T H E T R E E O F L I F E

Lesson Ten

Tow ard the in itia l Point, designated by the te rm s OW0 iTIpi, nequdah peshu t, the S im ple Point, and Hi UMO ITIpi# nequdah rashunah , the P rim ord ia l Point, the L im itless Light concen tra tes itse lf in a closing sp ira l m ovem ent.

T his generative c u rren t of intention, you will rem em b er, is a c u rren t of the e le c ­tro -m agnetism which is the e te rn a l substance of a ll th ings. The closing sp ira l which condenses energy a t the F ir s t Point is shown in the word TTD, K ether, by the f i r s t l e t ­t e r . T h is le t te r Kaph, as you have learn ed from preced ing stud ies, m eans a f is t , o r a hand closed , in the act of g rasp ing .

T his le tte r-n am e is a d irec t re fe ren ce to the only kind of activity conceivable a t the beginning of a cycle of m anifestation . When we wind a clock, we co m press the spring .To do so, we g rasp the w inding-key. C om pression g enera tes power and in c rease s the m ass o r density of w hatever is co m p ressed .

C om pression of energy at a cen te r causes ro ta tio n . H ere you will re c a ll that the T a ro t Key corresponding to the f i r s t le t te r of K ether is the Wheel of F o rtu n e . Rotation is the p rim ary mode of m otion and the source of a ll o ther m o d es .

On th is account, Q abalists give to the num ber 1, besides the nam es a lready cited , the designation 0 * ^ 3 5 fl'tW l# ra sh ith ha-galgalim , "the beginning of the w h irlings." The activ ity which in itia tes these w hirlings a t the C entral Point is what is sym bolized by the le tte r Kaph. T h is in itia l movem ent is the re su lt of com pression , o r the m ovem ent of the energy of the L im itless Light tow ard a cen te r within i ts e lf .

That cen te r is rep resen ted by T av , the m iddle le tte r of TDD. To Tav THE BOOK OF FORMATION a ttrib u te s "T he Tem ple of H oliness in the m id s t, which c a r r ie s and sup­p o rts the six d irec tions of sp ace ." The d irec tions a re : Above, Below, E as t, W est, N orth and South. Tav stands fo r the inner c en te r of the ideal Cube of Space suggested by these six d ire c tio n s .

Because it is the cen te r a t which the com pressive , cen tripe ta l activ ity of the p r i ­m ary form of sp ira l m otion condenses energy and m a ss , th is inner point corresponding to the le t te r Tav is assoc iated in occultism with the heavy planet Saturn, the astro log ica l rep resen ta tiv e of the p rincip le of condensation and cohesion .

In the ancient Hebrew alphabet, the c h a rac te r fo r Tav was a c ro s s m ade by two equal lines a t righ t angles to each o th e r. The two lines re p re se n t the two opposite a c ti­v itie s -- th e cen tripe ta l m otion which winds up the cosm ic clock, and the centrifugal m o ­tion, proceeding from the c en te r, whereby force is d ischarged a s ro ta ry , sp ira l m otion, moving away from the c e n te r .

Rotation is the fundam ental motion at the cen te r its e lf . In T a ro t th is is suggested by the cen tra l figure of Key 21, the W orld, the Key corresponding to T av . The dancer is supported by noth ing--that is , she is se lf-su p p o rted . She stands a t the c en te r, and holds in one hand a sp ira l, moving clockw ise, while a sp ira l held in h e r o ther hand m oves in the opposite d irec tio n . F u rth e rm o re , to indicate that Key 21 is a d irec t consequence

-2- THE TREE OF LIFE: 10

of Key 10, Key 21 includes severa l de ta ils of sym bolism taken from Key 10.

Rotation gives r is e to the outw ard-m oving c u rren t which co rresponds to Resh (1 ) , the la s t le t te r of i rO . T his movem ent is the re v e rse of the com pressive m otion of which the le tte r Kaph is the alphabetical sym bol. It rad ia tes instead of condensing. It d ischarges fo rce instead of generating i t . It p re s se s outw ard, o r e x p re sses , and what occurs in consequence of th is d ischarge of energy is the m anifestation of the purpose fo r which the in itia l im pression was m a d e .

As one of many evidences that human speech has behind it the m otivation of the U niversal Mind, consider the fact that a g rea t many English verbs beginning with the le t te r " R ," the le tte r corresponding to Resh, a re verbs which have to do with the out­pouring of fo rce . H ere is a p a rtia l lis t:

R ace, to run , o r go swiftly; rack , to s tre tch o r s tra in by fo rce , to extend v io lent­ly; radd le , to in terw eave, o r tw ist together; ra d ia te , to em it ra y s , to shine; ra g e , to move o r act with g rea t vehem ence; ra id , m ilita ry invasion of enemy te rr ito ry ; r a in , to fa ll in drops; r a is e , to rouse to action, to produce; ra k e , o rig inally , to move forw ard , to run rapidly; ra lly , to rouse to action; ra m , to s tr ik e violently; ram b le , to extend, o r grow a t random ; ram ify , to divide into branches; ram p, to rage o r s to rm , to be ready to attack; ran g e , to dispose in o rd e r, to extend in a c e rta in d irec tio n .

The foregoing a re only a few, but a glance through the d ictionary shows that E n ­g lish v erbs beginning with "R ” a re predom inantly those which ex p ress m otion from a cen te r, m otion which ra d ia te s . Most of them a re derived from verbs in ancient tongues, and these a lso begin with "R ," the sound corresponding to the le tte r R esh.

According to the Qabalah, R esh is the le tte r corresponding to the sun, the g rea t cen te r of rad io -ac tiv ity fo r our w orld sy stem . The sun is a lso the g re a t cen te r of g r a ­vitational fo rce fo r the group of p lanets of which the e a r th is o n e .

All the work of th is planet is actually the transfo rm ation of energy rad ia ted from the so la r m ainspring of our w orld sy stem . And, a fte r sun-pow er has passed through various tran sfo rm atio n s , it finally becom es h ea t. Orthodox science says th is heat is d issipated into sp a c e .

Scien tists who accept th is theory expect a tim e to come when a ll the energy av a il­able to our w orld system will have been com pletely d iffused . They even c a r ry the notion a step fu r th e r , and w rite of the ultim ate cessa tion of a ll activ ity throughout the u n iv e rse . What they do not re a liz e is that th e ir conclusions a re drawn from a consideration of only half what is going on.

They a re watching the unwinding of the cosm ic c lock . Strangely enough, it seem s not to occur to them that w hatever unwinds m ust have been wound up. Action and r e a c ­tion a re e q u a l. What unwinds h e re m ust be the cause of a corresponding winding-up in some unknown th e r e . T h is is what is m eant by the fam ilia r expression , "w orld without en d ." and by the words of THE BOOK OF FORMATION: "H is beginning hath no beginning, and H is end hath no ending."

THE TREE OF LIFE: 10 -3 -

To re tu rn now from our excursion into the m acrocosm , le t us consider th is p r i ­m ary aspect of R eality once m ore in its re la tion to o u rse lv es . The num ber 1 r e p r e ­sen ts the f i r s t p rinc ip le , and the ru ling p rincip le , of our own liv e s . It designates the inner C enter whose potencies we d iscover ev ery tim e we form ulate a definite intention. F u rth e rm o re , one of the p rim ary declara tions of A geless Wisdom is that no intention a human being is able to fram e definitely is beyond h is pow er to b ring into m an ifesta ­tion as an actual p a rt of h is env ironm ent.

To form ulate an intention is to d iscover a pow er a lready re s id en t in the C en tral Self. Because that C en tra l Self is actually the U niversal C en ter, and not ju s t the p e r ­sonal ego, it is the focal point of a ll pow ers now known to u s , the focal point of pow ers once known to past c iv ilizations, but forgotten by a ll save a few highly advanced human beings in our tim e , and the focal point, finally , of pow ers yet undiscovered except by those who have gone fa r beyond the lim itations of o rd inary genus homo sap ie n s .

This m ust needs be because the C entral Self is the Point on which a ll potencies of the Infinite co n v erg e . To th is Point Q abalists a ssign the highest of the Hebrew Divine nam es - - n ’ iTN, Eheyeh, reco rded in Exodus 3:14. The Authorized V ersion tra n s la te s it " I AM ," but th e re have been so m any recen t profanations of th is august title that we alm ost hesita te to u se i t .

Eheyeh is the G reat A ffirm ative, the p rim ary declara tion of Pure Being unqualified by any p re d ic a te . Just what th is Being is , in Itse lf, we do not venture to say .

T ru e philosophy, tru e re lig ion , tru e occu ltism , tru e m ystic ism and tru e science a ll m eet a t th is highest point on the T ree of L ife. Science appears to deal with fo rces outside u s , but the purpose of science is always to give us c o rre c t m easurem ent of fo rces which a re actually inside u s .

No law of natu re is alien to m an. Nothing we study in our lab o ra to rie s is excluded from the m ake-up of m an . No law of na tu re is im posed upon m an from ou tside . All a re laws of m an 's own being. We look outside to find what is in o u rse lv es . We look inside to find pow ers which enable us to m ake m ore sa tisfac to ry arrangem en ts of conditions o u ts id e .

Continue your m editations on K ether. U se the ideas given in these le sso n s , and re la te them to y o u rse lf . Do not drop your m editations a fte r your fo rm al study p e rio d . T ra in you rse lf to experience your innerm ost Selfhood as an aspect of K ether in a ll your com ings and goings. Use the T ree of Life d iag ram s to help focus your attention and to help you to tune in to Those who already live consciously in that H ighest o r Innerm ost level of A w aren ess .

Tre

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