Christian/Hermetic Kabbalah, the Christian Saviour and Truth

A couple of days ago, for the umpteenth time, a very "intense" interaction ensued between myself and an individual who, with the fiery zeal of evangelical missionaries, attempted to convince me that the "outmoded deity of the Jews," identified by the four letters of the Tetragrammaton (), was "superseded by Jesus" as expressed in the Hebrew name of the Christian saviour, i.e. the so called "Pentagrammaton" (). I certainly will not burden you with the full details of the altercation, but I thought that since this absurd notion is fairly widespread, I would add my voice to the many who have over the years attempted to set the record straight. The reason is that the mentioned Christian construct is not a Hebrew name, but a Renaissance invention.

Since this elucidation of necessity relates to fundamental doctrines of Christian/Hermetic Kabbalah, I wish to make it absolutely clear that it is not my intention to launch an offensive against the teachings of these traditions. That being said, it should be noted that the "Pentagrammaton" is an invention of the Christian Kabbalah during the Italian Renaissance. The Christian Kabbalists had a great admiration for the concept of the “Divine Name.” In this regard we might consider the teachings of Johannes Reuchlin, who was in fact personally responsible for reformulating the Ineffable Name, YHVH, “christianising” it YHShVH which is often pronounced Yehoshuah or Yeheshuah. It should be noted that there is really no name, divine or otherwise, comprising that spelling in Hebrew, hence it is curious how commonplace it is nowadays amongst Christians of the more fundamentalist mind set, to use this name so glibly and casually as a “genuine” reference to the Christian saviour.

It is certainly clear that over the past two thousand years, the whole of human civilisation has been impacted, sometimes for good and many times for ill, by the overemphasis on the figure of Jesus as “god incarnate,” as well as by the constant drive to “christianize” everything. Whatever Kabbalah may mean to you, I have not seen anywhere in primary Kabbalistic teachings any reference to the exclusiveness of Jesus as a global avatar figure, or to him having had any Kabbalistic mission. I have personally no problem with what people think of Jesus as a “Messianic figure,” since all so-called “believers” are perfectly entitled to their viewpoints applicable to themselves only, in exactly the same manner as those who do not subscribe to the “divinity,” or even the “messiahship” of the Christian saviour.

Johannes Reuchlin invented the YHShVH construct in an attempt to show the importance and divinity of Jesus in kabbalistic thinking. He maintained that human history is divided into three ages. Deriving his ideas about these ages from the Jewish concept of three world ages, these being the “ages” of “Chaos,” the “Torah” and the “Messiah,” and combining these with the teachings of the millennianist Joachim de Fiore, who also spoke of three “Ages” on earth, the first under the rule of the “Father,” the second under the rule of the “Son,” and the third under the “Holy Spirit,” Reuchlin linked his concept of “world ages” to “JHS,” a common abbreviation used in medieval Christian manuscripts in reference to the Christian saviour. To understand his fabrication of the name YHShVH, you need to know what the three “Ages” meant to Reuchlin. He claimed that in the first age, which is that of the Hebrew patriarchs, God revealed himself through the name Shadai; in the second age, considered the Mosaic period, God made Himself known through the Ineffable Name, YHVH; and in the third age, the Christian period which Reuchlin maintained to be the one of “redemption” and “grace,” God is revealing Himself through a five letter name, which is the name YHVH with the interpolated letter, Shin [], thus Yehoshuah which he claimed is the true name of Jesus. In fact, the letter Shin, according to Reuchlin, represents the Logos, the “Word” which became “Flesh” in the person of Jesus as God incarnate.

Due to these and other very fanciful notions regarding the letter Shin by Christian and Hermetic Kabbalists, this glyph has become rather controversial, especially as this letter was allotted a unique status of holiness, when Christian Kabbalists incorporated it into the Ineffable Name to create the Yehoshuah construct. One wonders if there was initially any other reason for the choice of this letter, beyond the fact that this glyph is “three-pronged” in shape (), which gave them lots of ideas about the “trinity”; that it represents “Fire;” and that, interpolated in the Tetragrammaton, it can be pronounced “Yehoshuah.” We are told the latter “is the esoteric name of the Messiah of the Jews and the Christ of the Christians,” the meaning of which is said to be “Jah liberates.” As it is, this construct does not have this purported meaning, and since it does not exist in Hebrew, it does not mean anything at all. The correct spelling of a personal name known to have the mentioned meaning is , which is correctly pronounced Yehoshuah, a fairly common Jewish Name. A “five-letter-name” it is, but not comprising the letters claimed by messers Reuchlin and company.

Now, regarding the special holiness assigned to the letter Shin, it should be noted that in Kabbalah all the Hebrew glyphs are “Holy.” The letter Shin is no more holy than any other Hebrew glyph. In fact, it is worth considering that the Hebrew letters comprise both “positive” and “negative” qualities, and this should be kept in mind when studying each letter-sign. In this regard, the letter Shin is termed “the symbol of Divine Power” as well as of “Corruption.” True, it is the initial of two very important Divine Names, i.e. Shadai (“All-sufficient Unlimited One”) and Shalom (“Peace”). To these we might add other significant concepts like Shechinah, Shabbat, etc., and we might also consider that the letter Shin, in representing Shadai, is the single letter shown on every Mezuzah placed on the doors of Jewish homes.

It is true that is known to be the symbol of “Divine Power,” mastery and peace, but it is equally clear that this letter also denotes corruption and Sheker (falsehood), thus being the initial of the name “Shatan” (Satan). In other words, Kabbalah and Jewish Mysticism in general, recognise a dual principle in this glyph. For greater comprehension of this fact, we might consider the saga of the Hebrew letters passing before the Holy One, Who finally chose to create the universe by means of the letter Bet. About the letter Shin the Divine One said “True, you stand for (Shadai), Almighty, Who is the essence of Perfection, but for man, Divinity is interspersed with evil and deception. Inevitably, your neighbour (Kof) and (Resh) will draw you into a (Kesher), an alliance with them to establish (Sheker—“falsehood”) on earth.”

We are told that the three letters comprising “falsehood” appear at the end of the Hebrew alphabet, so that they are far removed from the central axis of the array of glyphs, i.e. the letter Mem representing stability. Furthermore, none of the milui, the full spellings, of each of the other letters comprise any of these three letters. We are further informed that “to counteract the dangerous shin with its potential power to ruin mankind, the Alef-Beis ends with the letter tav, which alludes to Emet, Truth.” In this regard, we should note that (Alef) is the beginning, (Mem) the centre, and (Tav) the end of the Hebrew Alphabet, and that the combination of these letters in that exact order reads (Emet—“Truth”).

The Name Elohim in Practical Kabbalah - Part 4

Whilst not really employed singularly on its own in “Practical Kabbalah,” it should be noted that the Name Elohim, has been used for magical purposes in conjunction with other Divine Names, such as the Tetragrammaton, Ehyeh, Adonai, etc., and Elohim as well as the singular El and Eloha, feature fairly prominently in a variety of Kame’ot (Hebrew Amulets). In this regard, one commentator offered us a “magic square” constructed entirely of the Divine Name in question, but he gave no indication as to what its purpose might be:

Now, the singular of the Name Elohim, i.e. Eloah (), as well as its “root” Name El (), are both related to Chesed (— “Kindness” or “Mercy”) on the kabbalistic Tree of Life. Since the Name Eloha is understood to act as a covering for the Neshamah, the Higher Self, it is called (gushpanka d’nishmata), i.e. “Seal of the Higher Soul,” as indicated in Job 3:23 which reads (va-yasech Eloha ba’ado— “and whom Eloha hath hedged in”).

Of course, conjunctions of Names like (El Chai), (El Shadai), etc. relate to different spheres on the sefirotic Tree. Both mentioned combinations pertain to Yesod (— “Foundation”). There are others still of the “El” Divine Name combinations, like (El Elyon) which relate to the sphere of Binah (Understanding) on the Kabbalistic Tree; the very lofty (El YHVH) termed (ha-me’ir ba’olam ha-yetzirah), the “Luminosity of the World of Formation”; (El Adonai) which applies to our physical realm of existence, and is called (ha-me’ir ba’olam ha-Asiyah), the “Luminosity of the World of Action.”

As it is, the Name El Chai is part of an interesting magical procedure involving the procurement of protection against all kinds of demons which beset an individual at night. However, I believe it is most important to consider exactly what such “Demons of the Night” are really all about. Whilst there might indeed be “infernal denizens” who will pester a defenseless individual during sleep, we need to also understand that many “night demons” are the personifications of personal fears.

All of us, at some time or another, have encountered foibles of such a distressing nature, that their impact has later resulted in what is known as “anxiety attacks.” In many instances we may no longer be able to recall the initial causes of such “panic attacks,” yet we might continue to suffer night after night from such self-created “demons.” Whilst many will resort to the most drastic medication to control body, mind and soul, others will use magical resources, like the following amulet, to control all “night demons.”

To construct the Kame’a (amulet), one has to write on a piece of parchment, or clean white paper, the combination ; then seven times the term (Chai—“life”); followed by the name of the angel Pani’el (), also seven times; and concluding with the combination (Ehyeh asher Ehyeh), as well as a set of magical “seals,” like this:

The entire construct is then worn around the neck of the individual who seeks protection against afflictions from “night demons.”

The Name Elohim in Practical Kabbalah - Part 3

The tradition of representing the Tetragrammaton with , often includes a semi-circle drawn around the three glyphs to indicate the letter Bet as a “crown.” The gematria of the three Yods is 30. Add to this the value of the Bet-Crown [2], and we arrive again at a total of 32. The construct of three Yods and Bet-Crown are understood to refer to:

1. the Divine Glory (Kavod) which is the Torah. In many primary texts we are informed that the concepts of Lev (Heart) and Kavod (Glory) refer to the Torah, because the numerical values of the terms in question add up to thirty-two which pertains to the first and last letters of the Torah. These two letters also jointly form the very concept (heart) which expresses the “Glory of God” in this world. Otherwise it is indicated that the term Kavod appears five times in Psalm 24, which is a reference to the five books comprising the Torah. Thus “there is no glory but the Torah (’ein kavod ’ela torah)”;

2. the “Name of Redemption,” which according to an anonymous 13th century “Commentary on Psalms,” was painted by the ancient Israelites with blood on the doorposts and lintel of their homes on the eve of the exodus from Egypt (Exodus 12:7), in order to avert the attention of the avenging “Angel of Death.” Each of the three drops of blood is said to have been in the shape of a Yod. Likewise, Simeon bar Samuel writes in Adam Sichli: “The Holy One, blessed be He, transmitted this name of the three yods to Moses our master, peace be upon him, in Egypt when He told him to place a drop of blood on the two doorposts and the lintel. The pious one, may the memory of the righteous be for a blessing, said that the three yods should be written one next to the other.”

Here we see a practical application of the “Thirty-two” — three Yods (drops of blood) = 30 + Bet-House (door posts and lintel) = 2 totalling 32;

3. the three Yods respectively found in the first words of the three verses of Exodus 14:19-21—va-Yisa, va-Yavo and va-Yet . These three verses tell of “pillars of cloud and fire” which protected and guided the Israelites. As each of these verses comprises exactly seventy-two letters, these were the ones from which the “Name of Seventy-two Names” is derived. Here we see connections made between this Divine Name, the tradition of the “three Yods,” Kavod, Torah, and divine guidance. In fact, one of the “Names” (number 22) within the “Name of Seventy-two Names” is written YYY (), which is the very one we have been considering here. That is why it is understood that the “three Yods and the crown like a bet” represents both the Ineffable Name and the “Name of Seventy-two Names”;

4. the first words of the three verses comprising the “Priestly Blessing” in Numbers 6:24-28, reading Yevarech’cha, Ya’er, and Yisa .

The “blessing” itself is absolutely magnificent:

Transliteration:

Y’varech’cha YHVH v’yishm’recha

Ya’eir YHVH panav eilecha vichuneka

Yisa YHVH panav eilecha v’yasem l’cha shalom

Translation:

YHVH bless thee, and keep thee,

YHVH make His face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee,

YHVH lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace;

5. the prayer ha-yom harat olam ha-yom ya’amid mishpat which follows each blast of the shofar (ram’s horn) on Rosh ha-Shanah. This prayer comprises exactly thirty-two words, which Eleazar of Worms informed us correspond “to the thirty-two paths by means of which the world was created.....”; and

6. the ten Sefirot, ten Ma’amarot (creative words) and the ten Dibberot (commandments). Each of these groupings represent one Yod whose numerical value is ten, and all of which is encompassed by the “Kingdom of God” (“House of the Lord”). Sefirot/Ma’amarot/Dibberot = 30 + Bet (house) = 2 and the total is again 32.

(more to follow)

The Name Elohim in Practical Kabbalah - Part 2

Regarding its usage in “Practical Kabbalah,” Elohim is not extensively employed as a Divine Name on its own in Jewish Magical incantations. I surmise this absence to be due to the fact that this specific Name is traditionally associated in Jewish esotericism with the qualities of “severity,” “judgment,” and “fear.” Clarifying this in terms of Gevurah, the fifth sphere on the sefirotic Tree, Joseph Gikatilla wrote “Behold, the Name that is known as Elohim is the Name that has been appointed for judgment. This appellation is encoded in the verse ‘Judgment is for Elohim’” (Deuteronomy 1:17). He continued “When He, may He be Blessed, performs an activity from the realm of judgment, He is called Elohim. Now, know and see that this realm is called the left side, and this side’s cognomen in the Torah is Elohim, for that side is the side of judgment. This Name judges all who traverse the world with the appropriate judgments, whether they be positive or adverse, for life or for death.”

As it is, the Name Elohim features particularly prominently in the “Creation” saga as recounted in the first chapter of Genesis. Again Gikatilla informed us that “the reason that the Name Elohim is employed throughout the Creation story,” is “to remind you that all creatures were created with the straight line of Din (Judgment), and forthrightness. There are no curves or deceptions.” The prominent position of Elohim in the “Work of Creation” is of particular importance to Kabbalists, since it is believed this pertains directly to the so-called thirty-two “Paths of Wisdom” referred to in the “Sefer Yetzirah”(The Book of Creation). These “Paths of Wisdom” are considered to be the “wondrous hidden ways” through which Elohim manifested the entirety of existence. Tradition tells us that the “Thirty-two Paths” are indicated in the thirty-two times the name Elohim occurs in the creation saga recounted in the first chapter of the biblical book of Genesis:

The great mystics of our tradition quickly noticed that there is, as it were, a “pattern” in this presentation of the “ways of Wisdom” expressing the will of Elohim in the original act of creation. The Sefer Yetzirah informs us that the “Thirty-two Paths” comprise the ten Sefirot and the twenty-two Otiot Yesod (“foundation signs” = letters of the Hebrew Alphabet), but there is really no further specific reference to these “Thirty-two Paths of Wisdom.” However, that single statement in the first verse of the “Book of Creation,” has engaged most intensely the mystical mindsets of Western Esotericists. I personally think one of the reasons for this is the number thirty-two itself, since this figure is associated with three important fundamental concepts of Kabbalah:

1. LeV ( [ (Lamed) 30 + (Bet) 2 = 32]) meaning “heart”;

2. KaVoD ( [ (Kaf) 20 + (Bet) 2 + (Vav) 6 + (Dalet) 4 = 32]) meaning “respect,” “honour,” “abundance,” “importance,” “riches,” “dignity,” “majesty” and “glory”; and

3. the triple Yod () which is used since ancient days by scribes as a substitute for the Ineffable Name.

(more to follow)

The Name Elohim in Practical Kabbalah - Part 1

Since the Divine Name Elohim comprises a most rudimentary Semitic appellative, one found in many ancient Near Eastern cultures, I thought it prudent to commence this discourse with its very earliest usages, or better still, with the earliest traces of the primary “EL” (“IL” elsewhere in near eastern writings) on which it is based. This name pertains to the oldest pantheon in Mesopotamia, tracing back to pre-Sargonic times.

The name EL was used firstly as a generic reference to deities (similarly to the way we use the word “god” today), many of whom were associated with special sacred locations. Traces of such deities can be found in the Hebrew Bible, e.g the reference to “EL Ro’i” (“God of Seeing”) which Hagar encountered at the well “Beer-lahai-roi”’ (Genesis 16:13-14); or the patriarch Jacob’s interaction with the “EL” of “Bet-el” (“House of EL”) in Haran, where Jacob had erected a “pillar” (Genesis 31:13), etc. Such references to local “ELs” associated with sacred locales can also be traced in a variety of ancient near eastern texts. However, the name “EL” was also used as the name of a specific deity. In this regard, see for example the texts discovered at Rash Shamra, ancient Ugarit, like “The Birth of the Gracious and Beautiful Gods” devoted to “EL,” the primordial creator “father-god,” who has also been portrayed as the great “bull-god,” the beneficent “high god” of the Phoenician pantheon. The name “Elohim” has likewise been used as both a generic term for deities of a general kind and as a specific Divine Name, such usages being attested to in the Hebrew Bible itself, hence the translation “gods” is equally correct.

Tracing the history and usage of Hebrew Divine Names is quite an arduous task, one made particularly difficult when one has to wade through the arguments between those who approach the topic from religious perspectives especially, and those who put religious convictions aside for the sake of clarity and truth, not to mention the heated diatribes between scholars themselves. Naturally, a combination of both the religious and secular approaches would be ideal. In this regard, we are certainly most fortunate to have been left the superb literary legacy of the late Umberto Cassuto, erstwhile Chief Rabbi of Florence, Italy, who later became professor of Bible studies at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He combined impeccable scholarship with excellent insight, and he certainly did not shy away from investigating the Hebrew Bible in conjunction with other ancient near eastern writings, e.g. the Ugaritic texts. His “The Documentary Hypothesis and the Composition of the Pentateuch” and the two volumes of his “Biblical and Oriental Studies,” all published by Magnes Press, are of particular importance as far as trying to get a thorough understanding of Hebrew Divine Names is concerned.

Regarding the Name “Elohim” he said “The designation Elohim was originally a common noun, an appellative, that was applied both to the One God of Israel and to the heathen gods (so, too, was the name El). On the other hand, the name YHWH is a proper noun, the specific name of Israel’s God, the God whom the Israelites acknowledge as the Sovereign of the universe and as the Divinity who chose them as His people.....When the ancestors of the Jewish people realised that there is but One God, and that only ‘YHWH, He is Elohim’ (I Kings 18:39), then the common substantive Elohim also acquired for them the signification of a proper noun, and became synonymous with the name YHWH.....But as a rule synonyms are not quite identical in meaning, and this is true in the present instance, too. The original connotation of the name Elohim, its use as an appellative, could not be completely forgotten. It was impossible for one who spoke or wrote Hebrew not to be aware that only the name YHWH expressed the particular personality of Israel’s God, and on the other hand, he could not fail to be conscious of the fact that the deities of the Gentiles were also designated Elohim.....”

It is generally clear that the term Elohim is sometimes used in a singular sense, and at others in a plural sense. Similar usages can be found in Aramaic writings, e.g. the “Romance of Achikar” and “Letter of Chananiah” in which, depending on the context, the word “Elahin” (the Aramaic equivalent of Elohim) is used in both a plural and singular sense. An important point in the El/Elohim saga is the fact that the plural of the singular El is Elim and not Elohim. We know that the term Elim has been used in ancient semitic writings with reference to “gods,” like those associated with specific locales. Regarding this W. Robertson Smith wrote “If the oldest sanctuaries of the gods were originally haunts of a multiplicity of jinn, or of animals to which demoniac attributes were ascribed, we should expect to find, even in later times, some trace of the idea that the holy place is not inhabited by a single god, but by a plurality of sacred denizens. If a relation between the worshipping community and the sanctuary was formed in the totem stage of thought, when the sacred denizens were still veritable animals, all animals of the sacred species would multiply unmolested in the holy precincts, and the individual god of the sanctuary, when such a being came to be singled out from the indeterminate plurality of totem creatures, would still be the father and protector of all animals of his own kind. And accordingly we do find that many semitic sanctuaries gave shelter to various species of sacred animals.....But, apart from this, we may expect to find traces of vague plurality in the conception of the godhead as associated with special spots, to hear not so much of the god as the gods of a place, and that not in the sense of a definite number of clearly individualised deities, but with the same definiteness as characterises the conception of the jinn. I am inclined to think that this is the idea which underlies the Hebrew use of the plural Elohim, and the Phoenician use of Elim, in a singular sense.....Merely to refer this to primitive polytheism, as is sometimes done, does not explain how the plural form is habitually used to designate a single deity. But if the Elohim of a place originally meant all its sacred denizens, viewed collectively as an indeterminate sum of indistinguishable beings, the transition to the use of the plural in a singular sense would follow naturally, as soon as this indeterminate conception gave way to the conception of an individual god of the sanctuary. Further, the original indeterminate plurality of the Elohim appears in the conception of angels as Bne Elohim, ‘sons of Elohim,’ which according to linguistic analogy, means ‘beings of the Elohim kind.’ In the Old Testament the ‘sons of God’ form the heavenly court, and ordinarily when an angel appears on earth he appears alone and on a special mission. But, in some of the oldest Hebrew traditions, angels frequent holy places, such as Bethel and Mahanaim, when they have no message to deliver (Genesis 28:12; 32:2). That the angels, as ‘sons of God,’ form part of the old Semitic mythology is clear from Genesis 6:2, 4, for the sons of God who contract marriages with the daughters of men are out of place in the religion of the Old Testament, and the legend must have been taken over from a lower form of faith.....”

Be that as it may, scholars recognised the singular of Elohim to be Eloha, the Aramaic equivalent of which is Elah, another word which was employed in both a singular and plural sense. For example, in Ezra the term Elah is used in reference to the God of the Jews, whilst in Jeremiah, originally written in Aramaic, it is used in a plural sense referring to “gods.” In Daniel the term Elah is used in both the mentioned ways. As said, Eloah is the singular form of Elohim, and some researchers have found this somewhat odd, indicating that it is a feminine singular having a masculine plural. This has led to the claim that both sexes are conjoined in the word Elohim, which hence could be translated “gods-goddesses.”

(more to follow)

Lekaven Tiferet: Acknowledging Beauty

("Moonflower Magic" in the garden of Gloria and Jacobus Swart)

On the occasion of my first post of the year 2012, I thought I would share details on a very unique practice which I have addressed fairly extensively in "The Book of Self Creation." Pertaining to the deliberate attempt of finding beauty in ones world, it is probably one of the simplest amongst the many ways which have been suggested to bring one closer to “divine realisation.”

To successfully work the technique addressed in this post, it is important to get out of the “mental mode,” e.g. constantly analyzing, or querying whether a technique is working, or why it is not working, etc. One has to develop a “feeling appreciation” rather than a “thinking” one. Furthermore, one has to adopt a kind of non-caring stance regarding any desired effects or expectations. One simply has to work spiritual exercises and ritual activities for the sake of doing them, expecting absolutely nothing in return.

Now, a way of radiating Ruchaniyut (Spiritual Force), and a sure way to find the true meaning of Being, is to contemplate and acknowledge beauty in everything. This is an attempt to achieve a full realisation of the “Eternal Root of Splendour” beyond all being. For example, when you observe a beautiful or well adorned person, you should consider that person to be the impression of the Divine, recognising that you are looking at the grace, radiance and resplendence of God. By so doing, you are observing the Ruchaniyut of the person. The physical comeliness of anything is a Tziyun (a sign), a reflected ray of the Supernal Splendour of Tiferet (Beauty). Yet this beauty is only temporal, and ultimately it is necessary to understand the Battel (obliteration) of this beauty in the light of the “Supernal Splendour” of the Eternal Living Spirit.

The practice of Lekaven Tiferet should be done with everything, not only people. You should attempt to find the beauty in whatever you observe, and then to consciously acknowledge this beauty in your mind by mentally expressing your appreciation of this factor to the object you have surveyed in this manner. After the beauty is acknowledged, you should bring yourself in contact with the Divine, your Eternal Source of Radiance and Well-being, sensing yourself linked to It via the top of your head. Then you complete the procedure by uniting the beauty, which you have observed and acknowledged, with your Source by mentally saying Baruch ha-Shem, meaning “Blessed be your Name,” or giving a broader thanksgiving blessing, saying mentally, or aloud if you can:

Transliteration:

Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech ha-Olam, Shekachah Lo ba-Olamo

Translation:

"Blessed are You Adonai, our God, King of the Universe, Who has created such as These in His world."

By means of this exercise we deliberately turn our focus away from all ugliness, disorder and rage, so as not to unite ourselves with these “negativities,” but instead to align ourselves with and focus on that which brings stability into our world. It is through the act of finding beauty in anything that we are able to identify with that thing. Above all, it is said that the act of finding beauty in everything leads us to attain “Seven Aspects of Bliss” from which will result “Four Fulfilments of Joy.” The “Seven Aspects of Bliss” are equated with the lower seven Sefirot on the Tree of Life as follows:

Chesed (Mercy, Loving-kindness) — Chedva (Delight)

Gevurah (Severity, Strength) — Ditza (Pleasure)

Tiferet (Beauty) — Rina (Glad song)

Netzach (Victory, Endurance) — Gila (Mirth)

Hod (Glory) — Simcha (Happiness)

Yesod (Foundation) — Sasson (Joy)

Malchut (Kingdom) — Tzalah (Jubilation)

It is said that Tzalah (Jubilation), the final aspect of joy, results from the first six aspects, and all in turn culminate in “Four Fulfilments of Joy,” these being:

Ahava (Love)

Achva (Brotherhood)

Shalom (Peace)

Rei’ut (Companionship)

The successful application of techniques like these are dependent on constant practice. They certainly break the barriers between oneself and the Eternal Living Spirit, but they have to be worked constantly in order to achieve this aim.