Several Sephiroth

Farzon

I know there is a thread on newbie questions, but it seems to have gotten out of control, so I figured I might as well start a new one for this specific question.

I´m reading Tarot and the Magus by Paul Hughes Barlowe right now. I´m a bit puzzled about statements of his about other trees of life - what does he mean? Trees from other persons? Isn´t the tree the way God manifests in the different worlds?

Then, I understand that Malkuth from a higher level can be Kether to a sephiroth on the plane below. But why does Barlowe then say, the trees connect at Tiferet? ("the junction between the two")

So you see, I´m an absolute noob to Kabbalah. I just know the more popular Tarot-related basics. So please go easy on me ;-)
 

Zephyros

Tough questions, but good ones. :)

Ok, Let's start at the beginning. Firstly, you should understand that although the Tree of Life is shown as a one-dimensional, linear diagram, it is actually anything but. Statements about it that are mutually incompatible may both be true. So, when it suits our purposes, we can look at the "entire" Tree as four Trees, one atop the other, showing how the four worlds develop one from the other. However, this implies that each world has no connection with the other, which is incorrect. There is a little of every world in every other worlds, although this takes a little mental gymnastics to see clearly. The astrological attributions, for example. help with this. For Tarot purposes, at least, this division is most useful.

Another way to deal with the four worlds is to divide the Tree internally, with Keter and Chochma in Atziluth; Binah in Briah; Chesed, Geburah, Tiphareth, Netzah, Hod and Yesod in Yetzirah and Malkuth in Assiah. this division is interesting in that it really delineates the roles each emanation takes on.

A third division, and the one youre interested in, is the three-dimensional Tree of Life. In my opinion its application is limited when dealing with Tarot, but it is a very important thing to study and contemplate. It really depends on the application. Echoes of this actually can be seen in the Golden Dawn pips, after a certain fashion. As you can see, it is in Tiphareth, the ideal plan of creation, that all four trees come together, each bringing the influence of their respective worlds.

http://www.freemasons-freemasonry.com/sephiroth.html
 

bradford

There are also several different versions of the simple Tree of Life. Most but not all share the same layout of the Sephiroth. There are different configurations of the 22 paths and different assignments of the letters to them. The Qabalah of the Western Mystery Tradition differs from the Safed school of Kabbalah. The paths of the Safed school make a little more sense as they do not just simple-mindedly assign the paths to the Tree in numerical sequence but honor the Sepher Yetzirah a little better in expressing the mothers, simples and doubles in the geometry.
 

Farzon

Thank you for your answers. They still leave some aspects unanswered, that bother me. I'll try to get that straight:

Is there only one Tree of life in the world? Or one for every being? I read it is the way God manifests in the world, like the body of God. But it's also the body of Adam Kadmon?!

Then there is the thing about the Qlipoth.... broken Sefiroth - so there have to be several trees, right?

And maybe someone knows a good book about these basics (please not the Sohar, this book puzzles me already :D Though I happen to like it)
 

Zephyros

Is there only one Tree of life in the world? Or one for every being? I read it is the way God manifests in the world, like the body of God. But it's also the body of Adam Kadmon?!

Short answer: yes. Long answer: no. There are many different Trees, but they're all the same one. The body of God is the body of man, there is no difference, as even man is a manifestation of God. The same Tree that rules the world also resides in each man and is a map of his psyche, but also in each idea, each plan come to fruition. The only thing that changes is the application, but one of the reasons the Tree of Life works so well is because of its ability to be universally adapted to any model. There is something a bit nihilistic about Kabbalah, that everything is nothing that came from nothing, but this idea also helps explain how there is no separation between one thing and another, since despite there being a Tree in each person, it's still the same Tree of the universe.

Then there is the thing about the Qlipoth.... broken Sefiroth - so there have to be several trees, right?

I haven't actually studied them, maybe someone else will have more information. They're not used by everyone.

And maybe someone knows a good book about these basics (please not the Sohar, this book puzzles me already :D Though I happen to like it)

Try Robert Wang or Dion Fortune.
 

Farzon

Thank you so much for your answers, closrapexa! They are really helpful. And never mind the paradoxes, I can live with them. I love them, actually.
 

ravenest

Correct me if I am wrong Clos , but from the traditional or Jewish perspective - does the ToL exist in each person? I thought that was wholly a G.D. innovation ? - to transpose the ToL over the individual 'psychic ' body.
 

Aeon418

Then there is the thing about the Qlipoth.... broken Sefiroth - so there have to be several trees, right?

You don't necessarily need multiple Trees. Everything, including the Qlipoth, can be mapped on one Tree. But sometimes it can be useful to extract one particular 'data set' and present it on it's own Tree.

The Qliphoth are probably most easily understood as unbalanced aspects of the balanced Tree of Life.
 

Zephyros

Correct me if I am wrong Clos , but from the traditional or Jewish perspective - does the ToL exist in each person? I thought that was wholly a G.D. innovation ? - to transpose the ToL over the individual 'psychic ' body.

I don't know. What did the question refer to? I just mouth off, hoping any of it makes sense and that I'm in the right conversation. :)
 

Aeon418

I thought that was wholly a G.D. innovation ?

I think that 'inovation' is one of the defining characteristics of the Western Mystery tradition. The necessity that human consciousness, the universe, and the Path of Initiation all be represented by one common model is the bedrock of the tradition.

It's a point that seems to be lost on some critics of the Kircher Tree who seem to be more intersted in making pretty patterns.