Shamanic Qabalah Quotes

“The spiritual experience of Binah is the Vision of Sorrow. Within this Sephirah, one is to have a vision of the holistic picture of all that is, all that was, why it was, what it is now, why it is, and what it is to become. In essence, true and total understanding of all existence. The Great Mother sees all. She sees our joys but also our pains and our sins. And, in all that she sees, she is indeed in sorrow. We are a very stubborn species. Binah watches as all too often we neglect our children’s future, poison our air and seas, enslave each other, and go to war. We are at home in our own addictions, and unfortunately it frequently takes a major trauma to wake us up from our unhealthy habits or anosognosia. Regrettably, this is another aspect of the mystical experience not taken into consideration by some. It is not all bliss and rainbows. It is not just a possibility, but a necessity, to assimilate the Vision of the Sorrow that compels the Goddess into her eternal cry for her children. The Tree of Life will simply not allow you to proceed unless this is done.
Therefore, managing the Vision of Sorrow is best achieved through Binah’s primary virtue: silence. It is necessary to still the noise and the raging waters to Understand all things in their truest vision. By stilling the clamor can the sparkling stars of the Heavens accurately reflect on the mirroring surface of the body of water below. As the archetypal Temple, she is the root of all temples in manifestation, the Inner Church, the sacred space of all sacred spaces. Because of this, Binah truly is the womb of life, the container from which all has been embodied. Approach the Dark Mother’s temple in silence, approach the temple in sorrow, and the vision shall be received.”
― Daniel Moler, Shamanic Qabalah: A Mystical Path to Uniting the Tree of Life & the Great Work

“Destruction, especially in spiritual circles, is often perceived as a negative thing. In the mystery traditions, it is an often-necessary means in order to transmute into finer states of being. This is the crux of the experience of the Sephirah of Geburah, which means “severity.” It is at this stage in pathworking, also, when sacrifice is necessary. In the curanderismo traditions, swords are often used to battle and cut away aspects of a person’s lower self that no longer serve their highest good. The cut must be clean, precise, and exact. The recipient must be ready to be rid of that aspect forever.
Generally known in esoteric circles as the Path of Karmic Adjustment, this is where the lords of karma operate upon us like surgeons in order to restore cosmic balance within our soul. This path is connected to Geburah, and while that Sephirah specifically calls us to banish our dross, this path is also connected to Tiphareth and so beseeches redemption. This means we must face ourselves—our entire life circumstance—as it really is and be ready and willing to change what is necessary in order keep our devotion intact. This requires brutal honesty, discernment, and a lot of courage. We also see the obvious connection to the astrological sign Libra (the scales) as well as the symbology of the tarot trump Justice.”
― Daniel Moler, Shamanic Qabalah: A Mystical Path to Uniting the Tree of Life & the Great Work

“The lesson in this path is taught sufficiently by the trump of the Hanged Man, a personal favorite. The Hanged Man is one of the better teachers of all the trumps on how to train the human mind (Hod) to work from the spiritual perspective. Since the figure on the card is being hung upside down, this indicates that the values of the higher world are most often the reverse of the lower. The Hanged Man gives an indication of serenity through chaos, as his face is placid despite being strung up and his head about to be submerged in a body of water in the Thoth Tarot. This explains why most mystics throughout time have been thought to be insane: their ideas and values are normally at odds with dogma and culture, and they are revolutionaries and radicals. Most often, when engaging with the higher spheres of consciousness, one encounters realities that far surpass culture’s understanding of what is and is not acceptable. The Hanged Man encapsulates the expression of mystic action, which is rarely understood in conventional culture. When these spiritual ideas and values are expressed, the prevailing mindset of society often misinterprets these expressions, becomes afraid, and retaliates either through crucifixion, persecution, or banishment. Hence, the secrecy of occultism.
Crowley calls this path and trump the “card of the Dying God,” and perhaps he has a point. Path 23 is the roadway where old ideas are purged to make way for a new, higher perspective in accordance with the spiritual Will of the universe. Turning one’s point of view upside down, in reverse, a pachakuti, is the magical formula of seeing the world via the perspective of spirit. It is the prime elixir of alchemy.”
― Daniel Moler, Shamanic Qabalah: A Mystical Path to Uniting the Tree of Life & the Great Work

“It may seem absurd at first, but it is perfectly fitting that our first touchpoint with Tiphareth, the Sephirah that represents the consciousness of the Christ, is represented by the Devil tarot card. The devil is merely a symbol for an illusion. At the same time, so are all man’s ideas of what “God” is: an illusion. We indeed become caught up in our own personal perceptions of God, rather than the reality of God. We get so wrapped up—and become slave to—our ideas and notions of what we think God is to us, just like the two chained persons in the tarot card. They are slave not to the literal creature “the devil”; they are slave to the established orthodoxy of their own ideas. The devil is merely a scapegoat for their own shortcomings. Too often we blame this invisible adversary for the sins which are, frankly, our own responsibility. Facing the devil, facing this illusion, is the first step in the dark night to receive the truth of Tiphareth, of the individuality. Moving further into the Great Work, our notions of what we perceive God to be are likely to change, to be turned completely upside down. We need to be ready, as we strive further and further to uncover the veil of the Mysteries, for Truth with a capital T. Based upon our current understanding of the world, this Truth can seem more like paradox than logic. Yet, the world of spirit is often irrational to the world of the nonspiritual.
This takes an intuitive leap past the logical framework of Hod in order to reach new frontiers of understanding that will often seem downright scary because of their illogical nature. We must be constantly aware of everything around us as illusion. The Hebrew letter for this Path, Ayin, means “eye,” which aligns with the optical nature of this theme. The eye can be easily tricked. Ayin is a reminder of the paradox between the physical eye and one’s intuition. The initiate must understand that the material world is illusion and take great care not to confuse outer forms with inner reflection. One may relate to another in some way, but they are not the same thing. One may relate to another in some way, but they are not the same thing. As always, discernment is your ally.”
― Daniel Moler, Shamanic Qabalah: A Mystical Path to Uniting the Tree of Life & the Great Work

“When I was majoring in studio art for my undergraduate degree, the professors expressed time and again that, for now, learn the basics, learn the rules, learn from the masters that came before. Then, when the foundation is set, take off from there, be creative. Take what they did and deconstruct it, bend it to your own will, make it work for you. In essence, experiment. But you can only do that by truly learning the system first. So goes the common adage, practice makes perfect.”
― Daniel Moler, Shamanic Qabalah: A Mystical Path to Uniting the Tree of Life & the Great Work

“As all power, Kamasqa is both an effluence, an etheric light fluid, as well as a dreaming. It is always creative, just as any river that is born of the melting of the glaciers, which starts as a trickle and then becomes the roaring rivers that feed the ocean. Along its way it creates habitat through life, it creates opportunities, lands to be cultivated and the people to be fed from it. I, personally, as with everything that is good medicine, take the stance of the poet when it comes to my relationship with Kamasqa. I try not to define it too much. I try just to understand that it visits me in different expressions, and every one of the expressions allows me to be more creative as a soul because I am anointed and touched by its flowing through me. It never composes me, it never defines me, but it does inspire me. And it does help dream me into being. And that’s how I understand Kamasqa to be. Creative power is a good definition, but there is much more to it.”
― Daniel Moler, Shamanic Qabalah: A Mystical Path to Uniting the Tree of Life & the Great Work

“Daath is the Fall which is responsible for the acquisition of self-knowledge. Daath can be the most uneasy and even dreadful Sephirah to encounter. For as one ascends the Tree of Life in earnest connection with the Supernal realms of being, Daath, the Abyss, is the where the last remnants of oneself—one’s image of oneself especially—is shredded. We see this play out in the biblical story of the Garden of Eden. For as Eve encounters the serpent (dragon), she takes fruit from the Tree of Knowledge (Daath). As she and Adam partake of the fruit (Eve being a personification of Binah and Adam of Chokmah), their nakedness is revealed, and they are ashamed. They see their true selves. As a result, they are cast out of the Garden of Eden, of paradise. This is not a literal account but the mythology of our consciousness.
What comes as a result of this banishment of paradise is a separation between man and woman, and here we are in a world where neither the feminine or masculine are honored together, in balance. However, to return to paradise (the culmination of the Great Work), the serpent must again be reencountered and the Tree of Knowledge passed through. Knowing oneself completely, without shame, is true knowledge, which Colonel Seymour states is the prime maxim of the mystery schools: “Over the doorway of many of the ancient temples was written Gnothi Se Auton or, Nosce Te Ipsum, Know Thyself.”
― Daniel Moler, Shamanic Qabalah: A Mystical Path to Uniting the Tree of Life & the Great Work

“The problem is, the audacious thirst for spiritual experience is a mode of self-deception, and shamanism (or any legitimate mystery school) does not condone this sort of delusion. The goal of shamanic practice is to have touchpoints with the otherworld but to bring back the information for healing and renewal in this world, the here and now, the kingdom. Any information gained in the metaphysical that is inapplicable to this world is moot and therefore counterproductive...We have a bad habit of not realizing we are already out of Plato’s cave; we need to be constantly reminded. Shamanic ritual pulls you out of the distraction, out of the sleepwalking fog, and opens your eyes to what is truly around you.”
― Daniel Moler, Shamanic Qabalah: A Mystical Path to Uniting the Tree of Life & the Great Work

“When beginning the Great Work and in shamanic apprenticeship, the first realm one learns to interact with is the Ukhupacha. This is because the work of an initiate is to learn to manage the potencies of the Ukhupacha, to harness what is necessary from the shadow and return what is no longer needed back to the below, to be composted in the regenerative soils of the Ukhupacha so new things can grow. Shadow doesn’t go away. However, it can be managed and integrated more harmoniously into the interface of the Kaypacha.”
― Daniel Moler, Shamanic Qabalah: A Mystical Path to Uniting the Tree of Life & the Great Work

“To be unperturbed amid catastrophe results in the desired control of emotion necessary to calm the waters of the soul. A disturbed pond cannot accurately reflect the stars of the heavens upon its surface.”
― Daniel Moler, Shamanic Qabalah: A Mystical Path to Uniting the Tree of Life & the Great Work

“Perhaps this is due to the misunderstanding of the images—symbols—inherent in religious texts throughout the centuries. Lux (Latin for light) in most all spiritual paths is the end goal of the spiritual experience. Regardie discusses the importance of understanding the role of lux in initiation. Certainly, to reach and attain direct contact and communion with the Light of God is the goal, if ever there was one, of spirituality. This shows that the function of initiation, in seeking light, is shepherding oneself into a process of labor. It is an alchemical endeavor, just as the ancient alchemists were initiates themselves. Turning the lead within oneself into gold—chrysopoeia—is the prime goal. The whole aim of magic, alchemy, and mysticism is to purify one’s soul through illumination of the divine light, which is in fact an inner light. This is initiation. One cannot receive the light, cannot receive initiation, just by wanting it. Desire alone is not sufficient. One must condition oneself accordingly so that the light of spiritual illumination may be received, for the light will not fill a container that is impure. Initiation is a state of mind. It comes as a result of discipline, rather than circumstance. It should not be our base desires which drive our life, but Will. This Will is a will not of our own but of the Divine.”
― Daniel Moler, Shamanic Qabalah: A Mystical Path to Uniting the Tree of Life & the Great Work

“Perhaps this is due to the misunderstanding of the images—symbols—inherent in religious texts throughout the centuries. Lux (Latin for light) in most all spiritual paths is the end goal of the spiritual experience. Regardie discusses the importance of understanding the role of lux in initiation. Certainly, to reach and attain direct contact and communion with the Light of God is the goal, if ever there was one, of spirituality. This shows that the function of initiation, in seeking light, is shepherding oneself into a process of labor. It is an alchemical endeavor, just as the ancient alchemists were initiates themselves. Turning the lead within oneself into gold—chrysopoeia—is the prime goal. The whole aim of magic, alchemy, and mysticism is to purify one’s soul through illumination of the divine light, which is in fact an inner light. This is initiation.”
― Daniel Moler, Shamanic Qabalah: A Mystical Path to Uniting the Tree of Life & the Great Work

“Unfortunately, this has created a new religious paradigm in which the focus has steered away from spirituality entirely and turned into a new breed of corporatization. This new paradigm has mutated, focused more on individuation than rituals of reverence. Modernization is fine, but why can’t one seek self-liberation and also be devoted to God (however that concept applies to you) at the same time? What we have now is a generation that is leaving God out of the equation of a spiritual life. The late mystic Jiddu Krishnamurti once stated, “If we are seeking God merely because we are tired of this world and its miseries, then it is an escape. Then we create God, and therefore it is not God.” The spiritual life is, and always should be, the search for truth, whatever the cost. It should not be, ever, a vehicle for positive reinforcement.”
― Daniel Moler, Shamanic Qabalah: A Mystical Path to Uniting the Tree of Life & the Great Work