The Kabbalah Unveiled — S. L. MacGregor Mathers (from Knorr von Rosenroth's Latin) (1887)
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304. “ The first world, which proceedeth from the first disposition, hath dominion over, and descendeth and ascendeth in a thousand times a thousand myriads of myriads of shield-bearers, and by it are they comprehended under a great seal.
305. “ The second world, which proceedeth from that disposition, hath dominion over and descendeth and ascendeth in fifty-seven thousand bodyguards, who are the lords of lamentations ; and these are connected with it for the purpose of disposing the neck of the spine. #
306. “The third world, which goeth forth from that arrangement, hath dominion over and descendeth and ascendeth in sixty-nine thousand authors of grief, who are upheld by it, like as metal (is upheld) by the tongs (of the smith).
307. “And by that conformation all those are subjected, and mitigated in the bitterness of tears, which become sweet in the great sea.t
308. “ Who is he who behold eth this conformation of the holy beard, excellent and venerable, who is not overcome with shame thereby ?
309. “Who can comprehend the mystery of those locks of hair which hang down from Him, the Ancient One ?
* This is of course simply pursuing the symbolism involved in the idea of Macroprosopus, being typified by a vast countenance or head.
+ By the great sea, Binah, the third Sephira, is probably meant. (See the u Book of Concealed Mystery,” ch. i .§ 28.)
THE GREATER HOLY ASSEMBLY.
310. “He is set on the crown of crowns, which are the crowns of all crowns, and the crowns which are not comprehended in the other crowns ; I say, of those crowns which are not as the other crowns, for the inferior crowns are comprehended by them.*
31 1. “And therefore are those forms (arranged in)
such conformations, whereunto the inferior forms adhere ;
and they are the dispositions in which He t is disposed
Who hath need that He may be blessed by Him,J and
Who desireth blessing.
312. “ For whensoever the dispositions take the form of these, blessings are found beneath them ; and It Is that which It Is.§
313. “All things are comprehended in those dispositions ; all things raise themselves up in order that they may receive these dispositions of the Mighty King, of the Ancient One, the most concealed of all. And all those are mitigated by those ordinations of the King, the Ancient One.
314. “ We have learned : Unless the Ancient of the Ancient Ones, the Holy of the Holy Ones, were disposed in those conformations, neither the superiors nor the inferiors would be found, and all things would be as though they existed not.
315. “ Also we have learned by tradition : how far do those conformations of the beard radiate splendour ? Even unto the thirteen inferiors ; and whensoever those thirteen are found, those shine. ||
* To comprehend the real meaning of section 310, the reader should have carefully studied that part of the Introduction which refers to the Sephiroth, which are symbolized by crowns. In this sense the “ crown of crowns ” is Kether, the first Sephira, the Ancient One ; the crowns of all crowns will be the first three Sephiroth ; and the inferiors will be the lower Sephiroth, and those other forms which are dependent on them, symbolized by the crowns of the twenty-four elders in the Apocalypse, which latter is a purely qabalistical work, and is unintelligible without the qabalistical keys.
+ Microprosopus. I Macroprosopus. § Cf. Exodus iii. 14.
11 This section refers to the statement that Macroprosopus pours forth His splendour upon Microprosopus, so that the latter shines by reflected light.
L
KABBALAH.
316. “ And all of them are found in the number thirteen.
317. “ Therefore is the beard of the King, the Ancient One, most venerable among all, at once in its entirety concealed and most excellent.
318. “And because it is most excellent before all things, and concealed, there is no mention made concerning it in any place in the law, and it is not manifested.
319. u But what beard is manifested ? The beard of the Great High Priest, and from that beard descendetk the influx unto the inferior beard of the inferior high priest.*