From: Khephera Area: MagickNet To: All 12 Jun 96 05:36:38 Subject: Mahaseh Berashith UpdReq Hello all. ;) I'm posting the following articals of mine here for comments. Tell me what you think. Anything to add? Delete? (Yeah, right). Anything to change? Also, forgive any apparent spelling stupidity. These will be spell checked by others at a later time (the word proc. I used doesn't have one). At any rate...enjoy: _ _ _ O / _ _ C_U_T_ H_E_R_E_ _ _ _ O \ Permission is granted to distribute this work in electronic form, with these conditions: 1) No fees may be charged for the distribution or transmission of this document, other than standard charges for use of transmission lines or electronic media. Distribution for commercial purposes or by commercial entities is specifically prohibited. 2) All copies distributed must contain the complete, unedited text of the original document and this copyright notice. 3) Persons acquiring the electronic version of this document may make one printed copy for their personal use. All other rights are retained by the author. This is the first in a short series of writings concerning Mahaseh Berashit, or the Work of Creation. It is a completely theoretical aspect of the Qabalah, dealing with interpretations on how the Cosmos came into being. However, understanding this theory can add quite a bit to Qabalistic practice; as it adds quite a bit to an understanding of the inherent functions of the Tree of Life. Creation is a cyclic process, not a one time "event". Therefore, we must keep in mind that what is described in these writings is happening around us at all times. These are the processes which we must access to perform our Magick- in order for us to Create. (For more on Mahaseh Berashit, see the documents concerning the Sephiroth- where each one is related to it's scene in Genesis). THE EDOMITE KINGDOMS- ARMY OF TIAMAT: On the Creation of the Qliphoth The Qabalistic "Creation Mythos" is, of course, an interpretation on the formation of the Tree of Life. Not only this, but it describes how the Tree of Life inadvertantly also created the Kingdom of Shells (Hebrew- "Qliphoth"). This "Kingdom" is said to reside below the world of Assiah (the physical world), and is home to all kinds of Demons. In fact, each and every Sephirah (which contains it's own Tree of Life, and thus it's own Kingdom of Shells below it's Assiah) is affected by this Infernal Relm. Of course, to say "it" when speaking of a Qabalistic Philosophy is to limit it severly. In fact, there are myriads of Qabalistic stories to describe Creation, and the formation of the Kingdom of Shells. One says that the Qliphoth were formed as each Sephirah filled with energy, and then overflowed to fill the next. Before the next Sephirah was thus established, the first Sephirah was in a temporary state of "over-extension". For instance, Gevurah was for a moment transformed from Severity to Rage and Destruction. It remained thus until Tiphareth was full and allowed a retun flow to reach Gevurah to balance things. The Qliphoth was that over-extension. I do not personally like this for a couple of reasons. The main one is that this views the Qliphoth as a Sephirah "gone too far", where I view the Qliphoth as the mirror opposite of the Sephirah in which it is found. For instance, the Qliphoth of Gevurah is not Rage and Destruction, but Cowardice and Weakness. I do not dismiss the former view of "over-extension"; in fact, I rather like the above explanation of why sometimes Divine Light "over does it". However, I simply do not view this as being the Qliphoth proper. Another explanation concerns the Upper Waters and the Lower Waters of Genesis I: As each Sephirah came into being in the Upper Waters of the Heavens, It's light cast a reflection into the Lower Waters. Being mere reflections, these lower spheres lacked their own true Divinity. They were simply pale, two-dimensional copies of the originals. Also, being reflections, they were the complete opposites of the true Sephiroth. The Sephirah of Gevurah- Severity- thus created a Qliphoth of Weakness. Chesed- Mercy- created a Qliphoth of Hardness and Destructive Anger. And so on and so forth. This mythos gets the point across quite well. However, it leaves some concepts in further need of explanation. A better mythos involves the creation of not one, but two Trees of Life. The original Tree, it would seem, had a major flaw of some sort within it. Because of this, it shattered when Divinity attempted to fill it with It's Light. The shards, or Shells, fell below the World of Assiah and the new Tree was Created to replace it. This is one of the very few instances in Qabalistic philosophy where God is said to have commited a blunder. It is this Mythos that I will be analysing in this writing. cont... Khephera 201434369420143436942014343694201434369420143436942014343694718 From: Khephera Area: MagickNet To: All 12 Jun 96 05:39:20 Subject: Mahaseh Berashith II UpdReq IN THE BEGINNING In the beginning, as it is often said, there was One Single Divine Source. In my own system, this Single Divine Source is sometimes represented by the Great Babylonian Apsu and His wife Tiamat. Being husband and wife, They do fit into the Single Source definition. Also, it illustrates that the Divine Source is, in fact, inherently dual. Kether contains both Chesed and Binah, which eventually mate and produce the rest of the Tree. And this leads to the next issue. Tiamat and Apsu did, indeed, mate- and the final result of this was Marduk, the Demiurgos. The Demiurgos is the Creator God, whom you and I credit with the existance of the World. The Demiurgos represents the Natural Laws of the Universe, while Tiamat/Apsu represent the Cosmic Egg. Of course, once Natrual Law (which is duality) is inflicted upon Unity- the result is the Big Bang, and our World is created. Unity no longers rules, and the Demiurgos sets Itself as Ruler of the Cosmos. (For more on this, see the "Marduk/Tiamat Equation" in my document "Divine Names"). This is only the basic overview of the Creation, and the details are the point of this writing. Details such as- what happened when Marduk acted upon Tiamat? What caused Marduk to act upon Her in the first place? And, most important, what in the world does any of this have to do with the Qliphoth?? TIAMAT'S UPRISING In the Enuma Elish (the Babylonian Creation Mythos), the Demiurgos' job is actually held by both Marduk and His father Ea. It is Ea who makes the first move, and is related to the Elohim who divided the Upper Waters (Apsu) from the Lower (Tiamat). The existance of Ea (and the others with Him who had eminated from Tiamat/Apsu) were bothersome to the Oringal Beggeters. In order to rectify this, Apsu decided to slay His children. Bringing this to the point, the Law of Unity was still in effect, and thus could not oblidge the existance of something other than Itself. It, by It's nature, moved to reabsorb this "other" and bring things back into balance. This, however, failed. Duality had already begun to get it's foothold, and there was little that could be done about it. Ea, therefore, slew Apsu. Now, it is not important here that Apsu actually died. It is only signifigant that, by His death, He became seperate from Tiamat. The Upper Waters were firmly set away from the Lower Waters. Duality was in complete control now, and the result was the affore mentioned Explosion- the Big Bang, which we call Chaos. However, let's slow time down a little. If we liken the Big Bang, and Chaos, to a neuclear explosion- then let us zoom in on the atom (Cosmic Egg) in it's moments before splitting into two. Let us zoom in on the details of Tiamat's Uprising. Let us look at the Kings and Dukes of Edom. THE KINGDOMS OF EDOM The Kings and Dukes of Edom are to be found in Geneis 36:31-43. These are the inhabitants of the land of Edom (in southern Palastine) who opposed the Khabiru's wish to enter the land after the Exodus. Needless to say, they did not win a warm place in the Mythos of the Hebrews. Thus it is that, Biblically, the Edomites were said to be descended from Easu- the brother of Jacob- who sold his birthright for a bowl of soup. Easu was the main opponant to Jacob in his adventures; in fact, after Jacob had outsmarted Easu (yet again), it was Samael- Guardian Angel of Easu- who is said to have wrestled with Jacob in the hopes of delaying him until his brother could catch up. Thus is the Hebraic take on the history of the Edomite peoples. Therefore, when the Edomites were defeated by the Khabiru, the supposed reason for this was because they (like Easu) had refused God's Light, and therfore fell before (the Khabiru who possesed) It. This story afforded quite a bit for the Qabalist of later years to ponder and "interpret". Especially when one looks at the arrangment of the Kings and their Dukes as listed in Genesis: King Duke(s) -Bela Timnah, Alva, Jetheth -Jobab Aholibamah -Husham Elah -Hadad Pinon -Samlah Kenaz -Saul Teman -Baal-Hanan Mibzar, Magdiel -Hadar Eram Here we have three Dukes to relate to the Supernal Sephiroth, and a King to represent them as one Force (which the Supernals are); one Duke and King for Chesed through Hod; two Dukes to embody the dual force of Yesod (fertility, waxing and waning moon, etc) and it's King; and finally a Duke and King for Malkuth. These Edomites are said to "represent unlawful and chaotic forces". Therefore, these would have to relate to that original Tree of Life which was unbalanced and fell. These Kingdoms, who could not withstand the Light of God, are the very Sephirah that could not withstand the Dvine influx of Energy, and thus shattered and fell. Before I continue on, I want to make one thing clear. From a Qabalistic Standpoint, the first Tree and the Second Tree both share the same Supernals. These Spheres represent God Himself, and thus are not subject to such a fall. Therefore, Bela and his Dukes do not embody the Supernals, but Daath (the Abyss)- in which is represented the Supernals indirectly. cont... Khephera 201434369420143436942014343694201434369420143436942014343694718 From: Khephera Area: MagickNet To: All 12 Jun 96 05:40:00 Subject: Mahaseh Berashith III UpdReq THE ARMIES OF TIAMAT This first Tree thus represnts the "unlawful and chaotic" state that immediately followed Unity, and immediately preceeded the Big Bang of Duality. This first Tree was destroyed by the Demiurgos' Law, or "God's Light". This Tree, and the Edomites, are the armies of Tiamat who took part in Her uprising: They crowded round and rallied beside Tiamat. They were fierce, scheming restlessly night and day. They were working up to war, growling and raging. They convened a council and created conflict. [...] Over Her offspring who had convened a council for Her She promoted Qingu and made Him the greatest amoung Them, Conferred upon Him leadership of the army, command of the asssembly, Raising the weapon to signal engagement, mustering combat-troops, Overall command of the whole battle force. And She set Him upon a throne. "I have cast the spell for You and made You greatest in the Gods' assembly! I have put into Your power rule over all the Gods! You shall be the greatest, for You are My only lover! Your commands shall always prevail over all the Anunnaki!" Then She gave Him the Tablet of Destinies and made Him clasp it to His breast. "You utterance shall never be altered! Your word shall be Law!" When Qingu was promoted and had recieved the Anu-Power And had decreed destinies for the Gods His sons, He said, "What issues forth from Your mouths shall quench fire! Your accumulated venom shall paralyse the powerful!" In the above quote from the Enuma Elish, I have left in the scene where Qingu is appointed their leader. In every way, Qingu is the Seven Headed Dragon who's heads represent the Kings of Edom, and the ten horns thereof represent the Dukes. This is Samael, who is Lord of the Forces of Chaos- Guardian Angel of Easu. This is Lucifer of the Christian Mythos, who armed Himself for war in Heaven. This is He who Ruled in the infinitely short span of time in which Chaos was the Law; that which is no longer than the time between when the bomb explodes, and it's shrapnel begins to seperate from it's body. BIG BANG- WAR IN THE HEAVENS The stage is set. Unity has been disrupted. Duality has not yet come into power. Chaos is the Law. The clock moves at the speed of one second per hour. The Chaotic Tree of Life stands it's ground, and awaits the confrontation. Tiamat's generals, the unbalanced Kings of Edom, do not realise that they have no hope of withstanding Marduk's Divine Light. In Hebrew Mythos, this war is summed up in the Uprising of Rahab. Rahab is an Archangel in the form of a Sea Serpent, and is much likened to Tiamat. Even more so, He would be likened to the Seven Headed Dragon- Samael. When Elohim commanded the Waters to seperate, Rahab refused to comply. Instead, He flew from the Waters to attack the Elohim, and was promptly killed and thrown back into the Deep. The Waters were then seperated and Creation continued. Once again, this sums up the entire event nicely- yet the detail offered by the Armies of Tiamat (and the Kingdoms of Edom) offers so much more: Face to face They came, Tiamat and Marduk, Sage of the Gods. They engaged in combat, they closed for battle. The Lord spread His net and made it encircle Her, To Her face He dispatched the imhullu-wind, which had been behind: Tiamat opened Her mouth to swallow it, And He forced in the imhullu-wind so that She could not close Her lips. Fierce winds distended Her belly; Her insides were constipated and She stretched Her mouth wide. He shot an arrow which pierced Her belly, Split Her down the middle and slit Her heart, Vanquished Her and extinguished Her life. He threw down Her corpse and stood on top of Her. When He had slain Tiamat, the leader, he broke up Her regiments; Her assembly was scattered. Then the Gods Her helpers, who had marched at Her side, Began to tremble, panicked, and turned tail. Although He allowed Them to come out and spared Their lives, They were surrounded, They could not flee. Then He tied Them up and smashed their weapons. They wre thrown into the net and sat there ensnared. They cowered back, filled with woe. They had to bear HIs punishment, confined to prison. [...] As for Qingu, who had once been greatest amoung Them, He defeated Him and counted Him amoung the Dead Gods, Wrested form Him the Tablet of Destinies, wrongfully His, Sealed it with His own seal and pressed it to His breast. And thus the fight had ended. Marduk had broken up Tiamat's Armies- just as the Edomite Kingdoms were destroyed by Divine Light. Marduk wrested the Tablet of Destinies from Qingu- that is to say the Law had been taken from Chaos, and given to Order. Samael was defeated; The Dragon had been slain by the Archangel Michael of the Christian Mythos. cont... Khephera 201434369420143436942014343694201434369420143436942014343694718 From: Khephera Area: MagickNet To: All 12 Jun 96 05:40:34 Subject: Mahaseh Berashith IV UpdReq QLIPHOTH: THE KINGDOM OF SHELLS The remains of the fallen Kingdoms- the original Tree- fell below the world of Assiah, and were seperated from the Second Tree by the Abyss (which, at this point rested where Malkuth would soon be- see "The Fall", which follows this document). As in the Enuma Elish, the armies of Tiamat were captured and confined. They were cast into the ruins of their Kingdoms, and held there by the span of the Abyss. The Seven Headed Dragon was "counted amoung the dead gods", and rested in this Kingdom of Shells firmly asleep. Of course, as before stated, each Sephirah has it's own Tree, with it's own Assiah, and it's own Abyss. Thus, all of the Kingdoms did not fall to the "bottom" of the Cosmos, as it were. Instead, the Kingdoms were destroyed, and the new Sephiroth were constructed directly on top of the ruins. And this finally brings us back to the nature of the Qliphoth. Picture each Sephirah as being a Sphere of Divine Light. At the very edges of this sphere lie heaps of rubble which cast shadows in it's outer reaches. The Light embodies the Angels of that Sephirah.; the rubble is the ruins of the Kingdoms of Edom, the Qliphoth themselves; the shadows that are cast are the demons who directly oppose the Angels of Light. The Shadows of Gevurah, for instance, are the demons of weakness and cowardess. Were these shadows a mistake of God? My answer is no. To begin with, the above has shown that the original Tree was not so much a first "attempt" at Creation, as it was an unavoidable result of the conflict between Order and Chaos. Taking this further, it could be said that it provided a very nessissary ground-work upon which the second Tree was to be built. A ground-work, in fact, that the first Tree did not possess, and which surely caused it's own defeat. The ruins of the Kingdoms of Edom were needed to build the Temples of Light upon- just as the greatest triumphs in life are only built upon many failures. Could I be saying that the Qliphoth are not only a purposeful construction, but even a nessisary- even a GOOD one? Absolutely. And it doesn't end with the above. Not only are the foundations of the old Kingdoms gravely needed for our existance, but so is the rubble which surrounds each Sephirah, and the demons it creates. Notice that the Tree of Life is symbolised by the Lightning Bolt. In order for life to manifest, Divine Light must travel in a zig-zag pattern from one Sphere to the next. However, Light travels in a straight line- unless acted upon by something opaque. Something like the Qliphoth. Imagine the Tree of Life with no Qliphoth. Imagine the Angels of Light existing with no Demons to Rebel- a la the Christian Mythos- and oppose the Light. Kether would shine it's light directly down the Middle Pillar, into Tiphareth, into Yesod, and into Malkuth. However, Tiphareth's power is based upon the Sacred Union of the God and Goddess- the Divine Cycle of Nature, the Wheel of the Year. But, the God and Goddess are Chockmah and Binah, and these two Spheres do not exist. Yesod is fertility, as well as Lunar Cycles. But, without opposite sexes, there is no fertility. Without the Sun in Tiphareth the Moon does not glow. And, in both cases of Tiphareth and Yesod, there can be no cycles, for all moves in a straight line. And what of Malkuth- which is the sum total of all the operations of the Ten Sephiroth? Of course, Malkuth does not exist either. Let us look at this from another angle as well. Let us assume that one Sephirah, say Chesed, is eminating it's Light. Tzadkiel, it's Archangel, is concerned with one function only- to embrace the Divine Light from above, and radiate it outward as far as is possible. With nothing to finally stop the Light at some point, and to direct it onward to Gevurah, it continues onward infinitely. It "goes to far" as some would say. Mercy finally becomes Weakness, and is never diverted toward Severity and Strength (Gevurah) as it should be. Thus, the existance of demons- or as I call Them in this case "Angels of Destruction" or "Angels of Darkness"- is absolutely vital to our existance in every way. As Hebrew Mythos tells us, the Elohim declared "Let there be Light", and the Angels of Darkness were immediately banished to the edges of the Cosmos. Or, even better, in Christian Mythos we are told of the Rebel Angels who were cast into Hell- the relm of the Qliphoth. This was far more than a punishement- this was an assignment. Thier job in this relm is to stand against the Light and divert It into It's proper Path. Perhaps we see here a Divine joke of sorts. The Beings of Chaos- who would see our world fall so that Theirs might retun- are the very Beings who shape the Tree of Life itself. And this ends the Analysis of the Kingdoms of Edom, Tiamat's Army, and the Big Bang- or War in the Heavens. I end this document with the Kingdom of Shells established, the Seven Headed Dragon asleep, the second Tree of Life constructed, and the Abyss seperating the two relms. However, this does not quite yet include the manifest existance of the Universe. Marduk has taken control, but has not yet split Tiamat into sky and Earth. As per Genesis I, the Lower Waters have not been restriced so that dry land might appear. This process of manifestation is contained in the Mythos of Adam and Eve and the Fall from Grace. Therefore, continue from here to the document "The Fall, or Paradise Lost". _ _ _ O / _ _ C_U_T_ H_E_R_E_ _ _ _ O \ If you guys find this interesting, then I'll post the following artical. I havn't written the third and final one yet...but perhaps within the next few days.... Blessed Be, may Yahweh and His Asherah guide and keep thee, Ar ReX Em SeXem Eref Neter Au-a Rx Khephera 201434369420143436942014343694201434369420143436942014343694718 From: Irv Koch Area: MagickNet To: Farrell McGovern 12 Jun 96 17:08:38 Subject: Re: love ... no ... consumption UpdReq FM> Magickal Systems are tools for re-programming, through FM> word and deeds, your mind to open it up to new FM> processes and perceptions. FM> The big thing about the English language is FM> of it's own. It is the first predatory language... Which mostly just complicates the magickal practitioner's job. Elsewhere they construct a formula and have some idea what it will do. With English, come back in a few years and everyone's minds have been gobbled up by .... 201434369420143436942014343694201434369420143436942014343694718