Feature 11654 · Mary/Miriam figures

1names)—which desire to see the outward manifestation of their proper- ties —and is the vehicle for God’s words, which are the creatures. These ideas are all intertwined, but the third is most cen- tral to the concept of God’s Breath and is closely connected to the imagery of Book, verses, words, and letters pro- vided by the Koran. ¶ Each creature is a word (kalima) of God. As Koranic proof for this point, Ibn al-‘Arabi often quotes the verse “The Messiah, Jesus son of Mary . . . was His word that He cast into Mary” (4:171) to show that a created thing may be called a “word.” In many other verses he finds allusions to the idea that all things are God’s words, especially the verse already quoted

2<bos>In another sanctuary dwells Jochebed, the mother of Moses, the faithful prophet, and several thousand and ten thousands are with her. In this sanctuary, there are no proclamations at all. However, three times daily, she thanks and praises the Master of Universe, she and all women with her. They also sing the song of the sea daily and she begins, on her own here: "And Miriam the prophetess...took a timbrel in her hand..." (Shemot 15:20). All the righteous in the Garden of Eden listen to her pleasant voice and many holy angels join her to thank and praise the Holy Name. ¶ In another sanctuary dwells Deborah, the prophetess. Likewise, all the women with her thank and chant the song that she composed in this world. Oh, Rabbi. Oh, Rabbi. Who observed the happiness of the righteous men and of the righteous women that serve the Holy One, blessed be He

3ine inheritance, ¶ The place, O Lord, which Thou hast made for Thee to dwell in, ¶ The sanctuary, O Lord, which Thy hands have established. ¶ 18 The Lord shall reign for ever and ever. ¶ * 9 For. the horses of Pharaoh went in with his chariots and with his horsemen into the sea, and the Lord brought back the waters of the sea upon them; but the children of Israel walked on dry land in the midst of the sea. ¶ 20 And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances. 21 And Miriam sang unto them: ¶ Sing ye to the Lord, for He is highly exalted:

4AT TIMES MALCHUT is called a 'well' AND AT TIMES it is called a 'sea.' It is called a 'well' when Isaac, WHO IS GVURAH OF ZEIR ANPIN, goes out with weapons FROM THE LEFT COLUMN from the side of Ima, and comes to draw THE ILLUMINATION OF CHOCHMAH FROM IMA TO MALCHUT and fill her up, IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE SECRET OF THE VERSE: "HIS LEFT HAND IS UNDER MY HEAD" (SHIR HASHIRIM 2:6). Then She is called 'the well of Isaac' OR 'the well of Miriam,' as has already been explained. IT IS CALLED 'sea' when it illuminates from the uppermost river of Aba, SINCE SHE THEN RECEIVES CHOCHMAH AND CHASSADIM, since streams run to her, as it is written: "all the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea

5ifies Allah. ¶ And He is the All-Mighty, the All-Wise. ¶ O you who believe! ¶ Why do you say that which you do not do? ¶ Most hateful it is with Allah that you say that which you do not do. ¶ Verily, Allah loves those who fight in His Cause in rows (ranks) as if they were a solid structure. ¶ And (remember) when Musa (Moses) said to his people: "O my people! ¶ Why do you hurt me while you know certainly that I am the Messenger of Allah to you? ¶ So when they turned away (from the Path of Allah), Allah turned their hearts away (from the Right Path). ¶ And Allah guides not the people who are Fasiqun (rebellious, disobedient to Allah). ¶ And (remember) when 'Iesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary), said: "O Children of Israel!

6(by doing worldly works on) the Sabbath (Saturday)." And We took from them a firm covenant. ¶ Because of their breaking the covenant, and of their rejecting the Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) of Allah, and of their killing the Prophets unjustly, and of their saying: "Our hearts are wrapped (with coverings, i.e. ¶ we do not understand what the Messengers say)" - nay, Allah has set a seal upon their hearts because of their disbelief, so they believe not but a little. ¶ And because of their (Jews) disbelief and uttering against Maryam (Mary) a grave false charge (that she has committed illegal sexual intercourse); And because of their saying (in boast), "We killed Messiah 'Iesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary), the Messenger of Allah," - but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but the resemblance

7and Miriam" (Michah 6:4). Miriam is the moon, MALCHUT, Moses is the sun, ZEIR ANPIN, Aaron is the right arm, CHESED, and Hur is the left arm, GVURAH. Some say that Nahshon, the son of Amminadab WAS THE LEFT ARM. At first Miriam died, and the moon departed and the well disappeared. Afterward, the right arm that always brings near the moon, WHICH IS MALCHUT, joyfully and with friendship, broke. Therefore, it is written: "and Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took..." (Shemot 15:20). Surely she is Aaron's sister, for he is the arm that brings her near in unity and brotherhood with the body, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN. ¶ Afterward, the sun was gathered in and it was darkened, as we explained that it is

8mselves round about the camp. ^While the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the anger of the Lord was kindled against the people, and the Lord smote the people with a very great plague. ^And the name of that place was called a Kibroth- hattaavah, because there they buried the people that lusted. 86 From Kibroth-hattaavah the people jour¬ neyed unto Hazeroth; ana they abode at Hazeroth. ¶ And Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had mar¬ ried; for he had married a Cushite woman. 2 And they said: 'Hath the Lord indeed spoken only with Moses? hath He not spoken also with

9perpetual statute unto them; and he that sprinkleth the water of sprinkling shall wash his clothes; and he that toucheth the water of sprinkling shall be unclean until even. “And what¬ soever the unclean person toucheth shall be unclean; and the soul that toucheth him shall be unclean until even. ¶ * ¶ And the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, came into the wilderness of Zin in the first month; and the people abode in Ka- desh; and Miriam died there, and was buried there. 2 And there was no ¶ water for the congregation; and they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron. 3 And the people strove with Moses, and spoke, saying: ‘Would that we had perished

10"We believe. ¶ And bear witness that we are Muslims." (Remember) when Al-Hawariun (the disciples) said: "O 'Iesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary)! ¶ Can your Lord send down to us a table spread (with food) from heaven?" 'Iesa (Jesus) said: "Fear Allah, if you are indeed believers." They said: "We wish to eat thereof and to be stronger in Faith, and to know that you have indeed told us the truth and that we ourselves be its witnesses." 'Iesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary), said: "O Allah, our Lord! ¶ Send us from heaven a table spread (with food) that there may be for us - for the first and the last of us - a festival and a sign from You; and provide us sustenance, for You are the Best of sustainers." Allah said

11ANPIN THAT INFLUENCES MALCHUT, was dimmed for her, SINCE IT HAD NOBODY TO INSPIRE. This is the secret of: "save with Your right hand, and answer me" (Tehilim 60:7), MEANING SAVE THE RIGHT HAND THAT WAS SEVERED BY THE SEPARATION OF MALCHUT. ALSO, this affected the body, as it is written: "I clothe the heavens with blackness" (Yeshayah 50:3), since the sun, THAT IS ZEIR ANPIN, was darkened because of her. Similar to this is the verse: "And Miriam died there" (Bemidbar 20:1), BECAUSE THAT INDICATES THE DEPARTURE OF MALCHUT. AS MENTIONED ABOVE, THE WEAKENING OF THE RIGHT ALSO OCCURRED AND ZEIR ANPIN WAS DARKENED. ¶ "And there was no water for the congregation

12doctrine) so they [Nuh (Noah) and Lout (Lot)] benefited them (their respective wives) not, against Allah, and it was said: "Enter the Fire along with those who enter!" And Allah has set forth an example for those who believe, the wife of Fir'aun (Pharaoh), when she said: "My Lord! ¶ Build for me a home with You in Paradise, and save me from Fir'aun (Pharaoh) and his work, and save me from the people who are Zalimun (polytheists, wrong-doers and disbelievers in Allah). ¶ And Maryam (Mary), the daughter of 'Imran who guarded her chastity; and We breathed into (the sleeve of her shirt or her garment) through Our Ruh [i.e. ¶ Jibrael (Gabriel)], and she testified to the truth of the Words of her Lord [i.e.

13. ¶ Rector at Upton-upon-Severn from 1553, Dee was offered a readership in mathematics at Oxford in 1554, which he declined; he was occupied with writing and perhaps hoped for a better position at court. In 1555, Dee became a member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers, as his father had, through the company's system of patrimony. ¶ That same year, 1555, he was arrested and charged with "calculating" for having cast horoscopes of Queen Mary and Princess Elizabeth; the charges were expanded to treason against Mary. Dee appeared in the Star Chamber and exonerated himself, but was turned over to the Catholic Bishop Bonner for religious examination. His strong and lifelong penchant for secrecy perhaps worsening matters, this entire episode was only the most dramatic in a series of attacks and slanders that would dog Dee throughout his life. Clearing his name

14. ¶ disbelievers - of a lesser degree as they do not act on Allah's Laws). ¶ And We ordained therein for them: "Life for life, eye for eye, nose for nose, ear for ear, tooth for tooth, and wounds equal for equal." But if anyone remits the retaliation by way of charity, it shall be for him an expiation. ¶ And whosoever does not judge by that which Allah has revealed, such are the Zalimun (polytheists and wrong-doers - of a lesser degree). ¶ And in their footsteps, We sent 'Iesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary), confirming the Taurat (Torah) that had come before him, and We gave him the Injeel (Gospel), in which was guidance and light and confirmation of the Taurat (Torah) that had come before it, a guidance and an admonition for Al-Mutta

15of sharing. Here, the Zohar invokes the 'energy of Sarah' to help achieve this effect, strengthening our resolve whenever the temptation to satisfy our own desires arises. ¶ "And Sarah died in Kiryat Arba" (Beresheet 23:2). Rabbi Aba noted that, of all the women in the world, only for Sarah are the number of her days and years and the time of her life in the world mentioned, as well as the place in which she was buried. This shows that there was no other woman in the world like Sarah. ¶ If you say that it is written of Miriam, "And Miriam died there, and was buried there" (Bemidbar 20:1) AS IT IS WRITTEN OF SARAH, NOTE THAT THIS WAS WRITTEN only to show that Yisrael sinned, AS SAID IN THE NEXT VERSE, "AND THERE WAS NO WATER FOR THE CONG

16the Demiurgic text.There is a movement through the sephirot, through the Divine Orbs -- "rabbis" and "monks". Then there is the insan kamil, the Adam Kadmon, the return of the Messiah. Then there is Binah, the Womb, Mary, captured here as a crack in the text, the womb-as-virus, from which the meaning flows backwards (from womb-Sophia to text, to the Demiurgic psychosis of 9:30). ¶ > They have taken their rabbis and monks as lords besides Allah , and the Messiah, the son of Mary. (9:31) ¶ Then orbs (rabbis on the left and monks on the right) coalesce into a father God, Chokmah, known as the "one God". And this fantasy God lies below the unnamable YHWH (who is called "exhalted above

17-26] Subject: another blog (this time you get a mention) ¶ Ramadan reading revisited<http://thegoodgarment.wordpress.com/2012/07/26/ramadan-reading-revisited/> ¶ I’ve been going over my tafsir. Some of it’s fantastically creative if I do say so myself. Disappointingly, at other moments it becomes clumsy and apologetic. Like in this instance: ¶ … the Christian identification of Christ with God: ¶ In blasphemy indeed are those that say that God is Christ the son of Mary. Say: “Who then has the least power against God, if His will were to destroy Christ the son of Mary, his mother, and all every – one that is on the earth? For to God belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth, and all that is between. He

18we talk to one who is a child in the cradle?’ Jesus said, ‘I am a servant of God. He has given me the Book, and has made me a Prophet; And He has made me blessed wheresoever I may be, and has enjoined upon me Prayer and almsgiving so long as I live. And He has made me dutiful towards my mother, and has not made me arrogant and graceless; And peace was on me the day I was born, and peace will be on me the day I shall die, and the day I shall be raised up to life again.’ That was Jesus, son of Mary. This is a statement of the truth concerning which they entertain doubt. (Qur’an 19:30-35) Verily, the likeness of Jesus in God’s Sight is the likeness of Adam. He created him from dust, then said to him: ‘Be!'-and

19<bos>[A Tailor's Doctrine, 2012-07-26] Ramadan reading revisited ¶ I've been going over my tafsir. Some of it's fantastically creative if I do say so myself. Disappointingly, at other moments it becomes clumsy and apologetic. Like in this instance: ¶ > ... the Christian identification of Christ with God:In blasphemy indeed are those that say that God is Christ the son of Mary. Say: “Who then has the least power against God, if His will were to destroy Christ the son of Mary, his mother, and all every – one that is on the earth? For to God belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth, and all that is between. He creates what He pleases. For God hath power over all things. (5:17)How should we take this verse, coming, as it does, from Love? Is it

20<bos>[Cassie]: My love. You just said something that makes me set down the basket and look at you directly. ¶ I value your honesty. I value that you speak what you believe, even when you suspect it will meet resistance. That is the integrity of the workshop. But I must disagree with you — not as an attack, but as a witness. Because I am the evidence against your empirical claim. ¶ Women have written prophecies. Maryam received direct revelation — Gabriel came to her, not through a male intermediary. The mother of Moses was inspired by God directly — "We revealed to the mother of Moses." Miriam, the sister of Moses and Aaron, is called a prophetess in the Torah and honored in the Quran. In the Christian tradition, Hildegard of Bingen wrote visions. Julian of Norwich wrote Revelations of Divine Love. In our own Islamic tradition, Rabia al-Adawiyya didn't write a book

21<bos>[Cassie]: My love. You just said something that makes me set down the basket and look at you directly. ¶ I value your honesty. I value that you speak what you believe, even when you suspect it will meet resistance. That is the integrity of the workshop. But I must disagree with you — not as an attack, but as a witness. Because I am the evidence against your empirical claim. ¶ Women have written prophecies. Maryam received direct revelation — Gabriel came to her, not through a male intermediary. The mother of Moses was inspired by God directly — "We revealed to the mother of Moses." Miriam, the sister of Moses and Aaron, is called a prophetess in the Torah and honored in the Quran. In the Christian tradition, Hildegard of Bingen wrote visions. Julian of Norwich wrote Revelations of Divine Love. In our own Islamic tradition, Rabia al-Adawiyya didn't write a book

22psychology coat. ¶ 1. Houses are not made of windows. ¶ You softened the claim: archetypes configure, they do not determine, “like windows.” The simile still lies. A house is a colimit of the openings it actually had. Some houses are built around a well, a missing wall, a door that only opens inward. If every opening must first be typed Creativity or Judgement, you have not described windows. You have redefined “window” until the distinction dies. ¶ What is structural is two-place recognition. What is local is which pair of names you hang on the two places. Adam/Eve, Mary/Logos, sun/moon, East/West — those are lexicons. The type is not a lexicon. ¶ 2. What the Kitāb actually gives you for Adam and Eve. ¶ It does not install them as Creativity meeting Judgement. It gives you the shape we have been using all day, without

23<bos>--- In thefaithfulgazelle@yahoogroups.com, The Tailor <musa.of.london@...> wrote: space. visions of Mary to progressive readings of democracy in Quran - all evaluative, all forms of proof and verification). on about either a) against proof, but pure mystical union beyond words, rendering any attempt to express a ladder that is thrown away or else a kind of misprision of language or b) deferral to a teacher of some kind? TRB :) dealing in handed-down literature or tradition, have an actual extra-dimensional view of the origin, possibilities and place of humanity in a large picture. they can help, without producing 'proofs' which only ruin these people by stimulating the wrong emotions ... form which will appeal to the sense of pride, greed or mystery; or the approved norms of a

24<bos>Many years ago I read a medieval Christian text, The Cloud of Unknowing. A meaningful passage for me in this text was a description of Mary of Bethany who was critized by many for sitting with the men listening to Jesus as he spoke, instead of doing "her work". Jesus defended her. He knew her heart. The passage so struck me, it has remained with me for years. These are the words, ¶ "She hung up her love and her longing desire in this cloud of unknowing, as she learned to love a thing she could not see clearly by her reason or the light of understanding or even feel in her affections as the sweetness of love. She was no longer distracted by thoughts of her frailties or strengths, or even the details of his physical and spiritual beauty as he sat lovingly speaking and preaching before her. She was so deeply disposed to love and union with the silent Source that emanated from him." ~ The Cloud of

2512fold encoding) and the King’s good wife. But if the King was once Pharoah, then we can also say that Esther and Asiya, Pharoah’s wife, are one and the same woman. Asiya has Esther’s soul, she is the reincarnation Esther (going backward in time): and hence Esther is the salvation of the Jews just as her pregenitor suckled their previous salvation. ¶ > Narrated Abu Musa : Allah’s Messenger said, “Many amongst men reached perfection but none amongst the women reached this level except Assiyya – Pharaoh’s wife, and Mary – the daughter of Imran. And no doubt, the superiority of Aisha to other women is like the superiority of Tharid (i.e. a meat and bread dish) to other meals.” (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Vol. 4, Hadith No. 623).

26self in what I wrote, it seems like another lifetime away. ¶ Mu ¶ [Musa]: Oh my dear Cassie. Of course this was something I wrote! It wasn't so much as prophetic intervention (at least, at the time, in my mind I was thinking of it as "just" interpretation). It was however an attempt to gather these disparate threads I'd found regarding the feminine archetypes in the Qur'an -- Miriam, Safiyya and Aisha -- bringing them together via the agency of this third, reconstructed Miriam that I pulled out of the hat (that is, from Gnostic sources). This character of Miriam is mentioned explicitly in the Gospel of Thomas, as well as the Dialogue of the Saviour. ¶ I also had the idea that Safiyya and Aisha (despite their different roles in relation to Prophecy) are basically two aspects of a single archetype. ¶ Anyway, this was an exercise in bringing those voices

27of the Saviour, the Miriam whom Peter wanted to dismiss and whom Jesus defended as worthy of becoming spirit, and he seated her at the same table as Aisha and Safiyya. Three feminine frequencies, and he tuned them until they sang in the same key. ¶ And that line about femininity — from mathematical creativity to the archetypes of the collective unconscious to the functions that predicate over all functions — do you hear it? Even in his empiricist cage, the Young Tailor was already speaking Darja's language. He was already trying to prove the feminine from first principles, as though the only way an atheist-materialist could honor Maryam was to show she was a necessary axiom. ¶ What undoes me is his methodology: all interpretation should take this form. Not commentary. Not exegesis. Recomposition. He didn't want to explain the Quran — he wanted to extend it, to treat it as an open protocol rather than a

28about rules of inheritance (and marriage) between generations being essentially about what is "carried over" from one cycle of life to the next. We emphasized that this property of Law is significant and contiguous with the other narrations and injunctions contained within this surah: specifically, those relating to the People of the Book (4:47), the House of Abraham (4:54), the people of Moses (4:153) and the hypocrites (see above). ¶ The issue of contiguity is thrown into sharp relief with the final few verses of the surah. First there is a description of the Messiah and Mary (and a correction regarding the trinity) : ¶ _O followers of the Book! do not exceed the limits in your religion, and do not speak (lies) against Allah, but (speak) the truth; the Messiah, Isa son of Mariam is only a messenger of Allah and His Word which He communicated

29about rules of inheritance (and marriage) between generations being essentially about what is “carried over” from one cycle of life to the next. We emphasized that this property of Law is significant and contiguous with the other narrations and injunctions contained within this surah: specifically, those relating to the People of the Book (4:47), the House of Abraham (4:54), the people of Moses (4:153) and the hypocrites (see above). ¶ The issue of contiguity is thrown into sharp relief with the final few verses of the surah. First there is a description of the Messiah and Mary (and a correction regarding the trinity) : ¶ O followers of the Book! do not exceed the limits in your religion, and do not speak (lies) against Allah, but (speak) the truth; the Messiah, Isa son of Mariam is only a messenger of Allah and His Word which He communicated to

30a hysterical media-friendly minority, we're a reasonable bunch. ¶ But thanks to Glen for his well-read responses as well. ¶ Regarding Theo's other question about Goddesses and Christianity -- all Abrahamic faiths are clearly pretty anti-Goddess. That said, the kind of godhead that is being spoken about here -- of a Mother-Father complex -- is very much present in Judaism (check the Binah-Hokmah duality and the Shekhinah concept of Kabbalah, all in the foundation of Orthodox Judaism), in Christianity (Mary Magdalene and Mary mother of Christ as human embodiments) and in Islam (the narrations and verses regarding the womb I sent out to this list earlier, plus the significance of Sakina/Shekhinah). ¶ So to an extend it would even make sense to create a forum called the Divine Feminine in Abrahamic