 Hello, everyone. Welcome back. As we continue our conversation into the Tree of Life, it is important to note that this information can be viewed in many ways, a living system of spiritual development, a historical curiosity, an active esoteric tradition, any way that you choose. With that in mind, let me propose this thought. To understand Kavala, to really understand it, it is not a matter of memorizing words or philosophies, but rather it is the practice of meditating upon a progression of symbols and ideas which may enable you to develop your consciousness and climb beyond the realms of normal human thought. If this is something that you would like to do, check out Kabala 102, Meditating on the Tree of Life, which describes a meditation practice to do along with the information which you're about to learn in this video. I'm certain that we'll come back around and talk about this more as we go along too. Now, as previously discussed, one of the fundamental aspects of the Tree of Life are the Ten Spheres called Svirat. Today, we're going to take a look at the Ten Svirat, what they do, how they work, and how they all fit together. Ready? Steady? Here we go. Every one of the Svirat represents a divine emanation, a primordial outpouring of pure energy which evolves and crystallizes as it descends into denser states of existence, continually oscillating between polarities and harmonizing with itself as it goes. Each of the Svirat are contained by those that came before it, and so the topmost Svirat, titled Keter, contains all of the other Svirat within it. You might think of it like how those little wooden Russian nesting dolls each contain the collective inside of them. However, the Svirat are not things, but rather states, by which consciousness or divine energy moves and creates reality. By this understanding, you could disconnect from the idea that it has to appear in the way that it is drawn, although this is the most conducive to comprehending the Tree of Life simply. In the teachings of the Golden Dawn, who played a big part in the harmonization of Kabbalah with Hermeticism, they depict one particular representation of the Tree where each layer is overlaid upon each other, beginning with a singularity emanating outwards and returning back to the singularity at the bottom of the Tree, yet all contained within a single sphere. That said, we're still going to use this classical visualization as our principal diagram. If you remember from our first video, there are three pillars within the Tree, the pillar of severity, the pillar of mercy, and the pillar of equilibrium. As we observe these following Svirat, you will see that each opposing Svirat embodies the perfect balance of its neighbor. In every case, each individual Svirat can only truly be understood by comprehending it with its partner and further understanding manifests when we take into account the complete triad in sequence. So let us take a brief look at the Svirat individually. Now, this is going to be a very basic overview because there is just so much information to cover at once. And further, please be aware that the flow through the Svirat moves both upwards and downwards. So while we'll be looking primarily at the sequence of manifestation from the highest plane to the lowest, know that it moves upwards as well. The more we go through it and the more that you contemplate the meaning of the sequence, the more and more it will make sense. At the very top, we have Keter. Keter translates to crown, indicating the supreme source and unity, the absolute divinity. This is the highest Svirat on the Tree and acts as a bridge between the limitless and boundless creative power of the cosmos and the highest thing that can be perceived by our human consciousness. Keter describes the most supreme source of energy, the richest potential for anything to come into being. However, here nothing has actually become manifested. It is simply the pure and infinite potential for creation, doing nothing but existing. In the ancient Hebrew texts, it says that Keter is the light giving the power of comprehension of that first principle which has no beginning. It is the primal glory because no created being can attain its essence. So basically, there is no form here, only pure being. The human mind generally has a hard time grasping no other mode of existence than form and activity. So when describing formless passivity, it's okay if this experience draws a big question mark in your mind. In fact, we can't even adequately draw it, so I hope these visuals might help you comprehend that ultimately, we cannot define Keter, we can only indicate towards it. Moving on, the second Svirat is called Hokma. Hokma translates to wisdom, describing that wisdom itself is the first tangible thing that the human mind can grasp. It comes as a male energy, positive or young energetic outpouring from Keter, its source. This is an uncompensated boundless energy, and to many spiritual traditions is often even described as the all father. This is where the energy of the entire universe comes into manifestation. It is the purest manifestation of energy possible. It is in Hokma that we observe the manifestation of the creative word, let there be light, the impulse of dynamic creation. Being that Keter was unmanifested potential of creation, Hokma is the first creation itself. It is the pure force of free flowing energy, primary dynamism, a force which can give rise to literally every form and existence, the energetic basis of all created things. Much like Keter, this is still very difficult for us to comprehend, save for these particle effects. Hokma is not an organizing Svirat, but the great stimulator of the universe. However, it is only in relationship to its neighbor, Binah, that we see how creation can truly come into being. Binah is the third Svirat, the mirror of Hokma on the left side of the tree and represents the womb of creation. She is the Divine Mother, the female potency of the universe. Binah translates to understanding because it is here that we find a true understanding of what the purpose of this energy shall become. She is the one who receives the created, disorganized energy from Hokma, and applies the basis of form and stabilization to it. This is a very sacred space because without Binah, there would be literally nothing in existence, nothing could come to have form. We can see by this analogy the role that the Divine Father and Divine Mother play in the creation of all things. While many teachings classify God as a male figure, indicating Hokma, we must too see that the feminine is a requirement for life to come into being, and is just as important as the Divine Masculine. You might think of Binah as the engine that translates the raw energy of a burning fuel into usable power. In a more natural analogy, Hokma could be likened to a seed which falls to the ground, and then the soil and earth which nurtures the seed and supports its growth into a tree would be likened to the power of Binah. The fourth sphere, Hesed, continues the development of this energy along the right side of the tree. Hesed translates to mercy and is also commonly translated as loving-kindness, because it describes the principle goodness from which all things come from and are based on. This is the place where the archetypal ideas of creation begin to form, what we might comprehend as truth, love, and goodness. This means that where Binah made the space for form to happen, now the energy can move into an etheric foundation to form the conceptual framework by which our manifested universe may operate by. From here emanates all spiritual virtues with the most exalted essence. You might also think of this as the stage where cosmic law comes into being, the perfect ideals of peace, fairness, and order which uphold the structure of the universe. Hesed is a little more comprehensible than the higher Svirat. Meditating upon Hesed might relate to the leadership qualities by which we live our lives. What do we stand for, and how do we treat, act, and respond towards others? Gevura, the fifth Svirat, is located underneath Binah and partners with Hesed. Gevura translates to strength because it embodies the sharp and swift power required to carry out the cosmic order that was set out by Hesed before it. You might see this as the birth of karma or cosmic justice. Any time where there is an imbalance in the universe, the energy flowing from this state will facilitate a corrective rebalancing by enforcing these cosmic principles. Gevura is a force which fights without malice, spares the weak and wounded, and does not destroy the law, only seeking to see that it is properly fulfilled. In your personal meditations, you might experience the Svirat of Gevura as putting motion to the ideals that you stand for. If you stand for health, for example, you might find the principle of Gevura calling you to remove the unhealthier activities from your life to make room for more healthier ones. But of course, while Hokma and Binah get their balance from Keter above, Hesed and Gevura are balanced by the next Svirat. Tifaret Tifaret is the sixth Svirat and most centralized Svirat in the Kavala, forming a harmonized bridge between literally every other Svirat on the tree. Tifaret translates to beauty because this is a state of divine connectedness and unity with all things, yet individually aware of our own unique souls too. In the awareness of the Supreme Oneness, we experience and realize that all things are so magnificently beautiful, and thus it is here that we strive to reach in our human consciousness. If Hokma and Binah represent the Divine Father and Mother, this is their beautiful child, Christ Consciousness. Tifaret is very unique and its meaning is especially deep. This is the Sphere of Sacrifice and not so often a Passion of the Christ sense. It is the center of translation from force into form and form into force, where the formless energy or consciousness from above may translate through in order to become manifest as something real, outside of simple thought form archetypes and ideas. Further, it is the same sacrifice moving in the other direction, the giving up of our physical and earthly limitations in order to embody a state of being which is higher. I believe the term for this is Ascension. Moving downward on the tree, we now enter into a realm where we can actually begin to comprehend, feel and experience things. These lower Svirat are more related with the tangible human experience and it begins with Netsak, the seventh emanation. Netsak translates to victory and describes the principle of victory found within the triumph over obstacles. Netsak is most commonly described as the place where the light from Tifaret is broken apart and scattered as if by a prism into a many raid manifestation but still hasn't fully individualized. It represents extreme polarities of energy, all possibilities of what can exist in the world or how you might experience, perceive or feel something and then the subsequent awareness or balance between the individual and the collective. Thus we can see that Netsak ultimately represents the state of free moving thought forms, the flux of energy which move through our body of consciousness and give rise to our intuition and our emotional feelings. It is best understood in relationship with its partner on the other side called Hoad where Netsak is our intuition and emotions, Hoad would be our thoughts and fixed mental formations. The Eighth Spira, Hoad, represents the place where all of these polarizing energies of Netsak, all of the feelings, intuitions and subtle energies that move through our body of consciousness become tangible concepts in the human mind. It is the realm of comprehensible mind forms. For example, if you felt something, it happened in Netsak but when you attempted to understand or rationalize it, that's Hoad. Together they might be seen as the force and form of the astral or thought form consciousness. Hoad translates to glory and often splendor because all of the creations of the cosmos are exalted in the mind for mankind to perceive and the glory of the light-filled mind when mirroring the higher truths of creation. This Spira forms the basis of our mental understanding of reality. In a nutshell, Hoad plays a large role in the development of our personality and ego. The effort of Hoad is to mold the creative energy from above into comprehensible forms such as by philosophy, systems, reason, literature, science, and our mental way of interacting with the world around us. However, the power of Hoad is only made real when observed in relationship with Netsak. For example, if you were to give a speech filled with passion and enthusiasm, the words that you used will carry your meaning and it will be received by all. If you were just to talk without any sense of care, just reciting words, the words become empty and the meaning is lost. As usual, Hoad and Netsak are connected by another balancer on the central pillar, like Tifetet but on a lower dimension which is called Yasod, the ninth Svirah. Yasod translates to foundation because it is the actual foundation by which all of the Svirah culminate and engage with the physically manifested realm. This Svirah is the stage that completes the link between mind and matter. Since the 10th Svirah, Mahut below, is where the four physical elements manifest, you might think of Yasod as the ethereal realm itself, the vibrations which give movement to inert matter. In a more scientific approach, you might think about it like the electromagnetic substance that moves through our bodies and all of life, the dynamo that causes the physical world to be filled with motion and life. You see, in order for our bodies to move, it needs an energetic signal to charge the muscle. Yasod is the strings that makes the puppet of Mahut dance, while Spirit, Tifetet, and the higher forces above Yasod would be the sacred puppet master. Now, the power of Yasod can be attributed to daily mundane tasks, such as walking or making a salad. However, its power is significantly greater than that, but there is a warning here. Much like fire, it can be used for good or not so good. The key here is keeping our hearts aligned with our higher selves when we begin connecting to the ethereal energies of these higher planes. Mahut is the final manifestation, matter, the physically created world. It is the outward visibility of all of the invisible etheric activity which brings motion to form. All matter would be inert and lifeless if not for the Spirit that hasn't sold it and made it come to be in the first place. Mahut translates to Kingdom, describing the existence of the Kingdom of God in the present moment, in magnificent splendor and revealing the great truth that the Kingdom of Heaven is actually here and now, as Christ proclaimed. This is the place where physical things exist, where life happens. It's what's happening right now. It is the place where all of the energy flowing from above finds rest, where everything has been decided and put together to form a permanent vehicle to be utilized by all consciousness as it learns and grows. However, the great secret of Mahut is that this is only the halfway point. Upon Spirit being received in Mahut, life itself actually begins. The Fibonacci sequence finds its origins and begins striving and returning back towards its source, reaching for the perfection that which it emerged from. It is the goal of Spirit to create this physical vessel, fill it with consciousness and then have it return to its source in the light. In essence, this covers the basics of the Ten Svirat, but the journey is still only just beginning. All of this information is really just to get you started on truly experiencing the tree because knowing it logically is only one tenth of the experience of the Kabbalah. In the next few episodes we'll cover exactly what this means so that you can take your experience of the Tree of Life to a level beyond just mental comprehension and use it as a powerful tool to connect with your higher self and devolve your consciousness. As we mentioned in the beginning, for those who want to get an early start at this practice, check out Kabbalah 102, Meditating on the Tree of Life. You'll find links in the description. Thank you so much for watching and we'll see you next time.