You’re not seeing double. We just wanted to honor both actresses who played the role of the Oracle.

The Oracle relates to the sefirah of Binah (‘Understanding’), one of the three upper emanations called the ‘intelligences.’ Binah is associated with the power of conceptual analysis and reasoning. This is rooted in the Hebrew phrase, “hameivin davar mi toch davar” — meaning, “understanding one thing from another.”

We can learn more about the above concept as it relates to the Oracle, from her counterpart, the Architect. He described her role in the process of creating a functioning Matrix world as follows:

“The first matrix I designed was quite naturally perfect, it was a work of art, flawless, sublime. A triumph equaled only by its monumental failure. The inevitability of its doom is as apparent to me now as a consequence of the imperfection inherent in every human being, thus I redesigned it based on your history to more accurately reflect the varying grotesqueries of your nature. However, I was again frustrated by failure. I have since come to understand that the answer eluded me because it required a lesser mind, or perhaps a mind less bound by the parameters of perfection. Thus, the answer was stumbled upon by another, an intuitive program initially created to investigate certain aspects of the human psyche. If I am the father of the matrix, she would undoubtedly be its mother.”

A summation of the key points from the Architect’s words:

1. The “singularity’ of the Architect (from Chokhmah/Wisdom on the right side) does not ‘connect’ directly to the complexity of human action.  Only the Oracle (from Binah/Understanding on the left side) meets with any humans freed from the Matrix. The Architect deals exclusively with “the One.” This precisely reflects how the higher attributes of Chokhmah (as ‘father’) and Binah (as ‘mother’) relate to the lower sefirot.
2. The Oracle has a relationship “back” to the Architect. (As Binah relates ‘back’ to Chokhmah.) He calls her a “lesser” mind. In reality, she is his inseparable counterpart.
3. The Oracle has a relationship ‘forward’ to the humans, relating to their “complexity.” She reveals this to Neo in the Matrix Reloaded park bench chat:

“I’m interested in one thing, Neo, the future. And believe me, I know – the only way to get there is together.”

Binah, creating a multitude of possibilities, relates to the future, Chokhmah is singular and reflects the past.

The key role that the Oracle plays in her relationship to the humans is summed up in this exchange:

Neo: You know the Oracle?
Rama Kandra: Everyone knows the Oracle.

The concept of ‘knowing’ in kabbalah (and in the Matrix trilogy) has to do with ‘intimate connection.’ (More on this when we look at Rama Kandra’s discussion with Neo.)

The relationship the Oracle has with all freed humans can also be understood in the framework of the emanation of Binah/Understanding, which she represents. Binah is the gateway/connection between the upper realms and the world below that we deal with on a regular basis.

As this ancient text relates:

“This is the sefirah called Binah. You must be aware that this is the Name that connects all the sefirot with its powerful bonds of emanation and magnetism. For this is the third name of the three highest Names which are united and are intimate with Keter (the highest sefirah). From this name the everflow of light, emanation and blessing, flows through all the channels until the lower seven sefirot are blessed from the three upper sefirot”
“Sha’are Orah” (Gates of Light), Yosef Gikatilla, 12th century

As the Architect revealed, the Oracle has the intuition to ‘make the system work right.’ She is the one who connects with each freed human and gives them the information they need to establish the condition they are to meet.

As she subtly told Neo,

“We’re all here to do, what we’re all here to do.”

As goes the age-old theological/philosophical argument, the Oracle’s setting of our condition (i.e., “we’re all here to do what we’re all here to do”), do not negate our free will. There remain many possible futures, all dependent on our choices.

Morpheus attempted to clarify this for Neo, early on:

Neo: So is this the same Oracle who made the prophecy? … And she knows what? Everything?
Morpheus: She would say she knows enough.
Neo: And she’s never wrong?
Morpheus: Try not to think in terms of right or wrong. She is a guide, Neo. She can help you to find the path.

The Matrix movie is about the “path of the one” through the Matrix. This being the case, every journey has a beginning, middle, and end. The Oracle is involved with all three stages as we see Neo meeting with her once in each movie. As mentioned in our background material, the three films deal with Neo rectifying successive levels of his soul.

Her role as guide, a force working behind the scenes, is to effect change. She sets the condition, for each human meeting with her, that gives them choice. Whatever they choose enables some connection and change. The cycle continues to repeat.

As she explains to Neo:

Oracle: That’s his (Architect’s) purpose: to balance an equation.
Neo: What’s your purpose?
Oracle: To unbalance it.