| PART I GENERAL KEY TO THE TAROT GIVING THE ABSOLUTE KEY TO OCCULT SCIENCE CHAPTER II יהוה THE SACRED WORD YOD-HE-VAU-HE The Kabbalah and the Sacred Word |
ACCORDING to the ancient oral tradition of the Hebrews, or Kabbalah* , a sacred word exists, which gives to the
mortal who can discover the correct way of pronouncing it, the key to all the sciences, divine and human. This word,
which the Israelites never uttered, and which the High Priest pronounced once a year, amidst the shouts of the laity, is
found at the head of every initiative ritual, it radiates from the centre of the flaming triangle at the 33rd degree of the
Freemasonry of Scotland, it is displayed above the gateways of our old cathedrals, is formed of four Hebrew letters,
and reads thus, Yod-he-vau-he, יהוה.
It is used in the Sepher Bereschit, or Genesis of Moses, to designate the divinity, and its grammatical construction
recalls even by its formation** the attributes which men have always delighted to ascribe to God. Now we shall see
that the powers attributed to this word are real up to a certain point, for with its aid the symbolical gate of the arch,
which contains the explanation of the whole doctrine of ancient science, is easily opened. It is therefore necessary to
enter into some detail respecting it.
*It appears, according to the most famous rabbis, that Moses himself, foreseeing the fate which awaited his book, and
the false interpretations which would be given to it in the course of time, resorted to an oral law, which he delivered
verbally to reliable men, whose fidelity he had tested, and whom he charged to transmit it to others in the secret of the
sanctuary, who in their turn, transmitting it from age to age, secured its preservation even for the most distant
posterity. This oral law, which modern Jews still flatter themselves that they possess, is called the Kabbalah, from a
Hebrew word which signifies that which is received, that which comes from elsewhere, that which passes from hand to
hand."-FABRE D'OLIVET, La Langue Hébraïque Restituée, p. 29.
**This name presents first the sign which indicates life, repeated twice, and thus forming the essentially living root EE
(הה). This root is never used as a noun, and is the only one which enjoys this prerogative. It is from its formation not
only a verb, but a unique verb, from which all the others are merely derivations; in short, the verb הוה (ÉVÉ), to be,
being. Here, as we can see, and as I have carefully explained in my grammar the sign of intelligible light ו (VÔ) is
placed in the midst of the root of life. Moses, when using this unique verb to form the proper name of the Being of
Beings, added to it the sign of potential manifestation and of eternity, י (I); he thus obtained יהוה (IEVE), in which the
facultative Being is placed between a past tense without origin, and a future without limit. This admirable word thus
exactly signifies the Being who is, who was, and who will be."-FABRE D'OLIVET, La Langue Hébraïque Restituée.
The word is formed of four letters, Yod (י), he (ה), vau (ו), he (ה). This last letter he is repeated twice.
A number is attributed to each letter of the Hebrew alphabet. We must look at those which relate to the letters we are
now considering.
י Yod = 10
ה he = 5
ו vau = 6
The total numerical value of the word יהוה is therefore
10 + 5 + 6 + 5 = 26.
Let us now study each letter separately.
mortal who can discover the correct way of pronouncing it, the key to all the sciences, divine and human. This word,
which the Israelites never uttered, and which the High Priest pronounced once a year, amidst the shouts of the laity, is
found at the head of every initiative ritual, it radiates from the centre of the flaming triangle at the 33rd degree of the
Freemasonry of Scotland, it is displayed above the gateways of our old cathedrals, is formed of four Hebrew letters,
and reads thus, Yod-he-vau-he, יהוה.
It is used in the Sepher Bereschit, or Genesis of Moses, to designate the divinity, and its grammatical construction
recalls even by its formation** the attributes which men have always delighted to ascribe to God. Now we shall see
that the powers attributed to this word are real up to a certain point, for with its aid the symbolical gate of the arch,
which contains the explanation of the whole doctrine of ancient science, is easily opened. It is therefore necessary to
enter into some detail respecting it.
*It appears, according to the most famous rabbis, that Moses himself, foreseeing the fate which awaited his book, and
the false interpretations which would be given to it in the course of time, resorted to an oral law, which he delivered
verbally to reliable men, whose fidelity he had tested, and whom he charged to transmit it to others in the secret of the
sanctuary, who in their turn, transmitting it from age to age, secured its preservation even for the most distant
posterity. This oral law, which modern Jews still flatter themselves that they possess, is called the Kabbalah, from a
Hebrew word which signifies that which is received, that which comes from elsewhere, that which passes from hand to
hand."-FABRE D'OLIVET, La Langue Hébraïque Restituée, p. 29.
**This name presents first the sign which indicates life, repeated twice, and thus forming the essentially living root EE
(הה). This root is never used as a noun, and is the only one which enjoys this prerogative. It is from its formation not
only a verb, but a unique verb, from which all the others are merely derivations; in short, the verb הוה (ÉVÉ), to be,
being. Here, as we can see, and as I have carefully explained in my grammar the sign of intelligible light ו (VÔ) is
placed in the midst of the root of life. Moses, when using this unique verb to form the proper name of the Being of
Beings, added to it the sign of potential manifestation and of eternity, י (I); he thus obtained יהוה (IEVE), in which the
facultative Being is placed between a past tense without origin, and a future without limit. This admirable word thus
exactly signifies the Being who is, who was, and who will be."-FABRE D'OLIVET, La Langue Hébraïque Restituée.
The word is formed of four letters, Yod (י), he (ה), vau (ו), he (ה). This last letter he is repeated twice.
A number is attributed to each letter of the Hebrew alphabet. We must look at those which relate to the letters we are
now considering.
י Yod = 10
ה he = 5
ו vau = 6
The total numerical value of the word יהוה is therefore
10 + 5 + 6 + 5 = 26.
Let us now study each letter separately.
| The Yod |
The Yod, shaped like a comma or a dot, represents the principle or origin of all things.
The other letters of the Hebrew alphabet are all produced by different combinations of the letter Yod* . The synthetic
study of nature had led the ancients to conclude that one law only existed, and ruled all natural productions. This law,
the basis of analogy, placed the Unity-principle at the origin of all things, and regarded them as the reflections at various
degrees of this Unity-principle. Thus the Yod, which alone forms all the other letters, and therefore all the words and all
the phrases of the alphabet, was justly used as the image and representation of this Unity-principle, of which the
profane had no knowledge.
Thus the law which presided over the creation of the Hebrew language is the same law that presided over the creation
of the Universe, and to know the one is to know the other, unreservedly. The Sepher Yetzirah** , one of the most ancient
books of the Kabbalah, proves this fact.
Before proceeding any further, let us illustrate the definition which we have just given of the Yod by an example. The
first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, the aleph (א), is composed of four yods placed opposite to each other; the other
letters are all formed on the same basis*** .
The numerical value of the yod leads to other considerations. The Unity-principle, according to the doctrine of the
Kabbalists, is also the Unity-end of beings and of things, so that eternity, from this point of view, is only an eternal
present. The ancients used a dot in the centre of a circle as the symbol of this idea, the representation of the Unity-
principle (the dot) in the centre of eternity (the circle, a line without beginning or end)****.
*See the Kabbala Denudata.
**Translated into English by Dr. Wynn Westcott.
***See the Kabbala Denudata.
****See Kircher, Œdipus Ægyptiacus; See Lenain, La Science Kabbalistique; See J. Dée, Monas Hieroglyphica
The other letters of the Hebrew alphabet are all produced by different combinations of the letter Yod* . The synthetic
study of nature had led the ancients to conclude that one law only existed, and ruled all natural productions. This law,
the basis of analogy, placed the Unity-principle at the origin of all things, and regarded them as the reflections at various
degrees of this Unity-principle. Thus the Yod, which alone forms all the other letters, and therefore all the words and all
the phrases of the alphabet, was justly used as the image and representation of this Unity-principle, of which the
profane had no knowledge.
Thus the law which presided over the creation of the Hebrew language is the same law that presided over the creation
of the Universe, and to know the one is to know the other, unreservedly. The Sepher Yetzirah** , one of the most ancient
books of the Kabbalah, proves this fact.
Before proceeding any further, let us illustrate the definition which we have just given of the Yod by an example. The
first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, the aleph (א), is composed of four yods placed opposite to each other; the other
letters are all formed on the same basis*** .
The numerical value of the yod leads to other considerations. The Unity-principle, according to the doctrine of the
Kabbalists, is also the Unity-end of beings and of things, so that eternity, from this point of view, is only an eternal
present. The ancients used a dot in the centre of a circle as the symbol of this idea, the representation of the Unity-
principle (the dot) in the centre of eternity (the circle, a line without beginning or end)****.
*See the Kabbala Denudata.
**Translated into English by Dr. Wynn Westcott.
***See the Kabbala Denudata.
****See Kircher, Œdipus Ægyptiacus; See Lenain, La Science Kabbalistique; See J. Dée, Monas Hieroglyphica
According to these demonstrations, the Unity is regarded as the whole, of which all created beings
are only the constituent parts; just as the Unity-man is formed of an agglomeration of molecules,
which compose his being.
The Kabbalah, therefore, places at the origin of all things the absolute assertion of the being by
itself of the Ego-Unity, which is represented by the yod symbolically, and by the number 10. This
number 10, representing the All-principle 1, with the Zero-nothing 0, well supplies the requisite
conditions* .
* See Saint-Martin, Des rapports qui existent entre Dieu, l'Homme et l'Univers. See Lacuria,
Harmonies de l'Être exprimées par les nombres.
are only the constituent parts; just as the Unity-man is formed of an agglomeration of molecules,
which compose his being.
The Kabbalah, therefore, places at the origin of all things the absolute assertion of the being by
itself of the Ego-Unity, which is represented by the yod symbolically, and by the number 10. This
number 10, representing the All-principle 1, with the Zero-nothing 0, well supplies the requisite
conditions* .
* See Saint-Martin, Des rapports qui existent entre Dieu, l'Homme et l'Univers. See Lacuria,
Harmonies de l'Être exprimées par les nombres.
| The He* |
* See Eliphas Levi, Dogme et Rituel de la Haute Magie; la Clef des Grands Mystères;-Lacuria, op. cit.
But the Ego cannot be realized except through its opposition to the Non-Ego. The assertion of the Ego is scarcely
established, when we must instantly realize a reaction of the Ego, Absolute, upon itself, from which the conception of its
existence will be drawn, by a kind of division of the Unity. This is the origin of duality, of opposition, of the Binary, the
image of femininity, even as the Unity is the image of the masculine. Ten, divided by itself, in opposition to itself, then
equals 10/2 = 5, five, the exact number of the letter He, the second letter of the great sacred name.
The He therefore represents the passive in relation to the Yod, which symbolizes the active; the Non-Ego in relation to
the Ego, the woman relatively to the man; the substance relatively to the essence; life in its relation to the soul, &c., &c.
But the Ego cannot be realized except through its opposition to the Non-Ego. The assertion of the Ego is scarcely
established, when we must instantly realize a reaction of the Ego, Absolute, upon itself, from which the conception of its
existence will be drawn, by a kind of division of the Unity. This is the origin of duality, of opposition, of the Binary, the
image of femininity, even as the Unity is the image of the masculine. Ten, divided by itself, in opposition to itself, then
equals 10/2 = 5, five, the exact number of the letter He, the second letter of the great sacred name.
The He therefore represents the passive in relation to the Yod, which symbolizes the active; the Non-Ego in relation to
the Ego, the woman relatively to the man; the substance relatively to the essence; life in its relation to the soul, &c., &c.
* See Saint-Martin, Des rapports qui existent entre Dieu, l'Homme et l'Univers. See Lacuria, Harmonies de l'Être
exprimées par les nombres.
But the opposition of the Ego and the Non-Ego immediately gives rise to another factor; this is the Affinity existing
between this Ego and this Non-Ego.
Now the Vau, the sixth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, produced by 10 (yod) + 5 (he) = 15 = 6 (or 1 + 5), signifies link or
analogy. It is the link which, uniting antagonisms in the whole of nature, constitutes the third word of this mysterious
Trinity.
Ego-Non-Ego.
Affinity of the Ego with the Non-Ego.
exprimées par les nombres.
But the opposition of the Ego and the Non-Ego immediately gives rise to another factor; this is the Affinity existing
between this Ego and this Non-Ego.
Now the Vau, the sixth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, produced by 10 (yod) + 5 (he) = 15 = 6 (or 1 + 5), signifies link or
analogy. It is the link which, uniting antagonisms in the whole of nature, constitutes the third word of this mysterious
Trinity.
Ego-Non-Ego.
Affinity of the Ego with the Non-Ego.
| The Second He |
Nothing can exist beyond this Trinity, considered as a law.
The Trinity is the synthetic and absolute formula to which all the sciences converge; and this formula, forgotten with
regard to its scientific value, has been transmitted to us integrally, by all the religious of the world, the unconscious
depositaries of the SCIENCE WISDOM of primitive civilizations* .
Thus the great sacred name is formed of three letters only. The fourth term of the name is formed by the repetition of
the second letter, the He.
This repetition indicates the passage of the Trinitarian law into a new application; that is, to speak correctly, a transition
from the metaphysical to the physical world, or generally, of any world whatever to the world that immediately follows it**.
The knowledge of the property of the second He is the key to the whole divine name, in every application of which it is
susceptible. We shall presently see the proof of this statement.
*See Eliphas Levi, Dogme et Rituel de la Haute Magie; la Clef des Grands Mystères;-Lacuria, op. cit. "Præter hæc tria
numera non est alia magnitudo, quod tria sunt omnia, et ter undecunque, ut pythagorici dicunt; omne et omnia tribus
determinata sunt."-ARISTOTLE. (Quoted by Ostrowski, page 24 of his Mathèse.)
**Ostrowski has seen this clearly. "The passage of 3 in 4 corresponds to that of the Trimurti in Maïa, and as the latter
opens the second ternary of the pregenesetic decade, so the figure 4 opens that of the second ternary of our genesetic
decimal."- Mathèse, p. 25.
The Trinity is the synthetic and absolute formula to which all the sciences converge; and this formula, forgotten with
regard to its scientific value, has been transmitted to us integrally, by all the religious of the world, the unconscious
depositaries of the SCIENCE WISDOM of primitive civilizations* .
Thus the great sacred name is formed of three letters only. The fourth term of the name is formed by the repetition of
the second letter, the He.
This repetition indicates the passage of the Trinitarian law into a new application; that is, to speak correctly, a transition
from the metaphysical to the physical world, or generally, of any world whatever to the world that immediately follows it**.
The knowledge of the property of the second He is the key to the whole divine name, in every application of which it is
susceptible. We shall presently see the proof of this statement.
*See Eliphas Levi, Dogme et Rituel de la Haute Magie; la Clef des Grands Mystères;-Lacuria, op. cit. "Præter hæc tria
numera non est alia magnitudo, quod tria sunt omnia, et ter undecunque, ut pythagorici dicunt; omne et omnia tribus
determinata sunt."-ARISTOTLE. (Quoted by Ostrowski, page 24 of his Mathèse.)
**Ostrowski has seen this clearly. "The passage of 3 in 4 corresponds to that of the Trimurti in Maïa, and as the latter
opens the second ternary of the pregenesetic decade, so the figure 4 opens that of the second ternary of our genesetic
decimal."- Mathèse, p. 25.
| SUMMARY UPON THE WORD YOD-HE-VAU-HE |
Now that we have separately studied each of the letters that compose the sacred name, we will apply the law of
synthesis to them, and sum up the results obtained.
The word Yod-he-vau-he is formed of four letters, signifying:
synthesis to them, and sum up the results obtained.
The word Yod-he-vau-he is formed of four letters, signifying:
| REPRESENTATION OF THE SACRED WORD |
The word Yod-he-vau-he can be represented in various ways, which are all useful.
The circle can be drawn in this way-
The circle can be drawn in this way-
Lastly, a third method of representing the word consists in enveloping
the Trinity, Yod-he-vau, with the tonalisating letter, or second He, thus-
Now we will leave these data, to which we must return later on, and
speak of the occult or Pythagorean conception of numbers.
the Trinity, Yod-he-vau, with the tonalisating letter, or second He, thus-
Now we will leave these data, to which we must return later on, and
speak of the occult or Pythagorean conception of numbers.
| The Vau* |
This second He represents the complete Being, comprising in one Absolute Unity the three letters which compose it:
Ego, Non-Ego, Affinity.
It indicates the passage from the noumenal to the phenomenal or reciprocal; it serves as means of ascension from one
scale to another.
Ego, Non-Ego, Affinity.
It indicates the passage from the noumenal to the phenomenal or reciprocal; it serves as means of ascension from one
scale to another.
But since the second He, the sign of transition, becomes the active entity in the following scale, i. e. since this He only
represents a yod in germ* , the sacred word can be represented, with the second he under the first yod, thus-
* The second He, upon which we are intentionally dwelling at some length, may be compared to a grain of wheat
relatively to the p. 25 ear. The ear, the Trinity, manifest or yod-he-vau, exerts all its activity in the production of the grain
of wheat, or second He. But this grain of wheat is only the transition between the ear which gave it birth, and the ear to
which it will itself give birth in the following generation. It is the transition between one generation and another which it
contains in germ; this is why the second He is a Yod in germ.
represents a yod in germ* , the sacred word can be represented, with the second he under the first yod, thus-
* The second He, upon which we are intentionally dwelling at some length, may be compared to a grain of wheat
relatively to the p. 25 ear. The ear, the Trinity, manifest or yod-he-vau, exerts all its activity in the production of the grain
of wheat, or second He. But this grain of wheat is only the transition between the ear which gave it birth, and the ear to
which it will itself give birth in the following generation. It is the transition between one generation and another which it
contains in germ; this is why the second He is a Yod in germ.
| GET YOUR OWN beautiful PDF COPY OF all 5 tarot eBOOKs NOW! ONLY $3.99 !!Instant DOWNLOAD!! after your paypal payment complete To get these ebooks USE Buy It now button Below |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Tarot Of The Bohemians: Chapter 2