Palm Of Devorah, The Dragon Tree

והיא יושבת תחת-תמר דבורה, בין הרמה ובין בית-אל--בהר אפרים; ויעלו אליה בני ישראל, למשפט

And she sat under the palm-tree of Deborah between Ramah and Beth-el in the hill-country of Ephraim; and the children of Israel came up to her for judgment.
Shoftim 4:5

The name of neviah (prophetess) Devorah (דבורה), who sat under (in the place of) a palm tree [1], comes from the shoresh (3-letter Hebrew root) DBR (דבר) meaning: collecting, gathering, combining separate items into one, connecting words with coherent speech, word, something, on account of or because of, commandment, judicial regulation, temple interior, raft of lashed planks, bees, and plague or epidemic [2]. This shoresh is associated with the sefirah Gevurah [3]. The dragon is the mythic animal corresponding to the sefirah Gevurah [4].

The name Devorah is comprised of 5 Hebrew letters. These 5 letters represent the 5 unrectified feminine judgments (dinim) in Malchut, where Malchut is represented by the second hei (ה) of the tetragrammaton. This hei corresponds to the power of expression (אמר). Consequently, Dragon's Blood is a botanical representing "slaying the dragon". In other words, it represents the rectified feminine power of expression.

Dragon's Blood is a resinous substance harvested from a Sumatran tree from the palm family. The mature fruit of the Dragon's Blood palm is reddish resin covered berries the size of cherries which end in points.

see here


The Dragon Tree of the Canary Islands (shown below) is (like the baobob tree) the "oldest living representative of the vegetable kingdom" (see link).

Footnotes:

[1] The word in the pasuk for "beneath" a palm tree is תחת , which can also be translated (see [2]) as "in place of" or "instead of". As a judge, the implication here is that Devorah sat making judgments. In other words, she could adjudicate the terms of justice, determining the sentence according (in the place of) the crime or violation.

[2] Etymological Dictionary Of Biblical Hebrew, R' Matityahu Clark (p. 46)

[3] Sha'are Orah, R' Yosef Gikatilla (pp. 48-49)

[4] Grimoire For The Apprentice Wizard, Oberon Zell-Ravenheart (p. 138)

Dragon's Blood

The botanical Dragon's Blood (Daemomorops draco) contains:

50 to 70 per cent resinous compound of benzoic and benzoyl-acetic acid, with dracoresinotannol, and also dracon alban and dracoresene. Not acted upon by water, Dragon's Blood fuses through heat.

A primary constituent (about half) of Dragon's Blood is benzoic acid, C₇H₆O₂ (C₇H₅COOH), a "colorless crystalline solid and the simplest aromatic carboxylic acid."

Considering the chemical molecular formula, we see that there are in total 7 carbon atoms, 6 hydrogen atoms and 2 oxygen atoms in the molecule. Kabbalistically, the numbers are zayin (ז), vav (ו) and a chatoteret comprised of 2 lines. These number facts of 7-6 and 2 (the chatoteret) combined into one molecule make the letter chet (ח), which contains the secret to both the power of G-d and the soul of mashiach.

A diagram of the chemical structure of benzoic acid is shown below. Note the hexagonal shape of the aromatic carboxyl group. A regular hexagon (like the one shown) has 720 [1] degrees made of 6 equal internal angles of 120 degrees each. Interesting to consider in terms of the tetragrammaton and four forces from one, a truncated tetrahedron (split in half) has 4 regular hexagonal faces. The Hebrew word for half and arrow is the same word, חץ.

Footnote:
[1] There are 720 possible permutations of the 6 letters בראשית Bereshit (the first word of the Written Torah), a secret of challah and the tikun of tohu.

Koach Ha'tfisa & The Sharpened Arrow

I acquired (koach ha'tfisa) my athame this afternoon. As yet, there is nothing inscribed into it. I laid it angled (opposite to the way a mezuzah angles on a doorpost) across the middle of the altar plate to absorb light from the shabbat candles. I lit Dragon's Blood incense.

Also on the altar for shabbat, I lit 4 black candles at the quarters, an 8 inch black taper in the center, and a 6 inch dark red pomegranate pillar behind the taper (off to the right a small bit as I faced it). A little later into shabbat (a few hours), I noticed that the northern quarter black candle wasn't burning as bright as the others, even though it continues still to burn steadily. Odd, I thought.

After noticing it, a family member came to tell me the news (koach ha'klita) - Saddam Hussein was set to be executed within the next 15 minutes by hanging.

This evening is the first time I've used both Dragon's Blood incense and pomegranate candles. It's amazing how the Dragon's Blood incense and the pomegranate pillar are of identical dark red color.

Still, the northern flame humbly burns unextinguished. Interestingly, as I write this, the flame on the southern quarter has made itself to match the northern one.

The sharpened arrow (חץ שנון): There are 300 halachot concerning "you shall not let a witch live."

R' Yitzchak Ginsburgh (The Hebrew Letters) teaches:

King Yoshiyahu, יאשיהו, one of the most righteous kings to arise from the House of David and referred to as "the mashiach of G-d", was killed - due to the great transgressions of Israel - in battle with Pharaoh Necoh by 300 Egyptian arrows. Three hundred arrows is the secret of חץ שנון, the "sharpened arrow".

Recognition, Syncretism & Jewish Diversity

For the record, for all practical purposes, I feel I have been put into cherem ever since I returned to Judaism. Even though I haven't been under a ban (to my knowledge), I am basically a pariah left to survive at the mercy of the world. This is likely due to a confluence of many reasons, of which I am left to merely speculate as to what they might be.

My teshuvah experience has not at all been pleasant, and sometimes I wonder how I have survived at all. It has not been via any help from the Jewish community. In my early thirties my life fell apart, and still today, at nearly forty-six, I have not been allowed nor enabled to recover in those areas beyond my control. I am surviving basically.

I imagine my difficult path back to Torah (which has evolved into being a Jewitch) has had the side benefit of augmenting the tendency of my natural INTJ personality not to allow myself to be "told what to do" by Rabbis who would like me to "get with the program" (now, although for many years, Rabbis would have preferred that I "just die" or something). Clearly, they have found, I am not one to get with any program just to fit in or "just die". I am not going away no matter to what remote corner of the universe they may fling me.

I am what I am and that includes being of Jewish, Celtic and Native American American ancestry. There is no one on the face of this planet or in heaven above with the power to take away my Jewish soul just because I won't "get with the program". Nor will I cut off the Celtic or Native American aspects of my neshamah just because some Rabbis want me to and their automata parrot the call. I will be Jewish my way, in a manner which respects the integrity of my neshamah, and that includes being a shamanic Jewitch. I so wish I'd have realized I was a witch much earlier in my life.

Nevertheless, now that I have recovered this part of me, I fully embrace it. There is no way I legitimately couldn't embrace it anyway. I am a witch. I am a Jewish witch. The world, Jewish and non-Jewish, can accept me or not, but what I am is not (nor ever was) determined by that acceptance or lack thereof.

Further, for the record, most of my kabbalistic learning is chassidut-based. If I had to point to a primary teacher, that would be Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh of The Inner Dimension. Many of my kabbalistic ideas have a foundation in the Hebrew letters as he has taught about them. I have little knowledge of the Kabbalah Center although I have visited and linked to various pages on its website on occasion as a reference to support various ideas. I am not averse to doing this despite the nearly universal disparagement of it among the orthodox. Likewise, I don't recognize the ban against Sabbatean kabbalah (or any similar ones against Jewitches) and have incorporated some of those kabbalistic teachings when they resonate with my experience and religious or spiritual ideas.

If I learn something from someone, the fact that the orthodox world does not accept him or her, matters not. I am going to link to the source for that learning or reference. So, I'm not sure exactly where I fall on the spectrum of Jewish belief. I have some Reconstructionist leanings as well. My secular education is rather scientific-focused, and I find intellectual Reconstructionism a welcome balance to kabbalistic Chassidut.

Yes, I am syncretic, but only in ways particular to my own "portion" of Torah. I don't blend into my practice another tradition just for the sake of doing it. The syncretism must be born of my own netivot (personal soulpaths), otherwise it would be disrespectful to the integrity of both the path I was seeking to incorporate illegitimately and to the purpose in creation for my own unique soul.

At this point in my journey, the flavors of Torah in my soul are the Jewish tradition, Celtic witchcraft and Native American shamanism. Consequently, my "syncretic" focus exists there. Clearly, no one else is like me. We are all unique and I have no doubt that there exist Jews who should embrace the Arabic ancestries which they may have. I think Sephardic Jews do this to some degree. I love Sephardic meditation music BTW, it's beautifully congruent with the shamanic aspects in my soul (so maybe there is a hidden Sephardi ancestry or soul connection in me as well).

As I've posted before, I practice a unique form of Abulafian kabbalah and I know Abulafia held Sufism in very high regard, incorporating some of its teachings into his teachings just as I incorporate some of the teachings of Celtic witchcraft and Native American shamanism into mine. Clearly then, focused syncretism is not without precedent among the sages and has a place among the netivot of Klal Yisrael.

Many may or may not like my ideas or me and that's every person's right to decide. But one thing is surely certain - no one can tell me who or what I am or am not.

Mezuzah & Pentacle, Directing Divine Energy

Today I received my first silver pentacle. It looks like the one in the graphic on the left. Now I have both a gold magen David and a silver pentacle. Soon, I will receive the Jewitch star I purchased which combines them both.

Previously I described how the Jewish mezuzah and the Celtic witch's athame (ritual dagger) are both related to the "blood sign" of the exodus through the hebrew letters of mezuzah (מזוזה) and through the mythology of both. Interestingly, the witch's pentacle is even more directly related to mitzvah of mezuzah.

On the back of the parchment within a mezuzah is the esoteric inscription:

KUZU BMUKSZ KUZU
כוזו במוכסז כוזו

Moshe Idel (Language, Torah, and Hermeneutics in Abraham Abulafia) writes regarding this enigmatic phrase and its connection to the pentacle:

In many manuscripts we find a passage that contains a pentagram, and alongside it is written: ‘This is the Maaseh Merkavah KUZU BMUKSZ KUZU’, and under these letters is written: YHVH ELHYNU YHVH.

A pentagram is the star of five points with a five-sided geometrical shape in its center. A pentacle is a pentagram encircled [1]. As the pentagram clearly corresponds to KUZU BMUKSZ KUZU, the pentacle likewise corresponds to YHVH ELHYNU YHVH.

Given the connection of the witch's pentacle to Abulafian hebrew letter kabbalah (which I have uniquely practiced for nearly a decade), I can see now that my interest in Jewitchery is a very natural development of my kabbalistic learning. Moreover, in light of the fact that the witch's pentacle and athame are both connected to the mitzvah of mezuzah, when I acquire my athame later this week, I intend to inscribe upon its blade KUZU BMUKSZ KUZU, in hebrew letters (one side, with a pentacle also) and YHVH ELHYNU YHVH in letters of the celtic ogham (the other side, with a magen David also).

hebrew KUZU BMUKSZ KUZU
כוזו במוכסז כוזו

celtic ogham YHVH ELHYNU YHVH


Note the >-feather (eite) of the ogham line which denotes the "beginning" and direction of writing. This characteristic mark at the left end of an ogham line is like a mystical extention of the tip of the athame. In other words, the essential "energy" of YHVH ELHYNU YHVH is being directed beyond the tip of the blade when used in ritual. Thus, the athame inscribed as discussed above, which as an extention of the witch herself, is used not only to project and direct mystical kavanah, but to direct Divine Energy as well.

Footnote:

[1] The Craft, Dorothy Morrison (p. 84)

Tekufat Maavar

תקופת מעבר Tekufat Maavar
Literally: Period of passage
Idiotmatically: Transition period

I purchased my first personal Jewitch pentacle-magen David star today. My star, which unites both dark and light into something greater than either of them alone, looks like:

How You Found Me

Among the last 50 google search words which led visitors to Craftwork Of A Jewitch (number of times):

chaverah (1)
shamanism (1)
wife (2)
http://jewitch.blogspot.com (3)
jewish pentacle (1)
shevirat hakelim (3)
druid (5)
jewitch (10)
celtic awen (1)
mahdi eschatology (1)
Liorah-Lleucu (2)
Baruch Shem Kevod Malchuto LeOlam Vaed (3)

Athame, Finger Of The Endless

deep deep complete
creature of the night eternal
a touch divine, a bit insane, off the edge
plunging into a cutting clarity
relentless, wild
stark and undistorted
without echo, raw tradition
a serpent song, a scorpion tale
thirsting inside out, like a finger of the endless
casting kisses
from the heart of the dark

ויקרא למשה ולאהרן לילה, ויאמר קומו צאו מתוך עמי
She called to Moshe and Aaron by night and said, "rise up, come forth from among my people ..."
Shemot 12:31

artist of painting "Athame" unknown

Mezuzah & Athame

Rabbi Yosil Rosenzweig writes regarding the mitzvah of mezuzah and the oht (sign) of blood:

The Mitzvah of Mezuzah is actually commanded in Devarim 6:9. But in Shemot 12:3-15 the reason for the Mitzvah is explained: "Speak to the entire assembly of Israel, saying: On the tenth of this month each person shall take for themselves a lamb or a kid, for each household...[on] the fourteenth of this month, the entire congregation of the assembly of Israel shall slaughter it in the afternoon. They shall take some of its blood and place it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses in which they will eat...I shall go through Egypt on this night, and I shall strike every firstborn in the land of Egypt, from man to beast; and against all gods of Egypt I shall mete out punishment. The blood shall be a SIGN for you upon the house where you are; when I see the blood I shall PASSOVER you; there shall not be a plague of destruction upon you when I strike the land of Egypt. This day shall be a remembrance for you and you shall celebrate it..."

An Oht (a sign) is significant because it is a reminder of an act that occurred before the eyes of the entire nation.

The mezuzah (מזוזה), representing the protective blood sign, is spelled with two letters zayin. The two letters zayin united together (זוז) within one word for the Jewish ritual item upon the doorpost is like "one dagger of double edges (זוז) of her (מה)." In other words, the "blood sign" on the doorpost which protects a Jew's home in mitzrayim is a woman's double-edged dagger. The contemplative power to "connect and interrelate all elements within creation", bringing down Divine Will into Understanding, is a function of the letter vav which forms the spine of the dagger of double-edges.

The witch's double-edged ritual dagger is called an athame (pronounced a-tham-ay). Silver Ravenwolf writes regarding the Celtic history of the athame [1]:

We know from Celtic history that, for a time, their weaponry through use of iron was far superior to their contemporaries, and that they were feared because of it. We also know that such folklore practices as hanging a knife above a door to cut any negativity that might enter the home (which means that the knives were not used to physically cut, but to defend on the astral plane) were highly popular in that culture.

A witch's athame is never ever used to draw blood. If it ever does, it becomes ritually unfit and can never be used again. It must be buried. Thus, in ancient Celtic culture the protecting blood sign upon the door was a double edged dagger which never draws blood. In other words, like the mezuzah, it is a protective blood sign which never draws blood.

Putting these ideas together, we can see that the Jewish ritual mezuzah and the Celtic ritual athame both refer to the same essence of spiritual protection - to guard the house from all negative influences that might attempt to enter it. Even the construct of the word mezuzah contains within it the idea of a woman's double-edged dagger as the protective device.

Footnote:

[1] Solitary Witchcraft, Silver Ravenwolf (p. 125)

Sacred Ritual Seals

אתהפכא חשוכא לנהורא
Selah.

To seal a spell [1], witches say "so mote it be," meaning "it is so." In a similar manner, Jews seal prayer spells with the words amen (אמן) or selah (סלה). In the Temple, in place of amen, the words [2] are said:

Blessed be His Glorious Majesty forever and ever.
ברוך שם כבוד מלכותו לעולם ועד

The witch's "so mote it be" and "amen" mean the same thing. This seal reinforces Divine Will with the soul power of emunah (interincluded within all levels of one's soul) and kavanah to make the prayer spell manifest. It is a formula of confirmation and agreement. By pronouncing "so mote it be" and "amen" one becomes bound to that uttered. One doesn't say either "so mote it be" or "amen" in vain or with evil intent. It is a serious utterance of creation-making for which one is held accountable.

Selah is an untranslatable term found 71 times in Tehillim (Psalms) and 3 times in Habakkuk [3]. Interpreted as a musical or liturgical sign, it implies raising, lifting, extolling, exalting (the voice of the singers) and in medieval Hebrew texts, it means "forever".

Consequently, we can see that selah "seals" a prayer spell, by raising it up into the Presence of the Divine. Amen and the the witch's blessing seals a prayer spell, by bringing down the Divine Presence and becoming personally bound to it and to the Divine Will by confirming the contract contained within the prayer spell. The Inner Temple blessing is reserved for the Most Holy of prayer spells in the Most Holy of spacetime. It should only be uttered in complete kedushah with the purest kavanah. It contains hashra'ah of Divine Essence, as does the form of the Temple blessing which alludes to the Kingdom of the Divine Feminine:

ברוך שם כבוד מלכותה לעולם ועד, אמן
Blessed is the Glorious Name, Her Kingdom stands forever and ever.

Amen. So mote it be.

Footnotes:

[1] Power Spellcraft For Life, Arin Murphy-Hiscock

[2] Encyclopedia Of Jewish Concepts, Philip Birnbaum (pp. 46-7, 438-439)

[3] Habakkuk 3:3, 3:9 and 3:13

Jewitchery On The Edge Webring

New webring featuring Jewitch websites: Jewish witches, wiccans, kabbalists, shamans, pagans, earth-based practitioners, and mystics welcome.

Submit a site here to Jewitchery On The Edge, and follow the instructions for inserting the navigation code. Once the webring navigation code is validated through the system, it enables me to add the website into the ring from the queue. If you have a problem with the code, email me and we'll figure it out how to get it done.

If you think you might be a Jewitch, submit your website or blog!

Star framework from Lilitu.

Smudging For Spiritual Renewal

I purchased a Native American made sage bundle (similar to the one pictured, except that mine is also wrapped with pink string) and performed my first Rosh Chodesh Esbat shamanic smudging ritual:

'Smudging' is the common name given to the Sacred Smoke Bowl Blessing, a powerful cleansing technique from the Native American tradition. However the burning of herbs for emotional, psychic, and spiritual purification is common practice in many religious, healing, and spiritual traditions. It is a ritual way to cleanse a person, place or an object of negative energies or influences.

More about smudging, ritual herbs and sacred smoke.

Shamanic Smudging
Smudging - How To Do It, How Not To Do It
Of Shamans & Smudge Sticks

Instruments Of Divine Experience

Chatzot Of The Year, 29 Kislev 5767
Erev Rosh Chodesh Tevet, 5th Chanukah candle
new moon in Sagittarius Wednesday morning, 8:01 a.m. U.S. CST

According to Sefer Yetzirah, Wednesday is ruled by the planet Venus. The Hebrew and Celtic archetypes corresponding to Venus are Moshe and Rhiannon, respectively.

Moshe is an archetype of messianic consciousness whose name means "drawing out". In Celtic mysticism, Rhiannon is an archetype of the "great mother" whose name means "great queen".

Transliterated phonetically into Hebrew letters, Rhiannon רי ענן suggests the concepts of "clarifying and consciously experiencing" (ר) the concentration of something "infinite within the finite" (י) of a cloud (ענן), where the cloud represents the manifestion of the yud (י) of Hashem's Name. Taken together with the name of Moshe, the two archetypes (masculine and feminine side by side) correspond to the ability to clarify, experience (Rhiannon) and draw out (Moshe) the concentration of something "infinite within the finite" to reveal that concealed within a cloud (of consciousness). In other words, together Rhiannon and Moshe are instruments enabling revelation and experience of the Divine Glory.

What is the function of "the cloud" contained within the name of Rhiannon?

Rabbi Efrayim of Lunshitz, author of the Kli Yakar commentary, explains:

"The cloud covered the Tent of Appointment, and the Glory of God filled the cloud" (Shemot 40:34) - from this it appears that the Glory of God is not the cloud, but rather the fire and the light, i.e. the Glory of God was seen from within the cloud; were it not for the cloud, it would have been impossible to gaze upon it, for man cannot gaze into the light of the sun, kal va-chomer he cannot look at the brilliance of His Presence. Therefore the holy light was always seen from within the cloud ...

Yaakov, Beli Mawr & Torah LeAtid Lavo

According Sefer Yetzirah, Tuesday is ruled by the sun. The corresponding Hebrew and Celtic archetypes are Yaakov and Belenos, respectively.

Belenos is a "Romanized" form of the Celtic name Beli Mawr (בלי מאור), where beli means "shining" (Celtic) and mawr means "of light" (Celtic and Hebrew).

Alternatively, in Hebrew, beli can mean "without" - like within the word "belimah" of Sefer Yetzirah (page 25). Thus, Beli Mawr (בלי מאור) can mean both "shining of light" and "without light" simultaneously, depending on whether one is looking through Celtic or Hebrew consciousness. Consequently, in this archetypal name, we have both a kav (a "shining" of light as in Celtic myth and Jewish kabbalah) and a Lamp of Darkness (Botzina de Kardenuta, or the tzimtzum of Jewish kabbalah) existing together in harmony.

Interestingly, both Yaakov and "the giving of the Torah" are represented by the kav in Jewish kabbalah. This association is more in line with the meaning of the Celtic (kav) interpretation of Beli Mawr as opposed to the Hebrew (tzimtzum) interpretation. This makes Hebrew Yaakov and Celtic Beli Mawr one and the same essence, both possessing Torah, and each the "reverse vision" of the other.

On that day Hashem will be One, and His Name One. ביום ההוא יהיה יהוה אחד -- ושמו אחד

Eclectic, Self-Initiated, Solitary

Ormus/Shabbathai inquires via email:

I am interested to know those [if] some of us here practice a very rare form of Jewish Witchcraft known as Kishuf (Kishuph or Keshuf) and Nephashuth (or Nephashot)? I am initiated in this tradition and look to find someone who is also part of this way.

I have no idea about this tradition. To clarify my own path - I am an eclectic self-initiated solitary Jewitch whose practice combines elements of Jewish kabbalah (primarily), Celtic witchcraft and Native American shamanism. These traditions are the ancient roots of my known natural ancestries. My primary religious path is Judaism and Jewish kabbalah, however, I am the product and a tapestry of all my ancestors. I am made of all these peoples and I have no intent on cutting any of them off. In refusing to do so, I am honoring, not only my ancestors, but the mitzvah (Shemot 20:12) to honor one's parents (which means ancestors) as well. This mitzvah is one of the aseret hadibrot and I don't take it lightly.

I have no "coven" or "circle" that I belong to and I have no mentor. I do my own thing my way as my soulpath leads me. I have an INTJ personality, and those who know anything about personality types, will understand that I'm not really "into" following the crowd regarding much of anything - that includes spiritual matters.

Tiw & Shem HaMeforash

In both Jewish and Celtic timekeeping, days of the week run from sundown to sundown. Today is Monday.

According to Sefer Yetzirah, Monday is ruled by the planet Mars, as opposed to the moon as one finds in traditional western astrology. The Hebrew archetype for the planet Mars is Yitzchak, and the Celtic archetype is Tiw.

Tiw is the archetypal power which governs War, Justice and The Law. Transliterated into Hebrew letters, Tiw may be spelled tet-yud-vav טיו. These letters in reverse vision are ezer knegdo to the letters vav-yud-tet ויט, meaning "turned away", "stretched out", "turned in", "extended" and "and pitched his tent". The word ויט is found in Bereshit 12:8 -

From there he relocated to the mountain east of Beth-el and pitched his tent, with Beth-el on the west and Ai on the east; and he built there an alter to Hashem and invoked Hashem by Name.

ויעתק שמם ההרה, מקדם לבית-אל -- ויט אהלה; בית-אל מים, והעי מקדם, ויבן-שם מזבח ליהוה, ליקרא בשם יהוה

ויט is also found in Bereshit 26:25 -

He built an alter there, invoked Hashem by Name, and there he pitched his tent; there Yitzchak's servants dug a well.

ויבן שם מזבח, ויקרא בשם יהוה, ויט-שם, אהלו; ויכרו-שם עבדי-יצחק, באר

Interestingly, both times in Torah, the reverse vision of Tiw is concerned with invoking Hashem by Name. In the second case, the letters ויט are themselves explicitly connected to the word "shem" שם (Name).

Day 7 - Saturday Correspondences

Saturday - Day 7
Please note, these correspondences have been adapted from several sources and may differ from traditional astrological correspondences. All designations follow the planet for the day according to Sefer Yetzirah.


Symbolic Language & Mathematics

Celtic ogham letter -
Hebrew letter - ת
number - 400
permutation - תבג דכפר
vowel - tzerey
"42"-letter name - שקו צית

Astrological & Metaphysical

space/planet - Jupiter
Hebrew name - Tzedek צדק
Sumerian name - Enlil
Egyptian name - Isis
Babylonian name - Marduk
orbit cycle - --
retrograde periods - once per year for 120 days
satellites - --
degrees moved on average day - --
channel - yesod to malchut
sefirah - malchut, chesed
mazal/rulership - sagittarius (keshet, קשת)
firmament - Vilon
earth - Eretz

Archetypes

Hebrew archetype - David
Celtic archetype - Taranis
Germanic archetype - Thor/Donner
Greek archetype - Zeus
Roman archetype - Jupiter/Jove
seal/archangel - Tzidkiel, Tzadkiel
malachim - Tzuriel, Raziel, Yofiel
mythic animal - gryphon

Attributes

concept - reshimu, the impression of emunah upon superconsciousness experience
soul - mouth
gift - grace, personality improvement
direction - center
color - blue and purple
basic energy - expansion
basic mystical energy - money
element - air/fire
metal - tin
trees - oak (duir)
incense - nutmeg, cedarwood oil, frankincense, juniper berry, hyssop, st. john's wort
oil - nutmeg oil
gemstones - amethyst, sapphire
mundane animal - peacock, bull, eagle

Plants

mint, cedar, balm, olive, oak, clover, st. john's wort, anise, solomon's seal

Influences

life, peace, good, prosperity, religious feelings, joy, wealth, political advance

Energy Keywords

aspiration, benevolent, charitable, confident, dignity, expansion, extravagant, faithful, generous, growth, gullible, humorous, indulgence, human, kindness, merciful, optimistic, orthodox, philanthropic, poise, pompous, radiance, religious, reverent, understanding

Concerns

honor, wealth, health, peace, fame, power

Day 6 - Friday Correspondences

Friday - Day 6
Please note, these correspondences have been adapted from several sources and may differ from traditional astrological correspondences. All designations follow the planet for the day according to Sefer Yetzirah.


Symbolic Language & Mathematics

Celtic ogham letter -
Hebrew letter - ר
number - 200
permutation - רתבג דכפ
vowel - shurek
"42"-letter name - יגל פזק

Astrological & Metaphysical

space/planet - Saturn
Hebrew name - Shabsai שבתאי
Sumerian name - Ninurta
Egyptian name - Nepthys
Babylonian name - Ninib
orbit cycle - --
retrograde periods - --
satellites - --
degrees moved on average day - --
channel - tiferet to yesod
sefirah - binah/da'at, malchut/yesod
mazal/rulership - capricorn (g'di, גדי)
firmament - Aravot
earth - Chalad

Archetypes

Hebrew archetype - Yosef
Celtic archetype - Arawn
Germanic archetype - Santur
Greek archetype - Kronos
Roman archetype - Saturnus
seal/archangel - Kaptziel, Tzaphkiel
malachim - Shimshushiel, Raphael, Kidushiel
mythic animal - basilisk

Attributes

concept - clarification & rectification of the "yesh" of creation
soul - left nostril
gift - serenity, peace
direction - west
color - black and midnight blue
basic energy - restriction, authority, crossroads
basic mystical energy - banishing, rewards
element - earth/water
metal - lead
trees - alder/cypress (fearn/ -)
incense - civet, myrrh, cinnamon, rue, mullein, yew berries, patchouli, cypress leaves
oil - patchouli oil
gemstones - obsidian, onyx, black pearl
mundane animal - crow, raven, crocodile

Plants

aconite, yew, cannabis, hemlock, thyme, deadly ightshade, jimson weed, cypress

Influences

poverty, destruction, internal injury, sickness

Energy Keywords

authority, caution, defensive, diplomatic, fearful, humility, justice, law, old, patience, pessimism, respect, responsible, restrain, rigid, serious, severe, sincere, stern, thrifty, time

Concerns

harvest, long life, protection, stability, safety

Day 5 - Thursday Correspondences

Thursday - Day 5
Please note, these correspondences have been adapted from several sources and may differ from traditional astrological correspondences. All designations follow the planet for the day according to Sefer Yetzirah.


Symbolic Language & Mathematics

Celtic ogham letters -
Hebrew letter - פ
number - 80
permutation - פרת בגדכ
vowel - shurek
"42"-letter name - חקב טנע

Astrological & Metaphysical

space/planet - Mercury
Hebrew name - Kochav כוכב
Sumerian name - Enki
Egyptian name - Thoth
Babylonian name - Nabu
orbit cycle - 88 earth days, ~ 4 times per year, ~ 7.5 days in each sign
retrograde periods - 3 times per year for 3 weeks per period
satellites - none
degrees moved on average day - ~ 1.6 degree/day
channel - gevurah to hod
sefirah - hod
mazal/rulership - gemini/virgo (teomim/besula, תאומים/בתולה)
firmament - Ma'on
earth - Yabashah

Archetypes

Hebrew archetype - Aaron
Celtic archetype - Lugh
Germanic archetype - Woden/Odin
Greek archetype - Hermes
Roman archetype - Mercurius
seal/archangel - Michael
malachim - Shmuaiel, Ra'umiel, Kuniel
mythic animal - hippogriff

Attributes

concept - oral communication of knowledge
soul - left ear, lower eyelid
gift - authority, dominance, advancement
direction - down
color - yellow
basic energy - speed
basic mystical energy - communication, movement, mental energy, analysis, service
element - water/air
metal - mercury/aluminum
trees - hazel/ash (coll/nuin)
incense - storax, mace, sandalwood, cinnamon, sassafras, wormwood
oil - lavender oil
gemstones - fire opal, agate
mundane animal - jackal, ape, ibis, serpent

Plants

wormwood, valerian, dill, carraway, vervain, horehound, fennel, lavender, mandrake

Influences

wisdom, skill, writing, language

Energy Keywords

active, adaptable, agility, alert, analytical, articulate, aware, brilliant, changeable, critical, dexterous, duality, discriminatory, efficient, expressive, indecisive, intelligent, irresponsible, precise, reason, restless, sensory, skeptical, versatile

Concerns

communication, memory, truth, business

Besom - Besomim

Death and life lie in the hands of the tongue ...
Shlomoh HaMelech, Mishlei 18:21
מות וחיים, ביד-לשון

A traditional witch's broom is called a besom. Like besomim (sweet-smelling havdalah spices), the besom concerns "cutting".

The word besomim בשׂמים is from the shoresh בשׂם meaning "cut up" [1]. Words are like thought-pieces cut from the stream of consciousness to communicate that contained within the inner stream to others or to oneself during the process of self-discovery. Words, like spices, can be sweet or foul smelling.

As spices are "cut" from plants like words are "cut" from thought, the besom "cuts" life from death. Like the havdalah spices specifically, the besom "separates" between realities. The havdalah besomim separate between sacred and profane realities. The besom separates between the realities of life and death. How do we know this?

In addition to the "cutting" connection of the besom with its phonetic Hebrew root, there is also a "cutting" connection within the mythology surrounding the witch's broom. In ancient Rome midwives used special brooms to "cut the ties between the world of the living and the realm of the dead after childbirth" [2]. Interestingly, this directly calls to mind within the mythic symbolism the proverb of Shlomoh HaMelech - death and life lie in the hands of the tongue.

The besom-broom even looks like a tongue (held in the hands). Besomim are the words which fill it. When we breathe the sweet-smelling havdalah spices, we are breathing in the essence of good words born of shabbat consciousness, which hopefully will find expression throughout the week. When a witch sweeps out negative energy from her sacred space with her besom, she is "cutting off" evil words before they are even conceived.

The witch's besom in a witch's hand is the "hand of the tongue" crafting a path of life and cutting off the path of death. Besomim are the essence and expression of words the tongue may speak.

Footnotes:

[1] Etymoligical Dictionary Of Biblical Hebrew, R' Matityahu Clark

[2] Solitary Witch, Silver Ravenwolf; and The Woman's Dictionary Of Symbols And Sacred Objects, B. Walker