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1°=10° Zelator

THE SECOND KNOWLEDGE LECTURE

To be studied in the Grade of Zelator (1°=10°).
Aspirants will be tested on their knowledge of the following material, which must be committed to memory.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

[See also: Z:File 1°=10° – Supplement to the 2nd Knowledge Lecture and the Curriculum for more information]

Hebrew Letters

THE THREE CLASSES OF HEBREW LETTERS

The Sepher Yetzirah divides the Hebrew Alphabet into three classes of letters: Three Mothers (3) , Seven Doubles (7), Twelve Singles (12).

The Holy Place of the Temple embraces the symbolism of the 22 letters. The table of Shew-Bread, the single letters. The Altar of Incense are the three Mother letters.

Traditional attributions:

The HOLY PLACE OR TEMPLE embraces the symbolism of the 22 letters.
The ALTAR OF INCENSE embraces the symbolism of the Three Mothers.

The SEVEN-BRANCHED CANDLESTICK embrace the symbolism of the Double Letters.
The TABLE OF SHEWBREAD embraces the symbolism of the Single Letters.

OSOGD attributions:

The LAMPS OF HERU embraces the symbolism of the Double Letters.
The GIRDLE OF NUIT embraces the symbolism of the Single Letters.

Mother Letters

(Aleph)

(Mem)

(Shin)

Double Letters	(Beth)	(Gimel)	(Daleth)
(Kaph)	(Peh)	(Resh)	(Tav)

Single Letters
(Heh)	(Vau)	(Zayin)	(Cheth)
(Teth)	(Yod)	(Lamed)	(Nun)
(Samekh)	(Ayin)	(Tzaddi)	(Qoph)

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Alchemy

A Brief Discussion

Alchemy in the Golden Dawn

Many of the members of the Golden Dawn first approached practical magic through the medium of alchemy.  Examination in alchemy was an element of progress through Golden Dawn Initiation, and while there is evidence that some members probably knew only the most general theoretical elements, many maintained laboratories, and conducted alchemical experimentation. 

We know from the historical discussion that Alchemy is ancient.  While much of the influence on medieval alchemy was Arabic, through Gerber and others, Alchemy returned to Europe early, through the work of Paracelsus and others. 

Real Alchemy

It is important to understand that the point of alchemy is not "turning iron into gold," or in general any other mundane goal.  Certainly there is the philosophy of alchemy and the applied science, but even the applied science is not wholly aimed at any specific operation. 

Alchemical thought is related to Neo-Platonic thought.  If there is one central concept in Alchemy it is that the physical reality of our universe mirrors the spiritual reality of our universe. 

The Alchemist endeavors, through a series of procedures, to produce the "Great Work" or Philosopher's Stone.   What is the Philosopher's Stone?  It is a physical substance of ultimate purity.  It is the basic perfect solid, of which all other solids are impure corruptions.   At the same time, the soul of the Alchemist is refined and purged of purity - thus the one process is the mirror and visible symbol of the other. 

It is true that the obvious implication of the process is that base metals can be "transmuted" or "purified" into higher metals.  The Alchemical view of the universe predates the periodic table - to the Alchemist, Iron is not a separate metal, but the same universal substance as Gold, only with greater impurity.  Silver and Gold are held to be the highest, purest, of elements.  It is a logical extrapolation that Silver and gold can be produced by "transmuting" base metals - the process of transmutation in minerals is assumed to be the equivalent of the process of fermentation in the vegetable kingdom. 

Certainly there is a great deal of miscellaneous chemical lore caught up in Alchemy, and the "Great Work" is no more the only aim of the Alchemist than the "Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel" is the only aim of the Ritualist. 

Common themes in Alchemy were the creation of the Elixir of Life, which would prolong human life indefinitely, and the creation of artificial life, or homonculi.   Both of these practices survived into the Victorian era, and the entire Rosicrucian myth - which begins with the concept of several hundred year old magi, assumes the existence of the Elixir of Life. 

But to simply mix the ingredients in Alchemy was pointless.  Unless the temperament of the Alchemist was in harmony with the result, the operation would not be successful.  Thus the discipline of Alchemy complimented the ritual disciplines of the Golden Dawn closely.

Technical Aspects:

All elements of the vegatable and mineral kingdom contain positive and negative force. 

• The positive force is quintessence or "Mercury." 
• The negative force is the salt
• The positive force of all vegetable matter is the same, and that of all mineral matter the same
• The negative force, or salts differ.

Sulphur is found in its oily form adhering to the Mercury of a substance.  In mineral alchemy it must be separated from the Mercury, but in vegetable alchemy it is usually satisfactory to leave it combined with the Mercury.  Thus in most vegetable alchemical operations there are two elements (the Mercury and Sulphur combined) and the Salt. 

Processes of Vegetable Alchemy:  These processes aim at making an "extract" Macreation - the herb is soaked in water and left standing at room temperature Circulation - the herb is "percolated" in a condenser Extraction- the herb is put in a Soxhlet Extractor Alcohol is generally the "essence" or spirit of the thing from which it is extracted.  Thus grain spirits are the "essence of grain." In alchemy, the Spirit of Wine is invariably used.  There are many particulars for this. Take alcohol Rectify the Alcohol Grind the Herb using a mortar and Pestle Place the Herb in the extraction apparatus Soxhlet Extractor and Condenser pictured at Right Mineral Alchemy: Having given a bit of background on vegetable alchemy, I'll give an illustrative example of mineral alchemy. A Treatise of Mercury and Philosophers Stone by Sir George Ripley.  You'll get the impression that it is more complex

Glossary

• Alchemy: the art of perfecting metals and souls.
• Calcination: the act of reducing metals and minerals to a fine powder.
• Distillation: a liquid is first boiled to a vapor and then condensed back into a liquid by cooling. 
• Elements: the medieval elements were Fire, Air, Water, and Earth. Quintessence or Ether was later added.
• Gold: the most perfect of metals. (Father of all metals)
• Philosopher's Stone: a miraculous substance which could turn any metal into gold and cure any illness.
• Prime Matter: true matter without physical representation; look under The Wisdom of Aristotle. 
• Puffer: used to described one who is only searching for gold. (High heats where thought to be a quicker way to obtain gold. Bellows were used to increase the heat.)
• Putrefy: rot to a liquid state.
• Quicksilver: the element mercury.
• Quintessence: the fifth or heavenly element; often called Ether. 
• Refluxed: to redistill a liquid without collecting it.
• Silver: second in perfection to gold. (Mother of all metals)
• Sublimation: the act of heating a substance until it is vaporized. 
• Tincture: something that can tint (or change the color) of something else.
• Transmuted: transformed or changed.

[ See the archive of "Alchemiae Basica"]

Alchemical Symbols:

Alchemists are accustomed to using a common "shorthand" for recording their work, and as well may use codes and ciphers.  A few of the most common are given here. 

[ Source: "Alchemy - The Art and Science of the Great Work" ]

The Names and Alchemical Symbols of the THREE PRINCIPLES OF NATURE are:

Sulphur
Mercury
Salt

The metals attributed to the PLANETS IN ALCHEMY are:

Lead
Iron
Tin
Gold
Copper/Brass
Quicksilver
Silver

[ See also: » Alchemical Symbols « ]

The following terms are used in Alchemy.
They have the meanings given below:

Sol Philosophorum: The Pure Living Alchemical Spirit of Gold – the refined essence of heat and fire

Luna Philosophorum: The Pure Living Alchemical Spirit of Silver – the refined essence of heat and moisture

The Green Lion: The Stem and Root of the Radical Essence of Metals

The Black Dragon: Death – Putrefaction – Decay

The King — Red: The Qabalistic Microprosopus

The King — Tiphareth: Analagous to Gold and the Sun

The Queen — White: The Qabalistic Bride of Microprosopus

The Queen — Malkah: Analagous to Silver and the Moon

[For further reading visit the: "Levity Alchemy Resources" ]

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The Four Orders of Elements

The Four Orders of the Elements are:

1. The Spirits of the Earth: Gnomes

2. The Spirits of the Air: Sylphs

3. The Spirits of the Water: Undines

4. The Spirits of the Fire: Salamanders

These are the Essential Spiritual Beings called upon to praise God in the 'Benedicite Omnia Opera'.

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The Kerubim

The Kerubim are the Living Powers of Tetragrammaton on the Material Plane and the Presidents of the Four Elements. They operate through the Fixed or Kerubic Signs of the Zodiac and are thus symbolized and attributed:

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The Kabbalah

The Jewish Element of the Western Tradition

Kabbalah is one of the central elements of the Hermetic Tradition, and will play an important part in Golden Aeon.  As with most of the bluesheets, you don’t need to memorize all this information.  This text will be available in some form during the event.  An excellent period reference for Kabbalah is, of course, MacGregor Mathers "The Kabbalah Unveiled."  Major elements of this bluesheet were originally assembled for the VIA production "Dark Summonings: Brooklyn."

How do you spell it? 

The Hebrew characters are QBLH.  The word can be spelled Kabbalah, Kabbalah, Cabbala, Kabbalah, and many other variants.  Most modern Judaic scholars prefer Kabbalah, while Hermetic Scholars use either Kabbalah or Kabbalahh.  I’ve used Kabbalah, because it is common in some of the Turn of the century source material I’ve read, and because it adds a “antique” flavor to the mysticism.   Note that in the history below I’ve used “before common era B.C. and common era C.E., rather than B.C. and A.D. , when describing dates.  These are the Judaic standard, and are rapidly becoming the standard among historians and archaeologists. 

Please note that this description is not meant to be precise.  It is meant to convey enough information to understand basic references to the Kabbalah,   In many areas I’ve made generalizations or cut corners that I’m well aware of.  At the bottom of this description, I’ll give a list of recommended readings for  deeper information. 

Metagame Note: What is the History of the Kabbalah and Where did it Come from?

The Kabbalah is a body of Jewish mystic learning and teaching that dates back at least to the 12th century A.D., and probably goes back in rudimentary form much farther.  Jewish faith is based on the “written law” the Torah (the Judaic scriptures, which are very roughly the same books as the first five books of the Christian Old Testament, and the “oral law” which is tradition handed down through generations.  During the last four centuries B.C.E. traditionalists (primarily Sadducees) who adhered strictly to the written law were slowly marginalized by sects (primarily the Pharisees) who felt that oral law had equal weight.  The tradition of adherence to the written law only was snuffed out in the C.E. 70 Jerusalem Rebellion.  Modern Rabbitanial Judaism is descended from the oral-traditionists, who in subsequent centuries wrote down the Talmud as a repository of the oral-law.  In the middle-ages, and later times, various scholars added Commentaries to the Talmud.   At the same time, some scholars believed in a body of “secret” written law, set down in the Torah, and set out to study it.   Their mystical observations constitute the body of Literature known as the Kabbalah.   The earliest “formal” work in this body is attributed to Isaac the Blind (c. 1160-1236 C.E.) 

How important is the Kabbalah in contemporary Judaism?

Not very.  It is a profound influence on some heretical Judaic sects like the Hasadim or Lubavichers, who have a strong  community in modern New York City.  In the 1920s there was not yet a Hasadic or Lubavicher community of any size in New York – these groups primarily immigrated after the Second World War., in the aftermath of the Holocaust.   Mainline Jews do not deny the legitimacy of some of the Quabbalistic work.  The work of some of the majority of  Kabbalist Rabbis is of historical importance, and their place as legitimate commentators is not denied (though some such as the heretical Nathan of Gaza are minimalized or excluded from consideration).  On the other hand, the points on which the Quabbalistic Rabbis differ from mainline Jewish theology are routinely minimalized.   For the most part, Kabbalah is an esoteric side-track which is neither denied nor pursued by most modern Jewish scholars, and its influence on everyday Jewish practice and life outside of the abovementioned sects is so minimal as to be nearly non-existent. 

What do Quabbalists believe about the history of the Kabbalah?

"The Qabalah was first taught by God himself to a select company of angels, who formed a  theosophic school in Paradise. After the Fall the angels most graciously communicated this heavenlydoctrine to the disobedient children of earth, the furnish the protoplasts with the means of returning to their pristine nobility and felicity. From Adam it passed over to Noah, and then to Abraham, the friend of God, who emigrated with it to Egypt, where the patriarch allowed a portion of this mysterious doctrine to ooze out. It was in this way that the Egyptians obtained some knowledge of it, and the other Eastern nations could introduce it into their philosophical systems. Moses, who was learned in all the wisdom of Egypt, was first initiated into the Qabalah in the land of his birth, but became most proficient in it during his wanderings in the wilderness, when he not only devoted to it the leisure hours of the whole forty years, but received lessons in it from one of the angels. By the aid of this mysterious science the law-giver was enabled to solve the difficulties which arose during his management of the Israelites, in spite of the pilgrimages, wars, and frequent miseries of the nation. He covertly laid down the principles of this secret doctrine in the first four books of the Pentateuch, but withheld them from Deuteronomy. Moses also initiated the seventy elders into the secrets of this doctrine, and they again transmitted them from hand to hand." — McGregor Mathers, Introduction to The Kabbalah Unveiled

What is the Kabbalah?

"Kabbalah is an aspect of Jewish mysticism. It consists of a large body of speculation on the nature of divinity, the creation, the origin and fate of the soul, and the role of human beings. It consists also of meditative, devotional, mystical and magical practices which were taught only to a select few and for this reason Kabbalah is regarded as an esoteric offshoot of Judaism."  — Colin Low, Kabbalah FAQ 

"Into this mysterious universe we are born, with no apparent set of instructions, no maps or equations, no signs or guideposts, nothing but our equally unfathomable instincts, intuitions, and reasoning abilities to tell us where we came from, why we are here, and what we are supposed to do. What we do posses - perhaps it the key to our survival as a species - is an almost unquenchable need to know. A human being comes into this world with a passionate sense of wonder and inquisitiveness and an equally powerful need for self expression. Yet, somehow these seemingly indelible primal imperatives become eroded, as a rule, after only a few years exposure to modern reality and  contemporary educational methods." — Rabbi Dr. Philip S. Berg, tells in the Preface to, "The Zohar - Parashat Pinhas",  Research Center of Kabbalah Press. 

To Jewish mystics, every letter in the Hebrew alphabet was a channel to the life force of God and possessed of sacred meaning. Hebrew numbers were also represented by letters so that names and words had numerical values. Finding associations of words with the same value revealed a complex series of hidden meanings beneath the text of the Torah, the book of law attributed to Moses. In fact, the entire Torah can be considered to be a single long word spelling out one of the names of God. The significance of the name of God goes back to ancient Egypt where knowing the name of a god allowed one to gain power over that god.

What is the Hermetic Kabbalah?

The following is condensed from Colin Low’s excellent explanation in the Kabbalah FAQ: 

“Many people who study Kabbalah are not Jewish. This has been happening for 500 years or so. It is difficult to know what to call this variant of Kabbalah. "Non-Jewish" is inaccurate, as I have  personally known several Jews who opted for Hermetic Kabbalah in preference to the traditional  variety! At one time it was called "Christian" Kabbalah, but this is also very misleading. 

The origin of this variant can be placed in Renaissance Italy in the last decade of the 15th. century. It was an amazing decade. In 1492 Christopher Columbus set sail for America. In that same year the King of Spain expelled all Jews from Spain on pain of death, bringing to an end centuries of Jewish culture in Spain, and causing a huge migration of dispossessed Jews through Europe, many of whom were welcomed by the Turkish sultan, who is reputed to have observed that the King of Spain had enriched Turkey by beggaring his own country. 

At around the same time, at the court of the great banking family of the Medicis in Florence, Marsilio Ficino had established the Platonic Academy under the patronage of the Medicis and was  translating the works of Plato. A bundle of manuscripts, lost for centuries and dating back to the 1st. and 2nd. centuries A.D. was discovered; this was the Corpus Hermeticum, a series of documents relating to Hermes Trimegistus, identical with the Egyptian god Thoth, god of wisdom. Cosimo de Medici told Ficino to stop translating Plato and to concentrate on the Corpus instead. 

At the time it was believed that the Corpus really was the religion of the ancient Egyptians, and that  Hermes was a kind of Egyptian Moses. The fact that they were written much later, and heavily  influenced by Neoplatonism, had the effect of convincing readers at that time that Greek philosophy was founded on much older, Egyptian religious philosophy - this had a huge influence on liberal religious and philosophical thinking at the time. Into this environment came the Kabbalah, brought in part by fleeing Spanish Jews, and it was seized upon as another lost tradition, the inner, initiated key to the Bible. 

Two figures stand out. One was Giovanni Pico, Count of Mirandola, who commissioned several  translations of Kabbalistic works, and did much to publicise Kabbalah among the intellectuals of the day. The other was Johannes Reuchlin, who learned to read Hebrew and became deeply immersed in Kabbalistic literature. It must be said that Jews were suspicious of this activity, finding that Christian scholars were using the Kabbalah as a bludgeon to persuade them to convert to  Christianity. 

It was out of this eclectic mixture of Christianity, Hermeticism, Neoplatonism, Kabbalah and Renaissance humanism that Hermetic Kabbalah was born. Over the centuries it has developed in  many directions, with strong influences from Freemasonry and Rosicrucianism, but continued input  from Jewish Kabbalah has meant that many variants are not so different in spirit from the original. Its greatest strength continues to be a strong element of religious humanism - it does not attempt to  define God and does not define what an individual should believe, but it does assume that some level of direct experience of God is possible and there are practical methods for achieving this. In a  modern world of compartmentalised knowledge, scientific materialism, and widespread cultural and historical illiteracy, it provides a bridge between the spirit of enquiry of the Renaissance (the homo universalis or - in Hebrew - hakham kolel) and the emergence of a similar spirit of enquiry in our own time. 

What is the Sephiroth or “Tree of Life”?

The Sephiroth which mean “Emanations of Deity” are ten spheres that are arranged into a pattern called the “Tree of Life.” This is a symbol developed by Quabbalists to explain how God structured the universe when he created it.   In both Judaic and Hermetic Kabbalah, many symbols relate to, or are attributed to, the Sephiroth.   Each Sephira has its own color, Archangel, Choir, and in Hermetic Kabbalah, Tarot attribution, planetary sign, etc.  The Tree of Life is often depicted projected over the human body. 

The meanings of the Sephiroth:

Kether   The Crown Primal Chaos 
Chokmah Wisdom  Sphere of the Zodiac 
Binah  Understanding Saturn 
Chesed  Mercy  Jupiter 
Geburah  Severity  Mars 
Tiphareth Beauty  Sol 
Netzach  Victory  Venus 
Hod  Glory  Mercury 
Yesod  The Foundation Luna 
Malkuth  The Kingdom The Elements

The Left hand pillar of the Tree of Life is called the “Pillar of Severity”  The Center pillar is called the “Pillar of Mildness”  The Right hand pillar is called the “Pillar of Mercy” 

The Hermetic Qabalists add the “invisible sephira” of  Da’ath which does not exist in itself, but is made up of the mingling of the rays of  Binah  (Understanding) and Chokmah (Wisdom).  

What are the Qlippoth?

The following is condensed from Colin Low’s excellent explanation in the Kabbalah FAQ: 

The word "qlippah" or "klippah" (plural "qlippoth") means "shell" or "husk".   It is in simplified terms the outer covering of which the sephira are made to contain the light of the deity.  The duality between the container and the contained is one of the most important in Kabbalistic explanations of the act of creation. 

The word "qlippah" is an extension of this metaphor. A qlippah is also a covering or a container, and as each sephira acts as a shell or covering to the sephira preceding it in the order of emanation, in a technical sense we can say the qlippoth are innate to the Tree of Life. Cut a slice through a tree and one can see the growth rings, with the bark on the outside. The Tree of Life has 10 concentric rings, and sometimes the qlippah is equated to the bark. The word is commonly used to refer to a covering which contains no light: that is, an empty shell, a dead husk. 

It is also the case that the qlippoth appear in Kabbalah as demonic powers of evil, and in trying to disentangle the various uses of the word it becomes clear that there is an almost continuous spectrum of opinion, varying from the technical use where the word hardly differs from the word "form", to the most anthropomorphic sense, where the qlippoth are evil demonesses in a demonic hierarchy responsible for all the evil in the world. 

One reason why the word "qlippah" has no simple meaning is that it is part of the Kabbalistic explanation of evil, and it is difficult to explain evil in a monotheistic, non-dualistic religion without incurring a certain complexity.... 

If God is good, why is there evil? 

No short essay can do justice to the complexity of this topic. I will indicate some of the principle themes. 

The "Zohar" attributes the primary cause of evil to the act of separation. The act of separation is referred to as the "cutting of the shoots". What was united becomes divided, and the boundary between one thing and another can be regarded as a shell. The primary separation was the division between the Tree of Life (Pillar of Mercy) from the Tree of Knowledge (Pillar of Severity). 

In normal perception the world is clearly characterized by divisions between one thing and another, and in this technical sense one could say that we are immersed in a world of shells. The shells, taken by themselves as an abstraction divorced from the original, undivided light (making another separation!) are the dead residue of manifestation, and can be identified with dead skin, hair, bark, sea shells, or shit. They have been referred to as the dregs remaining in a glass of wine, or as the residue left after refining gold. According to Scholem, the Zohar interprets evil as "the residue or refuse of the hidden life's organic process"; evil is something which is dead, but comes to life because a spark of God falls on it; by itself it is simply the dead residue of life. 

The skeleton is the archetypal shell. By itself it is a dead thing, but infuse it with a spark of life and it becomes a numinous and instantly recognisable manifestation of metaphysical evil. The shell is one of the most common horror themes; take a mask, or a doll, or any dead representation of a living thing, shine a light out of its eyes, and becomes a thing of evil intent. The powers of evil appear in the shape of the animate dead - skulls, bones, zombies, vampires, phantasms. 

What is the Abyss?

In modern Kabbalah there is a well developed notion of an Abyss between the three supernal sephiroth of Kether, Chokhmah, and Binah, and the seven lower sephiroth. When one looks at the progress of the Lightning Flash down the Tree of Life, then one finds that it follows the path structure connecting sephiroth except when it makes the jump from Binah to Chesed, thus reinforcing this idea of a "gap" or "gulf" which has to be crossed. This notion of an Abyss is extremely old and has found its way into Kabbalah in several different forms, and in the course of time they have all been mixed together into the notion of "the Great Abyss"; the Great Abyss is one of those things so necessary that like God, if it didn't already exist, it would have to be invented. 

- Colin Low from his Introduction to Kabbalah

"The name of the Dweller in the Abyss is Choronzon, but he is not really an individual. The Abyss is empty of  being; it is filled with all possible forms, each equally inane, each therefore evil in the only true sense of the word - that is, meaningless but malignant, in so far as it craves to become real. These forms swirl senselessly into haphazard heaps like dust devils, and each chance aggregation asserts itself to be an individual and shrieks `I am I!' though aware all the time that its elements have no true bond; so that the slightest disturbance dissipates the delusion just as a horseman, meeting a dust devil, brings it in showers of sand to the earth." 

- Aleister Crowley, 1909 

For further reading : 

There are many interepretations of the Kabbalah.  The January author takes no responsibility for discrepancies between these sites and the January game.  However, the deeper your overall perspective on Kabbalah, the quicker you will be able to make sense of things in game. 

• Colin Low's Introduction to Kabbalah
• Sefir Yetzirah - an actual Kabbalistic Text
• Kabbalah FAQ 

[ Source: "Quabbalah - The Jewish Element in the Western Tradition" ]

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The Tree of Life

This diagram shows the Ten Sephiroth with all the connecting Paths, which are linked by the Flaming Sword. The Flaming Sword is formed by the Natural Order of the Tree of Life. It resembles a Flash of Lightning. Together the Sephiroth and the Twenty-Two Paths form the 32 Paths of the Sefer Yetzirah, or Book of Formation.

This altar diagram shows the Ten Sephiroth with all the connecting Paths numbered and lettered, and the Serpent winding over each Path. Around each Sephira are written the names of the Deity, Archangel and Angelic Host attributed to it. The Twenty-Two Paths are bound together by the Serpent of Wisdom. It unites the Paths but does not touch any of the Sephiroth, which are linked by the Flaming Sword.

Questions about the Tree of Life:

• What glyph is it most like in Qabalah? = The Tree of Life
• Describe the Sword on the Tree of Life. = It descends the Tree in numeric order of the Sepheroth.
• Describe the Snake on the Tree of Life. = It climbs the Tree using the Paths in reverse numeric order.
• Who and what is the Serpent of Nehushtan? = Associated with Moses, this snake is made of brass and climbs the paths of the Tree of Life in reverse order around the Middle Pillar.

The Four Worlds

The Four Worlds of the Qabalah are:

ATZILUTH	Archetypal — Pure Deity		(twlyxa)
BRIAH	Creative — Archangelic		(hayrb)
YETZIRAH	Formative — Angelic		(hryxy)
ASSIAH	Action — Matter, Man, Shells, Demons		(hycu)

The Ten Houses

The Ten Houses, or Heavens, of Assiah, the Material World, are:

1. Primum Mobile	Rashith ha Gilgalim		\ylglgh tycar
2. Sphere of the Zodiac	Mazloth		twlzm
3. Sphere of Saturn	Shabbathai		yatbc
4. Sphere of Jupiter	Tzedek		'qdx
5. Sphere of Mars	Madim		\ydm
6. Sphere of the Sun	Shemesh		cmc
7. Sphere of Venus	Nogah		hgwn
8. Sphere of Mercury	Kokab		bkwk
9. Sphere of the Moon	Levannah		hnbl
10. Sphere of the Elements	Olam Yesodoth		twdwsy \lwu

The Divine Names

△

THE DIVINE NAMES ATTRIBUTED TO THE SEPHIROTH

Kether's divine name is Eheieh (hyha), it's archangel is Metatron (}wrffm), its Choir of Angels is the Chayoth ha-Qedesh (cdqh twyj)or 'Holy Living Creatures'.

Chokmah's divine name is Yah (hy), its archangel is Raziel (layzr), its Choir of Angels is the Auphanim (\ynpwa), or 'Wheels'.

Binah's divine name is YHVH Elohim (\yhla hwhy), its archangel is Tzaphkiel (layqpx), its Choir of Angels is the Aralim (\ylara), or 'Thrones'.

Chesed's divine name is El (la), its Archangel is Tzadkiel (layqdx), its Choir of Angels is the Chashmalim (\ylmcj), or 'Lucid ones'.

Geburah's divine name is Elohim Gibor (rwbg \yhla, it's archangel is Kamael (lamk), its choir of Angels is the Seraphim,(\yprc) or 'Firey Ones'.

Tiphareth's divine name is YHVH Eloah VeDaath (tudw hwla hwhy), its Archangel is Raphael (lapr), and its Choir of Angels is the Melekim (\yklm), or 'Kings'.

Netzach's divine name is YHVH Tzabaoth (twabx hwhy), its Archangel is Haniel (laynah), its Choir of Angels is the Elohim (\yhla), or 'God/desses'.

Hod's divine name is Elohim Tzabaoth (twabx \ihla), its Archangel is Michael (lakym), its Choir of Angels is the Beni Elohim (\yhla ynb), or 'Sons of God/desses'.

Yesod's divine name is Shaddai El Chai (yjla ydc), its Archangel is Gabriel (layrbg), and its Choir of Angels is the Kerubim (\ybwrk), or 'Strong Ones'.

Malkuth's divine name is Adonai ha-Aretz ({rah ynda), its Archangel is Sandalphon (}wpldns) and its Choir of Angels is the Ashim (\yca), or 'Virile Ones'.

△

PLANETARY NAMES, ANGELS, AND INTELLIGENCES

In Hebrew, Saturn is called 'Shabbathai'. It's Angel is Cassiel, its Intelligence, or beneficial spirit, is Agiel (layga), and its spirit (darker aspect) is Zazel (lzaz)

Jupiter is called Tzedek. It's angel is Sachiel, its Intelligence is Iophiel (layphy), and its spirit is Hismael (lamsh).

Mars is called Madim. Its angel is Zamael, its Intelligence is Graphiel (layparg), and its spirit is Bartzabel (labxrb).

The Sun is called Shemesh. Its Angel is Michael, its Intelligence Nakhiel (laykn), and its spirit Sorath (trws).

Venus is called Noagh. Its Angel is Hanael, its Intelligence is Hagiel (laygh), its spirit is called Kedemel (lamdq).

Mercury is called Kokab. Its Angel is Raphael, its Intelligence is Tiriel (layryf), and its spirit is called Taphthartharath (trtrtpt).

Finally, the Moon is called Levannah. Its Angel is Gabriel, its intelligence is called Malkah be Tarshisim ve-ad Ruachoth Schechalim (\yljc twjwr duw \ysycrtb aklm), and is spirit is called Schad Barschemoth ha-Shartathan (wttrch tumcrb dc)

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THE TETRAGRAMMATON

Tetragrammaton means 'Four-Lettered Name' and refers to the Unpronounceable Name of God symbolized by 'Jehovah'.

The Laver of Water of Purification refers to the waters of Binah, the Female Power reflected in the Waters of Creation.

The Altar of Burnt Offering for the sacrifice of animals symbolizes the Qlippoth, or Evil Demons of the plane coniguous to and below the Material Universe. It points out that our passions should be sacrificed.

The Qlippoth are the Evil Demons of Matter and the Shells of the Dead.

The Altar of Incense in the Tabernacle was overlaid with gold. Ours is Black to symbolize our work which is to seperate the philosophic Gold from the Black Dragon of Matter.

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The Two Pillars

The Two Pillars on either side of the Altar represent:

Active: The White Pillar on the South Side. Male. Adam. Pillar of Light and Fire. Right Kerub. Metatron.

Passive: The Black Pillar on the North Side. Female. Eve. Pillar of Cloud. Left Kerub. Sandalphon.

[ See also: » Flying Roll No. IX. - Right & Left Pillars « ]

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The Tarot

In the Arts of Divination, such as The Tarot and Astrology, the QUESITED refers to the subject of the reading, and the QUERENT refers to the person requesting the reading, who may also be performing the reading.

The traditional Tarot consists of a pack of 78 cards made up of Four Suits of 14 cards each, together with 22 Trumps, or Major Arcana, which tell the story of the Soul.

Each suit consists of ten numbered cards, as in the modern playing cards, but there are four instead of three Honors (face cards):

The Four Suits are:

*ED: I take some slight issue with these attributions, I think rather that Diamonds should be attributed to Pentacles and Wands to Clubs. The very names 'wands' and 'clubs' are indicative of similar ideas, as are the diamonds (valuable gem) comparable to 'coins'. — Fr. Amphion

In the Tarot, the ten small cards of each suit refer to the Sephiroth. The four suits refer to (he letters of YHVH. Wands to Yod, Cups to Heh, Swords to Vau, and Pentacles to Heh (final).

These four suits also refer to the four worlds of the Qabalah. Wands to Atziluth, Cups to Briah, Swords to Yetzirah, and Pentacles to Assiah.

The Honours of the Tarot pack are, as it were, the Vice-gerants of the Great Name (YHVH), in the Qabalistic World to which each suit is referred. They also symbolize Father, Mother, Son, Daughter; Birth, Life, Death, Resurrection.

The 22 Tarot Trumps, or Major Arcana, are:

*The Golden Dawn swapped Teth and Lamed and their attributes from a previous commonly known system of attribution.

[ See also: » Manuscript N - The Tarot « ]

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Astrology

THE CLASSES OF ASTROLOGY

• Natal: Analysis of the Birth Chart, relates to a Querent’s personal characteristics.
• Horary: Determination of favorable times for the Querent to take a particular action.
• Medical: Influences on health and well-being of the Querent.
• Mundane: Prediction of events as they are concerned with groups and entire races of people, or the world.

HOUSES

Just as we divide the band of the ecliptic into 12 divisions according to the Signs of the Zodiac, so we divide the astrological chart into 12 Houses, beginning with the eastern horizon (ascendent) when the Querent was born. The positions of the Signs and Planets in the sky therefore fall into specific Houses at that moment in time. If we think of the Signs as relating to the inherent physical and psychic anatomy, and the Planets as functional modifiers of this pattern, then the Houses represent the outward environment and avenues of expression for the pattern.The 12 Houses reflect the meanings of the 12 Signs; the 1st House is like unto Aries, the 2nd House unto Taurus, and so on.

The following is the signification of the 12 Houses of Heaven, in brief:

• First House: Life, health, querent, etc.
• Second House:Money, property, personal worth.
• Third House: Brothers, sisters, news, short journeys.
• Fourth House: Mother. Rank and honor, trade or profession, authority, and worldly position.
• Fifth House: Children, pleasure, feasts, speculation.
• Sixth House: Servants, sickness, uncles and aunts, small animals.
• Seventh House: Love, marriage, spouse; partnerships and associations, public enemies, lawsuits.
• Eighth House: Deaths, wills, legacies; pain, anxiety. Estates of deceased. Magick.
• Ninth House: Long journeys, voyages; science, religion, art, visions and divinations.
• Tenth House: Father, landed property, inheritance.
• Eleventh House: Friends, hopes and wishes.
• Twelfth House: Sorrows, fears, punishments, enemies in secret, institutions, unseen dangers, restriction.

ASPECTS

There is an angle between every two planets in a horoscope which is measured in degrees. When the angle produces a signifcant interaction between two or more planets they are said to be “in Aspect.” The angles which give rise to the “Major Aspects” are produced by dividing a circle by units of 2 and 3 (just as the Zodiac is produced by such a division). In order for two or more planets to be in Aspect they must be within a certain distance of the exact angle of division. This is referred to as the Orb of the Aspect, and generally means they must be within 5 to 12 degrees to be noticable, depending on the apparent size of the Planet in the sky. Therefore the Sun and Moon have the largest Orbs, and the smallest orbs are assigned to the Inner Planets.

Aspect	Symbol	Degrees	Meaning
Opposition		180	Full Tension (energy cancelling)
Trine		120	Full Harmonious Cooperation
Square		90	Dynamic Tension (energy releasing)
Sextile		60	(weaker) Harmonious Cooperation
Conjuction		0	Union, Harmony dependent on Character
Parallel		<1 degree	Resonant Interaction

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1°=10° Zelator

The Zelator Meditation

Required as part of the curriculum for advancement to the Theoricus Grade

Take Refuge.

1. Construct a straight line. Then, take a ruler and pencil and by moving it a distance equal to its length, outline a square.
2. Having done this, after quieting your mind with the rhythmic breathing taught in the first meditation, mentally formulate a cube, and endeavor to discover the significance of this figure and its correspondences.
3. Contemplate the mineral kingdom. Meditate upon minerals and crystals, choosing especially a crystal of SALT, and entering into it, actually feel yourself of crystalline formation. Imagine yourself as immersed in cold moist earth or hard stone, better still imagine yourself as made of earth or stone or crystal. Soak in the Spirit of Earth.
4. Looking out on the Universe from this standpoint, identify yourself with the EARTH SPIRITS in love and sympathy, and recite their prayer as said in the closing of the Zelator Grade.
5. Be ready to call to mind the glyphs of the Earth Triplicity of the Zodiac. Study and have ready to mind their basic meanings from an astrology manual or other resource, especially noting their Cardinal, Mutable and Kerubic natures.
   Then, in black on a white background, imagine the Glyph of Capricorn intensely as you can for two minutes. Intoning the name or Hebrew letter of the sign to start will help. Then, as you relax, let the glyph imagined before you dissolve into your body. Note what you think and how you feel. Do the same for Virgo and Taurus.
6. Become skilled in the Lesser Banishing ritual of the Pentagram by practicing it 3 times per day for 30 days.

Dedicate the Merit.

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THE SECOND MEDITATION (version 2)

LET THE ZELATOR meditate on a straight line. Let him take a ruler or pencil and by moving it a distance equal to its length, outline a square.

Having done this, let him, after quieting his mind with the rhythmic breathing taught in the first meditation, mentally formulate a cube, and endeavour to discover the significance of this figure and its correspondences.

Let him meditate upon minerals and crystals, choosing especially a crystal of SALT, and entering into it, actually feel himself of crystalline formation.

Looking out on the Universe from this standpoint, let him identify himself with the EARTH SPIRITS in love and sympathy, recalling as far as he can their prayer as said in the closing of the Zelator Grade.

Let him meditate upon the EARTH TRIPLICITY, visualizing the symbols of a BULL — a VIRGIN — a GOAT which stand for KERUBIC EARTH — MUTABLE EARTH — CARDINAL EARTH.

For the above ideas consult a simple astrology manual. Make notes of the ideas and pictures which arise in your mind.

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Proof read and edited by Frater D.M.T. © Thelemagick.

[ » Primary Source: The Golden Dawn Lectures & OSOGD « ]

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