And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask anything in my name, I will do it.

One of Jesus’ most oft-quoted statements relates to drawing down of his energy and presence into any place where people meet in his name; Matthew 18:20 refers:

For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

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However, according to all of the four main Gospels, Jesus always makes it overwhelmingly clear that he had come to perform his ministry strictly in the name of the Father. In Matthew 7:21-23, he places definitive emphasis on the necessity of being absolutely true at all times to the will of God, which goes far beyond mere use of Jesus’ own name, as a prerequisite to spiritual progress.

In the Name of the Father

Before and after its official ban in Temple worship, the four-lettered Holy Name of God enjoyed widespread secret use in ancient times. This is confirmed in the Sefer ha-Razim (“The Book of Secrets”), a Jewish magical work of the late Roman era, and in Origen’s Contra Celsum, which describes the magical power of certain Jewish formulae as well as the power of the name of Jesus when used in the realm of the spirits. As has been the case with the name of Jesus for the past 1900-plus years, the Tetragrammaton has been an essential ingredient in countless spells and exorcisms used by pagan, Jew and Christian alike—from long before the birth of Jesus, through the Middle Ages, and right up to the modern era.

In his intriguing book Jesus the Magician, Morton Smith, professor of history at Columbia University, postulates that Jesus “did his miracles and even raised himself from the dead by magical use of the divine Name, the greatest of all spells.”^

It is quite clearly stated in the New Testament (and in many of the so-called apocryphal books, or texts of doubtful authenticity) that, as was most probably the case with Moses and other great Hebrew sages of the past, Jesus frequently used the Ineffable Name of

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God in his invocations—and instructed his disciples to follow his example.

John 17:25-26, provides a classic instance:

O righteous Father, the world has not known thee: but I have known thee— And I have declared unto them your name, and I will declare (it); that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.

Jesus the Miracle Worker

By all accounts, Jesus the Nazarene was a miracle worker of remarkable achievement, perhaps unsurpassed by any other in that his reputed miracles involved bringing back from the dead, not only other persons, but Jesus himself.

Traditional scriptures relate that in addition to demonstrating this profound life-restoring power Jesus healed the sick and lame by the score, cast out devils and exorcized unclean spirits aplenty, walked on water, stilled a terrible storm at sea, once fed 5,000 people with five loaves of bread and a few fishes, and even turned water into wine. Apocryphal Gnostic texts list many more of Jesus’ miracles, with a number of the healings and exorcisms described including the use of special words to accomplish specific effects. According to Morton Smith, the method used by Jesus to exorcise unclean spirits might have involved spells actually screamed out by him, plus a certain amount of gesticulation which matched the mad in their fury—this being normal practice for magicians of the time. There is an allusion to this possibility in Mark 3:21 in which Jesus is described as being “beside himself.” He is then immediately accused by some scribes from Jerusalem (Gali-

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lean Pharisees in one account) as being himself possessed by the demon Beelzebub, the “prince of devils.” Jesus immediately corrected them by asking pointedly: “How can Satan cast out Satan?”

As it was (and still is) the custom among exorcists to call an evil spirit by its name, if that name is known, it is quite possible that Jesus, in this instance, might have used the name Beelzebub in his cleansing invocation.

When Jesus performed his well-tabulated exorcism in the country of the Gerasnes near Galilee (Mark 5:1-20; Matthew 8:28-34; Luke 8:26-39) involving the driving of demons from a man (one account says two men) into a herd of swine, he first asked of the supposed possessing spirit: “What is thy name?” The reply came: “My name is Legion—for we are many.” The fact that Jesus was able to get the spirit/spirits to reveal a name was in itself remarkable, for, as we have learned in our study of Egyptian names of power, possession of any entity’s secret name gave the holder absolute command over that entity.

Jesus also appears as a miracle worker in the Islamic holy book, the Qur'an. A notable instance occurs in sura (or chapter) 5 in which the founder of Christianity, when still a child, is described as breathing life into the clay figurine of a bird. Tradition says that he made several figures of sparrows and other birds for his playmates, which flew about or stood on his hands as he ordered them and also ate and drank at his command. The Qur'an, incidentally, confirms the virgin birth of Jesus and claims that he began to speak while still in Mary’s womb and as a baby in the cradle. However, according to the Muslims’ holy book, Jesus was not crucified “but was represented by one in his likeness” on the cross (sura 4).

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Words of Power Used by Jesus

Once, when Jesus was visiting Capernaum, a Roman centurion came to him and implored that the Jewish healer cure his servant, who was at home, sick of the palsy. When Jesus agreed to come with him to heal the man, the centurion stopped him, claiming that his home was not a worthy place for such as Jesus. Matthew 8:8 continues the story, with the Roman going on to say:

... but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.” (our emphasis)

Marveling at the centurion’s great faith, Jesus complied, and the Roman went home to find his servant cured. The New Testament scribe Matthew does not reveal the actual word spoken by Jesus on this occasion, but one of the most singular healing miracles by Jesus involving a known word of power occurred when he once traveled inland towards Lake K’nesseret or the Sea of Galilee from the coastal direction of Tyre and Sidon.

At Decapolis on the Sea of Galilee, Jesus’ followers brought to him a pathetic deaf and dumb man with the request that the master lay his hand upon the man. Jesus proceeded to place his fingers in the deaf mute’s ears, and then spat and touched the man’s tongue (at the time spittle was considered efficacious in cases of diabolical possession—sometimes considered a reason for disease). The tale is continued in Mark 7:34:

And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, “Ephphata,” that is. Be opened. And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain.

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Pronounced ef-fafh-ah, the word used by Jesus on this occasion is of Aramaic origin and has its roots in the words pafhah (“to open” or “to loosen”) and pefhah (“an opening"’ or “a gate”).

Another Gospel according to St. Mark reference (5:41) records the words used by Jesus to revive the departed daughter of Jairus, one of the rulers of the synagogue at Decapolis. While Jesus and Jairus were on their way to see the stricken girl, news reached them that she was already dead. Jairus was distraught in his grief but was told by Jesus not to be afraid, but to believe. On arrival at Jairus’ house, amidst much weeping and wailing, Jesus upbraided the people gathered there for mourning the dead girl. He was laughed to scorn but, ignoring the throng outside the girl’s room, made her father and mother enter with him. Once inside, Jesus took the apparently dead girl by the hand and pronounced the words Talitha Koumi. To the amazement of all, the 12-year-old girl stirred, rose up immediately, and began walking, fully healed.

The word talWha means “fresh” or “young girl.” Koumi translates as “Arise!” Used together they would be pronounced something like ta-lee-t’ha koo-mee.

Talifha stems from the Aramaic / Chaldean taleh, or “lamb.” The derivation of the word koumi is the root word quwm, “to rise.”

In another case involving a raising-from-the-dead miracle, Jesus gave a simple command to the dead son of the widow of Nain: ‘Toung man, I say unto thee. Arise!”

What the aforementioned incidents seem to indicate is that Jesus sometimes used common-day words and phrases in his healing, but invested them with extraordinary authority and power. Of course, it also remains possible that he combined the words given in the

Gospels with the four-lettered Holy Name of God, but this fact has not been recorded—or was simply omitted somewhere along the line from our versions of the scriptures.

Resurrection—and Ascension

The Gnostic Pistis Sophia, a Coptic codex of the 5th and 6th centuries taken from a Greek original, is a work which details the supposed secret metaphysical teachings of Jesus given to a company that included some of his former Apostles, his mother Mary, Mary Magdalene, and Martha, sister to Lazarus (the man Jesus raised from the dead), when he returned to be among them after his resurrection. According to the text, Jesus was with them for eleven years following his ordeal on the cross.

The pages of the Pistis Sophia abound in descriptions of powerful mystical ceremonies using incantations. Included are the words alleged to have been used by Jesus in his own resurrection process and in the famous case of the raising of Lazarus, brother of Mary and Martha, from the dead (John 11:1-46 refers). This intriguing Aramaic phrase is given in the Pistis Sophia as Zama Zama Ozza Rachama Ozai, without any strictly literal translation offered.

The non-traditional Gnostic Gospels provide a variety of invocation and prayers allegedly used by Jesus when instructing his disciples and when guiding them through various stages of spiritual development. Another of the apocryphal books. The Book of the Resurrection of Christ by Bartholomew the Apostle, describes the scene when Jesus took his apostles up onto the Mount of Olives. Bartholomew relates: Jesus “spoke to us in an unknown tongue, which he revealed

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to us, sdiying: Anetharath {or Atharath Thaurath)” and then records that, following delivery of this mystical phrase of ascension, Jesus and the apostles proceeded to go up into the “Seventh Heaven.”^

Using the Name of Jesus

On several occasions down the years we have been called upon to perform exorcisms of one kind and another. An exorcism involves the expulsion by adjuration or other means of evil influences from a place or a person, and is, in effect, a form of ceremonial magic. The following simple formula which invokes the name of Jesus has proved to be one of the most effective ways to quickly combat and expel any form of negativity, from place or person:

In the Name of Jesus, Jesus, Jesus:

Let that which cannot abide depart!

(Repeat three times)

Such an invocation of the all-powerful name of Jesus might be compared in terms of power and potency with the Hebrew Qadosh, Qadosh, Qadosh, Adonai Tzebadth (see Chapter 6) and the Sanskrit Om Namah Sivaya (Chapter 13).

The Secret Name

There are schools of thought that consider either of the original Hebrew Yeshua or Yehoshua as the only possible correct forms of the name of the historical character generally known as Jesus. One of the strongest proponents of the name Yeshua for Jesus is the controversial orthodox Jewish Rabbi Simcha Pearlmutter,

formerly of Boston and Miami, but resident at Kibbutz Ir-Ovot in the Negev Desert, south of the Dead Sea, Israel, for some 20 years. Significantly, Ir-Ovot is at the site of the newly discovered ruins of the city of Tamar, described in Ezekiel (47:19 and 48:28) as the marker for the southeastern border ofEretz Israel^ the original land of Israel accorded by God to the Jews. It is also an important venue in relation to prophecy about the coming (or return) of the Messiah.

Rabbi Pearlmutter has caused quite a stir among both Jews and Christians by claiming that the patently orthodox Rabbi Yeshua of Nazareth was indeed a Messiah, was recognized as such by many orthodox Jews of his time, died on the cross, and was then resurrected. In his opinion, the Christianized Jesus is a distorted version of the original, exclusively Jewish personality. His own stated mission in life is to bring the Messiah of 2,000 years ago back into Judaism, and to reconcile Jew and Gentile by getting them to accept the original Yeshua.

The charismatic rabbi of Ir-Ovot points out that in ultra-orthodox editions of the Jewish prayer book, or Siddur, there are many key references to Yeshua/Jesus, including the very explicit Yeshua Kohen Gadol— ‘Y^eshua, the Great High Priest”—in the important Shofar Service of Rosh Hashanah, or New Year. Other references include an expression made up of the letters yod (comma) hey found in numerous places in the Sid-dur and a secret name, Yenon, in which the two letters nun replace the shin and ayin of the name Yeshua. These attempts to keep reference to Yeshua hidden were apparently prompted by the desire that the name of the true Jewish Messiah be not desecrated or profaned by the enemies of the Jews.

According to Rabbi Pearlmutter, the traditional

Jewish Pesachy or Passover Festival celebration of the Hebrews’ release from Egyptian bondage, is also an allegory for the death and resurrection drama of the Messiah Yeshua. That he has gained some acceptance for his ideas from other orthodox rabbis, from mainstream Jews, and even some Christians, is certainly food for thought. It is also, in a fashion, fulfillment of New Testament prophecy which relates to the acceptance of Jesus (Yeshua) by the Jews prior to the End of Times. Equally important would perhaps be a return to the correct Hebrew enunciation of the Messiah’s true name, Yeshua, as a word of power.

Adding a Letter to the Name of God

In Jewish lore, the three-pillared Hebrew letter shin ( ) is the symbol of Divine Power, and also of

Earthly Corruption. In addition, it represents a third element—the crossing-over point between the Human and Super-human, the bridge between earthly existence and existence in the Many Mansions of the Father’s Heavenly Kingdom. Shin is also clearly exemplified in the symbol associated with Yeshua or Jesus— the cross. Basically, shin stands for physical mastery and spiritual peace. In kabalistic terms its three pillars can be said to represent, on the right, the Chokmah or Wisdom of the Father Principle, on the left, the Binah or Understanding of the Mother Principle, with the central pillar embodying the qualities of both Chokmah and Binah to create the culminating point of the kabalistic Ets Cha-yim or Tree of Life, namely the Kether or Crown (of thorns?).

Another interpretation views the three separate units as alluding to the three worlds in which we reside: This World, the Messianic World, and the World

to Come. This transliteration refers to: The “body”— the vehicle used on Earth; the “soul”—the vehicle of Spiritual Transformation; and the “spirit”—the Spiritual Body of Light we need to create for ourselves in order to enter into and transverse the Higher Universes.

Moreover, when the letter shin is set as a central additional letter among the four letters that make up the Tetragrammaton, the Holy Name of God, a new name is formed, which can be vocalized as Yehoshua. This single-letter name alteration suggests that, apart from its accepted historical content and numerous religious and spiritual connotations, the life story of Yeshua/Yehoshua/ Jesus provides an allegorical mystery which portrays the method to be used by any individual for personal transformation from human into super-human, from earthly into heavenly, from body into spirit or Body of Light, via “crucifixion of the soul” on the “cross of space and time.”

16. THE LORD’S PRAYER

When thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father... Matthew 6:6

One of the most powerful invocations of all time, and in any language, remains the Lord’s Prayer, used daily by millions of people around the globe. According to the New Testament (Matthew 6:9-13; Luke 11:1-4), Jesus gave his disciples this important statement on being asked how they should pray. A recording of the events that led up to this occasion is of some relevance if one is to understand the importance placed by his followers on correct pra 3 dng.

During the reign of Emperor Hadrian at the start of the 2nd century C.E. (when Palestine was still under the yoke of Rome), Roman decree forbad use by the Jews of their beloved Sh'mah in public worship. The early pre-Nicene followers of Jesus were known as the Nazarenes and were, in effect, practicing Jews and members of what was then regarded as a somewhat heretical, but definitely Jewish, cult which based its religious observances on those used in the orthodox synagogue. There is, incidentally, some evidence that the town of Nazareth did not yet exist in the time of Jesus, appearing in the 3rd century—thus the popular

title “Jesus of Nazareth” is possibly incorrect. Some sources assert that the term Nazarene (which is the correct translation of the original Greek version of the New Testament reference) alludes to a specific Jewish religious and/or political party in Palestine during Jesus’ day.

Following the mentioned Hadrianic decree, the Nazarenes substituted the Sh'mah with the Lord’s Prayer, and the various elements contained in it can be aligned with Old Testament Jewish worship and with the Ten Commandments originally given to Moses.

Correspondences

Taking the most comprehensive version of the Lord’s Prayer, as given in Matthew 6, some of the correspondences with Jewish ritual liturgy are as follows:

Our Father who art in Heaven.

(One of three general forms of address in Jewish liturgy)

Hallowed he Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come.

(Parallels the Jewish Kaddish, Kedusha and Amidah —based on Ezekiel 38:23)

Thy will be done in Earth, as it is in Heaven.

(The Jewish Tosephta Berakoth 3:7)

Give us this day our daily bread.

(Parallels Proverbs 30:8: “... feed me with food convenient for me.”)

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

(The Jewish Amidah and Megillah)

And lead us not into Temptation,

But deliver us from Evil.

(Parallels the standard Jewish Morning Prayer) For Thine is the Kingdom, and the Power,

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and the Glory, For Ever. Amen.

(The Jewish Evening Prayer and I Chronicles 29:11: “Thine, O LORD is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, etc.”)

According to Solomon Ben Yehuda Ibn Gebirol and other early kabalists of note, correspondences between elements of the Lord’s Prayer and the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20) run approximately as follows (with the order of the 7th and 8th Commandments purposely transposed):

Our Father (First Commandment:

Thou shalt have no other gods before me.)

Who art in Heaven.

(Second Commandment:

Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image,

etc.)

Hallowed he Thy Name.

(Third Commandment:

Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in

vain.)

Thy Kingdom come.

(Fourth Commandment:

Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.)

Thy will be done in Earth,

(Fifth Commandment: Honor they father and thy

mother, etc.)

As it is in Heaven.

(Sixth Commandment:

Thou shalt not kill.)

Give us this day our daily bread.

(Eighth Commandment:

Thou shalt not steal.)

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

(Seventh Commandment:

Thou shalt not commit adultery.)

And lead us not into Temptation,

(Ninth Commandment:

Thou shalt not bear false witness, etc.)

But deliver us from Evil.

(Tenth Commandment:

Thou shalt not covet, etc.)

Earliest Text

The earliest known New Testament text, the Codex Sinaiticus, was first discovered in the mid-19th century in the monastery of St. Catherine at the foot of Mount Sinai and later brought to the attention of the world by a German scholar, Constantin Tischendorf. It includes a version of Mark’s Gospel which varies from the standard in a number of notable respects, including omission of any reference to the appearance of Jesus to his disciples after his Resurrection. The Codex Sinaiticus, which now rests in the British Museum, London, after first having been presented to Russian Tsar Nicholas II by the monks of Mount Sinai, also contains a truncated form of the Lord’s Prayer—which specifically excludes the normal closing phrase based on I Chronicles (“For thine is the kingdom, etc.”).^

It may be worthy of mention that the omitted portion is an important element in the Western hermetic tradition as it forms the key phrase of the so-called kabalistic cross used in occult and other ritual.

Father, Hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done, as in heaven, so upon earth.

Give us day by day our daily bread.

And forgive us our sins, as we ourselves also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And bring us not into temptation.

Hebrew Version

Listening to any Hebrew rendition of the great invocation known as the Lord’s Prayer is, musically, a marvelous experience that takes the listener and singer into a new dimension of participation in the use of the sacred Language of Light. Using a shortened form of the text, similar to that given in the Codex Sinaiticus version, a translation would run something like this:

Auenu Sh’ha-Sh’maiyim [A-vay-noo She-bah-Sh’mai-yeem] Yitkadash Shemeycha [Yit-ka-dash Shem-maiy-chah]

Tauo Malkutecha [Ta-voh Mal-khoo-taiy-chah] yasseh Retzoncha [Tah-seh Re-tzon-cha]

Kmo Ba-Sh'maiyim Kain BAretz [K’moh Bah-Sh’mai-yeem Kay-in B’Ah-retz]

Et Lechem Hukeynu Ten-Lonu Ha-Yom [Et Le-chem Hoo-kay-inoo Ten-Loh-noo Hah-Yom] ITSlach Lonu Et Houetheynu [Oo’slach Loh-noo Et Hoh-veht-t’hay-inu] KAsher Solachnu Gam Anachnu L’Ha Yaveynu [K’ah-sherr Soh-lach-noo Gum Ah-nach-noo L’Hah Yah-vaiy-noo]

Vi-al Tivi-Aynu Li-Y’Dey Nisa-Yon

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[Vih-ahl Tee-vee-Aiy-noo Li-Y’Daiy Nih-sah-Yohn] Ki Im Hal-Tzeynu Min Hara [Kee Eem Hahl-Tzaiy-noo Min Hah’rah]

Our Father who art in the heavens.

Hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done,

On earth, as it is in the heavens.

Give us this day our daily bread.

Forgive us our debts.

As we forgive our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation.

But deliver us from the evil ones.

The usual English version of the Lord’s Prayer, in full, is:

Our Father who art in Heaven,

Hallowed be Thy Name.

They Kingdom come.

They Will Be done.

On earth as it is in Heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our sins.

As we forgive those who sin against us;

And lead us not into temptation.

But deliver us from evil.

For Thine is the Kingdom, and the Power and the Glory, for Ever and Ever, Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer is only one of the many marvelous legacies left us by the personality known today as Jesus the Christ. The prophet Daniel once wrote: “They that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firma-

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ment.” (Daniel 12:3) Recorded history has yet to provide us with any one individual who has shone brighter than the Jewish Rabbi Yeshua bar Yosef, Jesus son of Joseph, whose unique message, on whatever level it is comprehended, has inspired so many millions since he walked and talked and taught in Palestine, nearly 2,000 years ago.

Greek and Latin Liturgy

The language of the New Testament is rich in expressions of great power, and Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholic liturgy is redolent with songs and prayers of praise, healing and redemption of great efficacy and beauty. There are many fine Greek affirmations relating to the coming together of Sophia (literally “Wisdom of Ultimate Things”) and Phronesis (practical application of wisdom) to achieve Sunesis, or personal “Unification.” Phrases incorporating such terms as Agape Christou (“Love of Christ”) and Agios Pneuma (“Holy Spirit”) can be utilized in a similar fashion to the chants and mantras of the Middle East and India.

But although the early members of the Christian Church were familiar with Greek expressions (and many of the apocryphal scriptures are written in that language), as a unifying force promoting a central focus for the Christian faith around the globe, Latin soon superseded Greek. Latin was last used as a lingua franca during the Middle Ages, in Byzantine times when Greek took over, but due to its continued use in the Roman Catholic Church, it has remained a living language.

The cornerstone of the Roman Catholic Church is its Credoy a statement of profound authority which, in

its declaration of the basic foundation of Roman Catholic faith, ranks some comparison with the Hebrew Sh'mah and the Muslim Kalimah:

Credo in unum Deum,

Patrem omnipotentum,

Factorem coeli et terrae,

Visibilium omnium, et invisibilium Et in unum Dominum Jesum Christum,

Filium Dei unigenitum Et ex Patre natum ante omnia saecula,

Deum de Deo, lumen de lumine,

Deum verum de Deo vero ...

I believe in one God the Father Almighty,

Maker of heaven and earth.

And of all things visible and invisible:

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God,

Begotten of his Father before all worlds,

God of God, Light of Light,

Very God of very God...

Very familiar to Roman Catholics will, of course, be the confession—the mea culpa. Taken from the Daily Missal, it reads:

Confiteor Deo omnipotenti, et omnibus Sanctis, quia peccavi nimis cogitatione, verbo et opere, mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.

I confess to Almighty God, and to all the saints,

that I have sinned exceedingly in thought,

word and deed, through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault.

Another famous Catholic chant, the Sanctus, is the Latin version of the Isaiah (6:3) and Revelation (4:8) texts, which describes the activity surrounding the throne of the Almighty (see Chapter 6 for the Hebrew version, Qadosh, Qadosh, Qadosh ...).

Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus,

Dominus Deus Sahaoth.

Pleni sunt coeli, et terra gloria tua.

Hosanna in excelsis.

Holy, holy, holy.

Lord God of Sahaoth.

Heaven and earth are full of thy glory! Hosanna in the highest.

It is also worth recording the Lord’s Prayer as it reads in Latin:

Pater Noster, qui es in coelis, sanctificetur nomen tuum:

Adveniat regnum tuum.

Fiat voluntas tua, sicut in coelo, et in terra.

Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie. Et dimitte nobis debita nostra.

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sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris;

Et ne nos inducas in tentationem, sed libera a nos a malo.

Our Father, which art in heaven,

Hallowed be thy Name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done, in earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses.

As we forgive them that trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation;

But deliver us from evil.

Mother of Christ

For the millions of adherents to the Catholic faith, ^ the name of Mary, mother of Jesus, has become almost as important as that of Jesus himself. For over 2,000 years the Virgin Mary has been venerated as the focal point of what has almost amounted to a separate cult. She has replaced the pagan mother goddess and provided a sympathetic and merciful face of Christianity as the mother who is always ready to intercede with God on behalf of her children in order to obtain forgiveness for their misdeeds. This has offered a sharp contrast to the harsh, hell-fire image of judgment and damnation created by the Church down the centuries in order to keep its flock in line.

Indeed, the Salve Regina, sung in Latin, O clemens, opia, O dulcio Maria (“O merciful, kind, sweet Mary”), has become, for Catholics, one of the most familiar and well-loved hymns of petition, and an invoca-

tion of some considerable power. So too has the Ai;e Maria, perhaps the most beautiful of all Roman Catholic chants:

Ave Maria, gratia plena,

Dominus tecum; benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Jesus.

Sancta Maria,

Mater Dei,

ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen

Hail Mary, full of grace! the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.

In closing this chapter, it might be appropriate to record the standard Latin Gloria used at the beginning and ending of most Catholic ritual:

Gloria Patri et Filio,

et Spiritui Sancto.

Sicut erat in principio et nunc et semper et in saecula saeculorum.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son

and to the Holy Ghost; As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen!

17. THE ISLAMIC CALL TO PRAYER

La ilaha illa-llah: Muhammedan rasul Allah! (There is no god but God: and Muhammed is the apostle of God!)

As we have touched on the traditions of the Jews and the Christians and their sacred chants, it would be appropriate to spend some time with the third great religious grouping that claims as an original founding father a singular, desert-dwelling man—Abraham, former resident of the city of Ur, the “City of Light,” whom the Muslims consider as neither Jew nor Christian but “an upright man who had surrendered himself to Allah” {Qur'an, sura 3:64).

Throughout the world, in the Arab countries, in India, and in every other land where Muslims dwell, the Kalimah, or principal Islamic profession of faith citing one God only called Allah and Muhammed as His messenger is repeated five times daily by the faithful— after they have removed their shoes, made their ablutions, and bowed low to the East towards Mecca. This potent phrase, which is used every day at pre-ap-pointed times, has constituted both the rock and the banner of Islam for over 1400 years. It also fired a period of phenomenal Muslim conquest and conversion across Asia, Africa and Europe during the first thou-

sand or so years of the existence of Islam as a religious system. Although continued territorial gains have since dwindled, Islam remains probably the fastest-growing faith in the world today.

La ilaha illa-llah: Muhammedan rasul Allah —

“There is no god but God: and Muhammed is the apostle of God.”

In the Name of Allah

The great Muslim sage Ibn Sina, also known as Avicenna and as physician and vizier at an Arab court, was a philosopher-scientist who was an acknowledged master of the religious sciences by age ten. His profound studies embraced philosophy, ontology and metaphysics. Ibn Sina described the Shahadah, the first fundamental formula of Islam, La ilaha illa-llah —“There is no god but God”—as translating even more fully to reveal that there is no power, agent or reality, if it is not The Power, The Agency, The Reality.

Jalal ud-Din Rumi, founder of the Muslim Sufi order known as the Dancing Dervishes, was a 13th-century Persian sage (he was actually born in Afghanistan in 1207) who has been described as possibly the greatest mystical poet of any age. Rumi took 43 years to compile his great work, the Masnaui. Among his numerous recommendations for a successful life for anyone who chooses a spiritual path was the observation:

When the day dawns, the night takes flight.

When the pure name (of Allah) enters the mouth, Neither does impurity nor the impure mouth remain.^

Rumi once told the story of a man in grave distress who was persuaded by Satan to cease calling on the name of Allah. When confronted by the saint Khizt, who asked why he no longer called upon the Mighty Name, the man replied that it was because he had never received the clear answer: “Here am I.” Khizt immediately chided the man because the mere fact that he had called upon “The Name” meant that Allah was already with him.

To further illustrate this concept, Rumi goes on to tell of a proud and wicked Pharaoh who was given by Allah excellent health, riches in abundance, and absolute dominion in the world. The Pharaoh, however, neglected to even once call upon the Holy Name, not even in thankfulness. Paradoxically, Allah withheld from the Pharaoh all pain and sorrow, leaving him with nothing at all to complain about, “Because pain and sorrow and loads of cares are the lot of God’s friends in the world.” The reasoning is that those who suffer are constantly reminded to seek union with their Creator. Rumi concludes:

The cries of those free from pain are dull and cold. The cries of the sorrowful come from the burning hearts.^

Islam

Other than to bring the human being into closer accord with the Supreme, one of the principal functions of most religions of the world has been to bestow some

Jalal ud-Din Rumi, author of the famous Sufi mystical book,

the MasnavL

The Islamic Call to Prayer ! 241

semblance of order on human life. This is especially true of Islam, one of the world’s three great monotheistic faiths—alongside Judaism and Christianity. Both of these religions claim the same starting point as Islam. The Arabic word islam comes from a root denoting “surrender” or “commitment.” Total commitment and surrender to the will of God as Allah (literally “The God”) is at the heart of the Islamic system. The phrase insha Allah, “if God wills,” is used incessantly in daily discourse. To the devout Muslim, God or Allah is at once the First (al-awwal) and the Last {al-akhia). Religion is the means whereby the faithful may return to their spiritual origin through participation in a threefold revelation: SharVah (the Sacred Law or Divine Will); Tariqah (the Path); and Haqiqah (the Truth).

Although all Muslims are expected to obey the Sacred Law to the letter, there are two discernible holy paths in Islam, the outward and the inward. In order to die in grace and enter into Paradise, it is enough for a person to live according to the SharVah and in surrender (islam) to the Divine Will. This is the outward path of Islam. However, those who wish to experience God on Earth follow the inward path, so as to enter into the more esoteric dimension of the Tariqah, which leads to Haqiqah, the Ultimate Truth.

Muhammed^ the Qur^an and the Ka^aba

Muhammed, founder of Islam, was born around 570 C.E. in Mecca, Arabia. His father died before he was born, his mother soon after. He was raised by his grandfather and later by an uncle. As a boy, Muhammed traveled with the trading camel caravans across the desert from Mecca to Syria. At 25 he married a rich widow, Khadija, who was 15 years his senior, but who

remained devoted to him and to his later cause. Although a pagan like most of the Arabs of his day (worshipping a variety of deities, local and universal), Muhammed early on came under the influence of Jewish and Christian teachings. He always enjoyed a reputation as a wise and honest man. He first received his call as a Prophet of God at the age of 40 when he was confronted one day by the Archangel Gabriel, who revealed to him what all Muslims believe to be the infallible “Word of Allah”—the Qur'an (or Koran), the holy book of the Islamic world.

Just as the twin external pillars of the Jewish faith are represented by a book, the Torah, and a building, the Temple, so, too, do the Muslims hold two similar objects sacred above all else—the Qur'an and the Ka'aba.

In Arabic the word qur'an means “the Recital” or “the Reading.” In the Muslims’ holy book, other than its opening verses in which Muhammed or the Angel Gabriel speaks in the first person, the narrator throughout is Allah himself. The Qur'an is arranged into chapters known as suras and contains not only religious, mystical and historical data but also practical instruction for the day-to-day running of any Muslim community. In essence, it preaches the Oneness of God and emphasizes divine compassion and forgiveness.

Mecca, where Muhammed was born, is to this day the site of the holy Ka'aba (literally “cube”), a massive granite-built structure, ten meters wide and fifteen meters high, in which is set a black stone said to have fallen from the heavens. This monument is regarded as the central shrine of Islam and is visited by many thousands of pilgrims each year. The Ka'aba is believed to have been built by Adam, the first of all men, then rebuilt by the common Islamic / Hebrew patriarch Abra-

ham, and finally restored by Muhammed, who destroyed more than 300 pagan idols housed within when he returned triumphantly to Mecca in the year 630. For Muslims, theKa'aha is the center of being. In Sufi mystical terms, anyone who turns towards Mecca and the Ka'aha symbolically makes an inward return in a reintegration of the finite individual self with the infinitude of the Divine Self.

Muhammed died in the year 632, two years after the conquest by his followers of his city of birth and the consolidation of Islam as a vibrant new religion. He had turned to Mecca two years previously only after having first chosen Jerusalem as the center for his new faith. He was, however, rejected by the Jews there, whom he had initially hoped to convert.

Comparisons with Judaism

There are, indeed, many close comparisons between Islam and Judaism. Of the 25 prophets listed in the Qur'an, 19 are from Jewish scripture, including Abraham, common first forefather of both Arab and Jew (and perforce of Christians, because of their own Jewish heritage). In Hebrew, the name Abraham {Ibrahim in Arabic) means “father of the nations.” Abraham’s appearance on the scene around 2000 B.C.E. was to alter the whole course of history—for out of the Judaism which eventually became the religion of his descendants was born both Christianity and Islam. Many Muslim dietary and social laws also parallel closely the equivalent customs and beliefs of the Jews.

Jesus, founder of Christianity, also features prominently in the pages of the Qur'an, although mainly as a revered prophet of high standing and not directly as the Son of God. However, in sura 3 of the

Qur'an the advent of Jesus is described in the following interesting terms: “Verily the likeness of Jesus in the sight of God (Allah) is as the likeness of Adam: he created him out of dust, and then said unto him ‘Be'; and he was.”

The Call to Daily Prayer

Fundamental to the daily practice of Islam is salat, or daily prayers. Salat is one of the five acknowledged major pillars of Muslim observance. The others are: arkan (profession of the Muslim creed); sawm (fasting); hadj (pilgrimage to Mecca); and zakat (tithing to aid the underprivileged). Some traditions add a sixth pillar— -jihad —and interpret the word to denote “holy war.” A more accurate translation of jihad places it as an expression specifically illustrating the eternal inner spiritual battle (the “striving”), rather than the outward war of conquest and conversion (the “lesser jihad").

Although all of the other fundamental pillars of Islam may be attended to at some time or another, the one practice common to all faithful Muslims every single day is the call to prayers. To establish the fact that prayer is the express duty of the believer, the name of Allah and his Prophet Muhammed are spoken into the ear of each Muslim baby soon after birth. When a Muslim child reaches the age of four years and four days, a ceremony called Bismillah takes place, at which ritual the child is taught the principal introductory phrase prefacing each of the suras of the Qur'an, bar one: Sura 9—“Repentance.” According to traditional commentators, sura 9 does not begin with the Bismillah because it is in fact an extension of sura 8, “Spoils.”

The Bismillah runs as follows:

Bismillah al-rahman, al-rahim

In the name of Allah, the Compassionate,

the Merciful.

For the record, it can be noted that in Arabic pronunciation the letter (/am), when used as a final letter of the definitive article in front of certain consonants, is elided into a sound approximating “r.” Thus the appellations al-rahman and al-rahim would sound more like “ar-rahman” and “ar-rahim.” Most other rules are similar to those for Hebrew.

The Bismillah can be equated with the Hebrew sacred phrase Adonai Adonai El-rahum ve-hammun — “Lord, Lord, merciful and compassionate.” The two divine appellations, al-rahman and al-rahim, are derived from the same root rahama. Al-rahman symbolizes the transcendent mercy of Allah; al-rahim is its earthly manifestation.

An Arabic prayer known as the Tawhid (the term means “Unity at once with the Divine and with all things” indicating a true relationship with God) is a favorite of many who attend the five-times-a-day Muslim prayer sessions. This prayer alludes to the oneness of Allah with all creation. His eternal presence, and His almighty omnipotence. It runs as follows:

Qol hua Allahu achaol Allahu as-samad Lam yalid wa-lam yulad Wa-lam yaqul lahu kufwan achad

Translation:

Say: He is Allah the One! Allah the eternally besought of all!

He begetteth not nor was begotten.

And there is none comparable to him.

The five-times-a-day Muslim call to prayer is known as adhan and is traditionally given by a muezzin from the minaret, or tower, of the mosque, or mas-jid. Masjid means literally “a place for prostration,” but the mosque is much more than just a meeting house for prayer. It is a place for worship, school, council chamber, law court and community center, and an indispensable part of the life of any Muslim community.

The Mystical Path

Sufism is the name given to the metaphysical expression of Islam, and the Sufis have played a vital role in Muslim history and theology, especially in Muslim literature. One probably erroneous legend tells us that the term Sufi is taken from the word suf —a plain woolen garment said to have been worn by Islam’s early mystics. Another possible derivation is the expression Sa fa, “he was pure.” But according to Idries Shah, author of The Way of the Sufi and other notable books on the subject, the actual sound or mantra SSSUUUFFF, derived from a combination of the Arabic letters soad, wao and fa, is the root for the expression Sufi simply because of its direct effect upon the organized mental activity of any individual. Moreover, Muslims who follow this mystical path will not refer to themselves as Sufis, this, according to Idries, being a term coined in Germany in 1821 . Idries refers to the expression Mutassawif as being nearer the correct one, which is confirmed by another well-known contemporary writer on Sufism, Seyyed Hossein Nasr, who uses

The Islamic Call to Prayer ! 247

the term Tasawuwuf —both versions meaning roughly “he who strives to be a Sufi.”^

Idries Shah, incidentally, was born into a family that traces itself through the Prophet Muhammed and beyond, back to the year 122 B.C.E., which is possibly the oldest recorded lineage on Earth.

Stages of Spiritual Progress

According to Sufi precepts, there are three stages of spiritual progress:

* Sair ita-Ilah: progress towards God—a stage which leads towards fana (“annihilation”), the Sufi equivalent of the Hindu Nirvana.

* Sair fi-Ilah: progress in God—the various stages of fana.

* Sair'ani-Ilah: progress beyond God—the attainment of fana or permanent “non-being.”

The final state of “non-being” can be reached only through direct experience. It cannot be attained indirectly or intellectually. The four basic Sufi practices on the mystical path are Dhikr: remembrance, or repetitive chanting of the name of Allah; Riyadat: constant and rigorous fasting; Inkisar: detachment from the worlds of illusion and conditioning; and Subha: consciousness of the Absolute reached only through “annihilation.”

Of the four basic mystical practices required to reach “progress beyond God,” the first, known as Dhikr, involves repetition of the Supreme Divine name of Allah as a kind of rhythmic breathing—with no restriction placed on when or how often this practice of “remembrance” should be made. Although the Sufis

248 / Words of Power

may use other invocations to promote mystical union with Allah (for instance, Hu el-haiy el quaiyum —“He, the living, the Self-Subsistent”), it is said that all other invocations and litanies become redundant when placed alongside the Name of Divine Majesty.

For the Sufi, mere repetition of the Name of Allah is not sufficient unless the act is backed up by fulfillment of all other obligations of the Muslim Holy Tradition. The invocation of the Name itself, although the most powerful of all rites, is only acceptable to God when all of the other traditional prerequisites have been met.

Before moving on to a discussion of the many Names of Allah as related to the practice of Dhikr, it may be of some passing interest to note here that it has been claimed that certain Western Masonic rituals, words and terms can often be “decoded” by using Sufi mystical systems. Celebrated Jewish sages who lived in Spain under Muslim domination during the 12th century and beyond most certainly came under the influence of Sufi schools, and nearer to our present time that enigmatic mystic and teacher G. I. Gurdjieff made no secret of the links his teachings had with Sufism, particularly with the branch dominated by the so-called whirling dervishes. Moreover, Father Cyprian Rice, a Catholic priest, has even proposed in his book The Persian Sufis that there are Catholic mystics and academicians who ascribe to the possibility that a future purpose of Sufism will be to “make possible a welding of religious thought between East and West.”'^

18. MANY NAMES OF ALLAH

The real nature of intelligence is ultimately

to come to realize that there is only one Absolute Reality.

—Seyyed Hossein Nasr

Islamic legend tells of the day the famous Sheikh Bayezid Bastami was asked: “Which is the greatest name of Allah?” The Sheikh retorted: “Communicate thou to me His least name, that I may give it thee in return as His greatest.”

The venerable Sheikh’s inference was, of course, that all the many names of Allah are of equal importance.

There have been claims that there are in total 3,000 names of Allah. One thousand of them are known only to the Angels; a further one thousand are known only to the Prophets; three hundred are found in the pages of the Hebrew Torah and three hundred in the Psalms of David; while another three hundred occur in the New Testament.

There are, however, according to most references, just 99 known names of Allah mentioned in the Qur'an. These are called Asma al-Husna, the “Excellent Names,” with one hidden name known to Muslims as Ism Allah al-a'zam, “The Greatest name of Allah”—the name which is khafa, concealed, mysterious. It is said

“Allah!”

Many Names of Allah 1251

that anyone who reads the Qur’an right through will unwittingly sound the hidden Holy Name.

The 99 Names

There are several lists available noting the alleged 99 names of Allah, but they are not all consistent, there being some argument over what actually represents a Name of Allah. The following list is taken from The Gospel of Islam by Duncan Greenlees:^

1. Allah (The Self-Subsisting); 2. Ar-Rahman (The Gracious); 3. Ar-Rahim (The Merciful); 4. Al-Malik (The Master); 5. Al-Quddus (The Holy); 6. As-Salam (The Peace); 7. Al-Mu’min (The Faithful); 8. Al-Muhaimin (The Guardian); 9. Al-Azim (The Infinite); 10. Al-Jabbar (The Strong); 11. Al-Mutakabbir (The Superb); 12. Al-Khaliq (The Creator); 13. Al-Bari (The Shaper); 14. Al-Musawwir (The Fashioner); 15. Al-Ghaffar (The Forgiver); 16. Al-Qahhar (The Almighty); 17. Al-Wahhab (The Bestower); 18. Ar-Razzaq (The Provider); 19. Al-Fattah (The Victorious); 20. Al-Alim (The All-Knowing); 21. As-Sari (The Swift); 22. Al-Basit (The Wide-Spreading); 23. Al-Khafiz (The Abaser); 24. Ar-Rafi (The Exalter); 25. Al-Mu’izz (The Blissful); 26. Al-Muzill (The Giver of Shade); 27. As-Sami (The Hearer); 28. Al-Basir (The Seer); 29. Al-Hakim (The Wise); 30. Al-Fasil (The Decider); 31. Al-Latif (The Subtle); 32. Al-Khabir (The Aware); 33. Al-Halim (The Considerate); 34. Al-Aziz (The Mighty); 35. A1 Ghafir (The Pardoner); 36. Ash-Shakur (The Grateful); 37. Al-Ali (The Sublime); 38. Al-Kabir (The Great); 39. Al-Hafiz (The Protector); 40. Al-Hasib (The Reckoner); 41. Al-Jamil (The Beautiful); 42. Al-Karim (The Noble); 43. Ar-Raqib (The Watcher); 44. Al-Mujib (The

Answerer); 45. Al-Wasi (The All-Embracing); 46. Al-Hakim al Mutlaq (The Absolute Judge); 47. Al-Wadud (The Loving); 48. Al-Majid (The Glorious); 49. Ash-Shadid (The Stern); 50. Ash-Shahid (The Witness); 51. Al Haq (The Truth); 52. Al-Wakil (The Defender); 53. Al-Qawiy (The Powerful); 54. Al-Matin (The Firm); 55. Al-Wali (The Friend); 56. Al-Hamid (The Praiseworthy); 57. Al-Qabil (The Acceptor); 58. Al-Badi (The Originator); 59. Al-Muhit (The Surrounder); 60. Al-Muhyi (The Giver of Life); 61. Al-Mumit (The Giver of Death); 62. Al-Haiy (The Living); 63. Al-Qayyim (The Eternal); 64. Al-Yu’id (The Affectionate); 65. Al-Wahid (The One); 66. As-Samad (The Resource of All); 67. Al-Qadir (The Capable); 68. Al-Muquit (The Support); 69. Al-Qarib (The Near); 70. Al-Muakhkhar (The Latter End); 71. Al-Awwal (The First); 72. Al-Akhir (The Last); 73. Az-Zahir (The Manifest); 74. Al-Batin (The Unmanifest); 75. Al-Wuli (The Assister); 76. Al-Muta’al (The Exalted); 77. Al-Barr (The Just); 78. At-Tauwab (The Relenting); 79. Al-Ghafur (The Forgiving); 80. Al’Affuw (The Mild); 81. Ar-Rauf (The Pitiful); 82. Malikul-Mulki (The Master of the Kingdom); 83. Dhuj-Jalal wa Akram (The Mighty and Glorious); 84. Al-Ghalib (The Triumphant); 85. Al-Ghaniy (The Absolute); 86. Al-Mughniy (The Enriched); 87. Al-Maula (The Befriender); 88. An-Nafi (The Profitable); 89. An-Nasur (The Helper); 90. An-Nur (The Light); 91. Al-Hadi (The Leader); 92. Ar-Raziq (The Sustainer); 93. Al-Baqiy (The Everlasting); 94. Al-Azaliy (The Purifier); 95. Ar-Rashid (The Pioneer); 96. Al-Malik (The King); 97. Al-Ghafaw (The Benign); 98. Dhul-Fadli (The Generous); 99. Rabbul-Alamin (The Providence or Lord of all Creatures).

In line with the controversy over definition, the above list differs somewhat from that given in a more

recent English-language book on the Names of Allah: Ninety-Nine Names of Allah by Shems Friedlander (with al-Haij Shaikh Muzaifereddin).^

Sounding the Names

Repetition of specific names of Allah is believed to produce varying effects and benefits for the devout chanter. For example:

* Sounding of the phrase Ya-Rahman (God The Beneficent) 100 times is said to result in the acquisition of a good memory and freedom from care and worry.

* Calling out Ya-Salaam (The Source of Peace) 160 times to anyone who is ill will bring him or her to health.

* Repetition of Ya-Mutakabbir (God The Majestic) by a man before having intercourse with his wife will see him blessed by Allah with a righteous child.

* Devout use of Ya-Ghaffar (God the Forgiver) will result in forgiveness of all sins.

* Calling out the name Ya-Fattah (God The Opener) will result in the heart of the petitioner being opened for victory to be bestowed by Allah. (Significantly, A/-Fa^^a/i was the name chosen by Yasir Arafat for the military arm of his Palestine Liberation Organization [PLO].)

* For personal protection, calling out the name Ya-Hafiz (God the Preserver) 16 times is recommended.

* Anyone in trouble who cares to repeat the name Ya-Sabur (God The Patient) 3,000 times will be rescued from his or her difficulty.

Some Muslims recite successive Divine Names of Allah while running a string of beads through their fingers, much in the manner of a Christian Roman Catholic. The many asma, or names of Allah, highlight the multifaceted sifat^ or attributes of the One God. They may also be said to parallel to some extent the qualities of the pantheon of deities found in, for instance, the Hindu and Egyptian religious systems and the many aspects of God found in the Christian gallery of saints and martyrs.

Some Strange Events

Sufis and other Muslim mystics place great store in the power generated during majalis adh-dikhr, sessions at which litanies invoking the Divine Names are chanted. In many orders sacred dance is also performed as is the case with the Mawlawi tariquah, the “whirling dervishes” of Turkey and elsewhere.

One of the authors has been a witness at several such gatherings—but with a difference and usually by invitation only—by so-called khalifa groups from among the large community of Muslims of Malay origin living in Cape Town, South Africa. Their forebears were brought there as slaves by the Dutch East India Company during the late 1600s, and later as political exiles when the British ruled the Cape. They have mixed little with other races and have, for the most part, remained devout Muslims noted for their law-abiding character and high set of morals. The religious ceremony concerned is known by Cape Malays as Ratiep and was originally designed to prove the

strength of Allah over the material flesh. The leader of the group, usually a Sheikh who has been to Mecca, is known as the Khalifa (caliph or vice-regent). At these sessions involving incessant chanting and beating of ghomma drums and tambourines, participants slash themselves with razor-sharp swords and pierce their faces, tongues and other parts of their bodies with red-hot skewers—without any blood being drawn or any scar or mark being left once the swords or skewers are withdrawn! The performance can last an hour or a night, depending on the mood of the performers, and cannot be interrupted. At the end, the chanting and beating of drums and tambourines ceases on a single note and a sudden, almost tangible silence fills the air.

For the reader’s interest. Cape Town is rich in its Islamic heritage, and the city is almost encircled by a string of karamats, Muslim holy burial places, some placed high on mountain paths on the massive Table Mountain and its accompanying Signal Hill overlooking the city. These tombs of especially holy persons have been buried beneath colossal stone slabs, and miniature mosques, some quite grand, have been built over the resting places. Muslims of our acquaintance have affirmed that the positioning of these buildings will forever ensure the safety of the city from any great catastrophe. This claim is based on the prophetic words of a famous seer. Sheikh Khardi Abdusalem, sent from Turkey over 250 years ago to lead the then straying Cape Malay community back onto the path of Islam:

Be of good heart my children, and serve your masters; for one day your liberty will be restored to you, and your descendants will live within a circle of karamats safe from fire, famine, plague, earthquake and tidal wave.

256 ! Words of Power

In vindication of Sheikh Abdusalem’s prophecy, the Malays of the Cape were long ago freed from direct slavery and, as we enter the 1990s, it seems as if they will sometime soon at last become truly free people in a democratic society.

The magical influences surrounding the karamats of the Cape Peninsula are well known and they are favorite places for prayer and meditation. More than 20 years ago, during a particular early evening session of simple chanting of the Holy Names inside one of these mosque-like buildings (it may even have been the tomb of Khardi Abdusalem), just as the setting sun became lost behind Table Mountain, some who were present (including the teller of this tale) were stunned when, during a high point in the chanting, an unlit candle set in the mihrab, a wall niche common to all mosques, suddenly burst into flame as if lit by an unseen hand. No one was sitting within three or four feet of the candle, and there was simply no way in which the event could have been rigged. Regular participants in these rituals took it all as a matter of course. Although the sun was setting fast when they had arrived and there was no electricity for lighting, none of them had even bothered to bring along a box of matches!

The Name of Essence

Returning to discussion of the singular name Allah, the Sufi sage Najm al-Din al-Kubra once noted that the letter ha in the Divine Name is the sound we make with every breath. This sound is contained in Allah s “Name of the Essence,” Huwa (He), and turns the very act of living and breathing into a perpetual invocation. A comparison can be made here with the Hebrew letter hey, which appears twice in the Tetragram-

Many Names of Allah ! 257

maton, and with the “h” sound in the Hindu so-called “Mantra of the Breath”— Soham-Hamsa (see Chapter 22 ).

It also can be recorded that in certain Sufi coordinated breathing techniques sounding of the Shahadah (Name of Allah) is taken through the seven lataif, which approximate the seven chakras.

The other letters in the Arabic spelling of Allah— alif and lam —are said to represent intensified definite articles emphasizing the uniqueness of God. The central core of the name of Allah is, therefore, the ha, which automatically places the power of God over our every breath and makes the whole of life dependent upon constant utterance of the Holy Name.

All of the major Muslim invocations of importance embrace use of the name of Allah in one form or another. Phrases like Allahu Akbar (“Allah is Great”) and Al-hamdu lillahi rabbi Valamin (“All praise belongs to Allah, Lord of All the Worlds”) carry for Muslims tremendous evocative power. The muezzin's five-times-daily call to prayer highlights this total dedication to Allah and His name by the followers of Islam:

Allah akhbar Ashhadu anna La ilaha illa-llah Muhammedan rasul Allah hayya ila s-salat hayya il l-fehah Ses-salat kher min en-num

Allah akhbar la ilaha illa-llah!

God is greatest:

I testify that there is no god but God!

and Muhammed is the apostle of God!

Up to prayer;

Up to salvation.

Prayer is better than sleep.

God is greatest:

There is no God but God!

As a final comment, would it not be marvelous if one day the still unreconciled Sons of Abraham would settle their differences and bury the sword in the desert sand to create a new combined nation of the “People of the Book”—as both the Muslims and the Jews are known—and bring peace at last to the Middle East. Under prevailing conditions, this proposition might be thought of as calling for a miracle of great proportions—but then, the wall that stood for 45 years between East and West Germany was breached in a single day in November 1989...

19. ON MEDITATION

When are liberated all the desires that lodge in one*s heart, then a mortal becomes immortal.

—Katha Upanishad

The Hebrew, Hindu, Tibetan and Islamic traditions teach us that when we are in harmony with ourselves we are in harmony with all of creation. According to many sages, any attempt to achieve such harmony is based on the perception that the whole purpose of human existence is to further the evolution of consciousness. Such progress can usually only be initiated via deliberate self-transformational activity involving a journey on the inner path of meditation.

Constructive thought is a tool of creation, and creative thought benefits the self and all the self contacts. During meditation we use constructive thought to become centered in the Absolute, at one with the Cosmos. Meditation is, in effect, a mental practice directed towards a spiritual goal that helps us to conserve vital energy instead of dissipating it.

There is really no great secret attached to the practice of meditation. It can be done by anyone anywhere and at any time. For the genuine mystic, meditation is both the staff of life and a daily blessing, and there are people who regard their entire life and all of

their activities as a form of meditation. Meditation is, in effect, the key to true wisdom. Regular meditation takes a person way beyond the mere act of relaxation and is not designed merely to calm the nervous system. From its dedicated use there can, in fact, result an in-vigoration of mental powers, an awakening of the superconsciousness, and a bonding with the Absolute.

Universal Essentials

There are probably as many meditation techniques as there are teachers (or practitioners) of the art. The universal essentials are a quiet place, rhythmic breathing, and, for those who wish to invoke what is perhaps the most dynamic form of meditation, the power of the word, or use of mantras—chanted out loud or intoned silently within the heart and mind—that fan the inner flame of illumination. Some meditation techniques include subtle movements—others involve perfect stillness.

The use of incense and/or a single lighted candle in an otherwise darkened room are also aids to meditation. At times, it can be of great benefit to meditate out-of-doors, particularly on a mountain- or hilltop, in a forest, at the foot of a certain great tree, or overlooking a river, a lake or the sea.

Meditation can be done alone or in a group. Group meditation is a wonderfully useful tool in centering and magnifying divine energy for transmission outwards into the world as a calming, healing and rejuvenating force.

Out of regular meditation there frequently grows the desire to be of service to the community and to humanity as a whole. There can also occur an unfoldment of consciousness and a raising of the individual’s level

On Meditation I 261

of perception of things, on the physical and other planes—a functional heightening, so to speak.

This experience need not be confined solely to specific meditation periods. According to the great yoga Master Patanjali, we should constantly strive to “practice the presence”—that is, to bring the meditative state into the whole of our waking existence.

Times for Meditation

Although there are no absolutely rigid guidelines relating to the most propitious times for meditation— the choice depends entirely upon the individual— many teachers do recommend that there be regular pre-appointed hours for its practice. It is generally believed that meditation just prior to going to bed serves to heighten the capacity for deep cosmic sleep—enabling closer contact with the higher self during the sleep state. Early morning meditation, especially at sunrise, helps set the tone for the day ahead. Some teachers claim that the best time to meditate is around 3 a.m. after a period of deep sleep and when the world outside is normally in its most peaceful state.

It can also be of benefit to perform certain loosening up exercises before meditation, especially yogic stretching routines.

Breathing Techniques

Pranayamay or the practice of Yoga of Breath, can also aid in creating favorable conditions for meditation. One recommended method is alternate nostril breathing, using thumb and forefinger, to balance mind and body. While holding the right nostril closed

with the thumb, breathe in easily but deeply through the left, then switch fingers, closing the left nostril with the forefinger. Breathe out and then in again through the right nostril. Close the right and breathe out and in through the left nostril, and so on...

Other premeditation breathing techniques can be found in most good books on yoga. These will include, in particular, a method involving “observed” natural breathing, allowing the lungs to breathe with their own rhythm, and an “ignored” breathing technique in which the autonomic nervous system is allowed to take over, sometimes leading to rather long periods when no breath is taken at all. It is recommended, however, that the two mentioned methods only be attempted under the guidance of a suitable teacher.

A Personal Experience

Above all else, meditation is an extremely personal experience. Its results are mostly subjective and largely incommunicable to others, except perhaps to those who themselves practice the discipline. But although the road to true enlightenment and illumination may at first appear a singularly lonely one, anyone who meditates regularly soon realizes that there are interdimensional helpers all along the way. Some like to refer to these inner plane inhabitants as “guardian angels” or “guides.” The Sanskrit expression for such a personal guide \sjiva, a term also meaning “the principle of life.” Whatever the appellation used, the fact is that we are not alone, and that our physical world is not the only world existing within our own space and time frames.

According to the teachings of the East, mantras have a direct connection with infinite energy sources

that cannot be perceived by the ordinary mortal mind. Words, however, cannot describe the transcendental state to be achieved during mantra meditation. Only through the regular and devoted use of a specific chant or set of chants can a person begin to experience and understand what has been tried, tested and proved by countless sages down the centuries. Of prime importance is to comprehend the full meaning of each invocation used—and the overall effect to be expected.

Introductory Meditation

Those readers who are already meditators will have their own techniques, and the simple meditation given here is basically for those who are new to the concept. Once familiar with the process, the basics can be adapted for use with any of the mantras, chants and invocations given in this book.

The great Indian guru Paramahansa Yogananda writes in his Autobiography of a Yogi:

The lotus flower is an ancient divine s)anbol of India; its unfolding petals suggest the expansion of the soul; the growth of its beauty from the mud of its origins holds a benign spiritual promise.^

A simple introductory meditation to be used by anyone incorporates this image of the lotus bloom:

Visualize a lotus bud floating in a pond Choose

the color you like best See the bud flower into a

beautiful lotus bloom Place yourself in the center of

the lotus As you become smaller and smaller, so

does the lotus flower become bigger and bigger, radiant

and iridescent Visualize the symbol of the Om.

... Introduce into it all the colors of the rainbow

Now begin to chant the mantra Om, slowly, drawing out each of the three components of the word: Aaaa-uuuu-mmmm, ending in a humming sound, allowing your consciousness to drift away, until you feel at One with the Cosmos:

Om, Om, Om, Om, Om, Om,

Om, Santi, Santi, Santi;

Peace! Peace! Peace!

Advanced Stage

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When an advanced stage has been reached in meditation and breathing technique, special use may be made of the sacred sound Om as a resonating agent that stimulates and activates a pyramid-shaped cavity said to enclose the third or spiritual eye. This is possibly the most important point on the entire physical body, providing the bridge where the mind can take control over lower desire and autonomic bodily functions. The approaches to meditation and other spiritual practices are numerous, but all paths must eventually merge at the third-eye entry point.

One mantric method for focusing attention away from the physical and into the spiritual third-eye region is to gather mentally all of the body’s energies and

random thoughts into the center of the forehead while chanting Aaa-uuu-mmm. However, when using this great key that opens a door between two worlds, the final mmm part of the chant should be vocalized with lips tightly sealed—sending the sound upward and inward into the third-eye pyramidal cavity. Closing the ears with the thumbs while resting the other fingers lightly on the forehead can aid in this process. Once the ingathering is complete, the mmm sound is gently forced further upward, until it resonates within the head prior to touching and activating the Crown chakra, which is the entry and exit point to other dimensions.

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20. SOME PERSONAL FAVORITE S—MANTRAS FOR EVERYDAY USE

Rock of ages, let our song Praise Thy saving power.

—Maoz Tzur (adaptation by Gustav Gottheil)

Anyone who begins to understand and use ancient sacred words and phrases will inevitably come across some that are more personally appealing than others. Before moving on to our final discussion about certain universal principles relating to sound, it may be of some benefit to our readers if we represent for easy reference a few of the mantras and chants which have become our own personal favorites, for a variety of reasons. These are listed under easily recognizable headings and can be used at any time of the day or night (with some qualifications) whenever they are needed. Fairly comprehensive explanations have been given for most of them in previous chapters, but, for easy understanding, additional appropriate notes are added below.

It should be stressed that this is a personal selection and that there is no suggestion that any mantras, chants or invocations included elsewhere but not given below have any lesser value than those we now recommend. Readers who have already made some serious study of the variety of expressions already dealt with

will no doubt find more than a few items that can be added.

A note of warning: In certain instances, it may be necessary to invoke a needed phrase while busily engaged in some activity, and this can be done quite safely. It is, however, strongly recommended that following any unusually repetitive use of any of these mantras, such as in a formal meditation session, a period of time be allowed to elapse (say 10-15 minutes) before any participant resumes normal daily activities, such as driving a car or operating any kind of equipment or machinery.

Chanting the Aum

Opening and Closing Meditation

The ideal opening chant for starting and finishing any meditation, be it alone or in a group, remains the Sanskrit expression which, according to the traditions of most Eastern countries, embodies the first of all sounds: Om or Aum. The merits of this great three-syllabled invocation have already been discussed. In brief, when used as a meditation opener, sounding of the Om puts the user in touch with the Source of all creation, and provides a sound-bridge between spiritual and physical dimensions. When selected to close a meditation session, it acts as an enfolding and protective force. Full notes on vocalization can be found in Chapter 12. The introductory statements immediately preceding each mantra are taken from the book Love is Life by Esther Crowley (Bennu Books, Cape Town, 1975).

Lord of the Universe enrich our lives with Thy love.

Guard the treasure of our innermost souls.

Aum

[Ah... 00 ... mm]

The Hebrew chant Qadosh, Qadosh, Qadosh equates with the “music of the spheres.” From our own experience we have found that as a premeditation protection mantra it has few equals, particularly when a visualization is performed which places a golden helmet of protection around the user’s head. This visualization process is described in full in Chapter 6. Intonation of this important Hebrew mantra serves to induce harmony of purpose into any group meditation as its

sounding replicates the beating of the human heart and brings the vibrations of the individual meditators in tune with each other. It can also be used as a protective mantra by any individual at any time.

Hearken to the inner voice: tune in to the heartbeat of thy neighbor.

If all would listen thus, we would live in a glorious world.

Qadosh, Qadosh, Qadosh,

[Qa-dosh, Qa-dosh, Qa-dosh]

Adonai Tzeba'oth;

[Ad-o-noy Tze-ba-ot’h]

M7o Kol Ha'aretz ICvodo [M’lo Khol Ha’ah-retz KVo-do]

(Repeat entire chant 12 or 24 times for best effect)

Holy, Holy, Holy!

Some Personal Favorites ! 271

Calming Body and Mind

The first mantra in this section can be listed as a particular favorite that has proved of inestimable value for many years, both as a personal cleanser of mind, body and soul, and as a vehicle for the initiation of personal transformation. Whenever agitation or fear has taken over, a quick resort to the chanting of Om Namah Sivaya has, for us, always brought swift results—calming, healing, soothing. It is the great “clearing out of negativity” mantra. Repetitive intonation leads to upliftment of the consciousness that motivates mind, body and soul to be at one with the higher self, or the spirit. See Chapter 13 for a full description of the many qualities and effects that come from use of this beautiful chant. Vocalization of Om Namah Sivaya is suitable for individual or group chanting, and, like so many of the wonderful sacred phrases available to us, it can be invoked wherever and whenever it is needed. After use of this remarkable mantra, it is advisable to rest awhile before resuming daily activities.

Justice is our karma.

We reap what we sow in life.

The law is immutable, and is the key to all things.

The door closes; we turn the key — it opens...

Om Namah Sivaya

[Aaaaauuuuummmmm Na-mah-aaah Sseeva-ah-ah-ah-yah]

Om, reverence to the Name of Shiva

Details regarding the esoteric significance of the so-called “Mantra of the Breath,” Soham-Hamsa, can

272 ! Words of Power

be found in Chapter 22. On a practical level we have discovered that the greatest benefit emanating from its use as an everyday chant is the swift stimulation of easy and correct breathing. Its sounding promotes a calming and soothing effect on both the respiratory and nervous systems, and its vocalization is of special value for those who find themselves short of breath through tension. On a higher level, it serves to release the soul, free the mind, and fill the body with life-giving prana force.

We breathe in the essence which forms our souls;

We breathe out to radiate His love.

Soham, Hamsa [So-hahm, Hahm-sa]

He Am I; I Am He.

For anyone who may be feeling drained of energy and who is finding it difficult to maintain their attention at a sharp level, repetition of the Arabic phrase Ya-Rahmany “God The Beneficent,” which is one of the 99 known names of Allah, can bring immediate clarity to a tired mind and a more active clear-sightedness. It is also a memory stimulant of some value.

Our vision becomes clear, nature will become alive for us;

We will become vital, and the Spirit will shine in our hearts.

Ya-Rahman [Yah Rach-maan]

God the Beneficent

Some Personal Favorites ! 273

Another attention stimulator is the Egyptian statement Asar-djedu, which invokes the spinestrengthening qualities of the “Pillar of Osiris.” Repeated use can generate a rise in energy levels on both the physical and paraphysical level. A resume of the other qualities of this revivifying invocation are tabulated in Chapter 10.

United, we are as one!

Unity is the strength of God, for He is all thought.

Asar-djedu [Os’r dje-doo]

Pillar of Osiris

Healing Mantras

Most mantras and other sacred invocations stimulate healing processes in one form or another. Those listed below, however, have been specifically designed for the purpose of bringing relief to persons who are ill in body, mind, soul or spirit. It is recommended that after chanting is completed the names of the person or persons to whom healing is directed should be vocalized.

An especially powerful Hebrew healing mantra invokes the name of Geburah (see Chapter 6), who is notable as an Angel of Healing. Geburah is invoked to “break the seven seals,”—that is, to restabilize and revitalize the sevenfold chakra system of any person who is in distress. For maximum effect, intone the words Shel Shem Geburah aloud six times, then add the name or names of those who need healing. Then repeat the chant six more times. This healing invocation is especially effective in group healing sessions.

274 ! Words of Power

Center of the macrocosm, direct Thy rays of power to those who are part of Thee.

Shel Shem Geburah [Shel Shem Ge-bu-rah]

In the Name of Geburah

The sun has always been a symbol of good health, and many cultures have placed great store on sun-chants as a source of bodily healing. Om Suryaya Namah is a Sanskrit sun mantra best intoned at sunrise to promote general health and vitality for the user (see also Chapter 14).

O nature, fill us with thy essence; fill us with divine life, so that we may radiate the life force.

Om Suryaya Namah [Aum Sur-yai-ah Nah-mah]

Om, Salutations to the Supreme

Invoking the sun mantra

Some Personal Favorites ! 275

An Egyptian sun mantra that invokes the name of the sun-god Ra can also be employed to good healing effect, if intoned at sunrise (see Chapter 9 for more details).

O Sun, the giver of life, our sustenance is in the elements of nature — the food of life.

Ra-Neter-Atef-Nefer [Reh N’tjir O’tef N’fer]

The Divine god Ra is gracious

An Arabic mantra that incorporates another of the 99 known names of Allah, Ya-Salaam, “The Source of Peace,” can be utilized as a promoter of physical, mental and spiritual health. It also stimulates a feeling of great peacefulness in the chanter, especially if repeated, according to Muslim tradition, 160 times after morning prayers.

When we find ourselves involved in the quest for spiritual realization, we will ultimately return to the source ...

Ya-Salaam [Yah Sah-laam]

The Source of Peace

Mantras for Protection

The Sanskrit threefold invocation Om Sri Dat-tatreyaya Namah, which invokes the energies of the Hindu trinity, Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu, is a mantra for personal or group protection at any time. Its energy brings firm direction into life and the promotion of clear inspirational thought. It is also a highly useful

276! Words of Power

self-motivation tool. The full esoteric meaning of this chant is given in Chapter 13.

When we join the circle of His spirit, we become whole.

Remaining on the fringe will leave us incomplete.

Om Sri Dattatreyaya Namah [Aum Ssree Dah-tah-trey-yai-ah Nah-mah]

Om, Honor the name of Dattatreya

The Egyptians placed great store on the Eye of Horus symbol as a protective device, and invocation of the phrase Heru-Udjat whenever needed is designed to bring immediate personal protection, particularly against psychic attack of any kind. Its sounding also promotes strength and vigor.

May our lives he firmly linked with God, the center, by glittering strands of light.

Heru-Udjat [Che-roo Oo-dgot]

Eye of Horus

The Archangel Michael has long been accepted as a protective force by Jew, Christian and Muslim alike. The oldest known form of the name of the Prince of Angels can be called upon confidently at any time whenever a threat of any kind is encountered. Our own experience has been that help often comes in the most unexpected way.

Glory he to the Angels above... Mik-kah-eylu

(Repeat 12 or 24 times for best effect)

Some Personal Favorites ! 277

It has already been stressed in Chapter 15 that the name of Jesus carries with it marvelous protection and other powers. Mention has been made of its value as an exorcism tool, but it can also be invoked whenever danger threatens. Personally, in more recent years, we have come to prefer the use of one or other of the original Hebrew/Aramaic forms of Jesus’ name. However, repeated invocation of the Greek form by so many millions down the ages has made certain that this great name of power has maintained its potency, no matter the preferred sounding.

We ask for protection from all evil and negative thoughts and acts, in the name of:

Jesus ... Jesus ... Jesus (alternatively)

Yeshua ... Yeshua ... Yeshua (alternatively)

Yehoshua ... Yehoshua ... Yehoshua

For Upliftment

For Jews in particular, the Sh’mah prayer represents possibly the most powerful of all invocations for the general upliftment of any individual. A shortened version incorporating only the first two lines of the full prayer is recommended for utterance just prior to falling asleep and again on awakening, as a protective and elevating influence while in the dream state, and as a rejuvenating power on awakening. For a full exposition on this important invocation, see Chapter 5.

278 ! Words of Power

El Eliyon

We can choose God, and by our choice,

He lives in each and every one of us.

We are but sparks of His life force.

Sh'mah Yisrael!

[Sh’mah Yis-ro-ail]

Adonai Elohainu Adonai Echad [Ad-o-noy El-o-hayi-noo Ad-o-noy E-chad]

Hear O Israel!

The Lord our God, the Lord is One!

When it comes to a raising of the general vibratory level of any group meditation, and the creating of a firm connection with ultra-terrestrial levels, we have discovered that the most efficient tool for the job is an an-

Some Personal Favorites ! 279

cient Hebrew temple blessing, El Eliyon. This is one of the several titles of God (see Chapter 6). While chanting this wonderfully uplifting phrase from atop one of the pyramids at Tikal in Guatemala, one of our colleagues has even had the experience of being joined in his song by an ultra-terrestrial voice of unbelievable purity.

We raise our consciousness, we expand our auras, our thoughts of love.

El Eliyon [El Eli-yon]

The Most High

The Hebrew word Shalom, as described in Chapter 5, is both a greeting and a plea for peace, and makes a fitting final item but one in our personal short list of favorite words and phrases of power. Its overall function is basically the same as Om Santi, and both mantras, Sanskrit and Hebrew, incorporate the universal Om in their sounding.

Hold this world perfect in thy thought — hold the thought of a world of love — and, on the ethereal plane, our thoughts of peace will manifest a thousandfold.

Shalom

[Sha-lom]

Peace

There is a deep inner peace known in the Hebrew context as “the peace which passeth all understanding”— Shulamit Shalom. Uttering of this phrase certainly helps towards attainment of inner peace, and it is highly recommended for intonation just prior to silent meditation, individually or in a group sitting.

In a world of contradictions there is hut one truth ...

Shulamit Shalom [Shoo-lah-meet Sha-lom]

Peace which passeth all understanding

Finding Peace

The Sanskrit phrase Om Santi is one of the best known of Eastern mantras and is especially effective as a key for opening the door to that inner peace we all need to experience from time to time if we are to progress favorably on our selected spiritual paths. It has already been included as part of a special meditation presented in Chapter 19, but is repeated here as an essential invocation for all who aspire to get the best out of the words and phrases of power and beauty handed down to us by antiquity. Other than its value on a personal level, Om Santi is a focal sound for distribution of peaceful vibrations towards any place or person of choice.

Brethren, we join together to pray for peace on Earth; peace and goodwill unto all.

Om, Santi, Santi, Santi [Aum Ssan-tee, Ssan-tee, Ssan-tee] Om. Peace! Peace! Peace!

21. UNIVERSAL SOUND

And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech.

Genesis 11:1

The student has hut to practice himself in sensitivity for all the several sounds—there are no more than thirty-two or thirty-three altogether—and the corresponding feelings will come, if he will only make up his mind to become conscious of them.

—Rudolf Steiner {Speech and Drama Course, September 1924)

In our ongoing study of sacred words of power we frequently come across words and phrases that are similar in sound and meaning but from different language sources. This has naturally led to a raising of the question as to whether there is some single original source for all communicative expression. Most readers will be familiar with the Genesis story about the Tower of Babel. At a time when everyone on Earth apparently spoke a single language, an attempt was made by the “children of men” to build a tower to reach Heaven itself. God was so displeased at this display of effrontery that He came down to Earth to deal with His subjects personally. Genesis relates that He confounded their language “that they may not understand one another’s speech” and scattered the races of men all over the face of the planet.

The word babel is a derivative from the Hebrew word balaly meaning “to mix, to confuse, to confound,” which was also used in the context of “overflow” as in the mixing of oil. It has been said that God’s reason for confounding the one common language of the time and dividing it into different dialects was because He considered humanity unready to ascend into the heavens, and the confusing of tongues served to disunite a previously united race.

Whatever the origin and merits of this story may be, there has been evidence to suggest that all of our world’s languages do have a common source—if not, perhaps, in direct transfer down the ages from one race to another of actual words and phrases, quite possibly in relation to the meanings and values placed on certain key sounds that are common to the tongues of all peoples.

Visible Speech

The well-known teacher of occult sciences. Dr. Rudolf Steiner, was one researcher who uncovered several conclusive universal language connections based on sound values, his major work on the subject being Speech and Drama}

Born in Austria in 1861, Steiner enjoyed a brilliant academic career before entering the late 19th-century world of the occultists and theosophists. In 1912, he broke away from Theosophy and formed his own Anthroposophical Society, which still flourishes in many countries around the globe. Steiner’s prime premise was that the human mind has incalculable potential which can be developed for humanity’s lasting benefit. His teachings ranged over a wide spectrum, from meditation and mind exercise to revolutionary

Universal Sound 1283

education techniques and organic farming methods. In the present context, some of his most absorbing work * was connected with sound and movement. To describe the interrelationship between the two, he used the term eurythmy, which means literally “a system of harmonious body movement to the rhythm of music and spoken words” or “speech and music made visible.”

For Steiner, as, indeed, for Hebrew kabalists and others, speech was not considered merely as a means of communication; it was and is part and parcel of creation itself He proposed that each word we produce takes on a definable form in the air, and that if all the letters of the alphabet from A to Z were to be uttered in a certain way, a human etheric body would be created. This is, of course, completely in line with several ancient teachings, including, as one instance only, the Hebrew tradition, which considers the sounds and forms inherent in the 22 letters of the Hebrew language as the actual protoplasm of creation. We have also learned of kabalists of our own day who refer to language as a sort of computer program that works directly on our “walking bio-computers,” or physical/psychic bodies. It follows, therefore, that every word we utter can take on importance as a generator of either a positive or negative (and in some cases, neutral) impulse that will have some effect on our existence.

In a collection of some of his lectures on sound and movement, given mostly in 1924, the year before his death, and published under the title Eurythmy as Visible Speech, Steiner theorizes that consonants represent “an imitation of external happenings,” and vowels, “an inner experience.” He also informs that the letter H is midway between consonants and vowels and is related to breath itself Here again, there are correlations with ancient teachings. In the Vedic tradition.

apana, or “inspirational breath,” is regarded as a cata-X lyst for mind transformation, and the Sanskrit “Man-§ tra of Breathing,” Soham-Hamsa , conclusively embod-ies in its vocalization the mentioned h sound. In the v> Hebraic system, the letter hey is actually equated with ^ the breath of the Lord Himself, as is the Arabic expres-^ sion huwa, which again embodies the h sound.^

Steiner equates the use of words with body movement and color, as well as with a human being’s actual relationship with the world of form. He suggests that there are 12 basic gestures linked with speech that signify the whole being of any person and that these are in turn related to the 12 signs of the zodiac. Of most interest to us here is what he said about some of the sounds themselves.

Steiner states that the first sound in the alphabet, represented by the letter A (as pronounced in German, or “ah” as in “far”), “proceeds from our inmost being when we are in a state of wonder and amazement” It is connected with birth and creation and stimulates the growth of philosophy, which begins with wonder. Significantly, the first of all mantras— Aum —has A as the initial syllable of its tripartite sounding. Moreover, a full translation of the Sanskrit term vach, which holds the A as its central sound, places it not only as a word meaning “speech,” but as the mystical personification of speech. In a deeper sense, Vach is the subjective Creative Force which emanates from the Creative Deity to become concrete expression in our vision of reality. The Greek equivalent is the well-known expression Logos. And, for the record, the Hebrew letter aleph or A is at once taken as the symbol of God as the Creator and considered to be the prime element used in any combinations of letters employed to form the very elements of creation.^

Universal Sound / 285

We have already been told that, according to Steiner, every vowel sound is, in effect, bound up with an experience of the soul—which may even bring us back to the posited seven-vowel version of the Name of God discussed in Chapter 4—or to the fact that the five vowels AE/Ot/ vocalized in succession sounds remarkably like the word Yahweh, the Name of God derived from the Hebrew Tetragrammaton. Consonants, on the other hand, are different in that they are not sounds that arise from inner promptings but are “images of that which is outside our own being.

It is, however, of more than passing interest to note that the letter B, and all other consonants for that matter, cannot be uttered without the addition of a soul-produced vowel sound. This points to the proposition that nothing in our physical world can take on existence without stimulation from the power of the spirit. For the record, Steiner equates the sound of B (the first letter in the English “build”) as creating a form that is something in the nature of a shelter or a house—which, of course, is precisely what the Hebrew letter bet means, in its most direct sense. Bet is also, incidentally, a symbol for the Holy Temple in Jerusalem.

In the Beginning

Placing important emphasis on the value of Hebrew as a language of creation, Steiner described the ancient tongue of the descendants of Abraham as “a language which works upon the soul quite differently from any modern language.” Moreover, he affirmed that the sounding of Hebrew calls up in the soul of a person a picture, even a whole world, such as when utterance is made of the words that mark the start of Genesis: B'reshiyth hara elohim et ha’shmayim v'et

h'aretz —“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”®

Much in line with what we have already written about Hebrew, Sanskrit and other ancient tongues, Steiner posited that the creative power inherent in Hebrew sound sequences could be utilized to allow for elevation of consciousness from the sensible to the supersensible, an action which might be compared in some ways with the clairvoyant experience of a modern-day seer or channeler. He also put forward the suggestion that use of ancient sound forms could create a bridge to penetrate the primeval records of our existence in a way that is entirely different from the methods used by modern research. To Steiner, true reality is spiritual reality, and our physical life form is only a secondary existence brought into being by the actions of discar-nate and ultra-terrestrial forces. In one of his lectures, “The Mystery of the Archetypal World,” presented in Munich in 1910, he described the first three letters of the Bible as indicative of this process, and of what lived inside any Jewish sage when the sounds penetrated his soul:

Bet, the first letter, called forth the weaving of the habitation of substance; Reysh, the second sound, summoned up the countenances of the spiritual Beings, who wove within this dwelling, and Shin, the third sound, the prickly, stinging force which worked its way out from within to manifestation.®

The underlying principle back of all this is, of course, the supposition that ancient sound correctly intoned stimulates a creativeness unknown to modern-day abstract speech.

Universal Sound 1287

A Universal Foundation

Steiner’s work regarding sound and movement has been carried several steps further in recent times by the Israeli-born speech and drama teacher and counselor Yehuda Tagar, now resident in Adelaide, Australia, who has given workshops in Australia, Switzerland and England, and as part of a joint Jew-ish-Arab educational program, in Israel and Palestine. Tagar came under the influence of Steiner’s Anthro-posophical teachings early on in his career when studying in his home country and later in England. His research and experimentation has been directed mainly at Steiner’s approach to drama, but he has also adapted certain elements of Steiner’s propositions for use not only as a teaching aid for classes on acting but in psychological counseling and self-therapy by direct confrontation with the forces that lie hidden in the sounds of language. His method, known as Philopho-netica, has been recently included in several tertiary and other educational courses in Australia.

The term Philophonetica can be translated as “love of sounds” or “soul relationships with sounds.” It is a method of exploring and experiencing the phenomenon of the single sounds of language and of their effects and impressions on the body and on the soul.

In the present context, Tagar’s most interesting conclusions relate to his views and findings on a universal foundation for all languages. In his studies he has uncovered those elements which emphasize the differences between various languages, but has also discovered other elements which can be used to create a bridge between two or more tongues.

This attempt by Tagar at bridging the gap between cultures calls to mind the experiences while in

288 / Words of Power

North America of our good friend Credo Vusamazulu Mutwa, current High Sanusi and Keeper of the Tales of the Zulu nation, whom one of the authors first met over 20 years ago in the famous black city of Soweto, near Johannesburg, South Africa. When it comes to the tongues of the black tribes of Africa, Mutwa is an accomplished multilinguist. In 1975, he was invited to the United States to lecture and to assist with research on a film project. On his return he told us that while in the USA he had spent some time with the elders and medicine men of the Zuni Indian tribe, and that to the amazement of both his hosts and himself, he was able to converse with them in a language that approximated their own. This was accomplished by use of a combination of words and phrases taken from several Southern African dialects and root-languages, which were almost identical in pronunciation and meaning to the Zuni Indians’ own spoken form.

The question still remains as to whether these similarities have come about as a result of an initial universal language that spread all around the globe, which then became confused into numerous subsidiary forms—or, as Steiner and Tagar would have it, because certain seed sounds universally represent the same or similar objects and/or experiences. Steiner, incidentally, did posit a universal language in Atlantis, the famed continent of antiquity that sunk into the sea. Perhaps both propositions are true and there was a universal language once because certain sounds represent and express the same experience.

Sounds are Experiences

There are numerous examples in the Philo-phonetica system, based on the original Steiner find-

Universal Sound 1289

ings and developed by Tagar, through which direct personal discovery can be made of powerful and immediate connections between particular sounds and correlated inner experiences. Some of these unusual concepts contained in Tagar’s working proposition are noted for the reader’s comprehension:

The letter when spoken with the active participation of the whole body, results in an experience of embracing, holding; K —of breaking through a barrier; G—of guarding and fending off; S—of penetrating (like a sword); V —of invading, and of strong movement; M — mothering; D —consolidating; F —firing, dispersing, and mastering confidence; R —of scattering and spreading; P —of exploding; Sh —of calming down; L — of the water element, of flowing and molding; T —of pointing, and of incarnating; H —of expanding in all directions; O —of S 3 anpathy; I [ee]—of self-knowing and asserting the self; U [oo]—of fear and deepening; E [eh]—of offending and countering; A [ah]—as already mentioned, of wonder and openness. (It should be recorded that the above examples represent but a sample of typical inner and outer expressions and responses that occur during exposition of Philophonetica exercises.)

All these sounds also have their cosmic as well as natural elemental dimensions, for every consonant is an utterance of a particular constellation:

Every vowel is the speech of a planet:

The sounds evoked by the letters of the alphabet are also manifestations of the four elements of nature. They are the forces behind these elements: B, P, T, K, G, D, M, N are Earth sounds; S, F, H, V, Sh, Z, Ch are Fire sounds; L and W are Water sounds; three versions of R are Air sounds.

From the few examples shown above, it would not be too difficult to accept comprehension of sound as a possible all-embracing “language of life” that extends over the whole gamut of human physical, psychic and spiritual experiences. Practice of Philophonetica exercises can result in these connections becoming conscious for direct use of appropriate sound as tools for inner healing and change through the medium of the body’s ability to express all these experiences in gesture and movement.

Babel or Babble?

In propounding his thoughts on the matter, Yehuda Tagar places initial emphasis on those elements which lie in the foundation of all languages— and points out immediately that, in all the different races and cultures around the globe, babies all babble in exactly the same way:

Universal Sound 1291

While on the way to learning how to speak the specific language of the tribe or culture they have been bom into, babies naturally go through a stage of what may be called universal language ... babbling consists of what is universal to all languages, namely, consonants and vowels. As adults, we are normally only aware of consonants and vowels in their capacity to form words in endless possibilities. But for babies these curious groups of single sounds seem to hold a value of their own. They taste them, they experiment with them, and express much of their inner experience through these sounds alone.

And, still according to Tagar, the babbling of babies takes us right back to what is left of the primal language that existed before the Biblical Tower of Babel episode:

If it be true that the growing embryo, baby and child repeats in his development all of the previous stages mankind has gone through in its evolution, then babbling may be understood as a retracing of a previous stage of human language. Only later in their development do babies relate names to objects, in their particular mother tongue.

When a child begins at last to articulate clearly in the tongue of his or her people, only then does some division from the original universal language begin.

The next stages in the development of personal expression led to both the loss of a universal understanding between cultures and a partial loss of communication between individuals in the same culture. Tagar uses a comparison of the poetry of ancient cultures with the poetry of the 20th century to illustrate part of this evolution away from divinely inspired imagery and vocalization:

In reading the Iliad of Homer, pictures come flowing into one’s imagination, nearly ready-made.

There is no need to understand Homer’s situation personally in order to understand his poetry, for he does not speak about himself at all. According to his own invocation in the opening words of the Iliad, it is the Muse, a heavenly being, who speaks through him, when he is inspired. In comparison, there is nothing “ready-made” in T. S. Eliot’s poetic work “The Waste-Land.” The Muse speaks not through him, but he himself...

What this all leads to is that we have through the course of time somehow gained individual language at the expense of universal—and have, along the way, even lost much of our social ability to communicate. Asked if this process might be reversible, Tagar has expressed the opinion that it is not, for it is inevitable that human evolution must move forward so that “the fruits of one epoch turn in time into the seeds of another.” The development of individual language can be considered as a great human achievement, which need not be reversed. What needs to be done is to take another step or two forward and try to uncover the way in which our “inner content finds its expression, through words.” This can lead to a new understanding of one's own language and also of the universal character of the single sounds of any language.

From this new comprehension of expression and communication through speech, the lost universal language may become re-awakened in a more contemporary and individualized sense. A natural process that started with a universal inspirationally based language and worked its way through culturally based languages to develop into the present-day more individual form of communication can, in theory, become part of a conscious process. But any such conscious effort to improve language forms would have to be based on a fresh approach to, and resultant deeper under-

Universal Sound 1293

standing of, the entire foundation of all language.

The words used to describe specific objects or incidents usually echo in their sounding some aspect of those forms and/or occurrences, no matter the language used. What must eventually become understood and accepted is that two or more words designating the same object are not necessarily mere substitutes for each other, but rather, “different aspects of the same, shedding their light on each other, enriching the experience of that object.”

Moreover, once people of variant cultures begin to realize that their basic communication methods rest firmly on the same foundations, they may also, perhaps, begin to acknowledge common links regarding their cultural and other differences.

Ultimately, one day, we may well have reached full cycle in the evolution from “babble,” via cultural language and individualized language, to whatever lies beyond. This will, we hope, consist of a universal form of communication even more complete than the original common tongue in use at the time of the Tower of Babel—a form of communication that can be understood and used by all, regardless of race or culture.

According to Steiner, commencing the last third of the 19th century, the spiritual guidance of humankind was placed in the hands of the Archangel Michael whose characteristics include universal aspects. Developments in recent times that cut across boundaries of race, color, creed and language demonstrate this. It is only natural that this characteristic of our time may ultimately reflect itself in a moving away from the separation of languages towards a unification or synthesis of communicative sound.

Cc/r/^CAvt^

Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh —“/ Am That I Am. ”

22. A REMINDER OF OUR SUPERNATURAL ORIGIN

And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM! Exodus 3:14

We may have strayed a little from our main theme—the meaning and use of selected words of power—but must emphasize that what is written above is of more than just passing interest when related to our own continual search for correlations of mantric and other expressions that point towards a basic unity in all human experience. An old Indian legend helps to illustrate the meaning of one of the most significant sacred phrases we have come across that is, indeed, common to several ancient cultures.

That and This is One

One day, a village temple dedicated to the deity Krishna was due to be consecrated. As an act of homage to their favored god, the villagers arranged for a large rock that had originally stood outside the door of their brand-new temple to be carved into an image of Krishna. The statue was duly installed, just in time for the consecration, but the chips off the original block of stone were left lying outside the temple door. When

worshipers arrived for the ceremony, these devotees of Krishna kicked the rock chips aside before entering.

The chips, like all things in heaven and Earth, enjoyed a life of their own, and appeared to be unconcerned by this harsh treatment. Anyone present who happened to be psychically attuned might have heard them say simply to each other: Tat Twam Asi —“That (Krishna) and this (the chips) is one.”

What has still to be noted is that the phrase Tat Twam Asi can be comfortably equated with the well-known biblical statement of Hebrew origin, “I Am That I Am,” and that it has equivalents in other languages as well.

We have already related the tale of how Moses asked God by what name He should be called—and received the reply: “I Am That I Am” (Exodus 3:14). This profound metaphysical statement, which reads in Hebrew Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh, symbolizes the trans-substantiation of spirit (I Am) into flesh (That), and back into spirit (I Am). The great “I Am That I Am” mantra, in whatever language it is presented, serves to remind us very forcibly of our supernatural origin, and of our destined ultra-terrestrial future. It is surely a fallacy to insist that as the human species we originate solely from dust and return only to dust. That the most important part of our being is of spirit, and returns to spirit, is clearly stated in Ecclesiastes 12:7: “Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it” Indeed, all mystical and religious teachings of any worth inform us that we would do well to become aware that we are not in essence material beings and, moreover, that once we have liberated the spirit that resides within each of us we will no longer be fully subject to the material laws of our physical universe.

In our present lifetime we are continually given the opportunity to recognize that we are all sparks of the Divine, the Infinite. We should, naturally, also learn to acknowledge the Divine in those around us. For those who subscribe to a belief in reincarnation, it is of value to note here that there is really no need for us to continually reappear in different bodies on this physical planet. Through correct metaphysical practice (including the use of the sacred sounds handed down to us), and in a single lifetime, we are perfectly capable of subverting the negative reincarnation program and building for ourselves a “body of light” that can transverse physical dimensions and take us into the more elevated realities of the Creator’s domain. After all, what is the ultimate message of the story of Yeshua/Jesus but to remind us of this possibility?

Other Versions

The Latin version of I Am That I Am is Ego Sum Qui Sum, which will be especially familiar to Catholics, but of special note here is the fact that there are at least two ancient Egyptian versions of this potent statement. Throughout the Egyptian Book of the Dead can be found the expression Nuk Pu Nuk, which means literally “I Am He, I Am,” while a less used but more than exceptionally interesting alternative (also in the Book of the Dead) \sAu-u Ur-Se-Ur Au-u. This utterance is remarkable for its similarity to the Hebrew and Sanskrit counterparts Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh and Tat Twam Asi. Its full interpretation is rather ponderous: “I Am The Great One, Son of the Great One, I Am,” but the meaning is basically the same as “I Am That I Am.”

For the reader’s interest, the well-known Sanskrit and Tibetan mantric phrase Om-Mani-Padme-Hum

(see Chapter 12) can also be comfortably equated with the “I Am That I Am” concept. One interpretation of the Jewel in the Lotus mantra places the Om part of the chant in an “ascending” role, moving upward towards the Absolute, the words Mani-Padme conveying a sense of “merging” with the Absolute, with Hum as the return or “descent” back into the physical—carrying with it some of the attributes of the Absolute.

Mantra of the Breath

According to Eastern teachers, there is another significant universal mantra with a similar meaning to Tat Twam Asi, Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh, and so on, which is used unconsciously by all living creatures at all times. This is the so-called “Mantra of Breathing,” Soham-Hamsa. Its roots are contained in the Sanskrit expressions sah-he-aham, meaning “He, the Immortal, Am I,” and hamsa, “I Am He.”

The sounds generated by this mantra are directly related to the inhaling of life-sustaining breath, but perhaps its greatest significance is in its function—to release the cords that bind an individual’s soul, free the mind, and fill the body with life-giving prana force.

Like the water of a river reaching the sea, intonation of Soham-Hamsa leads the devotee onwards to reach intimate union with the Supreme, and to forget the physical self. Constant meditation on the phrase while breathing in and out with regular motion aids the individual in identifying totally with the universal soul of Brahman:

So ham, Hamsa [So-ham, Hahm-sa]

He Am I; I Am He.

The Nadas

While on the subject of identification with the Ultimate, mention must be made of the so-called nadas, or logoic sounds of the Universe. Traditionally, there are seven variations to the Sounds of the Logos (the Sufis claim ten). These are the mantras of the cosmos that are not initiated by any human chanter or meditator but are “tuned in to” by the inner ear while a person is in the correct state of receptivity. These wonderful inner tones can vary from an almost excruciatingly tender high-pitched hum through sweetly pure tinkling bells, superbly pitched flutes, and Indian tahla drumming, to the deep roar of a raging river or the sound of the sea or wind.

It is said that for the sravaka, one who has the ear to hear, the first six nadas eventually merge into a seventh tone which is beyond all sound—the “soundless sound,” or Voice of Silence.

Constant meditation and use of mantra can eventually lead us towards the required state for manifestation of the sounds of the silence. What should be borne in mind during this preparatory period is that when we chant sacred invocations it is never sufficient to merely transmit a string of words into space. In order to be of any value, mantra meditations should have a preselected form and objective—for the true aim of invocation or prayer is not to transverse distance, but to transcend it. The Ultimate exists all around us and within us, permeating our very beings all the time. Separation only occurs within any individual’s own consciousness, and contact with the Supreme is limited only by the level of any given individual’s personal awareness.

Chanting I Am That I Am

In whatever language is chosen, the “I Am That I Am” mantra, when used with conscious sincerity as an invocatory phrase of great antiquity, can serve as a potential principal introduction to the Voice of the Silence. Just as importantly, it serves as a reminder that the expression “I Am” (indicating the self only) is of no use without the addition of the words “That I Am” (an acknowledgment of our spiritual heritage and connection). In other words, the more any person merely goes into the self without transcending self and acknowledging the overriding presence of the Divine, the more likelihood there is of developing nothing more than an oversized ego.

Indeed, the phrase “I Am That I Am” in its various expressions has been given to us to assist in raising our physical vibrations so that we may experience something of the super-physical while still resident in a material body. It can be vocalized in several forms and languages as follows:

Egyptian

Although there must always be some doubt as to the actual intonation of ancient Egyptian expressions, the following are possible vocalizations of the two given examples:

Nuk-Pu-Nuk [N’uhk Foo N’uhk]

I Am He I Am

Au-u Ur-Se-Ur Au-u [Oh-oo-o Oor-Seh-Oor Oh-oo-o]

I Am The Great One, Son of the Great One, I Am

Sanskrit

When we use this important Sanskrit phrase in mantra meditation, it serves to remind us very succinctly of our spiritual roots and origin, and of our ultimate return to spirit:

Tat Twam Asi [Taht Th-wam Ah-see]

That and This is One

Hebrew

Recital of the Hebrew phrase Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh serves as an activator of the cosmic spark of the Godhead which resides within us all. Its effect when chanted out loud is of an all-embracing nature that will attune the singer’s vibrations with those of the B’nai Or, the Brotherhood (or Peoplehood) of Light, the non-denominational fraternity of all worlds who co-exist with us in the multidimensional realities which make up the Many Mansions of the Kingdom of the Creator, as recorded in St. John’s Gospel 14:2: “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you.”

Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh [Ay-yeh Ah-shehr Ay-yeh]

I Am That I Am

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Notes and References

Chapter 1:

^ (London: Rider & Co,, 1974), p. 63.

^ (Pasadena, CA: Theosophical University Press, 1977), facsimile edition I, p. 94.

^ Joan Halifax, Shamanic Voices. (London: Penguin, 1980), p. 13.

Chapter 2:

^ (Secaucus, NJ: The Citadel Press, 1978), p. 6.

^ Dr. Sant Ramah Mandal, Aum and Other Words of Power. (San Francisco, CA: The Universal Brotherhood Temple, undated).

^ The Kabbalah Connection. (Jerusalem: Research Center of Kabbalah, 1983), pp. 81-82.

^ Zohar (Ashlag edition). (Jerusalem: Research Center of Kabbalah, 1970), vol. 4, Parshat B’shalakh, pp. 50-51.

Chapter 3:

^ J. J. Hurtak, The Book of Knowledge: The Keys of Enoch. (Los Gatos, CA: The Academy for Future Science, 1976), pp. 272-273.

^ Ibid., p. 189f.

^ Torus: The Journal of the Meru Foundation, Vol. 1, (Summer/Fall 1983), and following issues.

^ Mary Krosney and Ellen Shmuelhoff, “Who wrote the Bible?” in The Vineyard (Melbourne, Australia: David Press, August 1986).

Chapter 4:

^ Reb Zalman Schachter, Fragments Of A Future Scroll. (Germantown, PA: Leaves of Grass Press, 1975), p. 10.

^ Robert Graves, The White Goddess. (London: Faber and Faber, 1962), pp. 285-287.

^ E.A. Wallis Budge, Egyptian Magic. (London: Rout-ledge & Kegan Paul, 1979), p. 177.

Chapter 6:

^ Hurtak, p. 388.

Chapter 7:

^ This Balancing of the Chakras/Centers meditation in Hebrew is adapted from a meditation originally devised by J. J. Hurtak. Ref: “Visualization: for Breaking the Seven Seals of Revelation,” in a privately published booklet “The Academy for Future Science/An Introduction” (Lynne East, South Africa: The Academy for Future Science, undated).

Chapter 8:

^ The Book of the Dead referred to throughout is the translated version by E. A. Wallis Budge: The Book of the Dead: The Hieroglyphic Transcript of the Papyrus of Ani (Secaucus, NJ: University Books, 1960).

^ Numerous works are available dealing with the Egyptian language. A small selection is given here:

E. A. Wallis Budge, Egyptian Language: Easy Lessons in Egyptian Hieroglyphics with Sign List (London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner and Co., 1910), (reprinted New York: Dover, 1983); Norma Jean Katan, Hieroglyphics: The Writings of Ancient Egypt (London: British Museum Publications, 1980); Joseph and Lenore Scott, Hieroglyphs for Fun (New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, 1974).

Notes and References 1305

Chapter 9:

^ Rex Houston, Songs of Fire, Tongues of Light. Words and linear notes by J. J. Hurtak. Burning Bush, 1983. (Available from The Academy for Future Science, P.O. Box FE, Los Gatos, CA, 95031.)

Chapter 10:

^ Budge, p. 123.

^ Songs of Fire, Tongues of Light.

Chapter 11:

^ Swami Sivananda, Japa Yoga. (Tehri-Garhwal [Rishikesh], U.P., India: The Divine Life Society, 1972), pp. 7-8.

^ Ibid., p. xxviii.

^ Swami Nityananda, The Nectar of Chanting. (New York: SYDA Foundation, 1983), p. vii.

^ Eknath Easwaren, Formulas for Transformation. (Berkeley: Nilgiri Press, 1977), p. 3.

Chapter 12:

^ Hymn 10.90:7-9. See Wendy Doniger O’Flaherty, translator. The Rig Veda (Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1981), p. 30.

^ Dr. Eruch B. Fanibunda, Vision of the Divine. (Prasanthi Nilayam: Shri Satya Sai Books, 1976), pp. 79-88.

Chapter 13:

^ Swami Abhedananda. The Sayings of Ramakrishna. Retold in The Bible of the World, Robert O. Ballou, ed. (London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner and Co., 1940), p. 167.

^ For more information on the specific teachings of A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada relating to the Hare Ki ishna mantra, the reader is referred to the booklet Chant and be Happy (Los Angeles: The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, 1982).

Chapter 14:

^ Robert O. Ballou, ed., The Bible of the World. (London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner and Co., 1940), p. 155.

Chapter 15:

^ Morton Smith, Jesus the Magician. (London: Victor Gollancz, 1978), p. 49.

^ Montague Rhodes James, The Apocrypha New Testament. (London: Oxford University Press, 1924), p. 184.

Chapter 16:

^ James Bentley, Secrets of Mount Sinai. (London: Or-bis Publishing, 1985), p. 130.

Chapter 17:

^ Masnavi Book 3:1. See E. H. Whinfield, translator. Teachings of Rumi (London: The Octagon Press, 1979), p. 114.

^ Ibid., pp. 114-115.

^ Se 3 ^ed Hossein Nasr, Ideals and Realities of Islam. (London: George Allen and Unwin, 1966), p. 121.

^ Fr. Cyprian Rice, The Persian Sufis. (London: George Allen and Unwin, 1964), p. 10.

Chapter 18:

^ Duncan Greenlees, The Gospel of Islam. (Adyar, Madras, India: The Theosophical Publishing House, 1948), pp. 201-203.

^ Shems Friedlander, Ninety-Nine Names of Allah. (New York: Harper & Row, 1978).

Chapter 19:

^ Paramahansa Yogananda, Autobiography of a Yogi. (New Jersey: Wehman, 1946).

Notes and References 1307

Chapter 21:

^ RudolfSteiner, Speech and Drama. (London: Anthro-posophical Publishing Co, 1959). Republished by Rudolf Steiner Press.

^ Rudolf Steiner, Eurythmy as Visible Speech. (London: RudolfSteiner Press, 1984 [first published 1931]), p. 13.

^ Michael L. Munk, The Wisdom in the Hebrew Alphabet. (New York: Mesorah Publications, 1983), p. 43.

" Ibid., p. 33.

^ Rudolf Steiner, Genesis Secrets of the Bible Story of Creation. Ten lectures given in Munich August 17-26, 1910. (London: Rudolf Steiner Press, 1959), reprinted 1982, pp. 9-11.

® Ibid., p. 14.

^ Yehuda Tagar, “On the universal foundation of all human languages, and on the way in which the method called Philophonetica can contribute towards the experience of it.” Y. Tagar, do The Anthroposophical Society in Australia (S. A. Branch), 84 Halifax Street, Adelaide 5000, Australia, 1989.

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Selected Bibliography

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Authorised Daily Prayer Book of the United Hebrew Congregations of the British Commonwealth of Nations. London: Eyre and Spottiswoode, 1962.

Ballou, Robert O., Spiegelberg, Friedrich, and Friess, Horace L. The Bible of the World. London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner and Co., 1940.

Barborka, Geoffrey A. Glossary of Sanskrit Terms. San Diego, CA: Point Loma Publications, 1972.

Barclay, William. New Testament Words. London: SCM Press, 1964.

Bentley, James. Secrets of Mount Sinai. London: Orbis, 1985.

Berg, Dr. Philip S. The Kabbalah Connection. Jerusalem: Press of the Research Center of Kabbalah, 1983.

.“Extra-Terrestrial Life in Outer Space/The Forces

Behind the Future.” Paper presented at “Forecast 84” Congress, Jerusalem, December 1983.

Bezzant, Reginald, and Pridham, Reginald Poole. The Promise of EzekieTs City. Norwich: Jarrold and Sons, 1952.

Blavatsky, H. P. The Secret Doctrine. 2 vols. London: The Theosophical Publishing Co., 1888.

. The Voice of the Silence. London: The Theosophical

Publishing Co., 1889.

Blofeld, John. Mantras Sacred Words of Power. London: Mandala, 1977.

310 ! Words of Power

The Book of Common Prayer. London: Oxford University Press, [no date].

The Book of Mormon. Salt Lake City, UT: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1980.

Brasch, R. The Supernatural and You. Sydney: Cassell Australia, 1976.

Budge, E. A. Wallis. The Book of the Dead: The Hieroglyphic Transcript of the Papyrus of Ani. Secaucus, NJ: University Books, 1960.

. Egyptian Language: Easy Lessons in Egyptian Hieroglyphics with Sign List. London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner and Co., 1910.

. Egyptian Magic. London: Kegan Paul, Trench,

Trubner and Co., 1901.

. The Mummy: A History of the Extraordinary Practices of Ancient Egypt. New York: Bell Publishing Company, 1989 (reprint, with new foreword).

Chant and Be Happy: The Power of Mantra Meditation. Los Angeles, CA: The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, 1982.

Charles, R. H. (ed., et al). The Apocrypha and Pseudep-igraphia of the Old Testament. 2 vols. London: Oxford University Press, 1913.

Chatteiji, Mohini M. The Bhagavad Gita or The Lord's Lay. New York: Causeway Books, 1960.

Cragg, Kenneth. The House of Islam. Encino, CA: Dickenson Publishing Company Inc., 1975.

Crow, W. B. A History of Magic, Witchcraft & Occultism. London: The Aquarian Press, 1968.

Crowley, Brian and Esther. Understanding the Oriental Martial Arts. Sydney: Recorded Book Corp., 1987.

Crowley, Esther. Joga in die buitelug. Cape Town: Bennu Books, 1974.

Bibliography 1311

. The Living Waters of Yoga and Meditation. Sydney: Recorded Book Corp., 1987.

. Love is Life. Cape Town: Bennu Books, 1975.

Danby, H. and Segal, M. H. A Concise English-Hebrew Dictionary. Tel Aviv: The Dvir Publishing Co., [no date].

Day, Harvey. The Hidden Power of Vibrations. London: Pelham Books, 1979.

De Lubicz, Isha Schwaller. Her Bak: Egyptian Initiate. New York: Inner Traditions International, 1978.

Driver, G. R. Semitic Writing from Pictograph to Alphabet. London: Oxford University Press, 1976.

Easwaren, Eknath. Formulas for Transformation. Berkeley: Nilgiri Press, 1977.

Ekvall, Robert B. Religious Observances in Tibet. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1964.

Evans-Wentz, W. Y., ed. The Tibetan Book of the Dead. London: Oxford University Press, 1927.

Fanibunda, Eruch B. Vision of the Divine. Prasanthi Nilayam, India: Sri Satya Sai Books and Publication Trust, 1976.

Fortune, Dion. The Mystical Qabalah. London: Ernest Benn Limited, 1935.

Friedlander, Shems (with al-Haij Shaikh Muzaffereddin). Ninety-Nine Names of Allah. New York: Harper and Row, 1978.

Gaddis, A. and Seif, G. The Book of the Dead and Elysian Fields. Luxor, Egypt [no publisher, [no date].

Caster, Theodor H. Festivals of the Jewish Year. New York: William Sloane Associates Publishers, 1952.

Graves, Robert. The White Goddess. London: Faber and Faber, 1962.

312 ! Words of Power

Graves, Robert and Podro, Joshua. The Nazarene Gospel Restored. London: Cassell and Company, 1958.

Greenlees, Duncan. The Gospel of Islam, Adyar, Madras, India: The Theosophical Publishing House, 1948.

Halevi, Z’ev ben Shimon. Kabbalah and Exodus. London: Rider, 1980.

. Kabbalah Tradition of Hidden Knowledge. London:

Thames and Hudson, 1979.

Halifax, Joan. Shamanic Voices. London: Penguin, 1980.

Harrison, R. K. Biblical Hebrew. London: Teach Yourself Books, 1955.

Hewitt, James. The Complete Yoga Book. London: Rider, 1983.

The Hitopadesa. Trans. Francis Johnson. London: Chapman and Hall, 1928.

Hodson, Geoffrey. The Kingdom of the Gods. Adyar, Madras, India: The Theosophical Publishing House, 1953.

The Holy Bible. King James Version.

The Holy QuPaan. 2nd ed. Trans. Muhammad ’Abdul-Haleem Eliasi. Transliteration in Roman script: The Burney Academy, Qur’aan Manzil, Hyderabad, India, 1981.

The Holy Qur'an. Trans. A. Yusuf Ali. Brentwood, MD: Ar-mana Corp, 1983.

Homung, Erik. Conceptions of God in Ancient Egypt. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1983.

Hotema, Hilton. The Lost Word. Mokelumne Hill, CA: Health Research, 1967.

Humphries, Christmas. Buddhism. Harmondsworth: Penguin,1981.

Hurtak, J. J. The Book of Knowledge: The Keys of Enoch. Los Gatos, CA: The Academy for Future Science, 1977.

Bibliography 1313

. “The Guiding Hand.” A lecture presented to The

Deutsche UFO Studentgesellschaft (Duist) E.V., Weis-baden, West Germany, 1981.

.“The Reality of the Masters of Light.” A lecture presented to Frau Dr. Dina Rees and associates, Solden, West Germany, 1981.

Hymns Ancient and Modern. London: Oxford University Press, [no date].

The Interlinear Bible. 2nd ed. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1986.

Iyengar, B. K. S. Light on Yoga. London: George Allen & Unwin, 1966.

Jacq, C. Egyptian Magic. Chicago: Axis and Phillips, Bol-chazy-Carducci, 1985.

James, Montague Rhodes. The Apocrypha New Testament. London: Oxford University Press, 1924.

Katan, Norma Jean. Hieroglyphics: The Writings of Ancient Egypt. London: British Museum Publications, 1980.

The Koran. Trans. N. J. Dawood. London: Penguin Books, 1956.

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Lalita. Choose Your Own Mantra. New York: Bantam, 1978.

Leadbeater, C. W. Ancient Mystic Rites. Wheaton, IL: The Theosophical Publishing House, 1986.

Le Mee, Jean. Hymns from the Rig Veda. London: Jonathan Cape, 1975.

Lemesurier, Peter. The Great Pyramid Decoded. Wiltshire: Element Books, 1977.

Lings, Martin. What is Sufism. London: George Allen & Unwin, 1975.

314 ! Words of Power

Luck, Georg. Arcana Mundi: Magic and Occult in the Greek and Roman Worlds. Baltimore: The John Hopkins University Press, 1985.

MacGregor Mathers, S. L. The Kabbalah Unveiled. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1970.

Maharshi, Sri Ramana. Upadesa Saram. Tiruvannamalai, India: Sri Ramanaasram, 1970.

Malinowski, Bronislaw. Magic, Science and Religion. London: Condor Books, 1982.

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Miller, Jeanine. The Vedas Harmony: Meditation and Fulfilment. London: Rider, 1974.

Miller, Ron and Kenney, Jim. Fireball and the Lotus. Sante Fe, NM: Bear & Company, 1987.

Mookeijee, Ajit. Kundalini: The Arousal of the Inner Energy. London: Thames and Hudson, 1982.

Morenz, Siegfried. Egyptian Religion. London: Methuen, 1973.

Munk, Rabbi Michael L. The Wisdom in the Hebrew Alphabet. New York: Mesorah Publications, 1983.

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. Islamic Life and Thought. London: George Allen

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STAY IN TOUCH

On the following pages you will find listed, with their current prices, some of the books and tapes now available on related subjects. Your book dealer stocks most of these, and will stock new titles in the Llewellyn series as they become available. We urge your patronage.

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GODWIN'S CABALISTIC ENCYCLOPEDIA by David Godwin

This is the most complete correlation of Hebrew and English ideas ever offered. It is a dictionary of Cabalism arranged, with definitions, alphabetically, alphabetically in Hebrew, and numerically. With this book the practicing Cabalist or student no longer needs access to a large number of books on mysticism, magic and the occult in order to trace down the basic meanings, Hebrew spellings, and enumerations of hundreds of terms, words, and names.

This book includes: all of the two-letter root words found in Biblical Hebrew, the many names of God, the Planets, the Astrological Signs, Numerous Angels, the Shem Hamphorash, the Spirits of the Goetia, the Correspondences of the 32 Paths, a comparison of the Tarot and the Cabala, a guide to Hebrew Pronunciation, and a complete edition of Aleister Crowley's valuable book Sepher Sephiroth.

Here is a book that is a must for the shelf of all Magicians, Cabalists, Astrologers, Tarot students, Thelemites, and those with any interest at all in the spiritual aspects of our universe.

0-87542-292-6, 500 pgs., 6X9, softcover $15.00

WHEELS OF LIFE: A User's Guide to the Chakra System by Anodea Judith

An instruction manual for owning and operating the inner gears that run the machinery of our lives. Written in a practical, down-to-earth style, this fully illustrated book will take the reader on a journey through aspects of consciousness, from the bodily instincts of survival to the processing of deep thoughts.

Discover this ancient metaphysical system under the new light of popular Western metaphors—quantum physics, elemental magick, Kabalah, physical exercises, poetic meditations, and visionary art. Learn how to open these centers in yourself, and see how the chakras shed light on the present world crises we face today. And learn what you can do about it!

This book will be a vital resource for: Magicians, Witches, Pagans, Mystics, Yoga Practitioners, Martial Arts people. Psychologists, Medical people, and all those who are concerned with holistic growth techniques.

The modern picture of the Chakras was introduced to the West largely in the context of Hatha and Kundalini Yoga and through the Theosophical writings of Leadbeater and Besant. But the Chakra system is equally innate to Western Magick: all psychic development, spiritual growth, and practical attainment is fully dependent upon the opening of the Chakras!