An Introduction, Short and Sweet
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While most students of High Magic will not be taught this for various reasons,
it is an inevitable conclusion that one will make once he or she completes his
or her study in the School of High Magic. While it does not preach anything
like the Holy Light of Celest or the Blessed Taint of Magnagora, it does teach
us about balance and about ourselves. It teaches us many things such as how we
progress to one state from a previous state, or how me might transform things
in steps. I hope that this analysis of the symbolisms of each sphere, as well
as its applications on Combat and Rituals (not the respective schools but the
actions themselves) will be helpful as well as enlightening; whichever your
goal might be.

The pages are arranged in the order seen in the diagram above starting from the
second (2nd) page to the eleventh (11th) page. This is also the order in which a
student of the School of High Magic will learn to evoke and master each Sphere.
After all that, a discussion on the implications of such an interpretation will
ensue from the twelfth (12th) page onwards.
 
Malkuth, The Sphere of the Earth
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The first of the ten cabalistic spheres, Malkuth is also known as the Sphere of
the Earth. It is the means by which the higher spheres are able to touch the
blessed earth and the mortal realm, and is therefore the most important of all
the ten spheres. If you were to imagine the ten spheres as a tree, Malkuth
would be at the base. It is only connected to a single sphere, Yesod, which is
directly above it. For Geomancers, this sphere holds a special significance as
it is through this sphere that it is seen that all power on the prime material
plane can be traced to the earth.
Malkuth is the sphere that makes magic manifest through the earth, and as such
imbues the characteristic of stability upon anything that is under its
influence.

For Combat
As a passive ability, Malkuth is not used offensively in combat. As it is able
to strengthen your connection with the blessed earth, you will be better able
to resist summoning via the Planar skill. Evoking the sphere of Malkuth is,
however, no guarantee that you will not be swept off your feet and
consequentially it would still be ideal to move out of the room to avoid being
unceremoniously dumped before your enemies.

For Rituals
When conducting rituals, it is important to have a solid foundation and a good
connection with the Cosmic Energies you will be channeling. The Sphere of the
Earth would be best suited to start any ritual, be it extremely simple or
highly complex because of its stabilizing properties. The sphere will both
ground the caster to the ritual site to protect him or her from the vast cosmic
energies as well as open a connection with the other higher spheres, allowing a
smoother flow of energy between dimensions.

Yesod, The Sphere of the Unseen
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Magic, as we mortals call it, is perceived only through the manifestations of
its power â€" a flash of light, a burning sensation, a constricting feeling â€"
but we have never been able to discern its true form. Some postulate that it is
just energy, but then it would then not make sense how they have symbols and
can be evoked by the said symbols. The ‘invisibility’ of Magic is in due to
the fact that all Magic must go through the domain of Yesod, the Sphere of the
Unseen. The second of the ten cabalistic spheres and the sole connection to the
Sphere of the Earth, Yesod is the second most important sphere due to the fact
that all higher magic, other than that which emanates from Malkuth itself must
pass through it and therefore be influenced by its domain. The true form of
each sphere is concealed when they are transmitted to mortal hands, and all we
are left with are its effects.

For Combat
Another passive ability, Yesod is often evoked prior to any military engagement
or sortie. Its sole function is to conceal your physical form from mortal eyes,
but it is unable to conceal your very essence or mark on the world. As such,
others can still forcefully sense you through abilities like window or scry, as
well as the slightly more common True Sight. It is natural that most mortals are
able to learn True Sight despite their lack of knowledge of High Magic because
the sphere of Yesod is still the only connection between higher magic and the
material realm. I avoid the use of the Prime Material Plane as it may be
misleading.

For Rituals
The Sphere of the Unseen can be used to allow the caster to gain better insight
as to the intricacies of the ritual he or she is performing at the moment.
Similar to giving a tailor a means of magnifying the damaged area of a splendor
robe such that he or she may be able to mend it in a better way, the Sphere of
the Unseen, by right, should allow its caster to perceive the threads of
magical currents more clearly and thus be able to weave it more effectively
than one who is weaving blindly. While not necessary, as some tailors are able
to weave and mend without really paying much attention, the Sphere of Yesod
would ensure that intricate rituals go more smoothly and the desired effect is
achieved, so long as the caster is capable in that respect.
 

Netzach, The Sphere of the Beautiful One
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The sphere of the Beautiful One is the third sphere a student of High Magic is
able to master. It is most likely responsible for aesthetic magic â€" in other
words magic that looks nice. Not all magic is visually appealing, as we can see
that there are alternative routes to meet the Spheres of Yesod and Malkuth but
all magic can be made to pass through Netzach to make it visually appealing. In
the school of Illusions, the specialization of Glamours for bards who prize
aesthetic appeal is the result of magical designs which are made to pass
through the sphere of Netzach to ‘beautify’ it. The specialization of
Phantasms for mages, on the other hand, has magic that does not go through
Netzach. As such, the phantoms are often described as grotesque, terrifying
emanations. Terrain illusions are most likely derived from Yesod’s ability to
conceal the true form, rather than Netzach’s beautifying capabilities. Netzach
is also capable of intensifying emotions and the latent power within things
associated with aesthetics.

For Combat
Netzach has the unique characteristic of being able to make one appear more
beautiful to others. While it cannot make others lust, it does increase the
charisma of the caster, making it much easier for the caster to influence
denizens of the realm, as well as strengthening the ego. This ego is also
usable offensively by those in the school of Psionics, and for those with the
specializations of Telepathy and Telekinesis, the additional ego makes them
more fearsome combatants as they are able to reopen one of the three psionic
channels faster.

For Rituals
An Enchanter must have knowledge of the Sphere of Netzach if he or she is to be
able to imbue jewelry with the enchantment known as Beauty. This enchantment
grants the one under the blessing of Netzach regeneration of ego. This could be
attributed to the induced inflated sense of self when one walks under the sphere
of Netzach. In conjunction with this inflated sense of self comes the symbolism
of the sphere of Netzach as the power to overcome obstacles and limitations
associated with emotion, passion, and the performing arts.
For large scale rituals, putting the sphere of Netzach opposite the sphere of
Hod with respect to the focal point of the spell would be ideal as it will
provide two paths for the flows of magic â€" the extremely strong flows which
cannot be transformed would go through the path of Hod to get the maximum
effect from them, whilst the transformable magic would pass through Netzach to
intensify them.

 
Hod, The Sphere of the Powerful Mind
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While Hod is called the Sphere of the Powerful Mind, it symbolizes submission
towards obstacles. Unlike Netzach which may encourage one to fight the flow due
to the inflated sense of self, Hod encourages one to ‘go with the flow’
rather than fight it. The sphere of Hod is associated with intellectuals who do
not force their ideas upon others but rather subtly weave it into society to
overturn the prevailing beliefs. Associated with a pulling sensation, it is
able to rid individuals of mental afflictions such as stupidity as well as
those caused by the use of dramatics against the individual.

For Combat
The Sphere of Hod is often evoked when the individual has an array of mental
afflictions which interrupt the curing of each other. At a cost of three (3)
power of any source, the Sphere of the Powerful Mind will purge the individual
of three to five mental afflictions at one go. It is an active spell, and
cannot be evoked prior to an engagement to imbue one with an immunity against
mental afflictions.

For Rituals
In stark contrast with Netzach once again, which strives to change magic into a
beautiful form, Hod simply allows the caster to become more in tune with the
magical flows that go through. Just as a fish swimming with the flow to get to
where it needed to be would expend significantly less energy as compared to one
which swam against the current, evoking the sphere of Hod would put the caster
into a position wherein he can, by use of minimal effort get the maximum
effect.

For large scale rituals, putting the sphere of Netzach opposite the sphere of
Hod with respect to the focal point of the spell would be ideal as it will
provide two paths for the flows of magic â€" the extremely strong flows which
cannot me transformed would go through the path of Hod to get the maximum
effect from them, whilst the transformable magic would pass through Netzach to
intensify them.

 
Tipheret, The Sphere of Perfection
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It is often said that “True freedom is only gained under the Sphere of
Perfection”. Tipheret, is the sphere found directly above Yesod and is at the
center of all the ten spheres. Perfection, it seems, means balance for if you
were to observe the symmetry not only of the shape but also of the way the
different spheres are positioned around it. On the left side, you find the
spheres Netzach, Gedulah and Chockmah which are the spheres of the Beautiful
One, the Merciful Hand and the All-Seeing. On the right, you find the spheres
of Hod, Geburah, and Binah which are the spheres of the Powerful Mind, the
Strong Arm, and the Bitter Mother. A mortal possessing the characteristics of
the left side would be considered gentle, whereas one possessing the
characteristics on the right forceful, without the negative connotation. While
both are considered mirror images of one another in terms of approach towards
problems or scenarios, they are both considered strong in either case. Such is
the symbolism of Tipheret, to find a balance between the two so that one might
be able to wear the Crown of power above his head, and be supported by firmness
from below.

For Combat
The second active sphere you will learn to evoke, the Sphere of Perfection will
free you from any form of binding â€" webs, ropes, and vines â€" in exchange for
your equilibrium. It is preferred over writhing at times when the aggressor
obviously wishes to perform an action which requires you to be prone or bound
as being immediately free prevents them from performing the action.
Unfortunately, it will not free you from crucifixion or impaled limbs.

For Rituals
In the case of Enchanters, knowledge of Tipheret is essential if they are to
imbue crowns, rings, brooches and other jewelry with the enchantment known as
Perfection, which provides anyone walking under the influence of Tipheret
regeneration of magical energy, mana. It is no doubt due to the fact that the
balance attained between forcefulness and gentleness in both mind and body are
what allows those under this sphere to regain mana at such a fast pace. To
force such a large amount of magical energy onto a weak body would surely cause
it to collapse, and a strong body with little mana may be crushed by strong
magical spells. Once the balance is obtained, power from the sphere of Kether
may rain down upon the individual whilst being supported by the sphere of
Malkuth so that it doesn’t collapse under the sheer power.

For large scale rituals, Tipheret may be evoked at the center of the whole set
up to induce balance. While the sphere may be able to induce balance, it does
not intensify something that is not balanced in the first place. In other
words, if the whole system prepared is radically skewed to one side, Tipheret
might even serve as a hindrance to the full effect of the spell due to the fact
that it will ‘pull back’ the power of the spheres at play in an attempt to
balance them off. However, if the system prepared is already balanced, it will
intensify the power flow and stability of the whole system. Tipheret must,
therefore, be used on a case-by-base basis.

Geburah, The Sphere of the Strong Arm
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The Sphere of the Strong Arm sits above the Sphere of the Powerful Mind, below
the Sphere of the Bitter Mother, and across the Sphere of the Merciful Hand.
From this alone we can deduce that the Sphere of the Strong Arm is the sphere
of power, of destruction, and of judgment. Ranking officials such as those in
the Iron Council or Guild Leadership often walk under the Sphere of Geburah as
this is the source of their power over the people. Though they may also be
influenced by Gedulah and the other spheres, without the sphere of Geburah
their power and authority will have no root and will be as weak as a shriveled
twig in the desert. It is of utmost importance that this sphere is balanced off
by Gedulah otherwise all that will ensue from it is destruction.

As strange as it may seem, when used in combination with Gedulah, Geburah is
used create a balance between mercy and cruelty. The perfect balance, found in
Tipheret, results in Gedulah’s gentleness being able to reach reality where
the law of nature, “survival of the fittest”, is manifest.

For Combat
Geburah is another passive sphere. It is evoked prior to combat to increase the
strength of the caster. While this is mostly useless to mage and guardian
archetypes, it is invaluable to knight and monk classes which depend highly
upon physical contact to inflict damage upon their enemies. However, it is not
something mages should take for granted for the strength to strike your
opponent with your hand becomes necessary should you run out of mana through
your inability to cure mana-siphoning afflictions, though it is advised that
you run unless you know your enemy would die in one more stroke.

For Rituals
The Sphere of the Strong Arm is a great asset to any large scale ritual, as it
will intensify the raw power in the spell being cast. However it is again
stressed that it must be balanced by the Sphere of the Merciful Hand lest that
power go berserk and the casters slain by their own spells. Tipheret must also
be between the two to support the balance of energies, and to serve as a
channel for the combined power towards Yesod and Malkuth. If no direct
connection can be made, Geburah must then pass through Hod such that the cosmic
energies are amplified by Geburah and further so by Hod, rather than being
opposed by Netzach, before reaching Tipheret. On the opposite side, the weaker
cosmic energies will be drawn in and empowered by Gedulah and further empowered
by Netzach to meet at Tipheret where they will then be released through Yesod
and Malkuth.

However, if the objective of the ritual is true destruction at all costs, then
evoking the sphere of Gedulah will not serve any purpose other than to weaken
it. As such, the use of Gedulah with Geburah is only to ensure the safety of
the casters and minimize the destructive potentialities of magic.
 

Gedulah, The Sphere of the Merciful Hand
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Associated with love and kindness, the Sphere of Gedulah is in no way usable
offensively like the other spheres. While some may imagine being extremely kind
may make some enemies guilty, it will rarely be the case and Gedulah’s use is
definitely not in combat. The Sphere of Hod which symbolizes submission is
found below Gedulah suggesting that a foundation for love and affection is
submission not only to the person but also to the emotions associated with it.
Across Gedulah is the Sphere of the Strong Arm which implies that from the
emotions of love that is unrequited might also yield destruction of the self
and the world around an individual if it is not kept in check.

For Combat
The Sphere of Gedulah is the second active sphere you will master, and
functions much like the Sphere of Hod in combat, but instead of curing mental
afflictions it cures anything that ails the physical body. In other words, in
exchange for power you can cure an array of physical afflictions. It does not,
however, cure deepwounds.

For Rituals
The use of Gedulah in large scale rituals, when in combination with Geburah,
would be to protect the casters and mildly segregate the stronger magic and
weaker magic flows so that each may be channeled separately to achieve
different or stackable effects to the maximum possible. As such, it is best to
be positioned opposite the focal point, just like Hod and Netzach, so that they
are able to serve their directing purpose more easily as well as support the two
spheres below them. It would be advisable for Geburah to be above Hod and
Gedulah above Netzach as Hod will not interfere negatively with the strong
currents from Geburah and Netzach will empower the weaker currents from
Gedulah.
 

Binah, The Sphere of the Bitter Mother
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Sitting above the Sphere of the Strong Arm is Binah, the Sphere of the Bitter
Mother. One of the three connected directly to Kether, it is potent and deadly
when the balance is upset. It is often associated, due to its connection with
Geburah, with vengeance and, due to its position being opposite that of
Chockmah, with a lack of understanding of the wholeness of the situation.
Powerful illusions which strip you of your ability to discern correctly your
surroundings and self such as Terrain and Wounds are a result of energy from
Binah being drawn forth in combination with Yesod’s ability to conceal which
steal your senses of their natural ability to discern the true state of things.

For Combat
Interestingly enough, the Sphere of the Bitter Mother is an active spell which
causes a passive affliction upon its target. Removing one point of constitution
from your opponent for a period of time, it can be catastrophic for those from
races with very little constitution to begin with such as the frail faelings of
the forests. However, the power used to this end could probably be used to
achieve a greater effect through some other means.

For Rituals
Although Binah is often referred to as the Sphere of the Bitter Mother, the
mere fact that it sits two tiers above the Sphere of the Powerful Mind and is
directly under Kether says something about its purpose. While Yesod may give
you some rudimentary understanding of magic is by revealing the flows and
threads with which magic is woven, it does not explain the mechanisms behind
it, or what it actually is. It is just like being able to see the tints on a
palette. It will allow you to select colours better and therefore make a better
picture but at the end of it all the beauty of the painting depends on how well
the tints were mixed. Binah, in this sense, takes the pure energy of Kether and
the Powerful Mind of Hod to grant one insight into the mechanism, the way magic
currents are forged from pure cosmic energies. Evoking Binah would thus allow
the caster to elucidate mechanism of the whole spell such that he or she is
able to see weakening and repair them before anything major happens. However,
this can only be done in conjunction with Chockmah, the Sphere of the
All-Seeing, for without Chockmah, Binah is short-sighted and may be overly
influenced by Gevurah below it and upset the balance of the whole system and
pull the flows of magic out of Tipheret’s domain and therefore endangering
the whole setup.
 

Chockmah, The Sphere of the All-Seeing
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The Sphere of the All-Seeing is the second sphere connected directly to the
Sphere of the Crown and opposite the Sphere of the Bitter Mother. Those walking
under Chockmah have great insight and creativity, as well as intuition and
imagination. This is supported by the Sphere of Netzach which is situated two
spheres below Chockmah. Similar to Binah, the loss of balance due to Chockmah
would have devastating effects as it is directly connected to the pure cosmic
power of Kether. While it may not be as actively destructive as the Bitter
Mother or the Strong Arm, the problem with too much insight is that it becomes
impossible to come to decisions, and every action becomes calculated to the
most insignificant details. The consequence of this would be prolonged
passiveness, a refusal to move because of the fear of the cascading effect for
both events which has been forseen and the inability to discern which the
better of the two is. In fact, the illusion that one path may be better than
the other when it comes to such trivial details is a sign that the balance has
been lost.

For Combat
The last of the passive spheres, Chockmah grants the caster a Third Eye for
individuals that are not in corporeal form â€" in other words in dream-body. It
is often used in combination with either Psionics or Kether as both are means by
which an individual may attack those in that intangible form. Otherwise, it is
not of much use in frontline combat.

For Rituals
As is with Binah, the role of Chockmah is seen through how it is connected to
the other spheres. Sitting above the Merciful Hand, Chockmah is perhaps the
reason why the Merciful Hand can exist. Without knowing everything, the story
would always be one sided and no understanding would ever come. However, the
All-Seeing is supported by the Merciful Hand as well. It is possibly through
the desire to be Merciful that there is also the desire to look beyond what
appears at face value to see the whole picture and acquire a greater
understanding of things. While Binah with Hod gives an understanding of the
mechanism by which magic is forged, Chockmah when supported by Gedulah grants
an understanding of the cosmic energies itself by first making individuals
discontented with just knowing the mechanism. With a proper understanding of
the mechanism and the energies involved, maximum effect can be attained with
minimum effort. We find that there is once again balance and the mystical
energies will pass through and attain Tipheret’s Perfection.
 

Kether, The Sphere of the Crown
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The highest of the spheres, Kether is the source of the power of all the
spheres below it. Kether is also the last of the spheres a student will learn
in the school of High Magic because the way to Kether is only opened upon
Chockmah, Binah and Tipheret being in sync, or resonant with one another. A
King must have the strength and power derived from Binah and the spheres below
Binah, have the wisdom and knowledge derived from Chockmah and the spheres
below Chockmah, and ultimately have the support from Malkuth and those above
it.

For Combat
Kether is the last active sphere one will learn to use, and is the only real
offensive sphere. By evoking this sphere, the target that shrouds himself
between the fabric of reality will feel the force of pure cosmic energy
unleashed. Kether, however, cannot be used on those of corporeal form, other
than the fact that there are a myriad of other ways of affecting a physically
tangible body.

For Rituals
The evoking of Kether for a large scale ritual would serve the purpose of
having a massive power reservoir so that your casters do not have to be put
under so much strain. This is not to say that evoking Kether means your casters
can be all weak and frail so long as there is one who is very capable. A ritual
which actually requires Kether’s evocation to provide for its demands for
mana would definitely be one which requires a certain caliber of casters to be
able to control. In addition, the position of Kether is absolutely essential
for such a large scale evocation to work. The cosmic energy to be used must be
separated, and thus Kether must be located between Binah and Chockmah and their
lower spheres but at the same time it must be in line with Tipheret and Malkuth
so that the net flow of power is linear and smooth, otherwise the whole system
would be strained and may end up failing or, at worse, obliterating the whole
group.