Sunday, June 13, 2010

Learning to use the 72 Names of God – Class 1

Learning to use the 72 Names of God – Class 1

This class is meant mainly for people who already took a basic course in Kabbalah and have some foundation and knowledge in the basic terms; however, I am aware that logical rules are one thing but the soul’s desire to connect with the knowledge of Kabbalah is far greater and so I will dedicate this class to form a common denominator for us all to work from. Please make sure you absorb all that this class has to offer and ask questions if you don’t understand it all.

A. Fundamental Rules and Definitions:

These rules and definitions are the basis for all to follow. Please make sure you are familiar with them as we start going into the course. These rules aren’t set in a specific order but set the framework in which we learn to use the 72 Names of God.
1.      Kabbalah Is An Experienced Study: This basically means that everything the kabbalists teach us has to imply to our daily lives; if it doesn’t – we simply didn’t get the lesson.
Rabbi Shimon, author of the Zohar – the most important text we have on Kabbalah, spent 12 years in a cave in Pekiin, studying Kabbalah the entire time he was there. It is even said that Elijah the profit came to visit him every day to teach him the secrets of Kabbalah. After 12 years in solitude with his son Rabbi Elazar, they step out of the cave and see a man plowing the land. Rabbi Shimon was so upset at this man: “how could he be doing such mundane work when there is so much light of Kabbalah to reveal???” immediately, Rabbi Shimon’s Anger consumed the man and his plow in flames. A voice echoed saying: “have you come to destroy my world? Go back to the cave…” Rabbi Shimon had to go back to the cave and study another whole year. When he came out, he went down to the city of Tiberius and started working in real-estate.
One of the lessons we can learn from this story is that we are in the world or ‘Asiyah’ or ‘action’. Our studies and wisdom mean very little if we’re not doing any action to apply that spirituality to.

2.       The Hebrew Language and Letters are Means to Transfer Energy: This is probably one of the most basic and fundamental precepts in Kabbalah. Hebrew or “Ivrit” comes from the root of transfer rather than from the root of the people who speak it, like any other language. With these letters the universe and all that is in it were created. Used in various combinations, these letters direct tremendous spiritual energy much like the 72 Names of God we are about to study. For this same reason I will write ‘god’ as it is supposed to be written. The power of the word lies within the Hebrew alphabet. This is also, why a Torah scroll is deemed unusable if a single letter in it is missing or is written improperly.

3.       You are responsible for EVERYTHING in your life: This is probably one of the most important understandings in Kabbalistic studies. Praying to the creator is a good thing but the ultimate responsibility for outcomes in your life falls straight in your lap. Whether it’s our actions in this life or another, the outcome will always come back to us. It’s a karmatic law meaning that our words and actions always have an outcome. It also means that if you want to change something in your surroundings (wealth, relationships, fulfillment) you must first chant something within you corresponding to the change you want made. The 72 Names of God help us direct our need for change in positive directions and help us make these changes.

4.      Never look for instant gratification: Instant gratification is something we constantly and involuntarily look for. Spiritual work works in quantum leaps – we need to put in enough energy so that we can achieve our specific goal. How much is enough? We can’t say.
A great teacher once told a story about this guy walking in the scorching sun for hours. Suddenly he comes across a vending machine with the prices on the buttons faded out by the hot sun. This guy starts putting the coins in although he’s not sure how many he needs to put in. 3? 10? 20? This guy is really thirsty and really needs something cool and refreshing to drink. There can’t be instant gratification here and there is no half-way prize. Our guy can’t get half of the can or maybe just the water inside. All he can do is believe the machine is working and that as long as he keeps putting those coins in – he is on the right path to that reward. Of course – visualizing the cold beverage helps J

5.      The Purpose of the Creator is to Benefit Its Creation: Call it ‘God’, ‘the Light Force’, ‘Allah’ or anything else – The purpose of this creation force is to make your life better. The creator’s nature is pure expending, sharing, benevolent light. The only reason for negative situations and actions to happen – is our acting according to our desire to receive for oneself’s alone. Instead of taking the path we know we should, we take the easy way out. For example think about the last time you came home hungry and snacked instead of holding off that hunger for another 15 minutes to make yourself a decent meal. The creator wants you to enjoy all the good this world has to offer but because you couldn’t wait another 15 minutes you didn’t nourish your body and didn’t satisfy your hunger. You simply killed that desire by snacking it out, essentially giving up all the good the wholesome meal had to offer and replaced it by taking the easy way out and settling for something much less beneficial for you. Not that there’s anything wrong with snacks but in life, we sometimes tend to settle for a mere snack instead of putting in a little extra effort to enjoy a good meal.

6.      Divine Rules And Decrees Are Tools To Help Us Grow Spiritually: The Torah (both written and oral) and most of the other kabbalistic studies speak of certain actions or restrictions one should do or refrain from doing. During the many years of man’s history, we took those rules and turned them into laws we must blindly obey without question. In my humble opinion, this is why many people turned away from religion: we simply don’t like doing things we don’t understand. The creator speaks to the Israelites through Moses and says in the portion of ‘Nitzavim’ “Choose life so that you may live”. One of the messages here is that because of freedom of choice, the creator cannot force us to do anything but encourages us to take the right path rather than the easy one so that we can experience life. Some might say “but we all live, for a while at least” to this I can quote Mel Gibson in Brevaheart :”Every man dies, but not every man truly lives”

B. What are the 72 Names Of God:

So what are these names really and where do they come from? In the book of Exodus or “Shemot” we have the story of the Israelites standing with the red sea in front of them and the Egyptian army closing in fast from behind. There is great fear in the Israelite camp and then the creator tells Moses: “Why shout at me? Speak to the Israelites and they will move on” (Exodus 14, 15) The creator signals Moses and the Israelites that they possess the power to control the elements and deliver themselves from certain death.
Many books have been written about the power of the human mind and consciousness. One great movie for reference is “What The Bleep Do We Know?”, stating that the single strongest element known is concentrated human consciousness. The chapter follows with 3 contiguous verses 19, 20, 21. These verses contain exactly 72 letters each. The Zohar explains in detail, about using these 3 verses. Dividing each verse to its 72 letters and combining each letter with two corresponding letters from the other two verses, creates 72 3-letter combinations. According to the 3 column system, the first verse, connected to ‘Chesed’ is used from beginning to end; the second verse connected to ‘Gevurah’ is used from end to beginning and the last verse connected to ‘Tiferet’ (combining the first two) is used, again, from beginning to end.
Sounds confusing? It goes a lot deeper but what we should be concerned with right now is that this is the origin of the 72 Names, the Zohar explains how to use them and that these are extraordinary tools that can direct our consciousness and potentially help us control the elements.
Most commonly, the 72 Names of God are found in a table 8 by 9; scanned right to left, top to bottom. There are many uses to this table and we will focus on 2 of the main ones: scanning the entire table and using single combinations or Names.
When you call someone’s name you expect them to arrive with all that they are. Using the 72 Names of God is very much the same. As mentioned before, the creator’s will is to benefit its creation and when you use the 72 Names of God you bring an abundance of light and positive support to yourself, your surroundings and the entire world.
The combinations aren’t words and aren’t read as such. They are simply scanned or referred to by their letters. E.g. the first combination (top right) ‘Vav-Hey-Vav’.

C. Assignment:

This lesson is probably the hardest to digest so make sure you read it carefully and more than once if necessary. The following exercises will help you make the most of this course and using the 72 Names of God:
1.      Get a printed version of the “72 Names of God”. You can find it on the web and in certain stores. If you can’t – contact me and I’ll help you get one.
2.      Hang this table somewhere you pass through most. Refrain from taking this table into the bathroom or toilette since we don’t want to give the negative forces in these rooms use of these powers.
A good place for the 72 Names of God is by your computer monitor at work or in the kitchen if you cook a lot.
3.      Scan the 72 Names of God table at least twice daily. Right to left, top to bottom.
4.      Write 3 things you want to achieve from this course. Setting goals is crucial to achieving them.
5.      If you have any questions / comments – make sure you either post them or email me if they are too personal to share.


-          Love and Light -

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