On the Tree of Life

The Tree of Life is a Kabbalistic diagram consisting of ten circles interconnected by twenty-two lines.  The circles are called sephiroth (that's the plural; the singular is sephira). The lines are called paths.

The Tree of Life is a map of Reality, or of Consciousness (the Kabbalah does not make a sharp distinction between the two). Like any good map, if one knows how to read it it can be of great help in both navigating and discussing the territory it depicts.

The first sephira, Kether, represents Ultimate Reality, Ultimate Consciousness, Nirvana, the source of everything. The rest of the tree - i.e., all reality and consciousness - emanates from Kether. The tenth sephira, Malkuth, represents the material world, and the most mechanical level of subjective individual consciousness - the purely reactive sort of consciousness that Pavlov was so intrigued by. Sephiroth two through nine represent spheres or levels of reality, or manifestation, or consciousness, in between Kether and Malkuth.

In other words, the Tree of Life can function as a chart of the relationship between Ultimate Reality and individual subjective reality, or, if you prefer, between Divine Consciousness and ordinary consciousness. And thus, to those interested in doing the Great Work, it can be a useful tool for the contemplation, discussion, exploration, and mastery of one's consciousness.

The names of the ten sephiroth are:

1. Kether
2. Chokmah
3. Binah
4. Chesed
5. Geburah
6. Tiphareth
7. Netzach
8. Hod
9. Yesod
10. Malkuth

Ordinary human consciousness occurs within the realm of Malkuth, Yesod, and Hod, with varying degrees of influence from Netzach (smoking pot is the easiest way to find out what increased influence from Netzach feels like). Kether, Chokmah, and Binah, called the "Supernals," are realms of consciousness that cannot be entered while one retains one's individual subjective consciousness. Tiphareth, Geburah, and Chesed are the interface between the supernal and the ordinary; it is in this zone that humans have all-out, mind-blowing "religious experiences" in which they can glimpse Ultimate Reality.

The twenty-two paths represent the ways in which the sephiroth act upon each other, and the ways by which specific sephiroth can be accessed by the intrepid traveller. They correspond to the twenty-two Major Arcana of the Tarot.

Evil is represented in the Kabbalah by "demons" called the qliphoth (singular: qlipha). Each sephira has its own special variety of qlipha. The qliphoth represent the twisted patterns that ensnare and corrupt consciousness. Mastery of a given sephira includes freeing oneself from the influence of that sephira's corresponding qlipha.