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The Secret Teachings of All Ages (Manly P. Hall) · 286 of 530

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). 10th . He caused the letter ע(O) to predominate in anger, crowned it, combined it with the others, and fashioned by them Capricorn (the Goat) in the universe, the month Tebet in the year, and the liver in the human body (male and female). 11th . He caused the letter צ(Tz) to predominate in taste (or swallowing), crowned it, combined it with the others, and fashioned by them Aquarius (the Water Bearer) in the universe, the month Sebat in the year, and the esophagus in the human body (male and female). 12th . He caused the letter ק(Q) to predominate in mirth, crowned it, combined it with the others, and fashioned by them Pisces (the Fishes) in the universe, the month Adar in the year, and the spleen in the human body (male and female). 6. He made them as a conflict, He arranged them as provinces and drew them up like a wall. He armed them and set one against another as in warfare. (The Elohim did likewise in the other spheres.) Chapter Six 1. There are three Mothers or first elements, אמש(A, M, Sh), from which emanated three Fathers (progenitors)--primordial (spiritual) air, water, and fire--from which issued the seven planets (heavens) with their angels, and the twelve oblique points (zodiac). 2. To prove this there are three faithful witnesses: the universe, the year, and man. There are the twelve, the balance, and the seven. Above is the Dragon, below is the world, and lastly the heart of man; and in the midst is God who regulates them all. 3. The first elements are air, water, and fire; the fire is above, the water is below, and a breath of air establishes balance between them. The token is: the fire carries the water. The letterמ(M) is mute; ש(Sh) is hissing like fire; there is א(A) among them, a breath of air which reconciles the two. 4. The Dragon (Tali) is in the universe like a king upon his throne; the celestial sphere is in the year like a king in his empire; and the heart is in the body of men like a king in warfare. 5. God also set the opposites against each other: the good against the evil, and the evil against the good. Good proceeds from good, evil from evil; the good purifies the bad, the bad the good. The good is reserved for the good, and the evil for the wicked. 6. There are three of which each stands by itself: one is in the affirmative (filled with good), one is in the negative (filled with evil), and the third equilibrates them. 7. There are seven divided three against three, and one in the midst of them (balance). Twelve stand in warfare: three produce love and three hatred; three are life-givers and three are destroyers. 8. The three that cause love are the heart and the two ears; the three that produce hatred are the liver, the gall, and the tongues; the three life-givers are the two nostrils and the spleen; and the three destroyers are the mouth and the two lower openings of the body. Over all these rules God, the faithful king, from His holy habitation in all eternity.
Themes
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 text asserts that the universe, year, and man are three faithful witnesses reflecting the same structure.

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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.

The text describes a flow of emanation from the first elements to the seven planets and twelve oblique points.

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Letters Of Creationcosmology

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

The passage centrally details how each Hebrew letter predominate over specific states and are combined to fashion cosmic and bodily forms.

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Living Godtheology

The divine conceived as active, present, and dynamic—not an abstract principle but a personal responsive reality.

God is depicted as an active, personal king who regulates the cosmos and human affairs.

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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 passage equates the heart of man with the Dragon in the universe and the celestial sphere with a king in his empire.

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Numerical Mysticismtheology

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

Numbers such as three, seven, twelve, and balance are presented as structural laws of the cosmos.

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Related passages · 4 parallels
jewish_mysticism|The Book of Concealed Mystery (Siphra Dtzenioutha)|1f
[The letters of the Hebrew alphabet are divided into three classes, the three mothers as they are called, AMSh; the seven duplex letters, BGDKPRTh, so called because they are sometimes tenues and sometimes aspirates, according to whether th…”
Both passages discuss the Qabbalistic (Kabbalistic) understanding of the Hebrew letters and their correspondences to cosmic, temporal, and human elements. They share a structural framework of mapping letters to celestial, annual, and bodily attributes, reflecting a deep conceptual parallel in mystical cosmology.
jewish_mysticism|Sefer Yetzirah (The Book of Formation)|Section 1b
4.) 11. He selected three letters from the simple ones, and sealed them as forming his great Name, I H V and he sealed the universe in six directions. Five.- He looked above, and sealed the height, with I H V. Six.- He looked below, and…”
Both passages discuss the creation and organization of the universe through letters, elements, and their corresponding influences on the cosmos, the year, and the human body. They share a structural parallel in the use of letters and elements to explain the interconnectedness of all things.
jewish_mysticism|Sefer Yetzirah (The Book of Formation)|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…”
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.
jewish_mysticism|Sefer Yetzirah (The Book of Formation)|Section 1e
He produced Oin, predominant in Anger, crowned, combined, and formed Capricornus in the world, Tebet in the year, and the liver in man. 11. He produced Tzaddi, predominant in Taste, crowned, combined, and formed Aquarius in the world, Seb…”
Both passages describe the creation and arrangement of the universe, year, and human body through a series of letters and elements, highlighting the interconnectedness of these domains. They share a structural parallel in their use of letters to fashion celestial bodies, months, and human organs, as well as the concept of divine governance over these elements.