(iii) The Door to the World of the Spirit
The highest three spheres on the Tree of Life make up what is known as the Supernal Triad.
Metaphorically speaking, the Supernal Triad exists on a higher plane, above the affairs of mundane reality, fitting in well with the location of the three landmarks on the literal higher plane of Ilkley Moor.
Leaving the car in the shadow of the Cow and Calf Rocks, Paul and I set off on our trek. A short climb takes us past the entrance to Hangingstone Quarry and up onto the broad expanse of the moor, where the part melted snow clings to the heather like a veil, gleaming brightly beneath the sinking sun.
As we walk, I tell Paul of the Tree of Life research, and the strange coincidences in which he has played a major role.
After a while, we come to an intriguing landmark: a flat stone embedded in the earth, marked on its upper surface with grooves and hollows.
For a while we linger over the stone, trying to make sense of the markings. There is a sense that it should be obvious, and yet the meaning remains elusive. Perhaps a map, but of what we cannot say. Flat to the ground, the stone has the appearance of a trapdoor leading into the moor.
I will be reminded of this when I come to read about the path between Binah and Chokmah on the Tree of Life. The Hebrew letter associated with this path is Daleth, which means Door.
(THE FOURTEENTH PATH)
The Fourteenth Path is described as “the Door to the world of the Spirit.”
The literature states that this path is of great importance because the two spheres Binah and Chokmah are best understood as a pair. Together they represent archetypal polarity, the basis upon which the entire universe is built. To begin with all is One, as represented by Kether. From this dimensionless point of infinite potential emerges pure, dynamic Force: the quality of the Universal Father: the second sphere, Chokmah. The subsequent organisation of Force into patterns and arrangements marks the beginnings of Form, a process attributed to the third sphere, Binah. In mythological language, it is in the womb of the Universal Mother that Force is bound into Form.
By the time we reach the Twelve Apostles it is nearing dusk, a crescent moon hanging low in the darkening sky. Paul and I take a few moments to explore the site before retracing our path. We have not gone far when, putting my foot down upon the uneven, frosty path, there’s a sharp pain and the sensation of something snapping as my foot buckles and I fall heavily to the ground. I have broken my ankle.
One sentence will have particular resonance…
On the 14th Path we have the great might of the Spirit impelling itself down into Form.
Gareth Knight, A Guide to Qabalistic Symbolism Vol II
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