Discussion/Contemplation Exercise
As you have already experienced, to really get to know the Sephiroth we want to explore not just the associations of the Sephiroth, but how their essence influences, impacts and/or can be used by us. The vices and virtues are integral to this. How does the nature of Netzach, the Victory, lead to a virtue of Unselfishness? How does it lead to the vice of Unchastity and Lust for Power? What can the vice and virtue tell you about Netzach?
Vice: Unchastity, Lust for Power
We are all familiar with the idea of unconditional love. It is often described in very pure terms. It is unblemished, untarnished. The vice, here, of netzach, is the tarnishing of that love. It isn’t about sex, Netzach is not about physical or sexual passion, it is about emotion and connection, about the poet’s version of love. And thus, unchastity, is a blemishing of that love.
When we fail to be congruent with ourselves, we are unchaste, we have removed the purity from ourselves. When we deny our own emotions, we become unchaste, because we deny the fullness of who we are.
Denying pieces of ourselves breaks us into pieces, those pieces become shadows, the hidden aspects of our beings that are still a part of ourselves. But because we reject them, those pieces move into the shadows and operate from there. The more we deny them, the stronger they became, and the more that they can control our lives. When we deny the reality of who we are, we create those shadows.
What this means is that we need to face and accept all of who we are, warts and all. No one is perfect. No one. Accept that and accept yourself. All of yourself, comfortable and uncomfortable and you will be victorious.
The desire to connect and feel that full connection, that feeling of unselfishness, can also topple over into the lust for power. When we don’t feel secure in ourselves, when we cannot accept fully who we are, we end up seeking power, external power, in order to find a sense of security. Or to fill that need for love. Does the lust for power also come from a failure to love ourselves? Questions to ponder.
How does this align with your ideas of Netzach? of venus? of a beautiful naked woman? Can you get a sense for why the power of this sphere would manifest into this particular vice?
Make notes on your Netzach-General Notes or in your journal.
Virtue: Unselfishness
When we experience the vision of beauty triumphant, unselfishness is a natural and necessary consequence of that experience. Through venus we connect with the heart, and by allowing ourselves to truly be with our own emotions and experiences, we become attuned and aligned not just to ourselves but to the universe itself.
We can begin to recognize that everyone and everything is connected. Netzach can be seen as the sphere at which the oneness that has been coming into manifestation down the tree, separates into its component parts. This is where the separation happens, and thus also where the rejoining happens (when we travel up). We are separate, yet aware that we are all from the same source.
Given that, are we selfish with our other pieces of ourselves? Or do we give generously, unselfishly, because we know ourselves to be but part of the same connective whole?
How does this align with your ideas of Netzach? of venus? of a beautiful naked woman? Can you get a sense for why the power of this sphere would manifest into this particular virtue?
Make notes on your Netzach-General Notes or in your journal.