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[Tau Malachi]

The Vision Quest of Elijah: Gadol Navi Eliyahu

There is a story of Elijah, the great prophet of Israel, being guided to sanctuary and fed by ravens, and then being guided to a widow and her son, with whom he stays and for whom he performed two wonders – according to masters of the tradition this is intimately connected to Elijah’s journey to Horeb to meet with Ha-Shem, and therefore often the stories are joined together as a teaching on vision quest.

With God’s blessing and grace, we can take up a sacred discourse on the way of vision quest, seeking to draw out the teachings on vision quest in this story of Elijah, the Gadol Navi of ancient Israel who comes as the Navi Yohanan the Baptist with the advent of the Holy Messiah.

The story begins as Elijah is sent to an unrighteous and idolatrous king, Ahab, to prophesy in judgment, invoking the power of Gevurah through the pronouncement of the Great Name, and then Elohim of Israel. He says to the king, “As Yahweh the Elohim of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall neither be dew nor rain these years, except by my word” (1 Kings 17:1).

Invocations of the Pillars of Judgment & Mercy

At the outset of a vision quest the navi speaks gevurot, binding and banishing the klippotic forces, and in what Elijah speaks to Ahab, who represents the chieftain of the dominion of the klippot (or the demiurge), is a secret to invoking the force of the Pillar of Judgment or Pillar of Mercy, for as we shall see he also invokes Hasidim, mercies and blessings, in the same way.

Essentially, no soul can withstand the full force of the Pillar of Mercy or Pillar of Judgment. Thus when a navi or wonderworker invokes gevurot or hasidim they bind their soul to the Sefirot of the Middle Pillar, and unified with the Middle Pillar, abiding in it, they reach out and bind their soul to a Sefirah of the Pillar of Mercy or Pillar of Severity, thus tempering the influx (shefa) of the Sefirah being invoked. Here, for the sake of gevurot, Elijah unifies his soul with Yahweh, Tiferet, and then invokes the influx of Gevurah; as we shall see with the widow to whom he is sent, he does exactly the same, but for the widow and her son he invokes the influx of Hesed. In this we understand that to invoke and influx from the Sefirot of the Pillar of Mercy or Pillar of Judgment in a Triad of Sefirot, first we unify our soul with the Sefirah of that Triad in the Middle Pillar, and then we bind our soul to the Sefirah we are invoking, either from the Pillar of Mercy or Pillar of Judgment.

Thus, to call upon the Divine Power of Hod or Netzach – Elohim Tzavaot or Yahweh Tzavaot, we would unify our soul with Yesod, Shaddai or El Shaddai (or El Hai), and then we would call upon the Name of Elohim Tzavaot or Yahweh Tzavaot. As we see with Baal Shem Elijah, to call upon Elohim or El, Gevurah or Hesed, we would first bind our soul to Yahweh, Tiferet, and likewise to call upon Binah or Hokmah, the greater force of Elohim or Yah, respectively, we would unify our soul with Da’at, Yahweh Elohim (that or we would rise to Keter Elyon, unifying our soul with either Eheieh or El Elyon).

As much as tempering the influxes of the Pillars of Mercy and Judgment, this serves to activate their Divine Powers and to bring their Power into the Middle Pillar, which then allows us to bring that Divine Power down into the Holy Shekinah, Malkut.

If you cleave to the Messiah and Shekinah of Messiah, calling upon the Names of God through the power of the Blessed Name, and you invoke with full devekut and kavvanah, and with clear and conscious intention, whatever you ask, whatever you speak, will come to pass as you speak it; only you must be certain that what you speak accords with Ratzon Elyon, for otherwise, rather than by the power of God, it will be by the power of your life and soul that you work a wonder, and it will be a breech of the Third Commandment, for you will have taken the Name of God in vain.

The Messiah and Shekinah of Messiah are the Power of the Middle Pillar – unifying your soul with the corresponding Sefirah of the Middle Pillar, and then with the corresponding Sefirah of the Pillar of Mercy or Judgment, the influx you seek will be invoked; then, inwardly you must only draw it down into the Shekinah, Malkut, inwardly invoking the corresponding Names of God as you bring it down. According to the masters of the tradition, Elijah speaks the unification and binding outwardly, but inwardly he invokes Shaddai and Adonai bringing the influx down into the Holy Shekinah, the Shekinah becoming manifest as the influx invoked, the judgment.

The empowerment to call upon Ha-Shem in this way, of course, is dependent upon tending the “Flame of the Continuum” – the daily spiritual life and practice, and walking in beauty and holiness, in communion with Ha-Shem and the Holy Shekinah; unless a person abides in the Holy Continuum, the Life Divine, they should not expect to call upon the Names of God and have their prayers answered, for with their heart and soul, mind and life, they do not cleave to the Holy One and Shekinah, and they are not aligned and in harmony with the Holy One – likewise, they have not generated the energy or merit that allows a soul to unify itself with the Name of God.

Here we must say, prophecy and wonders are in the worship of God – they come by way of a passionate mystical worship through which Ruach Ha-Kodesh rests upon us, bringing about prophecy and wonders; divination and magic that transpires by any other means is, by definition, sorcery or black magic as understood in the teachings of the Holy Scriptures.

Now, at the outset of a vision quest we invoke the Divine Power of the Pillar of Judgment to bind and banish klippotic forces, and to purify ourselves of them; this is the same as the first and last step in wonderworking ceremonies – we enact a ceremony of purification or banishing at the beginning and the end, sealing the working in the Divine Light and in God, and removing all alien influences of the archons and shedim (demons).

When Elijah invokes the Pillar of Judgment, following his invocation it is written:

“The word of Yahweh came to him, saying, ‘Go from here and turn eastward, and hide yourself by the Wadi Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. You shall drink from the wadi, and I have commanded ravens to fed you there.’ So he went and did according to the word of Yahweh; he went and lived by the Wadi Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank from the wadi” (1 Kings 17:2-6).

Walking A Direction

In vision quest, first a navi invokes gevurot and purifies themselves so that they can be open and sensitive to the angels of God and the Spirit of God, as well as the spirits of tzaddikim, to receive guidance in their quest, and ultimately to receive their vision, whether in dream or holy meditation; gevurot and self-purification are essential, for otherwise archons and shedim might link with the navi, and deceiving spirits might enter into their continuum, corrupting it and leading them astray. Having performed initial gevurot or purifications, the Holy Spirit comes upon Elijah and tells him to walk in the Direction East of the Sacred Circle, and guides him to a sacred and holy place, a place of power, for sanctuary and spiritual retreat (external hitbodedut).

As we know, the Direction East corresponds to the Wind of Yahweh, Archangel Rafael, the Kerubic Face of the Human One – the place of new beginnings, initiation, the dawn of light or illumination, among various other attributes, and it is also the Direction that corresponds with Tiferet according to the Sefer Yetzirah, and as a Netivah it is called the Transcendental Influx Consciousness in the Thirty-Two Netivah of Hokmah. This becomes the kavvanah of Elijah in spiritual retreat, as he is directed by the Great Spirit (Gadol Ruach) – he walks in the Direction East, drawing that Divine Power to himself, and in his soul he cleaves to Yahweh, Tiferet.

As he abides in outward hitbodedut, so he enacts inward hitbodedut – he performs the daily prayers, and in between he meditates, clearing his mind of thought and thinking, and quieting his vital being, abiding in communion with the Holy One and Shekinah.

Now we may assume that Elijah purifies himself outwardly with the waters of the wadi, enacting some form of mikvah or baptism, but specifically he is told to drink them, implying an internal self-purification, an empowerment of hitbonenut and hitbodedut – deep contemplation and meditation.

Always vision quest is a progressive process of self-purification, for when consciousness is purified and sanctified – made holy, and the necessary conditions are present, Ruach Ha-Kodesh comes to rest upon us, and moves with, in and through us. Here at Wadi Cherith, Eliyahu continues to purify himself and worship in the presence of Yahweh, and he abides there waiting upon Ruach Ha-Kodesh. As he abides there in vision quest, he abides in perfect faith, trusting in the Spirit of Yahweh, for he is fed by ravens, and even when the waters are drying up he abides unmoved by concern for himself, trusting that the Holy Spirit will guide him in due time, God’s own good time – and so the Spirit of God does just that.

Way of Transformation & Wrathful Guardians

It is interesting to note that Elijah is fed bread and meat by ravens – in Judaic tradition a raven us an unclean animal, and whatever they touch is unclean, so typically it would be forbidden to eat any thing touched by ravens. Likewise, ravens are trickster spirits and are associated with the forces Other Side in Judaic Kabbalah – in fact, their power is that of the oath-bound wrathful guardians. Elijah being fed by ravens implies the Way of Transformation – whatever thoughts, emotions or imaginations arise, however negative they might be, the holy spark of goodness in them is drawn out and uplifted, and they are transformed into positive energy sustaining the initiate’s prayers and meditations: rather than a distraction, everything becomes a vehicle of kavvanah and devekut in this way.

Likewise, the ravens imply the invocation of wrathful guardians in service to the Holy Continuum – the guardianship of the prophet by angels of wrath during a time of judgment and vulnerability; this representing secret knowledge in the Tradition held by adept Mekubalim.

Essentially, all spiritual forces are subject to the Great Name of God – most especially to the Supreme Name of Adonai Yeshua Messiah, and therefore a Baal Shem, Master of the Name, can direct all manner of spiritual forces, including admixed forces, as well as dark and hostile forces; this assumes, however, a strong continuum, purity and holiness, and true mastery of The Name – otherwise it is extreme folly to call upon archonic or demonic forces and believe one will contact them or be served by them unscathed. Such a capacity assumes full and actual recognition of the Ain Nature of all, and a very powerful and passionate faith and cleaving to Elyon, the Supreme.

*The feeding of Elijah by ravens in a place of water alludes to the spiritual transmission of the teachings and empowerment of practices with the wrathful guardians are among those of the Holy Kabbalah that are imparted by, in or over water, and only in a state of purity; in terms of the transmission of the teachings associated with the wrathful guardians, it is in a place and time when they will not be invoked by the mention of their names and attributes, and only when divine permission is given to communicate them to a friend and companion of God.

**With the story of the ravens we cannot help but recall the food of the reincarnation of Elijah as Yohanan the Baptist, whom we are told ate “wild honey and locusts” – locusts being associated with angels of wrath and shedim, so that we are told that he drew strength from both the Dayside and Nightside of the Tree, subjugating the evil inclination (sitra ahara) into the service of the good inclination (sitra tov).

Changing Directions

Now, when the wadi dries up the Scripture says:

“Then the word of Yahweh came to him, saying, ‘go now to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and live there; for I have commanded a widow to feed you.’ So he set out and went to Zarephath. When he came to the gate of the town, a widow was gathering sticks; he called to her and said, ‘Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.’ But she said, ‘As Yahweh Elohenu lives, I have nothing baked, only a hand full of meal in a jar, and a little oil in a jug; I am now gathering a couple of sticks, so that I can go home and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.’ Elijah said to her, ‘Do not be afraid; go and do as you have said; but first make me a cake of it and bring it to me, and afterwards make something for yourself and your son. For thus says Yahweh the El of Israel: The jar of meal will not be emptied and the jug of oil will not fail until Yahweh sends rain on the earth.’ She went and did as Elijah said, so that she as well as he and her household ate for many days. The jar of meal was not emptied, neither did the jug of oil fail, according to the word of Yahweh that he spoke by Elijah” (Ibid 17:8-16).

First it must be said, integral to any vision quest, even one for clarity in one’s own direction in life, is the spirit of compassion and charity – always seeking to receive from God, you must have an open heart willing to give, for it is in giving that we receive in full.

In this story we may also understand that we are given by God to one another, and that very often, we are the messengers God sends answering the prayers of others, and others are the messengers God sends in answer to our prayers – and so it was between this man of God and the widow and her son. This is well known among the navim, and it is with this awareness that they walk in this world – as much as a messenger of God, all peoples and all of creation are messengers of God to them, and they are servants of the people, expressing God’s love and compassion, and servants of the kingdom of heaven and servants of God; this is the motivation of the true prophets and apostles of God.

Now, the Holy Spirit moves Elijah, and she changes his Direction in Sacred Circle – she calls him to walk in the Direction North (North, North-West); this is the Direction of the Wind of Knowing and Seeing Yahweh, Archangel Uriel, the Kerubic Face of the Ox – the place of matrixing and manifesting, fruition and completion, among other things, which is well reflected in the first wonder he performs. It is the Direction given to Gevurah – and as we see, he goes there in a time of judgment, but he enacts mercy and compassion with the righteous, the widow and her son, mitigating judgment and preserving life, sustaining with food and, as we shall see, restoring life to the dead.

In that first he walks in the Direction East, and now after his time at Wadi Cherith he walks the Direction North; by one interpretation he walks Full Circle, passing from East to the South, West and North – a common cycle during a vision quest. Another interpretation, however, is that he remains walking in the Direction East until the Holy Spirit shifts his Direction to the North – this, too, is common in vision quest, a radical shift in Directions brought about by the Holy Spirit, a common intention on vision quest.

We may recall here what Adonai Yeshua said concerning a person who is born of the Holy Spirit – that they are like the wind, so that you do not know where they come from or where they are going, but empty of themselves, they are Spirit-filled and Spirit-led, and the Holy Spirit carries them wherever she will, whenever she will, all according to what is ordained by Elyon, the Supreme.

Although, indeed, we may utilize various practices of vision quest as we set out on our quest, and it is necessary, good and true that we do this; at some point, however, what is done must be completely led by the Spirit, not our own plan or devices, but rather enacting what she leads us to do, wearing the Body of Vision she tells us to put on – we must empty ourselves and let her fill, inspire and illuminate us, we must make ourselves her merkavah (chariot). Just as Adonai Yeshua teaches us through his prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane as he struggles with the knowledge of what is about to transpire: “Not my will, but Your Will be done.”

Always in vision quest and spiritual works we must do what the Divine Powers ask of us.

The Balance of Judgment with Mercy

The widow and her son represent the Holy Shekinah, Malkut, and the Community of the Elect (Community of Israel); bread and oil represent the ruhaniyot and shefa of Mercy-Hesed, the Hasidim – when there is an invocation of Judgment-Gevurah, it must be tempered, mitigated and balanced by the invocation of Mercy-Hesed, and once the gevurot are invoked, hasidim are invoked, invoking the blessings and grace of El upon the navi, and through the navim, invoking the blessings and grace of El upon the people and the land. When the Hasidim are invoked, they are brought down through the Middle Pillar into the Holy Shekinah, Malkut, and then they are extended and transmitted to the people – as the Holy Shekinah rests upon the navi, they become as the holy vehicle or channel of the spiritual power invoked, so that the Holy One and Shekinah acts through them as conscious agents in the harvest of souls.

In the case of a great navi, such as Eliyahu, who draws so close to God and walks continually in the Shekinah of the Holy One, their will and the Will of God merge, so that the Will of God becomes their own will, for they desire nothing but what God desires. Thus, whatever they speak comes to pass as they speak it, and in effect it is God who speaks it through them, the Spirit of God placing the word of God into their hearts and mouths. In the higher grades of Ruach Ha-Kodesh and prophecy, there is no thought involved in this, but rather it transpires by way of silent volition, so that the prophet, along with anyone else who is present, hears what is spoken after it is spoken – thought entering into play after the movement of Ruach Ha-Kodesh.

The same is true in the highest grades of wonderworking as well – it is a completely pure intention and movement in the power of the moment that brings about the wonder, without any recourse to thought and thinking; there is thought in the mind of the wonderworker only after the movement and wonder has happened – during the movement there is no thought or doubt, “it just is,” and “so it comes to pass.”

When there is vision and seeing, or implanted thought and hearing, these are two grades of prophecy and wonderworking - these two may be interwoven, and there are many gradations within these grades; but there is a third loftier grade of knowing and speaking that does not rely on visions or thoughts, or with which visions and thoughts come after the movement – in its peak this grade reaches into the Supernal Grades, as is evidenced by the next wonder Baal Shem Eliyahu performs, the resurrection of the widows son.

According to the Holy Scripture:

“After this the son of the widow, the mistress of the house, became ill; his illness was so severe that there was no breath left in him. She said to Elijah, ‘What have you against me, O man of God? You have come to bring my sin to remembrance, and to cause the death of my son!’ But he said to her, ‘Give me your son.’ He took him from her bosom, carried him up to the upper chamber where he was lodging, and laid him on his own bed. He cried out to Yahweh, O Yahweh Elohi, have you brought calamity even upon this widow with whom I am staying, by killing her son?’ Then he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried out to Yahweh, ‘O Yahweh Elohi, let this child’s life come into him again.” Yahweh listened to the voice of Elijah; the life of the child came into him again, and he revived. Elijah took the child, brought him down from the upper chamber, and gave him to his mother; then said, ‘See, your son is alive.’ So the woman said to Elijah, ‘Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of Yahweh in your mouth is truth [Amet]’” (Ibid 17:17-24).

Wonders in the Karmic Matrix

First, it must be said that there is a very esoteric implication in this child’s death, it appears that this boy’s soul did not have the merit to warrant the preservation of his life in the midst of a movement of judgment; therefore, having his life preserved by the first wonder, expending his merit or positive karma, the negative karma of his soul came into effect and he died. In this we may understand a lesson concerning the extension of blessings through wonders: under the law, in some cases, the extension of a blessing by way of a radical wonder can become like a curse, that, or, in averting fate in one way, the karmic fate plays out in another way – it is important to know the Divine Will in the working of greater wonders, and to have knowledge of how to compensate for shifts in the karmic matrix and continuum. In the case of Baal Shem Eliyahu, of course, moving with Ruach Ha-Kodesh and the Holy Shekinah, and being completely transparent, he had the ability to compensate in virtually any action.

This reflects the capacity of perfect tzaddikim to absorb or dispel the sin or karma of other souls; according to the masters of the tradition, the resurrection of this boy transpired through an ivur of the hayyah of Elijah, and consequently, later, the boy also became a prophet in the assembly, having received a spark of the soul of the Baal Shem.

Stretching himself out upon the boy three times and called upon the Name of Yahweh – performing the corresponding unifications, he invokes the neshamah, ruach and nefesh of the boy back into his body, and he extends the length of his allotted span of life through an ivur of his hayyah into the boy’s soul.

Now this great wonder of resurrection corresponds to the unification of Malkut with Tiferet, and Tiferet with Hokmah – the head of the Pillar of Mercy; this unification invokes the flow of Supernal Mercy, which is the source of all Light and Life-power, and it reflects that in fruition of a vision quest the navi will seek to reach and ascend as far as possible for the sake of the people and heaven, bringing forth a Body of Vision for the people, as well as the spiritual power to bless and empower the enacting of that Body of Vision – with a vision comes the Divine Power to enact it.

In this movement of vision quest, the first action is of Gevurah, the second Hesed and the third Tiferet – and then these three are unified with Hokmah; following the invocation of Supernal Mercy in the resurrection of the boy, the draught is brought to an end, the conclusion of the movement of Gevurah-Judgment in the land.

In this we may understand that all that the navi does in vision quest, and in all their spiritual works, they do as though in proxy for the people and the land, and cleaving to the Supreme and Shekinah of the Supreme, they identify themselves with the people and the land, so that invoking influxes and visions, attracting the Divine Presence and Power to themselves, they transmit it to the people and the land – they impart all that they receive, corresponding to the desire to receive manifest in the people.

You may recall, at the outset of this movement, Elijah is told to walk in the Direction East – the Direction of Rafael, the healing power of God, and as it is the place of new beginnings, the Direction East also has a correspondence to Hokmah, which called the Depth of Beginning in the Sefer Yetzirah; this final wonder, then, is predestined and ordained by the Supreme at the very outset of the movement.

This concludes the first cycle of sacred discourse on the vision quest of the Great Prophet Elijah; in our next discourse, God willing, with God’s blessing and grace, we may consider Elijah’s journey to Mount Horeb following his confrontation with the false prophets and priests of Baal, and gain insight into the full movement of the vision quest reflected in the larger story.

O Kodesh Achad, bless and empower us in Your divine service – we praise and we bless You Holy Name, Yahweh, and we pray in the Name of Yeshua Messiah, let Your Will be done and Your Sovereignty be manifest on earth as it is in heaven; we pray for the resurrection and ascension of this good earth in Hayyah Yeshua – Amen.

Blessings & shalom!

_________________
Tau Malachi
Sophia Fellowship
Ecclesia Pistis Sophia

[Tau Malachi]

The Vision Quest of Elijah: Meeting with God

Spiritual Discernment & Our Times

The movement of Elijah in judgment and his vision quest comes in response to a very dark time in Israel due to the dominion of an evil king and queen, Ahab and Jezebel – it is a time of the persecution and slaughter of the prophets of Yahweh and the worship of false gods, specifically a demonic archon called Baal, “Master,” and a archonic goddess called Asherah. In some respects it is a time very much like our own in which false and strange metaphysical teachings are confused with those of authentic wisdom traditions, and many are led astray into a worship of klippotic forces in the pursuit of psychism and occultism, and promises of the swift acquisition of psychic and occult powers, and the fulfillment of worldly desires and ambitions; only in the time of Elijah there was a violent persecution of the true prophets, and actual attempt to eradicate them and supplant the worship of God, the True Light, with idolatrous religions worshipping the false light of Klippah Nogah and the dominion of the klippot.

This contrast between the worship of Elyon, the True Light, and the worship of Klippah Nogah and klippotic forces reflects the extreme importance of spiritual discernment for any aspirant called to the mystical journey, or any one who seeks direct spiritual and mystical experience, or who might aspire to the service of a prophet, a vision bringer, and wonderworker, a shaman; quite distinctly there is an entire array of cosmic and spiritual forces in the hierarchy of being that forms the matrix of creation, divine, archonic and demonic forces, and all spiritual forces are not of God, the True Light, are not divine or enlightened – many are archonic, or admixed, and many are demonic, or dark and hostile, but the archonic and demonic attempts to resemble the True Light and put itself off as the True Light, and devoid of spiritual discernment many are led astray, confusing teachings that lead to actual knowledge of God or Enlightenment with false teachings, believing all spiritual teachings are the same, or that all come from the same source, the True Light, when in fact they do not.

The difference in the time of Elijah is that the distinction was perhaps more clear and more obvious then in our own times; after all, running out and killing known prophets of the True Light and enacting very strange and radical forms of worship that do not resemble anything sacred or holy, or necessarily human and divine, certainly makes what is unclean and evil stand out, rather like gazing upon something like the Nazi dominion during World War II – quite clearly, from behaviors enacted, a great shadow came into power and great evil was inspired. In our own times, we are simply likely to ignore true prophets, or to confuse true teachings with false teachings unaware of the difference, because, at present, the shades and shadows cloak themselves, and there is a great mixture and confusion of light and darkness, good and evil – all as is typical in a Dark Age.

Given the times and the place in which we live – the modern Babylon and the onset of a great Dark Age, naturally as we embark upon the mystical journey and take up the labor of the Continuum of Light Transmission, this awareness of the conflict of spiritual forces and the ability of spiritual discernment is very important. While this might be a very unpopular message, nevertheless it is true and it is a crucial one for any mystical aspirant in our times, and that it might be unpopular or “politically incorrect” in today’s conventional “wisdom” only serves to reflect the parallel between Elijah’s times and our own – a time of great spiritual confusion and an intensification of the conflict of spiritual forces, the conflict between apparent light and darkness, or apparent good and evil.

In this we may wish to recall the teaching of St. Paul in his Letter to the Ephesians, a teaching that is distinctly and clearly Gnostic and Kabbalistic:

“For our struggle is not against blood and flesh [people], but against the rulers [archons], against authorities, against cosmic powers of this present darkness, against spiritual forces of evil [shedim, demons] in heavenly places” (6:12).

In this respect you may understand that Ahab, Jezebel, and the false prophets (psychics) and priests (occultists) of Baal and Asherah represent vehicles or channels of klippotic beings-forces and the actual struggle is not with the people who are unwittingly compelled by klippotic forces in ignorance, but rather, in truth, it is with the archonic and demonic forces themselves – in the Old Testament, often, this conflict is taken up between people, but in the New Testament, in the teachings of Adonai Yeshua and the holy apostles, it is made clear that this conflict of forces is on a psychic (mental-emotional) and spiritual level, and that it is not to be taken up on a physical or material level.

In this we may understand the pronouncement of judgment – the drought, and the severity in the movement of Elijah, and understand the motivation for his continuum of vision quest, the first at Wadi Cherith and the second at Mount Horeb; he is seeking a vision of how to respond to the influx of negative forces into the people and the land, and seeking a vision of how to preserve the Continuum of Light Transmission (the prophetic succession) in the midst of such a dark and perverse time when it has nearly been completely driven into extinction.

The Sin of Elijah: Degradation of the Continuum

Now, once Elijah raises the boy of the widow back to life – which is talismanic of the preservation of the Continuum of Light Transmission, he goes out and ends the drought, and he challenges the false prophets and priests to a contest of power, reminiscent of the contest of power between the magicians of Pharaoh and the Navi Moses; all of Israel is called out to witness the contest so that they should know that Yahweh is God, the True Light – and of course, Elijah is victorious.

This leads to a curious incident with Elijah, for when he is victorious, in vengeance for the slaying of virtually all of the navim of Yahweh in his time, he orders all of the false prophets and priests bound up, and that night he beheads them all – literally hundreds of them. This is very curious, in that when the soul of Elijah reincarnates as Yohanan the Baptist his life is ended by being beheaded at the hands of an evil king much like Ahab – King Herod, whom he has prophesied against. This suggests that this action by Elijah was not ordained by Elyon, the Supreme, but rather that he took it upon himself, going beyond the word of Yahweh in what he did, for if it were the word of Yahweh then this karma would not have played out in his next incarnation.

This becomes a key lesson to sons and daughters of the navim – for whatever the action or movement, when it is performed according to the word of Yahweh, there is no generation of karma, but if and when performed according to the self-will of the navi, then there is karma and it is upon the navi.

This is reflected in the story of Navi Moses at the waters of Meribah in the nineteenth chapter of the Book of Numbers; there the prophet is told by the word of Yahweh to speak to the rock and it will give forth sweet waters as a sign to the children of Israel that Yahweh is God, the True Light. Instead of speaking according to the word of Yahweh, however, Moses takes it upon himself to strike the rock with his staff, in effect using his own magical power and life-force to bring about the wonder. As a result of this action the effect is that Moses dies before entering into the Promised Land, and Aaron dies along with him.

The story of Elijah beheading the false prophets and priests, and the story of Moses striking the rock, instead of speaking to it, reflects the temptation of even very great and lofty souls to act wrongly with power in a moment of self-will and therefore to error, generating negative karma. Thus, these two stories admonish all who are called into the service of the prophets and wonderworkers to be mindful and to be careful not to act in self-will in any movement of the Continuum.

This, too, implies the need for spiritual discernment, though it speaks of discernment on a far more subtle and sublime level of the internal klippot of ego-grasping, and egoistic desire and anger; in both the case of Moses and Elijah, it is a klippah of fear-anger that leads to their error and generation of negative karma.

In this we may also say that there is a clear reflection for the need of the Sanctuary of Grace, for if such noble and lofty souls can fall into error in the midst of their service to the Light Continuum, apart from the Sanctuary of Grace, who could remain in complete righteousness, purity and holiness? Who among us is so perfect in righteousness?

Understanding these lessons, now with the blessing and grace of God, perhaps we may draw out some of the teachings and mysteries from the second cycle of Elijah’s vision quest – his journey to Mount Horeb to meet with God.

Essentially, Elijah flees from the hand of Queen Jezebel, who seeks his life in vengeance for the slaying of her false prophets, and of his flight it is written:

“But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat under a broom tree. He asked that he might die: ‘It is enough; now, O Yahweh, take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors.’ Then he lay down under the broom tree and went to sleep. Suddenly and angel of Yahweh touched him and said to him, ‘Get up and eat.’ He looked, and there at his head was a cake baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. He ate and drank, and lay down again. The angel of Yahweh came a second time, touched him, and said, ‘Get up and eat, otherwise the journey will be too great for you.’ He got up, and ate and drank; then he went in strength for forty days and forty nights to Mount Horeb the mount of Elohim. At that place he came to a cave, and spent the night there” (1 Kings 19:4-9).

The Confession & Repentance of Elijah

Elijah fleas from the hand of Jezebel not in fear of his life, but rather so that the Name of God should not be disgraced by her henchmen slaying a Baal Shem – if God took his life, that was fine, but not anyone of this world. According to the masters of the tradition, in truth, Elijah did not fear Jezebel, but he feared Yahweh, which is to say that he was aware that he sinned or committed an error in the slaying of the false prophets and priests by his own hand apart from the word of Yahweh – this is reflected by his own confession and repentance, in which he knows and understands that he has incurred the karma of killing, and states that on account of it he is “no better than his ancestors.” As we know, this is not the time this karmic seed will come to fruition, however, because the mission of Elijah is not complete, and as part of his mission, opening the way for the coming of the Messiah, he will be taken up in ascension without tasting death – something necessary for the greater Light Transmission that is ordained by El Elyon, planting the seed of the Great Ascension or Great Exodus in human consciousness, one of the essential keys for the reception of the Messiah.

The play of the Light Continuum, in truth, isn’t about the prophet, but rather it is about Ratzon Elyon – the Divine Intention, and it movements hold a very long range vision from the perspective of space-time, so much so that often the prophets in themselves will not know and realize the greater purpose and meaning of the movements and actions they are inspired to take up. Indeed! Even their follies might be used by God to facilitate the Divine Plan, for as we see in the case of Elijah’s sin, it is exactly what links him to his next incarnation as Yohanan, one critical to the advent of the Messiah.

The Visitation of the Angel

Here, Elijah believes that he has committed a grievous error that invalidates him as Baal Shem, and he confesses and repents of his sin, accepting the consequences; as it turns out, though, God is not done with Elijah, but confessing and repenting he becomes open again to the word of Yahweh, but for the time being at a significantly lower level – through the visitation of an angel acting as an intermediary. Previously, Elijah prophesied through hearing, which as we have discussed is of a higher grade, and at times he has spoken through direct knowing, without recourse to hearing; on account of the impurities generated in consciousness, however, he now experiences a lower grade of prophecy and in order to restore himself to his former grade he must go through a process of self-purification and vision quest, continuing his process of confession and repentance.

Just as he was previously fed by ravens, now he is fed by an angel of Yahweh, and this represents the mercy of God – the mercy upon which a navi must rely; and he is called to a vision quest by the holy angel, being directed to a forty day purification and journey to Mount Horeb, the Mount of Elohim.

In this we may understand that if at any time, having arisen to a grade or Ruach Ha-Kodesh or prophecy, afterwards we find ourselves obstructed, in some way we have veered or there is some tikkune to be worked out – some inner klippot to be dispelled. Thus, if and when such and experience of the degrading of our continuum occurs we have a need for further self-purification and the intensification of our worship, and perhaps have a need for a retreat to deepen our continuum of the spiritual life and practice. Likewise, in this we understand that the call to a vision quest is not a matter of self-will, but that the call comes from an angel of God or the Holy Spirit – vision quest is an inspired movement; although we may have questions to which we seek answers, or some points upon which we seek clarification, or see some challenge to which we seek a solution, or in some way need guidance from God, always the timing of vision quest is determined by the Spirit of God – we follow in the way of the Spirit and seek knowledge of Ratzon Elyon so that we might enact it, and perchance call others to enact it with us.

Here we may say that all prophecy experienced by a navi is not always for the people, but at times prophecy comes for the navi him or herself, to clarify their direction or shift their direction, or to clarify their spiritual work and mission, and to bless and empower their spiritual life and practice. After all, the spiritual life and practice of the navi is the foundation of their service to the people and to heaven, and therefore that foundation must be clear, good and strong so that they might be of true benefit to the people and bring glory to God, the True Light.

The Journey to Horeb & the Cave

Now the journey of forty days and forty nights is most significant – forty days implies a process of the unification of the soul with the Sefirot of the four Olamot, a full and conscious ascent grade by grade until the highest grade is reached, Keter Elyon; forty nights implies a process of self-purification, confession and repentance, through corresponding tikkunim-corrections with each grade or Sefirah – the dispelling of all klippot that might be associated with the various Sefirot. The forty days and forty nights also implies something more, which is the very means of Elijah’s later ascension in divine rapture – the union of the forces of the Dayside and Nightside of the Tree, the transcendence of dualistic consciousness through the Way of Transformation and Perfection.

According to the masters of the tradition, the cave in which Elijah spends the night is Supernal Imma, Binah; hence the term the “Mount of Elohim.”

The cave also implies a womb of the Earth Mother – a common place for navim to seek visions, understanding a descent through the seven earths to the “gate of the heavens in the center of the earth” as one of the ways navim enter and ascend into prophetic states of consciousness. They may, indeed, ascend mountains during a vision quest, or they may journey to the center of the earth; likewise they may stargaze or gaze into the depths of waters – all as they are called by the Holy Spirit.

That the Holy Scripture says that Elijah spent the night in the cave implies that through out the forty days and forty nights, all they way through the fortieth night, the angels of God, spirits of tzaddikim and voice of Yahweh did not come to him, and the statement specifically about forty nights implies that he struggled with shedim along the way, especially internal demons or klippot. This teaches us the importance of tending to the continuum of a vision quest, regardless of whether there are any apparent results or not, completely free from vital demand , abiding in faith and trusting in the Spirit of Yahweh, waiting upon Ruach Ha-Kodesh.

Here, we may say, that essentially Elijah passes through a great dark night of the soul during this time, and what precipitates this dark night is the dawn of the awareness of how far removed from the Holy One he is; hence, his statement in confession of being “no better than his ancestors.” The dark nights of the soul, of course, are a time of purification of self-cherishing, attachment and aversion – and if we do not make the mistake of falling into ourselves, or falling into lethargy and depression, they are a great blessing, for by way of the dark nights we are humbled before the presence of God, becoming completely surrendered to rely upon God, the right balance to our spiritual self-worth of standing in the presence of God as a son or daughter of God.

Indeed, spiritual self-worth is essential, as we shall see by what Elijah says to an archangel and to Yahweh, but the balance to spiritual self-worth, and equally as essential, is spiritual humility. Of spiritual self-worth we may say: In God we are great, for God is great. Of spiritual humility we may say: In ourselves we are nothing, for apart from God we are nothing. Thus, before the presence of God, the True Light, we are nothing – we are mere dust, a passing phenomenon, but as we are in God, we are everything – we are a pure emanation of the True Light, inseparable from all that is and from the True Light, and inseparable from God and Godhead in the inmost part of our soul. This is the truth of a human being – a child of God; and it is the truth of all beings – and this, exactly, is the view and attitude of the navim, the true prophets of God.

It is with this holy awareness – complete spiritual humility, coupled with spiritual self-worth, that the Baal Shem approaches the Mountain of God, and seeks to draw near to Yahweh.

Thus we read in the Holy Scriptures:

“Then the word of Yahweh come to him, saying, ‘what are you doing here, Elijah?’ He answered, ‘I have been very zealous for Yahweh, Elohim Tzavaot; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.’ He said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain before Yahweh, for Yahweh is about to pass by.’ Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before Yahweh, but Yahweh was not in the wind; and after the wind, and earthquake, but Yahweh was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but Yahweh was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence [Hashmal]. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’ He answered, ‘I have been very zealous for Yahweh, Elohim Tzavaot; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.’ Then Yahweh said to him, ‘Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael as king over Aram. Also you shall anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king over Israel; and you shall anoint Elisha son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah as prophet in your place. Whoever escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu shall kill; and whoever escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha shall kill. Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him’” (ibid 19:9-18).

The Movement of the Spirit

Elijah is in the cave when the first word of Yahweh comes to him, which is to say that he was in a state of hitbodedut, deep meditation; by implication, the word of Yahweh is brought by an archangel, and according to the Kabbalah it was Archangel Gavriel, the “strength of God.” This is confirmed in that there is no mention of the voice of Yahweh, and also by the mention of the wind, earthquake and fire, and then the Hashmal, the “Speaking Silence,” for as discussed in our sacred discourse in the vision of Ezekiel, we know that these are klippot or barriers through which the meditator must breakthrough to rise to a higher level of prophecy or Merkavah; thus the “voice” that is heard speaking the word of Yahweh later is of a higher level than the word of Yahweh that comes at the outset – to hear the direct voice of Yahweh the prophet must deepen his meditation further still.

*See the sacred discourse on the Vision of Ezekiel elsewhere for teachings on these klippot in meditation, as well as in the metaphysical dimensions.

Here, however, with the mention of the earthquake, which isn’t mentioned by Ezekiel, we may say that in meditation and deeper mystical experiences this may relate to a seizing up of the body, or a fear and trembling in the body, or a most intense and overwhelming vibration that may occur in the body, during a radical influx of the Divine Presence and Power – it is a phenomenon well known to initiates who have experienced various gradations of Ruach Ha-Kodesh and Light Transmission. This is the result of certain unconscious resistances to the influx of the Divine Light, which result in a kind of fear of death, or fear of disappearing, or fear of being absolutely nothing, for in effect when there is a radical influx of the Divine Light and we draw near to God, the True Light, integrating and merging with the Divine Light we disappear as we enter into union, reappearing in a new form, the zelem (image) of ourselves in the presence and power of God.

This, of course, relates directly to the teachings given on the vision of Ezekiel and the Discipline of the Merkavah – to enter into prophecy at any level the initiate must divest themselves of the corporeal name and form or the klippah of matter, shifting their center of consciousness into a more subtle body, the Body of Light; and to enter into the highest grades of prophetic and illumined consciousness, they must pass into Clear Light Union, essentially dissolving their Body of Light into the spacious luminosity of the primordial foundation from which it arises – the Clear Light, the True Light, the Ain Nature.

The mention of Eliyahu wrapping his face in his mantle or prayer shawl (tallit) directly alludes to a shift in consciousness into the Body of Light – and here we may say that the klippot represented by the great wind, earthquake and fire are the principle barriers to the actual capacity to do this; it requires perfect hitbodedut – and the “sound of sheer silence” directly expresses the inner experience of this transference of consciousness into the Body of Light.

Here, as the subtle dualism of hearing a heavenly voice is mentioned, rather than direct knowing and speaking, Elijah does not pass into Clear Light Union, which is the entrance into the grades of Atzilut; but instead he reaches up to the highest grades of Beriyah on the threshold of Atzilut, and there he communes in the presence of Yahweh and the prophecy transpires.

This is reflected by Elijah’s speaking of himself in the first person, as “I” or Ani; although this state of Ani is of a higher or inner grade than that of Ezekiel, and even of a higher grade than when Ezekiel speaks in the third person of himself, or transcendent of himself – in the various gradations of prophecy we find various gradations of the play of Ani-Ain, self and no self, Elijah experiencing the Ani at the level or Beriyah, hearing rather than seeing.

Now he is directed to anoint two kings, and his successor, Elisha, and they are to overthrow the rulers of Aram and Israel, and to enact justice, purifying the people and the land – a movement of Gevurah-Judgment is invoked, and Navi Eliyahu is charged with the transmission of spiritual power invoking it; with this charge, being given a disciple who ill succeed him as Baal Shem, the Master of the Name, receiving his mantle, Hesed-Mercy is also invoked, the restoration of the assembly of the prophets, and preservation of the Continuum of Light Transmission under the old covenant – the succession of the prophets. Within and behind this prophetic movement, as we know, there is an even greater invocation of mercy and grace, for the soul of Elisha will be reincarnate as Yeshua of Nazareth, and is the one destined to become the Messiah – thus, in this prophetic movement, though likely unknown to Eliyahu at the time, is an invocation of the Messiah.

Here we may note that Elijah unifies himself with Tiferet, calling upon the Great Name of Yahweh, but that he invokes the Pillar of Judgment at the level of the Triad of Action, binding his soul to Netzach by calling upon the Name of Elohim Tzavaot – it is an invocation of justice set into motion that Elijah speaks, citing the cause and need for justice, and the word of Yahweh is given for justice, but not by the hand of Elijah directly, rather through the two kings and Elisha. Thus, Elijah is given a Body of Vision to enact and the spiritual authority and power to enact it, and he is to call others to enact the Body of Vision with him – a Body of Vision for the tikkune of Israel, and as it turns out, the tikkune of the world in the future through the advent of Adonai Messiah.

Straight away, not turning this way or that, Elijah takes the Holy Shekinah resting upon him to Elisha, remaining in an elevated state of consciousness, though shifting the center of his consciousness once again into the physical body, and so we read in the Scripture:

“So he set out from there, and found Elisha son of Shaphat, who was plowing. There were yoke of oxen ahead of him, and he was with the twelfth. Elijah passed by him and threw his mantle over him. He left the oxen, ran after Elijah, and said, ‘Let me kiss my father and mother, and then I will follow you.’ Then Elijah said, ‘Go back again, for what have I done to you?’ He returned from following him, took the yoke of oxen, and slaughtered them; using the equipment from the oxen, he boiled their flesh, and gave it to the people, and they ate. He set out and followed Elijah, and became his servant [disciple]” (ibid 19:19-21).

Light Transmission

In truth, being given Elisha as a disciple by the Holy Spirit and receiving Elisha as a disciple, and imparting the first initiation or grade of Light Transmission to him, was the fulfillment of Elijah’s vision quest, for more than justice he sought the continuation of the succession of prophets, the preservation of the Continuum of Light Transmission. This, of course, is the first and foremost aim of a navi, especially a Baal Shem: that they teach and initiate at least one disciple in full to leave a successor and preserve their lineage into he next generation – hence, to have one fit and holy vessel to whom they may impart all that they have received, bringing their own reception to fruition in a complete self-offering.

Now here in the Torah we are given special insight into the reception and initiation of a person into the assembly of the prophets, and specifically of a soul destine to become Baal Shem Tov, Master of the Good Name. First, it is important to note that the holy master chooses the disciple, not the disciple the master, and that in choosing, the disciple is given to the master by the Holy Spirit – God has chosen them, and so the master chooses them. According to the Scripture, “Elijah passed by him,” which is a term used for the experience of the Shekinah of Yahweh with Moses and Elijah, implying that Elijah moves as the Shekinah of Yahweh, in union with the Holy Shekinah of the Supreme. Thus we are told that Elijah move with divine presence and power, and as he passes by he throws his mantle over Elisha, transmitting spiritual power, the Divine Light and Spirit, through his mantle. This instantly awakens the higher or inner aspects of the soul of Elisha, and we may assume that it invokes a deep spiritual and mystical experience, a grade of Light Transmission we are familiar with in the tradition, though likely at a very high grade, even from the outset. When Elisha catches up with him following this experience and asks to say good bye to his father and mother, Elijah puts him to the test, saying, “God back again; for what have I done to you?” Essentially, Elijah tells him to go away and return to his life, but at the same time inquires of Elisha’s experience, invoking Elisha to consider the experience he has had – as it turns out Elisha does not go an say good bye to his parents. Instead, he takes his possession, the oxen and their yoke, and with them he performs a Give Away Ceremony, feeding the people, reflecting a call to serve the people and God, and the spirit of charity that is so integral to the Way of the Navi. Then he goes, catches up with Elijah and serves him, learning from Elijah the Way of the Navi, the Discipline of the Holy Merkavah.

There are various initiations or empowerments that navim may impart, especially a Baal Shem – here we have an account of the Ceremony of Throwing the Mantle, and at the conclusion of their journey together in 2 Kings there are hints of the Ceremony of Passing the Mantle, there is also a Ceremony of Anointing for Blessing and a Ceremony of Anointing for Prophecy, and there is a Ceremony of Touching with Staff and another of Passing the Holy Staff, as well as other empowerments and modes of Light Transmission. Perhaps more than the reception of teachings and practices in the Way of the Navi, what the disciple needs most are the energetic transmissions or spiritual empowerments that navim impart – the blessing of their presence in spiritual companionship.

Here, perhaps, we may say something about the two sacred objects that a most common among the navim – the mantle and the holy staff. The mantle is purified and consecrated to the Holy Shekinah, and the staff is purified and consecrated to Yahweh, the prophet being as the chariot of Yahweh and the Shekinah, or else the bridal chamber. The mantle represents the Holy Shekinah resting upon them, and is filled with the light-power of the Divine Presence. The staff represents Yahweh who walks with them, and the company of the Shekinah, the spirits of tzaddikim and maggidim that are perpetually coming and going from them, and ministering to them, and so there is great light-power in the holy staff as well. Essentially, with the mantle they gather and retain Divine Power, and with the staff they direct Divine Power – the two working together; of course, quite apart from this, what the mantle and staff are talismans of is within the navi, and so while they may use the mantle and staff as vehicles of spiritual transmission, they are not dependent upon them, but there are many ways that they can bring about spiritual transmission, such as with a touch, a word, a gaze, a glance, a breath, or a mere wish or intention to do so. Likewise, though most often transmissions to their disciples or companions are in person, in physical presence, under certain conditions they may also impart spiritual transmission over great distances when led by the Holy Spirit to do so – truly there is a vast spectrum in the play of spiritual transmission among navim, for theirs is the natural and spontaneous Way of Crazy Wisdom, akin to the Mahasiddhas of the Eastern Traditions.

The call of Elisha by Elijah is reminiscent of the call of the disciples by Adonai Yeshua – a call in passing by, usually in the midst of some mundane activity, and like Elisha, they drop what they are doing and leave their old life behind them to follow in the Way of Adonai. This, no doubt, speaks volumes about the Way of the Navi and those who are called to it – they would seem to be driven by an impulse that is stronger than the impulse of life and procreation, a passion of zeal that is all consuming, while being self-generating and all giving, a complete self-offering to God.

This is well reflected in what Elijah says to Yahweh, “I have been very zealous for Yahweh…”

Although there are immeasurable depths of mysteries regarding Vision Quest and the Way of the Navim we have not explored in these passages, this brings us to the conclusion of our sacred discourse on the Vision Quest of Elijah, for this is what the Holy Spirit would have shared in our discourse.

We give praise and thanks to the Holy One, through whose blessing and grace we have been able to engage in this discourse, and we pray that the blessings and light-power generated by it pours out upon all beings – we pray for the resurrection and ascension of this good earth, the redemption of all in Hayyah Yeshua; amen.

Blessings & shalom!
_________________
Tau Malachi
Sophia Fellowship
Ecclesia Pistis Sophia