The Kabbalah, Part 4

June 8, 2015
[Note: Parts 1, 2, and 3 of this Kabbalah series, along with other spiritual articles, are available at this blog. In Part 3 of this informal Kabbalah series, I began to consider the Sephirot, and underscored the point that while the Four Worlds are universal, pertaining to the cosmos as a whole, the Sephirot are unique to our solar system. This is the case because each Sephirah is a correlate of a planet (and of course in Hermeticism and astrology, the Sun and Moon are deemed “planets.”]

I have no allegiance to any current or historical Kabbalistic Tree of Life – and because I find none of them satisfactory, I have taken it upon myself to “grow” (and advance) my own vision of the Tree. With this in mind, I will now continue to consider the ten (or eleven) Sephirot, employing both astrology and Tarot in my brief consideration.

The highest, or most holy, Sephirah on the Tree of Life is Keter, which is commonly described as “Crown.” Keter is often considered to be “above consciousness.” To my mind, Keter is not above consciousness; rather, it represents Consciousness Itself, the “atomic” human Soul, the Atman.… Read the full article

The Essence of Christian Hermeticism

June 1, 2015
The essence of Christian Hermeticism is the same as the essence of conventional Christianity, except that one actually practices and realizes this essence instead of merely believing it. This essence is summarized in the two primary sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion (or the Eucharist), and the realization of the Trinity.

Initiation into Christian Hermeticism begins when a disciple (one who practices the discipline of Holy Communion) is literally (not figuratively or ceremonially) Baptized by the Holy Spirit Itself. Palpable Divine Power begins to pour into and through his bodymind, and the sacred ordeal of receiving and uniting with this down-poured Light-Energy becomes the focus of his life.
The Christian Hermeticist practices the Eucharist, but does so mystically (or Spirit-ually) rather than merely ceremonially. He actually communes with and channels (or receives) the Holy Spirit. And at times he experiences union with this Light-Energy continuum, which enables him to apperceive (or radically intuit) his Christ Self as consubstantial with the Father, the Divine Being.… Read the full article

Eckhart Tolle and Zen, Part 2

May 18, 2015
[This is an excerpt from my book "Beyond the Power of Now: A Guide to and Beyond Eckhart Tolle's Teachings.]

Q: The mind is a wonderful faculty. Why would I want to stop its activity? Without it, man would be just another animal.

A: The mind, as Tolle points out, is not consciousness itself. Consciousness, the essence of Being, is a universal constant that exists prior to and beyond thought. The mind is a function or application of consciousness that enables you to mentally understand the universe you live in. When you think, you are using the uniquely human faculty of mind, which, via the process of concept formation, is able to create mental “concretes” that accurately measure and reflect the world you perceive through your senses. Thinking enables you to measure (or ratio-nally compare, contrast, and comprehend) the sensible universe—that which has been “measured out” as a manifestion of the Unmanifested—and, via concepts, form intelligent and creative conclusions about the things you perceive. Thinking, in other words, is a nonpareil tool for measuring conditional reality, the manifested.… Read the full article

Eckhart Tolle and Zen, Part 1

May 13, 2015
[This is an excerpt from my book "Beyond the Power of Now: A Guide to, and Beyond, Eckhart Tolle's Teachings.]

Eckhart Tolle describes how listening to a thought breaks your identification with it and is “the beginning of the end of involuntary and compulsive thinking.” If only it were that easy! I spent years in the company of Buddhist practitioners of mindfulness, and not a single one, to my knowledge, managed to permanently put an end to involuntary and compulsive thinking. Short of Buddhahood, or Nirvana, even the most advanced spiritual practitioners struggle with the same involuntary and compulsive thought patterns as everyone else. Read a couple of books about the Buddha’s life. Until the moment he entered Nirvana, he was still beset with vexing thoughts.

Yes, listening to a thought temporarily breaks your identification with it, but thoughts continue to arise, one after another, and the moment-to-moment practice of listening to or watching them becomes quite arduous. Such watching or listening is a willful act, and because efforts are always spasmodic, so are the results.… Read the full article

The “Sound” is not the “Ground”

May 10, 2015

[Some of my readers have asked me my opinion of Surat Shabd Yoga This two-star Amazon review of Kirpal Singh's "Naam or Word" summarizes my opinion. Following the review is a short piece from my Facebook group, Electrical-Hermetic Christianity, that considers Surat Shabd within the context of Kashmir Shaivism.]

Naam or Word" is, in a word, disappointing. I'd read Kirpal Singh's "The Crown of Life" a number of years ago and wasn't impressed by Surat Shabd yoga or Singh's description of other yoga paths; but because a friend of mine raved about "Naam or Word," I bought it. The book reinforced what I already knew: Surat Shabd yoga is not on par with the top mystical teachings that I've studied and teach. For example, Tibetan Dzogchen and Mahamudra, Hindu Advaita Vedanta and Kashmir Shaivism, and Adi Da's Daism are superior Dharmas, and most of the teachings that I've read in these traditions are are better written than "Naam or Word."

Surat Shabd's claim that meditation on the sound current (the "Word") is the highest yoga path is untenable. In fact, in Hindu Kashmir Shaivism's thirty-six "tattva" (constituent principle) hierarchical schema of Reality, Shabd, the Word, is not even close to the top of the tattva emanational hierarchy.… Read the full article

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