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Path of Vau

This document provides information about Kabbalah and the Tree of Life. It discusses the 22 paths of the Tree of Life which correspond to the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Each path connects different Sephiroth, which represent spiritual concepts, and three pillars make up the Tree, symbolizing different forces. The document then discusses how the paths relate to Tarot archetypes, with the Path of Vau being connected to the Hierophant card. It provides details on the meaning and significance of Vau and the Hierophant.

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1K views3 pages

Path of Vau

This document provides information about Kabbalah and the Tree of Life. It discusses the 22 paths of the Tree of Life which correspond to the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Each path connects different Sephiroth, which represent spiritual concepts, and three pillars make up the Tree, symbolizing different forces. The document then discusses how the paths relate to Tarot archetypes, with the Path of Vau being connected to the Hierophant card. It provides details on the meaning and significance of Vau and the Hierophant.

Uploaded by

diamath8755
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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KABBALAH

The Tree of Life:


The 22 paths of The Tree of Life ("Etz Haim") in Kabbalah reflect
the 22 primeval vibrations that formed the Hebrew Alphabet.
Thus, sound, form and meaning are all coordinated in one
cohesive whole. Each is a different manifestation of a singular
profound essence. As you see in the image, the Tree seamlessly
embeds within the geometrical form known as the Flower of Life,
which is evident throughout living systems and represented in
countless ancient cultures. Take a moment to feel the sign-
ificance of this universal recognition of coherence.

The Paths and the Alphabet:


The 22 letters/vibrations/paths within the Tree of Life connect the
Sephiroth (the spherical points of the Tree): these key vibrational patterns are “emanations” and
represent the powers of the soul. Each of the 10 Sephira is defined and acts as a chain of
emanation, with each unfolding and evolving the next: each Sephira relates and mediates the
influence of the others. They are: Kether (“crown”), Chokmah (“wisdom”), Binah (“under-
standing”), Chesed (“kindness/mercy”), Geburah (“severity”), Tiphereth (“beauty/harmony”),
Netzach (“victory”), Hod (“glory/spendor”), Yesod (“foundation”), Malkuth (“kingdom”).

The 22 paths connecting the Sephiroth consist of:


• 3 "Mother Letters" (Aleph, Mem, Shin): These represent Awareness.
• 7 "Double Letters" (Beth, Gimel, Daleth, Kaph, Pe. Resh, Tau): These represent Space.
• 12 "Simple Letters" (Hey, Vau, Zain, Cheth, Teth, Yod, Lamed, Nun, Samekh, Ayin, Tzaddi,
Qof): These reflect the 12 constellations of the zodiac and represent Time.

The Pillars:
Three vertical pillars comprise the Tree of Life. The Pillars are a diagrammatic representation of the
3 fundamental forces of life: positive/+, negative/-, and neutral/0.
• The LEFT Pillar is the pillar of SEVERITY-DESTRUCTION. This is the black feminine pillar of
passivity, form, contraction, restriction, matter, and is the negative pole of the Tree. The
Sephira Binah, Geburah and Hod comprise this pillar.
• The RIGHT Pillar is the pillar of MERCY-CREATION. This is the white masculine pillar of activity,
force, expansion, movement, energy, and is the positive pole of the Tree. The Sephira of
Chokmah, Chesed and Netzach comprise this pillar.
• The MIDDLE Pillar is the pillar of MILDNESS-HARMONY. This is the central pillar that has no
charge. It is cosmic awareness, consciousness, equilibrium, stillness, and the neutral
“present moment” pole of the Tree. The Sephira of Kether, Tiphereth, Yesod and Malkuth
comprise this pillar. The non-Sephira Da'ath is also on this Pillar.
_________________________________________________________

You are walking The Path of Vau.


Vau is the 6th path within the Tree of Life and the 6th letter of the Hebrew Alphabet. (It is
also recognized as "16" when all elements of the Tree are considered, including each of
the foundational 10 Sephira: this is known as “The 32 Paths of Wisdom”.) Vau, meaning
"nail” or “hook" in Hebrew, as well as the conjunction “and”, is a letter/sound/path
symbolizing connection and transformation.

www.TheAlchemyofHolism.com  
Vau connects the 2nd Sephira of Chokhmah
(representing the qualities of Wisdom and
which is associated with the Zodiac as a
whole entity) with the 4th Sephira of Chesed
(representing the qualities of Mercy and
Kindness and which is associated with the
planet Jupiter). This path of Vau is the path of
The Hierophant – a path of learning and
teaching cosmic law.

You as Vau are here to embody the


connection between expansive benevolent
Jupiter and the whole of the Zodiac. Your
journey is about being the nail that joins the
immaterial with the material – merging
spiritual realities with manifest form. You as
the nail of Vau are on a journey to secure
Spirit into the four physical manifestations of
matter (earth, air, fire, water) and to bring the
sacred into third dimensional reality and into
everyday experience.

22 Kabbalah Paths and 22 Tarot Archetypes:


The Kabbalistic wisdom tradition and the Tarot are inextricably linked by the form,
function, enigmatic meaning, and quantity of “22”. There are 22 Kabbalah paths and 22
major arcana Tarot archetypes. Although the origination portal providing this link can be
glimpsed and intuited, what we know for certain is that a (natural, inherent) alignment
between the two exists that speaks to the evolutionary processes of life.

The Path of Vau is directly linked to the Tarot archetype of “The Hierophant”.

According to Ann Skea:


“The Hierophant is like a lesser, worldly form of The High Priestess. Traditionally (but not necessarily)
male, the Hierophant is a channel for the Divine energies, a bridge between the Divine and the
Human, a man or woman who has direct access to the Sacred Wisdom and acts as a guide, a
mediator, a priestly figure who uses this Wisdom to help balancing the opposing poles of sacred
and profane in our world. The hierophantic spark in each of us is that intuitive wisdom which helps
us to find a balanced path between orthodox conformity and our inner sense of what is right;
between the worldly self and the spiritual self.

The Hierophant’s number in the Tarot is 5, the Pentacle, the number of Mankind. In traditional
Tarot cards he is shown as the Pope, seated before the pillars of the Temple, which is the worldly
house of the Divine spirit. Equally, he or she may be a prophet, a priest, a magus or a shaman.
The Path of the Hierophant lies midway down the Pillar of Mercy and joins Sephira 2, Chokmah
(Wisdom) to Sephira 4, Chesed (Mercy). Because of the numbers 2 and 4 (or 2 x 2), there is a
strong element of duality and ambivalence to this path. There is also a strong element of sacrifice
associated with the Hierophant, since (as the journeyer on this path must learn) this is the path of
spiritual growth and to accept the Divine energies and allow them to flow freely through oneself
to others is a dangerous and difficult task.

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The number of the Hierophant’s path is 6 (the sum of 2 +
4) which is the number of Tiphereth (The Way of Love,
Intuition and Divine inner knowledge). And the symbol
for this path is two intersecting triangles, making a six-
pointed star which appropriately suggests the inter-
connection of the Supernal Triangle of 1, 2 and 3 with
the worldly energies lower down the Sephirothic Tree.
This symbol reflects the Hermetic/Platonic principle “As
above, so below” and it is sometimes known as
Soloman’s Seal. Soloman, of course, was a hierophant,
as were all the other spiritual guides of Biblical, historical
and mythological renown.

The astrological sign for the Hierophant’s path is Taurus,


the Bull linking it with the Minoan Dionysus, ‘The Bull
God’ of sacrifice and rebirth.

The Hebrew letter for this path, Vau (meaning ‘nail’),


symbolizes both sacrifice and the steadfast link
between the Divine and Mankind. It stands for the
created Son, the lesser countenance of the Divine
Source. We are all sons and daughters of that Source
and fragments of that original Unity, thus we all carry its
energies within us. Traditionally, however, the
hierophant, prophet or spiritual leader is “called” to
their task.”

Vau is your path.

www.TheAlchemyofHolism.com  

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