Shiviti Amulets to "Open the Heart"

Responding to a query posted on the "Concepts of Kabbalah" Yahoo egroup, I shared a unique Shiviti amulet which I thought would be of particular interest to readers of this blog. Considering the fact that the construct comprises primary kabbalistic teachings, I suppose it was quite inevitable that certain fundamental Kabbalistic doctrines regarding Divine Names should have come to be considered to embody "amuletic" virtues. In this regard we might consider the four "milui," i.e. the full spellings of the letters comprising the Ineffable Name, aligned with the "Four Worlds" concept, as featured in this Shiviti amulet for "purity of thought":

I am addressing this Shiviti Kamea, as well as another of a similar nature, in my "The Book of Seals and Amulets," and should mention that the details employed in this amulet necessitate careful consideration.

We are informed that the attainment of greater understanding necessitates "purity of thought," and that it is good to work with Kavvanah, i.e. powerful attention conjoined with willful intention. These qualities of mind are generally understood to be powerfully engendered by Shiviti plaques and amulets, which we have already noted can be large sacred wall-hangings comprised of arrangements of Divine and Angelic Names, often beautifully illuminated with a selection of artistic adornments specifically meaningful to the composer of the item.

We also noted that all constructs of this nature are named after the inscription usually located in the upper portion of the item. In this regard, we observe in the top centre of the Shiviti amulet, the four large letters comprising the Ineffable Name, (YHVH), directly below the words (l'tahar ha-machshavah—"for the purification of thought"), this being the fundamental purpose of the amulet under consideration. Conjoined with the words on either side and underneath the Ineffable Name, we read the earlier mentioned biblical phrase after which the construct is named: (Shiviti YHVH l'negdi tamid—"I have set YHVH before me always" [Psalm 16:8]).

Besides the fundamental intention of all Shiviti plaques, which is for us to daily keep our heart/mind focus on the Ineffable Name, the Kamea requires the owner to not only read, but to actually enunciate the Divine Name with the vowels indicated, i.e. chirik (ee) and patach (ah), thus sounding the Name "YiH’VaH" in the mind during the reading of the opening phrase.

This action is followed by tracing and contemplating the displayed arrangements of component letter combinations and milui ("fillings"—full spellings) of (YHVH), as well as the two Divine Names here affiliated and conjoined with the Tetragrammaton. The basic reasoning is that the different spellings of two of the three letters comprising the Ineffable Name, i.e. , are fundamental in ascertaining the "levels of expression" of the Ineffable Name, in which the letters (Heh) and (Vav) have different "fillings" (spellings).

Traditionally the letter (Heh) can be spelled (Heh-Alef), (Heh-Heh) or (Heh-Yod), and (Vav) can be spelled (Vav-Alef-Vav), (Vav-Yod-Vav) or (Vav-Vav). The three variations of spelling are termed:

Milui d’Alfin (Alef filling);
Milui d’He’in (Heh filling); and
Milui d’Yodin (Yod filling).

Applying this to the relevant letters in (YHVH), the Sacred Name can be expanded into what is traditionally termed the "Forty-Five Letter Name of God," "Fifty-Two Letter Name of God," "Sixty-Three Letter Name of God," and "Seventy-Two Letter Name of God." In fact, each of these expanded Names are understood to pertain to one of the "Four Worlds" of Kabbalah, respectively the worlds of Asiyah, Yetzirah, Bri’ah and Atzilut, as shown below:

(Yod-vav-dalet Heh-heh Vav-vav Heh-heh) comprises the "Fifty-Two Letter Name of God," and in gematria the combination , this being representative of the "Fifty-Two Letter Name of God."

(Yod-vav-dalet Heh-alef Vav-alef-vav Heh-alef) comprises the "Forty-Five Letter Name of God," which corresponds in gematria to .

(Yod-vav-dalet Heh-yod Vav-alef-vav Heh-yod) comprises the "Sixty-Three Letter Name of God," represented by the combination .

(Yod-vav-dalet Heh-yod Vav-yod-vav Heh-yod) comprises the "Seventy-Two Letter Name of God," which is related to the "Name of Seventy-Two Names." This milui of the Ineffable Name is appropriately represented by the combination .

As delineated in both my "Book of Sacred Names" and "Book of Seals and Amulets," such extended spellings of a number of Divine Names, e.g. (YHVH), (Ehyeh), (Elohim), (Adonai), etc., have been employed for both contemplative and amuletic purposes in Kabbalah.

Be that as it may, the design of the current Kamea is comprised of three basic sectors. The upper portion encompasses the earlier mentioned opening biblical phrase, below which is located three sets of full spellings of the letters of the Ineffable Name (milui d’alfin) as follows:

As clearly indicated, the full spelling in this instance is Milui d’Alfin, the expanded format of the Tetragrammaton titled the "Forty-Five Letter Name of God" or "Mah"-expansion. Contemplating the entire combination we read the full spelling of (Yod Yod-Heh Yod-Heh-Vav Yod-Heh-Vav-Heh), a format of letters comprising the Ineffable Name which is sometimes depicted:

Referring to this image as the "Tetragrammaton Tetractys," I noted in "The Book of Self Creation" that "this image was often engraved on silver triangles and worn on the body as protective amulets," and further mentioned that "the four layers of Hebrew glyphs represent the 'Four Worlds,' four principles of manifestation, and four aspects of ones being, i.e. Tzelem or Guf, Nefesh, Ru'ach and Neshamah." Hence tracing the expanded spellings of this pattern in our amulet, is said to not only align the practitioner with the universal order of the "Four Worlds," but to actually trigger within every aspect of his being the Divine Power inherent in the mentioned expansion of the Tetragrammaton. After all, the "Mah"-expansion of the Ineffable Name pertains to ones own hands—the organs of conscious action or of giving and receiving which should be governed by mindfulness.

The second and central portion of the amulet comprises the listing of three Divine Names and their unification into one great name in the following manner:

In Kabbalah these three special Divine Names are considered instrumental in the flow of Divine Abundance from Keter (Crown), the loftiest sphere on the sefirotic Tree, via Tiferet (Beauty) the central sphere, down into Malchut (Kingdom), the earthly realm of physical existence. Each of these spheres are aligned with one of the three listed Divine Names, specifically:

(Ehyeh) — Keter (Crown)

(YHVH) — Tiferet (Beauty)

(Adonai) — Malchut (Kingdom)

In seeing these three primary Divine Names and their ultimate union displayed centrally in the amulet under consideration, I am reminded of the Kabbalistic doctrine regarding the outpouring of "Divine Abundance" from its source in the Ultimate Unmanifest, and its flow into physical manifestation down the "Central Pillar" on the sefirotic Tree. In this regard, we are informed that the initial (Alef) of both the Names (Ehyeh) and (Adonai) is a reference to the "Divine Essence" of (Ain Sof) being funnelled as infinite Shefa (Abundance) into the realms of manifestation. In delineating this unique force-flow from Ehyeh via YHVH and Adonai into the whole of physical manifestation, Joseph Gikatilla wrote: "Know that the activity of the upper Name which is Ehyeh is the activity of absolute mercy, and that this is the Name that brings good and gives for free and has mercy not out of judgment but out of absolute mercy....." [Gates of Light]

Of course, as I noted elsewhere, "in the entire concept of Ain Sof (the Infinite No-Thing) pouring out Shefa (divine abundance), the basic idea is infinity without any limitation whatsoever. There is simply no underlying motive of God being obliged to pour out Shefa because of a sense of pity for that which He emanated into existence. The basic function of divine creative emanation is Chesed, an enormous loving-kindness, not for any specific reason as such, but simply for itself alone." [The Book of Sacred Names]

In this regard, I believe what is of paramount importance here is the location of the Ineffable Name, aligned as it is in this instance with Tiferet (Beauty). Again it was noted that the concept of Beauty should "not be perceived in a limited manner" since it "has something to do with things being harmoniously related together." Underlying this concept is a sense of absolute "oneness." "What I find so amazing about the way Shefa is being funneled down into manifestation is that, whilst it is being expressed in all the realms of manifestation in an infinite, ‘all-possible-possibilities’ number of ways, the 'many ways' are harmoniously related in a universal 'oneness,' and this is called 'Beauty'." [The Book of Sacred Names]

As I gaze at the three unique Divine Names listed in the centre of a Kamea created with the intention of not only clarifying (purifying) mind, but also to "open the heart" to greater understanding, I am again brought to the realisation of how our sense of "separateness" in this world have lead to the loss of our primordial recognition of the divine unity between all aspects of incarnate existence, and how, "in order to restore the flow of 'Divine Abundance,' we have to realign ourselves with the perfect unity of the 'All,' i.e. reestablish balance with the 'Beauty' and 'Loving-kindness' of the Eternal One." [The Book of Sacred Names]

Tracing the Bet - Part 2

As mentioned previously regarding the attribution of the "Twelve Banners" to the Zodiac, in Lurianic Kabbalah the attributions of Elul and Adar are reversed, and the same applies to the associated verses, as shown in Sharabi’s “Or Levanah.” We should also remember that the twelve permutations are attributed to the central six sefirot on the Tree of Life, specifically:

Additionally, the “Four Banners,” comprising three permutations each, respectively corresponding to the four directions, i.e. the first three permutations starting with the letter Yod pertain to Mizrach (East); the second set starting with the first Heh corresponds to Darom (South); the third group starting with the letter Vav relates to Ma’arav (West); and the last three permutations starting with the final letter of the Tetragrammaton, Heh, pertain to Tzafon (North).

While Aryeh Kaplan lists these specific directional attributions in his “Sefer Yetzirah,” even here there are some differences of opinion. For example, Moses Cordovero offers a different set of attributions in “Pardes Rimmonim,” e.g. he assigns the first three to the South; the second set to the North; the third group of three to the East, and the last three to the West. What is perhaps strangest of all, is Cordovero’s version of the “Twelve Banners,” which is totally at odds with Gikatilla’s original version, as shown in the following table. The highlighted permutations indicate the differences between the two sets.

It is worth noting that the arrangement Aryeh Kaplan described in his “Sefer Yetzirah,” comfortably aligns with the exercises involving the application of these specific twelve permutations in the “Tracing the Bet” meditations.

Before we finally get to share a few practical applications, it is worth perusing the attribution of the twelve permutations to the hours of the day. In this tradition the daily cycle is marked from sunset to sunset, rather than from sunrise to sunrise. Hence the daily cycle comprises two sub-cycles of twelve hours each, the first from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.; the second from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. The pattern of twelve permutations follow the two sets of twelve hours in exact order, e.g. the cycle is repeated in each twenty-four hour cycle. In related teachings, we are told that the twelve hours comprising the “night cycle,” pertain to the twenty-four permutations of ADONAI, while the twelve hours of the “day cycle” are associated with two sets of twelve permutations, respectively those of YHVH and EHYEH. For our purposes, the simple attribution of the twelve permutations of the Tetragrammaton to the hours of the day in two sub-cycles of twelve hours each, works perfectly well without any need for further complexities at present.

(More to follow)

Tracing the Bet - Part 1

In "The Book of Self Creation" I addressed certain practical workings based on the set of permutations of the Ineffable Name termed the “Twelve Banners” in Joseph Gikatilla’s “Gates of Light” as indicated in the following table:

These permutations have been attributed to the twelve months, the twelve signs of the Zodiac, and the twelve ancient Hebrew Tribes. They have also been divided into four groups, each attributed to an “Element,” “Direction,” etc. However, there is again no consensus to be found in primary Kabbalistic literature regarding these attributions. For example, Aryeh Kaplan noted that the permutations attributed to Elul and Adar are interchangeable. It would seem that Gikatilla’s delineation of the “Twelve Banners” was fairly standard amongst the older Kabbalists, and that the switching occurred specifically in Lurianic Kabbalah, i.e as shown in “Or Levanah” by Shalom Sharabi, Lurianic Siddurim (prayer books); etc. We might also note that much of the practical techniques of pre-Lurianic Kabbalah were dismissed out of hand as “bad” and even declared taboo by the Lurianic faction.

Having investigated the related sets of permutations in, amongst others, “Chayei ha-Olam ha-Ba,” “Mafteach ha-Shemot,” "Sefer Raziel," and "Shorshei ha-Shemot," all of which align with the “Sha’arei Orah,” I personally subscribe to Joseph Gikatilla’s attributions, as shown in the following illustration. It certainly offers the clearest sequence of attributes in terms of the practical workings we are addressing:

To facilitate a better understanding of the associated practical applications, we need to consider additional details, i.e. besides the alignment of the “Twelve Banners” with months, Zodiac signs and Hebrew Tribes, each permutation is respectively associated with a verse from the Tanach (Hebrew Bible), in which the initial letters or final letters of the component words spell the related permutation, like this:

(More to follow)

The Name Elohim in Practical Kabbalah - Part 2

Regarding its usage in “Practical Kabbalah,” Elohim is not extensively employed as a Divine Name on its own in Jewish Magical incantations. I surmise this absence to be due to the fact that this specific Name is traditionally associated in Jewish esotericism with the qualities of “severity,” “judgment,” and “fear.” Clarifying this in terms of Gevurah, the fifth sphere on the sefirotic Tree, Joseph Gikatilla wrote “Behold, the Name that is known as Elohim is the Name that has been appointed for judgment. This appellation is encoded in the verse ‘Judgment is for Elohim’” (Deuteronomy 1:17). He continued “When He, may He be Blessed, performs an activity from the realm of judgment, He is called Elohim. Now, know and see that this realm is called the left side, and this side’s cognomen in the Torah is Elohim, for that side is the side of judgment. This Name judges all who traverse the world with the appropriate judgments, whether they be positive or adverse, for life or for death.”

As it is, the Name Elohim features particularly prominently in the “Creation” saga as recounted in the first chapter of Genesis. Again Gikatilla informed us that “the reason that the Name Elohim is employed throughout the Creation story,” is “to remind you that all creatures were created with the straight line of Din (Judgment), and forthrightness. There are no curves or deceptions.” The prominent position of Elohim in the “Work of Creation” is of particular importance to Kabbalists, since it is believed this pertains directly to the so-called thirty-two “Paths of Wisdom” referred to in the “Sefer Yetzirah”(The Book of Creation). These “Paths of Wisdom” are considered to be the “wondrous hidden ways” through which Elohim manifested the entirety of existence. Tradition tells us that the “Thirty-two Paths” are indicated in the thirty-two times the name Elohim occurs in the creation saga recounted in the first chapter of the biblical book of Genesis:

The great mystics of our tradition quickly noticed that there is, as it were, a “pattern” in this presentation of the “ways of Wisdom” expressing the will of Elohim in the original act of creation. The Sefer Yetzirah informs us that the “Thirty-two Paths” comprise the ten Sefirot and the twenty-two Otiot Yesod (“foundation signs” = letters of the Hebrew Alphabet), but there is really no further specific reference to these “Thirty-two Paths of Wisdom.” However, that single statement in the first verse of the “Book of Creation,” has engaged most intensely the mystical mindsets of Western Esotericists. I personally think one of the reasons for this is the number thirty-two itself, since this figure is associated with three important fundamental concepts of Kabbalah:

1. LeV ( [ (Lamed) 30 + (Bet) 2 = 32]) meaning “heart”;

2. KaVoD ( [ (Kaf) 20 + (Bet) 2 + (Vav) 6 + (Dalet) 4 = 32]) meaning “respect,” “honour,” “abundance,” “importance,” “riches,” “dignity,” “majesty” and “glory”; and

3. the triple Yod () which is used since ancient days by scribes as a substitute for the Ineffable Name.

(more to follow)