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

687. And between those lips when they are opened is the mouth disclosed.

688. By that RVCh, Ruach , breath, which goeth forth from His mouth, many thousands and myriads are enshrouded ; and when it is extended by the same are the

KABBALAH.

33° true prophets enfolded, and all are called the mouth of Tetr agrammaton .

689. When forth from His mouth the words proceed through His lips, the same are muttered through the whole circuit of eighteen thousand worlds,* until they are all bound together at once in the twelve paths and the known ways. And one thing ever expecteth another.

690. By the tongue is the vocal expression of the sublime spoken, in the middle nexus of the utterance.

691. And therefore is it written, Cant. v. 16: “His mouth is most sweet.’’ And this same palate of His conveyeth a sweet taste ; wherefore He smileth when He tasteth food ( which is pleasant).]

692. “And He is altogether the desirablenesses {or delights ) ” {of the povjers of) fire and (the powers of) water, because the fire and water are counterchanged with each other mutually (otherwise, are conformed together), and are beautiful in his conformation.!

693. For the colours are mutually associated together.

* That is the number eighteen on the plane of Asiah. And 18 is the fourth part of 72. And 72 is the number of the Schemahamphorasch (see ante), and the number of the Quinaries or sets of 5 degrees in the 360 degrees of the Zodiac. And there are 6 such sets in the 30 degrees of each sign. And thus we return to the 12 signs of the Zodiac, and these are operated on from the 10 Sephiroth through the “ 7 paths of the Queen, ’’ and these again depend from the first 3 Sephiroth, and these again from Kether, and Kether is Macroprosopus, from whom backwards depend the Negative Existences in their Veils ; and Macroprosopus is called HVA, Hoa , which =12, and finds its expression in Aima Elohim. Thus rusheth through the Universe the Flux and Reflux of the Eternal Word.

+ I am doubtful as to whether this is the best translation of the last clause of § 691. Rosenroth has not translated it at all. The Chaldee is MMThQIM VDAI MAI ChKV KDA VChIK ITOVM LAKVL, Mamthaqim Vadeai Maai Chiko Kedea Vecheik Yitauom LeaJeol.

J This whole section requires comment. I must first observe that Knorr de Rosenroth in his Latin version has supposed that in the word MChMDIM, Machemadim, fire and water, ASh and MIM, are hidden as in a sort of anagram. Now while it is true that MIM can be thus extracted, ASh cannot, for the remaining letters ChMD will by no exegetical rule I know of form a word signifying fire. The following I take to be the real meaning of the passage. Chokmah is the fire, I, and Binah is the water, H,

THE LESSER HOLY ASSEMBLY.

33i

694. In His palate are tlie ( guttural ) letters (of the Hebrew Alphabet — namely. A, H , Ch , 0) formed and constructed ; in the circuit of His (mouth) are they condensed (into the palatals G, /, K, Q)*

695. The letter A, Aleph , which cast forth the kings and constituted the kingsf (i.e., that guttural letter which is referred to the First Sephira, Kether , the Crown , becometh the palatal letter G , Ghimel).

696. The letter Ch, Cheth , which goeth forth and descendeth and ascendeth, and is crowned in the head (referring to the Second Sephira , Chokmah , Wisdom ), and is fire condensed in ether (i.e., developeth in the palatal letter I , Tod).

697. The letter H, iZe, the golden-yellow colour (otherwise, germinating power) of the Mother, Aima, having been connected with the Female Power, is extended in the Greater Female Potency into the desire of the Holy City, which two (otherwise, for these places) are mutually bound together the one unto the other (these two are Aima , the the Father and Mother Who, conjoined, produce the Son. Now the fire is symbolized by a triangle with the apex uppermost f\^} and water by \f , these two together united form f \ the sign of the Macrocosm, the external symbol of Vau, V, Microprosopus. And He inherits the double qualities of the Father and the Mother, shown by the word “ delights ” (“ Machemadim”) being written in the plural.

* The letters of the Hebrew alphabet are usually classed in the following manner : —

Gutturals = A, H, Ch, 0 (R by some).

Palatals = G, I, K, Q.

Linguals = D, Th, T, L, N.