Tree of Life · 2 of 10
Chokhmah: wisdom
Chokhmah names wisdom, with emphasis on the initial conception of an idea. Its counterpart, Binah, develops what that idea contains.
- Position in this diagram
- Right column
- Hermetic correspondence
- Zodiac
The first shape of an idea
Recognising a possibility and explaining it are different tasks. The Chokhmah theme concerns the first; Binah concerns the work of making it intelligible.
Read alongside Binah: understanding.
Original teaching analogy
An everyday example
A musician hears a short phrase before knowing how the whole piece will work. The phrase is enough to begin composing. In this teaching analogy, Chokhmah is that initial conception. Testing its rhythm and developing variations brings in the Binah theme.
The Zodiac correspondence
The correspondence is the zodiac as a whole. It does not identify Chokhmah with a particular Sun sign or a personal rising sign.
This association comes from Mathers's 1887 table, introduction section 53.
Compare all ten correspondencesContext and sources
The sefirot belong to Jewish Kabbalah. Chabad's account of the ten sefirot explains the names and counting variants; its Sefirot chapter explains the religious context. The planetary association used here is a later Hermetic layer.
The everyday example is an Astriel analogy, not a traditional quotation. Reviewed 20 September 2026.