GNOSIS OF THE

COSMIC CHRIST
 ABOUT THE
AUTHOR
Malachi Eben Ha-Elijah is a modern mystic.
His journey on the spiritual path began when
he was a young boy, when he encountered a
tau of the Sophian Tradition of Gnostic
Christianity, Tau Elijah Ben Miriam. He
received the oral tradition of Sophian
Gnosticism from Tau Elijah, and has been a
student and practitioner of Gnostic
Christianity for over thirty-four years. In
1983 he founded Sophia Fellowship as an
expression of the Tradition, and has been
teaching and initiating others into Christian
Gnosticism, Rosicrucian philosophy, and the
holy Kabbalah since that time. He is an
initiate of Ordo Sanctus Gnosis and holds the
recognition of an elder and tau of the Sophian
Tradition.

Along with his studies in the Western

Mystery Tradition, Tau Malachi has studied
extensively in several Eastern Traditions,
such as Vajrayana Buddhism and Vedanta, as
well as studying and practicing a Middle
Eastern Tradition of Sufism. While Gnostic
Christianity has always been his heart-path
and spiritual home, Malachi speaks of
himself as a traveler and explorer of the
spirit and truth, and his journey has taken him
to many sacred places and into diverse
Wisdom Traditions.

For many years Tau Malachi served as a

hospice volunteer, a volunteer trainer, and for
a period of time as a hospice chaplain.
Although he worked with patients suffering
from various forms of terminal illness, much
of his work focused on individuals living
with HIV and AIDS.

Today he lives in the Sierra foothills, in

Nevada City, California.
G N O S I S O F TH E
COSMIC CHRIST

A GNOSTIC CHRISTIAN
KABBALAH

TAU MALAC H I
 ALSO BY TAU MALAC H I

The Gnostic Gospels of St. Thomas

and Forthcoming:

Living Gnosis The Gnostic Legend of St. Mary

Magdalene
 AUTHORS NOTE
The Sophian Tradition of Gnostic
Christianity is essentially an oral tradition
passed mouth to ear from an elder or tau to
their students. In writing this book I have
followed this method, which only rarely
directly references written text, such as in the
case of Scriptural quotes. Thus, rather than
referencing texts, teachings and stories are
drawn from memory in the power of the
moment, as is the way of oral traditions. For
this reason one will find many quotes that do
not have any source or reference listed, as
what they represent are oral teachings
received in the same way that they are
recorded. This includes many ideas and
stories that have evolved in the oral tradition
of Sophian Gnosticism that are recorded in
writing for the first time in this present book.
Generally speaking, it is my intent to convey
something of the experience of an oral
tradition in my writing rather than conform to
conventional wisdom established by modern
academia; hence to communicate as a
spiritual practitioner rather than an academic
scholar. The bibliography provided is more
for the sake of continued study and
contemplation than a list of sources
referenced during the writing of this book-an
aid for those interested in taking their studies
of Gnosticism and Kabbalah further (hence it
serves as a suggested reading list).
 CONTENTS
Figures

Acknowledgments

Introduction

One The Kabbalah of Gnostic Christianity

Purpose and Nature of the Kabbalah

Three Branches of the Kabbalah

The Ten Holy Sefirot and the Tree of Life

The Olamot- Universes

The Universe of Adam Kadmon

The Universe of Atzilut

 The Universe of Beriyah

The Universe of Yetzirah

The Universe of Asiyah

Two Ain Sof and the Soul of Light

The Great Unmanifest

The Soul of Light

Nefesh

Ruach24

Neshamah

Hayyah

Yechidah

The Transmigrations of the Soul-Gilgulim

Three The Primordial Christos and Holy Sefirot

A Prologue

The Timeless Primordial and the Beginning

Mystery of the Sefirot and Divine Incarnation

Creation and Revelation

Four Keter, the Holy Crown Which Is the Root

Attributes

The Holy Crown

Free Will and the Principle of Uncertainty

The Self That Is No-Self

The Being of the Becoming

The Christ-Self and True Will

 The Face of Light

The Initiate and the Great Angel

The Angels of Grace and the Divine Gift

The Beginning of Generation

Non-Dual Gnostic Awareness

Spiritual Practices for the Holy Crown

Five Da'at, the Secret Sefirah

Attributes

The Open Secret

The Torah and the Gospel-Da'at

The Foundation of Knowledge

 The Great Enigma

The Demon of the Abyss-The Angel of the

Abyss

The Play of Cosmic Forces

The True Knowledge of the Apocalypse-

Revelation

The Upper Room and Bridal Chamber

The Secret Saint and the Secret Sefirah

Spiritual Practices for Divine Knowledge

Six Hokmah, the Wisdom of Creation

Attributes

The Supernal Generator

 The Play of Force and Form-Transformation

The Heavenly Father

The Great Name of God

A Proverbial Secret

Radiant Breath, Word, and Wisdom

The Divine Ideal of Magic

Prophetic Consciousness

Gradations of Divine Magic

Radiant Wisdom in Creation

Wheels within Wheels

Spiritual Practices for Hokmah

Seven Binah, the Depth of Understanding, the

 Divine Intelligence

Attributes

The Radiant Darkness

The Archetypal World-The World of Supernal

Light

The Pleroma-Divine Fullness

The Supernal Mother and Shekinah

The Faces of the Shekinah-Our Divine Mother

The Image of the Divine MotherCrown,

Throne, and Kingdom

The Holy Virgin-Mother Mary

Pistis Sophia-Faith Wisdom

 The Great Angel of Divine IntelligenceThe
Remembrance of God

Holy Thrones and Dominions

The Holy Masters and the Temple of Light

Spiritual Practices for Binah

Eight Hesed, the Mercy and Bright Blessings of

God

Attributes

The Supreme Mystery and Revelation of the

Mystery

The Face of God that Appears

The Overwhelming Grace of God

The Thirteen Attributes of Hesed-El

 The Nature of Righteousness

Tzaddikim-Adepts and Masters of the

Tradition

The Tzaddik and the Disciple

The Tzaddik and the Threefold Body of

Melchizedek

The Great Angel of Rainbow Glory-Giver of

All Blessings

The Speaking-Silences

Spiritual Practices for Hesed

Nine Gevurah, Power, the Dark Face of God

Attributes

The Self-Restraint of God and the Human One

 The Awesome Power of God

The Nature of Karma and Tikkune

Three Visions

The Ordeal of Power and Tikkune of the Soul

The Love of the Lord and the Fear of the Lord

The True Nature of Sacrifice

The Patriarch and Matriarch of Gevurah

The Purifying Fire of God

The Adversary of God and Humanity

The Angels of God's Power and Glory

Spiritual Practice for Gevurah

Ten Tiferet, Divine Beauty and Sun of God

Attributes

The Pattern-That-Connects

The Lord Your God-The Way of the Soul

The Divine Life of Yeshua

The Serpent and Savior-The Great Seth

The Mystery of the Crucifixion and

Resurrection

The Bridegroom and Holy Bride

The Holy Threefold Sanctuary-Outer, Inner,

and Secret

Wrestling with the Angel and the Grade of

Lesser Adept

The Healing Power of God

 The Messengers of God

Spiritual Practices for Tiferet

Eleven Netzach, the Divine Dominion

Attributes

The Hidden Realm of Action

Everything According to Its Kind

The Work of Creation and the Work of the

Divine Chariot

The Way of Divine Rapture

The Fire Philosophers

The Devekut of the Prophets and the Apostles

of God
 Psalms, Prophecy, and Wonder-Working

Nothing New Under the Sun

The Creative Spirit, the Mystic, and the Artist

The Divine Mother and the Nature Sphere

The Divine Muse

Principalities, Dominions, and Authorities

Spiritual Practices for Netzach

Twelve Hod, the Splendor of God

Attributes

Relating with the Human One and God

God and the Hosts of Creation

Mental Being and the Thunder Mind

 Contemplation and Meditation-Conscious
Evolution

The Mage of Light and Magical Kabbalah

The Great Angel of the Holy Mother and

Messiah

Sons of Light and Sons of Darkness

Spiritual Practices for Hod

Thirteen Yesod, the Foundation of All

Attributes

The Foundation of Creation

The One-Who-Lives

The Delight of Dreams

 Dying, Death, and the Afterlife-The
Apocalypse of the Soul

The Prophet of the Apostle of Light

The Strength of the Almighty

The Guardians and the Gates

Spiritual Practices for Yesod

Fourteen Malkut, the Divine Kingdom

Attributes

The Holy Kingdom

The Presence of the Lord

The Rainbow Veil

The Life of St. Mary Magdalene-The

Incarnation of the Holy Bride

The Bride's Reception and the Second Coming

The Black Bride-Sophia Nigrans

The Doctrine of the Soul Mate

The Community of the Elect-The Gnostic

Circle

The Living Temple

The Power of Prayer-Simple Magic

The Great Ofan of the Faithful-The Shoe-Angel

The Order of the Ashim-Souls of Fire

The Zealous One

Spiritual Practice Associated with Malkut

Appendix I: Hebrew Table of Letters

Appendix II: The Divine Names and Vibrations

Appendix III: Chant Pronunciation

Glossary

Bibliography

Index
 FIGURES
Figure 1 The Tree of Life

Figure 2 The Primordial Human Being

Figure 3 The Line of Light at the Center of

Primordial Space

Figure 4 The Composite Tree of Life

Figure 5 The Sign of the Cross

ACKNOWLEDGMENT
I wish to thank those who have helped to make this
book possible:

First and foremost, I wish to acknowledge my

beloved teacher of blessed memory, Tau Elijah ben
Miriam, and his circle of spiritual companions,
who received me in the Path and taught and
initiated me in the Tradition. Much of this book is a
reflection of his teachings. Without him, it would
never have been written.

Penelope, Christopher, Sunny, and Phillip, my

spiritual companions, who gave practical support
that made the project possible, acting as midwives.

Sophia Fellowship and all of my spiritual

companions whose love, support, and
encouragement is an inspiration to me and makes
every aspect of the spiritual work possible.

My publisher, Llewellyn, who provides a vehicle

for alternative spiritual voices and who brings my
writing projects to fruition.

Sincerely, Tau Malachi

Eben Ha-Elijah
 INTRODUCTION

According to legend, the holy Kabbalah was

revealed by God to Adam, and from Adam, the
Tradition has passed from one generation to
another until the present day. In other words, its
origin is shrouded in mystery and it appears to
have emerged with the dawn of human history,
reflecting the evolution of humankind from the
animal kingdom. In classical Kabbalistic literature,
the Kabbalah is said to be the revelation of the
mysteries of creation and God, the mysteries of the
human soul, and such things as prophecy and
magic-in a word, mysticism or metaphysics. But as
much as any of these things, the Kabbalah is a
mirror in which is reflected the fiery intelligence
that has caused humanity to rise beyond all other
species of creatures on the earth-a fiery
intelligence that makes us self-aware and
empowers us with the capacity of a conscious
evolution far beyond our present state.

Kabbalah basically means "something received

and imparted." Thus, as much as a mirror of the
fiery intelligence, it is the transmission of the fiery
intelligence. The mere study and contemplation of
the Kabbalah tends to kindle the spark of the fiery
intelligence in us into a fire that blazes forth-an
awakening of the greater power of our soul.
Mystical experience, prophecy, and wonder-
working are natural products of the power of the
human soul imbued with the fiery intelligence, as is
scientific discovery, art, philosophy, and every
other expression of human intelligence.

This fiery intelligence is often spoken of in terms

of divine genius because, when it is fully
awakened, it appears as something more than
ordinary human intelligence and the person in
whom it awakens becomes something more than
human in the ordinary sense of the word. When we
speak of mystics and prophets, enlightened beings
and magicians, we are really speaking of
individuals who are emerging from the bestial state
of humanity toward a new and divine state of
humanity, something more than our present
humanity-what one might call super humanity. As
we look and see this, we realize that our present
state is a transitional state of being, something in
between what we have been and something else
that we are in the process of becoming. The human
being is a transitional being.

Within and behind all of the encrustation of

religious dogma and creed that orthodox forms of
Christianity have engendered, there is this message
of a fiery intelligence and a conscious evolution
toward a divine or super humanity. This fiery
intelligence, the being-consciousness-force, from
which creation emerges and that tends to generate
increasingly higher and more refined life-forms of
increasingly greater intelligence is, essentially,
what the Kabbalah calls "God." One in whom this
fiery intelligence is fully awakened would
therefore rightly be called a son or daughter of
God. While this term may be correctly applied to
the person we have come to know as Jesus (Yeshua
in Aramaic), according to Christian Gnosticism, it
is not isolated to Yeshua but is equally true of
anyone in whom the fiery intelligence awakens
and, in this sense, is a term of our future self. Thus,
the noble ideal of the Christian Kabbalah is not so
much the worship of Yeshua Messiah (Jesus
Christ) but rather a conscious evolution toward
Christhood-a divine or super-humanity. In this
regard, the Christian Kabbalah is quite different
from the Jewish Kabbalah from which it evolved,
and Gnostic Christianity is very different from any
orthodox form of Christianity.
 It has been said that mysticism begins where
religion comes to its climax, as the peak of religion
is the realization of God no longer conceived as
something exclusively external to oneself but as
internal to oneself. Hence, mysticism begins with
the awareness of God, the fiery intelligence, within
one's person. We may equally say that religion is
the product of a misperception of the peak mystical
attainment-the human beings who have realized this
divine self, to one degree or another, who have
given birth to all the world-wisdom traditions.
Observing the proliferation of religions sparked by
the dawn of this fiery intelligence in human
individu- als-"men and women of God"-one can't
help but think of the scene in the movie 2001: The
Space Odyssey, when apes were dancing around
the great monolith with little, if any,
comprehension of what it was! This is to say that
pure Kabbalah and Gnosticism cannot be
arbitrarily classified as a religion but are better
defined as a path of spiritual evolution-a science
and art of conscious evolution and, yes, as
mysticism and metaphysics.

If terms used in Christian Gnosticism and the

Christian Kabbalah seem to be religious at times, it
is certainly not the intention or meaning of the
Gnostic. Rather, it is the product of the
proliferation of religious institutions for the masses
and the use of similar terms in generating religious
dogmas. Essentially, the true mystic will have a
very different meaning in the terms and ideas he or
she presents than would a religious person. The
reason for this is simple. The religious person is,
as yet, an outsider to the experience worshipped,
while the mystic is an insider of the experience
worshipped. This well defines the term Gnostic,
which means "one who knows through direct
experience" or "one who is a knower." Christian
Gnosticism and Kabbalah, thus, are not theology,
or "thinking about God," but are experiencing God
and evolving toward God-hence, an endless
journey of being in the process of becoming.
Whether we recognize it yet or not, we are all in
this journey of ever-becoming. This is the key
message of Gnostic Christianity and the Christian
Kabbalah, and of this book in your hands.
ONE
THE KABBALAH
OF GNOSTIC
CHRISTIANITY
 Purpose and Nature of the
Kabbalah
The Kabbalah is an archaic system of Jewish
Mysticism that has its roots in the assembly of
prophets of ancient Israel and the Merkavah
Mysticism of Palestine during the time of Jesus
(Yeshua in Aramaic). Considering that Yeshua was
Jewish and his disciples were Jewish, and
understanding him to be a mystic and prophet of his
time, it is reasonable to assume that he taught a
form of the mystical tradition that has come to be
known as the Kabbalah.

For this reason, many mystical and gnostic

currents of Christianity have arisen that take the
Kabbalah as their foundation. This is certainly true
of the Sophian Tradition, which is so interwoven
with the teachings of the Kabbalah that it is
impossible to separate out Gnosticism and
Kabbalah in the Tradition. Essentially, one might
call the Sophian Tradition a Christian Kabbalah or
a form of Gnostic Christianity that draws heavily
upon its Judaic roots. Therefore, to explore
Gnostic Christianity, as expressed in the Sophian
Tradition, we must explore some of the basic ideas
of the Kabbalah from which the teachings and
principles of our Gnostic Christianity are derived.

The principal teachings of the Kabbalah were

designed to explore and find answers to some
basic questions:

➢ The nature and attributes of God and the

Godhead

➢ The development of a cosmology

➢ The mystery of the creation of angels and

humankind

➢ The destiny of humankind and angels

➢ The nature of the human soul and its
connection to the divine

➢ The nature of cosmic forces-angels, demons,

elementals and such

➢ The inner meaning of the revealed law and

Holy Gospel

➢ The transcendental symbolism of numbers

and geometrical shapes

➢ The mysteries contained in the Hebrew

letters

➢ The balance in the play of cosmic forces

➢ The mystery of divine revelation and

prophetic states of consciousness

➢ The mystery of the divine incarnation and the

divine plan on earth
 Considering the vast height, depth, and breadth of
these metaphysical questions, one can imagine the
enormous amount of esoteric teachings, practices,
and literature that has formed around the Kabbalah
in the course of thousands of years. Although there
are many modern truthseekers who have read a
book or two on the Kabbalah and mistakenly
assumed they know the Kabbalah, the truth is that
even a master of the Tradition, who has studied
and practiced the Kabbalah all of his or her life
and who actively embodies something of the
enlightenment experience it represents, would not
claim to know the Kabbalah. One could say that
God knows the Kabbalah and that, for our part, we
know what we have received of it in our own
experience-which is a far cry from knowing the
Kabbalah as God knows it.

Essentially, the teachings of the Kabbalah

represent the accumulated knowledge,
understanding, and wisdom of initiates, which have
been gathered from their own direct spiritual
experience of the metaphysical dimensions of
creatures, creation, and God. The Kabbalah itself
is the knowledge, understanding, and wisdom of
the true nature of creatures, creation, and God-
which is known in full only to God. If the whole of
the Kabbalah is in a book, then it is the heavenly
Book of Life of which the Holy Scriptures speak,
and not any earthly book.

The teachings of the Kabbalah are founded upon

the Bible, along with other books of Scripture that
did not make their way into the canonized Bible.
Thus, to study and understand the Kabbalah in its
proper context is to study and understand the
Scriptures also. Just as many mistakenly assume
that they know the Kabbalah from reading a book
or two, likewise many assume that they are
knowledgeable in the Kabbalah without being
well-studied in the Scriptures. Ultimately,
however, one cannot study and understand the
Kabbalah without also studying and gaining some
understanding of the Holy Scriptures. To engage in
the study and practice of the Kabbalah is to embark
upon a mystical journey into hidden levels of the
Scriptures and the secret wisdom they contain. In
essence, the Scriptures and the Kabbalah are one
and the same.
 Three Branches of the Kabbalah
The teachings of the Kabbalah are divided into
three principal forms: the theoretical or
contemplative Kabbalah, the meditative Kabbalah,
and the practical or magical Kabbalah. The
theoretical or contemplative Kabbalah is an
intellectual study and contemplation of the
principles, doctrines, and correspondences of
esoteric wisdom, including gematria, the
associations of numbers and geometrical patterns,
and so on. The meditative Kabbalah represents the
teachings and practices of mystical prayer and
prophetic meditation-methods through which one
can enter a higher state of consciousness and
experience unification with the divine. The
practical or magical Kabbalah represents teachings
of invocations, incantations, rituals, and such,
through which one is able to shift states of
consciousness at will and to consciously direct
hidden spiritual forces. From this, one will
understand that the Kabbalah is both a mystical and
a magical Tradition. Here, we will be dealing
primarily with the contemplative Kabbalah and to
some extent the meditative Kabbalah. The magical
Kabbalah will be referred to in passing at different
points of this book; however, it is not the subject of
this work.
 The Ten Holy Sefirot and the Tree
of Life
There are ten Sefirot (plural), which are generally
referred to as Midot, meaning "measurements" or
"dimensions" and, by extension, also meaning
"attributes" or "qualities." The Sefirot are
emanations of the divine presence and power of
God, or the infinite light of God, and they are
vessels receiving God's light and transmitting it to
creation. They are gradations of the involution of
the infinite light into finite creation, and thus are
gradations of the evolution of creatures on the path
of return-like rungs on a ladder of light. When we
read of Jacob's vision of a ladder reaching up from
the earth to the heavens, upon which he beheld
angels ascending and descending, the Kabbalah
would say that that Jacob had a vision of the
constellation of the Sefirot that forms the Tree of
Life.
 The word Sefirah (singular) is related to the
Hebrew word saper, meaning "to express" or "to
communicate," and to the word sapir, meaning
"sapphire," "brilliance," or "luminary." It is also
related to the words sefar, meaning "boundary";
sefer, meaning "book"; and safar, meaning
"number." All of these terms represent related
concepts and indicate the two basic functions of
the Sefirot: lights or emanations that act to reveal
and express God's presence and power (Shekinah);
and vessels that limit and delineate the infinite
light of God, bringing it down into the finite realm
of numeration and boundary.

Essentially, the Sefirot, and the various levels of

their manifestation called Olamot or universes,
represent the metaphysical structure of creation or
the vehicle through which creature, creation, and
God are connected and interact. In Genesis, ten
utterances are listed through which God creates.
These correspond with the ten Sefirot and suggest
the idea of creature and creation as the revelation
or expression of God and as the vessel receiving
and imparting the divine presence-hence the body
of God. Through the Sefirot, God reaches out to us
and we are able to reach into God.

The most common way these Sefirot are

represented is as a glyph called the Tree of Life
(Otz ba-Hayyim). The Sefirot are depicted as ten
circles that form three triads, one atop, one in the
middle, and one below, with a single Sefirah set as
a pendant below the lowest triad. In this same
configuration they also appear as ten circles
divided into three columns one to the right, one to
the left, and one in the middle-which are called
"pillars." These are two ways to view the same
glyph (figure 1, below).
 Figure 1. The Tree of Life.
In the view of the three triads of Sefirot and one
Sefirah as a pendant, the top triad is called the
supernal triad, the triad in the middle is called the
moral triad, the triad below is called the action
triad. The Sefirah that appears as a pendant is
called Malkut (Kingdom). Malkut is the "fruit" of
the Tree of Life, as well as the vessel receiving the
influence of all the emanations above it. In the
view of the Tree of Life as three pillars, the right
and left pillars are composed of three Sefirot each,
and the middle pillar is composed of four Sefirot.
The pillar on the right is called the Pillar of Mercy
and the pillar on the left is called the Pillar of
Severity-the Pillars of Jachin and Boaz in the
temple of King Solomon. One is positive and the
other negative; one is male and the other is female;
one is white, the other is black-so that these two
pillars represent the eternal play of opposites in
dynamic interaction. Evil is imbalanced force, out
of place or out of harmony. Severity in imbalance
is cruelty and oppression, and mercy in imbalance
is weakness that allows and facilitates great evil.
True compassion is a dynamic balance of severity
and mercy.

The Middle Pillar is therefore the path of the

ascension, representing the dynamic balance of all
polarities or opposites, and the integration of
everything that would otherwise be fragmented.
The Kabbalah teaches the Middle Way, akin to
what is found in forms of Hinduism and Buddhism
in the Eastern schools. For this reason, whether the
tree is viewed in terms of the triads or the three
pillars, the Sefirah Tiferet (beauty), which is the
Christ center on the tree, is in the middle.

As there are ten circles representing the Sefirot

on the Tree of Life, so also are there twenty-two
lines connecting the Sefirot, to which the Hebrew
letters are attributed. Thus the tree is composed of
thirty-two paths, which in the Sefer Yetzirab are
called the "Thirty-Two Paths of Wisdom." Various
correspondences are given to both the Sefirot and
the Hebrew letters. Through the interrelationship
of correspondences, initiates are able to look and
see the mysteries contained in the Scriptures and
are able to gain insight into the mysteries of
creation and God. Yet more, they are able to
receive the ongoing divine revelation in the same
way as the prophets and apostles of God before
them.
 The Olarno t- Universes
The ten Sefirot manifest through five different
levels or dimensions, which are called Olamot,
meaning "universes." These Olamot are known as
the universe of Adam Kadmon (primordial human
being), the universe of Atzilut (emanation or
nearness), the universe of Beriyah (creation), the
universe of Yetzirah (formation), and the universe
of Asiyah (action or making). The Olamot extend
from the supernal abode of the divine to the
material plane of existence, the universe of Adam
Kadmon being nearest to the light of the Infinite
and Asiyah being the material plane of existence.
The ten Sefirot manifest in each Olam, thus there
are ten Sefirot of Adam Kadmon, ten Sefirot of
Atzilut, ten Sefirot of Beriyah, ten Sefirot of
Yetzirah, and ten Sefirot of Asiyah, for a total of
fifty Sefirot, which are called the "Fifty Gates of
Understanding."
 These five Olamot correspond to the divine name
of Yahweh (Yod-HeVau-He), frequently called the
"Tetragrammaton" because it is composed of four
letters. Adam Kadmon is represented by the upper
tip of the Yod ('), Atzilut by the body of the Yod,
Beriyah by the first He (fl), Yetzirah by the Vau
(1), and Asiyah by the final He. This divine name
is said to be contained in the universe of Adam
Kadmon and it is said to contain all other divine
names, the divine names being within it and yet
being worn by it as "garments."

The divine name of Yeshua or Yeheshuah (Yod-

He-Shin-Vau-He), which is the name of Yahweh
with the addition of the letter Shin (0), represents
the embodiment of the divine presence and power
of Yahweh and thus something of the spiritual
energy of Adam Kadmon. The universe of Adam
Kadmon and the Sefirot it contains, therefore,
represent the Soul of the Messiah. This gives
insight into the title "Son of Adam" (son of man),
used for Yeshua in the Gospels.

To gain some insight into the nature of the Olamot,

one might contemplate them in terms of the sun and
its light and the moon that reflects the light. First,
one must understand that, looking at the sun, one
does not see the sun but rather sees the glory or
radiance of the sun. Therefore, within and beyond
what one sees is the sun itself. From the "sun
within the sun," light is generated and that hidden
place of the generation of light would correspond
to Adam Kadmon. The glory or light of the sun one
beholds would correspond to Atzilut. The light
passing to the moon would correspond to Beriyah.
The light of the moon itself would correspond to
Yetzirah, and the light of the full moon shining upon
the earth would correspond to Asiyah. In a similar
way, the light of the Infinite passes through the
Olamot from Adam Kadmon to Asiyah, and thus,
the supernal light is progressively veiled and
reduced in intensity.

Another way of gaining some understanding of the

Olamot is to consider them at the level of human
experience. The inmost will of a human being
corresponds to the universe of Adam Kadmon. The
level of pure awareness or preconceptual and
undifferentiated mind corresponds to Atzilut. The
process of thought itself corresponds to Beriyah.
Speech or communication corresponds to Yetzirah,
and action corresponds to Asiyah.
 The best way to contemplate this is to consider
the creative process of an architect who is
designing a large building complex. First he or she
decides what kind of buildings will fit the
purposes for which they are being constructed.
Then he or she draws up the corresponding plans
and considers how each building will serve its
function in relationship to the other structures.
Finally, he or she gives orders to his or her
workers and the actual construction begins.

In our analogy, the level of Adam Kadmon is

represented by the desire and decision of the
architect to build before there is any particular
plan in mind. Atzilut would be represented by the
process of designing a plan for the building on the
most abstract level. Once there is a blueprint,
everything still remains at an abstract level and
thought must be given to figure out exactly how the
plan will work or how it can actually be
implemented. Up to this point, everything has taken
place in the architect's office, but now seeking to
practically apply the plan, the architect must go to
the site.

Going to the site and thinking things through on a

more practical level, bringing the idea down from
the abstract symbolic form into something that can
be implemented, would represent Beriyah. When
the architect communicates the actual ideas and
methods of construction to the workers, this would
be akin to Yetzirah. The actual work of
construction would correspond to Asiyah; the
finished product itself would represent the final
Sefirah of Asiyah (Malkut of Asiyah).

The analogy can be taken even further into all

purposeful human activity. Any time a person
decides to do something, he or she conceives a
general plan. As he or she gets closer to enacting
it, his or her thought processes almost
spontaneously trigger nerve impulses, which then
travel through the body. The person's muscles
follow the commands of the brain and bring about
the corresponding action.

We are experiencing something of the Olamot all

of the time through our own process of translating
will or desire into awareness, thought, speech, and
action-a communication that happens at light-speed
through our nervous system. From the most subtle
and imperceptible levels to the actual
manifestation, life comes forth, as though
something from nothing. This is true throughout
creation.
 The Universe of Adam Kadmon
One of the most basic teachings of the Kabbalah is
that God and Godhead is ultimately nameless and
unknowable, and that, therefore, nothing can be
said about God. We can talk about emanations and
manifestations of God's presence and power, about
attributes or qualities of God and how we
encounter the presence of God in our experience,
but not about God as God is. We can allude to or
indicate something about God, but we cannot speak
of God directly. For this reason, the most common
reference to God in the Kabbalah is Ain Sof,
which literally means the "One-WithoutEnd." God
has no beginning or end, but is the Infinite, and
therefore cannot be characterized or defined.

At the level of Ain Sof, there is only the one

being-consciousnessforce, the Infinite and eternal,
and nothing else exists. Even the distinction of God
and Godhead does not exist at this level, and thus,
from our point of view, Ain Sof is the unmanifest-
completely inconceivable and incomprehensible.
From this state of no-thingness (Ain), every idea or
category of existence must be created, formed and
made as though out of nothing; yet as everything
comes from this no-thingness, it can also be called
divine fullness. Although nothing exists in it, the
unmanifest is pregnant with the divine potential of
everything.

Will or desire (Ratzon) is the first expression of

Ain Sof in the creative act, for in order to create
and sustain creation, God must will or desire to
create and sustain creation. The level of Adam
Kadmon corresponds to the will or desire of God
that is the underlying foundation for all the
proceeding levels of existence-the initiating
principle of creation. In essence, the first
emanation of God's presence and power is the will
or desire to create, which precedes creation itself,
and that will or desire is what is called Logos and
Sophia-the word and wisdom of God.

To say that God "created" this divine will or

desire is a fundamental misconception according to
the Christian Kabbalah, for this will or desire that
is called Adam Kadmon is, in fact, inseparable
from the light of Ain Sof (light of the infinite). It is
an emanation of the bornless Spirit of God, which,
although made distinct from Ain Sof, is completely
inseparable from the infinite and eternal. Adam
Kadmon always existed in Ain Sof, although as
divine potential. At the outset of creation, this
divine potential emerged as the first of all holy
emanations and is the interface of the infinite with
the finite creation.

Because Adam Kadmon is inseparable from Ain

Sof, it is called Ain (nothingness), and thus the
Sefer Yetzirah speaks of the Sefirot of Adam
Kadmon as "Sefirot of nothingness." The whole of
creation comes forth, as it were, from the womb of
Adam Kadmon, the womb of God's will; therefore,
this idea of nothingness does not imply a lack of
existence. It is an emanation of the divine fullness
in the no-thingness, from which the whole of
creation is brought forth.

Adam Kadmon alludes to the ultimate purpose or

intention of God in creating. The term itself is an
anthropomorphism that literally means "primordial
human being." If the letters of the Tetragrammaton
are placed on a vertical line, with Yod at the top
and the remaining letters placed in their proper
order in descent, the image of a human being is
formed by them (see figure 2). Likewise, the
configuration of the Sefirot is frequently depicted
as the body parts of a human form, each Sefirah
corresponding to a part of the human body. What is
suggested by this is that the ultimate purpose of
God creating was to create the human one-the
image and likeness of God.

To understand more deeply what this means, one

must consider what a human being is, or is meant
to be. A human being is a creature of higher
intelligence that is self-aware and therefore can be
aware of the existence of God. Because of this
intelligence and self-awareness, a human being is
capable of conscious evolution toward higher
states of awareness and more refined and higher
forms of life-specifically, an evolution toward
unification with God. A human being has the
capacity to consciously unite himor herself with
God and to embody something of God and the
Godheadthe capacity to attain supernal
consciousness or enlightenment.
 Figure 2. The Primordial Human Being.
To say that the ultimate purpose of creation is the
human one is to say that God's ultimate purpose is
to express or communicate him- or herself-to
reveal him- or herself and make him- or herself
known. The ultimate knowledge of God is
unification with God and embodiment of God-
Messianic consciousness or Christhood. It is as
though God, who is the Being of the Becoming,
seeks self-knowledge through the act of creation.
God creates because it is God's nature to create-to
express and know God. While one can know
nothing of God at the ordinary level of
consciousness, in a state of conscious unity with
God, the presence of God within oneself knows
God and Godhead beyond oneself.

This fruition of creation is prefigured in the

person of Yeshua Messiah (Jesus Christ), who
represents the first human one to emerge from
within humanity, embodying something of the Soul
of Messiah-one anointed with the supernal light of
God. The universe of Adam Kadmon in the
Christian Kabbalah represents this level of
attainment and all of the mysteries associated with
it. It is the universe of the Soul of the Messiah, the
Olam of supernal light.

At the level of Atzilut, the divine names and the

Sefirot are one and the same; the Sefirot are the
divine names and the divine names are the Sefirot.
Therefore, the level of Adam Kadmon corresponds
to the holy letters from which the names are
derived and, specifically, to the power of the
word-wisdom of God of which the holy names of
God serve as vehicles or channels.
 The Universe of Atzilut
The word "Atzilut" is derived from the root etzel,
which means "nearness." As the name implies,
Atzilut is near to the infinite light, so near, in fact,
that, like Adam Kadmon, Atzilut is also called Ain
or no-thingness. Atzilut is the domain of the Sefirot
proper, the holy vessels of Atzilut being filled with
the infinite light via Adam Kadmon. If the
existence of the primordial essence of the Sefirot
at the level of the universe of Adam Kad mon were
conceived of as the body of Adam Kadmon, the
Sefirot at the level of Atzilut would be as garments
of light.

The concept of Atzilut is not an easy one to

describe. For all intents and purposes, one could
say that it is truly alien to our perception of reality.
One could characterize Atzilut as the level of
reality that does not yet exist, or a level of reality
beyond the space-time-consciousness continuum in
which past, present, and future exist as a
simultaneous reality-one ever-present reality. If
this is not alien enough, at the level of Atzilut, not
only are past, present, and future a simultaneous
reality, but so also is every possible outcome,
which is to say every possibility of the past,
present, and future, not only of one single space-
time continuum but of all possible space-time
continuums!

Another characteristic of Atzilut is that

knowledge, the knower, and the known exist in
complete unity, so that there is no subject-object
relationship and, in truth, no duality whatsoever. It
is supernal or supramental. If one were to
experience consciousness at the level of Atzilut,
one would experience the knowledge and reality of
everything within oneself-a state of pure radiant
awareness. In the words of St. Paul, "One would
know fully, even as one has been known."

With the coming into being of the Sefirot proper

in Atzilut, along with God's will or desire, God's
wisdom, understanding, love, power, lordship,
dominion, splendor, righteousness and kingdom
emerge, and through them the great name of God is
revealed. At the level of Atzilut, the Sefirot exist in
an archetypal state and in perfect unity and
harmony with one another-without any
differentiation or division between them. God is
One and he and his name are One. Only at the point
when the Sefirot are manifest in a lower universe
can they be conceived of as separate forces.
 The Universe of Beriyah
Adam Kadmon and Atzilut together form the realm
of Yichud (Unity), but at the level of Beriyah, the
realm of Perud (Separation) begins, which is to
say, the appearance of independent existence and
separation. According to the Kabbalah, creation
occurs through a process of tzimtzum
(constriction), in which God must withdraw his or
her infinite light into him- or herself to make a
primordial space in which creation can take place.
The effects of this tzimtzum begin to manifest and
play themselves out at the level of Beriyah.

The term "Beriyah" is derived from the Hebrew

word bara, meaning "to create" and the Aramaic
word bar, meaning "outside" or "external."
Therefore, Beriyah indicates the concept of
creation brought from within God and distinct from
God-"outside" of God or "separate" from God to
some degree. Likewise, it suggests the creation of
something new and distinct or creation "ex nihilo."
In Hebrew, this idea is represented in the phrase
Yesh Mi-Ani-"Something from nothing." In
relationship to Atzilut, which is near unto the
divine, Beriyah is outside or apart from the divine-
two dimensions removed from the divine.

While the Sefirot at the level of Atzilut are

expressed by the divine names, at the level of
Beriyah they are expressed by the archangels-the
divine powers of creation. However, all cosmic or
spiritual forces at the level of Beriyah are not
divine, for with the constriction of the infinite light
and separation, cosmic ignorance emerges and,
with cosmic ignorance, forces of evil and darkness
enter into creation. Therefore, along with the
divine powers, there are admixed powers and dark
powers. All of these together are the cosmic forces
through which Beriyah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah come
into being-Beriyah being mostly divine and Asiyah
being mostly admixed and dark.

Beriyah corresponds to the first He of the

Tetragrammaton, which is the "window" through
which the true nature of existence is revealed and
the mysteries made accessible. But in the process
of this revelation, the cosmic forces become
distinct and individual entities, some oriented to
the universe above and others oriented to the
universe below-some in submission to divine will
and others seeking their own dominion over
creatures and creation. Thus gods and goddesses,
archdemons and demons, and all manner of
spiritual entities came into being with the holy
archangels. In Gnostic Christianity, Beriyah is
therefore called the beginning of the dominion of
the demiurgos and archons-the cosmic forces of
ignorance.

In mentioning the reality of evil at the level of

Beriyah, it must be said that evil is not seen as
having an independent existence apart from God,
as nothing whatsoever can exist in complete
separation from God's presence and power. In the
Kabbalah, the cosmic forces of ignorance and the
"Evil One" are understood to be a secret operation
of the Holy Spirit-so secret that such entities do not
even know that, ultimately, they are serving God's
plan in creation. Cosmic ignorance and evil is
what makes free will possible in creation and
therefore is an integral part of the divine plan.
 The Universe of Yetzirah
The word Yetzirah comes from the root yetzar,
which means "to form." Yetzirah therefore denotes
the formation of something from a preexistent
substance, hence the Hebrew phrase Yesb Mi-
Yesb, "something from something." This is
illustrated in a verse from the prophet Isaiah in
which God says, "I form (yotzer) the light and
create (boreb) darkness" (Isaiah 45:7). The light
exists before creation and comes from within God
and therefore is "something from something," but
darkness did not exist before creation, did not
come from within God and the Godhead, and
therefore was created "something from nothing."
However, at the level of Yetzirah, both the light
and the darkness are formed, for darkness was
created at the level of Beriyah, as were all cosmic
principles and cosmic forces. In Yetzirah, the
principles and forces found in Beriyah are shaped
into more distinct patterns of form-hence the
universe of formation.

In this process, there is a further division or

separation of things-a further involution of the one
becoming many. This is represented by the
manifestation of the Sefirot in Yetzirah as orders of
angels. Whereas, at the level of Beriyah, the
presence and power of the Sefirot manifests as a
singular entity, namely an archangel, in Yetzirah,
the Sefirot become hosts or choirs of angels, the
one presence and power manifesting as the
countless many. This further division or separation
of things happens through the cosmic ignorance that
was created in the process of the tzimtzum. Thus,
along with the generation of hosts of holy angels in
Yetzirah, there is also the generation of legions of
impure and evil spirits-beings-forces of admixture
and darkness. At this level of creation, the divine
order and the dominion of the demiurge exist in a
dynamic balance so that Yetzirah is equally of the
light and of the darkness.

In comparison with the realm of Yichud formed

by Adam Kadmon and Atzilut, the light of the
infinite is extremely restricted and therefore
distinctly veiled in Yetzirah. There is a great
difference between manifestation at the level of
Atzilut and at the level of Yetzirah, which is well
reflected by the correspondence of pure awareness
or undifferentiated mind to the former and speech
to the latter. One need only consider the difficulty
of conveying one's mind and one's thoughts through
speech to another person and the gap of
subjectivity between the speaker and the listener.
One might speak quite clearly and yet be sorely
misunderstood as the meaning of one's words can
easily be taken out of context. The same is true of
cosmic forces manifesting at this level. They are
often distorted and certainly less than the divine
glory of the higher Olamot.

Speech, being attributed to Yetzirah, represents

the feeling or emotional level as well as actual
words. Speech not only conveys thought but is also
a translation of thought into feelings and emotions,
which represents a lower gradation of the original
ratzon (will or desire) underlying creation.
Therefore, emotion is the motivating force at the
level of Yetzi- rah-speech and emotion.

The universe of Yetzirah is often called the world

of angels and, conversely, the world of demons.
Asiyah is the material or physical universe.
Therefore, speaking of Yetzirah as a world of
spirits alludes to the play of spiritual forces within
and behind everything that transpires in the
material world. Essentially, as human beings,
whatever we link ourselves with through our
thoughts, emotions, speech, and actions, we bring
down from Yetzirah into substantial being at the
level of Asiyah, whether that be something angelic,
admixed, or demonic. Contact with something
angelic is a link to the divine, as angels are links
between human beings and God. Contact with
something admixed or impure is a distorted or
imperfect link to the divine, while contact with
something demonic is a removal of oneself from
the divine presence. To commune with angelic
beings and righteous spirits, one merely needs to
align one's thoughts, feelings-emotions, words, and
actions to those of the holy angels. Angelic beings
are always seeking contact with humanity and
contact is made any time we are willing. As the
Kabbalah says, "Think of the holy angels and they
will think of you and come to you."
 The Universe of Asiyah
Asiyah is the universe of making, the word Asiyah
being derived from the root asab, meaning "to
make." Asiyah therefore connotes the final outcome
or completion of the process of creation. At the
level of Asiyah, the spiritu al world and material
world interpenetrate and interact, the material
world being the most restricted or dense
manifestation of spiritual energy. It is in Asiyah
where potential is fully realized and actualized-the
fulfillment of creation.

The supernal light of Atzilut is the secret center of

every particle of matter, matter itself being
crystallized light that has assumed the densest
possible form-form representing force locked up
into patterns of its own making. Thus, at the level
of Asiyah, the light of the Infinite is most thickly
veiled and hidden. In this sense, Asiyah is the
dimension most removed from God's presence or
the realm in which God's presence is most
restricted, and yet the presence of God is
everywhere within creation at the level of Asiyah-
within everyone and everything.

Cosmic ignorance is the principle of constriction

or restriction; therefore, cosmic ignorance tends to
dominate the universe of Asiyah. Although this
means that impure and evil forces have a great
influence upon creatures and creation at this level,
it also means that there is a full and complete
freedom of will in Asiyah. Although restriction and
bondage is the function of cosmic ignorance, its
ultimate purpose is freedom or liberation.

Through cosmic ignorance, the light of the Infinite

evolves into the material universe through
gradations. Likewise, through gradations, creation
is linked with the Infinite and is able to evolve
toward the Infinite. Along with making free will
possible, darkness also makes evolution possible,
providing the resistance, tension, stress, and
friction necessary for the development of higher
and more refined life-forms and, thus, the
development of higher and more refined states of
consciousness-being. Therefore, Asiyah is
designed for the awakening of souls-for the
realization and actualization of divine potential.

This truth is given in the name of Yeshua, one of

the esoteric meanings of which is "knowledge of
the truth will set you free!" Only through a process
of incarnations in Asiyah is a soul able to awaken
and actualize the divine potential of the infinite
light within it, and thus to evolve beyond the need
for the dense forms of physical or material
existence. Asiyah allows for individuation so that,
returning to the realm of Yichud and uniting itself
with the universal and primordial dimensions of
divine being, the soul is able to maintain self-
awareness while in unification with the divine.
Hence, the individual is not simply reabsorbed into
an unconscious union but is fulfilled and completed
in a conscious unification. It is Asiyah that makes
this possible.

The Kabbalah says that, at the level of Asiyah, the

spiritual energy of the Sefirot manifests through the
stars and planets. Because of this, astrology is
often the primary method of divination into the
purpose and meaning of the soul's incarnation, as
the birth chart reflects the configuration of
Sefirotic influence at the time of one's birth. There
is also a teaching in the Kabbalah that proposes
that the stars serve as the bodies of archangels in
the physical universe, their cosmic rays and light
being likened to angels. Gnostic Christianity often
speaks of God's presence in Asiyah as our "earthly
Mother," and of features of the land, creatures, and
forces of nature as "angels of our earthly Mother."
 While these ideas may fall upon many modern
ears as superstition, or seem silly to a noninitiate,
the meaning is quite simple: the material and
spiritual worlds are intimately connected and are
ultimately inseparable. The material universe
comes forth from the spiritual universe and is the
outermost manifestation of the universe of the
Spirit. There is a vast metaphysical reality within
and behind the material plane of the universe. In
fact, there are countless inner dimensions that are
as equally "real" and distinct as the physical or
material dimension. When there is the appearance
of a miracle, it is simply the operation of the
cosmic law acting through the hidden dimensions
upon the material dimension. It only appears as a
miracle to one who is unaware of the metaphysical
dimensions of reality and the play of spiritual
forces within and behind what transpires in the
material world.
TWO
AIN SOF
AND THE
SOUL OF LIGHT
 The Great Unmanifest
There are no words to speak the mystery of God
and Godhead; no concepts or definitions can be
applied to the Great Unmanifest. It is unthinkable
and unspeakable-the nameless and unknown. Yet it
is the source and cause of everything that
manifests; the inmost essence and nature of
everything is this no-thingness.

Ain (no-thingness), Ain Sof (the one-without-end,

or the infinite), and Ain Sof Or (endless light)-with
these terms, Kabbalah indicates the reality of God
and Godhead, the primordial ground and source of
creation. To get some sense of what is meant by
these terms, one must look into one's own
consciousness and being-one's own mind-and find
the source of one's thoughts and the nature of one's
thoughts. If one looks to see the source of one's
thoughts, following the stream of thoughts to its
point of origin, one will discover that no source
can be identified. Thoughts arise in the mind, abide
in the mind, and disappear in the mind, but the
source cannot be found. Because the source cannot
be found, one cannot correctly say the source is
something, but because something (thought) comes
from this hidden source, one cannot correctly call
it nothing either. One can only say that it is no-
thing, which is to say neither something nor
nothing.

Thoughts emerge from no-thingness of mind,

abide in no-thingness, and return again to no-
thingness when they disappear. If one looks
closely, one will see that the thoughts themselves
share in the substance and nature of no-thingness;
therefore, although distinct individuations of the
mind, they are nevertheless inseparable. The same
is true of Ain, the Sefirot, and the inmost part of
one's soul. They emerge from within Ain, abide in
Ain, return to Ain, and share the same substance
and nature as Ain.

Taking this observation of the mind further, one

will notice that the mind spontaneously generates
thoughts without end, that the mind has an endless
capacity to generate thoughts and that it is the
nature of mind to do so. The same is true of Ain
Sof. God is the Infinite-an infinite potential of
creation without beginning or end. Because of this
infinite capacity to conceive and create, the no-
thingness of God is also divine fullness.

Continuing to observe the mind one step further,

one will recognize a third quality of the nature of
mind-that the mind is self-aware. The process of
observing the mind itself reveals this quality-the
power to observe and be aware. This is akin to
Ain Sof Or, which is the omniscience,
omnipresence, and omnipotence of God and the
Godhead-the lifepower.
 Thus, in the Kabbalah, there is a direct parallel to
the concept of God in Hinduism as the one being-
consciousness-force and to the concept of ultimate
reality in Buddhism as the primordial nature of
mind, which is called clear light bliss.

Ain is the nature of divine being, Ain Sof is the

nature of divine consciousness, and Ain Sof Or is
the nature of divine force. The Olamot and Sefirot
share in this threefold divine nature, being the
emanation of the divine presence and power of the
one being-consciousness-force. Likewise, the soul
of light also shares in this divine nature, the inmost
part of the soul being a divine spark of Ain Sof Or.
It is this shared divine nature that gives the soul the
capacity to unite itself with the Sefirot and to
ultimately experience unification with God and
Godhead. Because the Sefirot are inseparable in
their essence from God and Godhead, they serve as
the vehicle of this unification for both the
individual and the universal (creature and
creation).
 The Soul of Light
The soul of light is composed of five parts or
aspects, that correspond to the five Olamot and to
specific Sefirot of the Tree of Life. The inmost part
of the soul is Yechidah (the holy or divine spark).
The radiance or glory of Yechidah is the Hayyah
(life-force or life-power), and the abode or image
of Yechidah is Neshamah (divine nature, heavenly
soul, supernal soul, or holy soul). Then below the
level of the Neshamah are Ruach (spirit or
intelligence) and Nefesh (bestial or earthly soul).
These five parts of the soul are inseparable in their
essence; however, until the soulbeing evolves and
awakens, all of these levels of the soul are not
realized and actualized; so in effect, everyone does
not necessarily have the fullness of their soul of
light.

"... then Yahweh Elohim formed the human one

from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his-
her nostrils the breath of life; and the Human One
became a living being" (Genesis 2:7, modified
translation). Each of the Hebrew terms for the soul
connote "breath," "wind," or "air," and allude to
the radiant holy breath of God, which is the life-
power. The suggestion is that the soul and life are
the breath of God-that life, creature, and creation is
God breathing. You are the radiant holy breath of
God!

In essence, the origin of the soul of light in a

human being comes from the highest realms and
from within God. Therefore, in our soul, we are
intimately connected with the Olamot and Sefirot,
as well as to Ain Sof. This relationship can be
illustrated through a classical analogy:

Imagine a glassblower, who decides to

fashion an elegant vessel. The will or
desire to do so, emanating from the inmost
place within the glassblower, is the level of
Yechidah. It corresponds to the tip of the
Yod of the Tetragrammaton and to the
universe of Adam Kadmon.

The next level is represented by the

glassblower himself, just before he begins
to blow out and the breath remains in his
lungs. This is the level of Hayyah, and it
corresponds to Atzilut and the body of the
Yod.

The breath passing through the

glassblower's lips represents Neshamah. It
corresponds to the first He and the universe
of Beriyah. The pressurized air flowing
through the tube represents Ruach, the Vau
of the great name, and the universe of
Yetzirah. This breath, as it expands to form
 the glass vessel, would represent Nefesh,
the final He of Yahweh, and the universe of
Asiyah.

In much the same way, our holy soul is a

movement of God's spirit-a direct expression of
the one lifepower. From this, you will understand
that it is the soul of light, which is created in the
image and likeness of God. Although emanating
forth from God, the soul remains ever within God,
just as the word God spoke outwardly remains
ever present within God.

As indicated above, the highest levels of the soul

are not separate from their divine source. Per the
analogy, they are in the mind and lungs of the
glassblower. From the divine point of view, the
highest aspects of the soul are internal to God,
while the lower aspects are external. From the
human point of view, the opposite is the case;
Hayyah and Yechidah completely transcend the
ordinary person and are external, while the lower
aspects are internal. From either point of view,
Neshamah is the threshold between what is internal
and what is external.

In this teaching of the soul having five parts or

aspects, the three lower parts-Neshamah, Ruach,
and Nefesh-are called Penimi'im, or
internalizations, because we have the capacity to
bring these aspects into our earthly incarnation and
embody them. The two highest levels, Yechidah
and Hayyah, on the other hand, are rarely
embodied and, save in the case of a perfect master
like Yeshua Messiah, will only be internalized in
the world to come. Therefore, they are typically
called Makifim (envelopments) or Atarot
(crowns), because they transcend the ordinary
individual personality entirely. In this sense, it is
said that one who draws down the influence of
Hayyah and Yechidah becomes more than human,
and that such holy masters are like unto archangels.
 Nefesh
The lowest part of the soul is the basis of the
personality, the life-display, and is the matrix of
vital energy within and behind the physical body. It
is through the Nefesh that the soul is interfaced
with the physical body and life in material form is
sustained.

The Nefesh is not inherently spiritual, nor is it

inherently connected to the Neshamah. The term
"flesh" in the Scriptures is actually referring to the
Nefesh in an unregenerated and unrefined state,
which is called Nefesh Behamit (the bestial soul).
On the level of Nefesh, a person can gain an
awareness of the body, life, and personality as a
vessel or vehicle of spiritual energy. However, this
awareness can only come about when a person is
able to turn inward and upward-Godward-and
isolate him- or herself from all the internal and
external stimuli that typically occupy his or her
mind. Likewise, a person must engage in work on
him- or herself, seeking to refine the personality
and life-display so that it is brought into harmony
with Neshamah and the divine.

A person who does this receives the higher level

of his or her soul, the Ruach or divine intelligence,
through which he or she may also receive the
influence of his or her Neshamah. This link to the
Neshamah through the agency of Ruach transforms
Nefesh Behamit into Nefesh Elokit (the godly
soul). When the Gnostic teachings speak of the
elect or chosen person, it is an individual who has
made the Nefesh an actual vehicle of the divine
presence and power, and who has received
something of the fiery intelligence (holy spirit) in
so doing. Thus, we understand that it is not an
arbitrary decision of God that makes a person elect
or chosen by God. Rather, it is the person who has
made a decision to make him or herself receptive
to the divine and to draw near unto the divine. He
or she is essentially cooperating with divine grace
and making him or herself a partner with God in
the great work.

Nefesh is the mortal part of us; it does not survive

death. The only way Nefesh survives death is in
the case of a holy person who fully embodies his
or her Neshamah and who is able to draw down
something of the Hayyah and Yechidah, which is to
say when a person attains Messianic consciousness
and fully embodies the supernal light-presence
(state of enlightenment and liberation). Until that
time, from one incarnation to another, a new
Nefesh is generated for each new incarnation. At
the level of Nefesh, there is no real connection
between one incarnation and another, save for the
karmic continuum. Only in the case of a person
who embodies his or her Neshamah is there a
direct link between diverse incarnations, for it is at
the level of the Neshamah that all incarnations are
interconnected.
 Ruach
Ruach is our spirit or intelligence and, like the
Nefesh, there are two distinct manifestations of
Ruach. They are called the upper Ruach and the
lower Ruach. The lower Ruach is the ordinary
human intelligence, which is oriented on the
Nefesh and the external world. It is the mind of the
worldly or profane individual. The term "lower
Ruach" thus indicates the unenlightened condition.
The upper Ruach comes into being through the
cultivation of a spiritual life and practice-an active
seeking of enlightenment that leads to one degree
or another of the enlightenment experience. It is
this that is the Ruach proper, which is a divine
intelligence or divine genius.

The upper Ruach is oriented to the Neshamah and

to the divine. As a result, it is an awareness of the
ocean of spirituality that surrounds usawareness of
the play of spiritual or cosmic forces, the
metaphysical dimensions of reality, and God's holy
Shekinah (presence and power) within and behind
everything that transpires. At this level, we begin
to get a sense of God's will for our soul-the
mission of our soul. We are also able to receive
the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to receive
communication from the divine powers, and to
experience higher states of consciousness well
beyond the ordinary level. Reaching the level of
upper Ruach more and more, we find ourselves
guided by the Spirit and moved by the Spirit. At
the highest levels, we can experience unification
with the Holy Spirit (Ruach Ha-Kodesh), which is
a prophetic state of consciousness in which a
person feels him- or herself completely elevated
and transformed.

When the level of upper Ruach is present in a

person, they are rightly called a spiritual or holy
person, for more than a godly soul, he or she is a
Spirit-filled soul.
 Neshamah
At the level of Neshamah, one experiences the
radiant holy breath of God. Neshamah is the vessel
that holds the spiritual power that God wants to
give us. One could say that Nefesh is like the hand
open to receive and Neshamah is the hand opening
to give. Thus, to the degree one is willing to
become open and sensitive to the holy Shekinah,
the influ ence of the Neshamah is able to enter into
oneself-or, more truly, to be brought forth from
within oneself.

Ruach is the intermediate link between Nefesh

and Neshamah-the link through which they are
connected and potentially united. In the spiritual
dimension, there is no concept of space as we
would typically think of it. Rather, closeness can
only be defined as resemblance, similarity, or
likeness. Conversely, distance is the product of
difference, opposition, or dissimilarity. Therefore,
spiritually, to be like unto something is to be close
to it and to be unlike something is to be removed or
distant from it. Thus, to draw near to our
Neshamah, we must shape our thoughts, feelings-
emotions, words, and actions in harmony with our
divine nature. To the degree we are able to do this,
we embody something of our Neshamah and bring
the Neshamah into our experience.

Nefesh is the vessel for the reception of Ruach

and Neshamah. In a similar way, Neshamah is the
vessel for the reception of the Hayyah and
Yechidah. Nefesh forms a material body, but the
Neshamah forms a body of light or heavenly image
(Zelem). This is an angelic image or glorified
image of oneself-the image of one's Christ-self or
future self. It is this divine image resembling a
human being that the prophets behold in the peak of
their divine visions-the heavenly image of the
prophet him- or herself, which is called the glory
or likeness of God.

The enlightenment experience begins at the level

of Ruach, but enlightenment and liberation proper
corresponds to the level of Neshamah when
something of the Hayyah and Yechidah are drawn
into it. It is at this level that a true Messianic
consciousness dawns and the Christ-self is
realized. While many initiates attain the level of
Ruach, relatively few attain the level of the holy
Neshamah. Those who do embody something of the
Neshamah are called tau in the Gnostic Tradition.
 Hayyah
The Hayyah is the most subtle life-force or living
essence-so heavenly that it has little connection
with the body and dwells mostly in other realms. It
is the radiant holy breath of God that is
experienced at the level of Neshamah. Yet at the
level of Hayyah, the holy breath is completely
within God and one who experiences this presence
and power experiences a conscious unification
with God.

Most individuals will only gain the awareness of

Hayyah in altered states. In these rare moments of
peak experience, it is as though one is light in an
ocean of light-the world of supernal light being
experienced within and all around oneself. Quite
literally, one sees and experiences everything as
this light-force. In this experience of supernal
consciousness, individuality is not lost, but rather
is fulfilled and made complete. Instead of the drop
of light being poured back into the ocean of light, it
is as though the whole ocean of light pours through
the drop-the primordial and cosmic power flowing
through the individual and manifesting as the
individual.

While many initiates may experience something of

Hayyah in peak mystical experience, the actual
attainment of Hayyah is very rare. The power of
the Hayyah is the power to resurrect the dead-very
few masters have walked on earth with this divine
power.

Hayyah is associated with the supernal Sefirah of

Hokmah (wisdom) from which Binah
(understanding) comes. Thus the attainment of
Hayyah represents a state of non-dual Gnostic
awareness-all understandingwhich is a complete
enlightenment and liberation.
 Yechidah
There is an even higher level of the soul of light
than Hayyah. It is called Yechidah-the holy or
divine spark. It is a grade of unification beyond
Hayyah of which nothing can really be said. One
who attains this level is the light of all worlds and
is the way, truth, and life. This is the essence of the
spiritual sun, the Christos-Christ, the Logos (Word)
and Christ, the Sophia (Wisdom).

Of this inmost part of the soul of light, it is said

that it is so holy that only God and Godhead can
enter it. Even the greatest among the angels of God
cannot enter it. God and Godhead indwell us at this
inmost level and we dwell in God and Godhead,
and we are inseparable from the Holy One.
Yechidah is our true self, our divine or Christ-self,
which is at once no-thing and everything. It is the
being of our becoming.
 If Hayyah represents enlightenment proper and
Yechidah is something beyond that holy attainment,
then something subtle and profound is being said of
enlightenment. What appears to us as a supreme or
ultimate attainment is, in truth, but the beginning of
a whole new level of evolution to which there is
no end in sight!
 The Transmigrations of the Soul-
Gilgulim
Gilgul is the term for reincarnation in Kabbalah.
The word implies swirling, cycling, rounds, or
revolutions, as in the turning of a wheelhence the
cycles of life, death, and rebirth. According to the
Tradition, the soul-being develops and evolves
through a process of transmigration from one
incarnation to another until the soul of light is fully
embodied and, thus, actualized and realized.

From Hayyah, Nefeshim are generated and

emanate through the matrix of Neshamah. With the
formation of each Nefesh, the Ruach is drawn
down from Yechidah, the Nefesh and Ruach below
being a representation of the Hayyah and Yechidah
above. There is an outer and an inner aspect of the
Neshamah, the outer representing the soul-being
that evolves and the inner representing something
of the bornless being beyond the realm of
becoming. It is this outer level of the Neshamah
that is the karmic or causal matrix of the soul, so
that, from one incarnation to another, there is a
certain continuity that allows for either progress or
regress in the evolutionary process of the soul-
being. In this sense, Neshamah is both within and
beyond the transmigrations of the soul, the inner
aspect being transcendental.

The capacity of Hayyah to generate Nefeshim is

potentially exhaustless. This is reflected in the
capacity of the mind to generate thoughts without
end and suggests the power of Ain Sof in Hayyah.
This means that, without divine assistance-
specifically the grace of the divine incarnation-and
a conscious evolution toward Messianic
consciousness or enlightenment, the soul-being
could potentially be bound forever to endless
transmigrations through life, death, and rebirth.
 Gnostic Christianity does speak of a need for
salvation, in the sense of an enlightenment and
liberation from the endless rounds of gilgulim.
However, there is no teaching of eternal
damnation, for until the realization of supernal or
Messianic consciousness, all states of existence
are transitional, whether life or the afterlife,
including the heavens, the earths, and the hells.
One's experience in life, as well as the afterlife,
reflects the karmic conditioning of the soul, which
is the condition of the soul-being and the grade to
which it has evolved.

Before incarnation as a human being, the soul-

being evolves through subhuman life-forms.
According to the Tradition, the human form-our
present condition-is also transitional. Therefore,
just as the soul-being has evolved through
subhuman life-forms, so also shall it pass through
superhuman forms akin to those of angelic beings,
although superior to the orders of holy angels. The
divine image of the Risen Christ represents the
superhuman form which the human soul is destined
to attain-the "omega point" of our present cycle of
evolution, as Pierre Teilhard de Chardin put it.

It is at the level of Asiyah, in this life, that our

soul-being is able to make progress in this
evolutionary process and to ascend from one grade
of the enlightenment experience to another. While,
on one hand, the involution and incarnation of the
soul represents a state of restriction or bondage, on
the other hand, involution and incarnation is the
only way the soul-being can awaken and evolve
itself-that which binds or obstructs is at one and
the same time the vehicle for liberation. Afterlife
states reflect the progressions and regressions of
the evolutionary process that have transpired in
life; however, actual progress cannot transpire in
the afterlife. Rather, the potential for progress
exists only when the soul is incarnate in Asiyah or
the material plane of the universe. Therefore,
although the aim of the Gnostic Christian is an
ascent to a higher plane of existence in which
physical incarnation is no longer necessary, this
ascent transpires through the descent of the
Neshamah fully into incarnationthe embodiment of
the supernal soul and Christ-self. Only in this way
do we ultimately transcend Asiyah and accomplish
the ascension or great transformation.

The study and practice of Christian Kabbalah or

Christian Gnosticism are, essentially, a conscious
evolution of the soul-being through the various
levels of the soul to Christ consciousness. For this
reason, Gnostic initiates often refer to the Tradition
as the path of the ascension or way of the great
transformation.
THREE
THE PRIMORDIAL
CHRISTOS AND
HOLY SEFIROT
 A Prologue
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word
was with God, and the Word was God. He was
in the beginning with God. All things came into
being through him, and without him not one
thing came into being. What has come into
being in him was life, and the life was the light
of all people. The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness did not overcome it (Gospel
of St. John 1:1-5).
 The Timeless Primordial and the
Beginning
At the outset of creation, there was Ain, Ain Sof,
Ain Sof Orthere was only God, the one being-
consciousness-force. Before all things were
created, the light of the Infinite was simple. It
pervaded the whole of existence. Endless space
and endless light being one and the same, there
was no empty space that could be space,
emptiness, or void apart from the infinite. There
was no beginning and no end. There was no
boundary or limit whatsoever. All was one simple
primordial light.

When it arose in God's simple will to create all

of the Olamot, God constricted God's infinite light,
creating a distance of primordial space to all sides
around a primordial point, leaving a great void
space in the midst of the infinite light. This was the
original tzimtzum or constriction, and the
primordial space created by it was spherical, for
the light of the infinite was withdrawn evenly from
around all sides of the primordial center.
Therefore the possibility of creation arose in God
through God's simple will. Once this transpired,
God constricted the infinite light into a point,
which became a ray or line of light that penetrated
to the center of primordial space (figure 3). This is
the light of the primordial Christos, the word and
wisdom of God, through which creation took
place. In the beginning was the light of Messiah,
and the light of Messiah was with God, and the
light of Messiah was God."
Figure 3: The line of light at the center of
primordial space.
 Mystery of the Sefirot and Divine
Incarnation
God's ratzon to create is the first and most
essential quality of God as creator and thus is the
first primordial expression of God's word and
wisdom, the light of the Messiah. It is through
ratzon that the original tzimtzum takes place. It is
called a "depth of good," because it is the pure
desire to impart or to give. God creates in order to
express and reveal Godself and to give of Godself
to creation. Forming a desire to give, through the
original tzimtzum, God also created the desire to
receive, the creation of the great void, representing
the most primitive form of the desire to receive,
which makes it possible for God's desire to give to
be fulfilled.

Ratzon is Keter (crown), the first of the holy

Sefirot, which is the structure or measurement of
the Olamot. Keter is the light of life or lifewill,
within which is the principle of life-force and life-
form, the father and mother of creation, and all of
the divine potential of creation. The life-force is a
depth of beginning and the life-form is a depth of
end, Hokmah and Binah, the second and third
Sefirot, respectively. From these, Da'at
(knowledge or gnosis) comes into being, which is
the manifestation of Keter in creation, and this
Da'at becomes the six Sefirot, which are the Son:
Hesed (mercy or loving-kindness), Gevurah
(strength or rigor), Tiferet (beauty, the son proper),
Netzach (dominion or victory), Hod (empathy or
splendor), and Yesod (foundation or
righteousness). These six Sefirot are called a depth
of south, a depth of north, a depth of east, a depth
of above, a depth of below, and a depth of west,
respectively. These six Sefirot are the space
continuum of the Olamot. Hokmah and Binah,
which are a depth of beginning and a depth of end,
form the time continuum. Keter, the crown, implies
Malkut, the kingdom, which is the final Sefirah of
the ten, called a depth of evil. Therefore, Keter and
Malkut form the moral dimension of the Olamot or
the continuum of consciousness or soul.

All of this is contained in Keter, God's will or

desire to create, the creative process being a
progressive unfolding of this divine potential in
Adam Kadmon. In the primordial state, the Sefirot
of Adam Kadmon exist only as divine potential.
They are "points of light within a point of light,
existing in an undifferentiated primordial unity."
That is to say, all of the Sefirot exist in God's
ratzon, but as yet are not brought forth from the
great unmanifest. At this level, the primordial
human being, the prototype of humanity, which is
God's ultimate intention in creation, exists in an
unconscious unity with Ain Sof. In order for the
creative process to continue and Adam Kadmon to
awaken and enter into a conscious unity with God,
this state of undifferentiated primordial unity must
be broken. Thus the Sefirot of Adam Kadmon are
shattered.

When this original primordial unity is broken, the

primitive Sefirot had no connection or way to
relate to one another and, therefore, existed in
complete separation and anarchy. This primordial
state is called the universe of Bohu Ve-Tohu (void
and chaos). Kabbalah says that, in the process of
the formation of the Sefirot of Atzilut, countless
universes were created and destroyed, thus
producing the substance through which the dark
and hostile forces would later take shape.

What was only divine potential in the original

state of Adam Kadmon becomes actualized and
revealed at the level of Atzilut. The Sefirot appear
as the divine names and Partzufim (divine
personas), which mend or heal the Sefirot of Adam
Kadmon, bringing them once again into a
harmonious state of unity.

At the level of Atzilut, Keter becomes the

Partzufim of Atik Yomin and Arik Anpin (ancient
of days, the great face of God). Hokmah and Binah
become the Partzufim of Abba and Aima (father
and mother). The six become the Partzuf of Zer
Anpin or Ben (lesser face of God, or son of God),
and Malkut becomes the Partzuf of Nukva or
Kallah (daughter or bride). All of the Partzufim in
Atzilut are the reflection of the divine image of
Adam Kadmon above, through which Adam
Kadmon is actualized and realized in the Olamot
below.

This process of the shattering of the Sefirot of

Adam Kadmon and their mending or healing
through the emanation of the Sefirot of Atzilut that
prefigures the mystery of the divine incarnation of
the Soul of the Messiah and the passion and death
that open the way for the resurrection and
ascension. Likewise, the Partzufim of Atzilut-
particularly mother, son, and daughter or bride-
prefigure the persons of the divine incarnation of
the Soul of the Messiah in the Gospel: the Son in
the person of Yeshua Messiah, the Mother in the
person of Mother Mary, and the Daughter or Bride
in the person of St. Mary Magdalene. The Holy
Father, being Hokmah of Atzilut, is invisible and
hidden and is revealed only in reflection through
the Mother, Son, and Holy Bride. As the Partzufim
are represented in the Gospel in this way, so are
the Sefirot as the divine names represented in the
Gospel as the power of the Holy Spirit, which is
the "baptism" given by the Messiah.

This process of tzimtzum and the shattering of the

vessels takes place at the level of all the Olamot,
from Atzilut to Asiyah. Every time a new Olam is
to be created at a lower level or gradation, the
former order of the Sefirot must first be broken to
be reformed through their manifestation at the next
stage of creation. The revelation of the law in the
Old Testament and the revelation of the Messiah in
the New Testament represent the process of the
shattering and the mending of the vessels in the
universe of Asiyah-the completion and fulfillment
of the process of creation according to the
Christian Kabbalah.

The Sefirot of a given Olam are gradations of the

infinite light or the holy Shekinah of God and, from
one Olam to another, represent a further involution
of the infinite light in creation. Hence, the Sefirot
of the five Olamot are gradations that link Ain Sof
with finite creatures and creation. These same
gradations of involution are also gradations of
evolution through which creature and creation are
able to ascend to conscious unity with God and
Godhead. Through the incarnation of the Soul of
the Messiah, all these levels or gradations of
being-consciousness-force are linked in us so that
we are empowered through the persons of Yeshua
Messiah, the Holy Mother and the Bride in a
conscious evolution. The path of the great
ascension is opened to us.
 Creation and Revelation
"The Disciples said to Jesus, 'Tell us how our end
will be.' Jesus said, 'Have you discovered, then,
the beginning, that you look for the end? For where
the beginning is, there will the end be. Blessed is
he who will take his place in the beginning; he will
know the end and will not experience
death(Gospel of St. Thomas, saying 18).

Creation begins in the infinite and eternal. The

beginning is engraved in the timeless primordial
and pours out everywhere within space-
timeconsciousness, past, present, and future.
Although we may think in terms of past, present,
and future, from the eyes of eternity, creation and
the divine revelation is one simultaneous event in
space-time-consciousness. There is no past. There
is no future. There is only now-always.

The masters of the Tradition say that creation-

revelation is a river of light that continually pours
forth from the Infinite. The Sefirot of the five
Olamot are currents in the river of light and
channels of the light through which creation-
revelation transpires. The influx of the supernal
light is constant-creature and creation are
continually flowing out of God and Godhead. The
reality-truth continuum of creator and creation is
not fixed or static but is in constant flux,
continually pouring out of the divine in what
appears to be flow and ebb. Everyone and
everything is an expression of God's word and
wisdom-the light of Messiah. One could say that it
is as though God is continually breathing out and
breathing in creatures and creation, and that
everything is the radiant holy breath of God-the
holy and bornless Spirit.

Vessels are continually being created and

shattered, and the process of their mending or
healing (tikkune) is a continual process. If the
Sefirot and Olamot are the macrocosm (the
universe or creation) and we are microcosms (the
universe or creation in miniature), then our soul is
a vessel constantly being formed, shattered, and
reformed at a new level in the process of creative
evolution. While creation speaks of a descent or
involution, revelation speaks of an ascent or
evolution.

Creature, creation, and the divine revelation are

works in progress. The divine revelation is the
purpose of God in creation. Until creature and
creation are redeemed-made perfect and complete-
and God is made known in creatures and creation,
the process of shattering and tikkune (mending or
healing) will continue on the level of Beriyah,
Yetzirah, and Asiyah.

We see this process in the Scriptures: the two

stories of creation, the fall of Adam and Eve, the
tower of Babel, the fallen and the flood, the first
tablets of the law which are broken, the rise and
fall of the first and second temples, the prophetic
succession giving way to the apostolic succession,
the crucifixion of Christ and rejection of the Holy
Bride, and the apocalypse. The vessel of a
covenant-continuum is formed and then shattered,
only to be reformed at a new level in an ascent of
conscious evolution. In speaking of the mysteries
of the Book of Genesis, the Kabbalah is speaking
of the mysteries of the Book of Revelation.

The Sefirot appear in the Scriptures as the Ten

Utterances of Creation, the Ten Plagues, the Ten
Commandments, and the Ten Sayings that open the
Sermon on the Mount. The six days of creation and
the holy Shabbat represent the seven lower Sefirot,
as do all things listed in the Book of Revelation to
which the number seven is attributed. The image of
the great angel of the Lord speaking the Book of
Apocalypse, itself, is the image of the Tree of Life.

In the same way that creation is an ever-present

process, so also is the apocalypse. Creation is not
the past and the apocalypse is not the future.
Rather, creation and apocalypse are the present
reality. Through knowledge of the Sefirot and
Olamot, we become conscious co-creators with
God and conscious agents of the divine revelation.
It is for this reason that God has created and is
creating the metaphysical structure depicted in the
Kabbalah, so that God might be in relationship
with us and we might be in relationship with God,
and we might ultimately evolve to consciously
unite with God and embody God. It is in this light
that the Christian Kabbalah or Gnostic Christianity
views the divine incarnation-a call to a conscious
evolution toward Christhood (enlightenment and
liberation).
FOUR
KETER, THE HOLY
CROWN WHICH
IS THE ROOT
 Attributes
Thirty-Two Paths of Wisdom: Mystical
Consciousness (Sekhel Mufla). This is the Light
that was originally conceived, and it is the First
Glory; no creature can attain to its excellence

Keter: Holy Crown

Place on the Tree of Life: Head of the Pillar of

Compassion in the supernal triad

Divine Name: Eheieh-1 am or I shall be; Eheieh

Asher Eheieh-1 Am That I Am

Alternative Divine Names: El Elyon, God Most

High; Atoh, You or Thou Art; Hua, He-She or
the One; Ain, NoThingness

Partzuf Above: Atik Yomin, Ancient of Days;

Arik Anpin, Big Face or Long Face

Partzuf Below: Enoch

Divine Image: Ancient, bearded king, viewed in
profile

Archangel: Metatron

Order of Angels: Hayyot Ha-Kodesh, Holy

Living Creatures

Celestial Attribute: Reshit Ha-Gilgulim,

Beginning of Cycles, First Motion; also the
planet Pluto in modern astrology

Titles Given to Keter: The Concealed of the

Concealed; the Hidden One; Holy One of
Being; Ratzon; the Primordial Point; the Smooth
Point; the Point within the Circle; Head-Which-
Is-Not; the White Head; Bornless Spirit; Amen,
So Be It; Depth of Good; Light of Adam
Kadmon; Light of the Messiah; Transparent or
Clear Light; Hidden Light; Supernal Light; Light
Within; Bornless One; Supernal Being

Level of the Soul: Yechidah, Holy or Divine

Spark, Unique Essence

Heavenly Abode: The World of Supernal Light

Spiritual Experience: Ascension or Unification

with God and Godhead

Virtue: Supreme Attainment, Attainment of

Supernal Being, Self-MadePerfect,
Enlightenment and Liberation, Christhood

Vice: None

Commandment: You shall have no other gods

before me (Exodus 20:3)

Sermon on the Mount: You are the light of the

world (Matthew 5:14-16)

Angel of the Apocalypse and the Churches:

Source of the Light of the Great Angel
(Revelation 1:12-16)
 The Holy Crown
We must smile often, and even chuckle a bit, as we
explore the Kabbalah, for often we are speaking of
the unthinkable, which admittedly is rather funny.
Theology means "thinking about God," which is
something of an oxymoron, since we cannot
actually think about God or Godhead. Theosophy
means "God's wisdom," but who among us is wise
as God is wise? Yet we are destined to turn our
thoughts toward the source of our true being and to
seek our holy and supernal root, to be and become
that which is God's will or desire for us to be.
Theology and theosophy is our doing exactly that,
which in turn leads to prayer and meditation,
sacred ritual and worship, and thus something of a
direct spiritual or mystical experience. In the
mystical experience, we go beyond theology and
the theologian, and enter into the realm of
theosophy-sharing in some thing of God's wisdom-
although, indeed, that wisdom runs deep and is
unfathomable.

Keter is God's will or desire from which God's

word-wisdom emanates-the silent and supernal
will, which is the life-will of all creatures and
creation. The Thirty-Two Paths of Wisdom speaks
of this Sefirah as the primordial light and calls it
the "first glory," saying "no creature can attain its
excellence." It is akin to the instant before the big
bang from which our universe came into being-a
primordial singularity that is inconceivable. When
Keter is called the smooth point, what is meant is
that it cannot be grasped or comprehended by the
mental being at all. It is completely supernal or
supramental.

This Sefirah is the first mystery, which is to say

the ultimate mystery, that can never be grasped by
finite creatures like ourselves. A truth-seeker may
probe and explore only so far into the origin of the
universe and the being of God. Beyond that
threshold, one may go no further. This "ringpass-
not" or event horizon is Hokmah, and Keter is
beyond it. Therefore, the Zohar calls Hokmah
"Reshit," meaning the beginning, the point beyond
which there is nothing knowable.

Within Keter, there is no-thingness to be found-no

individuality or differentiation as we would
typically understand it. Keter is infinite and
eternal, inseparable from Ain Sof, the one-without-
end, as the term "crown" implies, it is beyond the
body of creation, and yet is within the body of
creation as the secret Sefirah Da'at (which will be
discussed in detail later). The key word for Keter
is transcendent!
 Free Will and the Principle of
Uncertainty
Often in orthodox Christian theology, God's will is
spoken of as something predetermined, as though,
with God, everything is absolutely determined. In a
certain sense, this is true. However, it is equally
false. On the one hand, this represents a finite
egoistic projection upon God or reality to make it
like we wish it would be; on the other hand, it
expresses the truth of eternity to which past,
present, and future are one simultaneous event. As
inconceivable as it may be to us, God is both a
principle of certainty and, at the same time, a
principle of uncertainty.

God has fashioned a creation that has free will

inherently woven into its very fabric, and if we are
to assume that creation is a reflection of the
creator, then God must also have free will. Free
will is only possible if there is a principle of
uncertainty. This is reflected in the prophets and
the prophecies. God communicates God's ratzon to
the prophets-the prophecy-as a guide to humankind.
Humanity can choose to act according to that Will
or can choose not to act in harmony with it.
Whatever is spoken in prophecy is not engraved in
stone, as the saying goes, but rather is subject to
change. In creation, humanity itself is a principle of
uncertainty; humankind may or may not enact God's
ratzon. Correspondingly, God responds according
to the choices human beings make to guide
humanity toward its divine destiny. While we can
say that the ultimate fruition or destiny of creation
is predetermined, how, when, and where it will
arrive at that fruition is uncertain. Thus, there is a
principle of uncertainty and a principle of certainty
that interact in creation.

We can liken this relationship to a chess master

playing a novice chess player. There are certain
rules of the game that both players agree to follow-
and thus there is a game. However, how both
players will apply those rules is uncertain. Hence,
it remains to be seen at the outset of the game. The
master and the novice play by the same rules. Yet
the chess master can manipulate the play of the
novice, responding to each move of the novice to
direct the game as he or she desires. In the case of
a master playing a novice, the outcome of the game
is pretty much certain. The master chess player
will win, but exactly how the master player will
win is uncertain; no one can predict what the
moves of the novice will be. This is akin to God's
relationship with creation via the law upon which
creation is founded. The law is certain and the
ultimate outcome is certain, but how everything
will be played out is uncertain. This principle of
uncertainty and principle of certainty is Keter-
Da'at the principle of uncertainty being Keter.
 The Self That Is No-Self
Keter is the first and highest of the Sefirot,
representing the source of all beginnings and the
sovereignty and authority of God over all forces of
creation. On the one hand, Keter is Ain Sof; on the
other hand, as the first of the ten Sefirot, Keter is
distinct from Ain Sof. Keter is completely
concealed in Ain Sof; yet, although concealed, it is
revealed through the Sefirot that emanate from it.
Therefore, it is called Ain, or nothingness, and
Ani, or selfhood.

This can be understood in the following way. The

most primary relationship of creator and creation
is cause and effect. When something acts as a
cause, it is called Ani, but when the same cause is
viewed as the effect of a higher cause, it is Ain.
Thus, Keter, as the emanation and vehicle of Ain
Sof, is Ain-nothingness, being nullified in the sense
that it does not have any independent existence. In
relationship to the Sefirot, however, it is Ain-
selfhood because it is the cause of which they are
the effect. Keter is not known directly, but only
through the effects of which it is the cause.

This is like the phenomenon of a black hole in

space, which is seen only by its effects upon
objects around it, namely, the forms of matter,
energy, and light it devours. If Keter is like the big
bang to the Sefirot and Olamot, perhaps it is akin
to a black hole in relationship to Ain Sof. This
description of Keter has become common among
modern initiates of the Kabbalah.

There is a saying in the Kabbalah: "Keter is in

Malkut and Malkut is in Keter." This suggests that
the potential of Malkut, the last Sefirah, is
contained in Keter, and the actualization of Keter is
contained in Malkut. The most essential
connection, though, is found in Ain-Ani, for Malkut
is also called both Ain-nothingness and Ani-
selfhood. Keter expresses God's sovereignty over
creation, while Malkut is God's holy Shekinah
within creation-God's causal relationship with
creation. Therefore, Malkut is as the person of God
immanent in creature and creation, thus being
called Ani. But Malkut is the ultimate effect of the
divine cause, an empty vessel whose existence is
completely dependent upon the Sefirot above it,
and so it is also called Ain.

This teaching holds an important truth regarding

the human experience, for much the same may be
said regarding our own true being or self. The
Hebrew word for "I" is Ani, which is spelled with
the same letters as the word Ain, which means
"nothingness." There is, thus, the suggestion that the
real I or me is the no-thingness within me.

We all have a sense of this truth, but never

looking deeply into it, rather than something
liberating, it serves as a source of frustration and
bondage. The feeling of oneself as nothing leads to
the play of insecurity and arrogance from which all
other forms of negativity arise, but that is only
because of our ignorance regarding the true nature
of Ain within us. While it is a negative state in the
sense of being receptive, it is a dynamic capacity
for light or darkness, good or evil. This no-
thingness is, in fact, our connectedness to God and
to Keter. It is our capacity to unite ourselves with
God and to act as channels or vehicles of
something divine.

To gain insight into this, we can turn inward and

go looking for the I or self. Everyone will agree
that they experience a sense of self in much the
same way as they experience thought. Descartes
made this observation when he said, "I think,
therefore I am." However, like the source of
thought, if one goes looking for the self, one will
not find the self. When one is not looking for the
self, there is a sense of self. Yet the instant one
turns inward to look at the self, the self vanishes.
Thus, through meditation upon the self, we
discover that the self is no-self, just as the source
of thought is no-thingness. This real self and the
source of our thoughts is Ani-Ain.

In the Gospels, Yeshua says, "I do nothing of

myself, but I do what I see my Father doing."
Likewise, he also says, "I and the Father are one"
and He who has seen me has seen the Father." All
of these statements refer directly to Hokmah, which
is Abba-Father; however, they also relate to Keter.
The nature of Keter, which is Ani-Ain, is the nature
of all the Sefirot and the nature of all creatures and
creation. The I or me that Lord Yeshua is speaking
about is Ani, which is Ain. This realization of Ani-
Ain is the realization of the Christ-self, our true
self, which is enlightenment and liberation as
demonstrated in the life of Yeshua Messiah.

The teaching being addressed here, as with

everything of Keter, is extremely subtle and
sublime. In truth, it cannot be communicated
outside of the experience of Christ consciousness.
Apart from the actual experience, we can only
allude to it. But this self-realization reflects the key
secret of the magical Kabbalah and all of the
"miracles" performed by Yeshua. We may
approach this secret by saying that if the essence
and nature of everything is no-thing then anything
can be transformed into something else, because in
its root it is neither "this" nor "that."

Consider the first magical act of Lord Yeshua

recounted in the Gospel of St. John. Yeshua
changes water into wine at the wedding feast of
Cana. The Master can do this because the root
essence and nature of water and wine are the
same-Ain. Thus, dissolving the Ani of water into
Ain, he brings forth the Ani of wine. Although
other principles are also involved, depending on
the nature of the spiritual work to be
accomplished, this applies to every magical act
that the Master performs,

In terms of self-realization, this is also an

important key-for with this gnosis of Ani-Ain, one
is not bound to one limited manifestation of self or
personal history. One is free to personal growth
and change of oneselfa conscious evolution toward
one's Christ-self. At the very heart of the path of
self-realization is the ability to dissolve one
manifestation of Ani into Ain and thus to
remanifest Ani at a higher level. Rather than a
fixed or static state, the enlightenment of Christ
consciousness is dynamic and active-a quickening
of the pace of the evolution of the soul-being-so
that, rather than arriving at some fixed point, one is
actually in more rapid motion. One might say that a
person enlightened by Messianic consciousness is
evolving at the speed of light instead of the typical
snail's pace of the ordinary earthbound soul.

Ultimately, this process of conscious evolution

involves the drawing down of spiritual energies
into the physical dimension and integrating the
highest levels of consciousness into a person's life.
A human being truly resembles Christ when, after
transcending his or her own selfhood and
recognizing his or her essence is somehow one
with Christ and therefore God, he or she realizes
life itself as an awesome gift of love and
compassion that must be shared with others. In the
same way God is immanent in creatures and
creation, and constantly labors to bring the world
to its ultimate perfection; the purpose of the human
being is to labor for a new heaven and new earth.
When the human being connects his or her will to
God's will, his or her potential for transforming the
world into a heavenly kingdom (Malkut) is
unlimited (without end). This is what is called the
great work, the nature of which is love and charity.
 The Being of the Becoming
Keter at the level of Atzilut is the divine name
Eheieh, which literally means "I am" or "I shall
be." This divine name, which is the highest name
of God, appears in the Torah in Moses' experience
of the burning bush (Exodus 3:14). The prophet
Moses asks God what name he should proclaim
God by, and God responds, saying "Eheieh Asher
Eheieh"-"I Shall Be That I Shall Be" or "I Am Who
I Am."

Eheieh is Keter, Asher is Malkut, thus to say

Eheieh Asher Eheieh is to speak of an involution
that conceals the supernal light of Keter in Malkut
and an evolution that ultimately reveals the
supernal light. This God name is reflected in the
incarnation of the Soul of Messiah and is the
ultimate fruition of the divine incarnation in the
resurrection and ascension of Yeshua Messiah.
 Like the Tetragrammaton (Yahweh), in Hebrew,
Eheieh is composed of four holy letters: Aleph O-
He (7)-Yod (')-He (7). Aleph is the first letter of
the Hebrew alphabet and represents the Spirit and
Light of God. It is the number one and, as a word,
it means "ox" or "yoke"-the object that directs an
ox while plowing the field. With this meaning in
mind, we may recall the saying of the Anointed:
"Come to me, all you who are weary and are
carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I
am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find
rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my
burden is light" (Gospel of St. Matthew 11:28-30).
This alludes to Aleph as the power of the Spirit of
Messiah.

Aleph is also the first letter of the name Adam,

hence Adam Kadmon, and the first letter in the
word Atzilut. This suggests that Aleph is the very
essence of the realm of Yichud. In the name Adam,
the Aleph means spirit and Dalet (7)-Mem (1:)
means blood; thus the name Adam literally means
spirit in the blood. To speak of the blood of Christ,
which gives enlightenment and liberation, is thus to
speak of the power of Aleph drawn down from
Keter and the realm of Yichud.

Aleph also begins the words acbad (unity)

andahava (love), which is the very essence of the
Gospel of peace. The number of both these words
is thirteen and therefore they are reflected in
Yeshua Messiah and the twelve disciples. Aleph is
the light or power of Messiah, which is Ain Sof
Or.

Contemplating the shape of the letter Aleph, the

masters of the Tradition say that it is composed of
two Yods connected by a Vau, suggesting the realm
of Yichud above and the realm of Perud below or
the union of the spiritual world and the material
world. This is the basic function of the divine
incarnation of the Messiah and of all human beings.

The letter He appears twice in both Eheieh and

the Tetragrammaton. It represents the divine matrix
or divine feminine principle through which the
divine potential is actualized and revealed. He is
the number five and, as a word, it means
"window'"-something through which light and air
(spirit) passes or enters. The first He is the upper
world in which the light or Spirit of God is
revealed; the second He is the lower world in
which the light or Spirit of God is concealed.

Yod is the number ten and means "hand." Its shape

looks like a seed. This is the seed of supernal light
brought down via the incarnation and suggests the
inmost part of the soul of light, Yechidah, which it
is the purpose of the human being to realize and
embody. Yod of the Tetragrammaton is Adam
Kadmon and Atzilut; thus it is this supernal force
that is being invoked and brought down through
this holy name of God.

The Yod stands in between the two He in the

same way that Yeshua Messiah stands in between
the Holy Mother and Bride, or Tiferet stands in
between Binah and Malkut. Thus as Eheieh is the
essential name of Yahweh, it is also the essential
name of Yeshua.

The Gospels are filled with "I am" sayings of the

Master: "Before Abraham was, I am"; "I am the
Way, and the Truth, and the Life"; "I am the gate."
The Gospel of St. John places special emphasis on
the connection between Lord Yeshua and Eheieh,
giving more "I am" sayings than any other Gospel.

Eheieh actually says, "I am within creation, yet

ever beyond cre- ation"-hence the cosmic and
primordial Christ, respectively. This truth is
spoken in verse 77 of the Gospel of St. Thomas: "It
is I who am the Light which is above them all. It is
I who am the all. From me did all come forth, and
unto me did the all extend. Split a piece of wood,
and I am there. Lift up the stone, and you will find
me."

Eheieh also says, "I am the being of the becoming,

the one who is changeless and the one who is ever
changing-the bornless Spirit." God is
transcendental being, within yet ever beyond the
becoming. There is that of God which is without
change and there is that of God which is evolving
in creation. This may be understood as follows: if
everything is always changing, then the one thing
that does not change is change itself. One may also
understand it in terms of Ain and Ani. Ain-
nothingness never changes, but Ani-selfhood is
always changing. This is true both in terms of the
creator and of creation, which share the same
essence and nature. Like the principles of certainty
and uncertainty, the principle of changelessness
and change is integral to the Christian Kabbalah.
The radical message is this: God, the creator, is
ever-coming into substantial being and evolving
through creation!

To gain gnosis of Yeshua Messiah thus means to

know the being of one's becoming and to realize
that supernal being within oneself. The power of
this self-realization in Messianic consciousness is
Keter or Eheieh-the Divine I Am.

In the context of the divine name of Eheieh, one

may consider the third commandment, which
corresponds to Binah: "Do not make wrongful use
of the name of the Lord your God." If we take the
name Eheieh in conjunction with this verse and
consider Eheieh not only as the name of God
above, but also as the name of our true self, then
we will realize that we use this holy name every
time we say "I am this" or "I am that." Wrongful
use of the name would be any time we append the
name "I am" to any negation of ourselves or,
equally, to any negation of another person by
saying "you are." The proper use of this divine
name is only for affirmation-in phrases that affirm
the spirit and truth and uphold the dignity of the
indwelling Christ.

We are constantly using this divine name, saying

"I am this" or "I am that." Any time it is used to
negate, demean, or degrade oneself (or others with
"you are"), the Gnostic considers it a "sin"-a
missing the mark of truth. Any time a Gnostic
initiate hears him- or herself speaking a negation,
he or she corrects his or her error through
affirmations. Affirmations using "I am"-such as "I
am part of the sacred unity God is and never am I
lacking" or "I am a child of light, the dark ones
have no power over me," and so on-are a common
spiritual practice in modern Gnosticism and the
New Age. When we speak in such a way so as to
uplift ourselves and others, we are uplifted. It is a
simple and basic truth-the power of Eheieh.
 The Christ-Self and True Will
Tiferet is called the Christ center on the Tree of
Life because it represents the indwelling Christ
within the individual, what may be called the inner
self. The Christ-self proper, however, is attributed
to Keter, for it is in Keter that Yechidah abides.
This is the higher and transcendental self, the
transpersonal Christ-presence, which is bornless
being.

Christian Gnosticism teaches three principle

aspects of the Christos: the primordial Christ, the
cosmic Christ, and the indwelling Christ. The
primordial Christ is the transcendental aspect of
the Christos, corresponding to the universe of
Adam Kadmon. The cosmic Christ is the immanent
aspect of the Christos-Christ in all creatures and
the whole of creation-corresponding to the
universe of Beriyah. Thus the universe of Atzilut
links the primordial and cosmic Christ. The
indwelling Christ is the manifestation of the
cosmic Christ within an individual soul-being. It is
through the indwelling Christ that we are able to
realize the cosmic Christ and to experience
something of the primordial Christ. Although
distinctly different levels of the Christos, these
three are completely interconnected and
inseparable. There is one Christos, one light-
presence.

These three levels of the Christos are represented

by the Sefirot of Tiferet (indwelling Christ), Da'at
(cosmic Christ), and Keter (primordial Christ).
Thus, in Ruach is the gnosis of the indwelling
Christ, in Neshamah is the gnosis of the cosmic
Christ, and in Yechidah is the Gnosis of the
primordial Christ. The cosmic and indwelling
Christ are reflections of the primordial Christos
within space-time-consciousness, and more than
the reflection of the Christ-self, they are the
presence of the Christself in the realm of
becoming.

When we speak of the Christ-self proper, or

Yechidah, we are referring to the real or ultimate "I
am" that cannot be known. It is the intangible
source of one's will and desire energy that impels
one in a conscious evolution. It is higher than
thought, for it is clear that it is what tells the mind
to think. Because this will-desire is on a level
beyond thought and mental being, it is impossible
to imagine it even though it is within and behind
one's experience all of the time. This true self is
our true will.

As previously said, one meaning of Yechidah is

"uniqueness," which suggests true individuality.
This uniqueness is reflected in our Neshamah as a
true will or mission of the soul that spans all
incarnations. Of this level of our true will, it is
said that it is possible to fulfill it in any
incarnation. Hence, it is possible to fulfill the
soul's mission in this present life. Within the
incarnate person or Nefesh, this true will is the
Ruach and it represents the purpose or mission of
the soul in the present life, which to some degree,
more or less, reflects the overall true will or
mission of our Neshamah throughout all lives.
These two levels of true will are expressions of
the Christ-self.

Often, we may hear teachings on God's will for us

and think of God's will as something outside of us,
b ut nothing could be further from the truth. God's
will for us, which is our true will, is part of our
innate being, woven into our individuality, so that,
in being who and what we are, we naturally and
spontaneously do God's will.

Unfortunately, very few people know themselves

and therefore very few people are able to truly be
themselves and to fully enact their true will. Often,
we are trying to be somebody else or chasing after
the things others desire, never actually considering
who we are and what we truly desire. Likewise,
when we are aware of something of our true will,
we are often afraid to enact it because of concern
for what others might think, or fear of failure, but
as the saying goes, "Nothing ventured, nothing
gained." As for what people might think, one's true
will is not going to harm others; it will only serve
to benefit and uplift others. It will not violate the
divine law, but will be in harmony with the law
and will fulfill the law. True will, which is the
expression of Yechidah, is all-good.

Your true will is not something remote or hidden

from you. It is revealed in your true heart's desire,
your abilities and talents, and your inclinations
surrounding these. We cannot say that enacting our
true will might not entail hard work, but on the
other hand, it will certainly be something that
comes naturally to us in the sense that we will
naturally shine when we are doing it. In the actual
experience of doing our true will, it will ultimately
be effortless, for we will find that the egoistic self
is not the doer, but rather that Christ in us is the
doer and all cosmic forces move with us in the
action of our true will.

One's true will represents the manifestation of the

Christos within oneself-how one will embody
Christ. If the Kabbalistic term for this divine will
is uniqueness, then how Christ manifests and
appears through each and every one of us will be
different because we are different and unique
individuals. Far from taking upon oneself some
dogmatic doctrine imposed on oneself from the
outside, Gnosticism is a seeking of the divine will
within oneself and living according to it; hence it
is a path of self-realization.
 The Face of Light
In Atzilut, the Sefirot are the divine names and
divine personas-Partzu- fim. There are five
primary Partzufim and the divine name of Elohim
has five letters, Elohim being the primary name in
the creative process. Masters of the Tradition thus
say that the Partzufim each correspond to one of the
letters of Elohim: Aleph (s), Arik Anpin; Lamed N,
Abba; He (fl), Aima; Yod ('), Zer Anpin; and Mem
(n), Nukva or Kallah. The sixth or hidden Partzuf,
Atik Yomin, would represent the divine name of
Yahweh, which is the source and ground of
Elohim.

Atik Yomin and Arik Anpin are the Partzufim of

Keter. The image of an ancient, bearded king
viewed in profile alludes to the attribute of two
Partzufim, the side of the image that is unseen
representing Atik Yomin and the side of the face
that is seen representing Arik Anpin. Essentially,
these two Partzufim represent two aspects of
ratzon-will and desire.

Atik Yomin appears in the vision of the prophet

Daniel that addresses the eventual conclusion of
the Babylonian exile along with prophecies
concerning the end of days. The image of the
Ancient of Days is an assurance to Israel that God
has a plan, even though oftentimes human beings
cannot understand it, and that redemption is being
worked out in secret at a higher level, which is
hidden.

Kabbalah says God restrains Godself in order to

reveal Godself. Even if God restrains Godself to
reveal something of Godself and the divine will,
nevertheless there is always an unknown will that
transcends our understanding.

Thus we find that God has two aspects in

relationship to us-one that is revealed and one that
is hidden. On the one hand, we are not able to
fathom God's will because it originates at a level
that totally transcends our linear logic. This is the
level of Atik Yomin-God's will that cannot be
known or understood. On the other hand, there is a
part of God's will that operates through linear
logic, which involves God constricting God's will
in order to make his or her will known to
humankind. This will is revealed through prophecy
and the divine incarnation, which transpires
through the agency of the Sefirot. This is the level
of Arik Anpin-the big face of mercy and
compassion.

The Tradition teaches that God's will is emanated

and that God's will is created. As an emanation of
God, it serves as an interface between Ain Sof and
creation. As something God has fashioned or
created, it serves as the will-force that God uses in
order to create. This means that Keter, God's
ratzon, is both infinite and finite. The higher or
infinite aspect of God's will as an emanation of
God is Atik Yomin, the Ancient of Days, while the
aspect that God uses to create is Arik Anpin, the
Big Face.

Arik Anpin is called a face of light, for this face

is composed of the ten Sefirot of Atzilut, which are
lights. The same is true of Zer Anpin, the little face
below. However, as much as being a face of light,
Zer Anpin can also be a face of darkness-hence a
countenance of mercy (peace) or a countenance of
judgment (wrath). Life, as we experience it, is a
dance of beauty and horror. To actually meditate
upon reality as it is proves to be a terrifying but
very powerful meditation-invoking awe and
wonder. As difficult as it is for us to understand,
God is that which is within everything that
transpires-the beauty and the horror alike.
Understanding this in his own prophetic
meditation, Isaiah writes, "I form the light and
create darkness, I make weal and create woe; I the
Lord do all these things" (Isaiah 45:7).

The dance of beauty and horror is properly

considered in the discussion of Tiferet and the
moral triad, which are lower on the Tree of Life.
However, it is relevant here in that Keter
represents a level of awareness in which one
understands this play of light and darkness as part
of God's ultimate plan, and thus as a vehicle of
God's ultimate will, which is Keter. At the level of
Keter-Hokmah, one becomes aware that both the
light and the darkness are the operation of the Holy
Spirit and that, ultimately, everything serves to
enlighten and liberate living souls-the universe or
creation is not restrictive but liberative. It is only
our limited view and the play of an illusion-power
that makes it seem to us as something restrictive.
The vision of Arik Anpin is a supernal or
transcendental consciousness in which one is
aware of a pure delight within the beauty and
horror alikeone could say an awareness of the
whole creation as orgasmic bliss.

How this is so will become clearer as our

exploration of the Sefirot takes us down the Tree of
Life into levels closer to our present experience. In
an exploration of Keter and the supernals, one must
bear in mind that we are speaking of levels of
consciousness that completely transcend our
ordinary consciousness. Much of what is said can
only be bewildering, representing the supreme
mystery. Obviously, only in an altered state of
consciousness would we be able to look into the
face of horror and see the face of beauty and,
therefore, experience pure delight in the midst of
great darkness. Nevertheless, at the level of Keter-
Hokmah, that is exactly what our experience would
be, for there is no duality at this level.
 The Initiate and the Great Angel
In the stories of Enoch and the prophet Elijah, the
mystery of the resurrection and ascension are
prefigured in the Torah. It is Enoch's story that
corresponds to Keter-a story in which more is
concealed than is revealed in the Scriptures.

When Enoch had lived sixty-five years, be

became the father of Methuselah. Enoch
walked with God after the birth of
Methuselah three hundred years, and had
sons and daughters. Thus all the days of
Enoch were three hundred sixty-five years.
Enoch walked with God; then be was no
more, because God took him." (Genesis
5:21-24)

This is the whole story of Enoch as told in the

Book of Genesis. Although brief, it has served to
attract a great deal of attention because, while the
death of all other characters is recorded in this
section of the Torah, of Enoch it is said "God took
him," as though to say that Enoch departed this
world without tasting death. This is exactly the
interpretation given to the phrase "God took him."
Enoch did not die but was taken up in ascension. It
is the story of Enoch from which the idea of divine
rapture is derived. The attribute of Enoch to Keter
means that supernal consciousness at the level of
Keter and attainment of Yechidah result in the
fruition of the ascension. Keter is the principle of
divine rapture.

In the Tradition, there are stories within the

stories given in the Scripture, as though encoded in
the words themselves and in between the lines of
what has been written. This is called Mddrash, and
the collection of these stories is called Midrashim.
The midrash within the story of Enoch is as
follows: Enoch walked in the presence of God and
became transparent to God's holy Shekinah, so that
his body shone with the supernal light of God and
was transformed into an angelic image, the Zelem
of his divine self. This Zelem is the great angel
Metatron, who is set above all angels of God. Thus
Enoch became more than human and something
more than the angels of God. In the story of Enoch,
we have a story of the divine destiny of the human
being-the aim of the great work, which is a process
of spiritual evolution into something more than
human, something divine and supernal.

The word Enoch means "initiate." That he lived

sixty-five years before fathering his first child is
significant. It is the number of the name of Adonai,
which is Malkut and the holy Shekinah below, and
it is the number of the Hebrew word for chamber
(bekbal). Thus this number of years says that the
initiate makes him or herself a vessel or chamber
for the holy Shekinah, like unto Malkut.

That Enoch lived another three hundred years is

also significant. Three hundred is the number of the
Hebrew letter Shin (0), which is the letter
representing the fiery intelligence (Holy Spirit)
through which all initiation occurs. It is the letter
inserted into the divine name of Yahweh to form
the name of Yeshua (Yahweh delivers). Ruach
Elohim also equals three hundred when the letter
Mem is counted as forty. The total of three hundred
sixty-five is significant as it is the number of days
in the solar year and represents the complete
journey of the earth around the sun and the sun's
journey through all twelve signs of the zodiac,
representing completion of the human experience.
Therefore, in the story of Enoch in the Torah, we
discover the Gospel of Christ in seed form, in the
same way we find the whole Tree of Life in seed
form at the level of Keter.
 As Elijah represents the spirit of the prophets
(Ruach Ha-Elijah), Enoch represents the spirit of
the initiates (Ruach Ha-Enoch). These two together
are the Spirit of the Messiah (Ruach Ha-Messiah).
Metatron, which is Keter in Beriyah, represents the
great angel of the Initiates, and Sandalfon, which is
Malkut in Beriyah, represents the great angel of the
prophets. According to an inner and secret
teaching, these two great angels are in fact one
holy angel-the archangel of Christ, which is called
the great angel Hua. This is the holy angel of the
apocalypse to which one of the many names of
Metatron is given-Torahkiel Yahweh.

Although an archangel can assume a human form

in dream and vision, or even generate a material
body (body of emanation) and appear like a human
being in the physical dimension, an archangel is a
vast and incon ceivable entity by human standards.
A small archangel would be akin to an entity the
size of an entire world or a star. One a bit larger
might be the size of a constellation of stars. A very
large archangel might represent the power of a
whole galaxy. In the case of the archangel
Metatron, it is said that his body and power would
be akin to the entire universe coupled with the
abode of supernal light-something completely
unimaginable. Yet such a state of supernal being is
our divine destiny-the image of Metatron
representing a divine humanity. Thus there is a
distinct connection between Adam Kadmon and
Metatron, which in many Kabbalistic texts are used
interchangeably.

One teaching attempting to give some sense to

Metatron proposes that the image of Metatron is
actually composed of all the divine images of all
living souls that have been Christed, are Christed,
or will be Christed in this present cosmic cycle-the
composite of all enlightened beings.
 Let us ground this in something that we can talk
about-initiation. That the name of the character
whom experiences the divine rapture is called
Enoch, suggests that the path of ascension is a
process of initiation. Keter is often called the Lord
of Initiation. This title is also applied to Lord
Yeshua and Lady Mary Magdalene in Christian
Gnosticism-the Lord and Lady of Initiation. The
idea of initiation in its basic form is quite simple.
There is a transmission of spiritual energy passed
person to person without which it is unlikely that
an aspirant will be able to enter into the higher
grades of Christ consciousness. Essentially, great
souls of a very high level enter into incarnation to
initiate currents of the light transmission. These are
the great prophets and apostles of God, or great
world teachers, who are said to come from the
elder races. Once there is an incarnation of the
light-presence, it is passed from one generation of
initiates to another, from person to person-the
adepts and masters of one generation imparting
something of the light-presence to their disciples
who form the next generation of initiates. In
Gnostic Traditions, this process of initiation is
seen as essential to any actual or authentic spiritual
advancement, and, therefore, initiation plays a
central role in Gnosticism.

Periodically, a new incarnation must appear to

restore the light transmission, as over time the
current dissipates and becomes diluted. Sometimes
such masters restore a stream of the light
transmission; other times they act to manifest a
higher level of the light transmission. This process
of the light-bearers entering into the world to
facilitate the great work is one of the meanings of
the term Reshit Ha-Gilgulim associated with
Keter-the initiation of continuums of the light
transmission.

Initiation essentially activates divine potential,

which once recognized by an aspirant can then be
realized. Some method of activation of latent
psychic and spiritual potentials is necessary in the
case of most ordinary individuals, as these
potentials are largely obscured and unknown to the
incarnate soul (Nefesh). We must be reminded of
the divine light that is in us so that this inner light
might no longer be eclipsed by our physical, vital,
and mental being. The spiritual energy of the light-
presence that an adept or master imparts to us
awakens the light-presence in us. It is like a lighted
candle touching another candle, igniting the
potential that was latent in it. This is what is meant
by initiation, and the methods through which this is
done are called vehicles of initiation. Initiation
itself corresponds to Keter, the vehicle of initiation
corresponds to Malkut, and the self-realization that
transpires corresponds to Tiferet.

The Middle Pillar or Pillar of Compassion, of

which Keter is the summit, is the path of the great
ascension. The apostolic succession is the light
transmission through which the way of the
ascension is opened to an aspirant in the Christian
mysteries. What has been manifest of this divine
revelation within space-time-consciousness is
Da'at, and what is yet to be manifest is Keter. The
apostolic succession continues upon the earth to
this very day and the apostles of the light labor
toward the second coming, which represents the
fruition of the great ascension that is as yet hidden
in Keter. The mysteries of this process are hidden
in the story of Enoch-Metatron. Essentially, Keter
represents the source from which comes the fiery
intelligence that initiates. The practice of Gnostic
Christianity is simply making oneself receptive to
this divine gift of a fiery intelligence (the supernal
light of Keter).
The Angels of Grace and the Divine
Gift
Keter, at the level of Yetzirah, manifests as the
Hayyot Ha-Kodesh (holy living creatures), which
are the supreme order of holy angels on the Tree of
Life, and are said to stand directly in the inner
presence of God, continually worshipping the Lord
in the supernal abode. They are otherworldly
entities that, if one ever experiences them in an
altered state of consciousness, can only be spoken
of as something like a very alien presence-having
an appearance like nothing the mortal imagination
would typically conjure up. It is as though one is
gazing upon the image of an entity that is constantly
changing forms in an incredibly rapid succession,
so that only here and there does one catch a
glimpse of a stable image for the briefest instant.
This shape-shifting produces the sound of vibration
as though of the beating of countless millions of
wings, which in turn produces harmonies
composed of various frequencies of vibration that
cannot be described. The sound is most terrible
and most delightful at the same time. To actually
describe these supernal beings in terms of linear
and finite reason is impossible. It is as though they
are the potential for all forms of life, specifically
self-aware or intelligent life-forms.

If one experiences the presence of the Hayyot Ha-

Kodesh, one has no doubt of life existing in other
worlds of the universe or in the existence of higher
intelligent life-forms, for one has glimpsed the
infinite possibilities of the life-power. In their
presence, one becomes aware, on the one hand, of
an impulse of evolution within space-time-
consciousness toward increasingly more refined
and higher forms of life. On the other hand, one
also becomes aware of an activity of divine grace
beyond the continuum of space-time-consciousness
that inspires evolution and imparts the gift of a
fiery intelligence that is beyond the intelligence
produced by the natural order-an intelligence of a
divine order. This is knowledge of how races of
intelligent beings appear in worlds.

First life-forms that have the capacity to receive

and embody something of the fiery intelligence
must evolve through the natural order in a world.
These life-forms invoke an influx of the supernal
light from the divine order above-the gift, as it
were, of a fiery divine intelligence. The reception
of this gift quickens the pace of evolution,
generating a new race of beings that have the
capacity to consciously evolve themselves or to
consciously direct their evolution, whether for
good or ill-hence the power of the upper Ruach.
While this fiery intelligence may descend upon an
entire race of beings, typically it descends upon
individuals of a life-wave, forming a new race
within the present race. This idea of a new and
divine race within an intelligent race of the natural
order is represented in the Scriptures by the chosen
ones or the elect and directly reflects the principle
of initiation and the light transmission.

Here, it must be made perfectly clear that the term

"race" is not meant to be anything superficial, such
as the color of a person's skin. What is meant is
something deep within-a quickening of the soul-
being. There is light within a child of the light that
is of a divine order-and that holy child has a divine
intelligence such as children of the natural order
do not possess. This is something quite different
than anything on the surface. It is seen in the eyes
and the aura of a person, and in the direction of
their thoughts and emotions, words and deeds.

This principle of a divine election is central to

Gnosticism in all its forms. However, in the
Sophian Tradition, the idea is not one of elitism but
rather one of responsibility and a sacred trust. Not
only does this light-presence come from above, it
is passed from person to person here below, and
those who receive it are responsible for imparting
it to othersto anyone who desires to receive it. If
anything, it means that one is an elder brother or
sister who is responsible for the well-being of
younger siblings-hence charity, which is the
reflection of the pure grace of Keter.

Yeshua speaks of this gift of the fiery intelligence

quite clearly. For example: "Very truly, I tell you,
no one can see the kingdom of God without being
born from above" (Gospel of St. John 3:3).

The Hayyot Ha-Kodesh, along with the higher

classes of the order of Ashim at the level of
Malkut, represents the holy order of angels that
transmit this fiery intelligence. Understanding this,
an aspirant who is seeking a quickening of the fiery
intelligence will invoke the Hayyot HaKodesh and
labor to make him- or herself open and sensitive to
divine grace.
 The Beginning of Generation
Keter manifests in Asiyah as Reshit Ha-Gilgulim.
The word "gilgulim" literally means "spinning,"
"swirling," "revolutions," or "rotations," as in the
turning of a wheel. Thus, Reshit Ha-Gilgulim
means the "beginning of revolutions" or "first
swirling," denoting that Keter is the motivation
within and behind the movement of all creatures
and creation-the first cause of the universe. As a
celestial attribute on the level of the physical
universe, this term would apply to the big bang,
which was the material genesis of our existence.

This term holds something far more subtle and

sublime with regard to the beginning than the idea
of a fixed or static starting point. Gilgulim is the
word used for the transmigration of souls in the
Kabbalah. On a higher level, there is the
suggestion not only of the reincarnation of
individual souls but of a cosmic reincarnation, as
though the matter-energy-light of one universe
transmigrates to form a different universe in
another dimension-like the passing of the soul of
the cosmos from one cosmic body to another.

What was once theory concerning the existence of

black holes is now more than merely a theory.
Their existence has been discovered. In a certain
respect, they are like a cosmic funnel or drain
through which matterenergy-light are drawn out of
the material universe in which we exist. That being
so, the question naturally arises, "Where does the
matter-energy-light go?" One theory holds that, if a
black hole becomes big enough, which is to say
draws in sufficient matter-energy-light, that it
becomes the big bang, generating a universe in
another dimension. In effect, this represents the
idea of the matter-energy-light of one universe
pouring out into another universe in a succession of
universes without end.

Once upon a time, we thought that our own planet

was the center of the entire universe, and thought
the heavens revolved around it. Today, we know
that is not true. We continue to think of our universe
as the center of all creation, but what if that is not
true and, in fact, there are countless universes
spanning countless dimensions? This is exactly
what Kabbalah proposes to us. God is much bigger
than we think, and so also is God's creation!

Metaphorically speaking, Keter essentially

represents all big bangs and black holes of all
universes as one primordial event-the very essence
of the principle of black hole-big bangs. At the
level of Asiyah, there is one black hole-big bang
from which our universe has come into being-the
cosmic Christ. At the level of Beriyah there are
countless black hole-big bangs generating
countless universes, yet at the level of Adam
Kadmon and Atzilut, all of these cosmic events are
a single primordial event-the primordial Christos.

Using the metaphor of Keter as the principle of

the black hole-big bang gives some sense of what
may actually be meant by the term Reshit Ha-
Gilgulim, as well as some insight into the nature of
Keter. For in the same way the singularity at the
center of a black hole and at the center of the big
bang are both outside of our physical space-time
continuum, so is Keter transcendent of our
metaphysical continuum of space-time-
consciousness. This singularity, whether
considered in terms of the physical or
metaphysical universe, is the beginning and
motivation of everything.

Contemplating the Sefirah Keter in this way,

another truth emerges. In the same way that in
looking for the self we discover no-self, as
explained above, so also in looking for a beginning
to creation we find no beginning. If creation spans
countless universes pouring out of and into one
another, without beginning or end, then whatever
we might speak of as the beginning of our universe
is merely a relative point of reference. In fact, it is
no-beginning because, in the absolute sense, it is
not the beginning of creation but only a relative
reference point in a continuum of endless light.
This is the truth of Reshit Ha-Gilgulim.
 Non-Dual Gnostic Awareness
The spiritual attainments of Keter, Hokmah, and
Binah are intimately interconnected, for though
each of the supernal Sefirot represents a distinct
manifestation of supernal being, they are
completely inseparable from one another. In
speaking about the supreme attainment associated
with Keter, we must speak of the spiritual
attainments of Hokmah and Binah also, as they are
lower grades of the same attainment-supernal or
Messianic consciousness.

The spiritual attainment of Binah is cosmic

consciousness, which is the threshold of supernal
consciousness. Essentially, cosmic consciousness
is the peak or fruition of the mental being, the
universal mind. All of the Sefirot below Binah,
from Malkut to Da'at, represent gradations of the
physical, vital, and mental being. The peak of the
mental being, the universal mind, actually
corresponds with Da'at and not Binah, for cosmic
consciousness at the level of Binah is the shift
toward supernal consciousness-a shift from the
universal mind to the supramental. This distinction
is extremely subtle. There is a level of cosmic
consciousness that experiences the sacred unity
underlying creation, and at that level one feels
oneself united with the whole of creation. This is
the universal mind of Da'at. However, at this level
there is no sense of unification with God and no
experience of supernal consciousness. Only at the
level of cosmic con sciousness associated with
Binah is there a true sense of unity with the
presence of God and a glimpse of supernal
consciousness.

The spiritual attainment of Da'at is the peak of the

experience of upper Ruach, with a strong influence
of the Neshamah. The spiritual attainment of Binah,
however, is the Neshamah itself, which is the first
degree of supernal or supramental consciousness.
This is a very lofty spiritual attainment, but it is not
a complete unification of oneself with supernal
consciousness nor is it a full and true unification of
oneself with God. Unification with the supernal
consciousness proper is the spiritual attainment of
Hokmah, which is the second degree of supernal or
supramental consciousness. Although unified with
the supernal consciousness, however, there still
remains a most subtle and sublime separation of
oneself and God. The full unification of oneself
with God is the supreme attainment associated
with Keter. This is the third and final degree of
supernal consciousness.

At the level of Binah, the initiate contacts the

supernal force; at the level of Hokmah, the initiate
merges with supernal consciousness; and at the
level of Keter, the initiate is transformed into
supernal being. This is all one supernal being-
consciousness-force. Yet in the experience of the
initiate, these stages are quite distinct and
represent very different aspects of the great work.
At the level of Binah, the work of the Gnostic
initiate is to bring down the supernal force into all
levels of consciousness, including the lower vital
and physical consciousness, and to transform every
level of consciousness with supernal light. Only
when this divine labor is fully accomplished can
the Gnostic merge him- or herself completely with
the supernal consciousness. The work of the
Gnostic then becomes one of light transmission on
a higher level than at any previous stage of
development and, through this light transmission,
he or she experiences a conscious unity with God
or supernal being. Exactly what this light
transmission is, as compared to the labor of the
light transmission of the lower grades of adepts
and masters, is difficult to convey outside of the
actual experience. It would be akin to the
difference of being a channel of the light versus
being the light-presence itself.

The supernal force has been likened unto a

spiritual nuclear fire that transforms everything to
be like unto itself. It is a divine power that the
adept experiences as coming from above and
beyond him- or herself, but ultimately realizes was
always within him- or herself. Once this light-
force is active in the initiate, he or she sees that it
is within everyone and everything and that it is the
secret center of every particle of matter in
creation-hence an awareness of the hidden light.
He or she experiences the world of supernal light
within and all around him- or herself and,
eventually, is able to unite him- or herself with the
light-presence completely.

Supernal consciousness is completely beyond the

level of mental being; therefore, it is often called a
metamind state, or supramental consciousness. At
the level of supernal consciousness, there is no
thought or thinking, which is the function of the
mental being; it is a state of pure radiant
awareness. Because there is no conceptualization,
there is no subjectobject relationship or any other
form of dualism in consciousness. It is a state of
pure gnosis (knowing) or what is called non-dual
Gnostic awareness in which everything is known
inwardly and completely. St. Paul was speaking of
this supramental consciousness when he wrote:
"For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we
will see face to face. Now I know only in part;
then I will know fully, even as I have been fully
known" (1 Corinthians 13:12).

In the teachings of Rosicrucian enlightenment,

there is a term used for a master who attains self-
realization in supernal being-the Ipsissimus, which
means "one who is him or herself." This idea of
supreme attainment is important. First, because it
suggests that the attainment is a union with Eheieh
or the Divine I Am. Second, because it clearly
states that uniqueness or individuality is not lost in
the ultimate self-realization or enlightenment but
rather that the individual is fulfilled and made
complete. Many would consider the peak of
enlightenment as though the individual were a drop
of saltwater drawn from the cosmic ocean, which
in enlightenment is simply merged again with the
ocean, individuality being lost in the process.
However, that represents a lower or imperfect
degree of the enlightenment experience and is not a
mature self-realization at all. In a full and true self-
realization, it is more like the ocean pouring
through the drop of saltwater-God and Godhead
becoming the individual. We see this in the person
of Yeshua Messiah. Although attaining supernal
being, his individuality was in no way
compromised or lost but rather was actualized and
fulfilled. The individual and the universal are
completely interdependent, and neither the
individual nor the universal are lost in union.
Likewise, the universalized individual is not lost
in union with the supernal or primordial being.

The spiritual attainments of the supernals are the

grades of the spiritual masters-the sacred tau-and
only the masters can distinguish one grade of
attainment from another at this level. Within these
levels of attainment there are said to be many
different levels. For example, the supreme
attainment at the level of Keter is said to be
composed of forty planes. Who can say what these
planes are except for those who experience them?
Even if a perfect master of such a high level of
attainment were to speak of them, who among us
would be able to comprehend what he or she was
saying? Even the most general and superficial
explanation given here can be difficult to
understand, let alone anything more detailed and in
depth. It is all "a finger pointing at the moon," as
the saying goes!

It does not really matter whether or not we

understand what is said of these higher levels of
attainment. We need to hear it so that we can open
our minds and hearts to the divine possibility, have
faith in it, and consciously evolve ourselves
toward it. We may not understand the mystery of
the resurrection and ascension at the outset of our
mystical journey. But because Master Yeshua
revealed it to us through the drama of the
incarnation, we know it is part of our divine
destiny and we are able to actively aspire toward
it through our faith. It is for this reason that we
speak of the supernals and their spiritual
attainments-in order to plant seeds of light in our
consciousness that we might nurture to fruition.
The attainment of supernal consciousness is our
noble ideal or spiritual hope.
 Spiritual Practices for the Holy
Crown
Simple Being

Anywhere you like, sit down and just be. Let your
body find its own natural rhythm of breath. Relax,
yet remain alert. Gently set your mind upon your
breath, focusing upon the exhalation and the space
at the end of the exhalation, letting your mind enter
into that gap. Do not close your eyes while you do
this. Keep them at least partially open, so that
while having perhaps a third of your attention upon
the breath, two-thirds remains free, completely
aware of where you are and everything that is
transpiring. After you have followed your breath in
this way for some time, let go of the breath and just
be, aware of God's presence within and all around
you. You are perfect as you are; everything is
perfect as it is. It is enough, just being! Praise God!
 The Power of Affirmation-Innate
Goodness

There is an innate goodness/godliness in us. It is

our soul of light. The divine name of Keter, Eheieh,
reminds us of this goodness and of the power of
affirmation when we use the phrase "I am" in
conjunction with a positive phrase about
ourselves. Through affirmations, we draw upon
our innate goodness and invoke the blessings of the
Holy One upon ourselves. Affirmations can be in
all manner of forms, from purely spiritual or
heavenly to practical or earthly-the two, in fact,
being one and the same. Affirmations that we
create for ourselves tend to be more powerful, as
they are in our own language or way of speaking,
and are an expression of the creative spirit that we
are at the level of our inmost being. The following
are examples of possible affirmations:
➢ I am the light of the world, the light of the
Messiah is in me, and I will let the light shine
from within me

➢ I am the holy vessel of the Christ-presence,

and I am at-one with the Christ-presence; as I
walk in the world, I bear forth the Light of
Christ

➢ I am a holy person, the Holy Spirit works

with, in, and through me to accomplish
everything good-I am successful in all that I do

➢ I am good at my work; I can and I will be

able to do every task given to me well-I will
shine in my job

➢ I am healthy and happy; I am successful and

prosperous

➢ I am empowered by the Holy Mother and

illuminated by the Holy Bride-I am a child of
light
 ➢ I am loving and will experience love

➢ I am an intelligent person and will

understand whatever I choose to study

➢ I am always in the embrace of the beloved

and always under divine protection

➢ I am never powerless, for the holy Shekinah

is with me

➢ I am connected to all that lives-all creatures

are my relations

➢ I am a creative person, creativity comes

naturally to me

Any time you notice insecurity, fear, or any

negativity surrounding something, it is good to
actively respond with affirmations. Even when
there is already a positive flow, it is good to
support and encourage the positive flow with
affirmations. The aim of the Gnostic initiate is to
make a habit of affirmation rather than negation-to
use the creative power wisely.

When you wish to engage in affirmation, first

intone the divine name of Eheieh, pronouncing it
ee-high-yab. Chant the divine name several times,
remembering the truth of Keter and the inmost part
of your holy soul, the Yechidah (divine spark or
Christ-self). Then clearly and consciously repeat
your affirmation ten times, preferably out loud.
Using the divine name before repeating your
affirmation invokes the corresponding divine
power into it. When the divine name and
affirmation are spoken with full concentration,
what you speak will be: Amen. Have complete
faith in the affirmations you speak and the power of
the divine name, allowing no doubt to enter-have
faith in your soul of light and the Christself.

In place of Eheieh, other divine names can also

be used that correspond directly to the intention of
your affirmation. For example, an affirmation of
abundance corresponds to Hesed. Therefore, the
divine name "El" could be used in place of Eheieh,
drawing upon the divine power of Hesed, which
directly relates to abundance in all its forms. In the
case of another divine name, you would call to
mind the truth of that Sefirah and the corresponding
aspect of the Christ-self. As you become more
familiar with the Sefirot, you can use the divine
name that specifically relates to the intention of
your affirmation -invocation.
FIVE
DA'AT,
THE SECRET
SEFIRAH
 Attributes
Thirty-Two Paths of Wisdom: Nothing is said of
the Hidden Sefirah in The Thirty-Two Paths of
Wisdom; however, masters of the Gnostic
Tradition have said this: "This is the Holy
Sefirah of True Gnosis, which the Lord
communicated to St. Lazarus; it is the secret
knowledge of the One who descends and
ascends, known only to the living ones who are
no longer among the dead; it is the Holy Prism
through which the Light passes to become the
Rainbow Glory of the Lord"

Da'at: Gnosis or Knowledge

Place on the Tree of Life: Between Keter and

Tiferet

Divine Name: Yahweh Elohim

Alternative Divine Names: lo Adonai; IAO

Partzuf Above: Crown of Zer Anpin

Partzuf Below: Seth; St. Lazarus

Divine Image: The Great Angel of the

Apocalypse; the Holy Lamb with seven horns
and seven eyes

Archangel: The Archangels of the Cardinal

Directions-Raphael, Gabriel, Michael and
Uriel; the Great Angel Hua, Angel of the
Apocalypse; Abaddon, the Angel of the Pit

Celestial Attribute: Neptune; Sirius; Void Space

Titles Given to Da'at: The Secret or Hidden

Sefirah; the Midnight Sun; Secret Star of Grace;
the Empty Tomb; the Upper Room; Universal
Mind; Fire of the Pentecost; Gate of the Abyss;
the Pit; the Great Inane; the Great Void; the
Abyss; the Gnosis of the Trapezoid; the Cosmic
Illusion-Power; Dominion of the Demiurgos
and Archons; Depth of Void
Level of the Soul: Peak of the Upper Ruach;
Base of the Holy Neshamah

Heavenly Abode: All seven heavens and seven

hells

Spiritual Experience: Vision of the Play of

Cosmic Forces or Vision of the Apocalypse;
Gnosis of the Cosmic Christ; Universal Mind
or Cosmic Consciousness; Baptism of
Pentecostal Fire

Virtue: Transpersonal Awareness; Detachment;

Spiritual Hope; Integrity

Vice: Disillusionment; Doubt; Double-

mindedness; Pride; Cowardice; Apathy

Symbols: Prism; Crystal ball; Prison cell;

Empty room; Sacred Mountain; A grain of
wheat; The complete absence of all symbols;
The figure of the trapezoid with an inverted
pentagram within it
Commandment: I am the Lord your God (Exodus
20:2)

Sermon on the Mount: Do not think that I have

come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have
not come to abolish but to fulfill (Matthew
5:17-18)

Angel of the Apocalypse and the Churches:

Image of the Holy Angel
 The Open Secret
Da'at follows after Hokmah and Binah on the Tree
of Life, but it is properly spoken of following a
discussion of Keter. It is intimately linked to the
mystery of Keter and represents a secret
connection between Arik Anpin, the big face, and
Zer Anpin, the little face-Keter and Tiferet,
respectively. On the one hand, Da'at is the known
or revealed aspect of Keter; on the other hand, it is
a secret or concealed aspect of Tiferet.

Keter and Da'at are basically the internal and

external manifestations of the same thing. In the
previous chapter, we saw that Keter is akin to a
person's essential will or volition. Keter is a
person's inner selfhood and inmost volition. Da'at
is the intelligence that a person shows outwardly to
the world, composed of all the qualities through
which the self or person is known.
 In relationship with Hokmah and Binah, like its
relationship with Keter, Da'at is also external.
Hokmah and Binah are completely internal
processes, the radiant awareness of the mind and
the thoughts and understanding formed in the mind.
Da'at is a person's ability to express or
communicate his or her intelligence to others. Thus
Da'at is the revelation of a person's intelligence,
understanding, and wisdom, as well as all qualities
that may arise from such knowledge or the lack of
knowledge.

Da'at, in relationship to Tiferet, is hidden. For, in

truth, Da'at is within and behind what is known of
a person. It is the capacity and will to
communicate, and it is the substance of what can
be communicated-the intelligence of a person.
However, there is always something of a person's
intelligence that is hidden, and we do not really
ever know the whole person. First, there are
always aspects of a person that he or she does not
choose to share or communicate. Second, it is
impossible for a person to share or communicate
the whole of his or her intelligence. Therefore,
what is or can be communicated is limited and
something is always hidden or concealed.

What is true of Da'at in terms of a human person

is basically true in terms of the person of God and
that is what the Sefirot represent-the impersonal
God or consciousness-force that becomes personal
in order to be linked to or in relationship with
creatures and creation. However, in speaking of
limitations upon God's ability to communicate or
reveal Godself, it is not actually a limitation of
God but rather the limitation of creatures to
receive God's communication of Godself. God
communicates Godself to the degree that creatures
are able to receive God's communication. What is
it that God desires to give or communicate to us?
God wants to give us Godself. When we are
completely open and sensitive to God's presence,
God reveals Godself in full. This is the perfection
and completion of creation.
 The Torah and the Gospel-Da'at
In the previous chapter, we spoke of the principle
of uncertainty and the principle of certainty in
relationship to Keter-Da'at. Da'at is the principle
of certainty in creation, being God's knowledge,
which is absolute and deterministic. The psalmist
speaks of this principle when he writes, "The Lord
has sworn and will not change his mind, you are a
priest forever according to the order of
Melchizedek" (Psalm 110:4).

The Torah and Gospel, and all the Scriptures of

the world wisdom traditions correspond to Da'at.
Creation is founded upon the Torah or cosmic law,
behind which is the principle of sacred unity
represented by the supernals. The purpose or aim
of creation, however, is the Gospel, which is the
fulfillment of the law and the prophets-the
revelation of God to creatures and creation and,
yet more, within creatures and creation.

When it is said that creation is founded upon the

Torah, it is akin to the idea of a game, which is
founded upon certain rules. The rules of a game
make the game itself. Without the rules, there is no
game. The same is true of the cosmic law upon
which creation and the existence of creatures are
founded. Without it, the heavens and earth would
not exist because they are made by the law.

Within and behind all world wisdom traditions,

there is a primordial Tradition from which they are
all derived. If we were to speak of this primordial
Tradition as a light transmission, Da'at would be
the holy prism through which the light passes,
becoming the rainbow rays of the different light
transmissions that form the world wisdom
traditions. All are expressions of the same
supernal light, but each is a distinct and unique
manifestation of the light-a current in the great
river of the divine revelation. Da'at is the Gnosis
of primordial Tradition, and it is the gnosis of each
individual world wisdom tradition. When speaking
of the Torah as the foundation of all creation, we
are actually speaking about the primordial
Tradition within and behind the Scriptures, which
is within and behind the Scriptures of other
wisdom traditions as well.

The spiritual realization of an adept who attains

the level of Da'at is the awareness that things
manifest as he or she expects them to manifest and,
likewise, it is the awareness that things appear
corresponding to one's angle of view. He or she
realizes the cosmic illusion-power or principle of
relativity spiritually. Thus, Da'at is going to appear
according to the way or tradition of the aspirant
who approaches it. To the Gnostic Christian, this
Gnosis or knowledge (Da'at) appears in the form
of the Torah and Gospel and the secret wisdom of
the Kabbalah contained in these Scriptures. To the
adept of another wisdom tradition, Da'at will
assume the form of his or her own Scriptures and
the esoteric wisdom they contain. It is the same
truth and light, but the appearance is relative to the
observer at this level. Essentially, a tradition is a
vehicle of attainment and a spiritual language
through which the attainment is communicated.
What is actually attained and communicated
transcends any single tradition.

The inmost secret essence of the Scriptures is the

primordial Tradition, of which the written and oral
Torah and Gospel are an outward expression. It is
this inmost secret essence-the primordial law and
Traditionthat is being spoken of when masters of
wisdom say "the Torah is the foundation of
creation and the Gospel is the fulfillment of
creation."

There is a secret contained in the verse of Psalm

110 quoted above. In the Scriptures of our Western
Tradition, the order of Melchizedek is a code word
for the primordial Tradition, which is the source of
all wisdom traditions. A holy priest-king of the
order of Melchizedek is an adept who realizes the
primordial Tradition within and behind his or her
own wisdom tradition and therefore becomes an
initiate of the primordial Tradition.

The first degree of this holy order corresponds to

the spiritual attainment of Binah, which is called
Magister Templi in Rosicrucian teachings and, as
previously discussed, is a direct contact with the
supernal lightforce. It is through this attainment that
an adept becomes a master of his or her tradition.

According to the anonymous author of the Letter

to the Hebrews, the incarnation of the Soul of
Messiah in the person of Lord Yeshua is to be
understood as the incarnation of the high priest of
the order of Melchizedek-hence the incarnation of
the soul of the great world-teacher or primordial
Christos. The Gnosis of Yeshua Messiah is
therefore the Gnosis of the order of Melchizedek-
the primordial light transmission.

The inmost secret level of initiation in Christian

Gnosticism is called the Melchizedek teachings.
According to the introduction given to the
Melchizedek teachings, the Soul of the Messiah
entered into twenty-six worlds before the
incarnation on planet earth, and thus the light
transmission passed through many worlds before
entering into this world. The last world through
which it passed before the incarnation in our world
was a world orbiting the star Sirius. For this
reason, Sirius is one of the celestial attributes of
the hidden Sefirah. Because the light transmission
passed through other worlds, and thus other races,
Da'at is also said to be the point of contact with
initiates of the elder race-initiates of the order of
Melchizedek or what some have called ascended
masters. This would include initiates who attained
in our own world and those who attained in other
worlds. According to legend, the Soul of Yeshua
previously attained supernal consciousness in the
star system of Sirius. Then through a series of
incarnations in our race, the Soul of Yeshua
brought the supernal light into our life-wave, until
finally embodying the Soul of Messiah or supernal
being here on earth in the person of Yeshua
Messiah. This legend suggests that souls who attain
Christ consciousness on earth may eventually
become the incarnation or light-bearer to other
worlds.

As fantastic as these ideas sound, whether taken

literally or metaphorically, they express something
of the reality and experience of adepts contacting
Da'at. In the experience of Da'at, one may well find
the actual experience far more fantastic than
anything that can be said of it.
 The Foundation of Knowledge
When Keter turns toward Ain Sof, Da'at appears
on the Tree of Life; when Keter turns toward the
Sefirot below, Da'at vanishes from the Tree of
Life. As the Sepber Yetzirab says, there are always
ten Sefirot appearing on the Tree of Life, not nine
or eleven, but always ten. The appearance of Da'at
maintains the balance of ten Sefirot when Keter
merges with Ain Sof. But where does Da'at go
when it disappears? The answer to this is that
Da'at exists in a different dimension than the other
Sefirot. In the rapid oscillation of Keter
disappearing and reappearing, Da'at is here and
there simultaneously. Essentially, Da'at is the
Yesod-foundation of the universe beyond this
present universe of our experience. Thus, Da'at of
Asiyah is Yesod of Yetzirah. For the Olamot are
not really separate from one another, but rather are
interconnected and interpenetrate one another-one
figure of the Tree of Life overlapping another.

If you look at the Tree of Life glyph (see figure 4,

below), you will see that there are two great
triangles on the glyph, an upper one and a lower
one. The upper triangle is formed by Hokmah,
Binah, and Tiferet; the lower triangle is formed by
Netzach, Hod, and Malkut. It is at this place on the
Tree of Life that the trees of different universes
overlap, one Tree of Life glyph locking together
with another to form the great Tree of Life. Thus
the Hokmah, Binah, and Tiferet of a lower universe
are the Netzach, Hod, and Malkut of the universe
just above it. Likewise, Da'at of the lower universe
is the Yesod of the higher universe-actually having
its existence in another dimension.
 Figure 4. The Composite Tree of Life.
Keter of a lower universe is the Tiferet of a
higher universe, except in the universe of Adam
Kadmon; and Malkut of a higher universe is the
Tiferet of a lower universe, except in the universe
of Asiyah. Yesod is the holy Sefirah that links
Tiferet and Malkut; therefore, Da'at is a secret link
between Keter and Tiferet in Atzilut, Beriyah, and
Yetzirah. Yesod is the foundation of Da'at
knowledge.

From the discussion of the primordial Tradition

that is the source of the world wisdom traditions in
the last section, the primordial Tradition itself
would be the Yesod of Adam Kadmon, which is
the Da'at of Atzilut. The refraction of the light
would take place at Yesod of Atzilut, which is the
Da'at of Beriyah, where distinctly different
wisdom traditions appear. This is an example of
insights into the mysteries that can be gained
through contemplation of the great Tree of Life.
However, in this present book, we are concerned
primarily with a discussion of one single Tree of
Life glyph, as is proper to the most basic level of
Kabbalistic instruction. The great Tree of Life is
only mentioned here as it relates our exploration of
Da'at, which cannot really be understood apart
from an awareness of the interlocking of one Tree
of Life glyph with another through which the great
tree is formed. When we discuss the Sefirah Yesod
in another chapter of this book, with an awareness
of the great Tree of Life, it will undoubtedly shed
more light upon the mystery of Da'at.
 The Great Enigma
Da'at is, perhaps, the most mysterious and
enigmatic of all the Sefirotthe revealed aspect of
Keter, the concealed aspect of Tiferet, Yesod in
another dimension. It is as though Da'at is
everything other than itself. At the level of Atzilut,
it is the perfect thunder mind-the Gnosis mind of
Christ-and in Beriyah, it is the root of all world
wisdom Traditions. Yet, at the level of Beriyah,
Da'at assumes a dual nature, having a light and a
dark side. This is suggested by the association of
Da'at and Yesod, the moon being the celestial
attribute of Yesod, which has both a light and dark
side.

In a most subtle and sublime way, the dual nature

of Da'at is alluded to by the association of the
divine name of Yahweh Elohim with both Da'at
and Binah. Binah is often the name Elohim;
however, it is also the name Yahweh Elohim. This
leads to the question of exactly what is different
between the expression of Binah as Yahweh
Elohim and Da'at as Yahweh Elohim. One way to
answer this is that Yahweh Elohim suggests the
Divine Mother who is pregnant, for Yahweh
indicates the heavenly Father and Elohim the Holy
Mother-a union through which the conception of
creation occurs. Thus, there is the suggestion of
Da'at, and all the Sefirot that follow Binah, as a
child in the mother's womb. When the child
emerges, it is Yahweh Elohim, the image of the
Father-Mother. Da'at is the crown of the child,
hence the crown of Zer Anpin (little face). But
there is also a more subtle suggestion, for at the
level of Binah, Yahweh Elohim is pure. It is the
supernal light that is the root essence of all cosmic
forces in the supernal or archetypal world. At the
level of Da'at, this light is refracted into the
rainbow splendor of the cosmic forces, and in this
process of the actualization of cosmic forces, the
light is divided from the darkness-thus a light and
dark side of Yahweh appears.

Yahweh is the one consciousness-force; Elohim is

the one consciousness-force becoming many
cosmic forces in creation. In Binah, all cosmic
forces are united in the one force, but through
Da'at, they are separated into distinct individual
forms of the force. While the bright side of Da'at is
the intelligence of Christ-the pattern-that-connects-
the dark side of Da'at is cosmic ignorance, which
may also be called the cosmic illusionpower. The
cause of this duality exists in Binah, but it is
actualized in Da'at. Therefore, from the point of
Da'at on the Tree of Life, the Tree of Knowledge of
Good and Evil comes into being, which is to say
that a dark side of the Tree of Life comes into
being, which is called the Tree of Death. The
nature of the Tree of Death is ignorance or
falsehood, for the word "death" in Hebrew is Met
and the word for "truth" is Amet. When Aleph, the
spirit of truth, is removed, ignorance comes into
being, and the result of ignorance is death. Da'at
linked to the supernals is the ChristSpirit, but when
the connection of Da'at to the supernals is severed
and it is linked to the spirit of ignorance, it is the
antichrist-spirit.

The traditional Gnostic term for the dark side of

the tree is the dominion of the demiurgos and
archons. Demiurgos is the false god or false
creator and specifically refers to cosmic
ignorance. The archons are cosmic rulers or
authorities and specifically are cosmic forces of
ignorance. The dominion of the demiurgos and
archons represents two manifestations of cosmic
forces. One manifestation is titanic forces, which
are neither divine nor evil, but rather are admixed
forces. These beings-forces do not directly oppose
the divine plan in creation, but neither do they
necessarily facilitate the divine plan. In essence,
they have their own interests and agenda, which
sometimes are in harmony with the divine plan and
sometimes are not. These forces of an admixed
nature are strongly reflected in unenlightened
humanity, which also tends to have its own
ambitions apart from the divine plan. The second
manifestation is what would typically be called
evil and can be considered dark forces. These are
dark and hostile forces that directly oppose the
divine plan in creation and are demonic in nature.

In the Kabbalah, the dominion of the demiurgos

and archons is called the realm of impure
emanations or the klippot (plural). Klippah
(singular) literally means "husk" or "shell," as in a
husk on a grain of wheat or a shell protecting a nut.
This sheds light on the saying of Lord Yeshua:
"Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls
into the earth and dies, it remains just a single
grain of wheat; but if it dies, it bears much fruit"
(Gospel of St. John 12:24). Likewise, light is shed
on the saying of John the Baptist concerning the
Messiah: "His winnowing fork is in his hand, to
clear the threshing floor and to gather wheat into
his granary; but the chaff he will burn with
unquenchable fire" (Gospel of St. Luke 3:17). The
message is that the klippot are what must be first
shed, then they must be transformed and integrated.
Yet, the term "klippot" for unclean and evil spirits
or titanic and demonic beings suggests that they are
a necessary part of creative evolution-for the husk
protects the fruit until the fruit is ripe and mature.
Likewise, in order for an actual evolution in
creation, there must be tension, stress, pressure,
and resistance, if what evolves is to be strong,
good, and true. The titanic and demonic beings-
forces provide the necessary resistance and put
every development in evolution to the test to see if
it is ripe and mature.

As unfathomable as it may seem to us, darkness

and evil have an integral role to play in creation.
Perhaps we may consider the role of darkness and
evil purely in terms of characters in a story. Unless
there is a villain in a story, neither will there be a
heroic person-the greater the villain, the greater the
hero or heroine.

The struggle between Jacob and the angel of Esau

(Genesis 32) represents the necessity of the
spiritual aspirant to struggle with and overcome
klippotic influence in the mystical journey. The
kings of Edom, which are the descendants of Esau,
of which eight are listed (Genesis 36) are taken by
Kabbalists as an allusion to the klippot that span
from Da'at to Malkut. There is a secret connection
between the kings of Edom and the kings that
Abram defeats to liberate Lot from bondage. Only
after Abram struggles with these kings and
overcomes them does he encounter Melchizedek,
who celebrates the Holy Eucharist with Abram and
initiates Abram in the name El Elyon (God most
high, a name of Keter). Thus, as aspirants, we must
be willing to face the ordeals of initiation-the
challenge of klippotic forces-and work to
transform and integrate these forces. In essence, in
the Gnostic Christian view, even demons are in
need of enlightenment and liberation.

Da'at may appear as a depth of good or as a depth

of evil and therefore is called a depth of void-
being neither good nor evil in and of itself. Per its
association with Yesod, it has a mirror-like nature-
the nature of mind-and assumes an appearance
relative to the soul that approaches it. One who has
overcome klippotic influences (selfishness, pride,
arrogance, jealousy, greed, fear, hatred, and the
like) will experience Da'at as the Gnosis mind of
Christ that leads to supernal consciousness.
Conversely, one who has not shed the influence of
the klippot will find Da'at a gate to the dark side
and a pit of destruction. Da'at is akin to a mirror in
which one will see oneself. If one is like unto the
divine, then it will be a vision of the divine; if one
is not like unto the divine, then it will be a vision
of something dark and demonic. One could
correctly say that Da'at is the radiant nature of
one's own mind or soul and that its appearance
reflects the state of one's mind or soul.
The Demon of the Abyss-The Angel
of the Abyss
Da'at is often called the great abyss because it
represents the illusion of separation from God in
our experience before cosmic ignorance is
dispelled. As indicated above, Da'at appears
according to the state of mind of one who
approaches it. Thus, at the level of Beriyah, it can
appear as a great angel or a great demon.

The name of the demon of the abyss is Samael, or

Satan. Samael means the "poison of God," and
Satan means the "opponent" or "adversary." If God
is knowledge, understanding, and wisdom, then the
devil is ignorance and falsehood. Angels, thus,
represent beings-forces of enlightenment, and
demons represent beings-forces of ignorance. The
demon of the abyss is, therefore, the reflection of
the unenlightened individual approaching Da'at,
while the angel of abyss, which is the great angel
of the apocalypse, is the reflection of the
enlightened individual.

The attribute of Abaddon, the wrathful angel of

destruction, to Da'at directly relates to the dual
nature of the Shekinah encountered in Da'at.
Abaddon, the angel of the bottomless pit, is not a
demon. Rather, it is a wrathful or fierce angel of
God, the mission of which is to shatter klippot and
liberate the holy sparks trapped in them. This
reveals the difference between a demon and an
angel of wrath: by demon is meant something that
carries one further away from enlightenment or
God; by angel is meant something that ultimately
brings one closer to the divine. Although an
extremely dark and fierce presence, Abaddon is a
holy angel, for this "destruction" or "shattering"
liberates from the dominion of the klippot. In the
Tradition, Abaddon is considered the dark face of
the great angel of the apocalypse, which assumes
the appearance of the great angel when its mission
is complete.

This is reflected in a secret teaching concerning

the four great archangels attributed to Da'at:
Raphael, Gabriel, Michael, and Uriel. According
to this teaching, the four crowned princes of hell-
Lucifer, Leviathan, Satan, and Beliel-are the same
consciousness-force as the corresponding
archangel. Thus, these arch-demons are the dark
side of the cosmic forces the archangels personify-
archangels and arch-demons are opposite
expressions of the same cosmic forces. The
difference between angels and demons lies in their
intention and the result that follows. Teachings on
the demon of the abyss and the angel of the abyss
reflect that, at some point in the process of self-
realization, we must confront and transform our
fears and the darkness that is in us. This is the key
lesson of Da'at.
 The Play of Cosmic Forces
Although most ordinary individuals are unaware of
it, we exist in a constant play of cosmic forces.
Creation is founded upon this play of cosmic
forces. At the level of Da'at, one becomes aware
of this play and is able to consciously participate
in the play of spiritual forces-thus the vision of the
play of cosmic forces attributed to Da'at.

Metaphysically speaking, every move we make,

every situation, circumstance, or event in our lives,
as well as in the world-every thought, imagination,
feeling-emotion, word and deed-is supported by a
corresponding cosmic or spiritual force (hence
angels, titans, or demons). Not only are angels,
titans, or demons involved in everything we do, but
according to the masters of the Tradition,
everything we do also serves to create angels or
demons.
 When human beings are unconscious of the play
of spiritual forces, then they are unconsciously
compelled by spiritual forces, typically admixed
or dark forces-the dominion of the demiurgos and
archons. Because most ordinary individuals are
unaware of the play of cosmic or spiritual forces,
unenlightened human society and world events are
more a product of the compulsion of cosmic
ignorance than the impulse of the Christ-presence
within us. The horror of the Book of Revelation
essentially depicts in a symbolic form the fate of
an intelligent race that continues to remain
unconsciously driven by the dark side of the
cosmic forces instead of seeking and following the
impulse of the Christ-spirit.

Here, we understand the terms "children of

darkness" and "children of light" commonly used in
Gnosticism-the former meaning individuals who
are unaware of the play of spiritual forces; the
latter meaning those individuals who are aware.
However, to be a son or daughter of light means
something more. It means not only to be aware of
the play of cosmic forces, but to consciously
participate in the play of spiritual forces as a
cocreator with God. This is the place of the
wonder-working or magical Kabbalah in the
Tradition-for the magical Kabbalah represents the
knowledge and power to consciously manipulate
and direct psychic and spiritual forces. In the case
of the Gnostic Christian, the intention is to direct
the hidden forces in harmony with the divine will
for the sake of the manifestation of the divine
kingdom on earth. Magic of this form is properly
called divine magic, which is reflected in the
stories of the miracles performed by Yeshua
Messiah and the holy apostles-they were magical
workings.

The most fundamental level of divine magic

begins with the most ordinary things-one's own
thoughts, feeling-emotions, imaginations, words,
and deeds. As mentioned above, the realization of
an adept at the level of Da'at is that things manifest
as one expects them to. Therefore, one's thoughts,
feelings-emotions, and imagination play an
important role. Affirmation, as discussed in the
previous chapter, is a basic level of divine magic,
along with the ability to control and direct one's
thoughts and emotions, and the skill of creative
visualization-hence the ability to consciously
direct one's mind, heart, and life. Before engaging
in any advanced methods of the magical Kabbalah,
an aspirant must first learn to cut off or transform
negativity whenever negativity arises in the mind
and heart, and to keep the mind and heart
positively focused and directed toward the divine.
The ability to maintain positive thought, feeling-
emotion, and visualization-imagination is what is
meant by spiritual hope.
 Faith must be joined to spiritual hope, for doubt
cannot be allowed to enter into the mind and heart
in a magical act. St. James speaks of this when he
writes: "If any of you are lacking in wisdom (or
anything), ask God, who gives to all generously
and ungrudgingly, and it will be given to you. But
ask in faith, never doubting, for the one who doubts
is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the
wind; for the doubter, being double-minded and
unstable in every way, must not expect to receive
anything from the Lord" (James 1:5-8). Speaking of
faith, the author of Hebrews writes: "Now faith is
the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of
things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1). Faith, as
understood in Christian Gnosticism, is a belief in
the real power of the mind and specifically the
power of the indwelling Christ; so that as much as
faith in God and the incarnation in the person of
Yeshua Messiah, it is faith also in oneself and
one's inmost being. Seeing the miracles performed
by Yeshua Messiah and understanding him as both
mystic and magician, faith is also a belief in the
magic power in us that can produce radical
changes in our consciousness and lives.

Everything first forms and comes into being on the

inner planes of consciousness-in more subtle
dimensions of reality. If, through positive thought,
positive feeling-emotion, and creative
visualization, we are able to make a change in
these more subtle dimensions (Beriyah and
Yetzirah), then a corresponding change will occur
at the level of the physical plane (Asiyah).

This corresponds directly to the play of cosmic

forces, for it is through our thoughts, feelings-
emotions, imaginations, words, and deeds that we
link ourselves with spiritual forces, whether of a
divine, admixed, or demonic nature. In essence,
positive thoughts, feelings-emotions and
imaginations are inner angels; conversely, doubting
and negative thoughts, feeling-emotions, and
imaginations are inner demons. Through these
inner angels or inner demons, we attract and
connect ourselves with corresponding spiritual
forces beyond us, and we become the agents of
those spiritual forces in the material plane,
whether for good or for ill. According to the
magical Kabbalah, human beings are embodying or
channeling spiritual forces all of the time, as well
as generating spiritual forces all of the time-the
very nature of a human being is as a receiver-
transmitter and generator of spiritual force
(Yahweh).
 The True Knowledge of the
Apocalypse-Revelation
Orthodox forms of Christianity have produced
great misconceptions concerning the apocalypse
and the Book of Revelation. These misconceptions
all stem from the idea of a singular event in the
past producing a fixed or static creation, which in
turn leads to the idea of a singular event of an
apocalypse in the future, which is also static or
fixed. However, according to the Kabbalah of
Gnostic Christianity, the creative act (Genesis) and
divine revelation (apocalypse) is an ongoing event,
not a singular event of the past or the future, and
therefore is not static or fixed at all. Thus, creation
is occurring now, and so also is the apocalypse in
all of its great beauty and great horror.

First, with regard to the Book of Revelation, St.

John's vision was a prophecy concerning Rome
taking over Christianity and the development of
orthodoxy that would attempt to destroy the living
spirit of Christian Gnosis. Thus, the primary
prophecy of the Book of Revelation has already
occurred, to the extent that the esoteric wisdom of
a Gnostic Christianity is almost completely lost in
the West. In this sense, we can say that the spirit of
the antichrist and great beast have performed their
mission very well. However, a prophetic book is
about far more than the outward situations,
circumstances, and events it predicts, and
prophecy itself is not engraved in stone. Because,
as much as revealing potential events that may
come to pass, prophecy also reveals the cosmic
principles and play of spiritual forces within and
behind events that transpire in the world. Thus, a
prophetic book has relevance beyond the actual
events it depicts, as all similar events that
transpire in the world have the same universal
principles and spiritual forces at play within and
behind them. The Book of Genesis depicts the
process of the creative act as an involution. The
Book of Revelation depicts the creative act as an
evolution. This involution and evolution, at the
level of Da'at, is understood as one and the same
movement.

You will recall our previous discussion

concerning the shattering of vessels of a higher
universe that is necessary for the creation of the
next lower universe in the process of creation. The
same is true of the destruction depicted in the Book
of Revelation; except, in the apocalypse, it is the
lower universe that is shattered for the sake of its
unification with the higher universe. The messages
to the seven churches represent a shattering in
Asiyah for unification with Yetzirah. The first
wave of destruction preceding one thousand years
of peace on earth represents a shattering in
Yetzirah for unification with Beriyah. The final
conflict after the one thousand years of peace
represents the shattering in Beriyah for unification
with Atzilut, at which point the action of
redemption-creation is fulfilled and complete. The
Book of Revelation is a book of Christian
Kabbalah.

This process of shattering on a lower level in

order to bring about a unification and revelation on
a higher level is directly reflected in the mystery of
the crucifixion and resurrection. The breaking of
the bodyvessel at the levels of Asiyah, Yetzirah,
and Beriyah allows for the revela tion of the body
of supernal light. In so doing, the supernal light is
brought down in the Pentecost, opening the way for
the full shattering of the klippot and restoration to
sacred unity. The first coming is this advent in the
individual-the second coming, depicted by the
Book of Revelation, is the same advent in the
collective of humanity (many).
 The process of a development and evolution of
the soul-being, specifically the human soul, toward
supernal or Messianic consciousness that we
witness of the person (Partzuf) of Yeshua Messiah
is a process underway within each and every one
of us-an evolution from vital and mental being to
supramental or supernal being.

From nature, we may gain some insight into this

evolutionary process; for a new species of being
always comes from within a former species of
being, and the development of a new species
always transpires inwardly and in secret before
being outwardly revealed. The same is true of the
supramental being emerging from within our
present state. It is a growth and transformation
happening inwardly and in secret. This
development, however, is very different than the
evolution of new species in nature, for all previous
developments occurred by way of an unconscious
evolution, in which the species of being was not a
conscious participant at all; rather, nature worked
everything out on an unconscious level. The
development of supramental being, however,
cannot occur by way of an unconscious evolution.
It can only happen by way of a conscious evolution
on the part of the mental being-the present human
being. This is the difference between a human
being and all other creatures on earth. The human
being has the capacity to consciously develop and
evolve him- or herself into a new species of being.
This new species is prefigured in Yeshua Messiah
and the enlightened ones who have appeared
among us.

The development and evolution from mental to

supramental being is a critical stage in the
evolution of life in worlds of sentient existence.
One might say that it is the point of "make it or
break it" as far as the evolution to the highest of
life is concerned. Because it must be a conscious
evolution, it is the race of intelligent beings
themselves that determines the outcome of
evolution in their world. Intervention from the
divine order through tzaddikim and maggidim
(adepts-masters and holy angels) can certainly
provide divine assistance. However, a race of
intelligent beings must exercise their free will and
accept the divine assistance and consciously
follow the Christ impulse to struggle toward a new
level of being-consciousness. Essentially,
members of the race or the race itself must choose
to exercise their divine intelligence.

Today, perhaps more than at any other time in

human history, we may understand how an
intelligent race of beings will self-destruct if it is
unable or unwilling to function from a higher level
of consciousness. This inherently self-destructive
principle is personified by the demon of the abyss.
In the Book of Revelation, this backward pull or
karmic drag is called the "great beast," and the
active self-destructive tendency is the "Antichrist."
With increasing access to greater material,
psychic, and spiritual powers, overcoming this
self-destructive tendency or evil inclination is
critical to human survival and evolution to higher
forms of life. It is this struggle between a
backward pull and self-destructive tendency
versus the Christ impulse that is depicted in the
Book of Revelation.

The final conflict, which is called Armageddon,

represents the struggle within ourselves against the
violent or evil inclination of our bestial nature, the
collective bestial nature being called the great
beast. It becomes an external conflict only when
we do not resolve the conflict inwardly.
Selfishness, greed, and fear-hatred are the primary
manifestations of the evil inclination, which lead
us to exploit, oppress, and commit all manner of
violence against one another and which lead to the
great violence of wars. Rather than one single
event, Armageddon is a progressively more intense
and radical outbreak of this internal conflict
externalized in the world. It unfolds at increasingly
shorter intervals and continues to escalate until we
either take the leap to live from our heart and the
indwelling Christ, or end in complete self-
destruction. Thus, the judgment does not come from
outside of us but rather comes from within us-
whether we choose life or death.

In terms of the Tree of Life, it is a question of

whether or not we can rise to the level of Tiferet,
or remain bound to the lower Sefirot, cut off from
the presence of Christ within our hearts.

Here, a word must be said regarding our own

expectations in the face of potentially dark times.
Aware of the spiritual realization of Da'at-things
manifest as we expect them to-you will understand
the danger of large numbers of people holding on
to a belief in a fated or predetermined global
holocaust. This sort of expectation is rooted in
doubt and fear, repre sents gross negativity, and is
a grievous mistake. The horror of the apocalypse
comes from our resistance to the dawn of Christ
consciousness-our failure to overcome selfishness,
greed, and fear through the cultivation of faith,
hope, and love. Thus, in the face of potentially
dark times, it is a vision of hope that the elect must
focus upon, not only for oneself but for the whole
of humanity.

This leads to an understanding of the second

coming in the Gnostic view, which is a dawn of
Messianic consciousness in larger collectives of
human individuals. The second coming is not
envisioned as a return of the person of Lord
Yeshua, but rather as Messianic consciousness
dawning in many individuals. In relationship to
oneself, Yeshua is the first coming of Christ on
earth. When Messianic consciousness dawns in
oneself, it is the second coming. This also being
true for others leads to the awareness of the second
coming as the emergence of supernal or Messianic
consciousness in a larger collective of humanity. In
this light, you will understand that what each
individual does in an effort of conscious evolution
matters a great deal.
 The Upper Room and Bridal
Chamber
Da'at is often called the bridal chamber because it
is the place of union of the Father (Hokmah) and
Mother (Binah), and the union of the Bridegroom
(Tiferet) and Bride (Malkut). From what was said
previously regarding Da'at as the "child" of
Hokmah and Binah, one will understand how Da'at
is the union of the Father-Mother. In terms of the
union of the Bridegroom and Bride, one need only
remember that Da'at is Yesod in a universe beyond
the one in which it appears and that it is Yesod that
unites Tiferet and Malkut on the Tree of Life-
hence, the union of the Bridegroom and Bride.

In Christian Gnosticism, the Father represents the

transcendental aspect of God and the Mother
represents the immanent aspect of Godhence, being
and becoming, which are inseparable. This is
reflected in the Bridegroom and Bride, who are the
revealed image of the Father and Mother,
respectively. Essentially, the Father is revealed via
the Mother through the birth of the Son, and the
Mother is fulfilled in the Daughter, when, as the
Bridegroom and Bride, the Son and Daughter are
united and become as Father and Mother.

This mystery is at the heart of the Gnostic Gospel,

in which the incarnation of the Christos occurs
through the person of Lord Yeshua and Mary of
Magdal-the Bridegroom and Holy Bride.
According to the Gnostic Gospel, Lord Yeshua
embodies Christ, the Logos-Word, and Lady Mary
embodies Christ, the Sophia-Wisdom. The two
together represent the image of the Holy Father and
Holy Mother in true manhood and true
womanhood, respectively. Da'at in the Christian
Kabbalah represents their mystical union and the
light transmission that flows from it.
 Yeshua is the light-presence, akin to the supernals
beyond Da'at; Lady Mary is the prism of light,
through which the light flows and becomes many
rays of rainbow glory. He is the Master who
embodies the lightpresence; she is the First
Apostle and the Apostle of the apostles, through
whom the light transmission flows to others. In the
Gnostic Gospel, it is on account of their mystical
union that the light transmission occurs, in the same
way that Da'at facilitates the flow of supernal light
to the seven Sefirot below it.

Da'at is also called the upper room, which is the

sacred space through which three key rites of
initiation transpire: the Holy Eucharist or wedding
feast, the transmission of the Holy Spirit via the
radiant holy breath, and the reception of the fiery
light of supernal being on the day of Pentecost. All
three of these events are said to transpire through
the union of the Bridegroom and Bride, and the
secret knowledge (Da'at) associated with these
initiations is said to be the foundation of the true
apostolic succession in Gnosticism.

It is this light transmission that flows from the

Risen Christ through the Holy Bride which initiates
the apocalypse-the revelation of the light
continuum. Thus, there are two images of the
Bridegroom attributed to Da'at: the image of the
great angel of the apocalypse and the image of the
Lamb of God with seven horns and seven eyes.
Likewise, there are two images of the Holy Bride:
the image of the twenty-four elders and the image
of New Jerusalem.

According to the masters of the Tradition, all of

this occurs through the transmission in the upper
room, which is to say this divine gnosis is
acquired by the adept who is able to enter into
Da'at and pass through it into the supernal abode.
Symbolized by the upper room, one gets the sense
that, rather than the supernal light itself, Da'at is the
channel or vehicle of the light-hence, Da'at's
frequent title as the "Non-Sefirah."

This alludes to the true purpose and meaning of a

human being, which is a creature specifically
associated with Da'at knowledge-that we are
meant to be vehicles of the light-presence.
Essentially, we experience the light-presence in us
and acquire gnosis-spiritual knowledge-any time
we are open and sensitive to it. To pass through
Da'at or to "cross the abyss," we need only become
transparent to the light that shines from within us
and recognize and realize ourselves inseparable
from the light continuum. In this state, there is no
judgment, only the pure joy of divine rapture.
 The Secret Saint and the Secret
Sefirah
As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up
to him, and asked him, "Good teacher, what
must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus said to
him, "Why do you call me good? No one is
good but God alone. You know the
commandments: 'You shall not murder; You
shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal;
You shall not bear false witness; You shall not
defraud; You shall honor your father and
mother. "' He said to him, "Teacher, I have kept
all these since my youth." Jesus, looking at him,
loved him and said, "You lack one thing; go,
sell what you own, and give to the poor, and
you will have treasure in heaven, then, come,
follow me." When he heard this, he was
shocked and went away grieving, for he had
many possessions. (Gospel of St. Mark 10:17-
22)
 According to Gnostic teachings, this was the first
meeting of St. Lazarus and Master Yeshua. St.
Lazarus becomes the most beloved disciple and is
the only disciple, with the exception of St. Mary
Magdalene, to whom Yeshua imparts the inmost
secret teachings and initiation of Resurrection.
Essentially, the Master says to his secret disciple:
"Prepare for death." The experience of the afterlife
state and the experience of Da'at are fundamentally
one and the same. It is a direct reflection of the
state of mind or the soul at the time of the crossing.
In terms of the afterlife states, if one passes through
the gate of death disturbed, grasping at negativity
or clinging to the body and things of the world,
then the transition will be difficult. Likewise, one
cannot pass through Da'at while clinging to name
and form, to things of the world, or to anything in
the mind whatsoever, whether visions of heavens
or visions of hells. One must cleave unto the Spirit
of the Lord, the bornless nature of the soul, and
nothing else; hence, one must be in a state of
complete spiritual detachment, lest one fall into the
dark side of Da'at.

St. Lazarus followed the instructions of the

perfect master and was thus able to receive the
inmost secret teachings and the initiation of the
resurrection. He became the inmost disciple of the
Lord and the secret apostle. According to one
legend, St. Lazarus ascended with Lord Yeshua.
According to another legend, St. Lazarus is the
beloved disciple who will not die, but who
remains living upon the earth until the time of the
second coming. Essentially, St. Lazarus is the first
disciple to realize the Divine fullness of the Soul
of the Messiah in himself; thus, he is attributed to
Da'at as the Partzuf below of this attainment.
 Spiritual Practices for Divine
Knowledge
The Kabbalistic Cross

➢ Invoke the light of the true cross; take up

your holy cross and follow in the way of the
Christ-presence.

➢ Standing or sitting, envision a sphere of light

above your head, as though the light of many
stars is gathered there, and abide in the
awareness of the sacred unity of yourself,
creation, and God.

➢ Reach up with your hand and touch the

sphere of light above your head, and intone
"Atoh," drawing the light down as you touch
your forehead.

➢ Then bring your hand straight down to your

throat, seeing the light descend there, and intone
 "lo Adonai."

➢ Bring your hand down the middle of your

body, seeing the light descend down through
you into the earth below, and with your hand
pointing at your feet, intone"Malkut."

➢ Then bring your hand back up the middle of

your body to your heart and extend the light to
your right shoulder, and touching your right
shoulder, intone "Ve-Gevurah."

➢ Then extend the light to your left shoulder,

and touching your left shoulder, intone "Ve-
Gedulah."

➢ Clasping your hands in front of your heart, as

in prayer, envisioning the light of the cross
within you, intone "Le-Olam, Amen."

This is the practice of the Kabbalistic Cross as

given in the Sophian Tradition. Atoh means "you"
and indicates Keter. to Adonai means the
"Anointed One" Bride and Bridegroom. Malkut
means the "kingdom," indicating the last Sefirah of
the Middle Pillar. Ve-Gevurah means the "power"
and indicates the Sefirah Gevurah and the Pillar of
Severity. Ve- Gedulah means the "glory" and
indicates the Sefirah Hesed and the Pillar of
Mercy. Le-Olam means "forever" and indicates the
continuum of the light transmission. Amen means
"so be it" or "so it is" and is the holy seal of truth.
Thus, in tracing the cross of light in your body, you
are saying, You, Bride and Bridegroom, are the
kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever,
Amen." It is an affirmation of your innate Spirit-
connectedness and the truth of your inmost being as
the Christ-self, and a simple method of invoking
the light-presence. The Kabbalistic Cross can be
used before and after any spiritual activity-
spiritual study and contemplation, prayer,
meditation, or sacred ritual-as an opening
invocation and closing dedication. It can also be
used any time one feels the need to center oneself
or to invoke a blessing of the light-presence on
oneself.

The Upper Room Meditation

➢ Sit in a place where you will not be

disturbed. Bring your attention gently upon your
breath, allowing your body to find its own
natural rhythm of breath. As you breathe, relax,
yet remain completely alert, letting go of all
tension, stress, or negativity to just be present
in the moment.

➢ When your body is relaxed and your mind is

calm, envision the spiritual sun within behind
your heart and envision your whole body
becoming light.

➢ Then imagine that there is an upper room

above you-a room filled with light, as though
there is a luminous assembly of holy prophets
and apostles, sages and saints, in sacred
discourse. Feel yourself becoming lighter and
lighter, and envision that you ascend into this
upper room in a body of light, to sit among the
holy ones gathered there. The upper room
appears as a vast chamber. The Lord and Holy
Bride are in the center. Above the image of the
Lord and Bride is a presence of white
brilliance-a light-presence of diamond-like
light. Around the presence of the anointed is the
sacred circle of the twenty-four holy elders.
Around the sacred circle of elders are circles
upon circles of apostles and prophets, saints
and sages, and even holy angels of God. The
Lord is silent and the Holy Bride is giving
teachings on the holy mysteries. Envision
yourself among them. Open your mind and heart
to the divine presence and power in the upper
room-look and see, listen and hear, and see
what knowledge you receive from the luminous
assembly.
 ➢ When you feel it is time to leave the
luminous assembly, envision yourself
descending as you ascended, seeing yourself
once again in the body below with the spiritual
sun shining in your heart. Let the energy settle
and allow yourself to ground fully before
departing the place of the meditation,
contemplating your experience of the upper
room. Close the meditation with prayer, giving
thanks to the divine for your experience and
what you have received-give praise and
thanksgiving to God.

This meditation can be used whenever one has a

question, and in this case, one takes one's question
into the upper room, but it can also be used without
having any specific question, when one simply
seeks the inspiration or revelation that divine grace
would have one receive. It is a way to contact the
luminous assembly of saints and angels and to
receive secret teachings directly from the divine
presence and power.

It is said that all of the prophets and apostles, or

ascended masters, have Mystery Schools upon the
inner planes. Gnostic initiates modify this practice
to come into contact with the Mystery School of
specific prophets or apostles by placing the image
of the prophet or apostle in the center, in place of
the Lord and Holy Bride, and envisioning a
corresponding circle of disciples and holy angels
gathered about that holy prophet or apostle of God.
For example, an initiate might wish to connect the
Mystery School of the prophet John the Baptist. He
or she will consider how the heavenly image of
John the Baptist would appear and envision that
divine image in the center of the upper room.
Likewise, the initiate would consider what the
companions of John the Baptist would look like
and what angels might be present, and envision the
luminous assembly accordingly. This very process
of developing a visualization can prove to be a
product of divine instruction. Therefore, in many
methods of the Tradition, a specific visualization is
not given, but the creative spirit within the initiate
is called upon to provide the images. Like an
affirmation that one creates for oneself, oftentimes
an image one creates for oneself will prove more
powerful and effective than one imposed upon
oneself from outside. There is a place for images
generated by the adepts and masters of the
Tradition, but there is equally a place for images
one creates for oneself. The upper-room
meditation is a method designed for one to
generate one's own images-ideally under the
inspiration of the Holy Spirit, which is a creative
spirit.
SIX
HOKMAH,
THE WISDOM
OF CREATION
 Attributes
Thirty-Two Paths of Wisdom: Radiant
Consciousness (Sekhel Maz'hir); this is the
Crown of creation and homogeneous unity that
"exalts itself above all as the head"; the masters
of Kabbalah call it the Second Glory

Hokmah: Sophia or Wisdom

Place on the Tree of Life: Head of the Pillar of

Mercy

Divine Name: Yah; Yahweh

Alternative Divine Names: Hayyah Olam,

Eternal Life; Yesh, "There Is"

Partzuf Above: Abba, Father

Partzuf Below: None

Divine Image: A bearded male image; the One-

Who-Sits on the Throne

Archangel: Ratziel

Order of Angels: Ofanim

Celestial Attribute: Mazlot, the Wheel of the

Zodiac

Titles Given to Hokmab: Reshit, the Point of the

Beginning; Power of the Holy Angels; Splendor
of Unity; Yod of the Tetragrammaton; The
Tetragrammaton; Ab, Virgin Father; Abba, the
Heavenly Father; The One-Who-Is-Not-Seen;
Transcendental Awareness; Eternal Life;
Master of the Worlds; Glorious One; The
Beginning and End; the Depth of Beginning

Level of the Soul: Hayyah, the Life-Essence or

Life-Force

Heavenly Abode: The World of Supernal Light

Spiritual Experience: The attainment of
Supernal Consciousness; the Vision of Adam
Kadmon; The Vision of God Face to Face

Virtue: Perfect Devotion, Devekut

Vice: None

Symbols: The Inner Robe of Glory; the Holy

Staff; The Phallus or Lingam; The Standing-
Stone; The Crystal Sphere; Yod

Commandment: You shall not make for yourself

an idol (Exodus 20:4-6)

Sermon on the Mount: You are the salt of the

earth (Matthew 5:13)

Angel of the Apocalypse and the Churches: The

Light of the Great Angel
 The Supernal Generator
Hokmah-Wisdom is essentially as
incomprehensible as Keter. Using the analogy for
Keter as the singularity from which the big bang
comes, Hokmah would be the event horizon, which
from our perspective is as inconceivable as the
singularity itself. Hokmah is the instant of the big
bang. As the instant of the big bang, one could say
that this event horizon is outside and inside our
metaphysical universe at one and the same time, so
that exactly what it is can only be a complete
mystery at the level of our ordinary consciousness.
The instant before the big bang, if such a thing can
be said, there is nothing knowable; from the instant
of the big bang, everything knowable begins. In this
sense, the masters of the Tradition have said that
Hokmah is Reshit-the point of the beginning,
beyond which there is nothing knowable.
 Yod, the first letter of the Tetragrammaton,
contains a contemplation of this mystery in
geometrical terms. Yod, spelled out, is Yod (')-Vau
(1) Dalet (7). Yod resembles a point, which
represents Keter. A point has position but no
dimension. Vau resembles a line. If from a point a
line is traced, there is one dimension. Dalet
resembles an angle, or two lines sharing an
intersection. If two lines are drawn from the point,
giving width and breadth, then there are two
dimensions, which form a plane or a two-
dimensional space. The shift from Keter to
Hokmah is akin to this contemplation of Yod
spelled out.

Yah, the divine name of Hokmah, spelled Yod (")-

Hey (fl), suggests the generation of a three-
dimensional, space-time continuum, the He being
the divine potential of Binah within Hokmah,
which is actualized when the seven lower Sefirot
emerge from within Binah-Da'at. At the level of
Hokmah, however, space-time as we understand it
is a potential. It is the instant within a moment of
time, which is the touch of eternity everywhere
within time and yet is ever beyond time, being
timeless eternity-hence the divine name Hayyah
Olam (eternal life) associated with Hokmah.
Hokmah is timeless-eternity and Binah is time-
eternity, which is to say Hokmah is eternity and
Binah is forever. Forever is a vast duration of time
that is inconceivable to us, as in the life span of the
universe. Eternity, in essence, has nothing to do
with time. While the true meaning of these words
is meaningless to our ordinary consciousness,
nevertheless, they give us some sense of the reality
of Hokmah-wisdom.

This idea of eternity beyond space-time, and

eternity penetrating everywhere within space-time
suggests how Hokmah is united to Keter and yet is
a distinct gradation of the supernal light on a lower
level moving toward manifestation. It also directly
reflects the idea of an event horizon or threshold
that is simultaneously outside and inside our
metaphysical universe.

The contemplation of a point that becomes a line

alludes to the nature of Hokmah as the channel or
flow of supernal energy that pours forth from
Keter. One could say that Hokmah is Keter set in
motion or that Hokmah is the activation of the
potential of Keter. In relationship to Binah-Da'at,
Hokmah is the supernal generator and the great
stimulator of all life-the generator of all life-
power. In a word, Hokmah is the force; hence the
term "radiant consciousness" or "radiant force."
Consciousness is force and force is consciousness
(energy-intelligence).
 The Play of Force and Form-
Transformation
Hokmah and Binah are the head of the Pillar of
Mercy and Pillar of Severity, respectively, which
are represented in the temple of King Solomon as
the Pillars of Jachin and Boaz. Keter-Da'at is the
head of the Pillar of Compassion or Middle Pillar,
which is represented by the mercy seat or ark of
the covenant in the holy of holies in the temple. In
essence, the Pillars of the Tree of Life represent
the principles of force and form, and the dynamic
balance of force and form. At the head of the Pillar
of Mercy, Hokmah is pure force; at the head of the
Pillar of Severity, Binah is pure form in an
archetypal sense.

Keter-crown is the principle of being; Malkut-

kingdom is the principle of becoming-hence the
Middle Pillar is the principle of coming into
substantial being. The nature of this coming into
substantial being is a dynamic play of force and
form that is rooted in Ain (no-thingness) and
therefore is a constant continuum of transformation.
In the process of transformation, force or energy is
organized into forms and is manifest in form until
the form eventually evolves and the force or energy
is released back into the cosmic river of force
(light) to become manifest in yet other forms. In
this process, the force or energy is never changed
in its essence or being and nothing of the force or
energy is ever lost. It remains ever the same
forever and for all eternity.

Hokmah and the Pillar of Mercy is the dynamism

within and behind the continuum of transformation,
which is creation. However, Hokmah is not the
organizing agent; rather, Binah is the organizing
agent-hence the principle of form on an archetypal
level. Although, at the level of the supernals, there
is no real distinction between the force in
formlessness or in form, and thus there is no such
thing as birth and death, the play of force and form
at the archetypal level appears as the dance of life
and death in the lower Olamot of the Tree. Thus
birth, life, death, and the transmigration of the soul
are a way of contemplating the play of Force and
form in our own experience.

The soul is the force or energy of life-an

individuation of the one life-power, which is
called Hayyah. The archetypal or heavenly form of
the soul, which is realized and actualized through
the process of trans- mi -gration -transformation, is
the Neshamah. That which is actualized and
realized of the Neshamah is the Ruach. The names
and forms, or the in carnations, are the Nefeshim.
In the Zohar, the Nefesh is attributed to Hokmah
because Hayyah is an exhaustless potential of
countless Nefeshim in the same way that Hokmah
is an exhaustless flow of the force or life-power
from Keter.

Birth is the manifestation of the soul in the body

or the personality and life-display of an
incarnation. Life is the duration of that individual
Nefesh or life-form. Death is the dissolution of the
Nefesh and release of the soul-energy to another
form. In this process of transmigration-
transformation, the essence of the soul-energy or
Hayyah never changes nor is anything of the soul-
energy ever lost. This directly reflects the play of
Hokmah and Binah or force and form, upon which
the universe or creation is founded, and the idea of
Hokmah as a "crown" that is "exalted above every
head."
 The Heavenly Father
Keter is the Partzuf of Arik Anpin, the big face, the
face of the Holy One that shines upon the Sefirot,
which no one has ever seen at any time. This face
is Hu (He) and it is Hua (She), in the sense of
containing the divine potential of maleness and
femaleness, yet Keter or Arik Anpin is neither
male nor female. Hokmah and Binah are male and
female, respectively, and are the Partzufim of Abba
(father) and Aima (mother).

Male and female in the Kabbalah represent

positive and negative, as in the poles of a battery
that allows the flow of the current of energy. Male
means the principle of force and principle of
imparting, while female means the principle of
form and principle of receiving. All of the Sefirot
are both male and female in their relationship to
one another, depending on whether they are
imparting or receiving. For example, Keter is
called Hu (He) in relationship to all of the other
Sefirot, because Keter is the allgiver to the Sefirot.
In relationship to Ain Sof, however, Keter is
called Hua (She), because Keter is the all-receiver
to Ain Sof. Likewise, Malkut is all-female to the
Sefirot, because Malkut is the vessel that "has no
light of her own" but receives her light from above.
Yet, receiving this light into herself, the Bride
becomes the Mother, and as the Mother who gives
birth to a child, Malkut gives something more back,
thus becoming male in Kabbalistic terms. In the
Kabbalah, the play of the terms of gender is filled
with esoteric meaning.

The Kabbalistic meaning of male and female

resolves what otherwise would be an endless
paradox concerning Hokmah-Wisdom. For
Hokmahwisdom in the Kabbalah is Abba-Father,
yet throughout the Scriptures Hokmah-wisdom is
called Hua-She. In the Scriptures, Hokmah is, thus,
always being spoken of in relationship with Keter
and specifically with Ain Sof, to which Hokmah is
female. On the Tree of Life, however, and in
relationship to us, Hokmah is all-male-hence
Abba, the Father.

The Partzuf of Abba denotes the relationship of

Hokmah to all of the Sefirot below and to our soul
of light (Neshamah-Ruach-Nefesh). We already
have indicated Hokmah-Yahweh as the force,
which is the generative principle or the Father. In
the Gospel, Lord Yeshua continually makes
reference to God as Abba-Father and thus is
speaking specifically of Hokmah as the source of
his inspiration and the attainment to which his
message points. Thus, in effect, Yeshua Messiah
comes in the name of the force-the light-force of
the supernal father.

In the same way that we can contemplate

Hokmah-Binah in terms of birth and death, we can
also gain insight into Hokmah-Binah through the
contemplation of maleness and femaleness, or the
Father and the Mother. Conception of a child
occurs through the union of the Father and the
Mother. In terms of Hokmah-Binah, this child is
creation and the Soul of the Messiah. The Father
inseminates the Mother, fertilizing her, and she thus
conceives. As far as the process of gestation and
giving birth, while the Father may give support to
the Mother and provide nourishment to the Mother,
his actual role in the development of the child in
the Mother's womb ends with the impregnation.
The Mother is the matrix or environment in which
the child is conceived and through which the child
grows and develops in a continual process of
transformation toward birth. The Father is thus
transcendental to the child in the womb, but the
Mother is immanent.
 Hokmah, which is God the Father, is
transcendental-ever beyond creature and creation,
thus "exalted above every head." Binah, which is
God the Mother, is immanent-within creature and
creation. Essentially, Binah can be conceived of as
the womb of God, and Hokmah can be conceived
of as the phallus of God. The womb is the matrix
of creation and the phallus is the dynamism of the
force that sets the matrix in motion. In this sense,
the Father is within us and the Mother is all around
us, although that which is within us is, in truth, ever
beyond us.

The birth of the child in this analogy is the

enlightenment-liberation of the soul-being. Until
the dawn of a complete self-realization in supernal
or Christ-consciousness, which is the grade of
attainment corresponding to Hokmah, the Heavenly
Father is hidden and unknown. For this reason,
there is no Partzuf below for Hokmah. In the
Gospel, although Joseph is the earthly father of
Yeshua, he is barely mentioned, because Abba-
Father is completely invisible and transcendental,
save through the image of the Son. On the other
hand, the Holy Mother (Mother Mary) plays a
significant role in the mystery drama of the Gospel,
being the Partzuf below embodying and reflecting
something of the Partzuf of Aima, which is Binah.
The myth of the virgin birth is a metaphor of this
relationship of the heavenly Father and Mother. To
the Gnostic Christian, it forms the basis of a
meditation on Hokmah and Binah.
 The Great Name of God
Yah and Yahweh, the Tetragrammaton, is Hokmah
at the level of Atzilut. Yah is composed of the
letters Yod (') and He (n). The tip of the Yod, as
said previously, is Keter and the universe of Adam
Kadmon; the body of the Yod is Hokmah and the
universe of Atzilut. The letter He is Binah and the
universe of Beriyah. Thus, Yah is the power of the
supernals and expresses the truth of Hokmah as the
power generator on the Tree of Life. The supernal
force passing through the Sefirot of Beriyah
sustains the universe of Yetzirah, and thus Yah
indicates Hokmah as the power behind the world
of the angels, which is Yetzirah.

Yod and He are the supernal Father and Mother

before conceiving and giving birth. Joined to Vau
and He finally in the Tetragrammaton, Yod and He
are Abba and Aima proper, which is to say the
divine parent has given birth to the Son and
Daughter. All five great Partzufim are, thus,
represented by the great name of God-the name
Yahweh (Yod-He-VauHe). As previously
explained, the name of Yahweh forms the pattern of
a human being when the letters are placed one on
top of the other vertically, indicating that Yahweh
is the channel of the holy Shekinah of Adam
Kadmon to the lower universes and that the five
great Partzufim are the expression of what is
contained within Adam Kadmon-the primordial
human being.

The divine name of Eheieh is the highest name of

God, and yet it is the Tetragrammaton that is called
the great name of God. This, of course, invokes the
question, "Why is Yahweh the great name instead
of Eheieh, which is the highest divine name?" This
directly parallels the use of the second letter of the
Hebrew alphabet (Bet) as the initial letter of
creation instead of the first letter (Aleph). Aleph is
the first letter in the highest name of God and is the
letter representing God's spirit or essence, which
although within creation, is ever beyond creation.
Therefore, creation begins with the letter Bet
instead of Aleph because of the transcendental
nature of the creator. Bet means "house" or
"structure"-hence the matrix of creation. Aleph is
the Spirit of God that pours through it; yet as much
as within it, the Spirit of God is also surrounding it
and beyond it. This idea also depicts the
relationship of Eheieh to Yahweh, which is akin to
the relationship of the soul to the body-in this case,
a body of light or pure energy.

Eheieh is like the root of the Tree of Life-the root

is the life of the holy tree. Therefore, it is the
essential or highest name of God. Yahweh is like
the trunk of the Tree of Life. The holy root is
hidden in the secret depths of Ain Sof, but the trunk
is the visible part of the holy tree emerging from
the depths of the Infinite, which itself is Infinite.
All other divine names are like branches of the
holy tree that are all joined together by the trunk
(Yahweh), and through the agency of Yahweh, all
are sustained by Eheieh. Therefore, although
Eheieh is the essential name of God, Yahweh is the
great name, which contains all other divine names
and to which all other names are as ornaments,
each bearing its own specific fruit (Sefirah). Thus,
Yahweh is the glory of Eheieh (second glory), and
all other names are the glory of the glory (third
glory-Elohim or Binah).

Eheieh is within Yahweh as a soul in a body of

light, and Yahweh is in Eheieh as a body within an
aura of brilliant light-through Yahweh, Eheieh is
revealed. Yahweh literally means "That Which
Was, and Is and Forever Shall Be," and Eheieh
literally means "I Am" or "I Shall Be." Therefore,
Yahweh indicates the outpouring of Eheieh, the
activity or revelation of Eheieh, which while going
out from Eheieh is at one and the same time a going
into Eheieh.

Hokmah-Yahweh is the channel of the supernal

being-consciousnessforce or the supernal light. In
the Kabbalah, this supernal light is called the
ruhaniyut, which is said to breathe and shine from
within the Sefirot, and also to breathe and shine
around them. Ruhaniyut implies the idea of a spirit
or soul of the divine names or Sefirot.
Accordingly, there is an inner and an outer
ruhaniyut, as it is said to breathe and shine from
within the Sefirot like a soul, and to breathe and
shine around them like an aura or garment.

The name of Yahweh is the inner ruhaniyut, and

all of the other names are the outer ruhaniyut.
Eheieh, which is concealed within Yahweh and yet
revealed by Yahweh, is the inmost secret ruhaniyut,
being the true essence of the inner and outer
ruhaniyut. This ruhaniyut (supernal light of Ain
Sof) is the life-force of the Names-Sefirot-
Partzufim, their soul and spirit and aura. Ruhaniyut,
like the word Ruach, implies breath and radiance-
thus the radiant holy breath of God. Ruhaniyut is
actually a plural term, suggesting various forms of
the light-breath of God, all of which are the
manifestation of one holy radiant breath.

In Genesis, it is written that God breathes into the

nostrils of the human one, and the human one
becomes a living soul. This is Adam Kadmon and
it is Adam Ha-Rishon (first human being)-hence,
the supernal ideal of humanity. The souls of the
righteous ones (tzaddikim)-of all authentic human
beings-are said to be drawn from the soul of Adam
Kadmon. Thus, this ruhaniyut or radiant holy breath
of God is within every human being. Through this
ruhaniyut in us, we are linked to the Sefirot-
Names-Partzufim, and we are able to bind our soul
to the Sefirot and to bind the Sefirot to our soul-
thus embodying something of the holy Shekinah.

Yahweh is the name of names, the unified power

of the ruhaniyut of all the names of God. The name
of Yeshua is the same divine name with the letter
Shin (0) inserted in the middle, suggesting a human
being who has realized the ruhaniyut (radiant holy
breath) within him- or herself and thus unified him-
or herself with the Sefirot-Names-Partzufim. The
name of Yeshua is not simply the name of one
human person; it is the name of any Christed or
enlightened human being.

This explains the esoteric meaning of the saying

that all spiritual forces are subject to the name of
Yeshua" and that "before the name of Yeshua
Messiah every knee shall bend and every head
shall bow." Indeed, the whole metaphysical
universe (heaven and earth) and all cosmic forces
in the universe move with one who has "put on this
holy name."

The key to this self-realization is alluded to in the

Kabbalistic terms for the soul and the term
ruhaniyut itself-it is the breath of life. Within and
behind the ordinary breath, there is a more subtle
spiritual breath or spiritual force-a radiant and
holy breath, which is the manifestation of Hayyah
(the life-essence) attributed to Hokmah.
Discovering this inner and secret breath and using
the divine names as taught by the masters of
wisdom, the initiate in the Christian mysteries has
the power of the blessed name of Yeshua-the
Gnosis of Yeshua Messiah (which is the perfect
Gnosis of the great name of God).

Here, we come to a deeper understanding of the

initiation of the upper room, when Lord Yeshua
breathes upon the disciples, saying, "Receive the
Holy Spirit," and when the fire of the Pentecost
descends upon them in the presence of the Bride.
For the supernal light-force is a fiery light, and the
breath is the vehicle of this fiery light, so that one
who knows how to breathe and how to vibrate the
divine names is able to transmit this Holy Spirit to
others and, thus, is able to awaken the Holy Spirit
in them. This is the foundation of all Gnostic
Christian initiation.
 A Proverbial Secret
Yahweh by Hokmah-wisdom founded the earth; by
Binah-Understanding he established the heavens;
by his Da'at-knowledge the deeps broke open and
the Arabot clouds drop down the dew (Proverbs
3:19-20).

Arabot, which means "clouds" or "plains," is the

name of the seventh or highest heaven, and the
mention of Hokmah-Binah-Da'at indicates the
world of supernal light, which is beyond the
highest heaven. The dew is the shefa or everflow
that fills the Sefirot and pours forth from the
Sefirot. This shefa is the nourishment of all living
souls and all worlds, and its essence is in Hokmah.
Just as through the divine names we are able to
join the ruhaniyut in us to the ruhaniyut of the
Sefirot, so through the names we are able to draw
upon the shefa everflow. To intone the names is to
invoke/evoke the corresponding manifestation of
the everflow or divine power.

One may understand the relationship between

ruhaniyut and shefa in the following way. ruhaniyut
is like the soul of the tree; shefa is like the sap of
the tree. Both the soul and the sap of the tree are
called the life of the tree. Essentially, they are two
manifestations of the same thing-the life-power of
the holy tree. Ruhaniyut is the essence, and shefa is
the presence. Ruhaniyut and shefa are what are
conveyed by the wine and bread of the Holy
Eucharist, respectively. In the initiation of the
upper room, the Bridegroom conveys the ruhaniyut
and the Bride conveys the shefa. This is the secret
alluded to by the Holy Eucharist or wedding feast
performed in the remembrance of the one anointed
with the supernal light of God.

At the level of Hokmah of Atzilut, the ruhaniyut

and shefa are one, in the same way that the Lord
and his name are one. This supreme mystery is said
to contain the secret of eternal life and it is said to
be the meditation of the perfect tzaddikim-the great
masters of the Tradition.
Radiant Breath, Word, and Wisdom
According to the Tradition, creation is founded
upon Hokmah and Binah. Specifically, creation is
founded upon ten utterances-sayings or axioms-
which are found in the first chapter of Genesis.
Thus, in a spiritual sense, Hokmah constitutes the
ten utterances which would define creation, while
Binah is the logical system of archetypal patterns
connecting them. All laws of nature and creation
are essentially wisdom sayings of God, even the
simplest of which contains many levels of meaning
or manifestation. Each Sefirah represents the
various levels and aspects of one of these ten
utterances. Thus each Sefirah, with all of its
attributes or correspondences, is an expression of
one saying or axiom of God, the essence of which
is found in Hokmah and the principle of which
plays out through Binah. For example, the first holy
utterance of creation-"Let there be Light"-is Keter-
Da'at with all of its correspondences manifesting at
the level of Adam Kadmon, Atzilut, Beriyah,
Yetzirah, and Asiyah. Everything Keter-Da'at was,
is, or will be on every level is contained in this
saying, and the essence of this saying is in
Hokmah.

At the level of Hokmah of Atzilut, the word and

wisdom of God are one and the same, just as the
ruhaniyut and shefa are one and the Lord and his
name are one. The word is brought forth from
within wisdom as distinct individual sayings at the
level of Beriyah. The word is the expression of
God's wisdom which actualizes God's wisdom,
and the vehicle of this expression-actualization is
the radiant holy breath or Spirit of God. Breath,
word, and wisdom are three in one and one in
three-hence the secret mystery of the Holy Trinity
of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, the Holy
Spirit being the divine feminine principle
represented by the Holy Mother and Bride (Binah-
Malkut). Binah of Atzilut is the holy womb in
which the saying-word is conceived and Malkut of
Atzilut is the divine oracle (mouth) speaking the
saying-word. This, in turn, leads to the playing out
of the breath, word, and wisdom at the level of
Beriyah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah.

As indicated above, something of this creative

power is within the human one, and, in fact, the
soul of the human one is this creative power. This
is alluded to in the idea of God breathing into the
nostrils of Adam, and Adam becoming a living
soul in the image and likeness of God (Elohim). It
is also alluded to by Adam being given the divine
power to name creatures in creation. Esoterically,
to know the name of a spirit or creature is to have
the power to subject that spirit or creature to
oneself or to "rule over it" and thus to consciously
direct that being-force. The power to name a spirit
or creature is the power to conceive a spirit or
creature and to bring a new spirit or creature into
being. This is the basis for the power of prayer in
the mystical Kabbalah and incantations or spell-
speaking using the divine names, and permutations
of the divine names, in the magical Kabbalah-the
secret mystery behind all of the miracles
performed by the men and women of God in the
Holy Scriptures.

Although the actual use of this creative power is

the magical Kabbalah, the key of the secret mystery
of this divine power is discovered through the
mystical or meditative Kabbalah, for to actually
engage in the magical Kabbalah, one must first
recognize and realize the power of the radiant holy
breath-the power of the soul-and learn to join one's
soul to the Sefirot, thus drawing upon the ruhaniyut
and shefa through which divine magic becomes
possible. Therefore, daily prayer and meditation
are integral to any real practice of divine magic,
because that is how the initiate is able to access
the divine knowledge and power.
 The Divine Ideal of Magic
One may experience something of cosmic
consciousness-the unity of all life-and yet remain
ignorant of God, returning to the way of life one
lived before the experience. In altered states of
consciousness, cosmic consciousness is common.
The sense of the vastness and unity of life is felt in
nature herself when we encounter her wonders-the
ocean, a great mountain, the glories of springtime
or autumn. In moments of awe and wonder, we
draw near to this level of awareness of the sacred
unity-although cosmic consciousness proper is the
experience of oneself completely and inseparably
united with all that lives and the universe. Some
mistake this mystical experience for the ultimate
attainment, yet to be one with all creatures and
creation is quite different from the experience of
unification with the divine. Likewise, the
experience of this lower level of cosmic
consciousness is quite different from being able to
draw upon the force of the universe or the ability
to consciously direct cosmic or spiritual forces as
can be done by a perfect tzaddik or master. The
lower level of cosmic consciousness in Da'at is
common, but the higher levels of cosmic
consciousness in Binah, which lead to the various
levels of supernal consciousness, are far less
common.

Divine magic is not merely the ability to shift to

higher states of consciousness at will. It is the
ability to consciously direct the cosmic and
spiritual forces while in a higher state of
consciousness-specifically to direct them
according to the divine will and kingdom. It is
certainly possible to perform divine magic to
various degrees prior to the attainment of the
supernal grades. However, it is in Binah that
mastery of divine magic is attained and it is in
Hokmah that the perfection of divine magic is
realized. The science of divine magic is attributed
to Hod, which is the base of the Pillar of Severity,
but the perfection of divine magic is attributed to
Hokmah, which is the head of the Pillar of Mercy.
Thus, in Rosicrucian teachings, the attainer of
Hokmah is known as the magus-the master
magician.

This secret relationship between Hod and

Hokmah reveals the true nature and purpose of the
magical Kabbalah, which is so often
misrepresented by occultists writing on the subject.
The nature and purpose of divine magic is not
personal power for egoistic gratification, but
rather has the aim of self-realization in a supernal
or Christ consciousness. The actual practice of
divine magic itself is to realize and actualize the
divine power of the soul of light and to be
empowered to render invisible spiritual assistance
to others-to help others in their own process of
enlightenment and liberation. Therefore, true
divine magic is an active expression of spiritual
love and compassion.

In Gnosticism, spiritual assistance is given to

both visible living souls and invisible spirits.
Thus, as much as seeking the help of spiritual
beingsforces in a magical working, the Gnostic
initiate seeks to enlighten and liberate the beings-
forces involved in the magical working. In the
same way spiritual assistance is given to visible
living souls and invisible beingsforces, so also is
assistance given to the spirits of the dead-all with
the aim of a conscious evolution to supernal or
Christ consciousness. In effect, the Gnostic seeks
to serve as a conscious agent of the divine will and
as a conscious cocreator with God, whether in
mundane matters or spiritual matters. As the aim of
divine magic is to enlighten and liberate, the
highest expression of divine magic is the ability to
initiate others into the stream of the light
transmission or to convey something of the
spiritual energy or power of one's own self-
realization-hence the divine labor of the tzaddikim
who serve as spiritual guides and impart the secret
teachings and initiations.
 Prophetic Consciousness
As indicated above, prayer and meditation are
integral to the practice of real divine magic
because it is through spiritual-mystical practices
that an aspirant is able to realize and actualize the
divine power of the radiant holy breath of God.
Methods of mystical prayer and meditation are
important to divine magic for another reason; they
are how an initiate is able to enter into states of
prophetic consciousness and receive divine
guidance in the practice of his or her magic. Unless
one is aware of the divine will, one cannot direct
one's magical workings to serve the divine will
and kingdom. Before any magical working, the
initiate must first know the divine will in the
matter, lest one could easily be engaging in a
magical act contrary to the divine will. According
to the Tradition, any magical working that is apart
from the divine will and one's true will is defined
as sorcery or black magic.

There are two grades of prophecy, and there are

various degrees of prophecy within these two
grades. Hod at the base of the Pillar of Severity
and Netzach at the base of the Pillar of Mercy are
called the hazy mirror of prophecy and clear
mirror of prophecy, respectively. However, this
attribute of prophetic states to Hod and Netzach
can be deceiving if one is not aware of the great
Tree of Life and the interpenetration of the Olamot
with one another. Like Da'at, which is the
expression of Yesod of a higher universe, Hokmah
and Binah of a lower universe are the expression
of Netzach and Hod of a higher universe. Thus it is
at the level of Binah and Hokmah that prophetic
consciousness occurs, the communication of the
prophecy being Da'at. The levels of prophecy thus
span the universes of Atzilut, Beriyah, and
Yetzirah, and are enacted in Asiyah by the prophet
or apostle-hence the speaking of a prophecy or a
magical working founded upon the divine guidance
he or she has received.

The terms "hazy mirror of prophecy" and "clear

mirror of prophecy" denote the quality of the
prophetic experience and the two grades of
prophecy-the lesser prophet and the greater
prophet. The lesser prophet is one who is able to
look into the divine law and see what is going to
happen and thus aligns him- or herself accordingly.
What the prophet has seen at this level may or may
not transpire, and he or she may or may not be able
to effect a change in the course of events. The
knowledge and understanding of the lesser prophet
is, by nature, something partial and in- complete-
"hazy."

The greater prophet, however, is at-one with the

divine law, and therefore is able to perceive
exactly what will come to pass and has the
knowledge, understanding, and power to affect the
flow of events, more or less. Because the greater
prophet is united with the divine law, whatever he
or she speaks will come to pass-it transpires as the
greater prophet speaks it. Thus, prophecy from the
level of Binah is always somewhat partial or hazy;
while from the level of Hokmah, it is always
complete and clear. This is true whether at the
level Binah-Hokmah of Yetzirah or of Beriyah.

In terms of the levels of prophecy corresponding

to the Olamot, while Binah and Hokmah speak of
the clarity of the prophetic experience, the
universes speak to the degree of directness in the
experience itself-the directness of knowledge,
understanding, and wisdom. At the level of Atzilut,
there are no symbols or images; prophecy is a
direct knowing or understanding in the mind of the
prophet. He or she knows and understands without
need of any dream or vision. At the level of
Beriyah, the prophet has a direct experience of the
presence and power of the Lordthe holy Shekinah.
God speaks directly to the prophet. At the level of
Atzilut, the holy Shekinah and the prophet are
united in the prophetic experience-there is only the
Holy One. At the level of Beriyah, there is the
prophet and the Holy One, and although very near
to the Holy One, the prophet experiences God
distinct from him- or herself. The level of Yetzirah
is a prophecy communicated in reflection through
symbols and through the agency of the holy angels
of God. Thus, whether the prophecy is a partial
knowledge or complete knowledge, and the degree
of directness through which the knowledge comes,
determines the level of prophetic consciousness.
Dreams and visions filled with symbolism and
angelic visitations is the lowest degree of
prophetic consciousness; the experience of a direct
knowledge and understanding within oneself is the
highest degree between these two poles there are
many gradations.

To enter into prophetic consciousness, one must

turn one's consciousness inward and upward-
Godward-through prayer and meditation. Through
living according to the truth and light revealed in
one's experience and magical ritual, one then
enacts the divine will or knowledge of the
kingdom. This is what it means to be a prophet or
apostle of God. As Lord Yeshua said, "I do what I
see my Father doing."
 Gradations of Divine Magic
Just as there are various gradations of prophetic
consciousness, there are also gradations of divine
magic. At the level of Hokmah, the divine magic of
the perfect master transpires through pure thought
or silent will. The perfect Tzaddik does not need
to do anything outwardly or say anything outwardly
in order to bring about a change in consciousness
or the flow of events. Whatever he or she might do
outwardly is for the sake of others, so that others
might understand what is being done and
experience a link with the spirit of truth. The
highest form of divine magic, therefore, has little
or nothing to do with anything outward, such as
ritual, talismans, magical weapons, and the like,
but is purely a shift within consciousness itself,
through which a corresponding change takes place
outwardly. Consciousness-force is completely one
and the same in supernal or Christ consciousness.
Thus the forces move with a shift in consciousness
according to the will of the perfect tzaddik, which
is God's will.

The lowest form of divine magic, like the lowest

form of prophetic consciousness, is heavily
dependent upon symbolism and mediation of
angelic and other spiritual beings-forces. At this
level, the initiate must rely upon a sacred ritual
outwardly performed and thus makes use of
magical weapons, sigils and talismans,
incantations, and the like. Between these two poles
of divine magic are the adepts who perform their
art purely on the inner planes through the
projection of consciousness in a subtle or spiritual
body. The divine magic of pure thought
corresponds to Hokmah, the divine magic
accomplished through the subtle or spiritual body
on the inner planes corresponds to Tiferet-Da'at,
and the divine magic of sacred ritual corresponds
to Hod.

The virtue of the divine magic that initiates learn

in the study and practice of the magical Kabbalah
is that, at every level, whether sacred ritual or
inner plane work in a spiritual body, all methods
reflect the pure magic of supernal or Christ
consciousness and have their source of inspiration
from divine wisdom (Hokmah). This is not true of
all systems of ceremonial magic, however, as many
systems put forth by occultists of the twentieth
century are not the product of the inspiration of
divine wisdom or enlightenment, but rather are
derived from klippotic influences. A fine example
is the so-called "Enochian magic," which, its
origin shows, was not received in a state of purity
or holiness, nor by individuals seeking
enlightenment and liberation. The spiritual beings-
forces called in always reflect the consciousness
of those who link with them. If the consciousness is
impure and imperfect, so also will be the spiritual
beings-forces invoked. In terms of systems of
magic, we are wise to follow the advice of the
Master Yeshua: "Beware of false prophets, who
come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are
ravenous wolves. You will know them by their
fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs
from thistles? In the same way, every good tree
bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A
good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree
bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good
fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you
will know them by their fruits" (Gospel of
Matthew 7:15-20).

As much as a mystic, Master Yeshua was also a

magician. Divine magic is part of the Gnostic
Christian Tradition; however, one must be
discerning as to what forms of magic one practices
and know how to put the spirits to the test, to
ensure that the magic one practices is, in fact,
inspired by the divine. The thought that one can
attain more power through less than divine forms
of magic, or attain power more swiftly, is not true.
Have you ever met a magician who could wield
more power than Yeshua, or through whom more
acts of magic naturally flowed forth, or who was
able to raise the dead? Given the deeds of Master
Yeshua, it would seem obvious that the divine
magic he practiced was the highest and most
powerful form possible-divine magic as reflected
in the teachings of all incarnations of the great
world-teacher.
 Radiant Wisdom in Creation
Few initiates can reach into Atzilut to glean
knowledge of divine magic or to gain prophetic
insight, let alone attain Hokmah of Atzilut, which is
the divine fullness of supernal or Messianic
consciousness. Therefore, more often than not, it is
through the agency of the archangel Ratziel that
most initiates and adepts come into contact with
Hokmah-Ratziel being the personification of
Hokmah at the level of Beriyah.

Ratziel means the "secret of God," "mystery of

God," or "wisdom of God." Thus, Ratziel is said to
hold the knowledge of the highest mysteries,
specifically mysteries concerning prophecy and the
magical Kabbalah. These mysteries are said to
have been written down in a heavenly book by the
archangel-the Book of Ratziel. Like so many other
legendary holy books of the Kabbalah, the Book of
Ratziel is read in a higher state of consciousness,
most often in dreams or visionary states during
deep meditation. Although at least one earthly book
has been written bearing the title The Book of
Ratziel, and undoubtedly many other books on the
magical Kabbalah have been inspired from the
heavenly book, the Book of Ratziel cannot be
contained in a single earthly volume or any number
of earthly volumes, for it is a book of God's
infinite wisdom in creation, containing all
mysteries of creation, with the exception of the
mystery of the creation of Adam (the human one).

As much as a book of divine magic, the Book of

Ratziel is a heavenly book of supernal prophecy.
For all scientific or artistic discovery that will
ever be made, and everything that will result from
these discoveries, is in this holy book. From the
perspective of Ratziel or Hokmah of Beriyah, all
revelation and therefore all discovery has already
happened. One might say that what is called magic
today will be called science in the future, and what
is called prophecy will become the creative
outpouring of tomorrow's art. In a certain respect,
one could call Ratziel the supernal muse.

The Book of Ratziel is actually a metaphor for the

mind of the supernal angel, and the content of the
holy book is the knowledge and understanding
conveyed by contact with this manifestation of the
holy Shekinah. Constantly, the Kabbalah is
speaking in human and anthropomorphic terms of
heavenly or spiritual things, and one must bear this
in mind to gain a true understanding of what is
actually being taught in the Kabbalah. If one
wishes to read the Book of Ratziel, he or she must
come into contact with Ratziel, or he or she must
shift to the higher consciousness personified as
Ratziel.

The traditional image through which Gnostic

initiates envision Ratziel in meditation is both
beautiful and powerful. Ratziel is envisioned in a
gray hooded robe, formed from clouds. The face of
Ratziel shines from within the hood as though the
sun shining through the clouds, and the robe itself
is inwardly illuminated as if the orb of the sun
were in it. The effect produces rainbows streaming
out from the image in all directions. The
background to the visualization is deep, crystal-
clear sky-blue, so that it is as though the archangel
has gathered clouds to form a visible image. In his
left hand, Ratziel holds a holy staff, the top of
which is carved as the head of a great dragon, and
the letters of the divine name Yahweh are engraved
on the staff, ablaze like fire. In his right hand is a
crystal sphere. With the chant of the divine names:
Yahweh and Ya RaTziel, the most basic form of
meditation seeking contact with Ratziel is
performed. It is quite possible that a meditation on
this divine image could convey deeper insights into
the reality of Hokmah than all the words written in
this chapter. As the saying goes, "a picture is worth
a thousand words." This is especially true of the
divine images of visualization created by adepts
and masters of the Tradition, which reflect and
transmit something of the actual enlightenment
experience they depict.

According to the Tradition, Ratziel was the holy

guardian angel of supernal Adam in the Garden of
Eden, and thus is said to be the great guardian and
guide of the elect. Although Gabriel is considered
the keeper of the holy grail and Michael has been
called the guardian of the grail, Ratziel is said to
know the inmost secret mystery of the holy grail,
for Ratziel is the great angel of the Bride Sophia in
Gnostic Tradition.

To speak of Ratziel in this way is to say that the

holy ones-the elect-are guided and inspired in their
divine labor by the wisdom of creation and seek to
act in complete harmony with divine wisdom.
 Wheels within Wheels
Merkavah Mysticism, which was the earliest form
of the Kabbalah, was founded upon the first two
chapters of Ezekiel in which the prophet describes
his vision of a divine chariot (merkavah). Until the
Book of Revelation, recording the vision of St.
John, the vision of the divine chariot in the Book of
Ezekiel was among the most detailed and complex
descriptions of prophetic vision ever recorded. It
was also unique in that typically, according to
Jewish Tradition, prophecy did not occur outside
of the holy land of Israel. However, that was not
the case for Ezekiel. He experienced his prophetic
vision during the Babylonian exile by the river
Chebar, outside of the holy land. St. John's vision
also occurred outside of the holy land, while he
was in exile under Roman authority on the Isle of
Patmos. Thus, the visions of these two prophets are
also linked together in this way-both occurring
outside of the holy land and apart from the temple
in Jerusalem.

Essentially, these two prophetic visions happen

under the same circumstances and are both
prophetic visions of the same level-the clear
mirror of prophecy at the level of Yetzirah. By
sharing the imagery of the vision in great detail,
both prophets not only share their prophecy, they
provide us with insight into the divine continuum
within and behind the material dimension, as well
as instructions on how we might contact or enter
into the divine continuum. Thus, along with other
brief moments in the Scriptures in which the
prophets speak of the opening of divine vision,
these two holy books form a manual of instruction
on prophetic meditation.

Prophecy cannot be invoked. Unlike the holy

angels of God and other spiritual beings-forces,
one cannot invoke/evoke the Spirit of God. One
can create the conditions in which the Holy Spirit
can move with, in, and through oneself, one can
invite her and one can welcome her. But whether
or not the Holy Spirit comes is a matter of divine
will, not one's own will or one's mental or vital
demand. One who seeks prophetic vision must
learn how to wait upon the Spirit of Yahweh-how
to become open and sensitive to divine grace.

We can invoke the archangel Ratziel and, in so

doing, we can experience contact with the divine
continuum through Ratziel and the Ofanim. The
same is true of the other archangels and their hosts
on the Tree of Life. Such a contact is a drawing
down to us something of the influence of the divine
continuum. However, to actually enter into the
higher state of consciousness personified by the
archangels and their hosts, we must be elevated by
Ruach Ha-Kodesh (the holy spirit). Thus, through
prayer, meditation, or sacred ritual, we can contact
the continuum via the holy angels, but only through
meditation can we wait upon the Spirit of Yahweh
and fully enter into the divine continuum and
prophetic consciousness.

In Gnostic Christianity, the divine continuum is a

term for the spiritual world or metaphysical
universe the initiate experiences within and behind
the material dimension; specifically, by continuum
is meant the force and matrix of the supernals as
they manifest through the four Olamot. The
archangels and the orders of angels that form their
hosts serve as an interface between the divine
continuum and creation, linking together the
spiritual and material dimensions of creation. In
relationship to God and humanity, they act as
mediating agents bringing down the divine light to
human beings and helping humanity in its ascent to
the world of supernal light.

Archangels join Beriyah and Yetzirah, and the

orders of holy angels that form their hosts serve to
join Yetzirah and Asiyah. The dominion of an
archangel plays out on a lower level through the
order of angels under its charge. Thus, if Ratziel
serves as a guide and guardian of human evolution,
then so also does the order of the Ofanim under his
charge.

The Ofanim appear in Ezekiel's vision and are

described as having the appearance of wheels
within wheels, with eyes on the rims of the wheels.
Their color is said to be "gleaming beryl," which
is typically associated with aquamarine.
According to Ezekiel, the Ofanim have a very
close connection with the Hayyot Ha-Kodesh, so
that the Ofanim move with the Hayyot and, when
the Hayyot stop their movement, the Ofanim also
stop their motion. Ofan, literally "wheel," suggests
the idea of continuum, cycles, and movement. In
terms of wheels on a chariot (Merkavah), they are
the interaction of the chariot with the ground that
serves to reduce friction or resistance and allow
for movement. A chariot without wheels would not
move very well and the road beneath it would not
last very long; without the wheels, both the chariot
and the earth would be torn up. Thus the Ofanim
represent the interaction of the spiritual dimension
with the physical dimension, and as with the wheel
of a chariot that allows the chariot to move over
the earth without tearing it up, the Ofanim serve to
remove friction or resistance between humanity
and the influx of divine or spiritual energy.

The essential relationship of the Ofanim to

humanity is reflected by the wheel of the zodiac
(Mazlot), which is the manifestation of Hokmah at
the level of Asiyah and represents the twelve
archetypes of human personalities. It is also
expressed through two archangels that the masters
of the Tradition identify as great Ofanim-Metatron
and Sandalfon. You will remember our previous
exploration of Metatron as the image of the human
one in association with the story of Enoch.
Sandalfon (Malkut in Beriyah) is said to be the
other face or other side of Metatron, as though two
sides of one Ofan. Sandalfon is the archangel that
uplifts the prayers of the faithful and elect before
God and who transmits the blessings of God in the
assembly of believers. Her name literally means
the "ShoeAngel," and like the wheel on the chariot,
a shoe serves as the interface between a foot and
the ground. Metatron represents the divine ideal of
human evolution and Sandalfon, associated with
prayer, meditation, and sacred ritual, represents the
way of that evolution.

Because of this function of serving as a direct

interaction between the spiritual and physical
world, the Ofanim are often called the angels of
Asiyah and, as with the wheel of the zodiac, are
often associated with the movement of the moon,
planets, and stars. In truth, the Ofanim are the force
in motion, through ebbs and flows, in every form
within creation. Thus, as much as the movement of
the force in celestial bodies, they are the movement
of life-waves through world systems and all forms
of continuums or cycles in creation.

The intimate connection between the Hayyot and

the Ofanim given by Ezekiel alludes to the Hayyot
as the agents of the divine will or divine plan at the
level of Yetzirah and the Ofanim as the agents of
the interface of that divine plan with the physical
universe. Therefore, as the Ofanim are often called
the angels of Asiyah, the Hayyot are often called
the angels of Yetzirah.

These two orders of angels are linked together in

the vision of Ezekiel in terms of movement, but
they are also linked together through the faces
ascribed to the Hayyot-the face of a human, the
face of an ox, the face of a lion, and the face of an
eagle. These correspond to the fixed signs of the
zodiac-Aquarius, Taurus, Leo, and Scorpio,
respectively-the Ofan of the zodiac.

Hayyot are the expression of the divine will and,

thus, the intention of God within and behind every
movement of the force. The Ofanim are the
movements of God's Spirit according to God's
intention.

Prophecy is the revelation of interactions of the

holy Shekinah with the physical world and,
specifically, with humanity. Thus, prophecy is an
expression of the function of the Ofanim, and a
given prophecy could be considered an Ofan.
Likewise, divine magic is the result of a change in
the relationship of the divine and the material
world, which causes a corresponding change in the
flow of the force and, therefore, a change in what
actually transpires in the material dimension-
specifically, a change through a human agent. This,
too, is an expression of the function of the Ofanim,
and a true magical act in harmony with the divine
will could also be considered an Ofan.

If one contemplates the vision of Ezekiel and the

vision of St. John, one will find that the former
corresponds to Sandalfon (Malkut) and the latter
corresponds to Metatron (Keter), as though one
Great Ofan of the light continuum. This is true of
all the prophets. However, as explained above, it
is especially true of the visions of Ezekiel and St.
John. In effect, the vision of St. John is contained
in Ezekiel's vision of the divine merkavah, so that
St. John's vision is the unfolding of the vision of
Ezekiel and of all of the prophets to its completion
and fulfillment-the fruition of the light continuum in
the human life-wave.
 Spiritual Practices for Hokmah
Giving and Receiving Meditation

The following practice is common to both Gnostic

Christianity and Mahayana Buddhism. It
corresponds to both Hokmah and Tiferet on the
Tree of Life-to Hokmah as the awareness of sacred
unity and realization of the radiant holy breath; to
Tiferet as the awareness of the indwelling Christ,
the development of spiritual compassion and the
mystery of the crucifixion.

To fully acquire the power of the divine names,

one must be aware of the sacred unity and have an
awareness of oneself as part of the sacred unity.
Likewise, one needs to become aware of the light-
presence (Christos) within oneself and the light-
force within one's breath. One also needs to
develop spiritual love and compassion, which
comes from the awareness of sacred unity, the
light-presence and radiant holy breath of God that
we share with all that lives.

In the Gnostic Christian Tradition, spiritual or

mystical attainment is primary and such things as
prophetic consciousness and magic powers are
secondary. The truth is that, without a significant
degree of spiritual development and self-
discipline, we are deluding ourselves in chasing
after the prophetic experience and magical powers.
Giving and receiving meditation represents one of
the preliminary practices for the spiritual
development necessary for more advanced
practices of prophetic meditation and divine
magic.

That giving and receiving is given as a

preliminary practice should not lead one to think
that it is in any way less powerful than the more
advanced practices. Preliminary practices are
always the foundation of advanced forms of
practice, and when practiced by adepts and
masters of the Tradition, these basic practices have
magical results. With this practice, an advanced
initiate can uplift and heal others on physical,
psychic, and spiritual levels. Likewise, he or she
can banish negative forces from an environment or
person. A master could conceivably use this
practice to liberate a person from their karmic
bondage. However, before such things are
possible, one must learn to uplift and heal oneself-
to enlighten and liberate oneself. Thus, such
practices begin, in their basic form, as a work on
oneself and are preliminary in this sense.

The Base of the Practice

The base of the practice is fundamentally the same

for all forms of giving and receiving meditation. In
fact, it is common to the vast majority of
meditation practices in Gnostic Christianity. The
base of the practice is as follows:

➢ Sit down and allow yourself to relax, yet

remain completely alert. Let your body find its
own natural rhythm of breath, and gently place
your awareness on your breath-just being
present with your breath and the moment.

➢ Then envision the light-presence (the

indwelling Christ) as a spiritual sun within and
behind your heart. Imagine your breath linked to
this spiritual sun, as though the spiritual sun
were breathing through you. Feel the warmth of
the spiritual sun in the center of your being-the
light, love, and healing power of Christ in you.
Feel the depth of knowledge, understanding,
and wisdom of the light-presence; the depth of
forgiveness and compassion. Feel the sacred
heart of Christ open in yourself and the
acceptance of yourself, just as you are, by the
Christ-presence. As you breathe, imagine that
your whole body-mind is pervaded with the
light-filled with the light and love of Christ.
This is the base of the practice, which itself is
the very essence of the practice.

Giving and Receiving with the

Environment

➢ Begin with the base practice, establishing the

spiritual sun within you and linking your breath
to the spiritual sun. Feel the texture of your
mind and heart-the mood and general
atmosphere of your consciousness. If you feel
uneasy, anxious, unclear, if you notice any form
of mental or emotional negativity, if you feel
resistance to the spirit of truth in any way, or if
you feel anything that is dark and cloudy, then
as you breathe in, breathe the negativity into the
spiritual sun. When you breathe out, breathe out
light in its place. Breathe in everything that is
negative and unwholesome, and breathe out
everything that is good and true. The spiritual
 sun transforms everything into the likeness of
itself, so that you breathe out light in the place
of darkness. Breathe peace, joy, light, love,
clarity, hope, understanding, faith, and all good
things into the atmosphere of your
consciousness.

➢ Filled with the light-presence in this way,

you can do the same thing with the environment
around you. You can breathe in anything that is
negative or dark, and as you breathe out, you
can envision the environment being filled with
light. You need not worry or fear that anything
can harm you that you breathe in, because the
spiritual sun of Christ in you cannot be harmed
by anything. Such is the real power of the
Christ-self (the solar self).

Adepts and masters of the Tradition often use this

method to uplift and bless others in their
environment, or to transmit substantial and helpful
spiritual energy.
Giving and Receiving with Oneself

➢ When you are comfortable with the above

method, you can then progress to giving and
receiving with oneself. In this method you
visualize two selves, as it were, a light self and
a dark elf. In the meditation, you are the light
self and the dark self stands in front of you,
perhaps five feet away.

➢ This dark self holds all the self-negativity of

your consciousnessall the feelings of insecurity,
fear, self-loathing; feelings of being abandoned,
rejected, and judged; feelings of guilt, regret, or
remorse; all the sorrow and suffering of your
experience; all the pain and grief; every
possible form of negativity, including
bitterness, resentment, anger, and hatred, and
all imaginable vices (selfishness, greed, and so
on).

➢ Holding the image of the dark self before

you, establish yourself in the light-presence,
and open your mind and heart to this aspect of
yourself completely. Feel the light-presence in
you responding with love and compassion to
this darkness-yearning to embrace and heal this
dark and fragmented self. Open yourself to this
dark self and let the Christ-self in you take on
the sorrow and suffering of this lost soul
completely. Breathe the breath of light. As you
breathe in, envision the negativity of this dark
self as a sooty, reddish-brown or black smoke,
and see that smoke dissolved and transformed
in the light of the spiritual sun. As you breathe
out, breathe light into the dark self. In this way,
continue to exchange your light and good for all
the negative energies of the dark self, seeing
yourself and this dark self progressively
becoming brighter and brighter, until both
images are completely filled with the light.
Then see yourself exchanging light with
yourself, the whole environment becoming
radiant with light-light upon light. Completing
the meditation, envision these two selves
merging into one light-presence and know
yourself whole and complete, just as you are.

Giving and Receiving in Real Life

➢ Perform the base practice, and with the

awareness and courage of the Christ-presence,
imagine as vividly as possible any actual
situation in which you have acted badly-a
situation about which you feel guilty or have
remorse or profound regret, and that is actually
painful to even think about. Let yourself feel
this whole thing deeply and consider the harm
done by your actions.

➢ Then, as you breathe in, take total

responsibility for your actions in that particular
situation, but without any self-judgment or any
attempt to justify your behavior. Acknowledge
exactly what you have done wrong and with
your whole heart ask for forgiveness. Now, as
you breathe out, breathe out forgiveness,
reconciliation, clarity, understanding, peace,
healing, and love. So, in effect, you breathe in
blame and breathe out undoing harm; you
breathe in responsibility and breathe out
forgiveness. As you accept responsibility, also
let yourself accept forgiveness from the inner
self or Christ-self, knowing that, in assuming
responsibility and letting go of guilt, you are
forgiven by God. God has already forgiven you,
but you must forgive yourself. When you
complete this process, know that there is peace
between you and God.

➢ Oftentimes, initiates may complete this

practice by actually seeking out the person or
persons that they have harmed and asking them
for their forgiveness. If that is not possible,
instead they will seek out a spiritual brother or
sister and ask him or her to listen to their
confession of responsibility. Sometimes, such
action is necessary for us to accept self-
forgiveness and to actually experience full
healing. Being responsible for one's actions is
essential to authentic spirituality. In the end
result, whatever we do to others, we have done
to ourselves. This is the truth we discover in
higher states of consciousness.

Giving and Receiving for Others

➢ Perform the base practice; then imagine

someone to whom you feel very close
magically appearing in the space before you-a
friend or loved one you know to be suffering or
having a difficult time in life. Follow the same
steps as in giving and receiving with oneself,
until the image of your friend or loved one is
completely filled with the light-presence. When
the process is complete, imagine that they are
healed and fulfilled totally, with no doubt in
your mind. Instead of merging with the image of
the person, see them departing in joy, going
their own way.
➢ Once you can do this well with friends and
loved ones, practice doing it for strangers. At
the point you can do this practice with deep
feeling for strangers, you are ready to perform
this practice upon those you would consider
enemies or whom you do not like. The ultimate
aim of this practice is to be able to perform it
just as well for a friend, stranger or enemy.
Such is the nature of true spiritual love and
compassion or the sacred heart of Christ.
SEVEN
BINAH, THE DEPTH
OF
UNDERSTANDING,
THE
 DIVINE
INTELLIGENCE
 Attributes
Thirty-Two Paths of Wisdom: Sanctified
Consciousness (Sek-hel McKudash); this is the
foundation of Original Wisdom, and it is called
"Faithful Faith"; its roots are in AMeN. It is the
father of faith, and from its power faith emerges

Binah: Understanding

Place on the Tree of Life: Head of the Pillar of

Severity

Divine Name: Elohim or Yahweh Elohim

Alternative Divine Names: Elohim Hayyim,

Living God; Shekinah Aila, Upper Shekinah;
Tzedek Elyon, Highest Justice

Partzuf Above: Aima, Mother

Partzuf Below: The Holy Mother, Mother Mary;

the Matriarchs; Prophet Miriam in the Torah
Divine Image: A mature woman; the image of
Mother Mary; Mother Mary enthroned with the
Apocalyptic Lamb seated upon the Book of
Seven Seals in her lap; the image of the Woman
of Light in the Apocalypse

Archangel: Tzafkiel or Shabbatiel

Order of Angels: Aralim

Celestial Attribute: Shabbatai, Saturn

Titles Given to Binah: Mother Sophia or Mother

Wisdom; Depth of End; The Holy Womb; the
Matrix of Creation; the Matrix of Light;
Khorsia, the Throne; Marah, the Bitter Sea or
Great Sea; Pearl of Grace; Queen of Heaven;
Star of Grace; Sophia Stellarum, Starry
Wisdom; Mother of Faith; Holy Birther; the
Crone or Old Hag; Woman of Light; Mother
Israel; Throne of Glory; Divine Grace; Divine
Fullness; God the Mother; The Matriarch; the
Way; Cave of the Ancestors; The Eternal
Sabbath; Bridal Chamber

Level of the Soul: Neshamah, Divine Nature or

Heavenly Soul

Heavenly Abode: The World of Supernal Light

Spiritual Experience: The Radiant Holy Breath

of God; the Anointing with the Supernal Light;
the Vision of Pure Delight; the Vision of
Sorrow

Virtues: Self-discipline; responsibility; silence;

divine authority; discipleship

Vices: Lack of organization; greed; lack of self-

discipline; betrayal; cupidity

Symbols: The Cave; The Vesica Piscis; the

Kteis or Yoni; the cup, chalice or grail; the
Outer Robe of Concealment; the letter He; The
Chair of the Elder
Commandment: You shall not make wrongful
use of the name of the Lord your God (Exodus
20:7)

Sermon on the Mount: Blessed are those who

are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs
is the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:10-12)

Angel of the Apocalypse and Churches: The

Presence of the Holy Angel (Revelation 2:1-7)
 The Radiant Darkness
Hokmah is the radiant fullness of all divine
potential and Binah is the emptiness or radiant
darkness through which all divine potential is
realized. In Keter, this divine fullness and
primordial emptiness are one and the same divine
being. At the outset of the creative act, the divine
being reveals itself in Hokmah-wisdom, its pure
radiant awareness, to itself, its own infinite
receptivity-Binah, its understanding or
intelligence. On the one hand, Binah resides in
THE luminous abundance of Hokmah like the
emptiness or radiant darkness of a mirror, and
emerges from within Hokmah and envelopes the
divine radiance, becoming its super-intelligible
plane of self-reflection. On the other hand, Binah
emerges directly from within Keter as a
simultaneous emanation with Hokmah, the dark and
light aspect of the primordial divine essence-pure
awareness and perfect receptivity.

Like a supernal circuit from which no cosmic

energy escapes, Keter- Hokmah-Binah of Atzilut is
a sacred unity-one and the same being-
consciousness-force. Hokmah is the outpouring of
the infinite possibility of Keter into the midst of
Binah in a single and undifferentiated Emanation.
The infinite radiation of Arik Anpin enters into the
great void of his-her boundless receptivity. In that
mirror-like nature, the great face of God is
reflected and the Atik Yomin (the Ancient of Days)
knows him-herself. Thus God receives Godself
back into Godself, as it were, and it is this self-
knowledge from which creation is born. Keter is
the Gnostic or knowing being, Hokmah is the
Gnosis or knowledge itself and Binah is that which
is known. Every creature and the whole of creation
are in Binah (God's understanding or intelligence)
as in a womb.
 To understand this, one must bear in mind that
God's knowledge is not like our typical human
knowledge, which is knowledge of things
seemingly separate and apart from us. In our human
knowledge, there is a division between the knower
(subject) and that which is known (object), but in
divine Gnosis there is no division between the
knower and the known-God knows all things
within Godself as Godself. Thus, knowing him-
herself and perceiving him-herself, God knows and
understands all things in Godself.

We have spoken previously of Keter appearing

and disappearing from within Ain Sof-that is, when
Keter turns toward Ain Sof, it merges with Ain Sof
and disappears, but when Keter turns away from
Ain Sof toward the Sefirot below, it appears. This
is directly reflected in Binah. For when Binah is
turned toward Keter, she and Hokmah merge and
are the fullness of Arik Anpin-the big face of God.
When she turns downward, giving birth to the
seven Sefirot of construction below, she appears
as Aima, the supernal Mother, and Hokmah
appears as Abba, the supernal Father.

Binah, as the self-knowledge of God from which

all of creation comes into being, is the "foundation
of original or primordial wisdom," Her ability to
unite herself with Hokmah in Keter is her "faithful
faith" and the truth of her "roots being in Amen," a
title of Keter. Binah is sanctified in her unity with
the infinite.
 The Archetypal World-The
World of Supernal Light
As expressed in the last chapter, Hokmah
represents the sayings or axioms upon which
creation is founded-hence the wisdom of Creation.
Binah is the underlying pattern or structure that
gives order to these sayings so that their power
might be actualized and their meaning understood.
The sayings themselves are the force of Hokmah,
and the pattern or structure that connects them
creates the forms they assume-not the gross forms
of actual manifestation, but rather the supernal or
archetypal forms that are the patterns upon which
all actual forms are founded. The force of Hokmah
becomes the archetypal forms or heavenly images
of creation in Binahthe meaning of the divine name
Yahweh Elohim as the expression of Binah at the
level of Atzilut. Yahweh is the one consciousness-
force and Elohim is the archetypes through which
the one consciousness-force manifests. What
actually becomes manifest is Da'at and the seven
Sefirot below the great abyss.

This is reflected in the story of the construction of

the tabernacle, which was built based upon the
pattern of the supernal world. Betzalel was chosen
by divine election as the builder of the tabernacle,
and it is said that Yahweh filled Betzalel with the
spirit of wisdom, understanding, and knowledge
(Exodus 31:3). Thus, the tabernacle was to be built
with the same principles as the Olamot. Based
upon our own experience, this may be explained in
the following way. Hokmah is akin to the
knowledge one receives from others, which has
evolved through previous life experience. It
represents the capacity to receive and integrate
fundamental means or axioms into one's own
mental being. Binah indicates the capacity to draw
out additional information from what one has
received, and Da'at represents one's capacity to
carry out actual work based upon one's acquired
knowledge and understanding. In terms of the
divine, this creative capacity of wisdom,
understanding, and knowledge is infinite. In
relationship to the ideal form of a tabernacle-the
heavenly tabernacle-the actual forms of
tabernacles or temples that can be generated to
reflect the ideal form are potentially endless.

Essentially, Binah represents the idea of God as

the ideal form and all archetypes as variations of
that supreme ideal. These archetypes all exist in
the sacred unity of the ideal form. Thus, the
archetypes of all things are equal, although they are
archetypes of unequal things-for in the ideal form
that God is, they are all united and equal. The
highest supernal angel, the soul of a human being,
and the existence of the smallest creature have one
single archetype in God-God's own divine being in
which all ideal forms are identical. God imparts
Godself to all things equally to the degree that they
are from God and founded upon God. The holy
angels, all humankind, and all creatures are equal
as they first emerge from God. If one sees things at
their source, in the very essence of their being, one
sees that they are all equally great and wonderful-
equal in every way. If one perceives this equality
in space-time-consciousness, one can only wonder
at the nature of equality to be found in eternity. For
the smallest creature is far greater in the divine
being than the highest supernal angel is in itself. In
God, all things are perfectly equal and all are
equally in God. Such a perception is a vision of
delight, but it is also a vision of sorrow when one
sees cosmic ignorance preventing this self-
realization in so many good creatures of God.
 The Pleroma-Divine Fullness
In the Jewish Kabbalah, the divine name for Binah
is "Yahweh pronounced as Elohim." As we
explored in the chapter on Da'at, which shares the
divine name Yahweh Elohim with Binah, Yahweh
Elohim alludes to the idea of the one force or life-
power that assumes many forms. As we saw
above, the pleroma or divine fullness proper is
Hokmah, while Binah is the primordial emptiness
or receptivity through which the divine fullness is
actualized. The phrase "Yahweh pronounced as
Elohim" suggests the principle of emptiness
inherent in Elohim.

One way to understand this is in terms of the

Partzuf of Binah, Aima, and the idea of the
Mother's womb. Until activated by the reception of
the Father's seed-force, the Mother's womb is a
profound emptiness, but once the Mother receives
the issuance of the Father, she becomes divine
fullness. Until the seed-force passes into the
Mother, the force of the Father is only potential,
and likewise, the power of the Mother to matrix the
force and manifest it in form is only potential.
Thus, through their union, the Father and Mother
actualize one another.

The analogy of the male and female in union is

alluded to in the name of Elohim itself, which is a
feminine noun with a masculine plural, suggesting
the idea of the womb of the pregnant mother. It is a
name suggesting an absolute unity in infinite
multiplicity. Some occultists have ascribed the
meaning of Elohim as a plethora of gods and
goddesses, as the idea of the pagan faiths;
however, such an association misses the subtlety of
the divine name completely. First, one must
understand that the idea of the Father and the
Mother is not two but rather is one-the principle of
force and form are one in the supernal world.
Second, one must understand that the idea behind a
feminine noun with a masculine plural does not
suggest a multiplicity of goddesses and gods, but
rather one divine parent who can infinitely
generate and give birth-the endless generation of
creation. Third, the plurality associated with the
divine being is one of qualities, attributes, or
apparent functions, akin to qualities, attributes, and
functions that might be associated with a person.
For example, a woman can be a specialist at work,
like a lawyer, and as a lawyer she may have many
different qualities. She may also be a daughter,
sister, wife, mother, and a leader in a community
service, among other things. Whatever qualities,
attributes, or functions might be ascribed to her,
they are all the expression of one person-one
woman-and she is the unity behind all qualities,
attributes, or functions that might be ascribed to her
and she is more than all these qualities, attributes,
and functions (she is herself). It is similar with the
relationship of God to God's qualities, attributes,
and functions in creation. Elohim as a name of God
does not mean the plurality of many different gods
and goddesses, but rather one supreme being that
manifests him- or herself through countless
qualities or attributes and functions, which form
the matrix of creation.

This gives insight into the nature of the Olamot

and Sefirot. They are Elohim, the many qualities or
attributes and operations of God in creation. The
Sefirot exist in the sacred unity that God is and
cannot be seen in any way separate and apart from
God or separate and apart from one another. They
are "like the flame to the coal," as the Kabbalah
says.

Elohim is composed of the letters Aleph (tC)-

Lamed (~)-He (r 1)-Yod (")-Mem (n). Aleph, as
we have seen, is the letter of God's spirit. Lamed,
which as a word means "ox goad," suggests a
driving or directing force. He, which means a
"window" or "opening," suggests the idea of a
channel through which light and spirit pass. Yod,
which means "hand," suggests the hand of God or
power of God and specifically the seed-force of
Hokmah. Mem is considered a "Mother Letter,"
associated with the primordial element of water. It
literally means "seas" or "waters," and denotes the
medium or substance of creation-consciousness.
All of these ideas directly suggest the Mother, the
womb or matrix-the living God (Elohim Hayyim).

The womb brings the spirit into form, and the

pangs of giving birth are, indeed, an irresistible
driving force. The womb is the channel of alllife,
the passage through which all life comes into
being. The nature of that life is the one force, and
the one force is consciousness. Everything is the
one consciousness-force, and this consciousness-
force is inseparable from being. This is the
meaning of Elohim.

Elohim is the divine name used throughout the

story of creation. The name of Elohim appears
thirty-two times in the story of creation, reflecting
the ten sefirot and twenty-two letters, which form
the circles and lines of the Tree of Life glyph and
represents the diverse manifestations of the one
consciousness-force in the creative act. Elohim
means the divine presence and power of creation.
 The Supernal Mother and
Shekinah
The Partzuf of Binah is Aima, the supernal Mother,
which is alluded to by the divine name of Elohim,
as we have seen. All of the Partzufim of the Sefirot
come into being through the Partzuf Aima, for it is
through the supernal Mother that the transcendental
and impersonal dimension of God becomes
personal and immanent. Without the divine Mother,
the heavenly Father is not the Father, and the Son
and Daughter do not come into being. The Father-
Mother is the great face of God (Arik Anpin), and
thus, without the Mother, the face of God does not
form and appear. As the divine matrix, the supernal
Mother is the primordial space in which everything
comes into being and she is the relationship or
interconnectedness of everything, including the
connectedness of the God and creation.
 It is a great mystery exactly how the Godhead, the
transcendental and impersonal, becomes translated
into the personal and immanent Godhow, on the
one hand, we can experience God as completely
impersonal and yet, on the other hand, experience
God in a completely personal way. These two
modes of experiencing the divine would seem to
contradict one another. However, the nature of
divine being is energy and intelligence, and the
aspect of intelligence is self-awareness. Therefore
intelligence, the Mother, tends to generate the
phenomena of person.

The Mother is the power of God to limit or

constrict Godself-the power of the tzimtzum. She is
the Sefirot, the divine names, and Partzufim, and
through her the archangels, orders of angels, and
the worlds coming into being, which allow human
beings to experience a connection with God and to
consciously unite with God. A traditional saying in
the Kabbalah is that He and His Name are One."
She is the holy name; uniting oneself with the
name, one is united with the Holy One of Being.

The divine Mother is, thus, the divine power of

Yichud-Unification and the Yichudim (plural),
through which the Sefirot and Olamot are joined
together in unity and harmony, and through which
the soul is joined to the Sefirot and the Sefirot are
joined to the soul.

The Mother is the Shekinah-the divine presence

and power of Godin all of its forms. Binah is the
upper Shekinah, the Queen of Heaven, and Malkut
is the lower Shekinah, the earthly Mother. The
Upper Shekinah (Mother) and the lower Shekinah
(Daughter) are intimately linked together-the
Daughter (Malkut kingdom) being the image of the
Holy Mother below. In the soul of the tzaddik
(righteous person or enlightened human), the unity
of the Holy Mother and Daughter becomes fully
conscious, which is to say fully realized and
actualized-hence the divine power that moves with
the prophets and apostles of God.

The Shekinah is synonymous with the Holy Spirit.

Thus, the Holy Trinity of the Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit is actually the Father, Son, and Mother-
Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the divine Mother who,
in union with the heavenly Father, gives birth to the
Messiah, and She is the Daughter who is the Holy
Bride of the Messiah. Thus, within and behind the
Holy Trinity is the Holy Tetrad of the Father and
the Mother, and the Son and the Daughter-the
sacred unity of the Tetrad being represented by the
sign of the cross (see Figure 5).
 Figure 5: The Sign of the Cross.
The hexagram or Star of David represents the
union of the upper and lower Shekinah, and thus
the unity of God the Mother with the elect (Israel).
Specifically, the hexagram is the symbol of the
macrocosm (God) and the pentagram or five-
pointed star is the symbol of the Christed
microcosm (human being). The hexagram is,
therefore, the activity of the Shekinah above and
the pentagram is the activity of the Shekinah
below-the hexagram itself representing the unity of
the Mother and Daughter because the power of the
Daughter is the Holy Mother (Elohim).

The upper Shekinah is the Shekinah in the world

of supernal light, and the lower Shekinah is the
Shekinah in creation and the material world. The
world of supernal light is the direct emanation of
the divine presence and power of God and the
Godhead. Therefore, in the Christian Kabbalah, the
upper Shekinah is called Mother Sophia or
uncreated wisdom, while the lower Shekinah is
called Daughter Sophia or created wisdom. In
essence, the upper and lower Shekinah are one
presence and power and there is no division
between them, so that everything that is said of the
upper Shekinah is true of the lower Shekinah. For
the lower Shekinah is simply the presence and
power of God manifest at a lower grade, closer to
our ordinary level of consciousness and
experience.

The face of the Father is One, depicted by the

great name of Yahweh, but the faces of the Mother
are many, depicted by the name of Elohim. The
face of the Father-Abba is not seen, save through
the agency of the Mother-Aima. When the face of
God appears to change from one face to another
face, such as from mercy to judgment, the face of
the Father has not changed; rather, we are
beholding a different face of the divine Mother.
The Mother is the all in all.
 The Faces of the Shekinah-Our
Divine Mother
In relationship to God and the Godhead, the
Shekinah is Bride and Companion, and she is the
Mother of God, giving birth to the God in creation.
Everything we behold of God and experience of
God is the ShekinahGod the Mother.

The Shekinah, as the supernal Mother at the level

of Atzilut, is inseparable from God the Father and
the Godhead. They abide together in perfect unity
continually, never separating from one another. Yet,
as the cosmic Mother at the level of Beriyah, the
Shekinah enters into union and departs from union
with the Holy One. She either is united with the
holy one or acts independently of the Holy One, all
according to the activity of creatures in creation,
specifically humanity in whom there is the divine
power to either effect unification or division. This
divine power to unify or divide is the Shekinah
herself, who is the divine presence and power
within creature and creation and thus within the
human soul. When human beings pray, meditate,
perform sacred ceremony, and bring their souls
into union with God, they join the Shekinah that
indwells them to God. Conversely, when human
beings give no thought of God and do not act to
unite themselves with God, the Shekinah
indwelling, in effect, is separated from God.
Significantly, according to the Kabbalah, when a
man and woman join together in love and there is
an awareness of the divine in their union, their
unification below brings about a spiritual union of
God and the Shekinah above-and thus the union of
the man and woman is blessed. Therefore, the
covenant of marriage is most holy in the eyes of the
Kabbalah, for it is one of the central ways through
which a unification is brought about both above
and below.
 The relationship of the Shekinah and God is often
viewed in sexual terms. On one level, the Song of
Solomon in the Scriptures is interpreted as the love
affair between God and the Shekinah; although, on
other levels, it is contemplated as the love-play of
the Bridegroom (Tiferet) and Holy Bride (Malkut)
or as the relationship of the Christ-presence to the
assembly of the elect. As the love affair of God
and the Shekinah, the Song of Solomon indicates
bliss or delight as the foundation of creationfor
creation comes into being and is sustained through
the love-play of God and the Shekinah. We saw in
our exploration of Keter that ratzon is the very
nature of the creative impulse-desire being the
primary expres sion of the force or energy of
creation. Therefore, one could rightly say that the
ground of creation is a cosmic orgasmic bliss-the
most essential experience of the divine power
being one of divine joy. According to the masters
of the Tradition, the love of the Shekinah for the
Lord is passionate, and one who experiences that
love is filled with unimaginable divine bliss.

The passion of the Shekinah does not only extend

to God but also to the faithful and elect who are
lovers of God, to whom she is also a companion.
She cleaves to the Lord and she cleaves to those
who unite themselves with her in her love of the
Lord, and thus joins together lovers with their
beloved.

The lower Shekinah is the Holy Shabbat

(Sabbath) and the upper Shekinah is the queen of
the Shabbat. When the faithful and elect remember
and keep the Shabbat, withdrawing from mundane
activity and focusing upon the supramundane
activity of spiritual study and discourse, prayer,
meditation, and sacred ritual, they join themselves
to the lower Shekinah. Through their invocations,
the upper and lower Shekinah are united, and the
Shekinah and God are drawn into mystical
embrace, so that blessings of grace pour out upon
the assembly and the Shekinah is manifest in the
world. The daily continuum of spiritual living and
spiritual practice throughout the week is akin to the
foreplay of love, and the Shabbat is akin to the
climax of love-play in mystical union.

Immediately following Binah on the Tree of Life

are the Sefirot of Hesed (mercy) and Gevurah
(judgment), which are balanced by the Christ-
center, the Sefirah Tiferet (beauty or compassion).
This alludes to the two faces of the Shekinah or the
Mother of enlightenment-the bright Mother and the
dark Mother or Sophia Stellarum (starry wisdom)
and Sophia Nigrans (dark wisdom). At the level of
Atzilut, as indicated above, the bright Mother and
the dark Mother is one and the same: She is the
divine presence and power of the supernal light-
hence the Mother of enlightenment. But at the
levels of Beriyah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah, she is both
the bright Mother and the dark Mother. She
manifests as the mercy of God and the judgment of
God, peaceful emanations and wrathful
emanations.

This is reflected in the eightfold initiation into

Christ consciousness, one version of which is as
follows: Birth, Baptism, Transfiguration,
Crucifixion, and Resurrection, which leads to the
Ascension and the outpouring of the holy fire of
Pentecost. In birth, the bright and dark Mother are
one and the same; for in giving life, the Mother
also brings the sorrow and suffering of death.
Birth, itself, is a traumatic experience for both the
mother and the child. Baptism is an initiation of
rebirth in the Holy Spirit-a mystical death that
leads to the temptation. The baptism is the bright
Mother giving birth to Christ in us, and the
temptation is the dark Mother manifesting as the
ordeal of initiation. The transfiguration is the
outpouring of the blessings of the bright Mother in
divine revelation, which is followed by the
manifestation of the dark Mother, once again, in the
passion and crucifixion of the Christ-bearer.
Through this dark night, the bright Mother shines
forth in full glory as the redemption of the
resurrection and the unification of the ascension-
the supreme revelation of the mystery of Messianic
consciousness. In this process of initiation into
supernal or Messianic consciousness, both the
bright Mother and the dark Mother act toward the
same end-the enlightenment and liberation of the
soul. She is the same divine Mother, whether
manifest in mercy or judgment, peaceful or
wrathful emanation. Within and behind the
appearance of peaceful or wrathful emanation, she
is the blissful emanation of mystical union-
supernal or Messianic consciousness. To
experience this divine bliss, the aspirant must enter
into the embrace of the dark Mother (Sophia
Nigrans), for only through the dark Mother is the
full power and glory of the bright Mother (Sophia
Stellarum) realized.

At the level of Beriyah, the divine Mother, the

Shekinah, is both the light and the darkness. She is
the Mother of enlightenment or the Messiah and the
Mother of ignorance or the cosmic illusion-power.
She is the consciousness-force within all creatures,
whether enlightened or unenlightened. At the level
of Yetzirah, the Shekinah is, thus, the queen of
heaven, Mother of the holy angels of God, and she
is the queen of demons, giving birth to the klippot.
In Asiyah, she is the life-power in the saint and
sinner alike, and she gives to both the righteous
and the wicked according to their desire to
receive. The Shekinah is the light of the kingdom of
heaven, but she is also the purifying fire of
Gehenna (the dominion of hell). Nothing exists
apart from God; therefore, all things are the
manifestation of the divine presence and power of
God.

Thus, the Shekinah is called both a virgin and a

harlot. In her essence and nature, the Shekinah is
ever the same-pure and completely unchanged. She
is like a mirror that reflects images of good and
evil, light and darkness, beauty and horror, yet
regardless of what forms she assumes or what
images appear in her, neither trace nor taint, nor
stain nor mark, is left upon her. Yet, because she
consorts with good and evil, angel and demon,
saint and sinner alike, refusing no one her embrace,
she is called a harlot. Such is the nature of the
divine Mother.

This explains the mystery of what the masters of

the Tradition mean when they say the Partzuf of
Mother-Aima below is both the Virgin Mary
(Mother Miriam) and the Whore of Babylon. On
the side of the holy emanations (Sefirot), the Virgin
Mary is the divine incarnation of MotherAima or
Partzuf of Binah below. However, on the side of
the impure emanations (klippot), Binah appears as
the Whore of Babylon, the mother of abominations.
The Whore of Babylon essentially represents the
view of life from the perspective of cosmic
ignorance-selfishness, lust-greed and fear-anger.
The Holy Virgin, thus, represents the view of life
from the perspective of enlightenment.

From the most brilliant light and great beauty to

the most unimaginable darkness and horror, from
the heights of supernal consciousness to the depths
of cosmic ignorance, and the whole spectrum of
consciousness-force in between, all are the faces
of the Divine Mother, the manifestation of the
Shekinah-blissful, peaceful, and wrathful.
Essentially, encountering the Holy Spirit, one
encounters oneself, the state of one's own
consciousness or soul, and the appearance of the
Divine Mother is the radiant nature of one's own
mind.
 The Image of the Divine
MotherCrown, Throne, and
Kingdom
Until the divine vision of St. John, no book of
prophecy that appears in the canonized Scriptures
gave a specific image of Mother-Aima (The
Woman of Light [Revelation, Chapter 12]), yet
Mother-Aima appears at the heart of the
experience of the prophets in the vision of the one-
whosits-upon-the-throne. The image of the one-
who-sits-upon-the-throne is said to be the
appearance of the likeness of the glory of
Yahweh," which appears "like a human form." The
human being, according to Genesis, is created in
the image of Elohim, and you will recall the
traditional phrase from the Jewish Kabbalah for
the divine name of Binah-"Yahweh pronounced
Elohim." The description of the one-who-sits-
upon-the-throne is a visual image of Yahweh
pronounced Elohim and alludes to Mothermatrix of
the divine vision.

From one prophetic vision to another in the

Scriptures, the image of the one-who-sits-upon-
the-throne is different, reflecting the grade of the
prophecy or degree of the enlightenment
experience of the prophet, as well as the nature of
the interaction and interrelationship of the spiritual
and material world at the time of the prophecy.
Sometimes the divine image on the throne is a
Partzuf proper, as in the vision of Daniel who
beholds the image of Atik Yomin-the Ancient of
Days (Daniel 7:9). Sometimes the image on the
throne is an archangel, such as Metatron, Michael,
or Gabriel. Esoterically, whether a Partzuf or an
archangel, the one-who-sits-upon-the-throne is
called Hua, which is intended to mean "he-she."
However, in Hebrew, Hu means "he" and Hua
means "she"; therefore, the term Hua suggests
Aima-Elohim.

According to the masters of the Tradition, when

the phrase "the angel of Yahweh appeared unto ..."
occurs in the Scriptures, it connotes the Shekinah,
who is the great angel of Yahweh. In Exodus, two
images of the great angel of Yahweh are given, the
image of the Pillar of Cloud and the image of the
Pillar of Fire, which are said to be Metatron and
Sandalfon, respectively, the archangels of crown
and kingdom. They are images of hua-she, the
Shekinah. As the throne unites the crown and the
kingdom, Aima-Binah is implied.

The appearance of the Mother-Shekinah as the

angel of Yahweh is Binah at the level of Yetzirah.
The appearance of the Mother-Shekinah as a
Partzuf proper is Binah at the level of Beriyah. If
an adept has a direct experience of supernal or
Messianic consciousness-direct knowledge,
understanding, and wisdom-then he or she has
touched upon Binah of Atzilut.

In the vision of the one-who-sits-upon-the-throne,

the holy Mother is the crown, throne, and kingdom.
The throne itself is Mother-Aima, the crown is the
upper Shekinah, and the kingdom is the lower
Shekinah. These three symbols represent the
threefold manifestation of the Holy Spirit. As the
crown, the Holy Spirit is Ruach Ha-Enoch, the
spirit of the initiates. As the kingdom, the Holy
Spirit is Ruach Ha-Elijah, the Spirit of the
prophets. As the throne, the Holy Spirit is Ruach
Ha-Messiah, the spirit of the anointed one-supernal
or Messianic consciousness.

Ruach Ha-Elijah represents the power of mystical

attainment and Ruach Ha-Enoch represents the
power of magical attainment. Mystical attainment
is the ability to ascend into higher levels of
consciousness; magical attainment is the ability to
embody something of the higher levels of
consciousness-force or to bring down spiritual
power into the astral and material planes. Ruach
Ha-Messiah represents the union of mystical and
magical attainment, for the attainment of supernal
or Messianic consciousness is both mystical and
magical, as we see with Master Yeshua. The
symbol of the throne representing supernal or
Messianic consciousness identifies the Mother-
Aima as the supernal consciousness.

The crown, throne, and kingdom all connote

divine authority. It is the divine Mother or
Shekinah that grants divine authority to the
Tzaddik, and a true Tzaddik will only act
according to the divine authority granted to him or
her, always using the holy Shekinah by divine
permission. This is the essential distinction
between a wonder-working man or woman of God
and a sorcerer or black magician, for the holy ones
act for the sake of the divine will and divine
kingdom and do not practice divine magic to serve
their own self-will or self-interests. The aim of the
true initiate, like the Shekinah herself, is always to
heal-to enlighten and liberate.

These symbols of the holy Mother-Aima allude to

the noble ideal of the holy priest-king Melchizedek
and the primordial Tradition. The primordial
Tradition-the order of Melchizedek-is the Mother
of all wisdom, and Mother Wisdom is the Mother
of all the enlightened ones.
 The Holy Virgin-Mother Mary
The Partzuf of Aima, God the Mother, becomes
incarnate in the Mother Mary. According to the
stories and legends of the Tradition, Mary was
something of a spiritual prodigy, experiencing
dreams, visions, and visitation of saints and holy
angels from her earliest youth. There was a
mystical circle in the hills of Galilee, founded
upon the way of the prophetic assembly, and she
was recognized as a soul of a higher grade by the
elders of the circle and was received as a disciple.
Among the elders was an old woman who was a
prophet. This old woman saw that Mary was the
reincarnation of the soul of the prophet Miriam and
in a vision she saw that Mary rediscovered the
miracle of Miriam's Well, which was said to be
hidden on the shores of the sea of Galilee.

Joseph was also part of the mystical circle and

married Mary. Shortly after their marriage, Mary
had a dream that she was to give birth to a great
Soul of Light who would be able to become the
Messiah. Joseph believed in Mary's dreams and
they sought to conceive a child together using
special practices involving the sexual mysteries
(Arayot), which they learned from elders of the
circle. Through these spiritual practices, they were
able to draw in a great Soul of Light, the Soul of
Yeshua.

When the great Soul of Light entered into Mary's

womb, the Shekinah descended upon her, indwelt
her, and joined her soul to the Partzuf of Aima, so
that she became God the Mother, for only the
matrix of creation could give birth to such a great
Soul of Light and be the Mother of the Messiah. As
the child grew in her womb, Mary became filled
with divine illumination and the spirits of the
prophets, the patriarchs and matriarchs, and holy
angels of God were constantly coming and going
from her presence. Everyone who entertained her
company felt the presence of Yahweh with her.
When she gave birth, she gave birth to light and she
became Miriam's Well, for living waters came
forth from her heart-song. These waters mingled
with the waters of the baptism in the Jordan, so that
on the day the soul of the Messiah descended upon
her Son, she became the Mother of God.

According to the Gospel of St. John, like a great

mother eagle, Mother Mary gently pushed the
fledgling Messiah out of her nest, initiating the
wonder-working ministry of the Son at the
wedding feast of Cana. As the Son grew in power,
in knowledge, understanding, and wisdom, and
embodied the fullness of divine love, the Mother
grew in glory, and grace upon grace poured forth
from her through the Son and the Daughter, his
Holy Bride. The Mother and the Son are
inseparable, for through the Son of God, she is the
Mother of God, and through God the Mother, he is
God the Son. The Son of Adam, Sun of God, is the
advent of the supernal light in the world, and the
Mother is the space or environment in which the
advent transpires-the channel of divine grace.
Everything transpires in the holy Mother.

The incarnation of the holy Mother is different

than the incarnation of the Son and the Daughter-for
Mother Sophia, the uncreated Sophia, is infinite
and eternal, and completely transcendental. She is
Incarnate to the Son (Christ the Logos) and to the
Daughter (Christ the Sophia) and to those who
receive the divine fullness of Christ in themselves.
Yet she remains transcendent and transparent to all
others until she is fully glorified in the Son and she
herself is taken up into heaven through ascension.
Christ the Logos pervaded the Nefesh of Lord
Yeshua, and Christ the Sophia (created Sophia)
pervaded the Nefesh of St. Mary Magdalene, but
uncreated Sophia-Mother Sophia-merged with the
Neshamah of Mother Mary, being too glorious to
fully dwell in the earthly form of a mortal being.
Thus, only when Mother Mary shed the earthly
form, assuming her heavenly image, did she
become the Mother of creation-the Mother of all.
What could be completely embodied of Sophia
was in the Bride, and what was transcendental
came in through the Mother. The Mother becomes
immanent through the Son, her divine grace passing
through the Son to the Daughter-Sophia, his Bride.
For this reason, little is spoken of Mother Mary in
the divine life of the Holy Gospel until after the
assumption. It is then that the fullness of Mother-
Aima is revealed in her.

Light came down to the children of Israel at

Mount Sinai, and wisdom spoke in the prophets of
Israel, but the presence of light was rejected.
Therefore, light came down as the Mother, the Son,
and the Daughter, so that through the Partzufim
below, the grace of the Partzufim above might be in
the world and the world might be joined to the
world of supernal light. The Mother is the world of
supernal light. The Bride is the supernal light
within and all around us. The Son is the light
transmission, the pattern-that-connects the world of
supernal light and the material world. In the holy
Mother, a new heaven and new earth has come into
being, and a new humanity-a supernal or divine
humanity. The faith of the Gnostic is in the great
Mother, our spiritual hope is in the Holy Bride,
and our love is the divine love of Yeshua Messiah-
the sacred heart of Christ. The Mother is the all in
all. One who calls her the "great goddess" has not
misspoken, if by goddess they mean also the One
God-Yahweh pronounced Elohim.

The image of the woman of light, Mother Israel, is

the heavenly image of the Mother after the
assumption, but there are other images of the Holy
Mother nearer to us. These, too, appear in
meditations on BinahAima, as do various chants of
the Mother. It is Binah that Christian Kabbalists
contemplate in the image of the holy Mother.
 Pistis Sophia-Faith Wisdom
Binah is called the "parent of faith" because faith
is the influence of Neshamah, which resides in
Binah. It is also attributed to Binah because faith is
a manifestation of divine grace, and Mother-Aima
is the channel of grace.

In Gnostic Christianity, faith is often called Pistis

Sophia, which is Greek, meaning "faith wisdom."
One cannot help but see the correspondence of
Pistis Sophia to the name Yahweh Elohim, which
links Binah and Hokmah-the parent of faith and
wisdom on the Tree of Life. While orthodox forms
of Christianity believe in salvation through faith in
Jesus as the literal "only begotten Son of God,"
Gnostic Christianity teaches selfrealization or
enlightenment through direct spiritual experience-
Gnosis. Thus, among Gnostics, faith assumes a
different place and meaning.
 Christian Gnosticism speaks of the gift of the fiery
intelligence that awakens one to the divine life and
leads one in the path of conscious evolution. This
gift is the influence of one's Neshamah and is the
power of the Holy Spirit. The first manifestation of
the gift is Pistis Sophia, which is to say, the dawn
of faith. This is something more than mere mental
belief or vital sentimentality, for it comes from the
depths of one's being. Gnostics speak of faith as "a
sense of the great mystery," which impels one in a
spiritual quest to gain Gnosis of the mystery.
Likewise, it is said to be "an intuition of an
experience not yet had," which becomes the
invocation of the mystical experience through an
opening of oneself to it.

Faith cannot be quantified, yet it is a real and

dynamic power of the soul. It is both what leads us
into spiritual practice and spiritual living, and it is
the cornerstone of magic-power. Lord Yeshua said
of faith, ". . . For truly I tell you, if you have faith
the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this
mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will
move; and nothing will be impossible for you"
(Gospel of St. Matthew 17:20).

Although Gnostic Christianity teaches self-

realization through gnosis, nevertheless faith
certainly plays a distinct role. For without faith in
the possibility of enlightenment and liberation and
awareness of our bondage to cosmic ignorance, we
would not engage in spiritual practice and spiritual
living through which Gnosis or enlightenment is
acquired. Essentially, faith is like a seed and
gnosis is like the fruit. Faith leads to the generation
of gnosis, and gnosis leads to new levels of faith.
They are like two wings that lift the soul in an
ascent of consciousness. This is a gift that the Holy
Mother gives-hence Binah, the parent of faith.
 The Great Angel of Divine
IntelligenceThe Remembrance of
God
There is a base level of cosmic consciousness that
retains the patterns or impressions of everything
that transpires in creation. It is the foundation of
the continuum of evolution that serves as the
cosmic memory, without which evolution would
not be possible. Unless something of previous
cycles of development and evolution are retained,
new and higher forms of life could not come into
being because the continuum of creation would
have nothing upon which to build-no ground or
foundation from which to evolve. In terms of
evolution within space-time-consciousness, the
future is rooted in the past and its progress is
determined by what happens in the present. The
events of the past are like the womb birthing the
present, and the present is like the womb birthing
the future.

Whether we are conscious or not, this base level

of consciousness exists within each and every one
of us and, in effect, records everything we see,
hear, smell, touch, and taste of life, and every
thought, feeling-emotion, word, and deed. When
the Scriptures speak of a Book of Life in which the
righteousness or wickedness of living souls is
recorded, or the idea of the righteousness or sins of
a person being forever present before the eyes of
God, it is this base level of consciousness that is
meant.

This principle of cosmic memory both facilitates

and impedes the continuum of evolution. For while
the principle of cosmic memory serves to retain all
positive developments in evolution, it also serves
to retain all the negative developments. Hence, it is
the karmic matrix, which can either liberate or
bind living souls.
 The archangel Tzafkiel is the manifestation of
Binah at the level of Beriyah and is the keeper of
the Book of Life-the great angel of the cosmic
memory. Ratziel and Tzafkiel represent the idea of
the bright and dark angels that accompany the soul,
which has been passed down in conventional
wisdom as the accusing angel and merciful angel
that seek to influence the soul in life and that, in the
afterlife, plead the case of the soul in the judgment.
However, in truth, these influences are actually
divine principles, which ignorance depicts as good
and evil. Essentially, the bright angel is the divine
destiny of the soul, and the dark angel is the
accumulation of the soul's karma. How the "dark
angel" appears to the soulbeing is dependent upon
the previous developments in the evolution of the
soul-the karma of the soul. To a soul immersed in
extremely negative karma, Tzafkiel would appear
as an angel of wrath and the judgment; yet to the
soul founded in positive karma-a righteous soul-
Tzafkiel would appear as an angel of mercy.
Needless to say, not everyone would necessarily
want to invoke the archangel Tzafkiel; to the
wicked person or evil-doer, Tzafkiel would come
as judgment founded upon the law of perfect
justice.

Tzafkiel is far more than an angel of judgment,

however. Through Tzafkiel, the initiate is able to
gain knowledge of the tikkune (mending, healing,
or work on the soul) that he or she has entered into
incarnation to accomplish, along with an
understanding of how to accomplish it. Likewise,
through Tzafkiel, an initiate can gain knowledge of
past lives of the soul and the greater mission of the
soul that spans many lives. Thus, the archangel
Tzafkiel serves as an angel of enlightenment. The
Rosicrucian grade of magister templi, associated
with Binah, reflects this aspect of Tzafkiel. Among
the powers of the masters of the temple is a
knowledge and understanding of their soul's divine
mission and insight into the previous lives and the
tikkune of other souls, and therefore an ability to
guide and help others accomplish their tikkune.

Ratziel is said to preside over the "cosmic rays,"

which are represented by the twelve signs of the
zodiac and the ten celestial bodies of our solar
system. Tzafkiel is said to have dominion over the
cosmic planes-the supernal, spiritual, causal,
higher vital, mental, astral, and material planes of
existence. Therefore, initiates who seek greater
knowledge and understanding of the inner planes
will seek to make contact with Tzafkiel.

The archangel Tzafkiel is also the great angel of

the supernal temple and, according to the masters
of the Tradition, is the influence behind the
formation of all mystical circles and esoteric
orders that emanate from the divine order. When
something of a wisdom tradition is lost in the
passage of space-time, through the inspiration of
Tzafkiel, an adept or master can "remember" and
restore it, if it is the divine will for it to be
restored. When a revival of a wisdom tradition or
stream of the light transmission is necessary, it is
through the influence of Tzafkiel that a spiritual
revival is sparked. In the same way the archangel
Tzafkiel holds the knowledge of the tikkune and
mission of individual souls, Tzafkiel holds the
knowledge of the mission of groups of souls that
are destined to a divine labor together, as well as
knowledge of the overall great work to fulfill
God's plan in creation.

This gnosis of the great work held by Tzafkiel is

founded upon Tzafkiel's knowledge of the
continuum of space-time. This is reflected by the
attribute of Tzafkiel as the archangel of Shabbatai
(Saturn), which represents the dominion of space-
time and its affects/effects. Legend has it that
Tzafkiel has granted certain great adepts and
masters knowledge of how to create portals in the
space-time through which they can magically travel
through space and time. On a lower level, Tzafkiel
is also said to grant initiates the ability to see at
remote points in space-time-specifically, past and
present-as though they were there.

The image of Tzafkiel used in meditation is akin

to that of the archangel Ratziel, but rather than the
day sky, Tzafkiel is robed in the night sky. Tzafkiel
appears as a presence of radiant darkness robed in
the starry night sky-as though the great angel takes
the starry sky and forms a hooded robe about her.
All around the image of Tzafkiel is a black void of
endless and starless space, while her image
appears as a robe of the Milky Way. From within
the hood of the robe shines a brilliant white light,
tinged with electric blue, and she holds the Book
of Life in her hands, like a great scroll. Using this
visualization, with the name Yahweh Elohim and
the chant YoMa Tzafkiel, the great angel of
remembrance is invoked by initiates of the
Tradition.
 Holy Thrones and Dominions
Aral means "throne," Aralim (plural) "thrones."
Succession to the throne of a kingdom grants the
heir the authority and power of a king or queen and
the reign of the dominion or kingdom. Thus, the
order of the Aralim, which is Binah at the level of
Yetzirah, are holy angels that grant divine authority
and power. Because a throne implies a dominion,
the Aralim are also called dominions, or are said
to move with the order of dominions.

In the vision of St. John, there are twenty-four

crowned elders seated on thrones (Aralim)
encircling the supernal throne of glory. These are
great men and women of God who represent the
male (Logos) and female (Sophia) attainment of
Messianic consciousness corresponding to the
twelve archetypal forms of humanity. The masters
of the Tradition say, "Their crowns are in their
heads, for the knowledge, understanding and
wisdom of God is the holy crown of the sacred tau
(elders)-the Gnosis of Yeshua Messiah." The
elders being seated upon Aralim means that each
elder is given the divine authority and power of a
specific dominion of the divine kingdom. A study
of the zodiacal signs according to esoteric
astrology will reveal the nature of these twelve
dominions of the divine kingdom.

The term "merkavah" actually implies a throne-

chariot. Thus, in merkavah mysticism, to "ride the
chariot" means to acquire the divine authority and
power corresponding to the grade to which an
initiate is able to ascend. Binah or the Shekinah, as
we have seen, conveys divine authority and power,
and it is through her that the vehicle of the
ascension is formed.

The Aralim hold all spiritual gifts and dispense

spiritual powers according to the will of the Holy
One. Spiritual gifts are granted to the faithful and
elect according to the capacity of each individual
to receive and manage them and according to the
mission God has given to them. Occasionally, once
a spiritual gift or power is granted, it remains with
a person throughout their whole life, and
sometimes through many lives, but this is not
always the case. Often a spiritual gift or power is
granted only for a short period of time in order for
a specific task to be fulfilled, or to uplift and
empower a person in faith, or to prepare the way
for other spiritual gifts or powers to be granted.
Spiritual gifts may be permanent or tempo rary, all
depending on the need of the soul and the needs of
others around oneself.

Lusting after spiritual gifts for personal ambition,

self-aggrandizement, or merely to have spiritual
power for the sake of having power, apart from any
noble or righteous intention, is certainly a
dangerous pitfall and potentially a great
obstruction to attainment. Nevertheless, seeking
empowerment to be able to assist in the
enlightenment and liberation of other living souls
and spirits is part of the great work. Thus, the
Gnostic initiate is encouraged to pray and meditate
to acquire spiritual gifts that will empower him or
her as a conscious agent of the great work. In
seeking to receive spiritual gifts in harmony with
one's true will, the order of the Aralim is often
invoked by initiates in conjunction with their
prayers and meditations.
 The Holy Masters and the Temple
of Light
The Zohar says that the tabernacle and the holy
temple in Jerusalem were built upon the pattern of
the supernal temple, so that what was above was
reflected below. The temple was composed of the
outer court, inner sanctuary, and holy of holies and
was set in the center of Jerusalem, the City of God.
The holy of holies represented the universe of
Atzilut and was the place where the Shekinah
dwelt. The inner sanctuary represented the
universe of Beriyah and was the primary place of
prayer, meditation, and worship conducted by the
priesthood. The outer court represented the
universe of Yetzirah and was the place of
purification and holy sacrifice. The city of
Jerusalem and the Holy Land surrounding it
represented the universe of Asiyah manifest
according to the holy law.
 As mentioned above, the grade corresponding to
Binah is that of the magister templi-the master of
the temple. If we understand the holy temple as the
Sefirot of the four Olamot, then we have some hint
as to the nature of this attainment. The magister
templi is a holy apostle of the supernal light-one
who is anointed with the supernal light and who
embodies something of his or her Neshamah. There
are many different levels of the magister templi,
corresponding to the degree to which the
Neshamah is incarnate in the master and the degree
to which the supernal light-presence of the
Shekinah indwells the master. While in the grades
of the Adepti, corresponding to the Sefirot of
Hesed, Gevurah, and Tiferet, the initiate
experiences the Shekinah coming and going, more
or less, according to the grade of attainment, the
Shekinah remains constant in the experience of the
magister templi.
 From the view of initiates of the lower grades, it
would be very difficult to tell the difference
between a magister templi established in Binah
and an elect adept established in Hesed. However,
the experience of the two grades of enlightenment
are radically different. For although the elect adept
may experience glimpses into cosmic
consciousness at the level of Binah, he or she does
not experience the womb of nirvana and the
supernal consciousness that dawns in it. This is the
dominion of the magister templi-the ability to enter
into supernal consciousness more or less at will.
Unlike the magus, however, the magister templi has
not completely united him- or herself with the
supernal consciousness and, thus, does not
perpetually abide in Messianic consciousness.
Likewise, although at times the magister templi
experiences him- or herself inseparable from the
supernal Shekinah, he or she often experiences the
Shekinah as a presence and power distinct from
him- or herself.

This level of the enlightenment experience gives

the magister templi a mastery of the play of cosmic
forces, more or less, according to the degree of
attainment of this first supernal grade. He or she is
Baal Shem, master of the name, established in the
Gnosis of Yeshua Messiah, and he or she is a
master of inner plane work, having communion in
the Holy Spirit with the tzaddikim and maggidim
(inner plane adepts and masters and holy angels).
To the degree that the magister templi is able to
integrate the Neshamah and the Shekinah into his or
her personality and lifedisplay, the master becomes
a living temple of God.

Masters of the grade of magus and ipsissimus

(corresponding to Hokmah and Keter) are very
rare in this world, as there are very few human
beings on earth who can directly receive the light
transmission they embody. Most incarnate masters
are of the magister templi or the elect adepti, and it
is the magister templi and the adepti who primarily
conduct the great work on planet earth.

According to the Tradition, when the supernal

Shekinah descended upon Lord Yeshua in the
Baptism, his body shone with visible light for a
while, specifically his face. The light was all
around him. In the transfigu ration, his whole body
shone with light and the light was within him and
all around him, so that he was the supernal light.
This shift in the lightpresence from the Baptism to
the transfiguration represents the ascent through the
various degrees of magister templi to attainment of
the magus.

The grades of initiation from the neophyte to the

greater adept are most often conveyed via an
incarnate human agent, although in some cases,
they are conveyed by inner plane adepts and
masters (as in the case of St. Paul). The grade of
the elect adept and the supernal grades, however,
are not conveyed by way of any human agency.
They are granted by divine grace or directly
through the Holy Spirit.

The magus serves to initiate continuums of the

light transmission or to bring in new levels of
attainment; the magister templi, along with the
adepti, serve to tend the flame of the continuum in
which they labor. Because of their divine gnosis,
the masters of the temple are able to uplift and
restore streams of the light transmission, to
retrieve knowledge, understanding, and wisdom
that has become lost over time, and to unfold new
knowledge and understanding of the light
transmission.

The most essential task of the magister templi is

to maintain balance in the play of cosmic forces in
creation, to guard the light transmission, and to
serve as a vehicle of the light transmission. As
members of the order of Melchizedek, they serve
as laborers in the fields of sentient existence for
the harvest of souls.
 Spiritual Practices for Binah
It is good to pray to God the Mother and to
meditate upon her, for she is near to us, as near as
our body and this good earth, our soul, and very
life. Yet, she is the heavens and the world of
supernal light. She is the light and she is the
darkness. She is the consciousness-force above
and below. She is the all in all.

Because the Holy Mother is the queen of heaven

and earth, all creatures and the whole of creation
are in her. We are in the womb of God, our Mother,
and she is continually giving birth to us, in life and
in our dreams. When we die, we are born again
from her holy womb, whether to continue our
journey in the worlds or to our repose in the world
of supernal light. All blessing and grace come
through her; for she, herself, is grace and blessing
power, the Shekinah.
 The Mother is swift to answer the prayers of the
faithful, and she is ever-present with the elect.
Whether encumbered by great darkness or
established in the light, just the same, she will
come to those who invoke her, and she will give to
those who ask of her as her child. Mother-Aima
will refuse no one who seeks her, nor will she ever
withhold her blessings from those who ask. The
Lord has said, "Knock and the door will be opened
unto you." The divine Mother is the holy sanctuary.

Sitting upon the Lap of the Holy

MotherThe Throne of Glory

➢ Sit upon a chair, as upon a holy throne, and

imagine yourself as a child of light sitting upon
the lap of the great Mother. Feel your breath
and the beat of your heart-the life that is in you
and all around you-the presence of God the
Mother. Breathing out, let go, and breathe
yourself into her, letting yourself merge into
her. At one with her, abide in her. In her, whole
and complete, perfect as you are, you are she
and she is you. This is the delight of perfect
meditation!

Light-Womb Meditation

➢ Sit down and imagine that you are in the

womb of the Holy Mother. Envision your body
formed of light, with the spiritual sun shining in
your heart, and a great sea of light all around
you. Listen to the beat of your heart, and within
behind the beat of your heart, hear the beat of
the Mother's heart; listen to the thoughts in your
mind, and within behind your thoughts, hear the
thought of the Mother's mind. Speak with your
divine Mother and hear her speaking in you.
When you have communed with the Mother in
this way, take up the chant Ama-Aima. As you
chant, merge yourself completely with the light-
presence of the Mother. In the silence following
the sacred chant, abide as the light.
The Woman of Light, Mother Israel
Meditation

➢ Envision the spiritual sun within your heart

and gather yourself into it. Letting go of the
surface and all movements on the surface, go
deep within, as though into the womb of the
self. Then, imagine you are seated on top of a
mountain under the starry night sky, with the
moon rising in the east. As the moon rises
above the horizon, as if by magic, the image of
Mother Israel appears, standing on the moon.

➢ She wears a crown of twelve great stars and

is clothed with the sun, and she is pregnant with
child-full of the grace and glory of God. The
moon disk shines under her feet. Heavenly
hosts-holy angels-surround her and all of
creation sings praise to her. Within behind the
songs of praise, there is the celestial harmony
of the stars. Feel the presence of the woman of
light, the peace and joy of Mother Israel, and
let the holy Shekinah pervade you to your core.

➢ If you seek liberation from darkness and

klippot, pray for liberation; if you seek healing,
pray to the Mother for healing; if you seek
spiritual gifts, pray for spiritual gifts; if you
seek illumination, pray to the Mother for divine
illumination. Whatever you seek, ask the holy
Mother, and abide in perfect faith that it is
granted to you-and so it shall be.

➢ When you have prayed to the Mother, take up

her chant, and hear the whole of creation and
the heavenly hosts take up her chant with you:

Ha Isha Ha Elyona, Aima Israel

(The Woman of Light, Mother
Israel)

➢ As you chant, imagine that you become pure

light and that you, as the light, pour into the
image of the woman of light, so that at the end
of the sacred chant you dissolve into her. Abide
in silent unity with the divine Mother as long as
you can, whether it be but an instant or a longer
duration-entertain this perfect peace and joy.

➢ When thoughts arise in the mind, and

consciousness is set in motion again, then chant
in worship of the divine Mother:

Aima Elohim (Mother God)

➢ At the end of this chant abide in the

knowledge of yourself blessed by the holy
Mother, her divine presence within and all
around you, and sit still for a while absorbing
and grounding the spiritual energy of the
Mother's blessing.

➢ You live, move, and have your being in her.

All that appears is as her divine body; all
sounds are as her heavenly voice; all thoughts
and feelings are the radiance of her wisdom
mind. Practice this holy awareness in your
daily living-this is Mother Messianic
consciousness, the Mother of enlightenment!
Amen.
EIGHT
HESED, THE MERCY
AND BRIGHT
BLESSINGS OF GOD
 Attributes
Thirty-Two Paths of Wisdom: Settled
Consciousness (Sekhel Kavua). It is called this
because the Spiritual Powers emanate from it
as the [most] ethereal emanations; one emanates
from the other by the power of the Original
Emanator, may He be blessed

Hesed: Mercy or Loving-Kindness; also

Gedulah, Glory

Place on the Tree of Life: The center of the

Pillar of Mercy

Divine Name: El

Alternative Divine Names: Rav Hesed, Master

of Compassion; Eheieh Zaken, I will be Old;
Rachum Ve-Chanum El, Merciful and
Pardoning God; Erech Apayim El,
LongForbearing God; Gedulah El, Great God
or Glorious God

Partzuf above: Zer Anpin, as the Holy Priest-

King enthroned

Partzuf below: Yeshua Messiah forgiving sin

and imparting blessings; Abraham and Sarah

Divine Image: The Holy Priest-King upon his

throne; the Celestial Court; the Ascension of the
Messiah

Archangel: Tzadkiel

Order of Angels: Hashmalim

Celestial Attribute: Tzedek, Jupiter

Titles Given to Hesed: Priest-King of

Righteousness; Judge of Truth; The Elder
(Zaken) or the Beloved Elder (Zakenu);
Merciful One; Forgiving One; Divine Love;
Lord of Peace; Sphere of the Tzaddikim;
Divine Justice; Grace of God; Mercy of God;
Blessings of God; Depth of South; White Father
Seed; Righteousness of God; The Right; Life
Abundant; Perfection of the Adepti; the First
Day of Creation

Level of the Soul: Ruach, Human Spirit or

Divine Intelligence (Specifically the Upper
Ruach

Heavenly Abode: Arabot, the Seventh Heaven-

Clouds, Plains, Desert, or Holy Place

Spiritual Experience: The dawn of True

Spiritual Love or the Sacred Heart of Christ;
Spiritual Abundance; the Blessing Power

Virtues: Charity; holy obedience; generosity;

devotion; justice; lovingkindness; true
friendship; hospitality

Vices: Miserliness; gluttony; tyranny; rebellion;

hypocrisy; self-righteousness; injustice;
complacency; unfaithfulness

Symbols: Equal-armed cross; the orb; the

scepter; tetrahedron; pyramid; square; the
crown of a prince; the wand; the shepherd's
staff

Commandment: Remember the Shabbat Day,

and keep it holy (Exodus 20:8-1 1)

Sermon on the Mount: Blessed are the

peacemakers, for they will be called children
of God (Matthew 5:9).

Angel of the Apocalypse and the Churches: The

First Star, the First Lampstand, and the message
to the angel of the church in Ephesus
(Revelation 2:1-7)
 The Supreme Mystery and
Revelation of the Mystery
Previously, we spoke of the analogy of the Tree of
Life as a great river of light. This river is formed
of the endless light of God (Ain Sof Aur) and
Keter is the hidden source of the river. Da'at is the
secret place where the river emerges from the
unknowable source, Hokmah is the river of light
itself, and Binah is the great channel of the river.
The seven lower Sefirot represent flows or
currents within the river of light, which, although
distinct, are inseparable from the river. The Sefirot
of the moral triad (Hesed-Gevurah-Tiferet)
represent currents in the depths of the river; the
Sefirot of the action triad are currents closer to the
surface. Malkut represents how the river appears
to us-the ebbs and flows visible on the surface.
Through this analogy, we may understand the
sacred unity of the Sefirot and their true meaning,
for according to the Kabbalah, creation is literally
a continual outpouring of the supernal light of God,
and the Sefirot are gradations of that light-force.
Even the substance of matter itself is this light-
force, the nature of which is Ain.

Da'at and the great abyss stand in between the

supernals above and the seven lower Sefirot
below on the Tree of Life. Essentially, the
supernals are by nature transcendental. They are
the realm of the archetypal or ideal. One could say
that they are the realm of the exhaustless divine
potential, which only becomes revealed and
actualized at the level of the seven lower Sefirot.
The moral triad is the revelation of the divine
presence and power of the supernals. The action
triad is the actualization of the holy Shekinah,
Malkut being the actual realization and
manifestation of the living presence and power in
the material dimension. Thus, the seven lower
Sefirot are often called the Sefirot of Construction,
for they are the divine powers through which
creation actually comes into being and through
which the whole of creation is sustained-the real
links between the infinite and the finite.

Descending below the great abyss in our

exploration of the Tree of Life, we are coming into
the realm of the holy Shekinah more directly in our
present experience. The further we descend on the
tree, the more we are coming down to earth to
things we can actually think about, speak about,
and, therefore, can know and understand as mental
beings. While the supernals are lofty, abstract, and
transcendental, the seven lower Sefirot are more
concrete, accessible, and immanent. In essence, the
supernals remain ever a supreme mystery and the
seven lower Sefirot are the never-ending
revelation of that mystery.
 The Face of God that Appears
We may gain some insight into the relationship of
the supernals and the seven Sefirot of construction
through consideration of the Partzufim. As
previously indicated, Arik Anpin is formed by the
union of Abba and Aima. Thus, Arik Anpin is the
supernal triad. When the big face of the
transcendental turns toward the possibility of
creation, it clothes itself in the sevenfold veil of
the Sefirot of construction, becoming Zer Anpin,
the small face, or the principle of the immanent
divine presence and power.

Unlike the big face of God, the features of the

small face are not inaccessible, but rather are
gradations of the supernal light within the reach of
human souls as the immediate principles of created
things. This is the reason the small face is called
Eleb, which means "these"-indicating things that
are intelligible-while the big face is called Mi,
which means the question "who?"-indicating that
which is supra-intelligible and inexpressible. In
truth, the two faces are but one face of God, Arik
Anpin being the face of God unveiled to Godself
and Zer Anpin being the face of God veiled when
appearing to God's creatures. One might say that
Arik Anpin is the actual appearance of the soul of
the Sefirot, while Zer Anpin is the appearance of
the soul clothed in the body of the Sefirot, which is
a body of lights.

The unity of the big and small face of God is Atik

Yomin, the ancient one. The small face depends on
the ancient one completely and is within the
ancient one, insofar as Arik Anpin includes within
itself Abba and Aima, which give birth to Zer
Anpin and Nukva (the daughter). The big face and
the small face of God together represent the causal
unity of all the ideal forms of the Sefirot, the force
of which is in Hokmah and the forms of which are
in Binah. As we saw in the previous chapter, the
diversity of archetypes in sacred unity is expressed
by the name of Binah, Elohim, which is essentially
the union of the words Eleh and Mi. The prophet
Isaiah, who beheld the image of the ancient one in
his vision, indicates this holy mystery when he
instructs us, saying: "Lift up your eyes on high and
see: Who created these? He who brings out their
hosts and numbers them, calling them by name;
because he is great in strength, mighty in power,
not one is missing" (Isaiah 40:26).
 The Overwhelming Grace of God
Hesed means mercy or loving-kindness. Hesed is
the first emanation proceeding from Binah via
Da'at, the first feature or aspect of the small face,
which is also called the bridegroom. As the first of
the seven lower Sefirot, Hesed receives the influx
of spiritual energy of the supernals and imparts it
to all the Sefirot below the abyss. You will recall
our discussion of Da'at as the holy prism through
which the supernal light passes to become the
many rays of rainbow glory. Hesed is the first ray
of glory, which contains all the other rays of glory
of the Sefirot that follow.

Gevurah, Tiferet, Netzach, Hod, Yesod, and

Malkut all have their root and essence in Hesed,
which has its root and essence in the supernals.
Hesed is God's love or mercy; therefore, the
foundation and purpose of all of the seven Sefirot
of construction is God's love or mercy. Creation
itself and all that God does in creation is the
expression of God's love, which in Hesed is
completely boundless and unconditional.

Essentially, Hesed is the all-giver in relationship

to the lower Sefirot, and as the all-giver, Hesed
represents the activity of Hokmah below the abyss.
In relationship to the supernals, Hesed is the all-
receiver and thus represents the activity of Binah
below the abyss, specifically the face of the bright
Mother.

In Hesed proper, there is no judgment, no

restraint, restriction, limit, boundary, or condition
placed upon grace. Hesed is unconditional love,
boundless mercy, infinite light-in a word, pure
grace. It is an unrestricted flow of divine blessing
without end. The nature of the blessings God
bestows through Hesed is the gift of Godself.
Whatever the blessings that might be received,
whether spiritual, psychic, or material, including
life itself, all are the manifestation of the holy
Shekinah-God imparting something of him- or
herself.

There must be a dynamic balance between Hesed

and its counterpart on the Pillar of Severity,
Gevurah, which is judgment or severity. Without
some degree of restraint, restriction, or limitation,
Hesed would swiftly overwhelm creation.
Gevurah acts as a regulator of Hesed. Previously,
we spoke of the primordial beginning, which took
place through tzimtzumconstriction followed by
measured emanation. First, God had to withdraw
Godself into him- or herself to make space for
creation outside of Godself. Then, God emanated
Godself in measured gradations, from the level of
Ain Sof (the infinite) to the most dense and
restricted level of finite creation, the physical or
material universe (Asiyah). Gevurah is the
principle of tzimtzum-constriction and Hesed is the
principle of expansion or emanation. It is the
dynamic interaction and balance of Gevurah and
Hesed together that allows for measured
gradations of the supernal light and thus the
existence of creation. The two operating together
make the gradations of the supernal light that are
accessible to the manifest spirit, the dynamic
balance of the two being Tiferet-beauty.

The traditional way this dynamic balance is

expressed is in the following manner: Creation is
sustained by God's presence and power.
Completely dependent upon God, if God withdrew
Godself completely, creation would instantly cease
to exist. However, God being the Infinite and
eternal, and creation being finite and temporal,
were God to not restrain Godself and withdraw
him-herself to some degree, creation would be
completely overwhelmed and destroyed. For the
present, creation cannot endure the direct influx of
the divine fullness.

This reveals a popular misconception among

aspiring Kabbalists that are inexperienced and
unschooled who suggest that, in ascending the Tree
of Life from one grade to another, one actually
goes into the Sefirot of the Pillars of Mercy and
Severity. While, indeed, in the process of
ascending grade to grade, something of the soul is
bound to each of the Sefirot, it is always from the
Middle Pillar that the soul contacts the Sefirot of
the right and left, never directly. The reality-truth-
continuum is the Middle Pillar; the Pillar of Mercy
and the Pillar of Severity represent the extremes in
between which reality or creation actually exists.
One could no more endure a direct entrance into
God's absolute mercy than an entrance into
absolute severity, for either extreme would be
completely overwhelming. An initiate may draw
ruhaniyut and shefa from the right or the left, and he
or she may join the corresponding aspect of his or
her soul to the Sefirot of the right or the left while
cleaving to the Middle Pillar, but he or she cannot
actually enter into the Pillar of Mercy nor the
Pillar of Severi ty. For this reason, in the first
ceremony of initiation into the mysteries of the
Kabbalah, the neophyte is told: "Do not venture to
the right or to the left, where certain destruction
awaits, but stay in between and sojourn the middle
way, cleaving neither to the right nor to the left, to
heaven nor to hell. Wide is the way that leads to
perdition, but straight and narrow is the path that
leads to salvation. Through moderation true
attainment is accomplished."
 The Thirteen Attributes of Hesed-
El
The Sefirah Hesed, at the level of Atzilut, is the
divine name El. El is to Elohim as Yah is to
Yahweh, so that all potential of Elohim is in the
name of El in the same way all potential of
Yahweh is in Yah. As we saw with the name
Elohim, Aleph (I~) is the Spirit of God, the radiant
breath of God, which grants a living soul of
intelligence to the human one. Lamed (s), meaning
"ox-goad," connotes a driving and directing force,
specifically in the form of an impulse from within.
This is the nature of God's love and mercy-the
grace of God. It is God's Holy Spirit and it is the
motivating factor of God's creation.

Moses proclaims thirteen attributes of mercy in

connection with the name El (Exodus 34:6-7): God
(1) merciful (2) and gracious (3), slow (4) to anger
(5), and abundant in love (6), and truth (7).
Keeping mercy (8) to the thousandth generation
(9), forgiving sin (10), rebellion (11), and error
(12), and cleansing (13).

These are all blessings associated with Hesed or

El that an initiate draws to him- or herself through
binding his or her soul to the name El. The ultimate
blessing of joining one's soul to the name El is the
experience of a conscious unification with God.
The highest manifestation of grace is God giving
Godself fully to oneself, pouring him- or herself
into one's soul and awakening the soul in Godself
(the Christ-self).

God is merciful in that God has placed an

evolutionary impulse in the soul so that, in the
depth of our soul, there is a desire to draw near to
God and unite ourselves with God. To the degree
that we draw ourselves nearer to God, God draws
us into Godself. God is gracious in that God pours
out blessings upon us when we cleave unto our
Neshamah and unto God's presence. The nature of
the blessings God bestows is Godself.

When it is said God is slow, God has fashioned

into creation the principle of stability and a pause
between cause and effect. When we miss the mark
("sin" actually means "missing the mark") or
engender negative karma, the result or full
affect/effect or the consequence is not immediate.
There is time for us to change our minds and
hearts, to adjust our aim and to mend whatever
damage we have caused. Anger is also mercy and
connotes chastisement, correction, or discipline,
which mitigates negative karma, leads to healing
and a higher quality of life, and enlightens and
liberates the soul from bondage.

Abundant in love means that judgment and

discipline is never an end in itself and does not
last forever. The ultimate aim is redemption and
healing, hence unification. There is no such thing
as eternal damnation. Even hell does not last
forever, however great the evil committed. As
indicated in the previous chapter, the light of
heaven and the fires of hell are the manifestation of
the Holy Spirit, which aims to educate and
therefore enlighten and liberate the soul. God loves
the righteous and the unrighteous equally, and
blesses one and all alike. Truth is the aim of
creative evolution, and it is God's aim in creation
that truth should endure and truth should be
revealed, that nothing should be hidden or
concealed forever. The ultimate truth is the sacred
unity God is, in which we live, move, and have our
being; that in our inmost being we are ever at one
with God and the whole of creation.

Keeping mercy, God preserves and sustains all

life. In the ultimate sense, death has never existed.
What is called death is merely a transition from
one state of existence to another. The Neshamah
has never been born and therefore never dies, but
abides perpetually in the one life-power. To the
thousandth generation are the countless
incarnations God grants to the soul so that it might
develop and evolve to the highest of life and come
to fruition in Christ consciousness. The idea that
one lives a single life and either earns the reward
of eternal heaven or the punishment of eternal
damnation is obscene and contradicts God's
purpose in creation, which is love and mercy. All
souls will eventually be fulfilled in God.

Forgiving sin, God has given the human being the

ability to repent and to mend all damage the soul
might incur in the process of its development and
evolution. Forgiving rebellion, God gives every
soul the opportunity to work out all negative
karma, even the greatest evil-doing performed with
full conscious intention. Forgiving error, God
grants us the opportunity to correct every mistake
and to learn from our mistakes.

Cleansing or purification is the intention of any

judgment or wrathful manifestation of the holy
Shekinah. Unlike the injustice of what human
beings call justice, God's justice is not founded
upon punishment or vengeance but rather aims
always at rehabilitation and redemption. God is
truly just. That in all activities God aims to cleanse
or purify alludes to the truth that the inmost nature
and being of all creatures is God's Word and
wisdom-that in our inmost being we are innately
good.

All of these attributes of Hesed-mercy are the

power of El and are in El. Aleph is the Spirit of
God enacting mercy according to these attributes,
and Lamed is the activity itself. Lamed is the
Hebrew letter of justice and indicates that God's
ultimate aim is justice or righteousness. The
righteousness God seeks is the enlightenment and
liberation of all living souls; hence God is a
compassionate God, for the enlightenment and
liberation of all is the Sacred Heart of Christ
(compassion).
 The Nature of Righteousness
To every Sefirah of construction, a man and a
woman of God are attributed. In the case of Hesed,
Gevurah, Tiferet, and Yesod, they are the
patriarchs and matriarchs of the Torah. The masters
of the Tradition have said that the patriarch of a
Sefirah is a chariot or vehicle of the spiritual
energy of the corresponding Sefirah and that the
matriarch is the Shekinah-emanation of the Sefirah.
Thus, the life story of the man and woman of God
corresponding to a Sefirah reveals the mysteries of
the Sefirah and is a way to contemplate and
meditate upon the Sefirah. Hesed is represented by
the story of Abraham and Sarah.

The story of Abraham and Sarah begins with God

calling them out of their homeland and the security
of their mundane life in unenlightened society to a
sacred quest into an unknown wilderness, in which
the Spirit of God will be their guide. Abraham and
Sarah obey God and immediately depart, following
the call of the Spirit. Obedience is a quality of
Hesed, not so much obedience to anything imposed
from outside of oneself, but rather obedience of the
spiritual impulse or the inner guide within oneself.

Abraham and Sarah are noted for their

compassion, generosity, and hospitality. They
would provide for anyone in need, and rather than
being motivated by profit, they were motivated by
justice. When strangers would approach
Abraham's camp he would run out to greet them
and invite them to stay and share a meal. Sarah
would prepare the best possible meals, and
Abraham and Sarah would attend to their guests,
providing for all of their guests' needs. Abraham
and Sarah did not judge their guests. They were
hospitable to the righteous and the wicked alike,
showing grace to the righteous and mercy to the
wicked. So great was their welcoming power that
even holy angels of God appeared as their guests,
and holy angels were constantly coming and going
from their tents.

These qualities of Abraham and Sarah, which are

principles of Hesed, are at the very heart of the
teaching of Yeshua in the Gospel. In speaking of
the judgment, Lord Yeshua directly refers to the
qualities of Hesed that we see in Abraham and
Sarah when he says:

Then the king will say to those at his right

hand, "Come, you that are blessed
bymyFather, inherit the kingdom prepared
for you from the foundation of the world;
for I was hungry and you gave me food, T
was thirsty and you gave me something to
drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed
me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I
 was sick and you took care of me, I was in
prison and you visited me." And then the
righteous will answer him, "Lord, when
was it that we saw you hungry and gave you
food, or thirsty and gave you something to
drink? And when was it that we saw you a
stranger and welcomed you, or naked and
gave you clothing? And when was it that we
saw you sick or in prison and visited
you?"And the king will answer, "Truly I tell
you, just as you did it to one of the least of
these who are members of my family, you
did it to me." (Gospel of St. Matthew
25:34-40)

Tending to the sick and visitation of the prisoner

are a further extension of the Hesed qualities,
which, in a word, is charity. Through active love
and compassion we establish the cause of
prosperity and long life.
 When God announced his intention to bring
judgment upon Sodom, out of love and compassion
Abraham pleaded the case of Sodom with God. At
first, the number of tzaddikim needed to preserve
the city was fifty, reflecting the number of ten
Sefirot of the five Olamot; however, the final
number of tzaddikim settled upon was ten, the
essential number nec essary for the preservation
and continuation of life on earth, reflecting the
quality of Hesed as that which preserves and
sustains creation. Acting in a way that preserves
and sustains the life of others, we invoke the flow
of grace from Hesed.

The final and ultimate action of Abraham and

Sarah was their willingness to give to God their
most precious possession of all, their only child.
This prefigures the sacrifice of the first incarnation
of the Soul of Messiah, the son of Joseph, through
whom all negative karma is dispelled and the
world is given a way to become consciously
unified with God. The mercy and love of God
embodied in Yeshua Messiah is Hesed, as is the
love of God in Abraham and Sarah who were
willing to give everything good to God. The
request of God for the sacrifice of Isaac was not
seeking the life of Isaac, but rather the perfection
of holy obedience through which the ultimate
unification with God becomes possible-one who
obeys the presence of God within him or herself
embodies something of the divine.

Significantly, God provides Abraham and Isaac

with a ram for sacrifice. It is the function of Hesed
that, when we have done all that we can do to
follow the Holy Spirit, exhausting all our own
efforts and capacity, the Holy Spirit will step in
and fulfill our mission. When we completely
surrender ourselves to divine grace, grace will
accomplish the great work in us and bring us to
fruition in Christ consciousness. This is the
promise of God in Hesed.
 Tzaddikim-Adepts and Masters of
the Tradition
Tzaddikim literally means "righteous ones." On the
one hand, tzaddikim is a term applied to all of the
faithful and elect. On the other hand, tzaddikim is a
term specifically used to indicate realized
individuals-the adepts and masters of the
Tradition.

In Gnostic Christianity, the grades of initiation

actually correspond to various degrees of the
enlightenment experience. Therefore, the grades
corresponding to the adepts and masters of the
Tradition indicate states of self-realization that
qualify an initiate to serve as a spiritual teacher
and guide to others. Tzaddikim, as the term is used
in Christian Gnosticism, indicates both incarnate
and disincarnate adepts and masters; thus, it
includes the idea of inner plane masters and
adepts. Hesed is said to be the "sphere of the
tzaddikim" because it is through the tzaddikim that
all wisdom teachings and initiations are imparted
and spiritual assistance and empowerment on the
path to self-realization are received.

In the Gnostic Tradition, a threefold divine order

is spoken of-outer, inner, and secret. Previously,
we spoke of the secret order, the order of
Melchizedek, which represents the primordial
Tradition from which all wisdom traditions are
derived. In every wisdom tradition that manifests
in the world, there is an inner and outer dimension-
the spiritual or mystical dimension and the outer
forms it assumes. In Gnostic Christianity, the inner
order is called the "true and invisible Rosicrucian
order," and the outer order is represented by
Gnostic circles that serve as vehicles of the
teachings and initiations-the light transmission-in
the material world.
 Essentially, the order of Melchizedek is a great
luminous assembly of enlightened beings, who
labor to bring the light transmission into worlds of
sentient existence for the sake of the enlightenment
and liberation of souls. To do so, they initiate
various streams of the light transmission in a
worldhence the diverse wisdom traditions that
appear. An inner order represents a lineage of
adepts and masters who impart the teachings and
initiations of a specific stream of the light
transmission-the Tzaddikim of a specific wisdom
tradition. Basically, an inner order is a branch of
the order of Melchizedek dedicated to a distinct
form of the light transmission.

Authentic wisdom traditions are typically founded

upon discipleship and initiation, which is to say an
actual light transmission imparted by a tzaddik to
his or her students and disciples, as we see in the
Gospels. Most often, this transpires through
incarnate tzaddikim who represent a lineage of
adepts and masters imparting the teachings and
initiations from one generation to another.
However, it is not isolated to incarnate tzaddikim,
as there are also disincarnate adepts and masters
who serve to impart the light transmission of the
tradition. Generally speaking, however, it is
through incarnate tzaddikim that outer orders or
Gnostic circles are formed, and it is through
association with an incarnate tzaddik and an outer
order that we receive the light transmission.

On the Tree of Life, the order of Melchizedek, the

secret order, corresponds to the supernals. The
Rosicrucian order of Gnostic Christianity
corresponds to Tiferet. The outer order, in
whatever form it assumes, corresponds to the triad
of action and specifically to Malkut. Hesed repre
sents the point on the Tree of Life where a specific
stream of the lighttransmission emerges from the
primordial Tradition. The extension of the light
continuum into the world via incarnate and
disincarnate Tzaddikim is considered a
manifestation of God's love and mercy; therefore,
it is spoken about in conjunction with Hesed.
 The Tzaddik and the Disciple
Many people in the West turn to Eastern Traditions
because they are unaware of the spiritual depths of
the Kabbalah within Western Tradition. Likewise,
most are unaware that there are adepts and masters
incarnate in the West who embody a degree of self-
realization, just as there are in the East. Yet,
although for thousands of years there have been
Tzaddikim in Western Traditions, our Western
societies neither recognize nor make a place for
them as in the East.

In several Gnostic traditions founded upon a

Christian Kabbalah, adepts and masters continue to
exist and to teach and initiate others into a Western
Tradition of enlightenment. Unlike gurus and lamas
of Eastern Traditions, the Western adept or master
is not part of a large institution; they typically teach
and initiate in a relatively small circle, quietly and
behind the scenes of the unenlightened society. The
way of the Tzaddikim is quite different in the West,
as are the methods for self-realization they teach.
Tzaddikim of Western Traditions do not tend to
make such a great show of themselves in the way
they dress and are rarely as withdrawn from
typical daily living as Eastern tzaddikim. The
methods they use and teach do not require us to
withdraw from mundane life; rather, we learn to
transform daily living into a vehicle of self-
realization. Essentially, one could well have a job,
family, and enjoy the fullness of life and, at the
same time, experience various degrees of self-
realization. Western tzaddikim do not tend to
conform to stereotypical images of enlightened
masters. They teach by way of crazy wisdom, and
do whatever it takes to help others progress in the
path to enlightenment.

Although the term "discipleship" may put some

folks off, basically what it means is a close
spiritual friendship. In many Gnostic Traditions,
discipleship is the foundation of the path, for it is
through this sacred friendship that we receive
secret teachings and experience the light
transmission. Essentially, a tzaddik is a person
who embodies a higher consciousnessspecifically,
embodies something of the light-presence
(Christos)-and is therefore a qualified teacher and
guide. Through our spiritual friendship with a
tzaddik, he or she is able to transmit this
consciousness-force, thus serving to awaken it
within us. It is akin to a candle that is lit and one
that is unlit. When the two are drawn close
together, the flame passes between them and both
are illuminated. This is the basis of true initiation.

It is a great blessing to meet an incarnate tzaddik

and a greater blessing to become a close spiritual
friend to a tzaddik. Not everyone will be able to
meet an incarnate tzaddik, let alone become a
student or disciple of the tzaddik. However, the
light transmission can transpire through contact
with inner plane adepts or masters. The experience
of St. Paul in the Book of Acts reflects this.
Receiving initiation in this way, he referred to
himself as the least of the apostles of light.
Although it is the least stable mode of the light
transmission, many have received such an
initiation. One need only have an open heart and
mind and a true desire for enlightenment and
liberation.
 The Tzaddik and the
Threefold Body of Melchizedek
Within and behind the physical body, there is a
subtle body of consciousness, which is a body of
energy. When the teachings speak of the evolution
of the soul-being, they are speaking of the
development and evolution of this subtle body.
Early in the development of the soul-being, this
subtle body tends to be very dim and weak and is
barely self-luminous-more akin to moonlight than
sunlight. Advancing through grades of initiation
and receiving the light transmission, more and
more the subtle body becomes self-radiant and
shines with a brighter light. Essentially, the subtle
body is progressively transformed into a body of
light in the path, what is called the solar body.

The generation of the body of light represents the

development of consciousness beyond the body
and, thus, represents an evolution beyond the need
for material incarnation. It is through this spiritual
body that the soul experiences the resurrection and
ascension-specifically, an ascent into the supernal
world of light.

In the Sophian Tradition, this body of light is

called the threefold body of Melchizedek, the full
generation of which constitutes initiation into the
order of Melchizedek-hence, it is Messianic
consciousness. In the teachings, it is spoken of as
"three bodies," although it is understood to be one
holy body, the true mystical body of Christ. The
three aspects of this divine body are called the
truth body, the body of glory, and the body of
emanation, corresponding to Keter, Tiferet, and
Malkut, respectively.

We may gain some understanding into the

threefold body in the following way: The truth
body is the Christos, specifically supernal or
Christ consciousness. This dimension of the divine
body is formed of transparent light or pure radiant
awareness-the very essence of consciousness.
Thus, the truth body is completely hidden and
invisible, save to the tzaddikim who attain
Messianic consciousness. It corresponds to Ain
and to Yod of the Tetragrammaton.

Remaining purely in the body of truth, the

tzaddikim would have no connection with
unenlightened souls and the world; they would be
completely transcendent and hidden. Therefore, in
love and compassion, the Tzaddik generates a
body of glory that allows the tzaddik to appear and
manifest in the inner dimensions. This allows the
tzaddik to contact individuals whose inner senses
are opened and who are able to see in the subtle
dimensions or to appear in the dreams and visions
of people the tzaddik seeks to contact. This body of
glory is akin to the divine images envisioned by
initiates of the Tradition during prayer, meditation,
and ritual. It is a body of translucent light, like unto
the celestial bodies of luminous spirits and angels.
Through this aspect of the threefold body, the
tzaddikim are able to appear to souls of higher
grades. It corresponds to Ain Sof and to the first
He of the Tetragrammaton.

Although souls of higher grades can receive

transmissions from the tzaddikim by way of the
body of glory, amidst the masses of humanity such
souls are relatively few. Therefore, the tzaddik
will generate an emanation body that appears like
the physical body and is visible to everyone. This
may be a pure body of emanation, which is a
temporary visible form, or it may be an actual
body of incarnation that lasts the duration of a
natural lifetime. What is distinct about an
emanation body versus an ordinary physical body
is that it is more energetic and able to serve as a
conduit of vast spiritual energies, including the
supernal light-force. Basically, such a holy body is
filled with the ruhaniyot and shefa of the Sefirot,
and there are fields of divine energy-intelligence
around it. The body of emanation corresponds to
Ain Sof Or and to the Vau of the Tetragrammaton.

The appearance of Yeshua during his life and

earthly ministry corresponds to the emanation
body. His appearance in the transfiguration and
after the crucifixion corresponds to the body of
glory. The ascension in which he seemingly
disappears into the light-continuum corresponds to
the body of truth. The process of the emanation of
the threefold body from truth body to body of
emanation directly reflects the emanation of the
Sefirot from Atzilut to Asiyah. In the process of
self-realization and reception of the light
transmission, this divine body is coming into being
with every truth-seeker. There are many teachings
in the Sophian Tradition on the threefold body;
however, time and space will not allow them to be
written here.
 The Great Angel of Rainbow
GloryGiver of All Blessings
Hesed at the level of Beriyah manifests as the
archangel Tzadkiel, which literally means the
"righteousness of God" or "justice of God." The
Kabbalah says that Tzadkiel grants blessings upon
souls continually, according to their desire and
capacity to receive. As the Kabbalah teaches, the
desire to receive for oneself alone is the most
limited form of the desire to receive, while the
desire to receive for the sake of sharing and giving
is the greatest form of the desire to receive,
creating an endless flow of blessings and grace
through oneself. This is the true secret to
prosperity and abundance in any form. The desire
to share and give always creates a greater flow
and tends to make one more attractive and
receptive of the blessing power of God. The one
who gives more, receives more, because he or she
does not block the flow of abundant life.

Hesed represents the exhaustless repository of

energy, resource, opportunity, and ability to which
we are intimately connected in the cosmos, both
physically and metaphysically. Essentially,
dualistic consciousness, produced by cosmic
ignorance, creates an illusion of lack, and, thus,
fear of our not having enough, not being good
enough, and a state of poverty-consciousness
arises. Fear prevents us from really living life to
the fullest and fear prevents us from true charity.
God intends us to experience abundance and
everything good; yet our own self-grasping, greed,
and fear prevent us from receiving the greater
blessings that God intends for us. While Tzadkiel
is the archangel who will grant us all blessings-
material, psychic, and spiritual-Tzadkiel is also
the archangel that will help us see through the
illusion of lack and realize the abundant life we
already possess.

When it is said that Lord Yeshua favored one

disciple above the other or that Yeshua loved
certain disciples more than he loved others, the
question naturally arises, "How can that be? Lord
Yeshua is the embodiment of Hesed, specifically
the pure and unconditional love of God. How
could he then love one disciple more than
another?" It is true. Our Lord loves all equally,
friend, stranger, and enemy alike. Whether angel,
titan, or demon, the Lord loves all living spirits
and souls the same. However, not all are equally
receptive to God's love, and therefore not all are
equally able to receive. It is self-limitation in
creatures that limits God's love.

In the same way that Tzadkiel helps the aspirant

realize life abundant in the Christos, so, too,
Tzadkiel helps the aspirant realize God's love. Of
course, the secret of experiencing the love of God
is the same as experiencing the flow of abundant
life. When we, ourselves, are loving and love God
and others, in the act of loving we experience the
endless love of God.

Tzadkiel is invoked by Gnostic initiates seeking

every possible kind of blessing one can imagine,
from spiritual gifts and powers to all manner of
psychic blessings, and even very mundane and
material blessings, toofor all things necessary to
perform the great work. The greatest blessing
Tzadkiel can give, however, is the awareness of
the sacred unity, spiritual love, and Gnosis of life
abundant in Christ. Such is the very nature of
Tzadkiel.

Listening and hearing the teachings concerning the

archangel Tzadkiel, it might at first seem as though
it is easy to approach and enter into this great
angel's presence; however, that is often not the
case. So great is the power of God-the love of
God-that radiates from this holy angel that it can
easily burn. It can be quite difficult to endure; for
just as we see the great glory of El in the presence
of Tzadkiel, we also see how far short of the great
glory we fall. Thus, one cannot enter into the
presence of Tzadkiel with extreme self-grasping
and self-judgment. One must let go to God and let
be.

The image of Tzadkiel appears like a human

being, formed of brilliant translucent rainbow
light-an angelic being that is a rainbow being, who
has wings of white brilliance. This image appears
in a cloudless sky and is completely self-radiant.
Gnostic initiates invoke Tzadkiel with the
intonement of El and the chant Maggid Ha-El
Elyon Tzadkiel, while holding this image in mind.

There are a couple more things we can say of

Tzadkiel in conclusion. Tzadkiel is the great angel
of the luminous assembly and, therefore, is good to
invoke when one is seeking contact with a
disincarnate tzaddik. The invocation of Tzadkiel
will ensure that one's connection is, in fact, with a
true spirit of God and not some other sort of spirit.
Likewise, Tzadkiel can also help an aspirant find a
living tzaddik and spiritual community. The image
of the great angel implies knowledge of another
secret mystery-the rainbow body attainment. That,
however, is the subject of another day and another
book.
 The Speaking-Silences
In Yetzirah, the world of angels, Hesed manifests
as the order of the Hashmalim. Hasbmal literally
means "speaking-silence," hashmalim (plural), the
"speaking-silences." The term hashmal appears in
Ezekiel, at the culmination of Ezekiel's vision,
when it says God speaks to him out of silencehence
a "speaking silence." Some hint as to what a
speaking silence might look like is given in Exodus
20:15, where it is written: "and all the people saw
the sounds." It suggests the experience of
synesthesia, which can occur in deep meditation
and represents a radically altered state of
consciousness. In the experience of synesthesia,
one might see sound, hear a smell, touch or smell a
color, and so forth. One cannot help but think of the
Zen Buddhist phrase, "the sound of silence" in this
context.
 The idea of radical alterations in consciousness is
the key to understanding the hashmalim, for among
other things, that is exactly what the speaking-
silences do. They are angels of God that alter
consciousness and facilitate metanoia (spiritual
transformation or conversion). This is integral to
the other primary function of the hashmalim, which
is manifesting blessings. In order for a blessing to
manifest, there must be a change in consciousness,
for everything manifests with, in, and through
conscious ness, and everything is, in its true
substance, consciousness. A change in
consciousness brings about a corresponding
change in the plane of one's experience or in the
flow of circumstances, situations, and events of
one's experience. Therefore, as a hashmal imparts
the blessing, it must also inspire a change in
consciousness.

The name speaking-silence reveals that the

hashmalim are the blessings God gives, as when
we pray and bring about change in our
consciousness and God answers our prayer, giving
us exactly what we asked for. God often speaks
directly through blessings. Thus, when we receive
a blessing from God that we asked for, we call it
"God's answer to our prayer."

The word hashmal suggests something more. Ever

notice how in your dreams no one ever really says
anything out loud? Rather, you inwardly know what
the characters in your dream are saying and what
they mean. God and the holy angels tend to speak
like that. They speak directly within our own
thoughts and emotions. God and the holy angels are
perfectly silent, and yet we hear them inwardly.
Thus, the hashmalim are angels of divine
communication or transmission, specifically, direct
knowing.

The order of Hashmalim remind us of something

rather important. When the mind is silent, the heart
is still, and we are completely open and sensitive,
then the tzaddikim, maggidim, and the Spirit of
God speak in us. How they speak is a transmission
of direct knowing. Prayer is more than speaking; it
is also listening and hearing. Therefore, the
difference between true prayer and holy meditation
vanishes in the experience of a mystic.
 Spiritual Practices for Hesed
The Transcendental Center-The Silent
Witness

➢ Gather yourself inward, within behind your

heart, letting go of the surface. Envision the
spiritual sun of Christ indwelling behind your
heart and gather yourself into that light-
presence. Let go of the dream-like past and all
thoughts of the future. All tension, stress, and
negativity let melt away in the light of the
spiritual sun (radiant awareness). Just let go
and let be, and abide in the spiritual sun within
behind your heart.

➢ As you sit in meditation in this way, shift

your focus to a point above your head-the
transcendental center about twelve inches
above the head. Centered above the head,
become the silent witness. Whatever thoughts
and emotions occur, do not follow after them,
grasp at them or identify yourself with them. Do
not do anything with them at all, neither
invoking them, banishing them, nor judging
them. Merely watch the radiant display of the
mind and heart, uninvolved as the silent witness
without any judgment whatsoever. This is the
whole aim of the practice.

➢ Begin with a short period of practice,

perhaps ten minutes twice a day. Then, as your
capacity grows, you can extend the period of
your practice, cultivating the ability to abide as
the silent witness for longer periods of time. If
we can learn to abide in this way for an hour, it
is a wonderful thing. First, we experience an
innate peace. Second, we create the conditions
necessary for the transformation of thoughts and
emotions. For as long as we remain identified
with our thoughts and emotions, we can do little
to change them. Therefore, the first step to
transforming thoughts and emotions is learning
how to become detached or uninvolved. Third,
 through the practice itself, once we develop our
capacity as a silent witness, we may then use
the same method as a way of contact with the
luminous assembly of the tzaddikim.

Mind to Mind Contact with the Holy

Tzaddikim

Only when you have cultivated the capacity to

abide as the silent witness for a prolonged period
of time can it be used as a method for contact with
the holy tzaddikim and maggidim-for the mind must
be silent, the vital still, the consciousness clear.

➢ Go to a place where you will not be

disturbed. Light a candle and some incense.
Then follow the steps of the silent witness
meditation. While your consciousness is
inwardly gathered into the spiritual sun, pray
that God sends a holy tzaddik to commune with
you mind to mind and heart to heart-that divine
grace might flow and a strong and true
connection might be formed. Pray that God
gives a host of forty holy angels charge
concerning you, to come and form a matrix of
light around you so that the environment is
completely positive and good, and no deceiving
spirits or klippotic forces can enter into it. Pray
that the divine presence purify and bless you
and abide with you in your meditation. Let your
heart pray as you are inspired.

➢ Then be silent and shift your focus to the

center above the headbecome the silent
witness. Instead of turning downward to watch
the mind and heart, turn upward and open
yourself to the Holy Shekinah and the luminous
assembly. Listen and hear, and let yourself be
completely receptive to the divine presence and
power that manifests. Perhaps there will only
be silence, or perhaps there will be a heavenly
voice. The aim of this method is not a vision,
but rather a mind-to-mind and heart-to-heart
transmission. It may well be that only after the
meditation you become aware of a transmission
having occurred. In any case, at the close of the
meditation, give thanks and praise to the Holy
One of Being for what you have received-
whether something or nothing.

➢ For any practice like this to truly be

effective, it must be part of a daily continuum of
prayer and meditation. It is best to use this
method in conjunction with other practices, like
meditations on the Mother, Yeshua, or the holy
Bride, using another meditation as a daily
practice and this meditation one to three times a
week. As with any true spiritual practice, it
may take some time to bear fruit. One must be
patient and consistent, and learn to wait upon
the Spirit of the Lord. "All good things come to
those who wait."
NINE
GEVURAH, POWER,
THE DARK FACE
OF GOD
 Attributes
Thirty-Two Paths of Wisdom: Rooted
Consciousness (Sekhel Nishrash); it is called
this because it is the essence of the homogenous
Unity; it is unified in the essence of
Understanding, which emanates from the
domain of Original Wisdom

Gevurah: Severity or Rigor; also Din, judgment

Place in the Tree of Life: The center of the

Pillar of Severity

Divine Name: Elohim Givor

Alternative Divine Names: Ha-Ash Ha

Gedulah, Great Fire; Elohim Amet, God of
Truth; Shafet, Judger; Dayyan, Judge; Ish
Miylchamah, Man of War; Elohim Nisah, God
Testing and Trying
Partzuf Above: Zer Anpin, as the Great Warrior
in the Chariot of Fire

Partzuf Below: Lord Yeshua exorcising demons

and liberating souls; Lord Yeshua delivering
souls in Hades and Hell; Isaac and Rebekah

Divine Image: A Spiritual Warrior riding the

Merkavah; Yeshua the Exorcist; Michael and
the armies of heaven

Archangel: Kamael and Samael

Order of Angels: Seraphim

Celestial Attribute: Madim, Mars

Titles Given to Gevurah: Pachad, Fear or Holy

Awe; Tzimtzum; the Day of Reckoning;
Judgment Day; the Wrath of God; the Dark Face
of God; the Dark Face of the Mother;
Consuming Fire; Sphere of the Angels of Wrath;
Plagues of God; the Angel of Death; Red
Mother Seed; The Left; Depth of North; Power
of the Adepti; Strength of God; The Holy Law;
Peacekeeper; the Second Day of Creation;
Place of Sacrifice; the Agent of the Fall; the
Other Side; the Scapegoat

Level of the Soul: Ruach, Human Spirit, or

Divine Intelligence (specifically, the Upper
Ruach)

Heavenly Abode: Makom, the Sixth Heaven-

Place of Meeting

Spiritual Experience: The Vision of Power; the

Ordeal of Power; Gnosis of the Law; Power of
Discernment-Judgment

Virtues: Self-empowerment; courage; passion;

resolution of conflicts; strength of character;
integrity; leadership; conscious action; good
coordination

Vices: Bullying; tendency to be overbearing;

cruelty; oppression and exploitation of others;
warmongering; anger; hatred; bigotry; violence;
cowardice; rape; unbalanced male sexuality;
tendency to be accident-prone or clumsy

Symbols: The wild rose of five petals; the

chain; the scourge; the sword of truth; the
upright and the inverted pentagram; the spear;
the purifying fire or alchemical fire; the bow
and arrow

Commandment: Honor your father and your

mother (Exodus 20:12)

Sermon on the Mount: Blessed are the pure in

heart, for they will see God (Matthew 5:8)

Angel of the Apocalypse and the Churches: The

Second Star and Lampstand; the message to the
angel of the church in Smyrna (Revelation 2:8-
1 1)
 The Self-Restraint of God and the
Human One
Before the beginning, as we have seen, the light of
the Infinite filled endless space and there was no
"space" in which creation could come into being as
a distinct reality from God and the Godhead. The
quality of Hesed held dominion and there was
nothing but God and only God-primordial grace.
The first action opening the way for creation was
the tzimtzum in which God withdrew into Godself,
creating an infinite sphere of space-the primordial
void-which became the womb of creation.

In the beginning, when God emanated God's

infinite light into the primordial void, through the
power of tzimtzum, God exercised self-restraint
upon Godself, measuring and limiting the flow of
Hesed-mercy with Ge- vurah-severity. With each
gradation of the infinite light, God exercises a
greater degree of self-restraint-each Sefirah
representing a greater limitation or concealment of
God's light and glory. As previously indicated, at
the level of Adam Kadmon, the Sefirot are almost
completely pure grace or Hesed, but at the level of
Asiyah, the Sefirot are mostly Gevurah, which is to
say most restricted. God's progressive restraint of
the Shekinah from one universe to another means a
greater possibility of free will and individuation of
creatures with the generation of each successive
universe, the universe of Asiyah representing the
realms and worlds of the greatest possible free
will and individuation.

In the same way that God restrains Godself in

creating and relating to creation, as creatures seek
to draw near to God and reach out to God, they
must exercise self-restraint. In the descent or
involution of God's presence and power, God
progressively restrains Godself to make the
Shekinah accessible to creatures-hence, God
exercises Gevurah (severity). However, in the
ascent or evolution of life-forms to the highest of
life (conscious unification with God and the
Godhead), Gevurah becomes the self-restraint of
creatures, the negation of all negations of the
sacred unity that God is. Descending-involving,
God must restrain Godself; ascending-evolving,
we must restrain ourselves. To enter into the upper
Olamot, we must become more and more like unto
God, as in the upper Olamot only that which is in
God and is something of Godself exists.

This self-restraint or negation of what is not God

in ascent, however, is truly no restriction or
limitation at all, but rather is a progressive
enlightenment and liberation of the soul, for as we
have seen, the inmost part of the soul is in God and
is of God, and our true freedom to be ourselves is
in the ascension. In restraining ourselves, we give
greater freedom to the presence and power of God
in us. This is directly reflected in the mystery of
the crucifixion and resurrection of the Christ-
bearer, in which, fully self-restrained, the Christ-
bearer becomes fully Christ.

According to the Thirty-Two Paths of Wisdom,

Hesed is rooted in Keter-Hokmah, the supreme
grace or mercy of God, and Gevurah is rooted in
Hokmah-Binah, which serve to measure the flow
of the Light of God into countless gradations. As
we saw in our contemplation of Hokmah, Hokmah
represents the creative utterances upon which
creation is founded. As we discovered in our
exploration of Binah, Binah represents the supernal
or archetypal patterns based on those creative
utterances, which form the matrix of creation. The
creative utterances and archetypes are the supernal
expression of the Torah (law). Gevurah, thus, has
its roots in these utterances and archetypes and is
the active execution of the law in creation.

The law is the self-restraint God exercises on

Godself in God's interaction with human beings
and creation, and it is the self-restraint that human
beings exercise upon themselves in order to draw
near to God and unite themselves with God.
Gevurah-rigor, which is the law, represents the
vehicle or covenant through which we are
connected to God in a harmonious and conscious
relationship. Hesed-love, which is the fulfillment
of the law, represents the fruition of that
relationship in the unification of ourselves with
God.
 The Awesome Power of God
At the level of Atzilut, the Sefirah Gevurah
manifests as Elohim Givor, which means strong,
mighty, or powerful God. Elohim as Binah
represents the archetypal forms or supernal
patterns the one life-power assumes. Elohim as
Gevurah represents that actual manifestation of
distinct and individual divine powers, which have
their origin in Hokmah and Binahhence the
measured grace of God through which the seven
Sefirot of construction manifest. Now these divine
powers appear, whether peaceful, blissful or
wrathful, is determined by the law, specifically the
law of karma. Basically, the divine powers assume
an appearance according to the balance of karma,
whether appearing to an individual soul or to a
collective of souls (as in collectives of souls
grouped together in regions, nations, or even
worlds).
 An example of the different appearances divine
powers assume according to the law of karma is
the story of the Red Sea. Pharaoh and the hosts of
Pharaoh went in pursuit of the children of Israel,
cornering the children of Israel at the shores of the
Red Sea. The Shekinah, however, parted the Red
Sea, allowing the children of Israel to escape, but
when Pharaoh and his hosts attempted to follow
them across, the Red Sea swallowed Pharaoh and
his hosts. This is a story of Elohim Givor and the
appearance of Elohim according to the karma of
peoples. On the one hand, to the children of Israel,
Elohim Givor was the manifestation of God's
power delivering them from bondage and
destruction; on the other hand, to Pharaoh and his
hosts, Elohim Givor was the manifestation of
God's power as judgment and wrath.

Pharaoh and his hosts represent the egoistic self

and fragmented consciousness of the unenlightened
individual, specifically souls linking themselves
with the dominion of the klippot-the titanic and
demonic forces. Moses and the children of Israel
represent an integrated and awakened individual
who is established in a degree of enlightenment,
specifically, souls linking themselves with the
Sefirot-the divine powers. To the unenlightened
soul that cleaves to klippotic forces, Gevurah
appears as judgment and wrath, but to the
enlightened soul that cleaves to the Spirit of
Yahweh, Gevurah appears as the divine power
redeeming and delivering the soul from bondage.

According to the Tradition, God and the holy

angels in heaven took no pleasure in the
destruction of Pharaoh and his minions, but
mourned the sorrow and suffering of the
unenlightened. Yet, at the same time, God and the
holy angels rejoiced over the enlightenment and
liberation of the children of Israel, experiencing
great joy in the deliverance of souls from the
dominion of the klippot. Understanding the
transmigration of souls, in truth, all souls were
liberated on that day-the children of Israel to their
pursuit of a greater degree of enlightenment, and
the minions of Pharaoh to new incarnations in
which they, too, might seek enlightenment and draw
nearer to God. Gevurah always acts to transform
and liberate.

The appearance of Elohim in creation, according

to the law of karma is indicated by Givor, which is
spelt with the Hebrew letters Gimel (a)-Bet (:)-
Vau (1)-Resh (7). Gimel means "camel" and
connotes travel and commerce, specifically, travel
through the wilderness of the desert. It represents
the travel of the soul based upon the principle of
cosmic memory-the karmic matrix.

The letter Bet means "house" and connotes a

dwelling or abode and the center of life,
specifically, the body and the world to which the
body joins the soul. As the first letter of the Book
of Genesis, Bet represents the matrix of creation
(the spiritual forces indicated by Elohim),
incarnations, and the spiritual forces at play within
and behind them, which correspond to the karma of
the soul.

Vau, as we saw in our study of the

Tetragrammaton, means "nail" or "hook" and
connotes binding together, linking, or connecting.
As the number six, it represents the six Sefirot
between Binah and Malkut. Vau represents the
various spiritual forces to which a soul can link
itself, which in turn determines how God or reality
appears to the soul. Spiritual forces act as the
mediating principle between God and the human
soul and, thus, determine the relationship of the
soul to God.

Resh means "head" or "face," and connotes

appearance, communication, and relationship. It
alludes to the state of consciousness determining
appearances and the nature of communication and
relationships that form. Resh is how God or reality
appears to us.

Elohim Givor, then, reflects what we have

previously said-that God (Elohim) does not
change, but the appearance of God's presence and
power (Givor) changes corresponding to changes
in our own state of consciousness. Givor indicates
that our souls are bound to the cycles of endless
transmigration by karmic conditioning and that
each incarnation is a karmic matrix, so that every
circumstance, situation, and event of life, and our
relationship with life and God, is the product of
karma, whether positive, negative, or neutral.
Essentially, our life, dreams, visions, and afterlife
experiences are all the radiance of our soul-being
or the face of Elohim as Elohim appears to us.
 Elohim Givor also indicates that God has
dominion over all spiritual forces and that all
spiritual forces are sustained by God's power and
are the manifestation of God's power. The best
way to understand how God's power manifests as
all spiritual forces, whether divine, titanic, or
demonic, is in terms of human life. The life-power
is the same in all human beings, whether godly or
ungodly. The one life-power manifests as average
human beings, whom are neither particularly good
and saintly nor wicked and evil. The same life-
power sustains and manifests as those who are
good and righteous persons and those who are
wicked and evil-doers. Whether good, admixed, or
evil, every human being is sustained by the one
life-power and is a manifestation of the one life-
power. The same is true of spiritual beings-forces
in the more subtle dimensions of Asiyah, Yetzirah,
and Beriyah, whether angel, titan, or demon.
The Nature of Karma and Tikkune
Today we understand that life-forms have evolved
within the womb of the earth for millions of years,
as though waves of life arising from within one
another, ever moving toward greater intelligence
and self-awareness. Essentially, greater
intelligence and self-awareness has manifest as the
lifeforms that are able to support and embody it
come into being. Humanity, as it is, represents the
pinnacle of intelligent life on earth. Yet according
to the Kabbalah and Gnosticism, there are further
levels of intelligence and self-awareness to be
developed within humanity from which a divine or
super humanity is destined to arise.

This alludes to grades of evolution within the

race of humanity itself, proposing that within
humankind there are various levels of development
and evolution, specifically on the level of the soul-
being. When we speak of intelligence and self-
awareness, we are actually speaking of the soul or
consciousness. In Kabbalistic terms, the evolution
of life-forms is the evolution of Nefeshim and the
evolution of intelligence, which generates
selfawareness, is Ruachot.

Until the dawn of humankind on earth, all

evolution transpired on a subconscious level, quite
apart from any real conscious exertion on the part
of species. It was essentially a secret operation of
God's Spirit within nature and transpired on a very
deep and hidden level. As we have indicated,
humankind marks a significant transition in
evolution, for unlike previous life-forms,
humankind has a capacity for a conscious evolution
because of the greater intelligence that is in it. The
present humanity is, basically, the transitional
being in the twilight zone between the unconscious
and conscious evolution.
 In the previous chapter we spoke of a gift that
God seeks to give to us, namely Godself, and in the
Scriptures we hear of a "chosen people" or the
"elect" to whom God gives Godself. Exoterically,
this has been taken to mean the Jewish peoples.
However, esoterically, the elect are souls of
sufficient evolution who are able to receive the
gift-hence souls of a higher grade of self-
awareness. The nature of this gift is a fiery or
divine intelligence, specifically, the fiery light of
supernal consciousness. As we have seen, it is
through this gift that a human being may experience
a conscious unification with God and Godhead.

The Kabbalah says that vessels or universes were

created and destroyed many times in the process of
forming this present universe. In speaking of the
evolution of life-forms and souls-Nefeshim and
Ruachot-we see the same process reflected. Life-
forms are formed and destroyed in the process of
evolution, and souls are generated and reabsorbed
in the process of reincarnation. It is a wave-like
motion of progress and regress in a spiral ascent.

Karma, in essence, is this dual-action of

evolution: progress and regress. It is the cosmic
law of cause and effect, the aim of which is a
creative evolution toward the highest of life.
Although we may speak of karma in terms of
positive, neutral, and negative actions, basically, it
is all a question of whether a given action
facilitates or retards the soul's development and
evolution-hence whether our actions lead toward a
progress to a supernal or divine humanity or a
regress back into our bestial past.

Evolution occurs through a process of

progression and regression, much like the incoming
tide of the ocean. Every progress moves a little
further forward and every regress recedes a little
less backward, so that, in fact, it is one motion of
ascent when viewed over the course of time. In
speaking of the liberative quality of creation, it is
this that Kabbalah is indicating. While we can
speak of the backward pull and tendency to bind
that is inherent in the cosmic law, which is often
referred to as negative karma, in truth, it is merely
a regression in which souls are able to work out
whatever hinders and obstructs further progress in
evolution. In other words, whether a seeming
progress (positive karma) or regress (negative
karma), everything in our experience represents an
opportunity for progress in conscious evolution.
Spiritual practice and spiritual living from a
Gnostic and Kabbalistic perspective is nothing
other than working out whatever is necessary for
the development and evolution of the soul-being.

This process of working out what is necessary for

continued progress in a conscious evolution is
called tikkune in the Kabbalah, which means
correction, repair, mending, or healing. According
to the Tradition, both the metaphysical structure of
the universe-the Sefirot and Olamot-and the human
soul are in a process of evolution and in need of
tikkune: the working out and healing of whatever is
necessary for the ultimate fruition of creative
evolution. Because human souls are microcosms of
the macrocosm (the metaphysical universe), the
tikkune of human souls brings about the tikkune of
the Sefirot and Olamot.

The primary agent of this tikkune is Gevurah-the

holy law or principle of evolution itself. It is the
agent of the tzimtzum through which series of
Nefeshim and Ruachot come into being as
individuations of the one life-power. Likewise, it
is the agent that tries and tests every development
in the process of creative evolution to see if it is
strong, good, and true. When it is ready, it passes
into the next cycle of progress; what is not ready
goes into a cycle of regress to work out what is
needed for progress-all according to the law. It is
in this sense that we may understand the title of
Gevurah as Din, which means judgment.
 Three Visions
At our ordinary level of consciousness, we tend to
be bound by what is called the vision of ignorance,
which is karmic vision. Souls occupying similar
life-forms all share a basic common karma. In that
we have human bodies, we share human karma.
This is what is called the human kingdom, and
being human, we all represent something of the
soul of the human one.

In the human kingdom, we all have individual

karma, reflecting our previous lives and our
personal history in this life. Each of us is born in a
certain country, a region, and community, under
certain conditions, and into a specific family. We
each experienced a different upbringing and
education and different influences, life
experiences, and beliefs. All of this forms our
individual karmic condition, reflecting our
previous evolution through past lives. In essence,
we are all a complex accumulation of habits and
past actions. Consequently, each of us has our own
world-view and unique perspective on things. We
might look a lot alike, but we are all very different
in how we see things. In effect, we all tend to live
in our own individual and separate worlds, and to
what degree these worlds ever really meet is a
great question. Karmic vision is based primarily
upon our own subjective projections-our
preconditions, preconceptions, and expectations.
Because our view is inherently limited and partial,
and our selfimage is inherently flawed, this vision
is a mixture of truth and falsehood. Essentially, it's
a story we have made up, based upon our personal
history and a delusion of separation, and it
represents karmic conditioninghence the vision of
ignorance.

In the vision of ignorance, everything is based

upon past developments in evolution, and without
some sense of potential future developments, it
binds us to the past-the repetition of history. To
break through this karmic vision, we need some
spiritual or mystical experience that produces the
vision of faith-hence, initiation.

The vision of faith is essentially a vision of

experience-a revelation of the truth and light in our
own experience, which we then are able to enact in
our spiritual practice and spiritual living.
Obviously, there can be many different levels of
manifestation to the vision of faith. However, in
Gnostic Christianity, it ultimately comes by way of
the light transmission and direct perception of the
light continuum-the sacred unity of God that
underlies all existence. To the degree we
recognize, realize, and embody this spiritual truth,
we enter into the vision of gnosis, which is the
vision that arises in the attainment of Chris-
consciousness.

These three modes of vision are reflected in the

threefold body of Melchizedek discussed in the
previous chapter. The vision of ignorance allows
the perception of the emanation body of a tzaddik;
the vision of faith manifests through the perception
of the glory body of the tzaddik; and the vision of
gnosis comes with the perception of the truth
bodythe state of pure radiant awareness. These
three visions thus reflect progress on the path to
self-realization.
 The Ordeal of Power and Tikkune
of the Soul
The nature of the Gnostic path is a quickening of
the evolution of the soul-being and a swift ascent
to supernal or Christ-consciousness. An evolution
of consciousness that could take hundreds, or even
thousands, of lives by ordinary means of gradual
development can occur in three to seven lives by
way of Christian Gnosticism and the practice of
Kabbalah. This assumes, of course, that one fully
sets oneself on the path and that one receives
initiation into the light-continuum.

Essentially, reception of the light transmission

invokes the full karmic force of a soul so that the
process of tikkune is sped up, and thus, the ascent
to Christ consciousness transpires more rapidly.
The path of initiation is not the path of least
resistance, but is, in fact, the path of most
resistance. It is akin to climbing straight up the face
of a mountain rather than spiraling round and round
to eventually reach the peak. This is reflected in
the saying of Lord Yeshua: "Enter through the
narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is
easy that leads to destruction, and there are many
who take it. For the gate is narrow and the road is
hard that leads to life, and there are few who find
it" (Gospel of St. Matthew 7:13-14).

One should not be put off from setting oneself on

the path of initiation because of fearing an
invocation of the full force of one's karma. The full
force of one's karma does not manifest at the outset
of the path, any more than does the full
manifestation of divine power. At the outset of the
path, one must learn to meet the challenges already
present within one's life. As one progresses from
one grade of the enlightenment experience to
another, one learns to meet more subtle and
sublime challenges, having developed the capacity
to meet them. The path is the work of a lifetime,
perhaps several lifetimes, and one's capacity at
each stage is equal to the challenges one faces.
Likewise, one is not alone in the great work. There
is always the divine grace of guidance, assistance,
and empowerment in the face of every challenge
for all who take up the divine life and actively
engage in spiritual practice and spiritual living.
The truth is that the invocation of the full force of
our karma is what leads to the ultimate healing of
our soul in enlightenment and liberation.

The greater adept is the Rosicrucian grade that

corresponds to Gevurah, and it is at the level of the
greater adept that an initiate experiences the full
force of his or her karmic continuum. It arises as
the full influx of the divine presence and power. If
the disciple is a well-prepared vessel when this
radical influx of divine power occurs, then it will
be a completely wonderful and blissful experience.
However, whatever imperfections or impurities
might remain will be swiftly revealed. If those
imperfections are many and unresolved, then the
adept is likely to shatter under the psychic pressure
created by the inrush of great force. This is called
the ordeal of power and typically leads the adept
into the second dark night of the soul, which is the
most severe challenge on the path.

Although psychism and occultism in the New Age

often mistake magic-powers as indicative of a
higher grade of soul or an actual enlightenment,
this is not necessarily true. Power, in and of itself,
is not self-realization, although it is, indeed, a by-
product of the self-realization process and the
ability to manage greater power is part of actual
attainment. The truth is, one must have faith, hope,
and love to endure the ordeal of power, and the
knowledge, understanding, and wisdom necessary
to properly use it in the great work. It is this that
indicates actual enlightenment. This is well
reflected by the saying of Yeshua: "Not everyone
who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter into the
kingdom of heaven, but only one who does the will
of my Father in heaven. On that day many will say
to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your
name, and cast out demons in your name, and do
many deeds by the power of your name?' Then I
will say to them, 'I never knew you; go away from
me, you evildoers"' (Gospel of St. Matthew 7:21-
23). It is also reflected perfectly in the myth of the
temptation and the questions put to Master Yeshua
by the adversary, Satan (Matthew 4:1-11), all of
which surround the use of divine power.

Here, we are speaking specifically of the

manifestation of various spiritual gifts or magic-
powers that naturally arise at a certain point in the
enlightenment experience; yet the ordeal of power
is common to all realms of evolution. This is
clearly demonstrated in the development of
humanity in modern times, with our growing access
to various forms of power through our science and
technologies. More and more, as we develop our
intelligence, we have access to greater material
powers. The question becomes whether or not we
have the level of maturity in our mental and vital
being to manage these powers and use them wisely
to facilitate fur ther progress in our evolution.
Quite obviously, the material knowledge and
powers humanity is accessing could be used to
radically quicken the pace of human progress or
equally to cause a radical regression in human life
on earth. According to the masters of the Tradition,
our whole species and whole world has entered
into the ordeal of power-hence the season of the
apocalypse.

While the ordeal of power, as it is experienced by

the greater Adept, may be somewhat distant to
many of us, the question of how we use power is
relevant to all human beings in these times and is
certainly important to the spiritual aspirant long
before the grade of the greater adept. Frankly
speaking, we all have access to power. One need
only consider such material powers as the money-
power, sex-power, social-power, famepower, or
any other form of life-power in one's ordinary life.
On a practical level one can ask oneself, "Who
does this power serve?" Essentially, in the practice
of Christian Gnosticism, it is the aim of the initiate
to uplift all powers to the divine, whether material,
psychic, or spiritual powers, and to restore all
powers to the service of the divine will and
kingdom. This is the very essence of the tikkune of
the soul and the world.

On a fundamental level, we are the world and the

world is us; we are the society in which we live
and the society is us. Therefore, if we seek to bring
about a change in our societies and the world, we
must bring a change about in our own
consciousness. Our redemption and healing
(tikkune) is the redemption and healing of the
world. This is the very foundation of the great
work.
 The Love of the Lord and the
Fear of the Lord
There are three sorts of individuals who might
walk up to a wild tiger in the forest and pet the big
cat upon its head. One is the perfect tzaddik, who
is filled with the Spirit of Yahweh, and peace and
love, to whom the tiger is no threat. The other two
are the idiot and the fool. The idiot is too stupid to
understand the danger of the tiger and thus too
stupid to fear it. As for the fool, he is too arrogant
and reckless to acknowledge his fear. While the
perfect tzaddik may pet the tiger and go unharmed,
the idiot or fool will most likely be dinner or
simply good sport!

"A tiger is a great and powerful beast, indeed, but

God is far greater and more powerful than a mere
tiger, and potentially far more dangerous! One who
seeks to draw near unto the Lord would do well to
be aware of this and proceed with mindfulness and
alertness. Life is composed of great beauty and
great danger, and Yahweh is the life-power. Those
who are wise fear the Lord as much as they love
the Lord, and on account of fear they preserve their
life" (Tau Elijah Ben Miriam).

This was a favorite saying of my beloved tzaddik

when he would give teachings on Gevurah, which
is also called pacbad (fear). Confronting our fears
and walking through them is an important part of
the path to Christ consciousness, and as my teacher
was also fond of saying, "Where there is no fear,
there is also no courage." It takes courage to live
life fully, and yet more courage to embark upon the
mystical journey. Just as there are material dangers
in the world, so also there are psychic and
spiritual dangers in the path to self-realization.

Pachad is not a childish and superstitious fear of

God's punishment, as though God was some sort of
tyrant or abusive parent, nor is it fear of the
obscene fiction of eternal damnation in hell. Such
things, as we have seen, are all ignorant
projections upon God. By "fear" is meant holy
awe, which, coupled with love, is also eyes of
wonder. Holy awe and wonder fills the soul that
draws near unto God and the Godhead, and where
there is no awe and wonder, the soul is far
removed from the Holy Spirit. Quite simply, awe
and wonder are the natural human experience of
God's presence, as anyone who has ever had a
direct experience of the Shekinah will tell you.

Most initiates early on the path are taken by

surprise at their own reaction to the first time there
is a larger movement of energy in the subtle body,
or when they first experience contact with one of
the archangels. Before fully embracing the spiritual
or mystical experience as it unfolds, more often
than not, the young initiate reacts with a vital recoil
and fear. This is true even when an aspirant may
have worked for a long time to bring about such a
development. While the novice will frequently feel
that there is something wrong with him or her, or as
though he or she failed some sort of test, in the
eyes of an experienced adept or master of the
Tradition, it is a sign of health and success, for the
fear tells the tzaddik that the novice was conscious
and had some awareness of the real power moving
within and behind the experience, and that the
novice had an understanding of what they were
experiencing or contacting.

It is only natural that we experience some degree

of fear, along with other emotions, upon entering
into new and unfamiliar experiences. This is true
in mundane circumstances and it is equally true in
supramundane circumstances. While being
dominated by fear or paralyzed by fear would
certainly be unhealthy and represent a severe
imbalance, the presence of fear itself is quite
natural and to be expected, and oftentimes it serves
as a guardian early on so that we do not overshoot
our capacity. Dealing with fear is part of the
sacred quest. In truth, sometimes it is our friend,
invoking mindfulness and alertness in us, while
other times it is our adversary and must be dealt
with in kind. We must learn to discern the
difference and to respond consciously based upon
that discernment, understanding that, ultimately, we
must learn to walk through all fear and to transform
all fear into focused awareness.

In terms of human emotions, fear and love

typically move together. Anyone who has ever had
the experience of truly falling in love will also
speak of the fear that gripped them in the process.
Ask anyone in love who has realized that they have
met the person they will marry! Thus love and fear
hang out together, and where there is no fear there
is also no real love.

Fear is typically a form of resistance to

something-resistance to something new and
unfamiliar, something uncomfortable, something
overwhelming or that takes us out of control (as in
love). It is often a great teacher, revealing
weaknesses, impurities, and imperfections to be
worked out before we are able to move forward.
When fear is allowed to turn into anger, anger is
allowed to become hatred, and we are ruled by our
fears and insecurities. Fear leads to the dark side
and evil, yet fear can also be recognition of
darkness and evil, and lead us away from evil.

If so many different things can invoke fear, if fear

has so many different faces and is part of our early
spiritual or mystical experiences, along with other
emotions, then how could we draw near unto the
Lord and experience the awesome and terrible
power of God without some degree of fear and
trembling? Encountering the presence of God
directly, we will experience the full range of
human emotions, and fear will be among them.
Thus, Gevurah is also called Pachad, and it is
written: "The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of
knowledge" (Proverbs 1:7). As my teacher often
said, "Those who love the Lord, and are drawn to
the Lord, also fear the Lord, for they are aware of
the great and awesome force that we call 'God.' It
is the power of life and death, and the whole
universe."
 The True Nature of Sacrifice
The word "sacrifice" comes from a root meaning
"to make sacred" or "to sanctify," and connotes
purification and consecration. Something sacred or
sanctified is something set apart from mundane use
and dedicated to supramundane use. Something is
made sacred because of the meaning we give to it,
how we use it, and our reverence for it.

The Hebrew word for sacrifice means "to draw

near," specifically, to draw near unto the Lord, and
connotes a vehicle of drawing near or of
unification with God. As we have seen, drawing
near to God happens through self-restraint, and
thus sacrifice is an act of restraint, whether the
restricted use of a sacred or holy object or an act
of self-restraint through which we ourselves are
made sacred or holy.

By self-restraint is meant purification, which is a

letting go of anything that does not have a place in
God or that is not of God. If God is truth, then it is
a letting go of ignorance and falsehood; if God is
love, then it is letting go of anger and hate; if God
is good, then it is letting go of anything evil, and so
on. One might say that the entire mystical journey
is a path of purification in that, when all things
obstructing the truth and light are removed, our
innate divinity naturally and spontaneously shines
from the depths of our being, and we realize all
along we have been at one with God, the source of
all life. Understanding the principle of sacrifice in
this way, rather than the primitive idea of an
appeasement of a deity or soothing the arbitrary
whims of a tyrannical god, sacrifice is a letting go
of something inferior for something superior-a
release of something lesser for something greater.
Sacrifice is not a loss but rather a gain!

Offering-up is often a term for sacrifice, which

suggests an uplifting of something or the
transformation of something from a lower form to a
higher form, specifically, the translation of
something mundane to something supramundane.
This was the significance of burnt offerings in the
primitive mind, in that, through burning a sacrifice,
one transformed something material into something
spiritual, and thus it could then be re ceived by
deity, which is spiritual. It is also the idea behind
cremation, which is intended to swiftly release the
spirit from the body and thus deliver it into the
embrace of the great Spirit, God.

All of these ideas of sacrifice relate to the

function of Gevurah, and thus Gevurah is called the
place of sacrifice. As the temptation has a
correspondence with Gevurah, as well as with
Yesod, so also does the night of passion and the
crucifixion. While the mystery of the Crucifixion as
divine revelation corresponds to Tiferet, as an
action of self-restraint and holy sacrifice, it
corresponds to Gevurah, as does Isaac who was
willing to make a sacrifice of himself unto the
Lord.

The mystery of the crucifixion and resurrection

itself reveals the true nature of sacrifice, for
through the Crucified One, all negative karma is
dispelled (all klippot shed), and through the Risen
One, all are drawn near unto the Lord and unified
with God. This holy act of sacrifice is the ultimate
tikkune-the shattering of all husks of darkness
(klippot) and the release of the holy sparks
contained in them to unification with Christ in God.
Far from a death or a loss, the crucifixion
represents a letting go of a lower plane of
existence to ascend to a higher plane of existence,
specifically, an ascent to the supernal being.

The name for the rite of the Holy Eucharist in

Christian Gnosticism represents well the true
nature of sacrifice-the wedding feast. This alludes
to sacrifice as an action of mystical union and
specifically an act of love and delight. A true
sacrifice is an act of love that brings into union, the
fruition of which is pure joy or delight. The same
holy rite also reveals the transformation power of
sacrifice, for in the rite, the bread and wine are
transformed into the body and blood of Christ,
specifically the presence and essence of the
Christos, which when eaten joins the body and soul
to the Soul of the Messiah. Sacrifice is inherently a
mystical and magical act.

While in Gnostic worship flower offerings, light

offerings, incense offerings, food offerings, and
such are given as symbols of sacrifice, the true
sacrifice is the offering-up of ourselves and our
lives to the holy Shekinah and the great work.
Spiritual study and contemplation, prayer, and
meditation, and sacred ritual are holy sacrifices,
for through these we draw near to our Neshamah
and the Lord. So also are mundane activities, when
they are dedicated to the evolution of the soul-
being and we are spiritconnected while performing
them. Even the sexual act of love-making is
considered a vehicle of holy sacrifice in
Gnosticism, when lovers embrace one another as
the Lord and the Shekinah or as the Bridegroom
and holy Bride. Ultimately, the aim of the Gnostic
initiate is to transform the whole of life into the
divine life, leaving nothing out, and thus embody
the Christos in life-making life a true and holy
sacrifice before the presence of the Lord.
 The Patriarch and Matriarch of
Gevurah
Isaac and Rebekah are the patriarch and matriarch
of Gevurah, and thus their story is the story of
Gevurah. The life of Isaac begins with a
conception by divine intervention of grace, so that
Isaac is born by way of Hesed in the same way
Gevurah emerges from Hesed. When, as a young
man, Isaac allows himself to be bound on the altar
as a sacrifice before the presence of the Lord,
exercising self-restraint he reflects the activity of
Gevurah. In that through his act of self-restraint
God provided another sacrifice, Isaac reflects the
action of Gevurah, setting a flow of measured
grace in motion.

Isaac does not choose his own wife, as do the

other patriarchs; a servant of his father's house
finds Rebekah, once again reflecting selfrestraint,
as does Rebekah herself. When Rebekah conceives
and becomes pregnant, she is pregnant with twins-
Esau representing the bestial soul and evil
inclination andJacob representing the godly soul
and good inclination. This reflects the dual quality
of Gevurah and the opposing archangel and arch
demon attributed to it.

The two brothers wrestle in Rebekah's womb and

Esau, being stronger, emerges as the firstborn.
When it comes time for Isaac to impart the
patriarchal blessing, he intends to give it to the
first-born son, Esau. However, like Justice herself,
Isaac is blind. With Rebekah's help, Jacob poses
as Esau and takes the blessing, as ordained by
heaven, reflecting the karmic balance in Gevurah.
Esau had sold his birthright to Jacob for some food
and, according to the law, the blessing belonged to
Jacob. Everywhere one looks into this story,
Gevurah appears.
 The Purifying Fire of God
In Beriyah, the Sefirah Gevurah manifests as
archangel Kamael, whose name literally means the
"burner of God" or "fire of God." The image of
Kamael reflects his name. He appears as a human
form composed of intense fire and heat, not in
robes, but in armor as the great guardian of God's
presence and the angel of judgment. With the name
of Elohim Givor and the chant Ah Ya Ko Ma
Kamael, initiates invoke this great and powerful
angel for the sake of Divine justice.

The archangel Michael is said to be the

commander of the armies of heaven, but Kamael is
said to be the champion of God, who subjugates all
Titans to the divine will according to the law of
perfect justice, and who is victorious over all evil.
When the Scripture speaks of Yahweh as a man of
war, it is speaking of the archangel Kamael, before
whom no evil can endure. Yet, Kamael does not
engage in war but is a fire consuming fire, making
all like unto itself, the mere presence of which is
the "end of darkness and evil."

To one who is on fire with the Spirit of Yahweh,

who cleaves to the Spirit of the Lord and has put
on the image of the Lord, the presence of Kamael
is pure bliss; yet to one who is removed from God
and does not come in the name of the Lord, the
presence of Kamael is dread and terrible-a great
fire that burns and consumes. This description, of
course, depicts a personification of the law in
Beriyah-for in essence, Kamael is the appearance
of the soul's karma.

We may gain some understanding of Kamael from

the words of St. Paul, when he says, ". . . through
the law I died to the law, so that I might live to
God." He also says, "And we have come to
believe in Christ Jesus, so that we might be
justified by faith in Christ and not by doing works
of the law, because no one will be justified by
works of the law" (Galatians 2:16). The meaning
is this: the body and surface consciousness are
bound by the law and cannot liberate itself from
the law. Nefesh and Ruach are bound to the matrix
of karma because they are the product of karma,
but the Neshamah and the inner and higher self
(Christ-self) is not bound to the law. Thus, through
faith in our divine nature and the indwelling Christ,
we are liberated from the law of karma. Kamael,
the burner of God, burns away all klippot,
including the klippot of our old and unenlightened
self, thus revealing the soul of light and Christos in
us. Such is the function of Ka- mael-Gevurah.

Kamael conveys divine power upon the faithful

and elect in the same way that Tzafkiel conveys
divine blessings. Essentially, Kamael acts to help
remove obstructions to the flow of grace and to
measure out grace so that we might receive God's
blessing-power. Likewise, this great angel helps us
understand our karma and therefore the nature of
tikkune to be performed. Kamael reveals the
weaknesses, impurities, and imperfections in
consciousness so that we might understand what
needs to be worked out in order to progress in
self-realization. At the same time, Kamael is the
angel of divine protection, serving as the guardian
of the assembly of the faithful and elect, and is said
to defend against psychic assaults of dark and
hostile forces, as well as assaults of black magic
and "the evil eye." When an elder or tau seeks to
uphold oaths, it is Kamael who is invoked.
 The Adversary of God and
Humanity
The arch-demon Samael (Satan) is also said to be
the manifestation of Gevurah at the level of
Beriyah. Samael, which as you will recall means
the "poison of God," is the personification of the
evil inclination or the inclination to self-
destruction and violence, which is called sitra
abara in Hebrew. While, indeed, we may speak of
cosmic forces of evil (dark and hostile forces), in
the Kabbalah, evil is primarily understood as
cosmic ignorance and the evil inclination in us.
After all, if there is any external agent of evil, it
only has power over us to the degree that we have
not put an end to the inclination of violence in
ourselves.

Pride and arrogance (selfishness), lust and greed,

jealousy and envy, anger and hate, insecurity and
doubt-every form of negativity-are by nature a
poison and generate negative karma, leading to
death and destruction. The same mind that
generates positive thought and emotion also
generates negative thought and emotion; the same
imagination that envisions the divine powers also
envisions darkness and evil; the same lifepower
through which good and noble things are enacted
also is the lifepower through which wickedness
and evil is done. Understanding this, we
understand the relationship of Kamael and Samael.

If one wishes to gain insight into the adversary,

the evil one, or the dark face of God, one need only
consider the meaning of the name Samael and
contemplate the ultimate outcome if humankind
continues to poison the environment of this good
earth. How "good" will planet earth be in future
generations if we continue to live in our present
selfish, greedy, and hateful manner that pollutes
and poisons the environment? Will the water be
good to drink or the air good to breathe? Will the
beauty of nature reflect the glory of the presence of
God? Indeed! Satan will be cast down upon the
earth, as said in the book of Revelation, and it is
we who are bringing him to earth!

The same can be said of war, terrorism, and every

form of evil we enact upon one another and the
creatures of this good earth. What is true upon a
material level is also true upon psychic and
spiritual levels. The balance of good and evil is
dependent upon the human being. The choice is up
to each and every one of us whether we are visited
by God or the devil.
 The Angels of God's Power and
Glory
Gevurah manifests at the level of Yetzirah as the
order of the Seraphim. Seraph literally means
"fiery serpent" or "burning angel." Seraphim
appear in the vision of Isaiah, and the great
Seraphim are said to be holy angels that abide
directly in the presence of the Lord, continually in
worship of the Lord. These seraphim are said to
appear like the light of the sun, on fire with the
Spirit of Yahweh, and are described as having six
wingstwo to cover the face, two to cover the feet,
and two with which to fly. Their function is to
conceal the one-who-sits-upon-the-throne and yet,
at the same time, to reveal the glory of the Holy
One.

Isaiah says that the Seraphim are in attendance

above the image of the glory of Yahweh and that
they call to one another saying, "Holy, holy, holy is
the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His
Glory" (Isaiah 6:3). The masters of the Kabbalah
say that, when the great Seraphim worship in the
presence of Yahweh, they perspire fire and light,
and this fiery-light pours down through the
heavens, becoming the river of fire surrounding the
third heaven, called Shehakim, meaning "clouds of
grace," or "skylike." This same river is said to
pour out into the hells, becoming the fire of hell.
You will recall that, according to the Kabbalah, the
Holy Spirit is the light of heaven and fire of hell.
Thus, it is the power of the Holy Spirit that pours
out through the great Seraphim, which is called
their "perspiration from worship." This indicates
that the Seraphim are angels of the Holy Spirit and
specifically are angels of divine illumination and
divine power. Thus, as the hashmalim grant
blessings, or are blessings; the seraphim grant
illumination and power or are illuminations and
powers.

According to the Tradition, based upon the literal

meaning of Seraph as a fiery serpent, there are two
other forms of Seraphim besides the great
seraphim described by the prophet Isaiah. One is
alluded to in the Sefer Yetzirah in the Mishna that
speaks about Theli, the celestial dragon. Certain
esoteric interpretations of the Mishna speak of
Seraphim that are great dragons, which are said to
be personifications of cosmic forces that are
neither good nor evil but rather are pure energy.

The other form of Seraphim is depicted as a

plague of fire snakes or venomous serpents that the
Lord sent among the children of Israel, the bite of
which was lethal (Numbers, chapter 21). Moses
sought a remedy from the Lord for the bite of these
Seraphim. The Lord told Moses to fashion a
bronze image of a Seraph and to put it on top of a
pole in the center of the Israeli camp. Anyone who
was bitten by a fire snake would be saved if they
looked up and gazed upon this image. There are
many esoteric teachings in the Christian Kabbalah
regarding this form of Seraphim; however, the most
significant is the interpretation of these Seraphim
as the secret power of the Holy Spirit in the spine
and, specifically, in the channels of the subtle
body-what in Eastern Traditions is called
"Kundalini," or "Dakini," or "Shakti Power." It is
said that if this fire snake is awakened prematurely,
it can cause illness and even death. Rather than a
blissful experience, it could be a hellish one.
However, awoken in due season, sublimated and
directed up through the central channel of the
spine, this serpent power leads to divine
illumination and magic-power. Thus, the teachings
say that there is a Seraph within each of us-the
serpent power, which is the Holy Spirit power. It
is the aim of the Gnostic initiate to awaken this
divine power and to direct it inward and
upwardGodward.
 Spiritual Practice for Gevurah
Divine Protection

➢ When you feel in need of divine protection,

it is good to chant the divine name of Elohim
Givor. As you intone the name, let the vibration
fill your body and the entire space around you,
and let the name fill your mind so that your
mind merges completely with the name. When
your chant is complete, let your heart pray for
divine protection and the grace of the Lord-and
so it shall be.

➢ Alternatively, chant the name, let the

vibration of the name fill you and the space
around you, and visualize a circle of great fire
magically appearing around you, into which no
darkness or evil can enter. Envision a burning
angel appearing, with a sword of flashing fire
in his hands, as a guardian of the sacred circle.
Wherever you go, the circle of great fire and
the burning angel will be with you. When you
no longer have need of the burning angel, give
praise and thanks to God for divine protection,
and pray the holy angel be released from its
charge concerning you. If you perform this
practice for someone else, simply envision
them in the circle rather than yourself.

➢ In the same way the burning angel is

invoked, the archangel Kamael can be invoked
when the need for divine protection is great.
Chanting the divine name, chant the chant of
Kamael and envision the divine image of
Kamael magically appearing in the space
before you, with his great sword of truth in
hand. Pray for divine justice and tikkune in the
situation for which you have invoked the great
angel and offer the situation up before the Lord
in prayer, letting go to the divine will. This
invocation is typically performed by initiates in
response to greater injustice in the world
beyond themselves.
➢ Equally, one may simply envision the
spiritual sun in one's heart and one's whole
body transformed into the spiritual sun-a fiery
light that transforms everything it touches into
itself (the lightpresence). No evil or darkness
can draw near to one who abides as the
spiritual sun-the Spirit of Messiah.
TEN
TIFERET,
DIVINE BEAUTY
AND SUN OF GOD
 Attributes
Thirty-Two Paths of Wisdom: Transcendental
Influx Consciousness (Sekhel Shefa Nivdal); it
is called this because through it the influx of
Emanation (Atzilut) increases itself; it bestows
this influx on all blessings, which unify
themselves in its essence

Tiferet: Beauty or Harmony

Place on the Tree of Life: The Center of the

Pillar of Compassion (Middle of the Middle
Pillar)

Divine Name: Yeshua; also Yahweh Elohenu

Alternative Divine Names: Yeshua Messiah;

Adonai Yeshua; Yahweh Eloah Ve-Da'at; Ben
Ha-El, the Son of God

Partzuf Above: Zer Anpin, proper

Partzuf Below: Yeshua Messiah teaching and
initiating; Yeshua healing the people; the Risen
Messiah; Jacob, Leah, and Rachel

Divine Image: The Holy Child; the Christ-

bearer Crucified; the Risen One; the Light of
the Cross; Melchizedek

Archangel: Raphael

Order of Angels: Malachim

Celestial Attribute: Shemesh, the Sun

Titles Given to Tiferet: Melekh, the King; the

Spiritual Sun; the Sun of God; the Anointed;
Adam, the Human One; Son of Adam, Son of
the Human One; the Great Seth; Good Serpent;
the Serpent-Sun; the Son; the Mother's Child;
Holy One; the Beginning of Life; the Light of
the World; the Light of Life; Light in Darkness;
Secret Sun; the Crucified One; Indwelling
Christ; Lord of the Sabbath; Depth of East;
Self-Made-Perfect

Level of the Soul: Ruach, proper (Union of the

Upper and Lower Ruach)

Heavenly Abode: Ma'on, the Fifth Heaven-

Dwelling Place

Spiritual Experience: Gnosis of Yeshua

Messiah; Gnosis of the Mystery of the
Crucifixion and Resurrection; the Vision of the
Pattern-ThatConnects

Virtues: True individuality; vitality;

empowerment; divine pride; positive
motivation; self-determination; strong will;
drive; courage; dignity; strong spirit; self-
awareness; devotion to the Great Work; living
the Holy Gospel

Vices: Lack of true individuality; lack of

motivation-apathy; powerlessness; lack of
energy or enthusiasm; weak will; arrogant
pride; selfishness; low self-esteem; shyness;
lack of faith and devotion; distracted; lack of
self-awareness

Symbols: The Crucifix; the Cross; the Rose

Cross; the Cube; the truncated pyramid; the
Seal of Faith; the Lamen of Adept; the
DoubleSided Seal; the Seal of Amet; gold; the
upright pentagram, as a symbol of the Christed
Human Being; Star of David or hexagram

Commandment: You shall not murder (Exodus

20:12)

Sermon on the Mount: Blessed are the merciful,

for they will receive mercy (Matthew 5:7)

Angel of the Apocalypse and the Churches:

Third Star and Lampstand, and the message to
the angel of the church in Pergamum
(Revelation 2:12-17)
 The Pattern-That-Connects
The Tree of Life glyph is composed of Sefirot and
the paths that connect them. The paths of the Tree
of Life are represented by the twenty-two letters of
the Hebrew alphabet, the aleph-bet. Tiferet
(beauty) is the center of the Tree of Life and, as
such, it is the sacred heart of the tree. In the
simplest terms, we may understand the function of
Tiferet on the tree akin to the heart in the body,
which distributes blood and therefore oxygen
throughout the body. In terms of the Tree of Life,
the Sefirot would represent organs or various
limbs of the body and the paths would represent
the arteries and veins, as well as the nervous
system. The blood and oxygen, of course, would be
the shefa (everflow) and ruhaniyut (radiant breath).

In the Judaic Kabbalah, the Sefirah Tiferet shares

the same divine name as Hokmah, the
Tetragrammaton, but is pronounced with different
vowels. This represents the Son as the image of the
Father, and specifically alludes to the metaphor of
the Tetragrammaton as the trunk of the tree. While
Abba-Hokmah is the trunk proper, Keter being the
root, as the sacred heart of the tree, Ben-Tiferet is
the trunk in function. Abba-Father is completely
realized in Ben-Son.

Hebrew letters are also words and numbers. By

spelling out the letters as words, spelling out every
new letter that appears, and, through a play number
associations, there is a way to draw out all twenty-
two letters of the aleph-bet from the
Tetragrammaton, so that, as it is said to contain all
divine names, it contains the whole aleph-bet also.
The letters represent twenty-two energy
intelligences, which are forms that ruhaniyut and
shefa assume. The attribute of the Tetragrammaton
to Tiferet alludes to all of these energy-
intelligences being contained in Tiferet in perfect
balance and harmony-hence the title of the Sefirah:
beauty or harmony.

If the divine names are the Sefirot at the level of

Atzilut, then the universe of Adam Kadmon is the
universe of holy letters from which the names and
language are derived-hence the power of the
human one to name things and to speak the word of
God. For this reason, Adam is attributed to Tiferet
where things are named and the word of God is
spoken. It is this metaphysical understanding of the
aleph-bet that is alluded to in the Judaic Kabbalah
when Hebrew is called the language of God and
the holy angels. To know the energy-intelligences
represented by the twenty-two letters is to know
the spiritual forces and spiritual principles upon
which creation is founded, and thus to gain gnosis
of the mysteries of creation.

This provides insight into the esoteric meaning of

the word of God. For these twenty-two energy-
intelligences are emanations of the word,
combinations of which are the energy-intelligence
behind all things in creation-every creature and
everything in creation being a unique individual
manifestation of the word, which is formed
according to God's wisdom. Adam Kadmon is the
universe of the primordial word-wisdom
(LogosSophia). Tiferet is the realized word and the
actual sacred unity underlying creation-the pattern-
that-connects.

This idea of the word that is the source and

sustenance of all life is reflected in the attribute of
the sun to Tiferet, which as a celestial body is the
light and life of the worlds that orbit it, and
specifically is the light and life of all life-forms on
earth. Apart from the sun, nothing can come into
being. Life is in the sun and life is the light of all
creatures (consciousness of all creatures). Such is
the nature of the word through which all things
came into being," and "without which not one thing
came into being," and in which is the life" that is
the light of all people," according to the Prologue
of the Gospel of St. John. Thus Tiferet, which is
the word of God, is quite distinctly the spiritual
sun, which is the light and life of all worlds.

The term aleph-bet itself proves an interesting

contemplation in conjunction with the word Adam.
As we have seen, Adam is Aleph-Dam, spirit in
the blood; aleph-bet means spirit in the house or
house of the spirit. On one hand, aleph-bet is
creation or the macrocosm, which is the house of
the spirit. On the other hand, it is Adam, the human
one or the microcosm, that is the house of the
spirit. The aleph-bet, the power of the word, is in
the human one, which is reflected in the self-
awareness and capacity for sophisticated and
complex language in races of intelligent-life
(human beings). It is the power of the word that
separates the human kingdom from the animal,
vegetable and mineral kingdoms. Likewise, it is
the knowledge and understanding (Gnosis) of the
spiritual or metaphysical dimensions of the power
of the word that separates the human kingdom from
the superhuman kingdom, as we see in the person
of Yeshua Messiah. In speaking of the Gnosis of
Yeshua Messiah, it is this knowledge and
understanding of the spiritual power of the word
that is meant in the Christian Kabbalah. This divine
Gnosis is Tiferet-the word of God, the Sun of God.

Following Hesed and Gevurah, Tiferet is the

measured grace of God, the dynamic balance and
harmony of mercy and judgment, which is called
rahamim (compassion). It is directly connected to
every Sefirot on the Tree of Life by way of the
paths-letters, except for Malkut, to which it is said
to be connected through a secret path only under
certain conditions. As we have seen, too much
severity or too much mercy is not compassion at
all. Where there is too much severity, there is
cruelty, oppression, destruction, and death; where
there is too much mercy, darkness and evil reign
and there is a unity of unconscious oblivion.
Likewise, compassion is a dynamic balance and
harmony of all energy-intelligences and all divine
powers. Tiferet is the divine fullness of all energy-
intelligences in a dynamic balance and harmony-
"the harmony of all spheres of influence" that acts
as the mediating intelligence, which is another
common translation of Sekhel Shefa Nivdal.

This is the function of Zer Anpin (the little face)

in relationship to Arik Anpin (the daughter) and
Nukva (the little face). Zer Anpin is the mediator
or interface between the two, and through the
agency of Tiferet, Keter and Malkut are united in
perfect harmony. In this aspect of the teachings, one
must bear in mind that Zer Anpin is actually all six
Sefirot between Aima and Nukva, the Sefirot
Hesed, Gevurah, Netzach, Hod, and Yesod being
extremities of Zer Anpin. Tiferet, as the six, is the
Vau of the Tetragrammaton, through which the
upper He (Aima-Binah) and the lower He (Nukva-
Malkut) are united. As the tip of the Vau is Yod,
Zer Anpin is the extension of Abba and is the
manifestation of Arik Anpin below the great abyss.
It is this mystery of the Son that is the revelation of
the big face, the image of the Father, the union of
the Mother and Daughter, and the Bridegroom and
the Bride that plays out in the Gnostic Gospel. For
in the Christian Kabbalah, Tiferet is the Christ-
center, and Yeshua Messiah is the incarnation of
the power of the word, which is the Partzuf Zer
Anpin above.
The Lord Your God-The Way of the
Soul
At the level of Atzilut, the Sefirah Tiferet manifests
as the divine name of Yahweh Elohenu, which
literally means the "Lord your God." As we have
seen, "Lord" indicates the transcendental aspect of
God, while "your God" indicates the immanent
aspect of God. It also indicates the mystery of two
aspects of the divine in our experience-the
impersonal and personal. In our experience, the
divine manifests as an impersonal force,
specifically energy-intelligence; but the divine also
manifests in our experience as Divine being or a
person, assuming personas (Partzufim) through
which we can experience a personal relationship.
On the one hand, God is a completely impersonal
force; on the other hand, God is distinctly a person
with whom we experience a personal relationship,
both force and being representing modes of
consciousness.

Initiates also experience this in terms of such

things as "angels." For angels can manifest as
spiritual beings or as spiritual forces-it really all
depends upon the individual to whom they appear.
Some individuals are more inclined to view them
as forces, while others are more inclined to view
them as beings, and some encounter them as both
beings and forces. The same is true of God. We
experience God as impersonal or personal, all
according to the angle of our view. In truth, God is
impersonal divine force and the person of Divine
being. Rather than either/or, God is and/both. This
is one level of the meaning of Yahweh Elohenu.

Yahweh Elohenu as Tiferet indicates that, at the

level of Tiferet, we are able to know and
understand God, and know and understand the
spiritual forces at play within and behind creation.
This is the meaning of Tiferet's alternative name of
Yahweh Eloah Ve-Da'at, which literally means
"Lord God and knowledge" or the "Lord God as
God is known." Yahweh Elohenu is God as each
individual knows and understands God. Thus, God
is completely accessible at the level of Tiferet on
the Tree of Life, specifically through Ruach, which
implies one's own self-awareness.

In the Christian Kabbalah, the name of Tiferet is

the name of Yeshua. Yeshua is the Aramaic
pronunciation of the Hebrew name Yehoshua
(Joshua) or the Greek name Jesus. Sometimes
initiates pronounce the blessed name as Yeheshuah,
to place emphasis on the letters that form the name.
Most commonly, the Aramaic pronunciation is used
because it is the actual language the Master spoke
and it was the actual pronunciation of the Master's
name at the time of the Gospel. Through the
pronunciation of the name as Yeshua, we directly
connect ourselves to the perfect tzaddik, the
apostles and the Gospel.

The name of Yeshua, as we previously indicated,

is the Tetragrammaton with the addition of the
letter Shin and literally means "Yahweh delivers."
Yahweh literally means That Which Was, Is, and
Forever Shall Be," which alludes to the being of
the becoming or to reality as it ishence the truth.
The name of Yeshua, therefore, literally means "the
truth that sets free" or "the truth will set you free."

Yeshua is, thus, the embodiment of the truth that

enlightens and liberates, and the term Messiah is,
therefore, akin to the Eastern term "Bud- dha"-
enlightened one. While much of Christendom has
come to the degraded belief in Yeshua Messiah as
isolated to the person of the Master and thus as
something outside of oneself, Gnostic Christianity
holds the belief in Yeshua Messiah as the divine
presence and power within oneself-an enlightened
nature within us. Obviously, the Gnostic has faith
in the incarnation, as well as the crucifixion and
resurrection; however, the Gnostic has faith in his
or her own divine destiny to become Christ or
Messiah-to be Christed as Jesus was Christed.
This self-realization is depicted by Tiferet on the
Tree of Life-hence the title Christ-center.

As the name Yahweh Elohenu alludes, this divine

presence is within us and beyond us; thus Tiferet
specifically represents the Gnosis of the
indwelling Christ and the cosmic Christ. Yeshua is
therefore the name of our inner and higher self, the
Christ-self; and Messiah is the divine nature of our
Soul. Our Neshamah is, in essence, a unique
individual emanation of the Soul of Messiah, and
embodying our Neshamah we embody something of
Messiah, the Sun of God.

Shin is a significant letter. It is the letter

indicating the fiery intelligence or the power of the
Holy Spirit, which, as we have seen, is the spirit
of the prophets, the spirit of the initiates, and the
Spirit of the Messiah. The shape of this holy letter
alludes to this threefold spirit, the power of which
manifests as the threefold body of Melchizedek
and, as we shall see, the presence of which
manifests as the threefold sanctuary of divine
Gnosis. It is through the gift of the fiery
intelligence, which is the power of the word, that
one becomes a true initiate and is able to draw
upon the shefa and ruhaniyut of the great name
Yahweh and all the other divine names. Yeshua is
the name of any true initiate in whom this fiery
intelligence has awakened and who has realized
the fiery intelligence in him- or herself to some
degree, more or less. For this reason, it is called
the name of names, because, through the name of
Yeshua, the power of all divine names is in the
Christed human being.
 The Divine Life of Yeshua
In the Gnostic Tradition, an important distinction is
made between the Christ-bearer (person of
Yeshua) and the actual Christ-presence (soul of
Messiah). According to the Gnostic Tradition,
although the soul of Yeshua was, indeed, a great
soul of light, he was not born an enlightened being
or the Christ, but rather, like all of us, was born a
human being in bondage to cosmic ignorance.
While some might think such a belief degrades the
perfect Master, in truth, it exalts the Holy One all
the more. Because he was fully human and then
became fully enlightened, he is a true image of
divine illumination, and the glory and grace of God
is revealed even more through the person of
Yeshua Messiah.

The Gospels of St. Matthew and St. Luke both tell

stories of the virgin birth. If studied, neither relate
the same story but are radically different. Thus,
Gnostics understand these stories as metaphors and
do not make the mistake of taking them literally.
According to both the Gospel of St. John and the
Gospel of St. Mark, Yeshua becomes the Messiah
through the initiation of baptism imparted by the
prophet John the Baptist. This is the Gnostic view
of Yeshua becoming Messiah.

In the Gnostic Gospel, Yeshua is a spiritual

prodigy as a boy and studies with two different
teachers: one who teaches him the Judaic faith,
along with the mystical Kabbalah of the time, and
another who teaches him the magical Kabbalah as
he matures. It is said that Yeshua learned swiftly,
that various attainments came easily to him, and
that as a very young man his knowledge and ability
exceeded his teachers, yet always he remained a
true and faithful disciple. It was not until he met
John the Baptist that he encountered his true holy
tzaddik. It was John who taught him the union of
the mystical and magical Kabbalah and who
initiated him into the mysteries of the Baal Shem
(the master of the name) and the inmost secret level
of the Kabbalah. We gain insight into the love of
Yeshua for his tzaddik in the Gospel of St.
Matthew, when Lord Yeshua speaks a disciple's
praise for his master, saying, "Truly I tell you,
among those born of women no one has arisen
greater than John the Baptist ..." (Gospel of St.
Matthew 11:11). Even if one believed the virgin
birth to be literal and historical, Yeshua himself
was born of a woman, and he praises John even
above and beyond himself in saying this. Although
a disciple may excel his or her teacher, in the eyes
of the disciple, his or her teacher is always the
teacher, the holy tzaddik. Thus, in saying this,
Yeshua refers to John the Baptist as his tzaddik.

According to the Tradition, the relationship of the

tzaddik and disciple was not new to the soul of
John the Baptist and the soul of Yeshua. For the
soul of John was the soul once incarnate as the
prophet Elijah and the soul of Yeshua was Elisha,
the protege of Elijah who became his successor. In
2 Kings, we hear the story of a promise Elijah
made to Elisha before the ascension of the prophet.
Along the way to where the ascension would take
place, Elijah puts his disciple to the test three
times by asking Elisha to turn aside and stay
behind. Elisha refuses to leave the presence of his
tzaddik, however, and continues in the journey with
the prophet. Then, after parting the Jordan River
and crossing over to the other side, Elijah says to
Elisha, "Tell me what I can do for you, before I am
taken from you?" Elisha responds, saying, "Please
let me inherit a double portion of your spirit."
Elijah then says to him, "You have asked a difficult
thing; yet, if you see me as I am taken from you, it
will be granted you; if not, it will not" (2 Kings
2:9-10). As it turned out, Elisha did see the
ascension of Elijah. However, the promise was not
fulfilled in the incarnation of Elisha, but was
fulfilled in the incarnation of Yeshua. According to
the Tradition, it was fulfilled in the baptism of
Yeshua by John at the same point where the Jordan
River was formerly parted by Elijah and the
original promise was made. And so it is written:

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of

Galilee and was baptized by John in the
Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of
the water, he saw heaven torn apart and the
Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a
voice came from heaven, "You are my Son,
the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."
(Gospel of St. Mark 1:9-10)

The Spirit of the Messiah then entered into

Yeshua, which is "a double portion of the Spirit of
Elijah," for the Spirit of the Messiah is the union of
the spirit of Elijah (the prophets) and the spirit of
Enoch (the initiates). In this, we understand that
Yeshua was not born the Messiah, but became the
Messiah through a spiritual quest. We also
understand that the soul-being of the Master passed
through a series of incarnations in the human
lifewave, creating the conditions necessary for the
divine incarnation.

Yeshua, the Christ-bearer, became joined to the

Christ-presence at the baptism, yet the complete
unity of Christ and the Christ-bearer does not occur
until the resurrection, when the body and the
person of Lord Yeshua are fully transformed into
the solar body of Christ. There are many points in
the Gospels where this is reflected, but the most
obvious is the statement of Lord Yeshua on the
cross, when he says, "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabach-
thani?" which means, "My God, my God, why have
you forsaken me?" (Gospel of St. Mark 15:34).
These are words of the Christ-bearer when the
Christ-presence has withdrawn in the final dark
night of the soul, indicating a subtle division
between Christ and the Christ-bearer before the
grace of the resurrection.

In Gnostic tradition, what is significant about this

distinction between the Christ-bearer and Christ is
that Lord Yeshua is understood as continually
evolving into the divine fullness of Christ
throughout the Gospel, in the same way we
ourselves progress from one grade of self-
realization to another throughout our own lives. In
the case of Yeshua Messiah, however, this
progress transpires far more rapidly than is typical
because of the former attainment of his holy soul.
Thus, at birth Yeshua was a human being like any
other, and following his death and resurrection, he
is fully Christ, the Sun of God. The journey of Lord
Yeshua is the journey of every soul that
consciously labors to evolve to Christ
consciousness-a journey that typically takes place
through several or more lives.

This distinction is not so simple and clear-cut as

it might seem, however. For in the progress of the
Gospel, as Yeshua actively engages in the light
transmission, he is constantly shifting from one
level of consciousness to another, at times being
completely transparent to the Christ-presence,
while at others being quite distinct from the Christ-
presence. As the Gospel progresses and Lord
Yeshua unfolds self-realization in Christ
consciousness, more and more he is at one with the
Christ-presence and thus inseparable from the
Christos. In reality, on the one hand, Lord Yeshua
is the image of the human one coming into being in
Christ consciousness. Yet, on the other hand,
Yeshua Messiah is the Christos communicating
itself to the world. It is in this latter sense that the
experience of Yeshua will be completely different
from our own, in that the soul of Yeshua was the
Christ-bearer to humanity on earth and, within
behind the appearance of separation and union,
was all the while Christ. Ultimately, the divine in
carnation transpired in a mystery, which is only
understood in our soul when we ourselves become
established in Christ consciousness.
 The Serpent and Savior-The Great
Seth
No one has ascended into heaven except the one
who descended from heaven, the Son of Man
[Adam]. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent
in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be
lifted up, that whosoever believes in him may
have eternal life (Gospel of St. John 3:14-15).

While Lord Yeshua rarely speaks of himself as

the "Son of God," he often refers to himself as the
son of the human one (Adam). In so doing he calls
himself the great Seth, for according to the
Scriptures, after Cain slew Abel and was exiled,
God blessed Adam and Eve with another son,
called Seth, who is said to be the image and
likeness of Adam. This image and likeness is said
to be androgynous-hence the human one before the
separation into male and female, Adam and Eve.
Thus, this is the image and likeness of Yahweh
Elohim.

The name Seth is significant because it is

composed of the last two letters of the Hebrew
aleph-bet, Shin (0) and Tau (n). Shin, as we know
from our previous discussion, is the letter
representing the Holy Spirit and Shekinah. Thus, it
represents the fiery intelligence. Tau is the cross
and represents completion, perfection, and
fulfillment. As the cross, it indicates the union of
male and female, Logos and Sophia-hence the
androgynous state of the human one. Seth literally
means the "light of the cross," but also alludes to
the unification of Logos and Sophia in one body of
light. This is the meaning in Gnosticism of the
"second Adam."

If one contemplates the story of Moses and the

fiery serpents (Numbers, 21) and the image of a
bronze serpent set on top of a pole in the center of
the Israeli camp, the image is the shape of Tau-the
cross. This image directly suggests the source of
light in the perfect Master and the true nature of the
light of the cross.

As we have said, Hebrew letters are also

numbers. Therefore, every word in Hebrew also
represents a number. In the Kabbalah, whenever
two words share the same number value, they
represent manifestations of the same
consciousness-force. The word "Messiah," which
means the anointed, and the word "Nechash,"
which is the serpent in the Garden of Eden, both
equal 358. Thus, the serpent and the Savior
represent one and the same spiritual force, and in
essence, the Messiah is the serpent redeemed. In
the above verse, the nature of the serpent is a fire
snake. Thus, the source of light in the Master is the
fiery serpent, which in Eastern schools is called
"Kundalini."

This numerical correspondence between the

serpent and the Savior means that the fiery
intelligence that manifests as Messianic
consciousness also manifests as the unenlightened
condition-hence, "the force that binds is the force
that liberates." This gives us deeper insight into the
fiery intelligence spoken of in Christian
Gnosticism. For we understand the power of the
Holy Spirit as a secret power hidden within us, the
awakening of which leads to supernal or
Messianic consciousness (Christhood).

According to the masters of the Tradition, it is

this divine power that is activated in the reception
of the light transmission; the power of the Holy
Spirit descends from above, awakening itself
below. The union of the descending and ascending
force of the Holy Spirit manifests a third forcethe
supernal light-force. Hesed represents the
descending force and Gevurah represents the
ascending force. Tiferet represents the
manifestation of the supernal light-hence the state
of supernal illumination, which is called the
spiritual sun and the serpent sun in Christian
Gnosticism.

In the Gnostic Gospel, there is a threefold

baptism: a baptism of water, of fire, and of the
spirit-an outer, inner, and secret rite of baptism.
The first represents the self-purification necessary
to properly awaken the serpent power; the second
represents the awakening and uplifting of the
serpent power, guided in its ascent by the inner or
Christ-self; and the third represents the fruition of
self-realization in supernal or Messianic
consciousness.

Quite literally, one in whom this divine power is

awakened is on fire with the Spirit of Yahweh-the
spirit of the one life-power. Like Tiferet, which is
called the mediating intelligence, one in whom this
power is awakened embodies the light-presence
and unites heaven and earth-the material world and
world of supernal light-and is a vehicle of the light
transmission in the world-hence Seth, the tau of
light. Essentially, all divine names associated with
Tiferet point to this attainment, the Rosicrucian
grades from Tiferet to Keter all representing
various degrees of the divine illumination that
comes in the awakening of this fiery intelligence.
The Mystery of the Crucifixion and
Resurrection
In Gnostic Christianity, the purpose of the divine
incarnation is the revelation of the light continuum
and awakening the fiery intelligence within
humanity. The crucifixion and resurrection is
understood as the central act in a mystery drama
performed by Master Yeshua in order to open the
way for the full light transmission and to put the
wisdom teachings he gave to his disciples into
their proper context. It is one thing to speak of the
development of consciousness beyond the body
and an ascent to higher planes of existence; it is
another to actually demonstrate truth-consciousness
and to impart the inner and secret teachings of the
Gospel from the solar body of the resurrection.

Orthodox forms of Christianity found their

dogmas and doctrines almost exclusively upon the
outer teachings Lord Yeshua gave during his life
and ministry, specifically, the interpretations of
those teachings by St. Paul, who ironically refers
to himself as the "least of the apostles." Gnostic
Christianity, however, focuses primarily upon the
inner and secret teachings given after the
resurrection by the Risen Christ. This is well-
reflected in many of the books of the Nag Hammadi
library, which purport themselves to be secret
teachings imparted to the inmost disciples by Lord
Yeshua after the drama of the crucifixion and
resurrection was enacted. While orthodox
Christianity places the most emphasis upon the
crucifixion as a "sacrifice for the sins of the
world," Gnostic Christianity places greater
emphasis upon the crucifixion and resurrection as a
vehicle of divine revelation.

Christos, the light-presence, cannot be crucified;

rather, it is the Christbearer that is crucified.
Essentially, at the time of the crucifixion, there is a
distinct separation that occurs between Christ and
Christ-bearer. In the Gnostic vision of the
crucifixion, the Christos is envisioned as a
lightpresence above the image of the crucified one,
with only a most subtle and sublime connection
with the Master in the form of clear light. At the
instant of death, Yeshua, as the Christ-bearer, shifts
the center of his consciousness into the light-
presence, demonstrating the way of transference of
consciousness beyond the body. Essentially,
identifying himself with all of humanity, he uplifts
all who form a spiritual connection with him into
the light continuum.

On a certain level, the crucifixion was a great

mystical and magical act-perhaps the greatest feat
of divine magic ever performed. In submitting to
the crucifixion, Lord Yeshua made his body the
talisman of the karmic continuum of the world, and
thus made his body a magical talisman of
liberation. In effect, cosmic ignorance, the law, and
karmic matrix were crucified (suspended), so that
anyone who identifies with Lord Yeshua and
mystically unites him- or herself to Yeshua might
experience liberation from karmic bondage. As we
have seen, the true meaning of sacrifice is
"drawing near," and Yeshua made himself a
vehicle through which others might draw near to
supernal being.

This action was specifically on behalf of the

disciples of the Masterdisciples of the past,
present, and future-whose karmic vision prevents
the pure vision of the light-continuum. This is
reflected in the story of the transfiguration when
Lord Yeshua attempted to impart the light
transmission, only to have the disciples who were
with him fall unconscious due to karmic
conditioning. Thus, he enacts the crucifixion and
resurrection to dispel all karmic obstructions to the
light-transmission.

Part of the dispelling of karmic vision happens by

the Lord shedding the physical body and putting on
a body of light, just as one might remove one set of
clothing and put on another. In so doing, he
demonstrated the illusory nature of dualistic
consciousness and death, and revealed the true
meaning of his wisdom teachings. Thus he
prepared the proper ground for the root, heart, and
essence transmission of the supernal light, which
correspond to Malkut, Tiferet, and Keter,
respectively, as well as the emanation body, glory
body, and truth body of Melchizedek. However, the
true purpose of the crucifixion and resurrection
was the actual light transmission and the secret
gnosis associated with it.

While we might speak of the crucifixion and

resurrection as a process of uplifting souls toward
the world of supernal light, at the same time, the
world of supernal light is brought down upon the
earth, so that the disciples of the Master might
know the matrix of supernal light both above and
below, within and all around themselves. This was
the purpose of the crucifixion and resurrection-
divine revelation.

This activity of uplifting and bringing down is

reflected by Tiferet, the Christ-center on the Tree
of Life. For on the one hand, Tiferet uplifts Malkut
(the world) into union with itself and therefore
union with the su pernals. On the other hand,
Tiferet brings down the light of the supernals into
Malkut. Essentially, Yeshua Messiah, as the Risen
Christ, is the embodiment and revelation of
Tiferet-the Transcendental Influx Consciousness.
 The Bridegroom and Holy Bride
In the Gnostic Gospel, the Soul of the Messiah is
incarnate as the Bridegroom and the Holy Bride-
Lord Yeshua and Lady Mary Magdalene. As we
have said, Lady Mary is seen as the copreacher
with Lord Yeshua and as codivine with him. In
every way, she is his soulmate, Christ the Sophia
in union with Christ the Logos. Therefore, in
Gnostic Christianity, it is impossible to talk about
Lord Yeshua without talking about the Holy Bride.
To speak of one is to speak of the other, for
spiritually they are inseparable.

The majority of Christendom does not view

Yeshua as having been married or having had
sexual relations. However, Gnostic Christians
believe that St. Mary Magdalene was the consort
and wife of Yeshua. According to the Scriptures,
husband and wife are "one flesh" and are united in
body, spirit, and soul. Thus, everything that
transpires in the life of Lord Yeshua also transpires
in the life of Lady Mary.

If one is familiar with teachings on Vajra Guru

and Vajra Dakini in Tantric Buddhism or Shiva and
Devi in Hindu Tantra, one will have a good idea of
the Gnostic view of the relationship of Yeshua and
Marythe Lord is the supernal being and our Lady is
the supernal consciousnessforce. In essence, the
entire magical display of the Master is the Holy
Bride. It is through her that the disciples receive
the transmission of the fiery intelligence, both that
of the serpent power and the supernal light. This is
reflected in the relationship of Tiferet and Malkut
on the Tree of Life. Tiferet transmits the supernal
ruhaniyut and shefa, via Yesod, to Malkut, and
Malkut distributes the ruhaniyut and shefa in
creation. In fact, Malkut is the holy Shekinah. In the
same way, the Bride is the personification of the
holy Spirit power in creatures and creation, even
as the Bridegroom is the personification of the
divine self of all creation.

According to Gnostic masters, on an inner level,

the story of the first miracle at the wedding in Cana
(Gospel of St. John 2:1-11) is actually an esoteric
allusion to the awakening of the Christ-presence in
Lady Mary and the mystical union of Yeshua and
Mary. The supernal light-presence had already
descended upon Lord Yeshua and the serpent
power was already fully awakened and uplifted in
him. Thus the wedding feast of Cana is symbolic of
the same initiation occurring in St. Mary
Magdalene. The author of the Gospel of St. John
also places Lady Mary as the first apostle to
receive the Risen Christ and as the person chosen
to communicate the good news to the disciples,
following which the disciples receive the
visitation of the Master and the initiation of the
radiant holy breath.

While on one level the light-transmission is said

to occur through the mystery of the crucifixion and
resurrection, on the inmost level it is said to occur
through the mystical embrace of the Bridegroom
and Bride. This is also reflected in the Kabbalistic
teaching concerning the relationship of Tiferet and
Malkut, for it is said that, when there is a coupling
below of the King (Tiferet) and the Holy Bride
(Malkut), there is a corresponding coupling of
Abba and Aima above. This union of Abba and
Aima, as we have seen, forms Arik Anpin (the big
face), and through this coupling above and below,
the supernal light-force flows and pours out upon
the world via the Bridegroom and Bride. Thus,
within and behind the light transmission that
transpires through the enactment of the crucifixion
and resurrection, is the light transmission via the
mystical embrace of Christ the Bridegroom and
Christ the Bride (Logos and Sophia). One might
say that the crucifixion and resurrection is an outer
manifestation of this inner mystery of mystical
union between the Bride and Bridegroom, which
would be unseemly to openly depict!

When Yeshua Messiah is called the second Adam

(Bet Adam), the perfection of Adam Ha-Rishon, it
is an allusion to this mystical embrace between
Lord Yeshua and the Holy Bride, for as the first
Adam was male and female in one body, so the
second Adam is male and female in one body of
light. Apart from mystical union with the Holy
Bride, Lord Yeshua cannot resemble Adam Ha-
Rishon, and thus could not reveal the true supernal
glory of the divine kingdom. Thus, as the Holy
Bride is fulfilled in Lord Yeshua, Lord Yeshua is
fulfilled in the Holy Bride. They are one divine
presence and power, the one anointed with the
supernal light of God.
 The Holy Threefold
SanctuaryOuter, Inner, and Secret
Through the incarnation of the Soul of Messiah in
Lord Yeshua and Lady Mary and the light
transmission embodied in the apostolic succession,
a holy sanctuary of faith and gnosis is established.
The sanctuary is composed of objects of refuge
through which the faithful and elect receive
sanctuary from the negative influences of klippotic
forces. These objects of refuge also act as vehicles
of divine grace.

Initiates receive sanctuary and the blessings of

divine grace through faith and self-identification
with the objects of refuge-unification of oneself
with the divine images of the holy sanctuary. When
we direct our mind, heart, and life toward the
sanctuary, our thoughts, feelings-emotions, words,
and actions are naturally uplifted and filled with
the blessings and goodness of the sanctuary. This
tends to shelter us from negativity and dispels
negativity, dispelling negative karma and
generating positive karma in its place.

The threefold sanctuary has an outer, inner, and

secret manifestation, each representing more subtle
and sublime dimensions of the sanctuary that are
increasingly nearer to the spirit and truth. The outer
sanctuary is called the sanctuary of the faithful, the
inner sanctuary is called the sanctuary of the elect,
and the secret sanctuary is called the sanctuary of
the divine Gnosis.

Outer Sanctuary

The outer sanctuary is composed of three objects

of refuge: Yeshua Messiah (Christ), the Gospel
(teachings of Christ), and the Gnostic circle
(spiritual community founded on the teachings of
Christ).
 As we have seen, through faith in the divine
incarnation, and specifically faith in the mystery of
the crucifixion and resurrection, we are spiritually
connected to Yeshua Messiah. Through this
spiritual connection, we are liberated from the
karmic matrix and bondage to the dominion of the
klippot and, likewise, we are established in the
path of the great resurrection and ascension.
Yeshua Messiah is the first object of refuge
because he is the center of the divine incarnation in
the first coming and, therefore, all blessings flow
from him.

The second object of refuge is the Gospel, which

is the spiritual teachings and initiations imparted
by Lord Yeshua. The Sermon on the Mount, which
appears in the Gospel of St. Matthew, is often
considered the heart of Yeshua's teaching. In the
Sophian Tradition of Gnosticism, the Gospels of
St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Mark are the main
focus of study and contemplation, along with the
Letter to the Hebrews and Book of Revelation.
However, in Gnosticism, the Gospel is something
far more than things written. It includes inner and
secret oral teachings. Thus, there is the written
Gospel and the oral Gospel. In Gnosticism, by
"Gospel" we actually mean an initiate's knowledge
and understanding of the Gospel and, specifically,
the truth and light as it is revealed in the
experience of the initiate. More than this, we mean
the continuum of spiritual practice and spiritual
living through which an initiate makes him- or
herself "Christ-like" and is able to progress
toward Christ consciousness. One who lives the
divine life of the Gospel abides in the holy
sanctuary.

The third object of refuge is the Gnostic circle or

spiritual community. We gain strength, support, and
encouragement from spiritual community and the
opportunity to receive from others and give to
others. We transcend ourselves through healthy
spiritual fellowship. In the Gnostic circle, we
receive teachings and initiations into the secret
wisdom of the Gospelthe circle being a Mystery
School from which we receive our spiritual
education. Going to school, we are educated and
become knowledgeable and skilled practitioners of
a spiritual science and art. Community is essential
to Gnostic Christianity, and participating in
spiritual community, we are received into the holy
sanctuary.

Inner Sanctuary

The inner sanctuary is composed of the tzaddik

(spiritual teacher), the great angel (the light
transmission), and the Holy Bride (the fiery
intelligence of the light transmission). Hence, it is
the sanctuary of discipleship. Essentially, this is
the energy dimension of the holy sanctuary
experienced in spiritual practice and spiritual
living itself-the divine life.

The first object of refuge is the tzaddik, one's

spiritual teacher and guide, through whom
something of the light-presence is embodied and
manifest to oneself. While this could be a
disincarnate tzaddik, as previously explained, it is
ideally an incarnate tzaddik with whom one can
more easily and objectively experience interaction.
Through the tzaddik, one is directly linked to the
light transmission manifest as the apostolic
succession-to all tzaddikim, past, present, and
future, and to the holy Mother, Lord Yeshua, and
Lady Mary. Thus, the tzaddik is a physical gate of
the holy Shekinah and serves as a vehicle through
which the light transmission is imparted in the form
of teachings and initiations of secret wisdom.
There is a distinct living presence and field of
spiritual energy around an authentic tzaddik, which
naturally and spontaneously transmits blessings
and serves to protect us during periods of spiritual
or psychic vulnerability. Thus, an authentic tzaddik
is a true object of refuge through which we
experience sanctuary.

In speaking about the tzaddik, however, we are

not actually speaking about the personality of the
tzaddik but rather the light-presence that manifests
within and behind the appearance of the holy
person, which directly reflects the indwelling
Christ within ourselves. In truth, the external
teacher is an outer manifestation of our inner
teacher and guide-our Neshamah and Christ-self. In
the process of self-realization, we discover the
outer and inner teacher are one and the same light-
presence. Thus, as an object of refuge, the tzaddik
represents the indwelling Christ, which is the true
object of refuge at the level of the inner sanctuary
in Christian Gnosticism. The whole objective of a
spiritual teacher, incarnate or disincarnate, is to
bring forth the light of the indwelling Christ.

The holy apostle also represents the descending

force we experience and realize through our
spiritual practices, which is esoterically
understood as the Bridegroom. When this force
moves, we have true sanctuary in the tzaddik-the
one who will guide the ascent of the fire snake.

The second object of refuge is the great angel,

which is the way the tzaddik transmits the fiery
intelligence to the disciple and reflects the unique
individuality of the disciple. The great angel,
therefore, represents the initiate's way upon the
path. On one level, according to the Christian
Kabbalah, the four great archangels (Raphael,
Gabriel, Michael, and Uriel) represent specific
ways on the path to Christ consciousness. Raphael
personifies the way of knowledge; Gabriel
personifies the way of devotion; Michael
personifies the way of power; and Uriel
personifies the way of work. According to the
nature and temperament of the initiate, he or she
will be naturally inclined to one of these ways and
it will be the central focus of his or her spiritual
practice and spiritual living-the way of the initiate
on the path. There is a fifth way, represented by
Metatron-San- dalfon, which is the weave of all
four ways. This is the ideal way in Sophian
Gnosticism and is the basis of the teachings and
initiations of the Tradition. The Tzaddik will teach
and initiate each aspirant according to the way he
or she is naturally inclined.

Esoterically, the great angel also represents the

product of the union of the descending and
ascending force of the serpent power and the
Gnosis of the Gospel we acquire through direct
experience of the spirit and truth. In this regard,
one might consider the great angel that speaks the
Revelation to St. John. The great angel personifies
the reception of the light transmission and what St.
John writes is essentially his own experience of
the Gnosis of Christ. In a similar way, every
initiate will have his or her own experience of the
light transmission or Gnosis of Yeshua Messiah-a
direct spiritual experience of the Gospel, through
which knowledge, understanding, and wisdom are
attained.

In early stages of development, the great angel is

called the "holy guardian angel of the initiate." It is
called this because, early on, an aspirant's
experience of the spirit and truth is largely
subjective and relative to him or herself alone.
However, as an aspirant progresses in the Gospel,
unfolding self-realization of higher grades, the
great angel is called "the angel of the Lord"
because the spiritual experience of an aspirant is
no longer so subjective and relative to him- or
herself alone, but is nearer to the actual experience
of supernal or Messianic consciousness.
Ultimately, the great angel is the personification of
the initiate established in the experience of Christ
consciousness to one degree or another, whether at
the level of cosmic consciousness or supernal
consciousness.

The third object of refuge is the Holy Bride,

which is the radiant display of the holy Shekinah
within and around the tzaddik and the Gnostic
circle that forms around the tzaddik. The tzaddik
and the Gnostic circle are essentially a vehicle of
the Holy Spirit or holy Shekinah in the material
world, as is oneself as a member of the mystical
body of Christ. It is the Holy Spirit that is the
foundation of the Gnostic circle and through which
light transmission is ultimately received and
imparted.
 The Holy Bride also represents the ascending
force of the serpent power or the fire snake proper,
which, when awakened and uplifted, es tablishes
the conditions necessary for reception of the
supernal light and full attainment of Messianic
consciousness. Thus, the inner sanctuary is the
mystical embrace of the Bridegroom and Holy
Bride-the great angel being the divine image of the
self-made-perfect in Christ consciousness.

Secret Sanctuary

The secret sanctuary is composed of the threefold

body of Melchizedekthe truth body, glorified body
and manifestation body. Thus, essentially, the
secret sanctuary is the attainment of supernal or
Messianic consciousness-complete enlightenment
and liberation. When the soul-being is completely
established in Christ consciousness and liberated
from the cycles of the transmigration, the supreme
or ultimate sanctuary has been attained. In
attainment of the secret sanctuary, one becomes the
holy sanctuary for other souls that are as yet in
bondage to the karmic web and the dominion of
ignorance.

The outer sanctuary corresponds to Malkut, the

inner sanctuary corresponds to Yesod, and the
secret sanctuary corresponds to Tiferet on the Tree
of Life. Thus, Tiferet is the very essence of the
holy sanctuary in our experience-the indwelling
Christ.
 Wrestling with the Angel and the
Grade of Lesser Adept
It is written: Jacob was left alone, and a man
wrestled with him until daybreak. When the man
saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he struck
him on his hip socket, and Jacob's hip was put out
of place as he wrestled with him. Then he said,
"Let me go, for the day is breaking." But Jacob
said, "I will not let you go, unless you bless me."
So he said to him, "What is your name?" And he
said, "Jacob." Then the man said, "You shall no
longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have
striven with God and with humans and have
prevailed." Then Jacob asked him, "Please tell me
your name." But he said, "Why is it that you ask my
name?" And there he blessed him. So Jacob called
the place Peniel, saying, "For I have seen God face
to face, and yet my life is preserved" (Genesis
32:24-30).
 Much could be said of the correspondences in the
story of Jacob, Leah, and Rachel to the Sefirah
Tiferet. However, at the center of the story is this
event, which depicts the dark night of the soul that
must transpire before any real entrance into Tiferet
or actual realization of the indwelling Christ.
Essentially, this story represents the integration of
the outer self with the inner self, or the
transformation of Nefesh Behamit into Nefesh
Elokit, which then serves as the holy vessel for the
Ruach and Neshamah.

When the Scripture says that Jacob was left alone,

it means that the Shekinah departed from him. This
departure of the Shekinah represents the first dark
night of the soul, which follows the first cycle of
progress on the path. Early on the path we
experience great zeal as we find our
spiritconnectedness and begin to have some
spiritual or mystical experiences. The teachings
we receive uplift us, the initiations energize us,
and we begin to experience some inner guidance.
As this stage of the path unfolds, however, we
eventually find a conflict arising between the
emerging divinity and our old self. We begin to see
how much work on ourselves we must do in order
to follow the inner guide. Very swiftly, our zeal
fades and a struggle ensues amidst great psychic
tension. It is the first real challenge on the path
and, frankly, many well-meaning aspirants
succumb to it and do not endure to pass beyond.

The "man" with whom Jacob wrestles is actually

an angel. On the one hand, it is the angel of Esau,
Jacob's brother, who personifies Jacob's Nefesh
Behamit-the outer and unenlightened self. On the
other hand, Peniel is an angel of God, specifically
the truth and light revealed in the experience of
Jacob or the voice of the inner guide. In other
words, Peniel is the personification of Jacob's
inner demons and, at the same time, is the
personification of his holy guardian angel-the
dualism of Jacob's own consciousness in conflict.
Jacob's victory represents the resolution of this
conflict through a work on himself that unites the
outer and inner self in harmony, so that the
personality and life-display (Nefesh) become the
vehicle of the inner and higher self, or the Ruach
and Neshamah. In Christian terms, Jacob takes up
his cross and follows the indwelling Christ. Jacob
is, therefore, no longer the same person but has
truly become a holy person, a man of God, and thus
he receives a new name-Israel. Israel literally
means one who strives with God and is victorious"
and is the name of any initiate who passes through
the first dark night of the soul, from the assembly of
the faithful into the assembly of the elect.

This transition from the assembly of the faithful

into the assembly of the elect is represented by the
Rosicrucian grade associated with Tiferet, the
lesser adept. Essentially, an initiate who is a lesser
adept has passed through the first dark night of the
soul, making his or her personality and life-display
a vehicle of the indwelling Christ, so that he or she
lives from within the Christ-center. In the eyes of
the lesser adept, he or she is the servant of the
indwelling Christ in all activities of life, and thus
does not live for him- or herself, but lives in Christ
and for Christ in all things. The life of the lesser
adept is devoted to the great work-the
enlightenment and liberation of him- or herself and
the uplifting of others. The lesser adept is, in
Rosicrucian terms, a "true Christian"-a person who
is like Christ.

From the foregoing, you will understand how

being a true Christian is not isolate to those
claiming to be "Christian," for a person of any faith
could well be a true Christian-just look at Yeshua,
he was Jewish and such a true Christian that he
became Christ! In essence, a true Christian is one
who lives according to the divine will of the inner
and higher selfhence the person who is enacting his
or her true will. Understanding this as a Gnostic
Christian is extremely important, because
recognition of the spirit of truth in all world
wisdom traditions is essential to Gnosticism. It is
the universal spirit of truth that is the cosmic
Christ. Thus, wherever truth is found, Christ is
found, regardless of the name by which truth is
known.

Fundamentally, Tiferet represents the spirit of

truth at the heart of any faith or the central object of
devotion in any faith. One who lives according to
the spirit of truth of his or her faith is a lesser
adept of the tradition. In so doing, the person has
recognized something of that truth and light within
him- or herself and is actively realizing it through
his or her life. Krishna, the Buddha-nature, the
indwelling Christ, or other names may be used, but
it is the same light-presence, which on the Tree of
Life is represented by Tiferet. There are many
branches of the true faith and many faces of the
beloved.
 The Healing Power of God
At the level of Beriyah, the Sefirah Tiferet
manifests as the archangel Raphael, whose name
literally means the "healing power of God." As
mentioned above, Raphael personifies the way of
knowledge on the path and, thus, we may
understand that the healing arts of the Kabbalah are
founded upon knowledge (gnosis). Conversely, we
may understand that illness and dis-ease are the
products of cosmic ignorance, which, when
dispelled, naturally results in healing.

Healing implies "to make whole," "to make well,"

or "to restore balance and harmony," specifically
"a restoration to the unity of being." The healing
arts applied in the material world certainly aim at
physical healing and the preservation of life in the
body. Yet it is in the aura and subtle body and soul
that the origin of illness and dis-ease is found;
therefore, true healing is psychic and spiritual in
nature. This is reflected in the Gospels, for, above
all, the Master Yeshua was noted for his ministry
of healing and was perhaps the greatest spiritual
healer to ever walk upon the earth. All healings in
the Gospel were of a psychic and spiritual nature.
Lord Yeshua often alludes to the cause of illness
and dis-ease in the mind, heart, and soul, when he
says to those who are healed, "Go and sin no
more," hence "do not entertain negativity or create
negative karma anymore." Similarly, Lord Yeshua
often directed individuals he healed to present
themselves at the temple and to make the
corresponding "sin offering" and the offering of
thanksgiving, reflecting the need to dispel the inner
cause of the illness or dis-ease. Any time Lord
Yeshua did not say, "Go and sin no more" or "Go
present yourself to the priests and make the
necessary offering," he would say, "Your faith has
healed you." All of these sayings directly express
the psychic and spiritual nature of the healings the
Master performed. His way of healing reflects
tikkune of the soul-correcting, mending, or healing
wounds of the soul from negative karma, and
damage to the aura and subtle body resulting from
negative karma.

Essentially, the subtle body is a body of

consciousness, specifically, a body of energy, and
the aura is the field of energy around the matrix of
the physical and subtle body, which are joined
together as one body in incarnation. As a body of
consciousness, this subtle body is composed of our
thoughts, feelings-emotions, imaginations, words,
and deeds. As a body of energy, it is formed by the
spiritual forces with which we link ourselves
through our thoughts, feelings-emotions,
imaginations, words, and deeds. Healing,
therefore, comes about through a shift in
consciousness and the spiritual forces with which
we are connected in consciousness. Positive
thought, feeling-emotion, visualization, word, and
action are, thus, the means through which all true
healing transpires-tikkune in the heart and soul, the
mind and life.

Self-healing, like self-initiation, is certainly

possible to one who has this knowledge and
understanding-and has the power of faith to enact
it. However, as we have said, in the case of most
ordinary individuals, the subtle body has only
minimal energy and, in these modern times, the
power of faith is often lacking. Positive thought,
feeling-emotion, visualization, word, and deed,
generate energy and link us to divine spiritual
forces. Primarily, it takes energy to bring about
healing, just as it takes energy to truly pray,
meditate, and perform sacred ritual. Therefore, the
help of a healer is often necessary, much like the
help of a spiritual teacher and guide. The nature of
this invisible assistance is the generation and
transmission of energy-intelligence needed to bring
about healing. In the case of Lord Yeshua, his
subtle body was a great body of light-a solar body-
so that, indeed, he was the light of the world like
the sun. It was on account of this body of light that
he was able to perform so many phenomenal
healings. Energy is transmitted from the body of
light of the healer to the subtle body of the person
in need, and in this way, the healing transpires.
However, to actually receive the healing power,
the person seeking healing must have faith-be
completely positive-to form the necessary psychic
and spiritual link that acts as a circuit through
which the energy is transmitted. The presence of
faith within the person being healed is the "ground"
forming the circuit that allows the healing energy to
move and flow.

In the process of healing work, one who knows

the healing way of the Kabbalah draws down the
shefa and ruhaniyut of the Sefirot into the subtle
body, making him- or herself the vehicle or channel
of the life-power, and then, through various
methods, transfers that spiritual energy to the subtle
body of the person in need. Sound, visualization,
gesture, and touch often play a key role, and the
laying-on-of-hands is common. On some
occasions, the initiate in the healing arts will
actually transfer his or her consciousness fully into
the body of light, project the body of light
independent from the physical body, and then
merge his or her body of light with the subtle body
of the person to be healed. This is done when
greater energy is needed or when a healing is to be
performed at a great distance.

This healing art reflects the gnosis of the true

Gospel, which is the gnosis of the name of Yeshua
Messiah in the context in which we have been
speaking of the name. Because this divine
knowledge is at the very heart of Gnostic
Christianity, the Rosicrucian initiate is told that the
only proper claim of an initiate of the Rosicrucian
order is "to heal gratuitously." A true Rosicrucian
initiate is therefore a spiritual healer, like the
original disciples of Lord Yeshua, and the true
Rosicrucian order is a healing body.

It must be understood, however, that all healing

does not necessarily happen in one of these
material bodies. Often the healing of the soul
happens when the subtle body separates from the
physical body and the subtle body dissolves into
the divine nature of the soul in what we call
"death." Thus, as much as serving to heal and
preserve life, the Gnostic initiate as a healer also
serves as a guide of souls in "the crossing" or in
the process of death in the same way that healing is
performed. Adepts of the Tradition are thus able to
render assistance to the dying and the dead. Just as
the adept of the Tradition can transfer his or her
consciousness into the lightbody, so also can the
adept or master of the Tradition help others
transfer their consciousness into a light-body and
help energize that subtle body. The transference of
consciousness to a body of light is the very essence
of the mystery of the resurrection and is the
ultimate form of spiritual healing.

Understanding these things concerning spiritual

healing will give you insight into the archangel
Raphael, which is attributed to Tiferet and is the
great angel of Christ, the spiritual sun. Everything
we have spoken concerning spiritual healing is
personified by Raphael and is reflected in the
image of Raphael. Raphael appears as a human
form composed of pure sunlight, as though the body
of the great angel is formed of the sun itself. This
spiritual or solar being shines in a crystal-clear
blue sky as the "sun at dawn" and is the light of our
world, specifically, the light of the world-to-come.
With the intonement of the divine name of Tiferet,
and the chant Ar Iyah Raphael, the great solar
angel is invoked, which in attainment is said to be
the light of one's own solar body.

Initiates who seek deeper intimacy with Raphael

make it a habit in their daily practice to greet the
rising sun at dawn in remembrance of the great
resurrection and the archangel Raphael, who
appears in the eastern quarter of the sacred circle.
One common practice in greeting the sun at dawn
is taking a glass of fresh water, invoking the
spiritual sun and Raphael to bless the water and
imbue it with the healing and illuminating power of
the spiritual sun. Drinking the water, the initiate
takes the power of the divine blessing into him- or
herself. This is considered a good practice for
self-healing.
 Raphael teaches the way of knowledge and the
healing arts, and grants understanding of true
compassion. When there is strife in a situation, the
invocation of Raphael will bring harmony and
peace. According to the masters of the Tradition,
Raphael was one of the holy angels at the
ascension of the Lord, the other being Gabriel.
Therefore, Raphael holds secret knowledge
concerning the great ascension. In Rosicrucian
teachings, Raphael is the archangel of the second
coming, having a secret connection to the Holy
Bride and New Jerusalem, and is considered the
angelic presence behind the sun that illuminates
our solar system. In other words, Raphael is a very
accessible angelic presence, as is the order of the
Malachim under Raphael's dominion.
 The Messengers of God
Tiferet at the level of Yetzirah manifests as the
order of the Malachim. Malach means
"messenger," thus the Malachim are the messengers
of God. The idea of a messenger connotes a
message, whether communicated in symbolic
imagery, written or spoken, and specifically
alludes to intelligence and word. Essentially, the
Malachim are angels of divine intelligence and the
word of God, and communicate the knowledge of
God and will of God. When we pray for
knowledge of God or the will of God in a specific
situation and intuitively receive an awareness of
God's presence or the will of God in that situation,
it is typically a Malach that has communicated the
awareness to our mind and heart. Any
communication of God to creatures or creation
happens through the agency of the Malachim.
 We encounter the Malachim often in our prayers
and meditations. Every time we receive some
message from the divine, whether through a direct
intuition, vision or dream, we are encountering the
Malachim. In circumstances in which we may not
be getting the message, the Malachim may use
others to bear the message to us-sometimes our
tzaddik, a friend or family member, and oftentimes
little children, as most children are especially
open and sensitive to the contact of angels.
According to the masters of the Tradition, a
Malach may even use an animal to bring a message
to us-simply making a certain animal appear at a
specific moment when we might notice it and open
ourselves to the meaning of the sign. Malachim
often speak through signs and omens, whether in
waking consciousness or in dream. As the term
"messenger" applies to a prophet in the Tradition,
we know the Malachim are messengers of
prophecy.
 Whenever God wants to communicate God's
word, God sends a Malach in order to do so. As
we know that every creature is a word of God, we
know the Malachim often help us gain insight and
understanding of the mysteries of the soul. Because
the Messiah is called the word of God, we also
know the Malachim give insights into the Christos,
specifically the indwelling Christ in the soul.

The most common experience of the Malachim

among Christian initiates is in the form of what is
called a "word of knowledge." A word of
knowledge comes in the form of a direct intuition
or knowing in the mind and heart-such a word of
knowledge could be an intuitive insight into a great
mystery or it could just as easily be an intuitive
awareness of something about to happen in the
physical plane. For example, one evening some
years ago I was in a mentoring session with a
student and we were discussing deep things of the
Kabbalah. At the time, I also worked at a hospice
for AIDS patients as a volunteer and chaplain. My
thoughts were not at all directed toward the
hospice in that moment, but all of a sudden I knew
a certain woman was dying and that I had to go and
be present with her. There was a spiritual practice
I was to do and I knew exactly what it was and
what would transpire that night. Everything came
to pass exactly as "I" knew it would. This was a
word of knowledge imparted by the Malachim.

It is not so much that we must actively invoke the

Malachim, as much as make ourselves open and
sensitive to the Holy Spirit and to contact with the
angels of God. In the vision of Jacob's ladder, it
specifically says that Jacob saw angels ascending
and descending upon the ladder. By saying that
angels were ascending before saying that they were
descending, the Torah is saying that angels are
among us and that they are in the subtle dimension
of the earth all of the time. The only reason most
ordinary people in modern times to not see them or
experience conscious contact with them is that
modern people tend to close their minds to the holy
angels and do not believe in them. The angels are
crafty, however, and do not easily give up. They
will use any means and assume any form necessary
to carry out the divine will with which they are
charged. In a technological era when people are
more likely to believe in higher forms of
extraterrestrial life than in God and the angels,
guess what? They will appear in exactly those
forms ordinary people might accept them in! Many
an extraterrestrial contact is actually an experience
of angelic beings, according to modern masters of
the Tradition, and the darker contacts in which
people feel they are in some way abused or
harmed by aliens is often contact with demons.
Welcome to the universe of Yetzirah-the world of
the angels!
 Our experience with angels makes it perfectly
clear that the Olamot of which the Kabbalah
speaks all occupy the same space at the same time,
so that the world of angels exists as an inner
dimension of the material world. In fact, the world
of angels, titanic spirits, and demons is actually the
matrix of spiritual forces within and behind the
appearance of the material world. In truth, we live
in a mystical and magical universe, which is
inherently spiritual as much as material.
Understanding this and connecting ourselves to
divine and angelic powers consciously, the
seemingly impossible becomes quite possible and
many wonderful things can happen-real magic!
 Spiritual Practices for Tiferet
According to the oral tradition, a man once came to
Lord Yeshua at night, in secret, and the Lord
received him. The man was deeply troubled, and
said to the Lord, "Adonai, I see you have come, yet
I myself am not ready. I am encumbered by
mundane life and encrusted with klippot. It will be
no different on the day I die. How shall I ever be
received by you? Tell me, Lord, what can I do?"
The Lord felt compassion for the man and could
see that he was bound to sin. Seeing the spark of
holiness in the depth of the man's heart, he said to
him, "As you have come to me this night, so come
to me in your death. When you lay down on your
deathbed to die, envision your heart as a spiritual
sun and gather yourself into it. Then see my image
above you and project yourself as the light into my
light-image, and I will receive you. Tell no one
what I have spoken to you, but let it remain
between us before the Father. I will meet you on
the other side of that which men call death."

This is an essential method for transference of

consciousness into a subtle body of light, which if
practiced in life will transpire at the time of death.
The practice appears in many methods of Gnostic
meditation, and it appears in Eastern schools as
well. First, one must learn to envision his or her
own body becoming light, and then learn to
envision oneself as light pouring into the body of
light that forms the divine image of the meditation.
Through such practices, many initiates have
experienced healing and other wonders. It is the
way Gnostic initiates establish themselves in the
path of the great resurrection and ascension.

Essential Meditation upon the Risen One

➢ Envision within behind your heart the image

of the spiritual sun and gather yourself into it.
Let your whole mind and body be filled with
this light-presence, all darkness or negativity
passing away. From within the sun in your
heart, see a ray of light shoot forth and
magically appear in the space before you as the
image of the Risen One.

➢ His inner robe is white brilliance, and his

outer robe is amethyst. His body shines as
though composed of sunlight and there is a
rainbow aura surrounding him, the red band
near his body and the violet band at the
outermost edge.

➢ See the Lord smile upon you and let your

heart pray. As you pray, see the Lord smile
upon you, and see him bless you. Envision his
blessing as streams of light pouring out of his
heart upon you, making your body, heart, and
mind shine brighter and brighter-like unto the
image of the Lord.
➢ When your prayer becomes silence, open
your mind, heart, and life completely to the
presence of the Lord, making yourself
completely transparent before him. As you
chant his blessed name, envision the divine
image of the Risen One dissolving into fluid
light, pouring down into you through the crown
center on top of your head, and reappearing in
your own body of light.

Adonai Yeshua, Yeshua Messiah.

➢ Chanting, your mind becomes the mind of

Christ; your heart becomes the sacred heart of
Christ; your body becomes the mystical body of
Christ; and you are at one with the Lord. There
is light upon light in the space of the meditation,
and that light is the light of the world. Abide at
one with the Lord as long as you can. When you
depart the space of meditation, walk in the
world as a Christ-bearer.
➢ It is good to meditate in a special room set
aside for it or in front of a shrine in your home.
When praying and meditating, it is good to offer
up incense and candles, all as one is inspired.
Do as you like in this regard. After some time
of daily practice with this essential meditation,
then it would be good to try the transference of
consciousness method.

➢ Basically, the meditation is the same, except

the divine image magically appears on its own
and, when you chant the blessed name, instead
of visualizing the image of the Lord dissolving
into fluid light and pouring into you, envision
yourself dissolving into fluid light and pouring
into the image of the Risen One-projecting your
consciousness as light up through your crown
center into the presence of the Lord, thus uniting
yourself with the Lord in this way. This can
give one freedom to engage in inner-plane
workings and prepares one for the transference
of consciousness at the time of death. There is
 not enough space to cite the great virtues of this
practice or how it is used in conjunction with
the wonder-working arts-but those who
practice it faithfully will come to understand
the greater vistas.

Healing Meditation with Yeshua

This meditation is used to receive healing energy

or to impart healing energy to others. In general,
healing energy is envisioned as golden light,
corresponding to the spiritual sun or Tiferet, which
is the source of all healing. However, in advanced
healing practice, specific colors are used
corresponding to the nature of the illness or dis-
ease and the Sefirah in which the subtle cause is
found. The image of Lord Yeshua used in this
practice is envisioned as more dense or material
because the method aims at bringing about healing
grounded in the physical body. As with most of the
practices given in this book, it is designed for the
novice practitioner and should prove effective for
anyone willing to use it.

➢ Pray to the Lord for healing. As you pray,

envision the image of Yeshua the healer
magically appearing in the space before you.
He wears a white robe of a soft ivory shade
and over his head has a white shawl made of
the same cloth. He has an olive complexion and
deep brown eyes, filled with love and
compassion. His smile is subtle and
comforting, and his presence fills one with faith
and confidence. There is a subtle golden light
all around him and a feeling of a great angelic
presence.

➢ Chant the name of the healer-Ab Da Na Ya

Yesbua, Adonai Raphael ("Lord Yeshua, Lord
healing power of God"). As you chant, envision
the golden light around the image of the Lord
increasing and growing brighter. When you
come to the end of the chant, envision the hands
of the Lord as hands of light, and see him come
to you and lay hands on you. Envision him
reaching into your body with his hands of light
and touching your pain or discomfort, the
healing light flowing to the cause of your pain.
The place of pain in the body is a darkness,
which the Lord fills with golden light, healing
you. When the Lord has shared the healing
power and removes his hands from you, listen
inwardly for the word of the Lord. Listen to
what the divine presence instructs you to do or
to the blessing the divine presence imparts.
There is often a word of knowledge or message
given. Then envision the image of the Lord
magically disappear as he appeared. Give
thanks and praise to God for the divine
incarnation and the healing power.

➢ In the same way, you can perform this

healing meditation for others. Simply see the
Master lay hands on the person to be healed. If
a person is open to it, it is best to perform the
practice with them, praying with them and
guiding them through it. Sometimes initiates of
the Tradition will envision themselves
becoming the image of the Lord, envisioning the
healing power as golden light within and
around themselves, and then lay hands on a
person, enacting the same process by making
themselves the vehicle of the divine presence
and power of Yeshua, the healer. The greatest
healing comes to oneself when one acts as a
holy vessel of the healing power for others. It is
always a priceless blessing to have the
opportunity to share and give what you receive.
ELEVEN
NETZACH,
THE DIVINE
DOMINION
 Attributes
Thirty-Two Paths of Wisdom: Hidden
Consciousness (Sekhel Nistar); it is called this
because it is the radiance that illuminates the
transcendental powers that are seen with the
mind's eye and with reverie of Faith

Netzach: Victory or Dominion

Place on the Tree of Life: The base of the Pillar

of Mercy

Divine Name: Yahweh Tzavaot

Alternative Divine Names: Sar Shalom,

Peaceful Ruler

Partzuf Above: Zer Anpin as the Prophet

Partzuf Below: Yeshua Messiah Opening the

Way; Moses and the Greater Prophets
Divine Image: The Image of the Human One in
the predawn sky; a naked and beautiful woman
who is crowned

Archangel: Haniel; or sometimes Uriel

Order of Angels: The Elohim

Celestial Attribute: Nogah, Venus

Titles Given to Netzach: Day Star, Sun of the

Morning; Door of the Inner Sanctum; Sphere of
the Creative Spirit; Place of the Martyrs;
Victorious One; Ruler of Dominions; Depth of
Height; Clear Mirror of Prophecy; Light-
bearer; Sphere of Philosophers and Mystics;
Mystic Abode; Nature's Grace; Sphere of the
Lesser Gods; House of the Mighty Ones; the
Portal; Star of the East; Herald of Christ; Sign
of the Eternal Day

Level of the Soul: Ruach (Lower Ruach or

Ordinary Human Intelligence)
Heavenly Abode: Zebul, the Fourth Heaven-
Dwelling

Spiritual Experience: Vision of the Divine

Dominion; Awareness of the Presence of God
in Creation; Vision of God's Glory; Inspiration
of the Creative Spirit

Virtues: Inspiration; artistic talent; appreciation

of beauty and art; harmony; cooperation;
passion; refinement; selflessness;
comprehension of values; monetary stability;
social graces; affectionate; positive self-
expression

Vices: Lack of creativity or inspiration;

dispassionate; lustfulness; unfaithfulness; poor
socialization; unattractiveness; disharmony;
negative self-expression; frivolous with money;
lack of appreciation for artistry; debauchery

Symbols: The Secret Garden; the rose; dew of

the morning; the holy lamp and lmpstand; the
girdle; peacock; the Fire in the Sacred Circle

Commandment: You shall not commit adultery

(Exodus 20:14)

Sermon on the Mount: Blessed are those who

hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will
be filled (Matthew 5:6)

Angel of the Apocalypse and the Churches:

Fourth Star and Lampstand, and the message to
the angel of the church in Thyatira (Revelation
2:18-29)
 The Hidden Realm of Action
There is a veil between the moral triad and the
action triad, which is called the Veil of Paroket. It
is the reflection of the principle of relativity of
Da'at below, representing the causal plane, which
divides the spiritual and supernal planes above
from the higher vital, mental, astral, and material
planes below. While the cosmic illusion power
comes into being at the level of Da'at through the
agency of Gevurah, and thus the binding force of
the karmic matrix has its root in Da'at, the actual
matrix itself is the causal plane or what is called
the veil of paroket in the Kabbalah.

Because the universe of Adam Kadmon is

completely beyond the comprehension of mental
being and present humanity, it is often not spoken
of in the transmission of the teachings of Kabbalah,
but rather focus is given to Atzilut, Beriyah,
Yetzirah, and Asiyah. When teachings on the
Sefirot and Olamot are given without reference to
Adam Kadmon, the supernal triad corresponds to
the universe of Atzilut, the moral triad to the
universe of Beriyah, the action triad to Yetzirah,
and the Sefirah Malkut to Asiyah. In this system of
attributing the Olamot to the Sefirotic triads of the
tree, we are able to see the interconnection
between the Olamot and the inner planes of
consciousness. The supernal planes correspond to
the universe of Atzilut and the supernal triad. The
spiritual planes, which contain the upper heavens,
correspond to the universe of Beriyah and the
moral triad. The higher vital, mental, and astral
planes correspond to the universe of Yetzirah and
the action triad, and the material plane corresponds
to the universe of Asiyah and Malkut. The causal
plane or veil of paroket thus serves as a great
divide or gulf between the higher vital and the
spiritual planes. In that the veil of paroket is the
actual karmic matrix, we understand that the higher
vital, mental, astral, and material planes appear
according to karmic conditioning and therefore
correspond to karmic vision.

In this sense, they are planes of cosmic illusion

and are inherently deceptive, being reflections of
the light of the supernal and spiritual planes within
consciousness bound to cosmic ignorance.
Reference to these lower planes as "planes of
cosmic illusion" is not to suggest that they are in
any way unreal or illusory in and of themselves,
but that our own subjective perceptions of reality
at these levels is illusory in nature-that our karmic
vision tends to prevent true seeing and knowing.

The supernal planes are not perceived by the

mind proper, but rather are perceived by the
metamind of pure radiant awareness, which cannot
be described or explained in terms of our linear
and finite reason. The spiritual planes cannot be
perceived or known through the concepts of our
mental being; they are perceived by way of pure
intuition. Therefore, everything we have spoken of
so far in our exploration of the Sefirot and Tree of
Life can actually only be known and understood
via intuitive perception and pure radiant
awareness, to the degree we are able to establish
ourselves in the vision of faith and evolve toward
the vision of true gnosis.

In truth, we have been speaking of the mysteries

in terms of the lower planes in order to indicate the
greater reality of the mysteries as they are in the
upper planes. Whatever we have been able to
glean of the actual mysteries is dependent upon the
degree to which we have been able to intuitively
grasp something of the greater truth and form
concepts, emotional associations, and images that
are more or less in harmony with the greater truth.
Thus, what we have are mental and vital
illuminations of the mysteries (transcendental
powers) seen with our mind's eye and the
contemplations of faith, as the text of the Thirty-
Two Paths of Wisdom indicates in speaking about
Netzach.

Netzach, Hod, and Yesod compose the triad of

action. It is impossible to speak of one of these
Sefirot without speaking of the others, as they act
together as an integral unit, although each of their
functions is distinct. The same is true of the Sefirot
composing each triad, the pillars, and the whole
tree. The Sefirot exist as a sacred unity of the one
being-consciousness-force that is God and
creation. Essentially, Netzach is the energetic
quality of consciousness or the mind, which
generates feelings-emotions, thoughts, and images,
and it is the energetic quality of divine
consciousness that generates the forces, patterns,
and actual forms of creation. Netzach is the
creative spirit-energy generating the subtle
dimensions of actual existence or life.

Netzach appears in our immediate experience as

the spontaneous creativity of our consciousness,
specifically as instincts, feelings, and emotions,
and the creative imagination. At the level of
Netzach this energy does not have any well-
defined boundaries or forms, but is more fluid and
flowing, interpenetrating and interacting in a
synthetic way. It is only through the agency of Hod
and Yesod that it is clearly defined and established
in actual forms of thoughts and images. The same is
true of the divine consciousness-force at the level
of Netzach. It is more akin to the pure force or
energy within and behind the subtle forms than
anything distinct, individual, and independent.
Therefore, in Netzach, rather than distinct
individuation, everything exists more in terms of
collectives or what could be called "group souls."
 Netzach emanates directly from Tiferet-and, in
turn, emanates Hod and Yesod-and thus contains
the potential for distinct, individual, and
independent formations and tends to generate them.
How Netzach generates such forms is through Hod,
the subtle forms appearing in Yesod, which is the
subtle substance of consciousness-hence, the astral
light and astral planes.

Netzach and Hod essentially act upon one another

to shape the form of the images that appear in
Yesod. This interaction may be understood in the
following way. Instincts, feelings, and emotions
correspond to Netzach, while thoughts or concepts
correspond to Hod. On the one hand, instincts,
feelings, and emotions shape our thoughts; yet, at
the same time, our thoughts shape our instincts,
feelings, and emotions. Thus, feelingemotion and
thought shape one another, and those shapes or
forms appear as images to our mind's eye or
imagination. Everything in the human world has
come into being in this way-first through feelings-
emotions, thoughts, and images in the mind, and
then into actual manifestation in the material plane.
We, ourselves, are the product of the feelings-
emotions, thoughts, and images in our parents'
minds, which led to the physical sexual encounter
through which we were conceived. Through this
same process in the inner planes of consciousness,
everything of the human world has come into being
and, in fact, everything in creation. Everything is
conceived and formed in the inner dimensions
before actually manifesting in the physical or
material plane-hence the universe of Yetzirah
(formation) is attributed to the triad of action.

Knowledge of things conceived, formed, and

transpiring in the inner dimensions before actual
manifestation in the material plane is the key to
understanding prophecy, as well as the science and
art of divine magic. One who is able to look and
see the movements of force and form in the inner
dimensions of consciousness is able to see what
will come to pass in the material world. One who
is able to consciously direct this flow of spiritual
forces and forms has the ability to change what
actually manifests in the material world-and
therefore can work wonders. In truth, there is no
such thing as a miracle, only a science of
consciousness, which, by way of the application of
certain principles or laws in higher planes of
consciousness, is able to bring about a
corresponding affect/effect in the lower planes. It
is this that is called wonder-working or divine
magic. For this reason, prophecy is attributed to
Netzach and magic is attributed to Hod, and
Netzach is called the clear mirror of prophecy and
Hod is called the hazy mirror of prophecy.
 Everything According to Its Kind
At the level of Atzilut, the Sefirah Netzach
manifests as Yahweh Tzavaot, which means the
"Lord of Hosts." Tzavaot in Netzach represents
kinds or types of creatures, as in the group souls of
the various kinds of animals, orders of angels,
legions of demons, and the spirits of various
dominions, such as the planets or elements. You
will recall that, on the great Tree of Life, Netzach
in a higher universe is the Hokmah of a lower
universe. Therefore, Netzach of Yetzirah is
Hokmah of Asiyah and thus manifests as the twelve
signs of the zodiac-the twelve kinds or types of
human souls.

When a spirit or soul passes down from the

supernal and spiritual planes through the causal
plane, moving toward incarnation, the kind or type
of creature it will become is determined by its
previous development and evolution-karma. In the
case of a human soul, it will enter through the gate
of one of the zodiacal signs, which will determine
the kind or type of human incarnation through
which it will come into being. At the level of
Netzach, the kind or type that soul will assume is
established, but it is not until the soul passes
through Hod that it will become a distinct and
individual entity of its kind. Thus, Yahweh Tzavaot
is the divine power that generates the infinite
diversity of all kinds of creatures in creation, and
Elohim Tzavaot is the divine power that generates
the infinite diversity of unique and individual
creatures-all according to their kind or type.

We may understand this in terms of human

incarnation. Adam Ha-Rishon is the group soul, as
it were, of humanity, and there are twelve kinds or
types through which human souls manifest. Passing
into incarnation, the human soul is shaped by one
of the kinds or types of the human being-entering
the domain of one of the zodiacal signs. This takes
place in the higher vital planes and represents the
generation of a human Nefesh of the corresponding
zodiacal sign. At this point, the Nefesh is pure
energy of that gate, existing in an undifferentiated
unity, having no specific form or individuation
apart from that gate, which is akin to a field of
energy. The Nefesh becomes a ray of pure energy
passing from Netzach to Hod (the mental plane), or
from the higher vital plane to the mental plane, and
through the matrix of Hod, the Nefesh assumes a
subtle form, becoming a unique and individual
Nefesh of that zodiacal gate. This energy form then
emerges and appears in the astral planes (Yesod),
which are the lower vital planes, becoming yet
more distinct and individual, and then passes from
the astral into physical incarnation in the material
plane. The position of the sun, moon, planets, and
stars at the time of actual birth reflects the karmic
matrix through which the unique individual Nefesh
was generated. This matrix is a specific
configuration of the energyintelligences of the
Sefirot, which is represented by the divine name of
Netzach and Hod joined together-Yahweh Elohim
Tzavaot.

In the same way individual Nefeshim are

generated and come into being, whole realms and
worlds are generated, for realms and worlds are
aggregates of countless life-forms, including both
animate and inanimate forms. Because everything
in existence is a form of the one being-
consciousness-force, everything is alive and
therefore considered a life-form in the eyes of the
Kabbalah. In the same way every Nefesh is distinct
and individual, so is each realm or world unique
and individual, being the product of the collective
karma of the countless spirits and souls of which it
is composed. Thus, Yahweh Elohim Tzavaot is the
matrix of spiritual forces in the subtle dimensions
within and behind the material plane, which forms
the foundation of the material universe.

Much like the idea of progressions in one's birth

chart, representing the movement of the celestial
influences forming new configurations and
relationships, and thus creating cycles of ebbs and
flows of spiritual forces, the matrix of spiritual
forces in the subtle dimensions is active and
dynamic, ever changing and reconfiguring itself.
Therefore, in the same way an astrologer might
speak of conjunctions, oppositions, squares, trines,
and such in an astrological chart, so, too, is there a
constant play of spiritual forces in the subtle
dimensions, creating ebbs and flows of the life-
power and, thus, inauspicious and auspicious
manifestations in realms and worlds.

When there is a full and free flow of spiritual

forces manifesting auspiciously, it corresponds to
the function of Yahweh Tzavaot; when there is a
restriction of the flow of spiritual forces or there is
an inauspicious manifestation, it corresponds to the
function of Elohim Tzavaot. Therefore, Yahweh
Tzavaot corresponds to mercy or grace and Elohim
Tzavaot corresponds to severity or judgment in the
play of spiritual forces. As we saw in our
exploration of Gevurah, the balance of mercy and
judgment is not determined by God but by
creatures, all according to their development and
evolution-hence, the karma of beings. In worlds in
which human beings (intelligent life-forms) exist,
the balance in the play of spiritual forces is
primarily determined by them. On earth, it is we
who determine the array of spiritual forces in the
inner dimensions of the earth.

Essentially, the spiritual forces that manifest in

the higher vital, mental, and astral planes are
determined by our creative imagination, which is
the primary faculty of the creative spirit of God in
us. Our emotions, feelings, and desires are the
energy; our thoughts, words, and deeds are the
forms that the energy assumes. Emotion-feeling-
desire and thoughts shape one another and produce
images in the imagination. These images become
vehicles in the astral planes for spiritual forces
corresponding to the nature of the desires and
thoughts forming them, and through our words and
deeds, we become vehicles of those spiritual
forces in the material plane. When our feelings-
emotions, thoughts, words, and deeds are in
harmony with the divine presence and power of the
supernal and spiritual planes, then we connect with
the divine powers and create vehicles of the divine
powers in the lower planes, thus bringing the
divine powers down to earth. When our feelings-
emotions, thoughts, words, and deeds are not in
harmony with the divine presence and power in the
higher planes, then we connect with the klippotic
forces of the other side, and forming vehicles for
them, we bring the klippot into the world. In this
way, the collective thoughts, feelings-emotions,
words, and deeds-the creative imagination-of
humanity determine the balance of spiritual forces
in the lower planes, specifically in the astral
planes. This, in turn, determines the circumstances,
situations, and events that play out in the material
plane, and thus the fate or destiny of the earth and
all that is in it.

The power of the human mind and imagination is

great, the power of many human minds and
imaginations is greater still, and the images or
forms we generate in the subtle dimensions are
very real powers having very real influence for
better or for worse. The life span of the spiritual
beings-forces we bring into the astral earth is
dependent upon the emotional charge and form
given to it by thought. Once a spiritual beingforce
is brought into the astral earth, it has power to
influence the minds, hearts, and lives of humankind
for the duration of its life span, and it can act
independently according to its nature-whether
divine, admixed, or demonic-until the life-force in
the astral form dissipates and the connection
vehicle dissolves. Some spiritual beings-forces
brought into the astral plane exist only for
moments, representing a swiftly passing thought
and emotion in the mind. Other spiritual beings-
forces, however, can exist for long durations of
time, even for many ages, as generations of
humanity strengthen the life-force and astral form
with their thoughts, feelingsemotions, words, and
deeds-essentially feeding the spiritual entity. While
some spiritual beings-forces have only a little
power to influence, some have far more power,
and others have levels of magic power that would
be unimaginable to most ordinary human beings-
such as those spiritual entities we call archangels
and archdemons.

There is a key principle taught in the magical

Kabbalah: If you create the conditions or
environment necessary for something to transpire,
it will naturally and spontaneously manifest."
While the astral forms we generate through our
thoughts and emotions are, in essence, illusory,
initially having no real life or power of their own
apart from our minds, the spiritual forces they
depict, and that enter into them and act through
them, are very real. Any time we create an astral
form corresponding to a spiritual force we have
created the necessary conditions or environment
for that spiritual force to manifest on the inner
planes. Eventually, it will enter into the astral
image and act through it. These forms are
talismatic representations of the spiritual forces
that appear to psychic vision or the mind's eye, and
not the actual forces themselves. Thus, the
appearance of spiritual forces in the lower planes
is inherently deceptive and only through intuition
can the true nature of any force be perceived.
Nevertheless, these spiritual entities are quite real
in their own plane of existence and have very real
power to influence how things manifest in the
material plane.

While we are constantly bringing spiritual beings-

forces into the astral earth and these entities are
influenced and fed by our thoughts, emotions,
words, and deeds, likewise, these entities
influence and feed us, so that we are completely
interdependent and interconnected with the play of
spiritual forces. Because most ordinary human
beings are completely unaware of the play of
spiritual forces and unaware of the light-presence
of their Neshamah and Christ-self, humanity is, for
the most part, unconsciously compelled by the
spiritual forces. However, when human beings
realize the light-presence within them and become
conscious of the play of spiritual forces and the
law upon which it is founded, then all spiritual
forces are subject unto the human one, who is the
image and likeness of Yahweh Elohim, thus having
the power of Yahweh Elohim Tzavaot.
 The Work of Creation and the
Work of the Divine Chariot
Ma'aseh Bereshit (the work of creation) is a term
applied to the mysteries of the soul and Creation.
Ma'aseh Merkavah is a term applied to the
mysteries of God and divine revelation or
prophecy. These terms are also used to denote two
distinct stages in the development of spiritual
practice and progress upon the path to self-
realization.

When we first take up a spiritual practice, the

actual practice itself is completely the product of
our own mind, specifically our creative
imagination. We generate sounds, colors, lights,
and images in our mind and the spiritual practice is
akin to a flight of fantasy, although ideally a
controlled one. It has no life or power apart from
that which we give to it. Essentially, we are
cultivating the faculties for progress in self-
realization and we are creating a vehicle (chariot)
for spiritual or mystical experience. However, at
the outset, we are nowhere near self-realization
and little, if any, authentic spiritual or mystical
experience occurs in our practice. We are merely
practicing prayer, meditation, and ritual,
cultivating the necessary skills and vehicles
through which spiritual or mystical experience will
eventually unfold. This stage of generation is
called Ma'aseh Bereshit in the Kabbalah.

At some point, our experience in spiritual

practice will shift. It will not be merely a practice
generated by our own mind, but the spiritual
beingsforces depicted in our practices by sound,
color, light, and symbolic images will enter into
the spiritual practice and our practice will take on
a life and power of its own-the divine presence
and power. The divine presence will communicate
with us in our spiritual practices and we will
experience communion with the divine powers-
various spiritual and mystical experiences will
unfold. This is the shift toward fruition stage, when
our spiritual practices generate good fruit, and it is
this that is called Ma'aseh Merkavah in the
Kabbalah-when our spiritual practice becomes an
actual vehicle of the divine presence and divine
powers.

Ma'aseh Bereshit expresses the work of the

assembly of the faithful or initiates of the outer
order and corresponds directly to the outer
threefold sanctuary. Ma'aseh Merkavah expresses
the work of the assembly of the elect or the adepti
of the inner order and corresponds directly to the
inner threefold sanctuary-hence, the actual great
work. From what we have discussed above, you
will understand that the shift from Ma'aseh
Bereshit to Ma'aseh Merkavah not only benefits the
individual initiate but all humanity and the world-
for when Ma'aseh Merkavah manifests, divine
grace flows from the supernal and spiritual planes
through the lower planes and into the material
world. Initiates who labor together in this way are
thus able to shift the balance in the play of spiritual
forces in the astral earth, balancing the forces of
darkness with forces of light, and therefore serve
to act as conscious agents of the divine will and
divine kingdom on earth (Keter-Malkut).

It is in this context that we come to understand

what Christian Gnosticism means when it says that
"there is no such thing as personal salvation," or
what the Kabbalah means when it says that "the
faithful and elect do not practice for themselves
alone, but for the sake of heaven." Indeed! In
spiritual practice we not only uplift and enlighten
ourselves, we uplift and enlighten humanity, the
world and all that is in it. We practice for the
world and for the sake of the kingdom of heaven.
Such is the work of the divine chariot-the great
work of perfecting and completing creation
according to the divine will.
 The Way of Divine Rapture
The very heart of mysticism is an inner experience
of union with the divine. Thus, at the heart of the
mystical Kabbalah is what is called devekut-
cleav- ing or attachment of oneself to the divine,
which leads to a rapturous union. According to the
Kabbalah, there are many gradations of devekut,
but on the most basic level, it is the cultivation of
joy and energized enthusiasm.

The sages of wisdom say that the Shekinah cannot

come to rest upon a depressed person and,
likewise, the divine spirit cannot enter where
darkness is allowed to dwell. In order to
experience the holy Shekinah or entertain the
divine spirit, one must let go of negativity and
uplift oneself-hence, increase the vibration of one's
consciousness. Essentially, negativity represents
lower and discordant vibrations. Positive thought,
feeling-emotion, word, and deed represent higher
and harmonious vibrations. It is through our
vibration that we link with spiritual forces and
determine our experience in life, whether positive
or negative.

Anything we might do to cultivate joy and

energized enthusiasm is devekut. A perfect
example familiar to all is music. According to the
Scriptures, King Saul frequently called upon David
to play his instrument and sing to uplift the spirits
of the king. Most of us have experienced feeling
down and put on a favorite piece of music to
energize and uplift us. Whether we knew it or not,
we were engaging in a most basic practice of
devekut!

First and foremost, our practice of devekut must

be in simple thingsfinding moments in life through
which we might experience a taste of rapturous
union. Such joy can be found in a sunrise or sunset,
a beautiful flower, a subtle crescent moon in the
starry night sky, or in the sound of children at play.
The delight taken from fine art, scientific
discovery, or closing an important business deal
can lead to devekut. Enjoyment of a shower or
bath, good food, the feeling of the breeze upon
one's face, the warmth and beauty of a campfire,
making love, and so many other daily events are all
opportunities for devekut. One merely need open
one's heart and mind to the sacred unity underlying
all life and the mystery of the source from which
life flows, and actually enjoy the moment with
gratitude and appreciation for life. This is the most
basic level of devekut.

Many wisdom traditions focus on eliminating

attachments to the world and seek to completely
dispel passionate emotions. The Kabbalah,
however, teaches us to cultivate passion and
desire, and to transform our attachments into
vehicles of divine rapture. Hence, Kabbalah
encourages us to live life fully and to enjoy the
blessings of life. Only, in the midst of life, we must
remember the source of all blessings and, with our
awareness and enjoyment, give thanks and praise.

Devekut in daily activities is the ground for

devekut in our spiritual practice-prayer,
meditation, and sacred ritual. Through knowledge
of the Sefirot-divine names and Partzufim, the
names of prophets and apostles, archangels and
angels, mysteries of creation, the soul, and God-we
have many vehicles through which we might uplift
ourselves and experience more intense levels of
rapturous union. All one needs to do is to fill one's
mind and heart with the object of devotion and
allow one's thoughts, emotions, words, and actions
to completely reflect the object of devotion. In so
doing, one will experience unification with that
aspect of the divine.
 When my tzaddik would speak of devekut, he
would say, "Seek to know Yahweh, the one life-
power, in all of your ways." Of the ultimate state of
devekut, he said, It is the most intense and
passionate love in which you are not separate from
the beloved, not even for an instant." This, in
essence, is the aim of devekut-to experience the
love of God and the awareness of God in all
things. The ultimate experience of devekut is
conscious unification with God, specifically,
unification with one's supernal soul, Christ within
and beyond oneself, and the light continuum.
 The Fire Philosophers
Philosophus is the Rosicrucian grade that
corresponds to Netzach. It means "one who
contemplates wisdom and is wise." This term is
somewhat deceptive because, in the conventional
wisdom of profane society, the idea of a
philosopher suggests a person who is an
intellectual and is primarily mental. Yet the title
philosophus is attributed to a Sefirah representing
emotions, intuitive feeling, and creative
inspiration-in a word, art. In esoteric wisdom,
however, the philosopher is more the artist than the
scientist and, specifically, is associated with the
heart, not the head. By the title "philosophus," what
is meant by the masters of the Tradition is a person
who knows his or her heart-one's inmost heart's
desire-and seeks to fulfill that holy desire.

In ancient times, the philosopher was called a

sage-the wise personand philosophy was the
contemplation of morality and ethics, as well as
theology and theosophy-contemplation of God and
wisdom. It is in this sense-the idea of the sage-that
the term Philosophus is used by Gnostic initiates.

In ancient times, it was the heart, not the head, that

was considered the seat of intelligence, and
intelligence was conceived as the activity of the
heart and mind joined together, through which the
light of the spirit and soul shined forth. The same is
true in esoteric wisdom today, for the heart is the
seat of the indwelling Christ and our divine
intelligence. Thus, Philosophus represents a state
of devekut-attachment to the indwelling Christ and
to our Neshamah through the agency of the upper
Ruach. The nature of this cleaving manifests as
what is often called the Divine Genius, which, on
the one hand, implies a certain knowledge and
understanding of things that are invisible and
hidden and, on the other hand, connotes a flow of
creative inspiration. In other words, the
philosophus is an educated initiate, and by
education is meant "one who is bringing forth that
which is within him- or herself." This bringing
forth is a giving birth to the divine genius or
Christ-self within oneself and one's life. The
fullness of this birth, of course, marks the transition
from the grade of the philosophus to that of the
lesser adept.

Just as it is difficult to distinguish the magister

templi from an elect adept, so it is equally difficult
to distinguish between the lesser adepti and the
philosophus. However, what is stirring in the
philosophus is in full motion in the lesser adept,
and whereas the heart of the philosophus is on fire
with the Spirit of Yahweh, the whole
consciousness-being of the lesser adept is on fire
with the Spirit of the Lord. The difference is one of
degree-the degree of divine passion with which the
initiate attaches himor herself to Christ indwelling
and thus identifies him- or herself with the divine
genius.

This quality of being on fire with the Spirit of

Yahweh and the state of devekut is what has
generated the term "Fire Philosophers" as a title
for Rosicrucian initiates. Yet, as we saw in our
exploration of the Gnosis of Yeshua Messiah in
Tiferet, this term implies the awakening and
uplifting of the fire snake, the heart center being the
bridal chamber in which the descending and
ascending forces are united as one divine presence
and power. Thus, we understand the various grades
of devekut as a direct reflection of stages in the
awakening of the serpent power, the higher states
of devekut being the result of the full awakening of
the serpent power

Philosophus is the highest grade of the outer order

or the assembly of the faithful, and marks the
transition from Ma'aseh Bereshit to Ma'aseh
Merkavah, as discussed previously. Essentially,
the fire snake is awakening in the philosophus and
he or she is experiencing increasingly higher states
of devekut with the indwelling Christ, which tends
to manifest in various forms of mystical experience
and outbursts of creativity. At the level of the
philosophus, the divine illumination is typically
unstable and unpre dictable, and long dry spells
may occur between flows of divine grace.
Nevertheless, the initiate of this grade is a
victorious one and is rightly called a noble sage.
When devekut is kindled to a blaze, he or she will
be among the fire philosophers and enter into the
adepti of the inner order.
 The Devekut of the Prophets
and the Apostles of God
Previously, we explored the distinction between
the greater prophets and the lesser prophets.
According to the Tradition, the lesser prophet is
able to look into the holy law and, based upon
knowledge and understanding of the law, is able to
see what will come to pass. The greater prophets,
however, are the holy ones who are Baal Shem,
masters of the name. Through the holy name, the
greater prophets are able to attach themselves
completely to God's Shekinah and thus to unite
themselves with the law. Therefore, not only does
the greater prophet have the ability to look into the
law and see what will come to pass, but having the
power of the name, everything comes to pass as the
greater prophet speaks it. Thus, the greater prophet
sees in the clear mirror of prophecy, and the lesser
prophet beholds his or her visions in the hazy
mirror of prophecy. The distinction between the
greater and lesser prophet is therefore one of
direct intuitive knowledge (complete gnosis) and
indirect psychic vision (partial gnosis).
Specifically, the distinction is one of
devekutattachment, the lesser prophet experiencing
prophetic consciousness through lower grades of
devekut and the greater prophet through higher
grades of devekut.

The Rosicrucian grades of the philosophus, lesser

adept, and greater adept represent the lower
degrees of devekut and, thus, the attainments of the
lesser prophets. The grades of elect adept,
magister templi, and magus represent higher
degrees of devekut and, therefore, the attainments
of the greater prophets. The grade of ipsissimus
represents the supreme state of devekut-complete
unification with God and Godhead, as embodied in
Yeshua Messiah. Thus Yeshua Messiah is rightly
called "Adonai," having the power of the essential
name, Eheieh ("I am").

As we have said, the hazy and clear mirrors of

prophecy correspond to Hod and Netzach,
respectively, and Hod and Netzach are directly
below Tiferet on the Tree of Life. Therefore, the
light-presence reflected in the mirror of prophecy
is the spiritual sun, Tiferet. Netzach represents the
imagination, feelings, and emotions of the mind;
Hod represents the thoughts of the mind. Yesod,
which is the union of Netzach and Hod, represents
desires that come into being by way of the activity
of the mind. Thus, by the attribute of the mirror of
prophecy to the action triad, the Kabbalah is saying
that the mirror of prophecy is the human mind and
heart and that prophecy is a response to human
desire, specifically, the revelation of God's ratzon,
so that the human will-desire might reflect God's
will-desire.
 While Netzach, Hod, and Yesod reflect Tiferet
and transmit the ruhaniyut and shefa of Tiferet to
Malkut, the triad of action, along with Malkut,
emanate from within Tiferet, so that not only do
they reflect Tiferet, they are also the emanation of
Tiferet on the lower planes. Tiferet is, thus, that
which is reflected in consciousness, and it is the
consciousness within which it is reflected. That is
to say, the light-presence that is reflected in
consciousness is consciousness itself-pure radiant
awareness.

This realization is the difference between the

prophetic succession and the apostolic succession.
For although the greater prophet was able to attain
complete unification with the holy law, and thus the
power of the great name of Yahweh, the greater
prophet did not recognize and realize the
inseparability of his or her own consciousness
from the light-presence. Therefore, the greater
prophet always experienced him- or herself as
separate and distinct from the light-presence. The
prophet was able to more or less reflect the
supernal light-presence and to experience the
Shekinah resting upon him- or herself, but he or she
was not able to attain unification with the light-
presence or to experience the Shekinah indwelling
him- or herself. Essentially, believing the peak of
cosmic consciousness to be the supreme and
ultimate attainment possible for a human being, the
greater prophet did not conceive of a superior
attainment and therefore did not know to strive
toward self-realization in supernal consciousness.
Lord Yeshua, however, recognized the
inseparability of the supernal light-presence and
the consciousness within him, and therefore he
passed beyond the peak of cosmic consciousness,
embodying the self-realization of supernal or
Messianic consciousness. In Yeshua Messiah and
the apostolic succession, we have be come aware
of this superior attainment and how to accomplish
it. Thus, we are able to consciously evolve toward
supernal consciousness. It is this holy awareness
that fulfills the law and the prophets, and through
which the holy apostle draws upon the essential
name of Eheieh-I am or I shall be.
 Psalms, Prophecy, and Wonder-
Working
In exoteric faith, both Jewish and Christian, the
Psalms are viewed as praise to God-songs and
melodies of worship. Yet, if one is aware of the
various terms in the Scriptures for meditative
states that lead to higher levels of consciousness
and prophecy, one finds that many of them appear
frequently in the psalms. This suggests that the
Book of Psalms has an important place in
meditative and prophetic disciplines. While the
Hebrew word for psalms, Tebillim, which comes
from the root halal, is often translated to praise," it
also has two other possible meanings that reveal
the deeper spiritual intention of the psalms.

The first alternative meaning of halal alludes to

the idea of brightness or shining. Halal appears in
this context in Job 25:5, "If even the moon is not
bright and the stars are not pure in his sight . . ."
and Job 29:3, ".. . when his lamp shone over my
head, and by his light I walked through darkness . .
." The second alternative meaning comes from the
word hode- lut, which shares the root halal, and
denotes madness or a radically altered state
resembling something demented. This would
suggest that the word halal indicates a condition in
which one departs from his or her ordinary state of
consciousness and experiences divine illumination.
Specifically, halal connotes praise intended to
bring one into the enlightenment experience through
a state of self-abandon or self-transcendence.

The state of divine madness or divine intoxication

is commonly associated with the experience of
mystics and prophetic states. Rumi, who was
perhaps the greatest Sufi poet, speaks of this often
in his spiritual poetry. On the day of Pentecost,
when the fire of the Holy Spirit descended upon
the apostles and they went out to preach in a state
of divine illumination, they were accused of being
drunk. Yeshua, himself, was accused of being a
drunkard or demented by demonic possession.
There are many places in the Old Testament in
which the Bible specifically relates prophecy to a
state of madness. The idea of divine madness
directly relates to being carried away by divine
passion or being possessed by the Spirit of God.
One appears crazy to the unenlightened because
one is oblivious to the conventional wisdom of
unenlightened society and to oneself, instead being
directed by the Holy Spirit according to divine
wisdom.

Tehillim, from the root halal, therefore designates

the psalms as vehicles through which one might
enter into a state of divine illumination or
prophetic consciousness, which is exactly how the
Kabbalah views the Book of Psalms. According to
the Tradition, the psalms are invocations of the
spirit of prophecy and they are magical
incantations or spells, each having a specific
intention.

While many psalms represent prayers or

meditations which direct the mind and heart
toward a higher state of consciousness, others
represent inspired utterances from the mind and
heart of a person already in a state of divine
illumination. For this reason, according to the
masters of the Tradition, those psalms that begin by
saying "A Psalm of David" are psalms of
aspiration toward a state of higher consciousness;
those psalms that begin by saying "Of David, A
Psalm" are psalms spoken or sung when David
was already established in a state of illumination.
Psalms 24 and 110 are good examples of the latter,
clearly reflecting deep insight into the depth of the
mysteries spoken and having a prophetic quality.
 In the study and contemplation of the psalms, we
see three distinct forms of invocation or
incantation, corresponding to mercy, severity, and
compassion, thus representing the three pillars of
the Tree of Life. Those of mercy represent the
devekut-attachment of the soul to the corresponding
Sefirot or divine attributes invoked. Those of
severity represent invocations to dispel or banish
klippotic forces, while those of compassion
represent both banishing of klippotic forces and
invocations of the divine powers.

In the Tradition, the psalms are spoken of in

conjunction with Netzach because of their
relationship to devekut, prophecy, and mysticism,
which correspond to Netzach. However, on the
outermost level, the psalms are creative
expressions and Netzach represents the energetic
quality behind all forms of creativity and creation.
 Nothing New Under the Sun
In contemplation of science and art, which are
attributed to Hod and Netzach, respectively, an
interesting observation arises. Science is clearly a
process of discovery of things already present,
although previously unrecognized, while art seems
to be the creation of something new. Yet in the
actual experience of creative inspiration, one finds
that art is not really the creation of something new
but, like science, is a process of discovery.

The idea of discovery directly suggests the true

nature of the action triad. There is nothing new in
the triad of action; rather, the triad of action is
actualizing the spiritual potential of the supernal
and moral triads. In essence, Netzach, Hod, and
Yesod are discovering or revealing the divine
potential beyond the veil of Paroket. It is this
quality of discovery that is alluded to in
Ecclesiastes when it says, "... there is nothing new
under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 1:9).

Adam (humanity) is given the task of naming

things. Naming connotes recognition or discovery
and the realization or actualization of potential.
For what is named already existed before it was
named; yet without the name recognition, that
which is named is not realized and actualized. To
this very day, Adam is still naming things-
recognizing or discovering the hidden depths of
creation and realizing and actualizing the
exhaustless divine potential of the life-power. In
this sense, human beings are cocreators with God,
drawing out the unmanifest potential of creation,
realizing it, and actualizing it.

We may consider this principle in terms of the

development and evolution of the soul-being
through the process of gilgulim (transmigration).
Although the potential of the Neshamah and upper
Ruach exists within every human being in every
incarnation, until the divine nature of the soul is
recognized and realized, in effect, the potential of
Neshamah and Ruach does not actually exist but
remains unmanifest. Essentially, until the
indwelling Christ and the divine intelligence are
realized, they are not part of a person's experience
and do not exist in the world for that person. The
same is true of all cosmic forces in creation,
whether spiritual, psychic, or material. Until they
are discovered, realized, and actualized, they
remain unmanifest potential. When the masters of
the Kabbalah say that activity below in the
material world stirs activity above in the spiritual
world, it is this principle of actualization they are
indicating, for although the divine powers exist in
potential, until they are actualized and realized by
humanity, they remain unmanifest, both in the
spiritual and material world.
 The attributes of science and art, along with
prophecy, to Netzach and Hod reflect that the
scientist, artist, and prophet share a kindred
spiritthe discovery and revelation of the truth and
light within creation through which humanity is
uplifted Godward. While a prophet is not
necessarily a scientist or artist and a scientist or
artist is not necessarily a prophet, there is science
and art in prophecy and there is something
prophetic in true science and art. According to the
masters of the Tradition, the role of the prophet is
to give direction to scientific exploration and
artistic expression. The role of the scientist and the
artist is realization and actualization of the divine
will and divine kingdom beheld in the vision of the
prophet. Science, art, and prophecy are meant to
work handin-hand for the fulfillment of humanity
and the divine plan in creation.

Dogmatic religion has caused a great division

between prophetic, scientific, and artistic
exploration. However, in the eyes of the Gnostic
Christian, all truth discovered is God's truth,
whether prophetic, artistic or scientific. For the
ultimate fruition of the divine plan on earth, the
prophet, scientist, and artist must all work together
for the conscious preservation and evolution of
humanity and this good earth. Spirituality alone
does not hold all the keys to the fruition of the
divine plan on earth, and science and art apart
from spirituality tend to become destructive and
perverse. To understand this, one need only
consider fundamentalism in religion, the use of
science to create weapons of mass destruction, or
the darker and perverse side of modern art and
entertainment.

The prophet, scientist, and artist are, indeed,

kindred spirits. When science and art are vehicles
or channels of the human soul, the light of the
creator shines through them, as surely as it shines
through the prophet and prophecy. We can say this
of any human endeavor-to the degree that it acts as
a vehicle of the human spirit and soul and is linked
to the Shekinah, any activity can be a channel of the
supernal light and serve the divine will and
kingdom.
 The Creative Spirit, the Mystic,
and the Artist
In our present dualistic condition, there is a great
distinction between the objectivity of science and
subjectivity of art. Largely, it is this distinction
between the objective and the subjective that
separates the scientist from the artist. While
science aims to tell us exactly how things are, art
aims to provide interpretations of things. Both, in
their own way, seek to open our eyes to new
vistas. The same is true of mysticism. However, in
mysticism, the distinction between the objective
and subjective tends to vanish, so that, in the
experience of the mystic, the subject and object
merge together; the knower (subject) and that
which is known (object) become one and the same.
When science or art leads to an awareness of the
unity of subject and object, science or art becomes
mystical.
 Since the time of Einstein and the breakthrough of
the Theory of Relativity, many scientists have
found a mystical dimension in their respective
sciences, in which the objective and subjective
seem to overlap. For example, the scientist is now
aware that the observer changes the experiment
and may even change the outcome of the
experiment. This became especially obvious when
scientists sought to discover the subatomic level of
matter, one segment of researchers thinking they
would find particles at the subatomic level and
another segment thinking they would find waves.
As it turned out, the scientists that went looking for
particles found particles and those that went
looking for waves found waves. This discovery
alludes to the truth that matter and consciousness,
the objective and the subjective, are interconnected
and thus that consciousness can change how things
manifest. While modern science remains greatly
resistant to this truth, nevertheless, as science
progresses, it stumbles across it more and more.

If the observer changes things merely by

observing, by interpretation, and by angle of view,
then there is more power in art than most modern
artists might realize. If an artist is able to capture a
different view of things and is able to convey that
new view to others, uplifting the consciousness of
the people and opening their minds to new
possibilities, then it is quite possible that an artist
can change the human world as much as the
scientist. For if things manifest as we expect them
to manifest, then changing our expectations may
well change what actually manifests. An artist who
is aware of this creative power is a mystic and
magician.

The science of magic is attributed to Hod.

However, without some realization of Netzach, the
mystical and artistic truth of the creative spirit,
there is no such thing as magic or the magician.
The full power of the wonder-working science is
dependent upon full mystical realization and the
same creative inspiration as good art. Indeed,
according to masters of the Tradition, one must
first attain some degree of spiritual or mystical
realization and explore creativity before one can
practice the magical Kabbalah and become a mage
of light. While the knowledge of magic is in Hod,
the power of wonder-working is in Netzach. For
this reason, as much as being called a science,
magic is also called an art, and the mage of light
must be well established in Netzach.

Science and magic aside, art and creativity hold

the best potential for many individuals to draw
near to God and to experience the Spirit of God.
Art and creativity are more likely to lead to the
cultivation of one's humanity and drawing out the
light of the soul. Likewise, development of our
feelings-emotions and imagination is more likely to
lead us into an experience of conscious unification
with God than merely the generation of concepts
and intellectual analysis. Therefore, art, creativity,
and development of our feeling-emotions and
imagination are central to the mystical journey, as
much as development of the intellect and other
aspects of intelligence. In terms of Netzach, it is
through music, song, dance, poetry, and other forms
of art that one may most easily contact and
experience the divine power it represents. God is
the creator, and the Spirit of God is a creative
spirit. Thus, becoming creative naturally draws us
closer to God.
The Divine Mother and the Nature
Sphere
Not everyone is an artist. We all have our own
unique talents and abilities, but that does not
preclude our capacity to be creative or to engage
in creative expression. Although all of us are not
artists-songwriters, musicians, poets, painters, and
such-we can all gain inspiration from the art of
others and experience creative expression of our
own via the talents of those who truly are artists. In
a similar manner, we can all gain inspiration from
the supreme artist or creator-God-via God's art,
which is nature and creation. In the same way we
can easily draw upon the divine power of Netzach
and draw near unto God through creativity and
artistic ex pression, we are all able to do so
through nature and the recognition of God's glory in
creatures and creation. While manifestation of
creation, Mother Nature, and this good earth on the
material plane is Malkut, the creative spirit, the
forces of nature, and life of the earth have their
root in Netzach. Therefore, any time we experience
awe and wonder, a feeling of connectedness
through nature, or are moved or inspired by
creatures and creation, we are experiencing
contact with Netzach.

According to the Tradition, nature is a secret

operation of the Holy Spirit, and as we have seen
in the Christian Kabbalah, the Holy Spirit is the
Mother Spirit. Thus, nature is conceived of as a
manifestation of the divine Mother. As much as
Gnosticism speaks of our heavenly Father, it also
speaks of our earthly Mother, understanding nature
herself as the manifestation of God's glory-God's
presence and power. Likewise, while Gnosticism
teaches about the angels of the heavenly Father, it
also teaches us about the angels of the earthly
Mother. On the one hand, the angels of our earthly
Mother are the forces of nature, specifically, the
spiritual or cosmic forces within behind the natural
forces. On the other hand, her holy angels are
everything that appears in creation-oceans and
deserts, mountains and valleys, rivers and streams,
and even such things as rocks, vegetation, and
creatures. In other words, God's Spirit is
constantly speaking to us through nature and as
nature, and thus the prophets and apostles of God
often go out into the wilderness to commune with
God. With this in mind, one cannot help but reflect
upon the story of the ravens that fed the prophet
Elijah when he was fleeing persecution, or Daniel
emerging from the lion's den unharmed. Likewise,
one cannot help but remember the prophets of God
wielding the great forces of nature, the revelations
of God's Spirit to holy men and women on
mountains and in caves, and the numerous
occasions that the Shekinah or angels of God
appeared to shepherds tending flocks in the
wilderness, all reflect the earthly Mother and her
holy angels, as much as the heavenly Father and the
angels of the heavens.

Where the angels of our heavenly Father end and

the angels of our earthly Mother begin, no one
knows. In our experience, they are completely
interdependent and interconnected and thus
inseparable. Yet, we distinctly experience the
earthly angels, the heavenly angels, and all manner
of good spirits of God. As much as the Gnostic
seeks contact and communion with heavenly
angels, he or she seeks contact and communion
with the earthly angels too. Within every place in
nature there is an earthly angel-there is a spirit and
power. Within everything that appears in nature,
there is an earthly angel-a spirit and power. In the
same way that orders of heavenly angels are within
the dominion of a heavenly archangel, many lesser
earthly angels are within the dominion of a great
earthly angel, such as a mountain, river, desert, and
the like. As the Hermetic saying goes, "As above,
so below; as below, so above." While the Sophian
Gnostic seeks a rapturous connection with God's
Spirit through nature, the Gnostic initiate also
seeks knowledge of the earthly angels and of all
the spirits that are hidden in nature. Much like our
Native American brothers and sisters, we, too, find
that the Great Spirit sends messengers in the form
of animal peoples and natural phenomena, along
with messengers of the other world or the heavens.
Unlike the pagan faiths, however, the Gnostic does
not worship the forces of nature or the angels of
our earthly Mother. The Gnostic embraces the
earthly angels as brothers and sisters, and directs
his or her worship to the Most High.

As we have said, nature is a secret operation of

the Holy Spirit. Nature is becoming conscious of
herself in humanity, and the forces of nature are
becoming conscious. The power of the Holy Spirit
is awakening with, in, and through the human one.
For a little while, human beings exist under the
dominion of the holy angels, who are akin to elder
brothers or sisters. Yet the human spirit is destined
to ascend beyond the holy angels, both the
heavenly angels and the earthly angels, and in
ascending, the human one draws the holy angels in
ascent with him- or herself. Nature, our earthly
Mother, and the angels of our earthly Mother are
thus redeemed from cosmic ignorance through
humanity, when humanity abides in the awareness
of sacred unity and cleaves to God most high (El
Elyon). In so doing, humanity joins heaven and
earth in mystical union and creation is made
perfect and complete. This is the Netzach-victory
which is the spiritual aim of the great work at the
heart of Sophian Gnosticism.
 The Divine Muse
In the universe of Beriyah, the Sefirah Netzach
manifests as the archangel Haniel, which means the
"Glory of God," or "Grace of God," or "one who
sees God." According to the Tradition, Haniel has
a close relationship with the archangel Uriel,
which means the "Light of God," who is the
archangel associated with the element earth, the
planet earth, and the northern quarter of the sacred
circle. According to the Tradition, Yeshua Messiah
embodied the power of seven archangels, which
are said to be the great angels of the Sefirot from
Binah to Yesod; however, in the attribution of the
seven archangels of the Christos, Uriel is often put
in the place of Haniel.

Haniel and Uriel are two distinct archangels, but

the substance of God's glory and grace is light, and
it is through this light that one sees God. Therefore,
these two great angels are interconnected and both
personify something of divine illumination. In a
certain respect, one might say that Uriel is like the
medium-the substance and embodiment-of creative
expression, and Haniel is like the creative
expression or inspiration itself.

While Uriel is connected with Eretz (the earth),

Haniel is connected with Nogah. Nogah means
"brightness" and represents one of the forms of
light beheld in prophetic vision. At the same time,
it means the "bright morning star" or Venus. The
connection between the "light of God" and the idea
of brightness is obvious, although there are more
subtle and sublime esoteric connections that may
not be quite so obvious. First of all, when the
bright morning star appears in the east, it heralds
the coming of dawn and light upon the earth. When
it appears in the west, it heralds the sunset and
departure of light from the earth. A bright star is
said to have led the three magi to the birthplace of
Christ. Likewise, the bright morning star is said to
have dawned at the conclusion of the temptation of
Christ and at the dawn of the enlightenment of the
Buddha. According to the Sophian Tradition, the
same star appeared at the resurrection when the
Holy Bride greeted the Risen Yeshua. You will
recall in our discussion of Da'at the
correspondence of the star Sirius with the order of
Melchizedek and that, according to Gnostic
Tradition, Venus is said to be the transmitter of the
spiritual energy of Sirius in our solar system-hence
the vehicle of the light transmission to planet earth.
All of this alludes to the secret relationship of
Uriel and Haniel, and specifically to the inmost
nature of Haniel, who is said to be the great angel
of the light transmission on earth. While Uriel acts
as the guardian of the earth and specifically the
human life-wave, Haniel is the guardian of
enlightenment upon the earth. It is in this context
that the mission of Uriel and Haniel overlap.

In the Book of Jude, we hear of a holy book that

does not appear in the canonized Scriptures-the
Book of Enoch. The Book of Enoch, as the name
suggests, is said to have been written by Enoch,
giving an account of Enoch's ascent into the
heavens and all of the mysteries, heavenly abodes,
and angelic beings he encountered along the way.
According to the Tradition, Haniel is the archangel
who guides Enoch in the ascension. Thus, among
the great angels of God, Haniel is called the
opener of the way and guide of the elect. In the
process of guiding Enoch, Haniel also explains to
Enoch the visions that he sees. Therefore, Haniel is
said to know the mysteries of all the holy angels,
the heavens, and, specifically, the path of the great
ascension.

Haniel is also called the divine muse by masters

of the Tradition-the archangel who inspires all
forms of craftsmanship and artistry. Accordingly,
we read in Exodus:

... See, the Lord has called by name Bezalel

the son of Uri son of Ur, of the tribe of
Judah; he has filled him with divine spirit,
with skill, intelligence, and knowledge of
every kind of craft, to devise artistic
designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze,
in cutting stones for setting, and in carving
wood, in every kind of craft. And he has
inspired him to teach, both him and Oholiab
son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. He
has filled them with skill to do every kind
of work done by an artisan, by a designer,
or by an embroiderer in blue, purple, and
crimson yarns and in fine linen, or by a
weaver-by any sort of artisan or skilled
designer. (Exodus 35:30-35)
 It is through the agency of Haniel that Yahweh
transmits this knowledge, skill, and inspiration to
Bezalel and Oholiab and to any creative person
who makes him- or herself a holy vessel of divine
artistic inspiration.

The image of Haniel is that of a most beautiful

androgynous being, robed in translucent emerald-
green light. His-her face shines with golden light
and brilliant white light shines from his-her heart,
sparkling with all colors like a diamond. His-her
wings are a clear transparency barely perceived in
vision, and the words of this great angel of God
are as the music of pure and unadulterated
inspiration. Many have heard the harmony of the
celestial spheres in the presence of Haniel.
Holding this image in the mind's eye, initiates
invoke Haniel by intoning the divine name of
Netzach and the chant, Hal Al Ha Na Haniel.
 My teacher once said, If one abides in the love of
the Lord and invokes the archangel Haniel, one
will see the face of the God of Jacob, which is the
vision of Zer Anpin. We know this from Psalm 24
of which it is said, 'Haniel inspired David to
write."'
 Principalities, Dominions, and
Authorities
Netzach in Yetzirah manifests as the order of
elohim. When elohim is not capitalized, it
designates this order of angels, which contains the
angels called Dominions, Principalities, and
Autborities. You will recall, when we spoke of the
Aralim associated with Binah, that we indicated
the close association of the thrones and dominions,
as in the idea of a throne and a kingdom. Thus,
among the elohim are the dominions that are
intimately connected to the thrones. One might
contemplate the thrones as the knowledge and the
dominions as the skill and power through which a
specific kind of knowledge is manifest. This will
give some sense of what the dominions among the
elohim are and how they manifest in our
experience. Yet the dominions are something more.
They are also abodesrealms or worlds-which, in
mystic vision, we discover are actually spiritual
beings or matrixes of spiritual forces. In this sense,
the elohim represent spiritual beings, which are the
realms and worlds that appear in creation, and they
are the matrixes of spiritual forces behind the
realms and worlds that appear.

According to the Tradition, the dominions are

ruled by the principalities and authorities, the
principalities specifically representing
personification of the divine principles upon which
a dominion is established, while the authorities are
chieftains that have authority in a dominion by way
of the principalities. We may gain some insight into
this arrangement through a teaching given in the
Zohar. The Zohar says that there is a chieftain that
rules over every nation on earth. A "nation"
represents an earthly dominion. Every nation is
founded upon certain principles (principalities)
through which the nation is governed. The
chieftain, then, is the governing authority, which
operates within the parameters of the principality
and dominion over which it presides. According to
the Zohar, an authority, principality, and dominion
are in charge of every nation, and they are
governed by divine providence and determine the
karmic balance of those who dwell in them. Thus,
a chieftain can only act according to divine
authority and can only act beyond its boundaries
(such as in the invasion of another chieftain's
dominion) according to the balance of the law. By
speaking of this in terms of earthly dominions, the
Zohar reveals the truth of all dominions, as the
same triad of spiritual beings-forces applies to all
realms and worlds in all planes of existence. All
three of these classes of angels are within the order
of elohim.

Dominions can be relatively limited and small or

they can be vast. Correspondingly, principalities
can have more or less influence, and may or may
not reflect the divine will and divine kingdom.
Among the authorities or chieftains, there are
greater and lesser chieftains, and the greater
chieftains can have incredible power. You will
recall that the name elohim can mean "gods" and
"goddesses." Thus, the greater chieftains have
often been called gods and goddesses and have
been worshipped as such. The lesser gods and
goddesses of pagan worship are, in fact, among the
angels of the order of elohim, which includes
cosmic and natural forces that form the actual
matrix of creation. One might wonder what sort of
angel would seek to be worshipped in place of the
one God; yet one must understand that among the
elohim are those cosmic forces which are called
the demiurgos and archons, the false creator and
rulers bound to cosmic ignorance. In effect, this
class of the elohim believe they are responsible for
creation and are unaware that they are dependent
upon a higher cause, the one life-power (Yahweh).
The cosmic illusion-power not only affects
creatures on the material plane, but affects all
manner of beings-forces below the causal plane.

While the chieftains have their authority by way

of divine providence and the holy law, this does
not mean that all chieftains are necessarily holy
angels of God or that they seek to serve the divine
will and kingdom. Like the Beni Elohim in Hod,
many of the elohim are not divine powers proper,
but are titanic and dark beings-forces. One must
always bear in mind that, at the level of Beriyah,
one-third of the cosmic forces are titanic and dark
forces, and at the level of Yetzirah, the Tradition
says about one-half of the spiritual beings-forces
are admixed or dark. Thus, associated with every
angelic order are also titanic and demonic beings.
St. Paul reminds us of this when he speaks of
chieftains and principalities that are "spiritual
forces of evil in heavenly places." In giving
teachings on the elohim and the Beni Elohim, the
elders of the Tradition always remind us that we
must put all spirits to the test, to see if they are
from God or from the other side.

Among the order of elohim, there are angels

associated with the heavenly Father under the
dominion of Haniel, which like Haniel are
inspirations or are muses; likewise, among the
elohim are the angels of the earthly Mother, as
mentioned above. That angels of the order of
elohim are often mistaken for gods by mediums and
psychics is reflected in the story of Saul visiting
the medium or witch of Endor when she speaks of
her vision, saying, "I see a god (elohim) coming up
out of the ground" (1 Samuel 28:13). As it turns
out, of course, it is a vision of the prophet Samuel
that the medium is seeing and not a god or an angel.
That the Torah uses the word elohim reveals that
among the elohim are all manner of spirits
associated with psychism and spirits that grant
magical powers. The reason the Scriptures speak
strongly against psychism or mediumship is that, in
a lust for magical power or psychic powers, a
person may well link him- or herself with the
wrong sort of spirits and not labor for authentic
spiritual development. Likewise, those seeking
psychics or mediums are typically seeking answers
only to mundane questions of petty desire, and this
tends to invoke the wrong sort of spirits. While the
use of spiritual astrology to gain insight into one's
personality and character, the journey of the soul,
and the soul's tikkune is considered beneficial
according to the Kabbalah, because of the dangers
inherent in psychism, fortune telling is avoided.
 Spiritual Practices for Netzach
Riding Upon the Melody

➢ Sometimes prayer does not come easily.

Perhaps we are a bit down or not in the right
mood. In such cases, music can prove very
helpful. Likewise, listening to music itself can
become prayer, meditation, and worship, all
depending upon one's intention. Riding upon the
melody can uplift our heart, and minds so that
we might be inspired to prayer, and it may
become a way of prayer, meditation, and
worship in itself.

➢ Choose music that is uplifting and inspiring

and that has a spiritual connotation to you. Play
the music and let your mind and heart ride upon
the melody. Let the music fill your mind and
heart and carry you in ascent into the embrace
of the beloved.
➢ In the same way, you can take the inspiration
drawn from the music and let it become prayers
of your heart, giving praise and thanks to God
and rejoicing in the presence of the Holy One.
Where there is joy, the Shekinah is swift to
come upon those who invite and welcome her,
and the Holy Spirit is naturally attracted to a
heart filled with light and gladness.

➢ Through gesture and the body, one can also

pray and worship. Letting good music fill you,
your prayer and worship can be spoken through
gesture and dance. All that is necessary is
conscious intention. While you entertain the
sacred dance, you can also visualize Lord
Yeshua and Lady Mary Magdalene dancing
with you, and the spirits of holy saints and
angels gathered with you in the presence of
God, worshipping the Lord your God in spirit
and truth. Alone at home, you can easily find
yourself in the midst of a luminous
congregation!
TWELVE
HOD, THE
SPLENDOR
OF GOD
 Attributes
Thirty-Two Paths of Wisdom: Perfect
Consciousness (Sekhel Shalem); it is called
this because it is the Original Arrangement;
there is no root through which it can be
pondered, except through the chambers of
Greatness, which emanate from the essence of
its permanence

Hod: Splendor, Submission, Empathy

Place on the Tree of Life: The base of the Pillar

of Severity

Divine Name: Elohim Tzavaot

Alternative Divine Names: Ash Adumah, Red

Fire; Elohim Tzavaotainu, God of our armies

Partzuf Above: Zer Anpin as the Mage of Light

Partzuf Below: Lord Yeshua as the Wonder-

Worker; Aaron and the Lesser Prophets

Divine Image: The Image of the Mage in the

Circle of Light; a hermaphrodite

Archangel: Michael

Order of Angels: Beni Elohim

Celestial Attribute: Kokab, Mercury

Titles Given to Hod: Swift Justice; Depth of

Depth or Depth of Below; Hazy Mirror of
Prophecy; Sphere of Psychic Vision; Thunder
Mind; the House of Perdition; the Abode of
Science; House of the Alchemist; Sphere of the
Titans; Light of Splendor; Light of Truth; Swift
Messenger

Level of the Soul: Lower Ruach

Heavenly Abode: Shehakim, the Third Heaven-

Clouds of Grace or Sky-like
Spiritual Experience: Vision of Glory; Gnosis
of the Wonder-Worker; Quickening of the Mind

Virtues: Sound logic; skilled communication;

clarity of mind; honesty, clear perception; good
ability to solve problems; productive curiosity;
knowledge

Vices: Dishonesty; unclear mind; misperception;

confusion of information for knowledge; idle
curiosity; dullness of mind; inability to
communicate; over talkative; poor problem
solving skills; illogical

Symbols: Priestly vestments; names; books and

verses; writing materials; water in the cup; the
metal mercury

Commandment: You shall not steal (Exodus

20:15)

Sermon on the Mount: Blessed are the meek, for

they will inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5)
Angel of the Apocalypse and the Churches:
Fifth Star and Lampstand, and the message to
the angel of the church in Sardis (Revelation
3:1-6)
Relating with the Human One and
God
Earlier, we spoke of the Universe of Chaos and
Void that came into being when the original unity of
Adam Kadmon was shattered-a primordial state in
which the Sefirot had no way to connect with one
another and therefore no relationship to one
another. The mending of this first shattering came
by way of Atzilut and the divine names and
Partzufim of Atzilut, which created a new order of
relationships among the Sefirot. This same process
repeated itself in the generation of Beriyah,
Yetzirah, and Asiyah. The new order of
relationships at the level of Beriyah is formed by
the archangels; at the level of Yetzirah, it is formed
by the orders of angels; and at the level of Asiyah
by the configuration of the sun, moon, planets, and
stars.
 The Sefirot and Olamot themselves were created
as the vehicle through which the Infinite One might
be in relationship with creation without complete
negation of creation and by which human beings
might be able to form relationships with God. The
divine names and Partzufim, the archangels, orders
of angels, and celestial bodies form connections
between the Infinite One and finite creation and
thus are the basis of the sacred relationship
between God and the human one. In a word, the
Sefirot and Olamot are all about relatedness.

This is especially true of the six Sefirot of the

moral and action triads, which are gradations that
connect the supernal abode of the infinite to finite
creation (Malkut). These two triads of Sefirot
essentially represent the two primary modes of
relationship, nonreciprocal and reciprocal.

The moral triad represents the human relationship

that is not reciprocal. Hesed is the all-giver and
Gevurah is the all-receiver. A Hesed-Gevu- rah
relationship is akin to that which forms between a
student and a teacher in which the student must
exercise full self-restraint to allow the teacher to
fully impart his or her knowledge. Tiferet would
therefore represent a primarily one-way
relationship of the student receiving and the
teacher giving. In essence, Tiferet is an imposing
of one's giving on another person in a situation in
which there is no possibility of reciprocity. There
are circumstances in which such a relationship is
right and proper; however, outside of the
appropriate circumstances, the same sort of
relationship could equally be unhealthy and
improper.

The triad of action represents a relationship that

is reciprocal, the most basic example of which is
the relationship between a man and a woman.
Netzach is a word derived from menatzeacb,
which means to overcome," "to conquer," or "to
dominate." Some men think that they must totally
control and overwhelm a woman in relationship, to
the extent that she completely loses her own
individuality and personality. Likewise, some
women completely dominate their husbands to the
extent that the husband is never allowed to be
himself. In an exclusively Netzach relationship,
one person dominates over the other and there is
no true reciprocity.

Hod is the total opposite. Hod means "splendor,"

but it is also related to the word boda'ab, which
means "empathy" or "submission." In a Hod
relationship, the person holds onto the idea that he
or she must completely annul him- or herself, in
effect completely losing him- or herself in the
relationship. While the Netzach relationship tends
to be mean-spirited and oppressive, the Hod
relationship tends to allow and encourage evil.
Both the Netzach and Hod relationships, whether
between two lovers or two friends, are unhealthy,
as neither create the possibility of reciprocity,
which corresponds to Yesod-foundation.
Essentially, the Yesod-foundation of such
imbalanced relationships is faulty, and thus the
relationships are dysfunctional.

For a truly reciprocal relationship to exist, the

individuals involved in the relationship must
alternate between dominance and submission,
allowing a give-and-take in the relationship. A
good conversation is an example of this. While a
one-way conversation in the form of a lecture
given by a teacher to his or her students is fine, in
actual conversation there must be both speaking
and listening. While one person speaks, the other
must listen, and listening and hearing must alternate
back and forth between the individuals involved in
the conversation. This leads to reciprocity and a
good conversation. A person who is too talkative
and does not give others the opportunity to speak
would have too much Netzach. The person who is
too quiet and does not engage in the conversation
would have too much Hod-either would make good
conversation impossible. Any time there is a
balanced flow of giving and taking between people
on any level, it represents a Netzach-Hod
relationship and the exchange between them
represents Yesod. The ideal example of a perfectly
reciprocal relationship is a man and woman
involved in sexual intimacy based upon mutual
love in which both partners are receiving mutual
pleasure at the same time. The delight of one is the
delight of the other and, in their shared delight,
unification happens. The Hod-Netzach relationship
brings about unification on one level or another,
whether of the mind, heart, or body.

Most healthy human relationships and the

psychology involved in them represent a balanced
Hod-Netzach relationship. Even those
relationships that are properly Hesed-Gevurah, as
between a student and a teacher, aim at an ultimate
fruition in the triad of action. For when the stu dent
learns the subject completely, he or she then
becomes the teacher. In so doing, he or she can
give to the teacher by way of sharing new insights
into the subject or by way of sharing what he or
she has learned with others and thus propagate the
teachings.

In terms of human relationships, the balance

between Hod and Netzach determines the nature of
the psychic and spiritual forces brought into play in
the relationship. Yesod is the inner and
psychological aspect of the relationship and
Malkut is the external manifestation. When there is
a proper balance between Hod and Netzach, and
the desire of the holy soul and Christ-self is served
by the relationship, then something of Tifer- et-
beauty is revealed in the relationship. In this light,
we may contemplate the saying of Lord Yeshua,
"Whoever welcomes one such child in my name
welcomes me," and ". . . where two or more are
gathered together in my name, I am there among
them" (Gospel of St. Matthew 18:5 and 18:20).

While we may speak of Netzach and Hod in terms

of relationships that form between human beings,
we can also speak of Netzach and Hod in terms of
our relationships with other creatures and creation.
According to the Torah, as human beings created in
the image and likeness of God, we have dominion
over all creatures and our environment, the good
earth. According to the Gospel, as human beings
established in the Christos, we also have dominion
over all spiritual beings-forces. This Netzach-
dominion, however, must be exercised with Hod-
empathy, which is to say, with an understanding
that what we do to other creatures and to our
environment we do to ourselves and thus we must
act with respect for all life. We have, indeed, been
granted dominion as cocreators with God, but that
dominion is for the sake of the divine will and
kingdom and the welfare of all living spirits,
visible and invisible. As human beings created in
the image and likeness of God, as much as having a
capacity to dominate, we also have a capacity of
empathy and awareness of our interdependence
and interconnectedness with all that lives. This
must coincide with the dominion we exercise.

In the same way we are to build Netzach-Hod

relationships with one another as human beings,
we are also to develop Netzach-Hod relationships
with other creatures and creation, through which
we actively tend to the welfare and well-being of
other creatures and fulfill God's plan on this good
earth. Netzach-dominion does not mean
exploitation and oppression, but rather indicates a
sacred trust for the sake of the greater good.
Creatures and the earth support the life of
humanity; in turn, humanity is to support the life of
the earth and its creatures. The same may also be
said of our relationship with invisible spirits.
While many forms of ceremonial magic are merely
the exploitation and oppression of spirits to serve
the will of the magician, in the divine magic of the
Kabbalah, the mage of light seeks the
enlightenment and liberation of the spirits as much
as seeking their help in the great work. Hod-
Netzach therefore indicates our proper relationship
with one another and with creation when our
minds, hearts, and lives are aligned with God's
will (our true will).

In our relationship with God, Hod and Netzach

mean something quite different than in terms of our
relationships with one another or our relationship
with creation. God is God, and the proper
relationship between the human being and God is
one of complete empathy or submission. As we
have said many times, God's will is not something
outside of us or anything separate and apart from
us, but rather is the true desire of our holy soul and
divine self-our own true will.

Empathy is the ability to experience the feelings

and emotions of others as one's own, and telepathy
is the ability to experience the thoughts of others as
one's own-both telepathy and empathy correspond
to Hod. By Hod-submission to God, the Kabbalah
means becoming telepathic and empathic to God-to
experience the feelings-emotions and thoughts of
God as one's own and to live according to that holy
awareness. While religion is founded upon an
external submission to God according to an
external authority, true spirituality or mysticism is
founded upon an internal submission to God's
presence experienced inwardly and is therefore
surrender to an inner guidance or authority. This is
the way of the prophets and apostles of God, and it
is the way indicated by Hod-Netzach on the Tree
of Life.

Essentially, our relationship with God is

designated by the moral triad, for in our
relationship with God, we are the all-receiver and
God is the all-giver. It is basically a one-way
relationship in which there is no real reciprocity.
Thus, the moral triad corresponds to our
relationship with God, while the triad of action
corresponds to our relationship with one another
and creation. Yet, mysteriously, God has ordained
a creation in which we can give something back to
God. Because of the cosmic illusion of separation
and the free will produced by it, we are able to
seek God and to reunite ourselves with God, as it
were, essentially giving ourselves to God. In our
seeking God and uniting ourselves with God, we
unfold a process of self-realization. Thus, we give
God's presence a dwelling place, embodying
something of God, and we give back something
new, a realized self. In this sense, we have a
reciprocal relationship with God, reflecting
Godself to Godself and thus completing the
creative process.
 God and the Hosts of Creation
At the level of Atzilut, Hod manifests as Elohim
Tzavaot, the God of hosts. We spoke a great deal
about Elohim Tzavaot in connection with Yahweh
Tzavaot, yet there is more to be said of these two
names and, specifically, of the divine name
Tzavaot itself. If we take Tzavaot to mean all
hosts, both heavenly and earthly creatures, then
Yahweh Tzavaot would indicate the dominion of
God over all creatures and creation directly, while
Elohim Tzavaot would suggest the dominion of
God over all creatures indirectly via creative
powers such as archangels. Yahweh Tzavaot
therefore indicates times in which God directly
intercedes in creation and directly interacts with
creatures. Elohim Tzavaot represents times in
which God indirectly intercedes and indirectly
interacts with creatures through intermediaries
(specifically, archangels and angels).
 This is suggested by the attribute of the hazy
mirror of prophecy to Hod and the clear mirror of
prophecy to Netzach. Accordingly, when the lesser
prophet is visited by the Lord, it is through the
agency of archangels and angels. When the greater
prophet is visited by the Lord, it is not by way of
an intermediation of angelic beings; the Lord
speaks directly with the prophet. "Lesser" and
"greater" in this regard represent degrees of
intimacy and transparency in the consciousness of
the prophet.

It is interesting to note that the most spectacular

prophecies from our perspective are, in fact, those
of the prophets beholding their vision in the hazy
mirror of prophecy at the level of Yetzirah, for in
them are elaborate descriptions of angels and
heavenly realms. These are the prophecies that
most often truly catch hold of the human heart and
imagination, which reveals something about them.
They represent something of the word and wisdom
of God brought down nearer to humanity, which is
exactly the function of the world of angels
(Yetzirah). In this sense, the hazy mirror of
prophecy and the intermediation of the holy angels
represent God's Hod-empathy for humanity-God
reaching out to humanity by way of lower
gradations.

God does not only reach down, however; God

also draws humanity up toward him- or herself.
While we may not relate to the experience of the
greater prophet as easily as that of the lesser
prophet, to the degree that we cleave to the word
of the Lord spoken by the greater prophets, we are
drawn in ascent with them Godward. Thus, Hod
and Netzach relate to the twofold action of divine
revelation-the bringing down of the light to
humanity and the uplifting of humanity into the
light. When it is said that the Torah and the
prophets were fulfilled through the incarnation in
the person of Yeshua Messiah, it is the complete
unification of this twofold action of divine
revelation that is meant. As one holy apostle puts
it, in the person of the Lord Yeshua, God becomes
fully human so that the human being might become
fully divine. God entered into humanity so that
humanity might enter into God. In the same way
that the visions of heavenly realms and angelic
beings move us, so the idea of an incarnation of
God moves us. Likewise, in the same way we are
drawn in ascent with the greater prophet when we
cleave to the word of the Lord that the prophet has
spoken, so in cleaving to the divine incarnation are
we taken up in divine rapture. Not only are we
carried in ascent through the divine incarnation; we
experience complete unification with God. For the
action of Yahweh Tzavaot and Elohim Tzavaot are
one and the same in the Spirit of the Messiah.
 At the heart of Gnostic Christianity is the gnosis
of the Christos in all things and all things united
with God through Christ-hence, Christ as the
pattern-that-connects. Tzavaot as a divine name
alludes to the Christos in all creatures, both
heavenly and earthly. Yahweh Tzavaot alludes to
the presence of God in all creatures and Elohim
Tzavaot alludes to all creatures as a manifestation
of God's presence and power, each according to
their kind. In terms of humankind, we are
specifically sons and daughters of God-children of
light. Of all the kinds of creatures on earth, we
have the greatest capacity for the light and we have
the ability to draw out the light from within one
another and from within the whole of creation.
While relating with the Infinite One directly may
seem remote to us in our present condition, in our
relationships with one another and with God's
creatures, we experience a relationship with God
to the degree that we are aware of Christ in others
and Christ in creation. Developing our
relationships founded upon this holy awareness,
we draw out the light from within ourselves and all
our relations. In the Christian Kabbalah, Tzavaot
represents this holy awareness.

Tzavaot is spelled with the Hebrew letters

Tzaddi (23)-Bet (:0-Aleph (1~)-Vau (1)-Tau (n).
Tzaddi, as a word, means "fishhook." One is
reminded of Yeshua speaking of his disciples as
fishermen and of the symbolic meaning given to the
Greek word for fish, Icbtbos, which was
considered an anagram for "Jesus Christ, God's
Son, Savior" in the early Church. A fishhook
implies a drawing out of something and, given the
Christian context, specifically a drawing out of the
light-presence (Christos). Bet means "house" and
connotes creatures and creation, thus a drawing out
of something from within creatures and creation.
That something is designated by the Aleph, which
connotes the spirit (Christ-spirit). Vau, which as
we have seen connotes a link or connection,
suggests the drawing out of the spirit through
relationships. Tau means "cross," specifically the
idea of being Christed, thus made perfect and
complete. This is the natural result of drawing
forth the Christos from within oneself, God's
creatures, and creation-oneself and all things
become Christed or anointed with the supernal
light of God. Tzavaot therefore indicates the very
purpose of creation, specifically, the human being
in creation. It suggests that, when we develop
proper relationships with one another, God's
creatures, and our environment, we naturally
experience God's presence and power in our lives
and unite ourselves with God in creation (Elohim).

There is another distinction to be made with

regard to Elohim Tzavaot and Yahweh Tzavaot.
While Elohim Tzavaot represents our ability to
cleave to God in creation (on earth), Yahweh
Tzavaot represents our ability to cleave to God
beyond creation (in heaven). Thus, when we
cleave to God in creation and to God beyond
creation, we join creation with God and unite
heaven and earth. It is through the Neshamah that
we are able to cleave to God above, and through
Nefesh Elokit that we are able to cleave to God
below. It is through Ruach that the Neshamah and
Nefesh are joined together as one soul of light.
When it is said that the human one is created in the
image and likeness of Yahweh Elohim, by the
image of Yahweh is meant Neshamah, and by
likeness of Elohim is meant Nefesh Elokit. When it
is said that Yahweh Elohim breathed the spirit into
the human one, by spirit is meant Ruach, which is
the capacity to unite the heavenly and earthly soul.
According to the Kabbalah, it is this capacity that
makes us truly human and when we unite heaven
and earth in us, we are, indeed, manifest as the
image and likeness of God-and thus have dominion
over Tzavaot as the great Seth.
 Mental Being and the Thunder
Mind
Netzach-dominion corresponds to the higher vital
planes, while Hod-empathy corresponds to the
mental planes. It is through the higher vital and
mental being that we are able to consciously direct
the spiritual forces in the astral planes, which
correspond to Yesod. Prophecy and the magical art
therefore necessitate the development and mastery
of the mental and vital being-the mind, heart, and
life.

Mind in the Kabbalah means something far more

than the ordinary mind of the intellect and finite
reason. The intellect and finite reason are merely
the surface mind. Beyond the surface, there is the
higher mind, illumined mind, intuitive mind, and
the universal mind or cosmic consciousness.
Although, indeed, the aim of the Gnostic is
transcendence of the mental being altogether, this
transcendence comes through the full development
of the mental being from one level or gradation to
another, until, at the level of the universal mind,
one is able to pass through the great threshold
called "cessation" into the metamind state of
supernal consciousness. It is this latter
development that is called the "perfect thunder
mind" in Christian Gnosticism, which in fact is
beyond the mental being altogether.

The base of the mental being is found in Hod,

although the peak is in Binah as we have
previously discussed. In terms of the Olamot, the
vital being corresponds to Yetzirah and the mental
being corresponds to Beriyah, Atzilut representing
the supramental or supernal being. Thus, the
supramental being corresponds to the divine
names, our mental being corresponds to the
dominion of the archangels, and our vital being
corresponds to the universe of angels. In the same
way, the Sefirot are channels or vehicles of the
supernal light, our mental being, vital being, and
even our physical being are to be channels or
vehicles of the supernal con sciousness-force.
However, the vital being must be purified and the
mental being fully developed from base to peak,
every level of the mental and vital consciousness
being linked together in a state of integral being.

We are all familiar with the ordinary mind and,

from time to time, most of us experience something
of the higher mind and illumined mind. The higher
mind is experienced as flashes of insight, whether
into things mundane or supramundane. The
illumined mind is something more than flashes of
insight; it is experienced as streams of inspiration
in which insights are linked together, forming a
flow that may continue for a shorter or longer
period of time. The intuitive mind is less common.
It is the experience of whole fields of knowledge
and understanding appearing in the mind, as though
knowledge and understanding of a whole subject
suddenly fills the mind. What we call "genius"
tends to be the function of the intuitive mind. In the
way we use this term in conventional wisdom, it is
usually indicative of only those forms of genius
that can be exploited for the interests of
unenlightened society, thus excluding many forms
of genius that go unacknowledged. Likewise, in
terms of recognized genius, oftentimes links
between lower levels of the mental being and vital
being are not established; therefore, the genius is
often a partial and disbalanced state-hence the
psychological dysfunctions commonly associated
with many geniuses.

The universal mind or cosmic consciousness is

something beyond what we typically would call a
genius, and one might say represents a state of
"greater genius." Essentially, the universal mind
represents knowledge and understanding of
multiple fields of knowledge and combines both
supramundane and mundane knowledge. While the
intuitive mind can manifest in either mundane or
supramundane matters, the universal mind always
includes the spiritual and metaphysical. One could
well be an atheist and attain something of the
intuitive mind. But in the development of the
universal mind, there is an awareness of the sacred
unity underlying existence and knowledge of the
source in reflection. Whether one is a theist or
nontheist, the universal mind is innately spiritual
and one is compelled by love and compassion. In
one way or another, one becomes aware of a
cosmic intelligence in the universe and aware that
nothing is truly separate from it. This cosmic
intelligence is reflected within one's mind, thus the
state of greater genius that manifests.
 Because love and compassion are innately
present with the state of the universal mind, we
understand the inseparability of the vital and
mental being in the full development of mental
consciousness. In fact, in terms of a spiritual-
mental development, cultivation of the higher
levels of vital being is absolutely essential, for the
mental being cannot be universalized without it and
any super humanity conceived by way of will apart
from love is the hallmark of what can only be
called "black magic," which leads to a titanic or
demonic state of being. This is well reflected by
way of the modern philosopher Nietzsche versus
the way of Buddhism. Love and compassion were
not included in the philosophy of Nietzsche, and
consequently Nietzsche did not attain any real
superhuman state, but ended his life in an insane
asylum. On the other hand, Buddhism teaches a
path that puts emphasis upon the development of
love and compassion and has led many souls to
enlightenment and liberation.

The development of the higher levels of vital

being corresponds to Netzach and the development
of the mental being corresponds to Hod. As we
indicated in terms of healthy human relationships
above, there must be a dynamic balance between
Hod and Netzach, and if dysfunction is to be
avoided, the two must function together as a single
unit.

Although many people experience something of

the higher mind and illumined mind, and a few
even experience something of the intuitive mind,
the experience of these higher states of mental
consciousness does not necessarily reflect actual
attainment. Actual attainment implies that one is
able to enter and exit a higher state of
consciousness at will, whether it is a higher vital
or mental consciousness. While many people may
experience higher levels of vital and mental
consciousness from time to time, for the most part
it is a random or inconsistent experience that is not
under the conscious control of the person. In most
cases, the person does not know how it happened
and cannot consciously invoke the experience
again. Therefore, he or she has not realized or
attained it. To actually realize a higher level of
mental or vital being, we must develop the
capacity to consciously shift into it and form a link
between the higher and lower levels. In order to do
this, we must develop spiritual self-discipline and,
specifically, the power of concentration or focused
awareness (kavvanab).
 Contemplation and
MeditationConscious Evolution
There are many terms in Hebrew for states of
contemplation and meditation that appear in the
Scriptures. The key to all of them is what is called
kavvanab, which is translated as "concentration,"
"feeling," and "devotion." The word kavvanah
comes from the root kaven, which means to aim,"
and connotes a state of directed consciousness
toward a specific goal or the idea of conscious
intention. That feeling and devotion are associated
with kavvanah indicates that it is a concentration of
the heart and mind together, and it alludes to the
intimate connection between kavvanah and
devekut. If we were to designate contemplation
and meditation as "controlled thought and
emotion," then kavvanah would be the most basic
overall term for any practice of contemplation or
meditation.
 Kavvanah is often used as a term to denote prayer
and worship, so as to say that, where there is
actual concentration or conscious intention, one's
prayers and worship are effective. Designating
deeper states of contemplation and meditation, as
well as prayer and worship, kavvanah suggests that
the line between prayer-worship and meditation is
a very fine one and often vanishes altogether. In
methods of Gnostic worship, there are many points
specifically designed to be used as contemplations
or meditations to enter higher states of
consciousness. These points are called kavvanot
and they aim at various states of devekut through
which yichudim (unification) is accomplished. For
example, in the Shema (Sbema Israel, Adonai
Elobenu, Adonai Acbad, "Hear, 0 Israel, the Lord
is your God, the Lord is One"), when an initiate
chants "Shema Israel," he or she focuses on Malkut
and thus cleaves in his or her soul to Malkut-
kingdom. When the initiate chants "Adonai
Elohenu," he or she elevates his or her mind and
heart to Tiferet, attaching the soul to the Christ-
center. Chanting "Adonai Achad," the initiate
concentrates completely upon Keter, unifying
himor herself with the most high or the Divine I
Am. Thus, there are three kavvanot in the Shema,
which are three rungs of ascent into Yichud and the
divine rapture that comes from at-onement.

Kavvanah is also associated with good works,

such as actions of charity or other good deeds.
Essentially, any action performed with kavvanah
may be an act of devotion or worship of the
beloved, which is to say any act in which one
clears one's mind of all extraneous thoughts and
emotions, concentrating oneself completely on the
task at hand. This capacity to remove all
distraction and focus one's mind, heart, and life
completely upon a single action is crucial to
prophetic states and real magic.
 In addition to the general concept of kavvanah, the
word is often used in the Kabbalah to denote
devotional works of a mystical nature that are
composed of collections of kavvanot meditations,
or works of a magical nature that are composed of
collections of kavvanot rituals. These kavvanot are
used to direct consciousness along inner and secret
pathways that are defined by the meditation or
ritual, which has a very specific goal in mind.

Kavvanah is linked to another term for

contemplation and meditation, bitbonenut. This
word literally means "self-knowledge" or "self-
understanding." If one were to look at a flower and
appreciate its beauty and fragrance, one might be
relatively unaffected and unmoved by the
experience-completely unchanged. Just because
one examines a flower very closely and enjoys the
flower for a few moments does not necessarily
mean that one will find a passage into higher
consciousness through the flower. However, if one
were to contemplate and meditate upon the flower
with the intention of using it to attain a higher level
of awareness or as a means of attaining some
degree of self-understanding, then this activity
would be hitbonenut meditation.

Hitbonenut is often a term for meditation while

contemplating God's creation and, specifically,
meditations on the mysteries of creation and the
presence of God within it. One can easily
experience a strong devekut and love of God
through such contemplation and perhaps even gain
glimpses of worlds within and beyond nature's
sphere. What comes from this form of hitbonenut is
something more than the awareness of God's
presence in creation. It naturally leads to
awareness of God's presence within oneself and
the awareness of one's own place in creation-
hence the depth of love and sense of connectedness
love tends to invoke.

Hitbonenut, however, is something more than

meditation through the contemplation of nature. It is
meditation through the contemplation of anything. It
could be the contemplation of a starry night sky, a
stone, a bird in flight; or it could be contemplation
of a sacred object or symbol, a verse from the
Scriptures, a Sefirah, or any number of other things
through which one might gain knowledge and
understanding of oneself in the context of a greater
reality or the light of God. Essentially, hitbonenut
is contemplative meditation in which one
completely fills one's mind and heart with the
object of meditation. In hitbonenut, one
concentrates one's mind on a single object of
meditation, allowing nothing else to enter one's
mind. This quite naturally leads to a state of
kavvanah and higher levels of mental and vital
consciousness.
 There is another key term associated with
kavvanah, which goes beyond the states attained by
hitbonenut. It is called bitbodedut and literally
means "self-isolation." Basically, there are two
forms of hitbodedut, external self-isolation and
internal self-isolation. External self-isolation
involves physical seclusion or retreat in which one
withdraws to be alone with oneself and God. Such
spiritual retreat is an important part of spiritual
practice and spiritual life and, at times, is crucial
for progress upon the path. While the Gnostic
initiate does not entertain any sort of permanent
withdrawal from the world and mundane activities,
initiates of the Tradition do take periods of
spiritual retreat, whether in their own home for a
few days or by a journey out into the wilderness to
pray, meditate, and perform sacred ritual. This is
one form of hitbodedut.

Internal self-isolation consists of removing the

mind from all outward stimulation, and even from
one's own thoughts and emotions. Essentially, it is
the complete emptying of the mind or rising above
the level of thoughts and emotions. When we speak
of the silent mind and still vital, we are speaking
of hitbodedut, which is the true meditative state
proper. The ability of hitbodedut is crucial to the
attainment of any higher degree of the
enlightenment experience, for it is through the
hitbodedut state that we are able to pass into
cessation and thus enter into supernal
consciousness.

Hitbonenut is any method of meditation in which

one fills the mind with the contemplation of an
object, while hitbodedut is any method of
meditation in which one completely empties the
mind altogetherwhether by fullness or by
emptiness, higher states of consciousness are the
natural result of such kavvanah.
 Hitbonenut can be likened to our directing our
mind toward a single object of focus, and
hitbodedut can be likened to our consciousness and
the object of focus merging completely together so
that the subject (meditator) and object (meditation)
become one and the same. In this sense, hitbonenut
and hitbodedut are stages in meditation itself,
hitbonenut being the entrance into the meditative
state and hitbodedut being the actual meditative
state. Hitbonenut would thus represent one level of
kavvanah, and hitbodedut would represent a much
deeper (or higher) level of kavvanah. In this sense,
our practice of meditation is hitbonenut; when we
actually experience the meditative state, it
becomes hitbodedut.

Yeshua speaks of hitbonenut-meditation when he

says, "Consider the lilies of the field, how they
grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even
Solomon in all of his glory was not clothed like
one of these." Likewise, he very clearly indicates
the practice of hitbodedut meditation when he says,
"But whenever you pray, go into your room and
shut the door and pray to your Father who is in
secret; and your father who sees in secret will
reward you" (Gospel of St. Matthew 6:6, 6:28-29).

What is the reward of prayer and meditation? It is

the experience of higher states of consciousness,
both vital and mental consciousness, and the
experience of a Spirit-connectedness. Ultimately,
the rewards of prayer and meditation are
enlightenment and liberation-the experience of
supernal or Messianic consciousness. In a word,
the reward is a conscious evolution.
 The Mage of Light and Magical
Kabbalah
The art of divine magic corresponds to Hod,
specifically in the form of ceremonial or ritual
magic. From our previous discussion on the
gradations of divine magic, you will recall that the
highest form of magic transpires purely through a
silent volition or mere thought in the mind of the
initiate, and that a master of the magical art does
not need to rely upon anything external to bring
about a magical result or what some might call a
miracle. The next highest form of divine magic is
commonly called inner plane working. In this
method of magic, the adept transfers his or her
consciousness into a body of light and performs the
magical act on the inner planes, typically at the
level of the astral planes. The lowest level of
divine magic is ceremonial or ritual magic, which
is dependent upon the regalia of the art-the magical
circle, magical weapons, talismans and amulets,
incantations, and such; hence, an actual physical
ritual of magic.

Kavvanah-concentration of the mind, heart, and

life-is the key of all magic, and the purpose of
ceremonial magic is to facilitate and develop the
power of kavvanah. Essentially, everything in the
sacred space of a magical ritual corresponds to the
kavvanah-intention of the ceremony. Everywhere
the initiate might cast his or her gaze, there is this
one thought, this one conscious intention, and
nothing but that thought. Thus, the environment of
the ceremony and the magical ritual itself all serve
to focus the mind of the magician upon one thing-
the magical intention for which the sacred ritual
was created.

The ability to transfer the center of one's

consciousness into the subtle body and perform the
magical art on the inner planes, and the ability to
perform the magical art through a silent will or
mere thought, represent higher grades of kavvanah.
In the study and practice of the magical Kabbalah,
the initiate first learns the art of ceremonial magic
as a method to support and develop kavvanah. As
higher grades of kavvanah are developed, the
initiate shifts more and more to methods of inner
plane working.

As we have said, things tend to manifest as we

expect them to, and whenever the circumstances
and environment are present for something to
manifest, it will naturally and spontaneously come
into being. This is the very principle upon which
ceremonial magic operates. A skilled ceremonial
Magician is an expert in correspondences, and
using this esoteric knowledge he or she is able to
create the circumstances and environments
necessary to manifest things according to his or her
desire. In the case of the mage of light, his or her
desire is the divine will and kingdom, and thus it is
not his or her own personal will that is served but
rather a greater good and God's will.

To understand how ceremonial magic works, one

must realize that there are inner dimensions
corresponding to any material space, the subtle
dimensions nearest to the physical plane being
called the astral planes. The astral planes are
formed of an energetic substance called the astral
light, in which things take form much as they do in
the physical plane, except the substance of astral
forms is far more subtle than material forms. This
astral dimension is essentially the subtle matrix
within and behind the material plane and acts as a
receiver-transmitter of spiritual forces of the
higher planes. Thus, the astral dimension links the
material world with the world of spirits and
worlds beyond. Everything in the material world
has a corresponding manifestation in the astral
planes that reflects the spiritual beings-forces to
which things in the material world are connected.
The astral planes are shaped by thought and
emotion, and changes can be made on the astral
level by a corresponding change in our thoughts
and emotions. When we move in the material
plane, we also generate movement in the astral
plane, and spiritual beings-forces move with us
corresponding to the thoughts and emotions we
entertain. Typically, this is something that happens
quite unconsciously. However, in the magical art,
we move with kavvanah-concentration and
conscious intention-and thus are able to
affect/effect changes in the astral dimension that
bring about corresponding changes in the physical
dimension. Until one is able to gather one's
consciousness inward and upward without reliance
on anything external to support one's kavvanah,
ceremonial or ritual magic proves a powerful
method.
 Although this explanation is somewhat simplistic
and partial, it does give us an idea of how magic is
possible. It also suggests that what is called magic
is not exclusive to what we might typically think of
as magical. Anything we might do in life can be a
magical act if the action is performed with
kavvanah, which is to say, with the full force of
concentration and conscious intention. When our
center of concentration is the divine and our
conscious intention reflects the divine will, then
the magical act is divine. For this reason, my
teacher was fond of saying, "The magician never
acts without clear and conscious intention in
anything he or she does, and in everything, the
mage of light seeks divine guidance, waiting upon
the Spirit of the Lord before he or she acts. Any
action in which there is kavvanah is inherently
magical, and any action performed in harmony with
one's true will shall bring about a magical result."
 To illustrate the idea of a magical act that does
not necessarily appear as what one might think of
as magical, we may consider the example of a
modern saying in schools of business-"dress for
success." This is inherently a magical idea, for,
although perhaps not yet successful, the person
who dresses as though he or she is successful is
more likely to succeed. Dressing well, a person
will feel better about him- or herself, and he or she
is more likely able to feel and think he or she will
be successful and therefore believe in his or her
ultimate success. Likewise, it will inspire similar
thoughts and feelings from others, and others will
be more likely to believe in that person's ability to
succeed and perhaps actively help the person
succeed. The way one dresses thus becomes a
magical talisman and acting with a positive attitude
of success becomes a magical ritual.

Obviously, mundane applications of magical

principles, such as in our example, do not
necessarily make one a magician, let alone a mage
of light. Divine magic proper is specifically
concerned with the spiritual beings-forces moving
within and behind what transpires and with the
manifestation of the divine kingdom. Essentially,
the magician is aware of the play of spiritual
forces through which what we call reality is
manifest, and consciously seeks to participate in
the play of spiritual forces and to bring about a
balance among the cosmic forces. In the case of the
mage of light, he or she labors to banish dark and
hostile forces from the psychic sphere of humanity
and the earth and to actively invoke the divine
powers. Likewise, the mage of light seeks to heal
every form of illness or disease, whether psychic
or spiritual, and restore others to health and
happinessto accomplish the tikkune of the world.
The ultimate intention of the mage of light is to act
as a holy apostle-seeking the enlightenment and
liberation of all living spirits and souls.

Without the development of kavvanah, real magic

is impossible. Likewise, without the generation of
positive merit or energy, one cannot effectively
perform a magical ceremony. For this reason, one
famous book on magic, The Book of the Sacred
Magic of Abramelin, advocates acts of charity
before engaging in the magical art. In the magical
tradition of the Kabbalah, the art of ceremonial
magic is intimately connected to spiritual or
mystical attainment and a continuum of daily
prayer and meditation. Prayer and meditation
develop kavvanah and naturally generate positive
merit or energy. More importantly, through daily
prayer and meditation, the initiate abides in a state
of spirit-connectedness, and thus the initiate
experiences divine guidance in the magical art.

The need for a continuum of daily spiritual

practice and spiritual living is reflected by the
Rosicrucian grade associated with Hod, called
Practicus, which denotes an initiate who integrates
the path into his or her life through actual spiritual
practice. Spiritual practice is essentially a work on
oneself, seeking a refinement and perfection of
one's humanity and, yet more, the realization of
divinity in oneself. The term practicus suggests the
idea of a consistent effort until one succeeds, or
continued experimentation until eventual
discovery. As the saying goes, "If at first you don't
succeed, try, try again." The only real failure in any
endeavor comes when a person gives up hope of
success and gives in to negativity and doubt, thus
giving up his or her efforts toward eventual
victory. Practicus, therefore, connotes perfect
success, understanding any failure as part of a
process working out whatever might hinder or
obstruct one's success. This view of perfect
success is integral to any spiritual practice and,
most especially, to the art of divine magic.
 The Great Angel of the
Holy Mother and Messiah
Hod manifests in Beriyah as the archangel
Michael, whose name is actually a question: "Who
(Mi) is like unto God?" According to the Tradition,
the archangel Metatron is the greatest of all the
angels, as Metatron is the angelic image of Enoch,
the human being who ascends beyond the highest
heavens to the world of supernal light, and is thus
exalted above the angels. However, among angelic
beings proper, it is Michael who is said to be the
highest angel, whose true image is "like unto God."
In this respect, Michael is the guardian angel of
humanity, for Michael is the supernal pattern of
Adam, who is created in the image and likeness of
God.

Raphael, Michael, and Gabriel are said to be the

three archangels who visit Abraham and Sarah.
According to legend, Raphael is sent to heal the
wound of Abraham; Gabriel is sent to bring justice
to Sodom and Gomorrah; and Michael is sent to
announce the conception of Isaac. When Abraham
was about to sacrifice Isaac, the sages of wisdom
say it was Michael who stayed his hand and
directed Abraham's attention to the ram caught in
the thicket.

Michael is the angel of the Lord who appears to

Moses as the burning bush, and thus is considered
the forerunner and herald of the Shekinah. He is
also said to be the Maggid Cohen Ha-Gadol of the
celestial temple and the great angelic minister of
the order of Melchizedek. While Michael appears
with the Messiah in the seventh heaven and
appears as the glory of the Messiah in the third
heaven, his dominion is in the fourth heaven. In the
fourth heaven, it is said that he offers up the souls
of the righteous as a burnt offering before Yahweh,
thus transforming souls into pure spirit and
facilitating their ascent into the upper heavenly
abodes.

On the sacred circle, the archangel Michael

stands in the south and is the great angel who holds
dominion over the element of fire. Likewise, he is
the archangel of the summer solstice and the feast
of the ascension, which is celebrated on summer
solstice in Christian Gnosticism.

Michael is sent as the guardian angel of the Holy

Mother while she is pregnant and serves as the
guardian angel of the Yeshua Messiah in his
mission. When it was time for the ascension of the
Mother, it was Michael who announced it and
Michael who led the Mother in her ascent.
According to the Tradition, it was Michael who set
the holy crown upon her head. When Yeshua
Messiah ascended, Michael became the great
guardian of the apostle of the apostles, the Holy
Bride, and when St. Mary Magdalene departed
with her son to travel to a distant land, Michael
accompanied them. Michael is said to be the
guardian of the royal blood and present with every
incarnation of the soul of the first apostle.
Accordingly, in the Tradition, the secret order of
initiates who protect the descendants of St. Mary
Magdalene and the incarnations of the Holy Bride
is called the order of St. Michael.

Archangel Michael appears with the woman of

light in the Book of Revelation, where it says,
"And war broke out in heaven; Michael and his
angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and
his angels fought back, but they were defeated, and
there was no longer any place for them in heaven"
(Revelation 12:7-8). Michael is the commander of
the armies of heaven and is the great angel who
holds dominion over the spirit of the dragon.
Because of this association, Michael is the chief
archangel invoked in Gnostic rites of exorcism and
is said to be "the great guardian of those who stalk
the fallen."

Michael is associated with Kokab (Mercury) and

therefore with communication and travel. In the
esoteric system of planetary attributes to the seven
interior stars or centers of the subtle body taught in
the Rosicrucian tradition, Mercury corresponds to
the crown star on top of the head-the seat of the
cosmic Christ. This center is the threshold to
supernal consciousness and, thus, Michael is said
to resemble the supernal image of the self. More
profoundly, this is the center through which the
adepts and masters transfer their consciousness
into the body of light at the moment of death.
According to the teachings of the Christian
Kabbalah, if one has not developed this capacity
but is dying, he or she may call upon Michael to
guide and protect his or her soul in the transition.
Thus, Michael is often invoked as the guardian of
those who are dying. Similarly, it is said that, if
one finds oneself in a dark dream or is plagued by
darkness in an afterlife state and one can remember
to call upon Michael, one will be instantly
delivered from the darkness.

The image of Michael is sometimes envisioned

similar to that of Ka- mael-a human form in armor
bearing a great sword or spear-except that, with
Michael, his whole body is formed of brilliant
light as though it were the sun. More commonly,
however, Michael is envisioned as a great angel
who appears as a human being, whose body is
solar light and whose face is white brilliance, with
great wings that are formed of translucent ruby-red
light and tinges of emerald green. Other times,
Michael is envisioned as the burning bush, for the
masters of the Tradition say that the image of
Michael cannot be described in human terms and,
in truth, he does not appear as anything close to our
conception of a human being. Holding one of these
divine images in mind and intoning the divine name
of Hod and the chant Ya Mi Ha Michael, this great
angel is invoked by initiates.

Michael is associated with the way of power and

therefore divine magic. Thus, along with things
corresponding to the aspects of Michael mentioned
above, Gnostics often invoke Michael to gain
deeper knowledge and understanding of the
magical art. Michael may also be invoked in
matters concerning courage, strength of faith, and
force of will, as well as scientific discovery and
technological advancement (specifically, the right
use of science and technology).
Sons of Light and Sons of Darkness
Hod in Yetzirah manifests as the Beni Elohim,
which literally means "sons of God." Yet among
the Beni Elohim are angels that may rightly be
called sons of light and those that properly are
called sons of darkness-for among the Beni Elohim
are many angels of wrath, as well as titanic and
demonic beings of great power. The first
appearance of the Beni Elohim in Scripture is in
the Book of Genesis where it is written:

When people began to multiply on the face

of the ground, and daughters were born to
them, the sons of God saw that they were
fair; and they took wives for themselves of
all that they chose. Then the Lord said, "My
spirit shall not abide in mortals forever, for
they are flesh; their days shall be one
hundred twenty years." The Nephilim were
 on the earth in those days-and also
afterward-when the sons of God went into
the daughters of humans, who bore children
to them. These were the heroes that were of
old, warriors of renown. (Genesis 6:1-4)

According to legend, the Beni Elohim that

descended out of the heavens are the fallen. While
the term "fallen" may refer to all titanic and
demonic beings, it is often used to refer to the Beni
Elohim who entered into the earth sphere and,
specifically, to a certain class of demon said to
have been among them. A movie by this title was
made that depicted the mythical powers attributed
to this extremely potent class of demons.

What is unique to the Beni Elohim among the

orders of angels is their ability to assume an actual
physical incarnation and, in the case of certain
otherworldly beings of this order, their ability to
swiftly and completely possess and control
incarnate creatures. Most angelic, titanic, or
demonic beings operate primarily by way of
influence. In the case of demonic beings, most are
only able to obsess or possess a person over a
period of time or are only able to enter swiftly
through individuals whose psychic sphere is
fractured. The dark beings that come from the
order of the Beni Elohim, however, can do so
instantaneously to almost any ordinary human being
or animal at will.

The reason the Beni Elohim have such power is

that they are angelic beings that have the most
intimate knowledge of the mysteries of Asiyah-the
material plane, material forces, and material
forms. While the Beni Elohim are said to possess
great magical knowledge, they are also said to be
the angels behind all scientific and technological
developments. According to the Zohar, those Beni
Elohim that are called the "sons of light" inspire
divine magic, science, and technology that uplift
humanity, advance the evolution of life on earth,
and serve the divine kingdom. Those Beni Elohim
that are called the sons of darkness teach arts of
sorcery and inspire science and technology used
for warfare and corruption of life on earth.

In essence, one could say that any scientific or

technological knowledge is a Beni Elohim, as is
the form of cosmic force that is mastered through
the corresponding knowledge. In this sense, one
could speak of the Beni Elohim as something
neutral, which becomes good, evil, or something
admixed, dependent upon what human beings do
with the knowledge and power. There is a hint to
this in another place where the order of Beni
Elohim is mentioned in the Scriptures, where it is
written:

One day the heavenly beings came to

 present themselves before the Lord, and
Satan also came in among them. The Lord
said to Satan, "Where have you come
from?" Satan answered the Lord, "From
going to and fro on the earth, and from
walking up and down upon it." (Job 1:6-7)

These heavenly beings are Beni Elohim-that Satan

or Samael is among them alludes to the evil or
violent inclination, which tends to pervert or
corrupt the natural order of creatures and creation.
This suggests that the appearance of the Beni
Elohim, and whether the knowledge and power
they represent serves the good or evil inclination,
is determined by the karmic balance of the
observer.

All angelic orders are composed of a vast array

of different classes of angels, and the Beni Elohim
are no exception. Along with those described
above, there are also sons of God who are angels
of wrath said to wield powers of pestilence,
plagues, and ill fortune, and there are numerous
classes among them that are exclusively dedicated
to worship of God. In the classes of the Beni
Elohim dedicated to worship are those who inspire
and lead creatures to worship. These sons of God
bless those who worship with kavvanah, enacting
worship above corresponding to the worship
below-thus uniting the worship on earth and in
heaven.

The name "sons of God" is typically applied to

this order of angels associated with Hod; however,
it also appears as a title of human beings,
specifically the faithful and elect. You will recall
Lord Yeshua's blessing upon the peacemakers,
whom he says will be called Beni Elohim-children
of God. In the Gospel of St. John, Lord Yeshua
indirectly alludes to the association of the term
Beni Elohim with human beings and the idea of the
children of light and children of darkness when he
says,

"And this is the judgment, that the light has

come into the world, and people loved the
darkness rather than the light because their
deeds were evil. For all who do evil hate
the light and do not come into the light, so
that their deeds may not be exposed. But
those who do what is true come to the light,
so that it may be clearly seen that their
deeds are done in God." (Gospel of St. John
3:19-21)

This association between the order of angels

called Beni Elohim and human beings also called
Beni Elohim reflects the nature of the human being
as a vehicle or channel of spiritual forces in the
material world. It is not a question whether or not
human beings will channel or embody spiritual
forces; rather, the question is always what kind of
spiritual forces we will attach ourselves to-
whether divine, admixed, or demonic.

As we have seen, among the orders of angels all

three forms of spiritual beings-forces exist and all
three forms seek to influence and draw near to
human beings, because it is through humanity that
spiritual beingsforces gain dominion in the
material plane. It is this knowledge that motivates
the Gnostic initiate to study and practice divine
magic, so that he or she is no longer unconsciously
compelled by the play of spiritual or cosmic
forces, but rather is a conscious participant for the
sake of the divine kingdom. In the beatitude that
links human beings to the term Beni Elohim, the
Master teaches us the aim of this divine magic-to
bring peace.
 Spiritual Practices for Hod
Contemplative Meditation

The contemplative Kabbalah is founded upon

methods of contemplative meditation, in which one
fills one's mind completely with the subject/object
of contemplation. It is a principal method through
which initiates seek to experience the inward
revelation of secret mysteries. One can perform
contemplative meditation upon the Sefirot
(spheres), Olamot (universes), or Netivot (paths)
of the Tree of Life. Likewise, one can do so with
correspondences of letters, numbers, and words,
passages from the Scriptures, Sepher Yetzirah,
Bahir, Zohar, or any number of sacred texts.
Anything at all may be a source of contemplative
meditation, which is a form of hitbonenut that
naturally develops kavvanah.
 The aim of contemplative meditation is to access
the divine intelligence to gain new and deeper
insights into the mysteries or to receive divine
guidance on a matter-for the methods of
contemplation can be applied to circumstances,
situations, and events in one's life as well.
Essentially, through contemplation, initiates seek
gnosis and the basic method proves a powerful
way to gain insight and knowledge of almost
anything.

➢ When you wish to engage in contemplative

meditation, choose the subject/object of
contemplation and sit down in a place where
you will not be disturbed. Let your body find its
own natural rhythm of breath and relax while
remaining alert. When you are centered, fill
your mind with the subject-object of
contemplation, systematically going over every
detail you know on the subject/object, thinking
of nothing other than this one subject/object.
When you have exhausted everything you know
about the subject/object, let go of it completely
and abide in silent meditation, as though
leaving it to your holy soul. If your mind begins
to wander, engage in the contemplation again,
going over it completely and then once again
letting go of it in silent meditation. Do this
several times and, whether something comes or
not, conclude the session of contemplation and
go about other business of your day. Once
seeding your deeper mind-your subconscious-in
this way,it will continue the contemplation.

➢ It is like fishing: the contemplation is baiting

the hook and the silent meditation is throwing
the line into the water. Sometimes you will gain
new insight and knowledge quickly, while on
other occasions something will come only after
a period of time passes. There will be other
times when you will go away having caught
nothing. It is not uncommon that insight and
knowledge may flood the mind at another time
when you are not actively practicing the
contemplative meditation. Sometimes, the new
insight or knowledge might even come by way
of a dream. One may have to contemplate and
meditate upon a subject/object many times
before any response comes from the divine
intelligence. Whether knowledge and
understanding comes swiftly or takes some
time, practice contemplative meditation
frequently upon the subject-object until insight
and knowledge comes. If you contemplate the
subject-object consistently, you will always
gain what you seek in due season. Those who
master the art of contemplative meditation are
able to direct their mind to a subject/object and
gain knowledge and understanding instantly, as
though something from nothing.

➢ If one desires to, one can light a candle and a

stick of incense while one practices
contemplative meditation, and one can pray
beforehand that God might empower one's
meditation. Likewise, it can be helpful to chant
divine names that correspond to the
subjectobject of one's meditation or to invoke
the spirits of the saints and holy angels
(tzaddikim and maggidim) into it. However, the
method of contemplative meditation remains the
same and can be used alone without any
supports.
THIRTEEN
YESOD, THE
FOUNDATION
OF ALL
 Attributes
Thirty-Two Paths of Wisdom: Pure
Consciousness (Sekhel Tabor); it is called this
because it purifies the Sefirot; it tests the
decree of their structure and the inner essence
of their unity, making it glow; they are then
unified without any cutoff or separation

Yesod: Foundation or Reciprocity

Place on the Tree of Life: Near the base of the

Pillar of Compassion, between Tiferet and
Malkut

Divine Name: Shaddai; El Shaddai; Shaddai El

Chai

Alternative Divine Names: Kol, All; Brit,

Covenant; Kodesh Tzaddik, Holy Righteous
One
Partzuf Above: Zer Anpin as the Holy Tzaddik

Partzuf Below: The Holy Apostle; John the

Baptist; the Patriarch Joseph

Divine Image: Yeshua Messiah laying-on-hands

in transmission; the Holy Apostle in a Robe of
Rainbow Light; a beautiful naked young man

Archangel: Gabriel

Order of Angels: Kerubim

Celestial Attribute: Levanah, the Moon

Titles Given to Yesod: The Passage Way; the

Gates of Heaven and Hell; the Matrix; Sphere
of Vision; the In-Between; House of
Enchantments; House of Mirrors; Astral Sea;
the Holy Member; the Silver Orb; Domain of
Forces; Abode of Images; the Dragon's Lair;
Depth of West; the Dream Center; Sign of the
Covenant
Level of the Soul: Ruach and Nefesh (Lower
Ruach joined to the Nefesh)

Heavenly Abode: Rakiya, the Second Heaven-

the Firmament

Spiritual Experience: Vision of Forces in the

Astral Earth; Vision of the Matrix or Grid;
Vision of the Secret Mechanisms of the
Universe

Virtues: Emotional stability; visionary ability;

independence; strong imagination; mutability;
good memory; receptivity; reciprocity;
sensitivity; awareness of cycles; intuition;
feminine strength; good rhythm

Vices: Overly emotional; inability to perceive

reality; extreme subjectivity; gullibility;
instability; lunacy; impractical dreams; weak
personality; faulty memory; idleness; radical
mood swings; insensitive; obsessive
tendencies; compulsive tendencies
Symbols: Diffused light; silver; a mirror;
incenses; a bowl of water; dagger; fan;
essential oils; triangle of evocation

Commandment: You shall not bear false witness

against your neighbor (Exodus 20:16)

Sermon on the Mount: Blessed are those who

mourn, for they will be comforted (Matthew
5:4)

Angel of the Apocalypse and the Churches:

Sixth Star and Lampstand, and the message to
the angel of the church in Philadelphia
(Revelation 3:7-13)
 The Foundation of Creation
The word Yesod means "foundation" and connotes
reciprocity. Yesod appears on the Middle Pillar in
between Tiferet and Malkut. Much like the idea of
a foundation of a building, which serves as an
interface between the earth and the structure,
Yesod serves as the foundation of the Tree of Life-
the interface of the Sefirot above with the Sefirah
Malkut below. According to the Kabbalah, it is
called the foundation of the palace of lights, and
just as the foundation of a building lends stability
to the structure, so Yesod-foundation gives stability
to the palace of lights.

Yesod receives the influx of ruhaniyut and shefa

from all the Sefirot above it and distributes it to
Malkut, imbuing Malkut with the life-power. The
Thirty-Two Paths of Wisdom says that it "purifies
the emanations," which is to say that it acts as a
filter, diffusing the supernal light so that Malkut
can receive it without being overwhelmed. The
force of the influx of the supernal light and
spiritual energies of the Sefirot flowing into Yesod
is too intense to be received directly by Malkut;
thus, Yesod absorbs the force of the influx and
serves to measure the flow of ruhaniyut and shefa
into Malkut.

This process of filtration and diffusion, according

to the Thirty-Two Paths of Wisdom, "tests the
decree of their structure and the inner essence of
their unity, making it glow." What is received by
Yesod is ideal and the ideal must be adjusted and
refined before it can be practically applied and
actualized. We may understand this within our own
experience in terms of ideas formed in the mind.
There is typically a vast difference between an
initial idea conceived in the mind and its actual
manifestation in the material world. In order to
actually manifest an idea, it must first be
developed and refined before it can be
implemented. When it is actually manifested, it is
not the idea itself that manifests, but a
representation of the idea that has its roots in the
original conception. In the same way, in the
process of filtering and diffusing the supernal light,
Yesod refines and develops the ideal into actual
manifestation-the culmination of the triad of action.

As we discussed previously, Yesod represents the

astral planes and, specifically, the subtle substance
of the astral planes, which is called the astral light.
This is a curious substance that shares in the nature
of both mind and matter. Essentially, it is the
substance of consciousness itself at the point of
transition between what we call mind and matter-
matter simply being a denser manifestation of
consciousness. Thus, the astral light is the subtle
substance within and behind matter-the subtle
substance within and behind all material objects
and the material universe (Asiyah). The astral
planes are, thus, the matrix of light upon which the
material universe is founded-the level of
consciousness where mind and matter merge.

Fundamentally, the astral light is the subtle

medium in which spiritual forces from the higher
planes take shape and come into substantial being
on an inner level, which then becomes translated
into actual manifestation on an outer level in the
material plane. Everything that comes into being or
transpires in the material plane first comes into
being and transpires in the astral planes; thus
everything in the material plane has a
representation in the astral light. Although the
concept of the Zelem, our ideal or heavenly image,
typically refers to the supernal image of our
Neshamah, it may also be used as a reference to
our ideal image in the astral light or the astral
body. It is this subtle body that is the foundation of
the body of light and that serves as the subtle
matrix of the material body.

Knowledge and understanding of Yesod, and the

ability to consciously bring about changes at the
level of the astral planes, is therefore the secret
key to any form of magic designed to take effect in
the material world. It is also the basis of prophecy,
for if one is able to look and see what is occurring
in the astral, one will know what is going to
transpire in the material world.

In the provisional teaching on the inner planes, the

astral planes are divided into the upper, middle,
and lower astral planes. The upper astral
represents worlds and realms under the influence
of the divine powers, and the first two heavens
appear in the upper astral, Vilon (the veil) and
Rakiya (the firmament). The worlds and realms of
the upper astral are inhabited by the spirits of
saints, holy angels, and all manner of righteous
spirits that serve the divine will. The worlds and
realms of the upper astral are radiant and glorious
and are a delightful experience in consciousness.

The middle astral is also luminous, although less

luminous than the upper astral. Its worlds and
realms are under the dominion of the admixed or
titanic powers, such as the lesser gods and
goddesses of pagan faith. They are inhabited by
mythical beings, planetary spirits, elementals, and
spiritual beings-forces of similar natures. These
spiritual beings-forces are neither exclusively
good nor evil, as they do not necessarily facilitate
or oppose the divine will. They act according to
their own self-interests, sometimes in harmony
with the divine plan and other times opposing it. In
this sense, the worlds and realms of the middle
astral are very similar to our human world, which
may or may not serve the divine kingdom.
 The lower astral is a darker region of the astral,
composed of worlds and realms dominated by
demonic and chaotic powers. The lower astral is
populated with evil and unclean spirits, dark and
hostile forces, chaotic beings and the various
monstrous apparitions of dark legends (hungry
ghosts, dark wraiths, goblins, vampiric spirits, and
such). The abodes of hades, the seven hells, and all
of the dominions of chaos exist in the lower astral,
some dimensions of which are akin to an anti-
astral universe, and are said to be "outside of this
cosmos." In terms of the darker abodes of the
lower astral, as the saying goes, "Fools rush in
where angels fear to tread!"

According to the masters of the Tradition, there is

a constant friction between the spiritual beings-
forces in the astral, especially between the beings-
forces of the middle and lower astral, which
struggle with one another to dominate the minds
and hearts of human beings and, thus, to hold
dominion over the material world. As the upper,
middle, and lower astral planes all intersect in the
astral earth, this conflict of cosmic forces
transpires constantly in the astral dimension of the
earth. Specifically, it takes place in the human
mind and heart that remains under the influence of
cosmic ignorance. The weave of interrelationships
and interactions between these spiritual beings-
forces and their dominions can prove quite
complex and confusing, as can the politics,
alliances, and struggles between human peoples
and nations all striving for their own self-interests
and ambitions. Their movements are, on the one
hand, directly reflected in the masses of
unenlightened humanity who tend to live
unconsciously under their dominion; and, on the
other hand, their movements are determined by the
thoughts and emotions entertained in human minds
and hearts. Thus there is something of a reciprocal
relationship between the beings-forces in the astral
dimension and beings-forces in the material
dimension.

According to the Kabbalah, the balance of

spiritual forces in Yesod is determined by the
thoughts, feelings-emotions, words, and deeds of
human beings. Thus, the astral planes are
essentially the radiance of human consciousness,
and specifically, the product of the creative
imagination in humanity. If one realizes that mind
and matter are not as separate as many might think
and that radical changes in the material world can
be brought about purely through the mind itself,
then one will understand that the secret behind
prophecy and magic is in the creative imagination.
More importantly, one will understand that it
matters a great deal what thoughts we entertain in
our minds and what imaginations we entertain in
our hearts, for by these little nothings our own fates
and fortunes, and the fate of the world, are
determined. The foundation of creation is the
power of desireenergy in us and the creative
imagination that directs it.
 The One-Who-Lives
Understanding the Sefirah Yesod as the astral light,
which ebbs and flows, and as the astral planes,
which span the upper, middle, and lower astral,
one will realize that the appearance of Yesod is
constantly changing. The association of Levanah
with its cycles reflects this, as do the three
variations of the divine name corresponding to
Yesod-Shaddai, El Shaddai and Shaddai El Chai.

Shaddai means "Almighty," El Shaddai means

"God Almighty," and Shaddai El Chai translates as
"Almighty Living God." Shaddai is the holy root of
all three names by which Yesod is known, and it is
spelled with three letters in Hebrew, Shin (0)-
Dalet (7)-Yod ('). Shin, as we have seen, is the
glyph of the fiery intelligence or Shekinah. Dalet is
a door or passageway, suggesting a point of
entrance and an exit. Yod is a window through
which light and air passes, and is the number ten,
representing the essence of the ten Sefirot.

Shaddai as Yesod therefore indicates that Yesod

is the door or passageway through which the
divine presence and power enters into actual
creation and that the appearance of the divine
presence is dependent upon the flow of spiritual
energies from the Sefirot. Shaddai equals 314, as
does the name of the archangel Metatron when the
Nun is counted as fifty. This correspondence
alludes to the connection between Da'at and Yesod
and the idea of the supernal light as the secret
source of the astral light. Essentially, the ultimate
purpose of Yesod is to reflect and transmit the
supernal light into creation via the astral planes.
However, Yesod is only able to directly reflect and
transmit the influx of the supernal light when there
are holy vessels in Malkut able to receive it. The
vessels in Malkut are human beings and, thus, the
appearance of Yesod is determined by the state of
humanity-specifically, the state of human
consciousness.

You will recall the legend of Enoch who is said

to have been transformed into Metatron-according
to Genesis, "Enoch walked with God." The divine
name used in this verse is Elohim, corresponding
to Binah and the upper Shekinah. When it is said
that Enoch "walked" with God, what is meant is
that he was able to bring down the supernal
presence and power of the Sefirot and embody it,
and being transformed by that fiery intelligence, he
was taken up in divine rapture. This indicates the
power in human beings to invoke the spiritual
energies of the Sefirot, which only manifests when
there are human beings who make themselves
vessels of the supernal light-presence.

As we have seen, the three pillars of the Tree of

Life represent three different modes in which the
divine presence can appear-mercy (peaceful),
judgment (wrathful), and compassion (blissful),
corresponding to Hesed, Gevurah, and Tiferet,
respectively. The appearance of Yesod as Shaddai
is the manifestation of Yesod under the influence of
judgment (wrathful), and the appearance of Yesod
as El Shaddai is the manifestation of Yesod under
the influence of mercy (peaceful). When there is a
dynamic balance between judgment and mercy and
Yesod is under the influence of compassion
(blissful), it is called Shaddai El Chai.

We may understand this in terms of the upper,

middle, and lower astral planes and the spiritual
forces with which human beings link themselves.
When human beings invoke the divine powers and
attach themselves to the divine spirit, Yesod is
established as El Shaddai, God Almighty, and the
divine powers flowing through the upper astral
hold the balance of dominion in the astral earth.
When human beings do not invoke the Divine
powers, but rather link themselves to spiritual
beings-forces of the lower astral (the klippot), then
Yesod appears as Shaddai, the Almighty, and the
dark and hostile forces come into dominion in the
astral earth. Yesod is established as Shaddai El
Chai, the Almighty Living God, when among
human beings there is a balance between those
who seek the light and those who live in darkness,
and neither the forces of light nor the forces of
darkness hold dominion in the astral earth. In the
present state of human evolution, this latter is the
ideal, for mass humanity cannot endure a complete
dominion of darkness and, as yet, is incapable of
withstanding the full influx of the supernal light.
For this reason, the tzaddikim labor to maintain the
balance between the forces of light and darkness
on earth and seek to preserve the human life-wave
until such time as a larger segment of humankind is
ready to receive the fullness of the supernal light.
 As we have said, the divine name of a Sefirah is
the manifestation of the Sefirah at the level of
Atzilut, the archangel is its manifestation at the
level of Beriyah, and the order of angels is its
manifestation at the level of Yetzirah. Therefore,
when initiates of the Kabbalah seek to shift the
balance in the play of spiritual forces in the astral
planes, they chant the divine names and invoke the
archangels and orders of angels that correspond to
the change they wish to bring about. This forms
links between the universes and planes, for the
power of the divine name is brought down into the
archangel, and the power of the archangel is
brought down into the order of angels-thus forming
a flow from the supernal and spiritual planes into
the higher vital, mental, and astral planes. The
initiate is the link or channel in the material plane,
and, thus the flow of divine presence and power is
linked or channeled from Atzilut into Asiyah, and
miracles happen.
 We may consider this method in terms of the three
divine names of Yesod. When an initiate seeks to
invoke justice or judgment, he or she will chant the
divine name of Shaddai, and this will shape the
manifestation of Gabriel and the Kerubim, which,
as we shall see, have both peaceful and wrathful
appearances. When invoking the flow of the divine
presence and power through the Middle Pillar, the
initiate will intone Shaddai El Chai, seeking a
dynamic balance of mercy and severity. But when
an initiate seeks to invoke mercy or grace, he or
she will chant the divine name of El Shaddai. If
greater force is needed or the initiate has a specific
aim in mind for which the spiritual energy of other
Sefirot are needed, then he or she will join the
invocation of Yesod with the invocation of other
Sefirot. When the divine name of Yesod is used in
Sefirotic invocations, it quite literally serves as the
foundation of the invocation and determines its
basic nature, whether of the Pillar of Mercy, Pillar
of Severity, or Pillar of Compassion.

According to the Tradition, from the time of

Enoch until the time of the prophet Moses, no one
called upon the name of Yahweh; God was called
upon by the name of El Shaddai. Thus, El Shaddai
is the name by which the patriarchs and matriarchs
invoked the divine presence and power and, among
the divine names of the Sefirot, it is said to be the
most accessible, along with the name of Malkut,
Adonai.

There are specific spiritual gifts associated with

every divine name so that, if an aspirant chants a
divine name frequently, he or she may acquire the
corresponding spiritual gifts. The spiritual gifts
associated with Shaddai are prophetic dreams and
the ability to interpret dreams, as we see with the
attribute of the patriarch Joseph to Yesod. Because
it is said that El Shaddai was the primary name
called upon until the time of Moses and the
prophets and we are told the name is associated
specifically with dreams and dream interpretation,
we know that, before Moses, prophecy occurred
primarily through dreams and not waking visions.
When it is said that Shaddai is the most accessible
of the divine names, it indicates that all human
beings can receive divine guidance through dreams
and that the astral planes are the first and primary
experience of the inner planes in early stages of
development upon the path. One could say that
Shaddai El Chai is the one-who-lives in our
dreams and who speaks in our dreams when we
call upon the name.
 The Delight of Dreams
Yesod is called the "dream center" and, as we
know, is intimately connected with Da'at, the
hidden Sefirah, which represents our ability to
communicate our intelligence. Yesod is also
associated with the genital region of the human
body, which indicates that Yesod is fundamentally
desire-energy. Thus, dreams are a communication
of our intelligence and are the expression of our
desire through our creative imagination.

Dreams are a great mystery and they are many

things. Everyone dreams, although not everyone
remembers his or her dreams. Many dreams are of
a purely personal subconscious nature, reflecting
mundane life, our desires and fears in the mundane
sphere, yet all dreams have a connection with the
astral. What we would call nightmares and our
darker dreams are linked with the lower astral, and
those that are somewhat brighter are linked to the
middle astral. When dreams take on a more
spiritual content and there is greater lucidity in
dreams, it is often linked to the upper astral.
Sometimes dreams can become portals through the
astral planes to the higher planes; when this
happens, they are called visions.

The Kabbalah says that, when we sleep, our soul

departs the body much as at the time of death.
However, in sleep a subtle and vital connection
remains between the body and soul, whereas in
death the connection between the body and soul is
completely severed. For this reason the sages of
wisdom have said that sleep and dream are "one-
sixtieth the power of death." When the soul departs
the body in sleep, it passes into worlds and realms
beyond the physical and comes into contact with
spiritual beingsforces, just as it does in the
afterlife states. There is also a similar dissolution
in consciousness and shift into a more subtle body
of consciousness, as in death. Accordingly, the
souls of the faithful and elect who worship God in
spirit and truth, and who invoke the divine powers
and attach themselves to the Spirit of the Lord, are
drawn in ascent toward the heavenly abodes and
the embrace of the beloved. On the other hand,
those who cleave to the other side or are attached
to the sphere of the lesser gods cannot ascend
beyond the lower planes and are bound below.
Thus the Kabbalah speaks of spiritual beings-
forces that seek to deceive the soul and prevent its
ascent into the heavenly abodes and world of
supernal light in dream and sleep, as at the time of
death.

The astral and all planes of consciousness below

the causal plane are inherently deceptive, as they
are the product of the cosmic illusionpower. To
pass beyond the dominion of cosmic ignorance and
the cosmic forces of ignorance, the soul must first
pass through the astral and lower planes, which are
their domains. As the cosmic forces of ignorance
dominate the mundane sphere, if one's desire is
only for things of the world, then the soul cannot
pass beyond the dominion of cosmic ignorance that
manifests as the lower planes-the astral, mental,
and higher vital planes.

Understanding this, one will realize that schools

of thought are mistaken that propose that all dreams
inherently convey deeper wisdom or that all
dreams represent the communication of the inner or
higher self. Rather, dreams reflect the state of the
soul or the state of consciousness. Unless the
divine intelligence and Neshamah are part of one's
life, they are not part of one's dreams. Death
reflects life and dream reflects life. The spiritual
beings-forces we encounter in dream and death
correspond to those with which we link ourselves
in waking consciousness or life. Death and dream
are merely shifts into the more subtle dimensions
of the same consciousness; thus, afterlife
experiences and dreams are radiant expressions of
consciousness, whether enlightened or
unenlightened.

It is the upper Ruach or divine intelligence that is

able to enter and abide in the higher heavens and
spiritual planes, and it is the Neshamah that is able
to enter and join herself to the world of supernal
light and experience the most intimate embrace of
the beloved. When we link the lower Ruach and
Nefesh with the upper Ruach and Neshamah, then
the Christ-self and God speaks in our dreams and
we experience contact with the tzaddikim and
maggidim in our dreams. Such dreams are pure
delight and open the way for the delight of
delights-conscious repose of the soul in God and
Godhead.
 The visionary experience of the spiritual and
supernal planes is a great blessing and most
wonderful thing; yet the ability to maintain the
continuity of self-awareness in the deepest state of
sleep represents the essence of the supreme
attainment, for the highest meditative state and the
deepest sleep state are one and the same.
Therefore, the deepest sleep state is an experience
of the most subtle and sublime level of
consciousness. However, in the deep sleep state
the ordinary person falls unconscious and is unable
to recognize this inmost nature of being. The
inmost nature is Ain Sof-the infinite or bornless
one-and in recognition and realization of the
inmost nature of being, we are united with the
Infinite.

The recognition of the inmost nature of being

corresponds to the truth body of Melchizedek.
Thus, the truth body corresponds to the deepest
sleep state, the glorified body corresponds to the
dream state, and the manifestation body
corresponds to waking consciousness in the
experience of the tzaddik. As the perfect Tzaddik
abides in the body of truth, it is said that the perfect
tzaddikim no longer have a need to dream, just as
they no longer have a need to incarnate. Such is the
nature of enlightenment and liberation-the
resurrection and ascension of Gnosticism.

The ability to shift one's center of consciousness

into the subtle body, consciously enter into the
astral planes, and ascend into the higher planes,
takes a great deal of kavvanah-concentration and
energy, and thus to do so at will consistently takes
much time and practice. The same is true of lucid
dreaming and visionary dreams in which one is
able to pass through dream into the inner planes.
Long before one develops the capacity to transfer
one's consciousness into a subtle body in
meditation and ritual, one is likely to experience
lucid dreams and visionary dreams. As a matter of
fact, it is quite common that lucid and spiritual
dreams naturally arise the more one engages in
daily spiritual practice and spiritual living.
Likewise, with consistent spiritual practice and
some understanding of the esoteric dimension of
the Scriptures-the Kabbalah-through one's dreams,
one will be able to look and see the movement of
spiritual beings-forces within and behind the
circumstances, situations, and events of one's life.
Even the most unenlightened dreams communicate
tikkune to be done upon the soul if one knows how
to interpret them, and those who seek the
indwelling Christ and follow in the way of Christ-
presence will find divine guidance appearing more
and more in their dreams. In the experience of
initiates, dreams are often the first conscious
contact they have with the tzaddikim and maggidim
of the inner planes, and the answer to prayers and
the revelation of secret mysteries often come
through dreams. It is simply a matter of opening
oneself to divine grace.

Methods for development of consciousness

beyond the body or transference of consciousness
into a subtle body and methods for generation of
lucid and visionary dreams are typically practiced
together in the Tradition, as the development of one
corresponds to the development of the other and
they tend to facilitate one another. In such practices
the role of the magical art assumes a significant
place in the unfolding of self-realization, for
whether in dream, or astral projection, one must
know how to put all spirits to the test to see if they
are from the divine or if they come from the other
side. In the passage of the soul through the lower
planes, this is essential for, as we have said, the
lower planes are inherently a sphere of deception.
It is the magical rituals of the Tradition that teach
initiates how to test the spiritual beings-forces they
encounter, and how to banish unclean and evil
spirits and invoke the divine powers.

The foundation of these practices is spiritual

study and contemplation, prayer, and meditation,
through which the mind and heart are filled with
heavenly and divine things and our desire is
directed toward the kingdom of heaven, which is to
say inward and upward-Godward. All
developments of higher consciousness are
dependent upon the direction of our desire-energy.
To the degree we are able to shift the balance
inward, we naturally and spontaneously experience
higher levels of consciousness. As the masters of
the Tradition have said, we must learn how to be in
the world but not of the world, which is to say that
we must learn to live from within the Christ center
and no longer live only on the surface, grasping at
limited name and form. One who is able to do this
will not experience the sting of death, but will
consciously be able to ascend to a higher plane of
existence when the time of transition comes. It is
this that is meant when Lord Yeshua says to us that
we must acquire the resurrection while we live if
we are to experience it when we die. All wisdom
traditions agree on this point-although the term for
the resurrection may differ from one tradition to
another.
Dying, Death, and the AfterlifeThe
Apocalypse of the Soul
Yesod is called Depth of West. On the sacred
circle, the western quarter is associated with dying
and death. According to the Zohar, the Tree of Life
holds dominion by day, and when the sun sets in
the gate of the west and night comes, the Tree of
Death rules the world. This alludes to the
correspondence of sleep and death, both of which
are understood as the departure of the soul from the
body. It also alludes to the intimate connection
between Yesod and Da'at, as Da'at is the gate in
between the Tree of Life and the other side, or the
tree of death.

With Da'at, you will recall our discussion of the

apocalypse, which actually means "revelation."
Apocalypse is an apt term for dying and death, as
the process of dying and death is a progressive
revelation of our inmost being when the gross and
subtle levels of consciousness dissolve, which are
akin to veils that conceal our true nature.
Essentially, we die as we have lived and the
afterlife experience reflects the life our soul has
departed from. More than our exterior life, death
and the afterlife experience reflect our interior
life-our intentions in life and our state of
consciousness. Up until the actual event of death, it
is always possible to bring about a change in
consciousness and, thus, a change in our
experience of death and the afterlife states. More
than anything else in life, it is our state of
consciousness at the moment of death that holds the
greatest influence upon the afterlife experience.

It is curious that "apocalypse," the Greek word

for revelation, has come to mean darkness, horror,
and destruction in our language-as originally it was
meant as a promise of redemption and a deeper
revelation of the path of the great ascension. That
the apocalypse implies something negative to us
merely reflects that we tend to value and identify
ourselves too much with the wrong things and do
not understand who and what we truly are. The
same may be said of the great fear of death in our
culture. We fear death because we value and
identify with name and form too much, and with the
material world and material possessions.
Consequently, we do not know the soul of light in
us and our bornless nature, and death appears to
our eyes as a great adversary or evil.

The idea that death is the ultimate end and that

there is nothing after death is mistaken, just as is
the idea that all souls automatically enter the light.
In truth, death is but a transition into a new level of
experience-a new beginning-which can be a
passage into the light or through great darkness, all
depending upon the state of the soul or
consciousness. As we said of Da'at, that it assumes
an appearance relative to the observer or the one
experiencing it, so it is with death. In the same way
life, holds many possibilities, so also do death and
the afterlife.

The teachings of the Kabbalah on dying, death,

and the afterlife experience, along with sleep and
dreaming, could fill an entire volume, and most
likely there would be much left unsaid. Here, we
may give only a brief outline of the most basic
ideas upon which these teachings are founded.
Essentially, dying and death is a process of the
dissolution of gross and subtle elements of
consciousness into the primordial nature of
consciousness. This primordial nature of being-
consciousness is Ain Sof. Thus, dying and death is
a return of the soul to God and Godhead. If the soul
is able to recognize Ain Sof, specifically Ain Sof
Or, and to realize its unity with the Infinite, then the
soul attains repose in God and the Godhead.
However, if the soul is not able to recognize and
realize the sacred unity, then this process of
dissolution leads to a process of reincarnation
once again, and the cycles of gilgulim continue.
Because dying and death is a process of return to
God and Godhead and holds the potential of the
enlightenment and liberation of the soul, it can be
transformed into a vehicle of self-realization
through an understanding of the process and
spiritual practice. In the eyes of the Gnostic
initiate, it presents a wonderful opportunity and is
viewed as the final adventure life offers.

According to the Tradition, the process of dying

begins the instant we contact the cause of our
death. The process of dying can be short or long,
depending on the cause. The process of dying from
a sudden accident is very brief, while in the case
of some forms of terminal illness, it can span a
larger segment of one's life. That the Tradition says
dying begins at the moment we contact the cause of
our death indicates that what we call life and death
overlap and are interwoven, and it alludes to the
overlapping and interweaving of the universes and
planes of consciousness. It also indicates the true
nature of our experience of reality-that we are
always in transition from one state of
consciousness to another. The reality of our
experience is always changing and we are always
changing-nothing is static or fixed in creation.

In the case of a prolonged terminal illness, we see

the process of dying most clearly. As the person
becomes increasingly ill, the physical life ebbs
away. The person can engage in fewer and fewer
physical activities, often material possessions are
progressively falling away from them and,
unfortunately, fewer friends come to visit.
Activities, possessions, friends, and such, these
are all extensions of the body and life, and as the
process of death unfolds, they fall away and
dissolve. It is as though the world of the dying
person is shrinking-the circle of life closing in on
its center. By the time the day of death comes, in
effect, the world of the dying person is the size of
the room in which his or her deathbed is found.

On the deathbed, when the actual dying process

unfolds, what transpires is the final dissolution of
the gross and subtle matrix that joins the soul and
the body-dissolution of the gross and subtle
elements. These are the elements of earth (form),
water (feeling), fire (perception), air (intellect),
and spirit-space (consciousness). Earth dissolves
into water, water into fire, fire into air, and air
dissolves into spirit-space. Then spirit-space
dissolves into itself, which is to say it dissolves
into its inmost nature (Ainnothingness). The
dissolution of earth, water, fire, and air represents
the outer dissolution or dissolution of gross
elements, and the dissolution of spirit-space
represents the inner dissolution or dissolution of
the subtle elements.

The Outer Dissolution

When the earth element dissolves into the water

element, the body loses strength and all energy is
drained out of it. It becomes difficult to move and
the body feels very dense and heavy. One cannot
get up or sit up on one's own; it becomes
impossible to even hold up one's head. The pallor
of death sets in and it becomes difficult to open
and close the eyes. The mind is agitated and may
become delirious, but drowsiness comes over us
and offers some peace. This means that the energy
of the earth element is shifting out of the body and
is no longer providing a foundation for
consciousness in the body. Inwardly, one may
experience visions of shimmering mirages and it is
not uncommon to see spirits or images of those
who have died.

When the water element dissolves into fire, we

experience a loss of control of all bodily fluids.
One might experience a runny nose, tears may form
in the eyes, and one might become incontinent.
Then dryness of the mouth, throat, eyes, and nose
follows, and one might experience a great thirst. A
tremor or twitching may come into the body, and
bodily sensations begin to fade away. One may
experience an oscillation between pleasure and
pain, hot and cold, and the mind may become
frustrated, cloudy, anxious, and irritable. One
might see visions inwardly of ethereal wisps of a
mist-like substance swirling in ascent, much like
smoke from a stick of incense.

When the fire element dissolves into air, the

experience of dryness intensifies, and all warmth
moves from our extremities to the heart. There is
no more drinking and eating. Our memory of our
family and friends fades; we forget their names and
are unable to recognize them. Sight and sound
become increasingly confusing, and we no longer
perceive things outside of us. Some inwardly
behold the flight of sparks departing, like the
sparks ascending from a campfire that is stoked.

When the air element dissolves into spirit-space,

it becomes more difficult to breathe. It seems as
though breath is escaping us. We may begin to pant
and our breath may become raspy. Inhalations
become increasingly shorter and exhalations
increasingly longer; the eyes may roll upward and
all volitional movement ceases. The mind is no
longer aware at all of the external world. The
feeling of contact with the world vanishes and the
mind becomes dazed. Visions tend to arise in the
mind. For those who have a great deal of negativity
in their lives, dreadful and terrible images may
appear, and darker moments of life may be
reflected in the mind. For those who have lived in
a loving and merciful way, the visions may be
heavenly, radiant, and blissful, and they might meet
loved ones, saints, and angels in their visions.
When this dissolution is complete, it is the point at
which clinical medicine would pronounce a person
"dead." However, on a psychic and spiritual level,
actual death does not occur until after the inner
dissolution that follows this outer dissolution,
typically about twenty or so minutes following
clinical death.

The Inner Dissolution

The inner dissolution corresponds to the

dissolution of our most subtle thoughts and
emotional states-the inner mental and vital being.
Essentially, it is the reversal of the moment of our
conception, when the white father seed united with
the red mother seed and our soul-being was drawn
into the womb through the play of karma (the law).
According to the masters of the Tradition, the
energy-essence of the father seed becomes rooted
at the top of the head as the fetus develops and the
mother seed becomes rooted in the base of the
spine. These correspond to the descending and
ascending force of the serpent power, the father
seed being gentle and cool and the mother seed
fierce and hot. In the process of dying, these seeds
of energy move into the heart center of the subtle
body, and the subtle body dissolves into that center
point.

When the father seed moves down the central

channel into the heart center, there is an experience
of brightness, as though the light of a full moon
shone in a crystal-clear sky. The mind becomes
extremely calm and clear-completely lucid-and all
thought-forms resulting from fear, anger, or hate
dissolve. Profound peace comes over the soul and
there is no fear. When the mother seed moves up
the central channel into the heart center, it is as
though a brilliant sun shines in a clear sky and the
soul experiences great bliss. All thoughtforms
resulting from desire, lust, and greed vanish
completely and no desire remains whatsoever. The
experience of profound peace deepens all the
more. The movement of these two seeds is called
the white and red path, respectively, and
corresponds to Hesed and Gevurah.

Once the father and mother seed meet in the heart

center, what is called the black path unfolds. It is
as though one becomes enshrouded in an abyss of
blackness, akin to a cosmic womb, and the mind
becomes free of all thoughts; ignorance and all
forms of delusion come to an end. This is said to
be Tiferet passing through Da'at into union with
Keter (Ain). The black path is called perfect peace
and culminates in the spontaneous dawn of the
transparent light, like the light of the predawn sky.
The entrance into the black path is the actual point
of death and thus the conclusion of the dying
process.

Although the description of the dying process may

seem somewhat complicated, if one is aware of it
and understands it, one can transform the dying
process into a vehicle of self-realization, and thus
experience the resurrection and ascension at the
time of one's death. According to the masters of the
Tradition, if at any point in the dying process one
is able to merge oneself with the Holy Mother, the
Son or the Bride, one can attain supernal or
Messianic consciousness in that instant and be
taken up in divine rapture. However, to do so, one
must practice meditations of mystical union and the
transference of consciousness in life, or have
formed a vital link with an adept or master who
might be able to help one accomplish it.

The Afterlife Above

The black path is akin to the void of primordial

space that came into being from the tzimtzum at the
outset of creation, and the afterlife states that arise
following it reflect the emanation of Or Ain Sof in
the process of creation. According to the masters
of the Tradition, the soul abides in the black path
three or four days before the afterlife states
actually begin to unfold. In the case of the ordinary
person, the first, most subtle states arise unnoticed.
They correspond to the Olamot of Adam Kadmon,
Atzilut, and Beriyah. Unless a soul has formed
some connection with these higher levels through
spiritual practice in previous lives, the person
remains unconscious when these most subtle levels
appear. Thus, the initial states in the afterlife
experience arise only for initiates who have
labored to experience them in life through daily
spiritual practice, specifically, the practice of
meditation.

The first and most subtle state that arises is the

inmost essence of the supernal light, which is
called the transparent light state. This state
corresponds with Keter and the initial phase of the
universe of Adam Kadmon-the primordial human
one. It is said to be like the light of the predawn
sky and is the inmost essence of the soul of light,
which emanates from Or Ain Sof. No one can
describe this light of primordial awareness, but a
master of the light transmission who embodies
something of this most subtle aspect of the Christ
presence can help a practitioner recognize it in
meditation. The experience of the transparent light
state can last as long as an initiate is able to abide
and rest undistracted in this pure primordial
awareness. This is the secret essence of the truth
body of Melchizedek and the ultimate fruition of
the resurrection and ascension-the highest grade of
enlightenment, corresponding to the grade of the
Ipsissimus. In the recognition of this transparent
light as the radiant nature of one's holy soul, the
soul is joined to God and the Godhead in perfect
repose and becomes Christos in full. Yeshua
Messiah speaks of this state of self-realization in
the Book of Revelation when he says, "I am the
Alpha (Aleph) and the Omega (Tau), the first and
the last, the beginning and the end" (Revelations
22:13).

If the initiate becomes distracted or falls

unconscious, then the soul passes out of the
transparent light state and another less subtle and
sublime afterlife state arises. The transparent light
becomes a brilliant white light, and the white light
condenses into points of light, which become
spheres of light. The spheres of light give off
emanations in the form of rays of light. Thus the
essence of the world of supernal light appears
filled with rainbow glory-a universe of endless
light, sound, and color. This does not arise apart
from the practitioner, but rather from within the
heart center of the body of light in which the soul
manifests in the initial afterlife states. The initiate
is a being of light-energy in a universe of light-
energy, and if he or she is able to recognize this
vision of pure radiant awareness as the radiant
nature of his or her holy soul, then he or she will
experience the attainment of the divine fullness and
be liberated through unification in Christ with God.
The vision of pure radiant awareness corresponds
to the rectification of the universe of Adam
Kadmon and the inner matrix of the truth body of
Melchizedek, and it corresponds to selfrealization
of the grade of magus.
 If the initiate is not able to attain recognition in
this state, another afterlife state unfolds, which is
called the great vision of the light-presence. The
matrix of light becomes the light-forms of the
divine names and Partzufim. The divine images of
the Holy Mother, Yeshua Messiah, and the Bride
appear, along with images of the holy ones-the
prophets and apostles of God. Then the archangels
and orders of angels appear, and the seven
heavens-the whole divine kingdom and great
luminous assembly. It is a vision of the world of
supernal light, the mystical body of Christ. This
great vision of the light-presence corresponds to
Atzilut and the outer matrix of the truth body, which
is the glorified body of Melchizedek. It is the self-
realization of the grade of magister templi, and the
initiate who is able to recognize the sacred unity of
his or her holy soul and the world of supernal light
is liberated from the cycles of the gilgulim and
taken up into the supernal abode.
 This divine vision is a dazzling brilliance and the
sound vibration is incredibly tremendous. It is like
the light of billions of suns and the sound of tens of
thousands of thunders. Unless the soul is able to
attain unification, dread and terror may set in and
the soul will fall unconscious. Then the great
vision of the light-presence will transform into the
vision of dark radiance. This is a vision of the tree
of death and fierce divine presence. The angels of
wrath appear, the seven hells and abodes of chaos,
and all of the legions of the great void and chaos. It
is the very same divine presence, but beheld by the
mind and heart filled with fear. If the initiate is
able to recognize the nondual nature of the light
and the darkness, and that this vision is the radiant
nature of the holy soul, then he or she will be
delivered and taken up into the abode of supernal
light. This vision corresponds to the universe of
Beriyah, where the dominion of darkness comes
into being, and to the inner matrix of the body of
glory, the secret of which is the union of the light
and the darkness.

The vision of dark radiance can easily be

overwhelming, and if the soul is overwhelmed,
then the vision of the infinite arises. The divine
kingdom and the demonic kingdom appear together,
and all worlds and realms in between the world of
supernal light and the dominion of darkness-the
whole matrix of creation fills the vision of endless
space, and the initiate sees with the light of Adam
Ha-Rishon from beginning to the end of creation.
This divine vision is completely beyond mortal
imagination. Every possibility of creation is
present in it-from the light and great ascension to
darkness and the pit of destruction. It is much like
the vision of the apocalypse of St. John, except it is
not centered upon the planet earth but rather the
entire universe and all worlds and realms that are
in it.
 The soul is endowed with a great power of
clairvoyance in this vision, and is completely
empathic and telepathic. The soul can see directly
into all mysteries of the soul, creation, and God,
and is able to perceive all past and future
incarnations. Every teaching, initiation, or
instruction of spiritual practice one has ever
received is clearly recalled, and the initiate may
even intuit secret mysteries never before
disclosed. The vision of the infinite is also called
the vision of the great name of God, for all of the
Olamot from Adam Kadmon to Asiyah appear,
which correspond to the four letters of the holy
name.

This divine vision represents a great opportunity

for enlightenment and liberation for souls that have
established themselves in the holy sanctuary in
previous lives. If a soul is able to recognize this
great magical display as the radiance of the soul of
light and, thus, unify itself with Christ in God, then
the soul will be liberated from the gilgulim and
taken up into the abode of supernal light. Likewise,
divine grace may empower remembrance of the
holy soul and an initiate may experience divine
rapture through grace at this point in the afterlife
states. This vision corresponds to the outer matrix
of the glorified body of Melchizedek, which is the
body of manifestation or emanation. If this divine
vision passes without recognition, then the soul
assumes an astral body akin to the image of itself
in the life from which it has departed, moving once
again into the currents of the gilgulim.

In the case of most ordinary human beings, the

initial cycles of the afterlife experience are like a
lightening flash in the mind, passing away the very
instant they arise. The positive karma generated by
spiritual practice and spiritual living that will
allow the soul to attain self-realization has not
been developed in previous lives. These states
primarily relate to the faithful and elect who have
sojourned the path to enlightenment as taught by
one of the world wisdom traditions and who have
labored for the development and evolution of their
soul-being. The appearance of these visions, of
course, will reflect the knowledge and
understanding of the individual experiencing them
and will assume forms corresponding to his or her
respective Tradition.

The Afterlife Below

The afterlife experience for most souls begins in

the universe of Yetzirah or the astral planes,
specifically, the astral dimension of the earth.
Arising out of the black path, the soul passes into
the brilliant white light, falls unconscious, and
regains consciousness in the astral earth where it
assumes an astral body. The experience is much
like ordinary dreaming in which a person falls
asleep and, from the deep sleep state, dreams
arise, but the person forgets that they are asleep
and dreaming. In a similar way, when the soul first
arises out of the black path and appears in the
astral earth, the person does not remember that he
or she has died.

This astral body is far less energetic and

luminous than the body of light in the previous
afterlife states, although it possesses all senses and
is extremely light, subtle, and very mobile, and is
said to be ten times more lucid than the physical
body. It has a basic capacity of clairvoyance and is
empathic and telepathic to a certain degree, though
the clairvoyant capacity is not under conscious
control. Until the afterlife experience, called the
judgment, this body resembles the person of the
former life in the prime of youth. It is in perfect
health without any defect whatsoever (even if the
person suffered a physical disability in life).
Because it has no physical basis, this body can
pass through solid objects, and in it one is able to
transport oneself to a person or place by merely
thinking of it. Unaware one is in this subtle body,
however, and unaware that one has died, most
movement is not under one's conscious volition. In
this sense, this phase of the afterlife experience is
dream-like, for just as dreams occur outside of an
ordinary person's conscious control, so also does
this afterlife experience.

Essentially, this cycle of the afterlife experience

is the wandering of the soul in the astral earth
parallel to the material earth, so that the person
sees the events transpiring in the material
dimension but is unable to interact with the
material world. The soul tends to go to places that
are familiar and tries to visit loved ones and
friends. However, except perhaps for some
children or rare individuals endowed with psychic
perception, one cannot be seen by the living. The
person will try to be seen and noticed by people
and try to touch those who are friends and family,
but to no avail. The person will try to affect things
in the material plane or to use their material
possessions and find that he or she cannot.
Powerless, he or she will witness the mourning of
family and friends, and see preparations for his or
her funeral and the dispensing of his or her
possessions. Many individuals swiftly realize that
they are dead, but for others, a powerful denial
may set in. In extreme cases, the spirit of the dead
can linger around the body and possessions for
many weeks, sometimes even for many years.
While in this state a person will visit every place
they ever traveled in life and will recall events of
life with great clarity as though they were there.

This experience is extremely intense, for with the

clairvoyant power of this astral body, one
experiences the thoughts and emotions of others. If
one has lived a kind and compassionate life, this
could be a very pleasurable experience. However,
if one has caused a lot of trouble to others and
harmed others, it can be a distinctly horrible
experience. One is extremely sensitive in this state
and one feels the effects of everything one has done
to others-all the pleasure and pain amplified.

In the astral earth, there are all manner of spirits,

including the spirits of others who have died, and
thus one comes in contact with spirits as well. One
is also equally sensitive to the energy of spirits and
the kind of spirits one encounters directly
corresponds to the spiritual beings-forces one is
habitually linked with in life. This, too, can be
either a wonderful or horrible experience, all
depending upon the karmic continuum of the soul-
being.
 During this cycle of the afterlife experience, it is
said that, every seven days, the soul relives its
dying and death. The average duration of this cycle
is said to be forty-nine days to one year, although it
could be significantly shorter or far longer than
that. Some souls become earthbound for many
years and some for centuries before moving on.
Essentially, this cycle lasts until the soul lets go of
the past life and is ready to move on. When this
happens, the soul passes into the afterlife
experience called the judgment.

At this point, the soul encounters a great light-

presence that assumes a form relative to the
individual soul-being. This light-presence is
accepting, warm, loving, and forgiving-it is all
good. Essentially, it is the divine radiance of the
Christ-self that is at one with God and Godhead. In
this divine presence, one relives one's whole life
in one's mind, integrating all knowledge and
experience gained, while giving an account. If
there is judgment, it does not come from the light-
presence but from within oneself. If there is
anything that cannot be forgiven, it is one's own
inability to forgive oneself and others. This is well
reflected in the Lord's Prayer and the saying of
Lord Yeshua, "Blessed are the merciful, for they
will receive mercy."

The judgment need not be a judgment; it all

depends upon how we have lived. What it
becomes is completely determined by the life we
have lived. If we have acquired knowledge,
understanding, and wisdom, served to uplift the
human spirit, and have been loving, then it could
well be a most blissful and wonderful experience.
Conversely, if we have enacted evil and clung to
darkness, we may encounter a presence of great
wrath. Peaceful, blissful, or wrathful, it is all the
radiance of our soul-being, the state of our own
consciousness that we behold. From the judgment,
some souls are taken up into the heavenly abodes,
while others may enter into worlds and realms of
the middle astral. Some wander in an astral
dimension of the earth, in what might be called a
purgatory state, and may then be taken up into one
of the heavenly abodes or be reborn in the world
once again. Some souls pass through one of the
hells or abodes of chaos to purify the soul before
the next incarnation. All of these states represent
transitions toward the next material incarnation.
Most souls return to the earth for physical
incarnation; however, some souls pass into other
worlds beyond this earth. Although a soul may
pass into the highest heaven-the seventh heaven-
until a soul attains supernal self-realization, it will
eventually return to a material incarnation to
continue its development and evolution.

Unlike the initial afterlife experiences in which

the divine power spontaneously appears, once the
soul enters into the astral phase of the afterlife, the
divine powers only appear if the soul focuses his
or her mind on them and invokes them. One must
remember the divine powers to invoke them, which
means that one must have formed a vital link with
them in one's previous lives. The astral cycles of
the afterlife offer many opportunities for
enlightenment and liberation, for if one does
invoke a divine name or Partzuf, an archangel, or
an order of angels, they instantly appear and one's
soul can be carried in ascent. If one has engaged in
spiritual practice and spiritual living, such
invocations will be a natural part of the afterlife
experience and may potentially result in supernal
consciousness. We also find the great virtue in
having an incarnate tzaddik-for if the soul visits
family and friends, then it will draw near unto the
holy tzaddik who is likely to perceive the soul and
render assistance.
 While some initiates experience fruit in life from
their spiritual practices and are granted many
spiritual gifts or magic powers, some initiates
experience very little in the way of fruition during
their lifetime. For many, fruition of their life's
labor in the great work comes only at the time of
death and in the afterlife states that follow. This is
reflected in the title of the Rosicrucian grade
associated with Yesod, which is called Theoricus,
implying knowledge without the generation of
talents or spiritual gifts. According to the Zohar,
there is great merit generated by one who seeks to
acquire knowledge and who engages in spiritual
practice without seeing any fruit in life, for it may
well lead to a greater fruition at the time of the
transition of the soul beyond the body. Death and
the afterlife is the real revelation of the
development and evolution of the soul-being, and
as the Scriptures say, "To one who lives by faith, it
will be accounted to him or her as righteousness."
 The subject of dying, death, and the afterlife
properly belongs to Yesod because the bulk of the
afterlife experience is principally astral and
corresponds to Da'at-Yesod on the Tree of Life.
Essentially, the entire afterlife experience occurs
within one's consciousness, but then so also does
this life! Thus, the recognition of what appears as
the radiant nature of one's holy soul is as much a
part of Gnostic practice in life as it is in the
afterlife states. This process we speak of in terms
of death and the afterlife occurs in sleep and
dreams; it is happening on a subtle level all the
time, even in waking consciousness. If one
wonders where the heavens and hells are, and all
the worlds and realms of the inner planes, they all
exist in the same space at the same time, right here
and now. We exist in them and they exist in us. It is
simply a matter of becoming fully conscious and
developing a continuity of self-awareness
throughout all states of consciousness. Then one
will realize the metadimensional nature of creation
and the sacred unity underlying it. This is, in
essence, what Gnostics mean when they speak of
the resurrection and ascension-an awakening to a
greater reality.
The Prophet of the Apostle of Light
As it is written in the prophet Isaiah, "See, I am
sending my messenger ahead of you, who will
prepare your way; the voice of one crying out
in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight. "'

John the Baptizer appeared in the wilderness,

proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the
forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole
Judean countryside and all the people of
Jerusalem were going out to him, and were
baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing
their sins. Now John was clothed in camel's
hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and
he ate locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed,
"The one who is more powerful than I is
coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down
and untie the thong of his sandals. I have
baptized you with water; but he will baptize
you with the Holy Spirit." (Gospel of St. Mark
 1:2-8)

The Kabbalah says that one does not have to

withdraw from the world in order to seek higher
states of consciousness and self-realization. In fact,
in the case of most souls among the faithful and
elect, the mission of their Neshamah demands a
strong contact with the world as much as with the
divine powers above. Yet the Kabbalah also says
that there are souls of higher grades who enter that
are not meant to have much contact with the
mundane world, but whose mission is
otherworldly and who are destined to withhold
themselves from the mundane sphere. These latter
are very rare and special tzaddikim who qualify
for the title "maggid" (angelic) because their
mission is akin to that of a great angel and their
soul abides more in the heavens than in the body.
According to the Tradition, John the Baptist was a
holy tzaddik of this class, and thus he is often
called the maggid of the Holy Gospel.

As we have said, the soul of Elijah was

reincarnate as John the Baptist, and the Christian
Kabbalah says that all of the great prophets sent
forth a holy spark of their Neshamah into the soul
of John, so that the divine fullness of the Baal
Shem-the master of the name-would be incarnate in
him. He was, himself, a great light-presence in the
world, embodying the light of the succession of
prophets who went before him, and yet it is written
of John: "There was a man sent from God, whose
name was John. He came as a witness to testify to
the light, so that all might believe through him. He
himself was not the light, but he came to testify to
the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone,
was coming into the world" (Gospel of St. John
1:6-9). According to a Christian midrash (story,
myth, or legend) associated with this set of verses,
John not only came to bear witness to the
incarnation of the supernal light, the soul of the
Messiah, but to serve as the opener of the way and
midwife.

John was only six months older than Yeshua, and

from his earliest youth was set apart and given to a
Baal Shem of an assembly of prophets to be raised.
He dwelled always in the wilderness, apart from
mundane society and, until his imprisonment by
Herod, never set foot in a town or city of the
profane human establishment. Whatever teachings
he received, he remembered from the very first
instruction, and the way of the Merkavah came
easily to him, as though it were child's play. Who
else could be the holy tzaddik of the one who was
to be first among humankind to be anointed with
the supernal light of God?

When John and Yeshua stood together at the River

Jordan, the great angels Metatron and Sandalfon
stood with them, the seven archangels of the
Christos formed a circle about them, the
corresponding orders of holy angels formed a
circle outside of that inner circle, and the souls of
the righteous and spirits of the prophets also
gathered around. It was as though John and Yeshua
became a gate of supernal light in the material
world. This is the visionary dimension of the
baptism of Yeshua by John that is envisioned in
Gnostic meditation upon the advent of the Messiah
entering into the world.

A Christian midrash, which speaks of the baptism,

says that, when the Spirit of the Messiah entered
into Lord Yeshua, it awoke in St. Mary Magdalene
too, and that the union of Lord Yeshua with the
Holy Spirit was the union of the Bridegroom and
Holy Bride on an inner level. Thus in the baptism,
John is as a tzaddik presiding at a wedding.
Accordingly, the wings of the great angels of Keter
and Malkut are said to be the wedding canopy, and
when Mazzal Tov (good luck) was proclaimed, it
was good fortune for the world, completing the
blessing of creation in the beginning when God
said, "It is very good."

In the Christian Kabbalah, John the Baptist is the

Partzuf (Partzuf below, personification or
embodiment) of Yesod. First, because he is the
tzaddik of the perfect master and Yesod is the
Sefirah of the holy tzaddik; second, because he is
the tzaddik who presides over the wedding of the
Bridegroom and Bride, and Yesod represents the
union of the Bridegroom (Tiferet) and Holy Bride
(Malkut). When Malkut is united with Tiferet, the
supernal light of Keter is brought down. This is the
very essence of holy baptism.

John the Baptist plays as central a role in Gnostic

Christian invocations as do the Holy Mother and
Bride. The Mother is often invoked and asked to
help give birth to Christ in us, and the Holy Bride
is invoked and asked to join our soul in complete
unity with Christ. The spirit of John the Baptist is
invoked to open the way and to serve as the
midwife in our process of giving birth to the Christ
consciousness. Likewise, when we seek
knowledge of the way of the prophets and
prophetic consciousness, John the Baptist is called
upon. Many Gnostic meditations focus upon the
image of John the Baptist in much the same way as
upon the image of the Mother, Son, and Bride; the
maggid of the Gospel is viewed inseparable from
the divine incarnation, just as Yesod is inseparable
from the Pillar of Compassion.

In Judaism, the spirit of Elijah is said to visit

every rite of Milah (circumcision), and the soul of
Elijah is said to come among the faithful at every
Passover feast. In Gnostic Christian tradition, the
Spirit of John is said to be present at every rite of
baptism, and the Soul of John is said to attend
every feast of the resurrection.
 The Strength of the Almighty
The archangel Gabriel is the manifestation of
Yesod in Beriyah. Gabriel literally means the
"strength of God" or "God is my strength." Perhaps
more than any other archangel, Gabriel reveals the
enigmatic nature of angelic beings. Although we
often project human ideals upon the archangels and
angels, and all too often sentimentalize the angels,
in truth they are other than human, and are
otherworldly in nature. The motivation of the
angels cannot be understood in human terms or
mortal values. Although, at times, angels can be
very helpful to human beings, they can also be very
dangerous and even harmful. While they may serve
human interests that are aligned with the divine
will, just as often they may oppose human interests.
Essentially, what angels are to us depends entirely
upon our relationship with the divine.
 Gabriel stands in the western quarter of the
sacred circle, and while associated with love and
devotion, Gabriel is also associated with darkness,
death, and destruction. According to the Tradition,
it was Gabriel who wrestled with Jacob at Peniel,
wounding him on his thigh, and Gabriel enacted the
destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.
When it says that the Lord sought to kill Moses
following the revelation of the burning bush
(Exodus 4:24), it is Gabriel who is said to have
stalked Moses, assuming the form of a great
dragon, akin to Leviathan. Yet, Gabriel is the
archangel of the annunciation, who brings glad
tidings to the Holy Mother and who proclaims the
birth of the Holy Child to the shepherds. Gabriel is
also said to be one of the two holy angels present
at the resurrection and ascension. In the vision of
Daniel, Gabriel is the man in white linen helped by
Michael, and according to the Kabbalah, he is the
man clothed in linen in the vision of Ezekiel. When
St. Mary Magdalene was lost and wandering
before her awakening, Gabriel acted as her
guardian angel and is said to be the holy angel that
bound the demons away when she was exorcised
by the Lord. Gabriel is also credited with saving
three holy men from a fiery furnace. Gabriel is said
to be the guardian of the patriarch Joseph and,
according to Islamic tradition, is the angel that
spoke to the prophet Mohammed.

Gabriel is known as the Prince of Paradise

(Tebel-Vilon), the first heaven, and is the ruler of
the guardians of paradise and the great guardians
of the continuum-covenant. He-she also has
dominion over the cycles of the moon and the
element of water, and is said to be a giver of
dreams and visions. Gabriel is also said to be the
watcher who stands guard at the gates of the abyss
and the great angel who holds the keys to the pit of
Abaddon (destruction). These attributes of
archangel Gabriel well portray the enigmatic
nature of angelic beings. The teachings on Gabriel
are meant to remind initiates that the true nature of
angelic beings will always be something of a
mystery-a thing wise to remember when invoking
them.

There are several images used in invocations of

Gabriel. Perhaps the oldest is the image of a
human, clothed in linen of brilliant white, with a
body composed of pure fire. Another is the image
of a great winged angel, in robes of amethyst with
wings of rainbow glory. Gabriel is also envisioned
in robes of blue with subtle hints of orange when
invoked in correspondence with the elemental
force of water. In a certain form of invocation,
Gabriel is also envisioned in the image of a great
dragon. All of these divine images allude to
mysteries of Yesod in Beriyah. In the most basic
invocations of Gabriel, the divine name of Shaddai
El Chai is used and the chant Gya Ko Ho Ge Ba
Gabriel.

Gabriel is often called to bring about divine

revelation through dreams and visions, and for a
deeper understanding of the prophets. In the
Gnostic ritual most commonly used to consecrate
the Holy Eucharist, the invocation of Gabriel plays
a key part. He-she is also invoked to facilitate
justice and for the guardianship of the continuum.
Associated with the moon, Gabriel is also
frequently invoked in lunar rites. As one of the four
great angels of the sacred circle, Gabriel has many
roles in the continuum.
 The Guardians and the Gates
At the level of Yetzirah, the Sefirah Yesod
manifests as the order of Kerubim. The word
Kerub is closely associated with merkavah and
rakbav, which means to ride." Thus, Kerub
connotes a vehicle, mode of transportation, or
something ridden. This idea plays out when it is
written, "God rode on a Kerub, and flew; he
swooped down on the wings of the wind" (Psalm
18:10).

The images of two Kerubim appear on the ark of

covenant in the holy of holies of the temple. In a
verse mentioning them, there is another association
of the Kerubim to the word Merkavah: "... also his
plan for the golden chariot of the kerubim that
spread their wings and cover the ark of covenant of
the Lord" (1 Chronicles 28:18). When the ark of
the covenant stood in the tabernacle and in the
temple of King Solomon, it is said that the space in
between the Kerubim was a point of focus for
prophetic meditation. In speaking of the ark of the
covenant, the Lord said to Moses, "There I will
meet with you, and from above the mercy seat,
from between the two Kerubim that are on the ark
of covenant, I will deliver to you all my
commandments for the Israelites" (Exodus 25:22).
The images of the Kerubim had "little faces,"
which is to say the faces of children; the Kerubim
faced one another and their wings stretched out to
one another, so that they formed something of a
gate. The ark contained the two stone tablets of the
law, the original Torah scroll (which is called the
"Tree of Life"), Aaron's rod that bloomed, and a
portion of the heavenly manna that fed the children
of Israel in the wilderness. The powerful spiritual
emanations of the holy objects were focused
between the Kerubim, so that a gate or portal was
formed into the spiritual dimension. Thus,
concentrating his or her mind in this space between
the Kerubim, a prophet was able to enter into
prophetic consciousness. With knowledge of the
divine names, a prophet would even be able to
bring spiritual powers of the upper worlds through
this gate or portal.

This indicates that the Kerubim are gates from

one dimension to another or from one world or
realm to another and, as such, that they serve as
vehicles between one dimension and another or as
connections between dimensions, worlds, and
realms of creation, but the Kerubim not only form
the gates, they are also the guardians of the gates
they form. This is indicated in the Scripture by the
kerub that is said to be placed at the gate of the
Garden of Eden, in whose hands is said to be a
flaming sword that turns this way and that, so that
no one should enter into paradise apart from God's
will. Thus, the Kerubim are the gates and they are
the guardians, the gate and guardian being one and
the same. What is the nature of their guardianship?
In passing through the gate, the soul will either
endure the greater spiritual force on the other side
of the gate or it will not. Such is the true nature of
the divine protection of a gate or portal.

In the vision of Ezekiel, the Kerubim are said to

be the appearance the Hayyot Ha-Kodesh assume,
which indicates a very close association between
the Hayyot and the Kerubim. This is reflected in
the correspondence between Yesod and Da'at on
the great tree, and the teaching that Da'at represents
what is revealed of Keter. While the Kerubim on
the ark of the covenant have one face each and
their faces are those of little children, others
among the Kerubim have four faces like the
Hayyot-the face of a human being, the face of a
lion, the face of an eagle, and the face of an ox.
This alludes to the Kerubim as the "star gates" and
"earth gates" through which emanations from the
spiritual world are said to enter into the astral
earth, and it places them in association with both
the Ofhanim and Aralim.

In contemplating the Kerubim before the gate to

the Garden of Eden and the Kerubim on the ark of
the covenant, when it is said that John and Yeshua
formed a gate of light at the time of the baptism,
one cannot help but think of the Kerubim.
Likewise, when one looks at the Tree of Life one
cannot help but see the Pillars of Mercy and
Severity as great Kerubim, the Pillar of
Compassion being the gate of the ascension formed
in between them. Accordingly, it is said by the
masters of the Tradition that a kerub of mercy and
kerub of judgment must stand together to form a
gate, as the passage between dimensions, worlds,
and realms requires both mercy and judgment.

Any time there is a shift or projection of

consciousness from one dimension, world, or
realm to another, the order of Kerubim is involved.
As watchers in between worlds, the Kerubim are
said to hold great knowledge of secret mysteries,
like unto the Aralim (thrones). Because gates or in-
betweens compose the matrix of creation and
connect various parts of creation to one another,
the Kerubim are said to have the power of uniting
things and to reveal the proper order of things. It is
from the Kerubim that initiates gain knowledge of
the keys necessary to invoke and pass through gates
and it is Kerubim that are invoked as guardians of
the continuum and holy places. Although it is
common to primarily speak of the Kerubim as
gates in space, to properly understand them one
must also consider them as gates in time, as space-
time is inseparable. This alludes to the powerful
role of Kerubim in prophecy and their invocation
in divine magic dealing with space-time.
 Apart from the higher classes of Kerubim that
serve as gates and guardians, according to the
Tradition there are also classes of Kerubim that
perform divine intercession and others that abide
continually in prayer and work wonders through
their communion in God's presence. Besides these,
there are said to be classes of Kerubim that are
extremely dark and wrathful, which are not
frequently invoked by initiates on account of their
unpredictability and ferocity. Much like all the
other orders of angels, the Kerubim are also
represented by a great diversity in classes and
types-certainly more than space allows to be
described in this present work. However, the
above discussion should put one well on track as
to what is meant by the Kerubim in the Kabbalah.
 Spiritual Practices for Yesod
The Invocation and Meditation of John the
Baptist

➢ Much insight into the Holy Gospel and

divine incarnation can be gained by meditation
upon the maggid, John the Baptist. Likewise,
through invocation of the spirit of John,
knowledge of the prophets and the way of the
prophets can be acquired. When gnosis of deep
mysteries is sought, it is not uncommon for an
initiate to enact the rite of baptism and go on
retreat in the wilderness to invoke the spirit of
the prophets and practice meditation on the
maggid.

➢ Pray the Invocation:

Ebeieb, Yabweb, El Sbaddai,

Adonai-O Holy One of Being,
 grant me the blessing of
communion with the spirit of the
prophets. In the name of Moses,
Samuel and Nathan, and Isaiah,
Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. In the name
of the Anointed, the Bridegroom,
and Holy Bride, 0 Spirit of the
Prophets, Spirit of John the
Baptist, come and be with me.
Appear in my mind, speak in my
heart, and illuminate my life-
impart the blessing of your
presence upon me, and let us
commune in the Spirit of Holiness.

➢ Having invoked, envision the divine image

of the maggid magically appearing in the space
before you, clothed in a camel's hair garment
with a leather belt, his hair disheveled and his
eyes wild and piercing. One foot is upon a
flowing river and the other upon the earth, and
the whole image is radiant with glory-the image
of the prophet being formed of translucent light.

➢ Sometimes names of God and of the prophets

are chanted, and other times the meditation
remains in silence, all according to inspiration.
Perhaps the spirit of John will speak to you, or
perhaps he will touch you and bless you. A
word of knowledge might come or a secret
mystery might be disclosed; sometimes one
might see a vision. Whether something or
nothing at all, let whatever happens happen.
When the meditation is complete, envision the
prophet baptizing you with light and glory, your
own body-mind radiant with light, and the
image of the maggid vanishing as he appeared.
Then give thanks to God for the divine
revelation that transpires through the prophets
and praise the Lord. This is the most basic
meditation with John the Baptist.
 The Middle Pillar Meditation

The practices used from one initiate to another can

vary greatly in a Gnostic circle. However, the
Middle Pillar Meditation is typically a point in
common in the continuum of spiritual practices
among initiates of the Tradition. It is the base
method used to awaken the serpent power,
establish key centers in the subtle body, and to
circulate spiritual energy through the subtle body
and aura. At the same time, it is an essential
method for drawing upon the ruhaniyut and shefa of
the Middle Pillar of the Tree of Life and,
specifically, for drawing down supernal light into
the subtle body-a method for the generation of the
body of light. Thus, it is something more than a
practice to awaken the fire snake, being an
invocation of the Spirit of Messiah and the divine
powers. While in the basic practice only the divine
names of the Middle Pillar are used, after
performing the Middle Pillar, initiates may also
invoke the archangels of the Tree of Life and the
orders of angels, or they may invoke a Partzufim
such as Yeshua Messiah, the Mother, or the Bride.
It is often joined to other practices.

The Middle Pillar meditation is used to generate

spiritual energy necessary for projection of
consciousness into a subtle body, for healing work,
and for divine magic. If we were to describe the
Middle Pillar in the simplest terms, it is the energy
generator of an initiate's continuum of spiritual
practice and, thus, serves as a cornerstone upon
which a continuum of daily spiritual practice is
built. It is an excellent practice for self-healing and
is at the heart of the healing way in the Holy
Kabbalah. All practices of healing are developed
by modification of the Middle Pillar. It is also a
primary method of psychic and spiritual defense.
For energizing the subtle body and the aura, it
makes it impossible for klippotic forces to form
links or engage in psychic assaults to cause harm.
When one is like the spiritual sun, then darkness,
and negativity can find no roost. It is a powerful
and versatile spiritual practice, and it is easy to
learn and to use. It is good for the beginner and the
adept alike, and is often the very first practice
given to a novice initiate.

➢ Sit or stand, as you like, and set your mind

upon your breath, letting your body find its own
natural rhythm of breathing. Gather your
consciousness within behind the heart and
calmly abide for a few moments-just be.

➢ Shift your focus to the top of your head and

envision on top of your head a sphere of
brilliant white light-diamond-like light that
sparkles with the colors of the rainbow, as
though crystalline. Imagine that you are
breathing through this center on top of the head
and breathe at least three cycles of inhalation
and exhalation through the center. Then bring
the center to life with the intonation of Eheieh
at least three times. (Three cycles of breath and
intonations of the corresponding divine name is
the minimum number for each center in the
practice.)

➢ Envision that a channel of light descends

through the top of your head down to your
throat and that a center of translucent lavender
light forms at the throat. Breathe through the
center. Then bring this center to life with the
intonement of the divine name of Yahweh
Elohim.

➢ Envision that the light continues its descent

to the center of the torso at the solar plexus and
forms a center of translucent golden light there.
Breathe through this center. Then awaken the
center by intoning the divine name of Yeshua
(alternatively, Yahweh Elohenu can be used).
➢ Envision the light progressing in descent
down to your groin region and forming a center
of translucent violet light in the groin. Breathe
through the center and then bring it to life with
the divine name of Shaddai El Chai. (For a
special flow of grace, the name of El Shaddai
may be used, or for special divine protection,
the name of Shaddai.)

➢ Envision the line of light going down to your

feet and forming a center of radiant darkness at
your feet-like translucent obsidian light.
Breathe through the center and then intone the
divine name of Adonai. (For a stronger
grounding of energy and oneself, the divine
name of Adonai Ha-Eretz may be used; for a
more devotional practice, the divine name of
Adonai Melekh can be used. Devotees of the
Holy Bride often use the divine name of Kallah
Messiah.)

➢ Envision a fiery energy kindled in the Malkut

sphere (the black sphere at your feet) and
imagine a great stirring and pressure building
until a thread of fiery energy shoots up the
channel of light formed by the Middle Pillar.
Envision the fiery energy and light mingling in
each center in ascent and the combined energy
of fiery light rushing up out of the top of your
head, as though you have become a great
fountain of fiery light. See this light pouring
over you and washing through your sphere of
sensation or aura.

➢ Imagine the flow of light becoming linked to

your breath, so that in breathing and envisioning
you can consciously direct this fiery light. As
you exhale, envision a current of fiery light
descending down the front of your body, and as
you inhale, the same current flowing up the
back of your body, thus creating a circuit
flowing around you.

➢ Once you establish the first current, then

envision another current going down the left
side of your body and up the right side, also
linked to your exhalation and inhalation.

➢ Now envision a translucent sphere of the

fiery light around you and these currents
moving independently in the sphere. Envision
your body as translucent fiery light and see all
the centers in their place in the body of light,
and the descending and ascending force
flowing. Abide in meditation with this vision of
awareness as long as you can. This concludes
the practice. (Sometimes the practice is opened
and closed with the Kabbalistic Cross. If the
Middle Pillar is performed to defend against
negativity, the outer sphere of light may be
envisioned becoming solid and impenetrable,
as though becoming crystal that is self-radiant.)

➢ At first the idea of breathing through the

centers or moving energy through the aura and
subtle body by breathing might seem somewhat
strange. However, within and behind the
ordinary breath there is another spiritual breath
or energetic breath-the radiant holy breath. In
fact, there are five distinct winds or breaths
within the radiant holy breath in the subtle
body, corresponding to the five elements. The
practice of breathing through the centers is a
gentle way to become conscious of this breath
of the soul and, thus, is included as part of the
basic practice. In advanced practices, specific
breath exercises are given to further actualize
and realize the power of the holy breath.
FOURTEEN
MALKUT, THE
DIVINE
KINGDOM
 Attributes
Thirty-Two Paths of Wisdom: Scintillating
Consciousness (Sekhel MitNotzetz); it is called
this because it elevates itself and sits on the
throne of Understanding; it shines with the
radiance of all the luminaries, and it bestows
an influx of increase to the Prince of the Face

Malkut: The Kingdom

Place on the Tree of Life: The base of the Pillar

of Compassion

Divine Name: Adonai

Alternative Divine Names: Adonai Ha-Eretz;

Adonai Melekh; Kallah Messiah

Partzuf Above: Kallah, the Bride; Nukva, the

Daughter

Partzuf Below: St. Mary Magdalene; also King

David

Divine Image: The Image of the Holy Bride, St.

Mary Magdalene; the Maiden of Light crowned
and enthroned

Archangel: Sandalfon

Order of Angels: Ashim

Celestial Attribute: Holem Ha-Yesodot, Sphere

of the Fundamental Elements; Eretz, the Earth

Titles Given to Malkut: The Community of

Israel; the Gnostic Circle; the Body of Christ;
the Gate; Valley of the Shadow of Death; Gate
of Death; Daughter of the Living One; Holy
Bride; Matrix of Life; Maiden of Light; Lower
Shekinah; Tree of Death; Dove of Peace;
Jerusalem; Promised Land; The Land Flowing
with Milk and Honey; Gate of Prayer; Depth of
Evil; Gate of Tears; Gate of Justice; Sophia
Nigrans; the Kingdom of Heaven; the Princess;
the Queen; The Virgin; the Mistress of the
Wilderness; Holy Abode; Garden of Eden; the
Spirit of the Prophets

Level of the Soul: Nefesh, Vital Soul (Nefesh

Behamit and Nefesh Elokit)

Heavenly Abode: Vilon, the First Heaven-the

Veil; Tebel, Earthly Paradise

Spiritual Experience: Gnosis of the Kingdom of

God; Rapturous Union with Mother Nature;
Vision of the World To Come; Vision of the
Lady in Red; Vision of New Jerusalem

Virtues: Grounding; harmony with nature;

comfort with the body; joy in life; sense of
adventure; discrimination or discernment;
awareness of surroundings; awareness of
abundance

Vices: Lack of focus; disharmony with the

environment and nature; disregard for the body;
greed; delusion of lack or poverty; poor
discernment; dullness; inertia; lack of joy and
vitality in life; bad neighbor

Symbols: The Sacred Circle or Magical Circle;

the Sanctuary of Holy Temple; the Place of
Meeting; the House of the Tzaddik; square;
equal-armed cross; Maltese cross; any sacred
place; nature; a stone or crystal; the Holy
Pentacle or Coin of Redemption; any currency;
sandals or shoes

Commandment: Do not covet (Exodus 20:17)

Sermon on the Mount: Blessed are the poor in

spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
(Matthew 5:3)

Angel of the Apocalypse and the Churches: The

Seventh Star and Lampstand, and the message
to the angel of the church in Laodicea
(Revelation 3:14-22)
 The Holy Kingdom
A tree becomes mature when it is fertile and able
to bear good fruitwhich is to say, fruit that contains
seed. The life of a tree is in its fruit and, in
essence, a tree exists for the sake of generating
fruit, which in turn creates new trees. The same is
true of the Tree of Life and the Sefirah Malkut,
which is the holy fruit of the tree. The Sefirot, from
Keter to Yesod, exist to bring about Malkut, which
is the holy vessel that receives all of the spiritual
energies of the Sefirot. Malkut (kingdom) contains
the spiritual energies of all the Sefirot above it and
is composed of the spiritual energies of all the
Sefirot, thus representing the immanent matrix of
spiritual forces manifest as creation.

Malkut is represented by the final He in the

Tetragrammaton, which indicates the sovereignty
of the divine presence and power in creation and
connotes the idea of receiving. As we have seen,
the first He in the Tetragrammaton represents
Binah-Aima and the upper Shekinah. Sharing the
same letter of the great name, Binah and Malkut are
intimately connected. Malkut is called Nukva, the
Daughter, and is the lower Shekinah. Binah-Aima
is the transcendental matrix of forces on an
archetypal level; Malkut-Nukva is the matrix of
forces in actual manifestation. This matrix of
creation is, in essence, one and the same-the
Mother representing the ideal and the Daughter
representing the actual. Thus, the divine Mother, as
the upper Shekinah, is the presence and power of
God beyond creatures and creation, and the Holy
Daughter, as the lower Shekinah, is the presence
and power of God within creatures and creation.

Because Malkut is complete receptivity, it is said

that "she has no light or life of her own" but has
only the light and life she receives from the
supernal Mother via the six Sefirot between Binah
and Malkut. Thus, the appearance of the Shekinah
in the lower planes and in the world is dependent
upon the divine powers that are invoked and the
degree to which the ruhaniyut and shefa of the
Sefirot are brought down into Malkut, which on the
most fundamental level represents the material
world. Accordingly, the Shekinah may appear
bright or dark, as a manifestation of mercy or
judgment, all dependent upon the balance of the
divine powers that are invoked or evoked by
human beings. Life on earth can be heavenly or
hellish, all depending on the actions of human
beings. As all life is a manifestation of the
Shekinah-the divine presence and power-how life
unfolds and everything that transpires in it is how
the Shekinah appears.

Malkut is Nukva, the Daughter, but she is also

Kallah, the Holy Bride. You will recall that Tiferet
(the six) manifests as the Son and Bridegroom.
When the supernal light is brought down into
Malkut and she is filled with the ruhaniyut and
shefa of Tiferet (the six), she is united to Tiferet.
When Tiferet and Malkut are united, the Son
becomes the Bridegroom and the Daughter
becomes the Holy Bride. This corresponds to the
bright appearance of the Shekinah and
manifestation of divine providence according to
mercy. Conversely, when the flow of supernal light
and the ruhaniyut and shefa of the six is impaired
and Malkut is separated or divorced from Tiferet,
Malkut is called the divorced woman, the widow,
or the Shekinah in exile. This corresponds to the
dark appearance of the Shekinah and the
manifestation of divine providence according to
judgment.

Essentially, Malkut represents the power that God

gives to us to receive from him (or her) and the
idea of the human being and creation as a holy
vessel of God's grace-specifically, as a holy
vehicle through which the divine presence and
power might be realized and embodied. In Malkut,
the purpose of giving and of creation is fulfilled. It
represents the relationship in which the one who
receives can reciprocate and become the "giver,"
and in which the human being becomes the
embodiment of God's presence and power. This is
how the Malkut of God is manifest in the material
world.

The highest manifestation of Malkut is at the level

of Adam Kadmon. In the universe of Adam
Kadmon, the Sefirot are composed of clear or
transparent light-the pure light of the Infinite,
which is the inmost essence of the supernal light.
This is the light of the Soul of the Messiah, and
Malkut of Adam Kadmon is the body of the
primordial human being-the anointed one of God-
which is composed of transparent light. Malkut of
Adam Kadmon thus corresponds to the full
realization of the truth body of Melchizedek and is
called the supernal light-presence or clear-light
joy.

At the level of Atzilut, the transparent light

appears as white brilliance, which is said to be
akin to a spiritual nuclear fire. This fiery light is
the glory that pours forth from the mystical body of
the Messiah and mani fests as Malkut of Atzilut,
which is the world of supernal light. In essence,
the supernal light-presence (Malkut of Adam
Kadmon) and the world of supernal light (Malkut
of Atzilut) are inseparable, and yet there is a most
subtle and sublime distinction between them that
allows the universe of Beriyah to come into being.

In Beriyah, the white brilliance manifests as rays

of rainbow glory, the aura of the Messiah, as it
were, which represents the emanation of the
cosmic Christ and all spiritual forces of creation.
The aura of the Messiah is called the light of the
heavens and Malkut of Beriyah is called the
kingdom of heaven, for, receiving this light of the
cosmic Christ, Malkut of Beriyah gives birth to the
seven heavens and all of the celestial abodes. This
level of Malkut corresponds to the realization of
the glorified body of Melchizedek-the angelic or
heavenly body.

The kingdom of heaven is the light of the universe

of Yetzirah, of which the Lord has said, "I formed
the light and created the darkness..." From this
light, the holy angels and all spirits of
righteousness were formed and, thus, Malkut of
Yetzirah is called the world of angels. It is the light
of the world of angels that is the light of the
material world. Malkut of Asiyah is the material
universe and world, specifically this good earth, to
the degree the kingdom of heaven is reflected in it
and the world is established upon the divine order
that Malkut represents. Basically, Malkut
represents the culmination of the process of
creation that transpires in each of the Olamot and
is the divine order as it manifests in all five
universes.

Associated with the final He of the

Tetragrammaton, which represents the universe of
Asiyah, Malkut is primarily spoken of as the
material world and the matrix of spiritual forces
within and behind the material dimension. The idea
of Malkut as the purpose of the whole Tree of Life-
the holy fruit of the tree-and its primary
correspondence to the material universe and the
material world, reflects the importance the
Kabbalah places on the material world for
fulfillment of the divine plan. In the Christian
Kabbalah, life in the material world is considered
a precious gift, because only in the material plane
can the soul-being develop, evolve, and make
actual progress toward full self-realization.
Afterlife states are merely the integration of
experience acquired during incarnation. Until the
soul-being evolves beyond the need for physical
incarnation, the material plane serves as the
principal vehicle for enlightenment and liberation.
While, indeed, there is great darkness and evil in
the world, and death and destruction reign in it,
nevertheless the material world is the ideal realm
for progress and is necessary. If one examines
Kabbalistic teachings closely, whether Jewish or
Christian, one will even find suggestions that the
material world itself is destined to be transformed
by the supernal light into a world of supernal light-
every particle of matter is said to contain this light
of the Infinite. Essentially, the message of Malkut
is that this life is sacred and that its purpose is
ultimately enlightenment and liberation of the soul.
It is like a holy womb giving birth of our soul to
eternal life.
 The Presence of the Lord
At the level of Atzilut, the Sefirah Malkut
manifests as the divine name Adonai, which
translates as "the Lord." In Judaic Tradition, the
Tetragrammaton was pronounced only by the high
priest in the holy of holies or by a prophet in
seclusion seeking to invoke prophetic
consciousness. Thus, the name of Adonai was
created to be spoken in place of the
Tetragrammaton, so that, anywhere the name of
Yahweh appeared in the Torah, it would be
pronounced Adonai. In the same way that Malkut is
a vessel for the spiritual energies of all of the
Sefirot, so the name of Adonai is a vessel for the
name of Yahweh and serves as a shield to preserve
the holiness of the great name of God.

You will recall that, in the Judaic Kabbalah, the

divine name of Binah is "Yahweh pronounced as
Elohim." The same is true of Malkut; the name of
Malkut is "Yahweh pronounced as Adonai." This
reflects the intimate connection between Binah and
Malkut, the Daughter being the manifestation of the
divine Mother in creation or what is called created
wisdom in the Christian Kabbalah. The name
Adonai itself indicates the idea of created versus
uncreated wisdom in the sense that it is a name
created as an outer vessel of God's true holy name-
Yahweh-which is emanated and not created.

Malkut is the most restricted gradation of the

supernal light. It is for this reason that Malkut is
called a "depth of evil" in the Sefer Yetzirah. As
we have seen, tzimtzum creates the possibility of
darkness and evil. Thus, with the Sefirah that is
most constricted comes the possibility of the
greatest darkness and evil. The name Adonai,
therefore, represents the manifestation of God's
presence and power in a more diffused and limited
way than any other divine name. The virtue of this
is that the name Adonai is accessible to anyone
who seeks to call upon the name of the Lord, even
if the person is in a state of impurity or
encumbered by klippotic influence.

As we saw in the previous chapter, Yesod has

three variations of the name Shaddai to designate
manifestation of the Sefirah under the influence of
mercy, judgment, or compassion. Malkut, however,
has only the proper name of Adonai; thus Adonai
can indicate peaceful, wrathful, or blissful
manifestations of the Divine. This alludes to the
truth of God as the source of all life and of all
spiritual beings-forces, whether good or evil, and
to the divine providence that holds dominion over
all spiritual forces. Adonai is the presence and
power of God in any appearance it might assume-
Lord of the light and Lord of the darkness, Lord of
life and Lord of death.
 Given the broad range of the divine name Adonai,
this name reminds us that everything transpires
according to divine providence and the holy law.
Nothing happens without a reason-a greater
purpose and meaning in the divine plan. As we
have said, even darkness and evil, death and
destruction have a place and purpose in creation
and ultimately serve the divine will. While the
greater purpose and meaning of certain events in
life may remain a complete mystery to us,
nevertheless, it is important as Gnostic initiates
that we know and understand this fundamental
truthfor only then will we realize the divine
presence and power that manifests with us and as
us in this life.

Adonai is the name of life as it is-good and evil

alike-and the name reflects the very process of life.
Adonai is composed of four Hebrew letters: Aleph
(tt)-Dalet (7)-Nun (a)-Yod ('). Aleph is the "yoke
of the Spirit," the one life-power. Dalet is the
"door of life." Nun is the opposite of Dalet, being
the "gate of death." Yod is the "holy spark" or
"seed of light" being realized through the process
of birth, life, and death. Thus, Adonai means the
individuation and self-realization of the spirit-
power through the process of birth, death, and
rebirth, until the divine fullness of Yechidah is
awakened and realized. As much as the name of the
Shekinah, it is also the name of self-realization. It
is in this sense that the divine name Adonai is often
given to Yeshua Messiah, for he represents the first
human being of supernal self-realization.

There are two common variations of Adonai

associated with Malkut- Adonai Ha-Eretz and
Adonai Melekh. Adonai Ha-Eretz means the "Lord
of the Earth" and Adonai Melekh means "Lord
King." These two divine names represent the
sovereignty of God over the earth and creation.
Adonai Ha-Eretz specifically indicates Malkut as
this good earth when the kingdom of heaven is
reflected in it and Adonai Melekh specifically
indicates Malkut as the manifestation of the divine
will in creation. Other names are formed from
Adonai as well, such as Adonai Ha-Olam, "Lord
of the Universe," or Adonai Messiah, "Lord
Anointed." However, the essential meaning of
Adonai always remains the same-all are the name
Adonai, and Adonai is everything.
 The Rainbow Veil
The veil of the abyss divides the supernal and
moral triads and the veil of Paroket divides the
moral and action triads. These "veils" are reflected
in the veil of Qeshet, which is between the action
triad and Malkut. Qeshet is the Hebrew word
meaning "rainbow," and the veil of Qeshet
represents the refracted light of the supernals
passing through the astral planes.

This is the light of fantasy, false dreams, and

visions that are reflected into the astral, but do not
bear the necessary conditions and energy to
actually manifest. Likewise, the veil of Qeshet
represents misperceptions of the metaphysical
dimensions and all manner of strange doctrines
engendered by them, from atheism to the most
outlandish cultic teaching. Essentially, the veil of
Qeshet is what hinders and obstructs the true
opening of mystical or spiritual consciousness. On
the one hand, we could speak of the veil of Qeshet
as the product of seeking a spiritual view that
agrees with us or composing a spirituality of ideas
that we like, versus seeking gnosis of the truth,
whether it agrees with us or not. This phenomenon
is common in so-called "modern spirituality" and
prevents the manifestation of the spirit of truth. On
the other hand, we could speak of this veil as
psychism and mediumship at their worse, which
tends to lead completely astray from any authentic
spirituality. If the veil of the abyss is cosmic
ignorance, and the veil of Paroket is the karmic
matrix, then the veil of Qeshet is karmic vision-
specifically, the vision of ignorance.

In Rosicrucian Tradition, the grade of theoricus is

attributed to Yesod and the grade of zelator is
attributed to Malkut. The titles of these
Rosicrucian grades give us a clue as to how the
veil of Qeshet can be parted so that we can pass
beyond it, for zelator is a novice initiate who is
zealous, enthusiastic, and excited with all the new
possibilities that arise with the dawning sense of
the mystery; however, he or she is ignorant of the
mystery. The theoricus is a novice initiate who has
recognized his or her ignorance and therefore
seeks a spiritual education-one who studies,
contemplates, prays, and meditates, seeking true
knowledge of the metaphysical dimensions and the
mysteries. Thus, to pass beyond the veil of Qeshet,
one must go to school-study in an authentic wisdom
tradition or Mystery school-and receive initiation.
Obviously, a well-educated spiritual teacher and
experienced guide is the best way to liberate
oneself from the veil of Qeshet to experience a true
spiritual or mystical awakening, and a spiritual
community provides the ideal environment for
mystical attainment. This is the basic message of
all teachings on the veils.
 Spiritual education, however, is not something
imposed from the outside, but, as we have said, is
a drawing out of what is within oneself. It is not so
much that an initiate is going to tell you the truth as
much as to teach you how to look and see it for
yourself. The message of Malkut is that the spirit of
truth is within you and that it is reflected
everywhere in nature. One need only learn how to
look and see, and to listen and hear it. In a valid
wisdom tradition, all teachings are taken as
provisional and meant to be proved in one's own
experience. This is the education that dispels the
veil of Qeshet.

Qeshet means something more, however, for it is

not only a veil of the cosmic illusion-power, but is
also a symbol of promise. The rainbow is the sign
of the covenant that God made with Noah and his
family (humanity) when they emerged from the ark
after the flood. It is written: "God said, 'This is the
sign of the covenant that I make between me and
you and every living creature that is with you, for
all future generations: I have set my bow in the
clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant
between me and the earth(Genesis 9:12-13). On
the one hand, this is said to be the promise of the
preservation of the human life-wave on earth until
the dawn of a supernal or supramental humanity.
On the other hand, it is said to be the establishment
of the kingdom of heaven as a sanctuary of the
faithful and elect in their journey to enlightenment.

The dual attribute of the veil of Qeshet might at

first seem something of a contradiction-the idea of
karmic vision and the idea of the promise of
enlightenment. However, if one understands karma
to mean evolution, and one understands the role of
cosmic ignorance for the sake of individuation and
free will, then one will realize that karma is as
much a vehicle for enlightenment and liberation as
it is for ignorance and bondage. After all, the veil
of Qeshet is in the mind, and it is the same mind
that is enlightened or unenlightened.
 The Life of St. Mary
MagdaleneThe Incarnation of the
Holy Bride
The oral tradition of Christian Gnosticism is
replete with myths and legends of St. Mary
Magdalene, including esoteric teachings attributed
to her. As we have seen, she is believed to have
been the consort and wife of Yeshua Messiah,
copreacher and codivine with him. She is the
apostle of the apostles, the Holy Bride and
incarnation of Christ the Sophia. Basically, Lady
Mary represents the embodiment of the Partzuf of
Malkut in the Gospel-Nukva, the Daughter, and
Kallah, the Bride.

According to the Tradition, the soul of Lady Mary

was previously incarnate as Rachel, Jacob's most
beloved wife, and as Rahab, the prostitute who
helped the spies of Israel to escape from Jericho.
Rachel was the mother of Joseph and Benjamin
and it is said that her soul took on the karma of
incarnating as Rahab in order to help the children
of Israel enter into the holy land. Were it not for
Rahab saving the two men sent to spy out the city
of Jericho and had the two men not returned, it is
likely that the Israelites would not have had the
courage to enter the holy land and fulfill the
promise of God. Thus, as Rahab, the soul of
Rachel acted as a secret tzaddik.

You will recall that, according to the Tradition,

the soul of Lord Yeshua was incarnate as Jacob
and as Elisha. It is said that Jacob and Rachel
were soulmates, which is to say that they shared
the same Neshamah. The correspondence between
Jacob and Rachel and the incarnation of Lord
Yeshua and Lady Mary therefore indicates that
Yeshua and Mary are soulmates, the male and
female aspects of one soul of light. Accordingly,
when the Tradition says that the soul of Yeshua
attained supernal consciousness amidst an elder
race before entering into the human life-wave on
earth, the same is true of St. Mary Magdalene.

The life story of Lady Mary is quite the opposite

of Lord Yeshua, and the difference well reflects the
distinction between the Bridegroom (Tiferet) and
the Holy Bride (Malkut). While being fully human,
Lord Yeshua was never a man of this world and
did not directly involve himself in mundane affairs.
From his earliest youth, he was set apart and given
a spiritual education, including the esoteric
knowledge of the mystical and magical Kabbalah.
His family was relatively poor, but deeply
spiritual. The situation into which Lady Mary was
born was quite different. Her family was very
wealthy and was unspiritual. Her father was a
merchant and trader, and her mother enjoyed the
finer things of life. She received no spiritual
education, although, like Yeshua, she was a
spiritual prodigy. Because of her family, her
spirituality was deeply buried as she grew up and
she became completely immersed in the mundane
world. Lord Yeshua was always fairly clear about
why he entered into the world, but Lady Mary
became lost and aimlessly wandered for some
time. There are a few among the elect whose
experience is akin to Lord Yeshua, who never
became immersed in unenlightened society and the
establishment. For most of us, our experience is
more akin to St. Mary Magdalene-souls that
become lost and immersed in great darkness before
realizing the light that is in us. In this sense, the
experience of Lady Mary is closer to us and, for
many Gnostic initiates, it is through her that they
experience the deepest intimacy with the Christ-
presence.

The otherworldliness of Lord Yeshua and the

worldliness of Lady Mary are an expression of
Tiferet and Malkut, respectively. Tiferet is beyond
the world and Malkut is the world, and Malkut
manifests as the divine kingdom only when joined
to Tiferet. The same is true of Lady Mary as the
Holy Bride. She awakens and becomes Christ the
Sophia only when she meets Lord Yeshua in life
and is joined to him as a disciple and consortthen
she becomes the divine kingdom. Until that time,
she is lost and wandering, like the Shekinah in
exile, and experiences the extremes of light and
darkness, as all of humanity does while bound to
cosmic ignorance. The enigma of the Holy Bride is
the enigma of all humanity and the material world-
how, on the one hand, humanity and the world are
divine and, on the other hand, how humanity and
the world come to be dominated by ignorance and
darkness.

It is said that Mary Magdalene was a beautiful

baby and an exquisite little girl, and that her beauty
grew from year to year as she matured. Her beauty
and grace were almost otherworldly, so that it is
said it was angelic and unimaginably enchanting.
Men and woman alike noticed her. Wherever she
went, she was the center of attention. At the same
time, it is said that Mary dreamed dreams and saw
visions and that the spirits of prophets and angels
visited her, but she would not speak of these things
for fear of being branded a witch or heretic. Her
incomprehensible beauty, the worldliness it
invoked, and her spiritual depth created a vast
struggle in Mary, so that inwardly she was truly
torn and greatly troubled. Because she had no one
to confide in who might understand and she herself
was confused about her experience, her deep
troubling became torment.

Mary's father arranged for her to marry a very

wealthy Jewish man living in Babylon who was
also a merchant and trader. In so doing, her father
hoped to get more business through new family ties
and to acquire greater wealth for himself. This
became a greater torment to Mary, for she had
dreamed of her beloved and it was not this man,
and in her heart of heart's she did not want to leave
the holy land. However, under ancient law, a
daughter could not refuse her father's wishes and
she had no choice but to marry whomever her
father arranged for her to marry. Thus, Mary and
her handmaid were placed with a caravan going to
Babylon.

It is said that Mary's inner struggle became so

great during the journey to Babylon that she began
to lose her mind. Dark visions and nightmares
replaced her heavenly visions. She felt as though
her soul was ebbing away as the caravan moved
further and further out of the holy land. On the way,
the caravan Mary traveled in was attacked by a
large band of robbers. Mary was taken, raped, and
sold into slavery in Babylon. The man who bought
Mary turned her out as a prostitute for wealthy
men, and Mary was a broken woman-rage, hatred,
and darkness filled her. Here and there bright
dreams would come, but feeling completely lost
and abandoned, they seemed to her like taunting
and they fueled the darkness that consumed her. It
was as though she had descended into the depths of
Hades and the abodes of Gehenna (hell).

Because of her unimaginable beauty, she attracted

the attention of very wealthy and powerful men,
and it was not long until one of them bought her
freedom. Yet she continued as a prostitute, as she
could conceive of nothing else to do and had no
love for men. Having the ear of powerful men, she
acquired power. Consorting with wealthy men, she
accumulated wealth. She became immersed in
political and social intrigue, manipulating men and
women alike. It is said that, at one point, she
instigated a conspiracy to murder on account of her
hatred, seeing the man killed who once owned her
as a slave and made her a prostitute. Deeper and
deeper she sank into darkness, and it was as though
she became an empty and soulless shell animated
only with an inner fury cloaked by an outward
beauty and charm.

At the point of greatest darkness in the experience

of Mary Magdalene, Lord Yeshua underwent the
baptism and the temptation in the wilderness. The
influx of supernal light into the world awoke
something within Mary. She remembered the
dreams and visions of her youth and the image of
the beloved she had known in her heart. Her rage
turned into despair and sorrow. She turned to God
and called upon the Spirit of the Lord for
deliverance, repenting of the negativity and
darkness. God heard Mary's prayer and sent a holy
man to her-a guide to set her on the path. When the
holy man came to her, her heart and mind were
opened and she received him. He told her that her
father had died and that the Spirit of the Lord
called her to return to the holy land. He said to her,
"In dreams and visions, the Lord has shown you the
path of your soul, and now the Lord calls you to
follow your dreams that you might pass from
darkness into the light. Seek out the Anointed One,
for he will deliver you and heal your wounds." So
Mary made arrangements and set out for the holy
land with a caravan the very next day. On the same
day that Lord Yeshua performed the first miracle at
the wedding feast of Cana, it is said that Lady
Mary entered into the holy land.

Although something of the light-presence was

awakening in Mary, it was not an easy journey, for
having entertained such darkness, she had formed
links with seven powerful demons and they
plagued her along the way. Once she entered the
holy land, she straightaway sought out the
Anointed. She found him preaching to peoples
gathered around him. She hid herself in the back of
the crowd and listened to him. His voice was as
the cooing of a dove, soothing and comforting to
her, and yet his words burned her to the core. At
one point, he glanced at her, caught her gaze, and
he smiled. She felt something enter her-an energy
or vibration that pervaded her whole body. When
Lord Yeshua finished teaching the people, he sent
two disciples to bring Mary to him, and he waited
for them on the edge of the wilderness near the
River Jordan.

According to the Gospel of St. Mark, Lord

Yeshua exorcised the seven demons from Mary.
Gnostic Tradition says he then charged the two
disciples to baptize Mary Magdalene, and when
they had baptized her, he took her out into the
wilderness to teach and initiate her in secret. When
they returned, Yeshua announced that Lady Mary
was to become his bride and he gave instructions
for the preparation of a wedding feast. The
wedding took place three days later. From that day
on, Lady Mary was always in the company of Lord
Yeshua, and she was copreacher and codivine with
him-one in body and soul.

Lady Mary was like a divine muse to Lord

Yeshua and embodied the pure desire to receive
that fulfilled his holy desire to give. Through her
presence, Lord Yeshua was inspired to impart the
inner and secret teachings of the Gospel and the
light of the Christ-presence increased in him a
hundredfold. In private, he gave her the inmost
secret teachings, which only she and her brother St.
Lazarus received, so that the whole mystery of the
Gospel of truth was revealed to her. Alongside
Lord Yeshua, she preached the Gospel and worked
wonders; she taught and initiated the women
disciples and led them in the way, truth, and light.
Grace upon grace, light upon light, came through
St. Mary Magdalene. Lord Yeshua drew forth the
supernal light that was in her and she drew forth
the supernal light that was in him.

Within and behind every miracle and significant

event in the life story of Lord Yeshua, there are
stories of St. Mary Magdalene and the role she
played in the mystery drama of the Gospel.
According to Gnostic Christianity, the Gospel of
truth emerges from the love-play of the
Bridegroom and Holy Bride, and, in their union,
they fulfill and complete one another. He is the Son
of the heavenly Father, Christ the Logos, and she is
the Daughter of the earthly Mother, Christ the
Sophia-the Soul of the world. Through Lady Mary,
the Holy Bride, humanity and the world are joined
to Yeshua Messiah and, in her redemption, all
souls are redeemed.

As we said in our exploration of the mystery of

the crucifixion, Lord Yeshua made his body a
magical talisman of the negative karma of the
world, so that, in submitting himself to be
crucified, the negative karma of the world was
crucified in him. It was through his union with the
Holy Bride that he was able to do this, for it is
through her that he becomes intimately connected
to the world and the darkness that rules in it.
Incarnating in an unenlightened family and
submitting herself to the dominion of the
establishment, her experience of rape, slavery,
prostitution, and her fall into the depths of darkness
are all talismatic acts through which Lady Mary
takes the darkness of the world upon herself. In the
covenant of marriage, husband and wife become
"one flesh." Thus, just as the experience of Lord
Yeshua became the experience of Lady Mary, so
did Lord Yeshua take upon himself the experience
of Lady Mary and the great darkness she had bound
to herself. In essence, in Gnosticism, the early life
of Lady Mary is integral to the mystery of the
crucifixion and resurrection, for she also
undergoes the same heroic act of allowing herself
to be a holy sacrifice for the enlightenment and
liberation of souls. If one considers her
experience, it is as though she, too, was crucified
and experienced the descent into hades and the
depths of hell and was raised to eternal life from
among the dead. Because she descends into the
depths of darkness, Lord Yeshua also descends
into the pit to deliver souls bound to the dominion
of darkness-the Holy Bride leading the way.

This great mystery is reflected in the story of

Lady Mary anointing the body of Lord Yeshua with
ointment or perfume-different variations of which
appear in the canonized Gospels. According to the
Gospel of St. John, it is written:

Six days before Passover Jesus came to

Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had
raised from the dead. There they gave a
dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus
was one of those at the table with him.
Mary took a pound of costly perfume made
of pure nard, anointed Jesus' feet, and
wiped them with her hair. The house was
filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
(Gospel of St. John 12:1-3)

The masters of the Tradition say that, in this

mystical/magical act, Lady Mary consecrated Lord
Yeshua's body as a talisman of the negative karma
of the world and imparted an initiation, preparing
him for his journey through death and darkness. At
the same time, it was an act of devotion or
worship-a sensual and erotic act of love-play
between divine consorts, prophetic of what was
soon to transpire.

However exoteric Christianity might attempt to

explain away and dismiss this story of St. Mary
Magdalene, it is clear that she had knowledge and
understanding of the divine revelation of the
Gospel that eluded the male disciples, and it is
equally clear that she had a more intimate
relationship with Lord Yeshua than any other
disciple. According to the Tradition, although it is
not mentioned in the canonized Gospels, Lady
Mary was present at the transfiguration and while
the men fell unconscious she remained awake and,
therefore, received the light transmission in full.
That night it is said that she took three of the
women disciples into a cave and was transfigured
before them. The images of Mother and
Grandmother Israel appeared with her, and she
revealed to the women the mysteries of what was
to come and the world of supernal light.

On the night of passion, when the male disciples

went out to the garden in the Kidron Valley with
Lord Yeshua, Lady Mary remained in the upper
room with the women disciples and held vigil with
them through the night. Lady Mary felt the trial and
tribulation of Lord Yeshua in her soul as the pains
of giving birth and all of the women with her, so
that their prayers were amidst tears and wailing,
and yet in the depths of their being, they knew the
peace and joy of life eternal being born among
them.

In the morning, Lady Mary, the Holy Mother, and

an old woman, along with St. John, went to the
Mount of Golgotha and stood by Lord Yeshua in
his crucifixion, suffering inwardly with him the
anguish of dying and death. With her knowledge
and understanding of the resurrection, Lady Mary
experienced the height of joy and yet, with the
suffering of her beloved, she experienced the depth
of sorrow-a greater torment in the soul than in her
own journey through darkness.

Lady Mary carried with her the cup of blessing.

When the Lord had died and the centurion thrust his
spear into Yeshua's side, Lady Mary collected
some of the blood and water that flowed out into
the cup. When she did this she prayed that the cup
would become a holy vessel of Christos, and
through the power of the blood and the light-
presence that was in her, she consecrated the cup
and it became the Holy Grail. From that time on,
whoever drank from the Grail was healed of all
wounds and their life was extended-and thus Lady
Mary became the Mistress of the Grail.

Every morning and evening, Lady Mary visited

the tomb of Lord Yeshua, mourning his death and
praying for the resurrection. On the third day, she
was the first to behold the Risen Christ and she
witnessed the first ascension to the Father. It is
written of this eternal moment:

Jesus said to her, "Do not bold on to me,

because I have not yet ascended to the
Father. But go to my brothers and say to
them, I am ascending to my Father and your
Father, to my God and your God."' (Gospel
of St. John 20:17)

As the first to bear the good news of the

resurrection, St. Mary Magdalene was ordained
the first holy apostle-the apostle of the apostles-
and it is through her that the apostolic succession is
sustained.

According to the Tradition, before the final

ascension of the Lord, Lady Mary swore a vow to
continue to incarnate in a woman's form until the
time of the second coming of Christ in glory. Thus
Gnostic Christians believe that the soul of St. Mary
Magdalene is incarnate somewhere in the world in
every generation and that she is the matrix of the
true apostolic succession.

This is reflected in the Gnostic tale of the day of

Pentecost. The Bridegroom ascended into heaven,
but the Holy Bride remained upon the earth, and it
was through the Holy Mother and Bride that the
holy fire of Pentecost poured out upon the apostles.
The Holy Bride is the fiery light poured out upon
them. When the men were driven out of the upper
room to bear forth the living presence, the women
remained in the upper room with the Mother and
Lady Mary-abiding as the matrix of hidden light.

Legend says that St. Mary Magdalene conceived a

child with Lord Yeshua seven days before the
crucifixion and resurrection, and that she gave
birth to a son, whose name was Michael. Until her
son was old enough to travel safely, Lady Mary
retreated to the hills of Galilee-some say to a town
called Safed. There she taught those who came to
her, and initiated them into the inner and secret
mysteries of the Gospel. Many came to drink from
the Grail and be healed and to learn the ceremony
of the Grail, which was known to her alone.
However, Lady Mary was not well received and
accepted, as most of the male disciples were
jealous of her knowledge and understanding of the
mysterie-only a few among the apostles believed
in the Bride. Thus, a division began between the
outer and the inner church in the first circle-those
who believed in the Lord exclusively and those
who believed in the Bridegroom and Holy Bride.

Lady Mary feared for the life of her son, Michael,

as there were men who sought to kill him. An angel
of the Lord appeared to her, warning her of coming
danger and directing her to travel to a distant land,
where she would be received and accepted and her
son would be safe. Joseph of Arimathea is said to
have traveled with her, both as a holy witness of
the Gospel of truth and guardian of the Holy Bride.
With them they took the Holy Grail and traveled to
southern France.

In the new land, Lady Mary preached the Gospel

of truth, along with her son and Joseph. She soon
became known as a wonder worker, healer, and
prophetess, and people sought her out for advice
and comfort. Men and women alike became her
disciples, and many faithful who believed in her
followed her from the holy land. Because she gave
birth to the son of Lord Yeshua, she became known
as the mother of the royal blood, her son St.
Michael being the first heir and initiate in the
lineage of the royal blood. Thus, while the true
apostolic succession is spiritual, founded upon the
light transmission and the attainment of Christ
consciousness, there is also said to be a physical
talisman of the apostolic succession in the royal
blood via the son of the Holy Bride. Some would
say that the lineage of royal blood, along with the
Sophian Tradition of Christian Gnosticism, has
continued to exist in an unbroken succession since
the time of St. Mary Magdalene to the present day.

There are many stories of St. Mary Magdalene's

death. It is said of Mother Mary that her body was
translated into pure light and that she was taken up
in divine rapture in her death; but it is said of the
Holy Bride that she left her body behind as a
blessing upon the earth and departed the world in
the same way as ordinary souls so that she might
honor her vow to swiftly return. Nevertheless, the
spirits of the holy saints and angels attended the
death of the Bride, and those who witnessed her
death beheld a great light-presence visibly
manifest. When her soul departed her body, it was
as though a shooting star passed from the body of
the Bride to another womb. Because her body was
laid to rest in France, it has often been called the
second holy land by those who are faithful to her.

The life story of St. Mary Magdalene that we

have given here is but an overview. It is in nowise
complete and does not include any of the esoteric
teachings attributed to her. There are also other life
stories that are given in the Tradition, some that are
radically different from the one we have provided.
However, this outline of her life story does convey
an idea of how St. Mary Magdalene is viewed in
the Sophian Tradition and the central role she
plays in the Gnostic Gospel. Space does not allow
a more detailed account of her story or an analysis
of the deeper esoteric meaning contained in it. Our
purpose here is a basic exploration of principles of
Gnostic Christianity and the Tree of Life in the
Christian Kabbalah. In the Sophian Tradition of
Christian Gnosticism there is no Gospel without
the Holy Bride, and in the Christian Kabbalah her
story conveys teachings on Malkut. It is for this
reason that an outline of her story has been given.
 The Bride's Reception and the
Second Coming
You will recall our exploration of the promise
made by Elijah to Elisha that was fulfilled by the
same great souls incarnate as John the Baptist and
Yeshua-a promise fulfilled in a future incarnation.
According to the Gnostic Gospel as told in the
Sophian Tradition, a similar promise transpired
between Lord Yeshua and Lady Mary. Yeshua
promises her that she will be received, saying, "I
have come, most beloved, and I am coming; and I
will come again in you and you will be received,
even as the Son of Adam has been received. And
you will bear twice the power of the Son of God,
for you are the Daughter of the Most High who
shall give birth to the holy ones in the end of days."

When Lord Yeshua speaks this promise, Lady

Mary is said to have responded with a holy vow,
saying, "I will run and return, and continue to
incarnate in a woman's form until the end of days
so that all things might be fulfilled. Few are those
who embody the person of light in the woman's
form, yet it is woman who gives birth to the new
generation and until she is known in her fullness,
surely the light of the human one shall not be
manifest in full. May it come to pass as my Lord
speaks."

According to the Tradition, the Christos was

embodied by both Lord Yeshua and Lady Mary. Yet
because she was not fully received, the full power
and glory of Kallah Messiah-the anointed Bride-
was not manifest. In the Sophian view, the first
coming was the implanting of a seed of light in
human consciousness, which is akin to the womb
of the Holy Bride. The second coming represents
the fruition of that holy seed when larger segments
of humanity enter into supernal or Messianic
consciousness. This is reflected by the saying of
the prophet Joel:

Then afterward I will pour out my Spirit

upon all flesh; your sons and your daughters
shall prophesy, your old men shall dream
dreams, and your young men shall see
visions. Even on male and female slaves, in
those days, I will pour out my Spirit. (Joel
2:28-29)

Masters of the Tradition say that the dawn of

supernal or Messianic consciousness is the same,
whether in a man or a woman, and that both men
and women equally can attain it. In the Spirit of the
Messiah, there is no distinction between gender,
class, or race groups, for the light-presence enters
anyone who desires to receive it. Thus, St. Paul
writes: "There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is
no longer slave or free, there is no longer male or
female; for all are one in Jesus Christ" (Galations
3:28). Yet, the masters of the Tradition also say
that when Christ consciousness dawns in a woman,
the light-presence is more powerful, for women
have an innate capacity to naturally and
spontaneously transmit the light-presence to others
in their environment. Essentially, the Christed man
tends to impart the light transmission to select
individuals, while the Christed woman tends to
impart the light transmission to whole groups of
individuals.

Because the second coming is the dawn of

Messianic consciousness in larger segments of
humanity and because of this innate capacity
associated with womanhood, the second coming is
believed to be an advent of supernal consciousness
that will be sparked by a holy woman who
incarnates the soul of St. Mary Magdalene and
embodies the divine fullness of the Soul of the
Messiah. This is the vision of the second coming
held by Sophian Gnostics, and distinctly reflects
the mysteries of Malkut on the Tree of Life, which
is called the Daughter and the Bride, and is the
holy fruit for which all Sefirot were generated.

Today, as we witness the struggle for equality

between manhood and womanhood in the world,
this vision of the second coming perhaps makes
even more sense than in previous generations. For
the co-equality and coenlightenment of men and
women alike is necessary for the emergence of a
new humanity and new world order. We cannot
speak of the redemption of humanity apart from the
redemption of womanhood. Likewise, we cannot
speak of the evolution of a higher form of human
being except through the matrix of womanhood.
Thus, in the eyes of Sophians, the second coming is
dependent upon true womanhood and, specifically,
the incarnation of Christ in a holy woman who, in
effect, will give birth to a new and enlightened
humanity and a new world order-the divine
kingdom.

This idea is reflected in the Book of Revelation,

where the image of the woman of light appears
giving birth to a holy child (Revelation 12).
Although the holy child is spoken of as male, the
masters of the Tradition say that this child is the
androgynous one, who is like unto the holy angels,
both male and female in one body of light; hence,
this child is the union of the Bridegroom and
Bride, Christ the Logos and Christ the Sophia.

There is much more that could be said about the

vision of the second coming as it is taught in the
Sophian Tradition. However, time and space do
not permit us to go any further into this mystery. Yet
this mystery is considered a key message of Malkut
in the Christian Kabbalah and it is at the heart of
Sophian Gnosticism.
 The Black Bride-Sophia Nigrans
The Daughter and Holy Bride is the image of the
divine Mother below; the lower Shekinah is the
reflection of the upper Shekinah. Everything we
might say of Binah regarding the divine feminine,
we may also say of Malkut, for Malkut is the
manifest power of the divine Mother. Just as the
divine Mother is both bright and dark, so also is
the Daughter and Holy Bride. For though we may
speak of the upper and lower Shekinah, in truth,
there is but one Shekinah above and below. The
Shekinah-power manifest in the holy saints and
angels and the Shekinah-power manifest in the
evil-doer and demons, in essence, is the same
Shekinah. The whole of creation and all creatures
are sustained by God's presence and nothing exists
apart from God's presence.

The Holy Bride is the maiden of light, the mother

of the royal blood, and the crone of ageless
wisdom; yet she is also the mistress of the night,
the queen of demons, and the hag of chaos. The
bright bride is personified by Eve, but the black
bride is personified by Lilith, who is said to have
been the "first wife of Adam." According to
legend, before Eve was created, the Lord gave
Lilith to Adam as a partner. He was the image of
God by day, she was the image of God by night,
and they were ordained to be co-equal and to shine
with the same supernal light.

Essentially, Lilith was the divine emanation of

feminine power in all of its glory and strength-
awesome and wonderful. Adam could not deal
with Lilith, however, and felt overwhelmed by her,
so he sought to subjugate her to himself. This
played out in Adam and Lilith's attempts at
lovemaking. Adam always wanted to be on top, but
Lilith thought, as equals, they should lie side by
side or that they should alternate who was on top.
Much to Lilith's frustration, however, Adam
refused to allow it. This created strife between
Adam and Lilith, so that they could find no
happiness or satisfaction with one another. As the
story goes, eventually Lilith had enough of Adam's
attempts to dominate her, so she spoke a magic
name of God, rose into the air, and flew away into
the wilderness of the desert near the Red Sea. This
was a place of ill-repute, said to be the haunt of
ancient demons, and there Lilith stayed.

Enraged, Lilith emanated her wrath in the form of

Naamah, and Naamah engaged in unbridled sexual
relations with the ancient demons, giving birth to
hundreds of demons every night. Thus, the wrathful
darkness of Lilith-Naamah-became the mother and
queen of demons. When God saw that Lilith had
departed from Adam, God sent three angels after
her-Senoy, Sansenoy, and Semangelof-and charged
them to bring her back to the Garden of Eden. They
went out seeking Lilith and found her place in the
desert by the Red Sea. They beheld her dark wrath
churning the waters of the Red Sea and the great
and lesser demons to which Naamah was giving
birth. The angels gave God's message to Lilith and
pleaded with her to return, but she would have
nothing of it. The angels pleaded with her to cease
from the generation of demons, because their
numbers were becoming a threat to creation, but
she would not stop. The angels then took their
report back to God.

When God heard that Lilith refused to return to

Adam and that she had emanated Naamah and was
breeding a great demonic horde, God brought forth
a second female emanation from within Adam,
calling her Eve. Eve was completely submissive,
which eventually led to her submission to the
serpent and the fall. God then sent the three angels
back to Lilith to bind her power, lest the great
darkness she was birthing should overwhelm all of
creation.

When the three angels appeared to Lilith again,

they told her what God had done and threatened to
destroy her if she did not stop the generation of
demons. Her fury was kindled even more upon
hearing this, and from it emerged Iggaret, the hag of
chaos. She appeared as an unspeakable horror-a
great nothing filled with an unquenchable thirst and
ravishing hunger seeking to devour the whole of
creation. Even the three angels of God felt dread
and terror when they beheld her.

Lilith spoke to the three angels, saying, "You,

creatures of heaven, will destroy me? I am an
emanation and I cannot be destroyed by you. Were
you to destroy me, creation itself would not
endure, for I am among the great powers in
creation, without which creation would not be
upheld. Creation exists for the human one, and I am
part of the soul of the human one. The soul of the
human one and the soul of creation cannot be
divided. What will become of your precious
human being and God's creation if you destroy
me?" The angels responded, "We have misspoken,
Lilith; we have not been given the power to
destroy you, but to bind you. And bind you we
shall if you do not cease from your rage against
your creator and his creatures. Have you
considered your own fate before Iggaret? If she
devours the whole of creation, although an
emanation, you also will return to the great
unmanifest, and it will be to you as the second
death of oblivion. And if you fill the whole of
creation with demons, and all things are destroyed,
will you not be condemned to exist forever and
ever in the plains of desolation left in the wake of
your rage?"
 Upon hearing this, Lilith let out a great scream;
she screeched and howled and wailed, and Iggaret
returned into her. She spoke a magic name of God
and said to the three angels, "My wrath is not
kindled against the Lord God, but against Adam
and the submissive woman, and against the weak
children that shall be born of their union and the
pitiful weakness in creation that shall be brought
into being by this degenerate humankind.
Therefore, hear the magic name of God I speak,
and the spell of my vow. Every day, you and the
company of heaven may cull the weak from among
my children, and thus tend a balance between the
light and the darkness; but so also shall I cull the
weak from among the sons and daughters of Adam,
and my children shall make sport of the children of
Adam until the end of time. Where there are
amulets, talismans, or seals placed bearing your
names, I shall not enter, and when these are placed
upon the children of Adam I will not seek to take
the life of the child; but where knowledge and
wisdom are lacking, there I will enter, and the
unprotected child will fall to my domain. Those
among the children of Adam that seek to fulfill the
will of the Lord, I will leave unharmed, but those
who stand against the will of the Lord, I shall go
against and prevail. When the children of Adam
abandon the covenant because of their weakness,
when the house of the Lord lays in desolation and
the Great Mother is in exile, then I shall dwell with
the Lord in the place of the Mother and on earth it
shall be called the end of days. Great darkness
shall come upon the earth and I shall loose Iggaret
in the world, and it shall be seen who are faithful
and who are unfaithful, who are strong and who
are weak, among the children of Adam. For this, I
have come into being, and by the will of the Lord,
it shall be done as I have spoken it." The angels
affirmed the vow of Lilith and departed from her,
having accomplished their mission.
 This is the beginning of the story of Lilith-one
variation among the many that are told in the oral
tradition of Sophian Gnosticism. Her story could
easily fill a large volume when coupled with the
commentaries and teachings that have been
generated from it. Previously, we have spoken of
the integral role of evil in creation, which allows
for the existence of free will and the resistance
necessary for an actual evolution. Likewise, we
have spoken of the ordeals of initiation and the
challenge of power that an initiate must face in the
process of self-realization. Essentially, Lilith is the
personification of the Shekinah or the Bride's
manifestation in these experiences-the dark nights
of the soul that are critical to any actual
enlightenment and liberation. It is the Holy Spirit
that leads Yeshua out into the desert to be tempted
by Satan, it is the Holy Spirit that causes the
mystical death through which the resurrection is
attained, and it is the Holy Spirit that manifests as
the horror and beauty of the apocalypsethis is the
black bride, Sophia Nigrans.

In Lilith's relationship with Eve, it is as though

she personifies all aspects of the divine feminine
and womanhood that are threatening and un
acceptable to the patriarchal mind-the enigmatic
and mysterious nature of the feminine. She is the
female sensual-sexual dynamism; the irrational,
unpredictable, and chaotic qualities of feminine
creativity; the intensity of unbridled emotion and
passion; true feminine intelligence and
independence-the full power of womanhood. Eve
and Lilith joined together, therefore, personify true
womanhood or the complete woman. If manhood
and womanhood fulfill and complete one another
and if there is both a masculine and feminine
aspect in men and women alike, then without
Lilith, Adam and Eve are incomplete. It is for this
reason that Sophian Gnosticism speaks of the
redemption of Lilith as integral to the redemption
of humanity-both men and women-and speaks of
Eve and Lilith united in the person of the Holy
Bride, St. Mary Magdalene.

In the story of St. Mary Magdalene, sexuality

plays a significant role, from the event of her rape
and her becoming a prostitute to her ultimate
redemption as the consort and wife of Lord Yeshua
and mother of his child. The Gnostic Gospel,
which speaks of the union of the Holy Bride and
Bridegroom, alludes to the healing and redemption
of our sexuality as an integral part of our self-
realization. This corresponds to another aspect of
Lilith. In the story of Lilith, she is specifically
associated with a class of she-demons and he-
demons called succubae and incubi. These evil
spirits are said to seek out lone men and women to
lay with them and produce demonic children. Thus,
Lilith personifies repressed sexual energy and the
imbalance and perversions that result from
repression. The redemption of Lilith, therefore,
also relates to the healing of human sexuality, the
importance of which becomes apparent when one
considers the sexual misconduct and aberrations
that occur in religious institutions where
repression is the rule. As we have said, sexual
energy is the most fundamental manifestation of the
Shekinah-power in the human experience. Thus,
denial and repression of our sexuality is a
rejection of the Shekinah and prevents the
sublimation of sexual energy that is crucial to the
self-realization process. While some might think of
sublimation as an abstinence from sexual relations,
that is not the case in Gnostic Christianity and the
Kabbalah. By sublimation is meant the ability to
consciously direct sexual or desire energy and,
through conscious control, to experience real
satisfaction and happiness-hence to fulfill the more
subtle and sublime desire within and behind the
gross external form. When a sexual relationship is
founded upon love, the sublimation of sexual
energy is the natural result. This is equally true of
any manifestation of desire energy. When manifest
with love, it is inherently righteous.

The black bride-Lilith-will not be understood by

way of a rational explanation nor will the
importance that is placed upon her in the Sophian
Tradition. As we have said above, the Bride does
not teach and initiate us through philosophical
arguments; rather, she imparts herself through life
experience. To gain knowledge and understanding
of the black bride, one must invoke her and
embrace her completely, accepting the whole of
oneself and one's life as it is and letting go to the
divine passion wherever it leads. Through her, we
are able to pass beyond our fears and discover the
true delight of life and, perhaps more importantly,
realize that there is no part of us that is not of
God's presence. If one is so willing, she will lead
one from the darkness into the light and bring about
the deepest possible healing on all levels-a
wholeness of being that is unimaginable.
 The Doctrine of the Soul Mate
According to the Kabbalah, every human soul
comes from Adam Kadmon, and every embodied
human soul is within Adam Ha-Rishon. Adam Ha-
Rishon is the supernal Adam at the level of Atzilut
in which male and female were joined together in
one holy image. When the supernal Adam was
separated into man and woman-Adam and Eve-the
holy souls (Ne- shamot) destined to become human
beings were also divided into male and female.
Thus, every person has a soul mate, a perfect
spiritual counterpart, that he or she is destined to
meet and unite with at some point in the
transmigration of the soul.

The Kabbalah says that the patriarchs and

matriarchs were soul mates and that all the holy
couples in the living myth of the Scriptures
represent soul mates. As we have seen, in
Christian Gnosticism Lord Yeshua and Lady Mary
are considered soul mates, the reincarnation of
Jacob and Rachel. The association of soul mates
with holy couples in the Scriptures indicates the
dynamic circumstances, situations, and events that
occur when soul mates are able to meet and unite
with one another in the world, and reflects the
conditions necessary for their meeting, for the
soul-being of both partners must have a sufficient
degree of evolution and have accomplished all
necessary tikkune of the soul before they are ready
to meet and restore their unity. Likewise, both must
be incarnate at the same time in male and female
form, corresponding to the aspect of the Neshamah
they represent, both must attain and embody their
supernal soul, and the conditions in their
environment-place, time, and circumstance-must be
just right. Only then do soul mates meet and unite
with one another. Essentially, the soul-being must
evolve to a higher grade and be near to the
attainment of self-realization in order to meet its
destined partner. The masters of the Tradition say
that the union of soul mates is integral to the
fulfillment of the ultimate mission of the Neshamah
in creation and that the soul's mission cannot be
completed apart from one's soul mate.

Soul mates may meet in an incarnation, but not be

able to unite because the necessary conditions are
not present. Likewise, souls destined for one
another may meet and unite, but not accomplish the
mission of the Neshamah and therefore not perfect
their union. After all, a true mystical union must
bear good fruit and the two who become one must
fulfill and complete one another. In many lifetimes,
one's soul mate may not even be incarnate or, if
incarnate, may not be in synchronous movement for
a meeting and union to take place. According to the
Tradition, soul mates are able to meet and unite
only through divine providence, which is to say,
through divine grace. When soul mates meet and
unite, however, it is a powerful and wonderful
event and the blessing of their union extends light
and life to others. Soul mates uplift humanity and
the world. It is said to be a union of great beauty
that facilitates the manifestation of the divine
kingdom.

When speaking of soul mates, my teacher would

always say, "You should not expect to meet your
soul mate in this life, neither should you doubt that
you will; but in all your relationships you should
seek to create the conditions necessary for this
holy union-for one never knows when it shall come
to pass. You must have a good heart and clear
conscience, and cultivate compassion and love.
All our relations prepare us to meet our beloved,
whom the Beloved has ordained for us at the outset
of creation."

Previously, we spoke of our capacity to meet and

recognize a holy tzaddik. According to the sages of
wisdom, it is the same capacity necessary for us to
meet and recognize our soul mate, for an authentic
spiritual teacher is akin to a soul mate, and as the
tzaddik is a face of the beloved, so also is our soul
mate. As much as leading us to a conscious union
with God, the tzaddik also prepares us to meet our
soul mate-hence to fulfill our true will or the
mission of our Neshamah.

Apart from our soul mate, we may be able to

draw upon something of our Yechidah and Hayyah,
but only when we are in union with our soul mate
are we able to embody them. Thus, the Kabbalah
says that the fullness of the Shekinah-the upper and
lower Shekinah-comes to rest only upon a man or
woman when he or she is joined to his or her
opposite: when a man and woman are completely
united in true love.

The doctrine of the soul mate reveals the

significance and holiness placed upon human
relationships in Gnostic Christianity. It also serves
to teach Gnostic initiates how to rightly approach
intimate personal relationships. It teaches that one
is to love one's partner as oneself and seek out a
relationship in which the fulfillment of both
partners is possible. Specifically, it teaches the
Gnostic to seek out relationships that cultivate his
or her humanity and that serve to facilitate
conscious spiritual evolution. Whether one is with
one's soul mate or in an exchange of sparks with
another soul, the foundation of all intimate
personal relationships is to be the same. This is
reflected in the story of Jacob, who is married to
both Leah and Rachel, and his equal respect and
love for both partners, even though it was Rachel
who was his soulmate.

The teaching on soul mates also reflects the

Gnostic emphasis upon development of a
coequality of men and women. While a great
imbalance exists between men and women, the
meeting and union of soul mates can only remain a
relatively rare and exceptional phenomenon. True
manhood cannot exist apart from true womanhood,
and, in the Gnostic view, the second coming is
dependent upon the meeting and union of a larger
number of soul mates in the collective of humanity.
Although a single man or woman may become a
holy tzaddik, the perfect tzaddik is one who is
joined with his or her soul mate in the great work
and the two are able to act together as one holy
person, as we see in the case of Lord Yeshua and
Lady Mary. It is said that there is no greater
manifestation of the Christ presence than that
which comes into being through the union of
soulmates.
 The Community of the ElectThe
Gnostic Circle
Spiritual community is a manifestation of Malkut in
the material world, closely associated with the
angelic choir representing Malkut in Asiyahthe
order of the Ashim, which means "souls of fire."
Just as Malkut is the holy vessel receiving the
influx of spiritual energy from all of the Sefirot, the
spiritual community or Gnostic circle is a physical
channel and vehicle of all divine powers in the
material world.

This is reflected in Judaic Tradition. When prayer

services are performed in a Jewish synagogue,
there must be a minimum of ten people gathered
together in worship; otherwise, the prayer service
is considered null and void. According to Jewish
Kabbalists, it is a great blessing to be among the
first ten to arrive for prayer services, as the
presence and power of a Sefirah naturally comes
to rest upon each of the ten and from them the
spiritual energy flows out to the entire
congregation. While the number ten represents the
Sefirot, it is also the number of the Hebrew letter
Yod-the first holy letter of the Tetragrammaton.
Thus, the spiritual community has the power to
draw down a supernal blessing from the Sefirot of
Atzilut. This is reflected when Lord Yeshua
indicates that the Spirit of the Messiah is naturally
present when "two or more are gathered" in the
blessed name, Pentagrammaton-Yeshua.

The divine incarnation transpires through Lord

Yeshua and Lady Mary, yet, as we have seen, it is
the spiritual community that forms around the
anointed one that creates the necessary conditions
for the incarnation and the light transmission to
occur. A matrix of souls is needed to form a holy
vessel to receive the influx of the supernal light in
the world and to impart the light-force to souls of
various grades. The divine fullness of the Soul of
the Messiah is, in fact, too great for a single
individual, but requires a group of individuals to
embody it. In the Gnostic view, the Soul of the
Messiah entered into Lord Yeshua, Lady Mary, the
Holy Mother, and all of the holy apostles, so that
the sacred circle or spiritual community is, in truth,
the mystical body of Christ-every initiate being a
member of the mystical body through which the
soul of the anointed is incarnate. Thus, the
incarnation continues through the spiritual
community that is founded upon the transmission of
a living presence-the apostolic succession.

In Gnostic Tradition, this is something more than

the poetic metaphor it has become in orthodox
Christianity. Gnosticism is founded upon
selfrealization and understands that the Soul of the
Messiah is embodied by initiates, more or less,
depending upon their grade of attainment. Thus,
there are elders and tau who embody something of
the supernal or Messianic consciousness and there
are circles of initiates that form around them and
serve as a matrix of the light-presence. It is not
merely the elder or tau who embodies something of
the Soul of the Messiah, but the whole spiritual
community. As a matter of fact, the degree to which
a tzaddik is able to draw down the Soul of the
Messiah is completely dependent upon the degree
to which his or her spiritual community is able to
receive and embody it. Regardless of how self-
realized or enlightened an individual may be, it
takes more than one single individual to embody
and manifest the supernal light-presence in full-it
takes a whole spiritual community.

As we pointed out when we explored the Gnostic

circle or spiritual community as the third object of
refuge of the outer sanctuary, the spiritual
community in Gnostic Christianity is an esoteric
order or Mystery school in which we receive a
spiritual education. The nature of this education is
a bringing forth of that which is within us and is
based upon knowledge and experience-hence,
initiation. More than any of the lessons we might
receive in a Mystery school, it is the transmission
of substantial and helpful spiritual energy that we
need, which awakens the divine power of our soul
of light and helps uplift us to a higher level of
consciousness. In profane society, the individual
always functions at a higher level than the group;
however, in a spiritual community, the group
functions at a higher level than any single
individual and serves to activate the greater
potential of the individual. This is the power of
Malkut.

In speaking about spiritual community, it must be

said that, in terms of Sophian Gnosticism, we are
not referring to a communal setting. While there
may be a center of the spiritual community, where
meetings take place and initiates gather for prayer,
meditation, and sacred ritual, members of the
community live in their own homes, sometimes at
great distances from the center. Diversity and
individuality are prized in the Sophian Tradition.
Thus, initiates come from all walks of life and are
encouraged to live an independent lifestyle while
also being an active member of the spiritual
community to which they belong. The Gnostic ideal
is a dynamic balance between the individual and
the community in which both are mutually
supported and fulfilled. This is the great lesson we
must learn in the Aquarian Age on both a local and
global level. In the Gnostic view it is critical for
the continued survival and evolution of humanity
on planet earth. It is a lesson of Malkut.
 The Living Temple
As we have seen, the Kabbalah says that God's
purpose in creation was the generation of the
human one, who is the image and likeness of
Yahweh Elohim. The purpose of the human one, as
the image and likeness of Yahweh Elohim, is to
recognize and realize the soul of light, which is the
presence and power of God and Godhead in the
human one-hence to consciously unite with God
and embody something of God. When we speak of
the divine incarnation of Christ in the person of
Lord Yeshua, of the incarnation of Mother Sophia
and Daughter Sophia in Mother Mary and St. Mary
of Magda], it is this state of self-realization and
embodiment of the divine presence and power that
we mean-the attainment of enlightenment.

As we have said, this attainment is not isolate to

Yeshua, Mother Mary, or St. Mary of Magdal. It is
the basis of a true apostolic succession from one
generation to another, and represents our own
divine destiny. Thus, it is also possible for us to
attain various degrees of Christ consciousness and
to experience conscious unification with God, just
as Master Yeshua did, as well as others around
him.

The Partzufim below, such as Lord Yeshua, Lady

Mary, and Mother Mary, are akin to magical links
to the spiritual and universal principles they
represent. Thus, their names, images, and myths are
vehicles through which we contact the light-
presence and light transmission in our spiritual
practice. There is divine power in their names,
images, and myths. Yet, ultimately, it is within
ourselves that we must recognize and realize the
light-presence of Christ, and we, too, must seek to
embody the Christos. This spiritual aim is the true
heart of Christian Gnosticism, and through the
study and practice of the Christian Kabbalah, we
learn how to accomplish this aim.

Lord Yeshua makes it perfectly clear in the

Gospels that the worship of God in spirit and truth
is not dependent upon external temples or anything
outside of ourselves. Rather, it is dependent upon
the state of our minds, hearts, and lives, upon
whether or not we live with the awareness of
sacred unity or are deceived by the illusion of
separation. Thus, the true temple in Sophian
Gnosticism is first and foremost the human being-
oneself and one's life, through which something of
the divine presence and power is embodied-hence
a living temple.

When we speak about individuals becoming

Partzufim below, we are actually speaking of
living temples of the holy Shekinah in the material
plane. To the degree that we draw our mind, heart,
and life into harmony with Christ and cleave with
our soul to God, we also become living temples. In
this sense, every Gnostic knows that he or she is a
living temple and seeks to live as a vehicle of the
light-presence.

In Gnostic Christianity, practitioners often set

aside rooms in their homes as sanctuaries for
prayer, meditation, and sacred ritual. Likewise,
some Gnostic circles construct external temples as
places for mystical and magical practices and the
rites of initiation. Yet, in Gnosticism, spiritual
practice, initiation, and self-realization are not
dependent upon such things, however useful they
might be in the process, but rather are dependent
upon individuals making themselves the house of
God. In the Christian Gnostic view, this is the
purpose of the human being-to be living temples of
God's presence and power in all planes of sentient
existence, and thus to unite heaven and earth. One
who does this, according to the masters of the
Tradition, walks in beauty and holiness and
manifests the divine kingdom. Hence, that person is
a holy person, like unto Yeshua Messiah and
Kallah Messiah. This is the true meaning of
"Christian" to the Gnostic initiate.
The Power of Prayer-Simple Magic
Prayer is among the common spiritual practices of
the Gnostic and Christian Kabbalist, which is a
way of saying "holding a conversation with God."
Many might think of prayer as somehow seeking to
change the mind of God; however, quite the
opposite is true. We pray to change our own mind
and heart, to bring about a change in our own
consciousness, so that it is aligned and in harmony
with the divine will and divine kingdom-our own
true will. The practice of prayer is quite amazing.
Sometimes nothing at all is changed by our
prayers, save our ability to accept what is
happening-our ability to look and see reality as it
is and to accept it as it is. Just as often, however,
as we bring about a change in our own
consciousness, a corresponding change happens
outwardly in life, as though by magic! Some would
say that the former are prayers unanswered, while
the latter are prayers answered, but this reflects an
immaturity in understanding prayer, or a
misconception regarding prayer; for whether an
inward change that brings us into harmony with
what's happening or an inward change in
consciousness that facilitates a corresponding
outward change, our prayer has been answered.

We are all well acquainted with the constant and

relentless internal dialogue in our heads that seems
to never slow down. Thoughts continually flow,
often quite fitfully and randomly, and all too often
our thoughts become very negative and self-
destructive. Aside from becoming a highly skilled
meditator, it is extremely difficult to completely
silence the mind, especially when we are under
stress or plagued with negativity. Essentially,
prayer is a method of directing our inner dialogue
toward something positive and productive, using
the inner dialogue as a way of turning to our inner
and higher self and God for comfort and
empowerment. The development of a daily prayer
life is very interesting; at times we find that, when
prayer is exhausted, we do experience a silence of
mind and quieting of the vital-we come to
meditation (a resting of the mind in its inmost
nature).

According to the masters of the Tradition, a true

adept abides in constant prayer; the instruction
given to the neophyte in early initiation is to
"enflame yourself in prayer, and invoke
constantly." As a novice, I recall hearing this and
thinking to myself, "I'll never be able to do that!
How can anyone be in this world and pray
constantly?" My beloved tzaddik, blessed be his
memory, was quite aware of how I felt and he said
to me, "Little one, you and everyone are praying all
of the time. It is just that some prayers are not well
spoken and perhaps would be best if not prayed.
Every thought and feeling is a prayer, every action
and gesture, every word spoken, every breath and
beat of your heart-the whole of life is constant
prayer. One need only be awake and alert and
mindful in one's prayer. Whenever there is
awareness, there is holy prayer."

While we often think of prayer in terms of

something completely mental-an internal dialogue
in thought or externalized in a spoken prayer there
are also prayers of silence, prayers of the body,
prayers of just breathing, prayers of good works,
prayers of kindness, prayers of pure emotion and
feeling, and so on. Anything can be a prayer if
there is kavvanah. Sacred ritual is often called
prayer, and in spiritual practice the boundaries
between prayer and meditation become completely
obscured. Prayer is not merely talking or thinking,
but is any movement of being inward and upward-
Godward. As much as with words, for example,
one could pray by dancing. In other words, prayer
is what you make it, and it is a completely creative
adventure to the Gnostic!

In terms of what we might typically think of as

prayer, we must say this: as much as talking to
God, one must entertain silence and listen. After
all, a real conversation is two-way, not one-way.
In the Gospels, we hear of Yeshua's retreats at
night to pray-a vigil he would hold all night. One
thing is quite certain. He was not talking at God all
night, but also abided in the silence to listen and
hear what God might say. If people do not believe
God talks to us, it may only be that they do not
know how to listen and hear, and thus only that they
have not heard God's voice. It is the "still small
voice" of the Christ-self and the speaking silence
in one's inmost heart. But life, itself, is also God
speaking, for God continues to speak creation. This
is reflected in the traditional vow of the magister
templi: "I will listen and hear God speaking to my
secret and undying soul in every circumstance,
situation, and event of my life." As much as the aim
of the master of the temple, it is a fine aim for the
initiate of any grade, including the neophyte and
zelator associated with Malkut.

There is a wonderful form of prayer, which also

qualifies as a form of divine magic in the
Tradition. Essentially, the initiate takes a candle,
purifies it with prayer, and consecrates it with
invocations, often anointing the candle with holy
oil. White candles are good for any purpose, but a
color may be chosen corresponding to the Sefirot
best suited to one's prayer. The invocations can
include the corresponding divine name, archangel
and order of angels, or attributes of the
corresponding Partzuf. Once purified and
consecrated, the candle can be lit, along with some
incense. This is the basis of candle magic and is
also a form of prayer. Sometimes, initiates may
even carve symbols in the candle or divine names
or the names of angels. It is a wonderful and easy
spiritual practice!

Prayer, in effect, makes oneself the vehicle or

channel of the Lifepower and of the divine powers.
We have already established that the Spirit of
Yahweh and the divine powers need vehicles or
channels through which to enter and act upon the
earth. Oftentimes, good things cannot happen
because there is no vehicle or channel for the good
that God intends. For example, a person may be in
need of healing and it may be God's intention that
the person be healed, but there must also be a
desire to receive the healing power and a holy
vessel willing to bring down and transmit that
divine power. Thus, to pray and embody something
of the divine presence and power or to not pray in
order to create the necessary conditions and link
for divine grace to act is a matter of our freedom of
will. It is not only God who must will it; it is we
who must also be willing. Through prayer, we
become the holy vessel receiving the good the
divine intends for ourselves, for others, and for
this good earth-hence, the correspondence of
prayer to Malkut.

Thanksgiving and the Blessing Upon Food

Praise and thanksgiving of all forms corresponds

to Malkut, which is the act of uplifting
consciousness and life to the divine and is an
active expression of the awareness of God's
presence in life and in oneself. It is common that
Gnostics praise and give thanks for all things in
life, but the center of thanksgiving is perhaps the
thanksgiving and blessing upon the food we eat,
which is most fundamental to life. In praise and
thanksgiving, the initiate uplifts the holy sparks
contained in everything in life, and this is
especially true of the food we eat.

In the Gnostic view, the Holy Eucharist is not

isolated to the wedding feast, but extends to all
food. For when we eat and drink, we are eating
and drinking the body of our earthly Mother and
her children; every meal is the Eucharist of the
Mother. In giving thanks and invoking a blessing
upon the food we eat, we are mindful of the divine
Mother who provides for all of our needs and of
our heavenly Father who is the one life-power
within and behind the whole of creation.
According to the sages of wisdom, in blessing
food, we serve to "enthrone the Bride in the
Mother"we uplift Malkut to Binah.

In the ceremony of the Holy Eucharist, the bread

and wine are talismatic of the presence and
essence of the Christos and represent Sophia and
Logos, respectively. They become talismatic
because of the consecration and spiritual energy
with which they are imbued in the sacred ritual. On
the most fundamental level, the bread and wine are
pervaded with our positive thoughts and our joy in
the celebration of the supreme mystery of the
bridal chamber-our unity with the Christos. This
imbuing substances and things with spiritual and
psychic energy is not isolated to such ceremonies,
however, but, in fact, is going on all of the time.
We humans are constantly pervading the
atmosphere around us and things in our
environment with spiritual and psychic energies-
vibrations. These vibrations serve to link things to
spiritual forces of a corresponding frequency of
vibration, whether it is positive, negative, or
admixed. Thus, it becomes, in effect, talismatic.

Aside from whatever holy sparks of the life-

power might be within something, it also bears the
energy-intelligence with which it has been charged
by human beings. All individuals involved in the
process of cultivating our food are unlikely to be
happy, and certainly many individuals involved
with the cultivation, harvest, and preparation of
our food are unlikely to be of a completely
positive and loving state of mind. Thus, along with
a need to uplift the holy sparks contained in our
food, there is a need to transform any negative
energy or vibration that might be in it and to imbue
it with positive and loving energy. Some adepts
and masters of the Tradition propose that failure to
be mindful with our food and to bless it is a cause
for many problems in health and happiness. For, in
mindlessness with our food, we take in all manner
of unwholesome energies or vibrations.

Thus, while preparing our food and before

partaking of our meals, we give thanks and bless
the food. We give thanks to the divine Mother and
her children who give us life, and we invoke a
blessing upon all who have served to provide us
with our food. All the while, we are conscious of
the many people and creatures involved, and
seeking to uplift one and all alike through the
awareness of sacred unity-God. Thus, the Gnostic
initiate makes his or her meals talismans of
positive spiritual forces and, in mindfully
partaking of the meal, serves to uplift the sparks
through service to the great work. Every form of
thanksgiving and blessing has the same objective in
mind, and in so doing, we link ourselves with
Malkutthe divine kingdom.
The Great Ofan of the Faithful-The
Shoe-Angel
At the level of Beriyah, Malkut manifests as the
archangel Sandalfon, which literally means the
Ofan (wheel) of the Sandal" or the "shoeangel." As
we saw in our study of the Ofanim, they are angels
of interfacing, and as the term shoe-angel suggests,
Sandalfon is the interface of the divine kingdom
with the earth in Beriyah. Essentially, Sandalfon is
the archangel whose principal mission is to unite
the heavens and the earth and, more specifically,
the earth and the world of supernal light. This
latter idea of a link between the supernal abode
and the earth is reflected in the saying in the
Christian Kabbalah that "Sandalfon is the twin
sister of Metatron" or that "Sandalfon is the
presence of the great prince below."

In the Book of Exodus, we are told that a pillar of

cloud went before the children of Israel by day and
a pillar of fire by night while they wandered in the
wilderness. This is said to be Metatron and
Sandalfon, the pillar of fire being constant
lightning flashes within the pillar of cloud that
stood out in the night. Metatron and Sandalfon are
also said to be attributed to the two kerubim on the
ark of the covenant, Sandalfon being the female
kerub on the left. Metatron is called the great angel
of Enoch and Sandalfon is called the great angel of
Elijah. In Merkavah mysticism, they are said to be
the great Ofan of the Chariot. Thus, while they are
the archangelic manifestation of Keter and Malkut,
they are also the archangels of the Pillar of
Severity and Pillar of Mercy.

The masters of the Tradition have said that

Metatron is the matrix of the supernal abode and
that Sandalfon is the matrix of the universe. In the
experience of supernal consciousness, the initiate
discovers that the light above is everywhere
below; hence Metatron is the supernal light beyond
the heavens and Sandalfon is the supernal light at
the center of every particle of matter. Indeed!
These two are inwardly one great angel, their unity
being called the great angel Hua, as previously
discussed. Metatron- Sandalfon is, thus, the holy
angel of the Shekinah, the angel of the presence of
the Lord. In Christian Gnosticism, Metatron is the
angel of Lord Yeshua and Sandalphon is the angel
of Lady Mary-the angel Hua being their union: one
Christ-presence.

Associated with the Holy Bride, Sandalfon is the

archangel of this good earth, as though the body of
the holy angel is planet earth; likewise, Sandalfon
is the holy angel of spiritual community, present
wherever the faithful and elect gather for prayer,
meditation, and sacred ritual. Accordingly, it is
said that Sandalfon serves to uplift the prayers of
the faithful and elect, bearing them up before the
presence of the Lord in the supernal abode.
Likewise, any time a person enters into a prophetic
consciousness, the archangel Sandalfon is said to
be present as the space of that holy awareness. It is
also said that Sandalfon is present whenever one
encounters a tzaddik, for the angel of the light-
presence is the constant companion of the holy
ones.

Sandalfon is commonly envisioned as a great

pillar of fire, but also as a great angel whose entire
body and wings are filled with eyes and who is
radiant with rainbow glory. Holding either image
of the great angel in mind, initiates invoke
Sandalfon through the divine name of Adonai and
the chant So Da Yo Ma Sandalfon.

Sandalfon is invoked in works of unification,

mystical prayer, and prophetic meditation. She
knows mysteries of creation and the ascension of
the soul; mysteries of Arabot (the seventh heaven),
merkavah and prophecy; magical evocation,
extradimensional travel, works of manifestation,
secrets of nature, certain forms of healing;
mysteries of the incarnation of souls from among
the elder races, among other things. Although she is
such a lofty and great holy angel, Sandalfon is said
to be easily invoked and quick to come, as she is
already very near!
 The Order of the Ashim-Souls of
Fire
Malkut at the level of Yetzirah manifests as the
order of the Ashim, which literally means "burning
angels," "angels of fire," or "souls of fire." Some
have written that the Ashim are angelic forces that
serve to bind matter together, and this is certainly
true. Some classes of the Ashim serve in this
function. Among the Ashim are also angels that
serve to facilitate evolution by generation of
increasingly higher and more refined life-forms;
likewise, the Ashim represent something of the
fiery light of the supernal world within matter.
Higher classes of the Ashim also serve as angels
of fates and divine providence, and labor to
facilitate the divine plan in creatures and creation.
For example, Azrael, the angel of death who draws
for souls from the body at the conclusion of life, is
of a higher class of the order of Ashim. By the
same token, so also is the angel said to put its
finger on the lips of newborn babes, causing the
soul to forget all previous incarnations, so as to be
fully present in the new life. As we have seen
previously in our discussion of the other holy
choirs, the orders of angels are complex and
multileveled, so that to speak of the full mystery
and function of any order is humanly impossible.
They are other than human and certainly not linear
in any way.

In the Gospel of St. John we hear of the "angels of

the seven churches," which are Ashim. According
to the masters of the Tradition, there is an Ashim
associated with every spiritual community-an
angel involved in the mind and mission of every
spiritual group. One can only wonder if there are
Ashim associated with the writing of spiritual
books and other such activities, as they are angels
of manifesting the spiritual in the material.
 There are also teachings in the Tradition of a very
different nature concerning the Ashim, in which the
Ashim are said to be "souls set on fire with the
Holy Spirit"-hence, the translation of Ashim as
"souls of fire." The soul of a holy tzaddik and,
indeed, any person among the faithful and elect on
fire with the Lord is Ashim. Likewise, the term is
also used to denote an elect soul who has received
the gift of the fiery intelligence. There is also a
more esoteric use of this word to allude to the idea
of souls that come from among the elder races and
incarnate among us to serve as light-bearers on
earth. While many might think of aliens coming in
spaceships, and gawk up at the stars looking for
UFOs, according to Gnostic masters, truly
advanced races do not need space traveling
machines to visit the earth, but rather can
spontaneously generate bodies to appear in the
world or transmit their consciousness into an
incarnation here. Thus, Gnostic masters would
suggest that "aliens" already live and move among
us and have since the dawn of human history-
bearing the gift of the fiery intelligence to
humankind! As fantastic and fanciful as this might
seem, it certainly proves an incredibly interesting
contemplation and sparks the imagination. If one
were to ever encounter a master of the magical art
and be blessed to observe him or her in the
continuum (a ceremony in which he or she fully
engages his or her art), one would certainly be
given to wonder about their human status! But then,
by definition, the great work is the process of
becoming more than human. The word Ashim is
often used to remind us of this in the Christian
Kabbalah. This well represents the broad spectrum
of teachings concerning the order of the Ashim in
the mysteries of Malkut.
 The Zealous One
These ideas concerning the Ashim naturally lead us
to a brief comment of the Rosicrucian grade
associated with Malkut, which is called the
zelator. While the neophyte is also associated with
Malkut, the grade of zelator is an entrance proper
to the sphere of Malkut, whereas the Neophyte is
one who as yet remains the outsider. Zelator
implies the zealous one or a person filled with zeal
and, we might add, filled with holy awe and
wonderhence, a sense of the mystery. It implies one
who is being reborn of the spirit or who is
experiencing a quickening of consciousness-an
awakening of faith and holy remembrance of the
soul and why the soul has come here. It also
suggests the dawn of an awareness of God's
presence within oneself and within creation, a
growing sense of sacred unity. This is the zelator
and it is the experience of being set on the path.
 It implies something more, as well. For the path
in Gnosticism, at least in the Sophian and
Kabbalistic Tradition, is one of initiation and
discipleship. As an individual who was a disciple
of a sacred tau (tzaddik), I can definitely say that
meeting and recognizing my teacher, and
experiencing the light-presence that moved with,
in, and through him, generated great zeal and
spiritual hope in me. Meeting Tau Elijah led to my
initiation and being set upon the path. Were it not
for that day, I really could not say what I would be
doing today, and without a doubt, I would not be
experiencing the joy of writing this book on the
mysteries of the Kabbalah. I might well have never
become a Gnostic and Kabbalist! To this day, the
zeal of meeting my spiritual friend fills me and
inspires me. I have never left Malkut-the divine
kingdom.

On a more esoteric level, the title zelator implies

something else: the delightful awareness that the
kingdom of heaven is spread out upon the earth-
hence, that living life to its fullest can be the
experience of the kingdom, as surely as any
experience in the hereafter. Zeal is the natural
result of experiencing Malkut in this life. In
Gnostic Tradition, we experience the kingdom
here, and ever beyond!
Spiritual Practice Associated with
Malkut
Meditation of Kallah Messiah-St. Mary
Magdalene

➢ Find the time to sit, breathe, and feel the life

in your body, the sacredness of being and
becoming. (This, in itself, is a meditation of the
Holy Bride.) Once you are settled, shift the
focus of your attention to the spiritual sun
within behind your heart, envisioning it clearly
and feeling it deeply. See it pervade your
whole bodymind and let it completely consume
you, banishing all negativity and darkness. Let
there be peace and joy. From the sun in your
heart, imagine a ruby ray of light shooting forth
and that the image of the Holy Bride magically
appears in the space before you. Her inner robe
is brilliant white, her outer robe is crimson, her
face shines like ten thousand stars, and there is
rainbow glory all around her. She is the most
beautiful woman imaginable.

➢ She does not stand still but dances like

flames of fire, as you take up her most simple
chant: Kallah Messiah, Nukva Messiah. As you
chant, envision her blessing you, pouring out
light and fire upon you, and that she merges to
dance in your very body, as though a great fire
of divine passion within and all around you. It
is All-Joy! It may be that you cannot sit still but
must get up and dance too. It's all good,
whatever the Holy Bride inspires you to do!
When all is said and done, ground the energy
and abide a while in silence. When you go out
into the world, see the Bride in everything and
everyone, hear her voice in every sound, and
whatever thoughts, emotions, and feelings arise,
know them as the radiance of her wisdom.
Some have attained Christ consciousness in this
way!
The end of the book; the beginning
of another
APPENDIX I
HEBREW TABLE
OF LETTERS
 When a Hebrew letter is written in a larger form,
the value of the letter is multiplied by one thousand
its normal value. For example, an enlarged Aleph
would equal 1000. This is true of all the letters.

Letters in Hebrew do not exist to signify vowels,

but rather vowel points are used. The vowel points
have not been included or discussed as they are not
relevant to our study.

(M), (D), or (S) appearing in front of a letter

name in the first column indicate Mother-letters,
Double-letters, and Single-letters, respectively.
Mother-letters refer to the force of the primordial
elements-air, fire, and water. Double-letters
represent the seven traditional planetary forces.
The Single-letters represent the twelve zodiacal
forces. The letter Tau often doubles as the symbol
for the primordial earth. Shin is often used to
represent the Holy Spirit. Aleph and Tau have a
special association with the Christos-hence, Alpha
and Omega. Nun, the fish, and Tet, the serpent, also
have a special association with Christ. The study
of the Netivot (paths) and holy letters will be the
subject of a companion volume to be written as a
continuation of this present book.

Much wisdom can be gleaned through

contemplation and meditation on the holy letters
themselves. In their contemplation and meditation
on the holy letters, some initiates combine the
major arcana of a proper tarot deck that has
Kabbalistic value. The Rider-Waite Tarot Deck is
adequate for this purpose; the tarot deck put out by
the Builders of the Adytum (BOTA) is even better.
Letters, numbers, words, and images prove an
interesting divine play!
APPENDIX II
THE DIVINE
NAMES AND
 VIBRATIONS

The art of vibration or intonation of the divine

names plays a significant role in the methods of
mystical prayer, meditation, and sacred ritual in
Christian Gnosticism. As we have seen, the divine
names are an expression of the holy Sefirot at the
level of Atzilut-emanation. Thus, vibrating or
intoning the divine name of a Sefirah (or Sefirot)
brings into our prayer, meditation, or ritual the
spiritual energy of the corresponding Sefirah (or
Sefirot) and, likewise, brings our consciousness in
ascent and joins it to the divine power. Essentially,
using the divine names in this way, we are
empowered by the divine powers and invoke the
corresponding manifestation of the living presence.
Their use strengthens the auric field or sphere of
sensation, energizes the subtle body, and activates
the hidden powers of our soul. Without a doubt,
prayer is made extremely effective when the divine
names are used; meditations are loftier and our
rituals more potent.

There is great power in the divine names, for they

have come by way of divine revelation, and the art
of their pronunciation and vibration has been
evolved by adepts and masters of the Kabbalah for
literally thousands of years. While the divine name
of Yahweh is not openly pronounced by Jewish
practitioners of the Kabbalah, through the grace of
the divine incarnation, the Gnostic Christian
practitioner is empowered to do so, although, as
with all of the divine names, the great name must
be respected and used wisely. In this regard, the
third commandment specifically relates to the
esoteric or mystical use of the divine names: "You
shall not make wrongful use of the name of the
Lord your God ..." Indeed! They are energy that
needs to be mindfully directed and used wisely,
with reverence and respect for the divine presence
and power. According to the masters of the
Tradition, the divine names should be used only in
sacred moments and with full kavvanah
(concentration and conscious intention) and
devekut (proper attachment).

It is impossible to teach and initiate a person into

the true art of vibrating the divine names through
the medium of a book. The true art is something
that is demonstrated and experienced between an
initiate and an aspirant seeking to learn the art. It
typically takes a few years to learn the art and to
develop it through practice. There are many
pronunciations, permutations, and intonements of
all the divine names, and there are techniques of
breath, gesture, and visualization that accompany
the art. Nevertheless, we can put the aspirant on
the trail of actual vibration of the divine names and
give some clue as to how he or she might find a
valid way to vibrate the names.

Some years ago, I watched the author of a popular

book on the modern practice of magic give a
demonstration of vibrating divine names, using a
well-known Kabbalistic ceremony. I was quite
surprised to hear him screaming the divine names
in so-called vibration. This is an all too common
mistake and the worst of all mistakes. It does not
properly direct or radiate energy, but rather
disturbs energy and tends to cause violent and
chaotic movements in subtle body, aura, and
environment. The other common mistake is singing
the divine names, which, while beautiful, does not
necessarily produce the effective vibration of the
names. Vibration of the divine names is neither
singing them nor screaming them, although it is
certainly closer to song than to shouts.

When vibrating or intoning a divine name, what

the practitioner is seeking to do, in general, is
create an inward resonance of vibration that fills
his or her body and sphere of sensation, and
therefore also fills the atmosphere or environment
around him or herself. More than how one might
sound outwardly, one must first be concerned with
this inward vibration, which tends to produce an
electrical or energetic sensation in the body and
quickens the vital and mental being. Indeed, it is a
peculiar sound that, once experienced and heard,
one will recognize any time it is encountered. As a
matter of fact, this peculiar sound is one very easy
way to discern initiates of the Tradition from
noninitiates, along with pronunciation of the names
in vibration. However, in practice, we find that
vibration is more important than exact
pronunciation. Finding the vibration, it is easy to
refine pronunciations and pitch.

A good divine name for general practice seeking

to discover vibration is Eheieh, pronounced: Ab-
Ha-Yab (soft As). First, it is a divine name of a
wonderful affirmation, "I am" or "I shall be,"
which is always a good prayer and meditation in
itself. Second, this pronunciation of Eheieh is very
easy and is swiftly effective for recognizing what
is meant by vibration. Let each syllable be drawn
out and start with a quieter intoning, focusing on
the vibration it produces. Then, gradually, increase
the volume maintaining the sensation of vibration.
In this way, one is very likely to stumble upon it.
Then one can practice with other names.
Obviously, in the beginning, lower intonations will
more swiftly lend themselves to good results.
Eventually, whether at a lower or higher pitch,
given some practice, one should be able to find the
vibration. Equally obvious, some individuals will
have a natural talent at this, just as some people
have a natural talent to sing, while for others, it
will require some effort and it might never exactly
become the strong point of their practice.
However, as a general rule, everyone can learn to
vibrate divine names.

The Names

Yah (E-Ah): The pronunciation is a long "E"

and soft "A." This name has an expansive effect
on consciousness and is intoned to invoke
divine grace-pure energy that can be directed in
almost any way. It is also used to increase life-
force and prolong life.

Yahweh (E-AU-A): The pronunciation is a long

"E," short "A" and "U," and long "A," and is
one consistent flow of vowel sounds. This
name invokes incredible force and has an
elevating and energizing effect on
consciousness. It is a name of Gnostic worship,
which is to say a conscious unification with the
divine. It is used to receive and transmit
blessings.
Elohim (EI-Oh-Heem): The pronunciation is a
short "E," long "0," and long "E." This name
has a sealing or enclosing effect on
consciousness, a concentration of the
consciousness. It reminds one of a womb-the
mother. It is intoned to produce the effect of
sanctuary, as a matrix of forces or creative
potential.

El (EI or Al): The pronunciation can be either

with a short "E," short "A," or long "A," with
the tip of the tongue curved up to the roof of the
mouth while intoning it. This name is akin to
Yah, although on a lower arc, and has a similar
effect, although there is a focusing of the
expansion-concentration and expansion at the
same time. With an intention held in mind and
the vibration of El, a corresponding blessing of
abundance is invoked.

Elohim Givor (Gi-Voor): The pronunciation is

forceful, Elohim as above and Givor with a
short "I" or long "E," and Voor being
pronounced as in "door." This has a radical
focusing effect on consciousness and a fiery
forceful energy-like lightning. It is intoned for
protection, force, and fire; to dispel klippotic
influence; to bring about radical change or
transformation; and to invoke justice. It is often
coupled with prayers for tikkune correction.

Yahweh Elohenu (EI-Oh-Hey-New): Yahweh is

pronounced as given above and Elohenu as it
appears. The effect on consciousness is one of
inward holiness and spirit-connectedness. It is
vibrated to invoke awareness of Christ
indwelling-the inner and higher self; for healing
and for understanding of the word and
empowerment to speak one's truth (the word).

Yahweh Tzavaot (Za-Vey-Ot): The

pronunciation is a soft "A", long "A," and long
"0." It has the effect on consciousness of
connection with spiritual forces and sacred
unity with creation. It is intoned to link with
positive spiritual forces and to celebrate the
sacred unity within and behind creation.

Elohim Tzavaot: The pronunciation is as given

above. While Yahweh Tzavaot links, Elohim
Tzavaot informs and specifies forms of the
forces to manifest. It is intoned to manipulate
the forms forces assume in a specific situation.

Yahweh Elohim Tzavaot: Combines the function

of the two divine names.

Shaddai (Sha-Die): The pronunciation is a short

"A" and long "I," and it has the effect on
consciousness of stimulating desire-energy and
directing it. This name is intoned for the sake of
bliss and acceptance of life. It also tends to
invoke good dreams and may bring visions
(also the sight of auras).

Adonai (Ah-Doe-Nie): The pronunciation is a

soft "A," long "0," and long "I." This name has
a centering and grounding effect on
consciousness. It is intoned for the purpose of
grounding and manifesting things and for the
awareness of the divine presence and power all
around oneself-hence, God's presence
pervading creation.

Yeshua Messiah (Yah-He-Shoe-Ah Me-See-

Ah): The pronunciation is a short "A," short
"E," short "U," soft "A," short "E," long "E,"
and short "A." This name has an illuminating
effect on consciousness and is used to invoke
the Christos and for an ascent toward Christos.
Adonai Yeshua is similar, although more
grounding-more a bringing down of the
Christos rather than an ascent.

Kallah Messiah: The pronunciation of Kallah is

with short "As." This name has a nurturing
effect on consciousness and also a healing
effect. It is vibrated to invoke the presence and
the Bride and to join the soul to her.
 There are other pronunciations of these divine
names and there are other names; however, these
pronunciations are good for beginning practice of
vibration and the names provided should be a
sufficient selection. This should be enough to set
one on track to discover the way of vibration for
oneself.
APPENDIX III
CHANT
 PRONUNCIATION
Kabbalistic Cross

Atoh: pronounced Ah-Toh (as in "dough" with a

short „A„)

lo Adonai: pronounced EE-Oh Ah-Doh-Nah-ee

Malkut: pronounced Mal-Koot (as in the "hoot"

of an owl)

Ve-Gevurah: pronounced Vay-Gevurah (short

vowels in Gevurah)

Ve-Gedulah: pronounced Vay-Ge-Dew-Lah

Le-Olam: pronounced Lay-Oh-Lawm

Mother's Practices
Aima-Aima: pronounced Ama-A-EE-Ma (short
"A," long 'T,)

Aima Elohim: pronounced A-EE-Ma El-Oh-

Heem

Ha Isha Ha Elyona, Aima Israel: pronounced

with all short vowels, except for long "O" in
Elyona and long "A" in Israel

Archangel's Chants

Yo Ma Tzafkiel: pronounced Yoh-Ma-Zah-f-

Kee-El (Yo as in "dough," short "A")

Maggid Ha-El Elyon Tzadkiel: pronounced

Mah-Gid Ha-El El-yon Zah-d-kee-El (Gid as in
"kid," Yon as in "telephone," and short "A"
throughout)

Ah Ya Ko Ma Kamael: pronounced Ah-Ya-Koh-

Ma Ka-May-El (short "A" and Koh as in
 "dough")

Ar Iyah Raphael: pronounced Ar-EE-Yah Ra-

Fay-El (Ar as in "you are" and Ra with short
"A")

Ha Al Ha Na Hamel: pronounced Ha-Al-Ha-Na

Ha-Nee-El (all short vowels)

Ya Mi Ha Michael: pronounced Ya-Mee-Ha

Me-Kay-El (short "A")

Gya Ko Ho Ge Ba Gabriel: pronounced Gee-

Yah Koe-Hoe Gee-Bah Gah-Bree-El

So Da Yo Ma Sandalfon: pronounced Soh-Da-

Yoh-Ma San-Dal-Fon (Soh as in to sow seed"
and Fon as in "telephone")

As you work with these chants, let them speak to

you and find your own way with them. In this way,
you will find them very effective and empowering.
 GLOSSARY

Ab: Father not having conceived a child; Partzuf of

Hokmah; Hokmah before the emanation of Binah
and the lower Sefirot; Father self-contained.

Abba: Father; Partzuf of Hokmah; Hokmah after

emanating Binah and the lower Sefirot.

Abyss: A term for Da'at; the division between the

supernals and the Sefirot of construction; the
separation between Atzilut and the lower Olamot
universes.

Adam: Human one, not necessarily the male

gender.

Adam Ha-Rishon: First human being; supernal

human being, male and female in one body; the
ideal state of the human being; the androgynous
 one.

Adam Kadmon: Primordial human being; the first

universe, which is inseparable from Ain Sof Or
(the Endless Light); the universe of the Soul of
Messiah.

Adept: A term for an experienced and highly

skilled spiritual practitioner; an initiate who has a
grade of self-realization to the level of cosmic
consciousness; an elder or Gnostic teacher.

Aima: Mother; Partzuf of Binah; Binah having

generated the seven Sefirot of construction.

Ain: No-thing or no-thingness; an aspect or quality

of the Godhead; the inmost nature of the soul and
God; the void or emptiness; the great unmanifest;
the essence of divine potential.

Ain Sof: The infinite; the infinite and eternal; one-

without-end; an aspect or quality of the Godhead
indicating the exhaustless nature of the divine
 potential or unmanifest.

Ain Sof Or: Endless light or light of the infinite; an

aspect or quality of the Godhead; the radiant or
creative quality of the divine potential or
unmanifest; the divine fullness of the emptiness.

Ama: Mother before giving birth; Partzuf of Binah;

Binah prior to the generation of the seven Sefirot
of construction.

Apostle of apostles: A title of Lady Mary.

Arabot: The seventh and highest heaven.

Aralim: Thrones; Binah of Yetzirah; angelic order

of Binah.

Arayot: Sexual mysteries; sexual mysticism and

magic of the Kabbalah; secret teachings of the
wonder-working or magical Kabbalah based
upon the loveplay between two lovers.
Archon: Ruler; cosmic forces under the dominion
of the demiurgos or cosmic ignorance.

Arik Anpin: Big face or greater countenance;

Partzuf of Keter.

Asiyah: Making or action; the universe emerging

from Yetzirah; the material dimension of the
universe; this world.

Assembly of the Elect: The inner circle of initiates

of a Gnostic community; initiates of the adepti and
realm of the sacred tau; the inner and secret order.

Assembly of the Faithful: The outer circle of

initiates in a Gnostic community; the outer order.

Astral Earth: Astral dimension of the world.

Atarot: Crowns; a term signifying the supernal soul

and transcendental aspects of the soul,
specifically, Hayyah and Yechidah.
Atik Yomin: Ancient of days; Partzuf of Keter.

Atzilut: Emanation, nearness or archetypal; the

universe emerging from Adam Kadmon; supernal
universe; world of supernal light.

Aura: See sphere of sensation.

Azazel: Goat-demon; one of the fallen; one of the

leaders of the fallen.

Azrael: The angel of death or brother death.

Beliel: Son of rebellion; archdemon of the northern

quarter of the circle.

Ben: Son; title of the Partzuf of Tiferet or Zer

Anpin.

Beni Elohim: Sons of God; Hod of Yetzirah;

angelic order of Hod.

Bereshit: In the beginning; Genesis; creation;

 abode of house of the beginning or house of
initiation.

Beriyah: Creation; the universe emerging from

Atzilut; world of archangels and cosmic forces.

Binah: Understanding; third Sefirah.

Black Earth: Primordial earth or ancient earth.

Bridegroom: Partzuf of Tiferet; also a title of Lord

Yeshua.

Chrism: Anointing.

Christed: Anointed.

Da'at: Knowledge; the abyss; Keter as Keter is

known or appears.

Daimon: Spirit; term for the wrathful guardians

encountered in the abyss; wrathful guardians
associated with the night side of the tree or the
 tree of death.

Demiurgos: False god or false creator;

misperception or misconception of God; cosmic
ignorance; demon of the abyss.

Demon of the Abyss: Cosmic ignorance; demiurgos

of forgetfulness; the appearance of cosmic evil;
the egoistic-self that must ultimately be shed.

Devekut: Cleaving or attachment; rapturous union;

divine passion.

Earth Sphere: See astral earth.

Earthly Mother: The higher intelligence of the

earth; the divine presence and power (Shekinah)
manifesting as the earth and nature.

Elder: A term for a recognized Gnostic teacher.

See Adept.

Elder Races: Souls enlightened in other worlds

 beyond the earth; also angels.

Elect Adept: An initiate of the grade of Hesed;

third degree of the adepti or elders of the
Tradition and the apostolic succession.

Fire Snake: A term for the Holy Spirit power of

what Eastern schools call kundalini; also called
the serpent power.

First Apostle: A title of Lady Mary.

Gabriel: Strength of God; Yesod of Beriyah;

archangel of Yesod; also the archangel associated
with the western quarter of the circle.

Gedulah: Glory; an alternative title of Hesed.

Gematria: The science and art of numerology and

esoteric mathematics in the Kabbalah.

Gevurah: Rigor, severity, or judgment; fifth

Sefirah.
Gilgulim: The transmigration of souls; the wave-
like motion of becoming.

Gnosis: Knowledge of direct spiritual or mystical

experience; knowledge of becoming, spiritual
insight or intuitioin

Gnostic: One who has acquired gnosis; one who is

an initiate of Gnosticism.

Gnosticism: Path of direct knowing (gnosis); path

of self-realization.

Great Beast: Force of violence or self-destructive

tendency in the collective consciousness of
humanity.

Great Seth: A gnostic title for the Christos; fiery or

radiant cross.

Greater Adept: An initiate of the grade of Gevurah;

second degree of the adepti or elders of the
Tradition and the apostolic succession.
Guph: Legendary repository from which souls are
drawn.

Haniel: Inspiration of God; Netzach of Beriyah;

archangel of Netzach.

Hashmalim: Speaking-silences; Hesed of Yetzirah;

angelic order of Hesed.

Hayyah: Life-force; an aspect of the soul; also an

angel of the order of the Hayyot.

Hayyot: Holy living creatures; Keter of Yetzirah;

angelic order of Keter.

Heavenly Father: Transcendental and hidden

aspect of the divine.

Hesed: Mercy or loving-kindness; fourth Sefirah.

Hitbodedut: Meditation or self-isolation; spiritual

retreat; the state of meditation proper; mystical
attainment.
Hitbonenut: Contemplation; an entrance to devekut
or an entrance to hitbodedut; a stage of
meditation.

Hod: Splendor, submission, or surrender; eighth

Sefirah.

Hokmah: Wisdom; second Sefirah.

Holy Spirit: The divine power in creatures and

creation; also the Mother and Bride.

Holy Threefold Sanctuary: The sanctuary of

discipleship-initiation, spiritual practice-
realization, and mystical attainment-fruition.

Hua: The great angel of the Lord (Metatron-

Sandalfon).

Ipsissimus: "One who is most truly him- or

herself"; an initiate of the grade of Keter, highest
degree of the sacred tau or masters of the
Tradition; the grade of the Risen Christ.
Kali Kallah: Black or dark bride; Lilith; Sophia
Nigrans, dark wisdom of God.

Kallah: Bride; Partzuf of Malkut; title of St. Mary

Magdalene.

Kallah Messiah: Anointed Bride; Christ the

Sophia; St. Mary Magdalene.

Kamael: Burner of God; Gevurah of Beriyah;

archangel of Beriyah.

Kavvanah: Concentration or conscious intention;

feeling and devotion; a form of contemplation or
meditation.

Kavvanot: Specific forms of kavvanah (plural of

kavvanah).

Kerubim: Strong ones; Yesod of Yetzirah; angelic

order of Yesod.

Keter: Crown; first Sefirah; the Sefirah that is not.

Klippah: Singular of klippot. See Klippot.

Klippot: Husk or shells; husks of darkness; the

night-side or other side of the tree; impure
emanations; dominion of darkness; dominion of
the Demiurgos.

Klippotic: Demonic; having the influence of

klippot. See Klippot.

Lessor Adept: An initiate of the grade of Tiferet;

first degree of the adepti or elders of the
Tradition and the apostolic succession.

Leviathan: Destroyer or destruction; the arch

demon of the western quarter of the circle.

Lilith: See Kali Kallah.

Logos: Word; the divine word; Christ the Son.

Lord of the Dance: A title of Lord Yeshua.

Lord of the Rainbow: A title of Lord Yeshua.

Lord of the Shabbat: A title of Lord Yeshua.

Lucifer: Light-bearer; the archdemon of the eastern

quarter of the circle; also a gnostic title of the
Christos negating death and darkness.

Maggid: Angel; a term used to designate any

archangel or angel; also a term for an adept or
master who is otherworldly in nature; sometimes
used for disincarnate adepts and masters.

Maggidim: (Plural) See Maggid.

Magister Templi: An initiate of the grade of Binah;

first degree of the sacred tau or masters of the
Tradition.

Magus: An initiate of the grade of Hokmah; second

degree of the sacred tau or masters of the
Tradition.
Makifim: Envelopments; a term for the
transcendental aspects of the soul-Ne- shamah,
Hayyah, and Yechidah.

Makom: Place of meeting; sixth heaven.

Malachim: Angels or messengers; Tiferet of

Yetzirah; angelic order of Tiferet.

Malkut: Kingdom; tenth and final Sefirah

Ma'on: Dwelling place; fifth heaven.

Master: A term for a realized or enlightened

individual; an initiate who has attained one grade
or another of supernal or Messianic
consciousness; a sacred tau in Gnostic tradition.

Mekubal: A Kabbalist. See Mekubalim.

Mekubalim: Those who have been received or

those who have received; those who have been
disciples of a Kabbalist; Kabbalists.
Melchizedek: Priest-king (or priestess-queen) of
righteousness; a figure that appears in Genesis to
initiate Abraham and Sarah; the universal order of
enlightenment or Messianic consciousness; an
initiate of the divine order; the state of
enlightenment or supernal or Messianic
consciousness; the holy order of the elder races;
the holy third order or secret order; the assembly
of secret chiefs.

Messiah: Anointed; Christ.

Metatron: Prince of the countenance; Keter of

Beriyah; archangel of Keter; also the archangel
that stands above the circle.

Michael: Who-Is-Like-Unto-God; Hod of Beriyah;

archangel of Hod; also the archangel associated
with the southern quarter of the circle.

Midrashim: Myths, legends, and stories inspired

by the Scriptures; creative adaptation of the
myths, legends, and stories of the Scriptures;
 found in both Judaism and Gnosticism.

Mystical Death: The shift from a lower level of

consciousness to a higher consciousness; also
radical self-transformation; a stage of metanoia
(authentic spiritual conversion); Sophia Nigrans;
also a powerful healing experience.

Mystical Union: Union of the worshipper and

worshipped; conscious unification with the divine
or a divine power; term for Gnostic wedding
ceremonies.

Navi: Seer or prophet.

Nechash: Serpent in the Garden of Eden, but also a

title of the Messiah; good serpent.

Nefesh: Vital soul or earthly soul; an aspect of the

soul

Nefesh Behamit: Bestial soul; nefesh

unregenerated.
Nefesh Elokit: Godly soul; nefesh regenerated.

Nefeshim: (Plural) See Nefesh.

Neophyte: Novice of the Gnostic tradition; a

probationer or aspirant in a Gnostic circle.

Neshamah: Holy soul; supernal soul; heavenly

soul; divine nature; an aspect of the soul.

Netzach: Victory or dominion; seventh Sefirah.

Nukva: Daughter; Partzuf of Malkut; also a title of

St. Mary Magdalene (Daughter of God).

Ofan or Ophan: Wheel-angel; an angel of the order

of Ofanim.

Ofanim or Ophanim: Wheels; Hokmah of Yetzirah;

angelic order of Hokmah.

Olam: Universe or dimension of the reality-truth

continuum.
Olamot: Universes or dimensions of the reality-
truth continuum.

Ordo Sanctus Gnosis (O.S.G.): An esoteric order

or lineage of the Sophian Tradition; an outer
order.

Pachad: Fear or holy awe; an alternative title for

Gevurah.

Palace of Light: The Tree of Life; also a title of

Binah-Elohim.

Paroket: Veil between the moral and action triad;

causal plane of karmic matrix.

Penimi'im: Internalizations; aspects of the soul that

can be embodied, specifically, Nefesh, Ruach,
and Neshamah.

Pentagrammaton: A phrase for the blessed name of

Messiah-Yeshua or Yeheshuah ("Jesus").
Perud: Separation; specifically, the reality of
separation composed on Beriyah, Yetzirah, and
Asiyah.

Philosophus: An initiate of the grade of Netzach;

highest degree of initiation in the assembly of the
faithful.

Practicus: An initiate of the grade of Hod; third

degree of the assembly of the faithful.

Qeshet: Veil between Malkut and the upper Sefirot;

the glow of the Astral Planes.

Qoph Nia: The Eye of the Void or the Eye of the

Storm; also the force of atavistic resurgence.

Queen of the Shabbat: See Shekinah.

Rahamim: Compassion; an alternative title for

Tiferet.

Rainbow Glory: A title of Lady Mary.

Rakiya: Firmament; the second heaven.

Raphael: Healing of God; Tiferet of Beriyah;

archangel of Tiferet; also the archangel associated
with the eastern quarter of the circle.

Ratziel: God's wisdom; Hokmah of Beriyah;

archangel of Hokmah.

Ratzon: Will or desire; alternative title of Keter.

Reshit: Beginning or initiation; also an alternative

title of Hokmah.

Rite of Ransom: Gnostic term for divine magic;

also the mystery of the crucifixion.

Rite of the Bridal Chamber: Gnostic worship

founded on the Arayot. See Arayot; also the Rite
of Mystical Union. See mystical union.

Rosicrucian: Christian Gnostic; an initiate of the

Rosicrucian order or belonging to the Rosicrucian
 order; the inner or second order; the order of the
adepti.

Ruach: Spirit or intelligence; an aspect of the soul.

Ruach Ha-Elijah: Spirit of the prophets; an aspect

of the Holy Spirit.

Ruach Ha-Enoch: Spirit of the initiates; an aspect

of the Holy Spirit.

Roach Ha-Kodesh: Spirit of holiness; Hebrew for

the Holy Spirit.

Ruach Ha-Messiah: Spirit of the Messiah; an

aspect of the Holy Spirit.

Ruhaniyot: Radiant holy breath; spirit or essence

of the Sefirot.

Samael: Poison of God; Gevurah of Beriyah;

another archangel of Gevurah; an arch demon
associated with Gevurah; the adversary; consort
 of Lilith.

Sandalfon: Shoe-Ofan; Malkut of Beriyah;

archangel of Malkut; also the archangel of the
circle.

Satan: Enemy or adversary; demon of the abyss;

the egoistic self; cosmic ignorance; the shadow of
God or dark face of God; also the archdemon of
the southern quarter of the circle.

Sefirah: Emanation or sphere; a quality or attribute

of God; a divine power.

Sefirot: Plural of Sefirah. See Sefirah.

Sefer Ha-Bahir: Book of Brilliance; a classical

source-work of the Kabbalah predating the Zohar
and less refined than the Zohar.

Sefer Ha-Zohar: Book of Splendor; a classical

source-work of the Holy Kabbalah that assumes
the form of commentary on the Torah (first five
 books of the Old Testament).

Sefer Yetzirah: Book of Formation; a classical

source-work of the Kabbalah focusing primarily
upon Ma'aseh Bereshit and the meditative and
magical Kabbalah.

Seraphim: Fiery serpents or burning ones; Gevurah

of Yetzirah; angelic order of Gevurah.

Serpent Power: See Fire Snake.

Serpent's Skin: The mortal coil or physical body.

Serpent-Sun: Gnostic term for Christ or Gnostic

title of Lord Yeshua.

Shamaim: Firmaments or heavens.

Shedim: Demons.

Shefa: Influx; Spiritual energy of the Sefirot.

Shehakim: Sky-like or clouds of grace; third
heaven.

Shekinah: Divine presence and power; God the

Mother and God the Bride.

Sophia: Wisdom; divine wisdom, created and

uncreated; Christ the Daughter (primordial or
uncreated wisdom = God the Mother).

Sophian Gnosticism: A tradition of Gnostic

initiation that considers St. Mary Magdalene
coequal and codivine with Yeshua Messiah (Jesus
Christ).

Spell of Omega: Gnostic term for the Book of

Revelation; also a certain aspect of the magical
Kabbalah.

Sphere of Sensation: The aura surrounding the

human body, which is the radiance of the subtle
body.
Spiritual Sun: Messiah or Christos; a title of Lord
Yeshua; also a term for the union of Lady Mary
and Lord Yeshua as one Messiah or Christ, male
and female.

Subtle Body: A body of subtle energy within and

beyond the physical body; a body of
consciousness; a body through which
consciousness can exist independent of the
physical body.

Tau: Master; title of a Gnostic master; a holy

tzaddik; initiate of the order of Melchizedek;
initiation of the grade of magister templi or higher
Rosicrucian grades.

Temple of King Solomon: A specific configuration

of the magical temple in the wonder-working
Kabbalah as taught in the Christian Kabbalah; the
ceremonial art of the wonder-working Kabbalah.

Tetragrammaton: A phrase for the great name of

God-Yahweh.
Theoricus: An initiate of the grade of Yesod;
second degree of the assembly of the faithful.

The Elohim: Gods and goddesses; dominions and

principalities; Netzach of Yetzirah; angelic order
of Netzach; the subject of a secret teaching of the
Gnostics.

Threefold Body of Melchizedek: The resurrection

body or body of light attained with the dawn of
supernal or Messianic consciousness (body of
enlightenment or Christhood).

Threefold Rite of Initiation: First Gnostic initiation

on the path; baptism in living waters, chrism-
anointing, and wedding feast (Holy Eucharist of
the Bride and Bridegroom).

Tiferet: Beauty; sixth Sefirah.

Tikkune: Correction, repair, mending, or healing;

restoration of the holy Sefirot to the ideal or
 original state; spiritual work on the soul.

Titanic: Admixed forces, neither good nor evil.

Transference of Consciousness: The practice of

shifting the center of consciousness into the subtle
body or beyond the physical body.

Tzaddik: Righteous one; an adept or master of the

Tradition, incarnate or disincarnate; also tzaddik
not capitalized is a term for any elect soul or
initiate.

Tzaddikim: Righteous ones; a term for spiritual

adepts and masters of the Tradition; also a term
for all of the faithful and elect.

Tzadkiel: Righteousness of God; Hesed of

Beriyah; archangel of Hesed.

Tzafkiel: Remembrance of God; Binah of Beriyah;

archangel of Beriyah.
Tzimtzum: Constriction; the process of creation.

Uriel: Light of God; replaces Hamel as one of the

seven archangels of the Messiah; also the
archangel of the northern quarter of the circle.

Uzza: Dark demon; one of the Fallon; one of the

leaders of the fallen.

Vilon: The veil; first heaven.

Yechidah: Holy spark; inmost secret aspect of the

soul; spark of the Soul of Messiah.

Yeshua: Aramaic for Jesus.

Yesod: Foundation or reciprocity; ninth Sefirah.

Yetzirah: Formation; universe emerging from

Beriyah; world of Angels; world of Spirits.

Yichud: Unity; specifically, the realm of unity

composed of Adam Kadmon and Atzilut.
Zebul: Dwelling; fourth heaven.

Zelator: An initiate of the grade of Malkut; first

degree of the assembly of the faithful.

Zer Anpin: Little face or lesser countenance;

Partzuf of Tiferet.
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INDEX
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