by From negative to potential existence, from the absolute to the finite: some of the topics on which cabalistic speculation questions itself, trying to grasp the meaning of being in the world.
The principles at the core of Kabbalistic teachings aim to provide solutions to the following issues:
- The Supreme Being, His nature and attributes.
- Cosmogony.
- The creation of angels and man.
- The fate of man and angels.
- The nature of the soul.
- The nature of angels, demons and elementals.
- The importance of the revealed law.
- The transcendent symbolism of numbers.
- The peculiar mysteries of the Hebrew letters.
- The balance of opposites.
The “Book of Concealment” (Sifra di-Ẓeni’uta) commences with the statement, “The Book of Concealment is the book of equilibrium of balance.” In this context, the term “equilibrium of balance” refers to the harmony resulting from opposites’ analogy. This balance is achieved when the strength of opposing forces is equal, resulting in immobility succeeding movement. It represents the central point, also called the “dot inside the circle”, in ancient symbolism. It is a living synthesis of counterbalanced power and is applied to the two opposite natures in each triad of the Sephiroth. This equilibrium forms the third Sephira in each ternary, making it a fundamental Kabbalistic concept.
The three veils of negative existence
The “Book of Concealment” establishes that “the Equilibrium anchors itself to a region that exists negatively“. However, the definition of a negative existence remains elusive, as a distinct definition would exclude its very nature. The distinction between negative and positive existence is a fundamental concept that requires careful consideration. In fact, when precisely defined, a negative existence passes into a static condition, ceasing to be negative.
As per the Kabbalists, the first Ain, the negatively existing One, and the Ain Soph, the Boundless Expansion, are beyond human understanding. Even the Ain Soph Aur, the Boundless Light, can only be faintly grasped at best. These are the primitive forms of the unknowable and unnameable One, often referred to as God in its most manifest form. It is the Absolute, but defining the Absolute is a challenge. Even when defined as the Absolute, it escapes our comprehension. Could we say that the Negative, the Boundless and the Absolute are, logically speaking, absurd since they are ideas that our reason cannot define? No, because by being able to explain them, we should, so to speak, contain them with reasoning: a subject must have certain boundaries assigned to be defined. Therefore, how can we limit the Boundless?
The first principle and axiom of Kabbalah is the divine name, translated in our rendition of the Bible as “I am who I am” or “I am that I am” [1], Ehye Asher Ehye (Hebrew אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה). A more accurate translation would be “I am the Existing One” or “I am who I was, I am who I am, I am who I shall be”. Due to the dissimilar verbal structure of Hebrew compared to Western languages, a simplified translation would fail to convey the sentence’s meaning.
Éliphas Lévi says in his “History of Magic”:
The Kabbalists are horrified by anything resembling idolatry; they, however, ascribe the human form to God, but it is merely a hieroglyphic figure. They regard God as the intelligent Being and living and loving One Infinite. He is to them neither a collection of other beings, an abstraction of existence, nor a philosophically definable being. He is in all, distinct from all, and greater than all. His true name is ineffable, and once again, this name expresses only the human ideal of his divinity. What God is in himself is not given to man to know. God is the absolute of faith, but the Being is the absolute of reason. Being exists for itself; that’s why it exists. The reason for the existence of Being is Being itself. We could ask ourselves: “Why do things exist?” “Why do such and such things exist?” But not without feeling ridiculous: “Why does Being exist?” Because this would mean assuming Being before Being.
— Éliphas Lévi – Histoire de la Magie – Paris 1880, I, 7
And again, the same author says:
To say: “I will believe when the truth of the dogma has been scientifically proven to me”, is equivalent to saying: “I will believe when I no longer have anything to believe in and when the dogma has been destroyed as such by becoming a scientific theorem”. In other words: «I will admit the Infinite when it has been explained, determined, circumscribed and defined for my advantage; in a word, when it has become finite. So, I will believe in Infinity when I am sure that Infinity does not exist. I will accept the ocean’s vastness when I see it bottled.’ But when something is demonstrated and made understandable, you will no longer believe it; you will know.
— Ibid., III, 2
The Bhagavadgītā [2] says:
O descendant of Bhārata! You will see countless wonders never seen before. In my body, Guḍākeśa [3], there is the whole universe, all that is movable and motionless, all in one.
— Bhagavadgītā, IX, 19
And again, Arjuna says:
You are the primordial God, the Spirit; you are the Ancient One, the supreme Vessel of this universe. You are the Knowing Subject, the Object to Know and the Supreme Throne. You, with infinite forms, unfold the universe … Homage to you in front and behind. Homage on all sides likewise, o [you who are] all! Your heroism is limitless, your valour infinite; you extend to everything; therefore, you are the Whole!
— Ibid., XI, 38-40
The concept of negative existence can be understood as an idea, but it cannot be defined due to the fundamental incompatibility of the concept of definition with its nature. Negative subsistence, as a term, does not apply to negative existence, as it is simply a state of nothingness, incapable of variation or growth. Therefore, negative subsistence cannot exist, has never existed, does not currently exist, and will never exist. However, within the abyss of negativity that characterises negative existence lies a hidden positive life, as this concept can transcend itself and project the spark of thought into the absolute. It is also capable of rewinding the syntagm within itself. Although this intensity remains veiled and enveloped, it is absorbed into the centreless vortex of the immensity of expansion.
Establishing a nexus or a specific connection between two ideas as different as negative and positive existence is crucial. This leads us to the concept of potential existence, which is still rather ambiguous. However, we are gradually approaching a positive existence, which denotes existence in its conceivable form. Take, for instance, the tree that has the potential to grow; it is concealed within a seed and exists in a state of potential but not yet defined existence, at least for a seed that can germinate. On the other hand, the latter is in a form far from manifest but somewhat akin to potential existence; that is, it exists negatively.
However, it should be noted that the definition of positive existence is always subject to definition. Its dynamism and tangible energies characterise it and starkly contrast it to negative existence and even more so to negative subsistence. Positive existence can be likened to a tree no longer being hidden in the seed but developed externally. However, the fact that positive existence has a beginning and an end means that it must rely on another form of support. Without the presence of a negative occult idea, a positive existence would be inherently unstable and incomplete.
Three veils characterise the concept of negative existence in Kabbalah. These veils contain the hidden ideas of the Sephirot, which have not yet come into being and are concentrated in Kether. This makes Kether the Malkuth of the hidden ideas of the Sephirot. The first veil of negative existence is Ain, representing negativity. The word comprises three letters that delineate the first three Sephiroth or numbers. The second veil is AIN SVP (Ain Soph), which stands for the Unlimited. It comprises six letters and prefigures the idea of the first six Sephirot or numbers. The third veil is AIN SVP AVR (Ain Soph Aur), representing the Boundless Light. It comprises nine letters and symbolises the first nine Sephirot in their hidden idea. However, upon reaching number nine, progression cannot occur without returning to Oneness or number one. The number ten is essentially a repetition of the Unity formed from the negative, as is evident from its conventional representation in Arabic numerals, where the circle 0 represents the Negative, and the one represents the Unity. As such, the limitless ocean of negative light does not proceed from a centre but concentrates a centre, which is the number one of the manifest Sephirot, Kether, the Crown, and the first Sephira. Hence, Kether is considered to be Malkuth or the number ten of the hidden Sephirot. This is why it is said that “Kether is in Malkuth, and Malkuth is in Kether“. A famous alchemical author, Thomas Vaughan [4], better known as Eugenius Philalethes, further emphasises this point when he quotes Proclus by saying, “Heaven is on earth but in a terrestrial way, and earth is in heaven, but in a celestial way”. Kabbalists hold Kether to be dependent upon the number of Unity rather than separate from it. Thus, they indiscriminately apply the same terms and epithets to both. Such aliases include “The Occult of the Occult”, “The Ancient of the Ancients”, and “The Ancient of the Saints”.
[1] Exodus 3:14.
[2] The Bhagavadgītā, also known as The Song of the Lord, forms the speculative and central portion of the Mahābhārata, an epic poem chronicling the wars fought in the pursuit of the conquest of northern India (Bhārata). It is essentially a dialogue between Arjuna, the human son of the god Indra, and his charioteer and relative Kṛṣṇa, who embodies the personification of the Absolute.
[3] Gudākeśa, meaning “thick-haired,” is an epithet commonly associated with Arjuna.
[4] Thomas Vaughan (1621-1666) was a Welsh priest, philosopher, and alchemist who left a significant mark on the fields of natural magic and pharmacology. Writing under the pseudonym Eugenius Philalethes, he developed his own interpretation of Paracelsus’s methods, which focused on the preparation of pharmacological remedies based on natural medicine. Vaughan’s contributions to the field of alchemy also extended beyond his own writings, as he is credited with translating the Fama Fraternitatis Rosae Crucis, the seminal Rosicrucian manifesto, into English.
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