Language of creation

From Anthroposophy

With the language of creation is meant the advanced capability of the adept to create in the three worlds - spiritual, astral and physical, through mastery of the combined controlled influences on the higher worlds.

Franz Bardon described this language of creation in his third book of initiation 'Key to True Kabbalah'. The exercises require complete mastery of the first book Initiation into Hermetics (IIH) and should not be tried before having reached Step 8 in the latter. The 27 cosmic letters - see Schema FMC00.517 - are only meaningful given a certain level of spiritual maturity, and trying to articulate them or their combinations is to no use if one did not develop the elemental balance and capabilities as laid out in IIH. After learning the individual letters, practice consists of formulas consisting of combinations in the twofold, threefold and fourfold keys.

This language of creation has been part of the Greater Mysteries through the ages, and hence there are similar approaches in Hinduism, Buddhism and many other traditions around the globe. The set of symbols used is of less relevance to what is achieved with them magically in the higher worlds of consciousness, hence there is for example a Sanskrit-alphabetical tradition equivalent to KTQ and used in the same way to similar effect. In other words it is not the symbols themselves that matter but what one is doing with them.

Rudolf Steiner called this creative consciousness of the Word, and described how humanity will develop this capability in a natural way in distant future Conditions of Life and Consciousness (see ao the future Conditions of Life on Earth (eg Schema FMC00.298 on Earth rounds perspective) as forebodes of the next planetary stages of evolution Future Jupiter, Future Venus and Vulcan).

The most spiritually advanced Individualities that are able to develop these capabilities and adepthood take like a 'fast track' and develop such future capabilities - future for the majority of humanity - with their current bodily structure and the current Earth phase of development

Aspects

  • The Language of Creation (KTK) works from outside spacetime simultaneously in the three worlds below: "True kabbalistic speech is very complex: first there is the quadrapolar concentration, then the tripolar action [in the three worlds mental, astral, physical], the placement or projection of the letter into the appropriate realm, and then the actual pronunciation of the letter .. all of which must occur simultaneously. ... Where KTK differentiates from magic is that e connection between intent and manifestation occurs outside of time-space and all the natural processes of descent are bypassed. With magic, the magician works from within the realm of time-space and the transition from initial intent into manifestation does follow the natural processes of descent." (Rawn Clark)
  • "Today speech arises inwardly and is sent out only into the air. In the future, the spoken word will not fade away into the air but will continue to exist, and with it a Man will create actual forms. During the Future Jupiter stage Man will have power to shape himself by his thoughts; during the Future Venus stage Man will give form to the world around him. During the Future Venus existence creative feelings will arise, creative speech, and the feelings that create through the word." (1923-08-30-GA227)
  • see also: the first apocalyptic seal (see Schema FMC00.367) that depicts Man as a future creative God speaking the Word, see Apocalyptic seals
  • KTK or KTQ
    • consists of three sections: (1) theory (2) exercises to master the alphabet (3) the keys themselves. The second part is the essential preparatory work to incorporate what is taught into one's being, transforming one's constitution at a physical, astral and mental level in preparation for working with the keys.
    • is known to contain errors, for the earnest student to recognize, maybe like a deliberate filter or hurdle
    • uses a 27 letter alphabet (for mapping to Hebrew, see Rawn Clark's commentary notes)
  • the mastery of Bardon's third book KTK represents a link with the White Lodge or Brotherhood, see below on Schema FMC00.608, more on Spiritual guidance of mankind and see also 'Fathers' (sources: Jef C. mentions that anyone who is advanced in mastering the two and three letter combinations of KTK becomes visible in the sphere of the greater community of the White Lodge. Bardon states the same at the end of IIH.)
  • background reading on the advanced practice of threefold keys; see sequence of postings on a public internet forum in the period 2001-2 by someone (anonymous, called 'Jef C.') who had followed Bardon's initiation system over three decades (since approx 1971) - see Marten Crawford: 'The adept magician' (2014, this PDF download contains excerpts).

Various

  • the divine I principle of God in ancient cultures is called the 'inexpressible name' (1919-08-17-GA296) or 'unpronounceable Tetragrammaton' (see Jehovah#On the name Jehovah); as current word-names such as IAO (greek) or Yod He Vav He (hebrew) are made up of 'flat' or 'empty' characters devoid of the magical meaning with which they were filled or expressed, hence the 'inexpressible' or 'unpronounceable'. See also Rawn Clark on The Magic of IHVH-ADNI.
  • for the tone dimension, see also Wescott's 'Magic and music - The language of the Gods revealed' (1982) (p 74, 76 and 82, 83), see Franz Bardon and initiation#Other

Inspirational quotes

Franz Bardon's warnings can not be taken seriously enough, one should not consider playing with fire unless one has reached an elemental equilibrium as per IIH step 8

The danger of imbalance by one-sided mystical exercises (exercises with letters) is so much the greater with fanatics. I have met many people whose exercises in the mysticism of letters sooner or later resulted in mental disturbances due to this one-sided transfer of consciousness.

These exercises with mysticism of letters in one's feet, cause a splitting of the personality, schizophrenia, with all its serious consequences.

A true seeker will not deal with the mysticism of letters unless he has fulfilled the required preconditions necessary for the success.

This clearly shows how inexcusable it is if writings of oriental origin are interpreted incorrectly and translated literally into an intellectual language.

Illustrations

Schema FMC00.517: provides an overview of the esoteric alphabet of the cosmic language of creation, tables created by Rawn Clark based on Franz Bardon's third book 'Key to True Kabbalah' (KTK). It links the letters to the four elements (left) and also shows them in configuration as multi-letter keys (right).

provides an overview of the esoteric alphabet of the cosmic language of creation, tables created by Rawn Clark based on Franz Bardon's third book 'Key to True Kabbalah' (KTK). It links the letters to the four elements (left) and also shows them in configuration as multi-letter keys (right).

Schema FMC00.517A: is a variant of the language of creation table based on Franz Bardon's Key to True Kabbalah. This copy in French is by Alexandre Moryason.

is a variant of the language of creation table based on Franz Bardon's Key to True Kabbalah. This copy in French is by Alexandre Moryason.

Schema FMC00.608: is an infographic illustrating what is called the white brotherhood consisting of the white lodge of twelve masters; each with direct assistants and helpers. This is to be considered when contemplating important Individualities and known teachers of mankind, for example - for the 20th century - Rudolf Steiner, Beinsa Douno, Franz Bardon, Daskalos, but also Krishnamurti, Sri M, and others. The Masters themselves are often or mostly not publicly known, but they work through others and their missions are carried into the world by their assistant 'wise men' and helpers.

See also: Spiritual guidance of mankind

is an infographic illustrating what is called the white brotherhood consisting of the white lodge of twelve masters; each with direct assistants and helpers. This is to be considered when contemplating important Individualities and known teachers of mankind, for example - for the 20th century - Rudolf Steiner, Beinsa Douno, Franz Bardon, Daskalos, but also Krishnamurti, Sri M, and others. The Masters themselves are often or mostly not publicly known, but they work through others and their missions are carried into the world by their assistant 'wise men' and helpers. See also: Spiritual guidance of mankind

Lecture coverage and references

1905-10-04-GA093

As now, when Man speaks he influences the air, so later he will gain an influence over what is fluid. The ‘I think’, and thought in general, will express itself in the air and indeed in forms, for example as crystals.

At the next stage feeling will also be involved with thinking. Development will work backwards. The warmth of the heart will then express itself in oscillations, and flow outwards together with thought.

And the last stage will be achieved by Man when he will create actual beings which remain; when through the word he will externalise what he wills. The expression of feeling is merely a transition.

When Man becomes creative through the will, then the beings which he brings forth will have actual existence.

1906-06-11-GA094

Having transformed the mineral world, Man will learn to transform the plants. This denotes a higher power. Today, Man erects buildings; in future times he will be able to create and give shape to plant-life by working upon plant-substance.

At a still higher stage, he will give form not only to living beings but to conscious beings. He will have power over animal life. When he has reached the stage of being able to reproduce his like by an act of conscious will, he will accomplish, at a higher level, what he accomplishes today in the mineral world.

The germ of this sublime power of generation, cleansed of all element of sensuality, is the word.

Man became a conscious being when he drew his first breath; consciousness will reach its stage of perfection when he is able to pour into the words he utters, the same creative power with which his thought is endowed today.

In this age, it is only words that he communicates to the air. When he has reached the stage of higher creative consciousness, he will be able to communicate images to the air. The word will then be an Imagination — wholly permeated with life. In giving body to these images, he will be giving body to the word which bears and sustains the image. When we no longer simply embody our thoughts in objects, as for instance when we make a watch, but give body to these images, they will live.

And when Man knows how to impart life to what is highest in him, these ‘images’ will lead a real and actual existence, comparable to animal existence.

At the highest stage of evolution, Man will thus be able, finally, to reproduce his own being. At the end of the process of the Earth's transformation, the whole atmosphere will resound with the power of the Word. Thus Man must evolve to a stage where he will have the power to mould his environment in the image of his inner being. The initiate only precedes him along this path.

1907-09-16-GA284

see also: Apocalyptic seals#1907-09-16-GA284

  • While I speak to you, you hear my words. Through the fact that this sound fills the air and that certain vibrations are produced in it, my words are transported to your ears and to your souls. When I say a word, for example, “world,” the air vibrates in an embodiment of that word. What we produce in this way today is called “creation in the mineral kingdom.” The movements of the air are mineral movements, so to speak, and thus through the larynx we have a mineral effect on our environment.
  • But men will progress and will also become effective in the plant kingdom. Then they will call forth not only mineral, but also plant-like vibrations. They will speak 'plants'.
  • The next step will be that men will be able to speak 'feeling beings'.
  • On the highest stage of their development, they will generate their like through the larynx. A man now can only express the contents of his soul through his larynx, but then Man will express himself. As men in the future will be able to call people into being through their speaking, so it was that the forerunners of mankind, the gods, were gifted with an organ with which they expressed all things that are around us today. It is they who have made all men, animals and everything else that is manifest. In the literal sense of the word, all of you are words uttered by divine beings.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and a God was the Word!” This does not mean a philosophical word in the speculative sense. St. John set down a primal fact that is to be taken quite literally.

At the end there will be the Word. Creation is a realization of the Word, and men in the future will bring forth a realizations of what today is the Word. Then men will no longer have the physical forms they have today; they will have progressed to the form that existed on Old Saturn, to fire matter.

1923-08-30-GA227

see also: Walking Speaking Thinking#1923-08-30-GA227

[Future faculties]

  • So it is that the thoughts of men point towards the Future Jupiter stage in the evolution of the world and of man — a stage that can be reached only when the Earth has passed through death and risen to a new planetary existence. For thoughts will not then live in us in their present fluctuating way; they will take definite shape and appear in the very form of Man. Today we are able to keep our thoughts to ourselves, and on certain occasions our countenance can appear perfectly innocent, although we are inwardly guilty. We shall not be able to do this during the Future Jupiter-existence. A Man's thoughts will then engender the expression of his face. The human form will have lost its mineralised firmness; it will be inwardly flexible and will consist of a quite soft substance. A wrong thought rising up in us will instantly show itself to other people through a change in our expression. Everything in the nature of a thought will at once take shape; a man will then go about in the guise of his own enduring thoughts and temperament. Hence if, during the Future Jupiter-existence, a Man is a regular scoundrel, or has only animal impulses, that is what he will look like. That is the first stage in Man's future.
  • The second stage will exemplify the creative power of speech. Today speech arises inwardly and is sent out only into the air. In the future, the spoken word will not fade away into the air but will continue to exist, and with it a man will create actual forms. So that in the Future Jupiter stage he will have power to shape himself by his thoughts; in the Future Venus stage he will give form to the world around him. If during the Future Venus stage — when all substance will be as fine as air — he utters an evil word, something like a repulsive plant-form will come into being. Hence a Man will be surrounded by the creations of his own speech. During the Future Venus existence creative feelings will arise, creative speech, and the feelings that create through the word.
  • During the last metamorphosis of the Earth, the Future Vulcan stage, the activities expressed in our walking and the movements of our arms will develop further. Today we go to our work and use our arms to carry out actions, but nothing of that is lasting. I go to some place; I have something or other to do. It may of course be something quite complicated — possibly even the waging of war. Then we go away again, and in the outer world none of our actions remain. During the Vulcan-existence, everything will remain. A Man will not simply go about and perform actions; everything he does will leave its imprint on the Vulcan-existence. His deeds will be actualised, will become realities.

1999-07-20 - Rawn Clark

in response to a question by Paul Allen (who had a website related to Franz Bardon's teachings in the period 1997-2004)

Question:

There's always been something that has puzzled me regarding the Key. It's very obvious that this book is based on the original hebrew quabalah. However, in the original hebrew qabalah, there are only 22 letters whereas in Bardon's Key he lists 27.

What is the origin and significance of the 5 additions?

First reply by PA:

The answer to your question is very simple. The Hebraic alphabet consists not of 22 but of 27 letters. You forgot the final ones. These 27 Hebraic letters are distributed in 3 classes:

  • I.) Simple letters with the numerical values 1-9: Aleph (1), Beth(2), Gimel(3), Daleth(4), He(5), Vau(6), Zayin(7), Cheth(8), Teth(9). They represent the mental plane with 9 orders of angelic powers (Agrippa).
  • II.) Letters with the numerical values 10-90: Yod(10), Kaph(20), Lamed(30), Mem(40), Nun(50), Samekh(60), Ayin(70), Pe(80), Tzaddi(90). They represent the "heavenly things within the 9 spheres of heaven" (Agrippa).
  • III.) Letters with numerical value 100-900: Qoph(100), Resh(200), Shin(300), Tau(400), Kaph-final(500), Mem-final(600), Nun-final(700), Pe-final(800), Tzaddi-final(900). They represent the lower things: the four elements and "5 species of composed things" (Agrippa).

Sources:

  • Agrippa, "De occulta philosophia" Book III, chapter 30.
  • Isreal Regardie: "The Golden Down" Book I, p. 103 (for the numerical values of the Hebraic letters).

Agrippa continues after this explanation how these 3 classes of letters are subsequently divided in 3x3 = 9 subclasses and how they are used to compose sigils of divine names (he gives the example of how to compose the sigil of the Angel Michael = Angel of Fire).

Rawn Clark's comment about my reply:

I just read your comments regarding the discrepancy between the 22 Hebrew Letters and the 27 Letters mentioned in KTK and I have to, respectfully, disagree with your assessment.

Your comments focus upon the *gematria* or numerological value of the Hebrew Letters and there are indeed 27 numerical values when the final-forms are considered.  However, this has little to do with KTK.  In KTK, Franz focuses upon the *speaking* of the Letters not their gematria.  In Hebrew, the final-forms are spoken exactly the same as their standard forms and do not differ in sound.  Their only differences are in their numerical value and in how they are physically written.

What Franz Bardon has done in KTK is attempt to represent all the sounds that it is possible for the human to vocalize.  In the opening of KTK, Franz is not employing the Hebrew alphabet, instead he uses the Chek/English equivalents. For example he says the first letter is "A".  In English, "A" is a pronounceable vowel.  In Hebrew however, the first letter "Aleph" is not a pronounceable vowel.  Unlike English, the Hebrew alphabet itself is made up of 22 consonants which are pronounceable only with the addition of *vowel-points*.  "Aleph" becomes the equivalent of the English "A" only when the vowel-point "tsere" is added.

If you put the 27 letter-sounds from KTK up next to the 22 Hebrew Letters, I think you'll find that the 5 final-forms do not account for the difference. In fact, there are many differences between the two sets of symbols.  Some Hebrew letter-sounds do not even appear among the 27 KTK letter-sounds.  For example, the TZ sound of Tzaddi and the TH sound of Tav are both missing. Similarly, there are letter-sounds listed in KTK which do not have Hebrew corollaries.

The result is confusing, especially since Franz then applies these 27 letter-sounds to Qabalistic formulae based upon the Hebrew alphabet.  In practice, they don't equivalate directly and the only solution is to learn enough about the Hebrew language so that one can effectively translate from one set of symbols to the other.

2002 - Rawn Clark - A Bardon Companion

Section commentary on KTK in 'A Bardon Companion V1'

excerpt added to provide a very concise introduction

Bardon uses the term 'kabbalah' to indicate the cosmic language or creative speech, and not the corpus of Jewish kabbalah. ... kabbalah is the cosmic or divine language through which creation was/is enacted. This is not an intellectual language such as English, French, Chinese, etc. It is not used for purposes of communication between separate beings. Instead, it communicates intent and meaning directly into manifest substance, be it mental, astral or physical substance. ...

.. it represents is the natural descent of spirit into matter, which on a cosmic, divine level, occurs outside of time-space (i.e., in eternity). Where kabbalah differentiates from magic is that in kabbalah, the connection between intent and manifestation occurs outside of time-space and all the natural processes of descent are bypassed. With magic, on the other hand, the magician works from within the realm of time-space and the transition from initial intent into manifestation does follow the natural processes of descent. Only when the magician has succeeded in consciously uniting with the divine, are these natural processes circumvented.

The kabbalist, by way of analogy, connects with the original divine creative force and, through the use of kabbalistically spoken letters, mimics the macrocosmic creativity in a microcosmic manner. Consequently, only the individual who has achieved the highest level of ethical maturity is capable of true kabbalistic utterance. .. only one who can truly merge with the divine is capable of kabbalistic speech.

...

each letter or group of letters expresses a specific idea or meaning that we wish to externalize and bring into manifestation. The letters act as a conduit for this particular meaning .. each letter is expressed in each one of the three realms (mental, astral and physical

...

the cosmic language is spoken with all four poles simultaneously. Only a being capable of uniting itself consciously with deity can achieve a quadrapolarity akin to deity, and thus speak creatively. This may be difficult to comprehend, but the key to it is that we are beings which span the entire gambit of creation. We are composed, in the terminology of metaphysics, in the divine image and thus we are able to untie ourselves consciously with the whole of the creation.

...

Bardon speaks of a quadrapolar concentration: Fire/Color, Air/Tone, Water/Feeling and Earth/Legality (Number). With this quadrapolar concentration, the kabbalist must work tripolarly: mentally, astrally and physically. In other words, one uses the quadrapolar concentration within each of these three realms, through one's own three bodies, simultaneously.

When Bardon mentions the uttering of a kabbalistic letter, he speaks of three phases or modes: mental or silent, whispering, and aloud. The first is effective only upon the mental plane and occurs solely within the mind of the kabbalist. The second mode, whispering, occurs aloud but with only the breath and mind, and without any vibration of the vocal cords. This is effective only upon the astral plane. The third mode, aloud, involves mind, breath and vibration of the vocal cords, and is effective upon the physical plane. When uttering a letter kabbalistically, whether with mind, breath or vibration of the vocal cords, great care must be taken ..

True kabbalistic speech is a very complex matter. First there is the quadrapolar concentration, then the tripolar action, then the placement or projection of the letter into the appropriate realm, and then the actual pronunciation of the letter as noted above. All of which must occur simultaneously.

2021 - Ray del Sole

excerpt from interview in the book 'The Franz Bardon Tradition' - Interviews with experienced practitioners'

Kabbalah is just a traditional term for the cosmic language, the language of God, the divine spirit who creates with it all the worlds on all the planes. The cosmic language contains the primordial components of creation. Everything is made of the cosmic language out of nothing, out of akasha, the state of energy beyond creation.

2021 - Virgil

excerpt from interview in the book 'The Franz Bardon Tradition' - Interviews with experienced practitioners'

Bardon [probably] couldn't have cared less about traditional Kabbalah. His third book is about the art of creative speech. Therefore, its title really should have been: 'The Key to Creative Speaking'. He [probably] chose to refer to the art of creative speaking as 'Quabbala' for advertising purposes because Kabbalah was a subject of much interest in the esoteric community back then, as it is now.

While the art of creative speaking is part of traditional Kabbalah (as shown by passages in the Sepher Yetzirah referencing this), it is hardly unique to that spiritual tradition. It was also practiced by adepts belonging to a diverse array of spiritual traditions from Egypt, India and many other places in the world.

In this third book, Bardon teaches the art of creative speaking in its most pure form, stripped of all the various cultural add-ons and adornments various mystical and magical traditions have slapped onto the art.

2023 - Rawn Clark

After 23 years, a new commentary on Franz Bardon's KTQ! In Part Two, I provide a more critical perspective on the whole, and also do a bit of comparing KTQ with my own 'Book of Aries'

. Question: Have you heard of Tantrik bija mantras, is it possible there is some similarity between the tantrik bija mantras and the Kabbalah as presented by Franz Bardon? Tantrik bija mantras unlike other mantras like buddhist 'Om Mani Padme Hum' or Hindu 'Om Namah Shivaay' do not have any literary or symbolic meaning. Examples of tantrik bija mantras are 'Shreem', 'Hreem', 'Kleem' etc. Do you have any opinion on it ?

No, I don't know anything specific about them other than that there are similar approaches in Hinduism, Buddhism and many other traditions around the globe.

I know for certain that there is a Sanskrit-alphabetical tradition that is almost identical to KTQ; at least it employs the Sanskrit alphabet in the same way and to similar effect. 

The point is, ANY alphabet or coherent set of symbols can be used in the same way. 

Discussion

Note 1 - On Kerning letters

Some sources make the link of Franz Bardon's KTK book to a tradition or lineage of Kerning and Mailander. Some more info below.

Introduction

In the early 19th century, Johann Baptist Krebs (1774-1851), writing under pseudonym Johann Baptist Kerning, taught a system of esoteric exercises in the form of a letter-based practice, consisting of concentrated hearing, seeing, and feeling the letters in a mantric way using the human body and imagination to awaken the 'inner word'. This is described as mystical practice, a vowels and consonants based yoga, working the vowels from the feet up, and consonants from the head down, focusing on the concentrated thinking and feeling of sounds.

Krebs' (Kernings) student Karl Kolb (1824-1895) published about these exercises in his work, the so-called 'Letter Book' in 1857 (see below).

The exercises were taken up on the spiritual community in South Germany by Alois Mailänder (1844-1905) who taught the Kerning system to students including ao Friedrich Eckstein (1861-1939) and Karl Weinfurter (1867-1942). Also Gustav Meyrink (1868-1932) states in his autobiographical essay that he was a member of this group, along with Franz Hartmann, but that he left after some years.

Reference extracts

1857 - Kolb

in his book "Rebirth"

When a person is born, he first learns to stand, walk and speak. Consciousness comes to life in him through external speech. Thus the intellect, the power of comprehension and the will develop. And just as the outer man has learned to think and to feel in the language of the mouth, the spiritual man must also learn the language of thought within himself, or learn to will, think and feel in thoughtful speech. Just as the child first had to pronounce the letters, so the spiritual, the inner man must first learn to think within himself and to feel the letters.

Franz Bardon in KTK

Above all, the quabbalist is interested in the practical application of the word, i.e., the use of letters, which leads to the comprehension of the cosmic language. The origin of the quabbalistic mysticism is to be found in the Far East and dates back to the days of yore. Right from the beginning of mankind, initiates have passed on, by tradition, the quabbalistic mysticism from one race to another.

Recently, the mysticism of letters as propagated by J.B. Kerning has roused the interest of many. The concept of this mysticism also originates from the Orient. Kerning refers to the Bible from a religious point of view when he interprets the washing of the disciples' feet by Christ symbolically, by spelling.

It is not my intention to criticize Kerning's system. Everybody should act according to his personal conviction and stick to the system he has chosen, if nothing better is accessible to him. A genuine hermetic will not want to combine letter-mysticism with the washing of the disciples' feet by Jesus, for this has quite a different meaning from the hermetic point of view; it indicates that each individual has to begin his personal development from the lowest sphere or plane, that of the Earth.

Only very little has been written about the mysticism of letters in the civilized world so that nobody has a clear idea about its right use. The teachings of Kerning which recommend spelling letters in one's feet cannot be recommended from the hermetic point of view. The hermetic will see at once the reason for this, for by concentrating the letters in one's feet the transfer of one's consciousness has to be trained and any transfer of consciousness, whether into the feet or into any other part of the body, leads to an unnatural vascular congestion.

Whether the means to this end be letters or simple or compound words, names of deities a.s.o., is of no consequence. By transferring one's consciousness into the feet, and by concentrating on them, heat is produced which is erroneously regarded as the fire of mysticism by the mystics. This transfer of one's consciousness has its psychological and physiological attendant symptoms and the like which are also erroneously taken for mystical experiences, special states of the soul and the spirit.

A person having good character and strong moral virtues and striving after high ideals need not lose his mental equilibrium or perceive within him any psychological disharmonies, a.s.o., at the moment of doing exercises in accordance with Kerning's teachings. But people lacking a strong character and good health, thus having little power of resistance, may suffer great injuries of body, soul and spirit.

Should a student want to apply Kerning's mysticism of letters practically, in a hermetic way, he would first have to be in perfect physical, psychological and mental equilibrium, and would have to have his will, his intellect and his feelings trained and strengthened by long and deep concentration exercises so that he fully masters the three elements, fire, air and water, in order to be able to operate consciously without any danger.

He who has balanced out the three elements in his body, soul and spirit, and has attained a certain grade of personal stability will not be content with such an inadequate system. Equipped with these virtues, he is already on the way to perfection so that he would find the way of legality by his intuition.

The danger of imbalance by one-sided mystical exercises (exercises with letters) is so much the greater with fanatics. I have met many people whose exercises in the mysticism of letters sooner or later resulted in mental disturbances due to this one-sided transfer of consciousness.

I was able to restore to these people their equilibrium by the power of magic and to save them from suffering any further damages to their health. These exercises with mysticism of letters in one's feet, cause a splitting of the personality, schizophrenia, with all its serious consequences.

A true seeker will not deal with the mysticism of letters unless he has fulfilled the required preconditions necessary for the success.

This clearly shows how inexcusable it is if writings of oriental origin are interpreted incorrectly and translated literally into an intellectual language.

General commentary

There are many remnants of esoteric systems that are intriguing and fascinate people, but they are not as clearly documented, transparent and approachable; certainly for beginners they are much harder to demystify and hence they do not have the efficacy, efficiency and effectiveness, compared to what the adepts of the 20th century (such as Bardon, Steiner, Daskalos) have brought and taught.

Nevertheless, an individual can feel resonance or be intuitively attracted to older teachings, which can be felt as a sign along one's path. If someone has a karmic connection with this or that source, this person might gravitate to this again in this life. We are not only led by karma, and incarnate souls, but also by non-incarnate souls and their influences, whether vaguely discernable or quite clear experientially .

Further reading and References

Note: the books by Kerning and Kolb are freely available in PDF in the public domain on the internet.

  • Johann Baptist Kerning, Ian H Gladwin, Samuel Robinson: 'Letters on the Royal Art: The Spiritual Alchemy of JB Kerning's Esoteric Masonry' (2022)
  • Karl Kolb: Die Wiedergeburt, das innere wahrhaftige Leben, oder wie wird der Mensch selig? (1857), also known as the 'Buchstabenbuch' or 'The Letter Book', published oa as
    • Die Wiedergeburt, das innere wahrhaftige Leben. Das sogenannte Buchstabenbuch (1908)
    • in EN 2023 as 'The Rebirth, the Inner True Life, or How do Humans Become Blessed?' (translated by Kerry Alistair Nitz).

Related pages

References and further reading

  • Franz Bardon: Key to True Kabbalah (KTK - or sometimes also KTQ when written Quabbalah)
More unqualified
More various on Quabalah as Tree of Life but not language of creation