Kabbalah-of-the-Golden-Dawn-Pat-Zalewski - D Ank Unlimited

The Early Books 47
other letter except the ones before it, giving a total of 19 permutations.
Daleth is paired with every other letter except those before it, giving a
total of 18 permutations, etc. The total number of pairings are 231 39
which were created from "nothing, the vast limitless space."
A major concept dealt with in Chapter 3 is that of balance, Aleph­
Air, standing between Mem and Shin-Fire and Water. The text then
goes on to say that the three Mothers are sealed with six rings-relating
to the lower portion of the diagram.
The text then says:40
The Three Mothers in the world are Aleph, Mem, and
Shin: the heavens were produced from Fire 41 ; the Earth
from Water; and Air from the Spirit is as a reconciler
between the Fire and the Water.
The translation by Papus is a little fuller: 42
Three Principles are Shin, Aleph, Mem; fire, air and
water. The origin of the sky is fire, the origin of the earth
is water. Fire rises, water descends, and air is the regulatory
medium between them. Aleph-Mem-Shin is sealed
with six seals and enveloped in the male and female.
Know, think and imagine that fire supports water.
The Three Mothers are then associated with the year and the seasons,
with Aleph (air, chest, lungs) representing the temperate climate,
Mem (water, belly) for the winter, and Shin (fire, head) for summer. The
same idea can be found almost identically expressed in the Mishna 3,
Chapter 3, where it says:
God created in the World-Fire, Water, and Air. In
Man, the Head, Body, and Breast. In the Year,heat, cold
and wet.
19 Westcott states in hIS translation of the Sepher YetZlrah that this permutation adds up to 242 and
cites the Postellus Edition as giving the reason why 11 are omitted to get a total of 231. Generat·
ing the permutations as I have given them adds up to 231, not 242.
411 Westcott translation.
;\ The full aspect of this explanation is given in the section "Alchemy and the Kabbalah."
41This translation from the French was done by a former member of the Stella Matutina in New
Zealand.