Re: Questions, questions, questions

["peter_reist" <peter_reist@...>]

Dear Rawn,

>>>Instead of writing something myself, I suggest "The True and 
Invisible Rosicrucian Order" by Paul Foster Case. In that book, he 
does the best job I've ever read of describing the initiatory degrees 
in the Western Hermetic Tradition.<<<

I'll see if I can look into that.

>>>I also suggest that you take a look at my "Permutations of the 
Tree: BOOK 231". Specifically the section titled "The 231 Gates of 
Yetziratic Redemption (Initiation)". The gates that belong to each of 
the Sephirot, describe the tasks of initiation into that specific
Sephirot/degree. These Gates are arranged in an initiatory 
sequence.<<<

I tried to look at your "Permutations of the Tree: Book 231" some 
time ago and couldn't make heads or tails of what it all meant. Maybe 
it's about time I took a look at that work again.

>>>Yes, it is a difference in quality as opposed to quantity. However,
there is the matter of the long time it takes to learn how to truly
condense the Tree into the three bodies, verses the considerably 
shorter time it takes to learn how to truly accumulate the Elements 
and thereby balance the three bodies. In other words, it takes less 
time to learn the Elemental work than it does the Kabbalistic work.<<<

Oh yes, there is considerably less time to learn the Elemental work 
as opposed to the Kabbalistic work. With the Kabbalistic work one has 
to look for the essential meaning of each of the spheres and paths, 
then try to figure out the colour symbolism and work on condensing 
that essential meaning through colour.

It is a long process that has to be taken step by step, but it does 
seem to work quite well. At the present moment whenever I feel an 
imbalance I work through the pattern on the trestleboard, with each 
statement condensing down the colour within the mental body (I've 
been working heavily with the Gra tree). Which in turn seems to help 
rectify most imbalances. At least for a little while. With each 
repitition it seems to work out more imbalances for a longer period 
of time.

>>By "the Kabbalistic work", I don't mean simply visualizing the Tree 
in each of your three bodies. Instead, I mean the ability to *truly*
condense the essential meaning of each component of the Tree (i.e., 
the 32 Paths of Wisdom), into each of the three bodies. Bardon 
described this process in the "Preparatory" work section of KTQ. 
Achieving this ability requires the undertaking of a long process of 
transformation affecting all three bodies, brought about by the 
exercises that Bardon described.<<<

While I believe that I'm not quite up to that level yet, I do 
understand what you're talking about. At the present I'm working at 
something similar to what we've previously talked about on working on 
the training for Kabbalah that can be done before the attainment of 
step eight.

Now, what you're saying is that the preparatory work within KTQ works 
with the condensing down of the various letters/paths within the 
three bodies. Therefore essentially transforming the three bodies 
into the tree of life, and hence, a conscious living and breathing 
expression of the Divine.

Love and Live well,
Peter Reist