Shiva-Kali and the qabalah; glimpses into the supernal triad

Crowley’s masterpiece Liber 777 shows a synthesis of the western hermetic tradition and eastern allegories. Found in table format, Crowley lists certain aspects for each Sephirot allowing the reader to create and solidify their own connections. In the process of studying each Sephirot on a monthly basis, and my eastern background, I found that certain Hindu allegories are beautifully portrayed within the Highest Trinity known as the Supernal Triad.

Aleister Crowley, Liber 777

Tree of Life showing the Abyss.

Crowley’s Supernal Triad portrays the Crown Kether as Para-Bahman, the Masculine Chokmah as Shiva, and the Feminine Binah as all forms of Shakti. After studying each of these three Sephirot and their connection with Hindu divinities, I was able to have a better grasp at the workings of the Supernal Triad through my knowledge on how each of the divinities work with each other. Without a doubt the Highest Trinity became alive within my imagination, portraying what may be beyond the veil of the abyss or Maya within the eastern traditions.

Defining Para-Brahman
Brahman is the collection of souls or atman, where Brahman is the ocean and each atman is a drop within the ocean. Under the Avaita Vedanta tradition, each atman is considered pure consciousness. Vedanta follows a monistic approach where everything within the universe carries some form of consciousness and is interrelated. Hence, the ultimate goal for each object within Hinduism can be described as being reunited with the primordial consciousness, or each drop returning back to the ocean. 

"Para" signifies that which is beyond, where Para-Brahman is that which is beyond the collective consciousness. As symbolically described in Hinduism as the bindu, the initial point, Para-Brahman is the initial cause of all other cause and effects. (Dion Fortune describes Kether as the “Primordial Point”; The Mystical Qabalah). “Para” is the initial wave, the rippling effect, or possibly the “big bang” creating the universe. Nonetheless, Para-Brahman is the universe and beyond or the Ain, Ain Soph, and Ain Soph Aur.

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Lightning flash; How Kether flows into each Sephirot.

Anthropomorphizing the Supernal Triad
Given that the ultimate reality is considered incomprehensible to the human intellect, Hinduism has attempted to describe this divinity and all of life through the use of allegories and symbols, much like the Tarot Deck. However, ever pervading the cosmos and the true reality of “oneness” is the illusory perception of reality known as Maya that creates duality.  

Kether has no form but simply pure being, where there is no division into opposites or duality. Fortune; The Mystical Qabalah. Nonetheless, we may use duality to perceive the “oneness” of Kether. To further understand each Sephirot, the preceding and succeeding Sephirot along the “lightning flash” pathway, provide substantial meaning for an individual Sephirot. Provided that Kether is the initial Sephirot, we may use the trinity or “Supernal Triad”, where the masculine Chokmah and feminine Binah can provide assistance.  

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The masculine Chokmah is expressed through the symbols of the lingam, yang, yod (straight line, uplifted rod), and the wand. Crowley, Liber 777. Furthermore, the Zohar expresses Chokmah as the primordial point shining the "Will" of God (Kether). Wiki; Chokmah. Binah being feminine carries the symbols of the yoni, yin, circle, the cup, and the color black possibly representing the womb of creation (the space of the cosmos). Crowley, Liber 777. In Hinduism, Chokmah can be represented by the deity Shiva, often worshipped as the phallic emblem known as the lingam, or the cosmic pillar, the cause of all causes. Although Shakti, the feminine energy that creates and moves the cosmos, would be the main title for Shiva’s counterpart, the form of Kali may be best suited for Binah.

Kali and Shiva

 Kali is often depicted as black, representative of the night sky (the space of the cosmos). Through her portrayal with Shiva, She is often seen with her foot standing over a limp Shiva. Symbolically, Kali-Shakti is expressing that without her energy pervading the universe, all would be flaccid and merely left in the potential stage. Hence, Kali-Shakti (Binah) as an energy force would be the gasoline, where Shiva (Chokmah) would be the vehicle. As another metaphor, Chokmah is the magician’s wand, where Binah is the energy-electricity that raises the wand, powers the wand, and creates the space for cosmic play known in Hinduism as lila. 

Kali can also be seen as the guardian of the Supernal Triad assuring that only those ready to re-enter the Para-Brahman, non-dualistic consciousness, are absorbed back into the primordial ocean. Her depiction often instills fear holding a scimitar khand, the decapitated head of an individual, and clothed in a garland of skulls. The decapitated head is symbolic of removing the illusory-self described as ego. “To be without a head is a yogi metaphor for reaching beyond body consciousness or attachment to the thought compositions of the mind”. Shambhavi Chopra; Yogini. (Through the Middle Pillar practice, Dion Fortune described her experience of touching the “fringe” of Kether as a “blinding white light” and “all thought went completely blank”; The Mystical Qabalah). Therefore, given that Binah is the final Sephirot preceding the abyss or Maya, Kali is masterful representation of Binah being symbolic of ego-death and activating our higher-self known as Chokmah-Shiva. 

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Conclusion
The Supernal Triad seems to be simply a divine play as expressed through the Hindu allegories. Kether is brilliance, incapable of being known through logic, but possibly experienced through advanced non-thought meditation. However, from this brilliant "oneness" comes the divine interplay between duality. Chokmah is the wand or lingam as expressed through Shiva representative of the "Will" or potential, and Binah is the cosmic space or yoni expressed through Kali who is representative of the energy and space providing the backdrop for the "Will's" manifestation. It is through the unity of Kali and Shiva do we have the creation of the universe where the Supernal Triads work is completed in Chesed creating the law and order of the cosmos as shown in the Four of Wands.