The Tree of Life & Kabbalah
The Tree of Life is at the heart of the work of the Tree of Life School. It is a symbolic and practical map that can be used to explore the different dimensions of human existence, from our everyday lives and psychological patterns to deeper questions of consciousness, meaning and spiritual development.
The Tree of Life comes from the tradition of Kabbalah, an ancient wisdom tradition concerned with understanding the nature of existence, the human being and our relationship with the spiritual dimension of life.
The Toledano Tradition
Our particular approach has been strongly influenced by the Toledano tradition of Kabbalah.
The name Toledano comes from Toledo in Spain. During the Middle Ages, Toledo became an important meeting place for Jewish, Christian and Islamic scholars, where philosophical, spiritual and mystical ideas were studied, translated and exchanged.
The Toledano tradition draws upon this heritage while presenting the Tree of Life as a universal system that can be studied and applied by people from different religious, spiritual and cultural backgrounds.
Z’ev ben Shimon Halevi
A central influence on our work is Z’ev ben Shimon Halevi, also known as Warren Kenton, with whom we studied the Tree of Life and Kabbalah.
Halevi devoted much of his life to teaching and presenting Kabbalah in a way that could be understood and applied within the modern world. His work brought traditional Kabbalistic principles into dialogue with psychology, astrology, science, spirituality and everyday human experience.
An important aspect of his teaching was the use of the Tree of Life as a practical map of the human psyche and spiritual development.
Halevi also developed and taught the model known as Jacob’s Ladder, in which the four Worlds of Kabbalah are represented as interlocking Trees of Life. This provides a wider framework through which the physical, psychological, spiritual and divine dimensions of existence can be understood as interconnected.
Continuing and Developing the Teaching
At the Tree of Life School, our intention is not simply to study the Tree of Life intellectually, but to work with it as a living and practical system.
We remain students of the tradition while also exploring how its principles can be applied to contemporary life.
Our own professional backgrounds have naturally influenced the way we work with and teach the Tree of Life.
Chris Stavri brings his experience as a psychotherapist and clinical supervisor, integrating psychological theory and therapeutic practice with the structure and principles of the Tree of Life through the Tree of Life Model for Psychotherapy.
Mercedes Simon brings her professional work in astrology, exploring the relationship between the astrological birth chart, human development and the Tree of Life.
Together, these perspectives allow us to explore the connections between Tree of Life teaching, psychology, psychotherapy, astrology and spiritual development.
A Living Map for Human Development
What makes the work of the Tree of Life School distinctive is that we do not approach the Tree of Life simply as something to study.
We use it as a practical map through which people can begin to observe and understand themselves more deeply — their patterns of thought and feeling, relationships, choices, inner conflicts, strengths and possibilities for development.
Psychotherapy can deepen the psychological dimension of this work. Astrology can provide another perspective on individual character, potential and life experience. Traditional and modern Tree of Life teachings provide the wider framework through which these different dimensions can be explored and understood.
For those who connect more naturally with Christianity, we also offer Christian Tree of Life teachings, exploring the Tree of Life alongside Christian spiritual understanding. This is one pathway within the School rather than the religious foundation of the School as a whole.
In this way, the Tree of Life becomes a meeting point between ancient wisdom and contemporary understanding — a framework through which psychology, spirituality, astrology and lived human experience can be explored together.
Our Approach
We remain students of the Tree of Life as well as teachers of it.
The Tree of Life is not something that can simply be learned once and completed. Its principles can continually be revisited and understood at deeper levels through study, observation, experience and practice.
Our aim is to honour the depth and integrity of the tradition we received through Z’ev ben Shimon Halevi while continuing to explore how the Tree of Life can be applied meaningfully to psychological, personal and spiritual development today.