FOUR HEAVENLY REALMS - The Tripartite Nature of the Soul

FOUR HEAVENLY REALMS - The Tripartite Nature of the Soul

INTRODUCTION

Concerning the visions of Ezekiel's chariot in Chapter 1 and chapter 10 of the book of Ezekiel as a glimpse into the heavens, The Zohar teaches a concept each realm corresponds to the four letters of the divine name and Tetragrammaton - YHVH (Yod-Hay-Vav-Hay). In the vision we have; (1) A "Sapphire Stone" that represents the highest heaven, associated with the Yod ("Y") (2) the "likeness of a throne" in the next heavenly grade, that of the first He' ("H") (3) The "holy beasts" (cherubim) - The first creature - residing in the grade below the previous, that of Vav ("V") (4) The "wheels" (ophanim) - The second creature - that makes the connection to the most immediate heaven around us, that of the second or lesser He' ("H")

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Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 159a

‘ From this we see that the Holy One, blessed be He, actually gave Moses all the arrangements and all the shapes of the Tabernacle, each in its appropriate manner, and that he saw Metatron ministering to the High Priest within it. It may be said that, as the Tabernacle above was not erected until the Tabernacle below had been completed, that "youth" (Metatron) could not have served above before Divine worship had taken place in the earthly Tabernacle. It is true that the Tabernacle above was not actually erected before the one below; yet Moses saw a mirroring of the whole beforehand, and also Metatron, as he would be later when all was complete. The Holy One said to him: "Behold now, the Tabernacle and the ‘Youth’; all is held in suspense until the Tabernacle below shall have been built." It should not be thought, however, that Metatron himself ministers; the fact is, that the Tabernacle belongs to him, and Michael, the High Priest, it is that serves there, within the Metatron's Tabernacle, mirroring the function of the Supernal High Priest above, serving within that other Tabernacle, that hidden one which never is revealed, which is connected with the mystery of the world to come. There are two celestial Tabernacles: the one, the supernal concealed Tabernacle, and the other, the Tabernacle of the Metatron. And there are also two priests: the one is the primeval Light, and the other Michael, the High Priest below. The lower heaven is the heavenly realm in our immediate circle and is a representation of the "shekinah" or "ophanim" taking the shape of the wheels in Ezekiel's second vision

1 Enoch 71:7 -

And round about were Seraphin, Cherubic, and Ophannin: And these are they who sleep not And guard the throne of His glory

BRAHMA KNOWLEDGE, Prt I. Ch18 Organism of Soul

Every organic being is a soul, according to the Upanishads; and the degree of its organic development is directly proportioned to the merits of its former works. The highest therefore are the souls of gods and men. The soul in its human embodiment exercises three classes of functions: (1) the sense-organs (indriya), which in slumber or swoon become paralysed and merge themselves into (2) the organ of thought (manas), which converts the data of the sense-organs into conscious modes of thought and volition; and (3) the "breaths" (prāṇa), a term originally denoting all the functions of physical life, then those higher functions upon which generally depends all life, whether conscious or unconscious, and into which during sleep or swoon are merged the manas and the sense-organs already absorbed in the latter

Chandogya Upanishad 1:1-3

Let us meditate on OM the imperishable, the beginning of prayer. For as the earth comes from the waters, plants from earth, and man from plants, so man is speech and speech is OM. Of all speech the essence is the Rig Veda; but Sama is the essence of Rig, and of Sama the essence is OM, the Udgitha. This is the essence of essences, the highest and eighth rung, generated above all that human beings hold holy. OM is the self of all.

Bhagavad-Gita 7: 3-5

One person in many thousands may seek perfection, yet of these only a few reach the goal and come to realize me. Earth, water, fire, air, akasha, mind, intellect, and ego – these are the eight divisions of my prakriti. But beyond this I have another, higher nature, Arjuna; it supports the whole universe and is the source of life in all beings.

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INTERPRETATION

The fourth realm, the senses (indriya) are the "horses" or "wheels" equated with the Ophanim. The third realm, the mind (manas) is the 'reigns' or the Cherubim. The second realm, the soul (atman) is the 'charioteer' or the Seraphin (Metatron); the first realm is of the Spirit and the Supernal heaven, The Universal Spirit (Brahma) is the Source and inner consciousness and is beyond The Supernal heaven. Breath (Prana) in association with the unconscious matter and outside world; whereas all are connected.

With OM the beginning of prayer and four stages from water to man four essences from speech to OM there being four heavenly realms, then the scripture suggests one must become aligned and in-tuned with the Holy of Holies.

Please note: Veda (Knowledge), Rig (Verse), Sama (Song) and OM.

God - full of eternity, knowledge and bliss - corresponds to three main features of the Supreme: residing everywhere, residing within, residing outside, beyond.