SYNERGETIC QABALA
by Iona Miller
Iona Miller's Synergetic Qabala:
THE SYNERGETIC QABALA:
1. KETHER 2. CHOKMAH
- The Diamond Body: Buckminster Fuller and the Qabalah, (©1992)
- The Diamond Body: A Modern Alchemical View of the Philosopher's Stone, (©1981)
- Cosmic Time Travel, (© 1992)
- Re-Visioning Middle Pillar: The Torus/Twistor Model, ( ©1981)
- The Self-Aware Universe, (© 1993)
- Pantheon: Archetypal Godforms in Daily Life, (©1983)
Uranus
Hermes
Artemis
Aphrodite
Athena
Hera
Eros & Psyche
Hestia
Demeter/Persephone
Hephaistos
Zeus
Themis
Poseidon
Thanatos
Artemis & Apollo
Pan/Priapus
Ares
Rhea
Hekate
Apollo
Hades/Dionysus
Cronos
- Psychogenesis: Qabalistic Art, (©1999)
- Qabala Art Galleries 1, 2, 3, 4
- Virtual Magick, (©1992)
- Virtual Therapy, (©1992)
- Dreamguide: Navigating the Stream of Consciousness, (©1993)
Read more: http://www.oocities.com/iona_m/?20104#ixzz0ycnXA43D
No Way Qabalah
Qabala is not a static doctrine, but a living Way. Qabala is an experiential path, an experiment which lasts throughout one's life. Qabala is ultimately about access to and experience of discrete states of consciousness, ways of being and becoming. To glean its wisdom, we must "sample the dish," not simply read the recipes. It is a subject which cannot be exhausted. We must make it our own, even while honoring its tradition. In this way, we have the best of both worlds.
Qabalistic traditions and models are validated by modern research everyday. It has a vast capacity to incorporate the entire repertoire of human knowledge and understanding, coordinating through its primary glyph, the Tree of Life.
We can update our models and create revolutions in our own beliefs and thinking, much the same as happens in science. Therefore, we will be drawing on resources from post quantum physics, Jungian and Transpersonal Psychology, and traditional and modern philosophical speculation, such as Buckminster Fuller's Synergetics. I hope you find valuable concepts here for bootstrapping into your own worldview and facilitating your journey.
Statement of Purpose: The orientation of the Synergetic Qabala sites is to provide serious qabalists with modern conjectures in Theoretical Qabala with the aim of contemporizing our models and practices. The emphasis here is on mysticism and meditation, rather than ritual and magick. These essays, artwork, and visualizations are not meant as a new dogma, practice, or school of thought. They are simply the result of my own thirty-plus years of qabalistic work. I hope they provide a springboard for your own thought. They are meant to stimulate and provoke your own speculations, insights, and experiments.
WAY OF THE QABALA
The premise of Synergetic Qabala is based on the fact that manifesting form is essentially energetic. Form is not other than force, and force is often indistinguishable from form. Forces interacting in dynamic stabilization are essentially, therefore, synergetic. The right and left Pillars of the Tree of Life are in a state of dynamic tension, as well as other polarities which it embodies. While Synergetic Qabala is essentially a geometrical philosophy, it is not a sterile number mysticism, but a theosophical approach to the unfathomable mysteries of Qabala and its essentially mystical orientation.
The Tree of Life is a model of the universe that describes energy's behavior and also has the ability to shape our thinking. Synergetics describes the actual underlying geometry of subatomic structure. Here we employ nature's own coordinate system, the geometry nature uses for self-organization --the tetrahedron. There is a relationship between geometry and number which is intrinsic to the spheres and geometry of the Tree of Life. It defines the philosophical universe of Qabala. Explorations in this geometry are covered elsewhere in "The Synergetic Qabala."
The ancient system of the Qabala may best be described as a mystical theosophy, an effective guide for understanding ourselves and our relationship to the universe. It provides a cohesive worldview which is consistent with the findings of modern physics, psychology, and philosophical thought. It provides not only a philosophy, but a Way of life. It is a mystical discipline which requires an active spiritual practice for realization.
As in the case of physics, there are two main branches of Qabala. The first is speculative or Theoretical Qabala and the second is Practical Qabala which concerns the application of its principles through theurgic magic and/or mystical meditation. It is a complex system of symbols and principles for developing the inner potential of human nature, leading to the stage of conscious service to the divine powers at the source of all creation. Though often spelled many ways, we employ the simplest transliteration of QBL, as Qabala (ka-ba-la).
Though associated with the Hebrew, and later Hermetic philosophers, the roots of Qabala possibly originated in Egypt. The Western occult tradition attributes it to Hermes Trismegistus, or Thoth (Egyptian inventor of writing, astronomy, and mathematics). These teachings belong to ancient Egyptian mystery traditions that predate Plato and the Bible, with treatises on ancient cosmology and sacred psychology.
The Hermetic tradition enjoyed a revival when Marsilio Ficinio translated a bundle of ancient Egyptian manuscripts with the collective name of the Hermetica (1463). The Hermetica has been called the fountainhead of Western spirituality, the motherlode of all later esoteric and metaphysical systems. Here we find the suggestion that mankind is a hybrid of human and divine elements. Human nature is potential divinity, or "Godseed." Hermetics opened the way to independent spiritual seeking--spontaneous God contact--in the West. It suggests the possibility of transhumanization, and the divine mission of co-creation.
There are six major principles of the Qabala:
* The cosmos is a Unity, with all aspects in interrelation. It is a wholistic worldview.
* The forces of creation represent an eternal interplay between an active force and a passive one; polarity (positive and negative charge, male/female, yin/yang, holding the tension of the opposites).
* The human individual is a microcosm of the universe; we come to know the universe through ourselves, and ourselves through cosmic principles.
* In daily life we are attuned to only one state of consciousness among many. This is the culturally programmed trance state known as ordinary consciousness, or consensus reality.
* We can access multiple states of consciousness, including universal or cosmic consciousness through systematic application of concentration and meditation, by the grace of God. Careful preparation is necessary.
* To achieve such transcendent states of consciousness various specific practices and techniques are utilized.
The premise of Synergetic Qabala is that manifesting form is essentially energetic. Form is not other than force, and force is often indistinguishable from form. Therefore, forces interacting in dynamic stabilization are essentially synergetic. The right and left Pillars of the Tree of Life are in a state of dynamic tension, as are other polarities embodied in he Tree. While Synergetic Qabala is essentially a geometrical philosophy, it is not a sterile number mysticism, but a theosophical approach to the unfathomable mysteries of Qabala and its essentially mystical orientation. It uses an elegant system of correspondences to relate the aspirant experientially to symbols and archetypes.
The Tree of Life is a model of the universe that describes energy's behavior and also has the ability to shape our thinking. Synergetics describes the actual underlying geometry of subatomic structure. Here we employ nature's own coordinate system, the geometry nature uses for self-organization -- the tetrahedron. There is a relationship between geometry and number which is intrinsic to the spheres and geometry of the Tree of Life. It defines the philosophical universe of Qabala. Explorations in this geometry are covered elsewhere in"The Synergetic Qabala."
The ancient system of the Qabala may best be described as a mystical theosophy, an effective guide for understanding ourselves and our relationship to the universe. It provides a cohesive worldview which is consistent with the findings of modern physics, psychology, and philosophical thought. It provides not only a philosophy, but milestones and a Way of life. It is a mystical discipline which requires an active spiritual practice for realization.
THE HOLOGRAPHIC TREE
New Science and the Tree of Life
by Iona Miller, 1993
ABSTRACT: The science of wholeness emerging from interdisciplinary approaches to the nature of reality reflects many Qabalistic principles. Among the theories expressing this new paradigm are quantum mechanics, chaos theory, Bohm's holographic universe, Pribram's holographic brain, Buckminster Fuller's synergetics, Sheldrake's morphogenetic fields, co-evolution, the Gaia and Panspermia hypotheses, semiotics, hermeneutics, hyperdimensional realities, the new cosmology and consciousness studies. In new sciences, consciousness and matter share the same essence as different expressions of the same reality.
New sciences describe the evolution of the laws of nature, the evolution of our perception of nature. In this view there are no abolutes, no fixed laws of nature, only a relative stability. The laws of nature are evolving because nature is creative. This universal dynamic creativity is also the domain of the Qabala with its consciousness map, the Tree of Life. It presents a holistic image of emergent creativity, a webwork of the interaction of various spheres of influence, and the complex feedback loops which bind them to one another. In terms of consciousness, each sphere (hypersphere) represents a discrete state of consciousness, and each path a transitional phase, or transformation. Aspects of the system can be entrained through resonance. Every body placed in the luminous air spreads out in circles and fills the surrounding space withi infinite likenesses of itself and appears all in all. --Leonardo da Vinci
Our mapmaking changes the very terrain, and terrain in turn changes our map. Maps, mapmakers, and terrains whirl around each other like the vortex in a river which expresses the whole.--Briggs and Peat, Looking Glass Universe
A WHOLE -- IF NOT ABSOLUTE -- TRUTH
Wholeness has traditionally been a mystical perspective. Now, the new sciences with radical notions of nonlinear complex dynamics, nonlocality, chaotic behavior, patterns of energy flow, relativity, enmeshment, fuzzy logic, etc. are revealing a deeper order underlying the nature of our directly experienced reality. Wholeness is characterized by "flow," and the influence of every event on every other. Through minute fluctuation, this flow gives birth to sudden orders of all kinds--structures of flowing energy exchange.
The whole is contained, paradoxically, within the "part," holographically. Yet, wholeness can include incompleteness, the higher degree of order always hidden in apparent randomness. Analogous processes of transformation in consciousness lead to insight and creativity. Each moment in the therapeutic process, as in all life, reflects all others in the past. Each therapeutic image contains a fractal-like representation of past, present, and future.
The transformation of imagery reflects in creativity; transformation of beliefs, thoughts, fellings, values, attitudes and behavior. The Tree of Life encodes a dynamic system of transformation of the individual at the physical, emotional, conceptual, and spiritual levels. Rather than a hierarchical "ladder" to be climbed, the Tree is a stratified image of the holistic nature of existence which interpenetrates as a fluid exchange of energy at every level. More subtle "planes" are simply more deeply enfolded aspects of reality--hidden domains of order creating variables in our ordinary existence.
More than the sum of its parts, the Tree represents a multidimensional web of processes emanating in all directions by the conjoint macro-micro co-evolution of all systems. This web exalts the pure intensification of life. The secret of the universe is that it is alive. The qabalistic Tree presents a model of reality and consciousness which is organic in nature. It reflects the nature of nature, the nature of mind, and relevates the nature mind (natural mind) -- void of conceptualization -- the Clear Light. Qabala offers an animated alternative perspective to the mechanistic, cybernetic models of psychoneurological function.
The living Tree models co-evolution as a creation that is happening at every point everywhere, in a fractal-like bottomless unfolding. It also accomodates the self-referential process of recursive feeding back (or recycling) of consciousness in psychological transformation -- modeling the penetration of awareness into deeply implicate realms. Pathworking provides for the opening, amplification, and exploration of specific feedback channels, and the induction of specific altered states of consciousness.
The Tree is a graphic representation of the dynamic process of becoming. There is no real hierarchy, no fundamental level of description. Rather, there are different levels, each dependent on the others in complex ways. Higher levels feed back strands of information to lower levels, back to new higher levels, and so on. Rather than describing a world of things, it describes process structures and emphasizes relationship. It describes hidden formative principles, and a webwork of multiple perspectives.
Modern cosmology suggests that all matter plus all gravity in the observable universe equals zero. So the universe -- and therefore, ourselves -- could come from nothing, because it is fundamentally nothing. This echoes the qabalistic creation myth where all substance emanates from the primordial Veils of Negative Existence. It reminds us of the Vedic and Buddhist notions that we and all we can observe are no more than 'mind-stuff.' It reminds of Jung's conclusion that at the most fundamental levels psyche and matter are the same, that psyche and soma are indissoluably welded in our psychophysical selves.
The story goes that around 4,000 years ago an angel of God gave the Qabala and Tree of Life to Abraham. Though the glyph has gone through a few permutations through the centuries, it's essence has remained intact. Curiously, this matrix describes the exact geometries of the nucelus of atomic structure as described by Buckminster Fuller in Synergetics. By "looking within" the qabalists correctly deduced the primal structure of reality without any recourse to modern science and technology. Apparently, the angels spoke the Truth. This is the essence of Synergetic Qabala.
Qabalistic traditions and models are validated by modern research everyday. It has a vast capacity to incorporate the entire repertoire of human knowledge and understanding, coordinating through its primary glyph, the Tree of Life.
We can update our models and create revolutions in our own beliefs and thinking, much the same as happens in science. Therefore, we will be drawing on resources from post quantum physics, Jungian and Transpersonal Psychology, and traditional and modern philosophical speculation, such as Buckminster Fuller's Synergetics. I hope you find valuable concepts here for bootstrapping into your own worldview and facilitating your journey.
Statement of Purpose: The orientation of the Synergetic Qabala sites is to provide serious qabalists with modern conjectures in Theoretical Qabala with the aim of contemporizing our models and practices. The emphasis here is on mysticism and meditation, rather than ritual and magick. These essays, artwork, and visualizations are not meant as a new dogma, practice, or school of thought. They are simply the result of my own thirty-plus years of qabalistic work. I hope they provide a springboard for your own thought. They are meant to stimulate and provoke your own speculations, insights, and experiments.
WAY OF THE QABALA
The premise of Synergetic Qabala is based on the fact that manifesting form is essentially energetic. Form is not other than force, and force is often indistinguishable from form. Forces interacting in dynamic stabilization are essentially, therefore, synergetic. The right and left Pillars of the Tree of Life are in a state of dynamic tension, as well as other polarities which it embodies. While Synergetic Qabala is essentially a geometrical philosophy, it is not a sterile number mysticism, but a theosophical approach to the unfathomable mysteries of Qabala and its essentially mystical orientation.
The Tree of Life is a model of the universe that describes energy's behavior and also has the ability to shape our thinking. Synergetics describes the actual underlying geometry of subatomic structure. Here we employ nature's own coordinate system, the geometry nature uses for self-organization --the tetrahedron. There is a relationship between geometry and number which is intrinsic to the spheres and geometry of the Tree of Life. It defines the philosophical universe of Qabala. Explorations in this geometry are covered elsewhere in "The Synergetic Qabala."
The ancient system of the Qabala may best be described as a mystical theosophy, an effective guide for understanding ourselves and our relationship to the universe. It provides a cohesive worldview which is consistent with the findings of modern physics, psychology, and philosophical thought. It provides not only a philosophy, but a Way of life. It is a mystical discipline which requires an active spiritual practice for realization.
As in the case of physics, there are two main branches of Qabala. The first is speculative or Theoretical Qabala and the second is Practical Qabala which concerns the application of its principles through theurgic magic and/or mystical meditation. It is a complex system of symbols and principles for developing the inner potential of human nature, leading to the stage of conscious service to the divine powers at the source of all creation. Though often spelled many ways, we employ the simplest transliteration of QBL, as Qabala (ka-ba-la).
Though associated with the Hebrew, and later Hermetic philosophers, the roots of Qabala possibly originated in Egypt. The Western occult tradition attributes it to Hermes Trismegistus, or Thoth (Egyptian inventor of writing, astronomy, and mathematics). These teachings belong to ancient Egyptian mystery traditions that predate Plato and the Bible, with treatises on ancient cosmology and sacred psychology.
The Hermetic tradition enjoyed a revival when Marsilio Ficinio translated a bundle of ancient Egyptian manuscripts with the collective name of the Hermetica (1463). The Hermetica has been called the fountainhead of Western spirituality, the motherlode of all later esoteric and metaphysical systems. Here we find the suggestion that mankind is a hybrid of human and divine elements. Human nature is potential divinity, or "Godseed." Hermetics opened the way to independent spiritual seeking--spontaneous God contact--in the West. It suggests the possibility of transhumanization, and the divine mission of co-creation.
There are six major principles of the Qabala:
* The cosmos is a Unity, with all aspects in interrelation. It is a wholistic worldview.
* The forces of creation represent an eternal interplay between an active force and a passive one; polarity (positive and negative charge, male/female, yin/yang, holding the tension of the opposites).
* The human individual is a microcosm of the universe; we come to know the universe through ourselves, and ourselves through cosmic principles.
* In daily life we are attuned to only one state of consciousness among many. This is the culturally programmed trance state known as ordinary consciousness, or consensus reality.
* We can access multiple states of consciousness, including universal or cosmic consciousness through systematic application of concentration and meditation, by the grace of God. Careful preparation is necessary.
* To achieve such transcendent states of consciousness various specific practices and techniques are utilized.
The premise of Synergetic Qabala is that manifesting form is essentially energetic. Form is not other than force, and force is often indistinguishable from form. Therefore, forces interacting in dynamic stabilization are essentially synergetic. The right and left Pillars of the Tree of Life are in a state of dynamic tension, as are other polarities embodied in he Tree. While Synergetic Qabala is essentially a geometrical philosophy, it is not a sterile number mysticism, but a theosophical approach to the unfathomable mysteries of Qabala and its essentially mystical orientation. It uses an elegant system of correspondences to relate the aspirant experientially to symbols and archetypes.
The Tree of Life is a model of the universe that describes energy's behavior and also has the ability to shape our thinking. Synergetics describes the actual underlying geometry of subatomic structure. Here we employ nature's own coordinate system, the geometry nature uses for self-organization -- the tetrahedron. There is a relationship between geometry and number which is intrinsic to the spheres and geometry of the Tree of Life. It defines the philosophical universe of Qabala. Explorations in this geometry are covered elsewhere in"The Synergetic Qabala."
The ancient system of the Qabala may best be described as a mystical theosophy, an effective guide for understanding ourselves and our relationship to the universe. It provides a cohesive worldview which is consistent with the findings of modern physics, psychology, and philosophical thought. It provides not only a philosophy, but milestones and a Way of life. It is a mystical discipline which requires an active spiritual practice for realization.
THE HOLOGRAPHIC TREE
New Science and the Tree of Life
by Iona Miller, 1993
ABSTRACT: The science of wholeness emerging from interdisciplinary approaches to the nature of reality reflects many Qabalistic principles. Among the theories expressing this new paradigm are quantum mechanics, chaos theory, Bohm's holographic universe, Pribram's holographic brain, Buckminster Fuller's synergetics, Sheldrake's morphogenetic fields, co-evolution, the Gaia and Panspermia hypotheses, semiotics, hermeneutics, hyperdimensional realities, the new cosmology and consciousness studies. In new sciences, consciousness and matter share the same essence as different expressions of the same reality.
New sciences describe the evolution of the laws of nature, the evolution of our perception of nature. In this view there are no abolutes, no fixed laws of nature, only a relative stability. The laws of nature are evolving because nature is creative. This universal dynamic creativity is also the domain of the Qabala with its consciousness map, the Tree of Life. It presents a holistic image of emergent creativity, a webwork of the interaction of various spheres of influence, and the complex feedback loops which bind them to one another. In terms of consciousness, each sphere (hypersphere) represents a discrete state of consciousness, and each path a transitional phase, or transformation. Aspects of the system can be entrained through resonance. Every body placed in the luminous air spreads out in circles and fills the surrounding space withi infinite likenesses of itself and appears all in all. --Leonardo da Vinci
Our mapmaking changes the very terrain, and terrain in turn changes our map. Maps, mapmakers, and terrains whirl around each other like the vortex in a river which expresses the whole.--Briggs and Peat, Looking Glass Universe
A WHOLE -- IF NOT ABSOLUTE -- TRUTH
Wholeness has traditionally been a mystical perspective. Now, the new sciences with radical notions of nonlinear complex dynamics, nonlocality, chaotic behavior, patterns of energy flow, relativity, enmeshment, fuzzy logic, etc. are revealing a deeper order underlying the nature of our directly experienced reality. Wholeness is characterized by "flow," and the influence of every event on every other. Through minute fluctuation, this flow gives birth to sudden orders of all kinds--structures of flowing energy exchange.
The whole is contained, paradoxically, within the "part," holographically. Yet, wholeness can include incompleteness, the higher degree of order always hidden in apparent randomness. Analogous processes of transformation in consciousness lead to insight and creativity. Each moment in the therapeutic process, as in all life, reflects all others in the past. Each therapeutic image contains a fractal-like representation of past, present, and future.
The transformation of imagery reflects in creativity; transformation of beliefs, thoughts, fellings, values, attitudes and behavior. The Tree of Life encodes a dynamic system of transformation of the individual at the physical, emotional, conceptual, and spiritual levels. Rather than a hierarchical "ladder" to be climbed, the Tree is a stratified image of the holistic nature of existence which interpenetrates as a fluid exchange of energy at every level. More subtle "planes" are simply more deeply enfolded aspects of reality--hidden domains of order creating variables in our ordinary existence.
More than the sum of its parts, the Tree represents a multidimensional web of processes emanating in all directions by the conjoint macro-micro co-evolution of all systems. This web exalts the pure intensification of life. The secret of the universe is that it is alive. The qabalistic Tree presents a model of reality and consciousness which is organic in nature. It reflects the nature of nature, the nature of mind, and relevates the nature mind (natural mind) -- void of conceptualization -- the Clear Light. Qabala offers an animated alternative perspective to the mechanistic, cybernetic models of psychoneurological function.
The living Tree models co-evolution as a creation that is happening at every point everywhere, in a fractal-like bottomless unfolding. It also accomodates the self-referential process of recursive feeding back (or recycling) of consciousness in psychological transformation -- modeling the penetration of awareness into deeply implicate realms. Pathworking provides for the opening, amplification, and exploration of specific feedback channels, and the induction of specific altered states of consciousness.
The Tree is a graphic representation of the dynamic process of becoming. There is no real hierarchy, no fundamental level of description. Rather, there are different levels, each dependent on the others in complex ways. Higher levels feed back strands of information to lower levels, back to new higher levels, and so on. Rather than describing a world of things, it describes process structures and emphasizes relationship. It describes hidden formative principles, and a webwork of multiple perspectives.
Modern cosmology suggests that all matter plus all gravity in the observable universe equals zero. So the universe -- and therefore, ourselves -- could come from nothing, because it is fundamentally nothing. This echoes the qabalistic creation myth where all substance emanates from the primordial Veils of Negative Existence. It reminds us of the Vedic and Buddhist notions that we and all we can observe are no more than 'mind-stuff.' It reminds of Jung's conclusion that at the most fundamental levels psyche and matter are the same, that psyche and soma are indissoluably welded in our psychophysical selves.
The story goes that around 4,000 years ago an angel of God gave the Qabala and Tree of Life to Abraham. Though the glyph has gone through a few permutations through the centuries, it's essence has remained intact. Curiously, this matrix describes the exact geometries of the nucelus of atomic structure as described by Buckminster Fuller in Synergetics. By "looking within" the qabalists correctly deduced the primal structure of reality without any recourse to modern science and technology. Apparently, the angels spoke the Truth. This is the essence of Synergetic Qabala.
Qabala as a Spiritual Path by Iona Miller, 1987
I inquire, I do not assert;
I do not here determine anything with final assurance;
I conjecture, try, compare, attempt, ask... Statement of Purpose: The orientation of the Synergetic Qabala sites is to provide serious qabalists with modern conjectures in Theoretical Qabala with the aim of contemporizing our models and practices. The emphasis here is on mysticism and meditation, rather than ritual and magick. These essays, artwork, and visualizations are not meant as a new dogma, practice, or school of thought. They are simply the result of my own thirty-plus years of qabalistic work. I hope they provide a springboard for your own thought. They are meant to stimulate and provoke your own speculations, insights, and experiments. Qabala is not a static doctrine, but a living Way. Qabala is an experiential path, an experiment which lasts throughout one's life. Qabala is ultimately about access to and experience of discrete states of consciousness, ways of being and becoming. To glean its wisdom, we must "sample the dish," not simply read the recipes. It is a subject which cannot be exhausted. We must make it our own, even while honoring its tradition. In this way, we have the best of both worlds. Qabalistic traditions and models are validated by modern research everyday. It has a vast capacity to incorporate the entire repertoire of human knowledge and understanding, coordinating through its primary glyph, the Tree of Life.
We can update our models and create revolutions in our own beliefs and thinking, much the same as happens in science. Therefore, we will be drawing on resources from post quantum physics, Jungian and Transpersonal Psychology, and traditional and modern philosophical speculation, such as Buckminster Fuller's Synergetics. I hope you find valuable concepts here for bootstrapping into your own worldview and facilitating your journey toward Union.
"Ever since the Lord ordained the Creation,
I have been pledged to return to my original home.
People know, from my quest for unity in God,
that I am as anxious as I am eager to merge with him.
I shall bear the blows of destiny as I pursue him,
while I am ferried across to him on the boat of his love.
No one ever found the Lord while living,
O Bahu, except those who found him by dying while living." Sultan Bahu,
17th Century Sufi saint, Punjab, India
THE SYNERGETIC QABALA The premise of Synergetic Qabala is based on the fact that manifesting form is essentially energetic. Form is not other than force, and force is often indistinguishable from form. Forces interacting in dynamic stabilization are essentially, therefore, synergetic. The right and left Pillars of the Tree of Life are in a state of dynamic tension, as well as other polarities which it embodies. While Synergetic Qabala is essentially a geometrical philosophy, it is not a sterile number mysticism, but a theosophical approach to the unfathomable mysteries of Qabala and its essentially mystical orientation. The Tree of Life is a model of the universe that describes energy's behavior and also has the ability to shape our thinking. Synergetics describes the actual underlying geometry of subatomic structure. Here we employ nature's own coordinate system, the geometry nature uses for self-organization --the tetrahedron. There is a relationship between geometry and number which is intrinsic to the spheres and geometry of the Tree of Life. It defines the philosophical universe of Qabala. Explorations in this geometry are covered elsewhere in "The Synergetic Qabala."
The ancient system of the Qabala may best be described as a mystical theosophy, an effective guide for understanding ourselves and our relationship to the universe. It provides a cohesive worldview which is consistent with the findings of modern physics, psychology, and philosophical thought. It provides not only a philosophy, but a Way of life. It is a mystical discipline which requires an active spiritual practice for realization.
As in the case of physics, there are two main branches of Qabala. The first is speculative or Theoretical Qabala and the second is Practical Qabala which concerns the application of its principles through theurgic magic and/or mystical meditation. It is a complex system of symbols and principles for developing the inner potential of human nature, leading to the stage of conscious service to the divine powers at the source of all creation. Though often spelled many ways, we employ the simplest transliteration of QBL, as Qabala (ka-ba-la).
Though associated with the Hebrew, and later Hermetic philosophers, the roots of Qabala possibly originated in Egypt. The Western occult tradition attributes it to Hermes Trismegistus, or Thoth (Egyptian inventor of writing, astronomy, and mathematics). These teachings belong to ancient Egyptian mystery traditions that predate Plato and the Bible, with treatises on ancient cosmology and sacred psychology.
The Hermetic tradition enjoyed a revival when Marsilio Ficinio translated a bundle of ancient Egyptian manuscripts with the collective name of the Hermetica (1463). The Hermetica has been called the fountainhead of Western spirituality, the motherlode of all later esoteric and metaphysical systems. Here we find the suggestion that mankind is a hybrid of human and divine elements. Human nature is potential divinity, or "Godseed." Hermetics opened the way to independent spiritual seeking--spontaneous God contact--in the West. It suggests the possibility of transhumanization, and the divine mission of cocreation.
Egyptian religion is the prototype and source of mankind's interest in seeking immortality. It is the source of mystical teachings on reincarnation, magic, healing, the mysteries and the rudiments of sciences such as astronomy and chemistry. The other primary source of mythic material comes from Sumeria with its stories of God-men, the Great Flood, the creation of Adam, and the nature of deep time (Enuma Elish) and the Cosmos. They developed a rich culture, including the first recorded kingship, libraries, and systems of measurement, and sacred geometry. The Zodiac developed from Mesopotamian astronomy.
Early Jewish initiates believed Qabala's mysteries were first taught by God to a school of angels. According to legend, the angels in turn transmitted it to Adam after the Fall in an attempt to help humanity regain its balance. These mythic images suggest a Mesopotamian origin for these doctrines which is lost in the mists of prehistory. Remember, the Hebrew patriarch Abraham began his spiritual journey away from paganism toward monotheism in the Mesopotamian city of Ur, (in the heart of the ancient Sumeria, where recorded history, culture, and modern technology began).
We can use the Qabala today as a guide for our personal growth, both psychological and spiritual. Qabala helps us get in conscious contact with latent or hidden aspects of our deep mind, collective inheritance, and Source. The imagery and phenomenology of Qabala is well documented. The universe is an emanation or flowing forth of Godhead, the primal Source It is an expression of the dynamic fullness of divine Life.
This plenum or matrix is the source of divine aparks who plunge into the long process of involution or descent through the planes into manifestion. They eventually undergo an evolution in which new and infintely differentiated aspects of the original, unmanifest potentiality of the Godhead comes to expression. Ascent up the central column of the Tree of Life is the mystic's path to spiritual awakening and absorption. The Source can be experienced directly and discovered within us. This universal paradigm correlates with all mystical traditions. It is the very ground of our self-awareness.
The qabalistic Universe is a spatially conceived cosmos divided into higher and lower worlds or heavenly spheres of influence. Qabala is about the relationship of the One to the Many, and the Many to the One; all are conceived as active aspects of Living Deity and their dynamic interrelations. It describes a vast panoply of involution and evolution. It is an immense network of embedded symbolism and arcane lore, which begins with a cosmology, (a scenario about how the universe and humanity came into being; the patterns of nature in relation to the moral and psychological aspects of human behavior).
The qabalistic Genesis begins with the emanation of Ain Soph, "supreme wisdom," the Godhead as pure light-filled creative intelligence, source of all manifestation. The Limitless Light flows out into the 10 Spheres of the Tree of Life down through the Four Worlds of Creation: Archetypal (divine), Causal (mental), Astral (emotional), and Physical. Emanation means that God sent forth a portion of his own essence into the manifestation, rather than creating a separate reality. This cosmic pattern or design reflects the divine order, the pervasive design of the world.
The succession of numbers 1 through 10 symbolizes and is, in fact, identical with the emanation of the manifest Universe. The 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet contain and create the secret structure of all things. The cosmic process is an unfolding of the mystical name of God. Each letter corresponds with a path on the Tree of Life, and functions as a mystical "gateway" to its experience.
Though originally an oral tradition, written philosophical doctrines can be traced to the 3rd through 13th centuries. The foundational text of written Qabala, the Sephir Yetzirah, 'The Book of Formation' is based on alphanumeric mysticism. It describes how God created the manifest universe by means of letter/numbers which are the foundation of all things. The letters are part of 'one body,' the alphabet which is an extention of God's own being.
All created things, made by means of the letters, are also parts of the one body which is God. Contemplation of and meditation on these Hebrew letter/numbers is fundamental to accessing discrete mystical states. Mystical understanding of this divine Unity is the first concern of qabalism. This is part of the origin of the power of the Word or Logos in the crossroads cultures of the Middle East. In ancient Egypt the specific organ of creation was Ptah's mouth, "which named all things."
Like the descending emanations from the divine source, the soul leaves its home in Godhead and descends into physical form, where its redemption comes through seeking that from which it originated. Thus, Qabala is a Path of Return to the pristine state, but with an experiential legacy.
This legacy comes from "dying while living," a metaphor for the daily "death" to the outer world in mystical meditation. Ultimately Qabala is a solitary pursuit, but one best conducted with an experienced guide. Remember, no teacher can take you any further than they have been, and there are real psychological and spiritual dangers in the realm of the collective unconscious.
Not everyone is naturally equipped to discriminate subtle tricks of the mind (mental imbalance, hallucinations, delusions, ego inflations, flights of fancy) from authentic spiritual insight. True mystical experience, like scientifically conducted experiments, is repeatable and reproducable. It is approximately the same for all practitioners, everywhere, in all times.
The same is not true for what psychologists call "magical thinking," which is a pre-rational, rather than transrational state, characterized by a plethora of superstitions and often paranoid ideations. Much of so-called New Age thought is characterized by these romanticized superstitions and faulty conclusions based on sporadic results from unsystematic, idiosyncratic rites and practices.
We may be well-intentioned when we embark on self-directed studies, but this method can take you no further than the Self, where many magicians make the mistake of setting themselves up as an ersatz God and worshipping their own willfullness. Is not setting oneself up as one's own God the ultimate folly, and the mistake which turns the adept into a Black Magician, deifying his own personality?
We must abandon our narcissism to take up the quest for archetypal origin. It involves personal sacrifice and ordeals. Four factors show the difference between someone who has creative fantasies and someone who is only spinning neurotic nonsense: originality, consistency, intensity, and subtlety.
Though the roots of magic and schizophrenic fantasy spring fom the same source, they are not synonymous. Magic is a counterphobic attitude, the transition from passivity to activity. In fantasy, realistic action does not follow; it is a substitute for healthy, pro-active behavior. The ego is weak or totally absent, engaging in fruitless attempts at restitution.
True aspirants show continuity of devotion to God, not self-aggradizment. One learns how to navigate in the imaginal realm--an as if reality--without taking it literally. We learn to become absorbed in the Divine without mistaking our spiritual awakening for de facto personal deification. The attitude is one of "Not my will but Thine be done." It is the spirit of submission and selfless service to the Divine Will.
Reports of angels and demons are commonplace in Qabalistic literature. Once again, this speaks of a Mesopotamian origin or subsequent influence. The crossroads cultures of the Mediterranean and Middle East influenced one another's philosophies.
In late antiquity there was a mingling of Gnostic, Neoplatonic, the ancient Hebrew Merkabah tradition, and magical speculation with Babylonian notions of angelic, demonic, and divine powers. This influenced the development of mystical lore. This co-mingling (syncretism) had long been established by the time the central text of Qabalism, the Zohar was written in 13th century Spain.
In terms of Jungian psychology, the angels seem to correspond with inner guides or wisdom figures, while the demons are analogous to psychological complexes. Qabalistic speculation asserts that angelic guardians and demons can block one's progress to ascent. In many ways these "entities from other dimensions" represent different aspects of the human psyche--forms of our higher and lower selves.
Psychologically, we know that imbalance and neurosis are blocks to our growth, self-defeating behaviors. Angels can be seen as transpersonal resources, while demons manifest within us as autonomous subpersonalities with their own agenda, not necessarily in synch with our personalities goals.
Somewhere in between common angels and demons comes the notion of the daemon, genius, or Holy Guardian Angel--a personal inner guide which appears as synchronicities, inspiration, creativity, intuitive knowing, or directly as a personified figure for dialogical exchange. Angels are messengers which mediate between the divine and the human.
The angel instructs and inspires, draws forth and nurtures our talents. We connect with our personal essence and self-expression.It can be a guardian of the threshold of the mysteries, harsh taskmaster or the source of seemingly infinite creative expression. But, once summoned, it will not be ignored without peril. Attainment of "Knowledge and Conversation" with this singular Angel is the primary operation of elementary theurgic magick, and is central to further progress and transcendence.
The purpose of the Qabala (QBL) is to help us experience the Mysteries directly through personal encounter, both inwardly and outwardly. It is no mere study, but an applied philosophy. The transformative lessons of the Qabala come through life experiences and consciousness journeys. It is visceral and emotional, as well as mental. It is a perspective on life that is actively immersed in the mythic as well as personal worlds. The adept has a foot in, or walks between both worlds.
The doctrine of Qabala is based on the premise that God created mankind in his [their] own image. The Creation is attributed to the Elohim, male/female deities acting as agents of the supreme God. There is a hierarchy of hyperdimensional entities which inhabit the various subtle planes of the universe. Each of the classes of angels has a specific relationship and duties toward mankind. They are all in service to the self-revealing dynamic God of religious experience. An existing God means a manifest, revealed and related God.
The guiding axiom of the Creation is "As Above, So Below." This Hermetic axiom means that there is an archetypal identity between divinity and mankind, mankind and the Universe. This intimates that mankind can achieve a "cosmic consciousness," since "we are that." We can "receive" this knowledge or revealed Truth directly from the Source, through QBL which literally means "to receive."
There are six major principles of the Qabala:
* The cosmos is a Unity, with all aspects in interrelation. It is a wholistic worldview.
* The forces of creation represent an eternal interplay between an active force and a passive one; polarity (positive and negative charge, male/female, yin/yang, holding the tension of the opposites).
* The human individual is a microcosm of the universe; we come to know the universe through ourselves, and ourselves through cosmic principles.
* In daily life we are attuned to only one state of consciousness among many. This is the culturally programmed trance state known as ordinary consciousness, or consensus reality.
* We can access multiple states of consciousness, including universal or cosmic consciousness through systematic application of concentration and meditation, by the grace of God. Careful preparation is necessary.
* To achieve such transcendent states of consciousness various specific practices and techniques are utilized.
The main concern of the practicing Qabalist lies in the applications of its teachings to his own life. In other words, we are interested in psychological and spiritual growth with a greater understanding of Universal principles. In Qabala we find many mysteries and techniques for enlightenment. Like any system of theosophy, the Qabala's purpose is to account for humanity's relation to the Divine, and to create a personal, living relationship with that divinity.
The main tools (or methods) applied by the Qabalist include concentration, visualization, ritual, meditation, and contemplation of the Tree of Life. The circuit of this "Tree" is the most important symbol in the Qabala, and posits a series of "heavens" (or discrete yet synergetic states of consciousness) which can be accessed by the aspirant.
This Tree describes the descent of creative energy into manifestation, (in a primordial move God begins to turn outwards, to unfold, to exist), and the Path of Return to divine existence. The downward arc of phenomenal creation is answered by an ascending arc of evolving consciousness. The Tree of Life represents the soul of mankind and the essence of the Universe. It is the guiding model for the homeward-bound soul; a consciousness map for the inner journey back to the Limitless Light.
This glyph, which consists of 10 Spheres and 22 Paths, has long been associated with the Way of Initiation. Qabala is a mystery school whose secrets are only transmitted orally and experientially. Because these secrets require maturity, deep commitment and personal experience, and God's grace, they are always "safe" from the profane. The diletante or dabbler will never "get it." It requires "being there."
The Tree is a compendium of symbolism describing all ways of being and becoming; of forms, images, and ideas. It is a system of correspondences, associating diverse symbolism such as inner experiences, planetary attributions, the Tarot, gods and goddesses, plants, jewels, animals, elements, alchemical operations, etc.
Pathworking is a technical term from the Western mystery tradition. It is a method of using imaginal processes to get actual experience. It is a course of meditations which leads to the awakening of inner potentials or psychic effects, and produces outer effects in the form of synchronistic events, challenges, or growth. It is a means of conscious self-discovery and self-actualization, unfolding our innate essence, "true self".
In meditation the Qabalist concentrates on the Tree of Life and observes certain relationships. When we concentrate on one of the Tree's symbols, our mind contacts a cosmic force and completes a transformative circuit with Universal Mind. A new aspect of the collective unconscious is made available to our conscious minds. The transpersonal becomes personal and finite as it manifests within us. The practice of this meditation eventually leads the student up the paths toward spiritual fulfillment and union with the Limitless Light.
The application of qabalistic principles, practical Qabala, has always been called magic. It supercedes the more primal, shamanic type of magic with theurgy. Its aim is religious or spiritual, rather than personalistic ends, such as healing. It changes consciousness progressively, not regressively. It leads to objective self-knowledge. There is no loss of consciousness to lower trance states, but an enhancement.
Through syncretism (the cross-cultural melding of religious ideas), Qabala became more than a system of Jewish mysticism. It is the basis of the Western Occult Tradition and Hermetic Philosophy. Practical Qabalists use the teachings to transform their lives, using many of the techniques adopted by modern psychology. In fact, many of the ancient mystic arts were the traditional equivalents of contemporary science.
If you embark on a self-directed program of growth, how do you know how to program your transformations? How will you achieve a balanced or equilibrated growth pattern, making sure your rational and emotional selves mature at a harmonious rate? Who or what will be your guide? How will you avoid overemphasizing your strong points, and how can you identify your psychological blind spots, or guide yourself through your own fears?
Both Jungian psychology and the qabalistic teachings include a depth analysis of the personality, and its subsequent reintegration on a higher level of organization. It means the deconstruction of the rigid old ego, its liquification, and subsequent spiritual rebirth. This requires maturity, and both disciplines recommend waiting until after age 40 to begin in earnest. Before this age outer activities such as career and family often take rightful precedence. But many must begin sooner because they are called to the Path early. Both systems employ the study of symbolism and archetypes, creative visualizations, guided imagery, journal work, and meditation. Both seek the actualization of an integrated personality, known as self-realization.
However, Qabala transcends the realm of psychology and the mind; it seeks to use the trained psyche or soul as a vehicle for God-realization. Hence, its emphasis on purification and discipline of the mind and body in service to the soul. This is the task of mystical meditation, whose goal is beyond the realm of the mind. The transpersonal goal is valued more highly than the personal sacrifice which is a condition of success in this endeavor. Yet Qabala is a "householder's yoga" which need not take us away from worldly life and our duties.
We can integrate both ancient qabalistic and modern psychological teachings into our daily lives. Qabala adapts to the continuing changes of contemporary society since it not a dogmatic, historic curiosity whose mysteries are frozen in antiquity. Rather, it is a living science of the soul, an evolving system of spiritual development accessible to anyone with a desire for higher knowledge and depth experience.
The Qabala is a blueprint of a holistic lifestyle. It is a way to tie your various studies together, relating them to each other, and enabling you to understand each more completely. It is also a useful guide and objective measure of your personal growth.
Dion Fortune defines Qabala as "an attempt to reduce to diagrammatic form every force and factor in the manifested universe and the soul of man; to correlate them to one another and reveal them spread out as a map so the relative positions between them can be seen and the relations between them traced. . .a compendium of science, psychology, philosophy and theology." We might add that the Qabala encodes a maximum amount of information in a minimum number of graphic elements, i.e. spheres, paths, number/letters, and colors. It is a universal code.
Israel Regardie calls the Qabala, "a trustworthy guide leading to a comprehension of both the Universe and one's own Self." From Gareth Knight we hear, "A practical method for the interrelations of various systems of symbols." For example, if you know one symbol system, say astrology, you can readily translate it over into another, such as gods and goddesses, by means of the Tree of Life.
Qabala, as a system of attaining direct religious experience, has been called a step-ladder of spiritual growth, the Ladder of Lights. It may also be used as a study of comparative religions, with their goals mapped at the various stations. W.E. Butler termed it "a method of using the mind in a practical and constantly widening consideration of the Universal soul of man." The methods of QBL require that the mind be tamed and trained and its lower desires subjugated to the higher Will.
One of my favorite (slightly outdated) metaphors likens the Qabala to a filing cabinet which contains the Universe. It functions as a filing cabinet for mental concepts, giving a place for everything within the 32 files of the Tree. This data base can be used as a retrieval system, not only to contact the information you've stored there, but also that which is warehoused there from the collective unconscious. Through it, we connect with a vast spiritual heritage, that of previous practitioners of QBL. It brings us in touch with experiences similar to those who have gone before us on this Way.
Regardie states that, "the art of using our filing cabinet arrangement brings home to us the common nature (or essence) of certain things, the essential difference between others, and the inevitable connection of all things. Moreover, and this is extremely important, by the acquisition of an understanding of any one system of mystical philosophy or religion, one automatically acquires, when relating that comprehension to the Tree of Life, an understanding of every system. So that ultimately, by a species of association of impersonal and abstract idead, one gradually equilibrates the whole of one's own mental structure and obtains a simple view of the incalculably vast complexity of the universe."
From the Qabalist's perspective, equilibrium is the basis of the work. Qabala functions as an ancient general systems, theory, allowing us to relate that which is apparently separate. Serious students make a careful study of the attributes of the Tree and commit them to memory. They function automatically as mnemonic devices to stimulate synergetic perception of reality.
Jung alleged that there are gods within each illness or dis-ease we experience. Each archetype or godform has its own corresponding pathologies. When we realize that our identities are composed of various complexes (or subpersonalities) and realize that there are different mental and spiritual spaces, we are already engaged in some form of Qabala. The Tree of Life is a map to these consciousness states, and their balancing forces.
In depth psychology we find modern terms for these states of consciousness. In ancient texts we find the names for these spaces and techniques to contact or enter them. The map of inner consciousness unites the soul with the Universe. We move through this map, up the Ladder of Lights by means of the process of progressive identification with higher states, and disidentification with lower ones. We don't lose the lower levels, but bring them into a symphonic relationship with the higher ones. This is the spiritual approach to healing dis-ease.
The Tree of Life, as a graphic representation of the creation, leads to the communion of the mundane, conscious self with both the subconscious and superconscious Self. The subconscious includes the body with its virtual, subatomic (quantum), atomic, molecular, and genetic organization, autonomic functions, and the personal unconscious of forgotten or repressed desires and memories--the psychophysical. The superconcious is the spiritual self or the god-within.
As with all good road maps, the Tree of Life helps guide you to your destination, but the map is not the territory. In the case of this map, problem solving, obtaining goals, and spiritual experience are the ultimate destinations. Goal setting is a positive thing; without goals we flounder. This is the basis of becoming a "seeker," and then an initiate. Initiation is only the beginning of the process. The imparted teaching must be applied. The ego can initially do those things which lead to its own transcendence, but in the higher stages progress comes through God's Grace.
The Tree has various directional coordinates connecting the spheres, called "paths." The paths are transitional stages while the spheres themselves may be considered discrete states of consciousness or archetypal modes of Being, rather than Becoming. Each of the 22 paths has a series of exercises that strengthen, prepare, and test the body, emotions, mind, and spirit. A student of the Qabala does "pathworking" for spiritual growth.
There are two major divisions to the study of the Tree of Life. The first way to approach it is philosophical. The doctrine of the Qabala includes an elaborate conception of the birth of the universe, or a cosmology. It outlines detailed hierarchies of entities controlling the various inner realms which lie between the mundane sphere of the earth and the abode of God, as unmanifest Reality. This "blueprint of the Universe" may be studied, and contemplated or meditated upon. Recent investigations reveal that the pattern of the Tree is implicit in the formation of all atomic elements (see The Diamond Body). It is the geometrical basis of natural philosophy.
Once we are familiar with the basic concepts we have the option of approaching the Tree from a practical, experiential perspective. Here the information we learned through study is put into applied practice. This application has been called "magic" from the earliest times, from the same root as Magi, the Mesopotamian wise men, priests and atronomers. Astrology and magic were invented and developed in ancient Mesopotamia.
In contemporary mystical terms, it primarily indicates the building up of multi-sensory mental images or impressions. Sometimes we must resort to sensory stimulation to engrain or reinforce these symbolic images. This is one value of ceremony or ritual: to set up a system for evoking psychosensory subliminal responses which can transform the personality.
The most basic use of the Qabala in our daily living is as a touchstone for solving our personal problems and gaining a transpersonal perspective which transcends our mundane life. Do your actions and choices create more karma? Do they take you closer or further away from your spiritual objectives? The effect of discrimination and better choices is therapeutic for the personality and healing for the soul. It promotes healthy self-esteem and personal integrity. It increases compassion, wisdom, and understanding.
When the fragmentation in our personality begins to heal, we experience rebirth as a more integrated personality. Once we have addressed our major psychological conflicts, the mind becomes calm enough to begin meditation. Those who have mastered this technique are enlightened sages, called masters. They describe the mind as a veil covering and encumbering the soul.
This mind is seen as tied in a knot with the soul. Therefore, whatever the mind does, the soul is dragged along. If the mind is taken outside, willy-nilly by the senses, soul is scattered in phenomena, maya, or illusion. If the attention goes within--to the Eye Center in meditation--soul can collect and ascend to higher regions. The mind is necessary for the soul to express itself on material planes just as a diving suit is necessary for any prolonged stay underwater.
The goal of many meditation schools is Universal Mind, or Brahm. But these schools may not speak of soul, per se, although they do address its phenomena. The Tree of Life shows the dominion of mind terminating at The Abyss. The upper one-third of the Tree--the Supernal Triad--supercedes Universal Mind. It exists in an altogeher different dimension, an archetypal dimension beyond even subtle manifestation. Masters speak of entering this realm in their meditations, once the soul is freed from the mind. But your model or worldview must include the possibility of Reality beyond Universal Mind, or you won't even seek it.
Qabala describes four discrete aspects of the soul:
1) GUPH, the material or physical body;
2) NEPHESH, the desire body, instinctual nature, psychosexual self;
3) RUACH, the mental body of personality including memory, will, imagination, and reason;
4) NESCHAMAH, the soul unfettered by its mingling with the mind. A pure spark of divinity which has the capacity to merge back into Godhead.
Neschamah manifests in the life of the self-realized individual. In fact, the realization is that one is indeed this being of pure light, "I AM THAT."
I do not here determine anything with final assurance;
I conjecture, try, compare, attempt, ask... Statement of Purpose: The orientation of the Synergetic Qabala sites is to provide serious qabalists with modern conjectures in Theoretical Qabala with the aim of contemporizing our models and practices. The emphasis here is on mysticism and meditation, rather than ritual and magick. These essays, artwork, and visualizations are not meant as a new dogma, practice, or school of thought. They are simply the result of my own thirty-plus years of qabalistic work. I hope they provide a springboard for your own thought. They are meant to stimulate and provoke your own speculations, insights, and experiments. Qabala is not a static doctrine, but a living Way. Qabala is an experiential path, an experiment which lasts throughout one's life. Qabala is ultimately about access to and experience of discrete states of consciousness, ways of being and becoming. To glean its wisdom, we must "sample the dish," not simply read the recipes. It is a subject which cannot be exhausted. We must make it our own, even while honoring its tradition. In this way, we have the best of both worlds. Qabalistic traditions and models are validated by modern research everyday. It has a vast capacity to incorporate the entire repertoire of human knowledge and understanding, coordinating through its primary glyph, the Tree of Life.
We can update our models and create revolutions in our own beliefs and thinking, much the same as happens in science. Therefore, we will be drawing on resources from post quantum physics, Jungian and Transpersonal Psychology, and traditional and modern philosophical speculation, such as Buckminster Fuller's Synergetics. I hope you find valuable concepts here for bootstrapping into your own worldview and facilitating your journey toward Union.
"Ever since the Lord ordained the Creation,
I have been pledged to return to my original home.
People know, from my quest for unity in God,
that I am as anxious as I am eager to merge with him.
I shall bear the blows of destiny as I pursue him,
while I am ferried across to him on the boat of his love.
No one ever found the Lord while living,
O Bahu, except those who found him by dying while living." Sultan Bahu,
17th Century Sufi saint, Punjab, India
THE SYNERGETIC QABALA The premise of Synergetic Qabala is based on the fact that manifesting form is essentially energetic. Form is not other than force, and force is often indistinguishable from form. Forces interacting in dynamic stabilization are essentially, therefore, synergetic. The right and left Pillars of the Tree of Life are in a state of dynamic tension, as well as other polarities which it embodies. While Synergetic Qabala is essentially a geometrical philosophy, it is not a sterile number mysticism, but a theosophical approach to the unfathomable mysteries of Qabala and its essentially mystical orientation. The Tree of Life is a model of the universe that describes energy's behavior and also has the ability to shape our thinking. Synergetics describes the actual underlying geometry of subatomic structure. Here we employ nature's own coordinate system, the geometry nature uses for self-organization --the tetrahedron. There is a relationship between geometry and number which is intrinsic to the spheres and geometry of the Tree of Life. It defines the philosophical universe of Qabala. Explorations in this geometry are covered elsewhere in "The Synergetic Qabala."
The ancient system of the Qabala may best be described as a mystical theosophy, an effective guide for understanding ourselves and our relationship to the universe. It provides a cohesive worldview which is consistent with the findings of modern physics, psychology, and philosophical thought. It provides not only a philosophy, but a Way of life. It is a mystical discipline which requires an active spiritual practice for realization.
As in the case of physics, there are two main branches of Qabala. The first is speculative or Theoretical Qabala and the second is Practical Qabala which concerns the application of its principles through theurgic magic and/or mystical meditation. It is a complex system of symbols and principles for developing the inner potential of human nature, leading to the stage of conscious service to the divine powers at the source of all creation. Though often spelled many ways, we employ the simplest transliteration of QBL, as Qabala (ka-ba-la).
Though associated with the Hebrew, and later Hermetic philosophers, the roots of Qabala possibly originated in Egypt. The Western occult tradition attributes it to Hermes Trismegistus, or Thoth (Egyptian inventor of writing, astronomy, and mathematics). These teachings belong to ancient Egyptian mystery traditions that predate Plato and the Bible, with treatises on ancient cosmology and sacred psychology.
The Hermetic tradition enjoyed a revival when Marsilio Ficinio translated a bundle of ancient Egyptian manuscripts with the collective name of the Hermetica (1463). The Hermetica has been called the fountainhead of Western spirituality, the motherlode of all later esoteric and metaphysical systems. Here we find the suggestion that mankind is a hybrid of human and divine elements. Human nature is potential divinity, or "Godseed." Hermetics opened the way to independent spiritual seeking--spontaneous God contact--in the West. It suggests the possibility of transhumanization, and the divine mission of cocreation.
Egyptian religion is the prototype and source of mankind's interest in seeking immortality. It is the source of mystical teachings on reincarnation, magic, healing, the mysteries and the rudiments of sciences such as astronomy and chemistry. The other primary source of mythic material comes from Sumeria with its stories of God-men, the Great Flood, the creation of Adam, and the nature of deep time (Enuma Elish) and the Cosmos. They developed a rich culture, including the first recorded kingship, libraries, and systems of measurement, and sacred geometry. The Zodiac developed from Mesopotamian astronomy.
Early Jewish initiates believed Qabala's mysteries were first taught by God to a school of angels. According to legend, the angels in turn transmitted it to Adam after the Fall in an attempt to help humanity regain its balance. These mythic images suggest a Mesopotamian origin for these doctrines which is lost in the mists of prehistory. Remember, the Hebrew patriarch Abraham began his spiritual journey away from paganism toward monotheism in the Mesopotamian city of Ur, (in the heart of the ancient Sumeria, where recorded history, culture, and modern technology began).
We can use the Qabala today as a guide for our personal growth, both psychological and spiritual. Qabala helps us get in conscious contact with latent or hidden aspects of our deep mind, collective inheritance, and Source. The imagery and phenomenology of Qabala is well documented. The universe is an emanation or flowing forth of Godhead, the primal Source It is an expression of the dynamic fullness of divine Life.
This plenum or matrix is the source of divine aparks who plunge into the long process of involution or descent through the planes into manifestion. They eventually undergo an evolution in which new and infintely differentiated aspects of the original, unmanifest potentiality of the Godhead comes to expression. Ascent up the central column of the Tree of Life is the mystic's path to spiritual awakening and absorption. The Source can be experienced directly and discovered within us. This universal paradigm correlates with all mystical traditions. It is the very ground of our self-awareness.
The qabalistic Universe is a spatially conceived cosmos divided into higher and lower worlds or heavenly spheres of influence. Qabala is about the relationship of the One to the Many, and the Many to the One; all are conceived as active aspects of Living Deity and their dynamic interrelations. It describes a vast panoply of involution and evolution. It is an immense network of embedded symbolism and arcane lore, which begins with a cosmology, (a scenario about how the universe and humanity came into being; the patterns of nature in relation to the moral and psychological aspects of human behavior).
The qabalistic Genesis begins with the emanation of Ain Soph, "supreme wisdom," the Godhead as pure light-filled creative intelligence, source of all manifestation. The Limitless Light flows out into the 10 Spheres of the Tree of Life down through the Four Worlds of Creation: Archetypal (divine), Causal (mental), Astral (emotional), and Physical. Emanation means that God sent forth a portion of his own essence into the manifestation, rather than creating a separate reality. This cosmic pattern or design reflects the divine order, the pervasive design of the world.
The succession of numbers 1 through 10 symbolizes and is, in fact, identical with the emanation of the manifest Universe. The 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet contain and create the secret structure of all things. The cosmic process is an unfolding of the mystical name of God. Each letter corresponds with a path on the Tree of Life, and functions as a mystical "gateway" to its experience.
Though originally an oral tradition, written philosophical doctrines can be traced to the 3rd through 13th centuries. The foundational text of written Qabala, the Sephir Yetzirah, 'The Book of Formation' is based on alphanumeric mysticism. It describes how God created the manifest universe by means of letter/numbers which are the foundation of all things. The letters are part of 'one body,' the alphabet which is an extention of God's own being.
All created things, made by means of the letters, are also parts of the one body which is God. Contemplation of and meditation on these Hebrew letter/numbers is fundamental to accessing discrete mystical states. Mystical understanding of this divine Unity is the first concern of qabalism. This is part of the origin of the power of the Word or Logos in the crossroads cultures of the Middle East. In ancient Egypt the specific organ of creation was Ptah's mouth, "which named all things."
Like the descending emanations from the divine source, the soul leaves its home in Godhead and descends into physical form, where its redemption comes through seeking that from which it originated. Thus, Qabala is a Path of Return to the pristine state, but with an experiential legacy.
This legacy comes from "dying while living," a metaphor for the daily "death" to the outer world in mystical meditation. Ultimately Qabala is a solitary pursuit, but one best conducted with an experienced guide. Remember, no teacher can take you any further than they have been, and there are real psychological and spiritual dangers in the realm of the collective unconscious.
Not everyone is naturally equipped to discriminate subtle tricks of the mind (mental imbalance, hallucinations, delusions, ego inflations, flights of fancy) from authentic spiritual insight. True mystical experience, like scientifically conducted experiments, is repeatable and reproducable. It is approximately the same for all practitioners, everywhere, in all times.
The same is not true for what psychologists call "magical thinking," which is a pre-rational, rather than transrational state, characterized by a plethora of superstitions and often paranoid ideations. Much of so-called New Age thought is characterized by these romanticized superstitions and faulty conclusions based on sporadic results from unsystematic, idiosyncratic rites and practices.
We may be well-intentioned when we embark on self-directed studies, but this method can take you no further than the Self, where many magicians make the mistake of setting themselves up as an ersatz God and worshipping their own willfullness. Is not setting oneself up as one's own God the ultimate folly, and the mistake which turns the adept into a Black Magician, deifying his own personality?
We must abandon our narcissism to take up the quest for archetypal origin. It involves personal sacrifice and ordeals. Four factors show the difference between someone who has creative fantasies and someone who is only spinning neurotic nonsense: originality, consistency, intensity, and subtlety.
Though the roots of magic and schizophrenic fantasy spring fom the same source, they are not synonymous. Magic is a counterphobic attitude, the transition from passivity to activity. In fantasy, realistic action does not follow; it is a substitute for healthy, pro-active behavior. The ego is weak or totally absent, engaging in fruitless attempts at restitution.
True aspirants show continuity of devotion to God, not self-aggradizment. One learns how to navigate in the imaginal realm--an as if reality--without taking it literally. We learn to become absorbed in the Divine without mistaking our spiritual awakening for de facto personal deification. The attitude is one of "Not my will but Thine be done." It is the spirit of submission and selfless service to the Divine Will.
Reports of angels and demons are commonplace in Qabalistic literature. Once again, this speaks of a Mesopotamian origin or subsequent influence. The crossroads cultures of the Mediterranean and Middle East influenced one another's philosophies.
In late antiquity there was a mingling of Gnostic, Neoplatonic, the ancient Hebrew Merkabah tradition, and magical speculation with Babylonian notions of angelic, demonic, and divine powers. This influenced the development of mystical lore. This co-mingling (syncretism) had long been established by the time the central text of Qabalism, the Zohar was written in 13th century Spain.
In terms of Jungian psychology, the angels seem to correspond with inner guides or wisdom figures, while the demons are analogous to psychological complexes. Qabalistic speculation asserts that angelic guardians and demons can block one's progress to ascent. In many ways these "entities from other dimensions" represent different aspects of the human psyche--forms of our higher and lower selves.
Psychologically, we know that imbalance and neurosis are blocks to our growth, self-defeating behaviors. Angels can be seen as transpersonal resources, while demons manifest within us as autonomous subpersonalities with their own agenda, not necessarily in synch with our personalities goals.
Somewhere in between common angels and demons comes the notion of the daemon, genius, or Holy Guardian Angel--a personal inner guide which appears as synchronicities, inspiration, creativity, intuitive knowing, or directly as a personified figure for dialogical exchange. Angels are messengers which mediate between the divine and the human.
The angel instructs and inspires, draws forth and nurtures our talents. We connect with our personal essence and self-expression.It can be a guardian of the threshold of the mysteries, harsh taskmaster or the source of seemingly infinite creative expression. But, once summoned, it will not be ignored without peril. Attainment of "Knowledge and Conversation" with this singular Angel is the primary operation of elementary theurgic magick, and is central to further progress and transcendence.
The purpose of the Qabala (QBL) is to help us experience the Mysteries directly through personal encounter, both inwardly and outwardly. It is no mere study, but an applied philosophy. The transformative lessons of the Qabala come through life experiences and consciousness journeys. It is visceral and emotional, as well as mental. It is a perspective on life that is actively immersed in the mythic as well as personal worlds. The adept has a foot in, or walks between both worlds.
The doctrine of Qabala is based on the premise that God created mankind in his [their] own image. The Creation is attributed to the Elohim, male/female deities acting as agents of the supreme God. There is a hierarchy of hyperdimensional entities which inhabit the various subtle planes of the universe. Each of the classes of angels has a specific relationship and duties toward mankind. They are all in service to the self-revealing dynamic God of religious experience. An existing God means a manifest, revealed and related God.
The guiding axiom of the Creation is "As Above, So Below." This Hermetic axiom means that there is an archetypal identity between divinity and mankind, mankind and the Universe. This intimates that mankind can achieve a "cosmic consciousness," since "we are that." We can "receive" this knowledge or revealed Truth directly from the Source, through QBL which literally means "to receive."
There are six major principles of the Qabala:
* The cosmos is a Unity, with all aspects in interrelation. It is a wholistic worldview.
* The forces of creation represent an eternal interplay between an active force and a passive one; polarity (positive and negative charge, male/female, yin/yang, holding the tension of the opposites).
* The human individual is a microcosm of the universe; we come to know the universe through ourselves, and ourselves through cosmic principles.
* In daily life we are attuned to only one state of consciousness among many. This is the culturally programmed trance state known as ordinary consciousness, or consensus reality.
* We can access multiple states of consciousness, including universal or cosmic consciousness through systematic application of concentration and meditation, by the grace of God. Careful preparation is necessary.
* To achieve such transcendent states of consciousness various specific practices and techniques are utilized.
The main concern of the practicing Qabalist lies in the applications of its teachings to his own life. In other words, we are interested in psychological and spiritual growth with a greater understanding of Universal principles. In Qabala we find many mysteries and techniques for enlightenment. Like any system of theosophy, the Qabala's purpose is to account for humanity's relation to the Divine, and to create a personal, living relationship with that divinity.
The main tools (or methods) applied by the Qabalist include concentration, visualization, ritual, meditation, and contemplation of the Tree of Life. The circuit of this "Tree" is the most important symbol in the Qabala, and posits a series of "heavens" (or discrete yet synergetic states of consciousness) which can be accessed by the aspirant.
This Tree describes the descent of creative energy into manifestation, (in a primordial move God begins to turn outwards, to unfold, to exist), and the Path of Return to divine existence. The downward arc of phenomenal creation is answered by an ascending arc of evolving consciousness. The Tree of Life represents the soul of mankind and the essence of the Universe. It is the guiding model for the homeward-bound soul; a consciousness map for the inner journey back to the Limitless Light.
This glyph, which consists of 10 Spheres and 22 Paths, has long been associated with the Way of Initiation. Qabala is a mystery school whose secrets are only transmitted orally and experientially. Because these secrets require maturity, deep commitment and personal experience, and God's grace, they are always "safe" from the profane. The diletante or dabbler will never "get it." It requires "being there."
The Tree is a compendium of symbolism describing all ways of being and becoming; of forms, images, and ideas. It is a system of correspondences, associating diverse symbolism such as inner experiences, planetary attributions, the Tarot, gods and goddesses, plants, jewels, animals, elements, alchemical operations, etc.
Pathworking is a technical term from the Western mystery tradition. It is a method of using imaginal processes to get actual experience. It is a course of meditations which leads to the awakening of inner potentials or psychic effects, and produces outer effects in the form of synchronistic events, challenges, or growth. It is a means of conscious self-discovery and self-actualization, unfolding our innate essence, "true self".
In meditation the Qabalist concentrates on the Tree of Life and observes certain relationships. When we concentrate on one of the Tree's symbols, our mind contacts a cosmic force and completes a transformative circuit with Universal Mind. A new aspect of the collective unconscious is made available to our conscious minds. The transpersonal becomes personal and finite as it manifests within us. The practice of this meditation eventually leads the student up the paths toward spiritual fulfillment and union with the Limitless Light.
The application of qabalistic principles, practical Qabala, has always been called magic. It supercedes the more primal, shamanic type of magic with theurgy. Its aim is religious or spiritual, rather than personalistic ends, such as healing. It changes consciousness progressively, not regressively. It leads to objective self-knowledge. There is no loss of consciousness to lower trance states, but an enhancement.
Through syncretism (the cross-cultural melding of religious ideas), Qabala became more than a system of Jewish mysticism. It is the basis of the Western Occult Tradition and Hermetic Philosophy. Practical Qabalists use the teachings to transform their lives, using many of the techniques adopted by modern psychology. In fact, many of the ancient mystic arts were the traditional equivalents of contemporary science.
If you embark on a self-directed program of growth, how do you know how to program your transformations? How will you achieve a balanced or equilibrated growth pattern, making sure your rational and emotional selves mature at a harmonious rate? Who or what will be your guide? How will you avoid overemphasizing your strong points, and how can you identify your psychological blind spots, or guide yourself through your own fears?
Both Jungian psychology and the qabalistic teachings include a depth analysis of the personality, and its subsequent reintegration on a higher level of organization. It means the deconstruction of the rigid old ego, its liquification, and subsequent spiritual rebirth. This requires maturity, and both disciplines recommend waiting until after age 40 to begin in earnest. Before this age outer activities such as career and family often take rightful precedence. But many must begin sooner because they are called to the Path early. Both systems employ the study of symbolism and archetypes, creative visualizations, guided imagery, journal work, and meditation. Both seek the actualization of an integrated personality, known as self-realization.
However, Qabala transcends the realm of psychology and the mind; it seeks to use the trained psyche or soul as a vehicle for God-realization. Hence, its emphasis on purification and discipline of the mind and body in service to the soul. This is the task of mystical meditation, whose goal is beyond the realm of the mind. The transpersonal goal is valued more highly than the personal sacrifice which is a condition of success in this endeavor. Yet Qabala is a "householder's yoga" which need not take us away from worldly life and our duties.
We can integrate both ancient qabalistic and modern psychological teachings into our daily lives. Qabala adapts to the continuing changes of contemporary society since it not a dogmatic, historic curiosity whose mysteries are frozen in antiquity. Rather, it is a living science of the soul, an evolving system of spiritual development accessible to anyone with a desire for higher knowledge and depth experience.
The Qabala is a blueprint of a holistic lifestyle. It is a way to tie your various studies together, relating them to each other, and enabling you to understand each more completely. It is also a useful guide and objective measure of your personal growth.
Dion Fortune defines Qabala as "an attempt to reduce to diagrammatic form every force and factor in the manifested universe and the soul of man; to correlate them to one another and reveal them spread out as a map so the relative positions between them can be seen and the relations between them traced. . .a compendium of science, psychology, philosophy and theology." We might add that the Qabala encodes a maximum amount of information in a minimum number of graphic elements, i.e. spheres, paths, number/letters, and colors. It is a universal code.
Israel Regardie calls the Qabala, "a trustworthy guide leading to a comprehension of both the Universe and one's own Self." From Gareth Knight we hear, "A practical method for the interrelations of various systems of symbols." For example, if you know one symbol system, say astrology, you can readily translate it over into another, such as gods and goddesses, by means of the Tree of Life.
Qabala, as a system of attaining direct religious experience, has been called a step-ladder of spiritual growth, the Ladder of Lights. It may also be used as a study of comparative religions, with their goals mapped at the various stations. W.E. Butler termed it "a method of using the mind in a practical and constantly widening consideration of the Universal soul of man." The methods of QBL require that the mind be tamed and trained and its lower desires subjugated to the higher Will.
One of my favorite (slightly outdated) metaphors likens the Qabala to a filing cabinet which contains the Universe. It functions as a filing cabinet for mental concepts, giving a place for everything within the 32 files of the Tree. This data base can be used as a retrieval system, not only to contact the information you've stored there, but also that which is warehoused there from the collective unconscious. Through it, we connect with a vast spiritual heritage, that of previous practitioners of QBL. It brings us in touch with experiences similar to those who have gone before us on this Way.
Regardie states that, "the art of using our filing cabinet arrangement brings home to us the common nature (or essence) of certain things, the essential difference between others, and the inevitable connection of all things. Moreover, and this is extremely important, by the acquisition of an understanding of any one system of mystical philosophy or religion, one automatically acquires, when relating that comprehension to the Tree of Life, an understanding of every system. So that ultimately, by a species of association of impersonal and abstract idead, one gradually equilibrates the whole of one's own mental structure and obtains a simple view of the incalculably vast complexity of the universe."
From the Qabalist's perspective, equilibrium is the basis of the work. Qabala functions as an ancient general systems, theory, allowing us to relate that which is apparently separate. Serious students make a careful study of the attributes of the Tree and commit them to memory. They function automatically as mnemonic devices to stimulate synergetic perception of reality.
Jung alleged that there are gods within each illness or dis-ease we experience. Each archetype or godform has its own corresponding pathologies. When we realize that our identities are composed of various complexes (or subpersonalities) and realize that there are different mental and spiritual spaces, we are already engaged in some form of Qabala. The Tree of Life is a map to these consciousness states, and their balancing forces.
In depth psychology we find modern terms for these states of consciousness. In ancient texts we find the names for these spaces and techniques to contact or enter them. The map of inner consciousness unites the soul with the Universe. We move through this map, up the Ladder of Lights by means of the process of progressive identification with higher states, and disidentification with lower ones. We don't lose the lower levels, but bring them into a symphonic relationship with the higher ones. This is the spiritual approach to healing dis-ease.
The Tree of Life, as a graphic representation of the creation, leads to the communion of the mundane, conscious self with both the subconscious and superconscious Self. The subconscious includes the body with its virtual, subatomic (quantum), atomic, molecular, and genetic organization, autonomic functions, and the personal unconscious of forgotten or repressed desires and memories--the psychophysical. The superconcious is the spiritual self or the god-within.
As with all good road maps, the Tree of Life helps guide you to your destination, but the map is not the territory. In the case of this map, problem solving, obtaining goals, and spiritual experience are the ultimate destinations. Goal setting is a positive thing; without goals we flounder. This is the basis of becoming a "seeker," and then an initiate. Initiation is only the beginning of the process. The imparted teaching must be applied. The ego can initially do those things which lead to its own transcendence, but in the higher stages progress comes through God's Grace.
The Tree has various directional coordinates connecting the spheres, called "paths." The paths are transitional stages while the spheres themselves may be considered discrete states of consciousness or archetypal modes of Being, rather than Becoming. Each of the 22 paths has a series of exercises that strengthen, prepare, and test the body, emotions, mind, and spirit. A student of the Qabala does "pathworking" for spiritual growth.
There are two major divisions to the study of the Tree of Life. The first way to approach it is philosophical. The doctrine of the Qabala includes an elaborate conception of the birth of the universe, or a cosmology. It outlines detailed hierarchies of entities controlling the various inner realms which lie between the mundane sphere of the earth and the abode of God, as unmanifest Reality. This "blueprint of the Universe" may be studied, and contemplated or meditated upon. Recent investigations reveal that the pattern of the Tree is implicit in the formation of all atomic elements (see The Diamond Body). It is the geometrical basis of natural philosophy.
Once we are familiar with the basic concepts we have the option of approaching the Tree from a practical, experiential perspective. Here the information we learned through study is put into applied practice. This application has been called "magic" from the earliest times, from the same root as Magi, the Mesopotamian wise men, priests and atronomers. Astrology and magic were invented and developed in ancient Mesopotamia.
In contemporary mystical terms, it primarily indicates the building up of multi-sensory mental images or impressions. Sometimes we must resort to sensory stimulation to engrain or reinforce these symbolic images. This is one value of ceremony or ritual: to set up a system for evoking psychosensory subliminal responses which can transform the personality.
The most basic use of the Qabala in our daily living is as a touchstone for solving our personal problems and gaining a transpersonal perspective which transcends our mundane life. Do your actions and choices create more karma? Do they take you closer or further away from your spiritual objectives? The effect of discrimination and better choices is therapeutic for the personality and healing for the soul. It promotes healthy self-esteem and personal integrity. It increases compassion, wisdom, and understanding.
When the fragmentation in our personality begins to heal, we experience rebirth as a more integrated personality. Once we have addressed our major psychological conflicts, the mind becomes calm enough to begin meditation. Those who have mastered this technique are enlightened sages, called masters. They describe the mind as a veil covering and encumbering the soul.
This mind is seen as tied in a knot with the soul. Therefore, whatever the mind does, the soul is dragged along. If the mind is taken outside, willy-nilly by the senses, soul is scattered in phenomena, maya, or illusion. If the attention goes within--to the Eye Center in meditation--soul can collect and ascend to higher regions. The mind is necessary for the soul to express itself on material planes just as a diving suit is necessary for any prolonged stay underwater.
The goal of many meditation schools is Universal Mind, or Brahm. But these schools may not speak of soul, per se, although they do address its phenomena. The Tree of Life shows the dominion of mind terminating at The Abyss. The upper one-third of the Tree--the Supernal Triad--supercedes Universal Mind. It exists in an altogeher different dimension, an archetypal dimension beyond even subtle manifestation. Masters speak of entering this realm in their meditations, once the soul is freed from the mind. But your model or worldview must include the possibility of Reality beyond Universal Mind, or you won't even seek it.
Qabala describes four discrete aspects of the soul:
1) GUPH, the material or physical body;
2) NEPHESH, the desire body, instinctual nature, psychosexual self;
3) RUACH, the mental body of personality including memory, will, imagination, and reason;
4) NESCHAMAH, the soul unfettered by its mingling with the mind. A pure spark of divinity which has the capacity to merge back into Godhead.
Neschamah manifests in the life of the self-realized individual. In fact, the realization is that one is indeed this being of pure light, "I AM THAT."
The Tree of Life & Depth Psychology
We can use the Tree as a technology for connecting with Higher Power, however, we comprehend that notion or force. Using the modern language of psychology (language of the soul) as a level of communication, we can elucidate each sphere in terms of Jungian archetypes, and the various myths associated with that sphere. Briefly, we can make the following associations:
#10 MALKUTH: The Seeker. Can be associated with the initation of the process of individuation or coming-to-wholeness. It is not the process itself, but the starting point. This sphere is also associated with the central nervous system and brain as the physical plane seat of consciousness. It is an aspect of personal consciousness as well as the personal unconscious. Jung speaks of psychosomatic disorders, ideomotor responses, and the archetype of the Persona or social mask; the archetype of the Shadow is our potential both for evil and unlived good; the archetype of the Double is our immortal counterpart. Mythic correspondences of the earthy sphere include Demeter/Persephone, earth mother and maiden bride; Gaia, primal matter; Pan, the nature god; and Hestia, goddess of the hearth, the center. Simple counseling and supportive therapy are appropriate at this phase. It means the end of denial and acknowledgement of the problem.
#9 YESOD: The Dreamer. Corresponds with the moon and 'lunar' consciousness. Also known as the Astral Plane, the realm of waking and sleeping dreams, hypnosis, and twilight imagery. The level of metaphorical perception as contrasted with literal interpretation or "acting out" of Malkuth. Psychosexual, linked to the ego, or emotional concept of self-identity as personal and unique. Lunar archetypes include the Great Mother, White Goddess, and Virgin Goddesses. Jungian archetype is the Syzygy, or anima/animus (contrasexual aspects of self) as it relates to our love interests.
Goddesses include Isis, Artemis, Athena, and Psyche; they relate either directly to the moon or the woman's mysteries of cyclic death and rebirth, or transformation of consciousness in the crucible of the emotions. This is the level of the subconscious mind and instinctual nature; passions (gland central station). Dreamwork is appropriate therapy for this sphere; psychologies which address this level include psychoanalysis, psychodrama, transactional analysis, reality therapy, ego psychology, and dreamhealing.
#8 HOD: The Thinker. Cultivation of this sphere brings about a rational approach to the world. Mental concepts. We learn to approach our problems in a rational manner, and so make effective decisions based on a true understanding of the issues involved, critical thinking. Corresponds with Jung's synchronicity concept of acausal yet meaningful coincidence. Analogous to Mercury, plane of intellect.
Archetypes include Hermes, the alchemical Mercurius, the Trickster, and 'spirit,' as well as certain aspects of Eros as son/lover. Also the Puer Aeternus ("eternal youth"); those who remain too long in adolescent psychology; adult child syndrome; associated with strong unconscious attachment to the Mother (actual or symbolic), much like Eros held for his mother, Aphrodite.
Positive traits are spontaneity and openness to change. Hermes is a god of prudence, cunning, shrewdness and sagacity; invented alphabet, mathematics, astronomy, weights and measure. A study of the psychological types of personality is effective for a rational approach to the diversity of the human race. Hermeneutics and analytical psychologies correspond.
#7 NETZACH: The Lover. A higher aspect of the emotions which includes aesthetics and the establishment of a personal set of values and ideals based on your own personal experience and inner meaning. Must be balanced with the previous sphere for perfect equilibrium and further access. The realm of divination and oracles; the reflective mirror of the creative imagination. Associated with the planet and goddess Aphrodite.
The archetype of the puella or "eternal girl" is a negative or faulty relationship to the father-world. Cinderella complex. A depth understanding of the feeling function as described in Jungian psychology is useful here to move from an overly dependent (codependent) attitude. Love and victory are its qualities. Mythemes relating to this level include those of Aphrodite, Circe; Orpheus; Tristan and Iseult; Guinevere and Lancelot; Heloise and Abelard.
Therapies for the HOD/NETZACH level connect us with our feelings as well as thoughts and process, release, or transform. This is the level of inner child world which comes prior to spiritual rebirth; known as "original pain" work. Polarity Therapy, Bioenergetics, Rogerian Therapy, Gestalt Therapy, Existential Analysis, Logotherapy and Humanistic Psychology.
#6 TIPHARETH: The Initiate. The central sphere of the Tree allows a harmonizing of the reasoning faculty with the feelings. It permits a rational evaluation of the worth of relationships and situations, not the emotions which are due to the activation of a complex. The abstract level of the higher mind can be developed through symbolism based on the power of the imaginative function.
This is the sphere of the superconscious, and it forms the link between the spiritual nature of man and his lower self. It is the principle of integration. It is the goal of the Invocation of the Holy Guardian Angel in Magick; the Jungian Self. Known as Beauty, this is the sphere of self-realization. It comes spontaneously and uncontrollably in its emergent stages, then stabilizes over time, punctuated by peak experiences (as defined by Maslow).
This is the level of Transpersonal Psychology. There is a shift from therapy toward spiritual discipline--notably meditation. The beginning phases are marked by alpha bliss and inspiration. Its spiritual experience is the sense of rebirth. Its psychological models include "self-actualization" and the concept of high well-being. Among its archetypal expressions we find hero/heroine; the divine or magickal child; the dynamics of the puer/senex (or puells/wise old woman) whose positive manifestations appear in the well-balanced personality; and the mana personality or wounded healer.
Important solar myths include those of Ra, Osiris, Apollo, Mithras, Christ, Attis and Dionysus. Other myths associated here are the divine marriage of Eros (Hod) and Psyche (younger Aphrodite, Netzach), and the story of Ulysses (Odysseus) with its quest to return to his original home (the theme of wounding, scaring, and healing).
This sphere forms the heart of the Collective Unconscious or transpersonal bands of the psyche. The therapies which address this depth level include Jung's Analytical Psychology, Personal Mythology, Psychosynthesis, and the works of Abraham Maslow and Progoff's Process Meditation. To integrate this level is to transcend the realm of traditional psychology and enter that of esoteric religion or mysticism.
In Tiphareth, you contact the archetype of the Self, or Holy Guardian Angel through an I-Thou relationship--a personalized dialogical relationship. It is an inner guiding principle. We are still within the realm of the divine Imagination, not the Clear Light. It is experienced as a transpersonal power which transcends the ego, expanding your sense of "self" beyond that of mere ego personality. This is the level of knowing the nature of your own awareness. The transcendent function is a reconciling "third" which emerges from the unconscious after the conflicting opposites have been consciously differentiated and the tension between them held.
The Self is our inherent guiding principle, if we but listen to it. It is the central archetype of the psyche. The Self is the integrative and transformative center within the psyche from which dreams, visions, and other inspirations originate. It is characterized by the union of opposites such as light and dark, male and female, good and bad. Symbols of the Self express the psychological process of coming to wholeness, and it is the essence of most spiritual experience. The Self represents the fullest extension and potential of an individual, and provides transcendent experiences which come from beyond one's own personal powers by divine grace.
Symbols of the Self include the God-man, or "son of God," the Royal Marriage or divine union; the Philosopher's Stone of alchemy, the Divine Child, the snake eating its tail, the butterfly, the ring, and the tapestry. The self also manifests as synchronicity, or meaningful coincidence, sexual and spiritual ecstasy and absolute clarity. Other symbols include the mandala or magic circle, the temple, treasure, book, gift, bridge, star, seeds, eggs, rainbow, lit candle, and weddings.
The glyph of the Tree of Life gives a firm basis for a study of the nature of man. It is a very ancient mystical symbol which represents the ten Archetypal Ideas or Energies that are the manifestation of the Unknowable Mysteries. By developing in ourselves the psychological counterparts of these energies, we can become re-integrated with our Real Self, and know our true destiny.
Each sphere has ascribed to it a different aspect of the Self which is most closely related to the functioning of the energy in that sphere. They are closely linked and this means that a development of one characteristic will produce an effect in the other. The overall emphasis is that of balance. By identifying the different aspects of our psychological nature in this way, it is also possible to see how existing forms of psychotherapy and other growth experiences can be aligned to various paths on the Tree, according to the functions they utilize, and the spheres which are being developed.
Within each of us are the essentials for the maximization of our psychological and spiritual potential. Yet even those of us who recognize the potentials within ourselves and aspire to realize them, still need an effective means of transformation. One requirement is a form of training which enables the aspirant to recognize, select and direct the will effectively to life's underlying archetypal realities.
To be able to identify these underlying archetypes, in action, we must have a means for classifying them, and dis-identifying from them. We cannot identify an archetype when we are in unconscious identification with it. If we can detach from it--disidentify--we can identify it as a sub- or superpersonality, rather than our personal self. This is the way to combat archetypal invasion.
The archetypes we are concerned with in Qabala are by no means all the possible archetypes which may subsist either in the collective unconscious or Universal Mind. But they are the essential seven which pertain to magical or mystical evolution, indeed all that pertains to human life. Adding to these another three, we have all that pertains to the universe both outer and inner, both cosmic and microcosmic, as seen by humankind. Speaking both physically and metaphysically, we can perceive only those phenomena which we have the faculties to perceive.
These ten archetypal sources of power correspond to the 10 spheres of the Tree. Since we cannot apprehend them directly, happily there is another way of proceeding. This is the Way which magical and mystical practices have ever followed.
Each of the spheres has its counterpart within each one of us; and that counterpart is also a focal point for the power of the sphere in question. We can, therefore, work with these counterparts within ourselves--and for the greatest effectiveness this working involves the body as well as psyche--to gain a living relationship with the powers of these archetypes.
The main qabalistic exercise for awakening and balancing the powers of the Spheres is known as the Middle Pillar Exercise. It is a means of imaginally "bringing in light." It harmonizes our being on the four levels: physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual. The exercise is first enacted with the body, like a ritual, to engrain it firmly in visceral and kinesthetic consciusness. Later, you need only visualize your astral body going through the motions, since it will be "second nature."
This exercise is totally safe from the psychological perspective, since it aims toward balanced growth. To work thus, by image and enactment, by calling forth within the self the effect which is to be produced in the outer world--this, from the earliest times has been the method of priest and magician, and most recently experiential psychologies.
The Middle Pillar Exercise associates the spheres of the Tree with the human body. Kether is visualized as radiant white light above the head. Chokmah is the Third Eye; Binah is at the throat; Tiphareth glows brilliant yellow like the sun in the heart; Chesed and Geburah are left and right shoulders, respectively; Yesod is a violet sphere at the genitals; and Malkuth centers where the feet meet the earth.
THE COSMIC TREE By animating the Tree within our psychphysical structure we identify with the Anthropos, the primordial cosmic Being. It unites our finite nature with the Universal consciousness. We learn firsthand that we are not separate from that, but one with it in our deepest essence. In the diagram of the Tree of Life, the highest sphere Kether is the primal and unconditioned source of all existence. It precipitates from the three "negative veils of existence." In physics, this is virtual or scalar energy, the stress enegy of the vacuum potential.
Kether is the initial point of positive spiritual energy in our universe, the First Cause, in whatever manner one conceives it (a sort of White Whole). It is also, to the individual person, that particular Divine Flame which is at once the source and center of one's being.
Next, and proceeding from this primal Cause, come the two great spiritual polarities disignated respectively as the Supernal Father (Yang)--creative force in action--and the Supernal Mother (Yin)--formative force in action, giving viability to, but also necessarily in some manner constricting, the energies of the Father.
To the depths of the psyche, these Supernal Parents are represented by the high archetypes of Animus and Anima, in their most exalted aspects. Lesser images of them are made manifest to the less profound levels of the personality. They may be clothed in the cultural bias of a wise old man or psychic wise woman, or with an individual bias may appear as the object of your affection in the archetype is contaminated with personal projections that more appropriately correspond with Yesod.
These top three Spheres are vital to undestanding and using the Tree as a whole, although we do no magical work directly with them. They lie beyond the reach of the mind and its power to actualize our potential. The Third Sphere, that of the Supernal Mother, has however another and more accessible identity as the sphere of Saturn, the highest of the traditional planetary spheres. The power of the Mother, who is both bright and dark (as the Qabalists knew long before Freud discovered her ambivalence), is enthroned as it were behind the figure of Saturn who is ruler of primeval opulence and fecundity and of the barren rocks.
Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Sol, Mercury, Venus, and Luna: these, the seven traditional luminaries of astrology are represented by the third through ninth spheres. Their qabalistic characters are not entirely identical with their astrological influences, although Qabalistic and astrological understanding usefully suppliment one another; but the difference need not detain us here. The three outer planets are considered higher octaves of these potencies (Uranus=Mercury; Neptune=Luna; Pluto=Mars). The tenth and lowest sphere represents this planer Earth, or microcosmically the phyical body. In either case it is seen as the recipient of the influences of all the other spheres. The receptive "Bride of the Universe."
If you know something of the quality of the planets in astrology, you already have a foothold in the Qabalistic system. Beginning with the 10th or bottom sphere, which corresponds with the qualities of Earth, the other correspond as follows: Yesod=#9 the Moon; Hod=#8 Mercury; Netzach=#7 Venus; Tiphareth=#6 the Sun; Geburah=#5 Mars; Chesed=#4 Jupiter; Binah=#3 Saturn; Chokmah=#2 Uraus; Kether=#1 spiritual aspects of Neptune (Alternatively, Chokmah is the Wheel of the Zodiac; Kether, the First Swirlings).
The humanistic or psychological meaning of these associations is as follows:
* Yesod/Luna: Bio-psychic or psychosexual functions and feeling instinct responses. Survival Instincts. Adaptation to life experiences and the provision of the self with nourishment, protection and assistance. Moon symbolizes cyclic time, and death-rebirth energy. Also, action taken to bring about actualization of solar purpose through establishment of relationships and maintenance of self as an individual. Lunar principle enables one to adapt, develop and mature within the area defined by Saturn. Lunation cycle.
* Hod/Mercury: The principles of rationality, interchange, association, relatedness, communication, translation, interpretation. Adoption of techniques and the use of knowledge and skill to function in an effective manner. The intellect, reason and tonal quality of the person. Represents fluidic mind-thinking, logical capacity as well as magical or nervous force, i.e. prana, chi.
* Netzach/Venus: Establishment of values and ideals through inner meaing. All attempts to reach the center an partake in communion with one's self and others. Aesthetics and the establishment of a pattern of appreciation and set of values and ideals. Expression of internal experiences.
* Tiphareth/Sun: Principle of Beauty, harmonization, equilibration, integration. Center and power of Self. The person's purpose and direction in life. Principle of self-actualization and centering, one's True Nature. The person's total self is sustained through the vital force of spiritual consciousness.
* Geburah/Mars: A manifestation of initative, assertion, aggression, activity or will. The centifugal force active within experience. All forms of outwardly directed activity. How you begin and maintain things. Power or Might. Force that demolishes all forms and ideas when their term of usefulness and healthy life is done. Symbolizes not so much a fixed state of things, as an act, a further passage and transition of potentiality into actuality. The warrior-consciousness.
* Chesed/Jupiter: The principle of compassion, mercy, preservation, increase, compensation, expansion and assimilation. The process of individual assimilation of the social consciousness. Realm of ethics and morals. The urge to be a self-sustaining entity consciously participating within the social realm. The establishment of a larger frame of reference and the power to grow through cooperation with experience. Dharma or the individual power of right action. Philosopher/king; Renaissance person.
* Binah/Saturn: The True Self, or Anima; liberated soul cleansed of all traces of the mind. The principle forrm as definition for the purpose of individuation through evolution. Principle of Understanding; Shakti or Shekinah, Maya, Isis; the substantive vehicle of every possible phenomena, physical or mental, just as Chokmah is the essence of consciousness.
* Chokmah/Uranus: The True Will, spiritual energy or libido, creative genius, essence of consciousness. Transformation of the power of transformation and the urge to go beyond the area defined by Saturn. Wisdom. The vital energizing element of existence--pure Spirit or Purusha; the basic reality underlying all manifestations of consciousness. The Word or Logos.
* Kether/Neptune: Liberation; universalization; release of self. Master soul. Highest inspiration. Destruction and dissolution of antiquated foms. Source or root of all physicality and consciusness. The Divine Flame in the microcosm, the primary Cause, the Crown, the Monad (the one indivisible and absolute consciousness thrilling throughout every particle and infinitesimal point in the manifested universe in Space.
We can train ourselves to be able to attune to the various spheres, at will. That is, we can learn to induce in ourselves the magical state of consciousness of each (at least the lower seven). Our first objective in doing this is to familiarize ourselves with the primary characteristics of each sphere. This will strengthen the counterpart of each of the powers within the depths of your psyche. This is nourishing and increases your personal potential, and at the same time ensures the balanced progress of your psychological and spiritual development.
Having strengthened these archetypal counterparts and enhanced your awareness of them, and having learned to attune yourself readily to the powers of the spheres, you will be able to draw upon the mighty resources of one or another of those powers as you require, either in psychophysical, psychosexual, and psychological exercises, rituals, meditation, or daily life.
The Qabala is thus a system of relationships among mystical symbols which can be used to open access to the hidden reaches of the mind--beyond the frontiers of reason. Qabala gives us the means to penetrate the meaning behind symbolism, and pass through its interdimensional gates.
It could be regarded as the mystical process in reverse. A natural mystic will have visions by what he calls "the Grace of God" and then attempt to write down his experience in symbolism or analogy. He seeks the nearest approximate metaphors in the language of the mind. The Qabala, by a study of symbolism and archetypes, helps the Qabalist to break through to the reality that the mystic has attempted to describe.
Universal symbolism is more or less immutable in basic significance. The symbolism of mystical man includes the birth mysticism of origins, the heroic battles of the mysticism of love and rebirth, and the mysteries of death and the afterlife. On the Tree of Life, these are all coordinated by the central sphere, Tiphareth, the Sun. It symbolizes the rosy dawn of illumination after crossing the realm of the stars and the moon. Numerical symbolism is shown in the essential 3-ness of the triangle, the Three-In-One of Divinity; the thesis, antithesis and synthesis of Hegelian philosophy; the possible modes of manifestation of force--active, passive and equilibrated. The Sun is the center of a system, source of light, sustainer of life and is a symbol of Deity, etc.
The Tree of Life is waiting to share its fruits with us if we but partake. It is the source of spiritual nourishment. May you eat hearty and enjoy the savor of the One Taste.
Love bade me welcome; yet my soul drew back,
Guilty of dust and sin.
But quick-eyed Love, observing me grow slack
From my first entrance in,
Drew nearer to me, sweetly questioning
If I lacked anything.
'A guest,' I answered, 'worthy to be here.'
Love said, 'You shall be he.'
'I the unkind, ungrateful? Ah, my dear,
I cannot look on Thee.'
Love took my hand, and smiling did reply,
'Who made the eyes but I?'
'Truth Lord, but I have marred them;
Let my shame go where it doth deserve.'
'And know you not,' says Love, 'who bore the blame?'
'My dear, then, I will serve.'
'You must sit down,' says Love, 'and taste my meat:'
So I did sit and eat.
#10 MALKUTH: The Seeker. Can be associated with the initation of the process of individuation or coming-to-wholeness. It is not the process itself, but the starting point. This sphere is also associated with the central nervous system and brain as the physical plane seat of consciousness. It is an aspect of personal consciousness as well as the personal unconscious. Jung speaks of psychosomatic disorders, ideomotor responses, and the archetype of the Persona or social mask; the archetype of the Shadow is our potential both for evil and unlived good; the archetype of the Double is our immortal counterpart. Mythic correspondences of the earthy sphere include Demeter/Persephone, earth mother and maiden bride; Gaia, primal matter; Pan, the nature god; and Hestia, goddess of the hearth, the center. Simple counseling and supportive therapy are appropriate at this phase. It means the end of denial and acknowledgement of the problem.
#9 YESOD: The Dreamer. Corresponds with the moon and 'lunar' consciousness. Also known as the Astral Plane, the realm of waking and sleeping dreams, hypnosis, and twilight imagery. The level of metaphorical perception as contrasted with literal interpretation or "acting out" of Malkuth. Psychosexual, linked to the ego, or emotional concept of self-identity as personal and unique. Lunar archetypes include the Great Mother, White Goddess, and Virgin Goddesses. Jungian archetype is the Syzygy, or anima/animus (contrasexual aspects of self) as it relates to our love interests.
Goddesses include Isis, Artemis, Athena, and Psyche; they relate either directly to the moon or the woman's mysteries of cyclic death and rebirth, or transformation of consciousness in the crucible of the emotions. This is the level of the subconscious mind and instinctual nature; passions (gland central station). Dreamwork is appropriate therapy for this sphere; psychologies which address this level include psychoanalysis, psychodrama, transactional analysis, reality therapy, ego psychology, and dreamhealing.
#8 HOD: The Thinker. Cultivation of this sphere brings about a rational approach to the world. Mental concepts. We learn to approach our problems in a rational manner, and so make effective decisions based on a true understanding of the issues involved, critical thinking. Corresponds with Jung's synchronicity concept of acausal yet meaningful coincidence. Analogous to Mercury, plane of intellect.
Archetypes include Hermes, the alchemical Mercurius, the Trickster, and 'spirit,' as well as certain aspects of Eros as son/lover. Also the Puer Aeternus ("eternal youth"); those who remain too long in adolescent psychology; adult child syndrome; associated with strong unconscious attachment to the Mother (actual or symbolic), much like Eros held for his mother, Aphrodite.
Positive traits are spontaneity and openness to change. Hermes is a god of prudence, cunning, shrewdness and sagacity; invented alphabet, mathematics, astronomy, weights and measure. A study of the psychological types of personality is effective for a rational approach to the diversity of the human race. Hermeneutics and analytical psychologies correspond.
#7 NETZACH: The Lover. A higher aspect of the emotions which includes aesthetics and the establishment of a personal set of values and ideals based on your own personal experience and inner meaning. Must be balanced with the previous sphere for perfect equilibrium and further access. The realm of divination and oracles; the reflective mirror of the creative imagination. Associated with the planet and goddess Aphrodite.
The archetype of the puella or "eternal girl" is a negative or faulty relationship to the father-world. Cinderella complex. A depth understanding of the feeling function as described in Jungian psychology is useful here to move from an overly dependent (codependent) attitude. Love and victory are its qualities. Mythemes relating to this level include those of Aphrodite, Circe; Orpheus; Tristan and Iseult; Guinevere and Lancelot; Heloise and Abelard.
Therapies for the HOD/NETZACH level connect us with our feelings as well as thoughts and process, release, or transform. This is the level of inner child world which comes prior to spiritual rebirth; known as "original pain" work. Polarity Therapy, Bioenergetics, Rogerian Therapy, Gestalt Therapy, Existential Analysis, Logotherapy and Humanistic Psychology.
#6 TIPHARETH: The Initiate. The central sphere of the Tree allows a harmonizing of the reasoning faculty with the feelings. It permits a rational evaluation of the worth of relationships and situations, not the emotions which are due to the activation of a complex. The abstract level of the higher mind can be developed through symbolism based on the power of the imaginative function.
This is the sphere of the superconscious, and it forms the link between the spiritual nature of man and his lower self. It is the principle of integration. It is the goal of the Invocation of the Holy Guardian Angel in Magick; the Jungian Self. Known as Beauty, this is the sphere of self-realization. It comes spontaneously and uncontrollably in its emergent stages, then stabilizes over time, punctuated by peak experiences (as defined by Maslow).
This is the level of Transpersonal Psychology. There is a shift from therapy toward spiritual discipline--notably meditation. The beginning phases are marked by alpha bliss and inspiration. Its spiritual experience is the sense of rebirth. Its psychological models include "self-actualization" and the concept of high well-being. Among its archetypal expressions we find hero/heroine; the divine or magickal child; the dynamics of the puer/senex (or puells/wise old woman) whose positive manifestations appear in the well-balanced personality; and the mana personality or wounded healer.
Important solar myths include those of Ra, Osiris, Apollo, Mithras, Christ, Attis and Dionysus. Other myths associated here are the divine marriage of Eros (Hod) and Psyche (younger Aphrodite, Netzach), and the story of Ulysses (Odysseus) with its quest to return to his original home (the theme of wounding, scaring, and healing).
This sphere forms the heart of the Collective Unconscious or transpersonal bands of the psyche. The therapies which address this depth level include Jung's Analytical Psychology, Personal Mythology, Psychosynthesis, and the works of Abraham Maslow and Progoff's Process Meditation. To integrate this level is to transcend the realm of traditional psychology and enter that of esoteric religion or mysticism.
In Tiphareth, you contact the archetype of the Self, or Holy Guardian Angel through an I-Thou relationship--a personalized dialogical relationship. It is an inner guiding principle. We are still within the realm of the divine Imagination, not the Clear Light. It is experienced as a transpersonal power which transcends the ego, expanding your sense of "self" beyond that of mere ego personality. This is the level of knowing the nature of your own awareness. The transcendent function is a reconciling "third" which emerges from the unconscious after the conflicting opposites have been consciously differentiated and the tension between them held.
The Self is our inherent guiding principle, if we but listen to it. It is the central archetype of the psyche. The Self is the integrative and transformative center within the psyche from which dreams, visions, and other inspirations originate. It is characterized by the union of opposites such as light and dark, male and female, good and bad. Symbols of the Self express the psychological process of coming to wholeness, and it is the essence of most spiritual experience. The Self represents the fullest extension and potential of an individual, and provides transcendent experiences which come from beyond one's own personal powers by divine grace.
Symbols of the Self include the God-man, or "son of God," the Royal Marriage or divine union; the Philosopher's Stone of alchemy, the Divine Child, the snake eating its tail, the butterfly, the ring, and the tapestry. The self also manifests as synchronicity, or meaningful coincidence, sexual and spiritual ecstasy and absolute clarity. Other symbols include the mandala or magic circle, the temple, treasure, book, gift, bridge, star, seeds, eggs, rainbow, lit candle, and weddings.
The glyph of the Tree of Life gives a firm basis for a study of the nature of man. It is a very ancient mystical symbol which represents the ten Archetypal Ideas or Energies that are the manifestation of the Unknowable Mysteries. By developing in ourselves the psychological counterparts of these energies, we can become re-integrated with our Real Self, and know our true destiny.
Each sphere has ascribed to it a different aspect of the Self which is most closely related to the functioning of the energy in that sphere. They are closely linked and this means that a development of one characteristic will produce an effect in the other. The overall emphasis is that of balance. By identifying the different aspects of our psychological nature in this way, it is also possible to see how existing forms of psychotherapy and other growth experiences can be aligned to various paths on the Tree, according to the functions they utilize, and the spheres which are being developed.
Within each of us are the essentials for the maximization of our psychological and spiritual potential. Yet even those of us who recognize the potentials within ourselves and aspire to realize them, still need an effective means of transformation. One requirement is a form of training which enables the aspirant to recognize, select and direct the will effectively to life's underlying archetypal realities.
To be able to identify these underlying archetypes, in action, we must have a means for classifying them, and dis-identifying from them. We cannot identify an archetype when we are in unconscious identification with it. If we can detach from it--disidentify--we can identify it as a sub- or superpersonality, rather than our personal self. This is the way to combat archetypal invasion.
The archetypes we are concerned with in Qabala are by no means all the possible archetypes which may subsist either in the collective unconscious or Universal Mind. But they are the essential seven which pertain to magical or mystical evolution, indeed all that pertains to human life. Adding to these another three, we have all that pertains to the universe both outer and inner, both cosmic and microcosmic, as seen by humankind. Speaking both physically and metaphysically, we can perceive only those phenomena which we have the faculties to perceive.
These ten archetypal sources of power correspond to the 10 spheres of the Tree. Since we cannot apprehend them directly, happily there is another way of proceeding. This is the Way which magical and mystical practices have ever followed.
Each of the spheres has its counterpart within each one of us; and that counterpart is also a focal point for the power of the sphere in question. We can, therefore, work with these counterparts within ourselves--and for the greatest effectiveness this working involves the body as well as psyche--to gain a living relationship with the powers of these archetypes.
The main qabalistic exercise for awakening and balancing the powers of the Spheres is known as the Middle Pillar Exercise. It is a means of imaginally "bringing in light." It harmonizes our being on the four levels: physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual. The exercise is first enacted with the body, like a ritual, to engrain it firmly in visceral and kinesthetic consciusness. Later, you need only visualize your astral body going through the motions, since it will be "second nature."
This exercise is totally safe from the psychological perspective, since it aims toward balanced growth. To work thus, by image and enactment, by calling forth within the self the effect which is to be produced in the outer world--this, from the earliest times has been the method of priest and magician, and most recently experiential psychologies.
The Middle Pillar Exercise associates the spheres of the Tree with the human body. Kether is visualized as radiant white light above the head. Chokmah is the Third Eye; Binah is at the throat; Tiphareth glows brilliant yellow like the sun in the heart; Chesed and Geburah are left and right shoulders, respectively; Yesod is a violet sphere at the genitals; and Malkuth centers where the feet meet the earth.
THE COSMIC TREE By animating the Tree within our psychphysical structure we identify with the Anthropos, the primordial cosmic Being. It unites our finite nature with the Universal consciousness. We learn firsthand that we are not separate from that, but one with it in our deepest essence. In the diagram of the Tree of Life, the highest sphere Kether is the primal and unconditioned source of all existence. It precipitates from the three "negative veils of existence." In physics, this is virtual or scalar energy, the stress enegy of the vacuum potential.
Kether is the initial point of positive spiritual energy in our universe, the First Cause, in whatever manner one conceives it (a sort of White Whole). It is also, to the individual person, that particular Divine Flame which is at once the source and center of one's being.
Next, and proceeding from this primal Cause, come the two great spiritual polarities disignated respectively as the Supernal Father (Yang)--creative force in action--and the Supernal Mother (Yin)--formative force in action, giving viability to, but also necessarily in some manner constricting, the energies of the Father.
To the depths of the psyche, these Supernal Parents are represented by the high archetypes of Animus and Anima, in their most exalted aspects. Lesser images of them are made manifest to the less profound levels of the personality. They may be clothed in the cultural bias of a wise old man or psychic wise woman, or with an individual bias may appear as the object of your affection in the archetype is contaminated with personal projections that more appropriately correspond with Yesod.
These top three Spheres are vital to undestanding and using the Tree as a whole, although we do no magical work directly with them. They lie beyond the reach of the mind and its power to actualize our potential. The Third Sphere, that of the Supernal Mother, has however another and more accessible identity as the sphere of Saturn, the highest of the traditional planetary spheres. The power of the Mother, who is both bright and dark (as the Qabalists knew long before Freud discovered her ambivalence), is enthroned as it were behind the figure of Saturn who is ruler of primeval opulence and fecundity and of the barren rocks.
Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Sol, Mercury, Venus, and Luna: these, the seven traditional luminaries of astrology are represented by the third through ninth spheres. Their qabalistic characters are not entirely identical with their astrological influences, although Qabalistic and astrological understanding usefully suppliment one another; but the difference need not detain us here. The three outer planets are considered higher octaves of these potencies (Uranus=Mercury; Neptune=Luna; Pluto=Mars). The tenth and lowest sphere represents this planer Earth, or microcosmically the phyical body. In either case it is seen as the recipient of the influences of all the other spheres. The receptive "Bride of the Universe."
If you know something of the quality of the planets in astrology, you already have a foothold in the Qabalistic system. Beginning with the 10th or bottom sphere, which corresponds with the qualities of Earth, the other correspond as follows: Yesod=#9 the Moon; Hod=#8 Mercury; Netzach=#7 Venus; Tiphareth=#6 the Sun; Geburah=#5 Mars; Chesed=#4 Jupiter; Binah=#3 Saturn; Chokmah=#2 Uraus; Kether=#1 spiritual aspects of Neptune (Alternatively, Chokmah is the Wheel of the Zodiac; Kether, the First Swirlings).
The humanistic or psychological meaning of these associations is as follows:
* Yesod/Luna: Bio-psychic or psychosexual functions and feeling instinct responses. Survival Instincts. Adaptation to life experiences and the provision of the self with nourishment, protection and assistance. Moon symbolizes cyclic time, and death-rebirth energy. Also, action taken to bring about actualization of solar purpose through establishment of relationships and maintenance of self as an individual. Lunar principle enables one to adapt, develop and mature within the area defined by Saturn. Lunation cycle.
* Hod/Mercury: The principles of rationality, interchange, association, relatedness, communication, translation, interpretation. Adoption of techniques and the use of knowledge and skill to function in an effective manner. The intellect, reason and tonal quality of the person. Represents fluidic mind-thinking, logical capacity as well as magical or nervous force, i.e. prana, chi.
* Netzach/Venus: Establishment of values and ideals through inner meaing. All attempts to reach the center an partake in communion with one's self and others. Aesthetics and the establishment of a pattern of appreciation and set of values and ideals. Expression of internal experiences.
* Tiphareth/Sun: Principle of Beauty, harmonization, equilibration, integration. Center and power of Self. The person's purpose and direction in life. Principle of self-actualization and centering, one's True Nature. The person's total self is sustained through the vital force of spiritual consciousness.
* Geburah/Mars: A manifestation of initative, assertion, aggression, activity or will. The centifugal force active within experience. All forms of outwardly directed activity. How you begin and maintain things. Power or Might. Force that demolishes all forms and ideas when their term of usefulness and healthy life is done. Symbolizes not so much a fixed state of things, as an act, a further passage and transition of potentiality into actuality. The warrior-consciousness.
* Chesed/Jupiter: The principle of compassion, mercy, preservation, increase, compensation, expansion and assimilation. The process of individual assimilation of the social consciousness. Realm of ethics and morals. The urge to be a self-sustaining entity consciously participating within the social realm. The establishment of a larger frame of reference and the power to grow through cooperation with experience. Dharma or the individual power of right action. Philosopher/king; Renaissance person.
* Binah/Saturn: The True Self, or Anima; liberated soul cleansed of all traces of the mind. The principle forrm as definition for the purpose of individuation through evolution. Principle of Understanding; Shakti or Shekinah, Maya, Isis; the substantive vehicle of every possible phenomena, physical or mental, just as Chokmah is the essence of consciousness.
* Chokmah/Uranus: The True Will, spiritual energy or libido, creative genius, essence of consciousness. Transformation of the power of transformation and the urge to go beyond the area defined by Saturn. Wisdom. The vital energizing element of existence--pure Spirit or Purusha; the basic reality underlying all manifestations of consciousness. The Word or Logos.
* Kether/Neptune: Liberation; universalization; release of self. Master soul. Highest inspiration. Destruction and dissolution of antiquated foms. Source or root of all physicality and consciusness. The Divine Flame in the microcosm, the primary Cause, the Crown, the Monad (the one indivisible and absolute consciousness thrilling throughout every particle and infinitesimal point in the manifested universe in Space.
We can train ourselves to be able to attune to the various spheres, at will. That is, we can learn to induce in ourselves the magical state of consciousness of each (at least the lower seven). Our first objective in doing this is to familiarize ourselves with the primary characteristics of each sphere. This will strengthen the counterpart of each of the powers within the depths of your psyche. This is nourishing and increases your personal potential, and at the same time ensures the balanced progress of your psychological and spiritual development.
Having strengthened these archetypal counterparts and enhanced your awareness of them, and having learned to attune yourself readily to the powers of the spheres, you will be able to draw upon the mighty resources of one or another of those powers as you require, either in psychophysical, psychosexual, and psychological exercises, rituals, meditation, or daily life.
The Qabala is thus a system of relationships among mystical symbols which can be used to open access to the hidden reaches of the mind--beyond the frontiers of reason. Qabala gives us the means to penetrate the meaning behind symbolism, and pass through its interdimensional gates.
It could be regarded as the mystical process in reverse. A natural mystic will have visions by what he calls "the Grace of God" and then attempt to write down his experience in symbolism or analogy. He seeks the nearest approximate metaphors in the language of the mind. The Qabala, by a study of symbolism and archetypes, helps the Qabalist to break through to the reality that the mystic has attempted to describe.
Universal symbolism is more or less immutable in basic significance. The symbolism of mystical man includes the birth mysticism of origins, the heroic battles of the mysticism of love and rebirth, and the mysteries of death and the afterlife. On the Tree of Life, these are all coordinated by the central sphere, Tiphareth, the Sun. It symbolizes the rosy dawn of illumination after crossing the realm of the stars and the moon. Numerical symbolism is shown in the essential 3-ness of the triangle, the Three-In-One of Divinity; the thesis, antithesis and synthesis of Hegelian philosophy; the possible modes of manifestation of force--active, passive and equilibrated. The Sun is the center of a system, source of light, sustainer of life and is a symbol of Deity, etc.
The Tree of Life is waiting to share its fruits with us if we but partake. It is the source of spiritual nourishment. May you eat hearty and enjoy the savor of the One Taste.
Love bade me welcome; yet my soul drew back,
Guilty of dust and sin.
But quick-eyed Love, observing me grow slack
From my first entrance in,
Drew nearer to me, sweetly questioning
If I lacked anything.
'A guest,' I answered, 'worthy to be here.'
Love said, 'You shall be he.'
'I the unkind, ungrateful? Ah, my dear,
I cannot look on Thee.'
Love took my hand, and smiling did reply,
'Who made the eyes but I?'
'Truth Lord, but I have marred them;
Let my shame go where it doth deserve.'
'And know you not,' says Love, 'who bore the blame?'
'My dear, then, I will serve.'
'You must sit down,' says Love, 'and taste my meat:'
So I did sit and eat.
"Ever since the Lord ordained the Creation,
I have been pledged to return to my original home.
People know, from my quest for unity in God,
that I am as anxious as I am eager to merge with him.
I shall bear the blows of destiny as I pursue him,
while I am ferried across to him on the boat of his love.
No one ever found the Lord while living,
O Bahu, except those who found him by dying while living."
-- Sultan Bahu, 17th Century Sufi saint, Punjab, India
THE SYNERGETIC QABALA
The premise of Synergetic Qabala is based on the fact that manifesting form is essentially energetic. Form is not other than force, and force is often indistinguishable from form. Forces interacting in dynamic stabilization are essentially, therefore, synergetic. The right and left Pillars of the Tree of Life are in a state of dynamic tension, as well as other polarities which it embodies. While Synergetic Qabala is essentially a geometrical philosophy, it is not a sterile number mysticism, but a theosophical approach to the unfathomable mysteries of Qabala and its essentially mystical orientation.The Tree of Life is a model of the universe that describes energy's behavior and also has the ability to shape our thinking. Synergetics describes the actual underlying geometry of subatomic structure. Here we employ nature's own coordinate system, the geometry nature uses for self-organization --the tetrahedron. There is a relationship between geometry and number which is intrinsic to the spheres and geometry of the Tree of Life. It defines the philosophical universe of Qabala. Explorations in this geometry are covered elsewhere in "The Synergetic Qabala."
The ancient system of the Qabala may best be described as a mystical theosophy, an effective guide for understanding ourselves and our relationship to the universe. It provides a cohesive worldview which is consistent with the findings of modern physics, psychology, and philosophical thought. It provides not only a philosophy, but a Way of life. It is a mystical discipline which requires an active spiritual practice for realization.
As in the case of physics, there are two main branches of Qabala. The first is speculative or Theoretical Qabala and the second is Practical Qabala which concerns the application of its principles through theurgic magic and/or mystical meditation. It is a complex system of symbols and principles for developing the inner potential of human nature, leading to the stage of conscious service to the divine powers at the source of all creation. Though often spelled many ways, we employ the simplest transliteration of QBL, as Qabala (ka-ba-la).
Though associated with the Hebrew, and later Hermetic philosophers, the roots of Qabala possibly originated in Egypt. The Western occult tradition attributes it to Hermes Trismegistus, or Thoth (Egyptian inventor of writing, astronomy, and mathematics). These teachings belong to ancient Egyptian mystery traditions that predate Plato and the Bible, with treatises on ancient cosmology and sacred psychology.
The Hermetic tradition enjoyed a revival when Marsilio Ficinio translated a bundle of ancient Egyptian manuscripts with the collective name of the Hermetica (1463). The Hermetica has been called the fountainhead of Western spirituality, the motherlode of all later esoteric and metaphysical systems. Here we find the suggestion that mankind is a hybrid of human and divine elements. Human nature is potential divinity, or "Godseed." Hermetics opened the way to independent spiritual seeking--spontaneous God contact--in the West. It suggests the possibility of transhumanization, and the divine mission of cocreation.
Egyptian religion is the prototype and source of mankind's interest in seeking immortality. It is the source of mystical teachings on reincarnation, magic, healing, the mysteries and the rudiments of sciences such as astronomy and chemistry. The other primary source of mythic material comes from Sumeria with its stories of God-men, the Great Flood, the creation of Adam, and the nature of deep time (Enuma Elish) and the Cosmos. They developed a rich culture, including the first recorded kingship, libraries, and systems of measurement, and sacred geometry. The Zodiac developed from Mesopotamian astronomy.
Early Jewish initiates believed Qabala's mysteries were first taught by God to a school of angels. According to legend, the angels in turn transmitted it to Adam after the Fall in an attempt to help humanity regain its balance. These mythic images suggest a Mesopotamian origin for these doctrines which is lost in the mists of prehistory. Remember, the Hebrew patriarch Abraham began his spiritual journey away from paganism toward monotheism in the Mesopotamian city of Ur, (in the heart of the ancient Sumeria, where recorded history, culture, and modern technology began).
We can use the Qabala today as a guide for our personal growth, both psychological and spiritual. Qabala helps us get in conscious contact with latent or hidden aspects of our deep mind, collective inheritance, and Source. The imagery and phenomenology of Qabala is well documented. The universe is an emanation or flowing forth of Godhead, the primal Source It is an expression of the dynamic fullness of divine Life.
This plenum or matrix is the source of divine aparks who plunge into the long process of involution or descent through the planes into manifestion. They eventually undergo an evolution in which new and infintely differentiated aspects of the original, unmanifest potentiality of the Godhead comes to expression. Ascent up the central column of the Tree of Life is the mystic's path to spiritual awakening and absorption. The Source can be experienced directly and discovered within us. This universal paradigm correlates with all mystical traditions. It is the very ground of our self-awareness.
The qabalistic Universe is a spatially conceived cosmos divided into higher and lower worlds or heavenly spheres of influence. Qabala is about the relationship of the One to the Many, and the Many to the One; all are conceived as active aspects of Living Deity and their dynamic interrelations. It describes a vast panoply of involution and evolution. It is an immense network of embedded symbolism and arcane lore, which begins with a cosmology, (a scenario about how the universe and humanity came into being; the patterns of nature in relation to the moral and psychological aspects of human behavior).
The qabalistic Genesis begins with the emanation of Ain Soph, "supreme wisdom," the Godhead as pure light-filled creative intelligence, source of all manifestation. The Limitless Light flows out into the 10 Spheres of the Tree of Life down through the Four Worlds of Creation: Archetypal (divine), Causal (mental), Astral (emotional), and Physical. Emanation means that God sent forth a portion of his own essence into the manifestation, rather than creating a separate reality. This cosmic pattern or design reflects the divine order, the pervasive design of the world.
The succession of numbers 1 through 10 symbolizes and is, in fact, identical with the emanation of the manifest Universe. The 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet contain and create the secret structure of all things. The cosmic process is an unfolding of the mystical name of God. Each letter corresponds with a path on the Tree of Life, and functions as a mystical "gateway" to its experience.
Though originally an oral tradition, written philosophical doctrines can be traced to the 3rd through 13th centuries. The foundational text of written Qabala, the Sephir Yetzirah, 'The Book of Formation' is based on alphanumeric mysticism. It describes how God created the manifest universe by means of letter/numbers which are the foundation of all things. The letters are part of 'one body,' the alphabet which is an extention of God's own being.
All created things, made by means of the letters, are also parts of the one body which is God. Contemplation of and meditation on these Hebrew letter/numbers is fundamental to accessing discrete mystical states. Mystical understanding of this divine Unity is the first concern of qabalism. This is part of the origin of the power of the Word or Logos in the crossroads cultures of the Middle East. In ancient Egypt the specific organ of creation was Ptah's mouth, "which named all things."
Like the descending emanations from the divine source, the soul leaves its home in Godhead and descends into physical form, where its redemption comes through seeking that from which it originated. Thus, Qabala is a Path of Return to the pristine state, but with an experiential legacy.
This legacy comes from "dying while living," a metaphor for the daily "death" to the outer world in mystical meditation. Ultimately Qabala is a solitary pursuit, but one best conducted with an experienced guide. Remember, no teacher can take you any further than they have been, and there are real psychological and spiritual dangers in the realm of the collective unconscious.
Not everyone is naturally equipped to discriminate subtle tricks of the mind (mental imbalance, hallucinations, delusions, ego inflations, flights of fancy) from authentic spiritual insight. True mystical experience, like scientifically conducted experiments, is repeatable and reproducable. It is approximately the same for all practitioners, everywhere, in all times.
The same is not true for what psychologists call "magical thinking," which is a pre-rational, rather than transrational state, characterized by a plethora of superstitions and often paranoid ideations. Much of so-called New Age thought is characterized by these romanticized superstitions and faulty conclusions based on sporadic results from unsystematic, idiosyncratic rites and practices.
We may be well-intentioned when we embark on self-directed studies, but this method can take you no further than the Self, where many magicians make the mistake of setting themselves up as an ersatz God and worshipping their own willfullness. Is not setting oneself up as one's own God the ultimate folly, and the mistake which turns the adept into a Black Magician, deifying his own personality?
We must abandon our narcissism to take up the quest for archetypal origin. It involves personal sacrifice and ordeals. Four factors show the difference between someone who has creative fantasies and someone who is only spinning neurotic nonsense: originality, consistency, intensity, and subtlety.
Though the roots of magic and schizophrenic fantasy spring fom the same source, they are not synonymous. Magic is a counterphobic attitude, the transition from passivity to activity. In fantasy, realistic action does not follow; it is a substitute for healthy, pro-active behavior. The ego is weak or totally absent, engaging in fruitless attempts at restitution.
True aspirants show continuity of devotion to God, not self-aggradizment. One learns how to navigate in the imaginal realm--an as if reality--without taking it literally. We learn to become absorbed in the Divine without mistaking our spiritual awakening for de facto personal deification. The attitude is one of "Not my will but Thine be done." It is the spirit of submission and selfless service to the Divine Will.
Reports of angels and demons are commonplace in Qabalistic literature. Once again, this speaks of a Mesopotamian origin or subsequent influence. The crossroads cultures of the Mediterranean and Middle East influenced one another's philosophies.
In late antiquity there was a mingling of Gnostic, Neoplatonic, the ancient Hebrew Merkabah tradition, and magical speculation with Babylonian notions of angelic, demonic, and divine powers. This influenced the development of mystical lore. This co-mingling (syncretism) had long been established by the time the central text of Qabalism, the Zohar was written in 13th century Spain.
In terms of Jungian psychology, the angels seem to correspond with inner guides or wisdom figures, while the demons are analogous to psychological complexes. Qabalistic speculation asserts that angelic guardians and demons can block one's progress to ascent. In many ways these "entities from other dimensions" represent different aspects of the human psyche--forms of our higher and lower selves.
Psychologically, we know that imbalance and neurosis are blocks to our growth, self-defeating behaviors. Angels can be seen as transpersonal resources, while demons manifest within us as autonomous subpersonalities with their own agenda, not necessarily in synch with our personalities goals.
Somewhere in between common angels and demons comes the notion of the daemon, genius, or Holy Guardian Angel--a personal inner guide which appears as synchronicities, inspiration, creativity, intuitive knowing, or directly as a personified figure for dialogical exchange. Angels are messengers which mediate between the divine and the human.
The angel instructs and inspires, draws forth and nurtures our talents. We connect with our personal essence and self-expression.It can be a guardian of the threshold of the mysteries, harsh taskmaster or the source of seemingly infinite creative expression. But, once summoned, it will not be ignored without peril. Attainment of "Knowledge and Conversation" with this singular Angel is the primary operation of elementary theurgic magick, and is central to further progress and transcendence.
The purpose of the Qabala (QBL) is to help us experience the Mysteries directly through personal encounter, both inwardly and outwardly. It is no mere study, but an applied philosophy. The transformative lessons of the Qabala come through life experiences and consciousness journeys. It is visceral and emotional, as well as mental. It is a perspective on life that is actively immersed in the mythic as well as personal worlds. The adept has a foot in, or walks between both worlds.
The doctrine of Qabala is based on the premise that God created mankind in his [their] own image. The Creation is attributed to the Elohim, male/female deities acting as agents of the supreme God. There is a hierarchy of hyperdimensional entities which inhabit the various subtle planes of the universe. Each of the classes of angels has a specific relationship and duties toward mankind. They are all in service to the self-revealing dynamic God of religious experience. An existing God means a manifest, revealed and related God.
The guiding axiom of the Creation is "As Above, So Below." This Hermetic axiom means that there is an archetypal identity between divinity and mankind, mankind and the Universe. This intimates that mankind can achieve a "cosmic consciousness," since "we are that." We can "receive" this knowledge or revealed Truth directly from the Source, through QBL which literally means "to receive."
There are six major principles of the Qabala:
* The cosmos is a Unity, with all aspects in interrelation. It is a wholistic worldview.
* The forces of creation represent an eternal interplay between an active force and a passive one; polarity (positive and negative charge, male/female, yin/yang, holding the tension of the opposites).
* The human individual is a microcosm of the universe; we come to know the universe through ourselves, and ourselves through cosmic principles.
* In daily life we are attuned to only one state of consciousness among many. This is the culturally programmed trance state known as ordinary consciousness, or consensus reality.
* We can access multiple states of consciousness, including universal or cosmic consciousness through systematic application of concentration and meditation, by the grace of God. Careful preparation is necessary.
* To achieve such transcendent states of consciousness various specific practices and techniques are utilized.
The main concern of the practicing Qabalist lies in the applications of its teachings to his own life. In other words, we are interested in psychological and spiritual growth with a greater understanding of Universal principles. In Qabala we find many mysteries and techniques for enlightenment. Like any system of theosophy, the Qabala's purpose is to account for humanity's relation to the Divine, and to create a personal, living relationship with that divinity.
The main tools (or methods) applied by the Qabalist include concentration, visualization, ritual, meditation, and contemplation of the Tree of Life. The circuit of this "Tree" is the most important symbol in the Qabala, and posits a series of "heavens" (or discrete yet synergetic states of consciousness) which can be accessed by the aspirant.
This Tree describes the descent of creative energy into manifestation, (in a primordial move God begins to turn outwards, to unfold, to exist), and the Path of Return to divine existence. The downward arc of phenomenal creation is answered by an ascending arc of evolving consciousness. The Tree of Life represents the soul of mankind and the essence of the Universe. It is the guiding model for the homeward-bound soul; a consciousness map for the inner journey back to the Limitless Light.
This glyph, which consists of 10 Spheres and 22 Paths, has long been associated with the Way of Initiation. Qabala is a mystery school whose secrets are only transmitted orally and experientially. Because these secrets require maturity, deep commitment and personal experience, and God's grace, they are always "safe" from the profane. The diletante or dabbler will never "get it." It requires "being there."
The Tree is a compendium of symbolism describing all ways of being and becoming; of forms, images, and ideas. It is a system of correspondences, associating diverse symbolism such as inner experiences, planetary attributions, the Tarot, gods and goddesses, plants, jewels, animals, elements, alchemical operations, etc.
Pathworking is a technical term from the Western mystery tradition. It is a method of using imaginal processes to get actual experience. It is a course of meditations which leads to the awakening of inner potentials or psychic effects, and produces outer effects in the form of synchronistic events, challenges, or growth. It is a means of conscious self-discovery and self-actualization, unfolding our innate essence, "true self".
In meditation the Qabalist concentrates on the Tree of Life and observes certain relationships. When we concentrate on one of the Tree's symbols, our mind contacts a cosmic force and completes a transformative circuit with Universal Mind. A new aspect of the collective unconscious is made available to our conscious minds. The transpersonal becomes personal and finite as it manifests within us. The practice of this meditation eventually leads the student up the paths toward spiritual fulfillment and union with the Limitless Light.
The application of qabalistic principles, practical Qabala, has always been called magic. It supercedes the more primal, shamanic type of magic with theurgy. Its aim is religious or spiritual, rather than personalistic ends, such as healing. It changes consciousness progressively, not regressively. It leads to objective self-knowledge. There is no loss of consciousness to lower trance states, but an enhancement.
Through syncretism (the cross-cultural melding of religious ideas), Qabala became more than a system of Jewish mysticism. It is the basis of the Western Occult Tradition and Hermetic Philosophy. Practical Qabalists use the teachings to transform their lives, using many of the techniques adopted by modern psychology. In fact, many of the ancient mystic arts were the traditional equivalents of contemporary science.
If you embark on a self-directed program of growth, how do you know how to program your transformations? How will you achieve a balanced or equilibrated growth pattern, making sure your rational and emotional selves mature at a harmonious rate? Who or what will be your guide? How will you avoid overemphasizing your strong points, and how can you identify your psychological blind spots, or guide yourself through your own fears?
Both Jungian psychology and the qabalistic teachings include a depth analysis of the personality, and its subsequent reintegration on a higher level of organization. It means the deconstruction of the rigid old ego, its liquification, and subsequent spiritual rebirth. This requires maturity, and both disciplines recommend waiting until after age 40 to begin in earnest. Before this age outer activities such as career and family often take rightful precedence. But many must begin sooner because they are called to the Path early. Both systems employ the study of symbolism and archetypes, creative visualizations, guided imagery, journal work, and meditation. Both seek the actualization of an integrated personality, known as self-realization.
However, Qabala transcends the realm of psychology and the mind; it seeks to use the trained psyche or soul as a vehicle for God-realization. Hence, its emphasis on purification and discipline of the mind and body in service to the soul. This is the task of mystical meditation, whose goal is beyond the realm of the mind. The transpersonal goal is valued more highly than the personal sacrifice which is a condition of success in this endeavor. Yet Qabala is a "householder's yoga" which need not take us away from worldly life and our duties.
We can integrate both ancient qabalistic and modern psychological teachings into our daily lives. Qabala adapts to the continuing changes of contemporary society since it not a dogmatic, historic curiosity whose mysteries are frozen in antiquity. Rather, it is a living science of the soul, an evolving system of spiritual development accessible to anyone with a desire for higher knowledge and depth experience.
The Qabala is a blueprint of a holistic lifestyle. It is a way to tie your various studies together, relating them to each other, and enabling you to understand each more completely. It is also a useful guide and objective measure of your personal growth.
Dion Fortune defines Qabala as "an attempt to reduce to diagrammatic form every force and factor in the manifested universe and the soul of man; to correlate them to one another and reveal them spread out as a map so the relative positions between them can be seen and the relations between them traced. . .a compendium of science, psychology, philosophy and theology." We might add that the Qabala encodes a maximum amount of information in a minimum number of graphic elements, i.e. spheres, paths, number/letters, and colors. It is a universal code.
Israel Regardie calls the Qabala, "a trustworthy guide leading to a comprehension of both the Universe and one's own Self." From Gareth Knight we hear, "A practical method for the interrelations of various systems of symbols." For example, if you know one symbol system, say astrology, you can readily translate it over into another, such as gods and goddesses, by means of the Tree of Life.
Qabala, as a system of attaining direct religious experience, has been called a step-ladder of spiritual growth, the Ladder of Lights. It may also be used as a study of comparative religions, with their goals mapped at the various stations. W.E. Butler termed it "a method of using the mind in a practical and constantly widening consideration of the Universal soul of man." The methods of QBL require that the mind be tamed and trained and its lower desires subjugated to the higher Will.
One of my favorite (slightly outdated) metaphors likens the Qabala to a filing cabinet which contains the Universe. It functions as a filing cabinet for mental concepts, giving a place for everything within the 32 files of the Tree. This data base can be used as a retrieval system, not only to contact the information you've stored there, but also that which is warehoused there from the collective unconscious. Through it, we connect with a vast spiritual heritage, that of previous practitioners of QBL. It brings us in touch with experiences similar to those who have gone before us on this Way.
Regardie states that, "the art of using our filing cabinet arrangement brings home to us the common nature (or essence) of certain things, the essential difference between others, and the inevitable connection of all things. Moreover, and this is extremely important, by the acquisition of an understanding of any one system of mystical philosophy or religion, one automatically acquires, when relating that comprehension to the Tree of Life, an understanding of every system. So that ultimately, by a species of association of impersonal and abstract idead, one gradually equilibrates the whole of one's own mental structure and obtains a simple view of the incalculably vast complexity of the universe."
From the Qabalist's perspective, equilibrium is the basis of the work. Qabala functions as an ancient general systems, theory, allowing us to relate that which is apparently separate. Serious students make a careful study of the attributes of the Tree and commit them to memory. They function automatically as mnemonic devices to stimulate synergetic perception of reality.
Jung alleged that there are gods within each illness or dis-ease we experience. Each archetype or godform has its own corresponding pathologies. When we realize that our identities are composed of various complexes (or subpersonalities) and realize that there are different mental and spiritual spaces, we are already engaged in some form of Qabala. The Tree of Life is a map to these consciousness states, and their balancing forces.
In depth psychology we find modern terms for these states of consciousness. In ancient texts we find the names for these spaces and techniques to contact or enter them. The map of inner consciousness unites the soul with the Universe. We move through this map, up the Ladder of Lights by means of the process of progressive identification with higher states, and disidentification with lower ones. We don't lose the lower levels, but bring them into a symphonic relationship with the higher ones. This is the spiritual approach to healing dis-ease.
The Tree of Life, as a graphic representation of the creation, leads to the communion of the mundane, conscious self with both the subconscious and superconscious Self. The subconscious includes the body with its virtual, subatomic (quantum), atomic, molecular, and genetic organization, autonomic functions, and the personal unconscious of forgotten or repressed desires and memories--the psychophysical. The superconcious is the spiritual self or the god-within.
As with all good road maps, the Tree of Life helps guide you to your destination, but the map is not the territory. In the case of this map, problem solving, obtaining goals, and spiritual experience are the ultimate destinations. Goal setting is a positive thing; without goals we flounder. This is the basis of becoming a "seeker," and then an initiate. Initiation is only the beginning of the process. The imparted teaching must be applied. The ego can initially do those things which lead to its own transcendence, but in the higher stages progress comes through God's Grace.
The Tree has various directional coordinates connecting the spheres, called "paths." The paths are transitional stages while the spheres themselves may be considered discrete states of consciousness or archetypal modes of Being, rather than Becoming. Each of the 22 paths has a series of exercises that strengthen, prepare, and test the body, emotions, mind, and spirit. A student of the Qabala does "pathworking" for spiritual growth.
There are two major divisions to the study of the Tree of Life. The first way to approach it is philosophical. The doctrine of the Qabala includes an elaborate conception of the birth of the universe, or a cosmology. It outlines detailed hierarchies of entities controlling the various inner realms which lie between the mundane sphere of the earth and the abode of God, as unmanifest Reality. This "blueprint of the Universe" may be studied, and contemplated or meditated upon. Recent investigations reveal that the pattern of the Tree is implicit in the formation of all atomic elements (see The Diamond Body). It is the geometrical basis of natural philosophy.
Once we are familiar with the basic concepts we have the option of approaching the Tree from a practical, experiential perspective. Here the information we learned through study is put into applied practice. This application has been called "magic" from the earliest times, from the same root as Magi, the Mesopotamian wise men, priests and atronomers. Astrology and magic were invented and developed in ancient Mesopotamia.
In contemporary mystical terms, it primarily indicates the building up of multi-sensory mental images or impressions. Sometimes we must resort to sensory stimulation to engrain or reinforce these symbolic images. This is one value of ceremony or ritual: to set up a system for evoking psychosensory subliminal responses which can transform the personality.
The most basic use of the Qabala in our daily living is as a touchstone for solving our personal problems and gaining a transpersonal perspective which transcends our mundane life. Do your actions and choices create more karma? Do they take you closer or further away from your spiritual objectives? The effect of discrimination and better choices is therapeutic for the personality and healing for the soul. It promotes healthy self-esteem and personal integrity. It increases compassion, wisdom, and understanding.
When the fragmentation in our personality begins to heal, we experience rebirth as a more integrated personality. Once we have addressed our major psychological conflicts, the mind becomes calm enough to begin meditation. Those who have mastered this technique are enlightened sages, called masters. They describe the mind as a veil convering and encumbering the soul.
This mind is seen as tied in a knot with the soul. Therefore, whatever the mind does, the soul is dragged along. If the mind is taken outside, willy-nilly by the senses, soul is scattered in phenomena, maya, or illusion. If the attention goes within--to the Eye Center in meditation--soul can collect and ascend to higher regions. The mind is necessary for the soul to express itself on material planes just as a diving suit is necessary for any prolonged stay underwater.
The goal of many meditation schools is Universal Mind, or Brahm. But these schools may not speak of soul, per se, although they do address its phenomena. The Tree of Life shows the dominion of mind terminating at The Abyss. The upper one-third of the Tree--the Supernal Triad--supercedes Universal Mind. It exists in an altogeher different dimension, an archetypal dimension beyond even subtle manifestation. Masters speak of entering this realm in their meditations, once the soul is freed from the mind. But your model or worldview must include the possibility of Reality beyond Universal Mind, or you won't even seek it.
Qabala describes four discrete aspects of the soul:
1) GUPH, the material or physical body;
2) NEPHESH, the desire body, instinctual nature, psychosexual self;
3) RUACH, the mental body of personality including memory, will, imagination, and reason;
4) NESCHAMAH, the soul unfettered by its mingling with the mind. A pure spark of divinity which has the capacity to merge back into Godhead.
Neschamah manifests in the life of the self-realized individual. In fact, the realization is that one is indeed this being of pure light, "I AM THAT."
I have been pledged to return to my original home.
People know, from my quest for unity in God,
that I am as anxious as I am eager to merge with him.
I shall bear the blows of destiny as I pursue him,
while I am ferried across to him on the boat of his love.
No one ever found the Lord while living,
O Bahu, except those who found him by dying while living."
-- Sultan Bahu, 17th Century Sufi saint, Punjab, India
THE SYNERGETIC QABALA
The premise of Synergetic Qabala is based on the fact that manifesting form is essentially energetic. Form is not other than force, and force is often indistinguishable from form. Forces interacting in dynamic stabilization are essentially, therefore, synergetic. The right and left Pillars of the Tree of Life are in a state of dynamic tension, as well as other polarities which it embodies. While Synergetic Qabala is essentially a geometrical philosophy, it is not a sterile number mysticism, but a theosophical approach to the unfathomable mysteries of Qabala and its essentially mystical orientation.The Tree of Life is a model of the universe that describes energy's behavior and also has the ability to shape our thinking. Synergetics describes the actual underlying geometry of subatomic structure. Here we employ nature's own coordinate system, the geometry nature uses for self-organization --the tetrahedron. There is a relationship between geometry and number which is intrinsic to the spheres and geometry of the Tree of Life. It defines the philosophical universe of Qabala. Explorations in this geometry are covered elsewhere in "The Synergetic Qabala."
The ancient system of the Qabala may best be described as a mystical theosophy, an effective guide for understanding ourselves and our relationship to the universe. It provides a cohesive worldview which is consistent with the findings of modern physics, psychology, and philosophical thought. It provides not only a philosophy, but a Way of life. It is a mystical discipline which requires an active spiritual practice for realization.
As in the case of physics, there are two main branches of Qabala. The first is speculative or Theoretical Qabala and the second is Practical Qabala which concerns the application of its principles through theurgic magic and/or mystical meditation. It is a complex system of symbols and principles for developing the inner potential of human nature, leading to the stage of conscious service to the divine powers at the source of all creation. Though often spelled many ways, we employ the simplest transliteration of QBL, as Qabala (ka-ba-la).
Though associated with the Hebrew, and later Hermetic philosophers, the roots of Qabala possibly originated in Egypt. The Western occult tradition attributes it to Hermes Trismegistus, or Thoth (Egyptian inventor of writing, astronomy, and mathematics). These teachings belong to ancient Egyptian mystery traditions that predate Plato and the Bible, with treatises on ancient cosmology and sacred psychology.
The Hermetic tradition enjoyed a revival when Marsilio Ficinio translated a bundle of ancient Egyptian manuscripts with the collective name of the Hermetica (1463). The Hermetica has been called the fountainhead of Western spirituality, the motherlode of all later esoteric and metaphysical systems. Here we find the suggestion that mankind is a hybrid of human and divine elements. Human nature is potential divinity, or "Godseed." Hermetics opened the way to independent spiritual seeking--spontaneous God contact--in the West. It suggests the possibility of transhumanization, and the divine mission of cocreation.
Egyptian religion is the prototype and source of mankind's interest in seeking immortality. It is the source of mystical teachings on reincarnation, magic, healing, the mysteries and the rudiments of sciences such as astronomy and chemistry. The other primary source of mythic material comes from Sumeria with its stories of God-men, the Great Flood, the creation of Adam, and the nature of deep time (Enuma Elish) and the Cosmos. They developed a rich culture, including the first recorded kingship, libraries, and systems of measurement, and sacred geometry. The Zodiac developed from Mesopotamian astronomy.
Early Jewish initiates believed Qabala's mysteries were first taught by God to a school of angels. According to legend, the angels in turn transmitted it to Adam after the Fall in an attempt to help humanity regain its balance. These mythic images suggest a Mesopotamian origin for these doctrines which is lost in the mists of prehistory. Remember, the Hebrew patriarch Abraham began his spiritual journey away from paganism toward monotheism in the Mesopotamian city of Ur, (in the heart of the ancient Sumeria, where recorded history, culture, and modern technology began).
We can use the Qabala today as a guide for our personal growth, both psychological and spiritual. Qabala helps us get in conscious contact with latent or hidden aspects of our deep mind, collective inheritance, and Source. The imagery and phenomenology of Qabala is well documented. The universe is an emanation or flowing forth of Godhead, the primal Source It is an expression of the dynamic fullness of divine Life.
This plenum or matrix is the source of divine aparks who plunge into the long process of involution or descent through the planes into manifestion. They eventually undergo an evolution in which new and infintely differentiated aspects of the original, unmanifest potentiality of the Godhead comes to expression. Ascent up the central column of the Tree of Life is the mystic's path to spiritual awakening and absorption. The Source can be experienced directly and discovered within us. This universal paradigm correlates with all mystical traditions. It is the very ground of our self-awareness.
The qabalistic Universe is a spatially conceived cosmos divided into higher and lower worlds or heavenly spheres of influence. Qabala is about the relationship of the One to the Many, and the Many to the One; all are conceived as active aspects of Living Deity and their dynamic interrelations. It describes a vast panoply of involution and evolution. It is an immense network of embedded symbolism and arcane lore, which begins with a cosmology, (a scenario about how the universe and humanity came into being; the patterns of nature in relation to the moral and psychological aspects of human behavior).
The qabalistic Genesis begins with the emanation of Ain Soph, "supreme wisdom," the Godhead as pure light-filled creative intelligence, source of all manifestation. The Limitless Light flows out into the 10 Spheres of the Tree of Life down through the Four Worlds of Creation: Archetypal (divine), Causal (mental), Astral (emotional), and Physical. Emanation means that God sent forth a portion of his own essence into the manifestation, rather than creating a separate reality. This cosmic pattern or design reflects the divine order, the pervasive design of the world.
The succession of numbers 1 through 10 symbolizes and is, in fact, identical with the emanation of the manifest Universe. The 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet contain and create the secret structure of all things. The cosmic process is an unfolding of the mystical name of God. Each letter corresponds with a path on the Tree of Life, and functions as a mystical "gateway" to its experience.
Though originally an oral tradition, written philosophical doctrines can be traced to the 3rd through 13th centuries. The foundational text of written Qabala, the Sephir Yetzirah, 'The Book of Formation' is based on alphanumeric mysticism. It describes how God created the manifest universe by means of letter/numbers which are the foundation of all things. The letters are part of 'one body,' the alphabet which is an extention of God's own being.
All created things, made by means of the letters, are also parts of the one body which is God. Contemplation of and meditation on these Hebrew letter/numbers is fundamental to accessing discrete mystical states. Mystical understanding of this divine Unity is the first concern of qabalism. This is part of the origin of the power of the Word or Logos in the crossroads cultures of the Middle East. In ancient Egypt the specific organ of creation was Ptah's mouth, "which named all things."
Like the descending emanations from the divine source, the soul leaves its home in Godhead and descends into physical form, where its redemption comes through seeking that from which it originated. Thus, Qabala is a Path of Return to the pristine state, but with an experiential legacy.
This legacy comes from "dying while living," a metaphor for the daily "death" to the outer world in mystical meditation. Ultimately Qabala is a solitary pursuit, but one best conducted with an experienced guide. Remember, no teacher can take you any further than they have been, and there are real psychological and spiritual dangers in the realm of the collective unconscious.
Not everyone is naturally equipped to discriminate subtle tricks of the mind (mental imbalance, hallucinations, delusions, ego inflations, flights of fancy) from authentic spiritual insight. True mystical experience, like scientifically conducted experiments, is repeatable and reproducable. It is approximately the same for all practitioners, everywhere, in all times.
The same is not true for what psychologists call "magical thinking," which is a pre-rational, rather than transrational state, characterized by a plethora of superstitions and often paranoid ideations. Much of so-called New Age thought is characterized by these romanticized superstitions and faulty conclusions based on sporadic results from unsystematic, idiosyncratic rites and practices.
We may be well-intentioned when we embark on self-directed studies, but this method can take you no further than the Self, where many magicians make the mistake of setting themselves up as an ersatz God and worshipping their own willfullness. Is not setting oneself up as one's own God the ultimate folly, and the mistake which turns the adept into a Black Magician, deifying his own personality?
We must abandon our narcissism to take up the quest for archetypal origin. It involves personal sacrifice and ordeals. Four factors show the difference between someone who has creative fantasies and someone who is only spinning neurotic nonsense: originality, consistency, intensity, and subtlety.
Though the roots of magic and schizophrenic fantasy spring fom the same source, they are not synonymous. Magic is a counterphobic attitude, the transition from passivity to activity. In fantasy, realistic action does not follow; it is a substitute for healthy, pro-active behavior. The ego is weak or totally absent, engaging in fruitless attempts at restitution.
True aspirants show continuity of devotion to God, not self-aggradizment. One learns how to navigate in the imaginal realm--an as if reality--without taking it literally. We learn to become absorbed in the Divine without mistaking our spiritual awakening for de facto personal deification. The attitude is one of "Not my will but Thine be done." It is the spirit of submission and selfless service to the Divine Will.
Reports of angels and demons are commonplace in Qabalistic literature. Once again, this speaks of a Mesopotamian origin or subsequent influence. The crossroads cultures of the Mediterranean and Middle East influenced one another's philosophies.
In late antiquity there was a mingling of Gnostic, Neoplatonic, the ancient Hebrew Merkabah tradition, and magical speculation with Babylonian notions of angelic, demonic, and divine powers. This influenced the development of mystical lore. This co-mingling (syncretism) had long been established by the time the central text of Qabalism, the Zohar was written in 13th century Spain.
In terms of Jungian psychology, the angels seem to correspond with inner guides or wisdom figures, while the demons are analogous to psychological complexes. Qabalistic speculation asserts that angelic guardians and demons can block one's progress to ascent. In many ways these "entities from other dimensions" represent different aspects of the human psyche--forms of our higher and lower selves.
Psychologically, we know that imbalance and neurosis are blocks to our growth, self-defeating behaviors. Angels can be seen as transpersonal resources, while demons manifest within us as autonomous subpersonalities with their own agenda, not necessarily in synch with our personalities goals.
Somewhere in between common angels and demons comes the notion of the daemon, genius, or Holy Guardian Angel--a personal inner guide which appears as synchronicities, inspiration, creativity, intuitive knowing, or directly as a personified figure for dialogical exchange. Angels are messengers which mediate between the divine and the human.
The angel instructs and inspires, draws forth and nurtures our talents. We connect with our personal essence and self-expression.It can be a guardian of the threshold of the mysteries, harsh taskmaster or the source of seemingly infinite creative expression. But, once summoned, it will not be ignored without peril. Attainment of "Knowledge and Conversation" with this singular Angel is the primary operation of elementary theurgic magick, and is central to further progress and transcendence.
The purpose of the Qabala (QBL) is to help us experience the Mysteries directly through personal encounter, both inwardly and outwardly. It is no mere study, but an applied philosophy. The transformative lessons of the Qabala come through life experiences and consciousness journeys. It is visceral and emotional, as well as mental. It is a perspective on life that is actively immersed in the mythic as well as personal worlds. The adept has a foot in, or walks between both worlds.
The doctrine of Qabala is based on the premise that God created mankind in his [their] own image. The Creation is attributed to the Elohim, male/female deities acting as agents of the supreme God. There is a hierarchy of hyperdimensional entities which inhabit the various subtle planes of the universe. Each of the classes of angels has a specific relationship and duties toward mankind. They are all in service to the self-revealing dynamic God of religious experience. An existing God means a manifest, revealed and related God.
The guiding axiom of the Creation is "As Above, So Below." This Hermetic axiom means that there is an archetypal identity between divinity and mankind, mankind and the Universe. This intimates that mankind can achieve a "cosmic consciousness," since "we are that." We can "receive" this knowledge or revealed Truth directly from the Source, through QBL which literally means "to receive."
There are six major principles of the Qabala:
* The cosmos is a Unity, with all aspects in interrelation. It is a wholistic worldview.
* The forces of creation represent an eternal interplay between an active force and a passive one; polarity (positive and negative charge, male/female, yin/yang, holding the tension of the opposites).
* The human individual is a microcosm of the universe; we come to know the universe through ourselves, and ourselves through cosmic principles.
* In daily life we are attuned to only one state of consciousness among many. This is the culturally programmed trance state known as ordinary consciousness, or consensus reality.
* We can access multiple states of consciousness, including universal or cosmic consciousness through systematic application of concentration and meditation, by the grace of God. Careful preparation is necessary.
* To achieve such transcendent states of consciousness various specific practices and techniques are utilized.
The main concern of the practicing Qabalist lies in the applications of its teachings to his own life. In other words, we are interested in psychological and spiritual growth with a greater understanding of Universal principles. In Qabala we find many mysteries and techniques for enlightenment. Like any system of theosophy, the Qabala's purpose is to account for humanity's relation to the Divine, and to create a personal, living relationship with that divinity.
The main tools (or methods) applied by the Qabalist include concentration, visualization, ritual, meditation, and contemplation of the Tree of Life. The circuit of this "Tree" is the most important symbol in the Qabala, and posits a series of "heavens" (or discrete yet synergetic states of consciousness) which can be accessed by the aspirant.
This Tree describes the descent of creative energy into manifestation, (in a primordial move God begins to turn outwards, to unfold, to exist), and the Path of Return to divine existence. The downward arc of phenomenal creation is answered by an ascending arc of evolving consciousness. The Tree of Life represents the soul of mankind and the essence of the Universe. It is the guiding model for the homeward-bound soul; a consciousness map for the inner journey back to the Limitless Light.
This glyph, which consists of 10 Spheres and 22 Paths, has long been associated with the Way of Initiation. Qabala is a mystery school whose secrets are only transmitted orally and experientially. Because these secrets require maturity, deep commitment and personal experience, and God's grace, they are always "safe" from the profane. The diletante or dabbler will never "get it." It requires "being there."
The Tree is a compendium of symbolism describing all ways of being and becoming; of forms, images, and ideas. It is a system of correspondences, associating diverse symbolism such as inner experiences, planetary attributions, the Tarot, gods and goddesses, plants, jewels, animals, elements, alchemical operations, etc.
Pathworking is a technical term from the Western mystery tradition. It is a method of using imaginal processes to get actual experience. It is a course of meditations which leads to the awakening of inner potentials or psychic effects, and produces outer effects in the form of synchronistic events, challenges, or growth. It is a means of conscious self-discovery and self-actualization, unfolding our innate essence, "true self".
In meditation the Qabalist concentrates on the Tree of Life and observes certain relationships. When we concentrate on one of the Tree's symbols, our mind contacts a cosmic force and completes a transformative circuit with Universal Mind. A new aspect of the collective unconscious is made available to our conscious minds. The transpersonal becomes personal and finite as it manifests within us. The practice of this meditation eventually leads the student up the paths toward spiritual fulfillment and union with the Limitless Light.
The application of qabalistic principles, practical Qabala, has always been called magic. It supercedes the more primal, shamanic type of magic with theurgy. Its aim is religious or spiritual, rather than personalistic ends, such as healing. It changes consciousness progressively, not regressively. It leads to objective self-knowledge. There is no loss of consciousness to lower trance states, but an enhancement.
Through syncretism (the cross-cultural melding of religious ideas), Qabala became more than a system of Jewish mysticism. It is the basis of the Western Occult Tradition and Hermetic Philosophy. Practical Qabalists use the teachings to transform their lives, using many of the techniques adopted by modern psychology. In fact, many of the ancient mystic arts were the traditional equivalents of contemporary science.
If you embark on a self-directed program of growth, how do you know how to program your transformations? How will you achieve a balanced or equilibrated growth pattern, making sure your rational and emotional selves mature at a harmonious rate? Who or what will be your guide? How will you avoid overemphasizing your strong points, and how can you identify your psychological blind spots, or guide yourself through your own fears?
Both Jungian psychology and the qabalistic teachings include a depth analysis of the personality, and its subsequent reintegration on a higher level of organization. It means the deconstruction of the rigid old ego, its liquification, and subsequent spiritual rebirth. This requires maturity, and both disciplines recommend waiting until after age 40 to begin in earnest. Before this age outer activities such as career and family often take rightful precedence. But many must begin sooner because they are called to the Path early. Both systems employ the study of symbolism and archetypes, creative visualizations, guided imagery, journal work, and meditation. Both seek the actualization of an integrated personality, known as self-realization.
However, Qabala transcends the realm of psychology and the mind; it seeks to use the trained psyche or soul as a vehicle for God-realization. Hence, its emphasis on purification and discipline of the mind and body in service to the soul. This is the task of mystical meditation, whose goal is beyond the realm of the mind. The transpersonal goal is valued more highly than the personal sacrifice which is a condition of success in this endeavor. Yet Qabala is a "householder's yoga" which need not take us away from worldly life and our duties.
We can integrate both ancient qabalistic and modern psychological teachings into our daily lives. Qabala adapts to the continuing changes of contemporary society since it not a dogmatic, historic curiosity whose mysteries are frozen in antiquity. Rather, it is a living science of the soul, an evolving system of spiritual development accessible to anyone with a desire for higher knowledge and depth experience.
The Qabala is a blueprint of a holistic lifestyle. It is a way to tie your various studies together, relating them to each other, and enabling you to understand each more completely. It is also a useful guide and objective measure of your personal growth.
Dion Fortune defines Qabala as "an attempt to reduce to diagrammatic form every force and factor in the manifested universe and the soul of man; to correlate them to one another and reveal them spread out as a map so the relative positions between them can be seen and the relations between them traced. . .a compendium of science, psychology, philosophy and theology." We might add that the Qabala encodes a maximum amount of information in a minimum number of graphic elements, i.e. spheres, paths, number/letters, and colors. It is a universal code.
Israel Regardie calls the Qabala, "a trustworthy guide leading to a comprehension of both the Universe and one's own Self." From Gareth Knight we hear, "A practical method for the interrelations of various systems of symbols." For example, if you know one symbol system, say astrology, you can readily translate it over into another, such as gods and goddesses, by means of the Tree of Life.
Qabala, as a system of attaining direct religious experience, has been called a step-ladder of spiritual growth, the Ladder of Lights. It may also be used as a study of comparative religions, with their goals mapped at the various stations. W.E. Butler termed it "a method of using the mind in a practical and constantly widening consideration of the Universal soul of man." The methods of QBL require that the mind be tamed and trained and its lower desires subjugated to the higher Will.
One of my favorite (slightly outdated) metaphors likens the Qabala to a filing cabinet which contains the Universe. It functions as a filing cabinet for mental concepts, giving a place for everything within the 32 files of the Tree. This data base can be used as a retrieval system, not only to contact the information you've stored there, but also that which is warehoused there from the collective unconscious. Through it, we connect with a vast spiritual heritage, that of previous practitioners of QBL. It brings us in touch with experiences similar to those who have gone before us on this Way.
Regardie states that, "the art of using our filing cabinet arrangement brings home to us the common nature (or essence) of certain things, the essential difference between others, and the inevitable connection of all things. Moreover, and this is extremely important, by the acquisition of an understanding of any one system of mystical philosophy or religion, one automatically acquires, when relating that comprehension to the Tree of Life, an understanding of every system. So that ultimately, by a species of association of impersonal and abstract idead, one gradually equilibrates the whole of one's own mental structure and obtains a simple view of the incalculably vast complexity of the universe."
From the Qabalist's perspective, equilibrium is the basis of the work. Qabala functions as an ancient general systems, theory, allowing us to relate that which is apparently separate. Serious students make a careful study of the attributes of the Tree and commit them to memory. They function automatically as mnemonic devices to stimulate synergetic perception of reality.
Jung alleged that there are gods within each illness or dis-ease we experience. Each archetype or godform has its own corresponding pathologies. When we realize that our identities are composed of various complexes (or subpersonalities) and realize that there are different mental and spiritual spaces, we are already engaged in some form of Qabala. The Tree of Life is a map to these consciousness states, and their balancing forces.
In depth psychology we find modern terms for these states of consciousness. In ancient texts we find the names for these spaces and techniques to contact or enter them. The map of inner consciousness unites the soul with the Universe. We move through this map, up the Ladder of Lights by means of the process of progressive identification with higher states, and disidentification with lower ones. We don't lose the lower levels, but bring them into a symphonic relationship with the higher ones. This is the spiritual approach to healing dis-ease.
The Tree of Life, as a graphic representation of the creation, leads to the communion of the mundane, conscious self with both the subconscious and superconscious Self. The subconscious includes the body with its virtual, subatomic (quantum), atomic, molecular, and genetic organization, autonomic functions, and the personal unconscious of forgotten or repressed desires and memories--the psychophysical. The superconcious is the spiritual self or the god-within.
As with all good road maps, the Tree of Life helps guide you to your destination, but the map is not the territory. In the case of this map, problem solving, obtaining goals, and spiritual experience are the ultimate destinations. Goal setting is a positive thing; without goals we flounder. This is the basis of becoming a "seeker," and then an initiate. Initiation is only the beginning of the process. The imparted teaching must be applied. The ego can initially do those things which lead to its own transcendence, but in the higher stages progress comes through God's Grace.
The Tree has various directional coordinates connecting the spheres, called "paths." The paths are transitional stages while the spheres themselves may be considered discrete states of consciousness or archetypal modes of Being, rather than Becoming. Each of the 22 paths has a series of exercises that strengthen, prepare, and test the body, emotions, mind, and spirit. A student of the Qabala does "pathworking" for spiritual growth.
There are two major divisions to the study of the Tree of Life. The first way to approach it is philosophical. The doctrine of the Qabala includes an elaborate conception of the birth of the universe, or a cosmology. It outlines detailed hierarchies of entities controlling the various inner realms which lie between the mundane sphere of the earth and the abode of God, as unmanifest Reality. This "blueprint of the Universe" may be studied, and contemplated or meditated upon. Recent investigations reveal that the pattern of the Tree is implicit in the formation of all atomic elements (see The Diamond Body). It is the geometrical basis of natural philosophy.
Once we are familiar with the basic concepts we have the option of approaching the Tree from a practical, experiential perspective. Here the information we learned through study is put into applied practice. This application has been called "magic" from the earliest times, from the same root as Magi, the Mesopotamian wise men, priests and atronomers. Astrology and magic were invented and developed in ancient Mesopotamia.
In contemporary mystical terms, it primarily indicates the building up of multi-sensory mental images or impressions. Sometimes we must resort to sensory stimulation to engrain or reinforce these symbolic images. This is one value of ceremony or ritual: to set up a system for evoking psychosensory subliminal responses which can transform the personality.
The most basic use of the Qabala in our daily living is as a touchstone for solving our personal problems and gaining a transpersonal perspective which transcends our mundane life. Do your actions and choices create more karma? Do they take you closer or further away from your spiritual objectives? The effect of discrimination and better choices is therapeutic for the personality and healing for the soul. It promotes healthy self-esteem and personal integrity. It increases compassion, wisdom, and understanding.
When the fragmentation in our personality begins to heal, we experience rebirth as a more integrated personality. Once we have addressed our major psychological conflicts, the mind becomes calm enough to begin meditation. Those who have mastered this technique are enlightened sages, called masters. They describe the mind as a veil convering and encumbering the soul.
This mind is seen as tied in a knot with the soul. Therefore, whatever the mind does, the soul is dragged along. If the mind is taken outside, willy-nilly by the senses, soul is scattered in phenomena, maya, or illusion. If the attention goes within--to the Eye Center in meditation--soul can collect and ascend to higher regions. The mind is necessary for the soul to express itself on material planes just as a diving suit is necessary for any prolonged stay underwater.
The goal of many meditation schools is Universal Mind, or Brahm. But these schools may not speak of soul, per se, although they do address its phenomena. The Tree of Life shows the dominion of mind terminating at The Abyss. The upper one-third of the Tree--the Supernal Triad--supercedes Universal Mind. It exists in an altogeher different dimension, an archetypal dimension beyond even subtle manifestation. Masters speak of entering this realm in their meditations, once the soul is freed from the mind. But your model or worldview must include the possibility of Reality beyond Universal Mind, or you won't even seek it.
Qabala describes four discrete aspects of the soul:
1) GUPH, the material or physical body;
2) NEPHESH, the desire body, instinctual nature, psychosexual self;
3) RUACH, the mental body of personality including memory, will, imagination, and reason;
4) NESCHAMAH, the soul unfettered by its mingling with the mind. A pure spark of divinity which has the capacity to merge back into Godhead.
Neschamah manifests in the life of the self-realized individual. In fact, the realization is that one is indeed this being of pure light, "I AM THAT."
THE TREE OF LIFE & DEPTH PSYCHOLOGYWe can use the Tree as a technology for connecting with Higher Power, however, we comprehend that notion or force. Using the modern language of psychology (language of the soul) as a level of communication, we can elucidate each sphere in terms of Jungian archetypes, and the various myths associated with that sphere. Briefly, we can make the following associations: #10 MALKUTH: The Seeker. Can be associated with the initation of the process of individuation or coming-to-wholeness. It is not the process itself, but the starting point. This sphere is also associated with the central nervous system and brain as the physical plane seat of consciousness. It is an aspect of personal consciousness as well as the personal unconscious. Jung speaks of psychosomatic disorders, ideomotor responses, and the archetype of the Persona or social mask; the archetype of the Shadow is our potential both for evil and unlived good; the archetype of the Double is our immortal counterpart. Mythic correspondences of the earthy sphere include Demeter/Persephone, earth mother and maiden bride; Gaia, primal matter; Pan, the nature god; and Hestia, goddess of the hearth, the center. Simple counseling and supportive therapy are appropriate at this phase. It means the end of denial and acknowledgement of the problem.
#9 YESOD: The Dreamer. Corresponds with the moon and 'lunar' consciousness. Also known as the Astral Plane, the realm of waking and sleeping dreams, hypnosis, and twilight imagery. The level of metaphorical perception as contrasted with literal interpretation or "acting out" of Malkuth. Psychosexual, linked to the ego, or emotional concept of self-identity as personal and unique. Lunar archetypes include the Great Mother, White Goddess, and Virgin Goddesses. Jungian archetype is the Syzygy, or anima/animus (contrasexual aspects of self) as it relates to our love interests.
Goddesses include Isis, Artemis, Athena, and Psyche; they relate either directly to the moon or the woman's mysteries of cyclic death and rebirth, or transformation of consciousness in the crucible of the emotions. This is the level of the subconscious mind and instinctual nature; passions (gland central station). Dreamwork is appropriate therapy for this sphere; psychologies which address this level include psychoanalysis, psychodrama, transactional analysis, reality therapy, ego psychology, and dreamhealing.
#8 HOD: The Thinker. Cultivation of this sphere brings about a rational approach to the world. Mental concepts. We learn to approach our problems in a rational manner, and so make effective decisions based on a true understanding of the issues involved, critical thinking. Corresponds with Jung's synchronicity concept of acausal yet meaningful coincidence. Analogous to Mercury, plane of intellect.
Archetypes include Hermes, the alchemical Mercurius, the Trickster, and 'spirit,' as well as certain aspects of Eros as son/lover. Also the Puer Aeternus ("eternal youth"); those who remain too long in adolescent psychology; adult child syndrome; associated with strong unconscious attachment to the Mother (actual or symbolic), much like Eros held for his mother, Aphrodite.
Positive traits are spontaneity and openness to change. Hermes is a god of prudence, cunning, shrewdness and sagacity; invented alphabet, mathematics, astronomy, weights and measure. A study of the psychological types of personality is effective for a rational approach to the diversity of the human race. Hermeneutics and analytical psychologies correspond.
#7 NETZACH: The Lover. A higher aspect of the emotions which includes aesthetics and the establishment of a personal set of values and ideals based on your own personal experience and inner meaning. Must be balanced with the previous sphere for perfect equilibrium and further access. The realm of divination and oracles; the reflective mirror of the creative imagination. Associated with the planet and goddess Aphrodite.
The archetype of the puella or "eternal girl" is a negative or faulty relationship to the father-world. Cinderella complex. A depth understanding of the feeling function as described in Jungian psychology is useful here to move from an overly dependent (codependent) attitude. Love and victory are its qualities. Mythemes relating to this level include those of Aphrodite, Circe; Orpheus; Tristan and Iseult; Guinevere and Lancelot; Heloise and Abelard.
Therapies for the HOD/NETZACH level connect us with our feelings as well as thoughts and process, release, or transform. This is the level of inner child world which comes prior to spiritual rebirth; known as "original pain" work. Polarity Therapy, Bioenergetics, Rogerian Therapy, Gestalt Therapy, Existential Analysis, Logotherapy and Humanistic Psychology.
#6 TIPHARETH: The Initiate. The central sphere of the Tree allows a harmonizing of the reasoning faculty with the feelings. It permits a rational evaluation of the worth of relationships and situations, not the emotions which are due to the activation of a complex. The abstract level of the higher mind can be developed through symbolism based on the power of the imaginative function.
This is the sphere of the superconscious, and it forms the link between the spiritual nature of man and his lower self. It is the principle of integration. It is the goal of the Invocation of the Holy Guardian Angel in Magick; the Jungian Self. Known as Beauty, this is the sphere of self-realization. It comes spontaneously and uncontrollably in its emergent stages, then stabilizes over time, punctuated by peak experiences (as defined by Maslow).
This is the level of Transpersonal Psychology. There is a shift from therapy toward spiritual discipline--notably meditation. The beginning phases are marked by alpha bliss and inspiration. Its spiritual experience is the sense of rebirth. Its psychological models include "self-actualization" and the concept of high well-being. Among its archetypal expressions we find hero/heroine; the divine or magickal child; the dynamics of the puer/senex (or puells/wise old woman) whose positive manifestations appear in the well-balanced personality; and the mana personality or wounded healer.
Important solar myths include those of Ra, Osiris, Apollo, Mithras, Christ, Attis and Dionysus. Other myths associated here are the divine marriage of Eros (Hod) and Psyche (younger Aphrodite, Netzach), and the story of Ulysses (Odysseus) with its quest to return to his original home (the theme of wounding, scaring, and healing).
This sphere forms the heart of the Collective Unconscious or transpersonal bands of the psyche. The therapies which address this depth level include Jung's Analytical Psychology, Personal Mythology, Psychosynthesis, and the works of Abraham Maslow and Progoff's Process Meditation. To integrate this level is to transcend the realm of traditional psychology and enter that of esoteric religion or mysticism.
In Tiphareth, you contact the archetype of the Self, or Holy Guardian Angel through an I-Thou relationship--a personalized dialogical relationship. It is an inner guiding principle. We are still within the realm of the divine Imagination, not the Clear Light. It is experienced as a transpersonal power which transcends the ego, expanding your sense of "self" beyond that of mere ego personality. This is the level of knowing the nature of your own awareness. The transcendent function is a reconciling "third" which emerges from the unconscious after the conflicting opposites have been consciously differentiated and the tension between them held.
The Self is our inherent guiding principle, if we but listen to it. It is the central archetype of the psyche. The Self is the integrative and transformative center within the psyche from which dreams, visions, and other inspirations originate. It is characterized by the union of opposites such as light and dark, male and female, good and bad. Symbols of the Self express the psychological process of coming to wholeness, and it is the essence of most spiritual experience. The Self represents the fullest extension and potential of an individual, and provides transcendent experiences which come from beyond one's own personal powers by divine grace.
Symbols of the Self include the God-man, or "son of God," the Royal Marriage or divine union; the Philosopher's Stone of alchemy, the Divine Child, the snake eating its tail, the butterfly, the ring, and the tapestry. The self also manifests as synchronicity, or meaningful coincidence, sexual and spiritual ecstasy and absolute clarity. Other symbols include the mandala or magic circle, the temple, treasure, book, gift, bridge, star, seeds, eggs, rainbow, lit candle, and weddings.
The glyph of the Tree of Life gives a firm basis for a study of the nature of man. It is a very ancient mystical symbol which represents the ten Archetypal Ideas or Energies that are the manifestation of the Unknowable Mysteries. By developing in ourselves the psychological counterparts of these energies, we can become re-integrated with our Real Self, and know our true destiny.
Each sphere has ascribed to it a different aspect of the Self which is most closely related to the functioning of the energy in that sphere. They are closely linked and this means that a development of one characteristic will produce an effect in the other. The overall emphasis is that of balance. By identifying the different aspects of our psychological nature in this way, it is also possible to see how existing forms of psychotherapy and other growth experiences can be aligned to various paths on the Tree, according to the functions they utilize, and the spheres which are being developed.
Within each of us are the essentials for the maximization of our psychological and spiritual potential. Yet even those of us who recognize the potentials within ourselves and aspire to realize them, still need an effective means of transformation. One requirement is a form of training which enables the aspirant to recognize, select and direct the will effectively to life's underlying archetypal realities.
To be able to identify these underlying archetypes, in action, we must have a means for classifying them, and dis-identifying from them. We cannot identify an archetype when we are in unconscious identification with it. If we can detach from it--disidentify--we can identify it as a sub- or superpersonality, rather than our personal self. This is the way to combat archetypal invasion.
The archetypes we are concerned with in Qabala are by no means all the possible archetypes which may subsist either in the collective unconscious or Universal Mind. But they are the essential seven which pertain to magical or mystical evolution, indeed all that pertains to human life. Adding to these another three, we have all that pertains to the universe both outer and inner, both cosmic and microcosmic, as seen by humankind. Speaking both physically and metaphysically, we can perceive only those phenomena which we have the faculties to perceive.
These ten archetypal sources of power correspond to the 10 spheres of the Tree. Since we cannot apprehend them directly, happily there is another way of proceeding. This is the Way which magical and mystical practices have ever followed.
Each of the spheres has its counterpart within each one of us; and that counterpart is also a focal point for the power of the sphere in question. We can, therefore, work with these counterparts within ourselves--and for the greatest effectiveness this working involves the body as well as psyche--to gain a living relationship with the powers of these archetypes.
The main qabalistic exercise for awakening and balancing the powers of the Spheres is known as the Middle Pillar Exercise. It is a means of imaginally "bringing in light." It harmonizes our being on the four levels: physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual. The exercise is first enacted with the body, like a ritual, to engrain it firmly in visceral and kinesthetic consciusness. Later, you need only visualize your astral body going through the motions, since it will be "second nature."
This exercise is totally safe from the psychological perspective, since it aims toward balanced growth. To work thus, by image and enactment, by calling forth within the self the effect which is to be produced in the outer world--this, from the earliest times has been the method of priest and magician, and most recently experiential psychologies.
The Middle Pillar Exercise associates the spheres of the Tree with the human body. Kether is visualized as radiant white light above the head. Chokmah is the Third Eye; Binah is at the throat; Tiphareth glows brilliant yellow like the sun in the heart; Chesed and Geburah are left and right shoulders, respectively; Yesod is a violet sphere at the genitals; and Malkuth centers where the feet meet the earth.
THE COSMIC TREEBy animating the Tree within our psychphysical structure we identify with the Anthropos, the primordial cosmic Being. It unites our finite nature with the Universal consciousness. We learn firsthand that we are not separate from that, but one with it in our deepest essence.In the diagram of the Tree of Life, the highest sphere Kether is the primal and unconditioned source of all existence. It precipitates from the three "negative veils of existence." In physics, this is virtual or scalar energy, the stress enegy of the vacuum potential.
Kether is the initial point of positive spiritual energy in our universe, the First Cause, in whatever manner one conceives it (a sort of White Whole). It is also, to the individual person, that particular Divine Flame which is at once the source and center of one's being.
Next, and proceeding from this primal Cause, come the two great spiritual polarities disignated respectively as the Supernal Father (Yang)--creative force in action--and the Supernal Mother (Yin)--formative force in action, giving viability to, but also necessarily in some manner constricting, the energies of the Father.
To the depths of the psyche, these Supernal Parents are represented by the high archetypes of Animus and Anima, in their most exalted aspects. Lesser images of them are made manifest to the less profound levels of the personality. They may be clothed in the cultural bias of a wise old man or psychic wise woman, or with an individual bias may appear as the object of your affection in the archetype is contaminated with personal projections that more appropriately correspond with Yesod.
These top three Spheres are vital to undestanding and using the Tree as a whole, although we do no magical work directly with them. They lie beyond the reach of the mind and its power to actualize our potential. The Third Sphere, that of the Supernal Mother, has however another and more accessible identity as the sphere of Saturn, the highest of the traditional planetary spheres. The power of the Mother, who is both bright and dark (as the Qabalists knew long before Freud discovered her ambivalence), is enthroned as it were behind the figure of Saturn who is ruler of primeval opulence and fecundity and of the barren rocks.
Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Sol, Mercury, Venus, and Luna: these, the seven traditional luminaries of astrology are represented by the third through ninth spheres. Their qabalistic characters are not entirely identical with their astrological influences, although Qabalistic and astrological understanding usefully suppliment one another; but the difference need not detain us here. The three outer planets are considered higher octaves of these potencies (Uranus=Mercury; Neptune=Luna; Pluto=Mars). The tenth and lowest sphere represents this planer Earth, or microcosmically the phyical body. In either case it is seen as the recipient of the influences of all the other spheres. The receptive "Bride of the Universe."
If you know something of the quality of the planets in astrology, you already have a foothold in the Qabalistic system. Beginning with the 10th or bottom sphere, which corresponds with the qualities of Earth, the other correspond as follows: Yesod=#9 the Moon; Hod=#8 Mercury; Netzach=#7 Venus; Tiphareth=#6 the Sun; Geburah=#5 Mars; Chesed=#4 Jupiter; Binah=#3 Saturn; Chokmah=#2 Uraus; Kether=#1 spiritual aspects of Neptune (Alternatively, Chokmah is the Wheel of the Zodiac; Kether, the First Swirlings).
The humanistic or psychological meaning of these associations is as follows:
* Yesod/Luna: Bio-psychic or psychosexual functions and feeling instinct responses. Survival Instincts. Adaptation to life experiences and the provision of the self with nourishment, protection and assistance. Moon symbolizes cyclic time, and death-rebirth energy. Also, action taken to bring about actualization of solar purpose through establishment of relationships and maintenance of self as an individual. Lunar principle enables one to adapt, develop and mature within the area defined by Saturn. Lunation cycle.
* Hod/Mercury: The principles of rationality, interchange, association, relatedness, communication, translation, interpretation. Adoption of techniques and the use of knowledge and skill to function in an effective manner. The intellect, reason and tonal quality of the person. Represents fluidic mind-thinking, logical capacity as well as magical or nervous force, i.e. prana, chi.
* Netzach/Venus: Establishment of values and ideals through inner meaing. All attempts to reach the center an partake in communion with one's self and others. Aesthetics and the establishment of a pattern of appreciation and set of values and ideals. Expression of internal experiences.
* Tiphareth/Sun: Principle of Beauty, harmonization, equilibration, integration. Center and power of Self. The person's purpose and direction in life. Principle of self-actualization and centering, one's True Nature. The person's total self is sustained through the vital force of spiritual consciousness.
* Geburah/Mars: A manifestation of initative, assertion, aggression, activity or will. The centifugal force active within experience. All forms of outwardly directed activity. How you begin and maintain things. Power or Might. Force that demolishes all forms and ideas when their term of usefulness and healthy life is done. Symbolizes not so much a fixed state of things, as an act, a further passage and transition of potentiality into actuality. The warrior-consciousness.
* Chesed/Jupiter: The principle of compassion, mercy, preservation, increase, compensation, expansion and assimilation. The process of individual assimilation of the social consciousness. Realm of ethics and morals. The urge to be a self-sustaining entity consciously participating within the social realm. The establishment of a larger frame of reference and the power to grow through cooperation with experience. Dharma or the individual power of right action. Philosopher/king; Renaissance person.
* Binah/Saturn: The True Self, or Anima; liberated soul cleansed of all traces of the mind. The principle forrm as definition for the purpose of individuation through evolution. Principle of Understanding; Shakti or Shekinah, Maya, Isis; the substantive vehicle of every possible phenomena, physical or mental, just as Chokmah is the essence of consciousness.
* Chokmah/Uranus: The True Will, spiritual energy or libido, creative genius, essence of consciousness. Transformation of the power of transformation and the urge to go beyond the area defined by Saturn. Wisdom. The vital energizing element of existence--pure Spirit or Purusha; the basic reality underlying all manifestations of consciousness. The Word or Logos.
* Kether/Neptune: Liberation; universalization; release of self. Master soul. Highest inspiration. Destruction and dissolution of antiquated foms. Source or root of all physicality and consciusness. The Divine Flame in the microcosm, the primary Cause, the Crown, the Monad (the one indivisible and absolute consciousness thrilling throughout every particle and infinitesimal point in the manifested universe in Space.
We can train ourselves to be able to attune to the various spheres, at will. That is, we can learn to induce in ourselves the magical state of consciousness of each (at least the lower seven). Our first objective in doing this is to familiarize ourselves with the primary characteristics of each sphere. This will strengthen the counterpart of each of the powers within the depths of your psyche. This is nourishing and increases your personal potential, and at the same time ensures the balanced progress of your psychological and spiritual development.
Having strengthened these archetypal counterparts and enhanced your awareness of them, and having learned to attune yourself readily to the powers of the spheres, you will be able to draw upon the mighty resources of one or another of those powers as you require, either in psychophysical, psychosexual, and psychological exercises, rituals, meditation, or daily life.
The Qabala is thus a system of relationships among mystical symbols which can be used to open access to the hidden reaches of the mind--beyond the frontiers of reason. Qabala gives us the means to penetrate the meaning behind symbolism, and pass through its interdimensional gates.
It could be regarded as the mystical process in reverse. A natural mystic will have visions by what he calls "the Grace of God" and then attempt to write down his experience in symbolism or analogy. He seeks the nearest approximate metaphors in the language of the mind. The Qabala, by a study of symbolism and archetypes, helps the Qabalist to break through to the reality that the mystic has attempted to describe.
Universal symbolism is more or less immutable in basic significance. The symbolism of mystical man includes the birth mysticism of origins, the heroic battles of the mysticism of love and rebirth, and the mysteries of death and the afterlife. On the Tree of Life, these are all coordinated by the central sphere, Tiphareth, the Sun. It symbolizes the rosy dawn of illumination after crossing the realm of the stars and the moon. Numerical symbolism is shown in the essential 3-ness of the triangle, the Three-In-One of Divinity; the thesis, antithesis and synthesis of Hegelian philosophy; the possible modes of manifestation of force--active, passive and equilibrated. The Sun is the center of a system, source of light, sustainer of life and is a symbol of Deity, etc.
The Tree of Life is waiting to share its fruits with us if we but partake. It is the source of spiritual nourishment. May you eat hearty and enjoy the savor of the One Taste.
Love bade me welcome; yet my soul drew back,
Guilty of dust and sin.
But quick-eyed Love, observing me grow slack
From my first entrance in,
Drew nearer to me, sweetly questioning
If I lacked anything.
'A guest,' I answered, 'worthy to be here.'
Love said, 'You shall be he.'
'I the unkind, ungrateful? Ah, my dear,
I cannot look on Thee.'
Love took my hand, and smiling did reply,
'Who made the eyes but I?'
'Truth Lord, but I have marred them;
Let my shame go where it doth deserve.'
'And know you not,' says Love, 'who bore the blame?'
'My dear, then, I will serve.'
'You must sit down,' says Love, 'and taste my meat:'
So I did sit and eat.
#9 YESOD: The Dreamer. Corresponds with the moon and 'lunar' consciousness. Also known as the Astral Plane, the realm of waking and sleeping dreams, hypnosis, and twilight imagery. The level of metaphorical perception as contrasted with literal interpretation or "acting out" of Malkuth. Psychosexual, linked to the ego, or emotional concept of self-identity as personal and unique. Lunar archetypes include the Great Mother, White Goddess, and Virgin Goddesses. Jungian archetype is the Syzygy, or anima/animus (contrasexual aspects of self) as it relates to our love interests.
Goddesses include Isis, Artemis, Athena, and Psyche; they relate either directly to the moon or the woman's mysteries of cyclic death and rebirth, or transformation of consciousness in the crucible of the emotions. This is the level of the subconscious mind and instinctual nature; passions (gland central station). Dreamwork is appropriate therapy for this sphere; psychologies which address this level include psychoanalysis, psychodrama, transactional analysis, reality therapy, ego psychology, and dreamhealing.
#8 HOD: The Thinker. Cultivation of this sphere brings about a rational approach to the world. Mental concepts. We learn to approach our problems in a rational manner, and so make effective decisions based on a true understanding of the issues involved, critical thinking. Corresponds with Jung's synchronicity concept of acausal yet meaningful coincidence. Analogous to Mercury, plane of intellect.
Archetypes include Hermes, the alchemical Mercurius, the Trickster, and 'spirit,' as well as certain aspects of Eros as son/lover. Also the Puer Aeternus ("eternal youth"); those who remain too long in adolescent psychology; adult child syndrome; associated with strong unconscious attachment to the Mother (actual or symbolic), much like Eros held for his mother, Aphrodite.
Positive traits are spontaneity and openness to change. Hermes is a god of prudence, cunning, shrewdness and sagacity; invented alphabet, mathematics, astronomy, weights and measure. A study of the psychological types of personality is effective for a rational approach to the diversity of the human race. Hermeneutics and analytical psychologies correspond.
#7 NETZACH: The Lover. A higher aspect of the emotions which includes aesthetics and the establishment of a personal set of values and ideals based on your own personal experience and inner meaning. Must be balanced with the previous sphere for perfect equilibrium and further access. The realm of divination and oracles; the reflective mirror of the creative imagination. Associated with the planet and goddess Aphrodite.
The archetype of the puella or "eternal girl" is a negative or faulty relationship to the father-world. Cinderella complex. A depth understanding of the feeling function as described in Jungian psychology is useful here to move from an overly dependent (codependent) attitude. Love and victory are its qualities. Mythemes relating to this level include those of Aphrodite, Circe; Orpheus; Tristan and Iseult; Guinevere and Lancelot; Heloise and Abelard.
Therapies for the HOD/NETZACH level connect us with our feelings as well as thoughts and process, release, or transform. This is the level of inner child world which comes prior to spiritual rebirth; known as "original pain" work. Polarity Therapy, Bioenergetics, Rogerian Therapy, Gestalt Therapy, Existential Analysis, Logotherapy and Humanistic Psychology.
#6 TIPHARETH: The Initiate. The central sphere of the Tree allows a harmonizing of the reasoning faculty with the feelings. It permits a rational evaluation of the worth of relationships and situations, not the emotions which are due to the activation of a complex. The abstract level of the higher mind can be developed through symbolism based on the power of the imaginative function.
This is the sphere of the superconscious, and it forms the link between the spiritual nature of man and his lower self. It is the principle of integration. It is the goal of the Invocation of the Holy Guardian Angel in Magick; the Jungian Self. Known as Beauty, this is the sphere of self-realization. It comes spontaneously and uncontrollably in its emergent stages, then stabilizes over time, punctuated by peak experiences (as defined by Maslow).
This is the level of Transpersonal Psychology. There is a shift from therapy toward spiritual discipline--notably meditation. The beginning phases are marked by alpha bliss and inspiration. Its spiritual experience is the sense of rebirth. Its psychological models include "self-actualization" and the concept of high well-being. Among its archetypal expressions we find hero/heroine; the divine or magickal child; the dynamics of the puer/senex (or puells/wise old woman) whose positive manifestations appear in the well-balanced personality; and the mana personality or wounded healer.
Important solar myths include those of Ra, Osiris, Apollo, Mithras, Christ, Attis and Dionysus. Other myths associated here are the divine marriage of Eros (Hod) and Psyche (younger Aphrodite, Netzach), and the story of Ulysses (Odysseus) with its quest to return to his original home (the theme of wounding, scaring, and healing).
This sphere forms the heart of the Collective Unconscious or transpersonal bands of the psyche. The therapies which address this depth level include Jung's Analytical Psychology, Personal Mythology, Psychosynthesis, and the works of Abraham Maslow and Progoff's Process Meditation. To integrate this level is to transcend the realm of traditional psychology and enter that of esoteric religion or mysticism.
In Tiphareth, you contact the archetype of the Self, or Holy Guardian Angel through an I-Thou relationship--a personalized dialogical relationship. It is an inner guiding principle. We are still within the realm of the divine Imagination, not the Clear Light. It is experienced as a transpersonal power which transcends the ego, expanding your sense of "self" beyond that of mere ego personality. This is the level of knowing the nature of your own awareness. The transcendent function is a reconciling "third" which emerges from the unconscious after the conflicting opposites have been consciously differentiated and the tension between them held.
The Self is our inherent guiding principle, if we but listen to it. It is the central archetype of the psyche. The Self is the integrative and transformative center within the psyche from which dreams, visions, and other inspirations originate. It is characterized by the union of opposites such as light and dark, male and female, good and bad. Symbols of the Self express the psychological process of coming to wholeness, and it is the essence of most spiritual experience. The Self represents the fullest extension and potential of an individual, and provides transcendent experiences which come from beyond one's own personal powers by divine grace.
Symbols of the Self include the God-man, or "son of God," the Royal Marriage or divine union; the Philosopher's Stone of alchemy, the Divine Child, the snake eating its tail, the butterfly, the ring, and the tapestry. The self also manifests as synchronicity, or meaningful coincidence, sexual and spiritual ecstasy and absolute clarity. Other symbols include the mandala or magic circle, the temple, treasure, book, gift, bridge, star, seeds, eggs, rainbow, lit candle, and weddings.
The glyph of the Tree of Life gives a firm basis for a study of the nature of man. It is a very ancient mystical symbol which represents the ten Archetypal Ideas or Energies that are the manifestation of the Unknowable Mysteries. By developing in ourselves the psychological counterparts of these energies, we can become re-integrated with our Real Self, and know our true destiny.
Each sphere has ascribed to it a different aspect of the Self which is most closely related to the functioning of the energy in that sphere. They are closely linked and this means that a development of one characteristic will produce an effect in the other. The overall emphasis is that of balance. By identifying the different aspects of our psychological nature in this way, it is also possible to see how existing forms of psychotherapy and other growth experiences can be aligned to various paths on the Tree, according to the functions they utilize, and the spheres which are being developed.
Within each of us are the essentials for the maximization of our psychological and spiritual potential. Yet even those of us who recognize the potentials within ourselves and aspire to realize them, still need an effective means of transformation. One requirement is a form of training which enables the aspirant to recognize, select and direct the will effectively to life's underlying archetypal realities.
To be able to identify these underlying archetypes, in action, we must have a means for classifying them, and dis-identifying from them. We cannot identify an archetype when we are in unconscious identification with it. If we can detach from it--disidentify--we can identify it as a sub- or superpersonality, rather than our personal self. This is the way to combat archetypal invasion.
The archetypes we are concerned with in Qabala are by no means all the possible archetypes which may subsist either in the collective unconscious or Universal Mind. But they are the essential seven which pertain to magical or mystical evolution, indeed all that pertains to human life. Adding to these another three, we have all that pertains to the universe both outer and inner, both cosmic and microcosmic, as seen by humankind. Speaking both physically and metaphysically, we can perceive only those phenomena which we have the faculties to perceive.
These ten archetypal sources of power correspond to the 10 spheres of the Tree. Since we cannot apprehend them directly, happily there is another way of proceeding. This is the Way which magical and mystical practices have ever followed.
Each of the spheres has its counterpart within each one of us; and that counterpart is also a focal point for the power of the sphere in question. We can, therefore, work with these counterparts within ourselves--and for the greatest effectiveness this working involves the body as well as psyche--to gain a living relationship with the powers of these archetypes.
The main qabalistic exercise for awakening and balancing the powers of the Spheres is known as the Middle Pillar Exercise. It is a means of imaginally "bringing in light." It harmonizes our being on the four levels: physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual. The exercise is first enacted with the body, like a ritual, to engrain it firmly in visceral and kinesthetic consciusness. Later, you need only visualize your astral body going through the motions, since it will be "second nature."
This exercise is totally safe from the psychological perspective, since it aims toward balanced growth. To work thus, by image and enactment, by calling forth within the self the effect which is to be produced in the outer world--this, from the earliest times has been the method of priest and magician, and most recently experiential psychologies.
The Middle Pillar Exercise associates the spheres of the Tree with the human body. Kether is visualized as radiant white light above the head. Chokmah is the Third Eye; Binah is at the throat; Tiphareth glows brilliant yellow like the sun in the heart; Chesed and Geburah are left and right shoulders, respectively; Yesod is a violet sphere at the genitals; and Malkuth centers where the feet meet the earth.
THE COSMIC TREEBy animating the Tree within our psychphysical structure we identify with the Anthropos, the primordial cosmic Being. It unites our finite nature with the Universal consciousness. We learn firsthand that we are not separate from that, but one with it in our deepest essence.In the diagram of the Tree of Life, the highest sphere Kether is the primal and unconditioned source of all existence. It precipitates from the three "negative veils of existence." In physics, this is virtual or scalar energy, the stress enegy of the vacuum potential.
Kether is the initial point of positive spiritual energy in our universe, the First Cause, in whatever manner one conceives it (a sort of White Whole). It is also, to the individual person, that particular Divine Flame which is at once the source and center of one's being.
Next, and proceeding from this primal Cause, come the two great spiritual polarities disignated respectively as the Supernal Father (Yang)--creative force in action--and the Supernal Mother (Yin)--formative force in action, giving viability to, but also necessarily in some manner constricting, the energies of the Father.
To the depths of the psyche, these Supernal Parents are represented by the high archetypes of Animus and Anima, in their most exalted aspects. Lesser images of them are made manifest to the less profound levels of the personality. They may be clothed in the cultural bias of a wise old man or psychic wise woman, or with an individual bias may appear as the object of your affection in the archetype is contaminated with personal projections that more appropriately correspond with Yesod.
These top three Spheres are vital to undestanding and using the Tree as a whole, although we do no magical work directly with them. They lie beyond the reach of the mind and its power to actualize our potential. The Third Sphere, that of the Supernal Mother, has however another and more accessible identity as the sphere of Saturn, the highest of the traditional planetary spheres. The power of the Mother, who is both bright and dark (as the Qabalists knew long before Freud discovered her ambivalence), is enthroned as it were behind the figure of Saturn who is ruler of primeval opulence and fecundity and of the barren rocks.
Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Sol, Mercury, Venus, and Luna: these, the seven traditional luminaries of astrology are represented by the third through ninth spheres. Their qabalistic characters are not entirely identical with their astrological influences, although Qabalistic and astrological understanding usefully suppliment one another; but the difference need not detain us here. The three outer planets are considered higher octaves of these potencies (Uranus=Mercury; Neptune=Luna; Pluto=Mars). The tenth and lowest sphere represents this planer Earth, or microcosmically the phyical body. In either case it is seen as the recipient of the influences of all the other spheres. The receptive "Bride of the Universe."
If you know something of the quality of the planets in astrology, you already have a foothold in the Qabalistic system. Beginning with the 10th or bottom sphere, which corresponds with the qualities of Earth, the other correspond as follows: Yesod=#9 the Moon; Hod=#8 Mercury; Netzach=#7 Venus; Tiphareth=#6 the Sun; Geburah=#5 Mars; Chesed=#4 Jupiter; Binah=#3 Saturn; Chokmah=#2 Uraus; Kether=#1 spiritual aspects of Neptune (Alternatively, Chokmah is the Wheel of the Zodiac; Kether, the First Swirlings).
The humanistic or psychological meaning of these associations is as follows:
* Yesod/Luna: Bio-psychic or psychosexual functions and feeling instinct responses. Survival Instincts. Adaptation to life experiences and the provision of the self with nourishment, protection and assistance. Moon symbolizes cyclic time, and death-rebirth energy. Also, action taken to bring about actualization of solar purpose through establishment of relationships and maintenance of self as an individual. Lunar principle enables one to adapt, develop and mature within the area defined by Saturn. Lunation cycle.
* Hod/Mercury: The principles of rationality, interchange, association, relatedness, communication, translation, interpretation. Adoption of techniques and the use of knowledge and skill to function in an effective manner. The intellect, reason and tonal quality of the person. Represents fluidic mind-thinking, logical capacity as well as magical or nervous force, i.e. prana, chi.
* Netzach/Venus: Establishment of values and ideals through inner meaing. All attempts to reach the center an partake in communion with one's self and others. Aesthetics and the establishment of a pattern of appreciation and set of values and ideals. Expression of internal experiences.
* Tiphareth/Sun: Principle of Beauty, harmonization, equilibration, integration. Center and power of Self. The person's purpose and direction in life. Principle of self-actualization and centering, one's True Nature. The person's total self is sustained through the vital force of spiritual consciousness.
* Geburah/Mars: A manifestation of initative, assertion, aggression, activity or will. The centifugal force active within experience. All forms of outwardly directed activity. How you begin and maintain things. Power or Might. Force that demolishes all forms and ideas when their term of usefulness and healthy life is done. Symbolizes not so much a fixed state of things, as an act, a further passage and transition of potentiality into actuality. The warrior-consciousness.
* Chesed/Jupiter: The principle of compassion, mercy, preservation, increase, compensation, expansion and assimilation. The process of individual assimilation of the social consciousness. Realm of ethics and morals. The urge to be a self-sustaining entity consciously participating within the social realm. The establishment of a larger frame of reference and the power to grow through cooperation with experience. Dharma or the individual power of right action. Philosopher/king; Renaissance person.
* Binah/Saturn: The True Self, or Anima; liberated soul cleansed of all traces of the mind. The principle forrm as definition for the purpose of individuation through evolution. Principle of Understanding; Shakti or Shekinah, Maya, Isis; the substantive vehicle of every possible phenomena, physical or mental, just as Chokmah is the essence of consciousness.
* Chokmah/Uranus: The True Will, spiritual energy or libido, creative genius, essence of consciousness. Transformation of the power of transformation and the urge to go beyond the area defined by Saturn. Wisdom. The vital energizing element of existence--pure Spirit or Purusha; the basic reality underlying all manifestations of consciousness. The Word or Logos.
* Kether/Neptune: Liberation; universalization; release of self. Master soul. Highest inspiration. Destruction and dissolution of antiquated foms. Source or root of all physicality and consciusness. The Divine Flame in the microcosm, the primary Cause, the Crown, the Monad (the one indivisible and absolute consciousness thrilling throughout every particle and infinitesimal point in the manifested universe in Space.
We can train ourselves to be able to attune to the various spheres, at will. That is, we can learn to induce in ourselves the magical state of consciousness of each (at least the lower seven). Our first objective in doing this is to familiarize ourselves with the primary characteristics of each sphere. This will strengthen the counterpart of each of the powers within the depths of your psyche. This is nourishing and increases your personal potential, and at the same time ensures the balanced progress of your psychological and spiritual development.
Having strengthened these archetypal counterparts and enhanced your awareness of them, and having learned to attune yourself readily to the powers of the spheres, you will be able to draw upon the mighty resources of one or another of those powers as you require, either in psychophysical, psychosexual, and psychological exercises, rituals, meditation, or daily life.
The Qabala is thus a system of relationships among mystical symbols which can be used to open access to the hidden reaches of the mind--beyond the frontiers of reason. Qabala gives us the means to penetrate the meaning behind symbolism, and pass through its interdimensional gates.
It could be regarded as the mystical process in reverse. A natural mystic will have visions by what he calls "the Grace of God" and then attempt to write down his experience in symbolism or analogy. He seeks the nearest approximate metaphors in the language of the mind. The Qabala, by a study of symbolism and archetypes, helps the Qabalist to break through to the reality that the mystic has attempted to describe.
Universal symbolism is more or less immutable in basic significance. The symbolism of mystical man includes the birth mysticism of origins, the heroic battles of the mysticism of love and rebirth, and the mysteries of death and the afterlife. On the Tree of Life, these are all coordinated by the central sphere, Tiphareth, the Sun. It symbolizes the rosy dawn of illumination after crossing the realm of the stars and the moon. Numerical symbolism is shown in the essential 3-ness of the triangle, the Three-In-One of Divinity; the thesis, antithesis and synthesis of Hegelian philosophy; the possible modes of manifestation of force--active, passive and equilibrated. The Sun is the center of a system, source of light, sustainer of life and is a symbol of Deity, etc.
The Tree of Life is waiting to share its fruits with us if we but partake. It is the source of spiritual nourishment. May you eat hearty and enjoy the savor of the One Taste.
Love bade me welcome; yet my soul drew back,
Guilty of dust and sin.
But quick-eyed Love, observing me grow slack
From my first entrance in,
Drew nearer to me, sweetly questioning
If I lacked anything.
'A guest,' I answered, 'worthy to be here.'
Love said, 'You shall be he.'
'I the unkind, ungrateful? Ah, my dear,
I cannot look on Thee.'
Love took my hand, and smiling did reply,
'Who made the eyes but I?'
'Truth Lord, but I have marred them;
Let my shame go where it doth deserve.'
'And know you not,' says Love, 'who bore the blame?'
'My dear, then, I will serve.'
'You must sit down,' says Love, 'and taste my meat:'
So I did sit and eat.
1. KETHER
Qabala As A Spiritual Path
NEW! 8/02 : Mysticism in Judaism and Kabbalah
2. CHOKMAH
"The Diamond Body: Buckminster Fuller and the Qabala"
The Diamond Body: A Modern Alchemical View of the Philosopher's Stone
3. BINAH
Anatomy of the Star Goddess:Quantum Cosmology, Virtual States, and Scalar Fields
DAATH
"Cosmic Time Travel"
"Re-Visioning Middle Pillar: The Torus/Twistor Model"
Review: "The Self-Aware Universe"
4. CHESED
Pantheon: Archetypal Godforms in Daily Life
New Chapters, 2002:
Uranus
Hermes
Artemis
Aphrodite
Athena
Hera
Eros & Psyche
Hestia
Demeter/Persephone
Hephaistos
Zeus
Themis
Poseidon
Thanatos
Artemis & Apollo
Pan/Priapus
Ares
Rhea
Hekate
Apollo
Hades/Dionysus
Cronos
5. GEBURAH
"The Synergetic Qabala"
6. TIPHARETH
THE HOLISTIC QABALA:
A Contemporary Guide to MagickGo to: TABLE OF CONTENTSNew, 7/2002:
Intro: Malkuth
Full text: BOOK I - Sphere 10: Malkuth, the Earth
Intro: The Universe
Full text: BOOK II - Path 32: The Universe, Saturn
Intro: Yesod
Full text: BOOK III - Sphere 9: Yesod, the Moon
Intro: Hod
Intro: Netzach
Intro: Art
Full text: BOOK VI - Path 25
Intro: Tiphareth
Full text:BOOK VII - Sphere 6: Tiphareth, the Sun
7. NETZACH
Psychogenesis: Qabalistic Art
New 6/2002: Qabala Art GalleriesGallery I: Metaphorms & Mythical Realities
Gallery II: Sacred Geometries
Gallery III: Magickal Luminaries
Gallery IV: Psychogenesis Collages
8. HOD
The Auric Key: Syndex I and Syndex II
9. YESOD
Yesod; Sphere 9 - Holistic Qabala
New 2002: VIRTUAL TANTRA
TANTRIC LUNAR RESONANCE MEDITATION
INTRODUCTION TO ALCHEMY in Jungian Psychology
"Virtual Magick"
"Virtual Therapy"
"Dreamguide: Navigating the Stream of Consciousness"
10. MALKUTH
Malkuth; Sphere 10 - Holistic Qabala
"The Development of the Psychedelic Individual"
"The Relativity of Body and Soul"
Qabala As A Spiritual Path
NEW! 8/02 : Mysticism in Judaism and Kabbalah
2. CHOKMAH
"The Diamond Body: Buckminster Fuller and the Qabala"
The Diamond Body: A Modern Alchemical View of the Philosopher's Stone
3. BINAH
Anatomy of the Star Goddess:Quantum Cosmology, Virtual States, and Scalar Fields
DAATH
"Cosmic Time Travel"
"Re-Visioning Middle Pillar: The Torus/Twistor Model"
Review: "The Self-Aware Universe"
4. CHESED
Pantheon: Archetypal Godforms in Daily Life
New Chapters, 2002:
Uranus
Hermes
Artemis
Aphrodite
Athena
Hera
Eros & Psyche
Hestia
Demeter/Persephone
Hephaistos
Zeus
Themis
Poseidon
Thanatos
Artemis & Apollo
Pan/Priapus
Ares
Rhea
Hekate
Apollo
Hades/Dionysus
Cronos
5. GEBURAH
"The Synergetic Qabala"
6. TIPHARETH
THE HOLISTIC QABALA:
A Contemporary Guide to MagickGo to: TABLE OF CONTENTSNew, 7/2002:
Intro: Malkuth
Full text: BOOK I - Sphere 10: Malkuth, the Earth
Intro: The Universe
Full text: BOOK II - Path 32: The Universe, Saturn
Intro: Yesod
Full text: BOOK III - Sphere 9: Yesod, the Moon
Intro: Hod
Intro: Netzach
Intro: Art
Full text: BOOK VI - Path 25
Intro: Tiphareth
Full text:BOOK VII - Sphere 6: Tiphareth, the Sun
7. NETZACH
Psychogenesis: Qabalistic Art
New 6/2002: Qabala Art GalleriesGallery I: Metaphorms & Mythical Realities
Gallery II: Sacred Geometries
Gallery III: Magickal Luminaries
Gallery IV: Psychogenesis Collages
8. HOD
The Auric Key: Syndex I and Syndex II
9. YESOD
Yesod; Sphere 9 - Holistic Qabala
New 2002: VIRTUAL TANTRA
TANTRIC LUNAR RESONANCE MEDITATION
INTRODUCTION TO ALCHEMY in Jungian Psychology
"Virtual Magick"
"Virtual Therapy"
"Dreamguide: Navigating the Stream of Consciousness"
10. MALKUTH
Malkuth; Sphere 10 - Holistic Qabala
"The Development of the Psychedelic Individual"
"The Relativity of Body and Soul"
Bucky Fuller meets Qabalah
Buckminster Fuller & the Qabalah
By Iona Miller, 1999
"IO [I/O] is the cry of the lower as OI [O/I] of the higher. In figures they are 1001, in Joy. For when all is equilibrated, when all is beheld without all, there is joy, joy, joy that is but one facet of a diamond, every other facet whereof is more joyful than joy itself."
Aleister Crowley, The Dragon-Flies
SACRED GEOMETRY:
According to most creation stories, out of primal Nothingness, the All or Everything emerges or emanates. Paradoxically, everything seems to come from nothing. How does nothing become something? Energy "crystallizes" into matter in the womb of empty space, a dynamic Void. Mass is simply a form of energy. This process is structured by an underlying, invisible, geometrical lattice. Actually, it is pre-geometric. Because it has no true physical existence, it is metaphysical (beyond physics). This threshold of matter, where nothing becomes something, is of great philosophical interest.
Actually, materialism (a natural philosophy) is a theory of metaphysics. It is metaphysical thinking to consider static matter as a primary reality. In fact, any attempt to describe reality is metaphysical speculation. In its dynamic form matter cannot be separated from energy. Energy is a property of matter, which can be considered potential energy. The mystic believes in matter, but believes it is more than science has yet discovered. Even before Western science began, mystics believed that mind, consciousness, or spirit is a property of matter. It hardly matters, philosophically, if you consider it as manifesting force or manifesting spirit.
The nature of reality is that matter-energy must be taken together .The theory of relativity conceives of this single substance as a distortion of the structure of space. Physicist Ian Barbour writes that, "...in quantum theory, separate particles seem to be temporary and partial manifestations of a shifting pattern of waves that combine at one point, dissolve again, and recombine elsewhere; a particle begins to look like a local outcropping of a continuous substratum of vibrational energy." That vibrational energy is governed by the laws of probability.
But what subtle forces underlie matter-energy and space-time? All form and power are latent within the void. The Heart Sutra tells us that, "Form is not other than Void, Void is not other than Form." This implies that our human form is not other than void, and biophysics shows this to be true. Our physical makeup is largely emptiness. If we conceive of humans as being most fundamentally electromagnetic entities, instead of chemical beings, we can imagine our finer existence as wave-fronts in space. Our personal "space" is not utterly empty, but cannot be conceived apart from our matter exhibiting itself in particular ways, i.e. as "waves."
Yet, the void state, or primal matrix, is "cosmic zero," and proportionately our most fundamental reality. It is part of the surrealistic quantum realm. It lies within us all, for the relative space between our atoms is astronomical. This is the ground state of existence which mystics seek in their meditation, moving beyond mind and maya. It is that state of consciousness where outer perceptions cease, and consciousness is free to simply be.
Throughout the centuries, various geometrical forms have been revered as expressions or metaphors of higher spiritual truths. These sacred forms and symbols are a natural part of the collective consciousness which emerges in every generation. We project them outwardly from within our psyche because they are so fundamental to our existence. That apprehension is intuitive. Certain typical forms recur in meditation and ceremonial practice, worldwide.
When something emerges from nothing, it does so via non-Euclidean geometry, coming to occupy space/time. Einstein used non-Euclidean geometry to explain the relativity of time and space as the geometry that is produced by matter or matter by geometry. The perception of the transcendental or metaphysical aspects of geometry is intuitive. There are examples of philosophical geometry or geometrical philosophy from around the world. These traditions are found in India, China, Egypt, and Great Britain, to name a few.
Plato, Archimedes, and the Pythagoreans based much of their philosophical speculation around the nature of geometrical form, suggesting that mathematics and structural forms had ultimate status. Our modern science has never forsaken the tradition of seeking the understanding of forms that provide shape and meaning to physical reality. Euclidean geometry describes the nature of the human scale, but non-Euclidean models the cosmos and microcosm. More and more intricate forms of measurement became the basis of the scientific method. Eventually, this led to modern topology -- the study of those properties of geometric figures or solid bodies that remain invariant under certain transformations.
Heisenberg explained that, "The elementary particles of modern physics can be transformed into each other exactly as in the philosophy of Plato." In "sacred topology", the relationships are more than metaphorical. Metaphysical and physical reality coincide. This is abundantly illustrated in R. Buckminster Fuller's geometrical tour de force, SYNERGETICS I & II. Fuller demonstrates, via synergetics, that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, because of the relativity of forces. In our universe, as more complex systems are built up, new properties appear that were not foreshadowed by the parts alone. These emergent properties include life, conscious awareness, and beauty.
Plato's Academy in Athens had a policy: "You are not allowed to enter here, unless you know geometry." In the dialogue, Meno, Plato describes Socrates teaching geometry to a slave. In true Socratic form, he does not instruct him directly. Rather, he elicits knowledge from the slave which he did not know he possessed. The diagrams themselves elicit the buried intuitive knowledge of a world inhabited by the gods and by the divine "Forms."
In Plato's view, before birth we were familiar with purely mathematical "objects" and relations, as well as moral ideals or values. He alleged that we lost this knowledge at birth, but can recover it through revelation. For Plato, the virtues paled in comparison with the highest capacity of the soul, which is the mystical beholding of the eternal. Mystics tell us the divine is formless.
Actual space is not empty, but the possibility has always been a controversial problem in philosophy. Aristotle found the concept of a total void unacceptable. Scientists still cannot make a perfect experimental vacuum. Astronomy shows us that matter is averagely distributed, with roughly as much matter between the stars as there is within them. Yet, there are large voids in space, with stars clustered on the outer edges of these bubbles of void. The preponderance is of volumes of empty space over volumes of matter. So, the characteristic feature of the universe is not matter, but empty space.
Again, most of the interior of the atom is empty, as is the space occupied by the galaxies, and the vast regions which separate them. Stars, atoms, and the vacuum are a seamless whole.
The notion of the eternal nature of sacred emptiness is echoed in modern quantum theory. This is not ordinary, but dynamic and receptive emptiness. The central concept in Quantum Field Theory is that of the field, which exists everywhere and everywhen. It is a field of curved space/time. Matter is not separate from its surrounding space. The field can take the form of quanta or particles. It is the fundamental physical entity, the only physical reality.
The field contains the potentiality of all possible states or conditions in the universe. Of these states, the most fundamental is the Ground State, (or "vacuum state"). Matter is rare in the universe. Most of it consists of a very volatile, excited, ionic plasma. Only 5% of matter is neither too hot, nor too dilute, to congeal as a solid, liquid, or gas. This form of matter is so rare it has been described as 'trace contaminants.'
Yet, some form of matter is essential to all activity. All matter is in motion. Activity is the essence of being. From the "cosmic zero", everything -- the totality of "excited states" -- arises by creative processes. It is also the state into which everything subsides by absorption processes. The ground state is characterized by the fact that it stretches to infinity, uniform and changeless. It is the same everywhere and everywhen because of the identity of space/time. Within the universal field the values of the ground state and excited states are all one. An unlimited amount of particles come into being and vanish endlessly. Matter is thus a temporary manifestation of the Void.
The so-called "cosmic zero" was modeled by geometer/philosopher Fuller in the figure he called Vector Equilibrium, (V.E.). It might actually claim to be the first "Buckyball," the one Fuller himself described. This geometry is the precursor of the new elemental' Fullerenes.' The V.E. geometry has been recognized for a long time. It was one of the thirteen Archimedian solids, the cuboctahedron.
But the Greeks were fascinated with regular forms whose faces were all the same, such as the cube. They failed to understand the delicate balancing act the cuboctahedron symbolizes. They simply did not notice that Vector Equilibrium is pristine equanimity because they were looking elsewhere. The Greeks never really comprehended the energic or energetic properties of Vector Equilibrium, i.e. dynamic stability. They had a static, non-relativistic view of natural philosophy.
It remained for Fuller to assert that, "zero pulsation in the Vector Equilibrium is the nearest approach we will ever know to eternity and god." The conceptual model is the closest our minds and senses can come to that cosmic realization, short of mystical revelation. Mind alone cannot fathom the depth of this Void. Geometry is a construct of the intellect.
The V.E. center is primal "emptiness." It is a mathematical anomaly where the normal laws of the space/time continuum break down. It is not a symbol of ultimate order. It looks like a very rational, orderly system, but it is ultimately irrational. It defies logic. V.E. is the breeder of wave-particle duality, the uncertainty principle, and non-locality at the quantum level. It is a zone of neutral resonance where waves can pass through waves without interference, according to Fuller. Yet, it never physically exists as a structure, since nature abhors a vacuum.
In quantum mechanics a system can never have an energy of exactly zero. There is no such thing as absolute emptiness. However, the minimal motion of the ground state is called zero point energy, or zero point motion. Cosmic zero exists, paradoxically, in the realm of the psyche (our conceptualization) and in quantum reality in the atomic nucleus expressed as force. It is the form of formlessness, the root metaphor. It also forms the roots of the cosmic Tree of Life, since there is a fine-to-non-existent line between organic and inorganic matter on the quantum scale.
Physics is the patterns of organic energy, all of which are dynamic, alive. Mass is energy, so the subatomic world is always restlessly in motion. Inert matter is full of motion when we look closely at it . The activity of matter is its essence.
Vector Equilibrium emanates/condenses from a center in twelve fundamental directions. This emergent energy moves outward through space/time in the form of a cuboctahedron, alternating with its mathematical reciprocal, an octahedron-within-a-cube. It is a truncated cube with 50 symmetrically positioned topological features. Vector Equilibrium has the same surface area as a sphere, yet contains no volume, i.e. it contains "nothing."
The Vector Equilibrium system has 12 vertices, 8 triangular faces, 24 edges, and 32 planes. It is omnidirectional equilibrium, symbolically and physically speaking. As such, it is a perfect symbol for "holding the tension of the opposites," or "uniting the opposites." Yet, it is more than a metaphor. It is an archetypal image which bridges the macrocosm with the microcosm. It is a living example of the Hermetic Axiom, "As Above, So Below," uniting spiritual and literal reality. V.E. makes it possible to make conceptual models of other dimensions (hyperspace), mathematically and mystically.
In the V.E. figure, equilibrium between positive and negative is zero. It is the equalization of the forces of push/pull, radiation/gravitation, or tension/compression. Fuller alleged it" represents the limits of the mind's ability to conceptualize 'in'." For Fuller, all of space/time is undergird with a pre-geometric matrix, which is an infinite field of vector equilibria. An entire universe can be seeded from one V.E., self-generating to fill all space/time. There may be no ultimate physical building-block of matter, but there is one single entity that undergirds and composes everything in the universe, according to Fuller. The basic element of the universe is dynamic patterns.
This field constitutes a "cosmic blueprint" which Fuller called the Isotropic Vector Matrix (I.V.M.), a living continuum. The allocation of divinity to this "mother of all fields" marks its archetypal character. As a variation on the theme of Celestial Goddess, it symbolizes the embodiment of nature. Like a modern Isis, it iterates the theme of the underlying, inseparable cosmic web or net, connecting all.
The living Void gives birth to all phenomenal forms. It pulsates with the rhythm of creation and destruction of material particles. Another goddess, Nuit, is the essence of Infinite Space. She is infinite energy density pervading the entire cosmos. She is the receptivity of the void to the wavelength of radiation. Adjusting the geometry of the void influences the propagation of radiation. The goddess Ma-at, or Balance, is another expression of the same universal V.E. energy.
The Upanishads identifies Brahman with the void:
Brahman is life. Brahman is joy. Brahman is the Void. Joy, verily, that is the same as the Void. The Void, verily, that is the same as joy.
The geometry of Vector Equilibrium is inferred from that of closest-packed spheres of equal radius. It just happens to be the geometry which underlies all matter since it is found in the nucleus of all atoms as sub-atomic force. Here, in the interior of the atoms, Newtonian physics does not apply. This is a probabilistic, acausal world. Here synchronicity prevails over chronicity.
This uniform geometrical field, with the property of Divine consciousness, is the basis for a geometrical model of reality spanning the abyss between the metaphysical and the physical. It is not the first model in history to attempt to do so. There is an ancient geometrical model which shares a common framework with the Vector Equilibrium.
THE GEOMETRY OF THE QABALA
The ancient mystical system of the Qabala is formulated around the geometrical glyph known as the
Tree of Life. This sacred geometry system came down to us through Judaism and Hermetic Philosophy.
It is one of the main currents of thought in the Western Occult Tradition. A mathematically accurate image of the Tree of Life can be constructed by dividing a vertical line into four equal lengths and filling in four intersecting circles, using a fourth of the line as radius. The nexus points are the positions of the 10 spheres, and connecting paths join the centers of the spheres.
GEOMETRIC CONSTRUCTION OF THE TREE OF LIFE
1. Begin by imagining a vertical line, A-Z
2. Divide the line into four equal segments.
3. Using the segment length for a radius, inscribe four interpenetrating circles whose centers
lie along the vertical line. These represent the Four Worlds, or Planes of existence.
4. The points-of-intersection are related to the numbers of Spheres on the Tree of Life
as diagramed 1 - 10.
5. With vertical lines (Red) join 3-5-8 for Left-Handed Pillar of Severity; join points 2-4-7
for the Pillar of Mercy. Line 1-6-9-10 forms THE MIDDLE PILLAR.
6. The blue lines mark the paths between the Spheres.
The spheres represent states of consciousness or ways of being, while the paths are ways of transition or change. It symbolizes all ways of being and becoming. Like the quantum field, it contains the potentiality of all possible states or conditions in the universe. It is just the ancient way of saying it, and it turns out to be physically provable. The ancient model coincides with state-of-the-art physics. The 10 spheres and 22 paths yield a total of 32 planes of reference, like the Vector Equilibrium.
This "tree" was first described in writing in the Sephir Yetzirah, or The Book of Formation. Legend says the book came to Abraham, from God, through an angel. Today, we might say it was "channeled" from a divine source. Jewish scholar, Gershom Scholem dates the workaround the third to sixth century. However, there is some astronomical evidence that the system does date from the time of Abraham, approximately 4,000 years ago.
Whether the patriarch was the first to receive the revelation, or not, this archetypal consciousness map encodes a system of spiritual wisdom and growth in geometrical form. It describes the nature of the universe, consciousness, and the creation. It seems to have intuitively anticipated the discovery of the physical nature of reality. The glyph itself was used as a meditation devise by students of the Qabala, an oral wisdom tradition. One aim of the qabalists was to see the Tree always, everywhere, in everything. Another essential doctrine of Qabala is that humans possess a "spirit body" that can detach itself from the physical body and ascend to higher planes.
Most modern students of Qabala are familiar with the standard 2-dimensional representation of the Tree, which is drawn "flat," even though the circles are always conceived of as spheres. There is also a long tradition of a so-called 4-dimensional Tree of Life diagram, based on The Book of Formation. This geometrical figure consists of two interfacing pyramids surrounding a central core, within an enclosing cube.
This octahedron-within-a-cube happens to be the crystal structure of diamond, a face-centered-cubic lattice. Recalling that Abraham is also the patriarch of the Moslems, it is interesting to note reference to a spiritual body, a "diamond body", in the writing of Shaikh Amad Ahsa'i from the 13th century. Speaking of a substance akin to that of the medieval Philosopher's Stone, he equated the "diamond body" with the "Resurrection Body" of the faithful believer in the Paradise of the future Aeon.
For the Qabalists, meditation on this figure provided a mystical body as a vehicle for consciousness in imaginal space. This diamond body was used during meditation to enter the inner court of Divinity, symbolized by the center of the figure. Here the Beginning and End of time are co-temporaneous, space ceases to be a hindrance, and the mystic beheld the ecstatic vision of the Lord on His Throne. The geometry was a "gateway" to another dimension of experience.
This Alpha-Omega point has all the physical qualities of VectorEquilibrium. The ancient meditation practice was known as Merkabah mysticism, and those who practiced it called themselves, "Riders in the Chariot." They claimed to see into the future. This insinuates that the figure is a "vehicle" for moving consciousness through imaginal time and space. It seems to be a metaphysical "time machine," or inter-dimensional gateway.
As in most design or mandala meditations, the aspirant pictures him or herself at the center of the figure through visualization, contemplation, and identification. Through this process of centering, these mystics came to know themselves and God. Perhaps they learned, as Fuller later discovered, of the unusual anomalous conditions of perfect equilibrium. This meditation provided a specific technique for escaping from time. Its realization meant instantaneous enlightenment, a paradoxical leap out of Time. It yields transcendence.
Occultist, Paul Foster Case published an array of this type in his book, The Tarot (1947). Aware of the ancient mystic practice, he included the figure in his study of Qabala, calling it alternately the Key of the Cosmos and Numbers, or the Cube of Space. Again, we have the form of the octahedron-within- a-cube. Vector Equilibrium and the Cube of Space are mathematical duals, or reciprocals of one another. They "jitterbug" back and forth as the figure grows outward to fill all space. They are two ways of looking at the same geometrical phenomena.
Case pointed out that its construction was based on the six-pointed Star of David, (or Shield of David), also known as "The Star of the Macrocosm." His descriptors of zero as a sacred, empty, consciousness field reiterate the qualities of Vector Equilibrium.
Zero is a symbol of the absence of quality, quantity, or mass. Thus it denotes absolute freedom from every limitation whatever. It is a sign of the infinite and eternal Conscious Energy, itself No-Thing, though manifest in everything. It is That which was, is, and shall be forever; but it is nothing we can name. Boundless infinitely potential, living light, it is the rootless root of all things, of all activities, of all modes of consciousness. In it are included all imaginable and unimaginable possibilities, but it transcends them all. The Qabalists call it: (a) No-Thing; (b) The Boundless; (c) Limitless Light. Pure Conscious Energy, above and beyond thought, to us it is Superconsciousness.
With their fascination for completely regular figures, the Greeks devised a way of establishing XYZ coordinates within a cube. Our science and method of orientation has been stuck with that model ever since. However, nature's own most economical coordination is in triangles and tetrahedra, rather than squares or cubes. VectorEquilibrium is more in line with modern Quantum Mechanical models than the Newtonian XYZ. It expresses more degrees of freedom.
So, close examination of the underlying geometry of the Tree of Life reveals that the ancients were not lacking a very deep intuitive awareness of the true structure of matter and the universe. The underlying geometrical matrix of the multi-dimensional Tree is, in fact, Vector Equilibrium. To find the commonality -- the harmony --the figure of the V.E. must be subjected to a transformation process, i.e. rotation.
To bring the two figures into synch, simply rotate the V.E. to any edge of its containing cube. If the 3-dimensional V.E. is drawn flat, the inherent geometry of the Tree of Life is immediately revealed, including some of the so-called "hidden" paths.
A symbolic representation of the optimal union of opposites, it means in psychological terms, "holding the tension of the opposites." This is the essence of the Tree of Life. The theme of union of opposites has reverberated down through the ages. It was the process/goal of alchemy, creation of the Philosopher's Stone.
Now, Jungian psychology carries the torch of this philosophical pursuit. Both Vector Equilibrium and the Tree of Life express this most elegantly and economically in terms of minimal graphic elements.
Diagram of Tree of Life nested within a Vector Equilibrium
By combining the vectors of a V.E. nested within a cube, it is possible to derive the nexus points on which
to construct the entire Tree of Life. In The Anatomy of the Body of God, (1925), Frater Achad, (magickal name of Charles Stansfield Jones), revealed an amplified Tree of Life projecting from a center in six directions.
Rather than a flat depiction, his revelation showed Trees radiating in the four cardinal directions, plus up and down. This is another variation on the theme of XYZ coordinates. Yet, V.E. can be shown, once again, to be the skeletal matrix on which the figure congeals. The geometrical duals yield all the necessary nexus points to form the entire Tree of Life, including the 11th mystery sphere, Daath. Achad's advice for modern Qabalists says,
...since the "Tree" is everywhere the same in every part of space, once its general attributions are fixed in the mind, it is not well to confuse ourselves by too much attempt at progressed expansion of the idea. Rather we would return and contemplate the Centre from which All proceeds, thus obtaining the Pure Essence Here and Now.
This concept of a self-generating, self-iterating, all-space filling, crystalline system seems to herald the modern discovery of the fractal nature of the universe. Whether we look at the macrocosmic, mesocosmic, or microcosmic level, we find the same principle operating. By following any portion of the consciousness map "backwards" and "downwards" to the center, we have a conceptual means of entering that most pristine state of consciousness where All becomes No-Thing.
GEOMETRICAL IN-SIGHT:
These systems are virtually pre-geometrical. They don't really exist in nature, per se. Yet they are the invisible lattice, or bare bones, of our physical and spiritual life, of all life and manifestations. In this pre-geometry we have a blueprint for the formation of all matter, all form. This is the geometry of closest-packed spheres in the nucleus of the atom.
Yet, Vector Equilibrium is more than an expression of nuclear forces. It is "an endlessly interlinked chain of atomically self-renewing links of omni-equal strength or of an omni-directionally interlinked chain matrix of ever renewed atomic links, "according to Fuller. No single configuration of matter persists indefinitely.
All is change and recombination. V.E. describes the most economical lines of movement within the atomic nucleus. And, it also is the structural matrix of a very ancient and sophisticated consciousness-changing technology. Through it we remember deep knowledge of our true nature.
Noting the metaphysical aspect of physics, physicist Wolfgang Pauli said, "We should now proceed to find a neutral, or unitarian, language in which every concept we use is applicable as well to the unconscious as to matter, in order to overcome this wrong view that the unconscious psyche and matter are two things. "
We have, in the V.E. model, a language or information transfer system that bridges both the physical and the spiritual, Fuller says, "In this model the physical and metaphysical share the same design." The mundane and supernatural share the same design: "As Above, So Below." It creates a mystical revelation described as ecstatic, blissful, joyful, transcendental.
Goethe's Faust opens with the mage contemplating the qabalistic, geometric design of the Macrocosm:
What jubilation bursts out of this sight
Into my senses--now I feel it flowing,
Youthful, a sacred fountain of delight,
Through every nerve, my veins are glowing.
Was it a god that made these symbols be
That sooth my feverish unrest,
Filling with joy my anxious breast,
And with mysterious potency
Make nature's hidden powers around me, manifest?
Am I a god? Light grows this page--
In these pure lines my eye can see
Creative nature spread in front of me.
But now I grasp the meaning of the sage:
"The realm of spirits is not far away;
Your mind is closed, your heart is dead.
Rise student, bathe without dismay
In heaven's dawn your mortal head."
(He contemplates the symbol.)
All weaves itself into the whole,
Each living in the other's soul.
How heaven's powers climb up and descend.
Passing the golden pails from hand to hand!
Bliss-scented, they are winging
Through sky and earth--their singing
Is ringing through the world.
In Aion, psychologist Carl Jung reiterates the identity of psyche and matter: Psyche cannot be totally different from matter, for how otherwise could it move matter? And matter cannot be alien to psyche, for how else could matter produce psyche? Psyche and matter exist in the same world, and each partakes of the other, otherwise any reciprocal action would be impossible.
To know ourselves is to know the nature of cosmos. The yogis and masters tell us that matter is mind or consciousness at its most fundamental or gross level. From the dawn of history mankind has employed sacred geometries for metaphysical orientation and creating consciousness maps. Most maps of the psyche imply a "journey" either to the heights or depths of experience. Long ago Heraclitus alleged, and mystic artist William Blake agreed, that the way up and the way down are one and the same. Riders in the Chariot rose to a plane above the Throne to gaze down on its resplendent beauty.
Metaphysical models usually speak of an ascent to utopian heights or "inner planes." Psychological models are usually concerned with descents into the subconscious depths and use subterranean imagery. These depths were the familiar territory of shamans for millennia. Both the occult and transpersonal psychology models include heights and depths of human experience. Maslow introduced the concept of "peak experiences" to psychology.
We may have the erroneous idea that peaks, or heights, or "highs" are "good." This is mainly because we are enculturated to strive upward. This is only one of a myriad of states of consciousness, and it belongs to manically over-achieving heroic ego. Negatively directed, this same energy can produce an all-time high in a sociopath or criminally insane personality, during a heinous act. All that is "up" is not "good"; and, all that is "down" is not "evil." This misapprehension is the root of the notion of a spirit/matter duality, where all matter is inherently "evil". In this belief system, "we exist: therefore we are sinful." Yet, our heights and depths contain the first-hand experiential knowledge that 'we are one.'
This old system of orientation and modeling the universe, with its ascents and descents of the soul, was adequate for many years. However, for the modern individual, with a consciousness that is not earth-bound, the old hierarchical model is no longer the best metaphor. Today we are not confined to the spectrum of reality dictated solely by our finite senses.
We are directly aware of physical realities ranging from the sub-atomic to the cosmic. Our perceptions are amplified with technology. New ways of seeing lead to new philosophical perspectives. We can align our mystical worldview with physical reality. The true nature of physical reality remains a mystery. Even for physicists, it has an elusive quality. No one really knows just what a quantum, a photon, or an atom "really is" or what it is doing when we're not looking at it.
Physics is another interpretation of reality. We have become aware of a vast physical dimension without and an equally vast realm of psyche within. They are available for exploration. And there are ancient and modern technologies which aid us here. In terms of modern orientation and consciousness models, an omnidirectional system allows more degrees of freedom. This freedom is a conceptual, imaginal, and physical reality.
Buckminster Fuller said that in whole systems the directions are always out and in. "In and out are the relevant directions, not up and down." Models or maps based on "in and out", rather than "up and down", allow us to conceive of particular states or conditions. As a metaphor, "in and out" is a typical characteristic of the phase states of matter. It is either in or out of phase or synchronization. During observation, matter is either in solid physical existence (particle) or out of solid physical existence (wave).
This wave-particle duality exists within us all. This uncertainty surrounding substantive existence leads to paradox. We cannot grasp one part of nature without another part slipping through our fingers. Photons, neutrons, and even atoms have no definite form until they are measured. Wave-particle duality is a mystery. However, this primal characteristic of atoms, and the energy exchange in their cores, is the basis of our physical existence. The emergence of stable matter requires the balancing of tendencies toward implosion and explosion. This is the function of Vector Equilibrium.
Physicist David Bohm modeled an "in and out" universe of implicate (in) and explicate (out) order. Yogis focus on the in and out breath during pranayama, and the experience connects them with cosmic time. The psychological tendencies, introversion and extroversion, express the polarity in ways of being. In cybernetics there is input (I) and output (O), the direction of the signal determining if it is I/O or O/I. Vector Equilibrium is the most economical model using geometry to express the ultimate union of the opposites. It creates the paradoxical state that is neither in nor out, up nor down, neither this nor that.
For Fuller, the balancing of the tension of the opposites was achieved in his tensegrity sphere. It is stabilized dynamically to neither explode nor collapse. This original "Buckyball" is a tangible example of Vector Equilibrium. According to Fuller, "matter" itself is a contained explosion, and the Vector Equilibrium is its austere image. It is a system not a structure. It underlies structure or formation of something from apparent "nothingness."
Vector Equilibrium is the lattice or invisible framework, and its blueprint is the cuboctahedron. Its explicit form can enfold on itself until it compacts down into an octahedron, then a tetrahedron, the prime geometrical form. This is accomplished by doubling up on the vectors on the edges. This creates the difference, for example, between carbon, diamond, and silicon atomic structures. They are all face-centered cubic crystals. Coincidentally these elements are symbolic icons in our culture. They are the hallmarks of technology.
A simple way to visualize the Vector Equilibrium is through the closest packing of spheres which underlies the geometry of crystal formation. Imagine a cluster of ping pong balls glued together, 12 around 1, then building out further and further. If you imagine vectors connecting the centers of each ball, IN THE THIRD LAYER you can find the Vector Equilibrium.
The vectors that radiate out from the center are exactly equal to the vectors that bond the faces. No other structure can make this claim. This is the symmetry the Greeks missed, because it is an energetic process, manifesting force, not a thing. Vectors are not points in space traveling through time. Vectors map energy events. Time determines a vector's length -- the time it takes an energy event to happen. There must be time for wave functions to propagate. We know a musical note requires time to exist, because a note is nothing in an instant.
Time is a duration. If we ask ourselves "a duration of what?", we can only answer "...of nothing, or something." All "somethings" are composed of matter, and the nature of matter is consciousness. So time becomes a duration of consciousness. Energy is substance. Substance is energy at the quantum level. Our substance is energy, and consciousness is fully capable of quantum leaps.
Fuller's energy mapping uses energetic triangles, in which three lines are not just lying there but are busy stabilizing the angles opposite them. Fuller describes the dynamic domain of "reality" as a broad spectrum of energy events, across a small portion of which our senses can "tune." Vector Equilibrium allows us to conceptually, metaphorically, and spiritually bridge the abyss between the mystical and scientific perspectives through sacred geometry. It is a key to the implicate and explicate order.
The History of SACRED GEOMETRY
by Iona Miller, 1999
"Omnidirectional Halo"
"Whoever reflects on four things, it were better he had never been born: that which is above, that which is below, that which is before, and that which is after".
--Talmud, Hagigah 2.1
ABSTRACT: Quantum cosmology attempts to describe how the universe emanated from the void. Kant said space and time are the necessary categories of thought. Einstein taught us to think in terms of an interwoven spacetime. We comprehend our experience in terms of space-time geometry. A dynamical geometry, the psychophysical twelve-dimensional matrix, informs our very being. Consciousness-researcher David Chalmers suggests that perhaps the universe exists in terms of psychophysical laws, and that consciousness may involve both an information state and experiential state.
The maximum number of dimensions allowed to a symmetrically-divided sphere is twelve. The 12-dimensional model appears to offer a psychophysical solution to consciousness, quantum gravity, the origins of life, and the birth of the universe--the traditional subject matter of Qabala. We demonstrate that Kether is in Malkuth--information has both a physical and experiential aspect. The Right and Left Pillars of the Tree correspond to Right (spatial/behavioral) and Left Hemispheric (temporal/psychophysical) functioning.
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INTRODUCTION
Rabbi Rahumai said: What is the meaning of the verse (Proverbs 6:23), "And the way of life is the rebuke of admonition"?
This teaches us that when a person accustoms himself to the study of the Mystery of Creation and the Mystery of the Chariot, it is impossible that he not stumble. It is therefore written (Isaiah 3:6), "Let this stumbling be under your hand." This refers to things that a person cannot understand unless they cause him to stumble.
The Torah calls it "the rebuke of admonition," but actually it makes one worthy of "the way of life." One who wishes to be worthy of "the way of life" must therefore endure "the rebuke of admonition."
--Kaplan, The Bahir
ORIGINS OF THE GEOMETRICAL MODEL:
An examination of the prehistory of religious ideas begins with the conception of surrounding space. When humans began to walk erect they transcendended the typical condition of primates.
It is because of our vertical posture that we organize space into four horizontal directions radiating from an"up/down" central axis. We automatically organize the space around our bodies as extending forward, backward, to right, left, upward and downward.
Thus we orient ourselves to the apparently limitless, unknown and threatening extension. We need a method of orientation because it is impossible to survive long in the vertigo brought on by disorientation. Our experience of space is primarily oriented around a "center" and explains the importance of paradigmatic divisions of our experiential field.
This model of experiential space is projected into mythical, celestial space as the cosmogony. The very theory of celestial models continues and develops the universally disseminated archaic conception that man's acts are only the repetition (imitation) of acts revealed by divine beings. The divine modality is defined by the powers and "transcendence" of space. Precosmogonic chaos can be conceptually ordered, and this is an archetypally divine act. The numinous character of divinity increases by becoming brighter. Light is considered the particular attribute of divinity, Initial Perfection.
In Paleolithic times, familiarity with different modalities of matter gave rise to imaginative activity. The first signs of ancient religious sense came from burial rites. Early inventions, such as primitive tools and domestic skills gave rise to imaginative analogies. Through activites such as sewing, shaping statuettes, and making hunting tools objects came to be laden with symbolism. The imaginary world was created and enriched by intimacy with matter.
This imaginary realm was inadequately grasped in figurative and geometric creations of various prehistoric cultures. This imaginative experience is still accessible to us. There is a continuity to this plane of imaginative activity which permeates throughout human history and spiritual notions. The imaginal activity of the ancients had a mythological dimension. Many of the supernatural figures and mythological events which appear in later religious traditions, were probably discoveries of the Stone Age. For millennia Mother Earth gave birth by herself, through parthenogenesis. Born from the Earth, man returned there when he died.
The development of agrarian cultures ushered in notions of circular time and cosmic cycles. The confrontation between two cosmogonic principles, time and space, meant a new orientation to both inner and outer life. A settled existence organizes the "world" differently from a nomadic life. The seed "dies" and is then reborn in order to multiply. Thus death ensures a new birth. Agriculture demands a different relationship to the seasons and weather--to earth and sky, and this had a deep impact on religious values. The theme is one of periodic renewal.
"For religious creativity was stimulated, not by the empirical phenomenon of agriculture, but by the mystery of birth, death, and rebirth identified in the rhythm of vegetation. In order to be understood, accepted, and mastered, the crises that threaten the harvest (floods, draughts, etc.) will be translated into mythological dramas. These mythologies and the ritual scenarios that depend on them will dominate the religions of the Near East for millennia. The mythical theme of gods who die and return to life is among the most important."
". . .The agrarian cultures develop what may be called a cosmic religion, since religious activity is concentrated around the central mystery: the periodical renewal of the world. Like human existence, the cosmic rhythms are expressed in terms drawn from vegetable life. The mystery of cosmic sacrality is symbolized in the World Tree. The universe is conceived as an organism that must be renewed periodically--in other words, each year. 'Absolute reality,' rejuvination, immortality are accessible to certain privileged persons through the power residing in a certain fruit or in a spring near a tree. The Cosmic Tree is held to be at the center of the world, and it unites the three cosmic regions, for it sends its roots down into the underworld, and its top touches the sky."
"...The Cosmic Tree is the most widespread expression of the axis mundi; but the symbolism of the cosmic axis probably precedes--or is independent of--the agricultural civilizations, since it is found in certain arctic cultures." (Eliade, 1978).
The cosmic axis defines and reiterates the divine energy flow between Sky (Kether) and Earth (Malkuth). It reiterates our ancestral vertical posture on the cosmic level, drawing a polarized line between the celestial and terrestrial. When we are in sacred space, we become that cosmic axis, incarnate. It is a cross-cultural, universal model.
In the Hebrew adaptation of this cosmic Tree model, there are differences and similarities to the older cults of western Asia. Archaic ideas about the creation of the world were taken up and reiterated. Mesopotamian legends formed much of the raw material. However, the main distinction from the agricultural fertility cults was that the Hebrews did not worship the Earth or forces of nature. This represented a break from conventional religious forms and was the new basis for the clan's spiritual life and ethos.
But, they were unavoidably pre-conditioned by the dominant Mesopotamian culture. Living on the outskirts of this society they incorporated notions, such as a Law or code. The very idea of a code is Mesopotamian, and cannot be found in ancient Egypt.
The primary difference in orientation is shown by the fact that the Hebrew Tree of Life reverses the neolithic notion of an earth-rooted sacred Tree. The qabalistic Tree is rooted in Heaven, with its branches extending downward toward earthly manifestation. The emanation is from the formless limitless light into corporeality by means of geometric unfoldment, from pure energy converted into matter. But, the Mesopotamian influence is seen here as well.
Sumeria revered a triad of great gods, analogous to the Supernal Triad (1-2-3) of the Tree of Life; followed by a triad of planetary gods (4-5-6), followed by lesser gods. This cosmic rhythm is sustained in the qabalistic Tree. Like the fertility cults, the cosmic axis is conceived of as a relationship between a primordial couple (Elohim; God and Shekinah, or Malkuth, the Bride; the Right (masc.) and Left (fem.) Pillars of the Tree). Their union is a hieros gamos, or sacred marriage which results in the manifestation of all things.
Qabala also incorporates the themes of circular and cosmic time, by valorizing the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth (initiation). This is the archaic idea of the periodic renewal of the world which resurfaces as ritual, magical exercises and disciplines. It is primarily for the agriculturalist that the "true world" or space in which he lives is the "center of the world." It is consecrated by rituals and prayers, and in that sacred space communication with divinity is effected.
Habitation of a sacred place led to the cosmological symbolism of sacred architecture. The Sumerians were the first to erect monumental temples, and to record myths of the quest for immortality. They invented notions about a 12-fold Zodiac, planetary astrology, magic and divination, spirits and demons, and later (from Babylon) angels. Akkadian religious thought also contributed the importance accorded to the personal element in religious experience. These were incorporated into Qabala in such ideas as the path of return, planetary spheres, spiritual hierarchy and demonology.
All this percolated down from the earliest neolithic cultures with their primal root-metaphors:
Cults of the dead and of fertility, indicated by statuettes of goddesses, and of the storm god. Beliefs and rituals connected with the "mystery" of vegetation.
Assimilation of the identity of woman/cultivated soil/plant, implying the homology birth/rebirth (initiation).
Very probably the hope of a postexistence. A cosmology including the symbolism of a "center of the world" and inhabited space as an imago mundi.
This represents a cosmic cycle of chthonian fertility and life/death/postexistence. These root metaphors are powerful, and have persisted into modern times in our religions. Many of the primal notions were incorporated into the classic literature of written Kabbalah in the Middle Ages, particularly the Sephir Yetzirah, the Bahir, and Zohar, and the codification of the Tree of Life and Cube of Space or Throne-Chariot.
These qabalistic texts exhibit considerable variation. We can see that these spiritual ideas about orientation in space/time have evolved through the centuries. We have every reason to believe that our view will continue to evolve to a new understanding of the meaning of the Universe or cosmic existence (where we are), our existence (who we are), and post-mortum continuation (where we are going).
Throughout most of the history of Kabbalah, the Tree of Life wasn't standardized or very geometrical. The emanations were contemplated in a variety of forms. The geometrically regular triplet array came much later. Path positions and attributions differed markedly, and there are several arrays of the emanations devised for various purposes. Even prior to formalization of the Tree of Life, the visionary experience of the Throne Chariot was pursued as "the Work of the Chariot."
This work, or Merkavah mysticism is the meditative branch of Qabala. But when it came to this central image, or template of divinity, there was much discussion in the evolving esoteric tradition over the pattern of the Chariot of Light. Unlike the Sephiroth which are not spatial, but qualities of Nothingness, the Chariot is a template or spiritual projection--a form and state which arises during mystical meditation. Both its rewards and the extreme dangers of this practice by the impure are covered in the Bahir, The Book of Illumination, published in 1175. This is one of the oldest Kabbalistic texts, and contains the earliest discussion of the Sefirot and reincarnation.
This work emphasizes meditative techniques to allow seers to develop profound astral visions of "God's Throne" by themselves becoming "chariots" or vehicles to the divine. They used the Hebrew equivalent of mantras and mandalas to facilitate their practice. Since the Jews were in the Babylonian exile and their earthly Temple had been destroyed, perhaps it was an attempt to internalize sacred space--to worship in an inner Temple.
The origin of this meditative practice goes back to Ezekiel, and according to Kabbalah, his vision of the Chariot was in the Universe of Yetzirah, the astral realm of Formation. This is the level where it is said God "fills all worlds." We look down into our own soul to see Him. Once again, the opposition to fertility cults is emphasized:
"Specifically characteristic of agriculturalists, cosmic religiosity continued the most elementary dialectic of the sacred, especially the belief that the divine is incarnated, or manifest itself, in cosmic objects and rhythms. Now such a belief was denounced by the adherents of Yahweh as the worst possible idolatry, and this ever since the the Israelites' entrance into Palestine. But never was cosmic religiosity so savagely attacked. The prophets finally succeeded in emptying nature of any divine presence. Whole sectors of the natural world--the "high places," stones, springs, trees, certain crops, certain flowers--will be denounced as unclean because they were polluted by the cult of the Canaanite divinities of fertility. The preeminently clean and holy region is the desert alone, for it is there that Israel remained faithful to its God. The sacred dimension of vegetation and, in general, of the exuberant epiphanies of nature will be rediscovered only late, in medieval Judaism." (Eliade, 1978).
This total and violent rejection of cosmic religiosity and nature symbolism was apparently sublimated in the work of the Chariot, because as we now know, its geometry actually reflects the deepest secrets of nature and the cosmos in terms of the formation of all possible things, from the macrocosmic to microcosmic.
Religiosity graduated from the physical to the metaphysical realm, and became a "way of knowing." Metaphysical knowledge presumably gave man control of himself, instincts and actions, and permitted living a fully worthy life. Events no longer reflect the eternal rhythm of the cosmic cycle or depend on the stars, they develop in accordance with God's plan.
The advent of syncretism in the Hellenistic world brought exposure to Greek ideas. The Greeks tried to impose their way of life on the Jews. Both Arab and Jewish philosophers engaged in scholastic metaphysics which proposed that the universe must have had a beginning in time, hence a Creator God, which implies the unity of creation, and shows that the soul is of God. Truth is one. The acquiring of truth is a religious duty. Reason and revelation are complementary. Still, philosophy alone is not a religious enterprise. The goal of philosophy is right action.
A theology which equates God's law with order and stability in nature, is still mistaking the creation for the dynamic transcendent Creator, worshipping creation rather than Creator. Philosophy suggested that immortality was an achievement of the soul which has activated its full potential for knowing. This is perhaps the subtle mistake or stumbling of the Daath-level, over-intellectualizing, rather than obediently following the Lord's Will as the Bible dictates. True knowledge of things divine comes through love of God. Only love admits one to God's supernal mysteries.
One of the most original religious creations of the Hellenistic period is the personification of wisdom as the Shekinah. In Greek form, Sophia as a divine and personfied entity appears comparatively late in the Hermetic writings. This feminine counterpart of God plays a major role in the metaphors of polar dynamics in the Tree of Life.
In Proverbs, Shekinah declares that Yahweh created her before the oldest of his works, that she was firmly set from the beginning, before earth came into being. This echoes the notion of a virtual state prior to and underlying physical manifestation, a virtual matrix of formation.. Wisdom emerged from the Lord's mouth. Among the realm of Jewish-inspired "intermediate beings" between man and God, Shekinah was elevated to supreme authority, the mediatrix. She is divine immanence.
Intuitive perception of the subtleties of metaphysical reality has evolved as philosophies have shifted. The more we know about the empirical nature of phenomenal reality, the more our intuitive concepts come into harmonization with the nature of Reality. At the risk of error, "stumbling" and admonishment, we can conceive of a postmodern view of the Tree and the Throne-Chariot, with analogies to current physics theories. But this theory may be more than analogy or metaphor--it is the way things are, and therefore phenomenological. It unites psyche and matter in the alchemical Unus Mundus, or One World.
An evolving esoteric tradition allows us to course-correct symbolic, intuitive notions about the nature of reality. In this pursuit, we are not trying to improve or defile Qabala, but employ our spiritual sensitivity to engage in true speculation, or seeing in the sense of the seer. A medieval Kabbalist said, "the philosophers can only surmise what exists in the metaphysical realm, while the Kabbalists can actually see it."
Three events influenced the evolution of Kabbalah in the Middle Ages: the printing press; discovery of the New World; and the Spanish Inquisition. As Kabbalah began to be written down, there was a need for outlining its organizing principles, systematizing it in a philosophical structure. We can only deduce what is correct from the considerable variations of Qabala by the logical derivation of formulas and true vision, not allegory, or even metaphor. Truth is one.
Our modern model meets religious, psychological, and physical criteria for depicting this ancient core image with even more clarity, making it crystal clear. Theological flexibility is a qabalistic tradition. Theosophical speculation is primarily based on insight rather than systematics. Through it we weave reason and revelation into a seamless unity.
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Re-Visioning Sacred Geometry
[Illustrations can be found at this article's original home in Synergetic Qabala]
A RE-VISIONING OF THE COSMIC TREE
"537.131 Six Vectors for Every Point: The behavioral interpatterning frame of reference of the six degrees of freedom in respect to omnidirectionality is of course the vector equilibrium, which embraces the three-dimensionality of the cube and the six-dimensionality of the vector equilibrium. Experience is inherently omnidirectional; ergo, there is always a minimum of 12 "others" in respect to the nuclear observing self. The 24-positive and 24-negative vectored vector equilibrium demonstrates an initially frequenced, tertahedrally quantized unity of 20; ergo, the Universe as an aggregate of all humanity's apprehended and comprehended experiences, is at minimum a plurality of 24 vectors." (R. Buckminster Fuller, 1979).
All events can be described mathematically in space time. According to Fuller there are six vectorial moves for every event. Each of the vectorial moves is reversible, hence 12. Therefore, all positional differentials in the Universe derive only from the sixness of the 12 degrees of freedom.
The Tree of Life emerges from an unobservable or implicate geometrical matrix. This isotropic vector matrix is dynamically inter-tensioned. The dynamic interaction and tension among the Spheres of the Tree of Life functions synergetically. We can revision the old notion of static hierarchy; the synergetic state could be called "synarchy." Though the geometry of the Tree stays the same, our notion of its dynamics can take a quantum leap forward in conceptual terms. We can keep viewing the Tree in, at best, 19th century terms, or contemporize to 21st century paradigms.
Buckminster Fuller pointed out that ancient philosophical and scientific thought was based on the notion of the cube, rather than the tetrahedron, nature's most economical self-organizing base unit. This mistake of the Greek mathematicians has been perpetuated down through the ages, but we can correctly revision the matrix of reality with a few simple adjustments in our thinking. The Synergetic Qabala includes original graphics and paintings which help make these conceptual changes clearer.
Experiential phenomena, including mystical states, are inseparable from the physical universe, and are deeply connected with the laws which govern the physical universe. Buckminster Fuller advanced a single model to describe the shape of the physical universe, the shape of energy's behavior, the shape of our thinking, and the shape of the metaphysical or philosophical universe. He considered adoption of the cube in classical times as misguided and erroneous, since it has nothing to do with nature's own coordinates.
With the cube and the square the ancient Greek mathematicians entered the world of nature and Reality by the wrong door, rather than through Nature's Way which is in triangles and tetrahedra. Without meaning to be critical, the early Qabalists perpetuated this partial truth, in what we can term their "Cube-ala," with its primary geometries of the Tree of Life and Throne-Chariot or Cube of Space.
"THE CUBE OF SPACE"
by Iona Miller, c1982
Three dimensions can be modeled with perpendiculars in the cube. Four dimensions can be modeled with equiangularity in the tetrahedron. What the three axes of the cube do for three dimensions, the four axes of the tetrahedron do for four dimensions. The tetrahedron provides for the convergence and divergence of four centrally-coordinate planes. Fuller says it is erroneous to describe time as a fourth dimension; he says that all dimensions require time. Einstein (and later QM) demonstrated that time emanates from the observer. The tetrahedron is stability incarnate, a nest of principle.
In Qabala, the Spheres themselves are actually numbers, (Sephiroth means number) and in Fuller's geometric philosophy, there is a direct relationship between number and geometry. Fuller created the first explicit formulas for the area of a circle in triangular modules and for the volume of a sphere in tetrahedral modules--all without pi. In contrast to the classical XYZ coordinates, Fuller's three-way great circle grid, has 60-degree coordination and a tetrahedral matrix. This is nature's way, since there are no 90 degree angles in nature, no true perpendiculars.
We can retune or tune-in a clearer picture of the nature of the primal matrix, since we have made conceptual advances over the ancients. The reciprocal operation of the old alchemical notion of "squaring the circle" is to envisioned the old Cube of Space encompassed by its precipitating matrix, from which it emanates. an encircling Sphere. The 12-dimensional model defines not only 'top down' object-space, but also 'bottom up' self-time, with the potential for psyche/consciousness to exist in every particle in the psychophysical universe from the start.
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German mathematician Georg F.B. Riemann proposed the hypersphere as a model of the cosmos. The so-called Riemann sphere is the three-dimensional surface of a four-dimensional ball, and presumes the hypersphere is not embedded in any higher-dimensional space. Einstein chose this shape as the hypothetical overall shape of the cosmos when he fomulated his first relativity model. It models a finite space without a problematic boundary.
The null directions at a point (Vector Equilibrium) have the holomorphic structure of a Riemann sphere. This holomorphic structure is implied as lying "behind the scenes" in solutions of Einstein's (vacuum) equations. We can imagine a twelve-dimensional matrix mapped onto a Sphere, representing all possible modes of psychophysical space and time.
When all possible modes of space and time are mapped onto the Riemann sphere, we see an ascending 'ladder' of dimensions (where time manifests) and we also find six complementary pairs of opposites. Though they are superimposed, a 'top-down' view of this 'ladder' is the perspective of our Left Hemisphere consciousness ("the Observer"), while a 'bottom-up' view reflects the Right Hemisphere state of Being.
These superpositions constitute our experience of psychophysical reality. The top-down information state is our control structure, psyche or soul, with its complementary quantum superposition soma, the supply structure. In a sense, life is the experience of dynamic geometrical transformations. The apprehension of the geometric properties of a 'circle,'--the 12 dimensional matrix--both intrinsically and extrinsically, are crucial for human higher-order consciousness. According to Burrow:
"...a sentient being could only sense that his or her universe was informed by a twelve-dimensional matrix, both at the extrinsic'classical' macro- as well as quantum mechaical intrinsic level, once he/she had ascended beyond the 'circle's' half-way point, i.e. as represented specifically by the seventh-dimension. This extrinsic/intrinsic apprehension of being in the pressence of a circle/sphere is best illustrated by Pythagoras' derivation of all numbers from the geometric properties of a circle. 'Mathematical Platonism', too--the notion that numbers are not "real" and that mathematical concepts exist in a timeless, ethereal realm--derives from this same experientially apprehended 'geometric source."
The invisible (or implicate) presence of the self-organizing 12-dimensional template at the quantum level is the virtual substrate of classical structure and vice versa. It yields six pairs of complementary psychophysical dimensions of space and time and space-time. This psychophysical model demonstrates a synthesis between physics and psychology. See "A Psychophysical Theory of Everything: Consciousness Beyond Complementarity," by Barron Burrow. http://www.maximus.dircon.co.uk/
It is a model for transcendence or experience of holistic "no time," and nonlocality in the 11th dimension (Daath). By definition, experiential phenomena must have a qualitative apprehension of, and relationship to, time. Due to the principles of synecdoche and self-similarity, we share the same 'arrow of time' with the psychophysical universe.
'Top down' consciousness of an external object actually alternates with 'bottom up,' behavioral superposition or identification with this same object. The 'magic' of this model is that it makes a synethsis between physics, psychology, and philosophy. It is metapsychological. A true Theory of Everything must be a synthesis of psychology, science and religion: consilience.
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SYNERGETIC QABALA:
VARIATIONS ON THE COSMIC AXIS,
TREE of LIFE, DOUBLE CUBE,
& CUBE OF SPACE
"The Tree of Life"
The two competing attractors in this model are the top-down Kether, and bottom-up Malkuth.
Qabalistic wisdom tells us that, in fact, "Kether is in Malkuth", so they are complementary superpositions.
"All that is physical is energetic. All that is metaphysical is synergetic."
(Fuller, 1976)
The Psychophysical 12-Dimensional Matrix;
Six pairs of complementary opposites, synergetically inter-tensioned,
reveal the implicate matrix of the Tree of Life geometry.
The surrounding Sphere is implied.
"The Diamond Body," c1981
This is an image of Tiphareth as the Cube of Space. The octahedral geometry is that of a face-centered-cubic close-pack lattice, which is that of diamond's atomic structure. The three axes formed by 3 virtual Great Circles around an implied surrounding sphere are corresponded with the three Mother letters: Aleph, Mem, and Shin. The center of the figure represents transcendence of time and space as symbolized by the letter Tau, which corresponds with The Universe. The vertices of the octahedron are planetary attributions. Each of the vectors of the surrounding cube correspond with path/letters and are color-coded to their correspondences.
"STAR OF DAVID," c1981
"Atomic V.E.M.," c1983
"He passed the flaming bounds of space and time:
The living throne, the sapphire-blaze,
Where angels tremble while they gaze,
He saw, but blasted with with excess of light,
Closed his eyes in endless night."
--Milton (1608-74), Progress of Poesy
Nested infinities of Vector Equilibrium Matrices generate and regenerate reiterations of Tree of Life vertices or nexus points. This variation on the Cube of Space combines the basic forms of the Star of David and Unicursal Hexagram. The Middle Pillar appears compressed as virtual nested spheres of white, yellow, violet. This is the synergetics of metaphysical reality, a causal plane temple of "wheels within wheels."
"DAATH: The Upper Room," c1981
Jitterbugging Vector Equilibrium Matrix is not a structure but a system, the prime nucleated system. Vector Equilibrium makes it possible to make conceptual models of 4th, 5th, and 6th dimensional omniexperience accounting by using tetrahedroning. Equilibrium between + and - is Zero. V.E. is the true zero reference of the energetic mathematics. It is cosmic zero.
Zero pulsation in the V.E. is a metaphorm of eternity and God: the zero-phase of conceptual integrity inherent in the + and - asymmetries that propogate the differentials of consciousness. V.E. is important because all the nuclear tendencies to implosion and explosion are reversible and are always in exact balance. V.E. is the anywhere, anywhen, eternally regenerative, event inceptioning and evolutionary accomodation and never seen in any physical experience.
This metaphorm (V.E.) represents the self's initial real-I-zation both inwardly and outwardly from the beginning of being "betweeness"; maximum inbetweeness. Push/pull; convergence/divergence; gravity/radiation. At zero-point, waves can pass through waves without interfering with other waves. Vectoral phase or zone of neutral resonance which occurs between outwardly pushing wave propogation and inwardly pulling gravitational coherence. Emptiness at the Center: all 4 planes of all 8 tetrahedra (i.e. 32 planes/32 paths) are congruent in the four visible planes passing through a common V.E. center, the cosmic terminal condition and nature's most economical lines of energy travel.
"Omnidirectional Philosopher's Stone," c1981
Daath is the "gateway of all inbetweeness." In this model and metaphorm, physical and metaphysical share the same design. Equanimity model where the reins of all spheres are synergetically intertensioned at Tiphareth. The center of this operational sphere is Zero-Point, Vector Equilibrium, or Cosmic Zero. This psychotronic machine is for interdimensional tuning. Thinking itself consists of filtering out macro- and micro- irrelevancies, which leaves only the lucidly relevant "con-siderations," which as Fuller points out, means "putting the stars together." This topological modeling provides a synergetic means of ascertaining the values of any system of experiences. It is the science of fundamental pattern and structural relationships of event constellations.
All paths of Circulation of the Light are contained or implied in the central hexagonal star.
Visualize Vector Equilibrium in the heart center and build up the Cube of Space from the Isotropic Vector Matrix. The center is nucleated Nothingness = Zero-Point = The Fool, Aleph/Tau. The Cuboctahedron; Triquidoid. Symmetry operations carry crystal structure into itself. Rotation and reflection operations = point operations. This metaphorm of the alchemical Circumambulatio is analogous to information transfer from vertex to vertex, creating superpositions and sphere-linking.
The dynamic activity connected with the drive to know, to penetrate, to illumine, culminates in a stillness, silence, cessation of all effort which itself dissolves in the tranquility of total negation. 0 = 2. It is only by virtue of the fact that it is Naught. All form and power are latent in the Void. Here we witness experientially the quantum propogation of radiant wave after radiant wave identifiable with given wavelengths and frequencies of enfoldment.
"Crystalline Star," c1981
Tiphareth, the Heart Center: Diamond Body plane of operations. Based on the geometry of the Necker Cube. Circulation of the Light from the Throne of Glory. Central shrine, the Throne-Chariot, is an octal code. Necker Cube star forms a diamond-shaped "plane of operations" for the consciousness of the adept. This is a metaphorm or physical analogy to Golgi cells in the brain and their hexagonal inhibitory fields. According to Karl Pribram, the golgi cell system can be considered as a "focusing device restricting or giving preferance to granule neuron (parallel fiber) activity in relatively narrow bands." This synergetic form is the Net of Artemis, an in-formation, re-call, re-membering system.
According to M.L. von Franz in Number and Time, a "mandala is the inner psychic counterpart, and synchronistic phenomena the parapsychological equivalent, of the Unus Mundus. . .attemptss have been made in the past to combine these two equivalents into a unitary reality and to construct mandalas, which via synchronicity would yield parapsychological "knowledge," (i.e. an "access sstate"). Zosimos and Bruno used them as tools for magically acquiring information about the rationally unknowable." The crucial time moment and act of personal intervention leads to qualitative, specific, time moments. They only emerge out of a latent, undifferentiated continuum when the individual confronts the continuum. Via circulation of the Light, the mystical body is formed by diamond-bodying.
"Star of Infinite Regenerations," c1981
"QBL Double Cube Gambit Grid," c1982
Gambit: "An opening move such as that which promotes discussion." The Double Cube is the form of the magician's altar, which can be visualized as superpositioned with the body. This crystalline reflectaphor is based on a multi-faceted variation of the Greek metaphorm, the divine Tetractys, a base-10 pyramid. A variation of The Diamond Body, it is the circuitry of a dimensional teleport system. This is one of the keys to sphere-linking operations.
Combinatoric symbols represent mutually dependent, polarized functions. They reexpress, suppliment, and systematize metaphorically, across many levels. The Double Cube of Tiphareth/Daath is represented by faceted jewels of mutually synergetic, non-polarized functions. This meditational abstraction of the Middle Pillar of Equilibrium combines the silver and gold currents of the left and right pillars.
"The Sun Code of Genetic Programming," c1982
Sun Code of Genetic Substances
The so-called sun-code of genetic programming. The codones (four genetic substances) should be read from the inside-out. The four color-coded substances (G, A, U, C), combine first in 16 ways (4 x 4), then in 64 ways (4 x 16). The magic number 64 immediately reminds us of the 64 Hexagrams of the I Ching, the Chinese synergetic book of life. In this painting, the Sun-Code occupies the place of Tiphareth, surrounded by its satellite Spheres of the Tree of Life. The surrounding DNA chain in the shape of the World Egg, is a variation of the alchemical tail-eating serpent Ourobouros. Its head is formed by the Hebrew Yod, a symbol of life and sperm, the unbroken circle of life.
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References
Eliade, Mircea, A History of Religious Ideas, 1978, University of Chicago Press: Chicago.
Kaplan, Aryeh, The Bahir Illumination, 1979, Samuel Weiser, Inc., York Beach: Maine.
Meditation and Kabbalah, 1982, Samuel Weiser, Inc. York Beach: Maine.
Luminet, Jean-Pierre, Starkman and Weeks, "Is Space Finite?", SciAmer, April, 1999, p 90-97.
Wolf, Fred Alan, The Spiritual Universe: How Quantum Physics Proves the Existence of the Soul,
1996, Simon & Schuster, New York: New York.
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THE SUMERIAN LEGACY
The Sumerian legacy is an integral aspect of Synchrographics. Historically, the first synchrograph could be considered their division of the sky into the 12 divisions of the Zodiac.
Zecharia Sitchin concludes that Sumerian science originated with the "gods from outer space." But it is not as mind-bending to imagine some more plausible alternatives to this "channelling." An ancient "Newton," "Leonardo," or "Einstein" could have bootstrapped his mathematical system from ages of pre-historical experience, 50,000 years of human observation of the heavens and earth.
Just like the nameless creator of the Phoenician alphabet, the name of the source was lost, but the useful knowledged retained. Steeped in legend and myth by Babylonian times it was attributed to a divine source just as we attribute our own moments of inspiration or genius to a higher source, beyond our ordinary selves. This nameless genius created an oral tradition whose tables and methods were eventually written down. At first, one had to be an initiate (priest or scribe) to use the methods. Later they were adopted in everyday life.
The ancient systematic observers noticed the regularity of the passages of the planets through the constellations of the fixed stars. They conceived the grandiose idea of a mathematically determined cosmic order of greatness with lesser ever-evolving cycles of celestial manifestation, disappearance and renewal. Man sought then to harmonize with these cycles through the timing of religious festivals and astronomically based calendars in imitation of heavenly circumstances.
The Precession of the Equinoxes was first noticed as a slow but steady slippage through the Zodiac of 1 degree every 72 years. To complete one cycle of the zodiac--a "Great" or Platonic Year--requires 25,920 years. Dividing this sum by 360 yields the number 432, the root of the mythological count of 432,000 years. However, it is not only mythological, or archetypal--it was discovered by centuries of controlled astronomical observation, even prior to written record-keeping.
In India, the Kali Yuga is supposed to have begun on February 17, 3102 BC. The astronomical aspect of a yuga begins with the sun, moon, and planets in conjunction in the initial point of the ecliptic. Everything returns to the same point at the end of the age. This belief originated way before Hindu astronomy and is cross-cultural. But 3102 BC is a good approximation of the invention of the arts of writing, mathematics, and astronomy--all of which are a remarkable effort at translating celestial mathematics into the ordering principle of life on earth.
This is the echo of the old Mesopotamian doctrine which reverberated through Greece and Rome (Berossos to Seneca) as well as India (Yugas). It spread all over the known world into Egypt, the Zoroastrians, and traces are even found in China, Mexico, and South America. The old Sumerian tradition of astronomical observation was the basis of all intellectual culture, and originator of the myths of eschatology, or end times.
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The Sacred Portal
The sacred place, the center of transformation, has always been a refuge from the laws of the temporal world. Sacred space is the visionary gateway which opens communication with the transcendental reality of the divine. Here, as Jung states, "man is no longer a distinct individual but his mind widens out and merges into the mind of mankind--not the conscious mind, but the nconscious mind of mankind, where we are all the same.
When the concept of such a holy site or center is joined with a mathematically structured universe, derivation from ancient Mesopotamia must be suspected. It is the archetypal source, the navel of the world. In many cases, the center is conceived as an axis extending vertically upward and downward, with the center at the conjunction of the four cardinal direction.
This is the ancient model of sacred space, which corresponds in Synchrographics with the form of the T.R.I., the Triaxial Retrograde Interface. The three intersecting axes of Euclidean space with a shared coordinate.
The Hindus had a version of this centering mechanism called the regents of the directions. Brahma was in the overhead position, Vishnu below, with Shiva as the vertical axis. Each directions is attributed to a god and quality.
The essence of this image of the axial point or pole is that it symbolizes the way or place of passage from motion to rest, time to eternity, separation to unity; but then also, conversely rest to motion, eternity to time, unity to multiplicity. The realization of the nonduality of heaven and earth--even of being and nonbeing--is assimilated in the sacred center. The ego is sacrificed in the primal waters of deathlessness, and released to be carried in all directions. This is the mystical-psychological sense of sacrifice in all great religions.
A solar hero is the most frequent embodiment of this process of purgation, illumination, and unification. He unites the religious significance of the sun, the zodiac, and the seasons with circular or cyclic determinism. Man sought to rise and share the great cycle with the sun and stars, to climb beyond the material universe to the immaterial realm of the world-sustaining sun. The ageless concept of the new dimension transcending linear, historical time echoes Mesopotamian cosmology. We ourselves are already that light of consciousness, that ground of being.
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THE JUNGIAN APPROACH TO NUMBER
Jung revealed how mythological images and numbers have always been associated with each other. Here, we find a correspondence between the Universe, #108, and cycles of the Sun.
Von Franz summarizes her Jungian view:
"The concept of natural numbers rests on an archetypal foundation. It represents a preconscious pattern of thought common to all human psyches, and therefore constitutes the basis for transmitting knowledge to a greater degree than mythological images, which exhibit more ethnological variations.
"Those aspects of the number archetype which present-day Western mathematics has made conscious in no way exhaust all its aspects...The preconscious aspect of natural numbers points to the idea of a numerical field in which individual numbers figure as energic phenomena or rhythmical configurations. The "field," which we take to represent the structural outlines of the collective unconscious, is organized around the central archetype of the Self (which corresponds with the Sun, which corresponds with 108, and Brahma). For this reason historical mandala structures deserve particular attention. In corresponding "cosmic models" and mathematical representations of God, the first four numbers predominate to an exceptional degree.
"...These synchronistic and parapsychological aspects of number...can only be fathomed when we take into account the unconscious emotional setup and preconscious fantasies of the abserver along with his conscious mental situation and outlook. The description of such phenomena will of course no longer produce universally valid theories, but rather transmittable realizations that can exert a mind-releasing, community-building effect, just as scientific advances did in the past. The common denominator in mankind's cognitive processes thereby shifts from the level of doctrinaire intellectualism onto another plane. It centers instead on the realization of an a priori psychic structure common to all men. Depending on the epoch and an individual's creative abilities, the basic substratum becomes clothed in the most varied shapes and conscious formulations, progressively transforming 'ancient, eternal truths' into more highly differentiated conscious patterns of realization.
"As the ultimate verification of these processes stands the objective psyche and its synchronistic manifestations, which contain the mystery of the sporadic conjunction of psychic and physical events, revealing a common 'meaning.' . . .When we take into account the individual characteristics of natural numbers, we can actually demonstrate that they produce the same ordering effects in the physical and psychic realms; they therefore appear to constitute the most basic constants of nature expressing unitary psychophysical reality."
The Development of Mathematics
According to Singer's A Short History of Scientific Ideas, something of the nature of mathematics must be much older than the earliest documented examples. In tribal pre-history mankind watched the movement of the heavens and kept tallies of the passage of cycles of both lunar and solar nature. The importance of the Sun grew with the rise of agriculture and the importance of dating planting and harvest times accurately.
By Sumerian times, numbers were represented in a system which combined a decimal with a sexagesimal notation. It embodied the principle of place-value, but not as we now know it. Shifting a number one place to the left multiplied its value sixty-fold, successive shifts to the right corresponded to repeated divisions by sixty to form sexagesimal fractions. In later Babylonia of the Seleucid period, the texts employ a 'zero' to indicate an empty sexagesimal place between two other figures. Remnants of the sexagesimal system survive with us in the 360 degrees of the circle, etc.
The mathematical texts usually consist either of tables for multiplication, squaring of numbers, etc. or of worked examples illustrating the solution of elementary geometrical or algebraic problems. The geometry amounts to little more than estimations of the areas of fields, though the special property of the right-angled triangle was known. The ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter, pi, was taken as equal to 3. This is the value adopted in the Old Testament, perhaps under Babylonian influence.
The algebra of the Old Babylonians could solve quadratic equations by a procedure equivalent to evaluating the modern formula, which gives the roots in terms of the co-efficients, thought the known texts nowhere quote or prove this rule. They also handled linear equations in several unknowns and even attempted to solve cubic and biquadratic equations.
The Old Babylonians astronomy amounted to little more than recognition of bright stars, arbitrary demarcations of the heavens, and often undated observations of striking celestial or atmospheric phenomena. There are also records of omens drawn from these, whose significance marks the beginning of astrology. Originally used to predict the fortunes of contending kingdoms, horoscope astrology subsequently developed into complex procedures for foretelling the destinies of individuals.
The later or Seleucid texts, on the other hand, embody complicated systems of theoretical astronomy. These were elaborated by the temple priests who observed the heavens from characteristic stepped watch-towers or temples, of which the Tower of Babel is a reminder.
The periodicity exhibited by the planets, and more particularly the revolutions of the sun and moon, were utilized for the measurement of time. The monthly changes of the moon are more obvious than the annual travel of the sun. So the lunar calendar was retained for religious purposes, while the solar was adopted for agriculture.
No natural numerical relation exists between the lunar month and the solar year. But by the fifth century BC, it was established that 19 solar years are equal to 235 lunar months (125 of 30 days and 110 of 29 days each) to within a fraction of a day. These 19 years, comprising 12 of 12 months each and 7 of 13 months each, were combined in a certain order to form what has been called, after the alleged Greek inventor Meton, the Metonic Cycle. The sequence in which 29-day and 30-day months followed one another was seen to be affected by the variations in the rates of motion of sun and moon, by the latitutde of the moon, and by the inclination of the ecliptic to the horizon.
In the tables for predicting the dates of successive new moons, separate columns indicated the corrections to be separately applied for these various factors affecting the length of the month. They represented fluctuating discontinuity between upper and lower limits in a characteristic manner. The Babylonian tables, which extended also to the prediction of planetary phenomena, have been classified into two main systems, according to the mthods employed to represent the variation of the sun's rate of motion through the course of a year. (adapted freely from The Short History of Science).
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Indian Mathematics
The Indus civilization also learned its first lessons in mathematics from astronomy, the gateway to time reckoning and temple building. In the arithmetic of trade, the merchants of India were the equals of those of Mesopotamia.
Until about 2000 years ago, they probably used numerals made up of horizontal strokes. When they began to use dried palm leaves as writing material and developed a flowing style of writing, they also began to join up these strokes, so that became and became .In this way they gradually built up different signs for each number up to nine. Each sign could be conveniently used to indicate the number of pebbles in any groove of the abacus.
The Indians learned how to tell not only how many pebbles are in a groove, but also which groove they are in. The far right stood for units, the next to the left for tens, then hundreds, and so on. An empty column used a dot, as we now use zero. Thus each value meant only that one figure.
This system does away with space-consuming repetition. We can record the same number on any groove of the abacus by using the same sign. Saving space is only a small advantage. The great advantage of the Hindu system is that it enables us to calculate with numbers.
Other ancient systems of writing all relied on the use of different symbols for the same number of pebbles in different grooves of the abacus. Before you could do written or mental calculations with them, you would need to learn a different table of addition and multiplication for each groove. When there are only nine different signs, each of which can show the number of pebbles in any groove, and a zero indicates empty grooves, you need learn only one simple table, once and for all. You can carry over in your head because there is only one simple table to remember.
The Hindu number language quickly led to a revolution in the art of calculation. The mathematicians of India began to think in fractions and write them in the modern way. By 500 AD, Indian mathematicians had solved problems that baffled the greatest scholars of antiquity. The mathematician Varahamihira calculated how to forecast the positions of the planets; Aryabhata wrote a rule for finding square roots and gave the value for pi as 3.1416.
Around 800 Ad, this numerical system was exported to Baghdad on the age-old caravan route. The Muslims used trigonometry. Because they had mastered the new arithmetic of India, they could make much fuller use of the geometry of Euclid. Improved navigational equipment emerged from the observatories which also had improved equipment. Knowledge took a big leap forward between 800-900 AD, when East met West in Baghdad, and the baseten system became the standard..
by Iona Miller, 1999
"Omnidirectional Halo"
"Whoever reflects on four things, it were better he had never been born: that which is above, that which is below, that which is before, and that which is after".
--Talmud, Hagigah 2.1
ABSTRACT: Quantum cosmology attempts to describe how the universe emanated from the void. Kant said space and time are the necessary categories of thought. Einstein taught us to think in terms of an interwoven spacetime. We comprehend our experience in terms of space-time geometry. A dynamical geometry, the psychophysical twelve-dimensional matrix, informs our very being. Consciousness-researcher David Chalmers suggests that perhaps the universe exists in terms of psychophysical laws, and that consciousness may involve both an information state and experiential state.
The maximum number of dimensions allowed to a symmetrically-divided sphere is twelve. The 12-dimensional model appears to offer a psychophysical solution to consciousness, quantum gravity, the origins of life, and the birth of the universe--the traditional subject matter of Qabala. We demonstrate that Kether is in Malkuth--information has both a physical and experiential aspect. The Right and Left Pillars of the Tree correspond to Right (spatial/behavioral) and Left Hemispheric (temporal/psychophysical) functioning.
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INTRODUCTION
Rabbi Rahumai said: What is the meaning of the verse (Proverbs 6:23), "And the way of life is the rebuke of admonition"?
This teaches us that when a person accustoms himself to the study of the Mystery of Creation and the Mystery of the Chariot, it is impossible that he not stumble. It is therefore written (Isaiah 3:6), "Let this stumbling be under your hand." This refers to things that a person cannot understand unless they cause him to stumble.
The Torah calls it "the rebuke of admonition," but actually it makes one worthy of "the way of life." One who wishes to be worthy of "the way of life" must therefore endure "the rebuke of admonition."
--Kaplan, The Bahir
ORIGINS OF THE GEOMETRICAL MODEL:
An examination of the prehistory of religious ideas begins with the conception of surrounding space. When humans began to walk erect they transcendended the typical condition of primates.
It is because of our vertical posture that we organize space into four horizontal directions radiating from an"up/down" central axis. We automatically organize the space around our bodies as extending forward, backward, to right, left, upward and downward.
Thus we orient ourselves to the apparently limitless, unknown and threatening extension. We need a method of orientation because it is impossible to survive long in the vertigo brought on by disorientation. Our experience of space is primarily oriented around a "center" and explains the importance of paradigmatic divisions of our experiential field.
This model of experiential space is projected into mythical, celestial space as the cosmogony. The very theory of celestial models continues and develops the universally disseminated archaic conception that man's acts are only the repetition (imitation) of acts revealed by divine beings. The divine modality is defined by the powers and "transcendence" of space. Precosmogonic chaos can be conceptually ordered, and this is an archetypally divine act. The numinous character of divinity increases by becoming brighter. Light is considered the particular attribute of divinity, Initial Perfection.
In Paleolithic times, familiarity with different modalities of matter gave rise to imaginative activity. The first signs of ancient religious sense came from burial rites. Early inventions, such as primitive tools and domestic skills gave rise to imaginative analogies. Through activites such as sewing, shaping statuettes, and making hunting tools objects came to be laden with symbolism. The imaginary world was created and enriched by intimacy with matter.
This imaginary realm was inadequately grasped in figurative and geometric creations of various prehistoric cultures. This imaginative experience is still accessible to us. There is a continuity to this plane of imaginative activity which permeates throughout human history and spiritual notions. The imaginal activity of the ancients had a mythological dimension. Many of the supernatural figures and mythological events which appear in later religious traditions, were probably discoveries of the Stone Age. For millennia Mother Earth gave birth by herself, through parthenogenesis. Born from the Earth, man returned there when he died.
The development of agrarian cultures ushered in notions of circular time and cosmic cycles. The confrontation between two cosmogonic principles, time and space, meant a new orientation to both inner and outer life. A settled existence organizes the "world" differently from a nomadic life. The seed "dies" and is then reborn in order to multiply. Thus death ensures a new birth. Agriculture demands a different relationship to the seasons and weather--to earth and sky, and this had a deep impact on religious values. The theme is one of periodic renewal.
"For religious creativity was stimulated, not by the empirical phenomenon of agriculture, but by the mystery of birth, death, and rebirth identified in the rhythm of vegetation. In order to be understood, accepted, and mastered, the crises that threaten the harvest (floods, draughts, etc.) will be translated into mythological dramas. These mythologies and the ritual scenarios that depend on them will dominate the religions of the Near East for millennia. The mythical theme of gods who die and return to life is among the most important."
". . .The agrarian cultures develop what may be called a cosmic religion, since religious activity is concentrated around the central mystery: the periodical renewal of the world. Like human existence, the cosmic rhythms are expressed in terms drawn from vegetable life. The mystery of cosmic sacrality is symbolized in the World Tree. The universe is conceived as an organism that must be renewed periodically--in other words, each year. 'Absolute reality,' rejuvination, immortality are accessible to certain privileged persons through the power residing in a certain fruit or in a spring near a tree. The Cosmic Tree is held to be at the center of the world, and it unites the three cosmic regions, for it sends its roots down into the underworld, and its top touches the sky."
"...The Cosmic Tree is the most widespread expression of the axis mundi; but the symbolism of the cosmic axis probably precedes--or is independent of--the agricultural civilizations, since it is found in certain arctic cultures." (Eliade, 1978).
The cosmic axis defines and reiterates the divine energy flow between Sky (Kether) and Earth (Malkuth). It reiterates our ancestral vertical posture on the cosmic level, drawing a polarized line between the celestial and terrestrial. When we are in sacred space, we become that cosmic axis, incarnate. It is a cross-cultural, universal model.
In the Hebrew adaptation of this cosmic Tree model, there are differences and similarities to the older cults of western Asia. Archaic ideas about the creation of the world were taken up and reiterated. Mesopotamian legends formed much of the raw material. However, the main distinction from the agricultural fertility cults was that the Hebrews did not worship the Earth or forces of nature. This represented a break from conventional religious forms and was the new basis for the clan's spiritual life and ethos.
But, they were unavoidably pre-conditioned by the dominant Mesopotamian culture. Living on the outskirts of this society they incorporated notions, such as a Law or code. The very idea of a code is Mesopotamian, and cannot be found in ancient Egypt.
The primary difference in orientation is shown by the fact that the Hebrew Tree of Life reverses the neolithic notion of an earth-rooted sacred Tree. The qabalistic Tree is rooted in Heaven, with its branches extending downward toward earthly manifestation. The emanation is from the formless limitless light into corporeality by means of geometric unfoldment, from pure energy converted into matter. But, the Mesopotamian influence is seen here as well.
Sumeria revered a triad of great gods, analogous to the Supernal Triad (1-2-3) of the Tree of Life; followed by a triad of planetary gods (4-5-6), followed by lesser gods. This cosmic rhythm is sustained in the qabalistic Tree. Like the fertility cults, the cosmic axis is conceived of as a relationship between a primordial couple (Elohim; God and Shekinah, or Malkuth, the Bride; the Right (masc.) and Left (fem.) Pillars of the Tree). Their union is a hieros gamos, or sacred marriage which results in the manifestation of all things.
Qabala also incorporates the themes of circular and cosmic time, by valorizing the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth (initiation). This is the archaic idea of the periodic renewal of the world which resurfaces as ritual, magical exercises and disciplines. It is primarily for the agriculturalist that the "true world" or space in which he lives is the "center of the world." It is consecrated by rituals and prayers, and in that sacred space communication with divinity is effected.
Habitation of a sacred place led to the cosmological symbolism of sacred architecture. The Sumerians were the first to erect monumental temples, and to record myths of the quest for immortality. They invented notions about a 12-fold Zodiac, planetary astrology, magic and divination, spirits and demons, and later (from Babylon) angels. Akkadian religious thought also contributed the importance accorded to the personal element in religious experience. These were incorporated into Qabala in such ideas as the path of return, planetary spheres, spiritual hierarchy and demonology.
All this percolated down from the earliest neolithic cultures with their primal root-metaphors:
Cults of the dead and of fertility, indicated by statuettes of goddesses, and of the storm god. Beliefs and rituals connected with the "mystery" of vegetation.
Assimilation of the identity of woman/cultivated soil/plant, implying the homology birth/rebirth (initiation).
Very probably the hope of a postexistence. A cosmology including the symbolism of a "center of the world" and inhabited space as an imago mundi.
This represents a cosmic cycle of chthonian fertility and life/death/postexistence. These root metaphors are powerful, and have persisted into modern times in our religions. Many of the primal notions were incorporated into the classic literature of written Kabbalah in the Middle Ages, particularly the Sephir Yetzirah, the Bahir, and Zohar, and the codification of the Tree of Life and Cube of Space or Throne-Chariot.
These qabalistic texts exhibit considerable variation. We can see that these spiritual ideas about orientation in space/time have evolved through the centuries. We have every reason to believe that our view will continue to evolve to a new understanding of the meaning of the Universe or cosmic existence (where we are), our existence (who we are), and post-mortum continuation (where we are going).
Throughout most of the history of Kabbalah, the Tree of Life wasn't standardized or very geometrical. The emanations were contemplated in a variety of forms. The geometrically regular triplet array came much later. Path positions and attributions differed markedly, and there are several arrays of the emanations devised for various purposes. Even prior to formalization of the Tree of Life, the visionary experience of the Throne Chariot was pursued as "the Work of the Chariot."
This work, or Merkavah mysticism is the meditative branch of Qabala. But when it came to this central image, or template of divinity, there was much discussion in the evolving esoteric tradition over the pattern of the Chariot of Light. Unlike the Sephiroth which are not spatial, but qualities of Nothingness, the Chariot is a template or spiritual projection--a form and state which arises during mystical meditation. Both its rewards and the extreme dangers of this practice by the impure are covered in the Bahir, The Book of Illumination, published in 1175. This is one of the oldest Kabbalistic texts, and contains the earliest discussion of the Sefirot and reincarnation.
This work emphasizes meditative techniques to allow seers to develop profound astral visions of "God's Throne" by themselves becoming "chariots" or vehicles to the divine. They used the Hebrew equivalent of mantras and mandalas to facilitate their practice. Since the Jews were in the Babylonian exile and their earthly Temple had been destroyed, perhaps it was an attempt to internalize sacred space--to worship in an inner Temple.
The origin of this meditative practice goes back to Ezekiel, and according to Kabbalah, his vision of the Chariot was in the Universe of Yetzirah, the astral realm of Formation. This is the level where it is said God "fills all worlds." We look down into our own soul to see Him. Once again, the opposition to fertility cults is emphasized:
"Specifically characteristic of agriculturalists, cosmic religiosity continued the most elementary dialectic of the sacred, especially the belief that the divine is incarnated, or manifest itself, in cosmic objects and rhythms. Now such a belief was denounced by the adherents of Yahweh as the worst possible idolatry, and this ever since the the Israelites' entrance into Palestine. But never was cosmic religiosity so savagely attacked. The prophets finally succeeded in emptying nature of any divine presence. Whole sectors of the natural world--the "high places," stones, springs, trees, certain crops, certain flowers--will be denounced as unclean because they were polluted by the cult of the Canaanite divinities of fertility. The preeminently clean and holy region is the desert alone, for it is there that Israel remained faithful to its God. The sacred dimension of vegetation and, in general, of the exuberant epiphanies of nature will be rediscovered only late, in medieval Judaism." (Eliade, 1978).
This total and violent rejection of cosmic religiosity and nature symbolism was apparently sublimated in the work of the Chariot, because as we now know, its geometry actually reflects the deepest secrets of nature and the cosmos in terms of the formation of all possible things, from the macrocosmic to microcosmic.
Religiosity graduated from the physical to the metaphysical realm, and became a "way of knowing." Metaphysical knowledge presumably gave man control of himself, instincts and actions, and permitted living a fully worthy life. Events no longer reflect the eternal rhythm of the cosmic cycle or depend on the stars, they develop in accordance with God's plan.
The advent of syncretism in the Hellenistic world brought exposure to Greek ideas. The Greeks tried to impose their way of life on the Jews. Both Arab and Jewish philosophers engaged in scholastic metaphysics which proposed that the universe must have had a beginning in time, hence a Creator God, which implies the unity of creation, and shows that the soul is of God. Truth is one. The acquiring of truth is a religious duty. Reason and revelation are complementary. Still, philosophy alone is not a religious enterprise. The goal of philosophy is right action.
A theology which equates God's law with order and stability in nature, is still mistaking the creation for the dynamic transcendent Creator, worshipping creation rather than Creator. Philosophy suggested that immortality was an achievement of the soul which has activated its full potential for knowing. This is perhaps the subtle mistake or stumbling of the Daath-level, over-intellectualizing, rather than obediently following the Lord's Will as the Bible dictates. True knowledge of things divine comes through love of God. Only love admits one to God's supernal mysteries.
One of the most original religious creations of the Hellenistic period is the personification of wisdom as the Shekinah. In Greek form, Sophia as a divine and personfied entity appears comparatively late in the Hermetic writings. This feminine counterpart of God plays a major role in the metaphors of polar dynamics in the Tree of Life.
In Proverbs, Shekinah declares that Yahweh created her before the oldest of his works, that she was firmly set from the beginning, before earth came into being. This echoes the notion of a virtual state prior to and underlying physical manifestation, a virtual matrix of formation.. Wisdom emerged from the Lord's mouth. Among the realm of Jewish-inspired "intermediate beings" between man and God, Shekinah was elevated to supreme authority, the mediatrix. She is divine immanence.
Intuitive perception of the subtleties of metaphysical reality has evolved as philosophies have shifted. The more we know about the empirical nature of phenomenal reality, the more our intuitive concepts come into harmonization with the nature of Reality. At the risk of error, "stumbling" and admonishment, we can conceive of a postmodern view of the Tree and the Throne-Chariot, with analogies to current physics theories. But this theory may be more than analogy or metaphor--it is the way things are, and therefore phenomenological. It unites psyche and matter in the alchemical Unus Mundus, or One World.
An evolving esoteric tradition allows us to course-correct symbolic, intuitive notions about the nature of reality. In this pursuit, we are not trying to improve or defile Qabala, but employ our spiritual sensitivity to engage in true speculation, or seeing in the sense of the seer. A medieval Kabbalist said, "the philosophers can only surmise what exists in the metaphysical realm, while the Kabbalists can actually see it."
Three events influenced the evolution of Kabbalah in the Middle Ages: the printing press; discovery of the New World; and the Spanish Inquisition. As Kabbalah began to be written down, there was a need for outlining its organizing principles, systematizing it in a philosophical structure. We can only deduce what is correct from the considerable variations of Qabala by the logical derivation of formulas and true vision, not allegory, or even metaphor. Truth is one.
Our modern model meets religious, psychological, and physical criteria for depicting this ancient core image with even more clarity, making it crystal clear. Theological flexibility is a qabalistic tradition. Theosophical speculation is primarily based on insight rather than systematics. Through it we weave reason and revelation into a seamless unity.
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Re-Visioning Sacred Geometry
[Illustrations can be found at this article's original home in Synergetic Qabala]
A RE-VISIONING OF THE COSMIC TREE
"537.131 Six Vectors for Every Point: The behavioral interpatterning frame of reference of the six degrees of freedom in respect to omnidirectionality is of course the vector equilibrium, which embraces the three-dimensionality of the cube and the six-dimensionality of the vector equilibrium. Experience is inherently omnidirectional; ergo, there is always a minimum of 12 "others" in respect to the nuclear observing self. The 24-positive and 24-negative vectored vector equilibrium demonstrates an initially frequenced, tertahedrally quantized unity of 20; ergo, the Universe as an aggregate of all humanity's apprehended and comprehended experiences, is at minimum a plurality of 24 vectors." (R. Buckminster Fuller, 1979).
All events can be described mathematically in space time. According to Fuller there are six vectorial moves for every event. Each of the vectorial moves is reversible, hence 12. Therefore, all positional differentials in the Universe derive only from the sixness of the 12 degrees of freedom.
The Tree of Life emerges from an unobservable or implicate geometrical matrix. This isotropic vector matrix is dynamically inter-tensioned. The dynamic interaction and tension among the Spheres of the Tree of Life functions synergetically. We can revision the old notion of static hierarchy; the synergetic state could be called "synarchy." Though the geometry of the Tree stays the same, our notion of its dynamics can take a quantum leap forward in conceptual terms. We can keep viewing the Tree in, at best, 19th century terms, or contemporize to 21st century paradigms.
Buckminster Fuller pointed out that ancient philosophical and scientific thought was based on the notion of the cube, rather than the tetrahedron, nature's most economical self-organizing base unit. This mistake of the Greek mathematicians has been perpetuated down through the ages, but we can correctly revision the matrix of reality with a few simple adjustments in our thinking. The Synergetic Qabala includes original graphics and paintings which help make these conceptual changes clearer.
Experiential phenomena, including mystical states, are inseparable from the physical universe, and are deeply connected with the laws which govern the physical universe. Buckminster Fuller advanced a single model to describe the shape of the physical universe, the shape of energy's behavior, the shape of our thinking, and the shape of the metaphysical or philosophical universe. He considered adoption of the cube in classical times as misguided and erroneous, since it has nothing to do with nature's own coordinates.
With the cube and the square the ancient Greek mathematicians entered the world of nature and Reality by the wrong door, rather than through Nature's Way which is in triangles and tetrahedra. Without meaning to be critical, the early Qabalists perpetuated this partial truth, in what we can term their "Cube-ala," with its primary geometries of the Tree of Life and Throne-Chariot or Cube of Space.
"THE CUBE OF SPACE"
by Iona Miller, c1982
Three dimensions can be modeled with perpendiculars in the cube. Four dimensions can be modeled with equiangularity in the tetrahedron. What the three axes of the cube do for three dimensions, the four axes of the tetrahedron do for four dimensions. The tetrahedron provides for the convergence and divergence of four centrally-coordinate planes. Fuller says it is erroneous to describe time as a fourth dimension; he says that all dimensions require time. Einstein (and later QM) demonstrated that time emanates from the observer. The tetrahedron is stability incarnate, a nest of principle.
In Qabala, the Spheres themselves are actually numbers, (Sephiroth means number) and in Fuller's geometric philosophy, there is a direct relationship between number and geometry. Fuller created the first explicit formulas for the area of a circle in triangular modules and for the volume of a sphere in tetrahedral modules--all without pi. In contrast to the classical XYZ coordinates, Fuller's three-way great circle grid, has 60-degree coordination and a tetrahedral matrix. This is nature's way, since there are no 90 degree angles in nature, no true perpendiculars.
We can retune or tune-in a clearer picture of the nature of the primal matrix, since we have made conceptual advances over the ancients. The reciprocal operation of the old alchemical notion of "squaring the circle" is to envisioned the old Cube of Space encompassed by its precipitating matrix, from which it emanates. an encircling Sphere. The 12-dimensional model defines not only 'top down' object-space, but also 'bottom up' self-time, with the potential for psyche/consciousness to exist in every particle in the psychophysical universe from the start.
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German mathematician Georg F.B. Riemann proposed the hypersphere as a model of the cosmos. The so-called Riemann sphere is the three-dimensional surface of a four-dimensional ball, and presumes the hypersphere is not embedded in any higher-dimensional space. Einstein chose this shape as the hypothetical overall shape of the cosmos when he fomulated his first relativity model. It models a finite space without a problematic boundary.
The null directions at a point (Vector Equilibrium) have the holomorphic structure of a Riemann sphere. This holomorphic structure is implied as lying "behind the scenes" in solutions of Einstein's (vacuum) equations. We can imagine a twelve-dimensional matrix mapped onto a Sphere, representing all possible modes of psychophysical space and time.
When all possible modes of space and time are mapped onto the Riemann sphere, we see an ascending 'ladder' of dimensions (where time manifests) and we also find six complementary pairs of opposites. Though they are superimposed, a 'top-down' view of this 'ladder' is the perspective of our Left Hemisphere consciousness ("the Observer"), while a 'bottom-up' view reflects the Right Hemisphere state of Being.
These superpositions constitute our experience of psychophysical reality. The top-down information state is our control structure, psyche or soul, with its complementary quantum superposition soma, the supply structure. In a sense, life is the experience of dynamic geometrical transformations. The apprehension of the geometric properties of a 'circle,'--the 12 dimensional matrix--both intrinsically and extrinsically, are crucial for human higher-order consciousness. According to Burrow:
"...a sentient being could only sense that his or her universe was informed by a twelve-dimensional matrix, both at the extrinsic'classical' macro- as well as quantum mechaical intrinsic level, once he/she had ascended beyond the 'circle's' half-way point, i.e. as represented specifically by the seventh-dimension. This extrinsic/intrinsic apprehension of being in the pressence of a circle/sphere is best illustrated by Pythagoras' derivation of all numbers from the geometric properties of a circle. 'Mathematical Platonism', too--the notion that numbers are not "real" and that mathematical concepts exist in a timeless, ethereal realm--derives from this same experientially apprehended 'geometric source."
The invisible (or implicate) presence of the self-organizing 12-dimensional template at the quantum level is the virtual substrate of classical structure and vice versa. It yields six pairs of complementary psychophysical dimensions of space and time and space-time. This psychophysical model demonstrates a synthesis between physics and psychology. See "A Psychophysical Theory of Everything: Consciousness Beyond Complementarity," by Barron Burrow. http://www.maximus.dircon.co.uk/
It is a model for transcendence or experience of holistic "no time," and nonlocality in the 11th dimension (Daath). By definition, experiential phenomena must have a qualitative apprehension of, and relationship to, time. Due to the principles of synecdoche and self-similarity, we share the same 'arrow of time' with the psychophysical universe.
'Top down' consciousness of an external object actually alternates with 'bottom up,' behavioral superposition or identification with this same object. The 'magic' of this model is that it makes a synethsis between physics, psychology, and philosophy. It is metapsychological. A true Theory of Everything must be a synthesis of psychology, science and religion: consilience.
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SYNERGETIC QABALA:
VARIATIONS ON THE COSMIC AXIS,
TREE of LIFE, DOUBLE CUBE,
& CUBE OF SPACE
"The Tree of Life"
The two competing attractors in this model are the top-down Kether, and bottom-up Malkuth.
Qabalistic wisdom tells us that, in fact, "Kether is in Malkuth", so they are complementary superpositions.
"All that is physical is energetic. All that is metaphysical is synergetic."
(Fuller, 1976)
The Psychophysical 12-Dimensional Matrix;
Six pairs of complementary opposites, synergetically inter-tensioned,
reveal the implicate matrix of the Tree of Life geometry.
The surrounding Sphere is implied.
"The Diamond Body," c1981
This is an image of Tiphareth as the Cube of Space. The octahedral geometry is that of a face-centered-cubic close-pack lattice, which is that of diamond's atomic structure. The three axes formed by 3 virtual Great Circles around an implied surrounding sphere are corresponded with the three Mother letters: Aleph, Mem, and Shin. The center of the figure represents transcendence of time and space as symbolized by the letter Tau, which corresponds with The Universe. The vertices of the octahedron are planetary attributions. Each of the vectors of the surrounding cube correspond with path/letters and are color-coded to their correspondences.
"STAR OF DAVID," c1981
"Atomic V.E.M.," c1983
"He passed the flaming bounds of space and time:
The living throne, the sapphire-blaze,
Where angels tremble while they gaze,
He saw, but blasted with with excess of light,
Closed his eyes in endless night."
--Milton (1608-74), Progress of Poesy
Nested infinities of Vector Equilibrium Matrices generate and regenerate reiterations of Tree of Life vertices or nexus points. This variation on the Cube of Space combines the basic forms of the Star of David and Unicursal Hexagram. The Middle Pillar appears compressed as virtual nested spheres of white, yellow, violet. This is the synergetics of metaphysical reality, a causal plane temple of "wheels within wheels."
"DAATH: The Upper Room," c1981
Jitterbugging Vector Equilibrium Matrix is not a structure but a system, the prime nucleated system. Vector Equilibrium makes it possible to make conceptual models of 4th, 5th, and 6th dimensional omniexperience accounting by using tetrahedroning. Equilibrium between + and - is Zero. V.E. is the true zero reference of the energetic mathematics. It is cosmic zero.
Zero pulsation in the V.E. is a metaphorm of eternity and God: the zero-phase of conceptual integrity inherent in the + and - asymmetries that propogate the differentials of consciousness. V.E. is important because all the nuclear tendencies to implosion and explosion are reversible and are always in exact balance. V.E. is the anywhere, anywhen, eternally regenerative, event inceptioning and evolutionary accomodation and never seen in any physical experience.
This metaphorm (V.E.) represents the self's initial real-I-zation both inwardly and outwardly from the beginning of being "betweeness"; maximum inbetweeness. Push/pull; convergence/divergence; gravity/radiation. At zero-point, waves can pass through waves without interfering with other waves. Vectoral phase or zone of neutral resonance which occurs between outwardly pushing wave propogation and inwardly pulling gravitational coherence. Emptiness at the Center: all 4 planes of all 8 tetrahedra (i.e. 32 planes/32 paths) are congruent in the four visible planes passing through a common V.E. center, the cosmic terminal condition and nature's most economical lines of energy travel.
"Omnidirectional Philosopher's Stone," c1981
Daath is the "gateway of all inbetweeness." In this model and metaphorm, physical and metaphysical share the same design. Equanimity model where the reins of all spheres are synergetically intertensioned at Tiphareth. The center of this operational sphere is Zero-Point, Vector Equilibrium, or Cosmic Zero. This psychotronic machine is for interdimensional tuning. Thinking itself consists of filtering out macro- and micro- irrelevancies, which leaves only the lucidly relevant "con-siderations," which as Fuller points out, means "putting the stars together." This topological modeling provides a synergetic means of ascertaining the values of any system of experiences. It is the science of fundamental pattern and structural relationships of event constellations.
All paths of Circulation of the Light are contained or implied in the central hexagonal star.
Visualize Vector Equilibrium in the heart center and build up the Cube of Space from the Isotropic Vector Matrix. The center is nucleated Nothingness = Zero-Point = The Fool, Aleph/Tau. The Cuboctahedron; Triquidoid. Symmetry operations carry crystal structure into itself. Rotation and reflection operations = point operations. This metaphorm of the alchemical Circumambulatio is analogous to information transfer from vertex to vertex, creating superpositions and sphere-linking.
The dynamic activity connected with the drive to know, to penetrate, to illumine, culminates in a stillness, silence, cessation of all effort which itself dissolves in the tranquility of total negation. 0 = 2. It is only by virtue of the fact that it is Naught. All form and power are latent in the Void. Here we witness experientially the quantum propogation of radiant wave after radiant wave identifiable with given wavelengths and frequencies of enfoldment.
"Crystalline Star," c1981
Tiphareth, the Heart Center: Diamond Body plane of operations. Based on the geometry of the Necker Cube. Circulation of the Light from the Throne of Glory. Central shrine, the Throne-Chariot, is an octal code. Necker Cube star forms a diamond-shaped "plane of operations" for the consciousness of the adept. This is a metaphorm or physical analogy to Golgi cells in the brain and their hexagonal inhibitory fields. According to Karl Pribram, the golgi cell system can be considered as a "focusing device restricting or giving preferance to granule neuron (parallel fiber) activity in relatively narrow bands." This synergetic form is the Net of Artemis, an in-formation, re-call, re-membering system.
According to M.L. von Franz in Number and Time, a "mandala is the inner psychic counterpart, and synchronistic phenomena the parapsychological equivalent, of the Unus Mundus. . .attemptss have been made in the past to combine these two equivalents into a unitary reality and to construct mandalas, which via synchronicity would yield parapsychological "knowledge," (i.e. an "access sstate"). Zosimos and Bruno used them as tools for magically acquiring information about the rationally unknowable." The crucial time moment and act of personal intervention leads to qualitative, specific, time moments. They only emerge out of a latent, undifferentiated continuum when the individual confronts the continuum. Via circulation of the Light, the mystical body is formed by diamond-bodying.
"Star of Infinite Regenerations," c1981
"QBL Double Cube Gambit Grid," c1982
Gambit: "An opening move such as that which promotes discussion." The Double Cube is the form of the magician's altar, which can be visualized as superpositioned with the body. This crystalline reflectaphor is based on a multi-faceted variation of the Greek metaphorm, the divine Tetractys, a base-10 pyramid. A variation of The Diamond Body, it is the circuitry of a dimensional teleport system. This is one of the keys to sphere-linking operations.
Combinatoric symbols represent mutually dependent, polarized functions. They reexpress, suppliment, and systematize metaphorically, across many levels. The Double Cube of Tiphareth/Daath is represented by faceted jewels of mutually synergetic, non-polarized functions. This meditational abstraction of the Middle Pillar of Equilibrium combines the silver and gold currents of the left and right pillars.
"The Sun Code of Genetic Programming," c1982
Sun Code of Genetic Substances
The so-called sun-code of genetic programming. The codones (four genetic substances) should be read from the inside-out. The four color-coded substances (G, A, U, C), combine first in 16 ways (4 x 4), then in 64 ways (4 x 16). The magic number 64 immediately reminds us of the 64 Hexagrams of the I Ching, the Chinese synergetic book of life. In this painting, the Sun-Code occupies the place of Tiphareth, surrounded by its satellite Spheres of the Tree of Life. The surrounding DNA chain in the shape of the World Egg, is a variation of the alchemical tail-eating serpent Ourobouros. Its head is formed by the Hebrew Yod, a symbol of life and sperm, the unbroken circle of life.
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References
Eliade, Mircea, A History of Religious Ideas, 1978, University of Chicago Press: Chicago.
Kaplan, Aryeh, The Bahir Illumination, 1979, Samuel Weiser, Inc., York Beach: Maine.
Meditation and Kabbalah, 1982, Samuel Weiser, Inc. York Beach: Maine.
Luminet, Jean-Pierre, Starkman and Weeks, "Is Space Finite?", SciAmer, April, 1999, p 90-97.
Wolf, Fred Alan, The Spiritual Universe: How Quantum Physics Proves the Existence of the Soul,
1996, Simon & Schuster, New York: New York.
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THE SUMERIAN LEGACY
The Sumerian legacy is an integral aspect of Synchrographics. Historically, the first synchrograph could be considered their division of the sky into the 12 divisions of the Zodiac.
Zecharia Sitchin concludes that Sumerian science originated with the "gods from outer space." But it is not as mind-bending to imagine some more plausible alternatives to this "channelling." An ancient "Newton," "Leonardo," or "Einstein" could have bootstrapped his mathematical system from ages of pre-historical experience, 50,000 years of human observation of the heavens and earth.
Just like the nameless creator of the Phoenician alphabet, the name of the source was lost, but the useful knowledged retained. Steeped in legend and myth by Babylonian times it was attributed to a divine source just as we attribute our own moments of inspiration or genius to a higher source, beyond our ordinary selves. This nameless genius created an oral tradition whose tables and methods were eventually written down. At first, one had to be an initiate (priest or scribe) to use the methods. Later they were adopted in everyday life.
The ancient systematic observers noticed the regularity of the passages of the planets through the constellations of the fixed stars. They conceived the grandiose idea of a mathematically determined cosmic order of greatness with lesser ever-evolving cycles of celestial manifestation, disappearance and renewal. Man sought then to harmonize with these cycles through the timing of religious festivals and astronomically based calendars in imitation of heavenly circumstances.
The Precession of the Equinoxes was first noticed as a slow but steady slippage through the Zodiac of 1 degree every 72 years. To complete one cycle of the zodiac--a "Great" or Platonic Year--requires 25,920 years. Dividing this sum by 360 yields the number 432, the root of the mythological count of 432,000 years. However, it is not only mythological, or archetypal--it was discovered by centuries of controlled astronomical observation, even prior to written record-keeping.
In India, the Kali Yuga is supposed to have begun on February 17, 3102 BC. The astronomical aspect of a yuga begins with the sun, moon, and planets in conjunction in the initial point of the ecliptic. Everything returns to the same point at the end of the age. This belief originated way before Hindu astronomy and is cross-cultural. But 3102 BC is a good approximation of the invention of the arts of writing, mathematics, and astronomy--all of which are a remarkable effort at translating celestial mathematics into the ordering principle of life on earth.
This is the echo of the old Mesopotamian doctrine which reverberated through Greece and Rome (Berossos to Seneca) as well as India (Yugas). It spread all over the known world into Egypt, the Zoroastrians, and traces are even found in China, Mexico, and South America. The old Sumerian tradition of astronomical observation was the basis of all intellectual culture, and originator of the myths of eschatology, or end times.
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The Sacred Portal
The sacred place, the center of transformation, has always been a refuge from the laws of the temporal world. Sacred space is the visionary gateway which opens communication with the transcendental reality of the divine. Here, as Jung states, "man is no longer a distinct individual but his mind widens out and merges into the mind of mankind--not the conscious mind, but the nconscious mind of mankind, where we are all the same.
When the concept of such a holy site or center is joined with a mathematically structured universe, derivation from ancient Mesopotamia must be suspected. It is the archetypal source, the navel of the world. In many cases, the center is conceived as an axis extending vertically upward and downward, with the center at the conjunction of the four cardinal direction.
This is the ancient model of sacred space, which corresponds in Synchrographics with the form of the T.R.I., the Triaxial Retrograde Interface. The three intersecting axes of Euclidean space with a shared coordinate.
The Hindus had a version of this centering mechanism called the regents of the directions. Brahma was in the overhead position, Vishnu below, with Shiva as the vertical axis. Each directions is attributed to a god and quality.
The essence of this image of the axial point or pole is that it symbolizes the way or place of passage from motion to rest, time to eternity, separation to unity; but then also, conversely rest to motion, eternity to time, unity to multiplicity. The realization of the nonduality of heaven and earth--even of being and nonbeing--is assimilated in the sacred center. The ego is sacrificed in the primal waters of deathlessness, and released to be carried in all directions. This is the mystical-psychological sense of sacrifice in all great religions.
A solar hero is the most frequent embodiment of this process of purgation, illumination, and unification. He unites the religious significance of the sun, the zodiac, and the seasons with circular or cyclic determinism. Man sought to rise and share the great cycle with the sun and stars, to climb beyond the material universe to the immaterial realm of the world-sustaining sun. The ageless concept of the new dimension transcending linear, historical time echoes Mesopotamian cosmology. We ourselves are already that light of consciousness, that ground of being.
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THE JUNGIAN APPROACH TO NUMBER
Jung revealed how mythological images and numbers have always been associated with each other. Here, we find a correspondence between the Universe, #108, and cycles of the Sun.
Von Franz summarizes her Jungian view:
"The concept of natural numbers rests on an archetypal foundation. It represents a preconscious pattern of thought common to all human psyches, and therefore constitutes the basis for transmitting knowledge to a greater degree than mythological images, which exhibit more ethnological variations.
"Those aspects of the number archetype which present-day Western mathematics has made conscious in no way exhaust all its aspects...The preconscious aspect of natural numbers points to the idea of a numerical field in which individual numbers figure as energic phenomena or rhythmical configurations. The "field," which we take to represent the structural outlines of the collective unconscious, is organized around the central archetype of the Self (which corresponds with the Sun, which corresponds with 108, and Brahma). For this reason historical mandala structures deserve particular attention. In corresponding "cosmic models" and mathematical representations of God, the first four numbers predominate to an exceptional degree.
"...These synchronistic and parapsychological aspects of number...can only be fathomed when we take into account the unconscious emotional setup and preconscious fantasies of the abserver along with his conscious mental situation and outlook. The description of such phenomena will of course no longer produce universally valid theories, but rather transmittable realizations that can exert a mind-releasing, community-building effect, just as scientific advances did in the past. The common denominator in mankind's cognitive processes thereby shifts from the level of doctrinaire intellectualism onto another plane. It centers instead on the realization of an a priori psychic structure common to all men. Depending on the epoch and an individual's creative abilities, the basic substratum becomes clothed in the most varied shapes and conscious formulations, progressively transforming 'ancient, eternal truths' into more highly differentiated conscious patterns of realization.
"As the ultimate verification of these processes stands the objective psyche and its synchronistic manifestations, which contain the mystery of the sporadic conjunction of psychic and physical events, revealing a common 'meaning.' . . .When we take into account the individual characteristics of natural numbers, we can actually demonstrate that they produce the same ordering effects in the physical and psychic realms; they therefore appear to constitute the most basic constants of nature expressing unitary psychophysical reality."
The Development of Mathematics
According to Singer's A Short History of Scientific Ideas, something of the nature of mathematics must be much older than the earliest documented examples. In tribal pre-history mankind watched the movement of the heavens and kept tallies of the passage of cycles of both lunar and solar nature. The importance of the Sun grew with the rise of agriculture and the importance of dating planting and harvest times accurately.
By Sumerian times, numbers were represented in a system which combined a decimal with a sexagesimal notation. It embodied the principle of place-value, but not as we now know it. Shifting a number one place to the left multiplied its value sixty-fold, successive shifts to the right corresponded to repeated divisions by sixty to form sexagesimal fractions. In later Babylonia of the Seleucid period, the texts employ a 'zero' to indicate an empty sexagesimal place between two other figures. Remnants of the sexagesimal system survive with us in the 360 degrees of the circle, etc.
The mathematical texts usually consist either of tables for multiplication, squaring of numbers, etc. or of worked examples illustrating the solution of elementary geometrical or algebraic problems. The geometry amounts to little more than estimations of the areas of fields, though the special property of the right-angled triangle was known. The ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter, pi, was taken as equal to 3. This is the value adopted in the Old Testament, perhaps under Babylonian influence.
The algebra of the Old Babylonians could solve quadratic equations by a procedure equivalent to evaluating the modern formula, which gives the roots in terms of the co-efficients, thought the known texts nowhere quote or prove this rule. They also handled linear equations in several unknowns and even attempted to solve cubic and biquadratic equations.
The Old Babylonians astronomy amounted to little more than recognition of bright stars, arbitrary demarcations of the heavens, and often undated observations of striking celestial or atmospheric phenomena. There are also records of omens drawn from these, whose significance marks the beginning of astrology. Originally used to predict the fortunes of contending kingdoms, horoscope astrology subsequently developed into complex procedures for foretelling the destinies of individuals.
The later or Seleucid texts, on the other hand, embody complicated systems of theoretical astronomy. These were elaborated by the temple priests who observed the heavens from characteristic stepped watch-towers or temples, of which the Tower of Babel is a reminder.
The periodicity exhibited by the planets, and more particularly the revolutions of the sun and moon, were utilized for the measurement of time. The monthly changes of the moon are more obvious than the annual travel of the sun. So the lunar calendar was retained for religious purposes, while the solar was adopted for agriculture.
No natural numerical relation exists between the lunar month and the solar year. But by the fifth century BC, it was established that 19 solar years are equal to 235 lunar months (125 of 30 days and 110 of 29 days each) to within a fraction of a day. These 19 years, comprising 12 of 12 months each and 7 of 13 months each, were combined in a certain order to form what has been called, after the alleged Greek inventor Meton, the Metonic Cycle. The sequence in which 29-day and 30-day months followed one another was seen to be affected by the variations in the rates of motion of sun and moon, by the latitutde of the moon, and by the inclination of the ecliptic to the horizon.
In the tables for predicting the dates of successive new moons, separate columns indicated the corrections to be separately applied for these various factors affecting the length of the month. They represented fluctuating discontinuity between upper and lower limits in a characteristic manner. The Babylonian tables, which extended also to the prediction of planetary phenomena, have been classified into two main systems, according to the mthods employed to represent the variation of the sun's rate of motion through the course of a year. (adapted freely from The Short History of Science).
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Indian Mathematics
The Indus civilization also learned its first lessons in mathematics from astronomy, the gateway to time reckoning and temple building. In the arithmetic of trade, the merchants of India were the equals of those of Mesopotamia.
Until about 2000 years ago, they probably used numerals made up of horizontal strokes. When they began to use dried palm leaves as writing material and developed a flowing style of writing, they also began to join up these strokes, so that became and became .In this way they gradually built up different signs for each number up to nine. Each sign could be conveniently used to indicate the number of pebbles in any groove of the abacus.
The Indians learned how to tell not only how many pebbles are in a groove, but also which groove they are in. The far right stood for units, the next to the left for tens, then hundreds, and so on. An empty column used a dot, as we now use zero. Thus each value meant only that one figure.
This system does away with space-consuming repetition. We can record the same number on any groove of the abacus by using the same sign. Saving space is only a small advantage. The great advantage of the Hindu system is that it enables us to calculate with numbers.
Other ancient systems of writing all relied on the use of different symbols for the same number of pebbles in different grooves of the abacus. Before you could do written or mental calculations with them, you would need to learn a different table of addition and multiplication for each groove. When there are only nine different signs, each of which can show the number of pebbles in any groove, and a zero indicates empty grooves, you need learn only one simple table, once and for all. You can carry over in your head because there is only one simple table to remember.
The Hindu number language quickly led to a revolution in the art of calculation. The mathematicians of India began to think in fractions and write them in the modern way. By 500 AD, Indian mathematicians had solved problems that baffled the greatest scholars of antiquity. The mathematician Varahamihira calculated how to forecast the positions of the planets; Aryabhata wrote a rule for finding square roots and gave the value for pi as 3.1416.
Around 800 Ad, this numerical system was exported to Baghdad on the age-old caravan route. The Muslims used trigonometry. Because they had mastered the new arithmetic of India, they could make much fuller use of the geometry of Euclid. Improved navigational equipment emerged from the observatories which also had improved equipment. Knowledge took a big leap forward between 800-900 AD, when East met West in Baghdad, and the baseten system became the standard..
Synergetic Qabala
THE DODECAHEDRAL UNIVERSE
and the Qabalistic Tree of Life
by Iona Miller, O.A.K., 11/2003
“An analysis of astronomical data suggests not only that the universe is finite, but also that it has a specific, rather rigid topology (dodecahedral sphere). If confirmed, this is a major discovery about the nature of the universe.”
--George F. R. Ellis, “The Shape of the Universe,”
Nature, Vol 425, October 9, 2003
Plato informs us in his Republic: “Geometry rightly treated is the knowledge of the Eternal,” and he is reported by Plutarch to have said that “God is always geometrizing.” Nor was the conception of the Universe in the form of the Dodecahedron unknown to Plato, for in his Timaeus this idea is clearly indicated.
--Frater Achad, Anatomy of the Body of God
Sacred Geometries
Imagine that hundreds or even thousands of years ago, mystics anticipated the astounding findings of modern science by looking deeply within themselves to plumb the mysteries of the universe. The ancient doctrine of Kabbalah says that its teachings about the nature of creation were given to Abraham in the form of wisdom and sacred geometries by an angel of God.
Ten spheres or subtle dimensions of existence emanated in a geometrical pattern from the veils of negative existence, ranging from archetypal Kether through the Causal and Astral levels to Malkuth, the physical plane. Current research may bear out some kabbalistic assertions about the cosmos.
Recent discoveries by French cosmologists have led them to believe that the universe is finite with a regular dodecahedral or soccer-ball shape, which is omnitriangulated and omnisymmetrical with 20 vertices. This contrasts markedly with the flat, infinite “Standard Model”.
In the 1920’s, Hermetic magician Charles Stansfield Jones, known as Frater Achad, experimented with 3-D projections of the kabbalistic Tree of Life. The Tree of Life diagram is a key provided initiates to unlock the more comprehensive geometry of creation. When he modelled the Tree as emanating from a single point in six directions, he found the projections culminated in a dodecahedron.
Later, kabbalist Leonora Leet (1999) described the regular dodecahedron as the geometric symbol of the Earth and also that of “Perfected Malkuth”, or the realm of matter in general.
Buckminster Fuller (1975) includes this ancient Platonic solid, the dodecahedron, among the energetic tetrahedral topological relationships described in Synergetics I and II. The chords of the five spherical geometrical integrities interact energetically, pulsating through their synergetic transforms. With the dodecahedron as its basis, a geometric nest is formed which turns information into coherent structure.
Synergetics, Fuller and Applewhite
This is nature’s own way of assembly which seems to be reflected from the smallest to the largest systems, echoing the qabalistic axiom, “As Above; So Below.” This axiom is also reflected in the Holographic Concept of Reality (R. A. Miller, Webb, Dickson; 1973-75) and the fractal reiterations (self-similarity regardless of scale) found in Chaos Theory and Complexity (I. Miller, 1993a).
There is a fundamental reality which is an invisible flux that is not comprised of parts, but an inseparable interconnectedness. In this dynamic model, there are no “things,” only energetic events. The holoflux includes the ultimately flowing nature of what is, and also of that which forms therein. Patterns of interference (light waves) create matter and energy as we perceive them. This domain is not transcendental to matter but underlies it as a coherent unity.
Through the seemingly chaotic process of emergence, order appears spontaneously or instantaneously within a system. Chaos is creative at its complex “edge.” Chaos theory tells us that new kinds of laws come into play when the level of complexity of a system increases.
Complex feedback loops from subsystems constitute integration. Creation is instantaneous. The flow of energy washes life and consciousness into the world. Or, in the kabbalistic vision, consciousness washes energy and life into the world. As the kabbabalists say, “God is a verb.” Chaos is nature’s guide, the matrix of formation, cosmic “zero,” as Fuller called it. Thus, something emerges from nothing.
Our notions about ourselves and the nature of the world about us, our worldviews, are filtered through our prejudices about “the way things work”. This is particularly true when we look at complex dynamic systems. The ultimate complex dynamic system is, of course, the Universe. And whatever it is, we are that -- of the same essence. Arguably, consciousness is an intrinsic emergent property.
Our scientific theories are simply state-of-the-art models which often conflict with one another, such as the irreconcilability between relativity, quantum mechanics and string theory. Not all theories prove to accurately describe reality. The universe has always been space-time as well as matter-energy.
Relativity eliminated the newtonian illusion of absolute space and time, uniting them as one in the fabric of space-time. There is no objective point of observation in the universe. In fact, quantum theory tells us there are no “points” at all.
Counter-intuitive quantum mechanics introduced the Uncertainty Principle, mandating participation rather than observation. It shows us that at the smallest level we can only make statistical predictions about how nature will manifest from waves of probability. And the non-linear equations of chaos theory imply dynamic processes are actually deterministic though unpredictable.
While providing a unified vision, the holographic concept doesn’t provide equations to unite all the forces of nature. Yet it reminds us of the holistic perspective that each part contains the whole, even though at a lower level of resolution. Physics demands experimentation while astrophysics relies largely on ever-sharper observation to determine the nature of our existence.
All these disciplines interrelate in certain specialty fields such as quantum cosmology, consciousness studies, transpersonal psychology, and metaphysics - that which by its very nature emerges from a domain beyond the physical, the realm of Source.
Our models still cannot completely reconcile the physics of the very small and the very large. Untestable theories which make no predictions are essentially philosophy rather than good science. Conversely, a strong argument can also be made that scientific ‘materialism’ is essentially a philosophy.
String theory, for example, remains a philosophy or conceptual paradigm, since no experiments can yet be devised to prove its applicability. Nor are they likely to be in the foreseeable future. It alleges that the essence of all manifest reality is vibrating strings, tiny one dimensional loops (rather than the quarks of quantum mechanics). These infinitesimal strings are the building blocks of matter.
Some kinds of string theory have open strings; some have closed circles. Some have one kind of vibration while others called heterotic have different kinds of vibrations moving in opposite directions.
Several of the superstring theories and one supergravity theory all fit into a kind of ecosystem called M-theory (for matrix or magic, take your pick), which is an alternative description of the same phenomena. The string part is natural because a point particle has an infinite energy singularity whereas a tiny string isn’t a point of energy but rather a base vibration.
All these theories are supersymmetric in 10 or so dimensions, meaning each force-carrying boson is paired with a matter-forming fermion but our particles are nn-symmetric in 4 dimensions. Our fermions, like the neutrino, electron, and proton don’t pair up in any kind of ‘arranged marriage’ with the photon or graviton or any other force particle.
Schwarz calls the Second String Revolution the finding that the formerly competing versions of string theory are actually variations on a theme, and the theme is M-theory. A nagging problem, already recognized in the work of Kaluza and Klein, has been: What of these extra dimensions? Where are they? Why do we never see them?
To get from one to the other requires compactifying the 6 or so extra dimensions. There are millions of ways of doing this and one or two might produce the odd array of particles we find. So the theories aren’t just philosophy but they might as well be unless we can figure out which one if any really coincides with nature.
Strings are orders of magnitude smaller than atoms, yet condition their various subatomic manifestations, such as quarks, protons, neutrons and electrons. Observed particle properties are a reflection of the various ways a string can vibrate.
Each preferred pattern of resonant vibration appears as a particle determined by the oscillatory pattern (Greene, 1999). This pervasive resonance phenomenon is literally the Music of the Spheres of ancient philosophy.
A string field includes the number of possible configurations of a string in space. It is related to a new kind of geometry in an enormous extension of the idea of space. It is defined by all the possible configurations of a string.
Strings act like point particles. However, a stringlike particle should be thought of as a “wavelike” disturbance in that huge space, just as a graviton is a wave in ordinary space. The interference of these wavelike disturbances could, indeed, be the holographic domain.
One version of string theory posits our four manifest dimensions (3-D + time) are undergird by 6 subtle enfolded dimensions curled up unobservably in space-time, according to the mathematics. This 10-dimension theory reminds of the qabalistic notion of 10 spheres, with only the lower four being manifest while the other six are more fundamental emanations.
String theory, because of the inelegance of its multiple solutions is being superceded by M-theory or Membranes, with branes or p-branes as fundamental phenomena. M-theory relies on supersymmetry. This supersymmetry transforms the coordinates of space-time so the laws of physics become the same for all observers, implying gravity.
In M-theory, everything may arise from strings, bubbles and sheets in higher dimensions of space-time. Membranes take the shape of them all. M-theory has 11 dimensions so it is more fundamental perhaps than strings. Gravity is the geometry of space-time. “Matrix” theory is based on an infinite number of zero-branes (particles). Their coordinates are not ordinary numbers but matrices, making space-time a fuzzy concept.
A testable holistic model is the Holy Grail of science, a “theory of everything”, or T.O.E. uniting all the forces of nature, including gravity. In principle it would explain everything from the macroscopic Big Bang to the most elusive microscopic phenomena. Yet it has remained elusive. However, science is only roughly 200 years old and growing exponentially.
Some philosophies, on the other hand, such as Kabbalah claim up to a 4,000 year lineage. The Jewish kabbalists had a holistic theory of everything including mankind’s relationship to cosmos depicted in their Tree of Life diagram. It is a holographic encyclopedia of phenomenology. It is a graphic display of the unity of micro- and macrocosm, of how man and universe interpenetrate and reflect one another.
Does our psychobiology somehow condition or reflect our philosophies? Reality seems to depend on how you look at it. Were the ancient mystics prescient? Were they somehow able to intuitively perceive the true nature of the cosmos by looking into themselves?
Intuition is a non-linear informational source which creates “quantum leaps” in our awareness. But mystics have also always spoken of the illusory nature of consensus reality. However, without the matrix of theory, data flies by incomprehensibly, its deeper meaning lost. If so, how does what the ancients discovered relate to current scientific findings? Can we know the nature of the universe if we do not even know ourselves?
The ancient philosophers corresponded the dodecahedron with the fifth element, Ether, or the Universe. We can examine its symbolic and phenomenological manifestations at the macro- and micro levels in both science and metaphysics.
The Shape of the Universe
“An analysis of astronomical data suggests not only that the universe is finite, but also that it has a specific, rather rigid topology (dodecahedral sphere). If confirmed, this is a major discovery about the nature of the universe.”
--George F. R. Ellis, “The Shape of the Universe,”
Nature, Vol 425, October 9, 2003
In early October of 2003, a team of French astrophysicists announced that rather than flat and endless, the cosmos is shaped like a soccer ball, with curved pentagonal-shaped panels. Their discovery comes from mapping the all-pervading microwave radiation released during the Big Bang over 13 billion years ago.
Fluctuations in temperature, (like waves in the ocean), at the extreme ranges of the radiation do not match the Standard Model. There are no large waves which would be expected in an infinite universe. Data showing fluctuating density is arguably consistent with the cosmos being a Poincare dodecahedral space. This finite spherical solid universe would be contained by 12 curved pentagons.
Independent mathematician, Jeffrey Weeks of New York points out,
“A journey of 60 billion light years across a dodecahedral Universe would bring you right back to Earth. Like a circumnavigation of the globe, it would be a seamless ride: there would be no obvious point at which one ‘re-entered’ the Universe.”
“The most distant objects would be visible in opposite directions, although they would be seen at different ages. Trying to spot the same galaxy in two different places “would be like trying to recognize the same person viewed at age 50 face-on, and at the age of 7 from the top of their head, in a crowd of billions.”
Synergetics and the Dodecahedron
“All that is physical is energetic. All that is metaphysical is synergetic.” (Fuller, 1979, p. 68)
According to most creation stories, out of primal Nothingness, the All or Everything emerges or emanates. Paradoxically, everything seems to come from nothing. How does nothing become something? Energy "crystallizes" into matter in the womb of empty space, a dynamic Void.
Mass is simply a form of energy. This process is structured by an underlying, invisible, geometrical lattice. Actually, it is pre-geometric. Because it has no true physical existence, it is metaphysical (beyond physics).
This threshold of matter, where nothing becomes something, is of great philosophical interest. It bears on the nature of reality from the micro to macro level, and is the basis of atomic structure and quantum cosmology, and life itself.
If we look at the structural matrix of the universe, atoms, or life we see the same equilibriating geometrical architecture repeating over and over. The human body shares the same structural laws as Cosmos. This echoes the axiom “As Above; So Below.”
Tensegrity Structual Matrix
According to the fundamental laws of physics as described by Ian Stewart (1998), nature likes to conserve, or minimize, the energy it has to expend in order to do its work. The original proponent of this view was R.Buckminster Fuller (with E.J. Applewhite), who expressed it mathematically and philosophically in his tour de force, Synergetics: Explorations in the Geometry of Thinking (1975) and Synergetics II (1979).
Fuller discovered Nature's own rules of assembly. His vision was founded on the geometry of closest-packed spheres, which can be found in the nuclei of all atoms. In fact, there is much to link the nature of Fuller's primary modules, the self-assembling tetrahedron and the Vector Equilibrium Matrix to the virtual vacuum or quantum foam, as well as to the dodecahedron.
Nature's own economy and minimalism is the reason why: (a) "the surface of smallest area that encloses a given volume is a sphere"; (b) "Without some constraint, the area of minimal surface would be zero"; and, (c) "Minimal surface" is a surface whose area is the smallest possible, subject to the following constraints: the shape's surface must contain some given volume, and its boundary should lie on some given surface or curve, or both (p. 104).
Thus it can be said that in its material form, energy seeks to equilibrate itself into a perfectly energy-efficient, completely energy-balanced shape of a sphere. Its underlying "assimilation and accommodation" dynamics therefore all seem subsequent to this basic geometrically equilibrative law of energy conservation. Therefore, the distinctive shapes which virtual/actual particle/energy wave patterns reciprocally evoke depends upon their underlying energy-redistribution dynamics.
In a notable Scientific American article (1/1998), Donald E. Ingber revitalizes the current of Synergetics by identifying the prominence of tensegrity in geometric shapes (including the dodecahedron) in "The Architecture of Life." He relates it to complexity (chaos theory) at macro and micro levels, stating in his introduction:
Life is the ultimate example of complexity at work. An oganism...develops through an incredibly complex series of interactions involving a vast number of different components...[which] are themselves made up of smaller molecular components, which independently exhibit their own dynamic behavior...Yet, when they are combined into some larger functioning unit--such as a cell or tissue-- utterly new and unpredictable properties emerge, including the ability to move, to change shape and to grow....That nature applies common assembly rules is implied by the recurrence--at scales from the molecular to the macroscopic--of certain patterns, such as spirals, pentagons and triangulated forms...After all, [everything is] made of the same building blocks: atoms of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and phosphorus. The only difference is how the atoms are arranged in three-dimensional space (p. 48).
Ingber goes on from there to describe this emergent phenomenon as a process of "self-assembly" (p. 48) into increasingly complex hierarchies of life forms. He states his observation that nearly everything in our world, including the human body, is constructed using a form of architecture known as tensegrity (p. 48).
He explains, "The term refers to a system that stabilizes itself mechanically because of the way in which tensional and compressive forces are distributed and balanced within the structure" (pp. 48-49).
The key point here seems to be that the stability (or resilience) of a tensegrity structure comes not from the strength of its individual member-parts, but from the way that its mechanical stresses are balanced and distributed across all of the parts of the whole.
Ingber describes two categories of tensegrity structures, the first of which is made up entirely of "rigid struts," each of which is able to bear either tension or compression, and the second of which is composed of "prestressed" structures which bear either tension or compression even before being subjected to external forces.
“The compression-bearing rigid struts function to stretch, or tense, the flexible tension-bearing members, or "cables," while the tension-bearing cables, in turn, compress the struts. Thus, these "counteracting forces, which equilibrate throughout the structure, are what enable it to stabilize itself" (p. 49).
A closer look at some of the other interesting and relevant features of tensegrity shows that:
(a) It is the constructive, architecturally equilibrative use of gravity which gives most structures their stability by taking advantage of its continuous compression forces;
(b) Tension-bearers "map-out" the shortest path between adjacent members, resulting ideally in highly resilient geodesic-like shapes;
(c) Tensional forces, in turn, follow these accommodative shortest routes between points so that their tensional stresses become adaptively assimilated as new functions of the structure's resilient, ever equilibrating form (Ingber, p. 49-50).
When studying the functions of tensegrity structures involved in the make-up of cells, Ingber found that when attached to a flexible substrate material, cells contract and become more spherical, thereby "puckering" the material beneath them. So it seems that the tensegrity dynamics of any given structure, even a living one, can have a significant rippling effect on the dynamics of its surrounding neighbors, much like mass distorts or curves space at the macro level.
More significantly, it was seen that pushing down on a tensegrity structure forces it into what appears to be a flattened, disordered state. But as soon as the pressure is removed from it, "the energy stored in its tensed filaments causes the [structure] to spring back to its original, roughly spherical shape" (p. 50). This demonstrates that when tension and compression ratios are evenly distributed across a structure's member-parts, the structure will resiliently rebound from traumatic stressors (Miller, 2002).
As shown above, in cellular tensegrity structures all the way up to and including the human body, all interconnected structural elements rearrange themselves as needed in response to local stressors. So, in effect, the body varies the stiffness or flexibility of its bones, joints, tendons, and muscles in response to demands made upon it.
Also, cellular structures stiffen or relax their various cytoskeletal parts through contraction and extension of their minute microfilaments, microtubules, and intermediate filaments in response to its structural integrity needs. This is important because some research shows this bears directly on our own consciousness, (Miller, 2002, Part IV).
Furthermore, molecules too rearrange their shapes in order to communicate their reactions to the electro-chemical dynamics which influence their structural integrity. Thus, all levels of the human body's structure are simultaneously and continuously increasing their tensegrity states as much as possible.
Reciprocal limitations set the corresponding state of the "structural matrix" to which and within which they are attached. Elsewhere in science, the notion of reciprocal limitations is referred to as "rein theory."
Geometric Philosophy
We can expect these same tensegrity principles to apply at the cosmic level, astrophysics. Actually, materialism (a natural philosophy) is a theory of metaphysics. It is metaphysical thinking to consider static matter as a primary reality. In fact, any attempt to describe reality is metaphysical speculation. In its dynamic form matter cannot be separated from energy.
Energy is a property of matter, which can be considered potential energy. The mystic believes in matter, but believes it is more than science has yet discovered. Even before Western science began, mystics believed that mind, consciousness, or spirit is a property of matter. It hardly matters, philosophically, if you consider it as manifesting force or manifesting spirit.
The nature of reality is that matter-energy must be taken together .The theory of relativity conceives of this single substance as a distortion or curving of the structure of space-time.
Physicist Ian Barbour writes that, "...in quantum theory, separate particles seem to be temporary and partial manifestations of a shifting pattern of waves that combine at one point, dissolve again, and recombine elsewhere; a particle begins to look like a local outcropping of a continuous substratum of vibrational energy." That vibrational energy is governed by the laws of probability.
But what subtle forces underlie matter-energy and space-time? All form and power are latent within the void. The Heart Sutra tells us that, "Form is not other than Void, Void is not other than Form." This implies that our human form is not other than void, and biophysics shows this to be true.
Our physical makeup is largely emptiness. If we conceive of humans as being most fundamentally electromagnetic entities, instead of chemical beings, we can imagine our finer existence as wave-fronts in space. Our microcosmic personal "space" is not utterly empty, but cannot be conceived apart from our matter exhibiting itself in particular ways, i.e. as "waves."
Yet, the void state, or primal matrix, is "cosmic zero," and proportionately our most fundamental reality. It is part of the surrealistic quantum realm. It lies within us all, for the relative space between our atoms is astronomical. This is the ground state of existence which mystics seek in their meditation, moving beyond mind and maya. It is that state of consciousness where outer perceptions cease, and consciousness is free to simply be.
Throughout the centuries, various geometrical forms have been revered as expressions or metaphors of higher spiritual truths. These sacred forms and symbols are a natural part of the collective consciousness which emerges in every generation.
We project them outwardly from within our psyche because they are so fundamental to our existence. That apprehension is intuitive. Certain typical forms recur in meditation and ceremonial practice, worldwide.
When something emerges from nothing, it does so via non-Euclidean geometry, coming to occupy space/time. Einstein used non-Euclidean geometry to explain the relativity of time and curved space as the geometry that is produced by matter or matter by geometry.
The perception of the transcendental or metaphysical aspects of geometry is intuitive. There are examples of philosophical geometry or geometrical philosophy from around the world. These traditions are found in India, China, Southeast Asia, Egypt, Europe, and Great Britain, to name a few. It is expressed in monuments, tombs, temples, church and mosque construction, astrology, the arts, mandalas, yantras, stupas, magical circles and symbols, etc.
Plato, Archimedes, and the Pythagoreans based much of their philosophical speculation around the nature of geometrical form, suggesting that mathematics and structural forms had ultimate status.
Pythagoras considered the geometrical nature of the dodecahedron so secret he kept it from the uninitiated. He realized the dodecahedron is related to PHI, the Golden Mean proportion. Their relationship is fractal, meaning self-reiterating at all levels, disclosing a profound interrelationship. The dodecahedron, nested within an icosahedron, nested within yet another dodecahedron, exemplifies Golden Mean ratios. Ratios established can be used to infinitely extend the figure to any scale, small or large.
A dodecahedron can be constructed by taking three golden rectangles and assembling them at 90 degree angles. The figure formed is a 3D shape with twelves corners which are also the twelve centers of each of the twelve pentagons that form the faces of the dodcahedron. Our modern science has never forsaken the tradition of seeking the understanding of forms that reveal beauty, shape and meaning in physical reality.
Euclidean geometry describes the nature of the human scale, but non-Euclidean models describe the cosmos and microcosm. More and more intricate forms of measurement became the basis of the scientific method. Eventually, this led to modern topology -- the study of those properties of geometric figures or solid bodies that remain invariant under certain transformations.
Heisenberg explained that, "The elementary particles of modern physics can be transformed into each other exactly as in the philosophy of Plato." In "sacred topology", the relationships are more than metaphorical. Metaphysical and physical reality coincide. This is abundantly illustrated in Fuller's Synergetics I & II.
Fuller demonstrates, via synergetics, that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, because of the relativity of forces. In our universe, as more complex systems are built up, new properties appear that were not foreshadowed by the parts alone. These emergent properties include life, conscious awareness, and beauty.
Plato's Academy in Athens had a policy: "You are not allowed to enter here, unless you know geometry." Since Plato’s main injunction is “Know Thyself”, we can infer that to some extent to know oneself one must know geometry, or, conversely, to know geometry somehow helps us know ourselves and cosmos. Plato was clearly a Pythagorean. He fled to Sicily and studied there around the time of the politically-enforced death of Socrates. In the dialogue, Meno, Plato describes Socrates teaching geometry to a slave. In true Socratic form, he does not instruct him directly. Rather, he elicits knowledge from the slave which he did not know he possessed. The diagrams themselves elicit the buried intuitive knowledge of a world inhabited by the gods and by the divine "Forms."
Synergetic Topology
Fuller’s Synergetics, a dynamical topology, is not easy to describe or conceptualize. He calls his combination of topology and vectoral geometry, a “complex hierarchy of nuclear system intertransformabilities with low-order numerical and topological relationships.” It is a whole-systems geometrical model of energy configurations vectoral modeling.
In other words, they are nature’s most economical forms and motions, based on the tetrahedron and great circles. They model nature and sensible reality; synergetics is the coordinate system of nature. Fuller contends, “forces in both macrocosmic and microcosmic structures interact in the same way, moving toward the most economic equilibrium patternings.”
Synergetics is energetic geometry, identifies energy with number, and employs 60-degree coordination based on closest-packed spheres. This includes the lattices of all atoms. Energy has shape. The synergetics of primary systems based on closest-packed spheres is based on the following:
Symmetrical omnitriangulated forms: tetrahedron, octahedron, icosahedron;
Omnitriangulated and omnisymmetrical forms: cube, diagonal rhomic dodecahedron, rhombic dodecahedron, dodecahedron, tetraxidecahedron, triaxidecahedron, enenicontrahedron.
The prime unit of synergetics, the Vector Equilibrium or cuboctahedron, is locally mixed symmetrical and asymmetrical.
Since the physical is always special case, Fuller spells Universe with a capital U. He called the physical Universe, “a discontinuity of such islanded events.” He called them “energetic-synergetic events.” Comprehensive Universe combines both the physical and metaphysical Universe. Asymmetry and disequilibrium are physical; symmetry an equilibrium are metaphysical.
Synergetics is concerned only with physically demonstrable phenomena. Matter never ceases its motion, and when it moves it does so synergetically. Only the metaphysical can “designedly organize the phyical.” Only the physical is alterable; the metaphysical is unalterable. Synergetic advantage flows from the macro to the micro, but not the other way around.
Fuller described how “nothing” becomes “something” through triangulation and geometric energy transforms based on the tetrahedron, octahedron, icosahedron, dodecahedron, and vector equilibrium from the smallest to the largest “things”. Size depends on frequency which is cyclic.
Conceptuality is metaphysical and independent of size. “Universe is, inferentially, the biggest system,” says Fuller. In this comprehensive system of energy processes, Universe is a nonsimultaneously potential vector equilibrium. This is a metaphysical assertion.
According to the French astrophysicists, Universe is physically a pentagonal dodecahedron. We might add, at least that is arguably true for now, as dynamic transforms seem typical of all such matrices.
According to Fuller’s theory, it may be an infinitely transforming propagating pulsivity. “Universe is not a system. Universe is not a shape. Universe is a scenario.” He calls our Universe “finite but nonsimultaneously conceptual.” He says we cannot simultaneously conceptualize Universe except as a scenario of interacting macro and micro systems. We may get an intuitive perception of its magnitude through our human fractal relationship to the greater whole. But it is more than mere analogy, for we are that in the holographic sense that the part contains the whole only in lower resolution.
The containment of somethingness by uncontained nothingness is modeled by the five omnisymmetrical Platonic polyhedra. These equiedged Platonic solids are the icosahedron, octahedron, cube, tetrahedron, and the regular dodecahedron.
“The chords of these five spherical geometric integrities all interact to produce those well-known equiedged polyhedra commonly associated with Plato. The intervolumetric quantation of these five polyhedra is demonstrated as rational when referenced to the tetrahedron as unity. Their surface values can also be rationally quantized in reverse order of magnitude by the 48 spherical triangles tiles in whole, low-order, even numbers. These hierarchies are a discovery of synergetic geometry.” (1975, 1053.21)
Anatomy of the Body of God
“We have therefore discovered in the “Tree of Life,” properly Multiplied and Projected according to the Art of the Wise, what may well be looked upon as the Anatomy of the Body of God, or the natural structure of Matter under the Influence of the Concealed Spirit.” (Frater Achad, 1924).
The Great Work of the Qabalists has always consisted in finding the equivalence of the Macrocosm and the Microcosm, heaven and earth. Among the ten spheres of the Tree of Life these are represented respectively by the spheres Kether at the top of the glyph, and Malkuth at its bottom. There is a qabalistic saying about the essence of godhead or spirit in matter: “Kether is in Malkuth.” (See figure above).
Medieval texts describe the creation of the universe as an emanation from the negative veils of existence beginning with Kether, down the ten spheres of the Tree of Life through the archetypal, causal and astral planes to the material world of Malkuth. The prehistory of this traditional Tree diagram is unknown, but may be presupposed to come from the oral mystical tradition.
Sephir Yetzirah describes cryptic directions for constructing a cube extended through the diagonals of its dualing octahedron. This system reflects that of Cartesian XYZ coordinates we use for orienting in 3-dimensional space. This minimal form of dualing octahedrons and cubes is the lattice from which both single two-dimensional and cubic six-fold Tree of Life diagrams are formed.
Elsewhere (Miller, 1992) I have shown how this figure of interpenetrating cubes and octahedrons is related to Synergetics and kabbalistic geometries through the geometry of Fuller’s Vector Equilibrium Matrix.
The ancient Kabbalistic text, Sephir Yetzirah hinted that the Tree of life could project not only in one direction, but also to the heights and depths and in the four cardinal directions. This is the basis of the kabbalistic meditative geometry known as The Cube of Space (Case, 1947) or Merkabah Throne-Chariot (Work of the Chariot, 1970) [see below]. The Jewish kabbalists did not proceed, as far as anyone knows, to project the Tree further than a single repetition, except in a very linear, ladder-like manner.
Frater Achad, following his intuition, was the first to discover such precise geometric properties in the glyph as the Vesica Pisces and its tetrahedral nature. He proceeded to create nesting, all-space filling two dimensional depictions of the Tree (Macrocosmic Snowflake), then went on to model crystalline nested 3-dimensional Trees (Garden of Eden; see Introduction). The true Kether is concealed within the Malkuth at the center of this solid all-space filling figure.
The conception of the universe as a dodecahedron appears to have originated with Plato. Without any awareness of the quantum universe or synergetic energy transformations, Frater Achad was accustomed to thinking of hyperspaces in terms of the qabalistic Cube of Space and Euclidean geometry. His model united Greek (Platonic; Pythagorean) and Hebrew (Qabalistic) models.
He summed up the main result of his research as a dodecahedron within a perfect sphere. If he thought synergetically, he would have spoken of curved pentagonal surfaces. Plato and Plutarch (Republic, Books II and II) imply that the god Vulcan erected twenty tripods in the heavens, which are the twenty solid angles of the dodecahedron formed from the junction of three lines. This framework was bounded by twelve equal and equilateral pentagons.
By starting with a finite center point of Malkuth, or the Sphere of the Earth, Frater Achad projected and multiplied the Tree out until it had 20 vertices, each representing a Kether. He identified this “Triangular Crystal Prism” with “The Stone of the Wise”, and considered it the true representation of the Philosopher’s Stone.
But it may turn out to be more than symbolic if scientists confirm that the universe is, indeed, shaped like a dodecahedron. It may be more than metaphorical, containing the true essence of the universe, from the infinitely small to macrocosmic dimensions. Elsewhere (Miller, 1992) I have shown how the Tree of Life geometry reflects actual microcosmic atomic structure.
Four of Achad’s blocks of Five Trees form a solid capable of progression in all directions so as to fill every dimension of known space. The nature of the whole figure is that of a perfect dodecahedron or twelve-fold figure, each side of which is a perfect pentagon. At the Center of All is Malkuth -Achad’s “Garden of Eden” figure (Anatomy, Chapter 9) represents the first or simple prismatic "Tree" branching out in 20 directions from its central Malkuth. If the second progression of the solid is taken to Tiphereth it exactly encloses this in a perfect dodecahedron comprised of 20 solid angles forming 12 equilateral pentagons. The Fifth progression of the original Malkuth exactly encloses all this in a perfect sphere.
When connected, the points of the 20 Kethers form twelve perfectly regular pentagons. Thus the whole structure indicates a perfect dodecahedron and, when enclosed in the circumscribing sphere, touches it at eighty points.
The whole solid is capable of expansion by means of the progression of the unit "Trees" as explained before. Likewise, it is possible to imagine the infinitely small reduction or microcosmic contraction of the whole figure.
Achad (Anatomy, Ch.10) points to references about the dodecahedron in Madame Blavatsky's Secret Doctrine, the foundation text of Theosophy, and unacknowledged basis of most New Age thought:
"The most distinct and the one prevailing idea, found in all ancient teaching, with reference to Cosmic Evolution and the first 'creation' of our Globe with all its products, organic and inorganic. . . is that the whole Kosmos has sprung from the Divine Thought. This Thought impregnates Matter, which is co-eternal with the One Reality; and all that lives and breathes evolves from the Emanations of the One Immutable Parabrahman-Mulaprakriti, the Eternal One-Root.
“The former of these, in its aspect of the Central Point turned inward, so to say, into regions quite inaccessible to human intellect is Absolute Abstraction; whereas, in its aspect as Mulaprakriti the Eternal Root of All, it gives one at least some hazy comprehension of the Mystery of Being.
"Therefore, it was taught in the inner temples that the visible Universe of Spirit and Matter is but the Concrete Image of the Ideal Abstraction; it was built on the Model of the First Divine Idea. Thus, our Universe existed from eternity in a latent state. The Soul animating this purely Spiritual Universe is the Central Sun, the highest Deity Itself.
“It was not the One who built the concrete form of the idea, but the First Begotten; and, as it was constructed on the geometrical figure of the dodecahedron the First Begotten 'was pleased to employ 12,000 years in its creation.' "
It would seem, from the above, that the "Model of the First Divine Idea" may have been very much in harmony with the ideal Formative Principle we have been studying.
Plato says we may liken the receiving principle to a mother, and the source or spring to a father, and the intermediate nature to a child. It reminds immediately of the mythopoetic union of Earth and Heaven and the Life of Nature, which is its offspring.
Plato describes three kinds of being:
) that which is uncreated and indestructible, changeless, eternal, imperceptible to any sense, open only to the contemplation of the intelligence, and this is the principle of the Father [spirit], the ideal or formal essence of the world;
2) that which is sensible and created and always in motion, the Child [matter], the world of change and life;
3) the Mother [spacetime], like the Father, is eternal and admits not of destruction. She provides a home for all created things, and is apprehended 'without the help of sense, by a kind of spurious reason, and is indeed hardly real.'
This mothering space is the cause of the determinism of nature. Plato identifies it as the material element of being. As pure matter, it is purely indeterminate, but it is receptive. The four elements, earth, air, fire and water, are formed from it, for 'the mother substance becomes earth and air, insofar as she receives the impressions of them.'
Plato's conception of the formation of these elements from the original substance was as purely mathematical as are our modern physical notions. 'God fashioned them by form and number,' he says: and the forms which he assigned were the forms of the regular solids. Thus the form of the fiery element is the pyramid, of air, the octahedron; of water, the icosahedron; of earth, the cube.
The fifth solid, the dodecahedron, is the form of the universe as a whole, or perhaps one might say the scaffold upon which the spherical universe is constructed.
Further, these elements are themselves compounded of simpler mathematical forms, the tetrahedron, octahedron and icosahedron of equilateral, the cube of isosceles triangles; so that if we regard the elements as molecules, we may view the triangles as atoms of the material substrate.
This geometrical account of matter gave rise to the saying ascribed to Plato that 'God always geometrizes'. God, says Plutarch in his commentary on the saying, made the world in no other way than by setting terms to infinite and chaotic matter.
Achad’s complex solid contains those elements mentioned by Plato. It should be remembered that the Qabalists attribute the four elements to Malkuth, which is often called the Sphere of the Elements. Malkuth has remained a perfect sphere in our plan and in fact represents the material substance of the Universe.
Earth, as Matter, has always been symbolized by the Cube, or the Cube within the Sphere, and we may well consider this Cube to be concealed in the Sphere of Malkuth. When the progression is made to include Tiphereth, the twenty equilateral planes become points, or tripods which mark out the dodecahedron, while the Second Progression of the Tree exactly encloses this. The points of the twenty Kethers indicate a similar but larger solid.
A Mandala of Perfected Earth
In the symbolism of both Hermetic and Jewish Kabbalah, “earth” represents not only the planetary sphere we live on, but also the whole of the physical plane, the realm of manifest matter. It is a way of representing divinity and the Godhead in matter through sacred geometry.
Leet (1999) speaks in kabbalistic terms of many of the astral plane properties of such a figure and how it is related to and derived from the Lurianic Tree. Thus the dodecahedron represents the divine personality immanent within both Earth and the cosmos. In this way, the earthy element can mate with her more transcendent partner. The transcendent element contains the entire creation, and is reflected in it at every level.
The kabbalists have an axiomatic expression which is their prime formula: “As Above; So Below,” and what could better represent this continuity than this ideal geometry. Even mystic William Blake depicted the Ancient of Days as a geometer.
Leet presents this figure to demonstrate “the only true orthogonal projection of the dodecahedron that can be geometrically allowed in relation to the Sefer Yetzirah,” which is contemplated as well as its final dualing with the icosahedron. She says it “can represent both the Yichud of those Male and Female Partzufim and also the icosa-dodeca crystalline pattern of this earth.” (p. 287).
The Sefer Yetzirah Tree enclosed within an orthogonally projected dodecahedron may be read as “the consummation of the cosmic mating of Ze’ir Anpin and the Nukvah toward which the entire process has, in Lurianic cosmology, been progressing.”
This repeats our theme of cosmic mating as described by Plato, the kabbalists, and Mme. Blavatsky’s Theosophy. Could this “mating” include the interactive dynamic of Fuller’s tensegrity?
“In this cosmology, such a Yichud is dependent upon the commencement of the Tikkun, and this is also borne out by the geometry of the interconnected Sefer Yetzirah Tree and the Sabbath Star diagram. For if this final dodecahedron is to be given a tonal name, it can be seen to be contained within the inner hexagon of the Fi Sabbath Star that marks what can be considered the turning point of the cosmic octave between Tzimtzum and Tikkun.”
According to Leet, this mandala of the earth is being perfected by the Tikkun. What does it mean to perfect or restore the world of matter, or the physical plane? Some schools of Kabbalah (Lurianic, Sabbatian) contain a controversial doctrine of Universal Correction (Tikkun) that restores the existential break or gap in Absolute Being which was broken by the shattering of perfection in the Big Bang.
This restored world is not a pre-creation potentiality, however, but a concrete unity of differences and actuality. Raising the “holy sparks” dispersed during creation is the purpose of mankind working in partnership with God on the redemption of the universe. Malkuth is the immanent aspect of divinity.
As the kabbalists say, “Kether is in Malkuth.” Spirit suffuses matter. Malkuth is the turning point between Emanation and Return. The whole endeavor of mystical aspiration is called the Path of Return, and involves working one’s way philosophically back up the experiential Tree of Life to Kether by intentional participation in the Great Work.
Summary
No matter which geometrical description of nature and cosmos we start with, from Buckminster Fuller’s Synergetics to ancient and modern Qabalists, secular or sacred geometry, we seem to wind up with the dodecahedron as a fundamental element.
Much as the alchemists searched for the Godhead in matter (Miller & Miller, 1994), modern scientists seem to have found it there, whether specifically looking for it or not. We could actually argue that they have found the Philosopher’s Stone in the dodecahedral universe.
This strongly suggests that the archetypal character of the dodecahedron tends to repeat in intuitive thinking, whether spiritual or scientific. This image, arising in different contexts, comes up in different cultures periodically as a mandala of wholeness. Jung (1964) spoke of the significance of regular geometries and mandalas as images of the Self, part of the pattern of psychic growth.
Scientists have “redeemed” or restored this polygon in philosophical form through a modern projection or model of the Universe as a Dodecahedron, whether their scientific hypothesis proves out and holds, or not.
"For geometry will lead the soul toward truth and create the spirit of philosophy."
Iona Miller: http://ionatopia.50megs.com
References
Achad, Frater (1922/1969). Anatomy of the Body of God. New York, NY: Samuel Weiser.
Case, Paul Foster (1974). The Tarot. Macoy Publishing Co.
Fuller, R. Buckminster with E.J. Applewhite (1975). SYNERGETICS I. New York: McMillan Publishing Co.
(1979). SYNERGETICS II. New York: McMillan Publishing Co.
Greene, Brian (1999). The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimenions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory. New York and London: W.W. Norton & Co.
Jung, Carl (1964). Man and His Symbols. London: Aldous Books, Ltd.
Leonora Leet (1999). The Secret Doctrine of the Kabbalah. Rochester, VT: Inner Traditions, Intl.
Luminet, J.-P. et al (2003). “Dodecahedral Space Topology as an Explanation for Weak Wide-Angle Temperature in the Cosmic Microwave Background.” Nature, 425, p. 593-595.
Miller, R.A., Webb, B. Dickson, D. (1973-5), “A Holographic Concept of Reality,” Psychoenergetic Systems Journal Vol. 1, 1975. 55-62. Gordon & Breach Science Publishers Ltd., Great Britain; reprinted in the hardback book Psychoenergetic Systems, Stanley Krippner, editor. 1979. 231-237. Gordon & Breach, New York, London, Paris; again in the journal Psychedelic Monographs and Essays, Vol. 5, 1992. 93-111. Boynton Beach, FL, Tom Lyttle, Editor. Also in JNLRMI 2002 at emergentmind.org
Miller, R. A., Webb. B., “Embryonic Holography,” Psychoenergetic Systems, Stanley Krippner, Ed. Presented at the Omniversal Symposium, California State College at Sonoma, Saturday, September 29, 1973. Reprinted in Lyttle's journal Psychedelic Monographs and Essays, Vol. 6, 1993. 137-156. Also in JNLRMI 2003 at emergentmind.org
Miller, R. A., Iona Miller, and Burt Webb (2002). Quantum Bioholography: A Review of the Field from 1973-2002. JNLRMI, Oct. 2002.
Miller, Iona and Miller, Richard (1981). The Diamond Body: A Modern Alchemical View of the Philosopher’s Stone. Grants Pass: O.A.K.
Miller, Iona (1992). “The Diamond Body: Buckminster Fuller and the Qabala.” Grants Pass: O.A.K.
Miller, Iona (1993a). “Chaosophy: An Imaginal Perspective on the Nature of Reality, Consciousness, Experience and Peception”. Chaosophy ’93. Vol. I, No.1. Grants Pass: O.A.K.
Miller, Iona (1993b), “The Holographic Paradigm and the Consciousness Restructuring Process,” Chaosophy ‘93, O.A.K., Grants Pass.
Miller, Iona (2002). The Tao of Resilience. Chaosophy 2002. Wilderville, OR: Asklepia Press.
Miller, Iona and Miller, Richard (1994). The Modern Alchemist. Grand Rapids, MI: Phanes Press.
Work of the Chariot (1970?). Gematria Handbook. Los Angeles: Ain Center Publications.
Work of the Chariot. Sephir Yetzirah. Los Angeles: Ain Center Publications.
For more on Achad's geometric vision see
http://www.hermetic.com/browe-archive/achad/anatomy/anatomy1.htm
or google other sources.
THE DODECAHEDRAL UNIVERSE
and the Qabalistic Tree of Life
by Iona Miller, O.A.K., 11/2003
“An analysis of astronomical data suggests not only that the universe is finite, but also that it has a specific, rather rigid topology (dodecahedral sphere). If confirmed, this is a major discovery about the nature of the universe.”
--George F. R. Ellis, “The Shape of the Universe,”
Nature, Vol 425, October 9, 2003
Plato informs us in his Republic: “Geometry rightly treated is the knowledge of the Eternal,” and he is reported by Plutarch to have said that “God is always geometrizing.” Nor was the conception of the Universe in the form of the Dodecahedron unknown to Plato, for in his Timaeus this idea is clearly indicated.
--Frater Achad, Anatomy of the Body of God
Sacred Geometries
Imagine that hundreds or even thousands of years ago, mystics anticipated the astounding findings of modern science by looking deeply within themselves to plumb the mysteries of the universe. The ancient doctrine of Kabbalah says that its teachings about the nature of creation were given to Abraham in the form of wisdom and sacred geometries by an angel of God.
Ten spheres or subtle dimensions of existence emanated in a geometrical pattern from the veils of negative existence, ranging from archetypal Kether through the Causal and Astral levels to Malkuth, the physical plane. Current research may bear out some kabbalistic assertions about the cosmos.
Recent discoveries by French cosmologists have led them to believe that the universe is finite with a regular dodecahedral or soccer-ball shape, which is omnitriangulated and omnisymmetrical with 20 vertices. This contrasts markedly with the flat, infinite “Standard Model”.
In the 1920’s, Hermetic magician Charles Stansfield Jones, known as Frater Achad, experimented with 3-D projections of the kabbalistic Tree of Life. The Tree of Life diagram is a key provided initiates to unlock the more comprehensive geometry of creation. When he modelled the Tree as emanating from a single point in six directions, he found the projections culminated in a dodecahedron.
Later, kabbalist Leonora Leet (1999) described the regular dodecahedron as the geometric symbol of the Earth and also that of “Perfected Malkuth”, or the realm of matter in general.
Buckminster Fuller (1975) includes this ancient Platonic solid, the dodecahedron, among the energetic tetrahedral topological relationships described in Synergetics I and II. The chords of the five spherical geometrical integrities interact energetically, pulsating through their synergetic transforms. With the dodecahedron as its basis, a geometric nest is formed which turns information into coherent structure.
Synergetics, Fuller and Applewhite
This is nature’s own way of assembly which seems to be reflected from the smallest to the largest systems, echoing the qabalistic axiom, “As Above; So Below.” This axiom is also reflected in the Holographic Concept of Reality (R. A. Miller, Webb, Dickson; 1973-75) and the fractal reiterations (self-similarity regardless of scale) found in Chaos Theory and Complexity (I. Miller, 1993a).
There is a fundamental reality which is an invisible flux that is not comprised of parts, but an inseparable interconnectedness. In this dynamic model, there are no “things,” only energetic events. The holoflux includes the ultimately flowing nature of what is, and also of that which forms therein. Patterns of interference (light waves) create matter and energy as we perceive them. This domain is not transcendental to matter but underlies it as a coherent unity.
Through the seemingly chaotic process of emergence, order appears spontaneously or instantaneously within a system. Chaos is creative at its complex “edge.” Chaos theory tells us that new kinds of laws come into play when the level of complexity of a system increases.
Complex feedback loops from subsystems constitute integration. Creation is instantaneous. The flow of energy washes life and consciousness into the world. Or, in the kabbalistic vision, consciousness washes energy and life into the world. As the kabbabalists say, “God is a verb.” Chaos is nature’s guide, the matrix of formation, cosmic “zero,” as Fuller called it. Thus, something emerges from nothing.
Our notions about ourselves and the nature of the world about us, our worldviews, are filtered through our prejudices about “the way things work”. This is particularly true when we look at complex dynamic systems. The ultimate complex dynamic system is, of course, the Universe. And whatever it is, we are that -- of the same essence. Arguably, consciousness is an intrinsic emergent property.
Our scientific theories are simply state-of-the-art models which often conflict with one another, such as the irreconcilability between relativity, quantum mechanics and string theory. Not all theories prove to accurately describe reality. The universe has always been space-time as well as matter-energy.
Relativity eliminated the newtonian illusion of absolute space and time, uniting them as one in the fabric of space-time. There is no objective point of observation in the universe. In fact, quantum theory tells us there are no “points” at all.
Counter-intuitive quantum mechanics introduced the Uncertainty Principle, mandating participation rather than observation. It shows us that at the smallest level we can only make statistical predictions about how nature will manifest from waves of probability. And the non-linear equations of chaos theory imply dynamic processes are actually deterministic though unpredictable.
While providing a unified vision, the holographic concept doesn’t provide equations to unite all the forces of nature. Yet it reminds us of the holistic perspective that each part contains the whole, even though at a lower level of resolution. Physics demands experimentation while astrophysics relies largely on ever-sharper observation to determine the nature of our existence.
All these disciplines interrelate in certain specialty fields such as quantum cosmology, consciousness studies, transpersonal psychology, and metaphysics - that which by its very nature emerges from a domain beyond the physical, the realm of Source.
Our models still cannot completely reconcile the physics of the very small and the very large. Untestable theories which make no predictions are essentially philosophy rather than good science. Conversely, a strong argument can also be made that scientific ‘materialism’ is essentially a philosophy.
String theory, for example, remains a philosophy or conceptual paradigm, since no experiments can yet be devised to prove its applicability. Nor are they likely to be in the foreseeable future. It alleges that the essence of all manifest reality is vibrating strings, tiny one dimensional loops (rather than the quarks of quantum mechanics). These infinitesimal strings are the building blocks of matter.
Some kinds of string theory have open strings; some have closed circles. Some have one kind of vibration while others called heterotic have different kinds of vibrations moving in opposite directions.
Several of the superstring theories and one supergravity theory all fit into a kind of ecosystem called M-theory (for matrix or magic, take your pick), which is an alternative description of the same phenomena. The string part is natural because a point particle has an infinite energy singularity whereas a tiny string isn’t a point of energy but rather a base vibration.
All these theories are supersymmetric in 10 or so dimensions, meaning each force-carrying boson is paired with a matter-forming fermion but our particles are nn-symmetric in 4 dimensions. Our fermions, like the neutrino, electron, and proton don’t pair up in any kind of ‘arranged marriage’ with the photon or graviton or any other force particle.
Schwarz calls the Second String Revolution the finding that the formerly competing versions of string theory are actually variations on a theme, and the theme is M-theory. A nagging problem, already recognized in the work of Kaluza and Klein, has been: What of these extra dimensions? Where are they? Why do we never see them?
To get from one to the other requires compactifying the 6 or so extra dimensions. There are millions of ways of doing this and one or two might produce the odd array of particles we find. So the theories aren’t just philosophy but they might as well be unless we can figure out which one if any really coincides with nature.
Strings are orders of magnitude smaller than atoms, yet condition their various subatomic manifestations, such as quarks, protons, neutrons and electrons. Observed particle properties are a reflection of the various ways a string can vibrate.
Each preferred pattern of resonant vibration appears as a particle determined by the oscillatory pattern (Greene, 1999). This pervasive resonance phenomenon is literally the Music of the Spheres of ancient philosophy.
A string field includes the number of possible configurations of a string in space. It is related to a new kind of geometry in an enormous extension of the idea of space. It is defined by all the possible configurations of a string.
Strings act like point particles. However, a stringlike particle should be thought of as a “wavelike” disturbance in that huge space, just as a graviton is a wave in ordinary space. The interference of these wavelike disturbances could, indeed, be the holographic domain.
One version of string theory posits our four manifest dimensions (3-D + time) are undergird by 6 subtle enfolded dimensions curled up unobservably in space-time, according to the mathematics. This 10-dimension theory reminds of the qabalistic notion of 10 spheres, with only the lower four being manifest while the other six are more fundamental emanations.
String theory, because of the inelegance of its multiple solutions is being superceded by M-theory or Membranes, with branes or p-branes as fundamental phenomena. M-theory relies on supersymmetry. This supersymmetry transforms the coordinates of space-time so the laws of physics become the same for all observers, implying gravity.
In M-theory, everything may arise from strings, bubbles and sheets in higher dimensions of space-time. Membranes take the shape of them all. M-theory has 11 dimensions so it is more fundamental perhaps than strings. Gravity is the geometry of space-time. “Matrix” theory is based on an infinite number of zero-branes (particles). Their coordinates are not ordinary numbers but matrices, making space-time a fuzzy concept.
A testable holistic model is the Holy Grail of science, a “theory of everything”, or T.O.E. uniting all the forces of nature, including gravity. In principle it would explain everything from the macroscopic Big Bang to the most elusive microscopic phenomena. Yet it has remained elusive. However, science is only roughly 200 years old and growing exponentially.
Some philosophies, on the other hand, such as Kabbalah claim up to a 4,000 year lineage. The Jewish kabbalists had a holistic theory of everything including mankind’s relationship to cosmos depicted in their Tree of Life diagram. It is a holographic encyclopedia of phenomenology. It is a graphic display of the unity of micro- and macrocosm, of how man and universe interpenetrate and reflect one another.
Does our psychobiology somehow condition or reflect our philosophies? Reality seems to depend on how you look at it. Were the ancient mystics prescient? Were they somehow able to intuitively perceive the true nature of the cosmos by looking into themselves?
Intuition is a non-linear informational source which creates “quantum leaps” in our awareness. But mystics have also always spoken of the illusory nature of consensus reality. However, without the matrix of theory, data flies by incomprehensibly, its deeper meaning lost. If so, how does what the ancients discovered relate to current scientific findings? Can we know the nature of the universe if we do not even know ourselves?
The ancient philosophers corresponded the dodecahedron with the fifth element, Ether, or the Universe. We can examine its symbolic and phenomenological manifestations at the macro- and micro levels in both science and metaphysics.
The Shape of the Universe
“An analysis of astronomical data suggests not only that the universe is finite, but also that it has a specific, rather rigid topology (dodecahedral sphere). If confirmed, this is a major discovery about the nature of the universe.”
--George F. R. Ellis, “The Shape of the Universe,”
Nature, Vol 425, October 9, 2003
In early October of 2003, a team of French astrophysicists announced that rather than flat and endless, the cosmos is shaped like a soccer ball, with curved pentagonal-shaped panels. Their discovery comes from mapping the all-pervading microwave radiation released during the Big Bang over 13 billion years ago.
Fluctuations in temperature, (like waves in the ocean), at the extreme ranges of the radiation do not match the Standard Model. There are no large waves which would be expected in an infinite universe. Data showing fluctuating density is arguably consistent with the cosmos being a Poincare dodecahedral space. This finite spherical solid universe would be contained by 12 curved pentagons.
Independent mathematician, Jeffrey Weeks of New York points out,
“A journey of 60 billion light years across a dodecahedral Universe would bring you right back to Earth. Like a circumnavigation of the globe, it would be a seamless ride: there would be no obvious point at which one ‘re-entered’ the Universe.”
“The most distant objects would be visible in opposite directions, although they would be seen at different ages. Trying to spot the same galaxy in two different places “would be like trying to recognize the same person viewed at age 50 face-on, and at the age of 7 from the top of their head, in a crowd of billions.”
Synergetics and the Dodecahedron
“All that is physical is energetic. All that is metaphysical is synergetic.” (Fuller, 1979, p. 68)
According to most creation stories, out of primal Nothingness, the All or Everything emerges or emanates. Paradoxically, everything seems to come from nothing. How does nothing become something? Energy "crystallizes" into matter in the womb of empty space, a dynamic Void.
Mass is simply a form of energy. This process is structured by an underlying, invisible, geometrical lattice. Actually, it is pre-geometric. Because it has no true physical existence, it is metaphysical (beyond physics).
This threshold of matter, where nothing becomes something, is of great philosophical interest. It bears on the nature of reality from the micro to macro level, and is the basis of atomic structure and quantum cosmology, and life itself.
If we look at the structural matrix of the universe, atoms, or life we see the same equilibriating geometrical architecture repeating over and over. The human body shares the same structural laws as Cosmos. This echoes the axiom “As Above; So Below.”
Tensegrity Structual Matrix
According to the fundamental laws of physics as described by Ian Stewart (1998), nature likes to conserve, or minimize, the energy it has to expend in order to do its work. The original proponent of this view was R.Buckminster Fuller (with E.J. Applewhite), who expressed it mathematically and philosophically in his tour de force, Synergetics: Explorations in the Geometry of Thinking (1975) and Synergetics II (1979).
Fuller discovered Nature's own rules of assembly. His vision was founded on the geometry of closest-packed spheres, which can be found in the nuclei of all atoms. In fact, there is much to link the nature of Fuller's primary modules, the self-assembling tetrahedron and the Vector Equilibrium Matrix to the virtual vacuum or quantum foam, as well as to the dodecahedron.
Nature's own economy and minimalism is the reason why: (a) "the surface of smallest area that encloses a given volume is a sphere"; (b) "Without some constraint, the area of minimal surface would be zero"; and, (c) "Minimal surface" is a surface whose area is the smallest possible, subject to the following constraints: the shape's surface must contain some given volume, and its boundary should lie on some given surface or curve, or both (p. 104).
Thus it can be said that in its material form, energy seeks to equilibrate itself into a perfectly energy-efficient, completely energy-balanced shape of a sphere. Its underlying "assimilation and accommodation" dynamics therefore all seem subsequent to this basic geometrically equilibrative law of energy conservation. Therefore, the distinctive shapes which virtual/actual particle/energy wave patterns reciprocally evoke depends upon their underlying energy-redistribution dynamics.
In a notable Scientific American article (1/1998), Donald E. Ingber revitalizes the current of Synergetics by identifying the prominence of tensegrity in geometric shapes (including the dodecahedron) in "The Architecture of Life." He relates it to complexity (chaos theory) at macro and micro levels, stating in his introduction:
Life is the ultimate example of complexity at work. An oganism...develops through an incredibly complex series of interactions involving a vast number of different components...[which] are themselves made up of smaller molecular components, which independently exhibit their own dynamic behavior...Yet, when they are combined into some larger functioning unit--such as a cell or tissue-- utterly new and unpredictable properties emerge, including the ability to move, to change shape and to grow....That nature applies common assembly rules is implied by the recurrence--at scales from the molecular to the macroscopic--of certain patterns, such as spirals, pentagons and triangulated forms...After all, [everything is] made of the same building blocks: atoms of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and phosphorus. The only difference is how the atoms are arranged in three-dimensional space (p. 48).
Ingber goes on from there to describe this emergent phenomenon as a process of "self-assembly" (p. 48) into increasingly complex hierarchies of life forms. He states his observation that nearly everything in our world, including the human body, is constructed using a form of architecture known as tensegrity (p. 48).
He explains, "The term refers to a system that stabilizes itself mechanically because of the way in which tensional and compressive forces are distributed and balanced within the structure" (pp. 48-49).
The key point here seems to be that the stability (or resilience) of a tensegrity structure comes not from the strength of its individual member-parts, but from the way that its mechanical stresses are balanced and distributed across all of the parts of the whole.
Ingber describes two categories of tensegrity structures, the first of which is made up entirely of "rigid struts," each of which is able to bear either tension or compression, and the second of which is composed of "prestressed" structures which bear either tension or compression even before being subjected to external forces.
“The compression-bearing rigid struts function to stretch, or tense, the flexible tension-bearing members, or "cables," while the tension-bearing cables, in turn, compress the struts. Thus, these "counteracting forces, which equilibrate throughout the structure, are what enable it to stabilize itself" (p. 49).
A closer look at some of the other interesting and relevant features of tensegrity shows that:
(a) It is the constructive, architecturally equilibrative use of gravity which gives most structures their stability by taking advantage of its continuous compression forces;
(b) Tension-bearers "map-out" the shortest path between adjacent members, resulting ideally in highly resilient geodesic-like shapes;
(c) Tensional forces, in turn, follow these accommodative shortest routes between points so that their tensional stresses become adaptively assimilated as new functions of the structure's resilient, ever equilibrating form (Ingber, p. 49-50).
When studying the functions of tensegrity structures involved in the make-up of cells, Ingber found that when attached to a flexible substrate material, cells contract and become more spherical, thereby "puckering" the material beneath them. So it seems that the tensegrity dynamics of any given structure, even a living one, can have a significant rippling effect on the dynamics of its surrounding neighbors, much like mass distorts or curves space at the macro level.
More significantly, it was seen that pushing down on a tensegrity structure forces it into what appears to be a flattened, disordered state. But as soon as the pressure is removed from it, "the energy stored in its tensed filaments causes the [structure] to spring back to its original, roughly spherical shape" (p. 50). This demonstrates that when tension and compression ratios are evenly distributed across a structure's member-parts, the structure will resiliently rebound from traumatic stressors (Miller, 2002).
As shown above, in cellular tensegrity structures all the way up to and including the human body, all interconnected structural elements rearrange themselves as needed in response to local stressors. So, in effect, the body varies the stiffness or flexibility of its bones, joints, tendons, and muscles in response to demands made upon it.
Also, cellular structures stiffen or relax their various cytoskeletal parts through contraction and extension of their minute microfilaments, microtubules, and intermediate filaments in response to its structural integrity needs. This is important because some research shows this bears directly on our own consciousness, (Miller, 2002, Part IV).
Furthermore, molecules too rearrange their shapes in order to communicate their reactions to the electro-chemical dynamics which influence their structural integrity. Thus, all levels of the human body's structure are simultaneously and continuously increasing their tensegrity states as much as possible.
Reciprocal limitations set the corresponding state of the "structural matrix" to which and within which they are attached. Elsewhere in science, the notion of reciprocal limitations is referred to as "rein theory."
Geometric Philosophy
We can expect these same tensegrity principles to apply at the cosmic level, astrophysics. Actually, materialism (a natural philosophy) is a theory of metaphysics. It is metaphysical thinking to consider static matter as a primary reality. In fact, any attempt to describe reality is metaphysical speculation. In its dynamic form matter cannot be separated from energy.
Energy is a property of matter, which can be considered potential energy. The mystic believes in matter, but believes it is more than science has yet discovered. Even before Western science began, mystics believed that mind, consciousness, or spirit is a property of matter. It hardly matters, philosophically, if you consider it as manifesting force or manifesting spirit.
The nature of reality is that matter-energy must be taken together .The theory of relativity conceives of this single substance as a distortion or curving of the structure of space-time.
Physicist Ian Barbour writes that, "...in quantum theory, separate particles seem to be temporary and partial manifestations of a shifting pattern of waves that combine at one point, dissolve again, and recombine elsewhere; a particle begins to look like a local outcropping of a continuous substratum of vibrational energy." That vibrational energy is governed by the laws of probability.
But what subtle forces underlie matter-energy and space-time? All form and power are latent within the void. The Heart Sutra tells us that, "Form is not other than Void, Void is not other than Form." This implies that our human form is not other than void, and biophysics shows this to be true.
Our physical makeup is largely emptiness. If we conceive of humans as being most fundamentally electromagnetic entities, instead of chemical beings, we can imagine our finer existence as wave-fronts in space. Our microcosmic personal "space" is not utterly empty, but cannot be conceived apart from our matter exhibiting itself in particular ways, i.e. as "waves."
Yet, the void state, or primal matrix, is "cosmic zero," and proportionately our most fundamental reality. It is part of the surrealistic quantum realm. It lies within us all, for the relative space between our atoms is astronomical. This is the ground state of existence which mystics seek in their meditation, moving beyond mind and maya. It is that state of consciousness where outer perceptions cease, and consciousness is free to simply be.
Throughout the centuries, various geometrical forms have been revered as expressions or metaphors of higher spiritual truths. These sacred forms and symbols are a natural part of the collective consciousness which emerges in every generation.
We project them outwardly from within our psyche because they are so fundamental to our existence. That apprehension is intuitive. Certain typical forms recur in meditation and ceremonial practice, worldwide.
When something emerges from nothing, it does so via non-Euclidean geometry, coming to occupy space/time. Einstein used non-Euclidean geometry to explain the relativity of time and curved space as the geometry that is produced by matter or matter by geometry.
The perception of the transcendental or metaphysical aspects of geometry is intuitive. There are examples of philosophical geometry or geometrical philosophy from around the world. These traditions are found in India, China, Southeast Asia, Egypt, Europe, and Great Britain, to name a few. It is expressed in monuments, tombs, temples, church and mosque construction, astrology, the arts, mandalas, yantras, stupas, magical circles and symbols, etc.
Plato, Archimedes, and the Pythagoreans based much of their philosophical speculation around the nature of geometrical form, suggesting that mathematics and structural forms had ultimate status.
Pythagoras considered the geometrical nature of the dodecahedron so secret he kept it from the uninitiated. He realized the dodecahedron is related to PHI, the Golden Mean proportion. Their relationship is fractal, meaning self-reiterating at all levels, disclosing a profound interrelationship. The dodecahedron, nested within an icosahedron, nested within yet another dodecahedron, exemplifies Golden Mean ratios. Ratios established can be used to infinitely extend the figure to any scale, small or large.
A dodecahedron can be constructed by taking three golden rectangles and assembling them at 90 degree angles. The figure formed is a 3D shape with twelves corners which are also the twelve centers of each of the twelve pentagons that form the faces of the dodcahedron. Our modern science has never forsaken the tradition of seeking the understanding of forms that reveal beauty, shape and meaning in physical reality.
Euclidean geometry describes the nature of the human scale, but non-Euclidean models describe the cosmos and microcosm. More and more intricate forms of measurement became the basis of the scientific method. Eventually, this led to modern topology -- the study of those properties of geometric figures or solid bodies that remain invariant under certain transformations.
Heisenberg explained that, "The elementary particles of modern physics can be transformed into each other exactly as in the philosophy of Plato." In "sacred topology", the relationships are more than metaphorical. Metaphysical and physical reality coincide. This is abundantly illustrated in Fuller's Synergetics I & II.
Fuller demonstrates, via synergetics, that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, because of the relativity of forces. In our universe, as more complex systems are built up, new properties appear that were not foreshadowed by the parts alone. These emergent properties include life, conscious awareness, and beauty.
Plato's Academy in Athens had a policy: "You are not allowed to enter here, unless you know geometry." Since Plato’s main injunction is “Know Thyself”, we can infer that to some extent to know oneself one must know geometry, or, conversely, to know geometry somehow helps us know ourselves and cosmos. Plato was clearly a Pythagorean. He fled to Sicily and studied there around the time of the politically-enforced death of Socrates. In the dialogue, Meno, Plato describes Socrates teaching geometry to a slave. In true Socratic form, he does not instruct him directly. Rather, he elicits knowledge from the slave which he did not know he possessed. The diagrams themselves elicit the buried intuitive knowledge of a world inhabited by the gods and by the divine "Forms."
Synergetic Topology
Fuller’s Synergetics, a dynamical topology, is not easy to describe or conceptualize. He calls his combination of topology and vectoral geometry, a “complex hierarchy of nuclear system intertransformabilities with low-order numerical and topological relationships.” It is a whole-systems geometrical model of energy configurations vectoral modeling.
In other words, they are nature’s most economical forms and motions, based on the tetrahedron and great circles. They model nature and sensible reality; synergetics is the coordinate system of nature. Fuller contends, “forces in both macrocosmic and microcosmic structures interact in the same way, moving toward the most economic equilibrium patternings.”
Synergetics is energetic geometry, identifies energy with number, and employs 60-degree coordination based on closest-packed spheres. This includes the lattices of all atoms. Energy has shape. The synergetics of primary systems based on closest-packed spheres is based on the following:
Symmetrical omnitriangulated forms: tetrahedron, octahedron, icosahedron;
Omnitriangulated and omnisymmetrical forms: cube, diagonal rhomic dodecahedron, rhombic dodecahedron, dodecahedron, tetraxidecahedron, triaxidecahedron, enenicontrahedron.
The prime unit of synergetics, the Vector Equilibrium or cuboctahedron, is locally mixed symmetrical and asymmetrical.
Since the physical is always special case, Fuller spells Universe with a capital U. He called the physical Universe, “a discontinuity of such islanded events.” He called them “energetic-synergetic events.” Comprehensive Universe combines both the physical and metaphysical Universe. Asymmetry and disequilibrium are physical; symmetry an equilibrium are metaphysical.
Synergetics is concerned only with physically demonstrable phenomena. Matter never ceases its motion, and when it moves it does so synergetically. Only the metaphysical can “designedly organize the phyical.” Only the physical is alterable; the metaphysical is unalterable. Synergetic advantage flows from the macro to the micro, but not the other way around.
Fuller described how “nothing” becomes “something” through triangulation and geometric energy transforms based on the tetrahedron, octahedron, icosahedron, dodecahedron, and vector equilibrium from the smallest to the largest “things”. Size depends on frequency which is cyclic.
Conceptuality is metaphysical and independent of size. “Universe is, inferentially, the biggest system,” says Fuller. In this comprehensive system of energy processes, Universe is a nonsimultaneously potential vector equilibrium. This is a metaphysical assertion.
According to the French astrophysicists, Universe is physically a pentagonal dodecahedron. We might add, at least that is arguably true for now, as dynamic transforms seem typical of all such matrices.
According to Fuller’s theory, it may be an infinitely transforming propagating pulsivity. “Universe is not a system. Universe is not a shape. Universe is a scenario.” He calls our Universe “finite but nonsimultaneously conceptual.” He says we cannot simultaneously conceptualize Universe except as a scenario of interacting macro and micro systems. We may get an intuitive perception of its magnitude through our human fractal relationship to the greater whole. But it is more than mere analogy, for we are that in the holographic sense that the part contains the whole only in lower resolution.
The containment of somethingness by uncontained nothingness is modeled by the five omnisymmetrical Platonic polyhedra. These equiedged Platonic solids are the icosahedron, octahedron, cube, tetrahedron, and the regular dodecahedron.
“The chords of these five spherical geometric integrities all interact to produce those well-known equiedged polyhedra commonly associated with Plato. The intervolumetric quantation of these five polyhedra is demonstrated as rational when referenced to the tetrahedron as unity. Their surface values can also be rationally quantized in reverse order of magnitude by the 48 spherical triangles tiles in whole, low-order, even numbers. These hierarchies are a discovery of synergetic geometry.” (1975, 1053.21)
Anatomy of the Body of God
“We have therefore discovered in the “Tree of Life,” properly Multiplied and Projected according to the Art of the Wise, what may well be looked upon as the Anatomy of the Body of God, or the natural structure of Matter under the Influence of the Concealed Spirit.” (Frater Achad, 1924).
The Great Work of the Qabalists has always consisted in finding the equivalence of the Macrocosm and the Microcosm, heaven and earth. Among the ten spheres of the Tree of Life these are represented respectively by the spheres Kether at the top of the glyph, and Malkuth at its bottom. There is a qabalistic saying about the essence of godhead or spirit in matter: “Kether is in Malkuth.” (See figure above).
Medieval texts describe the creation of the universe as an emanation from the negative veils of existence beginning with Kether, down the ten spheres of the Tree of Life through the archetypal, causal and astral planes to the material world of Malkuth. The prehistory of this traditional Tree diagram is unknown, but may be presupposed to come from the oral mystical tradition.
Sephir Yetzirah describes cryptic directions for constructing a cube extended through the diagonals of its dualing octahedron. This system reflects that of Cartesian XYZ coordinates we use for orienting in 3-dimensional space. This minimal form of dualing octahedrons and cubes is the lattice from which both single two-dimensional and cubic six-fold Tree of Life diagrams are formed.
Elsewhere (Miller, 1992) I have shown how this figure of interpenetrating cubes and octahedrons is related to Synergetics and kabbalistic geometries through the geometry of Fuller’s Vector Equilibrium Matrix.
The ancient Kabbalistic text, Sephir Yetzirah hinted that the Tree of life could project not only in one direction, but also to the heights and depths and in the four cardinal directions. This is the basis of the kabbalistic meditative geometry known as The Cube of Space (Case, 1947) or Merkabah Throne-Chariot (Work of the Chariot, 1970) [see below]. The Jewish kabbalists did not proceed, as far as anyone knows, to project the Tree further than a single repetition, except in a very linear, ladder-like manner.
Frater Achad, following his intuition, was the first to discover such precise geometric properties in the glyph as the Vesica Pisces and its tetrahedral nature. He proceeded to create nesting, all-space filling two dimensional depictions of the Tree (Macrocosmic Snowflake), then went on to model crystalline nested 3-dimensional Trees (Garden of Eden; see Introduction). The true Kether is concealed within the Malkuth at the center of this solid all-space filling figure.
The conception of the universe as a dodecahedron appears to have originated with Plato. Without any awareness of the quantum universe or synergetic energy transformations, Frater Achad was accustomed to thinking of hyperspaces in terms of the qabalistic Cube of Space and Euclidean geometry. His model united Greek (Platonic; Pythagorean) and Hebrew (Qabalistic) models.
He summed up the main result of his research as a dodecahedron within a perfect sphere. If he thought synergetically, he would have spoken of curved pentagonal surfaces. Plato and Plutarch (Republic, Books II and II) imply that the god Vulcan erected twenty tripods in the heavens, which are the twenty solid angles of the dodecahedron formed from the junction of three lines. This framework was bounded by twelve equal and equilateral pentagons.
By starting with a finite center point of Malkuth, or the Sphere of the Earth, Frater Achad projected and multiplied the Tree out until it had 20 vertices, each representing a Kether. He identified this “Triangular Crystal Prism” with “The Stone of the Wise”, and considered it the true representation of the Philosopher’s Stone.
But it may turn out to be more than symbolic if scientists confirm that the universe is, indeed, shaped like a dodecahedron. It may be more than metaphorical, containing the true essence of the universe, from the infinitely small to macrocosmic dimensions. Elsewhere (Miller, 1992) I have shown how the Tree of Life geometry reflects actual microcosmic atomic structure.
Four of Achad’s blocks of Five Trees form a solid capable of progression in all directions so as to fill every dimension of known space. The nature of the whole figure is that of a perfect dodecahedron or twelve-fold figure, each side of which is a perfect pentagon. At the Center of All is Malkuth -Achad’s “Garden of Eden” figure (Anatomy, Chapter 9) represents the first or simple prismatic "Tree" branching out in 20 directions from its central Malkuth. If the second progression of the solid is taken to Tiphereth it exactly encloses this in a perfect dodecahedron comprised of 20 solid angles forming 12 equilateral pentagons. The Fifth progression of the original Malkuth exactly encloses all this in a perfect sphere.
When connected, the points of the 20 Kethers form twelve perfectly regular pentagons. Thus the whole structure indicates a perfect dodecahedron and, when enclosed in the circumscribing sphere, touches it at eighty points.
The whole solid is capable of expansion by means of the progression of the unit "Trees" as explained before. Likewise, it is possible to imagine the infinitely small reduction or microcosmic contraction of the whole figure.
Achad (Anatomy, Ch.10) points to references about the dodecahedron in Madame Blavatsky's Secret Doctrine, the foundation text of Theosophy, and unacknowledged basis of most New Age thought:
"The most distinct and the one prevailing idea, found in all ancient teaching, with reference to Cosmic Evolution and the first 'creation' of our Globe with all its products, organic and inorganic. . . is that the whole Kosmos has sprung from the Divine Thought. This Thought impregnates Matter, which is co-eternal with the One Reality; and all that lives and breathes evolves from the Emanations of the One Immutable Parabrahman-Mulaprakriti, the Eternal One-Root.
“The former of these, in its aspect of the Central Point turned inward, so to say, into regions quite inaccessible to human intellect is Absolute Abstraction; whereas, in its aspect as Mulaprakriti the Eternal Root of All, it gives one at least some hazy comprehension of the Mystery of Being.
"Therefore, it was taught in the inner temples that the visible Universe of Spirit and Matter is but the Concrete Image of the Ideal Abstraction; it was built on the Model of the First Divine Idea. Thus, our Universe existed from eternity in a latent state. The Soul animating this purely Spiritual Universe is the Central Sun, the highest Deity Itself.
“It was not the One who built the concrete form of the idea, but the First Begotten; and, as it was constructed on the geometrical figure of the dodecahedron the First Begotten 'was pleased to employ 12,000 years in its creation.' "
It would seem, from the above, that the "Model of the First Divine Idea" may have been very much in harmony with the ideal Formative Principle we have been studying.
Plato says we may liken the receiving principle to a mother, and the source or spring to a father, and the intermediate nature to a child. It reminds immediately of the mythopoetic union of Earth and Heaven and the Life of Nature, which is its offspring.
Plato describes three kinds of being:
) that which is uncreated and indestructible, changeless, eternal, imperceptible to any sense, open only to the contemplation of the intelligence, and this is the principle of the Father [spirit], the ideal or formal essence of the world;
2) that which is sensible and created and always in motion, the Child [matter], the world of change and life;
3) the Mother [spacetime], like the Father, is eternal and admits not of destruction. She provides a home for all created things, and is apprehended 'without the help of sense, by a kind of spurious reason, and is indeed hardly real.'
This mothering space is the cause of the determinism of nature. Plato identifies it as the material element of being. As pure matter, it is purely indeterminate, but it is receptive. The four elements, earth, air, fire and water, are formed from it, for 'the mother substance becomes earth and air, insofar as she receives the impressions of them.'
Plato's conception of the formation of these elements from the original substance was as purely mathematical as are our modern physical notions. 'God fashioned them by form and number,' he says: and the forms which he assigned were the forms of the regular solids. Thus the form of the fiery element is the pyramid, of air, the octahedron; of water, the icosahedron; of earth, the cube.
The fifth solid, the dodecahedron, is the form of the universe as a whole, or perhaps one might say the scaffold upon which the spherical universe is constructed.
Further, these elements are themselves compounded of simpler mathematical forms, the tetrahedron, octahedron and icosahedron of equilateral, the cube of isosceles triangles; so that if we regard the elements as molecules, we may view the triangles as atoms of the material substrate.
This geometrical account of matter gave rise to the saying ascribed to Plato that 'God always geometrizes'. God, says Plutarch in his commentary on the saying, made the world in no other way than by setting terms to infinite and chaotic matter.
Achad’s complex solid contains those elements mentioned by Plato. It should be remembered that the Qabalists attribute the four elements to Malkuth, which is often called the Sphere of the Elements. Malkuth has remained a perfect sphere in our plan and in fact represents the material substance of the Universe.
Earth, as Matter, has always been symbolized by the Cube, or the Cube within the Sphere, and we may well consider this Cube to be concealed in the Sphere of Malkuth. When the progression is made to include Tiphereth, the twenty equilateral planes become points, or tripods which mark out the dodecahedron, while the Second Progression of the Tree exactly encloses this. The points of the twenty Kethers indicate a similar but larger solid.
A Mandala of Perfected Earth
In the symbolism of both Hermetic and Jewish Kabbalah, “earth” represents not only the planetary sphere we live on, but also the whole of the physical plane, the realm of manifest matter. It is a way of representing divinity and the Godhead in matter through sacred geometry.
Leet (1999) speaks in kabbalistic terms of many of the astral plane properties of such a figure and how it is related to and derived from the Lurianic Tree. Thus the dodecahedron represents the divine personality immanent within both Earth and the cosmos. In this way, the earthy element can mate with her more transcendent partner. The transcendent element contains the entire creation, and is reflected in it at every level.
The kabbalists have an axiomatic expression which is their prime formula: “As Above; So Below,” and what could better represent this continuity than this ideal geometry. Even mystic William Blake depicted the Ancient of Days as a geometer.
Leet presents this figure to demonstrate “the only true orthogonal projection of the dodecahedron that can be geometrically allowed in relation to the Sefer Yetzirah,” which is contemplated as well as its final dualing with the icosahedron. She says it “can represent both the Yichud of those Male and Female Partzufim and also the icosa-dodeca crystalline pattern of this earth.” (p. 287).
The Sefer Yetzirah Tree enclosed within an orthogonally projected dodecahedron may be read as “the consummation of the cosmic mating of Ze’ir Anpin and the Nukvah toward which the entire process has, in Lurianic cosmology, been progressing.”
This repeats our theme of cosmic mating as described by Plato, the kabbalists, and Mme. Blavatsky’s Theosophy. Could this “mating” include the interactive dynamic of Fuller’s tensegrity?
“In this cosmology, such a Yichud is dependent upon the commencement of the Tikkun, and this is also borne out by the geometry of the interconnected Sefer Yetzirah Tree and the Sabbath Star diagram. For if this final dodecahedron is to be given a tonal name, it can be seen to be contained within the inner hexagon of the Fi Sabbath Star that marks what can be considered the turning point of the cosmic octave between Tzimtzum and Tikkun.”
According to Leet, this mandala of the earth is being perfected by the Tikkun. What does it mean to perfect or restore the world of matter, or the physical plane? Some schools of Kabbalah (Lurianic, Sabbatian) contain a controversial doctrine of Universal Correction (Tikkun) that restores the existential break or gap in Absolute Being which was broken by the shattering of perfection in the Big Bang.
This restored world is not a pre-creation potentiality, however, but a concrete unity of differences and actuality. Raising the “holy sparks” dispersed during creation is the purpose of mankind working in partnership with God on the redemption of the universe. Malkuth is the immanent aspect of divinity.
As the kabbalists say, “Kether is in Malkuth.” Spirit suffuses matter. Malkuth is the turning point between Emanation and Return. The whole endeavor of mystical aspiration is called the Path of Return, and involves working one’s way philosophically back up the experiential Tree of Life to Kether by intentional participation in the Great Work.
Summary
No matter which geometrical description of nature and cosmos we start with, from Buckminster Fuller’s Synergetics to ancient and modern Qabalists, secular or sacred geometry, we seem to wind up with the dodecahedron as a fundamental element.
Much as the alchemists searched for the Godhead in matter (Miller & Miller, 1994), modern scientists seem to have found it there, whether specifically looking for it or not. We could actually argue that they have found the Philosopher’s Stone in the dodecahedral universe.
This strongly suggests that the archetypal character of the dodecahedron tends to repeat in intuitive thinking, whether spiritual or scientific. This image, arising in different contexts, comes up in different cultures periodically as a mandala of wholeness. Jung (1964) spoke of the significance of regular geometries and mandalas as images of the Self, part of the pattern of psychic growth.
Scientists have “redeemed” or restored this polygon in philosophical form through a modern projection or model of the Universe as a Dodecahedron, whether their scientific hypothesis proves out and holds, or not.
"For geometry will lead the soul toward truth and create the spirit of philosophy."
Iona Miller: http://ionatopia.50megs.com
References
Achad, Frater (1922/1969). Anatomy of the Body of God. New York, NY: Samuel Weiser.
Case, Paul Foster (1974). The Tarot. Macoy Publishing Co.
Fuller, R. Buckminster with E.J. Applewhite (1975). SYNERGETICS I. New York: McMillan Publishing Co.
(1979). SYNERGETICS II. New York: McMillan Publishing Co.
Greene, Brian (1999). The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimenions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory. New York and London: W.W. Norton & Co.
Jung, Carl (1964). Man and His Symbols. London: Aldous Books, Ltd.
Leonora Leet (1999). The Secret Doctrine of the Kabbalah. Rochester, VT: Inner Traditions, Intl.
Luminet, J.-P. et al (2003). “Dodecahedral Space Topology as an Explanation for Weak Wide-Angle Temperature in the Cosmic Microwave Background.” Nature, 425, p. 593-595.
Miller, R.A., Webb, B. Dickson, D. (1973-5), “A Holographic Concept of Reality,” Psychoenergetic Systems Journal Vol. 1, 1975. 55-62. Gordon & Breach Science Publishers Ltd., Great Britain; reprinted in the hardback book Psychoenergetic Systems, Stanley Krippner, editor. 1979. 231-237. Gordon & Breach, New York, London, Paris; again in the journal Psychedelic Monographs and Essays, Vol. 5, 1992. 93-111. Boynton Beach, FL, Tom Lyttle, Editor. Also in JNLRMI 2002 at emergentmind.org
Miller, R. A., Webb. B., “Embryonic Holography,” Psychoenergetic Systems, Stanley Krippner, Ed. Presented at the Omniversal Symposium, California State College at Sonoma, Saturday, September 29, 1973. Reprinted in Lyttle's journal Psychedelic Monographs and Essays, Vol. 6, 1993. 137-156. Also in JNLRMI 2003 at emergentmind.org
Miller, R. A., Iona Miller, and Burt Webb (2002). Quantum Bioholography: A Review of the Field from 1973-2002. JNLRMI, Oct. 2002.
Miller, Iona and Miller, Richard (1981). The Diamond Body: A Modern Alchemical View of the Philosopher’s Stone. Grants Pass: O.A.K.
Miller, Iona (1992). “The Diamond Body: Buckminster Fuller and the Qabala.” Grants Pass: O.A.K.
Miller, Iona (1993a). “Chaosophy: An Imaginal Perspective on the Nature of Reality, Consciousness, Experience and Peception”. Chaosophy ’93. Vol. I, No.1. Grants Pass: O.A.K.
Miller, Iona (1993b), “The Holographic Paradigm and the Consciousness Restructuring Process,” Chaosophy ‘93, O.A.K., Grants Pass.
Miller, Iona (2002). The Tao of Resilience. Chaosophy 2002. Wilderville, OR: Asklepia Press.
Miller, Iona and Miller, Richard (1994). The Modern Alchemist. Grand Rapids, MI: Phanes Press.
Work of the Chariot (1970?). Gematria Handbook. Los Angeles: Ain Center Publications.
Work of the Chariot. Sephir Yetzirah. Los Angeles: Ain Center Publications.
For more on Achad's geometric vision see
http://www.hermetic.com/browe-archive/achad/anatomy/anatomy1.htm
or google other sources.
ALL ABOUT NAUGHT:
ANATOMY OF THE STAR GODDESS
http://zero-point.tripod.com/stargoddess/anatomy.html
by Iona Miller, 1999
ANATOMY OF THE STAR GODDESS (1999): This article, originally written as an adjunct to The Diamond Body, is about further investigations into the qabalistic and synergetic properties of the Vector Equilibrium Matrix. For placement in SYNERGETIC QABALA, it has been updated with notions from Post Quantum Physics and its relevance to the the mind/matter interface. Its departure point is Crowley's (and the Egyptian) notion that "Infinite Space is the Goddess Nuit." Here we investigate the archetypal and virtual properties of this Star Goddess, and what that implies in terms of qabalistic emanation, the collective unconscious, the paranormal, and mind-over-matter. Her body is the incorporeal matrix underlying the physical Universe and the human psyche, underlying all phenomena.
When this article was originally written, scalar physics was considered alternative science. Since then its stock has gone up. There has been a mainstream revolution in cosmology, (SciAmer, Jan. 1999), which confirms the importance of "vacuum energy." The standard cosmology of the 1980s, postulating a flat universe dominated by matter is dead. The universe is either open or filled with an energy of unknown origin. Put another way, "nothing" could not possibly be more interesting. There are also psychological implications. Like virtual entities, images or symbols percolate in and out of consciousness below the threshold of consciousness. They appear much like virtual particles blink in and out of "existence." The newest generation of physics, Post-Quantum Physics posits a model for mind-over-matter, which operates with quantum backflow that is also relevant to our discussion. This article is not for the intellectually timid...good luck.
ANATOMY OF THE STAR GODDESS:
Quantum Cosmology, Virtual States, Energy Science,
Chaos Theory, and Scalar Fields
by Iona Miller, c1992
KEY PHRASES: Infinite Space, The Void, Vacuum, Zero Point Energy, Virtual Manifold, V.E.M. as Psychotronic Machine, Virtual State Translator, the Physics of the Plenum, Post Quantum Physics, Synergetic Interaction, Imagineering, Orthorotational Geometry of Dimensions, Chaos and Complexity, Depth Psychology, Mind/Matter Interface, Nothing becomes Something.
ABSTRACT: Nuclear engineer and researcher, Thomas E. Bearden has proposed a new approach to physics with some startling new theories based on Hugh Everett's many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics (1973). Bearden extends QM theory, rather than corrupting it.
The main thrust of Bearden's work is toward explaining paranormal phenomena, the collective unconscious, weaponry, and other technological possibilities. His new view of physics (energy science) is grounded in what he calls scalar electromagnetics, from which he proposes deriving "free energy."
This is, in essence, tapping the Vector Equilibrium Matrix for zero point energy. The key to his technological approach is to "let the EM force fields fight themselves to a 'cancellation,' forming a vector zero." Antigravity is just one possibility.
Multiple realities contain all possibilities, but in enfolded or virtual states. This theory alleges that there are clustered worlds, which are three-dimensional to an observer within them, yet virtual to an observer from outside. These hyperspace dimensions are orthogonally rotated (90 degrees) in respect to one another. Selecting a frame, or cube of space, facilitates access.
When we consider the vastness of space, we perceive emptiness due to our relative position in this universe. The Void is actually densely packed with virtual energy which awaits translation, or transduction into our observable 3-dimensional reality. These energies or entities appear as virtual because they are unobservable through ordinary means. Crosstalk across these channels is the basis for the collective unconscious, paranormal phenomena, and the manifestation of our material world.
Like philosophy, physics is not any absolute description of Truth. Rather, both disciplines invite us to "Look at it this way." This approach is very much in line with the long-standing tradition of speculative Qabala and Hermetic philosophy.
CONTENTS
Quantum Cosmology: The Gross Anatomy of Nuit
Energy Science and Scalar Fields
Light and time
Virtual Reality Check
The Body Electric
EM Fields, Action, Creation, and Time
True Enough--to the Physicist
Thomas Beardon's Scalar Electromagnetics
New Definition of Zero
Primitive Perception
Virtual (Hidden or Occult) Entities
Virtual Hyperspace
Scalar Electromagnetics and the Plenum
Scalar EM View of the Vacuum
Separation of Vacuum and Observable States
Engineering the Vacuum
Mind Is Objective
Biofields and Tulpas: Projection As Reality
Dreams As Unresolved Conflicts
Virtual Chaos
Virtual States and Hyperspaces
It's Alive!
QUANTUM COSMOLOGY, THE GROSS ANATOMY OF NUIT:
This Book explains the Universe. The elements are Nuit--Space--that is, the total of possibilities of every kind--and Hadit, any point which has experience of these possibilities. (This idea is for literary convenience symbolized by the Egyptian Goddess Nuit, a woman bending over like the Arch of the Night Sky. Hadit is symbolized as a Winged Globe at the heart of Nuit.)
Each one of us has thus an universe of his own, but it is the same universe for each one as soon as it includes all possible experience. This implies the extension of consciousness to include all other consciousness.
--Aleister Crowley, THE BOOK OF THE LAW
Thomas Bearden's theories bear directly on our investigation of the nature of Nuit and the vector equilibrium matrix. By commenting on the physical and philosophical qualities of the vacuum, and attempting to describe how nothing becomes something, Bearden has joined a host of philosophers, mystics, and scientists with an interest in the threshold of our observable universe, and what lies beyond.
In EXCALIBER BRIEFING: EXPLAINING PARANORMAL PHENOMENA (1988), Bearden succinctly outlines his theory, as well as offering several real-time applications. In order to relate his ideas and those of Everett to our notions of the V.E.M., we shall have to draw heavily on his work.
We ask the reader's patience with the necessary quotes, but we hope they will simplify the complexity of comprehending even the gross nature of the V.E.M. But before we review Bearden's ideas, we will discuss what state-of-the-art quantum cosmology has to say about the nature of reality.
Long ago the Gnostics believed that the true unrevealed nature of the Void was a Plenum, or fullness. Modern quantum mechanics has physically verified this intuitive perception of reality. The vacuum of empty space is not empty. It contains energy (zero point energy) and entities (pure virtual particles). Both the energy field and empty space are in flux, and probably interface with other universes through wormholes (or tunnels).
Sidney Coleman, a theoretical physicist from Harvard, has been investigating the nature of the vacuum and its relationship to the cosmological constant--zero. He, and other physicists can't decide whether the total energy in the vacuum should be positive or negative, but they agree that the energy ought to be huge. Coleman asserts "the cosmological constant is zeroed out by wormholes; invisible, submicroscopic rips in the fabric of space-time that tunnel out of our universe, linking it to an infinite web of other universes."
The rational of the cosmological constant derives from the uncertainty principle, which applies to variables like energy and time:
What it says in this case is that the precision with which you can measure the energy of any system, such as a piece of empty space, is limited by the duration of the measurement; the shorter the time, the greater the imprecision. And this indeterminacy can never be resolved simply by more accurate measuring instruments; it is inherent in the system itself. Over a short enough time the system can assume just about any energy--and it does. In a world ruled by quantum mechanics, the energy of the system in any fleeting instant can be seen only as a wavelike function.
As a consequence, the vacuum of empty space is not empty; it is pervaded by fluctuating fields of energy that, when large enough, manifest themselve as particles--individual photons, for example, or particle pairs consisting of an ordinary electron or quark and its anti-matter twin, which burst into existence and then annihilate. The vacuum is thick with these short-lived "virtual" particles. It looks empty only because each particle's visit to existence, according to the uncertainty principle, is so infinitesimally brief as to be undetectable.
But the effects of these virtual particles en masse may be detectable. Virtual particles ought to have one effect in particular: their energy ought to warp space. The deformation would be entirely independent of that wrought by ordinary matter, and so, Einstein notwithstanding, it would constitute a nonzero cosmological constant.
How big would the constant be? That depends on how often virtual particles appear in a given volume of space, and it also depends on the type of particles. Virtual quarks and electrons have much the same effect as their "real" counterparts: they cause space to contract. But virtual photons, or any other force-transmitting particles, have the opposite effect: they cause space to expand. There are a whole bunch of things that contribute to the cosmological constant. Some are plus, some are minus, so we expect some of them to cancel. But not the whole lot...
The cosmological constant is very nearly zero. The mechanism, according to Coleman, is similar to virtual particles in that it arises from quantum fluctuations. But this time the fluctuations aren't those of energy fields [zero point energy]; they are fluctuations of empty space itself [vector equilibrium fluctuations].
Stephen Hawking invented the quantum wormhole in 1988. Just as quantum mechanics says there is a certain probability that particles can appear from nowhere in a vacuum, quantum cosmology says there may be a certain probability that a small chunk of space and time will suddenly pop into existence. That is what a wormhole is--a fluctuation in the space-time field, just as a virtual particle is a fluctuation in an energy field.
The wormhole could connect to any one of an endless number of preexisting parallel universes that are otherwise inaccessible to us. There is no reason to assume our universe is the only one; webs of parallel universes are equally possible. They can be imagined like balloons connected to one another by thin, rubbery necks of space-time--those are the wormholes. The regions inside and outside the balloons and wormholes are outside space-time. It doesn't exist.
One meaningful consequence of wormholes is that they might contribute information to our universe in the form of values for the constants of nature. They might also fix the energy density of the vacuum--the cosmological constant. Somehow wormholes arrange things so that the value of the cosmological constant is zero--so that the huge virtual particle components cancel exactly. According to quantum cosmology, this is by far the most likely outcome.
Zero point energy is the kinetic energy that remains in a substance when its temperature is absolute zero. The vacuum has zero point energy, also. Any potential is just a bunch of trapped dynamic vectors, hence trapped vector (translational) energy. It is translational energy that is locally trapped and not translating. The potential is thus like an accumulator or capacitor. It can be "charged up" and "discharged."
The vacuum is increasingly being regarded as composed of an incredibly dense structure of virtual electromagnetic energy, even at zero degrees absolute. Superspace consists of pure massless charge flux, pure scalar waves. If compacted this energy density of the vacuum is enormous.
Here, in the vacuum, spacetime is incredibly dense, and matter is etherically thin. Spacetime goes through matter, rather than matter through spacetime. And this energy density of the vacuum does interact with electromagnetic fields and matter to give observable effects, such as the Lamb shift.
In his inflationary model of the hot Big Bang, Alan H. Guth considers matter to consist of scalar-field particles, (SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN, Dec. 1991). "Such field particles are not the stuff of everyday life, but they do arise naturally in many theories."
Indeed, they are believed to be the dominant form of matter under the extremely high energy conditions similar to those in the early universe. According to the inflationary model, they lead to a kind of negative pressure. Gravity effectively becomes a repulsive force, and inflation occurs. At the end of the inflationary era, the decay of the scalar-field matter producing the expansion heated the (initially cold) universe to a very high temperature.
Although the scalar field is largely homogeneous, it still may have small, inhomogeneous parts. According to quantum theory, these inhomogeneous parts cannot be exactly zero but must be subject to small quantum fluctuations. (In fact, all types of matter are subject to such quantum effects, but for most purposes the fluctuations are so small as to be totally insignificant.)
The rapid expansion of the universe during inflation magnified these initially insignificant microscopic fluctuations, transforming them into macroscopic changes in density [ref. chaos theory and the pumping up of micro- to macro-scopic changes as one of the characteristics of chaos].
Inflation itself depends on a number of assumptions. For example, it would have occurred only if the scalar field began with a large, approximately constant energy density. This approximately constant energy density is equivalent, at least for a brief time, to Einstein's famous (or infamous) cosmological constant. Therefore, like it or not, the success of inflation rests on certain assumptions about initial conditions [another aspect of chaos theory].
What happened before inflation? How did the universe actually begin?" In the pre-inflation era, the size of the universe tends to zero, and the strength of the gravitational field and the energy density of matter tend to infinity. That is, the universe appears to have emerged from a singularity, a region of infinite curvature and energy density at which the known laws of physics break down.
Near a singularity, space-time becomes highly curved; its volume shrinks to very small dimensions. Under such circumstances, one must appeal to the theory of the very small--that is, to quantum theory. In quantum mechanics, motion is not deterministic, but probabilistic. A quantity called the wave function encodes the probabilistic information about such variables as position, momentum and energy.
For a single-point particle, one can regard the wave function as an oscillating field spread throughout physical space. Because of the uncertainty principle, the kinetic and potential energy of a system cannot both be exactly zero. Instead the system has a ground state in which the energy is as low as it can be. (Recall that in the inflationary universe, galaxies form from "ground-state fluctuations.") Such fluctuations also prevent the orbiting electron from crashing into the nucleus. The electrons have an orbit of minimum energy from which they cannot fall into the nucleus without violating the uncertainty principle.
Though it is still considered an extravagant claim, the fundamental assertion of quantum cosmology is that quantum mechanics applies to the entire universe at all times and to everything in it. In a theory of the universe, of which the observer is a part, there should be no fundamental division between observer and observed. The wave function of the entire universe can't collapse each time an observation is made. In cosmology, there is only one system, which is measured only once.
Hugh Everett III of Princeton (1930-1982) asserted that there exists a universal wave function describing both macroscopic observers and microscopic systems, with no fundamental division between them. A measurement is just an interaction between different parts of the entire universe, and the wave function should predict what one part of the system "sees" when it observes another. So, there is no collapse of the wave function, only a smooth evolution described by the Schrodinger wave equation for the entire system.
But as he modeled the measurement process, Everett made a truly remarkable discovery: the measurement appears to cause the universe to "split" into sufficiently many copies of itself to take into account all possible outcomes of the measurement. This has been discounted by others into possible histories for the universe with assigned probabilities. For practical purposes, it does not matter if we think of all or just one them as actually happening.
Certain regions, such as those close to classical singularities, exist in which no prediction is possible. There the notions of space and time quite simply do not exist. There is just a "quantum fuzz," still describable by known laws of quantum physics but not by classical laws. [It may be subject to the laws of quantum chaos]. Inflation is assumed as one of the quantum initial conditions.
The inescapable task of the quantum cosmologist is to propose laws of initial or boundary conditions for the universe. Stephen Hawking's idea is called the no-boundary proposal, which admits many possible histories. Perhaps, the universe has tunneled from "nothing." The evolution described by inflation and the big bang would have subsequently occurred after tunneling. This is consistent with the Qabalistic explanation of the emanation of Kether from Ain, Ain Soph, and Ain Soph Aur--the veils of negative existence.
The picture that emerges is of a universe with nonzero size and finite (rather than infinite) energy density appearing from a quantum fuzz. After quantum creation, the wave function assigns probabilities to different evolutionary paths, one of which includes the inflation postulated by Guth.
Although some theorists disagree, both the no-boundary and tunneling proposals seem to predict the conditions necessary for inflation, thereby, eliminating the need for assumptions about the scalar-field matter that drove the rapid expansion. The no-boundary and tunneling proposals eliminate assumptions about the density perturbations. Although inflation explains their origin, the exact form and magnitude depend on certain assumptions about the initial state of the scalar-field matter.
The inflation model assumes the inhomogenous parts started out in their quantum mechanical ground state--the lowest possible energy state consistent with the uncertainty principle. But Hawking's no-boundary proposal states that everything must be smooth and regular on the bottom cap of the space-time tube. The condition implies that inhomogeneous fluctuations must be zero there. The fluctuations enter real-time as small as they can be--as the quantum mechanical ground-state fluctuations demanded by the inflation model. The tunneling proposal makes the same prediction, for similar reasons.
So, quantum cosmology alleges the universe appeared from a quantum fuzz, tunneling into existence and thereafter evolving classically. Quantum creation scenarios produce gravitational waves of a calculable form and magnitude. Gravitational waves interact very weakly with matter as they propagate through space-time. Therefore, when we observe them in the present universe, their spectrum may still contain the signature of quantum creation. But gravity waves are hard to detect, so quantum cosmology can't be verified conclusively to determine whether the no-boundary or tunneling proposals are the correct ones for the wave function of the universe. But, so far, these are the best guesses, and they do not contradict the Qabalistic notion.
ENERGY SCIENCE AND SCALAR FIELDS
How does Bearden's energy science relate to quantum cosmology, the vacuum, and vector equilibrium? Through scalars and scalar fields, the virtual vacuum plasma ("virtual particle vacuum ether"). A scalar is a vector characterized by magnitude and time. Scalar waves (virtual particle flux wave) in the virtual state massless charge flux (vacuum), do not breach the quantum level to become observable, yet they are real. They are oscillations of the stress energy tensor of the vacuum.
In the vacuum state everything is disintegrated, but highly dynamic. The vacuum is not an emptiness FILLED with massless charge, rather, it IS identically massless charge (disintegrated dynamicism). It is a plenum, not an emptiness. It is also pure, undifferentiated action.
Multiple vectors acting on one point and summing or multiplying to zero (Vector Equilibrium Matrix) are physically still present, even though their vector resultant is a zero vector...Thus physically a zero vector can be a system having a very real, distinct sub-structure of nonzero vector components. These infolded vector components may be highly dynamic (i.e. chaotic). The anenergy of each infolded dynamic vector component is thus "trapped" inside the local vector zero system.
Anenergy is the stress energy of the vacuum. "Fragments" of energy, more subtle than electromagnetic energy, turned against themselves are locked into a vector zero summation. This is modeled as scalar, massless charge flux or virtual particle flux, or "pieces" of the spatiotemporal vacuum spacetime medium.
These observable virtual anenergy particles are rotated more than 90 degrees from the laboratory space. Anenergy particles are the individual scalar wave components of vector electromagnetic waves. Anenergy components may be coupled into energy, which can be compacted into mass.
Scalar fields exist for each point in space (Hadit) which infolds n-dimensional virtual state substructures. Each succeedingly higher dimension is a succeedingly lower level of a virtual state. THE VACUUM ITSELF IS SUCH A SCALAR FIELD. This massless charge field enfolds vast electrostatic scalar potential.
Standing scalar waves can be coupled at exactly 180 degrees out of phase in a resonant cavity to create zero sums through scalar resonance. There is just such a resonant cavity in the brain, between the pituitary and pineal glands. These waves of potential co-modulate each other and "lock or zip together" as a zero-vector system wave.
This allows for crosstalk or translation between dimensions. Dimensions have certain primary geometrical physical attributes, such as length, used to describe the separational relationships of physical phenomena. By geometrical we mean that the dimension is considered to "exist" in either the presence or absence of the observable physical phenomenon. However, by agreement the dimension of itself is not directly observable. Yet it can be inferred by measurement.
Hyperchannels for crosstalk between dimensions are known as "magic windows". These interdimensional nodal points have a naturally tuned frequency of a good hyperchannel between orthogonal frames where scalar wave anenergies crosstalk readily.
Crosstalk normally means the transfer of energy or signal from one channel to another, by cross modulation or cross coupling between the channels. In this new approach it refers to the virtual energy exchange between orthogonal universes or frames--that is, between different 3- or 4-dimensional slices of an infinite-dimensional universe.
Magic windows are frequency dependent. Some magic windows are 38-40 kHz, 150-160 kHz, 1.1-1.3 MHz, 1.057 (Lamb shift), and in the near ultraviolet frequency. These frequencies represent enhanced channels between subquantal (virtual) and spatial (observable) states. A particularly good magic window exists when the infrared and ultraviolet bands being utilized are phase-locked so that the ultraviolet represents a first harmonic of the infrared.
Also known as the Tesla wave, this standing scalar wave can be seen alternately as a time wave or a gravitational wave. It is a wave of pure potential. It is a longitudinal scalar potential wave in massless charge, in the vacuum charge flux itself, and in pure spacetime. Since there are no spinning charged mass particles, it does not form a vector electromagnetic wave, as conventional theory would predict. It breaks into shadowy, virtual vectors which are not integrated.
Rigorously vector fields cannot exist in a vacuum, but can only exist on an observable mass. A "shadow" vector field can exist in a vacuum. In the absence of observable mass, it exists as small virtual vectors, each existing as a virtual particle in the vacuum. Such a "shadow" vector field may be regarded as two coupled scalar fields, where the coupling is performed by the virtual particle flux of which the vacuum itself consists.
If this same holds true for the collective unconscious, it may be a physical analog for the unintegratable aspects of the archetypes in human personality. Resonating standing scalar waves in the brain may be the physical interface for archetypes. Since the vectors of vector equilibrium represent the paths of least resistance, they may represent preferred pathways in the brain, as suggested by the chronic reappearance of archetypal patterns.
Classical brainwaves are only the residue or "spillage" waves of the brain. The important activity is in the specific patterning of the vector zero summations of the myriads of ion discharges. Every "discharge ion" constitutes a small EM force vector.
The summation of these vectors is largely zeroed; however, the patterns formed by all these tiny components are not random. The intent and will of the human being is expressed in the changes in the patterning of these dynamic substructures. Present EM brain wave theory does not touch the basic "thought patterns," which are scalar in nature.
Consciousness refers, among other things, to the intersecting stream of monocular, one-at-a-time virtual projections into the mind from the quantum changes of photon interactions upon the body sensors [to be explained more fully later].
Memory gives the entity the illusion of moving through time. In the absence of deeper understanding, the individual consciously sees itself as a separated physical object moving and changing in time with respect to other separated objects that it perceives.
The "externality" of certain changes in the physical world is due to the lack of mental control or influence over them. "Internality" of certain other changes is due to the ability to mentally control or influence them.
The ordinary conscious mind is a serial processor. Only one thing at a time is discriminated in its awareness. But the unconscious mind is totally conscious--but multiply so, since it is a parallel processor of many discriminations at once.
The linear mind cannot directly perceive the individual discriminations of the parallel processor, since THESE APPEAR ONLY AS A BLUR OR NOTHINGNESS to it. This is the mechanism of the barrier between the conscious and unconscious minds.
Projections from the unconscious onto the scenes of the conscious mind will thus appear symbolical--that is, having many hidden meanings at once. This is why our dreams, for example, appear to our conscious minds as weird and distorted, but highly symbolic in nature.
The mind is a world composed of separation events (waves, operations, processes) in unseparated being. We may model it as a physical universe, three orthogonal turns away from the ordinary physical universe, and tuned slightly selectively to one physical organism's body processes.
Eastern masters have always told us that all reality is mind-stuff. Now we can model that process. Mind anenergy is considered to be progressively collected, condensed, and kindled into denser substance and objects by rotation toward the ordinary physical world. Thus a piece of inert matter is simply condensed energy, which itself is condensed anenergy, which is condensed mind flux (crosstalk) from all minds [collective unconscious].
We may model the mind physically, or model the physical as mindstuff, eliminating the artificial dichotomy between mind and matter that presently is assumed in orthodox science.
The VEM and Diamond Body are psychotronic generators for amplifying and translating mindstuff. They are devices for producing observable effects by collecting, condensing, amplifying, and/or processing subtle anenergies or scalar waves. Psychotronic devices are virtual state engineering devices that process and utilize scalar EM waves of massless charge flux.
LIGHT AND TIME
A photon is the basic action quantum. It may be considered as an oscillation in and outof time. It may also be considered as a virtual pattern of positron/electron pairs. It is a piece of electromagnetic radiation when it interacts as a particle.
One half of the photon exists in and carries positive time (negative charge), and the other half exists in and carries negative time (positive charge). Thus, one half is "normal" and the other half is "time-reversed" (phase conjugated).
The photon may be considered as one cycle of an electromagnetic wave. The photon is the basic carrier of time. It consists of a piece of energy welded to a piece of time, with no seam in the middle. The passage of "time" thus moves at the speed of light, its carrier. When its magnitude diminishes below the quantum threshold, a photon becomes a virtual photon, whose emission and absorption cause charge on an electron.
Photon interaction is the absorption and emission of photons by particles or objects. The macroscopic world is created by this interaction, which is the basic quantum change interaction.
Scalar waves are emitted and absorbed by the nuclei of atoms, passing right through the electron shells without interaction. When we introduce additional scalar interactions beyond the ambient background, the nuclei change appreciably, though this level of physical reality may be far from stable.
This is the higher reality, and it is sensed by the scalar electromagnetic functioning of our nervous system. Unfortunately, this system outputs only to the deep unconscious, since it is highly multiocular. Thus our conscious mind, being monocular, does not perceive the most fundamental reality in which we exist.
"Time" is the special dimension in which multiple objects can exist simultaneously in the same interval. Time is multiocular and space is monocular. Our conscious mind is fitted to the monocular photon interaction. Being monocular, our conscious mind cannot be aware of time directly. For that reason we do not "see" time consciously. We do "see" it, however, unconsciously.
The true meaning of being "lost" is to be separated from the consciousness of the All, which is separation of our conscious, gross sensing from our finer, more subtle, and infinitely richer--and unconscious--scalar sensing of ultimate reality. Because the effect of photon emission is "carrying away time," it forms a filter between our senses and fundamental reality.
This time-differentiation of fundamental reality, eliminates our ability to detect those things which occupy time but not normal 3-dimensional space--such as mind, thought, etc. Almost all our thoughts, concepts, words, and ideas are fitted to this partial reality--and this is the universal human problem and delusion. Einstein alleged that our language demands Cartesian coordinates, and thus limits our thinking.
We see a spatial universe of separated spatial objects, while in actuality we exist in an undifferentiated single wholeness. The mindworld and the physical world (mind and matter) have in common the same time dimension. Dynamic movements in each result in small crosstalk being projected into the other world, a crosstalk so small as to be virtual and normally unmeasurable.
The photon interaction invokes a time-differentiating operation, stripping away or suppressing the time dimension, resulting in a spatial reality or objective reality being perceived or observed. In the process it separates mind and body by destroying the only common connection or channel.
The photon interaction is the agent that creates objectivity itself. The photon interaction separates spacetime into space and time exclusively. An object, being something which occupies space, is thus timeless.
Objects do not exist in time, because the union of an object with time constitutes spacetime, which cannot be perceived, detected, or observed. Only changes in (derivations of) spacetime can be perceived, detected, or observed, but not spacetime itself. That with which light has not interacted is not objective.
The concept of mass is not a function of time, but only a function of space. It is thus three-dimensional. The photon is also three-dimensional, but one of its dimensions is the time dimension. When the photon strikes the mass and is absorbed, one portion is turned into mass by orthorotating one turn.
Its compound nucleus of spacetime is not perceivable. When a photon is re-emitted, it may or may not be of the same frequency and energy as the previously absorbed photon, depending on the absence or presence of any other perturbations. A small bit of spatial mass is orthorotated which turns the bit of mass into a small piece of energy. In the rotation a small piece of time is bitten off and yields a quantum of action, which now constitutes a photon. Photon emission thus strips away the time dimension, leaving a spatial object.
EINSTEIN POINTED OUT THAT THE VELOCITY OF AN OBJECT MAY BE VISUALIZED AS ROTATION OF AN OBJECT IN HIGHER DIMENSIONAL SPACE. VISUALIZED AS SPATIAL ROTATION RATHER THAN ROTATION TOWARD THE TIME AXIS, THE VELOCITY OF LIGHT IN A VACUUM MERELY CONSTITUTES THE ROTATION OF A PIECE OF MASS BY AN ANGLE OF 90 DEGREES TO THE LINE OF MOTION, IN THE LAB SPACE IN WHICH WE VISUALIZE THE PHOTON (THE ROTATED PIECE OF MASS) AS MOVING.
The spacetime compound nucleus has now once again been separated into spatial and time components. Time is moving with the photon. And that is why time moves or flows at c, the speed of light in a vacuum. Time is carried only by the photon and photon interaction with an object produces that object's march through time.
We perceive stability within change because we cannot detect, perceive, or observe the compound nucleus of spacetime in the middle. Thus we experience change as a thing becoming something else, but still being the same thing.
CONT. AT
http://zero-point.tripod.com/stargoddess/anatomy.html
VECTOR EQUILIBRIUM MATRIX
VEM with nested Tree of Life automatically and reiteratingly emerging from its midst.TREE OF LIFE
Sephiroth or Spheres and Paths of the Tree of Life. Maximal symbolic elegance in minimal graphic elements.
ANATOMY OF THE STAR GODDESS
http://zero-point.tripod.com/stargoddess/anatomy.html
by Iona Miller, 1999
ANATOMY OF THE STAR GODDESS (1999): This article, originally written as an adjunct to The Diamond Body, is about further investigations into the qabalistic and synergetic properties of the Vector Equilibrium Matrix. For placement in SYNERGETIC QABALA, it has been updated with notions from Post Quantum Physics and its relevance to the the mind/matter interface. Its departure point is Crowley's (and the Egyptian) notion that "Infinite Space is the Goddess Nuit." Here we investigate the archetypal and virtual properties of this Star Goddess, and what that implies in terms of qabalistic emanation, the collective unconscious, the paranormal, and mind-over-matter. Her body is the incorporeal matrix underlying the physical Universe and the human psyche, underlying all phenomena.
When this article was originally written, scalar physics was considered alternative science. Since then its stock has gone up. There has been a mainstream revolution in cosmology, (SciAmer, Jan. 1999), which confirms the importance of "vacuum energy." The standard cosmology of the 1980s, postulating a flat universe dominated by matter is dead. The universe is either open or filled with an energy of unknown origin. Put another way, "nothing" could not possibly be more interesting. There are also psychological implications. Like virtual entities, images or symbols percolate in and out of consciousness below the threshold of consciousness. They appear much like virtual particles blink in and out of "existence." The newest generation of physics, Post-Quantum Physics posits a model for mind-over-matter, which operates with quantum backflow that is also relevant to our discussion. This article is not for the intellectually timid...good luck.
ANATOMY OF THE STAR GODDESS:
Quantum Cosmology, Virtual States, Energy Science,
Chaos Theory, and Scalar Fields
by Iona Miller, c1992
KEY PHRASES: Infinite Space, The Void, Vacuum, Zero Point Energy, Virtual Manifold, V.E.M. as Psychotronic Machine, Virtual State Translator, the Physics of the Plenum, Post Quantum Physics, Synergetic Interaction, Imagineering, Orthorotational Geometry of Dimensions, Chaos and Complexity, Depth Psychology, Mind/Matter Interface, Nothing becomes Something.
ABSTRACT: Nuclear engineer and researcher, Thomas E. Bearden has proposed a new approach to physics with some startling new theories based on Hugh Everett's many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics (1973). Bearden extends QM theory, rather than corrupting it.
The main thrust of Bearden's work is toward explaining paranormal phenomena, the collective unconscious, weaponry, and other technological possibilities. His new view of physics (energy science) is grounded in what he calls scalar electromagnetics, from which he proposes deriving "free energy."
This is, in essence, tapping the Vector Equilibrium Matrix for zero point energy. The key to his technological approach is to "let the EM force fields fight themselves to a 'cancellation,' forming a vector zero." Antigravity is just one possibility.
Multiple realities contain all possibilities, but in enfolded or virtual states. This theory alleges that there are clustered worlds, which are three-dimensional to an observer within them, yet virtual to an observer from outside. These hyperspace dimensions are orthogonally rotated (90 degrees) in respect to one another. Selecting a frame, or cube of space, facilitates access.
When we consider the vastness of space, we perceive emptiness due to our relative position in this universe. The Void is actually densely packed with virtual energy which awaits translation, or transduction into our observable 3-dimensional reality. These energies or entities appear as virtual because they are unobservable through ordinary means. Crosstalk across these channels is the basis for the collective unconscious, paranormal phenomena, and the manifestation of our material world.
Like philosophy, physics is not any absolute description of Truth. Rather, both disciplines invite us to "Look at it this way." This approach is very much in line with the long-standing tradition of speculative Qabala and Hermetic philosophy.
CONTENTS
Quantum Cosmology: The Gross Anatomy of Nuit
Energy Science and Scalar Fields
Light and time
Virtual Reality Check
The Body Electric
EM Fields, Action, Creation, and Time
True Enough--to the Physicist
Thomas Beardon's Scalar Electromagnetics
New Definition of Zero
Primitive Perception
Virtual (Hidden or Occult) Entities
Virtual Hyperspace
Scalar Electromagnetics and the Plenum
Scalar EM View of the Vacuum
Separation of Vacuum and Observable States
Engineering the Vacuum
Mind Is Objective
Biofields and Tulpas: Projection As Reality
Dreams As Unresolved Conflicts
Virtual Chaos
Virtual States and Hyperspaces
It's Alive!
QUANTUM COSMOLOGY, THE GROSS ANATOMY OF NUIT:
This Book explains the Universe. The elements are Nuit--Space--that is, the total of possibilities of every kind--and Hadit, any point which has experience of these possibilities. (This idea is for literary convenience symbolized by the Egyptian Goddess Nuit, a woman bending over like the Arch of the Night Sky. Hadit is symbolized as a Winged Globe at the heart of Nuit.)
Each one of us has thus an universe of his own, but it is the same universe for each one as soon as it includes all possible experience. This implies the extension of consciousness to include all other consciousness.
--Aleister Crowley, THE BOOK OF THE LAW
Thomas Bearden's theories bear directly on our investigation of the nature of Nuit and the vector equilibrium matrix. By commenting on the physical and philosophical qualities of the vacuum, and attempting to describe how nothing becomes something, Bearden has joined a host of philosophers, mystics, and scientists with an interest in the threshold of our observable universe, and what lies beyond.
In EXCALIBER BRIEFING: EXPLAINING PARANORMAL PHENOMENA (1988), Bearden succinctly outlines his theory, as well as offering several real-time applications. In order to relate his ideas and those of Everett to our notions of the V.E.M., we shall have to draw heavily on his work.
We ask the reader's patience with the necessary quotes, but we hope they will simplify the complexity of comprehending even the gross nature of the V.E.M. But before we review Bearden's ideas, we will discuss what state-of-the-art quantum cosmology has to say about the nature of reality.
Long ago the Gnostics believed that the true unrevealed nature of the Void was a Plenum, or fullness. Modern quantum mechanics has physically verified this intuitive perception of reality. The vacuum of empty space is not empty. It contains energy (zero point energy) and entities (pure virtual particles). Both the energy field and empty space are in flux, and probably interface with other universes through wormholes (or tunnels).
Sidney Coleman, a theoretical physicist from Harvard, has been investigating the nature of the vacuum and its relationship to the cosmological constant--zero. He, and other physicists can't decide whether the total energy in the vacuum should be positive or negative, but they agree that the energy ought to be huge. Coleman asserts "the cosmological constant is zeroed out by wormholes; invisible, submicroscopic rips in the fabric of space-time that tunnel out of our universe, linking it to an infinite web of other universes."
The rational of the cosmological constant derives from the uncertainty principle, which applies to variables like energy and time:
What it says in this case is that the precision with which you can measure the energy of any system, such as a piece of empty space, is limited by the duration of the measurement; the shorter the time, the greater the imprecision. And this indeterminacy can never be resolved simply by more accurate measuring instruments; it is inherent in the system itself. Over a short enough time the system can assume just about any energy--and it does. In a world ruled by quantum mechanics, the energy of the system in any fleeting instant can be seen only as a wavelike function.
As a consequence, the vacuum of empty space is not empty; it is pervaded by fluctuating fields of energy that, when large enough, manifest themselve as particles--individual photons, for example, or particle pairs consisting of an ordinary electron or quark and its anti-matter twin, which burst into existence and then annihilate. The vacuum is thick with these short-lived "virtual" particles. It looks empty only because each particle's visit to existence, according to the uncertainty principle, is so infinitesimally brief as to be undetectable.
But the effects of these virtual particles en masse may be detectable. Virtual particles ought to have one effect in particular: their energy ought to warp space. The deformation would be entirely independent of that wrought by ordinary matter, and so, Einstein notwithstanding, it would constitute a nonzero cosmological constant.
How big would the constant be? That depends on how often virtual particles appear in a given volume of space, and it also depends on the type of particles. Virtual quarks and electrons have much the same effect as their "real" counterparts: they cause space to contract. But virtual photons, or any other force-transmitting particles, have the opposite effect: they cause space to expand. There are a whole bunch of things that contribute to the cosmological constant. Some are plus, some are minus, so we expect some of them to cancel. But not the whole lot...
The cosmological constant is very nearly zero. The mechanism, according to Coleman, is similar to virtual particles in that it arises from quantum fluctuations. But this time the fluctuations aren't those of energy fields [zero point energy]; they are fluctuations of empty space itself [vector equilibrium fluctuations].
Stephen Hawking invented the quantum wormhole in 1988. Just as quantum mechanics says there is a certain probability that particles can appear from nowhere in a vacuum, quantum cosmology says there may be a certain probability that a small chunk of space and time will suddenly pop into existence. That is what a wormhole is--a fluctuation in the space-time field, just as a virtual particle is a fluctuation in an energy field.
The wormhole could connect to any one of an endless number of preexisting parallel universes that are otherwise inaccessible to us. There is no reason to assume our universe is the only one; webs of parallel universes are equally possible. They can be imagined like balloons connected to one another by thin, rubbery necks of space-time--those are the wormholes. The regions inside and outside the balloons and wormholes are outside space-time. It doesn't exist.
One meaningful consequence of wormholes is that they might contribute information to our universe in the form of values for the constants of nature. They might also fix the energy density of the vacuum--the cosmological constant. Somehow wormholes arrange things so that the value of the cosmological constant is zero--so that the huge virtual particle components cancel exactly. According to quantum cosmology, this is by far the most likely outcome.
Zero point energy is the kinetic energy that remains in a substance when its temperature is absolute zero. The vacuum has zero point energy, also. Any potential is just a bunch of trapped dynamic vectors, hence trapped vector (translational) energy. It is translational energy that is locally trapped and not translating. The potential is thus like an accumulator or capacitor. It can be "charged up" and "discharged."
The vacuum is increasingly being regarded as composed of an incredibly dense structure of virtual electromagnetic energy, even at zero degrees absolute. Superspace consists of pure massless charge flux, pure scalar waves. If compacted this energy density of the vacuum is enormous.
Here, in the vacuum, spacetime is incredibly dense, and matter is etherically thin. Spacetime goes through matter, rather than matter through spacetime. And this energy density of the vacuum does interact with electromagnetic fields and matter to give observable effects, such as the Lamb shift.
In his inflationary model of the hot Big Bang, Alan H. Guth considers matter to consist of scalar-field particles, (SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN, Dec. 1991). "Such field particles are not the stuff of everyday life, but they do arise naturally in many theories."
Indeed, they are believed to be the dominant form of matter under the extremely high energy conditions similar to those in the early universe. According to the inflationary model, they lead to a kind of negative pressure. Gravity effectively becomes a repulsive force, and inflation occurs. At the end of the inflationary era, the decay of the scalar-field matter producing the expansion heated the (initially cold) universe to a very high temperature.
Although the scalar field is largely homogeneous, it still may have small, inhomogeneous parts. According to quantum theory, these inhomogeneous parts cannot be exactly zero but must be subject to small quantum fluctuations. (In fact, all types of matter are subject to such quantum effects, but for most purposes the fluctuations are so small as to be totally insignificant.)
The rapid expansion of the universe during inflation magnified these initially insignificant microscopic fluctuations, transforming them into macroscopic changes in density [ref. chaos theory and the pumping up of micro- to macro-scopic changes as one of the characteristics of chaos].
Inflation itself depends on a number of assumptions. For example, it would have occurred only if the scalar field began with a large, approximately constant energy density. This approximately constant energy density is equivalent, at least for a brief time, to Einstein's famous (or infamous) cosmological constant. Therefore, like it or not, the success of inflation rests on certain assumptions about initial conditions [another aspect of chaos theory].
What happened before inflation? How did the universe actually begin?" In the pre-inflation era, the size of the universe tends to zero, and the strength of the gravitational field and the energy density of matter tend to infinity. That is, the universe appears to have emerged from a singularity, a region of infinite curvature and energy density at which the known laws of physics break down.
Near a singularity, space-time becomes highly curved; its volume shrinks to very small dimensions. Under such circumstances, one must appeal to the theory of the very small--that is, to quantum theory. In quantum mechanics, motion is not deterministic, but probabilistic. A quantity called the wave function encodes the probabilistic information about such variables as position, momentum and energy.
For a single-point particle, one can regard the wave function as an oscillating field spread throughout physical space. Because of the uncertainty principle, the kinetic and potential energy of a system cannot both be exactly zero. Instead the system has a ground state in which the energy is as low as it can be. (Recall that in the inflationary universe, galaxies form from "ground-state fluctuations.") Such fluctuations also prevent the orbiting electron from crashing into the nucleus. The electrons have an orbit of minimum energy from which they cannot fall into the nucleus without violating the uncertainty principle.
Though it is still considered an extravagant claim, the fundamental assertion of quantum cosmology is that quantum mechanics applies to the entire universe at all times and to everything in it. In a theory of the universe, of which the observer is a part, there should be no fundamental division between observer and observed. The wave function of the entire universe can't collapse each time an observation is made. In cosmology, there is only one system, which is measured only once.
Hugh Everett III of Princeton (1930-1982) asserted that there exists a universal wave function describing both macroscopic observers and microscopic systems, with no fundamental division between them. A measurement is just an interaction between different parts of the entire universe, and the wave function should predict what one part of the system "sees" when it observes another. So, there is no collapse of the wave function, only a smooth evolution described by the Schrodinger wave equation for the entire system.
But as he modeled the measurement process, Everett made a truly remarkable discovery: the measurement appears to cause the universe to "split" into sufficiently many copies of itself to take into account all possible outcomes of the measurement. This has been discounted by others into possible histories for the universe with assigned probabilities. For practical purposes, it does not matter if we think of all or just one them as actually happening.
Certain regions, such as those close to classical singularities, exist in which no prediction is possible. There the notions of space and time quite simply do not exist. There is just a "quantum fuzz," still describable by known laws of quantum physics but not by classical laws. [It may be subject to the laws of quantum chaos]. Inflation is assumed as one of the quantum initial conditions.
The inescapable task of the quantum cosmologist is to propose laws of initial or boundary conditions for the universe. Stephen Hawking's idea is called the no-boundary proposal, which admits many possible histories. Perhaps, the universe has tunneled from "nothing." The evolution described by inflation and the big bang would have subsequently occurred after tunneling. This is consistent with the Qabalistic explanation of the emanation of Kether from Ain, Ain Soph, and Ain Soph Aur--the veils of negative existence.
The picture that emerges is of a universe with nonzero size and finite (rather than infinite) energy density appearing from a quantum fuzz. After quantum creation, the wave function assigns probabilities to different evolutionary paths, one of which includes the inflation postulated by Guth.
Although some theorists disagree, both the no-boundary and tunneling proposals seem to predict the conditions necessary for inflation, thereby, eliminating the need for assumptions about the scalar-field matter that drove the rapid expansion. The no-boundary and tunneling proposals eliminate assumptions about the density perturbations. Although inflation explains their origin, the exact form and magnitude depend on certain assumptions about the initial state of the scalar-field matter.
The inflation model assumes the inhomogenous parts started out in their quantum mechanical ground state--the lowest possible energy state consistent with the uncertainty principle. But Hawking's no-boundary proposal states that everything must be smooth and regular on the bottom cap of the space-time tube. The condition implies that inhomogeneous fluctuations must be zero there. The fluctuations enter real-time as small as they can be--as the quantum mechanical ground-state fluctuations demanded by the inflation model. The tunneling proposal makes the same prediction, for similar reasons.
So, quantum cosmology alleges the universe appeared from a quantum fuzz, tunneling into existence and thereafter evolving classically. Quantum creation scenarios produce gravitational waves of a calculable form and magnitude. Gravitational waves interact very weakly with matter as they propagate through space-time. Therefore, when we observe them in the present universe, their spectrum may still contain the signature of quantum creation. But gravity waves are hard to detect, so quantum cosmology can't be verified conclusively to determine whether the no-boundary or tunneling proposals are the correct ones for the wave function of the universe. But, so far, these are the best guesses, and they do not contradict the Qabalistic notion.
ENERGY SCIENCE AND SCALAR FIELDS
How does Bearden's energy science relate to quantum cosmology, the vacuum, and vector equilibrium? Through scalars and scalar fields, the virtual vacuum plasma ("virtual particle vacuum ether"). A scalar is a vector characterized by magnitude and time. Scalar waves (virtual particle flux wave) in the virtual state massless charge flux (vacuum), do not breach the quantum level to become observable, yet they are real. They are oscillations of the stress energy tensor of the vacuum.
In the vacuum state everything is disintegrated, but highly dynamic. The vacuum is not an emptiness FILLED with massless charge, rather, it IS identically massless charge (disintegrated dynamicism). It is a plenum, not an emptiness. It is also pure, undifferentiated action.
Multiple vectors acting on one point and summing or multiplying to zero (Vector Equilibrium Matrix) are physically still present, even though their vector resultant is a zero vector...Thus physically a zero vector can be a system having a very real, distinct sub-structure of nonzero vector components. These infolded vector components may be highly dynamic (i.e. chaotic). The anenergy of each infolded dynamic vector component is thus "trapped" inside the local vector zero system.
Anenergy is the stress energy of the vacuum. "Fragments" of energy, more subtle than electromagnetic energy, turned against themselves are locked into a vector zero summation. This is modeled as scalar, massless charge flux or virtual particle flux, or "pieces" of the spatiotemporal vacuum spacetime medium.
These observable virtual anenergy particles are rotated more than 90 degrees from the laboratory space. Anenergy particles are the individual scalar wave components of vector electromagnetic waves. Anenergy components may be coupled into energy, which can be compacted into mass.
Scalar fields exist for each point in space (Hadit) which infolds n-dimensional virtual state substructures. Each succeedingly higher dimension is a succeedingly lower level of a virtual state. THE VACUUM ITSELF IS SUCH A SCALAR FIELD. This massless charge field enfolds vast electrostatic scalar potential.
Standing scalar waves can be coupled at exactly 180 degrees out of phase in a resonant cavity to create zero sums through scalar resonance. There is just such a resonant cavity in the brain, between the pituitary and pineal glands. These waves of potential co-modulate each other and "lock or zip together" as a zero-vector system wave.
This allows for crosstalk or translation between dimensions. Dimensions have certain primary geometrical physical attributes, such as length, used to describe the separational relationships of physical phenomena. By geometrical we mean that the dimension is considered to "exist" in either the presence or absence of the observable physical phenomenon. However, by agreement the dimension of itself is not directly observable. Yet it can be inferred by measurement.
Hyperchannels for crosstalk between dimensions are known as "magic windows". These interdimensional nodal points have a naturally tuned frequency of a good hyperchannel between orthogonal frames where scalar wave anenergies crosstalk readily.
Crosstalk normally means the transfer of energy or signal from one channel to another, by cross modulation or cross coupling between the channels. In this new approach it refers to the virtual energy exchange between orthogonal universes or frames--that is, between different 3- or 4-dimensional slices of an infinite-dimensional universe.
Magic windows are frequency dependent. Some magic windows are 38-40 kHz, 150-160 kHz, 1.1-1.3 MHz, 1.057 (Lamb shift), and in the near ultraviolet frequency. These frequencies represent enhanced channels between subquantal (virtual) and spatial (observable) states. A particularly good magic window exists when the infrared and ultraviolet bands being utilized are phase-locked so that the ultraviolet represents a first harmonic of the infrared.
Also known as the Tesla wave, this standing scalar wave can be seen alternately as a time wave or a gravitational wave. It is a wave of pure potential. It is a longitudinal scalar potential wave in massless charge, in the vacuum charge flux itself, and in pure spacetime. Since there are no spinning charged mass particles, it does not form a vector electromagnetic wave, as conventional theory would predict. It breaks into shadowy, virtual vectors which are not integrated.
Rigorously vector fields cannot exist in a vacuum, but can only exist on an observable mass. A "shadow" vector field can exist in a vacuum. In the absence of observable mass, it exists as small virtual vectors, each existing as a virtual particle in the vacuum. Such a "shadow" vector field may be regarded as two coupled scalar fields, where the coupling is performed by the virtual particle flux of which the vacuum itself consists.
If this same holds true for the collective unconscious, it may be a physical analog for the unintegratable aspects of the archetypes in human personality. Resonating standing scalar waves in the brain may be the physical interface for archetypes. Since the vectors of vector equilibrium represent the paths of least resistance, they may represent preferred pathways in the brain, as suggested by the chronic reappearance of archetypal patterns.
Classical brainwaves are only the residue or "spillage" waves of the brain. The important activity is in the specific patterning of the vector zero summations of the myriads of ion discharges. Every "discharge ion" constitutes a small EM force vector.
The summation of these vectors is largely zeroed; however, the patterns formed by all these tiny components are not random. The intent and will of the human being is expressed in the changes in the patterning of these dynamic substructures. Present EM brain wave theory does not touch the basic "thought patterns," which are scalar in nature.
Consciousness refers, among other things, to the intersecting stream of monocular, one-at-a-time virtual projections into the mind from the quantum changes of photon interactions upon the body sensors [to be explained more fully later].
Memory gives the entity the illusion of moving through time. In the absence of deeper understanding, the individual consciously sees itself as a separated physical object moving and changing in time with respect to other separated objects that it perceives.
The "externality" of certain changes in the physical world is due to the lack of mental control or influence over them. "Internality" of certain other changes is due to the ability to mentally control or influence them.
The ordinary conscious mind is a serial processor. Only one thing at a time is discriminated in its awareness. But the unconscious mind is totally conscious--but multiply so, since it is a parallel processor of many discriminations at once.
The linear mind cannot directly perceive the individual discriminations of the parallel processor, since THESE APPEAR ONLY AS A BLUR OR NOTHINGNESS to it. This is the mechanism of the barrier between the conscious and unconscious minds.
Projections from the unconscious onto the scenes of the conscious mind will thus appear symbolical--that is, having many hidden meanings at once. This is why our dreams, for example, appear to our conscious minds as weird and distorted, but highly symbolic in nature.
The mind is a world composed of separation events (waves, operations, processes) in unseparated being. We may model it as a physical universe, three orthogonal turns away from the ordinary physical universe, and tuned slightly selectively to one physical organism's body processes.
Eastern masters have always told us that all reality is mind-stuff. Now we can model that process. Mind anenergy is considered to be progressively collected, condensed, and kindled into denser substance and objects by rotation toward the ordinary physical world. Thus a piece of inert matter is simply condensed energy, which itself is condensed anenergy, which is condensed mind flux (crosstalk) from all minds [collective unconscious].
We may model the mind physically, or model the physical as mindstuff, eliminating the artificial dichotomy between mind and matter that presently is assumed in orthodox science.
The VEM and Diamond Body are psychotronic generators for amplifying and translating mindstuff. They are devices for producing observable effects by collecting, condensing, amplifying, and/or processing subtle anenergies or scalar waves. Psychotronic devices are virtual state engineering devices that process and utilize scalar EM waves of massless charge flux.
LIGHT AND TIME
A photon is the basic action quantum. It may be considered as an oscillation in and outof time. It may also be considered as a virtual pattern of positron/electron pairs. It is a piece of electromagnetic radiation when it interacts as a particle.
One half of the photon exists in and carries positive time (negative charge), and the other half exists in and carries negative time (positive charge). Thus, one half is "normal" and the other half is "time-reversed" (phase conjugated).
The photon may be considered as one cycle of an electromagnetic wave. The photon is the basic carrier of time. It consists of a piece of energy welded to a piece of time, with no seam in the middle. The passage of "time" thus moves at the speed of light, its carrier. When its magnitude diminishes below the quantum threshold, a photon becomes a virtual photon, whose emission and absorption cause charge on an electron.
Photon interaction is the absorption and emission of photons by particles or objects. The macroscopic world is created by this interaction, which is the basic quantum change interaction.
Scalar waves are emitted and absorbed by the nuclei of atoms, passing right through the electron shells without interaction. When we introduce additional scalar interactions beyond the ambient background, the nuclei change appreciably, though this level of physical reality may be far from stable.
This is the higher reality, and it is sensed by the scalar electromagnetic functioning of our nervous system. Unfortunately, this system outputs only to the deep unconscious, since it is highly multiocular. Thus our conscious mind, being monocular, does not perceive the most fundamental reality in which we exist.
"Time" is the special dimension in which multiple objects can exist simultaneously in the same interval. Time is multiocular and space is monocular. Our conscious mind is fitted to the monocular photon interaction. Being monocular, our conscious mind cannot be aware of time directly. For that reason we do not "see" time consciously. We do "see" it, however, unconsciously.
The true meaning of being "lost" is to be separated from the consciousness of the All, which is separation of our conscious, gross sensing from our finer, more subtle, and infinitely richer--and unconscious--scalar sensing of ultimate reality. Because the effect of photon emission is "carrying away time," it forms a filter between our senses and fundamental reality.
This time-differentiation of fundamental reality, eliminates our ability to detect those things which occupy time but not normal 3-dimensional space--such as mind, thought, etc. Almost all our thoughts, concepts, words, and ideas are fitted to this partial reality--and this is the universal human problem and delusion. Einstein alleged that our language demands Cartesian coordinates, and thus limits our thinking.
We see a spatial universe of separated spatial objects, while in actuality we exist in an undifferentiated single wholeness. The mindworld and the physical world (mind and matter) have in common the same time dimension. Dynamic movements in each result in small crosstalk being projected into the other world, a crosstalk so small as to be virtual and normally unmeasurable.
The photon interaction invokes a time-differentiating operation, stripping away or suppressing the time dimension, resulting in a spatial reality or objective reality being perceived or observed. In the process it separates mind and body by destroying the only common connection or channel.
The photon interaction is the agent that creates objectivity itself. The photon interaction separates spacetime into space and time exclusively. An object, being something which occupies space, is thus timeless.
Objects do not exist in time, because the union of an object with time constitutes spacetime, which cannot be perceived, detected, or observed. Only changes in (derivations of) spacetime can be perceived, detected, or observed, but not spacetime itself. That with which light has not interacted is not objective.
The concept of mass is not a function of time, but only a function of space. It is thus three-dimensional. The photon is also three-dimensional, but one of its dimensions is the time dimension. When the photon strikes the mass and is absorbed, one portion is turned into mass by orthorotating one turn.
Its compound nucleus of spacetime is not perceivable. When a photon is re-emitted, it may or may not be of the same frequency and energy as the previously absorbed photon, depending on the absence or presence of any other perturbations. A small bit of spatial mass is orthorotated which turns the bit of mass into a small piece of energy. In the rotation a small piece of time is bitten off and yields a quantum of action, which now constitutes a photon. Photon emission thus strips away the time dimension, leaving a spatial object.
EINSTEIN POINTED OUT THAT THE VELOCITY OF AN OBJECT MAY BE VISUALIZED AS ROTATION OF AN OBJECT IN HIGHER DIMENSIONAL SPACE. VISUALIZED AS SPATIAL ROTATION RATHER THAN ROTATION TOWARD THE TIME AXIS, THE VELOCITY OF LIGHT IN A VACUUM MERELY CONSTITUTES THE ROTATION OF A PIECE OF MASS BY AN ANGLE OF 90 DEGREES TO THE LINE OF MOTION, IN THE LAB SPACE IN WHICH WE VISUALIZE THE PHOTON (THE ROTATED PIECE OF MASS) AS MOVING.
The spacetime compound nucleus has now once again been separated into spatial and time components. Time is moving with the photon. And that is why time moves or flows at c, the speed of light in a vacuum. Time is carried only by the photon and photon interaction with an object produces that object's march through time.
We perceive stability within change because we cannot detect, perceive, or observe the compound nucleus of spacetime in the middle. Thus we experience change as a thing becoming something else, but still being the same thing.
CONT. AT
http://zero-point.tripod.com/stargoddess/anatomy.html
VECTOR EQUILIBRIUM MATRIX
VEM with nested Tree of Life automatically and reiteratingly emerging from its midst.TREE OF LIFE
Sephiroth or Spheres and Paths of the Tree of Life. Maximal symbolic elegance in minimal graphic elements.