Sanctuary

The Temple of Solomon.

In our final session for 2011, we continued to explore ways in which sacred ground was recognised and consecrated by the Hebrew people in the Bible. It was interesting to reflect back on the biblical passages from our previous meeting, in which we read of people encountering the Divine in natural and wilderness locations. The stories of Abraham and Sarah for example are glimpses from an earlier oral tradition. Scholars place them around 1900 BCE. The city of Ur that they travelled from was sacred to the Sumerian moon God Nanna or Sin. His wife was Ningal (Great Lady) who bore him Utu/Shamash (Sun) and Inanna/Ishtar (Venus). Nanna was served by powerful princess priestesses, of which the best known is Enheduanna, the earliest known female poet and writer. Haran, where Abraham and Sarah are said to have travelled to was also an important sacred site for Nanna. Perhaps Sarah was a moon priestess, taking a pilgimage to the sacred trees, pool and cave of her gods and goddesses?

It seems that Ur was a sophisticated city with a great temple or Ziggurat, so Sarah and Abraham may well have been similarly sophisticated religious people. Yet the images of them in the Bible are natural and simple, as they meet with angels under the great trees of Mamre and respond to this divine encounter by sharing a meal. The picture of Jacob's heavenly vision as he rests his head on a stone has a similar accessibility - as does the natural stone altar that he sets up to mark his spiritual awakening. When Moses sees God in the burning bush or within smoke and fire on the mountain top at Sinai, again the symbolism is wild and natural and yet out of it come sacred structures in the form of the ethical teachings of the 'Ten Words' and in the instructions for creating a tabernacle.

From the creation of the Tabernacle and Solomon's temple (the latter in around 950BCE) sacred ground is presented in quite a different way. It's no longer a wild and natural encounter, out of the blue so to speak. Instead there's a conscious consecrating of space. At its best this suggests a spiritual awareness that any ground can be recognised as sacred and the Tabernacle as a 'travelling sanctuary' underlines this. At worst a designated 'sacred space' suggests an exercise of power and control. With Solomon's temple, it's hard not to see this as mostly a display of wealth and authority, both in the large and costly structure of the building and in the ritual structures and priesthood that control people's access to the inspiration and forgiveness of God. All the elements that were present in the earlier divine encounter....the sacred trees, the pool, the shared meal...have now become set into symbolic objects...the sacred trees are now golden menorah candlesticks, the pool is now a basin for ritual washing, the shared meal is consecrated bread within the Holy Place where only the priests enter. For all its splendour, to me the Temple feels like a diminishment of the freedom and wild glory of God.

But Kabbalists delight in the symbolism of the Tabernacle and Temple. For them the outer and inner court and outer and inner sanctuary (or Holy Place and Most Holy Place) are representations of the Four Worlds and the different levels of consciousness they stand for. The outer court is the outer world of action, while the inner court is the inner world of the soul. The Holy Place with its priests symbolises the more spiritually aware levels of our being, while to enter the Holy of Holies is to enter into the presence of the Divine...something rarely achieved, as symbolised by the one day a year when only the High Priest can enter the Inner Sanctuary.

Some teachers think that prophecy ended in Biblical times but to me this makes no sense. The key it seems to me is not being a special person in a special time or place, but being spiritually awake to the natural self and place one already inhabits. Ezekial realised this after the destruction of the Temple, as he sat in exile on the banks of the River Cheber through his strange vision of God as a glowing person whose throne is carried by wild and impossible creatures. Perhaps if we are honest, we are all a little like that... Divine sparks carried by wild and impossible creatures!

Biblical Sacred Ground

Oak of Mamre.

We concluded our exploration of the Physical or Assiyatic Tree with two sessions in which we focussed on how Sacred Ground is depicted in the Bible. On 30th November we started with some stories from Genesis.

The Matriarchs and Patriarchs of the early chapters of the Hebrew Bible can come alive to us through their stories; stories that are deeply grounded in the landscape of the Holy Land and within the 'down to earth' lives the Hebrew people experienced as they tended their crops and herds.

Bible stories begin in Genesis, with a vision of a 'good and pleasing' garden:

Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. 9 The LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Genesis 2:8-9

Kabbalistically, the eating of the fruit of knowledge can be understood as the ego awareness and physical experience that each soul embraces in leaving the inner Eden and taking human birth. Yet the deeper spiritual vision remains within the soul and can be awakened at any moment, as we see happening for characters such as Abraham & Sarah, Jacob & Rebekah and Moses & Miriam:

Genesis 18:1

The LORD appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day.  

Genesis 28:16-17

When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” 17 He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.”

Exodus 3:1-4

Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. 3 So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.”

 4 When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!”

   And Moses said, “Here I am.”

Each of these Biblical characters sets us a wonderful example in waking up and becoming present ("Here I am") to the divine dimension of the everyday ground of our lives!


In meditation, we took our symbol of the Inner Garden and explored it through a biblical form. We imagined ourselves travelling back in time to visit the great trees of Mamre and to enter the Cave of Machpelah (which still exist in a changed form to this day). There we were able to envision an inner encounter with a Biblical Matriarch or Patriarch and ask for and receive their understanding and wisdom, which proved to be a powerful and inspiring exercise.

Eternity's Sunrise

On Saturday 19th November, our much loved tutor, Peter Brennan, returned for a further day on the 'transcendent art' of poetry. This time, we focussed on the work of the visionary artist and poet William Blake. Peter had prepared for each of us an inspiring selection of Blake's poems, letters and art works and it proved particularly fruitful to be able to draw upon both visual and poetic imagery.

We started with an introduction to Blakes ideas, names and images for The Four Zoas, which Peter connected to the four living creatures of Ezekial's vision... an important Biblical source text for Kabbalah. It was affirming for the women amongst us to hear that Blake also had female aspects for each of the Zoas. Peter related the Lion to 'Tharmas' (male ) and 'Enion' (female) and the energies of instinct, strength and resolution. The Ox he related to 'Urizen' and 'Ahania' and the energies of boundaries, reason and what Blake called 'mind forg'd manacles'. The Man was related to 'Luvah (or Orc)' and 'Vala' and the energies of love, passion and emotion and finally the Eagle Peter related to 'Urthona (or Los)' and 'Enitharmon' or the energies of imagination and and inspiration.

Throughout both the poems and images we explored, we repeatedly met these great archetypal powers and felt how they must have played through Blake himself as he struggled to express his prophetic visions in a time and culture that did not recognise or support him. We discovered in his work a great courage...no idea or safe establishment (including the rules of punctuation!) remains unchallenged. As a priest, I especially enjoyed Blake's 'Proverbs of Hell' and his critique of the Church in 'The Little Vagabond' for example, which seems just as pertinent today

Dear Mother, dear Mother, The Church is cold
But the Alehouse is healthy & pleasant & warm;
Besides I can tell where I am used well, Such usage in heaven will never do well.


and Blake's calling into question easy, selfish ideas of being merciful and good (and highlighting our own participation in creating the suffering of others) in 'The Human Abstract'...

Pity would be no more,
If we did not make somebody Poor;
And Mercy no more could be,
If all were as happy as we;


In selections from 'The Book of Urizen' and 'The Four Zoas' we were all stirred by the power of Blake's poetry and the vivid images it evokes. So to conclude, here is a tiny taste from Night the Ninth (for all those who have ever found themselves enduring sleepless nights!)

And men are bound to sullen contemplations in the night
Restless they turn on beds of sorrow, in their inmost brain
Feeling the crushing wheels they rise they write the bitter words
Of Stern Philosophy & knead the bread of knowledge with tears & groans

Inner Sacred Space

Imagine a pool at the centre of your inner garden...

In the last session we made a start with creating and recognising outer sacred space and this time, in our fourth session for Autumn on 16th November 2011, we began to take this further, with a meditative exercise to help create inner Sacred Space

If you want to practise this exercise at home, remember to 'work up through the worlds'! So start by setting aside some physical space and time in which you won't be interrupted and take a little time to settle into a relaxed and upright posture with a straight spine. You might like to settle into meditation with a few minutes of simply breathing and letting the body settle. Even just reading through the exercise below slowly, with time given to relax and take a few slow breaths between each paragraph, will have some benefit. Once you have read it slowly through a couple of times, the simple structure will settle into your unconscious so you can recall and work with it in your own meditation time.

Visiting the Inner Garden

Once you are physically settled and your awareness has stabilised at least a little, start to imagine yourself standing on an inner ground. Let it be a natural wilderness place and take time to find your inner feet, to look all around, below and above you. Allow this inner landscape to reveal itself to you and trust your inner senses which may take any form. You could see images but you might equally well get energetic impressions or feelings, hear sounds or emphasise another sense such as scent or taste. Stay in touch with your breath and try to calmly observe whatever arises, even if it is unexpected or unpleasant. You can stop at any time and return your focus to your body and the outer world if you wish.

Once you are settled in your inner landscape, look for a path. Know that this path will draw you on towards an Inner Garden. 

Take time to move along the path and look around you as you breathe and move along. It may be that you will see something of interest or significance or that you may encounter someone or something along the way. This may seem like a blessing or a challenge, which you can engage with and move through. If you need help, inwardly ask for it and you will receive what you need.

Further along and looking ahead, you see your companions, each converging on the doorway to the Inner Garden from their own paths. Together we stand in front of the door and take time to sense or see it. One of us steps forward to open the way and we each consciously cross the threshold into the Inner Garden.

We take time inside to get our bearings. We have a sense of being within a sacred enclosure. Three paths lead from our feet. One goes towards the left side of the garden, which is shady and cool. One goes towards the right side, which is sunny and warm. One leads straight up the centre of the garden towards a circular central pool and then continues on the far side of the pool to a spring source at the top of the garden.

In our own time, we follow 'the Kabbalistic path of the lightening flash', moving first to the central pool. We take time to gaze into the water and notice whether it is smooth or moving and to gaze at any reflections there or glimpses of below the surface.

We then move towards the left side and take time to experience this cool shady side of the garden and notice our responses to it. We may find a message or token from this side…

We then cross right over the right side and take time to experience the warm, sunny side of the garden and notice our responses to it. We may receive a message or token from this side…

We then move up to the top of the garden where pure, cool water flows from a spring source and sparkles in the light. We take time to drink or bathe in these waters of the spirit and in the light. Spend as much time here as you wish.

When it is time to return, we walk down the central path, following a stream of water that flows along it from the source. We follow as it leads back past the central pool and back towards the door where we came in. Consciously we step out of the Garden and one of us closes the door. In our own time we each make our way back along our own path. As we move and breathe, gradually our inner senses fade and we focus back simply on the breath and the body, until we are ready to open our eyes and move our awareness firmly back to the outer world.

Sacred Ground

Sacred Ground in Dartington.

In our third Session of the Autumn/Winter Term on November 2nd 2011 we continued to explore the Physical or Assiyatic dimension of the Tree of Life through ideas and practices to create sacred space. Here are some notes from our session:

Our first sacred ground is within our own bodies and spiritual practices, such as the energy body meditations we have been practicing, are a significant way of re-sacralising this ground of our being. When we give kind awareness to each part of the body and gently listen to its tensions and pains, we are engaged in conscious transformation and healing. Every time we imagine a flow of light or warmth or breath within us, we become a little clearer, a little more in touch with being a vessel for God and for good. So it's worth persevering with these simple practices and letting them gradually transform us.

Our next sacred ground is our home. If we are able, we can set aside a room or corner as a sanctuary space. We may not be able to dedicate a physical space in our homes in this way all the time, but even for a time each day or each week, consciously seeing an ordinary space as sacred can transform the energy of our home and bring heaven to earth. Remember how the Israelites took their tabernacle with them through their nomadic life and kept recreating their sacred space within each new place they came to.

A simple focus such as a candle or something of beauty and inspiration, when carefully and consciously placed, can make an altar out of anything from a simple shelf or windowsill to the kitchen table. Combine this with regular and conscious use, such as lighting a candle before meals, saying a prayer or blessing or spending some time in meditation… It doesn't matter if you are the only one in your home who knows the deeper purpose of that vase of flowers or who silently prays a blessing as plates are brought to the table or an email sent… for not only will such practices transform your experience of homely life, they will quietly touch the lives of those around you too.

A similar awareness can be brought to moving out into our locality. Why not make an ordinary walk, a walking meditation? No special techniques are needed, simply a conscious decision to be fully present to what and who you meet along the way. I like to take circular walks from my home that connect me with all different aspects of my locality, and not just the beautiful bits! To touch tarmac as well as earth, bless the petrol station as well as the river… With awareness, anywhere we visit can be sacred ground and while we might choose some places to nourish us, others we might choose to nourish, in any way from picking up litter to praying blessings or being there in meditation.

Moving further still, we can make pilgrimages to special or troubled places in our country and our world, to receive inspiration and healing or to give our support. These may be physical visits or the practical support of work or charity donations, but they can equally well be meditative visits and the support of prayer and distant healing. 

Astrology and Kabbalah

On Saturday 8th October day we enjoyed a fascinating day on Astrology and Kabbalah; when Jewish Kabbalist and astrologer Jonathon Clark joined us from the London Centre of the Kabbalah Society.

In the morning Jonathon reminded us of Kabbalistic fundamentals and related them to astrological ideas, setting the planets on the sefirot of the Tree of Life. He then covered the astrological basics of zodiac signs, planetary meanings and the house system in a very clear powerpoint presentation (available for Tree of Life School companions).

In preparation for the day, we had all sent in our birth details and Jonathon had both prepared our individual birth charts and set the planetary details on the Tree of Life for each of us. So in the afternoon Jonathon led the group in studying each person's chart, illuminating physical, psychological and spiritual themes for each person. This was not only very affirming and insightful at a personal level, but was also a great way to get to know each other better as companions in spiritual work.

Not only was this a fascinating day of study, but we were also blessed with warm sunshine and Joyce's wonderful hospitality. What could be better than to sit in out in the sun at lunchtime, in Joyce's beautiful garden with its inspiring view over Dartmoor, and be nourished by a delicious home cooked feast. All this with good companions and a great tutor!

Jonathon was heavily outnumbered by a lovely group of women + dog!

Energy Body

Three energy channels and subtle energy centres, called Chakras in the Hindu Tradition.
Comparisons can be made with the Kabbalistic Three Pillars and Sefirot.

Having started our first meeting for this term focussing on the most solid, physical aspects of life and our bodies, in our second meeting on October 5th, we moved on up the Tree a little to consider the more subtle aspects of the physical world.

We looked at the second 'Face' on Jacob's Ladder, representing where the material and psychological worlds interpenetrate each other. We reflected on how we all experience this; how stress can lead to physical illness for example, or vice versa. We then explored how several spiritual systems work with what is sometimes called the etheric or energy body, which is often understood as existing within or around the physical forms of all life from human beings to landscapes. We compared briefly the Hindu chakras and Taoist Tantiens and saw how both systems focus on subtle energy centres in the body, connected by energy channels, including major centres in the lower abdomen, heart and head.

The Tree of Life can be mapped onto the body in a similar way, with the Four Worlds of Kabbalah related to subtle energy centres in feet (Earth/Physical World/Malkut), lower abdomen/genitals (Water/ Psychological World/ Yesod), Heart (Air/Spiritual World/ Tiferet) and the crown of the head (Fire,/Divine World/Keter). We experienced this subtle energy Body Tree through meditation, working with the breath and expanding awareness from feet to crown, from Malkut to Keter.

We concluded our meeting with some chanting led by Joyce. This gave a fascinating and energising insight into how the vibration of sound can stimulate the subtle energy centres in the body.

Beginning Again

In the Garden... Fred the pheasant puts us in touch with the Nefesh.

On September 21st 2011 the Wednesday evening Kabbalah group started a new term of meetings. We were glad to welcome both new and familiar faces and to start together a deep and slow journey through the extended Tree of Life, also known as Jacob's Ladder.

So we are beginning again at the base!

Here are Joyce's notes from the evening:

"What is the purpose of Life" asked Sam at the beginning of our first meeting of the Autumn term.  A silence fell on the room as each of us pondered the enormity of the question, and for me, the struggle to verbalise any coherent answer! We all eventually gave account of our personal picture, which as always was very thought provoking.  Sam took us on a quick tour with questions and answers down through the four worlds to the Malkut of Assiyah, the physical world, where we were to start our study up through the Tree.  Sam then guided us through a meditation focusing on our bodies starting  with our breath, moving up the body from the feet and finishing with the heart. A period of reflection followed and an opportunity to write our thoughts in our journals.  I personally appreciated the time and space which allowed me to contemplate the extraordinary complexity of my body and the myriad functions it performs without my consciousness, which I find both awe inspiring and sobering.

 and Eddie and Doreen's:

The body meditation was most helpful to me and l have lain in bed before sleep and early morning and repeated the exercise. Also, just to be studying Kabbalah, the Hebrew one, is really wonderful and takes me back to times of bible study and the' getting nearer to God.' feeling. Thank you. Being in your gardens among the natural world both outer and inner is very lifting. Both Eddie and l look forward to our next meeting and to meeting up with our new and old friends again. 

The Gardens of the Soul

The Tree of Life School started its new term of study with a day retreat on The Gardens of the Soul on Saturday 17th September 2011.

During the day we explored teachings about the five levels of the soul in the Hebrew tradition and related these to the Five Gardens on the extended Tree of Life/Jacob's Ladder. Our main method was through meditation, punctuated by beautiful harp music from Abigail. Below is a brief description of the five souls from our study notes:

The first Garden of the Soul, at the top of the Tree diagram, is called in Hebrew, Yehidah, and the diagram symbolises well how it exists at a pure, divine level. It is like a divine spark that exists in every living thing and it cannot be harmed or destroyed. Each divine spark is completely at one with every other in a unity of consciousness and being. All mystic traditions speak of this and many people have experienced a glimpse of this in what is often now called a 'peak experience'. Trusting in this level of our being and trusting its existence in all other beings can be a powerful practice.

The second Garden of the Soul is called in Hebrew, Chayah. In the diagram we can see how it represents a meeting of divine and spiritual consciousness and as such has both a sense of oneness and a spiritual sense of Self. This level is sometimes described as 'living essence' or 'pure light' and is associated in the Hebrew tradition with archangelic powers, which are traditionally called on before sleep…another powerful practice!

The third Garden of the Soul is called in Hebrew, Neshama, and sometimes called the breath of God. It is the most significant level for Kabbalistic work, because it bridges the psychological and spiritual worlds, which is the cutting edge of consciousness for most of us. Committed meditation or similar spiritual practices  can alter our state of consciousness and give us access to this level in a way that enables spiritual energy to infuse and transform our psyches and physical lives to the benefit of all.

The fourth Garden of the Soul is called in Hebrew, Ruach. This and the next level are coloured by our experiences and how we think, feel and act, and as such can be hurt or lost…and also healed and found! At this level the psyche and the physical body are interconnected. We all have experience of this and how physical experience can affect how we think and feel and vice versa. Psychological and physical therapies mostly work at this level and in Kabbalistic terms are engaged with healing the soul.

The fifth and final Garden of the Soul is called in Hebrew, Nefesh, and often described as the animal soul. We can see from the diagram how it exists fully in the physical level. It is an expression of our vitality and physical energy for life and can be nurtured or neglected. Honouring our animal soul is important, as is connecting it to the deeper levels of soul.

The Nefesh, Ruach and Neshamah are all mentioned in the Torah, while the deeper levels are explored in the Kabbalistic classic, the Zohar. We can work practically to awaken the gardens of our soul in many ways, including through meditation.

Four Worlds in Community

Our dear friend Hilda.

In the Toledano Tradition we often focus on the Kabbalistic Teaching of the Four Worlds. I like to think of these four dimensions of life through the metaphor of an apple...

The fourth world, the material one, is like the skin of the apple. In conventional Western culture we tend to focus on the surface of life, on the outer, physical aspects. We assess  people by how they look or what they do. We give much time and energy to material well being and to dealing with practical issues. This is a bit like eating the skin of the apple and ignoring or throwing the rest away.

The third world, the psychological one, is like the flesh of the apple. It may be sweet or bitter, unblemished or bruised and once we get below the skin, it's tempting to get very preoccupied with this vast inner world and forget to look deeper.

The second world, the spiritual one, is like the core of the apple. It is the essential structure that underpins every apple, no matter how different it seems on or just below the surface. Religious traditions are like apples...they can look and taste very different, but often core spiritual principles are the same.

The first world, the Source or Divine one, is like the seed within the core of the apple. It contains everything to create a new apple tree and endless generations of apples. Every human being has the potential to tap into their divine, creative Source and find their inner seed.


During the Introductory Course, one of our distant learning companions, Hilda, was travelling Britain and reading Kabbalah and Scott Peck. She sent the following thoughts about his idea of different levels of community, which seemed to resonate with aspects of the Four Worlds teachings...

Peck: Four stages of true community:

Pseudo community – Can we see here the superficial ‘niceness’ of the basic physical world?

Chaos:  Is this where we begin to be aware of the underlying tensions of our world, where conflicts begin to be felt, but we don’t always know how to deal with them; where relationships become confused; where received modes of dealing don’t always work; where there is a feeling of being lost as superficial strategies fail…?

Emptiness: As we learn to discard ‘nice’, but superficial, ways of relating to each other, is this where our understanding of psychologically flawed pathways leads us into deeper waters - a more spiritually aware realisation that there is a different level of authenticity more in keeping with the divine purposes of our creation? 

True community: Allowing ourselves to be overtaken by this power of honesty – authenticity – is it here that we enter into a truer understanding of our inter-connectedness with each other and the whole of creation? Does this mean giving up our superficial niceness, holding more honestly to the variability of our relationships, and trusting ourselves to divine glimpses of the true potential of being in harmony with the divine purposes of LIFE?

There is no suggestion that there is a clear ‘progression’ through the various stages towards true community – but rather that it is helpful to be aware that these are stages which, if recognised, help to affirm and stabilise our growth from the superficial niceness of pseudo-community into the disintegration and re-building that underlies moving towards true community.  Neither is there any guarantee that we will not regress, preferring the relatively easy ways of being nice, to the often painful  path of accepting our own, or others’, authenticity.

Glimpsing God

Open to the light of the divine... like a flower in the dark depths of the forest floor.

On July 13th 2011, for our final session in the Introduction to Kabbalah Course, we took it in turns to share our own peak experiences or 'glimpses of God'. For some companions vision had opened unexpectedly at times of darkness or despair and they had found themselves graced with a direct experience of union, light and divine love. Others had experienced a more gradual awakening through quiet moments of insight and a slowly growing trust in a greater reality. It was deeply moving to hear each person speak of their innermost experiences and this is surely one of the great blessings of gathering in a spiritual group.

If you are reading this at home, why not try the following meditation to discover what you may receive...

Start by thinking of the middle pillar of the Tree of Life with its four centres of consciousness, one each at roots, trunk, branches and crown. 

Imagine it running through your own body like the trunk of a great Tree, from your feet rooted down on the Earth, through your base and heart, to the crown of your head that opens to the heavens above.

Focus first on the physical level and take time to tune into the physical

sensations of your body and breathing and be aware of any sounds or other impressions of the physical world around you. Keep returning your awareness to this physical focus, to fully honour this level of being.

Secondly, turn your attention to the inner flow of your thoughts and feelings. Simply observe them as they arise, flow and disperse... as you would if gazing at clouds moving across a clear sky. Let your awareness be like a clear mirror that turns away from nothing and allows all. Practise simply observing and try to neither judge and reject or get too caught up, identified or attached to the content of your experience.

Thirdly, gently focus on that which watches, on that which is aware. It may be like catching water in your fingers that constantly slips away. Keep returning to a state of alert presence, of waiting on God. Observe how the bodymind responds to waiting... perhaps getting bored, frustrated, generating distractions or criticisms. Keep watching and waiting without agenda, without expectation.

Simply be. Stay with this as long as you can...

Witness Consciousness

Tiferet can be like a beautiful flower of consciousness
opening in the depths of our being.

In our penultimate session, on 29th June 2011, we considered the third and fourth Halls of Kabbalah and focussed especially on that central sefirah on the Tree of Life, Tiferet. In meditation we tried to glimpse something of the deeper Self which lies behind the shifting flow of thoughts, feeling and sensations that inform our personality. Through the practice of meditation we can learn to mindfully observe the mirror of the ego, which reflects the light of consciousness through ever changing forms just as the moon reflects the light of the sun. This Tiferet or witness consciousness is what we students of Kabbalah constantly aspire to, in daily life as in meditation.

A biblical motif for this deeper Self is the 'small still voice'. Place your hand on your heart, close your eyes and listen within. Beneath the busy surface waters of the mind, there are deeper and stiller reaches of your being. In these depths lies a small, still voice that can bring perspective and wisdom to any situation in daily life, if we can but learn to listen to it...

Here is a biblical quote from 1 Kings 19 of a Tiferet moment in the life of the prophet Elijah:

The LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.”

   Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.

   

A coat of many colours

In Session 4 on June 15th 2011, we took the next step in our journey through the Seven Halls of Kabbalah and focussed on the second sefirah of Yesod. We related this to the personality level of our being and tried to acknowledge its beauties, as well as its limitations. Here is an excerpt from our notes for this session:

"In Kabbalah the ego is sometimes represented by the biblical character of Joseph with his coat of many colours and I’ve found this image helpful. Joseph is someone who passes through loss and pain and suffering to become a creative and effective personality, able to use his gifts and talents to both improve his own life and that of others. The ‘coat of many colours’ is a fine metaphor for this psychological outer layer of our being and expresses well, I feel, that our personality can be both a unique and beautiful creation and yet is also only an outer surface that we wear for a while over the deeper, eternal aspects of being. Having watched a beloved family member die of Alzheimer’s at a relatively young age, I’ve come to feel that a healthy and robust ego is something to celebrate and be grateful for, while also recognising that it is not all that we are.

Yesod is sometimes described as the ‘non luminous mirror’ and can also be imagined like a pool of water. When you look at the Tree of the Psyche, you can see how around this mirror or pool are arranged a great triad of the sefirot of Malkhut, Hod and Nezah, which at this psychological level we can imagine simply as representing physical sensations, thoughts and feelings. We can experience this when we focus awareness within ourselves, which can be like looking into a pool or mirror in which we see the endless play of sensations, thoughts and feelings that make up our moment to moment sense of self.

Sometimes the pool is calm and clear, sometimes muddy and disturbed and usually we are completely and fairly unconsciously focused upon it and identified with what we see within it. Like the Queen in Snow White, we look into the mirror of ourselves and are preoccupied with how we and the things reflected around us appear....and at our most basic we want to look good and be in control!

But the mirror, of course, shows only what we present to it, what we want to see and show to others. In this sense the ego is a mask, behind which, pushed into the shadow of unconsciousness are all the aspects of the psyche which we have learnt to hide. This is unique to each of us. ‘Anger’ for example may be a vital colour in the ego coat of a gang member but is generally pushed into the shadow of a woman priest! The content is not the issue...it’s just as important to be conscious of anger as it is of compassion. Awakening is not a process of crafting a nice ‘spiritual ego’...it’s about becoming aware of the full range of what it means to be human, to be alive and to have a real capacity for conscious choice...for the times when anger is actually the more skilful response than compassion for example.

Mythic and ‘fairy’ tales are a wonderful source of psychological insight. Just as Snow White and her dark step mother show dark and light aspects of the self, so similarly do the characters of Beauty and the Beast. In this latter story we see how the bright self is able to move through its fears of its hidden side, into a loving relationship with that which is wounded and shadowed within. 

But our folk teaching stories also show us something about the limitations of the ego and its need at times for death and transformation. With honesty we each become aware at times of inner and outer patterns that don’t well serve us or those around us and that we need to change, restrain or, like that dark queen, simply put an end to. There are also times in life when it seems we are reminded that our coat of many

colours is just a temporary creation and that while it’s good to appreciate it, it’s also good not to get too attached! Losses, redundancies and other unexpected changes remind us that our identities are impermanent and we need at times to let them die and be reborn in new forms. What appears ‘beautiful’ is sometimes simply familiar, while the ‘beastly’ is sometimes simply a new stage of self that we haven’t got to know yet!

Starting to more consciously observe the mirror of ourselves and to recognise, appreciate and constructively use and lose our masks, coats or bright selves is part of the work of the second Hall. With time and the help of others we may also start to glimpse and embrace a wider range of self as we start to integrate shadow material, but this takes us further on the path of awakening and towards the third and fourth Halls, which we will touch on more in the next session.

Earthy Kabbalah

Summer roses in the Vicarage garden.

On 1st June 2011, we gathered for our third meeting of the Introduction to Kabbalah Course. Having previously looked at an overview of the Kabbalistic scheme and the journey of Creation, we now began to explore a conscious return to our Divine Source. Kabbalists sometimes call this the Work of the Chariot and in early Kabbalistic literature it was envisioned as a journey through seven Halls or Palaces.

I think this was one of my favourite sessions, as we focussed on the first Hall, sometimes equated with sefirah of Malkhut at the very base of the Tree of Life. For us this represented the sacred nature of the earth and of the physical and practical dimensions of daily life.

For meditation we settled into the body and brought awareness to the sensation of our breathing, which is a simple way to become more centered, calm and clear. Although it's not necessarily easy to stay gently focussed on body and breath as the endless play of thoughts and feelings draws our minds away. With practise however, we can learn to keep steadily returning to our chosen focus and thus build up concentration, which is helpful in everyday life as much as in meditation. Once grounded in an awareness of body and breath, we took a meditative walk into the garden. When the mind is quiet, it wonderful how we can realise that the natural world is full of Grace. The Holy One seems to speak to us in the rich colour of a leaf, the light on a flower or the delicacy of a feather in the grass. A curl of silver birch bark lies on the ground like a tiny Torah scroll, waiting to reveal its Mysteries. I think we all returned from this natural meditation feeling inspired and renewed. In the words of Josh, who joined us for the first time on that Wednesday evening...

"I thought I was coming to study, but instead rediscovered the beauty of the Garden of Kabbalah"

The Transcendent Art

On Saturday 21st May 2011, we enjoyed Peter Brennan's superb day on the spiritual implications of the poetry of Keats.

Below are Peter's own reflections on his workshop. 'The Vale of Soul Making'  brought together eight Kabbalistic companions for a day of inspirational poetry, reflection and deep conversation. The day was generously hosted by Joyce in her lovely home on Dartmoor. What could have been better? We not only had the benefits of a top class tutor introducing us to 'the visionary company' of great poetry, but also the pleasure of a delicious home cooked lunch in beautiful natural surroundings.

If you weren't able to make this day, then don't miss Peter's next visit on November 19th, when he will be introducing us to the wonders of William Blake. For more details see the August newsletter on the website.

Our Keats day in May was a natural follow-on from the Wordsworth and Coleridge course that I presented late in 2010. The group included some who had attended then as well as a few new faces – and very lively, probing and creative it turned out to be!

We traced Keats’s extraordinary poetic and spiritual trajectory during the very brief period given to him (little more than two years to compose one of the most revered canons in English poetry). From the intense and ambitious (but rather ill-defined) narratives of Sleep and Poetry and Endymion, we moved to the great Odes and the Milton-haunted attempts at a culminating epic in the Hyperion poems. We also looked at some of Keats’s own most famous pronouncements about life and transcendence in his letters.

In the process, the group debated a number of issues and concerns, including those relating to the earth, the place of humanity within the scheme of creation, and the relationship of sexuality and creativity. At the same time, we didn’t lose sight of the fact that this was poetry that we were studying, and many insights into the evolving qualities of Keats’s art were expressed. We certainly didn’t duck controversy – and the frank and searching nature of our discussion was consistently exhilarating.

When it was all over, we agreed that a day in Keats’s company was an excellent means of clarifying and extending our spiritual understanding and practice. As before, we arranged to study another poet in a few months’ time, and the course on Blake (covering the whole range of his poetry and taking in some of his most potent images) is scheduled for November. The energies unleashed in our two poetry days so far suggest that it should prove a very powerful and illuminating experience!

Four Worlds

Having made it through the first meeting of Kabbalah Group Creation, our second session of the Introduction to Kabbalah Course flowed more smoothly. This time we were focussing on the Four Worlds of Kabbalah. Preparing for the session, I found myself thinking about this model of reality and asking myself; 'What does it really mean?' and 'how has it helped me'? Looking for my answers I thought back to my youth and my first education in 'the nature of reality'. My intellectual upbringing primarily taught me that only the material world and what can be perceived through the physical senses or conceived by the rational mind is actually 'real'. I struggled with this, even as a young person, for it seemed to leave out and dismiss a lot of my experience.

Discovering Kabbalah was like following Lewis Carroll's white rabbit or passing 'through the looking glass' into a world view which was a mirror image of what I had previously been taught (and a blessed relief!) Through the looking glass or Ispaklaria of Kabbalah everything is the other way round... the hidden, the mysterious, the inconceivable is the primary reality. The 'First World' is the divine one, is an enlightened state of consciousness hinted at by mystics throughout millennia and rich with depth and meaning, compared to which rational materialism seems rather recent and like living on thin gruel when you could choose chocolate!

But why 'four worlds'? I've no idea! Why not? It's just a model after all, a finger pointing at the moon. It keeps me wondering though...what's the difference between divinity and spirit....between spirit and soul, between soul and matter? These are life enriching questions, ones for endless asking and endless answers...

In the group we tried coming at the Four Worlds by one way or another and firstly this was practically, through drawing our own diagrams of the Tree of Life. There was much laughter as we struggled with rulers and compasses and some very unique and individually shaped Trees emerged! We were considering this four fold model of reality primarily in terms of different kinds of consciousness.

We starting by folding a vertical centre line on our 'empty' sheets of paper...feeling like we were back at the beginning of a creation again. Next we were thinking of the 'First World' called in Hebrew Azilut or 'nearness' to God which we imagined as an enlightened state of consciousness...something we all aspire to! This was represented by the first point we drew at the very top of our diagram, representing Keter, the first sefirah or 'garment of God'. Placing our compass points here we drew a circle for this first world. I imagine it like the ultimate sacred circle, a divine vessel... I like Hafiz's description

God 

and I have become

like two giant fat people living

in a tiny

boat.

We 

keep bumping into 

each other 

and

laughing.

Where the lowest part of the circle on our paper crossed the centre line, we made our second point for Daat, that mysterious spiritual 'non-sefirah' and drew a new circle centred from here, representing the second World known as Beriah or the world of creation. We imagined this as spiritual awareness. Perhaps this is something we know a little more about as it's full of states of being we aspire to and sometimes briefly embody...wisdom, understanding, loving kindness, courage, truth and more. Here's a poem from St Francis for the heavenly blue sky world of Beriah

Such love does

the sky now pour,

that whenever I stand in a field

I have to wring out the light

when I get

home.

At the base of this circle, we drew our third point at Tiferet and here found a centre for our third circle of the world of soul or psyche, called in Hebrew Yetzirah. How wonderful it is when we do feel centred in our soul, when we are mindful (rather than mindless) of the circling of thoughts, feelings and sensations...when we touch that still centre within them. Don't we all know moments like this, of being somehow centred and in the flow, when for a while life really is full of truth and beauty, as Tiferet is often translated. Of course, much of our psychological experience is of not feeling centred. Instead we rise and fall on the shifting seas of inner and outer experience and yet I find it helps to have this realm affirmed as another garment of God. I wish someone had said to me as a child...'dreams are real, feelings matter, every thought is an angel'...I feel an attack of poetry for the soul coming on, courtesy of Tukaram this time

Some 

planets rolled in

those openings on the side of my head.

I haven't heard anything for years.

When I see a mouth moving in front of me

I just assume someone is saying

something brilliant

and then go on about my day

feeling very

secure.

At the base of that third circle, we marked Yesod, foundation and made this in turn the centre of our fourth and final circle with the last point, Malkhut at its base. So we focussed finally on the material world that my intellectual education never looked beyond. How different it seems as the final vessel for all that divine, spiritual and soul energy that has come before. Of course, this is how it is when we go out in the garden with our God's eyes on...everything is both beautifully down to earth and full of light and wonder. St John of the Cross knew all about this (and he could even see it while being forced to sleep and eat on his own excrement in a dark prison in the basement of a monastery, while being beaten by other monks until he was crippled...)

I was sad one day and went for a walk;

I sat in a field.

A rabbit noticed my condition and

came near.

If often does not take more than that to help at times-

to just be close to creatures who

are so full of knowing,

so full of love

that they don't 

-chat,

they just gaze with

their

marvelous understanding.

ps; to finish your Tree of Life diagram...just 'join the dots' including the points where the circles intersect at each side.

pps: with deep gratitude to Daniel Ladinsky for his wondrous translations of mystical poetry from East and West. Rush out and buy his 'Love Poems from God' right away!

In the beginning...

On Wednesday 4th May, The Tree of Life School started its new 'Introduction to Kabbalah' Course. The theme for the evening was Vision, including the Kabbalistic vision of life as expressed in the Creation story. It was great to gather with a very diverse group of fifteen people and begin a Kabbalistic journey of inner exploration together. The text that follows is Sam's experience of this first meeting, told as a slightly 'tongue in cheek' story inspired by Genesis...

In the beginning (of May 2011) God created a small Kabbalah group in South Devon...
Over countless millennia of continuous Creation, God had worked on a winning formula of bringing order out of chaos and on this particular Wednesday evening, She clearly saw no reason to break with tradition. The original pair of gardeners had after all made some interesting mistakes, which had kept everyone busy learning and growing ever since....and now in this small garden of Kabbalah, a new pair looked set to be following in the footsteps of their ancestors and getting off to a good messy start.

Joyce phoned me just about the time she was due to arrive to join me in the adventure of co-tutoring the new group. "Could you manage without me? " she asked. Given that she was about to present the study material and facilitate the discussion in this new group... 'formless and void' just about summed up my state of mind at that moment... and in the spirit of co-creation my answer had to be"No!" As thirteen Kabbalistic companions began to converge on my home, I confess to welcoming them with both pleasure and a slight sense of shock.

Soon almost all were seated in a circle, the candles were lit and 'Day One' was underway... 'there was light'...and 'there was darkness' (still no Joyce!) God probably saw that it was good, but sadly I was suffering from a lack of divine perspective, as we started the meeting anyway. But soon we were moving on to 'Day Two' and the waters of thoughts and feelings were flowing and separating as we shared our different senses of purpose and vision for the group and our lives.

As a diverse gathering of women and men with a variety of different faith backgrounds and Kabbalistic experience, it really 'was good' to  listen to each other. It seemed to me that we were like a sacred grove of "trees on the land, that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds." The meeting ground was starting to reveal a wonderful variety of fruitful perspectives, including an honouring of our own names and understandings of our creative Source....which ranged from Adonai to Universe, from Logos to 'that which flows through all things'. This may seem like a simple thing, but in a world where people still torture and kill each other over their different forms and words for God, it is a powerful, creative act to join the Wholly One in looking at 'each according to their various kinds' and affirm this as good. 'Day Three!'

Meanwhile Joyce had arrived and we finally looked set to breeze on into the 'Fourth Day' of Kabbalah group creation. While God was able to tackle major powers in creating the sun and moon, we however managed less well with our technologies and although Joyce grappled womanfully with her lovingly prepared power point presentation...all was not good in the garden at this stage. It's a pretty tall order to try and find words for what is really beyond words, but I think it matters to try. So we tried...but I fear were not very successful in conveying a helpful perspective on the Creation story that was then the focus of our study session...

On the 'Fifth Day' we joined the 'winged birds' or angels through meditation on the Tree of Life. I found this a more fruitful stage and always appreciate the blessing of meditating with others. After this we came back to earth again for the 'Sixth Day' of Creation. We shared our experiences of spiritual practice...from praying open car doors, to finding joy in the washing up... from thinking of others to being authentic about how difficult this can be! It felt to me like a little taste of being truly honest about what it is to be both fully human and made in the image of God.

The meeting concluded with poetry and blowing out the candles. In that final still moment, after all the varied moments of clarity and confusion, the creation for this particular evening was all over. All briefly rested in silence, in stillness, in holiness on that 'Seventh Day'.