We've arrived at the Hermetic keystone.
Up to this point in this series we've been cobbling together pieces of the Hermetic puzzle. The way you're looking in a fractal mirror, so you need to look "above" (astrology) and "below" (alchemy) to sort of center yourself and embody divinity (theurgy).
Now we get a map.
The literal map is a diagram called the "Tree of Life". It's a set of ten circles arranged just so with 22 lines connecting them in specific ways.
It can take a long time to understand what this diagram is referring to — because it applies to everything.
Fortunately, I think there's a way to interpret it that's pretty straightforward. It massively clarifies how alchemy and astrology interrelate, and even what the Great Work is and how to achieve it.
Here I offer my way of reading this map.
Further Resources
If after watching this talk you want to dive into Qabalah more deeply, I have a few recommendations:
Memorize the Tree of Life. It’s super handy to have a copy of it in your mind, and if you really get into Qabalah you’ll want that map very deep and reliable in you. The best method for doing this I know of is, every day draw as much of it from memory as you can, and then check.
Alan Moore’s comic book series “Promethea” is a rich and fun dive into Thelema, which is Aleister Crowley’s offshoot of Golden Dawn Hermeticism. Books 3 and 4 depict the main character traveling up the Tree of Life to visit each Sphere. Its depiction of each Sphere is a marvelous introduction.
John Michael Greer’s book “Paths of Wisdom” goes into marvelous detail about the Spheres, Paths, philosophy, and practice. You could totally use this as a how-to manual. It’s very sparse on diagrams though. I strongly recommend either (a) keeping a copy of the Tree of Life next to you while reading the book or (b) memorizing the Tree directly.
There are some key differences between Judaic mystical Kabbalah and Hermetic Qabalah. (There’s no consistent standard, but “Kabbalah” with a ‘K’ is often the Jewish one and “Qabalah” with a ‘Q’ is often the Hermetic one.) I think it’s worth learning a bit about the Jewish Kabbalah to get some context. The best overview I’ve found for this so far is the video series “Kabbalah Revealed”.
I referenced the “Hollow Tree”. The usual name for the Spheres of the Hollow Tree is the Qliphoth, literally meaning “husk” or “hollow vessel” or “empty shell”. I’m the only one who calls them “Hollow” as far as I know; I just think it’s a clearer term than “evil” or “Dark Powers”. I give a talk later in the Pareto Hermeticism series on the Hollow Tree.
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