Tree of Life
From Tarotpedia
Athanasius Kircher's version
based on Philippe d'Aquin's 1625
Tree of the Kabbalah
The Tree of Life is perhaps the most widely recognized symbol or glyph of the Kabbalah. Its relationship to Tarot appears as a late innovation dating from the second half of the 19th century. For many students of Tarot, especially for those who take on board the differently suggested correlations made by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn (GD) and its derivatives, or the Ordre Kabbalistique de la Rose Croix (OKRC), such attributions are considered of great importance.
Most books in the English language tend to take as a basis the correlations and glyph presented by the GD. The Glyph of the Tree of Life as presented to the right is itself the most common rendition in books on Tarot. It appears to have been derived from the work of Anathasius Kircher, which was itself apparently based on a depiction of the Tree of Life by Philippe d'Aquin in his 1625 Interpretation of the Tree of the Kabbalah, itself having precisely twenty connections or 'paths'. Other early and later glyphs of the Tree of Life similarly have various numbers of connections or, when these number twenty-two, placed differently to the manner commonly accepted by Tarot authors.
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[edit] Structure
The Tree of Life is constructed from ten sefirot (at times adding another, not consistently accepted as a sefirah, Da'at).
Sometimes, a number of joining lines or 'paths' link these Sefirot, the number varying with authors, though popular versions often include, in different representations, twenty-two such 'paths'. The number twenty-two is often chosen as it can then reflect the number of letters in the Hebrew alef-beit (alphabet).
Various attributions to these 'paths' have been made in quite distinct ways by various individuals. Many of these have usually included Hebrew letters, and some have added Tarot cards, astrological, alchemical, and various other concepts, imagery, myths and thoughts.
[edit] Ten Sefirot
The sefirot are spheres on the Tree that can represent different states of being. At the top of the tree is Keter (the Crown), having its roots in what Kabbalists refer to as the Ain Sof (literally: 'without limit'). At the bottom is Malkut (Kingdom), at times described as a matrix out of which the physical manifests. Between these two are the remaining spheres: Keter (Wisdom); Binah (Intelligence or Understanding); Hesed (Loving-Kindness, Covenant or Mercy); Geburah (Severity or, as Pahad, Awe); Tifaret (Beauty); Netzah (Reverberation or ); Hod (Splendor); and Yesod (Foundation).
The sefirot are usually depicted in three pillars and four worlds. The rightmost pillar is the pillar at times named by its central sefirah Mercy or Loving-Kindness (Hesed) and attributed a male quality. The leftmost pillar is at times similarly named by its central sefirah Severity or Awe (Geburah) and attributed a female quality. The middle pillar is attributed a neutral quality.
[edit] כחר (Keter)
[edit] חחמה (Hokmah)
[edit] בינה (Binah)
[edit] חסד (Hesed)
[edit] גברה (Geburah)
[edit] תפארת (Tiphareth)
[edit] נסח (Netzah)
[edit] הוד (Hod)
[edit] יסוד (Yesod)
[edit] מלכות (Malkut)
[edit] דעת (Da'at)
[edit] Twenty-two 'Paths'
Each of the lines that connect the sephiroth to each other can be considered part of a 'path' from one sephirah to another. Ultimately, all are connected to one another, but not necessarily directly. There are many paths that can be taken from each starting point to each destination. Some choices lead to familiar places, others lead to new areas.
It is from these that the term 'path-working' derives, where often the correlations suggested by the work of the Golden Dawn is taken as central.
Some have associated each of these 'paths' with a Hebrew letter and a tarot card, and a number of other correspondences. There are a variaty of ways in which letters (and cards) have been allocated to the Tree, reflecting different approaches and different arguments presented for them. For example, Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan presents the three mother letters on the three horizontal lines, others that the mother letters could each emanate from Kether[1].
The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, as well as many of derivative orders (such as the 'Servants of Light', the Builders of the Adytum, and other groups), has an arrangement that reflects its views with regards to letter-to-trump correlation, numbering of trumps, and placement of these on the 'paths', none of which are universally accepted. The following table shows this arrangement.
| Sefirot | Sefirotic names in combination | Letter | Tarot Trump | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kether | Chokmah | Crown of Wisdom | Wisdom of Crown | א | Aleph | 0 - The Fool |
| Kether | Binah | Crown of Understanding | Understanding of Crown | ב | Beth | 1 - The Magician |
| Kether | Tiphareth | Crown of Beauty | Beauty of Crown | ג | Gimel | 2 - The High Priestess |
| Chokmah | Binah | Wisdom of Understanding | Understanding of Wisdom | ד | Daleth | 3 - The Empress |
| Chokmah | Tiphereth | Wisdom of Beauty | Beauty of Wisdom | ה | Heh | 4 - The Emperor |
| Chokmah | Chesed | Wisdom of Mercy | Mercy of Wisdom | ו | Vav | 5 - The Hierophant |
| Binah | Tiphereth | Understanding of Beauty | Beauty of Understanding | ז | Zain | 6 - The Lovers |
| Binah | Tiphereth | Understanding of Beauty | Beauty of Understanding | ח | Cheth | 7 - The Chariot |
| Binah | Geburah | Understanding of Severity | Severity of Understanding | ט | Teth | 8 - Strength |
| Chesed | Tiphereth | Mercy of Beauty | Beauty of Mercy | י | Yod | 9 - The Hermit |
| Chesed | Netzach | Mercy of Victory | Victory of Mercy | כ | Kaph | 10 - The Wheel of Fortune |
| Geburah | Tiphereth | Severity of Beauty | Beauty of Severity | ל | Lamed | 11 - Justice |
| Geburah | Hod | Severity of Glory | Glory of Severity | מ | Mem | 12 - The Hanged Man |
| Tiphereth | Netzach | Beauty of Victory | Victory of Beauty | נ | Nun | 13 - Death |
| Tiphereth | Yesod | Beauty of Foundation | Foundation of Beauty | ס | Samekh | 14 - Temperance |
| Tiphereth | Hod | Beauty of Glory | Glory of Beauty | ע | Ayin | 15 - The Devil |
| Netzach | Hod | Victory of Glory | Glory of Victory | פ | Peh | 16 - Tower |
| Netzach | Yesod | Victory of Foundation | Foundation of Victory | צ | Tzaddi | 17 - Star |
| Netzach | Malkuth | Victory of Kingdom | Kingdom of Victory | ק | Qoph | 18 - The Moon |
| Hod | Yesod | Glory of Foundation | Foundation of Glory | ר | Resh | 19 - The Sun |
| Hod | Malkuth | Glory of Kingdom | Kingdom of Glory | ש | Shin | 20 - Judgement |
| Yesod | Malkuth | Foundation of Kingdom | Kingdom of Foundation | ת | Tav | 21 - The World |
