#kab/hermetic

Astrology Associations & the Mystical Kabbalah

Astrology & The Mystical Kabbalah by Kathryn Andren

Kabbalah is rooted in ancient Judaic mysticism which can through study and practice, bring you into direct relationship with the Divine.

A few core concepts are:

• The Four Universes
• The Anatomy of the Tree of Life
• An exploration of three Hebrew letters, a brief meditation connecting to the elements fire, air and water.

Kabbalah means “to receive”. “I receive the already present divinity within you”. // As astrologers we “give” readings to our clients. In actuality, we are the ones receiving. It is a gift and opportunity to serve another, reflecting and seeing the divine manifest in others.  As astrologers, consider how we may we reflect our clients divinity back to them.

Kabbalah teaches that there is no place that G-d is not. The divine permeates everything and is it’s manifestation. This essentially means, whatever “is”, the divine is present there. Joy or sorrow, bliss or challenge, Kabbalah acknowledges that an evolution of consciousness requires being in a frame of mind that is beyond duality.

So what does Kabbalah have to do with astrology? Just as your astrology birth chart is a map for life, the Kabbalah is a map of consciousness and the cosmos.

There are 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet, that have been associated with the 22 Major Arcana of a Tarot deck. These 22 letters can be divided into three categories:

• 3 Mother letters relate to elements: Fire, Air and Water.
• 7 Double letters relate to the visible planets.
• 12 Simple letters connect to the months of the year or the Zodiac signs.

There are Four Universes which relate to the four realms of life or the four elements:

• Atzilut is the divine world, the spiritual plane or the fire element.
• Beriah is the intellectual world, the mental plane or the air element.
• Yetzirah is the psychological world, the emotional plane or the water element.
• Assiyah is the material world, the physical plane or the earth element.

There are 10 Sefirot, shimmering qualities of the Divine, on the Tree of Life. They are connected by the 22 paths, each represented by a Hebrew letter. Astrologically, each Sefirot can be associated with a planet and holds it’s own unique quality. They relate to the 10 commandments and each has it’s own angel. The Tree of Life is a map of consciousness and the body. This list below names the Sefirot with its related body area, essential quality and planet association.

The 10 Sefirot are connected on the Tree of Life by the 22 Hebrew letters. Note that the letters serve as pathways between the Sefirot. Each of the letters may be used individually as a tool for meditation, or multiple letters are combined in a countless variety of combinations.

While there are many ways to enter and explore the Tree of Life, here one introduction is to acknowledge the elemental energies present in the three Mother Letters. The Mother Letters are Aleph, Shin and Mem. These elementals appear as the three trunks of the Tree—the pillars, while the vertical branches relate to 7 visible planets, and the 12 diagonal branches connect to the 12 months of the year. [Note: Surely they would relate to the 12 astrological signs too?]

Aleph lives in the body in between the shoulders across the heart space. It has no sound of its own, but a silent ‘ah’ like an exhale. It is the first letter so it is used as a tool or a seed to initiate action.

Bring your attention and awareness to your rib cage and the heart space. Take three deep breaths.  Inhale, then exhale quietly with the subtle sound of AHHHH. This letter and this subtle sound relates to the air element.  *Aleph* is the creative spark, the balance point between fire and water.

Mem lives in the body in the pelvis between the hips. Mem begins the Hebrew word for water, relating to a sea of consciousness and the word "maggid", the Hebrew name for angel, supporting a connection to your teachers or guides.

Bring your attention and awareness to your hips and pelvis. Take three deep breaths. Inhale, then exhale enthusiastically with the sound MMMMMM. This letter and this sound relates to the water realm, so it supports connection to the emotional body.

Shin lives in the body across the head, in between the right and left brain. Shin begins the words, “shalom” for peace, “shabbat” for rest and “shanna" for the year, as in wholeness. This letter and this sound relates to the fire element. Use Shin for transformation and integration. It serves as a tool for meditation, when you want to integrate multiple things or perspectives.