On Daat

[Zoasa]

I am requesting any information or Ideas about a page I found. When I found it.. I thought AHA.. Espceially when looking at the picture. The only thing is I noticed that the hebrew alphabet was moved around. Any more information would be nice.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Da%27at_(Kabbalah)

[Jim Eshelman]

Not sure what the Aha was, so hard to comment.

Is there a specific question?

In the mid-16th to late 18th Centuries (centered primarily around two significant Kabbalistic Rabbis), there was a movement to consolidate diversified Kabbalistic models (that had proliferated in the 300-400 years prior) into a single model that retro-conformed to the Zohar. I consider it one of the worst kinds of "finding truth by committee action," but it became the standard of most Rabbinical kabbalism since.

In particular, a new Tree of Life was invented (with a few variants on shape) thatrepositioned the Hebrew letters so that the 3 Mothers were on the 3 horizontals; the 7 Doubles on the 7 verticals; and the 12 Simples on the 12 diagonals.

[Zoasa]

The Aha was in understanding or seeing an understanding of Daat. Seeing the other paths go though it gave me an AHA because I was able to see something I did not know..

Then I discovered the variance and thought... "WHAT?"

To be truthfull Jim.. I have always been one to push the envelope of my studies... This means that I not only study what I am told to study, but I bits of information that add on to the experience.

Another truth is I did not find this on my own because I have not had much time to do my own studies, due to the fact that I changed shifts. I had a friend send it to me because he knows that I study the Kabballah, but he does not know exactly what I am studying.

It is easier for me to tell him that I study the kabballah then to tell him what I am actually studying (at this point in my life anyway.)

After seeing the new set up, I figured I would seek verification before I tried to add it to my personal knowledge. So far, from what you wrote it would seem that what was written as well as the picture is not correct even though the person wrote that some of the knowledge included information from Crowley (this is how I read the Wiki notes anyway).

[Jim Eshelman]

The Aha was in understanding or seeing an understanding of Daat. Seeing the other paths go though it gave me an AHA because I was able to see something I did not know..

Then I discovered the variance and thought... "WHAT?"

Unfortunately, this diagramming (by including Da'ath in the flow of the Paths) disables the most important things to know about Da'ath. Among other things, it gives the impression that Da'ath is a sephirah.

After seeing the new set up, I figured I would seek verification before I tried to add it to my personal knowledge. So far, from what you wrote it would seem that what was written as well as the picture is not correct even though the person wrote that some of the knowledge included information from Crowley (this is how I read the Wiki notes anyway).

I didn't read the article at all, because I didn't know what your question was. I was only responding to the picture. I then took a flying leap at tossing in some information that I thought might be relevant to what was going through your mind. I guess that makes me a tosser.

[Jim Eshelman]

Looking at the article...

The main point of the first section seems to be that, in Da'ath, all the sephiroth are "united as one." While I can see a meaning of those words that is true, most meanings of them are wrong or misleading.

In Daat, all sefirot exist in their perfected state of infinite sharing.

That's so much philosophical hogwash that any sliver of truth in it is useless. Then follows a paragraph on moralizing.

Properly, Daat is not a sephirah, but rather is all ten sephirot united as one.

<sigh> Untrue in any useful sense. (Most obvious sense in which it could be deemed true: As the coexistence of all knowledge, Da'ath is that in which all opinions or mental concepts of the sephiroth are converged and indifferent.)

The spiritual state corresponding to the sephirah of Daat is that of yichud ("unification").

This is the recurring theme of the article. I gather that the author pulled this from some later era Rabbinical source (meaning, it's essentially worthless). (Based on the diagram used, it was probably Lurianic.) At best, it's worthless outside of the context of the definitions and philosophical build-up of the original source.

The section titled "Levels" has at least a basic truth. That is, it correctly distinguishes the inner aspect of Da'ath (wherein it is the union of Chokmah and Binah, and the gate to Supernal consciousness) from the outer aspect (wherein it is the apex of the intellect to the point of insanity).

Honestly, you'll learn way more that's useful or relevant by reading Chapter 2 of my book Visions & Voices, especially the sections titled "The Angel & the Abyss" and "Choronzon & Da'ath."

[Zoasa]

Thanks Jim... If I do not have that book, I will most likely purchase it..

The problem is I know have so many books that I do not have time to read and I have been putting off so that they would not hinder my studies... Maybe I should have paid attention to my basic instinct and not have researched other information that may help me advance in the long run but may hinder my present studies.

[Jim Eshelman]

Maybe I should have paid attention to my basic instinct and not have researched other information that may help me advance in the long run but may hinder my present studies.

Learning to follow your own instinctual promptings is often a pretty good exercise

By all means read! Inform yourself, educate yourself, reach out.

On the other hand, if you have a step right in front of you, then that's the step you should take IMHO. More than anything else, progress in the work is slowed by distraction. (Read Wake World if you have it on hand.)

[Zoasa]

I don't have that book on hand

A dream I had just the other day, may have tried to tell me the same thing that you said. After breaking it down, I came to the understanding that I am gorging on information and not taking time to allow the subtleties of the small amount of information that I really need to study to sink in. It is like saying that I need to pay attention to the little things, the subtle things.

All through my youth I had to hid things from my parents so I studied when I could and tried to get as much information as I could… Now I do not have to pack all this extra information in. It is like I keep forgetting it, or maybe I may still be fearful that I will not get a chance to learn the information later on...

All I know is that I need to remind myself to study just what I need to study... Very often... And I am often distracted by other things that I feel are more important as if they cannot wait till tomorrow.