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INTRODUCTION
Mantra: A formula, which, by the power of its sound, creates certain conditions in the world
of one’s soul. The Bible of the World
There exists a vast selection of words of power for diverse uses and in many tongues that are far too numerous to include in a single volume. We have concentrated here primarily on sacred sounds drawn from the Hebrew, Egyptian, Hindu/Sanskrit and Tibetan traditions—with some mention of Arabic, Latin and Greek sacred words and phrases of significance.
Highlighted are those words and phrases found personally effective during many hours of meditative practice, in group situations and individually. We also touch on the subject of meditation itself and offer some suggested methods and rituals for those who are unfamiliar with meditation techniques in Chapters 7, 19 and 20.
When it comes to the mantras and invocations themselves, there is some elaboration on historical roots, for it is advisable to have some knowledge and understanding of the origin and meaning of what is to be spoken or sung. The possibility of certain key sounds common to all languages is also touched upon.
We wish to emphasize from the beginning that
xiii
xiv / Words of Power
this work is not intended as a mere manual of magical words and phrases to be used solely for personal gain. If it stands out as an essentially spiritual experience, no apology is tendered, for all humans are basically philosophical or spiritual creatures, whether they care to admit it or not. When it comes to any assessment of what is known as the Divine, it is reasonably pertinent to record that the Supreme Being, or God, as a concept and as a reality, still seems to remain somewhere beyond mere scientific or theological explanation.
In the end result it would appear to matter little if a person subscribes to the tenets of Judaism, Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, Gnosticism, Shamanism, Witchcraft, Druidism, Magick or any of the numerous other creeds, -isms and spiritual and/or self-awareness and mystical practices available to us. What is probably more important is to learn to discern the good (God) in all and to reserve no energy for the negative (or “bad”), no matter its source. But the choice remains strictly individual. Each of us possesses a capacity for free-will expression in a measure greater than some might care to acknowledge. We are eminently capable of sorting wheat from chaff, gold from dirt, and diamond from glinting glass; and exercise of free will may be, in effect, the Creator’s most profound gift to His Creation.
Our own personal conviction is that participation in sacred sound, by its very action, results in stimulation of the individual intuitive insight, and thus greatly enhances the human capacity for making correct choices. In this regard and in many other ways, the invocations and mantras presented below have worked well for us down through the years. It is our sincere wish that those who study this book will benefit as much from their use as we have.
1. WORDS OF POWER
And his sound shall he heard when he goeth in unto the holy place before the Lord, and when he cometh out.
Exodus 28:35
In our everyday modern world, sound travels through the air in longitudinal “waves” produced by the vibration of any given object—a beaten drum, a plucked string, an object dropped on the floor, the movement of human vocal chords, in speech or in song. The human ear is capable of picking up a wide range of these sounds, judging them by their “frequency” (pitch), “intensity” (loudness), and “quality” (how they impress the ear of the listener). There also exists a whole spectrum of high frequency sound, which, under normal conditions, remains inaudible to humans but can be heard by certain animals and birds. Even plants are known to respond to sound, showing preference for harmonious music, which aids their growth, and being known to wilt when subjected to loud and discordant music.
Unfortunately, many of the sounds we hear around us are harsh and discordant. On a daily basis, we are not only faced with the threat of physical pollution of our air and water but also constantly bombarded with audio pollution in the form of a multitude of syn-
2 / Words of Power
X
thetic noises, mostly by-products of so-called technical progress. Add the sounds made by people talking, shouting, laughing, children playing—all natural enough, but, at times, and in a crowded modern city, as disturbing perhaps as non-human sounds. And because sound waves can travel through virtually any medium, we really have little control over what we hear. The result: constant exposure to discordant noises makes for potentially serious physiological and psychological damage.
But if this be the case, so too can the reverse be
true.
By exposing ourselves to more amenable noises— melodious music, the sounds of nature, a running stream, the sea, birds singing, and the like, we can repair at least some of the damage done by unwanted noise. Perhaps, and even more significantly, we may then elect to move a step forwards (or, more correctly, upwards) by tuning in to the hidden “sound of the soul.” This can be achieved by listening to or learning to intone certain invocations and chants, magical words and mantras, handed down from ages past and developed to stimulate very specific effects—calming, healing, elevating, and personally transformational. There are even word and tone patterns designed to initiate communication with dimensions of activity more elevated than our own. The all-embracing aspect of controlled use of sacred sound is summed up most succinctly in Jeanne Miller’s The Vedas: Harmony, Meditation, and Fulfillment:
. . . the very sound of words inspired from deep within the heart in moments of worship quickened both men and in the celestial entities invoked a response to loftier thought and influences which in
turn brought the worshipper in harmony with the
Cosmic Order, the fountain-spring of truth. ^
The King of Benares^ Elephant
Many of the most familiar of verbal invocations of power emanate from the Indian sub-continent, and an old story about the King of Benares’ elephant illustrates the value placed by the inhabitants of India on the chanted or spoken word as a generator of positive or negative vibrations.
It is told that a gang of thieves once sought refuge in the King’s elephant-house, where they immediately began to plot their next crime. Their plan was to break into the royal treasury and steal the King’s jewels and other precious objects. When asked what should be done if someone got in their way, the leader pointed to his dagger meaningfully and proceeded to give his men explicit verbal instructions.
All the while, the King’s favorite elephant was listening raptly to the criminals’ talk of robbery and killing. Having learned to trust all humans as his mentors and guardians, he was of the impression that the robbers had come to teach him new tricks.
Next day, to the consternation of all who knew him, he proceeded to attack everyone who came close, including his poor faithful personal keeper, whom the elephant lifted high in his trunk and threw to the floor.
The King was distraught at the behavior of his favorite pet and ordered one of his wisest subjects to investigate the matter. The old sage, scratching around in the straw scattered on the floor of the elephant-house, found evidence of the robbers’ overnight sojourn there. In meditation, he learned psychically of the oc-
currence of the night before and of the fact that the elephant had become negatively programmed by the robbers’ talk of violence.
When the King asked what should be done, the wise old rishi suggested that he gather a group of the holiest men of the land and that they sit together talking about spiritual matters and singing sacred mantras or chants of power in the elephant stall.
This was duly accomplished, and the elephant was seen to listen carefully to the holy talk and chanting of the rishis. And, after a few days, the King was delighted to observe that his beloved pet had reverted back to the normal kind and gentle animal he knew from before.
The Power of Speech
In ordinary speech we generally employ sound to express meaning in communication. The intonation, however, of certain selected words in the form of mantras, chants and invocations serves to release latent forces from within and from without to be directed for very specific purposes, such as healing, personal uplift-ment and the creation of metaphysical conditions that may lead towards a better understanding of the universe and our place in it.
Since time began, priests, healers, shamans, mystics, medicine men and magicians of all persuasions have been aware of the power of specified verbal formulae, spoken or sung out loud, or intoned silently within. Some have gone so far as to assert that the words, and even the name, used by any individual determines to a great extent that person’s fate. The renowned mystic and founder of the Theosophical Society, H. P. Blavatsky, writing on the potency of speech and sound in her monumental metaphysical treatise The Secret
Doctrine, points out that names and words can be both beneficent or maleficent, that they are “in a certain sense, either venomous or health-giving, according to the hidden influences attached by Supreme Wisdom to their elements.”^
The use of sound for specified purposes is universal and historical, and scriptural sources refer repeatedly to the use of words of power. The Old Testament simply abounds in expressions of directed sacred invocation, while the New Testament informs us that Jesus and his disciples used selected words of power for the purposes of healing, casting out of demons, and raising from the dead.
Around the World
A large part of ancient Egyptian literature is founded in the use of magical words and phrases, one well-known instance being the Papyrus of Ani. This scroll tells in particular of the employment of words of power by the goddess Isis, who was acknowledged as the mistress of words of enchantment, to negate the effects of poison administered to the great god Ra.
For many of the inhabitants of India and other countries of the East, the intonation of recited or sung mantras is an essential part of daily living. In the Anugita, a portion of the Mahabharata, one of the two great “epics” of Hindu scripture, Brahmana, the creator deity, informs his wife Sarasvati, goddess of wisdom, learning and eloquence, that apana, or “inspirational breath” (speech), transforms intelligence and opens the mind. Another ancient Indian work, the Atharva Veda (circa 900 b.c.e.), is filled with spells, incantations and magical formulae to cure diseases and to bring success in warfare. According to the eminent
Indian spiritual teacher Paramahansa Yogananda, there was even once a famous Hindu musician, Tan Sen, who was reputed to have been able to successfully quench fire by the power of his song.
In Central America, the Maya were known to favor, among other invocations and spells, the magical phrase hax pax max to counter the bite of a rabid dog. Similar sounding formulas and spells were heard in Europe during the Middle Ages and afterwards—for instance, the familiar abracadabra, which was used to rid a person of illness or bad luck, and another popular formula for banishing sickness: hola nola massa.
The mngomas of Africa and shamans and Medicine folk of every other continent all hold certain ancient words and expressions as specially potent. Shamanistic songs and chants form a powerful bonding between the natural and supernatural and serve to heal both the singer and the listener. Famous Arctic explorer Knud Rasmussen has, as one instance only, recorded the feats of a Netsilik Eskimo woman called Uvavnuk who “by the power of her song” was able to disperse negativity so that “all who were present were loosed from their burden of sin and wrong.”^
North American Indians have long extolled the power of song, particularly in healing ceremonials and for the purpose of rendering themselves apparently invisible to other people. They also have always regarded a name as a distinct part of the personality, and any injury resulting from malicious handling of an individual’s name is as serious as a wound inflicted on the physical body.
Island-based people around the world are no exception when it comes to employment of magical verbal expressions. In particular, the famed kahuna magician-priests of the Hawaiian Islands have a long tradi-
tion of a powerful system of magic that enables them to communicate telepathically among themselves (and with discarnate spirits), astral project, forecast the future, control the weather, heal the sick, and even raise the dead. Vocalization of the so-called Ha prayer enables the Hawaiian medicine man to contact intangible worlds for assistance and inspiration and, in extreme circumstances, invoke the dreaded “death prayer” to rid his particular island of an enemy or other undesirable person.
The Japanese kiai, the “shout of power” exhaled by a martial arts exponent when making a move or strike, might also be equated with the notion of a word of power. The nearest English translation of the expression could be something like “spirit meeting.” Kiai is employed as a focusing technique in karate and other martial arts disciplines, and the sound originates in the diaphragm before being forced up the throat by the muscles of the lower abdomen, the area of the body thought by Eastern k’ung fu and karate masters to be the source of all power. This violent exhalation of air in the form of a shout just before or during an attacking movement is designed to bring strength to the body and to inure it against the effects of an opponent’s blow. Kiai reflects an attempt to balance spiritual resolve with physical action, and is thus directly related to words of power as discussed in this book. It is said that a master of the martial arts can even stun a small animal or bird with one yell and then revive the creature again with another shout.
Angelic Contact
Claims have even been made of contact with angelic beings through use of words of power in the Ian-
guage known as Enochian, the so-called “Language of the Angels,” and other “celestial” tongues. Sixteenth-century English astrologer, mathematician and occultist John Dee, with the aid of a psychic named Edward Kelly, used the art of scrying, or crystal-ball gazing, in order to obtain dictation in Enochian direct from dis-carnate entities who identified themselves as angels. Dee produced an Enochian dictionary, which is still in print, and, some 300 years later, the published rituals of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn (a magical society founded by Kabbalah scholar S. L. MacGregor Mathers and others with the object of maintaining and preserving certain ancient and secret teachings) contained many references to the use of Enochian in magical ceremonies—as invocations for the calling up of angels and the “Chiefs of the Elementals” or nature spirits.
Notwithstanding the claims of Dee and the Order of the Golden Dawn to a specialist language of the Angels, there are a host of known idiomatic expressions in Hebrew, Sanskrit, Tibetan, Arabic and other languages that are purportedly designed for stimulation of contact with “higher” intelligence. Many of these expressions are included in this volume.
2. THE HEBREW CONNECTION
And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds.
Acts 7:22
Jews and Christians alike will be very familiar with the 3600-year-old story of Moses or, in Hebrew, Moishe, which was, in fact, originally an Egyptian word simply meaning “child”—how he was rescued from a basket on the River Nile and raised by an Egyptian princess; how he led the previously enslaved Hebrews out of bondage from Egypt, took them safely across the Red Sea over dry land, guided and cajoled them for 40 years while they were crisscrossing the wastelands of the Sinai Desert, finally bringing them to within sight of the marvelous land promised them by their singular God, a country Moses himself was, ironically, never to set foot into.
Before the Hebrews left Egypt, Moses, in the company of his brother Aaron, who was destined to become High Priest to the Hebrew Nation, managed to persuade a hard-hearted Pharaoh to let his people go by performing a series of magical feats that included the visitation of plagues and other grave disasters on the Egyptians. Moses was, according to scripture, aided throughout this campaign by his singular and mighty
10 ! Words of Power
Lord Yahweh, the Hebrews’ uniquely monotheistic God. All along the way to the Promised Land, he continued to work his outstanding miracles in superb Old Testament style, in a manner that has, in Judeo/Chris-tian literature, only been equalled by the New Testament Jesus Christ.
Moses and the Magicians
Saint Stephen tells us that “Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds” (Acts 7:22). Most importantly, perhaps, is that the future Hebrew leader was raised as an Egyptian prince, and it is almost certain that his court tuition would have included some lessons in hekau or words of power (perhaps even from a learned sage of the caliber of old Teta of the goose-head story we tell in Chapter 8).
There is also some evidence that Moses would have later been initiated into the Hebrew religio-mysti-cal tradition now known as Kabbalah —an expression which means literally “to receive” and derives from a root word meaning “from mouth to ear,” indicating the hidden or secret nature of the discipline.
The miracles of Moses ranged from turning his staff into a snake to parting the waters of the Red Sea so that the Hebrews might pass on dry land.
There are numerous ancient references informing us of the ability of Egyptian magicians to also perform such feats as converting sticks into snakes, and back again, or of parting the waters of a lake or river. Indeed, the Bible tells us that the Pharaoh’s sorcerers were easily able to duplicate some, although not all, of the miracles performed by Moses. However, as an indication of the apparently superior power at Moses’ command, the
The Hebrew Connection /II
snake created from his staff easily devoured those called into life by his Egyptian rivals. Why Moses was apparently more successful as a conjurer than his Egyptian counterparts is perhaps best explained by the celebrated Egyptologist E. A. Wallis Budge in his book Egyptian Magic:
. . . one great distinction must be made between the magic of Moses and that of the Egyptians; the former was wrought by the command of the God of the Hebrews, but the latter by the gods of Egypt at the command of man.^
What Budge is trying to point out is that in the Hebrew tradition there is a distinct difference between magic and miracle. Jewish lore states that magic is a mere metaphysical operation that involves a mastery of the so-called World of Formation and can be attained by anyone who is prepared to work hard upon the higher centers of the psyche. Miracles, on the other hand, as performed, for instance, by Moses and Jesus, occur through the operation of spiritual energies emanating from the upper World of Creation via the agency of someone whose psyche has developed more naturally through more emphasis on spiritual refinement and sensitization.
Kabalists consider these spiritual energies as “gifts” from subtler worlds that are not to be used for any occult or magical manipulation on the earth plane. In the Jewish Talmud (the word means literally “to study”), a body of commentary on the Torah, which is based on the first five books of the Bible, or the Pentateuch, it is stated clearly: “He who practices magic will not enter Heaven”—meaning that anyone who concentrates solely on operating in the World of Formation (that is, our physical world and what is known as the
12 ! Words of Power
astral level) for his/her own gain may become trapped there and find it difficult to progress into the World of the Spirit. Persons who, however, perform miracles are acting only as conduits for higher forces, without any thought of self-gain. This rather rigid interpretation of the operation and control of super-physical forces is, of course, open to debate.
Power of the Word
Legend tells us that Moses carried a staff bearing an inscription of the four-lettered Holy Name of God or Tetragrammaton. Stories abound about this and other words of power he may have used in order to effect his miracles in Egypt and in the desert.
One commentator even claims a Sanskrit-based mantra as the phrase used by Moses to part the Red Sea. The syllables said to have been employed on this historic occasion consisted of a mystical sound formula normally used for protection at a critical time, which has no exact grammatical translation: Ut-Re-Me-Fa-Sol-La-Ne, with “ut” as in put, and the remainder of the invocation sounding much like part of the familiar musical scale.^
A revised version of the well-known story of Moses and the Egyptian overseer caught beating a Hebrew worker reveals a clear example of the “power of the Word.” It seems as if the Egyptian attacked by Moses may not have been struck down physically, as we are led to believe when reading the standard English translation of Exodus 2:12: “And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand.” According to Rabbi Dr. Philip S. Berg, former head of the Kabbalah Institute, Jerusalem and a notable writer on
The Hebrew Connection I 13
Did Moses part the Red Sea using words of power'?
14 ! Words of Power
Hebrew mysticism, an alternative translation of the Exodus text which directly follows the above quotation confirms that Moses probably killed the Egyptian through the energy transmitted by utterance of a special word or phrase—perhaps even the “Ineffable Name” of the Almighty itself.^
If this indeed was the scenario, it is certain that Moses would only have invoked the Holy Name once he had first called upon God to make the actual decision about how to take care of the Egyptian—for in terms of Hebrew law it is forbidden to use the Name of God to usurp the Will of God.
After the encounter by Moses with the Egyptian overseer, we read in Exodus 2:14 of his confrontation with two Hebrews he found fighting each other, one of whom immediately taunted him by asking (according to the standard translation): “Intendest thou to kill me, as thou killed the Egyptian?”
In the original Hebrew, the phrase “Intendest thou to kill me” reads halhorgeini ata omer. In its most literal sense, this would be translated something like: “Are you about to kill me, you sayT (our emphasis). According to the Hebrew mystical work known as the Zohar, specific use here of the word omer (“you say”) points to the probability that Moses did in fact kill the Egyptian using a word of power, and the whole incident helps to confirm the viewpoint that Moses operated all the while on an elevated metaphysical plane.^
Being thoroughly conversant with all of the Names of the Almighty, Moses, it would seem, was eminently capable of slaying someone (or raising a person from the dead) through use of the Aleph-Beis {orAleph-Bet), the sacred Hebrew alphabet.
The Hebrew Connection I 15
Kabbalah and the Tree of Life
Throughout Torah and the inspired kabalistic Sepher Yetzirah (“Book of Formation”) and Sepher ha Zohar (“Book of Splendor”), there is repeated reference to the awesome power of the Word. Torah means literally “Teaching” or “Law” (also implying guidance and/ or direction), and although it mainly embodies the so-called Law of Moses contained in the Pentateuch, the essence of Judaism implies that Torah is revealed continuously both in nature and in history as a dynamic unfoldment. The Written Word is always to be supplemented by the Oral Tradition, which is handed down by succeeding generations, and added to from time to time through individual insight and perception. There is thus always an ongoing development and reinterpretation of the Judaic heritage.
The Sepher Yetzirah and Sepher ha Zohar are claimed to have been revealed by the actual spirit of Moses to the Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, a pupil of the celebrated Rabbi Akiva and a great Jewish mystic of the 2nd century, in a cave at Sfad in northern Palestine. Moses thus continues to appear as the most important figure in the establishment of the Hebrews as a separate race in their own country and as progenitor of the laws and mystical wisdom of his people. The basic mystical system of the Hebrew tradition known as Kabbalah is largely contained in the two mentioned works, which are filled with discussion of the nature of metaphysical or pure energy and its superiority over mere physical power in our world.
Central to kabalistic teachings are the concepts of: A Transcendent God, the Ayin Sof (“Without End”); Ten Sephiroth or Divine Attributes of the Ets Cha-yim, the Tree of Life, with an eleventh anti-Sefirah or non-
16 ! Words of Power
The Tree of Life of the Kabbalah; original Hebrew script.
The Hebrew Connection I 17
KETHER
Crown
BINAH ^ Understanding
CHOCKMAH
Wisdom
CHESED
Mercy
NEZACH
Eternity
HOD
Splendor
YESOD
Foundatioi
MALKHUT
Kingdom
GEBURAH
Judgement
DA
ATH
Knowledge
The Tree of Life of the Kabbalah; English translation.
18 ! Words of Power
Sefirah known as Da-ath —Knowledge that emerges out of nowhere and comes direct from God; Four Worlds of: Emanation (Azilut), Creation (Beriah), Formation (Yezirah), and Action (Asiyyah —our physical world); and most important of all in the present context: A Living Language of Light, the Aleph-Beis, represented by the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
Although we may experience a semblance of changeability in the lower worlds of Formation and Action, all is, in fact, always in Divine Order, and the Sephiroth of the Tree of Life provide us with a blueprint for every physical and metaphysical event. Moreover, in the two lower worlds in particular. Divine Will is firmly based on Mercy {Chesed, one of Ten Sephiroth), balanced with Justice (Geburah )—which might be equated with the Eastern Karmic Law principle, which leads inexorably towards eventual balance in all things. In the kabalistic context, above all else there rests the principle of Divine Grace through which the existing laws of reward and punishment are immediately adjusted for any person who sincerely recognizes any misdemeanors, and repents.
Christian Kabbalah
Amongst Jews of the scattered diaspora, the kabalistic tradition of Moses and Shimon Bar Yochai enjoyed a revival in 11th- and 12th-century Spain, following hundreds of years of limited and mostly hidden use. The well-known Moses de Leon and other Jewish kabalists of Spain believed that by singing mystical chants in Hebrew they were transported bodily to Jerusalem. Another resurgence of Kabbalah practice came about in the 16th century, this time in Palestine itself, where Isaac Luria, the “Holy Lion” of Sfad, was a
The Hebrew Connection 119
notable teacher of the system.
The Middle Ages saw an interest in Kabbalah develop among Christian occultists who considered the system to be tantamount to the Yoga of the West, some prominent students being Cornelius Agrippa, Philip-pus Paracelsus and the German Jesuit priest cum scientist of the 1600s, Athanasius Kircher. Another possible Kabbalah-oriented candidate of the so-called “hermetic century” was the famed Michel de Notredame or Nostradamus. The mysticism of the Hebrews has, in effect, supplied the foundations of modern Western occultism. Some other personalities of note down the centuries who have been influenced by kabalistic lore include the so-called “man who never dies,” the Comte de Saint Germain, Dr. John Dee (communicator with the “angels”) and his colleague Edward Kelley, the mysterious Count Cagliostro, the famous lover Casanova, and the “unknown philosopher” Louis Claude de Saint-Martin.
It is highly likely that much earlier in the 1st century the enigmatic Greek Apollonius of Tyana, an almost Christ-like personality but theoretically a pagan, studied and practiced Kabbalah, as would have Simon Magus (or Simon the Magician), who is referred to in Acts of the Apostles.
Down the ages, the influence of kabalistic principles has been profound, and traces can be found in almost every occult practice extant. When occultism became fashionable in Britain during the 19th century, names like Mathers, Yeats, Waite, Crowley and Dion Fortune became closely associated with its use. MacGregor Mathers, author of The Kabbalah Unveiled, a new translation of the Zohar, was, with several other Christian kabalists, a founder of the famous Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, which had lodges
in England, Scotland and France. W. B. Yeats was, of course, also a famous poet, while A. E. Waite produced the most used of all modern Tarot decks, the Rider-Waite edition, which is filled with kabalistic symbology. The rather unpopular but powerful occult adept Aleister Crowley, who was born in the year (1875) that H. P. Blavatsky founded the Theosophical Society, produced his own Tarot set based primarily on Egyptian lore. He did, however, use Hebrew kabalistic procedure in many of his rituals. Dion Fortune (real name: Violet Firth) published some of the still most widely read books on occult or psychic self-defense as well as about Kabbalah.
A Crowley disciple, Frances Israel Regardie did much to enshrine the Golden Dawn kabalistic connections for use by the general public when he published a four-volume work detailing the order’s secret rituals. Occultists of the Golden Dawn used the kabalistic Tree of Life as a matrix or grid for comparing archetypal images of other mythologies and religions for use in magical ritual and ceremony. For example, Chokmah, the Father or Wisdom principle of the Tree, was aligned with Odin (Scandinavian), Zeus (Greek), Jupiter (Roman) and Ra (Egyptian). The Golden Dawn system could be applied to any type of magical ritual. For the record, Eliphas Levi, the French occultist and author, was the first to align the ten Sephiroth with the 22 cards of the Major Arcana of the Tarot.
The Middle Pillar
Central to much modern-day kabalistic practice is stimulation of the so-called “Middle Pillar,” or Pillar of Equilibrium, in ritual and in meditation. This refers to the five Sephiroth or Divine Attributes depicted on the
The Hebrew Connection 121
central column of the Tree of Life mentioned above. The “tree,” as already noted, embodies a total of ten Sephiroth in its lowest presentation (in the Jewish system there are countless further “trees” extending forever “upwards” into the higher heavens).
The Middle Pillar or Center Column is known by occultists as the magical equivalent of the “Middle Way” and represents the pathway through which the Holy Spirit or Shekinah energy descends to illuminate our human consciousness in a balanced manner. This action should never be confused with the Kundalini power that arises from the base of the spine to stimulate the seven chakras or energy vortices of the physical body, which is described in Chapter 11.
The five powers or attributes incorporated into the Middle Pillar are: Kether (Crown), Da-ath (Knowledge), Tifferet (Beauty), Yesod (Foundation) and Malkuth (Kingdom).
There are a number of Middle Pillar Meditations in use. Sounding of certain Hebrew words and/or phrases can be essential in creating the required conditions for proper activation of the Middle Pillar energies. A suggested ritual is given in Chapter 7, following a full discussion of various Hebrew expressions of power and of the so-called “Language of Light” itself in Chapters 3 through 6.
The Middle Pillar phenomenon pointedly illustrates the underlying principle behind all kabalistic work. Basically, the task of the kabalist is to aid in the unification of the higher worlds with the lower world by striving to draw the Divine Light down through the World of Formation into the World of Action (our physical world) via his or her own body.
Perhaps most importantly, this work of unifying our lower world with higher dimensions means that
mystics of all and any persuasions are able to meet on common ground in a spiritual world to acknowledge that the same reality exists behind apparently differing theories and practices. All are able to converse together in unity in the Higher Heavens, no matter their individual religion or system of mystical operation.
We are convinced that this act of unification can be appreciably enhanced through use of pre-selected sacred sounds in the form of mantras, chants and invocations in several ancient languages, including the language of the original kabalists, Hebrew.
3. A LANGUAGE OF LIGHT
The alef-bet is a cable representing the missing link between the sending of a message from the
physical to the metaphysical level.
—Dr. Philip S. Berg (The Kabbalah Connection)
The concepts presented above relating to the power of the word will not be too unfamiliar for anyone who has made a serious study of the Hebrew alphabet, its letters, and the words and phrases that can be constructed from them —and of the effects which may be generated by their use. Just as the ancient peoples of Asia used their mantras and the Egyptians their own hekau, or words of power, for a variety of predetermined purposes, so too did the Hebrews of old (as have their descendants to this day) use words of power—for protection, for healing, and for the initiation of personal transformation, and ultimate transcendence.
Jewish lore tells us that Bezalel, the son of Uri (meaning “light”), who is mentioned in Exodus 31 as the builder of the Tabernacle in the Wilderness, knew how to combine the letters with which Heaven and Earth were created. If these letters (or sounds) were to be removed for an instant, our universe would return to the state of an absolute vacuum. When the Hebrew sages taught that God created the universe with ten utterances, their objective was to lead us to the knowl-
24 / Words of Power
Genesis of the Hebrew Alphabet: The 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet in the early Temple Script and in their modern form.
edge that the very existence of each creature and object—angelic, human, animate and inanimate—is dependent upon the spiritual content of divine speech.
Sacred Speech
To the Jewish kabalist, speech is the medium of God’s revelation, which makes language itself sacred and an object of mystical contemplation. The 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet are considered profound realities, component parts of a “Living Language of Universal Light” as well as primal spiritual forces that are, in effect, the building blocks of Creation. In no way should they be taken merely as a haphazard collection of con-
I
sonants. Each Hebrew letter serves as a specified channel connecting Heaven with Earth in some form or another. Through contemplation of correct combinations of letters, the devout may eventually ascend into abstract levels and gain ecstatic mystical experience and prophetic vision.
Because of the Jewish belief that the Hebrew alphabet, the Aleph-Beis or Aleph-Bet, predated Creation, and is, so to speak, the protoplasm of the universe, the letters themselves, and the order and manner in which they are utilized, are of crucial significance.
Even their separate parts contain meaning, some be-ing combinations of two or more of the other letters. ^ The study of Aleph-Bet letter combinations is known as Tseruf, and can be compared in some respects with ^ the esoteric study of music. One kabalistic analysis of t our physical resonance system sees the sound of the sacred words traveling from ear to heart, on to the spleen, center of emotion, and then upwards and out through the crown of the head. The various parts of the body
serve as strings on an instrument; the effect created by holy sounds varies according to their preparation and fine tuning.
As is the case with other ancient languages (notably Sanskrit, Tibetan, Egyptian and Chinese), Hebrew sacred chants formulated down the ages carry the power to arouse spiritual forces that range far beyond the imagination of the ordinary person in the street. Indeed, Hebrew is considered by kabalists and others to .be a truly transcendental “flame-language.” As in the Hindu experience, purification of the divine power within is attained through correct and persistent usage of sacred sound, resulting in the accomplishment of amazing feats of a physical and paraphysical nature.
Mystical use of the Hebrew letters: A figure from She fa Tal by the 17th-century German kabalist Shabettai Horowitz depicts the channels of divine emanation in the form of hands. Each wrist bears two letters of the Hebrew name of God, and from these issue 28 “sources of emanation” in the form of combinations of letters.
A Language of Light I 27
The Power of Language
An outstanding example of the overall power of language is provided by the revival of Hebrew as a daily form of speech in 1948, when Israel was declared an independent state. For thousands of years, succeeding generations had kept Hebrew alive primarily as a religious language for use in the synagogue, in ritual prayers in the homes of Jews, and in the written form. Although some attempts were made to return to Hebrew speaking during the early part of the 20th century, in normal day-to-day communication in pre-Israel Palestine the Jews resident there used mostly Yiddish (a language developed from East European and Russian roots and closely approximating some German dialects), with Arabic as a second lingua franca, plus whatever tongue happened to be spoken in the country in which they previously resided. During earlier times, when the Jews returned from Babylonian captivity (around 538 B.C.E.), the general language in use throughout the Middle East was Aramaic, closely related to Hebrew and still in use at the time of Jesus and afterwards.
Official adoption in 1948 of the vibrant ancient Hebrew language as the spoken tongue of the newly independent Israel served as an immediate unifying force for Jews of many national ties, who spoke diverse tongues and who had taken part in the great return or aliyah (“going up”) to their ancestral homeland from the death camps and ghettos of Nazi Europe and from many other locations scattered elsewhere around the world.
Hebrew, now used as a daily language of communication, served to promote a highly charged and dy-
28 / Words of Power
namic national energy, which was witnessed in the way the new Israelis fashioned a veritable Garden of Eden out of the arid desert sands of Palestine within a very short period of time.
Hebrew—a Computer Codef
As is the case with Sanskrit mantras, careful articulation of Hebrew prayers and chants is considered of prime importance (although there are, naturally, variances in enunciation from region to region and country to country). There even have been some claims that the sounds contained in the Hebrew language might represent some kind of basic computer code used in establishing our present round of human existence, ^ beginning some 6,000 years ago.
^ Just such a theory was seriously postulated in De-^ cember 1983 by Dr. Philip S. Berg, then esteemed Di-^ rector of the Institute for Kabbalah, Jerusalem, in a pa-^ per entitled “Extra-Terrestrial Life in Outer Space: ^ Forces Behind the Future” during the Forecast 1984:
^ Multidisciplinary Congress on Prophecy at the Jerusalem Hilton, Israel. Dr. Berg cited Hebrew as a probable computer code for programming our “walking biocomputers,” or bodies, and argued that the kabalistic Zohar provides a perfect system for contacting extraterrestrial intelligence. Our own extrapolation is that those who learned the system could learn to control the universe, the aim being to program (or reprogram) our physical bodies into “Superluminal Light Bodies” capable of traversing higher universes. Referring to Hindu terms, this would mean that it would no longer be necessary, nor advisable, to reincarnate repeatedly in order to strive for spiritual perfection.
Support for this concept is provided by Dr. James J. Hurtak of California (another speaker at the Forecast 1984 meeting), who has written extensively about a “special archangelic alphabet of Metatron known historically in Kabbalah as ketav einayim, ‘eye writings.’” Use of this “greater language,” of which Hebrew is claimed to be a form, may, it seems, take us considerably beyond the Hindu experience of Nirvana, or Eternal Bliss, by removing us completely from our “Earthly Cross of Space and Time” so that we may co-exist (and co-create) with higher forms of life in the biblically termed “Many Mansions of the Father’s Kingdom,” or Realms of Light of the B'nai Or, the Universal Brotherhood of Light. The name Metatron represents a visible manifestation of the Supreme Deity. The ketav einayim are composed of small circles and lines shaped like flames, a “greater language of creation through which the elements of life are projected.”^
Hurtak also cites a biophysically oriented connection that links the four letters of the Tetragrammaton, or Holy Name of God, namely yod, hey, vau, hey, with the DNA-RNA matrix, which principle governs the life of all organisms and their hereditary genetic characteristics. The claim is that, correctly intoned, the Tetragrammaton and other sacred names serve to biophysically program or reprogram the human body. Hurtak, however, includes in his commentary several other languages in addition to Hebrew that can aid in this transformational process—namely Tibetan, Sanskrit, Egyptian and Chinese.^
Startling scientifically correlated support for the concept of Genesis (and possibly other books of the Old Testament) as some kind of code book written by some ultra-terrestrial intelligence has been offered by the California-based Mem Foundation and its team of
iroM. ^
30 ! Words of Power
scholars and scientists led by Stan Tenen. Using satellite computer linkups with researchers in a number of countries, results achieved so far by the Meru group point towards the Hebrew letters in the first of the Five Books of Moses as being positioned in a prearranged pattern, which has nothing to do with the story itself. This Aleph-Bet configuration apparently provides sophisticated data relating to topics such as quantum physics, cosmology, astronomy, time, gravity, and the DNA system, among others.^
Unusual research by Dr. Moishe Katz and colleagues at the Institute of Technology in Haifa, Israel, adds further weight to the argument that the Torah contains meaning that runs beyond its narrative detail. Having typed the entire Five Books of Moses into a computer. Dr. Katz abolished all spacing and created a stream of Hebrew letters. His next discovery has been calculated as a 38-million-to-one probability. Taking the number 49 (7 x 7), which represents the kabalistic number of the maximum spiritual level, and commencing with the first word in Genesis B'reshiyth, “In the beginning,” Dr. Katz commanded his computer to skip every 49 letters, and mark the 50th.
The first four letters so marked clearly spelled out the word Torahl
In another experiment, the Israeli researcher used the Genesis 28 story of Jacob and the ladder, plus the number 26—the kabalistic value for the Tetragram-maton itself. His letter-skipping system immediately produced two easily recognizable words: Mikdush (“Temple”) and, again, Torah. As the Temple and the Law or Scriptures represent the basic twin pillars of Judaism, this was more than astounding. In ongoing research, numerous other intriguing anomalies relating to hidden messages in the Bible have been
A Language of Light I 31
Ed] SQ
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a®
0 HI ElEIl SQ
HI B
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The High Priest chanting Qadosh, Qadosh, Qadosh, Adonai Tzeba’oth — “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God of Hosts”
reported by Dr. Katz and his coworkers.
Perhaps Dr. Philip Berg is not too far off the mark when he claims that the Bible, linked with the Zohar, contains “the entire system for contacting extra-terrestrial intelligences.”
Hebrew Pronunciation
As is the case with Sanskrit and Egyptian, vocalization of the Hebrew language can be a difficult task for Westerners, particularly when it comes to the more guttural sounds. A simplified guide to pronunciation of a few key letters that differ greatly in sound from their English counterparts is given below for readers totally unfamiliar with the language. Anyone seeking true perfection in enunciation is advised to seek out a good Hebrew teacher, or utilize one of the many books and/ or audio-tape presentations available on the subject.
Key sounds are:
ch = as in Scottish loch (the Hebrew letter chet)
dz = as in adze (zayin) kh = as in Khmer (kaph) tz = as ts in cats itzaddi) q = guttural q as in Qoran iquf)
Meanings of the 22 Hebrew Letters
Every letter in the Hebrew alphabet carries many special meanings, and a full chapter might be devoted to each. However, for present purposes, brief interpretations of the 22 basic components of the Aleph-Bet are
listed below, with special emphasis placed on the more important letters. The meanings given are a synthesis taken from several sources, including the wonderful exposition on the Aleph-Bet by Rabbi Michael L. Munk of New York in his The Wisdom in the Hebrew Alphabet (Mesorah Publications Ltd., Brooklyn, NY, 1983), a book which is heartily recommended to all who wish to study in depth the myriad spiritual nuances that highlight the Hebrew Language of Light and provide a code book of spiritual and temporal conduct for all.
1: N Aleph Numerical Value: 1
Traditionally “first”; “sacrificial ox”; and “one thousand.” As the first of all the Holy Letters, and symbol of God's Oneness and Omnipotence, aleph is a three-in-one presentation. Its upper right segment consists of ayod, the first letter in the Name of the Divine. A second yocZ in the aleph’s lower left segment signifies the Creator resident within His creation. The central diagonal connecting pillar is the vau, symbol of transformation. Aleph thus represents the process of spiritual transformation from human to super-human and is linked with the belief in absolute monotheism—that there is but one true living God.
2: D Bet Numerical Value: 2
Translating literally as “house,” bet is the first letter of the first word in the Hebrew bible {B’reshiyth —“In the beginning”). Also the first letter in the first word of any Jewish Blessing: Baruch (“blessed”), as in Baruch ha Shem (“Blessed is the Name [of God]”). Bet symbolizes the Duality and Plu-
rality of Creation, the two worlds of the Jewish faith— “This World” and the “World to Come”—and emphasizes the fact that our pre-eminent task in This World is to prepare for the World to Come.
3: ^ Gimmel Numerical Value: 3
Traditional meanings: “prize”; “reward”; “fund.” Esoterically, this is a symbol for Kindness and of Completion, standing for the Creator’s overwhelming and eternal beneficence or Chesed (“Mercy”).
4: T Dalet Numerical Value: 4
Literally, “door”; also meaning “weakness.” It represents dimensions in space and time: the four physical directions—north, south, east and west—and the metaphysical “Four Worlds”— Emanation, Creation, Formation, and Action.
5: n Hey Numerical Value: 5
“The Spirit of the Lord.” It symbolizes Divinity and Gentility. This letter appears twice in the full Name of God and, together with yod, forms the Divine Name YAH. According to tradition, the World to Come was created through utterance of the letter yod. This World was created through the sound of hey, which is pronounced as a mere exhalation of breath, requiring little movement from tongue or lip.
6: ) Vau Numerical Value: 6
A Language of Light / 35
Traditionally this symbolizes “Humanity” and the “Restoration of Judgment.” As the third letter in the Ha Shem, the Holy Name, vau represents Completion, Redemption and Transformation. It is the letter of continuity, uniting Heaven with Earth. When used with certain vowels (as in the probable pronunciation of the Name of God), vau can be an almost silent letter, more approximating a vowel than a consonant. A soft, vowellike vau denies validity of the harsh-sounding Jehovah as an English translation for the Hebrew Name of God (about which more later). As the letter yocZ is also a so-called half-vowel, lyahweh, with the w and both /I’s uttered softly, may be closer to being correct as a possible pronunciation of the Ineffable Name.
7: T Zayin Numerical Value: 7
Means “a spear” or “male appendage.” Closely linked with the mystical number seven (and all of its many connotations), zayin signifies Spiritual Struggle, as well as Spiritual Sustenance.
8: n Chet Numerical Value: 8
The chet or chai is the traditional symbol of “Life” and, ironically, of “sin.” It is also the sign of Transcen-dance and of Divine Grace, pointing to the possibility that a human being can transcend the limitations of physical existence.
9: to Tet Numerical Value: 9
Meaning “to sweep out (by judgment),” tet epitomizes Goodness and Humility—the objective “goodness” which it is the Creator’s prerogative to define and delineate, not humankind’s.
10: ^ Yud Numerical Value: 10
Literally, “hand” and symbol of the Jew. It also means “monument” or “share.” Although the smallest letter in the Hebrew alphabet, yod contains as much meaning as the rest of the Hebrew alphabet combined. Yod signifies Creation itself and all of the Metaphysical processes and, on its own, stands as an important symbol for the Creator.
11: 3 Kaph Numerical Value: 20
This translates directly as “palm (of the hand or tree)” and is the symbol of Crowning Accomplishment—with a dual meaning that encompasses both the beginning and the ending. Kaph also relates to the principle of the “four crowns”: priesthood', kingship', the Torah, or Word of God; and a good name.
12: ^ Lamed Numerical Value: 30
Meaning literally “to learn,” this is the sign of Wisdom and of Purpose. Central letter of the Aleph-Bet symbolizing the “King of Kings,” the “Supreme Ruler.”
13: D Mem Numerical Value: 40
A Language of Light ! 37
Traditionally, mem has several direct meanings: “waters,” “people,” “nations,” “languages,” “tongues.” It is the mystical symbol of the Revealed and of the Concealed. Also the first letter in the names Moishe (Moses) and Mashiach (“Anointed One”), equated by some with a coming Messiah. Moses was given the revealed evidence of the Creator’s sovereignty over His creation; the Messiah represents the concealed part of the Celestial rule to which Humanity submits in faith alone.
14: J Nun Numerical Value: 50
Can be taken to mean “gaffing hook” (for fishing) and “to waste away.” It is a letter sometimes used as a substitute letter in order to disguise a name. In its mystical sense, nun represents Everlasting Faithfulness and the Emergence of the Soul. Just as the soul is a spark of the Divine, so is God’s grace available to all.
15: D Samekh Numerical Value: 60
Samekh means “to trust,” “depend upon,” and “support.” It symbolizes Divine Support and Protection and is associated with the process of Memory. This important letter of the Aleph-Bet also depicts Abundance and Completeness.
16: V Ayin Numerical Value: 70
This means “eye,” “wellspring,” “source,” or “center” and is linked with the Egyptian Eye of Horus (see Chapter 10). Ayin is, therefore, the symbol of Perception and Insight, of the Physical Eye and of the Spiritual Eye. It illustrates symbolically that the human eye can be taken as a microcosm of the universe.
17: Pey
Numerical Value: 80
Meaning “mouth,” this letter represents both Speech and Silence and is closely linked with the art of Healing. The ultimate purpose of Creation is for humankind to learn to sing the praises of the Almighty, and to study the Torah.
18: Tzaddi
Numerical Value: 90
As the first letter in the word tzaddiq, or “righteous man,” tzaddi stands for Righteousness and Humility. But although every tzaddiq expresses righteousness in a uniquely individual way, true righteousness can exist only in God.
19: p Quf Numerical Value: 100
There are numerous traditional meanings for this letter, including: “to buy (or to sell)”; “eye of needle”; and “ape, or monkey.” Esoterically, it is the sign for Holiness, both human and Divine, and a symbol for abstinence and control. Quf also represents the various Growth Cycles of our world.
20: ^ Reysh Numerical Value: 200
Literally, “head,” “chieftain,” or “supreme one,” paradoxically reysh can also be taken to mean “to become impoverished.” It stands for the Challenge of Choice—Greatness or Degradation—between which elements there is a very fine dividing line. Reysh also represents the fact that the wicked retain the potential to repent at any chosen moment.
21: ty Shin Numerical Value: 300
Means “tooth” and is the symbol of Divine Peace, Power and Mastery, but also of Corruption and Falsehood. One of the holiest letters in the Hebrew language, it appears on its own on the mezuzah attached to the doorpost of all Jewish households as the sign of El Shaddai, the Holy Spirit.
22: n Tau Numerical Value: 400
Literally, this means “mark” or “sign,” and it is also a symbol for “vehicle of sacrifice.” Tau, as the final letter in the Hebrew alphabet, represents completion of the Spiritual Cycle and is a sign of Truth and Perfection. It denotes the final spiritual destination for humankind and is closely associated with the preceding letter shin.
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4. MASTER OF THE GOOD NAME
And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name
Yahweh was I not known to them.
Exodus 6:3
When Moses first asked the Lord by what name the Israelites should call Him, the reply was Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh —“I Am That I Am.” Moses was subsequently instructed to tell the people that “I Am” had sent him to them (Exodus 3:13-14). Further along in Exodus 6:3, we learn that the forefathers of Moses, namely Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, knew the Lord as El Shaddai (“God Almighty,” and also used to denote the “Holy Spirit”) and not by His actual name, which is represented in scripture by the four Hebrew letters yod, hey, uau, hey, written ^ in Hebrew, and generally translated into English as YHWH.
In his initial confrontation with the Pharaoh, described in Exodus, Moses informs the haughty Egyptian ruler that he (Moses) had been sent by the unnam-able God of the Hebrews, Ha Shem —“The Name.” According to tradition. Pharaoh scoffed at this information and pointed out that there was no such god in his Egyptian list of deities. He then asked Moses as to where this nebulous god of the Hebrews might exist. The reply was that, although the Lord was everywhere
in the world, He remained securely hidden and capable of contact only in the hearts of those who sought after Him. The Shekinah, or Divine Presence (also equated with the female principle of the male Godhead), chooses to be revealed only to those who seek the Lord with all of their heart and all of their soul.
The Ineffable Name
The true declaratory four-lettered Name of God is known as the Tetragrammaton, or Shem Ha-Meforash (literally “Special Name of the Lord”). It appears exactly 6,832 times in the Old Testament and is held to possess unbounded power sufficient, it is said, to shake the very foundations of Heaven and Earth and to in-
The four-lettered Tetragrammaton as found inscribed on ancient pottery shard (circa 700 B.C.E.) uncovered in an ancient burial cave 20 miles (32 kilometers) southwest of Jerusalem.
The Ineffable Name of God in modern Hebrew characters.
spire even the angels with astonishment and terror! However, it has not been uttered aloud by a devout Jew ever since the time of the destruction of Solomon’s First Temple at Jerusalem by Nebuchadrezzar, king of Babylon, in the summer of 587 B.C.E. —the sole exception being when the High Priest vocalized The Holy Name once a year, on the Day of Atonement, but only when alone in the secret place in the Temple known as the Holy of Holies. This practice fell away completely following the leveling of the refurbished Second Temple by the Roman general Titus in 70 C.E. The now unused Ineffable Name became known as the “Lost Word.”
Up to present times, when anyone reads aloud from the Torah or other scriptural source, a substitute name is used, usually Ac^onai (“my Lord”) or simply Ha Shem (“The Name”). In daily usage, Jews frequently use the phrase Baruch Ha Shem, “Blessed is The Name.”
There are several other terms signifying God in the Old Testament, including the curiously plural Elohim (“gods”; “divine beings”), which might be compared with the Arabic Allah, which is also strictly a plural expression. In its singular form, Elohim becomes El or Eli as in Eli, Eli, “My God, My God,” used by Jesus on the cross. Eli also translates as the noun^ “Divinity.” Another variation, El Eliyon, is usually ^ translated as “The Most High God.” The title Adonai di X Tzeba'oth, Lord Sabaoth or Lord of Hosts, brings to six ^ the major names used for God in the Bible. To sum up, t ^ these are: the four-lettered unspoken Tetragram- i'- ^ maton YHWH itself, Adonai, Elohim, Eli (or El o Eliyon), Adonai Tzeba'oth and Shaddai (or El Shad- ^ dai), the last mentioned being the name for God used by the early Hebrew Patriarchs.
Using the Holy Name
When at the turn of the 17th century Eastern European Jews were being persecuted and massacred by the thousands, there was born in a little village close to the borders of three countries, Russia, Turkey and Poland, one Israel ben Eliezer, who was later to become known as the Baal Shem Tov, “Master of the Good Name.” As founder of the charismatic Jewish Hassidic sect and bringer to the persecuted Jewish people of a new ecstatic religious expression in which members danced and chanted in glorification of the Lord, the Baal Shem was acknowledged as a miracle worker, as much as Jesus was some 1800 years before him.
Like Jesus, the creator of Hassidism was reputed to walk on water, exorcise evil spirits, and heal the sick by his touch—although, unlike the traditional Jesus of the Gospels, the Baal Shem was twice married.
There were, however, other similarities. As was the case with the parents of Jesus, the Baal Shem’s mother and father were reputedly visited by an angel prior to his birth (both of his parents were already 100 years old when their amazing son was born). In accordance with the Jewish custom of thousands of years, the Baal Shem married young, at eighteen, but his first wife soon died and he remarried. In his fortieth year he revealed himself as a messenger of God.
An old Jewish axiom taken from the Mishna (the codified version of the traditional oral law) states that “when one’s knowledge is greater than one’s deeds, the knowledge is futile.” The Baal Shem Tov always taught that actions were more important than the mere accumulation of knowledge. Most importantly, legend tells us that, by using the Holy Name, he could physically bring back to life a person who was at death’s door. He
would also use The Name to re-infuse with the spirit of the Creator those who were mentally and spiritually ailing.
In the following quote, “New Age” Hassidic writer Reb Zalman Schachter encapsulates the method and basic philosophy of the Baal Shem Tov, especially in relation to the subject under discussion—the power ascribed to the so-called “Ineffable Name” of God:
He was capable of using the Divine Name for purposes of changing things as they were, to what they ought to be, because there is always such a discrepancy between how things are and how they ought to be.^ (our emphasis)
Pronouncing the Name
Even if Jewish tradition compels devout Jews not to intone the Holy Name out loud, considerable force can still be generated through its silent use as a mind-focus in meditation, in all or any of its different forms. Non-Jews and Jews no longer bound by traditions imposed in the 1st century may, of course, be quite happy in trying to verbalize the Name of God without offending any personal inhibition—the only problem being that no one is absolutely sure how “The Name” should be pronounced!
The practice by Jews for so long of never uttering the Ineffable Name probably led directly to its later strictly Christian mistranslation as Jehovah. In the Phoenician and early Hebrew alphabets, all vowels except aleph, the first letter, were not written down. As a result, there is really no knowing the true original pronunciation of The Name, other than through knowledge of its sounding gained inspirationally. Around the
46 / Words of Power
7th century C.E., a group of scribes known as the Mas-soretes (their name was derived from the Hebrew word for “tradition”) introduced a set of vowel signs into the Hebrew language, which were written in and around the consonants so as not to interfere with the traditional sacredness of the individual letters. Much later, in our present era, the incorrect Jehovah interpretation came about as a result of the Jewish practice of inserting vowel points relating to the word Adonai (Lord) whenever the four letters of the Tetragrammaton were encountered. Christian translators took these as vowel points relating to The Name itself. The later change to Yahweh by some translators may have moved closer to a more correct interpretation.
What was apparently overlooked by most Christian translators was the fact that the consonants yod, hey and vau sometimes cease to carry consonantal form and are used instead to indicate the principal long vowels. This is particularly true in the case of a final hey, which, when placed as the last letter in any word, is always silent and extends the final vowel sound (i.e., as in Isaiah, Elijah).
In his Wars of the Jews (5:5:7), the Roman/Jewish historian Josephus states clearly that the sacred name consisted of four vowels. The much respected 1 Ith-cen-tury kabalist, Solomon Ben Yehuda Ibn Gebirol (known also as Avicebron, the undisputed master Jewish sage of his time), points to a Holy Name of seven vowels in his writings on the Zohar. Taking all this into consideration, it is unlikely that the Divine Name in its original consisted of an3d:hing else but all vowels (thus discounting completely any harsh-sounding consonantal version, as in Jehovah).
There are a number of interesting theories and associations which may point towards a reasonably accu-
Master of the Good Name 147
rate key to correct vocalization of the Ineffable Name.
As we will learn in Chapter 9, the Egyptian word for the source of all being (written in hieroglyphs as four ia vowel signs) might be vocalized something like lAAW 4. 7 Distinguished poet and mythologist Robert Graves ar- ^ g gues for a distinct link between Egyptian priestly ^ ^ hymns to the gods (which he confirms as consisting of the uttering of seven vowels in succession), the secret ^ V name of the transcendental god of the mythical Greek ^ Hyperboreans, some Celtic and other connections, and the Ineffable Name—which he suggests could be sounded as lAOOUA, with accents on the second O and final A?
There is certainly some similarity in sound between the Egyptian lAAW and Graves’ lAOOUA, and if our supposition that the Holy Name consists of all vowels is accurate, the latter (Graves’ lAOOUA) may well come near to the original pronunciation.
In his Egyptian Magic, E. A. Wallis Budge, who was once Keeper of the Egyptian and Assyrian Antiquities in the British Museum, tells of a magical formula using the Sacred Name found on a parchment fragment of a Graeco-Egyptian magical work. The full invocation includes, among others, the following appellations that can be identified as related to the Most High: lAOOUEl; Adonai; lao; leo; Baroukh (Hebrew for “blessed”); Sabaoth; and Eloai. According to the script, the magical formula in question “loosens chains, blinds, brings dreams, creates favor,” and may be used “for whatever purpose you will.”^
Whatever the precise sounding may be of the Ineffable Name of God, the fact remains that, traditionally, it is held to carry more power of a universal, all-embracing nature than any other word or name, in any and all of the numerous languages of Earth—and, for
that matter, perhaps in any and all of the tongues of the entire universe.
As the uncertainty remains regarding correct pronunciation of the full Holy Name, for those who have no difficulty with the notion of its vocalization, a chant emphasizing the four individual Hebrew letters might be used in order to draw from On High intense, revivifying energy, for redispersal into the world around. It might be intoned thus:
Yod — Hey—Va u—Hey [Yood—Hayi—Wau—Hayi]
Note that each letter may, in effect, be a vowel and that yod, on its own, represents one of the many names of God. It is thus pronounced softly and with due respect. According to Rabbi Michael L. Munk, the sound of the letter hey is a “mere exhalation of breath” requiring “little effort, no movement of lip, tongue, or mouth.” The letter symbolizes, in its form and in its sounding, the effortless Creation of the world. Vau is a linking letter connecting Heaven with Earth, and it should be vocalized with a soft W sound.
Some Kabalistic Connections
We have been told that the use of words of power is an essential part of the study of Kabbalah, the mystical side of Judaism. One kabalistic teaching is that each word in scripture is capable of being broken down into a meaningful sentence, which process can add untold power to the “Word.” For instance, B'reshiyth (meaning “In the beginning”), the first word in Genesis, can be transformed into the sentence B'reshiyth Rahi Elohim Sheyeqebelo Israel Torah, translated as “In the beginning the Elohim saw that Israel would accept the law.”
This tells the kabalist that the presence of the Divine is manifested in every single word of the written Torah.
The Torah is, in effect, the Hebrew Old Testament, but the word itself means more literally “The Teaching,” and is sometimes taken to represent the full body of Jewish scripture. Originally, there was the Written Law {Torah) and the Oral Law, which was codified into the Mishna around 200 C.E. An interpretation of and commentary on the Mishna ^ known as the Talmud, was compiled circa 400 C.E.
A kabalistic system, known as Temura, allows for the alteration of the sequence of the letters in a word to change its meaning, and its effect, which can be perhaps from hurtful to beneficial. A suggested example was put forward publicly by kabalist David Sh’alev in Jerusalem in 1983 when he suggested that the letters contained in the Hebrew name of the forthcoming year, known as Tashmad, meaning “destruction,” be rearranged to read Shamdat —and thus turn 1984 from a “Year of Destruction” into a ‘Year of Religion.” There is, of course, no way of ascertaining whether Mr. Sh’alev’s efforts ensured a relatively safe passage for the world during 1984. What is interesting to note, however, is that the title 1984 was chosen by George Orwell for his famous prophetic novel on the advice of a Jewish publisher who was fully conversant with the negative meaning of the Hebrew calendar year.
In order to set up new channels for the inflow of Divine Light and Love from On High, kabalists work frequently at rearrangement of the letters of the Tetragrammaton itself. There are 12 possible permutations, all of which hold the interpretation “to be.” These are known as the “Twelve Banners of the Mighty Name,” and have a correspondence in the Twelve Tribes of Israel and in the 12 signs of the zodiac.
Readers may wish to note several other connections involving the important number 12, namely: 12 disciples of Jesus; 12 Apostles of Osiris; 12 princes of Ishmael; 12 Olympic deities; 12 Governors of the Manicheans; 12 knights of King Arthur; and the 12 Labors of Hercules (which symbolize 12 steps of Initiation that approximate the zodiacal signs).
The 12 possible combinations of the four Holy letters (YHWH) are given below, reading as YHWH, left to right, in the non-Hebrew Western fashion. Anyone who feels no inhibition about using the sacred letters in verbal form, and who feels they can handle the energy induced, may be prompted to chant the variations of the four letters as an alternative to simply invoking the standard YHWH, as given above:
YHWH YHHW YWHH HWHY HWYH HHYW WHHY WYHH WHYH HYHW HYWH HHWY
A Warning
Mention has been made of the strict Jewish prohibition involving the use of the Holy Name. Exodus 20 tells us that when the Jews were making their arduous way through the desert following escape from Egypt, God gave Moses Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai. The third of these injunctions reads:
Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
This statement represents a clear warning that (if it is to be used at all) the Ineffable Name should never be vocalized lightly or irreverently, either in an oath, or particularly if intoned as part of any kind of magical
Master of the Good Name I 51
practice relating to a desire for personal acquisition of any kind. The choice as to its use remains strictly with the individual, but caution regarding the possible consequences attached to misuse of the Holy Name cannot be emphasized too strongly.
We know of at least one prominent modern spiritual teacher of original orthodox Jewish background who actually recommends fully vocalized use of the Hebrew letters of the Holy Name as an absolute necessity in the current era and as an indispensable aid to the continued spiritual evolution of humankind itself. From our own experience, we have found that, in order to temper the great power that is “drawn down” by use of the four letters of the Tetragrammaton, it is advisable to prefix any utterance of the letters with the words Baruch Ha Shem [Barukh Hah Shem], “Blessed is the Name.”
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5. PRAYERS FOR ALL
OCCASIONS
Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, King of the Universe . . . Preface to Jewish prayers
There exists a host of Hebrew words and phrases of considerable authority and influence, and most of the chants and prayers recorded in this book are based on traditional Hebrew prayers and affirmations that have in one form or another been spoken or sung by the faithful for thousands of years. A few are included that have been received inspirationally in more recent times. These remain, however, well-rooted in age-old basic principles and meanings, and embrace well-defined uses.
As is the case with most other religious systems, the Hebrew tradition offers a prayer or affirmation for every conceivable occasion—from the Sh’mah, center point of every morning prayer ritual, and the Jewish “good luck” expression mazel tov (which more literally translates as “good constellation of stars,” in an astrological sense), right through to the sacred prayer for the dead, known as the Kaddish. The selection that follows below and in the next chapter should be considered primarily as an introduction to some of the more well-known and most frequently uttered sacred
phrases in a language that has been in continuous use since the days of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Moses, Elijah and Jesus, right up to the present day, when Hebrew is once again the official day-to-day language of the Jewish people.
Sh^mah Yisrael
Morning and evening, for as long as he lives, when he is davening, or swaying and praying, the devout Jew will recite the prayer known universally as the Sh’mah, each and every day. It is the very first verse taught a child at the knee of his parent, and the last phrase uttered with the final breath of life before departing this world for the next. It was recited daily in the Temple in ancient times and is enclosed in the me-zuzah that marks the entrance to every Jewish home to this very day, as is commanded in Deuteronomy 6:9. The mezuzah is a small wooden or plastic case attached to the right-hand side upper half of the front doorpost in a slanting position, just above eye-level, containing a tiny, handwritten parchment scroll bearing the Sh’mah prayer. On entering or leaving the home, a devout Jew will touch the mezuzah and then lightly kiss his fingers to show respect for God’s Word, which it contains.
The Sh’mah is an especially important prayer as it embodies the Jewish creed, the affirmation which stands above all others and declares for everyone to know that the God of Israel is the One, true, living God—notwithstanding the possibility that He may choose to reveal Himself in so many different, and at times, contradictory, ways. On a broad scale the Sh’mah, spiritual Israel’s highest prayer, can be considered as a call to faith which provokes response from
all the faithful, of this world and of other worlds, and of this and other dimensions of reality. In its deepest esoteric sense it can be considered as the very “breath of God.” Its utterance is a reminder that we fulfill God’s function in every breath we take, and its continued use down the ages is a confirmation of our link with the beginnings of Creation.
A profound illustration of the absolute awe surrounding the use and importance of the Sh’mah is contained in the story of Rabbi Hutzpit, one of the ten Jewish sages massacred by the Romans after the destruction of the Temple in 70 C.E. Reb Hutzpit was said to be 130 years old, and a man of handsome and commanding appearance, like an Angel of the Lord of Hosts. When people pleaded that the old sage be spared execution, the Roman Emperor asked the Jewish religious teacher his age.
“One hundred and thirty less one day,” replied Reb Hutzpit, “and I ask you to wait till my birthday.”
“What difference does it make to you if you die one day earlier or later?” retorted the Emperor.
Came the reply: “I will be able to say the Sh’mah twice more, morning and evening, before I die and thus be able to proclaim the sovereignty of His unique and awesome Name over all other rulers.”
The Emperor was infuriated. “How long will you impudent and stubborn people continue to believe in your God! He no longer has any power to save you. If he did, he would have already wreaked his vengeance, as you say he did on the Pharaoh.”
On hearing this blasphemy, Reb Hutzpit burst into weeping and rent his clothes, saying:
“Woe to you, O Emperor! What will you do on the day of reckoning when the Lord will exact retribution from Rome and all of its gods!”
56 ! Words of Power
Shaking in his fury, the Emperor cried, “How long must I debate with this man?” and gave the order for the brave Reb Hutzpit to be stoned and then hanged.
The opening line of the Sh’mah is taken from Deuteronomy 6:4: “Hear, O Israel, Ha-Shem, Who is our God, is the One and Only.” The full Jewish creed is a linking together of Deuteronomy 6:4-9, 10:13-21 and Numbers 15:37-41. The English King James Bible version of this composite text that provides the foundation stone of the Jewish religious tradition would read as follows (Deuteronomy 6:4-9):
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one lord:
And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
And these words, which I command thee this day,
shall be in thine heart:
And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou best down, and when thou risest up.
And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.
The word Israel means “God wrestler.” This interpretation introduces the concept of wrestling with the lower mind until victory and an elevation into the realm of the higher mind is attained. For any person, of
Prayers for All Occasions ! 57
whatever faith, who chooses to “strive with the Divine” (i.e., the sincere spiritual seeker), use of the Sh’mah takes on an especially important significance. When singing it out loud, or within the silence of the heart, there can occur a distinct heightening of spiritual awareness, carrying the consciousness beyond the merely ordinary into realms of inspiration, prompting a sense of renewed strength and refreshing individual purpose that is firmly based in the all-embracing oneness of creation.
The Sh’mah can be written phonetically and chanted as follows:
Sh'mah Yisrael!
[Sh’mah Yis-ro-ail]
Adonai Elohainu Adonai Echad [Ad-o-noy El-o-hayi-noo Ad-o-noy E-chad] Barukh Shem KYod Malkuthor La’Olam Va-ed [Ba-rookh Shem K’Vod Mal-ku-torh La’Oi-lam Va-ed]
Adonai Hu HaElohim [Ad-o-noy Hu Ha’El-o-heem]
Hear O Israel!
The Lord our God, the Lord is One!
Blessed be His name.
Whose Glorious kingdom is for Ever and Ever. The Lord, He is God!
The written Hebrew version of this daily invocation is:
It is customary, at times, to chant only the first two lines of the Sh’mah as an invocation on its own. However, in its deeply esoteric sense, the full chant has been considered by some as a formula or key to open a “Gateway” into a higher kingdom of Light (meaning “Superluminal Light”) that takes the human consciousness into dimensions existing way beyond the material universe. The Sh’mah has also been described as the “Wall of Light” that will be placed around the righteous as protection at the time of destruction that will come at the End of Times.
A Universal Blessing
An ancient Hebrew affirmation of great worth that may be more familiar to non-Jews is taken from Numbers 6:24-26, and was, according to scripture, given by God to Moses to pass on to Aaron for use as a perennial blessing over the children of Israel:
Y’varekeka Adonai ViYish’Mereka [Tva-reh-khe-kha Ad-o-noy VTish’Me-reh-kha] Y’ar Adonai Panav Aileka VYichuneka
[Y’air Ad-o-noy Pa-nav Ai-ley-kha V’Yi-chu-ney-kha]
Yisha Adonai Panav Aileka VYashem Leka Shalom [Yi-sha Ad-o-noy Pa-nav Ai-ley-kha VTa-shem Ley-kha Sha-lom]
The Lord bless thee, and keep thee;
The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee;
The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee.
And give thee peace.
Prayers for All Occasions ! 59
This especially powerful invocation is used as the final prayer at any Jewish Bar Mitzuah ceremony. This is the ritual all Jewish boys must go through at age 13 (and in modern times, some girls around age 12—in which case it is called a Bas Mitzvah), when they are ready to understand the mitzvot, or commandments and duties of being an adult Jew. On the first Sabbath after his thirteenth birthday, in a special synagogue ceremony, the boy, on what is considered to be one of the most important occasions in life, is called upon to read aloud from the sacred Torah scrolls.
When chanted before and/or after any meditation or mantra chanting session, it serves to clear away unwanted vibrations and to prepare the participants for what lies ahead, fostering at once protection and peace.
Shalom! (“Peace!”)
A Greeting, and a Plea for Peace
Possibly the most universally known word in the Hebrew language is the lilting and lovely Shalom (in Arabic: Salaam), which signifies both “peace” and “greetings.” Used as a daily invocation, or as an introduction to meditation, the word Shalom produces an effect similar to that generated by the Sanskrit phrase Om Santi (see Chapter 14). Shalom, of course, incorpo-
rates the Sanskrit “First of all mantras,” Om. It signifies both a concept and a power, and repeated use of this one word, sung out loud or phrased silently within the heart, will eventually draw towards the user that great “peace which passeth all understanding”: Shulamit Shalom. Its calming effect operates on all levels, and it is, like Om, one of the key sounds of the Universe—and also one of the simplest to intone:
Shalom
[Sha-lom]
Peace
A variation of the Shalom greeting (it is also used for “goodbye”) is Shalom Aleichem, “Peace be with you.” A number of well-known songs, of varying tempos and styles, have been created around these two words that call for peace on Earth and peace within the souls of everyone living upon it. The Shalom Aleichem is virtually identical to the Arabic equivalent Es-salaam aleikum.
Shalom Aleichem [Sha-lom A-laiy-chem]
Peace be with you
When Eating and Drinking
Before and after every meal, most Jews say a B^rakha, or a blessing. The word B'rakha comes from the first three words used in just about every Hebrew prayer: Barukh Ata Adonai —“Blessed is the Lord.” Two main mealtime prayers are pronounced in most Jewish households on the Friday night before Sabbath (which falls, of course, on Saturday) to accompany
Prayers for All Occasions I 61
breaking of the bread and blessing of the sacrificial wine.
As the famous Last Supper attended by Jesus and his disciples occurred on the Passover Sabbath, it is probable that these were something like the exact words used by the initiator of the Christian faith:
When breaking the bread:
Barukh Ata Adonai Elohainu Melekh Ha’Olam [Ba-rookh A-tah Ad-o-noy El-o-hayi-noo Me-lekh
Ha’O-lam]
Ha Motzi Lechem Min H'Aretz [Ha Mo-tzi Le-chem Min Ha’Ah-retz]
Blessed art thou, O Lord our God,
King of the Universe;
Who bringest forth bread from the earth.
When blessing the wine:
Barukh Ata Adonai Elohainu Melekh Ha’Olam [Ba-rookh A-tah Ad-o-noy El-o-hayi-noo Me-lekh
Ha’O-lam]
Borey Pri Ha' Gafen [Bo-ray Free Ha’Ga-fen]
Blessed art thou, O Lord our God,
King of the Universe;
Who createst the fruit of the vine.
There are several variations to the B’rakha, in accordance with the ritual requirements of specific Jewish festivals and holy days. Of special note is the important Pesach, or Passover ritual, which celebrates remembrance of the Jews’ successful flight from captivity in Egypt. This consists of a long, involved set of Pass-
Jews at prayer at the famous Wailing Wall at Temple Mount, Jerusalem. The recapture of this site by Israeli forces on June 7, 1967, represented the culmination of a vow and a dream that was perpetuated each year at Passover for almost 2,000 years with the utterance of the phrase “Next year in Jerusalem!”
over mealtime prayers known as the Haggadah. According to the mystical Zohar, the peculiar structure and order of the blessings said during Pesach act as a metaphysical bonding or spiritual cable for the transfer of energy from higher dimensions to lower planes of activity. This element of elevated activity serves to carry use of the B’rakha way beyond the bounds of a mere form of mealtime grace and into the realms of mystical communion with the Creator of all things. The symbolism contained within the “Last Supper” story of Jesus (who was at base a devout Jew who upheld the spirit as well as the letter of Mosaic Law) is enhanced by the supernatural depth of meaning associated with the B’rakha, and in particular, with the Passover Blessing.
For the record, and as an oddity, it has been suggested that the term abracadabra (used as a mystical formula down the years by magicians and showpeople) may be derived from a combination of Hebrew words that includes the B’rakha—and originally meant “pronounce the blessing.” Alternative sources for abracadabra are the words b’rukh barak, “cast forth lighting” (to scatter evil), taken from Psalm 144:6, or a distorted combination of Hebrew/Aramaic expressions relating to the Trinity of Father (A6), Son {Bar) and Holy Spirit {Ruach Ha-kodesh).
All Roads Lead to Jerusalem
Perhaps the most historically potent set of words ever uttered by Jews during the Passover, or at any other festival—and other than the Ineffable Name of the Almighty Himself—is the phrase Le shanah ha ba'ah bYerushalaim!: “Next year in Jerusalem!” This
short declaration is and has been sincerely affirmed each year at the time of Passover in just about every Jewish household, all around the world, ever since the fall of Jerusalem to the Romans in 70 C.E.
After that cataclysmic event in Jewish history, the people of Israel were dispersed among the nations on a scale never before conceived, and the diaspora, or dispersion of the Jews, was to last right into the 20th century, when the Jews finally began to return to their homeland in meaningful numbers. The proclamation, in 1948, of Israel as an independent Jewish State served as part fulfillment of a vow that has been repeated by millions of Jews for centuries. The final taking of Jerusalem by Israeli soldiers during the Six-Day War of 1967, other than being a major emotional event for all Jews, saw final completion of an age-old task set in motion almost 2,000 years before. The question that can be asked is: Without the repeated wish to return, would the Jews have held their resolve to do so for so many decades?
6. HEBREW CHANTS OF POWER
Enoch, who from mortal flesh Was turn’d by God to flame, Sits like a teacher in the height. Imparting to the Sons of Light The song which they declaim: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts. —Amittai ben Shephatiah (11th century)
One of the most familiar, to Christians in particular, of Hebrew sacred chants will be the phrase which translates: “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of Hosts” in English and Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus, Dominus Deus Sahaoth in its Latin version. The solemn recitation of the Hebrew version of this great verse of power, Qadosh, Qadosh, Qadosh, Adonai Tzeha'oth, forms a central and sacred moment in every Jewish synagogue service. The words of this important chant are taken from Isaiah 6:3 and constitute part of a spectacular experience enjoyed by the most quoted of the Old Testament prophets after having been taken up into the Higher Heavens. While listening to the angels intoning “Holy, Holy, Holy,” Isaiah witnessed the Almighty Himself seated on His throne in all His glory.
The Old Testament text which introduces this dramatic event relates how during his experience Isaiah was purged of all sin by a Seraph of the Lord. In Jewish lore, the Seraphim —the angels of love, light and fire—are noted as the highest order in the angelic kingdom. Their leader is none other than the Archan-
66 / Words of Power
gel Michael or Mik-kah-el himself, whose name means “who is as God.”
There is also a close link between the song heard by Isaiah and the fiery Archangel Metatron, the Angel of the Presence, whom some say was once the biblical character Enoch or Chanokh and to whom, in his angelic role, the verse at the head of this chapter is directed.
The Celestial Song
The Seraphim whom Michael commands are said to surround the Throne of Glory at all times. They intone unceasingly Qadosh, Qadosh, Qadosh, Adonai Tzeba'oth, M'lo Kol Ha’aretz K’vodo (Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Hosts; His glory fills all the Earth) as a celestial song which can be likened to the music of the spheres. Revelation 4:8 also speaks of this mighty praise-song to the Father in a slightly altered version that reads: “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Hosts, who was and who is and who will be forever.”
As is the case with the Sanctus in Roman Catholic and other Christian liturgy, the full Hebrew chant is used frequently by the Jews and, in particular, as part of a morning prayer ritual. Its immediate effect is to project an aura of protection around the user for the day ahead, and for all days to come. The Qadosh mantra can, in fact, be numbered among the most powerful of all chants of power available to us. It is said that any living creature, human or non-human, exhibiting basically negative or destructive tendencies will find it difficult, if not impossible, to remain in the presence of any other person who sings Qadosh, Qadosh, Qadosh, making it, verily, a phrase to be used to even “judge the
angels,” to see whether they truly he of God (see I Corinthians 6:3).
Anyone who cares to intone this chant should not be too surprised if the sound appears to beat in time with the human heart, as if in tune with some universal biological clock. According to one source, this profound incantation “... ties together all the bio-rhythms of the body with the spiritual rhythms of the Overself body, so that all circulatory systems operate with one cosmic heartbeat.”^
The chant is given below in Hebrew characters, followed by a guide to pronunciation. It is preferably used at the start and ending of any mantra /meditation session. While intoning the words, it helps to visualize a golden helmet of protection being placed around the chanter’s head, through which only that which emanates from the highest possible source will penetrate into the consciousness; and through which anything at all of a negative nature is unable to penetrate.
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Qadosh, Qadosh, Qadosh,
[Qa-dosh, Qa-dosh, Qa-dosh]
Adonai Tzeba'oth;
[Ad-o-noy Tze-ba-ot’h]
M7o Kol Ha’aretz K’uodo [M’lo Khol Ha’ah-retz K’vo-do]
(Repeat entire chant 12 or 24 times for best effect)
Holy, Holy, Holy,
Is the Lord of Hosts;
His glory fills all the Earth.
It can be noted that, in biblical Hebrew, the letters bet and vet are represented by the same symbol ^ . In modern Hebrew, the word Tzeha'oth is generally sung more like Tzvai-ofh, but our personal preference has always been to use Tze-bay-oPh, which is possibly closer to the original.
The Most High
The more important phrases in the Hebrew language remain those that deal with one or another aspect of the Creator—usually in the form of one of His Holy Titles. There are several of these, any of which can be used to invoke divine energy flow and to attract to the chanter from above the all-embracing Light, Love and Power of the Almighty—for the Lord is near to all who call upon Him sincerely.
A selection of some of the Names of the Most High follows. For maximum effectiveness, it is recommended that each should be separately vocalized in combinations of 12 or 24:
El Eliyon
[El Eli-yon]
The Most High
El Shaddai
[El Sha-dhai]
The Almighty Eli Eli
[Aye-li, Aye-li]
My God, my God
Adonai
[Ad-o-noy]
Lord
Barukh Ha Shem [Ba-Rookh Ha Shem]
Blessed is The Name
Ruach Elohim [Roo-ach El-o-heem]
Spirit of the Godhead
An especially significant mantra of similar nature to the above is used by the Hassidic mystics (whose founder Baal Shem Tov, “Master of the Good Name,” has been mentioned in Chapter 4) for protection in times of danger and crisis, and for spiritual inspiration through invocation of the Holy Presence:
Rihono Shel Olam [Ri-bo-no Shel Oi-lam]
Lord of the Universe
Influence of the Holy Spirit
In traditional Hebrew terms the power of the Almighty is carried into our world via the agency of the Holy Spirit, the Ruach Ha Qodesh. An example of a physical manifestation of this Power of the Spirit is contained in the Exodus story concerning the pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night which led the Hebrews during their desert sojourn following the Exodus from Egypt. There is also a close link here with the more esoteric teachings of Kabbalah in that the Exodus
70 / Words of Power
, story can be equated with the twin pillars which stand H at either side of the frontier of the unconscious (Net-zachy Eternity or Victory, and Hod, Reverberation or Glory).
The Zohar informs us that when Israel faced the forces of Amalek in battle at Rephidim, Moses, his brother Aaron, and Hur stood on the top of a hill facing the enemy and simulated the three pillars of the Tree of Life—while Joshua led the Hebrew army on the plain below. Moses held his arms outstretched, representing the central column of the Tree, the Pillar of Equilibrium, and the link between the energies invoked by his two companions. He was supported by Aaron as the right pillar and Hur as the left pillar of the Tree. The arousal of their combined energies served to create a conducting channel for the inflow from above of the Shekinah power of the Holy Spirit to aid the Hebrews in their battle (Exodus 17:10 and following also refers to this).
It is highly probable, of course, that the three Hebrews on the hill overlooking the battle against Amalek also invoked words of power embodying the names of God and of the Holy Spirit.
Kabalists hold that the unutterable Name of God expresses a duality in the Godhead, consisting of a male and a female aspect. The second female aspect of God is known as Shekinah and can be equated with the concept of the Holy Spirit. In fact, the daily prayers of the orthodox Jewish liturgy commence with the words: “To the One Name, the Holy, blessed be He!—and his Shekinah.”
On a personal level, any individual usually recognizes the “Pillar of Light” of the divine Shekinah presence at the moment true illumination has been attained—and also, paradoxically, when a position of
Hebrew Chants of Power 171
abject psychological stagnation and darkness has been reached. The inflow of the force of the Holy Spirit will then serve to aid in stimulating a quantum leap of consciousness to take the aspirant forward and upward towards his or her next personal level of conscious operation and achievement, whatever that may be at any given time.
The next chant has been developed for anyone who wishes to connect with the Divine Presence in order to stimulate the downpouring of the healing, inspiring and transformational “gifts” of the Holy Spirit. However, the express warning is given that, prior to any excessive vocalization of this sacred phrase, and in order to benefit fully and safely from the sudden inflow of supra-natural energy that may result, it is advisable to make a strong declaration of a sincere desire to receive in order to give. This action is in line with ancient kabalistic law which affirms that anyone who develops this “desire to receive in order to give” will experience a “cup that is always full,” without any danger of overexertion. An uninhibited flow of energy and power from above will pass safely through the bodily vehicle of the individual concerned (raising the level of personal perception in the process) and then move out into the world in the form of Love, Light and Healing.
Any contrary action involving a desire to receive for self only could result in adverse consequences, including the danger of temporary “self-destruction.” Because of the high voltage involved (in spiritual energy terms), any attempt to hinder free flow of the Shekinah power for selfish reasons could lead to a “blowing” of bodily metaphysical fuses. The resultant deleterious physical effect could be temporary or permanent, depending on the intensity of the experience.
For the record, the Shekinah experience is not to
TW. I LO^irlc. /
be equated directly with the djed pillar phenomenon of Egyptian origin, nor with the Kundalini experience of the Indian mystical system. Shekinah unfoldment concerns energy entering the bio-physical system from a higher level of beingness; the other two mentioned experiences relate to energy already present, but lying dormant within the existing physical and/or psychical framework of the individual.
It is recommended that a pillar of light or fire, representing the downward flow of the “Gifts of the Spirit,” be visualized while intoning this chant:
Shekinah Ruach Ha Qodesh [Sh’khee-nah Roo-ach Ha Qo-desh]
Divine Presence of the Holy Spirit (Repeat 12 or 24 times)
An alternative chant for attainment of personal peace and balance, while also invoking the influence of the Holy Spirit, incorporates the duality principle plus the word shalom (peace):
Shekinah Shalom, Yod Hey [Sh’khee-nah Sha-lom, Yood Hay]
Shekinah Shalom, Yod Hey [Sh’khee-nah Sha-lom, Yood Hay]
Shekinah Shalom, Yod Hey [Sh’khee-nah Sha-lom, Yood Hay]
Yod Hey, Yod Hey [Yood Hay, Yood Hay]
(Repeat 3 times)
The Peace of the Divine Presence (Devised by Esther Crowley)
Limitless Light
An especially beneficial meditation chant consists simply of the three Hebrew words, Ayin Sof Ur, a phrase which describes the “Limitless Light” of the Eternal, the all-seeing, all-hearing synthesis of the multitude aspects of the Creator God. Translated literally, Ayin Sof means the “Absolute,” or “the All.” Ur translates as “light,” and is also, incidentally, the name of the birthplace of Abraham, first patriarch of the Hebrews.
This phrase is hest chanted softly, 12 or 24 times, while the chanter visualizes a pyramid of pure Superluminal Light descending from above to cover the head. This action will assist in propelling the consciousness into a higher realm of reality, a domain of peace and light, where all is known and there are no limitations.
Ayin Sof Ur [Ai-yin Sof Oor]
Limitless Light of the Absolute
Sacred Healing Chants
An important use for any words of power is the healing of physical, psychological and/or spiritual ailments. Many of our actions in life are devoted to “healing” in some form or other. Whenever we strive for harmony in our activities and relationships, we work with the healing processes of life. Later we will learn of specific mantras in Sanskrit and other languages designed to aid in the attainment of good health and balance. There are several healing supplications in the Hebrew Siddur or Daily Prayer Book, most of which are rather long and complicated, especially for anyone
unfamiliar with the language. The understated abridged version of one of these chants has proved, however, to be highly effective as an easily learned substitute:
R'phanu Adonai V'Narophay [R’phai-nu Ad-o-noy V’Nay-ro-phai]
Khi El Melekh Rophay NeEman VRachman Atah [Khi El Me-lekh Ro-phai Ne-E-man V’Rach-man A-tah]
Heal us, O Lord, and we shall be healed;
For thou. Almighty King,
Art a faithful and merciful Physician
An extremely powerful Hebrew healing mantra invokes the name of Gehurah, one of the more prominent Angels of Healing, whose name colors one of the Sephiroth of the Tree of Life—that of Judgment. This severe aspect is reflected in the action taken by the Geburah influence to break the “seven seals” of the body, cleansing and balancing, in effect, the seven bodily chakras so that divine energy may flow unrestricted throughout the physical and paraphysical system. The name Geburah translates directly as “divine power” or “strength.”
For maximum effect, the chant presented below should be intoned aloud six times. Then add the name or names of those who need healing—and then repeat the chant six more times. This great healing mantra is particularly effective when used during group healing sessions.
Shel Shem Geburah [Shel Shem Ge-bu-rah]
In the Name of Geburah
A
H
The sword of Michael inscribed with “Flame Letters” of the Hebrew alphabet.
Angelic Protection
As part of their prayer ritual before retiring at night, some Jews might be heard intoning a plea that they be afforded protection by the four mighty archangels—Michael, Gabriel, Uriel and Raphael—and that they should never overlook the protective and nurturing presence of the Almighty above. Traditionally,
Michael is acknowledged as the greatest of all angelic beings, with perhaps only Metatron, the “Angel of the Presence,” as a rival in seniority—although, in fact, the two may be different aspects of the same “Power.”
Michael (whose name, we have learned, means “who is as God”) is accepted by Jews, Muslims and Christians alike as the prince of angels and as a mighty protective force who can be called upon at any place or time. As the acknowledged sustainer and protector of our particular part of the universe, Michael might be equated with the Hindu deity Vishnu. The great “sword of light” wielded by Michael has the “flame letters” of the Hebrew language inscribed upon it, and is used to cut asunder the veil of darkness and ignorance that separates us from our true identities as “beings of light.”
When calling upon Michael for assistance, it is recommended to use one of the ancient forms of his name, the oldest known archaic version of which is given below. The name of Michael can be invoked by anyone who feels threatened by negative forces, at any place, and at any time:
[Mik-kah-eylu]
(Repeat 12 or 24 times for best effect)
Gabriel (“God is my strength”) is another highly regarded angel, in both Judeo-Christian and Muslim tradition. He is at once the angel of vengeance and mercy, death and resurrection, annunciation and revelation. He and Michael are the only two angels mentioned by name in the Old Testament. Gabriel appeared to Miriam, or Mary, mother of Jesus, and to Mohammed, to whom he dictated the Qoran, sura by sura.
Uriel (“fire of God”) is, according to Jewish lore, the archangel of salvation and a messenger of God who
Hebrew Chants of Power 177
is reputed to have given the mystical teachings of the Kabbalah to humankind.
Raphael (“God has healed”) is acknowledged as the greatest healing angel of our planet, and can be invoked separately to aid the sick. Legend tells us that he was the angel sent by God to cure Jacob of injury after the father of the Twelve Tribes of Israel had wrestled with another angel, identified by various sources as Metatron or Michael.
The ancient Hebrew nocturnal chant invoking guardianship from all four mighty archangels runs as follows:
B’Shem Adonai Elohai Yisrael [B’shem Ad-o-noy El-o-hayi Yis-ro-ail] Mimini Michael [Mi-mi-ni Mik-kah-el] U’mishmoli Gabriel [Oo’mish-mo-lee Gabh-ri-el] U’mulifinal Uriel [Oo’mool-i-fa-nai Oo-ri-el] U’mayachorai Raphael [Oo’may-a-cho-rayi Ra-pha-el]
Val Roshi Shekinath El [Vahl Ro-shee Shay-kee-naht El]
In the Name of the Lord, God of Israel: May Michael be at my right hand; Gabriel, at my left;
Before me, Uriel Behind me, Raphael;
And above my head, the Divine Presence.
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7. SOME HEBREW MEDITATIONS
O how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day.
Psalm 119:97
A study of words of power can be a rewarding exercise, but even more so if the newly learned words and phrases are put into practical use. Many books can be written concerning the origin, use and effects of specified mantric words and phrases, but it remains impossible to convey to any individual the full impact of the sounds created unless that person takes the time and trouble to learn the intonation and meaning of the words used, and then personally vocalizes them. Moreover, this final act of sounding a mantric word or phrase should be performed wholeheartedly, with firm intent, and without any limitations placed on expected results. In other words, from the beginning a certain amount of faith is necessary, and, as is generally the case in almost any field of human endeavor, a positive attitude will generally produce positive results.
Also of prime importance is that there be a grasp of the meaning and potential effect of the chosen words or phrases. As in common speech, invocatory statements can be constructive, destructive or ineffective, depending upon the actual words and tone employed—
and the intent of the user. Although certain sacred sounds carry an inherent power of their own, no matter how or by whom they are verbalized, a firm belief in their efficacy serves to amplify further the energy charge they carry.
Offered in this section is a small selection from the many Hebrew mantra meditations that have proved of particular personal value down the years, covering several stated purposes, which are delineated as we move along. Feel free to modify any of these to personal taste, perhaps incorporating some other of the many mantras, chants, and invocations presented in earlier chapters not included below. It is a matter of tuning in to the higher self for guidance and then utilizing those sounds that appear to be most relevant to any particular person or persons and occasion.
This rule applies to mantra singing in any language. The only recommended criteria for a truly successful performance are: (1) A good knowledge of the meaning of the mantra chosen; (2) Some grasp of the intonation of the sounds to be expressed; (3) A relaxed and uninhibited approach to the meditation as a whole.
The meditations here presented may be used by any person singly or in group meditation. In group situations, one or more members can take on the responsibility of guiding the others through the visualization and chanting. Alternatively, each of the group members might prefer to take turns in moving the meditation along as specified. At the start, it may be necessary to read out in full the explanatory notes given before each meditation. Choose a comfortable position while meditating—stand erect, sit in a chair or cross-legged on the floor (perhaps in the yogic lotus position), but do not lie down. Those not actually reading from the text can sit or stand with eyes closed, as this aids the con-
Some Hebrew Meditations 181
centration. We have generally remained stationary during our meditation sessions, either standing or sitting, but there are practitioners who recommend alteration of posture—adopting perhaps several different yoga-type positions as the meditation progresses. This we must leave to personal taste and choice.
The meditations usually vary in length from around 15 to 30 minutes, depending on how much time is devoted to “entering the silence.”
In group meditation, the saying of a prayer or affirmation by three of the participants prior to the start aids in establishing an “energy base.”
After meditation, it is useful to share individual experiences gained during the meditation process.
Where there is any uncertainty regarding pronunciation of any given mantra, refer to Chapter 3.
In Chapter 11 we note use of the bija^ or Sanskrit seed sounds, for simultaneous balancing of the seven biological chakras, or energy vortices, in order to bring about an energizing of the body and a heightening of mental and intuitive faculties. Certain Hebrew phrases can be utilized as part of a meditation session for similar effect. This procedure also can lead to a simultaneous opening or piercing of the seven seals or centers so that the participant’s consciousness may be raised into the more elevated eighth and ninth chakras, and beyond.^
Hebrew Meditation 1 Balancing the Centers
Breathe in deeply, and exhale. At the base of the spine, visualize a red pyramid, situated at the first chakra. Using an act of mental visualization while
Balancing the Centers—Breaking the Seven Seals
breathing normally, inhale in a stream of white light, the Ain Soph or Limitless Light, through the third eye at the forehead. Direct this pure white light down the spinal column until it reaches and covers the red pyramid at the base of the spine, like a white capstone. Holding this white capstone firmly in place to balance and activate the root chakra, intone three times the sacred phrase Adonai Tzeba'oth, “Lord of Hosts”—pronounced Ad-o-noy Tze-ba-ot’h:
Adonai Tzeba’oth ... Adonai Tzeba’oth ...
Adonai Tzeba'oth
Now visualize a six-pointed orange star, the Star of David, in the area of the second chakra—close to the spleen or organs of procreation. As before, take in a stream of white light through the third eye at the forehead and direct this white light down the spinal column until it reaches and activates and balances the six-pointed orange star, representing the sacred seed. Keeping the center of procreation firmly imbued with the white light, chant three times the sacred phrase Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh, “I Am That I Am”—pronounced Ay-yeh Ah-shehr Ay-yeh:
Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh ... Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh ...
Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh
At the solar plexus—the third chakra—hold a mental picture of a yellow crystal. Inhaling again a stream of white light through the third eye, take this down the spine to mingle with the yellow at the solar plexus, and then bring the white light up again to the third eye to form the double-helix of the DNA system, the programming cornerstone of life. As the solar plexus center becomes balanced and activated, project yellow arrows of light out in all directions, and say
three times Mashiach, “Messiah”—pronounced Mah-shee-yach:
Mashiach ... Mashiach ... Mashiach
Now, visualize a crystal of glowing emerald green, the color of rebirth, at the fourth or heart chakra. Breathing in white light again through the third eye, direct this light down to the heart center to mingle with the emerald green. Visualize an opening up of the heart center in six directions, three pointing upward and three downward, to balance both the physical and transcendental self. Then, while emitting emerald green rays outward from the heart, intone three times the sacred word Melech, meaning “King”—pronounced Me-lekh:
Melech ... Melech ... Melech
At the throat chakra, the fifth center, visualize a turquoise-colored crystal radiating light. Inhaling white light again through the third eye, take this light down to mingle with the turquoise at the throat so as to balance and revitalize the throat center. Then send turquoise arrows outward and chant three times the word Adonaiy meaning “Lord”—pronounced Ad-o-noy:
Adonai ... Adonai ... Adonai
Now focus on the third-eye position, the seat of the sixth chakra. Visualize the Hebrew Name of God inscribed on the forehead in the form of flame letters in royal blue— Yod, Hey, Vau, Hey (alternatively, visualize the English letters YHWH in blue flames). Intone the letters of the Holy Name silently within the mind (or if preferred, say them out loud) three times, as the third-eye center becomes alive with the light of the Creator:
Yod Hey Van Hey ... Yod Hey Van Hey ... Yod Hey Van Hey
Hold a mental image of a purple crystal pyramid capstone directly over the seventh chakra at the crown of the head, and then extend this downward to complete the pyramid and thus enfold the entire body in a purple light. All centers are now balanced and the seven seals have been pierced, activating all chakras in unison. Chant three times the phrase Melech Sh'mayyim, meaning “King of the Heavens”—pronounced Me-lekh Sheh-mai-yeem:
Melech Sh'mayyim ... Melech Sh'mayyim ... Melech Sh’mayyim
We now move beyond the seven physical centers to align them with the metaphysical or paraphysical chakras. Mentally create the image of an inverted crystal pyramid of white light at the crown chakra above the head. Place a scintillating diamond inside this upturned pyramid. This represents the eighth chakra through which we connect with other space-time dimensions and the Lords of Light. Holding the image of the pyramid and diamond above the head, intone three times the words Ain Soph Ur, “Limitless Light of the Absolute”—pronounced Al-yin Sof Oor:
Ain Soph Ur ,. .Ain Soph Ur.. .Ain Soph Ur
The eighth center is now fully activated and in balance with the seven lower centers. At the ninth chakra, beyond the eighth, visualize an intensely bright light and chant three times Ain Soph —“The Absolute”:
Ain Soph... Ain Soph... Ain Soph
The ninth chakra is now operative and consciousness projects only upward through the inverted pyramid at the top of the head. By activating the eighth and ninth chakras in conjunction with the seventh chakra, we initiate a physical quantum leap that takes us beyond the imperfect karmic cycles of the solar spectrum. Now chant three times the word Am—meaning “Nothingness,” and go into meditation:
Ain ... Ain ... Ain
GO INTO THE SILENCE FOR 5 TO 10 MINUTES
Note: If the meditation is to be closed at this point, the following procedure is suggested (or go on to the next meditation).
With eyes closed, mentally let go of the inverted pyramid at the ninth center, and then the diamond at the eighth center. Hold, however, the form of a pyramid capstone of purple light at the seventh center at the crown of the head. Extend once more this purple light over the body, enfolding it in the protective energy that projects downward from the capstone above the head. This purple pyramid of protection can be renewed by an act of will at any time.
Amen ... Amen ... Amen ... and Amen!
Hebrew Meditation 2 Harmonizing the Five Bodies
We now harmonize the five bodily vehicles, which surround the physical body of each person like so many sheaths. The outermost of these bodily vehicles—the Electromagnetic Body—codes the physical body directly into other consciousness regions, other dimen-
Some Hebrew Meditations I 87
Harmonizing the Bodily Vehicles
sions. To fine tune this Electromagnetic Body, say three times the phrase which invokes the plurality of the Supreme Being as a Creator: Eloha-Umma —pronounced El-o-hah Oo-mah. {Note: Eloha is singular for Elohim —“Creator Gods”; Umma is an Aramaic word referring to God’s covenant with his “Community of Light.”)
Eloha-Umma ... Eloha-Umma... Eloha-Umma
The Electromagnetic Body aligns itself with the Will of the Supreme Creator and with the next of our outer bodies: the Epikinetic Body. This is the energy vehicle required for teleportation and projection within the physical universe. Allow the vibrations of the sacred phrase Eloha-Umma to bring balance to the Epikinetic Body—and to align with the Electromagnetic Body:
Eloha-Umma ... Eloha-Umma ... Eloha-Umma
The tuning of the Eka Body follows. This is the bodily vehicle of higher consciousness, utilized for time travel while still retaining contact with the physical body. Balancing of the Eka Body with the other bodily vehicles is again achieved by repeating, three times, the words Eloha-Umma:
Eloha-Umma ... Eloha-Umma ... Eloha-Umma
Next comes alignment of the Inner Gematrian Body, the “light geometry” body, or gewiyyah, which frees creative life from slavery to the flesh and offers a positive point of connection with the Overself. Bring this Inner Gematrian Body into alignment with the Electromagnetic Body, the Epikinetic Body, and the Eka Body by saying three times Eloha-Umma:
Eloha-Umma ... Eloha-Umma ... Eloha-Umma
Finally, visualize the four newly aligned inner bodies becoming raised together to merge into a fifth body—the “mantle of many colors,” or Zohar Body. This is the transcendental bodily vehicle designed to carry a person beyond the boundaries of immediate relativity into the Higher Dimensions of the Heavenly Jerusalem. It is the true Body of Light, which becomes activated during phrasing of the words Eloha-Umma, again three times:
Eloha-Umma ... Eloha-Umma ... Eloha-Umma
Now enter into the silence of the spirit for 5 to 10 minutes:
Eloha-Umma ... Eloha-Umma ... Eloha-Umma MEDITATE IN SILENCE FOR 5 TO 10 MINUTES
When coming out of the silence, chant once more:
Eloha-Umma ... Eloha-Umma ... Eloha-Umma
If the meditation is to be closed at this point, use the following procedure (or go on to the next meditation).
Hold the form of a pyramid capstone of purple light at the seventh center at the crown of the head. Extend this purple light downward, over the body, enfolding it in protective energy. This purple pyramid of protection can be renewed by an act of will at any time.
Amen ... Amen ... Amen ... and Amen!
Certain chants and mantras have been devised for the specific purpose of drawing down energy from “On High” (using metaphysical terms) into our own plane of activity—to activate personal transformation for healing processes, or in order to direct this spiritually en-
hanced power into the world at large for the benefit of all. To accomplish any of these aims, it is normally necessary for the individual or group concerned to elevate initially their own personal awareness level so that effective contact may occur, and in order that the downward flow of energy may be safely channeled.
Ancient language forms, such as Hebrew, Sanskrit, Tibetan, Egyptian and Chinese, serve to prime the thought vibrations that normally flow in and out of the third-eye center and open vibratory channels which allow an individual to communicate directly with Higher Intelligences through telethought communication.
This concept of using language to connect with extraterrestrial intelligences is fully in line with ancient teachings which record encounters by various personalities with beneficent extraterrestrial “Beings of Light.” Excellent examples, in the Hebrew experience, are contained in the stories of merkabah or vehicles of divine light sighted by the prophet Ezekiel and others.
The Hebrew-language mantra meditation given below has been used by us for several years, with adjustments from time to time to suit any specific occasion. It has proved, at once, not only to facilitate intuitive and inspirational communication but also to initiate a feeling of spiritual, mental and physical rein-vigoration.
Hebrew Meditation 3 Inviting Down the Power
The first act in “Inviting Down the Power” is to place around the head of any person or persons taking part in this meditation a helmet of perfect protective
light. This headgear of Superluminal Light is created through sounding of the familiar “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God of Hosts,” in Hebrew, the so-called “Celestial Song” (see Chapter 6).
Chant 6 or 12 times the words Qadosh, Qadosh, Qadosh, Adonai Tzeha'oth —pronounced Qa-dosh, Qadosh, Qa-dosh, Ad-o-noy Tze-ba-ot’h—and mentally place around the head a helmet of perfect protective light through which only that which emanates from the highest possible source is able to enter into the consciousness, and through which nothing at all of a negative nature will be able to penetrate.
Qadosh, Qadosh, Qadosh, Adonai Tzeha'oth (Repeat 6 or 12 times)
Now invite the Supreme to enter into the physical consciousness, and into the whole being, by intoning 24 times the ancient Hebrew temple blessing El Eliyon, meaning “The Most High”—pronounced El Eli-yon:
El Eliyon (Repeat 24 times)
Visualize the downward extending flow of Light and Power in the form of a pyramidal pillar of pure light from On High which envelops and permeates all the bodily vehicles. Thus, bathed in the Fire of the Skekinah Light, say 12 times: Layoo-esh Skekinah — “Pillar of Light of the Holy Spirit Presence”—pronounced Lay-oo-aish Sh’khee-nah:
Layoo-esh Shekinah (Repeat 6 or 12 times)
MEDITATE IN SILENCE FOR 5 TO 10 MINUTES
Coming out of meditation, repeat the Qadosh
mantra 6 or 12 times:
Qadosh, Qadosh, Qadosh, Adonai Tzeha'oth (Repeat 6 or 12 times)
If the meditation is to be closed at this point, use the following procedure (or go on to the next meditation).
Hold the form of a pyramid capstone of purple light at the seventh center at the crown of the head. Extend this purple light downward, over the body, enfolding it in protective energy. This purple pyramid of protection can be renewed by an act of will at any time.
Amen ... Amen ... Amen ... and Amen!
The importance attached to the Middle Pillar of the kabalistic Tree of Life has been outlined in Chapter 2. The five-pointed central column can be aligned with the human body, commencing above the head (Kether or Crown), moving down to the back of the neck (Da-ath or Knowledge), the heart (Tiphereth or Beauty), the base of the spine {Yesod or Foundation) and between the feet {Malkuth or Kingdom). The object of any Middle Pillar exercise is to draw downward the power of the Shekinah, the Holy Spirit, in order to illumine the human consciousness.
The meditation just presented might be considered a short-form version of the Middle Pillar exercise, and we have found it eminently adequate in our own meditation sessions as a vehicle for attracting energy from higher levels. We have also used the following ritual, which may differ from some of the other Middle Pillar meditations in current use, but which, again, we have personally found to be highly effective.
What is for us of prime consideration is to keep in mind at all times that it is advisable to carry one’s at-
tention and concentration beyond the so-called “ninth hour” or “gate” of the Name of Yahweh—which relates to mere generalizations on the “theory of creation”—in order to receive revelation direct from the living “messengers of light” of Yahweh/Yeho-wah in a truly personal way.
Hebrew Meditation 4 The Middle Pillar
Stand erect, with feet slightly apart, and hold a mental image of a pyramid of perfect protective golden light, its apex just beyond the top of the head and extending downwards to encompass the entire body. Chant 6 or 12 times the words Qadosh, Qadosh, Qadosh, Adonai Tzeba'oth —[Qa-dosh, Qa-dosh, Qadosh, Ad-o-noy Tze-ba-ot’h]—“Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Hosts”:
Qadosh, Qadosh, Qadosh, Adonai Tzeba’oth (Repeat 6 or 12 times)
Now activate the Kether entry point for Divine Energy—the pure white light of the Shekinah—just beyond the crown of the head by intoning 6 or 12 times the God-name Ehyeh, “I Am,” pronounced Ay-yeh, followed by the name of the Archangel of the Presence, Metatron, who is connected with the Crown Sephira at the apex of the Pillar of Equilibrium:
Ehyeh Metatron (Repeat 6 or 12 times)
Feel the downward flow of Shekinah energy as a pure white light that enters at the top of the head. Direct the flow towards the back of the neck, the seat of
Da-ath or Knowledge. Become aware that the inflow of spiritual knowledge supersedes all physical knowledge. Chant 6 or 12 times the holy names Yahweh Elohim, pronounced Yah-weh El-oh-heem, meaning “Divine Lords of Light and Learning”:
Yahweh Elohim (Repeat 6 or 12 times)
Accept the energy of the Shekinah light into the heart, the center of Beauty or Tiphereth, and intone the Hebrew name of Jesus— Yeshua —and of the Archangel Michael [Mik-kah-eylu] 6 or 12 times:
Yeshua Michael (Repeat 6 or 12 times)
Move the balancing Shekinah energy down to the base of the spine and intone the phrase Shaddai El Chai [Shah-dai-i El Chai-i]—the Almighty Living God—followed by the name of Gabriel [Gah-bri-el], Archangel of the Sephira Yesod, the Foundation— again 6 or 12 times:
Shaddai El Chai Gabriel (Repeat 6 or 12 times)
Finally, bring the white light energy of the Holy Spirit down to a point between the feet, vocalizing 6 or 12 times the phrase Adonai HAretz [Ad-o-noy H’Ah-retzl—Lord of the Earth—followed by the name of the Archangel Sandalphon [Sahn-dal-fon]—who guards the Sephira Malkuth and holds at bay the forces of negativity, and who is the twin brother of the Archangel Metatron:
Adonai HAretz Sandalphon (Repeat 6 or 12 times)
As above, so below. The five Sephirotic centers are now truly aligned with the Shekinah force balanced between Metatron at the Crown or Kether and Sandal-phon at the Feet or Malkuth.
Hold this balance for a few moments and then begin slowly to raise the arms upwards and outwards— like the wings of a bird or an angel. While doing this, visualize emanations of light forming a coat of many colors around your body, starting at the feet—the color luminous red—moving towards the base of the spine— glowing yellow—upward to the heart—emerald green—to the back of the neck—royal blue—and, finally, above the head—the violet flame of cosmic order—and all of the myriad hues that fall between each of the five main colors. Lower the arms.
Clothed in the rainbow garments of the Zohar Body of the Shekinah Light, your human consciousness can now be raised to come into direct contact with the B'Nai Or, the Brotherhood of Light, and the B'Nai Elohim, the Teachers of Light, so that Divine Inspiration and Divine Energy will flow freely into your spirit, your soul, your mind, your body.
STAND THUS CLOTHED IN COLOR, IN SILENCE,
FOR 5 TO 10 MINUTES
If the meditation is to be closed at this point, use the following procedure (or go directly on to the next meditation).
Let go of the garment of many colors. Visualize a pyramid capstone of purple light at the crown of the head. Extend this purple light downward, enfolding the body in protective energy, and say 6 or 12 times:
Qadosh, Qadosh, Qadosh, Adonai Tzeba'oth (Repeat 6 or 12 times)
tk.
96 / Words of Power
The meditation that now follows was received inspirationally by Esther Crowley around eight years ago, and has been used by us very effectively in group meditations ever since. It is designed to anchor the Light flowing from On High and then distribute this energy out into the world.
The Shield referred to holds the shape of the Mogen David, the six-pointed Star of David, and is known in its fuller sense as “Shield of the Guardians of the Apocalypse.” Its function is to provide protection and healing on a global as well as on a personal level.
Jesus
Me 1ch1zedek
The Shield of the Guardians
Hebrew Meditation 5 Shield of the Guardians
Standing or seated, repeat the following affirmation:
I Am That I Am!
Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh!
We release the heart, mind and spirit, free of all limitation, into the infinite.
We call by name the Archangels:
Michael + Gabriel + Uriel + Raphael.
Our God is the God of Angels;
Our God is the God of Light.
Together with men, women and children, and interplanetary souls of like mind throughout the Universe, we, of collective mind, combine to project a Rainbow of Light:
to surround the country in which we reside; to link up with all countries;
to encircle the world; to encompass the Universe.
Peace is here; peace is now!
We live in our Zohar Bodies of Light in the New Jerusalem, united with God:
Yahweh... Yeshua... Shekinah... and with the B'nai Or, the Brotherhood of Light.
Now create a mental image of a huge, flaming six-pointed star consisting of two interlocking triangles or pyramids. This is the Shield of the Guardians of the Apocalypse, which, when activated from higher dimen-
sions of light, holds the entire planet under protection. Understand the symbolism involved: The downward-thrusting triangle or pyramid represents the inflow of Light and Love from the Creator’s Kingdom Above; the upward-thrusting triangle or pyramid symbolizes our human attempt to take ourselves off the cross of space and time so that we may co-exist with the Brotherhood of Light in the Higher Heavens. The Shield is activated by the sounding of the names of its Guardians. The downward-thrusting triangle is carried towards us by the power contained in the sacred names of: The Great Initiator, Melchizedek [Mel-ki-tzedek]; the Angel of the Presence, Metatron [Me-ta-tron]; and the Angel who is both the Builder and the Protector of our part of the Universe, Michael [Mik-kah-eylu]. Repeat each of these names three times:
Melchizedek ... Melchizedek ... Melchizedek Metatron ... Metatron ... Metatron Mik-kah-eylu ... Mik-kah-eylu ... Mik-kah-eylu
The power of the upward-thrusting triangle that takes us off the cross of space and time is activated by the sacred names of the Christ or Messianic Trinity: Moses, Jesus and Elijah— Moishe, Yeshua and Eliahu [Moi-she, Ye-shu-ah, Eli-ah-hoo]:
Moishe ... Moishe ... Moishe Yeshua ... Yeshua ... Yeshua Eliahu ... Eliahu ... Eliahu
As we chant once again these six great names of power, we visualize the Shield of the Guardians vibrating with energy, as it extends to enormous size and forms a protective shield over the entire planet Earth:
Melchizedek Melchizedek Melchizedek
Metatron ... Metatron... Metatron
Mik-kah-eylu... Mik-kah-eylu Mik-kah-eylu
Moishe... Moishe ... Moishe Yeshua ... Yeshua ... Yeshua Eliahu ... Eliahu ... Eliahu
Begin to visualize Soldiers of Light descending from on high—ten... one hundred... one thousand ... ten thousand... a hundred thousand... one million... ten million Soldiers of Shining Light—and they join forces with us to enfold the planet with Light and Love. The flow of energy now settles and the great Shield of Protection and Healing is in place, resonating all the time with the energy grid system of planet Earth. Going right into the silence, we intone the word Shalom —Peace—softly six times:
Shalom ... Shalom ... Shalom Shalom ... Shalom ... Shalom
ENTER INTO SILENT MEDITATION FOR 5 TO 10 MINUTES
Now come out of the silence using the great word of peace again six times:
Shalom ... Shalom ... Shalom Shalom ... Shalom ... Shalom
Hold the form of a pyramid capstone of purple light at the seventh center at the crown of the head. Extend this purple light downward, over the body, enfolding it in protective energy. This purple pyramid of protection can be renewed by an act of will at any time.
Amen ... Amen ... Amen ... and Amen!
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8. WORDS OF POWER IN ANCIENT EGYPT
Behold these words of power are mine ...
—Tem-Khepera The Papyrus of Ani, The Book of the Dead
The ancient Hebrews had an important and strong connection with the Land of the Nile from the time of Joseph of the coat of many colors and before, through Moses and the Exodus. Jesus was, of course, another notable Jew to fall under the Egyptian influence early in his life.
With its awe-inspiring pyramids, mystifying sphinx and numerous other massive stone monuments at places like Thebes, Karnak, Luxor and Abu Simbel, Egypt has long been regarded as a land of marvel and mystery. In ancient times, the land of Khemt (literally “black”—the color of the River Nile mud) was an acknowledged home of gods, men and magicians who used words of power, or hekau, to create specified natural and supernatural effects.
The famous Egyptian Book of the Dead contains numerous references, including entire chapters, devoted to spells and charms of influence and command. Indeed, the Egyptians believed that words were concrete things, and if an individual’s personal words of power were stolen, that person would become vulner-
102 ! Words of Power
able to all manner of abuse and attack.^
Teta and His Words of Power
One of the thousands of old papyrus scrolls translated by Egyptologists tells a marvelous story about a certain disciple of the god Thoth. A sage and magician of great repute, Teta, who was already 110 years old, allegedly ate 500 bread-cakes and a side of beef and drank 100 draughts of beer each day.
Because of the old man’s ability to perform amazing acts using selected magical words, he was brought before Khufu, second King of the 4th Dynasty, more familiar as Cheops, builder of the Great Pyramid at Giza, near Cairo. Khufu was seeking a lost papyrus roll on which was inscribed words of power used by the great pyramid builder Imhotep, constructor of the Step Pyramid at Saqqara. These spells of Imhotep were believed to safeguard a pyramid against all forms of natural or supernatural calamity. This negative activity was usually attributed to Set, the Evil One.
Apart from his prodigious eating habits, and among numerous other astounding abilities, Teta, the venerable adept in Thothian mysteries, was capable of wielding complete influence over wild beasts. He was also said to be able to join to its body a head that had been completely severed, by using certain words of power.
Khufu’s son Herutataf (himself famous as a learned man) brought Teta to his father after a lengthy journey by boat and litter. As a start to what was to be a dramatic sequence of events, the Egyptian ruler then ordered that a condemned prisoner be beheaded so that the old man could demonstrate his powers. Teta, however, begged of the King that a goose be used in-
Words of Power in Ancient Egypt 1103
stead, so saving the prisoner.
The bird’s head was duly severed and laid on one side of the King’s chamber, with the body of the goose placed on the other side of the room. The ancient sage then began to utter a string of potent phrases and, to the amazement of all present, the goose sprang up and waddled directly towards its head—which itself began to move towards the body—eventually to rejoin its owner.
The papyrus transcript then tells us that the bird stood up and cackled.
The magician Teta repeated his wonderful feat for King Khufu, using another bird described on the papyrus as a het-a-a bird. He then performed the miracle for a third time, now using his magical words to replace the severed head of an ox.
Finally, Teta instructed Khufu regarding the lost papyrus of Imhotep, which the old man suggested was hidden in a casket of flint in the great Temple of Amen-Ra at Heliopolis. He also told the Pharaoh that the one who finally discovered the casket would first dedicate three marvelous pyramids that would stand to the end of time, and then himself sit on the throne of Egypt. Teta also identified the family from which the finder would come, which person Khufu immediately had brought to live under his protection.
User-kaf, eldest son of the family in question, did indeed discover the missing casket of flint and the papyrus roll of Imhotep. As a young priest, he read Imhotep’s famous words of power at the dedication of the Great Pyramid of Khufu, and again at the dedication of the pyramids built for the two sons of Khufu who followed him as pharaohs—Khaf-ra and Menkau-ra. Following the death of Menkau-ra, the patient User-kaf, in fulfillment of the prophecy of Teta the magician, be-
104! Words of Power
The Ibis-headed Thoth—scribe of the gods, inventor of hieroglyphics, and the deity who pronounced the words that brought about creation. The inscription top right reads medu-neter, “words of god,” the Egyptian symbol for hieroglyphics.
Words of Power in Ancient Egypt 1105
came first Pharaoh of the 5th Dynasty.
The three great pyramids of Khufu, Khaf-ra and Menkau-ra were to become regarded as the first of the Seven Great Wonders of the ancient world, and stand to this day, 5,000 years later, as further vindication of the prophecies of Teta, user of words of power and disciple of Thoth, who spoke the words that started creation.