The Kabbalah Unveiled. S. L. Macgregor Mathers

which consists of the letters IH, to the letter I, Yod, which hath the signification of the father, is added the letter H, He, which is the mother, and because these two are combined by themselves, hence that luminous influence is denoted wherewith the understanding is imbued by the supernal wisdom); and is opened out into her gates (that is, if these two letters be bound closely together, then out of the dead the pentad originateth the number 50, by which are denoted the fifty gates of the understanding; these are said to be opened because the letter H, He, is last and unprotected, not being shut in by any other succeeding letter.)

      [This is taking the letters Th separate from the rest of the Tetragrammaton, but themselves conjoined. And as I = 10 and H = 5, these two conjoined (multiplied together) give N = 50. And these are the fifty gates or properties of the understanding. These are opened, because in the word IH, Yah, the letter H is last, not being shut in, as by VH in the Tetragrammaton IHVH, or V in the trigram IHV.]

      47. The key is added which containeth six, and closeth its gate. (That is, in the third part of this averse form, which is IHV, the letter H is not altogether the last; but V, the third letter of the Tetragrammaton, closeth it in on the other side, whereby are denoted the six members of the Microprosopus, superinvesting the six members of the mother in such a manner that her last gate, which is the path of glory, HVD, Hod, is closed, and combined with the remainder, which are--Benignity, Severity, Beauty, Victory; drawing their existence singly out of the decad.)

      [In the Trigram IHV, V may be called the key. because it closeth the fifty gates symbolized by IH, by coming next to H, so as to close or shut in that letter between itself and I. By "the decad" is meant the ten Sephiroth, which are symbolized by the numerical value of I, which is 10.]

      48. And it applieth to the inferiors and to this part. (Or, as others read, "it applieth to this side and to that." Now, the discourse is concerning the fourth part of the square, where the name is complete, whether written as H or as I in the last path; so that, nevertheless, the bride of Microprosopus may be added. Therefore on either side hath Microprosopus a connecting link, for he superinvesteth the mother from the supernal part, so that he may receive her into himself as his soul; and he also again is covered by his bride from the inferior part, so that he in his turn may himself become her soul.)

      [The bride, the inferior H, He. is said to be a reflection of the mother, the supernal H, He, in the Tetragrammaton: just as Microprosopus is said to be the reflection of Macroprosopus.]

      49. Woe unto him who shall open her gate! (The gates are said to be paths through which influence rusheth forth; they are said to be closed, because, on the other hand, too much influence cannot be taken away from the inferiors; wherefore the members are said to be overshadowed by the members, so that the light may diminish in its transit. But when those very concatenations and cohibitions of the lights are separated by the sins of the inferiors, no influx can come into the universe in a proper manner.)

      [Following out the symbol of the equilibrium in the Sephiroth, the sin of the inferior paths would be the introduction of unbalanced force. The reader will at first find a little difficulty in following the reasoning of these last few sections, but after reading them over once or twice, their meaning will seem clearer to him.]