THE CABALISTIC TREE OF LIFE - THE SEPHIRAH EXPLAINED

THE CABALISTIC TREE OF LIFE

As long as human beings have not learned to link their souls and spirits consciously to the
luminious forces of nature they will continue to feel empty, confused and anguished. The only
way to help a human being is to give him light, true knowledge. When that light dawns within him
it shows him that he is linked to immensity and eternity, the he can communicate with the forces
of the cosmos, that he has the power to transform his life. Only then will he possess certainty
and joy. You can help human beings to solve their physical and psychic problems only by
teaching them about their true nature, by showing them how they are linked to the Tree of Life,
and how to draw from it the forces they need in order to work and transform themselves.
(JULY 28, 1995)

The study of the Sephirotic Tree, the Tree of Life, gives a very clear view of the spiritual work
you must accomplish and is a method that can serve you to the end of your days. Your mind will
stop wandering aimlessly as you follow its path, and the further you manage to advance, the
more blessings you will receive. Refer frequently to the Sephirotic Tree and you will light lamps
within you, which will not only enlighten you, but also purify and strengthen you, bringing you
vitality and beauty. Perhaps you will always find this image mysterious and will thus never fully
manifest all the virtues and powers it represents. However, it will serve as an illustration of the
ideal world that draws you ever higher. (OCTOBER 31, 1998)

Many people believe that they are in direct contact with God because they attend church
regularly or recite their daily prayers. Would that it were so easy! To claim direct contact with
God, we would have to be completely unaware of his inaccessibility! I would not say that we
cannot reach some aspect of God but certainly not God Himself. Between ourselves and God
there is a great gulf to be crossed, a space so vast it is beyond conception. That space is not
empty: It is composed of regions in which spiritual entities live. All religions mention in some way
the existence of these regions and these entities.

The Christian tradition, which has its roots in the Jewish tradition, teaches the existence of nine
angelic orders: the Angels, Archangels, Principalities, Virtues, Powers, Dominations, Thrones,
Cherubim and Seraphim. These angelic orders are each an aspect of divine power and virtue. In
order for us to develop spiritually, we need to know about the existence of these celestial
entities, because they are like beacons of light along our way. (DECEMBER 5, 1998)

When you become more and more conscious of the existence of angels, archangels, and the
whole of the angelic hierarchy, you become impregnated with their qualities; you become more
alive, more enlightened, and your whole inner world is enriched. At the same time you must
remain very modest and know that many of these beings are still very far out of your reach.
Begin by trying to get in touch with the saints, initiates and great masters, whose mission it is to
help human beings. Then rise higher still, and try to reach the angels, because the angels are
the closest to us: They listen to us, help us, and grant our desires. You can also try to invoke the
archangels. But do not attempt to go higher. In infinity, worlds without number exist, and the
higher angelic hierarchies in deepest space are not in touch with human beings. They have
other work to do, far away. You should know of the existence of these superior hierarchies and
can even invoke them; but in order that your prayers and meditations may achieve results, you
must address those beings closer to you. (APRIIL 25, 1998)

Between humanity and God there exists a hierarchy of highly evolved beings which the Christian
religion refers to us as the hierarchy of angels. Beginning with the highest, they are the
Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones, Dominations, Powers, Virtues, Principalities, Archangels and
Angels. All of these orders serve as transformers for the powers emanating from the Creator.
The Cherubim and Seraphim, those closest to the Lord, represent His love and wisdom. This
love and wisdom descend, passing successively through the other orders – the Throne,
Dominions and so on – to the Angels who transmit them to us in the form of life. Yes, the
energies we receive and which make us living beings are passed to us by the Angels. You must
meditate on the transformation of the divine quintessence through this succession of beings
extending from the Throne of God until it reaches us.

And in this perfect construction that is the universe, each planet is also a special transformer,
just as in our bodies each organ transforms energies and sends them on to another organ. Yes,
because the phenomena occurring in human beings are the same as those which occur in the
universe. (MAY 22, 2000)

The Seraphim, Cherubim and Thrones belong to the divine triad of Kether, Chokmah and Binah.
They are in direct contact with God and through them the Dominations, Powers and Virtues
receive divine emanations, which they then transmit to human beings, and further down, to the
animal, plant and mineral realms.
􀂾 The Seraphim are the spirits of Divine Love.
􀂾 The Cherubim are the spirits of Divine Wisdom.
􀂾 The Thrones are the spirits of Divine Power.
􀂾 The Dominations; Powers and Virtues are the first reflection of that love, wisdom and power.
Below these, the Principalities, Archangels and Angels are the second reflection. Now, it is up to
us to make efforts to become the third reflection of that divine perfection by learning to work with
all the love of our heart, all the light of our intellect and all the strength of our will.
(SEPTEMBER 25, 1998)

Nothing in the world has a value greater than or even equal to life. So conserve your life and
protect it.
History has told of men and women who gave their lives to save others, to stand up for certain
ideas. Yes, it is only in these situations that we have the right to sacrifice our lives. Saints,
prophets, initiates have also given their lives for an idea, for the glory of God; not only did they
not lose anything, but thereafter received a new life, even richer and more beautiful, because
they had sacrificed themselves for the good. But apart from these cases, each person must
conserve his life, preserve it, purify, intensify and enlighten it, for life is the source, the point of
departure of all other developments on the physical, emotional and mental planes. True
resurrection begins by working on life. At the beginning, there is life, then comes wisdom, love,
beauty, etc., as many branches of the primordial Tree of Life. (APRIIL 15, 2001)

In the Book of Revelations, St. John tells how he was transported in spirit before the Throne of
God. ‘Around the throne and on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in
front and behind: the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third
living creature with a face like a human face and the fourth living creature like a flying eagle.’
These four living beings are the Seraphim, whose place is before the Throne of God. They
represent the four principles of matter, the four elements: fire – lion, earth – bull, air – man and
water – eagle. The Seraphim are the angels of the four elements. Therefore, one could say that
the very roots of matter lie in God, within the highest Sephirah, Kether. But do not be misled by
words, because at this degree of purity, matter is almost indistinguishable from spirit.
(JUNE 30, 1998)

THE DIFFERENT SEPHIRAH
The Sephirothic Tree is a graphic description of the different regions of the universe. It also
represents every area of the human psyche, and helps us understand the path we have to follow
to attain the invisible world. From the bottom, Malkouth is the first sephira – representing the
physical plane to enter the psychic plane – Yesod, the region of the moon. Yesod marks the
beginning of all psychic life, and is a degree more advanced than Malkouth. We reach the first
stage of psychic life on the lower level of Yesod, which the light of Tiphareth – the sun – has not
yet been able to penetrate. This is a region of mists and vague indeterminate forms, and we
must pass through this region very quickly and go higher, to the world of light and reason – the
world of the spirit. Here, our real work begins. (FEBRUARY 7, 1999)

Kether: the Crown; Chokmah: Wisdom; Binah: Intelligence; Chesed: Mercy; Geburah: Power;
Tiphareth: Beauty; Netzach: Victory; Hod: Glory; Yesod: The Foundation; Malkuth: the Kingdom.
Learn to meditate on the ten sephiroth of the Tree of Life; be conscious of the fact that this Tree
exists inside you, and that the only worthwhile activity is to make it grow, flower and bear fruit.
How long you will need before you become that Tree of Life must not concern you. It is possible
you will need to refer to its image and breathe life into it for thousands of years, until the day
when those ten sephiroth within you begin to vibrate and your inner being radiates with all the
light, knowledge and wisdom of the Tree of Life. (JANUARY 3, 1998)

We need a method to guide us in our spiritual work and point out the best path to follow. For me,
the best method of all is the study of the Sephiroth Tree, the Tree of Life, and that is why I insist
that you learn and deepen your knowledge of all its aspects. With Malkuth you give things
material form. With Yesod you purify them. With Hod you understand and express them. With
Netzach you give them grace. With Tiphareth you bring light to them. With Geburah you fight to
defend them. With Chesed you submit them to divine order. With Binah you give them stability.
With Chokmah you place them within universal harmony. Finally, with Kether you place the seal
of eternity upon them. (NOVEMBER 14, 1998)

One must not interpret the creation of the first man revealed in the sacred books ad the creation
of human beings as they are today. The Cabbalah clarifies this subject for us. The Cabbalah
calls this first man Adam Kadmon, meaning, primordial man. Adam Kadmon is the first being
created by God, the cosmic man whose body has been formed with constellations and worlds.
And God is still beyond this created universe.

In the Cabbalah, the universe symbolized by the Tree of Life is formed by the Sephiroth Kether,
Chokmah, Binah, Chesed, Geburah, Tiphareth, Netzach, Hod, Yesod and Malkuth. It is this tree
of Life, the Sephirotic Tree that represents the body of Adam. Kether is his head. Chokmah is
his right eye and the right side of his face. Binah is his left eye and the left side of his face,
Chesed, the right arm, Geburah, the left arm, Tiphareth, the heart and solar plexus, Netzach, the
right leg, Hod the left leg, Yesod, the genital organs and Malkuth, the feet. Adam Kadmon is the
cosmic archetype of which we are a cell, a reflection. (DECEMBER 26, 2001)

THE SEPHIRAH EXPLAINED:
The Blessed Trinity is represented on the central Pillar of the Sephirotic Tree: the Father in
Kether, the Son in Tiphareth and the Holy Spirit in Yesod. The Father is Life, the Son is Light
and Yesod is Love. Each Sephirah corresponds, also, to a part of man's body, and Yesod
corresponds to the genital organs. The Holy Spirit is connected to love in many ways, and when
we say that Jesus was 'conceived of the Holy Spirit', it means that he was conceived in an
absolutely pure state of consciousness. Why was it the Archangel Gabriel who announced this
conception to Mary? Why was he chosen, rather than any other Archangel to bear the good
news? Because it is the Archangel Gabriel who rules the region of Yesod. When you study the
Cabbalah it becomes very clear. Gabriel's visit speaks for itself and becomes meaningful once
you know the virtues and functions of the different regions. (MARCH 25, 1998)

* SEPHIRAH KETHER *
The Seraphim are the angels of Kether, the first Sephirah. They are therefore the first creatures
to receive emanations from the divine source.
They exist immersed in an ocean of turbulent, primordial matter, drinking at the source of light
and love, their only nourishment. They are nourished by contemplating God, which is why they
are represented with eyes all over their bodies. The Seraphim are the most perfect manifestation
of love because true love is contemplation. (MAY 21, 1998)

* SEPHIRAH BINAH *
Everyone knows that a key is made to go into a lock to open a door. The symbols of the key and
the lock can be found in all spheres of life. Yes, everywhere there are keys and locks to open
doors because everywhere there is a matter that the spirit must penetrate and open so as to
reveal its riches.

The cabbalists teach that someone who has traveled the 32 paths of wisdom is capable of
opening the 50 doors of Binah. Binah is the divine Mother, the primordial matter, the purest and
subtlest. And the celestial Father is the key that opens the locks of matter. The one who knows
how to open this matter benefits from its inexhaustible resources. In a sense, this is what atomic
scientists have done. They have succeeded in opening a door in matter and releasing this
incredible power capable of consuming everything. They found a key that enabled them to
achieve atomic fission, but they still do not know how to use it properly for the good of humanity.
It is thanks to the spirit, the only true key, that they will one day open the locks of matter and
release its hidden powers. (NOVEMBER 3, 2001)

THE TWENTY-FOUR ELDERS
It is difficult to gain a higher level of consciousness, and even more so to remain at that level,
even for those who have espoused a spiritual way of life. They succeed one day, and the next
they allow themselves to relax a little. It is virtually impossible to reach a state of stability and
permanence. Stability is the highest point of initiation, at which point a disciple can at last say,
like the Hierophant of ancient Egypt: ‚I am stable, son of stability, conceived and bred in the land
of stability.‘ The sephirah Binah is the land of stability, the region of the Twenty-four Elders.
(MAY 4, 1998)

It is the Thrones, the angels of the sephirah Binah, also known as the Twenty-four Elders, who
decree the destiny human beings will meet with in their next incarnations, according to how they
have lived in previous lives. But these orders are executed by others: the angels of the sephirah
Chesed or Geburah. If people need punishment, if it is necessary to subject them to trials in
order to teach them truths they have stubbornly ignored, the Twenty-four Elders will not execute
this themselves, but will send the angels of Geburah to subdue these recalcitrant individuals.
And when, on the other hand, people deserve rewards, it is the angels of Chesed who come and
smooth the way and shower them with blessings. Each angelic hierarchy has a task, a specific
mission: the Aralim, the angels of Binah, pronounce judgement; the Seraphim, the angels of
Geburah, establish trials and punishments; and the Hashmalim, the angels of Chesed, distribute
blessings and rewards. (JUNE 28, 2000)

lf someone decides to follow the divine path and never falters in his decision, the Twenty-Four
Elders see that he speaks their language, the language of stability, and they may alter the fate
decreed for him. But they are in no hurry; they say, 'Let's wait and see if he perseveres.' And
when they see that he continues faithfully on the right path, they are practically forced to rewrite
his destiny and bring it under the rule of Providence or Grace. Grace belongs to the Sephirah
Chokmah, the Sephirah next to Binah on the Sephirotic Tree of Life. The Twenty-Four Elders get
in touch with Chokmah and send on this person's file, with a note of recommendation. The reign
of Providence begins with Chokmah; all the other Sephiroth are under the rule of Justice and
Karma, but when one enters Chokmah, the region of Christ, one comes under the rule of Grace,
the rule, that is to say, of freedom. (JANUARY 2, 1988)

If somebody decides to follow a divine path and continues on that path without weakening, the
Lords of Destiny – the Twenty-four Elders, who inhabit the Sephirah Binah – are obliged to
accept that this person speaks their language, the language of stability, so they change the
degrees that govern him. However, they are not in a hurry; they wait to see how long he
perseveres. When he proves his ability to continue advancing faithfully, these Elders are almost
obliged to make a fresh entry in the book of his destiny, bringing in the element of providence,
which means a state of grace. Grace is the Sephirah Chokmah, which is to be found on the
Sephirotic Tree just above the Sephirah Binah. The Twenty-four Elders communicate with
Chokmah and pass on this person’s records with glowing references. Providence, therefore, has
its origin in Chokmah. The preceding Sephiroth are subject to the laws of justice and karma, but
when one enters Chokmah, where Christ dwells, one comes under the reign of grace or
freedom. (AUGUST 29, 1998)

It is the Thrones, the angels of the sephirah Binah, also known as the Twenty-four Elders, who
decree the destiny human beings will meet with in their next incarnations, according to how they
have lived in previous lives. But these orders are executed by others: the angels of the sephirah
Chesed or Geburah. If people need punishment, if it is necessary to subject them to trials in
order to teach them truths they have stubbornly ignored, the Twenty-four Elders will not execute
this themselves, but will send the angels of Geburah to subdue these recalcitrant individuals.
And when, on the other hand, people deserve rewards, it is the angels of Chesed who come and
smooth the way and shower them with blessings. Each angelic hierarchy has a task, a specific
mission: the Aralim, the angels of Binah, pronounce judgement; the Seraphim, the angels of
Geburah, establish trials and punishments; and the Hashmalim, the angels of Chesed, distribute
blessings and rewards. (JUNE 28, 2000)

* SEPHIRAH CHOKMAH *
In the beginning, at the commencement of everything that exists, there was light. And this light is
the Christ, the solar spirit. The spirit of the Christ first manifests in the sephirah Chokmah, the
highest glory, the Word, without which, as Saint John the Divine says in his Gospel, ‘nothing was
made that was made’. Then the spirit of Christ manifests under another aspect in the
sephirahTipheret, the sun.

When you go to watch the sun rise each morning, as you link with it, imagine that it is with its
spirit that you unite; yes, the spirit of the sun is none other than the spirit of Christ, an emanation
of the Godhead. Open yourselves up to the sun: it is not enough just to be there and gaze at it.
To have total contact with the quintessence of its light, your spirit must link with it and enter into
it. As soon as you plunge into that world of light, a few particles of light penetrate within you and
you receive revelations of divine splendour. (NOVEMBER 13, 1998)

On the Tree of Life music belongs in the Sephira Chokmah, ruled by the Cherubim. Chokmah is
the realm of the Word, by which everything was created and the Word is nothing other than
fashioned cosmic matter. Sound models and forms matter and this is how God used the Word to
fashion formless matter, the ‘tohuwabohu’ in Genesis. He spoke upon this cosmic dust and
forms came into being. The Cherubim received the divine vibration of the Word and this vibration
was communicated to every other creature existing throughout space. When we sing the
mystical songs of the Brotherhood as a choir, we too link with the order of Cherubim. This
harmony works on us, resonating within every particle of our being, communicating its
harmonious vibrations and shaping us in the form of perfect beauty. (MARCH 7, 1999)

Man is the only living creature endowed with the faculty of speech, and it is thanks to this faculty
that cultures and civilizations have flourished. And when men wanted to preserve their words,
the art of writing appeared. Thanks to the word, man is all-powerful, for true magic is the
intelligent, sensible, luminous, harmonious, musical word that flows from God, the Source. Christ
is called the Word of God. On the Sephirotic Tree, the Divine Word is the second Sephirah,
Chokmah, the Wisdom that flows from Kether. lt contains all the elements, numbers and letters
used by God to create the universe. Chokmah is the region of Christ, the region of Eternal Glory,
for Christ is the Glory, the Word of God. This is why Jesus said, 'l am the light of the world.'
Christ, the Word, is the universal Key which opens all the doors of life.

He who works to make his word powerful, alive and harmonious, possesses the key which will
open all doors and enable him to achieve wonders, first of all, in himself and then in others and
in the whole of nature. This is the glory, the extraordinary future for which man is destined: the
ability to act on matter by the power of the word. (AUGUST 23, 1998)

* SEPHIRAH GEBURAH *
Geburah is the fifth sephira on the sephirotic tree which the Cabbalists associate with the planet
Mars. Geburah represents aggressive energy which protects against and repulses enemies. And
because Geburah's number is 5, the pentagram - the five-pointed star - is often used by magi as
a protection. They place it at the entrance of their house to prohibit evil spirits from entering, but
also to prevent luminous spirits from leaving.

Obviously, placing a pentagram at the entrance of your house is not sufficient for your
protection. This symbol becomes truly effective only for those who work to become a pentagram
inwardly. The pentagram is, in some sense, like the skeleton of a spirit on the astral plane, which
must be brought to life so it can stand guard at the entrance of your house and defend it against
harmful entities. But you can do so only by your own life: a life of honesty, integrity and service
to the light. (APRIIL 12, 2003)

* SEPHIRAH NETZACH *
It was the Elohim, the Angels of the Sephirah Netzach, that created the world, and this event
occurs once again, in miniature, each time an infant is conceived. In creating a child, the man
and woman are under the influence of Netzach, love, and it is the Elohim that create the child's
body. Even if the man and woman concerned know nothing about it, the Elohim accomplish their
task. The Sephiroth are not far away from us, they are at work every day in every area of our
fives. Yes, the creation of a child is a good example of this: the Elohim are present, they are
called upon to do their work and, a few months later, an adorable little baby appears and throws
everybody into raptures! Without realising it, human beings are constantly collaborating with
magic forces, the forces of the cosmos. Can you think of any magic more powerful than that of
procreation? Magic can give you the power to trigger storms and tornadoes, but that is nothing
compared to the creation of a living human being! (APRIIL 13, 1988)

The Elohim, the Angels of the Sephirah Netzach, created the world and this cosmic event is
reproduced on the human level every time a man and a woman conceive a child. In order to
create a child, the man and the woman are under the influence of Netzach, love and the Elohim
build the body of this child. Even if the man and the woman are not aware of this, the Elohim are
at work. The Sephirot are sublime regions, but every day they are at work in all spheres of life.
Yes, just look at how a child is created: The Elohim are there, the father and the mother have
called upon them and a few months later a small human being appears and everyone is filled
with wonder. Without knowing it human beings work together with cosmic forces, with magical
forces. What magical forces are more powerful than those of procreation? Magic can let loose
hurricanes, but that is nothing compared with the creation of a living being. (OCTOBER 29, 1999)

* SEPHIRAH YESOD *
What is birth? It is the transformation from the invisible state to the visible, from the immaterial to
the material, abstract to solid. It is the moon, that supremely feminine principle, that presides
over all the different forms of incarnation, on the physical as well as the spiritual plane. During
winter, when the nights are longer and natural life slows down, conditions for interior work are at
their best, whereas the contrary applies to exterior manifestations. In winter we are prompted to
go within ourselves to prepare for the birth of the child of the light, symbolized in some traditions
as a pearl. Originating in the sea, the pearl, like the sea, is connected with the moon. On the
Sephirotic Tree, the pearl oyster is Yesod, which represents the genitals of the cosmic body, and
this is where the pearl must be formed: the pearl that represents the purest quintessence of
love. It is the pearl oyster that forms a pearl, and that oyster is the reflection of the feminine
principle, which delivers into the world the pearl beyond price: the divine child.
(DECEMBER 25, 1998)

Continue to read:
[link to www.liveyourquest.com]