CHRISTIAN KABBALAH TECHNIQUES
Faith and reason
There are many ways of practicing Christian Kabbalah, or what we've begun to call Hermetic Kabbalah. This is defined more by a way of approaching theory and practice, than by specific content. For this reason, we should speak of a Hermetic approach to Christian Kabbalah, rather than a particular form of it.
We have already seen that there are several aspects to this tradition. We are not dealing with a monolithic whole, even if there are some fairly easily identifiable constants. We are going to make a distinction between mystical practices and theurgic approaches, although this isn't always as obvious as we'd like.
We now understand that mysticism is an inner, individual practice of union with the divine. When we speak of religion, the practice is framed by a set of doctrines and dogmas that escape individual freedom of interpretation. In Christianity, except for traditions stemming from the Reformers (Protestantism, etc.), revealed truths are definitively explained and formulated by the Church. The faithful or believer does not have to exercise his or her critical spirit or free will. There are intermediaries between him and God: The Church and its clergy. Truth was thus revealed from the very beginning and manifested in the sacrifice and resurrection of Christ. This historical-mythical episode is the keystone of Christianity. All rites, whether collective or individual, are based on the creed. Let us not forget what we've already said: that these truths were an integral part of the nature of Christian Kabbalists prior to the 18th century. They were born into this culture, and it seemed to them as self-evident as the soil they walked on. Today, it is easier for us to distance ourselves from these dogmas, to discuss them and bring our reasoning to bear. Back then, this was relatively difficult. Those who worked transcended this culture but did not reject it. It remained part of them. Their Hermetic approach was integral rather than exclusive. It was enriched by the cultural and cultic contributions they rediscovered in their studies and practices. This broader synthesis of ancient traditions was not a negation of Christianity itself. It appeared as an appropriation of the latter and an adaptation to the opening up of this inner world that was taking place. There is no denying that their faith remained just as strong throughout their lives, even if it was often quite different from that advocated by the Church. The perception of this transcendence was always present, as was the realization of our human nature. All too human, as Nietzsche would later say, in a different context. Let us not forget that faith could be enough for the faithful to gain access to salvation and eternal life. “Believe and you shall be saved,” the Gospel reminds us throughout its message. The same is true when Jesus appears to Peter on Lake Tiberias and asks him to join him by walking on the water. Far be it from us to criticize those who live their faith harmoniously and tolerantly. But we can't help noticing that this form of faith, which can also be found in other monotheistic religions, is at the root of many abuses leading to intolerance and extremism. From the moment a faith asserts itself without the support of a critical and free mind, it is quite common for the faithful, and even more so the religious, to pass from the sensation of living an inner truth, to the certainty of possessing the unique and indisputable truth. It is easy to imagine the consequences. The history of mankind is a constant reminder of this. We could find every possible argument, but the fact remains that this certainty of possessing the only truth valid for all men is a pitfall of pride and an obstacle on the path leading us to the divine.
What can mislead us is the fact that the Christian tradition, to speak of it alone, possesses knowledge and practices that are entirely authentic and effective. Those who founded and composed them were often people of great worth. They often drew on the philosophical traditions and ritual practices of antiquity, even if it meant distorting and transforming them in the process. The egregore of the Church, and even more so of the Christian tradition, is extremely powerful. As baptized Christians, we have been connected to this egregore. But we can distance ourselves from it, and even in some ways become disconnected from it, when our practices, beliefs and inner life have moved away from it. The fact remains, however, that our culture and often our childhood have left deep traces in us and in our subconscious that are just waiting to be awakened. A religion's egregore acts as an entity in its own right. It seeks firstly not to disappear, and secondly to increase its power. The ritual concepts of the Church are based on this principle and are constantly fed by the prayers and rites of the faithful. The rite, which We will discuss in more detail later, gives great power to this assembly of the faithful. Let us not forget that the Church is not only the place where the mysteries of Christianity are celebrated, but also the assembly of the faithful.
Christian kabbalistic practices will therefore build on this tradition. For the duration of their practice, they will adhere to this current. Here we find ourselves in a paradoxical position. The Kabbalist must know how to cross the veil that separates him from the truth. This means that, like the ancient initiates, he must learn to lift the veil of Isis and contemplate the naked body of the Goddess. Kabbalah has taught us that there is a reality behind the veil of dogma and text. We must therefore maintain the momentum that leads us beyond these, without losing ourselves in the fascinating mirror of dogmatic illusion. A wise Buddhist once told his disciples: “If Buddha appears to you, kill him!” It is not hard to imagine what the transposition of such a phrase would look like in the tradition we're talking about: “If Mary appears to you, kill her!”; “If Christ appears to you, kill him!”; “If Christ offers you the stigmata, refuse it!,” and so on. Everything is an illusion! Reality is beyond the illusory appearance that surrounds us. At the same time, it would be absurd to reject everything, regardless of the respectable tradition handed down to us by our past Christian Kabbalist masters. But we no longer live in their time. We are the children of our century and cannot ignore the world in which we live. Initiatory and spiritual traditions have evolved, and the pitfalls of illusion with them. We are in a place where the most ancient rites and traditions meet the most up-to-date modernity. We must therefore approach this knowledge and practice with infinite caution, attentive to each stage of our progress. Our approach is to learn a tradition to discover its hidden treasures. We will try to use the powerful rituals it has passed on to us, as they have been “borrowed” from those that existed long before... Let us repeat once again that we do not blame sincere believers who humbly live their faith without wishing to impose it on anyone else. This attitude is commendable and can bring much to those who base their lives on the principle of altruistic love and the moral principle that all nations have or should have in common: “Don't do to others what you wouldn't want done to you!”
In this more practical approach, we're going to highlight two main methods that can be coordinated and combined. The first is prayer, and the second is ritual. All religious traditions have used these two techniques. The contemporary West is often more familiar with the East than with its own traditions, and many people have heard of yoga without imagining that prayer can be a mystical technique in its own right. In yoga, there are postures (Hatha yoga), breathing (pranayama), adoration or prayer (Bhakti yoga) and so on.
It is the latter we're going to talk about now. To develop in a coherent and risk-free way, the techniques of adoration and prayer are based on specific principles. Let us not forget that our aim is to use techniques that could be described as religious, but in an initiatory way, i.e. devoid of dogma and attachment. As in the past, we see these techniques here as operative elements enabling us to reach particular planes of consciousness. Faith, it is said, lifts mountains... we need to know whether we're talking about blind faith or the inner energy that religion refers to by this word. If we look at the texts of Christian Kabbalists, we can see that they use the term “faith” to describe rituals and the energy at work within them. However, their use of ancient authors and traditions clearly shows that the Kabbalists were not dogmatically attached to the consideration of a single truth. They saw the truth as multi-faceted. The consequence is that we need to think in terms of integration, not exclusion.
From the Word to the sacred word
Pronunciation and chanting are, along with mental imagery, an indispensable element of the mystical path.
The Word, or Verb, is a key element in all religions and spiritual traditions. The divine Word, a substitute for the Demiurge, is one of the active elements of creation. He draws forms from chaos, then gives life to the creature. The two reference texts, considered the occult foundations of the biblical and testamentary text, illustrate this very well. In Genesis, “God created the heavens and the earth” out of nothing, or rather, out of nothing. As the text says, “the earth was formless and empty; there was darkness in the face of the deep. But the spirit of God hovered over the waters.” (Gen. 1:2) At this point in the story, all is dark, obscure, for light had not appeared. Then, as the text says, “God said, ’Let there be light'; and there was light.” (Gen. 1:1-3) This clearly indicates that the verb, the word, the sound, is the creator or animator. If we stay with the text, we don't know whether light is drawn out of nothing under the impulse of this invocation, or whether it is activated from the bosom of chaos, as is the case in the texts of the Hermes Corpus.[[1]] In the Prologue to John's Gospel, we read: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. It (the Word) was with God in the beginning. Everything was made through it, and nothing that was made was made without it.” (John 1:1-4) The Hebrew text uses the word amar (אמאר) to designate this Word and this creative power. The Greek word Logos, on the other hand, is ambiguous, meaning both word and reason. It is important to note that creation can only be manifested on the material plane once a sound has been uttered. The thing must be said for it to exist. This observation leads to an important rule of practice, as well as a significant theological and moral implication. We are spiritual beings made of flesh. Our bodies enable us to live, to breathe and to feel pleasure as well as suffering. It is the element that enables us to interact with our world. It is therefore indispensable to us for any concrete achievement. Without it, we are powerless in the face of the world. We could give birth to ideas, but certainly not realize them in the visible, material world. This is one of the reasons why the body cannot be conceived of as the cause of the problem or the subject of a divine penalty. On the contrary, it is the heart of an exciting human experience and the unique means of realizing, creating and giving birth. But far be it from us to limit all this to a materialistic perspective. The body is the support and vehicle of the spirit and soul. It is the receptacle of the inner divinity we must realize in this world. Symbolically, we could compare ourselves to bridges between the material and spiritual worlds. Our dual nature gives us the possibility of being creators in spirit, but above all using this demiurgic power in the world itself. Some magical Kabbalah operations make use of this process. To give you an idea, we need only recall the four worlds of kabbalah discussed in another chapter. As our desire turns towards the highest spiritual planes (the world of Atziluth), ideas (what we would today call archetypes) are grasped by “the subtle flame of the intellect.”[[2]] We then go on to clothe a symbolic image with an idea of what was previously impossible to represent. This is the world of Briah. Our visualization is then combined with breathing and gestures that activate the energetic part of our being. The image will be connected to the plane of Yetzirah, on a plane that the ancients would have called astral. Until then, there had been no externalization into the material world. However, the idea began to take shape in the invisible. Energy work increasingly densifies the thought-form, bringing it very close to manifestation. The magician must then use the power of the Word to give birth in the world of forms, to what had been created on the inner plane. Clearly, the Word is not enough, but it is the Word that gives life. Kabbalah has taken this idea a step further, for the Word also has a visible appearance. These are the visible characters of the Hebrew alphabet. They are the visible representation of this power of life, and It is worth remembering that their mere tracing, the mere presence of these words, implies the manifestation in the world of Assiah of the ideas and characters they represent.
Man's word is therefore creative and carries unsuspected power. It can be created by attracting, thus following the process of creation, but it can also convey and channel our desire towards the highest divine planes. In this respect, the simple word, from the humblest expression of faith to grandiose liturgical declamation, will have a result provided it emanates from a sincere desire. The difference then lies in the awareness of this act, creating the difference between the faithful, the mystic and the Kabbalist theurgist.
As the ancient saying goes, “what is above is like what is below. We are all part of the same unity. Our creaturely status qualifies us, not as the equals of the Gods, but as their reflection in the mirror of manifestation. The technique of prayer ceases to be passive contemplation and becomes a creative action of our own making. From time immemorial, mystics and theurgists have evoked the powers that be. And in every age, the crowd has mocked and condemned their supposed pride.
Prayer, as it has been used in all religious traditions, is either silent or oral. Given what we've just said, it is easy enough to see the difference in function and purpose between these two main forms. Generally speaking, and without this distinction being absolute, we could say that silent, interior prayer leads us to rise towards the divine planes. Prayer uttered aloud implies a conscious attraction on the part of the praying person, the speaker, to manifest in the visible the spiritual level to which he or she is ascending. These two forms are compatible, as silent expression can be a preparation that precedes verbal expression. Indeed, it is better to be able to discipline, direct and control one's mind before seeking to manifest this concentration on a material plane.
Reuchlin sums up this attitude in no uncertain terms. “According to him, we need a spiritual voice, not a cry. [...] If we use some form of prayer in supplication, it is not to move God or the angels by using syllables or expressions as we do for mortals, but to incite our strength to burn for them, and to fix our trust in them like an anchor. [...] By means of sensitive signs, it seems to us that we are drawing the invisible divinity, when in fact we are drawing ourselves, we who are mobile, towards the immobile divinity.”[[3]]
Prayer and ritual are therefore means of voluntarily ascending towards the divine. This ascent is achieved through the use of properly directed desire. For him, this principle is the foundation of all practice: “On this secret foundation rest all sacraments and ceremonial rites. Thus, we use signs, characters, the voice, hymns and canticles, choir and tympanum, strings, cymbals, organ and other such instruments, not to tenderize God like a woman, nor to capture the angels with our flattering adulations, but to know by exalting God...” [[4]]
In this way, the power of the constitutive Word enables us to soar on the wings of the spirit towards higher planes of consciousness. Applying a specific technique is not contrary to our idea of prayer since it is simply a matter of using our psychic powers to raise ourselves to a higher level and thus reach a state of equilibrium.
Some languages are considered sacred. This is the case, for example, with Hebrew and Sanskrit. In Hebrew, it is said that God engraved and chiseled the 22 letters of the alphabet with which he built the Universe. But it is the Sage who “sustains” the world, by reciting the Torah. So, when God entrusts man with writing and speech, he associates him with the creative act. Beyond their capacity to give meaning to the world in which we live, letters and sounds carry a veritable demiurgic power.
In the case of Christian Kabbalah, the practitioner has a choice of pronunciation between the three or four languages commonly used in the biblical text, i.e. Hebrew, Greek, Latin and the vernacular, i.e. the language of your birth. Depending on the ritual, we may use one or the other. In principle, nothing would stand in the way of an invocation in your own language. A hymn in the native tongue would be a way for us to fix its meaning, to imbibe it until it truly becomes part of ourselves. Pronunciation would then serve as a meditation aid. However, we must recognize that the notion of a sacred language implies a power associated with the sound vibration itself. It is easy to understand and feel that the pronunciation of a text in Hebrew, Greek or Latin does not have the same impact as a declamation in your own language. This is all the more obvious, if not impossible, when we're talking about short invocations such as the divine names. In such cases, we have no choice but to use the original word. And understanding it is no obstacle. Hermeticists have always been very clear on this point. Iamblichus, for example, explains that “if names depend on the nature of beings [as Plato also asserted], those that are closer to it are also, I imagine, more pleasing to the gods, from which it follows how right it was to prefer the language of sacred peoples to that of other men; for, in being translated, names do not entirely retain the same meaning: each people has characteristics that are impossible to transpose into the language of another; then, even if these names can be translated, in any case, they no longer retain the same power; moreover barbarian [foreign] names have both great solemnity and great conciseness, they have less ambiguity, less variety and the words that express them are fewer; for all these reasons they accord with superior beings.”[[5]] There is no better way to sum up the value of using sacred words, even if the hymn text is sometimes in your own language. But when we use the translated parts, it is important to keep in mind the need for language efficiency. This doesn't mean, however, that any mispronunciation is dangerous. At this stage, we're not talking about magic, but theurgy. When the sacred word is pronounced, it acquires a particular dimension and power that really puts us in touch with the reality that corresponds to it. A slight difference in pronunciation will therefore be compensated for by the concentration of our thoughts and possibly by the graphic characters of the word placed in our presence.
The question of faith or belief in the effectiveness of our practice is an element that needs to be taken into account. As we have already said, our practice must be placed in a state of “controlled faith.” We must appropriate the divine name, the sacred text, while always maintaining the distance that enables us to avoid lapsing into the blind dogmatism of an intolerant believer. Our adherence must be as close as possible to the practice itself. But it must never replace or impose itself on your own free conscience. To do so would be to lose sight of the purpose of this type of practice, which is to ascend to the plane of Atziluth, not to lose oneself in one of the lower planes. A faith that has rejected reason would lock us into a world of illusions, filled with spirits and demons, diverting us from the ascent towards Truth and Goodness.
How to pronounce?
The three phases
It helps to know how to pronounce words. This differs according to the objective pursued.
In any case, it is best to know the text to be used as well as possible, so as not to be worried or hesitant, and let yourself be confused by these little imperfections. Ideally, of course, you should know it by heart. Even if this is possible in your mother tongue, it is not necessarily so easy in the sacred language you use. So you can say the text regularly. You will find that you will gradually memorize it. It is not out of the question to read it at first, as long as it doesn't get in the way of internalization.
When it comes to pronunciation in your native language, it is important to progress in stages.
1- Once the prayer is known or memorized, the first step is to immerse yourself in the words and let your sensitivity and emotion flow. Clearly, it is not enough to say a hymn or prayer once. It needs to be repeated several times, until the desired effect is achieved. The fact that you've made progress in this direction will show in the pleasure and emotion you feel when you say it. To emerge from it with a more open mind towards higher levels of consciousness, the world and others is the mark of successful integration.
2- The next step is personal, theological or kabbalistic meditation. It is a good idea to meditate and reflect on the meaning of the word before pronouncing it. As you speak, your mind will establish symbolic relationships between what you've learned and what you are feeling right now. In this way, you can think about the meaning of the words you pronounce. The overriding intention is to elevate your spirit through reason and ritual. The result is a depth of expression that emotion alone may not have achieved. This work is done regularly. Let us be clear: the pronunciation of a hymn, and even more so of sacred words, is always done in the same regular, repetitive way. You'd think it would be easier to reflect on a text without pronouncing it, simply by reading it and thinking about it. This is certainly true, but it is another aspect of study that aims at a deeper plane of consciousness of our psyche, speaking not only to our intelligence, but also to our soul. It is another approach to appropriating a sacred word. Verbalization acts as a wave that carries our thoughts to the very depths of our being. Not only does it energize our thinking, but above all it performs a real inner work that helps us to progress on the Jacob's ladder that Reuchlin spoke of.
3- Then, when we feel we've grasped various meanings, we abandon them and let ourselves be invaded by pronunciation, itself conveyed by sensitivity and emotion. It is very important not to limit ourselves to active meditation, which would become intellectually rigid. We must let go of the mind and return to the power of the word alone.
You will find that this momentum is greater and more lively. It allows you to establish greater harmony in your life. You will also notice the emergence of a greater understanding that appears naturally, as the result of inner work and maturation.
Pronunciation
There are many ways of pronouncing hymns and words of power: declaimed, whispered, sung, etc., in different languages. Here, we will define just two of them, based on their function.
The first is slow, detached pronunciation, which allows you to reflect on and absorb the text. Note that in this case, the objective is the meaning of the text. This form can correspond to the three stages we explained in the previous paragraph.
But we must also mention the technique used in the Christian Kabbalah in the form of rhythmic repetitions of short texts or sacred words. The rhythm and frequency of these veritable “mantras” are often codified. As you will see in the following chapters, the nature and number of repetitions are precisely determined by very specific symbolic imperatives. Indeed, the aim is to work in relation with invisible realities, and this is why the codifications are so precise. The techniques used by initiates in this way have found their way into particular forms of exoteric religion. In Catholicism, for example, this is the case for the rosary, which is the basis for widespread popular devotions. Similar techniques can be found in many religions. They are based on what we might call rhythm and bring into play the power associated with sound. Words or short texts are pronounced repetitively, like litanies that follow one another at a variable rhythm. The rhythm of pronunciation varies according to the spiritual exercise but is systematically cadenced. The aim of this type of pronunciation is to go beyond the meaning given to the words, so that it takes a back seat and we remain solely focused on the rhythm, the breath, the breathing, and our mind becomes available. This is the basis for the mental images we will use. As for the volume, it should be set freely, but neither too high nor too low. At maximum, you should not be heard clearly from another room, and at minimum, you should hear your own voice.
The Mental Image
We find few explicit indications of visualization in the Western esoteric tradition before the end of the 19th century. We could equate it with ecstatic vision, but mental representation is a voluntary action, triggered with a view to a given result, whereas the former proceeds from pure mystical expectation. It therefore remains the result of divine power. Here, as elsewhere, we can clearly see the difference between a ritual work and mystical contemplation.
The exoteric practice of the Catholic rosary involves the mental representation of various scenes on which we are invited to meditate. It is therefore implied that we can represent these scenes to ourselves. However, Kabbalists' use of them involves techniques that enable us to create, intensify and maintain these images in our consciousness.
So, it is only logical that we should now turn our attention to this mental representation, now known as visualization. This once-natural act has now ceased to be so, and it is useful to learn it again. That's why we present it here, and why mastering it will be a fundamental step on your journey.
Visualization consists in creating a mental image corresponding to the descriptions given. To do this, you need to imagine someone you know, or a place you are familiar with, in the same way as you imagine yourself. Be careful not to tense up mentally during this stage.
When we talk about visualization and creative imagination, we're talking about a real function, not a fiction. It is a function that enables us to create in the invisible world what our mind imagines. But also, and this is what interests us here, it connects us with the divine plans and egregore of all individuals who use the same texts and visualizations. So, if we visualize one or more symbols, we really are in touch with the divine planes. Our state of consciousness changes, and the power generated by our prayer becomes manifest.
The more rhythmic, internalized and mastered our practice and invocations, the more effective they become, bringing us into harmony with the divine plan. It is possible for us to imagine, to create a mental image outside our mind. We say “imagine.” Strictly speaking, this is not a physical, material vision, but a thought. However - and here lies a fundamental key - you must ensure that this thought becomes for you the certainty of an inner reality.
As part of this process, you need to imagine various scenes or characters. But these are not elements of your own making. They exist and have been codified for centuries. We could almost say that we are creating a controlled visual “hallucination.” The act of “imagining” serves to anchor the perception of existing realities on the divine plane. When you visualize from a traditional description, you create a veritable “immaterial icon” which serves as a pole of attraction for the corresponding divine power, then as a channel enabling you to enter into direct relationship with it. Controlled faith” or “temporary adherence” will help you animate this “divine icon.”
To sum up, having created such a sacred representation in your mind, this visualization will establish a triple relationship between you, the divine reality concerned and the force generated by all those using the same invocation.
As far as the technique itself is concerned, focus on the following points:
You need to remain relaxed and casual. The act of mental construction must be analogous to thinking, to remembering. So, relax.
It must remain dynamic, flowing with the movement, like a natural gesture. Isn't it natural to think for a few moments about a distant friend as you go about your business? Let us not make the mistake of thinking that this is something extraordinary - quite the contrary...
This visualization should be done at the right moment, and released as soon as you change or stop your practices. In the beginning, it is not advisable to maintain an active visualization longer than the prayers themselves. It is better to have a clear, intense, and short vision, than a prolonged one that gradually deteriorates. You will imagine the scenes at some distance in front of you.
Of course, you can visualize with your eyes closed, half-closed or open. It is up to you to decide at the outset which is most convenient for you. Choose what is easiest for you. You can visualize with your eyes closed for a while, then keep them half-closed as you visualize the desired image. In the latter case, you will “imagine” that it is right in front of you, superimposing its image on the actual physical scenery you perceive. At first, your objective will be limited to this visualized superimposition. You won't usually see the scene in a “density” akin to the physical setting. But then you will notice that things will naturally fall into place in relation to each other.
Body expression
Another aspect is bodily expression. As you know, there is a whole series of gestures and positions traditionally associated with rites. In Christianity, for example, we find the sign of the cross, genuflection, prostration and so on. All are forms of prayer. What is more, it is clear that they are not just any old forms of prayer but correspond to a particular logic that can be discovered during study. Each of these forms of expression has its own particular history, and to detail them would require a major study. But let us look at a few of them, which may lead us to some useful meditations.
The attitude of the body, like the look in the eyes, expresses the feelings of the soul and the attitude of mind of the person doing the work. The Gospel text underlines this fact by showing how hypocrites flaunt their youth or their prayer to make themselves look important in the eyes of the crowd. Conversely, Christian Kabbalists advocate discretion in prayer. Through the body's schema, this position connects us to a particular emotion and a specific form of sensitivity. The position helps build the channel that connects us to the divine planes.
Several ancient monuments, frescoes and sarcophagi show people at prayer. They pray standing, head erect, eyes raised to heaven, hands extended in front of them or at their sides in the shape of a cross. To stand is, in our culture, an attitude of respect before someone whom we honor. When we stand during a rite, we are aware of our freedom and the divine power within us. Other prayer postures are also found in the Christian liturgy, although the kneeling or bowed-head position has largely supplanted the former. As for the custom of reciting the Our Father with arms outstretched, it has almost completely disappeared, except in a few communities.
As we said earlier, the praying person's state of mind is expressed in his or her gestures and attitudes. Conversely, and no less importantly, the positions adopted during practice also have an impact on the state of mind. For a practitioner, frequent prayer with arms crossed or kneeling with eyes closed will not have the same repercussions on the psyche and, by extension, on the whole of life. These aspects should not be overlooked when studying or practicing a rite. Of course, the more frequently the prayer is repeated, the more active it becomes. That's why We will show you the positions to adopt at each stage of spiritual practice.
The position of the cross is a good example of the distance between the modern practitioner of Christian Kabbalah and the ordinary believer. In this position, the latter directly relates to Christ's sacrifice for mankind. He embodies the submission of a mere creature devoid of all freedom, and the effacement of his personality before the Savior. Arms in the form of a cross, but palms facing forward, places the praying figure in relation to Christ's experience on the cross. This posture of self-sacrifice simultaneously marks a redemption that enlightens the world. Certain representations of Christ, with arms on the cross and hands open, emit powerful rays of light. To turn our hands towards the earth is to join in this expectation of the Parousia, to participate in the establishment of the kingdom of God, of peace and harmony in the world. Through this prayer, believers direct the graces they receive towards the earth and the people who inhabit it.
However, this was not always the case. When Tertullian tells us that “Christians made the sign of the cross when getting up, getting dressed, leaving their houses, entering them, going to the bath, sitting at the table, lighting a lamp, and generally beginning any new action,” we must not believe that this was the sign we know. It certainly consisted of tracing a small cross on the forehead or chest with the thumb. This sign is still used in various passages of the Christian liturgy and is sometimes drawn in the center of a circle. It is also used at ordinations and various consecrations. St. Augustine wrote: “It is by the sign of the cross that the body of the Lord is consecrated, that the fonts of baptism are sanctified, that priests and the other ranks of the Church are initiated, and all that is to be sanctified is consecrated by this sign of the cross of the Lord with the intention of the name of Christ.” Later, around the 4th century, the sign of the cross was made by raising the hand from forehead to chest and from shoulder to shoulder, accompanied by the words “In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.”
On an inner level, the Kabbalist initiate sees and practices all this in a radically different way. The symbol of the cross is transcended by the play of correspondences and the universality of this sign. Many practical Kabbalah techniques were developed from this position. These include the Kabbalistic Order of the Rose-Cross, the Order of the Golden Dawn and the theurgic tradition of Aurum Solis[[6]]. Kabbalists were quick to associate the sefirotic centers and their correspondences with this gesture, underlining the symbolic and vibratory significance of the practice. As we can see, the same symbol can have an entirely different depth and resonance depending on the perspective of the devotee or the initiate. We will see this very clearly in the practical section.
Similarly, the kneeling position can also be seen as an attitude of awe and humility, as well as meditation, interiorization and respect, as shown by some ancient Egyptian statues. Of course, in Christian practice, kneeling was and remains a sign of submission, especially during times of penitence, Easter Sunday, and Pentecost. In the 2nd century, Saint Irenaeus wrote: “We kneel for six days of the week as a sign of our falls into sin, but on Sundays we stand, as if to show that Christ has raised us up and that by his grace, he has delivered us from sin and death.” This position is therefore very ancient since the apostles themselves are described kneeling on the shore to pray. The position of the hands - open, clasped, fingers crossed or not, palms towards heaven, earth, etc. - is manifold. We will mention them as the need arises. Each position has a symbolic meaning. It is interesting to note the assimilation of ancient forms by the Christian religion, even if this means stripping them of their original meaning.
Open arms and hands facing the sky are ancient positions of self-offering and receptivity. This is a true exchange, in which we become aware of our origin and seek to draw into ourselves strength and peace from the highest levels of our personality.
You will also notice particular finger positions on certain figurations. For example, the thumb and ring finger come together in a circle, with the index and middle fingers extended. This blessing position is attributed to Christ. It is sometimes repeated by bishops when blessing the faithful. It is important to bear in mind that this representation is obviously not an invention of Christianity, as the positions of the hands during certain prayers help to densify certain energies and have been used in all religious traditions. In the East, this took the form of what are known as Mudras. They are a symbolic language in themselves. Christian theurgists and kabbalists also used similar gestures. In this way, they have preserved the knowledge of the most ancient Mediterranean traditions. For this very reason, they were often ostracized from official religion. The knowledge and awareness they had acquired and developed through their practices inevitably made them suspect in the eyes of the religious authorities. So, it is worth meditating on these gestures to discover their symbolic meaning and energetic significance.
[[1]] “But far below me, I perceived a sinuous movement. A dark, frightening ripple crept close to where I was standing. It moved forward, like a dark snake coiling in spirals, in an ominous silence. The darkness gradually became less intense, as the air became increasingly humid. Clouds of steam began to break free, rising towards me like immense, moving arms that hissed strangely with each of their movements. The hitherto silent world came to life, and inarticulate cries seemed to spring from the fire that filled the air.
The light grew brighter and a vibrant breath burst forth. This sound, which I did not hear, vibrated my eardrums and descended to mingle with the strange nature in formation. The instant it touched the moisture-laden darkness, a magnificent, brilliant, almost unreal fire shot towards the wondrous regions where I stood. The flames rose and swirled, carried by the wind and the air. This intense, wondrous dance was a true celestial enchantment. Down below, water and earth were so intimately intertwined that it was impossible to distinguish them in their movements.” Corpus Hermeticum, Book 1 Chap. 4-5, translated and adapted in French by J.L. de Biasi.
[[2]] “There is a First Divine Power that you must grasp with the flower of your intellect. If you try to do this in the same way as you conceive a certain object, you won't succeed, for it has the force of a luminous sword that shines with sharp edges. So don't try to grasp it with force, but with the subtle flame of your intellect. You must turn the pure gaze of your soul away from the sensible towards it, and stretch your empty, detached mind in this direction. Then you can begin to know the divine, which remains beyond the reach of the human mind.” Chaldaic Oracles, Chap. 1, translated and adapted in French by J.L. de Biasi.
[[3]] Johann Reuchlin, La kabbale (De arte kabbalistica), Translation by François Secret, Aubier Montaigne, 1973, Paris, p.233.
[[4]] Johann Reuchlin, Op. cit. p.233.
[[5]] Iamblichus, Les mystères d'Egypte, VII-5, Trad. Edouard Des Places, Les Belles Lettres, Paris, 1996.
[[6]] www.aurumsolis.org
HERMETIC ENGRAVINGS
The tradition of symbolic engravings
Esoteric and initiatory traditions have long used symbolic methods to transmit their knowledge. To understand this mode of transmission and teaching, we need to keep in mind the strict distinction between what is visible and communicable to all, and what is veiled and must be kept under the seal of secrecy. This precaution is all the more important given the troubled and dangerous periods in history for free spirits and initiates. Thus, the Western Hermetic tradition veiled itself throughout its history, both to preserve its techniques and to avoid persecution of its initiates over the centuries. There were, of course, a few exceptions due to the intolerance of the Church. Giordano Bruno, burned alive in Rome, was a famous example.
So that the tradition would not fade from human memory, initiates have always expressed it in symbolic, allegorical, and philosophical form. These were alchemical, kabbalistic and theurgic treatises. Not everything was explicitly expressed. This was the case even for philosophers such as Descartes, who declared that he had to “advance masked,” obviously for fear of the power of the Church. Campanella's treatises, too, expressed this aspect of things, and should be read as far as possible beyond the letter of the discourse. This is not to say that the first exoteric meaning is false, misleading, or deliberately deceptive.
It is fair to say, however, that few Christian Kabbalists were content to do bookish work on Kabbalah and related sciences. Many practiced various mystical and ritual techniques, veiling the results of their work in allegorical figures. We have several examples of a series of symbolic engravings. Easterners have also long used these visual techniques, which they call mandalas. These are symbolic representations summarizing the macrocosm or the microcosm. The meditation or ritual construction of such figures is a ritual and spiritual practice. It is a little-known fact that Western tradition has precisely the same thing. Initiates have developed genuine mandalas, which we refer to here as symbolic or allegorical engravings. They have the same function as in the Eastern tradition and are transmitted in the same way.
The first step in working with plates and engravings is to analyze the symbols. Many things can be brought to light, such as alchemical symbolism, kabbalistic meaning, astrological elements and so on. However, the aim is to bring these different aspects together into a coherent whole. It is quite possible that a symbolic analysis focused on a particular element will lead us to considerations that are no longer those of the authors. What is more, our interpretations could drift into a delirium more akin to wild self-analysis than traditional work. At best, this would give us access to a symbolic representation of our inner world, but not to the message and teaching of symbolic engraving. It is indeed possible to work in this way to explore our unconscious, but this type of inner work comes after the traditional analysis generally passed on from initiate to initiate. To avoid the kind of interpretive slippage that can lead to serious confusion, we have two main solutions. The first is to study traditionally in an authentic Initiatory Order. This would enable us to progress in complete safety. The second, which is not incompatible with the first, is to consider the symbols individually and then as a whole. It is their reciprocal relationship and coherence that will enable us to avoid errors and mistakes.
The second stage of the work is to identify the practical and often ritual aspects of engraving. The authors of these symbolic representations have coded a process of inner and spiritual work. These precise veiled elements enable us to understand how they are to be applied within our progression. It is an important work that takes us from theory to practice.
The third step is to make your own copy of the engraving. This is done within a ritual framework, with precise instructions. The nature of the colors, the days and times of production, the order in which to make the tracings, are just some of the aspects that need to be taught to transform such an exercise into a veritable asceticism. The engraving will then be able to trigger both an inner and an outer result in what will have become a living pentacle in close relationship with you.
Among the engravings traditionally used for these practices, those contained in Heinrich Khunrath's Amphitheater of Eternal Wisdom are extremely representative and important. So, it is from this work that We will draw to give you an idea of how to proceed.
The amphitheater of eternal wisdom
This work is well known to followers of the Western tradition. First published in 1609, it was written by Heinrich Khunrath. Born in Leipzig in 1560, Khunrath studied medicine there and then in Basel. There, he studied Spagyria with the Protestant mystic Johannes Arndt. He was an alchemist, Kabbalist and, as his engravings show, most likely a theurgist. He died in 1605, aged forty-five. The work in question contains twelve intaglio engravings. They were usually bound at the head of the book. They are grouped together arbitrarily; the author having neglected to specify their sequence.
Three of them are in single format. There are also five large rectangular and four circular plates. The latter four were produced under the author's direct control. This is less certain for the others, although close examination will confirm the authenticity of the source for many elements. It is the overall execution that may reveal less coherence than the circular engravings. Several names have been attributed to the engravings, but they have none in the original work. This has enabled various commentators to refer to them with terms that seemed appropriate. De Guaita, for example, chose to call them: The great hermetic androgyne; the Laboratory of Khunrath; Adam-Eve in the verbal triangle; the pentagrammatic Rose-Cross (whose analysis and commentary we reproduce here); The Seven Steps of the Sanctuary and the Seven Rays; The alchemical Citadel with twenty dead-end doors; Nature’s Gymnasium a synthetic and highly learned figure in the guise of a rather naive landscape; The Emerald Tablet engraved on igneous and mercurial stone; The Pantacle of Khunrath.. There is much more to be said about this text and these representations, so We will confine ourselves to examining the plate Stanislas de Guaita calls “the pentagrammatic Rose-Cross.” For a clear, rigorous, and historical examination of this work, we recommend the book by Umberto Eco cited in the bibliography. It is remarkable and indispensable.
Analysis of Heinrich Khunrath's Rose-Cross work
Figure 14: Engraving of the Rose-Cross according to the teachings of Heinrich Khunrath
As we have just said, we will base our comments on Stanislas de Guaita's explanation of this circular engraving of Christ.
As with any study of this kind, we recommend that you contemplate the engraving for a while before reading the text that follows. It is important to immerse yourself in it, to abandon yourself to its contemplation, without first exercising your critical mind or reason.
This initial meditation should be based on an aesthetic feeling. Please note that the appendix contains information on how to obtain a high-quality reproduction.
After this period of meditation and contemplation, you can go on to read the following commentary. It will give you a good idea, albeit from the outside, of this symbolic approach to a traditional representation. Our comments appear as footnotes.
“This figure is a marvelous pantacle, the hieroglyphic summary of an entire doctrine; here, grouped together in a skillful synthesis, we find all the pentagrammatic mysteries of the Rose-Cross adepts. [[1]]
First, it is the central point extending the circumference to three different degrees, giving us the three circular and concentric regions representing the process of Emanation itself.
In the center, a Christ on the Cross in a rose of light: this is the resplendence of the Word or Adam Kadmon; it is the emblem of the Great Arcanum: never has the identity of essence between Man in synthesis and God manifested been more boldly revealed.
It is not without the most profound reasons that the hierographer has reserved for the middle of his pantacle the symbol that represents the incarnation of the eternal Word. For it was by the Word, in the Word and through the Word (itself indissolubly united with Life) that all things, both spiritual and corporeal, were created. “In principio erat Verbum (says Saint John) et Verbum erat apud Deum, et Deus erat Verbum... Omnia per ipsum facta sunt et sine ipso factum est nihil quod factum est. In ipso vita erat....” If we pay close attention to which part of the human figure the central point unfolding the circumference can be attributed to, we will perhaps understand the hieroglyphic power with which the initiator was able to express this fundamental mystery. [[2]]
The luminous radiance blossoms all around; It is a rose in full bloom with five petals, the five-pointed star of the Kabbalistic Microcosm, the Blazing Star of Masonry, the symbol of Almighty Will, armed with the fiery sword of the Kerubim.
To use the language of exoteric Christianity,[[3]] for it is the sphere of God the Son, placed between that of God the Father (the shadow sphere above where Ayin Soph עין סופ (in luminous characters) slices), and that of God the Holy Spirit, Ruach Hakkadosh רוח הקדוש (the luminous sphere below where the hierogram Aemeth אמת slices in black characters).
These two spheres appear as if lost in the clouds of Atziluth אצילות, to indicate the occult nature of the first and third persons of the Holy Trinity: the Hebrew word that expresses them stands out in force, luminous here against a background of shadow, tenebrous there against a background of light, to imply that our mind, unfit to penetrate these Principles in their essence, can only glimpse their antithetical relationships, by virtue of the analogy of opposites.
Above the sphere of Ayin-Soph, the sacred word Jehovah or Iahôah breaks down into a triangle of flame, as follows:
Yod
He – Yod
Vav - He – Yod
He - Vav - He – Yod
Without embarking on a hieroglyphic analysis of this sacred word, or attempting to explain the arcana of its generation - which would require endless elaboration - we can say that, from this special point of view, Yod י symbolizes the Father, Iah יה the Son, Iahô יהו the Holy Spirit, Iahôah יהוה the living Universe, and this mystical triangle is attributed to the sphere of the ineffable Ayin-Soph or God the Father. Kabbalists wanted to show that the Father is the source of the entire Trinity, and moreover, contains in occult virtuality all that is, was or will be. [[4]]
Above the sphere of Emeth (Truth) or the Holy Spirit, in the very irradiation of the Rose-Croix and beneath the feet of Christ, a dove with a pontifical tiara takes its fiery flight.[[5]] The Holy Spirit is indeed represented by a dove: an emblem of the double current of love and light that descends from the Father to the Son - from God to Man - and ascends from the Son to the Father - from Man to God; - its two outstretched wings correspond exactly to the pagan symbol of the two snakes entwined around Hermes' caduceus.
Only insiders can understand this mysterious connection. [[6]]
Let us return to the sphere of the Son, which requires more extensive commentary. Above, we highlighted the impenetrable nature of the Father and the Holy Spirit, considered in their essence.
Only the second person of the Trinity - represented by the central Rose-Cross - pierces the clouds of Atziluth, shining the ten rays of the sefirot into them.
They are like windows opening onto the great arcane of the Word, through which we can contemplate its splendor from ten different points of view. Indeed, the Zohar compares the ten Sefirot to so many transparent vases of disparate color, through which the central focus of Unity-synthesis shines forth in ten different guises.
Suppose again a tower pierced by ten openings, at the center of which shines a five-pointed candelabra; this luminous quinary will be visible at each of them; whoever stops there in succession will be able to count ten burning candelabras at the five points... (Multiply the pentagram by ten, shining the five points at each of the ten openings, and you will have the Fifty Gates of Light, or Intelligence).
Figure 15: The pentagram and the name Ieschouah.
Anyone claiming to be a synthesist must enter the tower. Does he only know how to go around it? He is a pure analytic. We can see the optical errors he exposes himself to as soon as he tries to reason about the whole.
We will say a few words about the sefirotic system later, but we need to finish with the central emblem. Reduced to the geometric proportions of a diagram, it can be drawn as follows:
A cross enclosed in the flaming star. The quaternary finds its expansion in the quinary.
But its destiny is to find in its very degradation the revelation of its personality, and already - a harbinger of salvation - it feels, at the last rung of its decay, the great redeeming force of Will instinctively welling up within it. [[7]]
It is the Word Yod-He-Vav-He who incarnates and becomes the sorrowful Christ or corporeal man Yod-He-Shin-Vav-He, assuming with him his regenerated human nature,[[8]] he will return to his glory. This is what the adept Saint-Martin expresses in the first volume of Errors and Truth, when he teaches that the fall of man comes from his having inverted the leaves of the Great Book of Life and substituted the fifth page (that of corruption and decay) for the fourth (that of immortality and spiritual entity).
Adding together the crucial quaternary and the starry pentagram, we obtain 9, a mysterious number whose full explanation would take us beyond the scope of this article. Elsewhere (Lotus, volume II, 12, pp. 327-328) we have detailed at length, and demonstrated by numerical kabbalah, how 9 is the analytical number of man. We refer the reader to this exposition... (See this analysis in the appendix of this book).
And let us not forget - because in High Science, everything fits together, and analogical concordances are absolute - that in the geometrical figures of the Rose-Cross, the rose is traditionally made up of nine intertwined circumferences, like the rings of an endless chain. Always the analytical number of man: 9!
A suggestive remark is in order, which will provide further confirmation of our theory. It is obvious to anyone with any esoteric knowledge that the four branches of the inner cross (represented by Christ with arms outstretched) must be marked with the letters of the tetragrammaton: Yod, He, Vav, He. We cannot repeat here what we have said elsewhere (On the Threshold of the Mystery, page 35 - Lotus, tome II, n 12, pages 321-347) about the hieroglyphic and grammatical composition of this sacred word: the most extensive and complete commentaries are to be found in the works of all Kabbalists.
But let us consider the hierogram Ieschouah for a moment: what elements does it consist of? Everyone can see the famous tetragrammaton, split by the middle Yod-He and Vav-He, then re-soldered by the Hebrew letter Shin. Now, Yod-He-Vav-He expresses the Adam-Kadmon, Man in his integral synthesis, in a word the divinity manifested by his Word and representing the fruitful union of the universal Spirit and Soul. To split this word is to emblematize the disintegration of its unity and the resulting divisional multiplication for the generation of submultiples. The shin, which joins the two sections, represents (Arcana 21 or 0 of the Tarot)[[9]] the generating and subtle fire, the undifferentiated vehicle of Life, the universal plastic Mediator whose role is to carry out incarnations, allowing Spirit to descend into matter, penetrate it, erode it, elaborate it as it pleases. The Shin, which links the two parts of the mutilated tetragrammaton, is therefore the symbol of the crumbling and fixation, in the elemental and material world, of Yod-He and Vav-He in stasis of submultiplication.
Finally, it is shin, whose addition to the verbal quaternary, in the way we said, generates the quinary or number of forfeiture.[[10]] Saint-Martin saw this very well. But 5, which is the number of the fall, is also the number of the will, and the will is the instrument of reintegration. [[11]]
Initiates know how the substitution of 5 for 4 is only transiently disastrous; how, in the mire where it wallows fallen, the human submultiple learns to conquer a truly free and conscious personality. Felix culpa! From his fall, he rises stronger and greater; this is how evil never succeeds good except temporarily and with a view to achieving the best! [[12]]
The number 5 conceals some of the most profound mysteries, but we must limit our commentary if we are to avoid getting bogged down in endless digressions. What we have said about 4 and 5 as they relate to Rose-Cross will suffice for Initiates. We write only for them. [[13]]
Let us say a few words at this point about the rays, ten in number, that pierce the region of the clouds or Atziluth. This is the Pythagorean deanery known in Kabbalah as the sefirotic emanation. Before presenting our readers with the most luminous classification of the kabbalistic sefirot, we'd like to draw up a small table of traditional correspondences between the ten sefirot and the ten principal names given to the divinity by the Hebrew theologians: these hierograms, which Khunrath engraved in a circle in the blossom of the flaming rose, each correspond to one of the ten sefirot.
As for the divine names, after providing their translation into vulgar language, we will, as briefly as possible, deduce from the hieroglyphic examination of each of them, the average esoteric meaning that can be attributed to them.
SEFIROT
DIVINE NAMES
RKether
Crown
Ehieh
Being, I am
Chochmah
Wisdom
Iah
Iah, God
Binah
Intelligence
Iehoah
Jehovah, The Eternal
Chesed
Mercy
El
El
Gevurah
Justice
Elohim Gibor
Elohim Gibor
Tiferet
Beauty
Eloha
Eloha
Netzach
Victory
Iehoah Tsebaoth
Jehovah Sabaoth
Hod
Eternity
Elohim Tsebaoth
Elohim Sabaoth
Yesod
Foundation
Chadaï
The Almighty
Malkuth
Kingdom
Adonai Meleur
The Lord King
Ehieh - This is the inaccessible essence of absolute Being, where life ferments.
Iah - The indissoluble union of universal Spirit and Friend[[14]].
Iehoah - Copulation of the Male and Female Principles, eternally generating the Living Universe (Great Arcanum of the Word).
El - The deployment of the Unity-principle. - Its diffusion in Space and Time.
Elohim Guibor - God-the-gods of giants or man-gods.
Eloha - God reflected in one of the gods.
Iehoah Tsebaoth - The Yod-heve (see above) of the Septenary or triumph.
Elohim Tsebaoth - God-the gods of the Septenary or Triumph.
Chadai - The Fecundator, through quaternized expanding astral Light; then the return of this Light to the forever occult principle from which it emanates (Masculine of He, Dalet, Shin, the Fecundated, Nature).
Adonai Meleur - The quaternary or cubic multiplication of the Unity-principle, for the production of the ceaselessly changing Becoming (Heraclitus’ Panta Rei); then the final occultation of the concrete objective, by the return to the potential subjective.
Meleur - Maternal Death, fatal to life: a fatal law that unfolds throughout the Universe, and which interrupts with sudden force its movement of perpetual exchange, whenever any being objectifies itself (2)[[15]].
Such are these hierograms in one of their secret meanings.
It is also worth noting that each of the ten Sefirot (aspects of the Word) in Khunrath's pantacle corresponds to one of the angelic choirs - a sublime idea when explored in depth.[[16]] According to the primitive Kabbalah, angels are not beings of a particular unchanging essence: everything moves, evolves, and transforms in the living Universe! Applying to the celestial hierarchies the beautiful comparison by which the authors of the Zohar attempt to express the nature of the Sefirot, we would say that the angelic choirs are comparable to transparent envelopes of varying colors, in which shine in turn an increasingly splendid and pure light, the spirits who, definitively freed from temporal forms, ascend the supreme degrees of Jacob's ladder, of which the mysterious Yod, He, Vav, He occupies the summit.
Khunrath also assigns one of the verses of the Decalogue to each of the angelic choirs: It is as if the rector angel of each degree opened his mouth to promulgate one of the precepts of divine law. But this seems a little arbitrary and less worthy of our attention. [[17]]
A more profound idea of the Leipzig theosophist is to make the letters of the Hebrew alphabet spring from the cloud of Atziluth, riddled with sefirotic rays.
The twenty-two letters of the sacred hieroglyphic alphabet - which, as we know, correspond to the twenty-two arcana of the Absolute Doctrine, translated into pantacles in the twenty-two keys of the Bohemian Tarot - give birth to the contrasts of Light and Darkness, condensing into a striking image the entire doctrine of the Book of Formation, Sepher-Yetzirah.[[18]] These emblems, in fact, alternately radiant and gloomy, mysterious figures that so aptly symbolize the Fas and Nefas of eternal Destiny, Henrich Khunrath gives birth to them from the fertile coupling of Shadow and Clarity, Error and Truth, Evil and Good, Being and Non-Being! Suddenly, unexpected ghosts appear on the horizon, their faces smiling or gloomy, splendid, or threatening, when Phoebus, once again victorious over Python, shoots his golden arrows into the dense, dark clouds.
The sefirot of
Correspond to
Kether
Balancing Providence
Raiot Hakodech
Providential intelligences
Chochmah
Divine Wisdom
Ophanim
Star wheel motors
Binah
Intelligence still active
Aralim
The Mighty Ones
Chesed
Infinite Mercy
Rachmalim
The Lucids
Gevurah
Absolute justice
Seraphim
Angels burning with zeal
Tiferet
Inconceivable Beauty
Meleurim
Kings of splendor
Netzach
The Victory of Life over Death
Elohim
The gods (God's envoys)
Hod
The Eternity of Being
Bnéi Elohim
Sons of the gods
Yesod
Generation, the cornerstone of stability
Keroubim
The ministrants of astral fire
Malkuth
The Shapes principle
Ichim
The glorified souls
Along with the meaning of the Sefirot, the table on the previous page shows the Kabbalah's correspondences between the Sefirot and the spiritual hierarchies.
To complete the elementary notions, we have been able to produce concerning the sefirotic system, we will end this work with the well-known diagram of the triple ternary brought back to unity by the decade; this classification is the most luminous, in our opinion, and the most fruitful in terms of precious corollaries.
The three ternaries represent the Trinity manifested in the three worlds.
The first ternary - that of the intellectual world - is alone the absolute representation of the Holy Trinity: Providence balances the two pans of the scales in the divine order: Wisdom and Intelligence.
The two lower ternaries are simply reflections of the first, in the denser environments of the moral and astral worlds. They are therefore inverted, like the image of an object reflected on the surface of a liquid.
Figure 16: The three ternaries of the tree of life.
In the moral world, Beauty (Magnus Adam is Tiferet) (or Harmony or Rectitude) balances the scales: Mercy and Justice.
In the astral world, Generation, the instrument of the stability of beings, ensures Victory over death and nothingness, by nourishing Eternity with the inexhaustible succession of ephemeral things.
Finally, Malkuth, the Kingdom of forms, realizes the totalized, blossoming, and perfect synthesis of the Sefirot, whose antecedent and potential synthesis is contained in Kether, the Providence (or Crown) above.
There is much more to be said about Henrich Khunrath's symbolic Rose-Cross. But we must limit ourselves.
Incidentally, a whole book would not be too much for the logical and normal development of the subjects we have cursorily indicated in these few notes; so the reader will inevitably find us too abstract and even obscure. We apologize for this. Perhaps, if he takes the trouble to delve deeper into the Kabbalah at its very sources, he won't be upset to find, in the course of this massive and tiring exposition, the precise indication and even the explanation in initiatory language of a rather notable number of transcendental arcana.
Like algebra, Kabbalah has its equations and its technical vocabulary. Reader, this is a language to learn, whose marvelous precision and customary use will compensate you enough, later on, for the efforts your mind may have expended in the period of study.”
Heinrich Khunrath's Rose-Cross practices
In the study of a symbolic representation such as this, several levels of practice and ritual arise. Some can be adapted to an exoteric approach, as we do in this book. Others can only be practiced safely within an egregore.
Once the symbolic study is well advanced, it is important not to stop there. Such analysis must be embodied if it is to be assimilated profitably. The words and gestures that make up rites influence our bodies. Their repeated impact creates a kind of echo that illuminates the body's opaque envelope. In this way, the soul is better able to reveal itself and illuminate the totality of our being.
In the next chapter, we give several examples of the use of this engraving in the section entitled “The work of the Rose and Cross.”
We can complete this picture with the central representation of this engraving. As you can see, the Adam Kadmon is surrounded by a flaming rose whose five main petals or flames bear the five Hebrew letters Yod, He, Shin, Vav, He. We've already touched on some of their meanings. Here, they are attributed to the image of the radiant being in the pentagram.
Rose-Cross practice
Place the engraving in front of you, for example on a wall to the east of where you are standing. Face this direction. If you can, place five white candles on a small table in front of you. They will be placed side by side, aligned parallel to the eastern face of the table.
After a moment of contemplation, light these candles, starting with the one on the left.
After a moment's silence, create the Chalice (described in this book), then assume the pentagram position. First, imagine you are at the center of the wheel of light on the engraving, at the heart of this resplendent rose. Become aware of its vibrations, light, and warmth.
Figure 17: The Rose-Cross practice.
Then visualize the five Hebrew letters on the following five parts of your body: Yod (red): left foot, He (blue): left hand, Shin (bright white light): Head, Vav (yellow): right hand, He (dark brown): left foot. If you can, match the corresponding colors to each of the five letters. Feel the presence and power of each letter.
Breathe quietly and deeply as this visualization strengthens.
Then pronounce or vibrate the first letter Yod. Say the name of this letter five times. (We recommend that you perform this practice facing the picture, which will give you the necessary bearings and enable you to better visualize the shape of the letters. However, we've given you an overview here, which you can also reproduce and enlarge as a support for your work: Yod: י, Heh: ה, Shin: ש, Vav: ו). Continue in the same way for the other four letters, which you will also vibrate five times.
Once you've completed the cycle, center yourself on the sefira Yesod, located on your body approximately three fingers below your navel.
Then relax your arms, resuming the position in which you began the practice, i.e. with your arms relaxed at your sides. Breathe quietly, becoming aware of this energy center.
Then trace a clockwise invocation pentagram in front of you, facing east.
As you trace it, vibrate the sacred name Ieschouah once, so that the name begins at the beginning of the trace and ends at the end. Turn a quarter-turn to your right to face south. Do the same in this direction.
Continue facing west, then north.
Then face East to complete this turn on yourselves. You will have traced the pentagram four times.
Place your arms horizontally, palms facing forward. Keep your legs together.
Breathe quietly and deeply for a few moments.
Say the sacred name Yeshua six times, mentally activating each letter of the word in turn in your aura. At the same time, be aware of the gyratory movement that this imparts to your aura. These invocations also have the effect of intensifying the luminosity of your energetic body.
Once these six invocations have been performed, release your arms.
Imagine your aura increasing in diameter and radiating outwards. Cross your arms over your chest, left over right, so that your fingertips are level with your collarbones. Then say the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet, visualizing them around you on a vertical plane and continuing clockwise: Alef, Bet, Gimel, Dalet, He, Vav, Zayin, Chet, Tet, Yod, Kaf, Lamed, Mem, Nun, Samech, Ayin, Pe, Tsadi, Qof, Resh, Shin, Tav. If you can't visualize them in their specific form, just think of the letter and its position during pronunciation. This will not only ensure the effectiveness of the technique, but also make it easier to practice. What is important is to maintain awareness of the circular movement when pronouncing the letters.
After a few moments of silence, raise your arms forward, hands open to the sky, and finish this practice by pronouncing the tetragrammaton deconstructed in the upper triangle of this representation.
Pronounce the letters starting from the bottom of the triangle:
Yod - He - Vav - He
Yod - He - Vav
Yod - He
Yod
Release your arms. Remain silent and receptive for a few moments, then extinguish the candles, saying, “May this light be placed under the bushel and continue to shine in the secret of my being.”
[[1]] For many years now, the word "Mysteries" has been used in the plural by initiates to refer to the Mysteries of antiquity. These schools, essentially Greek, were the first in the West to transmit what today can be described as initiations. It then became possible to speak of esoteric knowledge, i.e. reserved for the initiates themselves, and exoteric knowledge, aimed at the uninitiated layman. This is what we do here. The elements transmitted are the same, and we could say that we're dealing with two levels of understanding and explanation of the same reality.
[[2]] The simple contemplation of this figure will enable you to grasp the value of Stanislas de Guaita's commentary. Reading the preceding lines, we would spontaneously associate his words with a purely Christian vision in line with dogma. But this remark instantly erases what we might have imagined. On the contrary, it places us in an optimistic Hermetic perspective that was not foreign to certain currents of ancient Gnosticism. Here, the creator draws his sacred energy from where all life appears in being.
[[3]] This expression underlines what we said earlier about the two levels of interpretation of this teaching.
[[4]] As we've already mentioned, Christian Kabbalists maintained a close link between the esoteric mysteries of Christianity and those of the ancient masters. This is why Pythagoras held such an important place in the Mediterranean tradition. Proof of this can be found in this decomposition of the tetragrammaton, which takes up what the Pythagoreans called the Tetractys, which for them represented the Supreme Being, the divine. As you can see from the comparison of the two figures, the Tetractys consisted solely of dots, whereas this representation associates the letters, thus developing and specifying a more universal knowledge. In their practical use of these symbols, therefore, initiates are careful not to forget their traditional basis.
[[5]] Allow us to develop this symbol esoterically, to make it consistent with the rest of this master's sentence and the most traditional representations of this engraving. As we can see from a larger color representation, this bird is depicted in red. Its wings, or even its entire shape, do not correspond to that of a dove. What might have appeared to be a tiara no longer looks like one when we examine it under better conditions. It's more like a particular form of radiance around its head. A symbolic analysis respecting the occult coherence of this engraving, therefore, leads us to associate this bird with the phoenix or the red eagle.
[[6]] Here's a wink as the initiates of our Western traditions like it. In the rites transmitted in the inner Hermetic tradition of the Kabbalistic Order of the Rose-Cross, the symbolic representation of the Hermes caduceus, as well as the work of this strange red bird, are fully integrated. They are a prime indication of the non-dogmatic nature of this representation. We understand why the authority of the Christian Church has always been suspicious of Christian Kabbalists. It didn't take long to realize that behind the Christian guise still lay the ancient Mysteries, which thus managed to perpetuate themselves. The same was true in symbolic, philosophical, and ritual terms. What was once a reality remains so today, as these allusions demonstrate. Another engraving in Khunrath's set is a clear indication of this.
[[7]] We need to distinguish between the philosophical values of optimistic and pessimistic gnosis. In the first case, we must speak of the descent of the soul into matter. As a result of this voluntary movement of incarnation, the soul is obscured and can no longer retain the clear vision it had in the celestial or intelligible world in which it found itself before birth. Incarnation therefore enables it to continue its experiences, keeping as intact as possible the memory of its origin. Oriented in this way towards the divine, she can continue to work for her own good and that of her fellow human beings, embodying the balance and harmony necessary for her fulfillment. In this expression, then, there's no need to reject the body, which, as we've said several times in this book, is never the source of evil. In the second case, that of pessimistic gnosis, the soul falls into matter and the body. It is exiled to an obscure place that is foreign to it, but above all hostile to it. The pains often alluded to in Christian tradition are therefore the consequences of the suffering of the exiled soul. We need to combat this by considering the flesh that constitutes us as something fundamentally evil and a source of sin. The aim is to return to God, but not by seeking harmony. The body must be rejected and mortified to free the soul. This was the perspective adopted by the Christian religion and the Martinesist doctrines. Christian Kabbalists as a whole were equally divided between these two doctrines. It's easy to see the radical difference between these two perspectives, and the choice of life and practice that ensues. For our part, we refer to the doctrine of the Hermetic path we're talking about, and that of the theurgic path, i.e. optimistic gnosis.
[[8]] In other words, when it returns to its natural home, the divine plane, the intelligible world described by the Greek philosophers.
[[9]] We give an example of the practices of this tradition in the following chapters. As you will see, the Tarot is effectively associated with ritual in the form of specific visualizations. This is an extremely powerful way of connecting with specific energies and assimilating and understanding them, without necessarily using the intellect. The experiences of various initiates have shown that there are correspondences between the Hebrew letters and the Tarot arcana that are often richer than those given here. This is the one we use in the tables you'll find in this book. In this case, the letter schin refers to Arcanum 20, Judgment or Resurrection, which corresponds perfectly to the character of the word Iéschouah.
[[10]] Incarnation, we might say, so as not to create ambiguity.
[[11]] As well as the number of the regenerated man, as shown above by Stanislas.
[[12]] This is indeed the case, as we have shown, for every experience in this world is a source of greatness of being.
[[13]] Is there any better way to underline the esoteric nature of the text we are presenting and commenting on? Of course, the transition from the 4th to the 5th is the subject of ritual and practical developments,
[[14]] Note from Stanislas de Guaita: Those who know how to read inverted hierograms, by deconstructing them (following the same radical principles established by Fabre d'Olivet, for etymology in the direct and normal sense), will easily see that this complementary method further confirms the esoteric interpretations we propose here.
Some examples: Iah which is Hai Inverted expresses eternalized Life.
Ael reversed means Expansion without term, indefinite.
The two roots whose contraction forms Yod-Dalet-Shin (Shaddaï inverted) can be translated: the Hand of Fire, the Igneous Hand. The secret meaning is obvious.
Meleck is a contraction of two roots. The ideas of totalization and perfection on the one hand, and of a sympathetic and mutual link on the other... The new meaning perfectly controls and completes that already manifested esoterically by the normal hierogram, opened by the appropriate keys.
[[15]] Note by Stanislas de Guaita: This occult meaning is reflected in the term Malkouth the Kingdom (10th Sefira), derived from Meleur the King. In Kabbalah, Malkout expresses the Kingdom of the Astral, the support of physical creations, the effective of objectivations.
[[16]] In the following practical section, we show one of the individual ritual applications of this allusion. This is the practice of the Rosary of St. Michael.
[[17]] See appendix.
[[18]] This reference to the Sepher Yetzirah is extremely important. It provides one of the most important keys to the esoteric interpretation of this engraving. This text traces the creation of the world and of being through the power of the Hebrew letters manifested before the Eternal. This relationship is obviously used in the inner initiation rites of this tradition. For example, we read of the letter Yod (10) in this work: "The Eternal made the letter Yod reign over Action, adorned it with a crown and combined it with the others. Through it he created the sign of Virgo in the world, the month of Hellul in the year and the left kidney in the body." The same applies to the different letters of the alphabet and the stages of creation.