Keter

Keter ("Crown" in Hebrew: כתר) also known as Kether, is the topmost of the Sephirot of the Tree of Life in Kabbalah. Since its meaning is "crown", it is interpreted as both the "topmost" of the Sephirot and the "regal crown" of the Sephirot. It is between Chokmah and Binah (with Chokmah on the right and Binah in the left) and it sits above Tiphereth. It is usually given three paths, to Chokmah, Tiphereth, and Binah.

Keter is so sublime, it is called in the Zohar "the most hidden of all hidden things", and is completely incomprehensible to man. It is also described as absolute compassion, and Rabbi Moshe Cordovero describes it as the source of the 13 Supernal Attributes of Mercy.

Keter, although being the highest Sephirah of its world, receives from the Sephirah of Malkuth of the domain above it (see Sephirot). The uppermost Keter sits below no other Sephirah, although it is below Or Ein Soph which is the source of all Sephirot.

Da'at and Keter are the same Sephirah from two different aspects. From one aspect this Sephirah is referred to Keter and from another aspect it is referred to as Da'at. Therefore when Da'at is counted then Keter is not counted and when Keter is counted Da'at is not counted.

According to the Bahir::"The first Sephirah is called the Crown, since a crown is worn above the head. The Crown therefore refers to things that are above the mind's abilities of comprehension."

Additionally, all of the other Sephirot are likened to the body which starts with the head and wends its way down into action. But the crown of a king lies above the head and connects the concept of "monarchy", which is abstract and intangible, with the tangible and concrete head of the king.

13 Supernal Attributes of Mercy

Rabbi Moshe Cordovero, in "The Palm Tree of Devorah", discusses ethical behaviour that man should follow, related to the qualities of the Sephirot, in order that man might emulate his creator. Through discussion of a line in the Michah, 13 attributes are associated with the Sephirah Kether:

:"Who is God like you, who pardons iniquity and forgives the transgressions of the remnant of his heritage? He does not maintain His anger forever, for He delights in kindness. He will again show us compassion, He will vanquish our iniquities, and You will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. Show faithfulness to Ya'akov, kindness to Avraham, which You have sworn to our fathers from days of old." ("Michah", 7:18-20)

A.E. Waite made mention that Rabbi Azariel ben Menachem, a student of Isaac the Blind, in his "Commentary on the Sephiroth" granted a particular colour to each Sephiroth, yet these do not agree with the colours given in the Zohar, where Kether (which, according to him, is also correlated to "Yechidah") is called colourless, Tiphareth purple, and Malkuth sapphire-blue. [A.E. Waite, "The Holy Kabbalah"]

Accordingly, the 13 attributes are derived from this and described in great detail.

Non-Jewish practices

Dion Fortune describes Keter as pure consciousness, beyond all categories, timeless, a point that crystallises out of the Ein Soph, and commences the process of emanation that ends in Malkuth.

The name of God given to it is Eheieh, the archangel that presides over it is Metatron, the order of angels that resides in it are the Holy Living Creatures (the Chaioth ha Qadesh), and its mundane chakra is said to be the First Swirlings of the cosmos (Primum Mobile, Rashith ha Gilgalin).

As pure formless consciousness, it is often compared with the Sahasrara chakra, in Indian Shakta Tantra.

In Aleister Crowley's "Liber 777", Keter is associated with the Four Aces of the Tarot deck, White Brilliance, Poseidon, Brahma, Wodan, Zeus, The Trinity, Almond in flower, Diamond, Elixir Vitae, Dao, and Death (not a complete list of the 777 associations).

It is said to have a negative aspect, the Qliphoth Thaumiel.

Keter is also identified with the planet Neptune, the Atma in Theosophy and Raja Yoga, and the Khabs am Pekht in Egyptian mysticism. [David Rankine, "Climbing the Tree of Life: A Manual of Practical Magickal Qabalah"]

See also

* Kabbalah
* Sephirot

References

Jewish

*"Bahir", translated by Aryeh Kaplan, (1995). Aronson. (ISBN 1-56821-383-2)
* [http://www.chabad.org/article.asp?AID=6237 Lessons in Tanya]
* [http://www.aish.com/spirituality/kabbala101/Kabbalah_24_-_Keter_The_Sefirah_That_Isnt.asp Kabbalah 101: Keter]
* Rabbi Moshe Cordovero, "The Palm Tree of Devorah", translated by Rabbi Moshe Miller (1993). Targum Press Inc. (ISBN 1-56871-027-5)

Non-Jewish

* cite book
first = Aleister
last = Crowley
authorlink = Aleister Crowley
title = 777 and other Qabalistic writings of Aleister Crowley
publisher = Samuel Weiser, 1977
location = York Beach, ME
id = ISBN 0-87728-222-6
* cite book
first = Dion
last = Fortune
authorlink = Dion Fortune
title = The Mystical Kabbalah
publisher = Samuel Weiser, 1935
id = ISBN 1-57863-150-5
* cite book
first = Israel
last = Regardie
authorlink = Israel Regardie
title = A Garden Of Pomegrnates
publisher = Llewellyn, 1932
id = ISBN 1-56718-141-4
* cite book
first = Arthur Edward
last = Waite
authorlink = Arthur Edward Waite
title = The Holy Kabbalah
publisher = Cosimo Classics, 2007
id = ISBN 1602063249

External links

* [http://inner.org/sefirot/sefketer.htm Basics in Kabbalah, The Ten Sefirot: Keter] (inner.org)
* [http://altreligion.about.com/library/texts/bl_introkabbalahwestcott12.htm An Introduction to the Kabala] (about.com)