The World of Beriah

Beriah, the "World of Creation" is also called "the Throne".  Its ten sefirot, being further from the En Sof then the sefirot of  the universe of Atzilut, are of a more limited potency, although their substance is still of the purest nature and without any admixture of matter.  The angel Metatron inhabits this world.  He constitutes the world of pure spirit and is the garment of Shaddai, i.e. the visible manifestation of the Divine.  He governs the visible world, preserves its harmony, and is head of myriads of angels [C.D.Ginsburg, S.A.Cook, Kabbalah, p.621].

The world of Beriah is described in the Zohar as consistinhg of seven higher heavens or firmaments which emanante from the seven lower sefirot of Atzilut, and are beyond the traditional seven heavens to which the stars and planets are fixed [Paul Krzok, "The Cosmological Structure of the Zohar", p.32 The Hermetic Journal, no.20, Summer 1983)].  This is also the world of the angels centred around the throne of God.

In the Lurianic tradition this is the world where the tzimtzum is first felt, and hence individual beings are able to exist.  (Jacob Immanuel Schochet, Mystical Concepts in Hassidism Kehot Publication Society, Brooklyn New York, 1979, p.110)

Inasmuch as the world of Beriah is identified with the Sefirah Binah (and vice­versa) this is region from which the divine soul (Neshamah) is derived.

note: There is a parallel here with the Kashmir Shaivite Pure­ Impure Tattwas or principles intermediate between the higher levels and the psycho­physical phenomenal reality.  It is from this Pure­Impure level that not only does limitation and separation from the Absolute (Maya) come about, but also the spiritual principle of individual existence, the purusha, comparable perhaps with the Kabbalistic neshamah.
 
 

Kabbalistic Paradigm			standardised Universes
Beriah as the "throne" - theurgic ascent	Beriah as spiritual  reality	Beriah as intuitive reality
e.g. Zohar in part Lurianic Kabbalah in part	e.g. some Hermetic occultsim	e.g. aleph.org
	Beriah		Higher Noeric Beriah
Beriah		Beriah	Lower Noeric
			Psychic

Beriah in Lurianic Kabbalah
 

Briah - at Aleph.org -  a very short description - interprets the world of Beriah in terms of contemplative intellect and intuition
 
 
 
 

Kabbalistic worlds

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