Blessing & the Sea of Divine Abundance - Part 2

To return to Even, the cubic stone of Malchut, which is understood to be the foundation of all existence. Zechariah 4:7 calls it Even Rishonah (first stone) and Psalm 118:22 refers to it as Rosh Pinah (chief cornerstone), saying “The Even that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.” This verse is an important part of Masonic studies in both the “Mark” and “Royal Arch” degrees of Freemasonry, and has many hidden meanings. The Shechinah as the (Panim—"Face," "Countenance" or "Presence") of Adonai, is in fact the Rosh Pinah to whom all existence must turn (Ponim).

Everything said so far, refers of course to Malchut on the Tree of Life, represented on earth as the (Bet ha-Mikdash—the "Holy Temple"), said to be another cognomen of Adonai. We should understand the Temple to be the place where Adonai dwells, as it is written, “I will give my dwelling place to be among you” (Exodus 26:11). It is in the actual (Mikdash—"Sanctuary") where the Shechinah resides, as it is written “and let them make Me a sanctuary v’Shachanti (that I may dwell) among them” (Exodus 25:8). Again this refers to the sphere of Malchut, and specifically to the Sanctuary and Ark in our Temple, where the Divine Dweller (Shechinah) may rest on the altar, the latter itself comprising a double ashlar of two Avanim (cubic stones).

The realm of physical existence, is in fact the place of the Shechinah, as is written in Isaiah 66:1 “And the earth is my footstool,” but the fact that the Shechinah dwells among us, and as our highest Selves (Neshamot), does not mean that we are always open to Shefah. The Shechinah is not the Divine Abundance, but the container receiving the flow as it is channelled from the higher Spheres on the Tree of Life, which is in turn poured into the Kingdom of physical manifestation. Here a major problem is encountered. Sometimes the Shechinah receives this flow, and then She is called Mikveh ha-Mayim ("Pool of Water"), but there can be periods when the Shechinah does not receive the abundance, and then She is called Yabashah ("Dry Land"). Naturally creation suffers when this happens. Why should the Divine Abundance “dry up” so to speak?

From a Divine Perspective the Shefa is always there, undifferentiated in the Eternal Now, but the “Abundance” flowing into creation, can be restrained when (ha-Tzinorot—the "Divine channels" leading into manifestation) are blocked. This is said to happen when creation moves into states of separation from the Oneness of the Whole, when we no longer recognise ourselves as part of the Selfsameness of One Being, ("I Am," the Oneness of Being). It is extremely important to realise that the Oneness is never separate from us. It is we who separate ourselves, and thus it is also we who are responsible for repairing the Tzinorot, the Divine Channels, by recognising and returning to the Oneness of Being. It is equally important to realise that any recognition of duality in any form is a separation from that Being in Whom all are one.

Kabbalah recognises only one God. Yet this Oneness may be revealed in a multitude of aspects. Still It is One and there is no other. We may see life as the diversification of the One into the many, but Kol (all) are unified in the One. This is what is meant by that great statement of faith “Shmah Israel, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai Echad” (Hear Israel, Adonai our God, Adonai is One). There is not “God” and the “Devil,” there is only “God.” It is therefore written in Isaiah 44:24 “I am the Lord, who made Kol, who alone stretched out the heavens.”

Blessing & the Sea of Divine Abundance - Part 1

Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech ha-Olam Asher Kid’shanu b’Mitzvotav.

Blessed are You Adonai, our God, King of the Universe, Who consecrated us to do good deeds.

It is our responsibility to become receptacles for Shefa , the sacred influx of Divine Abundance, which means to literally channel this “Divine Flow” into mundane existence. This is done through service, which is the assistance towards well-being we give to our world and everything within it. It is said that in assisting another individual, the “Divine Channels,” allowing the flow of Divine Abundance and goodness into this world, are restored.

In Jewish mysticism this is considered to be the duty of every Jew, but as far as I am concerned, this is the duty of every person in existence. We are told that it is Malchut, the Kingdom of our mundane existence, which receives the Shefa as it pours from Ain Sof (the Eternal No-Thing) into, and through, all the Sefirot (Spheres upon the Tree of Life). The “Universal Abundance” is directed via the Divine Name (Adonai), into the realm of physical manifestation, thus, every time you attempt to make the world a better place for anyone or anything, you need to bow mentally and express, either aloud or silently in your mind, the blessing “Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu, Melech ha-Olam, Asher Kid’shanu b’Mitzvotav.” This statement is a formal recognition of and a conscious link to the “Divine Abundance,” understanding the injunction “Close is Adonai to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth” (Psalm 145:18). Of course the blessing can be simplified to (Baruch Atah Adonai—"Blessed are You Adonai").

The blessing in itself is in fact a magical invocation. Firstly, the language is Divine and links those who utter it to the powerful forces, the Divine Hosts, residing in the subtle “Realms of Being” behind the words. Secondly, during the invocation you surrender to the these Divine Forces, and let your entire being, that is body, mind, soul and spirit, act in unity as a conduit allowing these Spirit Forces to flow into manifestation. In other words, you once again “make the words flesh.”

Looking at and understanding what this blessing is all about is immensely rewarding in terms of expanding ones consciousness. The noun of the verb (Baruch—"Blessed") is (Brachah—"Blessing"), which is synonymous with (Breichah—a "Pool," "Pond" or "Lake") the source of Shefa, the Divine Influx. Every time you say the Brachah you are linked to the Breichah, and then you can be the channel directing the flow to all of creation, if you so will. The Biblical Abraham was said to be the first person to receive this Brachah, which tied him to the Divine Source, the Breichah. He passed this on to his son Isaac, whose children Jacob and Esau battled over it. Eventually Jacob successfully claimed it, and the knowledge of the power of this Brachah was passed on to his twelve sons.

The third word of the Blessing, the Divine Name Adonai , is an extremely powerful God Force, since it contains and directs the powerful forces flowing from the Breichah, the divine reservoir of abundance within the Being of the Most High. In fact, uttering the Name Adonai, instantly links you to this Infinite Source. Kabbalah explains that the Source and its outpouring of Divine Abundance is referred to in Genesis 2:10 — “A river issues from Eden to water the garden, and then it divides and becomes four branches.” It also states that the four divisions refer to the Shechinah, the “Countenance of God,” or Female aspect of the Divine here in manifestation. We know that this verse also refers to Malchut, the Kingdom of this World, with its fourfold cycles (elements, seasons, lunar rhythms, etc.). In fact, anthropomorphic, or physical, representations of the sphere of Malchut on the Tree of Life, often show the Shechinah as Malkah (the “Divine Queen” of the Earthly Kingdom) seated on a cubic throne.

This stone is extremely significant since a cognomen for the Name Adonai is the word (Even—"Stone"). Adonai is the foundation of everything in this realm of three-dimensional existence, and since all existence is fully dependent on Adonai, this Divine Name is also called (Kol—"All"), the Whole in which there is no lack. It is thus written in Isaiah 44:24 “I am the Lord, who made Kol who alone stretched out the heavens.” Here we are brought once again to the earlier mentioned Breichah, the pool of Infinite Abundance, also called (Yam—"Sea"). This is referred to Biblically in Psalm 104:25 “There is a sea, vast and wide, with its creatures beyond number, living small and great.”

Of course this vast “Sea of Abundance” not only refers to physical manifestation, but also to mind, soul and spirit. Therefore it is also called (Yam ha-Chochmah—the "Sea of Wisdom"), because all knowledge, on all levels of manifestation, is within it. Once again it was said that this was given to Abraham, as it is written “And YHVH, blessed Abraham with Kol” (Genesis 24:1). As indicated, he in turn passed it on as a birthright to Isaac, who in turn bequeathed it to Jacob, who said “For God has favoured me and I have Kol” (Genesis 33:11).

(More to follow)

Maggidim: Spirit Messengers - Part 2

It should be noted that from the sixteenth century, the invocation of Maggidim became quite commonplace amongst Kabbalists, whereas prior to that it was a specialised and rare occurrence. Through Maggidism the Kabbalist draws on the vast spiritual realm of sages, saints and celestial guides, the realm of Elijah, as well as the embodied essences of scriptures. In the eighteenth century Moses Chayim Luzzatto wrote to a friend concerning his own Maggid, saying: “I admit that since 1727 God has been gracious to me by dispatching to me a Holy One from heaven who reveals to me.....nightly secrets....He promised me that I would be privileged to hear [the utterances] from the very mouth of the prophet Elijah and even the living words of the lord. And as he promised, so it came. When the appointed time arrived, the prophet Elijah revealed himself to me, followed by the Holy Souls who abide on this earth ready to fulfil the tasks of the Lord.....and with their assistance I composed many and important works.”

This occurred when Rabbi Luzzatto fell asleep while chanting Yichudim, which are Kabbalistic mantras and formulas comprising Divine Names. He woke up suddenly when a voice called to him in Aramaic, saying: “I have come down to reveal hidden secrets of the Holy King.” At first Rabbi Luzzatto was afraid and trembling, he listened to the voice enumerating Kabbalistic teachings, and what must have been a surprise to him, was that the Maggid did not appear physically, but spoke with his own mouth and voice.

It was only after several occurrences that the voice admitted to being a Maggid, promising the young Kabbalist “formulas to keep in mind every day,” and Rabbi Luzzatto’s relationship with the Maggid eventually grew so deep that he received immediate and pertinent answers to his questions. Later the Maggid stopped the Rabbi from using Kabbalistic formulas, replacing them with a Holy Name, at which time came the promise of visual contact with Elijah. The prophet in turn appeared and promised the Kabbalist contact with the archangel Metatron, the Angel of the Presence and “Great Guardian of Heaven,” and, as Luzzatto later reported in his diary: “I can recognise each one of them. Also there are Holy Souls who come, their names I know not, and they tell me new things which I write down.....All these things I am doing while falling on my face and while seeing the Holy Souls as if through a dream in human forms.” The Rabbi lived for three years in almost continuous ecstasy, while keeping very quiet about his revelations. Afterwards, with the aid of a close friend, he started imparting his messages to others.

The whole process of meeting and mingling with Maggidim is due to the practice of Devekut, Divine Union or Cleaving to God. Again the practice of Devekut results in prophecy, communication with Maggidim, and even in power over the laws of nature. This happens because Kabbalists, through their attempts towards spiritual perfection, return to their source, or “soul root” as it is sometimes called. The mental power and compassion of Kabbalists would then vastly expand as they become gradually more Godlike. The more this happens, the greater becomes the ability to communicate with “Celestial Intelligences.” As Kabbalists continue to utter Sacred Names of God, also employing different breathing patterns, procedures understood to be tying them to the Spirit World, they obtain a high level of prophetic ability and raise themselves into vastly expanded states of consciousness.

We should note that the practice of Devekut leads to a sacred Zivug, or coupling, a sacred sexual act between God and the soul, which is often followed by the appearance of a Maggid. In a relationship of this nature with God, incredible, spontaneous states of ecstasy occur, in which Kabbalists are flooded with a Divine influx or bliss called Shefa. This would literally turn the practitioner into a physically incarnated Divine Messenger or Maggid, and then it is believed this Kabbalist could fulfil the function of instructing others.

I should stress again that everything discussed here, and all manifestation, whether materialised outside or inside ones own being, are part of the universal “I Am.” Each one of us creates our own realities, and if the Maggidim, the “spirits” of external and internal manifestation are conversing with us, it is due to the fact that we are ready and “open” to “meaningfulness.” It all depends on the alertness, the awakeness, of the Kabbalist as to whether he/she gets the messages or not. It depends equally on whether that individual is open, receptive and expanded enough to actually get the meaning, i.e. trained enough in the practice of approaching life in terms of meanings, and finding for oneself through this the symbols of consciousness, the relevant “Inner Language” without which one would not get very far.

Life will have no meaning if you do not attempt to discover the meaning, or give it meaning if it does not have any for you. One should at least try to interpret the relevance while still on the ground, so to speak, so that when you eventually get off the surface of this mundane existence into loftier realms, all the meanings will “speak” to you. You must first build communication, a process of great importance, in which acknowledging “god-forces,” your emotions, is imperative, since those are the responses from the spirit world.

We know these “subtle intelligences” can appear beautiful or hideous, protective or menacing, depending on the thought or emotion which has given them life. We know to some extent that creation and manifested life originate in the physical and mental attributes of man himself, and if you do not know this, then it is time you start thinking about it. All life existing everywhere is created by your Self. All life, the whole universe in fact, is created by your Self. By this I do not mean the small part incarnated in the body, but the “I AM.” It is like the illustration based on the famous “Through the Looking Glass,” showing Alice standing on a checkerboard floor and staring into the “looking glass” in which she observes her own reflection as a shadow. Within this shadow she observes universes, galaxies, suns, moons and planets, but what she does not realise is that she is looking at herself. She thinks she is looking at things out there, while in reality it is all a reflection of Self.

Regarding “spirit intelligences,” I have to admit that my own relationship with them has been rather shaky. My particular “Inners,” as I like to call them, have not been a very forthcoming group, however admirable they may be in other ways. They do their job, but they do not give any prizes so to speak. They are extremely cryptic, and I do not believe they treat anyone else better than they treat me. I have certainly never had a personal hot line to God or lesser celestial authorities. About all I am told is to shut up and get on with the job. Personally I find these “Higher Orders of Life” very hard to deal with, not always particularly cooperative so far as human affairs are concerned, and not very exciting to work with. They seem to choose whether they want to work with you or not, and when these “forces” elect to work with you, they can disrupt your life quite considerably.

These “Inners” have also communicated with me in the form of “Voices,” and I have regularly woken up in the middle of the night to the sound of my own voice. Believe it or not, this is not an uncommon phenomenon, but can be rather perplexing when you suddenly find yourself speaking without having any control over it. All the same, it does not always do to be too meekly acceptant of whatever “Inner Voices” tell you. My own experience of life has led me to treat all “Voices” with extreme caution. I would not rely on them a single inch past the edge of my own judgment. Remarkable as they are, I have found they are purely concerned with the pursuit of their specific spiritual work, regardless of the humans they use as instruments to work with. So far as they are concerned, humans are expendable and disposable if need be.

Provided you listen, and then make up your mind what action you will take and do so on your own responsibility entirely, that will be fine. Never do anything purely because some “Voice” says so. Think it out for yourself, and then do what you will because you agree or disagree with what you heard. If you act blindly, without reasoning, they will ultimately let you ruin yourself. They did not save countless individuals from agonizing deaths. To them, deaths and disasters are but mere incidentals of an overall individual experience of identity through a “Line of Light” covering a lot of Cosmos. They do not see why we should mind being the subjects of their experiments with Existence, any more than we ask why animals or plants should object to our eating or experimenting with them.

If you meet their consciousness with your own on terms of mutual respect, based on acknowledgement of each other’s functions in a common Cosmic cause, you will make a good enough relationship, but the moment you accept everything the “Voices” say without question, you make trouble for yourself. Your only real protection is to become a living “Question Mark” yourself. Query everything all the time, and in the end, let the ultimate decision be yours.

You will naturally wonder why I bother at all with “Spirit Intelligences.” The reason is simply because it was in me before I was born, just as others have it in themselves for the same purpose. Call it “Fate” if you like. We came here to do specific jobs, and until we do them we shall be bound to human bodies.