I was listening to the Dennis Prager radio program this morning and he was interviewing an atheist scientist. The scientist described how he suggested that we do not look for life on certain planets because they were motionless, stagnant, and still. That for life to exist there needed to be movement. He contrasted the earth, in which things are moving and mixing. It appeared as though entropy had overtaken those planets.This drew my mind to a few things. In the Sefer Yetzirah it described the motion of this physical existence as a whirlwind:
“These ten Sephiroth which are ineffable [intangible], whose appearance is like scintillating flames, have no end but are infinite. The word of God is in them as they burst forth, and as they return; they obey the divine command, rushing along as a whirlwind, returning to prostrate themselves at his throne.”[1]
In ancient Jewish thought the Sephiroth are the powers of God that create the differing kingdoms of existence. As they extend into the kingdoms they create the whirlwind, or the motion necessary for our life.
Perhaps Abraham saw the heavens and they appeared as a great whirlwind. This would be a macro application. Perhaps he saw into an atom and saw the microcosm of creation. These forces of creation play out in the souls of men.[2]
The whirlwind is thought of as another symbol of redemption like the Tree of Life.
Clearly this corresponds to the whirlwind of Ezekiel 1:4 which is a play on the same theme. The whirlwind is the outside force inserted into a closed system that creates and maintains life
Once this motion has completely went forth and completed the plan of salvation, then the returning beings.
We are told this whole process is like a coal of fire, both the coal and the flame are conjoined.[3] Existence is not being improvised as we go, this is one plan, the Plan of Salvation.
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[1] Sepher Yetzirah 1:6
[2] Sepher Yetzirah 2:4 “These [Mem, Shin, and Aleph] three mothers again represent in the Microcosm or Human form, male and female; the Head, the Belly, and the Chest; the head from the fire, the belly from water, and the chest from the air lieth between them.”
[3] Sepher Yetzirah 1:7
3 comments:
This is great stuff, David! Do you think there is any connection between the whirlwind accompanying the Merkabah throne that Ezekiel saw and the fact that the Jews believed that the Throne of God was hovering over the waters at the time of Creation? Would the Throne be bringing the whirlwind of Creation?
In my opinion the whirlind of Ezekiel, the Merkabah Throne, the Tree of Life, the Water from under the Temple in Ezk 47, the river from the fountain in 1 Nephi, Jacob's Ladder, Pauls Sun/Moon/Stars, Eden's four rivers, etc are all describing the same thing, the Plan of Salvation.
By the way your site Heavenly Ascent really looks good! I have been too busy and lazy to comment there, but I have been reading your posts and links as time permits.
-David
Thanks for the compliments, David. As I am so new at this, I always wonder what people think about my posts. Thanks for reading!
About all the images you mention, those symbols all seem to run together, don't they? It's like when Nephi sees the Tree of Life and is told that it is the Love of God and then sees Jesus and then Mary. It seems that the Tree of Life symbolizes all these.
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