“He produced Zain, predominant in Movement, crowned it, combined and formed it with Gemini in the Universe, Sivan (June) in the Year, and the left foot of Man." — Sepher Yetzirah, 24.
The 7th letter, Zain (Z), is 1 of the simple letters and is connected with the sign Gemini. Its radical meaning is a ‘sword’ or ‘weapon,’ while hieroglyph- ically it means an ‘arrow,’ both the meanings suggesting the idea of conquest. Just as number 7 is the perfection of the 1st great step or period in man's cycle of unfoldment, so this letter indicates that the forces represented by the letters we have already studied have reached the end of the 1st arcana, the outbreathing of the 1st mother letter, air, and have laid down certain principles which are shown in action by the letter Zain.
Zain represents man when he has reached a step where he can understand the underlying principles of life, and by the power of his perfected manhood grasp them in his hand as a weapon with which to carve his own destiny. Only so can he rule, for the meaning of Zain is also a ‘scepter.’ At this step in his perfected manhood man must become a conqueror, with the kingly ability to rule 1st himself then all nature, and with the power to defend, preserve and use the mystical weapon bestowed upon every Victor, namely, the Sword of the Spirit, or the ‘Fiery Sword’ of the magician.
Thus Zain is the fulfillment o Victory of number 7 is attained by a complete mastery of the breath. The words that are spoken must be words of love and words of healing. The Victor who holds the Sword or Weapon Zain in his hand must have gained absolute control of his speech. For in 1 sense this weapon is the mighty weapon of the tongue, to which so many allusions are made in the Bible. In Psalms (lvii, 4) we read: ‘Whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword.’ Again, ‘Who whet their tongue like a sword and shoot out their arrows, even bitter words.’ And again in Proverbs (xii, 18), ‘There is that speaketh like the piercing of a sword, but the tongue of the wise is health.’ Again, ‘Death and life are in the power of the tongue." Also at the Great Initiation we hear Job asking, ‘Is there iniquity in my tongue ?’ Hence it is quite fitting that, as the manifestations of the 1st septenary may be called the children of the 1st mother, Aleph (air), they should be completed and the Victory gained by a Mastery of the tongue.” (6)
“The relation of Zain to the sign Gemini is in
the idea that Gemini rules the arms and represents also the masculine and feminine
qualities combined. Only he who has raised his arms in blessing and has blended
the masculine and feminine qualities within himself can be called the victor
over the power of the tongue.” (7)
No comments:
Post a Comment