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The Looking Glass Tree of Life
The Tree of Life is perhaps the most venerated symbol of the Holy Qabalah.
In this diagram is distilled the essence of the Hebrew system of number
mysticism. It consists of 10 Sefirot, or spheres, representing the Decad,
among other things. Between these spheres are 22 connecting paths, and these
represent the 22 letters of the Hebrew Alef-bet, among other things.
Altogether they comprise what is known as the 'Thirty-two Paths of Wisdom.'
This essay presumes basic Knowledge of the Tree on the part of the reader. The 64 I Ching Hexagrams come in 7 groups, based on the number of Yang lines within: 0 Yang lines = 1 Pairing these as Antigrams, we have the following groups: 0 Yang & 6 Yang lines - 1 pair 4 Yang lines & 2 Yang lines - 15 pairs 3 Yang & 3 Yang lines - 10 pairs Thus, the types of Hexagrams are closely correlated with the types of Paths on the Tree. The attribution of Hexagrams to Paths is anything but arbitrary. Having divided them into groups based on their Yang lines, and then pairing them as Antigrams, it remains to determine which pairs are on which path. This has been accomplished by placing them in such a way that whenever possible, a path shares a pair of upper Trigrams with one of the Sefirot it connects, and shares its lower Trigrams with the other Sefira it connects to. This is easily seen in the diagram. The exceptions to this occur on the vertical paths. Of these 7 paths, 6 of them have only one Trigram pair in common with one of the Sefirot they connect. The central path of the Middle Pillar follows the general rule, and shares upper and lower Trigrams with the Sefirot it connects. So, all paths of the Looking Glass Tree partake of the Trigrams of the two Sefirot they connect, except the verticals, which partake of only one of the Sefirot. In these six cases, the remaining 'non-shared' Trigrams are always the Pure Yang and Pure Yin. This is a natural result of working within the constraints of this diagram. But it also says something about the nature of the pure Yang and Yin, for these descend directly out of the Crown of the Tree. They end up in Tiferet, where they split up and mingle with each other. It must be conjectured that at the same time, this Descent of the Yang and the Yin is occurring on the side pillars as well. Several different variations of the Tree of Life structure exist, and all of them were explored in the creation of the Looking Glass Tree. It turned out that the Golden Dawn model of the Tree, derived from Athanasius Kircher, worked the best in terms of the sharing rule for Trigrams. This rule makes it necessary for Tiferet to have more paths to it than the other Sefirot, due to the function of the pure Yang and pure Yin Trigrams, and their appearance within various Hexagrams. A brief explanation of the Middle Pillar is in order here. Coming from
Malkut, one starts with 4 of the 8 possible Trigrams, (these same four are
found in Keter as well; they are the four 'elements'). Now these are the four
'unbalanced' I Ching Trigrams. What the adept must provide, or generate out
of these unbalanced ones, is the balanced group of 4 Trigrams found on the
path to Yesod. This in fact allows the path of Yesod to be approached via the
Middle Pillar. Once there, we encounter the last two Hexagrams of I Ching,
with the Solar and Lunar Trigrams both above and below. So the Hexagrams are arrayed on this Tree in a very particular order. But there is one more subdivision to be made. The Looking Glass Tree of Life is actually two Trees, a Daylight Tree and a Nightside Tree. The Daylight side is the 'normal' Tree, and the Nightside is the Qelipot, the shells, the shadowy half of the Tree. Since the term Yang means light, and Yin means shadow, I may refer to them as the Yang and Yin sides of the Tree. These two sides are mirror images of each other, and that is what gives the Looking Glass Tree its name. Antigrams are on opposite Trees, but so are Reversals. The two different Trees are symbolized by the coloring used in the diagram. The red Hexagrams are of the Yang side of the Tree, the blue are of the Yin side. If you reverse any red Hexagram, it becomes blue. This shows that we can access the Qelipot of any path by either considering the Antigram, or the Reversal. These two Trees are literally mirror images of one another. Using the diagram where the I Ching Hexagrams have been rotated anticlockwise, print this out, hold it up to a mirror, and see that the exact same Tree results, but flipped on its vertical axis. In other words, the pair that was in Chesed is now in Geburah, only the colors have changed. And those Hexagrams on the Middle Pillar will become each other when reversed, (same pair, new colors), while the horizontals will remain the same, since they are reversible by definition. Reversals appear on opposite sides of the Tree, except for the horizontals and the Sefirot of the Middle Pillar, (which are pairs of Reversals to begin with). The last strange thing, the one 'leak' in this symmetry, is that by reversing the Hexagrams of the path from Malkut to Yesod, you get the Hexagrams for the path from Yesod to Tiferet; these are the only two paths which 'switch places' when the Hexagrams of that path are reversed. Everything else is in a beautiful state of symmetry.
Children of Earth! = 146 The Emanations from 1 to 10: Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. = 302 Each of the 32 paths of Wisdom contains a pair of I Ching Antigrams. All I
Ching Antigram pairs sum to the same number: 1092. This is a 'group number'
for Antigrams. Antigrams always sum to one of a group of 63 possible numbers,
(93, 111, 813, etc.). The value of any of these group-numbers is based on the
root-pair of the group, the pair that show only Yang and/or Tao lines in one
Hexagram, and only Yin and/or Tao lines in its opposite. So the root-pair for
the pairs of the group that sum to 1092 is 364 and 728, because these are
111111 and 222222. This is the basic pair that defines the group. Now this is a discrepancy of exactly 364. In this arrangement, there would be an excess of qelipotic forces on the Yin side of the Tree. However, if one simply ignores the pair of Hexagrams 364 & 728, which are on the path across the Abyss, there is a perfectly symmetrical result: Yin side Tree Hexagrams total: 17,654 - 728 = 16,926
Yang side Tree Hexagrams total: 17,290 - 364 = 16,926 = 182 x 93 So the sum of all the Hexagrams in our set is now 33,852 = 364 x 93. This factor of 93 represents the word Thelema. It is yet another characteristic of this Looking-Glass Tree which shows it to be purely Thelemic in nature. 364 = the great mystery of the House of God. The Tree is split in halves; each side has Hexagrams that equal 93 x 182: 182 = the First and the Last. 182 is also the difference-value between the Antigrams of the Sefira Yesod Every pair of Antigrams differs by a unique number. This difference-value
can be used to understand the relationship between the two Hexagrams, as I
will show below. The sum of these difference-values of the 32 Antigram pairs is the following: 6196 - 364 = 5832 = 729 x 8 = 9^3 x 2^3 The operation of 729 times 8 reminds me of the phrase found in Liber CCCLXX: "I am Baphomet, that is the Eightfold Word that shall be equilibrated with the Three" Crowley discovered the true spelling of this name. To him, Baphomet was
spelled in Hebrew as BAVOMIThR so that it would have 8 letters that total
729. This fulfilled the conditions of the verse, because the 8 letters made
the name 'eightfold', and the value of 729 made it 'equilibrated with the
Three' because 729 is 3 to the 6th power. In both cases, the sum of the Hexagrams, and the sum of their
difference-values, by ignoring the root-pair, we get very significant
qabalistic numbers. This obviously lends a great symbolic weight to the pair
that is removed. They are like the axis upon which the other Hexagrams spin.
Their special status is symbolized by coloring the Hexagrams green. The attached spreadsheet contains the data for each of the individual parts of the Looking Glass Tree. Here I will touch only upon some of the more important sub-totals. In studying the Tree, the two most important subsets are the three Triads and the Middle Pillar. The Triads are simply the Sefirot taken in groups of three: Sefirot 1, 2, & 3; Sefirot 4, 5, & 6; Sefirot 7, 8, & 9. The Middle Pillar is the Sefirot 1, 6, 9, & 10.
1092 = if only the Zelator blow sufficiently upon his furnace, all the systems of earth are consumed in the One Knowledge. (Liber X v. 20) It is also useful to look at the difference-values of the Antigram-pairs to determine the overall nature of the 32 Paths of the Tree. For example, the very first Sefira has the pair of Hexagrams 395 & 697. These differ by 302: 302 = Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. The sum of the differences of the Supernal Triad is 302 + 286 + 130 = 718. 718 = And the Magus is Love, and bindeth together That and This in His
Conjuration. The sum of the difference-values of the Middle Pillar is 302 + 338 + 182 + 146 = 968. (Note that after the initial Sefira of 302, the remainder of the M.P. values equal 666). This value of 968 for the Middle Pillar is highly significant for gematria. As a description of the Kundalini serpent found in the spinal column, we have Hadit saying: 968 = If I droop down mine head, and shoot forth venom, then is rapture of the earth, and I and the earth are one. (Liber CCXX 2:20) And as a description of the nature of the Magus, we have the following: 968 = How then shall He end His speech with Silence? For He is Speech. He is the First and the Last. How shall He cease to number Himself? (Liber I vv. 3-4)
Note well this number 2188, for in base 3 notation it is: 10000001. This number is highly symbolic, in that it represents the smallest number in which the Zero Hexagram is 'concealed'. 2187 = 3^7. This number is the first Octagram. By adding 1, or Yang, to
it, it becomes 2188, and the Zero Hexagram is concealed within it. It is thus
like an egg. One might even say that 2188 is the number 10 writ very large,
for in base 3, the decimal number 10 is written as 101, and is the first
number to 'conceal' the Tao within itself. Note that the word Concealed = 93, and is quite involved in the unraveling of the gematria of AL. Note also that one of the titles of the first Sefira in the Hebrew Qabalah is 'the Concealed of the Concealed.' Concealed = 93 = Thelema = WILL = 10 (by TEQ gematria) The Ten Trigram reveals the importance of the concealment, and when it is written very large, as 10000001, it shows the difference-values of the 10 Spheres of the Tree. These 10 spheres represent WILL in all its forms. The whole Tree is Will, deriving from RaTZON just as surely as 10 derives from 1, and is a higher octave of it. Thinking then about the Hebrew qabalistic symbolism of this 10, we must
also include the letter YOD, the Hadit-point, the Hermit, the smallest letter,
of which all other letters are extensions. This letter has a value of 10. 2188 = the indivisible point which hath no points nor parts nor magnitude. Nor indeed hath it position, being beyond space. Nor hath it existence in time, for it is beyond Time. Nor hath it cause or effect, seeing that its Universe is infinite every way
"The list of the names of the sefirot themselves is even more varied,
as we shall see. However, we do find, even at the very beginning of the
kabbalah's development, some more or less fixed terms that are accepted as
the main designations of the sefirot. These are: Keter Elyon, Hokhmah, Binah,
Hesed, Gevurah, Tiferet, Nezah, Hod, Yesod, Most of these terms were not selected for their intrinsic worth, nor were
they originally arranged in a unified systematic order to indicate the nature
of the sefirot. This is particularly obvious in the choice of the names of
the seven lower sefirot, six of which were based on I Chronicles 29:11:
`yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the That is to say, that the origin of these names was exegetical, and not
intrinsic to the subject in hand. Therefore, in their original form they are
basically terms of praise and glorification, which do not say a great deal
about the nature of the individual sefirot… From the designs in Binah emanate and are revealed the seven lower
sefirot, which constitute the structure of the world of emanation, and whose
main characteristics are comprised in the names of three attributes: Hesed
(Love), Din (Judgment), and Rahamim (Mercy) - also known as the sefirot
Gedulah, Gevurah, and Tiferet. The three This lengthy quote is given to illustrate the reasoning behind the correct
choice of names of the Sefirot. Although Professor Tishby does not give them
in a separate table, the list can be reconstructed from his text. 1. Will - Ratzon 346 4. Love - Hesed 72 7. Victory - Nezah 148 10. Kingdom - Malkhut 496 One can see from this list that Hesed and Ratzon, or Love and Will, sum to 418. This connects the names with the Law of Thelema. In v. 1:57 of Liber CCXX, there occurs the sentence, "Love is the law, love under will." This critical concept of 'love under will' can be explained by using the Hebrew words that equal 418. The total of these ten Hebrew names of the Sefirot is 1659, which equals
21 x 79. Adding the value of the 22 letters of the Paths, (the entire Hebrew Alefbet = 1495), to the ten names of the Sefirot, 1659, gives us: 1659 + 1495 = 3154 = 2 x 1577. 1577 = AIN SUPh (using final values for Nun and Peh). Thus the entirety of the Hebrew words and letters applied to the Tree of Life are exactly double the value of the name of the Ain Soph, which is the root of the entire Tree. In the Zohar it is said that the Tree is an integrated whole, that those who would separate one Sefira from another likewise cause a separation in the Ain Soph. The gematria of the above proves this point thoroughly. The true qabalistic names of the sefirot present a pair of interesting numbers: 1. Will - Razon 346 4. Love - Hesed 72 7. Victory - Nezah 148 The names of the lowest Triad sum to 243 = 100000 Thus the names of the lowest Triad sum to the Antigram of the names of the Supernals. This is the one and only Antigram pair that sums to 729. 10. Kingdom - Malkhut 496 The name of Malkhut totals 496. This is one of the very rare 'perfect' numbers, being the sum of all of its natural divisors. The highest and lowest Triads have names that sum to a vital pair of Hexagrams; 243 and 486 are Antigrams that sum to 729. We might also pair the middle Triad with Malkut; these names total 434 + 496 = 930. 930 = 93 x 10. The value of Will in Greek times the value of Will in English. (This number appears again below as the total of all the Sefirot names in English). But the most important point is that Keter is really called RaTzON, meaning WILL. The entire Tree flows out from this concept of WILL, and this is substantiated by my interpretation via the Hexagrams. The fact that the first Sefira of the Tree of Life is called RaTzON, or Will, allows for a Thelemic interpretation of this Tree: By translating the Hebrew into Greek, we have our Word of the Law Thelema, and can thus include 93 among the numbers associated with this Sefira. By translating the Hebrew into English, we have Will = 10, allowing the association of the number 10 with this Sefira. We can further take the Hebrew value of RaTzON = 346, and use this for English gematria, getting the phrase: 346 = There is no law beyond do what thou wilt. We can take the Greek value of Thelema = 93, and use this for English
gematria: By using I Ching Antigrams, we have two Hexagrams on this Sefira; their value is 395 & 697. The difference between them, which is unique to this pair, is 302. Using this for English gematria, we get the sentence: 302 = Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. The direct outpouring of this WILL is through the Middle Pillar, on the path of the Creative and Receptive Hexagrams. Pure Yang and Pure Yin represent Pure Will. Each is Pure. Each is Perfect. They are One insofar as they are a complementary pair of Antigrams. They are None because they cancel each other out, creating the Zero Hexagram. This helps explain why the numerical value of this primal pair of Hexagrams is not counted in the balancing of the Tree. This pair is the Observer, the unchanging core around which all the events array themselves. Thus the path out of Ratzon feeds right into RaChMaIM/Mercy, the 6th Sefira, like the nuclear fuel feeding the Sun. That fuel is the ENERGY-93 of THELEMA-93. We all stand at the intersection between the Divine, in RaTzON, and the 'heart of man' in RaChMaIM. We may start our conscious progress 'up' the Tree from Malkhut, but our true selves are in the Abyss. We may explore any and all paths of the Tree, but our own Pure Will is discovered at the end of this particular path. And of course the End is the Beginning.
III ALEPH 0. Say thou that He God is one; God is the Everlasting One; nor hath He any Equal, or any Son, or any Companion. Nothing shall stand before His face. Capitals of this verse = 123 = Do what thou wilt. 1. Even for five hundred and eleven times nightly for one and forty days did I cry aloud unto the Lord the affirmation of His Unity. 2. Also did I glorify His wisdom, whereby He made the worlds. 3. Yea, I praised Him for His intelligible essence, whereby the universe became light. 4. I did thank Him for His manifold mercy; I did worship His magnificence and majesty. 5. I trembled before His might. 6. I delighted in the Harmony and Beauty of His Essence. 7. In His Victory I pursued His enemies; yea I drave them down the steep; I thundered after them into the utmost abyss; yea, therein I partook of the glory of my Lord. 8. His Splendour shone upon me; I adored His adorable splendour. 9. I rested myself, admiring the Stability of Him, how the shaking of His Universe, the dissolution of all things, should move Him not. 10. Yea, verily, I the Lord Viceregent of His Kingdom, I, Adonai, who speak unto my servant V.V.V.V.V. did rule and govern in His place. So we have the following titles of the Sefirot: 2. wisdom = 77 Total = 854 = Resolve me the wonder of it all into the figure of a gaunt swift camel striding over the sand. (Liber VII 7:22) This verse refers to the path of Gimel, going from the 6th Sefira to the 1st Sefira. This is the path across the Abyss, the only path that directly approaches RaTzON from below the Supernal Triad. I have deliberately left out the value of the English name of the 1st Sefira to show this result. The name of the 1st Sefira, Unity = 76 Will = 10. Thelema = 93 930 = Nor let the fools mistake love; for there are love and love. There is the dove and there is the serpent.
666 = Hail! Ye twin warriors about the pillars of the world! for your time is nigh at hand. When the side pillars are connected to each other via the Horizontal paths, these Yin lines become Yang, thus making the base 3 Septagram of the number 333. 666 333 There is an old saying about the Tree of Life, that it has its roots in Heaven, and its branches on Earth. Inverting these diagrams, and placing the 1st Sefira, Ratzon, at the bottom, we now represent Will as the root of the Tree. The outline of this Tree then becomes two new Septagrams: 186 and 93. This shows conclusively that WILL is the origin of the Trees of Life.
The Tree of Life has 7 levels. Each level represents one line of a Septagram. The top level represents 3 to the 6th power. The bottom level represents 3 to the Zero power, which is the number 1. In every number base, the Zero exponent indicates the number 1. This is why a Yang line in the first position of a Trigram equals the number 1. It doesn't matter what system you use to count, the 'ones' place always represents a number to the Zeroth power. The Sefira Ratzon is also called Unity, because it is the first Sefira, and represents the number 1. This means that it represents any number to the Zero power. To symbolize this properly, we need to flip the Tree upside down, and start it not from Malkut at the bottom, but from Ratzon. Now the top line of the Septagram is in Malkut. Because this represents 3 to the 6th power, it also represents the 6th dimension. The name of this 6th dimension is Malkut, a word with a gematria value of 496. The number 496 has a key role in multidimensional geometry. It is the number of parts in a 6-dimensional Hypercube. Such a 6D Hypercube contains the following: 192 Edges I believe it is not a coincidence that a 6-Dimensional Hypercube has 496 parts, exactly the same value as the name Malkut in Hebrew. There is an obvious symbolic correspondence between the Tree and the numbers of the 6D Hypercube. But the connection is more than symbolic. The 64 Corners of the 6D Hypercube are none other than the 64 I Ching
Hexagrams. And these Hexagrams occur as 32 pairs of Antigrams on the 32 Paths
of the Tree of Life. This means that the Tree of Life is a six dimensional model. |
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