The Merkabah
מרכבה
*Illustrations borrowed from: Mandala Chakra | Awaken the One Within
The concept of The Merkaabah (מרכבה) has its roots in Jewish mysticism. The symbology, as it relates to The Guild, however, is not mystic nor religious, but does build off certain of these traditions and plays with an interpretation of Ezekiel chapter 1; one of the major prophetic books in the Bible. Ezekiel's vision gives us the image of "The Chariot": four living creatures, each having the likeness of four faces---man, lion, ox, eagle---and four wings. Beside each creature is a "wheel within a wheel", with "tall and awesome" rims full of eyes all around; these are known to be cherubim angels.
The mysterious image of The Chariot has come to be represented by The Merkabah, which in turn has come to be known as a kind of "divine light vehicle." There is an abundance of speculative and mystic folklore surrounding the symbol, including works on numerology, sacred geometry, and theology. As it relates to The Guild, The Merkabah is a metaphor, a vessel that connects mind, body, and soul. The Guild also builds off Michael Oakeshott's philosophy, particularly his idea of the "four voices in the conversation of mankind": The Voice of Practical Life (♣), The Voice of Science (♥), The Voice of History (♦️), and The Voice of Poetry (♠). The roles that each of these voices in "The Great Conversation" play make up a large, fundamental part of The Guild's philosophy. This numerical concordance with the four creatures in Ezekiel's vision---man, lion, ox, eagle---is furthered and paired with the four suits of a deck of cards (clubs, hearts, diamonds, and spades), the four minor arcana of the tarot (wands, swords, pentacles, and cups), Empedocles' four elements (fire, water, air, and earth), and four of the five platonic solids (icosahedron, dodecahedron, cube, tetrahedron).
The use these symbols are intentionally obscure, not to hide but to unveil and invite inquiry from us as readers.
Dante, a largely influential figure to The Guild, plays with this same image in his Purgatorio Canto XXIX:
The mysterious image of The Chariot has come to be represented by The Merkabah, which in turn has come to be known as a kind of "divine light vehicle." There is an abundance of speculative and mystic folklore surrounding the symbol, including works on numerology, sacred geometry, and theology. As it relates to The Guild, The Merkabah is a metaphor, a vessel that connects mind, body, and soul. The Guild also builds off Michael Oakeshott's philosophy, particularly his idea of the "four voices in the conversation of mankind": The Voice of Practical Life (♣), The Voice of Science (♥), The Voice of History (♦️), and The Voice of Poetry (♠). The roles that each of these voices in "The Great Conversation" play make up a large, fundamental part of The Guild's philosophy. This numerical concordance with the four creatures in Ezekiel's vision---man, lion, ox, eagle---is furthered and paired with the four suits of a deck of cards (clubs, hearts, diamonds, and spades), the four minor arcana of the tarot (wands, swords, pentacles, and cups), Empedocles' four elements (fire, water, air, and earth), and four of the five platonic solids (icosahedron, dodecahedron, cube, tetrahedron).
The use these symbols are intentionally obscure, not to hide but to unveil and invite inquiry from us as readers.
Dante, a largely influential figure to The Guild, plays with this same image in his Purgatorio Canto XXIX:
91.) sì come luce luce in ciel seconda,
92.) vennero appresso lor quattro animali, 93.) coronati ciascun di verde fronda. 94.) Ognuno era pennuto di sei ali; 95.) le penne piene d'occhi; e li occhi d'Argo, 96.) se fosser vivi, sarebber cotali. |
91.) Even as in heaven star followeth after star,
92.) There came close after them four animals, 93.) Incoronate each one with verdant leaf. 94.) Plumed with six wings was every one of them, 95.) The plumage full of eyes; the eyes of Argus 96.) If they were living would be such as these. |
He then urges us, "readers", to consult the book of Ezekiel ourselves...
Ezekiel Chapter 1
1 Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river of Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. 2 In the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of king Jehoiachin's captivity, 3 The word of the Lord came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of the Lord was there upon him. 4 And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire. 5 Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man. 6 And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings. 7 And their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf's foot: and they sparkled like the colour of burnished brass. 8 And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they four had their faces and their wings. 9 Their wings were joined one to another; they turned not when they went; they went every one straight forward. 10 As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle. 11 Thus were their faces: and their wings were stretched upward; two wings of every one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies. 12 And they went every one straight forward: whither the spirit was to go, they went; and they turned not when they went. 13 As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, and like the appearance of lamps: it went up and down among the living creatures; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning. 14 And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning. 15 Now as I beheld the living creatures, behold one wheel upon the earth by the living creatures, with his four faces. 16 The appearance of the wheels and their work was like unto the colour of a beryl: and they four had one likeness: and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel. 17 When they went, they went upon their four sides: and they turned not when they went. 18 As for their rings, they were so high that they were dreadful; and their rings were full of eyes round about them four. 19 And when the living creatures went, the wheels went by them: and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up. 20 Whithersoever the spirit was to go, they went, thither was their spirit to go; and the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels. 21 When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels. 22 And the likeness of the firmament upon the heads of the living creature was as the colour of the terrible crystal, stretched forth over their heads above. 23 And under the firmament were their wings straight, the one toward the other: every one had two, which covered on this side, and every one had two, which covered on that side, their bodies. 24 And when they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of great waters, as the voice of the Almighty, the voice of speech, as the noise of an host: when they stood, they let down their wings. 25 And there was a voice from the firmament that was over their heads, when they stood, and had let down their wings. 26 And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it. 27 And I saw as the colour of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about. 28 As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake.
*King James English Translation