Shem haMephoresh, the 72 Leaves of the Tree of Life

Please read the article at http://home.earthlink.net/~xristos/GoldenDawn/kabalah07.htm andthen return here to answer the questions below. Send your answers to the Mystery School  with AOM Shem haM 1 from _____ (your magikal name) in the subject line.

QUIZ QUESTIONS (compiled by Diakonissa Deborah)

1.  What Bible verses were divided into 72 columns of 3 letters each?

2.  What are the 72 divided names?

3.  What is the 4-fold name?

4.  Each name possesses unique _____________ such as _____________attributions, ______________ attributions, and so forth.

5.  Describe how each of the names might be analyzed by the Hebrew letters.

6.  What is gematria? (You might have to look this one up in a dictionary.)

7.  What other two methods of understanding the names are mentioned?

8.  What is another word for “messengers”, as used here?

9.  On what pillar would one find an angel whose name ends with -al?

10.  On what pillar would one find an angel whose name ends with -ih?

11.  How many angels are there here, all told?

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Text of Article in case it ever disappears from online:

THE SHEM HA-MEPHORESH

(DIVIDED NAME OF SEVENTY-TWO NAMES; THE 72 LEAVES OF THE TREE OF LIFE)

The esoteric tradition of the Shem Ha-Mephoresh originates from a Kabalisticreading of three specific verses of the Bible, namely Exodus chapter 14,verses 19 through 21. In the original Hebrew these three brief verses consistof 216 letters. The verses are as follows, in rough English approximation:

v. 19

And the Messenger of the Mighty One(s) [Elohim] that went in front of theCamp of Israel moved and took position behind them and also the Pillar ofCloud [sent by God to protect the Israelites] also moved from in front ofthem and went to the rear.

v. 20

And it came in between the camp of the Egyptian army and the Camp of Israel,and it was a dark cloud to the Egyptians but a light of guidance and protection to the Israelites, thus keeping the Egyptian army away from the Israelites all night.

v. 21

Then Moses stretched out his hand over the Sea of Reeds, and God [YHVH] drewback the water with a strong east wind all the night, making the sea into dry land, the waters being divided.

Again, the above is only an approximate translation into English of this famous scene in which Moses parted the Sea of Reeds to enable the Israelites to escape their Egyptian pursuers. The original Hebrew words are quite precise,and make up a total of 216 Hebrew letters. Some ancient Kabalist, we know not who, was inspired to write these three verses out as three long individual rows of letters, forming 72 columns of three letters each. These 72 “divided names” are thought of, among Kabalists, as esoteric expansions of the Sacred Fourfold Name. Each possesses unique characteristics such an elemental attributions, zodiacal attribution, and so forth. Only the fundamentals are presented here; Initiates must consult one or more of several books on the subject for deeper study.

THE SEVENTY-TWO NAMES

1 VHV

2 YLY

3 SYT

4 OLM

5 MHSh

6 LLH

7 AKA

8 KHTh

9 HZY

10 ALD

11 LAV

12 HHO

13 YZL

14 MBH

15 HRY

16 HQM

17 LAV

18 KLY

19 LVV

20 PHL

21 NLK

22 YYY

23 MLH

24 ChHV

25 NThH

26 HAA

27 YRTh

28 SAH

29 RYY

30 AVM

31 LKB

32 VShR

33 YChV

34 LHCh

35 KVQ

36 MND

37 ANY

38 ChOM

39 RHO

40 YYZ

41 HHH

42 MYK

43 VVL

44 YLH

45 SAL

46 ORY

47 OShL

48 MYH

49 VHV

50 DNY

51 HChSh

52 OMM

53 NNA

54 NYTh

55 MBH

56 PVY

57 NMM

58 YYL

59 HRCh

60 MTzR

61 VMB

62 YHH

63 ONV

64 MChY

65 DMB

66 MNQ

67 AYO

68 ChBV

69 RAH

70 YBM

71 HYY

72 MVM

Each Name has qualities traditionally associated with it (element, zodiac sign, planet); additional characteristics of each Name may be deduced by analysis of its constituent Hebrew letters and the numerical value thereof.For instance, #72, MVM, consists of two Mems (symbol of water and femininity and fruitfulness) surrounding a Vau (symbol of the Son, air and sound); perhaps the Name represents the Divine Son (Word = Breath?) within the womb of the primordial waters or Mother. The numerical value of the Name would be 40+ 6 + 600 = 646. If one has studied one’s Gematria one will know how to lookup this numerical value and find other Hebrew words with the same value,signifying some connection.

Additional significances may be granted by inspiration during scrying or astral travel.

Tradition has assigned Messengers to each of the Names, whose names are generated by adding the suffix -al (Aleph Lamed) or -ih (Yod He) to the end of each name. The -al suffix signifies a Messenger of the Pillar of Severity, while the -ih signifies a Messenger of the Pillar of Mercy. Thus, for the 72ndDivine Name above (MVM or “Mum” as it might be transliterated in English)the Messenger of Severity would be MVMAL (Mumal) while the Messenger of Mercy would be MVMIH (Mumih.) (In English transliteration, the -IH ending may also be written as -iah, as long as one remembers that it is really only two Hebrew letters, not three.) Thus a complete expansion of the Shem Ha-Mephoresh would consist of 72 Divine Names, 72 Angels of Severity and 72 Angels of Mercy.

Names which consist of three of the letters of the Fourfold Name (YHVH) maybe considered especially potent or particularly deeply related to that Name.These names would be Numbers 1, 22, 49, 62, and 71 above. The actual name YHVH appears only once in the selection of Biblical verses used (Verse 21),and it goes to make up Names #22, 23, 24, and 25, which Names may be considered equally significant.

The Hebrew letters may be pronounced by adding vowel sounds in between each letter. As in the case of YHVH, there is no single “correct” pronounciation.Thus, Name #22, an especially potent triple Yod (YYY), borrowing one of its Yods from the actual Tetragrammaton — may be pronounced “YaYaYa,” “YaYeYi,””YeYaYo,” or some other variation thereof.

One might also pronounce each Name in the fashion of the Enochian angels,that is, by separately vibrating each letter, e.g. “Yod – Yod – Yod,” “Mem- Vau – Mem,” and so forth.

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