The Path of Samekh: Tiphareth to Yesod

The twenty-fifth path runs down the central Pillar of Equilibrium from Tiphareth, Beauty, to Yesod, Foundation, the middle segment of the great vertical axis of the Tree. It carries the letter Samekh, whose name means "prop" or "support", and whose closed circular form suggests completeness, enclosure and the supporting ring, an apt sign for a path that upholds the descent of the higher light toward the foundation.

In the Sefer Yetzirah Samekh is one of the twelve simple letters assigned to the twelve zodiac signs, and it is given to Sagittarius, the mutable fire sign of the archer, aspiration, the far-reaching aim and the arrow of the higher self. The attribution of the letter to Sagittarius belongs to the ancient Jewish scheme in which the twelve single letters correspond to the signs and months; the archer's upward-aiming arrow and the supporting prop of Samekh together suit a path that steadies the soul in its aspiration toward the centre above.