hebrew watchers?

ancient watchers?

One thing I often think about with my dealings with the tree of life is that I am not a Jewish scholar. I have no interest in the Judaism. ...Yet the tree of life attracts me and has held my attention for ten years now.

The symbol of the tree and the levels it reveals, certainly leave me with the impression there are 'watchers' set up over this symbol. These watchers can and do interact with the students world. At no time though have they pushed me in the direction of learning Hebrew. I wonder if gematria and the tree of life map are deeply connected? Or is it another example of the all-embracing symbol of the tree?

Can the tree of life be used and viewed in a way that gives it no religious connection?

The various renditions of the Tree of Life certainly make it transcend its classical Jewish basis. Even the names of the Sefirot, or the names of the four worlds, become uses without the grounding of Jewish scholarship - as we also, for that matter, use the terms Logos, verandah, Gestalt, Vorstellung, lasser-faire, and a host of other terms whose meanings, though rooted within the linguistic medium from which they arise, flower in various winds.

As to the depiction of the Tree, then, let us not forget that it was used by non-Jewish syncretists not long after it arose.

As for the Tarot, I agree that there are spiritual forces at play behind the form(s) of the Tree, and that it need not be restricted to Jewish scholars.

As to whether it can have no religious connotation, in one sense, no: it remains a powerful symbol that points precisely to understand the spiritual realms, and thus spiritually connects us more deeply - the essence of religion!

Thanks JMD. "As to the depiction of the Tree, then, let us not forget that it was used by non-Jewish syncretists not long after it arose."

My thinking here was that, the tree symbol, was picked up by a Jewish channeller, and therefore it was given a judistic slant upon its grounding. Was the tree a global transmission?

What this makes me think is, is the tree in its self, cabalistic? Or is it just the cabbalists who have done the most work/study on it?


"As to whether it can have no religious connotation, in one sense, no: it remains a powerful symbol that points precisely to understand the spiritual realms, and thus spiritually connects us more deeply - the essence of religion!"

I see the spiritual realms as natural realms, and find religion can be a bit superstitious and dogmatic, a bit of a dam on the river. Saying this, I am sure religion works, if you believe, but could the tree work as a spiritual map and guidance system without attaching it to religion? In purely scientific terms and language type. Without losing any of its ‘magick’? i.e written in a universal language? [I hope I'm making sense!]

I rather think the tree, in terms of structure as opposed to content, leans heavilly into the neo-pythagorean and neo-platonic realms, and has a basis on the fusion of certain Greek thought into Kabbalism. This isn't to arrogantly purport that the Jewish mystics "needed" the Greek philosophers. Its just that I have a strong intuition that the tree as a glyph began to emerge after such an influence had made itself known. It could certainly be argued otherwise.

~LAS

I very much agree with you, Laurel, that it is in the tradition of neo-platonic hellenistic Judaism, further developed in the context of mediaeval European and Moorish influence, that the glyph of the Tree emerged.

It has, after all, very little in common with the more ancient and realistic representations of the very palm-like living-tree representations of earlier times, and its mathematical and more abstract aspects are peculiarly important.

Does it remain the province of solely Jewish Kabalism, or is it an important tool for all? As an aeclectic-syncretist, I know where I stand - and seemingly in line with most others on this!

JMD"It has, after all, very little in common with the more ancient and realistic representations of the very palm-like living-tree representations of earlier times ."

I am not so sure about that. If I was looking back in time for ancient roots of the tree of life symbol, I think the Assyrian version would certainly 'grab the eye'.


This site has an interesting series of very old Assyrian trees of life;

http://www.zyworld.com/Assyrian/Assyrian sacred tree of life.htm
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The tree of life on this site; http://www.dabar.org/Breasted/Assyrians-Chaldeans/Section18/FIG102.html

-- Is interesting, especially the middle path. It seems to have small arrowheads, suggesting energy movement along its length. It does end with a 9-leafed fountain at the spot comparable with daath. There seems to be a knot or 3 bands at the spot tiphareth would be. There is nothing where yesod is, but the tiphareths spot 3 bands do seem to be holding to 'crescent' shapes.


Here is a curiosity link about the assyrians- http://www.aina.org/assyria.htm

Thank you for those great links, AmounrA - it was precisely some of those Assyria-Babylonian representations, and pre-15th century Jewish representations, that I had in mind when reflecting as I wrote.

Of course the Tree of Life antedates the 13th century - it was, after all, one of the key statement-image in Genesis, and as your links show, there were Assyrian, Babylonian... and for that matter, Egyptian representations.

The key difference, however, is that out of these arose something which seems to transcend these, and, importantly, have its roots not in the Earth, but in the Celestial realms.

But maybe I was too strong in my statement, for they do have a number of strands in common, even if it's more important aspects are different to my eyes.

" they do have a number of strands in common, even if it's more important aspects are different to my eyes."

I would agree with these sentiments.

I do feel though, if the Assyrian tree is a 'primitive' prototype of what is now the sefirotic tree. The main idea I think the Assyrian tree triggered, was the idea of a middle path, grounded on earth, with its crown in 'heaven'. The Assyrian tree was no doubt looked at by some, who did see this middle path within it. From them could the tree have evolved, refined, through a series of triggered ideas?

It is interesting also to note, that the Assyrians where not across the world from the tribes of Israel, they where right there with them.

I think its important to keep in mind the historical interaction between the Assyrians and the Hebrew tribes- the Assyrians invaded and scattered the ten tribes in 772 BC, and of course later the Babylonians conquered Judea and Nebuchadnezzar deported a great deal of the Hebrew priesthood along with the craftsmen to Babylon. Its hard to imagine that Assyrian culture ~didn't~ influence early Jewish culture and the firmaments of the Kabbalah.

(side note: Pythogoras was also a prisoner in Babylon; he had been studying with the priesthood in Egypt when Cambyses II of Persia attacked them... and many of his ideas were influenced from his studies in Egypt and Babylon)

Of course, its also important to appreciate that the trees in both Assyrian and Judaic art were also based on trees native to the area, and of course would bear simularities.

~LAS

Watchers Indeed

AmounrA said:

The symbol of the tree and the levels it reveals, certainly leave me with the impression there are 'watchers' set up over this symbol. These watchers can and do interact with the students world. At no time though have they pushed me in the direction of learning Hebrew.

Click to expand...

I find the wording of this statement very interesting, AmounrA; in the work of Merkavah mysticism known as the Book of Enoch, there is frequent mention of the Watchers, a group of rebellious "priests" from the Celstial Temple (i.e. the Heavenly Equivalent for the Temple of David). These fallen angels are the same one's spoken about in Genesis 6:2 and 6:4, which I will reproduce for you, rather than assume that you own a copy of the Old Testament:

"... the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose... the Nephilim (fallen ones) were on the Earth in those days - and also afterward - when the sons of God went to the daughters of men and had children by them."

These Nephilim, the bastard children of fallen angels (which many consider to be the minions of the Adversary), were responsible for the explosion of sin which resulted in Noah's Flood.

All this just to say, "Be wary to whom you give your trust." I do not know who these watchers are, in your case, but I know that demons of the Qliphoth would love nothing more than to divorce knowledge from religion.