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Introduction to Merkavah Mysticism - 3 of X - The Apocalyptic Matrix

Welcome to our Summer seminar on Merkavah Mysticism Hundreds of years prior to the rise of the Kabbalah, shaman-like rabbinic mystics were described as having made the terrifying and awe-inspiring descent into the Divine Palaces. There they met with and bypassed fearsome angels with magical codes, gained control over angelic powers, became transformed into beings of fire, gained vast wisdom and mounted the very throne of G!d to carefully measure the vast dimensions of the divine body. These experiences and their praxes are recorded in about 50 manuscripts now known as the Hekhalot (lit. palaces) literature. Outside of specialists this late-classical form of (a)(de)scent mysticism is poorly understood and little appreciated. In this course, we will explore the foundations, social origins, myth-world, praxes and the afterlife of Merkavah Mysticism. Course Syllabus: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1URUIb_AkZGM3hXzTnPFAwQYkZf_WgL0Q9wWWqSr2ug0/edit?usp=sharing Course Materials: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1-93Z0g92p4xMTFRjk5KznFvh65oRjFAo

Comments

Rik Murrietta

I really enjoyed this lecture. Very interesting and informative,

Avi (Firecrystal Scribe)

After the lecture and discussion on Sunday, I read some of the books of Enoch in Charlesworth. I found this quotation: "I, Enoch, was in the heaven of heavens. There I saw... a structure built of crystals; and between those crystals tongues of living fire." Enoch I, 71: 5-6 I was blown away by this for the following reason. In my personal esoteric/shamanic practice, over many years I was given visions that lead me to the image of the firecrystal. In fact, for the past 3 years or so I've embraced "The Firecrystal Scribe" as an archetypal image to expresses my personal mythopoetic identity. I'm certain I've had no conscious contact with this passage in the book of Enoch until now, so I doubt that these visionary images were conditioned by direct cultural transmission. The fact that such a clear description of the heavenly palace as a firecrystal has been there all along in a 2000-year old text is incredible to me.

Umi Dan Rotnem

Excellent as always. Thanks for that awesome list of apocalyptic literature - and your apology for that slide.

Umi Dan Rotnem

Anyone else’s ears prick up around the mystical experience of the unification of fire/ice (water)? I’m curious to keep an ear out for a some sort of void/unifying/regulating force as we go along and especially when we get into praxis. I’m thinking of later developments in Kabbalah (, five against five and the circumcision of the center, מאש, etc), alchemical/occult meditations and metaphysics. Or similar structures that appear in Daoist Alchemy. The evolution of nonduality in Mahayana Buddhism and related praxis. The Norse creation myth containing niflheim, muspelheim, ginnungagap. As far as I know this would be some very early (maybe the earliest?) evidence of that phenomenology/metaphysics/cosmology. Whatever the right term here is. And that’s exciting!

Avi Turetsky

Combining this class with your previous video on Marx, could I say that the religion of the west is Western Apocalyptism and its four major denominations are Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Marxism? ;-)

Sean McLaughlin

Oh oh it finally clicked! Apocalyptic is like science fiction genre - describing the future but really talking about the contemporary scene.

Craig Laferriere

Thank you for this informative and frankly delightful series on Merkavah Mysticism. It joins the dots on why there is so much overlap. Here is a question that has puzzled me. Jesus taught about the Kingdom, and the Zohar has pages and pages of exposition on the Malchut. Do these have their (shared) roots in older literature?

Michelle Dugan

In a sea of grifters, your classes are a much needed beacon. Thank you for the dedicated, no-nonsense opportunity to learn. I hope one day I can share it as effectively as you do, through art rather than word. Thanks very much!

Saskia Scott

And the four horsemen of the Apocalyptic are Moses, Jesus, Mohammed and Marx?

Patrick Columbo

Thank you Justin. Great Seminar. Appreciate you sharing this knowledge with us. I grew up on 58th st. and 2nd Ave. Next the “Queens Borough Bridge” and I lived in Crown Heights at age 19 and was taught Reiki by a neighbor. That apartment on 58th, at age 12 had a vision of Christ on my couch and now that I’m aware of that significance to my current life, my father had an Apolo burst on a podium and a life sized sculpture of a white goat placed under that bust. This is where I was standing when I had that vision at age 12. When you send Crown Heights and surrounded by Queens in the last part of this video, my ears perked up and immediately resonated with me.

Ash Anthony

This seminar series is fascinating. Thank yo for all the work you put into these.