Fruit Fly

Oh to be fearless like the fruit fly, willing to die, as it leaps and drowns in a glass of wine.

Initiation

Initiation in the shadow of the trees on one's knees; in a pool of water, wings flutter, dancing flame on one's head, to our old self dead.

Leon Bahrman.

Subtle and Soft

Subtle and Soft

Soothing waves caress

A motion -

Emotion -

I am blessed

Speak to me

A thousand words

A thousand valkyries

Save me from the field

I will yield

Come bear me up

Take to flight

Take me to your halls of light

Shield bearing arms of silk

Softly alight across the field

Ever so near - Yet

Cannot grasp.

Leon Bahrman 12/19/10

The Eagle and the Ass

There was once a mouse who lost his way, and was alienated from his home high over the craggy mountains. But a faithful eagle always flew over head, watching him as he grew up in the city below- guiding him when ever he could.

The mouse grew up in the city, and befriended a donkey who gave him a ride to school each day. Also, the donkey was very useful, for he would carry his books which were so heavy.

One day, the mouse felt very lonely and nostalgic for his home far away. He could remember very little, but he knew he was loved and missed, and longed to be reunited with his parents. Seeing this, the eagle swooped down and spoke with the mouse. "If you think you are ready, we will make the journey over precipice and peak, and though valley and dale. You may ride the donkey as far as possible, as he may save you some strength for the Quest. But, I warn you, the time will be when you'll come to a place which he cannot pass, at the end of the path- a precipice so high and steep, only I can carry you safely across." This news made the mouse sad for he loved the donkey very much, and grew very fond of him, but the longing in his heart was compelling him forward to make the dangerous journey.

So, they set off on the Quest. Through the rocky passes, and mountainous peaks they would go. Eventually, the donkey became very tired, and the mouse had to lighten his load by throwing out some heavy text books that seemed useless now. They ventured on, but still the donkey was weary. He had to lighten his load even more, throwing out book after book, until he had to part with even the most important of books that he thought he could not to be without.

Then the time arrived, the path came to it's end. Looming before them was a valley so deep, and peaks so high, there was no way the donkey could make the perilous journey. The eagle came down and said, "It is time." So with great tears in his eyes, the mouse said his good-byes to the donkey. It wasn't easy though, as the mouse loved the donkey, and felt as if he were truly dying a death in parting from him. But it was done, and he jumped on the eagle's back, and into the sky they soared.

Down below, having the bird's eye-view, the mouse could see several bones below, glistening white in the sun. He could make out the bones of donkeys and mice and other rodents. He asked the eagle about this, and he replied, "Below are several who were like yourself, lost and estranged from their home far away. But when the time came to depart from their faithful donkeys, they could not- but argued with their eagle-guides, and were unwilling to heed the eagles' wisdom. And so they ventured on, thinking that their donkeys could make the perilous journey, but each ended fatally in the valley below. The mouse asked the eagle, "Why could not these other mice let go of their donkeys?" To which the eagle replied,

"When reason is thought to equal gnosis, it's like mistaking an ass for an eagle."

And they both soared to his original home, passing over crevice and cliff- and the mouse was reunited with his parents, and the mouse never forgot the eagle who alone could make the perilous flight.


~ Leon Bahrman.

Many are the Waves

Many are the waves of the Sea;
Not one drop are we-
Oneness Alone is free.

Be~attitudes

Blessed are you, when All may be revealed to you, yet you hold on to nothing;

Blessed are you when you untie every knot, smash every idol;

Blessed are you when you are a mirror in which God sees Himself;

Blessed are you when your heart is a pond in which the Sky sees Itself;

Blessed are you when in your search you realize that You are He Who has been searching for You.


Amen.

The Gold was Me.

Forests green, through the unseen dancing ’round the fires lit;
Forgotten face, left without a trace, in the maze yesterday I quit.
Sunlight shines, arising now, for ever I believed it not to be;
When for treasures sought, it was never caught, though the gold was Me.


11/10/09

Awake or Asleep?

Are you awake or asleep? Of course I mean in the mystical sense. What is it to be awake, or asleep? And how can we tell? And if we're asleep, how can we wake up?

To be awake is to be aware. To be aware is to be in and beyond consciousness. If we are aware of the diversity that is the Cosmos, then we are in consciousness. If we are simply awareness itself, then we are beyond consciousness. If awareness itself, we are both conscious, and unconscious, and yet neither conscious, nor unconscious.
What does this mean spiritually, or mystically? To be asleep in the mystical sense is to be ignorant, and further, what we experience within consciousness is a mere dream of our own making. What is the difference between experiencing consciousness as in a dream, and being aware in conciousness as awake? The difference is in identification. What do you identify yourself with? Do you identify with the things of consciousness, including body and mind, as well as the world? Or do you identify yourself with something else, like awareness Itself?

Consciousness will be there, but this may either be our dream, or consciousness in awareness, which is a display of the very manifestations of the Real. When we know the Self, and have abnegated ourselves, then we will be aware, awake. Otherwise, we will be in a dream. This is not to say that the world is unreal, though in the absolute sense it is, because only God is Real, as He is pure Being, and all else is inference only. We project onto consciousness our inferences, and our thoughts, or mentality, and this becomes our world. And, with personal, or soulish (selfish) identification with the things perceived in consciousness, we have our dream.

What awakens us is gnosis, or direct knowledge, perceived without the mediation of the rational mind, though perhaps occuring in intellect/mind/nous. The means of gnosis may vary widely, but such knowings are the means of waking up, because we thenceforth become aware, and we can observe consciousness as such, without identifying with the things of consciousness. Why is this so important? Because, things considered apart from their Source, become an abstraction, and unreal, insofar as these things are existent in and as Being.

Of course, this is why for us to awaken to Pure Being, even the I Am, is to awaken fully, because we will be completely aware of what Is, identifying only with That, and not with the things contingently dependent thereon for existence.

It is in this way that we are awakened, seeing all things clearly as they are and have their existence in the Real. Any thing less, considered as independent from the Source Who is Being, is to continue on in our slumber.


Peace.

Toward a Pentecostal Mysticism

Within Christian mysticism, I've not really heard the term 'mysticism' or 'mystic' applied to any Pentecostal Christian. And yet, it seems, their spirituality is such that the name mystic, or mystical would be an apt description.

The hallmark 'speaking in other tongues' is very mystical in its application. The purpose of speaking in other tongues is to bypass the dianoia-mind (rational mind), and access the spirit directly. Also, when one is 'in the Spirit' as Scripture states, one is at that time open to all the gifts of the Holy Spirit, which Scripture lists 9 (1Cor 12). Not only so, but it was while the apostle John was in the Spirit, that He received his apocalyptic visions recorded in the book of Revelation.

I can say from an experiential standpoint that there are heights in the Spirit to which I would not have ascended had I not been baptized in the Holy Spirit, as a Christian, as evidenced by speaking in other tongues. I'm not saying that other mystical experiences could not be known by other Christian denominations which do not adhere to Pentecost, be they Catholic, or Protestant. But I am saying that there just are certain places in the heavenlies one cannot traverse without this experience. These places directly involve speaking, praying, or singing in tongues as Scriptures teach. This is obvious as some schools of thought exclude either the gifts, tongues phenomenon, or strictly limit tongues to some select few who receive this gift. (one may at this point reference my other blog, "In House" under the topic "Confusing the Gift with His Gifts" for clarification on this point in the Christian debate).

Yet I think, and implement in my own practice praying in tongues as part of my mysticism, to which was referred to in part in an earlier blog (pertaining to the neshamot). As part of what would be called dhikr in Sufism, or joppa, in Hindu and Buddhist mysticism, speaking in tongues helps to polish the heart in hopes of seeing God as Jesus spoke of (Mt 5). This also helps to refocus the mind when it strays as it invariably will during the first stages of practice, or in the practitioner who is yet undisciplined on the mystic path.

If you are Pentecostal Christian, and consider this as part of a mystical practice, just keep in mind that whether there be tongues they shall cease when that which is perfect is come (1Cor 13). Which means in our Quest that when the tongues have done their part in setting our self aside, and polishing our heart, there will come a time of silence. For us, this is soon after neshamah-behemot, and heshamah-nepheshi have been opened up, as subtlties, and we are now in a place of silence before Him, awaiting visions from Him.

Thank God for a means of setting aside the ego, and stilling the mind, and polishing the mirror of the heart through prayer and worship in tongues, as we may now await the divine Image.

Amen.

Detachment

In the mysticism of Meister Eckhart, there is the idea of detachement, which along with the Birth, and the Breakthrough form a dialectic for attaining, or rather, realizing mystical union with the One. These three things then are to be experienced in unison, or simultaneously as we seek divine transcendence.

For now, we will focus on the first aspect of this, detachment.


What is detachment? What does it look like practically? And how do we attain to this state? Let's answer each question:

1. What is detachment?

The opposite of this word would be attachment, grasping onto things. So detachment would be the letting go of things, non-grasping. This concept is very similar, if not identical to the Buddhist doctrine of non-grasping. In Buddhism, to have desire, or attachment is to suffer, because it reifies you into the World of Suffering called samsara.

For us, samsara would be the consciousness of the natural, and particularly of that personal world of self-awareness. If we grasp onto our ego, or who we think we are in ourselves, then we become reified, reincarnated if you will into the delusional world, the Maya of our own making. Meaning that in our consciousness, instead of His Presence, and the awareness of the Spirit, we are conscious of the flesh, and of the natural. We thus operate under the natural man, that is the soul, our "i". This is a 'reincarnation' in its true meaning, not in terms of a literal re-birth, but a reifying into the consciousness of the flesh, the natural, and ego-dominated constructs.

2. What does detachment look like practically?

Disinterestedness, or indifference toward self. Doing things simply based on love of God, others, and the expression of God and His will in the moment. Not doing anything for the sake of self, or for self-interest. Charles G. Finney (of the 2nd Great Awakening of the 19th century in America) often spoke of disinterested benevolence, loving God and others without interest to self; holding the goodness and well-being of God, and of others as being of more value than yourself, choosing this as an ultimate end in life.

We may ask ourselves, "In what I'm doing, do I have any self-consciousness about it? Is there any thought of reward for self, or avoidance of punishment?" Is there any thought of, "What's in it for me?" Now, as highly thought of as charities are, and philanthropy is, still, if there's any consideration for 'self', then there is attachment, and the good deeds are done interestedly, that is in self interest, rather than disinterestedly.

Someone who is detached works in the present moment out of love to God and others, with no thought for self. If opportunity arises for self-gratification, there will be a repulsion of such temptation, because there is no desire to reify the flesh, and delusion through attachment to the things of this world.

Denial of self is a not looking down on yourself, it is not looking at yourself at all. This is the attitude of one who seeks detachment from the things of this world. But where is pleasure? Someone may ask. All pleasure is derived in and from God, from Whom all blessings flow.

3. How do we attain a state of detachment?

To be sure, this is no easy task in itself, especially in the beginning. And perhaps for most of us it will be a life-long venture to fully become detached. Remember, this is only one aspect of realization of that Oneness with the divine nature, but it is definitely necessary. Every belief system that teaches any kind of mystical union will stress some form of detachment.

We can view the 'how to' of detachment in at least 3 points: Daily circumstances, self-emptying, prayer and meditation.

1) Daily circumstances: The Holy Spirit works through our day-to-day circumstances to bring about the sanctifying work of abnegation. How does He do this? Through situations and dilemmas that go cross-grain against our psychic dispositions, selfishness and personal prejudices. Now many things the Holy Spirit targets are things that may be quite natural in the eyes of the world. Like pride in our talents, and abilities, pride in our personal accomplishments, etc. Also the things in our soul that are of the flesh, like jealousies, pride, hatred, envy, etc.

These circumstances are meant to 'break' our soulish man, or strike at our soul-life, which is like an outer encasement trapping in the human spirit, and its powerful life. When the Holy Spirit accomplishes this, He can flow out from us, and we won't spoil His work through our life quenching, selfishnesses as it manifests through our mind, will and emotions.

2) Self-emptying: This is where, as Jesus taught us, humble ourselves, to allow ourselves to fall on, and be broken on the Rock, Who is Christ, (instead of having the Rock fall on us, grinding us to powder ~ see Mt 21:44). Also, Scripture speaks of pouring out ourselves, that is, our souls, like water before His face (Lam 2:19). One is reminded of the woman with the alabaster box. She first had to break it before she could pour out the precious contents upon the Lord Jesus (Mk 14:3).

First, we discussed brokenness, particularly that which is affected by the operation of the Holy Spirit through our circumstances. We ourselves fall upon Him, whether motivated by revelation, or by the aforementioned circumstances, to be broken. Then, once we're broken before Him, that is, the hardness of the alabaster box of our soul has been broken, we then are able to pour our selves upon Him, thus losing our soul-life, our self upon His Head. Then as a result , what comes forth when our self is thus poured out, is the fragrance of our spirit-man, and the divine life thereof. And this holy fragrance benefits all who are in the house (Jn 12:3).

This self-emptying is accomplished by seeking Him with all our hearts, and by letting go, giving to Him, anything that we ourselves are inclined to grasp onto, whether legitimate or sinful. We pour it all out onto Him our Beloved Lord, as a libation, a drink offering.

3) Prayer and meditation: We see how all these ways of detaching are inter-related, and overlap. We already touched on prayer in this regard. But anyway, in our daily prayer life, and in meditation, we have opportunity to yield ourselves to Him, to let go.

In prayer and meditation, we quiet ourselves before Him, and this is not easy. We want to think, feel, and we have our own agendas in prayer, a "grocery list" if you will. This is O.K., and certainly He wants to hear our concerns, and issues. I'm not talking about methods of prayer or meditation right now, just the purposes thereof.

Quietness, stillness, just abiding in His Presence, focused on Him, and Him alone. Thinking? Well, we're not advocating "mindlessness", as this is not really possible in ourselves anyway, and its by no means the goal. The Chinese Taoist term, wu-hsi, no mind, doesn't mean not thinking, but a not thinking on purpose. We allow thoughts to come in and out of our mind as clouds drift to and fro in the sky. This should be as free and effortless as breathing itself. But it requires a letting go.

The less of us, the more of Him, just as John the Baptist said, He must increase, but I must decrease. Jn 3.30. Emptiness allows Him to fill us up with His Presence. But in order to empty ourselves we must first let go, this is detachment.

Buddhism and Christian Consciousness

I started reading a book today, Thomas Merton and Buddhism, part of the Thomas Merton series by Fons Vitae. Its going to be a fascinating read.
I've been interested, and have studied for a number of years Buddhist thought, especially as it pertains to esoteric, or mystical application. In this regard, I have often thought how can I apply what I've learned in a Christian context, or incorporate into my Christian consciousness.

The ultimate in Buddhist thought is the Buddha nature in all things, that which is either pure Mind, or pure Emptiness. Well, this isn't so far from the Godhead of Christianity, as properly conceptualized, though It be beyond all conceptualization.
The Essence. The One. That is a couple of titles for what is ineffable.

What approaches this in Buddhism is the Dharmakaya, or Body of Dharma, as the ultimate Buddha-body, equivalent to Nirvana. Dharmakaya is the utmost body of the Trikaya, or three bodies of the Buddha. Thus to experience this is to apprehend, to partake of the divine nature, as 2Pet 1:4 speaks of. There are two lower bodies: Samboghakaya- Body of Bliss, or Enjoyment Body, and Nirmanakaya- Body of Appearance, or Magic Body, or Body of Illusion. These may correspond to our imaginal, and physical experiences respectively. But I wonder...

Though Dharmakaya definitely corresponds to the divine Essence, or even the Father, would not also Samboghakaya correspond to the Son, hence the Logos, and Nirmanakaya correspond to the Holy Spirit, as He renews the manifestation of the Logos on the physical plane in terms of existentiation?

Therefore, as a Christian, I would contemplate this by direct perception, or through faith, striving until one's eyes were opened, on each person of the Trinity, until that each Person is known in terms of its relation to the Essence of deity, which is Ultimate Being, equivalent to the Emptiness, and Pure Nature of Mind, only attainable through enlightenment, that is to say, gnosis.

Thus to realize the Holy Spirit's role to produce and maintain, to renew our physical phenomenal body; to realize the Son's role as giving us access to the Bliss of divinity, and overcoming, triumphant living, and consciousness, dwelling in heavenly realms; and the Father's role in Essence, and Truth beyond all duality, and entification, a true place of whatlessness.

God, help us to strive to taste and see that you are good, and that we may partake of your divine nature in the exact measure that our faith is willing to go. Thank you, in Jesus' name. Amen.

Apple Seed

Apple seed,
Planted tree
Highest branch,
distant sea
Forgotten hill,
deepened well

O come what may-
this idea conjured forth
The birth
The form
O the forgotten norm I cannot but see,
I cannot but know-

What is here but not found-
What is found but not known.



Leon

His Presence is Near

His Presence is near,

Can you hear His love song?
All along He was here,
Why did you fear as if He would not hear you call?

The fall is by working the law,
Sin begins to gnaw on your soul;
The hole, so dark and black,
Feel the lack of your power to act-
React to His drawing you to Himself.

The Self: let go of you,
And He will be He,
Then there is no need to try;
Die to your i,
Only be as He is He,
and you will be you:
And then you will fly.

Leon

The life that I now live

The apostle Paul said, I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ who liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.- Ga 2.20.

What is the true ontological status of one who is a follower of Jesus Christ?

What is the ontological status of anyone, whether a follower or not?

For most people, even many believers, there's a false notion, a delusion that we somehow exist independently of God. Even if theologically they believe that we are contingent upon the Necessary Being, Who is God, they will nonetheless think and act as if they exist in and of themselves.

In the Islamic shahada the statement, La illaha illa Lla, There is no God but Allah, would be an agreeable doctrine to Christians in its affirmation of the monotheistic God, if properly understood. The Sufis took the Shahada to an ontological level, by saying Only God exists, or There is no being but the Being (or Allah). In Islam the ultimate sin, shirk, is to affirm another god besides Allah. Thus to affirm another existent, in the Sufi sense, would be to commit a kind of ontological polytheism, or shirk. So, too, for Christians, if we can believe this, to believe otherwise would be ontological idolatry, or philosophic polytheism to affirm that any other than God truly exists.
This should not seem strange to us, though admittedly hard to comprehend. For to believe it is one thing, but it demands a change of consciousness on our part to experience the Reality thereof.

To be sure, the Scriptures of the Judeo-Christian faith affirmed the monotheistic status of God, and even on an ontological level at least a thousand years before Mohamed came, as Isaiah prophesied, I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside...That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else.- Isa 45.5a, 6.

This is the mystery, that God alone exists, that He alone is; and if that is so, what is our ontological status? We do not argue that we are non-existent, neither do we claim to exist. Our existence is relative, and His existence is absolute, He is Absolute Being. And in relation to Him nothing exists! Do you deny this? Do you claim to exist independent from Him? Can there possibly be two existences metaphysically? You and He? Two? This would be a philosophic polythiesm, and thus an ontological idolatry to hold to this. Some would say at this point, He is Three, referring to the Holy Trinity. Yes, there are three, but they are only One in their substratum, in the Essence. It is the Essence of which we speak. Thus the Three emanate from the One, or the Father emanates the Son, and He emanates the Holy Spirit, though eternally (Heb 13.8). One Being, Three Persons, a topic for later.

Paul grasps the ontological importance of God in relation to us in the heading text above. He is talking about his "I", which we may use the small case to indicate our existential "i", as oppossed to the Absolute "I" Who is God.

Paul then says, i was crucified with Christ, neverthe less I live, yet not i, but Christ who lives in me. The life that i now live in the flesh, which is to say, existentially, i live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me...Thus our ontological status is that by Jesus' personal faith (which is how the Greek reads), we subsist in the flesh, that is existentially. Yes, He alone IS, and we do not...., and yet, we do. Why? Because Jesus the Son believes us to, that is He has faith. Faith in what? Faith in faith? Faith in us? God forbid... let God be true, but every man a liar- Rom 3.4a. He has faith, that is, He believes in what He witnessed of us when our particular entity was revealed as a glory and aspect of God, revealed in the Logos (Word). This is what Jesus meant when He said, These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God- Rev 3.14b. Thus for Him to exercise His faith concerning us is not to believe in non-existence, but in His Self-Revelation eternally occurring; what He saw in us as we were not, but were yet in Him, was Himself. He witnessed our true self in Himself, and had faith, thus saying, Amen- so be it! And so we subsist in this world to be the beneficiaries of His love and grace poured out on the cross.
Bless God!

Reflection of Glory

O Man, Who walked the shores of Galilee,
What reflection do you have of me?

The new nature who walks within,
Free of guilt, and free of sin.

To turn the pages of a mirror,
is to see your face disappear;
In place is the Love,
displaced is the fear.

O Mirror, Who walked the shores of Galilee,
What reflection do you have of me?

The Face of the Father:
But could it be?
I in Him, and He in me.

To mirror the pages of a book,
You must see, you must look;
Not to gaze on what once was,
Nor on what should be,
But on the Face of Eternity.


Leon

Infancy Gospel

Your Glories are Your own,
revealed to Your Self Alone;
What steps can I take to be annihilated in You?

Where am I at?
Where is my entity fixed?
In Your mind, Your omniscience:
Somewhere between I Am, and I am not.

I am the color Grey:
A harmony of White, Holy as the Ancient of Days;
And of Black, impoverished toward the Light for which I beg.

One: Alone in transcendence, Independent of the worlds;
You are Unknown, You are not found;
Ain-Nothing, Where?

A Birth, and a Son:
A Father is revealed in His Revelation;
A mystery is reveiled in Its concealing.

A Book sent forth, a scroll unfurled:
We sent it down with Holy lips;
A wind rushing passed, a Herald gone forth:
I prophesy the coming of the Holy Ancient One.

A Birth, a nativity: O Holy Silent Night.
In Bethlehem?
No. In your heart.
Where is He that is born King of the Jews?
For we have seen His star in the east, and are come for to worship Him.

Come and see:
In the former stall for animals,
for the beast nature;
There is no place for Him in the Inn of this world:
It is filled up with lusts, and distractions;
Only in the lowly place have we prepared Him room.

See? we have provided straw and a manger in our lowly stable.

Lay Your blessed Holy head down upon the straw which we provide;
Sleep that deep and Holy sleep,
Your eyes shut as our eyes awake.

I enter into your rest:
let me be your Infancy Gospel.

The Babe cries, uttering forth the vowels of creation;
The Babe awakens, and smiles;
My heart is illumined by His love.

I have wine to drink, and bread to eat:
Will you not join Me in My feast?

I have been depraved, and so deprived I myself in this foolish fast.

Why?
Toward what end has been this pallid languishing?

Toward the night, I saw not the Light as if it were dimly lit:
I said, How can I come in clothes so tattered and torn, smelling of rotted flesh so rancid?

Yet sought I comfort in the brothel,
enticed by the warm red light that shone upon Salome.

What can I give you on this my birthday?
Up to half my kingdom would I give for this dance.

That will not do, nor would it suffice:
that you should pay me only half a price:

This is what I ask, nay, what I demand:
Serve up now the head of the Baptist in your hand.

For all that will do, and only all would suffice:
give me all your soul, all your life,
bound up as it is in the words he preached:
Repent ye, the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Do you not know, and can you not see?
This brothel is a church for the damned.
Do they bow?
Do they worship?
O yes, they bow and worship:
These filthy dreamers having eyes full of adultery!

Flee!
Get you out, leave your garment in her hand,
her bloody hand:
This whore shall not drink of your blood from her cup.

He lifted my face to His,
With one kiss He set me free:
His lips drink deep the wine of shame and suffering.

The Bread I give is My flesh, Which I give for the life of the world; This cup I pour is My blood, Shed for the forgiveness of sin.

I am brought to Your banqueting house,
A bountiful feast;
I have become your house of wine:
O taste and see that the Lord is good!

I stumbled out of the house of wine, and staggered into the Night:
Where did I go?
Where will I be found?

Stupified, intoxicated from the wine:
The room spins, swirling round as I take in all colors:
My grey is polished to a reflective plane.

Silent Night, Holy Night:
I emerge as the Light.

Shining forth from the dark:
A Word of all words, letters spanning A to Z;
When I saw Him, I swooned at His feet as dead;
Fear not.
His hand reaffirms me again:
I Am the First and the Last, glad you could join Me in this repast.



Leon Bahrman

Neshamot - A Subtle Physiology

Is there an equivalency for the idea of chakras within Christianity?

Chakras are a well known phenomena as taught within Hinduism and Buddhism. The word 'chakra'  means wheels or turning, and are the  wheels or centers of energy located usually at seven points along the spinal column of the subtle yogic body. The energy is said to lay dormant, coiled as it were at the base of the spine. This 'coiled' energy is often depicted as a sleeping serpent called 'kundalini'- meaning 'coiled'. And so various yogic techniques are used to awaken this energy, and then to raise it up, so as to penetrate each of what are 7 chakras, until the topmost chakra, Sahasrara-chakra, is attained, thus resulting in enlightenment.

The concept of chakras has had some influence on other religions, in particular esoteric Islam called Sufism. The Sufism of the school of Alaoddawleh Semnani has the doctrine of the seven latifa, which are subtle organs, or centers that the mystic opens up one by one. Only the latifah do not directly correspond with physical areas of the body as the chakras do. Thus, instead of ascending from the spinal base to the crown, the latifa are rather deeper, and deeper levels of the heart of your being.


In esoteric Judaism called Kabbalah, the doctrine of the ten sefirot, seen as ten emanations of God, while usually conceptualized in a theosophical and cosmological sense, have also been internalized within man, as in Abraham Abulafia's school of thought. 


Within each of these traditions, these subtle energy centers are used mystically as a means of ascending 'Jacob's ladder' in seeking union with the divine. 


So the question remains: Does this idea have an equivalency within Christianity?


If we conceive of these centers or vortices of power as chakras, latifah, or the sefirot as being a series of intermediaries between us and God, than it is here that these terms would need clarification within a  Christian context. Two points:

1) Christian soteriology: For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus - I Tim 2:5. Though how these other traditions conceive of them as intermediaries will differ one from the other, we consider that for us it is but one step to the Father, Jesus Christ. And so any such concept would have to exclude any extra step between us and the Father's love (Rom 8.38-39).

2) Biblical psychology and physiology: Which is not taught on, nor understood enough in Christian circles. It is thus presented in Scripture that we are a tripartite being, consisting of spirit, soul and body (1Thess 5:23; Heb 4:12). Our spirit-man is that which contacts God, and the spiritual realm; our soul is our psychological aspect, which includes the mind, will and emotions. 


We thus introduce the Biblical Hebrew term neshamah (pl. neshamot) in our discussion. Though as a side note, Jewish Kabbalah also refers to this term- it is done in a different sense, and definition than presented here (or in the Bible for that matter). They see it as particular faculty of the spiritual mind- as different than say ruach (spirit), nephesh (soul), etc... However there's a more general reference to it in Scripture.

Neshamah does not stand by itself as a faculty, but meaning "breaths" in the plural (neshamot), we first read of them here, And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath [Heb. neshamot-breaths] of life; and man became a living soul [Heb. nephesh-animal soul]- Gen 2:7. It is these neshamot-breaths that become our focus for the possibility of the chakra, or latifah type equivalent concept being applicable in a mystical Christian physiology.


Of the neshamot it is written, The spirit [Heb. neshamot] of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly -Prov 20:27. And as the neshamot are God's candle, would it be any stretch to see them as a reflection of the seven branched menorah as is a symbol of the Holy Spirit?  For He is manifest as the Seven Spirits of God (Isa 11:2; Zech 4:2,6,10; Rev 4:5;5:6). And so it is seen that there are thus also seven neshamot-breaths within us, and that they constitute a subtle physiology, that when opened and developed, form Christ within us (2Cor 3:18; Ga 4:19; Col 1:27). 


Each of these subtle breaths correspond to our tripartite being, esoteric aspects of our exoteric manifestation.


This can only be a brief introduction, but  here are the seven neshamot within us given in ascending order, and using their Hebrew names:

1) Neshamah- behemot: The subtlety of our physical body, our "beast-nature";


2) Neshamah- nepheshi: The subtlety of our self, our soul;


3) Neshamah- halev: The subtlety of our heart (Mt 22.37);


4) Neshamah- sod halev: The subtlety of our secret heart ( Psa 51.6; Lk 2.51; IPet 3.4).


5) Neshamah- ruach: The subtlety of our spirit man;


6) Neshamah- chayim: The subtlety of our spiritual life ( Gen 7.22; Jn 20.31; 1Jn 5.11-12);


7) Neshamah- yachidah: The subtlety of our Oneness, and True Nature (Jn 17.21-22; 1Cor 6.17; Ga 3.20).




May this be a blessing for whom it's intended.