My Awesome Broom

כ'ה ניסן תשס"ט
Raven 25

In follow-up to The End of Innocence - my awesome broom.

Two Streams, One Winding Line Of Consciousness

כ"ז בטבת תשס"ח
Grael 28

This Shabbat, the black wax of my main ritual candle was cut quickly and completely down one side like a river cut into the wax (as the deep melted pool of wax drained from around the wick, see graphic, click to enlarge) to the candle holder (over 1-2 inches depending on the perspective of timeline) by the very high radically jumping and leaping flame connected to the wick’s fire. It happened so fast that I only noticed it as the melted black wax was already pouring down the side of my altar. The flame was so unusually high-jumping (I’d estimate it reached 6-9 inches at times), it was so furiously energetic, that I had put it out with a candle snuffer lest it reach over and catch fire the cloth which covered my crystal ball. After putting out the potential fire hazard, I stuck a fingertip into the melted, still warm but cooling, wax on the side of my altar cloth. I’m not sure why I did this. I just did it. I wanted to know the feel of the wax. What was the story it had to tell?

I read a bit of my new book, The Spirit Cord (whose esoteric disciplines I have begun to practice already), before going to sleep.

Following these things, Shabbat night I dreamt.

There was a pervasive catastrophe that devastated the area that included the city of Danville. The devastation bringing death concentrated east (tiferet) of Vermilion Street (which cuts through the center of the downtown business district in Danville). The raging torrent of a mighty river came with the devastating energy, flowing north (gevurah) to south (chesed) down Vermilion Street. Vermilion Street formed the “bed” (choshen mishpat) of the raging river which separated between the camp of life (located on the western side) and the camp of death (located on the eastern side).

Initially in the dream, my children and I lived on the eastern side where the death energy was beginning to concentrate. To escape it, we had to go west (yesod) and across the raging river. Unlike the Ba'al Shem Tov (who used a secret knowledge of Divine Names), I simply gathered up (enfolding involutionary stream) my children, who took the forms of a neutral colored slippery little earth-worm and a leather shoulder bag (like a Benjamin's bag) with a matching leather shoulder strap. I could easily and safely carry these forms with me across the raging river to safety. Before starting across the raging river, as I was about to tell the little earthworm form to get into a clear protective sandwich baggie (so it wouldn’t slip out of my grip as I carried it in the raging water), the little worm did it automatically as if it knew instinctively what it should do or what I was going to tell it. I had dipped the baggie into the river water so that it also contained a manageable amount of water to keep the worm wet and hydrated. As soon as I had done this and/or as I was doing it (simultaneously – tohu - yet distinctly in order - tikun) the worm entered into the clear baggie, which I carried in my hand. Similarly, the leather strapped-purse placed itself/was placed by me upon my shoulder.

Now my family and others who were walking with me toward safety stood together on the eastern bank of the raging river that was Vermilion Street, in the downtown business district. I was going to lead our little band across the raging river. I told everyone to walk carefully, not quickly, and to “feel out” each step each took “for him or herself” as they followed my footsteps across the raging river. They were to feel first before committing a foot to “stepping down” on the floor of the riverbed. The torrential churning current could wipe out the ground underwater and create a hole in the riverbed at any moment between individual steps. I explained, if a new hole arose, they were to take an alternate step than the one I took. "Don’t just step there because I did. See,” I said, feeling a new hole in the riverbed as I “felt” my own way as I started across, “here is a hole, and I am not stepping here (where my foot had originally been directed underneath the water and where those who followed could not see the redirection of my footstep in the churning water).” They indicated they understood. Carrying my children in easy-to-carry forms, one as a slippery worm in a river water-containing plastic baggie and two as the strap and bag of a leather purse, I continued through it, carefully feeling each step of the way. Many others followed my example across the raging river in one long winding single line (this is relevant to the purchase my besom yesterday morning, to the unbroken chain - mi'Sinai - of esoteric transmission, and to messianic consciousness) that extended from beyond the eastern (where death was concentrating in the dream) horizon behind me, across the river and onto the western shore.

I soon stepped centrally upon the western bank of the raging river to safety, as did all those behind me who had followed and were still (on the eastern side of the river) coming to join the “winding line” connected to a proven safe journey out of the camp of death and into the camp of life. I sat down for a moment to rest my aching (but not hurt) left hip muscle that had borne the primary portion of the burden of the workload of making it across.

As my children and I rested there, we “unwrapped” (unfolding evolutionary stream) ourselves in the atmosphere of safety on the western shore. I recognized an acquaintance (no form of any particular person I know in real life) sitting to the north of me who had also made it across the raging river. He appeared emotionally at a loss. Recognizing me as well, he got up from where he was sitting and walked over to me. He told me he had lost his family in the catastrophe and was alone. We reached out to one another simultaneously and placed our hands on the other’s opposite shoulders in a comforting gesture. Then, we leaned forward and touched our foreheads together, also a comforting gesture.

I woke up.

Way To A Woman's Heart

ה' באלול תשס"ז

My altar besom. Handcrafted from broom corn grown dedicated to the purpose of constructing besoms. Pine wood handle.

From History Of Early American Brooms:

"The sweeping quality of brooms changed in 1797 when Levi Dickenson, a farmer in Hadley, Massachusetts, made a broom for his wife, using the tassels of a variety of sorghum (Sorghum vulgere), a grain he was growing for the seeds. She thought Levi's broom was exceptionally good and told friends and neighbors about it."

How sweet. Levi made a witchy broom for his wife and changed the entire broom-making industry. She really liked his broom, apparently. LOL.

The Essential Name & The Witch's Broomstick

י"ט באייר תשס"ז

repost, originally posted 1/10/07 as Mitzvah Of Besom & The First Tzimtzum



It was suggested by Gabbe [1] at Hashkafah forums that the original form of the tetragrammaton may have consisted of the letters yod-ayin-vav-alef (יעוא). He provides a graphic of the Gemara (?) text from his source for this suggestion (see link).

In my mind, it may be that this letter combination also describes the first tzimtzum. Here's why I think this:

First, the shoresh (3-letter root) yod-ayin-hei (יעה) means to "clear away". In other words, it means to create a "vacated space" (chalal). The shoresh also means to "remove". In other words, to "remove" the One's apparent Presence (chalah hapanui) in reality. These meanings fit perfectly with the idea of a tzimtzum, where Ein Sof carved out within the Infinite Light a "place" for creation by removing the Light of Ein Sof (via a mechanism known as the Lamp of Darkness, an Infinite Negative Light called Botzina de Kardenuta).

Second, another possible shoresh involved in creating 4-letter combination is ayin-vav-hei (עוה), meaning "to deviate" and being "crooked". This too, fits perfectly with the first tzimtzum as I remember it among my memories of preincarnate existence as discussed here in A Mystery Of Consciousness and here in Reishit Beit. The journey through the River of Fire (also known as the Sambatyon, the Shabbat River and Nahar Dinur) is indeed a crooked journey. I remember pivoting like a shalshelet through it into a state of congealing conciousness.

Importantly, both of the 3-letter shorashim contributing to the construction of our understanding of the novel 4-letter tetragrammaton יעוא end with a letter hei (ה). The first root's hei symbolizes the Higher Shechinah. The second root's hei symbolizes the Lower Shechinah. In the two shorashim reside the secret of the "split" within the original Divine Feminine. In the new variation of the tetragrammaton resides the secret to rectification, reunification and elevation of the Divine Feminine, alluded to by the dropped letters hei (from the combination of the shorashim) and the added letter alef (א).

Kabbalah teaches regarding the original split within the Divine Feminine resulting from the first tzimtzum:

This is why she abandoned her supernal place and descended to a lower degree, assuming the dimension of light which is the body of the Sephiroth. This also means that her full dimension was split in half; for she became a body consisting of but six Sephiroth without a head. Her condition of being split is connoted in Hebrew חץ "Chetz". This Hebrew word embodies two definitions:

1. Split in half.

2. An arrow that is let loose from a bow in order to kill.

Interestingly, the witch's besom (ritual broomstick) reflects the rectification of the Divine Feminine perfectly, in that it consists of a body of six sefirot (the broomstick) with a head (the bristles of herbs and twigs). Consequently, the besom is the third witch's tool, along with the athame of iron and incense, to align with the idea of restoring the Divine Feminine to Her Full Glory.

More importantly, the witch's besom is a tool whose purpose is to sweep away suffering and to enhance life, not to end it. There is even an organization called The Besom, dedicated to making a difference in the world. The mission statement of The Besom:

The Besom helps people make a difference. It provides a bridge between those who want to give time, money, things or skills and those who are in need. It ensures what is given is used effectively. The service it provides is free.

Poverty, isolation, abuse, ill health, injustice, homelessness. We all see the sharp inequalities of life around us and the devastating impacts they have on people's lives. Many of us want to do something, to get involved but we don't always know how. The Besom, set up in 1987, exists to help you make a difference to the lives of others ­ and to make it easy for you to do so.

Footnote:

[1] Gabbe is apparently now using the screen name It's Supper.

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Bar H, The Little Tavern That Could

י"ט באייר תשס"ז

An anonymous commenter on Mitzvah Of Besom [1] & The First Tzimtzum has made an interesting observation regarding the gematria of 207, as follows:

ain 61 sof 146 aur 207
61 + 146 = 207

So, what we have in this gematria are two sets of 207 - one set, a dark essence (ain sof אין סוף) and one set, a revealed light (aur אור). Ain sof aur means light without end. Yet, ain sof is a dark essence, while aur is revealed light. Consequently, we can see that the light without end is a reunification of dark and light.

In this gematria, we also have another connection to the lone structure which remained standing following this weekend's devastating Kansas tornados, the tavern Bar H (בר ה), also with a gematria of 207. Bar H corresponds to the light (aur) of the complete phrase ain sof aur.

Bar H, the tavern which became a beacon of light. What an elevation for that humble little bar! Like sacred ground.

Footnote:

[1] A besom is a witch's broomstick.

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Mitzvah Of Besom & The First Tzimtzum

It was suggested by Gabbe at Hashkafah forums that the original form of the tetragrammaton may have consisted of the letters yod-ayin-vav-alef (יעוא). He provides a graphic of the Gemara (?) text from his source for this suggestion (see link).

In my mind, it may be that this letter combination also describes the first tzimtzum. Here's why I think this:

First, the shoresh (3-letter root) yod-ayin-hei (יעה) means to "clear away". In other words, it means to create a "vacated space" (chalal). The shoresh also means to "remove". In other words, to "remove" the One's apparent Presence (chalah hapanui) in reality. These meanings fit perfectly with the idea of a tzimtzum, where Ein Sof carved out within the Infinite Light a "place" for creation by removing the Light of Ein Sof (via a mechanism known as the Lamp of Darkness, an Infinite Negative Light called Botzina de Kardenuta).

Second, another possible shoresh involved in creating 4-letter combination is ayin-vav-hei (עוה), meaning "to deviate" and being "crooked". This too, fits perfectly with the first tzimtzum as I remember it among my memories of preincarnate existence as discussed here in A Mystery Of Consciousness and here in Reishit Beit. The journey through the River of Fire (also known as the Sambatyon, the Shabbat River and Nahar Dinur) is indeed a crooked journey. I remember pivoting like a shalshelet through it into a state of congealing conciousness.

Importantly, both of the 3-letter shorashim contributing to the construction of our understanding of the novel 4-letter tetragrammaton יעוא end with a letter hei (ה). The first root's hei symbolizes the Higher Shechinah. The second root's hei symbolizes the Lower Shechinah. In the two shorashim reside the secret of the "split" within the original Divine Feminine. In the new variation of the tetragrammaton resides the secret to rectification, reunification and elevation of the Divine Feminine, alluded to by the dropped letters hei (from the combination of the shorashim) and the added letter alef (א).

Kabbalah teaches regarding the original split within the Divine Feminine resulting from the first tzimtzum:

This is why she abandoned her supernal place and descended to a lower degree, assuming the dimension of light which is the body of the Sephiroth. This also means that her full dimension was split in half; for she became a body consisting of but six Sephiroth without a head. Her condition of being split is connoted in Hebrew חץ "Chetz". This Hebrew word embodies two definitions:

1. Split in half.

2. An arrow that is let loose from a bow in order to kill.

Interestingly, the witch's besom (ritual broomstick) reflects the rectification of the Divine Feminine perfectly, in that it consists of a body of six sefirot (the broomstick) with a head (the bristles of herbs and twigs). Consequently, the besom is the third witch's tool, along with the athame of iron and incense, to align with the idea of restoring the Divine Feminine to Her Full Glory.

More importantly, the witch's besom is a tool whose purpose is to sweep away suffering and to enhance life, not to end it. There is even an organization called The Besom, dedicated to making a difference in the world. The mission statement of The Besom:

The Besom helps people make a difference. It provides a bridge between those who want to give time, money, things or skills and those who are in need. It ensures what is given is used effectively. The service it provides is free.

Poverty, isolation, abuse, ill health, injustice, homelessness. We all see the sharp inequalities of life around us and the devastating impacts they have on people's lives. Many of us want to do something, to get involved but we don't always know how. The Besom, set up in 1987, exists to help you make a difference to the lives of others ­ and to make it easy for you to do so.

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In The Hands Of The Tongue

Death and life lie in the hands of the tongue ...
Shlomoh HaMelech, Mishlei 18:21
מות וחיים, ביד-לשון

A traditional witch's broom is called a besom. Like besomim (sweet-smelling havdalah spices), the besom concerns "cutting".

The word besomim בשׂמים is from the shoresh בשׂם meaning "cut up" [1]. Words are like thought-pieces cut from the stream of consciousness to communicate that contained within the inner stream to others or to oneself during the process of self-discovery. Words, like spices, can be sweet or foul smelling.

As spices are "cut" from plants like words are "cut" from thought, the besom "cuts" life from death. Like the havdalah spices specifically, the besom "separates" between realities. The havdalah besomim separate between sacred and profane realities. The besom separates between the realities of life and death. How do we know this?

In addition to the "cutting" connection of the besom with its phonetic Hebrew root, there is also a "cutting" connection within the mythology surrounding the witch's broom. In ancient Rome midwives used special brooms to "cut the ties between the world of the living and the realm of the dead after childbirth" [2]. Interestingly, this directly calls to mind within the mythic symbolism the proverb of Shlomoh HaMelech - death and life lie in the hands of the tongue.

The besom-broom even looks like a tongue (held in the hands). Besomim are the words which fill it. When we breathe the sweet-smelling havdalah spices, we are breathing in the essence of good words born of shabbat consciousness, which hopefully will find expression throughout the week. When a witch sweeps out negative energy from her sacred space with her besom, she is "cutting off" evil words before they are even conceived.

The witch's besom in a witch's hand is the "hand of the tongue" crafting a path of life and cutting off the path of death. Besomim are the essence and expression of words the tongue may speak.

Footnotes:

[1] Etymological Dictionary Of Biblical Hebrew, R' Matityahu Clark

[2] Solitary Witch, Silver Ravenwolf; and The Woman's Dictionary Of Symbols And Sacred Objects, B. Walker

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