The 22 paths of the Tree of Life contain descriptions that help all of us to be able to take actions that allow changes to occur in our brain circuits. We've already mentioned a few of these. To properly begin a study of the paths, we must look at how our brain circuits function and interconnect.

The third brain circuit, represented by Hod on the Tree of Life, is the Rational mind. This portion of the brain begins to function at about age four to five when the child begins to want to "name" everything, to ask "why, how come," and other intelligence gathering questions. This brain is under the control of the operator and when it comes on-line, we begin to be fully conscious. This is why most people can only recall memories to about age four and why educators know you cannot start first grade education until at least 5 years and 6 months. Before then, only the subconscious or unconscious are functioning and these memories are not usually available and the child will not be ready for the higher education of math and language skills.

You use your third circuit to remember with, to mentate with, to plan, organize, study, test, probe, etc. It is the scientific mind, the one you use in school. This portion of your brain loves patterns and symmetry. Things need to "make sense" to it or it is confused and will work hard to find ways to "add things up."

This is a relatively simple circuit and can be coldly calculated. Don't think it has no emotions. It has! But, its emotions are cold, not hot like the second circuit. If the third circuit is angered it may not put on much of a display but is much more dangerous in the long run. It will hold a grudge for cause and calculate a way to win that the lunatic second circuit with its instant gratification cannot.

Damage to this circuit can create a Marquis de Sade, a Count Dracula, a cruel and coldly calculated fiend driven by damage to their first, second, and third circuits. This damage creates the "inhuman" characteristics seen in some unfortunate individuals.

The fourth brain circuit represented by Netzach on the Tree of Life is called the Holistic Physical brain and is an energy circuit powered by the energy of sexuality. This is not a thinking circuit. At the point of orgasm, when this circuit is fully engaged, no one is making up grocery lists or adding numbers. At that point, thinking in the form of the second or third circuits stops and the energy of a super conscious brain circuit takes over. The Fourth brain circuit is indeed super conscious and brings a profound chemical change to the body and brain. This chemical change is so powerful it changes androgynous children in to men and women at about age twelve. The fourth brain circuit begins to open at about age seven or eight and is fully functional at puberty.

The first, second, and third brain circuits all use the fourth brain circuit for sexual gratification. The first brain circuit uses the fourth to preserve the species in a kind of hormonal "I'm horny" burst of sexual energy. The second brain circuit uses the fourth to build up the Ego and see how many partners can be conquered (and owned). When this is in charge, the person will have sex a few times, lose interest (but not ownership), and go looking for new horizons (bodies) to conquer. The third brain circuit is capable of acting logically toward the use of the energy found in the sexuality of the fourth brain circuit. Unfortunately, social, church, government, and other special interest groups have given sex such a bad name that the third circuit has no base of real information to work from. All is covered in filth, dirt, and nasty attitudes. This keeps people from being logical about their sexual life and creates a total second circuit Ego/Territorial horror about sex. With this Territorial and Ego aspect deeply imprinted into the sexual world, every one is easily controlled by those special interests who wish to control all of us to their (not our) benefit.

Sexual energy is our creative energy. The lives of the great artists, musicians, poets, etc., display the correlation to sexual energy. Creative ability depends on a healthy fourth circuit that depends on a strong sexual energy. Wilhelm Reich, a medical doctor and psychologist, worked with terminally ill patients and discovered that those patients who responded to genital stimulation got well while those patients who resisted the sexual response died.

The fourth brain circuit sexual energy can bring you to life or allow you to die. Repression here brings illness. Wholeness brings healing. All growth heals!!! According to most esoteric body energy studies, the sexual energy (Yin/Yang) is the fundamental energy of our body and mind and spirituality. This basic duality of energy is shown at all levels from Quantum physics to the godhead. Nowhere in nature does one polarity stand alone. All--all--all is duality! This duality of Yin/Yang energy manifests strongly in our earthly mental and physical aspects.

Without this sexual drive (Netzach on the Tree of Life) we are little more than selfish automations. Driven solely by Ego and using only the logically coldly rational third circuit we have no "feelings" to "touch" with. Without the sexuality of the fourth circuit we are less than human and well behave in "inhuman" ways.

A strong fourth circuit that is healthy creates a large amount of sexual energy used to many purposes. Such energy is available for play, work, creativity, anything, including sex. Your very humanity resides here and makes you the vibrant, charismatic person you are when you are "up."

The fourth circuit can be damaged by the circuit using (rather mis-using) the persons' sexuality. Thus, the fourth circuit most often is driven by the second circuit Ego and Territoriality, creating a vicious and hurtful aura to sex. The third circuit should be the brain circuit of choice to run the sexuality of the fourth circuit. The first will use it to help it to stop being afraid and gain security, the second will use sex to gain Ego and territory, the third can use sex consciously and logically. The Tree of Life and Tantra both teach how to use the third brain circuit to apply the sexual energy appropriately and rationally.

A damaged sexual attitude will be manifested as aggressive sexuality, over-protectiveness in parenting, restless relationships, promiscuity, and by asocial and criminal behavior. All these indicate second circuit control of the fourth brain circuit. An inability to understand a need for rules and sharing comes from damage to the pathway between second and fourth circuits. When second circuit Ego/territory drives your fourth circuit sexual energy, a person will use sex, beauty, relationships, parenting, and other sexual roles to get control.

Control is the dominant issue of the second circuit. This circuit is the bad boy of the brain but without it no one would get up in the morning to accomplish anything. We all need our Ego. However, the Ego will use the third circuit and fourth circuits like slaves to take the control the Ego thinks it needs. Third circuit control shows in the prima donna scientist who has a hatfull of degrees and will not be treated in any way but accordingly;. It will be DOCTOR Ivorytower and the research will be totally at their whim, and the articles written are top flight or DOCTOR Ivorytower will be gone to where he/she/it is treated better! Yup; it happens at all levels of society and education.

The second brain circuit, the Territorial/Ego brain, sometimes called the mammal brain, is represented on the Tree of Life by the Sephirah Yesod. The term mammal brain is used because only mammals have this brain segment or higher brain circuits. Yesod on the Tree of Life is shown as having four paths connecting it to the rest of the brain. It sits squarely centered within the lower four brain circuits that make up the complete lower brain which is all that is normally used. The second circuit thus is capable of dominating the actions of an individual across a broad spectrum of thinking and emotional activity. The more simple Biosurvival (first) brain circuit has only three paths connecting it to the rest of the brain. Now, with the Ego we encounter increased complexity. This complex nature of the brain will increase with each conscious circuit having five links to the rest of the brain and the first superconscious circuit, Tiphareth, the fifth circuit having eight pathways to the rest of the brain.

The human Ego is subconscious and, when acting on its own as it does out of fear, anger, or worry, does not supply conscious memory to the third circuit. As mentioned before, the third circuit is mightily confused by the actions of the second circuit. The fourth circuit does not see things in the logical and rational way of the third circuit so the word "confused" does not really apply but the fourth circuit sexuality does not deal well with the run-away second circuit bad manners either. Each individual isolates to some extent these lower circuits because it is their normal state. The first and second circuits when completely healthy support the conscious circuits and do not take over except in a life or death emergency.

These enormously powerful brain circuits supply the foundation for our thinking processes. How we think is the foundation for how we behave. How we behave is the foundation for what we receive. If you're getting bad things in your life you can backtrack to the foundation of the first and second brain circuits, repair these and rebuild, ultimately receiving at a level you desire and have prepared for.

The conscious brain circuit has five paths. One path connects to the unconscious Biosurvival circuit, one path connects to the subconscious Territorial/Ego circuit, and another path connects the Rational mind with the Sexual circuit (third to fourth or Hod to Netzach). Two paths connect from the third brain circuit, Rational mind to the superconscious. One path connects to the Neuro-somatic, bliss- producing, fifth circuit, and the other path connects to the sixth brain circuit, our Celestial Surgeon, the DNA control center. The fourth brain circuit does not connect directly to the sixth brain circuit but connects directly to the seventh brain circuit, called Chesed on the Tree of Life, or the Cosmic Idea circuit and the third brain circuit does not connect directly to the seventh brain circuit..

The superconscious consists of brain circuits five, six, and seven and contain your higher powers. These powers consist of such things as E.S.P., astral projection, prophecy, faith healing, holistic mental states, super idea connections, artistic creativity, shamanism, super ability to align with needs and bring "things" forth, etc. In short, every thing you imagine and want.

To gain these higher powers, you work through the lower circuits, healing and unifying them, then applying this force through the correct ritual and Tantric method to the paths leading into the superconscious. The usual method is the natural progression of circuit three, to circuit four, to circuit five, and then to the other higher brain circuit as you desire and have the ability to acquire.