Hebrew Olahm (LRPent)
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Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law,
I have been studying the structure and substance of the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram in an effort to illuminate some of the deeper symbolism contained, which of course has led me to a study of the Gematria of the terms in the Qabalistic Cross, as well as the God-Names.
I have found a stumbling-block, however, at the proper spelling of the term "Le-Olahm". Historically there has been some confusion on this matter as it has been rendered incorrectly as "Cholem", derived I assume from the pronunciation of A'ain as "Gh". The Golden Dawn gives the translation as "For ever", while the more accurate A.'.A.'. version gives "To the ages."
The only Hebrew spelling I have found is OVLM (A'ai+Vau+Lamed+Mem = 146), given in Sepher Sephiroth sub figura D and defined as "The world; an adult", as in the phrase "Olahm Yesodoth" (The World of Foundations), given with that same spelling in the Golden Dawn, and in this context OVLM seems fitting as the correct spelling.
However, in my mind there is a discrepancy when given as "Le-Olahm" being "To the ages" in the RItual. Is anyone aware of an alternate spelling which fits the given definition more appropriately?
As always any insight is greatly appreciated!
{:: Embryon De L'Abîme ::} -
@Embryon De L'Abîme said
"I have found a stumbling-block, however, at the proper spelling of the term "Le-Olahm". Historically there has been some confusion on this matter as it has been rendered incorrectly as "Cholem", derived I assume from the pronunciation of A'ain as "Gh". The Golden Dawn gives the translation as "For ever", while the more accurate A.'.A.'. version gives "To the ages.""
Those are two totally different words. The issue comes up not in the Pentagram Ritual, but in terms of Cholem Yesodoth, "brakers of the foundations," one of the titles of Malkuth in Assiah.
The word in the Pentagram Ritual is OVLM, which superficially means "world" but more specifically means something like "across the full range of time and space." The translation "To the Ages" is accurate enough but I understand the issue - I might translate it instead as, "Unto that, The World, which is the whole scope of time and space."
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Thanks Jim, that was quite informative!
@Jim Eshelman said
"Those are two totally different words. The issue comes up not in the Pentagram Ritual, but in terms of Cholem Yesodoth, "brakers of the foundations," one of the titles of Malkuth in Assiah."
I find this quite interesting. Regardie, in The Golden Dawn, attributes Malkuth in Assiah to "OVLM YSVDVTh", and also adds in a footnote:
"The Golden Dawn, 6th Ed. ; Second Knowledge Lecture, pg. 63:
This is sometimes rendered Cholem Yesodoth, and translated "The Breakers of Foundations." I'm pretty sure that this is a mistake no doubt due to a printer's error in reproducing "Ch" in place of "Gh," the latter being intendede for "Ayin," according to some older systems of transliteration."However, your attribution is corroborated by Liber 777, and given under "Table VI. The Heavens of Assiah" as ChLM YSVDVTh. Are you aware of any texts that discuss this disctinction in attribution?
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IMHO Regardie's explanation makes the most sense.
Cholem most commonly is the name of the the long "o" vowel (and "cholem" is used in other vowel names). According to most lexicons, the root meaning is a "dreaming" or, sometimes "healing". And Regardie, educated in Hebrew probably immediately saw the issue.
And 777 is chock full of typos and small errors.
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@Embryon De L'Abîme said
"I find this quite interesting. Regardie, in The Golden Dawn, attributes Malkuth in Assiah to "OVLM YSVDVTh", and also adds in a footnote:
"The Golden Dawn, 6th Ed. ; Second Knowledge Lecture, pg. 63:
This is sometimes rendered Cholem Yesodoth, and translated "The Breakers of Foundations." I'm pretty sure that this is a mistake no doubt due to a printer's error in reproducing "Ch" in place of "Gh," the latter being intendede for "Ayin," according to some older systems of transliteration."
"Yes, I'm quite familiar with the footnote. It was earnest, and I was convinced until I actually started lookiong into it.
I think I'm going to have to dig out my diaries from the early '80s. Regrettably, a quick tour through the lexicons currently on my shelf don't provide the information. But (take this for whatever it's worth to you, since I can't corraborate it at the moment), I found a word spelled either ChLM (or a slight variation) that meant "waves impacting the shore."
One of the problems with "Breakers of the Foundations." if your mind works like mine, is that one first reads it as, "something shattering the foundations." That's not the meaning of "breaker" that is meant. It is "waves impacting the shore" - the waves of the astral, "foundational breakers," crashing onto the shoreline of Malkuth. (This is very interesting to me since 564, the value of ChLM YSVDVTh, is also the value of VIHI HADM LNPShChIH, "And the Adam was formed into a Living Nephesh."
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The Maronite tradition is fairly well preserved, IMO, and the Aramaic ending of the Lord's Prayer is, "l'alam al-mein. Aa-meen. " (L'alam derives from the Hebrew Le Olahm, I think)
This is rendered in the Tridentine Latin as Saecula Saeculorum which is 'Unto the Age of Ages' according to the way the early Christian Church rendered it, maybe 1700 years ago or so.
The King James translators thought that "Forever" captured the proper sense of it about 400 years ago. "Forever and Ever" was also used when I was a kid.