The Path of the Serpent
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In my reading of The Golden Dawn I've come across a diagram called "The Serpent on the Tree of Life," which shows a specific path leading from Kether to Malkuth.
My initial researches have turned up nil, so can someone explain to me the significance of this?
Thanks.
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as far as I know, The Path of the Serpent goes upward, The Flaming Sword downward on the Tree.
couldn't find now a better source on the net exept this
www.webofqabalah.com/swordandserpent.html,and also this from Thelemapedia:
"The Sword and the Serpent
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The Flaming Sword follows the downward course of the Sephiroth, and is compared to the Lightning Flash. Its hilt is in Kether and its point in Malkuth.The Serpent of Wisdom follows the course of the paths or letters upwards, its head being thus in Aleph, its tails in Tau. Aleph, Mem, and Shin, are the Mother letters, referring to the Elements; Beth, Gimel, Daleth, Kaph, Pe, Resh, and Tau, the Double letters, to the Planets; the rest, Single letters, to the Zodiac. "
direct link to the article (it's the article about the TOL):
www.thelemapedia.org/index.php/Tree_of_Life:The_TreeI'll search my library and try to find both diagrams to post them here
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You can do a google image search for 'path of serpent tree of life' and see what it is.
I don't know much practically about it as an initiatory path, but it involves ascending from tail to head in the order that the serpent touches the paths...
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Is the question about the design of the serpent's twining? This is based on touching the 32 Paths in reverse order.
Yes, the serpent (touching the Paths and ascending the Tree) is the complement and completion of the lightning flash (touching the sephiroth and descending the Tree).
Since you found this in the GD rituals, note that the explanation is given in the ritual (both the 2=9 and 5=6).
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@Jim Eshelman said
"Is the question about the design of the serpent's twining? This is based on touching the 32 Paths in reverse order.
Yes, the serpent (touching the Paths and ascending the Tree) is the complement and completion of the lightning flash (touching the sephiroth and descending the Tree).
Since you found this in the GD rituals, note that the explanation is given in the ritual (both the 2=9 and 5=6)."
I see. So this twining represents a certain evolution of energy on the Tree? Also, is the lighting flash the same as the Flaming Sword?
