Egyptian-Hebrew stream·Sefer Yetzirah (Book of Formation)·Chapter III — The Three Mothers
Aleph, Mem, Shin — fire, water, air
The three mother-letters as the three primal elements: Aleph (air, balance), Mem (water, scale of acquittal), Shin (fire, scale of liability). Their cosmic, temporal, and bodily correspondences.
Source context
- Theme
- Triadic structure of letters, numbers, and divine speech as instruments of cosmic formation
Steiner
not engaged in the GA corpus
Cross-tradition
- Pythagorean number-mysticismThe Pythagorean identification of number as the ontological ground of all things shows cross-tradition congruence with Sefer Yetzirah Chapter III's treatment of the three mother letters and their numerical-cosmological functions.
- Vedantic triadic cosmology (triguṇa)The Sāṃkhya-Vedantic triad of sattva, rajas, and tamas as the three generative principles underlying manifest existence shows cross-tradition congruence with the three mother letters (Aleph, Mem, Shin) as primordial formative forces.
- Neoplatonic triad (One / Nous / Soul)The Plotinian threefold emanation — One, Intellect, World-Soul — shows cross-tradition congruence with the Sefer Yetzirah's triadic articulation of the formative principles that generate cosmic, temporal, and human dimensions.
CHAPTER III
1The three mother letters A, M, SH are the foundations of the whole; and resemble a Balance, the good in one scale, the evil in the other, and the oscillating tongue of the Balance between them.
2These three mothers enclose a mighty mystery, most occult and most marvelous, sealed as with six rings, and from them proceed primeval Fire, Water, and Air; these are subsequently differentiated into male and female. At first existed these three mothers, and there arose three masculine powers, and hence all things have originated.
3The three mothers are A, M, SH; and in the beginning as to the Macrocosm the Heavens were created from Fire;nthe Earth from primeval Water; and the Air was formed from the Spirit, which stands alone in the midst, and is the Mediator between them.
4In the Year or as regards Time, these three mothers represent Heat, Cold, and a Temperate climate, the heat from the fire, the cold from the water, and the temperate state from the spiritual air which again is an equalizer between them.
These three mothers again represent in the Microcosm or Human form, male and female; the Head, the Belly, and the Chest; the bead from the fire, the belly from water, and the chest from the air lieth between them.
5These three mothers did he create, form, and design, and combine with the three mothers in the world, and in the year, and in Man, both male and female.
He caused Aleph to reign in the air, and crown it, and combined one with the other, and with these he sealed the Air in the world, the temperate climate of the year, and the chest (the lungs for breathing air) in man; the male with A, M, SH, the female with SH, M, A. He caused Mem to predominate in Water, and crowned it, and combined it with others, and formed Earth on the world, cold in the year, and the fruit of the womb in mankind, being carried in the belly. He caused Shin to reign in Fire and crowned it, and he combined one with the other, and sealed them, as heaven in the universe, as heat in the year, and as the head of Man and Woman.