KABBALAH & THE TREE OF LIFE
Basic plan of the Tree showing the 3 pillars (dotted lines) and the Ten Sephiroth (circles) or Emanations.
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The Kabbalah is perhaps best thought of as a system of esoteric philosophy which includes psychology and cosmology. It’s well known glyph, the Tree of Life, is a means whereby any aspect of existence can be related to any other on many levels, both physical and non physical. Although deriving from Judaism, a study of its principles can thus be useful to anyone, regardless of religious persuasion.
For those coming to it from a Christian perspective a study of it can be very revealing. The Lord’s Prayer for example fits exactly on the Tree, each phrase relating to the nature of the Sephirah on which it goes in descending order down the Tree. Obviously an understanding of the nature of the Sephiroth (plural of Sephirah) is necessary in order to appreciate this.
Kabbalah has been described as the "Yoga of the West" and there are certainly many aspects to it which can be related to the eastern chakra system and forms of yogic practice. For example, in that philosophy the three main nadis or subtle energy channels that are aligned with the spine are called ida, sushumna and pingala and these find direct expression in the Kabbalistic pillars of severity, equilibrium and mercy on the Tree of Life. These latter can also be related to the Yin, Tao and Yang of Taoist philosophy,