The Infinity Sign
The infinity sign is a universal representation of endlessness and eternity. It is also a symbol of relationship, the connection of all that exists, specifically through the tension of opposites. It is a reflection of the atomic dance of positive and negative forces, the tension of push and pull that keeps the entire universe in balance. When representing the opposites of masculine and feminine, the constant movement within the unity of the symbol allows for simultaneous bonding and individuation. This connection is represented as yang/masculine and yin/feminine in Taoist philosophy and Chinese medicine, and appears in Kabbalah as well.
In Kabbalah
Sefer Yetzira, the oldest kabbalistic text, describes the Tree of Life, blueprint of the cosmos, as: “the end is in the beginning,” (1:7) “their limit has no end,” and “running and returning” (1:6). These phrases also describe the infinity sign.41
The theme of “running and returning” also occurs in Genesis, where one of the pivotal scenes of transformation is Jacob’s dream of angels ascending and descending a ladder which connects heaven and earth. A similar description is found in Ezekiel’s vision of the heavenly throne/chariot, called the Merkava. The Merkava vision, which the Ari and his followers studied so diligently, details the mechanism of bringing higher consciousness, the light of heaven, down to earth. The Zohar details the actions of the Merkava itself and the heavenly creatures who support it. The creatures ascend to the Merkava in order to bring down the light of higher consciousness. This is called “running.” They then descend to the physical plane in order to integrate and distribute the new light. This process is called “returning.” My Zohar teacher, Sarah Yehudit Schneider, describes this pulsation of “running and returning” as the heartbeat, the pulse, of spiritual life.42
The infinity symbol has three parts: the two sides and the center. The center of the symbol both connects and separates the polarities on either side. The center is an active boundary and because the opposites meet there it is also the space where healing and resolution occur. The center also corresponds to the final boundary Ezekiel encountered before he rose to the highest level of his vision and saw the Merkava, the throne of glory. The final boundary in the vision is called the chashmal/.43 The word chashmal itself is a meeting of opposites, chash/ meaning silence and mal/ meaning speaking. In Sefer Yetzira, chashmal is said to represent the boundary between the physical and the spiritual. In a way, the practices in this book reflect the concept of chashmal, the reconnection of body and soul.
The infinity symbol can also represent balance within the Tree itself. The sefirot of the left/feminine and right/masculine columns may have opposing purposes. The two sides of the Tree find balance in the central column, which acts as the power center of an infinity sign. There in the center, opposites can meet in harmony and resolve their differences. According to the Zohar, when the sefirot of the central column are activated by the balance of left and right, the central column becomes a channel for the new light of higher consciousness to enter the world.
The influx of new light, higher consciousness, is also symbolized in the Zohar by the letter aleph, which holds within it both the spark of an idea and all possible manifestations. The aleph is in a constant state of vibration because of the attraction of the two polar opposites symbolized by the yuds, nonduality and multiplicity. They run and return like the two ends of the infinity sign. The vav (“and”) between them, like the central column of the tree, is the place of meeting and transformation.
In Energy Medicine
Energies connect and communicate to a large extent in infinity shapes. Donna Eden, founder of Eden Energy Medicine, observes healthy energy moving in infinity/figure eight patterns both within individuals and between people in positive relationships. We have infinity patterns in the energy aura that surrounds us, in every organ, tissue, and cell, and down to the double helix of DNA. The infinity sign is the pulse of the physical world. When I first learned this, a defining relationship between energy and Kabbalah became evident.
Healing of the body and even clearing the energy of a physical space can be fostered by creating infinity patterns with the hands. Simply tracing these patterns over an area that is bruised, broken, or just painful promotes healing. Smudging a room with sage or lavender smoke in infinity patterns helps to clear it of unwanted energies. Kabbalistic symbolism, as we shall soon see, can be added to elevate this process.
In addition, Eden Energy Medicine teaches that infinity patterns are actually radiant circuits, energies of light, and are described in Chinese medicine as direct connections to the soul.44 The radiant circuits are hyperlinks that can travel anywhere in the body. They are the golden energies of joy, responsible for healing “miracles.” Is it merely a coincidence that the renowned scholar and healer Reb Nachman of Breslov (1772–1810), who took a spiritual approach to the origins of physical illness, proclaimed “joy is the greatest healer”? I believe he saw the lights of the radiant circuits.
A Final Note About Light and Infinity
In Hebrew, God is often referred to as the Ein Sof/ meaning the Infinite (literally “without end”) or Aur Ein Sof/ Infinite Light. Both of these names begin with the letter /aleph, which, coincidentally, is the mathematical symbol for infinity.
In addition,
Ein sof/Infinity ()
and
Aur/Light ()
have the same gematria, 207, which makes them equivalent in a deep way.45 We can think of the infinity sign then as a symbol of divine light, both energetically and kabbalistically.
When using the infinity sign for healing or as a symbol of many of the ideas presented here, remember the underlying secret of the relationship between light and infinity.
Infinity = Light = Infinity
41 I have found infinity signs on reproductions of ancient kabbalistic amulets.
42 Sarah Yehudit Schneider, Still Small Voice Correspondence School: Zohar Class, 8/16/15.
43 Chashmal has no real translation in Ezekial's vision. It is referred to as electrum and in modern Hebrew became the word used for “electricity.”
44 Donna Eden in Radiant Circuits Class: April 27–May 1, 2016.
45 Gematria is usually based on the numeric values of the letters as per their order in the aleph-bet. This is the case here, even though final forms of two of the letters occur.