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The Kabbalah Unveiled

By S.L. Macgregor Mathers

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Chapter IV- Siphra Dtzenioutha: The Book of Concealed Mystery

1. THE Ancient One is hidden and concealed; the Microprosopus is manifested, and is not manifested.

[The "Ancient One" is Kether. Eheieh, Macroprosopus, the Vast Countenance. See introduction, §§, 42, 77.]

2. When he is manifested, he is symbolized by the letters (in the ordinary form in which the Tetragrammaton is written).

3. When he is concealed, he is hidden by the letters which are not disposed according (to the proper order) of the letters, or (according to another reading of this passage) in their proper place; because also in him their superiors and inferiors are not rightly disposed (because of the disturbed transpositions).

4. In Gen. i. 24 it is written: "The earth brought forth the living creature after its kind, cattle and reptile," &c. Hereunto belongeth that which is written, Ps. xxxv. 7: "O Lord, thou shalt preserve both man and beast."

5. The one is contained under the general meaning of the other, and also the beast under the general idea of the man (on account of the mystery of the revolution of the soul).

6. (And hereunto pertaineth that passage) Levit. i. 2: "When a man shall bring from among you an offering unto the Lord, &c. Ye shall offer, &c." Because animals are included under the generic term man.

7. When the inferior man descendeth (into this world), like unto the supernal form (in himself), there are found two spirits. (So that) man is formed from two sides--from the right and from the left.

8. With respect unto the right side he had NShMThA QDIShA, Neschamotha Qadisha, the holy intelligences; with respect unto the left side, NPSh ChIH, Nephesh Chiah, the animal soul.

[These answer to the right and left pillars of the Sephiroth. See Introduction.]

9. Man sinned and was expanded on the left side; and then they who are formless were expanded also. (That is those spirits of matter, who received dominion in the inferior paths of the soul of Adam, whence arose base concupiscence.) When (therefore) both were at once joined together (namely by base concupiscence, together with connexion, and the animal soul) generations took place, like as from some animal which generateth many lives in one connexion.

10. (There are given) twenty-two letters hidden and twenty-two letters manifested (which are the symbols of those sublime forms).

11. (The one) Yod is concealed; the other is manifested. (The one is the understanding or mother, the other is the kingdom or queen; so that at the same time it looketh back to the superior paths.) But that which is hidden and that which is manifest are balanced in the equilibrium of forms. (That is, masculine and feminine; the one, the father and the mother; the other, the foundation and the queen; meaning principally the female idea, which includeth form and receptacle.)

12. Out of Yod are produced male and female (if, namely, it be fully written as IVD, Yod, they are then its augment), Vau and Daleth. In this position Vau is male, and Daleth is female. And hence arise DV, the two letters which are the duad male and female; and not only the duad, but also the co-equal duads (of the superior and inferior conjunctions).

13. Yod by itself is male (the father); He, female (the mother).

14. H, He, at first was D, Daleth; but after it was impregnated by I, Yod (so that thence it might produce the form H--namely the I, Yod, placed at the left hand lower part of Daleth) it brought forth V, Vau. (That is, the mother impregnated by the father produced Microprosopus. But in the shape of the letter out of that minute I, Yod, which is hidden within the H, He, V, Vau, is said to be formed. Or from the upper horizontal line of the letter H, which is one V, Vau, and from the right-hand vertical line, which is another V, Vau, and from the inserted I, Yod, is made VIV, the full form of letter Vau.)

[This is again referring to the shape of the letter. See Table of the Alphabet for Hebrew form.]

15. Whence it is plain that in the letter H, He, are hidden the letters D, Daleth, V, Vau; and in IVD, Yod, is hidden H: whence are formed IHV. Therefore it appeareth that IVD in its own form containeth IHV, whensoever it is fully written by IVD, which are male and female (namely I, Yod, male, and V, Vau, D, Daleth, in the form, H, He, female); hence is compounded (the son, who is) V, Vau, and who overshadoweth his mother. (That is V placed after H, so that IHV may form the father, the mother, and Microprosopus.)

16. (Therefore in the letter IVD, Yod, and in the name IHI are hidden two males and two females, which is symbolized in that saying, Gen. vi. 2: "And the sons of the Elohim beheld (the plural in its least form denoteth two) the daughters of men" (and this also). This explaineth on this account that which is written, Josh. ii. 1: "Two men as Spies, saying" (hence is revealed the mystery of the two men). But how (is it proved that two females are understood) by the words, "Daughters of men?" Because it is written, 1 Kings iii. 16: "Then came there two women unto the king."

17. Of these it is written, ibid. 28: "Because they saw that the wisdom of Elohim was in him." (Here are involved the two males, in the wisdom, the father; in Solomon, Microprosopus. Therefore) then came they (even the two women, the understanding and the queen) and not before.

18. In the palace of the union of the fountains (that is, in the world of creation) there were two connexions by conjunctions among the supernals; these descended from above, and occupied the earth; but they rejected the good part, which in them was the crown of mercy; and were crowned with the cluster of grapes. (That is instead of benignity, they were surrounded with judgments and rigours. Which also can be explained concerning Microprosopus and his bride, first in the mother, and afterwards in the existences below, and in exile with surrounding rigours and severities.)

[Referring to the previous symbolical explanation of Joshua ii, 1.]

19. (Also we find these two equations in that saying) Exod. xiv. 15: "And the Lord said unto Moses (who is referred to the mother), Why criest thou unto Me?" (But also a cry is referred to the mother, just as a groan is to the beautiful path, and an exclamation to the kingdom. But) ALI, Eli, unto me (note this is the same as, "and unto I, Yod;" or the father). "Speak unto the children of Israel (the speech is the queen; Israel is the beautiful path) that they set forward." Wherein note well the word VISOV, Vayesaau, "that they set forward," wherein are VI masculine letters; SO feminine letters).

["But also a cry, &c." Meaning the three Sephiroth, Binah, Tiphereth, and Malkuth.]

20. From above the power of life flowed down in equilibrium, for he entreated the influence of the Venerable One.

["The Venerable One"--i.e., the first Sephira, proceeding from the AIN SVP AVR, Ain Soph Aur. See Introduction.)

21. Hereunto also pertaineth that passage, Exod. xv. 26: "And if thou shalt do right in His eyes, and shalt hearken unto His precepts, and shalt keep all His statutes." (Where in the last word also two equations are placed.) "Because I am the Lord thy God who healeth thee." (Note this, because again here is hidden the mystery of the understanding and the wisdom, of the path of beauty and of the congregation of Israel.)