72 Names of God in Hasidim As the Fourth Commandment to remember and keep the Shabbat is attributed to Ches ed, it is a privilege

to share the beginnings of an extensive project inspired i n Continuum by Tau Malachi the 72 Chasidim. When we hear of the 72 Names of God, the source for these names are derived from Exodus 14.19-21. These three verses narrate the escape of the Children of Israe l from Pharoah s armies by Hashem s parting of the Red Sea. As great judgment is exe cuted upon Pharoah and his armies, these names are attributed to Gevurah and are therefore called Gevurot. Another very intriguing body of 72 Names is suggested by Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan on p age 43 of his text Meditation and Kabbalah. The source for these names are deriv ed from Ezekiel 1:1, 4 and 26. These verses, all while he and companions are exi led in Babylon, narrate the opening of his prophetic vision of the Human One. As immense insights into Messiah are clearly articulated, these names are attribut ed to Chesed and are therefore called Chasidim. The three verses cited of Gevurot and Chasidim each contain 72 letters. The sign ificance of 72 is quite rich, for this is the product of 6 and 12. Six immediate ly refer us to Zer Anpin, the Son, and the six extremities of purified space by which He incarnates and 12 immediately refer to the zodiacal gates, the twelve t ribes, foreshadowing the administration of Messiah by the Apostles. In sum, thes e 72 permutations of Gevurot and Chasidim together are the great powers of enlig htenment and liberation and are the technology by which prophets and mekubalim p ast and present have performed wonders beyond belief. What is common to both of these sets of Divine Names is the method of their perm utation. When they are evenly arrayed beneath each other, the permuting is quite simple. The first letter of the first verse, the last letter of the second vers e and the first letter of the third verse form the first name. Next, the second letter of the first verse, the second-to-last letter of the second verse and the second letter of the third verse from the second name, etc. If we were to use t hree alphabets to demonstrate this principle, say our English alphabet, it s quite simple: AZA, BYB, CXC, etc. Make sense? The verses from Exodus 14.19-21 are exa ctly 72 and for this reason very traditional to Kabbalah. The verses from Ezekie l 1:1, 4, and 26, however, are very close to 72, being so close that scholars an d mekubalim only mention this meditative opportunity in passing. The immense con tent of these verses alone demand we enquire into this opportunity of their thre e verses to derive 72 letters each for their permutation. Rabbi Kaplan says these three verses from Ezekiel 1, 4, and 26 may derive 72 let ters each verse by a simple adjustment in spelling. Being very fascinated by thi s, I confirm from the Jewish Publication Society s Tanakh that 1:1 indeed has 74 l etters, 1:4 has 73 letters and 1:26 has 71 letters. Kaplan provides modified spe llings only for verses 1 and 4 by removing from verse 1 two vav, which indeed ar e expendable, serving only as the prepositional and . Likewise, he removes another vav from verse 4, which also functions only as the prepositional and , while leavin g verse 26 in a state of 71 letters, explaining with a simple spelling modificat ion, this too can sum 72 letters. Contemplating how verse 26 could be modified to sum 72 letters, I looked into th e next verse 27, which in Hebrew begins And I beheld ; the And beginning verse 27, is a prepositional vav which I add to the 71 letters of verse 26 and now have 72 l etters for verse 26. The rationale is explained for four reasons. First, three v av are removed from verse 1 and 4, modifying them to 72 letters each. Secondly, adding from what was removed interferes minimally in a modification of verse 26 to generate 72 letters. Thirdly, vav has a contextual integrity with this intent ion, as both Gevurot and Chasidim are the revelation of the Middle, the heart of

which is Tipharet, the Six Vav. Finally, when you see the permutations listed bel ow, from one to seventy-two, you will find four vav, first to last. For these re asons, I am confident in the Holy Spirit that this method is precisely what Kapl an suggested in deriving 72 Names from these three verses in Ezekiel. May any who behold and contemplate these Chasidim, these Great Mercies, be bless ed by EL, Creator of Heaven and Earth. May all good creatures of EL remember the mselves beginning and ending in Loving Kindness. HalleluEL! 1. Vav Shin Vav 2. Yod Aleph Mem 3. Heh Heh Mem 4. Yod Kaf Ayin 5. Bet Vav Lamed 6. Shin Tau Lamed 7. Lamed Mem Resh 8. Shin Lamed Qof 9. Yod Mem Yod 10. Mem Shin Ayin 11. Shin Chet Aleph 12. Nun Heh Shin 13. Heh Nun Resh 14. Bet Yod Ayin 15. Resh Ayin Lamed 16. Bet Kaf Resh 17. Yod Hed Aleph 18. Ayin Kaf Shin 19. Yod Vav Mem 20. Bet Tau Kaf 21. Chet Mem Mem 22. Mem Vav Resh 23. Shin Bet Aleph 24. Heh Yod Heh 25. Lamed Bet Aleph 26. Chet Samek Bet 27. Dalet Vav Nun 28. Shin Lamed Samek 29. Vav Heh Peh 30. Aleph Gimmel Yod 31. Nun Nun Resh 32. Yod Vav Daleth 33. Beth Tau Mem 34. Tau Chet Vav 35. Vav Qof Tau 36. Kaf Lamed Kaf 37. Heh Tau Samek 38. Gimmel Mem Aleph 39. Lamed Shin Vav 40. Heh Aleph Ayin 41. Ayin Vav Lamed 42. Lamed Lamed Dalet 43. Nun Dalet Mem 44. Heh Gimmel Vav 45. Resh Nun Tau 46. Kaf Nun Heh 47. Bet Ayin Kaf 48. Resh Nun Samek 49. Nun Vav Aleph 50. Peh Peh Dalet 51. Tau Ayin Mem

52. 53. 54. 55. 56. 57. 58. 59. 60. 61. 62. 63. 64. 65. 66. 67. 68. 69. 70. 71. 72.

Chet Heh Vav Vav Nun Tau Heh Mem Kaf Shin Heh Mem Mem Aleph Resh Yod Bet Aleph Mem Heh Heh Vav Resh Aleph Aleph Ayin Dalet Resh Samek Mem Aleph Chet Ayin Heh Vav Lamed Mem Resh Yod Resh Heh Vav Aleph Nun Mem Tau Heh Lamed Aleph Vav Mem Lamed Aleph Ayin Heh Resh Lamed Yod Aleph Heh Mem Vav Vav

Shabbat Shalom! Brother Michael+ _________________ Thank you Elder Michael+ for posting the 72 Names of God of Hasidim for us, no d oubt this will be a blessing upon many of our spiritual friends and companions a s, to the best of my knowledge, these names have never been clearly laid out and published before, though, indeed, they were hinted at in the work of Rabbi Arye h Kaplan, blessed be his name and memory. The 72 Names of God in Gevurot that are drawn from Exodus appear in source works of Jewish Mekubalim, such as Abraham Abulafia and Hayyim Vital, along with some practices for invoking the Divine Power of the Names, likewise there is a moder n book on the subject these days providing what may be called introductory and o utermost teachings on them in the fashion of modern spirituality; however, nowhe re are the 72 Names of God in Hasidim drawn from Ezekiel discussed, let along th eir meaning and practices for their use. The source works that discuss the 72 Names of God written by the Mekubalim can b e difficult to read and understand by the modern aspirant, and the only modern w ork discusses them only on the most superficial level, and the 72 Names of God d erived from Ezekiel are not discussed at all, therefore it seems good to share t eachings on both the Holy Names of Gevurot and Hasidim, along with practices wit h them especially with the publication of teachings and practices of the Order o f St. Gabriel, for the use of the 144 Names of God is central to the Way of the Navi as taught in that Holy Order, and there is an extensive oral tradition of t eachings and practices associated with them in our Christian Kabbalah. More importantly, however, at present the Holy Spirit inspires the sharing of th ese teachings from our Christian Kabbalah at this time so that there is divine p ermission for them to be shared, and in sharing them we pray that God s blessing a nd grace remains with us and that we may complete the spiritual transmission, fu lfilling the intention of the Divine that inspires this continuum of discourse. Always when the Spirit of God inspires a sharing of teachings and practices ther e is a reason, and in this case it is the extension of Divine Light into the wor ld seeking to balance the influx of darkness in these times, as well as the pres

ervation of a wisdom treasure for future generations men.

we pray God s will be done. A

Preparing for the Knowledge & Communion with the Holy Names First, it must be said that if we seek to draw upon the actual power of these Ho ly Names, whether those from Exodus or those from Ezekiel, we must study and con template, and meditate upon the Holy Letters of the Alef-Bet, becoming well acqu ainted with their correspondences and meaning, and their role as Netivot Pathway s of Shefa (spiritual influx; this includes contemplation and meditation on the Thirty-Two Paths of Wisdom based upon their layout on the Tree of Life given in the school of Kabbalah one follows, whether that of a Jewish or Christian Kabbal ah. If a person has a proper spiritual education, with knowledge and understanding o f the Holy Letters, this in and of itself will illuminate many of the esoteric m eanings of these Holy Names, and give insight into the Divine Power in them and the various reasons they might be invoked, and even various ways to invoke them it also provides a foundation for the reception of further teachings on these Ho ly Names, which are part of advanced studies in the Holy Kabbalah. Basically speaking, a person must know the Tree of Life very well, along with th e Holy Letters, to make real and effective use of either of these sets of Divine Names. Coupled with this, an aspirant must cultivate kavvanah and devekut knowing how t o concentrate their mind and how to cleave to the Divine and how to unify their soul with the Divine through the Attributes of the Divine, the Holy Sefirot. Cul tivating devekut, they must also cultivate hishtavut equanimity, the capacity to be unmoved by praise or insult; and most especially they must learn the way of hitbonenut and hitbodedut, contemplation and deep meditation. If anyone proposes that we can access the power of the 72 Names of God apart from this, then they do not know what they are talking about, as these are the steps all authentic Me kubalim have taught their disciples for invoking the power of the Names of God a nd entering into experiences of Ruach Ha-Kodesh and prophecy, which is the prima ry purpose of these Holy Names. It is rather like proposing that by just mindlessly staring at or scanning a mysti cal text like the Zohar that there is some sort or automatic spiritual benefit t here has never been any authentic Mekubal or Master of Kabbalah, Jewish or Chris tian, who would suggest such a thing; all have insisted on a proper spiritual ed ucation and self-discipline, an actual spiritual life and practice. We need only read the actual source works written by the well known Masters of the Kabbalah to know and understand this. Along with these things, all of the source works emphasize self-purification and good works as an essential part of preparation and the spiritual life, and all speak of cultivating the right intention or motivation the fear and love of Yahw eh, and the desire to serve heaven and God through one s study and practice of the Holy Kabbalah; hence, a study and contemplation of Scripture and the Kabbalah f or its own sake liberated from egoistic ulterior motives. All of this having been said, in truth, with a basic spiritual education and spi ritual self-discipline in place, it is through the power of a passionate faith i n the Holy One and the Shekinah that we are able to invoke the Divine Power of t he Names of God, and it is through the blessing and grace of God for after all, these are Name of God, the Divine. The Power of the Holy Names in the Messiah

According to Christian Mekubalim, though these 144 Holy Names were known and use d by the prophets and wonderworkers of the Old Testament under the old covenant, their full power was not manifest until the Divine Incarnation of the Messiah, and specifically, their full power was not manifest until the advent of Hayyah Y eshua, the Risen Messiah. In the teachings of the Christian Kabbalah, these 144 Names of God are the Divine Powers of the Messiah in Gevurah-Judgment and HesedMercy, and certain constellations of these Holy Names represent the Twelve Power s of the Twelve Messiahs as spoken about in Pistis Sophia. This power of the Holy Messiah in Mercy and Judgment is reflected in the blessin g and spiritual empowerment of the holy apostles in the upper room when Hayyah Y eshua appears to them and greets them with shalom (peace) twice, and then lays h ands on them and breathes on them, saying Receive Ruach Ha-Kodesh [the Holy Spiri t], and then says to them: If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained (John 20:22). According to Christian Mekubalim in this initiation or spiritual empowerment Yes hua Messiah communicates the spiritual power of the 144 Names of God, 72 of Hasi dim and 72 of Gevurot. Divine Names Activating the 144 Names of God Now, as written in the Gospel of St. John, Adonai Yeshua says shalom or peace twice; according to masters of the tradition, however, this is a veil of the actual my stic word spoken by Baal Yeshua, which was the Great Name of God, Yahweh, and po ints to the story of the Shekinah of Yahweh passing by Navi Moshenu and speaking the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy-Hesed in the thirty-fourth chapter of Exodus. There we find the Divine Names: Yahweh, Yahweh, El, which according to the Holy Kabbalah the Tradition, are the Divine Names that activate the power of the 72 N ames of God. El is Hesed at the level of Atzilut, and Hesed equals 72; whether those of gevur ot or those of hasidim, the 72 Names of God are the manifestation of the Divine Power of Hesed, the mercy of God, and that Divine Power is spoken in the Thirtee n Attribute of Mercy, as reflected in the teachings given on the subject in Gnos is of the Cosmic Christ. Yahweh is spoken twice, Yahweh above, and Yahweh below when Yahweh weh is Elohim; thus the Divine Name of Yahweh Elohim is implied. comes down, Yah

Yahweh, Yahweh, however, implies the fruition of creation in the Path of Return, the Great Exodus, the Great Resurrection and Ascension the power of the Name of Yeshua. Yahweh, Yahweh, also implies the unification of Tiferet and Hokmah, the Son and the Father; hence, the Divine Name Yah Yahweh according to the masters of the tr adition, this unification holds the power of resurrection. Yah Yahweh alludes to the Supreme Unification of Yahweh and Eheieh according to the masters of the tradition, this unification holds the power of the ascension. In that Yahweh come down is Elohim, Yah Yahweh indicates another unification El Elohim, which is the power of the End-Of-Days and the mitigation of Judgment wit h Mercy. Activating the Power of the Holy Names In the tradition it is taught that if an initiate wishes to call upon the power of the 72 Names, if in Gevurot they will bind their soul in ascent to Keter Elyo

n, and them place the Name of Elohim before them, and its permutations, and medi tate upon the Name and bind their soul to the Name, and then contemplate and med itate upon the 72 Names of Gevurot and call upon them; and if in Hasidim they wi ll do the same, but with the Name of Yahweh. This becomes extended into another practice of the unification of El Elohim for the Gevurot and Yah Yahweh for the Hasidim, along with the permutations of these Yichudim-Unifications. Now there is another way using the Supreme Name of Adonai Yeshua Messiah ascendi ng to Keter Elyon and unifying your soul with Hayyah Yeshua and the Shekinah of Messiah, Adonai holds dominion over those of the Gevurot, Yeshua over those of t he Hasidim, and Messiah unites them in Rehamim-Compassion. Through this single H oly and Supreme Name, if the initiate knows how to put it on, the 144 Names of G od are activated all at once, in that very instant, and they are all within thei r Body of Light, the Threefold Light-vesture. *In this there is a hint to another mystical chant known in the tradition throug h which the power of the 144 Holy Names is called upon all of their Light-power being within this holy chant. Those who have Faith-Wisdom will know and understa nd this way and discern the method it is an open secret in the Holy Gospel. These are essential and simple methods of activating the power of the 72 Names o f God in Gevurot and Hasidim. Calling upon the Holy Names When calling upon one of the Names the initiate will envision the Holy Letters o f the Name before them flaming fire with Gevurot and radiant translucent light w ith Hasidim, the Holy Letters of the Name aligned along a vertical axis, and the n holding the intention of the invocation in mind, they will chant the Holy Name . At the end of the sacred chant they will envision the Holy Letters dissolve, t heir fire or light streaming to the top of their head and pouring down into the Spiritual Sun in their heart. *If this is done as spiritual work for another soul they will envision the emana tion of a holy angel and the spiritual power going to that person in the form of the holy angel or maggid; envisioning the maggid arriving, they will envision i t merging with the person, blessing them in this way. Now another way this may be done is by envisioning the Holy Letters forming a Tr iangle of Evocation around you the Holy Letters are envisioned as huge mountains , the last Holy Letter before you, the one of Mercy behind you to the right and the one of Judgment behind you to the left; then above you envision the Shekinah of the Lord the image of Hayyah Yeshua. The rest of this practice is the same a s the first one, but along with the power of the Holy Letters the Blessing Power of the Risen Messiah also pours down into you. *We will explain the series of Holy Letters forming the Names and their attribut es below. These are two simple and essential methods of calling upon a Holy Name. Simple Permutations of the Names You may also perform permutations of these Holy Names to call upon their Divine Power as an example: Va-Shu-Vo Vo-Va-Shu

Shu-Va-Vo Vo-Shu-Va Va-Vo-Shu Shu-Va-Vo In this way you will derives six Holy Names from each Name.

Coupled with this method the four basic vowels sounds of A, I, O and U can be used to rm different chants drawing upon the play of the of the Holy Partzufim of the Fa ther, Mother, Son and Daughter, respectively, as the friends of God will underst and. This is used in invocations of Ruach Ha-Kodesh for illuminations and prophecy an d when this is the intention the son or daughter of the navim is alone, wrapped in their mantle and bowed down as Navi Eliyahu invoking the end of the drought; this is also used in healing when a Holy Name is called upon to dispel a cause o f disease or draw in the healing power of a blessing. Unification of the Names Through the unification of the corresponding Names of Gevurot and Hasidim a Holy Name of Rehamim is formed as an example: The first Name of Hasidim is Vau-Shin-Vau and it corresponds with the first Name of Gevurot, which is Vau-He-Vau. When there is a need to suspend or negate Judgment it is unified by bringing Mer cy into Judgment in this way: Vau-Vau-He-Shin-Vau-Vau (With this the vowels sound of Father or Son are usually used.) *This also serves to amplify the flow of Mercy. When there is a need to transform Judgment it is unified by bringing Judgment in to Mercy in this way: Vau-Vau-Shin-He-Vau-Vau (With this the vowel sound of Mother or Daughter are usu ally used.) *This also serves to stage-down the influx of Mercy. These unifications form another 144 Holy Names of God. The Names, Zodiac & Times Now, aside from the energy-intelligence of these Divine Names as known and under stood by the constellations of Holy Letters that form them, they also correspond to various points to the zodiacal signs, and therefore to the times and seasons in the solar year. According to the tradition, the full power of these Holy Names and their proper alignment corresponds to the Resurrection or Easter and Easter corresponds to th e Spring Equinox, which is when the sun enters into the sign of Aries. Thus, the first six Holy Names of each set of 72 correspond with Aries, and so it is with each set of six Holy Names in their order throughout the remainder of the zodia cal signs as the sun progresses through the signs in the year. There are thirty degrees within each sign, therefore there is a Holy Name of Has idim and a Holy Name of Gevurot for every five degrees of each sign, and when th

e sun is at that point in the solar year those Holy Names are especially powerfu l though their power is not bound to this and any of them may be invoke at any t ime, assuming the initiate has prepared themselves to invoke the 72 Names of God , whether those of Hesed or those of Gevurah. *Understanding the attributes of the Holy Names to the zodiacal signs, contempla ting and meditating upon the Holy Names attributed to the signs you will know an d understand the Twelve Powers or the Twelve Messiahs, for they are the constell ations of Holy Names in these signs, six of Hesed and six of Mercy. **Vau is six and it is the Holy Letter in the Tetragrammaton that corresponds to the Zer Anpin (Little Face) and Supernal Adam, and to the Messiah. Now, elsewhere we have taught an essential method for invoking the Holy Letters themselves as Names of God, joining the Holy Letter to the Divine Name of Yah, a nd we have taught an essential method for invoking them as holy angels this meth od can be applied to the 72 Names of God as another way to call upon their Divin e Power. There are also specific angels that have been attributed to the 72 Names of God that may be invoked for those associated with the 72 Names of Gevurot as given b y the School of Safed (the Ari) see Ktavim Chasidim: New Wrttings, by Hayyim Vit al (or Chaim Vital). *Another source work regarding the 72 Names of Gevurot adepts may wish to refere nce is Chaye Ha-Olam Ha-Ba: Life in the World to Come, by Abraham Abulafia. Now, with regards to the knowledge of the 72 Names of God, whether of Gevurot or Hasidim those of Gevurot shatter klippot and uplift sparks, binding and banishi ng klippotic forces, liberating from the dominion of the klippot; and those of t he Hasidim invoke blessings or mercies, an influx of the grace of God (El). Typi cally speaking, the necessary gevurot are invoked, and then the hasidim, removin g any obstruction to the flow and reception of the blessing being extended. The first Holy Letter of the Names of Gevurot corresponds with the klippah being bound and banished, and the second Holy Letter corresponds to the way it will b e bound and banished thus, the first Letter is Judgment and the second Mercy, an d the third Holy Letter is Rehamim-Compassion, the resolution or outcome. The first Holy Letter of the Names of Hasidim corresponds with the blessing or m ercy being invoked, and the second Holy Letter corresponds to the way it will be extended thus the first Holy Letter is Mercy and the second Judgment, and the t hird Holy Letter is the manifestation of the blessing or mercy. In this you may understand how to contemplate these Holy Names and, perchance, g ain insight into the various purposes for which they can be invoked in this you have the key to knowing and using them. Here we may give a practice of calling upon the 72 Names of God for the invocati on of Ruach Ha-Kodesh and prophecy taught in the Order of St. Gabriel An Invocation of Ruach Ha-Kodesh If you are called to move in Judgment and this is why you seek prophecy, then wa lk with Elohim before your eyes, and let the company of the Holy Shekinah be man ifest as Elohim Tzavaot; but if you are called to move in Mercy and this is why you seek prophecy, then walk with Yahweh before your face, and let the company o f the Holy Shekinah be manifest as Yahweh Tzavaot in either case, cleave to the Messiah and Shekinah of Messiah, and walk in beauty and holiness, and stand in t he presence of El Elyon.

When it is time to seek a vision or word of the Holy One, take up a continuum of seeking a vision purify yourself as is appropriate and intensify your worship o f God in spirit and truth. Then alone in the house, bathe yourself and put in clean clothes (preferably whi te), and perfume yourself and anoint yourself then go into your secret room and shut the door, and wrap yourself in your holy mantle; call upon Ha-Shem and invi te the Holy Shekinah in the Supreme Name of Adonai Yeshua Messiah, and make offe rings on your altar, and pray and cry out to Yahweh Elohenu for a vision or word . Then, bind your soul in ascent to the Holy Sefirah of the Middle Pillar, and whe n you reach Keter Elyon, intone the Shema with the traditional kavvanot. If you are walking in Judgment, unify the Names of the Pillar Mercy into those o f the Pillar of Judgment; if you are walking in Mercy unify the Names of the Pil lar of Judgment into the Pillar of Mercy when you have done this, either way, bo w down and intone AGLA by extension, and then either El Elohim or Yah Yahweh by extension, whether in Judgment or in Mercy. Now, remaining in the Position of the Prophet, as when the Baal Shem Eliyahu cal led upon Ha-Shem to invoke the rains, fill your mind with the contemplation of t he first 24 of the 72 Holy Names, and then in their order intone them, whether o f Gevurot or Hasidim. When you have intoned them, abide in hitbodedut, waiting upon Ruach Ha-Yahweh in the Hashmal to come. If Ruach Ha-Kodesh does not come upon you, then proceed to the next 24 of the 72 Holy Names, and once again wait upon Ruach Ha-Kodesh. If again you receive nothing, the go on to the final 24 of the 72 Holy Names, an d as before wait upon Ruach Ha-Kodesh. If Ruach Ha-kodesh does not come upon you, then it is either not the will of God , or else, you are not as yet in a state of purity and holiness; if that is the case, nevertheless, give praise and thanks to God, and bless Ha-Shem, then go an d purify yourself further and intensify your worship even more, and return anoth er time when you are ready and God wills it. In a similar way, when there is a serious illness that endangers a person s life, a healer might use this same method to send the healing power of God when Ruach Ha-Kodesh moves they will do exactly what they are instructed to do, and they wi ll send the Power of God that comes to the person in need. Likewise, when a wonderworker seeks Adonai to bring about a great sign of wonder for the people, they might use this practice but when they use it they must not specify the sign they seek, but rather ask the Holy One for the sign, a sign as God wills to give. This is the practice, and in the tradition it is sealed with the celebration of the Holy Wedding Feast sometimes it is in the celebration of the Wedding Feast t hat Ruach Ha-Kodesh comes upon the holy tzaddik. In this you have the keys for knowledge and understanding of the 72 Names of God , those of Gevurot and Hasidim, and you have some keys to use the Holy Names and call upon them when you are ready, having prepared yourself and we give praise and thanks to God for the blessing and grace of God that has allowed us to speak of these mysteries and share these keys.

Taking these keys, and contemplating and meditating upon these Holy Names, may A donai grant you insight into them and the illumination of the Holy Spirit, and m ay God bless you and empower you in the Way, the Straight Path of Return; amen. Blessings & shalom! _________________ Tau Malachi Sophia Fellowship Ecclesia Pistis Sophia Last edited by Tau Malachi on Wed Mar 05, 2008 10:27 am; edited 1 time in total Back to top View user's profile Send private message Tau Malachi Site Admin Joined: 22 Oct 2003 Posts: 3135 Location: Grass Valley, Ca. PostPosted: Tue Mar 04, 2008 5:06 pm Names Reply with quote Contemplation of the Holy Names Post subject: Contemplation of the Holy

We have spoken about the spiritual labor of preparation for the study and use of the 72 Names of God, and we have provided keys for their contemplation, as well as examples of how they are activated and invoked, along with a traditional pra ctice of calling upon the Holy Names to invoke an experience of Ruach Ha-Kodesh. There are, of course, many different ways that they are invoked or called upon, and many different reasons why they might be invoked the ultimate purpose, howe ver, is for knowledge of the mysteries of creation and God, and for unification with God, the enlightenment and liberation of the soul. This is reflected by the 72 Names of God in Gevurot and Hasidim Judgment and Mer cy, and where they appear in the Holy Scriptures. Those of the Gevurot come from Exodus 14:19-21, which are verses that depict the movement of the Holy Shekinah in Judgment for the liberation of the children of Israel from the dominion of P haraoh and Egypt, representing the dominion of the klippot husks of darkness or impurity, or the dominion of the demiurge and archons cosmic ignorance and spiri tual forces bound to ignorance. These verses read: The angel of God that was going before the Israelite army moved and went behind t hem; and the pillar of cloud moved from in front of them and took its place behi nd them (19). It came between the army of Egypt and the army of Israel. And so t he cloud was there with the darkness, and it lit up the night; one did not come near the other all night (20). Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. Y ahweh drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night, and turned the sea int o dry land; and the waters were divided (21). This, of course, will lead to the destruction of Pharaoh and his hosts, and the final liberation of the children of Israel from their bondage in Egypt hence the exodus. The 72 Names of God in Hasidim come from Ezekiel 1:1, 4, and 26, which are verse s that depict the movement of the Holy Shekinah in Mercy for the illumination of the children is Israel during a time of exile an influx of the ruhaniyot and sh

efa of the Holy Sefirot and Netivot, and the play of Ruach Ha-Kodesh in prophecy . Whereas those of Gevurot bind and banish forces of klippot or darkness, those of Hasidim invoke divine and angelic forces. These verses read: In the thirteenth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was among the exiles at the river Chebar, the heavens were opened, and I saw vis ions of Elohim (1). As I looked, a stormy wind came out of the north: a great cloud with brightness a round it and fire flashing forth continually, and in the middle of the fire, som ething like gleaming amber (4). And above the dome over their heads was something like a throne, in appearance li ke sapphire; and seated above the likeness of the thrones was something that see med like a human form (26). These, or course, are the thresholds crossed as the prophet enters into propheti c consciousness the direct spiritual and mystical experience of God and the illu mination that comes from the experience of God. *Interestingly enough, the numbers of the verses communicate something: One indi cates the sacred unity of God, the Holy One, and four indicates the number of le tters in the Great Name of Yahweh, and twenty-six is the number those letters eq ual. Having our foundation in place, with knowledge of the Tree of Life and Holy Lett ers, and with the development of our continuum of the spiritual life and practic e, the first way that we approach the 72 Names of God in Gevurot and Hasidim is through prayer and contemplation, and through meditation upon them, seeking insi ght into their meaning and power. Indeed, there is much knowledge that can be sh ared from the tradition about these Holy Names as taught by mekubalim, however w hatever we might receive of the tradition, it is what we glean from our own pray ers, contemplations and meditations upon the Holy Names that is most important i t becomes the foundation of everything else we might receive and is the way thro ugh which we will integrate all that we receive; besides, the very purpose of te achings and practices with the 72 Names of God is to facilitate direct spiritual and mystical experience, and ultimately the illumination and liberation of our soul. Thus, focusing upon the experiential level our own experience with the Hol y Names, becomes the most essential key. Our knowledge of the tradition, however , serves as measure and context through which we may place our spiritual and mys tical experiences in proper perspective, discerning truth from falsehood, and ga thering in what is good and true. As we approach the contemplation (hitbonenut) of these Holy Names the first gate of contemplation is the verses of the Holy Scriptures from which these Names of God are derived we study and contemplate these verses, and we pray about them a nd meditate upon them, asking the Holy One to illuminate their deeper esoteric m ysteries through the Holy Spirit, and in this process we invite the spirits of t zaddikim and invoke maggidim to share their knowledge with us; essentially, we b uild a continuum of seeking insight into these passages and seek to invoke the b lessing and grace of God to receive insight and illumination. Here we may share an example of a continuum seeking insight taught in the Order of St. Gabriel. Continuum of Seeking Insight First, the initiate will memorize the verses from which the Holy Names are drawn

having committed them to memory, they will then begin to turn their minds to th ese verses frequently, taking every opportunity to remember and reflect upon the m. As they begin to take up this continuum they will purify themselves as approp riate and they will intensify their spiritual practice and worship, and they wil l call upon Ha-Shem and invite the Holy Shekinah, and call upon the Divine Power s, and they will consecrate and offer up their continuum to the Holy One, and in voke the blessing and grace of the Holy One upon it so they will also ask the Di vine Powers to guard their continuum, as well as to help and guide them as they seek insight and illumination. Having done this they will continually pray for the blessings and grace of God, and for divine assistance and illumination and every morning and every evening a s part of their spiritual practice and worship, they will take up contemplative meditation on the verses, filling their mind completely with the verses, focusin g their mind with full kavvanah on them, while inwardly cleaving to the Risen Me ssiah and Shekinah of Messiah in their heart. During this period, whenever possi ble throughout the day, they will turn their mind to these verses and cleave in their heart, praying about them and contemplating them it will become their pass ionate focus, and they will seek to cultivate a deep yearning for true insight a nd illumination. *Typically, first the passages of the Gevurot are focused upon, and then those o f the Hasidim as though two continuums, one following the other. **In this continuum the Holy Shabbat is a time to deepen prayer, contemplation a nd meditation on the corresponding verses. Now, when some insights and illuminations come in this way, then the initiate wi ll seek to deepen their contemplation and meditation in a house alone, or out in the wilderness alone, they will bathe themselves and put on clean cloths, and t hey will either go into their secret room and shut the door, or else they will g o to a sacred and holy place and create a sacred circle to sit in, and they will wrap themselves in their mantle. Then, in the Blessed Name, they will invoke Ha -Shem and invoke the Holy Shekinah, and called upon the Divine Powers, and they will unify themselves in ascent to all of the Holy Sefirot from Adonai to El Ely on. Rising from Adonai to Shaddai (or El Shaddai) they will reach out and bind their soul to Elohim Tzavaot and Yahweh Tzavaot, and they will unify these Names; ris ing to Yahweh (or Yeshua) they will reach out and bind their soul to Elohim and El, and they will unify the two Holy Names; and arriving at El Elyon they will r each out and bind their soul to Yah and Yahweh Elohim, and they will unify these two Names of God. They will do this with their hands raised up in the Holy Gesture of Blessing, an d when the unification of their soul with the Attributes of God is complete they will intone the Shema with the traditional kavvanot. When they have done this they will assume the Position of the Prophets, and they will focus their mind upon the holy prophet through whom the Names of God were revealed, either Navi Moshenu or Navi Ezekiel; then they will recite the corresp onding verses as swiftly and accurately as possible over and over again, holding the conscious intention of the inner aspects of their nefesh and their ruach be ing in their mouth speaking these holy words, opening themselves to the influenc e of the soul or spirit of the holy prophet and to the Holy Spirit. *This may invoke an ivur of the holy one or a movement of the Holy Spirit, and i f and when it does the initiate let s go of reciting to move with the inspiration of the ivur or the Holy Spirit.

Now, after some time if it seems that nothing transpires the initiate will stop reciting and they will shift into hitbodedut deep meditation, waiting upon the H oly Spirit. After some time of waiting, if it seems that nothing transpires, the y will give thanks and praise to God, and worship in God s presence, and perform a Holy Wedding Feast. If however either and ivur or a movement of the Holy Spirit transpires, they will follow that movement and they will complete their worship as inspired in the flow of what s happening. *If nothing transpires they will seek to further purify themselves and intensify their worship when they are ready they will take up this practice again. The in itiate will do this until some insights and illuminations come by this method. **This practice may include a transference of consciousness into the Body of Lig ht, and when this is done the initiate stands in their Body of Light on their ph ysical body bowed down in the presence of Yahweh; also, at times, a presence of light may be envisioned, as though a holy person and the Shekinah are before the m, or else they may hold the image of The Name before them. When some insights and illuminations come in this way, then the initiate will co ntemplate and meditate upon the two points in the Holy Gospel in which the two s ets of 72 Names are brought to fruition the baptism of Adonai Yeshua by Yohanan the Baptist, which is the fruition of the Gevurot, and the appearance of the Ris en Messiah to the disciples, which is the fruition of the Hasidim. Contemplating these points in the Holy Gospel, in the same way as with the previ ous practice, they will focus upon Baal Yohanan or Baal Yeshua the practice is j ust the same, using recitation of the verses, except they will envision a union with the holy one and abide as the holy one, merging their mind, heart and life with either Baal Yohanan or Baal Yeshua. In this way they will seek a revelation of the deeper esoteric implications and full power of the Holy Names in the adv ent of the Messiah. *Preparing for this the initiate may take up a corresponding Union with Partzuf Meditation as part of their daily spiritual practice. When some insights and illuminations come in this way, the initiate may visit th eir holy tzaddik and ask for an oral transmission of teachings on these passages , or they may request a spiritual blessing or empowerment; if they do not do thi s, they will take up the self-empowerment practice of the Upper Room with Hayyah Yeshua. This concludes the continuum of seeking insight and it is at this point that the son or daughter of the navim will shift to the contemplation of the Holy Names of God directly. *Here we may say that because these passages from the Holy Bible contain the 72 Names of God in Gevurot and Hasidim there is special Divine Power in them merely the practice of reciting these verses themselves may serve to banish and invoke , and likewise great blessings and empowerments can come from contemplating them and meditating on them. At times initiates tending a continuum of seeking in th is way experience breakthroughs to very lofty states of consciousness, as well a s witness wonders transpire good fortune. This of course is only one example of a continuum of contemplating these passage s there are other ways as well. Contemplation of the Holy Names Once we have contemplated and meditated upon the verses from which the Holy Name s are drawn we then contemplate and meditate upon the Holy Names themselves as w

e do this we do not actively begin to invoke and call upon them, but rather our contemplation and meditation is for the sake of acquaintance with the Holy Names , seeking some direct insight into their potential meaning, power and use, and p erchance some blessing of the Holy One and illumination of Ruach Ha-Kodesh empow ering us to invoke and call upon them. In this process, we can, indeed, study and contemplate any teachings on them to which we may have access, and we can engage in visitations with our holy tzaddik and inquire into any oral teachings that they might be inspired to share with u s, or any instructions the Holy Spirit would have them give to us; but whatever we might receive, it is very important that we look into these Holy Names oursel ves and examine them closely, becoming as intimately acquainted with them as we can, for it is this process that will prepare and empower us to invoke them our knowledge and understanding providing us with the means of kavvanah, concentrati on and conscious intention. At the outset, first we may contemplate each Holy Name, first the Gevurot and th en the Hasidim considering each Holy Letter, its place and meaning, and then all of the Holy Letters together. When we contemplate the Gevurot, we will consider the klippot they are associate d with the first Holy Letter and its corresponding Netivot, and then we will con sider the second Holy Letter and its corresponding Netivot, contemplating how it s Divine Power will act to dispel those klippotic influences; then, with the thi rd Holy Letter and its corresponding Netivot we will consider how the holy spark or energy released will be uplifted and reintegrated into the soul and Light Co ntinuum (Yahweh), and the nature of the blessings or empowerments that will resu lt from this movement. When we contemplate the Hasidim, we will consider the blessings and virtues asso ciated with the first Holy Letter and its corresponding Netivot, and then consid er how the second Holy Letter and its Netivot will serve to facilitate the actua lization and extension of those blessings and virtues; then, with the third Holy Letter and its corresponding Netivot we will consider how those blessings and v irtues will be made manifest, the final outcome of the process. With all of this, we will also look to see the movement of shefa and ruhaniyot o n the Tree of Life that is represented by each Holy Name and look to see the Hol y Sefirot involved this will reveal the principle Names of God we might use when calling upon that Holy Name of the 72. *Along with this we will also consider the Holy Name s zodiacal and planetary attr ibutes, both in its position in the circle of Holy Names in the Wheel of Mazlot, as well as by way of the Holy Letters forming it this will reveal some essentia l theurgic movements for which the Names of God might be called upon. Once we have contemplated a Holy Name in this way, we will take that Name of God into contemplative meditation, as taught in the tradition; and then, when we ha ve taken it into contemplative meditation, we will meditate upon the Holy Name. To meditate upon a Holy Name we will envision the Spiritual Sun in our heart and ourselves in Body of Light, and then envision a ray shooting forth from the Hol y Sun in our heart and the Holy Letters of the Name magically appearing from it in the space before us Letter formed of flaming fire for Gevurot, or formed of r adiant translucent light for Hasidim, and we will rest our mind upon this image. After some time we will envision them dissolve and envision their fire or light streaming to the top of our head and pouring down into either our brow star or heart star then we will shift into Hitbodedut, completely silent and deep medita tion.

*In this way we will find further insights and illuminations of the Holy Names a rising as though out of nowhere and at times very powerful spiritual and mystica l experiences of the Holy Names will transpire. It can be very astonishing. When we have contemplated the Gevurot and Hasidim individually, then in the same way we will contemplate them together in relationship to one another this can l ead to some amazing insights into the mysteries of the 144 Names of God. The contemplation and meditation upon these Holy Names is, in truth, a lifelong adventure even at the point we begin calling upon them and actively using them w e continue to contemplate them and meditate on them. In fact, we will find that contemplating them and meditating on them properly itself can invoke their Divin e Power, and that experiences of Ruach Ha-Kodesh, revelation and wonders may tak e place purely through the contemplation of them and meditation upon them. It ca n be very amazing. Thus, we may extend our contemplations and meditations in many other ways, for e xample, we may contemplate them through the method of their permutations given a bove, or by other methods of permutation; likewise, we may consider them in gema tria and their number correspondences, and gain further insight. Hebrew letters are composed of other letters and form words that may be spelt ou t, therefore we may contemplate them by spelling all three words out and conside r them in this way. There is really no end to the contemplation of them, but then, these are Holy Na mes of God, Ain Sof, the One-Without-End. When we have engaged in a basic contemplation of the Holy Names and meditated up on them, then we are ready to invoke and call upon them in the process of our st udy and contemplation of them, and our meditation upon them, we will find that a t some point we will receive an illumination and empowerment from the Holy Sheki nah to take them up in full; sometimes this will come directly from Ruach Ha-Kod esh or a maggid, but often it may come by way of a holy navi or tzaddik sent as a messenger to impart a blessing or empowerment such has been the way for genera tions. In one way or another, however, we will receive a blessing and divine aut hority to take up these Holy Names in service to heaven and God, and it is then that we actively take them up in the Way of the Tradition, the Holy Kabbalah. Indeed, as we contemplate the Holy Names and seek our acquaintance with them we are continually praying in the Blessed Name and asking for the blessing and grac e of the Holy One to take up these Names of God, and continually we are offering up all merit generated by the study and contemplation of them to the Holy One a nd asking that it be a blessing upon the people and the land, and that it bring glory to the Holy Name of God with our kavvanah in contemplation and meditation, there is this passion of devekut in prayer, cleaving to the Holy One and the Sh ekinah, the Messiah and Shekinah of Messiah. Cleaving in the fullness of faith, the Holy One will answer our prayer and bless us in due season, when the necessa ry conditions of purity and holiness are present; hence, a true active and dynam ic surrender to the Divine. Having discussed how to contemplate the Holy Scriptures from which the 144 Names of God are drawn and how to contemplate the Holy Names themselves, if it is God s will, we can take up sacred discourse on these passages in relationship to the Holy Names, as well as sacred discourse on the Holy Names themselves, both the G evurot and Hasidim, and with this we can share the instructions of further pract ices with them that occur in our oral tradition. O Elyon, we call upon your Great Name in the Blessed Name of Yeshua Messiah and we pray for your blessing and grace to continue in sacred discourse and contempl

ation of your 144 Holy Names that liberate and illuminate may our discourse and contemplation be a prayer for the Great Resurrection and Ascension of this Good Earth, and may it be a blessing upon the people and the land, all our relations. May your holy ones and shining ones come to bless and uplift us, and may your gr eat ones stand watch and guard this holy continuum. In the Holy Name of Adonai Yeshua Messiah we pray. Amen and amen. Blessings & shalom!