The Astral Library

Kabbalistic Creation & Redemption Story

Kabbalistic Descent & Ascent Story

At the Eternal Beginning…… there existed a boundless void called Ain, where neither time nor space had meaning. Within this infinite expanse of nothingness, there resided the essence of all that is, the very source of existence itself. This was the realm of pure potentiality, where all possibilities lay dormant, waiting to be awakened. In the depths of Ain, there arose a stirring, a subtle movement within the stillness. …. From the depths of the void emerged Ain Soph Air, the Limitless, an expansion of divine energy that filled the emptiness with boundless light. Ain Soph was the infinite radiance that emanated from the ineffable essence of Ain, a radiant outpouring of divine abundance.

As Ain Soph expanded, it began to take on form and structure, giving rise to the primordial archetype known as Adam Kadmon, the Original Man. Adam Kadmon was the divine blueprint, the cosmic template from which all creation would unfold. Within the vast expanse of Adam Kadmon's being, the potential for infinite worlds and beings was contained. From Adam Kadmon's divine form emanated the Four Worlds, Atziluth, Beriah, Yetzirah, and Assiah, each representing a different level of manifestation and existence. Atziluth, the world of Emanation, was the highest and most spiritual realm, where the divine energies flowed freely and unbounded. Beriah, the world of Creation, was where the archetypes of all created beings took shape in the mind of the divine. Yetzirah, the world of Formation, was where these archetypes began to take on substance and form. And Assiah, the world of Action, was the realm of material manifestation, where the physical universe and all its inhabitants would come into being. As the divine energies descended through the Four Worlds, they passed through the Ten Sephiroth, or divine emanations, which served as channels through which the divine light flowed. Each Sephirah represented a different aspect of divine attributes and principles, from the transcendent unity of Kether to the material manifestation of Malkuth.

Yet, as the divine energies flowed downward, they encountered the Veil of Negative Existence, a barrier separating the divine from the created world. In order for creation to come into being, the divine light had to undergo a process of contraction known as Tzimtzum, where God withdrew part of His infinite light to make room for the finite world. Through Tzimtzum, the divine light was constricted and filtered, creating vessels known as Keilim to contain and channel the divine energies. However, the vessels were unable to contain the full intensity of the divine light, and as a result, they shattered into countless fragments, a cataclysmic event known as Shevirat Ha-Kelim, the Shattering of the Vessels. Yet, from the broken shards of the vessels arose sparks of divine light, scattered throughout the cosmos like stars in the night sky. These sparks became the building blocks of creation, the divine essence contained within all things.

And so, from the primordial void of Ain, through the expansion of Ain Soph, the emanation of Ain Soph Aur, and the unfolding of the Four Worlds and Ten Sephiroth, the universe came into being. It was a universe filled with divine light and infinite possibilities, a reflection of the divine plan contained within Adam Kadmon, the Original Man.

But the story of creation was far from over. For in the realm of Assiah, the world of Action, the divine sparks yearned to return to their source, to reunite with the divine light from which they had been separated. And thus began the great journey of the soul, as it embarked on a quest to ascend the Tree of Life, to traverse the paths of the Sephiroth, and to seek union with the divine. And in this journey, the universe itself would be transformed, as the sparks of divine light were gathered together once more, illuminating the world with the radiance of the divine presence.

As the sparks of divine light descended into the material world, they became ensnared in the illusion of separation, forgetting their true nature and divine origin. Encased within physical bodies, the souls embarked on a journey of forgetfulness, wandering through the realm of Assiah, the world of Action, lost in the darkness of material existence. But even in the darkest depths of exile, the divine sparks retained a glimmer of their divine essence, a faint memory of the light from which they had come. And so, the journey of Tikkun Ha-Nefesh, the Rectification of the Soul, began. Through the process of spiritual purification and elevation, the souls sought to repair the shattered vessels of creation and restore themselves to their original state of wholeness and harmony. This journey was not an easy one, for it required courage, perseverance, and unwavering faith. The souls traversed the paths of the Tree of Life, ascending the Serpent's Path back towards their source. Each Sephirah on the Tree represented a stage of spiritual ascent, a stepping stone on the path to divine reunion. The journey was fraught with challenges and obstacles, as the souls confronted their own inner darkness and the impure shells known as Kelipot that sought to ensnare them. But guided by the divine light within, the souls persevered, seeking repentance and atonement through the process of Teshuvah, returning to God with sincerity and contrition. They embraced the teachings of Kabbalah and Hasidism, drawing strength from the mystical wisdom of the ages. Along the way, the souls encountered the Tree of Knowledge, symbolized by Adam and Eve's fateful encounter in the Garden of Eden. Through their experiences of temptation and redemption, the souls learned the importance of discernment and spiritual growth. They also confronted the Tree of Death, represented by Adam Belial, the aspect of the self that resisted divine union and clung to the illusions of ego and separation. Yet, through perseverance and divine grace, the souls overcame the forces of darkness and reclaimed the exiled divine sparks scattered throughout creation. As the souls journeyed towards spiritual ascent, they also embraced the principle of Tikkun Olam, repairing the world and healing the wounds of creation. Through acts of loving-kindness and compassion, they sought to bring light into the darkness, transforming the world around them and hastening the coming of the Messianic Age. And so, the journey of the human soul towards unity with God continued, a journey of awakening and remembrance, of returning to the source from which it had come. And in the end, the divine sparks would be reunited with the infinite light of God, their journey of exile finally at an end.

Void/Nothingness Infinity Infinite Light Withdraws (tzimtzum) from a "Chalal" ("Vacated space"), to allow Creation to take place. - "Tzimtzum" ("Constrictions" ) Emanation of 10 Sephirot - 10 Sefirot: Ohrot and Keilim – Lights and Vessels Creation of 4 worlds

Shevirat Ha-Kelim (Shattering of the Vessels)

  • Following the act of Tzimtzum, the divine emanations, known as the Sefirot, began to flow into the empty space created by the contraction.
  • However, the vessels (Kelim) that were meant to contain these divine energies were unable to withstand the intensity of the divine light.
  • when God began to pour his Light into the vessels they were not strong enough to hold the power of God's Light and shattered (Shevirat)
  • the vessels shattered, leading to a cosmic catastrophe known as the Shevirat Ha-Kelim, or the Breaking of the Vessels. This event symbolizes the fragmentation and disorder introduced into the world as a result of the imperfect vessels' inability to contain the divine light.
  • The shattered vessels scattered sparks of divine light throughout the cosmos, creating a world imbued with both divine presence and brokenness. This condition forms the basis of human existence and the ongoing process of spiritual rectification (Tikkun).
  • Tikkun, is the process of gathering together, and raising, the sparks of God's Light that were carried down with the shards of the shattered vessels.

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3 Veils of Negative Existence

Ain (Nothingness) Ain Soph (Limitless) Ain Soph Aur (Limitless Light)

Ohr Ein Sof ("God's Infinite Light")

  • Atzmus Ohr Ein Sof before the Tzimtzum ("The Essence of the Infinite Light before the Contraction")

Shattering of the Vessels

  • The Tzimtzum ("The Contraction")

Ḥālāl (חָלָל "Empty space"), the emptiness

  • The Reshimu ("The Impression")
  • The Kav ("Line of Light") ("Line/Ray"), new divine light radiated into the primordial emptiness
  • Avir ("Space/Ether") "Ethereal space" within which divine light, created precisely by God, took shape in creation and creatures or was sublimated in the spiritual modalities of the angels and the souls of living beings
  • Ratzon Kadum ("Original Desire")
  • Adam Kadmon ("Original Man")

THE FOUR WORLDS

  • Atziluth ("World of Emanation")
  • The Masach ("The Curtain")
  • Beriah ("World of Creation")
  • Yetzirah ("World of Formation")
  • Assiah ("World of Action")

The Tree of Life

Sephiroth: Emanations of Divine Energy

  1. Kether
    1. Chokmah
    2. Binah
    3. Chesed
    4. Geburah
    5. Tiphareth
    6. Netzach
    7. Hod
    8. Yesod
    9. Malkuth
  • Atzmut ("God's Absolute simple Essence" above the limitations of infinitude/finitude, able to be expressed in the divine "desire" for finite mitzvot
  • Yachid ("The Single One")
  • Echad ("The One")
  • Sha'ashuim Atzmi'im ("The Delights of Self")
  • Aliyat Haratzon ("The 'ascent' of God’s will" to create the world)
  • Ana Emloch (The Primordial 'Thought' of “I Shall Rule”, God’s Primordial Will to be 'King')
  • Ein Sof ("No End" - classic term for the Unknowable God in Kabbalah, God as Infinite lifesource continuously sustaining all Creation into Existence, above Being/Non-Being, reciprocally Becoming through the totality of Creation by the divine souls of Man
  • Kadmon ("Primordial One")
  • Avir Kadmon ("Primordial Atmosphere")
  • Adam Kadma'ah Stima'ah ("Concealed Primordial Man", God's will for Creation before the Tzimtzum)
  • Tzimtzum

Adam & Eve eating the fruit of knowledge and being expelled from the garden

The Tree of Life

  • The Tree of Knowledge
  • Adam Belial and the Tree of Death
  • Kelipot - Impure Shells
  • yetzer hara, the evil inclination.”

Reversing The Fall of Man - reclaiming exiled Divine sparks.

  • Tikkun Ha-Nefesh - Rectification of the Soul - a multifaceted process of spiritual purification and elevation aimed at restoring the soul to its original state of wholeness and harmony.
  • Tikkun Olam - Repairing the World
  • repentance and atonement - Teshuvah
  • Repentance- Teshuva - "return"

The Christ The Teacher of Righteousness The fulfilment of the Prophesies and the Law