The Name

Rohith Muthyala
Jul 30, 2017 · 26 min read

Ha Shem is a Hebrew term that literally means “the Name,” specifically the Name of God. Ha Shem represents the Presence and Power of God; hence the manifestation of the Holy Shekinah. In the Scriptures many different variations of God’s Name appear indicating various manifestations of the Shekinah — the Divine Presence and Power. In the Kabbalah these Divine Names correspond to the Sefirot (Emanations) of the Tree of Life and are said to be the manifestation of the Sefirot at the level of Atzilut — the Universe of Nearness or World of Supernal Light. Thus, to intone the Divine Names is to uplift one’s consciousness to unification with the corresponding Sefirah and to draw “down” the Shefa (Spiritual Power) of the Name. In essence, each Divine Name is a specific emanation of the Supernal Light-Force (Or Ain Sof — the Light of the Infinite) and is a distinct manifestation of the Holy Shekinah — the Divine Presence and Power.

In the Kabbalah a spiritual master is often called Baal Shem, “Master of the Name.” This indicates the state of a holy person who has entered into a conscious unification with the Divine Presence and Power and is able to shift between various levels of higher consciousness at will through the use of Ha Shem. Likewise it indicates a person who is able to embody something of the Holy Shekinah and who lives from a higher state of consciousness than the ordinary person. In the Christian Kabbalah, which is the foundation of Sophian Gnosticism, the Baal Shem is called Tau — one who is the Light of the Cross.

The use of the Divine Names is both mystical and magical. It is mystical in the sense that through them an initiate is able to experience conscious unification with the Divine Presence and Power, and to embody something of God and Godhead, as Master Yeshua taught his disciples to do. It is magical in the sense that through them an initiate can cause changes in his or her consciousness and, thus, cause changes in externally appearing phenomena; hence work wonders akin to those we read about in the Gospels.

The Third Commandment says, “You shall not make wrongful use of the Name of the Lord your God (Yahweh Elohenu), for the Lord (Yahweh) will not acquit anyone who misuses his Name” (Exodus 20:7). While much superstition and dogma has been generated by Orthodox Judaism and Christianity surrounding this verse, when the Divine Names are known and understood through experience, the esoteric and true meaning of this verse becomes clear. For the Divine Names are manifestations of the One Life-Power and their effects are potent and swift, whether for good or ill. Thus, when misused the consequence is in the act itself — a negative manifestation of the Life-Power — which will be experienced until it fully plays itself out. In other words, once the Life-Power is set in motion there is no turning back or stopping it. For this reason initiates use the Divine Names with the presence of awareness and deep respect, understanding the Names as manifestation of the Holy Shekinah and the Power of their Holy Soul (Neshamah). They are not spoken in a profane context or used in a mindless way, but always are used in a sacred context and with a clear and conscious intention that is in harmony with their purpose and meaning.

Because of the Great Power in Ha Shem, teachings on the Divine Names are considered inner and secret, as are teachings on their pronunciations and how to intone or vibrate them. Many of the teachings on Ha Shem can only be given under very specific conditions and some are only imparted to close disciples of a Tzaddik. Most can only be communicated through an oral transmission in person because sound and vibration are involved which cannot be conveyed in writing. Here, however, we can share some basic teachings on the Divine Names for beginning Gnostic practitioners that will empower contemplation and meditation on Ha Shem and give insight into how the Divine Names may be included in their continuum of spiritual practice. To receive full empowerment in the use of the Divine Names an aspirant must seek out an Elder or Tau and receive oral transmission, as only in this way is the full Divine Presence and Power conveyed.

The Divine Names:

Eheieh — most commonly pronounced EE-High-Yah or Ah-Ha-Yah.

This is the Divine Name given to Moses when he inquired of Ha Shem. The Shekinah responded, saying, Eheieh Asher Eheieh, which literally means “I am who I am” or “I shall be that I shall be,” hence Eheieh means I Am or I Shall Be. All I am statements of Lord Yeshua correspond to the Name Eheieh, which is the expression of Keter-Crown on the Tree of Life and represents the Power of Yechidah — the Divine Spark within oneself. It is called the Essential Name because it is the emanation of Pure Grace; hence Pure or Primordial Being. When an initiate intones this Name he or she is remembering the inseparability of the inmost part of the Soul of Light from God and Godhead and is invoking the flow of Pure Grace; specifically the influx of Supernal Light-Force. It is the truth of God or Enlightenment and it is the truth of the Indwelling Christ — one’s True Being. In Rosicrucian teachings an initiate who masters this Divine Name is called an Ipsissimus — “one who is most truly him or herself” — and the realization of Eheieh is said to represent a complete unification with Divine or Supernal Being.

Of the priest-king Melchizedek it is written, “Without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God, he remains a priest forever” (Hebrews 7:3). This is the Power of Eheieh, which is to say the Bornless Spirit or Primordial Enlightenment and reflects the cycle of Initiation called “Enthronement.” Through contemplation and meditation on this Divine Name initiates acquire gnosis of the Order of Melchizedek and the mysteries of the ascension of Enoch, Elijah and the Messiah; hence the inmost secrets of the Light-Continuum. It is the Name of oneself in the Light-Continuum and as a Person of Light.

This Name is used for unification, self-transformation, ascent of the planes, descent of the Supernal Light and is often chanted in conjunction with affirmations which are founded on the phrase “I am” and always put in the present tense; hence are founded upon the Name Eheieh. Though Eheieh is the Name of the highest attainment in the Self-realization process, and thus expresses the fruition of the Path, it is the present truth of the Christos in oneself and is said to be “good in the beginning, good in the middle and good in the end.” In conjunction with this Divine Name one might contemplate the saying: “I am Aleph and Tau (Alpha & Omega), the first and the last, the beginning and the end” (Revelation 22:13). One may also recall the saying of Lord Yeshua, speaking as the Light-Presence: “I am the Way, Truth and Life.” This is Eheieh-I Am within and beyond oneself.

Yahweh — most commonly pronounced Yah-Way or EE-Ah-O-Way(all vowel sounds).

This is the Great Name of Ha Shem which contains the Spiritual Power of all the Divine Names. Ruhaniyot (Radiant Holy Breath) and Shefa (Everflow) pour forth from Eheieh into Yahweh, which is called the “proper Name of God.” Yahweh is the manifestation of Hokmah-Wisdom at the level of Atzilut and is the Source of All-Life.

Yahweh literally means “That Which Was, Is and forever Shall Be.” Though called the Great Name of God, which implies a noun, Yahweh is actually a verb; hence an action. Yahweh is commonly translated as the Force or Life-Power in the Tradition, and as the Light-Continuum. Specifically, Yahweh is the Life-Power in motion — the constant outpouring of creature and creation from Ain Sof (the One-Without-End). Yahweh, the One Life-Power, flows through everyone and everything in creation, and everyone and everything is the manifestation of this Life-Power.

Hokmah is the Sefirah of Abba-Father. Thus, when Lord Yeshua spoke of the Heavenly Father he was speaking of the Divine Name Yahweh. Though Abba-Father is a Partzuf (Divine Persona) of Yahweh, in truth, this Name of Ha Shem indicates God as a Transcendental and Supernal Force quite beyond person or gender or theistic conception. Yahweh can therefore be taken in a theistic or non-theistic view, depending upon the nature and temperament of the initiate and the experience of the initiate in the process of Self-realization.

This Divine Name is considered so holy in Judaic Kabbalah that it was only spoken by the high priest in the Holy of holies once a year or by the prophets in the seclusion of retreat to invoke prophetic consciousness. In place of this Name an orthodox Jew will say Ha Shem or use the Divine Name Adonai to honor the Third Commandment and to preserve the holiness of the Great Name. In effect, though Eheieh is the Essential Name, Yahweh is the Name of Names, in which there is All-Power and All-Knowledge.

The Blessed Name of Yeshua (Joshua or Yeheshuah) is Yahweh with the addition of one Hebrew letter, the letter Shin. Thus, the Name Yahweh is in the Name Yeshua. This indicates that the Blessed Name of the Messiah is the Name of one who consciously unites him or herself with the Great Name and embodies something of the Divine Presence and Power of Yahweh. It is said that Lord Yeshua was the Master of the Great Name and that he imparted to his disciples secret teachings on the pronunciation and use of the Great Name, and in so doing empowered his disciples to use the Name of Yahweh. These secret teachings on the Great Name are part of the Light-Transmission in Gnostic Christianity, the inmost secret teachings of the Great Name corresponding to the Melchizedek Transmission in Sophian Gnosticism. Thus, unlike the Jewish Kabbalist to whom it is forbidden to speak this Divine Name, as disciples of the Perfect Tzaddik, Yeshua Messiah, we are empowered to intone and use the Name of Yahweh in the Great Work. In this Name is the Secret Power of the Resurrection and the Apocalypse (Divine Revelation).

This Divine Name is used for unification, self-transformation and ascent through the inner planes, and it is an invocation of the Supernal Light-Force, akin to the Name Eheieh. But it is also used to invoke prophetic states of consciousness, to gaze into the mysteries of the primordial beginning, mysteries of creation, the extension of Life-Force and Tikkune-Healing, among other things. In connection with Yahweh one might recall the saying of Lord Yeshua, “I do only what I see my Father doing,” hence “I do only what I see the Life-Power doing.” Likewise, one might contemplate the saying, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (Gospel of St. John 14:9).

There is a common permutation of Yahweh that forms a significant Word of Power — Vehiyah (pronounced Vay-High-Yah), which means “and it shall come to pass.” This Word of Power is often intoned at the conclusion of invocations, prayers and meditations by initiates of the Tradition, sealing the affirmation or visualization of what the initiate seeks to manifest; hence it is the Word of Primordial Confidence. It is said that when coupled with the Great Name and intoned by a Master of the Name (Baal Shem) whatever he or she speaks will come to pass as he or she speaks it. Many have witnessed this Great Power in the apostles of Light and the wonders that have been performed through it.

Elohim — most commonly pronounced El-Oh-Heem or Al-O-eem

This is the primary Divine Name that appears in the myth of creation in Genesis and, thus, represents God in the Act of Creation or God the Creator. It is a feminine noun with a masculine plural, and alludes a simultaneous oneness and multiplicity or One become Many yet remaining One (Achad). Elohim is the Name of the Constellation of the Sefirot (Divine Emanations) and is said to hold the Divine Power of all Archangels. It corresponds to Binah-Understanding at the level of Atzilut and to the Partzuf of Aima-Mother.

Essentially, Elohim is the Matrix of Cosmic Forces within and behind creation, all of which, in essence, exist in a Sacred Unity. The masters of the Tradition speak of Elohim as the Womb of God continually giving birth to creatures and creation, and as the Divine Power within both Gnosis and Ignorance. It is through Elohim that the Demiurgos and Archons come into being, and the Dominion of the Klippot (Dark & Hostile Forces), yet it is also the vehicle of the Light of Redemption; hence Enlightenment and Liberation.

As the Birther of the Messiah, Mother Mary is said to embody the Power of Elohim. When St. Mary Magdalene conceives and gives birth to St. Michael with Lord Yeshua and becomes the Mother, she also is said to embody the Power of Elohim, specifically Adonai enthroned in Elohim. If Lord Yeshua was the Image of Abba-Father below, then Lady Mary Magdalene was the Image of Aima-Mother, as well as Kallah-Bride. Lord Yeshua taught in the Name of Father who is transcendent, but Lady Mary taught in the Name of the Mother who is immanent. Elohim is the immanence of God in creature and creation.

Yahweh is at the Head of the Pillar of Mercy on the Tree of Life and Elohim is the Head of the Pillar of Severity. Thus, Yahweh is invoked for the sake of Mercy and Grace and Elohim is invoked for the sake of Severity and Justice. Yet, this Severity and Justice are ultimately Mercy, for the aim of Justice is Enlightenment and Liberation. Only due to Cosmic Ignorance is there an appearance of separation and bondage — Elohim is the Name that dispels the Cosmic Illusion-Power because it is the source of it. This is considered a great mystery among initiates, the understanding of which leads to Supernal Self-realization.

The Divine Name of Elohim is intoned to invoke knowledge of the Divine Mother and mysteries of creation. It is also invoke by initiates to contact Spiritual and Cosmic Forces, to gain insight into Neshamah (the Supernal Soul), awareness of the World of Supernal Light, remembrance of lost teachings and past lives, knowledge of the Secret Gospel and the One-Who-Sits-Upon-The-Throne, among other things. In connection with this Divine Name one might contemplate the saying of Lady Mary, “We live and move and have our being in the Divine Mother, never have we been apart from Her or other than Her — but She is as the Soul of Light and we are Her Divine Body. Anyone who can look and see has beheld the Mother, and it is she who shows us the Face of our Heavenly Father” (the Sophian Gospel).

Yahweh Elohim — most commonly pronounced Yah-Way El-Oh-Heem

This Divine Name is called the Most Formal Name of God; hence the Lord God. From our previous exploration of Yahweh and Elohim many insights may be gleaned concerning this Name, as it combines the Presence and Power of both Names, and is the Name of the Father-Mother. Essentially, this Name means “the Force manifest in the Matrix of Creation” or “the Life-Power manifest as the Matrix of Cosmic Forces” and it emphasizes the Sacred Unity underlying existence. It corresponds to both Binah-Understanding and Da’at-Knowledge at the level of Atzilut.

There are great mysteries associated with this Name in the inner and secret level of Gnostic Christian teachings. For while indicating the One Life-Power manifesting as all Cosmic Forces, it also indicates the One Being-Consciousness-Force manifesting as countless realms and worlds, within an infinite number of dimensions, and even alludes to countless Cosmic Cycles of creation without beginning or end. Only from the state of Supernal or Supramental Consciousness — Christ Consciousness — can this Divine Name be comprehended. Masters of the Tradition say it is the Holy Book of All-Gnosis.

This Divine Name is invoked by initiates with the same intentions as the two Names that compose it, though specifically with the aim of embodiment of the Holy Shekinah and/or the facilitation of a radical shift in how the Reality-Truth-Continuum manifests (hence great magical actions). Outside of the direct experience of the Light-Transmission little more can be said of this Holy Name; yet we can say that it contains the supreme mystery of the unity of the myth of Creation and myth of the Apocalypse, as well as the Secret Power of the Union of the Bride and Bridegroom — hence the Mystery of the Bridal Chamber.

El — commonly pronounced El or Al

This Divine Name is Hesed-Mercy at the level of Atzilut and is contained in the Divine Name Elohim. It indicates creation as inherently self-liberating. Likewise, it indicates creation as an on-going process of evolution, specifically the development and evolution of consciousness and self-awareness. This Name is composed of Aleph and Lamed, Aleph representing Spirit, Energy or Power and Aleph the directing or organizing principle. Thus, this Divine Name alludes to God as the Energy-Intelligence or Consciousness-Force through which creation is ordered and directed.

This Name is called the Blessing Power and is intoned when Elders or Tau are imparting blessings, or initiates seek to draw down blessings into life or bring forth blessings from life. Associated with abundance it is invoked for all manifestations of abundance, and in conjunction with Yah is used in Long-Life Meditations. Specifically, it is the invocation of Mercy or Loving-kindness. Initiates also intone this Name when seeking a new order in their lives or when they are seeing a need to reorganize their lives oriented to the Truth and Light revealed in their experience.

Yah — pronounced as it appears.

This Divine Name is contained in Eheieh and Yahweh — it is the end of Eheieh and beginning of Yahweh, and is the emanation of Pure Supernal Force or Life-Force. It is akin to El, though corresponds to Hokmah-Wisdom, representing the very essence of God’s Word and Wisdom or Creative Power.

Yah is a Divine Name that appears frequently in the inmost secret teachings, specifically in relationship to the generation of the Body of Light or Threefold Body of Melchizedek and the Mystery of Divine Rapture and Ascension. When teachings are given on this Name the Sign of Silence always follows, for they are spoken only to the elect. We can say, however, that the Baal Shem destroys and re-creates the Universe with the intonement of Yah and that it contains the secret of Eternal Life.

Elohim Givor — most commonly pronounced Al (or El)-Low-Heem Gee-Vor.

This is the Divine Name of Tzimtzum-Restriction and Judgment; hence the balance of Truth. It is Gevurah at the level of Atzilut, and corresponds to the phrase the “Lord of the Light and the Darkness, Matrix of Heaven and Earth.” Elohim Givor literally means “Great God” or “Mighty God” or “Powerful God,” and is intoned in any practice requiring Great Power, specifically Severity or Justice.

As the Name implies, Elohim Givor is the action of the Cosmic Forces that generate the Matrix of Creation, and is chanted to activate flows of specific Forces, as well as to bind such Forces into specific Forms or release Forces from obsolete Forms. Elohim Givor is the Power of God that binds and liberates.

Initiates intone this Divine Name seeking Rigor and Justice, and to bring about radical change or radical tikkune-healing. It is often invoke to discern the necessary tikkune-healing for one’s own soul or the soul of others to whom one might seek to extend invisible assistance. Likewise, it is invoked for psychic self-defense and to sever links with admix and dark forces. Through this Name the mysteries of the Judgment are known and understood, along with the mysteries of the true nature of sacrifice and the mystical death that precedes the resurrection and ascension. In conjunction with this Name initiates often contemplate the Mystery of the Crucifixion and Rite of Ransom.

Yahweh Elohenu — commonly pronounced Yah-Way El-Oh-Hey-New.

This Divine Name corresponds to Tiferet at the level of Atzilut and literally means “the Lord your God.” Thus, Yahweh Elohenu alludes to God within yet ever beyond oneself — God transcendent and immanent at the same time. Specifically, this Divine Name represents the Power of the God within oneself and one’s own unique Gnosis of God as an individual; hence how one experiences the Divine.

Because Yahweh Elohenu corresponds to Tiferet, which is the Healing Center and Christ Center on the Tree of Life, it is often used during healing work and to gain gnosis of the Indwelling Christ. Specifically, it is used to bring forward the Light-Presence from within the depths of oneself and as a contemplation of the Rite of the Wedding Feast (Holy Eucharist). It is also a Divine Name through which one can draw upon the Power of the Great Name at the level of a lower gradation to experience and embody the Supernal Light in a more gentle form. With this Divine Name initiates invoke the remembrance of God’s Presence and Power within and all around them and those who realize the Power of this Name awaken to the World of Supernal Light here and now.

Yahweh Eloah Ve-Da’at — commonly pronounced Yah-Way Ah-Low-Ah Vay-Day-Ought

This is an alternative name for the manifestation of Tiferet at the level of Atzilut, which literally means “Lord God, the Knowing (Gnosis).” It is invoked for the same purposes as Yahweh Elohenu, though specifically when initiates are seeking Divine Guidance or Gnosis necessary to act as conscious agents of the Divine Will and Kingdom. One might contemplate this saying of St. Paul in connection with this Divine Name: “For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we shall see face to face. Now I know only in part, then I will know fully, even as I have been known” (1 Corinthians 13:12)

Yeheshuah (or Yeshua, in Aramaic) — most commonly pronounced Yah-He-Shoe-Ah (all short vowels)

In the Christian Kabbalah this is the primary Divine Name associated with Tiferet, which literally means, “Yahweh delivers.” Yahweh, as we have seen, is the Life-Power or Light-Continuum, and as such represents the truth of our Inmost Being. Thus, the Name Yeshua means, “The Truth will set you free!”

This was the Name given to the Messiah, which is the Name Joshua that appears in the Old Testament. Containing the Great Name of Yahweh with the addition of the Hebrew letter Shin, it indicates a Holy Person who embodies something of the Supernal Consciousness-Force and who has fully realized the truth of him or herself in the Light-Continuum. Thus, it is the Name and Power of any realized individual — the Name of all apostles of the Light who have attained Christ Consciousness.

The masters of the Tradition teach that the Blessed Name contains all Spiritual Power and that all Cosmic Forces are subject to this Holy Name — hence all Cosmic forces are subject to the Soul of Light that is awakened in the Light-Transmission. With this Name everything can be accomplished by one who is a Gnostic. Thus, this is the Divine Name of Initiation in the Tradition, and the key through which initiates are empowered to access all other Divine Names, including the Great Name. Because it is the Name of the Messiah — the Anointed — it is the Name through which the Rite of Chrism (Anointing) is contemplated.

The Shin in the Blessed Name is significant, for it represents the Gift of the Fiery-Intelligence or Holy Spirit through which a person enters into the Assembly of the Elect. It is the Threefold Flame of Faith, Hope and Love which becomes Gnosis, Understanding and Wisdom as Self-realization unfolds. In Gnostic Christianity to be received by a Tzaddik into the stream of the Light-Transmission this Gift must be recognized within a person, for Gnosticism is a Path of Divine Election and is esoteric; hence “for the few.” In this regard one might contemplate the saying of Yeshua, “I shall choose you, one out of a thousand, and two out of ten thousand, and they shall stand as a single one” (Gospel of St. Thomas, Logion 23).

The teachings and empowerments associated with the Blessed Name of Yeshua form the core of the inner and secret teachings in Gnostic Christianity. Of this secret wisdom it is said, “The Gnostic Master speaks it only to one who knows it already, and that in private, whispered in the ear.” In connection with this one may meditate upon Logion 13 in the Gospel of St. Thomas.

There are two other ways to access the Blessed Name — Adonai Yeshua (Ah-Doe-Neye) and Yeshua Messiah (Ma-See-Yah). Adonai Yeshua means “Lord Yeshua” and Yeshua Messiah means “Yeshua Anointed.” The former is said to bring down the Spirit of the Messiah and the latter is said to uplift one into the Spirit of the Messiah. Both are ways of unification with the Christos when one knows the Way of Ha Shem.

Yahweh Tzavaot — most commonly pronounced Yah-Way Za-Vay-Ot

Yahweh Tzavaot is the manifestation of Netzach-Dominion at the level of Atzilut and literally means the “Lord of Hosts.” As the Name implies, it is the Life-Force within all creatures, both heavenly and earthly. Elohim Tzavaot, “God of Hosts,” is akin to this Divine Name, though Elohim Tzavaot is the manifestation of Hod-Submission at the level of Atzilut. The distinction between the two Divine Names is that Yahweh Tzavaot represents the Life-Force manifest in all creatures, while Elohim Tzavaot represents the Life-Forms. Yahweh Elohim Tzavaot (“Lord God of Hosts”) combines the power of both names into one, and indicates the inseparability of the Life-Force and the Life-Forms it assumes. Yahweh Tzavaot corresponds to the flow of Shefa and Ruhaniyot from the Pillar of Mercy, Elohim Tzavaot to the flow from the Pillar of Severity and Yahweh Elohim Tzavaot corresponds to the flow from the Union of the Two Pillars, hence the flow via the Middle Pillar.

Initiates intone Yahweh Tzavaot for mystical and creative inspiration and Elohim Tzavaot for clarity of reason and scientific discovery, as well as magical knowledge. Yahweh Elohim Tzavaot is often used to acquire secret knowledge of creation and nature. Because these Divine Names correspond to the subtle and actual Matrix of Forces within and behind nature, the world and universe, these Names are used by initiates to shift the balance of Powers in the astral earth when necessary. This latter use of these Names corresponds to the secret wisdom imparted in Initiations corresponding to the Rite of Ransom (Theurgic Practice) and the Wedding Feast in the Tradition.

Shaddai — commonly pronounced Sha-Die

Shaddai, El Shaddai and Shaddai El Hai are all variations of the Name that corresponds to Yesod-Foundation at the level of Atzilut. Shaddai literally means, “Almighty.” Shaddai El Hai means “Almighty Living God” and El Shaddai means “God Almighty.” This is said to be the Divine Name used during the patriarchal-matriarchal succession, the use of Yahweh marking the beginning of the prophetic succession and the use of Yeheshuah representing the apostolic succession. Thus, Shaddai is the foundation from which the prophetic and apostolic successions arise, representing the idea of God known in life and among the living.

Shaddai is said to draw from Severity and El Shaddai is said to draw from Mercy, Shaddai El Hai representing the unity of Mercy and Severity in Compassion. Initiates use variations of Tzavaot to shift the balance of the Matrix on a collective level, but they use variations of Shaddai to shift the balance of the play of Forces on an individual and personal level. How this is actually accomplished is revealed in the Light-Transmission and through direct experience of the Presence and Power of the Divine Names.

Shaddai is intoned by initiates seeking spiritual dreams and visions, and to empower creative visualization. It is also intoned to purify and uplift desire-energy and all forms of energy-intelligence the initiate may work with in the astral dimension, among other things. It is also used in contemplation of the Rite of Baptism, which corresponds to Yesod. Lady Mary spoke of Shaddai when she said, “God is the source and sustenance of all things, and it is the living ones who will acquire Gnosis of God and receive their new name which is written in the Book of Life. God is Mother and God is Father, and yet God is No-Thingness. Understanding this you will abide in the Divine Fullness of your Heavenly Father and Earthly Mother” (The Sophian Gospel).

Adonai — most commonly pronounced Ah-Doe-Neye

Adonai is the Divine Name of Malkut-Kingdom. It is the Holy Vessel receiving the influx of Spiritual Power from all other Divine Names, and as previously mentioned it is spoken in place of the Great Name in Judaic Kabbalah. Representing Malkut, Adonai is the most accessible of all Divine Names, and through it one can both receive and transmit all manner of spiritual energies and blessings, both for the sake of oneself and others who are in need. Essentially, it is the Divine Name through which we ground the spiritual energies and blessings we invoke, as well as bring forth the remembrance of our innate Spirit-connection. Like the Blessed Name of Yeshua, Adonai is also a Name of a realized person. The realized individual is a Holy Vessel of the Divine Presence and Power in the material dimension; hence a Center of the Divine Activity of Malkut (this is reflected in the Name Adonai Yeshua).

El Elyon — (Elyon sounds like “phone”)

This is an alternative Divine Name for Keter-Crown and means “God Most High.” It is primarily associated with the Melchizedek Teachings and Supernal Consciousness, though it is also intoned to bring about shifts to higher levels of consciousness below the Supernal.

IAO — pronounced EE-Ah-Oh, as one fluid sound.

This Divine Name, as well as variations of it, appears in many Gnostic Scriptures. It is a Name of the Christ Presence or Light-Presence, and it is also the Word of Initiation. These vowels represent Yod-He-Vau of the Great Name. They also represent the Hermetic principles of Isis, Apophis and Osiris, or Birth-Life, Death-Transformation and Rebirth-Resurrection; hence the process of coming into substantial being. Essentially, IAO indicates the Bornless Being of the Becoming and the inseparability of Being and Becoming — Being ever-becoming the One-Without-End (Ain Sof).

Initiates intone this Name to align themselves with the flow of Reality as It Is, to contemplate the constant continuum of change that is the foundation of existence, to invoke cycles of self-initiation and transformation, to experience unification with the Bornless Spirit and to extend the Light of the Great Seth (Light of the Cross).

IAO-OAI is a common variation of IAO, which is intoned for reintegration into Bornless Being or the Light-Continuum; hence the Word of Running & Returning. It also corresponds directly to Giving & Receiving Practice.

Ararita — pronounced Ah-Rah-Ree-Tah.

Ararita is a Divine Name formed from the first letters of six Hebrew words: Achad Reshit; Achad Resh Yechidatoh; Temuratoh Achad; which literally means: “One is His beginning; One is His individuality; His permutation is One.” This Divine Name corresponds to the Mystery of the Hexagram, to the secret of Sacred Unity in the midst of multiplicity, and to the Harmony of the Celestial Forces.

AGLA — pronounced Ah-Gla (short vowels).

Agla is a Divine Name composed of the first letters of the Hebrew words: Atoh Givor Leolam Adonai; which literally mean: “You are mighty forever, O Lord” or “You are heroic for the world, O Lord.” This Name corresponds directly to the mystery of the Elder Races and to the Light-Bearers who incarnate for the sake of the Great Work — the Enlightenment and Liberation of all beings. Thus, within this Name is the Mystery of the Divine Incarnation.

IaIa — pronounced EE-Ah-EE-Ah.

This is a Divine Name composed of the first letters of the Hebrew words: Yahweh Elohenu; Yahweh Achad — The Lord your God, the Lord is One. This Name is intoned as an affirmation of Sacred Unity and to bring one’s consciousness into unification with the Light-Presence.

IaVa — pronounced EE-Ah-Vah.

This Divine Name is composed of the first letters of the Hebrew words: Iehi Or, vayehi Or — Let there be Light and there was Light. It is a Name intoned to enter into a state of Pure Radiant Awareness or to generate the Presence of Awareness, as well as to extend the blessing of the Light-Presence to others.

Io Adonai — pronounced EE-Oh-Ah-Doe-Neye

This is the Divine Name represents the Union of the Bridegroom and Bride — Christ the Logos and Christ the Sophia, respectively, and thus the Divine Fullness of the Christos. With it Sophian initiates celebrate the co-equality of Lord Yeshua and Lady Mary as the Incarnation of the Light-Presence, as well as seek the remembrance of the Christ Presence within all beings. Io Adonai corresponds to the Rite of the Wedding Feast and Rite of the Bridal Chamber and therefore has a secret connection to Yahweh Elohim.

Kallah Messiah — pronounced Ka-La-Ma-See-Yah

This Divine Name corresponds to Malkut-Kingdom and literally means the “Anointed Bride”; hence the Incarnation of the Christos in female form, specifically St. Mary Magdalene. Initiates intone this Name to invoke knowledge and communion with the Presence of the Holy Bride and to unify themselves with her. It is also the Name of the Gnostic Circle, for the Assembly of the Elect is called the Bride. Thus, it is the Divine Name of the Matrix of the Light-Transmission in the world and initiates often intone it seeking to gain insight into this Holy Matrix.

Kali Kallah — pronounced Ka-Lee-Ka-La

This is the Divine Name of Sophia Nigrans, the “Black Bride,” and is one of the Names of Lilith in the Sophian Tradition. Kali Kallah represents the Crazy Wisdom through which the secret teachings and Light-Transmission are imparted, as well as the mystical death necessary for the Transfiguration and Resurrection to occur; hence the agent of Metanoia (Spiritual Transformation). It is also a Divine Name of Lady Mary, for according to the teachings of the Tradition, Eve and Lilith were united in the Holy Bride — the Bright and Dark Sophia of God.


These are the Divine Names most frequently used in the spiritual practices of Gnostic Christianity as taught in the Sophian Tradition. Through study and contemplation of the Holy Sefirot of the Tree of Life and the Hebrew Aleph-Bet an aspirant can easily build upon this foundation, deepening and expanding his or her own knowledge of the Names and their uses. From this initial glimpse of the Divine Names there truly is no end to the depth of Wisdom which is called the Gnosis of Ha Shem in the Tradition.

In beginning to use the Names one can join the chant of them to prayers and affirmations, and one may include them in various meditation practices as they may correspond. A simple form of divine magic with the Names is to anoint a candle with holy oil while chanting a Divine Name and then to light the candle as a continued invocation of the corresponding Divine Presence and Power. Within the Tradition there are numerous teachings on how one can incorporate the Divine Names in spiritual practice and, ultimately, initiates learn to do so creatively, via their own knowledge and understanding of Ha Shem and the inspiration of the Spirit.

It is not uncommon for a Tzaddik to give his or her student specific chants of Divine Names to help the student balance his or her energy or to invoke the necessary helpful spiritual energy for progress on the path. Likewise, a Tzaddik will help a student learn how to creatively use the Names and how to acquire Gnosis of Ha Shem through their use in prayer, meditation and sacred ritual. With the development of kavvanah-concentration and devekut-cleaving the Divine Names become a powerful vehicle of Self-realization.

Vibrating the Divine Names : The vibration of the Divine Names is considered a sacred art in the Sophian Way and ultimately can only be taught in person by direct transmission. However, we can give some hints here of how one may discover something of vibration of the Names when intoning them. Essentially, before concerning oneself with the external sound of a Name one must pay attention to generating an experience of internal vibration while intoning it. One wants to experience the vibration of sound in one’s body — as though in the core of one’s body and throughout one’s body. Once this vibration is found, one can then concentrate on the external sound and bringing the vibration forth from within oneself into the external environment.

When we intone the Divine Names we are neither singing nor screaming them to experience vibration, but rather it is something in between singing and yelling. If one is skilled with vibrating the Divine Names one could do so with a barely audible voice. In the case of a Baal Shem vibration can be performed in complete silence, without any externalization of sound.

There are several reasons we focus upon the vibration of Names and Words of Power. Firstly, in so doing, we come into intimate knowledge of the secret meaning of the Logos-Word of God and discover the Power of Logos in us. Secondly, we learn how to shift between various levels of consciousness by altering our vibration. Thirdly, we discover that we can affect-effect how life manifests through a mastery of vibration; hence discover a wonder-working power. There are other reasons for our strong emphasis on the art of vibration, but these should give a good basic idea of its importance.

With these hints one may well find something of the vibration of the Divine Names on one’s own and get some glimpse of the great power of the sacred art of vibration. This is certainly our heartfelt wish and prayer for you!

May Ha Shem bless and keep you ever near, and shine from within you, guiding you in the Way of Truth! Amen.

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om true-existence,infinite-consciousness,one supreme divinity,i am that!

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