There are three levels of religious teachings. I'll use Judaism as an example. In Judaism, the outermost level of religious belief and practice is embodied in the Torah, the five books of the law at the start of the Old Testament. This level is for people who can read (or hear), believe and follow the rules. These beliefs made a working social life, civilisation possible for the Jewish people. But this is not enough for all. Thinkers want to know why they should follow the rules. In Judaism, the thinkers study the Talmud, a series of learned interpretations of the Torah. Here they learn, for example, that they shouldn't kill because "As you sow, so shall you reap", the law of action and reaction applied to morals and ethics.

But there is another level of religious person. These are the people who aren't satisfied to read of another's experience of God on the mountain, nor by knowing how and why the laws work. These people want to experience God for themselves. These people are sometimes referred to as mystics. They seek the mystical experience of personal contact with "the ground of all being", with what I call Source. These are the people who seek and treasure experiences of true initiation.

Seldom does the main body of the religion regard these people as more than madmen, at least while they are alive. After death, they may become officially holy or be canonised as saints. But while they are alive, they are most often a disruption, an embarrassment for the official temple, mosque or church.

Unfortunately, the orthodox leaders of the three main world religions generally find their own mystics and mystical teachings unacceptable and disruptive. The leaders of orthodox religions generally prefer that only they seek personal contact with deity. They believe that the congregation shouldn't even attempt it. Perhaps their motivation is to prevent individuals from being overwhelmed by direct contact with deity. More likely, they prefer to keep a monopoly upon contact with the divine. Their doctrine is if you want to know what God wants you to do, you have to join the church, mosque or temple, submit to their rules and give them your money.

The orthodoxy often regards the teachings of their mystics as blasphemous and even dangerous to those who practice them. Qaballah  is the teaching of the sacred wisdom of Judaism. Sufism carries the mystical teachings of Islam. The Gnostics were the mystical Christians. They had access to the written and unwritten teachings of Qaallah, which they used to attain their enlightenment. However, the early Catholic Church forbid Gnosticism, excised most of the Gnosis from the Bible, disbanded groups of Gnostics and had any further followers of Gnosticism, let us politely say, disappear.

In all these traditions, secret mystery schools initiated students into the personal experience of Source. Although many officials of the faith may anguish over this statement, Qaballah does embody the mystical teachings of Judaism.

Most Western mystery schools today use the teachings of Qaballah for both instruction and for the rituals of initiation for enlightening their pupils. Why do we go to the root of Judaism for contact with Source? New dispensations do not arise out of thin air, but rather emerge from existing ones. Judaism was the matrix for the spiritual culture of the Western world. It was the only monotheistic religion available. And when you recall that Jesus was a Jew, it becomes clear that our Western religious culture does have Judaism as its root. Christianity emerged from Judaism just like Buddhism arose from the matrix of Hinduism.

This short introduction to Qaballah is limited to how it is used by modern students of the mysteries. Although we won't go deeply into the traditional Qaballah of the Rabbis, a small look at its origins will enrich our tour.

As to the original source of Qaballah, the authorities are unanimous. The angels gave Qaballah to humankind. Before we scoff at this idea, let's look more deeply into the matter. Hebrew mysticism arose from the star worshippers of ancient Chaldea. Then a magical figure, the great priest-king Melchizedek who was neither born nor died, arrived on the scene to teach Abraham, the father of the Hebrew race. Melchizedek initiated Abraham into the mysteries and gives him the first Eucharistic feast of bread and wine. His influence continues unabated. The Bible even says that Jesus is a priest after the order of Melchizedek.

Many of the leaders of the Hebrew race studied with the adepts of the mystery schools in Egypt, Tyre, Babylon and elsewhere. Many influences flowed into and enriched the esoteric wisdom of Israel. This adding to and expanding of the wisdom teachings continues to this day.

At the time of Jesus, there were three main religious movements in Palestine. The Pharisees and the Sadducees are often spoken of in the Bible. Of the third group, the Essenes, all mention in the Bible has been excised. The mystery schools teach that when his merit was recognised, he was sent to live in the Essene community where he was trained in the esoteric lore. He is said to have lived there until he was thirty when he visited John the Baptist and began his mission openly. Whether this is exactly true or not is open to question. However, the man who wrote the Lord's prayer knew his Qaballah. Malkuth (the Kingdom), Hod (the Power), and Netzach (the Glory) form the triangle at the bottom of the tree of life.

Esoteric Christianity (Gnosis) flourished for four centuries after Christ. The Gnosis has strong roots in the Greek and Egyptian mysteries. It was a powerful mystery teaching that attracted many followers. However, at the council of Nicea in 325 AD, the officials of the Christian Church decided to eliminate all trace of esoteric (mystical) Christianity. They removed whole books from the Bible (25 gospels), changed others, persecuted the Gnostics and destroyed every bit of the literature that it could. Clearly, it was the decision of the Church to do its very best to eliminate even the memory of mystical Christianity.

Most of the wisdom of the ancient world was gathered together in the great libraries of Alexandria. Although there is still controversy as to whether it was the Christians or the Moslems who burned the library, it is said that the burning of the books and manuscripts for six months fuelled the great baths and bakeries of Alexandria. Our spiritual history, our esoteric wisdom, was nearly eliminated. Only in this century have discoveries been made of ancient manuscripts that were hidden in caves or covered by seas since before the Christian purge. In these we find clues and treasures of true spirituality that orthodox Christianity tried so hard to destroy.

The Nag Hammadi Scrolls of Egypt and the Dead Sea scrolls are examples of these recently found treasures. Below the cliffs of Nag Hammadi were found gospels of Thomas and Phillip that greatly predate any of the gospel versions in the Bible. A complete version of the book of Isaiah dating to about 400 years before Christ was found. In it, we can read of the secrets or prayer that could have enriched our culture before and at last now can.

After the burning of the libraries of Alexandria, a group of magi (elders or wise men) from many countries and traditions met in near Alexandria in Fez, which is today in the country of Morocco. Since they spoke many different languages, communication between them was at times difficult. To solve this problem, they used the language of symbols.

Many symbols have a pre-existing meaning, independent of conscious understanding. They are to the subconscious mind what words are to the conscious mind. However, unlike words, symbols already exist and their root meaning does not need to be learned by the subconscious. To the subconscious mind, meaning is multi-faceted and global. When trying to understand a symbol with the conscious mind, one finds that its meaning changes with the reference frame. It's rather like the blind men describing an elephant. Each touches a very different part and comes up with a very different definition. Unlike words which each have discrete meanings, symbols imply and cast veils of allusion, taking on different meaning in different contexts. Like dreams, individual symbols are interconnected with others and form a field of knowing, a way of apprehending that which one does not yet comprehend.

Beyond their inherent subconscious meaning, when symbols are used by groups of people for years or even generations to embody a specific teaching, they become imbued with extra meaning. Later students with no personal instruction can, by meditating upon such symbols, retrieve the meaning that was imbued into them.

As the Christian Church and the Moslems were systematically eliminating all their "competition", there was a real danger that the wisdom gathered by the adepts for thousands of years of human history could have been lost forever. The magi who met in Fez devised a method to assure that their collective teachings would survive the test of the times. They embodied their wisdom in a series of combinations of symbols. They imbued meaning into the symbols with their shared meditations. And they devised ways to use this series of pictures for games and for fortune telling. These pictures are the major arcana of the Tarot, the root of our modern playing cards. The very first Tarot key, key zero - the fool is the joker in our modern decks of cards. Like the fool who represents the life-breath that takes form as all things, the joker is a "wild card" that can be any other card as defined at the start of a game.

Making a game and a way to tell fortunes insured the popularity of the Tarot, which quickly spread throughout Europe. Some of the symbolism was modified so as to not arouse Church opposition. For example, in popular early Tarot decks, the name of the Hierophant (spiritual teacher, inner teacher) was changed to be "the Pope".

The Tarot and the Tree of Life are the central symbols that embody the mystery teachings of Qaballah. It is upon these that the student of the Western mysteries contemplates and meditates. The 22 major "arcana" of the Tarot correspond precisely to the 22 paths connecting the ten spheres of the Tree of Life. Together, the 22 major keys and the 10 spheres make up the famous "32 paths of wisdom" of Qaballah.

Although the Christian Church did try to stamp out all things mystical, the mystical urge exists in all and cannot be eliminated. People will always find a way to make contact with the Source of all being. Some in the Catholic Church found a way to do so through devotion. Very lovely and inspirational literature has been written by these Catholic mystics. However, only a certain sort of person is attracted to the life of devotion. Having "burned the bridges" to God, the Church is bereft of its own esoteric (hidden, secret, sacred, mystic) tradition. What a tragedy it is that the living fire that could have made the Church an instrument for the awakening of Christ-consciousness in the world has been almost extinguished by the Church itself.

Because our Western esoteric tradition was nearly annihilated, many of mystical inclination in the West have attempted to adopt the methods of eastern traditions. The East is rich with many different paths suitable to the many types of humans. However, unless you are willing to live away from the mainstream of social life and have an advanced guru to supervise your efforts, Eastern methods of spiritual awakening may do more damage than good. Many Westerners have adopted a vegetarian diet, a celibate lifestyle, and breathing exercises from Eastern traditions with less than optimal results! Some become so sensitive that they cannot emotionally withstand the hustle and bustle of Western life and may experience nervous breakdowns.

Qaballah is truly the "yoga of the West". Its methods are perfectly suitable to the Western race type and life style. Eastern methods train the student to become more and more sensitive until a point is reached where the student becomes aware of the subtle divine energies. The Western mystery method is to use ritual and ceremonial to intensify the divine energies to the point where you cannot help but perceive them. Then the ritual ceremony is ended and the energy levels return to normal, leaving the student able to return to his busy life and work. The ceremonies include much use of symbolism, colour, movement, spoken words and the chanting of divine and archangelic names. Through the use of such ceremony and ritual, the divine energies make a profound impression in the subconscious mind of the student and continue to work there, gradually transforming the student and awakening the divine within.

In Qaballistic training, the teacher rarely answers the students' questions directly. Instead, the teacher will tell the student a story that contains a principle of truth. The student must then apply this principle to his circumstances and thereby derive his own answer. The teachings of Qaballah do not so much inform the mind as teach the student how to think. Beyond that, they direct the student where to extend consciousness so as to eventually be able to consciously go far beyond the limitations of thought.

One cannot precisely define that consciousness which is beyond thought. For those who have learned to consciously operate in that realm, no explanation is necessary. For those who haven't, none is possible. The method of Qaballah is to give the student a series of related symbols to meditate upon and think about. Gradually, the student begins to learn to "think" in symbols while awake. The average person is only vaguely aware of doing so in dreams while asleep. The Qaballistic student learns to consciously direct a similar process to dreams, and to do so while awake. Gradually, this process guides the student into direct contact with the root of all being, with Source. It is this direct contact with Source that is the goal of the seekers. Through this process, the successful student of Qaballah learns to consciously move in realms beyond thought and thereby becomes one of those for whom no proof is necessary.

How do you recognise those in whom the "spirit has been quickened" by contact with Source? In Sexual Energy and Yoga, Elisabeth Haich says, "It is difficult to find them, for in appearance they are no different from other men, and they are recognised and understood only by those who are at the level immediately below their own. Others may worship them because they feel their greatness, but they cannot understand them. Some even hate them because they feel their greatness and imperviousness to all temptation, and therefore feel inferior and insignificant beside them. And yet he who seeks God from the depths of his heart finds these men, for 'by their fruits ye shall know them.' (Matt. 7:20)."

For those who are ripe for spiritual awakening, being in personal contact with those who are already in contact with Source is infectious. The "awakened" have a peculiar enthusiasm and vitality that makes them very charismatic. Being in their presence is a truly magical experience. There is a no-nonsense style about them that gets to the root of any matter directly. The energy of their presence is often quite like a breath of fresh air or a splash of cold water in the face. It startles and awakens. However, it will also energise and stir up any immature behavioural patterns in the student.

Seeker be aware!!  Unresolved problems of character will be magnified, often to the chagrin of the student. Under the impact of the presence of one who has more direct contact with source, the student is put into a kind of spiritual hot-house and will be forced to spiritually "grow-up" far more swiftly than otherwise.

Are you ready?


The tree of life


A journey through the tree of life

The Tree of Life is the main glyph of the Qaballists. It is a compendium of the sciences and the mysteries. It has been called the "Rosetta Stone of the mysteries". The Rosetta Stone was engraved with Egyptian hieroglyphics (then indecipherable) plus two known languages, demotic (the common language of Egypt) and Greek (the language of the Egyptian rulers at that time). The translation of hieroglyphics into two known languages led to the deciphering of the language of hieroglyphics. Like the Rosetta Stone, the Tree of Life allows us to compare all the various mystery teachings and interrelate them meaningfully.

The Tree of Life is not only useful for understanding mystery teachings. In its symbolic structure and relationship of its parts, it illustrates all possible combinations of the nature of the universe. All philosophy, religion, science and every other matter conceivable has its place upon the tree. Learning the significance of the Tree of Life provides the mind of the student with a sorting system for organising all knowledge and experience and reveals the relation of each part to the others. It is the most effective system for meaningfully sorting all possible data that I have encountered.

The Tree of Life consists of ten spheres (sephiroth) connected by twenty-two pathways. Its structure is based upon the "seed of life" and the "flower of life" figures. There are three vertical pillars. As you look at the tree, to the right is the pillar of mercy. To the left is the pillar of severity. The central one is the pillar of mildness or equilibrium.

The Tree as depicted in diagrams is the objective tree, which represents the universe or macrocosm. However, when working subjectively with the tree, one "backs into" it. When the Tree of Life represents the individual microcosm, the tree is reversed. Then Binah is to the right of the head.

Before a more detailed inspection of each sphere of the Tree of Life, let's take a swift journey from the top to the bottom. This is in good accordance with mystery school practice. The Tree reveals itself through associations between its various parts. Spending too much time in one spot prevents the gathering of impressions and perspectives so necessary to a working understanding.

Before anything exists, the universe is in a state of slumber. All is like a sea of negative light, infinitely deep and wide with no surface. Then mysteriously, the Source awakens and decides where something will happen. The negative light swirls in upon itself toward that first stage. Nothing yet exists, but movement within darkness toward a centre creates the first sephirah (the plural is sephiroth; sphere) Kether, the Crown.

In Kether, Source awakens, but does not yet know itself. There is no other from which to view itself. Then it emanates the first other, Chokmah - Wisdom. This is the Divine Father principle of life itself. Chokmah radiates joyfully outward in all directions. Chokmah then overflows to form Binah, Understanding, the Divine Mother principle of form. Binah pulls the freedom of Chokmah's light into limitation. Binah is the sphere of Saturn, the principle of manifestation. Chokmah is like gasoline burning on the ground, performing no useful work. Binah is like a motor, heavy and inert, but capable of putting the fiery energy of Chokmah to work.

These three form the supernal triad.

Next comes Chesed, Mercy. This is the sphere of Jupiter, the "great benefic" of astrology. Jupiter is like a rich uncle who helps finance your dreams to come true. Jupiter expands, grows, and increases all.

But unlimited expansion would deplete so next comes Geburah, Severity, the sphere of Mars. Chesed lets everything grow. Geburah prunes and cuts away unwanted parts to make room for the chosen fruit to grow. These two, Mercy and Severity, balance each other's activity. They can be be likened to the up and down motions of pistons in an engine.

Completing a circle defined by the first five sephiroth, next comes Tiphareth, Beauty. Tiphareth is the sphere of the Sun and the son. Tiphareth stands in the centre of the Tree of Life between Source above and the physical world in Malkuth below. Tiphareth is the image-making power. In Tiphareth are the perfect images of what can be in the worlds below. To Tiphareth are ascribed all heroes and saviours - those with one parent in Heaven and one on earth. These three, Chesed, Geburah and Tiphareth form the triad of the higher mind.

Next comes Netzach, Victory. Netzach is the sphere of Venus. This is the realm of desire. Desires are a promise from above. They are images of what can be. Balancing Netzach across the tree is Hod, Splendour, the sphere of Mercury. Venus represents your feelings. Hod is your thoughts. These two make also make a balancing pair. Before you act, you think about what you should do and compare this with what you feel you want to do.

Then comes Yesod, the Foundation, the sphere of the Moon. This is the shadowy world of the unconscious from whence dreams arise. We visit this world when we sleep and dream. It contains the collected thought-forms of humanity. As you can imagine, this is pretty much of a mess. It's the astral plane where images are transformed into blueprints before taking on form. These three: Netzach, Hod and Yesod form the level of the personality.

Finally, the last emanation on the Tree of Life is Malkuth, the Kingdom. This is our physical world.

As you see, the Qaballists believe that the physical world is generated by the descent of light and life from previous worlds, metaphorically above. Note that the worlds do not extend actually above one another like stories of a building. Although they come sequentially into existence, they all exist in the same space just as your mind, emotions and body exist in the same space. Each may be considered to be on a different wavelength or in a different dimension but simultaneously present in the same place. Another analogy would be a television screen that shows different pictures when the channel is changed to a different broadcast wavelength. It's all here. It's just a matter of which world you are tuned into.

Creation or the involution of consciousness occurs from top to bottom, following the numeration of the sephiroth. Evolution from physical back to spiritual goes in precisely the opposite direction, from bottom to top of the tree. Thus the individual soul goes down the tree into the worlds of form and then evolves back up the tree, like a salmon returning to spawn in its place of birth.

Let's travel back up the tree together. Through many incarnations, the individual human soul gradually awakens from selfish concerns and longs for an end to the pain and suffering. Like the adult salmon, the human longs to go home to Source. But how does it do that? The Tree of Life provides an excellent road map for the journey.

There are two basic paths. One is straight up the middle pillar from Malkuth (body consciousness) through Yesod (subconscious-astral visions) through Tiphareth (pure feeling devoid of images) and through the longest path between any of the sephiroth back into the light of Kether. The central pillar in concerned with consciousness. This "path of the arrow" is the path chosen by the Eastern mysteries. The ascetic yogi seeks to retreat from this physical world and enter the light as fast and directly as possible. Such a swift path generally requires that the chela (Eastern student of spirituality) find a capable master, follow his instructions implicitly, move away from active life into seclusion, eat a vegetarian diet, and do little else beside his sadhana (spiritual path and practices).

As few Westerners are capable of fulfilling all these requirements, it is generally better for Western people to follow the path of the Western mysteries. In the West, it is our dharma (life path) to conquer the physical world and to bring Heaven to earth. The visions of truth, honesty, purity, beauty, altruism and the like that one receives on the path - all these the Westerner wishes to live here on earth. To do so, it is necessary to master the various powers of consciousness represented by the right and left pillars of the Tree of Life. The Western path is to travel back up the Tree of Life through each of the sephiroth in reverse order. No phase can be skipped.

Having chosen the Western path, the aspirant (one who aspires to knowing and being the divine) begins in Malkuth, the physical world and body consciousness. Here we begin with the work of purification. Attention must be given to be sure that the body has the raw materials it needs. These are food (proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, trace elements), water (pure and fresh), air and light. The body needs enough movement to sweat regularly and needs to be cleansed regularly. The powers of bathing, sitting before a fire and sunbathing are not to be underestimated. Slothful habits need to be overcome and replaced with habits that lead you to your chosen goal. Mastery of the physical conditions of life also includes arranging for adequate income through worthy activities of a positive nature.

Next, the aspirant needs to cleanse the subconscious. Yesod contains all the collective thought-forms of humanity. All the urges, fantasy images and strong emotions of all humanity - all the ways humanity has treated one another - all this is in Yesod. When you function consciously in Yesod, your awareness in on the level of astral psychism. Without the higher awareness of Tiphareth, this is a dangerous state. You can easily be swayed by the errors and rampant evil in the mass-mind. Your intuitions are prone to be biased by any unresolved problems in your personal nature. Reviewing personal history, recapitulation, honesty, attention to dreams and fantasies, practising "no distraction", meditation... these are among the activities required for cleansing the level of Yesod, the Foundation.

Then comes Hod, Splendour - the intellect. Right use of mind requires seeking reality, truth by actively looking beyond the superficial appearances. What do you think about? With what do you busy your mind? Will these thoughts lead you to your chosen goal? Discipline your mind to attend to thoughts that empower you.

Across from and balancing Hod is Netzach, Victory. Victory is the sephirah of the desire nature. What do you desire? What do you say out loud with power? The most powerful utterance of most people, that which the say with the most intense emotion is the word, "shit!" If that is what you utter with power, and you are a powerful creator, is it any wonder that you life stinks? Here there is much cleansing and clearing to do, much discipline to exert. Be vigilant to only think, say and do that which affirms your highest aspirations. Cultivate intense desires. They are the "rocket fuel" for the spiritual path. And choose that which you desire with great precision.

These first four form the personality and body. This is about as much as most people are aware of in their lives. Symbolically above this level is the gold of enlightenment, the sun, the Son, the redeemer - Tiphareth, Beauty. When the personality first perceives the Self in Tiphareth, it appears as the Holy Guardian Angel. From the level of personality, it looks like God, but it is your Higher Self - a deeper level of your own selfhood. For the first time, here in Tiphareth the aspirant experiences pure intuitive feeling awareness, free from the images of Yesod. When you become fully aware on this level, the Higher Self incarnates into the personality. Functioning consciously in this level, you are a "lessor adept".

Next in Geburah, Severity, you have the lessons of power to learn. Just being meek won't yield success. Power must be wielded. Limitations and blockages must be removed. Evil must be fought. The outdated must be eliminated. Another name for Geburah is Deen, Justice. Learning to wield power wisely in the service of the light is the lesson of Geburah. Mastery of this sphere bestows upon you the title of "greater adept".

In Chesed, Mercy, you learn to balance the martial destructive forces of Geburah with gentleness. However, the gentleness or mercy of Chesed is not weakness, but rather the nurturing and magnifying of that which is deemed worthy. When you have learned to function consciously on the level of Chesed, you are a "exempt adept", exempt from the necessity of further incarnation.

Beyond this triad of the higher mind is the great abyss. The personal consciousness cannot cross the abyss. Personal concerns have to be relinquished. Only love and desire to serve can prepare you for this definitive journey to the three "supernals".

In Binah, Understanding, you become identified with the mother of all life. Your friends and students are like plants in your garden. You feel their joys and pain, even when far distant from them. All of humanity and all of life are your children. Your great heart is a blessing to all. On this level, you are a "master of the temple".

In Chokmah, Wisdom, you experience the level of being the cosmic father principle. Your radiance enlightens. You communicate with your students inwardly by telepathy. In your endeavours you administer cosmic law. This is the level of the "master of wisdom". Saint Germain functions from this level.

The initiate of Kether, the Crown, experiences the "one without a second". This is the level of unity consciousness. Here you are Ipissimus, "he who is most himself". Not much can be said intelligibly about this state of consciousness. Here one unites with the highest principle of deity.

Such is the journey before us, back home to Source.