'Tree Of Shadow' Articles
On the Tree of Life, I spoke of the lights of God. But for there to be the emergence of the divine lights, the God being had to withdraw portions of its essence from the whole of reality. This left shadows to compliment the divine lights. These dimensions of light and shadow not only have an impact on our plane, but they interact with each other as well. The planes of light and the planes of shadow are paired, sort of like multiversal yin-yang symbols.
You see the touch of the shadow planes in some people stronger than others. It isn’t as common, sort of like being left handed, and they do call the tree of shadow the sinister path. It’s possible to use the tree of shadow in the same way you use the tree of life. Each virtue has a companion vice. Each life affirmative ideal has its own facet of despair. The shadow and the light are not at war.
“Where there is much light, the shadow is deep” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (German Playwright, Poet, Novelist and Dramatist. 1749-1832)
“When the light is crooked, the shadow is crooked” Yiddish Proverb
Dimensions Of Light And Shadow
In the series on the Tree Of Life, I spoke of the divine lights. The emanations that gave rise to the creative process in the world and the creation of the world, these being the same thing. But in order for there to be room for the emergence of the divine lights, the God being had to withdraw portions of its essence from the whole of reality. This left dark spots or shadows to compliment the divine lights. Now keep in mind that each of the sephira has a scope along the lines of the membranes you hear about in… Seek More
Planes Of Shadow
You say dark and light are not really at war, yet when we think of the “bad guy” we picture them in dark clothing and hidden faces. Indeed, and there are even instinctive, intuitive reasons for that, and deeper mysteries behind that. Why would the bad guy even want to hide his face? The basic reason we think of the bad guy being shrouded in black is our instincts tell us the greatest danger comes in the night. The real bad guy doesn’t need to hide anything. People often applaud him. They want to be him. The quiet man on… Seek More
Transformation to Shadow
People don’t believe that anything can be learned from lies, that anything can be gained from suffering. Most people’s most basic instinct is pleasure seeking, goal seeking. Got to get the thing you want. Even the noble goals are pleasure seeking. Did you once say that everything is a lie? I did indeed, and the lies have their own categories. To the Orthodox Kabbalists these are the masks or shells concealing truth. From my point of view, they are just the filters that focus truth. But that is just my view. Each virtue has a companion vice. Each life affirmative… Seek More
Virtue To Vice
Another virtue? Thrift. I will go with thrift, also called prudence or sound judgement. The dedication to thrift leads to wise disposition of resources, and accomplishing the greatest good possible in the present moment, at any time. It seems very wise, yes? Thrift pursued with full commitment leads to a desire to control more resources, because you want to have a greater positive impact. As you pursue greater and greater thrift, you move into greed where you seek to have everything because you deserve it. You earned it by being so thrifty. They call these people misers. So it’s just about… Seek More
Parallel Path
Each sephira or shell is linked to the same planet, and each shell has a body of intelligence and individual intelligences. These spirits are called demons to use the English term, and it’s the only model of demon Kabbalists have. It’s the only concept of demon Judaism includes. At first, your venturing into one of the shadow worlds seems subtle, and if you stay on the fringes you may never get burned so to speak. But as you immerse yourself in the vices, like hedonism, you discover that this world has a mind of it’s own, and when this mind… Seek More
Tree Of Shadow Followers
Any questions about the tree of shadow, or what someone who really follows it is like? What are they like? How do we spot them? They acquire an earthy, elemental quality. They have a positive reductionism. When all is seen as ash and coal you sort out the diamonds. No horror shakes them, no loss stops them in their tracks. No loss stops them, and they create loss to clear the way for everyone’s gain. The reveal lies by telling the lie bluntly, or showing the lie in their behaviour, in their freedom from it. They share what they have… Seek More
