Etymology: From a root word meaning "lofty height" or "sky." Shamayim literally means "The Heavens" or "The Skies." Wilon (Vilon) means "curtain" or "veil." It also directly implies cloud cover or atmosphere, coming from 'Sham'-'mayim', meaning: "there is water."
Aeon: Gabriel
Ruler: Levannah (Gabriel)
Governors: Sidriel and Hasidel
Function: The lowest Heaven which borders this world. It is the firmament, or atmosphere & acts as a veil covering. This is where those angels who work directly with the world (or perhaps, physical universe), and its creatures. It is a border which is passed when traveling between the higher spheres of Heaven to Earth. It is where the upper waters, clouds and winds are held. These are all held, according to Enoch, in a "great sea" which connects to a river in which fire flows like water that stretches throughout the upper Heavens, ending at the foot of God's throne as the "lake of fire." The land is said to be shimmering, and "seven times brighter than silver." Time in the Shamayim is regulated to reflect our reality, and there are hours and days in this Heaven that flow naturally, though they can be manipulated by the inhabitants such as the Watchers, who can speed or slow moments on Earth for their observation.
Inhabitants: Primarily those in the choir of Angels and Archangels. All guardian angels and lunar angels spend much of their time here under the authority of Gabriel. The astronomy angels or "Rah" (guardians / personifications) of the stars dwell within the First Heaven, as do the "Rah" of snow, ice and dew. The 200 Watchers which were called "Grigori" who came to Earth and corrupted mankind were stationed in the Shamayim as well. It is also the eternal home of Adam and Eve. All stars, planets and galaxies are found in this Heaven along with their ruling angels.
The Second Heaven:
Name: Raquia
Etymology: Most accurately translated as "expanse", though the Hebrew word for "firmament" is similar and often considered a translation.
Aeon: Raphael Ruler: Labbiel (Raphael) Governors: Barakiel and Zacharael Function: Dwelling place of the chariot / palaces of the Sun (where solar angels dwell) and also of Christ & John the Baptist. This Sphere of Heaven has an almost direct line to Gehenna, the borders of Hell, where those of the fallen who can be saved are kept in darkness awaiting judgement (according to Enoch this includes the fallen Grigori, though they are also said to be imprisoned in the 6th Heaven). According to Jewish mysticism, this connection between Heaven and Hell is used by the order of restoration/healing angels known as the Labbim to retrieve the lost who wish to be pure but can not save themselves. As the angel of restoration, Raphael (Labbiel) is the governing prince of the Labbim and is primarily stationed here where several Labbimic temples throughout the Raqui'a are used by the inhabitants of Heaven to keep their purity. The sun rises and sets here as it does on Earth, revealing the night sky stars of the First Heaven (Though time is said to be somewhat different, in the Raquia, from our reality and the Shamayim).
Inhabitants: Solar angels and Principalites, who govern regions of the Earth and properties of creation. The angels who govern Earthly elements, called the Af. Although some Malachim of the choir of angels work here, they inhabit the First Heaven primarily. Dominions, the angels who distribute charges to angels of lesser choirs can sometimes be found here. Angels of fury and wrath were once kept here, but are now in the 5th Heaven. Nuriel and his host of 50 angels "composed of fire and water" once dwelled here, but are usually found in the 6th Heaven.
The Third Heaven:
Name: Sagun or Shehaqim Etymology: Shehaqim Sagun (Sakun) is a variation of the word "shakhan" which means, "to dwell (in)" or "home." In Akkadian, shakan meant "place of peace" or "perfection" and was synonymous with paradise. Shehaqim is derived from the root "shachaq" which means "small dust ground from the skies" from the older form of "shakh'ak", meaning: "to grind, beat, or wear down". It has been translated as mist, clouds, or ash smoke as it can indicate any extension of the firmament... However, it is most likely a term referring to the manna production of this Heaven, where the substance is made by refining through attrition by grindstones. The term "shehaqim" is most commonly used in Hebrew to refer to "clouds" or "grindstones."
Aeon: Michael Ruler: Anahel Governors: Azrael and Baradiel Function: This heaven is the spiritual resting place of the garden of Eden, where it borders on the 5th Heaven. Shehaqim, like the Raqui'a, also borders on Gehenna just north of Eden. The flaming river runs through this sphere and separates Hell from paradise along a desolate expanse of cold and ice. Here, according to Enoch, was the original habitations of the angels of retribution and wrath, who bound & punished the wicked. In paradise, angels under the authority of Michael carry and store manna (brought from the 4th Heaven) as bees store honey (these angels are actually often referred to as actual manna producing bees). The manna is also refined through a pair of vast millstones and made into a fine powder (hence the name for the heaven: "Shehaqim" ). According to St. Paul, the heaven has a gate of golden pillars and is the dwelling place of Enoch the scribe. Three hundred angels of light accompany him there and guard the orchards of paradise which stretch into the 5th Heaven and include the Tree of Life. Time in the Shehaqim somewhat resembles time in the 2nd Heaven, though it is more unstable and can be faster or slower (less linear) than time in our reality.
Inhabitants: The "shining ones" who guard the gates of Eden. Those cherubim who guard the Tree of Life. Many Arelim are stationed here as well as Michael's angels of manna. Most angels of the choir of Powers make their home in the Shehaqim, where they administer control over the borders of Gehenna. Dominions are often working between the 4th and 6th Heavens, and so are found here also. By name: Zotiel, Zefon, Johiel, and Azrael dwell here.
The Fourth Heaven:
Name: Machanon (Machen) or Zebhul (Zevul) Etymology: Machanon comes from the root word "makhon", and means "central site", "base" or "foundation." Zebhul means "the innermost part of a house" or roughly "home/temple." Because it is a name for Heaven, in Akkadian it was roughly translated to mean "high place" or "mansion."
Aeon: Ariel Ruler: Michael or Phanuel (equated Ariel & Uriel in unison) Governors: Anael and Zahakiel Function: The center-most Heaven. Zebhul runs into the Shehaqim (3rd Heaven), so that the garden of Eden is at its borders. The Tree of Understanding (knowledge of good and evil) is held here in a great orchard, along with, according to Enoch, the Tree of Life. (Most accounts place the Tree of Life surrounded by Cherubim within the 3rd Heaven, with the Tree of Understanding in Zebhul where it is guarded by Azrael.) Also in Zebhul is the site of the Heavenly Jerusalem and the Temple and altar of God, all prepared for the saints and the souls of the righteous who are spared after judgement. The city is made of gold, encircled by 12 gated walls each with its own tower, and surrounded by four rivers of honey, milk, wine and oil respectively. The geography of this Heaven is peculiar, as it has no defined borders but stretches from the 5th Heaven to the 3rd. Its boundaries are defined by the Tree of Knowledge which stands in the orchard of Eden (which is divided between the 3rd Heaven and Zebhul), and the outskirts of the New Jerusalem which run into a great ocean that borders the prisons in the 5th Heaven. This sea stretches into a river which runs through the 5th Heaven and another which runs into the 3rd to cross into Eden (some say it is the river called Pison). The 4th Heaven is the domain of duality (sometimes this title is credited to the 6th Heaven) and the seat of time (and inevitability). It acts as a clock which keeps time in Heaven (although, in the Machanon, time stands still like at the eye of a storm). Time, as we would see it is then completely based on will and personal perception of its inhabitants, and events do not occur in a definable linear pattern (this is true of the 6th and 7th Heaven as well). The chariots of the sun & moon cross the 4th Heaven drawn by winds shaped like a phoenix and a brazen serpent, with faces like lions and lower parts like that of Leviathan. When the phoenix chariot crosses the sky, Ariel governs this Heaven, and when the serpent is above the Heaven is ruled by Uriel. Together they are equated with the angel Phanuel, and they regulate time as it is experienced in the Heavens.
Inhabitants: Azrael and the "shining ones" who guard the gates of Eden. Primarily Arelim, Af (elemental property angels) and angels of time. Most of the choir of Dominions make their home in the Zebhul. Mohammed, Melchizedek and Enoch are among the earthly prophets who live here. Other saints who are charged with preparing the new Jerusalem are said to dwell here, though it is also said that no souls of men can cross the borders of the 3rd Heaven.
The Fifth Heaven:
Name: Mathey or Machon or Ma'on Etymology: Mathey comes from the word Mattithiah, which means "gift of the hand of God." Machon comes from the root word "makhon", and means "central site", "base" or "foundation." Ma'on is a variant of Mavon/Mahon and means "habitation."
Aeon: Uriel Ruler: Sandalphon Governors: Sammael and Arioch/Orion Function: In the north of this Heaven (and crossing into the next) is where the prisons holding the Grigori are stationed. Af, an angel of anger, is chained in black and red fire along with the other Avenging angels who are held here to protect the world from their fury. In and around these prisons are great mountains of black crystal and living pillars of flame. In the South, multitudes of angels gather to sing the Trisagion through the night, which is said to be both the source of the vibrations in the universe and also a song of praise to God. At dawn, the Trisagion ceases, allowing God to hear the worlds praises and petitions. It is said that the Trisagion is also used to soothe those angels bound in their fury within the prisons. Sammael was once the ruler of this sphere, although having now fallen from grace, it is ruled by another angel of matter and power, Sandalphon. This Heaven is the source of direction in the universe, and holds the four winds and the four towers which mark the cardinal points.
Inhabitants: The Powers and the Archangels, who are in charge of guarding the prisons of the angels. The Guardians of the Towers of the Four cardinal points. Also, the avenging angels and the ministering angels. According to the prophet Zephaniah, an order of Dominions known as the Lords are found here. The angel Salamiel and Na'ahayael are guardians of the Grigori who are imprisoned in Mathey. (Though there may be some confusion behind this, as Salamiel is also known as a Grigori himself).
The Sixth Heaven:
Name: Zebul or Makhon Etymology: Zebul means "the innermost part of a house" or roughly "home/temple." Because it is a name for Heaven, in Akkadian it was roughly translated to mean "high place" or "mansion." Makhon means "central site", "base" or "foundation."
Aeon: Danyael Ruler: Tzadkiel and Gabriel Governors: Sabath and Zebul Function: As with the 4th Heaven, the 6th is also called a domain of duality, where the turning of day and night change its properties and rulership. By day, Sabath (who rules under Tzadkiel) is the governor, and by night it is Zebul (who rules under Gabriel). By Sabath, the Heaven is primarily concerned with justice and order in severity, by Zebul, the Heaven's properties are mercy, endurance and understanding. This Heaven houses a great university where scholarly angels gather to study God's properties through recording and debting on astronomy, time, ecology, change and humankind. It is guarded by seven phoenixes and seven Cherubim who sing the Trisagion. It also holds at its central courtyard, a statue made of a substance like snow and fire, which is the likeness of the first angel (Beqa/Lucifer), once called the Guardian Angel of Heaven and Earth. In addition to this university, the borders of this Heaven hold the prisons which extend from the 5th Heaven, and a repository of natural disasters such as hurricanes, plagues, earthquakes, and floods are kept, as well as snow, hailstones, dew and rain with chambers of storms and caves of fog. Nuriel, a great angel of the order of Powers, and his host guard a vast stretch of gates which lead to all points in the universe (or abyss). At the borders of this Heaven (or its center), a great rift divides it from the great walls of the 7th Heaven. A bridge, called the Daath (or Haalath / Daalath), stretches across the rift (which is sometimes described as abysmal and sometimes called a flaming river) to the gated wall.
Inhabitants: The Powers and the Archangels, who are in charge of guarding the prisons of the angels. Also, the Dominions and Tafsarim (an order of Virtues), along with other scholarly angels. Ischim and guardian angels who learn in the university also dwell there temporarily. The Seven Phoenixes and Seraphim, Nuriel and his host. The 10 judges of Heaven, including the great twin angels called the Irin & the Quadisin are said to be stationed here also.
The Seventh Heaven:
Name: Araboth Etymology: Can be translated from the root words for "sweet/pleasant" and "west" (as in a specific place), or from the roots OrbTh, meaning "mixed matter." The word is most modernly translated as "plains" or "desert", signifying an empty expanse that holds life behind an apparent lack of abundance (so appearing both barren & full, holding both many things and nothing). "Araboth" is also commonly translated to mean "clouds", indicating the mixture of air & water. Again, as in the plains or desert, the clouds 'appear' to be empty, but are actually substantial.
Aeon: Nathanael or Beqa (Lucifer) Ruler: Cassiel Governor: Metatron Function: The seat of God and the center of creation. This Heaven is of unique structure. Surrounded by a great rift, it appears as a city or tower whose walls are unscalable, but it is surrounded by doors (each gated). The Heaven itself is circular, sectioned into 7 Heavenly halls all leading to its central throne, resembling an Ophanim (in the shape of a spoked wheel). It contains 3 parts (which is where the 10 Heaven system likely comes from), The rooms (or river of fire) between hallways where the Shekinah dwells form the outer ring, the Heavenly throne room in a central ring, and the Ga'ar, a great curtain behind the Throne which none but God can pass through (the innermost ring). All three are said to be immeasurable in perception, making them appear as individual worlds or Heavens. God is seated on his throne - made of, suspended & surrounded by Cherubim, Seraphim and Ophanim. He is usually accompanied by Metatron (or some other herald) and at least 1 of the angels of the Presence (Aeons) at all times.
Inhabitants: The majority of Seraphim and Cherubim, as well as many Ophanim in the form of wheels. The angels of the Presence (Aeons or Seven Archangels). Metatron and Cassiel, who dwells in his home within Araboth's walls. The Hayyoth and the Prophets/Saints. The spirits of creatures not yet born are held here within the wellspring of the river of fire (called the "nahar shel esh" in Hebrew, and the "nahar di nur" in Aramaic). The angel of divine law (who serves under Danyael), named Zagzguel, also dwells here, where he serves as a scholarly angel by observing the presence of God. ~Ariel of Megadriel~
The Heavenly Throne; hence "Ma'aseh Merkabah," the lore concerning the heavenly Throne-Chariot, with especial reference to Ezek. i. and x. The conception of Yhwh riding upon cherubim, or fiery cloud-birds, upon the heavens or the clouds, is certainly genuinely Hebrew (see Ps. xviii. 11 [A. V. 10]; Deut. xxxiii. 26; Ps. lxviii. 5 [A. V. 4]; Isa. xix. 1); hence His "war-chariot" (Hab. iii. 8 and Isa. lxvi. 15, Hebr.) and the name "chariot" for the ark with the cherubim (I Chron. xxviii. 18). Just as the Assyrian sunchariot with its horses is employed in the legend of the ride of Elijah to heaven (II Kings ii. 11; comp. Enoch lxx. 2, lxxii. 5, lxxiii. 2), so did the prophet Ezekiel in his vision, probably suggested by Babylonian sculpture, see Yhwh riding on the Throne-Chariotwhen leaving the doomed Temple at Jerusalem (see Müller, "Ezechielstudien," 1895, pp. 8-11; Bertholet, "Das Buch Hezekiel," 1897, p. 12). To a later age Ezekiel's picture became a sacred mystery known by the term "Merkabah" as early as the time of Ben Sira (Ecclus. xlix. 8). The ancient Mishnah lays down the rule: "The Ma'aseh Merkabah should not be taught to any one except he be wise and able to deduce knowledge through wisdom ('gnosis') of his own" (Ḥag. ii. 1). Job beheld the throne of God, and his daughters sang the doxology of the Ma'aseh Merkabah (according to the Testament of Job, ed. Kohler, vii. 39, xi. 25; see Kohut Memorial Volume, pp. 282, 288). Quite characteristic is the story given in Tosef., Ḥag. ii. 1; Ḥag. 14b; Yer. Ḥag. ii. 77a:
(πνευματικοί; see Joël, "Blicke in die Religionsgeschichte," 1880, pp. 133-135).
"R. Eleazar ben 'Arak was riding on a mule behind R. Johanan b. Zakkai, when he asked for the privilege of being initiated into the secrets of the Merkabah. The great master demanded proof of his initiation into the gnosis, and when Eleazar began to tell what he had learned thereof, R. Johanan immediately descended from the mule and sat upon the rock. 'Why, O master, dost thou descend from the mule?' asked the disciple. 'Can I remain mounted upon the mule when the telling of the secrets of the Merkabah causes the Shekinah to dwell with us and the angels to accompany us?' was the answer. Eleazar continued, and, behold, fire descended from heaven and lit up the trees of the field, causing them to sing anthems, and an angel cried out, 'Truly these are the secrets of the Merkabah.' Whereupon R. Johanan kissed Eleazar upon the forehead, saying, 'Blessed be thou, O father Abraham, that hast a descendant like Eleazar b. 'Arak!' Subsequently two other disciples of R. Johanan b. Zakkai walking together said to each other: 'Let us also talk together about the Ma'aseh Merkabah'; and no sooner did R. Joshua begin speaking than a rainbow-like appearance [Ezek. i. 28] was seen upon the thick clouds which covered the sky, and angels came to listen as men do to hear wedding-music. On hearing the things related by R. Jose, R. Johanan b. Zakkai blessed his disciples and said: 'Blessed the eyes that beheld these things! Indeed I saw myself in a dream together with you, seated like the select ones [comp. Ex. xxiv. 11] upon Mount Sinai; and I heard a heavenly voice saying: "Enter the banquet-hall and take your seats with your disciples and disciples' disciples, among the elect, the highest ('third') class"'"
Obviously this is a description of an ecstatic state in which the pictures that the mind forms are beheld as realities (comp. Tosef., Meg. iv. 28 and Meg. 24—"Blind ones saw them"). The study of the Merkabah was theosophy; to the initiated the Ḥayyot and the Ofannim around the Heavenly Throne became beings that lived and moved before their eyes (see Joël, l.c. p. 152). It was in fact considered perilous to penetrate into these mysteries. "A youth who studied the 'Ḥashmal' [Ezek. i. 27, Hebr.] was consumed by the fire which sprang forth from it" (Ḥag. 13a; comp. Shab. 80a). Only the older men dared to be initiated into those mysteries. "I am not old enough," said R. Eleazar when R. Johanan b. Nappaḥa wished to instruct him in them. They were to be imparted in suggestions ("initial sentences," "rashe peraḳim") rather than in complete chapters (Ḥag. 13a). "The bird that flew over the head of Jonathan b. Uzziel as he studied them was consumed by the fire surrounding him" (Suk. 28a; comp. Meg. 3a). "Ben 'Azzai was seated meditating on the Torah, when, behold, a flame encircled him; the people told R. Aḳiba, and he went to Ben 'Azzai, saying, 'Art thou studying the mysteries of the Merkabah?'" (Cant. R. i. 10; Lev. R. xvi.). "In the future Ezekiel will come again and unlock for Israel the chambers of the Merkabah" (Cant. R. i. 4).
Glimpses of the mysteries of the Merkabah may be discerned in such rabbinical sayings as the following: "The angel Sandalfon towers above the rest of the angels the length of a five hundred years' journey; his feet touch the earth while his head reaches the holy Ḥayyot. He stands behind the Throne-Chariot binding wreaths for his Master" (Ḥag. 13b). To R. Ishmael b. Elisha is ascribed the saying that when offering the incense in the Temple as high priest he beheld the angel Akatriel ("the wreath-binding one"; Sandalfon?) seated on the Throne and asked him for a blessing (Ber. 7a; comp. Bacher, "Ag. Tan." i. 267). One of these great archangels is said to equal in size a third part of the world (Ex. R. iii.). Concerning the lion, the ox, the eagle, and the man as the four faces of the Ḥayyot, see Ḥag. 13b; on account of these four, which carry God's Throne-Chariot, the latter is called also "Tetramoulon"="Quadriga" (Ex. R. iii. 3; comp. Jellinek, "B. H." iii. 92-95).
The Merkabah mysteries, which remained the exclusive property of the initiated ones, the "Ẓenu'im" or "Ḥashsha'im" (see Essenes), have been preserved chiefly in the Enoch literature of the pre-Christian centuries, and in the "Hekalot" of the geonic time, known also as the "Merkabah" and "Enoch Books" (see Jellinek, "B. H." ii. 40-47, 114-117, and Introduction xiv.-xvii., xxx., xxxii.; iii. 83-108, 161-163, and Introduction xx.-xxv.; v. 170-190 and Introduction xli.-xliii.; Wertheimer, "Batte Midrashot," ii. 15-28; see Hekalot). Part of it has been embodied in the "payyeṭan-ḳedushshah" literature and has found its way also into other ancient apocrypha, such as the Testament of Abraham, the Ascensio Isaiæ, etc. Besides the descriptions of the seven heavens with their hosts of angels, and the various storehouses of the world, and of the divine throne above the highest heaven, the most remarkable feature is that the mysteries rest on the belief in the reality of the things seen in an ecstatic state brought about by ablutions, fasts, fervent invocations, incantations, and by other means. This is called "the Vision of the Merkabah" ("Ẓefiyat ha-Merkabah"), and those under this strange hallucination, who imagine themselves entering the Heavenly Chariot and floating through the air, are called "Yorede Merkabah" (= "those that go down into the ship-like chariot"; Jellinek, "B. H." iii. 90, 94 et seq.). In this chariot they are supposed to ascend to the heavens, where in the dazzling light surrounding them they behold the innermost secrets of all persons and things, otherwise impenetrable and invisible.
Particularly significant is the warrior-nature of the angels surrounding the Throne-Chariot; flames dart forth from their eyes; they ride upon fiery horses (comp. Zech. vi. 1-8) and are armed with weapons of fire (Jellinek, l.c.). In order to be allowed to pass these terrible beings the Merkabahrider must provide himself with amulets or seals containing mysterious names ("Hekalot," l.c.xvii.-xxii., xxx.), and in order to be able to step before the Throne he must recite certain prayers until God Himself addresses him, if he be worthy. The "Hekalot" mention especially either R. Aḳiba or R. Ishmael, and their associates of the Bar Kokba time, as types of the "Yorede Merkabah."
The central figure and chief actor in the theophany, however, is the "Prince of the Face," Meṭaṭron, the one next to the Throne, whose name, or whose seventy names, are like God's, and who is none else than Enoch translated to heaven and transformed into the highest angel. He is the one who imparted to man all the knowledge of heaven and of the past and the future (see especially Jellinek, l.c. v. 170-176), exactly as Enoch did in the Ethiopic and Slavonic Books of Enoch.
Concerning the origin of the Merkabah-ride, Jellinek ("B. H." iii. p. xxii.) expressed the opinion that Persian Sufism gave rise to its peculiar notions, and Bloch ("Monatsschrift," 1893, pp. 18-25, 69-74, 257-266, 305-311) endeavored to trace them all back to Arabic mysticism. But recent researches concerning the Mithra worship and the Mithra liturgy have cast altogether new light on the whole Merkabah lore. Mithra, the heavenly charioteer, with his Quadriga, a chariot drawn by four horses, who was worshiped in ancient Persia as the god of light and regarded in early Roman times as the prime mover of the world, formed of the four elements (Dio Chrysostomus, "Oratio," xxxvi.; see Cumont, "Die Mysterien des Mithra," 1903, pp. 87-88; Windischmann, "Zoroastrische Studien," 1863, pp. 309-312), was invoked under mysterious rites as the mediator between the inaccessible and unknowable Deity, in the ethereal regions of light, and man on earth (Cumont, l.c. pp. 95, 122). These rites bear such a striking resemblance to those by means of which the Merkabah-riders approached the Deity that there can scarcely be any doubt as to the Mithraic origin of the latter (see Dieterich, "Eine Mithrasliturgie," 1903, pp. 7-15). The only difference between them is that while the Mithra-worshipers, at least those of Roman times, had the coming forth of Mithra as the highest god their aim, the Merkabah-riders have the seeing of the Lord on high as their goal, Meṭa-ṭron-Mithra, the archangel, being the divine charioteer who ushers them into the presence of God. Otherwise there is the same hallucination at work which makes the ecstatic imagine that he is lifted up from the earth to heaven to see the sun, stars, and winds come forth from their places; to behold the sun (or sun-god) and the entire celestial household, the seven rulers of the celestial poles, or the archangels; and finally to gaze at the luminous youthful Mithra in all his beauty—the youthful Meṭaṭron of the Jewish mystics (see Cumont, l.c. pp. 117, 151, et al.).
Such spiritualistic experiences through mystic rites had their origin in Egypt rather than in Persia. Jamblichus ("De Mysteriis," iii. 4, 5) describes the optic and acoustic illusions under which the Egyptian mystic labored as if they were realities, and at the same time he states that in the ecstatic state brought about by magic songs and proper environment the soul is encompassed by a chariot of light and ether (αἰθεριωδές χαὶ αῦγοειδὲς ὄχημα), on which it beholds the heavenly things in the light reflected from above (iii. 14; see Von Harless, "Das Buch von der Aegyptischen Mysterien," pp. 53-54, 65-66). Neoplatonic ideas, accordingly, aided in rendering the Mithra worship the center of the mystic belief in which the world of antiquity sought relief during the period when the gods of classical antiquity were losing their authority and divinity; and Jewish wisdom, following the tendency of the age, embodied it, under the name of Enoch Meṭaṭron, as secret lore in its system (see Meṭaṭron).
Philo took the idea of the Merkabah with its charioteer Meṭaṭron and applied it to his Logos ("De Somniis," i. 25; "Quis Rerum Divinarum Heres Sit," §§ 42, 48; "De Profugis," § 19; "De Confusione Linguarum," § 28; "De Monarchia," i. 1; comp. Plato, "Phædrus," ii. 46). Maimonides ("Moreh Nebukim," iii. 1-7), in his antagonism to mysticism, went so far as to dissolve the whole Merkabah theophany of Ezekiel into mere physics, notwithstanding the rabbinical warning against disclosing these mysteries (see Pes. 119a). All the stronger, therefore, grew the zeal of the mystics, as is evidenced in the renewed form of the Cabala, which lent to the Merkabah lore and all the ecstatic visions and mystic operations connected therewith new life and vigor; of this the Book of Raziel and the later Cabala are ample proof. See Ma'aseh Bereshit.
The "Triangle of Solomon" also known as the "Triangle of the Art” is considered by many to be the second most important tool for the Conjuring Magician next to the Magical Circle. The Triangle of Solomon is used in conjunction with the Magic Circle. It is to sit outside the Magic Circle just a few feet away to the East of the Magic Circle.
It is used in the Conjuring of the Demonic or Celestial/Angelic spirits. It is in this Triangle that they will appear and are forced to obey. It is believed that entities will obey because it has 3 Sacred names of God –
Tetragrammaton,
Primeumaton, and
Anaphaxeton
one on each side and it has the name
Michael (Archangel Michael)
which is split into 3 sections
MI –
CHA –
EL.
This contains the spirit from escaping and compels them to obey.
The Triangle can be found in the Manuscript "The Goetia" also known as "The Lesser Key of Solomon the King". Once again it is one of the most important tools in the Conjuring of Spirits. There are several ways of setting up this Triangle of the Art.
The Term ‘Triangle of Manifestation is a phase that indicates the principle of magical manifestation. This basic principle is rooted in the number of three. It is a metaphysical belief that in order to manifest something, three components must come together. These components are
· Time,
· Space,
· Energy.
The functioning of the components is such that if a time and a space are selected into which energy is directed, a manifestation will occur.
