Here is a condensed version of the Abraham Cycle:
אברהם שרה יצחק רבקה יעקב רחל ישראל
ISRAEL RACHEL JACOB RIVKA ISAAC SARAH ABRAHAM
To better understand what's happening here, I've given each letter a unique color. Keep in mind that this is also a string of numbers, but we'll get into that shortly. Alas, transliteration is not an exact science, so there will always be variations in spelling. I do not claim to use the correct spelling, nor do I believe there is a correct spelling. Now, here's what Qbl.com says in the introduction to the Abraham Cycle:
"To start with, don't make the mistake of thinking that these characters are either historical or religious figures. They are explicit archetypes of psychological evolution and the development of consciousness in humans. They exist both beyond space-time (as myth) and inside the human psyche, where they may be found with a little effort. The Abraham Cycle is located near the beginning of the great epic poem and psychohistorical narrative known as the Hebrew Bible. The essential theme of the story is the interplay of the two partners in the Game of Life -- intemporal, discontinous, infinite consciousness א Aleph, and י Yod, existence, duration and space-time."It's okay if you're not a Bible scholar, it's even okay if you don't know these characters and their story; the concepts in the Abraham Cycle will still seem familiar to you. The above progression from Abraham to Israel in its condensed form will become clearer as we examine the expanded version. A brief note about ם in ABRAM/ABRAHAM. In Hebrew, five letters have "final" forms. When these letters appear at the end of a word, a different character can be substituted. Kaf (כ), Mem (מ), Noun (נ), Phay (פ), and Tsadi (צ) are written as Kaf (ך), Mem (ם), Noun (ן), Phay (ף), and Tsadi (ץ). The final forms have different numerical values, so Mem is written as 40/600 because the numerology is understood through both forms of the letter. Now we can expand the cycle and gain a better understanding of the interplay of these letter-numbers.
"These archetypes can be found operating in both the individual and collective mind. They represent particular stages in the development of consciousness in humans both over thousands of years and every day within ourselves. The stage of Abraham, relatively early in the game, concerns the birth of an individualized bearer of the internal light, its separation from the primitive instincts and magical thinking of the Ur of the Chaldees, and the light's taking root in the symbolic land of Canaan -- duality and adaptational challenge -- through the seed of Abraham and his descendants."
SARAI א ב ר ם ש ר י ABRAM
510 10 200 300 40/600 200 2 1 243/803
SARAH א ב ר ה ם ש ר ה ABRAHAM
505 5 200 300 40/600 5 200 2 1 248/808
RIVQAH י צ ח ק ר ב ק ה ISAAC
307 5 100 2 200 100 8 90 10 208
307 5 100 2 200 100 8 90 10 208
RACHEL י ע ק ב ר ח ל JACOB
238 30 8 200 2 100 70 10 182
YISSAV י ע ק ב ע ש ו JACOB
376 6 300 70 2 100 70 10 182
ISRAEL י ע ק ב י ש ר א ל JACOB
541 30 1 200 300 10 2 100 70 10 182
There are, of course, different ways of interpreting this, so the following interpretation from qbl.com is just one interpretation. Qbl.com/Psyche.com primarily draws on the work of Kabbalist Carlo Suarès.
"Before we look at the archetypes of masculinity and feminity and their relationships in the Abraham Cycle, it may help to remember that Iysch and Esha (Aleph-Yod-Sheen and Aleph-Sheen-Hay) are the abstract archetypes or symbolic beings of man and woman in contrast to the individualized-in-spacetime functions of Adam and Eve. Their essence and common element is Aleph-Sheen, Hebrew for fire. In man, the fire exists (Yod), but has no life. In woman, it is alive (Hay) but doesn't exist. Further, the Hebrew words for male and female describe the male as open to evolutionary possibilities while it is the female who carries and safeguards the cosmic Aleph, Qof. Note both energies are present in the individual: 'male and female he created them.'"
"In order that Aleph should be born into human society, the passive female side of Adam, obviously, must transform itself and rise above the female "containing element" (the body). Until this has happened, the activity of the male will only be chaotic agitation. The theme of the necessary transformation of the feminine is very important in the Bible. We shall meet it again in the feminine archetypes of Esha, Hhevah, Sarah, Rebecca and Rachel, etc. ... up to Mary, mother of Jesus. All these are symbolical personifications of what women must learn to become. It is unfortunate that inadequate translations have prevented women from grasping the truth concerning themselves as it is set forth in the Book of Genesis. Thus women allow themselves to be misled into allowing the male -- in such fatuous roles as a high priest of racism waving the Bible, or some head of state invoking divine vengeance in a "holy war" -- to exert every possible pressure to persuade all humankind that "God" is a "He", with "his" code of morals, "his" wars, etc. etc."
Carlo Suares, Cipher of Genesis, 1970
"And here we are, today. Embedded, or actually, encoded, into the story of Abraham are three primary archetypes of perfected feminine consciousness -- Sarah, Rivka/Rebekkah and Rachel. At each of the three stages of the myth, the feminine lead plays a central role in advancing the action towards the birth of Israel. The central theme concerns the relationship between man and woman found in each of the three pairs as defined by the binary opposition sisterhood-chattel."
"Abraham goes down into Egypt and tells everyone Sarah is his sister. [1] Pharoah takes her as chattel but returns her to Abraham when he finds out she is really his wife. The same thing happens again with Abimelekh, King of Gerar after Abraham repeats that Sarah his sister. [2] This time, however, YHWH tells Abimelehk in a dream that he is a dead man for taking another man's wife and Abimelekh returns Sarah with a thousand (1000=Cosmic Aleph) pieces of silver. Years later, Isaac and Rebekkah are in the kingdom of Abimelelk, and what does Isaac say?" [3]
Genesis 26:7 And the men of the place asked him of his wife; and he said, She is my sister: for he feared to say, She is my wife; lest, said he, the men of the place should kill me for Rebekah; because she was fair to look upon.
By now I hope it is clear what is meant by Abraham Cycle. Judaism, Islam, and Christianity are all Abrahamic religions. They are so-called because all three believe in the covenant God made with the patriarch Abraham. If Abraham/Isaac/Jacob are the patriarchs, Sarah/Rebekah/Rachel are the matriarchs. Thus the theme of male and female duality is echoed on down through history, continuing with us today. One is incomplete without the other. What began with the cosmic being known as Adam being projected into two individualized beings, Aish and Aesha (fire, remember?), is repeated over and over in our mythology like the polar Yin Yang swirling endlessly together. In my next post I will delve into the Garden of Eden and try to explain what the Genesis narrative means to me.