The Magician's Kabbalah

by Marcus Katz

  The value of Geburah, 216, is also the value of RAIH (Proof, evidence). Whilst not an immediately obvious correspondence, we might apply this word to the grade of the Sephirah, as in the initiatory process up the Tree, it is where the Adeptus Major attains a complete mastery of practical magic. This is the final evidence and proof of the initiatory system itself and all matters related to it. Another twist of our numerology reveals that 216 = 6 x 6 x 6, the number of man given in Revelations.

  We can go much further when we begin to use Gematria, to make a vast web of correspondences across systems. We can take the corresponding Hebrew God-name of the Sephirah which is ALHIM GBVR, the God of Judgement. This name has the value of 57, as does the word NVAP (Satyr). The Greek god Pan, lord of satyrs, can be associated with Geburah in his aspect of panic and awe, when Geburah is also called Pachad, meaning ‘fear’.

  We can then look at the Archangel of the Sephirah, Kamiel, equating as KMAL to 91, which is the same value as AMN (Amen), LBNH (Moon), MLAKh (messenger), PHOD (robe), MAN (to refuse), and EHLON (Tree). These corresponding words can lead to more contemplation on the nature of Geburah and its divine role in our life.

  If we feel that these correspondences are a stretch too far, we can at least now properly read the secret and sacred texts of authors such as Aleister Crowley. Buried in virtually every sentence is Kabbalah and numerology, through this use of correspondences. In The Daughter of the Horseleech, writing of the very God-name and Archangel we have just listed, Elohim Gibor and Kamael Crowley writes, "He too bore the wings and weapons of space and Justice, and in himself he was that great Amen that is the beginning and end of all." It is evident that Crowley was referring to the correspondence of the number 91 between Kamiel and Amen, and not just simply being poetic.

  A brief digression can be made at this point to mention one of the over-utilisations of Gematria. As a system of numerology, Gematria is useful in that many Kabbalists used it simply as a form of code, as did Crowley. That there is a belief that each letter/number embodies a unique essence, and that these can be equated with one another can be looked at as either real, or simply a useful form of thought-provoking letter play. However, one cannot take the belief, and then in other cases step outside of the structure that the belief has meaning within. The Golden Dawn society referred to this as one example of a "confusion of the hierarchies".

  Other examples are common in some New Age writings where beliefs are taken out of context of the systems which make sense of them - one that springs to mind is that of Karma.

  The Planet of Geburah is Mars, MDIM, equalling 654, as do LHTIM (Secret arts, enthusiasm and witchcraft) and DMDVM (Twilight, dim light). This again suggests the mastery of practical magic as the skill attained in the initiatory system. The twilight follows the Day of Tiphareth and precedes the Night of the Abyss during the ascent of the Tree.

  The Gods associated with Geburah are those of a martial nature, such as Thor, Ares, Mars, Horus, and Montu. Obviously, warfare and revenge are amongst the attributes given to such deities, but one should also see that Geburah embodies strict rulership and kingly attributes as well. Despite their superficiality, the Conan adventure stories of Robert E. Howard depict the translation of the barbarian aspects of Geburah into those required by the just king of a realm (learning when to hold one's tongue as effective diplomacy rather than lash out in anger is a lesson learnt from Geburah).

  The Weapons of the Sephirah are the sword, scourge and spear. In Magick, Crowley replaces the Spear with the dagger, and states that the weapons symbolise the following essential qualities in the Magicians world:

  SCOURGE/DAGGER/CHAIN

  Sulphur/Mercury/Salt

  Energy/Fluidity/Fixity

  Pain/Death/Bondage

  The Scourge keeps the Aspiration keen, the Dagger shows that the magician is determined to make any Sacrifice required, and the Chain restricts his Wandering. The three binding items surround the Holy Oil, representing consecration, Grace and aspiration. This could be taken to symbolise in the concentric circles model of Kabbalah that Geburah is the outer circle of Chesed, which has its roots in Binah, to which the Oil can be associated.

  Wippler notes that one can meditate on Geburah and Chesed as analysis and synthesis, in order to reach an accurate self-evaluation.[69] This resumes the idea of the tarot card Justice, on the Path running from Geburah to Tiphareth, the central Sephirah of balance. A useful object of meditation for this Triad, and indeed any part of the Tree would be a Prism, into which light enters as a single ray, and emerges split into the visible spectrum of colours. This signifies the process of manifestation down the Tree, as the Unified State is manifest in apparently separate states, objects and identities.

  On the psychological level, Geburah represents the Super-Ego, with its nature of punishment, whilst Chesed represents the Ego-Ideal, with its reward functioning when the Self in Tiphareth meets this Ideal. These all function pre-self, and are thus in the individual unconscious. As the processes of Chesed and Geburah take place before awareness (Tiphareth), one cannot deal with them directly. Rather, one must observe their manifestation in awareness (Tiphareth), and trace back one's emotions, thoughts, beliefs and actions (Netzach, Hod, Yesod and Malkuth) to their source.

  Halevi, based on the work of Freud in particular, notes that the source of this conscience is originally formed from the parental model, and thus must be observed, and replaced by an individualised conscience. This is one of the minor inversions of work defined by the Tree as the Initiate progresses. It is interesting to note that when the Ten Commandments are allocated to the Tree, that of Geburah is "honour thy father and mother". We can suggest that this is Kabbalistically interpreted as recognising the elements of parental conditioning in one’s own nature and by analysis and synthesis, observing in awareness, judge which are appropriate, and which are not, discarding the latter and forming one’s own model.

  We must note that the punishment/reward complex signified by these two Sephiroth is a simplistic and dangerous model, as punishment, whether inflicted from without or within, only changes behaviour and not cause. Working for reward, again whether self-reward or peer-reward goes against the dictum of working "without lust of result" which is central to success. As already noted, the "trick" of working the two Sephiroth is, as one should expect from the system, pictured on the tarot card connecting the two, which is Strength. The woman (Mercy) rests her hand upon the head of the lion (Severity) without conflict. The Key represents an act of Tikkun, restoration and reintegration, or restoring elements to their appropriate role in the creative process.

  Sturzaker states that Geburah is the "centre of the dark night of the soul", which relates to the progress between Tiphareth and Binah, and the Crossing of the Abyss.[70]

  Dion Fortune terms the Sephirah as the "sacrificial Priest of the Mysteries", and resumes a description of Geburah as involved with the transmutation of force from one level to another (i.e. sacrificing coal in a furnace to turn into steam and drive the engine).[71] This is the true nature of sacrifice as represented by Geburah, rather than that of Tiphareth, which is a sacrifice based on an incorrect belief that is not shed until after the awareness appropriate to Tiphareth is attained. Even at the stage of Geburah, an incomplete understanding is reached, although as Crowley states, the Moral is "Become an Adeptus Major!", if one wants to "easily understand how to perform them [operations of Magick art] if necessary".[72]

  Fortune also points out the connection of Chesed and Geburah with running a group, or managing a team. She symbolises it by making an analogy to the reins of a horse team, where sometimes one needs to let the rein out, and sometimes one needs to rein the horse in sharply. This is part of the Mystery of the Chariot, the tarot card running from Binah (Understanding) to Geburah (Severity). In modern management training, a balanced Geburah is the difference between aggressiveness and assertiveness.

  The Paths of Rigour which lead to and from Geburah can be categorised as follows:


  Cheth - Chariot: The Mystery of Directing

  Teth - Strength: The Mystery of Control

  Lamed - Justice: The Mystery of Equilibrium

  Mem - Hanged Man: The Mystery of Sacrifice

  It should be noted that Geburah ultimately is only destructive to the transitory. If something is "real", no amount of doubt, analysis, examination, and so forth will destroy it. Thus the principle of Occam's Razor (the simplest explanation will suffice in cases of doubt) is a sound one. A final note comes from the Thirteen Petalled Rose, where an analysis of the Kiddush ritual (that performed on the eve of the Sabbath), states that the cup signifying reception contains red wine, expressing an aspect of Geburah, but has a small amount of water added to represent the mercy of Chesed.[73] It is important in all acts to harmonise Geburah and Chesed in Tiphareth to achieve equilibrium, as will be examined in the following Chapter.

  EXERCISES

  1. Take a picture, a favourite painting or photograph, or a tarot card, and make a list of as many separate objects, colours and images on it as you can. This illustrates the process of discernment, and definition, which is the process of separation. Think of appropriate and inappropriate ways that this process is utilised by yourself in your daily life.

  2. Find common examples of sacrifice, in terms of the transmutation from one form to another. Observe the role sacrifice plays in nature, and its necessity. What are the usual barriers to sacrifice?

  3. Find an example where control is seen to be exercised. What is control, and how does it work? What is its counterbalance? What assumptions about the Universe does 'control' rely on, and how true is it that anything can be "controlled"?

  Tiphareth: The Hub of Sacrifice

  The text of the Sepher Yetzirah regards Tiphareth as a "mediating intelligence" which multiplies the flow of emanations into it, and communicates these emanations to those who unite with it. We see that Tiphareth is placed in the centre of the Tree in most versions of the diagram, acting as a busy crossroads for the operations of the Sephiroth above it and below it.

  When someone is absolutely central to operations, when you feel at the centre of a situation, when everything is revolving around you or something else, then that (or you) has become a Tiphareth. In our Solar System, the Sun is our centre, and so it is no surprise that the Sun corresponds to Tiphareth, as does the Self, and Christ or other saviour Gods of various religions.

  As a mediator (from the Latin, meaning "middle"), Tiphareth can function as a translator and diplomat, organising the activities of the Upper and Lower Tree according to the dual states of each. This is the point where "as is below, so above" is equally "as is above, so below". The Upper Sephiroth cannot flow into the Lower in an optimum state if the Lower are unbalanced, and neither can the Lower Sephiroth function correctly when the upper Sephiroth are disturbed.

  Tiphareth, the Sephirah representing human self-awareness, is the key-stone on which this balance rests. In Ephesians 2.20, Paul makes reference to "the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner-stone," which from a Kabbalistic point of view can be read to say that Yesod (‘foundation’) is the Sephirah of prophecy and communication to the outside world (Malkuth), but the corner-stone of that process is the self-awareness as practised by Christ, a personification of Tiphareth.[74]

  Equally, the role of a mediator is often that of translation, and it is in translation we find Tiphareth functioning as the Sephirah of sacrifice, the translation of one state to another by release of the old pattern. An example is the sacrificial flame, where the wick (matter) is translated by fire (spiritual practice) into light (illumination). Thus, the ever-burning lamp is a reminder of this task, as well as symbolising the ultimate goal of the Ain Soph Aur as explained in the chapter, ‘Crown of Tsimtsum’, previously.

  In the WEIS, the Adeptus Minor, the Grade attributed to Tiphareth, finds themselves of necessity abandoning old patterns of belief and behaviour based on previous (Yesod-dominated) views of the world and their relationship to it, in favour of new goals responding to unification with Tiphareth and the influences now being felt for the first time in actuality from the upper Sephiroth. The difference in their behaviour is notable, as up until that state, "we see through a glass, darkly" (I.Cor.13:12).

  Tiphareth, as with each of the Sephiroth, requires examination as part of a set of complex processes. The paths connected to Tiphareth give aspects of its relationships to the other Sephiroth of the Tree. It is important to note firstly, though, that there is only one Sephiroth to which Tiphareth does not directly connect, and that is Malkuth. Our awareness of our environment is always seen through Yesod, the "dark glass" of our own perspective, beliefs and senses.

  We will look at how these paths shed light on our heart, a primary correspondence of Tiphareth, through the tarot cards that illustrate these paths connecting Tiphareth to the other Sephiroth. We will use the Golden Dawn system of correspondences for this analysis, which can also be conducted with other systems such as the Waite-Trinick. We can also look at these paths in three distinct groups, based on their positions relative to Tiphareth on the Tree, which helps us group the tarot cards together into smaller groups for comparison and contrast.

  The Paths Of the Heart

  A. The God of the Heart

  II. High Priestess: This path connects Tiphareth to Kether and is the path of transcendence from self-identification to universal-identification. It functions as the impact of our true state into our self-aware state (when operating as awakened consciousness by various practices), and hence the High Priestess shows Tiphareth as a measure of our reflection of Truth, which hence flows into the Lower Sephiroth.

  IV. Emperor: The Emperor represents the Power accessible to the fully operating Tiphareth from Chockmah, the Source of all movement and direction. The Emperor is the Light of Creation which bears one upwards through the letter Heh, meaning ‘window’.

  VI. Lovers: Operating at the same level as the Emperor, but on the other side of the Tree, the Lovers represent the impact of inspiration from Binah, ‘Understanding’. Regardie also notes that one interpretation of the card is "the liberating effect of the descent of the Higher Genius", a specific experience attributed to Tiphareth.

  B. The Initiation of the Heart

  IX. Hermit: The Hermit connects Awareness to the expansive force of Chesed, ‘Loving kindness’ or ‘Mercy’. The Hermit embodies the contemplation of the Heart on the Mysteries of Creation in the Inner silence of devotion. As the Sufi saying states, "The Worker is hidden in the Workshop".

  XI. Justice: The Atu of Justice is the balance of Tiphareth with respect to Geburah, discrimination. Lamed, the letter attributed to the Path, is the ‘ox goad’, and symbolises the work of the Initiate in balancing the "two cells" which St. Catherine of Siena speaks of, where "...if you dwelt in self-knowledge alone, you would despair; if you dwelt in the knowledge of God alone, you would be tempted to presumption. One must go with the other, and thus you will reach perfection."

  C. The Trials of the Heart

  XIII. Death: Passing through the Veil of Paroketh, the Path to which the Death Atu corresponds, connects to Netzach, one of the Sephiroth involved with the active creation of Life. This juxtaposition points to the awareness that Life and Death are not opposites, but phases in the same process. Although even this duality may be found in later states as false, it is an important recognition and one essential to the understanding of sacrifice.

  XIV. Temperance: The Temperance card symbolises the state when Tiphareth is functioning to harmonise the Lower Sephiroth, whereas the High Priestess, its equivalent on the Middle Pillar above the Veil, shows the effects on Tiphareth of the proper functioning of the Upper Sephiroth. The Golden Dawn rituals of advancement to the state of Tiphareth and the grade of Adeptus Minor always move the candidate along one side path, then bar them, then move along the opposite path to be barred and forced to return, until at last the "Middle Way" is walked and the goal attained. />
  XV. Devil: The Devil Atu, partnering Death on the other side of the Tree, shows how Hod, the Intellect, can enslave the Awareness by being glorified for its own sake. There are many paradoxes which can break the chains of the Devil, and Zen Koans are specifically designed to work on this level, amongst others. It also shows the danger of attempting to make Netzach subservient to Hod (working on ‘controlling the emotions’) and is a parody of the more appropriate discipline which can be entered into by balancing the Square Dance of Geburah and Chesed with Hod and Netzach in Tiphareth.

  Having looked at the Sephirah in general and the connecting paths, we will conclude by touching upon how concepts bound up with Tiphareth were used in ritual by the Golden Dawn, and how that works through correspondence.

  The Lines of Sacrifice

  In 777, a dictionary of correspondences, numerology and Kabbalah, Crowley attributes three “Magical Formula” to Tiphareth, these being ABRAHADABRA, IAO and INRI. These “formula” are sequences of letters or concepts, bound by correspondence and expanded into philosophies or practice. The creation and elucidation of such formula is one of many magical practices in itself within the WEIS and drawing from such practices as Kabbalistic permutation.

  The latter two are expounded by Regardie in Foundations of Practical Magic, but bear some brief mention here as examples of how we can learn from such formula, which may appear esoteric and unnecessarily complex at first sight, but reveal nuanced models of reality that are just as difficult to convey in any other language. We may have to crack the code to comprehend them, but when we do, we may also come to a new consciousness of the world.