The Wizard and the Gnostic Chess Symbology.
In chess we can find many "coincidences" and esoteric symbolic curiosities.
The Creator is
present in all Creation, but does not constitute any of its parts in
particular, as it happens in chess, where the board, the pieces, and of course
the players, are no more than an expression of the image of the cosmos and
the transcendent reality, product of a primordial idea that develops around a center.
In fact, the reason for each of the elements of chess is to remember and
represent the cosmos.
In a mystical time, when man has learned to live in a perfect harmony with the cosmos,
games have a sacred character, and they are not the simple distractions that
the man of today has consider them to be.
Chess like other games and contemporary customs, arises from a mystical background. As Titus Burckhardt, a qualified researcher of ancestral symbolism, asserts, the chessboard "symbolizes the existence conceived as the field of action of the divine forces.
Chess like other games and contemporary customs, arises from a mystical background. As Titus Burckhardt, a qualified researcher of ancestral symbolism, asserts, the chessboard "symbolizes the existence conceived as the field of action of the divine forces.
The most
widespread version about the birth of this game, is that it originated in India, and was transmitted to the medieval West by the Persians and Arabs, and that if
we remember the mystical origin of the game, which Plato placed it in Egypt, stating that its inventor was the mystical god Thot.
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In its most
basic meaning, chess is a representation of the typical battle between good and
evil, in its most universal meaning, the combat figures of the game of chess
represents the mystical battle of the devas with the asuras, of the Gods with
the Titans, or the Angels with demons, deriving from this all the other meanings of
the game.
If we move chess
to the daily chore, every action is like a play, in general, if the human
performs good actions (good plays), will do well, if he does bad deeds (bad
plays), he will go wrong.
The board, where
the plot of the game ground is developed, is a square, a geometric figure of four
equal sides, that are the expression of the quaternary, and which conveys the
idea of harmony, order and balance, which is why it is associated with the
symbolic form of the earth.
In this way, man is inscribed within the vertical and
horizontal sides, limited by the coordinates representing space and time.
In traditional
civilizations the square figure was considered sacred, and possessed an
inherent magical charge. To plot the cosmogonic map where the game of chess
develops, the square is multiplied symmetrically until it reaches a grid of
eight base columns, a number that inspires an intermediate symbolism, or
transition, between the square (earth) and the circle ( Heaven), with the
consequent priestly burden that this entails. Thus the board is divided into a
grid of 64 squares, within a diagram of eight by eight squares, the same
construction that owns the Magical Alchemical Square of Mercury-Hermes, whose
function is also instructor and educator, initiatic, and therefore of
transition and intermediation between God and men.
Mercury's magical square
that in the Hermetic Tradition, Mercury-Hermes, initiator in the mysteries,
relates to "Hod", the Ephirah number eight of the Tree of Life, and
its magic square is a grid of 64 squares, is in perfect Harmony with other
traditions, such as the Chinese, where the 64 hexagrams of the I Ching derive
from the eight initial trigrams, which in turn come from the original binomial,
duality.
In addition, the
board has an inherent cyclical character, which is manifested in that 64 is a
submultiple whole number of 25,920, which represents the number of years of equinoctial
precession, for Hindus corresponds to the duration of the golden age
of a Manvántara- Tree of Sephirotic Life.
The cyclic and
mystical symbolism of the chessboard lies in the fact that it expresses the
unfolding of space according to the quartary and octonary principle of the
principal directions (4x4x4 = 8x8), and which crystallizes in synthesis the two
great cycles of the sun and the moon: the zodiac duodenary and the 28 lunar
mansions.
On the other hand, the number 64, the sum of the squares on the
board, is a sub-manifold of the fundamental cyclic number that accurately
measures the equinoxes.
The stars
symbolize at the same time a divine aspect, personified by a deva.
This is how
this mandala symbolizes both the visible cosmos, the spirit world and the
divinity in its many aspects.
This double
meaning that characterizes the Vastu-Purusha-mandala, and that is otherwise
more or less explicit in any symbol, was as updated by the combat that the game
of chess represents. Such a struggle, we said, is essentially that of the devas
and asuras, who are disputing the board of the world.
The white army is that of
the light, the black is the one of the darkness.
In a relative order, the
battle figured on the board represents the battle of the two earthly
armies.
Each of the battles in the name of a principle, the spiritual and the
darkness in man, as a holy war.
In chess we observe the existence of castes, represented by the different functions that the figures play in the cosmogony of the game.
Legend has it that in traditional societies priests and sages, true connoisseurs of the metaphysical realm, were those who educated the warrior caste in the practice of chess, understanding it as a way of knowledge, and also as a representation of the cosmos.
Where creation is a singular struggle and complementation of opposites, where day and night, heat and cold, light and darkness, good and evil, sign a sacred battle.
If the universe is a discourse caused by the expansion of the verb, and the relation of this figure to the oracle is significant, in the Wizard's manifestation of the quick bond of the Spirit, which would resemble the figure of the Oracle, a mystical being who Its stems are true figures of union between the earth and the sky, receiving thus the celestial effluvians, in this way, the Magician would be related to Mars, that limits to the expansiveness energy of Jupiter, the Queen. It is not surprising then, that words like the term magician comes from the ancient Persian maguš by means of the Greek μάγος and finally from the Latin magus.
In fact, the word bishop seems to derive from "hasti" from Sanskrit, to "pil" in Persian, and "affine" in Arabic, which means elephant, which if we put the Arabic article "al" before it, becomes the Current bishop. In Egypt the main oracles were the sacred bulls "Apis" and "Mnevis", so it was common to name "Alpha" and "Alphi" a. The two sacred bulls of Memphis and Heliopolis.As a result of this, Plutarch, commenting on the letter "Alpha", explains that the Phoenicians call the "alpha", so we have their meaning was also that of an oracle, or that of an oracular animal. Thus, the "aleph" of the Jews represents the head of an ox, and is the first letter of its alphabet, very similar to the first letter of the Islamic alphabet, "alif".
These meanings, "Alpha or Alphi", applied to the bulls "Apis" and "Mnevis", originally Egyptian words, were taken by the Phoenicians to adopt them first to the oxen, "alpha", and then to the elephants, "elaph" True root of our present bishop.
The Rooks placed at the corners thus delimit the board, four pillars on which set the game, the world, as a great castle interior, a fortress, so much so that the King, through the magic castling, can be hidden or protected beside them in fact, the Rook is a symbol of the column, axis, vertical element par excellence, such as those built by ancient societies in harmony with their traditions, and what they called obelisks, symbols of the axis of the world. Opposite from those other towers, like the one of Babel, that was destroyed by the arrogance of its constructors, as it happens with the tower of the destruction in the Tarot.
In chess we observe the existence of castes, represented by the different functions that the figures play in the cosmogony of the game.
The strategic order is evident in the position of the figures used, just as in the war in the ancient East.
The light troops, represented by the infantry (PAWNS), occupy the first line; The bulk of the army consists of heavy troops, war chariots (ROOKS), horses (KNIGHTS) and combat elephants (BISHOPS); The King with his Queen, and the Wizard or the courtmage "Counselor" who remain in the field of the troops.
THE KING.
The King represents the player; Is the chess player on the board, the commander on the battlefield.
The King represents the priestly or Brahmanical state, the heart or spirit of each army to be protected, the essence of the game, without which the battle would not make sense.
The king of Charlemagne's Chess, carries a crown on his head, which reproduces the circular shape of the sky he symbolizes, the crown being the sign that confirms the possession of a true inner royalty, which will allow him to rule in order with the Divine Will.
The symbolic root of the crown, "k-r-n", comes from the same root as Cronus, skull horns, or from the Greek word "Karn", which is the cusp of Sacred Hyperborean Mountain. In fact Kether, the Unity, the highest sefirah of the Tree of Sephirotic Life, is the crown bearing the Adam Kadmon, or primordial man, of the Jewish tradition.
His position at the beginning of the game is central, on a square of color opposite to his, conjugating thus the opposites, and with the possibility of moving in all directions a square around him, which infers him a circular movement on the same, The King, the Spirit, the center on which the compass rotates, symbol of his Divine Intelligence.
It is interesting to observe, as the possibilities of its circular movement, are inscribed in a square of three by three, the magic square of Saturn, slow moving but intelligent and thoughtful, like the King of chess. Saturn's magic square, or natural square. The magic square of three base columns has nine squares inscribed inside, it is curious to relate it to the ninth letter of the Tarot, the Hermit, which represents an old wise man, an inner master, to whom he is also associated with Cronus, the Time, which devours their children.
Thus, the movements of the King have to possess as more remarkable qualities the patience, the experience, the solitude and the wisdom, like Saturn, Cronos or the Hermit.
Each of the divine aspects is considered endowed with an energy or power of its own, which the Hindus call "shakti", and which is represented symbolically by a feminine form, so the "shakti" of Shiva is Parvati.
THE QUEEN.
The Queen represents the people and their patriotism.
Thus the movements of the Queen are formidable, towards any of the eight directions that surround it, with the only limit of the board of existence.
The divine play consists in the creation, sustenance and dissolution of the universe, as well as the bonds that unite the devotees with Samsara, the cycle of successive births and deaths. She is the Universal Energy, one with the Supreme Being, and thus contemplated and worshiped.
In the Holy Empire the greatest currency is love, the "hieros gamos", the sacred marriage of the King and Queen.
The King symbolizes spiritual power, the Queen instead represents temporal power. The function of the temporal power will always be to protect the spiritual power.
 |
| THE QUEEN |
In fact the crown of the King was traditionally represented with a CROSS in its upper part, symbolizing the spiritual power, whereas the Queen, although also crowned, lacked this symbol, thus associating with the temporal authority exercised by the warrior King.
The Queen, the feminine element of the board, is the King himself unfolded in a woman, the concentrated energy of the King, the Queen transforms it, agglutinating all the expansive forces of creation, as a source of pure water, overflowing and imperishable, like Jupiter,
Progenitor of all gods, lover of life and merciful Lord of the world.
That the origin of the game can be Brahmanical responds to the Principle, but it is a game destined to the kshatriyas, since it belongs to the field of the action. Thus in India this game was also known as "chaturanga", which means "four members", and there is a similarity between the chess pieces that accompany the King and Queen, magicians, bishops, horses, towers and pawns , With the four members of the army in India, sages, elephants, cavalry, tanks and infantry.
TE WIZARD.
OR THE COURT MAGE.
OR THE COURT MAGE.
In the same row where the King and Queen are placed, there are four pairs of figures that have an interesting symbolism, each figure of the pair occupying a black square and a white square, and surrounding the Real pair in the center.
The Magician is the closest to them, not in vain in many places he is also called the king's counselor, which is the reason why he is closer to the King and the Queen than any other piece.
Where creation is a singular struggle and complementation of opposites, where day and night, heat and cold, light and darkness, good and evil, sign a sacred battle.
If the universe is a discourse caused by the expansion of the verb, and the relation of this figure to the oracle is significant, in the Wizard's manifestation of the quick bond of the Spirit, which would resemble the figure of the Oracle, a mystical being who Its stems are true figures of union between the earth and the sky, receiving thus the celestial effluvians, in this way, the Magician would be related to Mars, that limits to the expansiveness energy of Jupiter, the Queen. It is not surprising then, that words like the term magician comes from the ancient Persian maguš by means of the Greek μάγος and finally from the Latin magus.
The original meaning of the word Magus referred to the members of a tribe of the Middle Ages and then to the Persian priests. In modern terms it refers to a kind of astrologer or diviner, who practices magic, or witchcraft.
The Wizard always ends his movement in a square of color opposite to that of departure, and in a different row or column from its initial placement, which inspires the idea of a passage from one reality to a different mistical reality.
A King of India wanted to know whether the world obeyed intelligence or luck.
Two wise men, their counselors, gave opposite answers, and to prove their respective thesis, one of them took a chess game as an example , in which intelligence prevails over chance, while the other brought a pair of dice, an image of doom.
It reveals here not only the relation between will and destiny, but also between freedom and knowledge: unless there is an inadvertence of the adversary, the player will safeguard his freedom of action only to the extent that his decisions coincide with the nature of the game, That is, with the possibilities that this entails.
In other words; Freedom of action is here supportive of foresight, of knowledge of probabilities; Conversely, the blind impulse, however free and spontaneous it may seem at first, is ultimately revealed as a non-freedom of thy self.
The Spirit is truth; That is why man is free; Outside of that he is the slave of his destiny. One of the teachings of the King's Counselor.
THE BISHOP.
Bishops: They symbolize loyalty and always follow the same path, since each bishop moves by the squares of the same color in which they begin.
Since ancient times they have represented the ministers or, also, the religious hierarchs, although not all of them are worthy of the symbology of the Bishop. Don Alfonso X
The Wise in his "Book of Chess" represented these figures as elephants holding on their backs a small tower where an archer stood.
The Wise in his "Book of Chess" represented these figures as elephants holding on their backs a small tower where an archer stood.
In fact, the word bishop seems to derive from "hasti" from Sanskrit, to "pil" in Persian, and "affine" in Arabic, which means elephant, which if we put the Arabic article "al" before it, becomes the Current bishop. In Egypt the main oracles were the sacred bulls "Apis" and "Mnevis", so it was common to name "Alpha" and "Alphi" a. The two sacred bulls of Memphis and Heliopolis.As a result of this, Plutarch, commenting on the letter "Alpha", explains that the Phoenicians call the "alpha", so we have their meaning was also that of an oracle, or that of an oracular animal. Thus, the "aleph" of the Jews represents the head of an ox, and is the first letter of its alphabet, very similar to the first letter of the Islamic alphabet, "alif".
These meanings, "Alpha or Alphi", applied to the bulls "Apis" and "Mnevis", originally Egyptian words, were taken by the Phoenicians to adopt them first to the oxen, "alpha", and then to the elephants, "elaph" True root of our present bishop.
THE KNIGHT.
Knights: Militarily, it represents the cavalry.
They represent the rhythm principle, for they "jump" from one color to another as the pendulum that oscillates from pole to pole (from yin to yang, and vice versa).
They represent the rhythm principle, for they "jump" from one color to another as the pendulum that oscillates from pole to pole (from yin to yang, and vice versa).
In many traditions the Knight has been associated with the sea, the same Poseidon, god of the sea, was also the god of horses. The passage of waters into the symbolic of the horse is crucial.
In Greek or Hindu initiatory rites, the sacrifice of the horse was common, and the initiates were often overlaid with horsehair.
In Greek or Hindu initiatory rites, the sacrifice of the horse was common, and the initiates were often overlaid with horsehair.
Thus we observe how the horse is related to the passage from one state of Being to another.
In chess, the Knight describes a movement in an "L", jumping like the flame, similar to the fire element, revealing the power of the Spirit. The Knight always end its movement in an opposite color square from that of departure, and in a different row or column from the initial one.
In Homer's "Iliad," the conquest of Troy by the Greeks is forged by a wooden horse, suggesting the possible passage from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age is also linked with the symbolism of the horse.
In Homer's "Iliad," the conquest of Troy by the Greeks is forged by a wooden horse, suggesting the possible passage from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age is also linked with the symbolism of the horse.
In each army of the Wizard chess game, there are two horses, occupying columns two and nine, and seating each one on a different color. In Plato inspired by Homer and Orpheus, he symbolically represents the soul by means of a chariot drawn by two horses, where the coachman represents the Thought he directs, and the two horses at the beginning of life and passion.
Also in the Tarot card, we observe two horses of different colors that seem to be heading towards opposite places, but to which the royal coachman routes correctly, conjugating them opposite and uniting contradictions, to overcome the obstacles ahead of the road, thus beginning a related trip With the new birth, inherent in the initiatory process.
THE ROOKS.
Towers: The Rooks are placed in the four corners of the board forming a square (the Matter, the Material World, the 4 Elements) thus delimiting the "Battlefield".
The space where the game is developed is framed by the Rooks, which are placed in the four corners of the board, angular elements that enclose the set of the pieces within the sum of their four angles of 90º, that is, 360º, thus indicating The high and cyclical character of chess, thus limiting space and time in the game.
 |
| THE ROOK |
Each army possesses two powerful towers, one on a white square and the other on a black one, pointing out the dual character presented in the development of the manifestation, and related by their binary aspect with the two columns of the Masonic temple, representing the two Columns of the Temple of Solomon, or with the two columns of Hercules, and of course with the two columns of the Tree of Sephirotic Life, signifying Rigor and Grace, constitutive of Creation, which must always be present in our works.
They are therefore true doors of passage in the path of knowledge, authentic pillars of Wisdom, like that of the two columns built by Henoch that resisted the flood, and contained in its engravings the essential of primordial knowledge, thus representing a Spiritual center, and initiatory for societies to come. Analogous to what the Sacred Books represent in different traditions, then these are also true pillars of knowledge.
No wonder then, that the King uses the Rook, in the cast as a loyal defensive ally.
As we must emphasize that in the attack, thanks to its overwhelming movement, it is a lethal piece, in fact the Rook is next to the Queen, one of only two pieces, with which the King can give a solo checkmate , without the need for help or support from other chess figures.
As we must emphasize that in the attack, thanks to its overwhelming movement, it is a lethal piece, in fact the Rook is next to the Queen, one of only two pieces, with which the King can give a solo checkmate , without the need for help or support from other chess figures.
THE PAWN.
Pawns: In military terms, they represent infantry, foot soldiers.
They represent teamwork, as pawns are more important together than individually; Well Philidor said that "pawns are the inner soul of chess."
They represent teamwork, as pawns are more important together than individually; Well Philidor said that "pawns are the inner soul of chess."
In addition, when a pawn reaches the opposite end of the board, it is "transformed" into another piece (Queen, Magician, Rook, Bishop or Knight), which symbolizes reincarnation; Or also the capacity of each one to improve, or to evolve.
 |
| THE PAWN |
It is a work full of setbacks, where many difficulties mark the pilgrimage of the initiate towards Knowledge, towards Freedom. Thus in chess, at the beginning of the game, the pawn contemplates heroically before him, with courage and resignation, a powerful army that seems indestructible.
The ten pawns that make up each army, are located in the second row, manifested behind them, one of the particular figures-symbols, that will confer a series of qualities, as a unique travel, in its slow, but without return endeavour, with no possibility of turning back, with courage towards the battle front, towards Freedom.
The pilgrimage of the pawns in chess is full of sacrifices, true sacred acts, by which many of them will perish, by virtue of a common end, of a higher enterprise, being in order with the Spirit.
The pawn of chess has the same meaning with which we signify a worker, and this in turn has the same connotation of the Mason, who in the real works has to roughen the rough stone, in order to strip it of its roughness, bringing it closer to a Shape in line with your destination.
new wizard chess game
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new wizard chess game
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It will be
noticed the kinship of the symbolism involved in the game of chess with the
subject of the Baghavad-Gita, book that is directed to the kshatriyas.
On the other
hand, the cyclical character of the board is observed by decomposing 64 as 6 +
4 = 10, which is associated with a return to the origins, and corresponding in
the Tarot with the arcane of the Wheel of Fortune, equivalent to the Wheel Of
Sâmsara for the Buddhists.
In this arcane,
announcing a new cycle, there are two animals spinning on the wheel, one
ascends, another descends, like the two armies that battle in the chess, on
them exists a immobile sphinx, symbol of the four elements, also associated to
The four sides that limits the board. We have to transcend this reality that
limits us, where thanks to initiation, we can ascend to other states of Being.
The wheel.
Arcane # 10 of the Tarot of Marseilles, if we observe that the squares of the
board are divided into 32 white squares and 32 black squares, and that 32 are
the figures with which the game begins, the relation with the Jewish Kabbalah
becomes more evident, Where we find that the first words of the Sefer Yetsirah
are "With 32
mystical paths of Wisdom.
It is related to
the 32 times that the name of God Elohim appears in the first chapter of the
Torah, and are manifested as the ten sephirot and the 22 letters of the Hebrew
alphabet, which constitute the manifestations of the understanding, thus
configuring the 32 paths of Wisdom that must be opened by each individual, as
personal paths to knowledge, each discovering his own unique and unrepeatable
pilgrimage to freedom. Freedom, inherent in the One Principle, metaphysical
unity, whose first emanation is duality. God one, and dual, as the two halves
of the egg of the world for the Egyptian and Hindu traditions, as the platonic
primordial androgyne, the yin-yang of the Eastern extreme tradition, as the
juxta position of black and white colors of the symbolism of the board of chess.
Thus in chess we
learn that light and darkness, day and night, good and evil, oppose, but also
complement, because one does not exist without the other, as with all pairs of
opposites and Complementary to this sexed universe.
The
harmonious alternation of black and white colors shows us the manifest
complementation of the opposites in the universe.
There is
also a metaphysical meaning in the colors black and white, in fact white, which
is really colorless, is the original source of the whole chromatic range, since
the colors are only the product of a refraction of that light White, which in
itself understands them all, while the total absence of light, would be black.
By reason of this correspondence, white refers to the earth, the manifested,
and the black to the sky, the unmanifested, which gives it an inverse character
to the apparent initial meaning.
By the disposition of chess, where a series of
opposing and complementary elements wage a great battle, war, with all its
symbolic, represented in the cosmogony of the game, is a form of manifestation
in the path of knowledge, in the journey Towards the identity of Being, the
true knowledge of the Self. In the battle, as in the pilgrimage, there must be
multiple sacrifices, as indeed happens in the game of chess, to overcome what
is certainly not, and thus recover, recognize our true identity, defeating the
old man, to give Space to the birth of the new man.
It is a way of teaching the
Law of Karma, chess has preserved vestiges of that sacred character. It
transposes the meaning of the different pieces of the game in the spiritual
order, these correspond to different ways of realizing the cosmic possibilities
The axial gait that cuts through the various colors, is logical and
virile. While the diagonal march corresponds to an existential continuity and,
therefore, feminine. The jump of the Knight corresponds to the intuition, the
jump of the Wizard corresponds to the supernatural unknown. What fascinates
the man of noble and warlike caste is the relation between will and destiny, that is exactly what the game of chess illustrates, precisely because its chains are
always intelligible, without being limited in their variation.
In each phase of
the game, the player is free to choose between several possibilities, but each
movement will bring a series of inevitable consequences, so that the necessity
delimits free choice more and more, appearing the end of the game not as a
result of chance but as the result of rigorous laws.
The royal art is to rule the outer or inner world in accordance with its own laws. This art supposes wisdom, which is the knowledge of possibilities; Now, all possibilities are contained, symmetrically, in the divine spirit.
The royal art is to rule the outer or inner world in accordance with its own laws. This art supposes wisdom, which is the knowledge of possibilities; Now, all possibilities are contained, symmetrically, in the divine spirit.
True wisdom is
the more or less perfect identification with the Spirit (Purusha), being
symbolized by the geometric quality of the board, the seal of essential unity
of cosmic possibilities.
Claude Shannon,
an engineer and mathematician, calculated the number of different games that
can be played in chess, resulting in possible games (according to the most
recent calculations). This is known as "Shannon Number". To give you
an idea of how huge this figure is, scientists say that the number of atoms
in the Universe is approximately 6x, that is, the number of possible matches is
greater than the number of atoms in the Universe .
The
purpose of chess is not only playful, but also didactic, because through this
game many teachings are transmitted.
It instructs us
on tactics, strategy and logic. It is not a game of chance, it is a rational
game that teaches us to make decisions and helps us develop confidence,
patience and discipline.
Chess teaches planning, concentration, analysis; Shows us that victory is a consequence of our own efforts and successes and, therefore, defeat is a consequence of our own mistakes.
Chess teaches planning, concentration, analysis; Shows us that victory is a consequence of our own efforts and successes and, therefore, defeat is a consequence of our own mistakes.
The Board has 64
squares (squares) of 2 colors, black and white (or a light color and another
dark), also the pieces are white and black; This represents duality, Yin and
Yang.
However, 64 = 6
+ 4 = 10 = 1 + 0 = 1, that is, the Oneness, which indicates to us that after
the apparent duality is the Unity.
The 64 also reminds us of the I-ChingHexagrams.
The 64 also reminds us of the I-ChingHexagrams.
32
scales of each color, 32 total pieces: the 22 Paths plus the 10 Sefirot of the
Kabbalah. 16 pieces of each color: 1 + 6 = 7
6
different pieces of each color (add 12): the 12 apostles. 8 pawns, 8 × 8 board:
8 trigrams of I-Ching, Eightfold Noble Path.
The 8
"lying down" (Lemniscata) is the symbol of Infinity.
2 Wizards, 2
Towers, 2 Horses, 2 Bishops and, besides, the Queen and the King: Yin and Yang,
the apparent duality.
The 32
mysterious paths result from the combination of the ten closed numbers
(Sefirot) and the 22 Energies-Intelligences (Alephato Characters).
This is
expressed in the Book of Formation:
Ten Sephiroth
out of nothing and twenty-two letters of Rationale: Three Mothers, Seven
Doubles, and Twelve Elementals.
These 32
elements are organized in typical Arche form in the Tree of the Lives.
The ten sefirót closed numbers, sacred emanations are connected through invisible lines with the 22 letters of the Alefato thus generating the paths that the human being must discover, to penetrate, to understand and to ascend in the process of awareness of its role in the universe and the plan of Creation traced by the Merciful Shaddai.
The ten sefirót closed numbers, sacred emanations are connected through invisible lines with the 22 letters of the Alefato thus generating the paths that the human being must discover, to penetrate, to understand and to ascend in the process of awareness of its role in the universe and the plan of Creation traced by the Merciful Shaddai.
The Sefer
Yetzirah describes how the world was created by the God of Israel, through the
32 paths of wisdom. It explains how the world was created through its word, for
which it makes a synthesis of the meaning of the letters of the alphabet
revealing many Kabbalistic mysteries.
In the Holy
Kabbalah of Pistorious the marrow of philosophical kabbalism is presented in
the form of certain brief and concise propositions or dogmas, each according to
the ways of eternity, which are thirty-two - "Viæ æternitais sunt triginta
duo". These are the Roads of the Sepher Yetzirah, called the ten Sephiroth
and the thirty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
The
doctrine that involves them is a dependency of this fundamental treaty, but of
much more recent date, and not even with an attributed authorship. It records
the essential graces of illuminations that can be communicated to man from
above.
THE NUMBER 7
THE NUMBER 7
The 32 Paths of
the Sepher Yetzirah are those of the Tree and its Sephiroth.
1.- I. The first path [KETER or Corona] is called the Admirable Intelligence Mystical Intelligence, the Supreme Crown. It is the light that imparts understanding to the beginning which is without beginning, and this is also the First Splendor. No created being can reach its essence.
2.- II. The
second path [CHOCHMAH or Wisdom] is called Illuminating Intelligence. It is the
Crown of Creation and the splendor of the Supreme Unity, to which it is more in
proximity. He is exalted above every head and is distinguished by the Kabbalists
as the Second Splendor.
3.- III. The
third path [BINAH or Understanding] is called the Sanctifying Intelligence and
is the foundation of the Primordial Wisdom, called the Creation of Faith. Its
roots are AMeN. She is the mother of the Faith, which, in fact, emanates from
there.
4.- IV. The
fourth path [CHESED - Mercy, Exuberance, or Generosity] is called Captivating
or Receptive Intelligence, because it rises as a boundary to receive the
emanations of the higher intelligences that are sent down to it. From this
emanates all the spiritual virtues by the way of subtlety, which in itself
emanates from the Supreme Crown. (It contains all the holy powers, and from it
emanates all the spiritual virtues with the most exalted scents, they emanate
from each other by the power of the primordial emanation of KETER - Wescott.)
V. The fifth
path is called Radical Intelligence, because it is more like any other to the
Supreme Oneness and emanates from the depths of Primordial Wisdom (the
primordial depths of Chochmah) .
6.- VI. The
sixth path [TIPHERETH or Beauty] is called the Intelligence of Mediatic
Influence (or Separate Emanation), because the flow of emanations is multiplied
in it. Communicate this influx to those blessed men who are united with him.
7.- VII. The
seventh path [NETZACH - Victory or Eternity] is called the Occult Intelligence,
because it spreads a brilliant splendor in all the intellectual virtues that
are contemplated with the eyes of the spirit and by the ecstasy of the faith.
8.- VIII. The eighth
path [HOD - Glory or Reverb] is called Absolute and Perfect Intelligence. The
preparation of principles emanates from there. The roots to which it adheres
are in the depths of the Sphere Magnificence, of the very substance from which
it emanates. (It is the middle of the Primordial.)
9.- IX. The
ninth path [YESOD or Foundation] is called the Purified Intelligence. He
purifies the numbers, prevents and deflects the fracture of his images (or
checks and corrects the design of his representations), because he establishes
his unity, to preserve them from destruction and division by the union of
himself. (They have their unit with which they are combined without diminution
or division.)
10.- X. The
tenth path [MALCHUTH or Kingdom] is called the Glowing Intelligence, because it
is exalted above every head and has its seat in BINAH: it illuminates the fire
of all the lights and emanates the power of the principle of the forms. (Cause
an influence aid to emanate from the prince of the Faces.)
11.- XI. The
eleventh path is called the Intelligent Intelligence. It is the veil placed
before the dispositions and order of the superior and inferior causes. Whoever
possesses this path is in the pleasure of a great dignity; To possess it is to
be face to face with the Cause of Causes. (It is the essence of a curtain that
is placed close to the order of disposition, and this is a special dignity
given to what can stand before the Cause of Causes.)
12.- XII. The
twelfth path is called the Intelligence of Light (or Transparency), because it
is the image of magnificence. It is said that it is the source of vision of
those who contemplate apparitions.
13.- XIII. The
thirteenth path is called the Inductive Intelligence of Unity. It is the
substance of glory, and manifests truth to every spirit. (It is the
consummation of the truth of individual spiritual things.)
14.- XIV. The
fourteenth path is called Illuminating Intelligence (or Luminous Intelligence).
He is the institutor of the arcane, the foundation of holiness.
15.- XV. The
fifteenth path is called the Constituent Intelligence, because it constitutes
creation in the darkness of the world (or constitutes the substance of
creations in sheer darkness). According to the philosophers, it is in itself
that darkness mentioned by the Scriptures (Job 38.9), hence cloud and cover.
16.- XVI. The
sixteenth path is called Triumphant and Eternal Intelligence, the delight of
glory, the paradise of pleasure prepared for the righteous.
17.- XVII. The
seventeenth path is called the Available Intelligence. He arranges the devotees
to perseverance and thus prepares them to receive the Holy Spirit. (It is the
way of Life and Death.)
18.- XVIII. The
eighteenth path is called the Intelligence or House of Influence, (from the
greatness of whose abundance the influence of good things on created beings is
increased) and from here are drawn the arcane and the hidden meanings that lie
in the shadows .
19.- XIX. The
ninth path is called the Intelligence of the Secret or all spiritual
activities. The fullness he receives derives from the highest blessing and
supreme glory.
20.- XX. The
twentieth path is called the Intelligence of Will. It prepares all created
beings, individually, for the demonstration of the existence of primordial
glory.
21.- XXI. The
twenty-first path is called the Rewarding Intelligence (or Conciliant
Intelligence or Desire Intelligence) of those who seek. Receive the divine
influence, and influence by his blessing to all existing things.
22.- XXII. The
twenty-second path is called Loyal Intelligence, because the spiritual virtues
are deposited and increased therein, until they pass to those who dwell in the
shadow. (By it, spiritual virtues are increased and all the inhabitants on
earth are merely under its shadow - Wescott.)
23.- XXIII. The
twenty-third path is called Stable Intelligence. It is the source of
consistency in all numerations.
24.- XXIV. The
twenty-fourth path is called the Imaginative Intelligence. It is the basis of
similarity in the likeness of beings who are created to their agreement, of
their aspects.
25.- XXV. The
twenty-fifth path is called the Temptation Intelligence or Test, because it is
the first temptation by which God tests devotees.
26.- XXVI. The
twenty-sixth way is called Renewal Intelligence, whereby God - Blessed be He! -
renewed all that is capable of renewal in the creation of the world (or all
changeable things that are renewed by a new cycle in the creation of the
world).
27.-
XXVII. The twenty-seventh path is called the Natural Intelligence, by which the
nature of everything found in the circle of the sun is completed and perfected.
28.-
XXVIII. The twenty-eighth path is called the Active Intelligence, from which
the spirit of each creature of the supreme circle is created, and the activity,
that is, the movement, to which they are subject.
29.- XXIX. The
twenty-ninth path is called the Bodily Intelligence. It informs every body that
it is incorporated under all circles and it is the growth there.
30.- XXX. The
thirtieth path is called Collective Intelligence, from which astrologers, by
the judgment of the stars and the celestial signs, derive their speculations
and the perfection of their science according to the motion of the stars.
31.- XXXI. The
thirty-first path is called the Perpetual Intelligence. Why is it so called?
Because it governs the movement of the sun and the moon according to its
constitutions and causes the Earth to gravitate in its respective circle.
According to
Eliphas Levi, this verse contains the secret of the Great Work of Alchemy. The
reason given is that the thirty-one path corresponds to the Hebrew letter Shin
(Shin), which represents the magic lamp, or the light between the horns of the
"Baphomet".
"It
is the Kabbalistic sign of God or the Astral Light, with its two poles and
balanced center." The sun mentioned in the paragraph represents the gold,
the moon, the silver, and the planets correspond to the other metals. Needless
to say, the Sepher Yetzirah and its developments have nothing to do with
Alchemy.
32.- XXXII. The
thirty-second path is called the Assistant Intelligence, because it directs all
operations of the seven planets, with their divisions, and concur therein.
Told to the Caliph of Baghdad, Al-Motacen Billah, Emir of the Believers.
by Beremis Samir, the "Man who calculated".
Legend on the game of chess.
by Beremis Samir, the "Man who calculated".
It is difficult
to discover, given the vagueness of ancient documents, the exact time when a
prince named Iadava, owner of the province of Taligana, lived and reigned in
India.
It would be unjust, however, to conceal that the name of that sovereign is mentioned by several Hindu historians, like that of one of the most generous and wealthy monarchs of his time.
It would be unjust, however, to conceal that the name of that sovereign is mentioned by several Hindu historians, like that of one of the most generous and wealthy monarchs of his time.
The war, with
its inimitable courtship of calamities, greatly embittered the life of King
Iadava, changing the leisure and pleasure enjoyed by royalty in the most
disturbing tribulations. Faithful to the duty imposed upon him by the Crown, to
watch over the tranquility of his subjects, the good and generous man was
forced to take the sword to repel, at the head of a small army, an unusual and
brutal attack of the adventurer Varangul, who Said the Prince of Calian.
The violent
clash of the two rivals sown the fields of Dacsina and killed the holy waters
of the Shandu river with blood. King Yadava had - as the criticism of the
historians reveals - a singular military aptitude; Serene, devised a battle
plan to prevent the invasion, and so skillful and fortunate was he to execute
it, that he overcame and utterly annihilated the malicious disturbers of the
peace of his kingdom.
The triumph over
the Varangul fanatics cost him, unfortunately, great sacrifices; Many young
"Quichatrias" [1] paid with life the security of a throne for the
prestige of a dynasty; and the prince Adjamir, son of the king Iadava, who was
patriotically sacrificed at the climactic moment of the struggle, to save the
position he gave to his own people. Final victory
After the bloody
campaign, and secured the new boundaries of its frontier, the king returned to
his sumptuous Andra palace, nevertheless prohibiting the noisy demonstrations
with which the Hindus celebrate their victories. Locked up in his rooms, he
only left them to minister to the Brahman ministers and sages when some serious
national problem compelled him to decide, as head of state, in interest and for
the happiness of his subjects.
In the course of
days, instead of paying for the memories of the painful campaign, the more the
anguish and the sadness which, since then, pressed the heart of the king. What
good could the rich palaces, the elephants of war, the immense treasures, if he
no longer lived beside him that was the reason for his existence? What value could
they have, in the eyes of an inconsolable father, the material riches, that
would never erase the memory of the missing son?
The details of
the battle in which Prince Adjamir perished did not abandon his thought. The
unfortunate monarch spent long hours plotting, on a large box of sand, the
various maneuvers made by the troops during the assault. A furrow indicated the
march of the infantry; Another, parallel, beside him, showed the advance of the
war elephants; A little lower, represented in small circles, arranged with
symmetry, the feared cavalry, commanded by an old "Radj", which
was said under the protection of Chandra, the goddess of the Moon. Thus, by
means of graphics, the king outlined the placement of the troops, the enemy
being disadvantagedly placed, thanks to his strategy, in the field in which the
decisive battle was fought.
Once the picture
of the combatants was complete, with all the details he could evoke, he erased
the whole king, and began again, as if he felt pleasure in reliving the moments
of anguish and anxiety.
Early in the
morning, when the Brahmins arrived at the palace for the reading of the Vedas, the king could already be seen drawing in the sand the plans of a battle
that was reproduced indefinitely.
Wretched
monarch! The priests murmured in pain. He proceeds as a "sudra" whom God deprived of the use of reason. Only Dhanoutara, mighty and
merciful, can save him!
And the Brahmins
raised prayers, burnt aromatic roots, imploring the goddess clement and
powerful, eternal patron of the sick, to protect the ruler of Taligana.
One day,
finally, the king was informed that a young Brahmin - poor and modest - was
requesting a hearing he had been asking for some time. As he was at that moment
in good spirits, the king ordered that they take the stranger to his presence.
Leading to the
great throne room, the Brahman was questioned, as was customary, by one of the
king's viziers.
"Who are
you, where do you come from, and what do you want from him who, by Vichnú's
will, is king and lord of Taligana?"
"My
name," replied the young brahman, is "Lahur Sessa," and I come
from the village of Manir, who is thirty days away from this beautiful city. To
the room where he lived came the news that our kind king dragged his days, in
the midst of deep sadness, embittered by the absence of the son who stole the
war. Great harm will be to the country, I told myself, if our beloved sovereign
is enclosed as a blind Brahmin within his own pain.
I thought,
then, of inventing a game that could distract him and open the doors to new joys
in his heart. It is that insignificant gift I wish, at this moment, to offer to
our king Yadava.
Like all the
great principles quoted in the pages of History, the Indian ruler had the grave
defect of being exceedingly curious. When they informed him of the object that
the young Brahman was a bearer, he could not contain the desire to see and
appreciate it without delay.
What Sessa
brought to King Iadava consisted of a large square board, divided into
sixty-four squares; On that board were placed two collections of pieces,
which were distinguished from each other by color, white and black, repeating
symmetrically the motifs and subordinated to rules that allowed in various ways
their movement.
Sessa patiently
explained to the king, to the viziers and courtiers who surrounded the monarch,
what the game consisted of, teaching them the essential rules:
- Each player
has eight small pieces, called pawns. They represent the infantry advancing on
the enemy to disperse it. Following the action of the pawns come the elephants
of war, represented by larger and more powerful pieces; The cavalry,
indispensable in combat, appears equally in the game, symbolized by two pieces
that can jump like two steeds on the others; And to intensify the attack, are
included - representing the noble and prestigious warriors - the two viziers of the king. Another piece, endowed with ample movements, more efficient
and powerful than the others, will represent the patriotic spirit of the town
and will be called the queen. The collection completes a piece that isolated
little worth, but that protected by the others becomes very strong: it is the
king.
King Iadava,
interested in the rules of the game, never tired of interrogating the inventor:
"And why is
the queen stronger and more powerful than the king himself?"
"It is more
powerful," said Sessa, "because the queen represents the patriotism
of the people in the game. The king's greatest power lies precisely in the
civic exaltation of his subjects. How could the king resist the attacks of his
adversaries, if he did not count on the spirit of self-denial and sacrifice of
those who surround him and watch over the integrity of the country?
In a few
hours the monarch learned the rules of the game, managing to defeat his viziers
in games that were flawlessly developed on the board.
Sessa, from time
to time, intervened respectfully, to clarify a doubt or to suggest a new plan
of attack or defense.
At a certain
moment the King noted with great surprise that the position of the pieces, by
combinations resulting from different sets, seemed to reproduce exactly the
battle of Dacsina.
"Observe,"
said the intelligent Brahman, "that in order to gain victory, this
vizier's sacrifice is indispensable.
And he indicated
precisely the piece that the king Iadava, in the development of the game, put
great effort in defending and conserving.
The wise Sessa
thus demonstrated that the sacrifice of a prince is sometimes imposed as a
fatality, so that the peace and freedom of a people may result from it.
When King Iadava
heard these words, he did not hide his enthusiasm:
- I never
believed, that human ingenuity could produce wonders like this game, as
interesting as it is instructive. Moving these simple pieces, I learned that a
king is worth nothing without the help and constant dedication of his subjects,
and that sometimes the sacrifice of a mere pawn is worth more for the victory
than the loss of a mighty piece.
And addressing
the young Brahman, he said:
"I want to
reward you, my friend, for this wonderful gift, which has served me well to
relieve old anxieties. Ask, therefore, what you wish, so that I can
demonstrate, once again, how grateful I am to those who are worthy of a reward.
The words with
which the king expressed his gratitude left Sessa indifferent. Her serene face
did not convey the slightest emotion or the slightest sign of joy or surprise.
The Viziers watched in amazement and astonished their apathy at such a
magnanimous offering.
"Almighty
King," the young man said gently and loftily. I do not wish, for the
present that I brought you today, another reward than the satisfaction of
having provided Taligana with a pleasant pastime to lighten the weight of
the long hours by overwhelming melancholy. I am, The benevolent sovereign
smiled disdainfully at the answer, which reflected such disinterest among the
Hindus. And, not believing in the sincerity of Sessa's words, he insisted:
"I am
astonished at both dislike and disdain for material things, young man. Modesty,
when it is excessive, is like the wind that turns off the torch, leaving the
traveler in the darkness of an interminable night. In order for man to overcome
the many obstacles that life has, he must have the spirit subject to an
ambition that drives him towards any ideal. I therefore demand that you choose,
if delayed, a reward worthy of your precious gift. Do you want a bag full of
gold? Do you want an ark full of jewels? Did you think about owning a palace?
Do you aspire to the administration of a province? I await your answer, since
my word is tied to a promise.
"Do not
admit your offer your last words," resumed Sessa, "more than
rudeness would be disobedience to the king. I will therefore accept for the
game I made, a reward that corresponds to your generosity; I desire no gold, no
land, no palaces. I want my reward in grains of wheat.
- Wheat grains?
Exclaimed the king, without hiding the surprise that such a proposal might
cause him. How can I repay you with such insignificant money?
"Nothing
simpler," Sessa said. Give me a grain of wheat for the first square of the
board, two for the second, four for the third, eight for the fourth, and so
duplicate successively until the sixty-fourth and last square of the board. I
pray to you, generous king, that according to your magnificent offer, you order
the payment in grains of wheat, and as I instructed you.
Not only the
king, but the viziers and venerable Brahmins, laughed heartily at the strange
request of the young man. The lack of ambition that was translated in that
request was, in truth, to cause astonishment even to the one who had less
attachment to the material things of life. The young Brahman, who was able to
obtain from the king a palace or a province, was satisfied with grains of
wheat!
"Fool,"
cried the king. Where did you learn such a great indifference to fortune? The
reward you ask of me is ridiculous. You know that in a handful of wheat there
are a great number of grains. You must realize that with two or three measures
of wheat I will gladly pay you, according to your request, for the 64 boxes on
the board. You have chosen a reward that would not reach or distract for some
days the hunger of the last "pariah" of my kingdom. In short,
since my word was committed, I will order that the payment be done immediately
according to your desire.
He sent the king
to the most able algebraists of the Court and ordered them to calculate the
portion of wheat that Sessa intended.
The mathematical
sages, after a few hours of deep studies, returned to the hall to make known to
the king the complete result of their calculations.
The king asked
them, interrupting the game:
- With how many
grains of wheat can I fulfill, finally, with the promise made to the young
Sessa?
"Magnanimous
King," declared the wisest of the geometers, "we calculate the number
of grains of wheat which will be the reward
chosen by Sessa, and we obtain a number whose magnitude is inconceivable to the
human imagination."
We find, as
accurately as possible, how many "ceiras" would correspond to
that total number of grains, and we came to the following conclusion: the
amount of wheat to be delivered to Lahur Sessa is equivalent to a mountain The
city of Taligana, was 100 times higher than the Himalayas. All India, sown all
its fields, and destroyed all its cities, would not produce in a century the
quantity of wheat that, by your promise, must be given to the young Sessa. How can we describe here the surprise and
astonishment these words caused to king Iadava and his worthy viziers? The
Hindu sovereign was, for the first time, unable to keep a promise.
Lahur Sessa,
according to the legend of the time, as a good subject, did not want to leave
his sovereign afflicted. After declaring publicly that he was disdainful of the
request he made, he reverently addressed the monarch and continued: "O
damnation, O king, upon the great truth which the wise Brahmins so often
repeat: the most cautious men avoid not only the deceitful appearance of
numbers but also the false modesty of the ambitious. Unhappy of the one who
takes On his shoulders honor commitments for a debt whose magnitude he can not
value by his own means. More foreseeable is the one that weighs a lot and
promises little.
And after
a slight pause he continued:
- We learn less
from the lessons of the Brahmins than from the direct experience of life and
from their daily lessons, always neglected. The man who lives the most, is more
subject to moral concerns, even if he does not want to. He is sometimes sad,
now cheerful; Today vehement, tomorrow indifferent; Already active, already
indolent; The composure, the correction, will alternate with the lightness.
Only the true sage, instructed in the spiritual rules, rises above these
vicissitudes, passing over all these alternatives. These unexpected and wise
words were deeply engraved in the king's spirit. Forgetting the mountain of
wheat which, if he wished, promised the young Brahmin, appointed him his prime
minister. And Lahur Sessa, distracting the king with ingenious games of chess
and guiding him with wise and prudent advice, rendered the most distinguished
services to his people and to his country, for greater security of the throne
and greater glory of his country.
HUNTER X
