Unraveling the Many Secrets of the Rod of Caduceus: Enlightenment and the Sephirothic Tree

Look, it’s not like the alchemists don’t have a few valid points. And they’ve carved out their place in history well enough. When they weren’t busy playing God (summoning demons and chasing the Philosopher’s Stone and the like), they discovered the secrets to mixing the beautiful oil paints that the great artists of the Renaissance used. They invented the chemical process for developing film. It’s even said that the Chinese invented gunpowder while trying to “find a potion for eternal life”.

I did say invented, but perhaps I should’ve said stumbled upon. Alchemists do seem to stumble upon these discoveries in their never-ending pursuit of eternal life, which, the more you think about it, is a lot like a “Get out of jail free” card for those who wish to avoid their day of final judgment. And I can think of few motivators more compelling than that. But the fact remains they do stumble upon world-changing discoveries every now and then, which suggests that there’s at least some utility to what they’re up to.

One can believe that abstinence is a good thing–Lord knows a little self-control would do more good than harm in this broken world–but even if being chaste does give us some kind of energy, there’s no reason to believe it’s specifically “feminine”, or that it’s somehow a coiled serpent, or that storing this energy can lead us on a path to Lucifer’s “light”. For that matter, there’s no reason to personify Mercury and Venus as male or female–let alone designate them as gods–other than that it’s part of the “deep lore” of the world, developed at a time when humanity didn’t understand much about who God is.

The lore attached to this stuff is much like the Deep Magic of the Narnia books, writing that’s so ingrained into ancient stone that even thousands of years of weathering couldn’t hope to erase it.

Despite all the superstitions involved, this alternate form of energy, this “prana”, is at the core of all esoteric religions and mystery schools, even if the lower members of the order aren’t aware of it. This energy is sometimes simply referred to as “light”. Lucifer is “the light bearer”. The tempting serpent. The whispering snake. Shai’tan. The “fiery serpent”. The enemy. Most mystery schools go to great lengths to try and separate Lucifer from Satan (They don’t want to scare off the new initiates, after all), and they’ll even go as far as belittling those who would equate the two as simpletons. But what better disguise for the devil than a cloak of light?

The path to Lucifer starts with a serpent offering enlightenment. Columbia bears the Torch of Enlightenment. Rays of light shine from her crown, just as light shines from the crown above the hakini chakra. Kings and Queens are crowned in shining gold, reflecting light. Columbia keeps her secrets enshrouded in the dark. She can see in the dark precisely because she’s enlightened, therefore she’s in touch with the divine and can hear secrets, just like Hermes. Taking a bite from the apple of forbidden knowledge achieves the same effect. I’m sure you’re getting the picture by now.

The Tree of Life appears again and again in ancient literature. It’s the tree under which Buddha found enlightenment. It’s the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden. It’s Yggdrasil. It’s the Mayan World Tree.

Kabbalah is the study of the “science” of the Tree of Life, also called the Sephirothic Tree (Hermetic Qabalah is a spin-off of Kabbalah). In fact, there’s a hidden sphere between spheres 3 and 4 called “da’ath”, which means “hidden knowledge”.

Now, imagine these spheres when they’re all lit up. A fully illuminated tree is the symbol of a more direct relationship with God. Yule trees represent this relationship, and when Moses encountered the burning bush, it allowed him to communicate directly with God.

Have you ever seen the pattern to your left before? This is called the Flower of Life. It is a magic circle of “sacred geometry”, often used in portal rituals, and it has long been believed that the mathematical answer to everything can be found within.

You can find this pattern in decorative bowls at places like Target and The Pottery Barn. Here it is again on an album cover, but this kind of esoteric symbolism can be found on nearly any album put out by a major label. In fact, during Coldplay‘s Super Bowl halftime performance a few years ago, they were bold enough to make their entire stage a giant Flower of Life, and their performance was itself a ritual. But I’m sure you’re asking yourself, “What does this strange pattern have to do with the Tree of Life?” Well, I’m glad you asked:

Enlightenment through the chokmah/anja is the very fruit Adam and Eve were not supposed to eat. When part of a society loses its innocence by using “divine knowledge” to elevate themselves to god-like status, they tend to treat everyone else like animals. The people then suffer from top-to-bottom, and society collapses. It happens in world history time and time again, and we never learn. The “gold” woven through the Philosopher’s Stone is too tempting for humans to leave alone. And once Pandora’s Box has been opened, unleashing desire and suffering upon the masses, it can never be closed again. Slowly but surely, desire and self-edification replace God in many hearts, leading to suffering and spiritual death. It’s a guaranteed domino effect.

So it’s ideal, of course, to stay chaste, only sharing intimate moments with your spouse as an act of love. That is the one thing the alchemists have right, and it is right because it meets the moral standard.

Let’s face it… . Not diddling all the time does gives you more energy and does make you more productive. It’s hard to deny. Controlling your base animalistic urges does lead one to a happier, less sedentary life. So as long as you don’t willingly “transmute” this stored energy as a form of magic, you can indeed use this to your advantage. I believe people call it being … ahem … “pent-up”.

So stahp touching yourself.