Basic Kabbalah Overview for Beginner Students

Simple Energy Approach to Study of Western Kabbalah

Oct 27, 2009

The enormous body of wisdom known as the Kabbalah can be intimidating at first. Here is one approach to studying the Kabbalah that helps simplify it for the beginner.

Jewish mysticism has had a cloud of mystery surrounding it for centuries. The masses and especially the youth were discouraged from studying the Kabbalah for the same reasons that most initiates guard their secrets: knowledge of the meaning of life can be a dangerous thing to those who want to use it for less noble purposes than the evolution of man’s consciousness. Greed, avarice, power, and other lower vibrational goals are not in alignment with the guardians of the holy occult mysteries of all major religious traditions worldwide.

With the ripening of the information age, the ancient wisdom of many cultures are much more accessible to the masses. But due to the complex nature of the universe, of creation, and of God/Man, the information is not easily understood at a glance.

There are dozens of books available on Kabbalah, Western Kabbalah, Jewish Mysticism, and the Tree of Life. Here is one approach to the Kabbalah that will help demystify the purpose and usefulness of the study for the beginner student.

The Tree of Life is a Great Starting Point of Reference for the Kabbalah

What is the Tree of Life? The Tree of Life is a diagram of all of the energies that make up the universe, God, and man. The Tree of Life is a map of the microcosm and macrocosm. The meaning of the phrase “as above, so below” is inherent in this diagram of the ten energy aspects of the Divine.

The diagram of the Tree of Life consists of ten spheres called Sephiroth that map out the ascension of dense matter into spirit, or conversely, the descension of spirit into matter. In other words, it is a map of the process of how God manifests creation. It is a map of how man can reconnect with God through evolution of spirit into finer and finer frequencies of God’s energies.

The Spheres, or Sephiroth of the Tree of Life Represent Levels of Consciousness

What do the sephiroth represent? Each sphere on the diagram represents a level of man’s consciousness. Each sphere is an archetype of one aspect of God’s energies. Archetypes are energetic blueprints, or quintessential representations of a quality of energy (e.g. mercy, victory, etc.).

Students of the Kabbalah can use the spheres as a tangible gateway to each level of consciousness. Meditation on each sphere’s energy is one way to connect with that aspect of God, of the Divine, and of the evolution potential of man.

Pathworking with the Kabbalah for Personal Growth and Evolution of Consciousness

Pathworking is the term for the student who methodically moves through the spheres, one at a time, to experience and grow with the Divine energies. The ten spheres are also connected by paths, each with its own Divine energetic aspects.

Balance is the key to pathworking with both the Kabbalah and the Tarot, as too much of one energy can prove harmful, disruptive, and even dangerous. The serious student will move through the Tree of Life with earnestness and discipline. Jesus Christ is quoted in the Christian Bible as extolling the student, “Seek and ye shall find.”

Study the Tree of Life as an introductory entrance into the vast body of knowledge known as the Kabbalah. Study the Tree of Life and ye shall find, seeker of truth.

Understand and revere the sephiroth as holy, divine energies to be tapped into and experienced. This method of approach is only the beginning. This technique of study is a relatively superficial, yet beneficial way to break the ice with the Kabbalistic studies to make it less daunting and more relatable.

The copyright of the article Basic Kabbalah Overview for Beginner Students in Kabbalah Practices is owned by Angela Schnaubelt. Permission to republish Basic Kabbalah Overview for Beginner Students in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.