Theos-Talk Archives (August 1996 Message tt00004)

Frank Dyer states that "There is no such thing (in any real
tradition that I am aware of) as the Book of Trees. This sounds
like a pseudo-exegesis of something that the author had no real
knowledge of...I repeat, there is no Book of Trees (in any Jewish
Kabbalistic tradition)." It is unfortunate that so many choose to
believe that a work does not exist simply because they have not
personally seen or heard of a manuscript. The manuscript, the
"Book of Trees", is a scroll written about the same time that the
existing system of the Ari was being formalized. It is written
in Hebrew, and currently resides in a museum in Europe. At that
time there were many systems to explain the Kaballah, not just
the currently accepted form (the ARI, named for it's author).
HPB obviously had access to the manuscript, or she was able to
duplicate the system by using her esoteric understanding (as
confirmed on Page 200 of Secret Doctorine, Vol. 1.) As far as
this being "Something the author has no real knowedge of", The
author possesses a photostatic reproduction of the manuscript,
and has learned much from it's study. Further, It has been
presented in a book on Kaballah (albeit with no translation.) The
book is unavailable to me at present however, if pressed, I will
go to the effort produce the text to prove the ignorance of Mssr.
Dyer! The model referred to is presented below:

        -----------
        |  1  |     (Keter-Chakhmah-Binah)    Monad
        |  / \  |                    (Atman)
        | 3 - 2 |
        -----------
            / | \
           /  |  \
    --------- | ---------
     |  5  |-----|  4  | (Chesed - Gevurah) Spiritual Body?
    --------- | ---------                (Atma-Buddhi)
         |  \  |  /  |
         |   \ | /   |
         | --------- |
         |  |  6  |  |        Tiferet      Cause(al) Body
         | --------- |                 (Buddhi-Manas)
         |   / | \   |
         |  /  | \   |
     --------- | ---------
      |  8  |-----|  7  | (Netzach - Hod) Mental/Astal Unit
     --------- | ---------                (Kama-Manas)
            \  |  /
             \ | /
           ---------
            |  9  |       (Yesot - Malkhut)     Sarira
            |  |  |
            | 10  |
           ---------

You will note that this model presents the central point, from
above, as the Causal body (into which the essence of each
incarnation is eventually transferred.) From below, it is the
creative hierarch that produces our existance, with Tiferet
correlating to the Eloheim (Per HPB), and Yesot-Makhut
coorilating to the Man of Genesis. Using The Sefer Yetzirah, the
following would be a the Presented Model (with HPB's Coorilates):

Sefirot Sefer Yetzirah  Genesis       HPB(1880)
     (True form)
-------- ----------------- -------------------- ---------
Keter    A-H               The Tetragamaton
Chakhmah Y-H
Binah    Y-H-V-H
         (read 'ELOHEIM') (Gen 1:1 only)

Chesed   ELOHEIM          Creation (Genesis 1)  EL
Gevurah  ELOHEIM YHVH     (Genesis 2/3)         ELOAH

Tiferet  YHVH             (Genesis 4)           ELOHEIM

Netzach  Eloheim Tzevaot7
Hod      YHVH Tzevaot

Yesod    El Shaddai
Malkhut  Adonoy

This model presents the logic HPB uses when she states
(REPEATEDLY) that "the EGO is only the 'Breath of life' that
Jehovah, one of the ELOHEIM or greative gods, breathed into the
nostrils of Adam..." Also note the similarity of A-H (that the
trained Kabalist defines as 'Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh') to the Term
'Ah-Hi' used in Cosmogenesis. Finally, for those not familiar
with Hebrew, the term 'Asher' is translated 'THAT'. Is it
possible that this is the imfamous AHYH (the Macroprosopus) that
HPB referred to as the symbolic "Ancient of Days"? Wouldn't this
also answer why HPB always talked about the worship of a PERSONAL
god (placing YHVH at Tiferet, the same location as the Cause-al
Body?)

Perhaps Mssrs Dyer and Bain would care to share their views anf
provide more than retorical comments to back up the belief that
"HPB missed a good deal in her explanations of this subject." If
the response is again something like "I do this in my 'Keys to
Kabbalah' which is only available privately printed from myself"
and "Have to save up for my book then", then it would appear that
you approach these topics in the same manner as all of those
organizations HPB condemmed in the 1880s for claiming to make
masters of occultism 'for a price'.

Frank contunues "For the real essence of Kabbalah, one should
look to sources such as Rabbi Chaim Vital, Rabbi Yatzeck Luria
(the Ari), and Rabbi Moses Cordovero. Rabbi Moses Chaim Luzzatto
should be studied thoroughly." I would add works such as the Meam
Loetz by Rabbi Yaakov Culi (and his successors, who finished it
after his death), and the writings of Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, and
OMIT the works of Rabbi Berg (which contain more EGO than
Esoterism.) And let us not forget the origin of much if this,
Genesis (In the Original Hebrew, as no other form is sutable for
esoteric study.), the Bahir, and the Sefer Yetzerah, from among
many others. I concur that "The study of ... *genuine* sources
will be repaid handsomely.", however, egotism during this study
leads to disaster in the end, as Frank's post has unfortunatly
proven.

Alan Bain writes:

> It is worth trying to get hold of the bilingual edition of
> "Likutei Amarim-Tanya" which is a modern standard 'Hasidic work
> with Hebrew and English on facing pages. It has a description of
> the Sephiroth in an appendix, and uses a lot of Kabbalist
> terminology in its commentaries.

Mesorah Publications, in Brooklyn, New York, is an excellent
source for such "Bilungual (Hebrew/English)" texts. The best for
biblical texts is the Artscroll Tanach Series, as it contains
commentaries from hundreds of Rabinical sources. Another source
would be Moznaim Publishing, also in Brooklyn. This would be an
excellent source for the Me'am Lo'ez. The Moznaim edition I use
is Bilingual Ladino/English text with english commentary.
Advance warning: These texts are expensive in the long run. Plan
on spending hundreds (to thousands) to set up a complete
reference set to work with.

We shall see if the second object of the Society is alive and
well if this theosophical forum. "Ever Dance with the Devil in
the pale Moonlight?"

James Scott Yungkans, F.T.S.

"THERE IS NO RELIGION HIGHER THAN TRUTH"

Note: FOR SECRET DOCTORINE STUDENTS - if you use the presented
model to allign the Stanzas of 'Cosmogenesis', you might find a
WORLD of understanding. (I.E.

'1-2-3' = Stanza 1,
  '6'   = Stanza 4 "...LISTEN, YE SONS OF EARTH, TO YOUR
          INSTRUCTORS...",
 '9-10' = Stanza 7 "Behold the betinning of sentient formless
          life.")