Yesod

The Ninth Path
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Foundation / Sexuality / Truth-Speaking

Sephir Yesod's planet (body) is the Moon.

Yesod, centered between Malchut, Hod, and Netzach, balances three forces: The Body (Malchut), Thinking (Hod), and Netzach (Feeling). The three spheres surrounding Yesod are the 'here and now' of life - and Yesod is the past we carry with us - the subconscious - memories and conditioning. Sepher Yesod is contact with our dreams, knowing the hidden parts of ourselves. It helps overcome habits, and enables re-creation of self image. It is the regenerative chakra. Invoke Yesod to enhance the assimilation of prana.

Yesod is the domain of the Buddhist Samsara, our own personal illusion, our continuous cycle of re-affirmation of existence. Samsara means, literally: "continual circle," or "whirlpool."

There are six realms, or skandhas of Samsara - all attempts to shield ourselves from the truth of our insubstantiality:

• Realm of the gods - spiritual materialism, spirituality as fashion.

• Realm of the jealous gods - paranoia, mixed with egotism. This mentality tries to achieve everything at once, defending every front. False spontaneity, preoccupation with comparison, social climbing, distrust.

• Realm of humans - Passion, sense of loss associated with the object of desire, nostalgia, obsession with personal style, heroism, expansion of learning.

• Realm of animals - plodding stupidity, playing deaf and dumb, following the rules rather than redefining them, closed minded fundamentalism, stubborn clumsiness, humorlessness, ignoring advice.

• Realm of hungry ghosts - poverty mentality, no matter how rich you are. Constant need to consume, and to be entertained. Continuous satisfaction of desires leads to boredom, and the paradox of "hunger for hunger."

• Realm of hell - aggression and hatred. A world of ugliness, a prison, or war zone. There is always an adversary, games being played, one-upmanship, loneliness in a crowd. Revenge fantasies and grudge nursing.

Samsara is our need for credentials, to prove we exist.

Samsara is the Jiva's (Tipharet) way of separating desire, of pulling away from Brahman. Our bondage to Samsara is based in our samskaras, associated with The World, and Malchut.

Yesod concentrates all the higher powers and influences.

Balance, always a core concept in Qabala, manifests itself in the personality triad as a synthesis of our thinking, feeling and sensing functions.

YESOD, or "Foundation," is the next sphere up from MALCHUT (the beginning of personality); It is where repressed energies are channeled up into the next appropriate sephirot, either HOD (thoughts) or NETZACH (feelings). TIPHARET is the personality's first foray into the realm of Soul.

Potentials of YESOD: Discovering the mysteries of the astral levels, working with dreams; sensing the underlying clockwork in the universe, connecting with the divine plan. It is fantasy, impressionability, instinct, memory, mystery, purification, rejuvenation, seductiveness, and transformation.

The Personality Triad is comprised of the Secondary colors.

The Personality Triad is rooted in Malchus, comprised of the Tertiary colors.

The fragrance ascribed to Yesod is Jasmine, and it is associated with Isis.

Commandment: Do not bear false witness about your neighbor.