Jacobs Ladder

Jacobs Ladder                                                       

Genesis Ch.28

Verse 11.  And he lighted on a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep.

Verse 12.   And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set upon the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.

• Verse 13.   And, behold, the Lord, stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac, the land whereon thy liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;

Our Old Testament ancestors are often shown to be in direct communication with God, being guided in their day today lives as well as receiving prophetic images during sleep. In Jacob’s dream the angels ascending and descending are God’s messengers revealing the light of a higher consciousness. It is interesting that Jacob is able to receive God’s message, when laying down his head and letting go his sense contact with the earth. We can also from time to time gain our own intuitive insights during meditation or deep relaxation when stilling the mind and turning our attention away from the demands of the world.

The ladder envisaged by Jacob can be interpreted as a stairway to heaven and an ascending ladder of refined sense perception until there is direct communication with the Intelligence that has precipitated life. The human body is an energy system that has grown and evolved over millennia; breaking the bonds of previous inertias until at the highest level able to communicate with and divine the cosmic purpose of life itself. This ascending and evolving evolutionary ladder has been differentiated within the complex symbolism of kundalini yoga.

Each step of the ladder is represented by a chakra that is a circumscribed zone of physical, emotional, and psychic nerve plexus serving the needs of the body at each level. The lowest or base chakra (Muladhara) is the level of survival intent and the natural instinct to protect the life of the body. The next step up is to the swadisthana chakra the level of procreation and sexual enjoyment. The third chakra (Manipura) at the level of the belly or lower stove that provides the energy to power the body from food intake.

These three lower chakras are also shared with the animal kingdom and it is the transformation and focus of their activities to a higher and more spiritual level of activity that will transform their function. The fourth chakra the (Anahata) at the level of the heart is the centre for compassion, as from here the blood circulates around the whole body for the benefit of all. The fifth chakra the Vishuddhi is the centre we associate with articulate expression and may the truth on your tongue be the truth in your heart.

The centre between the eyebrows the Ajna chakra; like the Captain on the bridge of his ship, is from where we command things, and the top of your head the Sahasrara transcending all the limitations of the physical, includes everything there is. These infinite possibilities is symbolised by the thousand petalled lotuses. These lotus petals as crystallised love, ascend and descend on the wind of spirit, and are there to guide anyone ready to receive them.

We are all modifications of power, that is energy forms functioning in specific ways. The chakras, not unlike ascending steps on a spiral staircase, delight in specific functions. It is when we focus excessively on one function to the detriment of others that an imbalance occurs. This lack of wholeness can result in illness both physical and psychological.

Wholeness and holiness can be achieved by imagining that you hold a shield on your left arm and a sword in your right hand. The shield reminds you not to identify with whatever is thrown at you. To maintain a degree of detachment and only accept that which is in accord with your higher purpose; the sword is to remind you that your chief weapon is the word of spirit and if in doubt that silence is golden.

The shield and the sword are metaphorical figures and reminders that conscious is to be your guide and that the heart, the centre of compassion walks hand in hand with the highest intelligence that shapes all. Just as the Sun has been described as a step down transformer to protect us from intense all comprehending light of God, so do his angels ascend and descend, guiding each in accord with their ability to comprehend.