Shane asked:
The Rubik's Cube arrangement using the Saturn Square is not entirely his own (Kevin Townley's) concoction, of course. I have been conversing with Stan Tenen of the Meru Foundation (http://www.meru.org) from time to time. He is an orthodox Jew and has studied much which is reserved only for the older students of Torah. When I mentioned that I was working with the Cube, he revealed that the old Kabbalists have traditionally placed the 27 letters (including the 5 finals) on the three visible faces of the Cube; that is, three Saturn Squares of nine letters. When I asked about the backside of the Cube, he remained silent, but I knew then and there that we had broached the Nightside of the Tree and the Qliphothic Tunnels of Set. When I asked what the arrangement of the letters on each face was, he evaded me. I've been working on that ever since.
David Allen Hulse answered:
I thought about the comment from the Meru foundation on the Cube of Space. Orthodox Jewish interpretation of the Cube of Space would never put the Saturn square on 3 faces and then allocate the 27 letters. For one thing, the Sepher Yetzirah, which is the only document describing the cube, was written with only the original 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The coordinates laid out in the Sepher Yetzirah would be memorized, and the power would come from holding in memory at the same time the 22 letters. There was a secret allocation not written down, and that is how to lay the 3 mother letters, but Case solved that mystery in his own reconstruction. I have found internal evidence in the Sepher Yetzirah to support Case's own allocations. But I am still fascinated by the Meru foundation allocation, and when I read your description I immediately saw all 27 letters on those three exposed faces. Let me show you the pattern.
Take the B.O.T.A. emblem of the Alchemical cube. The top is Mercury, the right face Sulfur and the left face Salt. These 3 faces are the directions Above, South and West. The three hidden faces are Below, North and East. The only vertical line of the cube concealed is North East, and that is so important in terms of the temple for that is the direction of the cornerstone. Also in the Tarot the Emperor who in Case's deck is sitting on the Cube of Space as a cubic throne. Now let's look at the Hebrew letters. Meru foundation is obviously using the classic 3 by 9 division of the full Hebrew alphabet of 27 letters known as AIQ BKR or the Qabalah of 9 chambers. Here are the letters on the 3 exposed faces of the cube:
ABOVE FACE (laid diagonal on the squares):
A
G B
V H D
Ch Z
T
SOUTHERN FACE-right side (laid straight on the squares):
L K I
S N M
Tz P O
WESTERN FACE-left side (laid straight on the squares):
Sh R Q
Mf Kf Th
Tzf Pf Nf
The Meru Cube was a fascinating idea. BOTA in the ritual temple work they do for their own initiation has replaced the Masonic altar with a bible on top, with a 3 dimensional cube of space placed on its axis and elevated on a pole. This is where all oaths are taken. When you look directly at it you see the 3 faces mentioned above, WEST, SOUTH, and ABOVE, painted blue, red, and yellow and charged in the opposite color with Sal, Sulfur and Mercurius. I went around the back of the cube at one point and looked at the 3 hidden faces. They were all painted black, which falls to your own symbolism of 3 faces in light and 3 faces in dark. However there are truly 3 faces of light and darkness by the cycle of the sun. The 3 faces of light are East (sunrise), South (noon) and Above (light). The 3 faces of shadow are West (sunset), North (midnight) and Below (darkness).