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About the Odyssey |
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Odyssey PerspectiveChanging Perception "Perception is everything," someone once said. How we feel, what we think, and what we do are all determined by how we perceive the world around us. If we perceive the world as a place where cause and effect are predictable, we get frustrated when something happens that isn't expected. If we perceive the world as a place of chaos, we are elated when something works out peacefully. The struggle, therefore, is to change our perceptions - particularly challenging when our beliefs about "the way things work" are 20, 30, 50, 80 years old. What's even harder is recognizing that in order to feel fulfilled (or at least not frustrated) we need to change our perspectives not just from one view to another (like above), but we must be able to move easily between a variety of perceptions depending on the circumstances. The Odyssey presented here is just one of many ways of perceiving the world we live in. When we change our perspective, the facts remain the same. It's which facts we notice, how we feel about them, what we think about them, and what we do with the facts, or in response to the facts, that is different. If we want our life to be different than what it currently is, we just need to change the context in which we view the facts. Sephirot & Channels (aka Enduring Qualities & Paths of Change) One of the ways to perceive life is that for each of the different aspects of our life we are either in a stationary set of conditions ("perched") or we are traveling on a path of change between "perches". We are either at rest or in motion. Our relationships are somewhat predictable, or they are changing. Our bodies are healthy/sick or they are getting better or worse or transforming in adolescence or menopause. Our minds are committed to beliefs, or they are negotiating new ideas. Our jobs are satisfactory or we are searching for something else. We are settled down or we are searching for a new residence. Our standard of living is constant, or it is decreasing or increasing. Each time we leave a stationary perch, there are a number of different paths of change we can take. We can take an active path, or a passive path. We can take a research path. A physical path. A spiritual path. A purple path. Each path leads to a new perch. Our destiny is determined by our choice of paths and the vigor with which we travel those paths. These choices for change are often made unconsciously, which frequently results in surprise, which in turn can become fear if we aren't prepared and are uncomfortable not knowing where we are going. But choosing a path of change can be a conscious choice - undertaken with preparation, motivation and confidence, regardless of the uncertainty that is always present with any kind of change. But why choose change at all? "The only thing constant is change," someone else said. If you stay in one set of conditions long enough they begin to atrophy and decay, which in itself is a change (this is the unconscious choice for change). The principle of the Odyssey is to present the perches (also known as sephirot) and paths (also known as channels) as a pattern (Tree of Life) that can serve as a kind of road map for life. The simplest use for an individual would be to determine where they currently are in the tree/pattern (what perch or path best represents the current character of their life right now), consider where they might want to be, and decide how they want to get there from where they are (which path(s) to take). The Odyssey is not a "law of the Universe." It's just one of an infinite number of different ways of looking at life -- different ways of experiencing the wonder of being alive. Flow of Energy Through Tree of Life The Tree of Life (see History) represents all the qualities and experiences of Life in the context of a flow of energy from the "unknowable source" of all things (Kether) down to the manifestation of that energy in our daily lives (Malkuth). This energy flows down through 10 sephirot (singular: sephirah) that are eddies where the energy flow of life concentrates on its path through multiple incarnations or perspectives. The channels between these sephirot represent the paths of change that we all travel as we move from one perspective of Life to another. The energy that flows through individuals, communities, and the universe travels from the unknowable source of Kether down into the common life of Malkuth and back up again in search of the source and back down again to manifest it. We experience this energy in different ways at different times as represented by the different sephirot and paths of change.
Each sephirah can be identified by the unique way it distills the energy flow through the spirit of four elements (Fire, Water, Air, Earth) which also correspond to four key areas of life (creativity, fertility, mind, body) to represent primary, enduring qualities of life. The relationships between these elements are explained more fully in the Elements documents/pages. As you move further through the Odyssey, take time to periodically think about which element is present in any given sephirah or path of change, and which corresponding activity is commanding attention (creativity, fertility, mind, body.) |
The WAND of FIRE TOP  The CUP of WATER TOP  The SWORD of the WIND of the four directions TOP  The PENTACLE of the MOUNTAIN and the COIN TOP |
Origins and HistoryOrigins I have integrated my study of various traditions and symbolism (World Mythology, Elements of Nature, Tarot, Numerology, Planets, Astrology, Chakras, Music, Colors, Stones) into my interpretation of the Qabbalah. My entire study and developing ritual for sharing this study I have named the Odyssey after the Odyssey of Homer, which chronicled the ten years of wandering of Odysseus in his journey home after the Trojan War. The Odyssey started in 1997 with my review of all kinds of spiritual and mythological resources. This review rapidly became vast piles of notecards. I began developing the ideas for a corresponding ritual and a physical installation in 1999. I wrote up everything I had gathered so far, including sketches of my vision of a physical tree of life on a large spot of land. I then began to make growth cycle charts for friends and family. Some people began to ask for tarot readings and I then helped them to map out a full Odyssey journey, which they began to travel on their own, using my fledgling guidelines for activities. Growth Cycle Charts - Usually people start with a growth cycle chart (a list of the paths of change for each year of their lives as determined by some brief numerology and my interpretations of the corresponding major arcana of the tarot in the context of growth and development). I usually prepare Odyssey Growth Cycles Charts for adults. But I've also done a number for young children, to provide parents with an additional guide for how to nurture and support their children during their unique stages of growth. I've also done comparative charts for couples and charts for marriages (based on the marriage date). Odyssey Map - In the next stage people often ask for a tarot reading on a specific circumstance (relationship, career, etc.) and then I integrate the cards that come up in that reading with their growth cycles in the near past and future to come up with a linear path up through the Tree of Life and back down again (being sure to hit all of the growth cycles and cards that came up in their reading). Guidelines & Cultural Heritage References - I then prepare a book with descriptions of each channel and sephirot they will hit in their Odyssey, the activities to perform at each step, and a list of all the relevant archetypes and gods that are relevant for their particular heritage. For example, if they are Hindu, I include the myths and stories associated with the relevant Hindu gods that relate to the given characteristics of life that is being encountered on a specific path or perch. If they are Celtic, I include the comparable gods and stories from the Celtic traditions. The individuals then embark on their journey, engage in the activities, review the legends and stories from their heritage, and reflect on what they have learned. History of the Qabbalah, Tree of Life & Tarot The Holy Qabbalah (a.k.a., Kabbala, Quabbala, Cabala) is an ancient Jewish mystical tradition. The principles of the Qabbalah are encapsulated in the "Tree of Life." It is a pictorial representation of the fundamental structure of the universe and the basic principles of life: the enduring qualities and the paths of change. This tree of life structure can be detected in an individual, a community , or the entire universe. It can be applied at microcosmic and macrocosmic levels in physical and metaphysical frameworks.
The two dimensional Tree of Life diagram is also/actually a simplified visual chart of the 78 cards of the tarot, which represent the principle forces in life. It has been said that the Tarot itself was a way to preserve the fundamental teachings of the Qabbalah and the mystical Jewish faith. When Jerusalem was conquered, the holy men of the Temple of Solomon had little time to escape and could not take their holy texts with them. By disguising the principles of their faith as an easily transportable game of picture cards the holy men were able to preserve their teachings. If they were stopped, the innocent card game would not be detected as "sacred text," and their identities as Judaic holy men would thus remain concealed -- allowing them to escape certain death and the destruction of the word of God. The Tarot has also been attributed to the Egyptians - no one really knows for sure. But, as the Jews spent a fair amount of time in Egypt, it is not unreasonable to believe that both attributions can be true. As Jews migrated north into Eastern Europe, the use of the tarot deck seems to have evolved into the gypsy tradition of fortune telling. I find more value approahcing the tarot as shorthand the Tree of Life, which in turn is shorthand for the Qabbalah - all of which can be used to refresh our perspectives of life to give us answers, peace or direction. The 22 cards known as the major arcana of the Tarot correspond to the paths of change (known in the Tree of Life as "channels") and have very distinct personalities and names (like the Hermit, Lovers, Wheel of Fortune, Death). The 56 cards known as the minor arcana correspond, by number (Ace-10, King, Queen, Knight/Prince, Page/Princess ), to the sephirot of the Tree of Life (Malkuth, Kether, Tiphareth, Chesed, etc.), which represent the enduring qualities of life like beauty, balance, wisdom, nurturing, protection, building, science, mysticism, and practical matters. The cards are organized into four suits: Wands, Cups, Swords, Pentacles (sometimes Disks) similar to today's playing cards. The four suits, and each of the four court cards, correspond to the four basic elements of life: Fire, Water, Air, and Earth. It is these elements (which also feature prominently in native and Asian traditions), and the variety of ways that they combine and interact with each other, that determine the different characteristics of the sephirot (minor arcana) . Your understanding and interpretation of the Qabbalah and the value it holds for you will be different than mine, or a 6th century rabbi, or that of Aleister Crowley (one of the most well-known experts and practioners of the Tarot). But, the remainder of this site provides some minimal guidelines as a place to begin your own Odyssey in it. |
