Serving the ideals of the Rosicrucian Movement

Kabala Library

KABALA SERIES

Kabalistic Prayer Part 5

by Jack Courtis

If prayer is the deliberate setting into motion of the hidden processes of the kosmos, then the Beatitudes certainly fit that description. They are a blueprint of our conscious spiritual evolution to enable us to enter the path of self-actualisation and self-realisation. They are a statement of who we shall be when we have fully rectified our vehicle of consciousness, spirit, on the level of reality Briah/Creation. We can use them for a variety of spiritual exercises: concentration, meditation, contemplation and visualisation. Thus we can orient ourselves to God by knowledge, love and sacrifice; thereby always acting in accordance with the will of the Divine spark. Let us now consider the Beatitudes, or Blessings:

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1 Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven

This statement is the polarity of who we are and what we shall receive. We are poor in spirit and have great need. We desire life, light and love. To bless is to transfer these three attributes from the Divine spark to our present state of consciousness. The Kingdom of heaven is the qualitatively different state of being where the Divine spark is. If we feel the great lack of, and desire the three attributes, we shall be blessed by experiencing the transfer, provided........we have done the work. What work is that? The 10 Commandments and the Lord’s Prayer - performed as the deliberate setting into motion of the hidden forces of the kosmos.

If we have done all that, a "Jacob’s Ladder" is established that links our vehicles of consciousness spirit, soul and body. Then we are flooded with Light.

Try using this statement as a mantra and at the same time, visualise a brilliant white light at Keter on your Tree of Life.

2 Blessed are they that mourn; for they shall be comforted

They that mourn: are those seeking what they lack and desire it with great intensity. That is all of us. They shall be comforted: means that eventually we shall all find that which we seek. Illumination is the only comfort; nothing less will do. But we shall not find it merely by aimless wandering. We must desire with passion, and...........do the work.

Whilst using this statement as a mantra, visualise the white brilliance of Keter transfering to ("blessing") Chakhmah on your Tree.

3 Blessed are the meek; for they shall inherit the Earth

Since when have cowards ever been rewarded? The spiritual quest begun with the 10 Commandments, continued with the Lord’s Prayer and now experienced with the Beatitudes, requires courage of above average kind. The very absurdity points to the true meaning. The meek: are neither the weak, passive, or cowardly, nor those who will not fight for what is right. Rather, the meek are those who are open and receptive to the Light. They will not block or resist the flow of inspiration and intuition. The Earth in this context, is our ordinary state of consciousness when utterly transformed.

To be meek is to accept the will of the Divine spark. Use this mantra and visualise the continuation of the flow of the Light to Binah on your Tree.

4 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they shall be filled

To be filled with the Light, we must desire it with passion, with hunger and thirst; not the lukewarm response we normally give. The search will be long and hard but we shall find our heart’s desire. Righteousness: is more than what is right by moral standards, because morals are relative. We search for the will of the Divine spark. That is universal, always true and absolute.

To flood your consciousness with spiritual energies, use this mantra as you visualise the flow of Light into Chesed on your Tree.

5 Blessed are the merciful; for they shall obtain mercy

In terms of human relationships, if we show mercy (tolerance, understanding, compassion) towards others, they will show the same towards us. This is karma. More subtly, this step is Gevurah on the Tree of Life, the aspect of severity. Yet here is the place where we are asked to demonstrate mercy. These are opposites that we must reconcile. This is no time for pedantic left brain hair splitting. We must show mercy in the very part of our being that is kosmically designed for severity, the opposite of mercy.

Mercy is not an intellectual construct. It comes from our love aspect. Use this mantra as you visualise brilliant Light in Gevurah on your Tree.

6 Blessed are the pure in heart; for they shall see God

This is Tiferet, the heart of the Tree of Life. The pure in heart have the aura and Heart psychic centre (in their vehicle of consciousness soul) cleansed, awakened and balanced. This is not a romantic cliche. This can only occur when the work has been done. There is nothing given if nothing is not first offered. This is not about "feel good" laziness. This is to orient ourselves to God by love.

To see God is to become aware of the Divine spark, to feel the Light and to see it in ourselves and others. This is very hard when we do not like ourselves. That is why mercy comes before this step.

First we must examine and rectify our motives, intentions and aspirations. Then using this mantra, visualise the Light in Tiferet.

7 Blessed are the peacemakers; for they shall be called the children of God

Externally, peacemakers settle conflicts and disputes between people. They bring about social peace and integration. Internally, they bring peace and harmony between their vehicles of consciousness. Only then can they do the work of the Divine spark; be its children.

If we strive for peace in a personal, interpersonal and transpersonal sense, we shall be "blessed" with the transfer of life, light and love from the Divine spark.

This is Netzach on the Tree, the place of desire. Use the mantra with desire and see the flow of Light into this aspect of your being

8 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake; for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven

To be persecuted in this sense, we must be willing to suffer, to experience hardship and pain, for what we know to be right. We must make a great effort of will. It is quite simple, if we do not have the courage and strength to strive for what is right, we will not be able to carry out the will of the Divine spark. We must develop these qualities before the Light will flow to us, "bless" us.

This step is very important because here we can speed up our evolution, pay off our karmic debts and grow spiritually, by accepting trials, afflictions and persecutions. If we obey the Divine spark, we shall be misunderstood and persecuted by society.

This is Hod on the Tree. See the Light as you use this mantra.

9 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsley for my sake

When we make the conscious decision to accelerate our spiritual growth, we leave the broad road that is easy. We take the narrow path that is steep and hard. Here, there are few companions along the way. We shall have trials, tests, hardships and tribulations that will fall upon us from every side. We shall be reviled. We shall compress in a few months or years the experiences or lessons of several lifetimes. We shall be tried and tested beyond the endurance of "normal" people. Our values and basic principles will change in our awareness and in our overt behaviour. We shall live not according to the values of society, but of the Divine spark. Is it any wonder we shall be reviled?

Society will fear and attack us because we refuse to conform to its standards. We shall further develop our strength, determination and will. Once the ordeal is over, we shall manifest higher states of consciousness.

This is Yesod on the Tree, our subconscious aspect. Shed Light upon it and use the mantra.

10 Rejoice and be exceeding glad; for great is your reward in Heaven.

This is the karmic reward. The Light flows into Malkhut as you use the mantra. Do it now. You have direct and intimate relationship with the Divine spark. All else is meaningless words.

By now, if you have come this far in these articles, you will have realised that there is an uncompromising commitment involved in prayer. But can there be anything else? After all prayer is the deliberate setting into motion of the hidden processes of the kosmos.

In the final article of this series we shall look at the greatest prayer of all.

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