Tree of Life
(Revision as of 22:19, 13 Apr 2005)
Categories: Qabalah | Tree of Life
The sephiroth (singular sephira) are the ten emanations 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 correspondences is 777 by Aleister Crowley, although there have been other influential writers on the topic, including Israel Regardie and Eliphas Levi.
| Table of contents |
Parts of the Tree of Life
The Negative Veils
- Ain, "Nothing"
- Ain Soph, "The Boundless"
- Ain Soph Aur, "The Limitless Light"
Sephiroth (Emanations)
- 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 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 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 Correspondences
The defining feature of the Tree of Life as it's used in Thelema is the correspondences. The general idea is that all the concepts found in a sephiroth or path have essential ties with each other. Many of the correspondences 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 correspondences listed on Thelemapedia.
- The Key Scale—not really a correspondence, 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 Correspondences:
- The Four Worlds
- Magick & Mysticism:
- Magical Weapons
- Magical Formulae
- Magical Powers
- Parts of the Soul
- The Letters of the Name
- The Four Quarters
- Alchemy
- The Grades of the A.'.A.'.
- Chakras
- Qliphoth & Infernals
- The Mansions of the Moon
- Genii of the Twelve Hours
- The Noble Eightfold Path
- Geomantic Intelligences
- Lineal Figures of the Planets, etc., and Geomancy
- Forty Buddhist Meditations
- System of Taoism
- Figures related to Pure Number
- Legendary Orders of Being
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