Cicero - Self Initiation into the Golden Dawn Tradition_Part 01

64 SELF-INTIlATION INlO THE GoLDEN DAWN l'RAomoN
The Abyss
Between Binah and the rest of the Sephiroth is a great chasm known as the Abyss.
This marks a distinct separation between the higher and lower parts of the Tree, a
difference in levels of being. The three Supemals of Kether, Chokmah, and Binah
symbolize higher states of consciousness that transcend human awareness. The
lower Sephiroth operate within the realmof ideas and thus are the only ones we can
comprehend with our normal consciousness. In order to understand the intangible
essence of the Supemals, one mustcross the Abyss, which means leaving the earthly
personality and the physical body behind in order to reach the Divine Self. Within
the gulf of the Abyss is what is known as the "Invisible Sephirah" of Daath, which
is not a true Sephirah, butwhich can be likened to a passageway across the Abyss.
CHESED (Cheh-sed)
Translation: MERCY
(sometimes called Gedulah meaning "Greatness")
Key word: BUILDER
Yetziratic Title: The COHESNE or RECEPTIVE INTELLIGENCE
Physical Representation: The sphere of JUPITER
Symbols: The Pyramid, the Square, the Orb, the Equal-armed Cross,
the Crook, the Scepter
Chesed is the fourth Sephirah; its name means "Mercy." This is the first sphere
below the Abyss, the second Sephirah on the right-hand pillar. It is therefore the
first sphere of our physical universe. In Chesed can be found the structural support
of all that is manifested. Chesed receives the current of divine energy which
has been modified and disciplined by Binah and gives it another influx of energy.
This begins the process of materializing the abstract energies of the Supemals
(Kether, Chokmah, and Binah). Chesed is the matrix upon which the archetypal
ideas will later be built into tangible form. The fourth Sephirah is also the first
sphere thus far that may be comprehended by the human mind, because it is the
solidification of the abstract ideas formulated by the Three Supemals.
The patterns of the Tree of Life repeat themselves after the initial three
spheres are formed; therefore Chesed is the same type of energy as Chokmah, but
on a lower, more manifest level. While Chokmah may be likened to an All-Knowing,
All-Powerful Father, Chesed is the benevolent, loving and protective Father,
who is unselfish and forgiving. However the functions of Chesed are essentially
feminine, the aptitude for form-building and materialization. This is because for
the first time on the Tree, the idea of manifestation below the Abyss is beginning
to coagulate, and the concepts of masculine and feminine (positive and negative)
are here beginning to blend together as the process of evolution down the Tree
continues. But it must be remembered that Chesed is a Water potency, and that it
is the daughter of Chokmah and Binah. As such Chesed shares some similarities
with Tiphareth, the offspring of Chesed and Geburah. The Sepher Yetzirah says:
"The Fourth Path is named the Cohesive or Receptacular Intelligence; and it is socalled
because it contains all the holy powers, and from it emanate all the spiritual