FreeThinker619
Member
i understand the tree of life a bit. however what im trying to understand is it relation to the human body
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ten sephirot of the kabbalah
- Thread starter FreeThinker619
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Levite
Higher and Higher
It doesn't necessarily have a direct relation to the human body. There are certain schools of Kabbalistic thought, like that in the Zohar, that liken the flows of divine energy through the emanations we call the sefirot, and the psychoemotional aspects of the Godhead with which they are often associated, to the structure of the human body. But that is just another level of metaphor.
FreeThinker619
Member
could you expound on this.
Levite
Higher and Higher
To begin with, the meta-idea behind the Sefirot is that reality begins at the core of Gods being, and the created universe exists on the very outmost fringes of reality, where Gods being-- His energy, so to speak-- is most thinly spread and loose.
The core of Gods being is the truly ineffable part: poetically speaking, we can know certain parts of the outer aspects of God, but Gods inmost Self, His soul, if you will, we can never truly know. This core of Gods being is called Ein Sof (The Endless), and represents Gods infinite nature.
The Ten Sefirot are how we describe the ways in which Gods energy emanates outward from Ein Sof, until it finally pours into the space of the created universe. This energy is thought to emanate outward from Ein Sof in many different flows, like multiple rivers with immediately adjoining courses. One way to imagine this is to envision the breakup of light into a spectrum:
In the mysterious and nebulous differentiation point when the Sefirot begin to emanate from Ein Sof, their energy is refracted into the streams of component qualities, which then flow into the created universe more or less separately, and diffusely. This model is only rough, yet there is much to recommend the analogy, especially since, much as refracted light separates into what appears to be a series of different colors, a closer inspection and analysis reveals that the colors actually blend into one another in a graduated spectrum of infinitely minute alterations and evolutions, though in broad view, the variations are visible-- as opposed to unrefracted white light, which appears to be roughly uniform in color, though it actually contains all the color frequencies. Likewise, the refracted Ein Sof energy appears broadly to be differentiated, and we do indeed often seem to experience each subset of energy independently, but they are actually a spectrum, graduated and blending, and actually, all experiences of the divine, all flows of divine energy, actually are combinations of more than one subset of divine energy, more than one divine quality at work, and it is only a matter of balance-- what subset of energy dominates the flow or experience.
When we speak of these flows-- which we call shefa (outpouring)-- as both energy and experiences, that is because we understand the Sefirot not only as literal flows of metaphysical/spiritual energy coming from God and making their way into the created universe, but we associate each kind of energy with psycho-emotional qualities of Gods self or personality, and with characteristics of how divine energy effects or empowers certain phenomena in the created universe. So, for example:
Chochmah (Intelligence) and Binah (Wisdom) are associated with the qualitative inherent natures of phenomena both physical and mental. Whereas Binah represents what we might term sophia, the phenomenon of intelligibility itself, Chochmah represents what we might term nomos, the phenomenon of knowledge being structured into formalized and replicable forms. Binah and Chochmah are a matched pair, in that all potentially intelligible phenomena require both Binah and Chochmah, and without both there is nothing with which we can truly engage.
Chesed (Lovingkindness) is associated not only with the quality of lovingkindness per se, but with a whole constellation of related qualities, such as mercy, love (agape), compassion, charitability, empathy, and so forth. Gevurah (Mightiness) is associated not only with Gods power per se, but with what we perceive as expressions of His power: justice, responsibility, destruction, ordering chaos, and so forth. Chesed and Gevurah are seen as a matched pair in that God must balance the one with the other, always, because the world can only successfully exist in an extremely delicate balance between order and chaos, positive and negative, divine will and human free will, etc.
And so on, and so forth. And, of course, these are only some of the associations with the given sefirot, according to some Kabbalists.
In any case, in certain schools of thought, they also sought to make specific associations to the Sefirot with personal qualities of human beings, like motherliness or fatherliness, or anger, or love, or sexual urges, or nobility, or what have you-- qualities which they already tended to associate with different parts of the human body. They would sometimes arrange the Sefirot imposed upon a body, a symbolic and stylized divine forma. Now, obviously, they did not literally believe that God had a body, much less that what they drew was truly depicting it; nor did they literally believe that God had all the qualities they ascribed, like motherliness or fatherliness, or sexual drive, or maybe even any of those qualities. They were using the language of body and emotion to symbolize how all these things in us, in the created universe, are ultimately just manifestations made small of root phenomena in some deeper, vaster, more complex aspects of the divine.
The core of Gods being is the truly ineffable part: poetically speaking, we can know certain parts of the outer aspects of God, but Gods inmost Self, His soul, if you will, we can never truly know. This core of Gods being is called Ein Sof (The Endless), and represents Gods infinite nature.
The Ten Sefirot are how we describe the ways in which Gods energy emanates outward from Ein Sof, until it finally pours into the space of the created universe. This energy is thought to emanate outward from Ein Sof in many different flows, like multiple rivers with immediately adjoining courses. One way to imagine this is to envision the breakup of light into a spectrum:
In the mysterious and nebulous differentiation point when the Sefirot begin to emanate from Ein Sof, their energy is refracted into the streams of component qualities, which then flow into the created universe more or less separately, and diffusely. This model is only rough, yet there is much to recommend the analogy, especially since, much as refracted light separates into what appears to be a series of different colors, a closer inspection and analysis reveals that the colors actually blend into one another in a graduated spectrum of infinitely minute alterations and evolutions, though in broad view, the variations are visible-- as opposed to unrefracted white light, which appears to be roughly uniform in color, though it actually contains all the color frequencies. Likewise, the refracted Ein Sof energy appears broadly to be differentiated, and we do indeed often seem to experience each subset of energy independently, but they are actually a spectrum, graduated and blending, and actually, all experiences of the divine, all flows of divine energy, actually are combinations of more than one subset of divine energy, more than one divine quality at work, and it is only a matter of balance-- what subset of energy dominates the flow or experience.
When we speak of these flows-- which we call shefa (outpouring)-- as both energy and experiences, that is because we understand the Sefirot not only as literal flows of metaphysical/spiritual energy coming from God and making their way into the created universe, but we associate each kind of energy with psycho-emotional qualities of Gods self or personality, and with characteristics of how divine energy effects or empowers certain phenomena in the created universe. So, for example:
Chochmah (Intelligence) and Binah (Wisdom) are associated with the qualitative inherent natures of phenomena both physical and mental. Whereas Binah represents what we might term sophia, the phenomenon of intelligibility itself, Chochmah represents what we might term nomos, the phenomenon of knowledge being structured into formalized and replicable forms. Binah and Chochmah are a matched pair, in that all potentially intelligible phenomena require both Binah and Chochmah, and without both there is nothing with which we can truly engage.
Chesed (Lovingkindness) is associated not only with the quality of lovingkindness per se, but with a whole constellation of related qualities, such as mercy, love (agape), compassion, charitability, empathy, and so forth. Gevurah (Mightiness) is associated not only with Gods power per se, but with what we perceive as expressions of His power: justice, responsibility, destruction, ordering chaos, and so forth. Chesed and Gevurah are seen as a matched pair in that God must balance the one with the other, always, because the world can only successfully exist in an extremely delicate balance between order and chaos, positive and negative, divine will and human free will, etc.
And so on, and so forth. And, of course, these are only some of the associations with the given sefirot, according to some Kabbalists.
In any case, in certain schools of thought, they also sought to make specific associations to the Sefirot with personal qualities of human beings, like motherliness or fatherliness, or anger, or love, or sexual urges, or nobility, or what have you-- qualities which they already tended to associate with different parts of the human body. They would sometimes arrange the Sefirot imposed upon a body, a symbolic and stylized divine forma. Now, obviously, they did not literally believe that God had a body, much less that what they drew was truly depicting it; nor did they literally believe that God had all the qualities they ascribed, like motherliness or fatherliness, or sexual drive, or maybe even any of those qualities. They were using the language of body and emotion to symbolize how all these things in us, in the created universe, are ultimately just manifestations made small of root phenomena in some deeper, vaster, more complex aspects of the divine.
FreeThinker619
Member
To begin with, the meta-idea behind the Sefirot is that “reality” begins at the “core” of God’s being, and the created universe exists on the very outmost fringes of “reality,” where God’s being-- His energy, so to speak-- is most thinly spread and “loose.”
The “core” of God’s being is the truly ineffable part: poetically speaking, we can know certain parts of the “outer” aspects of God, but God’s inmost Self, His soul, if you will, we can never truly know. This “core” of God’s being is called Ein Sof (“The Endless”, and represents God’s infinite nature.
The Ten Sefirot are how we describe the ways in which God’s energy emanates outward from Ein Sof, until it finally pours into the space of the created universe. This energy is thought to emanate outward from Ein Sof in many different flows, like multiple rivers with immediately adjoining courses. One way to imagine this is to envision the breakup of light into a spectrum:
In the mysterious and nebulous differentiation point when the Sefirot begin to emanate from Ein Sof, their energy is refracted into the streams of component qualities, which then “flow” into the created universe more or less separately, and diffusely. This model is only rough, yet there is much to recommend the analogy, especially since, much as refracted light separates into what appears to be a series of different colors, a closer inspection and analysis reveals that the colors actually blend into one another in a graduated spectrum of infinitely minute alterations and evolutions, though in broad view, the variations are visible-- as opposed to unrefracted “white” light, which appears to be roughly uniform in color, though it actually contains all the color frequencies. Likewise, the “refracted” Ein Sof energy appears broadly to be differentiated, and we do indeed often seem to experience each subset of energy independently, but they are actually a spectrum, graduated and blending, and actually, all experiences of the divine, all flows of divine energy, actually are combinations of more than one subset of divine energy, more than one divine quality at work, and it is only a matter of balance-- what subset of energy “dominates” the flow or experience.
When we speak of these flows-- which we call shefa (“outpouring”
Chochmah (Intelligence) and Binah (Wisdom) are associated with the qualitative inherent natures of phenomena both physical and mental. Whereas Binah represents what we might term sophia, the phenomenon of intelligibility itself, Chochmah represents what we might term nomos, the phenomenon of knowledge being structured into formalized and replicable forms. Binah and Chochmah are a matched pair, in that all potentially intelligible phenomena require both Binah and Chochmah, and without both there is nothing with which we can truly engage.
Chesed (Lovingkindness) is associated not only with the quality of lovingkindness per se, but with a whole constellation of related qualities, such as mercy, love (agape), compassion, charitability, empathy, and so forth. Gevurah (Mightiness) is associated not only with God’s power per se, but with what we perceive as expressions of His power: justice, responsibility, destruction, ordering chaos, and so forth. Chesed and Gevurah are seen as a matched pair in that God must balance the one with the other, always, because the world can only successfully exist in an extremely delicate balance between order and chaos, positive and negative, divine will and human free will, etc.
And so on, and so forth. And, of course, these are only some of the associations with the given sefirot, according to some Kabbalists.
In any case, in certain schools of thought, they also sought to make specific associations to the Sefirot with personal qualities of human beings, like motherliness or fatherliness, or anger, or love, or sexual urges, or nobility, or what have you-- qualities which they already tended to associate with different parts of the human body. They would sometimes arrange the Sefirot imposed upon a body, a symbolic and stylized divine forma. Now, obviously, they did not literally believe that God had a body, much less that what they drew was truly depicting it; nor did they literally believe that God had all the qualities they ascribed, like motherliness or fatherliness, or sexual drive, or maybe even any of those qualities. They were using the language of body and emotion to symbolize how all these things in us, in the created universe, are ultimately just manifestations made small of root phenomena in some deeper, vaster, more complex aspects of the divine.
appericate it, dont know why im just seeing this post. I have a question on one of the books you recommend me (i think its was you) i'll ask in a pm. seen a slight connection with this concept and the enneads use in the Maat religions (just making my connections if you will). Chesed is similar to Aset.
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Levite
Higher and Higher
If you mean the Enneads of Plotinus, then it is not impossible that something resonates with similarity, since many of the great medieval Kabbalists were influenced by neo-Platonic thought-- especially as filtered through the thought of Arabic neo-Platonists-- and they sometimes used similar turns of phrase or borrowed idioms to express Kabbalistic ideas in their writing.
But I do not think there has ever been a connection between Kabbalah and Egyptian religions. Maybe you mean you believe there to be a parallel concept or analogous concept?
FreeThinker619
Member
yeah i had a picture i found and i see the connections that you mention above.
The right arm is chesed. Left arm is gevurah. Trunk is tifferet. Legs are netzach and hod. The member is yesod. Since Adam was created on the sixth day of yesod, there is no malchut part of the body after yesod.
In the face, the right eye is chochmah, left eye binah, nose tifferet, mouth malchut. These are the four letters of the name of God with the six sephirot of the vav as one.
All these allignments follow the tree of life right, center, and middle.