Thus, Shekhinah
appears as the manifestation of God, which it is possible to
know as men. That could be characterised through some
peculiarities which perfectly agree with those we have
mentioned in the present work.
First of all, the
Shekhinah fits well with the Spirit of God. Like it, She (it
is obviously a female noun) bestowed the divine grace upon
the Prophets. The Talmud claims that Shekhinah is All
Pervading like God Himself (B.T. Sanhedrin 39a.)
Nevertheless, She was frequently associated with specific
places and persons (B.T. Shabbat 92a) especially with the
Prophets: Moses (B.T. Sotah 11a, 12b; Sanhedrin 11a; Yev,
62a; Shabbat 87a) and other outstanding personalities to
whom She granted the gift of prophecy (B.T. Yoma' 9b;
Sanhedrin 11a; 15b.) She is said to rest only upon the
righteous and depart from the unworthy ones (B.T. Sotah 3b;
Yoma' 22b; Pesahim 117 a; Sanhedrin 103b.) She also grants
protection (B.T. Yev 48; shabbat 31a.) As in the case of the
Holy Ghost, the Shekhinah descends only when the believers
are gathered. Thus, when a quorum of ten men (Minyan) are
assembled in prayer (B.T. Berakhot 6a.)
Its form of
manifestation reminds us of the Holy Spirit: fire
("fire that eats fire": B.T. Yoma 21b), light,
more radiant than the sun, shining upon the righteous in
heaven (B.T. Sanhedrin 39a; Hul. 60 a; B.B. 10a), or even
the vibrations of the sound (B.T. Hag. 15b; also
Lamentations Rabbah.) In the Targum, as in the Talmud,
Midrash and many medieval mystical texts, Shekhinah was
equated with Kavod (=glory of God), heir to the biblical
"cloud of glory" that dwelt in the sanctuary as a
visible manifestation of God (Numbers 9-10.)
In the Talmud She
is clearly associated with Ruah ha-Qodesh (=Holy Spirit)
(Joshua Abelson, The Immanence of God in Rabbinical
Literature, London 1912.) The demiurge character of
Shekhinah is also connected with the 13th century
kabbalistic text of Zohar. The creation is described as
occurring through a series of Sefirot (=emanations) that
emerge from the Hidden God, who is Ein Sof (=endless,
infinite.) Thus, the Shekhinah is identified with the
feminine Malkhut (=kingdom.)
As a divine
hypostasis, the Shekhinah emerged (in the 13th cent.) as a
"quasi-independent feminine element" within God,
envisioned as a Queen, Princess, Bride and Matrona (=Lady.)
She comes after the ninth emanation of God named Yeshod
(=Foundation) (Gershom Scholem, On The Kabbalah and Its
Symbolism, New York, 1965.) The reader will easily recognize
here: the Avatars (or Sefirots, i.e. emanations), and Jesus
as the ninth Avatar (Yeshod connected directly with Yeshoda/Yeshu
— Krishna/Christ; see chapter. XIX B), while the following
Avatar had to be the incarnation of the Holy Spirit (Shekhinah),
announcing the tenth male Avatar of Vishnu as Kalki. At the
same time Jesus is also Ganesha who governs the Mooladhara
(lit. "root of the support", i.e. the foundation.)
According to Zohar, the Shekhinah is not only the Daughter
but also The Mother and thus She becomes a symbol of
"eternal womanhood." As such She assumes countless
images and names (apud. Scholem.)
As in the case of
the Virgin Mary from which originated a deep form of popular
worship, Scholem (Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism, 1941;
reprint New York 1961) has shown that the concept of
Shekhinah was not only the most significant and lasting
innovation of medieval kabbalastic literature, but also
responded to a "deep-seated religious need" among
the Jewish people maintaining its widespread popular
recognition. In his turn Arthur Green (Heschel, 1993)
credits the fact that Shekhinah as the feminine element of
God came out of the conviction that both Man and Women were
created in the image of God. As far as the popular devotion
towards Shekhinah is concerned, it is to report here that
the traditional blessings: "Barukh attah Adonai"
(Blessed are Thou, O Lord) comes to be altered into "Barukh
Yah Shakhinah" (Blessed are Thou, Shekhinah) (apud
Response; A Contemporary Jewish Review, 1982, nos. 41-42.)
The infant Moses is
depicted in the arms of an unnamed woman on the wall of a
third century synagogue in Dura-Europos (south-eastern
Syria.) Contrary to the opinion of Erwin R. Goodenough
(Jewish Symbols of the Graeco-Roman Period, New York 1964)
that woman was not the Iranian Goddess Anahita but rather
the Shekhinah (Raphael Patai, The Hebrew Goddesses, New York
1967.) Thus it becomes the earliest extant representation of
Shekhinah in a feminine physical form.
Last but not the
least, it is worth mentioning that Patai and others have
compared the Shekhinah to the Virgin Mary, since both appear
as feminine manifestations that created a link between God
and the material world... .
It should be
pointed out from the very beginning the Scripture
distinguished between two kinds of baptism: the water
baptism made by John for repentance and the baptism with the
Holy Spirit and fire made by Jesus which is the real
baptism. Jesus received His Power through the baptism with
the Holy Spirit. Immediately after His baptism He started
working miracles.
While in the Temple
in Jerusalem, Jesus was asked by the chief priests, the
scribes and the elders: "By which authority doest Thou
these things and who gave Thee this authority, that Thou
shouldest do these things?" And Jesus answering said to
them: "I also ask you one thing ... the baptism of
John, was it of heaven or of men?" (Mark 11:27-30) The
question received no reply.
The Saviour told
His disciples: "Ye will receive power, the Holy Spirit
having come upon you" (Acts 1:8.) While waiting for the
Day of Pentecost, Jesus ordered them: "Do ye remain in
the city till ye be clothed with power from on high"
(Luke 24:49.)
The ritual of the
water baptism deviated from the Hebrew tradition of the
flesh sacrifice, in sign of the covenant made by Abraham
with God: "Every male among you be circumcised"
(Genesis 17:10.)
The water immersion
originated in India and it is still practised by the Hindus
as fervently as it was thousands of years ago. Manu's second
book of laws, dedicated to the sacraments, contained the
command of pouring holy water upon a new-born baby before
cutting the umbilical cord and of afterwards putting a
mixture of honey, clarified butter (ghee) and salt on his
tongue with the help of a golden spoon while mantras were
being uttered. This practice is also in use throughout India
today. The Atharva-Veda says: "Whoever has not been
cleansed with the Ganges' water, will be subject to as many
wanderings as the number of years spent in the
uncleanness" (the wanderings refer to the punitive
reincarnations of the spirit.)
The prophet
Zechariah was known to baptize with water during the
pre-Christian period, when Darius ruled. During the same
time, the water baptism was also practised by the Essenes.
But what made John's baptism unique was that, beyond the
immersion ritual, there was a moral purification implied.
The water baptism
performed by John was only "for repentance":
"He came ... preaching [the] baptism of
repentance" (Luke 3:3; also Matthew 3:1-2; Mark 1:4.)
He said: "I indeed baptise you with water to
repentance, but He that comes after me shall baptise you
with [the] Holy Spirit and fire" (Matthew 3:11; Luke
3:16; also Mark 1:8; John 1:33.)
Not only the Water
element but also the Fire was known to have cleansing
powers. This is in current use with Hinduism and other
spiritual fields but also with the Old Testament. "I .
. . will thoroughly purge away thy dross and take away all
thine alloy" (Isiah 1:25.) "I will bring the third
part into the fire, and will refine them as silver is
refined and will try them as gold is tried" (Zechariah
13:9.) The conception of Purgatory, typical for the catholic
dogma, was based on it. Beyond this primitive level of
understanding the Bible, which has usually stopped at the
literal text, still had the deeper meaning of the Scripture;
here, the fire symbolises the Kundalini energy that is the
expression of the Holy Spirit.
The term "fire
baptism" that is commonly used nowadays, originally
referred to the martyrdom of the Christians sent to death
for their belief. It was a substitute of the water baptism
that they had not had time to receive.
The sprinkling with
water was mentioned in the Old Testament where God said:
"I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be
clean; from all your uncleanness will I cleanse you"
(Ezekiel 36:25.) But not only that: "I will put My
Spirit within you" (Ezekiel 36:27; also Joel 2:28.) The
position of Jesus towards baptism was strict since it could
not be devoid of the work of the Holy Spirit. Thus, the
Saviour clearly delimited it from the water baptism made by
John for repentance. "For John indeed baptised with
water, but ye shall be baptised with the Holy Spirit after
now not many days" (Acts 1:5; 11:16.)
Through this Christ
actually announced the day of Pentecost. From the fact that
baptism granted power, it was beyond any doubt that the Holy
Spirit descended upon the baptized person. Or the later was
called the twice-born (dvija, in Sanskrit) or enlightened
one (Buddha) in Yoga. The state of Yoga, Self-Realization or
the awakening (activation) of Kundalini was thus obtained.
The Gospel of
Philip (11:3) was not far from the same interpretation:
"Truth did not come into the world naked, but it came
in types and images. The world will not receive the truth in
other way. There is a rebirth and an image of rebirth. It is
certainly necessary to be born again through the image.
Which one? Resurrection. The image must rise through the
image. The bridal chamber and the image must enter through
the image into the truth; this is the restoration ... The
Lord [did] everything in a mystery, a baptism and a chrism
and an eucharist and a redemption and a bridal chamber"
(16:9-30) To make the concepts more clear, the gospel
continued: "Baptism is the 'holy building'. Redemption
is the 'holy of the holy'. 'The holy of the Holies' is the
bridal chamber. Baptism includes the resurrection [and the]
redemption: the redemption [takes place] in the bridal
chamber. But the bridal chamber is in that which is superior
to [ ...]" (69:22-29.) "Those called 'the holy
of the hollies' [ ...] veil was rent [ ...] bridal
chamber except the image [ ...] above. Because of this its
veil was rent from the top to bottom. For it was fitting for
some from below to go upwards" (6:34-37; 70:1-4.) As
previously shown (chapt. XX C4), the Sahasrara or the
Kingdom of heavens is nothing else other than the bridal
chamber or the holy of the holies that lies above all the
other chakras; actually above the entire body (the image is
the subtle body; or sometimes Kundalini) because it is on
the top of the head. The rent of the veil is the awakening
(resurrection) of Kundalini (some from below — since it is
at the bottom of the spinal cord) to go upwards until it
reaches the Sahasrara. This is the redemption that occurs in
the bridal chamber. Here is the significance of the baptism
that included the resurrection and the redemption.
As opposed to
Indian custom, the baptism of new-born babies was a
relatively late ritual in Christianity. Initially, it was
done once a year, before Easter, when the catechumen (the
one which was called up), who was preparing for the baptism
had already fasted (hence purified) for forty days. The
ritual itself included a number of exorcizing techniques,
making the cross sign on the forehead and putting salt in
the mouth (the same as in the Indian ritual; see above.) The
priest blew over the candidate's face, touched his lips and
ears with saliva and put an ointment on his chest and back.
On the day of the third exorcism, the candidate said the
Creed or Our Father and then was completely immersed into a
special pool. Many of those practices are already frequently
done by Yogis, i.e. those who have had their Kundalini
energy activated. When, however, literally taken from the
Scripture without a proper understanding and mechanically
applied by persons in whom Kundalini is not yet active, such
techniques are devoid of any meaning and value, just as it
happens in the ordinary baptism that has become an empty
ritual. The breathing over the face showed that the
awakening of Kundalini was like breeze or a breath felt,
however, on the top of the head and in the centre of the
palms! The Lord's prayer is a powerful mantra to open the
Agnya chakra and the touching on the chest and back (on the
chakras actually) have the same purpose. But, when all these
are done by a person in whom Kundalini is still inactive,
they have no effect at all. It was Evdokimov (quoted work)
who rightfully said: "The way will only be opened
through the baptism ex Spiritu Sancto."
The way is the
Sushumna and the opening implies the awakening of all the
chakras through the rising of the Kundalini.
The emerging out
from the water (original cosmic matrix) after immersion
symbolises the second birth from which resulted a purified
being, connected to the divine source of new life. It is the
liberation from all earthly conditionings and the rebirth of
the spirit in a pure body. The Kundalini is the living water
that Jesus and the Gnostics told about.
With some Native
American tribes, the second birth was connected to the cult
of Mother Earth. Smohalka, a native American prophet from
the Umatilla tribe, described the ritual where it was said:
"Shall I ever enter Her body again to be born
again?" (Bala, Chetan, pp. 34-35.)
That was also the
dilemma of Nicodemus, one of the leading Pharisees who was
told by Jesus: "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except
any one to be born anew he cannot see the Kingdom of
God." Nicodemus says to Him: "How can a man be
born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into the
womb of his mother and be born?" (John 3:3-4) To which
Jesus replied: "Except any one be born of water and of
Spirit, He cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. That which
is born of flesh is flesh; and that which is born of Spirit
is spirit" (John 3:5-6.) The Gospel of Philip says:
"Spirit mingles with spirit, and thought consorts with
thoughts, and [light] shares [with light. If you (sing.)]
are born a human being, it is [the human being] who will
love you. If you become [a spirit], it is the spirit which
will be joined to you. If you become thought, it is thought
which will mingle with you. If you become light, it is light
which will share with you. (78:28-79:3.) Yogis become one
with the Spirit (Atma), they become the Spirit. This is only
in this way that the Kundalini (manifestation of the Holy
Spirit) will encounter the Atma. The rebirth is the birth of
the Spirit, that is the enlightenment granted by the
Kundalini, the manifestation of the divine spirit. In order
to remove any trace of doubt about its significance, Jesus
continued by mentioning the breeze felt by everyone when the
Kundalini has been awakened: "The wind blows where it
will, and thou hearest its voice, but knowest not whence it
comes and where it goes; thus is every one that is born of
the Spirit" (John 3:8.) After which He reminded us that
Moses lifted up the serpent, that was a symbol of the
raising of the Kundalini... .
L. Heart wrote:
"Kundalini has been protected against the curiosity of
the masses through a strict esotericism along centuries.
Nevertheless, thousands of pages would be needed to quote
the initiary texts that glorified it or to present the
symbols used by art and architecture to render it."
Let us, however,
mention the notable orientalist, Theofil Simenschy (Cultura
si filosofia indiana in texte si studii/Indian culture and
philosophy in texts and studies, Bibliotheca orientalists,
Bucharest 1978, vol. I, p. 40): One drastically needs to be
initiated by a proper master in order to grasp the mystical
teachings. This is the reason why, most of the time, a
European does not understand almost anything from its
esoterical (secret) teaching as we find it, for instance, in
the Upanishads or in the philosophy called Yoga"
Closer to us in
time and space, Aristotle reserved his more special doctrine
to a couple of chosen disciples, one of whom was Alexander
the Great. Jesus Himself, as the Bible says, imparted secret
doctrine to His disciples only:
"The disciples
came up and said to Him: "Why speakest Thou to them in
parables?" And He answering them: "Because to you
it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heavens,
but to them it is not given"" (Matthew 13:10-11;
see also Mark 4:10-11; Luke 8:9-10.) "Many other signs
there fore also Jesus did before His disciples, which are
not written in this book" (John 20:30; see also 21:25.)
It was frequently
said that Jesus' words were not even understood by the
apostles themselves: "Peter answering said to Him:
"Expound to us this parable." But He said:
"Are ye also still without intelligence?""
(Matthew 15:15-16; see also 16:9; Mark 4:22-24; 6:52; 7:18;
8:17,21; 9:10,32; 10:38; Luke 2:50; 9:45; 18:34; 24:25,45;
John 10:6; 12:16.) The New Testament epistles often
mentioned the hidden things revealed to the prophets, saints
and apostles by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 3:3-5,9; see also
1:9; 6:19; Romans 16:25; Corinthians 2:7; 4:1; Colossians
1:26; 2:2; 4:3.)
A strict protection
of the spiritual secrets would later characterise the
Christian church. Irenaeus (a 130-202) showed that the
tradition had not been conveyed by the written but by the
spoken word and implied the "mysterious secrets
preached by the apostles to the perfect ones, without the
others to know" (Adversus Haeresis III 2.1; 3.1.) This
was not, however an exclusive privilege since, according to
Origen (A.D.185-254): "The fact that certain doctrines
are kept hidden from the masses in order to be revealed only
after the transmission of the exoterical teachings, is not
specific to the Christian religion only" (Contra Celsum.)
And Cyrill of Jerusalem (A.D. 315-380) mentioned: "We
do not openly speak about mysteries even in front of the
catechumens; we do often talk, however, about many things in
a covered way, so that those believers who know, should
understand and those who do not know, should not be
shocked" (Catech. 6.29.) Pseudo-Dionysius the
Areopagite wrote in the 5th century: "See that none
from the non-initiated should hear these things" (Theologica
mistica, 2.)
We can, by no
means, guess at the mysteries preserved in the archives of
the famous and hardly accessible Vatican library. Very few
people have had the chance to reach them and even fewer have
revealed what they found. Many of them have taken these
secrets to their graves."
Dan Costian, Bible
Enlightened