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Saturday, December 21, 2013

Alfa Beta Shel Metatron: The Alphabet of Metatron – Part 3


(Vav) The current magical glyph for (Vav) is said to be comprised of two “sticks,” which, with a link from one to the other, indicate steps ascending a lofty mountain. Regarding the latter, we are told the Israelites received the Torah on the sixth day of the month Sivan, six being the numerical value of Vav, and legend further has it that the Holy One held Mount Sinai over their heads and told them to either accept the Torah, or have the mountain burying them. After all, tradition informs us that the Almighty created the world in six days for the sake of the Torah alone.

Whatever you may believe, or not believe, regarding the biblical saga of creation, the four endings of the magical glyph for the letter Vav are said to refer the vastness of the Torah which transcends that of the four directions of space, i.e. East, West, North and South, as emphasised in Job 11:9 reading:

Transliteration:
Arukah mei-eretz midah ur’chavah mini yam
Translation:
The measure thereof is longer than the earth, and broader than the sea.

(Zayin) We are told the magical glyph for the letter (Zayin) reflects in some manner a foetus inside the womb, and similarly to a mother consuming foodstuffs in order to feed the unborn, the Divine One supplies the whole of creation, from the smallest to the greatest, with all kind (zan) of nourishment.

Otherwise, the meaning of the name for the current letter is a “weapon” (zayin). In this regard, the three upper endings of the current magical glyph are said to protect the lower ending, like a man who is armed (m’zuyan). In this regard, studious study of the Torah is said to be a safeguard against all manner of evil, and we are told in Psalm 149:6:

Transliteration:
Rom’mot El big’ronam v’cherev pifiyot b’yadam
Translation:
Let the high praises of El [God] be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand.

(Chet) We are given the simplest delineation of the magical glyph for the letter (Chet). It is said to comprise surrounding “walls,” these indicating those who are pious, who shut themselves off from the affairs of the world, and who are humble and maintain silence in the face of all humiliation and persecution. We are informed that to be truly worthy, such individuals are to maintain a simple lifestyle in a simple dwelling (“tent”), avoiding all the worldly temptations of the  (Chatzuf—“insolent”).

Whilst I have no issue with being humble in ones person, I do not buy any of this stern, pietistic, and overtly patronizing rhetoric employed in the current interpretations of this and other glyphs of the “Alpha Beta shel Metatron.” As far as I am concerned, the words of the unknown author in this instance comprise a lot of fundamentalist presumption and prejudiced innuendo regarding anyone not"officially" deemed “pious.” In this regard I have time and again observed the so called “pious” employing “humility” to intimidate and manipulate all and sundry in their vicinity into eating “humble pie.” Sadly adopting a humble stance is in many instances itself a form of self-aggrandisement, e.g. “there are none as humble [and as intolerant] as we are.”

This being said, I am a believer in simplicity, i.e. to live sparingly in a chaste manner. However, even the term “chaste” in its purity is a dirty word these days, because people see the unpollutedness and cleanliness of the term to be without any form of happiness, but since when does happiness and joviality make a “chaste” person dirty? The interesting thing here is that most people see the word “chaste” to mean total abstinence from sex and other things called “impurities.” This is totally the wrong idea. Firstly sexuality, eating and drinking are not in themselves steering towards impurities. The “impurities” are in the intentions of the user. Thus, as far as I am concerned, the term “chaste” means purity of intent and not abstinence. There is certainly a measure of restraint in being chaste, but there is nothing wrong in being restrained, since moderation ensures greater appreciation, greater enjoyment, and an understanding that life is not to be taken for granted.

Furthermore, the “LAW” (Torah) which mainstream and mystical Judaism keep harping on about so much, was and is in fact God. All the scriptures, writings, concepts, and so forth called Torah are only symbols for the Divine One, and intellectual symbols at that. I have no doubt there are many remarkable “mystical mysteries” to be found in the Pentateuch, and, for that matter, in the whole of the Hebrew Bible. However, it is clear to me that God is the “Law of Life,” and all the writings are only human opinions and beliefs about that Power, Energy, Control, or whatever you like to call IT. I am reminded of Edmond Fleg writing regarding the moment when the Divine One gave the Torah to the world, and then granted Moses a vision of distant future teachers. Moses queried “Lord, how is this thing possible? I do not recognise the Torah thou gavest me. Is that new Torah thy Torah?” He received the response, “There are fifty gateways of Understanding: I have opened for thee forty-nine, but the last is closed, for no man, even though he be Moses, can know everything. The Torah thou understandest hath a thousand senses which thou understandest not, and which others in the course of the ages will come to know: for in each century it will speak the language of that century; but what each century will find is already there, and each new Torah will still be my Torah.” [Fleg, E.: The Life of Moses, E.P. Dutton & Co., New York 1928]

As I see it, “studying Torah” did not necessarily mean pouring over ancient scrolls, but Living the Law of Life. In other words just living according to ones beliefs that God was living through you, and respecting God in the way you lived. However, with typical literalness many spend wasted time with their eyes glued to parchment scrolls in the honest belief they were “studying Torah” as an ideal way of spending a whole lifetime. It is even their idea of “Heaven”!

(More to follow)

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