The Serpent’s Path & The Flaming Sword

The Lightning Flash

The Descent of divininty from above and into material manifestation

• The ascent from physicality and manifestation back up into divinity

The Serpent’s Path

The slow winding ascent of the human soul up the Tree of Life

Going through every step

The Kundalini rising up the spine and exploding open at the top of the head

The Flaming Sword:

The Flaming Sword is a symbol of divine protection, discernment, and the separation between higher and lower realms of existence.

In Kabbalistic tradition, the Flaming Sword is associated with the archangelic figure of Metatron, who guards the entrance to the Tree of Life and prevents unworthy or unprepared individuals from accessing higher spiritual realms.

The Flaming Sword represents the need for spiritual purity, discipline, and readiness to approach the divine mysteries. It signifies the importance of discernment and moral integrity in the pursuit of spiritual growth and enlightenment.

The Path of the Serpent & the Lightning Flash/Flaming Sword

The lightning flash - the flaming sword

The secrets of creation Macrocosm Primarily the sephirot

The path of the serpent

The work of redemption Microcosm Primarily the paths Represents the opening of the paths between sphere and sphere in the consciousness of the magician - in a sequential order from root to crown

The Serpent Path:

1. Sense consciousness. The physical world. Malkut.
2. 10 to 9. Patterns of behavior develop. Malkut to Yesod. Taw.
3. Dream consciousness. The astral plane. Yesod.
4. 10 to 8. Reason is used defensively on the physical world. Malkut to Hod. Shin.
5. 9 to 8. Reason is used aggressively on the dream world. Yesod to Hod. Resh.
6. Pragmatic consciousness. The illusion of independence. Hod.
7. 10 to 7. Emotion feels out a place in the physical world. Malkut to Netzach. Qof.
8. 9 to 7. Emotions take power from the dream world. Yesod to Netzach. Tzaddi.
9. 8 to 7. Reason learns to work toward goals set by the emotions. Hod to Netzach. Peh.
10. Hedonistic consciousness. The illusion of worldly comfort. Netzach.
11. 8 to 6. Unnecessary fears and other limitations are abandoned. Hod to Tipheret. Ayin.
12. 9 to 6. Fragments of knowledge and feeling are drawn together. Yesod to Tipheret. Samekh.
13. 7 to 6. New emotional experiences are sought. Netzach to Tipheret. Nun.
14. Communal consciousness. A place among people. Tipheret.
15. 8 to 5. Reason turns from personal to social objectives. Hod to Geburah. Mem.
16. 6 to 5. Justice is sought. Tipheret to Geburah. Lamed.
17. Moral consciousness. The illusion of rule by law. Geburah.
18. 7 to 4. Emotion comes to depend on social issues. Netzach to Chesed. Koph.
19. 6 to 2. The desire to improve community happiness begins to dominate. Tipheret to Chesed. Yod.
20. 5 to 4. The spirit of the law dominates over the letter of the law. Geburah to Chesed. Tet.
21. Philanthropic consciousness. The illusion of rule by kindness. Chesed. 10 through 4. Consciousness of the rules played by severity and mercy, reason and emotion, the individual and the community, mind and matter and all other pairs of opposites among the lower seven levels of consciousness. Knowledge of "good" and "evil." Da"at.
22. 5 to 3. Spiritual progress is rationally examined and spiritual effort is redirected where necessary. Geburah to Binah. Chet.
23. 6 to 3. The experiences of life are logically understood. Tipheret to Binah. Zain.
24. Intellectual consciousness. The illusion of order. Binah.
25. 4 to 2. Contemplation of irrational truth stimulates emotions. Chesed to Chokmah. Vau.
26. 6 to 2. Contemplation of vital energy in the community leads to wisdom. Tipheret to Chokmah. Heh.
27. 3 to 2. Contemplation of order leads to recognition of the need for disorder. Binah to Chokmah. Dalet.
28. Euphoric consciousness. The illusion of motion. Chokmah.
29. 6 to 1. Contemplation of the oneness of community leads to contemplation of the unity of all things. Tipheret to Keter. Gimel.
30. 3 to 1. Contemplation of order leads to recognition of the primal cause. Binah to Keter. Bet.
31. 2 to 1. Contemplation of excitement leads to recognition of universal energy. Chokmah to Keter. Aleph.
32. Spiritual consciousness. The place of total peace. Keter.
33. Beyond the universe there is only a limitless, omnipresent and colorless light. Beyond the light there is only the conception of the limitless. Beyond the limitless there is silence; for the human mind cannot proceed further, even with words expressing ignorance. Ain Soph Aur. Ain Soph. Ain.

The Path of the Lightning Bolt:

1. From the state of undifferentiated being and non-being a single existence is formed.
2. The one existence forms its counterpart, for one thing cannot exist except in comparison to something else.
3. Two opposites cry out for union; in that union a third is born.
4. The union of opposites forms a model for the logical processes and becomes the key to multiplying manifestations.
5. The multiplying of manifestations cries out for control.
6. Restriction of multiplication permits the ordering of creation.
7. Ordered creation permits the multiplication of consciousness.
8. Multiplied consciousness cries out for an order between entities.
9. Ordered entities breed complex interactions.
10. Complex interactions become crystallized into a fixed state.
11. A fixed state cries out for union with the One.

The Path of the Sword:

1. Silence and chaos.
2. Consciousness.
3. Excitement.
4. Feeling a creative need.
5. Inspiration with many ideas.
6. Selection of one idea for further development.
7. Planing the expression as to form in general.
8. Choosing the materials.
9. Choosing the tools.
10. Doing the work.
11. The manifested and materialized idea.