The Levels of the Tree of Life
Part 2
Tiphareth
The sphere of Tiphareth represents the first level of Adepthood. Here you have resolved the crisis of your disconnection to your higher self, you are now connected and capable of communication, though you do not yet primarily associate yourself with that self.
At the level of Tiphareth, in other words, you can regularly "hear" or "sense" the idea of being in the moment, and the reality that there is a certain behaviour and action that is correct at any given moment. This is one part of what the Buddha meant by "Right speech, right action, etc".
The difference between Tiphareth and Netzach is that at the level of Netzach you are only attaining to periodic moments of clarity in hearing your higher self. An adept is capable through his meditation discipline of hearing his higher self, of sensing what is right action, at any moment, at will.
Now that you are in "communication" with that higher self, the first spiritual challenge of this level is that of being willing to obey the precepts of that self. It does you no good to be able to sense what is right action in the moment if you refuse to trust that sense or choose that action.
Thus, it is pride that is the main danger of this level. Jesus expressed it as "your will, not mine, be done". As you do not yet associate with the higher self, you may feel as though what the higher self directs you to do is not what you would actually "like" to do, but what you "have" to do. The key of this level is in sacrifice, being willing to surrender the will of your ego to the guidance of your true will.
If you are capable of doing this, and begin to practice it consistently, you will over time begin to understand that you are not, as you thought, your ego; that is, although you exist as an ego being at a lower level, you also exist as your true will at a higher level.
That is an important secret of the Tree of Life. When I speak of "levels", I do not mean to say that they are in fact steps of some kind. They are co-extant. All the sephira exist at the same time and place, only at different dimensions. The revelation this brings is that all of us are animals, physical creations, ego-based entities, initiates, adepts and Buddhas, all the time, all at once. Thus there is no real difference between a being who is enlightened and a being who is not. Both exist as Buddhas, it is only that the enlightened being operates consciously at the higher levels, and the unenlightened being exists in the illusion that he does not.
Geburah
The next sphere in the progression up the Tree of Life is Geburah, the sphere of force. This is the level of what some schools call a "higher adept". Once you are capable of understanding the unity between your higher and lower selves you will begin to manifest what the Tantrists call Siddhis, or powers. At the level of Tiphareth you are capable of uniting your consciousness to your higher self, or sense of the moment. The result of this is that you are now a "centered" being, or what Gurdjieff termed "crystallized" or "with a true soul". Instead of existing as merely a wavering uncertain collection of conditionings and reactions to your experiences, you are now an individual with a true will, capable of true independent action in the moment, as opposed to mere reaction based on programming.
Due to this, an adept at this level will be capable of manifesting some abilities, understandings and energies that to someone on a lesser level would seem "supernatural". These are the Siddhis. Included in this is what eastern schools call the "opening of the third eye or celestial eye", the capability to sense deeply to the point of seemingly being able to read thoughts, sense other's emotions, easily tell if someone is lying or being truthful, or even apparently predict the future.
There are many other Siddhis or forms of manifestation, which will often depend upon the type of spiritual discipline one has practiced up to this point. Certain schools of Yogis are capable of incredible physical feats, as are the Taoist and Buddhist mystics of China who practice physical and energetic martial arts. The ability to work with Ki or the energy of life itself, may allow someone to seemingly cure illness or cause it. There are many other such "supernatural" powers, which are in fact not supernatural at all, but a manifestation of the true potential inherent in all human beings.
This all may sound difficult to believe. I do not ask you to believe it. On the contrary, you should not seek out spiritual practice with the hopes of being able to do such things. These Siddhis may also sound wonderful and highly desireable. But in reality these manifestations of power are the danger of the spiritual work at this level.
An adept who has manifested any such abilities must take great caution, toward himself and others. It is at this level that many dedicated students will betray their practice, teacher and school, believing that these trinkets of power will now provide them with happiness, fame, money, or the respect of others. Someone who acts this way will very quickly lose his centeredness, and fall down to acting from the level of ego.
It is important, when you have a gift (whether it seem magickal or not, whether it be a Siddhi or not) to apply that gift with great awareness. At this level of awareness one is not yet capable of acting free of consequence, or Karma. Though your connection to your higher self lets you know what is right action for you, it is also easy to lose sight of that in light of the temptation to impress others, or a genuine wish to help others.
The key for an adept at this level is above all to put little attachment in Siddhis when they manifest and continue to develop their connection to their true will through meditation practice. Only when your true will is clear, in the moment, that you should take action, should you in fact make use of your abilities.
In many cases simply because you can do something does not mean you should. This includes the question of helping others. Simply because you can do something that would seem to help a person is not reason to do it; if a person is suffering, or confused, it is often the case that they must strive to help themselves. Offering them salvation from their problem is usually a way to cripple their ability to grow and liberate themselves. This is why most often the best way to help someone is to show them how they can progress within themselves. But foremost, it is important to develop and trust in the sense of the moment, it will guide you to know what is right action.
Chesed
The sphere of Chesed is the sphere of the "exempt adept", the level where one has moved beyond the Siddhis and into a full communion with his true self. An adept at this level is now completely centred within themselves, and certain of right action. It is at this level that one is capable of sensing how that right action, the true will, is a force not limited to one's physical or ego bodies, but is instead a part of the totality of existence.
You cannot have "right action" for only yourself. For "right action" to exist it must mean that all of existence is a unity, flowing harmoniously and together. This vision of Unity is the central vision of the adept at this level. It is the vision of Love, and only a human being operating at this level is capable of truly understanding the mystical meaning of that word. Love and Unity are synonymous within mysticism.
The work at this level is thus to strive to unite one's own centred being with the universal force, the Mystery. This is the force that has been called Brahma by Krishna, Nirvana by the Buddha, The Kingdom by Jesus.
The challenge of this level of being is the challenge of enlightenment. In the Tree of Life it is said that there is a veil, an abyss, that blocks the top three Sephira (the Sephira of enlightenment) from the Sephira below. The act of enlightenment is "crossing the abyss". Up till this point the adept has progressed to his current state by dedicated practice of his spiritual discipline, and devotion to his school and guru. But these tools are of no use in the actual act of enlightenment.
Meditation, techniques, symbolism, all the teachings you may receive from a Master are not in fact ways to reach enlightenment. In reality, they are tools to prepare your individuality to reach a state where it is possible to achieve enlightenment. But in and of themselves they cannot get you there. You can practice meditation for a thousand lifetimes and not reach Nirvana.
The danger of this level is in the challenge of being able to surrender fully, to abandon the self for the purpose of uniting with the whole. However, this can not be done forcefully, or through any technique. An adept at this level may react with a kind of desperation, out of the ultimate desire, the desire for enlightenment itself. Thus, they will achieve an obsession, which will only draw them away from centeredness. Some adepts at this stage fall back to the level of ego, feeling that they must already have achieved enlightenment and are already masters. Others will try to give up and try to abandon their spiritual discipline completely out of frustration, though anyone who has reached this level cannot truly abandon their attainment. Both of these reactions are in fact forms of extreme attachment.
It is not possible to clearly express crossing the abyss in words, it can only be said as a guide that there is no means whatsoever of reaching enlightenment through any effort.
Only when you leave effort, does awakening occur.