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The Kabbalah Unveiled

By S.L. Macgregor Mathers

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Concerning the Lips and Mouth of Microprosopus

678. THOSE hairs cover not the lips, and the entire lips are red and rosy. As it is written, Cant. v. 13: "His lips as roses." (In the ordinary version ShVShNIM, Shushanim, is translated "lilies," not "roses.")

679. His lips murmur Geburah, Severity, but they also murmur Chokmah, Wisdom.

680. From those lips alike depend good and evil, life and death.

681. From these lips depend the Lords of Vigilance. For when those lips murmur, they all are excited to bring forth secret things, as well as the Lords of judgment in all the tribunals wherein they have their abiding-place.

682. And therefore are these called the Watchers; as it is written, Dan. iv, 17: "This matter is by the decree of the Watchers, and the demand by the word of the Holy Ones."

683. What is a Watcher? In the book of the dissertation that is explained from this passage, 1 Sam. xxviii. 16: "And is become thine enemy."

684. Seeing that judgments are stirred up against those who obtain not mercy from the Supernals.

685. Hence are those stirred up who are the lords of the enmity of all things.

696. And, nevertheless, in each case is there mercy and judgment. And therefore is it said, Dan. iv. 13: "A watcher and a holy one;" judgment and mercy.

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 true prophets enfolded, and all are called the mouth of Tetragrammaton.

689. When forth from His mouth the words proceed through His lips, the same are muttered through the whole circuit of eighteen thousand worlds, 1 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). 2

692. "And He is altogether the desirablenesses (or delights)" (of the powers 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. 3

693. For the colours are mutually associated together.

694. In His palate are the (guttural) letters (of the Hebrew Alphabet--namely, A, H, Ch, O) formed and constructed; in the circuit of His (mouth) are they condensed (into the palatals G, I, X Q). 1

695. The letter A, Aleph, which cast forth the kings and constituted the kings 2 (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, Yod).

697. The letter H, He, 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 supernal H of IHVH, and the Holy City, the Bride, as She is called in the Apocalypse, the final H of IHVH). (And the guttural letter H, He, formeth the palatal letter K, Kaph, which is referred unto the Queen.) As it is written, Cant. iv. 6: "Unto the mountain of myrrh, unto the hill of frankincense."

698. The letter O, Ayin (which denoteth the seven Inferiors which were destroyed) is the medium or splendour of mediation (i.e., the internal Light of the broken vessels), hath been formed forth in His lips by revolution therein (and it hath been condensed in Q, Qoph, which goeth forth from the middle of the palate unto the lips). For the branches (of the Tree of Life, namely) are connected in Him (Microprosopus) in the spirits (such as they were in the prior world) formed forth (such as they are in the restored world).

699. For in the mysteries of the letters of Solomon the King, those four letters, A, H, Ch, O, are surrounded by GIKQ.

700. But it is written in Job vi. 6: "Can that which is unsavoury be eaten without salt?" &c.

701. Also it is written, Isa. xxxii. 17: "And the work of TzDQ, Tzedeq, Righteousness (or Justice), shall be peace." Also, Ps. xix. 10: "More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold," &c.

702. But King David saith, ibid. 11: "Also by them is thy servant warned."

703. I affirm concerning myself, that I have been every day cautious concerning them, so that concerning them I might not err (i.e., concerning the judgments, Meshephath, referred to in verse 9).

704. Excepting a certain day when I was binding together the Crowns of the King 1 in the Cave of Maranæa, I beheld a Splendour of devouring Fire flashing from His wrathful Countenance of Flame, and with terror I trembled at the sight.

705. From that day forth I ever acted with caution in my meditations concerning them, neither have I omitted that all the days of my life.

706. Blessed is his portion who is prudent regarding Him who is more ancient than (otherwise, concerning the gentleness of) the King, so that he may taste thereof, as is fitting.

707. Therefore is it written, Ps. xxxiv. 9: "Taste and see that Tetragrammaton is good," &c.

708. Also it is written, Prov. ix. 5: "Come, eat of my bread," &c.

Footnotes
330:1 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 30 degrees of each sign. And thus we return to the 12 signs of the Zodiac, and these are operated on from the to 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.

330:2 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 Leakol.

330:3 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, p. 331 the Father and Mother who, conjoined, produce the Son. Now the fire is symbolized by a triangle with the apex uppermost , and water by , these two together united form  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.

331:1 The letters of the Hebrew alphabet are usually classed in the following manner:--

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

Palatals = G, I, K, Q.

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

Dentals = Z, S, Sh, Tz (R by others).

Labials = B, V, M, P.

The "Sepher Yetzirah" further classes them as--

3 Mothers (Primitives) = A, M, Sh.

7 Duplicated = B, G. D, K, P, R, Th.

12 Simples = H, V, Z, Ch, T, I, L, N, S, O. Tz, Q.

In the above classification it classes R as a dental.

331:2 This section and § 698, contain references to the Edomite kings and their symbology--namely, as denoting the primal worlds which were destroyed (See 'The Book of Concealed Mystery," ch. i. § 3; "The Greater Holy Assembly," ch. ii. and ch. xxvi.; and "The Lesser Holy Assembly," ch. x.

332:1 I.e., Tracing out the: properties. &c., of the Sephiroth which form the King. Microprosopus, and, as appears from the latter part of this section, those only in their aspect of Judgment and Wrath.