F. What Happens When You Ascend
the Tree of Life?
Introduction
In ascending the Tree, the individuated consciousness expands through the
successive shells, with their respective states and stations, and associated
powers. Consciousness in the Geviyah (astral shell) in the World
of Yetzirah gives control over the dream state and lower psychic states,
and can afford such powers as astral projection, clairvoyance, precognition,
and “reading” the Earth’s Akashic RecordThe Akashic Record is the karmic archive of a planet, which
can be accessed through psychic mediation. Akasha is the
plastic medium of the planet’s Astral Body.. The Nefesh
(physical body in the waking state of the World of Asiyah) shuts out the
bulk of information coming from the Geviyah (astral body) because
the Nefesh vibrates at a much slower rate. The station of the Ruach
Ha Qodesh (Holy Spirit, causal body) in the Sefirah Beauty/Last in the
World of B'riyah is normally experienced as deep sleep. The awakening of
consciousness in the Ruach Ha Qodesh is usually experienced as an
ecstatic and exclusive experience of one’s Small Face Chosen Ideal.
In Sanskrit, this experience is called “ananda samadhi”
(bliss union) and “salvikalpa samadhi” (God-with-Form union).
This vision is often filtered through the astral senses of the Geviyah
in Yetzirah, so that the form of the Small Face is actually seen and heard.
Since there is still separation between individual and divine consciousness
in the Ruach HaQodesh, the individual also sees them self in this
vision. The awakening of the Ruach HaQodesh generally liberates the
soul from further incarnations of the Geviyah. Upon passing from
the Nefesh (i.e. dying from the physical body), the soul retains
its separation and resides in ecstatic bliss “at the feet of their
Beloved” for the duration of the Small Face universe.
Through discrimination and the renunciation of a dualistic relationship
with one’s Small Face Chosen Ideal, the individual consciousness can
continue to expand and ascend the Central Column, cross the Abyss of the
invisible Sefirah Knowledge/First, and merge with the Neshamah (Divine
Soul) in the Sefirah Crown/Above in the World of Atziluth. This is experienced
as a witness state the size of the Small Face universe. In merging with
the Neshamah, all separation between the individual and Small Face
dissolves. By renouncing the manifestation of Mind-generated universes,
“Face turns toward Face” and the universe vanishes like waking
up from a dream. Consciousness thereby automatically moves into the Neshamah
HaNeshamah (Soul of the Soul), merging with the negatively existent
witness states of Vast Face in the roots of the Tree. In the Qabalah, the
unmanifest witness states of Vast Face are called “Alef Worlds,”
in distinction to the manifest “Beyt Worlds” of Small Face. Hence,
we see that Torah B’reshith, the Zohar,
the Sefer Yetzirah, and the Qur’an all
begin with words whose first letter is BeytThe Torah begins with the word B’reshith; the Zohar begins
with the word Beshoshanah ("By the rose"); the Sefer
Yetzirah begins with Bishaloshym ("By thirty"); and the
Qu’ran begins with BismaAllah ("In the Name Allah").. The station in the roots of
the Tree is also called the World of the Yechidah (Singularity).
“Therefore, the Secret of Secrets is what men can neither know nor
comprehend, nor can they apply their rules of science to It.”
(Idra Rabba 29)
“The Head (Rosh) of Above, the Holy Ancient One, Mystery of
All Mysteries, Head of All Heads, the Head which is NOT, a Head which is
in NOT, known as NOT; what is knowable in the Head is NOT connected with
Wisdom and NOT connected with Understanding.”
(Idra Zuta 56, 57)
)
The diagram "Generation of the
Torah in the Four Worlds" displays the generation of
the Torah emanating from the unmanifest singularity of Yechidah.
This diagram shows the Ayn projecting the unmanifest Alef of Unity,
from which emanate the twenty-two supernal letters in the World of Atziluth.
The Names in the World of B’riyah subsequently evolute from the twenty-two
letters in Atziluth. The Names in the diagram are from the Sefer HaShmoth.
The totality of Names in B’riyah form the basis for all possible breakdowns
of the unbroken letter sequence of the Gan Aden Torah in the
World of Yetzirah. The beginning of the first verse and the end of the last
verse of the written Torah in the World of Asiyah are seen
atop the perimeter of the outer circle.
When a mystic goes into complete extinction of the differentiated self in
nirvikalpa samadhi, his/her body becomes cold and corpse-like, with
heat only at the crown of the head. Normal humans cannot sustain this experience
for very long without shattering the shells. The average person gets several
momentary flashes of consciousness in the higher centers in their lifetime,
but usually buries them deeply as traumatic experiences. Meditation gradually
desensitizes the mind to accept such flashes as legitimate yogic experiences,
thereby making it possible to sustain the experience much longer. In Sri
Ramakrishna the Great MasterSaradananda, Swami. Sri Sri Ramakrishna Lilaprasanga,
trans. as Sri Ramakrishna the Great Master by Swami
Jagadananda. Sri Ramakrishna Math, Madras, India.
Sannyasin is a title denoting that one has completely and
literally renounced all for the sake of the Lord-money,
fame, wife, family, power, possessions, personal comfort,
etc. True sannyasins represent the highest examples of
human life, though the title has been demeaned in some
circles in modern times. Tota Puri was a highly realized soul
and leader of a Shankaracharya Order of Vedantins. He came
to Dakshineswar outside of Calcutta while wandering on
pilgrimage where he met and was captivated by Sri
Ramakrishna (as were all who met him), whose extraordinary
nature Tota Puri recognized. Sri Ramakrishna attained
nirvikalpa samadhi immediately, something that had taken
Tota Puri forty years to master., Swami Saradananda relates the dramatic account
of Master Ramakrishna sustaining and surviving six months of unbroken nirvikalpa
samadhi after being struck on the forehead with a sharp rock by the
sannyasin Tota Puri. The Qur’an alludes to the Vast Face
samadhi experience of the Prophet Mohammed as the “Night of
Power,” described as “better than a thousand nights.” The
Torah also makes references to the Vast Face samadhi
experiences of Mosheh and Abraham:
“And Mosheh knew THAT-NOT; the skin of His Face shone.” (Torah
B'reshith 34:29)
“As the sun set, a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and a great darkness
descended upon him.”
(Torah B'reshith 15:12)
“And I will put you in a cleft of the rock while I pass by you.
And I will take My Hand away and you shall see My Ultimate,
And My Face of NOT shall be seen.” (Torah Shmoth 33:32,
33)
