The Bahir

Bahir Verse 103
This next verse refers to what we were talking about in Verse 102 in terms of having our thoughts be of the highest in the moment. A method for prayer and thought is offered here. Let's see what these meaning confer upon us today.Bahir Verse 103. Another explanation: It is written (Exodus 25:2) , "and they shall take for Me (Li) a lifted offering." [ Li (for Me) can also be read, "for the Yod. "] They shall take the Yod , which is the tenth, as a lifted offering to make it holy. How do we know that the tenth is holy? Because it is written (Leviticus 27:32) "The tenth shall be holy to God." What is holy? That regarding which it is written (Ezekiel 44:30), "The beginning of all the first fruits ... and every lifted offering of every thing." It is furthermore written (Psalm 111:10) , "The beginning of wisdom is the fear of God." Do not read "is the fear" but "and the fear." [The verse will then read, "The beginning is wisdom and the fear of God.] Commentary: Essentially we are talking about a lifted offering. A lifted offering is that which we ascribe holiness to. It is where we send our prayers. It is the booster rocket of our thinking that then places our thoughts into the higher realms of being where the Mystery rules in unity. Ten is one raised through the power of ten. It is a new beginning brought forth as a result of One. This idea of a new beginning is reinforced by the verse from Ezekiel about. The first fruits refer to what comes about as a result of your prayers. We are being asked in continuation from verse 102 to raise our thoughts on high for the purpose of producing those first fruits. Again the reference to the ten and to the Yod are pointing to the ten Sephiroth as they produce from beginning to completion the world upon which we play. The Yod or Ten represents the generation of ideas that result in the completion of a new form. Therefore we may go from theoretical construct to realized situation or form. We lift up our imagination to catch the wave of the Mystery that then descends in kind to produce all the elements that we have been imagining. "The beginning is wisdom and the fear of God." Our prayer or meditation begins with the knowledge of just how everything works. This is the beginning of Wisdom. It is the way in which we proceed with our prayer knowing the end is contained in the beginning. We recognize that there is a power that moves through us and this power becomes that through which it moves. We must prepare the ground before us setting up our intention every step of the way. This intention must be raised to the level of connection where we recognize that the power for all demonstration of that intention cannot be encompassed. We can only join with this power by breathing it into our every action. The fear of God is simply our total awareness of God. Fear which is often associated with the awe of God is a reminder to proceed not with caution but with Intention. When we do so we fall in line with the way things work and therefore we are able to smoothly experience the flow of our imagination into experience.

Bahir Verse 102
As we begin again this year our study of the Bahir this verse 102 sets the tone for our continuous understanding. It appears obscure as usual but with the looking glass of Modern Kabbalah some surprising and very clear results may be obtained.Bahir Verse 102. We learned: There is a single pillar extending from heaven to earth, and its name is Righteous (Tzadik) . [This pillar] is named after the righteous. When there are righteous people in the world, then it becomes strong, and when there are not, it becomes weak. It supports the entire world, as it is written, "And Righteous is the foundation of the world." If it becomes weak, then the world cannot endure. Therefore, even if there is only one righteous person in the world, it is he who supports the world. It is therefore written, "And a righteous one is the foundation of the world." You should therefore take My lifted offering from him first. Then (Exodus 25:3), "And this is the lifted offering that you should take from them" from the rest. What is it? "Gold, silver and copper." Commentary: First before we begin our exegesis a word about the process. In Modern Kabbalah we try and relate everything to the process of thinking and then tell about the interplay between thought and expression. This process is built into the relationship that our conversations have with one another. We think about something and then another thought occurs and so on. The single Righteous Pillar describes above is a thought that rings true within our mind. It is a thought that inspires other thoughts of like truthful nature. This pillar thought serves as the foundation of our world. Now we go on to say that if there are righteous people in the world it grows very strong. This is saying that if we use this central truthful thought as our inspiration for producing other thoughts which lead us in a right (righteous) direction. Your lifted offering each day is to concentrate on positive thoughts that will reproduce themselves in kind which is why your offerings must be the very best that can be, the silver, gold and copper of your meditations. It is interesting to note that when we meditate we mine the field of our awareness and seek to uncover the precious gems of our thoughts that we may live by them and see them through into fruition.

Bahir Verse 101
Journey towards the center in this passage and ignore for the moment the detailed explanations.Bahir 101. Rabbi Berachiah sat and expounded: What is the Lulav that we discusses? It is the 36 (Lu) given over to 32 (Lav). And how? He replied: There are three Princes, the Axis, the Sphere and the Heart. Each one is twelve, and the three therefore constitute a sum of 36, through which the world is sustained. It is thus written (Proverbs 10:25), "And Righteous is the foundation of the world." Commentary: We are ascending through an area known as the 'hidden levels.' Here the natural course is to ponder the meanings of the letter Lamed and Vav and try and find out the relationship that exists within the Tree of Life in terms of these three Princes. If we do so then we shall never obtain the true expressions that are alluded to here. It then becomes important to move quickly as these openings are suggested but they are not clear except for eyes accustomed to the light. Learn to move in the direction of your thought setting the way before you as you go. Use the Bahir now as a compass and an instrument to discover the way within. The Bahir cannot by itself get you there. It is up to you see your objective clearly and to uncover the way that is exactly yours to follow. This entire verse gives us course directions. The specifics you can work out for yourself. What is important here is that the place that you are being led into is the mystical promised land and that will be the topic of the next post.

Bahir Verse 100
We arrive at verse 100 and there is a curious departure. The source of all is brought forth. Watch and see what develops.Verse 100. And how do we know that "" refers to the Blessed Holy One? It is written (1 Kings 8:36), "And you, O Heaven, shall hear." Was Solomon then praying to heaven that it should hear their prayers? But [we must say that he was praying] to the One whose name is Heaven. It is thus written (1 Kings 8:27), "Behold the heaven and the heaven of heaven cannot contain You." This is the name of the Blessed Holy One. You therefore have fire. How can you then say that it was before? But we must say that their Power existed before the Forms of that place. Only then did these Holy Forms come into existence. What is their Power? It is that regarding which it is written (I Samuel 2:2), "There is none holy like God, there is none other than You, and there is no Former like our God." Commentary: Here we are talking about how everything came to be. In this verse here we see presented the Mystery out of which all that comes after bases each point of its focus in the ensuing forms of manifestation that are ranged before us in order of archetypal appearance. When we look up to pray there is the assumption that it is on high that we are to look for where our answers come from. When we rise in this way in contemplation what we come up with are the realms of thought that offer wisdom and understanding. This points to the purpose of the Sephiroth that are constructs of the creative imagination given in such a way that our thoughts are charted their courses infused with the certainty of place. This place is where you are in relation to the Mystery. When you are conscious of this at all times your movements are literally in line with the Mystery. When it talks about 'you O Heaven shall hear,' this refers to the greater part of our awareness. You see there is always a place of connection and an aspiration for connection. Before you can derive your direction the place before you as in 'the heaven and the heaven of heaven" must be conceived. Specifically your thoughts can be directed towards the objective you seek and then enjoin the process of raising that objective to its highest purpose. Align yourself with the Mystery. This keeps coming through no matter what way we come into aspect with it. It keeps running through the Zohar and the Bahir as a recurring theme. It also is there in abundance in the Torah as we have already seen in many the interpretations that have already been received. No matter what you can conceive of there is always something more to be discovered. The name of the Holy One specifically refers to our point of focus. It speaks to exactly where we are directing our thoughts if we are in fact choosing to direct them instead of allowing ourselves to be swept along by mass consciousness. Out of this concept of conscious direction the image or idea of fire is brought forward. This fire is so consuming that it sweeps aside the flows of mass consciousness and allows our own directed purpose to flourish. It is the same fire that sweeps aside doubts prior to our entrance into the mystical Garden of Eden which is guarded by the flaming sword. This fire is before all of the forms have come into being speaking of the forms of mass consciousness. This fire is the on track perspective of the Holy One. The One of your Intention. Make no mistake about this because Unity and One are the foundations of all Aramaic writings dating past the advent of the Melchizidek. In the verse above there is conjecture in terms of asking how can you know. The verse isn't meant to give any specific answer but it is meant as it shows to ask the questions that will cause your mind to ponder what the significant meanings are. When we go through these commentaries there are answers that are called forth but they are the answers that come out of these moments we share together. When you contemplate these very same verses more answers may be given. The Bahir in its intent is interactive like the computer programs we learn today. Each step we take depends upon our greater understanding of the program as we go along. The forms of that place are the thoughts which issued from the Holy One because of the realization that out of Unity can come a multiplicity of meanings. We are led then into a contemplation of God in God's holiness and we are brought into the awareness once again of Infinite nature of God. Yes our thoughts are being directed as much by what is said by what is not being said. In the same way this verse gives us now a verifiable method for studying future verses. We can relate these verses to Torah, to God, and to the suggestions in Mind that are presented due to our contemplation of these matters. In this contemplation we come into contact with the energy of their making and so continue this process. It is like these sages who have written here have provided us with a basic model upon which we may endlessly build upon. That is why I always speak of openings and of your heart's desire. These openings are where we attach our contemplations to and then from there we have our place of departure in order to fulfill our heart's desire endlessly.
Bahir Verse 99
Let us continue on these pathways of discovery. Verse 99 dances with meanings. We will discern them and make some new ones to contemplate.Bahir 99. What are these Forms? They are that regarding which it is written (Genesis 3:24), "And He placed the Cherubim to the east of the Garden of Eden, and the flame of a sword revolving, to guard the way of the Tree of Life." What is the meaning of, "He placed to the east (kedem) of the Garden of Eden"? He placed it in those paths that preceded (kadmu) the place that was called the Garden of Eden. It was also before the Cherubim, as it is written, "the Cherubim." It was furthermore before the flame, as it is written, "the flame of a sword revolving." Is it then before [the flame]? Heaven is called Shamayim , indicating that fire and water existed before it. It is written (Genesis 1:6), "Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it be a division between water and water." It is then written (Genesis 1:8), "And God called the firmament heaven (Shamayim). " How do we know that the heaven is fire? It is written (Deuteronomy 4:24), "For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God." Commentary: We are talking about the forms of our imagination. There we are directly immersed in the imaging of our reflection. When they say guard the way to the Garden of Eden it might be interpreted as guarding as in keeping someone or something out. A usual guard patrols and issues challenges to intruders. Here the verse says: Krd-t) The JPS version translates this as to keep and not as Kaplan does when he translates it as to guard. In any event let's make the point again that the meaning is there so that we'll remember the way of return and that it will always be there for us to come back to. The flaming sword is the flash of inspiration which revolves within our consciousness. What we are talking about in terms of the Garden of Eden is the state of full awareness. We can only remember this state of being because we have all been there. It is the memory of this awareness that produces all inspirations and fosters every feeling of connection. What are these Cherubim to the East of Eden. East is where the sun comes up. The Cherubim are our spiritual reminders that are activated during our inspired moments so that when we pass through the waters of consciousness we maintain our spiritual integrity and are not swayed by the passing away of time. We then experience the quickening which is denoted by the fire in the verse 99 above. It is the fire of understanding which does consume your doubts and provide both the spark and the fuel for our continuing journey all the while sustaining our awareness of the Garden of Eden or the fully aware state of being. Consider the expression of thought as it travels through different media. The four worlds are represented here. None of these four worlds is independent of the other. Always you will have the challenge of reaching beyond yourself in comprehension. When you do so there is integration of the understanding that you have been going through. Intention will always lead to this point. The last verse, 'the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God links us up once again in the four worlds. What is consumed? Our doubts the way of the status quo. This is what is consumed. Why jealous? Because you stand facing the mystery and sometimes turn away. When you turn away you lose out or appear to lose out. Jealous is a poor term here as the Torah has already gone through the many veils of its own making by now. A better term would be watchful as in the Lord your God is omnipresent in your lives. You cannot ever escape your own karma. Moses in the verse before speaks of not being able to enter into the land of Canaan and then after speaks about what happens when your children disobey this omnipresent God. Moses has his anger to blame for stayin behind and even though he has the understanding he isn't able to live his life according to this omnipresent God. It is ironic yes but more telling it is a true description of karma and its unerring way. The children who must be watchful are symbolic of your words and thoughts. Here is where you must be watchful and remember the omnipresence of God. If you speak unerringly it could bring ruin from an incomplete or wrongful making. Verse 99 is telling us that by being mindful of all four worlds we are able to find our way back to the Garden of Eden. Our lives are determined by how we proceed amidst the omnipotence that surrounds us. Beyond these symbols are the very real facts of our lives which cannot escape the karma of our actions. It is only through right thought and action that we may proceed to lift ourselves up on high.

Bahir 98
It is uncanny how our study of the Bahir sometimes mirrors questions I've been pondering myself during the week. Previous we were discussing the transformation of consciousness. Here in this verse 98 a similar theme comes through.Bahir 98. And all the Holy Forms oversee all the nations. But Israel is holy, taking the Tree itself and its Heart. The Heart is the beauty (hadar) of the fruit of the body. Similarly, Israel takes (Leviticus 23:40), "the fruit of a beautiful (hadar) tree." The date palm is surrounded by its branches all around it and has its sprout (Lulav) in the centre. Similarly, Israel takes the body of this Tree which is its Heart. And paralleling the body is the spinal cord, which is the main part of the body. What is the Lulav ? [It can be written] Lo Lev ; "it has a heart." The heart is also given over to it. And what is this Heart? It is the 32 Hidden paths of Wisdom that are hidden in it. In each of their paths there is also a Form watching over it. It is thus written (Genesis 3:24) , "To watch the way of the Tree of Life." Commentary: The beauty of the body. This is analogous to the holy forms being spoken of. It is the archetype of the body. If we extend the term body to mean any thought form then we begin to see what this verse is speaking about. The spinal cord and the 32 Paths of Wisdom are discussed. Visualize now the connections you may feel to the various emotions and states of mind. Visualize all of this in a central channel of awakening. The heart of this awakening is centered in the Tree of Life. The Aryeh Kaplan translation of the Bahir which I've been using here says 'watch the way.' Another translation from JPS Bible says to 'keep the way to the Tree of Life.' This is in response to being sent away from the Garden of Eden. The meaning of this is as follows. All of us have had moments of inspiration only to find ourselves lost inside of our doubts. The point of inspiration is where we touch the Garden of Eden. It is the spiritual center of connection. The 32 Paths allude to all of the ways in which we may return to this spiritual center of connection. The same symbolism is true of the date palm and all of its branches. It is the nature of inspiration to burst forth in a radiant glow reminiscent of the thousand petalled lotus formed by the enlightenment of the crown chakra. Radiance occurs all of the time showing us not only how it feels to be in the Garden of Eden but also showing us what we have done to get us there. The verse says that there is a form watching over each path. This form is the way back into the Garden of Eden or the return to this connected state of mind. This relates specifically to the transformation of consciousness. Remember what gets you there is your ability to keep opening the doors within your mind to release the light of connection. Then travelling on this supernal beams you are able to feel the connection and live your life in connection.

Bahir 97
Listen carefully how the high watch takes place within. Remember to hear this high watch throughout all background noise.Bahir 97. Rabbi Berachiah sat and expounded: What is the meaning of the verse (Exodus 25:2), "And they shall take for Me a lifted offering (Terumah) "? It means, "Lift Me up with your prayers." And whom? Those whose "hearts make them willing." These are the ones who are willing to draw themselves away from this world. Honour him, for it is in him that I rejoice, since he knows My name. From him it is fitting to take My lifted offering, as it is written (Exodus 25:2), "from each man whose heart makes him willing, you shall take My lifted offering." From he who makes himself willing. Rabbi Rahumai said: [This refers to] the righteous and pious in Israel who raise Me over all the world through their merit. From them the Heart is sustained, and the Heart sustains them. Commentary: hmwrt Terumah, an offering. Tav Resh vav mem and heh are the letters. The center of this verse is the aspect of prayer. How should we pray and in what attitude shall our prayers be composed of. Consider what you are telling yourself about yourself lately and as a general rule. How do you judge you within. Are you fair or overbearing. Do you give yourself credit each day for the little things you find out or are able to do to help others? Carlos Suares in his book Spectrograms calls Tav... The cosmic tabernacle of Aleph which is Aleph itself acting in its fertile power. Without Tav no-thing would exist, without Aleph there is nothing. In the Sepher Yetzirah Tav is described: --- "Make Tav king, bind a crown to it, and with it depict the Moon in the Universe, the Sabbath in the Year, and the mouth in the Soul." In this way we know that the start of your offering is to speak from your soul. The Sabbath is the interval which brings into play the primordial substance pregnant with potential. It is pregnant from the Moon symbol of femininity along with the symbol of the Year which is the fruition of that pregnancy. To put this in terms of Modern Kabbalah the first step is to acknowledge our good. Acknowledge that what we aspire to or for is worthy as with Tav the crown is placed. Put forth your deepest awareness of being and connect in the cycles of birth and rebirth culminating with your ultimate realization of Unity.Resh is spoken of: "Make Resh king, bind a crown to it, and with it depict Mercury in the Universe, Friday in the Year, and the left nostril in the Soul." ---It is thought (Mercury) which takes in the energy of awareness of Soul. There cannot be an offering without this connection to Soul. This point is stressed by the combination of Tav and Resh to start Terumah. Vav: "Make Vav king, bind a crown to it, and with it depict Taurus, Iyar in the Year, and the left hand in the Soul." The month of Iyar is called the month of "Ziv" (radiance). Thought is also attributed to this month. The left hand of the Soul is shown by the ox in the four faces from Ezekials vision. Once a determination of thought has been made it may shine forth to illuminate each step that comes after.Mem: "Make Mem king over water, bind a crown to it, and combine one with another. And with them seal earth in the Universe, the cold in the Year, and the belly in the Soul, the male with MASh, andthe female with ShMA." Now there can be the infusion of opportunity the transformations of form.Heh: "How does one permute them? Make Heh king, bind a crown in it, and with it depict Aries in the Universe, Nissan in the Year, and the right hand in the Soul." Out of these transformations come the realization of your visions. It is as simple as that:) Your offering is self contained. When they say above to be taken away from this world it is from the world of permanence where we experience the same old, same old. What you honor or the 'him' you honor is your highest self. It is how and where you receive your 'high watch' and are able to participate in the 'offering.' It is your willingness to let go of the status quo which brings in the new worlds for you to experience. It is your willingness to be kind to yourself in the thoughts that you habitually entertain. It is easy to become hypnotized but it is not freedom that you receive as a result of this. You become caught just like in the movie The Matrix living your programmed lives. The only problem is that you aren't doing the programming but are accepting the world by default. It is the purpose of Modern Kabbalah to show how we are able to participate in our own internal programming and how we are able to reject the status quo that impinges upon us in our daily lives. The verse closes with telling you that the Heart sustains them. Who are they that are sustained? It is you who follow that path of self awareness refusing to accept the mundane and continuing to watch for the wonder of your life in each moment. It is truly your passion that sustains you; your passion for joy and the ability to redirect your lives always to a higher purpose. This was a complicated discussion. What you can take away with you is the process of studying the Hebrew letters to find their archetypal forms. It's all there in the Sepher Yetzirah which yields its treasures in most remarkable ways. We analyze and then find the relevance of each idea comparing them amongst themselves and with the over all spectrum of Consciousness. Find that inner voice within and offer it up with all of your heart for connection with the mystery. There you truly will be sustained and find your way smoothed and paved with good every where you turn.

Bahir Verse 96
en·tel·e·chy Inflected forms: pl. en·tel·e·chies1. In the philosophy of Aristotle, the condition of a thing whose essence is fully realized; actuality. 2. In some philosophical systems, a vital force that directs an organism toward self-fulfillment. And so we begin the next Bahir verse 96. The preceding verse 95 was the equivalent of a cosmic portal through which all of us may travel. It leads in all dimensions to openings which have been suggested all along by this Bahir. These openings are the many mansions that we conceive of in our connection with the archetypes of Kabbalah, the Hebrew letters and their astounding meaningful forms. This interesting word defined above about says it for what is our driving force. Bahir 96. What is the earth from which the heavens were graven? It is the Throne of the Blessed Holy One. It is the Precious Stone and the Sea of Wisdom. This parallels the blue in the Tzitzit. Rabbi Meir thus said: Why is blue chosen above all other colours [for the Tzitzit]? Because the blue resembles the sea, the sea resembles the sky,l and the sky resembles the Throne of Glory. It is thus written (Exodus 24:10), "They saw the God of Israel, and under His feet was like a pavement of sapphire, like the essence of heaven in clarity." It is furthermore written (Ezekiel 1:26) , "As the likeness of a sapphire stone was the appearance of a Throne." Commentary: The heavens may only be graven or grooved with our thoughts and of themselves they are what literally makes up the heavens. The earth forms its reflections from these thoughts in the mind of the mystery through the agency of the 'Throne of the Blessed One.' This is the place where thought and its inspirations are in stasis ruling over all as in sitting on a throne. Initially there is an influx of energy which continue until it awakens thought, the shaping power of consciousness which then sits in potentiality of becoming. There is the knowledge of this becoming called the 'Precious Stone' and the Sea of Wisdom' that accompanies or surrounds this Precious Stone. The throne is where our thoughts are at rest and then from there look out upon all of potentiality to become that which resides within. The blue in the garment of the tzitzit, the blue in the sky, all point to the throne of glory. The glory is the knowledge of the unfoldment of creation. The realms of perfection of this process are drawn out for us in the imagery of the sapphire and the pavement of sapphire which is to say that this above here where the stone of glory resides reproduces itself perfectly when it is seen from the earthly or existential level of manifestation. Further the likeness of the stone and the appearance of sapphire refer to the two states of being that we are constantly in flux with. The potential and the actual. This brings us back to our word of the day Entelechy where we are shown the actuality of our becoming. The clear meaning then is that our thoughts now residing in heaven reveal themselves in perfection through the experiences we live out in our lives. Reach to heaven and promote those thoughts that are highest to reveal your life and then experiences will follow suit in perfection.

Bahir 95
This next verse 95 is one of the most detailed thus far. It takes us into a theoretical construct. We will find that despite its complexity where it leads will be a most remarkable place.Bahir Verse 95. The Blessed Holy One has a single Tree, and it has twelve diagonal boundaries: The northeast boundary, the southeast boundary; The upper east boundary, the lower east boundary; The southwest boundary, the northwest boundary; The upper west boundary, the lower west boundary; The upper south boundary, the lower south boundary; The upper north boundary, the lower north boundary; They continually spread forever and ever; They are the arms of the world. On the inside of them is the Tree. Paralleling these diagonals there are twelve Functionaries. Inside the Sphere there are also twelve Functionaries. Including the diagonals themselves, this makes a total of 36 Functionaries. Each of these has another. It is thus written (Ecclesiastes 5:7), "For one above another watches." [This makes a total of 72.] It therefore comes out that the east has nine, the west has nine, the north has nine, and the south has nine. These are twelve, twelve, twelve, and they are the Functionaries in the Axis, the Sphere, and the Heart. Their total is 36. The power of each of these 36 is in every other one. Even though there are twelve in each of the three, they are all attached to each other. Therefore, all 36 Powers are in the first one, which is the Axis. And if you seek them in the Sphere, you will find the very same ones. And if you seek them in the Heart, you will again find the very same ones. Each one therefore has 36. All of them do not have more than 36 forms. All of them complete the Heart [which has a numerical value of 32]. Four are then left over. Add 32 to 32 and the sum is 64. These are the 64 Forms. How do we know that 32 must be added to 32? Because it is written (Ecclesiastes 5:7) , "For one above another watches, [and there are higher ones above them]." We thus have 64, eight less than the 72 names of the Blessed Holy One. These are alluded to in the verse, "there are higher ones above them," and they are the seven days of the week. But one is still missing. This is referred to in the next verse (Ecclesiastes 5:8), "The advantage of the land in everything is the King." What is this "advantage"? This is the place from which the earth was graven. It is an advantage over what existed previously. And what is this advantage? Everything in the world that people see is taken from its radiance. Then it is an advantage. Commentary: The Cube of Space is being referenced here. See this website for a detailed analysis:http://www.psyche.com/psyche/cube/cube.html. The entire purpose in studying the Cube is to stop the mind from wandering. Focused thought is what we are trying to learn. Ironically the reason we learn to focus thought is so that we can let go of thought and join with the all encompassing radiance as expressed above. An arrangement and a hierarchy is suggest in verse 95 where thought exists in realms. The inner nature of thought mirrors what we come across no matter in what direction we may turn. This inner nature is connection with the whole or all encompassing radiance. Yes it is that which we cannot see but we can strive towards and in moments of highest awareness let go into and experience the unity of its outward shining rays. A contemplation of this cube of space brings into question where we are standing at any given moment of time. What is our relationship to our world around us? How about the relationship of the spiritual to the physical or emotional states of being. All of this is called into awareness by the Cube of Space. A paradigm of life choices emerges. Ordinarily we do not seek inner wisdom. We are generally moved to do so by circumstances which guide us in this direction. The Cube of Space offers a map of consciousness; a way to look at ourselves from a number of related vantage points. The verse quoted above (Ecclesiastes 5:8), "The advantage of the land in everything is the King," tells us that the perspective of rulership or dominion over the land is where the land gets its wealth from. Look on your land or the destiny that awaits you with an eye towards this rulership and an intention to situate yourself at the prime location within which is where the radiance beams out its life giving rays.

Bahir 93-94
We continue now with the Bahir and look up in amazement at what we may behold.Bahir Verse 93. What is the reason for the blue? The watchman said, "Perhaps those assistant watchmen will say that the garden belongs to us." He therefore gave them a sign, and told them, "See this. It is the sign of the king, indicating that the garden belongs to him. He is the one who made these paths, and they are not mine. This is his deal." What is this like? A king and his daughter had slaves, and they wanted to travel abroad. But [the slaves] were afraid, being in terror of the king. He therefore gave them his sign. They were also afraid of the daughter, and she [also] gave them a sign. They said, "From now on, with these two signs, `God will watch you from all evil, He will safeguard your soul.'" Commentary: The blue threads in the tzizit-tallis-prayer shawl represents the sky above and our connection with the above. The King and his daughter are the repositories of the source of connection. The King is the mystery of thought forever unknown. The Daughter is the mystery of thought forever being revealed. The slaves are the attitude lower thought to higher thought. They are subject to higher thought. The slave comparison is not as well understood in our times as in ancient times when slaves were common. The slave is taken care of by the master. There are commandments to this end in the Torah. Do not take the slave analogy literally but look for the hidden messages here. The above is always giving us signs for us to pay attention to. When we do all of our fear is removed. The one sign is to let us know it is okay to contemplate the unknown and that it is also okay to listen for the answer given by the daughter or the revealer of knowledge who accompanies us in our voyages abroad so to speak. The sign in both cases from King and Daughter are an inner recognition that all is well. It can be compare. The exposition continues in the next verse.Bahir verse 94. Rabbi Amorai sat and expounded: What is the meaning of the verse (1 Kings 8:27), "Behold the heaven and the heaven of heaven cannot contain You"? This teaches us that the Blessed Holy One has 72 names. All of them were placed in the Tribes [of Israel]. It is thus written (Exodus 28:10), "Six of their names on one stone, and the names of the other six on the other stone, according to their generations." It is also written (Joshua 4:9), "He raised up twelve stones." Just like the first are (Exodus 28:12), "stones of memorial," so these are (Joshua 4:7), "stones of memorial." [There are therefore] 12 stones [each containing six names] making a total of 72. These parallel the 72 names of the Blessed Holy One. Why do they begin with twelve? This teaches us that God has twelve Directors. Each of these has six Powers [making a total of 72]. What are they? They are the 72 languages. Commentary: The 72 Names of God. The ways of understanding are many. All of these ways are but pathways into the unknown calling forth the daugther from above to reside within our manifest being. These stones of memorial are the stones of memory as when we pick a rock to carry with us to remember a task we want to complete. The Directors and Powers are the 72 languages. Again not literally but as a way of letting you know that speaking to the unknown is through the many voices of expression they we may employ from time to time. Take away the complexity and reveal the kernel of meaning which brings the daughter of the king into our way of being. Then may understanding truly be revealed.

Bahir 92
Next we find an expression of infinite connection. Let's see what the commentary for this is.Bahir 92. He also said: What is the reason that we place blue wool in the Tzitzit ? And why are there 32 [threads]? What is this like? A king had a beautiful garden, and in it were 32 paths. He placed a watchman over them to show that all these paths belong to him alone. [The king] said to him, "Watch them, and walk upon them every day. As long as you walk these paths, you will have peace." What did the watchman do? He appointed other watchmen [as his assistants to watch] over them. He said, "If I remain alone on these paths, it is impossible for me, a single watchman, to maintain them all. Besides that, people may say that I am the king." The watchman therefore placed his assistants over all the paths. These are the 32 paths. Commentary: The key to this verse is the deeper understanding of the pathways which mind follows to reach its central awareness. We're going to work this one from the outside in. That which takes place comes from our internal awareness; how we feel each day. When we react to outside forces we have no control of our feelings. When we allow our inner nature to expand as the watchman above expands his awareness through the agency of appointing other watchmen, we increase the unity of being which we feel. The King as always is our higher mind. See this as Keter on the Tree of Life and reference the 32 Paths that connect each Sephiroth together. Follow this link for pictures

Bahir 91
Remember we are still talking about the Zarka or accent which appears on a Hebrew word to give it emphasis. The symbol looks like a tilde. ~Bahir 91. Why is [this accent] at the end of a word, and not at the beginning? This teaches us that this Crown rises higher and higher. It is included and crowned, as it is written (Psalm 118:22), "The stone that the builders rejected has become the head cornerstone." It ascends to the place from which it was graven, as it is written (Genesis 49:24) , "From there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel." Commentary: Nothing is too insignificant. This discussion is about thoughts that we sometimes dismiss but that may act ever increasingly as a major source of our direction in life. What we put emphasis on in terms of emotion and our attention does become where we are spiritually in the moment. We may have an idea about having a better life and then we dismiss it as not being possible. This dismissal does not take away this thought. By our dismissal we have placed emphasis upon it. It can then by our faith and calling it forth rise and ascend to become our heart's desire. Like they say in baseball, 'It's never over until it's over.'

Bahir 90
Look now the source of thought is revealed. Carefully digest this information.Bahir 90. What is the reason that it is called Zarka? It is written (Ezekiel 3:12), "Blessed is the glory of God from His place." This indicates that no being knows His place. We recite [God's] name of the Crown, and it goes to the head of the Owner. It is thus written [regarding God] (Genesis 14:19), "Owner of heaven and earth." When it goes, it is like it is thrown (Zarka) . Following it is treasure (Segulah). It is at the head of all letters.Commentary: Again the no thought is pointed out, "no being know His Place." The Crown is the highest thought from the Head of the Owner or Nameless One. When thought is released therein do we find the treasure, Joy. Therefore is Joy at the Head of all the letters.

Bahir 89
Keep thought in mind going forward it is central to everything we learn about.Bahir 89. Rabbi Amorai sat and expounded: What is the meaning of the Segol ? Its name is Segulah (treasure). It comes after the Zarka. What is the meaning of Zarka? It is like its name; something that is thrown (ni Zrak). It is like something that is thrown, and after it comes (Ecclesiastes 2:8), "the treasures of kings and lands."Commentary: See these vowel signs as the emphasis that emotion gives to thought. See them yes like something that is thrown and then arrives. Remember now that joy is the answer to thought. More on this as we go along. Oh by the way, treasure here translates to joy. Keep this in mind too.

Bahir 88
This is explained in detail giving the symbols which heretofore have remained secret and are now revealed in brilliance.Bahir Verse 88. What is the meaning of the expression, "It rose in thought"? Why do we not say that "it descended [in thought]"? Indeed, we have said, "One who gazes into the vision of the Chariot first descends and then ascends." We use the expression [of descent] there because we say, "One who gazes into the vision (Tzafayat) of the Chariot." The Aramaic translation of "vision" (Tzafiyat) is Sechuta [meaning a covering, and alluding to the fact that one is looking down from above]. It is also written (Isaiah 21:8), "And he called as a lion: `Upon the watchtower (Mitzpeh), O God.'" Here, however, we are speaking of thought, [and therefore only speak of ascent]. For thought does not include any vision, and has no ending whatsoever. And anything that has no end or limit does not have any descent. People therefore say, "Someone descended to the limit of his friend's knowledge." One can arrive at the limit of a person's knowledge, but not at the limit of his thought. Commentary: The chariot is the cycle of thought. The vision is thought itself in terms of lower thought and higher thought. The watchtower is our ability to observe thought while it is in motion. Thoughts decay, this is the lower form of thoughts. New thoughts arise, this is the higher form of thought. It says thought doesn't include vision because vision tends to be stationary, however when vision is in movement so too therefore is thought. It says thought doesn't descend which is true. Only the echoes of thought descend. It is these echoes or klippot that confuse us and cause the reactions we have called the ego. When thought is followed to its natural extension we experience the unlimited. What a story we are telling here. Wait it gets better, stay tuned.

Bahir Verse 87
Do you see what comes next? It is the basis of all that has come before and the proof of Modern Kabbalah's exposition of thought being central to Kabbalistic discussion. It is odd that established Kabbalah does not shout this from the rooftops. Here we say it matter of fact style for what is cannot be other.Bahir 87. It is written (Ecclesiastes 1:8), "The ear is not satiated from hearing." It is also written (Ecclesiastes 1:8), "The eye is not satiate from seeing." This teaches us that both draw from thought. What is thought? It is a king that is needed by all things that were created in the world, both above and below. Commentary: Thought is eternal and always seeks a higher expression. Paramount and supreme is thought because thought issues itself from the higher voice. The trick is to listen for highest thought where at first there is no thought or a cessation of lower thought. Then the first thing to come to mind is joy. Lovely how this works.

Bahir 86
We continue where the two become one. Unity is the process of opening and closing.Bahir Verse 86. Why should the Mem have two forms, open and closed? Because we said: Do not read Mem, but Mayim (Water). The woman is cold, and therefore, must be warmed by the male. Why should the Nun have two forms, bent and straight? Because it is written (Psalm 72:17), "Before the sun shall his name reign (ya-Nun). " [This is] from two Nuns, the bent Nun and the straight Nun , and it must be through male and female. Commentary: Water is warmed by the sun and produces life, the creative life of thought, the manifest life of form. Open to thought in it highest realm, receive the blessing by partaking of the sun of no thought. The one cause the other to rise. Once in mind seen in kind.

Bahir Verse 85
Here we introduce the ideas of generation and thesis. Let's see how.BAhir Verse 85 What is a Mem ? Do not read Mem, but Mayim (water). Just like water is wet, so is the belly always wet. Why does the open Mem include both male and female, while the closed Mem is male? This teaches us that the Mem is primarily male. The opening was then added to it for the sake of the female. Just like the male cannot give birth, so the closed Mem cannot give birth. And just like the female has an opening with which to give birth, so can the open Mem give birth. The Mem is therefore open and closed. Commentary: See how from one thought we get two more thoughts and from their a synthesis and then an analysis. Before we go on to the next series of verses we introduce what comes before and what follows after. Modern Kabbalah teaches that it isn't so important to gather the meanings together in a neat bundle as it is to allow them to seed themselves and grow. Mem- Male and Female. Water is the analogy and its general meaning. See that from one drop is the split into two more drops and so on through infinite permutation. The male-female, in-out, thought-idea-concept all follow from a seed or drop of an idea. It is the giving birth that now takes our attention. From nothing something and then some more.

Bahir Verse 84
The following discussion is about the Closed Mem and the Open Mem. There is an obscure series of references going on here. Let's see what we can come up with in terms of interpretation.Verse 84. The open Mem . What is the open Mem ? It includes both male and female. What is the closed Mem ? It is made like a belly from above. But Rabbi Rahumai said that the belly is like the letter Teth . He said it is like a Teth on the inside, while I say that it is like a Mem on the outside.Commentary: If you look at the Hebrew letters you see the final Mem is closed and the regular Mem is open in the left bottom corner. Because this Mem is open it is said to include both male and female or the energy of the idea-male and it's expression-female. The closed Mem is like a Teth on the outside. Teth is the symbol for serpent whereas inside it is like a Mem which is water. It is therefore shown this way to symbolize a serpent swimming on the outside of the water or on top of the water. The water is our consciousness, the vast repository of all thought. The serpent is the life force which directs consciousness. It sits on top of consciousness and is able to direct consciousness according to will. This connection between consciousness and the serpent force has always been united in will. Will is the act of choice, your choice. There is no movement in the direction of your heart's desire without Will. The only way you rise above consciousness itself is to become like the serpent that swims upon its waters.

Bahir Verse 82-83
Specific instructions are included here in terms of the awakening mind. The allusions are deep but that can be expected here where mind evolves to understand itself. We continue with verse 82.Bahir Verse 82. What are the seven parts of man's body? It is written (Genesis 9:6), "In the form of God, He made man." It is also written (Genesis 1:27), "In the form of God He made him" counting all his limbs and parts. But we have said: What does the letter Vav resemble? It is alluded to in the verse (Psalm 104:5), "He spreads out light like a garment." For Vav is nothing other than the six directions. He replied: The covenant of circumcision and man's mate are considered as one. His is two hands then make three, his head and body, five, and his two legs make seven. Paralleling all these are their powers in heaven. It is thus written (Ecclesiastes 7:14) , "Also one opposite the other had God made." These are the days [of the week, as it is written] (Exodus 31:17), "Because six days God made the heaven and the earth." The scripture does not say "in six days," but rather, "six days." This teaches us that each day [of the week] has its own specific power. Commentary: The key to this verse is Vav. What is Vav? It is connection. It connects the above with the below, the thought with the form. The body is described here. What is it? It is the body of your thoughts which derive from how thoughts move through time in order to manifest themselves. In another sense we are being given another description of creation. Six days refers to the openings that result from where our thoughts open up the heavens for the inspiration that pours forth. The distinction is made that it is not 'in six days' but rather just 'six days God made the heaven and the earth.' Read this excerpt to mean the persistence of thought that takes place as we arise each day. Remember what your focus is for your heart's desire. This is what it means by each day has it's specific power. It isn't necessarily the day itself that has the power it is your focus for each day which imbues that day with the power specific to your focus.A clarification is given now as to the transmission of thought and its purpose.Verse 83 What is the significance of the Nun [in the word Ozen ]? This teaches us that the brain is the main part of the spinal cord. It constantly draws from there, and if not for the spinal cord, the brain could not endure. And without the brain, the body could not endure. The entire body exists only in order to provide for the needs of the brain. And if the body did not endure, then the brain would also not endure. The spinal cord is the channel from the brain to the entire body. It is represented by the bent Nun . But [in the word Ozen ] the Nun is a straight one. The straight Nun is the one that is always at the end of a word. This teaches us that the straight Nun includes both the bent one and the straight one. But the bent Nun is the Foundation. This teaches us that the straight Nun includes both male and female. Commentary: The brain is the receiver the spinal cord to transmitter. Astounding. This tells us that we have to look no where else but within. All the information we need is already hard coded inside of us, specifically within our spinal cord. The straight Nun at the end of a word is the fruition of thought. It is the moment when we know that we are in connection with our highest source. Where it says that the bent Nun is the Foundation it is referring to Yesod where the organs of creation are symbolized in the body. We make our heart's desire within ourselves and then project this heart's desire on to the window of the mind which then passes into manifestation through the process known as days of creation.

Bahir Verse 77-81
First a brief commentary on why certain passages are quoted here in the Bahir and Zohar. Both of these texts come from either inspirations which the author has chosen to reveal in this form or as a result of actual conversations which were remembered and written down. In each case the information received or the Kabbalah revealed is non linear in nature. Think of thought(s) as a vast current of ideation out of which we pull that which appeals to us in the moment. The only way at that time to describe higher conceptualized thought was through biblical references. These references formed the basis for organized meditation. It kept the group focus and because of this lead to the amazing revelations that we are seeing through Modern Kabbalah today. All that the writers and the conversationalists were concerned with at this time was the connection. It is this connection which derives our meanings as we look into these writings together. Let us continue now in that spirit to resolve some of the mysteries contained within Bahir Verse 77Bahir Verse 77. What is the meaning of the verse (Habakkuk 3:2) "In anger, you shall remember love (rachem)" ? He said: When Your children sin before You and You are angry at them, "remember love." What is the meaning of "remember love"? That regarding which it is written (Psalm 18:2), "I love (rachem) You O God, my strength." And You have him this attribute, which is the Divine Presence of Israel. He recalled his son whom he inherited, and whom You gave to him. It is thus written (I Kings 5:26), "And God gave wisdom to Solomon." And You should remember their father Abraham, as it is written (Isaiah 41:8), "The seed of Abraham My friend" "In the midst of years make it known." Commentary: There are two themes here, anger and love. We are being asked to remember one while in the midst of another. Notably remember love in the midst of anger. On the surface yes this is wisdom and indeed the wisdom of Solomon alluded to further on in the verse. Here is the context of love that we are being asked to remember. Remember love in 'God, my strength.' Remember the strength of love. Remember love in terms of the 'Divine Presence.' This Divine Presence is a gift that is given to us from above. We are likewise to bestow this gift of connection which is the ancient meaning of Divine Presence or Sheckinah. When it says remember Abraham, think about remembering the one for is not Abraham the father of Judaism yes but more than that also the father of the concept of the unity of oneness of God. We are asked 'in the midst of years make it know.' What this means is to remember the oneness of God eternally. The result of the constant evocation of unity cannot be other than love which is the acceptance of unity along with its ascension to its highest form. Therefore look at your children (these are your thoughts for your heart's desire that you have sent forth) with love and remember that love. In plain language when you dream your dreams do not be frustrated by the results. Just because you do not see them doesn't mean they are not forming. This forming of your heart's desire requires only one thing on a daily basis, that is your love. It nurtures your heart's desire and causes it to blossom forth.Watch what happens because of this nurturing in the next verse.Bahir Verse 78. Where do we see that Abraham had a daughter? It is written (Genesis 24:1), "And God blessed Abraham with all (Bakol) ." It is also written (Isaiah 43:7), " All that is called by My name, for My glory I created it, I formed it, also I made it." Was this blessing his daughter, or was it not? Yes, it was his daughter. What is this like? A king had a slave who was complete and perfect before him. The king tested the slave in many ways, but the slave withstood all temptation. The King said, "What will I give that slave? What should I do for him? I can do nothing but command my older brother to advise him, watch over him and honour him." The slave thus went to the older brother and learned his attributes. The brother loved him very much, and called him his friend. It is thus written (Isaiah 41:8), "The seed of Abraham My friend." He said, "What will I give him? What can I do for him? Behold I have made a beautiful vessel, and in it are beautiful jewels. There is nothing like it in the treasuries of kings. I will give it to him, and he will be worthy in his place." This is the meaning of the verse, "And God blessed Abraham with all." Commentary: Yes Abraham has a daughter. The daughter is the Shekinah, the Divine Presence, the connection with God and yes it's connection to our heart's desire. Of course God blesses Abraham with all. Once we recognize and court the connection our heart's desire cannot help but reveal itself over and over again. Here you see the ancient descriptions in terms of beautiful jewels and treasuries of kings. Our heart's desire is just that and is revealed by our connection to unity, to the unity of our purpose. We can only be right in our own hearts and minds if we keep our focus perfect. We see our heart's desire, we nuture it with love and we are open to the connection that builds itself between the thought of our heart's desire and it fruition. It is the parable of creation taking place all over again. Remember that the form of thought contains within it the design of thought as well. As makers in unity with connection we may continually perfect the designs and therefore the forms of our life. Who is the slave in this passsage. It is mind which is ruled by will which is the older brother showing compassion and knowledge to this slave. How you approach the very subject of mind within yourself will determine your success in becoming active in its operation. Approach mind with love and turn back your angry thoughts with love as from verse 77. Then connect with and expand that love to unravel the subjugation of your emotions which are also a slave to will through the actions of mind. What Modern Kabbalah is showing here is the relationship you have within yourself to your own destiny. Where you stand and how you administer your world makes all the difference between happiness and negativity. Stand upright in mind accepting the will of your maker, your heart's desire and prepare yourself to be blessed by all as this verse concludes with. These themes are continued and as we see are even more directly addressed in the next verse 79Bahir 79. Another explanation: [It is written] (Habakkuk 3:2), "I heard a report of You and I feared." [This means] "I understood what was reported about You and I feared." What did he understand? He understood God's thought. Even [human] thought has no end, for man can think, and descend to the end of the world. The ear also has no end and is not satiated. It is thus written (Ecclesiastes 1:8), "The ear is not satiated from hearing." Why is this so? Because the ear is in the shape of an Aleph. Aleph is the root of the Ten Commandments. Therefore "the ear is not satiated from hearing." Commentary: You have unlimited capacity. Thought is what we hear within. Our capacity is related to what God's capacity is for listening and that is of course endless. When we realize this our lives change. What is called fear here is endless wonder that can appear as fear to the uninitiated but in the case of Modern Kabblah this fear is our sense of wonder. Once you experience this connection you are filled with wonder and can never get enough of this feeling. The feeling of wonder is what brings about inspiration which determines the course of our thought and what we are able to hear in each moment. We make ourselves new each time we recognize and let go into the capacity of infinity. Situations occur that would otherwise never have appeared to your ears or listening capacity. Out of these situations new forms of thought arise causing even more variations. Your perspective changes offering new insights by the moment.More specifics about this process are continued here:Bahir Verse 80. What is the meaning of the letter Zayin in the word Ozen (ear)? We have said that everything that the Blessed Holy One brought into His world has a name emanating form its concept. It is thus written (Genesis 2:19), "All that the man called each living soul, that was its name." This teaches us that each thing's body was thus. And how do we know that each thing's name is its body? It is written (Proverbs 10:7) , "The memory of the righteous shall be a blessing, and the name of the wicked shall rot." What actually rots, their name or their body? [One must agree that it is their body.] Here too, [each thing's name refers to] its body. Commentary: Here the process of thought coming into form is deliniated. First there is the Holy One which names a thing according to its concept. Start with your heart's desire and give it a name or simply call it your heart's desire. Every thought that issues forth because of your focus on your heart's desire is ensouled by this heart's desire. The body or the form that results comes from the 'memory of the righteous,' which means that the righteous or those who keep their focus on their heart's desire get to see their heart's desire appear in form. The blessing of our focus is the seeing of this focus in a body. The wicked here refers to what happens when we lose our focus. The body of our heart's desire rots. To further clarify it isn't just the body but the very idea or name of this body which dissipates. The key to preventing this dissipation is memory. Remember your heart's desire and love it and nuture it. To complete these thoughts we must look at one more verse in this series:Bahir Verse 81. What is an example of this? Take the word for root Shoresh (Shin Resh Shin). The letter Shin looks like the roots of a tree. [ Resh is bent, since] the root of every tree is bent. And what is the function of the final Shin? This teaches us that if you take a branch and plant it, it will root again. What is its function of the Zayin [in Ozen ear]? [Its numerical value is seven] corresponding to the seven days of the week. This teaches us that each day has its own power. And what is its function [in the word Ozen ]? This teaches us that just like there is infinite wisdom in the ear, so is there power in all parts of the body"Commentary: Look now how our focus has caused our heart's desire to take root. Once it takes root then by remembering any other part of it (branch) we can restore it to it's original function. This is compared to the days which come one after another. The infinity of time and the infinity of the function of form is told. The same power which rules each day also rules every thought that has become attached to our heart's desire by our remembering to keep our focus on this heart's desire. This is what it means to say that there is infinite wisdom in the ear, What ever we find becoming associated with our heart's desire expands infinitely even to expressing itself into the all the forms of being or 'in all parts of the body.'

Bahir Verse 76
There are three qualities that are emphasized in the following verse. Let's see how they all come together. Bahir Verse 76. What is the meaning of the verse (Habakkuk 3:2), "In the midst of years make it known"? He said: I know that You are the holy God, as it is written (Exodus 15:11), "Who is like You, mighty in holiness?" Holiness is in You and You are in holiness. Nevertheless, "in the midst of years make it known." What is the meaning of "make it known"? [This means] that You should have mercy. It is thus written (Exodus 2:25), "And God saw the children of Israel, and God knew." What is the meaning of, "and God knew"? What is this like? A king had a beautiful wife, and had children from her. He loved them and raised them, but they went out to bad ways. He then hated both them and their mother. The mother went to them and said, "My children! Why do you do this: Why do you make your father hate both you and me?" [She spoke to them in this manner] until they had remorse and did the will of their father. When the king saw this, he loved them as much as he did in the beginning. He then also remembered their mother. This is the meaning of the verse, "And God saw... and God knew." This is also the meaning of the verse, "In the midst of years make it known." First there is the quality of expression or the active interpretation of inspiration brought about by the phrase, 'make it known.' This is saying that 'in the midst of years,' or in the middle of time, stop time and embrace timelessness. Timelessness is also symbolized by the 'holiness of God' that is presented next. The phrase 'have mercy' refers to the quality of choosing our good. Therefore in the moment of inspiration choose your good. Be merciful even unto the holiness that is your connection to your inner being. What does it mean to say 'and God knew?' This means that our good cannot be ours unless we choose it. When we choose our good or our thoughts of good we are one with God in knowing our good. The story which explains this is speaking about the adherents of thought. The mother or the wife of the King is a thought which goes forth as closest to the King and is the producer of the subsequent variations or permutations of the ideas that emanate from King. The King hated them both, mother and offspring because they did not reflect his will but were rather against what he wanted to see take place. When the wife or mother speaks to the children it is the same thing as our good now making all of our thought atmosphere into a suitable place for the harmony of the kingdom which once established allows the King to fully embrace both Mother-Wife or first thought and the offspring of thought which are the manifestations of thought as they appear and grow through the changes in perception that occur throughout time but remain constant in timelessness. It is therefore timelessness which brings us back full circle to 'and God knew, and in the midst of years.' This is to say that the holiness or sanctity of our ideas must never be abandoned but always be foremost in our minds. It is this sanctity or purety of intention that guarantees our perfection in thought and in appearance as in the manifestation of our heart's desire. You may ask how come in Modern Kabbalah we keep coming back to 'our heart's desire.' The answer is simple. We are self directed beings. No matter what our level of compassion is for other's we are always questioning what each experience holds in store for our personal growth. Some may say that they perform acts with no thought of self gain,and yet it can only be with the highest thought of self that the hero jumps in to save the victim. No not for the glory of the act but for the glory of the self that knows no boundaries. The heroes who willingly lay down their life do so because they believe in a cause higher than themselves. In following the designs of their heart in this manner they become one with this highest ideal. In this way they have ultimately sacrificed for their highest aspirations or as we would say for their 'heart's desire.' What we sacrifice for our hearts desire is our ego and lower nature. By aspiring to reach the totality of our being we put aside time and enter into timelessness as the example above in Verse 76 illustrates. Practice timelessness, holiness and their expression in your meditations this week. See how all of these come together and feel the connection in your life and in your breath.

Bahir Verse 75
Carefully we study verse 75. I say carefully because of it length and many allusions we have to separate the core meanings from their surrounding referents. Bahir Verse 75. Why does the Torah say "righteousness, righteousness" twice? He said: Because the scripture continues (Psalm 18:13) , "At the glow opposite Him." The first "righteousness" is literal righteousness (Tzedek). This is the Divine Presence [i.e Shekinah] . It is thus written (Isaiah 1:21), "Righteousness dwells in it." What is the second "righteousness"? This is the righteousness that frightens the righteous. Is this righteousness charity (Tzadakah) or not? He said that it is not. Why? Because it is written (Isaiah 59:17), "He put on righteousness like a coat of mail, and [a helmet of salvation on His head]." His head is nothing other than Truth. It is thus written (Psalm 119L160), "The head of Your word is truth." Truth is nothing other than peace. It is thus written [that King Hezekiah said] (Isaiah 39:8), "There shall be peace and truth in my days." Is it possible for a man to say this? But this is what Hezekiah said: The attribute that You gave to David my ancestor is half of my days, and peace and truth are half of my days. It is for this reason that he mentioned "my days." He mentioned both "peace and truth" and "in my days," since it is all one. It is thus written (Genesis 1:5), "And it was evening, and it was morning, one day." [The day reconciles morning and evening, and is therefore peace.] Just as the day is peace, so he chose peace. It is therefore written (2 Kings 20:19), "Peace and truth shall be in my days." This shall be through the attribute that You gave to David. Regarding this, it is written (Psalm 89:37), "His throne shall be like the sun before Me." Commentary: Take the two kinds of light and the two kinds of righteousness and pair them with one truth and another peace. These are the core elements of this verse. Then there is the phrase 'since it is all one.' Think for a moment about the light that every inspiration you have brings to you. Think how your mood and the actions you take are the resultant of your inspirations. You have an idea about something good to do and then you take action. All of your inspirations lead to openings within and without. Let go inside further to derive more light in our own way. The 'literal righteousness' is what you obtain from the truth that fills your mind. It is the truth of your own recognition of how your thoughts affect your experience. It is called literal because the meanings are straightforward, they are clear to the eyes of your awareness. The second type of righteousness is the kind referred to as that which frightens the righteous. Think not of fear but of awe, the awe of wonder that fills your mind that is overflowing with light. This second type of righteousness is not equated with charity in the sense that it is something that you give away to those in need. It is something that you wear as in putting on a coat of mail or a helmet of salvation. Now interestingly enough when the energy aroused by inspiration is gathered inside of our person it collects in your upper chakra or spiritual center and there radiates its influences all around you so that you are indeed protected in fact by these rays of vibration emanating from your good thoughts and their inspirational force. Taking this idea further in the verse above it says your head is nothing other than truth. That which sticks and inspires is the truth of your recognition of the processes taking place within you. It is awareness which is truth because it shows us our own reflections. There we see what and who we are without the coloration of the ego. Next we consider days, peace and truth and the relationships between all three. Days refers to the outpouring of mental substance into physical substance. It is time but it is yet a specialized type of time that is referred to here. When they say that the day reconciles the morning it simply means one is the outgrowth of the other. We see peace between there is the harmony between thought -word and form as in evening - morning and day. First there is the thought (evening), then there is the morning (the word which expresses the thought and is the continuation of the thought in its next phase of creation0 and then finally the day, where all is revealed. It is where the completion of a cycle has taken place. To say that 'peace and truth shall be in my days,' means that what I see before me shall be exactly as I have envisioned it. Only then will I recognize this truth and then my soul or the inmost part of my being shall resound with the harmony of peace. This peace makes you at one with the entire cycle. In this unity do you therefore learn the process and as a result come to know it in more ways as you go along. There is the sense that our purpose is to live each day in peace and truth by becoming that which we are seeking. It sounds simple but the ego has many ways of diverting us from this simple life. Still with reminders of the unlimited certainty of unity we can build each day in this fashion. Finally the attribute given to David is discussed, 'his throne shall be like the sun before Me.' What is the sun? It is a shining reflection of the light of God. It is the symbolic pouring forth from Keter of the brilliance of creation. It is the shining forth of your thoughts now self aware which make your experiences self aware. This self awareness means that your life is full of meaning and you see your pitfalls even before they are able to be of much depth. The danger passes without you having to go through it. This is as David experienced with Saul. Take note here and take heart. All is being revealed.

Bahir Verse 74
Note: In the last posting on the Bahir it was titled Bahir 69-72 when it should have been Bahir 69-73 as verse 73 was also explained in this post. Therefore we will continue with Bahir verse 74.Verse 74 adds some more meaningful insights into our interpretations. The trick to all of these verses is to read them as a whole and as related to the rest of the body of work. We shall see this format explained further as the Commentary describes below.Bahir Verse 74. And it is written (Psalm 18:12), "He made darkness His hiding place round about, His Succah the darkness of waters , thick clouds of the skies (Shechakim) ." He said: Regarding this it is written (Isaiah 45:8), "The skies (Shechakim) pour down righteousness." This righteousness (Tzadik) is the Attribute of Judgement for the world. It is thus written (Deuteronomy 16:20), "Righteousness, righteousness shall you pursue." Immediately after this, it is written, "that you may live and occupy the land." If you judge yourself, then you will live. If not, then it will judge you, and it will be fulfilled, even against your will. Commentary: First we will take the various parts. The darkness is the place of Mystery. Yes it is the darkness of waters. Waters are flowing so that we need only lift the clouds from above to reveal their purpose. Out of these thick clouds pour down righteousness. It is the righteousness of Judgement which by other words may be termed Karma. And then the last part, 'if you judge yourself then you will live. If not, it will judge you, and it will be fulfilled , even against your will.'The question is what is it that judges you and how can it be that you will judge yourself? These are the parts herein described. Now the whole.Our thoughts reside in darkness because we think them and then seemingly forget them. Yet are they still there pregnant as the waters are teeming with life. When our thoughts are good they bring forth the righteousness that is to be poured down. The attribute of judgement can only come about by what we think about ourselves. This is the answer to who is judging us. We are judged by our own reflection. This isn't magic, it is law. It is the way things work. If you are conscious of your thinking then you will strive to maintain thoughts that are uplifting and creative in design. You will think of your hearts desire and hold this close to you in mind. If you do not pay attention to your thinking and haphazardly allow yourself to dwell upon negativity then what you are building up inside of those dark cloud is a sea of Judgement which falls harshly upon you even though you would never have chosen this Judgement for yourself were you conscious of what you were doing while you were thinking. This is what it means by, 'even against your will' in Verse 74 above. This verse is telling you what to expect from conscious awareness and what to expect from unconscious action or reaction. Make your good so that you will see it stored in the heaven of your mind pouring down to you in times you know not to fill your life with joy and abundance. Seed the skies with gladness. Rejoice for your joy fills the heavens with the seeds of your own continuous awakening.

Bahir 69-72
Herein the inner core of Kabbalah is discussed. Bahir verse 69. What is the meaning of, "I heard a report of You and I feared, [O God, bring to life Your works in the midst of the years]"? Why does the verse say "I feared" after "I heard a report of You," and not after "in the midst of the years"? But it was "from the report of You" that "I feared." What is the "report of You"? It is the place where they listen to reports. Why does the verse say "I heard" and not "I understood"? [The word "heard" has the connotation of understanding] as we find (Deuteronomy 38:49), "A nation whose language you do not hear." Commentary: Listen. The deepness of your revelation will astound you. Hear the voice within proclaim its sovereignty. The meanings we get from this verse arise from what is suggested. Give your thoughts now to a novel concept. Call it the reflective attention. The moment you begin to become inspired this reflective attention comes into play. It continues to operate as long as your inspiration lights the fires of your awareness. All reports mentioned above are the result of this reflective attention. Without this reflective attention no thoughts can enter into form for it is this reflective attention that verifies all resident thought forms and approves them for entry into manifestation. Call it advanced listening. We continue in the next verse 70Bahir 70. Why did he say "I feared"? Because the ear looks like the letter Aleph . The Aleph is the first of all letters. Besides this, the Aleph causes all the letters to endure. The Aleph looks like the brain. When you mention the Aleph you open your mouth. The same is true of thought, when you extend your thoughts to the Infinite and Boundless. From Aleph emanate all letters. Do we not see that it is first? It is thus written (Micah 2:13), "God (YHVH) is at their head." We have a rule that every Name that is written Yod He Vav He is specific to the Blessed Holy One and is sanctified with holiness. What is the meaning of "with holiness"? This is the Holy Palace. Where is the Holy Palace? We would say that it is in thought and in the Aleph . This is the meaning of the verse, "I heard a report of You and I feared." Commentary: You see how thought must now be mentioned whereas before there is no mention of thought. The key to understanding this Bahir has been made clear. It is thought that is its leading edge. All throughout in what I've been calling Modern Kabbalah it is to thought that I am turning my attention to. The brain and thought and emanation are all mentioned in this verse. Then the head of thought is God symbolized by the name. In other words we cannot begin to think without recognition of where our thought emanates from. If we do we lose the thread and our plan becomes unravelled. When we remember to listen with 'holiness' then we experience this reflective attention and prepare the ground for our thought to be realized. The 'Holy Palace' mentioned is where our thought reigns. It is incredibly significant that thought hasn't been presented to us before and now in this verse thought is spoken of twice! When you listen deeply you know the signs which penetrate the mystery giving rise to revelations and all things that are one. Come forward now and see the revelations that are wrought out of the next verse 71Bahir Verse 71. Habakkuk therefore said: I know that my prayer is accepted with delight. I also delighted when I came to that place where I understood "a report of You and I feared." Therefore, "Bring to life your works in the midst of the years" through Your unity. What is this like? A king who was talented, hidden and concealed went into his house and commanded that no one seek him. One who does seek is therefore afraid, lest the king find out that he has violated the king's order. [Habakkuk] therefore said, "I feared, O God, bring to life Your works in the midst of the years." This is what Habakkuk said: Because You name is in You, and You is Your name, "bring to life Your works in the midst of the years." Thus will it be forever. Commentary: The closing sentence hits home clearly the image of thought coming to life or thought being manifested. This process is an eternal process. It must be so. The prayer of delight is the prayer in which you realize that your words are to become the forms you will see. Yes you do seek the hidden which is the manifestation of your thoughts. This King has been made King by our reflective attention. The realization of the great work is that our thoughts do produce the forms of our life. When we remember to begin with God or with perfection then everything else that carries through from Thought Into Form reveals the name. The one and only name which is completion and fulfillment. The manifested substance seen hiding there in the midst of the God emanation of thought. Come further now. We're on a roll. See what verse 72 illuminates.Bahir Verse 72. Another explanation of "Bring to life Your works in the midst of years": What is this like? A king had a beautiful pearl, and it was the treasure of his kingdom. When he is happy, he embraces it, kisses it, places it on his head, and loves it. Habakkuk said: Even though Kings are with You, the beloved pearl is in Your world. Therefore, "Bring to life Your works in the midst of years." What is the meaning of "years"? It is written (Genesis 1:3), "And God said, `Let there be light.'" Light is nothing other than day, as it is written (Genesis 1:16) , "The great light to rule the day, and the small light to rule the night." Years are made from days. It is thus written, "Bring to life Your works in the midst of years" in the midst of that pearl that gives rise to years. Commentary: See the pearl here most of all. It is the pearl of great price. This pearl is created by the accretion of mind stuff. Listen to what it says: 'Bring to life Your works,' which means see your thoughts through to manifestation. This is the purpose of all meditation. Then there follows 'in the midst of year' which is taken to be tied to light and to the passing of days. These days which pass are the opportunities for witnessing the grand events of your life and for taking hope and filling it with gratitude as your season of plenty arrives right on time. Bring to life your perfection of purpose that is what you have and are currently designing within your mind fashioned by the thoughts you are thinking. In the midst of the pearl that has been formed by the accretion of positive thought forms which now because of their frequency (days of light) and purpose (your intention) now come to pass as surely as each day forms itself out of the night.This particular section of verses 69-73 concludes with the brilliance of verse 73 adding insight to purpose and granting illumination to inspiration.Bahir Verse 73. But it is written (Isaiah 43:5), "[Fear not, for I am with you,] I will bring your seed from the east." The sun rises in the east, and you say that the pearl is day. [He replied:] I am only speaking with regard to the verse (Genesis 1:5) "And it was evening and it was morning, day." Regarding this it is written (Genesis 2:4), "In the day that God made earth and heaven." The seed from the east is the sun. It is the light of your mind, the beginning of another opportunity to work on the fruitful bounty that is your heart's desire. Look what it says. The 'pearl is day.' How magnificent. We build within ourselves the day or the light of understanding which knows thought through to form. Imagine the facility we obtain in this process once we become aware of all of its many shining facets of discovery. A clarification is given as well here. 'In the day that God made heaven and earth' refers to the day of delight in which our forms appear and our understanding of this entire process is made clear. Day refers as well to the light that the pearl of your thought now shines forth. Everywhere you turn it is I am that reflects back to you the forms of your mind's eye. It is the pearl which glistens as a result of your reflective attention. This reflective attention knows what is going on and proceeds always from a point of certainly.

Bahir 68
Now the way is prepared and it is shown in all its glory. See inside and then venture there to all palaces of the imagination. We continue with the Bahir.Bahir verse 68. : The disciples asked Rabbi Rahumai: What is the meaning of the verse (Habakkuk 3:1), "A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, for errors." A prayer? It should be called a praise [since it speaks of God's greatness]. But whoever turns his heart from worldly affairs and delves in the Works of the Chariot * is accepted before God as if he prayed all day. It is therefore called "a prayer." What is the meaning of "for errors"? As it is written [regarding wisdom] (Proverbs 5:19), "With its love you shall always err." Regarding what is this speaking? The Works of the Chariot, as it is written (Habbakuk 3:2) "O God, I heard a report of You and I feared." Commentary: Look within and discriminate the truth. 'Works of the Chariot' refers to the works of the mind in contemplation of God. The impelling force of inquiry is the opening to all phases of the mystery. All we need to is to keep asking the question. Answers are then forthwith added. We then take our wisdom from these answers in order to apply them daily. First we make the effort and if we seem to fail we continue without regard for judgement of the results. Our effort is therefore ongoing and cumulative. Pulse and pace provides the answer here. More on this aspect in another post.

Bahir 67
This next verse is thick with meanings and filled with places to get lost in. We will however keep to our purpose and derive the gold hidden herein through the methods of Modern Kabbalah.Bahir Verse 67. What is the meaning of (Leviticus 26:28), “[I will chastise you, also I], seven for yoursins”? The Congregation of Israel said: “I will chastise you, also I” – and also those regardingwhich it is written (Psalm 119:164), “Seven each day I praised You.”They joined her and replied: Also us seven. Even though among us is the one who reversesitself, the one who oversees good and merit, we too will reverse ourselves and chastise.Why? Because of your sins.But if you return to Me, then I will return to you. It is thus written (Malachi 3:7), “Return toMe, and I will return to you.”The scripture does not say, “I will bring you back to Me.” Instead it says, “I will return toyou” – with you. We will all seek mercy from the King.What does the King say? [He says] (Jeremiah 3:22), “Return you backsliding children, I willheal your backslidings.” [He also says] (Ezekiel 18:30), “Return and bring back.”What is the meaning of the verse, “Return and bring back”? Come back and ask those Sevento return with you. The scripture therefore says, “and bring back “ – those regarding which itis written, “seven for your sin.”Commentary: There are four parts to this verse. Three basic avenues with a fourth avenue which intersects and ties all three together. Watch how this is done.The first part concerns chastise, seven and sins. We are being reminded of the seven sephiroth below the divine triad of keter, chokmah and binah. The world of form is indicated. The sins which take place do so because we need to operate in the world of causation and not expect the world of form to tranmit the higher ideas we are inspired by in the world of causation. Now how do we turn around our sins seven times revealed by these seven sephiroth. We reverse the direction and move up then seven until we find ourselves immersed in the divine triad. Then it is causation we are coming from and all sins are thereby forgiven. The second part is about return and the seeking of mercy, and this is explained in terms of the essence of what is returns to its source. Of course every manifestation must express itself but that expression is not the totality of the thing itself but is merely a reflection. The third part is about bringing back. It really means remembering the one. It means remembering the source and that causation is where we operate from on high.The fourth part which ties in the other three bring back the seven. It is a direct returning up the tree of life to the central portion that is given to us throughout all of our wanderings. We have a place to go to where our errors, sins are healed and we can then start anew. It is the flow of energy which is being described as well as its ability to change direction. Don't be put off by words like sin, or chastise, or even backslidings. Step outside the world of guilt association and into the realm of ideas where thoughts are the currency of choice. Everything here refers to the quality and direction of your thinking. You are building up or you are tearing down. However you remain linked to and one with all of creation.

Bahir Verse 66
If you want to rise above into the highest places in heaven you'll need to know where the stairs are and when to hold on and when to let go. This next verse speaks to these very things in it's usual obscure fashion. Meanings like memories change as the years go by. They become golden and filled with more poignancy then the original event first inspired. So too does the Bahir, that ancient memory of higher thought bring forth new meanings ever more golden as the inspiration which fired them is still in motion and this day shines its light on you.Bahir Verse 66. And Rabbi Rahumai said: What is the meaning of the verse (Leviticus 26:28), “[I will chastise you,] also I”? God said, “I will chastise you.”The Congregation of Israel said, “Do not think that I will seek mercy for you, but I willchastise you. Not only will I render judgement, but I will also chastise you.” Commentary: Do not look for your spiritual development outside of yourself. The only judgement is ever takes place is the harmony of consciousness. Are your thoughts in line with your actions? Are you following your heart desire? Are you being true to yourself? A 'yes' answer promotes your internal harmony, no means you have work to do, maybe means that you are on your way and just need to keep at it. What stops you ultimately is your inability to let go of thoughts which are contradictory. These thoughts may have been learned or acquired in any number of ways. You may in fact still be acquiring these thoughts unconsciously. So what is the way through here? Where are the steps that reach higher into your own self awareness. Notice in the above verse there is a change of voice taking place. First the teacher recounts 'God's voice,' and then alludes to another voice, the 'also I' quoted above. It is a key to understanding those in between places in mind. It is where the energy flows in one direction or another. The I voice assumes ownership and rides the wave of thought but only as far as the focus within this I voice continues to rise. When obstacles are reached this I voice learns to transcend these obstacles like the Emerald Tablet of Hermes quotes, 'overcoming every subtle and penetrating every solid thing.' This 'I voice' can know no obstacles. That is why it says 'I will chastise you,' above in verse 66. Chastise means that this voice cannot go any further and therefore will seek and obtain transcendence. What is missing above is the one true voice which navigates all of the realms of consciousness. It is the called the knower of the field in Eastern terms. This knower is behind all right action. There is a state of mind that puts you into a feeling of distance with extreme connectivity. You can recognize the totality of being from this vantage point. When the Bahir speaks of God, it is speaking of 'that which cannot be known' but only can only be alluded to . When the Bahir speaks about the congregation of Israel, it is speaking about mass mind and the effects of karma. These are important concepts to know as we move forward through these verses. The concept of the knower of the field puts us back in the center of things. We cannot conceive of being 'that which cannot be known.' We can however imagine the feeling of being connected with everything that is going on while still maintaining our own individuality. We can do this because this is essentially our basic nature. We forget when there is interference which is when we are 'chastised' to return our state of grace which is administered through judgement or the quality of knowing where is the right place to be.

Bahir Verse 65
Here we continue with the thought of judgement and enter into the essence of the thing. Bahir Verse 65: 'And what wisdom did God give to Solomon? Solomon had God's name. We have thus said that whenever Solomon is mentioned in the Song of Songs, it is a holy name, except in one case. God said to him, "Since your name is like the name of My Glory, I will let you marry my daughter." But she is married! Let us say that He gave her to him as a gift. It is thus written (1 Kings 5:26), "And God gave wisdom to Solomon." Here, however, it is not explained. Where then is it explained? When the scripture states (1 Kings 3:28), "For they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to do judgement." We then see that the wisdom that God gave him was such that he could "do judgement." What is the meaning of "to do judgement?" As long as a person does judgement, God's wisdom is inside him. This is what helps him and draws him near. If not, it repels him, and not only that, but it also punishes him. It is thus written (Leviticus 26:28), "I will chastise you, also I." Commentary: In Aryeh Kaplan's Bahir he speaks about how we can find God's name inside of Solomon and gives meanings in terms of the references that are mentioned here. We however are taking another approach. This approach looks behind the meanings for the seed or core of the verse. As soon as you name something you cause your focus to be attentuated there. It is like a storage place for consciousness. It is also like the place where your understanding resides. Solomon has discovered that within his place of focus, there he finds what is in essence God or thoughts about God. The Wisdom which he is given happens as a result of being in this holiest of places within. It is the natural flowing forth of our attention which now is colored with this God essence. The glory mentioned here refers to Tiphereth. It is the result of the transformation of this understanding of the God essence into the overflowing of this essence into and inside of the mold of our life experiences. The doing of judgement is providing the circuit for this flowing into and inside of the experiences we embody. When you become a channel for wisdom it opens up figuratively the whole circuit of Sephiroth thus leading to the fullest of life expressions. When you block this awareness your life too becomes blocked. It is then to this overflowing that we are to gauge our attention to. When our attention is thereby focused our 'inner seeing' becomes more perfect. The whole picture is derived from the smallest part. This is how judgement is given and done because we are able to infer it from the slightest bit of wisdom which we cooperate with in overflowing inside the paths of our life. Everything you learn promotes this wisdom and moves it forward. Continuous growth comes from continuous learning. This learning is to accept the wisdom that overflows in your life. Accept it by seeking it and allowing it to open up those darkened places within your mind

Bahir Verse 64
How can you tell what is right and what is wrong? Where is the dividing line between these two apparently opposite poles? The next two verses in the Bahir point us in that direction. Bahir 64. Furthermore, if there is no wisdom, then there is no justice. It is thus written (1 Kings 5:26), "And God gave wisdom to Solomon." He then judged the case [of the two mothers and the infant] correctly, and it is then written (1 Kings 3:28), "And all Israel of the judgement that the Kind had judged, and they feared the king, for they say that the wisdom of God was in him to do judgement." Commentary: Justice is the right thing to do. It isn't necessarily righting a wrong but doing the right thing in the first place. In Mind this refers to making the right choice(s). You have for example two thoughts which are seeking dominance. One of them is negative. The other is positive. Perhaps the negative one holds the promise of all sorts of explanations why things should be a certain way. The positive may only open us up to another way of looking at things. How may we choose rightly.Weigh the scales here. Which feels lighter? Which thought feels like it has the capacity to rise up and produce others of similar direction? Which brings health and peace? Which only brings turmoil?Solomon tries the mothers in the mantle of their love. The true mother loved her baby so much that she would rather give him up rather than have Solomon part it in two. What is your true mother? Not your physical mother but Kabbalisticly speaking. Binah is the 'great mother' from whence everything else proceeds. It is then from Wisdom into Binah and then into Justice. Therefore there is no Justice without Wisdom. The last line from verse 64 refers to 'Israel feared the kind of justice that the king was able to impart." Feared in this sense refers to looking up as in awe and also in terms of the tree where Israel is Zeir Anpin which by the nature of the structure of the tree, the lower Sephirot look up at the higher Sephirot. So too is it with your thoughts. Israel represents your everyday mind and even mass mind which must give up its allegiance to higher mind in order to grow in its understanding.

Bahir Verse 63
Continuing with the Bahir verse 63 the Mystery is alluded to. There is a lot to think about here but we will cut to the heart of the matter which you will see is exactly the point of this verse.Bahir Verse 63. What is his heart? He said: If so, Ben Zoma is out side, and you are with him. The heart (Lev) [in numerical value] is thirty-two. These are concealed, and with them the world was created. What these 32? He said: These are the 32 Paths. This is like a king who was in the innermost of many chambers. The number of such chambers was 32, and to each one there was a path. Should the king the bring everyone to his chamber through these paths? You will agree that he should not. Should he reveal his jewels, his tapestries, his hidden and concealed secrets? You will again agree that he should not. What then does he do? He touches the Daughter, and includes all the paths in her and in her garments. One who wants to go inside should gaze there. He married her to a king, and also gave her to him as a gift. Because of his love for he, he sometimes calls her "my sister," since they are both from one place. Sometimes he calls her his daughter, since she is actually his daughter. And sometimes he calls her "my mother." Commentary: The first part has to do with how we may understand a particular meaning that is coming through for us. All of our meanings are concealed until they are revealed by the Mystery itself to us. Then we find the thirty two paths which come fromthe value of the word heart which is 32. These 32 paths, defined as "ten Sefirot beli mah" and the "22 elemental letters" of the Hebrew alphabet, are represented as the foundations of all of creation. As you can see from this diagram Keter of the top of the tree is only connected via Chochmah, Binah and Tiphereth. The king is Keter and the daughter or sister is the heart or Tiphareth, There is the connection of reflection occuring in both places. The mysteries that are revealed to us only are revealed when we recognize in the heart of our being our connection to the King. In our own hearts the passion of our awakening soul is enough to communicate the spark necessary to initiate this connection. When we direct our attention a key is that we are looking now with love at this which always is. This is akin to the feeling of a husband for a bride. It is complete adoration as well as complete acceptance. Both are neccessary to move the heart into its proper role as initiator of the connection.
Bahir verse 62
The way shifts slightly and leads us in yet another unexpected direction. I believe this to be true of most mystical writings which are based upon our understanding in the moment. It is to one of those moments that we'll speak of in the commentary to Verse 62Bahir Verse 62. They asked him: What is the meaning of the verse [with regard to Balak and Balaam] (Numbers 23:14), "And he took him to the field of the seers."? What is the "field of the seers"? As it is written (Song of Songs 7:12), "Come my beloved, let us go out to the field." Do not read Sadeh (the field), but Sidah (carriage). What is this carriage? He said, "The Heart of the Blessed Holy One." His heart said to the Blesssed Holy One, "Come my beloved, let us go out to the carriage to stroll. It will not constantly sit in one place." Commentary: In Numbers 22: begins a story about how Balak the ruler of the region calls upon Balaam a seer to curse Israel who is on his doorstep so that Balak and his people will win over them. Balaam cannot say anything but the word of God and cannot curse Israel. In fact Balaam ends up cursing Balak and blessing Israel. That is the context here. The field is canvas upon which our thoughts play their way into form. Carriage refer to the the body of form. The rabbi's are describing a transformation of the soul through the body and its connection thereof. The heart of our soul is our body which does not sit in one place but moves constantly. Our heart beats even when we are sitting still. What is being called for here is a harmony between body and mind, or between heart and soul. The carriage is the carrier of the soul. As such it relaxes itself as in strolling to accomodate the higher thoughts of the soul. The hidden kernel throughout this verse is the connection between body and soul. It will be interesting to see if this connection is further elucidated in the next verse. Until next timeMark

Bahir Verse 57-61
This could be a difficult passage except that it is following the rule of mind via thought all along. This rule says that the meanings referred to are pointing to operations of thought. They are spoken of in allegory and transmitted to us in a time honored way. Since the universe is expanding, growing in understanding it follows that today we are able to have a more clear interpretation of these verses than even when they were first spoken or written down for a select few. Here is the verse, the commentary as usual follows.Bahir Verse 57. What is the meaning of the verse (Isaiah 30:26) , "The light of the moon shall be like the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, like the light of the seven days." The verse does not say "seven days," but " the seven days." These are the days regarding which it is written (Exodus 31:17), "For six days God made [the heaven and the earth]." As you said, God made six beautiful vessels. What are they? "The heaven and the earth." Are they not seven? Yes, as it is written (ibid.) "And on the seventh day, He rested and souled." What is the meaning of "souled?" This teaches us that the Sabbath sustains all souls. It is therefore written that it souled. Commentary: The light of the moon is the reflected light. We are in truth that reflected light. We are the reflected light of soul. When 'he rested and souled,' we came to be. So it is when our thoughts are at peace and the results of our thinking appear before us souled by the thoughts we have meditated upon. The recognition of this soul completes the cycle and makes the light of our understanding the equivalent of seven times brighter. We continue this concept in the next verse 58Verse 58. Another explanation: This teaches us that it is from there that souls fly forth. It is thus written, "and He souled." This continues for a thousand generations. It is thus written (Psalm 105:8), "The word that He commanded until a thousand generations." Immediately after this it says, "[the covenant] that He cut with Abraham." What is the meaning of "cut"? He cut a covenant between the ten fingers of his hands and the ten toes of his feet. Abraham was ashamed. God then said to him (Genesis 17:4), "And I, behold My covenant is with you," and with it, "you will be the father of many nations." Commentary: Let stay with our explanation in Mind. When understanding occurs it reaches out into every part of our being. Since we are beings of the universe this understanding permeates the universe of ideas in our view. 'A thousand generations,' the single understanding begets multiple insights and these do indeed go on. 'Generation' is another word taking form from one thing into another. It is an evolving sequence of events just like our thoughts evolve in the experiences we are becoming. That which is cut between the ten fingers alludes to the blessing that the kohain gives with both hands in Spock's live long and prosper configuration. We bring forth blessings by our connection with unity. This covenant simply means as a man thinks so shall he experience. It is the fundamental law around which all of our lives revolve. The nations of which you are the father of are the experiences you have as a result of your intentional thinking. You see yourself in the experiences that you understand. You are truly their father. Abraham was ashamed refers perhaps to the circumcision which the covenant was sealed with but more likely in higher thought we always shy away from negative energy. Being ashamed means that now Abraham has the capacity to know that what he thinks is what he experiences and therefore may regret certain actions. All in all the ashamed part can be taken out of this context here or only be used to show that our actions results from our thoughts. There isn't any shame in making a mistake. Once you realize your direction you may work increasingly for correction which means thinking positive thoughts for your life's plan.A slight departure occurs in the next verse but we will catch up with it and unify it with the whole.Bahir Verse 59. Why is heaven called Shamayim? This teaches that God kneaded fire and water, and combined them together. From this He made the "beginning of His word." It is thus written (Psalm 119:160), "The beginning of your word is truth." It is therefore called Shamayim Sham Mayim (there is water) Esh Mayim (fire water). He said to them: This is the meaning of the verse (Job 25:2), "He makes peace in His heights." He placed peace and love between them. May He also place peace and love among us. Commentary: The key to progressing along this path of positive thought is given. Emotion-water, and Fire-thought. The word starts out in truth and with emotion rides the crest of manifestation according to our steadfast intention. 'Peace in the heights' refers to our High Watch, our ability to continually choose the higher thought. Out of our choices then we experience the peace and not fighting with our ego constantly. 'Peace and love between them' is the bonding between emotion and thought which sees on high. The emotion is the inspirational source of power to promote your utmost good throughout every circumstance that you experience. What the rabbis are saying here is to work with this process and experience all of the benefits from on high through the process of unfoldment that takes place when your emotions and thoughts work together for your good.Details are forthcoming in verse 60Verse 60. We also say (Psalm 119:164), "seven times each day I praised You for Your righteous judgement." They asked him, "What are they?" He replied, "You do not look at it carefully. Be precise and you will find them." Commentary: Once again the seven times we see in relationship to the light of the sun in verse 57. The theme is being continued. The righteous judgement is our choices that we make to choose our higher thoughts and not descend to our lower nature. The students question is answered above by the rabbi telling the student to look carefully at those times when they are in the middle of making their choices. This may be as simple as changing your mind in the middle of an angry moment realizing that all anger is self anger. When you make the choice to not hurt yourself by becoming angry then you are choosing the right thoughts, referred to as 'them' in Verse 60. There is one more verse in this series of expositions relating to mind and our chosen thoughts. Verse 61 continues the idea and adds another dimension to it.Bahir verse 61. They asked him, "What is the letter Tzaddi ?"" He said: Tzaddi is a Nun and a Yod . Its mate is also a Nun and a Yod . It is thus written (Proverbs 10:25), "The righteous (Tzadik) is the foundation of the world." The letter yod is associated with the hermit in tarot. The Nun is associated with the Death card.On the one hand we have the hermit on the mountain keeping the High Watch and on the other hand is the passing away of old habit patterns. This is the entire point of these past five verses.

Bahir Verse 57-61
This could be a difficult passage except that it is following the rule of mind via thought all along. This rule says that the meanings referred to are pointing to operations of thought. They are spoken of in allegory and transmitted to us in a time honored way. Since the universe is expanding, growing in understanding it follows that today we are able to have a more clear interpretation of these verses than even when they were first spoken or written down for a select few. Here is the verse, the commentary as usual follows.Bahir Verse 57. What is the meaning of the verse (Isaiah 30:26) , "The light of the moon shall be like the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, like the light of the seven days." The verse does not say "seven days," but " the seven days." These are the days regarding which it is written (Exodus 31:17), "For six days God made [the heaven and the earth]." As you said, God made six beautiful vessels. What are they? "The heaven and the earth." Are they not seven? Yes, as it is written (ibid.) "And on the seventh day, He rested and souled." What is the meaning of "souled?" This teaches us that the Sabbath sustains all souls. It is therefore written that it souled. Commentary: The light of the moon is the reflected light. We are in truth that reflected light. We are the reflected light of soul. When 'he rested and souled,' we came to be. So it is when our thoughts are at peace and the results of our thinking appear before us souled by the thoughts we have meditated upon. The recognition of this soul completes the cycle and makes the light of our understanding the equivalent of seven times brighter. We continue this concept in the next verse 58Verse 58. Another explanation: This teaches us that it is from there that souls fly forth. It is thus written, "and He souled." This continues for a thousand generations. It is thus written (Psalm 105:8), "The word that He commanded until a thousand generations." Immediately after this it says, "[the covenant] that He cut with Abraham." What is the meaning of "cut"? He cut a covenant between the ten fingers of his hands and the ten toes of his feet. Abraham was ashamed. God then said to him (Genesis 17:4), "And I, behold My covenant is with you," and with it, "you will be the father of many nations." Commentary: Let stay with our explanation in Mind. When understanding occurs it reaches out into every part of our being. Since we are beings of the universe this understanding permeates the universe of ideas in our view. 'A thousand generations,' the single understanding begets multiple insights and these do indeed go on. 'Generation' is another word taking form from one thing into another. It is an evolving sequence of events just like our thoughts evolve in the experiences we are becoming. That which is cut between the ten fingers alludes to the blessing that the kohain gives with both hands in Spock's live long and prosper configuration. We bring forth blessings by our connection with unity. This covenant simply means as a man thinks so shall he experience. It is the fundamental law around which all of our lives revolve. The nations of which you are the father of are the experiences you have as a result of your intentional thinking. You see yourself in the experiences that you understand. You are truly their father. Abraham was ashamed refers perhaps to the circumcision which the covenant was sealed with but more likely in higher thought we always shy away from negative energy. Being ashamed means that now Abraham has the capacity to know that what he thinks is what he experiences and therefore may regret certain actions. All in all the ashamed part can be taken out of this context here or only be used to show that our actions results from our thoughts. There isn't any shame in making a mistake. Once you realize your direction you may work increasingly for correction which means thinking positive thoughts for your life's plan.A slight departure occurs in the next verse but we will catch up with it and unify it with the whole.Bahir Verse 59. Why is heaven called Shamayim? This teaches that God kneaded fire and water, and combined them together. From this He made the "beginning of His word." It is thus written (Psalm 119:160), "The beginning of your word is truth." It is therefore called Shamayim Sham Mayim (there is water) Esh Mayim (fire water). He said to them: This is the meaning of the verse (Job 25:2), "He makes peace in His heights." He placed peace and love between them. May He also place peace and love among us. Commentary: The key to progressing along this path of positive thought is given. Emotion-water, and Fire-thought. The word starts out in truth and with emotion rides the crest of manifestation according to our steadfast intention. 'Peace in the heights' refers to our High Watch, our ability to continually choose the higher thought. Out of our choices then we experience the peace and not fighting with our ego constantly. 'Peace and love between them' is the bonding between emotion and thought which sees on high. The emotion is the inspirational source of power to promote your utmost good throughout every circumstance that you experience. What the rabbis are saying here is to work with this process and experience all of the benefits from on high through the process of unfoldment that takes place when your emotions and thoughts work together for your good.Details are forthcoming in verse 60Verse 60. We also say (Psalm 119:164), "seven times each day I praised You for Your righteous judgement." They asked him, "What are they?" He replied, "You do not look at it carefully. Be precise and you will find them." Commentary: Once again the seven times we see in relationship to the light of the sun in verse 57. The theme is being continued. The righteous judgement is our choices that we make to choose our higher thoughts and not descend to our lower nature. The students question is answered above by the rabbi telling the student to look carefully at those times when they are in the middle of making their choices. This may be as simple as changing your mind in the middle of an angry moment realizing that all anger is self anger. When you make the choice to not hurt yourself by becoming angry then you are choosing the right thoughts, referred to as 'them' in Verse 60. There is one more verse in this series of expositions relating to mind and our chosen thoughts. Verse 61 continues the idea and adds another dimension to it.Bahir verse 61. They asked him, "What is the letter Tzaddi ?"" He said: Tzaddi is a Nun and a Yod . Its mate is also a Nun and a Yod . It is thus written (Proverbs 10:25), "The righteous (Tzadik) is the foundation of the world." The letter yod is associated with the hermit in tarot. The Nun is associated with the Death card.On the one hand we have the hermit on the mountain keeping the High Watch and on the other hand is the passing away of old habit patterns. This is the entire point of these past five verses.
Directed Attention - Bahir 56
Direct your attention back to your Self. In a world full of enticements our attention in any given moment is usually out there. The consideration then becomes the other and not the self. This is a constant returning to that which is. What is that? You are that.The last verse we studied verse 55 inadvertently contained verse 56. Let's consider verse 56 in the context mentioned above and in it Kabbalistic sense.Bahir verse 56. They said to him: Up until now there are five. What comes next? He replied: First I will explain gold. What is gold? We learn that it is where justice emanates. If you bend your words to the right or left, you will be punished. The five results from the fifth Sephiroth in the series, Gevurah or Justice. From Justice then does gold emanate. Gold is our inspiration and by our directed attention which means taking away our attention from distractions, we are able to be in the state of mind where inspirations enter freely. It is the energy of flowing that is being promoted here and the results of that flowing. When you do no flow with this energy then there is the concept of punishment which really should be seen as correction. Keep the energy in its path. When you veer to the right or left you dissipate the flow and grow weaker in both your ability to focus and your innate experience of bringing in the gold of inspiration. It is indeed this inspiration which keeps you on your chosen path.

Bahir 55
Next up the sephiroth are alluded to in verse 55. There is so much here that at this time we will capture what we can knowing that we can always go back for more.Bahir Verse 55. What is the Beth at the end? [As it is written] (Proverbs 24:3), "With wisdom will the house (Bayit) be built." The verse does not say "was built", but "will be built". In the future God will build and decorate it, thousands of times more than it was. It is as we have said: Why does the Torah begin with a Beth ? As it is written (Proverbs 8:30) , "I was with Him as a craftsman, I was His delight for a day, a day, [frolicking before Him at every time]." These are the two thousand years, which are the "beginning". Two? But the scripture says seven, as it is written (Isaiah 30:26), "The light of the moon shall be like the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold [like the light of the seven days." And we said, "Just like the sun was for seven, so the moon was for seven." [He replied,] "I said thousands." 56. They said to him: Up until now there are five. What comes next? He replied: First I will explain gold. What is gold? We learn that it is where justice emanates. If you bend your words to the right or left, you will be punished. Commentary: With wisdom will the house be built. Wisdom is Chochmah the second sephiroth. It is the extension of the light which is also a reference to the beginning of the light sent forth from Kether the first sephiroth. The inspiration here continues with the follow through of the light. This light which follows and builds itself in wisdom is the plan of creation. The moon is also related to Beth according to the Sepher Yetzirah, supplement to Chapter IV Verse 1,, 'He caused and produced Beth, predominant in wisdom, crowned, combined, and formed the Moon in the Universe, the first day of the week, and the right eye, of man.' All of these attributes are linked together. The Second Sephiroth like the moon draws upon the reflected light of the initial inspiration. Listen to the proverb speak of 'I was a craftsman," What voice is speaking here. It is the voice which reflects that of the creator. Take this in slowly. The voice that reflects that of the creator. We are forever sitting at the foot of the creator in our wisdom that is to be learned. This delight that is spoken of is the delight of wisdom. It is how one inspiration leads to another. This 'frolicking before him,' is speaking about the state of mind we need to encourage within ourselves in response to the opening of wisdoms doors. Then next there are the two and the seven being discussed. The two are the sun and the moon. The seven are the seven lower sephiroth. These are energy alignments of the initial inspiration coming from Kether. Your thoughts go forth and are changed their energy directed into various channels of influence. The sun is Tiphareth which is also called Zeir Anpin relating as well to the lower sephiroth wherein the moon appears as Foundation to reflect the energy of Tiphareth the sun which correspondingly reflects the energy of Kether. When you look at the Tree of Life Kether, Tiphareth and Yesod or Foundation all run in a straight line one from the other. We are speaking of an ideal situation where thoughts perfectly reflect one another with the hindrances of doubt in the form of distractions. A key to this is given when they are talking about bending to the right or left and being punished. What is being explained is the necessity of keeping Will focused on the objective of the gold that is mentioned in verse 55 which we have equated with the initial inspiration. It is from this initial inspiration that our results may be found. The justice that is mentioned is the justice of having our thoughts reproduce themselves as events in our lives. We are always directed according to how we are directed along our inner plane. Time is also mentioned in verse 55, two thousand versus seven thousand years. See time here as the outworking of the inspiration. Two thousand is tied to the beginning and leads us to the incredible focus we are called upon to keep going. Seven thousand refers to the outworkings of the intention thus formed. The years are not literal years but stand for levels of thinking that take place in reality outside of space and time. Whenever we are shown something in this Bahir we know it is trying to get us to look at something else. The obvious answers are too easily lost in the references that are given on the surface. It is only when we uncover that we discover and in verse 55 this is what we have done in order to show thoughts of inspiration working through the levels of manifestation in order to reveal themselves one to another like the moon does the sun and like the sun does Kether so that we are always seeing the ageless maxim, 'as above so below.'

Continuing to Focus Bahir 54
Every once in a while with these verses of the Bahir the meaning comes through right between the eyes. It is the case with the next verse 54. When I think about these verses it is always in the moment. For example I was thinking about writing something about continuing to focus. My next thought was let's see what the Bahir says in the next verse we are looking at. I don't believe it is a coincidence that both the meanings that are hinted at in the next verse are remarkably close to what it is that I wanted to think about. Unity revolves around the ideas constantly one provoking and elucidating the other.Bahir verse 54. What is its function here? What is this like? A king once had a daughter who was good, pleasant, beautiful and perfect. He married her to a royal prince, and clothed, crowned and bejewelled her, giving her much money. Is it possible for the king to ever leave his daughter? You will agree that it is not. Is it ever possible for him to be with her constantly? You will also agree that it is not. What can he then do? He can place a window between the two, and whenever the father needs the daughter, or the daughter needs the father, they can come together through the window. It is thus written (Psalm 45:14) , "All glorious is the king's daughter inside, her garment is interwoven with gold ." Wow. We are given two keys here right off the bat. The opening two questions are keys that we can use with every inquiry we make. You will notice that this is a standard form of inquiry both in the Bahir and throughout the Zohar. We ask of its function and then proceed to explain its function in allegory. We have a story which follows which is the allegory while the function is hinted at in the conclusion which says, 'her garment is interwoven with gold. Let me explain.Will is the King. Once you set forth your intention this then directs Mind. In the above verse daughter is both Mind and Manifestation or Malchut in the Sephiroth. As Mind it represents Binah or Understanding which is fully completed once the upper daughter (Binah-Understanding) passes into form (Malchut-Kingdom). When you see the form of your intention understanding comes in. It is the knowing that the original inspiration has found a home or a place in which to grow and be. This garment that is interwoven with gold is directly the result of the window that goes between the King and the daughter to communicate with each other. Read here instead between Will and Mind. Once you send out an intention you do not need to continually send this forth but you may from time to time check in with your Intention to see what Mind is doing with this. Likewise when Mind reaches a temporary impasse in its outworking of your Intention or the outworking of Will, then it seeks to communicate with Will for further inspiration. In this way you can see the King looking through the window at the daughter and the daughter looking back the other way at the King. Now what does this all mean? When you have an Intention or you exercise your Will this is the first part of the creative process. The second part is Mind opening to your Intention and setting about to 'deliver the goods.' The third part of Mind is to formulate all the ideas which go into the outworking of your intention. This process continues in various steps until the thing itself is seen and known for the manifestation of the original Intention. When this occurs a returning wave of understanding flows back to the third part of Mind where the process of outworking is reinforces with successful outworking of the Intention of Mind. Throughout this process there are corrections which take place along the way either by Will which wants to reinforce its focus by continuing its focus, or by Mind which seeks new inspiration to move along the wave of the initial inspiration. In plain language this means:Make a wish and check it twice and be inspired to add to your wish to increase its flow into manifestation. Find the reasons for its certainty and build this certainty along with your wish. Use the mystical method of creation outlined above in even the most simple requests. Remember you are always at the perfect place and time for miracles to grow including this very now.

Bahir 53
Here in verse 53 the idea of gold is expanded. Remember from our earlier commentary that gold referred to the joyful state of mind which produces the results of inspiration. Let's take it from here to begin our commentary. Verse 53 follows for referenceBahir Verse 53. Why is [gold] called Zahav ? Because it includes three attributes, [alluded to in its three letters, Zayin, Heh, Beth ]. [The first attribute is] Male, (Zachar) . This is the Zayin . [The second is] the Soul. This is the Heh. [The numerical value of Heh is five, alluding to] the five names of the soul: Nephesh, Ruach, Neshamah, Chiah, Yechidah. What is the purpose the Heh ? It is a throne for the Zayin . It is thus written (Ecclesiastes 5:7), "For one above the other watches." The Beth is its sustenance. It is thus written (Genesis 1:1), "In (Beth) the beginning [God] created..." Commentary: There are many offerings here. Each of them is meant to provide a tool for inspiration. By this I mean that what we see in these verses of Bahir are meant to awaken inspiration. When we think about something it awakens or inspires something else. This process of awakening is the basis for all of the Kabbalistic writings including the Bahir here and the Zohar and all of the Ari's writings. It is this creative process that forms the sum total of the essence of Kabbalah. You may study all of the writings everywhere for the results of Kabbalah but in order to experience Kabbalah for yourself this awakening must take place within you. You are the object of every writing that has ever been written about Kabbalah. You are the purpose that is being revealed here. If you have questions about this aspect let me know. Now on with the exposition of this verse.It says Zayin is the male influence. This is the active part of consciousness. In Tarot Zayin represents the Lovers. The basic form of this card has a man and woman and the angel Raphael above and between them. I mention this card here because there is a theme that we will see repeated over and over again. I spoke of Will in an earlier post. It is the directing influence. Will imparts to Mind, the feminine or subsconsciousness it's directions. The angel Raphael is a healing influence. What happens to our present world in terms of what happens to the world to come could be seen as a healing of both our inner and outer worlds. When we think of what we want we direct by our attention (Will) that which we want to see. It takes place in Mind but before manifestation may take place, your current conception or your current view of your world must pass away. It must be healed of that which you no longer wish to see or pay attention to. This is the theme that we will see wherever we look in the ancient writing. Intend, Impress and Let Go. This is the three fold process of creation.Zayin is also called the sword. It is the sword of discrimination. When you discriminate in your Mind between right and wrong thoughts for you, this is the sword that cuts off the negativity and allow your positive affirmations to flourish. Heh is called a throne for Zayin and also alludes to the soul. In this sense Heh is then representative of Mind. Therefore it is the place where Zayin or Will in our present understanding sits. Will then is the Master or King of Mind, or as we've said previously, Mind is in service to Will. In Tarot Heh is represented by the Emperor who is the master of Mind especially of the order of Mind. When soul is used here it is Mind in its Clay form that is impressed by Will with our Intention. The various levels of Soul are given, Nephesh (the animal or lowest level, think of it as a form that is first impressed but hasn't gone through any permutations), Ruach (spirit or invisible force, think of it as Will going through its first transmutation operating as Will but inexorably becoming that which Will becomes), Neshamah (called our Higher Self, the result of our connection with the understanding that we are currently going through), Chayah (Beyond the grasp of our intellectual Minds but operating as a results of the continuing transformations of Neshamah. Here the angel Raphael from the Tarot key Lovers mentioned above operates), Yechidah (highest soul level, again beyond intellectual grasp yet the ultimate result of connection and the discovery of the divine inspiration. It is important to realize the stages that Mind connected now with Will goes through. Admittedly these stages go beyond our view but that is the purpose of this study to always take you beyond what you've experienced before to provide new products for inspiration. Think of this as an understanding which you are saving up for some future revelation. The Bahir goes on and says for one above the other watches. We could see the angel above as watching the actions that are taking place from Will (Zayin) impressing (Heh -Soul-Mind) with its directives. Also we could say that once Will is in place it then oversees all of Mind's outworking of the plan correcting where necessary the details that are taking place. The Bahir say lastly that Beth is its sustenance. Beth the house is the final form. It is the manifestation of the idea impressed by Will and watched over by Will as Mind works out the details. How do we know this has to do with the creation process? The last verse directly references Beth and "In the beginning....Summary: We separate the letters of gold Zahav in order to see how each works with the other in order to produce the meaning that is gold. Gold is however given a meaning beyond its mineral sense and is equated with whereby creation itself comes into being. In terms of Modern Kabbalah, Will initiates the action of wanting to be a certain thing. It must become this thing and yet it cannot force its way for then Will turns into Willful or the Ego. It must let go of itself into Mind which it does so by the agency of Love which is a universal symbol for letting go. This Love as we see in the angel above in the Tarot key the Lovers brings about the transformation of Mind or Soul in five stages until the thing itself appears in view. This manifestation then becomes the home of our process of creation or the Beth of creation, its beginning wherein the end is also contained.

Bahir 52
Here in the middle of speaking about the voices they bring in gold and silver. There are certainly veils over this one. Let's see what we can do about uncovering them quickly in the commentary:Bahir 52. "Let him without silver come" can also be explained in another way. Let him come to God, for He has silver. It is thus written (Haggai 2:8) , "Mine is the silver, and Mine is the gold." What is the meaning of the verse, "Mine is the silver, and Mine is the gold"? What is this like? A king had two treasuries, one of silver, and one of gold. He placed that of silver to his right, and that of gold to his left. He said [of the silver], "This should be ready, and easy to take out." He keeps his words calm. He is attached to the poor and directs them calmly. It is thus written (Exodus 15:6) , "Your right hand, O God, is mighty in power." If he rejoices in his portion, then all is well. If not, then (Exodus 15:6), "Your right hand, O God, crumbles the enemy." He said to them: This is referring to the gold. It is thus written, "Mine is the silver, and Mine is the gold." Commentary: There are three parts to this verse, plus a conclusion.Part One: Silver is inspiration. Read the first sentence as "let him without inspiration come." It goes on to say without inspiration we go to God for God has both silver and gold. Read the effects of inspiration for gold also you may read treasure for gold in the above sentences. Go to God because God has inspiration and the effects of inspiration. Go to the source of your being where inspiration may always be found. Once you find your inspiration then the results of that inspiration are assured. Your treasure then is in not only finding the inspiration but in realizing the connection between it and the subsequent results. Part Two: The King with two treasuries. Yes he has inspiration and its effects. Inspiration is given to the poor calmly. The poor in this case are those who are poor in imagination or thought. God will teach you how to reach for your good when you turn to That which is God. It is calm because only in a peaceful state of mind may you see that which is full of light, your inspiration. "Easy to take out," yes inspiration comes upon you all of a sudden and is readily understood. Part Three: When we next turn to gold of the effects of inspiration we are told to have a certain state of mind during this phase of intention. "If he rejoices in his portion, then all is well," this means have a joyful state of mind following your inspiration and watch the good that flows from this. If you do not have a joyful state of mind "God crumbles the enemy," this should read the enemy of God is the crumbling of inspiration. If you have a strong desire and see much good coming from this, your enemies are your doubts or inability to move forward as a result of your inspiration. It speaks about referring to the gold here. The gold is the effect that you would see when you do keep a joyful state of mind or certainty following your inspiration. Conclusion: "Mine is the silver, mine is the gold," refers to your source from whence our of your good comes. We are always directed back to the source for this is the thought that we are to keep uppermost in our minds at all times. As in the SHMA, Hear Oh Israel, or more appropriately put, Listen to what is real, listen to the reality of your shining self. Bless the ground you walk on for it is indeed holy ground. It is made holy by your acceptance of your inspiration and your focus on what is real within you.
Bahir 50- 51 The word that is one
Bahir 50- 51 The word that is oneWe come upon verse 50. We are one quarter of the way through the Bahir. In this verse the word is spoken of. In the commentary we will give its simple meaning and how you can use this information to find your own word. Bahir Verse '50. We have learned (Proverbs 25:2), "The glory of God is to hide a word." What is "a word"? That of which it is written (Psalm 119:160), "The Beginning of Your word is truth." [It is also written] (Proverbs 25:2), "The glory of kings is to probe a word." What is this "word"? That of which it is written (Proverbs 25:11), "A word spoken in its proper place (Aphen-av) ", do not read "its proper place" (Aphen-av), but "its wheel" (Ophen'av). Commentary:When we have a thought it comes from either a reaction to something else or an inspiration. It is to our inspirations that we will now speak. Our thought comes in at first very fast in an emotional coursing through our mind. Sometimes this thought cannot be deciphered immediately because it is so full of light. Later however when the brilliance clears we recognize this thought and its adjuncts, the places where it may now lead us. This is how a thought is at first hidden. This glory of God is no more than the recognition of our connection with God within the words of this thought. Then our thought is determined to be truth. This truth means that this thought comes as an inspiration to us. What do Kings probe? It is treasure they probe, they probe the treasure inside of our inspiration, the initial thought now going forth with our intention and connection fully behind it. Next the proper place is mentioned but spoken of in terms of its wheel. Wheel in Kabbalah refers to the generation of being as in Reincarnation. The generation of being proceeds from this word which is more than a word and carries with it the many faces mentioned in Ezekiels chariot or wheels within wheels. Thoughts generate other thoughts and transform the being in which they generate. We are that being. Start with an intention of the mastery of your thinking and the innate knowledge of your being. Then reaffirm and bring forward this attention so that now these wheels are directed according to the will of the one. Your will combined with the creator will becomes the one will. All of this is generated by a word which transformed itself in meanings to suit the vehicle in which the word is first formed, yourself. We continue in the arcane way of the Bahir the lessons of the promulgation of the word. Look to the commentary for its explanation and unwinding. Bahir 51. The students asked Rabbi Berachiah, "Let us discuss these words with you," but he would not give them permission. Once, however, he did give them permission, but he did so to test them, to see if they would now pay good attention. One day he tested them and said, "Let me hear your wisdom." They began and said: "In the beginning" is one. [Two is] (Isaiah 57:16), "The spirit that unwraps itself is from Me, and I have made souls." [Three is] (Psalm 65:10), "The divisions of God are filled with water." What are these "divisions?" You taught us, our master, that God took the waters of creation and separated them, placing half in the skies and half in the ocean. This is the meaning of "the divisions of God are filled with water." Through them, man studies the Torah. Rabbi Chama thus taught: Because of the merit of deeds of kindness, a person can study the Torah. It is thus written (Isaiah 55:1), "Ho, let all who are thirsty come for water, let him without silver come, stock up and eat." Go to Him, and He will do kindness with you, and you will "stock up and eat." Commentary:'In the beginning is one' they say. Of course it is the word which transformed everything after it and from which all things that have come have come from. Then 'the spirit unwraps itself from Me, and I have made souls,' is the word now expressing itself. From Me is the one will or the initializing word and I have made souls are the forms now that the word is engendering. You have a thought, it leads to another thought which produces action. These actions are the souls of the thought(s). What I am trying to show you here is the progression of events that take place in your mind as you are thinking about something, anything. I want to impress upon you the consciousness with which you develope your mind and the resulting actions which determine your life experiences. 'The divisions are filled with water,' refers to the surrounding consciousness in which all of us live. We are indeed surrounded by a sea of thought and yes we do study Torah only by means of connection with this sea of thought. Both the ocean and the skies refer to the places where our inspiration comes in from. We look to our higher voice which is the sky or we learn from our teachers that which has already been sourced in the waters of consciousness or the ocean of consciousness. What we are being told here is that we have a constant source of inspiration waiting for us. All we need to do is to partake of it. Are we thirsty for knowledge, then yes it is there to be found. What if we have no inspiration? Inspiration is the silver which brings in more knowledge, but if we aren't inspired then we can become inspired at the wellspring of the word,the initialization of which we have found out about in the last verse. Lastly you are told to 'go to him,' this is the same word from which his voice utters 'In the beginning is one.' The focus here has now turned from speaking of voices to speaking of the words the 'voice' speaks. This is why we are now seeing 'from one,' appear here. This is the same word from which his voice utters 'In the eginning is one.' The focus here has now turned from speaking of voices to speaking of the words the 'voice' speaks. This is why we are now seeing 'from one,' appear here.
Bahir 49 - One voice above all
There is a further explanation of seven voices and three sayings which also allude to the sephiroth, the seven as we have said are the lower seven and the three the supernal triad or the first three sephiroth. In verse 49 a deeper understanding is commented upon. Let's go to the commentary to reveal some light.'49. Another explanation: It was so that the world should not say that since there were ten sayings for ten kings, it might be that He could not speak for them all through one. He therefore said (Exodus 20:2), "I am [the Lord you God]," which included all ten. What are the ten kings? They are the seven voices and three sayings (Amarim). What are the sayings? [They are the ones alluded to in the verse] (Deuteronomy 26:18) "God has said for you today." "What are the three? [Two are mentioned in the verse] (Proverbs 4:7), "The beginning is Wisdom: acquire Wisdom, with all your acquisition, acquire Understanding." It is thus written (Job 32:8), "The soul of Shaddai gives them Understanding." The soul of Shaddai is what gives them Understanding. What is the third one? As the old man said to the child, "What is hidden from you, do not seek, and what is concealed from you, do not probe. Where you have authority, seek to understand, but you have nothing to do with mysteries." The ten Kings are the ten sephiroth. Where we talk about 'the beginning is Wisdom, reference Chokmah the 2nd sephiroth along with Binah the third sephiroth. Remember Sephiroth are energy centers, points of conscious awareness that flow from on into another. Shaddai means almighty or all sufficiency. What does this mean in terms of our new Kabbalah method of referencing mind in all things. It is this. You have the capacity to connect at all times. This capacity is a direct result of your intention and your identification with I am. This I am is you. It is what you call yourself and how you identify the best you have. It is the pearl or the shining essence of you that cannot be hidden no matter what circumstances have forced upon you. The verse above goes on and tells the child not to look for things he doesn't understand. The child in this case is the person who does not not that there are indeed answers to his questions. When by his intention and his seeking he gains the 'authority' as mentioned above then there can be answers to mysteries. The inference here is that you do not have the authority to call upon your connection to appear within you if you do not realize it is there in the first place. The biggest hurdle we have in studying and applying spiritual work is to make ourselves into a vehicle of spirituality. This vehicle operates on the principle of your your true self. Every day recognize the best that you have and then make your connection. Know that you can connect with the infinite within you and that this infinite may then speak through you using your voice and working within your life experiences. Lets look at the verse in (Deuteronomy 26:18) "And the LORD hath avouched thee this day to be His own treasure, as He hath promised thee, and that thou shouldest keep all His commandments; Listen to this verse carefully in light of what we have been revealing all along. The Lord is your inmost self and is what I call above your true self, your best self. It is this true self that contains all of your treasures and this is why the 'Lord takes thee to be his own treasure.'' Of course your best self takes care of you and wants only the best for you. The best are your treasures. The voices of hope and exultation which ring inside of you and tell you that yes you can make it and yes your life can be totally wonderful are what you are being promised by 'the best in you.' The only commandment-read saying here or suggestion, is the one which tells you to remember this inmost self and to praise it. Praise is our way of simple recognition of that which is good. We draw down therefore the holiness from above into our waiting awareness and work within this holiness for all manner of good including miracles. Remember that the one voice we are listening for is our own highest voice. This is the Lord speaking within us and guiding us with the above wisdom and understanding.
More voices - Bahir 48
We continue in verse 48 by going deeper into the meanings of the voices which were heard. One voice, seven voices and three voices. Let's see what our commentary can bring to light about this'48. One verse (Exodus 20:15), states, "and all the people saw the voices." Another verse, however, (Deuteronomy 4:12) states, "The voice of words you heard." How can [the two be reconciled]? At first they saw the voices. What did they see? The seven voices mentioned by David. But in the end they heard the word that emanated from them all. But we have learned that there were ten. Our sages taught that they were all said with a single word. But we have said that there were seven. There were seven voices. Regarding three of them it is written (Deuteronomy 4:12) , "The voice of words you heard, but you saw no form, only a voice." This teaches us that they were all said with a single word. This is so that Israel should not make a mistake and say, "Others helped him. It might have been one of the angels. But His voice alone could not be so powerful." It was for this reason that he came back and included them [in a single word]."If there were one voice to hear that one voice would speak one word "Listen." This means to listen for the highest voice, the one that is clear and does not emanate from a lower form of speaking such as the voice which berates you, or puts you down or the voice which tells you to do something that is wrong for you. We are all familiar with those voices. This familiarity we can make work in our favor. It can cause us to pause this unpleasant voice and say, 'you know what I recognize this voice and frankly I do not think this voice has ever brought me anywhere that I would like to go. Let me then 'listen' for the higher voice so that I may become familiar with it and know it so that I can replace my lower voice with this higher voice."Simply put I recognize my thoughts and determine to do something about them. I intend to act on reaching up for my higher voice. I do not just say it but I begin to use the knowledge that I am learning about Kabbalah. What is this knowledge? It is the knowledge that I am always capable of changing my mind at a moment's notice. It is the knowledge that I can choose to feel my connection right here and right now. It is the certainty that once I make this connection I will make it easier for myself the next time around when I am seeking to change my mind.The verse above talks about seeing the voices. When we see voices we are seeing the images our mind makes up. These images that we can see are the ones represented by the Sephirot. The seven voices are the lower seven of the Tree of Life.Gevurah - ChesedBeautyHod-Netzach YesodMalkuth.The three voices are the supernals of the first three sephirot Keter-Chokmah-Binah.What is the purpose of seeing these voices or of seeing their representation as in the Sephiroth of Kabbalah?A symbol can contain many meanings and be a repository for meanings. Think of each sephioth in this way and then think of the wealth of information that is stored in each one. Each sephiroth is a like an endless memory chip which stores the information that you learn about it each time you study it. It isn't like you study these sephiroth and then get it. It is a continuing process. It is also a convenient way to think about this kind of knowledge. Call it a shorthand of information processing because that is what it really is.How does this help me with my problems?Each answer you find is a part of this diagram of study. When you look at the sephiroth and consider the various meanings such as Wisdom and Understanding this begins to open those areas within you. You learn by focusing your attention. Above in the verse it says 'the voice of words you heard but saw no form only a voice.' This is how you learn. Even when you do not use the sephiroth or other spiritual symbols you can still access the higher energy of communication by having the intention to connect with this energy and having the intention you succeed in opening within your self a doorway into that energy that widens the more your intention focuses upon this energy and the opening doorway it brings about. The last part of which talks about Israel and the importance of recognizing that it is His voice that you are hearing means this. Who is His voice? Yes it is God, but more easily understood as the Highest Voice, a voice that you connect with and make your own. You identify with this higher voice and make it your own. Then you accept this highest voice as your own and become one with it. That is the purpose then of all of these voices being talked about. It is to bring you the experience of communion, of connection and oneness with the highest voice. This highest voice is not something apart from you but it is your voice, your higher voice and yes this very voice is your soul.

The voice continues Bahir 47
The recent post by Merry about finding her voice those by Melissa and JJ (my wife in you haven't figured that out yet) come at an opportune time. We happened to be talking about the voices in the Bahir and now we find ourselves talking about finding our voice. By now I realize that there aren't any coincidences and that everything must work together. This voice is described in verse 47 and gets us closer to what it is we can look for within ourselves. The verse appears for reference below and isn't as obscure as some of the earlier ones. Read it through or not and as usual you can skip it entirely and just read the commentary. There is a pattern that is developing that is as organic as the thoughts we are thinking here. This pattern is that we begin to see how we may apply our sense of meaning to even the most obscure passages in this Bahir. We can also of course make these applications relate directly to our life experiences. '47. What is the meaning of the verse (Deuteronomy 4:12), "You saw no form, only a voice"? This was explained when Moses said to Israel (Deuteronomy 4:15), "You did not see an entire image." You saw an image, but not an "entire image." What is this like? A king stands before his servants wrapped in a white robe. Even though he is far away, they can still hear his voice. This is true even though they cannot see his throat when he speaks. In a similar manner, they saw an image, but not an "entire image". It is therefore written, "You saw no form, only a voice." It is also written (Deuteronomy 4:12) "A voice of words you heard." The way to seek and find your inner voice is tied in with the secret of the 'I AM.' How is it that you are choosing to identify yourself? What is it that you are saying about yourself? Is this a conscious act or an unconscious reaction. Everytime you can choose your action within you are truly finding your voice. Example. Suppose you are feeling angry about someone or about what someone has said to you. A certain part of you feels justified in bringing up feelings of anger and perhaps of retaliation. There is however a better part of you that understands your being most of all. This better part is manifest when you consciously seek and find your higher voice. It is the one that says what is it you would rather be thinking about instead of your anger. It then provides you with an excuse to change your mind right in midflow. It is this shift in mind which establishes your inner voice. When once you shift you set up a practice and an expectation of shifting your attention from the anger that is directed outwards to the inner calm that is being promoted in the moment. In terms of winning or losing, you do not win by retaliation or going one up on someone who is causing you to react. You do win when you recognize that your peace of mind is paramount no matter who is talking to you. Listen and detach and resume the flow of your precious inner voice. It can be as simple as repeating an affirmation or as complex as thinking about what you want to think about in terms of what you want to do with your life. Perhaps when you shift the person who has been your thorn accuses you of not listening. This is fine because your answer is that you hear them very well but your subconsious mind no longer reacts to their ego driven word. You might actually say to the person, "Oh that's nice and what else is new." Eventually they will no longer use you as a source of their venting or projection. In truth their vibration no longer will ring true within you and that is the point of this entire discussion. The voice mentioned above in verse 47 is the voice of vibration. This vibration is made up of your thoughts just the way you choose them. This is how you ultimately define yourself. This is your I AM.

Bahir 45
The seven voices are spoken of here. '45. He ( Rabbi Amorai) said: What is the meaning of the verse (Exodus 20:15) , "And all the people saw the voices." These are the voice regarding which King David spoke. It is thus written (Psalm 29:3) , "The voice of God is upon the waters, the God of glory thunders." [This is the first voice.] [The second voice is] (Psalm 29:4), "The voice of God comes in strength." Regarding this it is written (Isaiah 10:13) , "By the strength of my hand have I done it." It is likewise written (Isaiah 48:13) , "Also My Hand has founded the earth." [The third voice is] (Psalm 29:4), "The voice of God is with majesty." It is also written (Psalm 111:3), "Splendour and majesty are His works, his righteousness stands forever." [The fourth voice is] (Psalm 29:5), "God's voice breaks the cedars." This is the bow that breaks the cypress and cedar trees. [The fifth voice is] (Psalm 29:7), "God's voice draws out flames of fire." This is what makes peace between water and fire. It draws out the power of the fire and prevents it from evaporating the water. It also prevents [the water] from extinguishing it. [The sixth voice is] (Psalm 29:8) , "God's voice shakes the desert." It is thus written (Psalm 18:51) "He does kindness to his Messiah, to David and his descendants until eternity" more than [when Israel was] in the desert. [The seventh voice is] (Psalm 29:9), "God's voice makes hinds to calf, strips the forests bare, and in His Temple, all say Glory." It is thus written (Song of Songs 2:7) "I bind you with an oath, O daughters of Jerusalem, with the hosts, or with the hinds of the field." This teaches us that the Torah was given with seven voices. In each of them the Master of the universe revealed Himself to them, and they saw Him. It is thus written, "And all the people saw the voices." All of these voices are taken from Psalm 29 reprinted for your reference here.
· 1 A Psalm of David. Ascribe unto the LORD, O ye sons of might, ascribe unto the LORD glory and strength.
· 2 Ascribe unto the LORD the glory due unto His name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.
· 3 The voice of the LORD is upon the waters; {N}the God of glory thundereth, even the LORD upon many waters.
· 4 The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty.
· 5 The voice of the LORD breaketh the cedars; yea, the LORD breaketh in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.
· 6 He maketh them also to skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young wild-ox.
· 7 The voice of the LORD heweth out flames of fire.
· 8 The voice of the LORD shaketh the wilderness; the LORD shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh.
· 9 The voice of the LORD maketh the hinds to calve, and strippeth the forests bare; and in His temple all say: 'Glory.'
· 10 The LORD sat enthroned at the flood; yea, the LORD sitteth as King for ever.
· 11 The LORD will give strength unto His people; the LORD will bless his people with peace. These seven voice describe the lower two triads of sephiroth. We are talking about the energy of transformation here. When it says at the end of verse 45, that The people all saw the voices it means that they witness the connection between the sending forth and the gathering in. What is this witnessing? It is our recognition of the voice within. Why seven voices? Isn't there only one voice that we hear within? Yes there is one voice but seen through seven transformations of energy such as 1-the voice upon the waters-which thunder. All of these convey the recognition in the first place of our spiritual nature.

Bahir 41-42-43-44
See how in following verses, 41 and 42 your thoughts are are made holy.'41. They also said: Every dream (Chalom) is in the Cholem. Every white precious stone is in the Cholem. It is thus written [with regard to the High Priest's breastplate] (Exodus 28:19), "[And in the third row...] a white stone (aChLaMah)."'What is a dream? It is the time well spent in the next world brought on by our acceptance of the visualizations within. This dream expands itself inside of that which is called Cholem. The Cholem is what is called a type O vowel. It is the dot above a letter such as a dot above a vav which gives the vav the v'o sound. It is tiny yet it is expansive in sound. Once the letter is sounded the vowel continues. It is therefore so true with our thoughts which have their Cholem in our intention. The intention is what sounds out our thoughts. It is the essence and the carrying forth of a thing which is spoken of here. See the High Priest as our highest self and the breastplace that is worn as a symbol for that self expression both pure and powerful and deeply imbedded as in the cholem inside of the white stone in the breastplate. Notice the movement. The beginnings of the expansion of soul are touched upon here.'42. He said to them: Come and hear the fine points regarding the vowel points found in the Torah of Moses. He sat and expounded: Chirek hates evildoers and punishes them. Its side includes jealousy, hatred and competition. It is thus written (Psalm 37:12), "He gnashes (Chorek) his teeth at them." Do not read chorek (gnashes), but rochek (repels). Repel (rachek) these traits from yourself, and repel yourself from evil. Good will then certainly attach itself to you. "Chirek refers to the type i vowels as in the ee sound. We use the study of this vowel in the words that are formed by it. The operative method is to 'repel yourself from evil.' Keep your thoughts focused on that which is good which by definition is the thing itself that you are thinking about for good. The soul will not expand without this direction of good. The soul cannot consider evil but that it shrinks in its promotion and overcomes in its triumph. Your thoughts achieve their holiness in follow through. This follow through recognizes the right direction and then assumes the attitude of acceptance. This creates the opening for holiness or the spirt of God to energize and flow into the channels of your awareness. While this holiness flows endlessly it is our recognition of it that quickens the flow and bonds us to this flow forever. This holiness is what the expansion of your soul accomplishes. Imagine that your soul, the undefinable has a life of its own and that it wants to move and grow along with your very own expectations. Soon you will feel this connection and then know beyond words the meaning of holiness and of the expansion which is taking place for you.'43. Chirek. Do not read ChiRiK but KeRaCh (Ice). Whatever the Chirek touches becomes ice. It is thus written (Exodus 34:7), "and cleanses." Exodus 34:7 says this, 'keeping mercy unto the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin; and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and unto the fourth generation.' Here above is the classic definition of Karma. Do right and it follows you. Do wrong and that too will follow you. Make the choice to do right. This passage in its context comes about when Moses is asking God for the law a second time. Ironically it is this second presenting of the law which in itself shows the results of karma. The law is given but much attention is herein given to those who would transgress this law. The law is the law of consciousness. This law is that energy produces energy of like and equal value. Think well, act well, experience good. Think without focus, dwell on the negative and experience negative surroundings in your life. The ice spoken above as relating to Chirek is the ice formed by the focus of your thinking. It is this focus which cleanses your thoughts and gives them purpose.'44. What is the indication that Chirek has the connotation of burning? This is because it is fire that burns all fire. It is thus written (1 Kings 18:38), "And God's fire fell, and it consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, the dust, and evaporated the water that was in the trench." First the idea of focus is represented by ice and now in verse 44 it is symbolized by the all consuming fire. This focus is what you build up within by returning your thoughts to the thing you want, to your heart's desire. Nothing that is offered up in its place can take precedence because this focus does become an all consuming fire completely transforming your world into the image and likeness of your focus. Here is the final piece of the soul's expansion. It is directed by focus and once perfectly honed this focus burst's into being much like the lightning flash of the zimzum. This completes the study of the second section of the Bahir. The upcoming section will study the seven voices and the Sephiroth. Stay tuned. There is lots more.

Bahir 38-39-40
The idea of gates is further expanded in verse 38. '38. Rabbi Amorai sat and expounded: What is the meaning of the verse (Psalm 87:2), "God loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob." "The gates of Zion" are the "openings of the World." A gate is nothing other than an opening. We thus say, "Open for us the gates of mercy." God said: I love the "gates of Zion" when they are open. Why? Because they are on the side of evil. But when Israel does good before God and are worthy that good be opened for them, then God loves them - "more than all the dwellings of Jacob." ["The dwellings of Jacob"] are all peace, as it is written (Genesis 25:27), "Jacob was a simple man, dwelling in tents. 'Let's cut to the chase in this one and see it as a whole. Zion is the place where you are coming from in your best efforts in meditation and acting in your world of experience. Zion may only be accessed (your place of power or your connection with God) when the gates of understanding are opened. These gates are opened in response to each revelation you have. Good and evil may only be determined as far as what we accept for ourselves in our minds in response to our inner calling. When we are at peace or become as Jacob the simple man we live in a state of grace. This state of grace means we are ever receptive to the divine calling. The gates of Zion that are open on the side of evil. Whenever we see evil in these writings we are to remember that evil refers to making the wrong choice. We have to divorce ourselves from our recognizable concept of evil which has been brought to us by centuries of immersion in cultures that have forgotten the true meanings of these words. That is to say that our choices are what take us where we want to go. When we follow the design which is there from the divine within us then yes we are in this place of peace where our good shines forth. If we follow anything other than our own judicious council then we err. This is the evil being spoken of. God loves when these gates are open inside of us simply because God loves. This love we can access and radiate by opening our own hearts and minds to the inspirations that are there for us morning noon and night. The next verse 39 continues this theme. '39. This is like two men, one who is inclined to do evil and does good, and the other who is inclined to do good and does evil. Who is more praiseworthy? The one who is inclined to do evil and does good, for he may do good again. It is therefore written (Psalm 87:2), "God loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob." These [dwellings] are all peace, as it is written (Genesis 25:27), "Jacob was a simple man, dwelling in tents." Do you see how choice is made into the prevalent attitude of this verse. When we make the right choice then our dwellings are peace. Where do we dwell? Most immediately inside of our own minds amongst the thoughts that we are thinking. While we go through our day we choose the good thoughts even though there may be 'evil' ones lurking about. It is always about these choices that we make that influence our dwelling places. This is the lesson that is given here continuing on the theme of choice and the good result of our correct choices. We know what thoughts we have to choose. By our act of will then do we set forth and choose them. Watch now how the heart of the matter is brought home in verse 40.'40. His students asked: What is Cholem? He replied: It is the soul - and its name is Cholem. If you listen to it, your body will be vigorous (Chalam) in the Ultimate Future. But if you rebel against it, there will be sickness (Choleh) on your head, and diseases (Cholim) on its head. "Listen to your soul. Your soul is where you dwell within your body. If you do not listen there is chaos. If you do listen peace and the vigor of life. Your soul becomes the nexus of your thought forms. It extends itself through these thought forms and is diminished by these thought forms if they are embracing a lower form of energy. Think now of the sap that runs through a tree. With the light of the sun and plenty of water it runs gloriously through bark and limb and produces healthy vibrant flowers. The more light there is the greater the strength of the tree. It is also true with us that the more we come to recognize our own connection with light that we extend our souls inside of the body that we are living in. The secret of the extension of the soul is about to be explained. Pay careful attention in the next few days to see how this occurs. I will tell you that even though I haven't read ahead to try and find it in the Bahir I know that it is here and is calling to me, to us through this verse. Forty represents a completion of sorts. Another level of consciousness and understanding has been transcended.

35-36-37
Verse 35 refers back to verse 34 and provides the answer for infinite mercy in the midst of all of our troubles. '35. What is this like? A king wanted to punish and whip his slaves. One of his governors stood up and asked the reason for this punishment. When the king described the offence, the governor said, "Your slaves never did such a thing. I will be their bondsman until you investigate it more thoroughly." In the meantime, the king's anger was calmed. 'As a result of our past actions and thoughts we find ourselves perhaps in the midst of chaos. What do we do? How can we extricate ourselves or lessen the effects of this karma. We go back to basics which means watching our thoughts and our attitude even in the midst of this chaos. We look for the light. The king above is the karma which seeks to overrun those who are unaware of its effect, making them slaves to the king. The governor is our conscience and inner voice which says, "wait a minute. What are the causes that are bringing on these effects." Once you learn to look within for this kind of answer or as he says above, 'to investigate it more thoroughly,' then you are getting to the heart of the matter. You are also short circuiting Karma which cannot proceed when we become aware of the cause and then seek to alleviate the Call this repentance if you will. Call it stopping in the middle of a road going nowhere and backtracking until we find the right road. The result is control and the awareness of control. Nothing can take the place of a realized thought.'36. His students asked: Why is the letter Daleth thick on the side? He replied: Because of the Segol which is in the small Patach. It is thus written (Psalm 24:7), "The openings (pitchey) of the World." There He placed a Patach above and a Segol below. It is for this reason that it is thick.'The Segol is an E type vowel pronouced ay as in Hay when written like this .. and eh when written with two dots with a dot underneath in the middle. Also another form is the two dots .. with the dot in the middle and two lengthwise dots next to it. The Patach is an A type vowel as in ah designated by a single dash underneath the letter or a dashwith an intersecting line making it look like a "t". The vowels are what give life to the consonants or the letters themselves. Without the vowels language would be a series of hissings. What this passage is saying is that the Daleth gets its shape from the combination of vowels or that you can see the Segol or dots in the small or reduced Patach. Psalm 24:7 gives away the meaning with this very familiar passage. 'Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors; {N}that the King of glory may come in.'Could it be any clearer? Daleth is the door. The opening to the world are your thoughts as they arise and then go through their permuations. These gates are the gates of understanding, called the Fifty Gates of Understanding. These 50 Gates re really 49 days or 7 weeks of inspiration and deep meditation followed by one day of revelation or prophecy, that Israel lived through from the time of the Exodus from Egypt until the time they received the Torah at Mount Sinai. Basically this is the time from Passover to Shavuos, a time we are currently in. Shavuos or the giving of the light of the law occurs this year at sundown on June 12 and ends on June 14 at nightfall. The timing of our study of the Bahir could not be more in the groove than we currently are. Here is a link to the 50 Gates of Understanding amongst other things.http://www.abardoncompanion.com/Book231/first__cycle__of__231.htmScroll down to find them. They are configurations of the ways in which the Tree of Life may be seen. These doors or gates of wisdom aren't to be traversed specifically in any order although it may sometimes seem as though this is exactly what is taking place. In the case of our study here we come upon them all at once and therefore are served the entire portion with a caution to take in only as much as you can digest in a sitting. In terms of thought they represent the ways we may express our thoughts and be carried along to the next idea or inspiration. This is their purpose and we will not be taking anything from them but these inspirations. '37. What is the Patach? It is an opening (Patach). What is meant by an opening? This is the direction of north, which is open to all the world. It is the gate from which good and evil emerge. And what is good? He mocked them and said: Did I not tell you that it is a small Patach (opening)? They said: We have forgotten, teach us again. He reviewed it and said: What is this like? A king had a throne. Sometimes he carried it on his arm, and sometimes on his head. They asked why, and he replied: Because it is beautiful and it is a pity to sit on it. They asked: Where did he place it on his head? He replied: In the open Mem. It is thus written (Psalm 85:12), "Truth sprouts up from the earth, and the righteousness looks down from heaven." The Patach is the vowel we learned about in verse 37. Once again the idea of gate comes into play. The master is teaching and is playing with his students. Another side trip to disregard. The throne that the King carries with him and sometimes carries on his arm or on his head is a reference to the tefillim which are worn on the arm and the head. Spiritually we think about something and then act upon it. This action is carried out by our hands, an extension of the arm. Tefillim symbolize our connection with unity. The unity of heart and soul, mind and body, thought and form. When we make the effort to seek higher wisdom then this higher wisdom dawns upon us. As the Psalm says truth is in our being so much so that it fills us up as we seek our good which is symbolized by heaven. The place where the crown is located in the Open Mem, Mem,the Great Mother, the seat of understanding or Binah where the thoughts go forth in cycles of emanation.

Bahir 33-34
What happens to your thoughts once they are envisioned and then you meditate on these visions? What is your relationship then to these thoughts. How are you connected to these thoughts in the moments that follow their coming forth? In this next verse another teaching follows an admonition to look deeper.'33. They said to him: It is written (Lamentations 2:1), "He threw the beauty of Israel from heaven to earth." From here we see that it fell. He replied: If you have read, you did not review, and if you reviewed, you did not go over it a third time. What does it resemble? A king had a beautiful crown on his head and a beautiful cloak on his shoulders. When he heard evil tidings, he cast the crown from his head and the cloak from his shoulders.'Here is the JPS version of Lamentations 2:1, 'How hath the Lord covered with a cloud the daughter of Zion in His anger! He hath cast down from heaven unto the earth the beauty of Israel, and hath not remembered His footstool in the day of His anger. ' Consider now the thing itself and how much you want that very thing be it health wealth or wisdom. The anger that arises is not only a distraction but it is the cause of all blockages that intervene between you and your experience of the thing itself. The beautiful crown and beautiful cloak are the visions you have so wonderfully brought into being. What is Israel? This next part is perhaps the most important piece in this understanding. What is your reality and what do you accept as true in your world? How can you then change your mind to accept the things you would like to see in your world? This is known as the focus of the almighty upon the acceptance of the truth about who you are. This almighty is the length and breadth of the will you are uisng to maintain and grow your focus. It is both intimate and selective. It brings to you that which you embody as yourself. This is in essence the meaning of Israel. It is the transformation of the self by the infinite through our connection both above and below to our highest aspirations. This is how we live and move and have our being. It is the consciousness that what we think is ours to embody. This can be no disconnect here. It is in the natural order of things. Relate to that which you have been thinking of in the highest of all possible attitudes,the attitude approaching reverence. You are given these visions by connection and it is through connection too that you experience these ideas taking place as experiences in your life. Do not deny yourself the good that you are making by identifying with it. In the above verse our King has a choice to make. Either he is a victim to the passing events and reacts by tossing away his treasures, or he is active in his events and makeshis life the way he needs it to be and uses his treasures for increasing both his good and the good of those around him. Our King has to take responsibility for his actions and thoughts just as we all do. In Lamentations 1:3 'Judah is gone into exile because of affliction, and because of great servitude; she dwelleth among the nations, she findeth no rest; all her pursuers overtook her within the straits.' Without the savior which is our ability to change our mind Israel in this passage is subject to the karma of her actions. In Lamentations chapter 3 near the end the author remembers the one but does this in a backwards way not knowing how to keep the faith and high watch which would have taken Israel back into their promised land. The secrets are not mentioned here as they appear elsewhere. We however carry the secret of eternal life within our hearts and mind each day. When we arise we can remember to affirm this eternal life and know that this life is ours to embody and to enjoy our good through. Let's continue the thought of finding our good in the next verse 34.'34. They asked him: Why is the letter Cheth open? And why is its vowel point a small Patach? He said: Because all directions (Ruach-ot) are closed, except for the North, which is opened for good and for evil. They said: How can you say that it is for good? It is not written (Ezekiel 1:4), "And behold, a stormy wind coming from the north, a great cloud and burning fire." Fire is nothing other than fierce anger, as it is written (Leviticus 10:2), "And fire went out from before God, and it consumed them and killed them." He said: There is no difficulty. One case is speaking of when Israel does the will of God, while the other is speaking of when they do not do His will. When Israel does not do His will, then the fire comes close [to destroy and punish]. But when they do God's will, then the Attribute of Mercy encompasses and surrounds it, as it is written (Micah 7:18) , "He lifts up sin and passes over rebellion." 'When Israel does the will of God,' more aptly put we shall say when we act in the will of God. We act in the will of God when we take our highest thoughts and meditate upon them. We take our thoughts of life and life and accomplishment see them through. The will of Good can only be good. Their discussion of evil becomes a side trip which the students are concerned with but the master pushes aside to find the good in this verse. We must do what is right in terms of our following our highest thoughts. This means to listen to our heart and to really focus on what we want. No other may make these decisions for you. If you think about the things you've have problems with it is because you weren't listening to what was right, exactly right for you. When you act in your own behalf because of your firm conviction that this feels right to you in terms of seeing your good, you will always find harmony in your life.

Bahir 28-29-30-31-32
Whenever we suggest something in mind, this leads to another idea, and then so on it goes. Keep in mind this idea as you read through the following verse 28 of the Bahir. Transformation is the topic here. '28. They said to him: What is the letter Heh? He grew angry and said: Did I not teach you not to ask about a later thing and then about an earlier thing? They said: But Heh comes after [Daleth]. He replied: The order should be Gimel Heh. Why is it Gimel Daleth? Because it must be Daleth Heh. And why is the order Gimel Daleth? He said to them: Gimel is in the place of Daleth, on its head it is in the place of Heh. Daleth with its tail is in place of the Heh.'Forget about where it says he grew angry. This in my opinion is a side trip. The true teaching here involves the transformation of the letters which take place. It is literally speaking about the life of the letters. Think of the vines that move through forests making all kinds of shapes. Their movement caused by as much the light of the sun as the substances (trees for example) to which they must have the support of in order to reach on high. Our thought behave in exactly the same manner. There is no certainty without the supporting thoughts which have come before and will come after. Preparation is by the light of design and the will of the one. The transformations take place because of our willingness to be both alert for and amenable to these changes. It is our spiritual nature which because the support of all thinking processes. "The order should be Gimel Heh," Gimel is the camel and Heh the window. The carrier of thought and the vision of thought. In between the transformation of thought via the door of Daleth. Also in terms of their physical form each letter from Gimel to Daleth to Heh is an extension of the other. What this is suggesting then is that we cannot have vision without transformation. Even though we carry our thoughts forward they have to become something and be transformed then into our our vision. How we perceive a thing determines its purpose and our use of the thing. We continue this transmation in the next verse 29:'29. What is the letter Vav? He said: There is an upper Heh and a lower Heh.'In Tarot the Vav is representative of the Hierophant, the inner wisdom or inner voice. This is where all transformation derives from. Vav is known as the hook or the nail. In this case the hook is how we bait our thoughts through vision to correspond to our heart's desire. We send forth our intention and it brings back via the inner voice or the hook of Vav the thoughts which help to conceive the thing itself. In the Sepher Yetzirah or the 'Book of Formation,' another ancient Kabbalistic text, Vav is'The Sixteenth Path named The Enduring Consciousness.(Sekhel Nitzchi). It is called this because it is the Delight (Eden) of the Glory. As it is, there is no Glory lower than it. It is called the Garden of Eden,which is prepared for the [reward of the] Saints.' This path runs from Chokmah to Chesed, from Wisdom to Mercy. There is the knowledge of the one transformed into the letting go of the one. This means the vision appears because of the meditation of the thing itself and then by letting the vision make its own way in transformation it lets itself go into energy of Mercy or the allowing of the thoughts to seek its own level. Practically knowing that thought once arisen will transform itself by degree into our heart's desire gives us certainty to begin and step aside and let the process mature naturally. Chokmah is the upper Heh and Chesed in this instance is the lower Heh. So you see that by describing one thing we find another. We describe the letters but are talking about the Tree of Life. That is why these texts are difficult to decipher. With the aid of Modern Kabbalah we can draw our connections keeping always the one source of connection as the inspiration to continue to seek out their meanings. The transformation of the inner soul is shown next in verse 30'30. They said to him: But what is Vav? He said: The world was sealed with six directions. They said: Is not Vav a single letter? He replied: It is written (Psalm 104:2), "He wraps Himself in light as a garment, [he spreads out the heavens like a curtain].'The six directions refer to the Cube of Space. It is a diagram used in many Kabbalistic studies where each direction and each corner and side are given attributes using the 32 paths of wisdom which are the connections given between the various Sephiroth or energy centers of creation. Vav is a single letter but is connected on both ends as we have seen above to Chokmah and Chesed. This connection provides the unity of the whole. What happens when we wrap a garment around us? The garment assumes our form. The garment is our thought nexus or frame of reference that as we think builds itself into the fabric of our being. These thoughts of the thing itself are not distant from us. Take them and clothe yourself with them. Then by the action of Vav or the hook, we attract more thought and therefore more energy of resident being corresponding to the thing itself. The curtain isn't one to cut off the light but is rather the curtain which is the aura of light or the aura of our heart's desire. It is the lifeforce that we are connecting to and emanating. Attention being paid here to these emanations puts us in touch with our intention and builds for all of us our world without end. This world without end is the subject of the next verse 31.'31. Rabbi Amorai asked: Where is the Garden of Eden? He replied: It is on earth.'How much more clear can he be? Here on earth. What is the earth? It is our contact with form, the spirit inside of the matter, the life force permeating everything. It isn't off in the distance or on some mythical world long ago lost. It is here directly in our face. By our actions, our thoughts and our letting go we enter this garden truly each day. In our moments of inspiration or laughter we enter this garden. By intuition and yes by intention and yes in stages according to our understanding. This garden of eden has nothing to do with percentages such as one percent and ninety nine percent. You cannot ascribe even the least amount of separation to a concept as all fulfilling as the garden of eden. It and we coexist together. By one step or another we enter into this garden of eden. Walk with this kind of consciousness around you and watch the magic that results. Take a few steps knowing that the garden of eden is all around you. Next there appears a semantic discussion which serves the surface but not the core. Let's peel away this surface and probe deeper into verse 32) '32. Rabbi Ishmael expounded to Rabbi Akiba: What is the meaning of the verse (Genesis 1:1), "[In the beginning God created] (et) the heaven and (et) the earth"? [Why is the word et added in both places?] If the word et (an untranslated preposition that connects a transitive verb to its predicate noun) were absent, we would think that "heaven" and "earth" were gods. [For we could have read the verse, "In the beginning, God, the heaven and the earth created..." taking all three nouns as subjects of the sentence.] He replied: By the Divine Service! You may have reached out for the true meaning, but you have not sorted out, and therefore you speak in this manner. But [in the case of "heaven"] the word et comes to include the sun, moon, stars and constellations, while [in the case of "earth"] it comes to add trees, plants, and the Garden of Eden.'The initial inspiration, the opening lightning flash, the prelude and the promotion of creation is described but a question is sought after. The explanations say that et is there because we should not think of heaven or earth as gods, and then this explanation is correspondingly corrected to expand the meaning of heaven and earth. It is a simplified answer and peels away only the surface skin. Deeper still we go in and find that the et is the breath, it is the ruach of creation, the soul of the sending forth. You cannot transform or initiate with the breath. Yes the breath has no apparent meaning and no sound other than the wind yet this is a very special wind because with its force of sending all of creation results. It is the force behind inspiration which carries it to the ends of the earth and indeed to the very heavens. The fact that this verse ends with the Garden of Eden ties it into the last verse. What we are saying once again is that through the force of now the propulsion of thought our ideas find their harmony in the exposition and attraction of the energy of creation. This energy of creation moves our being to become that of harmony itself as found in the Garden of Eden. Go into the weekend now with this very positive energy and enjoy all of the blessings of the Sabbath as you and the Garden draw near each other and both partake the one from the other.
Bahir Verse 27
What could be the purpose of trying to figure all of this stuff out? What is the result for us when we do and how can this affect the practical affairs of our life, our health and our wealth? I ask these questions in order to elicit the right answer for everyone. When you work in mind to produce something from nothing you are building the temple within. You have heard of this temple within? It is your shrine of worship. It is where the mystery, the perpetual one, the g-d or divine power resides in each of us. This power is innate. It can always be alluded but never encompassed. In our allusions however, we are making this temple by adorning the walls with decorations of our inspiration, our intention and our joy just being there. Many times we are making something that may not seem to be spectacular at first but then when taken in conjunction with other realizations many light bulbs will go on within. These light bulbs turning on within are to be understood in terms of the zimzum or lightning flash of Kabbalah. This lightning flash follows from the initial ideation all the way through to manifestation. Seen as Keter through Malkuth. The next time you envision a tree of life. Here is a beautiful one: See it as your ideas taking shape initially and then going through the process of manifestation. This tree is the temple within that is building your life for you. In this temple as Jesus would have said there are many mansions. There are many structures of your thoughtforms arrayed before you in grandeur and majesty. This is why we make the effort to seek on high. From this place on high we learn the inner workings of the way of the universe and become consciousness co-creators. Co-creators because we are both simulataneous subject and the object of creations. In this next verse of the Bahir Daleth appears. Keep in mind your temple for this one.'27. The students asked him: What is the letter Daleth? He replied: What is this like? Ten kings were in a certain place. All of them were wealthy, but one was not quite as wealthy as the others. Even though he is still very wealthy, he is poor (Dal) in relation to the others.'A relationship is discussed. The non obvious meaning comes from what Daleth represents which is a door, an opening into. While a door may not be as magnificent say as the grand foyer of a house, it still has its place of honor by being the entrance where all things must come through. In many ways Daleth as the door is the first place we look at in a home because it is here where we must first enter. While all around the house there are adornments it is the door we must touch in order to gain access. Now step outside this internal view and see Daleth from the standpoint of Modern Kabbalah. What is the door we must touch in order to gain access to our temple within? What is it that we look for first in order to move forward in our discoveries? It is our inspiration and intention to continually seek and find these inspirations. It is a committment to always take our minds further into the inquiries which lead us past the openings and into the heart of the matter, the thing itself, our heart's desire. The ten kings are leading us to think about the Ten Sephiroth, about the energy transfer and the way energy itself goes from stronger to weaker and then back again. A circuit is described. Once a circuit is stepped down as Daleth is called the weaker here it allows for force to be built up. It is a kind of strategic retreat in terms of the energy of the transmission of thought. Daleth, Venus, the East, the 14th path of wisdom called the Illuminating Intelligence, the Empress in Tarot, all these refer to openings within which produce the abundance without. The Illuminating Intelligence-(Sekhel Meir) called so because it is the essence of speaking. The mouth is the door to the voice, the expression of what we are and the intention to speak that which is true for what we are. Much to think about here.Enjoy

Bahir 23-26
Spoken from Yoda: Clear it is the way that is watered well. The next verse speaks to the heart of Kabbalah and therefore to the heart of our lives.'23. Rabbi Rahumai said: From your words we could conclude that the needs of this world were created before the heavens. He answered yes. What does this resemble? A king wanted to plant a tree in his garden. He searched the entire garden to find a spring flowing with water that would nourish the tree, but could not find any. He then said, "I will dig for water, and will bring forth a spring to nourish the tree." He dug and opened a well, flowing with living water. He then planted the tree, and it stood, giving forth fruit. It was successfully rooted, since it was always watered from the well.'The heart of Kabbalah is the well from which all of our inspirations spring forth. Inspiration is what produces the tree and then the fruits of our thoughts. This isn't a single case of being inspired but a wellspring which continually waters the garden of our imagination. What is being described here is the growth of being as it goes through the steps of imaging and then of manifestation. This passage here provides us with an excellent vision for meditation, one in which we will derive an unending supply of light. Before any undertaking remember this well that overflows and waters your imagination. We are being given a vision of the inner school where such visions are commonplace. More than this we are being invited to attend this school on a daily basis. Our teacher as always the voice within the waters. In this case the voice is alluded to by the King in the analogy. Continuous flow is the lesson. Think on this idea and bear your fruit in peace.Moving on the verse 24, '24. Rabbi Yanai said: The earth was created first, as it is written (Genesis 2:4), "[On the day that God made} earth and heaven." They said to him: Is it not written (Genesis 1:1), "[In the beginning God created] the heaven and the earth"? He replied: What is this like? A king bought a beautiful object, but since it was not complete, he did not give it a name. He said, "I will complete it, I will prepare its pedestal and attachment, and then I will give it a name." It is thus written (Psalm 102:26), "From eternity You founded the earth" - and then, "the heavens are the work of Your hands." It is furthermore written (Psalm 104:2), "He covered Himself with light like a garment, He spread out the heaven like a curtain, He rafters His upper chambers with water." It is then written (Psalm 104:4), "He makes the winds His angels, His ministers of flaming fire." Finally, it is written (Psalm 104:5), "He founded the earth on its pedestals, that it not be removed for the world and forever." When He made its pedestal, He strengthened it. It is therefore written, "that it not be moved." What is its name? "And Forever (VoEd) is its name. And [the name of] its pedestal is "World" (Olam). It is therefore written, "for the World And Forever." Most of amazing of all is that there is this kernel of thought that speaks through this whole passage. It is speaking about the place we stand in mind where our thoughts emanate from. This place can only be evolved or revealed in symbol. Look at this place with water in the upper chambers, angels are flying by as the winds of heaven, and flaming fire arises from here. What is their meaning? Thought as angels (inspiration), as fire (higher order of angels), and as pedestal. Pedestal is something that raises something else on high. This pedestal is our certainty. Our certainty raises our thoughts to the level of manifestation where we see that which we've heretofore only envisioned in thought. Once our thoughts appear they are forever. The phrase above "for the World and Forever," means that thought remains not only to produce form (the World) but also continues forever. The light that he covers himself with is the glow from the certainty of intention. It is worn as a garment and thought spread out as a curtain is spread out from the heaven to encompass everything below. It is intention complete wrapped in holiness (again certainty raised even higher) giving forth of itself to the upper waters (rafters-the sending forth of thought incessantly transformed into raised ideation).The idea of certainty continues in the next verse 25. '25. Rabbi Berachiah said: What is the meaning of the verse (Genesis 1:3), And God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light"? Why does the verse not say, "And it was so"? What is this like? A king had a beautiful object. He puts it away until he had a place for it, and then he put it there. It is therefore written, "Let there be light, and there was light." This indicates that it already existed. 'The eternal existence of light not created but called into being because it already was. This is certainty. It is always there for us to call into being in whatever world we find ourselves making. We don't have to make certainty. We take it from where it already is inside of us. This is very important to remember. We are taught how to walk but our certainty is there for the taking and is meant to be a part of our thinking process. We can reach up or within and clothe ourselves in our certainty and then think about what we want. In this very special garment our thoughts come out like wings of angels with flaming fire. Verse 26 takes us well inside the vision and the inner working of mind imaged thought.'26. Rabbi Amorai said: What is the meaning of the verse (Exodus 15:3), "God is a man (Ish) of war"? Mar Rahumai said to him: Great master, do not ask about something that is so simple. Listen to me and I will advise you. He said to him: What is this like? A king had a number of beautiful dwellings, and he gave each one a name. One was better than the other. He said, "I will give my son this dwelling whose name is Aleph. This one whose name is Yod is also good, as is this one whose name is Shin." What did he do then? He gathered all three together, and out of them he made a single name and a single house. He said: How long will you continue to conceal your meaning? The other replied: My son, Aleph is the head. Yod is second to it. Shin includes all the world. Why does Shin include all the world? Because with it one writes an answer (T'shuvah). 'The man of war is the strategic plan. It is thought directed. In war troops are directed here and there. In thought mind is directed to focus on this and that according to the intention. The three houses are dwelling places of thought, temporary homes which resolve into on home which is the directed intention. The first house symbolized by Aleph is the original inspiration where thoughts gather and then move in transformation to the second home sybolized by Yod. Yod is the hand of creation where the inspiration turns into the formation of what is to be. Shin includes all the world since the result of all thought is its expression into greater and greater degrees of clarity called form when brought to earth. As form and also as answer. The question inspires the answer, the final product of our inquiry.

Bahir 22
Bahir Verse 22We seek more deeply into the generation of thought by going back to the source of thought. Quite a trick. '22. All agree that none were created on the first day. It should therefore not be said that Michael drew out the heaven at the south, and Gabriel drew it out at the north, while God arranged things in the middle. It is thus written (Isaiah 44:24), "I am God, I make all, I stretch out the heavens alone, the earth is spread out before Me." [Even though we read the verse "from Me" (May-iti), it can also be read] Mi iti - "Who was with Me?" I am the One who planted this tree in order that all the world should delight in it. And in it, I spread All. I called it All because all depend upon it, all emanate from it, and all need it. To it they look, for it they wait, and from it, souls fly in joy. Alone was I when I made it. Let no angel rise above it and say, "I was before you." I was also alone when I spread out My earth, in which I planted and rooted this tree. I made them rejoice together, and I rejoiced in them. "Who was with Me?" To whom have I revealed this mystery?' Interestingly enough is the reference to Isaiah 44:24. Taken in the context of the Bahir it assumes a huge significance. The prophet is speaking about the holiness and the way in which the prophet perceives the operation of this holiness. It is unmistakable that there is a personalization of the holiness, a containment where none can be contained. Even a claim to ownership of certain powers which is decidedly egocentric. No less than fifteen time's 'I' is used in this verse. Since we cannot point to the mystery directly we have to assume there is another meaning here. This 'I' is none other than the will that lives in our hearts. It is the direction of Intention. The angels Michael and Gabriel are mentioned here in order to exclude them from the direct operation of creation. They too are but by products. What was there first? it was the Will that is there to move things and make things. Anything else is simply then an adjunct of that will. This is the emancipation of self that is being presented. It is also self responsibility that is being given as a method of creation and following through. Listen carefully. 'All depend upon it, all emanate from it and all need it. The all being spoken of is the manifestation of the forms of the projected thoughts of your will. Note: Will is perhaps the most misunderstood and certainty most misused of our senses. On the one hand we are told that it is God's Will and that we are to be subservient to this in all things. If this is the case then why do we pray, why do we try and change the 'immutable will' of God. It doesn't make sense. We cannot make God do anything. God is a an idea whose comprehension always sits at the edge of our understanding. How about another understanding? The One Will. Is there a Will of One? The SHMA declares this eloquently, "Hear Oh Israel the Lord your God the Lord is One." What is this saying? It is saying that yes there is one will. This will is your connection to that which moves within in. It is how you transcend your fears and doubts and override them with this one will. This one will says yes things are meant to be this way and there cannot any other way about it. This is our will which is our directed intentional thought. There is nowhere else to meet up with God exist through our use of this one will. We must use it and act upon it. When our intention is clear this one will does move mountains and create miracles which result not from waiting around for them but by participating in them directly. In this verse they are mentioned as waiting for it, and flying in joy from it. They are our thoughts not yet united into One who then realizing it, the oneness of creation then come together and rejoice because of the closeness of being alive in it. They can then see it in operation and manipulate it to suit their need. They emulate it by becoming it will and all of it. The last verse 'to whom I have revealed the Mystery', tells us that we need to look deeply into these writings. The Mystery is that it is thought we are following and learning about. Through thought the rest of our life makes sense. Why else study except to put these ideas into their practical application. That is the true Mystery here. Through this study think of how you may apply this information with the next person you meet. Make it practical and workable.

Bahir 21
Verse 21 opens up a whole other area for study. It ties together also some inner meanings that have been floating around without a home."21. Rabbi Yochanan said: The angels were created on the second day. It is therefore written (Psalm 104:3), "He rafters His upper chambers with water [He makes the clouds His chariot, He walks on the wings of the wind]." It is then written (Psalm 104:4), "He makes the winds His angels, His ministers from flaming fire." [ Rabbi Haninah said: The angels were created on the fifth day, as it is written (Genesis 1:20), "And flying things shall fly upon the firmament of heaven." Regarding the angels it is written (Isaiah 6:2), "With two wings did they fly."] Rabbi Levatas ben Tavrus said: All agree, even Rabbi Yochanan, that the water already existed [on the first day]. But it was on the second day that "He raftered His upper chambers with water." [At that time He also created] the one who "makes the clouds his chariot," and the one who "walks on the wings of the wind." But His messengers were not created until the fifth day. " For most the energy that is represented by angels is unconscious. We rarely notice this energy. When we hear an inner voice or sense an uplifted feeling, these are the manifestations of our angels. The allusion is to something out of our ordinary world, something which is holy and that surrounds the one who makes everything. It is the "He" that is mentioned in this above passage. He refers to God but in another sense it also refers to our will in making our thoughts apparent before our minds eye. Everytime you meditate on something you make pictures to help you to move your thoughts around the way you want to see them. Meditation is not just sitting and waiting for something to happen or to let the void become one with us in nothingness. These things it is true can happen in meditation but they represent a mind untrained to follow its own course. The trick is to be aware of "He" all along. First you must have a place or a background against which to imbue your world with creation. This background is where the light emanates from. This second day refers to thoughts which evolve from the initial light of your inspiration and they do indeed rafter your upper chambers with the water of their transcendence. This water is the fluid nature of thought conforming easily to the will which shapes it. The clouds are the thoughts in their earliest stages and we fly over them with the will which by the way is housed in the chariot of our self identity which sets the course for all to come after. The winds as angels. Think now as thoughts come forth and bond together because of their affinity with each other. Each time thought bonds with thought there is this flaming fire which is the fire of bonding, the fire of the cohesion of energy now taking part of each other and making still another whole idea to branch from. Why is there this distinction between the fifth day of the second day. We are being something special here. It has to do with the generation of thought. The angels are called messengers that have not appeared until this fifth day. What else do we have on this fifth day to give us the link we need to connect these ideas together. 'Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let fowl fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.' Thought is now given life in the material world. In the water and in the earth thought now flourishes. 'Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.' Thought is given the mandate to take form, to take material form specifically. Then cattle is brought out into the earth. Another example of the deep filling that thoughts take as they take on the life of the image into which they have been sent. Consider that what we've been given by example is a perfect follow through for thought. Thought raised to conscious recognition as the angels appear. The second day is mentioned. We cannot take this away from this verse. The angels are described and then their associationswith the thoughts being placed into matter in such a way as to promote the appearance of form. These forms are still precursors to the thing itself but they are definitely harbingers or what is to come when man say that yes this is the shape and name of things to come. Man appears out of this entire bringing forth. Man is not an after thought but a part of the initial sending. Man becomes the image imbued now with life and self recognition. This is what we are able to tell since we are told to look not at the second day when the angels appear as ideas but when they produce the first forms of their impress, the living creatures of earth, sky and water.
Bahir 17-20
Continuing now into the second section of the Bahir, called the Aleph-Beth. Herein is a discussion of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet. These letters are all symbols of thoughts that have come before. With this in mind we analyze their meanings and the pointers to hidden understandings given here.17. Rabbi Amorai sat and expounded: Why is the letter Aleph at the beginning? Because it was before everything, even the Torah. Aleph comes even before the Torah. Literally this makes sense since the Torah is written with the letters that are described. Deeper still there is the understanding of the timeless moment which comes before any action takes place, before even our thoughts are engaged and before any manifestation appears. Looking around at the beginning the Aleph takes on a mystical meaning. It is symbolized by the ox, bearer of the goods which go from place to place. It is telling us that Aleph carries our thoughts into being. It is the initiation and the driving force behind thought itself. It is indeed how thought came to be the first place. It is also the inspiration for thought including the very next thought which is described by Bet."18. Why does Bet follow it? Because it was first. Why does it have a tail? To point to the place from which it came. Some say, from there the world is sustained."Bet becomes the home therefore of thought. It is the organization of thought. It is the nexus that thought makes up in order to proliferate, mutate,and correlate one to the other in making thought personal for each of us. This tail leads to the next thought and provides the basis for where that thought came from,in this case Aleph which has driven thought into being. The world is sustained by the action of Aleph the initiator of thought and thought which now is housed in Bet is the basis for the continuation of this world or any other we may be a part of.Note: When considering the basic structure of any language it is helpful to study the eastern or mid eastern languages because of their tie ins to the deep symbolic references of each letter. The letters themselves are pictograms of what meanings are conveyed by their joining together as in a word or words. The first languages must have consisted of scatches in the sand to show meanings which could not be conveyed by grunts so to speak. The key then to understanding these languages is to relate them to the inner meanings which by meditation we can arrive at. This will be the process then that is used in sorting through the meanings seen to come in the ensuing verses of the Bahir. "19. Why is Gimel third? It has three parts, teaching us that it bestows (gomel) kindness. But did Rabbi Akiba not say that Gimel has three parts because it bestows, grows, and sustains. It is thus written (Genesis 21:8), "The lad grew and was bestowed." He said: He says the same as I do. He grew and bestowed kindness to his neighbours and to those entrusted to him. "Here we have the first references to the Tree of Life, most notably the Sephirot Binah. Binah takes the influx of initiation that is transformed through Chokmah into the sending forth of the multitudes. These multitudes are the many thoughts that are generated. Their flowing into form is passing through this influence of Binah. Notice how it is described here. Three parts of which kindness is mentioned first. This kindness is the allowing of our thoughts to assume their own design without hesitation and definitely without judgement or second guessing. It is life which speaks to life in this case following the natural order of things. In it's bestowing it send forth our thoughts of our heart's desire, the thing itself,that which we require according to our will which focuses our attention on the thinking process and the letting go of thoughts into form. Once the imprint of our nature is upon these thoughts they of themselves imbued with the all power of life kindle into the representations first and then the actual things themselves that our thoughts have symbolically send forward into being. Transformations take place in these thoughts and their energy is sustained by the life force inherit in them. the bestowing comes from the Wisdom of knowing that we through our attention carry forward our own lives into manifestation. We are the result or the sum total of the thoughts that we are thinking. The growth of these thoughts comes when through Binah, Understanding,that we allow now hindrance to this flow of life energy which is bound for manifestation. In other words our mind is set upon the good that we are promoting. Then once we let go these thoughts transform into the life situations that we encounter each day. The lad in this case from Gen 21:8 that grew and was bestowed is Issac. The first born or the original thought which comes from our recognized intention. Interestingly enough the JPS translation has 'And the child grew, and was weaned' which gives us an even further description of this process of becoming. Weaned of mother's milk. The mother's milk here is the energy of Binah, the Great Mother. This means that going forward the first born is a life unto itself and becomes the thing itself while being sustained by the original intention and indeed embodied by this original intention. One more thing. This energy of life can know only one purpose. That purpose is connection which is why what is next said illustrates this point. He grew and bestowed kindness yes to all that were a part of him, his neighbors and all that came from him, those that were entrusted to him. This exercise illustrates maintaining the kernel of an idea and following it through so that the seed thought within shines. Such in my opinion is the very heart and soul of the Bahir seen through the eyes of Modern Kabbalah.'20. And why is there a tail at the bottom of the Gimel? He said: The Gimel has a head on top, and is like a pipe. Just like a pipe, the Gimel draws from above through its head, and disperses through its tail. This is the Gimel.'Here the concept of connection is completed. The head and the tail and the pipe in between are the life force and its connection to itself. Taken in this light we are reminded that Binah represents an energy center of thought and that it is something that we build within upon ourselves. These concepts presented here are for this purpose of building within a place of eternal transformation. While there is a building being erected, in another sense perhaps more clear there is a building being discovered and uncovered. Resident all along as a part of you this energy center is of prime important in the work you do in seeing your world as you do each day. The simple fact of knowing of the existence of this energy center and how it works will go a long way in uncovering the things in life that you are seeking. This applies to everything be it spiritual or material. The distinction is not given here between the two. We are witnesses to our own creation and our successful connection to all that is. As a witness we may seek and yes find everything we are in body mind and soul.

Bahir 11-15
Remember that the surface conceals the gems and is often a simple correspondence. In the case of verse 12 we are similarly placed as in verse 11 in the midst of duality. Let's find out how to return again. First the verse:"12. How do we know that Chaos is in Evil? It is written (Isaiah 45:7), "He makes peace and creates evil." How does this come out? Evil is from Chaos, while Peace is from Desolation. He thus created Chaos and placed it in Evil, [as it is written "He makes peace and creates evil." He created Desolation and placed it in Peace, as it is written, "He makes peace in His high places."] Call the spirit of a thing down into the substance of the thing you are. Prepare yourself for transformation. This is how the meaning of this verse comes through. Chaos in Evil turned around is order in Good. Order the thoughts about a thing into the substance of a thing in order to experience this. This Desolation can be considered to be the scattering of doubts. It appears as grim and grave but is really simply a threshhold that is easily crossed over once you recognize what is really going on. The word evil is placed there to knock you off course. Everyone sees evil and they are suddenly afraid. This word cannot make a concept that has no place in your meditations. Think of the context of evil used here simply as that flaming sword which keeps out unwanted visitors. The quoted verse from Isaiah "he makes peace and creates evil", make you step back to consider the voice that is speaking. There are moments when illumination is clear and others when duality steps in. Don't be put off by these undercurrents. After all this is what happens to you in life so why would you not experience this everywhere. The key is in your recognition and committment to seeing your good everywhere. The Bahir and Zohar feature many disparate voices and are clearly a combination of writings. Their purpose does not always coincide. The only way to harmonize the flow of this information is to use its text as we are doing now in order to make a point for reminding us of our good and the direction we are taking. Yes this is most definitely a non standard way of reviewing these texts. Once again I will point out the practical necessity for keeping our thoughts on target even when we navigate these rocky waters. This is an example that is given so that when you find yourself in similar unstable situations you will know that you can by analysis and adherence to the one of your intention make something out of nothing. In this case we are taking the pair of opposites, peace and evil and discarding or transforming the evil and raising the peace into the power of connection so that we now arrive at the place of our greatest control. This control is our ability to change our mind and to take what is given us to transform it accordingly.The next verse 13 takes us in another direction entirely all the more surprising because of the previous two passages. "13. Rabbi Bun also sat and expounded: What is the meaning of the verse (Isaiah 45:7), "He forms light and creates darkness?" Light has substance. Therefore, the term "formation" is used with regard to it. Darkness has no substance, and therefore, with regard to it, the term "creation" is used. It is similarly written (Amos 4:12), He forms mountains and creates the wind." Another explanation is this: Light was actually brought into existence, as it is written (Genesis 1:3), "And God said, let there be light." Something cannot be brought into existence unless it is made. The term "formation" is therefore used. In the case of darkness, however, there was no making, only separation and setting aside. It is for this reason that the term "created" (Bara) is used. It has the same sense as in the expression, "That person became well (hi-Bria)." The distinction is made between created and formed. We are still sitting on the surface here in terms of understanding but the way inside becomes easier. Instead of playing with the words here we'll look at the concepts behind these words.Light. Inspiration and well being. Life from the sun. All of these we are given as long as we remain receptive to it. If we stand under a shade tree we block the light. Inside of this verse is a clearer look at this distinction between making and creation. A hint. There isn't any. Let me explain. The typical explanation goes like this. A created being can only make while a "Eternal Being" creates or something like that. Lets refer to the SHMA... "Hear oh Israel the Lord thy God the Lord is One. " No duality here. The created being and the creator are one. That which you look up to as being your highest calling is at the same time intimately within you. All of us are connected to creation itself so to say we do not partake of creation and that we form is to say that we are somehow separate. Separation is not a choice here. The mind is always seeking union, harmony or Yoga. Light and darkness, the answer and the question are a part of the same dynamic. In order to look at them we can make the distinction but not in order to ascribe differences and further cloud the unity. See darkness as the great unknown out of which the light comes forth in response to what our thoughts are about. We are always bringing forth this light so that you can truly say that the light is in sum total part of this darkness. Forget then darkness and light and just think creation. Then become that which you already are. When you reach up you lose the separation and attain the unity. The phrase is used "something cannot be brought into existence unless it is made." Well yes you have to think about something in order to set into motion its existence but then again it had to be there in the first place in order for it to be called into existence. Something from nothing? Yes this happens all of the time. Now the letter Bet is examined in verse 14. Letters are symbols of concepts which go deeper than their surface meanings."14. Why is the letter Bet closed on all sides and open in the front? This teaches us that it is the House (Bayit) of the world. God is the place of the world, and the world is not His place. Do not read Bet , but Bayit (house). It is thus written (Proverbs 24:3), "With wisdom the house is built, with understanding it is established, [and with knowledge are its chambers filled]." Think creation here and think about the mold of your thoughts as you visualize your heart's desire. A threefold plan of creation is outlined here. First visualize your heart's desire by making a 'house' for it of your thoughts. You keep adding thoughts and strengthening this house. Open in the front this house is a receptacle for your thoughts. "With Wisdom the house is built," refers to your choice of thoughts. If you want to travel uptown, you think about traveling uptown and not downtown. This is a simple reference but you get the idea. Think about just what you want. Focus. There is your wisdom because this focus sets up the entire direction and intensity of all ensuing action which takes place. "With understanding it is established," your thoughts go forth gathering unto themselves the material needed for manifestation. There is a sending forth and an attraction that keeps building until you are attracting those people and situations which you will need in order to realize your heart's desire. "And with knowledge are its chambers filled," these chambers give purpose and definition to your heart's desire. What they are being filled with is the substance of manifestation, the reality of your vision fulfilled. Note how even here our purpose is still on track. The fundamental law of the universe is going from one type of energy to another. We go from the thought of a thing therefore to the thing itself. We keep doing this in order to establish the rhythm and intensity of manifestation. We keep changing our mind to suit our changing desires and the world as encompassed by you changes in line with this.We carry this analogy further on and deeper still in verse 15."15. What does the Bet resemble? It is like a man, formed by God with wisdom. He is closed on all sides, but open in front. The Aleph , however, is open from behind. This teaches us that the tail of the Bet is open from behind. If not for this, man could not exist. Likewise, if not for the Bet on the tail of the Aleph , the world could not exist."Why is man open in the front? So he can receive the connection continously. What is he open to? He is open to receiving the call to creation. This call is likened to the inspiration that a favorite song brings up inside of you. Sometimes there are memories of times past and then other times then indications of a wonderful future to look forward to. This wonderful future is the world to come. It resides within us and moves with us right around the corner of our awakenings. Why is it that man cannot exist without being open in front as this verse suggests? Man cannot exist nor can any of his designs take place unless he is open to the wisdom which passes through hiim by dint of his connection to all good. This connection cannot be stopped but may be blocked by an insistence on a dual nature. By opening to wisdom we discover the right way to travel in the life of our plans taking place. Therefore what has just been explained about the Bet is an opening in front and an opening from behind. This is something which takes place several times in the Bahir and gives an example of the way thought unifies within itself in order to increase the certainty of manifestation. Bet, the blessing of the beginning. A circuit is being described one end coming from the front and another from the back. Whenever you wonder what it is that they aren't talking about here put thought of the process of thinking into this equation and everything will become balanced and then give up its understanding. The Bet that is found on the tail of the Aleph is a further example of unifying the concept by example and by symbolic representation. Note: These meanings that are being written have always been there. At this time these ancient writings are revealing their treasures which have remained hidden for all this time. I wanted to point this out so that you will see that thoughts persist in their ability to evoke corresponding thoughts. They also transform into groups of thoughts or ideas which keep this process going forward. The particular interpretations being provided here are meant to awaken a sympathetic inspiration in all who get into the flow of their meanings. What is exciting is that this is a living process. It changes and gives only one direction in terms of the truth it points to. This truth is always about the unity of being and how all things work together. If writings like the Zohar or Bahir, in this case do not give a complete explanation it is because they intimating something which remains for us to finish and to make sense of. It is in this probing effort with certainty that the gems are revealed. The brilliance for which the Bahir is named must be polished. What do you do when you polish something? You go over it a number of times. In this case we have a cumulative shine which can only get brighter as we go along in our discoveries.

Bahir Verse 11
We face a difficult passage here. Usually the meaning pops right up. This time the meaning lays deep under the surface. Here is verse 11.11. What is the meaning of the verse (Ecclesiastes 7:14), "Also one opposite the other was made by God." He created Desolation (Bohu) and placed it in Peace, and He created Chaos (Tohu) and placed it in Evil. Desolation is in Peace, as it is written (Job 25:2), "He makes peace in His high places." This teaches us that Michael, the prince to God's right, is water and hail, while Gabriel, the prince to God's left, is fire. The two are reconciled by the Prince of Peace. This is the meaning of the verse, "He makes peace in His high places." We are looking duality and considering God's nature in terms of the aspects of peace and evil. The comparisons continue into the next verse 12. I said this is difficult and here is why. God or the Eternal is. The unity is what we unite with and nothing else. When we look for opposites we will find them and even make excuses for them. This however does not reveal immediately the nature of One. Even the comparison of Bohu (Desolation) and Peace turns out to be a false thread of meaning as well as the subsequent comparison of Tohu (Chaos) with evil. These comparisons are after all false leads. In this case the surface meanings are meant to confuse. This is a practice you will find in much of the literature which lays at the core of Kabbalistic thought. You have to take into account the times and their wish not to be persecuted by the powers that were at the time of their own religion and the world religion they were surrounded by. That is why you will read seemingly obscure references which frustrate meanings. I tell you this in advance because the key to getting deeper inside of Kabbalah as in the Bahir here or the Zohar is to know that all roads lead to the one. A side note here. Since the Bahir predates the Zohar it is less obscure. The times in which the people who wrote the Zohar lived were just prior to their expulsion from their homes in Spain and Portugal. They were careful with their writings less they lose their lives as a result of their discovery. This is why everything is covered once and then again and then one more time to hide the meanings to all but those who know. Luckily in these times there isn't any persecution and knowledge may be freely sharfed." Back to this verse. Let's find the way inside of this verse and unite it with the One. We're going in deeper now. He makes peace in his high places," this is where our thoughts achieve stasis and harmony. They do so because they are united with our heart's desire. This heart's desire represents the core of our thinking. It is what we remain true to. It can be anything that you want that you are willing to let the One produce for you. Each time you let go into this One it moves forward your heart's desire into manifestation. This peace on high can only arise when thought and form are one. At this time there is completion as one returns unto one. The water and the hail mentioned are obviously two aspects of the same thing, in this case the flowing of one into the other as water becomes hail by the action of the wind and the forces of pressure in the clouds on high. The peace that unites the two is the action of transformation. Only in transformation is there no calling from one state to another. There then occurs the peace of union. This peace of union, however fragile still persists as a goal in our exercizing of the one will. The angel Michael is the bearer of these attributes which transform our thoughts along the way. The angel Gabriel serves two purposes. One is that because of the reference to fire,it alludes to the flaming sword in the garden of eden. This is the sword of discrimination which serves to help us choose the thoughts we want to return to and build upon the turn way as in the Garden, those thoughts which do not serve their master's purpose. Example. You want to travel North to reach New York City while passing through New Jersey and you see a sign leading away from your destination. The flaming sword would then rise up and remind you of your goal and you then keep on course. This also works from the other side as in when you have forgotten your way and are returning and must make a choice to get back on your path. The flaming sword may perhaps discourage you from passing through the fires of purification that you need to resume your journey. These fires of purification are things like letting go of the past, forgiveness, and not giving in to fears or illusions. The exercise here has been to circumvent the obvious outer references and to unify with our own sense of what it is we need to find out here. The one has been unified in the one is communion with the Perpetual One in eternal connection. This connection has thereby been strengthened and given even more certainty the deeper we pass from the surface into the hidden meanings. Once you make up your mind that you are able to see past these illusions the path once again becomes familiar. Things make sense once more because we are talking about the same basic idea of empowering our thoughts with the presence of the holy one blessed be the name. It is the purpose of this Modern Kabbalah to unravel the mysteries for students so that they won't have to spend lifetimes trying to figure out these surface meanings. It is much better then to contemplate the core ideas which are being expressed. Then the value becomes immediately apparent and can be used in our every day life. Philosophy just for the sake of argument has no place in Modern Kabbalah because this is a philosophy that is meant to be uitilized on the spot. You can take these and subsequent meanings with you quite literally to bank.

Sefer Ha Bahir Verses 5-10
Let us consider the next set of five verses beginning with verse 6.6. What is a blessing? It can be explained with an example. A king planted trees in his garden. It may rain and water them, and the ground may be wet and provide them with moisture, but still, he must water them from the spring. It is thus written (Psalm 111:10), "The beginning is Wisdom, the fear of God, good intelligence to all who do them [His praise endures forever]." You may think that it lacks something. It is therefore written, "His praise endures forever." The blessing is what we receive over and above what our basic needs would call for. It is something extra which we have set our mind upon. It is a heart's desire which produces a blessing. It is definitely something which is added after we have all that we need. The metaphor concerning the water is an apt one for the idea of blessing comes into play when our lives are overflowing with our good. We keep in the circuit of this overflowing when we allow ourselves to receive the continuous inspiration that is being offered us in each moment. We don't stop and say enough is enough but we overflow with blessings. This overflowing transmits itself easily to others who may be in need because they have forgotten how to ask or they believe they do not deserve the blessings that surround them. A sure way to promote blessings is to give them unceasingly as soon as they are called forth. Your encouragements to each other are blessings as well. When you share your inspirations and enthusiams you are sharing your blessings. Once again the beginning is Wisdom. You have to know what you want and let that become the pattern for what the superconscious works upon. When you give good material to the superconscious for reproduction into form you return the essence of what is given. You return a gift that may be exchanged endlessly each time gaining in merit (praises) because of the vibrational level of understanding that is being passed along. Each successive raise in vibrational adds its own insights. You may understand a concept but then you are inspired and the concept takes on a whole new meaning. Compared to your newest revelation, your old concept may be seen lacking in something. That is why blessings-inspirations are endless, to teach us that this is the way the superconscious works in order to prepare for us the way in which we choose to follow. That is why it is said, "his praises endure forever," there can be no end to revelation. This revelation is none other than the mind revealing itself to itself through the agency of unity and action of the Perpetual One.7. Rabbi Amorai sat and expounded: What is the meaning of the verse (Deuteronomy 33:23), "The filling is God's blessing, possessing the Sea and the South?" Moses was saying, "If you follow my decrees, you will inherit both this world and the next." The World to Come is likened to the sea, as it is written (Job 11:9), "It is wider than the sea." The present world is referred to as the South. It is thus written (Joshua 15:19), [Give me a blessing] for you have set me in the land of the south, [therefore give me springs of water]." The Targum translates this, "behold the earth is the south." This filling that begins this verse relates again to the overflowing of inspiration as thoughts are connected and everything is in unity with the one. The filling comes out of the void and the vastness of the deep. It is from the unfathomable that the realized must be taken. In ancient druidic circles the south is also known as the place of magic. It is the place where the primordial substance is made into light and then the forms of our heart's desire. It is unlimited, "wider than the sea." In terms of the present world and the world to come understand it this way. The present world is the status quo. By definition it is the result of other journeys taken to make this present world. The world to come is what we see when we follow the inspirations which are brought on by keeping true to our heart's desire. We maintain our focus and let the Eternal bring forth into being all that is called for in our visualizations. Give me a blessing or spring of water as it says here simply means to show me the inspiration that I may move forward from where I am to where I have set my heart's desire upon. The earth is in the south means that what we have already made is a part of the status quo. It is also part of what we'll use to spring forward into the world to come. We unify with that which is and then dissolve it into the that which is not but meant to be. This idea of parts and of dissolution and reanimation is continued next."8. Why did God add the letter Heh to Abraham's name, rather than any other letter? This was so that all parts of man's body should be worthy of life in the World to Come, which is likened to the sea. To the extent that we can express it, the Structure was completed in Abraham. [Regarding this Structure] it is written (Genesis 9:6), "For in the form of God, He made the man." The numerical value of Abraham is 248, the number of parts in man's body. "The "Structure was completed," is none other than the sum total of our heart's desire. You see that in the next verse is explained that it was "in the form of God, he made man," which shows us that at first it was everything and then it came to be something. It isn't just any something but man. Man here represents the specific choices that Man makes to live in his world. Man is made up of all the parts or of every choice he's ever made consciously or unconsciously but. In addition Man is made in the form of God which means that Man is a fluid ever changing being. Whatever your state is now you being made in the form of God may change the appearance of your life situation. You may accept for yourself a good life with all the richness such a life comes with. When you move into the world to come, the world of the realization of your heart's desire all of you moves. Your being, all of its thought forms are raised into this world to come. It is important to think of the world to come not as the place you go when you die but rather when you die to the old way of being. Then truly are you transported to this world to come. Further exposition on the same topic going a little deeper now in verse 9. 9. What is the meaning of (Deuteronomy 33:23), "[The filling is God's blessing, the Sea and the South] he shall inherit it (YiRaShaH)?" It would have been sufficient if the verse said, "inherit (RaSh) [the Sea and the South]." But this comes to teach us that God must also be included. The word YiRaShaH thus contains the letters RaSh YH [meaning, "inherit God"]. What does this resemble? A king had two treasuries, and he hid one away. After many days he said to his son, "Take what is in these two treasuries." The son replied, "Perhaps you are not giving me all that you have hidden away." The king said, "Take everything." It is thus written, "the Sea and the South, he shall inherit it." Inherit God (YH RaSh) - everything will be given to you if you only keep My ways. "God must also be included." You cannot assume the form of God and operate under the same aspects as God without having God become a part of everything you are. How could an limited being become more than it is? An unlimited being can, however, become anything it sets its mind or intention to. When you let go into the Perpetual One you no longer fight the power that is in you. Then this power flows freely into being. By making use of this power you are then able to wield this power increasingly well. You are able to be open to receiving your good. You are able to change your mind when negativity surrounds you so that you can face the right direction again. Your purpose has become one pointed. You no longer seek the Perpetual One. You are the One. You have so identified with that which is that you become the thing itself. You and your heart's desire are one. Out of your choices you not only receive what you currently understand and can make into the world to come, you also gain access to the way in which the worlds are accessed. You obtain the hidden knowledge which becomes available to you because of your intention and willingness to let one be one. You stand out of your own way and follow only one way which is the way of the Eternal, the Perpetual One. Watch now how mind is revealed in all its splendor in verse 10."10. Rabbi Bun said: What is the meaning of the verse (Proverbs 8:23), "I was set up from eternity (Me-Olam), from a head, before the earth?" What is the meaning of "from eternity (Me-Olam)?" This means that it must be concealed (He-elam) from the world. It is thus written (Ecclesiastes 3:11), "He has also placed the world (Ha-Olam) in their hearts [that they should not find out the work that God has done from the beginning to the end]." Do not read Ha-Olam (the world), but He-elam (concealment). The Torah said, "I was first, so that I might be the head of the world." It is thus written, "I was set up from eternity, from a head." You may think that the earth was before it. It is therefore written, "before the earth." It is thus written (Genesis 1:1), "In the beginning created God the heaven and the earth." What is the meaning of "created"? He created everything that was needed for all things. And then God. Only after that is it written "the heaven and the earth." The head comes before the earth. The thought comes before the form. The structured awareness always before the dissolution of chaos, even before the primordial stuff. Why must it be concealed from the world and who are they? The thoughts which make up the primordial stuff cannot of themselves unify and transcend themselves. The spark of light or of inspiration is needed. That is why the way of unity follows the light into creation as in "he created everything that was needed for all things," the way of God or that aspect of what he created was the aspect of the creator within everything. It is only after created God, that the heaven and earth can appear out of this. You even the concept of God is a part of what is created. When we say he in verse ten it is referring to this process which brings forth something from nothing. Without a plan there is nothing. Make a plan and follow it through and then there is the heaven and earth with God as the being which follows through with the intended completion of the design. Before there was anything the first thing that is created is the concept of creation itself. Then everything else follows. Into whose heart is the world concealed. It is the heart of the unformed because through light or inspiration the heart of the unformed flows into manifestation according to the design laid forth by our intentional visualization of our heart's desire

The Bahir revealed
One of the oldest Kabbalistic texts is the Bahir (Brilliant or Illumination) It predates the Zohar and is quoted in almost every major work on Kabbalah.The name 'Bahir' literally means 'brilliant' or 'Illumination', and is derived from the first verse quoted in the text of the Bahir "And now they do not see the light, it is brilliant [bahir] in the skies", which itself is a quote from the book of Job (37:21). It was reported to have been written by Rabbi Nehuniah ben HaKana, a Talmudic sage in the 1st Century. It was first published in Provence in 1176Let's take a look at the opening verse and relate this to Modern Kabbalah to see what gems of wisdom we can arrive at today. By bringing together the Eastern concepts of mind along with New Thought we may get a better picture of the process and a handle on working with this process to promote our good and the good of those around us.Here is the text:"1. Rabbi Nehuniah ben HaKana said: One verse (Job 37:21) states, "And now they do not see light, it is brilliant (Bahir) in the skies...[round about God in terrible majesty]." Another verse, however, (Psalm 18:12), states, "He made darkness His hiding place." It is also written (Psalm 97:2), "Cloud and gloom surround Him." This is an apparent contradiction. A third verse comes and reconciles the two. It is written (Psalm 139:12), "Even darkness is not dark to You. Night shines like day - light and darkness are the same."The last two sentences here, "Even darkness is not dark to you. Night shines like day - light and darkness are the same," set the tone for the entire course of study which is to come. There is nothing that cannot be received. Inside of the Eternal are all of our answers. How do we get inside of the Eternal? We're already there. Even though it may seem that there is darkness all around us the understanding and wisdom we need to navigate our way through has been provided for us. In this first verse we are shown that we do have a higher calling and that this higher calling comes through to us no matter what. In a few recent posts we've talked about the superconscious. It is this aspect of meaning that is being brought out here. Although we cannot see G-d's face because infinity cannot be encompassed in a countenance we can feel G-d's presence. This can be wooed by letting go of doubts and opening up ourselves to this divine light withinin. We are indeed surround by this divine energy. It courses through our bodies and at the core level of being it is the template upon which our bodies are taking form each day. We return to form through the template of form. When we sleep this template receives information necessary for it's spiritual progress. We are bathed in this light. Let's move on to the next verse."2. Rabbi Berachiah said: It is written (Genesis 1:2), "The earth was Chaos (Tohu) and Desolation (Bohu). What is the meaning of the word "was" in this verse? This indicates that the Chaos existed previously [and already was ]. What is Chaos (Tohu)? Something that confounds (Taha) people. What is Desolation (Bohu)? It is something that has substance. This is the reason that it is called Bohu , that is, Bo Hu - "it is in it."Significant in this verse is the last quote "it is in it." What is it? It is the nothing out of which all things are made. This Chaos is the Primordial Substance. It is the Chitta of Yoga. Chitta is the subconscious mind It is the mind stuff. Without the light from above it remains nothing and it has no form. Because of having no form it is ultimately pliable and can be shaped into form as the next verse will suggest. Listen."3. Why does the Torah begin with the letter Bet ? In order that it begin with a blessing (Berachah). How do we know that the Torah is called a blessing? Because it is written (Deuteronomy 33:23), "The filling is God's blessing possessing the Sea and the South." The Sea is nothing other than the Torah, as it is written (Job 11:9), "It is wider than the sea." What is the meaning of the verse, "The filling is God's blessing?" This means that wherever we find the letter Bet it indicates a blessing. It is thus written (Genesis 1:1), "In the beginning (Bet Reshit) [God created the heaven and the earth." BeReshit is Bet Reshit .] The word "beginning" (Reshit) is nothing other than Wisdom. It is thus written (Psalm 111:10), "The beginning is wisdom, the fear of God." Wisdom is a blessing. It is thus written, "And God blessed Solomon." It is furthermore written (I Kings 5:26), "And God gave Wisdom to Solomon." This resembles a king who marries his daughter to his son. He gives her to him at the wedding and says to him, "Do with her as you desire." The Torah must begin with a Blessing. How else can we form anything until we bid it to become that which we are seeking. That we are seeking must always have our highest praise and be separated from amongst everything else which appears. We take the nothing and make it something. This something begins with (Reshit) a blessing. As the text suggests it is wisdom which is the blessing. This blessing is to choose our highest good to begin with. When you start with wisdom you have the ultimate foundation for everything good that is to become. The King is your ability to choose your thoughts. It represents the highest Wisdom or the ability to command the highest wisdom. Your greatest command within is your choice to choose your good and leave your doubts unformed in the Tohu va Bohu. The son and daughter? These represent for example your good thoughts which have issued forth because of the Light of Wisdom. You are able to connect these good thoughts by the express permission or choice of the King to see the unity of these thoughts. Example: The son-"This field before is rich with promise." The daughter - "I know how to till this field." They are married when "I will till this field and mine the riches therein." It is the light which connects the two thoughts and marries the son and daughter each coming from the same source, father.This is further clarified by the last part, "do with her as you desire." You make the choices in terms of what you desire to achieve or bring forth in your life. This Wisdom or this knowing how everything works is something that you have been given to do with as you please. When you start with something good everything else that follows will partake of and mirror that good. Here is the next verse which continues the theme of blessing 4. How do we know that the word Berachah [usually translated as blessing] comes from the word Baruch [meaning blessed]? Perhaps it comes from the word Berech [meaning knee]. It is written (Isaiah 44:23), "For to Me shall every knee bend." [ Berachah can therefore mean] the Place to which every knee bends. What example does this resemble? People want to see the king, but do not know where to find his house (Bayit). First they ask "Where is the king's house?" Only then can they ask "Where is the king?" It is thus written, "For to Me shall every knee bend" - even the highest - "every tongue shall swear.In order to relate this verse to the thread we've been following we have to understand that in order to receive a blessing we must first ask for it and then be prepared to receive. As we bend our knee we lower our heads in prayer. In addition we are acknowledging the higher power and asking that it flow through us or that we become aware of its flowing through us. When we make our choice we ask "where is the king," but first we have to choose which is asking "where is the king's house," what is our choice now that we ask to be elevated on high. The question of whether Beracha is blessing or bending the knee is really a way to point out the similarity between both and how we are being asked to consider both aspects in terms of Kingship, in terms of our choices which we make. Only can we live in the consciousness of being one with our heart's desire. Nothing can take precedence in mind. All of our thoughts become subservient to this desire including those thoughts that are to come, "every tongue shall swear," meaning every thought that comes after will support the truth of our blessing which we are bending our knee-becoming receptive to.One more verse for today's lesson and this one is a big one."5. Rabbi Rahumai sat and expounded: What is the meaning of the verse (Deuteronomy 33:23), "The filling is God's blessing, possessing the Sea and the South"? This means that wherever we find the letter Bet it is blessed. This is the Filling referred to in the verse, "The filling is God's blessing." From there it nourishes those who need it. It was from this Filling that God sought advice. What example does this resemble? A king wanted to build his palace among great cliffs. He mined into the bedrock and uncovered a great spring of living water. The king then said, "Since I have flowing water, I will plant a garden. Then I will delight in it, and so will all the world." It is therefore written (Proverbs 8:30), "I was with Him as a craftsman, I was His delight for a day, a day, frolicking before him at every time." The Torah is saying, "For two thousand years I was in the bosom of the Blessed Holy One as His delight." The verse therefore says, "a day, a day." Each day of the Blessed Holy One is a thousand years, as it is written (Psalm 90:4), "A thousand years in Your eyes is as but yesterday when it is passed." From then on, it is at times, as the verse states, "[frolicking before Him] at every time." The rest is for the world. It is thus written (Isaiah 48:9), "I will [breathe out] My praise through My nose for you." What is the meaning of "My praise"? As it is written (Psalm 145:2), "A praise of David, I will raise You high [my God, O King, and I will bless Your name for the world and forever]." Why is this a praise? Because I will "raise You high." And what is this elevation? Because "I will bless Your name for the world and forever." Here wherever we find Bet there is a blessing. This means that wherever there is even the inkling of an association with our heart's desire, wherever we can make the connection between our heart's desire and what our thoughts are telling us, we are able to promote this heart's desire into manifestation. Each confirmation of connection provides another key to its manifestation. This is really about the remarkable story of the unfolding of thought. Once you are certain of your heart's desire all kinds of things begin to fill your world. This is why we are talking of planting a garden here which is fed by the spring of water that we have mined. What is this spring of water? It is the constant refreshing of the course of our heart's desire coming into manifestation. More on this point follows. Once you make up your mind clearly about what it is you want then the superconsious (G-d) works with you as the craftsman for its fashioning delighting (or causing delight to appear) in this process of the unfolding of thought. A day, a day in terms of a thousand years or two thousand years, this is to remind us that time is being bypassed. We do not have to be concerned with time in terms of the outworking of our heart's desire. It is being taken care of by the superconsious which does not know time and can bring forth in an instant everything we set our heart's desire upon. Where does all of this unfolding of thought come from? "I will [breathe out] My praise through My nose for you." Clearly this is inspiration. We breathe in and out through our nose which connects to our highest center in our brains the sahasrara chakra in Yoga, the thousand petalled Lotus. While thought is unfolding we keep having these inspirations which unfold the thought even more causing our heart's desire to expand and fill with the breath of life. This praise is repeated and is situated on high which matches our earlier location of the sahasrara chakra. From this place on high, "I will bless Your name for the world and forever," which means that as you keep receiving inspiration your heart's desire is sent out into the world continuously forever. Your name for the world is what you name when you choose your heart's desire. Your focus and committment to letting this highest power reveal your manifested choice is the great work of who we are. It is both our challenge and our joy. A note about the preceding study and the methods which are being used in order to illumine this information. First since this is the Bahir we know that illumination is its purpose. In order to show force in brilliance we have to unify the name. Unifying the name is making associations between what we see in the text and what we have discovered in mind through our life experience. More directly in order to unify the name we have to use the energy of the name of unificaition which simply states that all is one. This one is that all is mind and energy and that the relationships between the two determines every life factor we need to be aware of. This one resides within us and is the driving force of our being. One only seeks one.

The Bahir

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The Ongoing Bahir

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