Ecstatic Kabbalah . Kabbalah—the secret is out! From Madonna’s controversial conversion to the Dalai Lama’s acknowledgment and support, this mystical tradition is gaining unprecedented recognition. But how do we put this powerful and esoteric worldview into practice? With The Ecstatic Kabbalah, Rabbi David Cooper— author of God Is a Verb (100,000 copies sold, Riverhead, 1958), and a renowned leader of the Jewish meditation movement—provides practical exercises on the path toward “mending the soul,” the fundamental Jewish experience that brings union with the Divine. With meditation techniques for both beginning and advanced practitioners, The Ecstatic Kabbalah guides listeners into awareness of the “presence of light” with experiential practices for touching the four worlds of mystical Judaism: • Physical—breath work and mind-body harmonization • Emotional—tone the divine names as an expression of devotion • Mental—learn the histories of these techniques • Spiritual—stabilize your connection with divine presence Finally, the long-sequestered doors of Kabbalah are open to all listeners, as they are invited to dwell in the embrace of the Divine with The Ecstatic Kabbalah’s practices of daily renewal. See details
Archive for the 'Mysticism' Category
Ecstatic Kabbalah
Magic of the Ordinary: Recovering the Shamanic in Judaism . A spiritual crisis sent Orthodox rabbi Gershon Winkler to remote regions of the Southwest, where he studied with Native American healers. From them he began to recover the long-lost wisdom of what he calls “Aboriginal Judaism”: the religion’s tribal roots. This book tracks his personal journey and draws from a dazzling mix of sources to detail the surprising connections between two seemingly unrelated religions.
“Jewish shamanism? Jewish sorcery? Jewish magical healing? What would Aunty Fanny say? But it’s all here in Magic of the Ordinary, in which Rabbi Gershon Winkler with wit and wisdom leads us to rediscover the more paganistic and pantheistic mysteries underlying the ancient Hebrew tradition. I highly recommend this book.”
—Andrew Weil, M.D., author of Spontaneous Healing and Eating Well for Optimum Health
“Gershon Winkler’s brilliance shines a light on the buried shamanic practices of Judaism. Magic of the Ordinary is a treasure—I loved it and was deeply inspired by it.”
—Sandra Ingerman, author of Soul Retrieval and Medicine for the Earth See details
Honey from the Rock: An Introduction to Jewish Mysticism . Lawrence Kushner describes Honey from the Rock as “an attempt to synthesize some of the world view of classical Jewish mysticism, or Kabbala, with the ordinary life experience of its author.” In the introduction, Kushner also explains that the book “works best, not as a primer on Kabbalah, nor as a glimpse into the private places of a liberal Rabbi, but as a means of enticing the reader to allow a Kabbalistic world view to inform his or her everyday life.” After providing that explanation of his project, Kushner’s book takes flight. He begins: “There is a place as far from here as breathing out is from breathing in. For the word is very near you…. Where life forever holds gentle sway over death, where people are human with the same grace that a willow is a willow, where the struggle and the yearning between male and female is at last resolved. It is, to begin with, all inside us.” There are no false words in this book, no straining logic, no lazy vagueness, no awkward didacticism. Honey from the Rock walks through 10 different “gates” to Jewish mysticism, from the “Wilderness” of preparation for prayer to the “Higher Worlds” of which some are granted glimpses. Each chapter will help clarify your vision a little more and teach you to become a little more present. Each one will also make you smile. See details
Mystics, Mavericks, and Merrymakers: An Intimate Journey among Hasidic Girls. This absorbing ethnography acts as one subculture’s corrective to Reviving Ophelia, in that it offers a refreshing portrait of adolescent girls who are far from insecure. In this refreshing portrayal of girls who are far from insecure, Levine presents a contrasting path to that of mainstream adolescent girls. While a graduate student in American studies at Harvard, Levine spent a year living as a “participant observer” in the Lubavitcher community in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, entering with the following assumption: “The possibility that these girls’ lives could be anything other than the Platonic essence of feminine subjugation seemed as unlikely as a suckling pig on a Shabbos table.” What she found instead is that Lubavitch culture nurtures most girls’ inner and outer voices. Though they are not immune from adolescent concerns about fashion, weight, looks and cliques, the Lubavitch emphasis on each person’s godly mission to bring the Messiah deepens their spiritual outlook; the single-sex environment in which they mature helps develop vibrant, expressive personalities. Those who clash with Orthodox strictures, however, experience intense and painful struggles. From interviews with 32 girls ages 13 to 23, Levine found “downright juicy” material and culled seven portraits of girls (disguised in name and background) in their “idiosyncratic splendor.” The essays are sometimes repetitive within the context of the entire book, as if Levine wrote each to stand on its own, but her bright, lively narrative compensates. Levine invites readers to share the “pure delight” of knowing these girls, and challenges us to draw on Hasidism as an unexpected source in helping our own girls develop into secure, confident adults. See details
Keys to the Kingdom: Jesus & the Mystic Kabbalah.
2005 Latino Literary Awards First place winner in the cathegory of Best Religious Book Are Jesus’ teachings based on Kabbalism? How do the Ten Commandments tie into the Tree of Life? Is the Lord’s Prayer a Kabbalist invocation? Migene González-Wippler reveals secrets of the Bible and the life of Jesus in her intriguing introduction to the Christian Kabbalah.
Emphasizing Christian aspects, Keys to the Kingdom presents an easy-to-read overview of the Kabbalah, describing its major principles and historical elements. Drawing on the gospels and historical records, González-Wippler examines Jesus as a man and a teacher, providing convincing evidence-based on historical and traditional Jewish law-that Jesus was a master Kabbalist . . . as well as the Messiah. See details
The 72 Names of God: The Course: Technology for the Soul.
This self-help book from Rabbi Berg (The Power of Kabbalah) draws upon the “72 names” of God mentioned in the Kabbalah to empower individuals to embrace life more fully. Berg says that when Moses experienced his do-or-die moment on the shores of the Red Sea, God spoke to the Israelites in three verses as recorded in the Book of Exodus-each verse consisting of 72 Hebrew letters. Encoded in those letters was the “technology” the Israelites needed to escape the situation on their own, without further divine assistance. Berg writes that contemporary seekers can also tap into this power and energy by learning about, and calling upon, the 72 names of God. The book can be shallow, particularly in its proof-texting of both Kabbalah and the findings of modern scientists to demonstrate “uncanny congruencies between astrophysics and Kabbalah concerning Creation,” or its rapid-fire determination to whiz through each name in a single page. Although the device of using the 72 names is a refreshing addition to self-help literature, the end result is the same: the book offers individuals a relatively quick and painless way to achieve joy, financial prosperity, sexual fulfillment and spiritual enlightenment. The real star here is not the writing but the layout; rarely has a Kabbalah book been so easy on the eyes. Trendy designs, chic photographs and illustrations, and even a little comic-book-style graphic art enhance the book and maintain reader interest. See details
Ecstatic Kabbalah
Ecstatic Kabbalah.
Kabbalah—the secret is out! From Madonna‘s controversial conversion to the Dalai Lama’s acknowledgment and support, this mystical tradition is gaining unprecedented recognition. But how do we put this powerful and esoteric worldview into practice? With The Ecstatic Kabbalah, Rabbi David Cooper— author of God Is a Verb (100,000 copies sold, Riverhead, 1958), and a renowned leader of the Jewish meditation movement—provides practical exercises on the path toward “mending the soul,” the fundamental Jewish experience that brings union with the Divine. With meditation techniques for both beginning and advanced practitioners, The Ecstatic Kabbalah guides listeners into awareness of the “presence of light” with experiential practices for touching the four worlds of mystical Judaism: • Physical—breath work and mind-body harmonization • Emotional—tone the divine names as an expression of devotion • Mental—learn the histories of these techniques • Spiritual—stabilize your connection with divine presence Finally, the long-sequestered doors of Kabbalah are open to all listeners, as they are invited to dwell in the embrace of the Divine with The Ecstatic Kabbalah’s practices of daily renewal. See details
Nano: Technology of Mind over Matter.
Public interest in the connection between science and religion has recently become very high, but the subject has long been studied by Kabbalists. Years before “nano” entered the vernacular as an abbreviation for “nanotechnology” — which essentially means “less is more” rather than “the bigger, the better” — Rav Berg was speaking and writing about this scientific concept in spiritual terms. And although the concept that less physicality can produce more power was only a recent discovery by scientists, it’s something that Kabbalists have known throughout the ages. In his first new book in many years, Berg examines this idea in depth. He contends that space will continue to shrink until there is nothing between humans and the world around them, lending support to the notion that “we are all one” — and by extension, to the credo “love thy neighbor as thyself.” See details
Kabbalah For Dummies
Kabbalah For Dummies.
Study, pray, and celebrate the Kabbalah way. Understand the spiritual and ethical teachings of the practice
Curious about Kabbalah? This friendly, plain-English guide clears up the common misconceptions about this mystical tradition, showing you how to incorporate its wisdom into your daily life. You’ll explore the history of Kabbalah and its major texts, understand the mystical tree of life, examine Kabbalah controversies and conflicts, and see how Kabbalists grow closer to God.
Kabbalah For Dummies is about
- How to live life like a Kabbalist
- The big “secret” of Kabbalah
- What Kabbalah is — and isn’t
- The importance of karma and reincarnation
- The contributions of great Kabbalists. See details
The Hebrew Alphabet: A Mystical Journey.
Judaism has always regarded Hebrew as a sacred language, the medium of divine communication. And its letters are no ordinary forms. The very word for letter, ot, means sign or wonder. The Hebrew Alphabet: A Mystical Journey reveals the spirituality and power of all 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet, from aleph, which signifies creative energy, to tav, symbolizing wholeness and joy. Each concise, historical, and poetic letter profile, written by Judaica scholar Edward Hoffman, is accompanied by a lustrous illustration wrought in hues of olive, blue, and silver. An exquisite gift and introduction to a beautiful spiritual practice, this insightful meditation delves into the rich mystical heritage of the letters, offering a modern link to ancient times, when contemplating the Hebrew alphabet could enlighten the inmost soul. See details
