Sepher Yetzirah (Book of Formation) - Westcott

CHAPTER III.

SECTION 1. The foundation of all others is composed of the Three Mothers: Aleph, Mem, and Shin. They resemble a balance; on one side are the guilty, on the other side are the purified, and Aleph—representing the Air—is like the tongue of the balance standing between them. The "tongue" refers to the central pointer of a scale that determines equilibrium.

2. The Three Mothers—Aleph, Mem, and Shin—are a great mystery, most wonderful and deeply hidden, sealed as if with six rings. From them proceed Air, Fire, and Water, which divide into male and female forces. These Three Mothers are the foundation; from them spring three "Fathers," In Kabbalistic thought, the "Fathers" usually refer to the primary elements or planetary forces derived from the Mothers. and from these have proceeded all things that exist in the world.

3. The Three Mothers in the world are Aleph, Mem, and Shin. The heavens were produced from Fire; the earth was produced from Water; and the Air, derived from the Spirit, acts as a reconciler between the Fire and the Water.

4. The Three Mothers—Aleph, Mem, and Shin, representing Fire, Water, and Air—are revealed in the Year. From fire came heat; from water came cold; and from air was produced the temperate state, acting again as a mediator between them. The Three Mothers—Aleph, Mem, and Shin—are also found in Man: from fire the head was formed; from water the belly was formed; and from air the chest was formed, placed once more as a mediator between the others.

5. These Three Mothers He produced, designed, and combined; and He sealed them as the three mothers in the Universe, in the Year, and in Man—both male and female. He caused the letter Aleph to rule over the Air and crowned it; then, combining it with the others, He sealed it as Air in the World, as the temperate climate of the Year, and as the chest in Man.