The Eternal Jew’s Tale, #165, Abarbanel 4.2

In this episode I present one of the meditation practices in the lost (until now) book, The Ladder of Ascents, composed by Don Isaac Abarbanel, Saadia Meeshon, the Eternal Jew, and his wife Batkol.

The Eternal Jew’s Tale
Twentieth Era, Part 4, ~1483 C.E., Iberia

The Abarbanel Cycle, 4.2
The Ladder of Ascents, 2
Compiled by Isaac Abarbanel
With the help of the Eternal Jew and his wife Batkol

1.3 The First Palace, its Third Gate
Preparations for the Ascent

There are four courtyards inside this Gate for those who want to open their eyes, or those who have heard the breakers roar and want to find their way to the Sea. Come and see if the path is too steep, or just a short step to the Infinite World, or maybe it’s all a trickster’s path, or illusions and lies for a coven of fools.

First Courtyard, Verses of Song

Gleaned out of our holy books, blessings, breathings, questions, and flows to take the novice to the first rung, and from there to each higher rung.

*Sh’ma Yisroyel* is the core verse. All six words interweave from the Adam of us to the Holy Name. Letter — word — sentence — thought — understanding — awakening. Breath — note — chord — phrase — melody — song — symphony.
*-* essential 6 word prayer: Hear Yisroyel, God your (Judge), God is One.

These are the phases in the first rung, the first corona ringing it, the literal meanings and the layers of them, diffractions of light on the borders of you.

1. Pay attention! There is One God.
2. Yisroyel, know that our God is the one and only God of All.
3. You! Listen to the One God.
4. Yisroyel, listen very closely, to hear the God speaking in your soul.
5. Yisroyel, are you hearing now? The God that is speaking the soul into you is speaking all of the Heavenly Host.
6. Yisroyel, listen! The God you hear is in you and for you and one with you.

And these are the phases in the first rung, its second corona ringing it, it’s breathing into and out of you as you repeat the Sh’ma in chant, inspiring you, aspiring you.

Inhale, a deep breath. Then say ‘Sh’ma’ for as long as you can. Slowly exhale the sound of it. Inhale another long, deep breath and say ‘Yisroyel’ long and slow. Repeat until the prayer is done.

Now repeat, imagining you are a shofar being blown, each word a long note. Inhale, exhale, word by word, a single steady musical note. Now repeat, chanting it in a melody of six notes, each word a single note. Create the melody note by note, spontaneously as you chant. Now repeat, chanting it spontaneously with many notes, creating a tune in every word. Now reverse thru all these steps until you simply say each word in a long slow extended breath.

Repeat this ritual many times until you dissolve into your breath, and your breath dissolves into pure sound, and the sound dissolves into the air, and you are Nefesh filling the world.

And these are the phases of the first rung, its third corona ringing it: Recite the Sh’ma as a single phrase, all six words in a long exhale. Recite, chant, or sing its words and visualize two red snakes — a Greek caduceus coiling around your body, one to the left, one to the right, while you stand. Practice this until you see the snakes gliding upwards effortlessly, symmetrically coiling you. Then perceive the two snakes, one silver, one gold, while you slowly chant the Sh’ma. Now perceive the two snakes as the letters of the prayer. Continue chanting as you see the coil tighten above your head and you enter the coiled words, your body now the coiling words flowing upwards, then turning down in two streams, in curving arcs along a circle til they meet below and coil upward again. Now see the whole as a fiery disk with the center axis coiling while you slowly chant the Sh’ma. This is the Second Palace Gate that you will enter when you may.

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In the next episode I’ll return to more narrative selections from The Ladder of Ascents.