New Backyard Professor video from Kerry Shirts

[Nathair/|\]

Brother Shirts makes some beautiful points about looking for truth wherever it can be found.

[Libs]

I just watched this whole video and it was really very interesting.

I agree with him about God revealing Himself to various people's in various ways. Agree that we shouldn't try to make other traditions fit in with our own.

I studied Kabbala many years ago. This video has made me want to get out my old lesson books and brushup on it a little.

[Maidservant]

God singing the earth into existence. Awesome.

[mfbukowski]

God singing the earth into existence. Awesome.

"In the beginning was the Word....."

Also, notice the THREE elements: compass, square, and LINE.

Sound familiar?

[cinepro]

I suspect I would get more out of these videos if I could stop thinking of Southern California television icon

.

[mfbukowski]

I suspect I would get more out of these videos if I could stop thinking of Southern California television icon

.

[volgadon]

I'd love to stand corrected, but I don't recall any of that (compass, circle, hexagram) in the Zohar.

[USU78]

I seem to remember this "singing the world into being" being in the first book of the Silmarillion.

With Melkor as the self-absorbed Wagnerian Tenor trying to drown out the chorus.

[Nathair/|\]

I'd love to stand corrected, but I don't recall any of that (compass, circle, hexagram) in the Zohar.

I'm pretty sure he's saying that it's the result of someone (I didn't catch her name, but it's the she/her he keeps referring to.) meditating on the Zohar and other Kabballistic literature.

[Mars]

I seem to remember this "singing the world into being" being in the first book of the Silmarillion.

With Melkor as the self-absorbed Wagnerian Tenor trying to drown out the chorus.

Illuvatar first created the Ainur, while singing their heavenly music brought Eä or Arda (world that is), Elves, and Men into existence. You are correct about Melkor, who realized what was happening and wanted the credit for the creation seeing as how it was his singing. He struggled with Illuvatar to 'lead' the choir and create his own music rather than Illuvatar's, and was eventually banished.

[George Miller]

I'm pretty sure he's saying that it's the result of someone (I didn't catch her name, but it's the she/her he keeps referring to.) meditating on the Zohar and other Kabballistic literature.

While not 100% sure, I believe Kerry is referring to the work of Leonora Leet. While Leet's work is definitely innovative and intriguing, it is also abundantly clear that her interpretations are also anachronistic and speculative well beyond the limits of her available data. Leets published works on Kabbalah were not published in scholarly journals or by academic presses, but instead published by the Inner Traditions publishing company which published many other books in the "New Age" tradition. While Leet is erudite, her material on Kabbalah would probably not have passed peer review. Kerry has been fond of her work for some time and was particular struck in the past by her arguments that various aspects of Quantum Mechanics are exemplified in Kabbalah.

[Bill Hamblin]

I'd love to stand corrected, but I don't recall any of that (compass, circle, hexagram) in the Zohar.

What Kerry is talking about does not come from the Zohar, but from Leonora Leet, Universal Kabbalah:

My link

I think it has more to do with reading new agey type sacred geometry into the Sefer Yetzirah.

[Nathair/|\]

While not 100% sure, I believe Kerry is referring to the work of Leonora Leet. While Leet's work is definitely innovative and intriguing, it is also abundantly clear that her interpretations are also anachronistic and speculative well beyond the limits of her available data. Leets published works on Kabbalah were not published in scholarly journals or by academic presses, but instead published by the Inner Traditions publishing company which published many other books in the "New Age" tradition. While Leet is erudite, her material on Kabbalah would probably not have passed peer review. Kerry has been fond of her work for some time and was particular struck in the past by her arguments that various aspects of Quantum Mechanics are exemplified in Kabbalah.

What Kerry is talking about does not come from the Zohar, but from Leonora Leet, Universal Kabbalah:

My link

I think it has more to do with reading new agey type sacred geometry into the Sefer Yetzirah.

Would you all recommend her work to someone wanting to become a hermetic magician?

[George Miller]

Would you all recommend her work to someone wanting to become a hermetic magician?

It is not exactly a book of practical Kabbalah that would be a guide to an aspiring hermetic magician. :pardon:

[Bill Hamblin]

Would you all recommend her work to someone wanting to become a hermetic magician?

No. Corpus Hermeticorum is the thing for you!

[mfbukowski]

What Kerry is talking about does not come from the Zohar, but from Leonora Leet, Universal Kabbalah:

My link

I think it has more to do with reading new agey type sacred geometry into the Sefer Yetzirah.

"New Age", in my book, is not necessarily bad if it is "true". We are, after all IN a new age.

Our buddy Walker just referenced this video on another thread.

More than a little coherence with what got Kerry excited, I'd say. The most relevant part for this discussion starts around 6 min 30 seconds.

[volgadon]

"New Age", in my book, is not necessarily bad if it is "true". We are, after all IN a new age.

For me at least that is not the issue. Claims were made regarding the teaching of a specific work of 13th century* kabbalists. New age or not then is very much an issue in this case.

For those interested, I think I've identified a possible source which Leets had misconstrued.

*While many of the individual elements in the Zohar might be older, the position that the Zohar itself predates the 13th century is untenable.

[mfbukowski]

For me at least that is not the issue. Claims were made regarding the teaching of a specific work of 13th century* kabbalists. New age or not then is very much an issue in this case.

For those interested, I think I've identified a possible source which Leets had misconstrued.

*While many of the individual elements in the Zohar might be older, the position that the Zohar itself predates the 13th century is untenable.

Sure- go for it!

But somehow this reminds me of the Book of Abraham and the "catalyst" argument.

Is there even truth in Leets' misunderstanding of "what is there?"

Perhaps a New Age "restoration"?? In some sense does it matter what the papyri "really said"?

[volgadon]

Sure- go for it!

But somehow this reminds me of the Book of Abraham and the "catalyst" argument.

Is there even truth in Leets' misunderstanding of "what is there?"

Perhaps a New Age "restoration"?? In some sense does it matter what the papyri "really said"?

Found this in the following article.

Circle, Point and Line

A Lurianic Myth in the Puerta del Cielo

Gerold Necker

However, an explanation of the ongoing complexity of the two structures

of Lurianic Sefirot-symbolism, the circles and the straight line (‘iggulim

ve-qav yashar), could hardly fit into the neoplatonic system at all. The starting

point in Lurianic tradition and in Herrera’s solution was nevertheless a similar,

or more precisely a mathematical one. In Hayyim Vital’s presentation of the

Lurianic Kabbalah we read as follows:

“We know from the science of geometry (hokhmat ha-shi‘ur) that there is no shape

(temunah) except the circle (ha-‘iggul) that is the same all over. This is not so with the

shape of a square, which has protruding corners, or with a triangle, or with any other

shape. Therefore, because the Infinite (En-sof) is uniform in all its measurements, as

we stated above, it had to contract itself in the form of a circle … It was because of the

emanations that were destined to be emanated later into the midst of that open, void,

and empty place that we described above. According to this explanation, the emanations

were shaped like circles so that all of them would be uniformly close and attached to

the Infinite that surrounds them uniformly … After the contraction that we described

above, the void, vacant, and empty space remained in the exact middle of the light of

the Infinite, as mentioned above. As a result, a place was already there for what would

be emanated, created, formed, and made [the four worlds aby”a]. Then one straight line

(qav ahad yashar) extended from the light of the Infinite, extending from its circle of

light, from above to below, descending and developing into that void.”29

The description starts with the observation that only the geometrical shape of

a circle meets the condition of having a uniform distance to all sides, because

the radius between the centre and every point on the circumference is fixed. The

second movement after the contraction of the Infinite is the extension (hitpashtut)

of the light of the Infinite in one straight line, which marks the transition

from the Infinite (En-sof) to the limited dimensions of space (“above and below,

front and back, East and West”30), and which forms Adam Qadmon. Since this

extension of the straight line becomes in its progress immediately “circular,

like a sphere (galgal)”31, the Sefirot have two aspects: “In one aspect they are

circular, in the form of ten circles inside each other. But they also had the other

aspect, consisting of ten linear sefirot in three lines, in the form of a human

being (‘adam) with head, arms, thighs, body, and feet”.32

29 The Tree of Life. Chayyim Vital’s Introduction to the Kabbalah of Isaac Luria: The

Palace of Adam Kadmon, translated and with an introduction by Donald Wilder Menzi, Zwe

Padeh, Northvale, New Jersey, Jerusalem: Jason Aronson Inc. 1999, pp. 14 f.; cf. Etz Hayyim,

Jerusalem 1890, Hekhal Alef, Sha’ar Alef, Anaf Beth, fol. 11b; cf. also Sefer sha’ar hahaqdamot,

Jerusalem 1909, fol. 6a,b.

30 Ibid., p. 16, cf. Etz Hayyim, fol. 11b.

31 Ibid.

32 Ibid., p. 11, cf. Etz Hayyim, fol. 11b. The detailed analysis of this Lurianic concept and its

later interpretation until R. Kook in Mordechai Pachter, “Circles and Straightness – a History

of an Idea” (Hebr.), Daat 18 (1987), pp. 59–90, starts with this citation from Etz Hayyim, fol.

11b; unfortunately, a discussion of Puerta del cielo is not included.

[Libs]

"New Age", in my book, is not necessarily bad if it is "true". We are, after all IN a new age.

Our buddy Walker just referenced this video on another thread.

More than a little coherence with what got Kerry excited, I'd say. The most relevant part for this discussion starts around 6 min 30 seconds.

Wow, I just watched all five parts. That was amazing!

[mfbukowski]

Found this in the following article.

Circle, Point and Line

A Lurianic Myth in the Puerta del Cielo

Gerold Necker

Fascinating!

Similar in some ways, but different than the Leets-

So if Lurianic that would make it more 16th century right?

I really wish I knew more about this stuff!

I see some "proxy" symbols here for the compass and square and line- you see any connections there? Honestly this is the kind of thing I could just lose myself in, but I know so little about it.

[volgadon]

Fascinating!

Similar in some ways, but different than the Leets-

The general idea in Lurianiac teaching is this. Ein-Sof (infinity) retracts himself from the world into a point which emanates his essences downward in a diminishing order.

Leets describes a process where the emanations extend in six directions and then form a hexagram and hexagon. The Lurianiac system of creation doesn't accomodate any geometry beyond lines, circles and points. To quote Hayyim Vital again:

"There is no shape (temunah) except the circle (ha-‘iggul) that is the same all over.

This is not so with the shape of a square, which has protruding corners, or with a triangle, or with any other shape.

Therefore, because the Infinite (En-sof) is uniform in all its measurements, as we stated above, it had to contract itself in the form of a circle...

It was because of the emanations that were destined to be emanated later into the midst of that open, void, and empty place that we described above.

According to this explanation, the emanations were shaped like circles so that all of them would be uniformly close and attached to the Infinite that surrounds them uniformly..."

The idea of a hexagram as symbolising the process of creation would have been quite foreign to Lurianic kabbalah. A circle is always the same. A triangle (let alone two) protrudes and is not the same all over. They also conceived of emanation beginning above and proceeding downwards. This is true of the Zohar as well, and also of non-Zoharic works, such as the liturgical poem Bar Yochai, which symbolises the ascendancy of Malchut.

R. Israel Saruq reconciles the difficulties in having a line and a circle by connecting it to the shape of the letter yod ( י ) which is a dot connected to a line.

So if Lurianic that would make it more 16th century right?

Mid 16th.

I really wish I knew more about this stuff!

The paper (and many others too) is available online. http://pluto.huji.ac.il/~mselio/dan.html

I see some "proxy" symbols here for the compass and square and line- you see any connections there? Honestly this is the kind of thing I could just lose myself in, but I know so little about it.

Perhaps, but it bears looking into what the kabbalists themselves were describing.

[Libs]

I thought it was interesting that in line theory (the 11th dimension or whatever it was) they believe the universe, itself, is circular and enclosed in a bubble shaped membrane, of sorts, that ripples and moves throughout space...and there are many of those "bubbles" out there. They sometimes come in contact with one another (collide) and (scientists believe) that could be the source of the "big bang", and the beginning of a new universe (when these universes collide). There are, potentially, an infinite number of those "circles" (universes) out there.

[mfbukowski]

The general idea in Lurianiac teaching is this. Ein-Sof (infinity) retracts himself from the world into a point which emanates his essences downward in a diminishing order.

Leets describes a process where the emanations extend in six directions and then form a hexagram and hexagon. The Lurianiac system of creation doesn't accomodate any geometry beyond lines, circles and points. To quote Hayyim Vital again:

"There is no shape (temunah) except the circle (ha-‘iggul) that is the same all over.

This is not so with the shape of a square, which has protruding corners, or with a triangle, or with any other shape.

Therefore, because the Infinite (En-sof) is uniform in all its measurements, as we stated above, it had to contract itself in the form of a circle...

It was because of the emanations that were destined to be emanated later into the midst of that open, void, and empty place that we described above.

According to this explanation, the emanations were shaped like circles so that all of them would be uniformly close and attached to the Infinite that surrounds them uniformly..."

The idea of a hexagram as symbolising the process of creation would have been quite foreign to Lurianic kabbalah. A circle is always the same. A triangle (let alone two) protrudes and is not the same all over. They also conceived of emanation beginning above and proceeding downwards. This is true of the Zohar as well, and also of non-Zoharic works, such as the liturgical poem Bar Yochai, which symbolises the ascendancy of Malchut.

R. Israel Saruq reconciles the difficulties in having a line and a circle by connecting it to the shape of the letter yod ( י ) which is a dot connected to a line.

Mid 16th.

The paper (and many others too) is available online. http://pluto.huji.ac.il/~mselio/dan.html

Perhaps, but it bears looking into what the kabbalists themselves were describing.

Ok thanks, and thanks for the link to the article! Please forgive my previous thick skulled density- I get what you have been saying now, and I see now how it really seems to be incompatible with what Kerry is talking about.

But then I found this:

In the Renaissance Period, in the 16th-century Land of Israel, the book Ets Khayim conveys the Kabbalah of Ha-Ari (Rabbi Isaac Luria) who arranges the traditional items on the seder plate for Passover into two triangles, where they explicitly correspond to Jewish mystical concepts. The six sfirot of the masculine Zer Anpin correspond to the six items on the seder plate, while the seventh sfira being the feminine Malkhut corresponds to the plate itself.[8][9][10]

However, these seder-plate triangles are parallel, one above the other, and do not actually form a hexagram,.[11]

According to G.S. Oegema (1996)

Isaac Luria provided the Shield of David with a further mystical meaning. In his book Etz Chayim he teaches that the elements of the plate for the Seder evening have to be placed in the order of the hexagram: above the three sefirot "Crown", "Wisdom", and "Insight", below the other seven.[12]

Similarly, M. Costa[year needed][page needed] wrote that M. Gudemann and other researchers in the 1920s claimed that Isaac Luria was influential in turning the Star of David into a national Jewish emblem by teaching that the elements of the plate for the Seder evening have to be placed in the order of the hexagram Gershom Scholem (1990) disagrees with this view, arguing that Isaac Luria talked about parallel triangles one beneath the other and not about the hexagram.[13]

The Star of David at least since the 20th century remains associated with the number seven and thus with the Menorah, and popular accounts[unreliable source?] associate it with he six directions of space plus the center (under the influence of the description of space found in the Sefer Yetsira: Up, Down, East, West, South, North, and Center), or the Six Sefirot of the Male (Zeir Anpin) united with the Seventh Sefirot of the Female (Nukva).[14]

And now I am totally confused!

This seems to take it at least down the road that Leets has taken- but as usual I don't know enough to be able to tell if what Leets says is a total fabrication.

Could it be that others took it farther than Luria, even maybe after his death?

[Nathair/|\]

Here's the next installment in the series.