Zohar: Salt of the Mother Letters and Salt of the Earth
“And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.” —Gen 1:9
Which begins:
ויאמר
Composed of:
ו: "And" or the spinal column
י: the letter Iod, the salt of alchemy
א: the letter Aleph, the mother letter of air of alchemy
מ: the letter Mem, the mother letter of water of alchemy
ר: the spelling of the letter ר Reish ראש means head in alchemy
Therefore:
“And (the salt, the Iod of א Aleph and ש Shin, meaning, the אש Esh, fire in the head ר Reish) said through אלהים Elohim, Let (the salt, the Iod of) המים ha’mayim, the (מ Mem, the) waters under (the salt, the Iod of the ש Shin, the fire of) השמים ha’shamayim, the heavens be gathered together unto one place, and let (the Iod) the dry land appear (as the salt of the earth): and it was so.” - Genesis 1:9
In alchemy:
“Can that which hath no savor be eaten without (the Iod, the) salt (of the earth)? Is there any sense in the drivel of dreams?” - Job 6:6
Now, regarding how the Iod, the salt, of these three mother letters, namely Aleph, Shin and Mem – that in alchemy are the symbol of air, fire and water, respectively — can be organized within the salt of our formless and void Earth, it is written in Genesis:
“And יהוה appeared unto him (Abraham) in the plains of ממרא Mamre (מימ רא the water revealed): and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; and he lift up his eyes (towards the North, the Zenith) and looked, and, lo (and behold the Iod in the three mother letters, namely, Aleph, Shin and Mem within the Nun of the) three אנשים Enoshim stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground, and said, אדני Adonai, if now I have found favor in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant: Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree (of knowledge): And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to (Chesed) your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said.
“And (Chesed) אברהם Abraham hastened into the tent unto שרה Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon (the fire place) the hearth.” - Genesis 18: 1-6
Regarding this, the Zohar states:
“After Abraham was told about Isaac, it is written: "And (behold the Iod in the three mother letters, namely, Aleph, Shin and Mem within the Nun of) the אנשים Enoshim rose up from there, and looked toward Sodom" (Genesis 18:16). Rabbi Eleazar said: Come and behold. The Holy One, blessed be He, shows his goodness (טיבו Tibo) to all beings, but especially to those who follow His path. And even when He decides to judge the world, He arranges for anyone who loves Him to perform a meritorious act before the world is punished.
“This corresponds to what we have learned. When the Holy One, blessed be He, loves a person (as he loved Chesed Abraham who in his physicality, his Sabbath, kept the Iod, the Salt of his Earth, holy), He sends him a present. And what is (this present)? It is a poor man (a soul that does not know how to keep the Iod, the salt of his/her sabbath, physicality, holy) for whom he can perform (ratzon l’tet, the will to give) a meritorious act (of giving him the doctrine of chastity).
“So now that he (the Chesed of the alchemist) is meritorious and deserving, the Holy One, blessed be He, draws (in his physicality) a cord of grace from the right side upon (the North, the head of) him. He winds (Aleph) the cord around his head and marks him, so that when Judgment (from the South, from Geburah) falls upon the world (Malkuth, the West, his physicality), the Angel of Destruction will take notice of (Aleph on) him. Because he raises (towards the North) his eyes and notices that mark (Aleph), he avoids him. This is why the Holy One, blessed be He, arranged beforehand to make him meritorious.
“Come and behold: when the Holy One, blessed be He, planned to execute Judgment on Sodom, He prepared a meritorious act for (Chesed) Abraham by sending him a present. Because of them, he became deserving. Thereby, he saved Lot (the embryo of human soul), the son of his brother, from destruction. This is why it is written: "and Elohim remembered (Chesed) Abraham, and sent Lot (the embryo of Neshamah נשמה) out of the midst of the overthrow," (Genesis 19:29) it does not say, 'and Elohim remembered Lot.' As a result of (Chesed) Abraham's meritorious act, he (Lot, the embryo of Neshamah נשמה) was saved. And "remembered" He remembered the previous meritorious act that He (Chesed, Abraham) performed with the three angels (Air, Fire and Water, the three elements of alchemy).
“In the same manner, when harsh Judgment (through these elements) hangs over the world (the Earth), the Holy One, blessed be He, remembers the (alchemical) charitable deeds that men performed. Every time a person performs a meritorious action, it is noted above (in the temple of karma). Even when there is harsh judgment on the world, the Holy One, blessed be He, remembers the good that a person has done and has merited through other people. As it is written: "but (Chesed) charity (ratzon l’tet, the will to give) delivers from (the second) death" (Proverbs 11:4). According to this, the Holy One, blessed be He, arranged in advance that opportunity for (Chesed) Abraham to perform a meritorious act, so that by his merit Lot (the embryo of human soul) would be saved.
“Come and behold (the three mother letters, namely, Aleph, Shin and Mem, in the word אנשים Enoshim): "And (the Iod from the Nun of) the אנשים Enoshim rose up from there, and looked toward Sodom." They rose (their Iod) from the (the steam אד Ad of the alchemical) meal that (Chesed) Abraham prepared for them, thereby performing a meritorious act. And even though they were (alchemical elemental) angels, he nevertheless attained merit because of them. And they purposely left no food over from the meal, so that (Chesed) Abraham would attain merit through the (alchemical) act, as it is written: "and they did eat," as by their fire (אש) the (steam אד Ad of the מים water of the) food was eaten and consumed.
“You might say: But there were three angels: one of fire (ש Shin), one of water (מים Mem), and one of air (א Aleph).
“Each and every one of them includes (during sexual alchemy) the others in (the Iod or Salt of) himself. "and they did eat." Similarly to this (we read in exodus), "And they saw the אלהים Elohim (Hebrew plural for Gods) of Israel..... And upon the virtuous of the children of Israel he launch not (the fire of) his (Iod) hand: because they saw (the Iod, the Salt in the א Aleph and in the Mem of הים the water of) אלהים Elohim (Hebrew plural for Gods), and did eat and drink (their sustenance)," (Exodus 24: 10, 11) that they were indeed (alchemically) nourished from (the Iod of) the Schekinah (the Kundalini within the formed and organized earth of the alchemist). Thus, in this, "and they did eat" (means) they nourished themselves (with the Iod, the Salt of the Aleph of the steam אד Ad, that rises) from the (boiling water, that the fire from the South) side to which Abraham (the North) was attached (rises to the brain). And this is why they left nothing from what Abraham (the water) offered them (through the fire of sexual alchemy).
“On the same principle, one(‘s own Chesed) should (during sexual alchemy) drink (the wine of alchemy) from the cup of (chastity or) benediction (of the queen of the South; by keeping אוני יהוה Auni Jehovah, the Iod, the salt, the strength of Malkuth, the Queen, their West, their physicality, their Sabbatoth holy), so that by his drinking he (Chesed) will merit the blessing of above. Hence, also (the angels) ate from what (שרה Sarah, the wife of) Abraham had prepared for them (in the ש Shin, fire of the South), in order to be nourished from the (Iod, the Salt, of א Aleph, the steam of the מ Mem, water of the) side of אברהם Abraham (the North), as the (א Aleph, the steam, the) sustenance of all the angels (Raphael, Michael, Gabriel רפאל מיכאל גבריאל) above (in Atziluth) proceeds from (ל Lamed, the tower on) that (Zenith or North) side (of the head).” - Zohar
And Jehovah looked towards Sodom and Gomorrah
“And they (the three mother letters of אנשים Enoshim) said unto him (Chesed), Where is (the ש Shin, the fire of) שרה Sarah thy wife? And he (אברהם Abraham) said, Behold, in (Geburah) the (southern) tabernacle. And he said, I (Aleph) will return again unto thee (as אד Od) according to the (initiatic) time of (the Iod of) חיה Chaiah life; and, lo, (the ש Shin, fire of) שרה Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And שרה Sarah heard it through the (southern) tabernacle opening, which was behind him. And Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age. And it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women (who like Eve quench their hormonal sexual thirst through animal reproduction).” —Genesis 18
Regarding hormonal sexual animal reproduction, the Zohar states:
“And the serpent — the ו Vav that “went up (as) a (hormonal אד Od or) mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground (physicality) — was more subtle than any (instinctual life force) חית Chaioth, beasts of the field, which יהוה אלהים had made" (Genesis 3:1).
"חית השדה The beasts of the field (better said: חית השדה the demonic life forces)" signifies the (two) idolatrous nations (Amon and Moab) who are the offspring (of the lustful Nephesh and the Nephesh of the body, the two incestuous daughters of Lot) and progeny of the old serpent (אד Od) who tempted and seduced Eve (our physicality) to do lustfulness by exciting selfishness and other animal propensities within her. Under their influence she (Eve, our physicality) conceived and brought forth Cain, who killed Abel his brother, the shepherd of whom the scripture terms "בשגם be’shagam," "becausae he is flesh." This word also is used of Moses (the faithful shepherd), who killed the Egyptian. (Alchemically) Moses may also be regarded as the eldest son of Adam.” - Zohar
Ob אוב (an altered אב Ob, Abba, masculine force) means necromancy, sorcery, the practice of mediumism, the way of Cain, an anomalous mind, that communicates (by means of the corpus callosum) through the ו Vav, the spine, with the spirits of the dead. Cain is our anomalous fornicator mind that kills Abel, our inexpert psyche, that by means of an anomalous cerebral dominance of the sexual energy, deviates through the orgasm, the energies of אב Ob, Abba, the Father, in order to develop psychic klipothic abilities. This implies the inverted development of the right side of the brain for sorcery that arises from the practice of sodomy, the killing of Abel; this is how the psychic abilities of degenerate souls, that often appear in this day and age, develop in hell.
The shedding of blood is equal to the shedding of semen: “And he, Adam (the brain), drove out (the semen from his body), and caused (his mind) to dwell at the east of Eden (pleasure). - Genesis 3: 24 And Cain (after killing Abel) went out from the presence of Jehovah, and dwelt in the land of נוד Nod, on the east of Eden. - Genesis 4: 16
Edith עדית (best soil) is transformed into the salts of the earth that eventually enter into our physicalities within the womb of our mother. Yet, unfortunately, the beasts of the field, the two daughters of Lot, lick those salts in order to feed their lust with it. But only during sexual alchemy can the alchemists take advantage of those salts that run in the blood of their "בשגם be’shagam" flesh, this in order to develop their individual particular Moses.
All of us, alchemists, like Moses, inherited that shedding of blood or semen within our own animal nature or flesh "בשגם be’shagam", which is an instinctual natural behavior of חיה Chaiah, yet, only in חיות Chaioth, the beasts; and this is the orgasm of the beasts that Sarah and Abraham overcame during the sexual act, and that we, alchemists, also overcome in order to keep male and female Sabbatoth holy by reverencing אוני יהוה Auni Jehovah’s sanctuary.
“Therefore Sarah laughed (with joy) within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have (עדנה Eden, Edena) pleasure, my lord being old also?
“And יהוה said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old? Is any thing too hard for יהוה? At the (initiatic) time appointed I (Aleph) will return again unto thee (as אד Ad), according to the (initiatic) time of (the Iod of) חיה Chaiah life, and (the ש Shin, fire of) שרה Sarah shall have a son. Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid (because “the fear of יהוה is the beginning of wisdom”). And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh (of Joy).
“And (the Iod or salt of the three mother letters of) the אנשים Enoshim rose up from thence (from the fire of שרה Sarah, the southern tabernacle opening, which was behind Abraham), and looked toward Sodom: and (from Yesod) Abraham went with them to bring them (up to the brain) on the (alchemical) path (through the medullar canal). And יהוה said, shall I hide from (Chesed) Abraham that thing which I do; seeing that (Chesed) Abraham shall surely become (through initiations) a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I know him, that he (Chesed) will command his children (archetypes) and his household after him, and they (sexually) shall keep the (chaste alchemical) path of יהוה, to do justice and judgment (through the fire of Geburah); that יהוה may bring upon (Chesed) Abraham that which he has spoken of him. And יהוה said, Because the (lustful) cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their (sexual) sin is very grievous; I will go down now (from Yesod into the inner layers of Malkuth), and see whether they have done altogether according to the (lustful) cry of it (klipoth), which is come unto me; and if not, I will know. And the אנשים Enoshim turned their faces from thence (Yesod), and went toward Sodom (in Klipoth): but (the Ruach Elohim) Abraham stood yet (walking up) before יהוה.” - Genesis 18: 9-22
The Zohar states:
The verse, "and looked toward..." the awakening of the quality of (Chesed) Mercy to save Lot (the embryo of Neshamah נשמה). It is written here, "and looked toward," and it is written elsewhere:
“Look down from (Binah) thy holy habitation, from heaven, and bless (the 12 zodiacal salts of) thy people Israel (in Malkuth, the Earth), and (Yesod) the land which thou has given us, as thou swore unto (our Cheseds) our fathers, a land that flows with milk and honey.” (Deuteronomy 26:15). Because to (Chesed) Mercy there, it does so here as well.
"And Abraham (as the Ruach Elohim that hovers upon the face of the waters) went with them to (the fire of the southern side to) bring them (up) on the path" (Genesis 18:16), that is, (through sexual alchemy) he escorted (the salt of each of) them. Rabbi Yeshuah said: If Abraham knew that they were (the elemental salts of) angels, why did he has to escort them? Rabbi Eleazar responded: Even though he knew they were (the elemental salts of) angels, he did for (the salt of) them what he was accustomed to do (in the rituals, when the priest blesses the salt) for people. Thus, he escorted (the salt of each of) them, because it behooves one to escort his guests (that is, the salts in the body), since everything depends on (the sublimation of the salts, through) this (sexual alchemical act).
As he was escorting (sublimating) them, the Holy One, blessed be He, appeared to him (from Binah), as it is written: "And Ha-Shem ויהוה אמר said: Shall I hide from Abraham that which I do?" (Genesis 18:17) The phrase "And Ha-Shem" Him and (the salts of) His heavenly court, as (the Iod or salt of) the Holy One, blessed be He, accompanied them (on the tantric sexual alchemical path).
Come and behold: when a person (a master) escorts his friend (on the initiatic path), he draws the (fire of his) Schekinah (his Kundalini) to join him, and walks along (the initiatic path) with him to protect him. This is the reason why a person (a master) should escort (teach) his guest (on the initiatic path); he joins him with the (fire of his) Schekinah and draws the (fire of his) Schekinah (his Kundalini) to join him.
Therefore, because of this, "and Ha-Shem said: 'Shall I hide from Abraham that which I do?'" Rabbi Chiya opened the discourse with the verse: "For Ha-Shem Elohim יהוה אלהים (Binah) will do nothing, until He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets" (Amos 3:7). Blessed are the (Chesed) righteous of the world, that the Holy One, blessed be He, chose them. And all that He (Binah) has done in the heavens and shall do in the world, He accomplishes through (the Chesed, the Ruach Elohim of) righteous people. And He never hides anything from them.
For (Yehidah יחודה, the Universal Soul), the Holy One, blessed be He, wants (Chesed) the righteous (Neshamah נשמה, the Spiritual Soul) to join Him (at the summit of the mountain of resurrection). This is so that they may warn (the Nephesh of) people (from within) and advise them to repent their iniquities so that they will not be punished by celestial punishment, and so that they will have no excuse to complain to Him. Therefore, the Holy One, blessed be He, reveals to them the secret that He is about to punish them. He does not want them to be able to claim that He is punishing them without a trial.
Rabbi Eleazar said: Woe to the wicked (fornicator Nephesh) who do not seek, and do not know how to refrain from (their lustful animal) sins. Hence, the Holy One, blessed be He, whose deeds are just and whose actions are right, never act before He reveals His plans to (Chesed) the righteous, so that other people will have no excuse to complain about Him. Men should act in a way that prevents other people from uttering accusations against them. Therefore, it is written: "And (Yesod-sex) the land be subdued before יהוה: then afterward you shall return, and be guiltless before יהוה, and before Israel; and this land (Yesod-sex) shall be your possession before יהוה." (Numbers 32:22).
And should act accordingly, to prevent other people from complaining, and warn them that if they sin and do not guard themselves, the attribute of Judgment of the Holy One, blessed be He, might have a reason to them. And how may they? By repenting and performing good (sexual alchemical) deeds.
Come and behold: "And Ha-Shem said: 'Shall I hide from Abraham'." Rabbi Yehudah said: The Holy One, blessed be He, has given the entire land (of Yesod) to Abraham, as an everlasting heritage, as it is written: "For all the land which you (clairvoyantly) see, to you I give it..." (Genesis 13:15) as well as, "lift up your eyes and (clairvoyantly) see..." (Genesis 13: 14). Later, when the Holy One, blessed be He, wanted to uproot and destroy these places, He said: I have already given the land to Abraham, and he is the father of them all, as it is written: "for a father of a multitude of nations have I made you" (Genesis 17:5). So it is not fitting for me to smite the children without informing their father (Chesed) whom I have called "Abraham my friend" (Isaiah 41:8). Therefore, I must inform him. Thus, "And Ha-Shem said: 'Shall I hide from (Chesed) Abraham that which I do?'"
Rabbi Abba said: Behold the humility of (Chesed) Abraham, even though the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: "Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great" (Genesis 18:20). Although He delayed Himself by informing (Chesed) Abraham that He wanted to punish Sodom, he did not pray before Him to save Lot from punishment. Why? So that he did not ask for a reward for his deeds.
Because of this, the Holy One, blessed be He, sent for Lot (the embryo of Neshamah נשמה) and saved him for the sake of (Chesed) Abraham, as it is written: "And Elohim remembered (Chesed) Abraham, and sent Lot (the embryo of Neshamah נשמה) out of the midst of the overthrow" (Genesis 19:29).
What is meant by "in which Lot (the embryo of Neshamah נשמה) dwelt?" This has been explained; it is because they were all wicked (egos) and there was nobody among them who was good, save Lot (the embryo of Neshamah נשמה). From this we learn that wherever the wicked (egos) stay, that place is doomed to be destroyed.
Of the verse "the cities in which Lot (the embryo of Neshamah נשמה) dwelt," Could it be that Lot (the embryo of Neshamah נשמה) lived in all of them? Because of his presence in those cities, they were not destroyed, and the people were able to dwell there. But if you say this was because of the merit of Lot (the embryo of Neshamah נשמה), you are incorrect; it was because of the merit of (alchemical sexual work of Chesed) Abraham.
Rabbi Shimon said: Come and behold. The service that a (soul of a) person does for (his Chesed) the righteous protects him in this world. In addition, even if he is a sinful (soul of a) person, he will learn from (Chesed) the righteous person's behavior and emulate it.
Come and behold: as Lot (the embryo of Neshamah נשמה) accompanied (Chesed, the Innermost) Abraham, he did not learn all his ways, but he did learn how to show kindness to other people’s (embryo of soul). Thus, as long as Lot (the embryo of Neshamah נשמה, the spiritual soul,) dwelt there, the people settled in the cities, which continued to exist.
Rabbi Shimon said: Behold how the Schekinah (the Kundalini, the Serpent of Brass) stayed with Abraham during the time that the Holy One, blessed be He, was with him.
Rabbi Eleazar said to him: But it was the Schekinah (the Kundalini, the serpent of brass), Herself, that spoke to him. Because the Holy One, blessed be He, revealed Himself to Abraham through this grade (of Daath), as it is written: "And I appeared (in Yesod) to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, by the name of אל שדי El Shaddai," (Exodus 6:3) Rabbi Shimon said: It is (שד אלי Shed Eli) certainly so.
Come and behold. It is written: "And Ha-Shem said (lit. ויהוה אמר) to Abraham (Genesis 18:17); 'And said Ha-Shem' ויאמר יהוה) Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great...'" (Genesis 18:20)
At first, ויהוה אמר "And Ha-Shem said to Abraham" (Genesis 18:17) (In other words: And Binah through (the salt, the Iod of א Aleph and ש Shin, meaning, the אש Esh, fire in the head ר Reish) said).
And later, "And said Ha-Shem (ויאמר יהוה) because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah (from Klipoth) is great;" (In other words: And the salt, the Iod of א Aleph and ש Shin, meaning, the אש Esh, fire in the head ר Reish) said through Chavah in Yesod).
(The first is) the upper grade (אב Ob, the sexual force of the father) that appeared to him (Chesed) over the lower grade (אד Od the mist, the sexual force of the mother; both are joint in Yesod, the ninth sphere, the center of the earth).
"And Ha-Shem (Binah) said ויהוה אמר, shall I hide from (Chesed) Abraham..." What is written before? "And the אנשים Enoshim rose up from there (from Yesod), and looked toward Sodom (in Klipoth)," in order to punish the wicked (fornicator Nephesh). And what is written after? "Shall I hide from (Chesed) Abraham."
Rabbi Chisda said: The Holy One, blessed be He, does not execute Judgment on the wicked (Nephesh souls of the fornicators) until He has consulted the souls (the Neshamoth) of the righteous. This is as it is written: "מנשמת אלוה m’neshamoth, By the blast (נשמת neshamoth also, 'souls') of אלוה Eloha (the Goddess) they perish," (Job 4:9) and "Shall I hide from (Neshamah) Abraham." The Holy One, blessed be He, said: How can I punish the wicked (fornicator Nephesh) without consulting the (נשמת Neshamoth) souls of the righteous, telling them that the wicked (fornicator Nephesh) have sinned before Me, and I am about to punish them. This is as it is written: "And Ha-Shem said: 'because the cry of (the wicked fornicator Nephesh of) Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous' (I will destroy them)." - Zohar
