Edgar Cayce and the Kabbalah. John Van Auken

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.