At Present

Friday, May 21, 2021 (XIII - 4)

"For, it is the mind that builds, and whether the fruit of the spirit brings forth brambles or figs depends upon the application ... And thus you sow to the spirit or to the whirlwind."  (ECRL 2408-1) The High Priestess – Guardian of the Mystery – The Wisdom Keeper The High Priestess/Hierophantissa (Greek: Hiera:-sacred and Phanes:-illuminator/revealer) is the feminine archetype of one who acts as a conduit to the Divine Mystery. She is the earthly portal to all that is unknown and unseen in the physical and she is the veil through which one perceives all that is unconscious and hidden. The High Priestess represents and contains within her symbolic chalice (divine feminine womb) the primal feminine principle of the Divine. The ancient Jewish mystics called this Feminine aspect of “God” the Shekinah. The Shekinah although not mentioned by name in the patriarchal Old Testament, is mentioned frequently in ancient rabbinic literature. In its many translations, the Shekinah is often described as the mysterious, beautiful and feminine “Presence” of “God” or as some may describe – ‘The Holy Spirit’. Over time her presence was hidden and dismissed, but still can be found in Jewish tradition as the “Shabbat Kallah” the Sabbath Bride called in to be greeted in union with her counterpart/husband, the masculine Godhead. Within Ancient pre-Alexandrian Kabbalah, the Shekinah was represented as the triune of Feminine Wisdom (Chokmah) Understanding (Binah) and Knowledge (Da’ath). The Shekinah was the equivalent of the Greek Sophia. Over centuries the patriarchal Kabbalists changed the two sephirot – Chokmah and Da’ath – to masculine aspects and the Hebrew Sophia was no longer attributed to the Feminine. The Hierophantissa is most commonly represented in the Major Arcana cards of the Tarot. Her masculine counterpart is the Magician. She is the embodiment of unconscious intuitive and esoteric wisdom and the Magician is the embodiment of conscious power and worldly knowledge. The High Priestess is the keeper of all that is known and still waiting to be illuminated. She holds the harmonic equilibrium between light and dark, the beginning and the end. This is symbolically illustrated as the two pillars of Boaz and Yochim in the Temple of Solomon and can be revealed as the Hebrew letters Beth and Yod. Beth being the first letter of the first word of the Torah and Yod being the first letter of the last word of the Torah. There are too many misunderstandings and untold hidden truths within the Tarot teaching system, not least within the origins of the name of the ‘Tarot’ itself. The polarities of life and all that lies between, is contained within the Shekinah’s ‘pearls of wisdom’ and the High Priestess sits as Her guardian before these pillars of opposites at the entrance to the Temple of Mystery... The High Priestess is pure presence before the light and dark emerge. She is the one who crosses the void and brings as many as she can through the gates with her. The priestess abides by the laws of Spirit and is not chained by earthly matters. She knows her time on earth is temporary and focuses on the subtle realms of vibration and astral travel. The High Priestess is guided by pure intuition and her devotion to the Supreme Spirit. Her strength comes from the unending well of love energy that interconnects us all. As she continues discovering the mysteries of magick, she shares all experiences discovered in truth and love, to be shared with all beings that are receptive to her energy, art, and word. The priestess appears when one is dedicated to the continuous unfolding discovery of the truth of being. The High Priestess emerges when our fear of the unknown realms vanishes. She is the walker between the worlds of God and man. She has the quality of the ethers and the creative blooming of untainted imagination. As we move into pure inspiration, which is in direct alignment with the Source, we become free from the binds of all false selves. From this freedom blooms infinite wisdom within, that obliterates all veils of illusion. The realms of light we embody and travel upon reveal an unending portal of creativity that is now bursting forth in every aspect of our life. In this space, we can move majestically in freedom, guided by the laws of the universe. In this creatively expansive space, there is no attachment of outcome, as we are only abiding in the pure expression of the Divine, always alive and inspired. As we embody the High Priestess energy, the only interest we have is union with our pure God Self. We witness that by abiding in the Source, the whole world moves in divine harmony. Anxiety and fear leave our field because we are aware that what is done in these states is not original to the purity of our nature. As we move guided by the inner Spirit, we know that all which occurs can only be the Divine moving. Our alignment and integrity with our being in our total embodiment of the High Priestess will allow us to be the highest service to Mother Earth and all the inhabitants here and all lifeforms on lower and higher realms of existence. Let us open ourselves to the greater responsibilities that come with the higher realms we have entered. Green Tara /Laura Santi Sacred Art In the Myth of the Buddha when he was said to have broken down without hope to continue~ two tears fell from his face and Manifested White Tara with One~ and Green Tara with the other... Thoughts and Feelings are The Goddess too~ Everything just Frequencies of the Universal Experience that come to visit and pass through the Moment if we Allow. Practice is so we can notice where to unhang ourselves in the case we got caught up. Breathing deep and Knowing~ Love is All there Is... To an experienced practitioner - moving mind and still mind are the same things. No matter what appears, it is empty of nature. It is the play of primordial wisdom. Whenever thoughts arise they will be set free spontaneously. This is samadhi. This is naturally arisen primordially wisdom. Leave as is without fabrication. Just as a rope burned by fire cannot tie anything up, discursive thoughts no longer bind. Their nature is empty. What appears as thoughts is the very radiance of emptiness.  There is no difference between thoughts and emptiness. Nature of thoughts being empty, they should be understood as dharmakaya - true indestructible reality. Nothing to meditate upon. When you make corrections to ordinary thoughts it sets in motion the chain reaction of delusion. Don’t correct or modify anything. When you stray from leaving things just as they are, that itself is a delusion. All you need is to avoid wandering. The only point is to never wander while maintaining no object of focus whatsoever. If grasping thoughts are freed by themselves, the objects of grasping thoughts - forms, objects whatever - are also freed of their own accord. Sights such as beautiful or ugly forms, smells, joys and sorrows, friends and enemies, earth, water, fire wind and all the rest, whatever arises, whatever appears, leave it all just as is. Mindfulness should never be departed from compassion. At the start think your meditation is for all beings. At the end of your meditation dedicate the merit to all beings. Without compassion the root of practice is poison. ~ Patrul Rinpoche