Practical Instructions for the Middle Pillar Exercise
This meditation should always be preceeded by
The Qabalistic Cross, which should also be performed in its secondary form at the end of the meditation.
Having completed
The Qabalistic Cross your attention should remain focused on the sphere of
Kether, directly above the head and penetrateing slightly into the crown. Take a deep breath in and as you exhale visualise a column
of white light descending from
Kether through the centre of the head to the throut where it forms another sphere. As you inhale focus your attention strongly
on the sphere of light around your throut; then as you exhale once again visualise a column of white light descending from
this sphere into the chest to form another sphere around the area of the heart. Focus your attention on this as you inhale
and then repeat as above to form another sphere around the groin area and then again so that the column of light reaches the
sphere of
Malkuth at your feet, filling it with light.
Without letting go of your awareness of the other sephira return your attention to focus on the sphere above your head.
Intone the Divine Name of
Kether - Aheyeh - and as you do so imagine the incandescent white light of this sphere flaring up and becoming much brighter
and more vivid. You may want to hold this in your mind for a while (as with each sphere in turn), especially when you are
just beginning this practice, or you can move on with your very next breath.
Turn your attention to the sphere that has formed around your throut; this is Da'ath; as you intone the Divine Name of
Da'ath - YHVH / Jehovah Elohim - Visualise this sphere turning to a grey light and flaring up in respons to
your words.
Continuing downwards focus you attention on the sphere of
Tipareth in the centre of your chest and intone its Divine Name - YHVH Aloa Ve Da'ath - and as you do so see the sphere radaite
a golden light.
As you focus on
Yesod at your groin intone the Divine Name of 'Shaddai El Chai', which corresponds to this sephira and visulaise it as
a deep purple colour.
Malkuth at your feet has the Divine Name of 'Adonai Ha Aretz' and is visualised as either sky blue or the four colours of earth
- russet, olive green, citrine yellow, and black.
When you have completed this you should remain still for a time (as long as you can spare or as long as you
can remain focussed for) and try to hold all of the spheres of the middle pillar in your awareness together.
For beginners the most improtant thing is simply to develop you visualisation skills and to become comfortable
and rpoficient at exercises such as this. As you continue your study and training, however, you should not be content
with simply holding the image of the spheres in your mind, but should try to feel your way into them, concetrating
on the meaning of the image and straining to perceive its reality directly.
