I've been reading Dion Fortunes book "The Mystical Qaballah". So far
I've just begun reading about the second sphere, or Sephiroth. I've had some
very interesting enlightenments.......Kether, is the first Sephiroth. This
is a bit hard to explain, but this is where all is manifested from. It is the
ultimate Divine energy, of our system, but NOT a part of it. Outside of us,
but from whence we and everything else has come from. It's abstact. I like
Dion's interpretations and teachings because she explains it from the
magician, esotericist, occultist point of view...she states that all magical
workings should start at Kether, the most Divine source, and perhaps not the
elements of either earth, air,fire, water. She describes begining at
manifested sources as "robbing Peter to pay Paul", she says the magician who
starts at these points must always be on guard because starting from what is
already manifested doesn't allow the Divine aspects, dieties, archangels to
be able to do their work. Working with such energy will eventually deplete
us. I know I may not be explaining this correctly.....I'd have to quote parts
of the book to get the exact idea across. But it makes sense to me. If we
begin at the point before maifestation, we will be able to access or use the
Divine energy at its fullest, and thus will always be energized ourselves,
and we will be allowing the universe to manifest our magical workings
according to universal laws instead of *our* beckonings, and ultimately will
benifit and serve all at the hightest and purest potential.
This is a recap on the lesson on Chokmah and Binah. (original lost in
cyberspace)
Kether, being the first Sephirah, is the Divine energy. We cannot define
Kether, we can only indicate it. It is at the crown of the middle pillar, or
the pillar of equilibrium, also known as the pillar of consciousness. It is
the first in the supernal triangle, this being all that has not yet been
manifested; the macrocosm, the point formulated in the void.
Energy spills over from Kether into the emanated Chokmah. Chokmah is the
second Sephirah and is the male force with a positive charge and sits at the
head of the pillar of Mercy. It is kinetic and dynamic in nature and is
represented by the suit of twos in the Tarot. It is at the head of mercy with
attributes of the twos being love, dominion, peace restored, and harmonious
change. This second path is called the Illuminating Intelligence and has a
virtue of devotion with no attributable vice. Chokmah is a passage of force
and is not an organizing Sephirath.
Binah is the third Sephiroth, the Great Mother, represented by the
threes, (established strength, abundance, sorrow, material works) and is
static energy. We must talk about Chokmah and Binah together to truly
understand them because they are the epitome of the laws of polarization.
Binah is regarded as female and has a negative charge to it. It is called the
Sanctifying Intelligence, the foundation of primordial wisdom and is also
called the creator of faith or the parent of faith. It has a virtue of
silence and is the first to have a vice, that being avarice. Binah is the
primordial root of matter, but the full development of matter is not found
until we arrive at Malkuth, the bottom and last of the Sephiroth.
Binah sits at the head of the pillar of Severity, not due to any
destructive or subtractive type of force, but it is labeled at the head of
severity because it provides the vehicle that transforms force into form, of
which it is emanated from Chokmah, the cosmic stimulus.
Chokmah's energy is dynamic and flows freely, but without the anchoring
characteristic of Binah would flow out into the universe without any
direction and would probably dissipate into nothing. Binah is the anchor
which takes this primordial force and molds it or transmutes it into the
beginnings of form. Chokmah is the gasoline and Binah is the car. You can
have gas, but if you don't have a car you can not go anywhere. Likewise if
you have a car with no gas you can't go anywhere either, so it the combined
efforts of Chokmah and Binah which gives rise to our manifested universe.
These two are the first pair of opposites in creation, the first
principals of the laws of polarity. As we travel downward through the Tree of
Life we will see that this dualism is repeated in the relationship of Chesed
to Geburah and that of Netzach to Hod.
Energy travels from one pole to another, from a positive charge to a
negative charge, and each subsequent Sephirath is an alternate charge than
the one preceding or the one following it. Energy must keep moving to sustain
equilibrium, and balance is obtained through momentum. Just as a bike rider
keeps their balance because they are moving, and once they stop they could
fall, so is the energy which travels through the Tree of Life. The Middle
Pillar is called Equilibrium and it is this transference of energy between
the pillar of Severity and Mercy that keeps the middle pillar in balance.
