Qabalah: Discover Powerful Tools to Explore Practical Magic and the Tree of Life (Hay House Basics) - David Wells 2017

Yesod
The Sephiroth

In recent years there has been a great resurgence of interest in mediumship, the paranormal and all things ghostly. Things that go bump in the night are separated from our Earthly world by a thin veil, just as Malkuth is separated from Yesod, and the physical world of Assiah is separated from Yetzirah, the world of angels and astral travellers. The next plane of existence, sometimes called the astral plane, is the domain of Yesod and we cannot travel up or down the Tree to and from Malkuth without moving past these worlds.

In their simplest forms, they are where you find deceased relations waiting for you, their memories still within you and signs coming from them, from Yesod to Malkuth, from the astral worlds to that smile on your face as you think of them here on Earth. All well and good, but the Tree of Life has other things in mind.

Yesod is where you meet your powerful subconscious mind, where you reach into that melting pot of all you’ve ever done to bring forth some answers that will help you in the here and now, as well as some lessons you might still have to work on.

I’m all for living in the now, being positive and keeping things going to maintain impetus as you move towards your goals, but the reality is that along the way you’ll have things you want to confront. Some folks glibly say, ’Forget it, it’s not important, move on,’ but all that does is push what has made itself known under the astral carpet until eventually you’re not able to move on without tripping over it.

So this is where you give birth to all those thoughts, feelings and emotions and where you remind yourself of what’s waiting for you and also what to be wary of as you prepare for that birth. It’s where you examine the cycles and habits that you might want to work on before you go any further.

Yesod’s association with the Moon reminds us that life itself moves in cycles. There is a time to move forward, a time to lie low, a time to talk, a time to remain silent, a time to remember and a time to forget and truly move on. Yesod is called the Foundation because it turns the wheels of the universe to bring us what we want in the way we’ve seen it, felt it and indeed worked for it.

Mirrors are Yesod, elephants are Yesod, and so is the herb rosemary, which is said to be for remembrance, if you remember your Shakespeare. The mirror reflects back, but it’s also seen in many meditations as a portal to your own subconscious. Indeed, I use it in just that way in past-life workshops. And the elephant? It never forgets. Neither does your subconscious. So, when you’re dressing your Yesod altar, think about using a mirror, a statue of an elephant (a real one would probably break it) and some rosemary, much loved of Ophelia in Hamlet. Recent studies at Northumberland University in the UK saw significant memory gains in people who were placed in a room infused with its fragrance. That’s also a reminder that much of what’s on the Tree of Life is already in place in your life; there will be more.

The path that links Yesod to Malkuth is called the Universe path. The Universe is one of the major arcana of the Tarot, of course. In fact it’s the last card, the end of the journey, the birth canal, the manifestation of your hard work — and work is what Yesod recognizes, the effort you’ve put in and how much you understand the workings of the vision of the machinery of the universe. It’s easy to think of that as cogs and wheels, or maybe not. Perhaps you think of it as angels, spirit guides and relations who have passed over, or as thoughts, feelings and emotions. They’re all right.

The lightning flash

Yesod is reactive, it works through the lightning flash by gathering all the information you are directing into the physical world through your imagination and your ability to see it, believe it, conceive it. Using symbols, clear words and directed action, you are giving life to what you want to create.

So you’re seeing the land of dreams and what can be, but it must be activated by the magic, and that resides in the words, the spell-ing, of Hod, above. Yesod’s job is to bring it to birth — a very important point. What are you creating with your thoughts and emotions?

As the magic awakens in you, it’s very exciting. You can have whatever you want, you just have to think it, do a bit of woo-woo and there it is. Not quite. Here’s where you come up against what you want versus what you need, and what about what the universe needs? Maybe the universe needs you to wait a while?

Once you understand that, true peace comes. The waters of Yesod are still there for you to catch more than your fair share of come-true-fish but, as the rest of your journey will show you, what you think will solve all your problems now may not be the true will of your soul. Find that first.

Angels

Gabriel is the angel of Yesod. He is the archangel of Water, and Yesod is associated with Cancer and emotional energy. He is also the archangel we see at the annunciation, when Mary is told of the coming birth. Here he sits in governance over the birth canal on the Tree of Life, ready to manifest your dreams.

The order of angels you meet here are the Cherubim. They help lay the foundations of the material universe you see around you. They keep the plans and hold the patterns. They are the architects, whilst the elementals of Malkuth are the builders.

Vices and virtues

Idleness is the vice, as contentment can sometimes lead to sitting back and changing nothing. Then your wheels clog up, but life is about keeping things moving and being open to change.

From that comes independence, the virtue of Yesod, where you are master of your own machine. Independence means freedom from the restrictions of the physical world as you allow yourself to fly in these realms. The building of a house takes years in the physical world, but here it takes a second. But don’t get overly keen — to manifest what you see here you must know the secrets of the Sephira above. It will ever be so.

Tarot cards

The four nines remind you that you are almost there, the hard work is done and you’re just about to reap the benefits, but as ever there are warnings: don’t give in to unnecessary worry and keep the images of what you want sharp, well defined and clear.

· Nine of Wands: Lord of Strength. Power, a steady force, success after strife and hard work. You’ve got what it takes.

· Nine of Swords: Lord of Cruelty. Sometimes the negativity of others, but sometimes your own negative self-talk. Do you do that?

· Nine of Cups: Lord of Happiness. No matter what’s going on in your life, there is beauty around you. Happiness is a choice.

· Nine of Disks: Lord of Gain. A chance to end a job, to find solutions and to serve for no other reason than service itself.

Yesod in life

In life, Yesod is likely to show itself through cycles, those repeat performances that we all go through, and taking some time to think about those is what’s asked of you now. Which cycles or habits work really well for you and which would you like to break free from?

What Yesod is not about is regret. You may recognize where you could have done things differently, but all experiences are valid and workable, and when you do work with them, the wheels turn again and the great mechanism of the universe brings forth new and exciting things.

Remember, Qabalah can be learned, and it can be repeated with great knowledge, with every fine detail well understood, but no matter how great or small your knowledge, it’s going nowhere unless you make it practical, unless you bring it into this physical world.

Exercise: A Moon diary

Get yourself a Moon diary and look at the phases of the Moon. When is she waxing? When is she waning, full and new? And how you feel when she’s in each of those cycles? Chart your emotions using the diary and see if the Moon offers up any insight into your behaviour. Reflect on those habits and cycles.

Three days before a new Moon is called a dark Moon. Please do nothing on those days — well, nothing magical that is, unless it’s finding time to reflect on what you’d like from the new Moon, depending on where she is and where that affects you in your own chart, or simply how it makes you feel. Think about what you want to give birth to here on Earth and what you’d rather not repeat.

The pull of the Moon and the vision of a full Moon will never be the same again as you understand her magic more.

Visiting Yesod

Correspondences

Let’s start with some correspondences:

· Keyword: Foundation

· Number: Nine

· Archangel: Gabriel

· Order of angels: Cherubim

· Planet: The Moon

· Virtue: Independence

· Vice: Idleness

· Gods/goddesses: Artemis, Diana, Ganesha, Isis, Mani

· Colour: Violet

· Crystals: Moonstone, pearl, quartz

· Incense: Jasmine

· Body part: Genitals

· Tarot cards: The four nines

Exercise: The Temple of Yesod

Decorate your altar, set up your room as usual, burn jasmine incense, take a Tarot card and remember to allow yourself some time to be still and to let the energy of the room build.

As you are taking one step further up the Tree, it’s worth pausing to remember that as you do so, you’re not only moving into Yesod’s realms, you’re also beginning to feel those of Hod and Netzach more closely. But for now, the route to your Yesod experience awaits.

Whilst these aren’t full temple workings, they are still effective, as even just reading the text of the Sephira has no doubt been. So, don’t enter the temple without having thought about the effects of Yesod and the forces it contains.

Perform your cleansing and protection ritual. Remember that Gabriel is the archangel of this Sephira.

Do any opening up of your energy you wish to do, working with the chakras or moving energy around your body.

Ask for the assistance of Gabriel and your guides. Become aware of them around you.

Breathe in the 4-2-4-2 rhythm to take yourself into a full meditative state of being.

· Allow your normal surroundings to fade. The material world gives way as you enter the astral worlds…

· See yourself in the magical forest of Malkuth. Smell it, hear it, touch it and be a part of it.

· Follow the path to the Tree of Life itself. There it is, vibrating and shining, singing its song as you approach.

· In the clearing, pause a moment. You’ll see a moonstone move away from the branches of the Tree, and as it moves closer to you, it forms a sphere of purple and silver light and draws you towards it.

· As you move towards it, offer the symbol for the Moon, the crescent shape, the great luminary, and when you’re ready, enter the sphere of light.

· Within this world you can see the astral template of every being, of every plant, of every thing — a glowing light.

· You hear the running water of a brook, and the sounds of the oceans, and as you move through this world, begin to become aware of movement ahead of you.

· Walk on until you see the Temple of Yesod in the distance. How does your temple appear? Is it a silver pagoda, splendid in the moonlight? Perhaps it’s a simpler building of white, silver and purple light?

· Nine sides form the shape of the building and in its garden of magical light the beings of Yesod gather to commune with you.

· Who is there? The goddess of the Moon, or Gabriel himself perhaps? Ask for information that’s appropriate to you right here, right now, and will be safe and understandable when you take it back into the realms of Malkuth.

· Perhaps you catch a glimpse of the workings of the machinery of the universe?

· You may see people from your past lives, or some from this life who have crossed from the mortal realms.

· When you have finished communing with your hosts, they may offer you a gift, a reminder of your visit to these realms. Return their kindness with a promise made to work with and respect the power of this Sephira in your own life and on your own Tree.

· Now it’s time to leave. Walk back down the path, giving thanks for the experience and paying respect to your guides.

· You find yourself back in the clearing as the doorway to the experience of Yesod returns to the Tree.

· As you walk through the temple forest, begin to bring your awareness back into the room. Return to your usual surroundings.

When you have closed your meditation down, take a Tarot card, make notes and remember to eat and drink something. No matter how small, it’s symbolic of grounding your energy here on Earth.

Your consolidation sheet follows.

Yesod consolidation

’The subconscious is ceaselessly murmuring, and it is by listening to these murmurs that one hears the truth.’

GASTON BACHELARD, FRENCH PHILOSOPHER

’I have a dream…’

Remind yourself of the dream you stated in Malkuth.

Astrology

The Moon. How does your subconscious work? What lies behind your actions here on Earth?

Find the Moon in your natal chart. What sign is she in and what planets affect her?

Tarot cards

· Going into the temple: Card

· Coming out of the temple: Card

· Consolidating the temple: Card

The route the cards are taking

A short analysis of what the cards tell you.

Analysis of the temple visualization

How you felt, what you saw, what the symbols mean to you.

How it has manifested in your life

How has it presented itself in your life here on Earth? What have you noticed that you missed before? What do you want to change?

’Moving forward, I commit to…’

Make a commitment to making those changes happen.