Meditations on Lamed...
Lamed is the twelfth letter of the Hebrew Aleph-Beit. Literally, Lamed is an ox goad, a staff, "to learn", or "to teach". A ox goad is used to train an ox, and a staff to direct people. Mystically, it is the secret heart of Eve and a tower soaring in the air. Lamed is spelled Lamed-Mem-Daleth, which are the first letters of the words Lev meivin da'ath, "a heart that understands knowledge". Adam knowing (da'ath) Eve represents the teacher imparting the seed of his knowlegde into the student's heart, so, in coming together with Eve, Adam symbolically imparted the Seed (Yod) into her heart (Lamed). The form of Lamed is a Kaph with a Vev on top of it, the head of the Vev (Yod) looking down at the Kaph, a tower souring in the air. The Yod represents the teacher, and the Kaph the student, learning from the teacher. The word Keli, Vessel, is spelled Kaph-Lamed-Yod. The power to actualize potential (Kaph) is the aspiration of the heart (Lamed) reaching upward to conceive the secret of Wisdom (Yod). In the Torah, the heart represents this Vessel.
In the Ari's Tree, Lamed connects Hod (Glory) to Yesod (Foundation). This represents the Pillar of Severity (Binah, Understanding, Geburah, Judgement, Hod, Glory) being pulled together into the Seed (Yod) to be imparted by Yesod into Malkuth. All that is learned in the Pillar must be brought back to Malkuth to have any effect on the world around us. In the Gra's Tree, Lamed connects Tipherah (Beauty) to Netzach (Victory). This is the Triad of Chesed, Mercy, Geburah, Judgement, and Tipherah, Beauty coming together to bring Victory. If we learn from Mercy, Judgement, and their balance, Beauty, Victory is ours. Like Kaph, there are many Gematria that can be used to understand Lamed. I won't go into it as far, but, as the twelfth letter, Lamed is Yod (10) + Beit (2). The heart (Lamed) is the womb of wisdom and knowledge (the Seed, Yod), just as Beit is the womb of creation. Lamed means 30, with reduces to 3, with is Gimel. Just as Gimel gives of his riches to Daleth, Lamed (as teacher) gives of his wisdom to Kaph, so Kaph can actualize the potential of this wisdom, and act on it. Gimel (3) is Aleph (1) + Beit (2). The Ox Goad (Lamed) is used to teach the Ox (Aleph) and to bring him into the House of God (Beit), for the sacrifice.
On Kircher's Tree, Lamed connects Geburah, Judgement, to Tipherah, Beauty. It is the seed of what is learned in Binah and Geburah, coming together in Tipherah to create Beauty. Binah, Understanding, grows into Geburah, Judgement. This is a mature understanding, which becomes the seed that brings Beauty into the world. In the Tarot, Justice starts out in Lamed. After the Fool has passed through, we find the Hanging Man hanging from Lamed.
Justice in Lamed is all about teaching us. We act and it brings about punishments and rewards. It is our job to learn from them, so that be receive less punishments and more rewards from our actions. Justice teaches us how to improve the world, rather than damage it.
The Fool coming to lamed realizes that, though he has a seed of what he needs to know, and has watered it and allowed it to grow, he still has a lot to learn. Lamed teaches him that he will need to actively look to learn from the places he goes from here.
When the Fool has left, the Hanging Man is hanging from Lamed. He isn't upset. He chose to suffer this way, to sacrifice himself. He is Odin, hanging from the World Tree. And Lamed teaches him. While hanging from Lamed, he finds below him the runes, which are another way of writing the Hebrew letters, from which the world was made. In hanging from Lamed, he learns the secret of all the letters, for this is the wisdom in the heart of Lamed that we can all learn.
Are you willing to learn? Everything in our world and beyond it can be our teacher, if we just listen and look for the lesson. Take what you see and hear, and put it into your heart, into the Vessel, so you can bring it forth as wisdom to teach others. Aspire to learn all you can from every situation. Give of your wisdom, and go teach those around you. Your life should be a lesson others can learn from. Are there people around you that could benefit from your wisdom? Teach them.
~Muninn's Kiss
In the Ari's Tree, Lamed connects Hod (Glory) to Yesod (Foundation). This represents the Pillar of Severity (Binah, Understanding, Geburah, Judgement, Hod, Glory) being pulled together into the Seed (Yod) to be imparted by Yesod into Malkuth. All that is learned in the Pillar must be brought back to Malkuth to have any effect on the world around us. In the Gra's Tree, Lamed connects Tipherah (Beauty) to Netzach (Victory). This is the Triad of Chesed, Mercy, Geburah, Judgement, and Tipherah, Beauty coming together to bring Victory. If we learn from Mercy, Judgement, and their balance, Beauty, Victory is ours. Like Kaph, there are many Gematria that can be used to understand Lamed. I won't go into it as far, but, as the twelfth letter, Lamed is Yod (10) + Beit (2). The heart (Lamed) is the womb of wisdom and knowledge (the Seed, Yod), just as Beit is the womb of creation. Lamed means 30, with reduces to 3, with is Gimel. Just as Gimel gives of his riches to Daleth, Lamed (as teacher) gives of his wisdom to Kaph, so Kaph can actualize the potential of this wisdom, and act on it. Gimel (3) is Aleph (1) + Beit (2). The Ox Goad (Lamed) is used to teach the Ox (Aleph) and to bring him into the House of God (Beit), for the sacrifice.
On Kircher's Tree, Lamed connects Geburah, Judgement, to Tipherah, Beauty. It is the seed of what is learned in Binah and Geburah, coming together in Tipherah to create Beauty. Binah, Understanding, grows into Geburah, Judgement. This is a mature understanding, which becomes the seed that brings Beauty into the world. In the Tarot, Justice starts out in Lamed. After the Fool has passed through, we find the Hanging Man hanging from Lamed.
Justice in Lamed is all about teaching us. We act and it brings about punishments and rewards. It is our job to learn from them, so that be receive less punishments and more rewards from our actions. Justice teaches us how to improve the world, rather than damage it.
The Fool coming to lamed realizes that, though he has a seed of what he needs to know, and has watered it and allowed it to grow, he still has a lot to learn. Lamed teaches him that he will need to actively look to learn from the places he goes from here.
When the Fool has left, the Hanging Man is hanging from Lamed. He isn't upset. He chose to suffer this way, to sacrifice himself. He is Odin, hanging from the World Tree. And Lamed teaches him. While hanging from Lamed, he finds below him the runes, which are another way of writing the Hebrew letters, from which the world was made. In hanging from Lamed, he learns the secret of all the letters, for this is the wisdom in the heart of Lamed that we can all learn.
Are you willing to learn? Everything in our world and beyond it can be our teacher, if we just listen and look for the lesson. Take what you see and hear, and put it into your heart, into the Vessel, so you can bring it forth as wisdom to teach others. Aspire to learn all you can from every situation. Give of your wisdom, and go teach those around you. Your life should be a lesson others can learn from. Are there people around you that could benefit from your wisdom? Teach them.
~Muninn's Kiss