1. CHESED- loving kindness
Translation: Love, Lovingkindness, Compassion, Greatness, Grace.
Description: Chesed represents being in the flow, in a time of ease, love and comfort
Human Imagery: Right arm,, shoulder, lung.
Biblical Person: Miriam dancing through the parted waters. Abraham inviting you into his abundant orchard.
Color: White.
Other Symbols and Images: Upper waters, Water. Lion. Silver. South.
-based on David Seidenberg- Neo-Hasid- http://www.neohasid.org/kabbalah/symbols/
2- GEVURAH
Translation: Strength, Loyalty, Returning, Judgment, Power, Surrender
Description: This Sefirah represents the strength and courage needed to return again and again, to do T'shuvah, to yearn day and night for the Beloved. Focus, structure, boundaries, internal discipline and schedule.
Human Imagery : Left arm and hand
Biblical Figures: Leah's yearning for love, and Isaac's courage and surrender on the Mountain of Vision
Color: Red.
Other Symbols and Images: The Loyal Friend, The Heavenly Court. North. Awe. Great fire, Consuming fire. Gold. Bread, Salt, Wine, Meat. Serpent. Darkness, Night, Cloud, Mist. The Bronze Altar. Mars. Monday.
-based on Rebbe Nachman and David Seidenberg- Neo-Hasid- http://www.neohasid.org/kabbalah/symbols/
3- TIFERET, -Beauty and (Rachamim)- Compassion
Translation: Beauty, Compassion.
Description: Tiferet represents the ideal balance of Justice and Compassion needed for proper running of the universe. This Sefirah unites all the upper nine powers. Tif'eret is the offspring of Chokhmah (Wisdom) and Binah (Understanding.)
Human Imagery: Spine, Torso, Heart.
Biblical Figures: Eve, Hanah, Jacob/Israel. Moses. Adam.
Colors: Green. Purple.
Other Symbols and Images: Truth. Judgment (Mishpat, like the scales or balance of Justice). Humility. Heaven. The Sun, Day. Harmony. The Tree of Life. The Written Torah, Torah scroll. Milk and honey. The Menorah. The Golden Altar. Beloved who strives to be united with the Shekhinah. Their union produces the human soul. "Thou" (atah); "Anokhi" (a poetic form of "I").
-based on David Seidenberg- Neo-Hasid- http://www.neohasid.org/kabbalah/symbols/
4. NETZACH
Translation: Success, Eternity, Endurance, Victory, Persistence.
Human Imagery: Right leg, hip, kidney/adrenal glands regulating cortisol and fight or flight responses
Biblical Figure: Rebecca, Moses.
Other Symbols and Images: The right pillar "Yachin" in the Temple (1 Kings 7:21)
Description: Netzach has the qualities of the teacher, the leader, the achiever, the giver. Diagonally across from Gevurah/ Strength/ Left Shoulder, Netzach uses this Gevurah energy to push through obstacles and make things happen. To get from Gevurah to Netzach, the path passes through Tiferet/Beauty & Compassion/Heart Center, and Netzach uses the Tiferet to guide its goals. Both Netzach on the right leg and Hod on the left are connected to "prophesy," the ability to receive guidance in the meditative realms. As we descend the Tree of Life, things get more practical. The ethereal experiences of Chesed/ Love and Gevurah/ Strength become a bit more grounded when we get to Netzach, and we may begin to get tastes of the revelation of this coming year's new practical torah/guidance that is revealed in all its glory on Shavuot.
5. HOD- gratitude, empathy, learning
Parts of Body: Left hip, leg and kidney
Biblical Figures: Sarah (who receives angels when she is inside her tent- receives guidance from sitting quietly and going within), Aaron (the first High Priest who is the keeper of the treasures of the Mishkan, the Holy of Holies, including the breastplate with the 12 powerful stones- one for each tribe.)
Meaning: Hod, the left leg, is often seen as the counterpart of Netzach, the right leg. While Netzach teaches, Hod learns. Netzach pushes forward and Hod takes a step back. Netzach leads, Hod follows. They are both related to receiving guidance from meditation and dreams. As we get closer to Shavuot, the day of receiving new Torah, this year's guidance, we need both the persistence of Netzach and the humble receptivity of Hod.
6. YESOD- passionate creativity and connection/ foundation
body part- genitals/ womb
biblical figures- Joseph, Esther, Tamar, Ruth
As we near the roots of our counting down the s'phirot of the Tree of Life, we come to Yesod, the seat of passion. There is no denying the force of the sexual drive, and as we know too well, when it comes from violence and control, that passion can be very destructive and damaging. How do we instead use that passion to connect us to the spiritual path? The center path through the Tree connects Tiferet, the heart center, with Shechinah- our mindful actions in the world. Between them is Yesod, the embodied passionate creativity that gives birth to the way we show up in our lives. When our passion(Yesod) is connected to the center of love and compassion (Tiferet), then our embodied passion for connection and creativity naturally flows into our actions (Shechinah or Malchut). Yesod means "foundation", for like the foundation of a building, the rest of the Tree of Life is supported by the compassionate passion of Yesod.
7. SHEHINAH (Presence that dwells within)/ MALCHUT (Great One of the World) - cultivating the habit of asking your heart, or Shechinah for support, healing and guidance.
body part- feet/ earth below our feet/ base of spine
biblical person- King David, Rachel, Moshiach (Messiah), Master of Prayer
other symbols- Shabbes, the Sacred Orchard /Pardess, Blue, World Intelligence (Gaia), Monarch, Beloved
Shechinah/ Malchut is the final step when counting down the Tree of Life. On a personal level, it means integrating spiritual insights, bringing them down to earth, walking them into our lives. It's connected to the day of Shabbes and especially Friday night when kabbalisticaly we are said to enter the Orchard/ Pardess- eating and drinking in loving community. On a global level, it means a societal turning toward inter-connection and inter-being. The Kabbalists imagined the Shechinah as a compassionate fem presence that chooses to live in exile (galut) with us, to comfort and guide us as we stumble and suffer from not living with more wholeness, love and awareness.