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

Hod
The Sephiroth

Here you meet the first of the Sephira at the base of the Pillar of Severity, the first Sephira to face the Pillar of Mercy, through its direct opposite, Netzach. You are now in the world of thoughts, the world of consciousness, language and the mind.

Explaining how the mind works is impossible. Who knows it all? But perhaps that’s how it should be? As you delve into the world of Hod, you’ll have more questions than answers about the eternal mystery of the human condition and the journey you’re currently on.

Just as the Tree of Life vibrates and changes with each Sephira you visit but remains constant, so do you. Remember you are a tree, amongst the many trees that make up the universe, and you too vibrate, you have a song. Sometimes that song isn’t as clear or as beautiful as you’d like, I guess, but you also have a base note, a constant sound that identifies you. This announces your presence in the universe and helps to make up the sound of Earth, of Malkuth, and the overall song of the universe.

You know you can change the tone. You can raise it when you feel it’s been lowered, and there are many ways to do that, but the one thing that has stuck with me from the moment I first heard it is this: ’The one thing you can always change is your attitude.’ Your tone, your song, your whole vibration shifts when you approach things differently.

In Hod you will bring about changes in your life by changing your attitude, shifting the way you think, conquering negative self-talk and inviting in the new. This is the realm of active magic, of conjuring new things into your life via techniques that draw down the Tree above you and offer it up to the world of Yesod to be brought into manifestation in Malkuth. What you think, you become.

Your mind can create images so powerful that your physical body will react as if what you’ve thought has actually happened. Imagine eating a lemon and your mouth will water. There are authors who have explored the mind—body link in great detail and it may be worth your time seeking out what they have written.

Ceremony and planning also live in Hod — how you go about making things happen, all the details, as well as who stands where and when. This is the organizational Sephira, but such is the nature of Hod, and of Mercury, its planetary force, that it’s also very fluid and can sometimes go off on a tangent. Who hasn’t had a great idea, only to sideline it in favour of something sparkling in the distance? If you find yourself sidelined, meditating on Hod can put you back on track.

The next Sephira, Netzach, is all about feelings, while Hod is form. If you look at your Tarot tree, you’ll see that the path between them is The Tower card. If you veer towards over-thinking things, or over-feeling them, you easily bring about the collapse of that tower and you have to start to build all over again. I’m sure, like most of us, you find that happening often. Balancing thoughts and feelings is one of the things that we humans are always attempting to do! So, how do you do it? How do you stop living in your mind at the expense of everything else?

Whose mind is it anyway?

Much of what you see around you came into manifestation through someone’s mind. Those buildings were planned on a drawing board, that meal was put together by someone thinking up great ways with kale (thanks for that). The clothes you wear, the sofa you sit on, and so it goes on… But what about the way you look at the world, the way you perceive it? Are those your thoughts or are they someone else’s? Do you think the news you listen to at breakfast time is magically plucked from thin air or does a human being decide what you hear and how you hear it?

What can you do about that? You know: change your attitude. Change the way you filter information and the way you react to it, or perhaps get rid of it altogether by meditating on your awesomeness before going to work rather than listening to the thoughts, fears and choices of a news editor. Make no mistake, it’s a human being making that choice for you, it’s not an organization, a faceless thing, it’s someone with an opinion, someone with a name and a face.

Whilst I would agree that your thoughts create your world, there are plenty of other people’s thoughts interfering with that process if you allow them. So maybe the gift of Hod isn’t just the ability to create through language, thought and the beauty of your words, but also the ability to see who is pushing their agenda onto you.

Sharing your vision

In any kind of ritual work, you give form and life to the images that you work with. For example, when working with angelic forces, you give them a shape, a colour, a name and even a personality, all through the process of Hod. You therefore do exactly same thing with negative processes and you should be wary of those who seek to impose those negative images on you.

However, no Sephira can work on its own and in order to make these images truly come alive, the forces in all the Sephiroth above and below come into play. If we look at those immediately surrounding Hod, we see that opposite is Netzach, which is predominantly about feelings, as you will see in the next chapter, while directly below Hod is Yesod, which is about emotions. This is a great example of how the Sephiroth work together. Feelings can be given shape through Hod and given life through the emotional desire to see them manifest. You create your own images and you always will, and your mind works best with symbols and images. Some would say it works no other way.

With that in mind, it’s perhaps a good idea to find out what images, symbols and pictures you have in your head! What do you want from your journey on the Tree? Remember that even though you were asked to state your dream in your earlier consolidations, you can change it should you wish. Perhaps the following exercise may help you clarify what it is you truly want — that’s ’want’ as opposed to ’need’.

Exercise: Vision bored

I know, ’vision board’ — or maybe you feel it is more ’bored’? However, bear with, it’s going to be slightly different this time. This is an exercise to help you see where you are now, what needs to be done to shift any negative self-talk and what direct action can be taken. So maybe it’s better described as your ’Hod board’.

Look at the categories below. By collecting images that describe them, you can put together an honest appraisal of where you are and what has to happen. And therefore where a change in attitude is to be encouraged.

Take into account that not everything will go to plan — your plan, that is. There is a universal one, and another 70 billion humans who could all put together a vision board if they had the peace, food, water, opportunity, time, support and love to do so.

But this is about where you are now. So, scour the internet for images, cut up your magazines or draw lovely things from your wonderful imagination, and use colour, lots of colour, and don’t be afraid to go grey as well, to go dark on what doesn’t lighten your load. Call it what it is.

· Who or what are you responsible for — your kids, the mortgage, pets, etc. What images represent how you feel about that? Be honest. If it feels too much sometimes, ask why you’re not getting help. Have you asked?

· Where’s your moral compass at? What really gets on your nerves about the way people treat each other? On the other hand, what do you love to see? What restores your faith in humanity and reminds you that there are indeed some wonderful people on this planet?

· What now? See the game — put up images that expose those who play with your thoughts, who tell you what to think and what nonsense to spend your hard-earned cash on. Put up images of what you no longer need in your life because selling it to you was someone else’s plan.

· Your past now — what you’ve achieved, what you’ve overcome and how great you felt when it was all over. Hard times come to us all; how you approach them is often a real test for Hod and the realms of the mind.

· What you want to achieve is next — what’s the new plan for you and yours? Make it as grand as you want — it’s you who’s going to make it happen. Here you can let your imagination go wild. Give it free rein and put every happy thought and sparkle of mind glitter into those images.

· See the work you need to do to make it happen, but most importantly, see the next step. What images conjure up the next step for you? Be realistic — a grand goal won’t change, but the way you dance towards it might have to.

Now you have a board, it will remind you not only of your goals but also of what you’ve done to be where you are now, what responsibilities you have and whether you need to share them, what’s next and what has to happen to get things started.

Change the board when you feel the need. Tear things off with glee when you’ve achieved them or you’re finally ready to let them go, and stick new and wonderful things on it when you’re ready to attract more of them. Never let it be boring.

Angels

The archangel of Hod is sometimes said to be Raphael, sometimes Michael, and both are referenced in the Sephira of Tiphareth too, so perhaps they are interchangeable? Perhaps not. Sometimes you’ll see both. Raphael is the archangel of Air, and suits this temple’s focus on the mind, but Michael fights for truth, and here you must produce truthful images — your real desires — lest you manifest someone else’s. So you must use whichever archangel you think is best suited to your situation. In the visualization that follows, it is Michael.

The heavenly host are the Ben Elohim, children of God/dess.

Vices and virtues

The vice of Hod is falsehood and dishonesty. Images can be created to confuse and to distract — and they are, frequently.

Its virtue is truthfulness. Even when it’s not easy to speak the truth or to admit to it in the realms of our own mind, we all know that being truthful sets us free. Ponder on that a moment.

Tarot cards

If you’re a Tarot reader, you’ll know that in the major arcana the symbol for infinity, the number eight on its side, sits above The Magician’s head. Eight is the number for Hod. The clues are and have always been there, hidden in plain sight, and as you begin to realize this, you’ll no doubt begin to notice more.

So, the four eights represent Hod and they are:

· Eight of Wands: The Lord of Swiftness. A direct image of clarity and what should happen next. A vision of a new phase in your life.

· Eight of Cups: The Lord of Indolence. Look for those who impose their will more than you do your own. They may take your energy, or rather you may give it away.

· Eight of Swords: The Lord of Interference. Things may not be going your way. Perhaps step away and do something else?

· Eight of Disks: The Lord of Prudence. Be ready for an opportunity, but also ready to work with any stress or change required.

Visiting Hod

In this temple you’ll be asked to make a commitment — a commitment to the path ahead. That can mean many things. For me, it meant committing to working with the Tree of Life, to my own spiritual unfolding and to teaching in whichever way I could.

Before visiting this temple then, consider what you’re going to contribute to the Tree of Life and how you’re going to use your new knowledge in the here and now. You’ll be asked to make that commitment, to visualize yourself writing it and then burning it. Whenever I see myself doing this in visualizations, I always follow it through by doing the same here on Earth. Find a safe place to burn your paper and watch the sparks, the Salamanders, take it heavenwards!

Correspondences

· Keyword: Splendour

· Number: Eight

· Archangel: Michael or Raphael

· Order of angels: Ben Elohim

· Planet: Mercury

· Virtue: Truthfulness

· Vice: Dishonesty, falsehood

· Gods/goddesses: Hanuman, Mercury, Merlin, Thoth

· Colour: Orange

· Crystals: Agate, opal

· Incense: Storax, white sandalwood

· Body part: Legs, loins

· Tarot cards: The four eights

Exercise: The Temple of Hod

Remember to perform your opening ritual and dress your altar accordingly, and on this occasion to have your commitment ready. You can either remember it or have it written down and glance at it during the visualization. Either way, it’s a good idea to have it in written form on your altar. Remember, you’re not physically burning it during this visualization. If you want to do that, do it afterwards, and take it seriously. You’ll be held to account as you send your words skywards.

Don’t forget to take a Tarot card before your meditation.

Perform your usual protection and opening procedure.

Ask your guides for their support. The archangel of Hod is Michael or Raphael.

Breathe in the 4-2-4-2 rhythm and ask for the forces of Hod to meet you in whichever way is appropriate to you right here, right now.

· Let the material world disappear around you and begin to build the magical temple garden that is already so familiar to you.

· Use all your senses — feel the grass beneath your feet, the wind on your skin and the warmth of the Sun on your body. Smell the wonderful fragrances of the forest.

· See your Tree of Life. Watch it sway and sing your soul’s song in the wind as it calls you to it.

· The crystals in its branches shift to an orange colour and an orange agate breaks from the Tree to form a sphere, a gateway to the temple garden of Hod.

· As you approach the sphere of orange light, you see it is shot with quicksilver. Its beauty reminds you of butterflies’ wings.

· Enter the sphere. Use the symbol for Mercury or perhaps the name of the archangel.

· As you walk into the sphere, your mind wakes up, your vision clears and your thoughts are sharper than they have ever been. You’re wide awake, fully awake, open to the truths that will present themselves to you as you walk in the garden of Hod.

· You meet the symbols and creatures of Hod. Some will have a message for you and they will deliver it quickly and accurately.

· As you walk further, carry on communing with any beings you meet. Feel their words, see their vibrations and colours.

· Words may dance in front of you — words you have used. Which ones are dull, which ones hold little light, which ones are no longer needed?

· See the bright words, dance with the brightest of the bright words and let them move through you. Hold them close, remember them.

· You see the Temple of Hod ahead of you. What does your Hod look like? Sometimes it’s an ice palace, sometimes it’s a giant library or great hall of learning. Whatever it is, it’s your Hod.

· From the temple, Archangel Michael comes towards you.

· Commune with him. Listen to what he has to tell you. Ask for information on Hod and how it works, its virtue perhaps. Ask for clarity. Perhaps you need help with your commitment?

· As you walk with the archangels and the hosts and beings of Hod, they will guide you to a brazier, a fire burning brightly.

· A Sylph-like creature will hand you a blank piece of parchment for you to write down your commitment.

· You have no pen? Imagine, imagine and the words will appear on the page as your imagination manifests your thoughts through the worlds of Yesod.

· When your words have appeared, burn the parchment in the brazier and watch your words be released and float up the Tree of Life.

· 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 to work with and respect the power of this Sephira in your own life and on your own Tree.

· Perhaps you catch a glimpse of a vision of splendour and how that looks to you on your path right now, how it shows itself in your life.

· Say your farewells and follow the path back to your orange sphere and into the garden of Malkuth, considering what you have learned, what you want to action when you return and how language affects your very being, your human being.

· See, feel, hear and smell the temple forest around you, and when you’re ready, let it fade and bring your consciousness back to the here and now.

Close your meditation with the same respect you opened it with and record your journey. Remember to eat and drink and take a Tarot card.

Using your notes and the symbolism of the path, complete your consolidation of Hod:

Hod consolidation

’As a single footstep will not make a path on the Earth, so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind. To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again. To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives.’

HENRY DAVID THOREAU

’I have a dream…’

Remind yourself of the dream you stated in Malkuth.

Astrology

Look at Mercury in your chart. Which sign is it in? What does it tell you about the way your mind works?

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.