As each of the Hebrew letters teaches us a threefold lesson by its FORM, NAME and NUMBER value, the letter CHET reveals its wonderful secrets implied in having a numerical value of eight, in being shaped like a gate or dooorway and its name meaning LIFE. God is LIFE par excellence, and all life is derived from the "essential life". There are many levels of life or energy in the physical and spiritual world, each able to impart its energy to the levels below it. This is analogous to the levels of energy in an atom, where electrons can be elevated to higher energy levels. When they return to their normal state of energy, they release a quantum (or pocket) of energy, called a photon. On the painting, the energy levels or 'shells' are shown as light, fuzzy lines, the electrons as little purple spheres and the photons are represented by the elongated white shapes enveloping small, purple waves. Kabbalah teaches us about the existence of four worlds, the lowest of these being the physical world in which we live. The four divisions of the painting refer to these words, each higher world being of lighter colour, representing worlds of higher energy vibrations. The letter CHET forms a gate, allowing the light from a higher level to reach into the lower level. The letter TZADIK represents the person of deep spirituality able to enter these gates and to return to the lower world to benefit us by the knowledge and energy gained in the experience of being in the higher world. The Zohar, an ancient Hebrew book of mysticism, teaches that the ability to exit is even more important than the ability to enter. "He who knows only to enter but not to exit better not enter." The first gate, in the physical world (lowest section of the painting) is covered with white lilies and roses, symbolizing love and purity necessary for entering the gate, the abundance of leaves and flowers represents the exuberance LIFE in this world. The cube has great spiritual significance. It has six faces, twelve edges, meeting in eight vertices. These three numbers add up to twenty six, the numerical value of God's Holy Name, so the cube represents the Divine Presence in our world. CHET is eight. In the three-letter word "ECHAD" (one) at the bottom of the painting, the first letter is ALEPH(=1), a symbol for God. The second letter, CHET(=8), shows the plurality of all creation in the seven heavens and the earth, while DALET(=4), the last letter (reading from right to left) reminds us that finally all that is, will return to God Who is our beginning and our end. In the Torah scroll the letter CHET is written as a combination of the two previous letters, VAV and ZAYIN, joined by a thin line pointing upwards. ZAYIN represents woman, the feminine aspect of spirituality, reaching upwards to receive the Divine Light, the "ability to enter". VAV represents the man, the power to bring down the Divine Lifeforce, the "ability to exit" the gate referred to earlier. The thin line joining them points upwards, reminding us of God who is above and beyond us all, yet still intimately present. These three parts of the letter have a form like the CHUPAH, a tent under which marriage takes place. New life is the result of the cooperation of woman, man and God. The bride and groom dancing hold a kerchief which arches upwards, like the bridge joining the two letters. The joyous dance of the couple is entering and exiting the gate, bringing the knowledge and love of God into our world by a mysterious encounter with the Divine through simply living their marriage in the presence of God. At the highest gate, the letter TZADIK is in its 'final form', the way in which it is written at the end of a word, representing the final state of spiritual development, the readiness to enter fully into the Divine Presence. The eagle hovering above all of creation is another symbol for God, 'touching yet not touching' as it hovers over its young in the nest. God's closeness could be overwhelming, yet his intimate presence upholds all creation in existence. In Genesis it is said that "...the Spirit of God hovered over the waters.". The numerical value of 'power' is 28, and 'hover' is 28 times 26 (26 is the number value of God' Holy Name). This implies that 'hovering' tells us about the fine balance by which God's power sustains us and at the same time allows us our individuality and freedom. The upward thrust of the lines pervading all worlds is a pictorial representation of the process whereby creation in general, and human beings in particular fulfil their purpose by returning to the Creator.