Tree of Life

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Revision as of 17:39, 30 Jan 2005

The sephiroth (singular sephira) are the ten eminations or manifestations of God or the Universe. They begin with the highest aspect, Kether, and as the energy or concepts pass through creation, they reach the physical world, Malkuth. Connecting many of the sephiroth are pathways, 22 in all. Within the western magical tradition, the Tree is used as a kind of conceptual filing cabinet. Each sephera and path is assigned various ideas, such as gods, cards of the Tarot, astrological planets and signs, elements, etc. Within Thelema, the seminal book which defines all these correspondances is 777 by Aleister Crowley, although there have been other influential writers on the topic, including Israel Regardie and Eliphas Levi.

Table of contents

1 Parts of the Tree of Life

1.1 The Negative Veils
1.2 Sephiroth (Eminations)
1.3 The Paths
1.4 The Veils
1.5 The Pillars
1.6 The Triplicities
1.7 The Four Worlds
1.8 The Parts of the Soul

2 The Correspondances

Parts of the Tree of Life

The Negative Veils

Ain, "Nothing"
Ain Soph, "The Boundless"
Ain Soph Aur, "The Limitless Light"

Sephiroth (Eminations)

Kether, "Crown"
Chokmah, "Wisdom"
Binah, "Understanding"
Chesed, "Mercy"
Geburah, "Strength"
Tiphareth, "Beauty"
Netzach, "Victory"
Hod, "Splendour"
Yesod, "The Foundation"
Malkuth, "The Kingdom"

There is also the "false" sephiroth, Daath, or Knowledge.

The Paths

There are 22 paths that connect the ten sephiroth. They are named according to the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet.

Aleph, "Ox"
Beth, "House"
Gimel, "Camel"
Daleth, "Door"
Hé, "Window"
Vau, "Nail"
Zain, "Sword"
Cheth, "Fence"
Teth, "Serpent"
Yod, "Hand"
Kaph, "Palm"
Lamed, "Ox Goad"
Mem, "Water"
Nun, "Fish"
Samekh, "Prop"
Ayin, "Eye"
Pé, "Mouth"
Tzaddi, "Fish-Hook"
Qoph, "Back of Head"
Resh, "Head"
Shin, "Tooth"
Tau, "Cross"
32-bis
31-bis

The Veils

The Veil of Paroketh
The Veil of the Abyss

The Pillars

The vertical columns of the sephiroth form three "pillars":

Boaz—the left Pillar, called Severity (Binah,Geburah, and Hod)
Middle Pillar—the center column, called Balance (Kether, Tiphareth, Yesod, Malkuth)
Jachin—the right Pillar, called Mercy (Chokmah, Chesed, Netzach)

The Triplicities

Above the physical world of Malkuth, there are three sets of three sephiroth:

The Supernals—Kether, Chokmah, and Binah
Chesed, Geburah, and Tiphareth
Netzach, Hod, and Yesod

The Four Worlds

Briah (The Creative World)
Atziluth (The Archetypical World)
Yetzirah (The Formative World)
Assiah (The Material World)

The Parts of the Soul

Yechidah (The Self)
Chiah (The Life Force)
Neshama (The Intuition)
Ruach (The Intellect)
Nephesh (The Animal Soul)

The Correspondances

The defining feature of the Tree of Life as it's used in Thelema is the correspondances. The general idea is that all the concepts found in a sephiroth or path have essential ties with each other. Many of the correspondances are from the Jewish Kabbalistic tradition, although there are many that were added on by members of the Golden Dawn and also by Aleister Crowley. The following list is not complete—these are the correspondances listed on Thelemapedia.

The Key Scale—not really a correspondance, but the numerical organizational tool of the Tree.
Astrology and the Tree of Life—the planets and signs of the Zodiac and the Tree of Life.
Godforms and the Tree of Life—including those found in Egyptian, Hindu, Scandinavian, Greek, Roman, and Christian traditions.
Tarot and the Tree of Life—all 72 cards are represented, including the Major and Minor Arcana
Colors and the Tree of Life—each sephera and path has four "scales" of color: King, Queen, Emperor, and Empress
Elements and the Tree of Life—the "classical" elements, Air, Earth, Fire, Water, Spirit
The Material Correspondances:
- Animals
- Plants
- Precious Stones
- Perfumes
- Vegetable Drugs
- Mineral Drugs
- Alchemical Metals
- The Human Body
- Metals
Magick & Mysticism:
- The Four Quarters
- The Mansions of the Moon
- Genii of the Twelve Hours
- The Noble Eightfold Path
- Geomantic Intelligences
- The Letters of the Name
- Magical Weapons
- Magical Formulae
- Parts of the Soul
- Lineal Figures of the Planets, etc., and Geomany
- Chakras
- The Soul (Hindu)
- Quarters
- Orders of Qliphoth
- Forty Buddhist Meditations
- Magical Powers
- System of Taoism
- Figures related to Pure Number
- The Demon Kings
- Legendary Orders of Being
The Four Worlds
- Heavens of Assiah
- God Names in Assiah
- Archangels of Assiah
- Angels of Assiah
- Divine Names of Briah
- Angels of Briah
- Choir of Angels in Briah
- Palaces of Briah

Retrieved from "http://thelemapedia.org/index.php/Tree_of_Life"

 The defining feature of the Tree of Life as it's used in Thelema is the correspondances. The general idea is that all the concepts found in a sephiroth or path have essential ties with each other. Many of the correspondances are from the Jewish Kabbalistic tradition, although there are many that were added on by members of the [[Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn|Golden Dawn]] and also by Aleister Crowley. The following list is not complete—these are the correspondances listed on Thelemapedia.
-*'''[[Key Scale|The Key Scale]]'''—not really a correspondance, but the numerical organizational tool of the Tree.
+*'''[[Key Scale|The Key Scale]]'''—not really a correspondance, but the numerical organizational tool of the Tree.<BR/><BR/>
-*'''[[Astrology and the Tree of Life]]'''—the [[Planet|planets]] and signs of the [[Zodiac and the Tree of Life]].
+*'''[[Tree of Life: Astrology|Astrology and the Tree of Life]]'''—the [[Planet|planets]] and signs of the [[Zodiac and the Tree of Life]].
-*'''[[Godforms and the Tree of Life]]'''—including those found in Egyptian, Hindu, Scandinavian, Greek, Roman, and Christian traditions.
+*'''[[Tree of Life: Godforms|Godforms and the Tree of Life]]'''—including those found in Egyptian, Hindu, Scandinavian, Greek, Roman, and Christian traditions.
-*'''[[Tarot and the Tree of Life]]'''—all 72 cards are represented, including the Major and Minor Arcana
+*'''[[Tree of Life: Tarot|Tarot and the Tree of Life]]'''—all 72 cards are represented, including the Major and Minor Arcana
-*'''[[Colors and the Tree of Life]]'''—each sephera and path has four "scales" of color: King, Queen, Emperor, and Empress
+*'''[[Tree of Life: Colors|Colors and the Tree of Life]]'''—each sephera and path has four "scales" of color: King, Queen, Emperor, and Empress
-*'''[[Elements and the Tree of Life]]'''—the "classical" elements, Air, Earth, Fire, Water, Spirit
+*'''[[Tree of Life: Elements|Elements and the Tree of Life]]'''—the "classical" elements, Air, Earth, Fire, Water, Spirit
 *'''The Material Correspondances''':
-**'''[[Tree of Life:Animals|Animals]]'''
+**'''[[Tree of Life: Animals|Animals]]'''
-**'''[[Tree of Life:Plants|Plants]]'''
+**'''[[Tree of Life: Plants|Plants]]'''
-**'''[[Tree of Life:Precious Stones|Precious Stones]]'''
+**'''[[Tree of Life: Precious Stones|Precious Stones]]'''
-**'''[[Tree of Life:Perfumes|Perfumes]]'''
+**'''[[Tree of Life: Perfumes|Perfumes]]'''
-**'''[[Tree of Life:Vegetable Drugs|Vegetable Drugs]]'''
+**'''[[Tree of Life: Vegetable Drugs|Vegetable Drugs]]'''
-**'''[[Tree of Life:Mineral Drugs|Mineral Drugs]]'''
+**'''[[Tree of Life: Mineral Drugs|Mineral Drugs]]'''
-**'''[[Tree of Life:Alchemical Metals|Alchemical Metals]]'''
+**'''[[Tree of Life: Alchemical Metals|Alchemical Metals]]'''
-**'''[[Tree of Life:The Human Body|The Human Body]]'''
+**'''[[Tree of Life: The Human Body|The Human Body]]'''
-**'''[[Tree of Life:Metals|Metals]]'''
+**'''[[Tree of Life: Metals|Metals]]'''
 *'''Magick & Mysticism''':
-**'''[[Tree of Life:The Quarters|The Four Quarters]]'''
+**'''[[Tree of Life: The Quarters|The Four Quarters]]'''
-**'''[[Tree of Life:The Mansions of the Moon|The Mansions of the Moon]]'''
+**'''[[Tree of Life: The Mansions of the Moon|The Mansions of the Moon]]'''
-**'''[[Tree of Life:Genii of the Twelve Hours|Genii of the Twelve Hours]]'''
+**'''[[Tree of Life: Genii of the Twelve Hours|Genii of the Twelve Hours]]'''
-**'''[[Tree of Life:Noble Eightfold Path|The Noble Eightfold Path]]'''
+**'''[[Tree of Life: Noble Eightfold Path|The Noble Eightfold Path]]'''
-**'''[[Tree of Life:Tree of Life:Geomantic Intelligences|Tree of Life:Geomantic Intelligences]]'''
+**'''[[Tree of Life: Geomantic Intelligences|Geomantic Intelligences]]'''
-**'''[[Tree of Life:Letters of the Name|The Letters of the Name]]'''
+**'''[[Tree of Life: Letters of the Name|The Letters of the Name]]'''
-**'''[[Tree of Life:Magical Weapons|Magical Weapons]]'''
+**'''[[Tree of Life: Magical Weapons|Magical Weapons]]'''
-**'''[[Tree of Life:Magical Formulæ|Magical Formula]]'''
+**'''[[Tree of Life: Magical Formulae|Magical Formulae]]'''
-**'''[[Tree of Life:Parts of the Soul|Parts of the Soul]]'''
+**'''[[Tree of Life: Parts of the Soul|Parts of the Soul]]'''
-**'''[[Tree of Life:Lineal Figures & Geomany|Lineal Figures of the Planets, etc., and Geomany]]'''
+**'''[[Tree of Life: Lineal Figures & Geomany|Lineal Figures of the Planets, etc., and Geomany]]'''
-**'''[[Tree of Life:Chakras|Chakras]]'''
+**'''[[Tree of Life: Chakras|Chakras]]'''
 **'''[[Tree of Life:The Soul (Hindu)|The Soul (Hindu)]]'''
-**'''[[Tree of Life:Quarters|Quarters]]'''
+**'''[[Tree of Life: Quarters|Quarters]]'''
-**'''[[Tree of Life:Orders of Qliphoth|Orders of Qliphoth]]'''
+**'''[[Tree of Life: Orders of Qliphoth|Orders of Qliphoth]]'''
-**'''[[Tree of Life:Forty Buddhist Meditations|Forty Buddhist Meditations]]'''
+**'''[[Tree of Life: Forty Buddhist Meditations|Forty Buddhist Meditations]]'''
-**'''[[Tree of Life:Magical Powers|Magical Powers]]'''
+**'''[[Tree of Life: Magical Powers|Magical Powers]]'''
-**'''[[Tree of Life:System of Taoism|System of Taoism]]'''
+**'''[[Tree of Life: System of Taoism|System of Taoism]]'''
-**'''[[Tree of Life:Figures related to Pure Number|Figures related to Pure Number]]'''
+**'''[[Tree of Life: Figures related to Pure Number|Figures related to Pure Number]]'''
-**'''[[Tree of Life:Demon Kings|The Demon Kings]]'''
+**'''[[Tree of Life: Demon Kings|The Demon Kings]]'''
-**'''[[Tree of Life:Legendary Orders of Being|Legendary Orders of Being]]'''
+**'''[[Tree of Life: Legendary Orders of Being|Legendary Orders of Being]]'''
 *'''The Four Worlds'''
-**'''[[Tree of Life:Heavens of Assiah|Heavens of Assiah]]'''
+**'''[[Tree of Life: Heavens of Assiah|Heavens of Assiah]]'''
-**'''[[Tree of Life:God Names in Assiah|God Names in Assiah]]'''
+**'''[[Tree of Life: God Names in Assiah|God Names in Assiah]]'''
-**'''[[Tree of Life:Archangels of Assiah|Archangels of Assiah]]'''
+**'''[[Tree of Life: Archangels of Assiah|Archangels of Assiah]]'''
-**'''[[Tree of Life:Angels of Assiah|Angels of Assiah]]'''
+**'''[[Tree of Life: Angels of Assiah|Angels of Assiah]]'''
-**'''[[Tree of Life:Divine Names of Briah|Divine Names of Briah]]'''
+**'''[[Tree of Life: Divine Names of Briah|Divine Names of Briah]]'''
-**'''[[Tree of Life:Angels of Briah|Angels of Briah]]'''
+**'''[[Tree of Life: Angels of Briah|Angels of Briah]]'''
-**'''[[Tree of Life:Choirs of Angels in Briah|Choir of Angels in Briah]]'''
+**'''[[Tree of Life: Choirs of Angels in Briah|Choir of Angels in Briah]]'''
-**'''[[Tree of Life:Palaces of Briah|Palaces of Briah]]'''
+**'''[[Tree of Life: Palaces of Briah|Palaces of Briah]]'''
 [[Category:Qabalah]]
 [[Category:Tree of Life]]