Shekinah awareness (Judaism)

The awareness of the Shekinah, in the Jewish tradition, is said to be equivalent to the mystical way of the Tree of Life. That way is the ascent through the paths of wisdom to the stations or realms of the emanations or sephiroth through the four worlds. Shekinah can be found, it is said, in malkuth, the "kingdom", lowest of the sephiroth in the consciousness of this world; and it is sometimes identified only with this stage. It appears, however, that the Shekinah (dwelling or vehicle) of God can ascend and descend the Tree of Life. In its active or "masculine" role it has been considered an angel of liberation for human consciousness and given a position inferior only to God from the point of view of human salvation. Whether masculine or feminine in its personifications, the Shekinah is a mediating consciousness between the infinitude of God and limited human awareness. In Chasidic teachings the Shekinah is called [kavod]

, the divine radiance or glory; and when considered as an angel it is related to the cherubim on the throne of God.