Frater FP - The Magician's Kabbalah.pdf - Federal Jack

Chapter Three; Ain Soph Aur
Kabbalah postulates that Kether, the Point from which expansion began through the
Sephiroth into existence, is in itself the Malkuth of a "negative existence", a limitless "being" which
contracted to a point in Kether. Kether itself is the Malkuth of the absolutely unknowable, from which
all things proceed.
The infinite being is viewed as having three veils which cover its essential essence and by
which it is known :
AIN -
AIN SVPh -
AIN SVPh AVR -
Nothing, nought
Infinite (SVTh - End)
Limitless Light (AVR - Light, fire)
The "neverness" of AIN and its "negativity" is due in part to the infinite nature of the light,
which is thus by virtue undefinable and hence "negative" to human consciousness. This aspect of
divinity is examined in such mystical treatises as "The Cloud of Unknowing" and "The Ascent of
Mount Carmel";
"The divine darkness is the inaccessible light in which God is said to dwell (1 Timothy 6:10),
invisible indeed, because of the superabundant light."
In the Temple the Magician reminds himself of this unknowable ultimate by the Lamp of
Dazzling Darkness, which is the everburning and eternal lamp of Edessa, of Jupiter Ammon, of
Pallas, and the perpetual lamp found in the tomb of Christian Rosencreutz. Indeed, a translation of
Ain Soph Aur could be "never-ending fire", and Crowley may be hinting at this when he speaks of the
Lamp :
"Eternal, unconfined, unextended, without cause and without effect, the Holy Lamp
mysteriously burns. Without quantity or quality, unconditioned and sempiternal, is this Light."
Indeed, he later states that the Lamp "is before 'I am'", thus confirming that he is attributing
it above Kether (whose God-name is of course EHIEH, "I am that I am") and therefore to the Ain
Soph Aur.