The Kabbalah Unveiled — S. L. MacGregor Mathers (from Knorr von Rosenroth's Latin) (1887)
The text is shown on its own: no facing layer is held for this issue.
* I.e.} The various degrees of the whiteness.
THE LESSER HOL Y ASSEMBL Y.
643. The hairs of the beard are black, and beautiful in form as in (that of) a robust youth.
644. The oil of dignity of the supernal beard of the
Ancient One (floweth down) in this beard of Microprosopus.
645. The beautiful arrangement of this beard is divided into nine parts. But when the most holy oil of dignity of the Most Holy Ancient One sendeth down rays into this beard, its parts are found to be twenty-two.*
646. And then all things exist in benediction, and thence Israel the patriarch ( i.e ., Jacob) took his blessing. And the symbol of this is to be found in these words, Gen. xlviii. 20 : “ BK, with the twenty-two shall Israel bless.” (The real translation of BK is “ in theef but the numerical value of BK is twenty-two ; hence the symbolism here rendered .)
647. We have described the conformations of the beard already, in the Conclave of the Assembly. Here also I desire to enter upon this matter in all humility.
648. Now we thus examined all the parts of the beard, that in the Conclave of the Assembly (we found) that they were all disposed from the parts of the beard of the Most Holy Ancient One.
649. Six there are ; nine they are called. For the first conformation goeth forth through that Spark of the most refulgent Light-bearer, f and goeth down beneath the hair of the head, assuredly beneath those locks which overhang the ears.
650. And it descendeth before the opening of the ears unto the beginning of the mouth.
651. But this arrangement is not found in the Most
Holy Ancient One. But when that fountain of Wisdom,
ChKMThA, Choikmatha , floweth down from MZLA,
Mezla , the Influence of the Most Holy Ancient One, and
* Answering to the number of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet, which together with the ten Sephiroth form the thirty-two paths of wisdom of the ^‘Sepher Yetzirah.”
f See “ Book of Concealed Mystery,” ch. ii. § 31, 40, &c.
KABBALAH.
dependeth from Him, and when Aima, the Mother, ariseth, and is included in that subtle ether, then She, Aima, assumeth that white brilliance.*
652. And the Scintilla entereth and departeth, and together mutually are They bound, and thence cometh the One Form.
653. And when there is need, One ariseth above the Other, and the Other again is concealed in the presence of Its Companion.
654. And therefore there is need of all things ; of one thing for performing vengeance, of another for showing forth mercy.
655. And therefore David the king hath sought out this beard, as we have shown already.
656. In this beard nine conformations are found, (among which are) six myriads which depend among them, and are extended throughout the whole body.
657. And those six which depend hang in the locks which are beneath the abodes of fragrance, three on this side and three on that.
658. And in the ornamentation of the beard hang the three remaining (conformations) ; one above the lips, and two in those locks which hang down upon the chest.
659. And all those six (other conformations ), three on this side and three on that side, go forth, and all depend from those locks which hang down, and they are extended throughout the whole body.
660. But on account of those three (conformations), which are more connected with the ornament of the beard than all the others, the Holy Name is written in its purity.
661. When it is written thus, Ps. cxviii. 5 : “I invoked
IH, Yah , in my trouble: IH, Yah , heard me at large:
Tetragrammaton is with me, therefore I will not fear.”
* In the “ Book of Concealed Mystery,” ch. i. § 31, HVA and ALHIM are shown to be interchangeable, and they both are feminine. And now we come to the “ Three Mothers,” of the “ Sepher Yetzirah,” the Great Supernal Feminine Triad, which is even before the triune father. I may say no more here ; in fact, I have almost revealed too much. Let the reader carefully meditate on § 651, for there the indicible Arcanum is shadowed.
THE LESSER HOLY ASSEMBLY.
I
662. But that which we have already laid down in the Conclave of the Assembly concerning these words, “ In my trouble I invoked IH, Yah ” that this is to be referred to that place where the beard beginneth to be extended, which place is more remote, and before the ears, is also correct.
663. And in the book of the dissertation of the school of Rav Yeyeva the Elder it is thus said and established, that the beginning of the beard cometh from the supernal ChSD, Chesed , Mercy.