Читать книгу Angels, Fairies, Demons, and the Elementals - John Van Auken - Страница 16

A sefira (plural, sefirot) is an original emanation of God’s holy being during the creation of the universe. In Kabbalah, there are ten holy and ten unholy sefiroth. The holy ones emanated from God’s right side, and the unholy from His left. Some writers compare the ten holy sefiroth to Plato’s powers or intelligences, and with the Gnostic’s aeons or light emanations.

As angels, the holy sefiroth are arranged in this order: Metatron (crown), Raziel (wisdom), Zaphkiel (understanding), Zadkiel (mercy), Kamael (might), Michael (beauty), Haniel (victory), Raphael (splendor), Gabriel (foundation), and Metatron (kingdom). Notice that Metatron is both the first and the last in this listing, which echoes Paul’s writing of the first Adam and the last Adam: “The first man Adam became a living soul. The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.” (1 Corinthians 15:45) [Note: In some schools, Michael is Splendor and Raphael is Beauty, which does seem to fit better with the meaning of their respective names and roles.]

• Metatron (crown and kingdom) is called King of the Angels, Angel of the Covenant, Prince of the Presence, and the Lesser Yahweh (the Tetragrammaton, which is YHWH, the name of the Almighty Father in Heaven). Many believe this name reveals his role as the Logos, God’s primary expression into the creation. As the Logos, or “the Word” in the opening lines of John’s gospel, Metatron is the bridge between humanity and divinity. He is identified with Mercury, Hermes (Egyptian Thoth), Enoch, and several other key figures, all of which Cayce’s readings identify as incarnations of the Logos, the Messiah. There is even a Kabbalistic connection between Adam (before he sinned) and Metatron, a connection that Cayce’s readings also make. Kabbalah holds that Metatron was the guiding angel of Israel during the forty-year exodus in the wilderness searching for the Promised Land.

The origin of his strange name is unknown, and it is unusual among Hebrew names. Though difficult to give meaning to, some believe the name comes from the Latin metator, meaning “a measurer,” which would certainly fit with Hermes/Thoth, who measured the weight of every soul’s heart to see if it was light enough to enter the heavens, and then recorded the finding in the Scroll, or Book of Life. Metatron maintains “the Archives of Metatron.” In Jewish angelology, it was Metatron who stayed the hand of Abraham, keeping him from killing his son Isaac as a sacrificial offering to God. Metatron resides in the Seventh Heaven, the dwelling place of God. When evoked, he appears as a column of fire, his face as bright as the Sun. In the Zohar, he is “the rod of Moses,” from which comes life from one side and death from the other. Amazingly, Metatron is the Angel of Death while, at the same time, the Angel of Resurrection! The Zohar equates him with Adam before he sinned: pure, powerful, and always in the company of God. Curiously, Metatron is also considered to be the teacher of children who died prematurely.

• Raziel (wisdom) is the legendary author of Kabbalah’s The Book of the Angel (Sefer Raziel). His name means “Secret of God.” It is said that Noah learned how to build the ark by reading Raziel’s tome. Raziel is the Herald of Deity and Preceptor Angel of Adam. According to legend, Raziel’s great power is magic. In Targum Ecclesiastes (10, 20), the earliest commentary on the biblical Ecclesiastes, Raziel is the angel that was standing on Mount Horeb proclaiming the secrets to all humanity. In Kabbalah, he is the Chief of the Erelim. The Erelim are the Angels of Peace and are known to weep over destruction and death.

• Zaphkiel (understanding) is the governor of the planetary realm of Saturn. His name means “Knowledge of God.” He is Chief of the Order of Thrones and Ruler of the Order of Cherubim—the angels sent to guard the gates of Eden. Originally they were depicted as the bearers of God’s Throne, as the charioteers, and as powerful beings with four wings and four faces. Zaphkiel is also the Herald of Hell, bringing messages to those that have become lost and suffer in their sins.

• Zadkiel (mercy) is the Angel of Benevolence, Mercy, and Memory, and the Chief of the Order of Dominations. His name means “Righteousness of God.” He is ruler of the planetary realm of Jupiter. In the Zohar, Zadkiel joins with Zophiel (another name for Zaphkiel) when the archangel Michael goes to battle against the Angels of Darkness. In some lore and magical books, Zadkiel is the Regent of Hell, ruling over lost souls and sinners—as such, it is comforting to know that he is also the angel of mercy.

• Kamael, often Camael, (strength), meaning “He Who Sees God,” is the Chief of the Order of Powers. The Druids considered him the god of war. Naturally, he is the angelic guardian of the planetary realm of Mars (the Roman god of war). He is referred to as “the talisman of the angels”; thus the word cameo comes from this angel’s name, Camael.

• Michael (beauty, or some say splendor) is the Chief of Archangels, Protector of the Presence (of God), and Chief of the Order of Virtues. He is the Angel of Repentance, Righteousness, Mercy, and Sanctification. His name means, “Who is as God.” He rules the 4^th Heaven and is the guardian angel of Israel (but Israel in the sense of all who seek God). He is conqueror of Satan (see 12^th chapter of the Revelation). His secret name is Sabbathiel (Lord of the Sabbath, “the intermission”), indicating that when humans rest from their willful doing and when they seek God as opposed to selfish interests, he protects them. His mission, according to Cayce’s readings, is as “the lord [or guard] of the Way, not the Way but the lord of the Way, hence disputed with the influence of evil . . .” (5749-3)

• Haniel (victory) means Grace of God, Glory of God, or “He Who Sees God.” He is Chief of the Order of Principalities and governor of Venus, as was the Chaldean angel Ishtar. His powers were often evoked by the use of an amulet. His name has been found on many ancient amulets.

• Raphael (splendor, or some say beauty) means “God has Healed.” He is one of the presences with powers over diseases and wounds that afflict the children of men. He is one of the three angels that Abraham questioned about saving Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18; the other two were believed to be Michael and Gabriel). Legend holds that Raphael handed Noah a book of healing after he landed and was to begin repopulating the world. He is the Angel of the Sun, Prince of the Second Heaven, Chief of the Virtues, Guardian of the Tree of Life, and the Angel of Healing. He is credited as the angel who troubled the healing waters at Bethesda (John 5). This water healed the first to step in it. In The Book of Tobit (a book of the Old Testament Apocrypha), the archangel Raphael is mentioned.

• Gabriel (foundation) means “God is My Strength.” In the three religions of “The Book” (Bible)—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam—he is one of the top two angels, along with Michael. He and Michael are the only two angels named directly in the Old Testament (other angels are secretly known but not named). Cayce’s readings state, “Gabriel is, to be sure, the Announcer.” (5277-1) Gabriel presides over Paradise and is the ruler of the First Heaven. Mohammed said Gabriel (Jibril, in Islam) dictated the Koran to him. Gabriel is the Guardian Angel of the Ismaelites (the Arabs). He is the angel who appeared to the prophet Daniel and told him all about the future of his people, and was the first to announce the coming of the Messiah. Legend holds that Gabriel was the man-angel that Jacob wrestled with to gain his blessing and new name, Israel. (Genesis 32:24)

• Metatron (kingdom) means the “lesser Yahweh,” ruler of the first emanation, who also rules this tenth and final emanation. This is the only emanation that is able to contain God’s initial expressive explosion of light, life, and consciousness. No other emanation could contain such power and intensity.