The Son of God/Man, Holy Spirit, the Trinity and the Word have their origins in mystical Judaism.
Most people are aware of Christianity's Jewish origins, of course we know that Jesus himself was Jewish. However to most people, the concepts and terminology found in the New Testament seem uniquely Christian. The Holy Trinity, The Word (Logos), the idea of the Son of God, although not evident in traditional Judaism today, all have their origins in ancient Jewish mystical tradition. If so, this would be a strong indication that Jesus must have been familiar with the body of mystical knowledge, today known as Kabbalah.
For those unfamiliar with it, the Kabbalah is a vast and ancient set of Jewish mystical works. Although often highly obscure and complex, it contains a consistent underlying infrastructure, through which much of its obscure mystical may be better understood. Last time, we looked at the deeper meaning of the Holy Name YHVH, which contains the idea of the universal macrocosm and microcosm, and combines the masculine and feminine aspects of the Divine. It is this same infrastructure that can also be employed to gain a deeper understanding of the origin of the cardinal symbols of Christianity.
Known in Hebrew as Yehoshua Ha'Nozri, Jesus of Nazareth was an enigmatic figure, for whom evidence barely exists in the historical record. The story of his life has been carried down to us mainly by the Gospels. Of course this should certainly not suggest, as some have said, that he did not really exist. Nazareth was by all accounts neither a great nor influential place in the early first century AD. So it is possible that the name Ha'nozri, rather than denoting his place of birth, may pertain to his association with, and explicit respect for, Jewish mystical knowledge. The term Nazarene given to Jesus, is usually associated with the Christian followers of Jesus, and is mentioned in the New Testament several times (e.g. in Mark, Acts). In Hebrew, this normally transliterated form of Ha'nozri may also imply association with the Nazarites, who were an ancient informal group of people, starting with Samuel in the Old Testament, who had taken a vow of celibacy and abstained from alcohol and who dedicated their life to self purification. Although Jesus may also have been born in Nazareth, Ha'Nozri could just as well derive from the term Nazirite, meaning a person who has taken vows of abstinence, which itself comes from the words, na'zir (purify), and also na'zur in Aramaic, meaning separate.
At the time of Jesus, there were many distinct communities who chose to live apart from others and follow a spiritual life in Judea. Today we know these groups collectively as the 'Essenes' and many of these people would have been Nazirites. They are thought to have existed from the 2nd century BC to the 1st century AD and probably consisted of many independent groups of spiritual communities, who had in common the practice of abstinence, who eschewed alcohol and worldly pleasures and in some cases even marriage, (although celibacy was not the essential feature of Jewish spiritual life that it later became for Christians). The existence of Essene communities in Judea is reasonably well documented, (for example by Pliny, Philo and Josephus), and some believe that they were also the authors of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Many of them followed the ancient tradition of sacred mysticism. They all espoused an eschatological faith in the imminence of the Messiah and believed that those times were the last days before the end of the world. This was a very different tradition from mainstream Pharisaic Judaism that was practiced by the Priests in the Temple, about whom Jesus was often highly critical. Jesus himself almost certainly spent time studying and meditating with such communities, and in doing so, would likely have picked up the mystical significance of Jewish ideas such as the Lamb, (from the Passover sacrificial tradition), the Son of God/Man, Holy Spirit and the Trinity, from other unwritten mystical traditions. The Kabbalah was at that time an oral tradition and was not written down until well after Jesus's lifetime.
To understand the origin of the term - Holy Spirit, it will be useful to have read my last blog, in which is described the Holy Name - YHVH. In Hebrew, Holy Spirit is Ruach Hakodesh. Ruach, a feminine noun, is normally translated as 'spirit' but can also mean wind or breeze. It's name implies movement and may usefully be contrasted with the term Shechina, which is also a feminine term, but which denotes a static divine residual power that dwells in holy places: such as the Oron Kodesh, the 'ark', where the Torah is housed in the synagogue, and the Kotel, the Western wall of the ancient Temple in Jerusalem. Both terms are associated with the second letter Heh of YHVH. It will be remembered that the first pair of letters, Yod and Heh, refer to the macrocosm (also later known in the Zohar as the Greater Countenance), which describes the ultimate, eternal nature of reality. The second pair of letters, Vav and Heh, refer to the microcosm, (known as the Lesser Countenance). The primordial microcosm is symbolised in Adam (ADOM KADMON - the Primordial Man), in the Book of Genesis. Here we see the origins of the Christian idea of the Son of Man and the Son of God. Although both terms occur frequently in the New Testament, Jesus often refers to himself as Son of Man, there is an important distinction in mystical tradition, where Son of Man has a different meaning to Son of God. The Son of Man will be very familiar from the Old Testament: (eg Ez iii, 1, where God addresses Ezekiel as Son of Man).
This becomes evident once the spiritual infrastructure of the Kabbalistic Tree of Life is understood. Son of Man (Beyn Adam), implies direct descent through the House of David, from Adam the primordial man. Son of God (Beyn Elohim), implies the evolved form of the microcosm, represented by the second pair of letters - Y+H in YHVH; where the Son (Vav) gains union with the Father through the Holy Spirit (second Heh of YHVH). In Kabbalistic tradition a Son of God is more normally associated with the Archangels, such as Michael and Gabriel. This description can however, also be given to a perfected or fully evolved human being, one who has attained the highest union of humankind (symbolised by the pair of letters, (VH) with God (YH). So by this means, the Sons (and Daughters) of Man become Sons (and Daughters) of God. The instrument for that union is in Jewish tradition described as the Bride of the Sabbath, that is the second Heh, paired with Vav, the Son of Man, which symbolises the feminine power of the Holy Spirit, and is also described as the Bride (Kalah) of the King or Bride of the Sabbath. It is the second Heh that enables the Divine union, the return of Vav, the Son of Man to the eternal Father Yod, thereby becoming a Son of God. The subtle significance of this would likely have been missed by the early Judeo-Christian followers of Jesus, who were probably not Nazarites. It would not however have been missed by the Essenes. Sadly however, the Essenes did not last for long enough after Jesus to have had much influence on Christianity.
The mobile, flowing energy of the Holy Spirit is perhaps the most important component in the potential for the Divine union of mankind with the divine source. It is also the most mysterious and incomprehensible of Christian symbols, as for the above reasons, the original meaning was lost once Jesus went. Paul, who can be considered as the founder of Christianity as we know it, almost certainly would not have had the background to have understood this. The only person in the New Testament, who is believed to have been associated with mystical knowledge is John the Baptist, who very likely associated with the Essenes, but had his own sect that practiced ritual baptism. The Christian baptism with water is almost certainly a remnant of an ancient Jewish ritual, and even today the purifying ritual bath (mikveh), remains a feature of life for ultra Orthodox Jews. Baptism, or ritual cleansing, (Heb. T'vilah), has some aspects in common with Jewish purification rites. John the Baptist (Heb. Yochanan Ham'tabil from the root T'vilah), used baptism to cleanse his disciples. John believed that his disciples would experience the blessing of the Holy Spirit in their lifetime, indeed he is said to have baptised Jesus himself and announced him as Messhiach (Messiah). Although John was to our knowledge the only one who practiced baptism, Mark and Luke all refer similarly to Jesus, by describing how they may baptise with water, but that they know of someone who will baptise in the spirit, (examples of this include: Mark i,8; Luke iii,16; John i,37). Unlike the other authors of the Gospels however, it seems that only John would have been fully aware of the symbolic significance of the meaning of 'baptism in the spirit'. The 'spirit' here is understood to be Ruach Hakodesh, the Holy Spirit.
The first verse of the Gospel of St John (John i:1) starts: "In the beginning was the Word". This refers to Gen i, 2, ''...and God said Let there be light". This is known as the primordial utterance (Heb, Maa'mara). John later says (John i,14): "...and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us". This might seem strange to those unfamiliar with Kabbalah. In the first verse of John 1 is contained the description of Y +H of YHVH. The Zohar explains that it is the Father Y, the macrocosm who utters 'Let there be light'. In answer it is H who executes the command "...and there was light". Strangely in Hebrew, the word for God that occurs in Genesis 1, both for the utterance and its execution, is ELOHIM, who is normally associated with the Primordial Mother AIMA and represented by the first H in YHVH. No differentiation may be made between the Father and Primordial Mother at this stage. This is also highly redolent of Indian mystical yogic tradition, which holds that Parambrahma the ultimate Godhead does not manifest. He only expresses his desire and it is She, Adi Shakti (Primordial Mother) who responds. That why ELOHIM creates Heaven and Earth in Genesis 1, not the Father (EL or YAH). The very first verse of 8th Century Hindu mystic, Adi Shankaracharya's celebration of the Divine Mother, Saundarya Lahari, says, echoing earlier Puranic tradition:
Only when united with Shakti, can Lord Siva manifest,
Otherwise, that god cannot even move,
How then could one of little merit be able to bow to, or even praise,
One, such as You O Goddess, who is adored by the Gods Vishnu, Siva and Brahma.
Jewish tradition is neither as clear nor precise as that of India on this subject, but the Zohar does attempt to describe the mystical union from which the whole Creation ensued. The energies or rays described below, refer to the emanation of the ultimate, which is AIMA, the Primordial Mother. Here is a description of the Creation from the Zohar (Bereshith, Zohar I, 15a, Soncino Zohar, p63):
“At the outset, the decision (desire?) of the King made a tracing in the supernal effulgence, a lamp (light) of
scintillation and there issued within the impenetrable recesses of the mysterious limitless, a shapeless nucleus enclosed
in a ring, neither white nor black, nor red nor green nor of any colour at all. When He took measurements, he fashioned
colours to show within, and within the ‘lamp’ there issued a certain effluence from colours (which) were imprinted
below. The most mysterious Power enshrouded in the limitless clave, as it were, without cleaving to its void, remaining
wholly unknowable until in the force of the ‘strokes’(rays, energies?) there shone forth a supernal and mysterious
‘point’. Beyond that ‘point’ there is no knowable, and therefore it is called ‘Reshith’ (beginning), the creative utterance
which is the starting point of it all.”
According to Hindu tradition the highest God Sadashiva never manifests, so it is also with God almighty, Y of YHVH. The whole creation of the macrocosm can only manifest through Her (H), who in Hebrew is ELOHIM.
The manifestation in flesh of (V), the microcosm, is the descendant of ADAM KADMON - the Son of Man (Beyn Adam). The letter Vav represents the microcosm, the epitome of whom is humankind, and mankind's highest manifestation, according to John, was Jesus. He is the epitome of humankind, representing the fully evolved human being, who is born in full commune with his Father (Y), by means of the Holy Spirit (second H in YHVH). Hence a Son of Man may become a Son of God by means of the 'baptism of the spirit'. This union is ultimately represented by the four letters of the Holy Name, YHVH. The microcosm was therefore to be reunited with the macrocosm. The underlying message of Jesus seems very clear: that the divine union between humankind and God through the manifestation of the Holy Spirit, was to be enjoyed by the whole of humanity, and only by that can we then receive ..'the peace of God that surpasses all understanding' (Phil: iv, 7).
The Trinity is another fundamental article of Christian faith, yet few Christians have any idea of its sacred Jewish significance. Jesus ensured that the idea of the triple aspect of the Godhead came down to Christianity, but not its ancient origins. To understand this we need to look at the Tree of Life. Those familiar with this structure will be aware that it is arranged on three pillars, and has ten fruits or emanations, known as Sephiroth which are arranged on seven levels. The Sephiroth may be understood as cardinal qualities of the macrocosm and consequentially of the microcosm. Here we are only concerned with the highest three emanations. According to the Zohar, these are: first, Kether (crown), representing the macrocosm, the eternal abode of Yod in eternal union with Heh (also AIMA or Elohim, the Divine Mother), the second Sephira, Chochma (wisdom), which is known to be the quality of the 'Son' and which although coming from the macrocosm, manifests in the universal microcosm. The third Sephira is Binah (understanding), which comes from Elohim, (first H in YHVH) on the macrocosm, but who also manifests as Holy Spirit, the flowing feminine power within the microcosm, that gives life and spiritual fulfillment. So from this we get:
1. Kether Y (+ H) = Father (although always in union with AIMA)
2. Chochma V = Son
3. Binah Second H = Earthly Mother, Holy Spirit
An understanding of this sacred knowledge can therefore can shed light on these otherwise mysterious symbols of Christianity. This is likely to have been how Jesus would have understood these ideas, which only later, through various councils, became fundamental articles of Christian faith. Our research into this subject has revealed how similar the root of all religions are, not how different. There are many such parallels as we have already seen, for example in Yogic Indian tradition. This has been already described in my past blogs, and is presented in much more detail in my book, 'The Seventh Day'.
Happy Diwali
Thursday 27 October 2011
Friday 7 October 2011
Seventh Day part 4
This time we will look at one more elucidation from my book The Seventh Day:
As today is the eve of Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, which is the most solemn and sacred day in the Jewish Calendar, it seems an appropriate time to talk about the most sacred of all names of God: Jahweh or Jehovah.
The name Jahweh is unique in that it does not appear to have any equivalent in other older Semitic traditions; EL for example has a clear precedent in ancient Mesopotamian worship, as the consort of Ashera. Jahweh is composed of four Hebrew letters: Yod, Heh, Vav and Heh (YHVH). It was uttered in the presence of Almighty God in the Holy of Holies once a year by the High Priest, on the Day of Atonement in the Temple in Jerusalem. It has not however been used in its literal form by observant Jews since the destruction of the second temple in 70AD, being considered far too sacred to be pronounced casually. It is pronounced as ADONOI, meaning: my Lord. This sense of awe will still be felt by many observant Jews in the Synagogue at tonight's Kol Nidre service when they ask for God's forgiveness from all their sins. That is something that today perhaps many people increasingly no longer feel. But the sense of transcendence that it evoked for many seers and saints in the past, inspired them to compose great poems that expressed their love and devotion to the Almighty God.
- The Jewish God YHVH (Jahweh), is a close equivalent to the Hindu mantra; AUM
יהוה
As today is the eve of Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, which is the most solemn and sacred day in the Jewish Calendar, it seems an appropriate time to talk about the most sacred of all names of God: Jahweh or Jehovah.
The name Jahweh is unique in that it does not appear to have any equivalent in other older Semitic traditions; EL for example has a clear precedent in ancient Mesopotamian worship, as the consort of Ashera. Jahweh is composed of four Hebrew letters: Yod, Heh, Vav and Heh (YHVH). It was uttered in the presence of Almighty God in the Holy of Holies once a year by the High Priest, on the Day of Atonement in the Temple in Jerusalem. It has not however been used in its literal form by observant Jews since the destruction of the second temple in 70AD, being considered far too sacred to be pronounced casually. It is pronounced as ADONOI, meaning: my Lord. This sense of awe will still be felt by many observant Jews in the Synagogue at tonight's Kol Nidre service when they ask for God's forgiveness from all their sins. That is something that today perhaps many people increasingly no longer feel. But the sense of transcendence that it evoked for many seers and saints in the past, inspired them to compose great poems that expressed their love and devotion to the Almighty God.
The Bible presents us with the two most commonly occurring names of God, Jahweh and Elohim. These names have been used in the past (starting with Wellhausen et al in the 1860s), to ascribe multiple authorship to the composition of Biblical texts. It was previously commonly held through faith, that the Old Testament was a single text, which came directly from God through Moses. That remained largely true until the 19th century, when European scholars, following the rational thought processes of the Enlightenment, proposed a Documentary Hypothesis that ascribed multiple authorship to the Bible. The basis of this theory rested partly on variations in the use of the names of God, and it was suggested that there may have been at least four or five different authors, the last of which redacted the text into the Bible that we know today in around the sixth century BC. One of these authors is called 'J', after his specific use of the name Jahweh in parts of Genesis. Jahweh also occurs together with ELOHIM in Genesis 3, and although this is quite rare, it did not fit well into the Documentary Hypothesis, which differentiated between text where either Jahweh or ELOHIM is used. This has given rise in Biblical scholarship, to many iterations of the original 19th century theory. In 'The Seventh Day' however, I propose that the use of the names of God was much more deliberate, and were selected on the basis of their mystical significance and position on the Kabbalistic Tree of Life.
Jahweh is the most holy of all Hebrew names of God. One could say that it is not really a 'name' at all, but that it has more in common with a sacred mantra in Indian tradition. Today Jahweh is not popular, many feel that he is an implacable, angry, jealous, domineering, anti-feminist God, who slew the enemies of Israel in cold blood. But that is to seriously underestimate what we can know about Jahweh. The letters YHVH represent something far vaster and all-encompassing about the nature of reality than we have hitherto been able to understand. What is even more surprising is that YHVH displays astounding similarities to the Indian mantra AUM.
The easiest way to understand YHVH, according to the Kabbalistic Book of the Zohar, is to divide it into two pairs of letters. Y+H represents the macrocosmic singularity, existence itself, the ultimate reality of the meta universe. V+H represents the microcosm, representing the physical Earth on which we live, epitomised by human beings. Y plus H represents the Supreme Father (AIN SOPH), lit. without limit, ineffable and indescribable, in complete and eternal union with AIMA, the Divine Mother. V plus H represents the perfected Man (ADAM KADMON), who Christians believe was Jesus. V + H represents the union of the Bride, ELOHIM on the macrocosm and SHECHINA on the microcosm, with AIN SOPH, the eternal Father. She is therefore the key to Humankind's entry to the Kingdom of God.
YHVH also contains a dimension of time within eternity. The letters of the holy name can be said, anagramatically to represent the Hebrew phrase: Ha'ya, Ho'veh ve yih'yeh (HY, HV, YH), meaning: 'He Was, He Is and He Will Be'. YHVH therefore also contains past, present and future within eternity.
YHVH also contains a dimension of time within eternity. The letters of the holy name can be said, anagramatically to represent the Hebrew phrase: Ha'ya, Ho'veh ve yih'yeh (HY, HV, YH), meaning: 'He Was, He Is and He Will Be'. YHVH therefore also contains past, present and future within eternity.
ॐ
The Indian mantra AUM is much more complex than it first appears. As well as the three sanskrt letters, it also has a fourth silent component, the dot and crescent above the symbol, known as Bindu and Ardha Bindu. These respectively represent Purusha and Prkriti or Sadashiva and Adishakti. (God and Goddess combined in eternal union). This is therefore directly comparable to Y + H in the name YHVH. The letters A, U and M create a sacred and eternal 'sound' or vibration when uttered and represent the propensities in the universe, of creation, preservation and destruction. Like YHVH, although they will pronounce it, Hindus will not use AUM casually. AUM also denotes past, future and present times in eternity. In the same way as the three pillars on the Hebrew Tree of Life, the Hindu macrocosm displays three gunas or channels (Ida, Pingala and Shushumna). These three channels vibrate together, each represented respectively by one of the letters of AUM. AUM also contains the concept of macrocosm and microcosm. Bindu and Ardha Bindu represent the cosmic singularity of the macrocosm as Sadashiva and Adishakti in eternal union. The letters A, U and M are represented by the feminine powers or Godesses: Mahalaxmi, Mahasraswati and Mahakali, and these can be said to be equivalent to the Hebrew Divine Mother, ELOHIM. She is the creative, sustaining and destroying power inherent in the entropic state of the universe. These three feminine powers are really all components of the Divine Mother who also acts on the microcosm, in Hindu yogic tradition the three gunas are recognised as existing within a human being as well as being a property of reality beyond us.
These two most sacred symbols, each from very different cultures, can nevertheless be seen as parallel descriptions of the Ultimate. They underline the inadequacy of the idea that God can be fully understood mentally, or believed in as an illustrious supernatural being, who is occupied with punishing sinners and breaking the laws of physics to answer the prayers of the faithful.
That is not to say that they do not have their differences of course. The two terms are used very differently in the two cultures. The use of AUM is similar in some ways to our word AMEN, placed as a sacred symbol of worship before the name of a deity, (e.g. AUM NAMAH SHIVAYA), or within a sacred prayer, (for example in the Gayatri Mantra: AUM Bhu, AUM Bhuva...). YHVH is the name and description of the cardinal aspects of the Deity and of the ultimate reality. Both therefore contain a description of reality, of existence itself. In Hebrew as we know from previous blogs, Ehi'yeh is another descriptive name for God, which means 'existence itself'.
We have looked at the similarities, and also some of the differences between the use of YHVH in Hebrew and AUM in Sankrt. Their mystical and metaphysical significance goes way beyond our normal understanding of them in either a Jewish or Hindu religious context. In this age of scientific enlightenment and discovery, it is surely time to integrate the ancient metaphyscial knowledge into the public awareness. This follows in the noble tradition of some of the 20th century's greatest scientists, such as Bohr, Heisenberg, Jung and Einstein. They did not fail to notice the similarity between what had been discovered by the great seers of the past, with what was now being revealed by Quantum Physics and Relativity. Those who are trying to make sense of where we are today in relation to our understanding of God, the universe and reality, would do well to follow their example and thus avoid the pitfalls created by a modern generation of tabloid atheists.
The Indian mantra AUM is much more complex than it first appears. As well as the three sanskrt letters, it also has a fourth silent component, the dot and crescent above the symbol, known as Bindu and Ardha Bindu. These respectively represent Purusha and Prkriti or Sadashiva and Adishakti. (God and Goddess combined in eternal union). This is therefore directly comparable to Y + H in the name YHVH. The letters A, U and M create a sacred and eternal 'sound' or vibration when uttered and represent the propensities in the universe, of creation, preservation and destruction. Like YHVH, although they will pronounce it, Hindus will not use AUM casually. AUM also denotes past, future and present times in eternity. In the same way as the three pillars on the Hebrew Tree of Life, the Hindu macrocosm displays three gunas or channels (Ida, Pingala and Shushumna). These three channels vibrate together, each represented respectively by one of the letters of AUM. AUM also contains the concept of macrocosm and microcosm. Bindu and Ardha Bindu represent the cosmic singularity of the macrocosm as Sadashiva and Adishakti in eternal union. The letters A, U and M are represented by the feminine powers or Godesses: Mahalaxmi, Mahasraswati and Mahakali, and these can be said to be equivalent to the Hebrew Divine Mother, ELOHIM. She is the creative, sustaining and destroying power inherent in the entropic state of the universe. These three feminine powers are really all components of the Divine Mother who also acts on the microcosm, in Hindu yogic tradition the three gunas are recognised as existing within a human being as well as being a property of reality beyond us.
These two most sacred symbols, each from very different cultures, can nevertheless be seen as parallel descriptions of the Ultimate. They underline the inadequacy of the idea that God can be fully understood mentally, or believed in as an illustrious supernatural being, who is occupied with punishing sinners and breaking the laws of physics to answer the prayers of the faithful.
That is not to say that they do not have their differences of course. The two terms are used very differently in the two cultures. The use of AUM is similar in some ways to our word AMEN, placed as a sacred symbol of worship before the name of a deity, (e.g. AUM NAMAH SHIVAYA), or within a sacred prayer, (for example in the Gayatri Mantra: AUM Bhu, AUM Bhuva...). YHVH is the name and description of the cardinal aspects of the Deity and of the ultimate reality. Both therefore contain a description of reality, of existence itself. In Hebrew as we know from previous blogs, Ehi'yeh is another descriptive name for God, which means 'existence itself'.
We have looked at the similarities, and also some of the differences between the use of YHVH in Hebrew and AUM in Sankrt. Their mystical and metaphysical significance goes way beyond our normal understanding of them in either a Jewish or Hindu religious context. In this age of scientific enlightenment and discovery, it is surely time to integrate the ancient metaphyscial knowledge into the public awareness. This follows in the noble tradition of some of the 20th century's greatest scientists, such as Bohr, Heisenberg, Jung and Einstein. They did not fail to notice the similarity between what had been discovered by the great seers of the past, with what was now being revealed by Quantum Physics and Relativity. Those who are trying to make sense of where we are today in relation to our understanding of God, the universe and reality, would do well to follow their example and thus avoid the pitfalls created by a modern generation of tabloid atheists.
Next time we will look at:
The Son of God/Man, Holy Trinity, the Word, and the word Amen all have their origins in mystical Judaism.
Monday 19 September 2011
Seventh Day part 3
Hi again,
Today we will explore two more elucidations from 'The Seventh Day':
The impression of external, objective reality is an illusion which works most of the time
Today we will explore two more elucidations from 'The Seventh Day':
The English word for God is misleading, however it is useful to see it as synonymous with the Unconscious, and also Reality.
The English word 'God' is thought to have Anglo-Saxon origins, related to the relativistic Germanic word Gut, which also means ‘good’ (as opposed to ‘bad’). It has been suggested by some scholars that the Anglo-Saxon term in turn, came out of an earlier Indo-European word (Ghu-tó-m), meaning one who is called or invoked. This would place the original meaning of the word ‘god’ into the context of Pagan gods who could be invoked for example, to win battles, give successful crops or a hunt, give blessings, for fertility and children, wealth or curses on enemies or enhance survival in the face of the elements. This primitive concept, along with the capitalisation of the ‘G’ by later Christian sources to denote the God of Monotheism, has promoted the popular belief in a supernatural being, who when invoked by the prayers of the faithful has to apparently break the laws of physics to answer them. Modern Atheist scientists of course find it impossible to accept the existence of such a supernatural being. However, controversially it could sometimes be said that some people simply replace the word 'God' with the word 'Nature', which is an equivalent anthropomorphism, (as for example in 'Mother Nature').
The Greek word for God; Theos, as well as the Latin Deus, are almost certainly related to the Indo-European Sanskrt word, Deva (or its feminine form; Devi). The etymology of God’s Hebrew names is also very interesting, and God has many names in Hebrew. Since that was the ancient language known by the founders of Judaism as well as Jesus (who was not the founder of Christianity), it is worthy of further examination. The most commonly used names of God in Hebrew are EL (God), ELOHIM (God, literally Divine Mother), ADONOI (My Lord), SHADDAI (Almighty), HAKADOSH BARUCH HU, (Holy One Blessed be He) and finally YAHWEH. We will write this name as YHVH. That is because in Hebrew this Holiest of God’s names contains four Hebrew letters; Yod- Heh- Vav and again Heh. In Greek this was known as Tetragrammaton (four-lettered name). Some Hebrew names of God may be derived from earlier cultures, EL for example, occurs in Ugaritic and Canaanitish inscriptions and almost certainly pre-dates Judaism. Other names may be epithets, such as a HAKADOSH BARUCH HU, but the origin of the name YHVH is unknown. This name is the most mysterious and does not occur in any antecedent culture. We must therefore assume that it is uniquely Hebrew in origin.
It may be easier to understand Jewish mystical texts such as the Kabbalah, if we realise that the names of God, although often anthropomorphic, are not so much descriptions of rather large supernatural beings, as cardinal aspects of reality, or as CG Jung would call it, the Unconscious. He would also call these cardinal aspects of the Unconscious, Archetypes. According to all mystical traditions, reality is comprised of the Macrocosm, which is ultimately unknowable, and the Microcosm, which contains an 'image' of the macrocosm and is expressed generally in the physical cosmos but specifically within human beings. Once again, CG Jung would echo this idea in his description of the 'Personal Unconscious as a subset of the the Universal Unconscious. This idea also has some commonality with the more recent Holographic theory of the Universe (for example Pribam and Bohm), who believe that they found scientific evidence for this concept. Jewish mystical scriptures give us an extensive description of the Macrocosm and its creation, but although they hint at it, not so much the knowledge of how human beings as Microcosms may unite with the Macrocosm. Indian tradition, portrays God in part, as a state that may be attained through the practice of Yoga, and also describes in detail the anatomy of the Microcosm (for example through the knowledge of the Chakras), and how a human being may attain uniion with the Macrocosm. The Sanskrit term, Atma Paramatma, (meaning individual spirit and universal spirit), suggests that union between Microcosm and Macrocosm. The Hebrew name YHVH is the Hebrew symbol of the union between the Macrocosm and Microcosm, which describes the ultimate nature of reality. The first pair letters YH (Yod plus Heh) depict the masculine and feminine aspects of the ultimate reality in complete union. Yod describes the singularity that underpins existence itself and Heh is the Primordial Mother (also known as ELOHIM). The second pair of letters (Vav plus Heh), describe the Microcosm, epitomised as a perfected human being (cf the term, 'Son of Man). The constant theme here is the letter Heh, which represents the Divine Mother, who as ELOHIM is involved in the creation of the Macrocosm and ultimately the Microcosm (which could pertain to the physical universe and also to human beings, depending in which sense it is being used. As Shechina, She also helps human beings on their ascent towards Her Union with the Divine. In this respect, both Hebrew and Indian traditions seem to broadly be in agreement, in spite of cultural and etymological differences. In the Kabbalistic Book of the Zohar, there are many references to the importance of this union of the what they term, 'the Bride', and the Supernal King.
The online Oxford Dictionary defines 'reality', amongst other more prosaic meanings, as: “The state of things as they actually exist, as opposed to an idealistic or notional idea of them”.
Philosophers have long occupied their minds with such questions. In the 19th century Rene Descartes coined the phrase; ‘I think therefore I am’, and today’s problems are no longer epistemological or doctrinal, no longer questions of national identity or race, but of who or what we are in relation to reality. Science has blown a huge hole in our theoretical theology, which was the boundary of our old reality. Today’s problems are existential, a search for personal ontology, for the nature of existence, for truth and who we are in relation to it. In the past we thought we knew answers to such questions, and for many, even to question the established religious view would have been considered heretic.
The Oxford Dictionary definition is very interesting in as much as it suggests reality is not a function of our perception or desire of how it should be, (bounded by our belief systems), as much as a theoretical hyper-reality, of which we can only know a small part. This also raises the question of the experience of subjectivity and objectivity.
The rational mind works well enough at the level of the mundane world most of the time, for solving practical problems and reasoning out theories from existing evidence. However what we take to be reality is often coloured by our attention in the past or towards the future. It is interesting that there are those in the past, (for example the early Christian Philosopher Augustine), who have described an 'Eternal Present'. We will examine this idea in more depth in future blogs, but it would be good to consider where reality may be found and whether the rational mind is really always in contact with it. If we decide that we will judge “the state of things as they exist” by describing the world through the logic of the rational mind, we should understand that the rational mind is itself a product of a greater reality. If we accept the principle of Darwinian evolution, then the rational mind must have evolved from something else - so however important it is, it cannot be fundamental to reality. Our whole experience of the world is subjective, and in all probability there is no possibility of pure objectivity in our normal conscious state.
If the rational mind is not fundamental to reality then what is? We spend two thirds of our time awake and approximately a third of our time asleep. So we can say that our most common experience of reality comprises around 66% being awake and 33% asleep. In these two states of consciousness, most of us experience for a large part of that time, mundane thoughts and perhaps mundane dreams. However, for some a more salient third state of awareness may manifest. When an artist for example, creates or performs, or when an athlete is at their best, they enter into this third state. Some have described this state as being an instrument for an unconscious stream of creativity that seems to work through them. It has been likened to being connected to a reservoir of a greater intelligence that is neither personal, conscious nor rational, or of being 'in the zone'. One may be highly trained and talented, yet it is often not the rational mind that made people create the greatest works of Art, compose the most sublime pieces of music, invent life changing technology or come up with new scientific theories.
A very few people in history have described a fourth and ultimate state of consciousness, which we know of as 'Enlightenment', Nirvana or Self Realisation. The most famous such experience is that described by the Buddha, who after much searching and deprivation, attained it some two thousand five hundred years ago in India. In this state of rapture, all consciousness of being an individual is lost, there may be an overwhelming sense of divinity, love and peace. They may see great visions or gain great insights into how to help the human state. However, for most people this state remains unconscious. Because this state was thought, (by CG Jung), to underpin all of human consciousness, even though most people are unaware of it, he named it the 'Unconscious'. He described the process of 'Individuation' as being the force that even unconsciously, drives all human beings to try to seek it in some way in their own lives. It is also the force that urges a few to consciously seek their Enlightenment.
Reality for most of us is a subtle combination of these four states of consciousness, conditioned by our senses, conditioned reactions and social skills, rather than it being solely controlled by our rational mind and personal emotions.
Jewish Mysticism primarily focusses on the creation of the Macrocosm. This knowledge is expressed through the Four Worlds (Arba'a Olamim), which is a description of the descent of the Ultimate through descending Worlds of decreasing subtlety, until we come to our own physical world. In Indian tradition, because their focus is on the Microcosm and its path towards Self Realisation, they describe Four States of consciousness of increasing subtlety, that are only accessible through successively deeper states of meditation until Divine Union or Enlightenment is experienced in the highest and fourth state, (Turya).
Next time :
- The Jewish God YHVH (Jahweh), is a close equivalent to the Hindu mantra; AUM
- The Son of God/Man, Holy Trinity and word Amen all have their origins in mystical Judaism, not Christianity.
Please do let me know if you have any questions, comments or corrections.
Thanks again for reading.
Ray
Tuesday 13 September 2011
Seventh Day part 2
Hi again,
Just in case you thought you were seeing double, this is in fact a re-published version of my second post from last Monday, with some corrections. Here we look more closely at the statements I posted in my previous blog, and then pose some more.
Before the 'Beginning', what was there? It is only now that science has started to discover the unimaginable vastness, the abyss of time and the incomprehensible multi-dimensionality of the universe. We now believe that the beginning of our physical universe may not have been the 'Beginning' at all. No wonder scientists and those of a scientific nature, often reject the over simplistic idea of the God that they learned about in Sunday school. Last time, I proposed that Atheism was simply a negative belief system based upon the flawed belief system of others. It is true that the Christian, Islamic and Judaic beliefs of religious fundamentalists, may often seem peculiarly unattractive to the rational mind. However, in 'The Seventh Day', I contend that the metaphysical root of the World's major religions is very different from the rather unsatisfactory view that we hear put forward by many clerics. The problem is compounded when fundamentalists and fanatics commit acts of racist bigotry, child abuse, sex abuse, terrorism and violence in the name of God. Any civilised and humanist soul will rightly rebel against such things.
Scientists now maintain that what we have discovered about the universe, means that we no longer require a supernatural explanation, either for the Creation or for the natural world. This means that nowadays, many scientists are also often professed Atheists. Yet Atheism, for all its good intentions, often comes across as a rather stark and unsatisfactory view of the world, based as it often is on the rejection of traditional Anglo-Saxon Christian religious beliefs. Atheism, however rationally conceived, is often little more than a gut reaction to an outdated belief system, both sides of which are stepped in ignorance of the nature of spirituality. Atheism is of course certainly not a threat to world peace in the way that fundamentalism often is. However, simply holding a strong dislike of religion, and denying God, the soul or any manifestation of spirituality, is in truth probably no less unscientific and irrational as the radical beliefs of religious fanatics who use the scriptures as a carte-blanche to commit crimes and atrocities against humanity.
As I said last time, belief does not necessarily equate to reality; and that is true for both Atheism and religious belief. At the heart of all the World's major religions lies the knowledge of the Metaphysical. By this I do not mean a fuzzy, supernatural world that can neither be seen nor proven. The 'Metaphysical' in this context, refers to the vast experiential, inner world that we all inhabit, that is in fact every bit as natural as the external world that is known through physics and other scientific disciplines. The gateway to the metaphysical world is the five senses, and according to spiritual tradition, at the heart of our innermost being lies the singularity of existence itself.
Both Jewish and Hindu mystical traditions seem to agree, although couched in rather different terms, that beyond the five senses and the rational mind lie three other contiguous and subtler levels of awareness. These are: the emotional world, through which we access our dreams, then at a deeper level, we encounter the inspirational or abstract world (often termed somewhat misleadingly as 'mental'), from which we derive creative inspiration and vision. Finally, for those who learn to access it, lies the level of reality or 'Existence itself', which we call 'spiritual', and where we may encounter the awesome singularity of the 'Self'. It is probably no accident that the 'Ultimate', the 'Universal Unconscious' or God, is also known in Jewish Mysticism as 'Existence Itself' (Ehi'yeh). Although the level of pure existence may not be accessible to most of us with our rational mind, there is no reason why these inner worlds should not yield some of their secrets to science. However, to make any significant progress in this area, our approach may need to change quite significantly.
Many scientists see no need to postulate a spirit that exists within human beings - it has been said there is no 'ghost in the machine'. Perhaps though, this may simply be a confusion about a term that the British Philosopher, Gilbert Ryles used in his 1949 book ('The Concept of Mind'), in which the 'ghost' referred to 'mind' rather than 'spirit'. The human spirit is of course beyond mind and is not a ghost, and neither are human beings machines. On the other hand, science has never proven the absence of spirit, rather it has simply raised a whole lot of new questions about the issue of human consciousness. The idea that the physical universe originates from a singularity, has parallels with the metaphysical view of the Creation expounded by the Jewish mystical work of the Kabbalah. Here the meta-universe is also conceived in an existential and experiential singularity, from which the physical universe 'later' appears as a subset. As human beings, we still carry that image of the Creation (known as the 'Image of God'), and the singularity that gave us birth still exists within us as our deepest spiritual self. This idea has been around, perhaps for thousands of years. The concept that our awareness might simply be an aspect of a universal consciousness, in no way contradicts what we know from science. What we can say is that what we are now discovering through science seems to concur very well with what is already known from metaphysical descriptions. That is why the contention here is that the metaphysical and physical are simply two sides of the same coin of reality.
I was fortunate, living as I do in the UK, to have been able to watch last week's Horizon program on the BBC. This fascinating program covered the problem of good and evil and examined what scientific evidence might exist for a 'moral molecule'. It turns out that most people are programmed from childhood, to be caring and emotionally sensitive to others. They will typically make the best moral choice that they can in the circumstances, in order to help others. However, research has shown that in a few cases, the psychopathic personality be accompanied by an abnormal genetic and brain activity profile. Combined with right (or wrong) circumstances in their childhood, abuse for example, those examined, seemed to have had a much higher probability of becoming serial killers. They may be less sensitive to emotions and often cannot empathise with their victims, so they may not make the same moral choices that most of us would do.
It turns out that many business leaders also have a psychopathic profile, which they cover up with charm, force of personality, intelligence and an utter disregard for others. That surely should not excuse them though - or should it? In one murder trial, in the execution happy state of Texas, a psychopath escaped the death penalty because it was demonstrated that he had diminished responsibility due to his genetic and brain profile, and the fact he had been abused as a child. Interestingly, one of the scientific researchers featured in the program also turned out to have a psychopathic profile. However, the fact that he'd had a wonderful childhood fortunately meant that he did not become a serial killer.
The interesting question here though, is not whether choice and moral strength may be influenced by genetics, but whether our choices and behaviour may influence genetics, particularly at a collective level. Another question is: what is it in us that makes that choice. If we could understand that, we could have a powerful mechanism for physical, emotional and even spiritual evolution. In the Metaphysical worlds that are described by many of the world's scriptures, evolution appears not just in the physical world, but on many levels once we know how to decode the texts. 'The Seventh Day' book provides a guide for doing just that, for chapters one to three of Genesis. Far from the literal view, of a supernatural 'Designer' taking a week out to create a universe just over 6,000 years ago, the Genesis texts when decoded, using knowledge hidden in Jewish mystical tradition, reveal many hidden facets, some of which we have now only just begun to appreciate through scientific discovery. That is not to say that I believe that there is an intrinsic need to prove the Bible right for a predetermined religious reason, but there is definitely much more to it than we first thought.
Next time, we will talk around four more elucidations from 'The Seventh Day':
Just in case you thought you were seeing double, this is in fact a re-published version of my second post from last Monday, with some corrections. Here we look more closely at the statements I posted in my previous blog, and then pose some more.
Before the 'Beginning', what was there? It is only now that science has started to discover the unimaginable vastness, the abyss of time and the incomprehensible multi-dimensionality of the universe. We now believe that the beginning of our physical universe may not have been the 'Beginning' at all. No wonder scientists and those of a scientific nature, often reject the over simplistic idea of the God that they learned about in Sunday school. Last time, I proposed that Atheism was simply a negative belief system based upon the flawed belief system of others. It is true that the Christian, Islamic and Judaic beliefs of religious fundamentalists, may often seem peculiarly unattractive to the rational mind. However, in 'The Seventh Day', I contend that the metaphysical root of the World's major religions is very different from the rather unsatisfactory view that we hear put forward by many clerics. The problem is compounded when fundamentalists and fanatics commit acts of racist bigotry, child abuse, sex abuse, terrorism and violence in the name of God. Any civilised and humanist soul will rightly rebel against such things.
Scientists now maintain that what we have discovered about the universe, means that we no longer require a supernatural explanation, either for the Creation or for the natural world. This means that nowadays, many scientists are also often professed Atheists. Yet Atheism, for all its good intentions, often comes across as a rather stark and unsatisfactory view of the world, based as it often is on the rejection of traditional Anglo-Saxon Christian religious beliefs. Atheism, however rationally conceived, is often little more than a gut reaction to an outdated belief system, both sides of which are stepped in ignorance of the nature of spirituality. Atheism is of course certainly not a threat to world peace in the way that fundamentalism often is. However, simply holding a strong dislike of religion, and denying God, the soul or any manifestation of spirituality, is in truth probably no less unscientific and irrational as the radical beliefs of religious fanatics who use the scriptures as a carte-blanche to commit crimes and atrocities against humanity.
As I said last time, belief does not necessarily equate to reality; and that is true for both Atheism and religious belief. At the heart of all the World's major religions lies the knowledge of the Metaphysical. By this I do not mean a fuzzy, supernatural world that can neither be seen nor proven. The 'Metaphysical' in this context, refers to the vast experiential, inner world that we all inhabit, that is in fact every bit as natural as the external world that is known through physics and other scientific disciplines. The gateway to the metaphysical world is the five senses, and according to spiritual tradition, at the heart of our innermost being lies the singularity of existence itself.
Both Jewish and Hindu mystical traditions seem to agree, although couched in rather different terms, that beyond the five senses and the rational mind lie three other contiguous and subtler levels of awareness. These are: the emotional world, through which we access our dreams, then at a deeper level, we encounter the inspirational or abstract world (often termed somewhat misleadingly as 'mental'), from which we derive creative inspiration and vision. Finally, for those who learn to access it, lies the level of reality or 'Existence itself', which we call 'spiritual', and where we may encounter the awesome singularity of the 'Self'. It is probably no accident that the 'Ultimate', the 'Universal Unconscious' or God, is also known in Jewish Mysticism as 'Existence Itself' (Ehi'yeh). Although the level of pure existence may not be accessible to most of us with our rational mind, there is no reason why these inner worlds should not yield some of their secrets to science. However, to make any significant progress in this area, our approach may need to change quite significantly.
Many scientists see no need to postulate a spirit that exists within human beings - it has been said there is no 'ghost in the machine'. Perhaps though, this may simply be a confusion about a term that the British Philosopher, Gilbert Ryles used in his 1949 book ('The Concept of Mind'), in which the 'ghost' referred to 'mind' rather than 'spirit'. The human spirit is of course beyond mind and is not a ghost, and neither are human beings machines. On the other hand, science has never proven the absence of spirit, rather it has simply raised a whole lot of new questions about the issue of human consciousness. The idea that the physical universe originates from a singularity, has parallels with the metaphysical view of the Creation expounded by the Jewish mystical work of the Kabbalah. Here the meta-universe is also conceived in an existential and experiential singularity, from which the physical universe 'later' appears as a subset. As human beings, we still carry that image of the Creation (known as the 'Image of God'), and the singularity that gave us birth still exists within us as our deepest spiritual self. This idea has been around, perhaps for thousands of years. The concept that our awareness might simply be an aspect of a universal consciousness, in no way contradicts what we know from science. What we can say is that what we are now discovering through science seems to concur very well with what is already known from metaphysical descriptions. That is why the contention here is that the metaphysical and physical are simply two sides of the same coin of reality.
I was fortunate, living as I do in the UK, to have been able to watch last week's Horizon program on the BBC. This fascinating program covered the problem of good and evil and examined what scientific evidence might exist for a 'moral molecule'. It turns out that most people are programmed from childhood, to be caring and emotionally sensitive to others. They will typically make the best moral choice that they can in the circumstances, in order to help others. However, research has shown that in a few cases, the psychopathic personality be accompanied by an abnormal genetic and brain activity profile. Combined with right (or wrong) circumstances in their childhood, abuse for example, those examined, seemed to have had a much higher probability of becoming serial killers. They may be less sensitive to emotions and often cannot empathise with their victims, so they may not make the same moral choices that most of us would do.
It turns out that many business leaders also have a psychopathic profile, which they cover up with charm, force of personality, intelligence and an utter disregard for others. That surely should not excuse them though - or should it? In one murder trial, in the execution happy state of Texas, a psychopath escaped the death penalty because it was demonstrated that he had diminished responsibility due to his genetic and brain profile, and the fact he had been abused as a child. Interestingly, one of the scientific researchers featured in the program also turned out to have a psychopathic profile. However, the fact that he'd had a wonderful childhood fortunately meant that he did not become a serial killer.
The interesting question here though, is not whether choice and moral strength may be influenced by genetics, but whether our choices and behaviour may influence genetics, particularly at a collective level. Another question is: what is it in us that makes that choice. If we could understand that, we could have a powerful mechanism for physical, emotional and even spiritual evolution. In the Metaphysical worlds that are described by many of the world's scriptures, evolution appears not just in the physical world, but on many levels once we know how to decode the texts. 'The Seventh Day' book provides a guide for doing just that, for chapters one to three of Genesis. Far from the literal view, of a supernatural 'Designer' taking a week out to create a universe just over 6,000 years ago, the Genesis texts when decoded, using knowledge hidden in Jewish mystical tradition, reveal many hidden facets, some of which we have now only just begun to appreciate through scientific discovery. That is not to say that I believe that there is an intrinsic need to prove the Bible right for a predetermined religious reason, but there is definitely much more to it than we first thought.
Next time, we will talk around four more elucidations from 'The Seventh Day':
- The English word for God is misleading, however it is useful to see it as synonymous with the Unconscious, and also Reality.
- The impression of external, objective reality is an illusion which works most of the tim
By the way, I am pleased to report that you can now download the 'The Seventh Day' as an eBook on Kindle - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B005LPEBBI
Keep following the Blog, (next one is now due on Monday), and thanks again for reading.
Keep following the Blog, (next one is now due on Monday), and thanks again for reading.
Ray
Tuesday 6 September 2011
The Seventh Day
Hi I'm Ray Harris.
For the spiritually and philosophically minded out there, or for those who just like to ask difficult questions: this is my new blog. It will ultimately track the vast array of subjects covered in a new book I have recently completed, called 'The Seventh Day'.
This is the first edition of the Seventh Day, and it addresses the existing argument between Materialist Atheist Scientists and Religious Fundamentalists, about whether the Universe was really created by a Divine Being in a week some six thousand years ago. It attempts to build a third hypothesis, based upon an extensive study of Jewish Mystical scriptures and Indian Yogic tradition, and in doing so, re-examines our assumptions about God and Spirituality. It also attempts to reinterpret and decode the deeper meaning contained in the first three chapters of Genesis. This dramatically reveals many inconsistencies and absurdities that have been taken for granted for over two thousand years. It contends that the ultimate goal of all religions was not racial superiority, but union with God, and that this may only happen with the help of the Divine Mother. Surprisingly this knowledge is embedded in traditional Judaism as it is in the other major World Religions.
In this blog I will specifically cover some of the dozens of elucidations which are covered in more depth in my book. In this first blog I have listed four of them below and if there is any interest, in future blogs I hope to cover more of them. These are not meant to necessarily echo my beliefs, but represent interesting discussions I have had with people over the past few years. I am not an Atheist, but I do respect many of the very valid points that they make about religion and its more negative effects on the World. My book does not set out to provide answers, but it does pose possibilities and theories based upon wide research.
Thanks for reading.
Ray
6 Sept 11
For the spiritually and philosophically minded out there, or for those who just like to ask difficult questions: this is my new blog. It will ultimately track the vast array of subjects covered in a new book I have recently completed, called 'The Seventh Day'.
This is the first edition of the Seventh Day, and it addresses the existing argument between Materialist Atheist Scientists and Religious Fundamentalists, about whether the Universe was really created by a Divine Being in a week some six thousand years ago. It attempts to build a third hypothesis, based upon an extensive study of Jewish Mystical scriptures and Indian Yogic tradition, and in doing so, re-examines our assumptions about God and Spirituality. It also attempts to reinterpret and decode the deeper meaning contained in the first three chapters of Genesis. This dramatically reveals many inconsistencies and absurdities that have been taken for granted for over two thousand years. It contends that the ultimate goal of all religions was not racial superiority, but union with God, and that this may only happen with the help of the Divine Mother. Surprisingly this knowledge is embedded in traditional Judaism as it is in the other major World Religions.
In this blog I will specifically cover some of the dozens of elucidations which are covered in more depth in my book. In this first blog I have listed four of them below and if there is any interest, in future blogs I hope to cover more of them. These are not meant to necessarily echo my beliefs, but represent interesting discussions I have had with people over the past few years. I am not an Atheist, but I do respect many of the very valid points that they make about religion and its more negative effects on the World. My book does not set out to provide answers, but it does pose possibilities and theories based upon wide research.
- Atheism tends to manifest as a negative belief system based upon the non belief in someone else's, often flawed belief system.
- Religious Fundamentalism worships belief, and thereby agrees to disregard common sense and the obvious, which denies Reality.
- Belief is not synonymous with Reality.
- God is not a supernatural Designer being, but is Existence itself.
Thanks for reading.
Ray
6 Sept 11
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