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CHAPTER TEN
The Seven Heavens'"
We are told in the Zohar149 that the Hebrew name for the Heavens,
Shaimaim, is composed of the words for Fire (ash) and Water (maim) in
the spiritual sense. These were placed in the manner of a curtain and
turned into the letter Vau which illuminated them. The Seven Heavens
of Assiah 150 are, in descending order: 15 l
7. ARABOTH - This means "cloud" or a mixture of them. In
metaphysical terms it shows the potential to renew life and give
blessing through rain. This is associated with Chesed-Mercy.
Since Chesed is the first of the Sephiroth after the Supemals
we are told in the Talmud l 52 that Araboth is the peaceful
abode where souls (freshly reincarnated) arrive (through Daach
148 In the diagram the earth is the central circle, while on the left is the Garden of Eden and on the
nghr the Gehenna.
149 Part 4, folio l64b.
150See "The Seven Palaces in early Jewish Mysticism" byDr. Deirdre Green in the Hermetic Journal,
No. 31, which views the Heavens or Palaces from a different viewpoint than I have given here
and is a very exhaustive scholarly work with a massive reference index,
151 With traditional Hebrew literature there arc many descriptions of the Visions of Paradise and
they quite often contradict each other. I have used the descriptions of the Heavens as given in (he
Talmud as the basis and also been influenced by the translations of early pre-Christian works by
JeUnick, Gaster, Friedmann and the Lesser Hecaloch texts.
152Hagigah 12b.
147