Tree ofLife*
The single greatest advantage to using the Tree of Life in connection with alchemy is that it allows for a very neat and practical "filing cabinet" for ideas. Everything the alchemist, Qabalist, or astrologer might encounter can find its place on the Tree of Life, and through the Tree, map its relationship to every other phenomena-mental, physical, or psychic-that might or could possibly occur. However, like a filing cabinet or computer in the material world, we don't need to know how everything works in order to take advantage of its benefits.
The second most important aspect to using the Tree of Life is that it describes the creation of the universe, and therefore everything in it, in a simple and direct manner from the perspective of consciousness, then energy, and finally matter.
In Qabala (and alchemy), creation takes place when the divine mind of God, the Absolute, or in Hebrew the Ain Soph Aur (Limitless Light), through a series of expansions and contractions, establishes the boundaries of creation, as follows:
1. The first world, Atziluth, is the most subtle and is closest to the original state of nonexistence. This is called the World of Fire, because of the lively, undefined, and almost uncontrollable nature of fire.
2. Next is Briah, the World of Archetypes, or forms as our human mind can grasp them. It is symbolized as the World of Air and acts as a barrier world between the extremes of the World of Fire preceding it and the World of Water following it.
3. Yetzirah, or the World of Water, is the highly psychic and emotionally charged world immediately behind the veil of material existence.
4. Assiah, the World of Action, is also known as the World of Earth, because of the solid, concrete nature of material life. This world contains physical matter as well as the subtle energy web, or etheric energy, forming physical life, such as the meridians in acupuncture or ley lines in dowsing.
In basic alchemy, plants are used to affect the quality and quantity of energy flow through the World of Earth (the physical world) and its etheric structure and the World of Water (the astral world). Only mineral alchemy can permanently affect the World of Air, allowing access to the World of Fire, but that is beyond the scope of this text.
Creation occurs in increasingly dense levels of energy-matter, from the subtlest, Fire, to the densest, Earth. Within this context of increasing density, there also arises a series of ten planes or levels of consciousness known as Sephiroth, or spheres of being. Each sphere is a self-contained world that relates to other self-contained worlds. In this way, they can be understood as countries with their own inhabitants, customs, laws, and languages, but they are also connected to the other "countries" that form the Tree of Life.
These spheres appear on the Tree in the following pattern: unity, reflection, polarity, reflection, polarity, unity, reflection, polarity, unity, and finally materialization. This basic idea of unity, polarity, and synthesis is the basis of Qabalistic and alchemical practices and is derived from the observation of Nature.
Each world reflects to a denser or subtler degree the one before or after it. Each Sephirah is a reflection, in part, of what precedes or follows it. However, since each reflection is only partial, or slightly distorted, each sphere takes on its own unique characteristics. Only the four spheres composing what Qabalists call the "Middle Pillar" have the ability to harmonize or reflect in total all of the energies of creation, on some level. It is on these spheres that the alchemist focuses his or her attention in order to create alchemical products that change consciousness.
The effects of this awakening will take some time for the consciousness of the individual to adjust to, and they are not limited to the nonphysical realms. The physical body, albeit to a lesser degree, is also changed and improved in its functioning, constituting a genuine "rebirth" on several levels. However, it is up to the mind, or sense of "I," of the individual to cooperate with this influx of power if more permanent changes in consciousness are to take place.
The use of the Tree of Life has been both a blessing and a curse for modern esotericism. When understood, the Tree offers a complete and working model of creation on both the microcosmic and macrocosmic scales. However, where many fail is on the personal level. The ability to apply the often very general information of the Tree to the personal experiences of the initiate when he or she deals with physiological phenomena is profoundly lacking in modem esoteric circles. The reasons for this are several: first, many modem esotericists simply repeat what they have learned without experiencing whether or not it is true on a personal level; second, the language of Qabala is multileveled, with the same word having several meanings, and thus many who are using the words don't know what they actually mean or on what levels they may be interpreted; third, the diagram of the Tree is simply too neat and compartmentalized, and many Qabalists are unable to adapt to the fact that interior reality is much more flexible than the Tree allows when applied to the two-dimensional page or illustration.
Tree ofLife*
To help resolve these problems in the transmission of knowledge, only information that has a relationship to the experience of the author or others with whom he has discussed this topic will be included here. Theory will be stated as theory, and experience as experience. The meanings of common Qabalistic words will be defined, and redefined, to keep the communication clear and direct. An extensive use of confusing and somewhat irrelevant god-forms, references to mythology, and cosmology unconnected to personal experience will be avoided.