Geburrah, or Gevurah as it is called in this node is one of the ten sephiroth. As with all the Sephiroth, much has been written about the various symbolisms and identifications it may have. Qaballists are as uncertain on these things as they are on how to spell their practice, and four hundred years of syncretism with hermeticism, alchemy and what not have not made anything that much simpler. Even the "gender" of Geburrah, for example, is something that is not quite clear to me, after consistent noodling with the requisite texts.

However, as I have pieces it out, Geburrah has an important part to play in the scheme of creation. Without explaining the entire tree of life, the scheme goes something like this: after the godhead, the first thing created is Kether, or will. Kether doesn't "do" anything, but creates Chochmah, the single idea that everything else can relate to. Chochmah creates Binah. the ideas of the manifest. Binah, which is characterized as a "mother" of sorts, creates a myriad of ideas. Thus the problem: if everything that poured down from these top three sephirah were to come true, the universe would be crowded, and nothing would be fully formed. Thus, as the ideas pour down, they go through Geburrah, which prunes away the unworthy. Geburrah is the fire of judgement that tests what is created and only allows some to become manifest. Geburrah is balanced by Chesed, or mercy, which protects things and allows them to become manifest. Balanced between destuction and preservaton is Tifareth, perfected form.

Geburrah, howeverm has according to some schools, became unbalanced, and now, instead of merely pruning the tree of creation, has become an insane fire that seeks to destroy everything. Some cabbalists believe that this Sephiroth has become in some sense independent of the others, and without the restrait of Chesed, has become the evil persecuting angel Samael, or Shaitan.

Whether anyone wants to believe any of this theory is up to them. Perhaps these are meteaphysical realities, perhaps they are Jungian archetypes. I also do not know. However, even working as a cultural idea, it is interesting that American culture really has no idea of Geburrah. Geburrah represents cosmic shame and horror, the absolute terror that reflects sublime horror; an acetylcholine hallucination that wants to hurt you and can not be stopped. Even after the past hundred years of American history, American culture (and the culture of Europe, for that matter) still looks for a technical explanation for their continued pain, unable to deal with the fact that perhaps the universe is just nasty and broken.


I hope this doesn't stimulate anyones implants...