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The
Mystery of Qabala(h)
The Deeper
meaning of the Tree of Life is a study that
becomes a journey into the spiritual and mystical nature of
ourselves, our world and all that is of this Cosmos.
There are two basic distinctions between the Jewish Mystical
Kabbalah and the Western Mystery system of the Qabalah.
The difference in spelling is generally the first clue as to
which system is being used. The Tree of Life, itself,
remains the same within each; but, the approach and what
energies, correspondences and analogies are made are what is
adapted to become a purely Jewish perspective or one with
occult roots.
Within the Jewish Kabbalah-
the 10 Sephorit are ten essences referring to the 10 aspects
of the Divine God. The importance of the naming of that God
and the vibration of tone and sound related to that "naming"
are of most importance to this system.
Within the Western Mystery Qabalah-
the 10 sephiroth relate to aspects of consciousness, the
macrocosm", the microcosm, The Universe or
the
totality of creation in correspondence with the Human Being.
The Tree of Life describes the
descent of the divine into the manifest world, and methods
by which divine union may be attained in this life. It can
be viewed as a map of the human psyche and of the workings
of creation, both manifest and un-manifest.
Its components are:
The story of the creative
action of manifestation is described thusly:
In the beginning there was nothing (Ain); and as the nothing
became aware of itself it also realized the limitlessness (Ain
Soph) of its being. This realization expanded and with more
awareness came the birthing of limitless light (Ain Soph Aur).
This limitless light felt the urge to create- and from it
emanated Divine Intelligence – Kether. All things needing
balance- in its wisdom Kether split and from this source of
being the remaining 9 spheres became emanations of light,
knowledge, mercy, severity, beauty, love, glory, imagination
and finally rest in the Kingdom of Earth- Malkuth.
These emanations are assigned specific
attributes, each expressed both singularly and
simultaneously with each of the remaining spheres.
| 1-Kether |
The Crown |
Union with God |
 |
| 2-(C)Hokmah |
Wisdom |
Vision of God |
| 3-Binah |
Understanding |
Vision of Sorrow |
| 4-(C)Hesed |
Mercy |
Vision of Love |
| 5-Geburah |
Severity |
Vision of Power |
| 6-Tifareth |
Beauty |
Vision of Harmony |
| 7-Netsah (zach) |
Victory |
Vision of Beauty |
| 8-Hod |
Glory |
Vision of Splendor |
| 9-Yesod |
Foundation |
Vision of the Workings of the
Universe |
| 10-Malkuth |
Kingdom |
Vision of the Holy Guardian Angel |
- The
Three Veils -
The
veils reside above the tree and represent the levels of
non-existence just prior to creative force
| Ain- is literally translated
as "nothing" and is the highest and furthest away
from Kether. It is the complete absence of
existence. |
 |
| Ain Soph- the middle veil
emanates from Ain and translates as "no limit".
It is force - formless and without container,
vessel or bounds. |
| Ain Soph Aur- the closest
veil to the Tree itself, emanates from the limitless
nature of Ain Soph. It means "limitless or eternal
light". Now there is light to serve as catalyst for
recognition of the "nothing". Now there is the spark
needed to fuel the creative urge to create and make
manifest. Now there is the beginnings of what will
spill forth into Kether and move through the further
emanations towards Malkuth. |
- 10 Sephiroth (spheres)
of Emanation
-
The
Sephiroth are States of Being and act as
vessels
to contain the Divine energy that spills forth from the
God-Head - Kether( being the highest expression of
the Divine) down into Malkuth, the densest and
manifest physical world of the Divine. The spheres at the
top of the tree are lighter and finer in energy – more
transparent and expressive of pure Light and as we
descend down the tree each sphere gains more density- less
clarity of brilliance of light til we come to rest in the
earth plane of Malkuth.Each sphere has both an English and
Hebrew names and countless correspondences attributed to
each.
Listed as
below + the unseen energy of Da'At
Keywords only- as these are the subject of the more-in depth
study
|
1-Kether |
The Crown- The Crown of Attainment- the 'Cause
of causes"- the unknowable- The Mystical
Consciousness |
| 2-Chokmah |
Wisdom- The Word of God- true Will untainted by
the material nature- The Radiant Consciousness |
|
3-Binah |
Understanding- The Great Sea- absolute belief-
The Sanctified Consciousness |
|
Da'At |
The
Abyss that holds the key to transformation through
the Dark Night of the Soul
this sphere does not
have a number on the Tree and is often called the
"Hidden or Occult" Path |
|
4-Chesed |
Mercy- Majesty- the place of greater awareness
and pure compassion-The Settled Consciousness |
| 5-Geburah |
Severity- Strength and Justice- excision and the
necessary cutting away- The Rooted Consciousness |
| 6-Tiphareth |
Beauty- Sacrifice- the receptive place of the
emanations from Kether- The Transcendental Influx
Consciousness |
| 7-Netzach |
Victory- The Beauty of Nature- The
Hidden Consciousness |
|
8-Hod |
Glory- Splendor- the sphere of science and
craft- the analytical nature and communicative
learning- The Perfect Consciousness |
| 9-Yesod |
The Foundation- sphere of the subconscious- the
Lunar Gates- dreams and illusion - the astral - The
Pure Consciousness |
| 10-Malkuth |
The Kingdom- the plane of physical existence-
manifest reality- the elements and all of manifest
Life- The Scintillating Consciousness |
- 22 Paths
- (32-inclusive of the Spheres)
The
Paths connect the Sephiroth and
act as conduits/
filters and refiners of the energies of the connecting
spheres.
Just as the Spheres are States of Being, these are the Paths
of "becoming" those pure states of being. The 22 Paths with
the 10 Spheres are considered the
32* Keys to Wisdom
* numerology note:
3+2=5 the master number of the Hierophant Tarot
card- the energy of the Pentagram and the ultimate state of
disruptive force that is both transformation and transmutive.
- Four Worlds
-
There are four realms (worlds) of existence within which the Tree of Life is contained.
Each world emanates one from the other- from highest and
most refined energy at the place of Atziluth to the densest
realm in Assiah. The Four worlds describe the creative
process and each has a portion of the spheres contained
within its realms. Concurrently, as in all viable
esoteric systems- the entirety of the Tree itself is also
contained simultaneously within each of the worlds. Thus,
each sphere exists in All Four Worlds.
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The Spiritual World. Home to
the energies of the Gods/Goddesses. This is
the place of the creative urge of Deity to move
beyond itself and make manifest something more. This
is the place of the un-knowable and un-nameable
Source of All. The realm of causes and the home of
the Divine names reside here. |
- Briah- Creative Archangelic World
|
The Soul/or Higher SELF is expressed here. The
Archangels reside in this world. This is the realm
of Ideas of the highest order. This is the Idea of
the manifest world before it is actually brought
into being. This is also the world through which the
initial study of Qabalah is often begun.
Briatic colors are the standard designation for the
spheres and it is through this world that
there is clarity and greater communication between
man and the Higher Self. |
- Yetzirah- Astral/Angelic World
|
The Mental Plane. This is the stuff of the
astral and as such is the world of formation. The
place of the collective unconscious and Anima Mundi
(world soul). This si the realm where specific
forms are created. The Angels of the Qabalah reside
here. |
- Assiah- Active/material World
|
The Physical World. Planetary and energy
of the elements are assigned at this level. This is
the world in which we feel most comfortable and can
identify with the energies most clearly. Although we
probably know the least about the hidden nature of
this world min terms of actual Working Knowledge.
This is the place of knowing "oneself". |
-
The Sacred Letters -
http://www.southville.net/chris/hebrew.htm
| Each of the Hebrew Letters assigned
to a specific Path or Sphere has two (or more) basic
meanings. In addition to the more complex meaning of
the indivdual letters, each also carries the energy
of a specific word associated with it. When used in
conjunction with the attribute of the Path on which
it is placed, there is greater depth of esoteric
knowledge to be gained.
The individual spheres are assigned a combination
of the letters to form a name for that speher, while
the connecting Paths have a single letter
attributed.
The first is in the collective energy of
the letter when placed in conjunction with
other letters to form a word. The Tetragrammaton
is such an example being comprised of the
Yod-Heh-Vau-Heh
the sacred name of God.
Additionally, each of the letters has a numeric
value which gives greater meaning to the combining
of letters to create words. This is the practice of
Gematria; the numeric values of the
letters of a word are added together and believed to
bear relation to other words that have the same
numeric value. This is also used as a method
of blessing someone either by the numeric value of a
name, date or birthday with a number that relates to
a positive quality such as 'light'-"life", etc.. |
 |
|
- Three
Pillars of Expression- |
- Severity -
Feminine- Providing the necessary Form and
Restriction (contractions prior to Birth). The
spheres of this pillar are: Binah-
Geburah- Hod.
|
 |
- The Middle
(equalizer)- The place of balance where the Greater work
is synthesized. This is the place of the rising
Kundalini- lunar and solar pathways combined and
the greater knowledge of Life, Death
and Rebirth. This is the Pillar of
Consciousness in its ascent (The Serpent of
Wisdom) the catalyst for evolution. And, the Pillar
of Grace in its descent from Kether to
Malkuth - the path of involution. The
Spheres of this pillar are Malkuth- Yesod-
Tiphareth- Kether
|
- Mercy -
Masculine- Providing the necessary Force and
Expansion (the seed planted). The spheres
of this pillar are: Chokmah- Chesed- Netzach
|
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The
Lightening Flash |
|
The Lightening Flash is the sequence
in which the Sephorith emanate from one to the
other.
The Way of Evolution
follows the ascent from Malkuth to Kether, moving
from the physical plane towards that of the
Limitless All.
The Way of Involution
is the descent from Kether to Malkuth. This is the
pattern of manifestation, moving from a place of
formlessness towards the densest and most manifest
place of existence. |
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Practical Application
So, how would one apply this vast body
of knowledge to a spiritual practice? Although undertaking a
study of the Qabala can seem daunting just in the sheer
amount of information associated with each of the spheres
and paths it is a system that can be overlaid on any viable
esoteric or mundane pursuit. For example, each night
as we retire for a good night's sleep and enter the world of
dreams- we are in effect traveling from Malkuth (the
physical manifest world) into Yesod ( the world of dreams,
the astral, memories and the subconscious). When we
have that flash of inspiration we have moved into the realm
of Hod ( mind, intellect and first beginnings of invention).
And, when we are moved to a place of Love and beauty, we
have touched upon the essence of Netzach ( the sphere of
Venus and emotional outpour). |
