Blu Ridge Mountain notes
Oh the mountains are still there
And so is this pure air
Just want to be content
Putting aside worry-mind
Tho justified of course
Identify what the worries are
Then set aside worry mind
Lo and behold
Everywhere blue skies above
And now from the east
The song of the spring wind
Nadav and Avihu
Disappearing in the light
Once upon a time
Four brothers and sisters became ordained
To minister to the people,
Intermediaries it might have seemed
But really, just candles
In the light-sharers sorority/fraternity
The Abbot was known as Yudah-Dahya,
(In the time of this story he doesn’t know he’s the Abbot)
Yes, the same Yudah-Daya you know from Hawaii (H W Y H)
“How ah ya?” Yudah-Daya would often say
Making a bad pun on the name of the place
Hawaii
There’s a beautiful little fish in the Hawaiian waters
Known by the people as the
Humahuma-nukanuka-appah-wahoo
Say it aloud a few times and you'll see
It makes you smile
Humahuma-nukanuka-appah-wahoo
(This is surely a charming mantra, don’t you agree)
Scripture reports that the two elder siblings
Offered a strange or alien fire at the altar
(Thus it is usually translated in English --Leviticus 10)
And were consumed by the fire
Only their tunics and sandals remained
There are tales also of a certain Yoga sage from South India
Who completed his time in this world, entered a room near his devotees
Who some days later opened the door
And saw no trace of his body whatsoever.
Yudah-Daya and Whatsoever liked to swim in the Hawaiian waters
And watch the Humahuma-nukanuka-appah-wahoos go swimming by
And in the late afternoon feel the east wind
Blowin’ in a spring breeze
Aaron looks and sees the priest and priestess
Disappearing in the light, so does Moses
No one speaks
When he was young, Moses saw a man beating another man to death
In his fury he killed the overseer with his bare hands
Then he fled the land
Something comes along and gets us goin’ on our journeys
Something we never even imagined
And off we go
Yudah-Dayah was a hippy who liked to leave the city
And hitchhike to the ocean and run beside the waves
Notes and quotes were in his coats
And scattered by wind
One note that landed today reads:
Moses tells his brother Aaron
Stay centered, Kohane, hold your peace. God is talking
Thru them who are near unto me
I’m sanctified and before all the people I’m glorified
And yes, the effulgence is sparkling in our faces
And we can see it shining off each other
No time for the priest to grieve right now
(Nadav and Avihu, those are Aaron’s kids)
Disappeared in the light and now they're shining off our faces
That is, whenever we’re uplifted into a sparkling presence
We call this consciousness: Nadav and Avihu
Yudah-Dayah says, finish this study with the smiling mantra
Humahuma-nukanuka-appah-wahoo
May these inquiries we are pursuing together
Be of benefit to everyone everywhere
a m n
Monday, June 4, 2007
Chakras & the Tree of Life
The Goddess The base chakra, Muladhara in Yoga, where the kundalini goddess of serpentine power lies sleeping, is what the Kabbalists call Malkhut, the kingdom and majesty of God. It is none other than this very world we live in, and it's blessed with a divine feminine presence, Shekhina, the presence of divinity in the here and now."Behold me both as the one and the many," teaches the Bhagavad Gita, "and wherever you look, you will see my face." This is Malkhut. Among it's many signs are the moon and the sea, grace, the Sabbath day, Jupiter, the bride of God, and the holy city entered by the holy king, and the promised land.As the spiritual seeker ascends, climbing the tree to the next sefira, the kundalini rises to the next chakra, swadhishthana in the reproductive area. In Kabbalah this infinite depth is called Yesod, the Foundation, Union or the Illumined Sage. Other signs of Yesod are maturity, wholeness, peace, the
Above Yesod are Netzah and Hod, Victory and Glory, who in combination express the yang and yin aspects of the powerful navel chakra, Manipura. Think of the disciplined figure skater practicing again and again and again. That persevering strength is Netzakh--Victory. When she stands on the winner's dais showered with honor and acclaim, that prakash or sparkling energy is Hod, Divine Glory.
In the Heart is Your Beloved
Anahata, the heart chakra, in Kabbalah is called Tiferet, the fullness of faith and the perfection of beauty, whose archetypes in the Hebrew cosmology are the illumined ones, Jacob and Hannah. For Christian devotees, Jesus and Mary are in the heart center; and in Hindu imagery it's Krishna and Radha (or Ram and Sita). Other signs of Tiferet are the sun, the East, the perfection of humanity, Sri Ram, the Sun King, Atman personified (our higher Self, YisraEl), children, and the Elder giving blessings in the world. Who is really in the heart chakra? It is you and your beloved.
Just above the heart are the infinite depths of Hesed and Gevurah, Compassion and Courage, who when combined may be experienced at the throat chakra, Vishuddha, which some Yogis say is the base of one's will power. Kabbalists teach that Hesed is the infinite depth of loving kindness and mercy. Hesed has several other connotations: grace, bounteous love, the South, wisdom and gold.
Gevurah is often expressed as awe, strength, judgment (karma), power, definition, silver, the North and wealth. "The awe we feel before the majesty and magnificence of this cosmos," writes Rabbi Art Green. This is Gevurah. These qualities are also describing refinements of awareness at different chakras, in this case, Vishuddha, near the base of the throat.
A Personal Vision Sri Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh writes: "As this energy rises from center to center through the chakras [and sefirot], supersensual visions appear to the aspirant. New worlds with indescribable wonders and charms unfold. The practitioner gets divine knowledge, power and bliss, ascends another rung, and reads from the Divine Book. When this energy reaches the sixth, Ajna chakra, the seeker is blessed with a personal vision of God."
Geographically and anatomically situated at the level of the eyebrows in the center of the head is the Ajna chakra combining the infinite depths of Hokhmah and Binah, Revelation and Comprehension. Hokhmah is also seen as primordial wisdom, the first utterance, the Omkar, Ganesha, and the beginning. It's mate is Binah, contemplation and understanding ...
Sunday, June 3, 2007
The Miracle of Enrollment
The Miracle of Enrollment
“How did Lord Jesus turn water into wine?” a Theology professor once asked his class in an essay exam. One student wrote one sentence only, turned in his paper and got an A. This is what he wrote:
When the maiden saw the master, she blushed.
That is to say, when Mary recognized who Jesus was, she awakened to her own true nature – and in that breakthrough her world became transformed. The water turned into the finest wine.
So one might say Mary‘s faith turned the water into wine. But where did she get her faith from at that very moment? Let’s go back. There’s a wedding party and they’ve run out of wine, but there are cisterns of cool water nearby. Mary is worried how to host the guests. She turns to her son, “Come on, do something. Now or never.”
He looks at her. He sees into her. He sees her divinity. “Mary!” When he sees it, she sees it. (This is enrollment). When she sees who she is, she blushes; she changes worlds. She goes from survival into the realm of the miraculous. The water turns into wine.
So you could say by his seeing her divinity, Jesus turned the water into wine. Holy men and women are naturally enrolling. Wherever they go, they see our divine nature and then we see it too. That’s why they’re so lovable
We can also do this. Keep looking for people’s greatness. And when we see it, immediately they see it too. This is the miracle of enrollment.
Prahaladan 1/24/07
“How did Lord Jesus turn water into wine?” a Theology professor once asked his class in an essay exam. One student wrote one sentence only, turned in his paper and got an A. This is what he wrote:
When the maiden saw the master, she blushed.
That is to say, when Mary recognized who Jesus was, she awakened to her own true nature – and in that breakthrough her world became transformed. The water turned into the finest wine.
So one might say Mary‘s faith turned the water into wine. But where did she get her faith from at that very moment? Let’s go back. There’s a wedding party and they’ve run out of wine, but there are cisterns of cool water nearby. Mary is worried how to host the guests. She turns to her son, “Come on, do something. Now or never.”
He looks at her. He sees into her. He sees her divinity. “Mary!” When he sees it, she sees it. (This is enrollment). When she sees who she is, she blushes; she changes worlds. She goes from survival into the realm of the miraculous. The water turns into wine.
So you could say by his seeing her divinity, Jesus turned the water into wine. Holy men and women are naturally enrolling. Wherever they go, they see our divine nature and then we see it too. That’s why they’re so lovable
We can also do this. Keep looking for people’s greatness. And when we see it, immediately they see it too. This is the miracle of enrollment.
Prahaladan 1/24/07
Centers of Consciousness
Centers of Consciousness
There are centers of energy along the spinal system from the base of spine to the crown of the head, called wheels or chakras, vortexes of energy. These are somewhat physical, but mostly are astral body pathways, we're told.
These chakras each have their own realms of awareness. For example, the base chakra is survival consciousness -- "Me Tarzen, You Jane. Let's get food, get shelter and mate, babe."...
However, when the upper centers are activated, this base chakra is revealed also to be the abode of all our ancestors and the sages– who sometimes appear to us at the crown chakra, referred to as the “thousand petal lotus.” Well, they don’t actually “appear” to us because at the crown center we’re experiencing oneness, Samadhi. So if a wise teacher “appears,” we feel we are that. We have become one with that awareness. That’s the nature of the crown chakra.
Sigmund Freud well explained the human view and inclinations from the second chakra -- much of which is determined by sexual instincts and sub-conscious inclinations and viewpoints.
The third, navel area chakra is a base power source for getting things done from a very centered place, very Zen.
The next chakra is the heart center and Carl Jung well articulated the view from that center of consciousness with the anima and the animus and big love flowing in the heart realm and archetypes within projected outside on others, etc.
There are still other levels of awareness, windows of consciousness -- that most folks most of the time don't look out of (we mostly operate from the first two or three chakras, sometimes from the heart also).
The Prophet Ezekial beautifully offers a view from the 6th chakra, the so-called third eye center, when he describes his vision of the divine chariot. [See Ezekial Chapter One. I’ll include a contemporary translation in this weblog under the label, Introduction to Kabbalah]
There are also energy vortexes at the base of the throat and just above the crown of the head. Many report that the serpentine sexual energy, kundalini, transmutes as it rises up from sleep at the base of the spine, waking and rising to and through the different centers. And as it rises, it transforms into ever more refined levels of power and subtlety.
There are centers of energy along the spinal system from the base of spine to the crown of the head, called wheels or chakras, vortexes of energy. These are somewhat physical, but mostly are astral body pathways, we're told.
These chakras each have their own realms of awareness. For example, the base chakra is survival consciousness -- "Me Tarzen, You Jane. Let's get food, get shelter and mate, babe."...
However, when the upper centers are activated, this base chakra is revealed also to be the abode of all our ancestors and the sages– who sometimes appear to us at the crown chakra, referred to as the “thousand petal lotus.” Well, they don’t actually “appear” to us because at the crown center we’re experiencing oneness, Samadhi. So if a wise teacher “appears,” we feel we are that. We have become one with that awareness. That’s the nature of the crown chakra.
Sigmund Freud well explained the human view and inclinations from the second chakra -- much of which is determined by sexual instincts and sub-conscious inclinations and viewpoints.
The third, navel area chakra is a base power source for getting things done from a very centered place, very Zen.
The next chakra is the heart center and Carl Jung well articulated the view from that center of consciousness with the anima and the animus and big love flowing in the heart realm and archetypes within projected outside on others, etc.
There are still other levels of awareness, windows of consciousness -- that most folks most of the time don't look out of (we mostly operate from the first two or three chakras, sometimes from the heart also).
The Prophet Ezekial beautifully offers a view from the 6th chakra, the so-called third eye center, when he describes his vision of the divine chariot. [See Ezekial Chapter One. I’ll include a contemporary translation in this weblog under the label, Introduction to Kabbalah]
There are also energy vortexes at the base of the throat and just above the crown of the head. Many report that the serpentine sexual energy, kundalini, transmutes as it rises up from sleep at the base of the spine, waking and rising to and through the different centers. And as it rises, it transforms into ever more refined levels of power and subtlety.
Introduction to Kabbalah
A Letter to Friends
Warmest greetings.
Some time ago, a friend asked me to share some things that might introduce him to Kabbalah, which is a language of distinctions that help us identify and experience various, ever more refined levels of consciousness. The selections offered on this website, I think, will give you a feel for this body of study. Kabbalah literally translates "receiving," and refers to receiving intuitive "revelations" that don't always lend themselves to words or rational explanation, but nonetheless impact our states of mind and ways of being. The investigations offered on these pages are door-openers to this sort of "receiving."
As you may know, Kabbalah draws on words, images, sacred names and letter symbols found in the Torah, or the Old Testament. Just as one need not be Hindu to draw practical wisdom from the sacred Bhagavad Gita, one need not be Jewish to use this rich treasure chest of wisdom and tools of awakening. Those raised in or embarked upon this rich spiritual tradition may already have some familiarity with the power symbols awash in its vast milky way of light and illumination. Others not yet familiar with the Torah, but drawn to this investigation, may want to find a Bible and read through Genesis to start. The Book of Psalms is also a good entree’ to this scripture. I'm also posting a Weekly Torah Calendar here, brief overviews of different portions of the scripiture. These too will give you a feel for the scripture in the context of this conversation.
Prahaladan, Month of Iyar 5766, April/May 2006
Warmest greetings.
Some time ago, a friend asked me to share some things that might introduce him to Kabbalah, which is a language of distinctions that help us identify and experience various, ever more refined levels of consciousness. The selections offered on this website, I think, will give you a feel for this body of study. Kabbalah literally translates "receiving," and refers to receiving intuitive "revelations" that don't always lend themselves to words or rational explanation, but nonetheless impact our states of mind and ways of being. The investigations offered on these pages are door-openers to this sort of "receiving."
As you may know, Kabbalah draws on words, images, sacred names and letter symbols found in the Torah, or the Old Testament. Just as one need not be Hindu to draw practical wisdom from the sacred Bhagavad Gita, one need not be Jewish to use this rich treasure chest of wisdom and tools of awakening. Those raised in or embarked upon this rich spiritual tradition may already have some familiarity with the power symbols awash in its vast milky way of light and illumination. Others not yet familiar with the Torah, but drawn to this investigation, may want to find a Bible and read through Genesis to start. The Book of Psalms is also a good entree’ to this scripture. I'm also posting a Weekly Torah Calendar here, brief overviews of different portions of the scripiture. These too will give you a feel for the scripture in the context of this conversation.
Prahaladan, Month of Iyar 5766, April/May 2006
Two Silver Trumpets
"... the only thing left is rest and recovering and making meaning of these past two weeks. I would guess that I am cracking open a new chapter in my life. Why not embody it all?"
-- from a friend's recent email
My dear heart,
Loving greetings
I had no idea you were so injured when you fell - and still you remained a gracious hostess!
I know you'll heal all the way and may that be soon.
Here we are in B'medbar, in the wilderness, in the realm of purification. Your ribs are broken and I'm covered with poison ivy (I "never" catch poison ivy) -- probably we should be thanking God for this little cleansing thing going on in us -- but who designed it this way?
Here are some notes from today's Torah:
Silver trumpet, silver moon, o’ ye priests and priestesses
Through our service of the trumpet a silver moon
Is waking in us. Its tone calling us to our center
And sending us on our journey
We journey by stages. To move to the next stage
Open yourself to the call of the silver trumpet
Access both to inner and outer resources
On our journey of purification
Is this whole lifetime a journey of purification?
But how did we get impure
And isn’t that God’s doing also?
We could have been created flawless, like the angels
So what’s this purification journey in the wilderness?
It’s a game, man. You designed it
And choose to play it, don’t you remember?
Just don’t get too significant about it
Well, my dear, this must be just what the doctor ordered for each of us.
The doctor?
The Big Doctor
Oh.
There are lessons here for us, Rabbi. When we get the message -- no reason to suffer any longer. Meanwhile, let's offer up our suffering -- a burnt offering, a sweet savor.
Who we are is two silver trumpets -- beaten work
Love from a brother on the way with you
Prahaladan
Many of the themes in this message were drawn from Rabbi Shefa's comments on Numbers 8-12 in her wonderful book, Torah Journeys published by Ben Yahudah Press. For more, go to RabbiShefaGold.com
-- from a friend's recent email
My dear heart,
Loving greetings
I had no idea you were so injured when you fell - and still you remained a gracious hostess!
I know you'll heal all the way and may that be soon.
Here we are in B'medbar, in the wilderness, in the realm of purification. Your ribs are broken and I'm covered with poison ivy (I "never" catch poison ivy) -- probably we should be thanking God for this little cleansing thing going on in us -- but who designed it this way?
Here are some notes from today's Torah:
Silver trumpet, silver moon, o’ ye priests and priestesses
Through our service of the trumpet a silver moon
Is waking in us. Its tone calling us to our center
And sending us on our journey
We journey by stages. To move to the next stage
Open yourself to the call of the silver trumpet
Access both to inner and outer resources
On our journey of purification
Is this whole lifetime a journey of purification?
But how did we get impure
And isn’t that God’s doing also?
We could have been created flawless, like the angels
So what’s this purification journey in the wilderness?
It’s a game, man. You designed it
And choose to play it, don’t you remember?
Just don’t get too significant about it
Well, my dear, this must be just what the doctor ordered for each of us.
The doctor?
The Big Doctor
Oh.
There are lessons here for us, Rabbi. When we get the message -- no reason to suffer any longer. Meanwhile, let's offer up our suffering -- a burnt offering, a sweet savor.
Who we are is two silver trumpets -- beaten work
Love from a brother on the way with you
Prahaladan
Many of the themes in this message were drawn from Rabbi Shefa's comments on Numbers 8-12 in her wonderful book, Torah Journeys published by Ben Yahudah Press. For more, go to RabbiShefaGold.com
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