Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard

278 Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard

vine world of archetypes, from which arise all forms of

manifestation; Beriah, the world of angels and cre-

ation, in which ideas become patterns; Yetzirah, the

world of the planets and formation, in which the pat-

terns are expressed; and Assiah, the material world of

action which we perceive with our physical senses.

The supreme and central Mystery of the Qabalah

is the Holy Union or “Sacred Marriage” between the

male and female aspects of the Divine—or the unifica-

tion of God. The Qabalistic Goddess is called Shekinah,

and she was the guardian of the Tree of Life in the

Garden of Eden. After the Fall, she became separated

from her husband, Yahweh. Only on Friday nights, the

eve of the Sabbath, are they briefly reunited before

being forced apart again. Not until all the original

light of creation has returned to its Divine Source

will the Divine lovers be permanently re-

united. Every act of love and com-

passion brings the cosmic couple

closer together. Thus life may be seen

as a great love story in which we all

participate, as we seek the Lover from

which we have been separated. The

very fate of the Gods is in our hands!

Books of the Qabalah

The Qabalah now consists of a

number of books from different

sources, most of them written down

in several distinct sections between

the 9th and 13th centuries CE. It is the

collected wisdom of many ancient Wiz-

ards and magicians, as well as a continuing

assimilation of occult writings from Egyptian

magick, Middle Eastern magick, Greco-Roman

magick, Judeo-Christian mysticism, and Alchemy.

Simon Ben Jochai, a 2nd century CE rabbi,

seems to have been the first to write down the

many Jewish Qabalistic myths. These were pro-

duced by his son, Rabbi Eleazor, as Sefer Ha Zohar

(“Book of the Splendor”). The Zohar was introduced

into Spain in the 13th century by Moses de Leon of

Guadalajara, who is often claimed as its author. Ac-

cording to the Zohar, An Sof (“the Infinite”), the high-

est Holy of Holies, ruled the heavens with Adni, his

Queen. Together they opposed Samael Smal, who was

Evil Incarnate as the Angel of Death and Lord of the

Devils.

The Sefer Yezirah (“Book of Creation”) was writ-

ten in Palestine or Babylon between the 3rd and 6th cen-

turies CE. Its central theme is the mystical significance

of letters and numbers. It may be considered a cross-

over book, linking the earlier Merkabah Mysticism and

the later Qabalah.

The Sefer Ha-Bahir is considered the first book

of “real” Qabalah; i.e., to employ the symbolism of ten

Sefiroth as Divine Attributes (as distinct from Seer

Yetzirah’s use of the term to designate numbers). It

appeared in Provence, France, in the late 12th century.

The most important and lasting contribution of

the Qabalah to magick and Wizardry was in establish-

ing the first systems of correspondences, allowing

things to be substituted or amplified by other associ-

ated representations. The Sefer Yezirah, for instance,

classified everything in the universe under the 22 let-

ters of the Hebrew Alphabet. Seven letters were for

the days of the week and the Seven planets; 12 letters

corresponded to the 12 months and Signs of the Zo-

diac. And the remaining three “mother letters” repre-

sented Air-Fire-Water. Tables of Correspondence are

now an essential component of all grimoires.

Lesson 3: The Tree of Life

The foundation of the Qabalah is

the diagram called the Tree of Life.

This represents the underlying

structure of the sacred Universe. From

top to bottom, it reveals how the su-

preme consciousness of Divinity

devolves into the material world and

the self-consciousness of each in-

dividual person. In the same way,

from the bottom up, the Tree shows

the path by which we can ascend

to unity with the Divine by remov-

ing those obstacles that limit our

consciousness.

The Tree of Life grows downward

from its Heavenly Source and consists of

ten spheres, or emanations, called the

Sefiroth (singular sefirah). These are arranged

in three Pillars, with 22 Paths connecting them.

These Paths have been associated with the 22

letters of the Hebrew alphabet and the 22 Major

Arcana, or Trumps, of the Tarot. Starting with the

base of the Tree (at the top of the diagram), the Sefiroth

and their concerns are:

1. Kether—“Supreme Crown of Creation.” Infinite
   bliss.


2. Chokmah—“Wisdom.” The Great Father.


3. Binah—“Understanding.” The Great Mother.


4. Chesed—“Love, Mercy, Greatness.” The compas-
   sionate God.


5. Geburah—“Power, Strength, Rigor.” The warring
   God.


6. Tiphareth—“Beauty, Harmony.” The Messiah or
   Savior.


7. Netzach—“Victory, Force, Endurance.” Love and
   the emotions.


8. Hod—“Splendor, Majesty.” Intellect and reason.


9. Yesod—“Foundation.” Sexual drives and creativity.


10. Malkuth—“Kingdom.” Mundane preoccupations.


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