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Thursday, December 9, 2010

Practical Kabbalah & the "Forty-Two Letter Name" - Part 2

The letters of the “Forty-two Letter Name” are said to become “manifest” as forty-two “shining lights” which are expressed in forty-two unique “spiritual forms.” These “forms” pertain to sets of “Divine Names” and associated “Spirit Intelligences” directly related to the component letters of the “Forty-two Letter Name.” This is viewed as a process, as it were, in which the forty-two letters are the initial “source roots” of these spiritual forces, whilst the Divine Names and the “Celestial Beings,” respectively associated with these letters, are the “branches” emanating from the primordial source. All are unified in the wholeness of the “One,” the ultimate “Source” beyond all being.
To align oneself successfully with these forces, or to “mirror” them, so to speak, in our realm of material manifestation, one has to link with the entire chain of interconnectedness of subtle forces, literally “drawing down” (hamshachah) these lofty “powers” from their primordial origination in the forty-two letters of “Forty-two Letter Name,” by verbally sounding the set of Divine Names respectively correlated with the forty-two letters, and following the same procedure with the associated appellatives of the forty-two “Celestial Messengers.” In this manner these “spiritual forces” are manifested within ones own being, literally turning one into “a pipe and a bucket,” i.e. channeling these primordial spiritual powers into our physical world for the benefit of all. Naturally, such an action would necessitate intimate knowledge of the forty-two “Divine Names,” “Spirit Intelligences,” and the required vocalisation of the forty-two letters comprising the “Forty-two Letter Name,” the latter being quite different from the straightforward pronunciation we addressed in the previous part.
Commencing with this pronunciation, it is important to know that an interrelationship with the mentioned forty-two “shining lights,” requires a clear understanding of the divisions and subdivisions of the letters of the “Forty-two Letter Name,” as well as full comprehension of the flow of the specific vowels employed in the utterance of the latter in this specific instance. Firstly, except for the first six letter combination, in which most of its component letters are pronounced with vowels, the remaining six of the seven six letter divisions of the “Forty-two Letter Name” are subdivided into two three letter combinations each. Secondly, using mainly a Patach (Hebrew vowel “ah”) alternating with a Sh’va (Hebrew vowel usually indicating a glottal stop), these divisions are vocalised in the following manner: In this instance, the specific combination of Hebrew vowels employed in the vocalisation of the “Forty-two Letter Name,” is said to open the “gates” of absolute mercy and infinite abundance. There are alternative versions of the vowel pointings of this Divine Name, however the one shared above is most reasonable and easily applicable.
As indicated, the component letters of this Name are directly linked to forty-two special Divine Names, which, we are told, collectively constitute the “garment” of the “Forty-two letter Name.” Whilst there are several versions of these Names, I found the following set from the anonymous “Sefer ha-Kanah” to be the most consistent and straightforward: Having now investigated the appropriate enunciations of the seven divisions of the “Forty-two Letter Name,” and considered the affiliated forty-two Divine Names, we need to focus in turn on the related forty-two “Spirit Intelligences.” I have again consulted several primary texts regarding the vocalisation of the names of the forty-two “Angels” related to the “Forty-two Letter Name,” and after close scrutiny settled on the following set: To work the complete procedure of aligning oneself with the mentioned chain of “Spirit Forces,” so as to focus these within ones own being and to direct their flow in a personally meaningful manner, the following invocatory action is employed after the bedtime prayer:
1. Select the six letter portion of the “Forty-two Letter Name” assigned to the current Zodiacal period, e.g Aries, Taurus, Gemini, etc., as well as the Name and portion of the Ana Bechoach-prayer associated with the day.
2. Additionally select the sets of six Divine Names and six Spirit Intelligences associated with the sector of the “Forty-two Letter Name” assigned to the current day.
3. On completion, sit or lie down comfortably, close your eyes, surrender to the Divine Presence within and around you, and commence by reciting the Ana Bechoach-prayer in its entirety.
4. This is followed by visualising and vocalising the letter combination of the “Forty-two Letter Name” associated with the current astrological period in the regular manner.
5. Next, the portion of the Name assigned to the current day, is uttered with the vowels invoking complete mercy and absolute abundance, i.e. using alternately a Sh’va and a Patach as discussed earlier.
6. Continue by visualising and voicing first the six Divine Names directly affiliated with the relevant sector of the “Forty-two letter Name” employed on that specific day, and concluding this portion of the practice with the same action applied to the six Names of the specifically allied “Spirit Intelligences.”
7. The procedure is completed by reciting three times the daily allied portion of the Ana Bechoach-prayer.
It is worthwhile compiling a set of daily work-sheets, which will expedite the choice of Divine Names and related “Spirit Forces” to be invoked on any relevant day, as shown in the following example pertaining to Sundays in the zodiacal period of Aries in the Northern Hemisphere. The same is employed on Sundays during Libra in the Southern Hemisphere. Click on the image to enlarge it.
As noted, the "Name" associated with this specific zodiacal period is Nagdichesh, and the one aligned with the day (Sunday) is ’BaG’Y’TaTz’. Reading from right to left, we note the six "Divine Names" associated with the day are Adiryaron, Bahiryaron, G’viryaron, Yig’bahyah, T’lamyah, and Tz’tan’yah. In turn, again reading from right to left, the six "Angelic Names" aligned with Sunday are Orpani’el, Bo’el, Gavri’el, Yofi’el, Tumi’el, and Tzadki’el. Finally the portion of the Ana Bechoach-prayer associated with the first day of the week is the opening phrase: Ana Becho’ach G’dulat Yeminchah Tatir Tzerurah.
The best way to work this procedure is to note the transliteration of each "Name," then to trace the component Hebrew letters with your eyes whilst whispering the "Name." Here Kavvanah, i.e. powerfully focussed intention and attention, is vitally important to work this technique effectively.
Part 3 to follow

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