ABOUT

Welcome to Flying Monkey Press

Hi, I am Briah. People often comment on my unusual name which was given to me, not at birth, but forty years later during a Qabalistic initiation ceremony which I attended at the invitation of my spiritual teacher. 

His invitation had come as a total surprise because—I am sure he would agree—I was the student from hell. Since the location was far away for a person without a car, he arranged a ride for me with another student, a lovely young woman from Iran. As she and I headed north on the Pacific Coast Highway, our conversation revealed a stark contrast in the way we beheld the man who had invited us. To her, he was a spiritual master. To me, he was a tarot teacher; brilliant, but far too young to be wise. I was often insolent. 

The ceremony took place on the Spring Equinox at a mountain top retreat in Santa Barbara. It was a weekend affair, and towards the end, he passed out little slips of parchment on which he’d inscribed our spiritual names. On mine, he’d written H.I.A.. I never bothered to ask what it meant because I knew he had gotten it wrong. 

How did I know? 

I had just received my true name from an old man who appeared in a vision. He wore a white tunic, a sheepskin cap that covered his snow-white hair, and his gentle but not so jolly face was graced with a silky Santa Claus mustache and beard. 

About a year later, my teacher moved from Los Angeles to Washington, DC. My feelings about him hadn’t changed. I still thought he was too young to be wise, but he was brilliant—and I was learning a lot—so I relocated and worked in his store, which was a huge metaphysical emporium in the heart of Georgetown. 

One day, while stocking shelves with books from a newly received order, I pulled one from a box entitled Sexual Force or the Winged Dragon. I didn’t know where to put it, so I turned to the back cover for information and was stunned by the author’s photo. It was Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov, the man who appeared in my vision. Before shelving it in the Qabalah section, I devoured every word and learned he had passed on Christmas Day in 1986, just three months before he initiated me with my new name. 

Briah is a Hebrew word that has a double meaning. One is creation. In Qabalistic lore, the first emanation from Source is Briah, the Realm of the Archangels, which is the pre-manifest state of being where Creation begins. The other pertains to manifest-reality where it means healthy. I was slowly dying cancer when I received the name HEALTHY. 

I kept my spiritual name a closely guarded secret until my doctors assured me that I was cancer free. Then I said goodbye to the man who had generously invited me to his mountain top retreat. I always called him Mr. P. I doubt he will land on this page, but if he ever does, I have this message for him: 

Thank you, Mr. P! I appreciate all that you did for me. I know there were times when my disrespectful attitude really got to you. More than once, I witnessed the hairs on your forearms standing on end, and your self-control earned my undying respect. With respect, I've written about my assimilation of your teachings. They truly helped me, and by sharing, I hope they will help others. Wherever you are, I wish you well. 

Now back to you, my Dear Reader. Before perusing my blog, please help yourself to a free pdf copy of my book where you'll find Mr. P's teachings and so much more!

Ms. Toad's Wild Ride through Cancer and Beyond
by Briah Jardin

The Flying Monkey is Lord Hanuman

In Vedic lore, Hanuman is the god of selfless service to Source. My guru, Sri Sathya Sai Baba, claims that service to man is service to God. This blog is dedicated to the spirit of service.