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Qabalah III
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Article metadata

• Author: Prophecy
• Original post date: March 15, 2007, 10:21:18 AM
• Author quote / captured profile/signature line: Hermetic Magician / Veritas Teacher / Posts By Osmosis
• Article title: Qabalah III
• Length: 3291 words (~15 min read)
• Replies / views: 2 / 1000
• Last visible board activity: July 30, 2007, 02:26:08 PM
• Source archive: Forum topic archive
• Local capture source: res/The Qabalah III.rtfd
• Archival flag/tag: historical archive; Veritas Society; Magick Articles; preserved forum post

Additional archival context

• Archivist abstract: Third entry in the Qabalah series, continuing symbolic, cosmological, and Tree of Life instruction for magical study.

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The Qabalah
Lecture III


In the Qabalah there are four worlds: Atziluth (The World of Archetypes), Briah (The World of Creation), Yetzirah (The World of Formation) and Assiah (The World of Manifestation). From highest to lowest in the order of purity and supremity, they descend one from the other in the order I have listed them in here. Therein Atziluth is the most sublime world possibly fathomable, and Assiah is the gross and dense world. The world of Atziluth just beyond comprehension, and only a small extension of it that is concealed within Briah can allow for a partial understanding of the Light in this supernal world. This is the seat from which God rules all of creation. Briah is the world where souls are created and formed, including spiritual hosts. It is called the world of creation, for it was from here that the known world was actually created (the planets, the physical world, the creative forces, etc). In other words, it was from the power of the world of Briah that the Seven Days of Creation emerged. Beneath the world of Briah is Yetzirah, the world of formation. There are varying levels of this world which we shall not discuss here, but suffice it to say that the many spheres herein contain the many chambers which create the astral world as we know it. It is here that those who can move about the various spheres in astral projection come. In a sense, any act of astral projection is directly concerned with Yetzirah. Assiah is finally the physical world and the physical hosts. It is divided amongst Earth, the seven planets, and the twelve constellations. All four of these Qaballistic worlds have their own Tree, and each sephiroth on each tree is connected loosely to its parallel on a lower level. Yesod in Briah is then loosely connected to Yesod in Yetzirah, and most especially there is a connection between the sephiroth of Assiah and the sephiroth of Briah. One could see it, in a general sense, as four transparencies each containing a translucent image of the Tree of Life, layed one over the other so that they are all parallel.

This is the complete Tree of Life: Four Worlds, each containing (in principle) ten sephiroth, and within each of these sephiroth are ten more sephiroth. Each world then has one-hundred sephiroth, making a total of four-hundred sephiroth in the general scheme. As such, Tav, whose numerical value is 400, is the last letter of the alphabet and the completion of creation. Likewise Aleph, whose number is 1, is the very first step in creation. As an interesting aside, during the Acts of Creation in Genesis, anytime the word AT, Aleph-Tav, appears it is an indication that all of creation is involved in that particular statement. Of relevance to the Sephiroth and the letters of the Hebrew Alphabet: The ten times that "God Said" appears in the acts of creation are the ten sephiroth (the first is Bereshith), and the other twenty two times are the twenty two paths. Of these twenty two paths, the three times it says "God made" refer to the three mother letters of the Hebrew Alphabet, the seven repetitions of "God saw" are the seven doubles, and the remaining twelve are the twelve elementals.

There is another way of viewing the tree on a grand scheme, and which is perhaps one of the most concise though not the easiest understood, and it is to view it all as a single tree, called the Composite Tree. When this is done, each world is associated with a group of sephiroth on a single tree. These associations are as follows: Chokmah is Atziluth, Binah is Briah, the following six sephiroth are Yetzirah, and Malkuth is Assiah. As said this is the most concise, but one of the more difficult to comprehend, as it shows the tree's immensity. Here is a common misconception regarding the attribution of Briah and Atziluth, which has unfortunately infested nearly all of the modern Qabalah. You will see in many places, written by many so-called "authorities," that Kether is Atziluth and both Chokmah and Binah make up Briah. This is not the case. Kether is not in any of the four Qaballistic worlds on the composite tree. It rides the border between Atziluth and Ain Soph Aur, and so is somewhat transient in both realms, belonging really to neither but being somewhat united to both. Chokmah is the only sephira in Atziluth, for it was from here that God formed all of the archetypal images which would be impregnated to concieve the rest of existence.

Traditionally, before the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden, Binah was in Atziluth as well. Binah however was the creator of the human souls of Adam and Eve, and because it was known already that they would sin, Binah took the inevitable responsibility for their fall. Thus it is said that Chokmah cast Binah out of Atziluth, and it occupied Briah instead.

Remember that whenever personifications are given, it is to demonstrate a correlation between certain forces at that particular point. Because communication is best comprehended when it occurs between personified things, such interaction is always personified and given human traits in the traditional Qaballistic texts.

To each of the four worlds are attributed different forces, as they naturally exist on different levels. To Atziluth belong all personifications and aspects of God, represented by each of his many Divine Names. In Briah are the intelligences which focus and direct the emanations of The Divine, and these are the archangels. In Yetzirah are many diverse spirits of all kinds, but the ruling sephirothic forces here belong the choirs of angels, of which there are ten choirs total with seven "active" choirs, which we shall discuss in a moment. Finally in Assiah is Earth, the seven planets, and the zodiac. The seven planets and the zodiac act as the "bodies" to which the spiritual forces attach themselves and through which they channel their respective forces, so that they may interact with the physical world.

Let us begin with Atziluth. I will number all attributions from 1 to 10, with 1 being Kether and 10 being Malkuth. As the order of creation in the sephiroth has already been described elsewhere, it is up to you to know which numbers belong to which sephiroth in between.

First, the Godnames of Atziluth:

1. EHIEH,
2. YAH,
3. YHVH ELOHIM,
4. EL, 5. ELOHIM GEBOR,
6. YHVH ELOAh V-DAATh,
7. YHVH TzaBAOTh.
8. ELOHIM TzaBAOTH,
9. ShADAI EL ChAI,
10. ADONAI Ha-ARETz.

Now, the Archangels of Briah:

1. Metatron,
2. Ratziel,
3. Tzaphqiel,
4. Tzadqiel,
5. Kamael,
6. Raphael,
7. Haniel,
8. Michael,
9. Gabriel,
10. Sandalphon.

The choirs of Yetzirah:

1. Chaioth HaQadesh,
2. Aralim,
3. Auphanim,
4. Chasmalim,
5. Seraphim,
6. Malekim,
7. Beni Elohim,
8. Tarshishim,
9. Kerubim,
10. Ashim.

As for the attributions of Assiah:
(1. is missing)

2. The Zodiac,
3. Saturn,
4. Jupiter,
5. Mars,
6. Sun,
7. Venus,
8. Mercury,
9. Moon,
10. Earth.

Q: Under the attributions of Assiah, is there a number 1 or was that just a mistake?
A: There is no attribution for Kether.

Now there is another set of attributions for Assiah, namely the planetary angels, but we will not consider them here on account that any possible list has been so far butchered without anything other than speculation that to list any possible roster of these angels in an agreeable order would be nothing short of delusion. There is also a list of spirits for Briah. Qaballistically, there is a difference between angels of any sort and spirits. Angels, those creatures whose names always end in "el," are ministering intelligences which emanated from El (God). Spirits may have any ending, and are the cumulative depictions of a particular force or idea on an archetypal level. These archetypal spirits reside in Briah, and those who still govern their respective sephiroth are embodiments of the original ideas which came forth from God. For example, there are two spirits in Yesod of Binah. One is called Sapir, and the other is called Levanah. Sapir represents the very embodiment of the interaction between solar and lunar forces, and Levanah is the very embodiment of the interaction between lunar and terrestial forces. Initially these spirits were the only archetypes to be found in Briah, and therefore were the only channels through which idea could initially be channeled. The archangels were created, one for each sephiroth, to help further refine the great embodiments which the spirits were. Thus there were only spirits and archangels. In time however, man became capable of creating his own personifications of supernal ideas and forces, which is how pantheons arose. All of the gods of men are found here, in their archetypal images and precisely as the masses percieve them. Anubis, Horus, Set, Freya, Barrachus, Dionysius, Hecate, Ishtar, Neptune, and so many other gods from all epochs and cultures are found here, with a particular condition: that they were able to align with an already existent supernal force.

All the gods of men which do not fit well into a particular sephirothic force can not become channels for those sephirothic qualities, and because of this they can not be elevated to Binah. They remain in Yetzirah, merely as powerful spirits of sorts. Only when a particularly worshipped and adorned god "clicks" into place with one of the sephiroth does its ability to act as a channel for that force become complete on a supernal level, and so simultaneously it is exalted from Yetzirah, our astral world, to the higher world of Briah, where it may remain a conduit for its respective force. In pantheonistic forms of magic, these gods can replace the archangels for the sake of the magician's practical magic. For our sake here we shall not consider such attributions, and keep with the archangelic attributions of Binah.

Now, before moving on to a brief discussion of how practical work with the sephiroth is done, there is one last set of qualities which is found in all four worlds, as opposed to each one individually: the color scales. Each of the four worlds has its own color scale, where a color or group of colors is attached to indicate the powers of the particular sephira in that particular Tree of Life. These are their scales:

Atziluth: The Radical Scale

1. Pure White Brilliance
2. Ultra-Violet
3. Dove Grey
4. Lilac
5. Amber
6. Pale Green-Yellow
7. Greenish Blue
8. Yellow Ochre
9. Red-purple
10. Purple-Brown


Briah: The Prismatic Scale

1. White Brilliance
2. Vortex of all spectrum colors
3. Indigo
4. Blue
5. Red
6. Yellow
7. Green
8. Orange
9. Violet
10. Cintrine, olive, russet, and black, divided into four parts.


Yetzirah: The Contingent Scale

1. Shimmering White (flashes of gold)
2. Blue-black
3. Red-brown
4. A light Royal Blue
5. Fiery red
6. Pale golden yellow
7. Light turquoise
8. Light apricrot
9. Lavender
10. Citrine, Olve, Resset, Black, all flecked with gold.


Assiah: The Iconic Scale

1. White, flecked with gold
2. Black, flecked with silver
3. Grey
4. Nacreous green-blue
5. Mingled pale yellow and cerise
6. Intense yellow-white with rays of scarlet
7. Luminescent greenish-white
8. Yellowish-white merging into a greenish-white
9. Pale yellow flecked with white
10. Seven colors in primsatic sequences

The colors given here are taken from the archives of the Aurum Solis, and are the fruits of seven years of research by their adepts through clairvoyance and astral projection. Through various associations I have come to find the research of the Aurum Solis to be highly accurate, and in my own experiments, investigations and operations I have found these color scales to be more effective than the more general Royal scales (King scale, Queen scale, etc).

The colors add a very important connection to the work, and specify excellently precisely which sephirothic power is being used. Now in practical Qaballistic operations, a line of decent of power must be observed, from the source in Atziluth to the product in Assiah. As complete familiarization with each sephiroth increases, some of these components may be removed, but whenever possible they should be employed so as to clarify which power is being tapped in to.

We shall use as our recurring example an operation concerned with Netzach. In this operation, the following information would be needed: the Godname, the ruling archangel, the choir, the planet, and the color of the particular aspect you are channeling. In this case these are, in order: YHVH TzaBAOTh, Haniel, Beni Elohim, Venus, and (for our purpose) green and yellow interwoven with eachother. The Godname specifies the archetypal idea and force, the archangel specifies its path through Briah and how this path is made, the choir specifies the sephiroth on the level of Yetzirah and therefore as a solid combination of energy and thought (the astral), the planet depicts the body through which the power emanates in the physical world, and the color in this case specifies that it is this planet in particular which we are working with.

In this particular situation the magician is choosing only to work with the sephira as expressed through the planet, and so the colors of this sephira in Assiah are chosen for this particular working. This is necessary if he is to work with any sort of planetary spirit or planetary power. For example if he were to activate the power of one of Agrippa's planetary kameas (magic squares), he would use the color of Netzach in Assiah. If for instance the magician had intended to work with Haniel instead, perhaps for an evocation, he would have used an emerald green for his operation, which represents Netzach in Briah. In many practical situations outside of evocation or invocation, the planetary force is what shall be used, as it is a rough embodiment of the powers of that sephiroth in the physical world, and the sway which those powers hold here.

So, how might all of this information be employed? In this particular operation, the magician shall have begun the operation with the vibration of YHVH TzaBAOTh, to bring in the proper energies (this would be after all the preliminary work, such as banishings, etc). He would have the sigil of the archangel, and this sigil would be placed somewhere on the altar (at a certain point a call to Haniel would be done). Somewhere also on the altar the name of the angelic choir should be written, or perhaps even on the back of the parchment being used to hold the planetary kamea or seal. A prayer would be said to these forces at well during some point of the ritual. Finally there would be the planetary kamea itself, a mathematical depiction of the planet's forces, upon the center of the altar. The planetary symbol should also be somewhere, perhaps upon a banner hanging down from the front of the altar, and this symbol should be drawn in the appropriate color. Likewise one may want to draw a border around the kamea in the appropriate color, to further excite the desired energy. There will be an altar cloth of a suitable color across the altar, and if at all possible, the magician would also be wearing a suitable colored robe. If the color is solid, then a lamp may be being burnt whose light shines through a colored glass to fill the room with the desired color. Any incense burning should also naturally belong to Venus in this instance. This will all create a rather perfect alignment between the operation and the force itself, and just as water naturally flows down, so will the forces of this sephiroth flow forth from the highest and purest of sources down through the appropriate channels to lend itself to your direction. If at all possible, a wand which has the divine name, the archangel's name and the choir's name written on it in the appropriate color in the Hebrew font adds immense power to the operation, though it is difficult and time-consuming.

Now what I have given here is the most burdensome of the approaches, but I have given it also because it is the most powerful and effifacious of approaches for someone who is new to working with that particular energy. Indeed even when one is familiar with it completely, such an operation set up in this manner will have tremendous power that shall direct a desire which is destined to manifest according to the magician's will. Things may be simplified, all in accordance to the development and maturity of the magician. He may, for example, be able to replace certain color presences, such as the robe and altar cloth, with shere power of imagination. These things are all up to the magician, and he must consider his possibilities in accordance to his own maturity.


Questions and Answers (Q&A)



Q: In the example of using the power of Netzach: When you mentioned a call to Haniel through his seal, a call here does not mean the same as sumoning?
A: A call here would refer more to a prayer which recognizes the power and presence of the archangel in the operation, as opposed to evocation or invocation. However, an invocation done to the appropriate archangel during the operation lends tremendous power.

Q: You said that the names of the angels allways ends with "el", but Metatron and Sandalphon are listed as archangels, without the el, ending. Is this an an exeption or are they considered somthing different from angels?
A: That is because both Metatron and Sandalphon began as humans, and so are not direct emanations from God. Metatron was Enoch, Sandalphon was Elijah.

Q: What exactly is the void between the lower and higher sephiroth? Is this the same as daat? If not, what is the so-called shadowy sephira, daat?
A: It is the same as Daath, yes. Daath is not actually a sephira, but instead a depiction of the abyss.

Q: On the order of spiritual advancment:
After the magician has entered into Yesod, can he by folowing the right path advance directly into tiferet if he understands all the paths leading to it, or must he advance through hod and netzah first?
A: He must advance through Hod and Netzach first, with all of their connecting paths. The final path he actually takes into Tiphareth however is not the one between Netzach and Tiphareth, but rather Yesod and Tiphareth.

Q: A question of my own; since Netzach is the sphere of blind forces of energy, what would a typical use of it in such an example as you gave be for?
A: That depends. Venusian energy can be used for ending strife, starting love, empassioning love, and can even be used to restore fertility to infertile women if wielded at the hands of a powerful magician. On the other hand, it can also be used for the exact opposite of all those things, particularly if the operation is performed while Venus is in its astrological fall.

Q: Thank you, but what exactly is the abyss?
A: The abyss is the seperation between creation and creator. It is also the connecting point between the Qlipoth and the Sephiroth, which is a different subject altogether.

« Last Edit: March 18, 2007, 03:47:18 PM by Prophecy »
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The magician becomes filled with God, fed upon God, intoxicated with God. Little by little his body will become purified by the internal lustration of God; day by day his mortal frame, shedding its earthly elements, will become in very truth the Temple of the Holy Ghost. Day by day matter is replace



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