Satyatarot
So I've been looking back around at the Golden Dawn arrangement of the Tree of Life trying to reconcile the differences between more traditional Kaballah and the GD arrangement, and it seems... Somehow less than an intuitive rearrangement of the Etz Chaim. On the GD tree, the paths seem to be more or less arbitrary, arranged primarily in alphabetical order. Take a look at more traditional views of the Etz Chaim, and the letters are arranged precisely due to the type of letter they are, each type having a specific way of traversing the tree, and serving a specific function in the transference of energy throughout the tree. Not to say that the GD arrangement does not refer to the transferal of energy, just that the letters are not arranged on the paths in accordance with their form and function in the hebrew language. For instance, we can see the three mothers according to the GD are, respectively, arranged from Kether to Chokmah (A diagonal path), from Gevurah to Hod (A vertical path), and from Hod to Malkuth (Another diagonal path). However, there are 3 horizontal paths within the tree, would it not make more sense to place them on the horizontal paths, therefore showing the three mothers as a reconciliation of opposing energies, serving to balance them. This makes more sense when we consider that within hebrew, there are the 3 mothers, 7 doubles and 12 elementals. On the tree, there are 3 horizontal paths, 7 vertical paths, and 12 diagonal paths. Each of these has a different experience in traveling the paths, and different ways to do it. For instance, with the 7 double letters on their vertical paths, one would meditate upon the letter while pronouncing one of the two possible ways in order to ascend the path, and the other in order to descend the path.
I do tend to agree with the older arrangement of the paths which is used in the GD system. I think it makes more sense that the connection between the 3rd plane and the 2nd plane does not have any direct paths. There's a reason that Daath is a pseudo-sephira and could not find a place upon the tree, but I find that the designation of the letters are difficult to reconcile. It was a complaint of Crowley's that the placement of the letters was arbitrary and did not seem to fit numerically. This makes even less sense when we consider the importance of number in the kaballah. Why would the letters (Which are also inherently numbers) be placed entirely randomly with no consideration for the meanings of the numbers at all?
Another thing which I have less of a problem with, but still is a strange difference, is the designation of the pillars of force and form. Within the Sepher Yetzirah, it is fairly clear that the Pillar of Chesed is associated to Mem (Water) and the pillar of Gevurah associated to Shin (Fire) with the pillar of mildness being the balance of Aleph (Air). It appears repeatedly within the different chapters of the Gra version especially (The long version goes into even more depth to explain this, but it is widely considered the inferior version). The reason for this is that Chokmah consciousness is considered to be beyond form, and water is formless, flowing according to the form it is contained within. The paths are said to be as canals where the water of Chokmah flows into the rest of creation. As Binah designates form, it is compared to the canals which allows the formless water of Chokmah to permeate reality. I understand that in the GD system, Water is receptivity and Fire is the active forces of reality, but this primarily relates to the tetragrammaton and the four worlds. The three pillars are more indicative of the three primary elements (As earth condensed from water.) The pillars are not really designated in association with the three directly, but Chokmah is stated as mem (Water), Binah as shin (Fire) and Kether as aleph (The breath which desides between them). Since these are the heads of the pillars, the rest of the pillars also are typically found to follow this designation. This is supported by the statement "Mem hums, Shin hisses, and Aleph is the breath which decides between them." It is said that when one wants to bring the aspects of Chesed to come to bear on one's self or another, one pronounces the Mem. When one wishes to bring the elements of Gevurah to someone (For instance, so that an enemy should be judged harshly for their deeds) then one pronounces the shin. When one wants balance to permeate their life, one should simply breathe therefore pronouncing the silent aleph. This is also intuitive: When one is in good spirits they tend to hum, when one is confronted with a foe and his/her deeds then one hisses, and when one is in neither you will simply breathe.
There are also more discrepancies, but I think these do a good job of illustrating the differences. So the question is, why the differences? More importantly, why do the differences seem so unintuitive, especially in relation to the main system. Could the principles of hermeticism not be displayed properly within the traditional system, and if not, why use it as a framework for the whole thing? The system as it stands makes perfect sense, and seems to operate in a superior way (At least for me) when using the system in a practical way. Why the changes, what was the purpose, and what does it bring that the traditional system did not sufficiently do?
Thank you!
~ST
I do tend to agree with the older arrangement of the paths which is used in the GD system. I think it makes more sense that the connection between the 3rd plane and the 2nd plane does not have any direct paths. There's a reason that Daath is a pseudo-sephira and could not find a place upon the tree, but I find that the designation of the letters are difficult to reconcile. It was a complaint of Crowley's that the placement of the letters was arbitrary and did not seem to fit numerically. This makes even less sense when we consider the importance of number in the kaballah. Why would the letters (Which are also inherently numbers) be placed entirely randomly with no consideration for the meanings of the numbers at all?
Another thing which I have less of a problem with, but still is a strange difference, is the designation of the pillars of force and form. Within the Sepher Yetzirah, it is fairly clear that the Pillar of Chesed is associated to Mem (Water) and the pillar of Gevurah associated to Shin (Fire) with the pillar of mildness being the balance of Aleph (Air). It appears repeatedly within the different chapters of the Gra version especially (The long version goes into even more depth to explain this, but it is widely considered the inferior version). The reason for this is that Chokmah consciousness is considered to be beyond form, and water is formless, flowing according to the form it is contained within. The paths are said to be as canals where the water of Chokmah flows into the rest of creation. As Binah designates form, it is compared to the canals which allows the formless water of Chokmah to permeate reality. I understand that in the GD system, Water is receptivity and Fire is the active forces of reality, but this primarily relates to the tetragrammaton and the four worlds. The three pillars are more indicative of the three primary elements (As earth condensed from water.) The pillars are not really designated in association with the three directly, but Chokmah is stated as mem (Water), Binah as shin (Fire) and Kether as aleph (The breath which desides between them). Since these are the heads of the pillars, the rest of the pillars also are typically found to follow this designation. This is supported by the statement "Mem hums, Shin hisses, and Aleph is the breath which decides between them." It is said that when one wants to bring the aspects of Chesed to come to bear on one's self or another, one pronounces the Mem. When one wishes to bring the elements of Gevurah to someone (For instance, so that an enemy should be judged harshly for their deeds) then one pronounces the shin. When one wants balance to permeate their life, one should simply breathe therefore pronouncing the silent aleph. This is also intuitive: When one is in good spirits they tend to hum, when one is confronted with a foe and his/her deeds then one hisses, and when one is in neither you will simply breathe.
There are also more discrepancies, but I think these do a good job of illustrating the differences. So the question is, why the differences? More importantly, why do the differences seem so unintuitive, especially in relation to the main system. Could the principles of hermeticism not be displayed properly within the traditional system, and if not, why use it as a framework for the whole thing? The system as it stands makes perfect sense, and seems to operate in a superior way (At least for me) when using the system in a practical way. Why the changes, what was the purpose, and what does it bring that the traditional system did not sufficiently do?
Thank you!
~ST