|
Post by LorrB on Jul 11, 2011 12:53:44 GMT 9.5
I thought we might visit the Keys of the Sacred Wisdom as expounded by Manley P Hall in his wonderful little book The Sacred Magic of the Qabbalah the Science of the Divine Names.
Maybe we can take one key a day and ponder upon it. Please share any thoughts you might have on any key.
|
|
|
Post by LorrB on Jul 11, 2011 12:56:10 GMT 9.5
Key 1
In studying the sacred sciences the first point that the student must understand is that they will give him no powers or opportunities greater than those which he has prepared himself to receive by the life he has lived. The daily life is the test of the student, and until he lives true to the laws of the temple builders he can never gain anything from the study of the Qabbalah, for the esoteric wisdom is not a series of intellectual facts but a living, spiritual thing which can be recognised only by those who live and think in harmony with it.
|
|
|
Post by LorrB on Jul 11, 2011 13:04:19 GMT 9.5
I see so much Qabbalah in Freemasonry that I rather suspect that Masonry is a disguise.
Key 1 seems to give a very good reason of why it is so important that the newly initiated brother pays much attention to the lessons to be learned in the first degree. Without some attainment at this basic level, all else is probably a waste of time.
|
|
|
Post by paul on Jul 11, 2011 13:09:12 GMT 9.5
I suggest that the presence of the Qabalah is one cultural influence of several present in Masonry.
Others include Egyptian (raising of Asar), Sumerian (triple word), Hindu (veils), Mithraic (form of the ladder used in RC)
|
|
|
Post by LorrB on Jul 11, 2011 14:21:00 GMT 9.5
Sufism makes an appearance also.. especially with regard to Ark Mariners.
|
|
|
Post by paul on Jul 11, 2011 14:38:58 GMT 9.5
That's a bit salty for me
|
|
|
Post by LorrB on Jul 12, 2011 10:03:06 GMT 9.5
Sufism
Sufism, for those who may never have heard the term, is called ‘the way to the heart’, which of course means the centre. …. These special adherents were from many lands, including Persia, Ethiopia, Egypt and even Rome, bringing a great many diverse beliefs and interests with them. There is, however, a more telling term from which the word Sufi may be derived – Sophia. ……This is the concept of wisdom spoken of again and again in esoteric literature and which has come down to us today via all-manner of faiths and creeds, even into secret societies such as the Freemasons. …
Springett said in his book Secret Sects of Syria: “the Sufees are a secret society of Persian mystic philosophers and ascetics, whose original religion may have been that of the Chaldeans or Sabeans, who believed in the unity of God, but adored the hosts of heaven (Tsaba), especially the seven planets, as representing Him.” The Sufi’s see themselves as moving through this world of ours as if they are part of it and all the time knowing there is so much more. They feel at all times the divine presence and yet look upon mankind with an eye of mercy. To them each one of us has a spirit or Ruh, which originates from the Alam – a creation of the divine light itself. The food of the spirit is therefore more light and not that of the external sun, but the inner sun of Allah. To mirror and reflect this wisdom of the light is all that can be asked – to be like the moon, and we all know, the crescent moon is a symbol of Islam. The one who truly reflects this light of Allah, does not take the light away from Allah, but instead glorifies His name. The one who does this can give divine blessings via the baraka – the baraka is therefore not himself, but the light and wisdom and power of God. One becomes the crescent moon, the Ark.
One of the literal reasons that baraka has become our barge, b’arque, barca, Ark and of course bark, is because it is involved in the art of ship building. This kind of ship building though involves no floating upon real water; it is more to do with the water of the mind. By having baraka, one is able to access divine information and to be able to pass this on. But, before being able to do this, one must learn how to build a decent ship.
www.bibliotecapleyades.net/sociopolitica/sociopol_brotherhoodss29.htm
|
|
|
Post by LorrB on Jul 12, 2011 10:13:04 GMT 9.5
Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, the Crown Prince of AbuDhabi, will open the door to the Royal Family's private art collection for the first time this week. .....
Works from prominent UAE artists, such as Hassan Sharif and Abdul Kadir al Rais are on display, along with pieces from Iranian artists such as Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian, and a striking scroll by Pouran Jinchi, in which verses from the Quran have been copied in green ink.
www.artprojects.com/index.php/press/
In our Ark Mariners everything is written in green ink. I once read a book also written in green ink, it was a Sufi book about how the permanent atom of our being is safely secured within an ark between manifestations. This makes perfect sense to me. I am left wondering whether the green ink is a reference to the Astral World.
|
|
|
Post by LorrB on Jul 12, 2011 12:39:09 GMT 9.5
Key 2
There is only one reward for those who seek spiritual unfoldment or extension of power without first cleansing the body and the soul. The very powers which the student draws to him in his studies will destroy him unless he is robed in the garments of purity. Unto the unpurified, God is a consuming fire; for wherever dross is in the nature His power will burn it away. With the influx of the spiritual power there is a great cataclysm in the body of man; and if he has not prepared it to the best of his ability to receive this light, his foolhardiness will precipitate obsession, insanity and death, for broken bodies, nerves, and minds follow in the wake of broken laws.
|
|
|
Post by LorrB on Jul 12, 2011 12:42:34 GMT 9.5
In this key I see a reason why candidates must come "properly prepared". Could this sort of information explain the penalties? Here, as elsewhere, we are told that fire regenerates.
|
|
|
Post by LorrB on Jul 13, 2011 10:25:09 GMT 9.5
KEY 3
The student of the Mysteries must learn to be patient. He must be prepared to strive for ages without reward, with no more encouragement than the relaxation of a life work well done. The power of the true mystic and the insight of the Qabbalist are not assumed, but are slowly evolved by years, nay, lives of unselfish service and self-improvement. Nowhere upon the White Path are there any exceptions to this rule.
|
|
|
Post by LorrB on Jul 13, 2011 10:26:42 GMT 9.5
How many leave Freemasonry because no-one can tell them what it is about?!
|
|
|
Post by paul on Jul 13, 2011 10:56:17 GMT 9.5
I am left wondering whether the green ink is a reference to the Astral World. Al Khidr (The Green One) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KhidrIt is relevant to note that the healthy colour of the heart chakra is green - and Sufism is a path of the heart. Also Osiris was commonly depicted as green - and sometimes with scales as well.
|
|
|
Post by LorrB on Jul 13, 2011 12:11:46 GMT 9.5
Prophet Muhammad is said to have stated that Elijah and Khidr meet every year and spend the month of Ramadan in Jerusalem and Khidr was contemporary with Moses. Jesus is said by some to be The Green Man. Then we come to the Transfiguration of Jesus, an event reported by the Synoptic Gospels in which Jesus underwent transfiguration with the prophets Moses and Elijah. Coincidental? In Sufi tradition, al-Khadr has come to be known as one of those who receive illumination direct from God without human mediation. … and if you want to take a close look at this DaVinci and the green man… www.artchive.com/artchive/l/leonardo/lastsupp.jpg
|
|
|
Post by LorrB on Jul 13, 2011 12:13:45 GMT 9.5
Al-Khidr and fish... Jesus and fish...
|
|
|
Post by paul on Jul 13, 2011 12:37:01 GMT 9.5
Jesus is said by some to be The Green Man. Al Khidr was supposedly the teacher of Moses. By conventional dating that would be somewhat earlier than Jesus.
|
|
|
Post by LorrB on Jul 13, 2011 15:29:02 GMT 9.5
I didn't mean to infer they were the same people, but rather the same soul or whatever, can't select a correct word or term here, I don't know enough. Green indicating from another plane... and maybe they could be the same entity at that level.
|
|
|
Post by paul on Jul 13, 2011 17:31:09 GMT 9.5
On every plane can be found a wide range of flora and fauna - many of which are multi-plane entities.
In the absence of a proper taxonomy it is easier to aggregate. This solves the recurring theological problem of whether one's chosen divinity is actually supreme.
In taxonomic terms this is referred to as "lumping". Lumpers produce fewer scientific papers than splitters so are promoted less often. Perhaps there is an analogy somewhere.
|
|
|
Post by LorrB on Jul 14, 2011 8:14:03 GMT 9.5
Had to get the dictionary out for that one ... I think I know what you are saying.
|
|
|
Post by LorrB on Jul 14, 2011 8:24:05 GMT 9.5
Key 4
The ancient Qabbalistic magic of the philosophers had nothing to do with fortune-telling, divination, or the so-called art of numerology, for such things were said to be of the earth earthy and it was considered a prostitution to make these great spiritual things serve the human side of Nature. Those who study the Qabbalah to find out their lucky days, the length of their lives, their birth paths, and so forth, are failures before they begin. They prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that they are not worthy or prepared to receive the guardianship of the sacred teachings; for man cannot know truth until he realizes the value of it, nor can he be wise while he seeks anything else but wisdom.
|
|