Da'ath?
© 2004
>> Daath (Knowledge) seems to be the most controversial Sephiroth of all. It means all sorts of curious things to different Kabbalists and most of them only dip their toes in the pond anyways. There is this strange atmosphere of "the forbidden 13th room that must never be entered" surrounding it. I've been researching Rawn's materials on this subject to get some more clarity, yet wasn't able to find any reference so far. Could you please throw some light on this Sephiroth? I would appreciate if you could address the matter from both theoretical and practical point of views. <<
The reason you didn't find any mention of Da'ath on my website is because it doesn't exist, at least not in the way the 10 Sephirot do. As it says in the Sepher Yetzirah 1:4, "Ten Sephirot made of nothingness: ten and not nine; ten and not eleven. Understand with Wisdom and be wise with Understanding." etc.
In short, Da'ath is not a *universal* factor such as a Sephirot. Instead, Da'ath pertains only to the *human* consciousness as it rises in its attempt to cross the Abyss. Da'ath symbolizes the body of *experiential* knowledge that the initiate has accumulated and which is necessary to reach the lower edge of the Abyss. This body of knowledge however, must be discarded in order to actually cross the Abyss.
Thus Da'ath is unique to each individual who attempts to breach the Veil of the Abyss and is a symbol of what that individual must discard or let go of in order to reach their journey's end. It exists *only* for the individual attempting the crossing and *only* at a specific point or moment in that process of crossing. Da'ath appears *only* when one is traveling either of the so called "hidden" or "secret" paths which connect Gedulah with Binah and Geburah with Chokmah. Diagrammatically, Da'ath would be depicted upon the (Hebrew) Tree of Life at the intersection of these two "hidden" paths and the Path of Beth (which connects Kether with Tiphareth), on the Middle Pillar, equidistant between the Paths of Shin and Aleph, and within the realm of sequence.
My best to you,
:) Rawn Clark
11 July 2004