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Note: For this essay, I worked with Jvar, a spirit in Leo of the earthzone who specializes in developing an
equilibrium between the four elements. Introduction to the Psychology of the Four Elements The first step in
working with a psychology of the four elements involves creating elemental sensations within ourselves through
force of imagination. The sensation relating to each element has to be fully felt. Once we can generate a particular
sensation in ourselves by will, we can then tie that sensation into the basic qualities of the element. This approach
illuminates many aspects of the astral body which modern psychology fails to consider. In regard to each of four
elements, I refer you to my separate essays on finding the sylph, gnome, salamander, and undine in yourself. Though
these articles derive directly from working with elemental beings, I present the results as meditations which require
that you venture no further than the domain of your own imagination. Also see my different dialogues with the
elemental beings. For all their metaphysical explorations, these are not platonic dialogues. They take place in a state
of trance in which I encounter and wrestle with the inner core essence of these marvelous spirits of nature. Yet
though I present these stories as journeys into invisible and magical realms, the elemental beings embody treasures
of spirit and feeling which are part of our own nature. Fire We practice seeing and feeling fire. We evoke the
sensation of intense heat within ourselves. The basic procedure is to imagine that our bodies are hollow inside and
so able to accumulate any energy we wish. When we are done, we imagine that the energy dissolves again into the
universe. Let us talk about the difficulties with this concentration exercise. Some individuals will be hesitant to work
directly with fire. This may be because fire is dangerous. It can burn you. It may also be that they are uneasy with
the idea of developing their will and power. They may feel it is hard enough keeping one's desires and impulses in
check. If you develop your power, you immediately run the risk of abusing that power. Passions out of control may
end up controlling you and causing all sorts of harm to yourself and others. These concerns are very important and
individuals should listen to their own consciences on these matters. You will recall from Greek mythology that Zeus
chained the titan Prometheus to a mountain crag and had hawks tear out his liver. Zeus was mad at Prometheus for
giving fire to the human race. Each day the titan's liver would regenerate only to be torn out again. The liver can be
seen as representing natural growth and spiritual consciousness. In bestowing the gift of fire to humanity,
Prometheus was giving power without the spiritual ability to know how to use it wisely. One way to work with the
element of fire is to review fire in all the ways it exists in nature, in society, and within ourselves. Life was able to
appear on our planet because of the heat and light of the sun. But it took billions of years for this to occur and the
earth had to have a stable orbit and the right distance from the sun. There are many forms of fire which exist in
nature. The volcano and forest fire are impersonal forces and extremely dangerous to life. And yet the fire in the
earth moves continents, uplifts mountains, creates islands, and provides a variety of ecological habitats. As
civilization has developed, we have learned to use the wood, coal, coke, oil, and gas fires turning their heat to
productive ends. Consider the history of technology and both the positive and negative purposes to which fire has
been dedicated. Fire itself, like a knife, can be used for healthy or for destructive ends. Consider also the importance
of warmth and heat to the human body. For the past thirty thousand years, we have managed to survive ice ages,
winters, and freezing environments. We have developed clothing, insulation, and various heating systems to keep us
warm. We have used fire to cook and produce many new kinds of food. The point is that if you imagine your body
filled with fiery flames and heat you encounter a racial memory of all that fire means. When you are evoking fire
within yourself through the force of your imagination, you need to make peace with both its productive and its
destructive aspects. You have to be comfortable with your ability to use its power in natural ways which fulfil
spiritual purposes. On the other hand, try as they may some individuals will find it hard to form a sensation of heat
through concentration. They may visualize a fire in front of them. They can just as easily see a fire inside of their
bodies. But nothing happens. There is no sensation of heat which accompanies this imagery. If, for example, the
individual repeatedly places his hands near a fire, he is still unable to get his nervous system to reproduce the
sensation of heat through concentration. The problem here is that the individual's concentration on the mental plane
is unable to produce astral sensations. The astral body adds feelings of life and immediacy to the imagery. When
your concentration is effective on the astral plane, as in a dream, you feel you are really there amid whatever your
visualize. There are any number of ways of resolving this difficulty. Basically, the idea is to become the fire. Make
the fire part of yourself. Treat fire as an extension of your own aura. Nourish it. Care for it. Offer it welcome. Invite
fire into yourself so it finds a home and a place where it can grow strong. For example, take some time to imagine
you are collecting some dry leaves and wood so that you can start an open fire out of doors. Give your full attention
to the match as it ignites and then starts the dry leaves and wood burning. Assist the fire by placing small twigs into
the flames so that it can take hold. Then place a pan of water over the fire with the intent you are going to bring the
water to a boil. Assume the role of the fire like a cheerleader who encourages her team to succeed. Become the heat
which starts small bubbles and then larger ones to appear in the water until the water finally boils. Then imagine this
entire visualization has taken place within your own body. If in some way you can place emotion into your activity,
then it is easy to full the sensations which occur on the astral plane. The heat in the fire then moves from a mental
picture to an actual sensation which is intense enough to feel real. As I have pointed out elsewhere, there are Tibetan
yogis who visualize fire and manage to increase their body temperature by seventeen degrees. This is no longer just
a perceived sensation. Scientists have measured it with a thermometer. The next step is to imagine and believe quite
clearly that the presence of this element within yourself is the same as embodying will. In psychological terms, fire
radiates urgency, power, and light. It is full of conviction and it dissolves fear. Because of its warmth and dynamic
presence, it gathers others to itself. It offers leadership, courage, and a zest for living life. Consider the affirmation:
"I am a strong and assertive individual. I present myself in a clear and convincing way to other people." It is possible
to form a picture in your mind that you indeed embody these qualities. But others may still see you as a whimp.
They may treat you like you are helpless and ineffective. The reason for this is that you have failed to create an
astral component for this thought form. Your aura does not radiate any power or charisma. The task is to combine
the mental affirmation with an astral sensation which radiates fiery power. Others will then immediately feel the
warmth of your aura and a source of power within you which can take charge of any situation. Again, there is the
other extreme. Some individuals will find it easy to produce in themselves the hot, burning sensation of a fire. Some
individuals with ease can imagine the entire world as one vast sea of flames and feel that heat extending around
them for miles. They can do this because they have a natural ability or else they have a vivid astral imagination. But
there may be a downside to this. If they expand the fire element in their auras, they may lack the ethics, character,
and commitment to use this force wisely. Sometimes at a red light, an individual in one car with casually glance at
someone in another car. The second person may have an astral body full of fire which is ready to ignite. The glance
is like striking a match. The encounter results in violence. In this case, the feeling of power with its urgent need to
act and to dominate the situation produces negative results. The fire has not been channeled through an alert and
clear mind. Blind emotion has taken control. Consequently, when the fiery element in the astral body is easily
stimulated, the individual has to spend more time working on the mental plane. The purposes for which will and
power are to be used must be carefully reviewed. The individual has to identity and commit himself to core values
which are persuasive enough to hold the negative aspects of fire in check. Air As with fire, you imagine your body is
a hollow space and that only the air element exists within you. You might imagine yourself to be like a helium
balloon so you feel weightless. You feel yourself float up into the sky. The sensation of weightlessness and floating
is basic. Then you extend your imagination further. You imagine the winds are part of your body. The vacuum into
which air flows is like your lungs exerting a pull as you inhale. Actually, there is a rhythmic flow in the winds and
the seasons which is like breathing. Like a sylph, you probe and search for the harmony underlying air movements
and weather patterns. And finally you become the winds. If you open your mind and meditate, you become the trade
winds, the north wind, the hurricane, the thunderstorm, and the tiny gust that twirls the leaves in your garden. In
meditation, there is no light or energy the mind can not find and reproduce to some extent within itself. Becoming
familiar with the sky is just a matter of practice and taking time. The air element can also be overdeveloped within
an individual. If you make astral contact with the air element or communicate with sylphs, there is a tendency for the
other elements in yourself to be shoved aside. This may lead you to a part of yourself which is wild and restless. It is
impersonal, distant, and aloof. It is not at all concerned with the worries and responsibilities of human beings. It
knows itself to be free and so it no longer cares about the demands of society, personality, or human feeling. An
individual with this passive aspect of the air element may be alert, detached, and balanced within himself. But he
can also be insensitive to the extent of becoming amoral. This is not new information. Psychology talks about
psychopaths and authors write about individuals who have lost their connections to others. However, the
phenomenon I am describing derives from an astral enchantment. Part of the individual's astral body is no longer
focused on human existence. The individual perceives the way a sylph perceives or as the fairies of lore who
enchant human beings to come away with them to the inner planes. As William Butler Yeats describes it: Come
away, O human child! To the waters and the wild With a fairy, hand in hand, For the world's more full of weeping
than you can understand. Again, psychologists such as Carl Jung have written about a circle of enchantment which
holds human beings in enthrallment. The individual is haunted and possessed by what is unfilled in the past, by the
unmet needs of childhood and family. He does not see the actual situations he enters and other human beings as they
are but only a distorted reflection, an illusion seen from afar. Giving and receiving, bonding, and intimacy are
twisted and bent because the heart is incomplete. But the enchantment of air is slightly different. The individual has
an over abundance of the air element which lacks positive expression. There is nothing a matter with having a
sylph's heightened awareness. The Dalai Lama's weather controller possesses this as did ancient druids. The sylph's
sensitivity can take the form of a detachment which blends freedom with a delight in pure perception. It is a thrilling
experience as are hang gliding and parasailing. It is easy when you feel this relaxed and free to say to yourself, "I am
not a human being. The life within me is altogether different that from what others feel and see." When we are at
play or entertained, we may temporarily feel the same thing. We give ourselves permission to forget about the rest of
life for the duration. But this suspending of daily demands, besides being a way to recharge ourselves, has a
productive side. An altered state of perception enables us to see the world in new ways. The challenge is to share
this with others. The poet does this. He perceive the delicate fragility and the hidden beauty shining within each
moment. When he writes or speaks, he is sufficiently distant that he can savor pure feelings. But he knows these
feelings can only be expressed, found and met, within the details and specific experiences of our lives. Each poem is
a steppingstone leading across the stream separating humanity from the realms of fairy and the astral plane. The
artist does this. He says, "Behold my art. It is a creation of my imagination. Its images are a mirror capturing the
light I see reflected in life." And musicians do this when the music is just right. They are no longer aware of
themselves. The notes carry them along. The song takes on its own life and they are within both the human plane
and another domain. Too much airy substance in the soul tempts us all to let go and forget our ties to others. Legend
tells us of a race which could not longer compete with human beings and so retreated from our world to become a
race of fairies. But even to these we might now say, "Return again and dwell among us. Share with us the things you
see and know that we too might behold the beauty of the world around us." The remedy is not to retreat into
detachment and a realm of inner peace but to create new ways of sharing heart to heart. And finally there is the basic
problem of developing astral sensitivity. Many individuals see no further than the activities of their daily lives. The
consequence is that their emotional life is limited in scope. In fact, most religions guide their practitioners into a few
sets of sacred experiences which are charged with astral energy. Conversion, devotion, rapture, and commitment are
controlled and channeled in acceptable ways. Other profound emotional experiences are labeled taboo and placed
off limits or else are ignored and considered to be irrelevant. But if you look at a cloud it is constantly changing. If
you focus on a feeling within you and give it enough space to move, it will continuously transform. Feelings are like
the waters of the earth. They run in underground streams. They are in the lakes, the seas, the clouds, the rivers, the
rain, and the ice caps. A sylph is aware of every aspect of a changing cloud and yet the sylph remains detached. To
work with the air element is to have both inner balance and a sensitivity to every nuance and aspect of feelings.
Developing this sensitivity is something which psychology shares in common with magick. Elsewhere I write about
the method of focusing which bridges the gap between transpersonal psychology and magical practice. Water To
develop the sensation of water which is cold and wet, imagine you are swimming and diving in a stream, river, lake,
or ocean. It is possible to extend your meditations along these lines until the sensations of water become quite
strong. At some point along the way, imagine yourself becoming the water surrounding your body. Feel the
swimmer and the diver moving through your space. And again feel the coldness of water within your body as if your
body is hollow inside. In my various stories about my encounters with the undines, I go into detailed descriptions
about their specific astral natures. The four I describe are all loving, receptive, sensitive, empathic, healing, and
nurturing. Also, they each have a slightly different way they communicate the bliss and ecstasy within the water
element. These undines are very enchanting and possess many magical secrets relating to the water element. From
my experience, undines extend their auras out into the watery domains surrounding them. If they wish to create an
atmosphere like a wondrous festival full of dancing and song, the water is magnetized to express their feeling. If
they wish to communicate a profound state of oneness and love, again, the water element becomes a vehicle which
carries and amplifies their intentions. Our task in exploring the psychology of water is to do something similar. Once
we can clearly produce the sensations of cold water in and around ourselves, then we imagine that this watery
expanse acts to express our feelings. Water absorbs, releases, flows and circulates energy. In a similar way, our aura
encompasses and revives the life of those with whom we have contact. It produces a magical space in which
individuals are free to be receptive to each other and to feel acceptance and love. As with the other elements, we
now combine the energies of the mental and astral planes. We need a clear definition and commitment in our minds
to all that water represents in its highest sense. Again, the qualities are love, healing, nurturing, sensitivity,
acceptance, clairsentience, serenity, tranquility, purity, and so forth. And we need a total and complete conviction
that we exist within and are a part of a magnetic watery field of energy flowing through us and encompassing
ourselves and others as well. Both the mental and astral planes with their different approach to water must then be
united in a natural way. Part of our success in this endeavor will arise from our study and appreciation of other
individuals who express feelings and ideals of love in their personalities. And part of our work will involve
recognizing the great variety of sensations and ways in which water exists in the world of nature. Again, I have
given examples through poems and stories of ways the undines have sought to deepen my understanding of the
environment and element of water in which they live. Ultimately, their domain and their range of activities are also
our own. Earth If we conceive of fire as will, air as intelligence and clarity of mind, and water as love and affection,
what then shall we make of the element of earth? In way can earth represent the integration and strength of
consciousness? The granite boulder is stable. It retains its shape, its form and mass, and only very gradually
changes. The precious stone is harder and more enduring and yet its structure permits the energy of light to pass
through it. Ice is water in a solid form. Its molecules though fixed cover a wider expanse so that it floats. Air is in
water and water is in the volcanic magma as it explodes. As the heat is released, the flowing lava turns to stone.
Plants grow on the rich nutrients of volcanic islands. Topsoil develops and then forests. The land mass provides an
environment where life can flourish. Consciousness integrates the different aspects of ourselves. It is the enduring
and stable landscape where our soul and spirit accomplish their tasks. Consciousness sets priorities, identifies
values, and applies its resources and time to productive ends. There are conflicts between values, goals, desires, and
different individuals. Consciousness uses the understanding of air, the will of fire, and the empathy of water to arrive
at practical and satisfying solutions. The main sensations we are after with the earth element are weight and density.
You imagine yourself as a little more heavy. Like a tree, you are rooted in the ground. Like a boulder, you are solid
and easily resist external influence. Increasing your sense of weight and being grounded are part of the arts of
Aikido and also Tai Chi Chuan. With the right piece of rock, there is a sense of time being suspended. You
remember the past. Your endure for ages. Even the far future feels near at hand. The earth element has a stronger
continuity. Past, present, and future form a continuum. The events of life occur along a time line. You do not have to
rush anywhere. You just use the present moment in the best way you can. I place my hand on a standing stone five
thousand years old. There is nothing fancy about this stone circle. It seems quite casual like an afterthought the way
it is set down at the end of a cow pasture on Mull Island, Scotland. But I think to myself that all the events of human
history from the Egyptian pyramids to the present unfolded while these stone have stood here and waited.
Consciousness can take the events of our lives and give them order and definition. It can say, "This relationship and
that event are important to me. They always will be. These ideals I live for-- they are what give my life purpose.
You see, amid all the changes-- the accidents, the failures, and the wrong turns--there is a core set of values within
myself which I uphold and experiences which I honor." Fire is tenacious but earth is persevering. Water offers love
and support, sweet intimacy and pleasure. But earth builds and provides those things which satisfy our deepest
desires. The air element likes to think and to reason. It offers clarity so vast that the thought process is lost in the
illumination. But the earth element knows in its heart that it is alive and participates in those purposes which endure
through all ages of time. Earth cuts to the bottom line. It is not distracted by the urgency and rapacious hunger of fire
and all the issues surrounding the maintenance of power. It is not so easily distracted by the enchantments, romance,
and passions of love. And though it too seeks and reaches for peaks of understanding and illumination, it does not
fly off content to be detached or aloof. Earth stays focused on the concrete and practical ways we can materialize our
ideals and operate in an effective manner in accordance with our core values. It leaves behind a legacy. It provides a
foundation upon which future generations will build. And if this sounds too abstract, then we can apply the same to
our own lives. In each stage of our life, we act with integrity and accomplish our basic tasks. Then we are able to
move forward and succeed with what comes next. In summary, this is only a tiny introduction to the psychology of
the four elements. I have not discussed here the ecstasies of the four elements. And there are the four divine
attributes relating to different elements--omnipotence, enlightenment, omnipresence or all-encompassing love, and
immortality. I have suggested elsewhere that the twelve signs of the zodiac and astrology also provide insight into
the four elements. An important step in this area will be identifying for each of the twelve signs of the zodiac its
corresponding elemental sensation. Then that rich set of symbols and interpretations can be integrated into the
psychology of the elements. To do this will require a shamanistic approach to the symbols which characterize the
zodiac signs.
Introduction to Fire
When we explore wind and sea, we can savor the delightful sensuality and the familiar sensations contained in these
elements. The stories of sylphs and undines stimulate our emotional life even as they call forth balance and
harmony. The songs in water and air are of freedom, gentleness, and empathy. The gnomes also are not so distant
from us. They are the intelligence and the consciousness in the rocks upon which we sit or the mountains we climb.
But fire is different. Here we enter a domain of pure power and will. Volcanoes exploding, raging forest fires, lava
flows--these exhibitions within nature strike a different cord as they resonate within our souls. Fire is expansive and
uninhibited. We know what it is to feel exuberance, excitement, and exhilaration. We have all been thrilled and
enthralled. In such feelings, there is a amplification and intensification of our energy. And, at times, there is an
explosion of vitality combined with zeal. On the other hand, being obsessed, infatuated, or spellbound--these
emotional states result in part from a weakness of the fire element within ourselves. We have failed to master the
sources of power which animate our souls. Consequently, there are times when we may find ourselves attracted to
experiences or people who are unfamiliar and yet strangely appealing. Captivating images may come to us in dreams
or we may encounter ideals which bedazzle our imaginations. Another person may bring into our lives a vision of
happiness and joy we have never known. A dream may re- mind us of the love we once shared. An ideal may seize
us, asking us to make a commitment or to live on a higher level. A religion or a new set of beliefs may insist we
make peace with ourselves. However, we must be wise as we approach such radiant sources of inspiration. They
may seem to offer us feel- ings of being more alive and energized. They may appear to offer direction and purpose.
But if we are unable to find the light and power shining in these images within our own being, we risk becoming
dependent on something external. This need for external stimulation is typical in drug addiction. Those, for example,
with an addiction to amphetamine have the greatest difficulty living without the rush, the push, and drive which the
drug generates within their nervous system. Drugs may induce temporary but height- ened states of fearlessness and
aggression as adrenalin is released into the bloodstream. The sympathetic ner- vous system takes over. The rate,
force, and amplitude of heartbeat increase along with blood pressure. Blood vessels throughout the body constrict.
The bronchii of the lungs dilate in- creasing the body's ability to engage in vigorous mus- cular activity. The liver
releases more glucose into the bloodstream. The processing of glycogen to lactic acid in the muscles increases.
Muscles go taut, the mind hypervigilent. The lower brain takes control. Our sense percep- tions seem more acute.
Our pupils dilate. The sympa- thetic nervous system increases our instinct for survival and, at times, our capacity to
take charge of our lives. Yet the price the drug addict pays is also very great. Their bodies and brains become
exhausted. The fire, rather than illuminating and healing, burns up their health and devours their souls. When we
work with fire, we are working with will and power. Fire is more wild and uninhibited compared to the other
elements. To that extent, therefore, we must always be conscious of the purposes which we are pursuing. Since fire
increases our influence and our options, we must be careful about the choices we make as its power is amplified
within us. Traditional symbols handed down for many millennia have honored and paid tribute to this power and the
wis- dom within the fire element. Fire has symbolized a means for understanding how we shape our destinies. Such
sym- bols still speak to us. They remind us that fire is at the roots of our deepest motivations and sources of in-
spiration. For example, the ancients decorated the night sky with their mythologies. Astronomy and astrology were
one and the same. Consequently, cosmology and human destiny were not separate. Human will and Divine will
worked together in the unfolding the universe. Is this such a quaint notion when we now know that the choices we
make as a species will maintain or destroy the biosphere? Consider that profession of disrepute known as alch- emy.
Its practitioners, in part, sought to transmute one metal into another. But we now create conditions in our
laboratories in which atoms melt together. Losing their separate identities, they form "superatoms", matter which no
longer even exists in nature. The human race is ex- perimenting with the powers which gave birth to the stars.
Scientists are attempting to track down what happened in the first instant in which the universe was created. As we
unravel one secret of nature after another, it is easy to lose our sense of priorities in the excite- ment to apply what
we have discovered. It is easy to deny our responsibilities. At the last moment, when we witness the work of our
hands, we may suddenly find our- selves turning, like Robert Oppenheimer, to mythology to comprehend our orbit
of action-- As Oppenheimer witnessed the result of the Manhattan project which he directed--at the first nuclear
explo- sion--Oppenheimer quoted Sri Krishna from the Hindu Bhagavad-Gita. Oppenheimer said, "I am become
Death, the shatterer of worlds." Let us not forget that from the deepest visions of the heart and soul we shape our
own destinies. The founda- tions of society derive from our values and the pattern of life which we seek to uphold.
Not necessity but our greatest sources of inspiration empower our lives. As we turn to fire, let us consider the voice
with which mythology speaks to us through the ancient system of astrology. Let us consider the way fire bears on
human will. In astrology, we have three fire signs. The first of these is Aries. Aries, the ram, is the one who forges
by his will the sacred weapons he needs to defeat all enemies and to surmount all barriers. Aries, alone and without
support, is empowered to cross through the unknown wilderness of the soul and spirit. He defies the darkness and all
that opposes. His very nature is courage. He takes every- thing that confronts him as a challenge which he will
master. He moves without fear and none may defeat him when his will is aligned with the universe. There exist
many traditions which insist we discover the great spiritual truths of life within the core of our being. Belief may
contain the seed we seek to bring to fruition. But a path of growth within the soul requires that we confront the
actual powers which lie dormant and asleep within us. For example, in some mystery religions, fire con- tains a
magic which relates to the strengthening of will power. Concentration on the sensations associated with fire amplify
this will. Fire meditations can be used to build resolution. The property of heat, for example, to expand indefinitely
relates to will. As concentration on the intensity in heat increases so does the feeling of being able to overcome
obstacles with courage and without fear. The second fire sign in the zodiac is Leo. Leo, the lion, shines like the sun
and his confidence and leader- ship is such that others find it easy to follow him. Aries, though the dimmest of the
twelve constellations, has a fire which burns hotter than any other. Aries can, then, intensify his will in order to
destroy all obstacles. In Leo, by contrast, fire illuminates the world. Leo offers a center of inspiration and guidance
around which our actions may be directed. Leo fashions and sustains a community by his will. A second aspect of
the magic of fire also relates to the sign of Leo. This is the ability to condense and to contain energy. Fire expands
outward illuminating space. By will, we learn how to draw energy into a small place and to control it. In this way,
we transform energy into light. Rather than crushing or else allowing passions to burn wild and destructive, we learn
to tame their powers for the purposes of love. Fire, under the control of will, is directed so that it animates and
nurtures the world. The fire is con- tained so that it is not a threat or a danger. Simil- arly, leadership offers a center
of power and will around which others may be nourished and their lives fulfilled. The power to rule, in part, derives
from mastery of oneself. Controlling great pressures and intensities within ourselves, we can direct desires to useful
ends. We are also able to guide others' motivations in the same way we work with the drives and hungers within
ourselves. The third fire sign in the zodiac is Sagittarius, the archer. Sagittarius seeks to find and proclaim those
ideals and principles which illuminate our minds. This sign seeks justice, wisdom, and the transformation of the
world. There is a purity in the Sagittarian vision which inspires the will to commitment and the heart to devo- tion.
Sagittarians are the explorers who search for the truth. They are tenacious and dauntless when it comes to fulfilling a
quest. A third magic within fire is a concentration Sagit- tarians possess. Fire captures and focuses our atten- tion. It
sharpens our ability to remain calm and centered within ourselves. Fire contains the intensity which leads to inner
illumination. When we discover this source of power within ourselves, nothing disturbs or distracts us--our
concentration is unassailable. Because this energy is so dynamic and yet directed by our will, there is no need for
diversions or external stimulation and excitement. We measure and gauge the tasks we choose to fulfill in the world
by the light illuminating us from within. We set our priorities in accordance with how we wish to reshape the world.
Our movements are in accord with our inner being. Fire takes the fuel it needs from its environment. It is not
hesitant nor shy. Its will is ferocious and wild. But when fire is guided and controlled by a greater will, its power to
transform, transmute, and refine is clear and unmistakable. Fire is the sword of spirit which cuts through all
obstacles. Its warmth heals and regenerates. Its light opens the pathways which lead out of darkness. By its might
are the worlds created. Time and space unfold according to the plans concealed within it. Fire is part of the symbol
of Divine Providence, of the One Light which holds the universe within its palm. Those who would be born of the
spirit, who would enter the mysteries, those who would accomplish their work on earth--they seek to master the
sacred fires which burn within their bodies and at the center of their hearts.
On Transcendence
Part of the task in Bardon's first book, Initiation into Hermetics, is to come in contact with your Guardian Angel.
You also seek to encounter and to identify with Divine Providence in its four aspects of all-embracing love, power,
wisdom, and immortality. These are very high ideals and goals. I suggest, then, at the very beginning of practicing
with Bardon that the student take stock of what his own individual sense of the sacred and of transcendence is.
According to the mythologist Joseph Campbell, the first and primary condition any mythology or spiritual training
system must fulfill is to awaken and sustain awe and gratitude within us. It is possible to perceive life as radiant with
light and wonder. This is a mental realization. It is a matter of perception-- a way of experiencing the world as new.
Life as portrayed by the mythologies of the world has a dimension of mystery. It is both terrifying and fascinating. It
is full of horror and wonder. In it, we encounter danger and beauty, the unknown and also true love. There is a
mystical, emotional awakening, or a spiritual rebirth which is essential for living life to the fullest. With it, we are
able to step back from our identities and social roles and gain a perspective on who we are. At the same time,
through contact with these archetypal domains, we are introduced to a vast, spiritual landscape existing within each
of us, a place where we can discover those resources and treasures which best fulfill our lives. (The following is
from my essay on the Spirit Jachil). This first function of any religion or spiritual training system takes us into a
state of transcendence. Transcendence develops in us a state of mind which is completely detached and separate
from life. And yet it is so illuminated we are free to embrace all that is within life with both passion and compassion.
The druid, for example, creates in his mind a grove of trees or stone circle on the astral plane. There he is free to
meet and interact and to be inspired by all the wise men and women of his tradition. There he meets the Goddess and
celebrates the illumination of the sun. When druid is in his inner plane grove, he is completely there with all of his
imagination. It is a waking dream and his well-being and peace are complete. If he finds a difficulty or disturbance
within his psyche or if he has a traumatic experience in his personal life, the grove offers him support and insight for
working through it. At the same time, the difficulties in his outer life serve to challenge him to explore more deeply
the spiritual resources available within his grove. The journey within must be profound enough to encompass with
wisdom and love all that he experiences in life. In this way, his personal problems are captured and transformed
through a spiritual quest. The imagery of transcendence, like the center of a grove or circle, becomes a sacred place
where we gather the wisdom and joy from all that we experience in life. It is a place of celebration. Yet we
continuously journey outward from the center of the circle in order to grow and to experience new things. Growth
involves going outward and focusing ourselves on specific tasks as well as returning within to attain oneness. The
druid has a personal spiritual path symbolized by a personal grove. And yet he also delights in sharing the his path
and sacred imagery with others. There is a collective grove to which he also belongs. This grove is where the wise
men and women from all ages of his tradition come together to share their experiences and inspiration. This
imagery, then, offers reassurance. It keeps him from feelings isolated or stuck. In place of feeling anxiety or
desperation when he discovers the darkness within him, he finds joy and strength in the challenges which lie before
him. He has the connections and the resources to help him follow his path. Exercise: Exploring Your Own
Transcendence Take a few minutes and consider what the sacred is to you. That is, what are your greatest sources of
inspiration? When and where have you had encounters with the greatest beauty, wonder, awe, and mystery? When
did life feel most alive, most precious, full of hope and joy? When did love share with you its greatest treasures and
gifts? These questions are answered by reflecting on your personal experience. But the personal, in this case, also
contains transpersonal depths. Feel the light and the energy underlying your experiences. This brings you into
contact with sacred. In these moments, you were able to see life from a great distance, as if standing on the outside
looking in. But also the depths of life were open to and flowing through you. Some individuals will imagine and
recall specific locations where they have been or specific individuals whom they interacted with. For others, feelings
come to the surface. However you wish to recall the sacred, imagine now that you can connect to these experiences
again whenever you wish. The sacred is a place of mind and heart, like the center of the circle, to which you return
again and again. It is what you enter into whenever you begin a spiritual journey. It is what guides you and it is to
where you return. Our experiences with life enable us to enrich our sense of the sacred. It grows stronger as does our
identification with akasha, the one light that shines throughout the universe who some call Divine Providence. At the
same time, when we are amid a great difficulty, conflict, or state of confusion, we can enter the center of the circle,
symbolizing akasha. Then we can undertake a inner plane pathworking or series of meditations in search of the
resources and experiences we need in order to be more effective in life. Akasha, the center of the circle, grove, our
inner plane temple, or place of the sacred is where we begin our journeys and it is where we return from them. There
is a process of processing, gathering in, and integrating the essence of all we have learned from life. And there is
also a joy and conviction we exude as we depart on new journeys into the unknown. From this psychological and
spiritual perspective, our difficulties and problems become challenges. They contain the elements of the great work
we willingly embrace in order to transform ourselves and the world through the power of love. Spiritual Community
At the same time, our individual sense of the sacred is not an isolated and private experience. We belong to spiritual
communities. There are others like ourselves who wish to taste fully and to celebrate life's great mysteries.
Therefore, along side our individual symbolism and imagery of the sacred there is also a collective imagery. For the
druid, there is a personal grove where he goes to work. There is also a collective grove which is a place on the inner
planes. Part of our exercise, then, is to continue on and imagine what this place of meeting would be like as well. In
chapter 9 of Initiation into Hermetics, Bardon gives an exercise relating to mastering the four fundamental divine
qualities. He says, "The truly wise adept, who always considers the four elements in his development, will represent
the concept of God in four aspects according to the laws of the universe, namely, the omnipotence, corresponding to
the fire-principle, the omniscience and wisdom belonging to the air principle, the omnipresence with the water
principle and the immortality with the earth principle." As you contemplate and enter into these divine qualities,
Bardon says, "The meditation has to be so profound, so pervasive and so convincing that the astral body becomes, as
it were, identical with the virtue." Bardon's work emphasizes individual initiative and accomplishment. There is
certainly also a collective or community of those who seek to master and to celebrate the highest light of akasha or
Divine Providence. As the above quote indicates, for the magician, the divine is represented in four aspects. As an
exercise, take any or all of these four aspects and imagine what a community would be like which is commited to
embodying these qualities. If you think of a community of loving individuals, imagine what that would be like.
Imagine it as a community in the real world. And imagine and experience it concretely as a inner plane experience.
As if all those on our earth who indeed seek to love with all of their hearts are able to meet with each other and to
share their vast array of experiences. Visit this place on the inner planes. Make it part of your heart. Much of magick
relates to the power of imagination. If you can imagine something and experience it a 100% as real, then it is much
easier for it to manifest. You already embody it within your heart, mind, and feelings. Those in contact with you can
sense its presence and influence. These exercises, then, serve to uplift the vibration of the world we are in. The
images serve as mental and astral vehicles for establishing telepathic rapport and communication wtih others. We
are then drawn to, nourished by, and inspired by those who share the same high ideals. (See also my posting under
Asmodel, a spirit of universal and cosmic love, under Planetary Spirits, in which I give four steps for meditating on
a community dedicated to the highest ideals of love, light, and service).
As Bardon puts it, the meditations enable “him to establish the union with his God which is the sum and substance
of this training course.” Bardon’s training system is highly systematic, step by step, and requires rigorous practice
over a large number of years. For masters such as Bardon, you do not get results unless you put in the requisite
work.
I would like to suggest that, in addition to the emphasis on method and accomplishment, there is also something
incredibly exciting and awesome that you can experience as well at the beginning of the practice. After all, the
practice Bardon recommends in chapter 9 of his book is in effect the summation of all the religious, mystical,
spiritual, and magical practices on this planet put into one meditation. This goal is also a magnificent quest, a quest
you can experience and taste every day. You can start with your sense of awe and wonder right in the beginning and
deepen this inspiration throughout the course of your life.
To describe this meditation in straightforward manner, you are, as Bardon says, ennobling your psychic
“personality to such a degree that the Godhead can live in it.” You seek to familiarize yourself with, study, develop,
and finally embody all four aspects of divinity--omnipotent power, omniscient wisdom, omnipresent love, and the
immortality and rejuvenation of the body. Your body and soul become a temple so balanced, refined, and developed
that, as Bardon says, “the Godhead can live in it.” You unite to God and find God within yourself.
There are obviously quite a few requisites to this practice. Bardon mentions, for example, that you have to
achieve a equilibrium between the four elements in your soul. You have to become conscious of the darkness within
yourself and refine your personality so that you seek to embody the highest ideals including a commitment to be of
service to mankind.
Just imagine that if you are considering uniting with God as a goal, embodying His divine aspects in yourself,
there will be all sorts of difficulties and dangers that will confront you. Among these are the typical vices that attach
themselves to those with a religious temperament--fanaticism, self-righteousness, feelings of superiority, the elitism
concealed in feeling chosen, arrogance, narrow-mindedness, and also self-doubt, dependence on and attachment to
external authorities, feelings of being riddled with guilt, acute fear of the unknown, fear of being contaminated or
loss of purity, fear of desire, repression, and habitual complacency and conformity, desire for recognition, etc. All
of these things will have to be dealt with if you wish to find God within yourself.
There is also a purely psychological problem that is typical with those who emphasize a personal relationship with
God. Bardon mentions, “Many religions are talking about the practical connection with God, giving expression to
the personal point of view that this connection can be established already by addressing God in the form of a prayer,
of adoration, or of giving thanks to God.”
Interaction with God in the mode of a personal relationship is ideal for praying, making requests, expressing
concerns, adoring, and thanking. The problem is that in point of fact those who focus exclusively on relating to God
in a personal mode invariably, almost without exception, fail to develop their relationship to God so as to embody
Him within themselves. They do not prepare for the encounter with God. In a nutshell, they have no spiritual
practices that offer serious possibilities of development monitored by quality control.
There is nothing rigorous about their spiritual training that systematically develops the body, soul, mind, and
spirit so that these are carefully aligned and strengthened so that God can appear within them. I have included at the
end of this essay a slightly humorous and yet also serious discussion between Moses, Aaron, and God over the
nature of this temple, whether it is external to the body or internal. In that poem, which is from my book Mystical
Fables, I am not addressing what happened historically between Moses and God. I am attempting to go to the
essence of man’s relationship to God. See also my stories on Balaam, a Gentile Prophet, and St. Columba, for ways
individuals sought to enter the Presence of God.
Bardon also describes several methods for practicing. One of these he calls a magical and active form of
invocation--step by step and deliberately you develop the inner, spiritual part of yourself so that it “rises up to God
half-way and the later comes to meet him half-way down.” In regard to the details of this method, Bardon says,
“The manner of invocation is absolutely individual, because there does not exist any concrete method.”
In this essay, I am simply sharing some of my experiences with invoking God within myself. In Quabbalah, there
are ten sephiroth or domains of experience through which God reveals himself and creates the universe. I am
describing some of my experiences with the first four of these ten sephiroth.
I was raised a Baptist in the Evangelical Christian tradition. I will limit my comments on religion and use
religious examples only to clarify how my point of view and experience differ from positions that are more
traditional and more well-known. At all times, however, my emphasis, like Bardon’s, is on direct, first-hand, and
personal experience. I am not selling something. I am sharing. I seek to encourage others to experience and to
share in return.
Within Evangelical Christianity, for example, there are a variety of interpretations about what a personal
relationship with God is. At one extreme is the evangelical who asserts that it is only Christ and the Holy Spirit who
are important. God plays no active role in our faith. God kind of got demoted after Christ and the Holy Spirit
showed up. God does has an honorary position in the trinity. After all, He did create the universe and He did deal
with Israel and the prophets, but now we have moved beyond those things.
At the other extreme is the minister in a Lutheran Church I once attended at a wedding who said, “God is the
Beloved.” You do not write off a lover and wave the lover aside as if there is nothing further to get to know about
the other. You seek to unite with a lover. I am aligned with this kind of interpretation.
I would also point out that before Christ and the Holy Spirit showed up in the New Testament, David was writing
hundreds of years before in a psalm that has enriched the lives of millions of people: “The Lord is my shepherd, I
shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. He leadeth me besides the still waters. He restoreth
my soul....” It is quite clear to me from the words of David that David has an interactive and personal relationship
with God that is at least the equal of anything I have ever heard any Christian express verbally.
David treated God as a personal guide, protector, inspirer, friend, and guardian of his soul. Yet God did not
permit David to build Him a temple because David had too much blood on his hands. It was David’s son, Solomon,
who built in Jerusalem a temple to God. What I am saying along with Bardon and what I would asset was Christ’s
teaching also is that your body and soul are a far more wonderful and perfect temple in which God can reside than
any building, temple, or cathedral made out of wood, brick, or stones. And yet there is still a need to ennoble our
personalities so that God can appear within us. This is a life long practice and there is no end to it.
Method
Recall that Bardon states that “The manner of invocation is absolutely individual.” Here is a personal method that I
often use. It is my application of the words, “Be still and know that I am God.” There is a simple way to illustrate
this method. You imagine your body, soul, and mind to be like a mirror that reflects whatever is in front of it
without blurring or distorting the image.
To get a taste for this, you can image a tree, an animal, a mountain, a lake, the sky, etc. And then you relax and
make yourself completely still. Your body is motionless, your soul is clear, and your mind is empty. Then you
reflect that image into yourself so that it is the only thing in your consciousness.
It is not at all important if you imagine the image inside of your body or, like a hologram, just appearing in empty
air. There is no concern about whether the image is here or there, in me, or elsewhere. Or, try it both ways, first
visualizing something outside of your body and next inside of your body. The idea is to find what works for you.
After a while, you become familiar with the state of body, soul, and mind that in themselves are no longer
attached to physical being, feelings, or thoughts. The point is to be free to receive impressions and intuitions of a
higher order without distorting or blurring them. God, after all, is not reflected in any image. This does not mean
you can not use analogies and metaphors to express the impressions and intuitions you receive. You just have to
make these analogies accurate enough to represent what your individual experience is.
The sentence, “Be still and know that I am God,” is not just about being still. It is also about knowing. If you
know something, you should be able to express at least to yourself what it is you know. As I point out in the
sephiroth of Hod, communication is absolutely essential when discussing truth. Since God is infinite, we will all
have our own individual perspectives and experiences with this truth. In this case, there is something to be said for
sharing.
In this domain, God’s Presence creates strength, endurance, and abundance--all of life’s experiences are here to
be appreciated and fulfilled. When I become very still and focus inward on the Presence of God appearing within
myself, I feel these things manifesting in me--strength, endurance, and all that brings about abundance.
The specific test I seek as I open myself to discern God’s Presence is a sensation or an intuition that I am
connected to something infinite. No spirit or archangel in the universe has this quality of infinity present in its aura
or mind as a quality or emanation, but God very definitely does.
Here are some of my thoughts on this Presence. When God says, “Be fruitful and multiply and have dominion
over the earth,” He means just that. This Presence grants human beings the ability to attain complete power over
this planet in every aspect. This is a creative power. It can accomplish the impossible and it is within our power
eventually to master the process by which the planet earth was created. If you touch God’s aura in this aspect, there
is no doubt about this.
By becoming familiar and dwelling within this Presence, I notice that I am not only becoming more familiar with
these qualities. I am also beginning to emanate them. It is like the Presence of God is reflecting in and through me
not just the qualities but the ability also to create these qualities in others. Like I say, if you enter the presence of the
Creator you also, like Him, become involved in creating.
Like God, we have within us incomprehensive powers to be hard-working, committed, determined, and
inexhaustible in our industriousness. This is the nature of the creative will when it comes to manifesting something
that is tangible and real, solid and enduring.
To enter God’s Presence is to unite with God. The Infinite is around you, within you, a part of you, and also
moving through you. You unite with it and are a part of it according to your virtue and your strength.
The Presence of God, however, is not silent or still though it takes inner silence and stillness to find it. Like sex,
it is an act of creating something new. You unite with God in this aspect because you want to create something new
right now. This Presence is creative power in action transforming the physical world.
Some individuals are never fully here in the physical world. They are like lost souls, disoriented, or confused.
When you touch the God Presence on this level, you become one of the primary actors on the stage of life. You are
not a passive member of the audience. You are the writer, producer, director, and the one who brings it all to life
through your actions.
To comprehend this a little more clearly, you might take a few moments and review in your mind some of the
great achievements of mankind purely on the level of constructing and building things. Different societies put a lot
of work, for example, into building the pyramids, the great wall of China, the Panama Canal, the Hoover Dam, and
so forth.
Carefully imagine a number of individuals who are extremely hard working and industrious, totally committed to
their mission, and nearly inexhaustible in their energy.
We will all have our own evaluation of the worth of these various projects. Why take the incredibly fertile river
valley of the Nile and, with all the surplus income generated, use that wealth to build tombs to house dead pharaohs?
What a great waste of a historical opportunity!
A more favorable point of view on the pyramids is that they represented to foreign nations the great wonder and
divinity of the pharaohs. In the old days, if you could impress upon your enemies how great you were, they would
not be so inclined to attack you--they would consider you to be superior and protected by divinity. And from the
point of view of the Pharaoh, like some Tibetan lamas or businessmen I know, if you keep people occupied with
busy work as an end in itself, they are not as likely to have time to complain or think about all the other things they
could be doing in life.
But from time to time in the ancient world there were individuals who enjoyed a close association with God and
who were also extremely industrious. Joseph interpreted dreams by divine inspiration and was also assigned the
task of running Egypt. Similarly, Daniel cultivated and received divine visions and also was placed in charge of
running Babylon. Unlike Carnegie and other entrepreneurs of the nineteenth century, these men of old were both
industrious and illuminated by God from within.
Returning to our meditation, imagine that you are the source of the inspiration to all those dedicated to getting the
job done, whatever that job may be. Sometimes they do not listen very carefully to or understand the purpose
behind hard work. Nonetheless, you remain the inexhaustible source of their motivation, drive to work, and
commitment.
Imagine that this essence of materializing things though hard work flows through you to all of these individuals
now and all through history. Feel that power, that desire, and the satisfaction that comes to those who know they
have made something of great and enduring value. If you can accomplish a meditation like this, then you are
drawing close to the feeling of the Divine Presence in this domain.
Another aspect of God’s Presence in this domain is that, as a creator, your intent is to guarantee a specific result.
As I meditate in this Presence, I can easily imagine pursuing this meditation for the rest of my life. It is
inexhaustible and, as I point out over and over, the Presence is infinite.
Nonetheless, in every case that I imagine, this Presence is oriented, concerned, and committed to producing a
specific end. If you run a business, you maximize the quality, value, efficiency, and amount of your production. If
you run a monastery, even if the monastery’s goal is to produce an enlightened state of mind, you are still oriented
toward a specific result.
Under this influence, you become incredibly sharp about how to produce the results that you want--in the case of
the above monastery, students whose minds are unshakeable and who possess the qualities of mind that your goal
demands. You train the students and you order the activities of the monastery in such a way that these results are
inevitable.
In all cases, whether businessman, banker, abbot, priest, poet, or lover, you bring every resource to bear upon
accomplishing what you are after. This is the Presence that oversees and inspires the Protestant Ethic--you treat
God as a personal resource Who assists you in accomplishing your work here on earth. A Protestant in this tradition
goes to church each week to renew his commitment to hard work, to living an upright and righteous life, and to
producing something that is of practical and enduring value.
The difference between a Protestant’s conception of God and this Presence is that this Presence of God, besides
hard work, is also interested in manifesting God’s Kingdom on earth--that is, manifesting justice, peace between the
nations, and affirming the dignity and expanding the opportunities of every person. In my experience, Protestants
have special difficulties in conceiving of these things. It is not that they do not talk about it. It is rather that the
ideal, the dream, and the commitment to accomplishing them is not in their hearts.
You could, of course, point to the overcoming of slavery, the civil rights movement, and women’s suffrage as
examples of changes in society brought about to affirm the dignity of every person. But in many cases, it was the
Protestant church that fought against and still fights against these things. The Southern Baptists in the U.S. split
with the Northern Baptists because the Southern Baptists were in favor of slavery. It was a necessary aspect of their
plantation economy, a necessity insuring productivity.
The Southern Baptists still resist, based on the words of St. Paul, allowing women an equal place in their
churches. Paul, you remember, fought for years against racism as he tried to get the church fathers in Jerusalem to
recognize his gentile converts as Christians. Paul resorted to bribing the early church fathers with money offered by
his churches to gain the support of the leaders in Jerusalem. His timing was incredibly inept and ineffective. He
arrived in Jerusalem with his money and was promptly arrested by the Romans. A short period later Jerusalem was
besieged and completely leveled by the Romans. God had another plan in mind when it came to convincing the
church father’s about the universality of the Christian gospel.
Therefore, there is a danger of trying to accomplish a great purpose too quickly. If you do not take into
consideration the full perspective of God but only the part that fits your personal and cultural values, you end up
ignoring things like--manifesting justice, peace between the nations, and affirming the dignity and expanding the
opportunities of every person. History then turns against you as it turned against Paul and the early Christian leaders
who chose to make Jerusalem the center of their political and religious activities.
God is the absolute master of history. As the 90th psalm puts it, “You turn man to destruction and say, ‘Return
you children of men.’ A thousand years in God’s sight is as nothing. In God’s Presence in this domain, there is an
overwhelming and absolute impulse to create and manifest enduring works of value. But this Presence also entails
wisdom.
Rather than becoming obsessed with busy work, becoming a workaholic, and a person of many accomplishments,
be sure first that you spend some time learning to see through the eyes of the divine. There are obviously many
cases where you have to exert command in order to insure you get the results that you demand. Never doubt that.
But it is also outside of most individuals’ imagination that you can accomplish more by motivating by love rather
than by fear, by offering understanding and opportunity rather than manipulating and controlling by force of will.
One of the things God is willing to do is to offer you the opportunity to observe both procedures so that you can
judge through experience your best course of action. When I say that love is more powerful than hate that is
because I study malice and hate every day and I weigh them against the infinite power that is in love. And so I draw
my own conclusions about which methods to use in my work.
A Tai Chi Chuan master I know talks about “divine order” when he speaks of his practice. It is a nice phrase to
express the result of God’s Presence in this domain. You gain a sense of divine order so that it is expressed in and
through your life. To be productive, we have to order our activities. If you order your life attuning it to the
Presence of God, then you have divine order. With a sense of divine order, anxiety is gone. Depression is gone.
Despair is gone. Insecurity is gone. None of these things can come close to you without being destroyed.
With a sense of divine order, you are conscientious and enthusiastic to use every moment to build something and
to make something new that expresses the love that is within you. But this enthusiasm does not translate into being
busy. It means that you see a purpose being fulfilled in every activity. You are alert and relaxed, open and yet
focused, sharp and also spontaneous. And in every moment you are ready to take the unknown and the difficult and
make it into something familiar and friendly.
In summary, God’s Presence in Malkuth, the kingdom, creates strength, endurance, and abundance--all of life’s
experiences are here to be appreciated and fulfilled. Under this inspiration, you realize the full value of the material
world to capture and to give expression to what you imagine. The task is to make the physical world--our bodies,
our communities, our societies, and our destinies--into a temple in and through which the creativity of God appears.
According to my letter if you would like to find more materials on turning the body into a temple of God, see my article on the philosopher’s
stone-- http://www.lava.net/~pagios/alchemy.htm ).I`ve added this material however it should be compared i.e.
When you touch God’s aura or unite with His Presence in this aspect, you become, to the extent you are prepared,
a sea of infinite bliss, love, and peace. It surrounds you. It is a part of you. And it flows through you to others.
Touched by this Presence, you are the source that is overflowing because it is creating without limit or restriction.
It is as if in a moment you can clearly see an entire human life and every need and desire that this individual has
ever or will ever feel. And then, through your creative power, you fulfill every need and satisfy every desire. There
is no limit on how much you can offer.
It is like this--as if you could take an individual outside of time and offer him or her a taste of the pleasure and
ecstasy that flows through God’s own blood. And then you say, “Return now to your own time and your situation in
life. Having tasted this bliss, you now know beyond all doubt what being fully alive is all about.”
Once again, we can work from more familiar human terms toward this Divine Presence through a meditation.
Imagine that you are again a fetus in your mother’s womb. You are sentient and aware of being suspended in liquid
while a heartbeat continuously sounds. You are safe, at peace, and surging with life.
Now imagine that you are an adult and that another person loves you with all of his or her heart and you also love
this person with all of your heart. Hold that awareness of receiving and supporting all that another person is and
feeling this in return.
And finally imagine you are a guardian angel who watches over an individual’s incarnation. Imagine a flow of
love that extends from you to this person in incarnation and that this flow of love never ends. And when the
individual finally dies, you welcome the individual into the greater light and love that ever flows from your heart.
Now bring all three of these meditations together into one. Relax, take some time, and allow them to join. Each
supports and embraces the others. They flow through each other like water being poured into water. The Divine
Presence is like this except there is no end to it--it embraces everything everywhere throughout the universe.
I asked about what I am missing in one of the subsequent sessions I did while working with this Presence. It was
pointed out to me that this vibration is physical as well as spiritual. The fetus in the womb is physical. It has
physical sensations.
Christ in Christian doctrine is God in physical form. God’s love manifests physically. It can be felt and touched.
In Malkuth, God’s inspiration produces things that are real and solid and enduring. In Yesod, you feel like you are
being physically held by a lover. This is not an otherworldly vibration. It is not spiritual in the sense of being non-
tangible. It is as real and material as your breath, your heartbeat, and the blood flowing through your veins.
One of the things to note about the sphere of Yesod is that it requires direct experience and immersion in
pleasure, bliss, and ecstasy so that you know profound satisfaction and gratification. If you do not have these things
and you pursue a spiritual life, then it is very easy to become twisted emotionally and mentally blind. The inner
need that is denied exerts control over your mind.
When I focus on the God Presence within myself, I also get the image of the crystal ball I sometimes see the
archangel Gabriel holding. I become this crystal ball that is the prophetic vision and also that offers the fulfillment
to all dreams, desires, and needs. It is an aspect of Divine Providence that actively assumes responsibility for
insuring this fulfillment of all experience through creation. It is the power to insure that your heart’s desire is
materialized so that you can experience it until it becomes internalized and a part of you.
The archangel Gabriel seems to be an angelic representative of this domain. He embodies within his aura a
prophetic awareness, a crystal clear vision, of the entire history of the human race on earth. His vibration offers not
just a vision of your deepest desires and longings. His aura offers the materialization of these things according to
your virtue, strength, and clarity of vision. He brings into being what is within your heart according to your ability
to receive.
The difference between the archangel Gabriel and God’s Presence in the sphere of Yesod is that Gabriel only
brings about what he sees within your heart. He is passive in this sense. He brings about the deepest desires of the
heart that have already been revealed by God to you. God, by comparison to the archangel Gabriel, is not so
restricted.
God, as you recall, creates out of nothing. With God, you discover what is hidden outside of an archangel’s
vision. And with God you become the original source that gives and there is no limit to it and no restriction placed
upon it. You learn to nurture, to heal, to restore, to renew, and to grant peace and happiness.
When you look up at the stars at night within this sphere of God’s Presence you almost hear the words, “All of
this I have created that you might see, taste, and come to realize the depth of My bliss.”
When the astrophysicist is also a shaman who unites with the object that he studies, when the astronomer also
practices star gazing so that he finds the oscillations of light within his own consciousness as well, when the nuclear
physicist can sense with his skin gamma, X-rays, gravity waves, and cosmic radiation, and when the meteorologist,
volcanologist, oceanographer, and geologist can speak directly with the angels and archangels presiding over
physical creation, then the human race will be in a better position to appreciate God’s Presence in this domain.
Another way to say this is that you learn to feel all the feelings within another human being and then you
transform them so that they overflow with peace and love. It is far more subtle and not at all repressive like a
conversion that gets someone to turn away from their vices and mistakes. It is more alchemical and accepting--it
receives all that a person is and, through the power of love, raises the vibration so that instead of the pain of
separation there is the joy of union. In this domain, the act of creation is very nurturing and, without effort,
purifying.
In the meditation I described earlier involving a fetus in the womb, a lover in the arms of another lover, and a
guardian angel greeting a soul as it departs from physical form--in all three cases, an individual is enfolded with a
love that saturates every cell and part of their being; every memory is seen from the within the light of love. From
the trauma of birth, the separation from one’s love, and letting go of one’s life, there is an experience of terrible loss.
But God’s Presence in Yesod overcomes this loss and heals this trauma.
In this domain, you become the oneness that heals every wound. It joins with another and enfolds them with love.
This Presence has always been weak with the human race. The experience of infinite peace has not been well taught
or received. As a result, for eons humanity has suffered terribly, haunted by a loss and confusion it has been unable
to overcome.
When a man appears who is united with God from within, an individual conceived under the agency of the
archangel Gabriel, this man is forced to say to his disciples, “There are many things I would teach you but you are
not able to bear them.”
The fetus can not remain in the mother’s womb. There comes a time when lovers go their separate ways. The
guardian angel is limited in the love it can give by the love a soul is able to receive. Nonetheless, in each case the
love given was enfolding of the other, enabling a high level of growth and creative activity.
Each man and woman has his or her own way of finding peace. In this regard, even the archangel Gabriel, a
representative sent by God, has actions that are misunderstood and his intentions are doubted. Zacharius and Joseph
do not understand the message conveyed. Harod twists the meaning and then finds the idea so threatening that he
sends troops to kill children in order to prevent it.
Only Mary and the three wise men comprehend it and the prophet Isaiah hundreds of years before envisioned this
will of God manifesting. The twelve disciples, so excited with the prospect of founding a new religion, never found
this Presence within themselves. And so the church, denying pleasure, bliss, satisfaction, and gratification, never
had a chance to conceive of much less experience an infinite peace where all desire comes to rest.
Based on my experience, if you meet the archangel Gabriel or enter God’s Presence in this domain, you discover
that sensuality and spirituality are not separate. They are inextricably joined to the extent that they have the same
taste and express themselves in the same way. (See my poem, The Beloved, that was written under the influence of
the archangel Gabriel.)
In the Mahabarata, it says, “Happiness is inevitable.” Let me say this another way. There comes a moment in the
course of time when each individual is free to put aside doctrines, traditions, and even the voice of angels and
archangels. In this regard, even the prophets and sacred scriptures can not guide you, for you are seeking the source
of the inspiration of which they are but a dim reflection. And so you turn in another direction to find God’s
Presence within yourself.
There is no being or spirit capable of guarding the gates to this Presence. It is infinite and there is no way to stop
it or hold it back from manifesting if you want it. God’s Presence renews or makes new anything, rejuvenating and
sustaining it. In my experience, God’s Presence also will set up a specific flow of energy through you that renews
you from within. It surrounds and encompasses you with a healing and soothing vibration. It gets inside of you
offering purity and reviving power.
A second meditation, therefore, is to open yourself to receive impressions about the specific nurturing and
healing energy of God’s Presence as it flows through you. If you can sense this, it may help to imagine then, as in a
Bardon exercise, that the entire universe surrounding you is filled with this one energy. Imagine yourself as a
universe of nurturing and healing energy. This type of imaginative exercise helps to loosen up the blocks and
rigidity within oneself so that the energy has a chance to flow through you and to be fully experienced.
A lot of lovers who really love each other encounter a difficult problem if they are deficient in the energy of this
domain. They love but they still lack inner contentment, happiness, and peace. And so they may strive to give this
to or get this from each other, knowing it is an essential part if not the heart of a loving relationship. And then
because they know not how to offer or find this gift, they fall victim to doubts. They begin to suspect that their love
is defective in a way they do not comprehend.
In other words, if you can find happiness and peace in yourself before you seek to join with another, then you do
not burden the relationship with a liability neither of you has the resources to pay off. Inner peace, contentment,
serenity, and happiness are distinct and separate from uniting with another in love. They are two different things at
least in terms of themes and purpose and certainly in terms of the inspiration offered by God’s Presence.
And so a third meditation relating to sensing God’s Presence in Yesod is to imagine as before that you are a sea of
infinite peace, contentment, happiness, satisfaction, serenity, pleasure, and bliss. But add to this the sense that you
offer all of this to the world in which you live. Whoever is receptive to your energy receives these gifts. This is the
way God is in Yesod, the Foundation. Make no mistake about it and never underestimate its importance. It is the
vehicle and foundation of all other manifestations of God. It is the virility and nurturing capacity that insures their
stability and empowers their perfection.
Individuals who are strong in the energy of Yesod, that is, who have an inner contentment and their own
happiness, are remarkable independent. They can tell immediately if something is right or not for them without
having to think about it. They know intuitively if they want another’s inner soul to flow through their own and so
they do not overexpose themselves or become easily entangled with the wrong person.
One of the virtues of Malkuth is discrimination. You know through experience and worldly wisdom how to
respond in different situations. You know what works and what does not. You understand the world as it is without
trying to make your own illusions and false assumptions work within or upon it.
But there is an exception to this virtue of discrimination. There is a time when discrimination does not work.
There is at time when it does not matter how worldly wise you are or how much experience you have. And this is
when your inner desire or need grows so strong that it blinds you to all that your mind tells you is wrong. This
character flaw then becomes your fate.
In order to be successful in Malkuth, you also need the inner peace of Yesod. “To everything a time and a
season.” If you know yourself and that specific desires must be fulfilled during this life, then you look for the
situation which enables that to happen in the best way possible. In this way, you avoid the nightmares, suffering,
and entangling relationships which result from tying to satisfy a need or a desire within a situation or with a person
through which it can not possibly happen.
As I meditate here, I recall very clearly memories in which my inner peace was severely shaken and also the
opposite--the best of times when my sense of home, family, and contentment were the greatest. I think about what
home meant to me as a child. It was a state of being cared for and guided so that my needs were fulfilled, my
growth was optimum, and I was led to freedom.
This caring and nurturing is something the Presence of God in Yesod teaches us to do for ourselves and for others
as well. From this vantage point in Yesod, the other nine sephiroth are means for attaining this end--the ability to
nurture, protect, and fulfill ourselves and do the same for others. The home of childhood with its sweetness of
innocence, its natural happiness, and its promise of fulfillment becomes a dream we hold in our hearts for others and
for the entire world.
When the prophet Isaiah says, “Nation shall not lift up sword against nation neither shall they learn war
anymore,” he is saying, “Let’s make the entire world into one family, a home, a place where people love and care
for each other.” This kind of statement and dream is absolute nonsense unless you have access to infinite power.
The power in Yesod is the power within inner desires, needs, and dreams. The Divine Presence in Yesod teaches
how to gaze at the entire evolution of a planet, to stand outside of all time and space and to embrace all of life and
all the experience of the human race from a place within your heart of love and peace.
And so, like a well of divine dreams, with ease you go yourself or you take anyone else back in time to a place of
innocence and sweet love or forward in time, like the ghost of Christmas future in A Christmas Carol, who shows
you the final end waiting for you if you follow a certain course of action. You are gently led to the source from
which the soul attains its greatest peace and happiness that is also the source of its greatest freedom and
independence.
There is no wound here that can not be healed. There is no vice or obsession that can not be transformed into its
opposite of pure love and light. Fail to listen to this voice, close yourself to this stream of life and darkness will
always cloud your vision and sorrow will always be there to greet you during any great life transition.
So I ask, “What am I missing?” And I am taken into a dream in which I am holding another person and sharing
with this woman the feeling of infinite peace, of being in a state of inner peace with the universe. Pretty basic stuff,
really. Yesod is also about family and sharing.
If you are involved in some great cause, if you have some great wrong to right, some great injustice which needs
to be brought back under the principle of law, then you most likely are not going to be looking within yourself. You
are most likely not going to be concerned about the treasures of life you are leaving behind amid your quest for
social justice.
But if you want to avoid exhaustion or the mistakes you will make from being hasty or motivated for quick
results to reassure yourself you are getting something accomplished, then the Presence in Yesod will remain in your
consciousness. Different relationships can take us into different sephiroth. One relationship may lead us to the
power of Gevurah in which any obstacle in life can be overcome. Another may lead us to Binah, to perfect
enlightenment, not the kind that frees you from individual suffering though that is well and good. No, this
enlightenment leads you to take responsibility for the world.
I seem to have a need for a relationship which celebrates this inner peace with the universe, an infinite peace,
which through the human embrace also embraces all of life and all that is to be experienced in time and space. The
value of sharing is that it is a way that helps to turn the world into a home. The outer world comes to reflect the
inner and the inner and outer worlds are then joined.
One of the characteristics of mature magicians is that they do not fall into bias, prejudice, or ideologies. They are
not argumentative, self-righteous, narrow minded, or attached to specific beliefs. They are not insecure, paranoid, or
defeatist. They are not alarmist. They are not scared by anything because there is nothing they can not change when
they put their minds to it and act in accordance with universal and cosmic wisdom.
They will not corner you at some unexpected moment and harangue you because you do not agree with their
beliefs about feminism, the liberation of some country, some injustice, about being a vegetarian, or whatever. They
will not treat you as inferior or be suspicious of you or question your motives in order to compensate for their own
insecurity. You can use this as a test of whether someone understands the intelligence and illumination of this
sephiroth--they speak for both time and eternity so you can count on every single one of them to place any
discussion, issue, problem, or conflict within a universal, cosmic, and illuminated, enlightened context.
The other thing about them is that they love what they are doing. They radiate enthusiasm and a sense of wonder
and awe before the beauty and mystery of the universe. Even their critics and enemies will turn to them on occasion
for encouragement and a chance to improve their understanding of their own work and best course in life. You can
count on them to give you a clear understanding of what the issues are in your life and what your best decisions are.
At the same time, you can also express the essence or nature of anything externally using formulas, concepts, and
various disciplines or systems of knowledge. In other words, you have an intuitive understanding and you are able
to verbalize or express your understanding with such precision and clarity that others can understand your intuition
as well.
These two go together--truth and the expression of truth that is persuasive and clear. Within this Presence, there
is nothing that can not be understood and no problem that can not be solved. There is nothing that you can not learn
to make, remade, or recreate.
In a nutshell, God’s Presence in this domain creates perfect clarity, concentration, and perception. Under such
divine inspiration, there is no limit on these things. Knowledge of the outer world and science, intuitive knowledge
of the inner worlds of psyche and spirit, objective and subjective, external and internal--you encompass all of these
opposites in one awareness.
Conviction and faith are also created in this domain. This is not faith in God’s existence. When you enter into
God’s Presence, you do not have to struggle to believe in Him. His Presence is immediate and obvious, if only due
to the powers that you are granted as a result and the level of creativity you then embrace.
The conviction and faith created here relate to envisioning something you wish to bring into being. Your
conviction is that what you will can be made to happen and that what you envision will come to be. You sense
intuitively how this can be done and you gain certainty that the skills you will need in accomplishing these
endeavors will come to you quickly.
The net effect of this contact is that you become curious, objective, detached, and tenacious when studying any
subject. At the same time, you possess a real feeling for your subject matter and you feel inspired that you can
quickly overcome any confusion and resolve any difficulty.
There are all sorts of major hurdles to overcome when working with God in this domain. There are the usual
blocks that interfere with understanding and wisdom such as fanaticism, narrow-mindedness, self-deception,
presumption, arrogance, fear, insecurity, attachment to fixed ideas, and clinging to prejudicial ideals.
These can be overcome and put aside as you develop a love of clarity and a pure delight in the process of
discovery. Any obsession fades away and any vice is dissolved as you fall in love with direct, personal, sensory
perception. You come to understand and appreciate above all else that experience is the greatest teacher that sets
you on a course toward wisdom.
The Bible states that Solomon was the wisest of all men on earth. In the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon explains
his method as a social scientist. He tried first hand different kinds of experiences. And then he stated simply and
directly what he had observed and learned as a result. Solomon had a great gift from God but he did not penetrate
into the Presence of God. You can possess wisdom without searching for the source of that wisdom.
The difference between Solomon’s wisdom and that offered by the Presence of God is that Solomon did not
understand that clarity, concentration, and perception as well as faith and conviction are themselves acts of creation.
You can employ them passively, using what you have and taking them for granted. Or you can realize that in each
moment what you think, feel, perceive, and what you experience are creative acts. You can find new wisdom, gain
new experience, and acquire new insight in accordance with the purpose you seek to fulfill. In regard to knowledge
and wisdom, The Presence of God holds nothing back.
If in Malkuth God’s Presence makes things of great value that endure through time, in this sephiroth God’s
Presence is the intelligence that insures that the design of these forms employ the highest standards and that the
workmanship is of the highest attainment. Obviously those who invent, innovate, and who bring new things into the
world are under this inspiration. When you give all of yourself to your work so that your work is perfected you are
acting in harmony with this inner light. The Presence of God in this domain is like being in the presence of the
scientist, architect, engineer, and builder whose work produced the universe.
A meditation. A simple way to approximate or get a taste for this Presence is that when you have something you
wish to accomplish, imagine that you have absolute faith that you can accomplish this, that you have perfect
certainty that whatever skill or knowledge you need to acquire will come to you, and that your commitment is also
absolute--that your commitment will rise to whatever level (extraordinary, superhuman, or divine) that is necessary
to bring about the result you intend. These three things--faith, certainty, and commitment--are created in accordance
to your needs when you enter God’s Presence in this domain.
In God’s Presence, your level of concentration is amplified to the extent that your body and mind become a temple,
a place where the sacred names of God are spoken according to the purpose you seek to fulfill. You can feel the
power, like the angels of the Schem-Ham-Phorus, gathering and circling around you. They await your command. It
is as if they are asking, “What glorious task do you wish us to accomplish on your behalf to celebrate the Presence
that is within you.”
However, you can imagine that if some individuals were to get even a faint taste of this Presence, they might go
temporarily insane if they have not prepared themselves for the encounter. Or they fall into arrogance, self-
righteousness, bigotry, and fanaticism thinking they are right and everyone else is wrong. They imagine themselves
to be pure and that everyone else is impure. They see the light and everyone else dwells in darkness. Oh yes,
human beings have a penchant for exaggerating and a weakness that inflates their egos. Consequently, you have to
be careful with this sephiroth.
In the next sephiroth of Netzach, the experience of oneness is the goal. In this sephiroth, the goal is to produce
something that is so well-designed and expressed that it is impossible to miss that its origin is divine. Truth is not
friendly to those who are unable to express it adequately. And it is openly hostile and will destroy those who seek to
destroy it. You can not hide it and you can not hide from it. But you can seek it in your own way and in your own
time and give expression to it as you discover it within yourself.
Faith has many levels and degrees. In God’s Presence, you become the level and kind of faith that celebrates the
holiness of God. And this holiness is nothing else than the oneness that underlies everything in the universe and to
which everything is joined. Ultimately, its fire is like the fire that gave birth to time and space and countless
galaxies. It is always wise never to underestimate the intensity of this faith and this commitment to celebrating the
oneness and love that underlines and joins all things.
If there is an absolute truth, you are entitled to find this truth first hand through your own experience. But this
truth is not static. It is dynamic, infinite, and forever new so it requires communication between those who seek to
know it and to express it. We all have our own point of view when it comes to perceiving and discussing truth.
In the ancient Hebrew religion, no image was permitted to represent God’s Presence. And only once a year did
the high priest enter the holy of Holies in order to speak the secret name of God aloud. When you enter the Presence
of God in this domain, you are entering this holy space in your own body and soul. God is present as a nothingness.
But this nothingness is not empty. Rather, from this nothingness the entire universe was created, it is so full and yet
it is infinitely more.
The angels and archangels are in awe of it realizing that all their power and ability are as nothing when compared
to it. Yet there are themes and purposes that this Presence takes an interest in. These are first and foremost--truth,
knowledge, and wisdom. And above all else, the perfection of communication.
It is fair in summary to say that the 72 spirits of the sphere of spiritual aura of Mercury, the Schem-Ha-Phorus,
are teachers who exist to help prepare us for the encounter with this Presence. They also serve this Presence
including when and where it appears in a human being who has made his body and soul into its temple. That is,
when your consciousness is penetrating and intense enough to stand within this Presence, this Nothingness, and to
offer it a home here on earth, then these angels serve you as well. In one word, the angels can tell instantly by the
level and intensity of your faith that God is within you.
Again, this is not faith in God. This is a faith that stands within a Nothingness, a void and an abyss, that has no
reference points or things to hold on to. It stands here without fear knowing it will not be annihilated or dissolved.
It can do this because it knows that this is the place from which the Creator creators, the Creator whom it freely
embraces.
You could call this “primary faith” and all other forms of faith secondary and derivative. This primary faith is
based on a willingness and absolute commitment to join with God and to do as He does which is to create. The faith
in God or the secondary forms of faith imply that God is out there and I am here. It assumes that faith forms a
relationship to God that, as the Apostle Paul pointed out, allows you only “to see through a glass darkly.” Paul’s
faith places great restrictions both on the human being and on God.
The primary form of faith is not so restricted. God’s will is not something you must bring yourself to accept and
to embrace out of obedience and respect. God’s will is not separate from your own. It is the will you discover at the
core of your being when you bring your consciousness into the Nothingness that called the universe into existence.
Its very essence is to design new things and to create according to the order and the purposes it originates.
This form of primary faith is not characteristic of the twelve disciples of Christ. It is much more characterized by
the Prophet Isaiah who could speak to God in any moment and tell you what He says. It is seen when Isaiah called
upon God to destroy Sennacherib’s army that was besieging Jerusalem. (See my article on the cosmic letter K).
And it is seen in Pope Leo who alone and single-handedly persuaded Genghis Khan to turn back and not invade
Rome.
This primary faith is the power upon which all other forms of power are based. It is not secondary, derivative,
dependent, a faint taste, or a blurred vision. It is the original source that continues to unfold creation. From my
point of view, this is the power toward which all genuine magicians strive to embody in their will--the purpose and
the essence behind all hermetic training. But whether you train as a magician or not, should you enter and become a
friend of this Presence in this sephiroth you will begin to understand the way the invisible and the visible worlds
function and operate.
Inner Aura. With the archangel Gabriel, it is typical that on the astral plane the entire sky before me is filled with
heavenly choirs singing indescribably beautiful songs in praise of God. I have the distinct impression that this is
what materialized for the shepherds when Christ was born. In a similar manner with the archangel Michael, the sky
fills before my inner eyes with angelic armies that stand ready to serve. There is a depth of power and command
that it is hard to comprehend or imagine. It is easy to be overwhelmed by the presence of any archangel. But with
Michael, there is definitely a sense of being able to accomplish any divine mission.
The difference between the archangel Michael and the Presence of God is that the archangel serves the primary
faith I have mentioned, that is, the will of God. The archangel serves and furthers original acts of creation. When
you find the Presence of God within yourself, you are creating like unto your father, the Creator. But you are doing
so not as a clone or carbon copy of God but as an independent and free agent.
If you observe many kinds of individuals who practice with magick, I think you will find that some individuals
will avoid encountering the Presence in this domain because deep down in their hearts they enjoy or else they want
to be slaves. For them, freedom is terrifying and something to avoid. And so in many ways they refuse to open
their minds in a way that leads to enlightenment. They make doctrines, traditions, and arcane knowledge their final
authority.
By contrast, the Presence of God does not demand that you bow down to His sovereignty or His authority. This
sovereignty is within yourself. It certainly does not make you a slave to a tradition of doctrines designed and
enacted by men fighting for the survival of their religion. Instead, the Presence of God empowers you and makes
you free. As the Dalai Lama has said concerning the theme of this domain, “The taste of truth has one taste--the
taste of freedom.”
From my perspective, the major religions and wisdom traditions on earth have goals that encompass compassion,
enlightenment, universal service, attunement with nature, the evocation of the lunar goddess, etc. But, though there
are traditions of Sufi and tantra that use the imagery of love, it seems to me that the Venus sphere itself does not
have very many, if any, great teachers on earth. And as is typical of Western psychology there is an emphasis, even
in marriage counseling, of being adjusted, happy, and completely successful. But the idea of love as a sacred space,
as a way of being, and a path leading to the highest wisdom and the highest magick is not taught in a practical and
challenging manner.
The sphere of Venus integrates the three previous spheres, the earth, moon, and mercury and the sephiroth of
Malkuth, Yesod, and Hod as the personality in each of us integrates our body, emotions, and mind. Franz Bardon
mentions that the spirits of this sphere are crazed with love. Contact with them evokes states of bliss, happiness,
peace, ecstasy, and the perfection of love. Their typical range of competency encompasses art, music, love, poetry,
healing, and the many forms of ecstasy both human and divine.
As I am sure you can imagine, we do not need to travel to the sphere of Venus to become enthralled with love or
to become ensorcelled by the powers of bliss and beauty. All around us are examples in our communities of those
who surrender their rationality and their own will thinking that by falling into the arms of love they will be fulfilled.
But instead, they are often ensnared by illusion since they imagine love is a shortcut to their dreams.
One of the great difficulties about becoming one, for example, with another person is that you may go too deep
too fast into the depths of yourself during this act of joining. To become one is to go past, bypass, renounce, and
dissolve the barriers that maintain your separate identities. These barriers are in place for a good reason. They
sustain your capacity for objectivity, for reason, for intelligence, for making sense of anything you experience. They
protect not just your ego identity but also everything that helps define who and what you are as an individual.
Over the years I have heard a great many complaints by those who feel their lovers have betrayed them. Having
been in love, the love caused them pain and made them vulnerable in ways they could not accept without turning
against the other and assigning blame for the pain. I know individuals who have hated each other for decades
because they could not accept the loss of the relationship. The former partner provided so much support to their
identity that in losing the other’s love, they remain wounded and somehow still lost--as if as partners they strayed
together into a strange, unknown land and then the other abandoned them without hope of finding a way back. It
feels that the feelings of abandonment and the failure of the relationship must be the other person’s fault.
If this experience of abandonment and loss of identity are not so unusual with lovers, then imagine the danger in
entering God’s Presence in this domain where oneness is the theme and the essence to attain. When I say
dangerous, I mean it will take you beyond anything you know or have ever dreamed. Is there anything, for example,
that you can still cling to or use to define who you are after you begin learning how to become one with another as
part of God’s Art?
This question is worth pursuing. Many individuals spend decades if not their entire lives carefully defining who
they are by the work they accomplish, by the ideals to which they are committed, by the purposes that they serve,
and by the traditions that govern their actions. And then in a moment these things become nothing because none of
these things touches or reveals what is at their core.
The love that joins as one takes you to the core of your being bypassing all obstacles and obstructions. Are you
then in a kingdom of the soul beyond all definitions? Do you then turn back desperate to reestablish what was once
familiar? Or is the kingdom of the heart so deep that in its depths it simply accepts everything that exists? There is
nothing in such a place that is so strange or unknown that it can not be encompassed by your love.
Put another way, oneness requires an expansive imagination, for imagination furthers creativity. As I enter God’s
Presence in this domain, there is no longer a Bill Mistele. Or rather, he is one book on a shelf in a library that
contains all books that ever have or ever will be written. In the Presence of God, I become the librarian of this
library. I see myself as part of something far greater.
Or, to pursue other analogies, I become a drop of water falling from the sky and I am the ocean into which I shall
dissolve. I am one photon of light sailing through the void and I am all the stars and galaxies as well as this photon
and the space through which it travels. In God’s Presence, I sense that my love is everywhere and within everything
and there is no end to it.
I should point out that this oneness is not static. It is not as if once you enter it it then becomes a possession. It
creates itself continuously new in each moment and expresses its beauty and harmony in ever greater ways. And
certainly, if you enter into this Presence, part of it may stay with you when you leave the Presence, but that depends
on you, whether you wish to work with it further and make it part of your self.
Furthermore, if you concentrate then on another person, seeking to become one, it is somewhat as Mother Teresa
says, “I see Christ in disguise in every person.” It is not just that you become one with the other so that you feel all
separation is overcome. It is more that you find God’s Presence within this person as a new expression and
revelation. That is, the other individual is also a source or means for contacting this Presence.
Since this Presence creates, you are creating beauty and love through this oneness. Again, this is not passive or
static. I get the image of a thunderstorm as I concentrate on being one with another person. There are these
different polarities and different experiences each of us possesses. But like a thunderstorm, there is a continuous
arcing of energy between our different polarities illuminating and offering insight. There is a wildness of passion
like the winds racing through a storm, but also as in a storm, the rain nourishes and brings new life.
A meteorologist can view a thunderstorm with detachment, curiosity, and interest. But the meteorologist does not
imagine that he or she is the thunderstorm in all its wildness and passion. If you work with God’s Presence in this
domain, get used to this idea--you become the forces of attraction and the primal energies in nature and you find
beauty and harmony in their expression. In the same way, in any relationship you learn to celebrate the conflict and
the differences and overcome them by cloaking them in beauty and uniting them to love.
In regard to Malkuth, you become one with what you seek to accomplish--it is a part of you inside. With Yesod,
you become one with nature, the beauty of the universe, and infinite peace. With Hod, you become one with truth.
You embody it so that you are able to express it and insure that it exerts its appropriate influence.
In Netzach, oneness itself is your art. You enable it to be expressed. You insure its on-going presence as love
and artistic endeavor. You embody the ecstasy that enables it to appear on earth.
There are degrees to this creative ability. You want to be able to become one totally and completely so that all
feelings of separation are overcome. It is like the five elements of Divine Providence are within the oneness
creating and sustaining it.
These five elements are different from the elements of the philosopher’s stone that I discuss in my article, The
Philosopher’s Stone. The air element is total understanding so that nothing is missed. The earth element is so solid
that there is no separation. The water element is so sensitive you sense everything. And the fire element is so
powerful, like the cosmic letter K, that it dissolves every obstacle and objection. The akasha is one undivided
oneness so that two of you become one consciousness.
In this sephiroth of Netzach, the polarity of opposites are utilized to produce the level of ecstasy and
consciousness of coming together and joining that enable you to embody this Presence. It is a different emphasis
and mode of operation than what we have seen in the previous three domains.
Summary
In summary, then, my experience indicates that entering God’s Presence, the “Be still and know that I am God,”
leads to experiencing the infinite power to create in accord with the themes and purposes of the different domains.
Again, you can sit down with the president of a college, the President, e.g., of the United States, or Bill Gates for
that matter. But when you shake hands and talk, it does not mean that this encounter grants you a college degree,
the right to command the armed forces, or the ability to write a simple program using C++ computer language.
It does mean, however, that you can ask questions and get answers from individuals who have responsibility for
and who exercise oversight over their respective disciplines, nations, and industries. Likewise, when you enter
God’s presence you understand that the entire universe is an on-going creation of infinite love and beauty. There is
infinite power open and available for celebrating this wonder. What you can do with the Presence of God that you
can not do with a president or CEO is that you become a friend, a lover, and one who participates with God in the
act of creation in accordance with your virtue, your love, and your strength.
In my experience, these sephiroth or emanations of God’s Presence are like ten gates. I do not find anyone, any
spirit, or being guarding these gates. No archangel embodies even one per cent of God Presence. No created being
is in a position to say, “This is where God is or this is the way in which God is active.” This temple of God’s Being
is found within each of our hearts. Each of us has the freedom and the prerogative to seek this Presence, this
creative power, in our own way, in our own time, and to give expression to it according to our own unique vision.
In Tipareth: It creates integration, unity, full consciousness of all aspects of life and the universe--a cosmic harmony
and union. The entire universe exists in a state of oneness yet who is conscious of this? This is an ecstasy imbued
with great power, for it is the ecstasy from which the Creator creates. It envisions, calls into being, grants life,
nurtures, inspires, awakens, oversees, heals, restores, renews, fulfills, and grants power like unto its own power.
In Gevurah: It creates the will and the power to overcome all opposition and obstacles. There is personal power and
will. There is also cosmic power and will. In this domain, we learn to join the two focusing first on a level of self-
mastery that enables the individual to contain within him or herself and also consciously direct the powers of
creation to designated ends.
In Chesed: It creates opportunities for new experience, for fulfillment, and for wealth on every level and in every
area of life.
In Binah: It creates justice, order, balance, and responsibility--that is, responsibility for everything that exists.
In Chockmah: It creates new destinies, new paths of life. It lays the foundations for new civilizations. It makes all
things new by the power of its voice.
In Kether: It is within everything, a part of everything, and it is the source from which all things arise. It creates
visions, dreams, intimations, and prophecies of what can be that reveal the depths of life and of the mysteries of the
heart. All of the sephiroth are contained and interwoven as one here just as all of the sephiroth are manifested in
some concrete, physical, and distinct manner in Malkuth.
Once again, the following poem is not a description of historical significance. I am seeking to express the essence
of man’s relationship to God.
I reside in both
Moses replied--
The light at dawn, the moon's reflection, the fire of the hearth
Cross over
Would You make the entire planet into a school for prophets and seers?
To Know Who I AM
To train in My Arts
Which flow through your blood and every cell of your body.
Aaron said in response, “Perhaps you should write this down, seal it
you could help me with. You know how it is, I have this
know Moses how you have gotten even God to change the law,
my doubts.”
burning bush, nor from within the mountain, nor from the
She decrees I Myself can not overturn for She and I are
One.
one heart seeks another and finally joins there do She and I
And when Moses heard this Voice speak within his heart
he fell down, his face upon the ground, and he wept bitter
Then Moses said: “Oh God, let me now die. For who can
Note: This is the part II of my essay, The Presence of God. Parts I and II are so far a first draft and about one
third of a book I am putting together on this subject.
Four Levels
1. In the first level, you let go of your identity and become open, receptive, and clear. Some individuals who are
advanced and highly skilled in meditation do not let go of their identities when they meditate. A Buddhist, or for that
matter, a Hindu, a Taoist, a Moslem, a Jew, or a Christian may utilize robes, incense, a temple, and ceremonies to
advance on his spiritual path.
But at some point he discovers he no longer needs these supports for his mind and heart. Consciousness does not
need to identity with anything. On the other hand, I find it fairly easy to find examples of individuals who have
mastered an entire spectrum of spiritual realizations and trances. But these individuals cling to the wrappings of their
traditions as if to say, “This is who I am.” They like their religious addiction and this turns part of their hearts hard
so that they are unwilling to risk letting go and becoming completely receptive.
You can see this with lovers. There are individuals who love each other and they love being in the relationship. But
they would never risk their identity for the sake of their love. They neither imagine nor would it ever enter their
hearts the idea of being one with their lover.
As I have mentioned under Netzach, the idea of letting go to the point of becoming one is simply too dangerous. The
moment you become completely open and receptive you also have to deal with the darkness within yourself. Many
advanced practitioners in every spiritual tradition are terrified of losing their historical identities should they cross
the well-defined boundaries that define that tradition.
But love is altogether different than this. In love, you can let go of yourself without knowing where you are or what
you are becoming. It is the only state of mind in which this open receptivity can be accomplished.
This is not the same as trust, for trust still feels vulnerable and in need. And it is not faith, because faith forges a
connection through force of will utilizing the divine creativity that is within yourself. But those with great faith
rarely are open and receptive. Faith and love are completely different.
Instead, this is an openness in which you feel you are in love and a part of love. Love flows through you and you
know it to be both your origin and your destiny. You take the openness and receptivity of a little child. And you put
that innocence into the mind of an adult who is determined to put aside all worries, concerns, and insecurities. The
mind is then focused to the point of achieving clarity and then you have what I am talking about.
2. While retaining the letting go, openness, receptivity, and clarity of the first level, you now withdraw your five
senses from the external world. This is to say, you are focused inward. But this inward focus does not narrow the
mind. It is not self-hypnosis. You are not less awake, less aware, or less conscious.
Instead, you enter an inner space that is sacred. You become a sacred space. Your body, soul, mind, and spirit are a
temple. Again, you are letting go so that you are open, receptive, and clear. But now your consciousness is sealed off
from the outer world and dedicated for an encounter with the infinite.
Within this temple there is suspense. There is silence and stillness. It is as if everything in the universe is present--it
is that open--yet there are not images, no sounds, and no sensations of any kind.
You yourself are now sacred because you seek the origin of all that is sacred and all that is divine. For this reason,
you are beyond fear. Fear can not enter here. You are also beyond images, symbols, and sacred traditions. What has
gone before and previous revelations (whatever their value and importance) can not define the Living God whose
Presence you seek to enter at this time.
3. God is everywhere and in everything. On the third level, you open your senses to perceive Him. The senses
perceive sensations. But they are also intensified by desire and amplified by need. There is a way and a time to seek.
And there is a time just to perceive.
The poet says, “Where is the friend I seek everywhere? Dawn is the time of loneliness and care. When morning
comes, I am still yearning, through my heart is burning, burning.”
And yet others say that He is the one “in whom we live, move, and have our being.” This poet from Crete, unlike the
Apostle Paul who was quoting him, was not talking about a doctrine or belief. He was describing God through first
hand experience.
And another poet speaks without a specific reference, “Oh Mystery, you are alive. I feel you all around. You are the
fire in my heart. You are the holy sound....Grant that I may feel you always in everything.” This poet senses the
awesome and unbound source of all of life appearing within his heart. Though it makes him vulnerable and perhaps
too empathic, the request he made in his poem was granted to him.
Consider the five senses. If consciousness were a tuning fork attuned to the Presence of God, it would begin to hum.
There is a sound present. Some say that this sound is AUM which is the mantra for the entire visible and invisible
universe. But the Presence of God called the universe into being. It is the source of all sound. You could say that this
silence is the source of all songs of mirth, joy, and love.
There is no light or image present. But there is an “inner light.” Its illumination is everywhere, in the darkest place
and in the greatest despair. Every image--the sun, the stars, and moon, sunrise, sunset, the trees in bloom, the lover’s
eyes, the dazzling path of sunlight on the ocean that travels out to the horizon--every image of the eye and of the
imagination is the gift of this light.
And as for touch, the ocean of this love that surrounds you extends to infinity. It is in every cell of your body. It has
the vibration of sound. It has the radiation of light. It has the strength, empathy, and tactile quality of being in the
arms of a lover who loves you with all of his or her heart.
As for taste, in the touch of the tongue separation is overcome. The boundaries that skin defines no longer limit or
confine. Nerve pathways cross over and join together. If you already know of such bliss then you can also discover
this. Each of the five senses is a door that opens to infinity. Each contains divinity. Who on earth would speak
against this? Who would deny that the Presence of God is the taste of bliss?
In smell, fragrance travels through the air. But He is in every breath. He is within, beneath, and the source of every
heartbeat. As you inhale and exhale, you can feel vitality circulating through your body. In smell is the fragrance of
immortality, a fragrance that provides healing everywhere.
On the third level, then, we do what others say can not be done. We open our senses, our intuition, our minds, and
our hearts to sense and to enter the Presence of God. The temple that we are exists for the sake of a celebration. This
celebration is a homecoming. It is who we are. The Presence of God is within us. He is our dwelling place. We enter
this space to share, to learn, to love, and to be inspired with the ability to make the world new.
4. In the fourth level, you make the Presence part of yourself so that it influences the world. It becomes strong and
stable so it endures. It is not a vision or conversion experience you get at one point in time and then leave it where it
was so you can get on with your life or your cause. You return again and again until it becomes substantial and
living.
The archangel Gabriel says to Zacharias, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God,...” (Luke 1:19). Gabriel
is not a little messenger who runs around delivering messages. He is in God’s Presence continuously. It is a safe bet
that if Gabriel has a message to convey he will find a way to communicate it against all odds.
There are many such as St. Columba who can say in a similar way, “I stand in the Presence of God.” Here are a few
paragraphs from my story about St. Columba:
Columba, passing beyond the boundaries St. Paul had imposed upon himself, said there is no more need of belief
once you have had the experience of the Kingdom. Near the very end, Columba said to his disciple and scribe
Baithene that many mysteries have been revealed to him and that “I beheld His glory! He came Himself to me, and I
abode with Him.”
Let us pause for a moment, for such words are easily passed over or ignored completely by theologians or ministers
who never ventured forth to explore and chart the seas of the heart. Columba’s affirmation and fulfillment in
attaining God’s Presence came only after a lifetime of service and also solitary comtemplations. It was like this: in
the decade before meeting God face to face, Columba would sit upon his hill or in his solitary cell and call out with
these words, “Oh God.” And then he would sit still for hours on end as if waiting for God to come, for an
acknowledgment, or for a response.
And as this decade drew to a close, when Columba said, “Oh God,” the meaning of the words changed. They no
longer meant, “I am waiting for You to come to me, to come to me from so far.” Rather, they now said, “I surrender
the purpose of my life and my desire to serve. They no longer have meaning in the Presence of Your Being. I
surrender my name and my lineage. Who I am and from whence I have come are as nothing. I shall not use them as
a barrier to prevent You from drawing near.”
We may wonder what else a solitary soul can do to let go beyond surrendering identity, desire, thoughts, beliefs, and
doctrines. But Columba offered even more. Not long before encountering God, his words, “Oh God,” began to
mean, “I embrace the abyss of emptiness and the void of darkness without fear, for these too are as nothing to You,
the Creator.”
And then it came to Columba, the final realization. Columba sat on a rock on the beach not far from his monastery
facing Mull Island. The sun set and in the twilight the cliffs of Mull began to burn as rays of red light played upon
their slopes. The wind began to die. The white caps on the waves shrank and then vanished. A group of seagulls
cried as a hawk flew through their midst around the bend.
Columba watched as darkness set in. He then watched the turning of the stars in the sky. The moon rose, reached her
summit, and then began to descend. Sitting here for hours without thinking, just listening, it was in this moment that
it came to him.
Columba spoke again the words, “Oh God.” But now he went on speaking aloud. “Why I have never seen this
before? You are everywhere and in everything. The Joy is beyond comprehension. The wind is Your breath. The
water is Your blood. The whole earth is full of Your love. Your heartbeat causes the sun to rise, the stars to shine,
and all lovers to love.”
And during that night upon that beach on the East side of Iona, Columba attained what only a few in the history our
race have so far attained--an inner union with God. And so when some would say that it was embellishment,
fabrication, or too much praise when men report that Columba’s aura was bright enough to light up the night. But
you see, Columba was no longer like you or me. The source of light and darkness both, the Creator Himself, was
alive and thriving in Columba’s heart. Like I say, this was not belief or faith but direct and personal experience.
Like the taste of infinite peace, the Joy that causes the Creator to create, or the love that joins all hearts on earth--
inner union with God is ecstasy beyond the power of words to describe. Unlike Balaam, Columba had no fear of this
love.
And so, Columba found the kingdom of God within his soul, the place where he belonged. Columba would say that
this Kingdom is here and now all around us. It is as near as our own heart and it is more real than any world into
which we are born or from which we depart. When you return home and truly see it for the first time, as did
Columba, you know in that moment beyond all doubt that the whole world is Divine.
The Presence of God in Tipareth
In Presence of God in Tipareth creates integration, unity, and full consciousness of all aspects of life and the
universe--a cosmic harmony and union. The entire universe exists in a state of oneness yet who is conscious of this?
This is an ecstasy imbued with great power, for it is the ecstasy from which the Creator creates. It envisions, calls
into being, grants life, nurtures, inspires, awakens, oversees, heals, restores, renews, fulfills, and grants power like
unto its own power.
The Presence of God in Tipareth is the Great Harmony that unifies the ten sephira. As I enter this Presence, I can
sense immediately how it fuses the previous four sephira. To be here is also to be a part of the Presence of God in
Malkuth--this is knowing beyond all doubt that you are manifesting on earth practical and useful wonders that shall
endure for ever. It is also the Presence of God in Yesod--you sense a sea of infinite peace and bliss and that you are
a part of this sea and that this sea flows through you without ceasing and under all conditions.
It is the Presence of God in Hod--knowing that at will you can enter the space of spirit from which the Creator
creates and that your mind is directly illuminated by His inspiration. And it is the Presence of God in Netzach--
knowing beyond all doubt that you can freely join your consciousness to the mind and heart of any other being in the
universe, that omnipresence, the art of God, is an art you have mastered in no small degree. These previous four
sephira, when drawn into integration and fusion, are the introduction to the Presence of God in Tipareth.
To enter this space is to know what it is to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. It is to know what
it is to sacrifice all for an ideal. It is to walk through the darkest place with perfect, complete, and absolute faith.
There is no holding back with Tipareth. You learn to create as God creates having been tried and tested by the
limitations and conditions that history and life have imposed upon us so that we might learn to ascend into the light.
Therefore, you must put aside your feelings of shame, fear, despair, self-rejection, or repression--anything that
causes you to feel weak inside. If you go to a counselor with a problem or a frustrated desire, the counselor will seek
to find a solution to your problem or discover how to satisfy your desire. But Tipareth has a different process. Inside
of offering a solution to a problem or the satisfaction of a desire, it offers absolute freedom--it grants you the power
to solve any problem and to satisfy every desire. It is a much slower and longer process, but the goal, again, is to
master the art of creation.
Within the Presence of God, I notice a continuous exploration and discovery of opposites and an awareness that
encompasses all that is within these opposites so they are fused into a new unity. There is nothing left out of this
process. There is no fake or partial purity that the religious mind often mistakes as devotion to God. The pious are
frequently tempted to take a little bit from each opposite and join these together in accordance with the conformity
and security offered by ritual or sanctioned by tradition. This they call devotion and being faithful.
Tipareth is not so limited. It grasps every aspect of every opposite without fear of impurity, contamination, or
temptation. The fusion it produces is not just “righteous living” but a new creation.
But the pious are correct in their procedures if you accept normal human limitations-- namely, they would repress
those desires and deny those spiritual powers that are normally beyond the human ability to master or capture. And
they are right to do this if you do not have absolute faith, if your mind lacks penetrating insight, and if you do not
have a love that embraces the universe. But, on the other hand, these things are precisely what God’s Presence
provides if you seek to unite with Him rather than fashioning your life to abide within the doctrines and traditions
formulated by the minds of men.
If an individual tries to enter this light before he is ready or if someone should try to force this level of realization
upon someone else, then both become blind. The light is too bright for their eyes and their hearts are unable to
endure this intensity of joy. As I have said before, some individuals are slaves within their hearts. For them, to gaze
at absolute freedom is to behold a horror that annihilates them. They have identified themselves with a code of
ethics and behavior. They accept without question the assumptions under which others have chosen to live their
lives. They do not test their boundaries and they do not search for a higher truth than what has been handed down to
them. And this is, after all, a place where they feel protected. Each shall seek the Presence of God when he or she is
ready, in their own time and in their own way. How could it be otherwise?
It is possible, however, for any individual to catch a glimpse of Presence of God in Tipareth. For example, an
individual goes to church and hears Handel’s Messiah. The words are sung, “And He shall reign forever and ever,”
“...and the dead shall be raised incorruptible,” “I know that my redeemer liveth and that I shall see in the latter days
upon the earth,” “the kingdom of this world has become the kingdom of our God and of His Christ.”
The music inspires. For a moment, the listener may feel he or she has entered the Kingdom of God. The present
moment fades away. Time is suspended and eternity draws near. In such a moment, an individual may feel that all
that exists is the light of God’s Presence.
When you catch a glimpse of the Presence of God in Tipareth, you know in your heart that there shall be a “new
heavens and a new earth.” You know in your bones and in your blood that all things shall be made new. It is not
really a matter of faith. It is more like a dream that is so real it is more real than any reality.
But then again there is no time frame on this vision. You have to find the divine kingdom--a kingdom of love, peace,
justice, beauty, and joy--you have to find it first within your heart. Otherwise whatever society is established on
earth--even if it is brought about and ruled over by Christ--it will only be temporary and in part an illusion even as
John described a millennium of peace that is to come. According to John, this millennium will finally end in
destruction because most of the people in this kingdom never found the Presence of God within their hearts.
For a kingdom of peace, you first have to find infinite peace within your heart and understand the source of all
power before you can establish peace on earth. If you want peace, you have to pay the price by being able to create
peace amid and in the presence of the greatest hatred, malice, and darkness. Otherwise, the peace you have will be
unstable and subject to destruction at that point when you encounter a will of malice that decides to undo your work.
In Tipareth is also harmony and freedom. Entering the Presence of God, you come to understand that nothing can
bind you because you can understand the nature of anything and the purpose and part it has to play in creation. In the
Hindu cosmology, the gods and goddesses appeared from out of the meditation of Brahma, the creator. And as they
took form and appeared for the first time, Brahma assigned to each one a name and a purpose to fulfill.
When Kama, the god of love, appeared Brahma assigned to him power over all the gods and goddesses for the sake
of love and to insure the unfolding of creation. Kama often acts whimsically and causes great suffering. But the
impulse and desire must first be present before you can study it and observe its influence. It first takes experience
and then through conscious understanding you can bring desire into harmony with everything else in life. Each
desire and impulse is full of light. If you can find the light that shines within them, then you become wise, attain
harmony, and exercise free choice.
Harmony requires mediation between conflicting desires and intentions. A highly skilled mediator, for example,
becomes aware of all the thoughts, feelings, intentions, and events relating to a conflict between opposing parties.
The mediator then extends warmth, understanding, empathy, clarity, and, above all else, a sense of fairness to each
individual who is involved in the conflict.
This sense of being fair, that dissolves fear, anxiety, and greed, serves to inspire those in conflict. It is as if those in
dispute end up saying to themselves, “If the mediator can be friendly, fair-minded, and clear about what is
motivating the other person, then perhaps I can work with this person as well. I know this because the mediator has
dissolved my fears and has brought clarity to my confusion. The situation has changed. It is time now to get on with
our lives rather than remain struck in a past that leads no where.”
The Presence of God is in the present moment. No prophet or scripture, however great or sacred, can exert an
authority or power from out of the past that in any way equals what the Presence of God can do right now in this
moment. God as freedom empowers your freedom of choice. The ecstasy and beauty of God enable you to make
free choices that also assume complete responsibility for bringing all aspects of life into balance.
The skilled mediator is conscious of all aspects of a situation of conflict. His level of consciousness dissolves
negativity. The harmony of God creates peace. It makes you conscious of all aspects of life and all purposes that are
unfolding and moving toward fulfillment both in the visible and in the invisible worlds.
A mediator does not impose a solution upon others in conflict. He empowers others by offering a process through
which they can discover their own best choices. This is analogous to what a creator does: He nurtures, encourages,
inspires, awakens, oversees, restores, and grants power unto others like unto his own power.
As I again focus on the Presence of God in Tipareth, I sense a radiance--it is undying, untiring, and it never goes out.
It is everywhere in the universe and it is available to every being who seeks it.
I find it very reassuring. It is full of infinite joy. Many people, if you asked them, have a wish list of what they want
out of life. They also have crossed off of this wish list all sorts of things that they know to be impossible and beyond
their grasp, too difficult or unusual even to hope for or dream about.
This radiance in God’s Presence is not an immediate solution to their problems, but it offers the assurance that those
problems can be solved. It has a way of turning you into a creator so that you when you say, “This is missing and
that also is missing from my life,” you can also say, “There is a way to fulfill the deepest desires within my heart.
God has granted me the means and opened the way for me to accomplish this.”
You can ask whatever you want of God. But there is a price. You have to be willing to become the vehicle through
what you ask for can manifest. You have to allow yourself to become transformed into the being who is able to grant
to others as well the kind of things you request. If you want the deepest desires satisfied, you are learning to touch
the power that fulfills these desires under all circumstances and conditions.
As I continue focusing on this radiance, I feel I am entering and becoming one with a sea of infinite light. This sea is
everything that is light--it grants sight, insight, and illumination. It offers energy, power, and clarity of vision. Since
it is everywhere, there is nothing hidden from it. It offers the ability to understand anything.
For thousands of years, Buddhists have written many texts and offered many teachings on enlightenment. You could
call the radiance from the Presence the source of all enlightenment. It is not just the enlightenment of an individual.
Within this radiance it is possible to gaze back upon yourself and to speak of your individuality and historical
identity. But the radiance--which is the nature of unrestricted consciousness--is in no way limited to individual
existence.
This radiance is the enlightenment not just of a race or of a planetary evolution. It is the enlightenment of the
universe. It is the light in the mind of the Creator who calls two hundred billion galaxies into existence by the sound
of His voice.
During another meditation, I take about fifteen minutes to feel connected to this Presence. At this time, I feel my
body has become a sun. The radiant solar light is welling up inside of me, overflowing, even exploding outward in
brilliant light.
It is as if my body is a temple. There is this emptiness or open space of nothingness within this temple. And within
this space light manifests without end and without limitation. The light is being created out of nothingness and there
is no way to measure the source from which it arises other than to say it derives from the infinite.
The level of power in my meditation is not very great although I am clearly focused on the Presence. There are not
waves of heat emanating from my body. I do not feel special in any way. I do not notice that anything in particular
about myself is different. Except, I do feel like I am home--I am where I am meant to be. And, at least during this
meditation, I feel beyond all human need.
If desires were clouds, thunderstorms, hurricanes, and tornadoes, then I feel like the sky that contains all of these
things and allows them free play. But the sky remains in itself unaffected and completely free. The Buddha once
said that “when I attained perfect enlightenment, I attained to nothing at all.” Buddha did not feel that he had
become different. The world was not different. But he saw the world as it really is.
I notice that identifying with the light as I am doing in this meditation does not change anything at all. I am not more
religious. I am not more devote. I have not ascended. There is no halo around my head. I have no new missions or
message to convey.
I have the same bank account. The same house is around me. I have all the same limitations. Except I am just more
aware of the possibilities with which I can respond. And there is this feeling of giving, of being radiant without end.
The radiance, the giving, and feeling of creativity are side effects of the joy and ecstasy from which the light arises.
Of all the higher spirits in our solar system, the spirits of the solar sphere, of the sun, are slightly different. They are
more wild and free in their creativity. These spirits are not just inspired by God. They are joined to God from within
themselves. In their hearts is the ecstasy of being in union with divinity.
At a seminar I attended, one individual said, “I feel like I am in love even though I do not have a lover.” There are
different levels to this experience. After countless lifetimes, of loving and being loved, there comes a point in time
when you encounter the Lover who is within yourself. This Lover consumes all that you are and in doing so you feel
like you have been transformed. The radiance you now give feels like the radiance of a star.
Summary
I sometimes get into trouble paraphrasing or translating an individual’s thoughts and feelings for someone else. I
personally do not like arguments but I realize some people do. I personally do not like wars but I realize some
people do. Having said this, in summary, my translation of God’s words regarding His Presence in Binah or the
sphere of Saturn is:
“If you would be like unto Me, then do as I do: take responsibility for creation. Wherever life unfolds, create beauty,
truth, and harmony. Hold in your consciousness the mind and spirit of every being. Inspire the perfection of their
conscience so that they can reflect within themselves the wisdom and depths of the universe. And know this,
peacemakers are my children because they embody who I Am--into their hands I place the powers of creation.”
When I meditate in the Presence of God within the Sephiroth of Binah, I am again seeking to follow through with
the command, “Be still and know that I am God.” What I sense here is that I am surrounded by infinite power. There
is no way to measure its depths, but to know it is to become one with it. It is the power of Justice that holds in its
hands a great quest, a divine ideal, and an inexpressible bliss.
See also Geriola, 6 degrees Sagittarius and Ikon, 24 degrees Sagittarius, who also specialize in magical equilibrium.
Jvar, 3 degrees Leo Reason for working with Jvar: I am interested in better understanding the elements in my astral
body and in how to change passive energies so they are more positive and productive. Preliminary Considerations:
Bardon says of Jvar, [He] "informs the magician on the origin of passions and how their talents are established
firmly in the astral body. In this connection, the magician also learns to understand the deep secret sense of all
passions, which serve as means for a certain purpose and are to strengthen will-power and other magic faculties.
Jvar tells the magician how to control passions by certain magical aids and other means and how they can be
transmuted into opposite, positive qualities. The practices recommended by this head may be applied by the
magician as an aid for those scholars who are on the way to magic development, and who have certain passions they
are not able to control." Jvar adds to Bardon's exercise on equilibrium a sense of quest and divine pageantry. From
Jvar's point of view, passions hide and disguise divine ecstasy within themselves. There is a role to be played by our
minds. With relentless tenacity we study the specific nature of our passions and desires. There is a part of be played
by our wills. Similar to a hunter, we track and stalk what we are after until we hold it within our grasp and power.
There is also a part to be played by the spirit. In this case, you identify the specific elemental ecstasy hidden within
the passion. Finding it, you then embody that ecstasy reflecting divinity within yourself. This turns psychology and
self-mastery into a means for uniting with the divine. Working at magical equilibrium then similar to a Grail quest
or an alchemist refining and transforming dark matter into nature's quintessence. In this way, the obsession or blind
craving for gratification is exposed to the light of awe and wonder-- the conflicts within the personality are
perceived as part of a divine pageantry--the mystery of life unfolding within us. In Initiation into Hermetics,
attaining a magical equilibrium and balance between the four elements begins in chapter one. In chapter ten, there is
another exercise relating to spiritualizing the astral body so it reflects the four attributes of spirit--omnipotence,
omnipresence, omniscience, and immortality. But this spiritualization of the astral body is on-going through the
basic practices and forever afterwards. The symbol of the magic circle in The Practice of Magical Evocation and
working with cosmic letters in The Key to the True Quabbalah also directly bare upon this endeavor. The
enlightened mind seeks to transform the elements by working with all four levels of consciousness. I have an interest
in transpersonal psychology because it has a nice way of placing individual problems within a larger context. It says,
"This problem you have is not just yours alone. It belongs to many individuals. It is part of the path of life, of
moving from where we have been to where we wish to be. This is an individual and also a collective journey. We
can draw upon and learn from others' wisdom as we seek to transform ourselves." If we consider the subconscious
and unconscious to be a matrix of blind and chaotic cravings, then we no longer look for the greater harmony and
purposes underlying our desires. But if instead we hold the energies of life as being sacred, then we can take
personal desire and move it to an entirely different place. Every desire within life has its place and role to play in a
great harmony and celebration. This path leads us more quickly into the heart of wisdom. There are, however,
significant differences between transpersonal psychology and magick. The magician will spend far more time
training his imagination and developing the physical, astral, and mental bodies. He will also be far more comfortable
entering an akashic trance and contemplating human conflicts from a position of divine awareness. Jvar's Outer
Aura: Jvar's aura is bright, clear, radiant, and integrated. He communicates self-mastery and how to take charge of
oneself. He is very Leo--his energy is shiny and bright. He moves to the center, bringing everything into clarity and
balanced. He is very strong and dynamic. Jvar's Inner Aura: Jvar has an intuition which reveals things in their
wholeness and integration. He indicates how to find that place in yourself. The main thrust of Jvar's teaching is to
become your own guardian angel. See your life from this transcendent, benevolent perspective of blessing and
wisdom. Feel yourself within and one with its radiance. Draw upon its divine authority to fulfill your purposes in life
and to dissolve all obstacles and resistance by being who you are as a being of light and an agent of the Divine
world. Akashic Plane: Jvar has a powerful mesmeric concentration especially when you focus on any obstacle or
obstructions in your life. You then comprehend it in all its aspects and in its most opaque influences so you see how
to undo or overcome it and to untie the knot. Vices, passive personalty traits and weaknesses, and out of control
passions arise from attachment to specific images and complexes which are not consciously directed. These passions
and drives may arise from personal, collective, or global levels or be a connection between all three. When your life
is dominated by unconscious forces then years and decades of your life are wasted. Your inner self is unable to
shine. You do not transform yourself or the world around you. Your true will knows itself as divine ecstasy and
expresses itself easily through all four elements. It rejoices in its power to perceive the truth. If something is binding
you or pulling you down, do not respond with fear, despair, or feeling helpless. Rather, see hidden within the
passions the divine power which enables the archangels to spread their wings and to fly unhindered through all
domains of nature, human, and divine. Be willing, as these divine beings, to comprehend everything that exists from
within all-embracing love. Passions, desires, cravings, obsessions, and compulsions--they burn themselves out like
shooting stars with a self-consuming fire. Instead of following that path, be as a hunter who follows the tracks of
desire, observing its nature and habits, its cycles and expressions of its life. The hunter tracks the desire back to
sources which nourish it and to where it dwells within the wilderness of the soul. He uncovers the spark of the
divine life hidden within it. He nurtures and amplifies that ecstasy of divinity that has granted the passion existence
as a reflection of a greater and purer light. Then the passion dissolves. Desire is like a dream which bottles up an
energy and specific quality of feeling alive. The dream is enchanting and alluring. It captivates and focuses your
attention like a lover whose presence makes your life radiant. Yet the nature of lovers is that they search out and
satisfy the deepest desires within each other's hearts. Through love they transform themselves into spiritual beings
until their hearts are so pure and clear they reflect the universe. The elements in nature are a path of ecstasy offering
a taste of divine bliss. A journey begins with sensual pleasure. But if you open your heart and mind to sensuality and
pleasure, your journey leads on until you learn to see with the eyes of divinity and are finally being reborn as a
spiritual being. The five senses are that rich. A basic practice is, as Bardon mentions, learning to attribute to each
element the desire or passion associated with it. To fire are will and power. To water are love and feeling. To air are
clarity of mind and wisdom. To earth are the integration of consciousness and the ability to accomplish work. It is
not enough to meditate on the opposite of a passion, e.g., anger is replaced by a relaxed but dynamic will or
balanced by love and empathic understanding. You also need procedures for penetrating the resistance within you to
making these changes. The process of transformation can move immediately to the solution and it can also go
gradually step by step. There is a process involved in which you become free by understanding all aspects of your
desires- -every sensation, feeling, thought, and energy which is present within them. For example, empathy is a
quality of the water element. It has many components and there are many books on this ability. Empathy has social-
linguistic aspects. You can frame questions to others by stating something you observe about them and then asking a
question about it. For example, Larry King on his talk show asks a guest who has been promoted to a cabinet
position, "I notice you have never had this kind of job before. It is my guess it has been quite challenging for you. Is
that right?" The way this question is phrased disarms the other individuals and offers a safe space and context in
which to disclose more about personal experience. There are non-verbal aspects to empathy. You notice another's
physical gestures, tone of voice, and facial expressions. You see when the body language is incongruous with what
is verbally expressed and then you ask about this. You say, for example, "You hesitate when you answer. Is there
more going on than what you have said?" There is a role played by imagination. You briefly place yourself within
the other's situation and see what that feels like to you. You look at the experience from outside your own mind and
point of view. Each of these methods increases your sensitivity. None of the above, however, offer much change in
the amount of water in your astral body. Individuals with strong and positive water energy naturally feel connected
to others without the need for method or technique. Automatically they set up a circulation of feeling or astral
energy between themselves and others. They are not only animating and vivacious. They make others feel alive just
by being in their presence. To get a feeling for this watery energy you can imagine you are another individual who
has this ability. Relaxing and without distraction, you spend some time imagining you are the other. The chameleon
changes color to match the environment due to the pigmentation in its skin. The astral body changes its vibration
according the dream like image held within it. As you extend your imagination, you can taste and even immerse
yourself within new feelings. With work, your astral body can open so new channels of energy flow through it. In
magick, there is another set of steps. You study and contemplate water in nature--streams, rivers, pools, lakes,
oceans, rain and clouds. Again, you place your mind within these things as if you are them. At this point, you
imagine you have become or have a connection with an undine. The undines possess marvelous faculties when it
comes to empathy and circulating energy. The undine's existence is a pure, sensual feeling and receptivity. Most of
the astral qualities within undines are already familiar to us. We meet individuals who are sweet, serene, tender,
healing, and passionately in love. Undines just take the normal range of these feelings and amplify them sometimes
by a factor of ten and sometimes by a factor of a hundred. An undine will not counsel you like a therapist or a
minister on what you might wish to consider when you care for others. Human morality is absent. Undines embody
the energies underlying nature. They are able to focus these magnetic and magical powers through their
consciousness. Undines will introduce you to another mode of perception and the amplification of the life within
you. Undines are the connection and missing link within the water element between human feeling and divine,
omnipresent love. There are times when human empathy is not adequate and belief in divine love is not daring
enough. Then the magician creates and directs through his own volition the magnetism within water to heal, to
inspire, and fulfill the purposes of love. My point is that striving toward magical equilibrium takes more than
making our negative qualities positive. We need to also develop the strength of the four elements within us so the
amount or quantity of their presence in our astral bodies are relatively equal. But this is procedure of strengthening
the amount of the elements within us is also built into Bardon's basic practices. He has the student condense and
then dissolve the four elements one after the other in his body. In this way, the student learns to amplify and
strengthen the elements. He experiences what it is like to have a great deal of each element within himself. Mental
Plane: On the mental plane, the idea is to watch your life so it is continuously moving toward fulfillment. The
mental plane develops an understanding of the importance of establishing elemental balance and equilibrium. There
is a tendency among New Age practitioners to desire teachers who are warm, cuddly, and full of hugs. This gives
those attending seminars an opportunity to regress back to a child's level of trust and security. This is fine. The
problem comes in the transaction. It is a temptation to trade curiosity, longing for the truth, and rigorous observation
for whatever it takes to gain well- being supplied from outside of themselves. More mature teachers are also tender
and loving. But they challenge the student to enter a process of self-discovery and direct encounters with others.
They keep the center of focus off of themselves as teachers and on the group and the individual members. The
tension between individuals and the encounter with darkness within oneself are reframed as an invitation to establish
your own sense of well-being. Jvar will recommend and explain how to work on a specific element in order to
overcome a personality weakness or work through an obsession. You get to scrutinize a difficulty from Jvar's point
of view. The experience, however, remains your own. It is for you to discover what it is like to live with a richer and
stronger amount of an element within your astral body. Astral Plane: On the astral plane, you see your life from a
place of light and harmony. That is, imagine you are in the situation where you are working from your highest level
of motivation and inspiration. Work with this concept and explore this image. Go inside of it like you are waking up
within a dream. Taste it and feel it. Then work with it through extended concentration so it becomes quite real to
you. For example, if you feel you need an inspiring guide or teacher in your life, visualize such a teacher right now
sitting beside you. Practice talking to him and discovering all that he has to say to you. Similarly, if you feel you
need more support and love, visualize this also. Enter the house of your imagination. Better, think of your mind as
divine temple. Use your creative thought to reshape and reframe the way you see yourself. It is the nature of Leo to
radiate light to all aspects of life. Every desire and ideal finds a place and time to be fulfilled. Become this radiant
sun of inspiration shining beauty and harmony to all aspects of yourself and your life and to those you would love.
Physical Plane: On the physical plane, the idea is to become transpersonal with personal problems so your insight is
universal, so that you are not just more adaptable, successful and happy but also wise--understanding the heart of
life. See personal conflicts in a larger context so that you end up holding healing power within your hands. Use all
conflict and problems as fuel to generate more light and love. Draw your problems and all life experience into your
heart where it is transformed into wisdom, light, and love which is then freely shared. This is the spiritual capacity
of Leos of being at the center, of supporting a community and of transforming yourself-- that is, to begin with, your
inner community of desires, drives, goals, purposes, etc. On the physical plane, then, the radiance of Leo becomes
an etheric energy within oneself which fills others' lives with inspiration and encouragement. See Introduction to the
Psychology of the Four Elements which I wrote under Jvar's inspiration.
Romasara, 8 Degrees Leo in the Earthzone, On Pranayama . Leo in Earthzone: Leo is radiant, confident, and full of
rejoicing. Leos are naturally affectionate and supportive of others. Libra, with a different emphasis, is interested in
love, beauty, and personal expression. Libra, for example, is very skilled in finding the point of balance between two
individuals. But Leo can find the central point which holds together an entire community. Leo has the strength and
desire to stand on that point. The inspiration and life of the community is reflected in his eyes and expressed through
his voice. You can find in Leo, then, a magnanimous heart and true generosity. There is also a ferocious will to
defend the community from attack from without and contamination from within. Like a mother lion with her cubs,
Leo is willing to protect and to educate her own. The constellation of Leo is ruled by the sun. Since magicians are
concerned with relating the microcosm--the individual--with the macrocosm--the universe, it is natural there are
some individuals whose hearts reflect the light of the sun. And what is the magical secret of the sun's light which
Leo's know? A mature Leo can feel in his or her heart a continuous explosion of joy which overflows as love to
others. Indeed, if the Leos' spirituality has reached a universal level, then their radiant light illuminates everyone like
the sun's light which shines upon the whole earth. 8 Degrees Leo: The 8th degree of Leo is very sensitive to life
force, vitality, breath, and the air element. This degree of Leo on the akashic plane seems to scream out to the whole
earth--"Hey folks, you are surrounded by a sea of vitality. Draw it in so you shine like the sun!" Romasara's Domain
of Akasha: This level of akasha joins a profound spiritual peace with mastery over breath, the etheric body, and the
air element. Romasara's Sigil: I draw the sigil placing the idea of mastery over breath into it. Immediately, my
awareness of air heightens. The air I inhale feels incredibly rich and satisfying. My awareness sinks into my
breathing so that I feel I have become the air and the life force within and surrounding my body. In a few moments,
more life force enters and circulates within my body. The trick does not involve learning specific breathing
exercises. In Romasara's approach, direct awareness of air releases energy into the body and makes this vitality
accessible to the will. There is, then, a strong astral component present--total immersion in the experience of
breathing opens the senses to perceiving life force. This is like meditating within a sacred temple. There is a warm,
glowing sensation all through my body as if priests are chanting and concentrating their mantras to vibrate within
me. It seems as if Romasara has placed his hands on my head and anointed me with an understanding of breath . .
After practicing for a while, I notice the sea of vitality which surrounds me. It proclaims that life is good, peaceful,
and beautiful. Meditating with Romasara, it is easy to imagine why some individuals, as in India, run away to spend
the rest of their lives practicing yoga. There is an intoxicating contentment in this energy like the kind you reflected
in the faces of great yogis. This bliss is so rich it strives to cancel and to destroy one's responsibility to society. The
urgency of personal needs which demand intimate bonds with lover, family, and community is weakened because of
the extreme relaxation. This astral and etheric vision of universal energy is as enchanting as entering a realm of
fairies or of undines who invite you to dwell among them forever. And still this energy grows stronger. I feel I have
left the earth and entered the sphere of the sun. When the light is bright enough, the barriers separating nature,
human, divine, and the planetary zones dissolve. Romasara, like other spirits such as Bialode, apparently has a close
tie the solar sphere as well as to our earthzone. Enough of this mystical rapture with endorphins running wild in the
bloodstream. Back to our evocation. Romasara's Inner Source of Inspiration: The energy of God, without beginning
or end, self-originating, and beyond all understanding, can be found within our bodies. It is within our breath. It is
met in the perfection of our health and vitality. In other words, the body is sacred. It is the temple of God. It has
been the custom of religions to build temples and structures to symbolize the glory and majesty of God.
Consciousness and our five senses enjoy having the support and reassurance which comes from entering a great
cathedral, a shrine, a stone circle, a grove, or a place of worship. But what all these majestic buildings and sacred
settings point to is Divine Presence which is found within our bodies and hearts. If I can put it this way, Romasara
acts as a tour guide introducing students to an infinite sea of vitality which is within our bodies and which extends
throughout the universe. Therefore, as you are drawing Romasara's sigil, include this awareness within the light you
visualize. Outer Aura: Romasara's aura emits a very pure light. It refines life force. It burns with a radiant purity. But
as a matter of fact Romasara is very aware of every aspect of how breath and vitality move within the body. It could
well be that if he were a human being, he would teach a great variety of methods. Each student would be introduced
to the practice most useful to him. Inner Aura: The way an undine is aware of the sea or a sylph of winds and
weather patterns, Romasara is aware of the life force within the sea of air around us. Romasara has identified his
consciousness with that sea. In practicing breathing with Romasara, you learn to draw upon these currents of energy
which gradually become larger and stronger. Akashic Plane: The akashic plane is the equivalent of entering a divine
awareness extending without limit through space and time. The awareness Romasara represents on this plane is the
absolute mastery of breath, life force, and radiant light. You can approximate this awareness in the following way.
You imagine you are a divine being who comprehends all aspects of life force and vitality. Your must be certain that
you have accomplished this so that you are free of all doubt. In other words, you simply make a picture of yourself
embodying these qualities. This conviction, if strong and clear enough, will eventually manifest as a physical ability.
Mental Plane: On the mental plane, Romasara's presence stimulates the mind to be vibrant and to rest within a sea of
shining bright vitality. This meditation does not emphasize your personality. It is a way of extending beyond
yourself and identifying with the atmosphere of the earth. I mention elsewhere how Swami Rama once had a student
who kept pestering him to transmit shaktipat--that is, to confer a transfusion of pure life force to the student. The
Swami finally consented. He took a glass of water and put some vitality into it as he held the glass between his
palms. A while after the student drank the water the student's body went into convulsions and he literally began
bouncing off the walls of the room he was in. The problem was that the student's consciousness identified with his
own body and personality. But the energy inside of him was an absolutely free movement of universal energy pure
and radiant--a celebration of divinity. The energy had no way of expressing itself within this individual. Unlike the
Swami, the student had not spent decades chanting sacred names and mantras, opening the nadis of energy channels
within his chakras, and training his mind to be boundless light full of bliss and delight. It helps, then, if the student
takes some time and effort to train his mind and body so he can understand the teacher's consciousness. There is a
difference between the akashic plane and the mental plane. On the akashic plane, consciousness identifies with
divinity without any form restriction or space and time limitation. In working with Romasara on the mental plane,
awareness focuses on general aspects and principles. In this case, you become aware of the energy vibration in the
atmosphere of the earth around you. Sometimes Swamis have this little mental game they like to play with students.
They get into talking about how "I am not my body. I am not my thoughts. I am not my breath. I am not my name. I
am not my identity, " and on and on and on. Well, what remains at the end of this game? In Hinduism, following the
model of a deity such as Krishna, you identify with the one indivisible and transcendent spirit within you. But on the
mental plane, Romasara does assume a specific identity. His consciousness has content, movement, and expression.
He identifies with the trees, their roots and leaves. He identifies with the plants, the clouds, the winds, the rivers, and
the seas. His awareness is within all the processes which nourish life on earth. And underneath the chemistry,
biochemistry, metabolism, and breath is, again, an energy field of radiant light and pure vitality. This is what shines
from his aura and where his consciousness rests. Astral Plane: On the astral plane, I get the distinct image and
sensation that breath produces the flame of spirit within the temple of our bodies radiating inexhaustible vitality. The
sea of life force sensed on the mental plane now takes on a focal point--in and around your body is the dazzling and
brilliant light of the sun. The essence of life force manifests as radiant light in your aura. Franz Bardon talks about
creating this aura around yourself through breath. Each breath accumulates more vitality within you until you feel
you are about to burst with the pressure of the light. Practicing over time, you learn to extend this light thirty yards
around your body. This supercharged aura makes it easy to heal others by transferring to them your excess vitality.
This is a great approach. It just takes many years of dedication and practice to get this. The nice thing about working
with Romasara is that the energy produced is not only very intense and dynamic. It is also gentle. It is blazing bright
and it also feels very natural and organic. I notice it is harmonious with my body and soothing to my emotions.
Physical Plane: The life force here is more dense. The light and vitality have a more direct effect on the physical
body. This is where most yoga begins. You stretch your muscles using asanas and steady breathing. Circulation is
increased. The muscles become more flexible and resilient. Your immune system and health improve. This kind of
vitality, then, can produce physical results more quickly. One individual told me that after she did yoga for an hour
she was always in a much better position to think about her unsolved problems. The surcharge she built up of
physical vitality influenced her astral body. She felt whole and illuminated from within. The anxiety and worry she
attached to problems temporarily disappeared. In this evocation, I have moved from the akashic plane down to the
physical. Generally, students of yoga work the other way around. They perform exercises with their physical bodies.
And they induce astral states of devotion and attunement to their line of masters through chanting and meditations.
Their awareness is gradually extended to the inner planes where they learn to see themselves as spiritual beings As
with other earthzone spirits, Romasara is a teacher who inspires and reminds students of what is possible if you are
willing to work for it. The immediate goal is to become aware of the vitality in air and to draw it into yourself. In the
end, you produce what appears to others as miracles through the power of your aura. Pathworking: In a pathworking,
we may use free association and image exploration to explore a theme. This clarifies how we feel and takes us into a
deeper understanding of ourselves. By contrast, a guided meditation may take us into contact wtih collective and
global archetypes but it may not illuminate our personal experience. Using a sigil is more technical. It is a method
employed by a magician and it can be the equivalent of a mini evocation in itself. It is also possible to combine all
there methods at once. A Pathworking with Romasara. To begin, I recall the different yogis and Swamis I have met
or seen practicing over the years. As within a dream, my point of view shifts and I see myself now within a sphere of
bright light and life force. Romasara seems to use this image to speak to me. He says that by working with him it
will become much easier for others to understand the spiritual ideas I wish to communicate. My aura will naturally
reflect the reality of whatever I am talking about. Others' imaginations will be enhanced and they will be able to feel
the inspiration which I feel. He says too that I will experience far less strain in performing evocations. And finally, I
will see much more clearly others' etheric, astral, and mental bodies. This will allow me to lend better assistance to
others with their problems and difficulties. In regard to Bardon's practices with breathing, Romasara points out it
takes years to master them. For Romasara, it helps if you start at the beginning by imagining you have already
perfected what you wish to embody in yourself--in this case, the mastery of life force. If your body senses you
already have the conviction, the mental image, and the feeling for what is to be accomplished, then you are more
likely to succeed. In regard to using Romasara's sigil for mastering pranayama, Romasara says this determined on a
case by case basis. Using a sigil is a form of magical ritual. You have to exert a great deal of imagination, will, and
energy to make it work. It can be helpful from time to time to use a sigil as you meditate but this is not something to
be overused. You want your vitality to develop gradually and without strain. You do not want to force your
development in a way that throws you backward because the tension is too great to handle. A Guided Meditation.
This is a basic format for a guided meditation. You can embellish it and expand on it in any way you want. Relax
and sit comfortably. Concentrate on your breathing. Now imagine a spiritual being. This could be Romasara or
another spirit related to vitality, health, and healing. As an example, visualize the archangel Raphael descending and
appearing in front of you. You see the shimmering light and radiant healing power shining from his aura. You look
into his eyes and see the glory of God and God's beauty being freely extended to all who are willing to receive it. As
you inhale, you sense in your own breath a willingness to experience this light, inspiration, and healing. The
archangel's aura grows brighter and now part of his aura extends in front of him as a divine gift and blessing--he
gives of his own being so that you might experience and know his love. This energized image--an exact replica of
the archangel--floats over to you and blends with your aura. You see, hear, feel, taste, and smell it and breathe it into
yourself. There is a transition and you find yourself now within Rapheal's heart. You feel a love so vast and
wonderful the stars are born to give expression to its beauty. You also feel joined to a healing power so great it can
restore anything to harmony. As you breathe with his energy and let it sink in, it saturates every cell in your body.
You know now that your mind, soul, and body have become a manifestation of this light and healing power. You are
cloaked in beauty with the power to bless anyone who enters your life Now return from this elevated state to your
own body and personality. The intensity of the energy fades but within your heart there is now a direct link to
Raphael. The essence of his inspiration is forever within your heart. Common Difficulties/Imbalances: The first step
in working with Romasara is to develop the etheric body. Most individuals are only aware of their physical body and
not of the life force which animates it. One way to become aware of vitality is to practice yoga. In this case, as you
stretch a muscle or practice an asana, you also breathe into the muscles being exercised. As you do this, you slowly
begin to notice the range of sensations relating to tension, relaxation, and increased blood flow. In becoming aware
of these sensations, an individual also gradually becomes aware of the more subtle vitality which sustains the life of
the body. Eventually, it is possible to sense directly the flows of life force. Tai Chi Chuan, Chi Kung, and various
other practices also increase awareness of the etheric body through movement, balance, breathing, stretching, and
training the imagination to circulate energy. Once you have this awareness, then it is easy to practice pranayama.
You can sense the life force which enters your body as you breathe. You can circulate this energy through your body
and direct it consciously. In the process, you get a feel for how to maintain harmony and restore health. It is also
possible to sense the vitality in the air surrounding your body and to draw upon this energy to a greater degree. Of
course, if your concentration and imagination are sufficiently trained, you can practice Bardon's accumulation of
vitality exercises. Whatever procedure you use, whether it is quick or slow, the bottom line remains. You have to
attain a direct awareness of the etheric body in a way which furthers health and maintains harmony. Consider an
example of Romasara's approach to pranayama. You can concentrate on your breath and imagine that you are
drawing vitality into your right arm as you inhale and releasing it as you exhale. Try this for a few moments. Picture
the inside of your arm empty and that energy enters it and leaves it as your breathe in and out. Make a fist now with
your right hand gradually tightening the muscles through the whole right arm. Notice at each level of tightness the
different sensations. The muscles flex and may lock in position. You may notice an increase in blood pressure in
your arm and the skin temperature become warmer. Keep your muscles flexed for ten or twenty seconds. Now
slowly release the muscles until your arm is relaxed. Here you will notice various sensations such as the feeling of
lactic acid being absorbed by the blood and perhaps warmth all through the muscles of your arm. Now try the
breathing exercise again. Imagine your right arm is empty and you are inhaling and exhaling energy into it. It is
more likely that you will sense to a greater degree the vitality entering and leaving the arm with the movement of
your breath. The point is that the more you are aware of your body, the more easily it will be to sense the presence
of vitality within you.
Note: this paper reviews the three exercises for the chapter 3 physical level and a commentary only on the first
of these exercises. Chapter 3, Physical Level Exercise: Pour Breathing and Accumulating Energy These exercises
are straightforward and clear. There is also a fascinating appendix in this chapter relating to space impregnation,
biomagnetism, and some methods of psychic healing. In terms of magical theory and practice, vitality and life force
are transferrable. They can be accumulated both within and outside of the individual's body. Life force is extremely
receptive to thoughts and intentions. Consequently, it can be employed in many different ways. Bardon intends the
student to use the exercises in this section to develop a supreme mastery of the life force. Bardon does not refer
again to the accumulation of vital power until later chapters. In chapter 6 and 7, accumulated vital power is used for
the creation of elementals on the mental plane, for the development of clairvoyance, and for animating the astral
body of elementaries. In chapter 9, he discusses charging talismans with life force which shines brighter than
sunlight. Also, in Bardon's book on evocation, he refers to charging a magic wand with vital power and
biomagnetism which are the preferred energy for curative operations. In Bardon's book on Quabbalistic practices,
pour breathing is also used for accumulating in the body a series of different colors other than white light. I will
refer to my own experiences and perspective on the accumulation of life force toward the end of my commentary.
There are basically three parts to these exercise for the physical level of this chapter. 1. Breathing in and out through
parts of the body similar to what was done in the last chapter. 2. Accumulating vitality in the whole body. 3.
Accumulating vital energy in parts of the body. Exercise 1. Breathing through parts of the body. To begin, we
practice inhaling and exhaling with each part of the body. You start with your feet and work towards your head. The
idea is to practice successfully pour breathing in each part of your body. Assume a position of meditation, relax, and
close your eyes. Concentrate on one of your legs. If you can, transfer your awareness into your leg, that is, imagine
your mind is within your leg, in the shape of your leg, and that there is nothing else in your mind but this activity.
Now imagine that the pours of your leg, like the lungs, are breathing in and exhaling vital force from the
surrounding universe. We have already practiced this procedure with our whole body in chapter 1. As with the
whole body breathing, you will have your own set of feelings and sensations which indicate the practice is
developing. You may feel a warmth in your leg. The skin may tingle as if there is a slight charge of electricity
accumulating. You may feel increased pressure within your leg as you inhale and a decrease of pressure as you
exhale. You may feel an increase in blood circulation to the leg you are concentrating on. In any case, you should be
able to notice a difference in sensations or vitality between the leg you are concentrating on and your other leg. If
you succeed in this after seven breaths, practice pour breathing in your other leg. After this, practice breathing
through both legs at once. Then go on to one hand, the other hand, and then both hands at once. Bardon gives
examples of working with the "genitals, bowels, stomach, liver, lungs, heart, larynx, and head." It is clear that
Bardon intends the student to extend his awareness into every part of his or her body. Over the long haul, the task is
to sense the condition of each part of the body so as to heal and restore the body to health and harmony whenever
needed. It is left to each student to pursue this exercise in a way which leads to complete success.. Exercise 2.
Accumulation of Vital Energy. As you breathe through your lungs and the pours of your body, you imagine holding
this vital energy inside of you so it builds in charge. As you exhale, you breathe out air but think of nothing in
particular. In contrast to the previous exercise, in this procedure we gather the energy evenly throughout the body.
Begin by practicing this for seven breaths and adding one additional breath each day. Work up to practice sessions
of twenty minutes but no more than this. One of the primary concerns throughout Bardon's three books is the
necessity for a magician to gather the energy required to fulfill his purposes. It is not enough to have high and noble
ideals, to develop pure virtues in yourself, and to commit to great purposes. You must also empower your spirit,
your mind, your emotions, and your body in a specific way--you should be able to gather huge amounts of energy on
any plane inside your body whenever your wish. The idea in this exercise is to acclimate and condition your body to
gradually increasing charges of vital energy. If you are successful, early on you will be able to sense a kind of
pressure building up inside your body. This pressure can become quite strong and you will want to become very
familiar and completely comfortable with it. Again, it is advisable to move slowly so that you gradually increase the
amounts of energy you work with. In this way, you avoid placing stress or excessive tension on your nervous
system. Again, he stresses that you do not practice for more than twenty minutes at a time. Bardon says during this
exercise your body will eventually develop a dynamic charge of energy. You will feel you have become radiant with
energy emitting brilliant rays of light like the sun. There are in effect two aspects to this energy accumulation. There
is an intensity of compressed vital energy inside your body. And there is an emanation of a more refined energy like
heat waves or light which fills the space around you. You definitely want to learn to extend this emanation of energy
or light rays for at least ten meters around yourself. After you accumulate energy at any time, however, also release
this charge of energy so that your body returns to normal and is completely free of tension. That is, breathe out the
energy with as many breaths as you used to breath in. Walking around in a high energy state, though perhaps
exhilarating, is also stressful and unhealthy for the body. The exercises will naturally strengthen your health and
increase your vitality but in a gradual way over time. In addition, after much practice, you can learn to emit the
charge of energy in your body quickly to the outside world rather than through the process of breathing. Exercise 3.
Accumulation of vital energy in parts of the body. This third step simply combines the two previous exercises. You
breathe in through your lungs and the pours of your whole body accumulating the energy in specific parts and
organs of your body. Bardon mentions that in magick it is advantageous to learn to accumulate very great amounts
of energy in the hands and the eyes. Again, after you accumulate life force in a specific part of your body, use the
same number of breaths to expel the energy to the outside world. The emphasis here is not on circulating or
accumulating the energy in one organ and then moving that same energy to another part of your body. Instead, the
practice is focused on getting each part of your body to use the pour breathing as a means for accumulating energy.
After a long amount of practice, also learn to emit the accumulated energy in each part of your body directly and
swiftly to the outside. When you have successfully learned to accumulate energy in each part of your body and also
release it as with a burst of energy, you will have completed the physical exercises for this chapter.
COMMENTARY, PART 1 In this section, I would like to offer some practical tips and a few notes on theory.
Exercise 1. Once again, in this exercise we practice breathing vital energy in and out of specific parts of our body
using the lungs and pours of our entire body. No accumulation of energy occurs other than during a single breath.
Certainly, knowledge of anatomy is important. You should be able to visualize fairly easily and accurately the shape
and location of different body organs. Biofeedback experiments indicate that individuals can consciously alter the
electrical activity even of single cells on the surface of the skin. If you concentrate on skin, muscles, or internal
organs, you can dilate the blood vessels increasing or decreasing blood flow and circulation. To this enhanced mind
body coordination, we add pour breathing. In the physical exercise for chapter 1, you worked at acquiring sensations
and feelings to associate with the movement of life force in and out of the pours of your whole body. This exercise
of breathing through parts of the body is a continuation of the previous exercise. If you have difficulty, there are
many ways of breaking the exercise down into smaller, more easily mastered components. As in the practice of
developing clairfeeling in later chapters, some individuals will notice that certain areas of their bodies are more
sensitive and receptive than other parts. You may notice that your hands, hips, legs, solar plexus, forehead, or even
your eyes respond quickly to generating feelings of energy flow. If you find pour breathing works to some extent in
some areas and not others, develop those areas further. Then gradually extent that same awareness to other parts of
your body. For example, consider the hands. Take one hand and massage it slowly and carefully. Notice every
nuance of sensation involved with touch and muscular stimulation. Notice the warmth and the different effects of
pressure on the skin versus the muscles underneath. Work with the muscles from different angles and with different
amounts of pressure. Notice pain sensations when the pressure is too great. If you notice tension in the muscles,
explore that tension. What are its qualities? Is there an ache, a sharp pain, or soreness? Is it strong or weak? Is it
easily released or persistent? Notice also any effects on the rest of your body and nervous system as you run into
pain or tension. Does the rest of your body remain relaxed or does your whole body become alert or tense to some
degree? Slowly make your hand into a fist until it is tight and then slowly release that fist. Notice for example thirty
or forty degrees of muscle tension as you tighten and release your fist. In other words, slowly count to thirty as you
are tightening your fist so that on each count your muscles are slightly tighter and do the same as you relax your
hand. As you massage your hand, also learn to visualize the muscles, tendons, and bones beneath the skin. Imagine
you have x-ray vision and can see what is going on inside. If you like, you can imagine seeing the blood cells
carrying oxygen to the cells from the arteries and carrying away CO2 through the veins. Imagine too the white blood
cells which attack infections and the other components of the blood stream such as simple sugars, insulin, enzymes,
and so forth which keep the body running harmoniously. Later on Bardon has an exercise in which he has the
student imagine himself wearing several pairs of glows. The physical body is the outermost glove. We could say that
the etheric body which accumulates vitality is made of a more refined material which is on the inside of the outer
glove. Imagine yourself, then, being able to perceive the physical hand and then also the etheric or vital energy
which is within the hand. Again, if you feel sensations of energy moving in and out of your hand through breathing,
extend your practice to the next most likely part of your body through which you can feel energy. You may want to
just work up through the arms by practicing next on the forearm and then the upper arm and then with the whole
arm. You may also wish to deepen your exploration of your hand by seeing if you can get each finger to breathe
vital energy in and out and then each segment of each finger. Bardon mentions that you are to get each part of your
body, even the smallest, to experience pour breathing. In Bardon's book on Quabbalah, he mentions specific body
parts which the student is to spend a great deal of time concentrating different colors and elements into. In addition
to what I mentioned in the previous section, he adds the ears, kidneys, entire spine, midriff, spleen, solar plexus,
anus, nose, feet, gall bladder, brain, pancreas, and abdomen. In various contexts, he also mentions the head, chest
area, abdomen, and legs as four distinct areas to work on. It is perhaps easy to underestimate the importance of this
exercise. In contrast to every other practice I have studied, this one exercise develops the strength and resilience of
the entire etheric body. Many systems of health and healing discriminate in a biased and partisan manner
emphasizing some kinds of vitality and certain parts of the body. They do this because their purposes and goals only
require some areas of the body to be developed and not others. The advantage, of course, is that they can gain quick
results which empower the student to feel confident about the practice. The disadvantage is that the limitations of
their systems disqualify them on a practical level from attaining to high magick. They are only capable of reflecting
parts and not the whole of the larger universe within themselves on an etheric level. Bardon's system requires that
you internalize not this or that religious or culturally satisfying ideal within you. Instead, he would have you make a
home within your body and soul for the light of the sun in all its radiance and power. As you breathe life force in
and out of each part of the body, you may feel like you are checking off each body part and internal organ one after
the other on a list. When you finish the list and get each part of the body to breathe, you are done. Then you are
ready to go on to the next exercise. There is some importance in continuing to work with this exercise over a large
period of time so you master it on a high level. We could refer to the etheric body as the life force and vitality which
on a more refined level regulate and sustain the health and functioning of the physical body. Each body part and
organ has its role to play in the activities of our physical being. In weight training, aerobics, and many sports and
martial arts, you try to develop all the muscle systems so the entire body is coordinated and harmonious. The same is
true of the etheric body. As you breathe in and out of the pancreas, liver, or stomach, you are slowly increasing the
strength of the specific energy in those organs. At the same time, those organ energies are becoming more developed
and more highly integrated into your etheric body. In the same way that the many strands within a rope make it
strong, the more parts of your body you can blend and unite into one etheric vibration, the stronger and more
resilient your health will become. Jacobson was one of the pioneers in the field of relaxation in the United States.
One of his practices is to tense one set of muscles at a time while consciously keeping the rest of the body relaxed.
Your awareness is not focused only on tensing and relaxing one part of the body. You are also increasing your
awareness and control over your whole nervous system and other muscles at the time. This is similar to visualizing
tension or pain. Once you visualize the tension, you can say to yourself, "Oh, I can see the tension or pain in this
part of my body and so obviously it is here and not in the other parts of my body. Everything else can remain
relaxed." Your ability to sense and manage tension is increased as a result. In these pour breathing exercises, we are
using the lungs and the pours of our entire body to strengthen the part we are focusing on. If we are practicing
breathing in and out of the left kidney, for example, we are drawing in and releasing vitality through the pours of our
feet, our legs, our arms, our chest, back, neck, head as well as our lungs all at the same time. The whole etheric body
is coordinated with the specific organ. And in turn the excess energy we generate in the left kidney is also moving in
and out of our entire body. It might be helpful then, at the outset, to picture the entire etheric body. As you work
with each part, imagine that the unique and individual energy of that part is adding to the harmony and strengthening
the adaptability and endurance of the whole. The point I wish to emphasize is that pour breathing through body parts
develops a coordinated, harmonious, and integrated etheric body simply by pursing the exercise as it is on its own
terms. Later on, I will mention some of the large number of identifiable vital energies which different metaphysical
systems teach their students to perceive. It is of course invaluable to develop the sensitivity or psychic ability to
perceive directly the specific qualities and kinds of energy within the body. Such knowledge can only add to your
practice. Again, however, I think it is important never to confuse mastery of specific healing and energy systems
with the overall goal of a magician which is to bring his microcosm into harmony with the macrocosm. To
accomplish this, you will need an etheric body which has every part vitalized in an equal and harmonious manner. A
second area of difficulty in pour breathing involves the flow of energy in and out of "difficult to feel" body parts.
Previously, I have followed Bardon's example of a sponge being placed in water. You can see a sponge change color
as it absorbs water and you can feel the weight of the sponge increase. You know from experience that sponges are
useful in wiping up spilled liquids. Through imagination, you extend this absorbing quality to the pours of your
body. You can experiment for yourself to find what imagery and sensory experiences enhance your own
imagination. Air, for example, exerts so many pounds pressure per square inch on our bodies at sea level. If you
imagine your arm is empty and hollow so it has a vacuum inside, then there is a sea of air around your arm pressing
upon your skin. Since anything material has an etheric vibration, the etheric energy of the air as well is ready to
stream inside your arm. You then imagine the pours of the skin as openings enabling that energy to come within.
Then you reverse the process as you exhale. For example, you can imagine your arm as an empty space which
automatically expels everything within it. Though the exercise emphasizes a tactile sensation of vitality moving in
and out of the body, you may also wish to experiment with visualizing light. That is, you imagine as you inhale that
brilliant light like the sun is entering the part of your body you are working on. As you inhale for four or five
seconds, your arm turns brilliant and radiant like the sun. As you exhale, the light is completely emitted. This
exercise is common enough common in various traditions. The problem with using white light is that it may not
have the right quality which is appropriate for your etheric body. It may be too harsh or intense, that is, without the
organic and natural quality which is typical in normal breathing. The reason Bardon emphasizes brilliant light like
the sun is that the solar vibration has a harmonizing and overall vitalizing influence on the physical, astral, and
mental bodies at the same time. Breath, however, as well as being bright like sunlight, can also be considered in
terms of the five elements. Bardon mentions this, for example, in chapter 9 when he says, ""it should be added that
the mental matrix, i.e., the binding agent between the mental and the astral body, is kept working by normal
breathing, which supplies the blood vessels with the four elements, including akasha, via the lungs." If you practice
the following visualizations while you do pour breathing, you may notice they produce slightly different sensations
and energies within you. To emphasize fire, imagine you are not far from a cinder cone spouting curtains of molten
lava for a hundred feet into the air. You can feel the heat on your face and body. And in the distance behind the cone
the sun is just rising on the horizon. As you do pour breathing, you may notice the heat and fiery charge in the air
coming into your body also. As I do this now, I feel a primal power and intense heat along with vitality entering my
body. On the other hand, imagine you are sitting on the edge of a mountain pool fifty feet across. Your legs are in
the water. Water falls down a hundred feet from a ledge above you. A thin spray of cool water washes your face and
small ripples pulsate against your legs. As your breathe in and out as you feel, see, and hear the vibrations,
sensations, and sights before you, you may feel that watery, cool vibration moving in and out of your body as well.
As I do this now, after two breaths, I feel a cool, soothing, and refreshing watery energy flowing through my body.
Notice that we are still doing pour breathing. We can still visualize our etheric bodies being charged with vitality
and brilliant light, but we are also adding in an emphasis on this or that elemental sensation. Next try the element of
earth. Thank or imagine a location in nature which is silent, still, and where you are sitting peacefully among rocks,
boulders, granite cliffs, and so forth. I imagine I am on second Mesa on the Hopi Indian Reservation at midnight
beneath a moonless and clear sky. It is so quiet and peaceful I feel the stone cliffs are an extension of my body. After
several breaths, I feel like I have become part of the earth. The vitality I breathe in has a solidity, endurance, and
stability within it. Consider also the air element. If I breathe in several times imagining myself to be high above the
clouds at fifty thousand feet, I feel an exhilarating sense of freedom, clarity, and balance. The air element
emphasized in this breathing exercise banishes anxiety and worries. So far, the air is pretty much the same in these
four exercises. There is some difference in temperature, moisture, pressure, light, and setting, but it is still the same
pour breathing exercise. I am just using imagery to emphasize a concentration of this or that specific element. And
finally, if I breathe in imagining myself at the center of a magick circle or stone circle, I feel my historical identity
and my personality have been put off to the side. I feel united with a timeless and immortal aspect of myself. It is of
course quite possible to combine all five elements at once. This can be done for example by imagining yourself at
the center of a magick circle and having the four previous visualizations represented by the four directions. In one
scheme, north symbolizes the earth element, silence, the season of fall, midnight, and so forth. The east the air
element, spring, morning, enlightenment, etc. The south is fire, noon, summer, will, etc. The west is water, evening,
winter, love, etc. And Indian summer is the akasha. There are, of course, a great many variations on the use of
directions, colors, seasons, and many other correspondences relating to the elements. These will differ according to
the tradition you are using. Later on, Bardon also has students practice concentrating the four elements in four parts
of the body at the same time. Earth is in the lower pelvis and legs. Water is in the abdomen. Air is in the chest. And
fire is in the head. Taoists, for example, tend to emphasize the development of the etheric body because of their
overriding interest in longevity and the refinement of chi. In one Taoist tradition, you learn to sense the specific
vitality in different internal organs. You then refine and combine these energies and circulate the resulting product
throughout the body. In such a system (see Mantak Chia's book, e.g., Fusion of the Five Elements I), the liver has
positive emotions of kindness and negative emotions of anger. Its energy is wet, warm, and windy. You can think of
the energy of trees and forests inside the liver. The liver is complemented by the lungs. The lungs have positive
emotions of righteousness and courage and negative emotions of sadness and depression. The energy of the lungs is
dry and cool. The Taoists associate the lungs with metal so there is a sensation like touching iron with no water in it.
These two energies, being opposites, balance each other so you fuse them together as you form what is called an
immortality pearl. Similarly, the heart has positive emotions of love, joy, and respect and negative emotions such as
hate, impatience, and cruelty. Its energy is warm, full, stable, and protected. The opposite of fire is water present in
the kidneys. The kidneys embody gentleness and negative emotions of fear and stress. Their energy is cool, calm,
and breezy. Think of water flowing and the presence of winter. The stomach is added to the above sets. Its positive
emotions are fairness and openness and the negative emotions are worry and anxiety. Its energy is balanced being
neither too hot or too cold. I think the presentation which Mantak Chia does in far more detail than I am relaying
here is a real contribution to occult anatomy. I think he has a lot to offer and many individuals find his system
extremely helpful and powerful also for healing. If I place my mind in one of my kidneys, I immediately have an
image of floating down a river. The water is bubbly yet serene. It is cool, purifying, and rejuvenating. It has an
overwhelming sense of completely letting go into the flow. It is a lot like the positive aspects of the astrological sign
of Cancer. If I place my mind in my lungs, I feel like I am moving into the future in a balanced and harmonious
manner. There is a sense of the free, unobstructed movement of winds above the earth. And I get a nearly
clairvoyant sense that I see things before they happen. If I put aside these concepts and metaphorical language, the
sensations I perceive are of air pressure increasing and decreasing and of the air becoming more moist as I breathe
in. There is also a feeling of being completely weightless as if I am floating in a sea of air. In both of the above
examples with the kidneys and the lungs, the energy of the specific organ quickly engulfs my entire body. If I
concentrate on one body part to the exclusion of everything else, the sensations and qualities of the energy present
fill my entire awareness. My whole aura consequently takes on that specific vibration. Part of practicing the cosmic
language in Bardon's book on Quabbalah is to turn your body into a magical instrument. This instrument has the
capacity to reproduce any of the basic building blocks through which mater, energy, mind, spirit, and the entire
universe have been created. In a very similar way, in this exercise on pour breathing we are training the body to
become resilient and flexible. The energy in each part of the body is developed so it penetrates and strengthens the
rest of the body. The vital energies in the body are so unique they cover a range like the oscillation of light and
radiation in the visible and invisible color spectrum. Yet each organ and part of the body contribute to the whole
offering an essential vibration. Consequently, for me this exercise is a spiritual quest. It begins a journey not only
toward greater health but toward discovering the elixir of life, the immortality pearl, the philosopher's stone, and the
mystery of divine life and light. Let me give some examples of the auras of three masters I have met who work
extensively with vitality and chi. Again, I refer to the key of the five elements. One master's aura is very organic and
natural. He is grounded like a tree. It is very healing to be around him. But he is weak on water and fire. Without
much fire, he lacks force and direction. Without water, he has low empathy, that is, it is not easy for his students to
feel the energy inside of his body. Another master has a very water aura. This individual is mediumistic, mystical,
and psychic to the point of being unable to communicate with ordinary people. Though very grounded and practical
in personal activities, air and fire are weak. Without the fire, there is little independence and organization. Without
the air, there is little curiosity or desire to understand others' life experiences. Clarity of purpose and execution of
plans are missing. The third master has a level of vitality which is radiant and dynamic. But there is a weakness of
water making the fiery energy is harsh and dry. Though highly efficient and productive, the lack of water causes this
individual to lack empathy, intuition, and genuine caring for others. Even though all three of the above masters have
outstanding levels of vitality and mastery of chi, from a hermetic point of view their etheric bodies are imbalanced.
Even if the fiery individual in the last example was genuinely caring and empathic, this would not be communicated
other than perhaps to a close circle of intimate friends. Since the element of water is weak in his etheric body, he
acts and comes across in accordance with his dominant qualities. Consequently, some individuals are uncomfortable
being around him. They do not like the pushy, forceful, and aggressive energy he communicates. I have no doubt
that each of these three masters could easily at will produce any of the etheric energies corresponding to the five
elements. In each case, they have mastered various kinds of movements which embody the five kinds of chi or life
force. But they have not taken the time and their traditions have not emphasized that they round themselves out so as
to embody a magical equilibrium on an etheric level. If you have no luck at all in pour breathing, you might turn to
some of these other systems to help you develop your body and energy awareness. Later on, you can return to this
pour breathing when you are more confident and more resourceful. Pour breathing can be practiced over many years
since it is so basic and universal at the same time. You might try systems like tai chi chuan, aikido, Taoist yoga,
hatha yoga, aerobic exercise, and so forth. A basic exercise is doing a number of different kinds of stretching
exercises as in practicing asanas. As you do these, focus on breathing energy to the muscles as you tighten them
while stretching. Notice the increased blood flow and sensations afterwards as you relax . Part of magick, of course,
is living a healthy life. This involves moderation and balance in diet, exercise, stretching, a positive attitude, and
eliminating bad habits and extravagant wastes of your energy. It is pretty difficult to ascend in magick without living
a healthy and balanced life. On the other hand, do not be afraid to ask for help. Over the years, I have studied with
and done quite a bit of body work in many traditions. There is something to be said for getting near someone who is
highly developed and working with them in some way so you can feel their life force inside you. And when you are
stuck on some part of a spiritual path it is always appropriate to ask for help. You can pray to God. You can
visualize sigils of spirits such as Romasara and others I will review. You can create a ball of energy of bright light in
your hands and then send it to some spirit with the picture inside it of what you want--in this case, an ability to sense
vitality directly and to develop it within you through breathing. In any case, there is nothing quite like discovering
for yourself through direct experience what works for you individually.