The Seven Palaces of B'riah

The Seven Palaces of B 'riah Enter the Palaceof the Sky-Blue Brick Hekhal Livnat Hasapir Awareness of Tunnels Within Tunnels 2 Enter the Palaceof the Essenceof Sky Hekhal Etzem Hashamai-yim Imprinting Intensity-Flash on the Soul to Increase Energy Level 3. Enter the Palace of Clarity Hekhal N ogah An Empty Mirror for a Transparent Self 4. Enter the Palace of Polishing Hekhal Haz 'khut Depth Acknowledgement and Healing of Consciousness 5. Enter the Palace of Loving Hekhal Ahava Renewing the Vitality of the Heart 6. Enter the Palace of Intention Hekhal Haratzon Nourishing the Will 7. Enter the Palaceof Holy of Holies Hekhal Kodesh Kod 'shim Letting Go to the Holy The Seven Palaces of B 'riah As Represented in the Daily Davvenen Each of the four worlds has three dimensions in hi h h ul (N ha w ·c t e so s es nwt) and angels (Malakhim) make their choice of where to dwell: 1) the Godliness of the ten Divine dynamics (Sefirot); 2) the worldliness of time and place (or melody or whatever dimension defines the atmosphere of the ld dim wor · ension ; an 3 t e stru ctural ynamics of the seven palaces (Hekhalot). The seven palaces represent "gateway experiences" which shape the soul of the traveller ul d on er is way to comp ete t e so 's estiny (see Psalms 27:4). Each of these three dimensions (Sefirot; QI anwt; He khaIot) are a lsO h idd en lakes Of meaning in the prayers through which we practice our soul journey. The davvenen ladder leads up to and then, down from, the Amidah place, the w ld h F exp:nenceo ,we ,-c E;Cout~ e our. or s And don't despair if it all seems so ... ungraspable. There are no physical palaces in the sky. The seven palaces are just a language, a metaphor with which to represent our felt (or intuited) reality. The "ladder" is climbed to the top every day by those experiencing ordinary everyday love, life, loss, birth, rebirth, and death. It's no big deal. It's just that, by knowing the possibilities for experiencing davvenen as a pathway for climbing up and down (experiencing, feeling) the pathways of the Siddur, we prepare and strengthen ourselves for the many obstacles and hurdles that try our kavvana, and confuse our vision. Through the Davvenen process become clearer and stronger. Khazak! May it be so .. , ,, ... : book~y otzer ?' uvoray_khoshekh" Form.mg hght, creating darkness Enter the Palaceof the Sky-BlueBrick Hekhal Livnat Hasapir The Palace of the Sky-Blue Brick (see Exodus 24:10) becomes represented in the daily davvenen immediately after the Barekhu. From the blessing on light and darkness Yotzer or uvoray khoshekh", through the description of the astronomical realities of suns and planets, continuing through the celestial subtleties of the worlds of the angels and ending immediately after the statement, "Barukh K'vod Yah Mim 'komo. By travelling through this palace, one's consciousness undergoes an initiation about inner realities - the depths within depths within every moment and location. This awareness prepares and opens the soul for the many transformative journeys to follow. Enter the Palaceof the Essenceof Sky "Barukh K'vod Yah Mim'komo" Blessed be the Splendor of the everpresent Microscopic Hekh~l Et;em H~sha~ai-yim Vision The Palace of the Essence of Sky is an enlargement of the end of the Palace of the Sky-Blue Brick. It reflects and magnifies the last These first two palaces sentence, "Barukh K'vod Yah Mim 'komo. are really one palace. By passing through this palace one gets a very powerful experience of the multiple realities which are present through undergoing (at least) one intense, overwhelming moment. This peak imprints itself energetically on the heart, establishing a water mark, an impression to help receive the awarenesses that follow. All of one's energies become mobilized to pass through this palace. "L'ayl Barukh .. .ki hu l'vado marom v'kadosh" To the Force of Blessing Who is Uniquely Unfathomable Enter the Palaceof Clarity Self Understanding Hekhal Nogah The Palace of Clarity (Proverbs 4:18,Ezekiel 10:4) manifests in davvenen consciousness beginning with the words, "La-ayl Barukh N 'imot Y itaynu" and continues through the short series of invocations of transformative powers ending with the words "Nora T'hilot, Adon Hanijla-ot". Clarity communicates with brevity. Passing through this palace one begins to appreciate emptiness. As if one's familiar boundaries have suddenly become transparent or permeable, one can now stand outside them and identify the central patterns of one's usual consciousness with penetration and understanding. No colorations of past traumas or confusing obstacles cause wavering or open the doors to selfmockery. One learns to identify with the transparent, to comprehend the light that has no color. "Ham'khadesh B'tuvo TI B'khol Yom Tamid Ma'aseh V'raysheet" Renewing the goodness in every day of the creative act Enter the Palaceof Polishing Hekhal Haz 'khut Renewal of Felt Kindness of the Universe The Palace of Polishing manifests in davvenen consciousness beginning with the words "Ham'khadesh B'tuvo B'khol Yom Tamid Ma'aseh V'raysheet" and continues until the end of that blessing. In coursing through this palace, one undergoes a profound experience of needed healing. Understanding that is compassionate and healing wisdom is brought to shine on the dark parts of the soul and help is given to those areas of the character needing polishing and rebalancing before the individual can continue on to the Hekhal Ahava. Ahavat Olam Ahavtanu . . . With everlasting love are we loved Enter the Palaceof Loving "V'ahavta B'khol M'odekha . . " Love with all your might Hekhal Ahava Renewal of Being Loved and of Loving The Palace of Loving manifests in davvenen consciousness beginning with the words "Ahavat Olam" and continues until the end of the Shema. In coursing through this palace, one feels embraced by the arms of a trusted lover. The experience of release, of dissolving the boundaries of individuality which occur in deep love with another serves as a required steppingstone for the more extensive boundary reframing n~eded to grasp the subtle melting experience of the Shema. Hopefully, pa~,sing through all the palace experiences before the Shema prepares thedavvener to shine with a powerful loving quality "with all heart, all soul and all might." "Emet V'Yatziv" Authentic and Firm Enter the Palaceof 7;~7r,;,;,,a Renewal of Intention Hekhal Haratzon Feeling Authentic The Palace of Intention manifests in davvenen beginning with the words "Emet V'Yatziv" and continues until the edge of the Amida. Dissolving the boundaries of individuality which occur in the previous palace has an afterglow effect which reconstitutes the self, fusing the soul together in a new way. A trusted guide who one once knew reappears. One needs the binding together and reconstituting that a good friend and guide can provide. The guide merely serves to remind you of your original intention in undertaking this journey. That is enough to damp the flame slightly and leave you cool and on purpose for the final gateway experience. "Adonai S 'fotai Tiftakh" My God, Open Thou My Lips Enter the Palaceof Holy of Holies lYJP;,;,,ry With the Hekhal Kodesh Kod 'shim Presence The Palace of Holy of Holies manifests in davvenen with the words "Adonai S 'fotai Tiftakh" and continues through the Amida. In being here, one has the dual experience of being the wave and the ocean, the person and the creator, and it is never exactly clear who is talking and who is listening. All complaints and begging is gone. All the sensations of all the seven palaces come together and are resensed in wholeness as if they were all part of one moment. All time sense is lost in complete absorption with extraordinarily full self-involvement. "Witnessing," although present and operative, does not dominate the felt unity with the Divine waves. The sense of the "Source of Life" is felt to be coursing through every puff of air felt on your lipsr.