top of page
Workshops
Workshops
Workshops
Workshops
The Five Pillars
Of Medicine
The Fabric of Spirit
The Fabric of Spirit is the third of the five branches in this tree of knowledge. It contains the most extensive content of the branches, arranged in five sequences, each with five points.
These sequences express the primal threads of our experience, the core ingredients that structure our perception. When we align these sequences in a simple systemic way, it gives us insight into the details of creation. Weaving these aspects together in different combinations, we find a limitless tapestry of patterns that compose the very essence of existence. Their interplay creates the full spectrum of expression we see in life.
The teachings in entirety are a hologram, each part reflects the whole. Each of the five branches correspond with a Cedar Teaching and a Pillar of Medicine, and correlate with one of the five points in each sequence, which we see illustrated through the graphs below.
The system unfolds from a compact foundation to the interconnected meta-vision. It reveals how every part fits with the other parts, deepening our understanding and insight into each one. It is a fractal system, meaning the template and patterns repeat across different levels and scales, always reflecting the whole in each part.
-
The Cedar Teachings — the first branch, correlates with the Root Teachings on 'Connectivity' and First Pillar of Medicine.
-
The Five Pillars of Medicine — the second branch, reflects the Leaf Teachings on 'Power' and Second Pillar of Medicine.
-
The Fabric of Spirit - the third branch, aligns with the Bark Teachings on 'Medicine' and Third Pillar of Medicine.
-
The Circuitry - the fourth branch, correlates with the Fruit and Flower Teaching on 'Love' and Fourth Pillar of Medicine.
-
The Temple - the fifth branch, correlates with the Sap Teachings on 'Spirit' and Fifth Pillar of Medicine
The bark being the part of the plant that provides the container, the structure, shows how The Fabric of Spirit aligns with providing the teachings on the structure of reality - the way that several layers of fibre interweave to make a strong envelope. We explore the finer details and functions of each sequence and its application in our workshops.
An overview of the Five Branches in this body of knowledge
Image from The Secret of the Golden Flower; A Chinese Book of Life
The five sequences in this teaching are these:
-
The Five Elements
-
The Five Worlds
-
The Five Principles of Form
-
The Five Senses
-
The Five Streams of Reality
In harmony with the previous two branches, The Fabric of Spirit aligns as follows:
The initial teaching came through when I entered a room filled with heirloom seeds. As I sat down I felt their wisdom flood me with information of what "seeds" actually are, and this began to transmit the first sequence of this teaching. The teaching came through over several months, and as often is the case, I would receive the skeleton teachings in a compact moment, and have time to "finish the sentence" as it were over the subsequent months. These did not come through in a sequential order but cascaded through in parallel teachings, and below shares the eventual structure that took shape.
The Platonic solids
Aligning with their respective elements - Earth, Water, Fire, Air, Aether
Drawn by Johannes Kepler in Harmonics Mundi. 1619
The Five Elements
The elements are primordial substances which provide the primary components of our reality. These are the ingredients that nature is comprised of across the five levels of being: the Somatic, Energetic, Mental, Mythical and Spiritual; or Body, Heart, Mind, Soul and Spirit. All of nature is comprised of these elements, literally and symbolically. Each element describes a function, a movement of energy that shapes the complexity of the natural world and fulfils a role in our constitution. The Elements correspond with the Root, the First Pillar of Medicine, the Connectivity of things.
The classical Western elements correspond with the traditional Chinese elements in that they describe a similar function and energy. Accordingly, in this body of work these two systems are used interchangeably:
-
Earth (土 – Tǔ) Earth
-
Wood (木 – Mù) Water
-
Metal (金 – Jīn) Fire
-
Fire (火 – Huǒ) Air
-
Water (水 – Shuǐ) Aether
The Chinese elements align with the Pillars along the Control cycle rather than the Generating cycle. Traditionally in China the Five Elements are used to describe every facet of life, from personal constitution, to food, medicine, the seasons, the calendar, spiritual practices, and even musical scales. Each element corresponds to an organ pair, coupled by yin and yang functions.
Working with the five organ system activates this knowledge in a profound way and brings us to work with the living wisdom in our bodies. The Chinese medicinal system sees the organs as the "seats of the gods", each governing a particular structure, function and energy of that domain of our being. In our workshops we explore the correlations, functions, movements and power of each element and organ system.
The Five Worlds
There are five levels or "worlds" of being, from the condensed, manifest level to the essential, quantum level. These worlds are concentric, embedded within each other at different levels of refinement. They are dimensions of awareness, emanations of different textures of our reality. Each is a lens in to a more subtle realm until we reach the primordial source from which all emanates. The Worlds correspond with the Leaf, the Second Third Pillar of Medicine, where the energy resides.
They can be described as:
Manifest, Energetic, Causal, Astral, and Quantum levels of reality.
They mirror the levels of our Body, Heart, Mind, Soul and Spirit.
These are well described by the five worlds of Kabbalah, which describes the worlds as the order of the unfolding of creation, cascading downwards from the primordial realm. Kabbalah also speaks about the "dimensions of the soul" that align with each world, or strata of consciousness:
-
Assiah — the world of Action , of physicality. The Manifest. This is associated with the
level of soul called "Nefesh", the densest level of soul most connected with physicality and body awareness.
-
Yetzirah — the world of Formation, of emotions. The Energetic. This is the level of soul most connected with the senses, called "Ruach". It means wind or spirit, and is contains emotional awareness and speech.
.
-
Beriah — the world of Creation, is that of intellect. The Causal, the level of soul called "Neshama". This speaks of higher awareness and contains our capacity for our conduct and refined intelligence. From here we direct our potential and evolution. Much wisdom and insight can be gained here as we receive guidance through a mythological state that our intellect can then translate and apply.
-
Atzilut — the world of Emanation, the mythic realm, relates to the level of soul called "Chayah". The Astral. It is a mystical realm of conssiousness that we touch when we enter altered states, dreaming, visualisation, the imaginal realm and trance states.
-
Adam Kadmon — the Primordial world of source consciousness. "Yehidah" means 'unity', and is pure source awareness. This is the Quantum realm of reality, the 'Akash' or etheric realm, the divine source that is present whether we are embodied or not. While the previous four realms are within "relative reality", this primordial source is "absolute reality", not affected or dependent on anything for its existence.
A classical "Ilan" parchment from the 14th century
Gross Family Collection Trust
These are the cornerstone of all form, the five axes on which all appearance is built. In nature form tends to organise itself along principles or "laws", which in Chinese philosophy is called 'Li'.It refers to the patterns in nature that are continually forming, dissolving and re-forming around us. The li can be seen as the ever-present, ever-changing set of patterns which flow through everything in nature., including our perceptions . As with everything in this body of knowledge they correlate with all the other sequences aligned, and are present in all the Elements, and flow through all the levels or "Worlds" of our being. The Principles of Form correspond with the Bark, the Third Pillar of Medicine, the structure and container of things.
The Five Principles of Form
These five principles are:
-
Line — a lineage, a trajectory with momentum. Correlating to the Root, The First Pillar, the anchoring principle.
-
Curve — a growth, evolution, exploration beyond the trajectory of the line. It correlates to the curve of the Leaf, The Second Pillar, the expansion of the organism.
-
Convergence — a natural consequence of a continuing curve is that there will be a cross over as the line circles round. This causes an intersection, a crossroads, a gateway. It is an opportunity for a turning point, an initiation or moment of challenge. Correlating with the Bark, The Third Pillar, this creates a sense of structure.
-
Node — a nodal point created by the heart of the intersection. Beyond the linear directions offered at the intersection, it opens a new possibility - to go "through", to go inward and beyond. The node opens up a new dimension and potential, it acts as a portal a point of entry. It is the gateway that opens from the point of an intersection. It is a drop at which new creation begins. It correlates with the Fruit, the Flower, the Fourth Pillar, the seed or pollen released that cultivates a new being.
-
Sphere — the emptiness that holds all form. This is the Akash, corresponding to the Sap, The Fifth Pillar, the source awareness within which all else happens. The Tibetan Buddhist word "Tompanyid" describes the emptiness devoid of all form, which allows for form to take shape within it. It is the "host", the root consciousness, that allows for all else to spring forth from it.
How these forms move into three dimensional expression is called The Wisdoms of Space.
The Five Senses
The senses are portals of perception connecting us with various strata of phenomena. They play the role of synthesising the world for us. They perceive and interpret our environment across several dimensions, and are our energetic metabolism, or "mythic metabolism", as we absorb and translate reality according to our beliefs and perceptual capacity. Each of these open a doorway of profound orientation, and allow us a sense of dimensionality. They are our interface with an expanded realm, beyond the boundary of our body. The Senses correlate with the Flower and Fruit, the Fourth Pillar of Medicine, the realm where cross pollination and enhancement occurs.
Each sense has an "orb" of awareness, a range within which it can perceive stimuli. As they align along the Cedar Teachings and Pillars of Medicine, their reach incrementally enhances into the more subtle.
These are:
Taste, Touch, Sight, Smell, Sound
-
Taste is the most internal and immediate, within our body, and correlating to the Root, The First Pillar, The Body.
-
Touch is located at the body's periphery and interfaces with the realm just beyond our body. It correlates with the Leaf, The Second Pillar, the Heart.
-
Sight expands further still, allowing us to absorb and digest things as far as our horizon, our boundary. It correlates with the Bark, The Third Pillar, the Mind.
-
Smell is a more etheric quality, it can travel far and carry deep association with memory. It correlates with the Flower and Fruit, The Fourth Pillar, the Soul.
-
Sound is the most pervasive of the senses, it carries vibration and frequency over immense distances, and is the bedrock of all creation. Correlating with the Sap, The Fifth Pillar, and the Spirit, it gives rise to the coagulation of matter once again.
The senses are nodal points of entry and exit where information and energy can pass into and out of our system. They are gateways of attention, and each sense is highly absorptive. These "sense gates" are portals of dimensional perception, and as such, discernment is important around opening these apertures of the body, especially during vulnerable states. We are porous beings and protection is appropriate. In many traditions serious guardianship is invoked around these gates, and guardian deities are placed at these orifices and energetic openings.
As the senses align with The Fourth Pillar, and the Fruit and Flower of the plant, we can see how they hold the seeds for us to cross pollinate with the world. Each sense is channel of sensory nourishment and nutritional, tactile, structural, sensual and sonic sustenance respectively. Integrating the knowledge from the below sequence, The Five Streams of Reality, we can begin to see how this sequence is linked with the realm of Dimension, where the gifts and guides of our being reside, those unseen beneficiaries who usher us well into other realms when pathways are opened.
Rafael Araujo - Sacred Geometry
This sequence of teachings shares that there are only five "Streams of Reality", which are the five modes of perception that inform our lives, the five threads that make up the fabric of our reality. These are:
Time, Space, Level, Dimension, Plane
Each of these Streams correlate with a primordial aspect of our being, and defines how our expression and circumstances generate. As always, each sequence will align with the primary branches and other sequences in this branch, as the map below outlines. The Streams correlate with the Sap, the Fifth Pillar of Medicine, the Akashic field from which impressions take shape in the manifest. This influences how we incarnate with the relevant karmic conditions.
The Five Streams of Reality
So we can start to make the connections here by looking at the graph below and applying these correlations. For example, we can see by connecting The Cedar Teachings to The Streams of Reality that:
-
The Stream of 'Space' concerns physical space, location, geography, land, expanse, distance. It aligns with Connectivity, the Root, and First Pillar of Medicine, and holds our Ancestry. It holds the grounded reality of where our people are from, where we hail from.
-
The Stream of 'Plane' addresses the realms of energetic essences, knowledge, themes. It aligns with Power, the Leaf, and Second Pillar of Medicine, holds our Previous Incarnations. It speaks of the knowledge we have cultivated through the planes of our existence.
-
The Stream of 'Level' speaks of the altitude of our perception, which enables and expands as we undergo various rites of passage and initiatory experiences. It aligns with Medicine, the Bark, and Third Pillar of Medicine, holds our Initiations. These openings enhance and deepen our very worldview and cosmology.
-
The Stream of 'Dimension' refers to energies in the unseen realms. They may not be directly related to us, as ancestors are, though may wish to engage and work with us, offering guidance and protection. It aligns with Love, the Fruit and Flower, and Fourth Pillar of Medicine and holds our Gifts and Guides that accompany us when entering the unseen realms.
-
The Stream of 'Time' defines the ultimate meaning of "Time", a toroidal flow of energy which is the lifeblood of evolution. It aligns with Spirit, the Sap, and Fifth Pillar of Medicine, holds the Akashic field that consists of the quantum imprint that informs the other four Streams. It is the electromagnetic field that facilitates our very evolution.
The first Cedar Teaching, 'Connectivity', aligns with Space and comes from the ancestry. 'Power', aligning with Plane, is accumulated through previous Incarnations. 'Medicine', aligning with Level, is accumulated through the various initiations we undergo, enhancing our level of perception. 'Love' opens other Dimensions in our lives. By engaging with other beings, cross-pollinating and exchanging, further dimensionality is opened, and here we accumulate allies and guides. 'Spirit' is the Akashic realm, which is quantum and holds all information in a timeless essence. This is the full and toroidal use of the meaning of true "Time", our very evolution. And so we can draw infinite connections from this outline that creates the fabric of reality.
We can also see how each builds on the previous. We initially need ancestry in order to be born, and we will come with the accumulated energy that is held in our previous incarnations. This will allow us to the undergo the appropriate initiations that are held in our culture, or various experiences, as we grow and expand our perception and understanding of reality. Undergoing this will prepare us to perceive other dimensions that are more subtle, where energies not directly related to us may have an interest in engaging us. Naturally we engage the protections, insight and discernment gained in the previous Stream of initiations before skilfully engaging this realm. This subtle realm will refine our perception further, and energies there can guide our awareness towards the essence interwoven in all things. This would be the Akash, the etheric essence, where all of the energetic imprints are embedded.
This sequence holds much insight in to the understanding of meridian lines, both in the body and on the planet. Across various cultures these natural electric currents have different names, known as 'Ley lines' in Old English tradition, 'Songlines' in Aboriginal culture, 'Dragon lines' in cultures of the Far East, 'Sankulpa lines' or 'Nadi pathways' in Indian tradition, 'Ceque lines' in Inca traditions, and Telluric currents in geophysics and scientific circles. They describe the energetic pathways of the body and planet, and refer both to the physical energy generated geomagnetically and through solar influences, as well as the more mystical aspects that seem to influence them.
These teachings communicate that these energy lines that track over the five levels of our being, and the five kingdoms across the micro to macro scales shared in The Cedar Teachings, also do so along The Five Streams of Reality. Ley lines do not only move across Space, they move across Time, Level, Dimension and Plane too. This will outline pathways taken when we activate our higher capacities, or "siddhis", as they are known in Sanskrit.
This offers a brief overview of the five sequences within The Fabric of Spirit, which we explore more deeply in our workshops and retreats. With this content one can begin to map the different components of these teachings together and gain a rich insight into The Circuitry, the fourth branch, which animates our reality.
A synthesis of the Fabric of Spirit sequences
in alignment with each other and the primary branches
Leonardo Da Vinci's Vitruvian Man
with the five points of human proportion
bottom of page