Tree Chart Sample
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The basic layout of the Tree of Life model is illustrated
in the accompanying diagram. It has been abstracted from a number of sources including
Cabala, Sufism and Modern Psychology. It is a convenient way of describing various
specialized areas of the human psyche and their interactions. The Tree Chart cannot
replicate what actually occurs in the mind or the perceived environment. It does
however provide us with a key to understanding human and other actions or activities
in much the same way that a cartographic map can illustrate many kinds of relationships
between towns and countries, cities and continents: distance, mineral resources,
population, rainfall and so on.
Although limited by the two-dimensionality of a piece of paper we are able to devise several
ways of formulating a coherent picture of the structures and interactions of the mind.
In the diagram we see that the chart is composed of ten basic parts or functions,
numbered one through ten. In the Cabala they are known as the Ten Sefirot, (vessels
or fruits), of the Tree of Life. These are said to contain the base elements or
forces which are required for the continued existence of the universe and its'
contents. The twenty-two connections are called Netivot, (paths) and are numbered
eleven through thirty-two. Collectively they form the 'Arena' where the brain assembles
the complex perception of our environment into a form which we 'see' as an ongoing movie,
not inside our heads, but outside!
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When we enter into the Tree through the most
external of the Sefirot, Malchut (kingdom), we encounter the physical manifestation
of the object or event. On the human level this is the `Me' as a physical expression
in and of the physical universe. I am my body!
When we direct our attention inwards from the simple perception of our physical body
we see that we are propelled from one moment to the next in time and space in a
sequential series of moments. Each moment we call Now. Now.. Now..., and so on.
The force that drives this perception of continuity is managed and manipulated
in the Sefira Yesod, (foundation).
As we progress further into our model we next encounter two Sefirot which operate
at about the same level of complexity. In both cases, information in the form of
impressions obtained through the senses is sorted, compared with our memories,
temporarily classified and stored. If necessary a response is generated.
The first of these includes the process we describe as Thinking. People who have been
educated in western educational frameworks are forced to center their sense of self
almost exclusively in this part of their make up. I am my thoughts. The name of the
Sefira in Hebrew is Hod, (splendor).
The second is the group of processes, which we loosely define as Feelings, accepting
the same information as the previous Sefira, and from the same sources. Here, the
translation process generates the mental, emotional and physical sensations we call
feelings. I feel calm, I feel full, I feel sorry or I feel excited are all examples
of feelings. Sensations we experience when watching a sunset or smell the odor of
Jasmine on a summer evening are also examples of such responses. I am my Feelings.
In the Cabala this is the Sefira Netzach, (victory).
Each of these Sefirot has a direct connection with the physical environment through
Malchut (the body), and are easy to observe in ourselves as individuals and in others.
Much of life's business is conducted at this level of experience, and may be observed
in our reflexive and intuitive actions.
The Self or 'I' manifests itself primarily through the Seventh, Eighth and Ninth
Sefirot as a sequence of self referral statements, I am American, I am Joe or I am
Mary, I am a blonde or I am a student. Tiferet (beauty) the sixth Sefira is the
place where contact with the material world is channeled in the main through the
seventh and eighth Sefirot, and rarely, the tenth. Internally, this Sefira is the
‘I Am’ of the inner self; it interacts actively with our imagination (Gevurah)
and Emotions (Chesed).
Occasionally, we are presented with some kind of puzzle or problem for which we can
find no immediate reply or answer. Often we might go to bed and 'sleep on it', go for
a walk, sit on the beach or anything else which allows us to 'switch off'. Suddenly
the solution or answer pops into our head. Where did it come from? Certainly not from
our everyday circling thoughts; a passing Angel? Improbable. More likely we have
simply stepped back far enough to allow the Imagination to 'kick in'. The fifth
Sefira Gevurah (strength), in the cabalistic tradition is associated with the
source of strength, inspiration and enlightenment.
The fourth Sefira is Chesed (grace), the seat of our Emotions. Love and hate, fear
and ecstasy, compassion and enmity can all be reduced to the commonality we call
raw emotion. Although the fourth Sefira appears to be level with the fifth in the
Tree diagram; it does in fact precede it in the order of connectivity. It is more
primal in content, less constrained and thus, by definition has a greater degree
of freedom than our imagination.
The third Sefira, Binah (understanding) represents the ability to take stored
information and arrange it in 'sets'. This ability is expressed in human terms
as 'understanding'. In the Cabala, Sufi and other mystic doctrines 'understanding'
is often perceived as being the major attribute of 'The Great Mother' or perhaps
as the 'Vessel' which gives all else shape.
Learning is the process involved in the acquisition and recording of new information.
In the Tree chart, the second Sefira is Hochmah (wisdom). Like the first Sefira,
it is a process which is shared among all things everywhere and everywhen. To
illustrate the process of learning, consider an ocean wave breaking on a sloping
beach, the momentum becomes dissipated and its structural integrity collapses.
The volume of dispersed water then "remembers" the slope and the process is
reversed with a resulting re-integration with the parent body of water. This
process also includes the recognition and naming of objects and events external
to the perceived "self". Such acts of recognition are continuously occurring and
form the base from which our mind creates a picture of the environment. Stimuli
initiating these processes originate from all directions in space and time, and
involve all of our senses. Hochmah is the ability to record and store information.
In the animal kingdom, humanity included, this process is easy to observe in action.
Although more difficult to perceive and assess, it is a process which is also
observable in the vegetable and mineral kingdoms. Plants grow towards a light
source. Minerals crystallize with a particular orientation.
The Source is the first Sefira. It has no particular place in our psychological
or zodiacal scheme; from which we infer that it operates in all places and at
all times. In the context of the Tree Chart, it characterizes our perception
of the beginnings and causes of the universe and by inference, all beginnings.
The source, is that part of the individual or event which is shared with the
rest of the universe. It is that part of us which religion or philosophy might
refer to as the Soul or Spirit or Essence. To the Theologian it represents
Man's idea of God. To the Cabalist it is Keter Elion, the highest crown.
To science it is that part of an event or thing which would be described by
some kind of Universal Constant (if we could invent one!).
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