The Qabbala:
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The Qabbala is an ancient work of Hebrew origin that quite possibly dates back to the very origin of the Jews. Of the evidence and history that I have been able to find regarding this body of metaphysical work, it seems more likely that it is of Babylonian or Sumerian origin. The Hebrews considered it too sacred to be written, and it was handed down by oral tradition for the largest part of the history. For those that do not know what it is, there are many books available on the subject today, including the old Hebrew texts themselves. There are alternate spellings of the word: Cabala, Cabbala, Kabbala, Or any of these versions with the letter "H" added on the end, are all about the same thing. There is no particular reason that I chose the form of spelling that I have used here.
What the intent of the knowledge of the Qabbala is, is to learn more about God and creation. The Qabbala is an early attempt at such a work as this you are reading: To Learn of the mysteries behind the creation of the universe and the nature of life and creation itself. The Qabbalists were perhaps the first Gnostics of the world. They knew of a creator, and wished to know about Him/Her(?). It is a noble attempt in any time, as there is not much to go on.
The Qabbala is very much oriented in alliance with science in the use of numbers and principles that are set as standards. Qabbalism may have even been the origin of science, as we know it. The Qabbala focuses much of its intent upon understanding a mystical diagram known as the Tree of Life. What this tree is, in essence, is a diagram that alleges to identify the various powers and functions of Divinity. As such, it has been very influential upon the occult and theological communities for centuries, and even upon this author.
The essential wisdom of the Qabbala is described earliest in two works of old: The Book Yetzirah, and The Zohar. These works were interpreted, and distributed as the keys to magic and metaphysical powers. As such. They were, and still are by many, consider sacred works. Many occult orders have built a firm foundation of advanced mysticism upon these works. The Knights Templar, The Order of the Golden Dawn, The Ordo Templi Orientis, The Rosicrucians, and others use these as an immovable framework with which to discover the ancient and pre-creational mysteries of the universe. As a young magician in my early teens, I worked with these theories and diagrams with no results at all.
The books all say the circumstances need to be absolutely perfect for magical things to happen, but I had magical things happening that I wasn’t even trying to achieve. The books then say that the magician must be pure and certain and correct of mind to achieve results. If nothing happens, it is not the fault of the formula or spell, but of the operator, and I was most certain and willful of what I intended. I came to question all of it.
Being able to make things happen in reality that had only been a fantasy before was real, but the operation seemed quite chaotic. I began to see a different system emerge as I studied what was happening along with when and how. I had studied the Tree of Life and all of the Paths and lines of power. Some were real and some were not. There were errors in the ancient system. I do not know if they were put there deliberately, or by ignorance, but the system was not accurate. I set upon myself to rebuild it from scratch. I had the desire to do this more than anything else, so I felt that God, or whatever power was behind it would aid me in that quest. I was after power, but really I was after wisdom. That fact, I am certain now, was the key to discovering all that I have. For where I was really only a child in a world full of horrors that I wanted desperately to take control over, I am really just a human being who wants to know what it is all about. The Divine saw this to be true in me, I believe, and has so set these mysteries before me. And God be glorified! When I did behold the power of what I might do, I also beheld the consequences of such selfish actions. I do not add this as an autobiography, but as a warning. This is the reason that the Creator has allowed me to not only know of these things, but to write of them to others. The time of the sorting out is at hand people. The time for ancient powers to rise up in the world is here. Make your choices wisely. The eternity you save may be your own. Be of pure heart and know of the mystery.
The errors of
the original Tree of Life are not numerous, but significant. The
original tree was a system that was very decimal and
pythagorical. There are Ten spheres of power known as the
Sephiroth, which are represented by the ten digits, but are not
entirely in keeping with the established symbology associated
with these numbers. The Tree of Life is a two dimensional diagram
that is composed of these ten spheres, and 22 paths that connect
them. The paths are symbolic of not only the 22 letters of the
Hebrew alphabet, but also of the 22 cards of the Major Arcana in
Tarot, and the 22 chapters of the Bible book of Revelation. As I
have also discovered to be relative to this number, there are 22
Chromosomes in Human genetic makeup, plus the 23rd chromosome,
which is that of sex determination. Everything about the
chromosomal makeup of human beings is identical between males and
females through the 22nd chromosome. With the 23rd only is sexual
differentiation set into what we are. Up to that point, both are
the same. Below is a diagram of the original Tree of Life. I have
left out the sphere numbers and path identifications because they
are false, or so I see them as.
For an even more in depth study of the Ten Spheres,
or Sephiroth, the website
Sacred Geometry Discovery
is a
thorough source of very high quality information.
The second thing that came to mind was that it was a two-dimensional form, and the world was no longer flat like it was thought to be in the time that this design first came to be known. It looks like it is supposed to be three-dimensional, with lines running under other lines, but it has not enough depth to be true to me. I began to logically reduce the form into closer approximations of what it seemed it should be as the diagram of the universe.
Below is the
second form. This is the first form I resolved it into. This form
possesses more symmetry than the original, as well as a bit more
depth. At first it seemed correct, as it was in compliance with
many occult theories I had seen, such as: "As above, so
shall it be Below." There are still 10 spheres and 22
connecting paths. I thought this was it. The Jews had just
rearranged it a little bit to hide the magic from infidels.
***The above statement is, in fact, in error. It is actually a true and workable 3d form. This was made clear to me by another scholar in this field: Mr R.Leo Gillis. (Whom I thank very kindly for his input.) His extensive work can be found at The Book of Mutations.
I considered the form carefully and tried many different ways to make it work. It would not, nor could it be made to and even resemble at all the original Tree of Life. I worked through many different forms and finally gave up for a time. Then I was reading about Pythagoras the Greek, and his understanding of geometry and the decimal system. I played with stacking ten spheres into uniform patterns. I was taken in by the Tetracys, which is basically a tetrahedron, the simplest of all geometric forms in three-dimensional volume. Later on I found that there is, in fact, a perfect tetrahedron in the original Tree of Life diagram, so I began to work from there.
The Tetrahedron, or Tetra, is not the simplest of all geometric forms, the sphere is the simplest, but it is the most basic form that can be devised with flat sides and straight edges. This form itself: The Tetra, is very symbolic in accordance with traditional mysticism. It has Four sides which are triangular, (each is a perfect equilateral triangle,) and Four points which are the meeting place of three sides each. There are also Six lines that make up the framework of the Tetra, and form the points and the planes.
Four is very
significant to metaphysics in many ways. In the Tetra, there are
three different varieties of Four. The total of all points,
planes, and edges is 14. This has a base of Five, but is also a 1
and a 4, which is significant of unity and the elements of
reality. And the Tetra is a form comprised of triangular faces,
which makes it also an expanded example of the Trinity and the
power of Three. Below is the basic Tetra: The Tetrahedron of
simplicity, taken directly from the original Tree of Life:
Is this correct? Or, are there 5 pathways and lines that do not belong? This new Tetra form of the Tree of Life is perfect in every way geometrically and dimensionally, but the old tree did not have but certain paths connected between spheres. Has there been something added that should be taken out? Or, is there some deeper significance to this number 27 than there is to 22? The Hebrews have left in their Tree of Life all the clues necessary to restore it to this most perfect form. This Tetra form is not a new form at all, but the source form from which the age-old diagram has come. I believe this much more than I do that I was able to improve upon the old. I think I only rediscovered what was known and hidden away for centuries. It is too obvious to be anything else.