← Home
The Kabbalah Unveiled · 4 of 16 · tr. S.L. MacGregor Mathers

Introduction, Section 1d

and must therefore be referable to the Edomite kings.] p. 48 19. And it hath proceeded out of that which hath undergone the curse, as it is written in Genesis v., 29, "From the earth which the Lord hath cursed." (The meaning is: That the kingdom of the restored world was formed from the kingdom of the destroyed world, wherein seven kings had died and their possessions had been broken up. Or, the explanation of the world, of which mention is made elsewhere, proceedeth from the kingdom of the destroyed world.) [These seven kings are the Edomite kings before mentioned in Section 3.] 20. It was formless and void, and darkness upon the face of the deep, and the Spirit of the Elohim vibrating upon the face of the waters. Thirteen (these words, from "it was formless" down to "of the waters," are thirteen in the Hebrew text of Genesis) depend from the thirteen (forms) of the dignity of dignity (that is, the beard of the Macroprosopus, or first formed head). [I have before remarked that the number thirteen expresses unity. The author of "The Book of Concealed Mystery" here argues that the very number and order of the words in the Hebrew text refer to certain forms of the Deity. The terms "face of the deep" and "face of the waters" bear a striking analogy to Macroprosopus and Microprosopus, the Vast and the Lesser Countenances. In this sense the "face of (from) the deep (abyss)" is the countenance formed from Ain Soph, the Limitless One; namely. the first Sephira the Crown Kether.] 21. Six thousand years depend from the six first. This is what the wise have said, that the world shall last six thousand years, and it is understood from the six numbers of Microprosopus. But also the six following words give occasion to this idea: VIAMR ALHIM IHI AVR VIHI AVR, Veyomar Elohim Yehi Aur Vayehi Aur : "And the Elohim said, Let there be light, and there was light." [By an exegetical rule of numbers, not so often employed as the others. simple numbers or units signify divine things; numbers of ten, celestial things; numbers of a hundred, terrestrial things; and thousands p. 49 signify the future, what shall be in an after-age. Hence are the "six thousand years" deduced from the six first words, which also are said to refer to the six Sephiroth of whom Microprosopus is formed; the idea of six being extended into as many thousands, to symbolise that number on the plane of a future age.] 2:. The seventh (the millennium, and the seventh space. namely, the Kingdom), above that One which alone is powerful--( i.e. , when the six degrees of the members denote mercies and judgments, the seventh degree tendeth alone to judgment and rigour). And the whole is desolate (that is, the Kingdom, MLKVTh, Malkuth , in the higher powers, is the antitype of the sanctuary, and like as this is destroyed, so also the Schechinah, or Kingdom, is itself exiled) for twelve hours (for the Hebrews include all this time of their exile in the space of one day). Like as it is written: "It was formless and void, &c." (for from the word "it was formless," down to "upon the faces of," are twelve words in the Hebrew text of Genesis.) [By the same rule, the millennium is deduced from the seventh word.
Themes
◆Active Contemplationpraxis

A form of meditation that uses imagery, imagination, or symbolic thought rather than purely empty stillness.

The exegetical work described involves symbolic thought and imagery to understand divine forms.

All passages →
◆Correspondencecosmology

The Hermetic axiom that the structure of the cosmos is reflected at every scale — 'as above, so below; as within, so without' — making each level a legible map of the others.

The passage establishes a correspondence between word counts (micro) and cosmic time/degrees (macro), e.g., six words to six thousand years.

All passages →
◆Divine Hiddennesstheology

The supreme God's radical concealment beyond ordinary knowledge or perception; the Hidden Father.

The concept of Ain Soph and the 'Concealed Mystery' points to the radical concealment of the supreme God.

All passages →
◆Divine Lighttheology

The uncreated luminous quality of the divine, sometimes experienced directly in mystical states; illumination as revelation.

The creation of light ('Let there be light') is a central element of the cosmological narrative presented.

All passages →
◆Eschatological Judgmentsoteriology

Final, collective cosmic judgment as an event in which the wicked are sentenced and the cosmos restored; distinct from psychopomp_journey (individual passage at death) and emphasising verdict where Zoroastrian frashokereti emphasises restoration.

The passage outlines a timeline of six thousand years followed by a seventh degree of judgment and rigour.

All passages →
◆Logoscosmology

The divine reason, word, or ordering principle through which the universe was created; mediates between the transcendent God and the material world.

Creation is described through divine speech ('Elohim said, Let there be light'), functioning as an ordering principle.

All passages →
◆Microcosm Macrocosmcosmology

The human being as a small-scale image of the entire cosmos; the body, soul, and intellect mirroring the structure of the heavens and the divine — distinct from correspondence in that it makes the human the privileged mirror.

The terms Macroprosopus and Microprosopus imply a divine structure often mirrored in the human archetype within Kabbalah.

All passages →
◆Permutation Of Letterspraxis

Combining, transposing, or cycling through letters or names as a meditative or theurgical technique.

The analysis of word order and count implies a manipulation or study of letters for meaning.

All passages →
◆Sacred Namestheology

Divine names or formulas that carry ontological power, used in prayer, liturgy, or magical practice.

Divine names like 'Elohim' and specific word formulas are treated as having ontological power and meaning.

All passages →
◆Sefirot Treecosmology

The diagrammatic arrangement of the ten Sephirot as a structured 'Tree of Life' mapping divine and cosmic forces.

The text outlines the structural arrangement of the Sephirot (six first, seventh degree) and their relation to Macroprosopus.

All passages →
◆Separation From Sourcesoteriology

The felt condition of exile from one's divine origin — Rumi's reed flute torn from its bed, Plotinus's 'we have forgotten,' the Gnostic forgetfulness; the affective wound that complements return_to_source and gives the return its motive.

The text describes the Schechinah or Kingdom as 'exiled' and the world proceeding from a 'destroyed world'.

All passages →
◇Anthropomorphismtheology

Attributing human characteristics, emotions, or form to the divine; embodied divine imagery.

[auto] The passage explicitly describes the Divine using human imagery, specifically the 'beard of the Macroprosopus'.

All passages →
◇Cosmic Dualismtheology

Ontological opposition between two primal principles (light/darkness, truth/lie, spirit/matter) as the fundamental structure of reality.

[auto] Contrasts the 'kingdom of the restored world' with the 'kingdom of the destroyed world' and the cursed earth.

All passages →
◇Ein Softheology

The infinite, unknowable aspect of the divine prior to and beyond all emanation; the hidden root from which the Sephirot unfold.

[auto] The text explicitly references 'Ain Soph, the Limitless One' as the source of the first Sephira.

All passages →
◇Emanation Hierarchycosmology

A chain of divine beings or principles flowing downward from a single transcendent source (the One or the Father), each level less perfect than the one above.

[auto] Describes forms depending from higher dignities and a restored world formed from a destroyed one, implying a hierarchical flow.

All passages →
◇Frashokereticosmology

The final restoration/renovation of the cosmos.

[auto] Discusses the formation of a 'kingdom of the restored world' from the broken possessions of the destroyed world.

All passages →
◇Hidden Sayingssoteriology

Esoteric teachings reserved for those ready to receive them; outer meaning conceals an inner liberating truth.

[auto] References the 'Book of Concealed Mystery' and argues that scripture contains hidden meanings accessible through esoteric interpretation.

All passages →
◇Letter Meditationpraxis

Contemplative practice focused on Hebrew letters as cosmic symbols or gates of divine power.

[auto] Involves the contemplative counting and analysis of Hebrew words to access divine knowledge.

All passages →
◇Letters Of Creationcosmology

The twenty-two Hebrew letters as the building blocks through which God creates and sustains all existence.

[auto] The passage explicitly analyzes the Hebrew word count and order in Genesis to reveal divine forms, treating language as ontological building blocks.

All passages →
◇Numerical Mysticismtheology

Numbers, proportions, and mathematical relationships as the underlying structure of divine reality.

[auto] The text centers on the number thirteen, asserting it expresses unity and corresponds to specific divine forms.

All passages →
◇Sephirotcosmology

The ten attributes or emanations through which the Ein Sof (Infinite) reveals itself and creates the universe in Kabbalistic theology.

[auto] Mentions 'Macroprosopus' and 'dignity of dignity,' which are specific Kabbalistic divine attributes or emanations.

All passages →
Related passages · 1 parallel
◆western_esoteric|Transcendental Magic II: The Ritual (Éliphas Lévi)|17. The Writing Of The Starsf
“Hence they inferred that after a cycle of twelve periods Greece would be destroyed and desolated. A short time before the sack of Jerusalem and its temple by Nebuchadnezzar, the Kabalists remarked eleven stars disposed in the following man…”
Both passages discuss the use of numerical and astrological symbolism to predict the rise and fall of empires and divine judgments. They share a conceptual framework of using sacred texts and numerical values to interpret divine messages and historical events.