Following on from my last post where I mentioned the Bible’s most erotic love poem, the Song of Songs, attributed to King Solomon, I’d like to share this beautiful video and a brief explanation to wish you all a beautiful day.
This song speaks in metaphors and is veiled in allegory, echoing the way the ancients communicated profound truths. In both history and my work, a deep understanding of symbolism and mythology is essential. Many dismiss myths as mere fiction, but doing so is like throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Myths contain the timeless truths of humanity and represent our earliest recorded religion and history, rich with symbolic meaning. Remembering the words of American grail scholar and mythographer, known for his work “The Power of Myth“, Joseph Campbell:
“A myth is something that has never happened, but is happening all the time.”
These ancient texts, including the Bible, were never intended to be read literally. And while I am not religious, I am deeply spiritual. My journey through the study of all world faiths has led me to align with Gnosticism—a stream of philosophy, not a religion, that dates back to the 1st century BCE (which emerged among Hellenized Jews in their equivalent of history’s French salons where intellectuals gathered) or even earlier with proto-gnostic groups. In my teachings, I explore these topics, including the “green language of initiation,” also known as the language of the birds or of the Bird Goddess as in the work of archaeologist Marija Gimbutas and often referred to in modern times as the “Da Vinci Code.” The signs or symbols hidden in plain view, if we are fluent in symbolism and can interpret them exoterically and esoterically, we speak the world’s oldest language, connected to the soul, and can therefore experience the world in a more profound way.
To truly grasp the depth of these symbols, whether found in stone, stories, myths, or allegories, we must understand that they can be interpreted in two primary ways. Exoterically, they were meant for the general public—those outside the circles of initiation who could neither read nor write. This interpretation was designed to convey basic truths accessible to everyone. Esoterically, however, these symbols were deciphered by initiates, those trained to uncover the hidden mysteries of the world. Thinkers like Pythagoras, Aristotle, and Hypatia, the daughter of the last keeper of the Library of Alexandria, were among those who delved into these esoteric interpretations, seeking to understand the world’s deeper major arcana (greater mysteries) like the Eleusinian mysteries in Greece.
I’ll be explaining these concepts further in upcoming posts, where we’ll explore the intricate layers of meaning embedded in these ancient symbols.
Connection to Solomon’s Song of Songs and the Bride-Bridegroom Allegory
The connection between Kabbalah and the Song of Songs is deeply significant. The Song of Songs (Shir HaShirim) is a biblical book traditionally attributed to King Solomon. It is a poetic and allegorical dialogue between a bride (the Shulamite woman) and her bridegroom, filled with themes of love, yearning, and union. As mentioned before the bride is really a metaphor for the feminine creation side of God (also known as Sophia or the Shekinah) who is searching for her bridegroom (our soul).
- The Bride and the Bridegroom: In Kabbalistic thought, the relationship between the bride and the bridegroom in the Song of Songs is often interpreted as a metaphor for the relationship between the Shekhinah (the feminine aspect of God’s presence) and the Holy One, Blessed be He (representing the masculine divine aspect). The Shekhinah, which corresponds to the lowest of the ten Sefirot (Malkhut) which are described as channels of divine creative life force or consciousness through which the unknowable divine essence is revealed to mankind, is seen as the divine presence that dwells within creation and among the people of Israel. The bridegroom represents Tiferet, the central Sefirah that embodies divine beauty, harmony, and compassion. The union of the bride and bridegroom symbolizes the ultimate spiritual union between God and the people of Israel, and on a deeper level, between the divine and the human soul.
- The Soul’s Journey: Kabbalah teaches that the human soul is on a spiritual journey to reunite with its divine source. The bride in the Song of Songs symbolizes the feminine life creation force of God (Sophia), which longs for union with the divine bridegroom, representing our Soul. This journey involves the soul’s ascent through the spiritual realms, overcoming separation and obstacles, to achieve a state of mystical union with the divine. This mystical interpretation of the Song of Songs influenced the way Kabbalists understood the dynamics of divine interaction, the process of creation (marriage of the sun and moon in alchemy or “Hieros Gamos”, and the ultimate goal of spiritual life.
- Mystical Marriage: The concept of a mystical marriage between the divine and the human, as symbolized by the bride and bridegroom, is central to Kabbalistic theology. This idea is not only about a cosmic process but also reflects an individual’s spiritual quest to achieve devekut (cleaving or attachment to God). The marriage metaphor expresses the deep longing for spiritual intimacy with the divine, a theme that resonated deeply within Kabbalistic mysticism.
Thanks for reading and I hope this inspires you to reconnect with the bride! Stay tuned for more!
Elayne (Sophia Unveiled)
Thanks for sharing @elayne! I liked the video–the singer has a beautiful voice.
Thanks so much for the comment @bodhitree, I really appreciate it. I thought you’d like it! 🙂 It is beautiful, and the idea behind the song too…the lost bride actually being a mermaid as per the work of Margaret Starbird re Disney’s little mermaid. I will share in time… 🙂 but you know this 😉 Mermaids!
Truly, what are we doing here. This is explicitly religious and political content.
Actually …it isn’t…I am not advocating for the bible or any religion or any church…all of this is part of an ancient stream of Philosophy – a love for sophia, the feminine creation force of the creator, regardless of whether you call him God or whatever. Life exists, life was created by something and creativity and creation energies are sexual and tied to the feminine.
Please check my links, I don’t do religion or politics, never have and never will. My own views are spiritual not religious. This link was shared because it is a contradiction to the Bible and religion, while being included in the Bible. The meaning is not understood when read literally, but when read esoterically and through its rich symbolism which is part of what we understand as the green language of initiation here. As for political….I am quite boggled as to how you see any political content here as the Song here is not tied to a race or even nationality or political ideology. Rather it is about what we are all experiencing today, a need for connecting within, with our souls (bridegroom) but also the world and the energy in it (bride).
Religion isn’t sufficient for most people nowadays regardless of the faith, Carl Jung predicted this and many people realise they are missing something from their lives but unsure what, and so they have affairs, buy a new car, house, get a new job…and in time they feel the same again. I haven’t gone to a mass service in years, perhaps even 10 years, but I do spend time alone daily to meditate, to check in with myself and also to express gratitude for the world we live in and the things we do have, even if few for some of us. Thanks for the comment, but respectfully I would read the post again and check the links as it is not at all religious or political.
Very sensual as well
That it is, thanks Declan, if you actually google the poem and read it then look at some of the links there and symbolism, you will discover a different story.
It mentions erotic lactation and breasts throughout plus drinking milk as part of the sacred sex ritual. If anyone is interested please check one of the links where the entire poem is discussed as well as explanations…