Cicero - Self Initiation into the Golden Dawn Tradition_Part 01

66 SELF-INITIATION lNTO THE GoLDEN DAWN 1RADIDON
more harsh and restrictive than Binah, simply because it is below the Abyss, and
its effects are more easily seen by us in the manifest universe.
According to the Sepher Yeizirah: "The Fifth Path is called the Radical Intelligence,
because it resembles the Unity, unitingitself to Binah or Intelligence
which emanates from the Primordial depths of WISdom or Chokmah." The word
radical here implies basic or fundamental. Here the text tells us that Geburah, the
Radical Intelligence, resembles Unity (one of the titles of Kether). Geburah's
dynamic action overflowing into the world of form bears a close relationship to
the overflowing force of Kether, which is the source of all manifestation. In addition,
Unity also implies the uniting of a new and distinct polarity in the spheres of
Chesed and Geburah. Geburah "unites itself with Binah" because it is the same
restrictive feminine energy of Binah on a lower, more manifest level.
TIPHARETH (T'-fair-eth)
Transwtwn:BEAtrrY
Key word: MEDIATOR
Yetziratic Title: The MEDIATING INTELLIGENCE
Physical Representation: The sphere of SOL
Symbols: The Calvary Cross, the Rose Cross,
the Truncated Pyramid, the Cube, the letter Vav
The sixth Sephirah is called Tiphareth or "Beauty." Tiphareth lies at the very center
of the Tree of Life on the Middle Pillar (the column of Equilibrium) and receives the
powers of all the other Sephiroth. This sphere strikes the harmony between the
Mercy of Chesed and the Severity of Geburah; therefore it contains the perfect balance
of bothbenevolent and aggressive energies. Because of its position on the Tree,
in line with Kether, Tiphareth mirrors much of the pureness of the Crown, but on a
deeper, more manifest level. By the union of Mercy and Justice, Beauty is obtained.
The Sepher Yetzirah says: "The Sixth Path is called the Mediating Intelligence,
because in it are multiplied the influxes of the emanations, for it causes that
influence to flow into all the reservoirs of the Blessings, with which these themselves
are united." This again refers to Tiphareth's position on the central pillar,
mediating between the Pillars of Mercy and Severity. As a mediator, Tiphareth is
also seen as a connecting link between higher and lower states of being (the Higher
Self and the Lower Self).This sphere is a "two-way switch" whichboth receives the
influxes of the emanations from above, and "causes that influence to flow into all
the reservoirs of the blessings." Tiphareth's neutral position on the central pillar
along with its androgynous nature allows the influences to combine, multiply and
increase. It is the outward manifestation of the higher and subtler Sephiroth, as
well as the spiritual principle behind the lower and more manifest spheres.
Until this point, we have described each Sephirah in abstract terms of
Force and Form, Macrocosmic archetypes which are somewhat remote from us.
But in Tiphareth, this changes, because the sixth Sephirah lies well within the
range of human experience. The rest of the spheres from Tiphareth on down
can be increasingly described by the effects they have on human consciousness,