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CHAPTER 4 PLANES OF EXISTENCE

The universe we know is not the first one to have been created, but it is the longest lasting, according to Kabbalistic tradition—and for a good reason. The Creator desired to create companions, companions that chose to be so, thus they had to have free will. These potential companions would also need to grow into their role, gradually becoming fully aware of the life forces flowing through all of creation as well as all that is concealed in the depths of the Infinite Womb. None of this growth and learning would be possible if God’s perfect nature permeated the entire universe, so God withdrew a portion of Itself to allow for the imperfections of Its developing companions, using freedom and choice to grow into their potential. Fortunately, the all-wise Creator established a very effective law to control the possibility for chaos; that law is what we know today as karma: As we sow with our free will, we experience; and as we measure out to others, so it is measured back to us. This law was not established to mete out punishment or retribution, as so many teach, but to provide our souls with the enlightenment and education of experiencing the effects of our free-will actions and thoughts. The Creator’s intent was to help each soul make better choices and become eternal companions to the Creator—consciously and interactively, even co-creators with the Great Creator.

Our wondrous potential is expressed in the Kabbalistic text Hekhalot Zutarti:

What is the man that he is able to ascend upwards, to ride wheels, to descend downwards, to explore the world, to walk on dry land, to behold his radiance, . . . [missing text here], his crown, to be transformed through his honor, to say praise, to combine signs, to say names, to peer upwards and to peer downwards, to know exactly the living and to behold the vision of the dead, to walk in rivers of fire and to know the lightning.

Hekhalot Zutarti, Section 349

The Zohar provides a map of four different planes of consciousness, as do other treatises, old and new. We traverse these planes in our soul-growth journeys. Soul-life experiences occur on these planes, and we may actually have flashes of awareness of these four planes.

In Lurianic Kabbalah (a system containing Indian philosophy, Platonism, and Gnosticism), there are five planes of existence, because they add to the four basic planes the Primordial Being (Adam Kadmon) as a plane of consciousness all its own. See illustration 13. This means that the archetype of the Primordial Being is another plane of experience in our soul growth. The Logos plane becomes a conduit into the Infinite, Ineffable God.

Before we learn about the planes, let’s briefly discuss the Hebrew word olam. Most agree that the word relates to both distance and time, in the sense of “a far distance” and “a long time.” It is so very hard to take our three-dimensional framework and stretch it to grasp fourth, fifth, and higher dimensional realities. Most writers have translated olam as “world” but agree that it could also mean “a plane of unimaginable distance and time.” Even this definition is inadequate, because space and time only exist in our present reality—the third dimension. Fortunately, many of us have come to understand states of consciousness, degrees of awareness, and realms of perception. For example, we recognize the difference between a materialistic person, who mostly lives in the physical reality, as opposed to a person who has a mind that reaches far beyond physicality. We know people who perceive elements of musical experience far beyond normal people—thus possessing a level of perception beyond the norm. We know minds that comprehend the laws governing the universe, while others just live in it, not aware of what is involved. Today we grasp the concept of paradigms, archetypes, and mental constructs; theoretical frameworks of unseen influences upon reality are within our appreciation. All these ideas help us to grasp planes of soul existence and to interpret the word olam in broader understanding.

Now we might quickly use the term states of consciousness, except that the Cayce readings warn that even in higher dimensions, where the physical body is not manifested, there are magnetic-like forces that create vessel-like orbs of being for individual soul-mind entities—a type of “body.” We might think of them as energy fields that form multidimensional bodies. Even so, these are not like the degree of encasement we experience in a physical body on earth, because the energy fields of our individual consciousness can expand into infinity and back again.

With all of this in mind, let’s interpret olam as a plane of existence in which a personal consciousnesses with a bodylike concentration of beingness experiences life.

Here are the four planes that are common to most Kabbalistic texts and teachings. They are concentric circles of existence surrounding a point. As you read, see illustrations 12, 13, 14, and illustrations 3 and 30 for the planes and the triads.

1. Plane of Emanation (Olam Atzilut)

The first realm of existence is the Plane of Emanations. On this plane the Expression of Life (of which we are a part) unites with the unseen Source of Life. Here we may know oneness with the Infinite Eternal (Ein Sof). This is the Celestial Triad of the emanations: I AM, Wisdom, and Understanding—from which all of the emanations are expressed. We will study the emanations in detail in the next chapter.

This is the plane of the powers of God, the Divine Visages (partzufim), and the Brilliant Light. Here is the realm of the Infinite God, the Omnipotent, All-knowing, Universal Mind and Spirit. This plane is also known as the “Boundless World of Divine Names” and “Rings of Sacred Names.” All of creation is in this plane but in its uncontaminated state, pure as the moment it was divinely conceived. The perfection of this realm is not affected by what goes on in the lower realms; however, the ideal of this perfection is in all the realms below it.

Here the ten emanations of God are maintained as the Lights—pure and brilliant—eternal and untouched by the lower realms. To touch this realm or live in it is to be in ecstasy, bliss, nirvana, samadhi, and all the other terms humans have used to describe this peace that passes understanding and yields complete contentment. One is what one was meant to be.

2. Plane of Creation (Olam Briah)

The second realm is the Plane of Creation, also known as the plane of conception. That which came out of “the deep” expresses its quintessence. Here are the Creative Forces. This is the dimension of the Moral Triad of the emanations: Mercy, Judgment, and Beauty. This is the plane of the archangels and divine souls (neshamot mekoriyyah). Here is the Lord of Hosts. The life essence of the Creator permeates this realm, giving goodness to all.

This plane is also known as the “Archangelic World of Creations,” revealing that it is the dimension of the archangels who play a major role in the whole of creation.

In the first plane, the ten emanations of God are called Lights; in this plane they are called Spirits—divine beings who serve in the establishing of orders and intelligences throughout the seen and unseen universes.

3. Plane of Formation (Olam Yetzirah)

The third plane is the Plane of Formation. Here the unseen essences take form, in the sense of energies and consciousnesses, not bodies. This is the Mundane Triad of the emanations: Persistence (Victory), Surrender (Splendor), and Remembrance (Foundation). This is the plane of angels and the Orphanim (Never-sleeping Watchers/Guardians). Here we find the laws that shape the patterns of creation and form the sevens: seven heavens, seven planets, seven chakras, seven ages, and so on. Here we find the higher element of ether, or akasha in Sanskrit; this is the most subtle and expansive of the five elements. Every thought, word, and action of every soul makes an impression upon the akasha and may be “read.” This is the Book of Life of each soul.