METODOLOGÍA DE ENSEÑANZA Y MATERIALES

Everything projects from the Void, or Nothingness, into Kcthcr. From Kcthcr, it then descends through a scries of reflections, creating the various planes of consciousness and matter that we call the spiritual and material worlds. While these two worlds appear at times to be very separate, they are in fact two halves of a whole and must always be addressed that way if they are to be understood.

These projections, or spheres, as they are called in Kabbalah, exist on innumerable levels. Practical Kabbalists, because of their need for simplification.

focus their attention on the ten primary spheres and how they move energy between the invisible and visible worlds.

Beginning with the only thing each of us truly has—our own body and mind—Kabbalists examine every phenomenon of mind and body, of the visible and invisible, as reflected in their personal aura. They realize that the aura, or Sphere of Sensation, as it is called, is the means whereby our physical bodies arc created and sustained. The aura is also the means of transmitting and receiving psychic impressions of the world around us, including those of the astral planes.

Flic importance of the aura or Sphere of Sensation for practicing Kabbalists cannot be understated. It is their means of bringing energy into the body, as well as the filter or mechanism that allows them to energetically interact with others, either for healing or for initiation. To describe it crudely, the aura is the shell of the light bulb, the consciousness is the voltage of the light bulb, the cosmic is the energy source or electricity, and the personality is the brilliance of the bulb or the actual light that gets through.

Using the same analogy, light streams out of the pores of the body. It is this energy that is registered when we experience an intermingling of auras such as during a healing session, ritual work, or initiation. In a healthy person, this energy fills the space between the physical body and the outer shell of the aura. In the average person, it does not extend very far. In a healthy person, it extends, but it may or may not reach the shell, focusing on the physical aspects of life. In the adept, this energy reaches the auric shell and creates a reflexive condition like a touch screen on a modern cash-machine monitor, enabling the adept to attune their consciousness to similar patterns and ideas. We must strengthen our

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aura, expand our aura, and understand our relationship to our aura if we arc to make magic work.

Within the aura, the adept builds, through visualization, a series of symbols that are imprinted on it. These act as intermediaries for the various levels of energy, matter, and consciousness the adept is contacting. The primary symbol for us is the free of Life, which is built through cxciviscs such as the Middle Pillar and the Lightning Flash. Here, the "Tree" takes on a three-dimensional quality. It creates a series of pillars that reach from above our heads (Kcthcr) to below our feet (Malkuth). These connect the abstract energies of the invisible with the dense energies of the material and those various degrees in between. Because these symbols are imprinted on the aura as the energy passes through the physical body—and this is a critical point—the Sphere of Sensation is also referred to as the "Magical Mirror of the Universe." as it is our personal reflection of the universe in miniature.

In this manner, Kcthcr forms the crown of our head, with Hokmah and Dinah forming the left and right halves of the brain and head. Chcsed and Geburah form the left and right shoulders and arms, Tipharedi forms the chest and torso, Netzach and Hod form the left and right hips and legs, Yesod forms the organs of reproduction and excretion, and Malkuth forms the feet, and notably also the whole of the physical organism.

From this perspective, the psychical body is seen as standing between four pillars, emanating light and moving within a giant sphere. The four pillars are the Tree of Life m tha*e dimensions, or placed so that it can be seen "face on" from any view, save the top, which is always Kcthcr, and the bottom, which is always Malkuth. The pillars are static, as are Kether and Malkuth, but the human body moves (and they with it like a chariot), and the outer shell or surface of the aura is constantly changing. The most powerful of forces acting on it is the zodiac, as the aura contains the static imprint of an individuals natal chart, which becomes activated as it is impacted by various astrological influences, some of which it will be in harmony with, and others with which it will not.

Each area of the body is given to an aspect of consciousness. Each aspect of consciousness interrelates with the others just as the organs of the body interrelate v\ ith each other. This is then projected through the body onto the Sphere of Sensation as a motion-picture projector projects a movie onto a scrccn—a screen that can only be seen with the psychic- eyes and fell with the psychic body.

This form of expression is very personal. For that reason, the energies, which arc by nature impersonal, are often given personal qualities, extracted from our subconscious.

They arc given human form when we interact with them as they course through our

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consciousness and physical body. If we understand ourselves and how these energies affect us, we can then understand others, as well as the whole of creation. For this reason, the aura of the student is the mirror into the students own soul, and the soul of Being.

The energies in the aura are in constant flux as a result of our thoughts, feelings, actions, and astrological conditions, as well as the elemental tides. By creating a strong focal point in the ccntcr of all this activity, wc arc able to reach out and direct the energies as we would like, and we also gain the ability to be unperturbed by events and activities around or inside of us. This focal point is our personal scat of consciousness, found in the sphere of Beauty (Tiphareth), and from this seat of power ate directed the various psychic and physical energies. This direction can manifest in the form of a conscious and enlightened ruler, or in contrast it can result in ncglcct and ignorance of the spiritual plane through a focus on materiality. The choice is ours, as we are the king who sits on the throne. It is our decisions that affect the energies of our heart and, from there, our entire being.

The pillars of the Tree of Life are astral symbols built up to concretely represent the very real etheric energies pulsing through our body, primarily through that portion of the nervous system that is near as well as within the spinal column. Because Kabbalah docs not traditionally directly address the energies of the bodv in the same wav that Eastern systems do,

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symbols are used to mediate between the body and mind. They are then supplied with emotional energy to make the connection complete. Symbols impact the mind, not the body, and they need emotions to do that. The greater part of occult training is learning how to energize symbols with emotions so that they will be effectual.

Eastern systems use svmbols as well, but in a more concrete fashion, as

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can be seen in tantric practices in which sexual energies arc directly engaged and sublimated. While this is becoming more common in Western practices, it has yet to be fully integrated to the same degree as in the Eastern systems. For this reason, anthropomorphic images arc essential in that they arouse an emotion within us that brings energy to the activity. Without this energy, symbols are dead, and esoteric practices worthless.

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