Sefer Yetzirah
Sefirot and Letters
This picture is of the kabbalistic Tree of Life. The names of the Sefirot are written around the circles. Although Daat (Knowledge or Consciousness) is not usually included as one of the Ten Sefirot, this picture includes Daat (the white circle).
Astrology Chart
An old friend of mine who is an expert in astrology (among other things) was visiting and explained some aspects of astrology I was not familiar with by sketching out a small diagram that was the basis for this painting.
I included in this chart (from the outermost circle and going inward) the names of the Jewish months and human aspects associated with them, from Sefer Yetzirah;
whether this sign is cardinal, fixed or mutable (the first, middle or last month of the season); the names of the astrological signs;
their symbol;
32 Paths of Creation
The following quote is from the very beginning of Sefer Yetzirah.
These are the Hebrew words that can be seen surrounding
the Tree of Life diagram in this picture:
"With Thirty-two Mystical Paths of Wisdom
God (Yah...) engraved and created His Universe
with Three Sepharim:
with Sefer (letters),
with Sephar (numbers)
and with Sippur (a story).
Chapter 6: Conclusion of Sefer Yetzirah
These are the Three Mother Letters Aleph, Mem and Shin.
Chapter 5: Twelve Simple Letters
The Twelve Simple Letters are
Heh ה, Waw ו, Zayin ז, Chet ח, Tet ט, Yod י,
Lamed ל, Nun נ, Samech ס, Ayin ע, Tzadi צ, Kof ק.
Their foundation is
speech, thought, motion, sight, hearing, action,
sex, smell, sleep, anger, taste, and laughter.
The foundation of the Twelve Simple Letters
Heh, Waw, Zayin, Chet, Tet, Yod,
Chapter 4: Seven Double Letters
The Seven Double Letters are Bet ב, Gimel ג, Dalet ד, Kaf כ, Peh פ, Resh ר, and Tav ת.
They direct themselves with two pronunciations.
Their structure is thus both soft and hard, both strong and weak.
The Seven Double Letters Bet, Gimel, Dalet, Kaf, Peh, Resh, Tav -
their foundation is Wisdom, Wealth, Seed, Life, Dominance, Peace and Grace.
The Seven Double Letters are in speech and its opposite.
The opposite of Wisdom is Folly,
Chapter 3: Three Mother Letters
Three Mother Letters are Mem מ, Shin ש and Aleph א.
Their foundation is the (right) hand of merit, the (left) hand of liability,
and the tongue of decree that balances between them.
Three Mother Letters Aleph Mem Shin are a great mystical secret,
covered and concealed with six rings.
Out of them came Air, Water and Fire.
From them are born Fathers.
And from the Fathers, descendants.
Three Mother Letters Aleph Mem Shin -
Chapter 2: Twenty-two Letters in General
Twenty-two Foundation Letters:
Three Mother Letters,
Seven Double Letters
and Twelve Simple Letters.
The Three Mother Letters are Aleph א, Mem מ and Shin ש.
Their foundation is the pan of merit, the pan of liability,
and the tongue of decree deciding between them.
Mem hums, Shin hisses.
And Aleph is the Breath of Air that is balanced between them.
Twenty-two Foundation Letters -
He engraved them,
Chapter 1: Ten Sefirot of Nothingness
With Thirty-two Mystical Paths of Wisdom
Yah engraved and created His Universe with three Sepharim:
with Sepher (letters), with Sephar (numbers) and with Sippur (a story).
Ten Sefirot of Nothingness and Twenty-two Foundation Letters -
Three Mother Letters, Seven Double Letters and Twelve Simple Letters.
Ten Sefirot of Nothingness are in the number of ten fingers, five opposite five.
One Breath
One is the
Breath of the Living God.
This is Holy Breath.
Breathe in. Be aware that you are alive because you breathe. This one breath of Life is holy.
It is holy because it is from God who is One.
Every living being breathes in this same One Breath of the Living God.
Ruach Hakodesh - Holy Breath - is about knowing that you are breathing in God every time you inhale.