Saturday, March 24, 2012

4 Chesed (ake Chedulah/Gedulah) - Mercy (Love)

Second Trinity: Chesed, Geburah, Tiphareth - Ethical

Jupiter, lawgiver and beneficent ruler on throne. Ordering and preserving, organised force.
Planet: Jupiter. Gods: Zeus, Thord, Indra, and other Sky Gods. Day: Thursday.
Color: Blue. Jewel: Sapphire. Plant Olive: Shamrock. Perfume: Cedar. Animal: Unicorn.
TITLE: Chesed, Mercy. (Hebrew spelling: Cheth, Samech, Daleth.)
MAGICAL IMAGE: A mighty crowned and throned king. (he is seated in stability in a kingdom at peace, not going forth in his chariot to war, as is suggested by the magical image of Geburah.)
SITUATION ON THE TREE: In the centre of the Pillar of Mercy.
YETZIRATIC TEXT: The Fourth Path is called the Cohesive or Receptive
Intelligence because it contains all the Holy Powers, and from it emanate all the spiritual virtues with the most exalted essences. They emanate one from another by virtue of the Primordial Emanation, the Highest Crown, Kether.
TITLES GIVEN TO CHESED: Gedulah. Love. Majesty.
GOD-NAME: El.
ARCHANGEL: Tzadkiel.
ORDER OF ANGELS: Chasmalim, Brilliant Ones.
MUNDANE CHAKRA: Tzedek, Jupiter.
SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE: Vision of Love.
VIRTUE: Obedience
VICE: Bigotry. Hypocrisy. Gluttony. Tyranny.
CORRESPONDENCE IN THE MICROCOSM: The left arm.
SYMBOLS: The solid figure - Tetrahedron. Pyramid. Equal armed Cross. Orb.
Wand. Sceptre. Crook.
TAROT CARDS: The four Fours.
FOUR OF WANDS : Perfected work.
FOUR OF CUPS: Pleasure.
FOUR OF SWORDS: Rest from strife.
FOUR OF PENTACLES: Earthly power.
COLOUR IN ATZILUTH: violet. Deep
BRIAH: Blue.
YETZIRAH: Deep purple.
ASSIAH: Deep azure, flecked yellow.
Seeing the big picture, see ahead, the formulation of the archetypal idea.
Chesed, then, reflects into Hod through the Christcentre of Tiphareth, just as Geburah reflects into Netzach. This teaches us a great deal, for it indicates that for consciousness to rise from form to force, and for force to descend to form, it must pass through the Centre of Equilibrium and Redemption, to which are assigned the Mysteries of the Crucifixion.
It is to the Sphere of Chesed that the exalted consciousness of the adept rises in his occult meditations; it is here that he receives the inspirations which he works uut on the planes of form. It is here that he meets the Masters as spiritual influences contacted telepathically, without any intermingling of personality. This is the true, and the highest,mode of contact with the Masters, contact with them as mind to mind in their own sphere of exalted consciousness.
The left arm, left hand, holds the orb, which signifies the orb itself and shows that all is held secure in the firm grasp of the ruler. Firmness. Chesed "Contains all the Holy Powers, and from it emanate all the spiritual virtues with the most exalted Essences."

Chesed and Geburah are both represented as Crowned figures.
ALWAYS CONSIDER THEM TOGETHER!
We need Geburah's realism to balance Gedulah's idealism quite as much as we need to temper justice with mercy.

The analogy of physiology gives us a clear understanding of the significance of these two Sephiroth. Metabolism consists of anabolism, or the ingesting and assimilating of food and its building up into tissue, and katabolism, or the breaking down of tissue in active work and the output of energy. The by-products of katabolism are the fatigue-poisons which have to be eliminated from the blood by rest. The life-process is an everlasting uphuilding and downbreaking, and Geburah and Gedulah (another name for Chesed) represent these two processes in the Macrocosm.

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