from changelessness to definition, and back to changelessnes again. Thus, then, is it the father of all numbers, and a fitting type of the Father of all things.

The name of the first Sephira is KThR, Kether, the
Crown.

The Divine Name attributed to it is the Name of the Father given in Exod. iii. 4 : AHIH, Elieieh , I aiu. It •signifies Existence.

Among the epithets applied to it, as containing in itself the idea of negative existence depending back from it, are :

TMIRA DTMIRIN, Temira Dc-Temirin , the Concealed of the Concealed.

OThIQA DOThIQIN, Authiqa De-Authiqin , the
Ancient of the Ancient Ones.

OThIQA QDIShA, Authiqa Qadisha , the Most Holy
Ancient One.

OThIQA, Authiqa , the Ancient One.

OThIQ IYMIN, Authiq Iomin , the Ancient of Days.

It is also called :

NQDH RAShVNH, Nequdah Eashunah , the Primordial Point.

NQDH PShVTh, Nequdah Pesliutah , the Smooth
Point.

RIShA HYYRH, Eisha Havurah , the White Head.

RYM MOLH, Rom Meolah , the Inscrutable Height.

. KABBALAH.

Besides all these there is another very important namer applied to this Sephira as representing the great Father of all things. It is ABJK AN PIN, Arikh Anpin, the Yast Countenance, or Macroprosopus. Of Him it is said that He is partly concealed (in the sense of His connection with the negative existence) and partly manifest (as a positive Sephira). Hence the symbolism of the Vast Countenance is that of a profile wherein one side only of the countenance is seen ; or, as it is said in the Qabalah, “ in Him all is right side.” I shall refer to this title again.

The whole ten Sephiroth represent the Heavenly Man, or Primordial Being, ADM OILAH, Adam Auilah .