Kabbalah
Kabbalistic Astrology and the Tree of Life
Kabbalistic astrology places your birth chart on the Tree of Life, the diagram of ten spheres and twenty-two paths at the heart of the Western esoteric tradition. Each planet lights up a sphere and each sign lights up a path. Here is how the correspondences work in the tradition Soul Atlas follows.
By Soul AtlasPublished 3 min read
One tradition, clearly stated
There are several systems of correspondences between astrology and Kabbalah. Soul Atlas uses one: the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn's, as recorded in Aleister Crowley's Liber 777, the most widely used table in Western esoteric practice. Using one system consistently matters more than mixing the best-sounding pieces from several.
This is Hermetic Qabalah, which grew out of Jewish Kabbalah but is a distinct Western tradition.
Planets and the Sephiroth
The seven classical planets each correspond to a sphere on the Tree:
- Saturn: Binah, Understanding.
- Jupiter: Chesed, Mercy.
- Mars: Geburah, Strength or Severity.
- Sun: Tiphareth, Beauty, the heart of the Tree.
- Venus: Netzach, Victory.
- Mercury: Hod, Splendour.
- Moon: Yesod, Foundation.
- Modern additions: Uranus is often given to Chokmah, Wisdom, and Neptune to Kether, the Crown. Soul Atlas labels these as modern attributions. Pluto has no traditional sphere.
Signs and the paths
The twenty-two paths that join the spheres each carry a Hebrew letter and a Tarot trump. Twelve are given to the zodiac signs, seven to the planets and three to the elements. For example, Scorpio is the path of Nun, linked with Death in the Tarot and read as transformation; Pisces is the path of Qoph, linked with the Moon card; Aries is the path of Heh, linked with the Emperor in the Golden Dawn attribution.
Your Sun's sign gives your Sun path, and your Rising sign gives a Rising path. Together with the spheres of your planets, they show which parts of the Tree are emphasised in your chart.
Your Hebrew birth date
Kabbalistic charts often include your Hebrew birth date. In the Hebrew calendar the day begins at sunset, so if you were born after sunset, your Hebrew date is the following day. Soul Atlas calculates sunset at your birthplace to get this right.
Reading it reflectively
Start with Tiphareth, where your Sun sits for everyone, and your Sun path. Then notice which spheres hold several planets and which hold none. These patterns are an invitation to contemplate, not a judgement on your spiritual progress.
Common questions
- Is this traditional Jewish Kabbalah?
- It's Hermetic Qabalah, the Western esoteric tradition of the Golden Dawn, which draws on Jewish Kabbalah but is distinct from it.
- Why Golden Dawn and Liber 777?
- It's the most widely used and well-documented set of correspondences. Soul Atlas uses one tradition consistently rather than mixing systems.
- Do I need a birth time?
- Not for your planets' spheres or your Sun path. Your Rising path needs a birth time.
- Where does the Sun go on the Tree?
- Tiphareth, the sixth sphere, at the centre of the Tree.
Astrology, numerology, Human Design and Kabbalah are symbolic traditions, offered here for reflection and entertainment. Nothing in this guide is a prediction or medical, legal or financial advice. Dates are calculated from planetary positions and given in UTC.
The Weekly Sky
Stay in touch with the sky, one Monday at a time.
A short, free letter each Monday: the Moon's phases and daily signs, planets changing sign or turning retrograde, and the week's numbers, with what they traditionally invite you to reflect on. No account or chart needed.