Sefer Yetzirah (The Book of Formation) · 4 of 7 · tr. Wynn Westcott
Section 1d
Resh, predominant in peace, crowned, combined, and formed Saturn in the Universe, the sixth day of the week, and the left nostril in man.
Tau, predominant in beauty, crowned, combined and formed Jupiter in the Universe, the seventh day in the week, and the mouth of man.
By these seven letters were also made seven worlds, seven heavens, seven lands, seven seas, seven rivers, seven deserts, seven days (as before), seven weeks from Passover to Pentecost, and every seventh year a jubilee.
CHAPTER V 1.
The simple letters are twelve, namely: He, Vau, Zain, Heth, Teth, Yod, Lamed, Nun, Samech, Oin, Tzaddi, and Quoph; they represent the fundamental properties, eight, hearing, smell, speech, desire for food, the sexual appetite, movement, anger, mirth, thought, sleep, and work.
These symbolize also twelve directions in space: northeast, southeast, the east above, the east below, the northwest, southwest, the west above, the west below, the upper south, the lower south, the upper north, the lower north.
These diverge to all eternity, and an as the arms of the universe.
2.
These twelve letters, he designed, formed, combined, weighed, and changed, and created with them the twelve divisions of the heavens (namely, the zodiacal constellations), the twelve months of the year, and the twelve important organs of the frame of man, namely the right and left hands, the right and left feet, two kidneys, the liver, the gall, the spleen, the intestines, the gullet, and the stomach.
3.
Three mothers, seven double and twelve simple, these are the twenty-two letters with which I H V H Tetragrammaton, that is our Lord of Hosts, exalted, and existed in the ages, whose name is Holy, created three fathers, fire and spirit and water, progressing beyond them, seven heavens with their armies of angels; and twelve limits of the universe.
SUPPLEMENT TO CHAPTER V (Found in some Versions) 1.
God produced He, predominant in Speech, crowned, combined, and formed Aries in the world, Nisan in the year, and the right foot of man.
2.
God produced Vau, predominant in Mind, crowned, combined, and formed Taurus in the world, Yiar in the year, and the right kidney of man.
3.
God produced Zain, predominant in movement, crowned, combined, and formed Gemini in the world, Sivan in the year, and the left foot of man.
4.
He produced Heth, predominant in Sight, crowned, combined, and formed Cancer in the world, Tammuz in the year, and the right hand of man.
5.
He produced Teth, predominant in Hearing, crowned, combined, and formed Leo in the world, Ab in the year, and the left kidney in man.
6.
He produced Yod, predominant in Labor, crowned, combined, and formed Virgo in the world, Elul in the year, and the left hand of man.
7.
He produced Lamed, predominant in sexual desire, crowned, combined, and formed Libra in the world, Tisri in the year, and the gall in man.
8.
He produced Nun, predominant in smell, crowned, combined, and formed Scorpio in the world, Marchesvan in the year, and the intestines in man.
9.
He produced Samech, predominant in sleep, crowned, combined, and formed Sagittarius in the world, Kislev in the year, and the stomach of man.
10.
Themes
◆Kingdom Withinanthropology
The claim that the divine realm is present inside the individual, accessible without external mediation.
The correspondence between cosmic structures (heavens, planets) and human anatomy suggests the divine realm is reflected within the individual.
All passages →◆Letter Meditationpraxis
Contemplative practice focused on Hebrew letters as cosmic symbols or gates of divine power.
The text provides the symbolic framework and cosmic correspondences used in contemplative practices focused on Hebrew letters.
All passages →◆Living Godtheology
The divine conceived as active, present, and dynamic—not an abstract principle but a personal responsive reality.
The divine is depicted as actively designing, forming, and combining letters to create the world.
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.
[auto] The text establishes a direct structural mapping between cosmic elements like planets and months and specific parts of the human body.
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 details how Hebrew letters formed the universe, planets, days, and human anatomy.
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.
[auto] The letters function as the divine ordering principle or word through which the universe was created and sustained.
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.
[auto] Human organs and limbs are described as corresponding mirrors to zodiacal constellations, months, and cosmic directions.
All passages →◇Numerical Mysticismtheology
Numbers, proportions, and mathematical relationships as the underlying structure of divine reality.
[auto] The text heavily emphasizes the numbers seven and twelve as structural foundations for worlds, heavens, directions, and properties.
All passages →◇Permutation Of Letterspraxis
Combining, transposing, or cycling through letters or names as a meditative or theurgical technique.
[auto] The passage describes God designing, forming, combining, weighing, and changing the letters to create existence.
All passages →◇Sacred Namestheology
Divine names or formulas that carry ontological power, used in prayer, liturgy, or magical practice.
[auto] The letters are treated as formulas carrying ontological power to form celestial bodies and human faculties.
All passages →Related passages · 14 parallels
◆christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 3 (part 3)
“The seven spirits are in the centre of the Father—that is to say, in the power of the Word.
The Word changes the wrathfulness into sweet joy and shapes it into a crystalline ocean; therein the seven spirits appear in a burning form, like s…”
Both passages explore the relationship between divine creation and the natural world, attributing specific qualities and correspondences to elements within the universe, human body, and time. They share a mystical approach to understanding the interconnectedness of all things, though they come from different religious traditions.
◆christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 6 (part 10)
“126:1 The six "days" are the activities of the seven forms of eternal nature, the seventh is their centre or rest, or the "temperature." In the seventh, "God" appears as the "Christ." (See Grace , iii.
39.) 128:1 Three is the number of for…”
Both passages explore the mystical connections between letters, celestial bodies, and human anatomy, reflecting a belief in the interconnectedness of the universe and the microcosm-macrocosm relationship. They share a common theme of divine creation and the symbolic significance of numbers and elements.
◆egyptian|The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani)|Chapter 43 (part 76)
“These eight elements were called Nu and Nut,[1] Heh and Hehet,[2] Kek and Keket,[3] and Enen and Enenet,[4] or Khemennu, the "Eight," and they were considered as primeval fathers and mothers.[5] They are often represented in the forms of fo…”
Both passages describe a creation narrative involving divine entities and the formation of the universe, heavens, and human body parts. They share a mystical approach to understanding the origins of the world and the role of divine letters or elements in this process.
◆egyptian|The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani)|Chapter 43 (part 77)
“The reader has now before him the main points of the evidence concerning the Egyptians' notions about God, and the cosmic powers and their phases, and the anthropomorphic creations with which they peopled the other world, all of which have…”
Both passages describe the creation of the world and its elements through divine actions and the use of fundamental components. They share a common theme of divine creation and the organization of the cosmos through specific entities or letters.
◆renaissance_hermeticism|The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part II (Gli Eroici Furori)|First Dialoguea
“.
Interlocutors: Cesarino.
Maricondo.
1.
Ces.
It is said that the best and most excellent things are in the world when the whole universe responds from every part, perfectly, to those things; and this it is said takes place as the plan…”
Both passages explore the connection between celestial bodies, time, and human experience. The Sefer Yetzirah links Hebrew letters to celestial phenomena and human anatomy, while the First Dialogue discusses the influence of planetary positions on world events and human conditions, both emphasizing cyclical patterns and their impact on life.
◆western_esoteric|The Secret Teachings of All Ages (Manly P. Hall)|The Qabbalah, the Secret Doctrine of Israelf
“Chapter Two 1.
There are twenty-two basic (sounds and) letters.
Three are the first elements (water, air, fire), fundamentals, or mothers; seven are double letters; and twelve are simple letters.
The three fundamental letters אמשhave as…”
Both passages discuss the mystical significance of letters in the Hebrew alphabet, their combinations, and their roles in creation. They share a structural parallel in the categorization and symbolic meaning of the letters, though the specific details and contexts differ.
◆western_esoteric|The Secret Teachings of All Ages (Manly P. Hall)|The Qabbalah, the Secret Doctrine of Israelg
“Heaven was created from the elementary fire (or ether) ש, the earth, comprising sea and land, from the elementary water, מ, and the atmospheric air from the elementary air, or spirit, א, which establishes the balance among them.
Thus were…”
Both passages describe a cosmological and anthropological system based on the Hebrew letters, assigning specific elements, celestial bodies, and human body parts to each letter. They share a structural parallel in their use of letters to represent fundamental aspects of the universe and human nature.
◆western_esoteric|The Secret Teachings of All Ages (Manly P. Hall)|The Qabbalah, the Secret Doctrine of Israelh
“Surrounding the black star are the signs of the zodiac symbolized by the twelve Simple Letters.
In the midst of this star is the Invisible Throne of the Most Ancient of the Ancients--the Supreme Definitionless Creator.
*** 8.
NOTE.
Knut…”
Both passages describe the Qabbalistic arrangement of letters, planets, days, and body parts, sharing a structural and conceptual framework despite differences in specific details and arrangement.
◆western_esoteric|The Secret Teachings of All Ages (Manly P. Hall)|The Qabbalah, the Secret Doctrine of Israeli
“The simple letters correspond to twelve directions: east height, northeast, east depth; south height, southeast, south depth; west height, southwest, west depth; north height, northwest, north depth.
They diverge to all eternity and are th…”
Both passages describe the correspondence between Hebrew letters, zodiac signs, months of the year, and human body parts, reflecting a shared mystical cosmology and anthropological framework.
◆western_esoteric|The Secret Teachings of All Ages (Manly P. Hall)|The Qabbalah, the Secret Doctrine of Israelj
“He caused the letter ס(S) to predominate in sleep, crowned it, combined it with the others, and fashioned by them Sagittarius (the Archer) in the universe, the month Kislev in the year, and the stomach in the human body (male and female).…”
Both passages describe a system of correspondences between letters, celestial bodies, months, and parts of the human body, reflecting a macrocosm-microcosm relationship central to mystical traditions.
4 more
◆western_esoteric|The Secret Teachings of All Ages (Manly P. Hall)|The Qabbalah, the Secret Doctrine of Israelk
“God is One above three, three are above seven, seven are above twelve, yet all are linked together.
9.
There are twenty-two letters by which the I AM (YAH), the Lord of Hosts, Almighty and Eternal, designed and created by three Sepharim (…”
Both passages discuss the mystical significance of the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet and their connection to the creation of the universe and the human body. They share a structural parallel in the organization and attribution of these letters to various cosmic and human elements.
◆western_esoteric|Transcendental Magic I: The Doctrine (Éliphas Lévi)|7. The Fiery Sworda
“NETSAH GLADIUS THE septenary is the sacred number in all theogonies and in all symbols, because it is composed of the triad and the tetrad.
The number seven represents magical power in all its fullness; it is the mind reinforced by all ele…”
Both passages discuss the symbolic and mystical significance of numbers, particularly the number seven, and their connections to celestial bodies, human anatomy, and spiritual concepts. They share a structural parallel in associating specific letters, planets, and human body parts with divine or mystical attributes.
◆western_esoteric|Transcendental Magic II: The Ritual (Éliphas Lévi)|17. The Writing Of The Starsd
“This day is consecrated to mental enterprises and should be favourable for opportune innovations.
2.
Pope Joan, or Occult Science.
The second day, the genius of which Enediel, was the fifth of creation, for the moon was made on the fourt…”
Both passages explore the correspondence between letters, celestial bodies, days of the week, and parts of the human body, reflecting a mystical understanding of the interconnectedness of the universe. They share a structural parallel in their systematic mapping of letters to cosmic and human elements.
◇renaissance_hermeticism|Agrippa: The Philosophy of Natural Magic, Chapter LXXIV — Of the Proportion, Correspondency, and Reduction of Letters to the Celestial Signs and Planets, According to Various Tongues, and a Table Thereof|Chapter LXXIV, Section 1a
“CHAPTER LXXIV.
Of the Proportion, Correspondency, and Reduction of Letters to the Celestial Signs and Planets, According to Various Tongues, and a Table Thereof .
God gave to man a mind and speech, which (as saith Mercurius Trismegistus)…”
[auto] Both passages discuss the mystical significance of Hebrew letters, their correspondence to celestial bodies, and their role in the creation of the world and human anatomy. They share a common theme of the divine origin and symbolic power of the Hebrew alphabet.