Edit March 2015: see note below about the reversal of elemental attributions for Beriah (Briah) and Yetzirah in the following reprinted 2010 article. Then read this page instead if you’re trying to make sense of Hermetic Qabalah and the Tarot. 😀

(Part 2 of an article by Jenwytch, published in the March 2010 edition of Axis Mundi eMagazine)

“Tree of Life” colour-coded to show the Four Worlds

In Qabalah it is taught that there are four worlds or realms / levels of existence. As with the Tree of Life the four worlds emanate from one another in a series, from the highest and most divine to the lowest material level. The four worlds describe different regions of the Tree of Life, with a number of spheres, or sephira, being attributed to each world. In addition to this it is said that each of the four worlds contain a…