Merkaba, also spelled Merkabah or Merkavah, is a term from Jewish mysticism that refers to the "light body" or "divine chariot" that is said to allow the soul to ascend to higher spiritual realms. The word Merkaba is made up of three Hebrew words: Merkab, which means "chariot", "vehicle", or "throne"; Ka, which means "body" or "material form"; and Ba, which means "soul" or "light". Together, these three words describe the concept of the Merkaba as a spiritual vehicle that carries the soul to higher spiritual realms.
The concept of the Merkaba has its roots in the Jewish mystical tradition known as Kabbalah, which emerged in the 12th century. Kabbalah teaches that the soul is made up of three parts: the Nefesh, which is the lower or animal soul; the Ruach, which is the middle or rational soul; and the Neshamah, which is the higher or divine soul. The Merkaba is said to be the vehicle that carries the soul from the Nefesh to the Neshamah, allowing the soul to experience the highest spiritual realms.
In Kabbalah, the Merkaba is also associated with the Tree of Life, which is a diagram that represents the structure of the universe and the relationships between the different spiritual realms. The Tree of Life is made up of ten spheres, or sefirot, which are connected by 22 paths. The sefirot represent different aspects of God, such as wisdom, understanding, and mercy, and the paths represent the different ways in which these aspects of God interact with the world. The Merkaba is said to be the vehicle that travels along these paths, allowing the soul to experience the different aspects of God and the different spiritual realms.
In recent years, the concept of the Merkaba has become popular in New Age and spiritualist circles, where it is often associated with meditation, energy work, and spiritual healing. Many people believe that activating the Merkaba can help to balance the chakras, align the aura, and open the third eye, allowing the individual to experience higher states of consciousness and greater spiritual awareness.
To activate the Merkaba, practitioners typically engage in a specific form of meditation, known as Merkaba meditation, which involves visualizing the Merkaba spinning around the body, creating a protective field of energy that surrounds the person. This visualization is often accompanied by specific breathing techniques and the use of sacred geometry, such as the Star Tetrahedron, which is believed to represent the Merkaba.
The roots of Merkaba meditation can be found in Jewish mysticism, specifically in the Hekhalot and Merkabah mysticism, which were practiced by ancient Jewish mystics. They would recite specific prayers and meditate on the divine chariot in order to ascend to the heavenly realms and commune with the divine.