The Tree of Life - An Introduction to the Kabbalah

THE TREE OF LIFE  An Introduction to the Kabbalah by Z’ev ben Shimon Halevi

The Tree of Life, An Introduction to the Kabbalah by Z'ev ben Shimon Halevi 1972 The Guernsey Press

This is another book I have had on my bookcase for a long time. I had no idea what the Kabbalah was and I have found it very interesting.

 

The Tree of Life is a framework upon which we can examine the structure of any organisation, from a business to the existence of Man.

At the top of the tree is the sephira, or container, Kether, the Crown, which is the Absolute, the Unknowable.

At the bottom is Malkut, the Kingdom, which is the physical body.

On the central column also are

·         Yesod, Foundation, which is the Ego or Persona;

·         Tepheret, Beauty, which is Man’s consciousness of himself, the Watcher. This is at the centre of the tree between Heaven and Earth

·         Daat, Knowledge. This is invisible, the Divine, the Void, the state of No-thing. This is where Man meets the Absolute

On either side of the central column is a passive column and an active column.

The Active Column contains, from the bottom:

·         Netzah, Eternity, which is the autonomic system which runs the vital functions and instincts.

·         Hesed, Mercy, which is the internal world of man, the devotion and passion which drives him.

·         Hochma, Wisdom, which is inspiration and genius coming from the Crown

The Passive Column regulates the corresponding sephiroth, or containers:

·         Hod, Reverberation, which is basic reasoning and knowledge.

·         Gevura, Judgement, which is assessment of the emotions which arise in its opposite, Hesed.  If these are not balanced, then Hesed could lead to uncontrolled passions, while someone who is in Gevura could become a bigot or zealot.

·         Binah, Understanding. This is the intellect, which balances the flashes of inspiration found in its opposite, Hochma. A person who is in Hochma could become a revolutionary, while one in Binah could become too conservative.

I don’t know if this is clear, but to me it is a good map, showing the development of a person from merely physical functioning to a realisation that there is more to life; a great deal more to explore and to achieve.

 

 

 

Ancient Hawaiian Wisdom and Focusing

The beliefs of the Kahunas of Polynesia and Focusing

The Secret Science Behind Miracles, Unveiling the Huna Tradition of the Ancient Polynesians, Max Freedom Long, 1948, DeVorss & Company.

 

Max Freedom Long studies the beliefs and practices of the Kahunas (Keepers of the Secret) in Hawaii. His findings mirror exactly what we have found in using Focusing.

The Kahunas believed that we are made up of three souls:

1.    The Low Self (unihipili). This is found around the body. It manages the emotions and it also holds a person’s memories. It has only elementary reasoning powers, like a dog or a horse. It has animal instincts, hates, fears and addictions.

2.    The Middle Self (uhane) is the conscious mind. It can use the powers of reason, imagination and will but it has no memory. It has language. It has unemotional logic but it can have fixed ideas if it does not use its powers of imagination.

3.    The High Self (aumakua) is the superconscious. It is a blend of masculine and feminine. It is the light, the way, or the path. It is a powerful force which is in contact with “the God who dwells with man”. Its role is love and service.

 

The High Self has wisdom and love and can guide, correct ad heal the other two selves. But the Kahunas believed that it could only do so in a certain way. The low and middle selves have free will and the high self allows them to exercise their free will and to learn by their experiences unless they desire and request guidance from the High Self.

It is only the Low Self that is able to communicate with the High Self. But it can only do that if it is directed by the will of the middle self. Therefore, when guidance is required, the middle or logical self, uses its energy or will to direct the Low Self to communicate with the High Self. The Middle Self then must relax and allow the other two to communicate.

This is exactly how Focusing works. If there is a problem the focuser is brought into a relaxed state, out of the mind and into awareness of the body. Once the relevant part of the body is located, it can communicate, by use of metaphor and images, its experience of the problem. Then the High Self will intervene and help with the problem. Often it will suggest looking at the issue from different perspectives and changing certain behaviour or ways of thinking.

If there is no particular problem, the High Self can be contacted anyway and will communicate using light and colour to give the focuser a wonderful spiritual experience.

 

The Kahuna explanation of how problems arise:

The Low Self governs the senses but has little intelligence. Therefore, it can become driven by those senses into addictions or enmeshed by overwhelming emotions, which it cannot control. It also holds the memory of everything that happens but is unable to communicate these memories to the other selves without the direction of the middle self.

The Middle Self has logic and reason but if it does not connect with the Low Self, it loses the instincts which tell it whether its beliefs are right or ethical. It cannot connect with the High Self without the aid of the Low Self.

The Kahunas believed that if a person believes they have “sinned”, the Low Self and the Middle Self agree that there is a sin, and then the Low Self will feel unworthy to contact the High Self for guidance and will not do so. It may believe that punishment must be given and this comes in the form of illness or accidents or seeking the company of people who will hurt them.

The Low and Middle selves can also absorb the criticisms and abusive comments of others and believe them to be true. This inhibits the natural talents and abilities of the person.

All of these can be helped by contacting the High Self, through the body, by means of instruction from the Middle Self or mind/will.

Back Again

I haven't put anything in this blog for the last year. I have been very busy, together with my colleague, designing and delivering courses for therapists who work with clients who have suffered trauma. The work has been very satisfying and it has been a great pleasure to work with groups of people who are dedicated to their work helping clients.

As the demand for our courses rose, we worked harder and harder to keep up. Now that I have reached the ripe old age of 70 I have decided I can't keep up with Dzmitry and have scaled back on my part of the work.

So now I have time to dedicate to my shamanic and spiritual work again - hence this return to my blog.

If anybody out there is reading my offerings, bless you and greetings.

An Explanation for Therapists' Burn-Out

I know I keep banging on about this book, "The Path of the Masters" by Julian Johnson but I have found it fascinating. So many of his ideas correspond with my own discoveries.

In the courses I run with my colleague Dzmitry Karpuk we pay great attention to the propensity for dedicated therapists to suffer from overload, secondary trauma impact and burn-out. Johnson's explanation is as follows, "It is a well-known law that if we do too much for people who have not themselves earned such favors, the giver must assume a part of the burden of the karma of the recipient. If you give a thousand dollars to anyone who has not earned it and who may misuse it, you yourself must be prepared to suffer the loss, not only of what you have foolishly given away but of the double amount in addition. Possibly you may suffer other penalties as well. Love must be given constructively."

Johnson believes that Christ died too soon because he did too many gratuitous healings and miracles and left his disciples only half trained to carry out his work.

I Did the Journey

It must be rather odd reading blogs where the first thing you see is the latest blog.  Anyway, previously I was talking about the Audible Life Stream which is the method used by the Masters in the book "The Path of the Masters" by Julian Johnson.  I decided to journey to my spirit guide to ask about the audible life stream.  My guide offered to show me how it works.  First I had to take off my headphones which play the drum which I usually use to help me to journey.  Then I was left with a feeling that I was open to what was around me. I could hear cars passing outside... and the tinnitus in my left ear. The 'silence' was very distracting. It was a great effort to concentrate on the journey. I did manage to hear a sound.  Not very loud. Like a hum. Like a lot of people chanting. I was able to let myself be carried by this sound to the place where I have been before. I can only try to describe it visually. I am part of a cosmos. Like those beautiful pictures of outer space. A vast number of worlds or entities or galaxies, all drifting towards a kind of horizon and disappearing below it. But the horizon is not like the one that ancient scholars imagined, where once you had gone over it you fell off the world. This goes on and on. There is a wonderful beauty about it. I experienced the love. But it was not like that in the book.  Rather than the love coming from outside, it was coming from inside of me outwards in a continuous stream.

So, I think that there are different ways to journey for different people. Some people are visual, like I am; but many people are auditory and experience the world and the universe through sound. There are also people who are kinaesthetic who experience through sensation. I can't imagine how they do it but I know that they can journey into other dimensions just as well.

Discussing this with a friend, we came to the conclusion that our Masters are not in this world but they are our Spirit Guides who advise, help and support us in non-ordinary reality.

The Audible Life Stream

The Audible Life Stream is that which carries us to the Supreme Creator, according to Julian Johnson in "The Path of the Masters".

"The Audible Life Stream is the supreme Creator himself vibrating through space. It is the wave of spiritual life going forth from the Creator to every living thing in the universe.

"The higher we go the more enchanting the music.  In those higher worlds the music is less mixed with matter, and so is not dulled."

Johnson uses sound to guide him to the upper realms. He quotes from the Bible, "In the beginning is the Word", it is what drives Creation.

I must confess that I have not experienced the Audible Life Stream.  I will journey on it and ask my guides what it is and, maybe, experience it myself.

Four Fundamental Principles from Ancient Eastern Philosophy

From "The Path of the Masters" by Julian Johnson

1. The first general principle is:

          Ekam sat vipra bahudha vadanti. That which exists is one: sages call it by various names.

All that lives is one life, one in essence, permeated and vitalized by the one universal Being.

The whole infinite universe is held together in one bond, and that bond is love.


2.      Tat Tvam Asi  Thou art that.

It means that every individual is so closely akin to all others that no real distinction can be made between them.

Each individual is the Supreme One

3.     Detachment

Essentially, this means that one is to cease to identify himself with his possessions and environment. 

He must leave not only his wealth and loved ones but he must leave his own body.

4.    Get rid of desire

Desire is the cause of all sorrow. 

"Desire draws us to objects of sense. The senses overwhelm the mind and the mind enslaves the soul... get rid of desire by placing before the mind something which has greater attraction."