Polaris Tree of Life Nature of Man

Almost the entire corpus of occult theory has been said to logically flow from two basic concepts, the Principle of Polarity and the Principle of the Planes or levels of existence. If the vertical columns of the Tree of Life illustrate polarity, then it is clear that the horizontal rows of spheres on the Tree illustrate planes or levels.

From an understanding of the planes, it is but a short step to see man as made of levels, usually described as interpenetrating subtle bodies. Like the concentric model of the Tree, the more dense levels lie within the less dense and are interpenetrated by them.

There are usually said to be seven levels and seven subtle bodies, although the list varies from authority to authority. That there are seven is suggested by the assignment of the tarot Chariot, which depicts the vehicles, to Key 7.

The following table comparing the constituent parts of man gets its inspiration from A Garden of Pomegranates by Israel Regardie. However, it differs from that work slightly, particularly in the arrangement of the Egyptian subtle bodies where it instead follows Schwaller de Lubicz.

SPHERE	PLANE	THEOSOPHICAL PLANE (Microcosmic)	CHAKRA	EGYPTIAN SUBTLE BODY	SYSTEM OF MATHERS
1 KETHER	divine	monadic	SAHASRARA	Maat (KHABS)	YECHIDAH
2 CHOKMAH	spiritual	ATMA	AJNA	KHU	CHIAH
3 BINAH	intutional	BUDDHI	AJNA	BA	NESCHAMAH
--- DAATH	---	---	VISSUDDHI	---	---
4 CHESED	abstract mental	HIGHER MANAS	ANAHATA	AB	RUACH AS MEMORY
5 GEBURAH			ANAHATA		RUACH AS WILL
6 TIPHARETH			ANAHATA/ MANIPURNA		RUACH AS IMAGINATION
7 NETZACH	astro- mental	KAMA- MANAS	MANIPURNA	KA	RUACH AS DESIRE
8 HOD	astro- mental	KAMA- MANAS	MANIPURNA	KA	RUACH AS INTELLECT
9 YESOD	etheric	PRANA	SVADISTHANA	SAHU- KHAIBIT	NEPHESH
10 MALKUTH	physical	SHARIRA	MULADHARA	KHAT	GUPH