Peh — Weekday Letter, Thursday (Sitting Letter)

Attributes

The letter Peh is practiced on Thursday, the day of Hod-Praise/Beauty.

Peh is connected with the attribute of Hod-Praise/Beauty, and with the opposite qualities of dominance and submission. Peh in Hebrew means “the mouth”. It is pronounced P as in “part” or F as in “font”. There are several areas called “mouth” in Jewish mysticism. One is the organ in the head with which we eat and speak. Another “mouth” is the navel, as we are fed through it while we are in the womb. Also called “mouth” are the openings of the sexual organs and excretory organs. For optimal awareness and health, it is essential that all of these orifices have proper and specific times for opening and closing, or the contrary could mean disease or death, God forbid. One should know when to speak, what to say, when and what to eat, and behave with carefulness in regards to all areas called mouth. All these areas either feed or are fed, open or close. They receive life or give life. The attribute of Hod-Praise/Beauty also has to do with being careful to not cause harm. When one is careful in preserving things and beings from harm, one begets beauty in and around oneself.

In ancient times the Peh was known as the “Prophetic Position”, meaning that it was a posture specifically used by the Jewish prophets as part of their meditative practices. (It is notable, linguistically, that the English word “navel” is said to derive from the Sanskrit “nabhi”, which is homonymous with the word for prophet in Hebrew/Arabic: “navi” or “nabi”. The joking statement that meditators are just “contemplating their navels” turns out to be a partial truth about the letter Peh).

In the Sefer Yetzira Peh is connected with the fifth day of the week, the direction “down” and the left ear in the human body. Peh is second generation from the Fire element. Its planet is Mercury.

In relation to the Ten Sefirot, Peh corresponds to Hod-Praise. In the human body it corresponds to the left leg.

How to do the letter

To do the letter Peh, start with the basic upright, cross-legged pose of the Mem, then from this position gradually bend and loosen the upper back, neck, and shoulders, and drop your head until your eyes are facing your navel. The aim is to relax progressively so that the head drops further down toward the navel. Then go into the inner exercise for 3-5 breaths or more. When you have become familiar with doing the Peh, you can include an additional mental focus on the left ear while doing the basic inner exercise.

Benefits

Benefits of doing the letter Peh include: dominance over one’s passions, intrauterine awareness, lucid dreaming, relief of emotional tensions, greater fertility for women, forgiveness, and concentration.

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