Translated from the Hebrew by Wm. Wynn Westcott.
(NOTE: The Sepher Yetzirah is one of the most famous of the ancient
Qabalistic texts. It was first put into writing around 200 C.E. Westcott's
Translation of the Sepher Yetzirah was a primary source for the rituals and
Knowledge Lectures of the Golden Dawn. This is the Third Edition of Westcottís
translation, first published in 1887. A Fourth Revised Edition by Darcy Kúntz,
complete with Hebrew text, notes and bibliography, is available from Holmes
Publishing Group, P.O. 623, Edmonds, WA 98020.)
Sepher Yetzirah Part 1
Sepher Yetzirah Part 2
Sepher Yetzirah Part 3
SEPHER YETZIRAH
The Book of Formation
CHAPTER I
Section 1. In thirty-two (1) mysterious Paths of Wisdom did Jah, (2) the Jehovah
of hosts, (3) the God of Israel, (4) the Living Elohim, (5) the King of ages,
the merciful and gracious God, (6) the Exalted One, the Dweller in eternity,
most high and holy--engrave his name by the three Sepharim (7) --Numbers, Letters,
and Sounds.(8)
2. Ten are the ineffable Sephiroth. (9) Twenty-two are the Letters, the Foundation
of all things; there are Three Mothers, Seven Double and Twelve (10) Simple
letters.
3. The ineffable Sephiroth are Ten, as are the Numbers; and as there are in
man five fingers over against five, so over them is established a covenant
of strength, by word of mouth, and by the circumcision of the flesh. (11)
4. Ten is the number of the ineffable Sephiroth, ten and not nine, ten and
not eleven. Understand this wisdom, and be wise by the perception. Search out
concerning it, restore the Word to its creator, and replace Him who formed
it upon his throne. (12)
5. The Ten ineffable Sephiroth have ten vast regions bound unto them; boundless
in origin and having no ending; an abyss (13) of good and of ill; measureless
height and depth; boundless to the East and the West; boundless to the North
and South; (14) and the Lord the only God, (15) the Faithful King rules all
these from his holy seat, (16) for ever and ever.
6. The Ten ineffable Sephiroth have the appearance of the Lightning flash,
(17) their origin is unseen and no end is perceived. The Word is in them as
they rush forth and as they return, they speak as from the whirl-wind, and
returning fall prostrate in adoration before the Throne.
7. The Ten ineffable Sephiroth, whose ending is even as their origin, are like
as a flame arising from a burning coal. For God (18) is superlative in his
Unity, there is none equal unto Him: what number canst thou place before One.
8. Ten are the ineffable Sephiroth; seal up thy lips lest thou speak of them,
and guard thy heart as thou considerest them; and if thy mind escape from thee
bring it back to thy control; even as it was said, "running and returning" (the
living creatures ran and returned) (19) and hence was the Covenant made.
9. The ineffable Sephiroth give forth the Ten numbers. First; the Spirit of
the God of the living; (20) Blessed and more than blessed be the Living God
(21) of ages. The Voice, the Spirit, and the Word, (22) these are the Holy
Spirit.
10. Second; from the Spirit He produced Air, and formed in it twenty-two sounds--the
letters; three are mothers, seven are double, and twelve are simple; but the
Spirit is first and above these. Third; from the Air He formed the Waters,
and from the formless and void (23) made mire and clay, and designed surfaces
upon them, and hewed recesses in them, and formed the strong material foundation.
Fourth; from the Water He formed Fire (24) and made for Himself a Throne of
Glory with Auphanim, Seraphim and Kerubim, (25) as his ministering angels;
and with these three (26) he completed his dwelling, as it is written, "Who
maketh his angels spirits and his ministers a flaming fire." (27)
11. He selected three letters from among the simple ones and sealed them and
formed them into a Great Name, I H V, (28) and with this He sealed the universe
in six directions.
Fifth; He looked above, and sealed the Height with I H V.
Sixth; He looked below, and sealed the Depth with I V H.
Seventh; He looked forward, and sealed the East with H I V.
Eighth; He looked backward, and sealed the West with H V I.
Ninth; He looked to the right, and sealed the South with V I H.
Tenth; He looked to the left, and sealed the North with V H I.
12. Behold! From the Ten ineffable Sephiroth do, proceed--the One Spirit of
the Gods of the living, Air, Water, Fire; and also Height, Depth, East, West,
South and North. (29)
CHAPTER II
Section 1. The twenty-two sounds and letters are the Foundation of all things.
Three mothers, seven doubles and twelve simples. The Three Mothers are Aleph,
Mem and Shin, they are Air, Water and Fire Water is silent, Fire is sibilant,
and Air derived from the Spirit is as the tongue of a balance standing between
these contraries which are in equilibrium, reconciling and mediating between
them.
2. He hath formed, weighed, and composed with these twenty-two letters every
created thing, and the form of everything which shall hereafter be.
3. These twenty-two sounds or letters are formed by the voice, impressed on
the air, and audibly modified in five places; in the throat, in the mouth,
by the tongue, through the teeth, and by the lips. (31)
4. These twenty-two letters, which are the foundation of all things, He arranged
as upon a sphere with two hundred and thirty-one gates, and the sphere may
be rotated forward or backward, whether for good or for evil; from the good
comes true pleasure, from evil nought but torment.
5. For He shewed the combination of these letters, each with the other; Aleph
with all, and all with Aleph; Beth with all, and all with Beth. Thus in combining
all together in pairs are produced the two hundred and thirty-one gates of
knowledge. (32)
6. And from the non-existent (33) He made Something; and all forms of speech
and everything that has been produced; from the empty void He made the material
world, and from the inert earth He brought forth everything that hath life.
He hewed, as it were, vast columns out of the intangible air, and by the power
of His Name made every creature and everything that is; and the production
of all things from the twenty-two letters is the proof that they are all but
parts of one living body. (34)
a m c
CHAPTER III
Section 1. The Foundation of all the other sounds and letters is provided
by the Three Mothers, Aleph, Mem and Shin; they resemble a Balance, on the
one hand the guilty, on the other hand the purified, and Aleph the Air is like
the Tongue of a Balance standing between them. (35)
2. The Three Mothers, Aleph, Mem and Shin, are a great Mystery, very admirable
and most recondite, and sealed as with six rings; and from them proceed Air,
Fire, and Water, which divide into active and passive forces. The Three Mothers,
Aleph, Mem and Shin, are the Foundation, from them spring three Fathers, and
from these have proceeded all things that are in the world.
3. The Three Mothers in the world are Aleph, Mem and Shin: the heavens (36)
were produced (37) from Fire; the earth from the Water; and the Air from the
Spirit is as a reconciler between the Fire and the Water.
4. The Three Mothers, Aleph, Mem and Shin, Fire, Water and Air, are shown in
the Year: from the fire came heat, from the waters came cold, and from the
air was produced the temperate state, again a mediator between them. The Three
Mothers, Aleph, Mem and Shin, Fire, Water and Air, are found in Man: from the
fire was formed the head; from the water the belly; and from the air was formed
the chest, again placed as a mediator between the others.
5. These Three Mothers did He produce and design, and combined them; and He
sealed them as the three mothers in the Universe, in the Year and in Man--both
male and female. He caused the letter Aleph to reign in Air and crowned it,
and combining it with the others He sealed it, as Air in the World, as the
temperate (climate) of the Year, and as the breath in the chest (the lungs
for breathing air) in Man: the male with Aleph, Mem, Shin, the female with
Shin, Mem, Aleph. He caused the letter Mem to reign in Water, crowned it, and
combining it with the others formed the earth in the world, cold in the year,
and the belly in man, male and female, the former with Mem, Aleph, Shin, the
latter with Mem, Shin, Aleph. He caused Shin to reign in Fire, and crowned
it, and combining it with the others sealed with it the heavens in the universe,
heat in the year and the head in man, male and female. (38)
b g d k p r t
CHAPTER IV
Section 1. The Seven double letters, Beth, Gimel, Daleth, Kaph, Peh, Resh,
and Tau have each two sounds associated with them. They are referred to Life,
Peace, Wisdom, Riches, Grace, Fertility and Power. The two sounds of each letter
are the hard and the soft--the aspirated and the softened. They are called
Double, because each letter presents a contrast or permutation; thus Life and
Death; Peace and War; Wisdom and Folly; Riches and Poverty; Grace and Indignation;
Fertility and Solitude; Power and Servitude.
2. These Seven Double Letters point out seven localities; Above, Below, East,
West, North, South, and the Palace of Holiness in the midst of them sustaining
all things.
3. These Seven Double Letters He designed, produced, and combined, and formed
with them the Planets of this World, the Days of the Week, and the Gates of
the soul (the orifices of perception) in Man. From these Seven He bath produced
the Seven Heavens, the Seven Earths, the Seven Sabbaths: for this cause He
has loved and blessed the number Seven more than all things under Heaven (His
Throne).
4. Two Letters produce two houses; three form six; four form twenty-four; five
form one hundred and twenty; six form seven hundred and twenty; (39) seven
form five thousand and forty; and beyond this their numbers increase so that
the mouth can hardly utter them, nor the ear hear the number of them. So now,
behold the Stars of our World, the Planets which are Seven; the Sun, Venus,
Mercury, Moon, Saturn, Jupiter and Mars. The Seven are also the Seven Days
of Creation; and the Seven Gateways of the Soul of Man--the two eyes, the two
ears, the mouth and the two nostrils. So with the Seven are formed the seven
heavens, (41) the seven earths, and the seven periods of time; and so has He
preferred the number Seven above all things under His Heaven. (42)
Supplement to Chapter IV
NOTE.--This is one of several modern illustrations of the allotment of the
Seven Letters; it is not found in the ancient copies of the "Sepher Yetzirah."
He produced Beth, and referred it to Wisdom ; He crowned it, combined and formed
with it the Moon in the Universe, the first day of the week, and the right
eye of man.
He produced Gimel, and referred it to Health; He crowned it, combined and joined
with it Mars in the Universe, the second day of the week, and the right ear
of man.
He produced Daleth, and referred it to Fertility; He crowned it, combined and
formed with it the Sun in the Universe, the third day of the week, and the
right nostril of man.
He produced Kaph, and referred it to Life; He crowned it, combined and formed
with it Venus in the Universe, the fourth day of the week, and the left eye
of man.
He produced Peh, and referred it to Power; He crowned it, combined and formed
with it Mercury in the Universe, the fifth day of the week, and the left ear
of man.
He produced Resh, and referred it to Peace; He crowned it, combined and formed
with it Saturn in the Universe, the sixth day of the week, and the left nostril
of man.
He produced Tau, and referred it to Beauty; He crowned it, combined and formed
with it Jupiter in the Universe, the Seventh Day of the week, and the mouth
of man.
By these Seven letters were also made seven worlds, seven heavens, seven earths,
seven seas, seven rivers, seven deserts, seven days, seven weeks from Passover
to Pentecost, and every seventh year a Jubilee.
Mayer Lambert gives:--Beth to Saturn and the Hebrew Sabbath--that is Saturday;
Gimel to Jupiter and Sunday; Daleth to Mars and Monday; Kaph to the Sun and
Tuesday; Peh to Venus and Wednesday; Resh to Mercury and Thursday; and Tau
to the Moon and Friday.
h w z j f y l n s u x q
CHAPTER V
1. The Twelve Simple Letters are Héh, Vau, Zain, Cheth, Teth, Yod,
Lamed, Nun, Samech, Oin, Tzaddi and Qoph; (43) they are the foundations of
these twelve properties: Sight, Hearing, Smell, Speech, Taste, Sexual Love,
Work, Movement, Anger, Mirth, Imagination, (44) and Sleep. These Twelve are
also allotted to the directions in space: North-east, South-east, the East
above, the East below, the North above, the North below, the South-west, the
Northwest, the West above, the West below, the South above, and the South below;
these diverge to infinity, and are as the arms of the Universe.
2. These Twelve Simple Letters He designed, and combined, and formed with them
the Twelve celestial constellations of the Zodiac, whose signs are Teth, Shin,
Tau, Samech, Aleph, Beth, Mem, Oin, Qoph, Gimel, Daleth, and Daleth. (45) The
Twelve are also the Months of the Year: Nisan, (46) Yiar, Sivan, Tamuz, Ab,
Elul, Tishri, Hesvan, Kislev, Tebet, Sabat and Adar. The Twelve are also the
Twelve organs of living creatures: (47) the two hands, the two feet, the two
kidneys, the spleen, the liver, the gall, private parts, stomach and intestines.
He made these, as it were provinces, and arranged them as in order of battle
for warfare. And also the Elohim (48) made one from the region of the other.
Three Mothers and Three Fathers; and thence issue Fire, Air and Water. Three
Mothers, Seven Doubles and Twelve Simple letters and sounds.
3. Behold now these are the Twenty and Two Letters from which Jah, Jehovah
Tzabaoth, the Living Elohim, the God of Israel, exalted and sublime, the Dweller
in eternity, formed and established all things; High and Holy is His Name.
Supplement to Chapter V
NOTE.--This is a modern illustration of the allotment of the Twelve Letters;
it is not found in the ancient copies of the "Sepher Yetzirah."
1. God produced Hé predominant in Speech, crowned it, combined and formed
with it Aries in the Universe, Nisan in the Year, and the right foot of Man.
2. He produced Vau, predominant in mind, crowned it, combined and formed with
it Taurus in the Universe, Aiar in the Year, and the right kidney of Man.
3. He produced Zain, predominant in Movement crowned it, combined and formed
it with Gemini in the Universe, Sivan in the Year, and the left foot of Man.
4. He produced Cheth, predominant in Sight, crowned it, combined and formed
it with Cancer in the Universe, Tammuz in the year, and the right hand of Man.
5. He produced Teth, predominant in Hearing, crowned it, combined and formed
with it Leo in the Universe, Ab in the Year, and the left kidney in Man.
6. He produced Yod, predominant in Work, crowned it, combined and formed with
it Virgo in the Universe, Elul in the Year, and the left hand of Man.
7. He produced Lamed, predominant in Sexual desire, crowned it, combined and
formed with it Libra in the Universe, Tishri in the Year, and the private parts
of Man. (Kalisch gives "gall.")
8. He produced Nun, predominant in Smell, crowned it, combined and formed with
it Scorpio in the Universe, Heshvan in the Year, and the intestines of Man.
9. He produced Samech, predominant in Sleep, crowned it, combined and formed
with it Sagittarius in the Universe, Kislev in the Year, and the stomach of
Man.
10. He produced Oin, predominant in Anger, crowned it, combined and formed
with it Capricornus in the Universe, Tebet in the Year, and the liver of Man.
11. He produced Tzaddi, predominant in Taste, crowned it, combined and formed
with it Aquarius in the Year, and the gullet in Man).
12. He produced Qoph, predominant in Mirth, crowned it, combined and formed
with it Pisces in the Universe, Adar in the Year, and the spleen of Man.
NOTE.--Mediaeval authorities and modern editors give very different allocations
to the twelve simple letters.
CHAPTER VI
Section 1. Three Fathers and their generations, Seven conquerors and their
armies, and Twelve bounds of the Universe. See now, of these words, the faithful
witnesses are the Universe, the Year and Man. The dodecad, the heptad, and
the triad with their provinces; above is the Celestial Dragon, T L I, (49)
and below is the World, and lastly the heart of Man. The Three are Water, Air
and Fire; Fire above, Water below, and Air conciliating between them; and the
sign of these things is that the Fire sustains (volatilises) the waters; Mem
is mute, Shin is sibilant, and Aleph is the Mediator and as it were a friend
placed between them.
2. The Celestial Dragon, T L I, is placed over the universe like a king upon
the throne; the revolution of the year is as a king over his dominion; the
heart of man is as a king in warfare. Moreover, He made all things one from
the other; and the Elohim set good over against evil, and made good things
from good, and evil things from evil: with the good tested He the evil, and
with the evil did He try the good. Happiness (50) is reserved for the good,
and misery (51) is kept for the wicked.
3. The Three are One, and that One stands above. The Seven are divided; three
are over against three, and one stands between the triads. The Twelve stand
as in warfare; three are friends, three are enemies; three are life givers;
three are destroyers. The three friends are the heart, the ears, and the mouth;
the three enemies are the liver, the gall, and the tongue; (52) while God (53)
the faithful king rules over all. One above Three, Three above Seven, and Seven
above Twelve: and all are connected the one with the other.
4. And after that our father Abraham had perceived and understood, and had
taken down and engraved all these things, the Lord most high (55) revealed
Himself, and called him His beloved, and made a Covenant with him and his seed;
and Abraham believed on Him (56) and it was imputed unto him for righteousness.
And He made this Covenant as between the ten toes of the feet--this is that
of circumcision; and as between the ten fingers of the hands and this is that
of the tongue. (57) And He formed the twenty-two letters into speech (58) and
shewed him all the mysteries of them. (59) He drew them through the Waters;
He burned them in the Fire; He vibrated them in the Air; Seven planets in the
heavens, and Twelve celestial constellations of the stars of the Zodiac.
The End of "The Book of Formation
Sepher Yetzirah Part 1
Sepher Yetzirah Part 2
Sepher Yetzirah Part 3
| Authors
Details: Translated from the Hebrew by Wm. Wynn Westcott |
|
