Seven Veils of Mystical Experience

Yesterday I wrote about the Seven Veils of Mystical Experience in connection with the Dance of the Seven Veils.

The Seven Veils of Mystical Experience were also known as the Seven Rays by the Merkabah Mystics who are said to have practised the earliest form of Jewish mysticism.

The Seven Rays are Dreams, Reason, Passion, Bliss, Courage, Compassion, and Knowledge.

Merkabah means the ‘throne or chariot of God’ in Hebrew. The aim of Merkabah Mystics was to see God on his throne. To achieve this goal, they had to pass through the Seven Veils of Mystical Experience also known as the Seven Rays.

They had to give the guardian of each Ray (or Celestial Palace) a password or special talisman in order to continue.

In physical terms, this means they had to fast, chant and pray to induce trance states in order that they could make an ascent and reach a spiritual state where they could see the throne of God.

Each Ray was linked to a planet:

● Dreams (or Imagination) was linked to the Moon.
● Reason was linked to Mercury
● Passion to Venus
● Bliss to the Sun
● Courage to Mars
● Compassion to Jupiter
● Knowledge (or Gnosis) was linked to Saturn

Apparently of the four Merkabah Mystics who tried to travel through the Seven Veils of Mystical Experience, only one of them, Rabbi Akiba succeeded.

Of the other three, it is said that one died, the other became mentally ill and the third became agnostic.

Shades of Icarus.

This wasn’t exactly the ending to the story that I was looking for when I started researching this subject.

Oh well.