Nothingness

It can look like a dark, seemingly endless tunnel when your world stands still for weeks, even months or longer, where nothing new happens. Same old, same old. Fear creeps into your soul. More than just boredom, you feel emptied, drained of passion. A sense of malaise becomes your general mood. I’ve been there many times. Most recently, I’ve dealt with the darkness and I’m not talking about writer’s block. If you're in this mind-space and looking for some detours, here are a few I’ve learnt moving on from those negative days.

One avenue many folks take is to turn to the spiritual for guidance and solace. "God will make a way when there seems to be no way", is a saying I've often used. My undergraduate studies in anthropology, when I was looking into the different notions of “self” and the experience of the divine cross-culturally, revealed there are many, many gods people pray to for comfort in times of confusion and distress. In particular, Jews believe that God can create something from nothing, or yesh me-ayin. This notion appears in the second sentence of the Torah, “Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters”

The idea of being co-creators with the divine is not new. However, mere humans must create from something. I happen to study at a Canadian university with professors who were Marxist anthropologists. Students were taught how to use his concepts to gain insight into indigenous cultures. Karl Marx posited that making and transforming things is the essence of humanness. He discerned that our appropriation of nature is fundamental. What we make must be personal to us and then we can fully contribute to society. I can attest to the joy of pulling the words from the depths of myself when I draft out my writings. There is no artificial intelligence at work here. Marx attributed the desire to play a part in one’s community to a basic instinctual drive which can be honed. He termed it “species being”. It is similar to the idea of altruism, except not everyone is endowed with the propensity to act altruistically or to be kind to others, and so it must be finely developed and valued by a society. Hence, Marx viewed capitalists as exploitive and capitalism as destructive in its processes.

Although we can not create from it, the idea of nothing does appear in our lives quite a bit. It shows up in some unusual ways. For example, you are full of resentment but a common response when a significant other asks what’s wrong is, “ Nothing!” Or when we do make something from nothing it’s pejoratively equated to exaggerating, as to make a mountain out of a molehill. Anyways, at times it’s good to do nothing. Empty mind meditation is useful to achieve a mental state of no thoughts. Zen mind/beginners mind starts with a sense of knowing nothing, relatively speaking. However some folks might find the need to start all over again in one’s career or a new city to live can be scary too. When fear settles in life can become like an endless, dark tunnel.

“I don't think we should make people feel ashamed of that difficulty. The Torah tells us about people who had witnessed extraordinary miracles and still became afraid when they faced new dangers. Fear is a very human experience, and even people with deep faith can struggle with it. What matters is what we do with that fear.

When something is troubling you, speak to HaShem {God} about it. Tell Him what you're worried about, what you're hoping for, and where you need help. You don't have to make yourself sound brave if you're not feeling brave.” - Rav Dror, rabbi and founder of the Emunah Project that helps people build emunah or faith, to trust and connect to HaShem.

Another avenue out from nothingness is expressed in a song produced by Kimo Sound using only artificial intelligence. The “Rise Slow” lyrics include the lines, “I don’t need the light to find my way. I just keep moving through the dark each day. Not fast. Not loud. Not for the crowd. Just real, just deep, just mine to keep, oh. I rise slow, but I rise sure. . . " The key points are to be authentic and to move, to keep going even if you are afraid or don’t know the precise direction. Of course, you can feel like a nobody headed in the unlucky and wrong way. However, when good luck does come, you begin to think of yourself as a somebody. So one wonders, “What is luck and how can we create it for ourselves?”

Another avenue to escape that feeling of nothingness coincides with another phrase I use. “Every day above ground is a good day”. It starts by seeing the light. See opportunities and luck can follow you too. So, rise slow and when you walk about town notice the patches of light as they play along the ground, on the leaves of trees, or windowpanes. Then rise up more to pay attention to the synchronistic moments and not just to those important, meaningful coincidences but also to the small, serendipitous kind. For example, when you think of someone and then they call you, or you spot your favorite number on a car's license plate. These little connections to the outer world will make you feel happy and affirm you’re on the right road and above ground. Then start to trust your hunches, trust in your intuitions, trust when you feel a rush of energy urging you to get up and do something or go somewhere, trust in that quickening heat coursing through your body, and then act on the indicators. Do not be a procrastinator. Action and trust are the keys to start your engine and go from nothing to zooming.

The final detour is a most important one. By it, I am reminded of the tarot card the Nine of Swords. Traditionally, the suit of Swords correlates to the mind, inner thoughts, intellect, and ideas. This lower arcana card represents mental anguish, nightmares, worry and overthinking. It’s usually depicted by nine knives piercing a heart that bleeds. To make or transform something, to move and become authentically, essentially you is the calculus of a good life. The opposite is when you feel trapped, emptied, can’t move and paralysis is setting in. When you are overwhelmed by the darkness of your own negativity and harmful mind it is the time to seek help. Don’t act slowly either. Whether to talk to a trusted family member or close friend, or go to a professional therapist is entirely your choice. Help is needed now.

Divination

Einstein was wrong, sort of. God does play dice with the world according to the Bible. Or rather, God uses the random, non-causal aspect associated with dice. However, we lost that discernible ability. In other words, we threw the baby out with the bathwater on our journey towards modernity, rationalism, and critical thinking applied to religious exegesis. We no longer have access to the Urim and Thummim, or Lights and Perfection, a device used by the High Priest to ascertain God’s intentions and believed to be kept in the fold of the Breastplate or the ephod, the garment they wore. We lost the knowledge of how they used it. Now, we can only speculate it was similar to randomly casting of lots by throwing stones, or a piece of cloth or sticks with markings that provided a yes or no response to a question presented. God playing with dice, sort of.

Furthermore, we no longer embrace the notion of human-like angelic messengers that visited Abraham to inform him of his aged, barren wife's pregnancy. We no longer take seriously the voice of God as heard by the patriarchs in their dreams and visions of divine directives. Most importantly, we lost the Ark of the Covenant that contained the Ten Commandments, and held in the Tent of Meeting for sacred communications with Moses. There, between the two cherubim, “The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend.” Exodus 33.11. At the Holy Temples in Jerusalem the High Priest would enter the holy of holies only once a year, onYom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement and we are not sure what he actually did beside fasting, praying and repentance. In addition, we lost a more fuller understanding of the meaning of the biblical symbolism carved, engraved, or stitched into these holy sites, such as calves, cherubim, and other images.

Imitatio Dei, God’s directive to Moses to say to the people “you shall sanctify yourselves and be holy, for I am holy”. Leviticus 11.44-45; 19.2; 20.7,26  Kindness and mercy are honored as righteousness when we walk in God's way. However, communication through angelic visitations, dreams, divination, and then prophecy are also God’s way. These methodologies are relatively lost and our understanding speculative or at worst pejorative.

“When I grow up, I want to be a prophet”? Who’s said that ever? I bet no one. Actually, a prophet is divinely chosen, their initiation revealed, then accomplished, and there is a consensus amongst the people of their unique status when prophecies are proclaimed and become true. As individual conduits for God, they are not trumped-up, TV evangelical wannabes with some good intentions but more selfish motives. Most importantly, everyone in their sphere of influence should know the real deal from a charismatic pretender. The people’s acknowledgment is imperative, which enables prophets to do their work. This might involve isolation, but always divination and then speaking on behalf of God. Their sole purpose is to guide profound decisions and lead people to correct and righteous conduct. They are holy messengers of divine dispensations. Divination is an important part of their job description.

In Deuteronomy 18.9-22, the Torah warns the people against belief in false diviners and states God will raise up a prophet who will speak on his behalf. It forbids common folk from the practice of divination for fear of profiteers or subterfuge. Meanwhile, in post deuteronomic times there were many minor prophets, both male and female, plus their disciples. 1Kings 18.2-4. A few prophets are named in the Torah or make appearances in the prophetic books of the Tannakh, or Hebrew Bible. Many Jews recognize Jesus as a great prophet, if not the Messiah. However, today no one is doing this work openly and convincingly. Generally, God made his messengers wealthy so they could not be bribed or need to beg and connive folks for money. Their riches were apparent in the great herds of Abraham or the gold and silver of King Solomon, and not hidden away from public scrutiny with excuses of tax audits. Genesis 13.1; Kings 3.11-13

So where have all the prophets gone? Jewish tradition maintains that in every generation there are Lamed Vav Tzadikim, or the 36 Hidden Righteous Ones who do good works, anonymously and ever so modestly, to keep the world in balance against evil forces. However, they do not necessarily vocalize the words of God. Nor do the spiritual disciplines of the Abrahamic religion’s imams, rabbis, and priests necessarily become diviners. By the way, English must be commended for its attention to sacredness, however so unpretentiously, with the term, “divination” since English does not profess to be a sacred language. However, a quick read through the Merriam-Webster dictionary provides for misunderstanding and a pejorative perspective about the word "divination". Embedded in it are the notions of fortune telling, and the dark arts of sorcery, most of which are outlawed and whose practitioners could face criminal prosecution for perpetrating frauds or even killings.

Moses was a great prophet and his five books make up the Torah, which ends by stating, “Never again did there arise in Israel a prophet like Moses - whom the Lord singled out, face to face”. Deuteronomy 34.10. Although not seen as prophets, we hope those who authored, complied, or edited the remaining books in the Tanack or Hebrew Bible, the Talmud and the ancient Kabbalistic texts, and other seminal religious works were inspired by God. Although, I was divinely directed to become a tarot reader, as well as my other professions, I never spoke in terms of destiny or profess to be a holy messenger. That may yet come to be. Rather I talked about the levels of consciousness and propensities. Nevertheless, my readings were spiritually oriented by using the Holy Tree of Life and Central Channel layouts which corresponded to my Kabbalah and Torah studies.

Speaking of which, I am reminded of the tarot card, The Hermit. It is often depicted by an old man wearing a dark hooded cape. He holds a lamp while he stands atop a craggy mountain. Generally, it represents soul-searching, inner wisdom, and a need for solitude. The removal from the distractions of society helps to quiet the mind and then to listen to the inner voice of our intuition. It is this whisper of a voice that can connect us to the divine. You've been called if you pull this card. The question becomes then, are you able to rise to the challenge? If so, once a message is received it is imperative the Hermit comes down from the mountain to be a sacred lamp, a light to guide others in a holy, wholesome way. In Biblical times he became a prophet and was tasked to appoint and inform a king on matters of national significance; or to aid the Sanhedrin, the highest court of justice in ancient Israel; or to help set the strategy for a military commander. All instances of prophetic activity included immediately conveying the divine message to invoke proper actions or decisions.

The Hermit is the 9th card in the suit of Trumps in a traditional tarot deck which is numbered from 0-21. However, I prefer the cards association to the Hebrew alphabet that goes from 1-22. The tenth letter is Yod. It is the smallest letter but with great significance. Symbolically, it means the guiding hand of God, which is an anthropomorphic depiction often frowned upon in rabbinic literature. In other words, “The Yod represents the Creator, the single point from which all of creation emerges, and the Unity within multiplicity. It is the foundation of all foundations, the hidden Divine spark which causes everything to be. It represents the power of the spirit to govern and guide the matter.“ Gabriele Levy.

Currently, we are ostensibly in the midst of a "Holy War" with Israel against Iran. Falsely claimed by the current US Secretary of Defense and the Trump regimes' man of war, it is more clearly a call to arms for purely political purposes. This is apparent when not a single prophet made the proclamation in Israel or the United States. Of course, conmen intent on making a profit, gain a personal advantage, or retain power from this conflict will fabricate a divine message. The Torah was correct to alert folks about following false prophets. This warning is of particularly paramount importance to our times.

MAGIC

Not those who use sleight of hand, or the conjurer, the escape artist, and illusionists types. Although I admire their skills, what intrigues me is the authentic kind; Moses and the Pharaoh’s magicians, who matched the first two of the Hebrew’s nine plagues. For centuries biblical teachings from the churches to the synagogues took their feats of manifesting snakes, and then frogs, and bloody waters, to Moses’ solo ability to bring forth the remaining plagues as fantastical and fantasy. We dismiss their seemingly supernatural powers in favor of logical and rational thinking. Consequently mankind’s progress into modernity is industrial, technological, and computer oriented, with positive developments in the medical, and sanitation fields. Perhaps this is good. Perhaps, however, we threw out the baby with bath water, as the cliche goes. Perhaps, we should have inquired more into the magic of the Bible. The Torah does not reveal the curriculums. Our modern-day notion of a Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is a fiction from the Harry Potter books.

History tells us that during the Middle Ages many royal courts did retain and house Kabbalists, including family members, because of their magical and mystical expertise, along with other abilities and achievements. Here we see magic imbued with a spiritual aspect in contrast to what is known as demonic, black magic. Practitioners of the dark arts rely on sorcery, curses, and hexes to cause harm or gain control over another person. Some folks have labeled Donald Trump, the Magician-in-Chief for his ability to manipulate the stock markets, or use misdirection and spectacles to distract the media and his voters’ attention from his crimes, similar to the skills of an illusionist. However, when Trump is motivated by revenge, intent on harming others, he is moving into darker realms. If you watch his speeches and sound-bites with the volume off you can clearly see the venomous facial expressions as he spits out his poisonous words.

By distinction, Kabbalists use magical formulas, incantations, head movements, and visualization techniques that revolve around the sacred Hebrew alphabet. In one vein, Jewish folklore maintains this methodology is attributed to creating a Golem, “an artificial, human-shaped figure made of mud or clay and brought to life through sacred mystical practices, primarily stemming from the Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism)”. - Yehuda Altein’s article in Chabad.org. Furthermore, “The theoretical blueprint for creating a golem relies on the Sefer Yetzirah (one of the oldest existing texts on Jewish esotericism). This ancient text posits that God created the universe through the manipulation of the Hebrew alphabet and divine utterances. Kabbalists believed that by properly permuting these holy letters and speaking specific incantations, they could channel the formative energies of creation into inanimate matter”. - Rabbi Jay Michelson article for My Jewish Learning. The purpose of the golem was to protect communities and people from harm.

It seems authentic magic relies on the sacredness embedded in the letters of our speech. Is it just coincidental that the English word “alphabet” is derived from the the first two letters of the holy Hebrew alphabet, “Aleph” and “Bet”? Certainly, the use of the word “magic” or synonymous terms is ubiquitous in our culture to the point of meaninglessness. According to Starbucks’ new TV ad their coffee is magic. Lexus makes the same claim about a car in their latest TV commercial. In a PSA for Utah’s Greater Zion Film Commission, Kevin Costner expounds on the magic of shooting a movie in that State. These promotional pieces emphasis the non-ordinary and serendipitous experiences we associate with romanticism and the magical. In distinction, the aim of Moses and the Pharaoh’s magicians was to manifest something profound. The Hebrew, as well as his Egyptians counterparts were grounded in strong beliefs in their gods and received spiritual guidance. The Hebrew’s would eventually be refined into legal and moral covenants at Mt. Sinai. A quantum leap in consciousness occurred for mankind when the Ten Commandments were engraved in tablets by the “finger of God” and given to the people of Israel. (Exodus 31:18)

I am reminded of the Magician card in the tarot’s higher arcana, or suit of Trumps. It represents manifestation by divine inspiration and communication. As above, so below. This card specifically addresses the inherent ability to channel spiritual power from the heavenly divine and transform our earth and our everyday work-world through precise language to manipulate the elements; fire, air, water, and earth. In Kabbalah and in tarot these four correspond to the spiritual, intellectual, emotional, and physical realms which must be in balance to perform the Magician’s tasks. He or she are not tricksters, unlike Donald Trump. Remember, God created the world through nine expressed, utterances, “God said, ‘Let there be light’. . . Kabbalists infer the 10th emanated from God’s Will, as the divine impulse that initiated the desire to create our Universe. (Genesis, chapter 1:1-31).

Well, the sacred Hebrew alphabet makes an appearance in the tarot cards too. The suit of Trumps, or higher arcana, are traditionally numbered from 0-21, with The Magician being numeral 1. However, I prefer the tarot's connection to the Hebrew alphabet which goes from 1-22. Each letter has spiritual, and inherent magical properties of a highly technical nature. The Magician card aligns with the 2nd Hebrew letter, Bet, which is symbolic for house or home as well as creation, “Bet is numerically equal to 2. In Jewish tradition (Kabbalah), this represents duality, creation, and the blessing of multiplicity”. - Hebrew for Christians. “Bet is the very first letter of the Torah and the Hebrew Bible. The word Bereshit ("In the beginning") starts with this letter, symbolizing that life is a cosmic vessel meant to serve as a home for the Divine.” - Chabad. The infamous Aleister Crowely, creator of The Thoth tarot deck, incorporated the Hebrew letters into his cards. He based his philosophy and practice of “Magick” on the tenets,  “Do what though wilt shall be the whole of the law. Love is the law. Love under will.” He defines his Magik as, “the science and art of causing change to occur in conformity with one's will.”

Mastery of communication is a skill that is key to unlocking a magician’s power, which is beyond my present capabilities. However, I do work with language and words, and know it is imperative to recognize what we say to each other and to ourselves are impactful, physical entities. They are the building blocks in the process of bringing something into being. The steps in this methodology mirrors the four elements; fire as spiritual, or emanating; air as intellectual, or creating, water as emotional, or forming, and earth as the physical, or making. All four worlds must be in sync; from the initial impulse, to the idea, to the emotional commitment, to finally making something and bring it to reality. We can use words constructively or be overly critical and tear things or someone down, including ourselves. “Scholars who support the Hebrew etymology say the incantation "abracadabra" is a corruption of the Hebrew, ebrah k’dabri, meaning 'I will create as I speak,' ie that the act of speech will magically create new realities" (Rabbi Julian Sinclair's article in The Jewish Chronicle, 2018).

By the way, the four suits of the tarot deck are built upon the same elements; fire, air, water, and earth that correspond to wands, swords, cups and disks, respectively. You see, it is all of a piece. As above, so below is the teaching of The Magician. One’s spiritual beliefs is the internal engine to shape and transform the reality of your everyday work-world. It begins with the practice of proper alignment, proper conduct, and proper speech.