Cosmic Responsbility

New addition to my library - Deep Ancestors by Ceisiwr Serith

Through a combination of the linguistics of a reconstructed language, archaeology, and comparative mythology, Deep Ancestors breathes life into the ancient Proto-Indo-European culture and religion. Ceisiwr states "This book must be considered a report on a work in progress. As time goes by, new research will be done, new ideas and data presented, and old texts and archaeology reinterpreted. This will require changes in the beliefs and practices of reconstructed Proto-Indo-European religion. Consider this a process of progressive revelation, except that instead of coming from the gods it comes from scholars."

I really like the part that talks about how proper ritual supports the structure and renewal of the Cosmos from a Proto-Indo-European perspective and a Proto-Indo-European concept called Yewésa (rules by which 'proper' rituals are conducted). This Proto-Indo-European approach to ritual is shared by Jewish tradition as well which prescribes 613 overall mitzvot (ritual commandments) and a myriad of halachah (Jewish ritual laws) designed to do just that (support the structure and renewal of the Cosmos). So, while this book, Deep Ancestors, examines Proto-Indo-European tradition specifically, esoteric knowledge of the workings of the Cosmos must have been known in the ancient world more widely than it is today. Most mystics today are all about evolving consciousness and use ritual toward that end or to achieve some practical result, but Proto-Indo-Europeans and ancient Semitic people both viewed ritual as a set of acts aimed to carry out our responsibility to the Cosmos.

An Order To Live

כ׳ באב תש"ע
Lughnasadh 21

Commentary on Eikev from Garden of the Dark Moon Jubilee - An Order To Live.

Sex Magic And The Real Meaning Of Negative Mitzvah 310

כ״ט בשבט תש"ע
Keowulf 1
Sabbath Day of the Dark Moon

Commentary on Mishpatim from Garden of the Dark Moon Jubilee - Sex Magic and the Real Meaning of Negative Mitzvah 310.

248 Magical Dimensions

ו' בתמוז תשס״ט
Faunus 7

In follow-up to today's earlier entries, it is interesting that there are 248 dimensions or 'parts' (חלקים) which describe the mathematical group called the E8 Lie (pronounced Lee) group upon which the forces of physics may finally become unified.

Interestingly, none of today's entries were planned - they all flowed effortlessly from one another, catalyzed from The Best Part and a comment in response to that entry, into The Science of Scent, into The Five Elements Of Scent, into Eight Charge Dimensions Of Everything, into Co-Determinants Of The History Of The Universe into this entry, 248 Dimensions.

There are 248 positive (masculine) mitzvot in Torah. Whereas the first five of today's entries wandered around aspects of the Divine Feminine, the 248 dimensions of the E8 Lie group wander around aspects of the Divine Masculine. Thus, not only is there mathematical beauty in this new theory regarding the nature of the universe, but unity is also brought to the Divine Feminine and Divine Masculine forces which bring nature into manifest being.

The two words in parshat Korach which initiated all of today's entries were את-חלבו. As well as functioning as a sign of the definite direct object 'the', at (את) is also the feminine Hebrew form of the pronoun 'you'. The word חלבו has a masculine Hebrew letter suffix which renders the word to mean 'his best part'. Taken together, the two Hebrew words of the joined one-word construct את-חלבו unify the Divine Masculine and Divine Feminine forces of nature just as does the E8 Lie group theory. Moreover, the unification was elucidated in today's entries in exactly the same feminine to masculine order as the two magical Hebrew words, namely את-חלבו, abstracted from Korach for my Torah commentary entry.

It's magic!

Mitzvah Of The Bird's Nest

ב' בסיון תשס"ט
Mab 2

Last weekend, in the lilac bush outside my childhood bedroom window there were blue robbin's eggs in a nest maybe four feet from the ground - easy for me to peek into. Now are there are baby robbins in it!

Mama bird is used to me puttering about the lilac bush - I've taken many pictures of my items for WITCHCRAFTS around that lilac bush. I've watched the nest be built-up since last year, seen new eggs be incubated in it, and now I see new life live in it.

I suppose I am at this point relegated to only taking pictures from the other side of the lilac bush far away from the nest, so that the babies don't become scared and flop out of the nest.

Mama chirps at me when I come near. Yes mama bird, I know not to scare your babies.

Little Bottles And The Magic Mitzvah

ט"ז כסלו תשס"ט
Shamash 17

Commentary on Vayishlach from Garden of the Dark Moon Jubilee - Little Bottles And The Magic Mitzvah.

Elixir Of Life & The Mitzvah Of Witchcraft

ג' כסלו תשס"ט
Shamash 4

The twelfth shaman stone in my Temple Collection is the healing Unicorn Stone, Infinite (a variety of Serpentine). Infinite is known by healers as "the miracle-working stone."

Shamanic qualities of Unicorn include the transmutation of suffering and of poison. When the spirit of Unicorn has drunk of a poison water, all the water is cleansed, enabling other creatures to drink of it safely.

In terms of Torah, this stone symbolizes the transmutation of the Elixir of Death into an Elixir of Life.

Mythically, this stone has correspondence to transmutation of the illuminating poison (as in the novel Dune) to expand consciousness and unlock "Other Memory".

As a Jewish witch, this stone corresponds to the transmutation of the halachic prohibition against practising witchcraft into the mitzvah of practising witchcraft.

Machazeh

י"א חשון תשס"ת
Phasma Priscus 13

DovBear notes that the "word used for vision in Genesis 15:1 (machazeh) is unusual, and Aramaic. It appears only in the books of the prophets to introduce their visions."

After these things the word of the Divine came unto Abram in a vision, saying ...

This kind of vision (like the mitzvot) is "not in the heavens, that one should say, who can go up and get it for me that I may observe it" (Devarim 30:12).

Consequently, machazeh pertains to unified "spiritual" and "mundane" prophetic vision. It is not the lofty vision of Moses removed from common experience, nor the limited vision of constricted mundane consciousness - it is a synthesis of both kinds of awareness into something totally "awesome".

Like the state of yirah, machazeh has degrees of prophetic tolerance and refinement.

Unblemished Mitzvah

ח' באדר ב' תשס"ח
Raven 9

In Treasure From The Hidden World, in analysis of my natal birth chart, I wrote that the "water" flowing through my soul is an unblemished flowing treasure of the hidden world; that is, Consciousness flows through me as it existed before the shattering of the vessels which occurred in the world of Beriyah, the first world of nature "distinct" or apparently "separate" from the Divine. In other words, the heavens and the earth declare and testify my individuality to be a clear conduit for Divine Awareness, a realized tzelem of the Divine Above Nature, a צלילות of flawlessly lucid clarity.

In kabbalah, the unblemished hidden world is known as the world of nothing (ein, אין), as opposed to the revealed world of something (meumah, מאומה). The Torah story of the akeidah (binding of Yitzchak) informs us that "meumah" is the source of spiritual blemish (a mum).

Meumah has a gematria of 92. Interestingly, there are 92 naturally occurring elements in nature, the world of something.

In contradistinction to meumah, 92 is also the gematria of tzav (צב) which means "command" and "mobilize". Tzav describes Pure Action of immaterial Consciousness, before it enclothes Itself in the natural world of 92 elements - as discussed in my entry, Mitzvah Written In The Stars (Go! and Remember!), and described in Truth And Diligence, Candle In The Womb. Tzav is that which speaks forth the ability to do.

To be clear, pristine meumah is not "blemished". In the process of taking on the materiality of "something" (meumah), Consciousness is vulnerable to becoming blemished via the shattering of the vessels. Consequently, I suggest that vulnerability of meumah to blemish is neutralized by the presence of tzav.

In support of this idea, the combined gematria of meumah and tzav is 184, the gematria of pakod (פקד), meaning remember.

Mitzvah Written In The Stars

כ'ט באדר א' תשס"ח
Keolwulf 30

As noted in an earlier post, HaLeviah On The Boundaries Of The Universe, in my natal chart, there are two astrological points in the zodiac houses corresponding to the astrological element of Earth. The two points are:

Moon - beit (ב), corresponding to Sunday, the day leading into the night of my birth (Sunday, January 8, 1961 at 8:56 pm)

Midheaven - aleph (א), the atmosphere between heaven and earth

בא means "Go!"

My first mitzvah "Go!" of incarnating life, as described in Truth & Diligence, Candle In The Womb, is even written in the stars.

And the Divine said unto Moses: 'Go in unto Pharaoh' ... Shemot 10:1

Z'man Grama - Raising Up Results In Time

כ' באדר א' תשס"ח
Keolwulf 21

In traditional Judaism, women are typically exempt from "time-bound" (z'man grama זמן גרמהּ) ritual mitzvot such as laying tefillin. In other words, it is thought that women are not usually considered obligated to perform rituals which have a specific time associated with their performance. Women are told that such rituals are called "time-bound" because the rituals must be performed at a certain time (not conducive to performance by a woman), but the actual meaning of the phrase z'man grama is to "produce/cause/bring down/raise up results into time/life."

Z'man comes from the shoresh זמן meaning "time", "preparing" and to "designate for a purpose". [1]

Grama comes from two shorashim. The first shoresh is גרם meaning "lever motion", "joining limbs that cause movement", and "steps leading forward and upward". [1] From this shoresh comes the word גָּרַם meaning "to cause, to produce, or to result in." [2] The second shoresh is רמם meaning "raise from a low level", "elevating", "exalting" and "bringing to life." [1] The word grama (גרמהּ) ends with a hei mappik (הּ).

Taken together, the phrase z'man grama means raising up results in time which sustain and nourish life.

Time-bound mitzvot, then, are rituals of action as is wearing my ritual tefillin-handflower, which brought down this dream which utlimately raised up the result of protection from the evil energy of a lion attack. Thank Goddess neither I nor the boy who experienced the lion attack in a real way were killed (see links).

Move over traditional gentlemen, the Jewitches are coming.

Footnotes:

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

[2] MorFix

Roar Of The Lion

כ' באדר א' תשס"ח
Keolwulf 21

In follow-up to previous entries (Knesset Echad, Key Circle Of The Black Knot and Lion Attack In The News), an article by Rabbi Ari Enkin posted by Gil Student at Hirhurim discusses knotting tzitzit during the blackness of night and more:

Although many things can be done by machine, tying Tzitzit strings is still not one of them. In order to render a Tallit useable, the Tzitzit strings must be hand tied onto a Tallit by a God-fearing individual. What is amusing, however, is the largely mistaken belief that it is forbidden to tie the Tzitzit strings onto a Tallit at night. [1] The source for this misunderstanding is due to a perceived concern that doing so may be a violation of the Talmudic principle of “Ta’ase V’lo Min Ha’asui”.

The Chazon Ish was known to permit tying Tzitzit at night and specifically requested that his own Tallit be prepared at such time.[2]

Read the entire discussion at Hirhurim. Interestingly, Toviah comments on this discussion that the opinion prohibiting "tying knots of the tzitzit at night" derives from a source called Sha'agas Aryeh (meaning Roar Of The Lion).

Meow.

Footnotes:

[1] Pri Megadim 18:1

[2] "Dinim V'hanhagot Mimaran Ba'al Hachazon Ish 2:11

Knesset Echad, Key Circle Of The Black Knot

י'ז באדר א' תשס"ח
Keolwulf 18

I dreamt.

Of the details, the following survived into waking consciousness.

I was in a protected house surrounded by a "circuiting" path, like a running track.

A magnificent lion-like creature ascended to the "track" around the place. The creature of singularly awesome power was potentially lethally dangerous. It's potential danger lay in the idea that the energy it embodied was discerned to be finely balanced upon the dimensionless tip of a scale of iterating measures. If the energy stayed on the track and contained within it's set boundaries, it was very good - for no enemy could cross the track of the lion. Should anyone enter the track of the lion from outside the house, the lion would encounter them in it and rip them to shreds.

As the lion ran it's circuits, I needed to stay in the protected house as well. The danger of going outside for me lay not in being ripped to shreads by the lion, but in "throwing" the lion off it's finely balanced track - almost as if my presence in the house kept everything safely held together in order and balance.

The lion ran circles around the protected house, looking for any unprotected opening into the house which would allow it to enter into and break the integrity of the protective barrier which completely surrounded us. In this manner, the lion tested the protective barrier which formed the inner circle and kept out harmful chaos. It found no opening. The circle stood intact.

I woke up.

The lion represents pure Gevurah. The projective protective barrier which "resists collapse" of the surrounding circle represents pure Chesed. Embodying the principles of integrated order and balance, I represent manifest integration of Tiferet and Malchut. Embodied within the "protected house", I also embody Torah, and more specifically in this dream, I embody the Torah found within the bayit of the tefillin shel rosh (Iyyun):

From the bayit — and the Torah contained within — flow the straps, first surrounding our heads, then tied in a knot the shape of a dalet for the word da'as, and from the reality of da'as (albeit sometimes only in a state poverty, dalus in Hebrew) flow the two straps: one to the right and one to the left, representing the general flow of the emotional attributes of chesed (kindness) to the right side, and gevurah (restraint) on the left.

In truth, chesed and gevurah emanate from the same "space," the transcendental knot interweaving both these elements, rooted in the deepest place of kesser, the "black," the level beyond comprehension which is called the space for "the light of darkness."

In da'as is the key to our emotions, so that they open and flow in the general direction of either right or left, giving or restraining, openness or confinement.

With respect to circle of sacred space I've cast as the Jewitch Liorah Lleucu HaMasovevet, I hereby call the covered Coven of One, Knesset Echad, Key Circle of the Black Knot.

Interestingly, the dimensionless tip upon which the energy of the archetypal lion balanced corresponds to the Hebrew letters yod and hei mappik (הּ) and to the dark crocheted handflower (designed and handmade by DragonInKnots) which I wore on my left hand yesterday at work for "crazy sock Friday". Instead of crazy socks on my feet, I "thought outside the box" and wore a crazy knotted sock on my left hand, in an "intended manner" of a Jewitch's tefillin, achdut ha'shaveh.

A note on the concept of achdut ha'shaveh from Medieval Jewish Mystical Sources:

In this term we can see the influence of R. Azriel of Gerona, for the concept of hashva'ah, equinimity, is central to his writings. Tishby has noted that R. Azriel "usually employs this concept in connection with the conjunction of opposites within the Supernal Root, shoresh ha'elyon." ... Although it is generally assumed that shaveh implies equivalence or balance, H. Yalon demonstrated that shaveh is synonymous with chibbur, conjoined.

Interestingly, the concept of chibbur is associated with the symbolism of the lion and the barrier. In my dream, both the protective barrier and the lion are very good.

Hineni

ג' באדר א' תשס"ח
Keolwulf 4

In follow-up to the entry, Summoning Of The Ancestors, R. J. Stewart writes in UnderWorld Initiation:

The identifying factor of the Summoning may be defined negatively; it is not any of the above categories (displacement mediumship, seership, remembering past lives, or ritually generated imaginative magical forms).

The Summoning of the Ancestors is a distinct mode of awareness, which may incorporate certain features already described, such as apparent memories, information or prediction, but it is not a type of mediumship or seership, nor is it a product of magical images. As a general rule, it is a mode of awareness which is accessible to the seer, but not to the medium.

What, then, is the Summoning? It is a change which occurs in the blood. It is not connected to memory, yet can produce the memories of people from the distant past. Something which happens within the bloodstream enables the individual to attune to a store or body of consciousness which transcends yet includes individuality. The prime subject matter, nearest to the individual who gains this curious change of metabolism, is that of the Ancestors from the immediate and hereditary environment.

In many cases, the Summoning creates a deeply empathetic and emotional response, holding the seeds of memories of past events, often of extremely distant historical or prehistorical periods. During this early stage, the predominant memories are of difficulties, disasters, and acts of injustice upon a large scale. At a later stage, when the initial ferment has come under control, material can be selected for comprehension.

The Summoning begins in the Past, but it is not confined to the past. The development of control and selection of consciousness apprehended 'through the blood' gradually brings the flow of tuned awareness into the Present, externalizing into the seer's consciousness of real or serial time (for example, Manifest Spark Of Redemptive Magic). Finally, cognition is merged with the Inner Present, the germinal area of consciousness which holds the potential of the Future.

The ability to summon the Ancestors, once a central function of all magic and religion, develops from another magical power or mode of heightened consciousness, one which is frequently discussed and published, but which is meaningless as a solitary exercise out of its proper context - the Summoning cannot be enacted without first experiencing the Arousal of the Inner Fire.

Arousal Of The Inner Fire - Eliyahu's Cup

from a sidefolding
looking, seeing something yet not yet
like a great plain of immaterial fire and space
rolling and unfolding
like billowing waves of timewater and lava
empty of place
sensing
in it, deep deep eternal
trembling in sight of it
balancing, returning the gaze
burrowing
into the folding, where I
I was, looking feeling the mind
expanding greatly
one
mo-ment longer
going
past boundaries trembling
in awe of it
the greatness and power of it
from fear and being no thing
admitting I, I looked until
I could look no
more
the last great drop of awesomeness
in it

Molding The Future Today - Scepter Of Selection

cell to cell, receptor to receptor
a fit communication
an exchanging interaction, immortalized, specific
naturally essential, particularly recognized
the only true selection
universally evident in the matter
with perfect complimentary
positive and negative
working completely together for good
ordering with chaos
a most functional system of defense
in the complex environment
full of simple orchestrations
a developing music into being
playing through generations and times
turning over
the epiphany of history
through her handle on blood biology

Even when in my bed, as I dwelled, sleeping in Sheol, behold, here I am ... even made in secret, curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth, darkness is a light to me ... Tehilim 139:8-15

Hineni - The Call Into Presence

Split In Two, Challah & Chaos

ד' בתשרי תשס"ח

A domestic passenger plane, One-Two-Go Airlines flight OG269 from Bangkok to Phuket, Thai, was split in two and became engulfed in fire while attempting to land in a downpour Sunday, with 87 (ולהבדיל) confirmed dead and 43 (חלה) survivors being treated for injuries. Among the dead are 8 Israelis. Two Israelis who were on the flight are among the survivors being treated for injuries. It is unknown at this time if any Americans were aboard the tragic flight.

According to Foxnews reports:

Officials said the McDonnell Douglas MD-82 crashed in a downpour, skidded off the runaway and broke in two. Some said weather was likely a factor in the crash.

"The visibility was poor as the pilot attempted to land. He decided to make a go-around but the plane lost balance and crashed," said Chaisak Angsuwan, director general of the Air Transport Authority of Thailand. "It was torn into two parts."

Survivors described their escape amid chaos, smoke and fire.

Read more:

JPost: Eight Israelis feared among dead in Phuket plane crash
YNet News: Israelis among Phuket flight fatalities
CNN: 87 killed in Thai plane crash
Foxnews: Tourist Plane Crash in Thailand Leaves 88 Dead

Hashem speaks as rain (כמטר) through flight OG269:

Give ear, ye heavens, and I will speak; and let the earth hear the words of my mouth.

My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew; as the small rain upon the tender grass, and as the showers upon the herb.

Magical Mikva

ו' באלול תשס"ז

Another paradigm shift. Rabbi Brody of Lazer Beams has used the "magic" word to describe a mikva:

For a couple to reach their optimal income potential, it is advisable that they take advantage of the wealth of family purity, which includes the magical Jewish soul-purification tool - the mikva (ritual bath).

He wrote magical, oh yes he did. How witchy! LOL.

On Actualizing Mitzvot

כ"ט בתמוז תשס"ז

Shai comments on Existential Angst about what Judaism is and will become:

The weight of individual decisions, if we are taught to make decisions with responsibility, will decide what Judaism is. In effect, the attitude here is that the mitzvah, not the halacha, has primacy, and there is the assertion here that mitzvah and halacha are not the same thing, and that we shouldn't turn the latter into the equivalent of an idol when in effect it's a tool to ensure the actualization of the former. The latter is the technical spec for the former, and the measure of success is not whether we've succeeded in meeting the technical spec, but whether we've found a way even outside it to ensure that the mitzvah has been performed.

I think he makes an excellent point here, although I'll add one comment of my own to it - one doesn't necessarily need to be taught (from an external source) to make decisions with responsibility, one however, does need to learn (from an internal source) to do this. As there are many ways to actualize a mitzvah, there are many ways to learn responsible decision-making.

Technorati tags: Torah Talmud Torah Judaism Kabbalah jewish mysticism mysticism jewish meditation meditation shamanism kabbalah iyunit kabbalah maasit witchcraft jewitchery jewitch witch sacred feminine divine feminine shechinah lilith spiritual development spirituality kosher spirituality

Yoreh Yoreh, Yadin Yadin

Throne Of Good Strength

כ"א בתמוז תשס"ז

An elucidating observation (yoreh yoreh) regarding my two previous posts, Meforash and Ba'alat Shem Tova, from the footnote of Ba'alat Shem Tova:

The four holy names of Purim are Moses, Moses, Mordechai, Esther (the second "Moses"-"the final redeemer"-replaces the wicked Haman, in the secret of "evil becomes the throne of good" in the Messianic era." R' Yitzchak Ginsburgh

Significantly, the shem hameforash (horse rider) part of my first dream, Meforash, came after my bashert and I had escaped those pursuing to harm us, as I was riding my horse home without fear, in exquisite control of its steps through the rows [1] of dining diners (yadin yadin). In other words, the shem hameforash was not used to escape danger as the Ba'al Shem Tov had once done to escape danger; it does guide me with strength even now as I ride.

Also significantly, this past Friday afternoon, for lunch at work, I ordered delivery food from a local country restaurant (not literally called Moon Glo like the one in my Meforash dream). I didn't receive what I had ordered. The restaurant sent a pork tenderloin sandwich. I didn't eat it. Not that I keep many laws of kashrut in my current living situation - I had ordered homemade macaroni and cheese with the Italian beef I had, in fact, ordered. But the pork, I just couldn't eat that pork sandwich.

Footnote:

[1] Bashurei - "in rows" at Yavne, Zohar

Technorati tags: Torah Talmud Torah Judaism Kabbalah jewish mysticism mysticism jewish meditation meditation shamanism kabbalah iyunit kabbalah maasit witchcraft jewitchery jewitch witch sacred feminine divine feminine shechinah lilith spiritual development spirituality kosher spirituality shem hameforash baal shem tov chassidut

Al Pi Halachah

כ"א באייר תשס"ז

Yitz comments on Witchcraft And Kabbalah:

How does Judaism and witch-craft square al pi halachah?

Good question. Let's analyze the phrase al pi halachah (על פי הלכה).

First, halachah is lech לך surrounded (where surrounding is a function of hamasovevet) and captured by two feminine letters hei (הה). In other words, it is the command to go! captured in feminine awareness, where the first hei corresponds to Binah (mindful intelligence) and the second hei corresponds to Malchut (active intelligence). This definition of הלכה aligns perfectly with my feminine experience of incarnation, as described in Candle In The Womb:

Do not fear. I will bring you home. Home is forward. Go. I will never leave you alone. Smell what I feel like. Remember. I will bring you home. I promise. Remember. I will always be with you. Remember and do not be afraid. Look at all the wonderful edges I have made ...

Consequently, the evidence of experiential knowledge coupled with word analysis suggests that this witch is a living embodiment of halachah.

Second, indeed the phrase על פי is translated in Shemot 17:1 as "as (Hashem) would command". In other words, one who performs the original mitzvah to "Go! as Hashem would command" via unified complexity of the feminine (Binah and Malchut) is a legitimate definition of the phrase al pi halachah.

As described in the story of my incarnation, Candle In The Womb, I performed this mitzvah as Hashem would command. I came. Over that, I have remembered it, also as Hashem did command.

This remembrance is the next level of meaning to the phrase portion al pi, "over 90". In other words, my remembrance is over and beyond the literal definition, and over and beyond 90 (where 90 is the gematria of פי and על means over and beyond). Over and beyond 90 is 91, the secret of amen (where amen אמן has a gematria of 91) which is a secret contained within my circle name Lleucu (where the phonetic Hebrew transliteration of Welsh/Celtic Lleucu ללאכי, pronounced Lley-kee, has a gematria of 91).

Taking all this together, my name Liorah corresponds to the first level of al pi halachah, where by "going as Hashem did command" into physicality, I moved toward the light of becoming more aware.

My name Lleucu corresponds to the next level of al pi halachah, where I went above and beyond the first command to go!, and also fulfilled the second one which was to remember!

So, to answer Yitz's question, this is how my witchcraft and Judaism square quite well על פי הלכה.

R' Avraham Abulafia teaches that every soul is a witch [1]. As explained above, my soul is an embodiment of al pi halachah. That makes the craft of my soul, my witchcraft, itself al pi halachah.

Footnote:

[1] Meditation And Kabbalah, R' Aryeh Kaplan (p. 103)

Technorati tags: Torah Talmud Torah Judaism Kabbalah jewish mysticism mysticism jewish meditation meditation shamanism jewish shamanism kabbalah iyunit kabbalah maasit jewitchery jewitch jewish woman sacred feminine divine feminine shechinah lilith spiritual development spirituality kosher spirituality halachah halacha halakha al pi halachah al pi halacha mitzvot daat torah daas torah

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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