The Tarot of the Bohemians (Papus) · 9 of 134 · tr. A.P. Morton
Chapter II (part 2)
The ancients used a dot in the centre of a circle as the symbol of this idea, the representation of the Unity-principle ( the dot ) in the centre of eternity ( the circle , a line without beginning or end).
According to these demonstrations, the Unity is regarded as the whole , of which all created beings are only the constituent parts ; just as the Unity-man is formed of an agglomeration of molecules, which compose his being.
The Kabbalah, therefore, places at the origin of all things the absolute assertion of the being by itself of the Ego-Unity, which is represented by the yod symbolically, and by the number 10.
This number 10, representing the All-principle 1, with the Zero-nothing 0, well supplies the requisite conditions.
THE HE.
But the Ego cannot be realized except through its opposition to the Non-Ego.
The assertion of the Ego is scarcely established, when we must instantly realize a reaction of the Ego, Absolute, upon itself, from which the conception of its existence will be drawn, by a kind of division of the Unity.
This is the origin of duality , of opposition, of the Binary , the image of femininity, even as the Unity is the image of the masculine.
Ten, divided by itself, in opposition to itself, then equals 10/2 = 5, five, the exact number of the letter He , the second letter of the great sacred name.
The He therefore represents the passive in relation to the Yod, which symbolizes the active; the Non-Ego in relation to the Ego, the woman relatively to the man ; the substance relatively to the essence ; life in its relation to the soul , &c., &c.
THE VAU.
But the opposition of the Ego and the Non-Ego immediately gives rise to another factor; this is the Affinity existing between this Ego and this Non-Ego.
Now the Vau , the sixth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, produced by 10 (yod) + 5 (he) = 15 = 6 (or 1 + 5), signifies link or analogy.
It is the link which, uniting antagonisms in the whole of nature, constitutes the third word of this mysterious Trinity.
Ego--Non-Ego.
Affinity of the Ego with the Non-Ego.
THE 2nd HE.
Nothing can exist beyond this Trinity, considered as a law.
The Trinity is the synthetic and absolute formula to which all the sciences converge; and this formula, forgotten with regard to its scientific value, has been transmitted to us integrally, by all the religious of the world, the unconscious depositaries of the SCIENCE WISDOM of primitive civilizations.
Thus the great sacred name is formed of three letters only.
The fourth term of the name is formed by the repetition of the second letter, the He .
This repetition indicates the passage of the Trinitarian law into a new application; that is, to speak correctly, a transition from the metaphysical to the physical world, or generally, of any world whatever to the world that immediately follows it.
The knowledge of the property of the second He is the key to the whole divine name, in every application of which it is susceptible.
We shall presently see the proof of this statement .
SUMMARY UPON THE WORD YOD-HE-VAU-HE.
Now that we have separately studied each of the letters that compose the sacred name, we will apply the law of synthesis to them, and sum up the results obtained.
The word Yod-he-vau-he is formed of four letters, signifying: The Yod The active principle pre-eminent.
The Ego = 10.
The He The passive principle pre-eminent.
The Non-Ego = 5.
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 links metaphysical principles (Unity, Ego) to physical manifestations and letters, implying a structural reflection between levels of reality.
The Stoic and Plotinian doctrine that all parts of the cosmos are bound by hidden affinities, so that a movement in one part resonates through the whole; the metaphysical basis for astrology, magic, and divination.
The concept of 'Affinity existing between this Ego and this Non-Ego' suggests a binding force linking antagonisms in the whole of nature.
Narratives or doctrines of cosmic origin — how heaven, earth, and the primordial deities first came into being. The Kojiki's deities born alone on the Plain of High Heaven, Voluspo's Ginnungagap, Genesis's tohu wa-bohu, the Timaeus's Demiurge fashioning the Receptacle, the Hesiodic Theogony, the Kalevala's egg-cosmogony, Egyptian Nun-and-Atum. Distinct from emanation_hierarchy (structural-ontological cascade), letters_of_creation (mechanism of creation), and apocatastasis/frashokereti (end-state restoration); cosmogony is temporally-narrative beginning.
The text outlines the origin of duality and the physical world from the assertion of the Ego-Unity.
The doctrine that the divine is present within all things and the universe itself, pervading creation rather than remaining solely transcendent above it. Distinct from unity_of_being (the general claim that all existence is one substance, agnostic about whether that substance indwells its parts) and from kingdom_within (the divine present specifically IN THE INDIVIDUAL human, accessible without mediation) — divine_immanence is the general pervading-presence claim applied to all of creation, not a human-specific indwelling.
The Unity is described as the whole of which all created beings are parts, suggesting the divine pervades creation.
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 passage describes a progression from the Unity-principle through duality and trinity into the physical world, outlining a structural flow of existence.
A historical or mythical chain of transmission for secret wisdom from master to disciple across time and cultures — the credential of the teaching, not merely its content. Distinct from oral_tradition (the spoken-not-written modality of transmission, which a lineage may or may not use) and hidden_sayings (the concealment-for-readiness of a teaching's meaning, independent of who transmitted it or in what unbroken chain).
It mentions knowledge transmitted by 'all the religious of the world' as depositaries of primitive wisdom.
The Hermetic doctrine that a masculine-feminine generative principle operates on every plane of being, not only the biological — present at all times as a structural feature of creation itself. Distinct from divine_marriage (a specific reunification event or symbol) and aeons (paired divine beings arranged in syzygies, not a universal structural claim).
The text explicitly maps Unity to the masculine and Binary/Duality to the feminine, establishing gender as a structural feature of creation.
The balance of two contrary forces as the structural law of cosmos and operation — Lévi's equilibrium, expressed in Kabbalah by the senary: the will of God in its first cause, liberty in man, mathematical equilibrium in matter; the twofold vibration required to direct the Astral Light safely.
The text describes the balance between active (Yod/Ego) and passive (He/Non-Ego) principles as a fundamental law of nature.
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 states that 'Unity is regarded as the whole, of which all created beings are only the constituent parts; just as the Unity-man is formed of an agglomeration of molecules'.
The absolutely simple, undivided first principle from which all multiplicity and existence flows.
The text explicitly defines the 'Unity-principle' as the dot in the centre of eternity, representing the absolute assertion of being from which all parts derive.
The Hermetic doctrine that apparent opposites are identical in nature but differ in degree — two extremes of the same scale (hot/cold, love/hate) — such that one pole can be shifted toward its opposite by a change of degree ('mental transmutation'). Distinct from opposites_transcended (a completion-state marking the path's end, not this doctrine's active technique) and magical_equilibrium (balance held BETWEEN two forces, not identity-by-degree of what looks like two forces).
The passage is centrally concerned with the opposition and relationship between Ego/Non-Ego, Active/Passive, Masculine/Feminine as fundamental cosmic principles.
The doctrine and practice that spoken or sung word carries causal-magical force — that uttering names, formulas, songs, or incantations alters reality directly rather than merely communicating about it. Vainamoinen's runo-songs that move mountains and command iron, Norse galdr, Vedic mantra, Shinto kotodama, the magician's barbarous names in the Greek Magical Papyri, Iamblichean arcane signatures and inexplicable symbols, biblical creation-by-word. Distinct from sacred_names (the ontological power of names themselves) and prayer (address to the divine); word_power_incantation is the magical-causal efficacy of the spoken word as such.
The sacred name is treated as a formula with scientific and magical value applicable to the world.