ONE FAMILY PLAN
10 Ranks of the Sephiroth
Sphere 1
KETHER, Supreme Crown, Prime Mover, 1st Cause, The One
Guardian Angels: Living Creatures
Creatures, real or imaginary: God
Greek and Roman Gods: Zeus, Jupiter
Magical Image: An old bearded king
AA... Ipsissimus, Sphere of God
Sphere: Primum Mobile/Uranus
Gem: Diamond
Plants: Almond
Divine Name: Eheieh
Archangel: Metatron
Angelic Choir: Chayoth ha-Qadesh
Yogic Practice: Samhadi
Kether is the 1st emanation, the 1st cause, timeless, called the Tao by the Chinese. It is the sphere that contains all that was, is, or will be. It is the sphere of pure spiritual being, the point of absolute Unity without division. Often symbolized by the Point, and a Point is often placed on the Tree of Life in Kether, signifying Unity. It is also "the place on the Tree of Life that contains the Source of All and the Highest Divine Essence that we can conceive." (Cicero, Self-Initiation into the Golden Dawn Tradition, p. 61)
Sphere 2
HOKMAH, Wisdom, Male, Active, Father, Force behind everything positive, dynamic, thrusting the Life-giving Spirit of God brooding over the waters
Guardian Angels: Ophannim
Creatures, real or imaginary: Man
Greek and Roman Gods: Uranus
Magical Image: A bearded man
AA... The Magus, Sphere of the Stars... Hokmah Divine Word, Lamb of Revelation and its opposite the Great Beast and Dragon (which attacks the woman clothed with the sun)
Sphere: Zodiac/Pluto
Gem: Star Ruby/Turquoise
Plants: Amaranth
Magical Tool: The Inner Robe of Glory
Divine Name: Yah
Archangel: Raziel
Angelic Choir: Auphanim
Yogic Practice: Dhyana
Chokmah is the 'bang' of the big bang, the massive Yang exploding outwards in every direction with the energy of Kether.
Sphere 3
BINAH, Understanding, opposite HOKMAH (thrusts while Binah responds), passive, Mother, Both Mother Goddess and Sinister Hecate (ruler of witchcraft and sorcery), Throne, Great Sea, lifeless waters of chaos from which, once fertilized, all things come forth
Planets: Saturn
Guardian Angels: Arelim
Creatures, real or imaginary: Woman
Greek and Roman Gods: Cybele, Rhea, Juno, Hecate
Magical Image: A mature woman
AA... Magister Templi, Saturn... Binah as the woman clothed with the sun and The Scarlet Woman, the Great Whore of Revelation
English meaning: Understanding
Sphere: Saturn/Neptune
Gem: Star Sapphire, Pearl
Plants: Cypress, Poppy
Magical Tool: The Outer Robe of Concealment
Divine Name: YHVH Elohim
Archangel: Tzaphquiel
Angelic Choir: Aralim
Yogic Practice: Dhyana
Binah is the Yin to the Yang of Chokmah, limiting the projective force of Chokmah to give it form. Last of the supernal powers, Binah is also the Great Mother, the ocean that gives birth to the life of the universe.
Sphere 0
Daath, The Abyss
Random chaos of thought and conception
The sphere of knowledge Daath is a non-sephira, or the invisible sephira, containing both accessible and hidden knowledge. Below Chokmah and Binah, between the other sephiroth of the Tree of Life, it is also on the Middle Pillar (between Tiphareth and Kether). It is the entrance and exit point to the Yetzirah (the third world of formation), the realm of the angels. Often referred to as the Abyss, it is the gulf between the phenomenal world of manifestation and its source. One must pass through the Abyss to realize the innermost spiritual nature. Daath is the intersection where various forces on the Tree of Life come together, a barrier that must be passed in order to scale the Tree of Life. "Daath is produced from the conjunction of Chokmah and Binah, which are Wisdom and Understanding. It is in this invisible sephira Daath (Knowledge), which Chokmah (Wisdom) and Binah (Understanding) combine with what is known as the Beautiful Path (Tiphareth). This is the concealed or hidden concept that which pervades the whole emanation." (Fortune, The Mystical Qabalah, p. 47) In other words, Understanding and Wisdom is not possible without Knowledge.
Sphere 4
HESED, Mercy, Love (of the Tree's 2nd triangle: Father, Mother, and Child), male, kind, merciful authority of the Father, protecting and guiding the child, the Force behind law and order, justice, peace, love, benevolence... my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of an unicorn." (Psalm 22)
Symbols: scepter, wand & crook, kings, magicians, and bishops emblem of authority - phallic, pyramid, and equal-armed cross
Planets: Jupiter
Guardian Angels: Chashmalim
Creatures, real or imaginary: Unicorn
Greek and Roman Gods: Poseidon, Jupiter
Magical Image: A powerful king on his throne
AA... Adeptus Exemptus, Jupiter
English meaning: Mercy
Sphere: Jupiter
Gem: Amethyst/Sapphire
Plants: Olive, Shamrock
Magical Tool: Staff, Sceptre, or Crook
Divine Name: El
Archangel: Tzadiquiel
Angelic Choir: Chashmalim
Yogic Practice: Pratyahara
First below the supernals is Chesed, which means "Mercy" Generosity, benevolence, and great merciful power are its qualities. Priests and judges, leaders, fathers of pantheons reside here. "Chesed is considered the First Sephira of the Microprosopos, the manifested universe." (Fortune, The Mystical Qabalah, p. 163) "Chesed is often referred to as a cohesive intelligence. This is because Chesed contains all of the holy powers, or energies that it has received from the Supernals, the top three sephira of the Tree of Life. It is in Chesed that the unmanifested power is gathered and the process of manifestation begins without diminishing the Divine Emanations on their way to materialization in Malkuth." (Cicero, Self-Initiation into the Golden Dawn Tradition, pp. 64-65)
Sphere 5
GEBURAH, Severity, Power, opposite force of Hesed, female, operations of hatred and destruction- severe authority of the mother punishing the child... while Hesed builds up, Geburah breaks them down- hate, rage, cruelty, war
Symbols: Sword, sphere, scourge, and chain, pentagon and the Tudor Rose
Planets: Mars
Guardian Angels: Seraphim
Creatures, real or imaginary: Basilisk
Greek and Roman Gods: Ares, Hades, Mars
Magical Image: A warrior in a chariot
AA... Adeptus Major, Mars
English meaning: Severity
Sphere: Mars
Gem: Ruby
Plants: Oak, Nux Vomica, Nettle
Magical Tool: Sword,Spear, Scourge, or Chain
Divine Name: Elohim Gibor
Archangel: Kamael
Angelic Choir: Seraphim
Yogic Practice: Daharana
The primary influence is strength of the righteous verses the forces of evil. It governs the will of those who go against wrong. "As can be seen in the previous two sephira, Chesed and Binah, the polarities of masculine and feminine are reinforced. Just as the energy of Chesed is the same as Chokmah on a lower level, Geburah has the same energy as Binah, but also on a lower, more manifest level." (Cicero, Self-Initiation into the Golden Dawn Tradition, p. 65) The masculine and feminine traits of the Divine energy and of each sephira is becoming more obvious, with Geburah seeming harsher than Binah on the masculine side of the Tree.
Sphere 6
TIPHERETH, Beauty- balancing force between Geburah and Hesed, life-force, drive to continue on, symbolic of Christ, Son of God, the heart that pumps the life blood through the body- highest spiritual condition, excepting the super normal states
Symbols: Calvary Cross and the six-sided Cube (6)- number of balance and harmony- the central sphere to which others are connected, balanced... visualized the Crucifixion as death is the gateway to new life
Planets: Sun
Guardian Angels: Shinanim
Creatures, real or imaginary: Lion, Phoenix, Child
Greek and Roman Gods: Apollo, Adonis
Magical Image: A majestic king; a child sacrificed
AA... Adeptus Minor, the sun
English meaning: Beauty/Harmony
Sphere: Sol
Gem: Topaz/Yellow Diamon
Plants: Acacia, Bay, Laurel, Vine
Magical Tool: The Lamen or Rosy Cross
Divine Name: YHVH Eloah Ve-Daath
Archangel: Raphael
Angelic Choir: Melekim
Yogic Practice: Mantra
At the center lies Tiferet, the sephira of the sun. It is the foremost connection between the Divine and the mundane. It is the only sephira below the supernals with a direct path to Kether. "This is the sphere of harmony between the Mercy of Chesed and the Severity of Geburah, the perfect balance between the aggressive and benevolent energies of these two sephira. Because it is in a direct line with Kether, Tiphareth mirrors the purity of Kether, but in a more manifest level." (Cicero, Self-Initiation into the Golden Dawn Tradition, p. 66)
Sphere 7
NETSAH, Victory, Endurance (of the 3rd triangle, opposing forces of animality and mentality, of impulse and thought), male, endurance and victory of God, animal drives, senses, passions, natural reactions, animalistic instincts
Planets: Venus
Guardian Angels: Tarsishim
Creatures, real or imaginary: Iynx
Greek and Roman Gods: Aphrodite, Venus
Magical Image: A beautiful naked woman
AA... Philosophus, Venus
English meaning: Victory
Sphere: Venus
Gem: Emerald
Plants: Rose
Magical Tool: The Lamp and Girdle
Divine Name: YHVH Tzabaoth
Archangel: Haniel
Angelic Choir: Elohim
Yogic Practice: Niyama
Netzach is the sephira of ecstatic nature, the joyous play of the divine energy. It operates without "ethics" - process of negative feedback - gentle gods of life and beauty, of which some are Venus, Aphrodite, and Bast - inhuman natures with respect to justice or morality. Successful, yet unworthy operate within the laws of this sphere. "Netzach is a dynamic energy or force that inspires and drives us. It is the reflection of the fiery energy of Geburah, but at the level of human personality, but is tempered by the balancing forces of Tiphareth. This way the fiery energy becomes desire and emotion." (Cicero, Self-Initiation into the Golden Dawn Tradition, p. 67) It is the counterbalance of Hod.
Sphere 8
HOD, Majesty, female, opposite Sephira, sphere of mental faculties, imagination, inspiration, insight, higher capacities of the mind, also an evil side- the distrusted reason and logic, conventional attitudes
Planets: Mercury
Guardian Angels: Benei Elohim
Creatures, real or imaginary: Twin Serpents
Greek and Roman Gods: Hermes, Mercury
Magical Image: A hermaphrodite
AA... Practicus, Mercury
English meaning: Glory/Splendour
Sphere: Mercury
Gem: Opal/Fire Opal
Plants: Moly, Anhalonium Lewinii
Magical Tool: The Names, Versicles, and Apron
Divine Name: Elohim Tzabaoth
Archangel: Michael
Angelic Choir: Beni Elohim
Yogic Practice: Yama
Scientific intellect, operating passively to the emotional Netzach... amazing ideas - words of knowledge and poetry... inspirations - gods of the intellect... "The energy in Hod is a lower form of the energy in Chesed, but balanced by the forces in Tiphareth. In Hod the emotions and instincts of Netzach take on form and become action. This sphere is a counterbalance to Netzach because without the emotions of Netzach, the rational intellect of Hod is uninspired." (Cicero, Self-Initiation into the Golden Dawn Tradition, p. 68) Equally, the emotions of Netzach need the discipline of the intellect found in Hod.
Sphere 9
YESOD, Foundation- Netsah and Hod are combined and balanced within Yesod, dark depths of personality where the shining, true self lies hidden, a light in the darkness (moon), mistress of magic, power of the self, union of high intelligence and brute strength (elephant), threshold of the Astral Plane
Plant: Aphrodisiac mandrake- most powerful of all in magic
Planets: Moon
Guardian Angels: Ishim
Creatures, real or imaginary: Elephant
Greek and Roman Gods: Diana
Magical Image: A beautiful naked man
AA... Zelator, the moon
English meaning: Foundation
Sphere: Luna
Gem: Quartz
Plants: Mandrake, Damiana
Magical Tool: Perfumes and Sandals
Divine Name: Shaddai El Chai
Archangel: Gabriel
Angelic Choir: Kerubim
Yogic Practice: Pranayama
The process of crystalization, where energy becomes definable as forces, there is a coming together of Hod and Netzach before its final projection into Malkuth. It may be altered by a current of Will. "Yesod is the sephira on the Middle Pillar that contains the two completed forces of Hod and Netzach. Yesod is a basic building block on which further developments can be built. In many aspects, Yesod is much like a fully formed fetus in the womb." (Zalewski, Kabbalah of the Golden Dawn, p. 69) - a new era begins and the old one ends
Sphere 10
MALKUTH, Kingdom, Earth, Physical Body
Planets: Earth
Guardian Angels: Cherubim
Creatures, real or imaginary: Sphinx
Greek and Roman Gods: Demeter, Ceres, Persephone
Magical Image: A young woman, crowned and seated on a throne
Crowley's AA... Neophyte
English meaning: Kingdom
Sphere: Elements/Saturn/Earth
Gem: Rock Crystal/Salt
Plants: Willow, Lily, Ivy
Magical Tool: The Magical Circle and Triangle
Divine Name: Adonai ha-Aretz
Archangel: Sandalphon
Angelic Choir: Ashim
Yogic Practice: Asana
It is the final solidification of the energy of Kether, the result of all previous work through the preceding sephiroth - totally passive; all energy directed to it works it's change and is grounded. "Malkuth is the final receptacle for the combined energies of the Tree of Life. Where the other spheres are basically kinetic and mobile, Malkuth is stable and inert, and unlike the other sephira, it is not part of a triad." (Cicero, Self-Initiation into the Golden Dawn Tradition, p. 70) It is the Physical World, the Creation of the Divine.
TREE OF LIFE
