H. YHVH- the "Perfect Name
from NOT"
)
The single most important Name of Small Face in the Hebrew religion is YHVH
(see Ezra Name and see
Sinatic Name). It is with this Name that most mystical qabalistic
meditation and magical rituals are performed. The four letters Yod Heh Vav
Heh correspond respectively to the four qabalistic Worlds of Atziluth (World
of Emanation), B'riyah (World of Creation), Yetzirah (World of Formation),
and Asiyah (Activity or Making). The relationship between Vast and Small
Face is perfectly displayed in the Name YHVH. The Name YHVH portrays the
active (sexual) tantric union between masculine (yang) and feminine (yin)
aspects of Vast and Small Face in the Upper and Lower Worlds. The Yod and
Upper Heh are the respective masculine and feminine (or yang and yin) aspects
in the Upper Worlds. The Yod, which emanates in Sefirah Crown/Above, is
essentially a witness state the size of the whole universe. The World of
Atziluth is thereby rooted in Sefirah Crown/Above. The Upper Heh, which
emanates in Sefirah Wisdom/East, is the latent condition of all Mayic (illusory)
possibilities. The World of B'riyah is rooted in the supernal Sefirah Wisdom/East.
In Chapter Two of the Sifra Detzniyutha (Book of THAT Which
is Concealed), the Heh is equated with the nostrils of Vast Face, through
which the cosmic breath "rushes forth."
"The breath of the hollow pillar (nose) of the Ancient One unto Small
Face.
Without the breath, It exists as NOT (Lo).
In Heh, It is manifested [i.e. B'riyah].
The Heh above, the Heh below.
As it is written, "AHH Adonai Elohim." (Sifra Detzniyutha 2)
And in Chapter Three of the Sifra Detzniyutha, we find:
)
"In the cohesion of the attached, in the breath of the weights [Sefiroth]
is Yod Heh Vav.
The superior Yod is adorned with the wreath of the Ancient One [i.e. the
Ayin of Vast Face], the supernal envelope that is clear and concealing.
The superior Heh is adorned with the breath that comes forth in order to
animate from the openings of the hollow pillar [i.e. the nose].
The superior Vav, the lamp of heavy darkness, which is adorned by its sides;
The letters then extend and are included in Small Face [i.e in the lower
seven Sefiroth].
Just as they dwelled in the skull [i.e. Atziluth],
They are found to be extending into the whole body in order to establish
all."
The Vav and Lower Heh represent the action of the consciousness of Small
Face in the Lower Worlds. The Vav emanates from the feminine Sefirah Understanding/North
and is masculine (yang) in the lower planes. The World of Yetzirah
is rooted in this supernal Sefirah. The Lower Heh emanates from Sefirah
Knowledge/First in the World of B'riyah and is feminine (yin) in
Asiyah (World of Activity or Making) as the Sefirah Kingdom. In Qabalah,
the feminine aspect of the Spirit of Small Face in the lower worlds is called
Shekhinah (lit. abiding, community). In the first chapter of the
Sifra Detzniyutha is found:
"Just as the Heh is found to be the Shekhinah."
Shekhinah has many Names in the Torah, such as Bride
(Kalah), Queen (Malkhah), She (Hya, pronounced "hee"),
and Glory or Honor (Kavod). It is through the interaction of the
Vav and the Lower Heh that messianic appearances are manifested in the Lower
Worlds. The action of the Spirit of Messiah in the World of Yetzirah resonates
through the Vav. The Lower Heh is the presence of the Spirit of the Lord
YHVH as the Shekhinah throughout the material Creation, or "Earth"
(Aretz). Actually, the Lord YHVH is referred to in the feminine about
10-15 percent of the time in the Torah, though often mistranslated
or ignored. It is important to note that, despite the medieval injunctions
of the rabbinate, the ancient Qabalah is not sexist. The Mystical Qabalah
establishes the unity and equality of the male and female aspects of the
Lord YHVH ("Honor Thy Father and Thy Mother"), and offers "equal
opportunity" to become "Masters of the Name" and great servants
of our Lord.
Among books on the subject of the Qabalah, there is some confusion regarding
how the letters Yod, Heh, and Vav are respectively ascribed to the supernal
Sefiroth. Many authors ascribe only the upper tip of the Yod to the Sefirah
Crown/Above and the rest of the letter with Sefirah Wisdom/East. The Upper
Heh is thereby associated with Sefirah Understanding/North and the Vav with
the Sefirah Knowledge/First. This confusion may stem from the fact that
most writers are not familiar with the Tree of Perfection, and may not clearly
comprehend the nature of the relationship between Sefirah Kingdom and Sefirah
Knowledge/First. The confusion may also arise from the fact that the Tree
spans the four worlds ( see Diagram),
and at the same time, each Sefirah is a complete Tree ( see
Diagram). However, the Sefer HaShmoth and the Sifra
Detzniyutha in the verses cited above clearly ascribe the Yod entirely
to Sefirah Crown/Above, the Upper Heh with Sefirah Wisdom/East, and the
Vav with Sefirah Understanding/North. The Lower Heh and the World of Asiyah
are associated with the seven lower Sefiroth beginning with Sefirah Knowledge/First.
It may help to visualize the Ezra letter Yod as an eddy spinning around
a still centerpoint. This still centerpoint is the infinitesimally small
point (smaller than the Planck Constant of 10-34cm) in Sefirah Crown/Above,
where the Light of the Endless enters the Tzimtzum (Contraction)
and descends as the Central Column of the Tree. If you could magnify this
point and make it visible, you would see that it is not in fact a point,
but rather a circle i.e. the "wreath of the Ancient One which adorns
the superior Yod." This is where the Yod is rooted in and emanates
from the negatively existent roots. The two end points of the Yod are respectively
the supernal Sefiroth Wisdom/East and Understanding/North, the uppermost
sources for the two side columns of the Tree.
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