Chesed, she said

[Guest guest]

drpatsant wrote:

> Thanks, Rain. I made an uninformed guess of a similar kind, but hadn't a clue

how else it might be spelt, so didn't get anywhere Being completely ignorant

(apologies to those who aren't) about such things, do I guess further that the

'k' in the word would be or should be silent? In the original? In its applied

form as used originally on this list? Helps if you want to be able to say it, I

think.

>

>

The KH or CH is a palatized sound--kind of like hawking to spit, but

gentler. So it's

kheh-sed -- never been sure of the syllable accent. In the Jewish

(i.e., authentic, non-Hollywoodized) version of Qabala, /Chesed/ is

one of the " spheres " or life-

principles on the Tree of Life, which is a deep and wonderful diagram of how

life came about and is meant to work.

Here's what it looks like: *http://tinyurl.com/r4fjjg**

*

Among other things, it' 's got

three pairs of opposites that this system says people are intended to

work at balancing: /

 

Chokmah /(force, raw energy) is across from /Binah/, form, restraint.

/Chesed/ (mercy) is across from /Geburah/ (strict justice ).

/Hod /(intellect) is across from /Netzach /( " Splendor " , meaning

emotion

and sensuality.)

 

They come from /Kether /at the top; to oversimplify really horribly,

that's

the Great Void out of which creation came.

 

They all meet at the center sphere, /Tiphareth/, " the Sun " , balance and

confident

action

 

But here's the kicker: on this balanced, confident energy's way down

the tree

to /Malkuth, /at the bottom, " the World " , the place where wishes and

work bring a good life, they have to pass through /Yesod, / " the

Moon " , meaning both the deep mind with all the

demons and angels it contains, and the mysterious, where the potential

for magic

and deep change live. /Yesod /is a voluntary loss of some of that

/Tiphareth /control

so we can look into the more shaded recesses of ourselves and come out

stronger.

 

And each the paths between the spheres represents a very " deep "

meditation subject

about the relationship of the one to the other. I would think someone

could meditate on the Paths for a lifetime and not exhaust all they

hold; I know people e do try, but many are put off by the impenetrable,

incomprehensible writing of the traditional Jewish Qabalists on the

one hand and the foofy Hollywood crap on the other. There are books in

the middle, though, and one in particular is wonderful. Holler offlist

if you want the title.

 

Yikes, I do run on. Sorry, I just find this subject fascinating. <blush>

 

Rain

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