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Encyclopedia > Merkaba
One traditional depiction of the chariot vision, based on the description in Ezekiel.
One traditional depiction of the chariot vision, based on the description in Ezekiel.

For a series of Israeli main battle tanks, see Merkava. Image File history File links Ezekiel-Vision-Merkaba. ... Image File history File links Ezekiel-Vision-Merkaba. ... Merkava (Hebrew: ) is a series of main battle tanks developed and manufactured by Israel for the Israel Defense Forces. ...


The word Merkaba or Merkava (etymology Hebrew: מרכבה "chariot", derived from the ancient Hebrew consonantal root r-k-b with general meaning "to ride (an animal, in a chariot)") is used in the Bible (Ezekiel 1:4-26) to refer to the throne-chariot of God, the four-wheeled vehicle driven by four Cherubim, each of which has four wings and four faces (of a man, lion, ox, and eagle). In medieval Judaism, the beginning of the book of Ezekiel was regarded as the most mystical passage in the Bible, and its study was discouraged, except by mature individuals with an extensive grounding in the study of traditional Jewish texts. Hebrew (עִבְרִית ‘Ivrit) is a Semitic language of the Afro-Asiatic language family spoken by more than seven million people in Israel and Jewish communities around the world. ... In the terminology used to discuss the grammar of the Semitic languages, a triliteral is a root containing a sequence of three consonants. ... Ezekiel the Prophet of the Hebrew Scriptures is depicted on a 1510 Sistine Chapel fresco by Michelangelo. ... A cherub (Hebrew כרוב; plural cherubim, כרובים) is an angelic creature mentioned several times in the Tanakh, or Old Testament, and in the Book of Revelation. ...


Jewish biblical commentaries emphasize that the imagery of the Merkaba is not meant to be taken literally; rather the chariot and its accompanying angels are analogies for the various ways that God reveals Himself in this world. Maimonides in his 13 principles of faith emphasies that God is not limited to any particular form, as this prophesy might seem to imply. Chassidic philosophy and Kaballah explain at length what each aspect of this vision represents in this world, and how they in no way imply that God is made up of these forms. The danger of understanding these passages as literal decriptions of God's image likely accounts for the opposition among Torah scholars towards learning this topic without the proper initiation. Jews customarily read the the Biblical passages concerning the Merkaba in their synogouges every year on the holiday of Shavuot. Commonly used image indicating one artists conception of Maimonidess appearance Moshe ben Maimon (March 30, 1135–December 13, 1204) was a Jewish rabbi, physician, and philosopher. ... Shavuot, also spelled Shavuos (Hebrew: שבועות (Israeli Heb. ...

Contents


The Biblical Merkaba in Depth

According to the verses in Ezekiel and its attendant commentaries, the analogy of the Mekaba image consists of a chariot made of many angels being driven by the "Likeness of a Man." Four angels form the basic structure of the chariot. These angels are called the "Chayot" or "Hayyoth" חיות (lit. animals). The bodies of the "Chayot" are like that of a human being, but each of them had four faces, corresponding to the four directions the chariot can go (north, east south and west). The faces are that of a man, a lion, an ox (later changed to a child or cherub) and an eagle. Since there are four angels and each has four faces, there are a total of 16 faces. Each Chayot angel also has four wings. Two of these wings spread across the length of the chariot and connected with the wings of the angel on the other side. This created a sort of 'box' of wings that formed the perimeter of the chariot. With the remaining two wings, each angel covered its own body. Below, but not attatched to the feet of the "Chayot" angels are other angels that are shaped like wheels. These wheel angels, which are described as "a wheel inside of a wheel", are called "Ophannim" אופנים (lit. wheels, cycles or ways). These wheels are not directly under the chariot, but are nearby and along its perimeter much like the wheels of a car. The angel with the face of the man is always on the east side and looks up at the "Likeness of a Man" that drives the chariot. The "Likeness of a Man" sits on a throne made of saphire. The Hayyoth are a class of Merkabah, or Jewish Mystical Angels, on the same level as the Christian cherubim, and residing in the seventh heaven. ...


The Bible later makes mention of a third type of angel found in the Merkaba called "Seraphim" (lit. burning) angels. These angels appear like flashes of fire continuously ascending and decending. These "Seraphim" angels functioned somewhat like pistons in that they powered the movement of the chariot. In the hierarchy of these angels, "Seraphim" are the highest, that is, closest to God, followed by the "Chayot", which are followed by the "Ophannim". The chariot is in a constant state of motion, and the energy behind this movement runs according to this heirarchy. The movement of the "Ofanim" is controlled by the "Chayot" while the movement of the "Chayot" is conrolled by the "Serafim". The movement of all the angels of the chariot are controlled by the "Likeness of a Man" on the Throne. 六翼天使 Seraphim(六翼天使) is a Taiwanese symphonic metal band similar to Nightwish and Therion. ...


A Chassidic explanation

Chassidic philosophy explains that Merkaba is a multi-layered analogy that offers insight into the nature of man, the ecosystem, the the world, and teaches us how to become better people.


The four Chayot angels represent the basic archetypes that God used to create the current nature of the world. Offanim which means ways, are the ways these archetypes combine to create actual entities that exist in practicality. For instance, in the basic elements of the world, the lion represents fire, the ox earth, the eagle wind, and the man water. However, in practice, everything in the world is some combination of all four, and the particular combination of each element that exist in each thing are its particular Ofannim or ways.


The Man on the throne represents God who is controlling everything that goes on in the world, and how all of the archetypes He set up should interact. The Man on the throne however, can only drive when the four angels connect their wings. This means that God will not be revealed to us by us looking at all four elements (for instance) as separate and independent entities. However when one looks at the way that earth, wind, fire and water (for instance) which all oppose each other are able to work together and coexist in complete harmony in the world, this shows that there is really a higher power (God) telling these elements how to act.


This very lesson carries over to explain how the four basic groups of animals and the four basic archetypal philosophies and personalities reveal a higher, godly source when one is able to read between the lines and see how these opposing forces can and do interact in harmony. A person should strive to be like a Merkaba, that is to say, he should realize all the different qualities, talents and inclinations he has (his angels). They may seem to contradict, but when one directs his life to a higher goal such as doing God's will (the man on the chair driving the chariot) he will see how they all can work together and even complement eachother. Ultimately, we should strive to realize how all of the forces in the world, though they may seem to conflict can unite when one knows how to use them all to fulfill a higher purpose, namely to serve God.


New age

Modern esoteric "merkaba".
Modern esoteric "merkaba".

In modern esoteric teachings, it is taught that the MerKaBa is an interdimensional vehicle consisting of two equally sized, interlocked tetrahedra of light with a common center, where one tetrahedron points up and the other down. This point symmetric form is called a stella octangula or stellated octahedron which can also be obtained by extending the faces of a regular octahedron until they intersect again. Image File history File links Merkaba2. ... Image File history File links Merkaba2. ... Etymology Esoteric is an adjective originating during Hellenic Greece under the domain of the Roman Empire; it comes from the Greek esôterikos, from esôtero, the comparative form of esô: within. It is a word meaning anything that is inner and occult, a latinate word meaning hidden (from which... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... A tetrahedron (plural: tetrahedra) is a polyhedron composed of four triangular faces, three of which meet at each vertex. ... The symmetry group of an object (e. ... Stella octangula The stella octangula (eight-pointed star), also known as the stellated octahedron, is the polyhedral compound of two tetrahedra. ... An octahedron (plural: octahedra) is a polyhedron with eight faces. ...


In his books, researcher and physicist Drunvalo Melchizedek describes this figure as a "Star Tetrahedron", since it can be viewed as a three dimensional Star of David. By imagining two superimposed "Star Tetrahedrons" as counterrotating [1], along with specific "prana" breathing techniques, certain eye movements and mudras, it is taught that one can activate a non-visible 'saucer' shaped energy field around the human body that is anchored at the base of the spine. Depending on the height of the person doing the exercise, this field is about 55 feet across. Once activated, this 'saucer' shaped field is capable of carrying ones consciousness directly to higher dimensions. The Star of David The Star of David (Hebrew: [pronounded maw-gān daw-vēd], transliteration: Magen David, Ashkenazi Hebrew transliteration: Mogen David-- literally: Shield of David, Arabic: , transliteration: Najmat Dawuud), also known as the Seal of Solomon or Symbol of Solomon (Arabic: خاتم سليمان, Khatam Sulayman) is a generally recognized... In Hinduism, Prana is the infinite matter of which energy is born. ... Contents // Categories: Stub ...


Trivia

  • A song on metal band Tool's box set Salival is called Merkaba, but the song is originally from ZAUM, another project of the Tool drummer Danny Carey.

Tool is an American rock band, formed in 1990 in Los Angeles, California, when drummer Danny Carey joined the rehearsal of his neighbour, singer Maynard James Keenan, and guitarist Adam Jones and bassist Paul dAmour, when nobody else would show up. ... In 2000, the rock band Tool released the Salival box set in CD/VHS and CD/DVD formats. ... Alexander Rodchenkos bookcover for Kruchonykhs treatise Zaum (1921). ... Danny Carey Daniel Danny Edwin Carey (born May 10, 1961 in Paola, Kansas, USA) is the drummer for the band Tool. ...

See also

Merkabah (מרכבה, literally: chariot) is the term used to describe the earliest form of Jewish mysticism, usually Merkabah mysticism in English. ... The third eye is a metaphorical concept referring in part to the ajna (brow) chakra in certain Hindu spiritual traditions. ... In Hinduism and in some related Asian cultures, chakra is thought to be an nexus of metaphysical and/or biophysical energy residing in the human body. ... Diagram of pituitary and pineal glands. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... A large statue in Bangalore depicting Shiva meditating Meditation is the practice of focusing the mind, often formalized into a specific routine. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Sacred geometry is the deceptively simple yet profoundly insightful topic describing the underlying geometrical order of everything we call reality. From atomic structure and crystals to galactic spirals and super clusters, all life conforms to the information contained in just six geometrical shapes - the five Platonic solids (these are fixed...

Notes

  1.   Animation of the geometric Merkaba

External links


  Results from FactBites:
 
Merkaba - Star Tetrahedron - Flower of Life - Crystalinks (5007 words)
Merkaba, also spelled Merkabah, is the divine light vehicle allegedly used by ascended masters to connect with and reach those in tune with the higher realms.
In modern esoteric teachings, it is taught that the MerKaBa is an interdimensional vehicle consisting of two equally sized, interlocked tetrahedra of light with a common center, where one tetrahedron points up and the other down.
The word Merkaba or Merkava - Hebrew 'Chariot'or general meaning "to ride an animal, in a chariot" - is used in the Bible (Ezekiel 1:4-26) to refer to the throne-chariot of God, the four-wheeled vehicle driven by four Cherubim, each of which has four wings and four faces (of a man, lion, ox, and eagle).
Merkaba (thing)@Everything2.com (379 words)
The word Merkaba is an ancient Egyptian term that is actually comprised of three different words:Mer, Ka, and Ba.
When merkaba has been reached all barriers separating male and female aspects of our mind and spirit are torn down and they flow to together in a fluid like manner.
Merkaba, when practiced properly, can allow a person to reach their full potential as a human being(mind, body, and spirit).
  More results at FactBites »

 

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