THE HOLISTIC QABALA:
A CONTEMPORARY GUIDE TO MAGICK
by Philo Stone (aka Richard and Iona Miller), ©1982, 2002

BOOK III: Sphere 9: YESOD, the Moon

YESOD: Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION

PART II. YETZIRAH, THE ASTRAL OR EMOTIONAL PLANE

BOOK III: YESOD, The Sphere of the Moon 1. PHILOSOPHY a. Initiation: Zelator b. Ritual: The Value of Dreamwork c. Practical QBL: The Body of Light, Part 1; The Astral Body

2. PSYCHOLOGY

3. ASTROLOGY & ALCHEMY

4. ORIENTATION & EXERCISE

BOOK III: YESOD, Sphere of the Moon

INTRODUCTION

Yesod is the lunar world of the Great Mother, the Goddess in all her
multitudinous forms. The Moon exemplifies the notion of dynamic
equilibrium; it builds a firm foundation of stability based on cyclic change.
This ebb and flow is characteristics of the Feminine Ms.teries and Lunar
Magic. It is the psychosexual domain, or emotional-sexual sphere.

The Moon of Yesod symbolizes fertility of body, soul, mind, and
imagination. Its manifestations range from reflective and purely
automatic impulses of generation to providing a source of inspiration.
This fluctuating world of shape-shifting forms is known in mythology as
ISIS, the Great Mother who contains all other goddesses. She represents the archetypal virginity of the feminine aspect of Godhead, its
all-encompassing receptivity.

The characteristic experience of Yesod or the lower astral plane is a
trance state of varying depth. Most commonly, ego, memory and control
are weak or absent. There is dissociation from an Ordinary State of
Consciousness. If memory of the imagery experience is retained, it may
be misinterpreted or distorted, resulting in no effective assimilation into
daily life.

Receptivity is the keyword for Yesod, which in the Four Worlds is
represented by the following:

1. Physical Plane: In the phenomenal world Yesod is characterized as the electromagnetic fields, known by physicists to be the formative basic of matter. In the human body, the genitals represent Yesod. Instincts act on the body producing psychomotor automatisms, or the automatic gut-feel responses. Astrologically, Yesod is the Moon or Luna. Gareth Knight links Pan to Yesod stating that "Pan gives the idea of archetypal strength which is characteristic of the etheric and of the action of the Moon on Earth." Pan's appearance here also indicates his other manifestations including panic reactions, nightmare, guilt, and disturbed erotic involvement. Hyperarousal.

2. Astral Plane: At this level one can tap the reservoir of life-force or pranic energy. Kundalini is a physical manifestation of the astral form of Yesod. The therapeutic practice of Bioenergetics resolves repression and traumas releasing vitality. This level of lunar consciousness includes one's personal reactions to the complex environment. Yesod is a sphere of personal awareness. The personality is a unique complex of emotions and thoughts. This is the level of Moon Magic (i.e. Wicca). It provides no access past the Astral Plane. Its negative effects include overemotionalism or reactiveness.

3. Causal Plane: From the psychological perspective, Yesod is the realm of Imagination and Archetypes. One may experience it through Trance or various Art forms. There is understanding of the contrasexual aspect of the anima and animus. There is release from possession and enhanced control of emotions through employing the imaginative technique of personification of divine forces.

4. Archetypal Plane: On the highest level, Yesod manifests as dream experiences and fascination. This is the level or oracular prophecy.

(INSERT PICTURE)

One of the main tasks of Yesod, sphere of the Moon, is to acquire a firm
foundation in Qabalistic theory before beginning any actual practice.
Yesod is the automated consciousness or habit mind which is also
sometimes called the Vital Soul, or realm of instincts. In physics, this
astral dynamism is known as electromagnetic fields, the force which lies
behind and patterns all forms. Thus, the subconscious underlies and
directs our mundane awareness in an analogous way to that in which EM
fields are the subtle basis of matter. Behavior precipitates, as it were,
from hidden subconscious dynamics. We can raise much of this
unconscious motivation to awareness.

Magical tradition asserts that the human faculty of imagination is capable
of creating impressions in the astral substance which guide and direct
subsequent manifestation. In more modern parlance, creative
visualization or dwelling subconsciously on something repeatedly,
increases the chance of altering EM field patterns. This is neither
objective nor subjective, since the wave fronts involved operate both
externally in the environment and internally in the organ of perception,
the CNS. Therefore, magical exercises, carried out properly, are
designed to establish and strengthen specific EM field patterns (or
archetypes) with great clarity in the consciousness of the practitioner.
(Ref. "EM Fields and Their Relation to the Astral," in Holistic Qabala,
Netzach).

Misuse of imagination has created chaos, error, and confusion in the
collective consciousness. Generations of wrong thinking have left a
groove on the cultural mind, which manifests mostly as emotional
fragmentation or misplaced zeal. Imagination is an essentially spiritual
power whose expression has been distorted. In Yesod we seek to
reestablish emotional balance and control of responses and reactions
which are usually below our threshold of awareness. At Yesod, this
applies particularly to the channeling of the intense reproductive urge.
We seek connection with the uplifting aspects of sexual energy, rather
than its animalistic expression.

"The phallic symbolism evident in the Magical Image of Yesod
(Ithyphallic Youth) needs to be understood as referring to the
reproductive energy as it expresses throughout all levels of life. The
regeneration attributed to this energy in man never refers to the external
organs, but to the interior nervous organism. It is this inner force that is
always meant; the force that works through the interior centers and is
known as the Serpent Fire, Kundalini, or Prana.

Yesod tests and corrects the patterns we formulate with our ability to
create mental images by projecting them into the field of sensation in
Malkuth. If our imagery is based on error, disharmony results and the
ensuing pain helps to make us aware of the need for more work to free
ourselves from succumbing to the errors in the collective consciousness.
The formative aspects of Yesod are directly under the dominion of the
self-conscious image-making faculty in man. We can release old blocks or habit patterns by a more enlightened use of our self-conscious powers. Old destructive habits are easily given up when resistance to new, more constructive forms of reactions is given up. This takes a conscious effort at first to divert the flow of energy from the deeply grooved pattern into a new channel. But soon the new, constructive emotion becomes habit.

After the work of purifying the body comes the work of purifying the
psychical nature. This means an upgrading of our automatic response and reactions to life. We become more consciously aware of responses that are not in harmony with the goals of the Higher Self. We create a
channel for the liberating powers of the Self, which alone perfects us as a personality. The higher Self uses the ego-personality to control
subconsciousness by suggestion. It prepares the subconscious level of us for reception of higher instructions as to the workings of nature, i.e.
healing misperceptions and emotional wounds or complexes. Mainly this
means overcoming resistance to change.

The subconscious mind creates patterns in our thoughts, emotions, and
behavior. If the mainstream of your thoughts, acts and emotions
counteract your Higher Mind idealisms, then not much of these actually
get incorporated into your foundation. The "new image" must be
frequently reinforced or you will revert to the line of least resistance and
act out your old, unadapted habit. But we can free ourselves from this
bondage by deliberately and persistently visualizing, the image of our
perfected personality. At the same time, remember to practice diverting
attention and imagery from what you do not want to be or do or express.

"In Yesod are held the patterns of all possible forms. Certain simple
geometrical figures can be discovered in all natural phenomena.
Basically these forms are the cross, the square, the circle, the pentagon, the hexagon and octagon. All the manifold forms of the physical plane are based upon these simple figures. Their proportions contain representations of all force relationships in the universe. The lines and angular correspondences shown by these figures contain the principles upon which sound vibration, light and color, gravitation and electromagnetism depend. Wherever anything comes into physical being these proportions can be found. They can be detected as primal units in the kingdoms of nature. They are expressions of the One in the Many."

TEARS OF LAKSHMI

I saw nothing but the Moon, deep inside.
Upon its evanescent pull I solely relied.
That lustrous, eternal, mysterious pearl,
Cool symbol of the psychic world.
Her orbit forms an etheric circle,
Echoing memories of love's euphoric recall.

Source of immortal joy with wonders implied.
To enter that realm I mightily strived,
Erasing my doubt about the ultimate goal.
Spirit enters body compelling surrender of the soul.
Resplendent in Fullness unveiled,
Her charms are many, minutely detailed.

Thirst for that spring of fresh water
Flowing from the Source of all decrees.
The ever-virgin cannot be fruitful,
So plumb her depths and sail her sea.
You are her son, as I am her daughter,
Molded in that image as by a potter.

The lotus-eyed goddess always knows
Just for whom the tears of Lakshmi flow.
With a mind as calm as moonlight
In the shelter of the Tree of Life.
Leaning on the windowsill of Heaven
Trust your body's innate wisdom.

She flies with her own gossamer wings;
Her heart hiding secrets of arcane things,
Learned neither by price nor by prayer.
Adventure in her labyrinth, if you dare.
The turbulent stream of imaginal flow,
The power of energy rooted below.

Moon of my delight, brilliant blue ray of light
All spheres of heaven merge in that sight.
With quicksilver orb, and luminous halo.
For that perfect Queen of sacred love's pillow,
Our yearning discontent never ceases.
For the Source of Life it always increases.

II. YETZIRAH, the Emotional Plane(top)

The common name for this plane of awareness is the Astral Plane or the
Astral Light. The Astral Light is synonymous with the Alchemical idea of
the Anima Mundi, or Soul of the World. The Jungian idea of the
Collective Unconscious as the treasure house of fluctuating imagery is a
modern explanation for the experience of this phenomena.

The Astral Light is also perceived behind the phenomenon of electromagnetic fields and their effects in patterning physical
manifestations.

The Astral Light is an omnipresent and all-permeating fluid or
medium of extremely subtle matter; substance in a highly
tenuous state, electric and magnetic in constitution, which is the
model upon which the physical world is built. It is the endless,
changeless, ebb and flow of the world's forces that, in the last
resort, guarantee the stability of the world and provides its
foundation. Yesod is this stable foundation, this changeless ebb
and flow of astral forces, and the universal reproductive power
in nature.(1)

There are two distinct divisions into a Lower Astral and Higher Astral
Plane. The Lower Astral includes the grossest manifestations of contact
with the Divine through instincts and uncontrollable psychomotor
phenomena influencing the body. the Higher Astral is the plane of images
and affects, including emotional response. The Lower Astral is
characterized by dissociation and loss or absence of memory and ego
functions. The Higher Astral includes the first attempts to implement the
will in a relationship with the sub-conscious forces. In the Astral Plane,
archetypes are perceived in images or mind-pictures; often this means
only a vague awareness or foreboding.

The Astral is also the realm of dream and divination. It is the Lunar plane
of psychism and mediums. The Astral Body is appropriate for exploration
or travel in this plane. Here, both Godforms and matter (Maya) are
visible. The Astral Plane influences the body through the parasympathetic nervous system or the Central Nervous System. Its negative effects include over-emotionalism. Psychological reflection in this Plane leads to the acquisition of reliable information concerning self-knowledge. All other experience here, especially for purely personal gain, is to be discouraged.

The goal is to develop a cognitive understanding within the depths of the
subconscious mind by observing the rich forms, exotic dreams, and
luxurious images which present themselves in this medium. On the Astral
Plane, symbols are living entities! The Astral Light, having no
characteristics or form is fluidic, watery, reflective, and impressionable.
Trying to create an impression on the astral substance (through
visualization) which manifests latter in fulfillment of one's desire is misuse
of psychic power for personal interest. This is the lowest form of magic,
and to be shunned by all serious aspirants as a hindrance in the Work.

INSERT PICTURE TREE 1: THE FOUR WORLDS

"The astral plane is said to include but extend beyond the
physical plane of our everyday world, and the astral light (the
light created by God's command 'Let there be light", according
to Eliphas Levi) transmits the rays or waves or vibrations of
human will-power, thought, feeling, and imagination. In terms
of Jungian psychology it is the medium of the archetypes, the
basic ideas and symbols of the collective unconscious. In the
astral plane thought, fancy and emotion have the same concrete
reality as a solid object here on the physical plane, and the astral
light is a great reservoir of occult power (like the mana of the
Polynesians, or the prana of Hindus). Every human thought
makes an imprint on the astral light, it is said, and in it the seer
can read the history of the distant past in the Akashic Record or
Cosmic Memory, through it the occultist can discern the reality
behind the surface appearance of things, with it the magician
works as a smith works with metals in his forge, shaping the
subtle substance of the astral light with the tools of
concentrated imagination and will ."

--Man, Myth & Magic, p. 1630

"Its fluidity makes it easily suggestible. Even the most tenuous
ideas impress or influence it. By directing the current of his
will, ritually motivated, the magician is able to cause changes in
the Astral Light.

The Astral Light or Astral Plane contains or constitutes the
Cosmic Memory which is a repository of everything that has ever
been thought or done. The Cosmic Memory is thus a vast,
impersonal record of impressions which have been received
since the beginning of time. Another name for the Astral Light
is the Akasha; for this reason the Cosmic Memory is also called
the Akashic Records. As these records are in picture form, they
are recoverable by a competent skryer or medium."

--Man, Myth & Magic, p. 186

PENDULUM

Dashing to and fro 'tween the pillars of the temple
In the center there is a way to get off this 'time' a ways.
Do you see the King of Edom
who reign unbalanced force
in the dawn of the birth of Israel?

They're the pendulums of peace and pain.
Faith itself must be slain by certainty
and chastity by ecstasy.

Wake from the sleep of Shilome
and be for the birth that is real.
Still the pendulums don't kneel to them.
Live the Probation's zeal.

There is Maya, the woman spinning
illusion with her dancing.
Weeping in her irony for all poor drowning souls.
She'll lay you low and make amends.
She burns your candle at both ends.
No period for her sentients,
only penitence...

...and dashing to and fro
'tween the pillars of the temple.
In the center there is a way
to get off.

John Gowan describes the three major modes of consciousness (or
contact between the individual ego and the divine) as Trance, Art, and
Creativity. Each state has particular characteristics which correspond
precisely with Tree of Life modeling. (2)

a) Yesod = trance = prototaxic mode (characterized by loss of ego);
psychomotor phenomena, signs. Lunar consciousness.

b) Path 25, Trump XIV, ART = Art = parataxic mode (characterized by the production of images whose meaning is not clear or categorical; personal or idiosyncratic use of symbols and imagery); affective, images. Lunar changing to

c) Tiphareth = Creativity = syntaxic mode (where meaning is more or less fully cognized symbolically, with ego present); cognitive, symbols. Solar consciousness of Causal Plane. Creativity is the result of the harmonizing of lunar and solar elements.

Yesod as the Prototaxic Mode of Awareness:

The Prototaxic Mode (Trance) is an archaic mode of primitive
consciousness which involves the body in somatic and kinesthetic
behavior. It is characterized by dissociation and trance, awe, dread,
horror, and panic. It includes such phenomenal experiences as possession,
mediumship, hypnosis, astral projection, psychedelic drug experience, and
paranormal aspects including ESP. Its range extends from the extreme
dissociation of schizophrenia to the religious ecstasy of mystics and the
magical flight of shamans. At the lower end of the prototaxic scale, ego
control is weak or absent, and there is a general amnesia concerning the
experiences during the trance state. Though the trance state produces
some intriguing paranormal effects, it is the grossest form of contact with
the divine powers of the subconscious. Through a taxonomy of these
manifestations we may establish the relative value of these altered states
of consciousness.

1. Schizophrenia (dissociation from daily life) is the grossest

Panic reactions including mob contagion; terrifying sense of peril; guilt or sense of personal responsibility; disturbed erotic involvement or socially unsanctioned sex life.

Positive disintegration which is the necessary preliminary deprogramming phase preceding enlightenment. This mental illness is characteristic of shamans, psychologists and other cases of the "wounded-healer".

Hysteria including hyperarousal and psychosomatic conversion-reactions.

Unstressing is a behavior outlet for the psychic tension accruing from the confrontation with the powers of the Collective Unconscious. Includes "talking in tongues", dancing, shaking, motor automatisms (spasms, gasps, twitches, jerking, weeping, laughter, headaches, etc.).

2. Trance is the temporary restructuring of reality orientation
including paranormal effects such as ESP, etc. Trance states include:

Sleep where images are profuse but the ego/will is absent.

Possession where the individual ego is usurped by a malevolent demon or spirit.

Mediumistic trance is a form of possession where a benign (or dead) spirit controls and dominates the individual ego.

Group Trance Dance such as those practiced by America Indians, Sufis, and Voodoo are also forms of possession, with paranormal manifestations.

Psychedelic drugs provide vivid imaginal "trips" which the ego has difficulty recalling and integrating meaningfully.

Sensory Deprivation produces hallucinations and disorientation.

Hypnosis and Autohypnosis produce four classic depths of trance.

Shamanistic Trance is a high form of prototaxic operation. The sorcerer's mission is to influence the environment by magic. He is not possessed by spirits, but controls them. He retains his memory of magical flights or Out-of-Body Experience. He receives and remembers instructions from dreams, and because of his own wounding and recovery has the ability to heal.

Magical Trance is the prototaxic form of Lunar magic. It uses psychic powers for personal interests. Its parataxic mode form is ritual; its syntaxic activity is visualization.

3. Paranormal Aspects of the Prototaxic Mode include:

ESP (telepathy, clairvoyance, precognition, psychometry).
Hallucinations
Anesthesia of pain and healing
Fire-walking and other mastery over fire
Psychokenesis and poltergeist phenomena
Out-of-Body (OOB) experience, (magical flight) astral projection
Automatic writing or "channeling"
Psychic Surgery

4. Higher Trance; theophanies or mystical experiences.

At this point, consciousness shifts modes of awareness to the Parataxic
Mode known as ART. There is general increase in conscious
participation, memory, and a movement from awe and dread toward
pleasure as tensions are released in a creative activity. Frequently these
include ritual (ceremonial magick) or the production of a socially
recognizable work of art with collective value. Further progress on the
continuum leads to increased cognitive awareness. Visualization ability is
consciously cultivated, and a form of psychic "map" is adopted, such as
the Qabalistic Tree of Life. Increasing self-realization leads to the desire
to meditate, seeking higher experiences of human fulfillment. The
Syntaxic mode means the ego cooperates with the inner processes enough
to remain fully conscious and in an Ordinary State of Consciousness. It
voluntarily subordinates itself to the transpersonal energy of the divine.

INSERT CHART OF TRUMP XIV

INSERT TABLE 6-2 Properties of Various Trance States Compared

 

1. Philosophy

a. Initiation: Zelator(top)

At this juncture, of the ceremony, with the Airy elements
vibrating about him and through him, the Zelator is urged to be
"prompt and active as the Sylphs, but avoid frivolity and
caprice. Be energetic and strong as the Salamanders but avoid
irritability and ferocity. Be flexible and attentive to images, like
the Undines, but avoid idleness and changeability. Be laborious
and patient like the Gnomes, but avoid grossness and avarice.
So shalt thou gradually develop the powers of thy soul and fit
thyself to command the spirits of the elements.

--Israel Regardie/The Golden Dawn

Initiation into the Sphere of Yesod is designed to produce the conscious
realization that one's true Identity resides in the Higher Self, known in
Magick as the Holy Guardian Angel. The stage of magickal practice
after Yesod is Path 25 (Trump XIV, ART) which is attempted Knowledge
and Conversation with this entity which personifies one's True Will.

As a Zelator, the aspirant seeks a lifestyle which is conducive to achieving
the conditions required by his project. "Change is stability" and allows
one to break free of outmoded habit patterns. This change for the sake
of the Great Work may never be undertaken at the emotional expense of
those close to you. No one ever made spiritual progress by walking over
the backs of others.

The Zelator is expected to conduct experiments with techniques of
physical clairvoyance, such as testing with ESP cards. He is required to
become proficient in Hatha Yoga, or some other comparable physical
discipline which encourages inner stillness. He learns the technique of
pranayama, or control of breathing and other autonomic functions. All of
this stilling of the body is for meditation. The Zelator learns how to
control his myriad thoughts (Dharana) and strives toward concentration.

The Zelator embodies that aspirant who experiences a psychic state
midway between enthusiasm and love. He is energetic and dedicated, one
might say fascinated with the sparkling imagery of his newly-found inner
world. He has a fanaticism which wears off once maturity on the Path is
gained. The meditation is, in fact, the counterpoint to the
overenthusiastic hyperarousall which might result in "burn out" if left
unchecked. There is no advantage to "too much, too soon" and students
of the Middle Path are cautioned to be moderate in all things, including
meditation. Marathon meditation days, at this point, would tend to
produce psychic dissociation, rather than a gradual integration of an
expanded worldview.

A Zelator rarely moves again after his initiation as the volumes of his
Magickal Journal and Dream Diary are now too numerous.

b. Ritual: The Value of Dreamwork(top)

The archetypes to be discovered and assimilated are precisely
those which have inspired the basic images of ritual and
mythology. These eternal ones of the dream are not to be
confused with the personality modified symbolic figures that
appear in nightmares or madness to the tormented individual.
Dream is the personalized myth. Myth is the depersonalized
dream.

--Joseph Campbell

No one who does not know himself can know others. And in
each of us there is another whom we do not know. He speaks to
us in dream and tells us how differently he sees us from the way
we see ourselves. When, therefore, we find ourselves in a
different situation to which there is no solution, he can
sometimes kindle a light that radically alters our attitude; the
very attitude that led us into the difficult situation.

--C. G. Jung

As we spend a large proportion of our lives in a dream state, a fuller
understanding of their implications may prove valuable. Today, there are
several prevailing theories concerning the significance and value of
dreams. No final statement about dream may be made. There are
several approaches to perspective which is assumed a priori. There are
many alternatives to choose from. One's choice of style in dreamwork
will be determined by the mythemes currently embraced. The
characteristic attitudes associated with the archetypes will motivate and
influence one's approach to the dreamworld.

Strephon Kaplan Williams(3) (Jungian-Senoi Institute) is one of the
foremost proponents of Dreamwork. He outlines a six-point program for
continued use.

1. Dialogue with the dream characters, asking questions and recording answers.

2. Re-experience of the dream through imagination, art projects, and
creativity.

3. Examination of unresolved aspects of the dream, and contemplation of solutions.

4. Actualization of insights in daily life, where relevant.

5. Meditation on the source of dreams and insight from the Self.

6. Synthesize the essence of dreamlife and its meaning in a journal and apply them in one's life journey.

To offer a variety of other approaches, we will cover theories on dreams
and dreaming from Jung's original work, the analytical psychology school,
para-psychology, and archetypal or imaginal psychology. Knowledge of
the antiquated Freudian system is so wide-spread that no further
comment here seems necessary.

Jung was the first to depart from Freud's "sexuality-fraught" perception
of dreams. Where Freud saw one complex, Jung saw many. He saw in
dreams a gamut of archetypes overseen by the transcendent function, or
Self. Analytical psychology amplified and clarified his original material.
Most of this work is concerned with the fantasy of the process of
individuation. It reflects an ego with a heroic attitude, and proceeds by
stages of development. Consciousness, at this stage, is generally
monotheistic. It has a tendency to seek the center of meaning, as if there
were only One. Parapsychological work done with dreams also seems to
reflect this attitude of searching, influencing, and controlling.

In Re-Visioning Psychology, James Hillman differs from the traditional
analytical viewpoint by stating:

Dreams are important to the Soul--not for the message the ego takes from them, not for the recovered memories or the revelations; what does seem to matter to the soul is the nightly encounter with a plurality of shades in an underworld...the freeing of the soul from its identity with the ego and the waking state...What we learn from dreams is what psychic nature really is--the nature of psychic reality; not I, but we...not monotheistic consciousness looking down from its mountain, but polytheistic consciousness wandering all over the place.

In Jung's model, one major function of dreams is to provide the
unconscious with a means of exercising its regulative activity. Conscious
attitudes tend to become one-sided. Through their postulated
compensatory effect, dreams present different data and varying points of
view. Individuation is the psyche's goal; it seeks to bring this about
through an internal adjustment procedure. There is an admonition in
Magick to "balance each thought against its opposite." Dreams,
according to Jung, do this for us automatically. However, there must be a
conscious striving toward incorporation of the balancing attitudes
presented through dreams (this applies equally to fantasies and visions).

Another apparent function for a dream state is to take old information,
contained in long-term memory, incorporate it with those experiences,
and integrate them with new experiences. This creates new attitudes.
Since the dream conjoins current and past experiences to form new
attitudes, the dream contains possible information about the future.
There is a causal relationship between our attitudes and the events which
manifest from our many possible futures.

In studies at Maimonides Dream Labs, Stanley Krippner and Montague
Ullman were trying to impress certain information on an individual's
dream. They found that an individual, being monitored for dream states,
could incorporate a mandala, which was being concentrated on by another
subject, into his dream. This led to their famous theory on dream
telepathy.

Dream symbols appear to allow repressed impulses to be expressed in
disguised forms. Dream symbols are essential message-carriers from the
instinctive-archetypal continuum to the rational part of the human mind.
Their incorporation enriches consciousness, so that it learns to understand
the forgotten language of the pre-conscious mind.

The dream language presents symbols from which you can gain value
through dream monitoring. You can use these dream symbols directly to
facilitate communication with this other aspect of yourself. Should you
choose later to re-program yourself out of old habit patterns, you're going
to want an accurate conception of what dream symbols really mean.

A symbol always stands for something that is unknown. It contains more
than it's obvious or immediate meaning. The symbolic function bridges
man's inner and outer world. Symbolism represents a continuity of
consciousness and preconscious mental activity, in which the preconscious
extends beyond the boundaries of the individual. These primitive
processes of prelogical thinking continue throughout life and do not
indicate a regressive mode of thought. Dream symbols are independent of
time, space, and causality.

The meaning of unconscious contents varies with the specific internal and
external situation of the dreamer. Some dreams originate in a personal or
conscious context. These dreams usually reflect personal conflicts, or
fragmentary impressions left over from the day. Some dreams, on the
other hand, are rooted in the contents of the collective unconscious.
Their appearance is spontaneous and may be due to some conscious
experience, which causes specific archetypes to constellate.

It is often difficult to distinguish personal contents from collective
contents. In dreams, archetypes often appear in contemporary dress,
often as persons vitally connected with us. In this case, both their
personal aspect (or objective level), and their significance as projections
or partial aspects of the psyche (subjective level) may be brought into
consciousness.

A dream is never merely a repetition of preceding events, except in the
case of past psychic trauma. There is specific value in the symbols and
context the psyche utilizes. It may produce any; why is it sending just this
dream and not another? Dreams rich in pictorial detail usually relate to
individual problems. Universal contexts are revealed in simple, vivid
images with scant detail.

No attempt to interpret a single dream, or even the sequence dreams fall
in, is fruitful. In fact, later research by Asklepia Foundation researchers
asserts it is more important to journey using dreams as experiential
springboards for therapeutic outcomes. In interpreting a group of
dreams, we seek to discover the 'center of meaning' which all the dreams
express in varied form. When this 'center' is discovered by consciousness
and its lesson assimilated, the dreams begin to spring from a new center.
Recurring dreams generally indicate an unresolved conflict trying to
break into consciousness.

There are three types of significance a dream may carry:

1) It may stem from a definite impression of the immediate past. As a
reaction, it supplements or compliments the impressions of the day.

2) Here there is balance between the conscious and unconsciousness
components. The dream contents are independent of the conscious
situation, and are so different from it they present conflict.

3) When this contrary position of the unconscious is stronger, we have spontaneous dreams with no relation to consciousness. These dreams are archetypal in origin, and consequently are over-powering, strange and often oracular. (These dreams are not necessarily most desirable to the student, as they may be extremely dangerous if the dreamer's ego is still too narrow to recognize and assimilate their meaning.)

We can never empirically determine the meaning of a dream. We cannot
accept a meaning merely because it fits in with what we expected.
Dreams can exert a reductive as well as prospective function. In other
words, if our conscious attitude is inflated, dreams may compensate
negatively, and show us our human frailty and dependence. They also
may act positively by providing a 'guiding image' which corrects a
self-devaluing attitude, re-establishing balance. The unconscious, by
anticipating future conscious achievements, provides a rough plan for
progress.

Each life, says Jung, is guided by a private myth. Each individual has a
great store of DNA information. It is generally mediated by the
archetypes which are deployed by both myth and dream. As you create
this individual or private myth, it attracts, if you will, an archetypal
pattern and molds itself in a characteristic way (or visa versa). The
archetype precipitates compulsive action. It is the motivating factor
which may become externalized in the physical world. Jung notes: "The
dreamer's unconscious is communicating with the dreamer alone. And is
selecting symbols which have meaning to the dreamer and no one else.
They also involve the collective unconscious whose expression may be
social rather than personal."

We may discover hidden meaning in our dreams and fantasies through the
following procedure:

1) Determine the present situation of consciousness. What significant
events surround the dream?

2) With the lowering of the threshold of consciousness, unconscious
contents arise through dream, vision, and fantasy.

3) After perceiving the contents, record them so they are not lost (the
Hermetic seal).

4) Investigate, clarify, and elaborate by amplification with personal
meanings, and collective meaning, gleaned from similar motifs in myth and fairytale.

5) Integrate this meaning with your general psychic situation. INstincts are the best guide; if you are obtaining "value" from your interpretation, it will "feel" correct.

Complexes and their attendant archetypes draw attention to themselves
but are difficult to pinpoint. We may use conscious amplification of the
symbolism presented in dream form. All the elements of the dream may
be examined in a limited, controlled, and directed association process,
which enlarges and expands the dream material through analogy. The
nucleus of meaning contained in the analogy is identical with that of the
dream content.

When a dream is falsely interpreted, others follow to correct the error.
Preconscious contents are on the verge of being remembered. Just as
language skills facilitate new conceptualization, knowledge of the
vocabulary of dream symbolism allows closer rapport with the
preconscious. Dreaming is one of the easiest methods of contact with the
numinous element, or unknown.

To illustrate how archetypes may affect perspective, we will now
examine another of the methods for working with dreams and other
images. If Freud's view on dreams can be seen as Aphroditic/sexual, and
Jung's as heroic/developmental (Yesod and Tiphareth, respectively in
QBL), then Hillman's newer "Verbal Technique" might be seen as
associated with Hades, Lord of the Underworld or deep subconscious,
(DAATH in QBL). This relationship to the image is seeking value, depth,
and volume.

This method stresses keeping to the image as presented rather than
analyzing symbols. This method, while usable by anyone, is being applied
by those who are thoroughly acquainted with symbols and their meaning
in an attempt to recapture to unknown element. The dream image
expresses this if the symbols are not dissected from their "specific
context, mood, and scene." An image presents symbols with their
particularity and peculiarness intact. Dream presents a variety of images
which are all intra-related. Time and sequence are distorted in dream.
Hillman prefers to view dream images with all parts as co-relative and
co-temporaneous.

This approach to the dream is a sort of metaphorical word-play. The
elements of the dream are chanted or interwoven. Repeat the dream
while playfully rearranging the sequence of events. Remain alert to
analogies which form themselves during this word play. Ruminate on any
puns which may occur. As the play unfolds, deeper significance emerges
as a resonance. By allowing the dream to speak for itself, interpretations
appear indirectly.

This is a method of communicating with the psyche which is in harmony
with its inherent structure. In alchemy, it is known as an iteratio of the
prima materia. Its value is evident, according to Hillman. "We do not
want to prejudice the phenomenal experience of their unknowness and
our unconsciousness by knowing in advance that they are messages,
dramas, compensations, prospective indications, transcendent function.
We want to get at the image without the defense of symbols." (1)

The archetypal content in an image unfolds during participation with it.

We have found that an archetypal quality emerges through a)
precise portrayal of the image (including any confusion or
vagueness presented with the image); b) sticking to the image
while hearing it metaphorically; c) discovering the necessity
within the image (the fact that all the symbols an images
presented are required in this context); d) experiencing the
unfathomable analogical richness of the image. (2)

In this context, 'archetypal' is seen as a function of making. The
adjective may be applied to any image (6) upon which the operations are
performed. This means that no single image is inherently more
meaningful than another. Value may be extracted from them all. This
coincides with the alchemical conception of the Opus as work. Here the
Opus is carried by the dreamwork technique.

Archetypal psychology contends that the value of dreams has little
application to practical affairs. In Re-Visioning Psychology , Hillman
postulates that:

Dream's value and emotion is in relation with soul and how life
is lived in relation with soul. When we move the soul insights of
the dream into life for problem-solving and people-relating, we
rob the dream and impoverish the soul. The more we get out of
a dream for human affairs the more we prevent its psychological
work, what it is doing and building night after night, interiorly,
away from life in a nonhuman world.

The dream is already valuable without having any literalizations or
personalistic interpretations tacked on to it.

Hillman ends his "Inquiry Into Image" by stating that the final meaning of
a dream cannot be found, no matter how it seems to "click."

Analogizing is like my fantasy of Zen, where the dream is the
teacher. Each time you say what the image means, you get your
face slapped. The dream becomes a Koan when we approach it
by means of analogy. If you can literalize a meaning, "interpret" a dream, you are off the track, lost your Koan. (For the dream is the thing, not what it means.) Then you must be slapped to bring you back to the image. A good dream analysis is one in which one gets more and more slaps, more and more analogies, the dream exposing your entire unconscious, the basic matters of your psychic life.

This type of analysis seems consistent with the origins of the word.
Originally, it had to do with "loosening." This type of dream analysis
loosens our soul from its identity with day-to-day life. It reminds us that
styles of consciousness other than that of the ego have validity. The soul
experiences these styles nightly.

No paper of dreams would be complete without some mention of
nightmares. Even though dream is an easy method of contacting the
unconscious, it is not always pleasant. Occult literature speaks of a figure
called "the Dweller on the Threshold." In Eastern philosophies there are
the wrathful deities. This figure corresponds with Trump XV, The Devil,
in Tarot. This seems consistent with Hillman's attribution of the dream as
Hades' realm.

The healthy person learns easily to cooperate on his descents into the
psyche. The uninformed or neurotic personality is likely to encounter
hindrances. These hindrances often take the form of frightening,
monstrous, overpowering forces. Ego-consciousness is not able to
comprehend them. When the subconscious is highly activated these
images may occur during waking hours and in sleep. This dread and
oppression form the basis for nightmares. Pan and his attendant
phenomena (such as panic) are archetypal representations of the
nightmare. Pan also corresponds with Trump XV.

In the heroic model, as consciousness develops, there is a marked
difference in both the content of dream and the dreamer. He gains
increased ability to assimilate the charges of energy associated with the
dream. The more conscious the experience of the numinous, the less
fraught with irrationality and fear the experience. This holds true in
waking and sleeping hours.

John Gowan, in Trance, Art, and Creativity , states, "It is this gentling,
humanizing process exerted on the preconscious by creative function of
the individual which is the only proper preparation for the psychedelic
graces." These graces include an immersion of the ego in the expanded
context of the subconscious. The ego is then able to return from its
experience enriched by the contact. Contents which might formerly have
been considered nightmarish are more fully understood, and the monsters
become transformed into butterflies. (7)

This attitude toward nightmare is not consistent with Hillman's approach.
He does not advocate changing or controlling the psyche. This is, in fact,
neither possible nor desirable. He asserts that to enter dream is to enter
the underworld, Hades' realm. Psychic images are metaphorical. All
underworld figures are shades or shadow souls. There is no reason for
them to conform to the constraints of the ego's dayworld.

Soul is the background of dream-work. Underworld is psyche. This
relates, therefore, to a metaphorical perception of death. Dreams
present us with that different reality, in which pathology and distortion
are inherent aspects. We needn't control them, but rather acknowledge
their value and depth.

Assuming it is necessary or desirable to control any aspect of dream life,
there is a further development of consciousness which enables one to
consistently experience what is known as the "lucid dream" or "high
dream." In a lucid state, there is an overlapping of normal waking
consciousness coupled with the dream state. At this stage, one is able to
progressively acquire and exercise will in dreamstates.

In the lucid dream, one "witnesses" the fact that one is dreaming, and
may take an active role in the unfolding of the dream. This optional
ability is generally associated with the heart-center, or Tiphareth. The
heart-center has to do with developing consciousness of the imaginal
realm.

Rather than control or meddle with dreams, it is more effective to
exercise creative expression in waking hours. Many persons pursuing
their fantasy of individuation have an outlet through active imagination.
Active imagination is, in itself, an art form. It is generally practiced
through a discipline, such as psychology, alchemy, or Magick. It may be
dramatic, dialectic, visual, acoustic, or in some form of dancing, painting,
drawing, modeling, etc.

People who give free rein to fantasy in some form of creative imagination
often dream less. All psycho-active drugs also tend to diminish dreaming.

In other words, there seems to be a variable ratio between creativity and
dream. Jung made the discovery that "this method often diminished to a
considerable degree, the frequency and intensity of dreams, thus reducing
the inexplicable pressure exerted by the unconscious." There need be no
conscious desire to control or interfere in the actual dream. The ego
learns to meet the subconscious on a middle ground, the vale of
soul-making. The activities and intent of both are harmonized. Staying
close to the original image is fundamental.

As of this writing (2002), experiential dreamwork or Dream Healing
offers an even better prospect for therapeutic interaction within dream
imagery. For a complete exposition of this school of dreamwork, rooted
in Transactional Analysis and Gestalt, see the Asklepia Homepage.

c. Practical QBL: The Body of Light, Part 1; THE ASTRAL
BODY(top)

The concept of subtle bodies created by the aspirant for experience on
higher planes is very old, indeed. Different vehicles are appropriate on
different planes. For the physical plane, the human body is ideal. For the
Astral Plane of images, a starry body or body of light is required which is
a precise copy in the finer luminous "material" of that rarefied sphere.
This light body has the ability of separating itself from the flesh and blood
body and has the ability to "fly into the sky" with none of the limitations
of a mortal frame.

The astral body contains the fully functioning consciousness of the
aspirant. Its existence persists after physical death, and it is in this body
that those who recall near death experiences of the "other side" were
functioning.

Magickally, the astral body is built in the imagination through the process
of pranayama, or control of the breath. However, original concepts of a
starry body may be traced to classical Greek philosophy so the idea is not
necessarily oriental in origin.

Aleister Crowley gave precise instructions for "Getting into the Astral
Body" in his classic work, Magick in Theory and Practice.

The proper method is as follows: Develop the body of Light
until it is just as real to you as your other body...Ultimately, the
relation of that body with your own must be exceedingly
intimate; but before this harmonizing takes place, you should
begin by a careful differentiation. The first thing to do,
therefore, is to get the body outside your own. To avoid
muddling the two, you begin by imagining a shape resembling
yourself standing in front of you. Do not say: "Oh, it's only
imagination!" The time to test that is later on, when you have
secured a fairly clear mental image of such a body. Try to
imagine how your own body would look if you were standing in
its place; try to transfer you consciousness to the Body of Light.
Your own body has its eyes shut. Use the eyes of the Body of
Light to describe the object in the room behind you...

As soon as you feel more or less at home in the fine body, let it
rise in the air. Keep on feeling the sense of rising; keep on
looking about you as you rise until you see landscapes or beings
of the astral plane. Such have a quality all their own. They are
not like material things -- they are not like mental pictures --
they seem to lie between the two...

Now, however unsuccessful your getting out of the body may
apparently have been, it is most necessary to use every effort to
bring it properly back. Make the Body of Light coincide in space
with the physical body...then recover the unity of consciousness.
If you fail to do this properly you may find yourself in serious
trouble. Your Body of Light may wander away uncontrolled,
and be attacked and obsessed. You will become aware of this
through the occurrence of headache, bad dreams, or even more
serious signs such as hysteria, fainting fits, possibly madness or
paralysis. Even the worst of these attacks will probably wear
off, but it may leave you permanently damaged to a greater or
lesser extent.

It is interesting to note that all the potential symptoms of improper astral
work reflect the conditions of the lowest level of the prototaxic mode. So,
the idea in astral working is to move upward in the planes toward an
increase in conscious awareness.

Visit the Iona Miller Home Page

(top)

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Bibliography

1. Berry, Patricia, "An Approach to the Dream", Spring 1974, Spring
Publications.

2. Berry, Patricia, "Defense and Telos in Dreams", Spring 1978, Spring
Publications.

3. Garvey, Patricia, Creative Dreaming

4. Gowan, John, Trance, Art, and Creativity, Northridge 19.

5. Hillman, James, Re-Visioning Psychology, Harper and Row, 1975.

6. Hillman, James, Dream and the Underworld, Harper and Row, 1979.

7. Hillman, James, "An Inquiry Into Image", Spring 1977, Spring
Publications.

8. Krippner, Stanley,

9. Singer, June, Boundaries of the Soul, Anchor Press/Doubleday, 1973.

10. Watkins, Mary, Waking Dreams, Harper and Row, 1976.

11. Wilner, Harry A., "Epic Dreams and Heroic Ego", Spring 1977,
Spring Publications.

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FOOTNOTES

1. Israel Regardie, A Garden of Pomegranates, (Llewellyn Publications,
St. Paul, Minn., 1970) p. 61.

2. Adapted from John Gowan, Trance, Art, and Creativity (Privately
published, Northridge, Calif., 1975), pp. 19-153.

3. Strephon Kaplan Williams, Jungian-Senci Dreamwork Manual,
(Privately published, Berkely, Calif. 1970).

4.

5. In Greek, the word for dream, oneiros, means image.

6. Psyche, the soul, literally means butterfly in Greek. Psyche, like
dream, is image.

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