numerologia
Tree of life
The Tree of Life (in Hebrew Etz Chaim) is the central diagram of Jewish Kabbalah: a graph formed by ten sefirot (divine spheres) connected by 22 paths. It represents the structure of the cosmos, the divine and the human psyche and has also been adopted by modern Western esotericism, particularly Christian Kabbalah and the Golden Dawn.
The ten sefirot
Kether (Crown), Hokhmah (Wisdom), Binah (Understanding), Chesed (Mercy), Geburah (Severity), Tiferet (Beauty), Netzach (Victory), Hod (Splendor), Yesod (Foundation), Malkuth (Kingdom). The sefirot are arranged in three columns (Severity, Mercy, Balance) and four "worlds" (Atziluth, Briah, Yetzirah, Assiah).
Tarot and the Tree
Some occultist schools (Eliphas Lévi, Papus, Mathers of the Golden Dawn) associate the 22 major arcana of the tarot with the 22 paths that connect the sefirot. It is an interpretive correspondence not present in original Jewish Kabbalah, but very widespread in Western esotericism since the 19th century.
FAQ
How many sefirot are there?
Ten. Some schools add a hidden sefirah called Daath (Knowledge), bringing the count to eleven in the most complete diagrams.
Is it exclusively Jewish?
It arose in medieval Jewish tradition (Sefer Yetzirah, Zohar) but has been adopted in esoteric terms also by Christians, modern occultists and in New Age.
What does a path mean?
Each path represents a relationship between two sefirot and, in literary Kabbalah, a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. In the occultist tradition it is also associated with a tarot arcana.