Enhancing Your Workouts with Kabbalah

Enhancing Your Workouts with Kabbalah, by Tony Mierzwicki

(Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal.)

Don Kraig stresses that magick isn't something you do, but rather is something you are. By this he means that it should be a part of everyday life, and not just something practiced when the moon is full.

The Spartans pushed the ideal of striving for excellence in body and mind. The diligent study of magick will certainly develop the mind, but what of the body? Most people are aware of the benefits of moderate regular exercise, but whether they actually engage in it, is another matter altogether.

Gyms in our society provide a convenient way for patrons to exercise regardless of the weather, and are a great way to socialize and meet like-minded, health-conscious people.

So many people in society have only small amounts of time at their disposal, especially if their responsibilities include full-time employment and a family. Working out in a gym takes up valuable time, and practicing magick and developing spiritually take up valuable time as well. It is however possible to combine them so as to save time.

Those practicing contemporary Qabalistic magick tend to work with Golden Dawn-type magick, centered on the Tree of Life. With a little bit of ingenuity, it is possible to structure gym workouts on Qabalistic principles, leading to what could be termed "Qabalistic Workouts."

Please note that this article is not targeting gargantuan behemoths, but rather the average person in the gym seeking to spice up his or her workouts.

Principles of Qabalistic Workouts
The Tree of Life is the central glyph in the Qabala. It can be seen as the blueprint for all of creation, providing a model both for the macrocosm and the microcosm. For centuries, Qabalists have been projecting the figure of the primordial man, Adam Kadmon, into the Tree of Life. In some early attempts the Tree of Life was distorted to neatly project onto Adam Kadmon. In the Golden Dawn tradition, the only distortion was to extend Malkuth to the feet of the figure. For reasons that will become apparent later, I will also use this representation.

The Tree of Life is aspected to the human body through the primordial figure of Adam Kadmon, with Malkuth at his feet and Kether at the crown of his head.

Note (*) corresponds to a combination of the earthy colors citrine, brown, olive, and black.

As we know, each day of the week is associated with one of the seven planets, as defined by the ancients. For the purposes of this essay, I will hence limit myself to the Sephiroth aspected to the seven planets.

• Yesod is the lowest Sephira aspected to a planet, and hence represents the quadriceps, hamstrings and calves.
• Hod and Netzach represent the arms (biceps, triceps and forearms) and stomach (abdominals).
• Tiphareth represents the chest (pectorals).
• Geburah and Chesed represent the shoulders (deltoids), back (latissimus dorsi), and traps (trapezius).
• Binah, which represents the head, implying a day of rest, and possibly meditation and spiritual study!

It is interesting to note that there is only one Sephira for the chest and only one for the legs, indicating that there are no choices available. On the other hand, there are two Sephiroth to choose from for arms and stomach, as well as for shoulders, back and traps. Arms and stomach can easily be trained in one session, so readers are encouraged to experiment with the Sephirothic correspondence that best suits them. Shoulders, back, and traps make for a formidable training session. I will leave it up to the readers' discretion as to whether they wish to train them all in one session or split them.

Tabulating the planetary spheres, days of the week and corresponding muscle groups:

It is interesting to note that the day of rest corresponds to the Jewish Sabbath rather than the Christian one.

There are two rituals which will complement your efforts in the gym.

The first is the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram (LBRP). This is without a doubt the best known banishing ritual amongst ceremonial magickians. Apart from creating a safe zone within which rituals can be performed, it psychologically prepares for further magickal work. Kraig's version is very clear and easy to follow, but unfortunately changes the spelling of the words of power in an effort to make them easier to pronounce. I recommend using Kraig's technique, but taking the spelling and pronunciation from the Ciceros.

The second is the Middle Pillar Exercise. This exercise has the effect of astrally constructing the Tree of Life in the body and strengthening the aura. Readers should strongly visualize themselves standing within the Tree of Life whilst performing it. The diagrams in Regardie's The Golden Dawn and the Ciceros' Self-Initiation into the Golden Dawn Tradition indicate that the Tree of Life should be visualized as normally represented by the Golden Dawn, but with Malkuth extended to coincide with the feet.

The purpose of the Middle Pillar exercise in Qabalistic Workouts is to form a bridge between Qabalistic spirituality and our muscles.

These two rituals can be performed physically before going to the gym or mentally whilst at the gym. Silently chanting the corresponding god name will help to reinforce the connection between the Sephirothic/planetary energies and the muscles being trained.

Cranking It Up a Notch

• Incorporating color
  Readers who have the flexibility to go to the gym on the required minimum of four days per week, so as to put Qabalistic Workouts into effect, may be interested in intensifying their efforts. The most popular colors in gyms tend to be very "safe" colors—black, grey, blue, and white. Why not add the other Sephirothic colours to your wardrobe?

  Day Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

  Color Yellow Purple Red Orange Blue Green Black

  The really upsetting thing about these colors is that black, which is without a doubt the "coolest," most slimming, and easiest to coordinate color, is scheduled for the day of rest.

• Optimal Times to Train
  The Greater Key of Solomon provides magickians with a system of planetary hours. They can be found in Kraig's book Modern Magick. The planetary hours are the optimum times to work rituals, and can be readily applied to Qabalistic Workouts.Planetary hours are not the same as hours as determined by a clock. To determine the length of the planetary hour of any given day, divide the total time between sunrise and sunset by 12. To determine the length of the planetary hour of any given night, divide the total time between sunset and sunrise by 12. The planetary hours for the day and for the night will be of different lengths except on the Equinoxes.A perusal of a table of the planetary hours indicates that on each day of the week, there are three optimum times for performing a ritual or training in the gym:
  1. The first planetary hour after sunrise
  2. The eighth planetary hour after sunrise
  3. The third planetary hour after sunset

  See Don Kraig's Modern Magick for easy-to-follow instructions on determining the precise times for rituals and training.

  Once the precise times are known, it is a matter of coming to the gym a short time beforehand for stretches and warm-ups. The workout should be completed within the planetary hour for optimal results. Save your gossiping for after your workout!

• Incorporating Lunar Phases
  The waxing moon is a time of growth and expansion, while the waning moon is a time of attrition and contraction.Heavy weights and low repetitions (from 6 to 10) are traditionally considered good for building muscle, while high repetitions (from 10 to 15) are good for defining and trimming muscle.Combining these principles, the Qabalistic Workouts aficionado would train with low repetitions from the day after the new moon to the day of the full moon; and then with high repetitions from the day after the full moon to the day of the new moon.

Some readers may find the whole concept of Qabalistic Workouts rather fanciful and contrived. However, by only adding a few extra minutes to their gym sessions, readers will be performing the LBRP and Middle Pillar exercise at least four times a week, thus enhancing their auras and strengthening their ties to spiritual dimensions. They will be harmonizing with the subtle Sephirothic/planetary energies that permeate every week and every day, not to mention becoming very familiar with the Tree of Life. Finally, they will be harmonizing with the lunar phases.

So, pack your workout gear, go to the gym, and have a magickal training session!

Bibliography
Cicero, Chic and Cicero, Sandra Tabatha. Self-Initation into the Golden Dawn Tradition. St Paul, Minnesota: Llewellyn Publications, 2003.
Kraig, Donald Michael. Modern Magick: Twelve Lessons in the High Magickal Arts. St Paul, Minnesota: Llewellyn Publications, 2010.
Regardie, Israel. The Golden Dawn. St Paul, Minnesota: Llewellyn Publications, 1989.

Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal. Copyright Llewellyn Worldwide, 2006. All rights reserved.

"Life happens. Life in the flow."

We learn over time that nobody can solve our problems, but someone can guide you how to solve the problem. You may receive guidance through a teacher, a guru or even strangers that you run into every day. As we practice yoga we learn that the more we know, the less we truly know. Every day I am reminded how much I truly do not know; a very humbling experience.
Yoga teaches me to be present. To just live for being and enjoying life as it is right NOW. Not ten minutes from now, no five days ago, but right now. We are taught to get out of our heads, to release worries and fears of the past or the future and to only live for this very moment. Presence.

"Lead me from untruth to truth, lead me from darkness to light." ~ Buddha

Through yoga we are reminded that we do have a dark side as well as a light side. We are not to repress the dark side, but embrace that side of our Self. We are the yin and the yang. We ultimately cleanse the dark stuff we hold inside. We shine the light on this. We must make friends with dark side. Both positive and negative balance out the whole. Daily practice refines and improves our inner vision to see our Self more clearly. We no longer need to run from fears. Face them and say I'm not running from you anymore. So much is in our heads, so much dark is only in our heads, self-doubt judgment betrayal. Yoga grounds the body so that the light and dark sides of ourselves become clear. So much is truly untrue. But as we diligently practice we are able to find the middle ground and walk our centered balanced line in life. We gain balance in centered lightheartedness. We can have harmony in both light and dark.

"Yoga tells us that the world is actually a projection of our own thoughts and we can modify our inner world to manifest into our outer world. When our inside realm is at peace and in harmony, our outer world shines this projection back at us."
~ David, Jiva Mukti Yoga co-founder

Yoga is observation.

We can observe our world and see what part that is in us is begin reflected back to us. We can then see what part of us needs modification or adjustment in order to have our outer reality reflect back to us the peace, happiness and love we so greatly desire and deserve.

Yoga is already inside of you. Happiness is there. Yoga helps you peel away the onion layers to get to the core. To freedom. The deepest Divine connection to the Ultimate Light Source.

Come out of wanting and back into acceptance and Joy. A yogi or yogini can turn any situation into bliss. That is a yogi. Yoga is being now. Ultimate yoga is meditation. Just BE.

Yoga is love.

"Love is the light that dissolves all walls between souls." 
~ Paramahansa Yogananda

Through a dedicated practice of all forms of yoga we can participate in the world with a sense of freedom, unaffected from trauma, depression, anger, etc. The freedom is balance in both.

Maggie Anderson is a Yoga & Spiritual Teacher, Reiki Master Teacher, Integrated Energy Therapy® Master Instructor, Soul Coach®, Past Life Coach, Magnified Healing® Master Teacher and Angelights Messenger. She is the author of How I Found My True Inner Peace and Divine Embrace. You can contact Maggie at SpiritualCompassConnection.com.

"Follow Your Bliss. It's Your Spiritual Compass."