binah

[solomon levi]

so binah in kabbalah/tree of life is the 3rd sephira, black, lead/saturn, and its title is "Understanding".
I just wanted to point out that under standing is also sub stance.
There is an interesting connection between understanding and the first matter/universal substance.

[Andro]

so binah in kabbalah/tree of life is the 3rd sephira, black, lead/saturn, and its title is "Understanding".
I just wanted to point out that under standing is also sub stance.
There is an interesting connection between understanding and the first matter/universal substance.

'Substance' has been coming up a lot in my recent reading materials, and I had the very same thoughts/interpretation (regarding under-standing and first/base matter), the 'Rock' (cornerstone?) and universal foundation of reality.

It takes ALL forms, shapes and levels/degrees, but the ones that are IMO most relevant to Alchemy are its extremes/polar oppo-sames:

The lowest, least 'evolved' and undifferentiated base matter on one 'side' and the most high/universal spirit on the other 'side'.

However, those 'extremes' are the closest in quality (to each other) than all the levels between them. They are the most far apart 'linearly'/evolutionary, yet the closest hermetically.

[Dragonsblood]

An teacher in Taoism once mentioned that the I-Ching symbols for heaven (#1 - Chien) and earth (#2 - Kun, resembles a hollow oak maybe) are the only ones that "are what they are" (think the meaning was that they are stable?) and can be counted on / worked with, whereas the other 62 are in a state of confusion.

Barlett in "the way of the crucible" likened the supernals to Sulphur, Salt and Mercury. Binah is then maybe the soil in which the Tree is rooted (Dark Mother / Mater/ Matter/ the I-Ching of Earth) from which is birthed the various metals of the other spheres, Chokhmah the wisdom which is most closely related to and can be made to descend into Binah - from which we can produce what is required to get to Keter?

[ArcherSage]

Yesod would be the foundation stone/cornerstone that the spiritual work is built upon. It is the next plane above our own, you could view it as the 4th dimension, the astral realm of potentiality. The balance of masculine and feminine energies must be present not only in oneself, but also your partner who assists you in the great spiritual work..as Jesus said to the woman at the drinking well (not word for word) "I can show you a fountain of everlasting life" she replies "how?" and he tells her to go find her husband, the spiritual work must be done with a partner, hence the two sides of the sefirot, male and female, and the center is their union to Da-at, knowledge, gnosis.