Wednesday, October 29, 2008

When Colors Come Alive

Noah

אֵלֶּה, תּוֹלְדֹת נֹחַ--נֹחַ אִישׁ צַדִּיק תָּמִים הָיָה, בְּדֹרֹתָיו: אֶת-הָאֱלֹהִים, הִתְהַלֶּךְ-נֹחַ
These are the generations of Noah. Noah was in his generations a man righteous and whole-hearted; Noah walked with God. Bereshit 6:9

As explained at Ask Noah on the message of the rainbow in parashah Noah:


Rashi, quoting the words "for everlasting generations," notes that the word for generations in Hebrew -- "doros" -- is written without the letter "vav." He writes: "[The word doros] is written defectively (i.e., without the letter vav), because there are generations which do not require a sign ...

This parashah follows the parashah where Chavah (Eve) receives her name. Chavah means "protected" and "sheltered". From this, we could suggest that Chavah was a "sheltered woman", protected from the harsh tests of life.

Originally, Chavah's name was meant to be Chayah (meaning "alive", "living", "giving life"). But the letter yud of Chayah's name was not yet made so her name was formed with the letter vav instead. This is the vav "missing" in Noah's "generations".

The flood came, and then "colors came alive" in the sky as a rainbow of promise that one day, some day, the colors would "come alive" in Chayah's name and in Noah's heart and mind (as opposed to merely in the sky).

Related, the paraphrased title and lyrics of Say My Name by Within Temptation (hear the beautiful song at Across The Borders Of Time):

Know My Name by Beyond Temptation

I tell you my names
So you will know I'm back, I'm here again
For a while
Oh let us share
The memories that only we can share
Together

I tell you about
The days before I was born
How we were as One

I touch your hand with my vision
These colors come alive
In my heart and in my mind
I cross the borders of time
Leaving all behind to be with you again

We breath the air
Do you remember how I used to touch your soul?
I'm aware
My hands keep writing
I know that you are here

We soar and fall
Now we are raised
To where we belong

I touch your hand with my vision
These colors come alive
In your heart and in your mind
You cross the borders of time
Leaving all behind to be with me again

Know my name
Remember who I am
You will find me in the world of today
Drift with me again
You are near to where I am
When you don't have to ask me who I am

Know my name
These colors come alive
In our heart and in our mind
We cross the borders of time
Leaving all behind to be together again

Know my name
Please don't ask me who I am

Saturday, October 25, 2008

The Fall, The Catch

Bereshit

In today's commentary on Bereshit (Sabbath Soul From The Mist Of Ab Duir) arose the topic of rings, taba'ot (טבעת).

From Torah Tidbits on rings:
TET-BET-AYIN-TAV, meaning RING, appears 38 times in Sh'mot (concerning the Mishkan or Kohen Gadol's garments. The only other place in Tanach that has a lot of rings is Megilat Esther (6 times). (Only two other occurrences - B'reishit and Bamidbar.) In singular, the word is TABA-'AT. In plural (most common) it is TABA-OT in its free-standing form - rings, and TA-B'OT (SH'VA under the BET rather than KAMATZ) in its S'michut form: rings of gold, rings of the Aron, rings of copper...

Interestingly, Torah Tidbits links the concept of rings to the heart (like the two opposite human/divine triplets discussed here and the 6 occurrences of טבעת in Megilat Esther) of the Shema (embodying the concept of Unity in Multiplicity) through the link of a linked discussion (see Torah Tidbits link). Links upon links upon links. Rings and rings and rings.

Other than the 38 times found in Shemot (Exodus), the only other two occurrences of taba'at/taba'ot found in the five books of Moses are one in Bereshit (Genesis) and one in Bamidbar (Numbers). In Bereshit (41:42), ring appears its singular form in the word construct meaning "his signet-ring" (את-טבעתו). In Bamidbar (31:50), rings appears in its plural form in the word meaning signet-rings, taba'ot (טבעת). Pharaoh's signet-ring is singular in Bereshit, and corresponds to the Unity aspect of the Shema. The signet-rings of the Israelites in Bamidbar are plural, and correspond to the Multiplicity aspect of the Shema.

With these ideas taken together, we can see that the Shema is not whole without Pharaoh, and that the two occurrences of טבעת outside the book of Shemot are intimately linked to the wholeness of the Shema.

Like the two occurrences of טבעת linked with the wholeness of the Shema, in my waking vision this morning, as described in Sabbath Soul From The Mist Of Ab Duir, two ideas arose simultaneously to my singular mind linking together in wholeness the prophetic Mist of Avalon with the soul of messianic consciousness "falling" into apprehension and "caught by" comprehension.

And, like taba'at and taba'ot, both the "ring" (Transforming Curse Into Blessing) and "rings" (Sabbath Soul From The Mist Of Ab Duir) link to my experience and to my reality as a Divine Spark made with both the soul Pharaoh the soul of Israel.

I am Pharaoh. I am Israel. I am what I am, and I Am One.

ברוך שם כבוד מלכותה לעולם ועד

Sabbath Soul From The Mist Of Ab Duir

Modron, Welsh Mother Goddess associated with autumn, harvest and fertility (art by Karemelancholia

סוס , Taba'ot of Evolution

Unified Nature, Taba'ot of Shabbat Consciousness

Taba'ot of the Shema


Bereshit מם

וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים, יְהִי רָקִיעַ בְּתוֹךְ הַמָּיִם, וִיהִי מַבְדִּיל, בֵּין מַיִם לָמָיִם ; וַיְהִי-כֵן
And Elohim said: 'Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters' ; and it was so.

וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים, יִקָּווּ הַמַּיִם מִתַּחַת הַשָּׁמַיִם אֶל-מָקוֹם אֶחָד, וְתֵרָאֶה, הַיַּבָּשָׁה; וַיְהִי-כֵן.
And Elohim said: 'Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear.' And it was so.

וְאֵד, יַעֲלֶה מִן-הָאָרֶץ, וְהִשְׁקָה, אֶת-כָּל-פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה.
and there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.

וַיְבָרֶךְ אֱלֹהִים אֶת-יוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי, וַיְקַדֵּשׁ אֹתוֹ
And Elohim blessed the seventh day, and hallowed it

in the beginning of the morning, one day ...

A waking vision this shabbat morning - a mist surrounded me and filled my vision. Then, the middle of the mist parted and a mountain could be seen. Both the base and peak of the mountain extended beyond my focused field of vision, and both extended from within the mist even as much of the sloping sides of the central portion of the mountain were clearly visible. Suddenly, a pearl sphere the size of a giant hand fell from the skies within which the peak of the mountain rested. Just as suddenly, a Divine masculine hand reached down from the same skies and caught the pearl sphere in midair just before it entered the portion of the mist covering the base of the mountain to strike the sea/earth in which the mountain rested.

Two ideas came immediately and simultaneously to mind - one, that erev shabbat I had watched the video Mists Of Avalon, and two, "catching" the "falling" soul of messianic consciousness as described in Kabbalah for the Hebrew letter nun.

As I am investigating the symbolism of the vision for this entry, out of the mist it becomes clear to me a connection between the triple aspect of the Goddess Morrigan (of a singular Goddess Modron) and the three verses of the Birkhat Kohanim (of a singular Kohen).

My Fully Human feminine vision, like the hand of the Divine masculine, has "caught" the soul of messianic-shabbat consciousness falling as two opposite tiplets (v'hatum b'shesh taba'ot) extending out of the mist of Avalon (אב אלון, Av Alon - Ab Duir - a Jewish-Celtic combination meaning Ancestor Door/Oak.

Modron is associated with autumn (the "fall" season). Duir is associated with the oak "tree". This morning's hidden path divination performed with the waning cresecent moon 11% full during the planetary hour of Jupiter (door of the sabbath soul) was the card "tree in fall", a card symbolizing liberation.

Today's Torah portion is Bereshit, containing all three symbols - mist, tree and fall - were all singularly caught as one like an acorn of shabbat consciousness in my waking vision.

Related writing - Transforming Curse Into Blessing

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Evidence Of Blessing Beyond Description

Vezot Haberachah

וְאָתָה מֵרִבְבֹת קֹדֶשׁ; מִימִינוֹ, אשדת (אֵשׁ דָּת) לָמוֹ
and He came from the myriads holy, at His right hand was a fiery law unto them
Devarim 33:2

To form the phrase "fiery law", the word אשדת must be separated into two words, namely אֵשׁ דָּת. The separation is a function of Binah, a Divine Feminine power.

The word אשדת as an entire unit comes from the shoresh (3-letter root) אשד, meaning "pouring down" and "outflow". The letter suffix ת signifies a feminine ending. This means that multiple outflowings are of a Divine Feminine nature. The fiery Torah, the Law, consists of the outflowings or outpourings through the Divine Feminine.

The word וְאָתָה , translated as "and He came" can alternatively be translated as "and to Her came", where ו is a prefix signifying the "connection", where et (את) comes to add to her (ה).

"From the myriads holy" (מֵרִבְבֹת קֹדֶשׁ) can alternatively be translated "more than myriads holy".

The word translated as "at His right hand", namely מִימִינוֹ, can alternatively be translated as "more than perfectly clear we have in profuse abundance". [Note: יָם can also imply "west", the direction associated with the sefirah Yesod and with the moon, in correlation with the witch's ritual of "drawing down the moon".]

Taking it all together, the new translation becomes:

and to Her came more than myriads holy, more than perfectly clear we have in profuse abundance, drawn down the moon, outpouring unto them

The "more than" implies that which is beyond description, something greater than the letters upon "that which comes" comes. An incorrigible enigma impervious to complete containment.

So, we can see, the blessings which defy description and the fiery Torah outpouring unto us in Vezot Haberachah are bestowed through the Divine Feminine, and evidence for this is also given in profuse abundance, making the truth more than perfectly clear.

There is evidence and testimony being given over here, as well as blessing.

Boil and bubble, simmer and brew, a witch draws down the moon ...