“And God(Elohim) said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night.”
“Fiat lux, et facta est lux.” “Let there be light, and there was light.”
יְהִי אוֹר וַיְהִי אוֹר Yehi Or Va-yehi Or Let there be light. And there was light.
“And the Elohim said, let there be light: and there was light.”
Light is Divine Intelligence
The Big Bang of Consciousness
the beginning of consciousness, of cosmic emanation, of the Word becoming manifest. It marks the first act of divine will, the radiance of the unmanifest breaking into form.
The Divine Command: “Let There Be Light”
Light is divine intelligence, the first emanation of the One
Not the physical light of stars, but the spiritual light of pure consciousness
“When it pleased the Divine Will to manifest itself, it proclaimed:Let there be Light! - Robert Fludd, (De Macrocosmi Historia, Book I)
light is the primary creative force, permeating and shaping the entire universe, connecting the divine Empyrean with the material world.
Divine act of will, a creative command that sets the cosmos in motion—the first Logos, the vibrational impulse through which the Ein Sof begins to manifest within the limits of creation.
the emergence of the Logos—the Divine Reason that orders chaos into cosmos.
It is the moment when the One becomes Two, and the two births the ten thousand things when the undifferentiated Unity births polarity, space, and time.
The light is not separate from the darkness but emerges from within it, like the first point of awareness arising from the depths of divine sleep.
This is the first willful act of the Creator within the vacuum. It is the first Light that descends into the Tzimtzum, into the emptiness. That beam of light initiates the cascade of Sephirotic emanations, beginning with: Kether
when consciousness awakens to its own divine nature. When consciousness becomes self-aware
The FIAT LUX is happening NOW Every moment and this moment EVERYTHING is arising out of NOTHING, over and over again, for the first and only time…
The Primordial Darkness The undifferentiated void, a dark, empty space, - the black page or a dark circle. This is the Abyss, the Ain Soph Aur before contraction, the infinite Mystery and Chaos before form.
The Explosion of Light From this darkness, a radiant burst of light emerges, often depicted as a geometric shape – a circle, a triangle, or a radiating sun – breaking through the primordial obscurity. This is the moment of "Fiat Lux," the Divine command shattering the void.
The Divine Hand or Eye: Sometimes, a divine hand or eye is shown, directing or emanating this light, symbolizing God's active involvement in the act of creation.
The Separation and Order: The light then begins to define and order the chaos. You might see subtle indications of initial separation – a faint line, a division – hinting at the differentiation of elements and principles that will follow. This reflects the alchemical process of separation, where the pure is divided from the impure.
the Kabbalistic idea of tzimtzum—God withdrawing to allow space for creation, then shining the Or Ein Sof (infinite light) into the vessel of creation.
In Alchemy
light is the prima materia illuminated, the spirit hidden in matter. • Light as Lumen Naturae
the alchemist’s invocation: Let the darkness yield its gold. Let Spirit awaken within form.
In the alchemical sense, "Fiat Lux" represents the initial stage of the Great Work, the Chaos illuminated by the alchemist's transformative will. It is the moment of calcination, where the raw matter is exposed to the fiery light of wisdom, initiating its purification. This divine light, or lumen naturae, is the active principle that awakens the latent spiritual essence within the prima materia, leading to its eventual perfection. It is the internal illumination that precedes any external manifestation of the Magnum Opus.
the emanation of the Divine Mind into the chaotic void, bringing forth order from formlessness
Kabbalistically
For the Kabbalist, "Fiat Lux" speaks to the unfolding of the Sephiroth, particularly the initial flash of Keter, the Crown, giving rise to Chokmah (Wisdom) and Binah (Understanding), through which all subsequent creation flows. It's the moment of Tzimtzum and the subsequent expansion, where divine light pours into the vessels of creation.
The Logos of Christ
Christ as the Logos, the "true light that enlightens every man" (John 1:9), the divine Word that brought all things into being. It is the inner light, the spark of divinity within each soul that, when recognized and cultivated, leads to spiritual awakening and union with the divine.
Thus, "Fiat Lux" is not a mere statement, but a potent initiatory formula. It is the invocation of divine light, not just to illuminate the cosmos, but to ignite the inner temple, dispel the shadows of ignorance, and manifest one's highest vision. It is the call to bring forth that which is hidden into being, whether in the grand cosmos or the microcosm of the self.
Sound/Vibration
- The Fiat is spoken—a vibrational act. Light and sound as twin aspects of divine emanation.
- Connection to Nada Brahma (sound as creation) in Indian thought?
- “In the beginning was the Word…” — Logos is vibration, frequency, tone.
- Pythagoras, Music of the Spheres
The Act of Creation
- “Let there be light” not just as cosmic event, but a command we too may speak.
- The magician, artist, alchemist, initiate can speak their own light into being.
- “The microcosm mirrors the macrocosm”—Fiat Lux becomes a daily act of creation.
- “Fiat Lux” as invocation in ritual and magic.
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Robert Fludd: “Utriusque Cosmi Historia”
Robert Fludd (1574–1637) - a Rosicrucian hermeticist, alchemist, and Christian mystic
His drawing of “Fiat Lux”—from his work “Utriusque Cosmi Historia”
pure darkness and void (the nihil, or non-being) from which emerges a point of light - the moment of creation, when God commands/wills “Fiat Lux.” the emanation of light as expanding circles from that singular divine point Outer Darkness - the unknowable divine mystery beyond creation. the Ain Soph in Kabbalah: the infinite, unmanifest.
Lux Infiniti
"At the beginning, the light could not expand further. It was constrained and could not spread. The paths of the great luminaries were enclosed by the boundaries of their own circles. The boundaries of the first circle did not allow the light of the second circle to penetrate. As soon as the second circle was created in the head of Adam Kadmon, the first circle became brighter. But it could not shine beyond the boundary of the second circle. The third circle, enclosed by the second, had the same constraint, and so on. As soon as the sixth circle was created, it was no longer possible for the light of the first five circles to break through, so the sixth circle itself contained all the light of the first five circles. But it could not extend beyond its own boundary. Only when all ten circles had been formed in the head of Adam Kadmon, the light could pass through the boundaries and the darkness between the finite and the infinite was removed. Thus, the final circle contained all the lights, and the boundary between the finite and infinite disappeared."
"The figure shows that after the formation of the six circles, the light could not spread further and remained within the boundaries until the seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth circles were created. Only then could the light fill all spaces. This illustration represents the essence of the divine order and structure of creation, where boundaries are necessary for harmony. The mystery is that God set limits to the expansion of light until the full structure was completed."
"According to the Kabbalists, after the completion of the figure, the light radiated throughout the entire creation. The divine breath filled everything. The Sephirot radiated in perfect order, and the names of God were inscribed in all beings."
"The figure also shows that Adam Kadmon, after the formation of the Sephirot, breathed into the world. The light was no longer restrained but filled all spaces. This process is compared to the creation of the world and the revelation of divine wisdom."
"This is how the light penetrated into the deepest parts of creation and formed the structure of the world. Adam Kadmon is the divine archetype, through which the light and wisdom of God were transmitted into the world.
The great philosophers and Kabbalists taught that the figure of Adam Kadmon represents the highest divine order and wisdom. It shows the process of creation and the manifestation of divine light in the world.
The light of God filled the entire creation, and the boundaries of the circles were no longer barriers but channels through which the divine light flowed.
Thus, the world was created in perfect order, according to the divine plan, and the light of God continues to shine through all levels of creation."
Ohr: LIGHT
LIGHT: The Nature of Light and Creation
- Ohr (Light)
- Ma'ohr (Luminary)
“And the Elohim said, let there be light: and there was light.”
- The "Ohr" ("Light") stems from the "Ma'ohr" ("Luminary"), the source of the light.
- Traditionally, the Mashal (parable) given to explain this relationship, is the relationship between the sun and the light that it gives off.
- the light that comes from the sun is not the perfect example for the Ohr, since it has already passed through a "Nartik" ("Sheath/Shield"), a level that reduces the intensity of the revelation of the sun. In truth, the Ohr that exists in the parable of the sun is the light of the sun that exists in the sun itself. The light that we see from the sun has already been limited in its quality and therefore lacks the "Bittul" ("nullification") of the true Ohr to its origin.
Ohr (Hebrew: אור, romanized: ʾor, lit. 'Light', plural: אורות ʾoroṯ) is a central Kabbalistic term in Jewish mysticism. The analogy of physical light is used as a way of describing metaphysical divine emanations. Shefa "flow" (שפע) and its derivative, hashpoah "influence" השפעה), are sometimes alternatively used in Kabbalah, a term also used in Medieval Jewish philosophy to mean divine influence, while the Kabbalists favour Ohr because its numerical value equals ר״ז, a homonym for רז rāz "mystery".1 It is one of the two main metaphors in Kabbalah for understanding God, along with the other metaphor of the human soul-body relationship for the sefirot.2
“Everything is light, and each of you is the light of Divinity”
- Kryon
Long wikipedia article on LIGHT in Kabbalah https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohr
The term Ohr is contrasted with ma'or "luminary" and kli, the spiritual "vessel" for the light.
Ohr (Hebrew: אור, romanized: ʾor, lit. 'Light', plural: אורות ʾoroṯ) is a central Kabbalistic term in Jewish mysticism. The analogy of physical light is used as a way of describing metaphysical divine emanations. Shefa "flow" (שפע) and its derivative, hashpoah "influence" השפעה), are sometimes alternatively used in Kabbalah, a term also used in Medieval Jewish philosophy to mean divine influence, while the Kabbalists favour Ohr because its numerical value equals ר״ז, a homonym for רז rāz "mystery".1 It is one of the two main metaphors in Kabbalah for understanding God, along with the other metaphor of the human soul-body relationship for the sefirot.2
As the Ohr Ein Sof is itself infinite, it could not itself directly be the source for the creation of Worlds (Four Worlds and Seder hishtalshelus). Any direct creations of the Infinite Light would be of infinite number, and would not be actual creations at all, as they would remain totally nullified ("bittul") to the Infinite Light, and would have no independent self-awareness. Rather it is only through the restrictions of the Sephirot and the descending "Chain of Progression" (Seder hishtalshelus), that the Worlds could unfold. In the descending chain of Worlds from the Infinite to our finite realm, the creative flow of Divine light encapsulated in the Sephirot, undergoes countless restrictions, diminutions and veilings, to progressively hide Divinity. In Kabbalah these are called "Tzimtzum" ("Constrictions" – plural "tzimtzumim").
The "Ohr" ("Light") stems from the "Ma'ohr" ("Luminary"), the source of the light. Traditionally, the Mashal (parable) given to explain this relationship, is the relationship between the sun and the light that it gives off. However, technically speaking, the light that comes from the sun is not the perfect example for the Ohr, since it has already passed through a "Nartik" ("Sheath/Shield"), a level that reduces the intensity of the revelation of the sun. In truth, the Ohr that exists in the parable of the sun is the light of the sun that exists in the sun itself. The light that we see from the sun has already been limited in its quality and therefore lacks the "Bittul" ("nullification") of the true Ohr to its origin. Rather, this Ohr, being that it has been limited by the Nartik, is called Ohr HaNartik (the light of the sheath), for although it does not actually come from the Nartik, since the Nartik limited it in such a way that it no longer possesses a connection with its ultimate source, we associate it with the Nartik.
The Logos
Connection to Logos (John 1:1) Logos and Christ as Divine Light ”You are the Light of the World”
- Logos in Greek philosophy = rational principle / ordering pattern.
- Christ = Logos = Light = Divine Image.
From LIGHT into LOGOS into CHRIST