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The Kabbalah Unveiled

By S.L. Macgregor Mathers

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Concerning the Seven Last Portions of the Beard of Microprosopus

880. "THE fourth conformation. This path of hairs is, disposed, and ascendeth and descendeth in His cheeks into the place of fragrance.

881. "This disposition is fair and beautiful in appearance, and it is Glory and Honour; and it is taught in Barietha that the Supernal Honour, HVD, Hod, goeth forth and is crowned, and floweth down, so that it may be comprehended in His cheeks, and is called the Honour of the Beard.

882. "And thence depend Glory and Honour, which are as vestments, and as very precious purple, so that He may be clothed therewith.

883. "For it is written, Ps. civ. 1: 'Thou art clothed with Honour and Majesty.' (Otherwise: In the fourth conformation the hair goeth forth, and is disposed, and ascendeth and descendeth in the cheeks, in the places of fragrance. This conformation is elegant and beautiful in appearance, and it is the supernal glory. And this is the tradition: The supernal glory goeth forth, and is crowned, and floweth down in the beauty of the cheeks. And this glory is called the glory of the beard; and from it depend honour and glory, the vestments of adornment, those magnificent purple garments wherewith he is clothed. Concerning which it is written: 'Thou art clothed with honour and majesty, which are the forms of clothing. In this form of man is he formed, rather than in any other form.)

884. "These are the dispositions denoting the clothing (of the divine form), and he is more fitly symbolized under this figure of man than under any other forms.

885. "Also we have learned, that when this glory (of Microprosopus) is illuminated by the light of the excellent beard, 1 and emitteth light into the other dispositions, then it is called 'Bearing Iniquity' on the one side, and 'Passing over Transgression' on the other side.

886. "And therefore in Scripture is it called by the name of his jawbones.

887. "And in the 'Book of Concealed Mystery' is the same called Glory, HVD, 2 Hod, and Honour, HDR, Hadar, and ThPARTh, 3 Tiphereth, Beauty.

888. "And unto Tiphereth, Beauty, appertaineth the title 'Passing over Transgression,' since it is said, Prov. xix. it 5: 'And it is His Beauty (Tiphereth) to pass over transgression.'

889. "Also we have learned that we should only refer that Tiphereth, Beauty, unto the ninth conformation (of the beard of Microprosopus); as it is said, Prov. xx. 29: 'And the beauty of young men is their strength.' And therefore also is it (the ninth conformation) called Beauty; and when they are weighed together in the balance they are as one."

890. Rabbi Schimeon said unto him: "Worthy art thou, O Rabbi Abba! for which reason mayest thou be blessed by the Most Holy Ancient One, from whom all blessings proceed.

891. "The fifth conformation. The hair is wanting, and there appear two apples, on this side and on that, red as red roses, and they radiate into two hundred and seventy worlds.

892. "As to those two apples, when they shine on either side, from the light of the two supernal apples (the cheeks of Macroprosopus), redness is removed therefrom, and a white brilliance cometh upon them.

893 "Concerning this is it written, Num. vi. 25: 'Tetragrammaton make His face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee.' Seeing that when they shine he is blessed by the world.

894. "But when that redness is stirred up (in them), it is written, ibid. 26: 'Tetragrammaton take away His wrath from thee;' as if it were said: 'It is taken away, and wrath is no longer found in the world.'

895. "We have learned that all the lights which shine from the Most Holy Ancient One are called the former benignities, because all those lights are the benignities of time.

896. The sixth conformation. The hair goeth forth as it were in a certain tress, among the hairs in the circumference of the beard; and this is called one of the five angles which depend from the ChSD, Chesed, Mercy and Compassions.

897. "And it is not permitted to lose this benignity, as it is said.

898. Therefore is it written, Lev. xix. 27: 'Thou shalt not lose the angle of thy beard.'

899. "The seventh conformation is that the hairs hang not over the mouth, and that the mouth is uncovered on every side. Arise thou, Rabbi Yehudah."

900. Rabbi Yehudah arose, and commenced, and said, Dan. iv. 17: "'This matter is by the decree of the Watchers.'

901. "Many thousands of myriads stand around, and are preserved by this mouth, and depend therefrom, and all those are called (by the general title of) the mouth.

902. "As it is written, Ps. xxxiii. 6: 'And all the host of them by the Spirit of His mouth.'

903. "And by this Spirit which goeth forth from the mouth are all those exteriors clothed who depend from that mouth.

904. "And by that mouth, when that path is opened, are clothed many true prophets; and they are all called the mouth of Tetragrammaton.

905. "And in that place where the Spirit goeth forth no other thing is mingled therewith; for all things wait upon that mouth, that they may be clothed with the Spirit going forth therefrom.

906. "And this disposition ruleth over the six (foregoing conformations), because herein are all things established and comprehended.

907. "And therefore are the hairs (of this conformation) equal around the mouth, and this itself is uncovered on every side."

908. Rabbi Schimeon said (unto him): "Blessed be thou, by the Most Holy Ancient One.

909. "The eighth conformation is that the hairs descend beneath the beard, covering the throat, that it cannot be seen.

910. "For we have learned in the exotic tradition that neither the throat nor any of its parts (are apparent) through (the hair). And if in the time of contest (otherwise of Victory, NTzCh, Netzach 1), during such contest any portion of (the throat) be visible, then it appeareth like Strength (Geburah). 2

911. "For we have learned that a thousand worlds are contained thereby.

912. "This is that which is said, Cant. iv. 4: 'Wherein there hang a thousand bucklers, all shields of mighty men.' And this 'thousand shields' is an Arcanum.

913. "It is related in the 'Book of Concealed Mystery' that 'all the shields of the mighty men,' which come from the side of the rigours, 3 are derived from those severities (Geboran, GBVRAN).

914. "The ninth conformation is that the hairs flow down in perfect equilibrium even unto those hairs which hang down beneath, and all of them in beautiful arrangement, like (that of) a brave hero, (of) a chief victorious in war.

915. "Because all the hairs follow those which hang down, and all are joined unto those which hang down, and each holdeth its own course.

916. "Concerning this it is written, Prov. xx. 29: 'The beauty of a young man is his strength.'

917. "And He appeareth upon the (Red) Sea, 1 like a beautiful youth, which is written in Cant. v. 16: 'Excellent (or young) as the cedars.'

918. "Like a hero hath He exhibited His valour, and this is that ThPARTh, ChILA, VGBVRThA, VRChMI, Tiphereth, Chila, Ve Geburatha, Ve Rechemi, Beauty, Strength, and Valour, and Mercy."

Footnotes
222:1 Namely, that of Macroprosopus.

222:2 The eighth Sephira.

222:3 The sixth Sephira.

224:1 The seventh Sephira.

224:2 The fifth Sephira.

224:3 We must not forget that in Microprosopus are "right and left." Marcy and justice.