🌳 Hermetic Cosmology

The Three Pillars

Right Pillar (Pillar of Mercy/Jachin): Active, masculine, expanding, giving force. Contains Chokmah (Wisdom), Chesed (Mercy), and Netzach (Victory).

Left Pillar (Pillar of Severity/Boaz): Receptive, feminine, contracting, receiving force. Contains Binah (Understanding), Gevurah (Severity), and Hod (Splendor).

Middle Pillar (Pillar of Equilibrium): Balance, consciousness, the path of return. Contains Keter (Crown), Tiferet (Beauty), Yesod (Foundation), and Malkuth (Kingdom).

The 10 Sefirot - Divine Emanations

Each Sefirah represents a different aspect of divine consciousness and creative power:

1. Keter (Crown): Divine unity, "I Am," the first point of manifestation
2. Chokmah (Wisdom): Primal yang force, creative impulse, flash of inspiration
3. Binah (Understanding): Primal yin force, form-giving, gestation
4. Chesed (Mercy): Expansion, grace, abundance, building
5. Gevurah (Severity): Contraction, judgment, boundaries, discipline
6. Tiferet (Beauty): Harmony, balance, the awakened heart
7. Netzach (Victory): Emotion, desire, persistence, natural forces
8. Hod (Splendor): Intellect, form, pattern, language
9. Yesod (Foundation): Astral realm, dreams, the collective unconscious
10. Malkuth (Kingdom): Physical world, material manifestation, here-and-now

See the Jewish Kabbalah section for detailed descriptions of each Sefirah.

The 22 Paths - The Major Arcana

The 22 paths connecting the Sefirot correspond exactly to the 22 Major Arcana of the Tarot and the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Each path represents a specific type of consciousness or transition between states. Walking the paths (through meditation, ritual, or life experience) is how consciousness ascends or descends the Tree.

For example: The Fool (0) travels the 11th path from Keter to Chokmah—the leap from divine unity into the first creative impulse. The Magician (I) travels the 12th path from Keter to Binah— bringing divine will into form.

Universal Correspondences

Each Sefirah and path corresponds to multiple systems simultaneously:

• Astrology: Planets (7 traditional planets to 7 lower Sefirot), zodiac signs, elements
• Tarot: Major Arcana (22 paths), Minor Arcana suits (4 elements/worlds)
• Hebrew Letters: 22 letters corresponding to 22 paths
• Elements: Fire, Water, Air, Earth distributed across the Tree
• Colors: Different color scales (King, Queen, Prince, Princess) for each Sefirah
• Archangels: Specific angels govern each Sefirah
• Divine Names: Sacred names of God for each Sefirah
• Chakras: Hindu chakra system maps onto the Middle Pillar
• Alchemy: Stages of the Great Work correspond to paths and spheres
• Psychology: Levels of consciousness from ego to Self

Four Worlds (Olam ha-Olamot)

Hermetic tradition borrows from Kabbalah the concept of Four Worlds—four levels of reality, each containing a complete Tree of Life:

1. Atziluth (Emanation/Archetypal World): Pure divinity, the realm of archetypes. Element: Fire. Tarot: Wands/Aces. Gods and divine names.
2. Beriah (Creation/Creative World): The realm of creation, archangels, pure intellect. Element: Water. Tarot: Cups. Archetypal patterns taking first form.
3. Yetzirah (Formation/Formative World): The astral realm, angels, emotions, dreams. Element: Air. Tarot: Swords. Forms crystallizing but not yet material.
4. Assiah (Action/Material World): Physical reality, the material plane. Element: Earth. Tarot: Pentacles. Full manifestation in matter.

"As Above, So Below"

The central axiom from the Emerald Tablet: the structure of the macrocosm (universe) mirrors the microcosm (human being). Every human contains the entire Tree of Life within their consciousness. By understanding cosmic law, we understand ourselves; by transforming ourselves, we participate in cosmic transformation.

The Lightning Flash & Serpent Path

Lightning Flash (Descent): The downward path of creation, how divine light emanates from Keter through all Sefirot to Malkuth. This is the path described in Creation/Emanation.

Serpent Path (Ascent): The upward path of return, how consciousness ascends from material awareness back to divine unity. This is the path described in The Great Work.