Binah (Kabbalah)

Binah is the third Sefirah on the tree of life. It is given the assoiation of Understanding. It sits below Keter, Across from Chockmah and above Gevurah. It is usualy given four paths. To Keter, Chockmah, Gevurah, and Tiphereth (some Kabbalahists place a path from Binah to Chesed as well.)

Besides just understanding. Binah is also associated with the feminine. This attribute is why Binah is often associated with various occult things that reflect the females. For example, the priestess card in the tarot (according to Arthur Edward Waite's "Pictorial Key to the Tarot") and 777 associating it with Isis, Cybele, Demeter, Rhea, Woman, The Virgin Mary, Juno, Hecate, Yoni, The Three Threes of the Tarot, etc. etc. etc.

This feminine association is not just used amongst the modern movements. “For you shall call Understanding a Mother.” This point was reflected in the jewish Kabbalahist work Bahir.

References

• 777, Aleister Crowley (1955). Red Wheel/Weiser. (ISBN 0–87728–670–1)
• Bahir, Aryeh Kaplan (1995). Aronson. (ISBN 1–56821–383–2)