The Tree of Life is a symbolic representation of the relationships existing between the most abstract Being of Divinity and the most concrete existence of humanity. We can raise our own level of consciousness by studying and meditating upon the Tree of Life. There are several functions that serve the grand symbol of the Tree, which are philosophical-abstract and practical-concrete.
The Tree of Life will assist with answering the philosophical question:
"Where have we come from and what was the way of our coming to our present human
habitat?"
We come from the Unmanifest, superessential state of pre-existence
and have descended by way of a process of emanation (or outpouring).
This flow from the Unmanifest state of total abstraction proceeds in ten stages.
Each stage is like a vessel wherein the flowing essence enters,
and by overflowing gives rise to a continued emanation,
filling up the next vessel all the way down to the last stage.
The last stage is our present condition of embodied, concrete existence.
The Tree of Life will assist with answering the philosophical question:
"Where have we come from and what was the way of our coming to our present human
habitat?"
We come from the Unmanifest, superessential state of pre-existence
and have descended by way of a process of emanation (or outpouring).
This flow from the Unmanifest state of total abstraction proceeds in ten stages.
Each stage is like a vessel wherein the flowing essence enters,
and by overflowing gives rise to a continued emanation,
filling up the next vessel all the way down to the last stage.
The last stage is our present condition of embodied, concrete existence.
The Tree of Life will assist with answering another philosophical question:
"Where are we now and how may we return to the condition from where we came?"
We are in the Sphere of manfestation called the Kingdom (Malkuth)
which consist of Life in the world.
We may recover our original estate by extending ourselves in mind, or consciousness,
back along the same paths which we traveled on our original journey down to Malkuth, the Kingdom.
To acquire the knowledge on how to climb a tree, we begin from the ground and climb upwards branch by branch. From a philosophical learning to describe the Tree of Life, we begin from top to bottom in the order of the emanational sequence of the vessels known as Sephiroth.
Since we are embodied mortals and desire the recovering consciousness of ourselves as supernal beings, we begin from bottom to top by ascending the Tree as if climbing from the Earth to the Crown of the Tree of Life. The ten vessels, or Sephiroth upon the Tree as we ascend will serve as "way stations". We pick ourselves up from the ground by our own spiritual bootstraps and begin the climb to regain paradise.
Malkuth is the tenth Sephiroth, titled Kingdom and is the psychological state of incarnate exitence to the point where physical and spiritual forces touch each other. Our present condition within Malkuth must be explored and understood. This is where practical psychology to self-understanding in the personal sense prove most useful.
The four elements of Earth (Sensation), Water (Emotion), Fire (Thinking), and Air (Intuition) are the constituents of Malkuth. Unless we learn their laws and overcome their limitations, we shall not be ready to climb the Tree.
Yesod is the ninth Sephiroth, titled Foundation and is the seat of psychological forces directed toward biological functions. One of the main forces centered in this psychic energy is sexual instinct. This psychic energy can be sublimated and diverted from purely instinctual expression to furnish us with the strength required to climb the Tree.
Hod is the eighth Sephiroth, titled Glory and is when we recognize the spiritual essence or evolutionary potential of our mind, or thinking principle. The function of thinking is operative within Malkuth, but the principle of Mind is associated with Hod.
The mind can delude the sense of Reality and the mind can become the restorer of Reality. The divisive, catabolic power of thinking that the uniform quality of life is fragmented as the holy essence descends into manifestation can create the appearance of seperation. Although, if we recognize the potential to redeem us from emotional attachments and false values, we can identify and remember our divinity of unity while living in what appears as seperation.
Netzach is the seventh Sephiroth, titled Victory and is characterized by feeling or emotion. The same forces in Malkuth are expressed in activity, Yesod is vitality, Hod is mentality, and Netzach is sentimentality. With Netzach and Hod on the same level, we can choose to work for our involution or our evolution. This means that we can love our God Self from within above all else so that our feelings will serve the purpose of our reunion with our Father.
We can also choose to turn the force of our emotions to earthly objectives which means we shall be tied to the Earth with a thousand chains. The proper ordering of emotional priorities must be accomplished at this point on the journey as we ascend the Tree of Life.
Tiphareth is the sixth Sephiroth, titled Beauty and is the principle center of inner gravity of our own selves. The supreme virtues of the Qabalah are balance and equilibrium meaning that this Sephiroth is perfectly balanced in the middle of the Tree of Life with beauty and love that defies description. Tiphareth is the apex of our human nature, which is the meeting-point of the human man with the God-man. This Sephiroth is similar to when Moses, the representative of humanity, met with God and received His Laws on the mountain.
This state of consciousness is the most elevated of man which he is capable of obtaining while remaining a man. He can love much and be wise at the same time, but this human attainment does not end at Tiphareth. The Qabalah teaches us that there are as many superhuman potentialities within us as there are human ones. Therefore, we must continue to ascend the Paths on the Tree of Life.
Geburah is the fifth Sephiroth, titled Severity and is contrast sharply with the balance and beauty of Tiphareth. If not for the memory of the balanced state of Tiphareth which is required of our human experience, Geburah would assuredly with great might perish our being.
Beyond Tiphareth, we have now passed personal limits and joined the world of super human potencies. We must prove strong and wise to face the fears and problems of the full force of retributive justice (karma). Although we have outgrown our humanity in Tiphareth, we realize that we are only half-way to reaching our actual objective, the essential divinity of Kether.
Chesed is the fourth Sephiroth, titled Mercy and will balance the terrors of Geburah with great comfort in a benevolent house for us to find rest and refreshment. This Sephiroth will restore our strength and permit us to further ascend the Tree of Life. Within this state consciousness, we know without any shadow of doubt that every cloud has a silver lining. The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away, but the Lord's giving always and fully compensates for the taking away.
Binah is the third Sephiroth, titled Understanding and is one of the Supernal Spheres. We are no longer in the region of superhuman, but totally beyond all comprehension from any level accessible to man. With a purely subjective and extremely cautious view, we can make some tentative statements about the Supernal Spheres, but must recognize this view in an illusory way.
The altering of consciousness necessary in order to deal with the conditions of the Supernals is so great that it passes our ability to imagine. Binah is often called the Supernal Mother, which a useful correlation could be the Christian Trinity and correspond as the Holy Ghost. Binah can be viewed as the giver of life. This giving life implies limitation and has a saturnine and restricting aspect. This can be viewed as the hand of God that tends to take away.
Chokmah is the second Sephiroth, titled Wisdom and is the ultimate benevolence expressed as true wisdom. We have arrived at the last quality we can gain before we attain to complete union with the Godhead. This wisdom is not learning, memory, talent, or an aggregation of mental force, but instead is the full potential of creative energy expressed as all-knowing, all-planning, all-resolving wisdom. The quality recognized in this region is beyond all qualities and should be known as infinite expansion, or the ability to attain "oceanic consciousness" where we merge with all and wisely comprehend all.
Kether is the first Sephiroth, titled Crown and is the ultimate summit of the Tree of Life. When we reach this crowning height on our journey, the prodigal son has returned to the house of his Father. The dewdrop from the Earth has slipped into the shining sea and beyond there is only silence. A mysterious radiance of impenetrable darkness. The immeasurable can not be measured with thoughts and words, but the testimony of wise and holy souls in every age assures us that it can be experienced.
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