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The
Legend of the Sapphire Staff
Many
intriguing legends surround the mysterious Sapphire Staff.
According to the Kabbalah (the Jewish mystical tradition underlying
Judaism and Christianity), the Sapphire Staff was given to
Adam and Eve by the Archangel Raziel when they left the Garden
of Eden. It was said to be adorned with ten descending sapphire
jewels representing the ten divine emanations from the Tree
of Life, which stands in the heart of Eden, sustaining all
of existence with divine light and consciousness.
The sapphires on the staff - called "Sephirot" on
the Tree of Life - are said to contain all of the mystical
teaching, showing us how to awaken our true humanity, live
consciously and connect with the Divine. So when Adam and
Eve ventured forth from the garden, they carried with them
a complete representation of the Tree of Life in the form
of a staff, providing them with all they needed to grow, thrive
and have a meaningful life.
The Sapphire Staff was then passed down through the generations
as a staff of knowledge, from Abraham to Isaac to Jacob and
then to Joseph, who had become one of top advisors to the
Egyptian Pharaoh. When Joseph died in Egypt, legend says that
the staff was taken into the Egyptian palace and, generations
later, taken by Jethro, the priest of Midian.
It is said that Jethro was walking in his garden one day when
he plunged the staff into the ground. Then, when he tried
to pull it out, he discovered that the staff had transformed
into a tree, sprouted roots and was blooming. From that time
forward, no one could uproot the staff that had become a tree.
It was said that the One who could easily take it would not
only receive Jethro's daughter in marriage, but would also
be the redeemer of Israel.
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And
so the story goes that Moses, who was in the line of
Abraham, came to the land of Jethro after fleeing Egypt
in search of a new life. As Moses spent time with Jethro
and his family, he was eager to marry Jethro's daughter,
Zipporah. Moses was therefore challenged to go into
Jethro's garden and attempt to uproot the Staff/Tree.
This was quite an ordeal as all other suitors had been
devoured by the Tree. Moses went to the Tree and easily
pulled it out of the ground, thus winning Zipporah's
hand in marriage, reclaiming the great staff of knowledge
and activating his destiny - to become redeemer of Israel.
Moses
married Zipporah, settled in the land of Jethro and
used his staff to tend flocks of sheep. For many years
he shepherded and apprenticed with Jethro until one
day, his life changed in a dramatic way, as did the
function of his staff. On that fateful day, Moses was
out tending his flock when he encountered the Divine
in the form of a burning bush. During this numinous
encounter, he received his calling to redeem Israel
by returning to Egypt to liberate his people from slavery.
Moses
wondered how in the world he would fulfill this task,
so God told Moses to throw down his staff, and when
he did, it became a serpent. God then told Moses to
pick up the serpent by the tail, and when he did, it
became a staff once again. Moses' staff had now become
a staff of wonders, imbued with divine power. It was
now a tool he could carry with him to remind him of
his destiny, give him support on the journey and to
grant skills to accomplish his mission.
After freeing his people from slavery in Egypt and fulfilling
his role as redeemer of Israel, Moses passed down the
staff of knowledge - knowledge of mystical awakening
and skills for conscious living - to the next generation
and so on after him.
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From
this legend, we learn that the Tree and Staff are interchangeable
symbols, transforming miraculously from one into the other
throughout time. The story begins in the Garden of Eden with
Raziel handing Adam and Eve the Sapphire Staff that embodies
all of the teachings from the Tree of Life. The staff transforms
back into a tree in Jethro's garden and again changes into
a staff for Moses to carry with him on his journey of destiny.
Why
is this interchangeable quality significant? Because it suggests
that the Sapphire Staff is a portable form of the Tree of
Life, the body of teaching that we can carry with us wherever
we go. The Staff is available to us if we take it in hand
and begin to walk the path of awakening. Each of us possesses
a staff of knowledge - our own model of the Tree of Life -
which is designed specially for us to guide us on our journey
of discovery and destiny.
According
to legend, the Sapphire Staff is no ordinary staff made of
ordinary wood, but an extraordinary staff made of sapphires
- translucent crystal, shining as if from a star. Sapphires
are typically known as precious stones of blue. However, they
exist in a variety of colors, including orange, yellow, red,
green, blue, violet, white and even black. These rainbow colors
are notably associated with the chakras or "centers of
consciousness" as they are referred to in Kabbalah.
As
we walk the mystical path, these centers of consciousness
awaken, causing the sapphires to shine and illuminate our
path more clearly. In turn, this helps us master each stage
of development and facilitates psychological and spiritual
maturity. Thus our Sapphire Staff becomes what royal staffs
have always represented: a symbol of mastery, awakened consciousness,
personal power, sovereignty and affirmation of our royal inheritance.
Each of us has a right to hold our Sapphire Staff, for we
are all children of God.
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Introduction
This
book offers healing and inspiration for Western seekers
who want to return to their spiritual roots. It also
provides a universal path of psycho-spiritual development
that can be used by any seeker from any tradition. It
is designed as a workbook with practical instructions
and creative exercises to guide us on the Tree of Life
path of healing.
For
thousands of years, the Jewish mystical teachings of
Kabbalah have provided the Western spiritual tradition
with a practical road map of self-discovery, a map called
the Tree of Life. The Tree of Life leads us step by
step towards psychological and spiritual health by guiding
us through seven stages of initiation. As we follow
the map and awaken our Tree, we can successfully work
through and master each stage of development. The seven
stages of initiation are:
- BODY
- connecting to the body and earth to become grounded.
- INSTINCTS
- learning to trust our instincts and flow with our
own natural rhythms.
- COMMUNITY
- connecting to the tribe to experience a deep sense
of community belonging.
- IDENTITY
- "leaving home" to establish a separate
identity and find our own path in life.
- TRUTH
- discovering our personal power to creatively express
our truth.
- TRANSFORMATION
- transforming old patterns and open to Spirit to
discover our higher purpose.
- WHOLENESS
- connecting with the Divine to receive healing and
experience wholeness.
The
teachings in this book draw not only from Kabbalah, but
also from a dynamic blend of Depth Psychology, Mythology,
and Alchemy - offering stories to stir the imagination,
visual images to activate healing, and archetypes to facilitate
transformation. We will be guided through the seven stage
initiation process so that we can let go of limiting patterns
and beliefs and awaken to a life filled with heart, passion
and purpose.
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