Azoth of the Philosophers

“Visita Interiora Terra Rectificanto Inveniens Occultum Lapidem”

L’Azoth des Philosophes, Basil Valentine, Paris, 1659.

For more than 350 years, this image of the Azoth has been used by alchemists as a meditative mandala because it is believed to contain all the essential components of the Great Work.

Over the next eight weeks we are going to explore the elements of this alchemical mandala to discover a personal and powerful meditative process for using it to acquire an in depth understanding of the the seven key processes for creating the Philosopher’s Stone as well as participating in an initiation into a hermetic perspective that will enrich your life in ways that you have not yet imagined.

There are many explanations of the Azoth available on web sites and in numerous writings. However, I suggest you establish your own relationship with the Azoth before reading the interpretations of others. Spend personal time with the image during the next week identifying the messages it holds for you and developing your unique and special understanding of its symbols before listening to what I and others have to say about this eternal hermetic symbol.

Then each week for seven weeks we will examine in depth through a variety of methods the steps revealed in the Azoth for creating the Stone.

I look forward with excitement and expectation for participating with you in this ancient alchemical practice that will have a lasting impact on your life.

Found Here: http://ouroboroscycle.com/blog/?p=473

Interpretation of Azoth of the Philosophers (by Dennis William Hauck)

This meditative emblem first published in 1659 as an illustration for the book Azoth of the Philosophers by the legendary German alchemist Basil Valentine. The word "Azoth" in the title is one of the more arcane names for the One Thing. The "A" and "Z" in the word relate to the Greek alpha and omega, the beginning and end of all things. The word is meant to embrace the full meaning of the One Thing, which is both the chaotic First Matter at the beginning of the Work and the perfected Stone at its conclusion.

At the center of this striking drawing is the face of a bearded alchemist at the beginning of the Work. Like looking into a mirror, this is where the adept fixes his or her attention to meditate on the mandala. Within the downward-pointing triangle superimposed over the face of the alchemist is the goal of the Work, the divine man in which the forces from Above and Below have come together. Each of the sequentially numbered points on the star emanating from the alchemist stands for an operation in the Emerald Formula (Calcination, Dissolution, Separation, Conjunction, Fermentation, Distillation, and Coagulation) and contains the cipher for the corresponding metal. To see an explanation of these operations, click on the appropriate point on the star.

The alchemist’s schematized body is the offspring of the marriage between Sol, the archetypal Sun King seated on a lion on a hill to his right, and Luna, the archetypal Moon Queen seated on a great fish to his left. "Its father is the Sun," says the tablet, "its mother the Moon." The laughing, extroverted Sun King holds a scepter and a shield indicating his authority and strength over the rational, visible world, but the fiery dragon of his rejected unconscious waits in a cave beneath him ready to attack should he grow too arrogant. The melancholy, introverted Moon Queen holds the reins to a great fish, symbolizing her control of those same hidden forces that threaten the King, and behind her is a chaff of wheat, which stands for her connection to fertility and growth. The bow and arrow she cradles in her left arm symbolize the wounds of the heart and body she accepts as part of her existence. In simplest terms, the King and Queen represent the raw materials of our experience -- our thoughts and feelings -- with which the alchemist works.

The King symbolizes the power of thought, ultimately the One Mind of the highest spirit. The Queen stands for the influence of feelings and emotions, which are ultimately the chaotic One Thing of the greater soul. The much anticipated Marriage of the King and Queen produces a state of consciousness best described as a feeling intellect, which can be raised and purified to produce a state of perfect intuition, a direct gnosis of reality. "All Obscurity will be clear to you," says the tablet of this state of mind; it is "the Glory of the Whole Universe." The goal of alchemy is to make this golden moment permanent in a state of consciousness called the Philosopher’s Stone, and it all starts with the marriage of opposites within us.

In our drawing, the body of the alchemist is composed of the Four Elements. His feet protrude from behind the central emblem; one is on Earth and the other in Water. In his right hand is a torch of Fire and in his left a feather, symbolizing Air. Between his legs dangles the Cubic Stone labeled with the word Corpus, meaning body. The five stars surrounding it indicate that it also contains the hidden Fifth Element, the invisible Quintessence whose "inherent strength is perfected if it is turned into Earth." Where the head of the alchemist should be, there is a strange winged caricature that is variously interpreted as a heart, a helmet, or even the pineal gland at the center of the brain. The symbol evolved from the Winged Disk of Akhenaten and became the top of the Caduceus, the magical wand of Hermes where opposing energies merge to produce miracles. This knob represents the Ascended Essence, the essence of our souls raised to the highest level in the body, to the brain, where it becomes a mobile center of consciousness able to leave the body and travel to other dimensions.

Touching the wings of the caduceus are a salamander engulfed in flames on the left side of the drawing and a standing bird on the right. Below the salamander is the inscription Anima (Soul); below the bird is the inscription Spiritus (Spirit). The salamander, as a symbol of soul, is attracted to and exposed in the blazing fire of the Sun. Likewise, the bird of spirit is attracted to the coolness of the Moon and is reflected in it. This is a subtle statement of the fundamental bipolar energies that drive the alchemy of transformation. Spiritus, Anima, and Corpus form a large inverted triangle that stands behind the central emblem. Together they symbolize the three archetypal celestial forces that the alchemists termed Sulfur, Mercury, and Salt. Again, these chemicals are not chemicals at all, but our feelings, thoughts, and body.

- from THE EMERALD TABLET (Penguin 1999) by Dennis William Hauck

Found Here: http://www.alchemylab.com/azoth.htm

Mystical Gematria - Kabbalah

Gematria is a system of recognizing a correspondence between the ten sefirot, or fires of God, and the twenty two letters in the Hebrew alphabet. This system is elaborated in many mystical Jewish writings such as the Zohar.

One example of gematria is that there are twenty-two solid figures that are composed of regular polygons. There are five Platonic solids, four Kepler-Poinsot solids, and thirteen Archimedean solids. Since there are twenty-two letters in the Hebrew alphabet, a correspondence can be inferred between these two disparate categories. The art of gematria is knowing which solid is associated with which letter.

Another example is that of Hebrew numerals. Although there are twenty-two letters, there are twenty-seven numerals necessary to express each number up to 999 (one through nine, ten through ninety, one hundred through nine hundred). The mystical Hebrew numeric system notes that the missing final five letters of the numeral system match exactly with the five 'sofit (word-final) alternate forms of the Hebrew letters.Another use is that words which have the same numerical value, share the same qualities, and reveal still other aspects of the Divine.

Found Here: http://mara-gamiel.blogspot.com/2007/12/mystical-gematria.html

Shemhamforash. This word denotes the secret names of God that are 72 in number. When considering the actual number of demons in the Goetia, one will discover that they are also 72 in number. The Goetic demons are shadows of God and Creation. They are the spirits of the Qliphoth inhabiting the anti-worlds of the Sitra Ahra. The number 72 contains the keys to Qabalistic, Qliphotic, and Goetic mysteries. The Shemhamforash and the names of God and his 72 angels can be found in the fourteenth chapter of the book of Exodus 19:21. In Hebrew, each verse is written with 72 letters. When placing the verses above each other, 72 columns with three letters each appear. When the holy suffixes EL, AL or YAH are added, God’s 72 secret names can be found.

The number 72 is anything but random. In the center of the Qabalistic perception of the universe and Creation we can find the number 6. The number 6 represents the sun and the center of Creation, corresponding to the Sephirah Tiphareth, or it’s dark counterpart, Thagirion. The hexagram, which is the symbol of Creation, and the number 6 combine the triangles of the above and the below. The orbit of the heavens around the world of man consists of the twelve signs of the Zodiac (6×2). These are called sun signs. When multiplying the sun signs with the number of the sun (12×6) the product is 72.

Shemhamforash and the 72 names are connected with the time and space of Creation. The 12 months are governed by the sun signs and 6 spirits rule each month (12×6). Each of the 24 hours is ruled by 3 spirits (24×3=72) representing the waxing, stable, and waning characters. The number 72 is also connected with the four elements, the name of God and the four cardinal points of the compass. Eighteen spirits (6×4) represent each direction and element. God’s names and the angels in the Shemhamphorash represent the structure of the universe that upholds time and space and all laws of nature. The Goetic demons are the shadow sides of these angels and the forces that can open up gates in time and space.

There is an affinity between Goetic magic and Gothic magic; Gothic magic originates from Odin, who is also called Got, and his lore consists of the principles of the universe symbolizes by the 24 runes. The number of the runes multiple by three, which is also a pivotal number in Nordic mythology, gives us the number 72. Each rune can, accordingly, be linked to three Goetic demons. Futhermore, the number 72 becomes the sacred Gothic number 9 through the addition of 7 and 2, as is common procedure in numerology.

The 36 illness-causing demons of the Testament of Solomon are also connected to the Zodiac and the numberology around the Shemhamforash. The twelve star signs of the Zodiac control different body parts that the 36 demons can attack. The 36 angels that are conjured to banish these illnesses are also presented in the Testament of Solomon. Three illness-causing demons belong to each sign, and thus we arrive at the number 36. 36 multiplied by two gives us, again, the number of the Shemhamforash.

The number of the beast, 666, also contains the number of the Shemhamforash: 72. This is reached by multiplying the sexes and dividing the result by their amount, which is 3. The key appears in the following way: (6x6x6)/3.

The Shemhamphorash is connected with the name of God, IHVH, called the Tetragrammaton and considered so holy that it is not pronounced. The pronunciation is unknow, but combined with the vowels of God’s title: Adonai, (meaning the lord), we find the name Jehovah. The four holy letters of the Tetragrammaton correspond to the number four in all its forms: the four worlds, the four elements, the four beings seen by Ezekiel at the throne of God, etc. The name of the dark counterpart of God, cursed and kept secret by the Qabalists, is the name of God backwards: Chavajoth. The shadow of God belongs to the Qliphoth and represents the demonic correspondences of the number four: the four worlds of the Qliphoth, the four rivers of the Inferno, the demons governing the four directions and the demons who rule the elements. God’s dark antithesis rules over the 72 Goetic demons and all infernal legions.

God’s 72 names found in the Shemhamphorash consist of 72 letters that are extracted from the name Ayn Sop (Ain Sof) and the names of the ten Sephiroth, as well as the word Kdos, ‘holy’, repeated three times and the sentence konhsmimwars, ‘Creator of heave and earth’ (Genesis 14:19). The name describes the Creation, its structure and a triple tribute to the Creator. A shorter version of the Shemhamforash is based on 42 letters container on the names of the ten Sephioth. An even shorter version is built on 12 letters containing the names of three highest Sephiroth. The name in it’s entirety is Ktrhhmhtbwnh. A darker form of the Shemhamforash opens the gate to the shadow side. Its name consists of 12 letters, n which Daath replaces Kether. The name in it’s entirety is Hhmhtbwnhd’at.

According to the Qabalah, the two principles of the universe are form and energy, described as vessels and divine light. During Creation, some vessels broke and 288 sparks of divine light fell in the Abyss. These sparks are fallen angels that exist in the Abyss as Luciferian light. By seeking these sparks in the Abyss, man can reach the knowledge of becoming a God. These sparks are the light in the darkness, and are occasionally compared to a glowing dragon in the center of the underworld, or to Lucifer standing in the center of the Inferno. The 288 sparks are Goetic forces; four demonic rulers rule the Goetic demons. 288 divided by 4 is 72.

Found Here: http://noeticself.com/occult/the-gematria-of-the-judaic-mysticism-of-the-qabala-and-a-primer-of-goetics

The Tree of Life; the Ten Sephiroths, their resemblance with parallel universes and the implications of the Sephiroths in our own particular psychology. Overview of other ways of studying the Kabbalah.

Mystical Kabbalah

This is for hand-picked advanced practitioners in meditation, especially those who are about to become members of our Institution. An individual interview is required prior to the delivery of the course. Jewish Transcendental Meditation; Magical Images; experiencing directly and the direct confirmation of the existence of each of the Ten Sephiroths; applications; more.

Realizational Kabbalah

"The Sephiroth are meant to be completely self-realized within..." -- S.A.W.

Membership is required. The Awakening Phase: experiencing each Sephiroth much more frequently. The Resurrection Phase: Dissolving links with the "shadow of the Tree" (Qliphos), and becoming permanently awakened in each Sephirah. The Ascension Phase: Incarnating the Sephirotical Crown (Kether, Chockmah and Binah). The work of the Compassionate Boddhisattwa. Direct application in daily living. More.

Found Here: http://www.gnosticassociationny.org/kabbalah.htm

Paul Laffoley

As of 2004, Laffoley claims to have executed over 800 works. His work over the last forty years is a dizzying mix of precise architectural-quality painting and ideas (both societally accepted and far on the fringe) from ancient times to the present. Laffoley has called his work a blend of the purely rational, Apollonian impulse and the purely emotional, Dionysian impulse.

British writer Michael Bracewell, in his collection of essays, when surface was depth, has made some particularly eloquent observations about his work, such as:

"If Laffoley's work within the Boston Visionary Cell can be said to have one principal preoccupation - a common denominator of his eclectic scholarship and practice - then that preoccupation would be to understand the process by which one goes from becoming to being."

And:

"The Boston Visionary Cell, as a concretized manifestation of its inhabitant's work and preoccupations, describes the way in which a chaos of data - no less than a chaos of marble - can be sculpted by research to release the perfect forms within it."

He works in many types of media, including oil, acrylic, silkscreen, and pen and ink, and include both images and text. Lately he has concentrated on large paintings with sculptural and mixed media elements.

Found Here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Laffoley

Double-Headed Eagle

The double-headed eagle is a common symbol in heraldry and vexillology. It is most commonly associated with the Holy Roman Empire and with the Byzantine Empire. In Byzantine heraldry, the heads represent the dual sovereignty of the Emperor (secular and religious) and/or dominance of the Byzantine Emperors over both East and West. Several Eastern European nations adopted it from the Byzantines and continue to use it as their national symbol to this day, the most prominent being Russia. However, the design was in use in the East for centuries before it was officially adopted by the Byzantines, and was independently adopted as the symbol of several other historical states, such as early medieval Armenia and the Seljuk Sultanate of Rûm^{[citation needed]}.

Double-headed eagles have been present in imagery for many centuries. The two-headed eagle can be found in archaeological remains of the Hittite civilization dating from a period that ranges from the 20th century BC to the 13th century BC.

Cylindric seals discovered in Bogazkoy, an old Hittite capital in modern-day Turkey, represent clearly a two-headed eagle with spread wings. The aesthetics of this symmetrical position explains in part the birth of this religious figure. It probably dates from the 18th century BC, and was used in a tradesman background. It can also be seen in the same region in two monumental settings: in Alacahöyük around 1400 BC and in Yazilikaya before 1250 BC. Here the context looks different and totally religious: the eagle becomes a divinity symbol. The two-headed eagle slowly disappears during the last Hittite period, from the 9th century BC to the 7th century BC, and totally disappears after the end of the empire.

The double-headed eagle was also in use by the Arsacid Dynasty of Armenia and the Mamikonian family^[1] in the 3rd to 9th centuries.

Found Here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double-headed_eagle