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FORMATION OF THE TREE OF LIFE June 21, 2010

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Conclusion215

―AND THE LORD APPEARED UNTO HIM. R. Hiya commenced todiscourse on the verse: The flowers appear on the earth, the time of song is come, and the voice of the turtle[-dove] is heard in our land (S. S. II,12). He said: 'When God created the world, He endowed the earth withall the energy requisite for it, but it did not put forth produce until manappeared. When, however, man was created, all the products that werelatent in the earth appeared above ground. Similarly, the heaven did not

impart strength to the earth until man came. So it is written. "All theplants of the earth were not yet on the earth, and the herbs of the fieldhad not yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not caused it to rain uponthe earth, and there was not a man to till the ground" (Gen. II, 5), that isto say, all the products of the earth were still hidden in its bosom and hadnot yet shown themselves, and the heavens refrained from pouring rainupon the earth, because man had not yet been created. When, however,man appeared, forthwith "the flowers appeared on the earth", all itslatent powers being revealed; "the time of song was come", the earthbeing now ripe to offer up praises to the Almighty, which it could not do

before man was created.

"And the voice of the turtle[-dove] is heard in our land": this is the wordof God, which was not in the world till man was created. 'Thus whenman was there, everything was there. When man sinned, the earth wascursed, and all these good things left it, as it is written, "cursed is theearth for thy sake" (Gen. III, 17), and again, "when thou tillest theground it shall not give its strength to thee" (Ibid. IV, 12), and again,"thorns and thistles it shall bring forth to thee" (Ibid. III, 18). WhenNoah came, he invented spades and hoes, but afterwards he sinned

through drunkenness, and the rest of the world also sinned before God,and the strength of the earth deserted it. So matters continued until

215 This chapter also serves as an introduction to the practical section of this book (i.e. that is soon tobe added.)

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June 21, 2010 FORMATION OF THE TREE OF LIFE

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Abraham came. Then once more "the blossoms appeared in the earth",and all the powers of the earth were restored and displayed themselves."The time of pruning (zamir) came", i.e. God told Abraham tocircumcise himself. When at length the covenant existed in Abraham

through the circumcision, then all this verse was fulfilled in him, the world was firmly established, and the word of the Lord came to himopenly: hence it is written, AND THE LORD APPEARED UNTOHIM.‖ 216

HE above quote is part of a major occult leitmotif that echoes throughthe main body of writings of the Zohar (and beyond), but its innermeaning is well concealed from the uninitiated. The theme is repeated

again and again in the Zohar using various episodes and characters fromthe Tanach. The esoteric concept it conceals is actually quite simple (once it isgrasped), but paradoxically, is quite difficult to communicate. To understandthis concept requires turning your normal mundane consciousness on its head,

in the manner of the Hanged Man (Maym, מ ) of the Tarot, so that yourperspective of the world is fundamentally changed. This esoteric knowledge isextremely important, and the future of humanity depends on the eventualrealization of its principles. It is based on the following three premises…

First Premise: Every individual human soul is carried to term within thespiritual womb of the Great Mother, and therefore bears a unique

‘umbilical’ relationship with Her.

This statement appears simple and perhaps trite on the surface, but itsimplications are tremendous. The metaphor is of a mother pregnant with child.

The child within the womb is intimately attached to the mother via an umbilical

cord. The umbilical cord provides sustenance to the embryo as it grows and iscarried to term. Similarly, each human soul (Ruach, רוח ) is attached to the

216 Soncino Zohar . Vol. I. 97a-97b.

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Celestial Mother (the Higher Shekinah, Binah) by a spiritual umbilical cord. Thisconnection is unique to each soul because each soul requires its own specialkind of creative sustenance and nurture.

The first premise is complemented by a second one of equal importance…

Second Premise: Every incarnate human soul also has an outerexpression (i.e. a personal ego) that is carried to term within the earthly

womb of the Great Mother, and through it a second ‘umbilical’

relationship is established with Her.

The soul‘s outer expression is the human personality (or ego, Nefesh, ). Theנפשincarnate human personality is encased within the womb of the physical world(i.e. Mother Earth) — a lower reflection of the condition of the human soulenclosed within the belly of the Celestial Mother. Just as there is an umbilicalcord connecting the human soul to the Celestial Mother (Higher Shekinah) sotoo there is a invisible umbilical cord connecting the human personality toMother Earth (i.e. the Lower Shekinah). Thus, the third premise is…

Third Premise: The outer umbilical cord joining the human personalityto Mother Earth is a lower reflection of the inner umbilical cord that joinsthe human soul to the Celestial Mother.

The implications of the third premise are also great. The two umbilical cordsrepresent narrow channels of creative sustenance and nurture that flow fromtwo directions towards each human-being — i.e. from the Celestial Mother tothe human soul, and from the Earth Mother to the human personality. Both theCelestial Mother and the Earth Mother are interconnected and inter-coordinated expressions of the one Great Mother principle.




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The personality‘s umbilical cord is a reflection of (and dependent on) theumbilical cord of the soul. The human personality, however, is unaware of thehigher spiritual link with the Great Mother until it becomes ‗soul conscious‘.

When the human personality achieves soul consciousness it becomes

increasingly aware of the nature of its unique spiritual relationship with theGreat Mother. As a consequence it is able to use that inner knowledge to realignitself within the physical world so that it becomes open to receive the materialsustenance of Mother Earth, and (at the same time) involve itself in the divinePlan of Creation. In other words, in becoming conscious of the inner ‗spiritual‘umbilical cord the human personality is also able to perceive the outer ‗material‘umbilical cord. As long as the human personality remains unconscious of thesoul‘s umbilical cord it stumbles blindly in the world, sowing its seed on barrenground, and the earth brings forth naught but ―thorns and thistles‖. Whenhowever, the personality awakens to the higher connection (and thus also to the

lower connection) then the earth brings forth ―blossoms‖, and ―flowers appearon the earth‖.

―AND THE LORD APPEARED UNTO HIM. R. Hiya commenced todiscourse on the verse: The flowers appear on the earth, the time of song is come, and the voice of the turtle[-dove] is heard in our land (S. S. II,12). He said: 'When God created the world, He endowed the earth withall the energy requisite for it, but it did not put forth produce until man

appeared. When, however, man was created, all the products that werelatent in the earth appeared above ground. Similarly, the heaven did notimpart strength to the earth until man came. So it is written. "All theplants of the earth were not yet on the earth, and the herbs of the fieldhad not yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not caused it to rain uponthe earth, and there was not a man to till the ground" (Gen. II, 5), that isto say, all the products of the earth were still hidden in its bosom and hadnot yet shown themselves, and the heavens refrained from pouring rainupon the earth, because man had not yet been created. When, however,man appeared, forthwith "the flowers appeared on the earth", all its

latent powers being revealed; "the time of song was come", the earth




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being now ripe to offer up praises to the Almighty, which it could not dobefore man was created.‖217

The biblical Adam in the Genesis narrative personifies the human soul. TheEarth was created by God as a material resource packed full of a very specificpotential, and it was provided as an environment for Adam to indwell andcultivate. Adam (i.e. the human soul) is the only entity that can unlock and bring forth the Earth‘s special potential (i.e. a potential that has been divinely ‗pre-programmed‘ within the Earth‘s substance by the Creator). In other words, only the human soul has the power to summon forth the ‗royal treasures‘ that Godhas concealed (i.e. in latency) deep within the Earth (i.e. His Kingdom — Malkut). Adam is able to draw forth this potential as a result of the passage of

Water (Maym, , symbolized by ‗rain‘ in the quote above) that flows to thehuman soul from the Creator (i.e. it falls upon the head of Adam). Then itמ

further descends to soak into the denser lower levels of the Earth (i.e. ,אדמה Adamah, the ‗ground‘).

The concept of the Earth having a secret divine potential hidden within itawaiting emergence when the right conditions arise, can be understood in termsof human DNA.

―On the genetic level, it is interesting to note that human DNA is 173centimetres long. Only 3 centimetres carry active genetic information.Modern biochemistry is puzzled at this seeming wastefulness of natureand calls the inactive parts of the DNA introns, useless waste material.

This is a very questionable assumption, as nature does not produce wasteanywhere. The introns are in my opinion (again I deviate from officialscience) equal to the latent spiritual potential of the human being.‖ 218

217 Soncino Zohar . Vol. I. 97a.

218 Enlightenment & the Brain: A Scientific Commentary on the Teachings of Sri Bhagavan . Christian Opitz.From: DNA Monthly. May 2006 (Vol. 2, No. 5).




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It is thought (in some circles) that the inactive DNA within the humanorganism represents latent abilities that are destined to become active at somefuture stage of human evolution. For the activation process to occur the rightconditions must be present to stimulate the inactive DNA material to come to

life.

In like manner, the Earth has its own DNA, some strands of which havealready been activated by the actions of humanity, but other portions of whichremain dormant. These dormant components are destined to become active

when collective humankind reaches a certain level of evolution. The rightconditions for Earth DNA activation will occur as humanity individually andcollectively steps forward on the ‗Path of Righteousness‘, 219 and in so doing triggers each stage of the divine Creation to unfold.

In the biblical narrative Eve is formed as an extension of Adam.220 Everepresents the human personality that emerges as an outer stratum of matterthat covers the soul. Eve (as the human ego) represents an interface (i.e. asensory apparatus) through which Adam (i.e. the soul) is able to interact withthe denser physical dimensions of the Creation (i.e. his physical environment).

Prior to the ‗Fall‘ (i.e. Adam and Eve‘s expulsion from the Garden of Eden) thehuman soul and its personality vehicle were in perfect harmony with each other,and with the Shekinah (i.e. the Great Mother principle).

219 See below.

220 That is, she was created from Adam‘s rib.




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In the diagram above, the small yellow circle represents human consciousness inthe midst of the body of the Great Mother (i.e. the large blue circle). The upperhalf of the blue circle symbolizes the Celestial Mother (or Higher Shekinah)

while the lower half represents Mother Earth (or the Lower Shekinah). They signify two expressions of one divine feminine principle. 221 The green line (inthe diagram) abstractly represents the esoteric ‗umbilical cord‘— i.e. theprimordial perfect relationship that was established between human

221 These two manifestations of the Great Mother are also symbolized by the two Hebrew letter Hehs(H) in the Holy Name YHVH. In this case, the Hebrew letter Vav (V) represents the humanconsciousness principle that separates and unites them.

Figure 64: Edenic Consciousness




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consciousness and the Shekinah in the Garden of Eden (i.e. before the ‗Fall‘). At that time the human personality (i.e. Nefesh, or Eve) was in harmoniousaccord with the soul (i.e. Ruach, or Adam) and both were in mutual harmoniousalignment with the Higher and Lower Shekinah.

Because every human soul is unique, the green line (as per the diagram above)should be imagined as being uniquely angled for each and every individualsoul.222 This reflects the ancient concept that the feminine principle of Form isan ‗eternal virgin‘— i.e. her relationship with each human soul/personality isoriginal, uniquely intimate, and singularly focused. In all cases, this idealrelationship (i.e. between human consciousness and the Shekinah) isrepresented by a straight line diameter passing through the centre of the circle.

Genesis , 2:16-17. ―And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, ‗Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of theknowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day thatthou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die‘.‖

In the Genesis story, Eve‘s interaction with the Serpent (Samael) in the Gardenof Eden symbolizes an interaction between human consciousness and thelowest physical dimensions of Earth.

The seduction of Eve by the Serpent, and Eve‘s consequent interaction with Adam (wherein she effectively usurps God‘s divine authority) symbolizes thehuman personality‘s proclivity to stray from the Path of God‘s Will (i.e. HisPath of intended Creation), and to selfishly indulge itself in its own superficialactivities within the realm of matter.

222 Note that there are an infinite number of these uniquely angled axes (i.e. diameter lines) present inthe geometry of a circle.




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The outer umbilical cord is a very narrow channel connecting the humanpersonality to Mother Earth. Its purpose is for the provision of materialresources that are required during the process of divine Creation. Theseresources are specifically tailored to facilitate the realization of the divine

creative Purpose of each individual soul/personality. They emerge intomanifestation (and thus are made available) as the personality takes steps in theright direction —i.e. towards the realization of its soul‘s creative Purpose. Thesoul/personality‘s progress on this narrow Path is termed walking the ‗Path of Righteousness‘ (or ‗Faithfulness‘), and a person who walks that Path is termed a

Tzadik 223 צדיק ) ). On that special Path (which is unique for every soul/personality) there is no consciousness of good and/or evil (i.e. no‗Judgment‘), there is only the Path.

The ‗tree of the knowledge of good and evil ‘ is the ‗Tree of Judgment‘ (i.e. between Good and Evil). Eating of the fruit of this tree symbolizes a diversion from thePath of Unity (or ‗Faithfulness to YHVH‘ ). It represents a stepping off the Pathof Righteousness, and a misuse of the human ego‘s physical energy (or ‗lifeforce‘). To put it simply, it includes the human tendency to judge earthly phenomena (including other people) according to our own personally (andcollectively) formulated opinions. But how can we reasonably do that whenevery human soul/personality is unique?

There are many and varied earthly activities in which the human personality caninvolve itself on planet Earth. There is however, only one activity (or directionof focus) that, in any given moment of time, represents a step forward on anindividual‘s Path of Righteousness. Each step forward on this Path leads to anabundant influx of divine ‗blood‘224 (DM, ,, of ADaMדם אדם ) through theearthly umbilical cord (i.e. from the Shekinah to the personality).

Eating of the ‗tree of the knowledge of good and evil ‘ symbolizes the ‗path of materialism‘ (i.e. for its own superficial sake) and leads to the experience of

Judgment — i.e. the need for the ego to choose between many greater and lesser

evils, and between many greater and lesser goods. This is the path of illusion

223 Derived from ‗ Tzedek ‘ – Rightness, righteousness, justice.

224 That is, ‗sustenance‘ from the Great Mother principle.




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because in divine Reality there is no Good or Evil, only the Path of Righteousness that stretches before each individual human soul/personality. Onthat Path there is no requirement to choose because the Choice has already been made by the divine Creator. In other words, as we tread the Path of

Righteousness our life decisions are not made on the basis of whethersomething is good or evil, ‗right‘ or ‗wrong‘, but rather on whether or not weare effectively moving forward on our unique Path (i.e. as we intuitively know itto be in our Heart).

In the diagram above, the two brown lines represent examples of the humanpersonality misdirecting the use of its physical energy in wayward material

Figure 65: Paths of Judgment




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pursuits on various paths of judgment. The personality‘s quest for worldly riches, and/or to satisfy its material/physical desires (for example) stimulates areaction from the Great Mother that is described in the Zohar as relating to thefollowing biblical verse…

Genesis , 3:17-18. ― And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkenedunto the voice of thy wife [ i.e. personality ], and hast eaten of the tree, of

which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is theground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;

Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee...‖

As long as the human personality does not heed the Will of God and insteadfollows its own little will (and desire for personal gratification) then itsexperience on Earth is characterized to a large extent by harsh judgment (i.e.‗negative‘ experiences). This, for the simple reason that the substance of theEarth has been pre-programmed by the Creator to react in certain ways that aredependent on whether or not the human personality is following its individualPath of Righteousness as it moves forward within the body of the GreatMother.

Experience on the path of judgment (that is, when the personality and soul areout of alignment) is characterized by the Earth‘s own inner elemental force— i.e.

Fire (Shin, ).225ש This encounter with the purging Fire of Shin produces greatdiscomfort, but ultimately has a positive transformative (i.e. evolutionary) effecton the human personality.226

When on the other hand, the human personality is aligned with the soul andmoves forward on its individual Path of Righteousness, then it receives

elemental Water (Maym, ) flowing to it from the soul, which it uses to mitigateמand creatively complement the latent inner Fire of the Shekinah.

225 Of which the Earth‘s fiery molten/solid core is the symbol.

226 This Fire is associated with the concept of ‗Fire by Friction‘ that is described in the books of AliceBailey. See: A Treatise on Cosmic Fire .




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It is only on the Path of Righteousness that the personality gains access to theelemental Water of Maym. On the path of judgment the Water does not flow down from the soul, and only the Earth‘s inner purging heat of elemental Fire isexperienced.

When the elemental Water of Maym is combined with the elemental Fire of Shin (i.e. on the Path of Righteousness) an aspect of the divine Creationemerges into manifestation upon the Earth. ― The flowers appear on the earth,the time of song is come, and the voice of the turtle[-dove] is heard in ourland.‖227

If every human soul/personality were to follow its own unique Path of Righteousness then a supreme effort of co-creation would occur on the Earth(involving all of humanity) leading to the realization of the divine Plan and the

emergence of the Creation as it has existed in potential within the body of theShekinah since the beginning of Time.228 Right now however (circa 2010), mosthuman-beings are treading a path of judgment and thereby contributing to thechaos, disharmony, and turmoil that exists in the world. This will change as thefocus shifts within each personality, and we align ourselves towards theumbilical cord that represents our own individual Path of Righteousness.

Proverbs , 8:20-21. ―I lead in the way of righteousness [TzDQH, צדקה ], in

the midst of the paths of judgment [NThYBVTh MShPT, :[ משפט נתיבות That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance [YSh, ]; and Iיש will fill their treasures.‖

Proverbs , 10:2-3. ―Treasures of wickedness profit nothing: butrighteousness delivereth from death. The LORD will not suffer the soul[NPhSh, נפש ] of the righteous to famish: but he casteth away the

substance [HVH, ‖. ] of the wickedהוה

227 Song of Solomon . 2:12.

228 This is technically termed the ‗World to Come‘ in the symbolism of the Zohar, etc.




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The diagram above illustrates an encounter with the Fire of Shin ( ש ) that occurson the Path of Righteousness, and also, on the many paths of judgment. The

Water of Maym ( מ ) is made available to the human personality (Nefesh) tomitigate the Fire of Shin ( ש ) when it is traversing the Path of Righteousness.

The full unmitigated heat of the purging Fire of Shin however, is experienced

on every path of judgment. A joyful creative experience is had on the Path of

Figure 66: Elemental Fire and Water




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Righteousness as the Water of Maym flows into and combines creatively withthe Fire of Shin.229

― And the voice of the turtle[dove] is heard in our land": this is the wordof God, which was not in the world till man was created. 'Thus whenman was there, everything was there. When man sinned, the earth wascursed, and all these good things left it, as it is written, "cursed is theearth for thy sake" (Gen. III, 17), and again, "when thou tillest theground it shall not give its strength to thee" (Ibid. IV, 12), and again,"thorns and thistles it shall bring forth to thee" (Ibid. III, 18). WhenNoah came, he invented spades and hoes, but afterwards he sinnedthrough drunkenness, and the rest of the world also sinned before God,

and the strength of the earth deserted it. So matters continued until Abraham came. Then once more "the blossoms appeared in the earth",and all the powers of the earth were restored and displayed themselves."The time of pruning (zamir) came", i.e. God told Abraham tocircumcise himself. When at length the covenant existed in Abrahamthrough the circumcision, then all this verse was fulfilled in him, the

world was firmly established, and the word of the Lord came to himopenly: hence it is written, AND THE LORD APPEARED UNTOHIM.‖230

The Holy Covenant that the Lord (YHVH) established with Abrahamrepresents the divinely prescribed means by which humankind is able to resolvethe dilemma of Adam‘s ‗Fall‘. This biblical episode adds a new layer of symbolism to the fundamental leitmotif that we are investigating.

During this important event, the biblical character Abram undergoes a name-change that results in him being called Abraham.231 Similarly, the name of

229 In the diagram, elemental Air (i.e. Alef, א ) is represented by the yellow circle of humanconsciousness.

230 Soncino Zohar . Vol. I. 97a-97b.

231 Genesis 17:5




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Abram‘s wife is changed from Sarai to Sarah.232 In both instances, the Hebrew

letter Heh ( ה ) is added to the spelling of their names. Like Adam before him, Abraham represents the human consciousness principle, while Sarah symbolizesthe object of his desire.

Kabbalistically, the letter Heh symbolizes the Shekinah (or Great Motherprinciple)233 and its inclusion here indicates that a special relationship has beenestablished between Abraham, Sarah, and the Shekinah. That specialrelationship forms the basis of the Path of Righteousness upon which Abrahamhad (by that time) become firmly focused.

The physical aspect of the ‗covenant of circumcision‘ is essentially symbolic of ‗acquiring spiritual focus‘ as a result of the removal of the distraction and allure(or ‗excess‘) of materialism. The foreskin signifies that which prevents a human-

being from treading the Path of Righteousness, and thus from joining himself creatively with the Shekinah.

There are, in fact, three ‗initiations of circumcision‘ that a human-being mustundergo in order to become fully involved with the Shekinah and the divinecreative process.

1. Circumcision of the Genitalia (Yesod – Physical)

2. Circumcision of the Heart (Tifaret – Astral)3. Circumcision of the Tongue (Da‘at – Mental)

The deeper meaning involves the removal of all impurities within the humanpsycho-physical organism that prevent a human-being from joining with theShekinah in a destined ‗sacred marriage‘ (or ‗consummation‘)— a consummationthat leads ultimately to the birth (or materialization) of a small facet of thedivinely preordained Creation.

232 Genesis 17:15

233 That is, in terms of the Tetragrammaton (YHVH) the two Hehs signify the higher and lowerShekinah.




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The Lord declared to Abraham234 that the circumcision of the genitalia isrequired to be performed on the 8 th day from birth, symbolizing the 8th sefirah(counting upwards from Malkut) which is Da‘at. The three circumcisions alllead to (and reinforce) Da‘at—i.e. Da‘at itself sy mbolizing the ‗Covenant of

Abraham‘.

On the kabbalistic Tree of Life, the sefirah Yesod (Tav, , Moon) representsתthe male sex organ because it is through the interface of Yesod that human

234 Genesis 17:12.

Figure 67: Covenant and Circumcision




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consciousness interacts creatively with the external physical world (symbolizedby the sefirah Malkut and the Lower Shekinah). In other words, it is through

Yesod that the Consciousness principle is able to penetrate and impregnate thelower Form principle, and this is the case for both male and female human-

beings.

The deeper meaning of the circumcision applies to both men and womenbecause every man and every woman has the same psycho-spiritual faculties (assymbolized by the sefirot of the kabbalistic Tree of Life). The male/femalegender distinction does not apply except within the lowest material realm of existence.

In parallel to Yesod, the sefirah Da‘at symbolizes the higher ‗sex organ‘ that islocated in the head of Adam.235 Just as Yesod provides the faculty forcommunion with the Lower Shekinah (i.e. Malkut), so it is through the interfaceof Da‘at that human consciousness is able to maintain its creative union withthe Higher Shekinah (or Binah, the Celestial Mother).

The fabled ‗exile‘ of the Shekinah symbolizes Humanity‘s disconnection inconsciousness from the Celestial Mother. This sorry state was/is indicated by kabbalists by their omission of the sefirah Da‘at from the Tree of Life diagram(or by calling it a ‗non-sefirah‘). We are now however, at a point in human

evolution when we can restore Da‘at to its rightful position as a true sefirah of the Tree of Life. Thereby is the link to Binah (and Hockmah) symbolically re-established in human consciousness and the divine process of Creation (i.e.through the agency of Humanity) is able to proceed.

Traditionally, it is thought that union with the (otherwise ‗exiled‘) Shekinah isbest achieved on the Shabbat (i.e. Friday evening).

―Because medieval kabbalists believed all liturgical and ritual acts affectboth the terrestrial and heavenly realms, halakhically sanctioned physicalintercourse between a male mystic and his wife on earth could foster

235 Corresponding biologically to the pineal gland.




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both divine and mystical union, for the act enables both Tiferet and themale mystic to unite with the Shekhinah . Wives thus became a conduitthrough which their husbands could attain divine union. Drawing from

Talmudic tradition, medieval kabbalists deemed Friday night to be the

most auspicious time to engage in sexual intercourse.‖

236

This symbolism is reflected in our Tree of Life diagram.237 (See below.)

You will note (in the diagram below) that the sefirah Da‘at ( ב, Bayt) is

connected to Binah ( ש, Shin) via the pathway of Tav ( ת, Moon). This

combination of Hebrew letters spells ShaBaTh ( תבש ) — the Shabbat, the ‗day‘ when Israel unites with the Shekinah, and the day when the coupling of a Jewish

husband and his wife is blessed by the Shekinah. The pathway of Tav ( ת )represents the Ruach‘s (i.e. soul‘s) unique relationship with the Higher Shekinah

The .( ש ) sefirah of Tav (i.e. Yesod) is its projected lower correspondence andrepresents the relationship that is established between the Nefesh (i.e.personality) and the Lower Shekinah (Malkut).238 Ideally, the lower sefiroticexpression of Tav should embody/reflect the nature and quality of the higherpathway expression of Tav.

236 ENCYCLOPAEDIA JUDAICA, Second Edition, Volume 18. Pp. 443-444.

237 See my book: Formation of the Tree of Life . The sefirah Tifaret connects with the Higher Shekinah viaDa‘at, and the Lower Shekinah via Yesod.

238 The sefirah Malkut is not shown in this diagram. Malkut, representing the ‗World of Assiah‘ (or‗Action‘), is located immediately below Yesod and directly adjoined to it.




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It is important that you familiarize yourself with the structure and meaning of the Tree of Life diagram (as illustrated above) because it forms the foundation

of the system of practical kabbalah that will be outlined in Part Two of thisbook. In the present chapter, however, we are mainly concerned with somebackground concepts that are needed for a full appreciation of the practicalsystem.

The esoteric symbolism of the Shekinah principle is also woven into the ancientprophesy of the coming of the Jewish messiah at the ‗end times‘.

―And at the time when the Holy One will raise the dead to life He willcause dew to descend upon them from His head. By means of that dew all will rise from the dust, as it says, "for thy dew is as the dew of lights"(Is. XXVI, 19), these being the supernal lights through which the

Almighty will in future pour forth life upon the world. For the tree of life

Figure 68: The Shabbat and the Tree of Life




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exudes life unceasingly into the universe. Life in the present dispensationis cut short through the influence of the evil serpent, whose dominion issymbolized by the darkened moon. Under the same influence thecelestial waters, as it were, fail, and life is not dispensed in the world in

proper measure. At that time, however, the evil tempter, who is noneother than the evil serpent, will be removed from the world by the Almighty and disappear, as it is written, "and I will cause the uncleanspirit to pass out of the earth" (Zech. XIII, 2). After he disappears themoon will no more be obscured, and the waters of the celestial river willflow on perennially. Then will be fulfilled the prophecy, "Moreover thelight of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sunshall be sevenfold, as the light of the sev en days, etc." (Is. XXX, 26).‖239

The Moon, in the writings of the Zohar (etc), symbolizes the Shekinah. Herexile from Israel is represented by the ‗darkened Moon‘ that is unable to reflectthe light of the Sun. The ‗evil serpent‘ signifies the lure of ‗materialism‘ thatcauses the human personality to sow its seed in barren fields, or in ground thatputs forth naught but ‗weeds‘.

The ‗dew of lights‘ that descends from the ‗Head of the Almighty‘ during the‗end times‘ symbolizes the Water of Maym flowing from the divine Father

(Hockmah, מ ) to the Son (Tifaret/Ruach) and then to the faithfully aligned

human personality (Yesod/Nefesh). This divine Water then flows from thehuman personality to the Lower Shekinah (Malkut) combining creatively withHer innate Fire of Shin. Thus it is written: ―the light of the moon shall be as thelight of the sun‖.

The enlightened state of consciousness that this imagery represents occurstowards the end of Human evolution within the Earth sphere, but evolvedindividuals are able to pre-empt that future collective event by passing individually through the three initiations of circumcision.

239 Soncino Zohar. Vol. 2. 130b-131a.




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In all three ‗circumcision‘ initiations there is required a curbing of excess, and afocusing of the spiritual Will through each of the three bodies of humanmanifestation — the physical, astral, and mental bodies.

The ‗circumcision of the heart‘ is mentioned in a few places in the Hebrew Tanach. For example…

Jeremiah , 4:3-4. ―For thus saith the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns.Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of yourheart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury comeforth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.‖240

Here Jeremiah alludes to the intense heat of the Fire of Shin being felt (withoutthe relief of the Water of Maym) as a repercussion of not removing the‗foreskin of the heart‘. The purification of the astral body is implied in this ritualof the ‗circumcision of the heart‘.

The ‗circumcision of the tongue‘ is one of the highest mysteries of theKabbalah. As such, it is mentioned only in the most occult of treatises — themost famous one being the Sefer Yetzirah .241

―He placed him in His bosom, and kissed him on his head, and He calledhim, "Abraham my beloved" (Isaiah 41:8). He made a covenant with himand with his children after him forever, as it is written, "And he believed

240 The ‗Circumcision of the Heart‘ is also mentioned in Deuteronomy, 10:16 and 30:6.

241 Translated: Book of Formation .




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in God, and He considered it to him for righteousness" (Genesis 15:6).He made with him a covenant between the ten fingers of his hands — thisis the covenant of the tongue, and between the ten toes of his feet — thisis the covenant of circumcision, And He bound the 22 letters of the

Torah to his tongue and He revealed to him His mystery.‖

242

The ‗circumcision of the tongue‘ is code for the purification and control of themental body, and its consecration to fulfilling the sacred Purpose of the humansoul. The means to achieve this third initiation of circumcision is given in thetext of the Sefer Yetzirah , but it‘s cloaked in extremely opaque symbolism. Oneof the purposes of this book is to shine a light into the darkness of the Sefer Yetzirah and consequently, to provide a framework for understanding (and

completing) the ‗circumcision of the tongue‘.

As mentioned briefly above, the story (in the Tanach ) of the exile of Israel andthe Shekinah adds yet another layer of symbolism to this important esotericteaching.

Like Adam, and Abraham, and many other male characters from the Tanach , thethird patriarch Jacob also personifies the human soul. His name was changed to

Israel after ―wrestling with a man (AYSh, ( איש243

until the breaking of theday‖,244 or in others words, after he underwent a major initiation.245

242 Sefer Yetzirah . 6:7. Translated by Aryeh Kaplan.

243 The ‗man‘ mentioned in the verse is generally interpreted as being an angel— usually the angelicrepresentative of Esau, Jacob‘s twin brother.

244 Genesis 32:24-29.

245 That is, the second initiation — the Circumcision of the Heart.




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In the mundane world, the name Israel has come to collectively represent the Jewish race. Tradition has it that after the destruction of the two Temples of YHVH in the first millennium BCE, the people of Israel became alienated fromthe Shekinah, and were cursed to wander the Earth in exile from their God.

This is a motif that is buried deeply within the religious psyche of the Jewishpeople, and in its most concrete and literal form is represented by thephilosophy of Zionism.

The Temple of Solomon (and, its later replacement) symbolized a sacred house wherein dwelled the Shekinah (i.e. the divine Presence of YHVH). The Temple was thus able to provide a means through which the ancient Jewish priesthoodcould receive the blessing of YHVH for the people of Israel. In other words,the Temple provided a locus through which the sacred marriage between Israeland the Shekinah could be consummated. This was (and is) a very literal

interpretation of a very esoteric doctrine that was received by the ancientHebrews through their beloved prophets and patriarchs.

It is time now, however, to complement, expand, and enhance the literalinterpretation with the inner esoteric meaning of the Holy Torah. This new understanding brings with it the realization that there is no need to wait for there-establishment of a physical Temple of YHVH on Mount Zion. Instead, wecan focus towards building a Holy Temple within the human psyche — thebuilding instructions for which are given in the Sefer Yetzirah , and (hopefully)translated into clearer language in Part Two of this book.

In the Temple of Solomon the Shekinah was said to rest upon the Ark of theCovenant within the Holy of Holies — the most sacred room in the Temple. Onthe Tree of Life diagram, the Ark of the Covenant is represented by Da‘at, andthe ‗Most Holy Place‘ by the sefirah Geburah. 246 The Shekinah is of course,symbolized by the sefirah Binah as it alights (via the Tav/Moon pathway) uponDa‘at ‗between the two wings of the Cherubim‘.

All these religious terms, images, and expressions are actually symbols for innerpsycho-spiritual faculties and processes that are made manifest within theconscious mind as the inner Temple is constructed.

246 This will be more clearly explained in Part Two of this book (entitled Holy Temple of Magic ).




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Like all the great temples of history, the architecture and construction of thehistorical Temple of Solomon was based on sacred geometry and themetaphysical symbolism of numbers. The most sacred numbers employedtraditionally in temple construction are the numbers three, seven, and twelve.

For example, with regard to the number seven...

247

―I should like to draw attention to two texts that connect the creation of the world and the construction of the Temple which have not beenremarked before. 1 Kings 6:38b tells us that it took Solomon seven yearsto build his Temple. According to 1 Kings 8, he dedicated it during theFeast of Booths (Sukkot), which occurs in the seventh month (verse 2)and which, in Deuteronomic tradition, is a festival of seven days duration

(Deut. 16:13-15). Moreover, the speech in which Solomon dedicates hisshrine, just completed, is structured around seven petitions (1 Kings8:31-55). Can the significance of the number seven in this Templededication be coincidence? In light of the argument on other groundsthat Temple building and creation were thought to be congeneric, this isimprobable. It is more likely that the construction of the Temple ispresented here as a parallel to the construction of the world in seven days(Gen. 1:1-2:4).‖248

The Holy Temple that we will construct later during our course of practicalkabbalah is also based in large part on the number seven, and like its physicalcounterpart — the Temple of Solomon — it will provide a holy sanctuary for theHigher Shekinah to indwell.

The Holy Temple that we build within the human psyche will enable eachindividual to establish conscious communion with the Higher and LowerShekinah. It will provide the means by which to draw down the ‗dew of lights‘

247 Among others, the construction of the Great Pyramid of Giza was also based on the numberseven. See Appendix II in my book: Esoteric Harmonics.

248 The Temple and the World , by Jon D. Levenson. The Journal of Religion, Vol. 64, No. 3 (Jul., 1984),pp. 275-298. The University of Chicago Press. Pp. 288-289.




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(i.e. the Water of Maym) from the Holy One, so as to blend it creatively withthe Fire of Shin (i.e. of the Lower Shekinah).

formation of the tree of life 2010 - excerpt

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