Scala Naturae -  ‘Ladder of Being' , “The great chain of being “

The great chain of being

1. God
2. Seraphs
3. Archangels
4. Angels
5. Man
6. Animal
7. Vegetal
8. Mineral

0. God

1. Creator gods - can have their own particular realm and to manifest life into it and experience it all through their creations. Can generate worlds, stars, galaxies. Given all powers and manifestations of God.
2. Seraphim - insight and foresight. Emissaries representing God. Deliver the Word of God. Gods divine messengers. Surrounding God. Guardian angels of souls
3. Archangels - combination of all elements, architects and administrators of the entire universe. Great Wisdom. There is nothing that they don’t know. Grand Responsibility. That the flow of the universe is kept together in harmony
4. Angels - the “angles” of life - concentration of life and force - servants of life and light. Serve as the children of god
5. Humans - to learn the nature of love. To be boundless through the nature of love itself. Putting love into service.

“Alchemy used the great chain as the basis for its cosmology. Since all beings were linked into a chain, so that there was a fundamental unity of all matter, the transformation from one place in the chain to the next might, according to alchemical reasoning, be possible. In turn, the unit of the matter enabled alchemy to make another key assumption, the philosopher's stone, which somehow gathered and concentrated the universal spirit found in all matter along the chain, and which ex hypothesi might enable the alchemical transformation of one substance to another, such as the base metal lead to the noble metal gold”

"The whole Kosmos is guided, controlled, and animated by an almost endless series of hierarchies of sentient Beings, each having a mission to perform, and who — whether we give them one name or another, whether we call them Dhyan Chohans or Angels — are "Messengers" in the sense only that they are agents of karmic and cosmic law."— Helena Petrovna Blavatsky - The Secret Doctrine - Volume I

Creator - Angels - Multiverse - Gods - Man…

Source Original Angels Multiversal God Universal God Beings in that universe

“Source first creates what you would consider to be assisting beings and a world that those assisting beings dwell upon, we would consider these worlds to be angelic planets, perhaps or angelic dimensions, angelic realms or worlds. These are the first worlds that are created by the source and the beings that occupy those worlds you would consider to be angels, but really, the angels are extensions of the source you could think of them really as lesser gods compared to the primary God that is the source. So these beings that are in charge of their own domains will form collective consciousness groups. All of these different planets with all of the different beings upon them will psychically link up. And then from here, they create a group projection, that group projection is a multiverse. So when they put all of their minds together when these different angels put all of their minds together, they dream a multiverse. And each of these universes within the Multiverse has an avatar that represents a certain dimension of the characteristics of these Angelics who gave rise to these universal gods, who are you could say avatars for the angels who have created them. And you would describe these gods at the universal level as the source of the universe that they engender. But really, that universal God is again, just a projection of these original beings who are dreaming, a multiversal dream. But really, it's all one being doing this. It's all the source, but for the one to become the everything it must create some process of differentiation and simultaneous creation is a process. Linear creation is a process and nonlinear creation is a process so as source expands from one thing to everything, it gives rise to processes and these are some of those processes explained in a way that's more relatable to your sense of leaning in human time. But this process we're talking about, even though we're talking about it step by step by step by step by step, it's all at once. You must remember that it is all at once. To you it might look step by step and that's an easy way to think of it - first it was the source, then there were the original angels, the original angels created the multiverse and created the gods of each of the universes and then the people within those universes are engineered by the gods of those universes… But really, it's all one being doing it. Each universal God is source each Multiversal God is source. Each original angel is source, and of course, the source is the source. So it's all one thing happening. It's all one meaning, but it looks like there's many players and in a way there are, but as we have described foundationally, it's all one thing.” - Ryokah, Channeled by Tyler Ellison

"The divine Plato considers that the heavenly and immortal soul in a sense dies on entering the earthy and mortal body and lives again when it leaves it. But before the soul leaves the body by the law of nature, it may do so by the diligent practice of meditation, when Philosophy, the medicine of human ills, purges the sickly little soul, buried under the pestilent filth of vice, and enlivens it with her medicine of moral conduct. Then by certain natural instruments She raises the soul from the depths, through all that is compounded of the four elements, and guides it through the elements themselves to heaven. Then step by step on the ladder of mathematics the soul accomplishes the sublime ascent to the topmost orbs of Heaven. At length, what is more wonderful than words can tell, on the wings of metaphysics it soars beyond the vault of heaven to the creator of heaven and earth Himself. There, through the gift of Philosophy, not only is the soul filled with happiness but since in a sense it becomes God, it also becomes that very happiness."

• Marsilio Ficino, Letter 123 to Bernardo Bembo, 'Laus Philosophiae oratoria, moralis, dialectica, theologica'

Seder Hishtalshelut

the chain-like descent of spiritual worlds between God and Creation

Emanations

The Chain of Descent From God to Creation

“And all the heavens are one on top of the other, like onion skins one on top of the other, some below and some above” — Zohar

Jacob's vision in Genesis 28:12 of a ladder between Heaven and Earth. Kabbalah relates this to the chain of Worlds. Angels embody spiritual levels of enclothed ohr-light. They "ascend and descend" in ratzu-run nullification desire, and shuv-return purpose of Creation

seder hishtalshelut or hishtalshelus

• means the "order of development" or "order of evolution"
• the chain-like descent of spiritual worlds (Olam/Olamot) between God and Creation.
• the continuous descending chain from the Infinite to our finite World.
• In each World, the ten Sephirot shine. Each World unfolds from the previous, with the lowest Sephirah Malchut of one World becoming the highest Sephirah Keter of the next, lower World. Within each World, the spiritual chain descends down the ten Sephirot, with the illumination of one giving rise to the next, lower Sephirah.

The basic stations of this process from above to below are:

• Atzmus Ohr Ein Sof before the Tzimtzum ("The Essence of the Infinite Light before the Contraction")
• The Tzimtzum ("The Contraction")
• The Reshimu ("The Impression")
• The Kav ("Line of Light")
• Ratzon Kadum ("Original Desire")
• Adam Kadmon ("Original Man")
• Atziluth ("World of Emanation")
• The Masach ("The Curtain")
• Beriah ("World of Creation")
• Yetzirah ("World of Formation")
• Assiah ("World of Action")

Sources and notes

In Kabbalistic and Hasidic teaching, seder hishtalshelut (also spelled hishtalshelus) names the ordered progression of spiritual worlds between God and Creation. Each world is a full plane of being characterized by its nearness to, or concealment of, divine revelation. These levels also correspond to modes of consciousness in the human soul.

Seder hishtalshelut literally means the “order of development” or “order of unfolding.”

The dynamics of Ratzo and Shuv are felt by the angels and by humanity, and also apply to spiritual emanation in general. Seder hishtalshelut describes the continuous descending chain from the Infinite to the finite world. In each World, the ten Sephirot shine. Each World unfolds from the previous, with the lowest Sephirah (Malchut, "Kingship"—fulfillment of the plan in reality) of one World becoming the highest Sephirah (Keter, "Crown"—the supernal Will of the plan in that World) of the next, lower World. Within each World, the chain descends through the ten Sephirot, the illumination of one giving rise to the next.

One can understand these levels through the analogy of a person who wants a house. Hishtalshelut is generally described in two broad stages, "Upper Unity" and "Lower Unity." Below are analogies for the basic stations of hishtalshelut using the “house” example, from primordial desire down to actualization.

• Atzmut Ohr Ein Sof Lifnei Hatzimtzum ("Essence of the Infinite Light before the Contraction"): The analogy is the essence of the person's soul. At this point there is no revealed desire for a house or any object. The potential for such a desire exists within the soul but has no separate expression.
• Tzimtzum and Reshimu ("Contraction and Impression"): There is still no revealed desire for a house, but the person recognizes a general will to express the self through things beyond the self, such as music, art, or a home. The details are undecided. "Impression" here indicates that direct self-expression is not possible, but actions and creations will carry an imprint of the person.
• Kav ("Measuring Line"): This corresponds to judgment and decision-making that links the above potentials to concrete choices. Even small choices express one’s essence. There is still no explicit desire for a house, only a latent framework that will later inform the desire.
• Ratzon Kadum ("Original Desire"): With maturity, a desire for belonging and rootedness emerges, an expression of the deeper will to self-expression. It is still not yet a desire for a specific home, but for the state of contentment associated with being at home. Other avenues could, in theory, satisfy this state.
• Adam Kadmon ("Primordial Man"): Attention turns outward. The person forms a world-picture and discerns where they fit. They conclude that a house best suits their needs and character. The kind of house is only broadly shaped by personality and circumstance; there is still no concrete object desired.
• Keter of Atzilut ("Crown of the World of Emanation"): A specific desire for a particular kind of house emerges, with both the will (outer aspect) and the pleasure of self-expression (inner aspect) present.
• Atzilut ("World of Emanation"): The general vision becomes articulated. High-level intent (Chochmah) and detailed understanding (Binah) define what the home should be. Emotional orientations (Zeir Anpin) align toward what brings one closer to or further from the goal. Malchut gives voice to preferences and concrete directives. Plans are set, though nothing is yet built.
• Beri'ah ("World of Creation"): The vision is translated into realizable possibilities. General desires become functional specifications that could exist in a home. Various scenarios are considered and combined into coherent options.
• Yetzirah ("World of Formation"): Dimensions, materials, and layout are determined. A floor plan is produced that reflects needs, style, and use.
• Asiyah Ruchnit ("Spiritual World of Action"): Practical methods for construction are worked out from the plan. Feasibility and implementation details are resolved to ensure the design can stand and function.
• Asiyah Gashmit ("Physical World of Action"): The house is physically built. The person can now live in it, fulfilling the original desire that began the process.

The Upper Unity

Ohr Ein Sof

Preparatory stages in the Ohr Ein Sof ("God's Infinite Light") before the beginning of the creative process. The Ohr Ein Sof is a paradoxical mode of divine self-revelation, beyond any world or limitation. Kabbalistic discussion considers whether Ein Sof denotes the divine essence or the First Cause. Chabad Hasidic thought explores Atzmut (divine essence) in relation to the purpose of Creation. Ten stages of the Infinite Light before Creation:

• Atzmut ("God's absolute simple Essence," beyond infinite and finite, expressible as a "desire" for finite mitzvot)
• Yachid ("The Single One")
• Echad ("The One")
• Sha'ashuim Atzmi'im ("Delights of Self")
• Aliyat Haratzon ("Ascent of the divine will" to create)
• Ana Emloch (Primordial thought of “I shall rule,” the will to be King)
• Ein Sof ("Without end," the unknowable Infinite continuously sustaining all existence)
• Kadmon ("Primordial One")
• Avir Kadmon ("Primordial Atmosphere")
• Adam Kadma'ah Stima'ah ("Concealed Primordial Man," the will for Creation before Tzimtzum)

Tzimtzum

Metaphorical diagram: the Kav, a thin line of light, descends from the Infinite into the khalal (vacuum) to emanate the concealed ten sefirot in Adam Kadmon.

Three stages of the "Secret of Contraction" in Lurianic Kabbalah received varying interpretations from literal to metaphorical. In this dynamic account, the first creative act is divine self-concealment, the paradoxical withdrawal that enables creation while divinity remains present within it:

• Tzimtzum ("Contraction"), the self-withdrawal of the Infinite Light to form the khalal ("vacuum")
• Reshimu ("Impression"), the residual trace within the vacuum
• Ḥalal ("Empty space"), the openness that results
• Kav ("Line/Ray"), the renewed light that re-enters the primordial openness
• Avir ("Space/Ether"), the ethereal medium through which divine light takes shape in creation and creatures
• Shevirat HaKelim ("Shattering of the Vessels"), emergence of realms, world by world

Adam Kadmon

Adam Kadmon ("Primordial Man"), an anthropomorphic term, denotes the revelation of the specific divine will for Creation after Tzimtzum. It is paradoxically both Adam (created) and Kadmon (primordial divinity). As the level of Keter (divine will), it is pure light without vessels, bounded only by its potential to produce vessels. It is sometimes counted as the first of the Worlds, yet it precedes the manifest sefirot and the shattering of vessels.

• Ratzon Kadum ("Original Desire")
• Adam Kadmon ("Primordial Man")
• Orot Ozen-Chotem-Peh (lights from the eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and forehead of Adam Kadmon)

The Lower Unity

The onset of self-awareness in the worlds, which now perceive themselves as created realms independent of God, despite the ultimate illusion of such independence. These worlds can reach Bitul Ha-Yesh (nullification of being), but not the Bitul Ha-Atzmis (nullification of essence) characteristic of Atzilut.

Beriah

Hebrew prophets envisioned the Throne of God in Beriah with angelic retinue. In Kabbalistic reading, Isaiah relates to Beriah and Ezekiel to Yetzirah. The roots of Creation in the divine mind are here, with Binah (divine understanding) predominant. It is metaphorically where the divine Anthropos of Atzilut “sits” to govern independent creation.

• Olam Ha'Beriah (the "World of Creation")

Yetzirah

Archetypal creation, where Zeir Anpin (divine emotions) predominate. The world of angels who serve with emotional self-nullification.

• Olam Ha'Yetzirah (the "World of Formation")

Asiyah

Particular creation in multiplicity, with Malkhut (divine rulership) predominant. Asiyah is a spiritual world with a lower physical aspect (our universe).

• Olam Ha'Asiyah (the "World of Action")

Asiyah Gashmit

Our physical universe, which enclothes the last two sefirot, Yesod and Malkhut, of spiritual Asiyah.

In Kabbalistic and Hasidic thought, the Four Worlds (sometimes counted with a prior stage as Five) are the comprehensive categories of spiritual realms in the descending chain of existence. The term "worlds" denotes the emanation of creative lifeforce from the Infinite through progressive concealments. Often, the primordial level Adam Kadmon is set aside due to its transcendence, and the four subsequent worlds are referred to by initials as ABiYA: Atziluth (Emanation), Beriah (Creation), Yetzirah (Formation), and Assiah (Action). Below Assiah lies Assiah Gashmi (Physical Assiah), our universe. These worlds not only structure creation but also correspond to dimensions of human consciousness.

The worlds are animated by the Ohr Mimalei Kol Olmin, “the light that fills all worlds,” a mode of divine immanence. The ten sefirot and associated partzufim manifest within each world, alongside more particular divine expressions.