Search A Light In The Darkness

Friday 8 June 2007

Kabbalah Denudata

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

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

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).

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).

(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.)

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).

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

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.]

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.)

(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."

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.

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