Christmas

Since there seems to be an interest in the topic of Christmas that has crossed into a number of post on this blog, I decided to give this post to centralize the comments.

I don’t really have a lot of interest in this topic, but I see that some do.

I think I understand the possible origins of Christmas, the pagan influences upon Christmas, and why different people celebrate Christmas. I also understand why some don’t like it.

Personally I like Christmas. But I don’t give religious significance to it. I view Christmas as higher than Halloween, but lower than Thanksgiving.

What say ye?

See: Santa Claus

The Ten Sephirot

I have received some requests to explain what the term “Sephirot” means. So this posting will work as a reference for future postings regarding this term.

In short, in Kabalistic thinking, God created the heavens and earth from another dimension known as “Ein Sof.” And He did this either:

ONE: By pulling back his non-diluted power and light in three (actually four) differing degrees, what remained created the three degrees of glory.

Or

TWO: God inserted the Sephirot that created the three degrees of glory, carrying with them all the laws that exist. Either way, it’s the same thing.

Sephirot just means numbers or counting. This term originates from The Book of Creation (Sefer Yetzirah) and is one of the two primal components of creation (along with the 22 letters of creation).


They are thought of as existing as stages (veils, doors, levels, or degrees) on the Tree of Life (as spheres). Or, as rounds on Jacob’s Ladder. They are the wheels that Ezekiel saw.

The Sephirot represent the laws, powers or influences of God. Understanding them helps us understand how God’s powers influence us. For example, Gevurah (Justice) is on one side of the tree, and Hesed (Mercy) on the other. Between them balancing them is Tiferet (Beauty – reconciliation - Christ). This situation is what Alma was speaking about.

The Sephirot can be thought of as the leaves or the fruit of the tree of life.

Here is a Wikipedia link for the ten Sephirot.

It is “Sefirah” in the singular. Other spellings include Sephiroth and Sefiroth.

Happy Climbing!

Atheistic Mysticism

I recently had an online debate with some fine folks who are atheists, but consider themselves as mystics.

First, let’s define some terms:

Mysteries: “Mysteries of God are spiritual truths known only by revelation. God reveals his mysteries to those who are obedient to the gospel. Some of God’s mysteries are yet to be revealed.” [LDS STUDY GUIDE] & [also see NIBLEY]

Atheist: “…is the position that either affirms the non-existence of gods or rejects theism.” [Wiki]

As Christians we need to have genuine love and respect for all people. Atheists are just people who haven’t crossed over the river yet. They can be good neighbors and friends. So no one is preaching hate here.

That being said, as stated in the definition above, mysteries have to do with “revelation” and “God reveal…[ing] [H]is mysteries” to man.

Mysticism is ascension. The Zohar has the Tree of Life as its backdrop (a symbol of the temple). The same for the Book of Nephi (if not the entire Book of Mormon), The same for the Bible (it begins and ends with the Tree of Life). And of course The Pearl of Great Price.

Nephi saw only one path to the Tree of Life, not one for believers and anther for non-believers.

Jacob saw one ladder. Elijah one chariot. Ezekiel saw one river. Moses went up one mountain. Solomon’s Temple had one center path.

There is one ascension pattern for all people. There is no ascension without Christ. There is no secular, evil, or atheistic ascension.

We ascend by keeping the principles and ordinances of the gospel. We learn truth upon truth until we know all things.[D&C 94:27-28]

Stone of Israel

Abraham stopped at Bethel and received his ascension ritual, which is currently known as the Abrahamic Covenant.

Later, Jacob also stopped by Bethel. When he went to sleep he put a stone under his head. That night he saw a vision which was his ascension teaching.[1] He saw the heavens open and a ladder into heaven. This ladder represented the children of God descending (the fall), and ascending (redemption) on the ladder, following Adam’s pattern.

This pattern is before us all. Perhaps as a ladder, a mountain, a tree, a river, or maybe a chariot (more likely the temple). The purpose of this life is to see if we will do whatever the Lord commands us, this is how we climb the ladder of sanctification.


Paul spoke about the three kingdoms, and the Prophet Joseph said these kingdoms were the main rounds or rungs of the ladder that Jacob saw.

“Paul ascended into the third heaven, and he could understand the three principal rounds of Jacob's ladder-the telestial, the terrestrial, and the celestial glories or “kingdoms, where Paul saw and heard things which were not lawful for him to utter. I could explain a hundred fold more than I ever have of the glories of the kingdoms manifested to me in the vision, were I permitted, and were the people prepared to receive them.”[2]

If you are not climbing the ladder, you are wasting your life.

Many claim that stone can be found today in Scotland (The Stone of Scon).

[1] Gen 28:11-22
[2] Joseph Smith Jr., Messages of the First Presidency, vol. 1, James R. Clark, The Prophet's Discourse from II Peter, May 21, 1843, Deseret Book.

The Word, Twenty-Two Letters of Creation

In the last couple posts (Circumcision & Wind, Water, and Fie) I wrote about how, in the Book Of Creation (The Sepher Yetzirah) the creation is typified in the “Macrocosm” by the “Universe”, and the “Seasons.” It goes on to describe a “Microcosm” being illustrated in the soul of man.

There is another element to this creation; the very letters of the Hebrew alphabet are described as being used to create the heavens and earth.

“Ten are the numbers, as are the Sephiroth, and twenty-two the letters, these are the Foundation of all things…” [1]

The “Ten are numbers” is referring to the Sephiroth or the power and emanations of God, we discussed previously.

These “letters” are the letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The Hebrew alphabet is a hieroglyphic account of the creation of the heavens and earth, and the salvation of man. They represent the states that man and things exist in as they are enticed, influenced, or acted upon.

Again, in John chapter one, Christ is written of as being 'in the beginning with God", that all things "were made by Him," and that He is the “Word.”

The first time our ears hear this, it usually makes no sense. But, to a learned Jew it made perfect sense.

In Ancient Jewish thought, the creation was brought about by the ten numbers of God’s emanations, and combining Twenty-Two states of things (letters). In Jewish mysticism words are things, and things are words (In Hebrew things are called davar and word are called dibur).

This is what is being address when we hear that God spoke the world into existence.

As we look for the building blocks of existence, we find energy from another dimension vibrating to create our physical world. How our world looks is based upon the differing states or combinations of this energy.

Science now describes many, if not endless dimensions of space. These dimensions are calculated and described by String Theories. Again, as we search for the building blocks of matter, we go way beyond atoms to things called strings . Unbelievably small strings that exist in another dimension, energy or light that act in another dimension of space, that vibrate to bring about matter in our three-dimensional existence.

The vibrations of these other-dimensional strings determine all the laws of the known universe. Law is the power of creation. Is this not exactly how scriptures says this world was created? This world was created first spiritually, and that that spiritual creation is the mold or template for temporal creation? How these laws or powers (ten Sephiroth and Twenty-Two letters) interact in different combinations creates the dimensions in which we live.

Both Abraham and Nephi relate all of this to Christ.

[1] The Sepher Yetzirah 1:2

Circumcision

In my most recent post Wind, Water, and Fire I described the “microcosm” of creation, man himself. The Sefer Yetzirah describes the center of man; his head corresponding to the fire of the universe (Shin). Man’s belly corresponding to the primeval waters (Mem). And between them man’s chest, corresponding to air (Aleph). These represent the manifestation of creation in their three degrees of glory.

But that’s not the end of the story. Father Abraham adds another dimension. He describes the fingers of the body, five on each side:

“…the ten fingers (and toes) of the human body, five parallel to five, and in the centre of which is the covenant with the only One, by the word of the tongue and the rite of Abraham.”[1]

These fingers are an illustration of the Sephiroth, or emanations of God (His Powers). These are mediated by the tongue (mouth, speech, air), representing the Word, or Christ. The Sefer Yetzirah describes that this speech (represented by the tongue) corresponds to the “covenant.” What Covenant? The Covenant of the “Plan of Happiness” from the pre-existence. Understanding this explains why when Nephi spoke of Christ he spent so much time on the opposition in all things, and the Mediator.

But, the Book of Creation also mentions “toes.” And that they are mediated by the member of circumcision. Circumcision is the sign of the Abrahamic Covenant, which is the Plan of Salvation. When a person is circumcised they renew their covenant, when we go to the temple we renew this same covenant. Christ is both Creator and Mediator.

[1] SEPHER YEZIRAH 2:2, Kalisch

Wind, Water, and Fire

In The Sefer Yetzirah (Book of Creation), the author, believed by many to be Abraham, tells us that four things correspond to each other: These are:


The Creation (and I submit it is referring to the spiritual creation) – The Pattern.

The Universe (physical creation) – being a Macrocosm.

The Year (the seasons of earth) – another Macrocosm.

Man – (his body) – Being a Microcosm.

What this great book is teaching us is that the creation was done in a certain way, and an illustration, or example of that pattern can be seen in the universe.

We read regarding the physical creation how dimension was added, and the elements were inserted and divided:

“These are the ten spheres of existence out of nothing. From the spirit of the living God emanated air, from the air, water, from the water, fire or ether, from the ether, the height and the depth, the East and West, the North and South.” [1]

This is the creation of the “Universe” or the “macrocosm.” Created first as air, the air divided-off water (mud), which created fire. Fire and mud, with air mediating between them. Just like the seasons, hot and cold with medium between them.

In the Microcosm:

“…in the Soul are fire, water, and breath. The head is created from fire, the belly is created from water, and the chest, created from breath, decides between them.” [2]

These three regions of the body can be thought of as corresponding to the three degrees of glory. People live their lives from the belly, their hearts, or their minds.

“We have learned that when the blessed Holy One created the world, He formed the lower world on the pattern of the upper world, corresponding entirely to one another, and this is His glory above and below.”[3]

Don’t our very lives correspond to water, air, or fire? Or, a Telestial law, a Terrestrial law, or a Celestial law?

[1] Kalisch, Chapter 1:9
[2] Scholem, Chapter 3:5
[3] The Zohar, Daniel C. Matt, Standford University Press, Vol. III, Pg. 261.