B. SMALL-FACE CENTERED MEDITATION ROUTINE - SIMPLE VERSION
If you are looking for the bottom line of Mystical Qabalistic practice, the statement “Chant the Name of God and wake up; the Holy One is the only Guru, so get off your Gatekeeper’s back” pretty much sums it up. Through the repetition of a Small Face root mantra over time, and the grace of the Lord YHVH, the mind of the meditator is gradually transformed and awakened to the underlying Reality, the root Cause, the Dreamer of the Dream. As everyone learns in early childhood,
“Row, row, row, your boat, gently down the stream
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream.”
If life is but a dream, then who is the dreamer? Answering
this question is the purpose of all Small Face meditation in all mystical
traditions. In the Mystical Qabalah, the Dreamer is the Lord YHVH, and
the Dreamer and the Dream are One. Love, lover, and beloved are One. Knowledge,
knower, and That which is known are One.
Since the Lord YHVH is the active aspect of the Mysterious Unknown at
the Roots of All Things (Ayn), then He/She/It is the Teacher at
the root of all teachers. This lies at the heart of the admonition not
to get attached to, or become the slave of, any earthly teacher. This
does not mean that we should not love, honor, and revere holy people,
especially those who have been brought to us by the grace of God to help
us on our path. Rather, we should understand that whatever is holy, wise,
righteous, and loving in such a soul is the reflection, through them,
of the Divine. It is to that Divine Source that we should ultimately cling
and offer our unconditional devotion. Thus, there is the injunction to
“get off your Gatekeeper’s back,” because that guide is
only the one who is pointing you to the open gate and urging you to go
through it. This is wonderfully framed in Zen Buddhism by the story of
the roshi who points to the moon with his finger, and admonishes
the aspirant not to confuse the finger with the moon.
In regard to a simple routine of meditation practice, having calmed the
mind with a short period of breathing as described above, the meditator
would then commence the repetition (zakhor, remembrance) of the
root mantra that appeals to their mind. Earlier, a number of the root
mantra found in the Torah were highlighted, including “Ani YHVH
” and the Affirmation of Unity i.e. the “Shema.”
Let’s say that you have decided to take “Ah-ni Yod Heh Vav Heh”
as the mantra you wish to use. Sit in a relaxed and posturally sound position,
and begin to slowly repeat the phrase. Try to get into a comfortable rhythmic
cadence.
As you repeat the mantra, visualize the Hebrew letters of the Name YHVH
as dancing letters of fire against a solid circular background, surrounding
which is a light blue background. Place that visualization either within
your heart center, “before your eyes,” or in your forehead.
You may choose to see them either as Sinatic
Hebrew letters or Ezra
Hebrew letters. You may elect to see the horizontal version of
the Name YHVH or the vertical Yosher
form.
It is possible to do this with your eyes open or closed. See the letters
in the color that appeals to you—fire orange red, white, gold, etc.
While you could use different colors for the circular Tzimtzum,
black is recommended. Do not make the act of visualization a stressful
process, and don’t expect to literally see what you are visualizing
right away. Visualization is a skill that requires cultivation. It begins
as an act of creative imagination and, over time and practice, becomes
much more real.
When you first begin to do mantric meditation, you will notice that thoughts
continue to rise in your mind while you are silently repeating the mantra.
Do not struggle to stop your thoughts: just let them rise and disappear
in your mind, like seeds that gently burst and dissipate. The mantra gives
a part of your mind an anchor, so that the procession of thoughts floats
by without taking you with it. You will probably have lapses in your visualization.
Whenever you find your attention drifting off course, just try to be diligent
about bringing your mind back to the task at hand, without letting the
tricky voice of self-criticism steal your attention.
The reader is again reminded how important it is to limit the amount of
mantric repetition you do in the beginning. Go slowly, and increase the
amount in small increments over a substantial period of time. Each individual
should test the water to determine how much they are comfortable doing
at the onset, and how much and how often to increase the amount. When
you start silent mantric repetition, limit the duration to ten to fifteen
minutes when you awaken in the morning, and that much again before you
go to sleep. If you tend to wake up very groggy, you may wish to apply
some cold water to your face before you begin, so that you do not fall
back to sleep while sitting up. This is not an uncommon occurrence. If
you have a hard time staying awake while you are meditating before you
go to sleep, you may wish to do your practice a little earlier while you
are still alert.
Increase the sessions by five minutes or less per month, according to
what feels right for you, until you are sitting for a maximum of forty-five
to sixty minutes. Also, as mentioned before, begin your practice of mantric
repetition with a slow, rhythmic cadence. You may wish to increase the
speed of the repetition as time goes. As you get more advanced, the repetitions
can become quite rapid, amounting to thousands of repetitions per session.
When you come to the end of your session of silent chanting, don’t
stop and get up abruptly. Cease chanting and just “listen” to
the quietness, allowing the power that you have generated to soak in.
Bring closure to your practice by bowing in your heart to your dear Lord
and offer Him/Her the fruits of your yogic efforts. You may wish to engage
further in prayer at that time. Having finished your prayer, arise from
your meditation seat and begin your day, or lie down to begin your sleep
period. If you are starting your day, try to not talk or engage in frenetic
activity. If you are going to sleep, you might try falling asleep on your
back if you can, as this will help stimulate conscious dreaming.
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