The Trees are formed by branches or paths, nodes or sephiroth, columns and planes. The tree has 32 paths in total; 10 spheres or objective paths (sephiroth)2 and 22 subjective rays linking the spheres. The 22 paths correspond traditionally to the 22 glyphs of the Hebrew script and the 22 cards of the ROTA major arcana, while the spheres or sephiroth correspond to the cosmic bodies in the solar system.
Before we proceed in constructing our Tree on the model of the Past, we correct some of the deficiencies in the old Aeon Tree of Life. The Student will note that the Sephiras in the original construction of the Tree of Life do not have letters associated to them; only the Paths do. The new Aeon has given us the compound glyphs. And as these are generated by 'H', we place it at the Crown which is Kether; its astrological concordance is switched back to the old Aeon, seeing as the Tree of Life is rooted in the soil of the Aeon past.3
We would expect the assignment of the remaining Letters into the Tree via their astro-cosmological attributions to yield symmetries, properties concordant to new Aeon revelations we have so far. We verify the obvious first: We test the names against those constructions they represent, Understanding that Perfection and so Truth are not to be found here if even these first casual tests Fail. We note for instance that:
- The Sum of the Sephiras, that is the Letters of all three Pillars when summed, are equal to the gematria for “Tree of Life”;
- Gematria for ‘Middle Pillar’ is equivalent to the sum of the Sephiras in the Middle Pillar;
- Both Left- and Right-hand paths are equivalent to 111, and when summed are equivalent to a phase of the Middle Pillar, etc.
A short demonstration follows. We develop the tables of correspondence fully in a subsequent section.
We include a second Tree, occult in its Nature, rooted as it is in New Aeon soil, to further test the integrity of our system. In this Tree we associate the letters via their astro-cosmological attributions directly. It is upon this Tree that we will develop our system of concordances.
Note that each sephira contains in itself, the formulae for its transcendence, usually its opposite or stabilizing factor. Hence Binah or the 3rd sphere which is assigned to Saturn or old Man Time, the first of the Fathers, is attributed the most exalted of the feminine glyphs: U, the CUP and C, the SKY. Likewise, the ‘male’ sephira possess female formulae and vice-versa. The formulae denote the means of transcending the sphere—that is overcoming its limiting gravity. Thus Ch counters Mars, Ph counters Mercury, Wh is the result and issue of Venus, and to possess them is to pass through unhindered. These are the passwords. Similarly, in the sphere of Sol we see the action of Pisces (S), in Luna that of Capricorn (T) and so on.
1. It is a system better replaced with that of the Aethyrs. For one thing, the Tree of Life is geocentric and ill-ordered. The Tree of Life has as a basis the sephiroth or spheres of influence which the planets in the solar system are material manifestations of. The planet Earth is the 10th sphere. Now if the implication is that one moves in direction towards the sun, the nearest or first object we encounter on our trajectory is the moon. We label it 9th sphere. The next object is Venus not Mercury—an astronomical error dating 2000 years. [However, we know Mercury to be associated experientially with 8 and Venus with 7 so that some other order (one of influence or passage) is here implied.] After Mercury, is the Sun, or the 6th. Passing the Sun, one expects to encounter Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and Neptune in that order, respectively the 5th, 4th, 3rd and 2nd spheres. At the head of it all is the Crown, or the Divine Effulgence, the 1st sphere.
2. There is an 11th sphere that is not a sphere about which much has been said. This sphere has been called Daath by the Hebrew brethren and termed “Knowledge”. It is said to denote the Abyss by some or the portal into the averse Tree by others.
3. It is important to note that the Tree of Life has taken very many different forms or constructions over the Past and the development of History. The established form in use today was proposed in the 17th century alone. Still there remains some argument and contention over the attribution of the paths today.