Merkavah Mysticism

[David Clapper]

Hi y'all,

One of my reasons for being very interested in astral projection is that early post-biblical Jewish mysticism has a number of "mysterious" descriptions of ascents to heaven. I have developed a few theories of what this all entails (one of which involves the effect one's culture and upbringing has on the type of experiences one has while out of body), and want very much to test this out for myself instead of being restricted to the realms of theory. So apart from my own nascent efforts to project astrally, I was wondering if anyone had already tried these out, or is interested in trying to follow the route traced out in the Heichalot texts.
 
In the Zohar, the Heichalot, "Chambers", are described as the seven chambers of light perceived by the mystic during prayer, or by a righteous person as his soul passes away from this world and ascends on high (Zohar I, 38a-45b and Zohar II, 244b-268b).


Here is an example of an early (i.e. approx 1000 years before the Zohar was published) Heichalot text.

Rabbi Ishmael said: How beloved is Israel before the Holy, Blessed One! Even more than the ministering angels! For [when] the angels want to recite songs first, before making, for instance, mountains of fire or hills of flame, the Holy, Blessed One says to them, 'Be silent, until I have listened to the songs and praises, prayers and pleasant melodies of Israel' as it is written, 'When the morning stars sang together' (Job 38:7)--this [refers to Israel--'and all the sons of God shouted for joy' (Job 38:7)--this refers to the ministering angels. When all the ministering angels and all the angels of the firmament hear the sound of the songs and praises that Israel sings below, they immediately open [their mouths and] in a loud voice say 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory' (Isaiah 6:3).

When the time arrives for the angels to sing [a song] and melody, the angel Shmu''el, the great, honoured and awesome prince stands at the windows of the lower firmament to listen intently to the sound of the songs, praises and melodies that arise from the synagogues and study houses, and lets the children of the firmament and the holy creatures listen. And when he has heard and has let every firmament hear, immediately countless classes of camps and armies of angels descend into the midst of the rivers of fire and the rivers of flame, and immerse themselves seven times, and examine themselves in the fire three hundred and sixty five times, in accordance [with the fact that] they are appointed to [do] worldly work and descend each day to bring peace to the world. And when the time of song arrives, they ascend to the firmament and purify themselves in the fire. But do angels require immersion? [Certainly not! But] because of the smell of those born of woman, who are masters of uncleanness and fluxes, they therefore immerse themselves in fire. Then they go like the angels of the seventh heaven (?).

After this they call to each other and talk to each other, and ascend from the rivers of fire with each others permission, and make themselves like light and like the most radiant lightning. Then they ascend by a ladder of fire, until they reach the armies of the seventh heaven, the pure chashmal(?), the holy creatures, the wheels of the chariot, the high and exalted throne of glory. Immediately they stand in awe and reverence, in fear and humility, and cover their faces with their wings in order not to look upon the form of God sitting on the chariot. Then they stand in classes of thousands upon thousands, many myriads, and hosts of hosts beyond number before the throne of the glory. And at that moment, the Holy Blessed One sits on the throne of glory filling the whole world, as it says, The whole world is full of His glory (Isaiah 6:3). Even the holy creatures prepare and sanctify themselves, with each one of the million crowns of [different] types of light on their heads, dressed in garments of light, and with their faces wrapped in lightning, while the Holy Blessed One [turns] His face from the holy creatures.

Then the 'wheels' of beauty, the cherubim of glory, and the holy creatures, sanctify, purify, clothe and wrap themselves more because the chariot is in front of them, the throne of glory is above their heads, and the Shechinah is high above them, and the rivers of fire are passing between them. Therefore they prepare, brighten and purify themselves with light seventy times, and then all of them stand in purity and holiness and recite songs, praises, melodies, exaltations, adulations, acclamations, and paeans, with [one] voice, one speech, one knowledge, and one melody.

And not only this, but some of these million myriads of ministering angels also fall into the burning rivers of fire, and are burnt up. Why? Because anyone who precedes or follows in song is immediately burnt, while even the holy creatures contain neither 'before' nor 'after' since their standing, 'planting', and shining are all done in unison. They direct the four legs of the throne, each leg corresponding to another, each wheel corresponding to another, each creature corresponding to another, each cherub corresponding to another, and each melody corresponding to another. Then they open their mouths in song, in holiness and purity, with a 'still small voice' [I Kings 19:12], as it is said, 'and after the earthquake...a still small voice', and they raise the chariot with the sound of songs and praises.

At that moment, holy beings sanctify themselves, pure beings offer praise, angelic beings exult, wheels laud, creatures and angels sing and divide into three classes of millions and myriads, and say, Holy, holy, holy. One class says 'Holy' and falls on its face; [then another class says 'Holy, holy' and falls on its face;] and then another class says 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts'. The holy creatures from under the throne respond and say 'Blessed is the glory of the Lord from its place' (Ezekiel 3:12) because the Shechinah is in every place. In the future, the Shechinah will return to its place, to the house of the Holy of Holies, and will say, 'Blessed is the glory of the Lord from its place'....

from Seder Rabbah

[daem0n]

well, it is spontaneus combustion when 3 dimensional body tried to ascend into 4d without 4d body utilising aforementioned merkaba

[David Clapper]

It's pretty dramatic isn't it? The combustion could be seen as transformation and purification (burning away the dross). Nothing I've read in the published experiences of modern OOBE'ers describes this. Have you been through something similar?

[daem0n]

well, it is painful death, because of the aforementioned dross
you cannot ascend with dross, you will just leave everything that contains dross (and when it is head the whole point of it ceases, doesn't it)
and this concerns physical body, not oobe, i had such experience within my ancestry, not fun
if you want good story about oobe check out
http://www.astralpulse.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=10506
here you have drama
i also had my share of dramas, all of them thanks to my stupidity, drama is NOT a good sign, true progress is gradual (well, the one exception being enlightment experiences)

[Beth]

Dear David,

Nice to hear from you.  I hope you are doing well and are fruitful in your labors.   The following is what I can offer regarding your question…and most of it you may already know….

First, the Semitic word "merkabah" is based upon the verb "to ride, or to mount" upon which is built the noun "chariot" or "merkabah."  

There is however, another meaning for "merkabah" – and that is "from entering the fiery vision."  I think this latter meaning is more in keeping with what these ancient texts are relating rather than a chariot per se.  (BTW: "chasmal" is indicative of a "shining substance" or some kind of visually apparent "brilliance.")    

I will say that yes, it is certainly possible for one to have a related experience, and in variant ways from the details of the Hekhalot literature (which derives its name from the “palaces” or “temples” that appear in the visions.)  

With any of the ancient texts that you may be studying, be very careful reading them literally.  If I may suggest, abstract out the main themes, such as "light," "wind," certain sounds like the "sound of angels wings," as well as the related physical sensations, and allow the rest of the details to be filled in with your own conscious impressions (from the subconscious data you acquired that passed through your experiential filters upon reentry.)  

These ancient texts were written by mystics that lived in a very different world with a very different belief structure.  They lived in a time when "chariots" were the fastest mode of transportation; "palaces" were the highest and best places to live, and so forth and so on...

I have no doubt that outside of the cultural details, whatever those mystics experienced ... we too can experience as well.  It all depends upon what path you are willing to walk.  Even though I do not take the details literally, the strong language used in the Hekhalot literature was not without reason.  The path of the Merkabah Mystic is not for the faint hearted...it is written that only the purest and most righteous -- the zadiq -- are even offered the experience, and subsequently a great deal is expected of such a person.  

R. Aquiba is thought to be one of the writers of these texts, as well as a character in the "four rabbis and the pardes" aggadah. It is said that out of the four, only Aquiba "ascended" and "descended" in peace.  The name "Aquiba" can carry the meaning "I shall enter the fire."  So, bottom line, you have to be willing to pay a price for the privilege of the vision...  

I have a lot more to add on this topic, but this is enough for now…

Peace,
Beth

[David Clapper]

Peace Beth,

Thanks for your reply. You wrote

There is however, another meaning for "merkabah" – and that is "from entering the fiery vision."

. What is your source for this interpretation?

I have been reading a book by Rabbi Ariel Bar Tzadok (founder of Yeshivat Bnei Nevi'im) called "Sefer LeHagid HaEmet", in which he discusses the descent of the four rabbis into the Merkabah. He explains Akiva's warning as one not to mistake visions for reality. Aher became a dualist because he saw Metraton standing next to the Holy One and assumed there were two. Ben Zoma couldn't integrate his experience with his physical consciousness and went mad, and Ben Azzai simply left his body for good. He explains that the four Rabbis were actually making an attempt to get the Messiah to come in view of the Roman oppression. The attempt was a failure. Akiva came back hale and hearty (thinking he had succeeded) and the "mistook" Bar Kochba for the messiah. In the end he suffered for his presumption as well.

I must admit, taking due heed of all the warnings, I would dearly love to hear the Bat Kol and to see the halls of marble. Another plan is to travel back to Sinai to experience the giving of the Torah. And does the Angel Metatron really exist? I wonder though to what extent you can "conjure" up such experiences. Your unconscious is highly influenced by your cultural milieu. I have also learned that my unconscious has its own agenda and I usually end up having the experiences I was meant to have instead of the ones I consciously wanted.

Anyway, to the extent I make progress in this direction I shall, in due course, submit my findings. I was merely interested if anyone else had tried this path out.

Kind regards,

David

[Beth]

Dear David,

Hello there!  You asked for my source on an additional meaning of "Merkabah."  Once again, you may know some of this already, so pardon if I start with a very basic introductory explanation.

Semitic words are all built from 3-letter (consonant) roots where letters are added in prefix, suffix, or infix to form verbs, regular nouns, proper nouns, adjectives, etc.  Ancient Hebrew also did not have vowels as do other languages, and it would not be until the 600-800's of the current era that the Masoretic vowel pointing system would be created.  So essentially, the entire Semitic vocabulary as we find it in the bible and the earliest rabbinical literature has been created through numerous combinations of these consonantal roots, and as such there are many words that are related to more than one verb--some of which are totally unsuspected!  

For example, the syllables of the noun "Chariot" break down in the following way:

M=preposition prefix "of or from"
RKB=verb "to ride" or "to mount"

In combination, the Semitic word for "Chariot" is m--rkabah---a noun built upon the verb rakab which means "to mount or to ride."  

Since different combinations of consonant roots with prefixes, suffixes and infixes are all used throughout the language to create the vocabulary, as long as the syllables are accurately assigned to the consonants involved, then there are many possible word combinations that can be just as legitimate as any other.  Granted, scriptural references and rabbincal use are always important to use as supporting evidence, but when other traditional literary keys are used such as gematria, then the rules change dramatically.  It is essentially translator's choice.

I mentioned that merkabah can also mean "from entering the firey/burning vision" because it is just as legitimate as any other combination.  This is how this phrase is created:

M=preposition "of" or "from"
Rah=verb "to see" "to envision" or as a noun "vision"
Kuh=verb "to burn" or the noun "burning" or "fiery"
Bah=verb "to enter"

Hence, "of/from entering the firey/burning vision" or "from entering the vision of fire."  

I also made mention of this possibility because it is just as possible to experience a "firey vision" as it is to experience a "chariot."  Since both of these are of a visionary nature, then any of the possible combinations could be the case.  In other words, you would not call a vision of say a "sandstorm" a merkabah, because the word/phrase for a sandstorm would be a different root combination--but a "chariot" or "fire" would be appropriate.

As to the talmudic story of the four rabbi's this too is open to interpretation---and has been interpreted a number of different ways through the centuries.  Check out some of the other possible meanings of the story to get an idea of how--just about everything--in this ancient material has been treated in Judaism as "open to interpretation."  

Do I think that you or I could actually have the same visions as these ancient rabbis--or actually visit Sinai at the time that the law was being given??? Or even meet Metatron? My immediate answer is No.  We cannot. First, I think the ancients were writing with heavy metaphorical language and it is dangerous (or just a waste of time) to think of them in a literal sense.  Moreover, Merkabah Mysticism is very much a language based mysticism where "combining the letters" are essential to obtaining the visions, and may actually mean that the visions are linguistic in nature and as such tell a story of their own.  In other words, it would be through combining the letters that we would be able to understand the visions.  Second, visions and astral experiences are highly individualized, and as such (like you said) we see and experience those things that we are supposed to see and experience.  

Now, is it possible to experience the chariot or go to Sinai for the giving of the Law, or to meet Metatron??  Sure it is possible but that does not mean that it is necessarily something that can ever be repeated, let alone shared by a majority of people.  If you find that you have had such a vision, it would be your personal vision to behold and to cherish.

Oh, and one more thing.  Qol can be specific such as an "oral teaching" but can also be more general as a bath qol which would be an inner voice that originates in the divine realm or from the Holy Spirit: Bath meaning "inner" and Qol meaning "sound" or "voice."  

If you want to know more about the four rabbis and the halls of marble, etc., there are many different interpretations and/or rabbincal commentaries to be studied.  And yes, please keep me posted on your progress and your experiences.  

Peace,
Beth

[David Clapper]

Peace Beth,

M=preposition "of" or "from"
Rah=verb "to see" "to envision" or as a noun "vision"
Kuh=verb "to burn" or the noun "burning" or "fiery"
Bah=verb "to enter"

I like that.

First, I think the ancients were writing with heavy metaphorical language and it is dangerous (or just a waste of time) to think of them in a literal sense.

One of the reasons I became interested in astral projection was to ground all the things you can read (and you'll admit there is a lot) in terms of experience, in order to gain a measure of intellectual security (a psychological need). To the extent that consciousness is an individual affair, I agree that what you experience is highly individualised. However, I am not so sure of the extent to which consciousness is individualised. It may be possible to tune into some shared mental structure which allows you to "download" the absolute meaning of a symbol (and good old religious me does believe that absolute meaning exists). Granted, your own mind will try to turn that into what it will. But who knows, maybe the override will be sufficient to change your concepts in a flash. Another possibility is that the downloaded kernel in your unconscious will transform your conceptualisation in a gradual way. I'm not convinced that a literal approach is necessarily dangerous or useless. A universal symbol would have to be taken literally. And the greater the extent to which it reflects a universal truth, the more literally you would have to take it.

For example:
Did the giving of the Torah at Sinai actually occur on the physical plane? What was the absolute meaning hidden within the shell (klippah) of this symbol? A lot has been written on this Kabbalistically, but which of the various interpretations approaches the truth? Imagine I do experience Sinai in a literal sense while travelling in the astral (or elsewhere). Maybe it's a "mindblowing" experience which radically changes my life, and, much to my wife and children's distress I start walking around in a toga, my beard turns snowy white, and, wielding a large walking stick (a la Cecille B. de Mille), I call the Children of Israel to repent for the end is nigh. Alternatively, I wake up the next morning with a strong intuitive "gut" feeling of what the significance of the symbol of Sinai is. This feeling grows in me and, nine months later, I give birth to a beautiful baby idea. To everyone else my idea is relative (forgive the pun   ), but to me I now "know" what the truth is, it is absolute. Where I'm speculating is my assumption that the symbol of Sinai does contain a lot of absolute truth in it. It may well be that I come back with the feeling of it all having been a fraud. But then I will at least "know" that for sure.

And maybe at the end of all my "knowings", gradually transforming my consciousness, I reach the ultimate "knowing" (the world of the Throne). My point is that I think these literal symbols have value.[/i]

[Beth]

Dear David,

You wrote:

My point is that I think these literal symbols have value.

Of course symbols have value.  What I question is your use of the term "literal" in conjunction with "symbol."  Symbols are always arbitrary and conventional.  Symbols provide for likeness or similarity, never what something "literally" is.  

From Websters for "Symbol":
1 : an authoritative summary of faith or doctrine : CREED
2 : something that stands for or suggests something else by reason of relationship, association, convention, or accidental resemblance;  especially   : a visible sign of something invisible *the lion is a symbol of courage*
3 : an arbitrary or conventional sign used in writing or printing relating to a particular field to represent operations, quantities, elements, relations, or qualities
4 : an object or act representing something in the unconscious mind that has been repressed *phallic symbols*
5 : an act, sound, or object having cultural significance and the capacity to excite or objectify a response

I list these meanings to show that even the word "symbol" has various meanings, depending upon the context.  I hope you do not think I am splitting hairs here, but a "symbol" by its very nature is something that is representative of something else.  Take the "cross" for example:  a cross is a symbol that is found in many different cultures, but carries different meanings for some, and somewhat similar meanings for others. BUT--the very shape of a cross has the potential to elicit certain meanings that a circle, for example, cannot.  My point is that "symbols taken literally" is technically impossible in a universal sense, e.g., one the one hand, a vision of being at a crossroad could "symbolically" mean the same as a "literal cross" and on the other hand, an Egyptian in 2,000 bce would have a very different idea of what a cross symbolizes than would a 21st century Christian.  

Jung is the best resource to fully understand universal symbolism in his treatment of archetypes.   There are many different ways in which the masculine, the feminine, and the trickster, for example, can manifest themselves.  Your example of Mt Sinai could be echoed with Mt Olympus in Greek Myth as the place where the gods dwell--both being symbols of the same idea.  

As to your description of an astral experience where you actually go to Sinai, etc., this is certainly possible, but do not be too surprised if there is a bit of "bleed-through" of what you see there....for example, you may be there talking with God and receiving the law, and all of the sudden a Dominoes Pizza Delivery truck pulls up and you are propelled into a birthday party for a nine year old!  In other words, the astral realms can be very unpredictable, and to have certain expectations may lead to certain disappointment.  

I do wish you all the best in your journey, both here and there.  Just don't stop seeking....

Peace,
Beth

[David Clapper]

Hi Beth,

I understand that "literal symbols" sounds like a contradiction in terms, but perhaps what I mean could better put as "taking symbols seriously". So in essence we are in agreement (I think). We cannot be conscious without symbols and, the way I look at things, we don't perceive anything else, either in this world or the next. The question is how to deal with them. To quote Daniel Matt in "The Essential Kabbalah",

The Kabbalists grew adept at walking the tightrope between blind fundamentalism and mystical anarchy, though a number of them lost their balance and fell into one extreme or the other

In his book "Homo Ludens", the Dutch historian Johan Huizinga speaks of a child playing a game which, while he is playing it, is as real as anything else. However, the child is nevertheless still aware somewhere in his mind that it is "just" a game.

In Jewish tradition, Merkavah mysticism is derived from Ezekial's vision of the Chariot. To quote Daniel Matt again,

An entire literature developed recounting the visionary exploits of those who followed in Ezekial's footsteps, among them some of the leading figures of rabbinic Judaism

While aware that what they saw was the mind's attempt to give form to the formless, there was, nevertheless, an acceptance of the vocabulary of symbols they were experiencing. And that is the religious context.

My original question in starting this thread was intended to find out if anyone still alive has followed their footsteps and how they interpreted their experiences, in a modern context.

It may turn out that I am the first one to do this (which I find hard to believe). Thank you for wishing me well on my journey!

Shalom alayich,

David

[mercuriophilus]

Dear David and Beth,

Thank you for the interesting and somewhat lively discussion in this thread so far. Reading your posts has given me several fun ideas to ponder.

I hope my question isn't too far off topic, but here goes:

In accord with David, I feel that the symbols and experiences as recorded in the Merkabah tradition are valuable and to be taken seriously. I know from my own experiences that astral/mystical events can be very hard to describe in words. Having said that, and I'm about to make an assumption here, I feel that the writers of the Heichalot literature, et al., were making a serious attempt to capture in words the doubtlessly miraculous and "mind-blowing" images and sensations encountered on their 'journeys.' However, other motivations (e.g. political, poetic, personal agenda) can't be discounted.

I also agree with Beth, in that interpreting symbols and experiences from a culture or tradition distantly removed from our contemporary associative contexts can be dangerous if not futile.  But, that really shouldn't stop us from trying, eh?  

..um, so now, to my question:

David wrote:

I have been reading a book by Rabbi Ariel Bar Tzadok (founder of Yeshivat Bnei Nevi'im) called "Sefer LeHagid HaEmet", in which he discusses the descent of the four rabbis into the Merkabah.

I've been studying Jewish mysticism for a number of years now, but I am by no means an expert.  I have encountered and pondered the phrase "descend to the Merkabah" and its like on several occasions. This usage seems very odd to me.  It seems that there is an intentional inversion of the the standard and ubiquitous orientational metaphor up is good::heaven is up in that what we read here in the quoted phrase is Merkabah is down. I say 'intentional' because as above I believe the writers in question choose their language and symbols carefully.  So...what could be going on here?

What do you think guys?

Vale,
Whitt

P.S.   This is my very first post, so be gentle with me.  K?    

[David Clapper]

Welcome to the discussion Whitt,

I agree with you that the early Merkavah Mystics chose their language very carefully. Which is why, in view of the repeated (= shared = objective) experimentation, I feel justified in treating their symbology "literally"; at any rate, as literally as I would physical reality.

  To add more question marks to your question: in his essay on Merkavah mysticism and gnosticism, Gershom G. Scholem notes that the earliest Merkavah mystics wrote of an "ascent" to the Merkavah, it was only around 500 AD that the terminology changed to "descent".  In the words of a favourite reggae artist of mine "wha 'appen?". I don't know. I feel these kinds of questions can only be answered through experience. It's like astral archaeology to retrace the steps of these mystics. Hopefully one day I'll be able to answer you. At present I have yet to even become conscious in my real-time body (I am on day 34 of MAP), although I have had a few near misses. One idea I have is that the descent refers to the descent into a trance, where (according to MAP) you keeping visualising/feeling yourself descending with some image or another.

Another interesting detail is the posture adopted by the Merkavah Mystics, bent over forwards with their head on their knees. Personally my stomach gets in the way, so I'll need someone younger and fitter to test that one out

[Beth]

Dear David and Whitt (welcome!)

Because I have no doubt that a large part of the mystical tradition that we are discussing was in fact a language-based mysticism, and that the ancient and medieval Jews were genii with their use of language, it is now a matter of course for me to turn to their language first in my search for meaning of their written words.  

The seeming contradiction between the words ascending and descending and their use by these mystics is without doubt puzzling.  I too thought the same as you David only a few years ago, that descending was that sense of moving downward into trance that commonly occurs immediately prior to an out of body experience--in which I then ascended.  That certainly made sense to me at the time, satisfying both my personal experience as well as my need to understand these mystic’s use of the terms.  But I have also ascended through the astral and upon entering an astral plane I first appeared there from above and then descended down into the environment of that plane.  This immediately gave me another possible meaning of "descend" to contemplate and if I remember correctly, this happened just about the time I had made up my mind that descending was that sensation of moving into the trance state.  

I feel it is important to share with you that having my astral experiences in conjunction with studying this mystical tradition has been quite elusive—e.g., as soon as I think I have something figured out, the bar is raised or the rules seem to change and I find that I must learn yet another meaning for what I seek.  This elusive pursuit agrees with the material that we use to study this tradition and the more I know about these mystics, the less this surprises me!  

Because I turn to their language for understanding, I will offer this word study for your contemplation:

The Semitic word “ascend” is alah ('lh / ayin-lamed-hey) which finds it root with al ('l / ayin-lamed) and means “highest” or “aloft” and is used as el “God” or “Most High.”  But this same word is also a primary preposition that means “above, over, upon and against” as well as the noun ol or owl ('l / ayin-lamed) which means “yoke” (as something imposed upon the neck.) Other words that are built upon this root are:  


ulla ('l' / ayin-lamed-aleph) which means “burden”
alah ('lh / ayin-lamed-hey) in another sense of “to ascend” or “to be high” “to carry up” or “to lift” in the context of a “burnt offering” but this same word is also used in the more mundane context of “climbing stairs.”  With the addition of a vav ('lwh / ayin-lamed-vav-hey) we find alvah with the very different meaning of “perverseness” or “iniquity.”  

When the vav and hey are replaced with a yod, we find illay ('lay / ayin-lamed-yod) returning us once again to "supreme god" or "most high."  By placing a hey at the end of illay (ayin-lamed-yod-hey) we find “lofty” “sky” or “upper chamber.”  This is the way that the Semitic langauge works, in that many shades of meaning can be created through the use of three-consonant-roots and only through combining these roots with other letters (especially yod, hey and vav) that we can discover the fullness of a word's meaning.  

Now, the Semitic word for “descend” is yared (yod-reish-dalet,) the same word as the proper noun Jordan and is built upon the root yara/yarah which means “to flow downward” as water/rain, or “to throw/shoot” as with an arrow.  Yara is also the root of morah which means "teacher" and Torah which means "direction" or "instruction" and is commonly known to us as The Law.  Now, interestingly enough, yara is also the same word that means “to fear” as used in the Commandment, “You shall fear the Lord thy God…” and could also be translated to mean “reverence” changing the tone of the commandment to “You shall revere the Lord thy God…”

As you can see, it is not that easy to determine what these ancient mystics were actually communicating.  I do know that they used language to the maximum capability and just because we can translate the words descend and ascend and find certain meaning in our own language and our own experiences, does not mean that some of these other meanings were not the actual intended meanings woven into an esoteric narrative sequence.   In other words, by taking these words literally we may be missing the whole point (which in Greek is hamartia and the word for “sin” as well as "missing the mark" as in shooting an arrow.) Moreover, the understanding that we have of needing first to ascend in order to descend to the Merkabah could also mean, just to name three possible meanings, that we should make the highest god the goal of our instruction, or more generally we must be lifted up in our instruction or even that it is by living in a world of iniquity that we must learn to revere God.  

Just some things to ponder...

Peace,
Beth

[David Clapper]

Dear Beth,

Thank you for sharing your experiences trying to figure out what ‘descent into the Merkavah' means. I find your experience most interesting, however elusive. It is the sort of input I was looking for when I started this thread. I truly hope I too will be able to add something useful to this discussion one day.

While we are on the subject of linguistics (I am restricted to Hebrew and Aramaic I'm afraid), one of the meanings of the root yud-reysh-dalet is “humbling” (viz Genesis 27:40). Perhaps “laredet” in this sense means to annihilate the ego (“bitul haYesh”). The Ba’al Shem Tov was renowned for his “trips” to heaven and “bitul haYesh” forms a major part of the Chassidic mystical path. Perhaps the tradition is not so lost after all? Perhaps the world of the Merkavah Mystics is not so far away as we may think?

One last question, while out of the body, have you tried to experience any of the symbols described in the Heichalot literature?

Kind regards,

David

[Beth]

Dear David,

I must go run some errands, but for now I will answer your last question first.  You asked:

while out of the body, have you tried to experience any of the symbols described in the Heichalot literature?

I have never been successful at "trying" to come out of my body.  Whenever I have "tried" I am met with disappointment...

The many experiences I have had, have all been spontaneous and the details of the events have been a total surprise.  I will say that it has been during my years of study that these experiences have come, but I have not pre-programmed anything in particular to occur.  While this may certainly be possible, all of the experiences I have been blessed with have "just happened."
 
I will respond to the other questions later this evening, okay?

Peace,
Beth