The Sefirah on the Tree of Life

Gevurah, “Strength”, is also seen as the sefirah of Judgement, or Din. Gevurah is on the left side of the Tree which represents form. It is within the World of Form that the polarities of our experiences unfold. Gevurah represents those forms we call “feelings”, forms which limit and channel emotional energy. With Gevurah happiness as well as sadness pleasure as well as pain are the emotional forms that emerge in our lives. We cannot know one without the other. So Gevurah is seen as the origin of “evil”, since it is the place where we first feel “good”, and thus the place of where we also encounter the opposite of "good", and the judgement of both.

The first sefirah on the left side of the Tree is Binah, but it is at Gevurah that the distinction and polarities that we recognise arise. At Binah, the form which contains the flow from Chochmah is still Unitive. Not until emotional form is present can polarity truly be known.

Gevurah is the place of limitation, the place at which cold-heartedness enters the world. Gevurah contains whispers of evil, of the “other side”. But Gevurah's a function, one which requires a great deal of “strength”, is to realise Chesed.

Not until a feeling takes shape in our beings can we begin to experience the world of emotion.Each feeling is itself a limitation of the inevitable flow of life through Chesed. We resist these feelings and so become stuck in them. We are so caught up in what has become familiar—the roles and scripts about who we are, how we are and why we are the way we are—that we close ourselves off from the possibilities inherent in each moment.

Gevurah is our tendency to cling to our favourite feelings, refusing to release them, thus block the nourishing energies of Chesed from flowing more freely into our lives.

The fundamental dynamics of life emerge at Binah, while Gevurah is the space where the polarities are born—the polarities of our very existence—good and evil, higher or lower, bigger and smaller, better or worse. The way that feeling limits and holds and shapes emotional energy almost automatically creates its opposite, for feelings are known by their compliments. Without hard, there would be no soft. Without “easy”, how would we know “difficult”? Without “boredom”, we could not identify “excitement”.

Gevurah provides the elements of our dreams and of our nightmares, yet it is absolutely essential to manifest our Creative Energy. This week, focus on the forms of your feelings, noticing the polarities they bring and celebrate them. There is no need to resist any feeling, because when feelings are allowed, they reveal themselves – and from this awareness, they shift.^[1]

Elohim, is the Name associated with judgement and severity, and so is associated with this sefirah. In Jewish tradition, the two most used names of G-d are Elohim and Adonai (written YHVH). Elohim is generally translated as “G-d”, though it meaning is more accurately "G-d of Hosts". Adonai is generally translated as “Lord” or “Eternal One”.
Elohim is actually the plural form of the noun, yet it is almost always translated as if it were singular, and takes a singular verb and modifier. One way of explaining this is to understand Elohim as the One Being, Adonai, appearing to our awareness as the many. Elohim can be appreciated as the Presence of Adonai within each individual being, enabling us to experience the Immanent aspect of the Divine. This Presence is named Shechinah, which is also another name for Elohim in the ancient mystical text called the Zohar or “Book of Splendour”. Shechinah is also the Presence of the Transcendent Adonai present in all living things, as well as the world itself!

Meditation for the Second Week at GEVURAH.

הַרְפּ֣וּ וּ֭דְעוּ כִּֽי־אָנֹכִ֣י אֱלֹהִ֑ים

Be still, and know that I am Elohim.
-- (Psalm 46:11)

This exploration requires us to embrace the immediacy of the present moment. As we focus fully and persistently on the contents of our awareness, each moment naturally expands. There is so much more in each moment, in each sensation and feeling,than we had ever noticed before.

Reflections

[^1]: There is also transformation through discipline. Once the fear is constrained, one can implement a healing regime.

Thus the suppression of a young girl feelings could produce a mother/woman who wants people—especially her own children—to express their feelings.

For a young boy, whose innocent desires were suppressed, might result in abhorrent desires expressed in the realm of relationships.

The suppression of feelings would also result in all sorts of idol (i.e. material) worship. For instance, Alchoholism—or alcho-holism: the religion of worshipping the unholy demon of Alcho—whose holy essences abound, and worshippers can obtain endless supplies of said essences, which reduce them to becoming mere puppets of Its will.

Footnotes

1. This is where public opinion, and the opinion of others, begins to play a huge role. We are embarrassed and hide our feelings. This started with the non-acceptance of our feelings, and in many cases our desires. This from our parents, and other authority figures and as well as our peers. ↩︎