The Tree of Life

1. Kether - the eternal, the spiritual perfection
2. Chokmah - Power of creation, energy, wisdom
3. Binah - Understanding, realization
4. Chesed - Condensation, the power of growth and stability
5. Geburah - Movement and changing, the power of destruction
6. Tiphareth - Consciousness and harmony, the balance of the middle, beauty
7. Netzach - Creativity and anarchy, sensitivity
8. Hod - intellect and logic, structure (Mercur)
9. Yesod - Reflection and imagination (moon and water)
10. Malkuth - the root, the origin, the subconscious

One might compare the Sephiroth with the "Chakras" in Yoga. The mystic way of self-realization requires the rediscovery of all levels of one's own being, from Malkuth - the physical reality - up to Kether as the spiritual perfection. Also, the ten spheres correspond to the Four Elements as well as to the various Levels of the Soul and thus to the Four Worlds of the Kabbalah.

The Tree of Life is the universal framework on which the entire tarot system resides. The 22 trump cards of the Major Arcana represent the 22 paths that connect the ten spheres of the Tree, the ten spheres themselfs are the basic for the number cards as they count (Kether for the Aces, Chokmah for the 4 Twos, Binah for the 4 Threes etc.). Each suit of the Minor Arcana represents an element and is attached to a 'world' and a 'level of soul' i.e. a mental state of the human being.

The Four Elements correspond to:

• Fire (world of Atziluth) - Kether
• Water (world of Briah) - Chokmah and Binah
• Air (world of Yetzirah) - Chesed, Geburah, Tiphareth, Netzach, Hod and Yesod
• Earth (world of Assiah) - Malkuth

The Levels of the Soul, the correspondance is like this:

• Kether to Yechidah (the universe which is above or better: around all four worlds), but already reaching over to Chiah
• Chokmah to Chiah (which corresponds to Atziluth / Fire)
• Binah to Neshamah (which corresponds to Briah / Water)
• Sephirot 4 - 9 (Chesed, Geburah, Tiphareth, Netzach, Hod and Yesod) correspond to Ruach (Yetzirah/Air)
• Malkuth to Nefesh (Assiah/Earth).

The Supernal Triangle

The first three spheres of Kether, Chokmah and Binah make the Supernal Triangle and are the basic substance of the whole Tree of Life, the starting points of the three pillars of manifestation: the Pillar of Mildness, the Pillar of Mercy and the Pillar of Severity. Kether is the neutral point initiating the pillar of moderation (Mildness), Chokmah is the beginning of the active, all-encompassing, positive force of the right pillar of Mercy, and Binah is the beginning of the passive, restrictive, negative force of the left pillar of Severity.

They work purely at the causative level of events, live in the abstraction of ideas only, while the following seven spheres (Chesed, Geburah, Tiphareth, Netzach, Hod, Yesod and Malkuth) are the basic archetypes of action and result.

The place of the Supernal Triangle is called the The Macroprosopus, the realm of the potential as opposed to the Microprosopus as the realm of the actual. Note that the Microprosopus only consists of Chesed, Geburah, Tiphareth, Netzach, Hod and Yesod. Malkuth, the bottom sphere, has a special status being called 'the bride of Microprosopus'.

{Click on image for larger size}

The Abyss

Between the Macroprosopus and the Microprosopus we have the space that Qabalists call the Abyss. This is the demarcation between the creators and the created, the mere ideas and their actual forms, the pure abstract and the realized matter. Actual manifestation as we can conceive it begins with Microprosopus, with its first aspect of being in Chesed.

In the Abyss we can find Daath, the invisible Sephirah that translates as 'Knowledge'.

The Ethical Triangle

The Ethical Triangle is composed of the three spheres of Chesed, Geburah and Tiphareth. It is the second triad in the Tree of Life, the reflection of the Supernal Triangle on a lower arc, closer to our perception and comprehension, it forms the evolving individuality and its spiritual soul. The balance between Chesed and Geburah finds its equilibrium in Tiphareth.

The Astral Triangle

The Astral Triangle consists of the Sephiroth Netzach, Hod and Yesod, with Netzach being the instinctive emotion ruled by Venus, Hod the intellectual mind ruled by Mercury and Yesod the sphere of the Moon where both aspects are (hopefully) balanced and combined. Yesod also is the bridge between Malkuth as our very Earth and the upper part of the Tree of Life, it is through Yesod that we can get in touch with the spiritual.

While the Ethical Triangle forms the individuality the Astral Triangle forms the personality of the Tree.

The Bride of Microprosopus

As mentioned above, Malkuth is not considered part of the Microprosopus but is called the 'Bride' of Microprosopus. This has a nice relation to the old fairy-tale in which the Prince (the Microprosopus in general and Tiphareth in particular), who is the son of The Great Father (Chokmah) and The Great Mother (Binah) takes a bride into his house to start the circle of procreation anew.

Malkuth as the sphere of the Earth is the place where all the emanations from the Tree of Life manifest and become real, as opposed to the purely spiritual and/or astral levels above.

1. KETHER - The eternal, the spiritual perfection

1.

KETHER

- Crown -

Liberation, Redemption

Kether is the first emanation, the level of pure unity, a pure existance with no dependance on anything but itself. It represents the uniqe essence of a subject, regarding to the four elements it is the 'source substance', the very beginning, the first spark of the flame that comes out of universal nothingness.

Kether is the eternal source as well as the spiritual perfection, it is the begin of everything as well as its completion that makes the circle perfect. It corresponds to Yechidah, the all embracing level of soul that stands for the universe itself. It is the ultimate point, total unity, complete unto itself without dimensions or external definition. The journey of manifestation begins and ends with Kether.

The spirit of Kether emanates directly into Chokmah and then into Binah, these three forming the Supernal Triangle.

In the Minor Arcana, Kether is represented by the Aces, which are the roots and entity of the elements they stand for. They imply the unity of the number 1 and are the pureness of their elements, but also they are just the seeds.

See below the Tarot cards corresponding to Kether - the Aces:

» Ace of Swords «

» Ace of Wands «

» Ace of Cups «

» Ace of Disks «

2. CHOKMAH - Power of creation, energy, wisdom

2.

CHOKMAH

- Wisdom -

Insight, Inner Knowledge

Chokmah is the point where the pure unity splits into two so a first manifestion of the pure idea is achieved. It creates a viewpoint, an energy, a first concept of the universal nothingness that was represented by Kether. It is a very raw power, uneffected by analysis and specification, and thus so strong and effective. Chokmah is the idea of masculinity, as opposed to the femininity in Binah and the androgyny of Kether. It is the Supernal Father and therefore not only corresponds to the Deuces but also to the Knights of the Thoth Tarot (Kings in other decks).

As the first distinguishable expression of the energy emanating from Kether Chokmah embodies the pure essence of the substance. As the Number Two it represents the balance and interaction of opposites which is present throughout the Tree and originates in the opposition of Chokmah and Binah, the latter being the Supernal Mother. It is not an opposition of fixed entities, rather fluid polarities like waxing and waning, growing and shrinking, building up and tearing down.

Chokmah corresponds to the World of Atziluth, Chiah in soul, the general living spark that generates vitality. In the Twos of the Minor Arcana Chokmah is the first definition of what the Suit is all about, its purest and unchanged expression. In the Knights it embodies the Fathers of the element, the raw uncompensated power that wants to procreate.

See below the Tarot cards corresponding to Chokmah - the Twos and the Knights:

» Peace «

» Dominion «

» Love «

» Change «

3. BINAH - Understanding, realization

3.

BINAH

- Understanding -

Decision, Will

Binah represents the female potency of the Universe as Chokmah represents the male, both will be better understood when watched in correlation with each other. The are the first manifestation of the principle of polarity, the opposites that are to be seen as a unity. Chokmah is the force and Binah the form, the receiving of Chokmahs power, its perception and understanding. Without Binah the unrestricted, formless power of Chokmah would be but an empty combustion in nowhere's land.

Binah is thus the Great Mother, the Great Sea, the archetypal womb from which all life comes into manifestation. But she also means restriction, binding and limitation - which is why she heads the Pillar of Severity and not that of Mercy which one might be attempted to view as more 'mother-like'.

Here we must understand that birth is the beginning of death. The unrestricted powers emanating from Kether are immortal and timeless, those emanating from Chokmah are undefined and not even born into any substanstial existance. Binah receives these unbinded forces and forms them into being. But as soon as being begins it is subjugated to time and age and ultimately death.

Binah is thus connected to Saturn, the Father of Time who in his Greek form of Kronos had the unpleasant habit of eating his children. Therefore Binah is not only the Bright Fertile Mother but also the Dark Sterile Mother, and the proverbial Terrible Mother who subjects her children to the merciless circle of birth and death, age and illness, rise and fall.

However, Binah is the will to form, the actual form takes place not in Binah but in Chesed. Like the Element of Water which receives but leaves the actual birth to someone else Binahs children will only see the light of day on the other side of the Abyss.

Binah represents Neshamah of the soul, the World of Briah, where individual potentials and powers are identified and specificated. It combines perception, realization and understanding, the first initiation of consciousness.

In the Tarot Binah is associated with the Threes and the Queens. The Three is the number associated with the manifestation of matter with matter being just about anything that is manifest. The Queens are the Mothers of their elements and Suits.

See below the Tarot cards corresponding to Binah:

» Sorrow «

» Virtue «

» Abundance «

» Work «

4. CHESED - Condensation, the power of growth and stability

4.

CHESED

- Mercy -

Forgiveness, Kindness

The fourth Spehirah Chesed is the beginning of manifestation, the externalization of the combined potencies of Kether, Chokmah and Binah. It is the first Sephira below the Abyss, the beginning of the Microprosopus as the realm of actual existance, the first manifestation of the human consciousness as it corresponds to Ruach - the intellectual mind.

Chesed is the central Sephirah in the Pillar of Mercy, situated directley under Chokmah. Emanated from Binah it is the son of those two Supernals, organising and preserving all of the power that was born by Binah from Chokmah's semen. It is the form that Binah had determined for existance and that now becomes actual and real.

Associated with Jupiter (Zeus), Chesed is a benevolent ruler whose name translates as 'kindness', it is the power of growth and expansion, stability and extension, willing to provide structure and stabilty. Kind of nature, it also represents charity and generosity.

In the Tarot Chesed is represented by the Fours and Four is its mystical number. We have seen that Kether is the point, Chokmah the line, Binah the two-dimensional plane, and as noted in the » Naples Arrangement the next figure in the order is the three-dimensional solid body. Hence the symbol assigned to Chesed is the pyramid, a tetrahedron which brings together four sides.

See below the Tarot cards corresponding to Chesed - the Fours:

» Truce «

» Completion «

» Luxury «

» Power «

5. Geburah - Movement and changing, the power of destruction

5.

GEBURAH

- Discipline -

Strenth, Power

Geburah is probably the least understood Sephirah in the Tree of Life, least appreciated in its mostly desastrous representation in the Fives in Tarot, quite often seen as the evil power destroying the harmonious stability of Chesed (in the Fours).

Yet Geburah is the inevitable counterbalance to Chesed and we must not view one of them without considering the second. True to the Principle of Polarity that already showed in the relation between Chokmah and Binah the same mutual balance exists between Chesed and Geburah, albeit on a lower arc in what is called the Ethical Triangle.

On the Pillar of Severity Geburah is placed directly under Binah and like Binah who binds and restricts the energies of Chokmah Geburah does the same to the powers of Chesed. And like above this is not just due to wanton rudeness but serves a purpose.

Geburah is the one sorting out the obsolete, the excess and the redundant, cuts down on the fruits of overabundance and superfluity and quite rudely 'cleans up the place'. Ruled by Mars which is responsible for its aggressive recklessness it also shows the Saturnial influence of its mother Binah, weighing the status quo achieved and preserved by Chesed against the judgement of time and deciding what can remain and what has to go. As painful as this can be it is still a necessity on our way to perfection.

When watching both Sephiroth as Kings, we see Chesed as the peaceful ruler sitting comfortably on his throne governing his expanding kingdom, while Geburah is the Warrior King in pure Spartanic tradition. Any trouble at the borders, any discrepancies within the realm, any signs of sloth here or neglect there and the Warrior King is up in arms putting things straight.

While Chesed prefers to sit back contentedly in what he has achieved Geburah is meant to move and change, never satisfied with any status quo, tearing old things down so that new things can be built, causing (temporarily) instability and imbalance as a result. We might be forgiven when we watch him as a pain in the .. err.. back yet we should not forget that we need him nonetheless.

See below the Tarot cards corresponding to Geburah - the Fives:

» Defeat «

» Strife «

» Disappointment «

» Worry «

6. TIPHARETH - Consciousness and harmony, the balance of the middle, beauty

6.

TIPHARETH

- Beauty -

Love, Compassion

Tiphareth completes the Ethical Triangle in the Tree of Life, it is the balance and the equilibrium between Chesed and Geburah. Tiphareth has learned that the two seemingly so different kings - the benevolent ruler and the merciless Warrior King, are in fact one and the same, or as the Principle of Polarity would say: the two contrasting sets of qualities are actually just two aspects or phases of the whole.

This triad (Chesed, Geburah and Tiphareth) represents the concept of analysis. Chesed stands for the richdom of growth, Geburah as its quintessence exposes its faults and restrictions, and Tiphareth gets it all back to harmony, drawing the best out of both extremes.

Located in the middle of the Tree of Life, in the Pillar of Mildness which is also the Pillar of Consciousness, Tiphareth stands for the harmony of the middle, the beauty of itself, the consciousness reflecting on itself, having experienced both positive and negative heights and got out of it matured and wisened. It is the center of the Microprosopus.

Tiphareth is Kether on a lower arc and Yesod on a higher level. Watched from the higher planes of the Tree it is the child emanating from the spheres above, watched from the lower planes it is the King closest to the skies. As we will later see Tiphareth also provides a balance between Netzach and Hod.

The Sephirah Tiphareth stands for devotion - devotion for a higher spiritual purpose or devotion to whatever one may be concerned with. The planet associated with it is the Sun in all its beauty and glory.

See below the Tarot cards corresponding to Tiphareth - the Sixes and the Princes:

» Science «

» Victory «

» Pleasure «

» Success «

7. NETZACH - Creativity and anarchy, sensitivity

7.

NETZACH

- Eternity -

Endurance, Perpetuity
Perseverance, Persistence
Victory

With the seventh Sephirah Netzach we are entering the Astral Triangle, the realm of personality and our own consciousness. Netzach represents the instincts, the emotions caused by those, it is sensitivity and creativity on an instinctive, unconscious level.

The white light that shone so bright in Tiphareth is split into thousands of coloured rays in Netzach, almost like in a prism but yet unsorted, anarchic, flowing about in uncontrolled, ever-shifting shapes. Ruled by Venus which never was an influence known for order and practicability, Netzach is a peculiar sphere. It is located at the bottom of the Pillar of Mercy where, as we remember, all the growing, expanding and unrestricted powers arise. It reflects the Fire of the warlike Geburah through Tiphareth, providing even the Fire with Venusian splendour (we might think of Venus flattering around Mars here). It doubtlessly wants nothing but beautiful good and yet its direct manifestation in the Sevens of the Tarot are seldom good news.

As all the Sephirah in the Pillar of Mercy need their balancing counterpart in the Pillar of Severity Netzach rather badly needs Hod, the eight Sephirah. While Netzach is the uncontrolled instinct Hod is the conscious mind. Netzach is pure, archaic emotion and Hod is the rational intellect. Netzach is wavering, dissolutive anarchy while Hod is wellthought structure.

Netzach with its manifold, differing and confusing shades and facets is often considered the Sphere of Illusion when it is this very anarchic and emotional nature where illusion florishs. It is also called the Sephirah of Destiny, breaking out of the wellbalanced harmony of Tiphareth with neither care nor concern. Netzach is moving no matter what, it cannot stand still.

We need Netzach for in it lies all artistry, all passion, all emotion that makes our being worthwhile, but woe to us if the balance of Hod is missing.

See below the Tarot cards corresponding to Netzach - the Sevens:

» Futility «

» Valour «

» Debauch «

» Failure «

8. HOD - intellect and logic, structure

8.

HOD

- Splendour -

Glory, Radiance, Openness

The counterbalance of the anarchic Netzach on the Astral Plane in the Tree of Life is Hod, the eigth Sephirah. While Netzach is the Force, Hod is the Form, providing organization and structure to the uncontrolled power of its counterpart from which it emanates. As a couple, Netzach and Hod are often referred to as 'time' and 'place'.

Like Netzach was reflected from Geburah through Tiphareth, Hod is reflected from Chesed through Tiphareth, representing its coagulating principle. Hod is also called the Sphere of Magic(k) since it is the sphere of the formulation of form, change imposed by will and intellect. Quite naturally it is also restriction and discrimination or - as Crowley's Eight of Swords so aptly put it - interference. You cannot form anything without restricting it in one way or the other, once you tame a wild thing its freedom is limited. This is the primary effect of any Sephirah on the Pillar of Severity hence its name.

Hod is ruled by Mercury and thus associated with Hermes aka Mercury aka Thoth, the god of wisdom and scripture. The Tarot as 'Book of Thoth' is referred to Hod as well as all language since both can be considered as carriers of messages and meanings. Hod is the conscious thinking, the intellectual logic and the rationality of mind. It is the explorer and scientist, the magician and researcher, but also the god of trickery and deceit. Just remember that Netzach is the Sphere of Illusion - what becomes of an illusion once it is rendered into servable portions?

Hod is quite often not much appreciated by people enthusiastically throwing themselfes into the 'mysteries of occultism' when its rather unmysterious rationalism seems so much less attractive than the iridescent fluidity of Netzach, yet without Hod one would be hopelessly lost in what is actually nothing but an unsorted mess of primeval instincts.

See below the Tarot cards corresponding to Hod - the Eights:

» Interference «

» Swiftness «

» Indolence «

» Prudence «

9. YESOD - Reflection and imagination

9.

YESOD

- Foundation -

Outcome, Result

In Yesod we find the equilibrium of the Astral Plane, the Sphere in which both Netzach and Hod find their balance and perfection. At first sight Yesod seems to be a contradictory Sephirah. At one side it is all fluidity, ruled by the Moon in a constant state of waxing and waning, of flux and reflux. On the other hand it is called 'the machinery' of the universe, being the receptable of all emanations of the other Sephirah above it on the Tree of Life, and the only transmitter of these emanations to Malkuth.

When we think of it it is not so contradictory as it appears. A machine has to move, at least something in it has to, in order to function. With no movement and rhythm whatsoever there is nothing the machine could empower. Unlike Netzach Yesod is no uncontrolled mess of instincts, it is the Sphere of reflection and imagination emanating from Hod, the wisdom and the structure. Yesod can be compared with a giant image gallery storing the images of past and present, of below and beyond, beautiful ones and ugly ones, soothing and frightening, dreams and nightmares. They're floating and shifting, moving like figures on an old silent movie screen.

And that's what they are considering that Yesod belongs to the Astral Triangle, the realm of illusion. With the Moon being seen as the ruler of the tides and thus Water Yesod is related to the Seas of Binah and in fact it can be also compared with a deep sea. And like the Moon who has no light of its own the light we see in Yesod is but a reflection of Tiphareth which lies above it on the Pillar of Mildness. Yesod is called the 'Vehicle of Life' because it is the vehicle that channels all life into Malkuth.

Given that Yesod receives all the emanations from above while securely resting in the Pillar of Mildness, also called the Pillar of Harmony, it is a very powerful Sephirah which in turn renders the Tarot cards assigned to it into powerful cards.

See below the Tarot cards corresponding to Yesod - the Nines:

» Cruelty «

» Strength «

» Happiness «

» Gain «

10. MALKUTH - the root, the origin, the Kingdom

10.

MALKUTH

- Kingship -

Finish, Realization

At the very bottom of the Tree of Life we find Malkuth, the Bride of Microprosopus, also called the Kingdom, the final phase of active manifestation. While Yesod is the machinery sorting and combining all emanations from the upper levels of the Tree, it is in Malkuth that these emanations finally find a solid base to materialize.

Malkuth is associated with Nefesh, the animal soul, and to Assiah, the world of making. It is in Malkuth were we are grounded and have our actual life, it is from Malkuth that we can look at the upper spheres at all. Being the very ground and body in which we are existent it is of utmost importance to our being, without Malkuth we simply would not be here at all. All spiritual exercise we will ever engage in has to be rooted and secured in our own Malkuth.

While Malkuth is securely anchored in the world of Assiah it combines all four elements in it, which becomes quite natural when we look at all life in and on our Earth. Take a little blade of grass for example.The grass itself is matter that is Earth, it was brought to life by the spark of vitality that is Fire, it is nurtured and fed by Water and it is Air in which it breathes. You could not take one of the elements away without destroying the being of this blade of grass, and it is likewise with all other life on Earth.

In the nice game of climbing the Tree of Life upwards and downwards in order to explore one's self, the desire is mostly focussed on the shining crown of Kether, believing that when the crown is reached the big goal is achieved. But, people forget that the biggest mystery is hidden in the own inside, and only very few have really seen the own Malkuth, let alone explored it.

See below the Tarot cards corresponding to Malkuth - the Tens and the Princesses:

» Ruin «

» Oppression «

» Satiety «

» Wealth «