AUTHOR’S NOTE: The Qabalistic Tree of Life (which takes its inspiration from the orthodox Hebrew Kabbalah) presents an ontological model of four levels (olams or “worlds”) of increasing density as one descends the Tree: the Archetypal or Spiritual World (Atziluth) at the top is entirely numinous; the Creative or Intellectual World (Briah or Beriah) immediately below is only slightly less ethereal; third down from the top, the Formative or Emotional World (Yetzirah, the home of astral/psychic phenomena) suggests “plasticity” and foreshadows the vestigial structure underlying objective reality; and the Active or Physical Word (Assiah, embodied in the mundane sphere of Malkuth) at the bottom portrays the “Kingdom of Earth” where we dwell most of the time. Hermetically speaking, the elemental energies of Fire, Air, Water and Earth correspond to these worlds, in devolving order of subtlety from the most rarefied expression to the grossest. (Note that this is a departure from the usual “Fire/Water/Air/Earth” progression of the tarot.)

For practical rather than philosophical or metaphysical purposes, I decided to describe these “realms of emanation” as if I were launching a new product for my hypothetical manufacturing firm.

In the Archetytpal World I envision in speculative terms what I want my product to do and, just as importantly, what I don’t want it to do. This is the domain of theoretical brainstorming where all possibilities are explored and provisionally ranked according to their potential. Open-ended concepts are “floated” but not dismissed out of hand, and inspired flights of imagination are encouraged.

In the Creative World, after much tough-minded deliberation, the preliminary design emerges from the “think-tank” and the initial manufacturing blueprints are developed. At this point it is still a cerebral exercise with no tangible dimensions.

In the Formative World the designers hand off their work to the production team and a single prototype is crafted as a “one-off” demonstration of fitness for its intended purpose, and tested for conformity to the original vision. This is repeated until a satisfactory (and consistently reproducible) performance envelope is achieved. The author of the chosen model begins to feel the emotional gratification of a successful initiative.

In the Active World the first production run is undertaken and the fledgling product is then pushed out the door into the waiting arms of the consumer. Ideally, the money rolls in.

These notions of conceiving, designing, validating and actualizing a creative endeavor can be applied to any effort that starts with an abstract idea and ends with a concrete manifestation of success or failure. In divination, the degree of alignment between the description of projected developments and the optimal evolution of the four-fold paradigm will indicate whether a favorable transition can be anticipated at each turn or whether difficulties will be encountered along the way. For example, the abundant enthusiasm of Fire could be sapped in the temperate world of Water while the nimble versatility of Air could be greatly inhibited in the unbending world of Earth, in both cases leading to a considerable loss of momentum. Any spread that invokes the “four-element” or “four-suit” premise can be read in this way by applying the rules of “Elemental Dignity.”