Gnostic Healing

Acclaim for Tau Malachi “A fresh perspective into the secrets of Christ’s resurrection, the true role of St. Mary Magdalene in the early church, and more. A complex yet devotional analysis.”

—The Bookwatch “He sets out to provide a ‘source of contemplation’ while simultaneously striving to transcribe an oral tradition not only for novices but also for those already practiced in Gnostic study. He accomplishes all of this admirably … Malachi perfectly captures the oral tradition within the written word.”

—Publishers Weekly “Malachi suggests the need for a ‘new gospel, a gospel of the Cosmic Christ’—a Christ inherent in every person, not the crucified-risen Christ revered by the church—and proceeds to give three-to-five page ‘meditations’ on each of the 114 sayings in Thomas, weaving in teachings from the Kabbalah and other mystical traditions.”

—The Washington Post

GNOSTIC HEALING revealing the hidden power of god

About Tau Malachi Tau Malachi is a modern mystic and visionary who has been a traveler of the spiritual path since he was a boy, when he met his spiritual teachers, Tau Elijah and Mother Sarah, who initiated him in the Sophian Gnostic tradition—a living lineage of Gnostic Christianity and Kabbalah that honors the Divine and Sacred Feminine. Today he is the presiding lineage-holder of the tradition, serving as an elder and tau, as well as an Independent Catholic bishop, holding both traditional and esoteric lines of apostolic succession.

Malachi has become a well-known teacher and writer on the subjects of mystical and gnostic Christianity and Christian Kabbalah, and is the author of four books, as well as extensive writings published on the Internet. He is the founder of both the Sophian Fellowship, a Gnostic community based in Grass Valley, California, and of Ecclesia Pistis Sophia, an international Gnostic Christian church based in Austin, Texas.

Tau Malachi’s books include The Gnostic Gospel of St. Thomas; Living Gnosis; Gnosis of the Cosmic Christ; and St. Mary Magdalene, all published

by Llewellyn Worldwide.

About SiobhÁn Houston Dr. Siobhán Houston is the author of Invoking Mary Magdalene: Accessing the Wisdom of the Divine Feminine (Sounds True, 2006) and Priests, Gnostics, and Magicians: European Roots of Esoteric Independent Catholicism (Apocryphile Press, 2009). Her writings have appeared in many periodicals, including GNOSIS: A Journal of the Western Inner Traditions, Parabola, Quest Magazine, Intuition Magazine, and Theosophical History, as well as numerous anthologies.

A native of the California coast, she graduated summa cum laude with an honors BA in religious studies from California State University, Chico. She also holds a master’s degree from Harvard Divinity School and a doctorate from the Graduate Theological Foundation.

GNOSTIC HEALING revealing the hidden power of god

tau malachi & siobhﾃ］ houston

Llewellyn Publications Woodbury, Minnesota

Gnostic Healing: Revealing the Hidden Power of God © 2010 by Tau Malachi & Siobhán Houston. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever, including Internet usage, without written permission from Llewellyn Publications, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

First Edition First Printing, 2010 Based on book design by Connie Hill Cover art © 2009 by Agnew & Sons, London/Bridgeman Art Library, London/SuperStock Cover design by Ellen Dahl Editing by Connie Hill Llewellyn is a registered trademark of Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data (Pending).

ISBN: 978-0-7387-1983-2 Llewellyn Worldwide does not participate in, endorse, or have any authority or responsibility concerning private business transactions between our authors and the public.

All mail addressed to the author is forwarded but the publisher cannot, unless specifically instructed by the author, give out an address or phone number.

Any Internet references contained in this work are current at publication time, but the publisher cannot guarantee that a specific location will continue to be maintained.

Please refer to the publisher’s website for links to authors’ websites and other sources.

Llewellyn Publications A Division of Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd. 2143 Wooddale Drive, Dept. 978-0-7387-1983-2 Woodbury, Minnesota 55125-2989, U.S.A. www.llewellyn.com Printed in the United States of America

Other Books by tau malachi The Gnostic Gospel of St. Thomas Living Gnosis St. Mary Magdalene Gnosis of the Cosmic Christ

I’d like to dedicate this book to the companions of Sophia Fellowship, without whose friendship and support this project would not have come into being.

I am truly blessed to have an awesome circle of friends—thank you!

Tau Malachi

I would like to dedicate this book to my always-wise and ever-patient spiritual director of the last six years, Mary Griffith, and to Mandianne Berg, and to my sisters in Alchemy of the Rose—Colleen Corbo and Cynthia Reber.

S.J.H.

Contents Acknowledgments Preface

xiii xv

Introduction: Understanding Healing in the Sophian Gnostic Tradition

1

One: The Order of St. Raphael: Healing Power of Divine Being

7

Two: The Master Yeshua

37

Three: Healing with the Names of God

51

Four: Healing Power of the Maggidim: The Holy Angels

67

Five: Composite Practices of the Order of St. Raphael

85

Six: The Order of St. Lazarus

103

Appendix I: Hebrew Table of Letters

133

Appendix II: The Divine Names and Vibrations

135

Appendix III: Primordial Meditation: The Way, Truth, and Life

141

Appendix IV: The Kabbalistic Cross

143

Appendix V: Middle Pillar of the Tree of Life Meditation

145

Appendix VI: Giving and Receiving Meditation

149

Appendix VII: Union with the Living Yeshua—The Risen Christ

153

Appendix VIII: Union with the Holy Bride—St. Mary Magdalene

157

Appendix IX: The Wedding Feast: Remembrance of the Divine I Am

161

Glossary Recommended Websites Bibliography Index

169 179 181 185

Acknowledgments We would like to acknowledge Llewellyn Publications and its entire staff who make the publication of books on the Sophian Gnostic tradition possible; in our eyes they are partners in the Great Work and we deeply appreciate their help and support in the Work.

Thanks to Llewellyn Worldwide, many of us involved in alternative and mystical forms of spirituality are given a voice we otherwise would not have—they provide an incredible service to spirituality in modern times and are amazing advocates of spiritual and religious freedom.

To everyone at Llewellyn, thank you!

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While doing research on contemporary Gnostic Christianity for my doctoral degree a few years ago, I came across the writings of Tau Malachi, which impressed me with their wisdom and clarity, and seemed to emanate from an unusual depth of experience. Having had mixed experiences personally and professionally with spiritual teachers in the past, I wanted to meet Tau Malachi in person. In October 2005, during my next visit to California, we met for coffee and then dinner; four hours later I had a new friend as well as a mentor.

Tau Malachi’s unpretentious manner and his down-to-earth sense of humor especially struck me, in addition to his great store of knowledge in spiritual matters.

One of the elements of the Sophian Gnosticism that initially attracted me was its strong grounding in the Jewish tradition. As a Christian who was born into an intercultural family (Jewish mother, Scots-Irish father) and raised primarily in a Jewish milieu, many of the kabbalistic concepts that undergird the Sophian tradition were familiar to me. Indeed, the core texts of the Sophian tradition, in addition to the canonical Bible and some of the early Christian apocrypha (such as the Pistis Sophia), are medieval Jewish mystical texts such as the Sefer ha-Bahir (the Book of Brilliance) and the Sefer ha-Zohar (the Book of Splendor).

Make no mistake, however—the Sophian Gnostic tradition is thoroughly Christian. The tradition of Christian Kabbalah extends back hundreds of years, at least to the Renaissance. Christian scholars, including Giovanni Pico della Mirandola (1463–1494), Johann Reuchlin (1455–1522), and Athanasius Kircher (1602–1680) studied the Jewish Kabbalah for a variety of reasons. Some of these Renaissance thinkers wished to promote a universal faith and used the

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wisdom they discovered in their Judaic tradition to buoy their ideas; others wanted to show that Judaism’s mystical teachings would verify Christianity’s doctrines. Since the Renaissance, the study of Christian Kabbalah in Europe has continued, surfacing in the Rosicrucian impulse of the 1700s and the occult revival of the late 1890s. According to the tradition that Tau Malachi carries, the inner teachings of Yeshua (Jesus) rest on the mystical teachings of Judaism; these mysteries have come down through the ages in the form of a Christian Kabbalah (the Hebrew word “kabbalah” simply means, “that which is received”).

The Sophian lineage has been, up until the last few years, a wholly oral tradition, which probably had its origins around the seventeenth century in Europe as part of the “Rosicrucian Enlightenment.” In its early days, members of the Sophian lineage were outwardly integrated into the life of the church and would meet secretly in private homes to study the Christian Kabbalah. Since they had little or no access to the primary texts of the early Christian Gnostics, they relied on the available Jewish texts. This tradition is most probably one of many Gnostic lineages that have survived under the historical radar by leaving no written traces either of their teachings or their membership. To do otherwise would have been to invite unspeakable persecution by the outer church, such as the fate suffered by the medieval Cathars, a Gnostic Christian movement that was violently put down by the Roman Catholic church in alliance with the reigning political forces of the time.

This brings us to the subject of the early Christian Gnostics, one of the most contentious subjects in the academic field of religious studies. The early Christian Gnostics remain to a great extent unknown and unknowable, even after many decades of dedicated scholarship on the part of academicians, as well as the momentous Nag Hammadi library find in Egypt in 1945, which uncovered many heretofore unknown or incomplete texts of the early Gnostic writings. This introduction is not the place to investigate the fractious academic debates that swirl around the lightning rod of Gnosticism; the bibliography includes suggestions for those interested in pursuing

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more knowledge in this area. For my part, the scholar whose opinion I respect most in this regard is Marvin Meyer, professor of religious studies at Chapman College and a specialist in early Christianity and Gnostic texts. Meyer offers a non-pejorative and succinct definition of Gnosticism that I find to be most useful: Gnostic religion is a religious tradition that emphasizes the primary place of gnosis, or mystical knowledge, understood through aspects of wisdom (often personified wisdom) presented in creation stories, particularly stories based on the Genesis accounts, and interpreted by means of a variety of religious and philosophical traditions, including Platonism, in order to proclaim a radically enlightened way of life and knowledge.

The concept of gnosis (a Greek word that means “knowledge”) has come to refer specifically to a personal, mystical, and unmediated knowledge of the Divine. Gnostic bishop Tau Rosamonde Miller speaks of gnosis as “a direct, transforming experience left untamed and unconditioned by cultural and socioreligious beliefs.” Virtually every religious tradition and spiritual path contains elements of “gnosis” in one form or another; the concept is universal and therefore not in any way limited to the philosophy of the ancient Christian Gnostics. Gnosis does hold a special primacy for the early Gnostic Christians, though, as opposed to an emphasis on belief in certain doctrines or dogmas, which is why they came to be known by this name.

While studying the texts penned by early Christian Gnostics, initially one may feel confused and confounded. Their writings are frequently couched in unfamiliar and intricate idioms, and often contain paradoxical statements or Zen-like aphorisms; perusing these manuscripts takes concentration, thought, and reflection. This is because the Gnostics recognized the inadequacy of more traditional philosophic . Meyer, The Gnostic Gospels of Jesus, xiii.

. Miller, Tau Rosamonde. http://www.gnosticsanctuary.org/wild_gnosis.html (accessed 30 March 2009). . Meyer discusses the etymology of the word “gnostic” in The Gnostic Gospels of Jesus, 41.

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and abstract language to communicate their encounters with gnosis.

According to the Israeli scholar Gedalihu Stroumsa, they chose to move away from the prevailing form of abstract Greek philosophy for this reason: “Both Greek philosophers and Hebrew prophets attempted, in different ways, to demythologize thought. The emergence and flowering of Gnosticism, from the first to the third centuries C.E., at the confluence of the Greek and Hebrew cultural and religious worlds, can be seen as a bold attempt to reverse this trend.”

This explains the texts’ frequent use of complicated and fantastical cosmologies, unearthly and strange beings (such as the god Abraxas, who possessed the body of a man, the head of a bird, and whose legs were formed of serpents) and the curious retellings of the Biblical creation stories. Did the Gnostics literally believe in their complex mythologies or were their incredible cosmologies simply allegories describing spiritual and psychological states? Did they actually accept the temporal world as inherently wicked and unredeemable,or did they view “evil” as denoting an ignorant state of mind that might be purified by the experience of gnosis?

Let us be clear: the ancient Gnostics were far too sophisticated to accept their extraordinary tales as historically accurate. Instead, they employed allegory and metaphor in an attempt to communicate spiritual realities in ways that more theoretical language failed to do.

Jungian analyst June Singer echoes Carl Jung’s view in this regard: “Gnostic writing is surely ahistorical: it has nothing to do with people who ever lived in this world or with events that have any historical reality. But it has a psychological validity, in that it comes from the soul or psyche of the human being, and is expressed in the language of the collective soul, or the collective unconscious . . .”

We are hampered in our attempts to comprehend the early Gnostics for many reasons: most of their writings were outlawed and destroyed by the early Church; we are bereft of the oral tradition that would have accompanied and illuminated their texts; and much of . Stroumsa, Another Seed, 1. . Singer, Seeing through the Visible World, 98–99.

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the information about them survives only in the accounts of the Orthodox heresiologists (the Church Fathers) whose objective was to strenuously contest much of the Gnostic teachings, which they saw as a threat to the nascent Church. As Stroumsa notes, however: “It is often very doubtful whether many of the labels given to the heretics [the Gnostics] by the Church Fathers ever corresponded to a concrete and precisely defined reality.”

Furthermore, as Gnostic priest and theologian Jordan Stratford remarks, “Part of the challenge in studying Gnosticism is that it has never been a monolith, never had a canon of orthodoxy. It has always been less of a ‘set’ than an intersection of overlapping themes.”

And as far as understanding Christian ritual and healing practices, our general knowledge of the first two centuries of Christianity is “scanty and fragmentary at best,” according to Finnish scholar Risto Uro. He continues by saying, “We know even less of the community life of gnostic groups than of many other branches of Christianity which were not condemned as heretics by the church fathers.”

For the above reasons (and probably many more), a modern reconstruction of ancient Gnosticism, including their healing practices, is not feasible. Fortunately, Sophian Gnostics are not concerned with such an endeavor. Instead, they view the early Gnostic texts as repositories of knowledge and realizations that contain powerful and inspiring aphorisms, motifs, parables, and narratives. This current book, therefore, is not an attempt at a historical restoration of early Gnostic healing techniques, but rather insights and practices that have been carried by the Sophian lineage and are now recorded by Tau Malachi.

Gnostic Healing stands on its own as a complete volume—no prerequisite knowledge of Gnosticism, Kabbalah, or healing is assumed or required. For those who desire a deeper understanding of Sophian Gnosticism, the best introduction is Living Gnosis by Tau Malachi, which lays out the tradition’s fundamental worldview. His book, Gnosis . Stroumsa, 4. . Stratford, Living Gnosticism, 11. . Uro, “A Cognitive Approach to Gnostic Rituals,” 2.

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of the Cosmic Christ: A Gnostic Christian Kabbalah, delves much deeper into the core mystical teachings. For those who are curious as to the origin of the name, “Sophian,” it refers to Mary Magdalene, the Holy Bride, who is seen as an incarnation or embodiment of Sophia (Wisdom), as well as the symbolic head of the lineage. In Sophian Gnostic theology, Magdalene and her spouse, Yeshua, are both seen as saviors, and hold equal spiritual standing. After Yeshua’s death and resurrection, Mary Magdalene inherited the mantle of leadership of the Christian community. In the Sophian view, both Mary Magdalene and Yeshua, who are living embodiments of the Christos, are still accessible today to those wishing to invoke their transformative and salvific presences through prayer, devotion, and other spiritual practices.

Ideally, a Sophian student learns the tradition’s teachings and practices “mouth to ear” with a teacher in a small circle or community. In this way, the teacher may specifically tailor their recommendations for spiritual practice. Tau Malachi once likened this process as prescribing medicine: there are many different meditations, prayers, and other practices in the tradition; by working closely with a student, the teacher is able to choose the most efficacious methods for each, depending on their life situation, their personality, and so forth.

Currently Tau Malachi works with a small circle in Central California. He also teaches through frequent and detailed postings on Ecclesia Pistis Sophia’s online forum. Twice weekly, senior teachers of the tradition area mentor via an online chat room, accessed through the Sophian website. In several locations around the world, informal discussion circles meet periodically in coffee shops, living rooms, and libraries, carrying on the ancient convention of small, organically formed, non-hierarchical groups of seekers who gather to pool their experience and wisdom. Through books, small communities, and the Internet, the knowledge of the Sophian lineage is becoming increasingly accessible to modern seekers.

Gnostic Healing came about after a discussion between Tau Malachi and me, where I suggested that these practical and efficacious methods for wellness needed to be made more widely available. It is not necessary, of course, to be a Christian or a Gnostic in order to avail

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oneself of this knowledge. And while Gnostic Healing does outline a self-contained tradition, the book’s practices may be used in conjunction with other systems of both allopathic and alternative modalities, including Reiki, homeopathy, flower essences, and traditional Chinese medicine, among others.

One of the hallmarks of Sophian Gnosticism is the emphasis on spontaneity and inspiration, on intuition and creativity. In Gnostic Healing, the reader is given examples and outlines within which to work, but is encouraged at every step to be led by their dance with the Holy Shekinah, the pulse and presence of Wisdom. Tau Malachi writes, “Our tradition is founded upon the play of Wild Gnosis or Crazy Wisdom—a play of spiritual transmission in the power of the moment that moves with the dance of the Shekinah of Messiah (the Holy Bride) and the Mother Spirit.” It may seem at times, therefore, that the instructions for certain practices are somewhat open-ended; this is done intentionally to encourage the practitioner to draw upon their own reflections and revelations in the moment. For example, the text may say, “Use consecrated oil to anoint the person with whom you are working.” In this instance, the specific areas of the body to be anointed are left up to the practitioner’s discretion. Even when more specific instructions are given, the practitioner should feel free to adjust the practice to the inspiration of the moment.

In addition, depending on the movement of the Spirit, the practitioner may suggest that the person to be healed do any number of things during the healing meditation or ritual itself. Thus, the subject of the healing might wish to focus on the presence of God, the soundvibration of the chanting, their own breathing, or they may choose to join in the meditation or visualization itself, if that is appropriate; however the person feels comfortable in participating is good. It is, of course, imperative that the safety and comfort of the person being worked on is held in the highest regard. At all times a practitioner must be sensitive and cognizant of respecting the person’s personal space and comfort level.

On another note, following in the footsteps of Lord Yeshua, Sophian initiates do not ask for money for their healing services, or for

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empowerments and initiations. Someone may choose of their own free will to give back to the initiate, whether using money or another means of energetic exchange. Exchanges of the heart offered freely are welcomed, but this is very different from charging a set fee.

Finally, while working with a person, we may receive insights and illuminations about the reasons for their illness or life situation, which can be very useful in helping them to heal. On the other hand, we need to be careful to voice our realizations with the utmost compassion and sensitivity, not saying anything that would blame or discourage the person being healed. To fully perceive and sort out the karmic tangles that underlie a disease or an injury may not be possible, but we can employ the insights we do receive and assume responsibility for dealing with the difficult situation in the present moment. We may not be responsible for our illness but we can be accountable to our illness. We can choose to be empowered in the midst of a challenging circumstance, while simultaneously entertaining the mysterious nature of life and letting go of any attachment to a particular outcome.

By practice and knowledge, we are able to create different neural pathways, both physical and metaphysical—literally new ways for the brain to work and perceive the world, which will increase our ability to receive and remember spiritual experiences as well as to move healing energy for others and ourselves. Through regular and dedicated spiritual practice, which is the heart of any energetic healing modality, our self-grasping nature gradually dissolves; in its place arises a more full manifestation of our true self, our bornless being.

These results are accessible to everyone willing to put in the effort; indeed, this is what we are created for, the full flowering of our true selves in the service of the world and the Divine.

Dr. SiobhĂĄn Houston March 31, 2009 Santa Fe, New Mexico

introduction

Understanding Healing in the Sophian Gnostic Tradition

Sophian Gnosticism teaches that we are all persons of light who have come from the light-continuum or the light world, and who, in fact, have never departed from this radiant realm. In other words, our true and natural being is “light”; we are each a luminous, energetic being.

This being is self-radiant, self-generating, and self-transforming, and therefore self-healing and self-fulfilling. It is innately connected to the greater universal field of energy or light-power, and to the source of that infinite and universal field, the Divine or God (the “True Light,” as it is called in Gnostic scriptures). This light or energy-intelligence is inside us, and all around us; it is within and behind everything that appears. Furthermore, there is immeasurable wonderworking and healing power implicit in this energetic dimension.

When we incarnate, we assume two principal manifestations: an energetic being and a material being. When our soul (another term for the energetic being) incarnates, we tend to become self-identified with only our material being, our name, form, and personal history. We forget about our energetic being and its dimension of reality; we lose touch with our true and natural self.

When this happens we also forget the greater knowledge and power of our soul, and our self-generating and self-healing capacity is diminished. Our energetic being becomes distorted and weakened as we go through life, due to negative encounters with other people and with difficult experiences that deeply affect us. Our energy or light-power

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may fade through such damaging interactions, becoming the cause of illness and ill fortune, and much sorrow and suffering in life.

The analogy of a dream is perfectly true: asleep and dreaming, but unaware that we are dreaming, we are fated to experience whatever arises in our dream, for better or for worse. We do not recognize that what is happening in the dream is actually the radiant display of our own energy, and therefore we are powerless to change it. On the other hand, when we become lucid and aware of our dreaming state, we are no longer fated to experience whatever arises from the unconscious or the karmic continuum. We understand that the magical display of the dream is our own energy and then radical transformations of the dream become possible.

Essentially, the same is true of our soul or energetic being in incarnation—bound up in forgetfulness, we become fated to experience whatever happens, for better or worse. We need to remember ourselves as energetic beings who exist inseparable from an infinite and universal field of energy-intelligence, and who are innately connected to its source and our source, the Divine.

Through this process of awakening, we may be able to perform wonders and heal ourselves, and transform our lives in miraculous ways. And we may extend these marvels to others, helping others to also awaken from the dream. This is the aim of the spiritual teachings and practices of the Order of St. Raphael: to assist us in remembering our energetic being, and to learn how to draw upon our innate wonderworking power and healing power. Ultimately, the practices in this book lead to the reintegration of our soul with the greater universal field of energy-intelligence and with its source, the Divine.

In truth, we are all emanations of the one being-consciousnessforce, which we call the “Divine” or “God.” As such, we are co-creators with the divine; the reality of our experience, whether in this life, in dream, or in the afterlife, is the radiant expression of the creative power within us. If we are experiencing illness or ill fortune, it is possible to draw upon this great power to heal and transform our lives.

This is the basis of Gnostic healing—the power of divine gnosis to heal.

Introduction: Understanding Healing in the Sophian Gnostic Tradition

The healing practices of the Order of St. Raphael represent a variety of methods of healing, all of which have their foundation in the remembrance and experience of our energetic being and the energetic dimension—the human one of light in us and the light continuum.

In Gnostic Healing you will find powerful methods of mystical prayer, meditation, and sacred ceremony for the beginning and experienced healer alike, all founded upon the teachings of Christian Gnosticism and Kabbalah. The methods include visualization, breathing, vocalization, gesture, the invocation of the names of God and angels, the art of laying on of hands, and even the use of sacred tools.

Additionally, it includes instruction on contemplating the stories of biblical healings to gain further insight and inspiration. Most importantly, though, all of the practices serve to facilitate direct spiritual and mystical experiences through which the soul awakens and selfrealization unfolds. Essentially, it is a book of the healing art as a way of the path to enlightenment—Divine Gnosis.

Tikkune: Healing the Soul, Our Energetic Being As mentioned above, when we become incarnate, basically speaking, we become a dual being. It is as though two streams or continuums, matter and consciousness, come together. Our physical body’s vitality and health as well as our fate and fortune in life originate with our soul.

If we are able to see in the spirit, a child appears as a radiant bundle of energy, surrounded by something that looks like a luminous ovoid. Within that sphere is a radiant image of the child, which contains an incredible matrix of incandescent channels through which life energy flows. This is the subtle body of light, complete with the interior stars (vortexes of energy, also called chakras) marking where the major intersections of the channels or flows of life energy occur.

At the beginning of life, generally speaking, the energetic being is self-radiant, self-generating, whole, and complete.

After some time, however, as the child matures and habitual patterns in consciousness from previous lives along with current life experiences come into play, we begin to see something very different;

Introduction: Understanding Healing in the Sophian Gnostic Tradition

the level of energy or brightness of light in the aura and subtle body diminishes, and anomalies show up in their energetic sphere. Seen through spirit, many adults possess holes, knots, or other indications of damage in their energy body. Other subtle body phenomena may become visible, such as cold and hot spots representing imbalances in the currents of life energy—places where there is too little or too much energy flowing. Indeed, we can see all manner of different anomalies in the energetic being, which are the cause of illness and dis-ease on spiritual, psychic (mental-emotional), and physical levels.

All of our relationships and experiences in life affect the soul.

Those that we view as positive tend to bolster the energetic level of our being and uplift the vibratory frequency of our consciousness, while those that we see as negative usually decrease the energetic level and lower our consciousness. In fact, we may actually lose something of our energetic being, giving something of our light-power or life energy to that negative person or situation.

Every interaction in life may be classed as positive, negative, or neutral. The effects of our interactions with others and experiences in our lives are, however, largely based upon our view of them and how we react or respond. An exchange or experience is not positive, negative, or neutral in and of itself. Of course, in the midst of this play and exchange of energy, unaware of our energetic being and the energetic dimension, all of this occurs on a mostly unconscious level. We are almost completely unaware of our energetic being and our exchange of energy with others and with our environment. Thus, typically when we incur damage to our energetic being, we do not recognize it. Being so unaware, we cannot affect mending or repair (tikkune) and heal ourselves. Indeed, not only are we not able to recognize it and heal it, but we tend to perpetuate the damage as habitual patterns of thought and emotion, speech and action, which then directly influence our health and life in all areas, material and spiritual.

As energetic beings, we are connected to the infinite field of energy-intelligence that forms this universe, and we are innately connected to the source of the universal field of energy-intelligence, the one being-consciousness-force that we call God. We have access to

Introduction: Understanding Healing in the Sophian Gnostic Tradition

great healing power within and all around us; we only need to draw upon that light-power or healing power.

The healing practices of the Order of St. Raphael are designed to assist us in becoming conscious of the energetic dimension, to heal whatever distortion might have occurred, and to avoid such damage or distortion in the future. As we become conscious of the play and exchange of energy that constitutes life, these practices can facilitate our healing on all levels, spiritual, psychic, and physical.

Healing and Curing While we may often seek a healing because of a physical illness or disability, there are many other reasons we may seek a healing; when we are troubled in mind and heart, when we are experiencing relationship difficulties, or during a time of inauspicious circumstances or ill-fortune in our lives. In other words, we may seek a healing any time we see a compromise or diminishing of our enjoyment and fulfillment in life on any level.

It must be said that healing and curing are not always synonymous. Healing does not necessarily bring about a visible cure of the body or mind. Often, the ultimate healing is beyond the body, and happens in the fruition of life when we depart from the body. A healing may endure beyond this body and life, and may bring about a more auspicious experience in the afterlife and in future lives. If and when an apparent wonder or miracle occurs, and a more radical physical cure takes place, it is the result of healing on an energetic level.

Healing, in essence, is the reintegration of our energetic being and our material being, and it is the restoration of the natural flow and harmony of our life energy or light-power. Within and behind any anomaly in our energetic being, and any illness, dis-ease, or illfortune, there is some impairment or obstruction to our fundamental awareness of the Divine in our lives, and therefore some compromise in our relationship with the Divine.

Restoring our relationship with God, the true light, is the first step for any healing. Thus, in working with a person, one of the first questions a spiritual healer is likely to ask is about the person’s relationship

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with the Divine, and how that relationship might have become impaired. Additionally, they will inquire into the person’s self-image and worldview, which offer a direct reflection of their relationship with the Divine and will typically provide some insight into the causes of damage or distortion that has occurred on an energetic level.

As the beginning of a discussion and contemplation of the subject, this is a good start, although there is certainly more that may be shared regarding the healing of our energetic being, and the reintegration of our energetic and material beings. Let us pray and envision the healing of all living spirits and souls in Hayyah Yeshua, the Risen Messiah.

one

The Order of St. Raphael: Healing Power of Divine Being

In the Gnostic Christian stream we are called to the threefold spiritual labor—to be light-bearers, healers, and peacemakers. Sophian Gnostic tradition is composed of various orders. An “Order” represents an integral body of teachings and practices that forms a vehicle of selfrealization. Each one represents different forms of spiritual work and distinctive ways on the path to enlightenment or divine gnosis.

The Order of St. Raphael represents teachings and practices of the Healing Way, a vehicle of self-realization through the practice of healing arts. Archangel Raphael, whose name translates from Hebrew as, “God has healed,” is the celestial patron of this order. Anyone called as a healer is called into the service of others, having a desire to facilitate the healing of others; yet the foundation of the healing way is healing oneself.

In Gnosticism we understand the essence of healing ourselves in the phrase, “Know yourself,” for all illness and dis-ease, all sorrow and suffering arises from a fundamental ignorance of ourselves regarding the nature of our mind, consciousness, or soul, and our innate unity with the Divine. Whether we are experiencing illness or dis-ease on a spiritual, psychic (mental-emotional), or physical level, it is rooted in our mind, our consciousness, our soul, and in our relationship with the source of our being, the Divine. In seeking healing on any level,

The Order of St. Raphael: Healing Power of Divine Being

first and foremost we must look into the state of our own mind or soul, and into our relationship with the Divine.

The primary focus of the Order of St. Raphael is spiritual and psychic healing. Our focus is cultivating our spiritual life and practice, by which we can heal ourselves on a spiritual level, and through which we can activate the power of the mind or soul that can bring about radical healing on a psychic and physical level.

This is reflected in two sayings of Master Yeshua (the Aramaic name of Jesus) that typically followed his healings. He would either say, “Your faith has healed you,” or he would instruct, “Go and sin no more.” In both cases he pointed to the spiritual life of a person as the foundation of illness and wellness, as well as the cause of inauspicious and auspicious circumstances in life. Our health and happiness depend upon the development of our interior life, according to the teachings of Master Yeshua, who was perhaps the greatest of all healers to ever walk among us.

Thus, the foundation of all healing practices of the order is the development of our interior life, and the aspirant to the Order of St. Raphael must commit to a daily practice of prayer and meditation. At the start, aspirants are asked to gain skill with several basic Sophian practices: Silent Witness, Primordial Meditation, Middle Pillar Meditation, Giving and Receiving Meditation, and at least one partzuf Meditation, which are integral to the healing arts taught within the order. (Instructions for these practices may be found in the appendix.)

The basic initiation ritual of the Sophian Gnostic tradition consists of baptism, chrism (anointing with oil), and the Wedding Feast, the Sophian form of communion. This is referred to as the Threefold Rite of Initiation. Initiation into the Order of St. Raphael is preceded by an interior awakening in the aspirant, serving to facilitate the unfolding of higher gradations of the light transmission in their experience. Essentially, it is akin to shaktipat in Eastern schools, when a spiritual adept facilitates the awakening of the serpent power (kundalini energy) in the disciple. However, in this Gnostic initiation, the awakening of the serpent power is coupled with an experience of the reception of divine light from above; hence, it is a moment of light transmission, the com-

The Order of St. Raphael: Healing Power of Divine Being

munication of a living presence and power. Once this has occurred, the outer initiation into the Order of St. Raphael may be given, for the aspirant has developed the interior life necessary to successfully receive and integrate an additional initiation.

Of course, anyone can study, practice, and benefit from the healing methods taught in the Order of St. Raphael without being an actual initiate of the order; there is nothing to preclude a person from taking up and using the practices. The actual initiation and empowerments for the practices, however, are only imparted with the corresponding maturation of the interior life, reflecting and facilitating the initiate’s own process of self-realization in Christ.

Generally speaking, initiates of the Order of St. Raphael study other healing arts, such as herbal medicine and other therapies, along with the methods taught in the order. Initiates are encouraged to study any healing modality to which they feel inclined, and to share their knowledge with one another.

At no time do we discourage individuals from seeking proper medical treatment or advocate that an individual uses only spiritual and psychic methods of healing. Rather, we advocate the use of spiritual and psychic methods of healing as a support to whatever other forms of medical treatment an individual might seek, whether they are allopathic or alternative modalities. We believe in the healing power of faith and of the mind—the healing power of the divine in us; yet we also believe in the human intelligence and its capacity to cultivate various methods of healing and medicine; for as it is said in Sophian teachings, “all truth is divine truth,” regardless of what form it might assume.

Raphael: Maggid of Healing The meaning of the name of Archangel Raphael—“healing of God” or “God’s healing”—refers to the power of God, the true light, to heal. In terms of the great adepts and masters who have walked on the face of the earth, Yeshua Messiah embodied this divine power more than any other. He expressed the mercy and love of God through a ministry of exorcism and healing; the banishing of unclean spirits from people

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The Order of St. Raphael: Healing Power of Divine Being

and the healing of illnesses in the body, both of which are forms of tikkune (healing). Therefore, the masters of the Christian Kabbalah teach us that Archangel Raphael is the emanation of Tiferet, the Holy Sefirah of the Messiah on the Tree of Life.

The Christian Kabbalah calls the Messiah, “the spiritual sun.”

The celestial representative of Tiferet is shemesh, the sun, which is the emanation of Tiferet at the level of Asiyah, the material dimension.

Thus, the principal image of Archangel Raphael is as a human one with great wings in a body of brilliant light, as though formed of sunlight. Archangel Raphael’s role as the emanation of Tiferet at the level of Beriyah inspires all of the healing practices associated with the sun in our lineage. The sun is understood as the vehicle of this healing power on a subtle level within the material dimension; it may be imagined as the body of St. Raphael emanating in space-time to shine upon us.

As we have said, Archangel Raphael is the power of God to heal the heart and soul, mind and body. The healing of the heart is the restoration of faith in God, the one life-power, and the opening of the heart in love and compassion, the active concern for the well-being and welfare of others. Thus, in faith, in love and compassion and in forgiveness, we find something of the healing power of God. When we live by faith, generate love and compassion, and are forgiving, we access healing power. The healing of the soul is the restoration of our sense of connection with the spirit of God and with God’s creation, for the illusion of separation and the delusion of lack it generates is a spiritual illness, which in turn becomes the cause of psychic and physical illnesses.

Likewise, the healing of the soul corresponds to a level of exorcism, which is the dispelling of negative karma that is often behind ill-fortune and serious illnesses that arise in life. To the extent that self-negativity attracts and facilitates links with impure spirits, and is, in essence, the manifestation of “inner demons,” healing of the mind represents another level of exorcism, or the banishing of shades and shadows. Healing in the body is the restoration to health and wellbeing; a state of balance and harmony representing a capacity to truly

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live our life. The presence of Archangel Raphael can bring about healing on all of these levels. The ultimate healing is in the knowledge of God and union with God, the experience of enlightenment or divine illumination, Divine gnosis.

Thus, Archangel Raphael presides over the way of knowledge— specifically, the generation of the presence of awareness that gives penetrating insight, dispelling falsehood and negativity. Likewise, St. Raphael rules over the angelic order of the Malachim, the emanation of Tiferet at the level of Yetzirah. The name malachim literally means “messengers,” for they are holy angels that bring us the word and knowledge of God, and who inform us of hidden things.

In wisdom traditions around the world, it is not the head or brain that is viewed as the center of our true human intelligence, but rather the heart. The heart is the seat of our faith and inner knowing, understanding, and wisdom, the fruit of which is the profound awareness of our interconnection and interdependence with the universe and our innate unity with the source of our being, God; in a word—love, as embodied in the Messiah, the anointed of God. Meditating on the traditional image of St. Raphael, we create a luminous and spacious state of consciousness, generating a positive state of mind, opening our mind and heart to the spirit and light of God, the healing power of God; a light-presence (Christ), and lightpower (Holy Spirit) that is both within us and beyond us.

Thus, when you are in need of the healing power of God, or you know of someone in need of healing, hold the image of Archangel Rachael in mind and take up the basic chant for St. Raphael, Ar Iyah Raphael (Ar Ee-Ya Ra-Fa-El, all short vowels).

To draw healing power to yourself, first envision the spiritual sun in your heart and chant the blessed name of Yeshua Messiah, Ya-Ha-ShaVa-Ha. Visualize Archangel Raphael materializing in the space before you. Take up the chant Ar Iyah Raphael and see the healing power of Raphael pouring out upon you as streams of golden sunlight. Finally, envision that the image of Raphael dissolves into fluid flowing light that pours into you, your own body becoming self-radiant like that of

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The Order of St. Raphael: Healing Power of Divine Being

the archangel. When this is complete, pray for all who are in need of healing and ask that the holy light of God shines upon all.

Alternatively, rather than imagining the dissolution of the archangel’s body of light, envision that you dissolve into fluid light and pour into the archangel. Once in union with the holy angel of God, visualize that as the archangel you magically disappear, merging with the infinite space of the sky, being healed in repose with Christ in God. As in the first method, the practice ends with a prayer for the healing and illumination of all beings.

Other Basic Practices of the Order of St. Raphael Healing Prayer and Anointing There are many healing practices in the Order of St. Raphael, but perhaps the simplest and most straightforward are prayer, anointing (also called chrism), and laying on of hands. Very simply, we offer to pray with a person in need of healing, to anoint them with holy oil (consecrated for healing work), and then to lay hands on them in the blessed name of Yeshua Messiah.

When we pray with them, we call upon Ha-Shem, the name of God, using the divine names corresponding to their ailment, along with those inspired by the Holy Spirit during our prayer with them.

Coupled with the names of God, we speak a prayer from our heart for the healing of the person, for their anointing with the Healing Power of the Messiah and God, the true light. In the midst of the prayer we lay hands on the person, and when it seems right we anoint them with holy oil, usually at the brow, throat, and heart, and sometimes the nape of the neck. Anointing is a spirit-led movement, and the healer should be guided by his or her intuition in this practice, always respecting the personal space of the person with whom they are working.

Among the divine names, initiates of our holy order always use the blessed name of Yeshua Messiah, Ya-Ha-Sha-Va-Ha, for always we pray in the name of the Messiah, the anointed of God. We may also call upon the names of holy ones, prophets, apostles, and angels of

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God, all as the Holy Spirit leads us. Inherent to prayers for healing are praise, thanksgiving, and glorification of God; in the midst of true worship, wonders and healings often take place.

Adonai Messiah has said, “Where two or more are gathered in my name, I am there with them.� As we pray, consequently, we may envision the luminous image of Yeshua Messiah and the light of the Messiah pouring out upon us and upon the person with whom we are praying. Likewise, we may imagine Archangel Raphael, along with a choir of luminous healing angels, filling our environment, shining their blessings and light on us.

When we lay hands upon the person and pray, we visualize ourselves in a body of light (a practice explained later in this chapter) with the spiritual sun shining in place of our heart. The divine light streams through us into the person for whom we are praying, transforming their body into a body of light. As we anoint them we may envision the white brilliance of supernal light, passing through us to them, completing their healing in the spirit.

After praying with someone, anointing them, and laying hands on them, a simple wedding feast may be celebrated (the sharing of bread and wine), sealing the healing with prayers for the tikkune-healing of all beings in Hayyah Yeshua, the Risen Messiah.

After initially praying with a person, it is recommended that each day for a week (or even longer if called to do so by the Holy Spirit), we uplift this person in prayer, praying for their full healing in Yeshua Messiah and God, the true light. Envision them in the divine light, healed and made whole in the Risen Messiah. Along with these prayers, we may make offerings to the Holy One on their behalf, such as candles and incense in a shrine, or other offerings in a sacred place. Whenever our minds turn to them, we will send the blessings and light in the name of Adonai Yeshua Messiah and the Shekinah of Messiah, the Holy Bride.

In this way we are often tending a continuum of healing prayer for many people, as we take up a continuum of prayer like this for all who come to us for healing or spiritual help.