Kabbalah Notes – Companions of the Light

Posted on October 31, 2014 by janeadamsart

Under Piccadilly circus 1965

When the author Susan Howatch is writing her novel, she loves all her characters astray and how they develop, light and shadow, bad and good, as they well to life, and she loves them for their problems, their sexual nature, their honest discoveries, their extravagant delusions, and their (some of them) difficult paradoxical-surprise endings. Bishop Jardine lost his inner truth and died a sad man – she loves him for that authenticity. He is loved for that reality. He is one of her inner voices.

This is an important insight with how we are in God, and how we are in our Teacher or Magid. I am loved as my teacher loves me; as my higher Self loves the vehicle along the path. And this is the way I should love – in the difficulties I imagine I and others have.

Tree of Advaita – jnana marga, the path of Wisdom

Kabbalah group notes – 30 October 2014

Who is the Watcher of my life? Go back in time to an early memory – who looked through my eyes? When did I first sense behind me, my Magid, my inner teacher? Keep this question open, because although we may seem to make a priori statements about “the watchers” or “the magidim” for convenience, the inner dialogue is a unique and open mystery to each one of us … when touching base with it. Through it is received the connection: the collective human eagle, seeing far and wide.

The magidim may not present words, they may present a symbol or shape or pattern of events in our life. Gina took a book to bed – the seductive intellectual language of a popular atheist undermining God; an enormous black bluebottle suddenly flew in and hit the page, startling her.

Our Guardians manifest in small doses of synchrony and are “visibly distressed” when a promising pilgrim gets caught up in lower-case politics. Some spiritual- journal entries by an old Indian friend were found, written in 1978 – since then, he became immersed in the Indian political game. The early notes brought tears to the old man’s eyes. Had he lived his life?

Try to perceive when the Voiceless Voice is shaking his/her head behind you or to one side, or withdrawing energy from your impulse. Keep hearing them silently. They know your destiny. They only intervene when they absolutely have to; and then you get three warnings.

Circle Line 1965

Each one of us is a fractal kaleidoscope, giving the childlike Holy One much pleasure.

On healing situations: a practitioner asks sometimes, Is anyone there? If there is, she stops what she’s doing, leaves the room, lets them get on with it.

Operating theatres are filled with the Watchers – those who gather at emergency, at birth and at death: those whose concern is with this human river of destiny.

Sacred India Tarot – Parvati waters trees

Discriminate the musical essence from the soul who creates it – discriminate the symphony from the conductor. Schumann said Schubert’s music cleanses and banishes evil. We have these two aspects in our Watchers, to discern – the soul’s essence evolving through light and shadow; and the guiding factor/dialogue with our Magid.

W spoke of portrait painting, and how the connection/contact between artist and sitter over real time and space speaks much more profoundly than a photo. This contact is heart to heart (a way of love).

Warnings cross your path – when Tom was in India, a big python glided by, as thick as a football; yet the person with him didn’t see it. Julia had a dream: should she take a certain path, or stay with Kabbalah? The dream was Chartres with all the seats turned to face the door, the Rose window. There sat a very old man – Melchisedek – and she melted into him. He said, keep the path Kabbalistically. All are one.

You can tell the quality of good or bad movies: likewise your inner guidance – its quiet calibre and commitment, rather than drama.

Confession by the fire – 1963

The language of visions and of dreams comes from the connective link, and when your path forks, note the atmosphere in the fork before you go down it too far.

Sense the Pre-sence of the Guides. Clarity is a breakthrough of Yetzirah into Beriah. In Mozart’s Magic Flute, water flows to the left and fire on the right, with the air we breathe … the flute … in the centre.

Praying for those who died in holocaust or violence, for their rest, we pause – a dark night of soul – a sadness. The inner Teacher helps us to raise the level. They indicate.

Evening in the Snowdon hut, 1964

A question was asked whether a Watcher or Magid can exist simultaneously incarnate (as an embodied pilgrim) and discarnate (as source of wisdom – like a lighthouse – to distant pilgrims).

The magidim are not angels, they are human – they are involved in the human condition which the angels cannot perceive. The angels have cosmic functions: the magidim are the clear dew of our human resonance above the clouds. They are discarnate in Yetzirah (the World of Formation) and they have a way of orchestrating omens. So look for the pattern of the omens, to see your magid.

On the tandem of magid and embodied soul: while we are discarnate, we can do and be the things in life which we cannot do or be in the physical body – where we have to buy a ticket to get from Finchley Road to Cockfosters. The magid doesn’t buy a ticket or travel – the magid unifies the two places, because the magid stands a little beyond space and time.

Astrology characteristics in our chart, build up an individuated picture over the lifetime.

Jacobs Ladder showing the Four Worlds in the interlocking Trees: Aziluth, Emanation (names of God); Beriah, Creation (Archangels and magidim); Yetzirah the Formative World (planets, magidim and the psyche) and Assiyah the Physical World (physical organs, the material universe.)

I do not see the Watcher as a linear fixture. I guess our Guardians and their quality, proliferate according to the level of third eye in the intelligent perception. Each Guardian is a member of their own School, each Guardian has his or her magid also; and when I lift above the waves, I should see through that face-cloud, receiving the quintessential One behind it – transparency on transparency. In spiritual lineages the features change but remain constant as the One. Our Guardians blend the bookends of our life together as a distinct and profound thought form; but we tread the mill. We walk their scented trail.

My basis for contemplation is the Tree, where these thoughts and ideas come naturally.

My adventure invites fellow travellers. I am a poet, an artist and a seer. I welcome conversation among the PHILO SOFIA, the lovers of wisdom.

This blog is a vehicle to promote also my published work – The Sacred India Tarot (with Rohit Arya, Yogi Impressions Books) and The Dreamer in the Dream – a collection of short stories (0 Books). Watch this space.

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A Resonance between Two Models – Ramesh Balsekar & Leonard Cohen: Part Two

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In my previous post, I abridged the full transcript of Ramesh Balsekar’s conversation with Leonard Cohen in early 1999, because it was very long. Here are the missing bits, including Ramesh’s teaching on Satori. For the dialogue to run smoothly, I have retained some of the exchanges in Part One.

Ramesh Balsekar: But you used the word “resonance”.

Leonard Cohen: Yes Sir.

RB – Can you explain that a little bit, Leonard?

LC – I found that during some of the rigorous retreats that we’re subjected to, I would find myself opening one of your books, specifically The Final Truth; and I would find that your writing would illuminate the discourses of our Master, and vice versa. That resonance became very discernible. It became urgent that I …

RB – A similar thing happened to me.

LC -Yes?

RB – You know Wei Wu Wei? Have you heard of Wei Wu Wei? – particularly one book which a friend of mine gave me twenty years ago, which I knew was a treasure, but I couldn’t understand it – I kept it aside. So that was what used to be – what my teacher said, and what was said in the book – amazing. Is that the sort of thing you mean?

LC – Yes Sir, it is.

RB – I see. And in particular, The Final Truth?

LC – Well, that was the book I happened to have with me in my pack. I would open it at any free moment, and the words would rise up, illuminating the whole day.

RB – Yes, I see. Have you read any other books of mine?

LC – Yes, I have just finished “Pointers”. I have it with me now. But I read it very, very slowly. It seems that one section can occupy me for long, long periods.

RB – Yes. And then, you’ve been here ten days! But you’ve been so silent!

LC – I’ve been sipping at the nectar. It’s very delicious to be here.

RB – Yes. So now, what you have heard these ten days, and what you have read in the book, and your original understanding – how do they resonate? Can you explain that a little bit?

LC – On the intellectual model, your model becomes clearer and clearer to me – your conceptual presentation – and so does my old Teacher’s. On the experiential level, I feel the weakening of certain proprietorial feelings of doership … … You know, over the years, especially anybody who hangs around a Zendo meditation hall, is going to get a lot of ‘free samples’, as you put it. If you sit for long hours every day and are subjected to sleeplessness and protein deficiency, you’re going to start having experiences that are interesting … … A greed for those kinds of experiences develops. Which is what happens in monasteries.

RB – I see. You see, what happens is – Wayne and I had a very brief talk a couple of days ago; we were both walking on the roof. He made a point that while certain practices bringing about these free samples, inflate the ego, could these practices also not inflate the ego to an extent where it bursts? Which is one way for the annihilation of the ego.

LC – That is a very excellent characterisation of this kind of practice.

RB – That is what it is supposed to do. But I told Wayne, the explosion will happen if that is the will of God, and if it is the will of God, that that bodymind organism follow THAT PATH. This reminded me of the story of Lao Tsu and his disciple, which I’m sure you know, but I will repeat it. A disciple went to Lao Tsu with his face flushed with the vigour of achievement. And he told him, “Master! I’ve got it!” Lao Tsu compassionately placed his hands on the disciple’s shoulders and told him, “Son, you have NOT got it.” You’ve heard this story?

LC – No, Sir.

RB – Oh really? Oh well! He said, “No my son, you haven’t got it.” So, dejected, the disciple went away. Some time later he came back again, fell at the Master’s feet and said “Master, it has happened.”

Lao Tsu looked into his eyes, knew it, and raised him up saying, “Now tell me what happened.” The disciple explained, “I was so SURE that I had got what I wanted, all the experiences, all the joy, I knew I had got it; but when you told me that I had NOT got it, I accepted that as the truth. But it was also the truth as far as I was concerned, that I had done all I could, and yet you said I had achieved nothing. So the result was: accepting BOTH as the truth. I went about my way, not wanting anything, not expecting anything; and suddenly I noticed that the joyous experiences had gone, but a peace had descended. And it also struck me then, that this was the peace that I was after – not achieving anything!”

So this is the peace that came when the seeking stopped. You see? So, it was the destiny of the mindbody organism of that particular disciple, that the ego be bloated to an extent where it burst; and the pin that burst it was Lao Tsu telling him “No, you haven’t got it!”

But again, the danger IS – if it is the will of God and the destiny of that bodymind organism – that the ego will bloat, and stay bloated at a level where the bloated ego considers himself a Master, you see? and wants and does get hundreds and thousands of disciples! And the bloated ego stays there. So it may not get pricked.

But, when the ego gets weaker and weaker and weaker, then it has to ultimately die, finding out “Who is doing anything? Who is seeking anything? Who is to get anything? You see? That is why I said, the only Sadhana I recommend, is to find out at the end of the day, how many actions that I remember having happened today, were MY actions, and how many just happened?

And I dare say that an honest analysis will make the ego come to the conclusion that no actions were HIS actions, or HER actions! And if this happens day after day – it may start with the end of the day, but it will be found that this analysis happens many times DURING the day! – until towards the end, an action happens and the analysis that it was not my action, happens almost simultaneously; so that with the firmest possible conviction, with unconditional acceptance that I do nothing, the question arises, not intellectually “Who am I?” but from the very depths of frustration – it can be said, frustration of the ego – “If I have not been doing, if no act is my action, who is this ME I’ve been so concerned about?”

Ramana Maharshi used the words “Who am I” because in English there is a marvellous distinction between ‘I’ and ‘me’, but in the Tamil language and most other languages I am told, this distinction is not there. So when Ramana Maharshi said, “Find out who am I”, he really meant, “Who is this me I’m so concerned about?”

If this process starts, it is the will of God. And if this process reaches a certain depth – every step is God’s will and the destiny of that body-mind organism – the actual arising of this question is there a me, out of DEEPEST FRUSTRATION, is what is perhaps called THE DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL

In the time lag between the arising of the question and the arising of an answer, the deepest frustration is the dark night of the soul. And the dark night of the soul awakens you into the answer: “There never has been a ‘me’. There is thinking, but no thinker. There is doing, but no doer.” The thinker, the doer, the experiencer, comes later, and becomes proud, or has a feeling of guilt. Thinking happens. A thought arises and leads to some action. And later on, the individual ego doer comes in and says “I had a brilliant idea which I put into practice, and now I am Bill Gates, making five hundred dollars every second.” That is how thought occurs. But the one who says ‘I thought’ comes later. And it was God’s will and the destiny of the mindbody organism that that should happen. Albert Einstein in his total humility, has gone on record as saying the equation came to him from outside.

LC – I think that’s the experience of every artist and mind worker.

RB – Yes. Nureyev the ballet dancer has said, “Nureyev dances best when Nureyev isn’t there.” And the same thing is said by I suppose, any artist in whatever field. So, proceeding this way, even that depends on the will of God and the destiny of the organism.

There’s a tiny book, an abridged edition of the Bhagavad Gita. Have you read it?

LC – This edition, no.

RB – Bhagavad Gita is seven hundred verses. Someone told me that Ramana Maharshi had condensed it into forty-three or forty-eight verses. This friend of mine who used to come regularly, had a copy, so I said, “Would you give me that copy?” He said “Yes, yes, I’ll bring it next time.” And four times he came, and four times he forgot. So I said, “Ramana Maharshi’s answer to me is clear. Do it on your own!” – (Laughter.) “Don’t read MY collection!”

And so I started doing it: so mine came to sixty-six verses. And one of those verses is this: “Out of thousands of people there is one seeker. Out of the many seekers, there is ONLY ONE who knows me in principle.” You see? So the many seekers who don’t reach this ultimate end, obviously have to be following paths which are not supposed to lead them to the end, during the process of that bodymind organism anyway.

So the misconception “What is the best path? Which is the best Spiritual path?” – there is no “best spiritual path”. There is only a particular spiritual path for you, or for this particular bodymind organism, at that moment of its development. So the Source will send this bodymind organism to that Guru who is appropriate for him or her at the time; all the bodymind organism can do, is to follow that Guru to whom he has been sent.

But my only point is this: many Gurus, unfortunately, tie down their disciples, saying “Now you have come to me. You wanted to be initiated. Now our relationship is life-long.” You see? But to me, that is ridiculous. You initiated him, but who sent him to you? That Source certainly has the right to send that disciple somewhere else! Who is this Guru, to bind him for life? Therefore the word “Guru hopping” is used in a sort of derogatory way.

LC – Guru …?

RB – Guru Hopping. (Laughter). It’s used in a derogatory way. To me, it is perfectly logical and acceptable.

LC – In the Zen tradition as you know, monks went from one Master to another, in search of different aspects of the teaching. I don’t feel I am betraying my Teacher by being here.

RB – Yes. Otherwise you wouldn’t be here. In fact, Wayne told me, you told your Teacher.

LC – Yes.

RB – And he didn’t ask for …?

LC – Yes. He asked me to cook him one last meal. Because I’m his cook.

RB – I see. So, Leonard, is he likely to ask you when you go back, what did you learn?

LC – My understanding, he will discern exactly. I think the issue more urgent, is whether I stay there or not.

RB – Yes. But if he does ask you – which is not impossible, is it? – what would you say, Leonard?

LC – Well, we have – I would try to convey to him in the terms that – but he doesn’t speak English … … I would probably gasho to him. (Bows deeply)

RB – This is gasho?

LC – Yes, and depending on the truth of the moment, whether I could step aside from the understanding and let the understanding communicate itself …

RB – The answer is, “I don’t know”. Is that what you meant?

LC – It’s correct.

RB – Then that is absolutely correct: “I don’t know what answer will come out.”

LC – He has, you know, the Japanese rigour. So he would question, he would listen carefully to my saying “I don’t know”. Because “I don’t know” is the answer to many koans.

RB – No no. What I’m saying is: “I don’t know” is your answer to me.

LC – Ah Yes. Yes, Sir.

RB – That I DON’T know what will come out of my lips if such a question were asked. That’s what I meant. When I said “I don’t know”, what I mean is – that would be your answer to my question about what you should say.

You see? So some experience happens. Then people want more experiences. This greed as you quite rightly said, for the experience. Wanting – ananda means ‘bliss’. But the word ‘calm’ or ‘cool’ – deep down, that is how the word has come – cool, or calm. At one stage Ramana Maharshi uses the word ‘bliss’ because it has come down – not Ramana Maharshi, but in the translation. One point I came across, which I have triple underlined – he said: “Calm is superior to bliss.” The word I prefer is “peace”.