The Tree of Life Corrected

When I am studying esoteric systems, I always ask why things are the way they presented. I question even established doctrines. When you take everything for granted, you often miss the point. The following flowed forth naturally when I studied the Tree of Life, because not only are there differences between kabbalists on certain issues, but also certain explanations don't seem to make sense, at least to me. I think the traditional Tree of Life is incomplete because there are Sephiroth and paths missing, which when added makes all the other things come into place.

In the following I will explain why I feel the need for a corrected Tree of Life and why I think this is a better representation of the whole system, without invalidating the traditional Tree of Life.

First a little word about the paths:

The traditional paths are not that logical to me. Why are Binah and Chohmah connected with Tiphereth, and Hod and Nezach with Malkuth, but Chesed and Geburah are not connected with Yesod?

Also, and more important, one Sephiroth flows forth from another in a well defined order when going down the Tree. First we have Kether, then Chochmah, then Binah, then Chesed and so on. Although Chesed flows forth from Binah the Tree of Life (as shown by the kabbalists) never shows a path between those two Sephirah. Because Chesed flows forth from Binah there must be a path. Even when Daath is taken into consideration there must be a path between Binah and Daath and between Daath and Chesed.

     Let's start with what is to me the prime question: the missing Sephiroth.

     First and for all, Daath should be included in the Tree of Life. The kabbalists always stress that the Sephiroth work in pairs (one each on the + and - pillar) producing a third one on the middle pillar that represents the equilibrium of its two 'parent' Sephiroth. When Daath is mentioned it is the 'child' of Chochmah and Binah.

     Tiphereth is the result of Chesed and geburah, Yesod is the result of Hod and Netzah.

But what is Malkuth the child of? In the traditional Tree of Life, it kind of dangles at the end of the Tree, not being the result of polar opposites. If there is a place in the universe where polar opposites play a prominent role, it is the physical world. Malkuth, like Yesod, Tiphereth and Daath must be the result of two 'parent' Sephiroth, and there is indeed a place for them.

In the basic structure on which the Tree of Life is drawn, the Flower of Life, (see my article on the Structure of the Tree of Life), there should be two more Sephirah just above Malkuth, and on the two pillars underneath Hod and Nezach. Those two Sephirah should be the opposite energies of the physical world, or Assiah, of which Malkuth is then the resulting equilibrium.

In the Kabbalah those two Sephirah never show up, but that doesn't mean that they are not there. They can easily represent the polar energies that make up the physical world, like the electrical energy (on the right, positive pillar) and the magnetic energy (on the left, negative pillar). Or, in man they could be lust and desire (which are free flowing energies) on the right pillar and instincts (which are formative, directive and geared to usefulness) on the left.

Why would the ancient Kabbalists not depict those two Sephiroth? Well, it might have to do with the lower nature of man. Remember that in Western Europe sexuality, passions, desire, instincts were strongly taboo because of the moral policy of the Catholic Church. Even in the esoteric and occult circles, these issues were usually avoided. Even in the beginning of the 20th century, Leadbeater, a Theosophist, when describing the chakras, replaces the second, or sex chakra, by the spleen chakra. Like so many other mystical belief systems, Kabbalist are primarily concerned about purification of the soul and union with the Divine. In this quest sexuality, desire, lust was often seen as evil and to be avoided werever possible. It might be that for just this reason they did not depict the two Sephiroth that bring Malkuth into being because they represent energies so close to physicality, sensuality, and pure bodily energies that most mystics were so afraid of.

So, all this leads us to a Tree of Life as depicted here. We have four triads in the four Worlds. Each time we have an opposite pair creating a third. Each time the triad is created in the image of the previous one. Now we have 12 Sephiroth in total. Twelve always has been the number of totality, of completion in the sense of the total number of possibilities in the Universe. Look at the twelve constellations, the twelve apostles. And everything is quite symmetrical. Nature always strives for balance.

When Kether is taken as a complete Sephiroth too, the Tree becomes even more symmetrical. Now that is a Tree of Life I would really like. But what would the orthodox Kabbalists think of it?

next: The New Tree of Life

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