The three qualities of conscious awareness

     The symbols we use in our meditations determine not only the way we think about something, they also pave the way for the outworking of our thoughts into form. Throughout history there have always been systems of thought which relied upon these symbols of meaning. From the very 1st pictures on the caves of ancient man symbols where used to reorient the consciousness into a kind of short hand of action. The pictures of the hunter stalking and slaying the deer were meditational focal points in a society where find food was a primary occupation. By rehearsing these hunts primitive man began using the first kinds of meditations for seeing his thoughts come into form. As history progressed the symbols became more advanced. To date there are records of countless mythologies of thought, religious systems, shamanistic forms, and metaphysical hierarchies o f thinking. Today we have the good fortune to have all of these studies of symbolic thought available to us.
     Most religions or systems of thought would argue that their system is the one system which will help to improve your lot in life. I cannot argue with this. What works for some however does not work for others. What is important is the synthesis of these symbols that will enable us to make use of them in our everyday life. It is to this end that we discuss the following three philosophies and their relationship to how we may make use of their symbols to bring together the various qualities of mind needed to understand and employ the philosophies that are contained under what is now called Modern Kabbalah. Be ready for some interesting concepts that will inspire you throughout your day.
     First of all we need to know about mind and thought and how they work together. Let's call this Operations, of the Law of Operation. For this we turn to Patanjali. "
     Often called the father of yoga, Patanjali compiled 195 sutras or concise aphorisms that are the answer to the inner way of incorporating the science of yoga into your life. It is estimated that this physician who became one of the worlds greatest sages roamed India somewhere between 200 B.C. and 200 A.D.
     In these Yoga sutras are suggestions about the workings of the mind. It is written in sanskit a language as full of symbolism as Hebrew or Aramaic. The yoga that is studied has to do with what and how we are teaching ourselves to use our mind. This work is classic in that it teaches you the basics of inner study or meditation and states what the purposes are for this meditation. You can find the sutras and their interpretations by many in a number of places online. A thorough understanding isn't necessary. All you need to know is that there is this process that takes place within and that this process has been mapped. Looking at the sutras can be very beneficial in directing your own inner study. Again these sutras are for studying our own internal operation and learning what we can from this. Consider them as you would the engine and all the working parts of your car. While you do not have to know how to be a mechanic to drive your car, you do have to know what buttons and petals to push in order to drive it and how to start it up when it is laying dormant.
     Second in our study is Kabbalah. Kabbalah is our map. We kind of know what Kabbalah is but like the sutra's of Patanjali, we don't have to completely understand this discipline. All we need to know here is that Kabbalah means to receive. What we receive is inspiration and the ability to connect our thoughts to a higher purpose. In particular New Kabbalah seeks to draw out this purpose within Kabbalah and make this purpose its central motivating idea. The exercises which relate Torah and the Zohar to this kind of study are wonderful, however there is the danger of becoming lost in the translation. This occurs not because of the language of the Torah or the Zohar but because these obscure references came from the imaginative discussions of men very much like ourselves. They were however limited somewhat by their strict adherence to scriptutal references. In my opinion the Zohar shines never so brightly as when the tales are told of the rabbi's walking with the donkey encountering some passerby who happens to be undergoing a miracle in the moment. These are wonderful tales but we need to relate Kabbalah to our everyday life. We cannot all be rabbis. We need practical advice on how to live our lives according to the roles each of us has today. Kabbalah says to listen. New Kabbalah emphasizes that to listen is to reach up for our answers by relating our thoughts to the world around us. We then are reminded to watch our thoughts and to change our minds when we go off course. New Kabbalah says to listen and then make course corrections when we go astray. This applies to every part of our life. Using the map of Kabbalah we chart our course and fill our worlds with good thoughts which leads us to our intended destination.
     The third part of our studies of the qualities of conscious awareness is New Thought. New Thought includes Science of Mind, Unity Churches, Emma Hopkins, Charles Quimby, Ernest Holmes, Mary Baker Eddy, John Neville, and many of today's New Age gurus. New Thought says that what you think you see take form in your world. New Thought was developed in America. It isn't a religion although it bases many of its theories on Christianity as spoken by Jesus. If Patanjali is the Operations Manual, and Kabbalah the Map, New Thought is our every day business. It encompasses what happens to us in our daily affairs. Are there overlaps between these three qualities? Of course. It is even difficult at times to say where one begins and the others leave off, or if there is really any distinction whatsoever at the core level between all three. There is one point however that I wanted to bring out about New Thought. It isn't something which will generally be assoicated with it but it seems a logical extension.
      Everytime we have a conversation or interpret a verse in Zohar or Torah or seek answers to what our life meaning is we reach a place where we have a revelation. At times this revelation can produce a lifelong committment to something. This revelation is nothing other than the "new thought" which has arisen as a result of our meditation. The purpose in bringing this to your attention is that this "new thought" along with the "receiving" of Kabbalah and the operation of Patanjali is the basis of what we are calling Modern Kabbalah. We can simply proceed with our studies using the operation of mind combined with the receipt of knowledge (truth), and the creation by inspiration of the "new thought" was has arisen. This is the purpose of all of these writings here.
     The order of being would therefore be to connect, operate, receive, and then witness the creation of the new thought.
Everytime in the Zohar when a "new thought" is revealed there are praises to G-d. In a sense what is being praised is the ability and the successful experience of connection. This is what we are seeking in everything we do whether it is in pursuit of money, health, relationships or career. It is connection to the Perpetual One, the Eternal. We seek this conneciton because only there inside of this place of awareness, of being are we capable of understanding in part the mystery of our lives. This "new thought" can arise from any increased awareness that you come across. All it has to be is to be new to you. In a group of people it can be new to the group. It is based upon this dynamic taking place that inspires these writings taking place each day. The wonder of it all is that usually I don't know what is going to happen until it happens in the moment. Sometimes I'll think about a seed idea and this will generate corresponding seeds ideas as in the case of this post whose seed idea was "new thought" and Modern Kabbalah.