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In addition to the properties of the enneagram discussed in consideration of the inner hexagram, a second property of the relationship of enneagram to the laws of three and seven is considered here. In it a relationship can be found in the form of a direct correspondence with the Kabbalistic 'Tree of Life'. This relationship is found not in the form of the enneagram, but in seeing how the enneagram can be 'unwound' upon the Kabbalistic Tree if the diatonic nature of its construction is understood, and the right correspondences are made. Again, reference to Russel Smith's work and to Chapter 13 of Blake's Intelligent Enneagram is useful supplemental background. There is a huge literature on the Kabbalah; I recommend in particular The Universal Meaning of the Kabbalah by Leo Schaya. (See select bibliography.)  The 'Tree of Life' is the key symbol of the tradition of Kabbalah. It can be visualized as 10 points or circles arranged in a left hand vertical column of three, a center column of four, and a right column of three. There are many paths of relationship between the 'sefiroth' represented by the circles, and they form various triads. Each sefiroth is named, and there is a rich tradition describing the qualities of the different sefiroth -- which are conceived of as aspects of divinity -- and the relations between them. In addition to the 10 sefiroth, there is another 'phantom' circle on the tree, daath. This represents the void, the cosmic abyss between the highest trinity and the sevenfold creation beneath it. Z'ev ben Shimon Halevi, in his work 'The Tree of Life,' attempts to bring the law of the octave into relationship with the Tree by suggesting a correspondence of the notes with the sefiroth as follows: Kether - do, Hochma - re, Binah - mi, Daath - 'interval', Chesed - fa, Gevura - sol, Tifereth - "The Thing Itself", Netzah - la, Hod - si, Yesod - 'interval', Malkut - do. This is very suggestive, but he has introduced a new term "The Thing Itself" which is an unsatisfactory abstraction, apparently inserted in the scheme to make it 'balance.' And there is a certain justification for it, insofar as Tifereth (beauty) can be understood in the tradition as a 'synthesis' of the other sefiroth. However, the law of the octave is not significant only in itself, but primarily when three octaves are brought into relationship, the 'do' of the succeeding second and third octaves providing the impulses to carry the initial impulse across the 'gaps' or 'intervals' at mi-fa and si-do. The classic example of this is Ouspensky's In Search of the Miraculous is on page 377, where he superimposes the "food diagram" introduced earlier onto the enneagram, show how three octaves interact in the energetic weaving of food, breath, and impressions. What should instead be understood by the 'extra' term in the tenfold Cabalistic scheme (or rather, elevenfold, as 'Daath' is not considered strictly a sefiroth, but it is included in the scheme above) is that not only are all the 'notes' represented, and not only are the two 'intervals' represented (mi-fa and si-do), but also the 'second ('premature') shock' or as I prefer, impulse, at sol-la is represented, by Tifereth. This is point 6 on the enneagram, which is 'misplaced' insofar as there is no 'gap' local to the given octave. It is rather the point at which the impulse must be applied in a succeeding octave so that the proper resonance or reinforcement between related octaves can be provided. It's what brings two octaves in an ascending or descending relationship to each other into alignment. Gurdjieff is quoted discussing this on page 290 of In Search of the Miraculous, when he asks: "Why is one of the 'intervals' which is designated by the number 3 found in its right place between the notes mi and fa, and the other, which is designated by the number 6, found between sol and la, when its right place is between si and do?" This scheme yields the alternative sequence: Kether - do, Hochma - re, Binah - mi, Daath - 'interval', Chesed - fa, Gevura - sol, Tifereth - 'premature shock', Netzah - la, Hod - si, Yesod - 'actual interval', Malkut - do. The correspondences to the notes of the octave and their interrelationship in two successive trees, or octaves, is illustrated here. In the enneagram, the interval si-do is 'unrepresented', although in a sense, 'crossing' it represents the 'goal' of the enneagram; in the Tree, the interval mi-fa is 'suggested' or 'half represented,' that is, represented by the mysterious Daath. What makes this correspondence so precise is the manner in which the Trees for the four worlds - Aziluth, The World of Emanation, Briah, The World of Creation, Yetzirah, The World of Formation, and Assiah, The World of Fact - are said in the Kabbalah to start at the Tifereth of the next higher world - Kether in Briah is Tifereth in Aziluth, Tifereth in Briah is Malkut in Aziluth and Kether in Yetzirah; Malkut in Briah is Tifereth in Yetzirah and Kether in Assiah, and so on. Applying the correspondences, for example, the 'do' (kether) of Briah sounds at the point of the 'premature shock' (point six of the enneagram). Thus the scheme of creation cascades precisely as do the octaves of the enneagram, each impelling the other forward. In the Gurdjieff scheme, the first shock is called the 'mechanical shock' -- it is provided by nature; the second shock is the 'conscious shock' -- this must be applied consciously. In the divine world, the situation is reversed: Daath represents the influx of divine consciousness, the divine 'non-doing' of creation; Tifereth, the magical mechanism of creation. By observing these correspondences, one may find new relationships can be contemplated between the classic meanings of the sefiroth, and the entire Kabbalistic scheme, and aspects of the enneagram as currently understood. What is suggested by the fact that 'impulse points' are arrayed along the middle column, rich in Kabbalistic symbolism? What is suggested by alternating tones aligning in the left and right pillars? What is apparent, however, if Kabbalistic 'Creation' is seen proceeding thus, it is in a sense the precise opposite of the sequence of the 'Ray of Creation' in Gurdjieff's teaching. Here, Creation proceeds from the 'All,' the 'Absolute' as a descending octave do-si-la-sol-fa-mi-re-do. The interval do-si is passed by 'The Will of the Absolute' and the interval fa-mi by 'organic life on earth'. This difference is perhaps a starting point for a contemplation of the possible differences, possibly even in ultimate theological outlook, between what is implied by Gurdjieff's teaching and the teachings of the Kabbalah. One could suggest many shades of meaning to account for this reversal of direction. A fruitful starting point might be to look at the work of Fabre d'Olivet, who indicates how the 'strings' F and B are two complementary methods of generating the diatonic scale by progression of ascending fifths (or descending fourths). Or perhaps Kabbalah describes the divine perspective, the enneagram, the human. All such schemes are only partial slices through the fabric of reality, with different instruments. If we contemplate the all (and the nothing) from the perspectives of these two systems, with some feeling for each, they can both mutually illuminate each other, and more importantly, provide a deepening perspective on the reality beyond the limits of the formal schemes. David Eyes
Thanksgiving Week, 1997
Copyright © 1997 by David Eyes Revised, January, 1998, July, 2001, July 2002
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Enneagram