 |
|
 |
| |
| Departments |
Home
Columns, Special
Topics & Features:
The Columns:
Angels, Guides, &
Loving Spirits:
Angel Blessings:
with Dr. Doreen Virtue
Ask Valerie Morrison,
Internationally
Acclaimed Psychic
Trust Your Vibes
by Dr. Sonia Choquette, PhD. Internationally Acclaimed Psychic,
Healer & Author
Body Mind & Spirit with John Holland
Internationally Renowned Psychic Medium, Teacher, & Author
Astrologer's Notes:
Ask Carrin Martin,
Astrologer
Basil Fearrington,
Astrologer
Diana Stone,
Astrologer &
Huna Shaman
Jeff Jawer
Astrologer
Glenn Perry,
Astrologer
Ray Merriman,
Financial Astrology:
MMA Market Week
Noel Tyl,
Astrologer
Daily Aspect Calendar
by Care
The Weekly Horoscope
By Care
Creating Bridges:
The Spiritual &
Philosophical
Act of Power
Discovering the Key to Living Your Sacred Dream
by Lynn Andrews
The BUT Doctor
Healing America's Real Crack Problem One Person at a Time
by Eddie Conner
Avant-Gardening:
Insights by Frank &
Vicky Giannangelo
From The Heart:
Alan Cohen
Teachings from the Western Mystery Traditions: The Esoteric "Paths of Return"
by Jacquelyn Small, Eupsychia
"Letters from Heaven:" Spiritual Guidance from
the Hebrew Alphabet
by Avigayil Landsman
Spirituality in Daily Life: by Bhikshuni Thubten Chodron
The Conscious Column
by David Ault
Spiritual Mastery
for the 21st Century
Dr. Gwen MacGregor
Pearls of Wisdom:
with Care & Aeon
Encounters on the Shaman's Path
with Anthropologist
Dr. Hank Wesselman, PhD.
Feng Shui & Chinese Metaphysics:
Inside Chinese Metaphysics
by Barbara Finch,
Feng Shui &
Chinese Astrology
In Practice:
How to Create a Successful Holistic Practice- from Start to Success
by Shaun Brown,
CMT, BA BeWell Publications
Pet Care:
Dr. Carson's Holistic Animal Care
by Dr. Kathleen Carson, D.V.M.
Tarot:
Soulforest:
Tarot and Spirituality
Rachel Pollack,
Tarot Grand Master
Moment to Moment
by Gigi Miner
Author, Tarot Consultant, & Teacher.
Rosengarten's Tarot Of The Nine Paths
by Dr. Art Rosengarten, PhD.
Reviews:
Tarot, Cartomancy,
Oracle Decks,
Books, & Software.
by Bonnie Cehovet,
Tarot Master
Humor:
Wake Up Laughing.Com:
Swami Beyondananda
Features:
Blessings & Messages
Event Calendar
Historical Notes & Data
The MetaPersonals
Opinion-Editorial
Symbols, Seals,
Amulets & Talismans
The What in the
World Department
Trivia & Other
Novel Moments
Interviews:
Watch for Announcements
Healing & Alternative
Health:
Flower Essences
by Donna Cunningham
Living in Harmony-Astrology, Yoga & Ayurveda:
Venkat & Christine Machiraju
"Spirit and Practice
of the Wise Woman
Tradition"
By Susun Weed
Tai Chi & Qigong
by Bill Douglas
The Holistic Mystic,
by Lonny Brown
Medical Intuition: Tune
in to Your Body and Improve Your Health
by Caroline Sutherland, Sutherland Communications
Conscious Breathing
for Health and Self Transformation
by Dennis Lewis
Transformational Healing through the Violet Flame!
by Eva Kettles
Herbs for Health
with Kami McBride
The Directory
The Book Nook
Archives:
Past Issues
|
|
|
|
|
|
Creating Bridges: Spirituality & Philosophy:
Kabbalah: "Letters from Heaven:"
Spiritual Guidance from the Hebrew Alphabet
Koof:
Holiness Numerical value: 100
Sound: “K” as in “cat”
The sacred temple
invites you to enter
in every moment
Her door is intentiong
|
|
|
by Avigayil Landsman |
|
|
Dedication
I dedicate this month’s teaching to my great-great grandfather, the Zayde Mayer (Yiddish for “Grandfather Mayer”). He and his wife, Sara had eighteen children. He ran a slipper factory in his shtetl (Jewish Russian village) and made time to study Talmud. In nineteenth century Ukraine, shtetls did not have courts of law or therapists, so my great-great grandfather and his friend from childhood, Father Alexei helped settle disputes and offer wise counsel in matters of business as well as the heart. Father Alexei arranged for the Zayde Mayer to free his son, Yankel (Yiddish for Yaakov in Hebrew, Jacob in English) who was conscripted into the army for what would have been a twenty-five year term of hard labor. In order to gain entrance into the army compound, Zayde Mayer had to take off his kipa (head covering traditionally worn by observant Jews) and have a photograph taken. A little more than a hundred years ago, Jews did not want to have their photographs taken because they believed it conflicted with the second commandment of not making a graven image. Nevertheless, my great-great grandfather wanted to save his son, so he submitted to being photographed. His daughter brought this photograph with her to America.
Zayde Mayer lived to be ninety-six. He died from injuries suffered during a pogrom, a Cossack-led invasion of his village. Apparently, even in his advanced age he tried beating the Cossack soldiers off with his staff. He was beaten, but he lived another two weeks before he finally died.
Zayde Mayer’s fierce tenacity, enthusiasm for life and commitment to community challenges inspire me. I believe these qualities have been genetically transferred to me. Through many twists of fate, my father gave me a copy of his picture, which hangs on my bedroom/office wall. I often glance over at it, imagining that he is watching me as I write my columns. Although it is apparent from his white beard that he is quite old, he hasn’t a wrinkle on his forehead and his eyes are beautifully clear. I often “consult” with him late in the night when I need comfort. I sense his love for me through the generations. The connection is especially strong because my middle name in Hebrew, Yocheved was given to me in memory of his son, Yankel who was a cantor, a singer who accompanies the rabbi during Jewish services. Yaakov, or Yankel, as he was affectionately called in Yiddish, took care of my grandfather, William when my grandfather’s father died at the premature age of twenty-seven. But that’s another story. Let it suffice to say that my forbearers constantly struggled to survive and their faith in God never wavered. This high level of faith is evidence that they were vessels of holiness. Mayer is Hebrew for “bringer of light” or “from the light”. May I merit becoming a vessel of my great-great grandfather’s Torah teachings (Torah is known as light).
Spelling it out
The shape of koof combines two letters talked about in earlier columns, chaf and vav. The letter chaf’s numerical value is twenty and the letter vav’s numerical value is six, so the combined value is twenty-six, the numerical value of the tetragrammaton: yud-hey-vav-hey, the letters of the unpronounceable Holy Name.
Koof’s actual numerical value is one hundred, the square of ten. The Holy of Holies in the tabernacle was a square, measuring ten cubits by ten cubits. This was the only place where the High Priest could utter the Holy Name. We no longer know how the Holy Name was pronounced; only the letters remain.
It is traditional to recite one hundred blessings each day. Consider how uplifting it would be to bless one hundred things each day! It generates an attitude of gratitude, perhaps the true source of holiness. According to Jewish mystical tradition, the life span of an eagle, one of the sacred beings in Ezekiel’s vision is one hundred years.
Koof is the only letter with a descender, the part of the letter that goes below the writing line. When koof is added to tzadi, you get the word tzadik, one who brings the sparks down to earth. (Tzadi + k = tzadik) The descender is a visual reminder of the importance of bringing the sparks of holiness into material expression through acts of loving-kindness. (The Alef-Beit: Jewish Thought Revealed Through the Hebrew Alphabet by Rabbi Yitzhak Ginsberg)
Koof is the first letter in the Hebrew word that means holiness, kadosh. Variations of the word kadosh are included in many important Hebrew words. It is the voice of a person, kol, calling up to the Holy Blessed One, Kadosh Barachu. Isaiah (ch 6:3) had a vision of angels crying out from heaven: “Holy, Holy Holy is the Lord of Hosts, the whole world is filled with His presence.” This verse is part of the daily prayers. Chanting these words serves as a reminder that everywhere you go, there’s God.
The Hebrew word, beit mikdash, sanctuary, literally means a house of holiness. The sanctuary in the synagogue is where the Jewish prayer services take place. The Woodstock Jewish Congregation, a beit hamikdash, was formerly a flea market! I discussed the transformation with a student of mine. “The building itself was not made of anything particularly special, so how is it that it is now a place of worship, a place of holiness?” I asked my student. He answered that we now have an ark, a Torah, and we pray to God. This is a place that is set apart from the mundane activities of the world to connect with God. The difference between the flea market and the house of worship is kavanna, intension. Kadosh, holiness is about separation from the mundane in order to make space (or time) to connect with the Divine Presence.
The Hebrew word, kedoshin, marriage has the root word, kadosh. Marriage between two people means that they share a unique intimacy. They remain a part of their community in all other regards, but are separate as a couple.
“You’re invited!”
The Ishbitzer Rebbe says that holiness is the language of invitation. Holiness is a reminder that divinity is always facing you, if you can open your eyes to it. Instead of physically separating, my friend and teacher, Rabbi Natan Margalit suggests that holiness is putting a frame around what is already there, whether it be a moment or a place. In art, he says, one puts a frame around a painting in order to draw attention to it. You could just as easily put a frame around any scene you approach in your daily life. Cantor Robert Esformes says, “It’s like the finger pointing to the moon. Most traditions get hung up on the finger and eventually, they forget about the moon entirely!” The point is that prayers and actions serve as vehicles. Spiritual practice is a tool, acting as a harness for our earthbound selves. The important thing is to hold in our consciousness that the moon resides within us, surrounded by layers of physical needs and desires. In a state of holiness, we act from our connection to our internal moons.
Time out
Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel wrote that the Sabbath (Shabbat in Hebrew) is a place of holiness in time. One of the Ten Commandments of the Bible says, “Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.” (Exodus 19: 8) Traditionally, Jews light candles to set Shabbat (Sabbath) apart from the rest of the week. The glow of the Shabbat candles externalizes our sacred inner light.
Knock-knock, who’s there?
The image for koof developed out of a deeply personal experience. I had an unexpected, sudden change in my finances that required immediate attention. Being faced with such a dramatic change in my material security increased my anxiety to a high degree. That Friday afternoon, just after a snowstorm, I had to contend with icy roads to go an annoying errand to protect my income. I focused my attention on how upset I felt from losing my security, compounded by my annoyance that I had to be driving to town without any other purpose. This seemed like a royal waste of time. My mind continued with its negative train of thought as I drove into town and THEN... I had to stop at a railroad crossing! I defiantly looked up at the railroad crossing sign and said sarcastically, “Well, this is a good time to have a spiritual awakening...” I’m good at challenging God.
With nothing to do but wait, I decided to turn on my radio. The music I heard was Eric Satie’s, “Gymnopedie,” a piece I played on the piano twenty-five years ago. I loved dancing to recordings of it as well. This piece always initiated a ritual for me, taking me to a quiet, meditative place, a place of peace and solace. At this particularly stressful moment, being reunited with my old “friend” set off an internal change. Pleasant memories flooded my mind and the biggest smile stretched across my face. I was moved to tears.
In that moment I took stock in how much energy I was spending to get things moving and although I had done all I could, I felt I didn’t deserve to stop for a moment to enjoy life. The result of my single focus was to loose touch with the beauty and joy of life. In the way that one negative thought produced another negative thought, once I was listening to the music, each pleasant memory led to another pleasant memory.
That night at Shabbat services, Rabbi Jonathan read a line from “Song of Songs” that heightened this awareness: "I am asleep, my heart is awake: the voice of my Lover knocks"(or beats, as in a heart beats). I realized that my work effort was my inner Pharaoh (in the Bible, Pharaoh was the Egyptian tyrant who enslaved the Children of Israel) who wanted to control everything, which is not healthy. It's not only okay to stop our work and enjoy being alive; it’s essential. Otherwise, we are destined to live our lives as deadened somnambulists. The enjoyment of being alive is the awake heart; this is God. There is a wonderful old hassidic song that says, “And who is this Alive, this ‘I AM’? Is it not the Holy Blessed One?”
Since this experience at the railroad crossing woke me up, I decided to incorporate the railroad crossing sign in my illustration for koof. A railroad crossing is a separation from the ordinary world. When a train speeds across your path-- you'd better keep separate! It really wakes you up to hear the train, to feel the wind, and the rumbling vibrations. Trains, as well as comets (I’ll get to comets soon): they shoot across your field of vision for a fleeting moment, quickening your senses, giving cause for wonder. They snap you out of your sleep, even if for a moment. And the lights flashing under the crossing sign are like the heart beating! ("My Lover knocks")
Just as being in the presence of our lover makes our heartbeat stronger, in this line the Lover is God, knocking in our heart, with each beat it takes. Our mind is so busy trying to run the show that it is deaf to the beating of the heart. And the answer is found in the heart, which is "everything is going to be alright!" At times I feel like I'm paddling wildly away from atop a waterfall that threatens to take me under. This endless mind-chatter that keeps us from sleep at night is actually a sleep state because our higher consciousness is asleep to REALITY.
Holiness is a dialogue between God and us. Our experience of holiness is an instant when we are lifted out of experiencing our lives as only struggle. But, in order to identify an experience, we also need to experience its opposite (this is why it is so hard to identify the taste of Vita herring; what is its opposite? There was an old television commercial that asked the question, “What does Vita herring taste like?” The final answer was, “You know what pizza tastes like? Well, it doesn’t taste like that.”). There cannot only be holiness because everything is relational. Struggle is a gift wrapped up with lots of toil. Holiness is the ability to embrace the not knowing. Embracing the mystery can also be seen as a big gift-wrapped present, which is in actuality, staying in the present. There's the effort and the reward, two sides of the same coin. “I'm asleep, my heart is awake.”
In Torah (the Bible), when the Children of Israel express doubt that God is going to take care of them, He sends poisonous snakes to bite them. They run to Moses for help. God tells Moses to make a copper snake. When they gaze at it, they are cured.
This scene in Torah informed my illustration. The crossing sign metamorphosed into the sleeper; the snake curling around the sleeper is both protective and activating. When we are forced to stop in our tracks of mindless chatter (doubt) and enter the quiet mind of faith, the life-affirming power inside us releases, empowering us to act from our authenticity. This is known as kundalini energy.
As I have mentioned in earlier columns, the Torah can be read as a communal dream, where people and places serve as archetypal symbols. The landscape in the Torah represents our ego. The Israelites were slaves in Egypt, symbolic of our personal slavery to material possessions, relationships, etc. The Hebrew word for Egypt means narrow place so Egypt becomes the symbol of limited possibilities for the full expression of life. Consequently, after the Israelites were freed into the expansive Seas of freedom and possibilities, they entered the liminal desert; a place of doubt, uncertainty and much complaining. This uncertainty comes from a lack of faith. God’s answer to the Children of Israel’s lack of faith is to “make Me a mikdash (sanctuary) so that I may dwell in them.” (Exodus 25:8) The portable sanctuary that the Children of Israel carried with them in the desert served as a model for the Holy Temple that was later built in Jerusalem. The sanctuary included various ritual items as well as space to make animal sacrifices. The purpose of building it was to unite the community in holy service. Only those who were “wise of heart” could participate. The focus of building a physical place for God to dwell made a spiritual space in the people’s hearts for God to dwell. How do we come together as a community in holy service? (NB: Children of Israel, Hebrews and Israelites are used interchangeably)
The building of the sanctuary has many parallels in Creation. Everything in the sanctuary is a metaphor of everything in creation: water, light, earth and fire. This is a call to ritual, sacred creativity.
My friend, Dena pointed out that each ritual item of the mishkan is a metaphor of how we create in ourselves a vessel of holiness. There was a special table where breads were laid out. These showbreads represent our sustenance. The menorah, a seven-branched candelabra (one candle for each day of the week) represents the inner light that is eternally burning in our souls and shines through our eyes. The ark contained the tablets on which were written the Ten Commandments, guides to ethical behavior. The ark represents our core values. God instructs the people to put poles on the ark to make it portable. Carry your awareness of holiness through your time of doubt and uncertainty! You are not the desert, but what’s inside the box (traditional Jews put little boxes (in Hebrew, “t’fillin”) containing prayers written on paper on their heads before reciting daily prayers)!
The most important point to remember is that we are continuously creating our world through our actions. When we connect to our inner holiness, we are connected to God, and our actions are shem shemayim, for the sake of heaven. What activities bring our attention to our inner sanctuary? How do we make space for trust crowded out by doubt and insecurity?
And what went into the ark alongside the tablets with the Ten Commandments written on them? The broken tablets (if at first you don’t succeed) and… that copper snake! Think about it. In your inner sanctuary is a wakeful heart and, in case it falls asleep, that snake is there to wake it up!
This Little Light of Mine…
The image for this letter of holiness includes a comet zipping through the sky. A comet has been blamed as an omen through the ages. In art, comets fly in the sky at the most auspicious times, like when Jesus was born. Comets also portend the end of the world, but they never deliver what they threaten. They're just gobbed up bits of cosmic dust.
“I'm gonna let it shine...way down in my heart” This song holds the key to connect the comet to koof. The comet is God's “little light,” sent to get our attention. The comet is God's plea to be noticed.
The light in your heart is your Muse, whose song naturally pours forth Her divine vision; may She lead you to creative endeavors. We can change the hearts of others through our art, our personal creative expression (cooking, creating a comfortable atmosphere, as well as the visual arts and music). Our art reflects our certainty that the holy is hidden within the apparent deadness of hardened hearts.
The Image
This addition to my sanctuary is my visual interpretation of my momentary awakening at the railroad crossing (see “Knock, Knock” above) combined with the message I received that night from “Song of Songs”: “I was asleep; my heart was awake. My Lover Knocks.” Pictured is a sleeping person, deadened to the thrill of life all around her/him. The ever-present light is veiled by complaints, annoyances, and unfulfilled expectations. Under the despair is the gift of joyous creative expression. The holy spark of enthusiasm (literally, “possessed by god) dwells within the heart. How could anyone sleep through a radiant comet zipping through the sky? I know I have passed up on some spectacular celestial displays, preferring to enjoy a full night’s sleep. AND, I remember the thrill of getting up in the middle of the night to watch thousands of shooting stars dart across the sky. How my heart raced with excitement! The snake wrapped around this dreamer is the “Lover”, Muse, or life force knocking, gently, almost teasingly, rousing this person to become aware of the inner sanctum, represented by this very awake, abundant heart, exploding with creativity.
The image came about through a metamorphosis of the railroad sign and crossing gate. The pole became a person; the blinking lights became the brightly blazing heart. The crossed pieces of wood are seen in the relationship between the heads of the sleeper and the snake. Next to the railroad sign is a red and white striped crossing gate, which became the snake wrapping itself around the dreamer (the root of the Egyptian word for dream is the same as the Egyptian word awake!).
Early in my musings on the letter koof, I found a book on comets during a trip to my local library (I enjoy browsing through the recently returned book pile). The many paintings of comets over a period of hundreds of years impressed me. I intuited that comets figured into a sense of what koof was about. If you turn koof on its side, you can imagine it becoming a comet. When Sri Aurobindo said, “My life is a meteor-dust of His flaming Grace” I believe he cleverly connected the comet’s cousin to the energy of holiness associated with the letter koof. May his message be encrypted in our hearts!
Koof in a reading
When you reverse the last two letters of the English word “sign,” the result is sing! So the next time you feel like your life is permanently blocked at a railroad crossing, reach into your inner sanctuary for the snake that wakes—
and create somethingto remind you of the Holy Light inside.
Remember, Holiness is an invitation. You are cordially invited to participate in the Holy act of creation!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Avigayil Landsman,
Torah Scholar, Calligrapher, Lecturer, Teacher & Creator of the "Letters From Heaven" Deck
|
 |
Avigayil has been a serious student of Torah for the last ten years and has written many d'vrai Torah(Torah lectures). She is the creator of Letters from Heaven, a Jewish divination system that incorporates the mystical meanings of the Hebrew letters, her chiddushim (new insights into Torah) and their application to the challenges of daily life. Her LFH readings offer seekers of all persuasions spiritual direction in finding one's authentic voice.
Avigayil is a multi-media artist who is best-known for the beaded breastplate that adorns the Woodstock Jewish Congregation's Torah. She creates personalized ketubot, beeswax Shabbat candles, shiviti plaques and other judaica as well as secular art in Sculpey, paint, and shadow boxes that combine disparate objects such as feathers, beads and wood.
Her Judaica (beeswax Shabbat and havdallah candles, havdallah spice boxes, shiviti plaques) and calligraphy cards are available for purchase at the Woodstock Jewish Congregation's judaica shop, Miriam's Well and her home. She also does private commissions.
Avigayil has taught enrichment classes in calligraphy for the Woodstock Jewish Congregation's Hebrew school. She prepares children and adults for becoming Bat/bar-mitzvah with humor and deep wisdom that come from her own unique way of living through the lessons of Torah. She has also given workshops and lectures on the spiritual meaning of the Hebrew letters and Letters from Heaven at Omega and Mount St. Alphonsus.
"Avigayil Landsman's interpretations of the Hebrew letters are original, witty, steeped in scholarship, and above all a genuine opening to our own spiritual wisdom." Rachel Pollack, creator of Shining Tribe Tarot Deck
www.rachelpollack.com
Avigayil is available for art commissions and LFH readings in person or on the phone. She may be contacted by e-mail at:
Avigayil1@earthlink.net
Website:
www.jewish-wisdom
-and-art.4t.com
|
 |
You'll find it in
The
Directory! |
|
|
|
|
