Up or down the kabbalah tree?

DewDrop

I have been wonderning what differens it is between going up the tree of life to Kether, and down the tree of life to Malkut, in the course of sefldiscovery using the tarot card in the prosess/ carddiscovering using yourself in the prosess...
What do you think?
 

Little Baron

I was thinking the same thing today, Dewdrop, so I would be interested in the answers to this.

Some of what I read starts at the top where the light is offered, but I am sure I have read before that we start in the kingdom of Malcuth, where the physical lies and then try to work our way up to the crown of Kether - even though I am not sure that us, as human beings, can actually get that far.

I am 'very' new to this so appologies for what may be an ignorant post. Will be back again to see what experienced students of the Kabbalah say.

LB
 

Aeon418

The path down the Tree can be viewed as the process of creation. Or how the One became the many. The journey up the Tree is the path of re-union with the supreme source in Kether.
 

jmd

I tend to agree with Aeon418.

Another common way of also viewing it is by description of each sphere of emanation as having or reflecting various 'levels' of consciousness.

In that sense, one may move from the base of the more 'mundane' (even though itself intrinsically spiritual) to that of the most sublime: from Malkut towards Keter.
 

Little Baron

Thanks Aeon and Jmd ...

It does make sense to me, at the moment, to start at the bottom - climbing the tree to spritual enlightenment - as with the tarot, experiencing the highs and lows and trying to achieve some kind of balance as I move upwards - a little like 'snakes and ladders'. It reminds me of how Buddha worked towards enlightenment and nirvana - that being the light/crown at Kether. As you move upwards, the receiving of light is greater.

LB
 

Aeon418

LittleBuddha said:
It reminds me of how Buddha worked towards enlightenment and nirvana - that being the light/crown at Kether. As you move upwards, the receiving of light is greater.
The "light" from Kether at the top, to Malkuth at the bottom is the same all the way. Only on it's way down it's form changes and becomes less fluidic and energetic. "Kether is in Malkuth, and Malkuth is in Kether.
 

DewDrop

Aeon418 said:
The path down the Tree can be viewed as the process of creation. Or how the One became the many. The journey up the Tree is the path of re-union with the supreme source in Kether.

In the perspectiv(of Aeon418) that we came from the Light, Kether, and took form into the Physical world, Malkut, and "became many", it makes sense to go the way back again, to unite with the Cosmic light again. Like LittleBuddha suggests down below.

But this does not satisfy me when it comes to Tarot v.s Kabbalah, because, in opposit to what LB also suggest, we most often learn the Major Arcana from the Fool to the World. And when compared to The Tree of Life, the Fool's Road start at the topp of the tree and the World's Road is the last road to enter Malkut at the bottom.
This confuses me!

Thankful for all replies :)

LittleBuddha said:
It does make sense to me, at the moment, to start at the bottom - climbing the tree to spritual enlightenment - as with the tarot, experiencing the highs and lows and trying to achieve some kind of balance as I move upwards - a little like 'snakes and ladders'.
LB
 

Aeon418

DewDrop said:
But this does not satisfy me when it comes to Tarot v.s Kabbalah, because, in opposit to what LB also suggest, we most often learn the Major Arcana from the Fool to the World. And when compared to The Tree of Life, the Fool's Road start at the topp of the tree and the World's Road is the last road to enter Malkut at the bottom.
This confuses me!
The Fool's Road or Journey through the Major Arcana is based on the Renaissance period parades called Trionfi. These parades symbolised vices and virtues, temptations and trials experienced through ordinary peoples lives. These Trionfi or Triumphs were rendered in pictorial form for a popular game as the Trumps of the Tarot carrying the same morality play message with it. (See The Tarot History, Symbolism, and Divination by Robert M. Place for a fuller and more complete explanation.) This usage of the Tarot as a game and simple fortune telling device predates the occult revival of the 18th century when the cards were claimed to contain qabalistic symbolism by several occult authors.

The esoteric or inner teachings are usually the exact opposite of the external or exoteric teachings. Where the Fool's Journey is basically a moral message on how to live your life the esoteric tarot is,in one sense, a map of subjective states of consciousness or mystical awareness symbolised first of all by the physical plane of the World/Universe card and ending with the simple, undifferentiated consciousness of the Fool - The Divine Fool.
 

Aeon418

It might also be worth pointing out that under some systems Tarot cards are assigned a Hebrew letter. These letters are attributed to certain paths on the Tree of life and thus the corresponding Tarot card.

Has anyone got an image of the Tree of Life with the Serpent of Wisdom on it ?
 

jmd

That there are certain similarities between the late mediaeval trionfi processions, or between, in fact, numerous other influences on what became Tarot, does not mean that tarot either arose from these, and even less that there is a 'fool's journey'.

Basically, apart from non-Tarot decks such as the Mantegna, and rare examples of a number being included on the Fool card, the norm is to retain that card as un-numbered.

That the GD decided to add a zero thereon, and thus force its position to before card one (the Bateleur or 'Magician') is something that of course regularly is discussed in various sections of these Forums.

There are also various systems of Hebrew letter attributions to the Atouts (Major Arcana) of the Tarot, the most common (but not sole) attributions being mentioned in especially the thread: Hebrew letter Tarot correlations.

Further, how letters may be linked to any 'paths' that connect the various Sefirot is itself questionable.

One of the common attributions is to have the three mother letters (AMS) upon the horizontals, but this is strictly in opposition to the Sefer Yetzirah, which states that the letters are places in either a circle, circles, sphere, or spheres (depends on the version).

Again, what is presented above by Aeon418 is a reflection of GD-style correlations - which is certainly not to be taken as the definitive view, in my own personal opinion.