Netzach is the first we will consider, but as with Chesed and Geburah in the Ethical Triad, Netzach and Hod are only understood in relation to each other.
Netzach is best expressed as energy. This is not the same kind of energy as was described in Chokmah. The energy of Chokmah is movement, or rather the concept of movement. Chokmah is an archetype. Netzach is more of a manifested energy.
At the same time, Netzach is not the same kind of energy that is described in physics. The school of physics applies entirely to the Tenth Sephirah, Malkuth. Therefore, we are not talking about photons, electrons, heat, or any thing like that. These things would be better classified as the expression of Netzach in Malkuth. One of the methods of studying Qabalah is to view each Sephirah of the Tree of Life containing within itself an entire Tree of its own. Therefore, the energy that is described by science would be expressed as Netzach of Malkuth.
One of the most effective ways of describing Netzach is by looking at its choir of angels. Every Sephirah has assigned to it a hierarchy of entities. It has firstly a divine name, the expression of the Sephirah in Atziluth or the World of Archetypes; secondly, it has an archangel, the expression in Briah or the Creative World; thirdly it has a choir of angels, corresponding to Yetzirah or the Formative World; and lastly a "mundane chakra" which is a physical representative of the Sephirah in Assiah or the World of Action. Usually this mundane chakra is one of the seven planets of ancient astrology. I have avoided going into this hierarchy in earlier posts because they are confusing and may easily give you the wrong idea about the system. Once these false connections are made, it is extremely difficult to get them out of your train of logic. I will address this issue in a later post.
Back to the subject at hand, the angelic choir of Netzach is the Elohim, meaning "Gods". This angelic choir represents the forces of nature that are given expression in the pantheon of pagan gods of mythology.
STOP!
Do not think about what I just said until reading this next quote from Dion Fortune's The Mystical Qabalah or you will be lost in superstition. "This brings us to the great question, which might almost be called the Dweller on the Threshold of occult science, the horror which confronts every adventurer into the Unseen; which unites in itself the functions of the Sphinx, and asks a question of the soul upon the answer to which hangs his fate. Shall he be condemned to wander in the realms of illusion? Shall he be turned back on to the planes of form, or shall he be permitted to pass on into the Light? This question is, Do you believe in the gods? If he answers Yes, he will be a wanderer in the planes of illusion, for the gods are not real persons as we understand personality. If he answers No, he will be turned back at the gate, for the gods are not illusions. What then shall he answer?" (Fortune, p. 203)
If you read her book, she gives an explanation of the question immediately after asking the question, but at the moment, I feel it best to allow the Astral Triad to better frame the question to allow the reader to answer the question for themselves armed with the wisdom of Qabalah. Keep this question in mind as we progress.
If Netzach is representative of the gods themselves, then Hod is representative of the names and images of the gods. Remembering the themes of force and form explained by Chokmah and Binah, we can use this model for Netzach and Hod as well. Netzach represents therefore the forces of nature, while Hod represents the forms of nature. If applied to psychology, Netzach would represent the right side of the brain governed by intuition and emotions, while Hod would represent the left side governing analysis and intellect.
Take some thought or another, and you will see that it usually has two sides to it. There will be an emotion behind that thought that cannot be expressed fully on its own because it is rather abstract. So this thought will find its expression in an image or statement representing that thought. Bonding between two individuals, for example, is not based upon the actions of these two individuals, but finds their expression in action. Love is much larger than the actions based on it. Superficially, a kiss is simple friction and anatomy devoid of emotion, and yet this expresses emotions that cannot be otherwise realized.
Any other idea also follows the same structure. Language by itself is only a pattern of simple sounds and symbols and falls into the territory of Hod. Netzach therefore embodies the actual meaning behind the words we use. Each taken individually is meaningless. Netzach without Hod is void of communication, chaos. Hod without Netzach is void of spirit, sterile. Together, these two meaningless ingredients combine to give expression to all things.
These two Sephiroth are usually best understood in psychological terms as intellect and emotion, yet every Sephiroth exists in the Macrocosm as well as the Microcosm. To give an example, if protons, neutrons, and electrons come together to form an atom, the structure of the atom (number of electrons in each shell) falls into the category of Hod. If this is true, then the laws which govern its construction such as electromagnetism would fall into the category of Netzach. Hod is specific and Netzach is general. Hod is natural forms and Netzach is natural forces. I may remind the reader that in this example, we are talking about the expression of the Sephiroth in the World of Action that is Malkuth.
And so Netzach would represent the principles attributed to the gods such as war, love, wisdom, communication, time, death, fertility, etc. Therefore, Hod would represent the names and images given to the gods.
Yesod then follows. Yesod basically represents the ether, and the ether is essentially a scaffold upon which all things physical are built. The English translation of Yesod, "foundation", as well as the name of its choir of angels, Kerubim meaning "the strong", gives us a general idea of the function of this Sephirah. All practical magic and psychic activity has important ties to Yesod. This is because for anything to manifest in the actual, it must first manifest in the ether. It is similar to a cast or mould which is then filled with the actual material. This applies not only to objects in the physical realm, but to occurrences as well. It is a bit like the plan of action before the action takes place. This is how the psychic can not only see images in the ether, but can also see the course that events will follow in the future.
At times I find it useful to think of Yesod as having its expression in Einstein’s Space-Time Continuum. This continuum is not exactly physical reality as usually understood. One cannot take a sample of it and study it for analysis. It can only really be studied in lieu of its effects on physical reality. It is commonly known that the Space-Time Continuum is responsible for the phenomenon of gravity. Science has recently been searching for what they call the “graviton”, or a particle of gravity. This has not been found. Yet we can study gravity through the behavior of planets, stars, and black holes. We know that gravity exists, and therefore we know that the Space-Time Continuum must exist in one form or another.
And so it is useful to me to think of this as Yesod at work. This Sephirah is very important for all practical occult work. The clairvoyant observes the ether and therefore can make determinations and predictions on what is, has, or will happen in the manifest universe. The magician takes a more active approach by making changes directly upon the ether which will then later come into manifestation on the plane of matter.
Yesod corresponds to the element of air, yet its mundane chakra is the Moon, and its psychological correspondent is the unconscious. This is often times the first thing that confuses new students to Qabalah because they have always associated the Moon with water. This seems to be self-evident. What is even more confusing is that Hod has Mercury as its mundane chakra, whose psychological correspondent is the intellect, and whose element is water. One becomes convinced that this reversal of elements must be a mistake.
Once again, I will remind the reader that the mundane chakras of the Sephiroth are not the Sephiroth themselves. The elements given to the Sephiroth have very specific reasons for being the way they are, but the reasons for assigning the mundane chakras are different and also very specific. In the diagram below there are three pillars superimposed on the Tree of Life. On the left is the Pillar of Severity, on the right is the Pillar of Mercy, and in the center is the Pillar of Mildness.
Now each Sephirah is assigned an element. The element of Earth is only assigned to Malkuth. The other Sephiroth on the Middle Pillar, the Pillar of Mildness, are given the element of Air. Now the two side pillars are given Sephiroth with Fire and Water alternating. In the Pillar of Mercy, Chokmah is given Fire, Chesed is given Water, and Netzach is again given Fire. On the Pillar of Severity, Binah is given Water, Geburah is given Fire, and Hod is given Water.
As regards why the question about why water and fire alternate, I think Dion Fortune explains in "The Mystical Qabalah" the reason. Fire in this case is a symbol of force while water is a symbol of form. The Pillar of Severity is negative while the Pillar of Mercy is positive. Now the elements of the Sephiroth alternate because force and form both occur in positive and negative ways. So Chokmah is positive force, Chesed is positive form, and Netzach is positive force again although to a lesser degree. Binah is negative form, Geburah is negative force, and Hod is negative form again, also to a lesser degree. Now air is considered a reconciler between water and fire, which is why the Pillar of Mildness is attributed to air. Then Malkuth, which holds a sort of special status on the tree as being the receptacle of all the energies of those that came before is attributed to earth, and earth is also the receptacle of the three other elements. This is why Malkuth, and by association earth, have the three tertiary colors of citrine, olive, and russet followed by a fourth color black. These colors are all a mixture of the three primary colors at differing ratios.
Now, in regard to the original question on this as to why Yesod is assigned both the Moon and the element of air, the answer I settled on is that Qabalah is very elastic and flexible. So for Yesod there is definitely a watery aspect as it corresponds with the moon and the subconscious mind, however this really applies to Yesod in Assiah and the microcosm. There are airy qualities in all four worlds including Assiah. Again remember that the lower parts of the tree are not so pure in one element or another, especially in Assiah which often times is assigned only to Malkuth.
Hod and Netzach share pretty much the same qualities as they have influence from all three elements as well. A
good way to see this is in their colors on the “Minutum Mundum”. Netzach is green because that is the flashing color of red which is fire. But green is a mixture of blue and yellow, water and air. Hod is orange which is the flashing color of blue which is water, but is a mixture of red and yellow, fire and air. See the image of the caduceus to the left.
There is another very good answer given by Dean F. Wilson in his article, “Reconciling an Elemental Inconsistency” in Volume 2, Issue 2 of Hermetic Virtues Magazine. “The order of the elements matches that of the order found in the Tetragrammaton and the student could be seen as creating the name of Tetragrammaton in themselves, working backwards from Earth and the final Heh.” (Wilson, 2008)
Two things need be mentioned here. The student of the Golden Dawn does not work from Kether down to Malkuth, but rather works in the reverse order, or the Path of Return. The Path of Manifestation has already
taken place. The goal is to return to the divine.
The Tetragrammaton by itself could take up chapters, if not books, to explain, so I will only give the amount necessary. “Tetragrammaton” is Latin for “four lettered name”. This is YHVH, or Yod-Heh-Vav-Heh. This is the name of God from which we get Jehovah or Yahweh. This is the name of God that the Hebrews were not allowed to speak as per the Ten Commandments, which is why it is almost always either spelled out or referred to as Tetragrammaton.
Each letter is given an element, a Sephiroth, and a Qabalistic World. Yod is given the element of Fire, and corresponds to Atziluth and Chokmah. Heh is given the element of Water, and corresponds to Briah and Binah. Vav is given the element of Air, and corresponds to Yetzirah and Tiphareth. Heh (sometimes called Heh Sophith or Heh Final to distinguish it from the first Heh) is given the element of Earth and corresponds to Assiah and Malkuth. These also refer to the court cards and the four suits in the Tarot Deck, Yod for wands and Knights (Kings), Heh for cups and Queens, Vav for swords and Kings (Princes), and Heh Final for disks and Princesses (Pages). I will not go into the variations on the male figures in this post. That can come much later.
In application to the question at hand, however, we have Yod corresponding to Netzach and giving it the element of Fire, Heh corresponding to Hod and giving it the element of Water, Vav corresponding to Yesod and giving it the element of Air, and Heh Final corresponding to Malkuth and giving it the element of Earth.
Now, usually an analysis of the Astral Triad will conclude with a summary of Malkuth, but because I have an awfully big crush on Malkuth, I will wait until the fourth installment of this primer to sing her praises.
