Archetypes / Astrology / C.G.Jung / East / Gnostic / Other Gods / Philosophy / Spiritual

Number, Pattern and Kabbalah Symbols – from a Jungian view


Red Book Tree of Life

Red Book Tree of Life

Jung has been often (rightfully) seen of being a contemporary Gnostic. However, the interpretations which Jung places on Gnosticism and the texts which Jung refers to on alchemy, were often Kabbalistic, so much so that one would be more justified in calling the Jung of the Mysterium Coniunctionis  or Kabbalistic in contemporary disguise. One of the most serious and arguably criticisms against Kabbalah and the early Gnosticism of C.G. Jung is, that they may lead away from monotheism, and instead promote dualism, the belief that there is a counterpart to God: The good power versus an evil power.  Gnostic-dualistic cosmology having roots in Zoroastrianism, believes since creation good and evil forces are divided; Neo-Platonism (which found its way in Christianity), argues that the universe knew a primordial harmony,  disrupted by an evil force. This second model influenced the cosmology of the Kabbalah.

According to Kabbalah cosmology, an infinite number of ten Sefirots are emanated from the representing ten different ways the one God reveals his will and also represent the different aspects of Morality. To Jung, profoundly influenced by Catholicism  God is in us, to Taoism God is in the nature. The goal of this essay is therefore to find the Tree of life in C.G. Jung’s view of our psyche, Astrology and contemporary Physics. The article appreciates the affinities between Jungian psychology and Jewish mystical thought in particular Jung’s use of Kabbalistic symbols and ideas as well as his usage of numbers and Alchemist thoughts.  It is just draft, and sketchbook and interested primarily on three (trinity), four (quaternary) and  ten (as well as their multiples).

Number, Pattern and Jewish characters

Practical Kabbalah

The Hebrew Alef-Beit (alphabet, can be mapped to a number and symbol representing the deepest secrets of Creation. In one monastery I say recently an exhibition which visualizes those numbers and characters as symbols. The Kabbalistic classic Sefer Yetzirah (Book of Formation) teaches that creative consciousness exists in three states (space, time, and soul), which are reflected in the form, name and numerical equivalent of each letter.

In practical Kabbalah the Rabbis counted every word and letter, and as their numbers were represented by their letters, they counted the numeration of all God names and titles, and all proper names, and the numeration of he phrases recording Divine commands. The Hebrew letters and numbers were :

  • Aleph A 1
  • Beth B, V 2
  • Gimel G, Gh 3
  • Daleth D, Dh 4
  • Heh H 5
  • Vau O, U, V 6
  • Zayin Z 7
  • Cheth Ch 8
  • Teth T 9
  • Yod I, Y 10
  • Kaph K, Kh 20
  • Lamed L 30
  • Mem M 40
  • Nun N 50
  • Samekh S 60
  • Ayin Aa, Ngh 70
  • Pe P 80
  • Tzaddi Tz 90
  • Qoph Q 100
  • Resh R 200
  • Shin Sh 300
  • Tau T, Th 400

Dogmatic Kabbalah

In Dogmatic Kabbalah the conscious God is the awakened decade of Sephira. The primary human conception of God is the Boundless, whereas the Conscious God has awaked.

Tree of Life

Tree of Life

Kether, the Crown, the First Sephira, First Emanation of Incomprehensible Deity will be followed by the Second Sephira, Chokmah, Wisdom, The King, and the Third Sephira Binah, Understanding, The Queen. Then follows the forth Sephira Gedulah, also called  Chesed, Mercy, and its contrast  Geburah, Severity, also called Pachad, Fear. That triangle is completed by the Sixth Sephira, the Sun named Tiphareth, or Beauty. The third triangle is formed of the seventh, eighth, and ninth Sephiroth; Netzach, Firmness or Victory, Hod or Hud, Splendour and Yesod, Foundation. Finally, all these ideals are resumed in a single form, the Tenth Sephira, MLKUT, Malkuth, the Shekinah, the Kingdom, also sometimes called Tzedek, Righteousness. The whole Decad form “Adam Kadmon,” “The Archetypal Man,” and the  “Tree of Life.”

The word “Sephir,” from which “Sephira” is derived, is usually translated as “Book” “Letter” or “Number” but the underlying idea is “Information” or “Pattern”.  Those pattern represent culture interconnections or in a Jungian sense symbols, i.e. manifestations of archetypes.

The sephiroth operate on a numeric progression. The ideas corresponding to the number one naturally lead on to the ideas corresponding to the number two, and so on. The Sephiroth, when referred to by number, are always shown in their descending order, referring to their order of emanation. However, the task of the mystic is to move his consciousness in their reverse order, this process being called “The Way of Return”

  • The left column is called the Pillar of Severity. This represents the female side of man and contains three sephira: Binah (Understanding), Geburah (Severity) and Hod (Splendor).
  • The right column is called the Pillar of Mercy. This represents the male side of man and also contains three sephira: Chokmah (Wisdom), Chesed (Mercy) and Netzach (Victory).
  • The middle pillar is called the Pillar of Equilibrium. It represents the balance between the male and female pillars. It contains four sephira: Kether (Crown), Tiphareth (Beauty), Yesod (Foundation) and Malkuth (Kingdom).

The fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth Sephira are called, respectively, Hesed (Strength, Red), Gevurah (Beauty,Yellow), Netsah (Firmness,Green), and Hod (Splendor, Blue) and represent four of the component colors of Light: Red, Yellow, Green and Blue.

Tifereth, Hesed and Gevurah form the second Triad, and Yesod, Netsah and Hod the third; these two Triads combined constitute the Hexad, which is the Soul of the World, and of it are derived the souls of all individualized existences.

(1) Finding its Soul

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The Primary Archetype the Self which is neither known nor can be known to consciousness – Kether

The First Cause, timeless and eternal, the first emanation of diety as our universe is Kether. Like the Chinese Tao, talking about it too much, evaporates your understanding of it.

  • English meaning: Crown
  • Sphere: Primum Mobile/Uranus
  • Gem: Diamond
  • Plants: Almond
  • Magical Tool: Crown
  • Divine Name: Eheieh
  • Archangel: Metatron
  • Angelic Choir: Chayoth ha-Qadesh

(2) Soul and God

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 To Jung is the union of every thing and its opposite, of male and female, good and evil,  Animus  – Chokmah and Anima

While Kether is timeless, the action of Chokmah is completely dynamic. It is the Lingam of creation, the “bang” part of the big bang, the massive Yang exploding outwards in all directions with the energy of Kether. This explosive nature is admirably suited to the astrological character of Pluto, to which it has now been assigned

  • English meaning: Wisdom
  • Sphere: Zodiac/Pluto
  • Gem: Star Ruby/Turquoise
  • Plants: Amaranth
  • Magical Tool: The Inner Robe of Glory
  • Divine Name: Yah
  • Archangel: Raziel
  • Angelic Choir: Auphanim

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(3) On the Service of the Soul

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 The primal unconscious is concealed from awareness through a primal opposite, the Animus – Binah

The Yin to the Yang of Chokmah, Binah receives the projective force of Chokmah and limits it to give it form. It is the last of the supernal powers, which are beyond manifestation. Saturn was placed upon this sephira, but with the discovery of the three outer planets, it is more effectively associated with Neptune. Binah is also the Great Mother, the ocean that gives birth to the life of the universe.

  • English meaning: Understanding
  • Sphere: Saturn/Neptune
  • Gem: Star Sapphire, Pearl
  • Plants: Cypress, Poppy
  • Magical Tool: The Outer Robe of Concealment
  • Divine Name: YHVH Elohim
  • Archangel: Tzaphquiel
  • Angelic Choir: Aralim

(4) The Dessert

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 The boundless, chaotic, Personal Unconscious  which lies at the heart of the human psyche  – Chesed / Gedulah

The first sephiroth below the supernals is Chesed, which means “Mercy.” This is a sephira of merciful power, benevolence and generosity.  The influence of this sephira is kingly and mystical.

  • English meaning: Mercy
  • Sphere: Jupiter
  • Gem: Amethyst/Sapphire
  • Plants: Olive, Shamrock
  • Magical Tool: Staff, Sceptre, or Crook
  • Divine Name: El
  • Archangel: Tzadiquiel
  • Angelic Choir: Chashmalim

(5) Descent into Hell in the Future

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Here there is the smallest element of awareness of the conscious and the Ego – Geburah

The primary influence of this sephira is strength. Specifically, the strength of the righteous against the forces of evil like warrior gods.

  • English meaning: Severity
  • Sphere: Mars
  • Gem: Ruby
  • Plants: Oak, Nux Vomica, Nettle
  • Magical Tool: Sword,Spear, Scourge, or Chain
  • Divine Name: Elohim Gibor
  • Archangel: Kamael
  • Angelic Choir: Seraphim

(6) Splitting of the Spirit

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A primal Self emerges  – Tiphareth / Tiferet

At the center of the Tree of Life lies Tiferet, the sephira of the sun. It is the main connection between the Divine and the mundane, and is the only sephira below the supernals which has a direct path with Kether. The gods attributed to this sphere are the child, and the sacrificed god, as well as the more obvious solar dieties

  • English meaning: Beauty/Harmony
  • Sphere: Sol
  • Gem: Topaz/Yellow Diamon
  • Plants: Acacia, Bay, Laurel, Vine
  • Magical Tool: The Lamen or Rosy Cross
  • Divine Name: YHVH Eloah Ve-Daath
  • Archangel: Raphael
  • Angelic Choir: Melekim

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(7) Murder of the Hero

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From the interaction between the Ego and the world the original, unmodified structures of the Persona emerge – Netzach

The sephira of nature is Netzach. Its nature is ecstatic, the joyous play of the divine energy. It is also the first sephira of emanation that operates without “ethics,” It contains within its meaning the process of negative feedback. To this sphere are attributed the gentle gods of life and beauty, of which some are Venus, Aphrodite, and Bast. Their terrible aspect comes from their inhuman natures with respect to justice or morality. To note that the most successful are often those unworthy of it is to operate within the laws of this sphere

  • English meaning: Victory
  • Sphere: Venus
  • Gem: Emerald
  • Plants: Rose
  • Magical Tool: The Lamp and Girdle
  • Divine Name: YHVH Tzabaoth
  • Archangel: Haniel
  • Angelic Choir: Elohim

(8) The Conception of the God

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(8) These structures are the archetypal values and tendencies of humanity which are embodied within the conscious realm – Hod

Hod is the sephiroth of the scientific intellect, which operates here in a passive sense to the emotional Netzach. Instead of unintelligible ecstasy, we have wonderful ideas, words of knowledge and poetry, and inspirations. All gods of the intellect are represented here

  • English meaning: Glory/Splendour
  • Sphere: Mercury
  • Gem: Opal/Fire Opal
  • Plants: Moly, Anhalonium Lewinii
  • Magical Tool: The Names, Versicles, and Apron
  • Divine Name: Elohim Tzabaoth
  • Archangel: Michael
  • Angelic Choir: Beni Elohim

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(9) Mysterium encounter

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Will or Desire, the fundamental motivating force  of the Shadow – Yesod

The sephiroth of Yesod is the process of crystalization, where energy becomes definable as forces. The action of Hod and Netzach comes together before its final projection into Malkuth.

  • English meaning: Foundation
  • Sphere: Luna
  • Gem: Quartz
  • Plants: Mandrake, Damiana
  • Magical Tool: Perfumes and Sandals
  • Divine Name: Shaddai El Chai
  • Archangel: Gabriel
  • Angelic Choir: Kerubim

 

(10) Instruction

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A new Self must emerge by restoring and restructuring the elements of the old ego that has been shattered by crisis. This is the process of individuation – Malkuth

The last emanation of creation is Malkuth, which represents the final solidification of the energy of Kether. It is result of all the work done through the preceding sephiroth. This sephira is totally passive; all energy directed to it works it’s change and is grounded. The titles of Malkuth are “Malkah,” the princess and “Kalah,” the bride, when considered as the Spouse of Zauir Anpin, the Microprosopus

  • English meaning: Kingdom
  • Sphere: Elements/Saturn/Earth
  • Gem: Rock Crystal/Salt
  • Plants: Willow, Lily, Ivy
  • Magical Tool: The Magical Circle and Triangle
  • Divine Name: Adonai ha-Aretz
  • Archangel: Sandalphon
  • Angelic Choir: Ashim

(0) The Incantations

DA’ATH – Knowledge – is not a Sephira. It is not on the Tree of Life: that is, there is in reality no such thing. Da’ath is the crown of the Ruach, the Spirit and its place is in the Abyss. “Da’ath like the evil number zero, has a dual aspects, on one hand it is our knowledge of the world of appearance, the body of facts which constitute our beliefs, identity and ego. On the other hand it is revelation, objective knowledge, what is often referred to as gnosis. The transition between the knowledge of the world of appearance and revelation entails the experience of the abyss, the abolition of the sense of ego, the negation of identity. From within the abyss any identity is possible. It is chaos, unformed. It contains, as it were, the seeds of identity.

“sacred whore;”

“sacred whore;”

The sphere of knowledge Daath is invisible and the Random chaos of thought and conceptionbecause it contains both accessible and hidden knowledge. This sphere has no archangel but is used as an entrance and exit point to the Yetzirah (the third world of formation), the realm of the angels. Daath is often called the Abyss, the gulf between the phenomenal world of manifestation and its source. Only by passing through the Abyss can we realize out innermost spiritual nature. Daath is the primary junction where various forces on the Tree of Life – femal and male – come together, yet it is also a barrier that you must pass beyond if you wish to scale the Tree of Life.

In Christianity the male and female archetype is the celibate Jesus and the Virgin Mary. In Babylon however, the High Priestess, however, a priestess is essentially a “nun”, whereas the role of the priestess in the mystery cults of the ancient world was essentially that of what has been derogatorily (but correctly) described as a “sacred whore” of Babylon.

Kabbalah and C.G. Jung

In Messianic Kabbalah relevations it represents the mystical relevation of God’s secret and mysteries in effect knowledge of god and the infinite. C.G. Jung loved  quaternities (multiples of them are of course 8 and 16) and says this about numbers and their relation to the unconscious in his book “Synchronicity: An Acausal Connecting Principle”:

Number helps more than anything else to bring order into the chaos of appearances. Remarkably enough, the psychic images of wholeness which are spontaneously produced by the unconscious, the symbols of the self in mandala form, also have a mathematical structure. They are as a rule quaternities (or their multiples). These structures not only express order, they also create it. 

The Red Book

The Red Book

The Kabbalah,  regarded by many as a Jewish form of Gnosticism , the Kabbalah achieved its own unique expression in the anonymous Sefer HaBahir, generally regarded as the earliest extant text in this mystical genre. It is in this work that the theory of the ten Sefirot, the value archetypes (Will, Wisdom, Understanding, Kindness, Judgment, Beauty, Glory, Splendor,Foundation and Kingship) which the Kabbalists all held to be the essence of creation, takes distinctive form. The Zohar, which is written as a loose and far-reaching commentary on the Torah (the Five Books of Moses), is the source of much of the “wedding symbolism” (unifications of the various Sefirot) which preoccupied the alchemists studied by Jung. Its homilies on the nature of the unknowable infinite, the integration of masculine and the feminine, and the relationship between good and evil can provide much of interest to analytic and archetypal psychologists. Jung himself quoted a number of Zoharic passages. Mysterium Coniunctionis includes citations of the Kabbalistic symbols and ideas found in non-Hebrew reference on the Kabbalah and had correspondence with a number of sholars who had first-hand knowledge of Kabbalistic texts and certain Kabbalistic symbols, such as the Sefirot. The major Kabbalistic ideas which concerned Jung were those that had clear parallel formations in Gnosticism and alchemy: the notion of a spark of divine light contained within humanity, the concept of Primordial Adam who contains within himself in coincidentia oppositorum the various conflicting tendencies within the human spirit, the theory of divine unifications, particularly the unifications of good and evil and masculine and feminine.

Quaternio series: Moses - Shadow - Paradise - Lapis Quaternio

Quaternio series: Moses – Shadow – Paradise – Lapis Quaternio

Jung’s interpretation of Gnosticism, indeed his interpretation of religious phenomena in general, rests upon his theory of the history of the human psyche in which humankind has historically moved from a condition in which it projects the contents of its unconscious onto the world and heavens but fails completely to recognize the archetypes of the unconscious mind “loosing its religion.  Jung writes:
Psychology, specifically Jungian psychology, is in a position to provide individuals with a direct awareness of the archetypes within their own psyches. This, Jung believes, can be accomplished through an interpretation of the spontaneous symbolic projections of the unconscious in fantasy, art, and dreams, guided by a new psychological understanding of the basic archetypal images which have presented themselves in the history of myth and religion. Jung’s interpretation of Gnosticism is critical to his understanding of the Kabbalah.  Traditionally Gnosticism was viewed as a Christian heresy which developed along-side the early Catholic Church in the second and third centuries. The discovery in 1945 of a library of Gnostic texts at Nag Hammadi along the Nile River in Egypt, and their eventual publication, has led to a view of Gnosticism as a multifaceted religious phenomenon with roots (and foes) not only in Christianity. Scholars have also differed in opinions regarding the identity and defining characteristics of Gnosticism, some pointing, for example, to its dualism of good and evil, others to its theories regarding the aeons, and the demiurge. Jung’s comments on Gnosticism are scattered throughout his writings (See Segal, 1992), but his major statement on the subject is contained in his essay “Gnostic symbols of the self” (Jung, 1969). However, long before he had
systematically considered Gnosticism from the point of view of his own analytical psychology, Jung had been familiar with Gnostic theology and even constructed, in 1916, his own “Gnostic Myth” entitled “Septem Sermones ad Mortuos” (Seven Sermons to the Dead). A variety of other typically Gnostic themes make their appearance in “The Seven Sermons”. Amongst these are the doctrine that humans, as finite creatures, are characterized by “distinctiveness,” and the natural striving of humankind is towards distinctiveness and individuation. Years later, when Jung comes to take a second look at Gnosticism through the eyes of a more fully developed archetypal psychology, he reverses himself and interprets it in a manner which is far more friendly to the world and the individual, and, as I will argue, far more Kabbalistic than Gnostic.  Jung sees in the Gnostic (and Kabbalistic) symbol of Primordial Man a symbol of the goal of his own analytical psychology.

Kabbalah and Alchemy

Jung provides a  daring and far reaching interpretation of alchemy and was aware of the strong relationship between the Kabbalah and late alchemy. He wrote of specific Kabbalistic influences on the alchemists of the 16th century and later. “Directly or indirectly”, Jung writes in the Mysterium, “the Kabbalah was assimilated into alchemy. Relationships must have existed between them at a very early date, though it is difficult to trace them in the sources”.Jung points out that by the end of the 16th century the alchemists began making direct quotations from the Zohar. He also notes that Paracelsus had introduced the sapphire as an “arcanum” into alchemy from the Kabbalah. While Jung clearly recognizes the relationship between Kabbalah and alchemy, the spiritual aspects of alchemy, which interested Jung, were to a very large extent Jewish in origin. He regarded the various metals in the alchemical work to be analogous to aspects of humanity, hence one famous maxim “Join the male and the female and you will find what is sought” could well serve as a motto for much of Jung’s  individuadion. The interested reader is referred to works by Suler (1972), and Patai (1994).

Kabbalah and Science

Although its origins are rooted in deep antiquity, from the time of ancient Babylon, the science of Kabbalah has remained virtually hidden from humanity since it appeared more than four thousand years ago. Newton, Leibniz, and Pico della Mirandola, have investigated and tried to understand the science of Kabbalah. It is impossible to comprehend the invisible, the imperceptible, and that which has not been experienced. For thousands of years, humanity was offered a wide variety of things under the name “Kabbalah”: spells, curses, and even miracles, cluttered with misconceptions and misinterpretations. Therefore, first and foremost, the numers of Kabbalah needs to be made clear. There exists the upper force or the Creator, and governing forces descend from this upper force into our world.  We are familiar with various forces in our world, such as gravity, electromagnetism and the power of thought. This upper force gave birth to the upper worlds. There are five worlds in total. The so called Machsom—a barrier that separates the upper worlds and our world—follows them. From the upper force—the Creator, also known as “the world of Infinity”—mathematically the turned eight. There was a wonderful article about Hod, Hebrew for 8. Indeed the 8 is well used in the archetypical knowledge in all cultures. In Hebrew every letter has a numerical value, or gematria.  The gematria of Chet ח is 8 and is referred to as ‘the letter of life’. i.e. the Life Dynamic – Run and Return.

Quantum physics

Lets not forget the three and the hexagon. Six (and twelve) are important to science and its early sisters – astrology and alchemy. Also the Kabbalah system of ten sephiroth, is comprised in three pillars of three with twenty-two paths interconnecting them: – “The Tree of Life”.  The three is prominent in physics, especially in quantum physics.A unique scientific conference was held in San Francisco, California  2005, introducing Kabbalist Rav Michael Laitman, PhD and quantum physicists William Tiller, PhD, Dr. Jeffrey Satinover, and Fred Alan Wolf, PhD. The theme of the conference was “Quantum Physics Meets Kabbalah”.

bigbangIsaac Newton proved through a series of experiments that  white light refracted with a prism, resolved it into its component colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet (being red, green and blue primary). Two times three. Then there are six quarks who form matter. This Standard Model of six flavors of describe all the currently known elementary particles, as well as the Higgs boson: (q), named up (u), down (d), strange (s), charm (c), bottom (b), and top (t). Again two times three.

Now, a term “color” was introduced to label a property of the quarks which allowed apparently identical quarks to reside in the same particle, for example, two “up” quarks in the proton. To allow three particles to coexist and satisfy the Pauli exclusion principle, a property with three values was needed. The idea of three primary colors like red, green, and blue making white light define symbolic three distinct quantum states.

Unfortunately that das not match with the four colours of those for Kabbalah Sephiras have also pretty consistent cross cultural meanings.

  • Green nature/wisdom: Egyptians believed that a god named Thoth led the souls of the dead to “a green hill of everlasting life and eternal wisdom.” Romans based their god Mercury on Thoth, and the planet Mercury was in turn based on the god. For this reason, in astrology,”green is sometimes said to be the color of the planet Mercury, which is the planet governing the mind and conferring knowledge knowledge. Christians often tied the archangel Michael to Roman mythology’s Mercury. The color green is often said to forebode death. This idea may be a survival of the ancient worship of Mercury, and even of St. Michael in Christian times, both of whom were messengers of death.”
  • Blue truth/sadness The primary association of the color blue for most of recorded history was with truth a meaning that leaves a remnant in our language in the phrase “true blue.” This was because blue is the color of a calm and clear sky, and it is calm reflection that leads to truth.
  • Red passion: Red has a range of symbolic meanings, including life, health, vigor, war, courage, anger, love and religious fervor. The common thread is that all these require passion, and the “life force” that drives passion blood is red.
  • Yellow happiness/cowardliness It isn’t surprising that yellow symbolizes happiness, warmth and sunshine in most cultures; these are characteristics of the yellow sun and its effects.In ancient cultures where a god or gods were associated with the sun, such as Egypt and China, yellow was the highest and noblest of colors and thus, the color of religious figures and royals (who were thought to be descendants of the gods or semi-gods).

The quest for the unified theory

Science, in its quest to reveal the underlying unity within nature, constantly finds itself returning to the origins of the universe — to the primordial “day one” (yom echad) of Creation or Big Bang. The universe, in its present state, is too cool and solid for one to find within it an intimation of such unity. Only amid the energy and heat that reigned at the very inception of time and space, could all the forces and elements of nature meld into one. Such are the premises that underlie the unified field and “big bang” theories. Should one seek the even deeper unity that binds “existence” to “non-existence,” then it becomes necessary to propose even more obscure theories — such as string theory — which an meta-physical character and somewhat discared today.

The cosmological process that produced this space-time continuum is presently understood by many to have taken place in four stages — derived from the “string” theorists and the “big bang theory”. First, the mathematical properties and relations governing space-time had to be defined or “created”. Next, in a single quantum leap, “something-ness” emerged spontaneously out of that “abstraction”. At that point, a great “inflation” of the universe occurred. Finally, the “big bang” unleashed the full thrust of its force from within a single point inside that inflated universe.

In Kabbalistic terms, these four stages could be viewed as corresponding to the four-letter sequence of G-d’s ineffable Name — Yud Hei Vav Hei, the model upon which all meditation directed at G-d and Creation is based. Thus, any return to the primordial unity of creation would seem to imply a corresponding return to maximal symmetry.

Uncertainty principle

PauliJungKeplerSychrityThe uncertainty principle of quantum physics,  discussed by Paul and Jung establishes the impossibility of simultaneously determining certain pairs of subatomic phenomena (such as position and momentum), implies that the very act of human observation — or “consciousness” — irrevocably affects one of the properties which one is observing. Physicists disagree as to what degree of consciousness is necessary to the measurement of physical reality. Nevertheless, the implication remains — as supported by the corresponding meta-physics of Kabbalah — that consciousness can determine of its own the nature of the world we seek to know.

The litany of modern physics is replete with constants: the speed of light remains constant regardless of the circumstances surrounding its measurement; energy-changes in the universe occur at fixed “quantum” intervals (Planck’s constant) rather than in contiguous increments. These two “constants” in nature — “c” (the speed of light) and “h” (the quantum-energy unit) — change forever the way we conceive classical concepts such as “infinity” and “zero”.

 Position of Rest

Another foundation of modern physics is cited as the postulate stating that all physical structures tend toward their lowest possible energy level. This fundamental principle is reflected in the Kabbalistic doctrine of “descending worlds” whereby Creation is viewed as descending from the infinite energy of Divine Being into the stasis of material reality.

In Kabbalah, the property of “descent” associated with the material realm achieves its ultimate expression in water — which by nature flows downward, seeking out the lowest ground. The opposing property of spiritual ascent is modeled in the flame of fire, consuming matter in its attempt to ascend upward. Ultimately, the force of gravity associated with water supersedes the force of lightness connected with fire — just as the world’s grounding in materiality over-rides its inner desire to be consumed within Divinity. According to most physicists, the universe has already achieved its lowest level of energy distribution. This would mean, according to Kabbalistic faith, that the world is about to enter into a new state of symmetry.

In conclusion, we now see how fundamental tenets of modern science — the underlying unity of nature, the uncertainty built into subatomic reality, and the universe’s tendency toward increasing dissipation — found in Kabbalistic belief at three junctures: the primordial past (belief in the initial Divine unity out of which Creation was conceived), the continuous present moment (belief in the ongoing construction of reality through refined consciousness), and the developing future (belief in the higher unity that will assert itself once every last element within Creation is illuminated by the soul).

Kabbalah and Sufism

Sufi is a form of Islam which typically places less emphasis on literal interpretations of Qur’an and hadith but instead focuses on mysticism and spirituality. Typical practices include dhikr (reciting the names of God) and some forms of mystical dance.  It can rightfully been argues as to whether Sufis are even Muslim, a separate Islamic denomination to Sunni/Shia or whether Sufi practice is included in normal Muslim beliefs. Despite the repeated protestations to the contrary, Sufism was infused from Kabbalah and may be more Gnostic than Islam in the inside. Sufism was endemic around the Mediterranean basin, surrounding Kabbalistic philosophers. Islamic mystics were not only ubiquitous in the areas where the Kabbalah emerged, but they had used as Gnostics the trail of mystical which the Kabbalah showed. While Jewish mysticism of the visceral, prophetic sort had been a decentralized, flaccid affair over the several hundred years prior to even Christianity,  Sufis had been assiduously following a path of personal union with God.

Sufis became inspired by Jews such as Moses, Abraham and Obadyah Maimonides, Solomon Ibn Gabirol, Judah Halevi and many other philosophical ideas of Jewish mystical conceptions, thereby taking their first steps in this journey towards a mystical symbiosis.

Kabbalah and Alchemy

Since ancient times the close correlation between the kabbalistic Tree of Life and astrological charts, which could interpret personal paths of absolutely different individuals, was carefully studied by a great number of kabbalistic and astrological interested. Together they combined their wisdom and learned to see the signs sent by cosmos and understand them from the deeply kabbalistic point of view. These signs affect every living and not-living matter, every creature and object on the planet. Here the mapping is:

kabbalahl_spheres

kabbalahl_spheres

  1. Kether – Primum Mobile
  2. Chokmah – Zodiac (Fixed Stars)
  3. Binah – Saturn
  4. Chesed – Jupiter
  5. Geburah – Mars
  6. Tiphireth – Sol
  7. Netzach – Venus
  8. Hod – Mercury
  9. Yesod – Luna
  10. Malkuth – Earth

There were seven classical planets including the sun and the moon, seven days in a week.  Below we see a hexagram with the planets displayed on it.kabbalahexagram

In the Old World it was taught that the soul ‘descends from and returns to the stars’ via the planetary spheres. The order of descent was as you see above, from Saturn, to Jupiter, Mars, the Sun, Venus, Mercury, and the Moon. The Moon, at the bottom is the last sphere before reaching the earth plane, and since the moon rules Cancer, this was called the Gate of Birth. Saturn, at the top, rules Capricorn and is the last sphere before the stars, and is the Gate of Death.

Conclusion

NWO

NWO

Today, many people believe that humanity’s progress is approaching a dead end. Our past hopes for a better, happier life through scientific and economic progress have been overshadowed by a growing pessimism over what seems to be an impasse.

We see that more and more people in the world are unable to find fulfillment. Once, we thought of ourselves as making great leaps forward, believing we were making substantial progress, but now we appear to be facing some kind of a wall.

Humanity seems to be plunging into depression, greed and violence abound, and people are trying to disengage themselves from the world, and suppress their feelings. Terrorism and a rapid upsurge in natural disasters are symptoms of a global crisis, and all these states are leading humanity to one fundamental question: “What is the meaning of life?”

It may be found in the Book of Zohar, that at the end of the twentieth century humanity will start asking about the meaning of life, and that the answer to this question, hidden in the ancient science of Kabbalah, can only be revealed in our time, precisely because of these challenging circumstances of the new world order.

Sources:

Stephan A. Hoeller “Der gnostische Jung und die sieben Reden an die Toten

Jung, C. G. (Hg.) (1968). Der Mensch und seine Symbole. Olten: Walter

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Jung, C. G. (1997): Die Zofingia-Vorträge. Mit einer Einführung von Marie-Louise von Franz. Hrsg. von Helga Egner. Düsseldorf : Walter

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Herausgegeben von S. Shamdasani. Düsseldorf: Walter

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Jung, C. G., Kerényi, K. (1951): Einführung in das Wesen der Mythologie. Zürich: Rhein

Jung, C. G., Pauli, W. (1952): Naturerklärung und Psyche. Zürich: Rascher (Download)

Jung, C. G., Pauli, W. (1992): Ein Briefwechsel 1932 – 1958. Wolfgang Pauli und C. G. Jung. Hrsg. von Meier, C. A. Unter Mitarb. von Enz, C. P. und Fierz, M. Berlin: Springer

C. G. Jung Grundausgabe

C. G. Jung. (1963) Mysterium Coniunctionis. C.G. Jung Collected Works, Vol. 14, Translated by R.F.C. Hull. Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press.

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Pictures: Taken from a pdf published and freely available on the internet under public domain.