[THCengineer]

And those who, with the good strength of their spirit,
are able to raise the Holy Spark
from stone to plant,
from plant to animal,
from animal to speaking being --
they lead it into FREEDOM;
and no setting free of captives is greater than this.
It is as when a King's son is rescued
from captivity and brought to his father.
.:The Baal Shem Tov:.

Tikkun Olam = Repair of the World

In my previous lectures I've discussed the theory and practice of Tikkun as it relates to the great task of redemption initiated by Sabbatai Zevi in 1665-66 and expounded upon by Rabbi Nathan of Gaza in such works of Kabbalistic theology as A Treatise on Dragons. Here I would like to consider how the actual practice of Tikkun relates to our own time.

BACKGROUND

The cosmogony of Tikkun (Spiritual Repair) is based on the 16th century Kabbalah of Rabbi Isaac Luria who developed it from an analysis of the Zohar and various passages of Hebrew Scripture. (See, for example, Genesis 36:31-39, Here are the kings who ruled in the land of Edom before an Israelite King ruled.) The remarkable thing about this religious depiction of the origins of the universe is that it prefigures almost word for word (or, at the very least, concept for concept) the scientific theory of the so-called Big Bang. Consequently, there is empirical evidence from 20th century astrophysics that Luria's 16th century cosmogony, on which he based the notion of Tikkun, may have been valid. (This is remarkable not only because it seems to validate Luria's cosmogony, but also, by extension, the Kabbalistic texts on which it was based.)

The Thought-less Lights of Luria's Cosmogony

Briefly, Luria proposed that before the creation of the universe, God alone existed in a state of self-absorbed, undifferentiated, absolute unity, or Ein Sof. In other words, at that time God was One and his Name [YHVH] was one. At a certain point, the Ein Sof withdrew away from and into itself (the act of Tim-Tums) in order to create a space, or womb, within which to create the world. (This is sometimes characterized in Kabbalah as the YH splitting away from the VH of the Holy Name.) Part of the Ein Sof, however, called the Reshimu -- which Luria likens to the fragrance lingering in an empty bottle of perfume -- remained in, and settled to the bottom of, the primordial space; this Reshimu can be likened to that part of God which resisted or refrained from the act of creation, or what modern astrophysics calls anti-matter. (This antimatter or Reshimu is the Thoughtless Lights in Nathan Gazatti's Sabbatian text, Treatise on Dragons.)

The Shattering of the Vessels

In the act of pre mundane creation, Ein Sof directed shafts of its pure-light Essence into and out of the Primordial Space. (This process of the Divine Light going into and out of is called Histaluth and Hispastuth, respectively.) Ten vessels or Sefiroth were created in this way, beginning with those at the top (Keter, Hochmah and Binah) to those at the bottom (Malkuth) of the Primordial Space. However, while the top-most Vessels were composed of pure Ein Sof, those at the bottom were mixed with the thoughtless Reshimu, or antimatter, that refrained from creation. As a result, the latter were weaker than the former and broke apart under the weight of the others, causing the entire structure of Ten Vessels to shatter in what Luria called Sheviret HaKelim, which is directly comparable to the modern theory of Big Bang. Shards or Sparks of Divine Light from the Shattered Vessels flew off in all directions into space. Some returned to their Source (Ein Sof), while others fell into the Reshimu which encrusted each of them with an evil shell, or Klipoth. These Holy Sparks (Nitzotzot) covered by their Evil Shells (Klipoth) were the primordial debris (as the Big Bang theory calls them) out of which the worlds, and all that is in them, were created. Thus, according to Luria, what was once the Unity of God has fallen into the disunity of the world -- and, as in modern systems theory, the parts, or Sparks, seek to return to the whole, or Ein Sof, from which they broke apart.

Tikkun As Kabbalistic Theurgy

Tikkun is the theurgic process by which mankind enters into partnership with God to repair His face or Name by intentionally liberating the Holy Sparks from their Shells and consciously returning them to their Source. In the words of the Baal Shem Tov, All things of this world that belong to a person desire with all their might to draw near to him in order that the Sparks of Holiness that are in them should be raised by him back to their Source.

In the meantime, it is important to keep in mind Luria's assertion that the Kingdom of God or Olam Habah will not come into the world until all the Holy Sparks have been returned by mankind to their Divine Origin and the Unity of God is restored.

LIVING THE LIFE OF MYSTICAL TIKKUN

In summary, Luria was among the early Jewish mystics who believed that Kabbalah could be used to force the Messianic era -- that is to say, to discover a spiritual process by which the coming of the Messiah could be catalyzed. However, whereas other Kabbalists had attempted to achieve this goal by starting at the bottom of the ladder and working up, Luria was the first to develop a cosmogony by which we could begin at the top of the ladder and work down. Others reasoned that if we could perfect mankind, the Messiah would come; Luria, however, reasoned that the Messianic advent could occur only when the cosmos itself was perfected and redeemed. For this it was necessary to develop a cosmogony -- a theory of the creation of the universe -- based entirely on the Zohar and passages from the Hebrew Scriptures. Luria called this Sheviret HaKelim (Hebrew = Shattering of the Vessels) -- a cosmogony that prefigured and was validated by the Big Bang theory of astrophysics 400 years later.

Shevirit HaKelim proposes that prior to the creation of the world, God (or Ein Sof) and space existed in a state of absolute unity: God was One and his name was One. However, through the process I described earlier, that unity was shattered by a rupture in the very fabric of God himself at the moment of creation -- He and the universe were no longer coextensive -- the YH was separated from the VH -- and the debris from this cataclysmic explosion, or Holy Sparks (Hebrew = Nitzotzot), flew off in all directions, some returning to their source and others falling into the Mundane World of creation, or Asiyah.

From this cosmogony Luria offered the radical and bold proposition that not mankind alone, but the Godhead itself must be redeemed -- that is, returned to its state of pre mundane unity -- before the Messiah could establish his Father's Kingdom on Earth, or Olam HaBah.

Tikkun Olam

This redemption of the Godhead Lurianic Kabbalah calls Tikkun Olam, or Repair of the World. It is described by the Jewish Mystic, the Baal Shem Tov, in his statement: The Holy Sparks that fell when God built and destroyed the worlds, man shall raise and purify upward from stone to plant, from plant to animal, from animal to speaking being; purify the Holy Sparks that are imprisoned in the world of shells. (Instructions In Intercourse with God, trans. by Martin Buber in Origin and Meaning of Hasidism, Horizon Press, 1958) Thus, the BeShT also states, All that one has -- his servants, his animals, his tools -- all conceal sparks that belong to the roots of his soul and wish to be raised by him to their Origin [i.e., pre mundane state of unity] . . . All things that belong to him desire with all their might to draw near him in order that the sparks of holiness that are in them should be raised by him back to their Source. (ibid)

Now what sets this unique notion apart from others in Kabbalah at least, is the daring proposal that mankind is literally raised to partnership with God not only in the redemption of His universe, but also in the very repair of his Face -- which is to say, His pre mundane condition of absolute Unity, disrupted at the moment of creation. What further sets this notion apart is the equally daring proposal that such partnership with the Divine is enacted by mankind not only in the big things -- such as prayer, devotion, learning, charity, holiness, meditation, altered states of consciousness, etc. -- but also, and even for the most part, in the minutiae of everyday life -- sharpening a pencil, eating food, hugging a child, petting an animal, moving one's bowels, cleaning a cat box, seeing a dead animal on the road, brushing one's teeth -- from which the Holy Sparks can and must be liberated and returned to their Source by our theurgic Kavanah, or Holy Intention.

Living the Sacramental Life

Man eats them, man drinks them, man uses them; these are the Sparks that dwell in the things -- in the actions of men also, indeed even in the sins they do -- dwell Holy Sparks of the Glory of God. Therefore, one should have mercy on his tools and all his possessions for the sake of the Sparks that are in them; one should have mercy on the Holy Sparks. -- The Ba'al Shem Tov

This, then, is the sacramental life, described by Buber: the daily and conscious act of intentionally acknowledging and releasing the Divine Sparks entrapped in everything we touch and see and returning them to unity with God, their Source.

Such a point-of-view saturates even the most trivial minutiae of life with holiness and meaning. Everything we look at, touch and do becomes a sacrament. Nothing in life -- from the time we awaken in the morning to the time we go to sleep at night (and even in our dreams) -- is devoid of the potential for joining in partnership with God in the repair of His unity.

NEO-SABBATIAN KABBLAH AS TRANS-RELIGIOUS MYSTICISM

We live in a world divided, unfortunately, by denominational religion. Where is the ground of spiritual meeting, for example, between Jew and Christian? or Muslim and Jew? or any of these with spiritually-oriented, secular humanists? Apart from their admittedly important, shared belief in God (or even a Higher Power), there are no specific practices which unite rather than separate them -- none, that is, except Tikkun and the Sacramental Life.

Tikkun: The Trans-Religious Mysticism

Tikkun Olam can be practiced by anyone, of any religion, and even by those who espouse no religion at all. It combines all four Yogas of Vedanta: Bhakti (devotion), Raja (meditation), Karma (action/service), Jan (reasoning); it addresses the Lord's Prayer of Yeshua HaNotzri, that the Father's Will be done on earth as it is in heaven; it engages in the reconciliation of opposites central to Hinduism and Buddhism; it can even be viewed within the non-religious framework of modern, scientific systems theory -- that is, as a psychospiritual technology for restoring the universe to its Pre-Big Bang state of what physicists call quasi-stationary equilibrium.

It makes no difference if one calls God Allah, Jehovah, Christ, Krishna, the Higher Self, Buddha-Consciousness or even nothing at all. It makes no difference if one prays in Hebrew, Latin, Arabic, Sanskrit, English, or even not at all. It makes no difference if one attends a Mosque, Synagogue, Church, Temple or even no-place at all. it makes no difference if one is a theist, atheist or agnostic. The same, fundamental notion of Tikkun Olam applies equally to all: it is given to us to restore the universe to its pre mundane condition of unity.

Whether we call the cataclysmic event of creation the Big Bang or Sheviret HaKelim -- whether we call the cast-off products of that event either space debris or Holy Sparks -- the same task gives meaning to our lives: by our intentionality, to raise that debris, those Holy Sparks, back to their source (whatever you choose to call it) and thereby return the universe to its pre-creational unity -- or, if you prefer, its State of Grace.

[THCengineer]

Saint Francis of Assisi

Not to hurt our humble brethren (the animals) is our first duty to them, but to stop there is not enough. We have a higher mission - to be of service to them whenever they require it. If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men.

SERMON TO THE BIRDS
by Saint Francis of Assisi

Dear little beloved birds,
Much burden are you to God, your Creator, and always in every place ought you to praise Him for that He has given you liberty to fly about everywhere and has also given you double and triple raiment. Moreover he preserved your seed in the ark of Noah, that your race might not perish out of the world. Still more are you beholden to Him for the element of the air which He has appointed for you beyond all this.You do not sow neither do you reap. And God feeds you and gives you the streams and fountains for your drink. The mountains and the valleys for your refuge and the high trees whereon to make your nests and because you know not how to spin or sew God clothes you. You and your children, wherefore your Creator loves you much, seeing that He has bestowed on you so many benefits, and therefore beloved little creatures beware of the sin of ingratitude, and study always to give praise unto God...

CANTICLE OF THE SUN
by Saint Francis of Assisi

Most High, all-powerful, all-good Lord,
All praise is Yours, all glory, honor and blessings.
To you alone, Most High, do they belong
no mortal lips are worthy to pronounce Your Name... We praise You, Lord, for all Your creatures,
especially for Brother Sun,
who is the day through whom You give us light.
And he is beautiful and radiant with great splendor,
of You Most High, he bears your likeness... We praise You, Lord, for Sister Moon and the stars,
in the heavens you have made them bright, precious and fair.
We praise You, Lord, for Brothers Wind and Air,
fair and stormy, all weather's moods,
by which You cherish all that You have made... We praise You, Lord, for Sister Water,
so useful, humble, precious and pure.
We praise You, Lord, for Brother Fire,
through whom You light the night.
He is beautiful, playful, robust, and strong... We praise You, Lord, for Sister Earth,
who sustains us
with her fruits, colored flowers, and herbs... We praise You, Lord, for those who pardon,
for love of You bear sickness and trial.
Blessed are those who endure in peace,
by You Most High, they will be crowned... We praise You, Lord, for Sister Death,
from whom no-one living can escape.
Woe to those who die in their sins..!
Blessed are those that She finds doing Your Will.
No second death can do them harm... We praise and bless You, Lord,
and give You thanks,
and serve You in all humility...

[St. Phatty]

I think the deer are a little like Edward Scissorhand.

They custom sculpt all the rose bushes, and after the deer leave the bushes grow all new wierd shapes.

The deer don't talk much, but they're great listeners.

I think since animals tend to live in the moment, which can be more like an LSD trip than the smart-phone constant electronic interruption world most humans live in ...

on the rare occasion when an animal (like a deer) is not afraid of you,
and you talk to it - I think some of them trip out on it.

It might be as strange to them, as it would be to us
if the deer talked back.

[THCengineer]

St. Phatty, your observations persuade me that you, as have I, contemplated the nature of the consciousness of animals.

I recall reading that some shamans are able to enter the minds of animals, and experience their lives in a total immersion wherein they actually BECOME that creature temporarily.

However, a caution was included, to wit, that a human could lose themselves in that state and be unable to return to their actual human body.

Personally, I have not attempted this, but I do think that all living beings, from the largest to the microscopic, enjoy a state of childlike ecstasy unknown to the human race.

Also, during one of my recent early morning walks, I encountered 5 deer that I gently spoke to, and they paused in their tracks as though responding to my voice. I was thrilled to behold their grace and poise, but was distressed to think of Georgia USA hunters lining them up in their sights and callously slaughtering such innocent and perfect creatures.

Originally Posted by St. Phatty

I think the deer are a little like Edward Scissorhand.

They custom sculpt all the rose bushes, and after the deer leave the bushes grow all new wierd shapes.

The deer don't talk much, but they're great listeners.

I think since animals tend to live in the moment, which can be more like an LSD trip than the smart-phone constant electronic interruption world most humans live in ...

on the rare occasion when an animal (like a deer) is not afraid of you, and you talk to it - I think some of them trip out on it.

It might be as strange to them, as it would be to us
if the deer talked back.

[THCengineer]

TANGLEWOOD CATHEDRAL

My morning walk 'midst nature is my

Prayer in the Tanglewood Cathedral of Glory.

I join the reverent congregation of forest folk

Gathering beneath columns of trees arching high overhead.

Cherubic choirs of songbirds singing love-offerings.

Hovering dragonfly-archangels presiding.

Squirrel and chipmunk deacons assisting.

Cicadas chanting ineffable liturgies from verdant palisades.

Acolyte bees performing sacred rites upon wildflower alters.

Iridescent beetles reflecting heavenly hues into my soul.

Fellow-pilgrim ants leading the way to the Promised Land.

.:AA:.

[St. Phatty]

Originally Posted by THCengineer

St. Phatty, your observations persuade me that you, as have I, contemplated the nature of the consciousness of animals.

I recall reading that some shamans are able to enter the minds of animals, and experience their lives in a total immersion wherein they actually BECOME that creature temporarily.

However, a caution was included, to wit, that a human could lose themselves in that state and be unable to return to their actual human body.

Personally, I have not attempted this, but I do think that all living beings, from the largest to the microscopic, enjoy a state of childlike ecstasy unknown to the human race.

Also, during one of my recent early morning walks, I encountered 5 deer that I gently spoke to, and they paused in their tracks as though responding to my voice. I was thrilled to behold their grace and poise, but was distressed to think of Georgia USA hunters lining them up in their sights and callously slaughtering such innocent and perfect creatures.

Thanks !

I had a close encounter with a large great white in 2002. I don't know if I mentioned that in this thread.

The supernatural thing about it was, I did not see the shark. I experienced the massive overwhelming adrenaline fear response.

I had trouble reconciling the 2, got tired of the mental battle, and went shopping for computer stuff in my wetsuit

which means I can pee just standing there in the parking lot hee hee hee


Anyway, I had plenty of time to think about it, and also met another ocean swimmer type who had a very similar experience at a beach about 4 miles from mine, about 4 days later.

November 2002 was a very sharky time in La Jolla, I found out about a year later in a 2003 newspaper article.

About a lobster diver who saw the great white I somehow felt - the day before my dive at the same exact location. He was in a typical 22 foot lobster boat, saw the shark, and felt un-safe enough to cut his day short.

I was diving on Tuesday Nov. 20, the lobster fisherman had his experience on Monday Nov. 19, Nov. 22 was Thanksgiving and also had the biggest waves of the season, and Friday Nov. 23 the other surfer aborted his dive because of a shark he couldn't see, at the break a few miles away.


One of my ideas about what I felt was, I felt the fear of the seals. They tend to huddle in the sea-grass hoping the shark won't see them, then when they need air they have to make a run for the shoreline, during which time they are exposed to the fish.

They can see a lot better than me, they understand the gravity of the situation, and they're about as smart as dogs.

[St. Phatty]

I was just telling my rooster what a good guy he is for taking care of some new baby hens without humping them.