THE LONGEST JOURNEY BEGINS WITH THE FIRST STEP

Our journey begins with the main Kabbalistic

universal concepts of


AYIN - EIN SOF

and

The SEPHIROT

These two major Kabbalistic concepts have an extraordinary range . They bridge the gap between Judaism and Eastern Mysticism and come right down to simple, everyday phenomena.

Simple examples will be taken to illustrate these concepts from the Arts and Sciences and from everyday life to help clarify these vast ideas in your own mind and facilitate access to the mysteries and meanings of Kabbalah.

Meditation is briefly outlined and encouraged for the enrichment of daily life and, provides further insights into the theory and practice of Kabbalah.

Ein Sof - Without end

AYIN - Nothingness


Besides being the Names of God, Ein Sof means 'without end' and Ayin means 'nothingness'


Ein Sof means getting larger and larger endlessly,reaching towards infinity, whilst Ayin, at the other extreme end of the spectrum, means getting smaller and smaller toward nothingness. This simplicity of this description belies the magnificence and complexity of this amazing universal concept which, as the next few pages and table will show, is reflected in many different religions and traditions, the most notable being Yin and Yang but also shared with many different scientific concepts,such as the big bang and expanding universe. Most fascinating is how these universal concepts crop up every where, even in simple everyday phenomena.

The reader's perseverance over the next few simple pages will enrich your understanding of the Universe.

We will consider these concepts in many different ways, starting with the diagram of a sphere in Figure 1 and triangle in Figure 2
     
       
 

Both these diagrams illustrate the same properties.

A circle which can be imagined to grow bigger and bigger, i.e. The sphere can be expanded more and more, without end, which represents the expansion to Ein Sof or the expanding universe

The center of the circle is a point, which by definition is a shape with NO dimension which represents Ayin, which we can call nothingness rather than nothing.

The triangle also can be imagined to be unendingly large and also starts with a point of no dimension. We will often see these two diagrams in connection with mystical writings.


It is very hard for us to have a notion of the vastness of the universe, which continues to get bigger andd bigger, without end, Ein Sof. Our minds just cannot comprehend it. The scientists give us some idea of the size of the universe when they explain that the universe is billions of years old. It takes millions of light years for the light from the distant galaxies to reach us.

Paradoxically, at the other end of the spectrum,which we call nothingness or AYIN the Buddhist sages say that this nothingness, which they call the void, has the “illumination of ten thousand suns” This will become clear as we learn how this remarable spectrum affects our meditation.

In what way is this relevant to us? It will help to illuminate what it means to say

We are made in God’s image.

We are nothing AYIN like the sands of the sea shore or like the tiny stars in the sky but at the same time we are told that the Universe Ein Sof is made for you and me.

The story below descibes a view of these two parameters

Two men are discussing God.
I give you 100 pounds if you can show me where God is, says the first man.
Second man says I give you 10,000 pounds if you can show me where God is not.

This site explores these two concepts in many different ways with a menu bar of different headings

UNIVERSAL BRIDGES

The twinned concept of Ayin and Ein Sof form a common bridge between different disciplines, religions, philosophies,constituting a relationship, not only between large and small but a relationship of extreme Largeness "without end" to an extreme smallness, extending to the realm of Nothingness "Ayin"

Yin and Yang also refers to a proportion between a large and a small but usually implies a balance.
As Yin diminishes so Yang increases and Vica Versa.

The Golden Proportion is also a bridge between different disciplines, religions, philosophies,
It is also a relationship between a large and a small. It especially refers to a particular proportion between a large and a small that is frequently seen in the beauty of nature, but not exclusively in nature.
The Golden Proportion describes a subtle aspect of beauty . See www.goldenmeangauge.co.uk for more information.

The Fibonacci series, as immortalised by Dan Brown in his Da Vinci Code is another way of looking at the Golden Proportion. It is a precise complement to the Golden Proportion and can be thought of as the other side of the coin. See Fibonacci series.

                 
   

The Other major Kabbalistic concept which will be considered in thes pages is the concept of the

SEPHIROT

  
   

The universe is contained in the spectrum between the vastness of Ein Sof and the smallness of AYIN. The ultimate smallness is often called nothingness with references to”the missing” or “the hidden” Different traditions have different names for this smallness or nothingness. The Chinese call it the Void, Gurdjieff calls it the Absolute Nothing, Kabbalah calls it Ayin.

 
                 
     

Classes are held regularly in North London.

For more information telephone

0208 292 2662.