We live in a time when a self-proclaimed tyrant, now a convicted felon in New York and under indictment in three other jurisdictions, is the presumptive presidential nominee for the GOP in the 2024 election. To make matters more pathetic his supporters proclaim Donald Trump a messiah, albeit he is a severely flawed human being. If the world was ever in need of a prophet adverse to corruption and grift it is now.
Prophecy is defined as the ability to reveal, foretell, or predict the future. If each of us is made in the image of the God then we all have the potential for prophecy. It is not dependent on one's religious persuasion or gender, although there is a direct channel to the divine. In pre-Talmudic times, the Jewish priest, Pinchus was asked about prophesying. He responded, “I testify by the Heavens and the Earth, whether non-Jew or Israelite, whether man or woman, whether a male-slave or a female one, all is according to the merit of his or her deeds - so the Holy Spirit rests upon him or her.” - Eliyah Rabbah, Parsha 10. Many folks understand the notions of propensities and probable consequences. These concepts demonstrate our capacity to conceive of and plan for future events in the form of possibilities. They provide a hint at our prophetic capabilities.
Some folks might not be familiar with the Talmud. It is a discipline and texts for studying the principle religious writngs on Jewish theology, law, oral tradition, and rabbinic commentary from the 2nd-5th CE. In one of the texts, the Gemara, a questioned is asked: If there are more than the forty-eight prophets and seven prophetesses mentioned in the Bible? The Gemara answers yes, and the correlated number exceeds 1,200,000 men and women who arose amongst the Jewish people. However, only a portion of their prophecies were recorded. Only those which could help future generations were written down in the Bible. - Talmud, Megilah 14a. By the way, the seven prophetesses identified are: Sarah, Miriam, Deborah, Hannah, Abigail, Hulda, and Esther.
The Jewish philosopher, Maimonides asserts a person must train and prepare in knowledge and temperament to be fit for prophecy. Although God can intervene at anytime for anyone, he cites dicta in the Talmud to support his position, “Prophecy only rests upon the wise, strong, and rich”. Babylonian Talmud, Sabbath, 92a. He also maintained there were levels of prophetic ability with perfection in both temperament and training as the ultimate. He criticizes the charlatans and soothsayer who call themselves prophets for egotistical and monetary advantage. He felt it was better if prophets were wealthy to remain incorruptible. For example, the prophetess, Deborah was also a judge, and a leader. She lived in the city of Atarot and owned, “palm trees in Jerico, orchards in Ramah, oil producing olives in Beit El, and white ground in Tur Malka.” - Targum Yonatan, Shoftim 4:5
I want to focus on the relationship between prophecy and Kabbalah. The Hebrew word means received knowledge and the sages derived their understanding of what constitutes a supernal human being from the first chapters of Genesis. These verses express the 7-days of creation but also reveal the attributes of heaven, earth and humankind through ten divine utterances. “God said”, “And God said” or similar sayings are expressly stated nine times in the Torah. An implied utterance signifies the tenth as God’s initial will and desire to create. The other nine emanated by divine fiat. Get a hold of a Bible, read through these verses, and while you take a count envision God's articulations extended through your inner voice.
Kabbalah calls this tenfold array the sefirot. It aligns with the six divine emanations or energetic centers situated on the human body and four hovering close to it. (see below) The ten shefirot, along with 22-pathways connecting them, is known as the Tree of Life. The system is somewhat similar to the more familiar 7-fold Chakras situated along the spinal column towards the top of the head. We’ll discuss the Tree of Life and the sefirot in more detail in future posts. For now let’s recognize the seats of prophecy are in the area of our two hips and thigh bones. Created on the 4th and 5th days in the Biblical cosmology, these “days” correspond to the 4th and 5th sefirotic centers on the human body, respectively: Netzach, eternity or victory is on right side (colored green); and Hod, majesty or splendor is on the left (colored orange). The Zohar, an ancient Kabbalistc text, states different forms of angelic beings were created on those specific days rather than the fruit trees, birds, and fishes as commonly understood. In his book "Guide for the Perplexed", Maimonides claims a function of angels is to act as go-betweens for all divine prophetic messages. Most of us will experience their visitations through visions of prophecy or in our dreams. Direct divine communication with God was reserved for Moses.
The notion of prophecy reminds me of the tarot card, the High Priestess. She is often depicted as a woman dressed in religious regalia who is seated behind a thin veil that hangs from two pillars on either side of her. She represents the concealed, inner world continuum that starts with our instincts, moves into intuition, ends with our higher self receptive to divine messages as prophecy or oracle. The term "oracle" applies to the person, the sacred place, and the prophetic utterances. A familiar example is the ancient Greek's Oracle of Delphi. Here and now, in Kabbalistic terms the person is you, the sacred place is your body-temple, and the prophetic utterances occur from the divine whisper, prophetic visions, and dreams when you are prepared to listen and pay attention.
In a traditional deck, which is numbered from 0-21, the High Priestess is II or 2 in the suit of Trumps. However, I prefer the tarot's association to the Hebrew alphabet that goes from 1-22. This card aligns with Gimel whose numerical value is 3, she vocally sounds like "give" and her symbolic meaning is a camel. This implies a self-sustained wellspring of wisdom. Most importantly this desert animal signifies movement. You must act on your inner voice, lucid dreams, and prophetic visions. Follow their guidance, no matter how irrational the cryptic form may initially appear.
Action on our part is imperative to inspiration and ideas becoming reality. Like in the realm of scientific discovery where conceptual and fantastical thoughts about numerous dimensions don't count unless they become grounded in the everyday world of succesful experiments. Whether you endeavor to develop your prophetic aptitude is a personal calling we each must answer and in our own way. At a minimum, follow through with your insights. Hence the hinges of our legs are the power points of prophetic abilities. In turn, people will "walk" to you for advice and guidance, even if it's necessary to use a wheel chair, or a computer and cell phone for a virtual connection. The focus is no longer on your personal ambitions or issues, hence, it is imperative to be ethically-minded. It is the time to step into the role of leader and others will righteously follow your words towards a better life.
The world needs prophets now. We need authentic contributors for a peaceful future. Whether your messages will be preserved for posterity is up to someone else. Prophets do not have ulterior motives. They are not motivated by power, prestige, or to grift their supporters to pay for personal legal fees. Own your integrity and cultivate impeccable, moral behavior. There is no such thing as a messiah or prophet who is an uncouth mob boss. We all make mistakes but start to honor yourself and your internal messages by taking both seriously. Integrate your received knowledge with proper, purposeful action.
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