Anatomy of Light Anthropomorphic Scheme of Mind and Body

The ancient Kabbalists related an Anthropomorphic scheme to the Sefirotic Tree in that man is composed of Intellect, Emotion and Action. This model is extended down through the Four Worlds, each World representing the cosmic manifestation of one of the same levels. The scheme is a miniature recursion of itself. Beginning with the Lowest World which has evolved over millions of years, it is based on and rooted in earthly conditions. Thus at the most elementary level the body operates upon the interaction of the four basic elements earth, water, air and fire (bones, muscles, gaseous exchanges, chemical and electrical activity). There is a constant interaction between both active and passive sides of the Tree (under the direction of the will Malkhut (The Automatic Nervous System) and Yesod ( Central Nervous System) which includes the brain, and Tiferet (The Heart). The subtle part of the Tree which represents the connection between body and psyche is is called Zelim or image which corresponds to the etheric connection of finest energy and matter.


Some people can perceive this level with the inner eye. In this state of connection it is possible to experience the unseen worlds at moments when a deeper reality becomes apparent behind the face of the physical World. The anatomy of the psyche is based upon the same model as the body.


Directly above Tiferet (The Heart) is Daat (Knowledge of the body). In this part of the Tree the two worlds meet , the lower world in supplying the data about the exterior world and the upper world perceiving it psychologically as well as transmitting it to the body, to the world Outside, the Will descending from the inner and upper realms.The triad above the self is the level of soul. Composed of Gevurah,Hesed and Tiferet - the emotional Sefirot of Justice and Mercy. It is the place of conscience. It is here in what has traditionally been called the moral triad. The individual perceives his own and others’ ethical performance and measures out justice or mercy. According to ancient legend, this is the place where one๊s good and bad angels reside to tempt or encourage. Here is the gateway to Paradise and Purgatory. This morality is not the same as social and tribal custom. The soul is intimately associated with Hokhmah (Wisdom, Active Intellect , Binah (Understanding, Passive Intellect) and Keter (Crown,Divinity). This is the triad of spiritual connection of the psyche where the individual has the ability to see within the cosmic context. This triad has meaning to those who are aware of the Worlds (World of Emanation) hidden beyond the face of the physical world.


Light as Allegory /Light as Historical Oral Tradition

How can you expect me to be perfect...when I am full of contradictions?
-Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra. Spain, 12th century

He who shall know the mystery of the Gates of Understanding in the Kabbalah shall know also the Mystery of the Great Jubilee [the completion of the spiritual cycle].
-Pico della Mirandola, Christian Kabbalist. Italy, 15th century

From the beginning of the 12th and 13th centuries, the Kabbalah emerged as a distinct movement within Judaism in medieval Europe. It is said that anyone who seeks to open the mysteries of the Kabbalah is in for an arduous and dangerous journey, requiring intense, ascetic preparation and precise knowledge of secret passwords in order to be admitted to the various heavenly palaces guarded by menacing angels. Since 1492, Kabbalistic groups generally worked inside a disciplined setting. Operating within oral tradition, they may be found all over the world and not always in the Jewish orthodoxy. To find them is not easy, and certainly to be invited to enter a group is even more difficult, because only people who want to develop all the levels of their nature can work in the Kabbalah. Many superstitions exist. Kabbalah only opens its door to those who are prepared to receive. A fable adapted from the Kabalistic classic, The Zohar (The Book Of Radiance),the canonical text of Kabbalah illustrates the point.


"A certain young man once saw the figure of a veiled girl at the window of a palace. At first only curious, he went each day to catch a glimpse of her. After a while, she would look in his direction as if expecting him. Slowly he became involved in what appeared to be a relationship if only at a distance. In the course of time the girl lowered her veil to reveal something of her face. This so increased his interest that he spent many hours at the palace hoping to see her beauty. Gradually he fell deeply in love with her and spent most of his day at her window. Over time she became more open with him and they conversed, she telling of the secrets of the palace and the nature of her father the King. Eventually he could bear it no longer and wished only to be joined with her in marriage so that he might experience all she spoke of."


The man in this allegory is the soul, the princess the spirit , the palace existence, and the King the Divine. The plot of the Zohar transforms all of its narratives into mini- biographies on the transcendence of the Divine. Even a seemingly "insignificant verse" can "reveal" the inner dynamics of the emanation of the Sefirotic Tree.

© Copyright 1997 Denise Urban