The previous article, Ain Soph and the First Five Sephira on the Tree of Life, discussed the concept of how different emanations of God descended from the transcendental Godhead via the Tree of Life. According to Kabbalah belief, this Godhead lies beyond human conception. The Sephirah, or spheres on the Tree, contain archetypes and energy for how God is perceived within Creation. This article looks at the remaining five spheres: Tipereth, Netzach, Hod, Yesod and Malkuth.
Tipereth
Tipereth is the sixth Sephirah, the pivotal point of the entire Tree of Life, found at the Tree's center or heart. This sphere is called Beauty, and its purpose is union between all of the Sephirah. Tipereth is the source of universal love and non-physical healing. It is said that this is the place of grace, and that grace can create miracles. The angelic order here is the Malacheem, or messenger angels, the ones who deliver miracles.
The divine name associated with it is IHVH Eloah va Daath, meaning God made manifest in the sphere of the mind. Tipereth is also referred to as Ben, or Son, and as the Lower Countenance. (Kether, the Crown of the Tree of Life, is the Vast Countenance.). Yet another name is Melek, or King, and roses, the cross and the heart are symbols. The Christian Kabbalist sees Tipereth as representing Christ.
Tipereth is the Sun in which the other planetary angels circle. The Star of David is one of the archetypal symbols for the sphere, as the two interlocking circle that make the star's form join what is above with what is below. The function of this Sephirah is to be the link between Kether and the rest of the Tree as it reflects the glory of the Crown. (I and the Father are One.) It is called the Mediating Intelligence.
Netzach
The seventh Sephirah, Netzach, or Victory, is associated with feminine potency. Venus is the planet and the planetary angel for this sphere. The divine name for her is Tzabaoth, the Lord of Hosts. It is in Netszach we connect with God on an emotional level. The order of angels found here are the Elohim, sharing the same name as the God name for Binah, the second sphere and the Universal Mother. The Elohim are connected to the forces behind growth in nature and in the generative instincts that are at the root of human creativity. Netzach holds the Occult or Secret Intelligence.
In Netzach, we find kindess dispensed by God that is often preceded by harshness. The energy to not give up, but to follow passions despite obstacles, is to be found in Netzach. Here Earthly love, or acceptance, is also discovered, as opposed to heavenly love which consists of judgment and correction. Chesed, the fourth Sephirah, represents heavenly love.
HodHod is Netzach's complement. Hod, the eighth Sephirah, stands for the "Vision of Splendor." The divine name is Elohim Tzabaoth or God of Hosts. Mercury is the planet and planetary angel associated with Hod. Hod represents Knowledge. This is the realm of Truth, the place one goes to to understand the truth about God, or to know God as truth.
The sphere holds the Absolute or Perfect Intelligence and is the realm of Hermes and the hermetic traditions. Hod represents the growth of the soul and deep inner commitment, housing the power of expressed gratitude and confession.
Yesod
Yesod is the ninth Sephirah, and its meaning is Foundation. The divine names are El Shaddi or Shaddai El Chai. The literal translation for these names is flowing breasts of God, but El Shaddi is more commonly known as Lord God Almighty. God manifests as androgynous in Yesod and is associated with fertility and human procreation. The moon is a symbol for Yesod, reflecting the glory of the Sun (Son) in Tipereth. It is also called the Lunar Flame.
Yesod is seen as a mirror or prism, reflecting the higher spheres or levels, providing a home or foundation for the soul to connect with inner and outer realities. This is the realm of visions. It relates to both mind (Hod) and Heart (Tipereth), both places where purification occurs before Truth can be ascertained. Thus Yesod is the Purifying Intelligence.
Malkuth
The tenth and final Sephirah is located at the base of the Tree of Life. Malkuth is known as both Earth and Kingdom. When Tipereth, or the Son of Man, is visualized with Malkuth at his feet, and Gevurah (the Power) and Chesed (the Glory) on either side, he emanates "the Kingdom, and the Power and the Glory."
In Malkuth we find our own way of life, balancing nature, our own wills and the needs of others. It is here where pathwalking begins, the effort to find what SPIRIT.ALEMIC calls "your personal path with your soul). In the aura." Malkuth represents legs, feet, knees, ankles and the base of the spine. On a physical level, these can become painful when there is a crisis in one's place in the kingdom of matter.
Malkuth is often referred to as the Queen, the Bride, thus wedding the Christian Kabbalist to Christ. She is also Shekinah, the inferior mother that reflects the superior Mother Binah. She is also considered Binah's daughter, and is known as the lesser Throne. Her other names are Gate of Death, Gate of Prayers and Gate of Eden. Adonai is her divine name and she represents the Resplendent Intelligence.
Much of this information can be found in:
Part 1, Soror A.L. Archetypes on the Tree of Life: Teaching of the Paul Foster Case Tarot, The Raphael Group, Berkeley
Other sources:
INNER.ORG, Basics in Kabbalah, the Ten Sefirot: Divine Emanations, Retrieved on June 22, 2010
SPIRIT.ALEMBIC, MALKUTH, The Kingdom of Matter, Retrieved on June 22, 2010
SPIRIT.ALEMBIC, Netzach, The Sphere of Victory, Retrieved on June 22, 2010
WISDOMDOOR, Tom Deliso, Tipareth:The Tree of Life, Retrieved on June 22, 2010
YESOD.FOUNDATION,The Yesod Foundation, Retriefed on June 22, 2010
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