Construction of an Alternate Cube of Space:
The Octahedron of Space |
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The Cube of Space diagram is based upon the Sepher Yetzirah, The Book of Formation. This oldest of Qabalistic texts contains no diagrams. It is usually assumed that the correspondences given there between the 22 Hebrew letters and the directions refer to a cube. However, they can equally be placed upon an octahedron. Here the placement of the 22 letters is shown with their corresponding Tarot keys. The positions on the cube are from the Sepher Yetzirah, short version (with one change by Paul Foster Case - the positions of lamed (Justice) and nun (Death) are reversed). Note that the Hebrew alphabet contains seven "double" letters (each has two pronunciations), twelve "single" letters, and three "mother" letters. The cube has six faces plus the center = seven, twelve edges, and three axi through the center of the faces. Similarly, the octahedron has six vertexes (plus the center), twelve edges, and three axi. Indeed, in their geometry, both the cube and the octahedron are ideally suited to representing the three sets (3 mothers, 7 doubles, 12 singles) of Hebrew letters. |
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