The Silent Breath of Creation – A Conversation Between Peter Witz and Dr. Graves

Peter Witz: Dr. Graves, I’ve been thinking about something—across different traditions, whether in Chinese medicine, Kabbalah, or even physics, there’s this recurring idea that everything is ultimately one. A unity behind all dualities. In Chinese thought, it’s the relationship between Yin and Yang, the balance of Qi. In Kabbalistic teachings, it’s Aleph, the first letter, the source of all creation. What do you make of this connection?

Dr. Graves: Ah, Peter, you are beginning to see the invisible thread that weaves through all wisdom traditions. Aleph, indeed, is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, but it is not just a letter—it is a symbol of the ineffable, the source from which all things emerge. It is silent, yet it contains all sounds. Just as Yin and Yang are distinct but inseparable, Aleph holds the tension of opposites within itself.

Peter Witz: That’s what fascinates me. In the Nei Jing, Qi is described as the fundamental force that moves through all things, yet it is neither solid nor graspable. Similarly, Aleph is written as two Yuds above and below, connected by a Vav—symbolizing the hidden and revealed, the higher and lower worlds, always bound together.

Dr. Graves: Precisely. The two Yuds are the realms of the seen and unseen, the upper and lower dimensions of existence. The Vav, in Kabbalistic tradition, is the channel that connects them—it is the divine bridge, the pathway of energy flowing between the heavens and the earth. This aligns beautifully with Qi, which is neither wholly material nor entirely spiritual but moves between these states, uniting them.

Peter Witz: Then are we to understand Aleph as a form of Qi? Or is it something beyond?

Dr. Graves: I would say that Aleph and Qi are two perspectives on the same mystery. Qi is the breath of life, the unseen force that animates existence. Aleph is the breath before the breath—the silent potential, the infinite space from which all things emerge. In Jewish mysticism, it is said that before the universe existed, there was only Ein Sof, the infinite, boundless oneness. Then came the Tzimtzum—the great contraction, where a space was formed within the infinite, allowing creation to emerge. This mirrors the relationship between Wuji (the formless void) and Taiji (the emergence of Yin and Yang).

Peter Witz: That’s an incredible parallel. Wuji is the stillness before movement, the undefined state before Yin and Yang differentiate. Without Wuji, there is no possibility for Qi to flow, just as without the empty space of Tzimtzum, there would be no creation.

Dr. Graves: You see, then, that wisdom is not about accumulating knowledge but recognizing patterns. The ancients who studied the flow of Qi and those who meditated on the shape of Aleph were both gazing at the same truth, expressed through different symbols. This is why the greatest mysteries always come back to the same question: How does the One become Two, and how do the Two return to One?

Peter Witz: That reminds me of a passage from the Dao De Jing—"The Dao gives birth to One. One gives birth to Two. Two gives birth to Three. Three gives birth to the ten thousand things." The process of differentiation and return.

Dr. Graves: And in Kabbalah, this same idea is found in the Sefirot, the divine emanations. From the unity of Keter (the Crown, pure potential), the energy cascades downward, differentiating into Chokhmah (Wisdom) and Binah (Understanding), the masculine and feminine principles. They generate the entire Tree of Life, which mirrors the structure of existence itself.

Peter Witz: So whether we speak of the Dao, the Sefirot, Qi, or Aleph, we are always talking about this movement between unity and multiplicity. Between the unseen source and the manifested world.

Dr. Graves: Exactly. And this movement is not just theoretical—it is happening within us at every moment. Every breath we take is an echo of this cycle. Inhalation is Yin, exhalation is Yang, but the silent pause between them is Aleph.

Peter Witz: Then perhaps to understand Aleph, we must listen not to what is spoken, but to the silence between words.

Dr. Graves: A profound insight, Peter. The greatest truths are not found in what is said, but in what is left unspoken.