Path: Supernews70!Supernews73!supernews.com!howland.erols.net!news-feed1.tiac.net!posterchild2!hollyfeld.org!zazas-l-owner From: tyagi@houseofkaos.abyss.com (nocTifer) Newsgroups: alt.satanism,alt.magick.tyagi,talk.religion.misc,alt.pagan Subject: (Z) Shemhamphorash Date: 2 Apr 1998 22:45:05 -0500 Organization: Hollyfeld Information Systems Lines: 79 Sender: mail@www.hollyfeld.org Approved: alt-satanism,alt-magick-tyagi,talk-religion-misc,alt-pagan@hollyfeld.org Message-ID: <199804030333.TAA24823@shell.accesscom.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: dns.hollyfeld.org Xref: Supernews70 alt.satanism:89136 alt.magick.tyagi:15301 talk.religion.misc:354660 alt.pagan:258539 49980402 aa2 Hail Satan! I notice that the term or some variation of "Shemhamphorasch" is used within at least CoSatanist rituals, and so I wanted to provide one perspective on the origins and usage of this term from someone whose text I find intriguing. enjoy. blessed beast! tyagi@houseofkaos.abyss.com nocTifer ================================================================ Orig-To: From: Clifford Hartleigh Low Shemhamphorash is a distortion of the phrase Shem ha'Meforash, which translates as the Name of 72. It is common practice to use Hebrew references to divine names, as exoteric stand-ins for divine names themselves. The most common examples are that the appearances of YY and YHVH in prayer are always pronounced "Adonai" (Lord.) Outside of prayer, it is considered inappropriate to utter even that word, so "Ha Shem" is used instead. Ha Shem means The Name. A consequence of this, is that all Orthodox (and many Conservative) Jews will mention only to The Name in conversation, deeming anything closer to a powerful holy name might be blasphemous-- and have undesirably mystical consequences. The fact that Ha Shem is an abstraction of an abstraction of an abstraction and so on, gives it enough distance from the real thing that it becomes safe to handle. The closer a word is to the actual True Name of something, the more (frequently dangerous) power the utterer or inscriber can derive from it. The actual item the phrase refers to is a single word composed of 72 syllables, of three Hebrew consonants each. Like most Hebrew names for God, it is composed from a kind of acronym based on passages of the Old Testament. It has frequently been called the "ineffable name", though it is a partial misnomer. It was (perhaps mythically) considered a supreme ritual within Kabbalism for a mystic to pronounce the ineffable name perfectly and with a single breath. Supposedly, the complicated rhythmic breathing and energy exercises practiced within Kabbalah lend the ability to utter what would otherwise require angelic lungs and vocal chords. The Kabbalist (or demon) who can utter the ineffable name, has the power to infuse uncomplicated lifeforce in inanimate objects (golems), the powers of invisibility and flight, the power to flawlessly command and constrain (other) demons, and the power to transform non-living matter in a temporary or permanent fashion. (Demons in Jewish folklore frequently behave more like mischevious geniis or dark faeries than Christian demons. Only very noble or powerful demons have the discipline and purity to utter the ineffable name.) Its most common usage is on protective amulets, which is probably how it has been preserved altogether. The theological value of the 72-letter name is unique and complicated. The concept of "True Names" is the root of all Kabbalistic thought, and this particular word is considered to have immense significance. It is believed that Jehovah himself uttered the word to call the cosmos into existence, for example. It is speculated that this word is the True Name of God, though most serious Kabbalists dismiss this idea. More likely, it is the True Name of the Torah, which _itself_ is the True Name of God. Even the angels cannot pronounce the Torah as one word in a single exhalation. Or so it is believed. The word Shemhamphorash has no pre-Kabbalistic meaning. It's usage in Satanism is somewhat peculiar. --Cliff ------------------------------------------------------------------------ | alhazred@NOSPAM.necronomi.com | http://www.necronomi.com/users/cthulhu | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ EOF ____________...oooOOO---zazas-l@hollyfeld.org---OOOooo..._____________ To unsubscribe send "unsubscribe" to zazas-l-request@hollyfeld.org To unsubscribe your@email.com send "unsubscribe your@email.com" To subscribe send "subscribe" to zazas-l-request@hollyfeld.org http://www.hollyfeld.org/heaven