Balancing
Late last winter and early spring I did my best to systematize my understanding of Abulafia derived from Aryeh Kaplan’s “Sefer Yetzira” and “Meditation and Kabbalah” along with things I’ve found at places like this
http://learnkabbalah.com/basic_meditation_techniques/
I take very seriously Kaplan’s statement that he had been authorized by his masters to release what he knew, at least about the basic technique. Of course the secret is not in “knowing” but doing the exercise.
I use a very simple technique where I permute the the “five” vowels sounds with the letters of the Name making very slight but distinct head motions. It takes about twenty-five to thirty minutes to work through it. It is much easier than one would think, actually. I incorporated it into an evening walk so that I started as I left the house, walked out and back so that I finished a block or to from home so I could then just enjoy the clarity. It requires concentration, but only gently. As I walked and recited the sounds silently I would ever so slightly bob my head, almost like someone with an iPod listening to a rhythmic song.
For a lazy instant after the last sound and movement I could see the Name everywhere, radiating out from within the trees and the patterns in the asphalt of the road and the grass and leaves and shadows.
I have been on hiatus in the heart-breaking world of politics; that phase has passed–at least as an all-consuming obsession.
I am returning to the long term trajectory of my life after an enlightening roller coaster ride.
