Qabalah A Magical Primer by John Bonner - Inglês (2024)

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To S.E.J.I give you the end of a golden string: Only wind it into a ball, It will leadyou in at Heaven's Gate Built in Jeruselem's wall.William Blake, MS. Note-Book 1808-1811, p. 46 This edition first published in 2002 by Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC 368 Congress Street Boston, MA 02210 www.redwheelweiser.comCopyright © 1995, 2002 John Bonner Foreword copyright © 2002 Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced ortransmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage andretrieval system, without permission in writing from Red Wheel/Weiser,LLC. Reviewers may quote brief passages.First published in 1995 by Skoob Books Publishing Ltd., London.ISBN: 1-57863-211-0 http://www.redwheelweiser.com/Cataloging-in-Publication Data available upon request from the Library ofCongress. Typeset in Minion Printed in CanadaTCP09 08 07 06 05 04 03 02 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of theAmerican National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence ofPaper for Printed Library Materials Z39.48-1992 (R1997).CONTENTSForewordIntroduction1. OTz ChIIM—The Tree of Life2. The Four Worlds3. The Sephiroth4. Ain, Ain Soph, Ain Soph Aur5. Kether6. Chokmah7. Binah8. Daath9. Chesed10. Geburah11. Tiphareth12. Netzach13. Hod14. Yesod15. Malkuth16. The Literal QabalahAppendix 1: Lesser Banishing Ritual of the PentagramAppendix 2: Transliteration TableGlossaryBibliographyFOREWORDDo what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.Few books succeed as well as John Bonner's work in making the Qabalahaccessible through a comprehensive overview of its main concepts andtenets, principally the Sephiroth of the Tree of Life. Of particular value isthe author's return to primary sources such as the Zohar and SepherYetzirah, two works that form the wellspring of the tradition. The Qabalah has periodically influenced Western esotericism since theelder Pico over 500 years ago. The last great influx came in the 19thcentury, during the French esoteric revival, and is most evident in the worksof Éliphas Lévi, who used the Qabalah as his conceptual framework, thoughin a coded way that was only fully intelligible to initiates. The essentials ofthe wedding of the tarot to the Qabalistic Tree of Life, for example, werepresent in his works, though nowhere clearly explained. Lévi established atradition of secrecy concerning the arcana of the Qabalah, one that washonored by later French authorities such as Papus and Wirth, and sosuccessful that later French works on the subject written by noninitiates arevirtually useless. This French esoteric tradition took firm root across the Channel, where twoEnglish adepts and authors steeped themselves in it: Samuel LiddellMacGregor Mathers, who eventually settled and died in France, and hisonetime student and protégé, Aleister Crowley, who would, in time,translate Lévi. The resulting Franco-English esoteric Qabalah formed muchof the basis for the teachings of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, ofwhich Mathers was a cofounder and Crowley a prominent member. Mathers produced the first English-language digest/translation of the Zohar,titled The Kabbalah Unveiled (1887), based on the Kabbalah Denudata ofKnorr von Rosenroth. Despite its shortcomings, this was one of the fewworks produced by an “occult” author to win respect and citation fromscholars of Hebraica, and was among the best digests available in Englishuntil the recent Oxford edition by Tishby. Crowley's acknowledged debt to both Lévi and Mathers is so great that hisvoluminous and often technically challenging writings are not fullyintelligible without reference to these earlier sources. Liber 777 (1909) and“Liber D, Sepher Sephiroth” (1912) relied heavily on Mathers' publishedand unpublished work, as well as that of other Golden Dawn members,particularly Allen Bennett. It is worth noting, as it is so often overlooked,that Crowley considered both to be works of reference. He did not claim tobe their sole author, although he made enormous contributions in these andlater works in amplifying and extending the Qabalistic tradition he learnedin his youth. Crowley's position on his Qabalistic tradition and its history isgiven in the opening pages of The Book of Thoth (1944). It is considered tobe the coded language of nature's correspondences, not just for operativerituals but for the fabric of reality itself, and in particular, the inner realityof the astral plane. It is the last cited “application” that makes it thelanguage of initiates. A growing body of Qabalistic literature has been generated in the context ofthe Golden Dawn tradition and of the religious tradition of Thelemaexemplified by the work of Crowley and his circle. Allowing for smallvariations, some of which assume doctrinal importance, this Qabalistictradition is the most widely accepted and used by practicing magicianstoday. At its best it is applied Qabalah, as opposed to the traditional, literal,and speculative exegetical methods. Still, much modern writing on Qabalahis literal, doctrinaire, and given to excessive exegetic speculation, such thatone might wonder whether the English word “quibble” is not some long-lost etymological relative. But when well understood by the organized andinitiated mind, the Qabalah brings a penetrating perceptual point of view tobear on the human experience with wide application in everyday life, thearts, and even the sciences. This notion was at the core of Crowley'smanifold teachings that explained and relied on Qabalah. Qabalah: A Magical Primer preserves an emphasis on Qabalah as a way oflife, and is a welcome addition to its English literature.Love is the Law, Love under Will.—Hymenaeus BetaFrater Superior, OTOINTRODUCTIONInstead of complaining that God had hidden himself, you will give himthanks for having revealed so much of himself.—Blaise Pascal, Pensées, 1670The Concise Oxford Dictionary defines Qabalah as the “Jewish OralTradition, mystic interpretation, esoteric doctrine, and occult lore,” whichas far as it goes is true enough. Qabalah certainly involves a mysticalinterpretation of scriptural texts, it does provide an esoteric doctrine, and itundoubtedly represents a substantial body of occult lore. It is much morethan any of these however, as over the centuries it has evolved and grownaway from its early beginnings as a strictly Jewish oral tradition. The term “Qabalah” is derived from the Hebrew root-word “QBL,” whichis itself derived from the closely related language of Aramaic, and means“to receive,” signifying particularly “from mouth to ear,” emphasizing itsprovenance as an oral tradition communicated by direct teaching. It has alsocome to have the general meaning of “tradition.” Due to the difficulties of transliterating from Hebrew, which is basically aconsonantal alphabet relying on “points” placed below letters to indicatevowels, there are a variety of spellings of Qabalah to be found in theliterature. Variants include: Kabbalah, Kabalah, Cabbalah, Cabalah, andQabbalah. The version used in the present work is felt to be the one thatbest approximates the Sephardi form. Other Hebrew words and phrases are subject to similar difficulties, with anumber of possible and equally valid versions in current use. This is in partdue to differences between the Sephardi and Ashkenazi dialects. Amongthose Qabalistic works which are written in Hebrew—some like the Sepherha-Zohar are also in Aramaic—the great majority are in the Sephardidialect. This form was the one used by Spanish and Portuguese Rabbinswho between them produced much of the Qabalistic canon. The Jewishcommunities of northern Europe, who spoke the Ashkenazi dialect,contributedcalled MasakMavdil or “place of rejection,” and is presided over by the angel Mesukielwhose name means “Veiler of God.”Some Qabalists suggest that the Abyss represents the barrier referred to inthe third chapter of Genesis, between the Garden of Eden (symbolized bythe Supernal Triad), and the rest of creation; guarded by the “flaming swordwhich turned every way” and Cherubims which together “keep the way ofthe tree of life” (Gen. 3:24). However, the Christian concept of the Prime Deviation or “Fall” may betaken on a number of levels, for as there is an Abyss in the model of themacrocosmic Tree, so there is an Abyss in the microcosmic Tree of man.This is the chasm that has arisen between the highest element of man'snature, comprising those god-like attributes which in Hebrew are calledNeshemah, and the lower faculties of the Ruach and Nephesh, the intellectand “animal soul” respectively. It is the central work, and perhaps the onlyjustification, of magick to reunite these dissociated faculties and in so doingbecome again the perfect image of the God whose creation we surely are. As well as being the “cosmic rubbish dump” of early Qabalism, into whichbottomless pit is cast the failed and the impure, the detritus of previouscreative enterprises and rejected archetypes, the Abyss is said to have asecond function, one which equates it with the Christian concept of Limbo.It is here that the un-baptized or otherwise unworthy souls await the“ending of days” when, to mix our mythologies, they too will see theirhearts balanced against the feather of truth. The Veils on the Tree can for the most part be considered lower analoguesof the great Abyss as they serve much the same function of “borders”between different modes of existence and states of consciousness. Whereasthe Abyss is an actual part of the architecture of the Tree, the veilsdescribed here are perhaps more subjective in their presence and effect, andoperate in a manner more consistent with their description. That is to saythey obscure but do not necessarily prohibit access to those other realms.Nor are they possessed of the powerful sanctions that the Abyss may bringto bear on the unwary or the ill-prepared traveler. While any effort to effecta major change in consciousness, be it temporary or permanent, is bound toentail some risk, the penalties for failure at the level of the Abyss are farmore severe than those found in the lower veils.THE VEILSThe Abyss is the line of demarcation between the combined Atziluthic andBriatic worlds above and the worlds below. There are two other veils, rarelymentioned in modern Qabalistic literature, which also serve as bordersbetween worlds. The first is sometimes termed “The Veil of the Presence ofthe Most High,” and lies above the spheres of Chokmah and Binah, butbelow Kether; between the world of Atziluth and that of Briah, theArchetypal world and the world of Creation. Very little can be said aboutthis veil as it is accessible only to those preparing to undergo the ultimatespiritual experience of “Union with God.” This is the veil that protects theimpure from glimpsing the face of The Most High, and protects Him alsofrom the presence of the unperfected. The second of the veils between worlds is that known as the “Veil of theProfane,” which is positioned across the lowest three paths of the Tree,separating Malkuth from the lower triad. In this case the barrier is betweenthe worlds of Yetzirah and Assiah, which are respectively the worlds ofFormation and Action. Plainly there is a considerable difference incondition between these two states, as might be surmised by the veil's title.The “profane” are those who are rooted in earth and whose only experienceof God's creation is that of the “sphere of the elements” in Malkuth, andwho have yet to develop even a dim awareness of the astral realm thatinterpenetrates the material plane.Paroketh, (which actually translates as “veil,” making any furtherdescription redundant) is far more frequently encountered in the literatureand shown on the glyph than is the Veil of the Profane. It lies below thecentral Sephirah of Tiphareth, the focus of the second triad, and aboveNetzach and Hod, the positive and negative poles of the third. It will be noticed that all the veils protect the third point of each triad,where the typical energies that each expresses are concentrated and broughtto equilibrium. This is true even in the case of the Veil of the Profane whichis drawn under the primal glory of Kether, although here it is the Abysswhich provides the ultimate protection of the mysteries of the Supernals andwhich encompasses Daath, the alternative focus of the first triad. In thismanner every major leap in consciousness, signified on the Tree by thetriads, is achieved only after one of these obscuring veils is penetrated. Paroketh's exact position on the Tree is subject to some dispute. Here wehave used the traditional Golden Dawn arrangement of the Tree and placedit below Tiphareth. However, some authorities, notably Dion Fortune andGareth Knight, have placed it above Tiphareth, forming the border betweenthe sixth Sephirah and the spheres of Chesed and Geburah. The justificationfor this seems to be the belief that Tiphareth is the highest sphereachievable by strictly human consciousness, and therefore that Parokethrepresents the demarcation line between two radically different states. Thereis some biblical evidence to support this view, for three of the fourevangelists claim that at the moment the Rabbi Jesus “gave up the ghost,”“the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple (Paroketh) was rent in themidst” (Luke 23:45). As the crucified Christ is assumed to be already active in the sphere ofTiphareth it is taken that the veil was rent as a result of his ascending theMiddle Pillar on route to union with his father in the upper reaches of thesphere of Kether, and that therefore the veil must lie beyond the sixthSephirah, and not below. However Paroketh, “The Veil of the Temple,” is assigned, it does mark animportant frontier on the Tree. Once this veil is penetrated the aspirantbecomes an adept in truth. It marks the limit of the outer order of theGolden Dawn, and the beginning of the adept's progress through the gradesof the Rose Cross. Having attained to Tiphareth he now has the Knowledgeand Conversation of his Holy Guardian Angel to assist him in his workupon the Tree. Until the second great milestone of magical progress, theadventure of the Abyss, the adept may rely on the relationship forged inTiphareth with his HGA for guidance and succor. That the Veil of Paroketh is a true analogue of the great Abyss can be seenby the changing relationship with the adept's Angel, which is gained afterthe opening of the Veil of the Temple and lost during the crossing of theAbyss, these two experiences being the most critical of the magicalprogression.Some writers suggest that below Tiphareth, and parallel with the “Veil ofthe Profane,” lies yet another veil, called “Qesheth,” which is symbolizedby the colors of the rainbow and is the “bow of promise” set as a sign in thesky; the colors resulting from the refraction of Kether's ineffable lightthrough the mediating sphere of Tiphareth. Strictly speaking Qesheth is nota veil at all but an image relating to the Bible flood story taking its namefrom the three paths ascending from Malkuth which it bisects. Thedesignated Hebrew letters of these paths, Tau, Shin, and Qoph, spellQShTh, Qesheth, which means “Rainbow.”CHAPTER 2THE FOUR WORLDSOLAHM HA-ATZILUTHOLAHM HA-BRIAHOLAHM HA-YETZIRAHOLAHM HA-ASSIAHQabalists conceive of four “worlds,” which represent the four stages ofmanifestation. These they call: Atziluth, or the Archetypal World; Briah, orworld of Creation; Yetzirah, the world of Formation, and finally, the planeof materiality, Assiah. The four worlds illustratethe sequential development of the primarycreative impulse. This sequence might be characterized thus: first there isIntention, then there is Conceptualization, followed by Composition, finallyculminating in Presentation. Or, to put it another way: in the beginning isthe will to do “something,” secondly comes the creative visualization ofwhat that “something” should be. Thirdly, the “something” is manufactured,and finally the newly-made “something” is shown forth to the world atlarge. All productive processes are analogous to the model presented by thefour worlds, be they industrial, social, personal, or indeed, divine.Each world signifies a separate development in the process of the showing-forth of God. And in each He can be seen to perform His works in adifferent manner. It is however only in the first world of Atziluth that Heworks directly, in the remaining three He works through the medium of Hisappointed agents. Therefore it is the Atziluthic world that must best expressthe nature of God, for here He could be said to be in His own “element.” Although the world of Atziluth is the natural realm of the manifesting God,it would be a mistake to consider it to be more sacred or important than theother three worlds. He is necessarily present in all His worlds and at alltimes, the last even as the first. Throughout this work we shall be returningto the theme that all of God's creations are of equal “holiness” as allultimately have their roots in His will. The degrees of “concretion” whichare evinced in the Sephiroth and illustrated by the four worlds, are not to beseen as degrees of relative sanctity, but as denser, more tangible aspects of acontinually creating omnipresent Deity. The four worlds merely representdevelopmental stages of the creative process at work. Although theorigination of the creative impulse is to be found in Atziluth it must be“processed” through Briah and Yetzirah before it may come to fruition andfulfillment in Assiah.There are a number of Biblical passages that are taken by Qabalists to referto the doctrine of the four worlds. One such occurs in The Book of theProphet Isaiah, where God says: “Even every one that is called by myname: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I havemade him” (Isaiah 43:7). This verse describes the actions of the Deity ineach of the worlds. At first He says that He has “called” by His name. Asthe names of God are the highest expression of His power this may be takento refer to Atziluth. Next He says that He has “created him,” whichimmediately refers us to Briah, the World of Creation. Then He says “I haveformed him,” an action which corresponds with the mode of Yetzirah,which is the World of Formation. And finally, He tells us that He has “madehim,” which brings us into the world of Assiah. Another example occurs at the very beginning of the Old Testament, inGenesis 1, verses 3–5, where the image of “light” is used five times insuccession. In this instance Qabalists take the first two references to meanjust one form of light, making a total of four separate stages of production.The expression “Let there be light: and there was light” refers to Atziluth;“And God saw the light, that it was good” to Briah; “and God divided thelight from the darkness” to Yetzirah; and finally, “And God called the lightDay, and the darkness He called Night” to the physical realm of Assiah.This process recalls the invocational hierarchy of “Name of God,”archangel, angel, and element or planet, which bears heavily on theteachings regarding the four worlds.In addition to the common method of applying the doctrine of the fourworlds to the Holy Tree, by referring the Sephiroth to each world, eithersingularly or in groups, it is also possible to view the worlds as differentlevels of operation of the Tree as a whole. That is to say, each version of theTree may be considered as having four arcs of activity, ranging from themost sublime (Atziluth) to the most mundane (Assiah). In its highest levelof manifestation the Tree, and each of its constituent Sephiroth, is operativein the realm of archetypes and in its lowest in the world of physicalexistence. There is therefore an Atziluthic form of Malkuth even as there isan Assiatic form of Kether and it is to these levels that the hierarchy of god-name, archangel, angel, and element applies. This four-fold classification of the Qabalah may be considered as areflection of the Divine Name, IHVH, Yahweh, or “Tetragrammaton,”usually translated as “Lord” or “God” in English language versions of theBible. This name, which will be further considered under the heading ofChokmah, whose God-name it is, contains a formula of progressivemanifestation which is applicable throughout the Tree. Each of the four letters of the Tetragrammaton in Hebrew represents adegree of “unfolding,” from initial creative impulse to final manifestation.The first letter, Yod, is the creative impulse itself, and may be related to thefirst world of Atziluth. The second letter Heh, is both the reception andconception of that impulse and corresponds with the Creative World ofBriah. The third letter in this “mighty name” is Vau and refers to a furtherdevelopment of the creative principle, the formative world of Yetzirah. Inthe final letter, which is a repeat of the second and termed Heh final, weenter the plane of actual manifestation which Qabalists call Assiah. Through the common factor of this four-fold division, the worlds may berelated to a great number of correspondences. These might well include: thefour elements; the animals which appear at the Merkabah or Chariot Thronein Ezekiel's vision; the cardinal directions; the tarot suits and court cards;the four heads of the river which flowed out of Eden; and the triplicities,which are formed by dividing the zodiacal signs into groups of four.We now have some idea of how the four worlds function together as adevelopmental process, and we have seen that they represent stages orlevels of the unfolding of the Most High. Now we will turn our attention toeach world individually, examine them in more depth and relate them to thedoctrine of Qabalah as it is expressed by the glyph of the Tree of Life withparticular reference to the way in which the Sephiroth are commonlyallocated.AtziluthThe world of Atziluth (from the Hebrew root, meaning “Proximity”) is aworld of archetypes. It is also known as the “World of Emanations,” for thisis the world in which the Sephiroth first come into existence. Anotherversion of this title is Olahm Ha-Sephiroth, the “World of the Sephiroth.”Issac Myer says of Atziluth:This is the most exalted of all the Conditions (i.e., the Four Worlds) and isconsidered as containing only the Holy Upper Ten Sephiroth; the highestround of the ladder of Intermediaries (again, the Four Worlds), which arenevertheless only an Unit, and are between Ain Soph, the Primal Cause ofAll, and the inferior emanations which develop the existences.(Qabbalah, 1888)Atziluth is the level of existence closest to that state of unmanifestationwhich Qabalists term the Ain. It is close both in terms of its position, as thefirst emanation from the Void, and in terms of its condition, which closelyapproximates but does not equal that of the Ain. Atziluth may also betermed the “World of Origination,” for it is on this level that the Will of theDeity first expresses itself, and it is here also that He acts withoutintermediaries. In the world of Atziluth there is but one Sephirah, Kether, and in thatSephirah may be found a complete Tree. This Tree represents the highestoctave of the emanations—or the “Holy Upper Ten Sephiroth”—the sphereof “Kether of Kether” being the point of contact with the Ain. Throughout the Qabalistic texts the student is constantly reminded thatthere is a special and particular relationship existing between Kether andMalkuth, for it is saidthat, “Kether is in Malkuth, and Malkuth is in Kether,but after another fashion.” One of the many parallels between the first andlast Sephiroth is found in the fact that each of these spheres is the soletenant of its world. In the case of Malkuth this is the world of Assiah. InMalkuth too is contained a complete Tree, and therefore, as with Kether inAtziluth, the only Tree of its level. Each of the Sephiroth contains a model of the Holy Tree, the number ofTrees in a given world depending on the total of Sephirothic tenants. TheKether of any Sephirothic Tree is emanated by the Malkuth of the Treecontained in the preceding Sephirah. Therefore that Malkuth stands inrelationship to the Kether which develops from it as the local equivalent ofthe Ain. Throughout the Tree, on all its levels, we will find relationships which areanalogous to those first expressed in the Atziluthic world. As Atziluth is thelevel at which God is active in a direct manner it is therefore the sphere inwhich are found the ten forms of the Divine Name. Each of the Sephirothhas attached to it one of these names, which represent the highest, mosttranscendent quality of each sphere.BriahThis level of existence is a continuation of the world of Atziluth, but now isa stage further removed from the primal source of the Ain. The BriaticWorld is called the “World of Creation,” or “Khorsia the Throne,” which isalso a title of Binah, the third Supernal. It is in this condition that theprocess of creation, as it might be understood from below the Abyss,begins. However, at this high level the act of creation involves a purelyspiritual vibration for there is no material element in the process. All isachieved in terms of force and principle. The ideal “forms” are established,the patterns evolved, the “designings” are completed, but nothing tangiblehas yet been produced, for materiality must wait on the emergence of thefourth world. Contained within the world of Briah are two Supernal Sephiroth, andtherefore two complete Trees. The two Briatic spheres are Chokmah andBinah, which represent the highest level of the masculine and feminineprinciples respectively. Without the development of these potencies nofurther act of creation would be possible, for all must now proceed fromtheir union. Briah is the abode of pure spirit and is the realm of the Archangelic forces,the first of the ministering agents of God. This is the sphere of the “GreatPresence Angel of the Covenant,” Metatron, the sum of all the angels of theTree, whom we have already met as the putative first teacher of Qabalisticlore.YetzirahThe world of Yetzirah is the World of Formation, as it is here that theconstructive phase of the process of creation is undertaken. This levelcontains the greatest concentration of Sephiroth in the four worlds. All thespheres below the Abyss, with the exception of Malkuth, are encompassedby Yetzirah. As this world contains six Sephiroth, so it must also contain sixSephirothic Trees. These six Sephiroth—Chesed, Geburah, Tiphareth,Netzach, Hod, and Yesod—are termed the Sephiroth Ha-Benyin, or“Sephiroth of Construction.” They represent six discrete stages ofdevelopment in the work preparatory to manifestation. These formativespheres have been compared to the six days of creation described inGenesis; the pendant sphere of Malkuth being the Sabbath, a day of rest andpassivity after the labors of construction have ceased. The world of Yetzirah is a complex one in comparison with those whichprecede it. Here the simple ideal designs of Briah are manipulated andmodified, each of the Yetziratic Sephiroth contributing a little of theirunique essence. Rather than being mere eidolons or images of the perfected“forms” of the second world, the product of Yetzirah is rich in its diversityand pregnant with the hope of imminent manifestation. Yetzirah is the home of the angelic beings who are the constructive workersof the Lord, laboring to bring into actuality the potentials of the Briaticworld. The Angels work under the guidance of the Archangelic beings ofeach Sephirah, the relationship being akin to that between a laborer and hisforeman.AssiahThe world of Assiah, the last of the four levels, is the place ofmaterialization. It is here that the creative forces loosed in Atziluth come tofruition, for this is the world of actions. In Assiah we encounter thephenomena of matter for the first time. The kinetic energy of Yetzirah isnow bound in the solidity of the manifest world. We have already seen thatthe sphere of Malkuth is the single Sephirothic inhabitant of Assiah, butbelow Malkuth in Assiah is postulated another world, pendent to anddependent upon the tenth Sephirah, outside of the original creative schemebut responsive to it. This world Qabalists call Olahm Ha-Qliphoth, therealm of the “shells” or “harlots,” the demons of the Qabalah. The denizensof this world necessarily view Malkuth as though it were Kether for it isfrom the tenth Sephirah that the demonic realm is emanated. The inferior pendant tree is a distorted reflection of the Holy Tree itself,having three “supernal” emanations—Tohu (“the Formless”); Bohu (“theVoid”) and Chashek (“the Darkness”)—representing the negative principlesof the true Supernal Sephiroth. Below the upper triad are seven sphereswhich form seven different forms of hell. In the world of Atziluth the Deity performs His work unassisted; in BriahHe creates through the medium of His Archangels; while in Yetzirah it is bythe unceasing labor of His Choirs of Angels that His work proceeds. InAssiah it is said that He works through the agency of the “mundanechakras” of each Sephirah. Most of these chakras are planetary bodieswithin our own solar system, and are accepted by occultists as being centersfor the expression and dissemination of specific forces. They are viewed ashaving the same relationship to the “body” of interstellar space, as thechakras or subtle power centers with which most people are acquaintedhave to the human body.CHAPTER 3THE SEPHIROTHCORRESPONDENCES AND ATTRIBUTIONSEach Sephirah of the Tree of Life has been assigned a considerable numberof attributions and correspondences. Some of these constitute part of theoriginal body of knowledge we call Qabalah, while others are of morerecent origin. One of the major benefits that accrue to those who are prepared to make astudy of the Tree is that it provides an amazingly flexible “filing system,”which they may then apply in any area of interest. Many of the laterattributions to the Sephiroth and Paths are the result of the Tree being usedin this manner. The individual spheres may act as “pigeonholes” in which toplace any experience, concept, or phenomenon likely to be encountered inthis, or indeed any other, world. Likewise, the structure of the Tree, and therelative positions of the Sephiroth, can be used as a schematic diagram toassist the student in establishing relationships between items seeminglyunconnected. To the student of myth it is obviously a great boon to have a recognizedsystem of classification in which it is possible to relate the pantheons andmythologies of very different cultures one to another. For practicalmagicians it is imperative that they have a reliable method of assessing andinterpreting the phenomena encountered in their work, as well as havingavailable a scheme by which they may judge their own progress. For astrologers too, the Tree offers a method by which they can relate theprinciples expressed by the planetary forces to a vast selection of othercorrespondences. For students of the Judeo-Christian tradition, a knowledgeof the correspondences of the Tree of Life is indispensable if they are toextract the maximum benefit from scriptural teachings. In fact the list of uses, and therefore of categories of attribution, is endless.In this chapter we will discuss and, as far asis possible, explain, the mostcommon correspondences, their usage, what they mean, and their history. Itis by no means a definitive list, as such a thing is neither possible nordesirable, given that each person's approach and needs regarding thisancient glyph will be different, but it will at least cover those categorieswhich are touched on under the following headings.The TitlesThese are part of the original Qabalah, their origins lost in the mists of time.Each title, be it in the original Hebrew or in their English translations, canbe said to express the basic idea of the Sephirah to which it is applied. Attimes it will be found that there are several alternative titles which may beused. These are different from what might be termed “subsidiary” or“secondary” titles which expand, often in paradoxical or poetic language,particular aspects of a sphere's nature. The alternative titles are those, suchas Pachad (Fear) for Geburah, or Gedulah (Glory or Magnificence) forChesed, which are in common use in place of the more orthodox versions.However, very often these alternative titles may be found to have, as itwere, crossed over and become through usage accepted as subsidiary titlesthemselves.The Yetziratic TextThese quotations, often obscure and somewhat gnomic, are to be found atthe head of every chapter for which such a text is available. They are takenfrom an appendix to the Sepher Yetzirah, and may have been thecontribution of the seventeenth-century scholar-convert Rittangelius, for noearlier Hebrew versions of the verses are known. Although not part of theoriginal work these commentaries on the Sephiroth and paths areoccasionally of great value in expanding our understanding of the Tree, andare therefore frequently quoted in occult literature. The Sepher Yetzirah is possibly the oldest extant treatise on the Qabalah. Itdiscusses in detail the “three Sepharim of Numbers, Letters and Sounds,”and lays out the whole schema of creation in a matter of thirty odd pages inits English translation. The particular translation used throughout this work,and quoted verbatim, is that of William Wynn Westcott M. B., one of theoriginal founders of the Golden Dawn, who died in 1925. This version ofthe Sepher was first published in 1887, and is based on the text of JoannesStephanus Rittangelius, published in Hebrew and Latin in Amsterdam in1642. Although Wynn Westcott's translation has been criticized as beingunscholarly we have decided on its inclusion because it is the most commonversion and therefore the one most likely to be encountered by the averagestudent. It should be noted that the Sepher Yetzirah describes both the tenSephiroth and their interconnecting channels as “paths,” making nodistinction between them; hence there are thirty-two verses in thesupplementary text, one for each of the Sephiroth and the twenty-two paths.The Names of GodThe god-names applied to the Sephiroth are part of the original body ofQabalistic knowledge. These divine names cannot be held to be descriptiveof the God Himself, for to adequately describe even a fraction of Him ispatently impossible. They should rather be seen as references to His variousmodalities, each one being descriptive of a particular manner of Hismanifestation. The names are necessitated by the inability of the humanmind to comprehend the totality of God, for without resorting to suchdevices we could not hope to further our understanding of His nature.The Names of the Deity are only abstract symbols and ideas necessary toman's mind in our matter-world so as to grasp in his thought that a Deityexists. They do not describe God's essence or content.(Issac Myer, Qabbalah)The use of such names should not be thought to imply that God is anythingother than One, nor is He in any sense diminished by their use for He mayhave many names and yet still be One. In fact the unity and oneness of Godis a fundamental Qabalistic teaching, for this is a cosmology which ispredicated on the doctrine of His sequential emanation, in which diversitysprings from and returns to the one source. The Sephiroth, and therefore theGod-names applied to them, do not represent divisions of God, but suggestthe order of His unfolding manifestation, which occurs without diminutionof His substance. Each Sephirah has a distinct god-name assigned to it,which may act as an aid to greater understanding of the sphere. Many ofthese names are to be found in the Pentateuch, but unfortunately therichness and variety of them has been largely lost in translation from theiroriginal tongue. Knowledge of the name under which the God was deemed to be operatingin any given instance constitutes a major key to the understanding of theOld Testament. In the English Revised Standard Edition of the Bible, thereference is usually simply to “God” or to the “Lord.” With the exception of a handful of cases where the Deity is spoken of interms that most readers would consider to be mere poetic license, but whichare actually often the remnants or corruptions of Hebrew names, much ofthe original teaching has been excised. In spite of this, the importance ofGod's name to the Old Testament Jews is apparent in a number of places, asfor example in Exodus, where God gives Moses the name, AHIH(pronounced EHEIEH), “I AM,” which is a God-name of Kether, the firstSephirah of the Holy Tree.The Mundane ChakraThis rather confusing term refers to the physical correspondencetraditionally attributed to each Sephirah. For the most part these “chakras”are celestial bodies within our solar system, but there are three exceptions tothis rule; four if you count Daath. To Kether is assigned the principle of the primum mobile or “firstswirlings,” the initial movement of the developing universe; to Chokmah,the entire wheel of the zodiac, while to Malkuth, the final Sephirah of theTree, is assigned the “sphere of the elements.” In the case of the pseudo-Sephirah, Daath, the mundane chakra is actually not of this solar system,although in galactic terms it is quite a near neighbour, being the “Dog Star,”Sirius. To each of the remaining Sephiroth is assigned one of the seven traditionalplanets; the correspondences having been established before the discoveryof the extra-Saturnian bodies. There have been many attempts toincorporate the outer planets into the scheme of the Tree, most notably byKenneth Grant who assigns Pluto to Kether, Neptune to Chokmah andUranus to Daath, while keeping the traditional attribution of Saturn toBinah. Throughout the present work it is the traditional correspondences which areapplied but the serious student could do worse than to devote some time tomeditating on these and other alternatives. There is nothing immutableabout the attributions of the various elements of the glyph and theindividual must at all times be guided by his or her own experience andunderstanding. These, mainly astrological, correspondences are of great help inunderstanding the nature of the Sephiroth and their manner of interaction,as each chakra can be said to represent, or at least to approximate, thetypical energies expressed by the emanation to which they are assigned. Particular emphasis has been placed on discussing the mundane chakra ofeach sphere, not simply because they are important in themselves, whichthey undoubtedly are, but also because experience has shown that theyrepresent a useful means of approaching the essence of a Sephirah, via asystem that is often more familiar to the student. It is worth remarking that, although astrologers use the term “planets” todescribe many celestial bodies, including the Sun and Moon, they do so notin ignorance, but in the original sense of the word, which is derived fromthe Greek and means “wanderer.”The Gods and GoddessesOne of the most useful sets of correspondences that may be applied to theTree is the category of gods and goddesses.Each Sephirah, and indeed eachof the twenty-two interconnecting paths, displays a unique set ofcharacteristics which have developed in response to their position in theorder of emanation and to their relationship with neighboring spheres. Thedeities of many, if not all, of the world's religions can be easily related toone or more of these paths, providing a useful “database” for cross-reference. The attributions are based on corresponding characteristics; forinstance; in the dynamic and martial Sephirah of Geburah one might placethe great warrior gods such as Ares or Mars, while to the Lunar sphere ofYesod might be assigned Selene and Diana. It can readily be seen that by this system the deities of quite differentcultures can be related to each other by virtue of their shared Sephirothiccorrespondence. Of course one reason why the application of god-forms tothe Tree is so successful is that the world's mythologies and their divinepantheons are as much a response to the great philosophical andmetaphysical questions that beset man as the system of Qabalah itself. As with the astrological correspondences, the gods and goddesses on theTree will be discussed in some detail. Again, the reason for this is that manypeople find that they can better understand the nature of a Sephiroth if it isexplained in the more accessible terms of a colorful mythology. It may be found that a number of the gods are assigned jointly to two ormore spheres. This does not mean that there is some error in theirattributions, for many of these deities have undergone considerablemetamorphosis in their long careers, in some cases even changing theiroriginal character into something close to its opposite. Others are complexforms that do not lend themselves to a single classification. This is perfectlyin order, for the gods are assigned to each Sephirah by virtue of particularaspects of their function or history. For example Tahuti, or Thoth, may beplaced in both Yesod, as a god of the Moon, and in Hod, as the EgyptianMercury figure. In all cases it will be made clear which aspect of a givengod-form is the qualifying criterion for inclusion.ArchangelsThe Archangels represent the organizing function of the Sephiroth. It isthrough them that the typical forces of each Sephirah are directedthroughout the Tree. These beings exist only in the world of Briah, theCreative Realm. It is solely in the world of Atziluth, the Archetypal Realm, that the Deitychooses to perform His work directly. In the three succeeding worlds Heworks through His appointed agents, the Archangels, the Angels, and in acertain sense, the Mundane Chakras.The world of Briah is a realm of “pure spirit” and is closer in its nature tothe Atziluthic world than it is to the Yetziratic, proceeding from the firstworld as if a continuation of its essence rather than as an entirely newdevelopment. This is the sphere of the “Great Angel” Metatron, the firstcreated being of God, who has responsibility for all the angelic orders of theTree, for the Deity “has given him dominion over all His hosts.” OfMetatron it is said that he alone constitutes the entire angelic world, and istherefore to be considered the sum of all the angelic forces. He, and only he,is the direct agent of the will of God. Although Metatron is the principal Angel of Qabalistic tradition, and hewithin whom is subsumed the totality of angelic forces, there are otherArchangels which correspond to the individual Sephiroth. This does notundermine Metatron's primacy as each of these entities may be seen asfunctional aspects of the “Great Angel.” Some of the Angels assigned to the emanations may be familiar to thestudent, others less so. Christians, by and large, admit to few such beings.With the obvious exceptions of Gabriel, Angel of the Annunciation and theArchangel Michael, the Holy Bible is curiously reticent about naming itsangels. This despite the fact that there are nearly three hundred separatereferences to angelic beings to be found in the combined Old and NewTestaments. In most cases the angel referred to is simply described as an“Angel of the Lord” or an “Angel of God,” although we can often deducewhich particular being is in operation from their descriptions, behavior, orthe context in which they appear. Many of these references to angelicbeings are in fact allusions to Metatron himself, or to the Shekinah, afeminine form of the Holy Spirit, which we will be discussing in thechapters devoted to Binah and Malkuth.The names of the various Archangels feature quite heavily in magicaloperations. It is usual in ritual work to “work from the top down,” firstplacing oneself under the protection of the God by calling upon Him in thename deemed most appropriate for the work in hand, and then progressingon through the Archangel of the sphere, down through the order of Angels,and so on, to the chosen level of operation. A good example of thishierarchical approach is found in the Lesser Banishing Ritual of thePentagram, where the names of God are given to the four cardinal points,followed by invocation of the Archangels of those same directions. It is the angels Raphael, Michael, Gabriel, and Uriel who are mostcommonly invoked in ordinary ritual work, as these have presidency overthe cardinal points and, most importantly, the four elements. It is advisablefor the student to invest some time in building up appropriate visual formsfor these beings, concentrating particularly on their colors and weapons. Abasic description of the archangelic forms is given in Appendix 1, dealingwith the Lesser Banishing Rituals.The Orders of AngelsWe have left the creative world of Briah, home of the archangels, and arenow entering the realm of Yetzirah, the World of Formation, in which arefound the Orders or Choirs of Angels. Angels operate under the presidencyof the archangels, as though the former were the private soldiers, and thelatter the upper echelons of commanding officers. There are many forms ofangel (the term may be found indiscriminately applied to virtually all formsof discarnate being) but the ones of interest to us here are those deemed tobe the constructive powers of the Sephiroth. The Orders or Choirs of Angels are those who actually carry out the workcommanded by the Supreme Deity, the orders for which are transmitted tothe archangels, who then organize the labor on the shop floor, as it were.However, analogies such as this, though useful, are not perfect models ofthe relationship between the angelic and archangelic forces, for between thetwo groups there is (literally) a world of difference. That difference is notonly one of function but of kind, for they were created separately andinhabit separate worlds. Qabalistic teaching has it that the first chapter ofGenesis may be read as a description of the creation of both orders ofbeings. For it is written that on the fifth day God created the fowl of the airand the fish that swim in the sea. The fowl are taken by some Qabalists torefer to the archangels in the world of Briah, while the creatures of the seaare considered to represent the orders of angels of the Formative World ofYetzirah. Whether such an interpretation is valid or not need not concern usovermuch here. What is important, and what this doctrine emphasizes, isthat these beings were indeed created separately, and that they weredestined to perform different services for the Creator and to inhabit differentrealms. All angelic beings are lacking both in physical functions and in individualwill. They are ultimately specialized, carrying out the will of the MostHigh, if not mindlessly then certainly, amongst the lesser angels,automatically. Unlike man, angelic beings are not true microcosms of the Holy Tree. Theyare fully developed in their limited specialized function. No furtherevolutionary progress is possible, for they were created without potential,the willing slaves of the Most High. An angel is strictly limited to his givensphere of operation and is incapable of functioning outside this narrowlydefined area. The great archangels are not quite so limited in their facultiesas the angels, for although they too are lacking man's full potential, they doshow evidence of individual will. It was after all the archangel Lucifer, the“Light Bringer,” who refused the express command of the Deity to submithimself to Adam, and in consequence was branded “Samael,” the “Poisonerof God” (Sam=poison, al=god), and expelled from His holy presence. Although the story of Lucifer is one which conceals many mysteries, and isby no means the simple moral tale it first appears, it is a sobering thoughtthat even the greatest of archangels may fall from grace.The Orders Of QliphothThe name “Qliphoth” (singular “Qliphah”), occasionally to be foundspelled “Klippot,” means “shells” or “harlots.” These are the “demons” ofQabalah; destructive forces constantly at work in the universe. TheQliphoth are not independent of the Holy Tree, although they may be saidto inhabit a second, inverse, Tree in the world of Assiah. Some Qabalistsconsider this Tree to be a fifth “world,” and equate it with the Biblicalconception of Hell.Above in the Tree of Life exist no strange Qliphoth for it is said: “WithThee dwelleth no Evil,” but in the Tree Below exist the strange Qliphoth.(Zohar)Above are not any Qliphoth for no one can enter in the Gate of the King ina rough garment, but the Qliphoth are below.(Zohar, Rayah Me'hemnah)In general terms the order of Qliphoth assigned to each Sephirah representsthe opposite of the principles that the sphere expresses, being a perversionof its essential qualities. The manner in which a Qliphothic order functionsis determined by the sphere to which it is attached, and is commonly itsperverse mirror image, or, often even more destructive in its effect, is anexaggeration of a sphere's virtues. Usually the names applied to the ordersthemselves give us a clue as to their modus operandi; for instance in thesphere of Kether, where all is Unity, we find the Qliphoth to be Thaumiel,the “Twins of God,” who by their duality and their contention deny theunity of the Primal Glory, while in Yesod the Qliphah is Gamaliel, the“obscene ass,” a perversion of the sphere's sexual function. There are two main, although not necessarily mutually exclusive, theoriesto account for the presence of the Qliphoth. One, perhaps in modern timesthe most widely held, suggests that they are the result of momentary periodsof imbalance, brought about by the process of successive emanation. TheTree, although stable above the Abyss, is not fully equilibrated until theestablishment of the final Sephirah of Malkuth, when all is brought again toa point of balance. It is during this unstable stage of the Tree's developmentthat the stray energies which go to form the Qliphoth become detached fromthe pattern of emanation and begin to aggregate into the “shells” ofQabalistic tradition. An alternative theory suggests that the demonic forces are in fact little morethan the detritus of an earlier cycle of creation. It is said that the remains ofthe previous universe, both physical and subtle, are still in existence and itis from this that the Qliphoth were formed and from this also that they drawa portion of their sustenance. Yet another, very different, theory accounting for the presence of evil in theworld was developed by Issac Luria and his followers. This highly involveddoctrine, called Shevirath-ha-Kelim, or the “Breaking of the Vessels,”describes a catastrophic sequence of events in the first creation. Stripped toits essentials Luria's theory is that the Sephiroth were developed to containthe ineffable light of the manifesting Ain. The three Supernal Sephirothwere able to perform this office well enough as they were formed from thehighest vibration of this light, but the remaining six spheres (excludingMalkuth which is the place of manifestation) shattered under the impact ofthe unbalanced descending power. But Luria does not suggest that thesefragments of the original Sephirothic vessels are the substance from whichthe Qliphoth were formed. He says that the roots of the Qliphoth existedbefore the vessels were broken, and that they were an integral part of theoriginal Sephiroth, and therefore the breaking was a necessary act of“purification” on the part of the manifesting Light. With the fragmentationof the vessels evil in general, and the Qliphoth in particular, wasexternalised and achieved an identity separate to that of the Sephiroth. Evilwas thus excised from the Tree itself, and now dwells in a place apart.Some authorities suggest that this shattering of the Tree took place on thelevel of the fifth Sephirah, Geburah, whose difficult and complex characterwe shall be exploring in some detail later. If one does not accept that evil is an inevitable by-product of the creativeact the question that must then arise is, why does the Deity allow suchforces to inhabit His perfect creation? It is sometimes said, in answer to thisquestion, that the Qliphoth have the function of “tempters and testers” ofmankind, to challenge his morality and prove it sound. The Zohar says ofthe Malak ha-Meth, the Angel of Death who is at one and the same time,Satan, Deceiver, and Accuser, that he performs his work “because the Holy,Blessed be He! orders it through His love to His children”; and that theactivities of the orders of Qliphoth are therefore in accordance with the Willof the Most High. These workers of apparent wickedness then are as essential to the properfunctioning of the Tree as are the angels themselves. Each is ordained andordered by God, and each is a necessary response to the existence of theother. After all we should not forget that in Isaiah the Deity says:I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I theLORD do all these things.(Isaiah, 45:7)Although it may be accepted that the Qliphoth are as much a part of thedivine plan as any other order of being, and like any other being will beredeemed and re-absorbed into the Godhead at the end of this cycle ofcreation, it is nevertheless wise to treat them with a considerable degree ofcaution. The student is therefore strongly advised to master the basicbanishing rituals of both pentagram and hexagram as well as the morecomplex “Star Ruby,” which may be found in Magick in Theory andPractice and elsewhere, before attempting any other magical operation.Magical PowersAlso called “The Spiritual Experience,” these are the powers that accrue tothe magician or mystic with each successive attainment to a path orSephirah. The magical powers are best considered to be specializedenhancements of the adept's consciousness and extensions of his range ofoperation. With each Sephirothic attainment is associated a “Vision,” suchas the “Vision of Splendour,” found in Hod, or the “Vision of Power” inGeburah. Unlike the Sephiroth, the powers of the paths are not described as“Visions.” The visions are typical of the essential characteristics of the Sephiroth towhich they are attached and result from a complete understanding on thepart of the adept of that sphere's true nature, both internally and in relationto the other Sephiroth. As the individual ascends the ladder of the Tree, soat each stage a new level of consciousness is awakened. Each of thesenewly gained expansions of consciousness equips the seeker with thenecessary armory to essay the next stage of the ascent. The powers of thetwenty-two paths—those which connect the spheres one to another—tend toconfer more immediately practical benefits than do the Sephiroththemselves, whose own powers are more abstract but, arguably, moreprofound. The final magical power of the Tree is that found in Kether, namely “Unionwith God,” not in thiscase described as a “vision,” while the ultimateachievement is re-absorption into the Ain, which is unsurprisingly titled,“The Supreme Attainment.”The Virtue and the ViceEach Sephirah is assigned a “virtue” and, with the exception of Kether andChokmah, also a “vice.” Plainly these do not emanate from the Sephiroththemselves but arise from the reactions of those who make contact withthem. In this sense they represent human rather than Sephirothic qualities.Both categories are fairly self-explanatory; the virtue, embodying the finestaspects of a sphere, at least in so far as they can be translated into terms ofhuman activity, and the vice, representing a perversion or exaggeration ofthe sphere's principal attributes. For example in the fifth Sephirah ofGeburah, a sphere of intensely energetic activity which encompassesmatters martial and judicial, the virtues are “courage” and “energy,” whilethe corresponding vices are “cruelty” and “destruction.”The Magical ImageThese are mental images built up by the individual to represent, as best hecan, the nature of a given sphere. While each person working with Qabalahwill develop his or her own “personalized” version of the traditionalimages, according to their orientation and abilities, there is a lot to be saidfor working with the traditional models, at least to begin with. When anygiven image is used over a long period of time by a large group of people,and especially when it is used within such a powerful system as theQabalah, it effectively becomes an autonomous entity. Constant visualization of, and meditation upon, the image will vitalize andsustain it, making it easier to access and more potent in use. Generally theolder and more accepted an image the more effective will be its usage.Although carrying certain dangers which require the student to exercisesome discrimination, for there is always the possibility that a long-standingform has suffered some corruption, using a magical image that has been ingeneral circulation for some time can confer considerable benefit on thebeginner.The Magical GradesTo each Sephirah is assigned a magical grade which indicates the level ofattainment reached by the adept. Each of the grades is suffixed with a dualfigure, separated by an equals sign, which describes a position on the Tree.The first figure is always suffixed with a superscript zero while the secondis followed by a square. Hence, the highest grade achievable, that ofIpsissimus, is designated by the suffix 10°= 1 , while the first Sephirothicgrade is numbered 1°= 10 . Each set of numbers adds to eleven, that beingthe total of full grades on the Tree of Life and the number of the GreatWork completed. There are also preparatory and linking grades which donot relate directly to Sephiroth and which are therefore unnumbered. The system used throughout this work is that of the order known as the A∴A∴, and is based on the structure of that order as described in the essay,“One Star in Sight,” by Aleister Crowley. The grades themselves may beconsidered to be fully functional only when the adept has achieved the fullpower of a given sphere. That is to say, in almost all cases when the adept isabout to move forward into another sphere. It cannot be overemphasizedthat attainment of grades is not necessarily carried out in strict sequentialorder, nor are they necessarily attained in full by every aspirant. The individual grades will be discussed in the appropriate chapters, but itwill be understood that, particularly above the Abyss, the nature and dutiesof such achievements are incapable of explanation and description to thosewho do not themselves hold similar rank. Many occult groups use the grade system of the A∴ A∴ as a model andaward grades to its members in accordance with their own rules. Hence onemay occasionally find occultists who profess to hold the most exalted ofgrades, but who in actual fact are not properly entitled to any. While it isperfectly reasonable for such groups to award their own grades, care mustbe taken that there is no confusion between these and their true Sephirothicmodels.The Magical Weapons and SymbolsIt is often the case with magical symbols and weapons that there is somedispute, not only about which category any given item might belong to, butalso how each category should be defined to begin with. Often the symbolsof a given Sephirah are actually used as magical weapons in ceremonialritual. Equally, the weapons of a sphere may, on occasion, do double serviceas appropriate Sephirothic symbols. Indeed, some authorities make nodistinction between the two categories. It might be less confusing if wedistinguish those items which have an important and active place in anygiven ritual working, from those having a more peripheral role. In this waywe may decide to which category an item should be assigned by thefunction it has in a particular circumstance, rather than be held to a fixedsystem of classification. That is to say, any given item may be equally aweapon or a symbol depending on the use to which it is put. Throughoutthis work it will be made clear what is to be considered a weapon and whata symbol in the context of each sphere. The symbols of a sphere are those things that seem to the student to bestrepresent its qualities, and to suggest something of its inner nature. To acertain extent these symbols are arbitrary, their validity and usefulnessdepending entirely on the response they evoke from the viewer. There aremany examples of appropriate symbolic forms to be found in the literature,and specimens will be given of the more common variants in each chapter,but there is no reason why the student should feel constrained to use thetraditional symbols. It is far better to use a system which has personalrelevance, no matter how idiosyncratic it might seem to others, than toattempt to work with classical images which do not truly engage theimagination. The matter of weapons is somewhat different, for these are the “tools of thetrade” and are designed for specific tasks. To use an inappropriate weaponin ritual work is as foolish as attempting the same in any other sphere ofactivity. As one would not by choice use a pickaxe when repairing a chair,so one would be equally careful in selecting the proper weapons for amagical working; to do otherwise would at best be inefficient, and at worstdownright dangerous. The difference between a weapon and a symbol might be summed up bysaying that whereas the symbol is merely suggestive of a particular energy,the weapon will allow the ritualist to control and manipulate that energy.Therefore choice of weapon, although sometimes extensive, offers lessscope for personal preference than does the choice of symbols.The Divisions of ManQabalists believe that man is composed of three major elements, which theyterm the Neshemah, Ruach, and Nephesh. The first of these three-folddivisions is itself subdivided into three components, one for each of theSupernal Sephiroth. The Neshemah is the Triad of the Immortal Man in that this is the essential“self” of the individual which transcends bodily death, “the most simple,subtile, and sublime, of all the substances, (which) is not attached to thecorporeal body” (Issac Myer, Qabbalah). The highest arc of Neshemah'striad is termed Yechidah, “The Unique One,” the essential spark ofimmortality to be found in every man and woman and described in LiberAL vel Legis as the Khabs, the “Star” or “Innermost Light,” as distinct fromthe Khu, or “magical garment,” which provides a vehicle through which itmight incarnate: “The Khabs is in the Khu, not the Khu in the Khabs.Worship then the Khabs, and behold my light shed over you!” (AL, 1:8–9) There is a school of thought that classes Chiyah, the “Creative Impulse”(under our scheme, the second subdivision of Neshemah and thecorresponding to Chokmah), as a separate “sub-soul”in its own right. It istrue that there is a certain attraction to this arrangement as it then becomespossible to establish links with the four worlds and a number of other four-fold correspondences. However, the arrangement used throughout thepresent work is the one most commonly encountered in general occultliterature, and also has the benefit of corresponding to a number of equallyimportant tri-partite arrangements. The third aspect of Neshemah takes its name from the triad as a whole andis attributed to Binah, being the highest possible level of Intuition andSpiritual Understanding.The second element of man's subtle constitution is termed the Ruach, whichmay be loosely described as his “intellectual” aspect, incorporating themind and its functions, including the faculties of perception and sensation.Like the Neshemah, the Ruach too is subdivided, but into five parts, one foreach of the Sephiroth below the Abyss, excluding Yesod and Malkuth. Eachof the Sephiroth represents an aspect of the intellect. In the order ofemanation these faculties are: Memory, Will, Imagination, Desire, andReason. Of these, Qabalists consider Reason to be the lowest and the leastas its usefulness is strictly limited to the lower paths of the Tree.The final element of man's make-up according to this method ofclassification, is termed the Nephesh, the “animal soul”; that which IsraelRegardie has described as the “gross side of the spirit.” The Nephesh is notdivided in the same manner as the two preceding elements, but it isconsidered to be of a dual nature. The first part is something akin to theprana of the Eastern tradition; “the breath of life,” the vital, electricprinciple of the life-force which animates the body. The second element,and the one which immediately relates it to the sphere of Yesod, itscorrespondence on the Tree, is that of the “astral body,” one of the “subtle”forms of man's extended being. Malkuth is the only Sephirah of the HolyTree which does not have a corresponding subtle principle, although itcould be argued that its higher reaches contact and to a certain extentparticipate in the life of astral realm. The corporeal body as such is calledby Qabalists Guph and is the means through which is experienced thephysical world manifested by the tenth Sephirah. There are a number of classification systems based on the extended being ofman. As it is written that man, alone of all creation, is the very image ofGod, made in His likeness, it is unsurprising that Qabalists have tried overthe centuries to expand their knowledge of Him through their knowledge ofthemselves, and to apply their understanding of the dynamics of the HolyTree to the only created creatures that are truly microcosms of it. Many of these systems and theories are based on the Qabalistic concept ofthe “Divine Man,” Adam Qadmon, whose body is comprised of the tenSephiroth (see illustration, p. 55). Adam Qadmon is considered by Qabaliststo be the first manifest reflection of the Deity, not in the sense that Metatronis held to be the first created being, but rather as though he is, himself, thevery Atziluthic world where God's manifestation begins. For this reason heis sometimes termed “The Atziluthic Adam,” as distinct from the BriaticAdam, the created “Man of Dust” of Genesis.The ChakrasIndian esoteric physiology postulates the existence in the human body ofsubtle “power centers,” which are said to be the seats of particular forms ofpsychic energies. These centers, termed chakras, or “wheels,” have a certainrelationship with physical organs but are not located in, or dependent on,them. It is held to be possible to activate or “open up” these chakras by avariety of different techniques, including formal initiation and intensemeditation, in order that one might thereby function to the limit of one'strue potential. The Eastern chakras do not however correlate exactly with the Sephiroth onthe microcosmic Tree of the human body. There have been innumerableattempts to devise a system whereby the seven main chakra centers can berelated to the Sephirothic glyph without doing too much violence to thefundamental principles of both schemes. The three best-known systems arethose of Crowley, Major-General J. F. C. Fuller, and Dion Fortune. Of theseit is the method advocated by Crowley which is used throughout the presentwork. This is not the place to rehearse the arguments over correct orincorrect attributions; in each case where there is a serious clash betweenthe system used and one or both of the alternative methods of attribution,attention will be drawn to the fact, but in order to help clarify the mainareas of disagreement at the outset a comparison table is shown below. Even though the chakras themselves do not entirely match the Sephiroth onthe Tree there is nevertheless a great deal of information to be gained fromthem. They do at least cover the same ground as the Sephiroth, and expressin their own terms the same general principles. Indeed it would besurprising if it were otherwise, for the traditions from which both systemsspring represent the zenith of philosophical speculation of two of theworld's greatest cultures, struggling to find answers to the same basicquestions. THE TREE IN MICROCOSMThe Colors in the Four WorldEach Sephirah has associated with it a set of colors, one for each of theworlds of Atziluth, Briah, Yetzirah, and Assiah. Sometimes referred to as“Flashing Colors” they are useful aids in contacting individual Sephirothand paths, both as a tuning device, to create an appropriate level ofreceptivity, and as a means of determining one's current position on theTree. In the latter case the colors offer a valuable “map” which, along withpath-specific symbols, enables practitioners to pinpoint their preciselocation and to navigate purposefully around the glyph. The four colorscales correspond with the Hebrew letters of the God-name IHVH, theTetragrammaton, which will be analyzed in the chapter dealing withChokmah, the second Supernal Sephiroth, to which it is assigned. The first color is that of the Atziluthic or Archetypal world, and is assignedto the letter Yod, the initial letter of the Tetragrammaton. Here is found theroot of all color, the purest possible expression of each Sephirothic hue. Asthis is the plane in which God performs His work directly, without theintervention of His mediating agencies, the color should be visualized as apure radiant light which is projected out of the primordial darkness. The next corresponds to the Briatic, or Creative world and Heh, the secondletter of IHVH. Here the light is degraded from the purity of Atziluth, and isnow seen to be a reflection of it. Consequently the colors of this scale,although intense, do not quite evince the brilliance of the first. The third color is assigned to the Formative World of Yetzirah, and isalways composed of an admixture of the Atziluthic and Briatic scales. TheYetziratic color is referred to Vau, the penultimate letter of the MightyName. In the fourth scale, corresponding with Heh final, we enter Assiah, theworld of actions and plane of materiality, where the hues are at theirmaximum degradation. The colors in this range are far less pure than thosethat precede it, and are all admixtures of two or more others, most of whichare derived from the previous scales.The Book of ThothThe origins of the Book of Thoth, or tarot deck, are obscure to say the least.It has been variously ascribed to the priests of ancient Egypt, and to the latemiddle ages. Whatever the cards' actual history, and it need not concern usovermuch here, they have long been considered part of the authenticWestern magical tradition. This enigmatic set of images is considered by many occultists to representanother strand in the ancient body of Qabalistic knowledge. It is said tocontain within its mysterious symbolism the completeteachings of thesecret doctrine which were deliberately kept separate from the written andoral sources by presenting them as a harmless and inconsequential parlorgame. Tradition has it that this was done in order to ensure the survival ofthis knowledge in an uncertain world, to function as a sort of “ark” ofancient teaching. Whatever the truth of this, it is undoubtedly the case thateach of the seventy-eight cards of the tarot pack are closely related to eitherthe Sephiroth, the Four Worlds, or the Paths. In our present study it is the minor cards which are of most interest, theposition of a sphere in the order of emanation determining which four cardsare assigned to it. Hence to Geburah, the fifth Sephirah, is assigned the fourfives, and to Yesod, the ninth emanation, the four nines, so that each of theten original Sephiroth is assigned one card of each suit. The four suits correspond to the letters of the Tetragrammaton, the fourworlds of the Qabalah and to the elements. The Wands are assigned to theworld of Atziluth, and to the element of Fire, Cups are referred to Briah andWater, Swords correspond with the Yetziratic world and elemental Airwhile the suit of Disks relates to the element of Earth and Assiah. The sixteen court cards, like the suits themselves, may also be correlatedwith the letters of the Tetragrammaton, and with the four worlds. Theseattributions are as follows: Knights, Atziluth and Yod; Queens, Briah andHeh; Princes, Yetzirah and Vau; Princesses, Assiah and Heh final. Each ofthe four court cards of a suit also represents a subdivision of an element; forexample, the Princess of Wands describes the earthy part of Fire, and theQueen of Swords, the watery part of Air. The elements themselves, alongwith the subelemental divisions, will be covered in the appropriate chapters,and in particular in the one devoted to Malkuth, whose mundane chakra isCholem Yesodoth, the “Sphere of the Elements.” The serious student is strongly recommended to study Crowley's Book ofThoth, and to become familiar with its associated pack, as this is the versionThelemites consider best describes the conditions we may expect to meet aswe progress further into the Age of Horus.Other CorrespondencesUnder this heading we shall look at some of the more common minorattributions of the paths. These categories, and very many others, are to befound tabulated in Crowley's indispensable work, 777, an absolute “must”for all serious students. 777 is a unique reference work, but it should beconsidered only as a starting point and as a model, for there is nothing morevaluable to the student than to develop his or her own individual list ofcorrespondences.ANIMALSEach Sephiroth and path has assigned to it a corresponding animal, whosenature, real or imaginary, seems to best epitomize its qualities. These maybe natural or mythical beasts and range from a “god” to a tortoise. In allcases it will be made clear why a given creature is applied to the path inquestion, as with some the connection may not at first be apparent.PLANTSPlants may feature in a list of Sephirothic correspondences under a numberof different categories. They may be symbols of a sphere or path, the basisof its allocated drugs, or deemed to typify certain Sephirothic qualities. Thelatter group is essentially based on the ancient doctrine of “signatures,”which supposes that if a thing, in this case a plant, is sufficiently like anyother thing in appearance or behavior then those two things must belong tothe same class, and should therefore be treated in the same manner.DRUGSThe drugs assigned to each path and sphere may be of vegetable or mineralorigin. These drugs are selected because they either produce states ofconsciousness that are analogous to those experienced in the spheres towhich they relate, or their effect is in some other manner typical of a givenpath; for example all heart stimulants are assigned to Tiphareth, which isitself the heart center of the Tree. It is possible to use the appropriate drugsas an aid to path working, but this is an advanced form of magical work thatrequires considerable skill to master. As certain of the drugs listed in the main body of the text are dangerous,illegal, or both, the student is not encouraged in their use, but in this, as inall else, “thou hast no right but to do thy will.” However, it must be clearlyunderstood that there are few occasions in which the use of such drugs canbe magically justified. In many situations their consumption may be anactual hindrance to productive work, and in all cases they present a realdanger to the psychic, mental, and physical well being of the user.CHAPTER 4AINAIN SOPHAIN SOPH AURMighty was the draught of Voidness to draw Existence in.—William BlakeVala, or The Four Zoas, Night the Second“The most secret of mysteries is that which is called Nothing, the MostHoly Ancient, from whom the light flows forth” (Zohar). This is the realmof the unknown and unknowable God, “The Ancient of All Ancients,” theUnmanifest Deity of whom it is said: “Before the universe was made, theMost Blessed One and its Name, were One …. Before the Most BlessedOne made Its world, It was, and Its Name was hidden in It” (Zohar, MidrashHa-Neelam).Prior to the emanation of the Sephiroth there obtained a condition termedby Qabalists, “Ain,” or “Negative Existence.”It is so named (Ain) because we do not know, and also it cannot be known,what was in this principle as this, to our understanding, yea, even by ourWisdom! is unattainable …. Therefore the Sacred Ancient is called No-Thing, since No-Thing hangs on it.(Zohar)The state of “No-Thingness” is a very different condition from that of“nothingness,” for here it is not simply a matter of an “absence of things,”which would imply that there were in fact “things” to absent themselves,and indeed some “where” from which they might be absent. Nor can“Negative Existence” be considered simply as lack of complexity, for itcontains all possibilities and potentialities, as ultimately all emanatecreation derives from its mysterious heart. It has however yet to manifestitself in any form, for to quote the Sepher Yetzirah:And from the non-existent He made Some Thing; and all forms of speechand everything that has been produced; from the empty void He made thematerial world, and from the inert earth He brought forth everything thathath life. He hewed, as it were, vast columns out of the intangible air, andby the power of His Name made every creature and everything that is; andthe production of all things from the twenty-two letters is the proof that theyare all but parts of one body.(Chap. 2:6)Until this creative act which willed into existence the first concretion of itsessence, the Ain was alone and “face beheld not face.” Therefore the “He”referred to in the Sepher Yetzirah created out of His own substance whenHe desired to make “Some-Thing.” It is important to realize that this versedoes not refer to a creative deity taking pre-existing but separate materialand from it manufacturing the worlds; rather the Deity has extendedHimself, and has caused a portion of that Self to become manifest. It is our inability to comprehend the true nature of such a state that leads usto describe it as “Negative Existence,” for a more accurate term might be“Pure Existence”; an existence which is not limited by any category ofexpression. As the condition of Pure Existence is necessarily stable, allbeing encompassed and equilibrated, it therefore requires a conscious act ofwill on the part of the Unmanifest to disrupt its ageless balance and allowitself to extrude a manifesting point. Referring back to the earlier Zoharictext in which it was said that the principle of the Ain is unattainable by “ourunderstanding, yea, even by our Wisdom!” it may now be worthwhileconsidering quite what was meant by that peculiar but veryparticularphraseology. “Understanding” is the title of Binah, the third SupernalSephiroth, and “Wisdom” that of Chokmah, the second. What the passageseems to suggest is that even these exalted attainments are insufficient tocomprehend the nature of the Unmanifest. However, the sphere of Kether isnot so mentioned, and therefore one may assume that from the vantagepoint of the first Supernal, which is after all dependent from the Ain, somesmall notion of its essential qualities may be gained. The achievement of Kether is the final stage of the ascension of “Jacob'sLadder,” the magical power of which is “Union with God.” In fact thosewho do so attain are effectively gods themselves. It would seem then thatthe Ain is truly unknowable, even from the supra-normal level of the BriaticWorld which is comprised solely of Binah and Chokmah, but that a “god”may indeed look upon the face of the “God and very God.”The Ain is limitless and timeless so that all that issues forth from its bosomdoes so without in any way diminishing its substance. Actually, in a sensethere is nothing outside of this condition, even that which we see andrecognize as the physical universe is so only because the Ain has chosen toextend a portion of itself into materiality. The material universe might belikened to an ice cube, floating in a chilled glass of water: it is created of thesame material and will return to the state of the “mother” element in duetime, but for the duration it exists as a discrete island in the sea of its birth. In the same way that our ice cube has not diminished the total quantity ofmatter in the glass, merely effected a temporary change of state in a smallportion, the Ain suffers no loss through the coalescence of an aspect ofitself into tangible form. A Jewish prayer illustrates this well: “Thou wastthe same before the universe was created, Thou hast been the same sincethe universe hath been created, Thou are the same in this universe, andThou will be the same in the universe to come.”The Ain is considered to consist of three parts or stages of potentialmanifestation. These stages are referred to as the “Veils of NegativeExistence.” The Ain proper, which is the most abstract of the veils, is thecondition of negative existence itself, the other two stages developing fromthe Ain represent a “solidifying” of the original principle. Ain Soph, the second of the veils, is termed “The Limitless,” where out ofthe nothingness has formed a “somethingness” which now has sufficientfeature (at least in comparison with the Ain) to be defined by the expression“Limitless.” The third veil or stage is that of Ain Soph Aur, or “The Limitless Light,”suggesting that the immanent God is preparing to become an eminent God,for another dimension of the Ain has now been activated. Light is the mostsubtle and rarefied of all possible external expressions of the manifestingDeity, the first creative act that impinges on our perceived universe, theothers being, as it were, merely preparatory. It will be noticed that each of these successive stages is characterized andconfirmed by an additional title. To the “nothingness” is added“limitlessness,” the “Soph.” While to the “limitless nothingness” is addedthe Light, “Aur.” This triadic arrangement foreshadows the Trinities andTriads which will be met with again and again as we continue our study ofthe Tree. The process that we may infer to be occurring in the Ain, as itprepares to manifest a portion of itself, can best be termed, “coalescence,”or “crystallization.” The Unmanifest God is in the process of“concentrating” a center, which is both unlocated and lacking in dimension.This position-less focus becomes the first Sephiroth, Kether, the point atwhich the primal force of light ceases to be noumenal and becomesphenomenal. Although Kether is indeed the concentrated “center” of the Ain, it is equallytrue that the Ain is at the center of Kether. This unapproachable core maybe equated with the Christian concept of the “Transcendent God,” while thefinal stage, Ain Soph Aur, seamlessly becomes the endless and limitlesslight of the Primal Glory itself.In the opening verses of the Book of Genesis may be found a formulawhich is applicable to a number of aspects of the Tree, including theestablishment of the Supernal Triad. Although the same general principlesof increasing concretion and specialization are to be found in actionthroughout the emanating worlds, the initial verses of Genesis are also, andperhaps primarily, an expression of the development of the Ain prior to itseventual manifestation. “And the earth was without form and void; and darkness was upon the faceof the deep,” would seem to apply to the condition of negative existence,the Ain. The point at which “The Spirit of God moved upon the face of thewaters,” can be readily equated with the second development of Ain Soph,the “Limitless,” for now there is a suggestion that the original unity of theAin is no longer, and that the Deity has differentiated Itself, moving as aseparate “Spirit” across the face of the unmanifest. In verse three we find:“And God said, Let there be light: and there was light,” which can be takento refer to the initial development of the “Limitless Light” of Ain Soph Aurwhose concentrated flux establishes and invigorates Kether. The three stages or gradations of the Unmanifest, culminating in a fourthstage which represents the development of Kether, may also be related tothe four worlds of Atziluth, Briah, Yetzirah, and Assiah. The archetypal world of Atziluth equates with the Ain, for it is abovehuman consciousness and exists prior to manifestation, “perfect butunrealized”, containing within all future possibilities. The world of Briah,the Creative Realm, “the abode of pure spirit” and the point at which theSpirit of God moves across “the face of the waters” is comparable with theAin Soph. The Yetziratic world, where the first development of form isforeshadowed as the Deity calls forth Light to disperse the “darkness uponthe face of the deep” is an equivalent condition to the Ain Soph Aur. Andfinally, the moment of manifestation itself, the emergence of the firstSephirah from the Limitless Light, which from the “point of view” of theAin represents a state of gross materiality, can therefore be compared withthe physical world of Assiah.Some Qabalists have postulated a “hidden Tree,” beyond the veils ofnegative existence, which has Kether as the equivalent of Malkuth. Theentire Sephirothic structure, depending backwards from Kether, would inthis case be contained within the Ain Soph Aur. One could then go on tospeculate on the nature of the Tree which has its equivalent of Malkuth inthe Kether of Ain Soph Aur. Fascinating though such conjectures are theyare rather outside the scope of an introduction to Qabalah but they do serveto remind us that the Tree is a universally applicable glyph and one whichprovides a sturdy framework for all manner of imaginative adventures. Naturally there have been a number of speculative models developed toaccount for the initial establishment of the Tree. Indeed, given the crucialimportance of the matter it would be surprising if this were not the case.Although the doctrine we have outlined is undoubtedly the most generallyaccepted today, an alternative developed by Issac Luria in the sixteenthcentury has some very attractive points and gained considerable currencyamong his fellow Qabalists. Luria's theory literally stands the moreaccepted accounts of the cosmological process on their heads. He says that,instead of the Unmanifest projecting its creative will to develop theSephiroth, quite the opposite happened. The unmanifest god first withdrewinto Himself, and that therefore the universe was made possible as a resultof His contraction rather than by His expansion. This doctrine, which iscalled “Tsimtsum” (best translated ascomparatively little to the early literature of the Qabalah.Therefore it is the Sephardi forms which have the most common currencyin Qabalistic documents and on which the Hebrew terms used throughoutthis book are based. Since the Middle Ages the word “Qabalah” has been used as though it werea synonym for black magic, witchcraft, sorcery, and other supposed evils,while the term has been indiscriminately applied to cover a multitude ofoccult activities. Even today, apart from its proper technical usage, the wordis most likely to be heard in connection with dubious societies, ranksuperstitions, and indecipherable symbols. As is the case with “Magick,”“Qabalah” has come to signify to the uninitiated something very different toits original meaning, and likewise stands in need of rehabilitation. The current renaissance in Qabalistic studies can be dated from the laterhalf of the nineteenth century, when for the first time the central documentsof the canon were translated into European tongues. It is to be hoped thatthis growing interest will continue to help counter the ignorance andsuperstition with which the subject is unfortunately still identified in thepublic mind. We will be looking at the history of Qabalah and that of its primary sourcematerial later in this introductory chapter and will therefore confineourselves here to an attempt at delineating the subject of this work. This is aharder task than it might at first appear, for when attempting to define whatQabalah actually is one cannot help but feel a certain sympathy for St.Augustine, who, when asked to give his thoughts on the nature of time,said: “If no one asks of me, I know; if I wish to explain to him who asks, Iknow not” (Confessions, Book XI). The first point to be made is that, in spite of what many people havebelieved, the Qabalah is not a single book, nor is it a whole library ofbooks. Of course, there is a vast corpus of literature, some ancient, andsome relatively modern, that contains much of the essential teachings ofQabalah, but the real heart of the subject is not to be found in any text, nomatter how venerable. Essentially, Qabalah is a practical subject, a discipline that must be used inorder for it to come alive. Qabalah is a living, growing system of personaldevelopment that provides not only a framework for speculations of themost profound character, but also a means of testing the veracity of thosespeculations by personal experience. We will be exploring the “PracticalQabalah” in the main body of this work, but it is important to emphasizeright from the beginning that although the subject is fascinating from anacademic viewpoint, its true value lies in its application and usage. Qabalah is a metaphysical philosophy, or rather a theosophy, that sets out toanswer a series of vital questions regarding the nature of God, His creation,and the place of man in His divine plan. The pioneering magician andQabalist, S. L. MacGregor Mathers, in the introduction to his owntranslation of Knorr von Rosenroth's, Latin Kabbalah Denudata, gives thefollowing list as being the ten principal problems that Qabalistic doctrinehas addressed:The Supreme Being, His nature and attributesThe CosmologyThe creation of angels and manThe destiny of man and angelsThe nature of the soulThe nature of angels, demons, and elementalsThe import of the revealed lawThe transcendental symbolism of numeralsThe peculiar mysteries contained in the Hebrew lettersThe equilibrium of contrariesThe teachings of the Qabalah are based on a theory of the sequentialemanation of God's creation from a condition of unmanifestation toconcretion in the physical world. Although perhaps not a term that wouldimmediately commend itself to all adherents of the Judeo-Christiantradition, the Qabalah could be said to take a fundamentally pantheist viewof creation. The Creator is not envisaged simply as an architect or artificer,molding the manifest universe out of pre-existing material, but as oneomnipotent and omnipresent being, who creates from His own substance asan act of divine will. Therefore all that exists is necessarily part of the“body of God,” matter as well as spirit. In other words, and with apologiesto William Blake, “Everything that is, is Holy.” Qabalists have long recognized that there is a limit to what can be known ofthe Deity and His attributes, and therefore they have chosen to draw veilsacross the forever unknowable region of “Negative Existence,” which theyterm the “Ain,” and concentrate their efforts on exploring the mystery ofmanifestation. The sequence of this manifestation from “nothingness” tomateriality is illustrated by the glyph known as the “Tree of Life,” which isusually transliterated from Hebrew as OTz ChIIM and pronounced “AetzChiyim.” The diagram of the Tree of Life is the essential and unique feature ofQabalah, and that which makes its study not only rewarding in itself butalso of immense value in understanding other traditions. With thedevelopment of the Tree we have available a magnificently flexible,infinitely expandable tool for investigating virtually any conceivable branchof human interest. The Tree itself is composed of ten centers or areas of activity, which aretermed the Sephiroth (singular, Sephirah), arranged in three columns andinterconnected by twenty-two paths. The term “Sephirah” has no exactEnglish translation but is taken to mean “numeration” or “emanation,” andeach represents a distinct and separate stage of the “descent of power” fromthe Godhead to the physical world, usually drawn on the glyph as alightning flash (see illustrations, pages 5–6). Each Sephirah has a unique character which results from its position in theorder of emanation. The creative impulse, which has its roots in NegativeExistence, undergoes a sequence of differentiation, specialization, andconcretion in its descent into manifestation. Each of these stages representsthe development of a Sephirah and each Sephirah presents a specific set ofqualities and energies defining a particular point in the continuing processof the showing forth of God. One of the practical benefits of the glyph is that it provides an invaluablesystem of categorizing all phenomena by reference to its Paths andSephiroth. Indeed, the Tree has repeatedly been described as beinganalogous to a “filing cabinet” or “card index system,” as all manner of dataand material may be stored and cross-referenced according to an elaboratesystem of correspondences. The analogy with a filing cabinet is a good one, except that such a system israther lifeless and cannot effectively mimic the dynamic relationshipswhich exist between categories on the Tree. The pictorial representation ofthe Holy Tree forms a sort of “flow-chart” which illustrates the manner inwhich one concept or phenomenon develops as a necessary response toanother. The Tree also offers a form of map by which the individualaspirant, and eventually the entire human race, may navigate the long andarduous journey to (re)union with God. Although the organization of theTree is such that it may be applied to any field of study or sphere of interest,from engineering to human psychology, it is particularly in the areas ofphilosophy and religion that it is found to be most valuable. A good working knowledge of the Qabalah, and a familiarity with thediagram of the Tree, is a prerequisite for anyone working within theWestern magical tradition. One could go so far as to say that without such abackground of Qabalistic knowledge their best efforts will be in vain. Thevast bulk of available occult literature, magical, mystical, alchemical anddivinatory, is founded on Qabalistic teaching, however far removed theymay be from that source, and is little more than a jumble of confusednonsense without some knowledge of its basic key. It is not necessary for every occultist to be an“withdrawal” or “retreat”) suggeststhat God could only make room for His creation by “stepping inside” ofHimself and thereby establishing an area which was no longer part of Hisholy being. He could then return to it in the role of Creator, rather than, aswould otherwise have been the case, simply as a manipulator of His ownsubstance. God's creation in this manner exists outside of Him. His presencestill imbues the universe of course, and it will, at the ending of days, returnto its source and be reabsorbed but for the duration that universe is notstrictly speaking part of the divine “body.” One aspect of this model of creation which has been especially attractive tosome Jewish Qabalists is that it ameliorates their natural concern over thepantheism implied by the expansive theory of emanation and which isparticularly evident in the Zohar.It is a matter for debate as to whether one would be justified in attemptingto assign any gods to the Ain. However it is a useful exercise which can goa long way towards helping us achieve a greater understanding of the natureof the Unmanifest, and on that basis alone is well worth the effort. Perhaps the first god-form we may reasonably assign is that of the goddessNuit, the Egyptian “Queen of Heaven.” Nuit describes herself, in Liber ALvel Legis, as “Infinite Space, and the Infinite Stars thereof” (AL, 1:22),thereby presenting an excellent image of the Ain, although one alreadyrelieved by the first intimation of light. In the same revealed document sheis found referred to as “continuous”; that is, she is omnipresent and withoutbound, she is “Limitless,” but she is more (or less) than this, for the relevantverse goes on to say:O Nuit, continuous one of Heaven, let it be ever thus; that men speak not ofThee as One but as None; and let them speak not of thee at all, since thouart continuous!(AL, 1:27)Nuit then is both “continuous” and “None.” She is also “not”; all terms thatare equally applicable to the Ain. To the Egyptians, Nuit personified the“vault of heaven,” which should be seen in its widest sense as the greatUnmanifest realm, and not in the more limited sense of the visible sky.From the body of Nuit emerged all the heavenly bodies. The stars are herchildren and also her sustenance, hence the Egyptians sometimes referred toher as the “female pig who eats her piglets”; the stellar bodies being bornfrom her womb after being swallowed by her mouth in a continuous processof construction and destruction. This constructive/destructive cycle is typical of the activity which takesplace at the interface of Ain Soph Aur and the upper Kether and this aspectof the goddess is therefore best considered as representing the point atwhich the first Supernal becomes manifest on emerging from the densestpart of “The Limitless Light.” Crowley suggests Hoor-paar-Kraat (Harpocrates) as the “Silence,” andAmoun the “Concealed,” as correspondences of the Ain. Both these godsare also, and perhaps with slightly more justification, assigned to Sephiroth;Amoun, as the creative Chiyah, to Chokmah; Harpocrates as the Child andCenter, to Tiphareth. Another Egyptian deity who might be thought appropriate is Atum, primarycreator god of Heliopolis. Atum came “into being of himself; beforeHeaven and Earth were separated.” Being alone in the created universe hehad no option but to create by copulating with himself; he achieved thisremarkable feat by the vigorous use of his hand. “I have copulated into myfist” he says, and by his essence created Shu, the god of Air, and Tefnut,goddess of moisture. The story of Atum, self-created, emerging from theprimeval chaos to bring forth the stuff of the universe, is most instructive inthe light of what we already have learned of the Ain. This small selection of gods from the Egyptian pantheon should besufficient to illustrate the criteria by which the gods of any other traditionmay be assigned to the Ain. It must be borne in mind however, that thesecorrespondences are merely an aid to understanding the general principle ofthe Ain. There can be no god conceivable by the human mind whose natureeven approaches the totality of the mystery of the Unmanifest.CHAPTER 5KETHERTHE CROWNTHE PRIMAL GLORYThe First Path is called the Admirable or the Hidden Intelligence (theHighest Crown) : for it is the Light giving the power of comprehension ofthat First Principle which has no beginning; and it is the Primal Glory, forno created being can attain to its essence.—The Yetziratic TextKether is the first Sephirah of the Tree of Life and is positioned at the headof the Middle Pillar, the pillar of equilibrium. It is the apex of the SupernalTriad, and the balance point of the Triad of Olam-ha-Mevshekal, the“Intellectual World.” Unlike the triads which define the “Moral” or“Sensuous” worlds and the Material world, below the Abyss, here the focusis upward, as Kether is both the source and equilibrating power of the initialtriad. It is here also that the world of Atziluth is located, with Kether as its soleSephirothic inhabitant. This is the point at which the Unmanifest begins theprocess of manifestation. Herein are contained all potentials of force andform. It is pure existence, undifferentiated and undivided. Kether then is theprimal fount; all subsequent Sephiroth, and hence all creation, have theirroots in this, the first emanation. “Kether is the principle of all principles,the Secret Wisdom, the Most Exalted Crown, with which all Crowns anddiadems are adorned” (Zohar). The first Supernal is the point at which the Light manifests at the divinecommand; “Let there be Light,” and therefore represents the “Will of theAbsolute” to reveal itself, for “Until Elohim created the universe, it wasalone, and then it went forth from its Will to create the universe” (Zohar). Although Kether is the purest and most transcendent of all the Sephiroth,whose brilliance is unapproachable, indeed inconceivable by any incarnatebeing, from the “point of view” of the Ain it is a sphere of solidity anddarkness. Compared with the ineffable light of the Unmanifest, Kether isbut a shadow, a dense reflection of the concealed, the “Absolute IndivisibleUnity” from which it emanates. It represents a concentration of the Ain to apoint of “Perfect Form and Individuality.”When the Unknown of all the Unknown wished to manifest itself, it beganby producing a point, for as long as that Light point did not appear throughits energy, the Infinite was still completely unknown and did not spread anyLight.(Zohar)Using analogy as an aid to explaining the concepts involved here isnecessarily fraught with difficulty as the mechanisms involved (in so far aswe can understand them) are not, strictly speaking, paralleled elsewhere.However, with that caveat it mind, the emergence of Kether from the voidof the Ain might be likened to the sudden development of a crystal in asaturated solution of sugar. Alternatively, it may be compared to the effectof warm breath upon a cold pane of glass, the appearance of liquidcondensation forming from the initial stage of haziness being somewhatreminiscent of the mode of Kether's coalescence from the amorphous mistsof the Ain. Due to Kether's dependence on the Unmanifest it is said to be but partlyrevealed (and in this it may be compared to the Earth's Moon, whichlikewise is partly revealed and partly concealed), for the roots of Ketherreach far into the vast emptiness of negative existence. As Malkuth is the densest and most tangible of the sequential numerationsproceeding from Kether, so might Kether be seen to be the “Malkuth” of theUnmanifest, a crystallization of its Limitless Light. Once again this analogyof Kether with Malkuth must not be taken too far, for while Malkuth is theproduct of a series of increasingly specialized and concrete emanations,Kether is manifested by the Ain Soph Aur without preliminary.Nor should it be thought that the “concentration” or “coalescence” of theAin which signifies the manifesting point of Kether is in any sense“central” to it, for there is no center, nor can there be, given that the Ain isby definition limitless. The Ain by a purposeful concentration of itsessential quality generates the first Sephirah which thereby becomes anunlocated focus within its infinite sphere. “In the sphere I am everywherethe center, as she, the circumference, is nowhere found” (AL, 2:3). Kether is androgynous, containing within itself the principles of both themale and female potencies, but expressing neither. The complementarypolarities, without which no further evolutionary development can occur, donot emerge as discrete elements until the second and third Supernalsrespectively. The first Sephirah is sometimes identified with the “monad” of Pythagoras,for it represents the number, One.In this number are the other nine hidden, it is 1 by itself and it still remains1, multiply 1 by itself and it is still 1 and unchanged, thus it is a fittingrepresentative of the great unchangeable Father of All.(S. L. MacGregor Mathers, The Kabbalah Unveiled)The God name attributed to Kether is AHIH, Aleph, Heh, Yod, Heh. It willoccasionally be found transliterated as EHEIEH, and is pronounced “Ee-He-Yea”. This name has been variously translated as “I,” “I will be,” “I willbecome,” and “I am”; the last being the more accepted version.Occasionally it will be found rendered erroneously, “I Am that I Am.” Thescriptural provenance of this first tetragrammic name is to be found in thepassage from Exodus in which God gives it to Moses in answer to his plea:“Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, TheGod of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, Whatis his name? what shall I say unto them?” “And God said unto Moses, I AMTHAT I AM; and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, IAM hath sent me unto you” (Exodus 3:13–14). Strictly speaking only the second rendition of the name is accurate, forAHIH, the expanded first version being properly, AHIH AShR AHIH,which also has the meaning of “Existence of Existence,” another of Kether'smany titles. The Zohar has much to say about this important name and it isworth quoting at least one passage at some length:The secret of this word AHIH, I Am, comprises everything, when the waysare hidden and not separated and together in one place, then it is calledAHIH, I am, all hidden and not revealed; but after it goes out from itsdefined line and that river bears in its bosom all things, then He is calledAHIH AShR i.e. That I Am, that means; I Am, prepared to bring forth alland after He revealed and brought forth all He is by that name.With this passage from the Zohar we now have a third variant on the basicname to add to the two mentioned in Exodus. The three names fall into thecommon triadic pattern which we meet so frequently in Qabalah. We canview the progression of the first name of God as a reflection of thedevelopment which takes place prior to manifestation. It requires no great effort to equate the unfolding name with thedevelopmental stages of Ain, Ain Soph, and Ain Soph Aur. Each stage is asuccessive degree of manifestation. It could also be said that the first nameAHIH, “I Am,” represents the innermost heart of Kether, being in effectprojected directly from the Ain Soph Aur. The second name, AHIH AShR,“That I Am,” could then be considered to represent the actual establishmentof the first Supernal, while the final variant, AHIH AShR AHIH, “I AmThat I Am,” signifies the power of Kether moving out to form Chokmahand Binah, and eventually the remaining seven Sephiroth below the Abyss.Concealed within the name AHIH is an interesting formula for ourmeditations on Kether and one which prepares the way for the secondtetragrammic name, IHVH, which is assigned to subsequent Sephirah ofChokmah. The initial letter of the name, Aleph, is also the first of the Hebrewalphabet, and signifies the “beginning of things.” Its shape is somewhatreminiscent of the fylfot cross or swastika (an important Kether symbol)which expresses very well the manner in which the first emanation whirlsout of the void. The second letter, Heh, represents the reception of theprimal force symbolized by Aleph, while Yod, the third letter, may be seenas the male creative drive or fertilizing principle, alike in shape andfunction to the spermatozoon. The final Heh of the name is receptive, as isthe first, but now offering an additional element of stability. We find then,hidden in this name, the principles of the “coming forth,” the initialreception and incorporation, and the two polarities of positive and negative,male and female, arising from the condition of the newly incorporatedprimal movement. The very sound of the name, when correctly vibrated,demonstrates that essential quality of equilibrium which characterizesKether, for it consists of a balance between inhalation and exhalation.Kether's mundane chakra is the Rashith-Ha-Gilgalim, called variously the“commencement of whirling motions,” “First Swirlings,” or the PrimumMobile. These are the first intimations of imminent manifestationforeshadowing creation, the development of the inscrutable monad fromwhich the entire structure of the Holy Tree is developed. Unlike themundane chakras which appear in later stages of the Tree, the PrimumMobile cannot be related to any known place or principle. It is clearly aunique occurrence. Its descriptive name gives us an excellent visual imageon which to meditate however, for here is a picture of the void giving birthto the first principle, spinning out of the inky vacuum. This is the pointwhere negative existence becomes positive existence, the very instant ofcreation where “the shadow of thy Light hast made the generation of all thatwhich is” (Solomon Ben Yehudah Ibn Gebirol, Kether Malkuth). The titles applied to Kether fall into two main categories; the first expressesits primal quality as the first crystallization of the Unmanifest in terms of itsgreat antiquity; the second stresses the vastness and mystery of theconception. It may be found in older Qabalistic writings that Kether is referred to as“Wisdom,” which is properly the title of the second Sephirah, Chokmah.The form of wisdom appropriate to Kether is that termed Chokmah-illa-Ahor “Heavenly Wisdom,” as distinct from that suggested by the name of thesecond emanation which means simply “wisdom,” and refers to a lesser,although still transcendent, manifestation of that quality.Kether is called by Qabalists, “Arik Anpin” or the “Long in Face,”sometimes rendered as the “Vast Countenance,” and more commonly as“Macroprosopos.” On occasion these titles are applied to the Supernal triadas a whole, in which case they may be taken to be references to God as the“Three in One,” with Chokmah and Binah being considered as the positiveand negative aspects of the triune deity initially expressed in Kether. The six Sephiroth below the Abyss, excluding Malkuth, are termed “ZeirAnpin,” “Short in Face,” the “Son of Arik Anpin,” more rarely, the “YoungOne.” They are the Microprosopos to Kether's Macroprosopos, and are theproduct and reflection of the Supernal. The pendant sphere of Malkuth issometimes called the “Bride of Microprosopos,” for it is here that thepotentials of the preceding Sephiroth are harmonized and brought into thematerial realm in a mystical marriage of Heaven and Earth.A number of titles use the image of the “point” which, having no dimensionbut only position, illustrates Kether's condition well. Variants include: “TheSmall Point,” “The Smooth Point,” “The Primordial Point” and “The Pointwithin a Circle.” The latter is descriptive of one of Kether's symbols andreminds us once again that Kether exists within the Unmanifest,“everywhere the center.”The image of Kether as a “head” occurs frequently, some notable examplesbeing: “The White Head … that has no beginning nor end”; “The One Headwhich are Three Heads,” referring (on one level at least) to the combinationof Sephirothic powers above the Abyss, and “The Head which is Not,”again suggesting the combined Supernal Triad. The latter title also gives aclue as to the nature of Kether's dependence from the Ain, for the word“Not” as used in this context suggests a state of being rather than ofabsence, making it particularly apposite for the concept of “negativeexistence.”The titles, “Lux Simplicissima” and “Lux Occultus,” refer to Kether as thepoint source of all light in the universe, to its purity and its ultimatemystery. Kether being the first of the emanations is also the oldest sphereand for this reason is called, “The Ancient of Days,” “The Long ofSuffering,” and the “Ancient of Ancients,” although care must be takenwith this last title as it is easily confused with “The Ancient of allAncients,” which is only properly applicable to the Ain.As Kether is essentially unknowable, “for no created being can attain to itsessence,” its mysterious aspect is found suggested in such titles as:“Inscrutable Height,” “Concealed of the Concealed,” and “Existence ofExistences,” which are more of the nature of Zen koans than explanatorydescriptions, and do indeed serve something of a similar function inQabalistic meditation.The primary creator gods of most world religions, and especially those whowere self-created, may be confidently assigned to Kether, although manyhave additional correspondences elsewhere on the Tree, including, as wehave already seen, the Ain.Ptah, the principal creative god of Memphis, is the first of the Egyptianpantheon to be referred to this sphere. He was usually represented in humanform, wrapped as a mummy without obvious gesture. As Crowley hascommented, this “signifies that Kether has no attributes” (777). Kether, ofcourse contains all attributes in embryo, but as these are not yetdifferentiated or manifested in any way, Crowley is perfectly correct in hisassertion. Ptah was the “ancient one” of the later Egyptians, the god who created bymeans of his “heart and his tongue,” a phrase also used by Nuit whensending outward the “kiss” which regenerates the “little world my sister”(AL, 1:53). Ptah, though presenting as a male, was actually androgynous forhe contained within himself both a male aspect, “Nun,” and a female aspect“Naunet.” Although in late Egyptian mythology he becomes a compositefigure as Ptah-Sokar-Osiris, it is by virtue of his earlier form that he isassigned to Kether. Ptah was thought by his worshippers to have been self-created and to have made the world and its denizens on a potter's wheel. Crowley also suggests Asar-un-Nefer, the highest form of Osiris; andHorus, as Heru-Ra-Ha, for he “contains the twin forms of the Lord of theAeon. He is Kether to us in this time and place as being the highest positiveconception of which we are able” (777). Zeus, as the creator of the Olympian dynasty and supreme god, is anobvious Kether correspondence, although one must be careful to distinguishbetween his creative form and that of the son of Cronus, in which capacityhe banished his father to eternal captivity. Zeus is particularly a godassociated with high places which is fitting for one assigned to the first and“highest” of the Sephiroth. Jupiter, as a Roman form of Zeus, is similarlyqualified for his inclusion under Kether. He was, during his long career, therecipient of a number of epithets which bear upon the first Supernal, such as“Terminus” (boundary), “Conservator Orbis” (preserver of the world) andthe marvelous “Optimus Maximus” (“the biggest and the best”)! The Hindu universal creator, Brahma, can also be attributed to Kether,although some authorities specify that “Parabrahma” is the correct form.Crowley gives this in 777, but then goes on to say, rather cynically it mightbe thought, “or any other whom one wishes to please”! Brahma was bornfrom a seed formed by the “Great Unknown” (Ain) and was also calledNarayana, “dweller in the waters,” a reference to his early condition as thesole created being. He is credited with the creation of the universe and itscontents, including both gods and men, and therefore would seem in everyway an admirable correspondence for the Primal Glory.The archangel of Kether is Metatron, “Great Angel of the Presence,”“Angel of the Covenant,” and “World Prince.” Metatron is said to be,“Above all and infinitely superior to all other angels” and that he represents“the sum of all the angelic forces or ministering energies” (Myer,Qabbalah), having rulership therefore over the entire Tree. He is alsoconsidered to have been the first created being and is the one referred to inGenesis as “Abraham's servant,” the “eldest servant of his house, that ruledover all that he had” (Gen. 24:2). As the Zohar explains: “The oldest of hishouse, because he (Metatron) is the first of the creatures of (Elohim), whogoverns over all that belongs to Him! For the Holy, Blessed be He! hasgiven him dominion over all His hosts.” Tradition also avers that the “flaming sword” which guarded the way of theTree of Life in Eden, was Metatron himself; and that this Great Angel wasthe very being who gave to Abraham the core of that body of knowledgewhich came to be termed Qabalah. Metatron has also been identified withthe Biblical Enoch; with the active principle of the Shekinah (the feminineform of the Holy Spirit); with that river which went out of Eden to water theGarden, and with the ultimate leadership of the exiled children of Israel inthe desert. We shall be looking further at the Great angel in the chapter dealing withMalkuth as he is also the traditional archangel of the final Sephirah. In thisfact alone can be seen the truth of the axiom that “Kether is in Malkuth andMalkuth is in Kether, 'though after a different fashion.”The order of angels assigned to Kether are the Chayoth-ha-Qadesh, the“Holy Living Creatures” of the Merkabah, or Chariot Throne. These are theBull, the Lion, the Eagle, and the Man, each symbolizing one of the fixedelemental signs of the zodiac. The Bull represents the element of Earth asexpressed through the sign Taurus; the Lion is the symbol of the sign Leoand represents the element of Fire; the Eagle is symbolic of the higheraspect of Scorpio and is of the nature of Water and, finally, the Man,corresponding with the Air sign, Aquarius. These are the Kerubim, orCherubs, of the Prophet Ezekiel and of the vision of St. John. They are alsothe heraldic emblems of the four Evangelists, which in the order givenabove are; Luke, Mark, John, and Matthew. However, in terms of theChristian belief system Kether, as the focus of the Supernal Triad, does notcorrespond with the Evangelists themselves but with the Trinity. As the Holy Living Creatures each represent the root of one of the fourelements a vast range of potential correspondences is opened up. One suchclassification, among many, is found in Jungian psychology, where the fourfunctions of sensation, feeling, intuition, and intellect, can readily beapplied to the Chayoth-ha-Qadesh, again in the same order as above.Kether's symbols are in their own way as descriptive of the sphere as itstitles. We have already seen that the swastika suggests in a graphic form theprinciple of the First Swirlings, but care must be taken to differentiatebetween the symbol as a glyph representing the Primum Mobile and itsmore usual application as a solar cross, in which case it is properly assignedto Tiphareth. Again, the “point” and the “point within the circle” are equallyvisual symbols and titles of Kether. They illustrate both its emergence fromthe void and its situation as an unlocated focus within a sphere of infinitesize.The Sepher Yetzirah's supplementary textdescribes Kether as being the“Highest Crown,” so it should come as no surprise to discover that thecrown is indeed one of its major symbols. In some of the olderrepresentations of the OTz ChIIM, Kether is drawn surmounted, or evenreplaced, by a stylized crown. In point of fact the Sephiroth as a group areoften called “crowns” in older works, but Kether is clearly the “MostExalted Crown” and is placed above all others. The crown of Kether shouldon no account be confused with that applied to Chokmah, “The Crown ofCreation,” which refers to the second emanation's mode of action, for theHighest Crown is in every respect more splendid.In the traditional three-fold division of man, the Supernal Triad as a wholeis referred to Neshemah—the highest aspiration and the “supreme self” ofthe individual. Neshemah itself is subdivided into three categories,Yechidah being that assigned to Kether. Yechidah translates, very loosely, as“The Unique One,” the eternal spark of divinity at the center of every manand woman. It is often described as the “real ego” of the individual, whichis somewhat misleading for regardless of what is actually meant by such aninexact term, the concept of ego as such has no place above the Abyss.Israel Regardie describes the Yechidah far more usefully when he says: “Itis the quintessential point of consciousness making man identical withevery other spark of divinity, and at the same time, different with referenceto his individual point of view” (A Garden of Pomegranates). When the Tree of Life is applied to the human body Kether is seen to besituated slightly above the head with the lower circumference of the spherejust touching its crown. This is also the approximate position of the chakrawhich corresponds to Kether, the “Thousand-Petalled Lotus” of theSahasrara, the final chakra in the system. This is considered to be the mostimportant such center of the body, the collecting point and reservoir of a“heavenly dew” drawn from the ether and transmitted down through thespinal column into the genital area. This elixir, the “exalted tincture,” whichis both the ambrosia of life and the essence of mystical illumination, hasparallels in a number of traditions. Techniques for its acquisition andutilization are part of the secret teachings of mystery schools in both Eastand West. The Ros, as it is sometimes termed in the European tradition, is referred toin both Bible and, extensively, the Zohar. In the Song of Songs it ismentioned thus: “I sleep, but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my belovedthat knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, myundefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops ofthe night” (Solomon 5:2). In the Zoharic book called “The Greater Holy Assembly” concerning the“Dew, or Moisture of the Brain of The Ancient One,” we read that, “fromthat skull distilleth a dew upon Him which is external, and filleth His headdaily… And from that dew which floweth down from His head, that(namely) which is external, the dead are raised up in the world to come,”and further, “The dew of the lights (Sephiroth) is Thy dew… And by thatdew are nourished the holy supernal ones.” This most mysterious of substances much exercised the minds of medievalphysicians and was the subject of considerable interest even into the mideighteenth century when Emanuel Swedenborg speculated at length upon itsnature. Perhaps the most accessible and practicable teachings regarding thecollection and manipulation of the ros are to be found in the Chinese Taoisttexts, where a variety of exercises are described to this end. The meditationtechniques of the Shaolin Brocades may be found especially useful in thisregard.The spiritual experience or magical power of Kether is “Union with God,”while its virtue is “Completion of the Great Work, the Attainment” which isat one and the same time both obvious in its meaning and inconceivable inits effect. The magical grade of one who has attained, in fullness, to the“Most High,” is Ipsissimus 10° = 1 . The Ipsissimus is effectively a god,whose condition and modality is “beyond all comprehension of those oflower degrees” (“One Star in Sight”). This being so, it is prudent toremember that the grade sign of an Ipsissimus is that of Harpocrates, thesign of silence, and to respect that exalted state by saying no more.There is not, nor can there be, any vice associated with Kether, except in sofar as the corresponding order of Qliphoth can be said to represent anegative effect resulting from a contradiction of the sphere's essentialqualities. The order of Qliphoth assigned to Kether is the Thaumiel, The“Contending Heads” or the “Twin Heads of God,” which by their divisiveduality deny the Primal Glory's fundamental characteristic, that of perfectlybalanced unity.Kether's magical weapons are sometimes given as being two in number—the Crown and the Lamp. Strictly speaking only the crown is properly aweapon of the sphere. The lamp is an additional symbol representing thedivine Light to which the magician aspires, and which both illuminates hiswork and acts as a beacon to guide him to his goal. The crown of Kethersymbolizes the Supreme Divinity towards which the Great Work is directed,and represents the fully activated Sahasrara chakra, making the adept heir tothe “gift of dew.”The classical magical image is of an “ancient bearded king seen in profile,”emphasizing the fact that Kether can never be fully revealed. Anotherpossible image for Kether is a huge bearded head rising up out of thewaters, reflected down onto the calm sea. Here we have the “VastCountenance” appearing out of the Unmanifest, and transmitting its eidolondown through creation.The colors of Kether in the four worlds are, as one might expect, variationson the theme of “white brilliance.” This is the pure white light that containsall the other colors of the spectrum. As with all else connected with thisSephirah, the conception is that all potentialities are present but as yetundifferentiated. This light is not however an optical phenomenon but theLight of the Spirit. The Atziluthic color is Brilliance itself, the color that isnot a color but a spiritual force of light, uncorrupted and utterly pure. Thecolor of both the Briatic and Yetziratic worlds is “pure white brilliance,” asthrough these two worlds of creation and formation the ray of brilliancebegins to become more tangible with the addition of the “pure white.” Thelight from Kether only starts to resonate on an optical level in Assiah, theworld of material form, where it is now a white flecked with gold, the“physical perfection of Kether made manifest,” tinged perhaps by themediating influence of Tiphareth.There can be no doubt about the correct “animal” correspondence forKether, which is a “god,” but Crowley also gives the hawk and the swan asbeing appropriate for the sphere. The hawk because its high vantage point,motionless in the uplifting thermal current, enables it to look down andobserve all creation spread out below; the swan because it is said tosymbolize the divine word AUM.The plant attributed to Kether is the “almond in flower” which representsthe budding rod of Aaron and is a popular wood for certain types of magicalwand. The vegetable drug (if indeed such it be) is the “Elixir Vitae.” Toquote Crowley “the attribution to Kether is due to its omniform virtue”(777). This elixir may be identified with the above mentioned ros and manyanother thing beside, from mothers milk to mythological ambrosia. The perfume is ambergris, which in itself is all but odorless but has theunusual power (unfortunately for the sperm whale) of intensifying the scentof any other perfume mixed with it. For this reason it is often used byperfumeries as a base.The diamond is Kether's precious stone, as it is formed from pure carbon,the basic material of life on earth, raised under tremendous heat andpressureto the highest degree of hardness and clarity. The word “diamond”comes from the Greek Adamas which means “invincible” and it is thegemstone attributed to Libra, the sign of balance and equilibrium. Adiamond, when well cut, also has an unequaled ability to both reflect andrefract light, making it an ideal stone to represent the sphere of “LuxSimplicissima.”As Kether is the fount and root of the elemental powers, it has assigned to itthe four aces of the tarot, which are themselves the root of the powers of thefour elements; “not the elements themselves, but the seeds of thoseelements” (Book of Thoth).CHAPTER 6CHOKMAHWISDOMCROWN OF CREATIONThe Second Path is that of the Illuminating Intelligence: it is the Crown ofCreation, the Splendour of the Unity, equalling it, and is exalted aboveevery head, and named by the Qabalists the Second Glory.—The Yetziratic TextChokmah is the second of the three Supernals, and is the positive potency inthe Triad of Olam-ha-Mevshekal, situated at the head of the Pillar of Mercy,the “masculine” column of the Tree. From the “smooth point” of Kether hasextended a line, the first movement of the Primal Glory's spiritual force out-wards on its journey into eventual manifestation.As the point extends and thickens into a line, the line into a plane, and theplane into the expanded body, so God's manifestation unfolds itself.—Issac Ibn Latif, A.D. 1220–1290With the establishment of Chokmah comes the first differentiation ofKether's androgynous force. It is the positive, masculine power thatstimulates the universe and directs the forces of the Ain, as first expressedin Kether, down through the Tree, and may be termed the “energizingprinciple” behind creation. Chokmah is a Sephirah of force, as is Kether, but now that force becomesmore specialized and directed. The Unity has allowed Itself to become aduality, the second phase of the unfolding of the Most High. Chokmah isnegative to the first emanation, from whence it receives its impetus, but ispositive to the opposite sphere of Binah, at the head of the Pillar ofSeverity, and to Chesed, the central Sephirah of the Pillar of Mercy.“Chokmah” means Wisdom, and it is by this English title that the secondSupernal Sephiroth is most commonly known.In Chokmah is found the creative word of God, that which was in thebeginning, the word that was with God, and the word that was God. OneTalmudic exposition of the first line of the book of Genesis suggests that theword Berashith, usually considered to mean “In the Beginning,” shouldproperly be translated as “By (or In) the Principle,” which is taken to referto Chokmah. The opening verse would then read, “By the Principle (ofChokmah) Elohim (God) created the height and the depth of the universe,”or, more simply, “Through Wisdom the universe was emanated.” The Zohar tells us that “Wisdom generates all Things,” and on severaloccasions describes Wisdom as the “Divine Word,” clearly identifying itwith the creative power loosed upon the universe by the initiating utteranceof God. Chokmah, being the second emanation, is also called by Qabalists“the First Born of Elohim,” and the “Only Begotten Son,” as it aloneproceeds directly from the primal essence of Kether.The god-names assigned to the “Second Glory” are “Yah,” and its expandedform of Yahweh, which is usually transliterated as IHVH but may also befound as YHVH, or even JHVH. “Yah” carries the meaning “Father” and iscomprised of two Hebrew letters, Yod and Heh. In spite of the obviousmasculine potency of the sphere, and of the image of the father implied by“Yah,” within this name both polarities are combined, Yod representing thefertilizing principle of fatherhood, and Heh the receptive principle of themother. The dynamic energies of Chokmah contains the seeds of theirincorporation in Binah even as they rush forth from the second sphere, for itis axiomatic that above the Abyss every idea contains its own opposite. IHVH is the second and most common name applied to Chokmah. Oftenreferred to as “Tetragrammaton,” this four-lettered “ineffable name” wasconsidered so holy by orthodox Jews that it was never pronounced in fullfor fear of violating the third commandment, save once a year by the HighPriest in the “Holy of Holies” in the Temple at Jerusalem. There is also atradition which asserts that the correct pronunciation of this name wouldresult in the total destruction of the universe. There is a not dissimilar tabooregarding the Hindu god Shiva, constant repetition of whose name is alsolooked upon with disquiet by the faithful. An orthodox Jew, for reasons of piety rather than fear, would have tosubstitute another name for IHVH, usually Adonai (Lord), when readingaloud, and employ certain devices to overcome the problem of actuallywriting the “Mighty Name.” There are two common conventions whichallow the name to be indicated in texts. The first is to substitute it with itsAramaic form, Yeya; and the second, which is perhaps more common, is toplace under it the vowel-points from “Adonai,” thus producing a wordwhich is impossible to pronounce. This cannot be regarded as meresuperstition, or even as a simple matter of proper respect, for the names ofGod are potent magical “words of power” which have been vitalized by theveneration of countless generations and it pays therefore to treat them witha degree of caution. IHVH is generally accepted as meaning “To Be.” In all the possiblepermutations of spelling, known as the “Twelve Banners of the MightyName,” this meaning remains constant. Each of these “Twelve Banners”demonstrates a modality of the One God in his variety, and can be relatedto, amongst many other correspondences, the twelve tribes of Israel, and thesigns of the Zodiac; the last being of particular importance as it is themundane chakra of the sphere of Chokmah itself. IHVH is composed of the Hebrew letters; Yod, signifying the “means ofaction” and representing the father, self-begotten and eternal; Heh, theprinciple of receptivity referred to the mother; Vau, the son, both as heir andultimately redeemer, and Heh final, representing the daughter, who is bothfuture bride and mother. The pattern of relationships within the name maybe illustrated thus: the son is the fruit of the union of the father and themother, he in turn is mysteriously both brother and father to the daughterwhom he redeems by making her his bride and placing her upon themother's throne. The daughter, now in the place of the mother, becomes thatmother by her union with the father and so the cycle repeats. We can see that implicit in the Tetragrammaton is a formula which isespecially apt for Chokmah, given that its mundane chakra expresses thecyclic nature of creation within the continuous wheel of the zodiac. Theletters may also be taken to correspond with the four elements andtherefore, by extension, to a whole range of occult references, including ofcourse the tarot. The elemental attributions are: Fire, Yod; Water, Heh; Air,Vau; and Earth, Heh final. The accuracy of these correspondences will become clearer as we progressdown through the Tree. In the tarot deck the four suits may be assignedthus: Wands to Yod; Cups to Heh; Swords to Vau and the Disks to Hehfinal. The letters of the Tetragrammaton can be applied to the Holy Tree in anumber of instructive ways. The most common method is to assign one toeach of the four worlds: Yod to Atziluth; Heh to Briah; Vau to Yetzirah; andHeh final to Assiah. Another is to apply the letters to certain Sephiroth, atraditional arrangement being as follows: Yod to Chokmah; Heh to Binah;Vau to Tiphareth, and Heh final to Malkuth.Chokmah's many titles include “The Power of Yetzirah” and “The Yod ofTetragrammaton.” The second of these auxiliary titles has already beentouched on in connection with the mighty name, IHVH. The letter Yod, aswe have seen, represents thecreative male element, and is itself ratherreminiscent of the shape of the spermatozoon. In fact Crowley describes itas being, “the polite equivalent” of the male seed which is the “true glyph.” Its traditional association is with the hand, and can here be visualized as the“hand of God” (recalling the manner in which Atum brought forth theworlds) reaching out to set the wheel of the Zodiac in motion. The lettersuggests the vigorous out-rushing of primal energies, the very image whichcharacterizes the sphere. “The Power of Yetzirah” refers to that aspect ofChokmah which is identified with the dynamic principle of the CreativeWill, the energizing factor in the eventual establishment of the world offormation. Two other titles are commonly given to Chokmah, although these two are inessence, one. Ab and Abba, as with Yah and Yahweh, both have themeaning of “father.” They are each composed of the first two letters of theHebrew alphabet, Aleph and Beth. In both cases the two letters signify thedevelopment of a second principle, symbolized by Beth, arising out of theprimary impulse, symbolized by the initial Aleph. In the case of Abbahowever, the expansion into four letters, as a mirror image of the originalname, suggests a continuously reflecting cycle as the first creation viewsitself. Ab, like Yah and Tetragrammaton, also posits the existence ofanother polarity, for Beth means “the house” and is essentially feminine incharacter, foreshadowing the balance which is to stabilize the SupernalTriad with the development of the third Sephirah. Chokmah remainshowever the “Supernal Father” as this is the first sphere in which thatprinciple is differentiated, for in Kether it exists only in embryo.The mundane chakra of Chokmah is the “Sphere of the Zodiac” which istermed in Hebrew, Mazloth. The literal meaning of “zodiac” is “circle ofanimals.” It is defined as a band around the heavens extending eight to ninedegrees north or south of the ecliptic, the line traced by the apparent yearlypath of the sun. Within this band is found the orbits of all the planets of thesolar system, with the exception of Pluto, the most distant and most recentlydiscovered of the major planetary bodies. The zodiac itself is divided intotwelve segments of thirty degrees of longitude each. When any planet,including the Sun, is said to be in a particular sign it is a reference to itsrelative position within this great wheel, each division being one of thesigns of the zodiac, from Aries through to Pisces. The twelve signs arethemselves divided into “triplicities and “quadruplicities.” In the first case the circle is divided by three to produce four groups of threesigns each, each of these groups corresponding to one of the four elements,and therefore to the letters of Chokmah's god-name. In the case of thequadruplicities, the division is by four, producing three groups of four signs,each representing a “quality” or modality of action, these being termed“cardinal,” fixed,” and “mutable.” Within the twelve-fold cycle of thezodiacal signs is traced a glyph of the successive stages of evolutionarydevelopment, which may be applied on a personal, historical, or cosmiclevel. The planets them-selves represent specific principles, modified inpractical astrology by their angular relationship to other planets and by thesign currently occupied. The planetary influences as individualized forcesonly begin to manifest themselves in Binah, the third Sephirah. Even after such a brief description it is clear that Mazloth is a very complexsphere indeed. Not only does it contain all of the planetary forces whichwill manifest during later stages of the unfolding of the Tree, it containsthem in all their possible modes of expression and interaction. Yet even thiscomplexity does not encompass the breadth of the sphere because Mazlothis not merely the physical wheel of the zodiac, but is also the veryevolutionary process that the wheel is said to symbolize. There have been many attempts to assign a planetary body to Chokmah inplace of its traditional correspondence. Crowley for instance suggestedNeptune as a possibility, as at the time of his writing it marked the outerboundary of the solar system. He has also advanced Uranus as analternative, as it represents the “will of the magician.” Kenneth Grant agreeswith Crowley's attribution of Neptune but places Uranus in Daath and Plutoin Kether. Both Neptune and Uranus have much to commend them, and asyet do not have entirely satisfactory correspondences on the Tree, but theyare in fact already represented in the sphere of Chokmah by virtue of theirinclusion within the zodiac. The same cannot be said for Pluto, theoutermost of the trans-Saturnine planets, which is outside the band of thezodiac as strictly measured, and may prove to correlate to the “InvisibleSephirah” Daath, currently associated with Sirius.The gods appropriate to the sphere of Chokmah fall into three distinctcategories, Father gods, Messenger gods, and those who represent “divinewisdom.” The Father gods include those of fertility, viewed in their highestaspect, some of whom may not be considered as ideal “father figures”them-selves but qualify by virtue of their undeniable generative powers. Inthe first group the Christian conception of “God the Father” is an obviouscorrespondence, as is the paternal deity of any other religion. The Egyptian creative deity Amun, the “King of the Gods,” is assigned tothe second emanation in his original form of ithyphallic fertility god andalso in his later conceptions as “the hidden one” and “he who abides in allthings.” Amun developed from a Thebean air god of purely localimportance to eventual identification with the Sun god Ra, in which aspecthe was worshipped as Amun-Ra. About the time of the eighteenth dynastyhe became generally accepted as the national god of Egypt but during thereign of Akhenaton his worship, like that of the other great gods, waseffectively banned and was only resumed on the monarch's death.Akhenaton's successor was the boy king Tut-ankh-aten, who signaled to theworld that the old gods were once again in the ascendant by changing hisname to Tut-ankh-amun. Amun eventually became widely adoptedthroughout the ancient world—to the extent that even Alexander the Greatthought it politic to assume the title, “Son of Amun.” The Roman god Janus is triply qualified to represent Chokmah. He was the“god of beginnings,” after whom the initial month of the year is named, andto whom is the first day of every month held sacred. He was also “JanusPater,” creator and supreme father of the Roman pantheon, and consideredby his more devout worshippers superior to Jupiter himself. As “the godwith two faces” he was held to represent the dyad, his twin aspect lookingboth up into the Supernal Realm and down into the Microprosopos belowthe Abyss. For the same reason he is also assigned to the “invisible”Sephirah of Daath, which bridges the great gulf. All the priapic gods, once again viewed in their highest aspects, may beassigned to Chokmah. Although many of them will be listed ascorrespondences for other Sephiroth, they all have their roots in thearchetypally masculine second Sephirah. Included amongst this category isof course Priapus himself, the Hellespont fertility god from whom thisgroup takes its generic name. Virtually any of the multitude of male fertilitygods can be included here as expressing the masculine generative drive; onesuch example from many being “the great god” Pan. He was originally agod of herds and flocks, although due to his rutting behavior he soon cameto be recognized as the embodiment of male sexuality. It is Pan's libidinousaspect that commends him to Chokmah, and it is important that distinctionis made between Pan as a god of fertility and fecundity, and Pan in thefullest sense of the word which means “All.” Crowley with somejustification assignshim to the Ain, as he both represents the All and isdeemed capable of destroying all positive manifestation. Certain of the “messenger gods,” such as Hermes and his Roman equivalentMercury, although obviously applicable to Chokmah, may be jointlyassigned to Hod, the eighth Sephirah, and will be considered under thatheading. There are also several female deities which may legitimately be referred toChokmah, in spite of the sphere's powerful masculinity. It must beunderstood that in this case the attributions are based on modalities ratherthan primary sexual characteristics. In other words it is action and notgender which determines their inclusion. One such female attribution is Iris,Greek “goddess of the rainbow.” Iris was the personal messenger of Zeus,the founder of the Olympian dynasty, and was responsible for the deliveryof his missives to both gods and men. She was winged and carried acaduceus wand, more often associated with Hermes, when about her officialbusiness and therefore has an equal claim on the sphere of Hod. As we have seen, the Sephiroth were emanated sequentially and notsimultaneously, so that each Sephirah contains in embryonic form thepattern of the subsequent emanation. Therefore, although Chokmah is thequintessential masculine sphere it nevertheless has imprinted upon it the“information” that creates the female potency of Binah. It should nottherefore come as a surprise to discover that some mystic sects haveregarded Chokmah as the seat of the “starry wisdom” they term “Sophia”which is feminine in essence. Sophia (or Sophia-Prunikos) herself was the mother of Ialdabaoth who washeld by the Gnostics to be the creator of the sensible (and therefore inferior)world. They also claimed that Ialdabaoth could be identified with the Godof the Old Testament, IHVH, the name of God which corresponds toChokmah. The goddess Athene is perhaps the best classical representation of thewisdom aspect of Chokmah. She was born fully armed from the forehead ofher father Zeus, presenting thereby a neat and apt image of the emanation ofthe second Sephirah from the “White Head” of Kether. Although a goddessskilled in the arts of war, it is as a teacher of men and personification of thespirit of wisdom that she is best known and which most immediatelyidentifies her with Chokmah.Chokmah's archangel is Ratziel, “The Herald of the Deity,” an elevatedform of divine messenger. It was Ratziel who befriended Adam on thelatter's expulsion from the garden of Eden and who is said to have givenhim a great book engraved on sheets of sapphire, containing much wisdomand guidance for “the man of dust's” enlightenment during his period ofexile. Ratziel is an angel particularly associated with the stars and solarbodies, as befits one whose natural home is in Chokmah, the mundanechakra of which provides the raw material and basic data for the art ofastrology. The order of angels in the sphere of Chokmah are the Auphanim, or“Wheels,” a word derived from the root AVPh which means “to encircle.”Although at this elevated level of the Tree there is little concept of form, forthe first formal intimation that energy may exist other than in its free statedoes not appear until the establishment of Binah, Chokmah's host seems topre-figure the processes which occur in the third Supernal. The containmentand interlocking of energy patterns implicit in the idea of “encirclement” isfurther developed in Binah, albeit on a very abstract level, but the presenceof the Auphanim suggests that the concept is already emerging in Chokmah.The transcendental morality of the sphere is “Devotion,” this virtue beingless of the Sephirah itself than a requirement for its attainment. There is novice associated with Chokmah, although the order of Qliphoth, the Ghagielor “Hinderers,” might be considered to represent one which, while no partof the Sephirah itself, is of a nature antipathetic to the sphere's properfunctioning. As their name might suggest, the Hinderers obstruct the freeflowing energies of Chokmah from their full expression, although it couldbe argued that they also provide some necessary “friction” against whichthe out-rushing forces may gain a useful purchase.In the system of the three-fold division of man we have seen that theSupernal Triad as a whole is referred to Neshemah. The second of the threesubdivisions of Neshemah, Chiyah, is assigned to Chokmah. Chiyahrepresents the creative impulse and the will of the individual, usuallyrelated to the Ajna chakra. This chakra is situated near the pineal gland, anorgan which is extremely active in youth, when it secretes a hormoneknown as melatonin which determines the onset of sexual maturation, but isof less obvious significance in later life. Its traditional association with the“third eye” is given some credence by the fact that it does seem to containsome light-sensitive neurones and in at least one species of lizard theequivalent organ is an obvious evolutionary relic of a fully functional thirdeye. Galen (A.D. 129–99), Marcus Aurelius's personal physician, andHerophilus, an influential Greek anatomist of the third century B.C., bothconsidered the pineal gland to be responsible for regulating the thoughts,while René Descartes (d. 1650) suggested that it was in fact the naturalabode of the spirit and the organ through which was expressed the will ofthe divine, a function which could well be equated with the Chiyah. The chakra may be visualized as a two-petalled lotus of a white “lightninglike” hue, perhaps indicative of the light of Kether as it first impinges on theBriatic world. Shyam Sundar Goswami says of the Ajna center: “It is clearthat the seat of mind is in the Ajna system, and that its aspect as sense-mindis in Ajna proper. Other aspects of the mind are above it” (Laya Yoga).Appropriate symbols for Chokmah include all those that represent the erectphallus or lingam, and the phallus itself as the supreme symbol of malepotency. Single standing stones, towers, and of course, church steeples, areall examples of what might be termed “architectural lingams.” The letterYod is also sometimes used as a symbol for the sphere, for the reasonsgiven earlier; as is the “straight line,” which combines the concept of thefirst movement outwards from Kether with a simple pictorial glyph, againsuggesting the phallus. “The Inner Robe of Glory” is found both as a symbol and a title,occasionally even as a weapon. The inner robe may be taken to signify the“true self” of the magician, in the same manner that the “Outer Robe ofConcealment” referred to Binah has as one of its meanings the physicalbody. The magical weapons are two in number, the one being the symbol ofthe other. The wand which corresponds with Chokmah is the phallic wand,which represents the will of the adept, and therefore symbolizes the trueweapon of the path which is, as should by now be obvious, the erectphallus. There are many forms of wand used in magical ritual work, eachone of which symbolizes a discrete facet of the creative impulse, but allhave their roots in the wand of Chokmah. Whereas it is permissible to listthe phallic wand as a weapon of the second Sephirah if one bears in mindthat it is but an analogue of the primary weapon, it is also one of theweapons of the fourth Sephirah, Chesed, where as a reflection of theSupernal lingam it is possibly more appropriately placed.Chokmah's magical power or spiritual experience is the “Vision of GodFace to Face.” Clearly such an experience would prove shattering to theunprepared soul, for as it is written: “And he said, Thou cans't not see myface: for there shall no man see me and live” (Ex. 33:20). The importantpoint to note here is the use of the term “no man,” for therein lies a clue toits hidden meaning. “No man,” or Nemo, is a title of the Magister Templi,the one who is “Not”; he who has crossed the Abyss and attained to Binahwhose magical grade it is. Such a one may, in due course, approach thesphere of Chokmah and on assuming its grade look upon the face of God, asdid Jacob upon the face of His angel, “with his life yet preserved”.The magical grade of Chokmah is that of Magus 9° = 2 . A Magus bothattains to Wisdom (the Sephirah and the state), and utters his creative word.Although there may at any given time, be a number of adepts who rightfullylay claim to this exalted grade only one may utter the Magical Word whichushers in a new aeon and marks the end of the old. By this action isproclaimed a new formula appropriate for the dawning age, and the planetthereby transformed and re-invigorated. An “aeon” is admittedly a rather vague measurement of time, being (very)approximately two thousand years long. It represents one “month” of whatastrologers term a “Great Year”; the time it takes for the Earth's poles tocomplete a circle around the pole of the ecliptic. It takes around 25,800Earth years for the process to complete and for Earth's poles to return to arepeat alignment with any given constellation. The end of an aeon is termed by occultists an “Equinox of the Gods.”Thelemites believe that the last such great equinox was heralded in Cairo, inApril of 1904, and that we are privileged to be living through the birthpangs of a new era for mankind. 1904 is considered to have signaled theend of the aeon of Osiris and the sacrificed gods, and to mark the beginningof the aeon of Horus, “The Crowned and Conquering Child.” This beingaccepted, he who received the new “word” and its secret formula, in theform of the Book of the Law, must be considered the Prime Magus of thisaeon. This adept, called in that same revealed document, “the scribe Ankh-af-na-khonsu” and the “chosen priest & apostle of infinite space…theprince-priest the Beast,” is known in the world of men as Aleister Crowley. Those others who attain to the grade of Magus must work within the newcurrent as expressed in the word of the aeon and fully identify themselveswith it, for it is not fitting nor indeed is it possible for such as they to be inconflict with the work of the supreme Magus who has uttered that word. AMagus is master of magick in all its forms, is “entirely free from internaldivision or external opposition” (“One Star in Sight”), and is necessarilymaster of the law of change. It is worth repeating that the magical grades given under the Sephiroth arenot always attained fully or in strict sequence by every adept, nor may theindividual magician be necessarily capable of manifesting the nature andfunction of his grade on every plane.The usual magical image of Chokmah is a strong male figure of kinglybearing, with a full, well-formed beard, suggesting both his royalprovenance and his virility. He may be visualized simply as a head seen fullface or as a complete male figure, the essence of the image being strength,nobility, and male potency.The colors in the four worlds are as follows. In Atziluth, a pure soft bluewhich represents the sky and which is deep enough to also suggest theMazloth itself. In Briah, the color shades to gray, the intermediate stage inthe movement from white to black, soft and slightly translucent. The pearlgray of Yetzirah is a fusion of the proceeding two colors; while the whiteflecked with the primary colors of red, blue and yellow seen in Assiah givesa clear image of the flashing primal creative power of Chokmah as itimpacts the material world.The animal associated with the second emanation, and to a certain extent anadditional symbol for it, is, naturally enough, the male of any species, butmost especially the human male as only we are the exact microcosms of theHoly Tree.The perfume therefore is musk, or the fragrance of semen. A possiblealternative might be the sexual-attractant, ruthvah, compounded from equalparts musk, civet, and ambergris, although this might be more appropriatefor the Supernal Triad as a whole as it contains the perfumes of all three ofthe superior Sephiroth.There are two precious stones assigned to Chokmah. The first, the star ruby,is suggestive of the essentially masculine energy of the “creator star” andhas given its name to a powerful banishing ritual. The second, the turquoiseor “Turkish stone,” is sacred to the Pueblo Indians of New Mexico forwhom it symbolizes courage and strength and serves as a reminder that manhas a spiritual dimension as well as a physical form. Turquoise alsorepresents the background color of Mazloth, the sphere of the zodiac,Chokmah's mundane chakra.The “flowers of immortality,” amaranth and mistletoe, are assigned toChokmah for their fabled life-sustaining properties. Crowley also gives thebo tree, under which the Buddha gained his enlightenment, as its leaves aresomewhat suggestive of the phallus. Chokmah's vegetable drug istraditionally given as Hashish, and is so assigned in 777. However Crowleyalso suggests, later in the same work, that “cocaine pertains to Chokmah byits direct action on the deepest nervous system.”In the Book of Thoth, it is the four twos that correspond to Chokmah. Thesecards are the “Lords” of the pack and represent the elements in their highestaspect. The two of Wands is called the “Lord of Dominion”; the two ofCups is called the “Lord of Love”; the two of Swords is referred to as the“Lord of Peace”; and the two of Disks is known as the “Lord of Change”.CHAPTER 7BINAHUNDERSTANDINGSANCTIFYING INTELLIGENCEThe Third Path is the Sanctifying Intelligence, and is the basis of foundationof Primordial Wisdom, which is called the Former of Faith, and its roots,Amen; and it is the parent of Faith, from whose virtues doth Faith emanate.—The Yetziratic TextFrom the monadic point, dimensionless and unlocated, the second point wasextended as a straight line. Now, in the third point of Binah, is found thefinal coordinate required to produce a triangle, the simplest angular figurecapable of enclosing space. “Thus this Sephirah completes and makesevident the Supernal Trinity” (“Gematria,” Equinox, vol.1 no.5). Binah is situated at the head of the Pillar of Severity, opposite the sphere ofChokmah, from whence it receives its impetus. As its position mightindicate, here is the first of the Sephiroth of form. The Pillar of Severity is comprised of the three “form Sephiroth,” being, insequential order, Binah, Geburah, and Hod. These are the passive, femininepotencies that accept and structure the unrestrained energies which emanatefrom the “force Sephiroth” of the Pillar of Mercy. The “severity” aspect ofthe negative pillar lies of course in its action as the constraint and disciplineof dynamic energies. The blazing male force of Chokmah is brought to a temporary rest in Binah.It is said that “the house that was built in Chokmah is established in Binah.”As the Old Testament phrases it, “Through wisdom (Chokmah) is an housebuilded; and by understanding (Binah) it is established” (Prov. 24:3). As theforce of Chokmah, rushing outward, implied the necessity of eventualcontainment, so does Binah represent that containment and the restriction ofuncontrolled power. It accepts the energy of the second Sephirah andenvelops it. With the establishment of Binah we now have the twopotencies, male and female, positive and negative, active and passive,revealed and at work in the universe, without which no further developmentwould be possible. As the Zohar explains, “Every-Thing, that existeth,every-thing which the Ancient: Blessed be Its Name! has formed, canendure only through the male and female.” Although Binah contains within itself the concept of form, this concept isstill of an archetypal nature. It is the root from which form springs but isitself intangible. All forms and all modes of manifestation, be they apparenton the physical plane, or of an emotional, intellectual, or spiritual nature,are found to havetheir source in Binah. The third Supernal may thereforebe considered to be the reservoir of the Platonic “forms” or “ideas,” for asRabbi Abraham of Beacaire, a 12th century commentator on the SepherYetzirah, says: “Binah, in it are engraven the ways of the letters; in theoriginal image of all details and species etc. The (imprinted) forms of everyherb, etc …. and also of the minerals etc.” Binah is the first feminine Sephirah, and is called by Qabalists the “GreatSupernal Mother.” As the Great Mother she contains within herself allpossible forms or expressions of the feminine principle and is, as it were,the archetypal womb from which all life springs. “Thou shalt call Binah bythe name of Mother” says the Zohar, and the Bible adds: “Say unto wisdom(Chokmah), Thou art my sister; and call understanding (Binah) thykinswoman” (Prov. 7:4). The reference here to “wisdom” as “sister”suggests that aspect of Chokmah, which, in spite of its masculine potency,has been identified with the Sophia/Eternal Eve figure by some mysticaltraditions. Binah is also referred to by Qabalists as “The Upper Shekinah.” Theconcept of the Shekinah has been much neglected in the published works ofthe modern school of Qabalism, although undoubtedly it represents a majorelement in the more orthodox Judaic tradition. The “Shekinah” (which maybe translated as “brightness,” “Bride,” or “dwelling”), is essentially a formof the Holy Spirit, but one viewed as specifically feminine in nature. It isthe Holy Spirit “above all” and “Stands to the other Lights of Creation likethe soul to the body” but, “to the Most High like the body to the soul”(Zohar). She has also, along with Chokmah, been equated with the GreekSophia, “wisdom” viewed as feminine, hence: “She is the tree of life tothem that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her”(Prov. 3:18). In some Hebrew texts the Shekinah is described as the “Mystic Bride” andis considered to represent the Church of Israel, or even an idealised imageof Israel itself, viewed as a spiritual rather than a secular state. Some earlyChristian thinkers developed this idea further; Issac Myer for examplequotes the 14th-century pseudo-Clement of Rome as stating that: “The maleis Christ: the female, the Church” (Qabbalah). Other Qabalists have described the Holy Spirit as Mother and the Church(of Israel) as her daughter. She is also the “Sabbath Bride” of Jewish liturgy,to whom are addressed some of the most moving of devotional poems insacred literature. The Shekinah is that presence seen as a cloud of fire upon the Mercy Seat,and described in Ezekiel's vision thus: “And I looked, and, behold, awhirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself,and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour ofamber, out of the midst of the fire” (Ezekiel 1:4). And again, in verse 28 ofthe same chapter: “As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in theday of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This wasthe appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it,I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake.” Interestingly, in spite of numerous references to the Shekinah in Jewishliterature, most notably in the Talmud and Midrashim, there is absolutely nosuggestion in the early works that it might represent the feminine elementof the Deity. Throughout, it is regarded as the “Great Radiance” of God, theRuach-ha-Qadesh, or Holy Spirit, out of which comes the divine word. TheShekinah was thus considered an aspect of the Deity as He extends Himselfto communicate with His creation, the form in which He appears to Hisprophets. It is not until we enter the world of Qabalistic literature, in books such asthe Sepher Bahir, and particularly, the Zohar, that we find it described in theovertly female terms of “Bride,” “Queen,” “Princess” and “Matrona” or“Mother.” For the orthodox Jew the Qabalistic concept of a feminineShekinah presents grave difficulties for it seems to undermine the very basisof his faith, which is predicated on the doctrine of the absolute indivisibleunity of God. It is all the more remarkable then that this particular aspect of Qabalahshould be the one which has gained the most recognition and acceptanceamong the devout. It is plain that a deep-seated religious need was beingaddressed, and met, by this new interpretation of the scriptures, as isdemonstrated by the enthusiasm with which the idea was adopted by theJewish communities of both East and West. Certainly no other Qabalisticconcept has so caught the imagination of the Jewish congregation, unless itbe the doctrine of emanation itself. The tenth Sephirah, Malkuth, may also be found described as the Shekinah,but here the description refers to a “Lower Shekinah.” The manner in whichthe lower form relates to the upper might best be described as the finalconcretion of the Holy Spirit of Binah. She is the spirit made into flesh, theexecutive power of the upper mother, and the presence of the Deity in thematerial world. This then is the spirit that walks abroad on the earth, God'sambassador to His people. She is at one and the same time the blissful Brideof God, and the exile in a far land; the joy of His presence, and Rachelweeping for her children. A possible Christian interpretation of the Supernal Triad is to view Ketheras the Father, Chokmah as the Son, and Binah (Shekinah) as the HolySpirit. This scheme assumes of course that the son proceeds directly fromthe father without the intervening medium of the mother. In some earlyQabalistic writings Binah was placed as the second Sephirah, giving asequence of Kether, the Father; Binah, the Mother; and Chokmah, as thethird Supernal, Son; in which case the Christian concept assumes a morenatural form.The god-name of the sphere of Binah is IHVH Elohim, which is said to givethe full name of God as if all the Supernal Sephiroth were subsumed in thethird Sephirah. The name Elohim supports this view in that it is a femininenoun with an added masculine plural, thus further emphasizing thecombination of potencies, and incidentally reminding us once again thatabove the Abyss all ideas contain their own opposites.Binah's mundane chakra is Shabatai, Saturn, the first of the planets to be soassigned. At first sight this may seem an odd attribution for the archetypalfeminine Sephirah. It is however an entirely apt correspondence. Saturn, forall its mythological background, is essentially feminine in its function.Astrologically the planet represents the principle of restriction andlimitation. It compresses and contains, giving structure and form whereonce there was only potential. The processes involved are those ofcontraction and encapsulation, followed by a focusing and directing ofotherwise uncontrolled energies. In the same manner Binah responds to theforce of the second Sephirah, accepting and containing its dynamic free-flowing energies, and conditioning them for eventual manifestation. In thissense Binah may be likened to a womb; receptive of the energetic seed,which it then contains, nurtures, and ultimately brings forth into the light ofday. The Saturnine principle of restriction is necessary for the expression ofthe spirit on the physical plane, and is perfectly in accord with what wehave already learned of the nature of the third emanation. Saturn has traditionally been associated with death and was known, as itstill is in uninitiated forms of popular astrology, as the “Greater Malefic”(Mars, also placed on the Pillar of Severity, being the lesser). With theattribution of Saturn we find a link with Binah as the gateway of birth, forin that capacity she is also the gateway to death. As it is said, “all that livethhath its term,” it is clear that that which chooses to incarnate chooses also toexperience death. In Binah the first stepsare taken on the road to eventualincarnation in Malkuth, one of whose titles is indeed “The Gate of Death.” Any change of state may be viewed as a form of death, relative to itsoriginal condition. Hence, from the point of view of the free energy ofChokmah its absorption in Binah and the restriction that is thereby imposedis seen as a “dying.” From the point of view of the spiritual essence of aman, incarceration in a physical vehicle, limiting as it must the spirit'sperfect freedom of movement, can likewise be seen as a species of death.On the inevitable destruction of the physical vehicle, with its accretion of alifetime of experience, the essence of which is not only the heritage of thespirit but its sole purpose in choosing to incarnate, that spirit is once morefreed from the bonds of earth and is “re-born” on another plane. The birth/death cycle may be likened to the cycle of the seasons, movingcontinuously from one condition to another in a natural rhythm. Imaginethis cycle as a great revolving wheel which is bisected by a horizontal line.On either side of this line obtain conditions which are so radically differentthat for the most part the denizens of one half can have no knowledge of theother. As this mighty wheel turns any given point on its circumference will passrepeatedly through the two states divided by the line. The arrival of such apoint in, let us say, the lower level, would be greeted as a birth, for whatwas not resident on that plane now becomes so. Conversely, from the pointof view of the upper sector that which was once a feature of its own plane islost to sight, and therefore would be considered as a death, and so on adinfinitum. Except for a very few individuals, whose natural sensitivity or specialtraining enables them to perceive the totality of this cycle, we can only everbe fully aware of one half of our total experience. Of course ourhypothetical point on the circle cannot evolve or benefit from itsexperience, it is utterly unchanged by its progression from one state toanother. The human soul on the other hand not only benefits from thisprocess, it is absolutely essential for its development. Physiologically, Saturn governs the skeletal structure and the skin, thebody's support and its outer boundary. At the time Saturn was first assignedto the sphere of Binah it was literally the outer boundary of the solar systemas it was the most distant planet then discovered. Here too we can see thewisdom of Qabalistic correspondences. Binah's function as both containerand support of Chokmah's expansive energy precisely mirrors Saturn's rolein the planetary hierarchy. The image of skin is especially apt, for Binahinitiates the process by which the spirit is “enclothed” by the fleshy body ofmanifestation.As all modalities of the female are present within Binah it follows that boththe “light” and “dark” aspects of that principle should be suggested by thesphere's multiplicity of titles. Two of Binah's most common namesdemonstrate these twin opposites very clearly. The first is AMA, “The DarkSterile Mother,” and is composed of two Alephs bracketing the third letter,Mem. The Alephs may be taken to refer to the primal beginnings of life,both as source and the return to source, as they occur as the first and lastletters of the name. The central letter Mem means “water,” suggesting thewaters of life and form, the primal ocean from which life on earthdeveloped and which we still carry in our bodies. As yet however, thewaters indicated here are undisturbed by the impact of the creative will,symbolized by the letter Yod, the spermatozoon of Chokmah; they arebarren and unfertilized. AIMA, “The Bright Fertile Mother,” with the addition of that Yod, nowcontains the seed that will bring forth its fruitfulness. The waters of creationare now alive with that creation, the amniotic fluid which will sustain, andin full term, allow for the birth of new life. The vast oceans of the Earth'sfirst nursery are again suggested by the title of “Marah, the Great Sea.” Theword for sea in many Indo-European tongues is of a similar sound andspelling to “Marah,” suggesting a common etymology, and it will notescape notice that personal names such as Mary, which derive from thesame roots occur frequently in Binah's correspondences. Indeed one of thetitles of the mother of Jesus, is “Maria Stella Maris,” Mary, Star of the Sea. Another of Binah's many titles is that of “Khorsia the Throne.” The throneis that seat of power which both supports the royal personage and elevatesher above the level of the multitude. It has been described as a “thrust-block,” against which the unrestrained energies of Chokmah may bepropelled into eventual manifestation. Binah is the very throne upon whichare raised the negative potencies of the Tree, and is also the support of theSupernal Triad itself, “the basis of foundation of Primordial Wisdom”(Sepher Yetzirah). All goddesses, and especially those associated with motherhood, may, intheir highest aspects, be assigned to Binah. However there are specializedversions of the Goddess who, while having their roots in the third Sephirah,are more appropriately referred to other Sephiroth. These goddesses are tobe viewed as lower analogues of the Supernal Mother, even as she is alower analogue of Nuit, “Infinite Space, and the Infinite Stars thereof,” whomay be equated with the Ain. As might be expected, the complementary opposites of AMA and AIMAare reflected in the goddesses of the sphere, who represent both the creativeand destructive sides of womanhood. Shakti, the embracing, dynamic, anduniting power of the Goddess in the Hindu pantheon, is often attributed toBinah, although there is a good case for considering her as an Indianequivalent of Nuit and therefore properly to be assigned to the Ain. The goddess Kali represents, superficially at least, the awesome anddestructive opposite to Shakti. Garlanded about with skulls, dancing on aprone male body, her tongue writhing in obscene ecstasy, she may bethought a perfect example of the “darker” side of Binah. But Kali is morethan just a destructive, malevolent force for she is equally the “UltimateInitiatrix” into the mysteries; liberator, protector of her servants, andgoddess of transcendence through the power of sex. Also from the Hindu pantheon, Parvati, gentle, benevolent consort of Shivaand personification of sensual pleasure might be considered to correspondwith the “light” side of the sphere. It must be repeated that terms such as “light” and “dark” as used in thecontext of this work carry no moral implication, any more than do the useof such terms as “positive” and “negative,” “mercy,” and “severity” whenapplied to the pillars of the Tree. These descriptions are entirely neutral andmerely express differing modes of operation; each essential to the other'sexistence and are used rather in the manner in which an electrical engineermight refer to the polarities within a circuit. “Let there be no differencemade among you between any one thing & any other thing; for therebythere cometh hurt” (AL, 1:22). Another goddess appropriate for the sphere of Binah is Isis, sister-consort toOsiris and mother of Horus, whom the Egyptians called the “Perfection ofMotherhood,” and whose name not only translates as “Throne,” a title ofBinah, but is an English Notariqon of the phrase, Infinite Stars—InfiniteSpace, relating her back to the Egyptian conception of the Ain, symbolizedby Nuit. Isis is the personification of the light side of Binah while her sisterNephythys (again in her highest aspect only) corresponds to its darkeraspect. Nephythys was barren to her brother-husband Set but becamepregnant after the seduction of her sister's husband and gave birth toAnubis, whom it must be said she treated very badly indeed. Although sherepresents the darker side of womanhood she and her sister Isis areaccomplished Qabalisthowever, any more than it is necessary for every Qabalist to be activelyinvolved in what is generally defined as the “occult,” but it is important thatthe fundamentals of Qabalistic doctrine are studied and assimilated beforeembarking on any specialized study. This is possibly most true for thepractical magician, whose work brings him into direct contact with thetraditional Qabalah.THE DESCENT OF POWERTHE LIGHTNING FLASH OR THE FLAMING SWORD THE TREE OF LIFEIs usual to class Qabalistic work under four main headings, which to returnto MacGregor Mather's scheme are:The Practical QabalahThe Literal QabalahThe Unwritten QabalahThe Dogmatic QabalahThe first category, that of the Practical Qabalah, includes all matterstheurgic. This is the branch of Qabalah which is concerned with the art andscience of Magick, including divination, talismanic magick and solo orgroup ceremonial magick. Much of contemporary Western magick is based on the work of theHermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, which flourished in the later part ofthe nineteenth century and which based its rituals and teachings very firmlyin Qabalah. Without a doubt, the Golden Dawn, for all its short and stormyhistory, has been the single most influential magical organization of recenttimes, and one to whose teachings we shall be returning again and againthroughout this work.The Literal Qabalah concerns itself with the study and manipulation ofletters and numbers. Hebrew, like Greek, has no separate numerals. Thetwenty-two letters of the alphabet have a dual role, being also used asnumbers, thus making each word or phrase an arithmetical as well as aliterary expression. (See Appendix for tables of letter values.) The Literal Qabalah is itself divided into three main areas, all of which weshall be examining in more detail in later chapters, so for the present wewill content ourselves with a brief survey. The first subdivision is Gematria, an initiated and complex form ofnumerology in which the number values of words or phrases are firstascertained and then compared, conclusions as to hidden meanings beingderived thereby. For instance, two words with the same numerical valuewould be held to be functionally identical, or at least to have a meaningful,and therefore revealing, relationship. By skillful use of this technique,scriptural passages may be made to yield a wealth of alternative meanings. It is important to distinguish between the high art of Qabalistic Gematriaand the debased popular forms of numerology which are rightly condemnedas superstitious nonsense. To coin a phrase that was once ignorantly used todescribe the relationship between astrology and astronomy, the one is the“bastard daughter” of the other. For the most part Gematria is practiced in Hebrew and Greek but the “orderand value” of other alphabets is available, including English and the angelictongue of Enochian, although with these the student is strongly advised todo their own correlating research. The second technique to come under the heading of Literal Qabalah is“Notariqon,” derived from the Latin, notarius, meaning “shorthand writer.”This is a method of word manipulation that has two variants. In the first, theinitial letter of each word in a phrase is taken to construct a new word, forexample, the God-name AGLA, is composed of the initial letters of theHebrew phrase, “Ateh Gibor Leolahm Adonai,” which means, “To Thee bethe Power unto the Ages, O my Lord.” The second form of Notariqon is the exact reverse of the first. Here theindividual letters of a single word are taken as the initial letter of a numberof words which then go to make up a phrase. Qabalists, over the years, haveexpended a considerable amount of energy applying this method to the firstword of the Book of Genesis, “Berashith,” which has been made to yield allmanner of mysteries. The final technique of the Literal Qabalah is “Temurah,” which meanspermutation, and involves substituting letters according to certain arcanerules, the details of which we will explore in the appropriate chapter.The Unwritten Qabalah, not surprisingly, is that body of knowledge whichhas never been committed to paper, or, at the very least, has not been putinto general circulation. Certain mysteries of the Qabalah have always beenwithheld from the uninitiated, or have been purposefully obscured, often bythe use of “blinds” or deliberate “misinformation,” in published works. Thekeys to techniques held as being especially powerful and sacred by anygiven school and only transmitted to the candidate at his initiation constitutean important part of this category.The Dogmatic Qabalah consists of doctrinal teachings, as contained in themajor source works of Qabalistic literature. These include the Sepher ha-Zohar, or “Book of Splendour”; the Sepher Yetzirah, or “Book ofFormation” and the Sepher Bahir, or “Book of Light.” We will have causeto look more closely at these texts during the main part of this work, both interms of their influence in the development of Qabalah, and as part of thesubstantial body of the Qabalistic canon.A Brief HistoryAs the Qabalah developed from an oral tradition that was not committed topaper until at least the time of the destruction of the second temple (A.D.70), its origins and true antiquity are very much open to question. Also, ithas been somewhat eclectic in its later development, picking up elementsfrom Neoplatonic, Gnostic, and Pythagorean sources, making an accurateassessment of its antiquity in the light of written material extremelydifficult. While it is true that the Qabalah has been expanded by the addition ofelements from other philosophies, it is also true that those philosophieshave themselves liberally taken from the Qabalah. Indeed, the degree ofcross-fertilization is such that it is now difficult to say quite which tenetderives from what tradition. It is possible to divide the history of Qabalah into three main parts; the firstbeing the legendary or mythological accounts of the transmission; thesecond that long period, which includes biblical times, before thepublication of the Zohar; and the third, the period from the Zohar'spublication to modern times. We may term the second period, “Pre-Zoharic,” and the third, “Post-Zoharic.” Inevitably it is of the post-Zoharicperiod that we have the most knowledge, although even here there areoccasional frustrating lacunae. Some authorities have maintained that the historic root of Qabalah is to befound in ancient Egypt, and that it was Moses, a master of Egyptianmagick, who first brought the teaching to the children of Israel. However,apart from legend, it is difficult to find much evidence, certainly in thedoctrinal Qabalah, to support this view. Others suggest that Qabalah in particular, and Jewish mysticism in general,represents a comparatively late development and one, “foreign to thereligious genius of Israel,” which in part resulted from the philosophicalspeculations of eleventh and twelfth century Rabbins based largely inMoorish Spain. Although as we shall see the Iberian scholars were mostinfluential in the development of Qabalah there is no real evidence tosuggest that they were the true originators of the teachings and indeed everyreason to say that they were not. In spite of some controversy regarding the date and authorship of theSepher ha-Zohar there is unquestionable evidence for the existence of theQabalistic tradition to be found in a number of early religious and mysticaltexts. The Old Testament, especially in Hebrew and in the Greek of theSeptuagint, contains many passages that are inexplicable except byreference to Qabalistic doctrine, as do the books of the Apocrypha, Talmud,New Testament, the Targums, and many other Rabbinical writings. Thereseems little doubt that the doctrinal core of Qabalah was at the very least anearlyjointprotectresses of the dead and are often pictured with their winged armsabove the corpse. In the Christian tradition, the Virgin Mary, as mother of Jesus, could beconsidered the light aspect of motherhood but as the Mater Dolorosa,watching her first born being nailed to a cross, she suffers the full burden ofmotherhood. The image of the sorrowful mother, the Mater Dolorosa, leadsus immediately to the magical power or spiritual experience of the sphere,which is the “Vision of Sorrow.” As a mother may look upon a newly borninfant and grieve for the pain and suffering that she knows must be part ofits life experience, so Binah may look upon the first intimations ofincarnation as they develop within her and grieve likewise. It is not only tothe physical pain of labor that the Lord God refers when he says to Eve “insorrow thou shalt bring forth children” (Gen. 3:16), but also to the mother'sforeknowledge of what may await them, for the road they must travel isoften hard and perilous. However, as the Sepher Yetzirah reminds us, Binahis also the “Creator of Faith …. It is the parent of faith, whence faithemanates” and what greater demonstration of faith could there be than thatof the mother who would bring into the world another soul? By suchindividual acts of heroism do we move toward our destiny.The Archangel of Binah is Tzaphkiel, “The Contemplation of God,”occasionally called “The Watcher” or “The Spy of God.” It is Tzaphkielwho presides over the Akashic Records, the imprinted memory of all thatoccurs during periods of manifestation, every action and thought recordedfor eternity. He is the very memory of God, and is sometimes referred to as“The Keeper of the Records of Evolution.”Binah's order of angels are called the Aralim, which name also means“thrones” but may also be translated as “The Strong,” “The Mighty” or the“Heroic Ones.” The implication of these names is that here is limitlessstrength and courage; a sturdy container for the vigorous energies ofChokmah and a support upon which is raised the whole edifice of themanifest world.The order of Qliphoth is the Satariel, “The Hiding,” which given that Binahis the first bringing forth into manifestation, albeit on a very high octaveindeed, is an obvious denial of the primary characteristic of the sphere.The symbols of the third Sephirah are essentially those of the yoni and thewomb. The yoni, the female sex organ, is both the joyful receptor of thefertilizing seed of the lingam and the gateway into life through birth. In thewomb is developed the new life after the impact of the seed, the concealedenvironment within which flesh is spun ‘round the spirit, and the ultimatesymbol of Binah. The womb of every woman is an analogue of the womb of Binah, even asthe womb of Binah is an analogue of that of Nuit. Any shape suggestive ofthe enclosure of the womb or of the receptivity of the yoni may be used asbeing symbolic of Binah, or to be more accurate, as symbolizing the symbolof Binah. Traditional versions are the Vesica Piscis and the Kteis, bothrepresenting the primary female sexual attributes. Versions of the VesicaPiscis, or “fish-bladder” are to be found in the fabric and design of templesand churches the world over. The sacred geometry of many a medievalcathedral conceals a multiplicity of ovoid patterns, while Christ and HisSaints are regularly seen framed in the vesicae of stained-glass windows. The cup or chalice is often given as a symbol, but for our purposes we willclass it as a weapon for later consideration. For a really concentratedarrangement of Binah symbols one has to look no further than the seal orlamen of the Ordo Templi Orientis which contains within a Vesica Piscisboth the descending dove of the Holy Spirit and the chalice of the Grail, thelatter with a suggestion of a supine crescent moon. Images of the sea also correspond to Binah for the reasons given earlier, andfor those same reasons those creatures, sounds, smells and colors thoughtmost typical of the sea may be useful auxiliary symbols in certain workings.The “Outer Robe of Concealment,” the corollary of the “Inner Robe ofGlory” which pertains to Chokmah, is listed as both a symbol and as aweapon. In a sense it is both, as it can be thought of as another euphemismfor the vagina, or as a symbol of the physical body.The virtue or transcendental morality of Binah is silence, the fourth powerof the sphinx, and unfortunately the one with which many modern occultistshave the greatest difficulty! However, the silence of Binah is not only anabsence of speech, blessed though such a prospect may at times appear, butalso the silence of the stilled mind. Without this mental silence, respite fromthe chattering Cacodaimon—the mental static that so disturbs thetranquillity of the untrained mind—entry into higher states of consciousnessbecomes impossible. All magical systems, after their own fashion, require that as a preliminary toactive magical work the student should first practice some form of mentaldiscipline to still the background chatter in order that the mind is made bothresponsive and receptive to the forces invoked. The techniques that may beemployed are many and varied, and have been brought to a high state ofdevelopment in the East. Although some form of Raja yoga, following onfrom expertise in the asanas of Hatha yoga, is highly desirable not allstudents in the West are constitutionally able to master the required skills.Paradoxically, techniques from even further east, from China and Japan,have proven to be highly effective for occidental students. T'ai Chi is onesuch example where the gentle but dynamic and flowing rhythms of thismartial arts based “dance” form seem to fit in particularly well with modernWestern life-styles. The use of ritual in magick has of course as one of its main rationales theaim of suppressing all thought and mental activity that is not directedtoward the operation in hand, while intensifying willed and directed mentalenergies in what is in effect a sensory overload. When every item in atemple and every word and gesture of a ritual is directed towards the oneend there simply is no time for intrusive thoughts.Avarice, the vice referred to Binah, is the first to be so assigned, as bothKether or Chokmah are considered to be beyond any such attribution due totheir propinquity to the ineffable purity of the unmanifest realm. It is theonly vice to have a double attribution for it is also assigned to Malkuth, thesphere in which the processes put in train in Binah are brought to theirlogical conclusion. Avarice has been described as the “pathology of form,”resulting as it does from an obsession with forms and therefore “things” fortheir own sake, rather than for their utility, intrinsic beauty, or actual value.Avarice is not only an insatiable desire to acquire but an inability to let goof things once acquired; a condition that a Freudian psychoanalyst mightdiagnose as “anal-retentive.”In the traditional three-fold division of the perfected man the Supernal Triadas a whole is referred to the Neshemah, with each of the Supernals beingequated with one of its three further sub-divisions. In this system Binah isassigned the faculty of the Neshemah proper which represents the highestlevel of human intuition, the “Understanding” of Binah's title.It is usual to assign the Vishuddi chakra to Binah, although, because it islocated within the spinal column at approximately the level of the larynx, anumber of occultists favor attributing it to Daath. The Vishuddi is visualisedas a sixteen-petalled lotus whose color is of “shining smoke,” and is calledby yoga practitioners “The Great Purity Center.”The magical grade of the third emanation is that of Magister Templi, theMaster of the Temple, 8° = 3 . The temple referred to being Binah itself, ofwhich all others are but reflections and necessarily crude analogues. Thisgrade is the first above the Abyss. Its attainment is the result of a successfulcrossing of that great gulf and represents a new and radically different stateof consciousness. The Magister Templi is “free from internal contradiction or externalobscurity,” he is a “Master of Mysticism,” “Master of Samadhi,” and,possessed of the power of Binah, is also “Master of the Law of Sorrow.” Hemust work towards a perfect understanding of the universe and, as Nemo or“No-Man,” tend his “garden” of disciples. In order to attain to this exalted level, the aspirant must first free himselffrom the limiting tyranny of thought by balancing each and every idea withits opposite, and in so doing bring himself to the point where he prefersneither; or rather that he comes to recognize that each idea contains its owncontradiction. The attainment requires that the adept effect a totaldestruction of his personality, which hitherto has presented a barrier to theexpression of his true self. He must also have “consecrated himself as apure vehicle for the influence of the Order to which he aspires” (“One Starin Sight”). Detailed descriptions of the nature and work of the magical grades thatobtain above the Abyss (insofar as they are known and can becommunicated) are somewhat beyond the scope of this work. The student isadvised to make a careful study of the following: “One Star in Sight,” anaccount of the grades of A∴ A∴; Liber CLXV, “A Master of the Temple,”the account of Fr. Achad's work towards attainment; Liber CCCCXVIII, orThe Vision and the Voice; and the Holy Book, “Liber Liberi vel LapidisLazuli” sub figura VII.The ultimate magical weapon of Binah is the yoni, although a cup orchalice may be also be used. The cup is the symbol of the understanding ofthe magician, and that which “receives the influence from the highest.” Itsrelation to the wand of Chokmah is as the relation of the yoni to the lingam.Care is needed that the cup of Binah, which is symbolic of the sphere's trueweapon, is not confused with the elemental cup which symbolizes water.Binah's magical image is traditionally that of a mature woman or matron,although as the archetypal fount of the feminine principle almost anyfemale image would suffice. But it is important to be aware of thepossibility of confusion with the magical images of other Sephiroth, andcare should be taken to build up these images in such a way that they areconsistent and specific. The supreme female deity of whichever tradition the aspirant feels most insympathy with—Mary, Mother of Christ; Isis, Mother of Horus—or manyanother would provide a very potent working image. However if using suchhighly charged figures as the great goddesses it must be made clear at theoutset that they are being considered as representative of the sphere ofBinah as a means of developing some comprehension of its nature and arenot being themselves invoked.Binah's color in the Atziluthic World is a rich crimson, suggesting the bloodof the goddess, and the blood also of the aspirant to whom it is said; “Thoushalt drain out thy blood that is thy life into the golden cup of herfornication” (Liber Cheth vel Vallum Abiegni, verse 2). In Briah thecrimson becomes a dense black, as at this level Binah is totally absorbent,receiving all and holding all within herself; while in Yetzirah, as always, wefind a combination of the first two colors, producing a dark reddish brown.In the world of actions that is Assiah the color shades to a gray flecked withthe pinkish hue of the sixth Sephirah. As Crowley puts it in his detailedexplanation of the tables in 777: “As the grey of Chokmah was perfected tothe white of Kether, so the Black of Binah is perfected to the grey ofChokmah. The grey is flecked with the pink of Tiphereth. This is the dawnof the child with which she is heavy, for this is the symbol of herperfection.”There can be little doubt about the correct “animal” correspondence forBinah, which is of course, Woman.Two perfumes are traditionally given; myrrh which through its longassociation with sorrow and mourning suggests the vision of the sphere, andcivet “the uncleanly flux of a cat,” the female equivalent of the perfume ofChokmah.Binah's plant correspondences include; cypress, traditional tree of Saturn,and white poppy flowers, whose extract is said to have the properties ofinducing sleep, understanding, and, eventually, one presumes, silence! Although the opium poppy is assigned to the sphere for the reasons givenabove, opium itself is the drug of the fourth Sephirah, Chesed, and shouldnot be used in connection with Binah. The correct vegetable drug for Binahis Belladonna, whose name means “Beautiful lady” and is commonly called“deadly nightshade.” It is slightly narcotic in its action, being used as asleeping draught and as a means of suppressing glandular secretion. Inhomeopathic usage it is a specific for scarlet rashes which, like the drug,come under the presidency of Saturn.The mineral drug is silver, also the corresponding metal of the sphere,which is now almost exclusively used in a homeopathic preparation forwhich it is effective against, among other things, dyspepsia and colic, andtherefore a useful antidote to the poisonous nature of Binah's vegetabledrug. It might also be permissible to include lead here, both as the metaland as a mineral drug as it to is ruled by Saturn, although the student shouldnot need reminding of its potentially lethal nature. One of the symptoms oflead poisoning is a progressive deterioration of brain function not dissimilarto an early onset of the extreme old age which Saturn in part represents.Any plant whose shape is suggestive of the yoni can be considered topertain to Binah, with the usual proviso that some examples may be specificto another of the thirty-two paths. A good “general purpose” plantcorrespondent is the Lotus, which has long been a symbol of the femininein the East.Binah's precious stones include that most beautiful product of the GreatSea, the pearl, whose ethereal translucence is achieved by the aggregationof a hardening secretion around an irritant seed, the perfect symbolic stonefor the sphere. Another appropriate gem is the star sapphire, whose color,like Chokmah's turquoise, is suggestive of the deep night sky and the“infinite stars thereof” and which contains three light points, immediatelybringing to mind the Supernal Triad itself. In the Book of Thoth Binah is assigned the four threes, in each of which isexpressed a mode of “understanding.” Crowley says of them: “The idea hasbecome fertilised; the triangle has been formulated. In each case, the idea isof a certain stability which can never be upset, but from which a child canissue” (Book of Thoth). Like the cards of Chokmah the four threes are alsotermed “Lords,” they are: Wands, “The Lord of Virtue”; Cups, “The Lord ofAbundance”; Swords, “The Lord of Sorrow”; and Disks, “The Lord ofWork.”CHAPTER 8DAATHKNOWLEDGETHE MYSTICAL SEPHIRAHTHE INVISIBLE SEPHIRAHThere is no text in the Sepher Yetzirah which can be referred to the pseudo-Sephirah Daath, as it is a comparatively recent concept. The early Qabalists recognized only ten emanations of the Holy Tree. If anauxiliary sphere was postulated at all it would perhaps have been close innature to the astrological concept of “mid-points,” i.e., hypotheticalsensitive foci which are presumed to be a meaningful product of the angularrelationship between two planets. These points are the result of aspectingplanetary forces and have no fixed independent existence. Lunar nodes,which are much used in Eastern astrology, and in assessing karmic factorsin a natal chart, have a similar role, being simply the point at which themoon's orbit crosses the plane of the ecliptic. In Hebrew “Daath” means “knowledge,” although the sphere may be foundin some older Qabalistic documents titled “Science.” Its position (ifindeedit could be said to have one) is conventionally drawn upon the Tree withbroken lines, approximately mid-way between the first emanation, Kether,and the sixth, Tiphareth, astride the great gulf of the Abyss. Crowley has suggested that Daath exists in another dimension to the rest ofthe Tree, and that it represents an extra-dimensional consciousness, being,as it were, the point of contact between the macrocosm and the microcosm,partaking of both but fixed in neither. It stands as a bridge between theSupernal Triad and the seven Sephiroth of the “Lesser Countenance”;between the Atziluthic and Briatic worlds above, and the world of Yetzirahbelow. Daath seems to operate as a focus of the power of the Supernals, and inparticular of Kether; concentrating and distilling their essential energies. Itmay be likened to a prism (which is one of its many symbols) in that itreceives the brilliant light of the Primal Glory (already polarized throughChokmah and Binah) and directs it down through the balance of the Tree.As in a prism the original unity of the input is broken down into itscomponents and then radiated as a spectrum. In the Practicus ritual of the Golden Dawn this concept of Daath acting as adiffracting and transmitting agent is described thus:And a river, Naher, went forth from out of Eden, namely the Supernal Triad,to water the garden, namely the rest of the Sephiroth, and from thence itwas divided into four heads in Daath, whence it is said “In Daath depths arebroken up and the clouds drop down dew.” (See also Proverbs 3:20.)Daath represents both birth and death, the principles of generation andregeneration, situated as it is at the interface between two dramaticallydifferent states of being. It is the first product of the union of opposites andthe conduit of Supernal power, functioning as a gateway as well as a bridge.It may well be that, while it is generally true that the ten Sephiroth have anobjective reality, and the twenty-two interconnecting paths representsubjective experiences, Daath is the exception to this rule, and that which issometimes termed “Daath consciousness” is necessarily subjective. From Daath the realm of form begins to develop below the Abyss. Up tothis point the concept of form has been of an archetypal nature, emanatingfrom Binah. As this concept impinges upon the world of formation, focusedthrough Daath, it becomes progressively less abstract and more tangible ineach of the succeeding spheres, although form, as a recognizable structure,only begins to manifest in Yesod, the ninth Sephirah, and then primarily interms of psychic forces, before eventually in Malkuth, the tenth and finalsphere, it becomes fully material and accessible to our physical senses.A number of Qabalists, notably Issac Luria and Moses de Cordovero, writeof Daath as the “Son,” the product of the union of Chokmah and Binah. Inthis case Daath may be regarded as the letter Vau in the Tetragrammaton. Inthe MacGregor Mathers translation of the Zoharic Book of ConcealedMystery we find the following: “Daath is the conjunction of the second andthird Sephiroth, Wisdom and Understanding, (they being) the Yod and theHeh of IHVH.” And further, from the same translator, in the book calledThe Lesser Holy Assembly: “And when all things are comprehended theyare comprehended therein and are called by the name of Father, Mother, andSon. And they are Chokmah, Wisdom, Father; Binah, Understanding,Mother; and Daath, Knowledge. Since the Son assumeth the symbols of hisFather and of his Mother and is called Daath, Knowledge, since he is thetestament of them both.” This variant on the attribution of the letters of theineffable name, Tetragrammaton, differs from the more orthodox view thatthe Vau should properly be assigned to Tiphareth as the Son. It is unproductive to be too dogmatic about such attributions, or indeed anyother aspect of the Qabalah, as the system, within the inherent constraints ofits own logical structure, is designed for flexibility, with each possibleinterpretation throwing additional light on the nature of the Tree and therelationship of its components. Much useful insight can be gained from thevarious permutations of attribution, however bizarre and unlikely some mayat first appear. The varied applications of the four-lettered name offers anexcellent example with each possibility subtly modifying and changing theemphasis of the formula of IHVH and thereby serving to expose andillustrate some of the less obvious dynamics within the glyph.The Prime Deviation or “Fall” of Christian theology is said to have takenplace at the level of Daath, the transition point between the perfected worldof the Supernals (in other words, ”Eden”) and the realm below the Abyss.At the point of Daath grew the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, ofwhich IHVH said: “Ye shall not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatestthereof thou shalt surely die” (Gen. 2:17). It was here too that the Abyss formed, the dislocation of the Neshemah,man's highest, most god-like attribute, from the rest of his being. As thepowers of the intellect, or Ruach, increased so also did his knowledge, oftenat the expense of understanding (Binah) and wisdom (Chokmah); but:“Doth not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice?” (Prov. 8:1) It is a function of Magick to re-forge and vivify the link between spirit andmatter. Man alone of all creation is “the living soul” a microcosm, completein every detail, of the Holy Tree. In each individual the Abyss must beessayed and crossed in order that he might reclaim his birthright, “theremnant of his heritage.” Having once more attained to his original “state ofgrace” by his own will, he is now able to offer up the accumulatedexperience of countless incarnations on the lower planes, which would havebeen denied him had not that “fall” occurred. In a very real sense the seductive serpent of the Garden of Eden wasperfectly correct when he said unto Eve, tempted by that forbidden fruit,“Ye shall not surely die… For God doth know that in the day you eatthereof then your eyes shall be opened and ye shall be as gods knowinggood and evil” (Gen. 3:4–5). And God did indeed know that such would be the inevitable result of manexperiencing the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, for He says“Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now,lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and livefor ever” (Gen. 3:22). He then expels the errant couple from the garden andsets it about with, “Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned everyway, to keep the way of the tree of life” (Gen. 3:24). Unfortunately, in thebest traditions of the successful salesman, the “subtile” serpent hadconveniently forgotten to mention that it was likely to be a very long dayindeed before we actually became “as gods,” but it nevertheless behoovesus to keep trying. It is also worth reflecting on the intriguing fact that the Hebrew words forSerpent and Messiah, Nahash and Mashiah, share a common numerologicalvalue, and therefore by the rules of Gematria are considered to have a closeaffinity. This shows the action of Eden's serpent in an entirely differentlight, and also suggests the need for a reappraisal of the mediating role ofJesus Christ in our relationship with God. Exoteric Christianity has chosen to view the serpent as the verypersonification of evil, identifying it with the Devil itself and as one of themeans by which God chastises his errant children. This has not been thecase in all religions however and even in the Bible there are examples ofserpent symbolism which are at the very least ambivalent, as for instancewhen John has Jesus say: “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in thewilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up” (John 3:14). In many cultures serpent symbolism suggests not evil or subtle cunning,butenlightenment and supreme adeptship, and as such is often used to describethe powerful spiritual energies believed to dwell at the base of the spine.This coiled force, called in the East “Kundalini,” may through varioustechniques be aroused from its lower refuge and directed up through thechannel of the spine, thus uniting the chakras and making of the adept a“god-in-becoming.” The Uraeus crown of Egypt, shaped as a rearing cobrawith an inflated hood, was a potent symbol of kingship, which in Egyptianterms also implied godship. The poised serpent worn as a headdresssuggests a fully opened and active Sahasrara, or “Thousand Petal Lotus,”chakra, the most important of all the subtle plexus. The myth of the Garden is less a simple tale of temptation and fall than anillustration of man's struggle to regain his own divinity. It is worth notingalso that Adam, the “Man of Dust,” received the forbidden fruit from thehand of his espoused, Eve, first among women. In much the same mannerthe archetypal feminine sphere of Binah passes its essence on to Daath, anessence comprised of the combined Supernal energies, Inspiration, Wisdom,and Understanding.The mundane chakra of Daath is now accepted by many, although by nomeans all, occultists as the first magnitude binary star known to us as Sothisor Sirius, to the ancient Egyptians as Sept, and to farmers and marinersalike as the “Dog Star,” whose rising in the northern hemisphere marks thestart of the “dog days.” Sirius is situated in the mouth of the “Greater Dog”(Canis Major). Its name is said to derive from serios, which means“scorching” or “sparkling.” The Chinese sages knew it under the name ofTseen Lang, or the “Heavenly Wolf.” Astrologers consider Sirius to be a star of exceedingly good omenbetokening fortune and beneficence. Traditionally it is described as being ofthe nature of a conjunction between Jupiter and Mars (Ptolemy), oralternatively a triple conjunction between Jupiter, Mars, and the Moon(Alvidas). The Egyptians considered Sirius to be the celestial home of the goddessIsis. It has been described in some esoteric traditions as the “secret sun,” the“sun behind the sun.” In a like manner Daath can be thought a similar“secret sun,” the hidden sun (or “son”) behind the visible orb of Tiphareth.The god name of Daath is not given specifically, as the sphere is outside ofthe original conception of the Tree, but it is now generally accepted to be aconjunction of IHVH and IHVH Elohim, the god names of Chokmah andBinah respectively.It is the four archangels of the cardinal points who preside over thisenigmatic sphere. These beings must be viewed in their highest aspects, andare: Raphael, “The Healing of God,” who is of the element of air; Michael,“The Likeness of God,” of the element of fire; Gabriel, “Man God,” who isof water; and Uriel, “The Light of God” representing the element of earth.These are the angels who are visualized in the directional quarters whenperforming the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram: Raphael in theeast, Michael in the south, Gabriel in the west, and Uriel in the north. Theyare also the bearers of the Ark of the Covenant, in which role theirdirections are altered somewhat, with Gabriel and Uriel exchanging places. The order of angels is the “Shining Serpents” which are closely related tothe Seraphim, or “Fiery Serpents” of Geburah, but operate on a muchhigher level both within the emanating worlds and the aspiring humanconsciousness.As might be expected Daath's subsidiary titles tend to emphasize itsuniqueness and intangibility. Two common ones are “The InvisibleSephirah,” which is self-explanatory, and “The Mystical Sephirah,” thereason for which will become clearer as we discuss the path which bisectsit. Another secondary title is that of the “Upper Room” which represents thehighest point of achievement prior to crossing the Abyss. In Christiansymbolism the “Upper Room” can be taken to signify the room in whichwas held the last supper. The Upper Room is also a cube-shaped figurewhich contains six sides, relating to the Qabalistic concept of the sixdimensions of matter; above, below and the four sides or directions. Daath is termed “The Unrevealed Cosmic Mind,” by some Qabalists,although, strictly speaking the sphere is one in which the process ofrevelation is already well under way. There is no path leading directly to Daath, and in this it is unique. It doeshowever straddle that which connects Tiphareth to Kether, and which isreferred to the Hebrew letter Gimel. In the Tarot this path corresponds withthe third trump, “The High Priestess,” or to give it its full title, “ThePriestess of the Silver Star.” As this is the only one of the twenty-two pathsto have such a relationship with a Sephirah we must presume that here pathand emanation function together in a particular and unique manner. It isbecause of this close and unusual relationship that we are justified in notonly considering Daath as a discrete Sephirah in its own right, but also asthe focus of the typical energies of the Gimel path. This approach has the additional advantage that any investigation of thebisecting path can only enhance our understanding of the sphere. Howeverit is extremely difficult to discuss the Gimel path in isolation for it is alsothe final section of a vertical triad of paths that are known as “the way ofthe mystic,” or sometimes, rather confusingly, “the path of the mystic”. This extended “path,” from Malkuth to Kether, is a direct journey up thecolumn of equilibrium. Unlike the more circuitous travels of the magician,the mystic rises through the planes of consciousness on a vertical axis,deviating neither to one side or the other, from the material world toeventual union with his God. The first stage of this journey is the path that links Malkuth with Yesod,referred to the letter Tau and corresponding with the “Universe” card. Thesecond, designated by the letter Samekh, runs from Yesod to Tiphareth andcorresponds with the fourteenth trump, “Art,” usually titled “Temperance”in older packs. The letter Gimel, applied to the third and final stage of ascent, signifies acamel, the “ship of the desert,” bringing to mind an image of a long, dry,and hazardous journey across lifeless inhospitable terrain. It will be recalledthat one of the “spiritual conditions” reported by St. John of the Cross,among those others who have recorded their travels on this path, is that of“dryness,” which fits well with Gimel's desert symbolism. It is in the sphere of Daath, just prior to the great adventure of crossing theAbyss, that the full impact of that state or spiritual condition called “TheDark Night of the Soul” occurs most forcefully. It is not of course peculiarto the Gimel path nor indeed to Daath; similar, though less intense,conditions are to be met with on every level of the Tree, most noticeablyupon those paths that lead to and from Tiphareth. The experience of theGimel path is however on a much higher octave, a devastating journey forwhich its lower analogues can be only preparatory. There must needs be perfect balance and perfect integration on the part ofthose who would travel this path. They must be prepared to sacrifice alltheir worldly riches, their previous attainments and powers, theirpreferences and their prejudices if they wish to successfully fulfil theirmission. Not for nothing is it said that it is easier for a camel (Gimel) to gothrough the eye of a needle (Daath), than for a rich man (i.e., one who is inany way encumbered) to enter the kingdom of heaven (the Supernal realm).This triple path, the way of the mystic, is also the way of the ascetic, theone whose sight is ever upwards and unfaltering regardless of the penaltiesthat may be exacted on the material plane. Should they ever succumb to theseductive attraction of magical power for its own sake and become therebysoenamored that they cannot bear to lose it, then in that moment they loseall. On this path the accumulation of magical power is a distraction, as it isto the eastern yogi. For magicians of course the opposite is the case. Using a differentmethodology to attain the common goal, magicians consider these samepowers as weapons to be developed, honed, and perfected as a means toachieve what is willed. But even magicians, mighty in all the skills of theirart, must abandon their hard-won powers, even as they must abandon theirown self, and are in turn abandoned by their angel on venturing to cross theAbyss. As Kether is seen to crown the Tree and all the subsequent Sephiroth thatproceed from its primal root, so might Daath be seen to “crown” theMicroprosopos of the seven Sephiroth below the Abyss. Daath may appearas Kether itself from the limited viewpoint of the lower planes, for it is thefocus of the Supernals and partakes, in part, of their nature. It is the highestlevel possible of strictly human consciousness, the fleeting achievement ofwhich may leave an unprepared mind stunned and shattered. Certainly there are many recorded cases where temporary “Daathconsciousness” has resulted in the mistaken belief that the mystic ormagician concerned has in fact succeeded in their ultimate aim of unionwith God. In such cases Daath may be elevated as a false crown to Kether'srightful place, with knowledge then becoming the final goal. A knowledgehowever that lacks the Understanding of Binah; the Wisdom of Chokmah;and the Inspiration of Kether, and therefore a knowledge that is both sterileand ultimately destructive.As Daath is the product of the union of Chokmah and Binah, the positivepolarity with the negative, it is the initial balance point of the Tree, in whichthe differentiated potencies are held in a state of equilibrium. With thisbalance comes the necessity that a mechanism be developed to allow for theadjustment of all that might impinge upon it, in order that such balance ismaintained. This then is the first sphere of karmic adjustment, which is asexact as it is impersonal. The individual who contacts this area of activitywithout first developing within themselves an equivalent degree ofequilibrium and harmony will face the severest consequences. Anunbalanced personality may be badly damaged by a premature Daathexperience; in extreme cases it may even have the effect of destroying thephysical vehicle. Less dramatically, but equally damaging in the long run,those so affected may survive physically but evince such a fanatical andobsessive attitude as to be considered functionally insane.Of the gods and goddesses who correspond to Daath, perhaps Horus in hisaspect of Hoor-paar-Kraat (Harpocrates), “Lord of Silence,” “HiddenChild,” and “Babe in the Egg of Blue,” is perhaps the most appropriate.Hoor-paar-Kraat represents both the “higher self” and the Holy GuardianAngel (not necessarily the same thing), and as such accords well with Daathas the point of contact with the godhead, a hidden and mysterious sphere. Gods associated with the concept of justice may also be included underDaath; for instance, Maat, as the personification of truth and justice to theEgyptians. Other gods and goddesses with similar virtues may be assignedto the sphere, although as with both Maat and Hoor-paar-Kraat they may beequally applicable to other Sephiroth. This is especially true of those deitieswho combine the martial and judgmental functions and who are perhapsmore appropriately placed in Geburah. The Roman, Janus, whose twin faces look both upwards to the Supernalsand downwards to the Microprosopos presents a good image for Daath,although one must be careful not to confuse this attribution with that ofChokmah where he is assigned in his aspect of “Janus Pater,” the creatorand “beginning of things.” Januarius, “The Door Keeper,” is another aspectof the god appropriate for a sphere which, as it straddles the Abyss, is aninterface or doorway between the Supernal Triad and the lower Sephiroth.There is no specific magical weapon associated with Daath, unless it beknowledge itself. It is permissible however to “borrow” the weapon of theGimel path which is the bow and arrow, for as we have seen Daathrepresents a concentration of that path's characteristic energies. Thisweapon further emphasizes the vertical ascent of the mystic, the path of thearrow, and suggests a projection of the human will to the most rarefiedheights.Among the symbols appropriate to Daath is the prism, which breaks downwhite light into its colored components in the same manner that Daathbreaks down and transmits the light of the Supernals. The sacred mountainsof any religion are also apt symbols for the sphere, being the tallest ofnatural structures and therefore at their peak the nearest one can physicallyapproach a god who is assumed to dwell on high. In many mythologies thesummit of a mountain was the site of the revelation of some form of divineknowledge, the most notable example being that of Moses reception of theDecalogue on Mount Sinai. Interestingly, Sinai translates as “moon,” whichis both the astrological correspondence of the Gimel path and the mundanechakra of Yesod, a sphere whose position midway between Malkuth andTiphareth mirrors Daath's location between Kether and Tiphareth. Anempty room is an excellent symbol for Daath as is, paradoxically, acomplete absence of symbol. Likewise, the condemned cell or theantechamber of a temple where the hoodwinked candidate waits prior toentrance to the main temple and initiation. Anyone who has undergoneritual initiation will appreciate that the comparison between condemned celland temple antechamber is far from fanciful.The virtues of Daath are detachment, confidence in the future, and justice.In fact, as is so often the case with the higher Sephiroth, these “virtues” areless of the sphere itself than representative of the state of preparednessnecessary to achieve Daath consciousness in the first place.The vices are, in effect, the opposite of the virtues, but here again it isunlikely that one who is “cowardly” or suffers from “apathy and inertia,”and is “unjust” would come within the orbit of Daath's influence at all, forto do so would require that these vices were first annihilated.Daath's color in the world of Atziluth is lavender, while in Briah it becomesa silvery gray. In Yetzirah we encounter the usual admixture of color, whichin this case produces violet, and in Assiah is found a more solid form of theBriatic gray but now flecked with the yellow of Tiphareth, reflected upfrom below.CHAPTER 9CHESEDMERCYGEDULAHThe Fourth Path is named Measuring, Cohesive or Receptacular; and is socalled because it contains all the holy powers, and from it emanate all thespiritual virtues with the most exalted essences: they emanate one from theother by the power of the primordial emanation The Highest Crown.—The Yetziratic TextChesed is the first Sephirah below the Abyss, the fourth in order ofemanation and the central sphere of the Pillar of Mercy. From the SupernalTriad of the Macroprosopos we now move into the lower Tree, theMicroprosopos or Lesser Countenance, which comprises the Sephirothbelow the Abyss, excluding the pendant sphere of Malkuth. After the stabilization and structuring of Chokmah's free-flowing force inthe sphere of Binah and its equalization in Daath, the creative impulse isonce again released into a dynamic mode. In Chesed the energies expandand move outwards on their journey down through Zeir Anpin. In the traditional division of the Tree into triads of Sephiroth, the first orSupernal Triad is Olamha-Mevshekal, the “World of the Intellect.” Thesecond triad, which comprises Chesed, Geburah, and Tiphareth, is calledOlam-ha-Morgash, the “Moral” or “Sensuous” world. The second triplicity,like the others, is composed of male (positiveor yang energies), female(negative or yin energies) and a point of balance or harmony between thetwo. Chesed represents the dynamic male aspect of the second triad, asmight be expected from its position in the very center of the Pillar of Mercy,the active, masculine column of the Tree. It is negative to Chokmah whichprecedes it on the pillar of Mercy but is positive to Netzach and Geburah. Looking at the Holy Tree we can see that the second triad is a directreflection of the first. This being so, Chesed may be considered a particularreflection of the sphere of Chokmah, a lower arc of the divine wisdomexpressed therein, and partaking to a considerable degree of its paternalauthority. The fourth Sephirah functions after the manner of Chokmah, butnow with an added stability introduced by the feminine influence of Binah.Although Chesed, like Chokmah, is a positive and dynamic sphere, it can besaid to be more “balanced” than the second Supernal, being in receipt of thecombined energies and potencies of the entire Supernal Triad, refractedthrough Daath. From the worlds of Archetype and Creation, which jointly represent twostages of “potential manifestation,” the progression is now definitelytowards “actual manifestation.” Although Chesed is the first Sephirah of theworld of Yetzirah, or “Formation,” we are still at a considerable removefrom anything remotely discernible by our untrained senses; and manystages of concretion away from the reality of material existence.According to the Zohar there have emanated six principles, or Sephiroth,called the Sephiroth-ha-Benyin, or “Sephiroth of Construction,” whichsymbolise the dimensions of matter. “The universe consists of sixdimensions, above, below, and the four sides, in the mystery of Zeir Anpinwhich contains six sides. Therefore there are six working days …. but theSabbath is Malkuth the Wife (rest or passivity)” (R. Chayim Vital Calabrese[1543–1620] Tree of Life). The book of Genesis records: “Thus the heavensand the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventhday God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventhday from all his work which he had made” (Gen. 2:1–2). Each of these Sephiroth of Construction, the “six days of the creation,”represents a stage in the sequential development of the “dimensions ofmatter.” It is in the final sphere of Malkuth (i.e., the seventh day), which isboth pendent to, and independent of the Microprosopos or Zeir Anpin, thatwe finally encounter the phenomenon of materialization.“Chesed” is most commonly translated as Mercy, although it will also befound rendered as Love, or Majesty. In some older Qabalistic works thetranslation may appear as Grace, and occasionally as Compassion. Itssecondary title, and that by which it is called when performing the ritual ofthe Qabalistic Cross, is Gedulah, which translates as Glory orMagnificence.One of the principal attributes of Chesed's “opposite number,” the fifthSephirah of Geburah, is Power. When the Tree is applied to the human bodythese two Sephiroth lie at the level of the shoulder and form the horizontalarms of a cross, thus establishing the familiar “Power and the Glory” axis.The vertical component is then formed by Kether/Ain, visualized as slightlyabove the crown of the head, and Malkuth at the feet. It hardly needsstressing that the common form of the Christian gesture of crossing oneselfis rooted in a far older tradition, predating the crucifixion of Christ in whosememory the rite is performed.The god-name attributed to Chesed is often given as EL but is morecorrectly transliterated as AL. It is derived from two Hebrew letters, Aleph,which as we have seen in the chapter dealing with Kether, is held to signifythe “roots or the beginnings of things,” and Lamed, the twelfth letter of theHebrew alphabet. Aleph is said to represent an Ox, because in its primitive form the letter wasshaped rather like a stylized bull's head, similar in design to the astrologicalglyph for the sign of Taurus. Its present shape is also somewhat suggestiveof a yoke. Lamed, again by reference to its shape, traditionally symbolizes an “Ox-Goad.” The image that immediately springs to mind when these two lettersare conjoined in the order, Aleph Lamed, is of the Ox being hard driven bythe Goad, which suggests very strongly that the out-rushing primal force ofChokmah, first harnessed in Binah, is now being set to productive work inChesed. AL in Hebrew has the literal meaning of God, but also carries thealternative translation of “The.” The numerological value of Aleph is, ofcourse, one, while the value of Lamed is thirty. The resulting total of thirty-one is of particular significance for Thelemites, as indeed is the name, AL,that being a title of the Book of the Law, Liber AL vel Legis, the centraldocument of the Thelemic canon. AL, and its reflection LA, which means “Not,” a term which takes onspecial significance above the Abyss, provides an important key tounderstanding the Book of the Law. In his commentaries on AL, Crowleyexplains that: “AL is the true name of the Book (initially titled “L”), forthese letters, and their number 31, form the Master Key to its Mysteries”(AL, frontis). The interested student can do no better then to read hisanalysis of the names AL and LA, and the formula of LAShTAL, whichfollows Liber V vel Reguli, The Ritual of the Mark of the Beast, to befound in Magick in Theory and Practice.The mundane chakra of the fourth path is Tzedek, the sphere of Jupiter.Astrologically, Jupiter represents the principle of expansion and growth,and is both the complementary opposite and the balance to Binah's Saturn.In the same manner that the Saturn of Binah is a necessary response to theunchecked enthusiasm of Chokmah, Jupiter is an equally necessaryresponse to the constriction and structure of Saturn. The qualities of Jupiter, considered by astrologers to be the “great benefic,”are precisely those suggested by Chesed's secondary title of Gedulah,“Glory” or “Magnificence”; but according to some early astrologicalcorrespondences, most notably those of the Chaldean system, Venus, “thelesser benefic,” is the correct attribution. There is some justification for thisarrangement in that one of the fourth sphere's secondary titles is “Love,” bytradition a Venusian quality, and its elemental correspondent is water, whichagain, astrologically if not Qabalistically, could suggest Venus. On balance,however, the judgment must fall to Jupiter, whose effervescentexpansiveness and robust masculine nature combined with its colorcorrespondence with Chesed would seem to make it the natural choice. Venus is now generally accepted as the mundane chakra of Netzach, theSephirah directly below Chesed on the pillar of Mercy. Regardless of thefact that Venus is not the natural planet of Chesed the fourth Sephirah is onein which the quality of love is strongly emphasised. Indeed its spiritualexperience is that of the “Vision of Love.” The oft abused and misunderstood phrase “Do what thou wilt shall be thewhole of the Law. Love is the law, love under will”—the sublimedistillation of the message and formula of the Book of the Law—isespecially applicable to Chesed, balanced as it is with Geburah, theSephirothic exemplar of Will. In the Gematria of the Greek Qabalah,Thelema (Will), and Agape (Love), both add to 93, clearly demonstratingthereby the closeness of the relationship between the two concepts. Soimportant is this relationship that the magical energies which express theconditions of the aeon of Horus are termed the 93 current, and the numberis often found used as convenient shorthand for the full formula of “Dowhat thou wilt.” “The Vision of Love,” which is the Magical Power of Chesed, is therealization that the prime dynamic of the universe is change, and that love isof its essence. For, to quote from Crowley'scommentaries on the Book ofthe Law: “Change being the life of all matter soever in the universe… wehave accepted love as a mode of motion of the will to change. To us everyact, as implying change, is an act of love,” and further, from the samesource: “Remember that Magick is the Art of Life, therefore of causingchange in accordance with Will; therefore its law is “love under will,” andits every movement is an act of love” (New Comment AL, 1:52).The Archangel of Chesed is Tzadkiel, the “Righteousness” or “Justice” ofGod, who works closely with the “avenging angel” Khamael, resident inGeburah; while the order of angels are the Chasmalim, “Brilliant Ones” or“Scintillating Flames,” the “shining angels of divine love.”The Thebean god Amun, husband of the sky-goddess Mut, and father ofKhons, god of the moon, is jointly assigned to Chokmah and Chesed. In thesecond Supernal we met him in his early ithyphallic form, as Amun-Ra, and“he who abides in all things.” It is his paternal aspect and his rulership overthe “Great Ennead,” the family of nine superior deities of ancient Egypt,which qualifies him for inclusion in Chesed. Both Isis and Hathoor,although female, can in certain of their aspects be assigned to the sphere.Isis as water, the element of Chesed and Jupiter; and Hathoor, in her aspectas goddess of the Nile, the fertilizing medium and indeed the very source oflife for the Kingdoms of Egypt.From the Greek pantheon both Poseidon, ruler of the seas and lord of water,and Zeus as the all-father (although not as the Supreme Unity, which relatesto Kether) are assigned to Chesed. The Roman god, Jupiter, an obviouscorrespondent in the light of Chesed's mundane chakra, is assigned in hisearlier form as a god of storms and of thunder, although once again not inhis later aspect of “Supreme Creator.” The Norse equivalent here would beThor, in a more benevolent guise than the warrior form we will meet inGeburah. The Hindu deity who best corresponds with Chesed is Indra, andagain, as with Thor, the appropriate aspect here is Indra as a god of fertilityrather than as a god of battle. It will be noted that a number of the gods attributed to Chesed have both amartial and a paternal aspect. This is perfectly logical for we have only tolook to the world of nature to see that an animal's right to fatherhood isoften determined by its prowess in battle. Those who have proved theirsuperiority by vanquishing all other rivals for a female's attention are thosewhose hereditary characteristics are passed on to subsequent generations.What is true of the lower animals is largely true of humankind, andtherefore of the “gods” who are after all developed in our own idealizedimage. Here is a good example of the manner in which opposed Sephiroth functiontogether as a complementary unit. On the one hand we have Chesed, sphereof generative power and fatherhood, while on the other, in Geburah, arefound the dynamism and martial abilities which make fatherhood apossibility in the natural world. Another of the Scandinavian gods who, by virtue of his association withwater in its “masculine” aspect, is appropriate to this watery sphere isAegir, who personified the strength of the sea. Aegir was also mightily fondof feasting and drinking, both characteristic pleasures of the sphere ofJupiter, and was blessed with the nickname “Alebrewer.” It is therefore nottoo surprising to discover that Aegir was a most popular god, whoseworship was enthusiastically pursued by his happy devotees.In the three-fold division of man, the Sephiroth from Chesed to Hod, (thefourth to the eighth spheres) correspond to the faculty of the Ruach, orIntellect, which may be loosely defined as a mechanism developed by theSelf for the purpose of investigating and relating to the perceived universe. The Ruach is itself comprised of five components. In sequential order theseare: Memory, Will, Imagination, Desire, and Reason. The faculty ofmemory, which is allocated to Chesed, corresponds well with the sphere,given that its elemental attribution is water, which has a traditionalassociation with the memory; due no doubt to the sea's unplumbable depth,its almost inexhaustible capacity and its ability to take the shape of anycontainer. Certainly homoeopaths would claim that water is in itself capable ofretaining a “memory,” at least as a template of a material that after repeateddilution can no longer be detected as a physical presence and yet can stillreproduce the effect of the original mixture. Chesed's position on the Treewould also seem to emphasis the importance of the faculty of memory.Chesed is the first Sephirah below the Abyss in the descent from theSupernals and therefore contains the impressed (although not necessarilyaccessible) memory of a mode of existence radically different in nature tothat which obtains in the lower Tree. On the journey of return then thissphere is the final Sephiroth before the great gulf, and becomes therepository of the accumulated experience of multiple incarnations on thephysical plane.The chakra appropriate to this level of the Tree is the Anahata, the twelve-petalled lotus, which is subtly located at approximately the position of theheart in the physical body. This location relates to the heart-center ofTiphareth which is both central to the middle pillar and the pivotal point ofthe arrangement of the five Sephiroth comprising the Ruach. Tiphareth isalso the focus of the triad of Olam-ha-Morgash, which includes Chesed andGeburah. In the system adopted throughout this work the Anahata chakra isassigned jointly to the three spheres of Morgash. As we discovered in chapter 4 there are a number of ways in which thechakras may be disposed around the Tree. In the case of Chesed there isonly one major objector to this triple attribution, namely Dion Fortune, whoallows no chakra correspondence for the sphere, and assigns the Anahatacenter to Tiphareth alone. Tiphareth is undoubtedly the focus of the Anahataenergies, but it should be remembered that Chesed is a sphere of love,which is traditionally seated in the heart, and Geburah expresses the qualityof courage, which again is by tradition located in the heart.Chesed's symbols include the tetrahedron as having three sides and a basemaking the total number of planes four, the natural number of the sphere. (Itis important to note that while the position of a Sephirah, resulting from theorder of emanation, gives it its natural number, this is a different matterfrom that of the “mystical number” which is sometimes given. The mysticalnumber of any sphere is derived from the addition of the natural numbers ofthe preceding Sephiroth with the one in question, i.e. the mystical numberof Chesed is 10, that is 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 = 10.) With the figure of the tetrahedron we have continued the progression fromthe dimensionless and unlocated point of Kether, to the extension of thatpoint as a line in Chokmah, on to the enclosure of an area by the triangle ofBinah, until now in Chesed we have arrived at the first geometric structurecapable of enclosing a volume. All solid figures, as defined by geometry,are ultimately related to Chesed, as is the equal-armed cross, which issymbolic of the four elements in a state of equilibrium. Other symbols, such as the orb, scepter and crook, relate to the “kingly”qualities of the sphere, demonstrating, along with the wand, the magicalweapon of Chesed, different aspects of sovereign power.The wand as a magical weapon is a reflection of the weapon of Chokmah,the lingam; male creative potential brought into concrete actuality. It isspecifically a phallic instrument and should not be confused with otherforms, such as the Fire or Lotus wands.The magical image of Chesed is that of an enthroned king, mature thoughnot elderly, magnificent and mighty, robed and crowned in his splendor.Chesed's virtue or transcendental morality istraditionally given asobedience, but this may be somewhat misleading for the obedience referredto here is not the blind unquestioning obedience of an “inferior” to a“superior,” nor the abject fearful obedience of the powerless to thepowerful, but is rather obedience to the dictates of one's own true will: “Sowith thy all; thou hast no right but to do thy will …. Do that, and no othershall say nay” (AL, 1.42–43). When an individual is living entirely in accordance with his or her true willthen and only then are they in harmony with themselves and with theuniverse. Indeed, they will find that they have the “inertia of the universe toassist them.” Therefore it should be clearly understood that the king ofChesed's magical image, to whom is due the obedience which is the virtueof the sphere, is a king internal and not a king external.The magical grade of Chesed is that of Adeptus Exemptus 7° = 4 , one whohas perfected all the magical skills of the previous Sephiroth and has“attained the supreme summit of meditation.” As it is not possible for anindividual to remain as an Adeptus Exemptus forever, he is confronted withtwo possibilities as he is propelled inexorably towards the Abyss. He maythere develop as a “Babe of the Abyss,” to emerge in the fullness of time asa Master of the Temple, or, through reasons of ego or weakness, in otherwords incomplete or inadequate preparation for the ordeal, to remain in theAbyss as a “Black Brother,” ultimately there to perish through lack ofsustenance and nourishment. Part of the work of an exempt adept is to prepare, and preferably publish, athesis in which is set out his understanding of the nature of the universe.Such work may take many forms, and by no means all would be classed asobviously magical in content. The fields of poetry, visual art, music, andthat borderline area of human speculation where science and mathematicsmerges with philosophy and metaphysics, each have examples to show tothose who have eyes to see, and ears to hear. Perhaps the most difficult step the adept must take at this critical juncture isthe absolute relinquishment of all his previously gained achievements andpowers. This abandonment applies even to the consolation of theKnowledge and Conversation of his Holy Guardian Angel, as he stripshimself naked in preparation for the “great adventure.” Self annihilation tothe absolute degree is the prerequisite for the adept's eventualmetamorphosis into a Magister Templi; anything less is certain destruction. An adept who has attained to Chesed in all respects will be freed from thenecessity of incarnation having abrogated the accumulated karma of hisprevious lifetimes. He may however choose to undergo future incarnationfor the benefit of the whole of mankind. Chesed is also known as the “sphere of the masters,” a rather loose termwhich encompasses a great number of often contradictory theories as towho or what these beings actually are, their origin and their function. Certainly Chesed is a sphere where the teachings of highly evolved beings,whose natural realm is within the Supernal Triad, might be expected to firstmanifest below the Abyss, although a valid claim could also be made forDaath in this respect. On one level the “masters” of Chesed could be considered to be the exemptadepts who have attained to its magical grade; but equally, the sphere mayplay host to a variety of entities whose places of origin are far from theworld of man.The typical vices of the sphere, bigotry, hypocrisy, gluttony, and tyranny areall in a sense perversions or abuses of the authority of Chesed. Bigotry,which might conveniently be defined as an inability or refusal to accept that“Every man and every woman is a star,” and hypocrisy, the paying of lipservice to an ideal while refusing to “give the last drop of one's blood” arethe especial dangers that confront the exempt adept. Gluttony of course, is very much a vice of Jupiter, an overemphasis of itspleasure principle to the extent of reversing the positive qualities of theplanet into negative ones. Historically, tyranny has marred the rulership ofmany lords of the Earth, both temporal and spiritual, and is the dark side ofthe principle of kingship.The order of Qliphoth associated with the fourth Sephirah is theGha'agsheblah, the “Smiters,” suggesting the bloodthirsty, tyrannical aspectof power untempered by love and compassion, again suggesting thenegative aspect of sovereignty.The colors in the four worlds are: in Atziluth, deep violet, the combinationof the Atziluthic colors of Chokmah and Binah. In Briah, the blue of water,elemental correspondent of Chesed. In Yetzirah, deep purple, which as withall the Yetziratic colors, is a combination of the colors of Atziluth and Briahand in Assiah, deep azure flecked yellow, the azure again recalling water,with the yellow flecks suggestive of meditative ecstasy and the pervasiveinfluence of Tiphareth.The unicorn is the animal most sacred to Chesed, both because of thephallic nature of its single horn, and because of the traditional association ofJupiter as ruler of the sign of Sagittarius whose glyph is a centaur or amounted archer.Olives, because of their richness and softness, as well as their waterycoloring, are attributed here, as is opium, both as a plant and as a vegetabledrug. The drug extracted from the opium poppy is also, it will beremembered, attributed to Binah. This shared correspondence may beaccounted for by the stages of intoxication produced by the drug. Whereasthe later stages of usage are said to confer the sleep and “understanding”appropriate to Binah, the earlier stages of its consumption are reported to becharacterized by Jovan good humor!The shamrock or four-leafed clover which is sometimes given for Chesedobviously suggests the “good-luck” of its mundane chakra and also thenatural number of the Sephirah itself.Lapis lazuli and amethyst are the two gems most in sympathy with thefourth Sephirah. Lapis lazuli, a hybrid name taken from both Latin andArabic and meaning simply “blue stone,” is attributed for two reasons, themost obvious being because its colors, blue and violet, are those not only ofAtziluth and Briah but also Jupiter in its most exalted aspect. It is also astone through which it is believed positive psychic energies are easilytransmitted and has the power to develop in the user the inner strength andself-confidence which characterise both Chesed and its mundane chakra. Amethyst, again because of its violet color, has associations with the “greatbenefic” of Jupiter and historically has been a stone closely identified withreligious authority. Its name is derived from the Greek, amethystos,meaning sober or “not drunk” as it was believed that the crystal protectedits wearer from the more deleterious effects of alcohol. It is therefore anexcellent remedy for over enthusiastic worship of Aegir “The Alebrewer,”and the tendency to excess in all things which is the negative side of Jupiter.It is also a stone which has remarkable healing properties and which isbelieved to assist the process of spiritual awakening in a number of ways,not least being its ability to calm the troubled mind and create a “stillcenter” by reducing the effect of strong emotions.The tarot cards attributed to Chesed are the four “fours” of which Crowleysays: “The important characteristic is that Four is “below the Abyss”;therefore, in practice, it means solidification, materialisation. Things havebecome manifest. The essential point is that it expresses the Rule of Law”(Book of Thoth). In the light of the above it is interesting to consider the titles of the fourcards, which are; The four of Wands, “Completion”; The four of Cups,“Luxury”; The four of Swords, “Truce,” and the four of Disks, which istitled “Power.”CHAPTER 10GEBURAHDINPACHADThe Fifth Path is called the Radical Intelligence, becauseit is itself theessence equal to the Unity, uniting itself to the Binah, or Intelligence whichemanates from the Primordial depths of Wisdom or Chokmah.—The Yetziratic TextGeburah is the fifth emanation of the creative sequence and is positionedcentrally on the negative column, the Pillar of Severity. It is the secondSephirah of the triad of Olam-ha-Morgash (the “Moral” or “Sensuous”world), and represents the negative, yin, or feminine principle; thecomplementary opposite to Chesed. The Sephirah of Chesed is nowdestabilized and pours its expansive energies into Geburah. The primaryfunction of the fifth Sephirah is to strengthen and direct the creativeimpulse, adding the element of discipline necessary for its eventualmanifestation. We have already seen that Chesed and Geburah function in harmony, asindeed do all the pairs of opposites on the Tree. According to earlyQabalists the duad of Chesed and Geburah is like unto “the two arms ofGod” a linked pair for “Judgement is not without Mercy” (Zohar). Geburahis often described as the “left arm” of the Microprosopos, with Chesed as itsright. This sphere may be viewed as the organizing aspect of the principle ofrulership first expressed in Chesed, and one in which the martial qualitiesare emphasized. For the king of the fourth Sephirah no longer sits benignlyon his throne, in Geburah we find him driving his chariot at the head of amighty host, going forth to do battle with his enemies. As Chesed is a reflection of Chokmah, so Geburah is a reflection of Binah.Although Geburah's attributes are of strength and power, qualities moreoften associated with the masculine potency, it is nevertheless a femininesphere and is in a sense the focus of the Pillar of Severity. All the Sephirothof this pillar are negative or female in essence, as all the spheres of thePillar of Mercy are male or positive, but each, within its own column, isnegative in relation to its predecessor and positive in respect of thesubsequent sphere. Geburah then is negative to Binah and Chesed, butpositive to Hod and Tiphareth. We have seen that in the order of emanation, the Jovan qualities of Chesedwere developed as a necessary response to the Saturnine aspect of Binah,and that the Martial nature of Geburah is likewise a response to theunchecked effervescence of the fourth Sephirah. Geburah is also highlyresponsive to the influence of Binah, its superior at the head of the Pillar ofSeverity. The supplementary text from the Sepher Yetzirah states thatGeburah unites “itself to the Binah,” so we may expect to find that the bondbetween the two spheres is particularly strong. An indication of the closeness of this bond lies in the fact that the mundanechakras of both emanations are astrological “infortunes”; that is to say theyare traditionally considered to be malevolent in their influence, Binah'sSaturn being termed the “greater malefic,” and Geburah's Mars beingconsidered the “lesser.” As they are placed on the negative pillar bothGeburah and Binah could be said to represent “latent” energy, while Chesedand Chokmah are of the nature of “kinetic” or dynamic energies. Geburah and Binah are likewise Sephiroth of form, where Chesed andChokmah are primarily spheres of force. Geburah's function is, however,somewhat different in kind to that of Binah. Instead of the relatively passiveprocess of incorporating free energies that we witnessed in Binah, Geburahis altogether more energetic in its activity. It receives the influence fromChesed and initiates a catabolic process that breaks down any inappropriatepre-existing patterns, conditioning and restructuring Chesed's energies to aform suitable for the next stage of emanation. It is not too fanciful to thinkof Geburah as a critical testing ground, whose function is to carefullyexamine all that it comes within its orbit and, if found wanting, exercise itsruthless powers to either correct or destroy. Where Binah begins to develop manifest life by weaving a web of form, soGeburah modifies and adapts that form to the conditions found in the lowerTree. Geburah functions to break up the structural constraints of Binah.Where Binah would envelop the newly polarized primal force and imposerestriction upon it, Geburah, by destructive force and directed energy,opposes and attacks that restriction. As Binah's Saturn strives to bind ever tighter, the Mars of Geburah seeks toshatter its restraining bonds. As Chesed's Jupiter, expansive, confident, andbeneficent spreads outwards, Geburah's Mars, with its powerful initiatoryforce further energizes the creative impulse, giving it renewed vigor and amore positive sense of direction. This activity is neither “good” nor “bad”in itself, such subjective judgments are hardly appropriate; rather it is anecessary part of the mechanism of the Tree striving for equilibrium in anintricate system of checks and balances. Such a process is necessary at thisstage to act as a safeguard against the undirected overenthusiasm of Chesed,and the tendency towards excessive restriction found in Binah.Analysis of the various titles and names of Geburah helps us to understandits surprisingly complex nature, for it is by no means the simple destructiveor “evil” sphere that one may at first suppose. After all, the ten Sephiroth ofthe Tree are equally holy, and while it is perfectly true that the uncheckedpower of Geburah can be damaging in the extreme, to a certain extent thesame could be said of the unbalanced energies of any other sphere,regardless of how benign it might at first appear. The Yetziratic text goes so far as to declare that Geburah resembles the“Unity,” i.e., Kether, by which is meant that its energetic action isanalogous to the upwelling of primal force expressed by the first Supernal,although on a much lower arc. But, as the text reminds us, this is the“Radical Intelligence,” and it must be expected that such a sphere willpresent certain dangers to the unwary. “Geburah” means Strength; both martial and moral. From strength growspower, and with power comes choice. Those who are truly strong are able tochoose their way of life, and are able to defend that choice; the weak are atthe mercy of fate. The strong have the capacity and the resources to benefitthe world, should they so choose; the weak can benefit not even themselves.It should hardly need stressing however that not all strength is necessarilyof a physical nature, nor need it always be apparent for: “A king maychoose his garment as he will: there is no certain test: but a beggar cannothide his poverty” (AL, 2:58). With strength, however it might be manifest, must come justice if thatstrength is not to degenerate into oppression, of others or of the self. It isworth noting that the nine and ten of wands, the suite which bestcorresponds to Geburah in the Thoth deck, are in fact titled respectively“Strength” and “Oppression.” In the first instance the power and dynamismof Geburah is stabilized and balanced whereas in the second it is dissociatedfrom its spiritual roots and is out of control. This final card of the wand suitcan be seen as the five of Geburah redoubled, an over-concentrated form ofthe sphere's fire showing the element in its most destructive form. A major secondary title of Geburah is “Din,” which means Justice orJudgment, for the more dynamic aspects of these principles develop fromthis emanation. Geburah is a sphere of Karma (Fate or Nemesis if you prefer) a coldimpersonal cosmic law, whose sole function is to maintain equilibrium byconstant adjustment and re-adjustment, ensuring that every action doesindeed have an equal and opposite reaction. In Qabalistic terms Judgment,and therefore Justice, is not some thing which is imposed from outside, it isa quality inherent in all things and is a principle in which limitation andrestriction are necessarily concomitant with its action. Choosing onethingor one course of action over another can only be done at the expense of theother options. It is therefore a willful act of self-limitation to choosebetween alternative courses, and yet clearly it is an act which is essential ifthe self is to maintain a coherent identity and continuity of being. We have said that this judgmental function is inherent in all things, andindeed it would be surprising if this were not so, for the principle ariseswithin God Himself. It is possible to argue as some Qabalists, notably of theLuria school, have done that the first crystallization of the Ain to Ain Soph,from Nothingness to Limitlessness, was itself a conscious act of Din, orJudgment, and therefore an act of severe self-limitation on the part of themanifesting Deity. And further, that each succeeding level of concretionrepresents another judgmental action as the creative force increases inspecialization. As the title, Pachad, translates as Fear, Geburah is sometimes referred to asthe “Lord of Fear,” in the same way that Chesed is occasionally called the“Lord of Love.” It is perhaps this element of Geburah, along withmisunderstandings of the nature of its mundane chakra, that has given riseto the idea that the sphere itself may be identified with the scripturalAdversary, a figure that is presented by the orthodox as the embodiment ofall evil. It should be clear by now that such simplistic attributions are highlymisleading and demonstrate a lack of understanding of the nature of theHoly Tree for the principle at work here is one of opposition, which mayjust as easily imply balance as enmity. However some Qabalists hold thatthe principle of evil (however one chooses to define it) is inherent in theoriginal creative act, and that it was the introduction of the power of sternjudgment, or Din, in that initiating process which corrupted the system andallowed for the presence of discord in the Tree. One rationale behind this belief is that such acts of judgment proceed fromthe dark, negative and destructive side of God; an aspect of the Deity whichis little understood and consequently greatly feared. As long as the rigorous,wrathful, and fiery aspect of God, concentrated in the sphere of Geburah, istempered and balanced by the qualities of Love and Mercy shown forth inChesed, all is well. The one aspect cannot properly operate without theother. As the traditional title, “The twin arms of God,” suggests, they aretwo sides to the one coin. It is when one of these complementary forces isallowed to function alone that trouble arises. Any energy, principle, or forcethat acts outside of its own proper sphere, or in a manner inappropriate to itsnature may be described as being in some sense “evil”; the term for ourpresent purposes being considered contingent rather than absolute. So it isonly when one of the two linked forces that represent these “hands of God”is activated independently that the possibility of evil arises. In the case of Geburah its typical forces are so constituted as to have anatural tendency to break away from their partnership with those of Chesed.In other words, where the forces of Chesed incline towards union, those ofits complementary opposite incline towards fission. It is the “free,” andtherefore unbalanced, Geburah energies that in aggregation form much ofthe material from which the Satanic realm is constructed, but the fifthSephirah, being one the glories of the Holy Tree, is not itself a part of thatdark realm. Nevertheless it is easy to see why Geburah has traditionally been viewedwith some trepidation. Its violent internal function and the disconcertingtendency of its energies to escape from their proper place make it a restlessand dangerous presence on the Tree, and one which needs particular care inits exploration. But, as we have seen, it is not the Geburah energiesthemselves that are at fault; in their rightful place, balanced and amelioratedby Chesed, they are essential elements in the proper functioning of the Tree,and therefore in the creative process. It is only when they are exaggeratedby lack of restraint, or intrude into inappropriate areas of activity, that wehave any justification in identifying them with the Biblical Adversary asenvisaged by the Christians. It is also well to remember that even theuttermost evil will be redeemed and re-absorbed into the body of God at theEnding of Days, and that it too has a role to play in the continuing drama ofcreation, even if, for some, that role is an uncomfortable one.In Christian terms Geburah could be considered the sphere in which firstemerges the concept of “Fear of God,” or terror in the face of God's might.An overemphasis on the aspect of fear, rather than an understandable awe inthe face of His creation is an unfortunate element in many Judeo-Christiansects, which have historically had great difficulty in accepting that God hasa fourth, and most important aspect, namely that of Destroyer.The name of God in the sphere of Geburah is Elohim Gibor, the God ofBattles, which has the correct meaning of “God in his Strength,” and not thefrequently found but erroneous “God Almighty.”Of all the Holy Sephiroth it is perhaps Geburah that is most easily identifiedwith its mundane chakra. Madim, or Mars, has the reputation of being oneof the astrological malefics, a planet of evil repute second only to Saturn inits degree of malevolence.Essentially the principle of Mars is that of initiatory force and male sexualenergy. Its glyph is that of the circle of the spirit surmounted with an arrow,signifying its energetic character. The arrow may also be seen as a phallus,and in this sense the glyph is still used as a universal sign for the masculinein nature. The earliest form of the Martian glyph pictured the circle of spirittopped by the cross of matter, the exact reverse of the symbol for Venus,showing that material considerations were here placed above spiritualvalues. The Chaldeans, perhaps anticipating the glyph's futuredevelopments simply used an arrowhead as a symbol. Mars rules the signs of Aries, appropriately the first sign of the zodiac andthe initial month of the solar year. The planet also has traditional rulershipover the sign of Scorpio, exoterically the sign of death, but also the sign ofrebirth, for Scorpio has two emblems: the scorpion of self-death, and theeagle of self-transcendence. As Mars rules both Aries and Scorpio it also rules the first and the eighthhouse. The first house in a natal chart is intensely personal and refers to thephysical characteristics and self-orientated interests of the native. It is thepoint where the incarnating soul first experiences independent existence. The eighth house is concerned with transmutation and transcendence. It isalso the point at which the native confronts the inevitability of death. Aswith so much connected with Mars, and therefore by extension withGeburah, both extremes are present; the point of arrival on the physicalplane and the point of departure. It should be clear by now that these eventsare not in any way contradictory but are merely the more obvious episodesof a continually repeating cyclic process. There is an esoteric teaching regarding the nature and function of Mars that,far from viewing the planet as the simple malefic of tradition, assigns to it aquite different role. For some, Mars represents the “secret savior,” the “sunbehind the Sun,” the dynamic creativity that both initiates and redeems theuniverse. In this the fifth sphere's mundane chakra forges a link with Daath,which also has a secret redemptive function and which is sometimesdescribed in very similar terms.The Archangel of the sphere of Geburah is Khamael, “God's Burner,” whois both an avenging angel and the protector of the weak. Khamael's fierypowers may be used either to vaporize or to cauterize the imperfect proto-forms which come under his sway.manifestation of Judaism, and in all probability pre-dates it by aconsiderable period of time. One tradition has it that the secrets of Qabalah were given to Abraham byGod through the medium of the Archangel Metatron (“Great Teacher”),traditionally regarded as the first created being. Another takes the initialtransmission even further back and says that God first taught the doctrine toa select company of angels who then passed it on to Adam as a sort ofconsolation prize for having lost his tenancy of the Garden of Eden. It issaid that these angels acted in accordance with the will of the Most High ingiving our first father this teaching, for by its use and the exercise of hisfree will, he, and his children, may eventually return to their previouscondition of perfection. From Adam the teachings were passed to Seth, and then to Noah, and fromNoah to Abraham, at which point it was taken into the land of Egypt whereMoses first learned of it. Moses is also said to have received additionalinitiated instruction in the subject from the angels of the Lord during hisforty years of wandering in the desert; here again the chief instructor isgiven as Metatron. Moses, it is claimed, then passed on the teachings to theelders of the tribes, one scriptural version of this transmission being theBiblical verse (Num. 11:24) which says: “And Moses went out, and told thepeople the words of the LORD, and gathered the seventy men of the eldersof the people, and set them round in the tabernacle.” Continuing the chain of initiation we find both David and Solomon claimedas learned Qabalists and with them a whole succession of prophets,including Isaiah, Daniel, and Ezekiel, the latter being of particular interestby dint of the profound mystical imagery and Qabalistic symbolism to befound in his visions. While it is unlikely that this account has any basis in fact, it does suggest aprobable course of development for the Qabalah; arising from primitivebeginnings, being passed from master to initiate, for the most part slowlyevolving in complexity and comprehensiveness but subject to theoccasional quantum leap through the insight of exceptional masters, withthe basic structure of the doctrine complete and in place by the time thePentateuch assumed its current form.From our own point of view the most important period of Qabalistic historycomes at the time when it ceased to be a purely oral tradition and generateda corpus of mystical literature, although, as will be seen, it is difficult togive a reliable date for exactly when this might have occurred. With the possible exception of the Sepher Bahir, the most influential ofearly Qabalistic publications has certainly been the Sepher ha-Zohar, or“Book of Splendour,” usually referred to simply as the Zohar. The Zohar isreally a “bible” in the proper sense of the word in that it is comprised of anumber of related mystical books, among which the following are usuallyjudged the more important: The Book of Concealed Mystery; Greater HolyAssembly; Lesser Holy Assembly; The House of Elohim; and The Book ofthe Revolutions of Souls. There are a total of nineteen books classed underthe heading of Zohar, which together with the Sepher Yetzirah, representthe core of the Qabalist canon, and which provide us with much of thequoted material used throughout the present work. The Zohar has long been the subject of dispute, sometimes veryacrimonious, regarding its origin. It purports to be the work of the RabbiSimeon ben Yochai, who lived about A.D. 95–190, but some scholars havedated the main body of Zoharic text to the third or fourth century A.D.,while others insist that textual analysis shows them to be forgeries of thethirteenth century and name the perpetrator as Rabbi Moses de Leon. The balance of learned opinion on this matter seems to fall in favor of thetheory that Moses de Leon did indeed compose the Zohar in its presentform, but that it may represent the genuine oral teachings of Simeon benYochai, preserved both as memory and, just possibly, as scraps ofdocumentation. Even if it were possible to prove that the Sepher ha-Zohar is entirely thework of Moses de Leon it would not necessarily follow that it was intendedas a forgery. It was a common literary convention of the time, especially soin the case of mystical texts, for authors to attribute their works to long deadbut highly respected scholars, patriarchs, and prophets. This had the two-fold advantage of safeguarding the real author's anonymity while at thesame time adding a degree of spurious authority to their essays. It isextremely unlikely that Rabbi Moses de Leon set out deliberately to defraudthe scholarly community, for as all the available editions must have beencopied by hand, such a work would have a limited circulation, and thenonly among the more wealthy and dedicated scholars, all of whom would bewell aware of such conventions. The second most important of the early Qabalistic texts, the SepherYetzirah, is also subject to dispute. It is supposed to have been written byRabbi Akiba, who lived in the time of the Emperor Hadrian (circa A.D.120). It has been variously assigned to early Gnostic times, around the thirdor fourth century A.D., and to the period between A.D. 700–800, butunfortunately, as with the Zohar, it is doubtful whether we shall ever knowfor sure. It is however generally considered to pre-date the Zohar and to bethe earliest extant Qabalistic text.For over three centuries Spain was a major center for the study anddissemination of Qabalistic teaching. The first important school of whichwe have record is that founded in the twelfth century by Rabbi Issac theBlind in Gerona, Catalonia. Spain was at this time a major focus of theintellectual life of Europe and North Africa. Some of the finestphilosophical and scientific minds of the Middle Ages were born in orgravitated towards the Iberian Peninsula during the period of the Muslimascendancy. This was truly a golden age of learning and cultural cross-fertilization which lasted until the expulsion of the Jews in 1492, by whichtime Qabalistic dogma was beginning to exert a profound influence oninternational Jewry and Christian scholars alike. During their sojourn in Spain the Jewish community was in a particularlyadvantageous position because of their knowledge of both Arab languagesand culture and those of the European Christians. They were therefore oftenused as intermediaries in negotiations by both sides and consequentlybecame exposed to a rich variety of cultural experience and intellectualstimulation, which they made full use of in their religious and philosophicaltexts. The “School of Segovia” was another extremely important center oflearning. Here the emphasis was on the practice of exegesis, variousQabalistic techniques being developed by which the scriptures could bemade to yield up a wealth of hidden meanings. It is in this school that manyof the methods of the Literal Qabalah were refined and codified intosomething like the form they have now. One of the more notable Qabalists of this early period was the amazingAbraham Abulafia (1240–1295). As an example of burning devotion andevangelical fervor Abulafia was without peer. He it was who attempted(unsuccessfully) to convert Pope Nicholas III to Judaism and who musttherefore be accounted the supreme optimist of his or any other age. Abulafia was possibly the first Qabalist to feel the necessity to publish thepreviously secret doctrine and practices. He said of himself, “no otherQabalist before me wrote explicit books on this subject,” and in this ofcourse he was right, but it was also to be expected that he would suffer thenot inconsiderable antagonism of his colleagues as a result of hispresumption. In spite of Abulafia's commendable attempts at pursuing apolicy of “freedom of information” not one of his thirty-five or more workswere actuallyIn accordance with the nature andfunction of the fifth sphere what cannot be repaired or adapted for furtherdevelopment is mercilessly destroyed. The order of angels in Geburah is the Seraphim, the Fiery Serpents, “theexalted angels of wrath.” The Order of Qliphoth is the Golachab, “theFlaming Ones,” a name very similar to that of the order of angels. In a sensethe action of both the angelic and Qliphothic orders in Geburah are similar.Both are dynamic, energetic and powerful. The difference lies in the factthat, whereas the angels of Geburah work according to the totality of thesphere's potential, in Justice as well as in Strength, the Qliphoth areunrestrained and unbalanced in their activity. The power and strength ofGeburah is then perverted into wanton destruction and vicious tyranny.As might be expected the gods associated with Geburah are, for the mostpart, an unlovely and aggressive collection. Ares, originally Thracian butadopted (after a fashion) by the Greeks, personifies the warrior aspect ofGeburah but never really developed sufficient complexity of character to betruly typical of the sphere in any comprehensive way. In a sense Ares ismore akin to the Qliphothic Geburah than to the Sephirah as a whole. Hewas a figure noted for his violent anger, vicious bloodletting, and generalwickedness, who wasn't much liked it seems even by his own worshippers.Not surprisingly (he was after all a far from ideal parental role model) hewas the father of Deimos (terror) and Phobos (hate) after whom the moonsof Mars are named. Another Greek god, Hades, is sometimes attributed to Geburah, althoughthis assignation is strictly in respect of his aspect as a god of fire, ratherthan in his better known role of Lord of the Underworld. Interestingly, asLord of the Underworld, Hades assumes the mantle of Pluto, the namesakeof the planet which is considered by modern astrologers to be the correctruler of the sign of Scorpio, previously thought to be under the rulership ofMars. This attribution is not universally accepted even now however, withsome astrologers preferring to assign a joint rulership. Thor (originally called Donar), is the Norse correspondence. He was amassive red-bearded direct sort of deity, who revelled in physical activity,especially of the fighting/drinking/eating/copulating variety, but is analtogether better rounded character then Ares and much more popular withhis adherents. The Roman, Mars, a god of war towards the latter part of his career, is alsoa more comprehensive figure for the fifth Sephirah than the simple warriorgod of Greece. At the beginning of his career, and most appropriately forthe initiatory sphere of Geburah, he was a god of the spring. The month ofMarch, first point of Aries (the vernal equinox), and the beginning of thesolar year, takes its name from Mars. He was also reputed to be father ofRomulus and Remus, mythological founders of the city and culture thatepitomizes both the best and the worst of Geburic values. For Thelemites the most important god to be associated with Geburah, andthe one in which its qualities are best exemplified, is Horus, particularlywhen viewed as the “Lord of Force and Fire.” Horus is a dual god havingtwo distinct aspects. One is that of the “Concealed Child,” Hoor-paar-Kraator Harpocrates, the Lord of Silence who contains within himself allunmanifest possibilities. This aspect of Horus, the “Babe in the Egg of Blue,” is both the Fool of thetarot, and a representation of the Holy Guardian Angel. Hoor-paar-Kraatmay be considered the god's negative potency, while the positive element inhis make-up is that of Ra-Hoor-Khuit, the activated dynamic twin. He is a“God of war and of vengeance,” the aspect of the duad that best typifies theGeburic principle; both initiating and cleansing through the fires ofdestruction, and establishing his rule with a harsh uncompromising justice. Even though it is the fiery aspect of Horus that most obviously relates toGeburah, and that which is of particular concern to us here, it must not beforgotten that he is indeed a dual god, and one with a complex set ofattributes. He blends the dynamism of the fifth Sephirah with the quietcontainment of the third Supernal, linking Geburah with Binah; as heproclaims in Liber AL vel Legis: “I am the Hawk-Headed Lord of Silence& of Strength; my nemyss shrouds the night-blue sky” (AL, 3:70).In the classical three-fold division of man, Geburah is the second Sephirahof the Ruach. The particular element of the Ruach's own fivefold divisionassigned to the sphere is, naturally enough, that of the faculty or function ofWill. The human will is a real and powerful force that recognizes no limit to whatit may achieve. The will of the magician, trained and directed, is thereforethe most valuable weapon in his armory. The two major requirements forsuccessful magical work are will and imagination; the latter being a facultyassociated with Tiphareth, next in order of emanation, and both need to bebrought to a high level of activity and control. Will may be likened to a current or carrier wave that is capable of beingprojected into any sphere or situation but which has to be modulated byimagination in order to configure itself to the particular requirements of thework in hand. It is a force available to every individual on the planet to useas they might. The tragedy is that it is more often their uncontrolled willwhich uses them. Will, in the sense that a magician might use the term, is above and beyondmere desire, indeed there is often a painful conflict between them. Oneobvious example of this is found in the case of growing numbers of peopletrying to lose weight or to stop smoking. It is presumably the will of theseindividuals to improve their physical condition and hopefully thereby toenhance the length and quality of their lives, but this involves an oftendesperate struggle against the desire for one more cream bun or anothercigarette. If the will is strong enough to overcome the want then all is welland the successful individual achieves the goal of a healthier life. But, asthe frequency with which one encounters overweight magicians withpermanent smokers-cough testifies, will is not always the victor in the battleagainst desire, even among those who have devoted a good part of theirlives to its study and development. One might say that will arises out of the life-condition andspiritual/biological destiny of the individual, whereas want is a transientdistraction arising primarily from cultural conditioning, over-attachment tosensual pleasures and material possessions, and not infrequently, fromfeelings of insecurity and personal inadequacy. Of course there is no reasonat all why we should not enjoy the manifold pleasures of our materialworld. After all we would hardly have put ourselves to the considerablebother of incarnation just to eschew the very things that make this earthlyplane such fun. For as Nuit herself says: “But there are means and means.Be goodly therefore: dress ye all in fine apparel; eat rich food and drinksweet wines and wines that foam! Also, take your fill and will of love as yewill, when, where and with whom ye will! But always unto me” (AL, 1:51). As long as one is able to identify will and want, and learns to discriminatebetween them, and further, does not allow the latter to flourish at theexpense of the former, a whole world of sensual pleasure is opened up forour use and enjoyment (although the would-be adept might be well advisedto meditate on the meaning of the last sentence of Nuit's proclamationbefore embarking on a life-long debauch, for she lays a heavy responsibilityon her followers). Lacking any clear understanding of the nature and function of will theindividual is often at the mercy of powerful but barely recognized internalforces. A will that is disregarded or actively suppressed will exactitsvengeance in no uncertain terms. The appropriate image here is that of afire, will's ancient symbol, which if not contained and directed towards apositive purpose will rapidly spread out of control and consume everythingin its path. If an undirected will is a danger, then much more so is one thatis suppressed, for unlike our analogy of the fire, the will cannot beconveniently controlled by smothering and depriving it of its equivalent ofoxygen, for there is always plenty for it to feed upon in the murkier cornersof the human unconscious. For a more extended, but still brief, discussion on the nature of will thestudent is recommended to read Crowley's Liber II, “The Message of theMaster Therion,” which may be found in the “Blue” Equinox (vol. 3 no. 1)and elsewhere.As this is the fifth Sephirah the symbols of Geburah include all five-sidedobjects and figures; for instance the pentagon, a figure that seems to have aparticular affinity with matters martial, particularly when used as a buildingplan. The five-petalled rose so beloved of Tudor England is another symbolof Geburah, once again due mainly to its numerical correspondence. Thegeneric rose is the flower of Netzach, the seventh Sephirah, an intimation ofthe relationship between these diagonal opposites which parallels thatbetween the mythological figures of Mars and Venus. Other symbols, such as the sword and the spear, are of a more overtly war-like nature, and may in fact have a dual function as weapons. The swordcan be used in a number of ways, as a simple weapon of destruction or asthe means of cutting the Gordian Knot. As a symbol of the intellect thesword may also be taken to refer to the five Sephiroth of the Ruachcombined and is often used to represent the analytical faculty of theritualist. Swords are also used in Geburic ritual work as an appropriateweapon of Mars; for instance in the “Supreme Ritual,” an invocation ofHorus. The spear also symbolizes more than its obviously destructive charactermight at first suggest, and may be considered another phallic representationas well as an image of directness and concentration of effort. The scourge is sometimes given as a symbol of Geburah, presumablybecause of its punitive character, but strictly speaking this is the magicalweapon of the sphere. The chain likewise, though often given as a symbol,is properly a weapon. The scourge is made from iron, the metal ofMars/Geburah which represents severity; copper, the metal ofVenus/Netzach which represents love, though on a lower arc than that foundin Chesed; and lead, the metal of Saturn/Binah which suggests austerity andthe passage of time. It is essentially a weapon of severity, the use of whichencourages the adept in his aspirations. In ritual use it has less to do withactual mortification of the flesh than as a means of reminding the magicianto keep his mind on the task. The classic images of Osiris risen show the god holding two weaponscrossed against his chest, the Scourge of Geburah and the Crook of Chesed— Severity and Mercy conjoined and brought to the sphere of Tiphareth,the realm of the sacrificed gods. The chain restricts any tendency to mental wandering or wool gathering onthe part of the magician, and serves to bind his thoughts to the work. It ismade from iron, the martial metal, and has 333 links, that being the numberof Choronzon, the Demon of Dispersion, and is itself a “restriction untoChoronzon” by not allowing such dispersion to occur in respect of themagician's power of concentration.The magical image is that of a powerful bearded warrior, armed andarmored, standing ready to smite the unjust. Alternatively he may bevisualized driving in his chariot at the head of an army.The virtue or transcendental morality of the sphere is energy, which in viewof the nature of Geburah hardly needs further explanation. Likewise thealternative virtue of courage is self-explanatory, except perhaps to say thatcourage, like true strength, is not necessarily overt and may be cloaked inan outer garment of apparent mildness. Courage and Fear are both featuresof Geburah and are closely linked, the former being impressive only to thedegree that the latter is overcome.The magical grade is Adeptus Major 6°= 5 whose task is to obtain a generalmastery of the forms of practical magick of the second rank “althoughwithout comprehension,” and also to develop “absolute self-reliance.”The magical power or spiritual experience of Geburah is the “Vision ofPower.” In this Sephirah the adept must learn to master the use of powerwithout himself being mastered by it. He will, through his initiation into thesphere, be possessed of a great potential to influence and control others onthe lower levels of the path by the force of his will and the magnetism of hisenhanced personality. The adept must be aware of this and exercise hisinfluence with care and discrimination, and always in the knowledge that“every man and every woman is a star” (AL, 1:3).The vices inherent in Geburah have been touched on above and are obviousinversions or exaggerations of the sphere's principal characteristics. Atendency towards cruelty and destruction, the two traditional vices, mayseem to be implicit in the nature of the forces that flow from Geburah, but,as we have seen, these are completely neutral in themselves. It is theirexpression in inappropriate ways that deems them “good” or evil.”The colors in the four worlds are: in Atziluth, an orange, suggestive of thesphere's blazing energy, and in Briah, the scarlet red of fire, traditional colorof Mars. In Yetzirah we find the admixture of the previous colors to be abright scarlet, while in Assiah we again encounter a red but one nowflecked with black which indicates the influence of the Supernal Sephirothof Binah immediately above and also the gravitational pull of Malkuthbelow.The mythical basilisk is considered to be the animal that best representsGeburah, as it was reputed to slay its victim by the power of the “flame ofits glance” (777). What shield of Ajax could avoid their deathBy the Basilisk whose pestilential breathDoth pearce firm Marble, and whose banefull eyeWounds with a glance, so that the wounded dye.—Du Bartas, Divine Weeks & Works 1606Oak and hickory are attributed to the sphere on account of their extremehardness, and nettle because of its burning sting. The Nettle also has apronounced astringent effect with excellent blood-purifying properties, itsenergetic action being highly appropriate to Geburah. Nux vomica isanother plant that is applicable to Geburah when prepared as a drug. Othercompatible drugs include atropine, because of its stimulating nature and itsuse as an antidote to overdoses of opiates, and cocaine, again because of itsstimulating action, although by this logic amphetamines would also qualify. Tobacco has been given as Geburah's aromatic, but Crowley and othershave not found this to be an entirely satisfactory attribution. Howevertobacco is often consumed in large quantities when enervated and creativelyactive, as a brief inspection of the overflowing ashtrays of many writers andartists would confirm. In this way there might be found a connection, albeittentative, between Geburah's mundane chakra, Mars, a planet of energy andstriving, and the pernicious weed.The ruby is associated with Geburah for the most obvious of reasons, itscolor, which is suggestive of blood and of fire. The ancients believed thatthe stone contained an inner heat, powerful enough to boil water once thesecret of releasing it was known. Interestingly, in the light of Geburah'srelationship with Chesed, the ruby crystal has for centuries been a symbolof undying love. It is also claimed to aid regeneration of the subtle heart-center, the chakra of which is jointly attributed by Crowley to Chesed,Geburah, and Tiphareth. To Geburah is assigned the four fives of tarot,a doleful collection as maybe guessed from their titles: the five of Wands, “Strife”; The five of Cups,“Disappointment”; the five of Swords, “Defeat”; and the five of Disks,“Worry”. As Crowley says in his Book of Thoth: “the introduction of thenumber Five shows the idea of motion coming to the aid of that matter. Thisis quite a revolutionary conception; the result is a complete upset of thestatically stabilised system. Now appear storm and stress.”CHAPTER 11TIPHARETHBEAUTYHARMONYThe Sixth Path is called the Intelligence of the Mediating Influence, becausein it are multiplied the influxes of the emanations, for it causes thatinfluence to flow into all the reservoirs of the Blessings, with which thesethemselves are united.—The Yetziratic TextTiphareth is the sixth Sephirah of the Holy Tree and the third sphere of thetriad of Olam-ha-Morgash. It occupies the central position of the glyph,equidistant between Kether and Malkuth on the Middle Pillar, the Pillar ofEquilibrium. It is in effect the Sephirothic equivalent of the Sun in our solarsystem in that the rest of the Tree appears to revolve about it. As theancients viewed the Sun as the very heart of the universe, so too canTiphareth be viewed as the heart of the Tree of Life. Tiphareth is held in balance between the physically manifest world ofMalkuth and the unmanifest primal energies of Kether. Likewise it issuspended between the polarities of the pillars of Mercy and Severity, thenegative and positive currents of the Tree. The sixth sphere might beconsidered as being Kether on a lower arc, and Yesod on a higher. It is bothSon and King, being the son of the Supernals, a particular reflection ofKether and the “apparent king” of Malkuth. Tiphareth functions as a bridge between the upper and lower Tree. It is thesphere in which God is made manifest and accessible to humanconsciousness; the unbearable brilliance of the Supernals reflected andveiled in such a manner that it becomes approachable by incarnate life.From the limited point of view of many exoteric belief-systems, in whichthere is little conception of a sequence of emanation, Tiphareth representsthe summit of spiritual ambition. It may appear to those whose onlyexperience of such matters is within the rather narrow frame of reference ofexoteric religion that Tiphareth is indeed the “King,” the pinnacle ofachievement, usurping the place of Kether. Rather as Daath may onoccasion be confused with the Supernal Glory, Tiphareth offers a similarsubtle but seductive trap which may discourage the unwary aspirant fromfurther labors on the Tree, believing that his work is done. Tiphareth brings about a reconciliation and equilibrium of the energiesexpressed in Chesed and Geburah. The two polarities are now balanced andbrought into harmony. By this union of the spheres of Mercy and Justice wenow approach Beauty, which is the generally accepted meaning of“Tiphareth.” The sixth Sephirah harmonizes and synthesises the energies of the otheremanations. It has an integrating function that follows from its strategicposition at the midpoint of the Tree's central column. It lies at the center ofa complex web of interrelationships with no fewer than eight paths leadingto and from it—nearly twice the number of any other sphere. With the soleexception of Malkuth these paths link Tiphareth with every other Sephirahof the Tree. To quote the Sepher Yetzirah, “in it are multiplied the influxesof the emanations, for it causes that influence to flow into all the reservoirsof the Blessings, with which these themselves are united.” Tiphareth is alsocentral to the pentad of the Ruach where it serves as the nexus of the fivecomponent spheres, and to the Sephiroth-ha-Benyin, or “Sephiroth ofConstruction.” Describing the net of relationships formed by the eight paths which linkTiphareth with the other Sephiroth as a “web” is especially apt as the spideris one of its magical animals. Like the arthropod, Tiphareth sits in the verycenter of its web, if not exactly controlling the space around it at leasthighly responsive to every twitch and vibration travelling through its widelyspread net. In this way the sixth sphere functions as the nerve andcommunication center of the entire Tree as well as its heart. “Tiphareth” is usually translated as “Beauty,” and it is by this English titlethat the Sephirah is most often called in medieval representations of theglyph. It might also be found with the names “Harmony,” “Reconciliation”or “Clemency” in some older Qabalistic documents, and even on occasionbe described as “Heaven.” An alternative name, Rahamin, meaning“Compassion,” is often used in the Zohar, with “Tiphareth” appearing onlyoccasionally, but this version is unlikely to be encountered outside of theZoharic texts themselves.The name of God in Tiphareth is IHVH Eloah ve-Daath, which means “TheLord God of Knowledge” or “God manifest in the sphere of the mind.” It iscomposed of two previously encountered names. The first, IHVH, orJehovah, commonly referred to as the Tetragrammaton, is the given name ofChokmah, the second Supernal, and means “To Be,” signifying the God ofelemental forces, while the second, again one with which we are alreadyfamiliar, is “Daath,” or “Knowledge.” It will be seen later that the word“knowledge” has a very specific technical meaning in the context ofTiphareth. In this one name we have a direct connection with the God nameof Chokmah, the first positive Sephirah and with Binah, the first negativeSephirah, both of whom contain the Tetragrammaton. There is also a reference to the sphere positioned immediately aboveTiphareth on the Middle Pillar. “Daath,” of course, is not itself a name ofGod but that of the “pseudo-Sephirah” which stands between the sixthemanation and the first and which seems to operate as a bridge between onemode of existence and another. By the repetition of this name Tiphareth andDaath are shown to have a close relationship, perhaps even a commonaltyof function, with Daath perhaps acting as Tiphareth's “Dark Twin.”Tiphareth's mundane chakra is, naturally enough, Shemesh, the Sun. TheSun is by far the largest body in our planetary system, weighing over 500times the total of all other local bodies, and accounting for 99.8% of thesystems matter. Around it revolve the ten known planets and countlesslesser bodies, held to their course by the gravitational pull of the centralstar. The Sun is the ultimate energy source for all life on Earth. Everything weconsume, all that enables our continued existence, is derived, directly orindirectly, from the power of the Sun. The very foods we eat, regardless oforigin, whether they be animal or vegetable, are little more thanmechanisms for converting and storing solar energy. In a real sense it can besaid that we live by eating the Sun. An acknowledgement of this central factof our material existence may be seen in the solar disk of the Eucharistwafer which mysteriously becomes the body and flesh of the Son, afterwhich transubstantiation it is ceremonially consumed. Without the Sun's beneficent influence it is doubtful if life could ever havedeveloped on this planet, and certainly not in any form that we would nowrecognize. And without the continued benefit of the Sun's warmingpresence, life would abruptly cease to be. We need adequate exposure tosolar rays to facilitate the production of essential vitamin complexes withinour bodies and for the general healing and tonic effects that the Sun hasupon our systems. Just how important the Sun is to us psychologically may be seen by thehigh incidence of depression and anxiety during a prolonged winter periodwhich in especially sensitive individuals may even lead to suicide. Recentstudies have shown that an effective way of relieving this by no meansuncommon suffering is to ensure a regular exposure to artificial lightsources that approximatethe rays of the Sun. It is impossible to over-emphasize the importance of the sphere of Shemeshto every area of life, for it is both the giver and the sustainer of that life. It ishardly surprising then that the Sun has played such a central role in themythologies of people from all quarters of the globe and has been firmlyidentified with the supreme creator in so many religions. Shemesh is indeedthe: “Lord visible and sensible of whom this earth is but a frozen sparkturning about… with annual and diurnal motion, source of light, source oflife” (Collect no.1, The Gnostic Mass, Liber XV).Astrologically, the Sun is taken to represent the creative principle. In apersonal birth chart it is usual to consider it as corresponding with the “trueunderlying self-hood” of the native and the power to express that sense ofself-hood in the world. Actually the matter is a little more complicated thanthis as it is important not to confuse the principle expressed by the Sun withthe native's essential individuality. It is rather to be thought of as themechanism by which the fractured psyche is integrated to form a cohesiveand coherent whole. Individuality as such is the product of the totality ofplanetary influences, and not the exclusive domain of any one sphere. Theintegrating function of the Sun in the human psyche is a precise mirror ofTiphareth's role on the Tree, harmonising and mediating the diverseelements that make the whole. On a more personal level the Sun in a natalchart is taken to signify the subject's father figure, either the natural fatheror the dominant male influence in early life. In astrology the usual symbol for the Sun is a circle with a dot in its center.In terms of Thelemic imagery the circle is that of Nuit, infinite and eternal,while the dot is Hadit, spirit of primal motion. This symbol immediatelyrelates the Sun of Tiphareth to the sphere of Kether, as the dot within thecircle is also one of the first Sephirah's own symbols. Another commonglyph used to symbolize the Sun is the solar cross or swastika which is, likethe dot within the circle, also a symbol of Kether, suggesting a swirlingoutward of primal creative energy.Among the several additional titles of Tiphareth is Zeir Anpin or the“Lesser Countenance.” This title is also on occasion applied collectively tothe Sephiroth below the Abyss. Once again we find a reference to the closerelationship existing between Tiphareth and Kether for the first Supernalhas as one of its subsidiary titles Arik Anpin, or “Vast Countenance.”Another common title is “The Son,” suggesting that Tiphareth is not onlythe sum of the preceding Sephiroth, but is a particular product of theSupernal Triad. In this way, according to one Christian interpretation, it ispossible to view Kether as “God the Father,” and Tiphareth as “God theSon.” It may also be titled Melekh, “The King,” husband of Malkah, “TheBride,” a subsidiary title of Malkuth. Thus Tiphareth again shows itself to be the “mediating intelligence” of theYetziratic Text, for as it lies balanced between the Primal Glory and theWorld of Actions it demonstrates its intimate relationship to both by theevocative imagery of its titles.In many modern works the Archangel of the sphere of Tiphareth is given asRaphael, “The Healing of God”; the being who stands in the eastern quarterof the element of air, first point of the risen Sun. However it will be foundin a number of the earlier Qabalistic treatises that a quite differentcorrespondence is given, for the Archangel Michael is also, withjustification, attributed to Tiphareth. Michael is known as “The Likeness ofGod,” or “The Perfect of God” and stands guard in the southern quarter,relating to the element of fire. Whereas Raphael's function as a healer isundoubtedly apt for Tiphareth, his elemental attribution of air would tend toplace him in the sphere of Hod which also has elements of the healing artscontained within its hermetic mysteries. Michael, whose Kerub rules thesign of Leo (itself under the rulership of the Sun), is an excellent substitutefor the commonly assigned figure of Raphael; given his elementalcorrespondence and the fact that his name, “The Likeness of God,” recallsthe close relationship of Tiphareth with Kether. Note too that Michael is ahealer, but one who heals deep-seated disease and not surface woundswhich are the province of Raphael. Michael heals in the only true andlasting manner, holistically from within, by restoring balance and harmonyto the diseased system, whereas Raphael concentrates his energies onbinding together ruined flesh and protecting it from infection by outsideagencies, a mode that is more appropriate to the sphere of Hod. Qabalah is, however, an eminently flexible tool, the traditional dogma ofwhich, though valuable, can in no way replace personal experience. As thestudent develops his own appreciation and understanding of the Tree he willfind that the researches and speculations of others, be they ever so revered,are nevertheless not always easily reconciled with his own experiences andunderstanding. Working with the Tree of Life requires both science and artif it is to be fruitful; the methodical, critical experimentation of the scientist,mixed with the intuitive genius of the artist. Essentially the message is: if itfeels right it probably is right; and if it's not, you can be quite sure that youwill soon be brought to recognize your error.Tiphareth has two orders of associated angels; Malakim, “Kings,” “Royalangels of the middle place”; and the Shinanim, whose name in Hebrew issuggestive of fire and spirit and who seem to be a more balanceddevelopment of the Seraphim found in the preceding sphere of Geburah. Itis however the Malakim who are most often to be found assigned toTiphareth in modern Qabalistic studies.The associated order of Qliphoth is the Thagirion, or “Litigators,” whobring disruption and discord where once was harmony; enmity and schism,where before existed only unity and balance. The Thagirion may bedescribed as a grosser form of the Thaumiel or “Contending Heads” ofKether.The sixth Sephirah not only has two orders of angels it also has the uniquedistinction of having two magical powers or spiritual experiences. The firstis the “Vision of the Harmony of Things,” a descriptive title that is largelyself-explanatory. The sphere of Tiphareth is quintessentially a place ofharmony and reconciliation, the achievement of which confers the ability toperceive the essential “interconnectedness” of all creation and an instinctiveawareness of the rhythm of the universe. The first power of Tipharethshows its adept the “spiritual musculature” of the natural world; the verysinews of creation that are both its support and motivation. The initiate isbrought to recognize the spiritual principles behind manifest forms and tounderstand that those forms are but specific expressions of the Godhead. Inthis way does the vision of harmony slowly become the experience ofharmony. The second of Tiphareth's magical powers is the “Vision of the Mysteries ofthe Crucifixion,” which may be approached on a personal level or on thelevel of the cosmic Redeemer figure common to many mythologies, whotakes on himself the sins of the world and then absolves its people of guiltby a magical act of sacrifice. Tiphareth is known as “the sphere of thesacrificed gods,” and as we shall see many such are assigned to it. However,times change, aeons progress and our understanding grows as, hopefully,does the ability of mankind to accept its faults along with its virtues. Asociety that is able to recognize its essential divinity and is prepared toaccept responsibility for its own actions has little need for a god to sacrifice.There are today a growing number who would echo the words of the “Massof the Phoenix” and say: “There is no grace: there is no guilt: this is theLaw; DO WHAT THOU WILT!” Nevertheless,the image of the sacrificed god and of the crucifixion inparticular is a potent and seductive one. And while it may be that themagical formula expressed therein is abrogate in this our fledgling aeon, thesubject is still deserving of serious study and the respect due to a onceentirely appropriate expression of the relationship between man and hisGod. After all, the mystery of the crucifixion was central to the life andwork of many of the finest minds of the last two thousand years, and it stillcontains much of significance and value if we can but free ourselves of theaccumulated detritus of twenty centuries of cultural conditioning andsuperstition. On a personal level Tiphareth requires that we engage in an act ofdedication that has many of the hallmarks of sacrifice, for the virtue of thesphere is “Devotion to the Great Work.” And yet the concept of sacrifice isperhaps rather inappropriate here for the term suggests the voluntaryabandonment of something held to be of value or importance, or moreoften, something that gives pleasure and satisfaction to the aspirant butwhich is felt, in some way, to hinder his development. Commonly it is thevery difficulty of the act of renunciation that is thought to confer somespecial state of grace. The efficaciousness of a sacrifice is then held to bedirectly related to the worth to the individual of the thing sacrificed. But asthere can be nothing of greater importance to the individual or the race thanthe furtherance and eventual accomplishment of the Great Work, all otherconsiderations pale into insignificance. This is not to say that the work is always easy, or that the aspirant will notbe beset with distraction and temptation, but with such a goal in view howcan ignoring the snares and distractions of the path be considered sacrifice?The Great Work to which the virtue of Tiphareth binds its initiate, beginswith the consciousness of the adept's innermost divinity. The adept throughhis devotion to the work seeks to rediscover his own heritage, to function tohis full potential on all planes of existence and to reintegrate the fragmentedcomponents of his extended being into a harmonious whole, becoming inthe process nothing less than a god. Before we leave the subject of sacrifice it might be worth returning to itsprime exemplar and ask ourselves what degree of personal sacrifice wasdemonstrated by Christ's Crucifixion. Although without doubt anunimaginable degree of pain must have been suffered on that awful cross itis nevertheless the case that (according to scripture) the end result of thecrucifixion process was that Jesus was reunited with his Father in Heaven,resuming his former discarnate condition, his work on Earth being largelycompleted for this phase of revelation. It could well be argued that the truesacrifice of Christ occurred at the beginning of his life and not at the end,and that therefore the real sacrifice was the trauma of incarnation and notthe release of crucifixion.It should now come as no surprise to anyone having read thus far that theclassic vice of Tiphareth is pride.The gods of Tiphareth include many of those most closely associated withits mundane chakra, Shemesh or Sol. The great Egyptian sun god, Ra, is anobvious correspondent of the sphere, as are the solar deities of numerousother mythologies from the Pacific rim to the ice-bound fjords of northernEurope. Hoor-paar-Kraat, or Harpocrates, the “Babe in the Egg of Blue,” isplaced in Tiphareth as he is the Child and the Center, even as Tiphareth isthe Child and Center of the Holy Tree. Harpocrates is also considered torepresent the Holy Guardian Angel, whose area of activity this is. Similarlythe figure of Iacchus in his aspect as Holy Guardian Angel, is also assignedhere. Apollo, one of the twelve Olympians of ancient Greece, represents anumber of Tiphareth attributes. He was the god of the Sun's light, in whichcapacity he was called Phoebus “the shining one,” a god of reason andyouthful masculinity, and later of healing and scholarship. The slain and risen gods of this sphere include, as well as the figure ofChrist: Osiris, Adonis (whose name is a corruption of the Hebrew for“Lord”), Dionysus, equivalent to the Roman, Bacchus, the Phrygian springgod, Attis, self-castrating consort of the goddess Cybele and anotherPhrygian deity, the flute-playing spirit of nature, Marsyas, who was tied to atree and flayed alive by Apollo. The painful history of this last god gives usa timely reminder that the Sun may burn as well as warm; blind as well asilluminate. Its rays bring forth life from the fertile soil but may also socorrupt that life that it becomes a travesty and an abomination. With arapidly depleting ozone layer we are already seeing the damage which theunshielded might of the Sun can cause on the unprotected earth. Mutationsand carcinomas in both plant and animal alike are on the increase whiledrought and famine, although always with us, seem to increase in severitywith each passing year. Like any source of power, and there are few greater, the Sun must beapproached with some caution and in a proper state of preparedness. Aswith its mundane chakra the sphere of Tiphareth also has a potentiallydamaging aspect that is disregarded at peril. As one would not gaze withunprotected eyes at the Sun in its glory, so the would be adept must ensurethat he or she is properly equipped in knowledge and purity to face thesearing light of the sixth Sephirah and partake in the rites thereof. Perhaps the most complete personification of the destructive aspect of theSun is in fact a goddess, Sekhmet, wife of the creator deity Ptah. Sekhmet,“the terrible one,” was a goddess of war and of battles before whom evenmighty serpentdemon, Apophis, was abased, but she was also patroness ofthe healing arts and of magick in general. A very complex figure, Sekhmethas of late become something of an icon of the Human PotentialsMovement and a potent symbol of self-transformation. She must needs beapproached with caution however for hers is the scorching breath of thesouthern Sun which, while it might cauterise wounds and disease, may alsoimmolate the unworthy or unprepared.In the traditional tri-partite division of man we have seen that the fiveSephiroth from Chesed to Hod comprise the Ruach or intellectual function.Tiphareth stands at the center of the Ruach and represents the faculty of theimagination, which we have already touched on in connection withGeburah. Of all the many aspects of this exceedingly complex and underestimatedfaculty it is the ability to use creative visualization that is of mostimmediate importance to the practical Qabalist. Visualization techniques ofone sort or another are required in virtually all magical workings. Amagician must be able to construct and sustain complicated mental imagesfor long periods of time. These images may vary from classical god-forms,angelic and archangelic beings, environments specific to individual pathsand other more or less complex ideas, through to pure symbol and color.Time spent in developing a controlled creative imagination will be repaidmany times over when it comes to practical work on the Tree. Along with atrained will, a trained imagination is an absolute prerequisite for successfulmagical work. However, the student should not make the mistake of believing that,because imagination plays such an important part in Qabalistic and generaloccult work, the subject itself is built on illusion. This is emphatically notthe case. The imaginative faculty allows us access to planes, realms, worlds,call them what you will, that are every bit as real (or unreal) as the materialworld with which we are so familiar. It is perhaps more accurate to think ofimagination as being a personal key to these realms rather than as the solecreator and sustainer of them. Increasingly, orthodox disciplines are coming to recognizethe powerlocked in the human imagination. Exercises are prescribed for cancersufferers, among others, which utilize this power and which are capable ofproducing astonishing results. Visualization techniques have provenparticularly effective in stress-reduction and relaxation exercises, many ofwhich are in fact variations on the Qabalistic Middle Pillar Exercisepopularized by Israel Regardie. Some modern psychotherapies use guidedimagination as a means of exploring and exposing deep-seated drives andcomplexes, and also as a way of safely approaching the more painful areasof a patient's life, which they might otherwise be unable to confront. Such methods are especially effective in overcoming phobic conditions inwhich the individual may be utterly unable to face their fears in the “real”world. By imagining detailed scenarios in which patients, in the safety ofthe therapist's consulting room, progressively approach the object of theirphobias, they are able to familiarize themselves with all aspects of thatphobia and hopefully so “defuse” the fear on an imaginative level that itbecomes possible to cope with it in the world at large. There is an obviousparallel between these techniques and traditional magical working wherethe main emphasis is on manipulation and modification of natural forces intheir more subtle aspects, leading to an analogous effect occurring in thematerial world.The symbols of Tiphareth include all six-sided figures such as the cube andthe truncated pyramid. The various forms of hexagram may also beincluded, but it should be noted that these are assigned to Tiphareth becauseof their quality of “sixness” and not for the significance of any individualfigure. For example, the hexagram of water may be assigned to the sixthsphere only because it is composed of six discrete lines and not for itselemental symbolism. Various forms of the cross are found in Tiphareth, mirroring the multi-faceted nature of the emanation. The solar cross, also known as the fylfotcross and swastika, is shared with Kether as a symbol. The equal-armed“nature cross” can also be attributed to Tiphareth representing as it does theequilibrium of natural forces, the elements in balance and harmony. The Calvary Cross or “Cross of Suffering” must be considered an especiallyapt symbol for the sphere for reasons which hardly need explaining. It isundoubtedly the cruciform most readily brought to mind by the averageoccidental, to whom it has acted as a beacon and a promise for the last twothousand years. The figure of the Rose-cross, which is less familiar than theCalvary Cross to the non-initiate, is also assigned to Tiphareth, and theachievement of the sphere's magical grade marks the entry of the adept intothe inner order of that name.The magical image may take the form of either a majestic king, youthful inappearance; a young child, perhaps as the image of the young Horus; or asacrificed god, of which there are a goodly number from which to choose.Tiphareth's magical weapon is the lamen, the symbol worn upon the breastof the magician representing the nature of the forces with which he isworking. The breast, and the heart in particular, is the area of the physicalbody which corresponds with the sixth Sephirah.The Anahata or heart chakra, which on the subtle body is located in thiscentral region, is not assigned to Tiphareth alone but to all the Sephiroth ofthe Triad of Olam-ha-Morgash, although the sixth Sephirah is undoubtedlythe prime focus of its function.The magical grade is that of Adeptus Minor 5° = 6 . Its achievementrequires that the aspirant has attained to the first of the two critical stages ofhis magical progress, this being the “Knowledge and Conversation of theHoly Guardian Angel.” As Crowley writes in Book Four Part II: “The taskof attaining to this Knowledge and Conversation is the sole task of him whowould be called Adept.” What then is a “Holy Guardian Angel” (abbreviated as HGA for theremainder of this essay)? There are two schools of thought on this matter;one which claims that it is a superior aspect of the individual, and which itvariously describes as the “true self,” the “higher genius,” or the“Augoeides”; the other, which insists that it is a separate entity altogether,having no current or historical relationship to the adept except in so far as ithas taken on the responsibility for a certain stage of his or her magicalcareer. The concept of an HGA as being a manifestation of the self, acreature within, a sort of “superme” or “myself-raised-to-the-nth power,” isperhaps the view most acceptable to modern occultists, but it also has along historical pedigree. Exponents of Abulafia's methods of prophetic Qabalism, using Yogicbreathing and rigorous meditation exercises, have written of theirconfrontations with prophesying entities in terms which strongly suggestwhat might be termed “HGA experiences,” and which seem to identify suchbeings with their own higher selves. For instance in Rabbi Abraham IbnEzra's commentary on Daniel 10:21 he says that, “In prophecy the one whohears is a human being and the one who speaks is a human being.” This isin accordance with the words of another of Abulafia's contemporaries whowrote that we should “Know that the complete secret of prophecy consistsfor the prophet in that he suddenly sees the shape of his self standing beforehim and he forgets his self and it is disengaged from him and he sees theshape of his self before him talking to him and predicting the future.” And afellow commentator of the same period records the following experience: “Icall heaven and earth to witness that one day I sat and wrote down aQabalistic secret; suddenly I saw the shape of myself standing before meand myself disengaged from me and I was forced to stop writing” (MajorTrends in Jewish Mysticism). In the context of the full passage it is clear that the last writer is describing agenuine confrontation with an aspect of himself that is beyond any knownto him previously, and not, for instance, an experience of what might becalled involuntary bi-location. Self-confrontation of this sort wasconsidered by these early Qabalists to be an experience greater even thanapprehension of the divine light that was a notable product of their religiousecstasy. It is probable that most members of the Golden Dawn considered the HGAto be just this sort of higher-self, and Crowley himself, at the beginning ofhis magical career, saw no reason to dispute this interpretation, although inthe latter part of his life he took the opposite view. In the letter entitled“This ‘Self’ Introversion” published in Magick Without Tears, Crowleymakes it quite clear that, as he puts it, “the Angel is an actual Individualwith his own Universe, exactly as a man is: or for the matter of that, abluebottle.” Many of those subscribing to the belief that the HGA is a separate entity,and some would go so far as to say that any assertion to the contrary is notfar short of blasphemy, see the angel as a highly evolved soul—a masterwho has elected to selflessly assist the younger brethren along that pathwhich ultimately we all must tread. The HGA is therefore not an elevatedabstraction of the individual, nor a wish fulfilment of that individual'slonging for perfection and omnipotence, but an external and objective beingin its own right. Proponents of the separate entity theory claim that the validity of theirposition is demonstrated by the fact that HGA's frequently evinceknowledge and understanding of an order far above any that could bepossessed by an incarnate individual; and that associated angels do not ingeneral share the personal characteristics and mannerisms of their “clients,”although they of necessity share the same class or type of will. Also, certainof these angels may be identified as historical figures. In some cases theseare teachers and initiators whose historyand appearance is verifiable, andwho therefore cannot be easily dismissed as projections of the aspirant'sunconscious mind. Whatever view is taken of the nature and origins of the HGA there can beno doubt that the achievement of Knowledge and Conversation is thecrowning glory of the early magical career. The relationship between anadept (for such may he now be termed) and his angel is intense andintimate. At one and the same time he (or she) may be a father/mother,brother/sister, critic, lover, friend, taskmaster, and guru. The phrase “knowledge and conversation” should not be taken to meansimply that one is aware of the presence of, and able to communicate with,the angel; such would be closer to the power of Malkuth, the “Vision of theHoly Guardian Angel.” The knowledge referred to in the title is morecomplete than mere recognition of an entity's existence. It is closer inessence to the biblical usage of the term, up to and including full sexualexperience. Once having attained to the full power of Tiphareth, the adept isarmed with his most formidable weapon, which will not desert him untilthat second great crisis of his magical career when he is at last to confrontthe Abyss.The colors of the four worlds in Tiphareth are, in Atziluth, a clear rose pinksuggesting the dawning of a new age, deepening and thickening in Briah toyellow. In Yetzirah the combination of the previous two colors produces arich salmon pink, while in Assiah is seen a golden amber color whichcombines the gold of the harvest field with the dawn of the day.The animals assigned to this sphere are the Lion, which is the naturalanimal of the Sun; the spider, on account of the symmetry of its web, andthe phoenix, an especially apt symbol for the work of the Adeptus Minor.Another creature which is appropriate to the aspect of “redeemer” inTiphareth is the pelican, who was thought to feed its young by the self-sacrificial act of stabbing its own breast and making available its life-bloodas a food for its offspring.The acacia is assigned to Tiphareth as it is the traditional plant symbol ofthe resurrection. The oak, considered a solar tree by the Druids, is anothertraditional correspondence, but one which is also sacred to Jove or Jupiteras its distinctive forked branching is somewhat reminiscent of athunderbolt. Many other plants have found their way into Tiphareth'sextensive table of correspondences including bay and laurel, both sacred toApollo; and the vine which is sacred to Dionysus. Another strongly solarplant that is very much of this sphere is ash, a wood used in themanufacture of certain types of wand. The final plant of note is gorse, the“burning bush” of Moses, which in full flower suggests the very Sun by itsmultitude of bright yellow flowers. Gorse is also the plant symbol of theGreat Work, adopted as the heraldic emblem of the A∴A∴.The typical drugs of the sixth emanation tend to be cardiac stimulants ofone sort or another, either actually or apparently. These include digitalis,stramonium and caffeine. Alcohol is also included as being appropriate forDionysus, although strictly speaking only grape wine is entirely accurate.Tiphareth's precious stones include the golden topaz, because of its solarcolour, and the yellow diamond because it suggests a reflection of Kether inthe lower sphere. Topaz means “fire” in Hindu and has the property ofstimulating dreams and relieving stress. In medical usage they have agenerally revitalizing function and are considered particularly beneficial forpulmonary complaints. The lungs of course are part of the cardiac plexusruled by Tiphareth and provide the air principle to the fiery furnace of theheart.The four sixes of the Book of Thoth are assigned to Tiphareth and in each,the sixth Sephirah's first principle of harmony is found. The titles of thesecards are as follows: the six of Wands, “Victory”; the six of Cups,“Pleasure”; the six of Swords, “Science”; and the six of Disks, “Success.”“The four sixes are thus representative of their respective elements at theirpractical best” (Crowley, Book of Thoth).CHAPTER 12NETZACHVICTORYFIRMNESSThe Seventh Path is the Occult Intelligence, because it is the RefulgentSplendour of all the Intellectual virtues which are perceived by the eyes ofthe intellect, and by the contemplation of faith.—The Yetziratic TextNetzach is the last of the three Sephiroth on the positive pillar, the Pillar ofMercy. It is the seventh emanation and the first sphere of the third and finaltriad of the Tree. This triad is known as Olam-ha-Mevethau which meansthe “Material World.” We know from our investigation of the patterns onthe Tree that the traditional names of triads are far from satisfactory, and inthe case of this last arrangement, actually misleading. A title such as “The Material World” immediately conjures up the idea ofphysical reality, a condition that does not occur until the final Sephirah ofMalkuth. In Olam-ha-Mevethau we find the preliminary stages whichprepare the way for the emanation of a true material world. Here theemphasis is on the subtle forces that underpin and animate the manifestuniverse, but which are themselves, at least to the untrained eye, rarelyevident in that universe. The third triad represents power and stability. However the stability referredto here is the stability of change, and not the false stability of stagnation,reflecting a fundamental principle of Chokmah, at the opposite extreme ofthe pillar, that “Change is Stability.” As in the two preceding triads the maleor positive potency is manifested first, followed by the feminine or negativeprinciple, both finding their balance in a third sphere. The typical energies expressed by the two opposite elements in any giventriad may be described as “centrifugal,” i.e., tending to move away from thecenter and “centripetal,” tending to move towards the center. In the thirdsphere these two opposed energies are cancelled out and a state ofequilibrium is reached. The state of equilibrium that existed in Tiphareth,the pause and consolidation of the lighting flash in the descent of power, isnow over-thrown, for with Netzach we once again find ourselves in anactive, dynamic sphere full of enthusiasm and energetic assertiveness. Netzach is negative to both Chesed and Tiphareth but is positive to Hod andYesod. This is in keeping with the principle that the Sephiroth, regardless ofthe fact that each may be either positive or negative in themselves by virtueof their position on one of the pillars of manifestation, are always negativeto the Sephiroth that precede them and positive to those that succeed them. It will be found in Netzach that the sphere functions with pronounced“feminine” characteristics at times, but this should not be taken to mean thatthe polarity designation is in any way suspect. In the same way that Hod, an essentially feminine sphere, externalizes asmale, Netzach, although placed on the Pillar of Mercy, presents its typicalenergies as female. It is in fact the last Sephiroth in which the creativeenergy issuing ultimately from the Ain is in a fully fluid state for as itimpacts Hod, the bounds of form, although tenuous and largely intellectualin nature at this early stage, begin to severely limit its perfect freedom ofexpression. It is true that this process of limitation and fixation of free-flowing energiescommences in Binah and is continued in Geburah but its full effect is felt inHod which, being the last of the negative emanations, is subject not only tothe combined coercive influence of its sister spheres on the negativecolumn, but also to the increasingly powerful gravitational pull of Malkuth,below. The previous Sephiroth have been characterized by increasingly concreteand specialized functions. In Netzach we are still at a remove from ultimateconcretion, but nevertheless we are now entering realms wherethe degreeof abstraction becomes noticeably less and less. Netzach is often characterized as the realm of the “natural world” and as thesphere of the “group mind,” in contrast to the individual consciousnesswhich begins to develop in the eighth Sephirah. However the SepherYetzirah also describes Netzach as the “Occult Intelligence,” by which ismeant “that which is hidden from plain view,” and so we should expect tofind that the immediately apparent or more obvious characteristics of thesphere conceal deeper mysteries. As we have seen, the concept of the“natural world” does not refer to the world made manifest in any tangiblemanner but rather to the “spirit of nature” that animates it; the creativeprinciple that underlies the drive to growth and union. Here we find a reflection of the expansive quality of Chesed, which isNetzach's immediate superior on the Pillar of Mercy. The principle ofexpansion found in the seventh Sephirah differs from that found in thefourth due to the mediating influence of Tiphareth and the forceful,disciplining presence of Geburah which allows for a more controlled andbalanced expression of these energies. Balanced and controlled though the forces of Netzach may be incomparison with Chesed's mode of action, they are nevertheless imbuedwith an irrepressible exuberance and sheer lust for life. One has only tolook at the attribution of mundane chakras to these two spheres to see whythis should be, for between them they encompass both of the astrologicalbenefics; in the case of Chesed, Jupiter, “the greater benefic,” and withNetzach, Venus, the “lesser.”“Netzach” means “Victory” or “Triumph.” There are also a number ofsubsidiary names or titles which may throw further light on its nature, themost commonly encountered being “Firmness” and “Eternity.” On occasionthe last title may be found rendered as “Endurance,” or even in an extendedform as “The Lasting Endurance of God.”The name of God in this sphere is IHVH Tzabaoth, usually, if somewhatconfusingly, rendered as “The Lord of Hosts” or “Lord of Armies.” Hod,Netzach's opposite number on the Pillar of Severity, has as its God name,Elohim Tzabaoth, “God of Armies” or of “Hosts.” The Zohar describesthese two spheres thus: “Therefore these two Sephiroth are called: thearmies of IHVH,” and again: “By Triumph (Netzach) and Glory (Hod), wecomprehend extension, multiplication and force; because all the forceswhich were born into the universe went out of their bosom, and it is for thisreason, that these two Sephiroth are called; the armies (hosts) of IHVH.” Issac Myer says: “These Sephiroth are called, Netzach, i.e. Triumph, themale or positive, sometimes termed Victory; and the female or negative,called Hod, i.e. Glory or Splendour; by which two, sometimes termed bythe Qabalists, the arms (sic) of God; the Zohar intends the centripetal andcentrifugal energies and potentialities, in the entire universe” (Qabbalah). Itis clear from this, and from the duplication of the second element of thename, that these two Sephiroth, like Chesed and Geburah before them, aredesigned to act in concert. Ancient Qabalistic doctrine stated that all “emanated and existing Things”are sourced from the ninth Sephirah, Yesod, the “Foundation,” which is thefocal point of the third triad, and which receives and harmonizes thepolarized essence of both Netzach and Hod. The input of energies fromthese two spheres results in the eventual emanation of these “existingThings” as they come into manifestation in Malkuth through the agency ofthe Foundation, for the Zohar declares that: “All the energies, forces andincrease in the universe, proceed through them.” Although Netzach ispreeminently a sphere of nature, in all its savage beauty, the sphere cannotreally be said to be creative in its own right. It is only in the latter stages ofYesod that there is any possibility of fertility and production. Netzach andHod together so condition the descending energies that they provoke inYesod an automatic creative response that comes to final fruition inMalkuth. Netzach is a realm of fire and emotion, qualities which of themselvessignify nothing, while Hod is able to cool and temper those roaring flamesand provide an intellectual framework, adding shape and direction beforepassing on the modified impulse to Yesod in a form suitable forincorporation in “The Treasure House of Images” that is the ninth Sephirah. The ancient Qabalists were quite right to consider Netzach and Hod to beinseparable in their function as the “armies of God” for without thecompensating action of its opposed sphere each of these Sephiroth isdangerously unstable. Like the combination of “The Twin Arms of God,”Chesed and Geburah, whose principles of Mercy and Judgement areinextricably linked, the powers represented by the seventh and eighthSephiroth need to be balanced against each other if they are to fulfil theirintended function. Although the ultimate integration of the energiesexpressed by any pair of opposed spheres is always to be found in the thirdpoint of their triad, in this case in Yesod, Netzach and Hod demand to beviewed as a working unit; two poles of a creative dynamo which dischargesinto the ninth Sephirah. Emotional energy alone can never develop into anything substantial orproductive without the organizing function of the intellect to direct itsunfocused force. Equally, intellect without feeling, devoid of all emotion, isa soulless and sterile condition from which little of lasting benefit may beexpected. In other words, Netzach's emotional responses humanize Hod'scold analytical approach to life, while Hod confers a welcome degree oforder on the chaotic maelstrom of Netzach's emotive outpourings. Where Netzach is very much a place of relationship and union, Hod issomething of an island unto itself. This is clear when we recall that Netzachis the Sephirah of the “group mind,” the collective consciousness in whichall created beings partake to a greater or lesser extent, while Hod is verymuch the sphere of the “individual mind” and is indeed the first point wheresuch a concept appears on the Tree.Netzach's mundane chakra is the “morning star” Venus, called Nogah, “TheShiner” and Hele Ben Shahar or “Son of Dawn” by the ancient Semites. Atone time it was held that the proper attribution was Mars, presumablybecause the element of Netzach is fire, but this suggestion, thoughinteresting, can be discounted entirely in favor of the planet Venus whichmore accurately reflects the nature and condition of the seventh sphere. Astrologically, Venus represents the principles of Unison and Harmony. In anatal chart the relative position of the planet and its aspects to the anglesand other bodies indicates the native's power of establishing relationships. The characteristics of Venus may best be understood by a brief look at thetwo signs of the zodiac of which it is ruler. The first, Taurus, is a fixed earthsign and suggests an earthy practicality with a particular fondness for thenatural world, an intense love of beauty in all its forms, and a deepappreciation of the bounty of the planet. Taurus is also a sign that confersgreat strength of character on its subject, who is apt to be somewhatstubborn and well prepared to defend what are considered to be its rightfulpossessions. The second sign is that of Libra, the sphere of balance, which is the cardinalair sign in the great wheel of the zodiac. Libra, like Taurus, is a sign muchconcerned with the ideals of beauty, and as the most dynamic of air signsone would expect its native to be highly communicative andcompanionable. The natural propensity of Libra is to promote harmony andreduce friction in all its areas of influence but while Taurus may becharacterized as essentially introverted, Libra is decidedly extroverted, andso goes about its mission in an outgoing and self-expressive manner whichthemore dour Bull sign may on occasion find rather irksome. We may summarise the main qualities of Venus as having great innerstrength and tenacity, which is often underestimated or altogetherdisregarded; a powerful drive to establish harmony and to relate closely toothers; and a keen appreciation of beauty in all its forms. The planet alsohas a close affinity with growing things, and the world of nature in general.This small selection of Venusian characteristics, along with its many others,may be reduced to the one word which seems to sum up the essence of theplanet, Love. We have already discussed in the chapter dealing with Chesed the nature oflove as it pertains to the principle of change, and we have also seen that thetriad of the “Material World” is the triad of change “par excellence.” Of thecomponent spheres that make up this third triad, Netzach, the first and mostactive element, best represents that principle. Love is also the drive tounion, the need to become one with another or with all creation for as LiberAL vel Legis puts it: “There is no bond that can unite the divided but love:all else is a curse. Accursed! Accursed be it to the aeons! Hell” (AL, 1:41). The love that radiates from Venus includes in its expression sexual love, asthis is implicit in the impulsion towards union. It is in the nature of theuniverse that opposite polarities are drawn together in a desire to bereconciled and made whole, completed as it were, in a third. The thirdelement resulting from such union may be some tangible and independentproduct, such as a child; or it may be the act of union itself, creating duringits brief span something that is assuredly greater than the sum of its parts.This process is repeated throughout nature and may be seen clearlyrepresented in the glyph of the OTz ChIIM, where the outer polarizedcolumns “divided for love's sake, for the chance of union,” find theresolution of their differences in the Middle Pillar. In order for any circuit to be completed it is necessary that there shouldexist two polarities, one of high potential and one of low. It is not necessary,however, that these polarities be expressed in obviously physical terms. Aswe have seen during our study of the glyph, positive spheres are capable offunctioning in a negative manner under certain conditions and are able torelate to neighboring Sephiroth in quite different ways simultaneously, asindeed the negative spheres are able to function in a positive mode. Thesame might be said to be true of any area of human activity. In thevenerable “T'ai Chi” (“Supreme Ultimate”) symbol of ancient China, whichshows the yin and yang principles in an entwined black and white design,the two elements each contain a portion of the others color, showing thateven at the most fundamental level there is no “pure” expression of theseenergies. As individuals we too are composed primarily, but not exclusively, of onepolarity, which may present itself as male or female. However, the mostaggressively masculine of men has some feminine component even as themost female of women contains an element of the masculine. This intrinsicbi-sexuality may not always be apparent; in some the primary polarity maybe exaggerated while the secondary element is repressed, in others thereverse may be the case. It should not be too surprising then to discover thatNetzach is the sphere to which the Jungian contra-sexual figure isattributed. These archetypal images represent the female in man and themale in woman. C. G. Jung described the anima figure thus: “The anima isan archetypal form, expressing the fact that a man has a minority offeminine or female genes. That is something that doesn't appear ordisappear in him, that is constantly present, and works as a female in aman” (Richard I. Evans, Jung on Elementary Psychology, 1964). As the anima figure represents the female component in a man, so theanimus represents the male component in a woman. Although it is perfectlytrue that Netzach embraces a great number of magical archetypes it isparticularly a sphere of the anima, which first emerges as a fully developedimage in the seventh Sephirah, but has its roots in Malkuth, the world ofactions. The anima figure is again brought to mind by Netzach's magical imagewhich is that of a beautiful naked woman. It is usual to visualize this imageas one of the classical representations of Venus-Aphrodite, perhaps as inBotticelli's “Birth of Venus,” or the antique “Venus of Milo”; although herethe student will need to exercise his or her imagination somewhat.The spiritual experience or magical power of Netzach is the “Vision ofBeauty Triumphant,” which includes in its description two of the sphere'smajor attributes, Beauty and Triumph. These two qualities combinedemphasize the importance of aesthetic considerations in our lives and hintof a world in which such considerations are paramount. Beauty here is notjust an optional extra but is integral and also inevitable in a sphere which isthe natural home of the aesthete. The “Vision of Beauty Triumphant” could also be taken to refer to thesuccessful acceptance and integration of the contra-sexual figure into thepsyche, a process which was begun in Malkuth and further developed inYesod and Hod, before coming to fruition in Netzach.The virtue of the seventh Sephirah is unselfishness, a necessary ingredientof love, whilst the vices, lust and unchastity, are both consideredperversions of the ideal of love. Just how venial (an appropriate term in thecontext of Netzach) or otherwise, these particular vices are thought to be isa matter best left to the judgment of the individual. However, we should notforget that “lust” has the proper meaning of “passionate enjoyment of life,”while “unchastity” is subject to any number of definitions, depending onwho is doing the defining and why. Chastity does not depend on sexualabstinence any more that its opposite requires an actively promiscuous life-style. It is rather a state of mind than of body. As a definition of celibacy itmay be a truly holy state, or a wretched pathological condition. Likewise the generally accepted meaning of unchastity, i.e., sexualincontinence, may be a celebration of life and an offering to the gods, as inthe case of the temple prostitutes which correspond to one aspect ofNetzach; or it may be, like the negative side of chastity itself, indicative ofserious emotional disturbance.The Archangel of the sphere of Netzach is Hanael whose name means “I,the God.” He is also known as Hamiel the “Grace of God,” Anael, “TheShip of God,” and Phanael, “The Face (or appearance) of God.” Someauthorities have identified him with Auriel, “God's Light,” who rules thenorthern quadrant and the element of earth.The order of angels are the Elohim, “Gods” or “Principalities,” “angelicgods and goddesses who formed the world.” These Elohim are the naturegods, the rulers of the natural realm and builders of the worlds. As bothNetzach and Hod are Sephiroth where God is apparent in His diversity, thedesignation here of the Elohim is quite apt, for in the seventh Sephirah wenow have an abundance of gods.The Qliphoth of the sphere is A'arab Zaraq, the “Raven of Dispersion,” whoundermines the constructive powers of Netzach and attempts to furtherscatter the already diversified energies of the Elohim.Chief among the god-forms assigned to Netzach are the various regionalvarieties of the goddess Venus. Netzach is a sphere where all the designatedGods are in fact Goddesses, with the notable exception of the ChristianMessiah and the Lord of Hosts. Christianity, along with Judaism, is ofcourse at somewhat of a disadvantage when it comes to goddesses, althoughsome branches of the Christian communion have elevated the mother ofGod and certain of the female saints to divine or semi-divine status. TheLord of Hosts is an obvious attribution in view of theGod name of thesphere, IHVH Tzabaoth, which has that literal translation. The Messiahfigure is also appropriately assigned here as a visible symbol of the love ofGod, and as nurturer of the spiritual life of the world. The Grecian Aphrodite, a version of the Middle Eastern Astarte/Ishtarfigure was originally worshipped in her Hellenic form on the island ofCyprus. She was said to have been born from the white foam that collectedaround the discarded genitals of Uranus after they had been thrown into thesea by his emasculating son, Cronus. Aphrodite was a goddess of twodistinct aspects and many names. The “light” aspect is a one of love and ofbeauty as might be expected in Netzach. In this form she was calledvariously, Dione (the bright sky), Pandemos (common love), Ouranos(heavenly love), Pelagia (of the sea), Anadyomene (born of salt waves), andmany another name besides. Each region seemingly had a different versionbut most names refer to her unusual conception, or to her function as thesupreme embodiment of love, both “common” and “heavenly.” She was also the deity most favored by prostitutes who worshipped her asAphrodite Hetaira, or Aphrodite Porne. It was the prostitutes that gave herthe delightful, if somewhat over-familiar, epithet, Kallipyge, or “BeautifulButtocks.” Here was a goddess who not only embodied the principle oflove, but was happy to bestow it on all and sundry. Aphrodite was a whore,a mistress, a lover, and a priestess of the mysteries. In the temples dedicatedto her were found the sacred prostitutes whose skill in the arts of lovetranscended the physical and brought ritual sex to the level of divineworship. She also had her dark side and could be the cause of much suffering, asAdonis among others could testify. In this destructive mode she had morethan a passing resemblance to the Indian goddess Kali and was thought topreside over graveyards and to lead men to their ruin. In her negative aspectshe was called Androphonos, the “killer of men,” or Melainia, the “blackone” and can be clearly seen as part of a long tradition of seductive butdeadly initiatrixes, whose ultimate mysteries require a painful and oftenterminal sacrifice on the part of the initiate. Venus, her Roman equivalent, was originally a local spring goddess whobecame fully identified with Aphrodite when a temple of the Greek goddesswas established on Mount Eryx in Sicily. Her career parallels that ofAphrodite in most particulars, demonstrating both dark and light sides toher nature. She was at one and the same time Venus Genetrix, the universalmother; and an irresistible siren who lured young men to their doom. The Egyptian goddess Hathoor, in certain of her aspects can also beidentified with the Venus Aphrodite figure. Hathoor, whose name means“house of Horus,” was a protective sky goddess often depicted as having acow-like visage. She was also a goddess of love, dance and music, all ofwhich are especially appropriate to Netzach. Like the other goddesses ofNetzach she too had her dark side, being worshipped as a mortuary deity inThebes. As the “female soul with two faces,” she gives a very clearindication of her dual nature. Nike, the goddess of Victory, represents another aspect of Netzach. Thedaughter of a river nymph and a Titan, she had three sisters, named Kratos(force), Bia (violence), and Zelos (jealousy), and was plainly the best of abad bunch. Nike is usually depicted as a powerful winged figure holdingaloft a victory wreath and was in fact called Victoria by the Romans.Although in the terms of reference used in this system of classificationNetzach is often equated with Freud's concept of the “Id,” a complex ofunconscious animal drives, it is more accurate to assign this shadowyregion to the final triad as a whole. The traditional attribution of thepowerful but unpredictable faculty of emotion is entirely appropriatehowever, for this is a sphere in which emotion is not only generated but alsohappens to be the most effective mode by which to gain access to itsmysteries. Netzach is a sphere of worship (particularly of nature) and one ofthe most effective ways of approaching its heart is by “inflaming oneselfwith prayer.” It is responsive to passion and devotion in a way that no otherSephirah can ever be. In the Yoga system the work that leads to Netzachwould be termed Bhakti Yoga, or “union by love,” as opposed to Hod'sJnana Yoga or “union by the Intellect.”The corresponding chakra is the Manipura whose subtle location is in thelower region of the epigastric, or solar, plexus around the level of the navel.It may be visualized as having ten petals, black or otherwise dark in color,in the center of which is found a red triangle signifying fire, this being theelement of Netzach. Although Shyam Sundar Goswami says of theManipura that it functions as “the center for thought-concentration andmental worship,” a description which reinforces the Sepher Yetzirah'sstatement that Netzach “is the Refulgent Splendour of all the intellectualvirtues,” the accent here is on the mental-worship aspect while “thoughtconcentration” is perhaps better left to Hod.Netzach's symbols have as their chief the rose, which has always been thefavored symbol of Venus, and even in our own unromantic age thetraditional gift of the lover to the loved. The convoluted symbolism of therose is a subject that could fill a book. As well as an occasional symbol forelemental air, the flower is often used to represent the female sexual organs,as for instance in the ritual of Liber XXXVI, “The Star Sapphire,” in whichthe Adept is expected to be armed both with his “Magick Rood,” and withhis “Mystic Rose.”Of the magical weapons of Netzach the first and perhaps most important isthe lamp. This should not be confused with the lamp of Kether, which is asymbol of the divine light that both illuminates and inspires the adept. Thelamp of Netzach is carried in the hand and represents the love of themagician which he must constantly nurture and protect. The second major weapon is the girdle. This is also a traditional weapon ofVenus and represents womanly eroticism combined with the power tofascinate and blind through love, and may be used to hoodwink or restrain acandidate during initiation. Paradoxically (or not, to those who have made astudy of the psychology of sexual arousal), the girdle may also be used as asymbol of chastity and continence, making it a particularly apt attribution. Hidden within the girdle of Netzach/Venus is another weapon—the knot bywhich it is fastened. This knot is of a special and secret design whosepattern must be understood before it can be unravelled. Once mastered, fullcontrol over the wiles of Venus is gained for it may then be loosened ortightened at will, freeing the aspirant from the distracting glamour of“Kallipyge” whilst allowing free access to her subtle, or not so subtle,charms. In other words the function of emotional love is made subject to the needsand intentions of the individual who is therefore no longer at the mercy ofuncontrolled desires, for while love is undeniably the law, it must always be“love under will.”The magical grade of the sphere of Netzach is Philosophus 4° = 7 , the lastgrade of the outer order known as the Golden Dawn. Beyond the grade ofPhilosophus the aspirant passes via the linking grade of Dominus Liminis,into the Order of the Rose Cross, which has its first achievement inTiphareth. As a Philosophus the aspirant is expected to complete his moraltraining and to demonstrate his devotion to the Order, in accordance withthe principles expressed by Netzach.The colors in the four worlds are: in Atziluth an amber, which Crowleydescribes as representing the “electric voluptuousness of Aphrodite” (777);in Briah, emerald, the traditional color of Venus, and of the colors ofChesed and Tiphareth combined; in Yetzirah, the usual combination of thepublished until well into the 19th century. The meditation practices of which he was a past master and an importantinnovator eventually came to feature prominently in the work of thePractical Qabalah, which we would term magick. Abulafia himselfundoubtedly had a somewhat quirky personality, and has always beenlooked upon with a degree of suspicion, due in no small part to hisundeniable fanaticism, of which the evangelizing journey to Rome in 1280is one of the more extreme examples. His cause was further undermined byhis claim that Elijah and Enoch had both appeared to him in a vision andgiven to him full details of the coming of the Messiah and Millennium,which was to occur in 1285, but which, unfortunately for his reputation, didnot.In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries a number of Christian scholars sawin the Qabalah the possibility of its being used as a means of convertingsome of the more intellectual Jews to Christianity, and indeed in thisendeavor they were partially successful. John Stephen Rittengal, thetranslator of the Sepher Yetzirah into Latin, was one such convert, as wasPaul Ricci, personal physician to the Emperor Maximilian the First. They,and others like them, were convinced, through the Christian's skillful use ofthe methods of the Literal Qabalah, that the Pentateuch and other sacredtexts proved that Jesus was indeed the long prophesied Messiah. Interestingly, there are few examples of Christians being converted toJudaism by Qabalistic study. Why the traffic should all be one way, so tospeak, is something of a mystery but is no doubt bound up with the difficultand repressive social circumstances in which the majority of EuropeanJewry have been forced to live during much of the history of the Diaspora. Of the Christian Qabalists of that time perhaps the most influential was theGenoese nobleman, Giovanni Pico della Mirandola (1463–1494).Mirandola's importance could be said to lie not so much in his own originalwork, but in his function as a bridge between the Jewish secret tradition andthe burgeoning Qabalah of the Christians. His work titled KabbalisticConclusions even found favor with Pope Julius as a skillful treatment of theHebrew Torah in the light of the Christian revelation. An indication of the then lack of knowledge of Qabalah in Western seats oflearning can be seen in the fact that while staying in Rome Mirandolaoffered by advertisement sums of money to any scholar prepared to disputewith him on this or indeed any other matter. Mirandola was very much aphilosophical Qabalist who had serious reservations about the use ofpractical magical techniques, despite the fact that he was an accomplishedastrologer and composed a valuable treatise on the subject. Following on from the work of Mirandola in the Christian tradition, cameCornelius Agrippa of Nettesheim, born in Cologne in 1486. It was Agrippawho first set about providing a methodical description of the branches ofQabalah. He did much to popularize and make respectable the study ofthese teachings to the European intellectual community, largely through thepublication of his famous opus, De Occulta Philosophia. It could be arguedthat it is mainly by the influence of these two scholars that the Qabalah wasbrought to the attention of men such as Raymund Lully, Christian Knorrvon Rosenroth, Paracelsus, Jacob Boehme, Robert Fludd, John Dee, FrancisBacon, Sir Issac Newton, Spinoza and innumerable others, including thephilosophers Hegel and Schopenhauer. Two other Jewish Qabalists of the early post-Zoharic period are worthy ofspecial note; the first, Moses ben Jacob Cordovero of Safed, known as the“Ramak,” was born in 1522 and died 1570. Cordovero was at the timeregarded as “the greatest light of Qabalism since Simeon ben Yohai” (A. E.Waite, The Holy Kabbalah). He was without doubt the most influentialtheoretical Qabalist of the period and was instrumental in founding theQabalistic Academy of Safed in the Upper Galilee region of Palestine,which subsequently became a major center of learning. Cordovero was aprolific writer who produced a great many erudite works including theabstruse but seminal Pardes Rimmonim or “Garden of Pomegranates.” Whereas Cordovero's work was chiefly philosophical, that of Issac Luriawas primarily mystical. Luria was born in Jeruselem of Ashkenazi Germanparents in 1534 and died at Safed in 1572, at the early age of 38. Hedeveloped a very idiosyncratic style of Qabalah which was to gainwidespread popularity after his death. He engaged for much of his life inthe practice of a form of meditation which afforded him a great manyilluminating visions, upon which his mystical interpretations of sacred textswere largely founded. In contrast to Cordovero, Luria based his work onrevelation rather than scholarship. Although obviously learned (in his youthhe had studied Rabbinical Law in Egypt) he was by no means a literaryfigure and, apart from a handful of poems in Aramaic, published nothing.When asked by one of his disciples why he did not publish his revelationshe is said to have replied, “It is impossible because all things areinterrelated. I can hardly open my mouth to speak without feeling as thoughthe sea burst its dams and overflowed. How then shall I express what mysoul has received, and how can I put it down in a book?” (Gershom G.Scholem, Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism.) It has therefore been left to his students to preserve his teachings, and it isby their writings only that we have any knowledge of this extraordinaryman and his work. In spite of this, Lurianic concepts exerted a powerfulinfluence on the subsequent development of Qabalism, all the moreremarkable when one realizes that, even by the standards of sixteenth-century Palestine, its more adventurous speculations are bizarre in theextreme. One of Luria's best known pupils, Rabbi Chayim Vital, produced a trulymonumental work, based on the master's teachings, titled The Tree of Life,which was to influence generations of Qabalists and still stands as a classicin its field.From the Europe and North Africa of the sixteenth century we now move toeighteenth-century Poland. It was here that Rabbi Israel (1698–1760),known as the “Baal Shem Tov,” or “Master of the Name,” established thefundamentalist sect of the Hassidim (“The Devout”). The Practical Qabalahwas central to the early form of this spiritual revival movement, with theZohar taken as its primary text. They are said to have rejected much of theTalmud and concentrated instead on powerful meditation practices andinternal prayer, also engaging in those practices which we would termmagick, as a means of spiritual development. At the movement's peak, inthe nineteenth century, it could claim hundreds of thousands, perhapsmillions, of followers, mainly among the eastern European Jewry. A large number of Qabalistic texts were published during the great years ofthe Hassidim, often for the first time, and its Rabbi's became highlyinfluential, not only among their co-religionists but also in the intellectuallife of Christian and secular Europe. Much of the knowledge of the Hassidiccommunities is thought to have been disseminated by the travels ofperegrinating Rabbis known as “Tsadikim” (“righteous ones”) who werecommitted students and exponents of the practical Qabalistic arts.Coming now to nineteenth-century France we encounter the extraordinaryfigure of Abbé Alphonse-Louis Constant, who styled himself “Éliphas LéviZahed.” With Lévi we have arrived at the age of the modern magician, ofwhich breed he may certainly be accounted the first. Lévi's contribution tomagick and Qabalistic studies is immense, mainly by virtue of his publishedworks which presented for the first time a (relatively) clear and concisetreatment of magical theory and practice, predicated of course on theQabalah. His best known works are Le Dogme et Rituel de la Haute Magie(1852),preceding colors; while in Atziluth is found an olive flecked with gold,suggesting the influence of the preceding sphere of Tiphareth.The animal correspondences of the seventh Sephirah include the lynx andthe cat. Both are traditional attributions and perhaps owe their inclusion to acommonly held belief in their supposed sexual promiscuity and “luxuriousvoluptuousness.” The raven is included here, as the order of Qliphoth ofNetzach is A'arab Zaraq, the Raven of Dispersion. As any student ofIcelandic sagas will know, ravens are a common sight on fields of battle,and especially in the aftermath of a really bloody conflict. This would seemto relate the raven to the Victory aspect of Netzach, but in a particularlynegative way.The rose, of course, is the special flower of Netzach, while the laurel, fromwhich is made the victory wreath, is the appropriate plant to represent thetriumphant aspect of the sphere. Rose is also assigned as a perfume; as isred sandal.The vegetable drug of Netzach is damiana, a tonic and aphrodisiac found inSouth America and parts of Africa. The use of damiana as an aphrodisiac isvery ancient and is said to be most efficacious when consumed with largequantities of beet juice. Cannabis Indica is assigned to both the seventh and the eighth Sephiroth. Inthe case of Netzach this is because the sensual nature of the induced visionsis said to pertain to Venus while in Hod, it is the increased power of self-analysis that commends its use. The mineral drug is arsenic, which is a specific against many complaints ofthe nervous system and has been used for centuries as a means ofbeautifying the complexion.The precious stone of Netzach is, unsurprisingly in view of the sphere'sBriatic color, the emerald, the traditional stone of the planet Venus.Emeralds have long been held to aid fertility, growth and self-fulfilment andare associated with Taurus, one of the signs ruled by Venus. They also havethe useful property of functioning as an antiseptic and may be used tocleanse wounds and clear up disfiguring skin conditions. There is also a linkhere with Netzach's opposite sphere, for Hermes Trismegistus, one of Hod'smost important semi-divine figures, chose emerald as the material on whichhe engraved the great hermetic axioms. The corresponding tarot cards are the four sevens; the seven of Wands,“Valour”; the seven of Cups, “Debauch”; the seven of Swords, “Futility”;and the seven of Disks that is titled “Failure.” Of this rather depressingquartet Crowley says: “These cards are attributed to Netzach. The positionis doubly unbalanced; off the middle pillar, and very low down on the Tree.It is taking a very great risk to descend so far into illusion, and, above all, todo it by frantic struggle. Netzach pertains to Venus; Netzach pertains toEarth; and the greatest catastrophe that can befall Venus is to lose herHeavenly origin. The four Sevens are not capable of bringing any comfort;each one represents the degeneration of the element. Its utmost weakness isexposed in every case” (Book of Thoth).CHAPTER 13HODGLORYSPLENDOURThe Eighth Path is called the Absolute or Perfect, because it is the means ofthe primordial, which has no root by which it can cleave, nor rest, except inthe hidden places of Gedulah, Magnificence, which emanate from its ownproper essence.—The Yetziratic TextHod is the basal Sephirah of the Pillar of Severity, the negative or “Yin”column of the Holy Tree. It is the second, and feminine, potency in the triadof Olam-ha-Mevethau, the “Material World.” Hod is negative to Netzachand Tiphareth but is positive to Yesod and Malkuth. The eighth Sephirah isdiagonally opposite the forth, the sphere of Chesed, this important angularrelationship being modified by Tiphareth, which is equidistant to both. Thesupplementary text of the Sepher Yetzirah suggests, albeit obliquely, thatHod has a special association with Chesed, which it refers to by itssecondary title of Gedulah. The use of this particular title, which means“Glory” or “Magnificence,” rather than the fourth Sephirah's more commonname is important for it establishes an immediate link with Hod, which ison occasion also called “Glory.” Although Hod contains its own due portion of magnificence and glory itseems to have a special affinity with Chesed, responding most positively tothe “kingly” aspect of the sphere suggested by its alternative title.Immediately above Hod lies the turbulent sphere of Geburah which, as wehave seen, functions at its positive best when acting in concert, rather thanconflict with Chesed, while above Geburah is the massive presence ofBinah, the root of form. Chesed itself is the diagonal opposite of the third Supernal and is thereforeat the apex of a triangle which has Binah and Hod delineating its baselineon the Pillar of Severity. This is an important if often overlooked triadicarrangement that illustrates the interaction of energies between these threeSephiroth. (It is mirrored of course by an identical triad based on thepositive pillar, formed from Netzach, Chokmah and Geburah.) In this arrangement the sublime understanding of Binah mitigates Hod'stendency towards cold intellectualism, while Chesed plays a mediating rolein accordance with its function as the Tree's Justice and Mercy center.Alternatively one can refer to the mundane chakras of the three spheres andsee that Binah's Saturn, leavened by the Jupiter of Chesed, adds a necessarydegree of structure and control to the Mercurial activity which characterizesHod. The powerful presence of Geburah/Mars, centrally located on thetriad's baseline and in opposition to its apex, energizes the whole figure,providing the motive force and drive that keeps the Sephirothic energiescirculating. A clear indication that the refining and blending of potencies, which hasbeen occurring throughout the descent of power is now nearing completionis to be found in Hod's magical image, which is a Hermaphrodite, a perfectsymbol of human integration and balanced polarity. The eighth Sephirah isa sphere of form, with particular reference to mental concepts and to thefunction of the intellect, mentation and communication being its primarymode of operation. In Netzach, the first of the two “armies of God,” is found the seat ofemotion and the group mind. In Hod we now enter the sphere of theindividual mind. To Netzach belong the forces of the gods, to Hod theirforms. Although Netzach is the sphere in which the “Deity in His diversity”is first apparent by His actions, it is in Hod that the mental images of those“gods and goddesses who formed the world” are first developed. Hod is a sphere of magick and occult philosophy; intellectual appreciationrather than practical aptitude. One might say that for most purposes it isYesod that is the domain of magical activity, and Tiphareth which is thesphere of mystical activity, but that Hod encompasses the intellectualfaculty and the very human trait of curiosity which are prerequisites for theGreat Work. Magick has been defined by Crowley in Magick in Theory andPractice as “The Science and Art of causing Change to occur in conformitywith Will,” and it is perhaps the “science” aspect of magick that particularlybelongs to Hod. It is obvious that in order to effect any kind of change the adept needstechnique and specialized knowledge, as well as will and imagination. Toquote Crowley again: “The first requisite for causing change is thoroughqualitative and quantitative understanding of the conditions” (Magick inTheory and Practice). It should be understood however that as with any skill the true mastereventually moves beyond mere technique, indeed reaches a point wheretechnique becomes a barrier to further development. So it is with thescience and art of magick. The intellect must be exercised and strengthened,for it is the first great weapon of the work, but eventually thereand the Histoire de la Magie (1860). Both works are still in printand in English translations. Toward the latter end of the nineteenth century a number of talentedscholars applied themselves to the ancient mysteries, most notably theLondon coroner, William Wynn Westcott, whose translation of the SepherYetzirah is used throughout this work; and Samuel Liddell MacGregorMathers, a founder member of the Golden Dawn and translator of portionsof the Zohar and the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage. We might alsomention here, Arthur Edward Waite, among whose voluminous literaryoutput is The Holy Kabbalah, a comprehensive, if at times rather pompous,account of the development of the secret tradition in Israel.The towering figure of Aleister Crowley dominates twentieth-centurymagick, indeed it was he who rehabilitated the term and gave to it itscurrent spelling. It is probable that there has been more invective, andequally, more praise, heaped upon this one man than upon all the otheroccultists of previous centuries put together. To the majority of theuninformed public he was “The Wickedest Man in the World,” to hisfollowers he is “The Prophet of the lovely Star,” who through his receptionand promulgation of Liber AL vel Legis, the Book of the Law, in 1904,ushered in the Aeon of Horus. Regardless of one's attitude to Crowley it is undeniable that his influence onmagick will be felt for a long time to come. Although most of his prolificoutput concerns the practical side of Qabalah, the doctrine, according to hisown interpretation, permeates his entire work. Crowley has often beenaccused of placing deliberate, and dangerous, “traps” in his written work, tomislead the unwary. Quite apart from the fact that these “blinds” have along and honorable provenance in occult literature, a reasonable knowledgeof basic Qabalah will be more than sufficient protection against them. Inany event, as Crowley would I am sure agree, persons without suchknowledge would do well to avoid not only his books, but all of the moreadvanced occult material.As far as our present study of the Qabalah is concerned the most importantof his published works is undoubtedly Liber 777, which was based on thepioneering work of Alan Bennett, Crowley's mentor in the Golden Dawnwho later became a Buddhist monk in Ceylon and took the name AnandaMetteya. Other contributors included George Cecil Jones, Crowley'sproposer for Golden Dawn membership and Victor Neuburg, poet andoccasional magical partner of Crowley whose life has been documented in abiography by J. O. Fuller. Liber 777 represents the most complete tabulation of Qabalisticcorrespondences ever to be published and is unique in the history of occultliterature. Basically the book is arranged as pages of tables, with eachSephirah and path being assigned an extended series of correspondingconcepts. The categories range from the Orders of Qliphoth (the “demons”of Qabalah) to the typical diseases of each path, with useful supplementarylists appended to the main body of the work. Many of the major categoriesof attribution are discussed and elaborated by Crowley in his explanation ofthe tables. Liber 777 is an invaluable reference work for anyone interestedin exploring the Practical Qabalah and forms the basis for the Sephirothicattributions used throughout this work. Its early acquisition and constantstudy is earnestly recommended to all serious students of PracticalQabalah.The twentieth century has seen the publication of a number of guides tobasic Qabalah, which although rarely contributing to the development of thesubject itself have served to bring it to the notice of a wider range of peoplethan had hitherto been reached. Among those modern Qabalists we shouldmention two outstanding writers; Dion Fortune, a former member of theGolden Dawn and founder of the Society of the Inner Light, whoseexcellent Mystical Qabalah is still, over fifty years since its firstpublication, one of the classic books on the subject; and Israel Regardie,formerly Crowley's secretary, whose Garden of Pomegranates and Tree ofLife are both valuable contributions to the dissemination of Qabalisticknowledge.Plainly, a detailed history of the development of the Qabalah from itsancient origins to the present day is a mammoth task, and one that wouldrequire many volumes to do the subject full justice. Even an abbreviatedversion of such a history would be beyond the scope of the present work.What we have tried to do however is to suggest something of thebackground of the subject in hand, and to highlight, as far as is possible inthe space available, some of the more important developments andpersonalities in the strange and convoluted tale of the evolution of thisancient and, until comparatively recently, all too secret tradition.CHAPTER 1OTZ CHIIMTHE TREE OF LIFEIn this chapter we will attempt to gain an “overview” of the glyph whichlies at the very heart of Qabalistic teaching. The Tree of Life is composedof four distinct elements. These are: the three Pillars of Manifestation; theten Holy Sephiroth; the “Paths” which run to and from the Sephiroth; andthe “Veils,” which includes the great abyss below the Supernal Triad. (Seeillustration, page 6.) What we have described is the traditional Tree in its simplest configuration.It is possible to extend the glyph to illustrate such concepts as the fourworlds and their multitudinous correspondences, but here we shall restrictourselves to the most commonly seen form. As the various models of theextended Tree were developed to deal with some of the more arcaneQabalistic speculations they are hardly suitable for inclusion in a “primer”such as this. However, armed with a thorough understanding of the structureand dynamics of the basic glyph, plus a good general knowledge ofQabalistic philosophy, even the more outlandish outcroppings of Qabalahbecome accessible, for they are all ultimately founded upon this one simpledesign. It will be noticed that we have referred to the Tree as having but tenSephiroth, and not the commonly seen eleven. This is because we areviewing the Tree in its original version before the concept of the “pseudo-Sephirah,” Daath, was introduced. One of the earliest of Qabalisticdocuments, the Sepher Yetzirah, or “Book of Formation,” is quite specificabout the number of Sephiroth to be assigned, for it says:Ten is the number of the ineffable Sephiroth, ten and not nine, ten and noteleven. Understand this Wisdom, and be wise in the perception.(Wm. Wynn Westcott, trans., Rittangelius edition, 1642.)This message is reiterated throughout the first chapter of the book.However, Daath is now fully established in mainstream Qabalah as alegitimate, if some-what enigmatic, Sephirah and in many ways it ispossible to argue that this “invisible” sphere is of particular importance tous in this new aeon. We shall deal with Daath throughout this work as aproper and accepted emanation, while taking care to recognize both itsunique character and its relative modernity as a fully-fledged Sephirah. Even the most superficial of glances at the diagram of the Tree of Life willbe sufficient to suggest that it contains a number of repeating patterns, themost obvious being that of the triangle. Apart from the arrangements ofSephirothic “Triads” on the Tree, the other noticeable feature is that thedesign is based around three vertical columns, which contain the Sephiroth.These columns, or Pillars as they are more often termed, are of the greatestimportance to the functioning of the Tree and to our understanding of it (seefacing page illustration).The Pillars of ManifestationBefore discussing the pillars as such it might be wise to explain briefly the“handedness” of the Tree as it is usually drawn. In most cases the glyph willbe found with the positive or masculine column to the viewer's right, andthe negative column to his left. Thisrepresentation is that of themacrocosmic Tree. The microcosmic Tree, as we would apply it to our ownbodies, is the exact reverse, rather as though we have backed on to thediagram. The columns, and the Sephiroth they contain, would therefore readas the masculine or positive pillar on our left, and the feminine or negativepillar on our right. The matter assumes its greatest importance when itcomes to tracing the outline of the Tree on the body, as for example, duringthe Qabalistic Cross, which opens and closes the Lesser Banishing Ritual ofthe Pentagram. All that has existed, exists, or will exist, arises from the union of themasculine and feminine principles.All that which exists, all that which has been formed by the Ancient, whoseName is holy, can only exist through a male and female.(Zohar)The combined potencies of the masculine and feminine in nature results in anew state, which is one of balance. The conditions of force and form whichthese potencies represent come to their final equilibrium in the product oftheir union. THE PILLARSAs all created things derive from an interaction and combination ofpolarities it is natural that one of the first patterns to be discerned on theHoly Tree is the one that best demonstrates this eternal truth, the three“Pillars of Manifestation.” The three columns or pillars on the glyphrepresent the positive and negative potencies and a central state ofequilibrium.It is important that it is understood from the beginning that terms such as“positive” and “negative” are used to distinguish states or modalities of“being” or “doing,” and do not carry the judgmental connotations that theymight possess in everyday speech. The usage of these terms in the contextof this work is purely technical, somewhat after the manner of thedefinitions of electrical science, and has no other implications.The positive or masculine pillar is termed “The Pillar of Mercy,” while thenegative or feminine side is called “The Pillar of Severity.” The middlepillar is usually called just that, “The Middle Pillar,” but is more formallyreferred to as the “Pillar of Mildness” or “of Equilibrium.” The first objection which newcomers to the system of Qabalah raise is inregard to the titles of these pillars, and in particular that of the femininepotency. How can it be, they ask, that the column that represents all theattributes of the female principle is called the “Pillar of Severity” while themasculine column is called (of all things!) the “Pillar of Mercy”? Actuallythese attributions are entirely in keeping with the function of each columnand the nature of the principles that each expresses. It is not intended thatwe should spend overmuch time dealing with this matter now, as theappropriateness of the titles will become much clearer as we progress downthrough the Sephiroth on the Tree and see there the different aspects of eachprinciple in action. But, briefly, the feminine column represents restrictionand containment. It “captures” and “incorporates” the dynamic kineticenergies of the masculine potency, and in so doing condemns them to aperiod of “imprisonment” in the bonds of form. This process is one thatQabalists call “severity”—the imposition of discipline and structure uponunrestrained force. These two conditions are absolutely essential to oneanother for form cannot exist other than as patterns of interlocked energy,and energy itself is ephemeral unless conditioned by the principlesexpressed by the negative pillar. The following table, detailing the principal characteristics of each column,may provide a starting point for understanding their qualities and themanner in which they must therefore interact. This table should amply demonstrate that the outer columns represent notmerely opposed but complementary principles. They are, as it were, twosides to the one coin. This then is the first triplicity of the Tree, the patternof which will be seen repeated again and again as we progress further intothe teachings of the Qabalah.The negative column or “Pillar of Severity” bears three Sephiroth: Binah,the third Supernal; Geburah, the fifth Sephirah, and Hod, the eighth. Allthese spheres are essentially feminine in function, although two of them, thefifth and the eighth, may superficially present themselves as male. In orderto understand why this should be it is necessary to remember that polarity isdetermined by function and not presentation. These are the receptiveSephiroth of the Tree, which accept the energetic impulse from theiropposite numbers on the Pillar of Mercy and add to them the extradimension of form. Form in any tangible sense does not appear until Malkuth, the lastemanation, although the concept is inherent in each of the Spheres ofSeverity. In Binah, at the head of the negative pillar, the concept of form isfirst developed as a necessary response to the dynamism of Chokmah. InGeburah, the central Sephirah of the column, stringent discipline is imposedon the energies emanating from its opposite, Chesed, while in the pillar'sbasal sphere the concept of form is further concretized and brought into thearea of human cognition. It must be remembered that all the spheres are in a sense bipolar and bi-sexual. Each responds in a different manner according to the position of thesphere with which it is interacting. For example, Binah, the archetypalfeminine Sephirah, is negative or female to Chokmah, the sphere precedingit in the descent of power, but is positive or masculine in its relationship toChesed, which is the subsequent Sephirah in the order of emanation. Thepotency of each sphere is, to a degree, variable according to its positionrelative to other Sephiroth, but nevertheless each retains a primary polarity. The God-names of the Sephiroth of Severity give us an indication of howthey might best be considered in the light of this bi-polarity. Each of thespheres on this column contain, as part of its name, the word “Elohim,”which in Hebrew means God. This name is composed of two elements andas a feminine noun with an attached masculine plural encompasses bothpolarities This is the God who says, “Let us make man in our image, afterour likeness,” and therefore; “male and female created He them” (Gen.1:26–27). The name itself will be explored in the appropriate Sephirothic chapters, butits mention here should be sufficient to illustrate how important anunderstanding of the Qabalistic interpretation of gender is to our presentstudy. Another factor to be kept in mind is that each Sephirah contains the “seed”or “imprint” of the one which follows after it. Therefore, until we arrive atMalkuth, every Sephirah necessarily holds within itself the potency of thesphere which will eventually emanate from it, and which is always theopposite of its own presenting polarity.The Pillar of Mercy, the positive and constructive column of the Tree, alsobears three Sephiroth. These are: the second Supernal, Chokmah; the fourthSephirah, Chesed; and the seventh, Netzach. The triplicity of Sephirothwhich constitute this column are energetic and expansive in character, incontrast to the restriction of the opposite pillar. Whereas the modality of thenegative column is determined by the powerful brooding presence of Binah,here it is the explosive effervescence of Chokmah which imbues the triad.Each of the three spheres of this column expresses an aspect of themasculine creative drive. In Chokmah this is the primary impulse of Ketherbeing sent outward on its journey to eventual manifestation—raw creativepower, as yet untamed and undisciplined by interaction with the femininecurrent. In the central sphere of Chesed this power is more balanced andcontrolled, although still highly vigorous in its expression. After the primary impulse has been subjected to the strictures of Geburahand the gentle mediating influence of Tiphareth, it is shown forth inNetzachin the typical qualities of Venus, its “mundane chakra” or planetarycorrespondence, as emotion and the drive to union.In a sense, the Middle Pillar, or Pillar of Mildness, is as much a result of theinteraction of the two opposed outer columns as it is a direct conduit of thepower of Kether. Here is found harmony and balance, the outer pillarsbrought to reconciliation and equilibrium, a place of rest and repose. Thispillar contains four Sephiroth and the “Invisible Sephirah” of Daath. At thehead of the column is the “Primal Glory” of Kether, first of the emanationsand interface with the Unmanifest. Below Kether lies the mysterious area ofDaath, astride the great Abyss. In the very center of the Tree, below Daathand above Yesod, is found Tiphareth, the heart of the glyph even as itrepresents the subtle heart of man. With Yesod we have the firstconcentration of the combined energies of the Tree, for below, in Malkuth,there is no new factor or quality to be added. The Middle Pillar is sometimes referred to as the “Pillar of Consciousness,”as opposed to the two outer pillars of “function.” The Middle PillarSephiroth are then taken to represent different levels of consciousness. Toborrow Dion Fortune's extremely useful classification these are: Malkuth,“sensory consciousness”; Yesod, “astral psychism”; Tiphareth, “illuminatedconsciousness”; Daath, “conscious awareness or apprehension”; until inKether is found “union with God,” a level of consciousness inexplicable tothose who have not so attained. It is the way of the magician to journey (through initiation in its proper andfull sense and not by the ersatz rites propagated by some occult orders) upthe ladder of the Tree, following the paths and Sephiroth described by theimage of the Serpent upon the glyph. (See illustration, page 24.) The way of the mystic however is very different, for he follows the “Path ofthe Arrow,” ascending the planes of consciousness, represented by themiddle pillar Sephiroth, from Malkuth to eventual union in Kether. Thispath is, of course, considerably more direct than that of the circuitoustravels and adventures of the magician but it is one that does not lie open toall. Although the gate may indeed be strait, and narrow the way that leadsunto it, it requires a combination of qualities rarely found in the West tosuccessfully negotiate this path without falling prey to delusion or despair,the especial dangers that await the mystic. The magician, needless to say,has his own problems, not the least being a constant and all too oftenunsuccessful guerrilla war with his own ego.The Sephirothic TriadsLooking at the graphic representation of the Holy Tree it is clear that theSephiroth fall into a series of triadic groups. Each of these triads iscomposed of a positive sphere, a negative sphere and a point of balance andreconciliation. In this way they resemble the pattern of the pillars ofmanifestation (see p. 26). The first, and most obvious, triad is that of the Sephiroth above the Abyss.These three spheres are referred to as the “Supernals” and therefore thisgrouping is known as the “Supernal Triad.” They are also termed, inHebrew, Olam-ha-Mevshekal, which has the approximate meaning of the“Intellectual World.” Describing this particular triad as the “IntellectualWorld” is somewhat misleading however, for the intellect as such has noplace above the Abyss. Another name, although less common, is “TheIntelligible World,” but again this does not convey the true essence of thetriad. THE SERPENT ON THE TREEThe Sephiroth above the Abyss are the prototypes of the forces to be foundbelow. In a sense all the subsequent Sephiroth are but particular,specialized, expressions of the principles contained in the Supernal Triad.Kether is the point at which the Unmanifest first begins the process ofmanifestation and is the conduit for the Mezla, the creative energy whichpulses through the Tree. The second Sephirah, Chokmah, or “Wisdom,”represents the first differentiation of Kether's homogeneous flux. Theasexual impulse is transformed in Chokmah into positive, masculine force.In the following sphere of Binah the creative impulse is again interceptedand is now rendered into a negative, feminine current. So, above the Abyssis thereby established a stable triad which is to be the model for all otherson the Tree. All the necessary components are in place; positive and negative energies,represented by Chokmah and Binah respectively, and the balance point ofKether. These three Supernal Sephiroth combine to make one creative unit,the “Three-in-One” or “The One Head which are Three Heads,” to quotejust two of Kether's many subsidiary titles. One obvious difference between the Supernal Triad and the two othertriadic arrangements below the Abyss, is that here the apex of the triangle isupward. In the case of the two subsequent triads the apex points down theTree. Kether is not only the equilibrating sphere in the arrangement, it isalso the fount of the Tree's sustaining energy. As it is indeed the case thatthe focus of the Supernal Triad is upwards, unlike that of the two lowergroupings, we must assume that here the emphasis is somewhat different.The lower triads focus their energies down through the Tree, the negativeand positive forces combining in the third sphere to transmit their, nowequilibrated, influence to the next level, which in the case of the final triadis the pendent sphere of Malkuth. Kether, although effectively the balancingsphere in the Supernal Triad, does not of course transmit the combinedenergies of Chokmah and Binah out to the Ain, but rather is the collectorand conduit of energies from the Ain. In this way the Supernal Triadnotably differs from those below the Abyss. Nevertheless, the principle ofthe creative trinity, which is to be found repeated throughout the glyph andeven within the Ain, is first clearly demonstrated on the Tree by theSupernal Sephiroth.It is possible to discern another triad based above the Abyss, in whichDaath represents the inverted apex and Chokmah and Binah the base line.Daath is said to be the product of the combined Supernal influence and inthis light may be viewed as an alternative focus for the first triad, one thatnow directs the current down through the Tree. This secondary triad is, in asense, a reflection of the Supernal Triad, but one that is perhaps moreaccessible to human consciousness. It is through the agency of Daath thataccess is afforded to the Supernal realm, as the “invisible” or “mystical”Sephirah functions after the manner of a bridge. As Kether is the interfacebetween the manifesting Tree and the Ain, so Daath may be visualized as asimilar interface between the very different conditions obtaining above andbelow the Abyss.THE TRIADSA fuller reflection of the first triad is found in the second. This groupingconsists of Chesed, Geburah, and Tiphareth, and is called Olam-ha-Morgash, the “Moral” or “Sensuous” world. As is the case in all these triplicities we find a male and a female potency,initially discreet, combining in the third sphere. Chesed is the masculinevibration in this arrangement, with Geburah as its complementary opposite,coming to union in the sixth Sephirah, the “Mediating Intelligence” ofTiphareth. This triad occupies a most important position on the glyph, for Tiphareth isnot simply the focus of Chesed and Geburah, it is in a very real sense thefocus of the whole Tree. Tiphareth is poised equidistant between Kether andMalkuth on the Middle Pillar, and is the central Sephirah of several possiblesubdivisions of the Tree, such as the Sephiroth-ha-Benyin or “Spheres ofConstruction,” and the Ruach, or intellectual faculty. It is literally thepivotal point of the Tree, both functionally and geographically. As theMiddle Pillar is the equilibrating element in the vertical axis, so Tiphareth,whose name means “Beauty” or“Harmony,” extends that function into thehorizontal axis. A great cross is therefore formed at this point withTiphareth at its center, emphasising the sixth Sephirah's function as themediating Christ center of the Tree and as the sphere of the sacrificed gods. Dion Fortune has termed the second triad the “Ethical Triangle,” which is inmany ways a more accurate title than the traditional “Moral World,” andcertainly more so than “The Sensuous World,” favored by Issac Myer. Thistriad is composed of the principles of love, justice, and reconciliation,qualities that would seem to amply justify Fortune's alternative appellation.The final triad of the Tree is that of Olam-ha-Mevethau, the “MaterialWorld.” Strictly speaking this is not the material world at all, for that titlerightly belongs to the pendent Sephirah of Malkuth. An alternative namegiven by Issac Myer (Qabbalah, 1888) is “The Natural World,” which isonly a slight improvement on the more usual rendering, but does at leastsuggest a degree less tangibility. For what is meant by “material” in thiscontext is the supporting structure of the astral realm that underpins, and toa certain extent precipitates, physical reality. This is the penultimate stage of the process of manifestation. Out of thistriad develops the realm of physical matter. Here is the “densest” possiblepre-manifest expression of the creative impulse, preparing for its imminentimpact in the world of form. And yet there is a sense in which those“forms” already exist, for all necessary components are now at hand. Wehave seen that it is in Binah that the concept of form was first developed,and also that throughout the descent of power down the Tree that concepthas been growing steadily more tangible. Now, in this last triad, theinfluence of Netzach and Hod (the positive and negative potencies of thetriad) provides the “finishing touches” to the work begun in the thirdSupernal. These two Sephiroth are described by the Qabalists as being “likeunto the arms of God” and the Zohar states that: “All the energies, forcesand increase in the universe proceed through them.” As in the other triads the twin polarities are united in a third sphere, in thiscase Yesod, the “Foundation,” and appropriately for the penultimateSephirah, also called the “The Treasure House of Images.” Myer says ofthis triad, “Together they (the three Sephiroth) represent the Deity as theuniversal power, creator and generator of all the existences” (Qabbalah).The PathsThere are a total of twenty-two “Paths” linking together the Sephiroth of theHoly Tree. Each of these paths may be referred to a letter of the Hebrewalphabet, and to a Tarot trump. Care should be taken to distinguish betweenthe paths proper, represented by the interconnecting lines shown on theglyph, and the Sephiroth or Emanations, which are also, rather confusingly,described as “paths” in the Sepher Yetzirah. The paths can be said to represent subjective experience, as opposed to theobjective “reality” of the Sephiroth, although they are a function of theinteraction of the emanations and are therefore integral to the overall designof the Tree. The character of each path is determined to a large extent by the Sephirothwith which it is in contact. The paths are, in a sense, both the equilibriumand synthesis of the interconnected spheres, and demonstrate thereby a newaspect of the divine powers. It is largely by means of the paths, i.e. by experiencing the specific states ofconsciousness which are characteristic of them, that progress is madearound the Tree. It is not enough however merely to experience the qualitiesof the paths, each one must be mastered and thoroughly assimilated. Thereare a number of techniques available to achieve this end, varying from ritualmagick to intense meditation and the determined student will no doubt wishto experiment with a number of different techniques. The Hebrew alphabet is in effect the magical language and sacred tongue ofthe West, holding a somewhat similar position to that of Sanskrit in theEast, for it is written that: “He hath formed, weighed, and composed withthese twenty-two letters every soul, and the soul of everything which shallhereafter be” (Sepher Yetzirah, 2:2). Each of the twenty-two letters has a numerical as well as a phonetic value.We will come to see the importance of this when we explore the mysteriesof the “Literal Qabalah,” and in particular that arcane science of Qabalisticnumerology termed “Gematria.” As well as the value assigned to each letterby virtue of its alphabetic position, it holds another number derived fromthe Hebrew spelling of its name. (See Table, Appendix 2, p. 212.)Furthermore, every letter carries a host of traditional meanings which arederived from their pictographic designs, their number value, and theirassociation with the tarot trumps. Even by this brief account of the alphabetic correspondences it can be seenthat there is a wealth of occult lore hidden in these twenty-two letters, for asthe Sepher Yetzirah says: “The twenty-two sounds and letters are theFoundation of all things.” The major arcana of the tarot deck are an important source of Qabalisticknowledge, indeed it is difficult to arrive at a full understanding of thenature of the paths without reference to the “Book of Thoth,” its alternativename. Each of the twenty-two tarot trumps is a pictorial representation ofone of the paths. In the esoteric decks the symbolism, colors, and generalcomposition of the cards are not only useful as an aid to intellectualappreciation of the paths, they are also a means of gaining access to themby meditative techniques. In this way the trumps function both as a kind of“doorway” and as a map of the terrain we wish to explore. tarot arcana arealso used in a temple setting, often placed upon the central altar, tosymbolize the forces with which the ritualist is working. Without a doubt the most popular use of the tarot pack is divination. Inorder for the exercise to be worthwhile though it is necessary that thediviner understands, both intellectually and intuitively, not only themeaning of the individual cards, but their relationship to Qabalisticphilosophy as it is presented by the Holy Tree. Equally, constant study anduse of the tarot can only enhance our understanding of the dynamics of theTree.The Abyss and the VeilsOn some versions of the Tree will be discovered a number of fine or dottedlines, drawn horizontally across the glyph (see illustration, p. 31). Thesemark the position of the Veils and the Abyss. On most modern versions ofthe diagram it is only the Abyss, below the Supernal Triad, which is shown,and occasionally not even that. The great gulf of the Abyss is the boundarybetween the Supernal world of Atziluth and Briah, and the worlds ofYetzirah and Assiah below. This is the barrier which divides theMacroprosopos from the Microprosopos, God from God's creation, or to bemore accurate, Man from his own God-head, for it is written: “I have said,Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High” (Psalm 82:6). The Abyss bisects the whole Tree, covering all three pillars, and is straddledby the “Mystical Sephirah” of Daath, which stands as a bridge between theupper and lower Sephiroth. Conditions above the Abyss are radically different to those existing belowand this gulf marks the border between what can be understood bymentality and that which is incapable of comprehension or expression bythe intellect. In some earlier Qabalistic writings the Abyss is presented as asort of rubbish dump for the flawed creations of the Deity, for although Hemay create only perfection, being Himself perfect, Man, His greatest andmost complex product, has the capacity to make of himself what he will,and therefore provides more than occasional fodder for the dog-faceddemons of the great pit. In these early works the Abyss is