This is part of a series exploring the seven lower Sephirot (spheres) of the Kabbalistic Tree of Life. These spheres are the seven core emotions that drive human interaction.
life is symphony
weave together all the parts
create harmony
Welcome to week 3 of the Kabbalistic journey of counting the Omer with the 7 lower Sephirot of the Tree of Life.
This week we will explore and refine the sephira of Tiferet.
Tiferet literally translates to “beauty.” It is also interpreted at Harmony, balance, compassion, and truth.
In Hebrew, an alternative spelling for Tiferet means “stitch,” as in sewing. This also fits the sphere of Tiferet, as Tiferet represents the weaving together of the previous two sephirot, Chesed and Gevurah.
Chesed is the realm of loving kindness and benevolence; it represents flow. Gevurah is the strength of restraint, structure, and rules; it contains the flow.
These two often exist in a polarity: structure as the antagonist to flow.
Chesed and Gevurah represent polarities between:
- giving vs receiving
- flow vs structure
- loving kindness vs withholding
- doing vs being/allowing
- permission vs restriction
- generosity vs restriction
Tiferet is where we mediate these polarities to find a point of harmony, beauty, and truth.
Tiferet is not about compromise between Chesed and Gevurah, but about integrating them in a beautiful synthesis that becomes its own thing.
At the realm of Tiferet we are taking two disparate elements to create a third thing that doesn’t just combine the first two, but rather transcends the sum of its parts.
Beyond mediating polarities, Tiferet wants to ensure that all voices are heard in a situation. Tiferet is a weaving of a tapestry of life; in this realm we want to ensure that all the colors of life are woven into the tapestry.
In the language of psychology, Tiferet is the antidote to black and white thinking. It is the realm of the “yes, and” philosophy used in improv comedy.
Tiferet is the sphere of nuance and distinction, the place where we shun blanket categorization because “it’s not so simple.”
Tiferet is the specific type of beauty that comes about when disparate elements are thougtfully combined
Bringing together different elements and finding the nuance and the place where they can all thrive and be heard is harmony.
Although many people interpret Tiferet as being about “balance,” I prefer to consider it as harmony. When things are “balanced” they aren’t moving.
I like to think of life like symphony. There are many instruments and each has a role. Sometimes one instrument carries the melody for a while; then they fade back and another instrument takes the lead. There’s a constant adjustment and attunement as they play together. And all instruments are eventually heard. Each has a part to play. Each one matters.
In the body, Chesed corresponds to the right arm and hand; Gevurah corresponds to the left arm and hand. Tiferet corresponds to the heart.
The week of Tiferet invites us to explore the practical ways we find harmony in our lives.
Join Me Live
Each week during this Omer journey I am hosting a live interactive community gathering.
This is a space for deeper exploration of the week’s theme and how it’s showing up for you. There will be opportunity for connection, sharing, and reflection.
The calls are on Thursdays at 12 pm EST.