The Qabbalah, the Secret Doctrine of Israele

Concerning the number (10) of the spheres of existence (Sephiroth) out of Nothing, seal up your lips and guard your heart as you consider them, and if your month opens for utterance and your heart turns towards thought, control them, returning to silence. So it is written: "And the living creatures ran and returned." (Ezekiel i. 14.) And on this wise was the covenant made with us, 9. These are the ten emanations of number out of Nothing: 1st . The spirit of the living Elohim, blessed and more than blessed be the living Elohim of ages. His Voice, His Spirit, and His Word are the Holy Spirit. 2nd . He produced air from the spirit and in the air. He formed and established twenty-two sounds--the letters. Three of them were fundamental, or mothers; seven were double; and twelve were simple (single); but the spirit is the first one and above all. 3rd . Primordial water He extracted from the air. He formed therein twenty-two letters and established them out of mud and loam, making them like a border, putting them up like a wall, and surrounding them as with a rampart. He poured snow upon them and it became earth, as it reads: "He said to the snow be thou earth." (Job. xxxvii. 6.) 4th . Fire (ether) He drew forth from the water. He engraved and established by it the Throne of Glory. He fashioned the Seraphim, the Ophanim, and the Holy Living Creatures (Cherubim?), as His ministering angels; and with (of) these three He formed His habitation, as it reads: "Who made His angels spirits, His ministers a flaming fire." (Psalms civ. 4.) THE TETRAGRAMMATON. By arranging the four letters of the Great Name, י ה ו ה , (I H V H), in the form of the Pythagorean Tetractys, the 72 powers of the Great Name of God are manifested. The key to the problem is as follows: . = I = 10 = 10 . . = H I = 5+10 = 15 . . . = V H I = 6+5+10 = 21 . . . . = H V H I = 5+6+5+10 = 26 The Great Name of God = 72 *** 5th . He selected three consonants (I, H, V) from the simple ones--a secret belonging to the three mothers, or first elements; אמש(A, M, Sh), air, water, fire (ether). He sealed them with His spirit and fashioned them into a Great Name and with this sealed the universe in six directions. He turned towards the above and sealed the height with יהו(I, H, V). 6th . He turned towards the below and sealed the depth withהיו(H, I, V). 7th . He turned forward and sealed the East with ויה(V, I, H). 8th . He turned backward and sealed the West with והי(V H, I). 9th . He turned to the right and sealed the South with יוה(I, V, H). 10th . He turned to the left and sealed the North with הוי(H, V, I). NOTE. This arrangement of the letters of the Great Name is according to the Rev. Dr. Isidor Kalisch. 10. These are the ten ineffable existences out of nothing; From the spirit of the Living God emanated air; from the air, water; from the water, fire (ether); from the fire, the height and the depth, the East and the West, the North and the South.