Daath
Daath is the hidden Sephirah. The word daath means
"wisdom". There is much debate as to whether Daath actually is a
Sephirah. The Sepher Yetzirah [1.4] clearly states ".. ten and not nine, ten
and not eleven." In some literature the presence of this eleventh
Sephirah is explained by saying that when Daath is considered as a Sephirah
then Kether is not - thus preserving the number 10. Daath is the
manifestation of the interaction between Chokmah and Binah. It is the
application of Chokmah's knowledge and Binah's understanding. Whatever
Daath's status, the point it occupies on the Tree of Life is important. The
three Sephiroth above this point (Kether, Chokmah, Binah) are collectively
known as the Supernal Triad. This triad contains all possible thoughts and all
possible actions resulting from the absolutely infinite potential of
Kether. The human mind, even in its most advanced form, is virtually
incapable of encompassing such concepts. Above the point of Daath we are in the
realm of the unknowable. In the hermetic kabbalah the point of Daath is
also referred to as The Abyss. The only way to cross this is to totally
renounce all attachments to the ego-centred personal "I" and commit oneself to
the "I" of Kether. Crossing The Abyss is quite literally a leap of
faith. The Sephiroth below Daath are knowable to an extent commensurate
with our spiritual development. Their actions can be discerned in the world
around us (if we know how to look). Above Daath we are in the realms of the
unknowable and the inconceivable. When the kabbalist reaches the level of Daath
he or she is faced with a stark choice: either renounce all that has gone
before and, with faith, go forward into the unknown, or turn back. Once
the decision to ascend through Daath has been taken there is no turning back.
If a person moves forward with true faith then The Abyss is revealed for what
it is - simply an illusion. If true faith is not present, if there is even the
smallest lingering doubt or the weakest attachment to the personal "I" then the
kabbalist plunges into a true abyss of their own making.
|
