The higher levels of the Kabbalah, such as the Hermetic Kabbalah, remain veiled. There are books on the magical Kabbalah, but these books are worthless. They were written by people who lacked the true connections. If they had the true connections, they would have knowledge of the comprehensive effect of some of these methods.
Only when one has reached certain initiatory stages of consciousness does it make sense to use these Hermetic tools. The initiatory path progresses step by step. The inner workings of some of the instruments cause chaotic experiences in unprepared students. This can lead to the worst forms of mental confusion. There are many ways to study the teachings of this book. Therefore, it is advisable to give yourself plenty of time to do so. Considerably less is taught over the period of several years in some Kabbalistic schools.
When you are finished with this book, a repeated reading of the entire book will bring to the surface hidden content and other important aspects. The subconscious mind needs some time to work out certain conclusions. Some readers will be tempted to devour it as purely mental food. They run the risk of skimming over most of it and leaving it undigested. The aspiring student will heed this advice, and in so doing will reap the considerable fruits of wisdom.
The most important and illuminating symbol of Kabbalah is the Tree of Life. It represents a diagram of the human consciousness and of the cosmic life. There are various depictions of the Tree of Life. But the Tree of Life is more than a diagram, it is a representation of the microcosmic and macrocosmic realities.
This book describes the initiatory Tree of Life. The term “realities” is deliberately used in the plural. The interaction of all inner and outer forces can be illustrated through the categorical assignments of the Tree of Life. The Tree of Life is divided into a number of columns and triads. The interplay of the polar forces is striking. The left column represents the feminine pole, the right the masculine pole. These are harmonized by a mediator, the middle column.
The feminine force in the Tree of Life has very different expressions than the masculine. The masculine column (fire) corresponds to the principle of giving, or projection. The feminine column (water) symbolizes the principle of receiving, of accepting. The middle column (air) is the reconciling principle between these two. The right column is the column of self-consciousness, the left column is that of subconsciousness, and the middle column represents the aspects of super-consciousness.
The principle of self-consciousness is to give, the principle of subconsciousness is to receive. These two principles are balanced by the middle column. Thus, the superconscious aspect is the mediation between right and left, between male and female. On the first day of creation, the right column is created, and on the second day, the left column is created.
That is the beginning of polarity. The second day is also the only one of the days of creation in Genesis that God did not find good. The creation of the second day creates the principle of evil. The third day balances things out, and from then on creation is again considered good.
THE THREE PILLARS ON THE TREE OF LIFE
The Tree of Life contains ten spheres, called Sephiroth are called:
- Kether (Crown)
- Chokmah (Wisdom)
- Binah (Understanding)
- Chesed (Mercy)
- Geburah (Strength, Severity)
- Tiphareth (Beauty)
- Netzach (Victory)
- Hod (Splendor)
- Yesod (Foundation)
- Malkuth (Kingdom)
The first and highest sephirah, Kether, crowns all the other sephiroth and is also the highest point of the middle column. It is followed by the second Sephirah Chokmah, which is the highest sphere of the masculine column. Then comes the third Sephirah Binah, which is the top of the Feminine Column.
These three Sephiroth are called the Highest Triad or the Divine Hierarchy. Next in the triad of individuality is the fourth Sephirah Chesed, which is in the middle of the masculine column. Opposite it is the fifth sephirah, Geburah. Then follows the sixth sephirah, Tiphareth, which is the center of the Tree of Life, the center of the middle column.
The lowest triad represents the level of personality, which is represented by the seventh Sephirah Netzach, the eighth Sephirah Hod, and the ninth Sephirah Yesod. The last sephirah at the bottom of the Tree of Life is Malkuth, which is the material world. The ten spheres correspond to the first ten paths in the Tree of Life. They are connected by 22 other Paths. These 22 connecting paths correspond to the 22 Hebrew letters.
Each sephirah represents a specific expression of certain forces. Taken as a whole, the Tree of Life is a reflection of the Divine. In other words, it is the way the Divine manifests itself through man. There is no other symbol that reveals so many laws as this schematically simple kabbalistic diagram.
There are various representations of this tree in public circulation, but be aware that most are little more than crude sketches, in which the inner and crucial proportions have been neglected.
(Excerpt from the book by Elias Rubenstein – THE TREE OF LIFEÂ Â KABBALAH OF IMMORTALITY. Elias Rubenstein is the founder of the Hermetic Academy.)