Tree of Life
The New Kabbalah
Kabbalist’s have long
utilized the image of a tree to depict the growth and development as well as
the organic unity of the ten Sefirot
that are said to be the archetypal elements of creation and thus the basic
value structure of the world. The
following “Tree of Life” (Etz Chayyim) is
based upon the Kabbalah of Rabbi Isaac Luria (1534-72), and includes not only the Sefirot, but a number of other elements
of the Lurianic system that are significant for a
theory of value (axiology). The tree provides a Kabbalistic “value firmament,”
and thus a guide for life, that is
derived from Kabbalistic sources and corresponds to the Lurianic
theosophy. The elements of the Lurianic theosophy
appear in black, and their associated values in blue. One might better grasp
the ideas presented in this tree if one remembers that the roots of the
Kabbalistic tree, and thus the foundations of Kabbalistic values, are in the
air (i.e. at the top) and that the branches and leaves, i.e. the life-values,
spread downward. It may be useful to read the (blue) values as follows : “The value of…” (e.g. “The value
of wonder and awe).
The Lurianic Kabbalah is treated in detail in
(Note:
It may be easier to work with this chart if you leave the New Kabbalah Website,
go to Google.com, type in New Kabbalah, click on New Kabbalah Home Page and
then click on The Tree of Life link.
This will remove the Flash contents on the left and provide a wider view
of the table.)
You can click on bracketed numbers for in-depth explanations of each element and value in the Tree of Life chart.
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The Tree
of Life
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