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The Tree
The Supernal Triad - Azilut
The Supernal Triad consists of Kether, Hockma and Binah. It is in the Realm of Azilut to which the element of fire is attributed. It is considered to be the Realm of the Divine and beyond human comprehension.
Kether
Kether is the Crown,
It is the source of all, according to the Zohar, the main Kabbalistic text.
“Before having created any shape in the world, before having produced any form, He was alone, without form, resembling nothing”
(Regardie, Page 36)
This refers to the primordial waters of Genesis from which all springs,
the unknowable void. It is sometimes described as consciousness in a
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flux of endless possible becoming.
It is believed to be comprised of Three Negative Veils, also known as the Three Hidden Lights, which are:-
Ain - No Thing
Ain Soph - No Thing becomes
Ain Soph Aur – The Light of the Limitless, the first stage of
manifestation, the Divine's Will to become Manifest.
In the Chinese tradition this is the Yang, Yin and Tao
It is the unknowable formless source of Divinity.
In humanity, Kether is also the sphere of the highest manifestation of the human soul, known as the Neshamah, which very few of us attain. However, those who do have a far reaching influence on humanity's collective development, when we seek to attain our own highest good. Those who achieve this state are believed to have the choice of merging with the Divine or of helping humanity evolve. It is those who choose to help the evolution of mankind that influence us. This is an idea that is also part of other esoteric traditions. Kabbalistically, there are 3 levels the human soul can obtain. The first is the Nefesh, the basic human soul, said to be animal in it’s nature. On the Tree it is placed in Malkuth, the kingdom. The second is the Ruach, which is shown as being at the level of Tiphereth on the Tree. This is the level at which a human has evolved into a mature being and is in touch with and able to express it’s soul qualities.
There are three columns on the Tree, the Anima (left) Animus (right) and Equilibrium the central column. Kether heads the middle column.
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Hockma
This is the first form of manifestation, Hockma means Wisdom. It is on
the right hand side of the Tree, the side of force. It is active, energy out flowing from the source; it is the energising principle. Like the energy contained in a seed that produces a life form, it is rationalised potential. It is considered male and positive, because it initiates and activates.
It is the energising element of existence, like prana and chi.
Because the Tree is the pattern on which all life forms are based it can be applied to everything in existence. When is applied to the human psyche, Hockma represents human the form of human consciousness that gains insight in a flash of inspiration. Something suddenly becomes clear and known to one. It could be a problem one has been grappling with that seems unfathomable, or something new that one suddenly gains insight into. The planet Uranus is attributed to this sephiroth.
The order of Angels associated with this sephiroth are the Auphanim, whose role is to keep manifestation in motion. Auphanim means to surround or encircle (Gray, page 187). It is the first step towards manifestation from the formless potential of Kether.
The God name YHWH is also attributed to this sephiroth. This is known as the Holy Tetragrammaton and is venerated in magical and spiritual practices. It is the point at which the unmanifest becomes a manifest force, from which life originates and to which it returns.
Binah
Binah is the female principal, it seeks to consolidate the energy of Hockma.
Thus we have the dualities:-
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Right Pillar Left Pillar
Force Form
Positive Negative
Male Female
Expansion Restriction
Yang Yin
Animus Anima
”..So do all Created things originate from this One Thing through Transformation”
(Hauck 45)
Both energies work together to produce form. Binah consolidates the outpouring of Hockma, through understanding and restricting the energy of Hockma so that it can become consolidated into form.
Binah has been described as:-
“That universal electric power which unites and brings together all
forms, the constructive power which carries out the formation of things, the plan of the Divine Thought which is Hockma”
( Regardie, page 43)
I think Binah realises all Forms, as there are no forms at this stage of
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creation other than those she realises and conceives as potentials.
She can be likened to Maya in Buddhism the universal Power of Illusion,
Kwan Yin, the Yin of Taoism. She is also known as the Great Sea from
which all springs. Her colour is black because it is negative and
receptive of all colours. By providing boundaries and limitation she initiates the idea of form. She is the cosmic womb from which form is created, and actualised in Netzach.
Will Parfitt describes Understanding as:-
“That which is created is thy Understanding of Thy Love”
(Parfitt ,1995,see 152-154 for his interpretation of Binah)
Binah is the Mirror with which The Divine beholds itself. It is also the place of the Silence from which understanding evolves.
Saturn is attributed to Binah, he is the ruler of time and mortality, both of which come into existence at this stage, as well as ageing.
Rhea, the ancient form of Gaia, is Saturn's partner, so therefore she is also associated with Binah. Binah is also known as the Mother of Sorrows for this reason; the infinite becomes finite.
“When we have learned not to be sad in answer to Saturn's contact with
us, then we have learnt the meaning of Binah”
(Gray, 168)
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She is the Mother of universal existence, she individualises the life force
and sends it down across the abyss into incarnation.
Paradoxically, with the creation of life comes death and an awareness of
our own fragility. With time comes death. It is through our understanding of time and our own fragility, that we learn our greatest lessons. It is thought that the only the oldest souls are given difficult incarnations to endure because overcoming sorrow helps us to strengthen our humanity and compassion; it takes old souls to be able to endure these difficulties. Further, according to the law of correspondence, every sorrow has its corresponding joy (Thee Initiates 149 – 159). So we experience joy as well as insight, when we are able to reconcile difficult issues.
The Angels associated with Binah are the Aralim which has several meanings including throne, strong, mighty one, supporter upholder.
Binah has another name Khorsia, according to (Gray, 169). Khorsia means throne, which upholds Wisdom (Hockma). The Aralim contain
and condense spiritual power. By containing and controlling this power it can be utilised on the earth. The Monarchy of old, traditionally, were
thought to have a direct link to the Divine in many cultures, acting as
conduits for Divine Power and Wisdom, by which they ruled (!).
Finally, in Kether, Hockma and Binah, the Supernal Triad, the three forces that make up the universe are manifested.
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