Hello

Instinctive knowing incorporates spirit, mind, and body awareness and experiences, with attention centered along the space-time continuum, in the present moment; Intuition and sensing, together in balance, centered in time.

In studying the  Kabbala I have found something congruent with this idea and clarifying the issue of knowledge and instinctive knowing as integrated and guided by spirit at it’s core.

The Kabbala (Kabbalah, Qabbalah, Qabala) is a set of esoteric teachings.  It is a set of writings and texts that exist outside the traditional Jewish scriptures, but it is attributed to be a part of the Jewish religious tradition.  The Kabbala is represented by a set of branches sephirot, drawn as circles connected by lines in a specific order. This symbol is referred to as The Tree of Life.  

The texts seek to define the nature of the universe and the human being, the nature and purpose of existence, and various other ontological questions. It also presents methods to aid understanding of these concepts and to thereby attain spiritual realization.

Altogether 11 sephirot are named. However Keter and Da’at are unconscious and conscious dimensions of one principle, conserving 10 forces. Presented here are the names of the Sephirot in descending order:

(Think of these as going from most insubstantial in energy to most substantial.)

• Keter (crown, representing above-conscious will)
• Chochmah (The highest potential of thought – intuition)
• Binah (the understanding of the potential – knowledge)
• Da’at (intellect  or cystalization of knowledge – instinctive knowing)
• Chesed (sometimes referred to as Gedolah-greatness) (loving-kindness)
• Gevruah (sometimes referred to as Din-justice or Pachad-fear) (severity/strength)
• Rachamim or Tiphareth (Mercy – Love, acceptance)
• Netzach (victory/eternity)
• Hod (glory/splendour)
• Yesod (foundation)
• Malkuth (kingdom)

These ten (11) sephirot can be viewed as a process of ethics.  Studying the sephirot will allow the individual to increase BOTH his spiritual consciousness and his spiritually ethical action in the physical plane.

It is viewed that Divine creation by means of the Ten Sefirot is an ethical process. The sephirot represent the different aspects of Morality and they hold within them the opportunity for both the virtue as well as the vice attributed to each branch.

Balance is the key.  Utilizing intuition and sensation knowledge, and centered in time, one can develop a balanced experience and knowledge of these branches.

In example, Loving-Kindness is a possible moral justification found in Chesed, and Gevurah is the Moral Justification of Justice and both are mediated by Mercy which is Rachamim. However, these pillars of morality become immoral once they become extremes. Lovingkindness is the Virtue.  When Loving-Kindness become extreme it can lead to sexual depravity and lack of Justice to the wicked, the vice.  When Justice becomes extreme, it can lead to torture and the murder of innocents and unfair punishment.

In the Kabbalistic view, “Righteous” humans (Tzadikim) ascend these ethical qualities of the Ten Sefirot by doing righteous actions. If there were no “Righteous” humans, the blessings of God would become completely hidden, and creation would cease to exist. While real human actions are the Foundation (Yesod) of this universe – kingdom (Malhut), these actions must accompany the conscious intention of compassion.

Compassionate actions are often impossible without Faith (Emunah), meaning to trust  that Source always supports compassionate actions. Ultimately, it is necessary to show compassion toward oneself too in order to share compassion toward others. When one empowers oneself through this development to assist others, one is following an important aspect of Restriction, and this is considered a kind of Golden Mean in Kabbala, corresponding to the Sefirah of Adornment (Tiferet) and being part of the Middle Column.

In the Kabbala there are different branches for understanding, knowledge, awareness, and knowing.  These culminate in the explanation of the sefirah of Da’at. Da’at can be viewed as the crystallization of awareness.

In the Kabbalistic Tree of Life, when counting the 10 sefirot, Da’at is the tangible form of Keter,and so can be counted with Keter.

Keter is the crown, knowledge as an emanation from Source, and Da’at is the experience of man – specifically experienced knowledge – knowledge from the point of view of the human being and his or her accumulated experiences.

Chochmah is intuition and Binah is understanding or the ability to grasp concepts, and Da’at is knowledge, the accumulation of experience.  In other words there are three ways in which a person knows the function of the mind or of consciousness:  1/through the intuitive grasp of Chochmah, through, 2/ through the analytical powers of Binah, and 3/through the accumulation of ones experiences, known as ones Da’at.

Da’at is sometimes drawn with a dotted-line underneath the crown Keter, somewhat in between Chochmah and Binah.  Keter, as the emanation of knowing, is the most insubstantial.  For our purposes, Chochmah – intuition, Binah – 5 senses, body and mind, and Da’at – the accumulation of experiences – time, offer together an experience of instinctive knowing, balancing spirit, mind, and body.

How these are translated into our ethical actions in the physical plane is how we enact our spiritual consciousness balancing spirit, mind, and body knowing and awareness.  It can be a product of studying and understanding the various consciousness of the sephirot of the Kabbalistic Tree of Life.  However this is not the only Way.

Living mindfully is a great resevoir for development of your higher consciousness, your true self and The Way.

May you find your Way and be in Joy.

See you tomorrow.

Beth