Our first encounter with Daat occurs on the journey between the level of Gevurah and Khesed and the level of Binah and Khokmah. In this position, it yawns like a wide, dark gulf of the unknown, an obstacle to further progress. And yet it is not an impassible obstacle; if we are properly prepared, we have only to step over it, as we might step over a small stream.
Later, after our encounter with Keter, Daat will be seen as a shining beacon of light, the very reflection of the Divine Effulgence emanating from the Tree of Life in the next higher Kabbalistic World above the one in which we are journeying.
These meditations on the Sefiroth are intended
to be taken in a logical sequence.
If you have not already done so,
please begin with Malkut.
Daat: The Abyss. Prepare yourself in the usual way.
You are in a beautiful rose garden, suffused in shimmering pink and golden light and all the colours of the rainbow. This is the garden of Tifaret, that you visited on an earlier occasion.
Enjoy the warm glow of the sunshine and the beauty of the garden for a few moments, and then look around you. Behind you is a bright blue path, watched over by an archer. It is flanked by two other paths, one of turquoise and one of indigo. All of these paths you have trodden before. Meanwhile, ahead of you, there are no fewer than five paths; an awesome choice.
The rightmost path of the five is a clear, lime green path. It is very tortuous, and yet you have followed it on an earlier occasion.
Next from the right is a bright red path; in the centre a brilliant turquoise blue path; and to the left of that an orange path. But these three paths remain rather daunting to you as yet.
You turn instead to the bottle green path, leftmost of the five. It is another of the paths that you have already trodden; but you set out upon it again.
Almost immediately, you find yourself drawn down, deep into the Earth itself. You find yourself at the heart of a great stone pyramid, in a huge pillared chamber with paintings upon the walls.
Once again you watch the ceremony of the weighing of the souls against the feather of truth. You reflect for a moment on how well you yourself might fare in this test, when your time comes to leave this present life.
You move on into the courtroom, and another scene of judgement. Once again, it is not you who are being judged here, you may leave the trial in progress and pass on through the secret exit, behind the judge's chair, through an iron archway, and into a great open field, illuminated in a blood-red glow of light.
Here is a great army prepared for war. You make your way through the precisely ordered rows of soldiers, aware that all are watching you and yet none will harm you if you just continue on your way.
You cross an iron bridge over a deep chasm, and you find yourself in the courtyard of a small monastery. The monks are tending their garden, cleaning the courtyard, and doing various other small but important tasks that must be done to fulfil their need of a simple life, but one with order. No-one speaks; all are intent upon their tasks. If you do not interfere with them, they will allow you to come and go as you please.
There are four gates to the courtyard. Behind and to your right is a green gate, leading to the iron bridge over which you have just come. Immediately behind you is a clear blue gate, through which you pased on your last journey here. To your right is a bright yellow gate: it is closed. Ahead of you is an orange-yellow gate: it, too, is closed, but you find that it will open to your touch. You pass through.
You are on a broad, orange-yellow path, on a sandy beach. A little crab scuttles away from you and hides under a stone. You follow the path; very soon, you find yourself away from the sea, among the hills. You hear the noise of galloping hooves and see a cloud of dust approaching you from the path ahead. You stand aside to make way.
As the dust cloud approaches, you see that it is being thrown up by a splendid chariot, drawn by two horses, one black, one white, and driven furiously by a proud rider, clad in armour. The chariot is decorated with painted flames. Behind it flutters a huge, sky-blue banner, spangled with silver stars.
The chariot passes you and roars off into the distance. Looking ahead of you again, you see a great castle nestling among the hills ahead. This is evidently where the charioteer came from.
You walk towards the castle; but when you are half way therre, you find that your way is blocked by a great chasm across the path. You peer carefully into it; it seems bottomless. It is a mystery how the chariot could have got acros it. You turn back.
You follow the path back down to the sea, through the gate, and back into the courtyard of the monastery. The monks are still here, quietly attending to their own business. You try the bright yellow gate; you find that it, too, opens to your touch.
The yellow path takes you past a man sitting, gently stroking a huge lion. The lion seems docile. The man does not need to subdue it by physical force. And yet you know that the lion will only tolerate this intimacy because of the hidden, inner strength of the man that makes it possible for this relationship to develop. You pass by cautiously. Both lion and man watch you, with curiosity but without threat.
At last, you emerge onto an open plateau, brightly lit by sunshine. A figure is standing here; it turns to you, and you see the beautiful face of an angel. What seemed to be a cloak has now become wings; you approach the angel and he wraps his wings around you.
And you realize that now, at this point in time, you can have anything, absolutely anything you truly want in the Universe. You see the endless possibilities tumbling towards you, tiny rivulets of golden light, cascading down from above, like strands of hair from the angel's head.
But you may only select one strand. How to choose? All are so beautiful, every one of these endless possibilities draws you.
But you choose one - which one did you select? And you find yourself drawn inside the golden glow, turning now to bright orange as it envelops you. And you are in a great place of worship, a cathedral or a temple. People are at prayer on either side, while ahead of you a holy man sits on a throne, his hand raised in a gesture of blessing.
The man beckons you towards him and indicates that you should go around, behind the throne. You do so, but once again you find yourself confronted by the bottomless chasm, barring your path.
So you return the way you came, and again you encounter the angel, again he wraps his wings around you.
And again, you can have anything, absolutely anything that you truly want in the Universe. You see the endless possibilities tumbling towards you, tiny rivulets of golden light, cascading down from above, like strands of hair from the angel's head.
But you may only select one strand. How to choose? All are so beautiful, every one of these endless possibilities draws you.
But you choose one - which one did you select? And you find yourself drawn inside the golden glow, turning now to a clear, lime green as it envelops you. And you are on a mountainside. Another figure is standing here, wearing a hooded robe like the habit of a monk. He is carrying a staff and a lantern. He leads you back down the tortuous path, back to the garden of Tifaret where you began your journey.
But your journey for today is not yet over. Emboldened by your adventure, you set out on the turquoise blue path, the middle one of the five paths ahead of you.
Almost immediately, you find yourself in a large room, not unlike the cathedral or temple that you entered previously; but the predominant colour is a soft, turquoise blue rather than the vibrant orange the you encountered earlier. A woman, wearing a blue robe and a white veil, is sitting upon a throne ahead of you. Cross the black and white tiled floor and approach her.
The woman is sitting betwen two tall pillars, one black, one white. At her feet is a silver shape of the crecent moon. Behind her hangs a rich curtain, embroidered with pomegranates. She hands you a scroll, which you put carefully away to study later. She leads you to the curtain, and shows you through. You find yourself in a long, turquoise blue corridor.
The corridor is quite plain; there is no furniture or decoration, and no doors leading off. But it is brightly lit. You walk rapidly along it.
Towards the far end of the corridor stand two figures, one on either side. Each holds a staff. As you approach, the figure on the left lowers his staff to bar your way. "Halt! You shall not pass! You are not yet ready!"
The figure on the right uses his own staff to raise the other figure's staff out of your way. "All who come here with an open heart and mind are ready. This seeker after light is now ready, and is permitted to pass."
With some trepidation, you pass between the two figures. You see a very bright light ahead of you, at the end of the corridor. You pass through, and suddenly you find yourself floating in a great void. You do not appear to be falling, so there is nothing to fear. Wonderful lights and sounds are all about you, and many beautiful creatures, some in animal shape, some in human form.
One of these approaches you, gently takes you by the hand, and leads you higher and higher, into the void. More and more marvels appear before your eyes.
On and on, up and up, higher and higher.
Then, in the distance, you hear a chime. The being who is accompanying you says: "It is time". He lets go of your hand and gradually fades from view.
The light around you is fading now, and you hear another chime, closer this time.
And you find yourself returned to objective reality, in the place and the time where you started your mediatation. Put your consciousness in the centre of your head, just behind your eyes; and when you are ready, open your eyes.
Take a few hours, or a few days, to absorb the significance of this meditation. Then proceed with Binah.