[Note: This was posted at 7:50pm CST, on 4/21/09. A version with pictures will be posted later tonight.]
HENOSIS, THEURGY, AND THE SEPHIROT:
NOTES ON THE HEMATICS
OF THE ISLAND 'TREE OF LIFE'
AND THE REAL-WORLD VALENZETTI IS....
In my 4/16/09 "Hoth" posting I fleshed out a perspective for viewing Locke's metaphysical migrations as movements along a four-fold path of enlightenment on the Samsaric 'Wheel of Life', transmuting as he has from the second to the third stage of enlightenment. Accordingly, in that posting I noted the island's uniquely well-suited role in providing the material ground and energetic foundation for helping us move along this path of enlightenment. In the current posting I'll explore these relationships further, highlighting the deeper connections among mind, energy, and the material world, all playing out in an unfolding story of enlightenment and transcendence, on a fascinating island with powerful and dark undertones....
Henosis, Theurgy, And The Demiurge: Bonding With THE ONE, Dude-
On the surface, Locke's recent trials and tribulations cue obvious parallels with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. On a deeper level, per my "Hoth" posting, Locke's metaphysical migrations mirror key elements involved in moving from the second to third stage of enlightenment, in the Buddhist worldview. Deeper yet, this progression invokes a cyclical, ongoing process of movement from the MATERIAL WORLD to MIND to ENERGY, then back again. Key concepts at this core level of analysis are Henosis, Theurgy, Demiurge, and the Sephirot....
Locke's death and resurrection is more than just a mirroring of Christ or an illustration of movement from the second to the third stage of enlightenment; No, Locke's journey reflects a deeper story arc tying directly and intimately with the fundamental nature and character of the island, defined as it is through its unique energy properties and powers. In short, the island is a compelling and graphic image depicting the fundamental existential path traced by sentient beings in the universe, a progressive and cyclical movement between the MATERIAL WORLD, MIND, and ENERGY.
HENOSIS plays a key role in understanding the process underlying this movement:
"Each individual as a
microcosm reflects the gradual ordering of the universe referred to as the
macrocosm. In mimicking the demiurge (
divine mind), one unites with
The One or Monad. Thus the process of unification, of "The Being", and "The One", is called
Henosis. The culmination of Henosis is
deification. Deification here making each man a God by replacing the concept of God as creator with themselves as creators of their lives.... To get closest to the One, each individual must engage in divine work (
theurgy) according to
Iamblichus of Chalcis. This divine work can be defined as each individual dedicating their lives to making the created world and mankind's relationship to it, and one another, better. This is done by living a
virtuous life seeking after one's
Magnum opus. Under the teachings of Iamblichus (see the
Egyptian Mysteries), one goes through a series of
theurgy or
rituals that unites the initiate to the Monad. These rituals mimic the ordering of the chaos of the Universe into the material world or
cosmos. They also mimic the actions of the
demiurge as the creator of the material world."
As per my "Hoth" posting, through death and resurrection Locke is moving not only from the second to third stage of enlightenment: in addition, Locke is transmuting from a knife-wielding, weather prognosticating MAAHES (Egyptian Lion God) to an enlightened, spell-casting, theurgical THOTH (Egyptian Ibis creator/scribe/incantation God), moving ever closer through theurgical divine work
to deification and to unification with The ONE....
In addition to Locke knowing where to go to find Smokey, look for Locke to somehow know what words to say in order to invoke and direct the island's unique powers. This is Locke progressing along the path to enlightenment and unity, exercising THOTH-like powers of incantation, casting spells and conducting rituals to 'mimic the actions of the demiurge as the creator of the material world.' 1
In this sense, then we should not be surprised to see Richard Alpert performing incantations to invoke the island's powers (as in the case of saving young Ben in the Temple) and rituals to 'unite the initiate to the Monad'. I strongly suspect this is what happened to young Ben, per Alpert's telling remark regarding Ben's 'loss of innocence'.... Look for Locke to increasingly assume the role of an enlightened, mindful, spell-casting demiurge wannabe, as he further progresses along the path of enlightenment, per Iamblichus' teachings and the Henosis model for uniting with the ONE.
Of course, this path of progression presages yet another metaphysical migration for Locke in Season 6, as he moves from the third to fourth stage of enlightenment and as he fulfills the Henositic dream of fully uniting with the one:
"As is specified in the writings of
Plotinus, the highest stage of deification is
tabula rasa, or a blank state where the individual may grasp or merge with The Source (or The One, this process being henosis or unity).... It is the demiurge that is the nous in Plotinus. It is the demiurge (creator, action, energy) or nous that "perceives" and therefore causes the force (potential or One) to manifest as energy, or the
dyad called the material world. Nous as being, being and perception (intellect) manifest what is called soul (World Soul).... At the point of unity individuals become
energy, and are further then reduced to
force (once they are stripped of their person,
nous); the energy of individuals is then returned to the infinite
non-sentient force -- the Source or One -- and reamalgamated back into the Universe. The process then starts again and brings another part of the universe into line with the
Monad (see
Pantheism). Hence the demiurge as an intrinsic (immanence) concept (creator is the mind and therefore not outside the mind) does not exist (
per se) as anything but energy in force or a reflective duality that in the process of
perpetual recurrence is man himself." [
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henosis]
So yes, the island is the demiurge's node/nexus/presence on Earth, a unique place at which the NOUS/MIND manifests the ONE as ENERGY and as the MATERIAL WORLD. The island is the Earth's World Soul, i.e., the birthing place for souls as they enter this plane of existence, in a recurring cycle of emergence from the ONE and (re)unification with the ONE, (or as we perceive it as material, corporeal beings) of birth and death....
THE HENOSIC CYCLE OF EMERGENCE AND (RE)UNIFICATION-
The island's unique energy properties are particularly and precisely well-suited to serve as a node/nexus enabling an ongoing/recurring cycle of Emergence from, and (Re)Unification with, the ONE.
During the EMERGENCE phase, souls emerge from the ONE, moving from the one to become ENERGY. This is the first step of emergence and differentiation FROM the ONE.... This is where our disunification from the ONE produces our unique identities as persons, and this is the phase which constitutes the NOUS, the MIND, the realm of HEURISTICS with MIND constituted in and through distinct ENERGY patterns. It is easy to see how the island's unique and strong energy properties generates and sustains energy fields enabling the emergence of MIND-FUL SOULS, disunified and dedifferentiated from the ONE.
In the next step in the EMERGENCE phase, these MIND-FUL SOULS comprised of distinct energy patterns may be instantiated or INCARNATED in the MATERIAL WORLD, as corporeal beings. Of course, this step in the Emergence phase mirrors the profound act of mothers giving birth, a theme of no small importance to the show, to date. This is not surprising, given the prominent place of material incarnation of mindful sentience, in the ongoing HENOSITIC CYCLE of EMERGENCE and (RE)UNIFICATION with the ONE.... playing out on the visible stage, writ small, on the island....
One strong implication of the HENOSIS model is that the island's unique and strong powers may enable the transition from ENERGY-BASED MIND-FUL SOUL to MATERIAL/CORPOREAL BODY with ease and without our traditional view of how this transition is made, through mothers giving birth to their children.... On the view from Henosis, it is not surprising to see previously dead and departed SOULS like Christian Shephard, Charlie Pace, and Alex Rousseau appear in true flesh-and-blood materiality, as this is simply another path for our energy-based Mind/Soul to progress away from the ONE to the world of MATERIAL APPLICATIONS.
Indeed, I would not at all be surprised to witness the energy-enabled, discarnate MIND/SOUL of JACOB manifest like Richard Alpert, in corporeal form, walking among us on the island and even on the mainland.... Perhaps we will see this in some future episode of Lost....
Back to the cycle of emergence and (re)unification.... As per the above description of HENOSIS, the cycle involves a return phase or 'lifeloop' completing the circle of life, with persons transcending their material/corporeal existence, transmuting into pure MIND/SOUL energy, and ultimately melding/merging into primordial unity with the ONE....
From this view, we can see that Locke is taking steps along a return path to reunification with the ONE, retracing steps taken by JACOB and a myriad of others before him. JACOB and others on the island (Alpert, too?) exist as pure MIND/SOUL energy, and we are able to perceive aspects of their existence due in no small part to the strong and unique energy effects produced by the island which, of course, help to sustain the presence of these MINDS/SOULS on our 'plane' of Material existence....
In summary, from the view of HENOSIS, the island plays a crucial role in enabling the ongoing cycle of EMERGENCE and (RE)UNIFICATION with the ONE, with minds/souls emerging and differentiating from the One as discarnate sentience in fields of ENERGY, with the potential to fully emerge on the plane of MATERIAL existence, as minds/souls made incarnate or born into bodies..... The return or unification phase of this cycle plays out through the movement of the mind/soul away from the corporeal/material world, to the plane of existence as pure ENERGY. Ultimately, the mind/soul transitions from a plane of pure energy to a final dedifferentiating merger /unity with the ONE.... All in an ongoing cycle of Emergence and Unification....
Hmmm.... One non-trivial implication is that the island's status as an 'anomaly' may mean that in addition to it serving as an ENERGY ANOMALY, it may also be serving as an EXISTENTIAL ANOMALY, meaning that it is a unique and perhaps accidental/unintended node/nexus enabling those who have either EMERGED FROM THE UNITY/ONE or those who are progressing back to a REUNIFICATION WITH THE UNITY/ONE to remain in the PURE ENERGY MIND/SOUL plane of existence, indefinitely.... Now THAT would entail all sorts of intriguing implications not only for the show, but for our own lives, as well....
Is the island really an EXISTENTIAL MISTAKE, an accidental or unintended phenomenon that allows MINDS/SOULS to stop their movements from the material world and to the unity/one, perpetuating their existence as discarnate, pure energy Minds/Souls? If so, this might help to explain the power and presence of JACOB on the island, as well as those intriguing, whispering voices in the wilderness.... And it might help to explain not only Richard Alpert's agelessness, but also how CHRISTIAN SHEPHARD, CHARLIE PACE, ALEX ROUSSEAU and others who have 'moved on', are able to assume a distinctly material/corporeal presence, on the island and on the mainland..... as the island's unique energy properties provide an energy field capable of sustaining a level of discarnate sentience, a plane of existence qua pure energy Mind/Soul, stuck between our own material existence and Unity/The ONE....
If this turns out to be true, then the ability of pure energy MINDS/SOULS like JACOB to extend and perpetuate their existence on the material plane of this island Earth may be an aberrant EXISTENTIAL ANOMALY, fueled and sustained by the island's energy anomaly, providing these Minds/Souls with access to powerful material applications/effects, including the ability to become incarnate and walk among us, as Alpert has done, on the island and the mainland. Per this view, I would not be surprised to see JACOB walking among us in physical/tangible form, on the island and/or the mainland....
Bearing Fruit From The 'Tree Of Life' On The Island: The Sephirot-
Further key insights into the profound and powerful role of the island in enabling movement to and from the Unity/ONE may be found in the 'TREE OF LIFE' concept of the SEPHIROT (a.k.a. 'Sefirot') found in the Jewish Kabbalah and the Hermetic Qabbalah:
"
Hermetic Qabalah (from the
Hebrew קַבָּלָה "reception"), is a Western esoteric and mystical tradition. It is the underlying philosophy and framework for
magical societies such as the
Golden Dawn,
Thelemic orders,
mystical societies such as the
Builders of the Adytum and the
Fellowship of the Rosy Cross, and is a precursor to the
Neopagan,
Wiccan and
New Age movements.... Hermetic Qabalah draws on a great many influences, most notably:
Jewish Kabbalah,
Western astrology,
Alchemy,
pagan religions (especially
Egyptian and Greco-Roman from which the term "Hermetic" is derived),
neoplatonism,
gnosticism, the
Enochian system of angelic magic of
John Dee and
Edward Kelley,
hermeticism,
rosicrucianism,
Freemasonry,
tantra and the symbolism of the
tarot where the school was influential in the development of the occult interpretation of these cards. Hermetic Qabalah differs from the Jewish form in being a more admittedly
syncretic system, however it shares many concepts with Jewish Kabbalah."
In addition to the relevance of this approach for understanding the role of the island in helping minds/souls move between planes of existence in the material world, in energy, and in Unity/ONEness, the approach highlights an intrinsic and inherent connection to my Brotherhood of the Snake theory, with magical societies like the GOLDEN DAWN-- led by the infamous ALEISTER CROWLEY--fitting in quite nicely (and nefariously!) into the growing list of Brotherhood organizations.... 2
Back to the SEPHIROT.... As depicted in the diagram, the Sephirothic 'Tree of Life' is comprised of ten 'emanations of divine energy'-- known in the singular form as SEPHIRA-- manifesting and flowing from the original brilliant energy emanation at the very moment of Creation:
"Each sephirah is a nexus of divine energy and each has a number of attributions. These attributions enable the Qabalist to form a comprehension of each particular sephirah's characteristics. This manner of applying many attributions to each sephirah is an exemplar of the diverse nature of Hermetic Qabalah. For example the sephirah Hod has the attributions of; Glory, perfect intelligence, the eights of the tarot deck, the planet Mercury, the Egyptian god Thoth, the archangel Michael, the Roman god Mercury and the alchemical element Mercury." [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermetic_Qabalah]
One of the central aspects of this 'Tree of Life' is its depiction of energy flows through various SEPHIRA, along the central pillar in the diagram, from an 'unmanifest' Unity/ONE, to a 'manifest' world of the material realm. In the following section I'll flesh key point out further, drawing important connections to the role of the island in this very process. A second set of insights will emerge from an examination of the attributes for each of the ten Sephira found on the Tree of Life; Lost aficionados will no doubt derive some enjoyment from the challenge of detecting parallels between the Sephira and characters on Lost (including the island!)
The ISLAND plays a key role in the center pillar or column on the Sephorothic Tree of LIfe. Consistent with the HENOSIS view articulated above, the central pillar depicts a path of progression from unmanifest Creation, through various stages/forms of energy, to a manifestation in the material world:
"Each sephirah is considered to be an emanation of the divine energy (often described as 'the divine light') which ever flows from the unmanifest, through Kether into manifestation. This flow of light is indicated by the lightning flash shown on diagrams of the sephirotic tree which passes through each sephirah in turn according to their enumerations."
The Kether (a.k.a. 'Keter') is the highest energy form/emanation flowing from the first moment of Creation and, as such, it is the closest Sephira to the unmanifest Unity/ONE found in the Henosis view.... In this sense, KETER may correspond to the highest plane of energy-based sentience found in the universe (and on the island?):
"Keter is so sublime, it is called in the
Zohar "the most hidden of all hidden things", and is completely incomprehensible to man. It is also described as absolute compassion...
Dion Fortune describes Keter as pure consciousness, beyond all categories, timeless, a point that crystallises out of the Ein Soph, and commences the process of emanation that ends in Malkuth [Material Form].... As pure formless consciousness, it is often compared with the
Sahasrara chakra, in Indian
Shakta Tantra."
Has JACOB achieved this highest plane of energy-based existence? Or is someone or something else occupying that position on the island, and in the universe?
In short, the island appears to be functioning as a physical and energetic foundation enabling movement between the manifest material world and the broad expanse of unmanifest reality, progressing through a series of MATTER--ENERGY--MIND/SOUL states.(shades of HEMA, indeed!) These progressions may be variously construed as individuals:
* Moving forward through the Four Stage Path of Enlightenment (see my "Hoth" posting),
* Progressing through 'Wheel of Life' cycles of Emergence from, and Reunification with, the Unity/ONE (see above), and
* Moving along a myriad of paths between the ten Sephira on the Tree of LIfe, bridging the unmanifest with the manifest, progressing between various forms of energy in the process....
On this view, Locke's death and resurrection is but one stage in a series of steps aimed at moving up from: (1) the material world of our corporeal existence toward (2) existence as a MIND/SOUL in one of several possible forms of energy states (Sephira), ultimately resulting/resolving as (3) merging with the Unity/ONEness....
And JACOB's existence as a form of discarnate sentience on the island signals the operation of a 'KETER-like' higher-order MIND/SOUL, possessing the ability to leverage the island's power to move down the central pillar/column of the Tree of Life, at will, in order to make himself manifest/known to us in the material, corporeal realm, as Jacob incarnate on the island or the mainland (a MALKUTH).
And I suspect the same is true for the ageless RICHARD ALPERT, who is a material instantiation (a MALKUTH) of a higher-order, pure energy MIND/SOUL, existing on that higher plane through the island's energy field, and using that very same field to generate a material/corporeal manifestation of his Mind/Soul. This power, this ability to use the island's energy properties to move upward and downward along the central pillar of the Tree of Life, is the power that enabled Charlie Pace to materialize on the mainland to interact with Hugo, enabled Alex Rousseau to put that choke hold on Ben in Smokey's Lair, enabled someone (some higher Mind/Soul) to materialize the effect of the guns jamming on the mainland, saving Michael from certain death, and so forth....
Back to the central pillar on the Sephirothic Tree of Life.... If JACOB or some other yet-undisclosed higher-order entity occupies the KETER energy plane (Sephira) on the island, how does the island's energy help channel a movement from Keter to Malkuth (a.k.a. 'Malkhut'), from the highest order of pure-energy sentience to the lowest order of manifest existence, i.e., the material world?
While movement up the central pillar on the Tree of LIfe diagram (up the trunk, of the tree, as it were) represents a progression from lower to higher energy forms, movement downward on the Tree of Life diagram denotes a retrogression or a regression from higher to lower energy forms/existence. A key point here is that moving up and down the Sephirothic Tree of Life both require energy; these movements require different forms of energy transformation/transmutation, ultimately with the movement from Yesod to Malkuth requiring a shift from energy to matter. (And yes, Einstein's views are indeed relevant, here!)
Like the island, DA'AT plays a central, unique, and existentially anomalous role in the Tree of Life:
"
Daat or
Daas ("Knowledge",
Hebrew: דעת
'daʕaθ) in
Jewish mysticism, called
Kabbalah, is the location (the mystical state) where all ten
sephirot in the
Tree of Life are united as one.... Daat is not a sephirah, but rather is all ten sephirot united as one.... Daat is considered the point of creation, when the active principle of
Chokmah, 'wisdom', ( knowledge which comes from without ), meets with the passive principle of Binah, 'understanding', and creates the archetypal idea of 'knowledge'. These three are sometimes referred to as the "
superconscious". However, this sephirot is often not shown on the tree of life, and instead there is an empty space, straddling
The Abyss. In fact, there are often two trees depicted, one which shows Daat but not
Malkuth (the kingdom), and the other which shows Malkuth but not Daat. These are considered as being before
The Fall of Man, and after The Fall, in which the fruit of knowledge is taken from the tree, humanity loses paradise, and falls into the earthly state of suffering represented by Malkuth." [
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Da%27at]
So yes, for those who would construe the ISLAND as the Garden of Eden, the island does indeed occupy the DA'AT position on the Tree of Life, serving as a point of Creation as well as a portal for Creating, through recurring cycles of Emergence and Reunification with the Unity/ONE. Hmmm... considering the points made in the above quote, regarding the two trees of life, might not the ISLAND itself be profitably construed as THE LOST PARADISE resulting from the Fall of Humanity? And yes, how interesting to consider how this all links to the Brotherhood of the Snake theory of Lost.... LUCIFER, the NEPHILIM, etc....
"In comparing with Eastern systems, some compare Daath to the
Vishuddha chakra in the throat, concerned with creativity, and others compare it with the secretive
Bindu chakra at the back of the head, closely related to Vishuddha, which among other things is concerned with the point at which the universe was created. In some occult methods of thought,
Daat is a gateway which, upon passing through, inverts the qualities of the sephirothic spheres. The idea most likely derives from
Daat being situated upon
The Abyss.
Aleister Crowley described the abyss as such:
"This doctrine is extremely difficult to explain; but it corresponds more or less to the gap in thought between the Real, which is ideal, and the Unreal, which is actual. In the Abyss all things exist, indeed, at least in posse, but are without any possible meaning; for they lack the substratum of spiritual Reality. They are appearances without Law. They are thus Insane Delusions... Now the Abyss being thus the great storehouse of Phenomena, it is the source of all impressions." This leaves the impression that being situated upon that veil provides a gateway into "the void".... Because of Daat signifies the unity of all Sephirot, a very few Kaballists believe it was associated with the New Testament demon,
Legion, before they fell, or a polar opposite of it." [
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Da%27at]
Again, please note the telling connections to the 'dark side' of the island, discussed by many Lost aficionados in myriad forms, including my own Brotherhood of the Snake theory, with its Nephilimic/Fallen Angel backstory. Is the island playing a complex and powerful DA'AT role in the Tree of LIfe as we know it on this Earth and in the broader universe? And, as others have previously surmised, does this not tie back into the importance of the ancient Egyptian god THOTH, implicated as he is, in the Creation.... And is the dark side of this SEPHIROTHIC CONFLUENCE (DA'AT) a future 'reveal' that in addition to serving as a Jacob's Well/Tree of Life, the island also plays host to a dark Well of Lost Souls, a portal to the great ABYSS... Gehenna.... Hell....
Continuing our movement down the Tree of Life diagram, if KETER corresponds to the higher-order discarnate pure energy sentience of JACOB, and DA'AT serves a central light/dark, creative/destructive role as confluence of all other energy nodes, then TIFERET certainly has some distinctly LOCKEian overtones/parallels, to wit:
"Tiferet ("Adornment",
Hebrew: תפארת
ti'feʔɾɛθ) or Tifereth, Tyfereth, Tiphereth - also known as Rakhamim ("Mercy",
Hebrew: רחמים
ɾaħăm'im) or Shalom ("Peace",
Hebrew: שלום
ʃɔ'lom) - is the sixth
sefira in the
Tree of Life in
Kabbalah, which is the spirituality of
Rabbinic Judaism. It has the common association of "
Spirituality", "
Balance", "
Integration", "
Beauty", "
Miracles", "
Compassion", and "
Masculinity".... Tiferet is unique amongst the Sephirot as it is connected to all the other Sephirot (except Malkuth and Daath) via the subjective paths of the unconscious. Its position down the center between Keter and Yesod indicates to many Kabbalists that it is somewhat of a "converting" Sephirot between form (Yesod) and force (Keter). In other words, all crossing over the middle path via Tiferet results in a reversed polarity. The law of conservation of energy and mass tends to corroborate this - in all cases of energy transmutation, a
sacrifice is necessary so a new form may be born.... In Christian Cabala,
Tiphereth is especially associated with
Jesus Christ, 'God the Son' (as opposed to
Kether, which is God the father, and
Yesod, the
Holy Spirit). This is because this is the Sephirah in which the divine force 'sacrifices' itself, transmutating into the forces of energy and matter, in order that creation might come to be. It is the sephirah in which 'God becomes a mortal man'. Illustrative of the process of Tipharet is Jesus' teaching in the book of John "No one comes to the Father except through me". [
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiferet]
So yes, it is easy to see how JOHN LOCKE is manifesting not only the Sephira of TIFERET-- through the sacrifice of his Christ-like death and resurrection-- but also through his progression up the central pillar/trunk of the Tree of Life, from material/corporeal MALKUTH to YESOD (see below), and now to TIFERET. Only JACOB occupies a higher plane of energetic/dimensional existence on the island.... More precisely, what we appear to be witnessing on Lost is the progressive transmutation/transmigration of Locke's MIND/SOUL from a lower material/corporeal/Malkuthian state to a higher energy level of YESOD, and we may yet see Locke complete the metaphysical migration to Christ-like TIFERET, all enabled by the island's unique energy properties which, in turn, enable the island to provide the necessary energy and powers to enable movement up and down the central pillar/trunk in the Tree of Life....
YESOD is a concept that Lost devotees will find VERY interesting....
"The sephirah of yesod translates spiritual concepts into actions that unite us with God.... It plays the role of collecting and balancing the different and opposing energies of Hod and Netzach, and also from
Tiphereth above it, storing and distributing it throughout the world. It is likened to the 'engine-room' of creation.... Occultists compare it with the idea of '
Ether', from the traditional elements, and it is the cross-over from consciousness to matter. For that reason, some occultists compare it with the modern-day concept of a
quantum field, pointing to the different theories suggesting that in
quantum mechanics, human consciousness plays a vital role in physical processes."
Here I would most definitely invoke the island as YESOD, this time focusing on the ENERGY-MATTER transfer capabilities arising from its unique energy properties, in particular: the electromagnetic energy field, the Casimir Effect, and the ZERO POINT FIELD which may be operating on the island (enabling substantial progress up the Tree of Life, toward realizing Teilhard de Chardin's OMEGA POINT?) YESOD is the Sephirothic enumeration of the island's profound and powerful ENERGY-MATTER boundary-spanning function, enabling Richard Alpert, Christian Shephard, Charlie Pace, Alex Rousseau, and in some future episode, JACOB(?) to materially manifest their higher-order, pure energy MINDS/SOULS on our Earthly/corporeal/Malkuthian plane....
I won't spend as much time on the remaining Sephira, but you can see how the Tree of Life helps explain some of the key dynamics we've been witnessing on Lost, to date... BINAH sounds like it may involve some form of a cross or combination of ELOISE HAWKING and JULIET:
"Binah is "processed wisdom," also known as deductive reasoning.... Binah is associated with the
feminine. This feminine association is not just used amongst the modern movements. “For you shall call Understanding a Mother.” This point was reflected in the Jewish Kabbalistic work
Bahir. Classical Jewish texts state
Binah yeterah natun l'nashim ("an extra measure of Binah was given to women").... The aspect or attribute of being associated with the feminine, is why Binah is often associated with various occult things that reflect the females. It is related to the Yoni, and to the womb. It is related to the priestess card in the
occult tarot (according to
Arthur Edward Waite's "Pictorial Key to the Tarot") and
Liber 777 associating it with
Isis,
Cybele,
Demeter,
Rhea,
Woman,
The Virgin Mary,
Juno,
Hecate,
Yoni," [
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binah_(Kabbalah))]
If not Eloise or Juliet, we may find that the ISIS connection contained in the above quote points us to someone like KAREN DeGROOT, or perhaps even the mother of HORACE/HORUS, a yet-to-be disclosed Ms. GOODSPEED, with ALVAR HANSO as a candidate for Horace's father, playing OSIRIS to Ms. Goodspeed's ISIS....
The GEVURAH energy node on the Tree of LIfe gets very interesting, especially since... well, let's see if you think along the same lines that I did, after having read this description:
"Gevurah is known as "
strength, "
judgment", "
power", and "concealment". It's usually "strength" or "power" and "judgment" when using the name
din (which means "judgment" in
Hebrew).... Gevurah is usually understood as God's mode of punishing the wicked and judging humanity in general. It is the foundation of stringency, absolute adherence to the letter of the law, and strict meting out of justice. This stands in contrast to chesed.
We thus speak of God's primary modes of action as being the kindness and unaccountability of chesed, versus the stringency and strict accountability of gevurah. It is called "strength" because of the power of God's absolute judgment."
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gevurah]
Yes, of course, I know you thought of it, too.... It's our dear ol' ethereal pal with his catacombical templar lair.... SMOKEY! And you'll never guess who occupies the position right below Smokey in the Tree of Life energy grid.... as HOD:
"Hod is described as being a force that breaks down energy into different, distinguishable forms, and it is associated with intellectuality, learning and ritual.... Hod is said to be the sphere in which the magician mostly works. An example is given by Dion Fortune. Imagine primitive man is meditating in the wilderness, and comes in contact, begins to understand, some energy which surrounds him. In order that he can grasp it better, he creates some form, perhaps the form of a god or a symbol, in order to have something with which he can relate. He then uses that statue or that symbol in future ceremonies in order to get in contact with that intangible energy once again. This is the role that Hod plays in magic.... [Aleister Crowley's Liber] 777 associates Hod to the Four Eights of occult tarot, Anubis, Thoth, Hanuman, Loki, Hermes, Mercury, Jackal. Hermaphrodite, Opal, Storax, and quicksilver." [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hod_(Kabbalah))]
Yes, fans of the RICHARD ALPERT is ANUBIS or THOTH club will resonate with the parallels among the above HOD description and the attributes of Alpert, both as displayed and as inferred. As per my 4/16/09 "Hoth" posting, I would not be surprised to see LOCKE taking on more HOD-like attributes. Hmmm.... While some have surmised that it is Alpert's visage gracing the FOUR-TOED STATUE, how interesting to consider that if Alpert is playing a HOD role, he may have been instrumental in creating and using that statue to 'get in contact with that intangible energy once again.'
Moving to the right-hand pillar/column on the Tree of Life, there are only three remaining Sephira for our consideration..... CHOKHMAH is directly to the right of KETER, and if I over-estimated JACOB's place in the Universe (and on the island), this is where JACOB then belongs:
"Chokhmah, the second of the ten sefirot, is the first power of conscious intellect within Creation.... Chokhmah is associated in the soul with the power of intuitive insight, flashing lightning-like across consciousness. The partzuf of Abba Ila'ah is associated with the power to spontaneously extract such insight from the superconscious realm, whereas the partzuf of Yisrael Saba is associated with the power to subsequently direct it into consciousness. The "wisdom" of Chokhmah also implies the ability to look deeply at some aspect of reality and abstract its conceptual essence till one succeeds in uncovering its underlying axiomatic truth.... Western occultists describe Chokhma as the creative, active principle behind the cosmos.... In Aleister Crowley 's Liber 777, Chokhma is represented as The Four twos of the Tarot, Illuminating, Thoth, Vishnu, Joy, Odin, Uranus, Athena, God the Father, Man, Amaranth, VIAOV, Star Ruby, Lingam, Hashish, Phosphorus, Musk, and Yang." [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chokhmah_(Kabbalah))]
These attributes certainly are not without relevance to the island inhabitants' reliance on JACOB's judgment, will, and discernment regarding the proper course of action(s).... And the THOTH connection certainly fits with that Egyptian god's role in Creation. It will indeed be interesting to see when/if the Lost creative combine includes an Alpert-like corporeal manifestation of Jacob in some future Lost episode and, if so, how this 'person' relates to the people and surroundings....
CHESED, while not traditionally thought of in feminine terms, brought to my mind at least one of the female characters on Lost:
"Chesed ("Kindness"; חסד) is the fourth Sephirah on the tree of life in the Kabbalah of Judaism. It is given the association of kindness and love, and is the first of the emotive attributes of the Sephirot.... Chesed translated as "kindness" is often thought of as being synonymous with niceness, but the connotation of Chesed is much deeper. Chesed can be properly described as an act that has no "cause." Chesed is proactive – it is the initiator of interaction, and must therefore be the first in the sephirot of action. Chesed deals with the level of the visible, and in the chain of social dynamics is the primary spark that initiates subsequent action." [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chesed]
Yes, who on Lost has a demonstrated focus on kindness and love, accompanied by a distinct predilection for action, proaction, even action without a cause.....? The first thought that came to my mind was.... KATE....! Taking care of Aaron out of kindness and love (yes, I know it helped her out, too), coupled with a tendency to act/proact.... leaving/fleeing the scene.... And last but not least.... we have the Sephira of NETZACH:
"Netzach is paired with Hod and comprises the third group of sephirot, the "tactical" sefirot, meaning that their purpose is not inherent in themselves, but rather as a means for something else.... Understanding the attributes of Netzach and Hod gives us a new perspective into understanding what is happening in the world. No longer do we merely look at an act at face value, and attempt to understand it as such, but we must look at it also in terms of "a means to an end.... Netzach refers to actions of God that are chesed, "kindness," in essence, but are presented through a prelude of harshness.... It is retribution —Gevurah, "strength/restraint," in essence, but presented by a prelude of pleasantness. Netzach is "endurance," the fortitude, and patience to follow through on your passions. It is paired with Hod as the godly attributes related to group interactivity, with Netzach being leadership, the ability to rally others to a cause and motivate them to act; while Hod is community, the ability to do the footwork needed to follow through on ideas and make them happen." [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netzach]
WOW..... Now WHO does this sound like! Hmmmm.... 'Not looking at an act at face value', but also 'as a means to an end'.... Anything ring a bell? Yes, it's time to give a shout out to that Eggtown masta of manipulanda... BEN.... ! Acts of 'kindness' presented 'through a prelude of harshness'.... Retribution, 'presented by a prelude of pleasantness'.... Oh yeah... sounds like Ben to me....
In summary, the SEPHIROT (Tree of LIfe) is an intriguing framework or lens through which to view Lost, lending insights ranging from surface behaviors to the depths of cosmological surmises.... all linked to the island's unique energy properties, enabling movement up and down the central Sephirothic pillar, the VERY TRUNK OF THE TREE OF LIFE, helping to explain the island-assisted movements from Material Applications to Energy to Mind/Soul (Heuristics).... HEMA Theory, indeed....!
And In This Corner... The Real Life Valenzetti Is...
HISTORY CHANNEL fans no doubt caught the NEXT NOSTRADAMUS special last December, showcasing one BRUCE BUENO de MESQUITA (a.k.a. 'BDM') as the titular prognosticator, able to leap the tall twin towers of uncertainty and improbability, rendering an astounding 90% plus accuracy rate in his predictions for future events! If anyone is a viable candidate as a real-world model for the Valenzetti behind the famous Lost equation, this guy is it....
Please check out the following sites for more information on his fascinating work, and its relevance to Lost:
http://www.goodmagazine.com/section/Features/the_new_nostradamus
http://www.history.com/shows.do?action=detail&episodeId=428212
May the Thoth be with you....
Dr. Todd J. Hostager
---------------------------------------------------------
ENDNOTES:
1. One example of a demiurge in popular literature is SOPHIA, from Philip K. Dick's masterpiece, Valis.... Sophia was VALIS incarnate, the messiah, a child.
Of course, some have likened her to AARON or JI YEON, in Lost....
2. Aleister Crowley was famously dubbed The Wickedest Man In The World:
"
Aleister Crowley, born
Edward Alexander Crowley (pronounced
/ˈkroʊli/), (12 October 1875 – 1 December 1947), was an
English occultist,
writer,
mountaineer,
poet,
spy and
yogi.
[1] He was an influential member of several occult organizations, including the
Golden Dawn, the
A∴A∴, and
Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.),
[2] and is best known today for
his occult writings, especially
The Book of the Law, the central sacred text of
Thelema. Crowley was also a
chess player,
painter,
astrologer,
hedonist,
bisexual,
drug experimenter, and
social critic." [
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleister_Crowley]