Yesod (
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...
: יְסוֹד ''Yəsōḏ'',
Tiberian: ''Yăsōḏ'', "foundation") is a
sephirah or node in the
kabbalistic Tree of Life
The tree of life is a fundamental archetype in many of the world's mythology, mythological, religion, religious, and philosophy, philosophical traditions. It is closely related to the concept of the sacred tree.Giovino, Mariana (2007). ''The ...
, a system of Jewish philosophy.
Yesod, located near the base of the Tree, is the sephirah below
Hod and
Netzach, and above
Malkuth (the kingdom). It is seen as a vehicle allowing movement from one thing or condition to another (the power of connection).
Yesod, Kabbalah, and the Tree of Life are Jewish concepts adopted by various philosophical systems including Christianity, New Age Eastern-based mysticism, and Western esoteric practices.
Jewish Kabbalah
According to Jewish
Kabbalah, Yesod is the foundation upon which God has built the world. It also serves as a transmitter between the sephirot above, and the reality below. The light of the upper sephirot gather in Yesod and are channelled to Malkuth below. In this manner, Yesod is associated with the sexual organs. The masculine Yesod collects the vital forces of the sephirot above, and transmits these creative and vital energies into the feminine Malkuth below. Yesod channels, Malkuth receives. In turn, it is through Malkuth that the earth is able to interact with the divinity.
Yesod plays the role of collecting and balancing the different and opposing energies of
Hod and
Netzach, and also from
Tiferet above it, storing and distributing it throughout the world. It is likened to the 'engine-room' of creation. The
Cherubim is the
angelic choir connected to Yesod, headed by the
Archangel Gabriel
In the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam), Gabriel ( ) is an archangel with the power to announce God's will to mankind, as the messenger of God. He is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament and the Quran. Many Chris ...
. In contrast, the
demon
A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in folklore, mythology, religion, occultism, and literature; these beliefs are reflected in Media (communication), media including
f ...
ic order in the
qlippothic sphere opposite of Yesod is Gamaliel.
Other systems
Esotericism
In
Western esotericism
Western esotericism, also known as the Western mystery tradition, is a wide range of loosely related ideas and movements that developed within Western society. These ideas and currents are united since they are largely distinct both from orthod ...
, according to the writer
Dion Fortune, Yesod is considered to be "of supreme importance to the practical occultist...the Treasure House of Images, the sphere of
Maya, Illusion."
[Fortune, ''The Mystical Qabalah'', p. 1.]
References
External links
Sefirot Yesod (at Inner.org)Yesod: The Translator{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509063454/http://www.aish.com/spirituality/kabbala101/Kabbala_21__-_Yesod_The_Translator.asp , date=2008-05-09
Lessons in Tanya
Sefirot
Kabbalistic words and phrases
Jewish symbols
Christian Kabbalah
Hermetic Qabalah
Kabbalah