The Tree of Life, the Astrology Behind the Bible
The Kabbalah in Spanish Christianity : Revealing Photographic Evidence
The 22 Hebrew letters, the 22 Tarot Trumps and the 22 Paths of the Tree of Life
The Holy Spirit, Sophia and the Logos : the Aquarian Spirit of Truth for the New Age
Kabbalah : an Introduction
The Astrology Behind the Kabbalah
In Facts Behind Faith our interest in Kabbalah is quite single minded. The Kabbalah has always been focussed entirely around the single figure of the Tree of Life. Heaven on Earth recognises the Tree of Life as essentially an astrological map of the planets of our solar system. One of the last verses in the Bible (Rev. 22.2) confirms the simple zodiac character of the Tree with its ‘twelve manner of fruit, harvested every month.’ (The monthly lunar cycle through the twelve Signs.)
This presentation of the Tree at the conclusion of the New Testament also confirms the central importance of the Tree to the Christian vision, placed as it is at the heart of the City of God, which represents our return to a more advanced, more civilised version of the Garden of Eden.
This recognition of the City of God puts the much-debated Genesis story in its proper context, as a vital part of our symbolic myth. It is not intended as a literal history any more than is Revelation. But just as prophecy cannot be expressed literally, our most ancient history is often expressed best in symbolic stories. Facts Behind Faith engages in the topical debate between the Creationists who believe in the Biblical version of human origins and Darwinism which has a more secular view. This searching discussion, supporting, and taking issue with both sides, can be found on Page 3 in the Spirit section of Heaven on Earth by clicking on the figure of the ape.
The Tree of Life holds a place for each of the planets and these eleven Shining Ones, Sephiroth, are defined by titles which are particularly appropriate for each planet in its ruling Sign. This correspondence was always known for the visible planets but the ‘rediscovery’ of Uranus in 1781, Neptune in 1820 and Pluto in 1936 has occasioned much debate as to their respective positions on the Tree. There is realistically little room for doubt and each fits the character of their proper Sephira and the special sacred Hebrew ‘mother letters’ which have designated these highest Sephiroth before their ‘discoveries.’ There astrological characters are very different and fit extremely well their allotted ‘slots.’
It is extraordinary to recognise this evidence that the ancients knew all these far flung outer planets, even tiny, most distant Pluto. Yet any astrologer knows that when Pluto is strongly involved in a horoscope his influence is extremely powerful. It was clearly not missed by the ancient astrologers. The alternative evidence for this ancient knowledge is equally unequivocal to anyone with insight into the astrological characters of the planets. Simply, the ancient Greek and Roman gods portrayed these planets’ characters with a clarity we still use in astrology today. It would be a more marvellous world than even astrology can portray if this were blind chance !
Heaven on Earth is not concerned with the more esoteric or personal aspects of Kabbalah but principally with the fact that this ancient Tradition preserves at its heart the brilliant evidence of the ancient knowledge of astrology which appears to be the foundation of all ancient faiths. We are indeed indebted to this venerable Jewish Tradition for these wonderful insights.
Traditionally Kabbalists will say the planets merely reflect the pattern and power of the sacred Tree and are not in anyway its source. This is unrealistic. It is quite reasonable to suggest there are patterns and energies beyond our Solar System which are reflected in our system, in our astrology perhaps. Yet the overwhelming evidence of astrology is that the planets are everything to us.
The Sun is the Creator and Sustainer of all life on Earth on the physical, biological level. In the same way the astrological spirit of this vast, unimaginable fire, well over a million times the size of earth, is the power of our hearts, sustaining all our being. For us mere Earthlings, the overwhelming divine Spirit of the Sun is our God : omnipotent, omniscient and performing the unnoticed miracles of life for us at every moment.
It is good we should allow our imaginations to encompass the vastness of a universal Spirit of which our Sun is a mere speck but it would be wrong to dismiss the power of our all-too-familiar Sun as less than everything to us on both a practical and spiritual level. His satellite planets are no less worthy of recognition, as the Tree of Life demonstrates.
More material will appear on the Kabbalah shortly.