Lesson Eight | Back to Qabalah Study Hall
The Spheres (Sephirot):
GEBURAH
Correspondences of GEBURAH
Hebrew Translation: Severity/Strength
Yetziratic Title: THE RADICAL INTELLIGENCE
Position on the Tree: 5
Divine Name: ELOHIM GIBOR
Symbols: the Sword, the Spear, the Scourge, and the Pentagon
Archangel: Khamael
Order of Angels: the Seraphim
Virtue: Energy, Courage
Vice: Cruelty, Destruction
Precious Stone: Ruby
Color: Red
Incense: Tobacco
Chakra: Heart
Body Part: Right Arm
Soul Aspect: Ruach (Intellect)
Tool: Sword
Geburah meaning both severity and strength is the fifth Sephirah. Geburah is also called Din, and Pachad meaning “Judgment” and “Fear” respectively. Geburah resides on the Pillar of Severity and is thus considered feminine in energy. Geburah’s energy is restrictive as opposed to Chesed expansive nature. By now you should have noticed that many of the attributes of the Sephirot on the Pillar of Severity are Masculine in nature and the Sephirot of the Pillar of Mildness are feminine. This strange duality is not a confusion of thought. Indeed it was done this way to show the dual nature of the Tree of Life. I believe the old alchemical phase that said; ” Man is peace, and Women is power” sums this concept up quite well. Geburah could be called the “warriors” Sephirah for indeed the symbols that it represents are implements of death and destruction. However the energies of this Sephirah are not “dark,” or “malefic” they are more in tune with the concept destruction for the good of the whole, for instance the soldier who kills a despot so that the people of a particular country could be free from tyranny.
The mighty Seraphim call Geburah home. The Seraphim are envisioned as fiery serpents as their name means, “flaming ones” in Hebrew. They use their divine fire to purify all that is not worthy of the DIVINE LIGHT. The avenging Archangel Khamael is the leader of the Seraphim. His name means “the severity of God.” Khamael is the protector of the wrong and pursues those who would break the universal laws of the Divine plus those of Humankind. Like the Order of Angels that Khamael leads, he uses the fire of the Divine to met out justice and return order to the universe.
Study Questions: Please cut and paste these questions and put in an email to the Mystery School with Qabalah Lesson 7 in the subject line. If you can include your report of the exercises below in the same email, that would be great.
1. Name three symbols for Geburah.
2. True or False. Geburah means Beauty
3. What are the Virtues of Geburah?
4. True or False. Geburah is the fifth Sephirah.
5. What is the incense that is associated with Geburah?
6. What pillar does Geburah reside on?
7. Who is the leader of the Order of Angels that Dwell on the Sephirah Geburah.
Exercises for Geburah:
-You know the deal by now….Obtain a 3 by 5 card and on one side of the card write all the correspondences of Geburah. On the other side of the card draw a circle and place number five inside of the circle, plus color that side of the card red except for the circle.
-Write a small ritual. In the ritual ask the Archanagel Khamael and the Seraphim to purify you with the Divine fire. The ritual need not be long indeed it should be short, as it will become part of your daily ritual work. This is your chance to be creative.
Reading Assignment: Read pages 47-48 in A Garden of Pomegranates.
The Spheres (Sephirot):
TIPHARET
The Correspondences of TIPHARET
Hebrew Translation: Beauty
Yetziratic Title: The MEDIATING INTELLIGENCE
Position on the Tree: 6
Divine Name: YHVH ELOAH VE-DAAT
Symbols: The Cross, the Cube, the letter Vav.
Archangel: Raphael
Order of Angels: Melechim
Virtue: Devotion to the Great Work
Vice: Pride
Precious Stone: Topaz
Color: Yellow
Incense: Frankincense
Chakra: None
Body part: Breast
Soul Aspect: Ruach (Intellect)
Tool: Lamen (some lamens are pictured at right)
Original lamens were simply a triangle with
the all-seeing eye of God inside and rays going
out, like on the top of the pyramid on
U.S. dollar bills. Now lamens have become
elaborate. 
Golden Dawn Lamen
O.T.O. Lamen
Larger versions of these lamens can be be seen here.
Tipharet is the sixth emanation of the Tree of Life. Tipharet means “beauty” in the Hebrew tongue, but it also has an alternate meaning of “harmony.” Tipharet rests firmly in the center of the Tree of Life. As such it resides between the “force” of the Pillar of Mercy, and the “form” of the Pillar of Mercy, thus creating the perfect equilibrium. This Sephirah is often referred by the esoteric traditions as the “Lesser Countenance,” (Smaller Face) as it is a reflection of the Sephirah Kether the “Greater Countenance” (Big Face) but in a more manifested form.
Tipharet is a true mystical Sephirah as it embodies many esoteric principles and concepts. The cosmic concept of Karmic evolution or spiritual evolution finds its heart in Tipharet. Tipharet also embodies the principle of death and rebirth. Whether you believe in reincarnation on this earthly sphere or incarnation on another spiritual plane (Heaven) does not matter, because in reality the Qabalah allows for both schools of thought. Indeed many ancient Qabalists believed in the idea of reincarnation. In their minds one life was not enough time to learn all the things they needed to perfect their souls. Often two lifetimes was seen as the general time required for the perfection of your knowledge of earthly life. This is where the term “old soul” comes from. The idea of reincarnation or incarnation is purely left up to a person’s religious preference.
Tipharet has many Divine beings associated with it. Many gods and goddesses of death and rebirth “dwell” in Tipharet such as, Adonis, Osiris, Christ and Kali. Sun gods and goddesses are also associated with Tipharet such as Re (also spelled Ra), Apollo, and the Japanese sun goddess Amaterasu. Since Jesus Christ is sometimes called “the Sun of God,” and Christianity has many times been called a solar cult, it makes sense that Yeshua is associated with Tipharet.
The Melechim are the Angels of Tipharet. The Hebrew word Melechim means “the Kings,” or “the Messengers,” although in some traditions the Melechim are also called “the Virtues.” The Melechim are the Healers as well as an evolving force of Universe. They are responsible for beginning the process of self-understanding that leads to self-evolution. This means they have probably already been quietly present in your life, doing their work behind the scenes. The Archangel of Tipharet is Raphael. Raphael means “Healer of God.” With a name like that, it’s easy to see why Raphael is a great healer of wounds both physical and spiritual. He also holds the powers of Divine Intellect and Love. And Raphael is sometimes considered the foremost teacher of the Hermetic arts. John Dee, the creator of the Enochian system of Angelic magik, is said to have received much of the knowledge of this magikal system from Raphael. (John Dee may have been a fraud, though, or worse yet, channelling demons. There is widespread disagreement about the genuineness of his and Dr. Kelly’s work back in the days of Queen Elizabeth and Shakespeare).
Study Questions: Please cut and paste these questions and put in an email to the Mystery School with Qabalah Lesson 8 in the subject line. If you can include your report of the exercises below in the same email, that would be great.
1. What is the position of Tipharet on the Tree of Life?
2. Name two symbols Associated with Tipharet.
3. What is the Yetziratic Title for the Sephirah Tipharet?
4. True or False. Tipharet means Beauty.
5. True or False. Tipharet has an alternative meaning of severity.
6. What sort of Divine beings are associated with Tipharet?
7. True or False. The Melechim are the Angels of Tipharet.
Exercises for TIPHARET
– Obtain a 3 by 5 card. On one side of the card write all the correspondences of Tipharet. On the other side of the card draw a circle and place the number 6 inside the circle. On the same side of the card color it all yellow with the exception of the circle with the number six within.
– Create a small ritual to be used in the future when you have sickness of the mind or body. In this ritual ask for the Archangel Raphael to heal your malady and to reestablish balance with in you. This ritual need not be long and you can invoke the Sephirah of Tipharet to give it a boost.
Reading Assignment: Read pages 48-50; In a Garden of Pomegranates.
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