Taking the bottom sephirah, Malkhut, or the
Kingdom, as the starting point, it represents:
- the body, which contains the capacity for experience at the physical
and material levels;
- the external world in general;
- the occurrence of particular events, circumstances and people which
might afterwards influence the individual.
The next sephirah up is called Yesod, or the Foundation. This is the
capacity to form images of the outside world and to adopt the roles and
personae which are presented to the external world. It is the reflective 'screen',
or Ego.
The third sephirah, Hod, resides at the lowest point of the pillar of
structure and constraint. Traditionally known as Reveberation, it is the
place where data is gathered.
The fourth sephirah, Netzach, translates as Eternity. Representing
passion, it is placed on the lowest point of the pillar of dynamism and
expansion. It can be seen as containing the eternally repeating cycles of
life which are kept in motion by an enormous amount of energy and
dedication.
The first great triad on the Tree occurs between Malkhut, Hod and
Netzach, with Yesod at its centre forming the meeting point of three
smaller triads, those of thinking (bounded by Malkhut, Yesod , Hod),
action (Malkhut, Yesod, Netzach) and feeling (Yesod, Hod, Netzach). It is
here that the recurrent psychological processes of most ordinary people
occur almost automatically.
This is the part of the psyche which is
concerned with helpful and harmful habit formation. Where habits become
inappropriate, limited in range or redundant is where people can become
psychologically stuck.
Occasionally, life becomes so painful that people push themselves
beyond the threshold of their ordinary consciousness in search of another
solution to their problems. This they can only do by crossing the first
threshold of personal consciousness between Hod and Netzach and traversing
the path of honesty which moves between Yesod and Tiferet. |