Builders of the Adytum

Snowflakes
New Zealand
Zenith News Notes No 104
June 2014
NEW ZEALAND MEETINGS
WELLINGTON
8.0.T.A. Headquarters, New Zealand
Cnr Treadwell & Naenae Roads, Lower Hutt
Enquiries:
Phone 04 567 5751 or fax 04 567 5757
Qabalistic Healing Service:
Classwork:
Pronaos:
AUCKLAND
Every Sunday morning at 10:30am
znd, 3rd, 4th & 5th Tuesdays at 7:30pm
lst Tuesday at 7:30pm (initiated members only)
Higher Thought Temple, Union St, Central City
Enquiries: Phone 09 273 3046 Frater Michael Sutcliffe
Qabalistic Healing Service:
Healing Colour & Sound:
Tarot Key Discussion:
Tree of Life Meditation &
Chanting:
DUNEDIN
Sawyers Bay, Dunedin
Enquiries:
Qabalistic Healing Service:
Healing Colour & Sound:
Classwork:
Meditation & Chanting:
l" Sunday at 10:30am
2
00
Wednesday at 7:30pm
3"' Wednesday at 7:30pm
4th Wednesday at 7:30pm
Phone 03 472 7274 Soror Jan Faris
l" & 3'' Sundays at 10:30am
2"' Sunday at 10:30am
3"' Sunday at 10:30am
5th Sunday at 10:30am
All meetings are held every month unless stated otherwise.
The Australia meetings are listed inside the back cover.
Zenith News Notes June 2014 Page I 2
EDITORIAL
Dear Fratres and Sorores
The focus for this edition is the winter solstice and the Hebrew letter Ayin.
The winter solstice is the time of greatest darkness and least light here in the
southern hemisphere. It is generally a time for inner contemplation and
meditation, and also a time to rest and relax more. In NZ there will be snow
during the winter and the beautiful snowflakes (images on front cover)
portray the way Deity geometrizes - each snowflake is entirely individual and
is based on the hexagram.
The darkest time of the year is always associated with the birth of Light, both
physically and spiritually, culminating with the birth of the Saviour. Here is
the great opportunity to bring our awareness towards the time when the
Saviour will be born within our hearts.
Three articles are within; the main points from Reverend Ann Davies lecture
entitled 'The Way out of Darkness' (1961), an article entitled 'Serenity' by
Sorer Harriet Case, and Frater Paul Foster Case's article is entitled
1
You
Partake of Cosmic Perfection' (Key 10 Kaph).
Also included are The Emerald Tablet and a short article on the winter
solstice. The winter rose features, along with some Lessons from Geese and
the drawing of the letter Ayin concludes this edition.
There has been a change in the role of Zenith News Notes editor and much
appreciation and thanks is extended to Soror Ginny for her hard work and
constancy in producing this booklet over many years. The Zenith News Notes
will now be produced in Dunedin, but still printed and distributed from
Naenae.
May the Blessings of Adonai be with You
Sorer Jan
Zenith News Notes June 2014 Page I 3
THE WAY OUT OF DARKNESS
Main points from a lecture by Reverend Ann Davies, 1961.
Creation takes place through colour and sound. Colour and sound are
vibrations, which we pick up with our senses through our consciousness. We
learn to differentiate between vibrations. Vibrations are the motions of God.
>- One of the most vital techniques for awakening the consciousness is
the Sound and Colour techniques, because it stirs the consciousness,
making us more aware, alert and harmonised. This helps us to see
more truly.
>- We don't see truly because our senses fool us. Our senses give us
information, which we interpret wrongly so that we are interpreting an
illusion. It is not the physical universe which is an illusion. We only
extract some of the vibrations and not others. That's where the
darkness or the illusion comes in.
Our consciousness is essentially a microscope of God. Think of the way
a snowflake looks when it is magnified. It is a six-pointed star. It is
beautiful and yet being able to see a snowflake in this way means that
we cannot see it from another point of view. We cannot watch it
floating down to the earth like a feather. We are God's microscopes
and we each absorb something slightly different with our
consciousness. As microscopes for God we can see the form of a tree, a
leaf, or a mountain. We can smell a flower and see the colour of a bud.
We can exalt in this beauty. If we looked at each other and exalted in
that beauty, the darkness would be pierced. Darkness is a limitation of
our consciousness. God experiences in and through parts of himself.
We are those parts. Consciousness holds a picture and this picture is
both the creator and the deluder. We see a part of something and we
think it is the whole.
The story of the elephant and the group of blind men illustrates this
point. The blind men were allowed to touch one part of the elephant
and had to describe what they were touching. The man who touched
the trunk said he was touching a hose. The man who touched the side
of the elephant said he was touching a wall and the man who touched
the leg said that he was touching a tube. We are like this too. We look
at each other and although we are not experiencing anything unreal,
just as the blind men were not experiencing anything unreal, we
merely sense a small part of the whole. Yet we think that this is all
there is.
Zenith News Notes June 2014 Page I 4
> We have occultism to teach us the ways and means to see the miracle
of the knowledge of life and its glorious forms. We can reflect this
knowledge in the relationships of God which we experience as we
experience each other. Expansion of consciousness is an ability to see
the whole and the parts. We are hypnotised by our own false
interpretations of the whole. Here is a story which gives us an example
of these false interpretations.
> A man came into a valley of blind people thinking he could rule over
them because he had vision. Yet he was so clumsy as a result of their
dark, windowless houses and the thin wires that they used out of
doors to guide them, that he was considered a lunatic in their world.
He fell in love with one woman amongst them that still had vestiges of
eyelids. To him she was very beautiful. Because the people in this
valley considered her ugly she was unmarriageable. The man with
vision was also considered ugly. These blind people thought that his
clumsiness could be cured by an operation which would remove his
eyes and also make him more attractive. At first he agreed, but in the
final moment before the operation was to take place, he ran away. He
could not bear the thought of losing his eyes. This story is an example
of how people evaluate according to their own ignorance. When we
hold erroneous interpretations of reality we continue to create our
tomorrows in terms of our ignorance. We continue to say and do
wrong things because we have the wrong data. We consider only the
appearances and keep ourselves in inky darkness with our
misinterpretations of these appearances.
> Darkness is the absence of the light or we could say ignorance is the
absence of wisdom and knowledge. Yet we do not need to work to rid
ourselves of darkness, rather we only need to press the button to turn
on the light, and then darkness will disappear because it never was. It
was only the absence of the light. Darkness is a limitation of
awareness. Limitation of awareness is good but not if we believe that
this limitation is all there is. We need to train our awareness to see
limitation as basically good no matter what sorrow it may bring. The
greatest tragedy can be the beginning of the development of
compassion. If we train ourselves to see every occurrence as
something bigger, something which is part of a greater whole, then we
will not be trapped into thinking that a particular occurrence is all
there is. We must come to understand that this occurrence is not all
there is to the total problem. It is something which is interwoven into
the larger tapestry.
Zenith News Notes June 2014 Page IS
Those of us who start seeing life with a larger awareness must not
expect others around us to see and feel and understand as we do. We
cannot change these people but we can help bring them to the light by
being a light ourselves. Recognising our ignorance is a way to
illuminate the darkness. All we have to do is press that button to turn
on the light. All of our B.0.T.A. lessons and the group meetings are that
button.
Look in the mirror and instead of seeing a limited person, see the
miracle of being with eyes that can see the motion of God's
consciousness. Look and instead of scowling about the signs of age, see
your being as a beautiful miracle of God. You would then become more
and more beautiful because we become what we see.
J- Retrain yourself out of the hypnosis of accepting surface appearances.
Switch on the light by bringing God in. God is the miracle of creation
within which we abide. We cannot see this with a limited kind of
vision, which doesn't see the true beauty. Our friends, relatives and co-
workers will take on the harmony of light and beauty when we are that
example. We will be an example following the path of Christ, bringing
sorrowful groping souls to the light where there cannot be sorrow.
Look for 'the more' in everyone and everything, and in yourself.
A little girl was sitting on her grandfather's lap as he read her a bedtime
story. From time to time, she would take her eyes off the book and reach up
to touch his wrinkled cheek. She was alternately stroking her own cheek,
then his again. Finally she spoke up, "Grandpa, did God make you?"
"Yes, sweetheart," he answered, "God made me a long time ago".
"Oh," she paused, "Grandpa, did God make me too?"
"Yes, indeed, honey," he said, "God made you just a little while ago."
Feeling their respective faces again, she observed, "God's getting better at it,
isn't he?"
A man trying to understand the nature of God asked him: "God, how long is a
million years to you?" God answered, "A million years is like a minute." Then
the man asked, "God, how much is a million dollars to you?" And God
replied, "A million dollars is like a penny." Finally the man asked, "God, could
you give me a penny?" And God said, "In a minute!"
Zenith News Notes June 2014 Page I 6
THE EMERALD TABLET
True, without falsehood, certain and most true, that which is above is as that
which is below, and that which is below is as that which is above, for the
performance of the miracles of the One Thing. And as all things are from One,
by the mediation of one, so all things have their birth from this One Thing by
adaptation. The Sun is its father, the Moon its mother, the Wind carries it in
its belly, its nurse is the Earth. This is the father of all perfection, or
consummation of the whole world. Its power is integrating, if it be turned
into earth.
Thou shall separate the earth from the fire, the subtle from the gross,
suavely, and with great ingenuity. It ascends from earth to heaven and
descends again to earth, and receives the powers of the superiors and of the
inferiors. So thou hast the glory of the whole world; therefore let all
obscurity flee before thee. This is the strong force of all forces, overcoming
every subtle and penetrating every solid thing. So the world was created.
Hence were all wonderful adaptations, of which this is the manner. Therefore
am I called Hermes Trismegistus, having the three parts of the philosophy of
the whole world. What I have to tell is completed, concerning the Operation
of the Sun.
ln truth, the forces which appear to be our adversaries
are always ready to serve us. When we conform our
practice to our knowledge, liberation begins.
Frater Paul Foster Case, The Tarot
Zenith News Notes June 2014 Pagel 7
SERENITY
by Soror Harriet B. Case
'fake my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart;
and ye shall find rest unto your souls.' - Matthew 11:29.
Jesus' above choice of a descriptive term for His method implies the fact that
He had close contact with the wisdom of the far East. While not so recorded
in the New Testament, various traditions tell us that He spent the unrecorded
years travelling through the Oriental countries.
However, a person who has reached the high level of consciousness
evidenced by the words and works of Jesus does not have to travel to get
information. The minds of all men, near and far, are open to him. He has
access to stores of knowledge and wisdom of which the ordinary man knows
nothing. Thus Boehme, without leaving Germany, gave definite evidence
throughout his writings that he was familiar with principles identical with
those set down in the esoteric writings of the Hindus, whose language he did
not know.
'Yoke' and 'yoga' are terms which mean practically the same thing. Note that
in Greek the word 'yoke' means 'the beam of a pair of scales.' The yoke is
also a device whereby one may carry a double burden ... and it is just this
that is accomplished by the easy yoke of Jesus. From beginning to end, His
method is so simple a child can use. It is a method that changes our lives
from toilsome bondage to conditions of perfect rest in the midst of all the
changing activities of our outer world.
What is this easy yoke? It is to be 'meek and lowly in heart.' How does this
accomplish the wonderful result Jesus promised? By this means- He who is
meek and lowly in heart has put an end of personal self-assertion. He has
discovered the Great Secret spoken openly by Jesus when He said, "Of myself
I can do nothing." It is a literal truth that no person anywhere has ever done
the least thing of or by himself. Made into a practical working principle, first
in our thoughts, and then in all our other activities, this Truth rids us of every
heavy burden ... the burden of making a living, the burden of ignorance, the
burden of past mistakes.
Zenith News Notes June 2014 Page I 8
THE WINTER
SOLSTICE
is an
astronomical
phenomenon
which for the
Northern
Hemisphere
occurs in
December and
which for the
Southern
Hemisphere
occurs in June.
The winter solstice at Stonehenge
For the Northern Hemisphere, the moment of winter solstice is when the
sun
1
s elevation with respect to the North Pole is at its most negative value
since the previous December. (The elevation with respect to the South Pole is
at its greatest since the previous December). The hemisphere has its longest
night and shortest day around the moment of solstice with the night within
the Arctic being 24 hours Jong.
Analogous remarks hold for the Southern Hemisphere. Thus, for the
Southern Hemisphere, at the moment of its winter solstice in June, the sun is
at its greatest height as observed from the North Pole
The axial tilt of Earth and gyroscopic effects of the planet's daily rotation
keep the axis of rotation pointed at the same point in the sky. As the Earth
follows its orbit around the Sun, the same hemisphere that faced away from
the Sun, experiencing winter, will, in half a year, face towards the Sun and
experience summer. Since the two hemispheres face opposite directions
along the planetary pole, as one polar hemisphere experiences winter, the
other experiences summer.
Worldwide, interpretation of the event has varied from culture to culture,
but many cultures have held a recognition of rebirth, involving holidays,
festivals, gatherings, rituals or other celebrations around that time.
Wikipaedia
Zenith News Notes June 2014
Page I 9
HELLEBORE
(Winter Rose, Christmas Rose, Lenten Rose)
Myth has it that an angel gave a
Christmas rose to a young shepherdess
who had no present for the infant Jesus.
The genus is an ancient Greek name for
the plant.
Description of Christmas rose, lenten
rose, hellebore: hellebores are
aristocrats of the winter and early spring
garden. Beautiful nodding saucer-shape
flowers grace the stems when few plants
brave the elements. The leathery foliage
is durable and attractive throughout the
summer and winter seasons. The flowers
consist of 5 showy petal-like sepals
surrounded by leafy bracts. Flowers may
be flat with many fuzzy stamens or tube-
like with the stamens concealed. The
leathery sepals persist for over a month,
well after the seed capsules begin to
form.
Disciple: Oh wise and all knowing one, take me to the realm of perfect peace.
Master: If I take you to that realm, it will no longer be peaceful.
It's better to be silent and thought a fool than speak and remove all doubt.
Abe Lincoln
Zenith News Notes June 2014 Page I 10
YOU PARTAKE OF COSMIC PERFECTION
Frater Paul Foster Case
look at Key 10 whenever your spirits are at a low ebb.
look at it when you feel a touch of impatience
because you have not yet realised your heart's desire.
But, most important of all, use this Key whenever you
find yourself frittering away time, or doing relatively
unimportant things when you ought to be busy with
more urgent matters. To explain why the symbolism
of this Key raises emotional tone, why it curbs
impatience, and why it stiffens your backbone when you are trying to escape
from important but distasteful tasks, would take pages of interpretation.
What is important is that you take the prescription.
One outstanding meaning of Key 10 is that all manifestation is cyclic. All
manifestation rotates. Spring, summer, autumn, winter- something like
these seasons may be observed in all human activities. This ordered rhythm
is all-pervading. It does not change. Go with it, and you succeed. Try to go
against it, and you fail.
Every seed has its appropriate planting season. Plant too early, and growth
may suffer from winter-kill. Every person has emotional ups and downs. The
recurrence of these cycles varies with different people but a little
observation will enable you to determine when the wheel is turning upwards
for you, and when its motion is on the downward arc. When you have found
this out, make a practice of beginning new enterprises on the upward
emotional curve. Go with the wheel, and make your seasons agree with the
cosmic ebb and flow. What you begin with plenty of drive and enthusiasm
will keep on towards final realisation, even during your 'down' days when the
activity will still work subconsciously. The best thing to do in these 'down'
period is to play a little more, sleep a little more, and confine most of your
activity to more or less routine matters.
Here you may find it profitable to make out a schedule of your daily activities,
and adhere strictly to it for a fortnight. Make appointments for every day.
Protect your work periods and your meditation period from interruption. Be
sure to meet whatever interferes with your schedule in the mood of willing
acceptance. This applies onto to interference from outside. Do not yield to
personal whims and feelings which tempt you to violate your schedule.
Zenith News Notes June 2014 Page I 11
Finally, try your utmost to develop your awareness that all your personal
activities are actually special expressions of the cosmic cycle activity pictured
by The Wheel of Fortune. Remind yourself again and again that the WHOLE is
present in even the tiniest part. There is a sense in which the sun, moon,
stars and tides - all the massive and impressive cosmic whirlings- have their
part in this day's work and play. You will become increasingly aware of this if
you look for the relationship between your personal actions and the cosmic
order. To what end? There's a precious secret behind this. One we cannot tell
you. Find out for yourself and enjoy the happiness the knowledge will bring.
The Meditation on Kaph
In my grasp are all things
Held in perfect equilibrium.
I bind all opposites together,
Each to its complement.
One by another do I mitigate,
So that nowhere in the universe
Is there any real want or failure.
Neither is there anywhere injustice,
For the semblance of it
Is one of the manifold aspects
Of the delusions of separateness.
The Book of Tokens
Try not to carry the whole world, but lean on the
Hermit's staff and let the tensions go
Reverend Will Chesterman
Zenith News Notes June 2014
Do not fear going forward slowly
Fear only to stand still
Chinese Wisdom
Page I 12
LESSONS FROM GEESE
Like geese, we have to move with the seasons. It
doesn't matter how well we flew last year, there
will be new challenges to face this year. When you
drop out of formation you lose the lift provided by your fellow members and
they do not benefit from your experiences. As each goose flaps its wings, it
creates an uplift for the bird following. By flying in a 'V' formation, the whole
flock adds 71% more flying range than if each bird flew alone.
LESSON: People who share a common direction and sense of
community can get where they are going quicker and easier
because they are travelling on the trust of one another.
Whenever a goose falls out of formation it suddenly feels the drag and
resistance of trying to fly alone and quickly gets back into formation to take
advantage of the lifting power of the birds immediately in front.
LESSON: lf we have as much sense as a goose, we will join in formation
with those who are headed where we want to go.
When the lead goose gets tired it rotates back into formation and another
goose flies at the point position.
LESSON: It pays to take turns doing the hard tasks, sharing
leadership and becoming interdependent with one
another.
The geese in formation honk from behind to encourage those up front to
keep up their speed.
LESSON: We need to make sure our honking from behind is
encouraging- not something less helpful.
When a goose gets sick or wounded, two geese drop out of the formation
and follow their member down to help and provide protection. They stay
with this member of the flock until he/ she is able to fly again or dies. They
then launch out either on their own with another formation, or catch up with
their own gaggle.
LESSON: If we have as much sense as the geese, we will stand by
one another as they do.
Zenith News Notes June 2014 Page I 13
DRAWING THE LETTER AYIN
This letter begins with a shortened
and curved Zain (A) to (B) and (C) to D).
A shortened and curved Vav is then
drawn from (E) to (F).
Then a broad stroke is made from (G)
to (H).This stroke does not descend
below the margin. Note that the last
stroke (G) to (H) is not horizontal.
The Hebrew Letter Workbook
In Jewish mysticism, AYIN symbolises the qualities of perception and insight.
It begins the Hebrew word for eyes (aynayim), traditionally associated with
true discernment. The sages have long taught that as we grow spiritually, we
gain greater awareness of the interconnectedness of all things and the
hidden pattern of meaning underlying events in the everyday world. They
have also emphasised that we typically move through our days with only
limited sensitivity to the splendour that surrounds us. As the Zahar
comments, 'There are colours disclosed and undisclosed, but humanity
neither knows nor reflects on these matters.'
Elsewhere, this sacred work affirms that, 'The wise person is one who, by the
power of one's own contemplation, attains to the perception of profound
mysteries which cannot be put into words.'
AYIN starts the Hebrew word for tree (aytz). In the Qabalah, every form in
the Universe, including ourselves and one another, is regarded as a Tree of
Life (aytz chaim) filled with the ineffable radiance of God.
The higher our consciousness, the better able we are to behold and
experience this celestial energy. For the sages, the Torah itself is a Tree of
Life, with beautiful branches reaching into all aspects of human existence.
Opening the Hebrew word for advice (aytzah), AYIN also teaches that
spiritual development always involves the help of others. Peers and mentors
are placed in our lives for practical guidance. Interestingly, when the early
Hasidic leaders conducted spiritual counselling, they always concluded their
sessions by offering specific direction for action. They believed that insight
into a life-problem is valuable, but that it must lead to concrete steps for
change - as Rabbi Nachman commented, 'from the realm of possibility to
that of actuality.'
The Hebrew Alphabet, A Mystical Journey- Edward Hoffman
Zenith News Notes June 2014
Page j 14
AUSTRALIA MEETINGS
SYDNEY
Enquiries:
Qabalistic Healing Service I
Classwork:
Pronaos:
MELBOURNE
Enquiries:
Study Group:
ADELAIDE
Enquiries:
Study Group:
BRISBANE
Enquiries:
Study Group:
Soror Suzie Farrow 02 9953 4613 or 0450 090 422
1" Tuesday at 7:00pm
3rd Tuesday at 7:30pm (initiated membe_rs only)
Frater Ross & Soror Tania Giles 03 5967 1502
Soror Ellen Green 03 9569 6720
1" Sunday of the month
Frater Felice Arlotta 8362 3986
Frater John Latore 8362 4016 or 0404 804016
3'' Sunday of each month
Soror Christine Norris 0415 410 145
Soror Suzie Farrow 0450 090 422
4'' Sunday at 1:30pm
All meetings are held every month unless stated otherwise.
Zenith News Notes June 2014 Page I 15
Zenith News Notes June 2014 Page I 16