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                       Notes on Kabbalah 
                (a continuing series of many parts)

The author grants the right to copy and distribute these Notes provided
they remain unmodified and original authorship and copyright is retained.
The author retains both the right and intention to modify and extend
these Notes. 

Release 2.0      
Copy date: 9th. January 1992

Copyright Colin Low 1992 (cal@hplb.hpl.hp.com)

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Chapter 2.: Sephirothic Correspondences

     The correspondences are a set of symbols,  associations  and 
qualities  which  provide  a handle on the  elusive  something  a 
sephira represents.  Some of the correspondences are hundreds  of 
years old, many were concocted this century, and some are my own; 
some  fit very well,  and some are obscure - oddly enough  it  is 
often  the most obscure and ill-fitting correspondence  which  is 
most  productive;  like a Zen riddle it perplexes and annoys  the 
mind  until  it arrives at the right place more in spite  of  the 
correspondence than because of it.
     There  are  few  canonical  correspondences;   some  of  the 
sephiroth  have  alternative  names,   some  of  the  names  have 
alternative  translations,  the mapping from Hebrew spellings  to 
the  English  alphabet varies from one author to  the  next,  and 
inaccuracies  and  accretions  are handed down  like  the  family 
silver. I keep my Hebrew dictionary to hand but guarantee none of 
the English spellings.      
     The correspondences I have given are as follows:

     1.  The  Meaning is a translation of the Hebrew name of  the 
         sephira.

     2.  The  Planet in most cases is the planet associated  with           
         the  sephira.  In some cases it is not a planet  at  all 
         (e.g.   the  fixed  stars).   The  planets  are  ordered           
         by   decreasing   apparent   motion  -   this   is   one          
         correspondence which appears to pre-date Copernicus!

     3.  The Element is the physical element (earth,  water, air,           
         fire,  aethyr) which has most in common with the  nature           
         of  the Sephira.  The Golden Dawn applied an  excess  of 
         logic to these attributions and made a mess of them,  to 
         the  confusion  of  many.   Only  the  five  Lower  Face 
         sephiroth have been attributed an element.

     4.  Briatic  colour.  This is the colour of the  sephira  as 
         seen in the world of Creation,  Briah.  There are colour 
         scales  for the other three worlds but I  haven't  found 
         them to be useful in practical work.

     5.  Magical Image. Useful in meditiations; some are astute.

     6.  The  Briatic Correspondence is an abstract  quality 
         which  says something about the essence of the  way  the 
         sephira expresses itself. 

     7.  The  Illusion characterises the way in which the  energy 
         of the sephira clouds one's judgement;  it is  something 
         which is *obviously* true.  Most people suffer from  one 
         or more of these according to their temperament.

     8.  The  Obligation is a personal quality which is  demanded 
         of an initiate at this level.

     9.  The  Virtue and Vice are the energy of the sephiroth  as 
         it  manifests  in a positive and negative sense  in  the 
         personality.

     10. Qlippoth  is a word which means  "shell".  In  medieval 
         Kabbalah  each sephira was "seen" to be adding  form  to 
         the  sephira  which preceded it in the  Lightning  Flash 
         (see Chapter 3.). Form was seen to an accretion, a shell 
         around  the pure divine energy of the Godhead,  and each 
         layer  or  shell hid the divine radiance  a  little  bit 
         more, until God was buried in form and exiled in matter, 
         the end-point of the process.  At the time attitudes  to 
         matter  were  tainted  with the  Manichean  notion  that 
         matter   was  evil,   a  snare  for  the   spirit,   and 
         consequently the Qlippoth or shells were "demonised" and 
         actually turned into demons.  The correspondence I  have 
         given  here restores the original notion of a  shell  of 
         form  *without* the corresponding force to activate  it; 
         it  is the lifeless,  empty husk of a sephira devoid  of 
         force,  and while it isn't a literal demon, it is hardly 
         a bundle of laughs when you come across it.

     11. The  Command  refers to the Four Powers of  the  Sphinx, 
         with an extra one added for good measure.

     12. The Spiritual Experience is just that.

     13. The Titles are a collection of alternative names for the 
         sephira; most are very old.

     14. The  God  Name  is a key to invoking the  power  of  the 
         sephira in the world of emanation, Atziluth.

     13. The Archangel mediates the energy of the sephira in  the 
         world of creation, Briah.

     14. The Angel Order administers the energy of the sephira in 
         the world of formation, Yetzirah.

     15. The Keywords are a collection of phrases which summarise 
         key aspects of the sephira.


=================================================================
Sephira: Malkuth                   Meaning: Kingdom
-------                            -------
Planet: Cholem Yesodeth            Element: earth
--------(the Breaker of            -------
         the Foundations, sphere of the elements, the Earth)

Briatic Colour: brown              Number: 10
------------- (citrine, russet-red,------ 
               olive green, black)

Magical Image: a young woman crowned and throned
-------------
Briatic Correspondence: stability
----------------------
Illusion: materialism              Obligation: discipline
--------                           ----------
Virtue: discrimination             Vice: avarice & inertia
------                             ----
Qlippoth: stasis                   Command: keep silent
--------                           -------
Spiritual Experience: Vision of the Holy Guardian Angel
------
Titles:  The Gate; Gate of Death; Gate of Tears; Gate of Justice; 
------   The Inferior Mother;  Malkah,  the  Queen;  Kallah,  the 
         Bride; the Virgin.
------
God Name: Adonai ha Aretz          Archangel: Sandalphon
--------  Adonai Malekh            ---------
Angel Order: Ishim
-----------
Keywords:the  real world,  physical  matter,  the  Earth,  Mother 
         Earth,  the physical elements, the natural world, sticks 
         & stones,  possessions,  faeces, practicality, solidity, 
         stability, inertia, heaviness, bodily death, incarnation.

=================================================================     
Sephira: Yesod                     Meaning: Foundation
-------                            -------
Planet: Levanah (the Moon)         Element: Aethyr
--------------                     -------
Briatic Colour: purple             Number: 9
-------------                      ------ 

Magical Image: a beautiful man, very strong (e.g. Atlas)
-------------
Briatic Correspondence: receptivity, perception
----------------------
Illusion: security                 Obligation: trust
--------                           ----------
Virtue: independence               Vice: idleness
------                             ----
Qlippoth: zombieism, robotism      Command: go!          
--------                           -------
Spiritual Experience: Vision of the Machinery of the Universe
--------------------
Titles: The Treasure House of Images
------
God Name: Shaddai el Chai          Archangel: Gabriel
--------                           ---------
Angel Order: Cherubim
----------
Keywords: perception, interface, imagination, image, appearance, 
          glamour, the Moon, the unconscious, instinct, tides, 
          illusion, hidden infrastructure, dreams, divination, 
          anything as it seems to be and not as it is, mirrors 
          and crystals, the "Astral Plane", Aethyr, glue, 
          tunnels, sex & reproduction, the genitals, cosmetics, 
          instinctive magic (psychism), secret doors, shamanic 
          tunnel.


=============================================================
Sephira: Hod                       Meaning: Glory, Splendour
-------                            -------
Planet: Kokab (Mercury)            Element: air
------                             -------
Briatic Colour: orange             Number: 8
-------------                      ------ 
Magical Image: an hermaphrodite
-------------
Briatic Correspondence: abstraction
----------------------
Illusion: order                    Obligation: learn
--------                           ----------
Virtue: honesty, truthfulness      Vice: dishonesty
------                             ----
Qlippoth: rigidity                 Command: will
--------
Spiritual Experience: Vision of Splendour
------
Titles: - 
------
God Name: Elohim Tzabaoth          Archangel: Raphael
--------                           ---------
Angel Order: Beni Elohim

Keywords: reason, abstraction, communication, conceptualisation,
          logic, the sciences, language, speech, money (as a 
          concept), mathematics, medicine & healing, trickery, 
          writing, media (as communication), pedantry, 
          philosophy, Kabbalah (as an abstract system), protocol, 
          the Law, ownership, territory, theft, "Rights", ritual 
          magic.


===============================================================
Sephira: Netzach                   Meaning: Victory, Firmness
-------                            -------
Planet: Nogah (Venus)              Element: water
--------------                     -------
Briatic Colour: green              Number: 7
-------------                      ------ 
Magical Image: a beautiful naked woman
-------------
Briatic Correspondence: nurture
----------------------
Illusion: projection               Obligation: responsibility
--------                           ----------
Virtue: unselfishness              Vice: selfishness
------                             ----
Qlippoth: habit, routine           Command: know
--------
Spiritual Experience: Vision of Beauty Triumphant
------
Titles: -
------
God Name: Jehovah Tzabaoth         Archangel: Haniel
--------                           ---------
Angel Order: Elohim
----------
Keywords: passion, pleasure, luxury, sensual beauty, feelings, 
          drives, emotions - love, hate, anger, joy, depression, 
          misery, excitement, desire, lust; nurture, libido, 
          empathy, sympathy, ecstatic magic.

================================================================
Sephira: Tipheret                  Meaning: Beauty
-------                            -------
Planet: Shemesh (the Sun)          Element: fire
--------------                     -------
Briatic Colour: yellow             Number: 6
-------------                      ------ 
Magical Image: a king, a child, a sacrificed god
-------------
Briatic Correspondence: centrality, wholeness
----------------------
Illusion: identification           Obligation: integrity
--------                           ----------
Virtue: devotion to the Great Work Vice: pride, self-importance
------                             ----
Qlippoth: hollowness               Command: dare
--------
Spiritual Experience: Vision of Harmony 
--------------------  

Titles: Melekh, the King; Zoar Anpin, the lesser countenance, the 
------  Microprosopus; the Son; Rachamin, charity.

God Name: Aloah va Daath           Archangel: Michael
--------                           ---------
Angel Order: Malachim
-----------
Keywords: harmony, integrity, balance, wholeness, the Self, self-
          importance, self-sacrifice, the Son of God, centrality, 
          the Philospher's Stone, identity, the solar plexus, 
          a King, the Great Work.


================================================================
Sephira: Gevurah                   Meaning: Strength
-------                            -------
Planet: Madim (Mars)      
--------------                    
Briatic Colour: red                Number: 5
-------------                      ------ 
Magical Image: a mighty warrior
-------------
Briatic Correspondence: power
----------------------
Illusion: invincibility            Obligation: courage & loyalty
--------                           ----------
Virtue: courage & energy           Vice: cruelty
------                             ----
Qlippoth: bureaucracy                        
--------
Spiritual Experience: Vision of Power
--------------------
Titles: Pachad, fear; Din, justice.
------
God Name: Elohim Gevor             Archangel: Kamael
--------                           ---------
Angel Order: Seraphim
-----------
Keywords: power, justice, retribution (eaten cold), the Law (in 
          execution), cruelty, oppression, domination & the Power 
          Myth, severity, necessary destruction, catabolism, 
          martial arts.  


===============================================================
Sephira: Chesed                    Meaning: Mercy
-------                            -------
Planet: Tzadekh (Jupiter)
--------------                     
Briatic Colour: blue               Number: 4
-------------                      ------ 
Magical Image: a mighty king
-------------
Briatic Correspondence: authority
----------------------
Illusion: being right              Obligation: humility
--------  (self-righteousness)     ----------

Virtue: humility & obedience       Vice: tyranny, hypocrisy,
------                             ----  bigotry, gluttony
Qlippoth: ideology
--------
Spiritual Experience: Vision of Love
--------------------
Titles: Gedulah, magnificence, love, majesty
------
God Name: El                       Archangel: Tzadkiel
--------                           ---------
Angel Order: Chasmalim
-----------
Keywords: authority, creativity, inspiration, vision, leadership, 
          excess, waste, secular and spiritual power, submission 
          and the Annihilation Myth, the atom bomb, obliteration, 
          birth, service.

================================================================
Non-Sephira: Daath                 Meaning: Knowledge
-----------                        -------
Daath has no manifest qualities and cannot be invoked directly.

Keywords: hole, tunnel, gateway, doorway, black hole, vortex.

================================================================
Sephira: Binah                     Meaning: Understanding, 
-------                            -------
Planet: Shabbathai (Saturn)     
------
Briatic Colour: black              Number: 3
-------------                      ------ 
Magical Image: an old woman on a throne
-------------
Briatic Correspondence: comprehension
----------------------
Illusion: death                   
--------                          
Virtue: silence                    Vice: inertia
------                             ----
Qlippoth: fatalism                 
--------
Spiritual Experience: Vision of Sorrow
--------------------
Titles:   Aima, the Mother; Ama, the Crone; Marah, the bitter 
          sea; Khorsia, the Throne; the Fifty Gates of 
          Understanding; Intelligence; the Mother of Form; the 
          Superior Mother.

God Name: Elohim                   Archangel: Cassiel
--------                           ---------
Angel Order: Aralim
-----------
Keywords: limitation, form, constraint, heaviness, slowness, old-
          age, infertility, incarnation, karma, fate, time, 
          space, natural law, the womb and gestation, darkness, 
          boundedness, enclosure, containment, fertility, mother, 
          weaving and spinning, death (annihilation).


==================================================================
Sephira: Chokhmah                  Meaning: Wisdom
-------                            -------
Planet: Mazlot (the Zodiac, the fixed stars)
--------------                   
Briatic Colour: silver/white       Number: 2
-------------   grey               ------ 

Magical Image: a bearded man 
-------------
Briatic Correspondence: revolution
----------------------
Illusion: independence            
--------                          
Virtue: good                       Vice: evil
------                             ----
Qlippoth: arbitrariness            
--------
Spiritual Experience: Vision of God face-to-face
------
Titles: Abba, the Father. The Supernal Father.
------
God Name: Jah                      Archangel: Ratziel
--------                           ---------
Angel Order: Auphanim
-----------
Keywords: pure creative energy, lifeforce, the wellspring.


==================================================================
Sephira: Kether                    Meaning: Crown
-------                            -------
Planet: Rashith ha Gilgalim (first swirlings, the Big Bang)
--------------                   
Briatic Colour: pure white         Number: 1
-------------                      ------ 
Magical Image: a bearded man seen in profile
-------------
Briatic Correspondence: unity
----------------------
Illusion: attainment             
--------                          
Virtue: attainment                 Vice: ---
------                             ----
Qlippoth: futility           
--------
Spiritual Experience: Union with God
--------------------
Titles:   Ancient of Days, the Greater Countenance 
          (Macroprosopus), the White Head, Concealed of the 
          Concealed, Existence of Existences, the Smooth Point, 
          Rum Maalah, the Highest Point.

God Name: Eheieh                   Archangel: Metatron
--------                           ---------
Angel Order: Chaioth ha Qadesh
-----------
Keywords: unity, union, all, pure consciousness, God, the 
          Godhead, manifestation, beginning, source, emanation.

