Hod (The Eighth Path)

Hod the eighth path

Splendor / Glory / Awe / Communication / Responsibility / Aaron
Hod's planet is Mercury.

Hod is the realm of thought, of communication, of reason, and of truthfulness. On the same level as Netzach, it is a place where we choose to move up or down. How we handle our thoughts is how we determine if we will evolve or devolve.

HOD, or "Splendor," is the next sphere up from YESOD; It is where repressed energies are channeled up from the subconscious, coming from MALCHUT. HOD is cool, and rational. HOD organises the raw cthonic material received from YESOD, "digesting" it, then sends it to NETZACH.

The Personality Triad consists of the Secondary colors.

Netzach and Hod are often not what they seem. These "tactical" Sephirot have no purpose inherent in themselves, but rather as a means for something else. The Tactical Sephirot process the impulses coming from above, taking from the opposite side. Netzach modulates Gevurah, and Hod modulates Chesed. Netzach is the Victory resulting from Strength (Gevurah); Hod is awe in the face of hidden spirituality or power (Chesed)

Hod, is sometimes compared to the child, while its counterpart Netzach is compared to a parent. Hod takes its cue from Chesed, through Tifaret, and shows dependance and admiration.

In the archetypal conversation, Netzach is the leader, the dominant, and Hod is the follower, the submissive. Netzach directs the conversation, and Hod modulates it.

Balance, always a core concept in Qabala, manifests itself in the personality triad as a synthesis of our thinking, feeling and sensing functions.

Potentials of Hod: Developing the mind, education, language ability, teaching, writing, math, organization, information technology. It is experimentation, concentration, visualization, dexterity, inventiveness, humor, observational ability, and skill.

Hod, forming a triad with Malchut and Netzach, balances three forces: The Body (Malchut), Thinking (Hod), and Netzach (Feeling). The three spheres surrounding Yesod are the 'here and now' of life - and Yesod is the past we carry with us - the subconscious - memories and conditioning. The Personality Triad is rooted in Malchus, comprised of the Tertiary colors.

The fragrances ascribed to Hod are Amber, Spikenard, and Storax.

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