Washington DC Monumental Core Shown to Be
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Gates of LightBefore I get back to architecture, the cathedral and the D.C. map, I want to take a look at a somewhat different version of the tree. This was the first published image of the tree, yet few people even know of it. It was the frontpiece for a work called Portae Lucis (Gates of Light circa 1290) which was a Latin translation of a Hebrew text("Shaare Orah" written by Rabbi Joseph Gikatalia [1248-1323]) on Cabala. The book was apparently not actually printed, until the year 1516, and existed until then in manuscript form only. [Remember that Kircher didn't publish his version of the tree until 1653.]
 In the image, we see a seated man holding the tree diagram with the ten Sepheroth (spheres). You will notice that the top of this version of the Tree is triangular (composed of five spheres), and features a pentagam, while the Kircher Tree is wide at the top and features a hexagon there. I call the Gates of Light Tree, the A-shaped tree, while I am calling the Kircher Tree, the H-shaped Tree. Other than the position of the second and third spheres, the trees are identical.
 Here is another copy of the A-shaped Tree with the planets marked on it, just to show that there are some people out there familiar with it.
 Compare these two versions of the Tree with our old friend the hxagon with the planets on it. The first thing that you will notice is that the earth has been added to the bottom and the "primum mobile" to the top. The next thing that you notice is that there is a space in the Kircher tree, and a "Y" of two paths in the Gates of Light tree where Saturn is in the hexagon. This location is named Daath, but is not depicted on the tree.
 Instead of merely adding a sphere at the top for the zodiac, and one at the bottom for the earth, the artists have added two spheres at the top; one for the zodiac and one for the throne of God. This relates to what was said earlier about the number of celestial spheres that should be depicted in art.
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