The three pillars are the most basic energetic elements of the Tree Of LifeThe presence of polarity relationships on the Tree Of Life shapes the tree’s structure and symbolism in a number of ways - some obviously, some subtly. The most obvious being the positioning of the ten Sephiroth along three vertical columns or Pillars - which correspond to the three phases of the polarity process.
THE RIGHT HAND PILLAR - Chokmah at the top.
The pillar known as the Pillar Of Force or the Pillar Of Mercy. It includes Chokmah (the Sephira Of Primary Creative Force); Chesed (the Sephira Of Order, Structure and Law); Netzach (the Sephira Of Love and Attraction). It is representative of the outpouring, visible, active aspects of the universe and is symbolically masculine - that is, it initiates creation outside itself through the outflow of its energy
THE LEFT HAND PILLAR - Binah at the top.
The pillar known as the Pillar Of Form or the Pillar Of Severity. It includes Binah (the Sephira Of Primary Receptive Form); Geburah (the Sephira of Destruction, Disintegration and Chaos); Hod (the Sephira of Intellectual Thought and Analysis). It is representative of the ingathering, hidden, receptive aspects of the universe, and is symbolically feminine - that is, it is the initiator of creation within itself by drawing in that which is on the outside.
THE MIDDLE PILLAR - Kether at the top.
The pillar known as the Pillar Of Consciousness, Of Mildness, and Of Balance. It includes Kether (the Sephira of Original and Final Unity); Tipareth (the Sephira of Harmony and Equilibrium); Yesod (the Sephira of Fundamental Force); Malkuth (the Sephira of Material Reality). It is representative of the union and the balancing of the conflicting forces of the two side pillars; the harmonising force guiding them upwards into unity and downwards into material manifestation. Symbolically, it stands for the union of the masculine and the feminine natures in the art of creation; an exact reflection of the union of the male and the female in the act of love.
The three pillars are the most basic energetic elements of the Tree Of Life; the framework upon which the entire system of the Tree’s symbolism is organised, as well as the principal model of polarity relationship used in the Cabala. Their importance is such that - in many ways - the Sephira placed upon the pillars are best understood as transformations of the essential energies of the very pillar themselves.
However, at the same time, the pillars should not be seen as mere static forms. Their major role is as a context for a series of more extensive energy relationships, a dance of forces moving vertically and horizontally across the entire structure of the Tree. Like the frame of an infinite loom, they provide the structure on which the fabric of the universe is woven.
