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The Qabbalistic Tree of Life
Since Final Fantasy VII came out, many people wondered why Square decided to name " Sephiroth " the major evil character, for they were ignoring its real meaning. Well, according to the Qabbalistic mysticism, Sephiroth ( plural: Sephirah ) are the ten spheres which compose the Tree of Life, the basis of such a philosophical conception. It must be noticed that having chosen such a name wasn' t a random choice, for in that mysticism many elements can be found that are strictly bound to the role Sephiroth plays in Final Fantasy VII: therefore, I'm going to explain shortly the scheme of the Tree and the links between it and Lucrecia' s son.
As you can see from the picture, the Tree is composed by ten cirlces, or spheres, the so-called " Sephirah " plus 22 life paths that link the spheres themselves. There is also another sphere, not a Sephiroth properly, which represents the final " KNOWLEDGE " ( Daath ) as an ultimate target of living beings. But let' s examine the Sephirah a little closer:
Sephiroth 1 - " Supreme Crown " ( Kether ): It represents human reason, or consciousness, our only part that has the power to understand and reach metaphysical and trascendental dimensions ( i.e. Plato' s Hyperuranus ) . It is also the closest element to " God " and the major difference between human and animal condition. In the Qabbalah its element is the Root of Air and the corresponding part of the body is, of course, the cranium. - Sephiroth, in his desperate struggle in order to ascent to godhood, has turned his reason to the evil: but he was unaware that through a path of darkness reaching the heaven is impossible, for such a task needs instead a purifying journey allowing mortals to overtake material boundaries and rise towards unseen heights.
Sephiroth 2 - " Wisdom " ( Hochmah ): A human quality that can only be acquired during an existence turned to the improvement of experience, from the sensible to the metaphysical world. It allows the ones who possess it to teach the others, be masters for them and lead a happier life. Its element is the Root of Fire and the part of the body is the left face. In the world of Final Fantasy VII, the wisdom has always corresponded to the Ancients, the Cetra, as the original inhabitants of the Planet, superior beings whom Sephiroth has thought to belong to. So he became a traveller of the Lifestream and this way he gained Cetra' s wisdom, but he used it to fulfil a diabolical plan harming the very life of the Planet itself.
Sephiroth 3 - " Understanding " ( Binah ): The ability to comprehend all natural processes and appreciate life in all of its aspects. It' s not very common among humans, for only the most optimistic and open-minded men and women succeed in gaining this kind of feeling: nevertheless, it can give a better vision of life itself and of other living beings, but also the possibility to integrate ourselves with our similars and to be aware of our individual personality. Its element is the Root of Water and the part of the body is the right face. The Final Fantasy VII character that fully corresponds to this description is surely Aeris, while Sephiroth was at her complete opposite, hating his and others' life and daring to become " a new existence " .
Sephiroth 4 - " Mercy " ( Chesed ): The feeling of compassion for other beings, in general poorer or weaker than the one who declares his mercy. That' s one of the value admired and taught by the Christian religion but, unfortunately, even less accepted by the common people as landmarks for their lives, in a world that someway is getting crueler and crueler. The element of the " Mercy " is the Water and the corresponding part of the body is the left arm. Sephiroth totally refused this feeling, plunging into the darkness of a road where only " heartless angels " can walk by their feet. So, he considered all the other creatures occupying this Planet as annoying guests that must be annihilated with the same world that allows them to be.
Sephiroth 5 - " Strength " ( Geburah ): Physical or moral inner power of humans which confers the skill to oppose contrasting forces, making stronger the body and the spirit. Since the dawn of time this quality has been exalted by the ancient societies, that saw in mind and body strength a perfect specimen of virtue and merit. The element of the " Strength " is the Fire and the body part is the right arm. Quoting from Sephiroth Dixit, " Sephiroth' s strength is unreal " , and this expression perfectly symbolizes the nature of such a cold and strong man who dared to become a god. He was supposed to be the greatest warrior, to have the most astonishing fighting and magic abilities, and the faith in himself guided him to his terrifying struggle against the Planet and the people dwelling on it.
Sephiroth 6 - " Beauty " ( Tiphereth ): Eternally admired in man but especially in a woman, it is one of the most subjective and ephemeral quality that we can find at the exterior side of a human being. However, the female beauty has always been an attractive factor for a male, who was often foolished by it making him weak towards vicious cheats. The element is the Air and the body part is the breast. About Sephiroth, we can be witnesses of a male and diabolical beauty, shown by his scaring icy glance spread from his cold, aquamarine eyes. Sephiroth is an angel for his beauty, but a devil for his actions and plans turned to the ill.
Sephiroth 7 - " Victory " ( Netzach ): A target in first line for all the humans, a goal that mortal pride and satisfation drive men to achieve at any cost, trying every skills they have got and doing every sacrifices that are needed. Commonly, victory must presuppose a sort of competition where the aim is taking over in some " arts " the opponents and becoming this way the winner. The Qabbalistic element associated is the Fire and the hips or legs are the corresponding body parts. Sephiroth won most of his battles and became victorious in his fighting matches, and longed for an ultimate victory over the souls populating the universe. Even so, he couldn' t win two great battles which marked his destiny, the two against Cloud at the reactor in Nibelheim and at the center of the Planet, defeats that led him to an unavoidable end.
Sephiroth 8 - " Glory " ( Hod ): The extreme longing of the great men throughout history, their hope to be remembered during the years and to gain an eternal glory that will never perish. For those kinds of men, glory was everything, and still nowadays we' re able to find people with the same wishes of a fame continuing even after death. Its element is the Water and the body parts are the lons or legs. Being the most powerful in SOLDIER First Class, Sephiroth gained a glory that made him a landmark for those like Cloud who wanted to emulate his deeds and become as strong and famous as him. But Sephiroth' s glory turned to a mere hate and disdain, because the horrific actions he did changed him from a hero to a monster, despised by the humans, especially the ones, like Cloud and Tifa, who suffered the consequences of his foolishness.
Sephiroth 9 - " Foundation " ( Yesod ): The belief in natural life and in all the sensible things populating our world. Having Foundation means relying on the resources and the energies coming from nature and living beings, and being assured by the own optimistic assertion about the planet and its creatures. The corresponding element is the Air and the body parts are the reproductive organs. Refusing Foundation, Sephiroth relied only on himself, pursuing his schemes of destruction against his similars and the natural elements. He wanted to injury the Planet in order to merge with all its spirit energy, not to enter in communion with it but just to morph into a new life-form that would have the power to rule the entire universe.
Sephiroth 10 - " Kingdom " ( Malkuth ): The realm, the territory as own homeland and place to live peacefully, that could be both material and trascendental. We will spend our existence in the earth kingdom and then we will lift on a cool wind which will guide us to the realm of heaven. However, even if we can be kings here, we shall submit to a supreme king there in order to rest quietly forever. Its element is the Earth and the body parts are the feet. In Final Fantasy VII, the kingdom was the Planet itself, scrambled by Sephiroth' s violence that wanted to take it to an end, opening the way to his rebirth as a divine being. So Sephiroth tried to destroy the material kingdom and to conquer the metaphysical one, the universe intended as the dimension of all existing souls.
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