In esoteric psychology a four-fold system of nomenclature is often used in preference to the more detailed seven-fold one. Dion Fortune here lays out that four-fold system upon the Tree of Life. (See Figure 4 .1.
)
The four different levels of manifestation, or Qabalistic''Worlds" are experienced by different levels of our own being, and we give a selection of titles for these according to the preference of different schools who, whatever their difference of terminology, are obviously talking about much the same thing.
Atziluth: The Spiritual World of the Spirit, Monad, Divine Spark or Essential Self.
This is the level of the human spirit or divine spark. It is nonnally above conscious awareness but it is the very fount of our being, and is our ultimate reality, demonstrating our at-one-ment with the Uncreate Realities. It is approached through samadhi or nirvana by eastern mystics.
Briah: The Creative World of the Higher Self, Individuality, Soul, or Evolutionary Personality.
This is the level of the Higher Self or the Soul of man, a projection of the Spirit or Divine Spark for the purpose of gathering the experience and the lessons of a whole evolution of human experience. It is that level of our being that projects the everyday personality within the world. At the end of a human life it absorbs the experiences received and draws its lessons from them in moral tenns before subsequently projecting another personality. It can make its presence felt to a greater or lesser extent in tenns of a drive toward a particular destiny, or through various long tenn concerns that the personality tends to take for granted. These can be in the fonn of intellectual or creative gifts, or even certain
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FIGURE 4.1
handicaps if particular lessons need to be learned, or some kind of expiation worked out. Its effect has been popularly regarded as the benign presence of a personal guardian angel.
Yetzirah: The Formative World of the Lower Self, Personality or Incarnationary Personality.
This is the level of the everyday personality, of the contents of our consciousness in terms of mind and mental images, and of impulses and desires, together with the natural instincts. This is the part of us that enjoys and suffers in the world in the burly burly of common life. Although projected by the Higher Self it is particularly developed by means of environmental circumstances, which will vary very much according to the particular epoch or area of the earth's surface into which we are born.
Assiah: The Material World of the Physical and Etheric Body. This is the physical body that we inhabit which comes to us through the processes of biological generation in the world of physical time and space. To a large extent it therefore brings a heritage of the blood, or of the genes and inherited characteristics. It is the vehicle that we indwell for the journey through one particular life. Paras 2-3: The Kingdoms of Unbalanced Force.
As Dian Fortune points out, there is a long ingrained tendency for people to think in terms of a dichotomy -that spiritual equals good and matter equals evil. Such belief has found its way into most forms of religious teaching in one way or another and has led to some atrocious forms of asceticism and abuse of the physical body, the personality and the world of nature.
In Qabalistic terms this has led to the Sephirah Malkuth being regarded as evil. Tainted by evil it may be, but no more nor less than any of the other Spheres on the Tree ofLife. Of the origins of evil we will not speculate here but it is plainly present for us to deal with at many levels of being.
Rightly understood, the black quarter of Malkuth is a very healthy darkness, and if we wish to systematise the different expressions of evil it seems best to regard it as a kind of inverse Tree of Life, reflected in inferior waters below. Indeed we can gain
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some useful insights by reference to the appropriate vices assigned to the different Sephiroth. Similarly, the names of the associated demons are possibly more intellectually informative than those of the associated angelic choirs.
We can tabulate the two sides of each Sephirah as follows: Kether Union with God Contending Heads
Chokmah Wisdom Hinderers
Binah Silence Concealers
Chesed Rule Smiters
Geburah Justice Inflamed Ones Tiphareth Harmony Litigators Netzach Power & Beauty Dispersers
Hod Truth & Glory False Accusers, Liars Yesod Generation Obscene Ones
Malkuth The Presence of God The Whore of Babylon A little thought and meditation will add illuminating additions to both sides of this list, with plenty of scope for further reflection in the appropriate chapters of "The Mystical Qabalah" and "A Practical Guide to Qabalistic Symbolism". There is also specific reference to this dual aspect of the Sephiroth in "The Secret Tradition in Arthurian Legend" to illustrate the point that in the Arthurian legends each force or human character is presented in the round, not simply as an ideal archetype of perfection but also as a demonstration of what may happen if the force is misapplied.
Paras 4-5: The Pillars and Mirror Working.
We have illustrated the Two Pillars as applied to the Tree of Life in the previous chapter. These play an important part in all esoteric teaching in one way or another, and are particularly prominent in Masonic symbolism, which derives from the Biblical accounts of the Temple of Solomon in the Books of Kings and Chronicles, where they appear as Jachin and Boaz.
Of particular practical import is the fact that there is a third pillar, that is provided by ourselves, and is the psychic equivalent of our spinal column, when we stand between the pillars. In some magical working mirrors play an important role, a particular example of which can be found in Dion Fortune's novel "Moon Magic."