In Qabala, the universe is often described as having Four Worlds, or four distinct and unique ways of manifesting energy, matter, and consciousness, going from the most subtle manifestation to the most dense. These Four Worlds are often overlaid on the Tree of Life, and in many instances each is given its own complete Tree, making for a total of four Trees. Each Tree represents the often complex relationships between energy, consciousness, and matter that have evolved and shows how they are expressed in Qabalistic philosophy. For our purposes, however, we will describe everything using one Tree of Life and overlay the worlds on top of it. For simple, practical, day-to-day purposes, this will suffice for nearly all of your Qabalistic and alchemical operations.
The world that material life takes place in is the World of Action, or Assiah. This includes all material form as well as part of the etheric net that gives rise to material form. On the Tree of Life, this is the tenth sphere, known as Malkuth in Hebrew. Next is the astral or psychic world, known as the World of Creation, or Yetzirah, which is composed of spheres nine through seven. These spheres are Yesod (subconscious and instinct), Hod (intellect and reason), and Netzach (emotions). The World of Formation, or Briah, forms the middle part of the Tree and is the world of ideas and archetypal forms. Briah is composed of Tiphareth (self and will to act or be), Geburah (energy in action), and Chesed (mercy and universal love). The first of the worlds to be created, but the final one from our perspective in the material world, is the World of Formation, or Atziluth. Atziluth is pure energy and is composed of the most abstract yet concrete of cosmic ideas. The spheres of Atziluth are Binah (first form, or cosmic womb), Hockmah (first seed, or cosmic impulse to be), and Kether (pure being, Unity).
Each sphere has a special and direct influence on spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical life that is expressed through planetary symbols. Kether is Being, so it has no planet to relate to. Hockmah governs the entire zodiac, and Binah is associated with Saturn, the oldest of the traditional seven ancient planets. The remaining spheres and their planets are as follows: Chesed Jupiter, Ge- burah-Mars, Tiphareth-Sun, Netzach-Venus, Hod-Mercury, and Yesod-Moon. Malkuth, or Earth, is the recipient of all of the vibrations and influences of each of these spheres, and for that reason, alchemists can find plants and minerals that relate to each of the planets. In some modern schools of Qabala, it is common to give planetary associations to Kether (Uranus) and Hockmah (Neptune), but this is beyond the scope of plant alchemy, as these planets are generational in their astrological influence and we cannot modify them as easily.
In Qabala, these ten levels of the Tree of Life (Otz Chaim) are known as Sephirah (singular) and Sephiroth (plural). These levels are often encountered as spheres, so for simplicity we will refer to them as spheres. Each sphere is a complex relationship of energy, consciousness, and matter, just as each World is. The World of Assiah, or material life, is the only World that is composed of a single sphere-Malkuth. Each of the remaining three Worlds has three spheres, or levels, to it, giving it three very distinct expressions of energy, matter, and consciousness.
In Qabala, each World is assigned an elemental quality. The World of Atziluth is called the World of Fire because its energies are so pure, intense, and dynamic. The World of Briah is called the World of Water because its energies give rise to form. The World of Yetzirah is called the World of Air because it mediates the energies of life and consciousness in both the astral and material worlds. The World of Assiah is called the World of Earth because it is solid, form, and material. In alchemy, however, these worlds are experienced slightly differently, giving rise to a different set of associations. Yetzirah is called the World of Water because of the intense influence its lunar forces have on water, plant life, and material growth; we will also see these lunar forces affect alchemical experiments such as distillation and calcination. Briah, in turn, is referred to as the World of Air because archetypal forms, or mental ideas, give rise before their material counterparts. If you are used to working with the Qabalistic associations, continue to do so in your Qabalistic work, but for alchemy, it is important to adopt the new set of associations.
If you are new to Qabala and find these descriptions of the Four Worlds and all of the cross-connected associations confusing, don't worry. Simply stick to the basic astrological relationships between the herbs, days of the week, and planets, and know that the spiritual goal of plant alchemy is threefold:
1. To utilize the energy bound in the matter of the material world (Assiah) to purify the material body and its etheric link to the astral world (Yetzirah).
2. To open up conscious experiences in the astral world that bring emotional and psychic harmony to our being.
3. To assist in bringing mastery over our emotional and psychic nature as expressed through our psychic body-our chief mechanism of spiritual, astral, and psychic connection to the material world and the invisible worlds-and in doing so, prepare us for inner spiritual initiation. This initiation is the awakening of the Inner Alchemist, or, in magical terms, "Knowledge and Conversation with One's Holy Guardian Angel."
Interestingly enough, experience suggests that an alchemical product of any sort, be it a tincture or a Stone, herbal or mineral, affects the alchemist who created it differently than others who may be exposed to it. The physical healing power appears most dramatically in people who played no role in making the product, whereas the spiritual effects appear strongest in the alchemist who prepared the product. The reason for this could be quite simple. The alchemist is working at a slightly higher vibrational or energetic level than the average person, and certainly higher than one who is physically ill. As a result, the alchemist enjoys better health, fewer illnesses, quicker recovery periods, and the like. The alchemist's energy is increasingly being made more subtle and being directed toward interior experiences and strengthening of the psychic centers. One who is ill, or even not ill but simply not on a spiritual or esoteric path, is operating at a lower level than the alchemist whose vibratory energies have impregnated the tincture or product that he or she has made. When non-alchemists consume the product, they respond to an increased level of physical consciousness, because that is where they focus their attention. This almost always translates into physical or sexual energy of some kind, as energy flows from higher to lower, and for the average person, sex is the lowest common denominator of physical life.
This points out a critical point regarding alchemical privacy and ethics:
If consumed in bulk, alchemical products, even herbal ones, can be disruptive to the human or animal who ingests them. Besides the obvious alcohol volume involved and its high proof or purity rating, there is also the energetic component. Like homeopathic products, spagyric products should work on the etheric level, and this needs to be respected even if it is not always understood. Keep your finished products out of harm's way by keeping them out of the sight and reach of anyone not directly involved in their creation.
All states and most countries have rules and regulations regarding the practice of medicine and the prescription of products sold for the purpose of maintaining or restoring health. While you can purchase many herbal, homeopathic, and even spagyric products over the counter or via the Internet, it is best to keep your practice a private concern, even if you are a licensed health care provider. The results achieved from even the simple and easy-to-make spagyric products described in this book are beyond the scope of the average person. If you have results with someone who then cannot be quiet about it, you run the risk of becoming known as a "healer" and having to spend all of your time making products rather than progressing on your path. Then the temptation to create products for sale will enter into the picture, and from this point on, your focus will be no longer alchemy, but commerce. Your path will be derailed before it has even begun. For this very reason, the Order of the Gold and Rosy Cross, the eighteenth-century German alchemical society, forbid its members to have their own laboratories, and instead they worked in common. While one reason for this was the expensive mineral work the members were performing, the society also made the rule to reduce members' temptation to attempt transmutations of base metals into gold in order to maintain their laboratories. Modern technology, glassware, and mineral supplies are considerably cheaper now than in the eighteenth century, so the concern of expense no longer applies, but the moral of the story is still the same. Avoid the temptation of commerce where alchemical and other spiritual matters are concerned. Do not "sell the gifts of God."
Once you have started an experiment, keep prying eyes and hands as far from it as possible. It is best even to keep people and animals out of your laboratory or work area as much as possible, even if this means simply hanging a curtain in front of your space when you are not working. Human energy fields are powerful, both radiating and attracting energy. When a product is being made, that product is very susceptible to energetic influences. It is this very susceptible state that the alchemist seeks to take advantage of when making a product according to planetary influences and, in many instances, lunar and zodiacal influences. However, should a disruptive emotion come near the products, they may potentially be affected. That is why we wrap them in aluminum foil-aluminum kills energetic patterns. The glass insulates the tincture from material disruption, but the foil insulates from psychic disruption. If possible, store your products or works in progress in a cupboard or cabinet that can be locked. In many magical orders, once a student constructs and consecrates his or her magical tools, no one else, not even a superior in the order, is allowed to handle them, for the same reason. The tools are charged talismans with a specific energetic signature created by the combination of their function and the vibratory signature of their creator. The same rule applies to alchemical products.