The Kabbalah of the Soul: The Transformative Psychology and Practices of Jewish MysticismSimon and Schuster, 2003 M03 25 - 384 pages Reveals the transformative spiritual work by which the soul can reach ever higher dimensions of consciousness. • Relates the soul levels of the Zohar to the various paths the soul may travel toward ultimate realization. • Introduces a new meditative technique called "the Transformative Moment". Throughout the history of the Jewish esoteric tradition, humankind has been understood to play a pivotal role in the perfection of the cosmos, uniting the finite with the infinite in the perfection of divine personality. Working from an original synthesis of the major kabbalistic traditions of cosmology derived from the Bible, the Zohar, and the school of Isaac Luria, Leonora Leet has erected a new framework for understanding the mechanism of the transformative spiritual work that enables the human soul to reach increasingly higher dimensions of consciousness. This analysis extends the frontiers of Leet's prior works on the Kabbalah to provide a new illumination of human possibilities. Leet first considers the false temptations of worldly power and pleasure that lead to the fall of the soul and then the means of its redemption. She develops a powerful meditative technique called "the Transformative Moment," whose workings are exemplified by Jacob and Joseph and that allow the individual to progress through all the higher levels of the soul, even possibly to attain the miraculous powers of the legendary spiritual masters. She further correlates the hierarchy of soul levels with Ezekiel's Throne vision to show the various paths the soul may travel toward self-realization: sex, love, power, knowledge, holiness, and unification. The first four paths relate to the four-faced living creatures (Chayot) of Ezekiel's Throne vision--the bull-ox, lion, eagle, and man. The final two paths correlate to the prophet and the envisioned man on the throne he recognizes to be his divine higher self, the knowledge that defines the secret doctrine of the whole of the Jewish mystical tradition culminating in the Kabbalah. |
From inside the book
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... Chayyim Vital: “for, as we know, it is the ruach that is called 'human.' Understand this well!”2 Not only is the Neshamah deemed necessary to complete the human soul and fulfill the potential of its lower levels, but it is also ...
... Chayyim Vital: “for, as we know, it is the ruach that is called 'human.' Understand this well!”2 Not only is the Neshamah deemed necessary to complete the human soul and fulfill the potential of its lower levels, but it is also ...
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... Chayyim of Chayyim Vital, there are two stages that follow the initial Tzimtzum, those of the Shevirah, or shattering of the vessels, and of that Tikkun through which those shattered vessels are to be reconfigured. As we have seen, the ...
... Chayyim of Chayyim Vital, there are two stages that follow the initial Tzimtzum, those of the Shevirah, or shattering of the vessels, and of that Tikkun through which those shattered vessels are to be reconfigured. As we have seen, the ...
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... Chayyim Vital in the Eitz Chayyim, may have felt they could not go beyond the four worlds clearly correlated with the progression through the geometric dimensions from the point to the solid. But the basis for such an extension of the ...
... Chayyim Vital in the Eitz Chayyim, may have felt they could not go beyond the four worlds clearly correlated with the progression through the geometric dimensions from the point to the solid. But the basis for such an extension of the ...
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... Chayyim Vital was clearly disturbed by its conflict with the cosmic genesis appearing in the Zohar and sought to minimize it by identifying the movement from the periphery to the center only with the lesser circular aspect and ...
... Chayyim Vital was clearly disturbed by its conflict with the cosmic genesis appearing in the Zohar and sought to minimize it by identifying the movement from the periphery to the center only with the lesser circular aspect and ...
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... Chayyim pose different obstacles to understanding the cosmologies they present—except for the fact that they are clearly in conflict with each other—they can each contribute to the new model for kabbalistic cosmology that I am here ...
... Chayyim pose different obstacles to understanding the cosmologies they present—except for the fact that they are clearly in conflict with each other—they can each contribute to the new model for kabbalistic cosmology that I am here ...
Contents
The FourthWorld Transformations of Nefesh | |
The Fifth World of Messianic and Ruach Consciousness | |
The Sixth World of Transformative Neshamah | |
The Six Paths to Divine Knowledge | |
Appendices | |
Notes | |
Bibliography | |
About the Author | |
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The Kabbalah of the Soul: The Transformative Psychology and Practices of ... Leonora Leet Limited preview - 2003 |
Common terms and phrases
Abulafia Aryeh Kaplan aspects associated attunement become biblical blessed central chapter Chayah soul Chayot Chayyim concept cosmic model cosmic worlds cosmos creation creative defined diatonic diatonic scale dimension divine Ein Sof Enoch faculty fifth dimension fifth world final fourth world functioning further God’s harmony heart higher higher consciousness holy human Ibid identified imagination individual infinite Israel Jacob Jewish mystical Kabbalah kabbalistic kabbalistic cosmology level of Ruach Lord lower Lurianic manifestation master meditation Messianic Age Metatron Muktananda nature Nefesh soul Neshamah Neshamah consciousness Neshamah soul one’s Partzuf Partzufim path pattern perfect prayer Reshimu Ruach consciousness Ruach power Ruach soul Sabbath Scholem Secret Doctrine Sefer Yetzirah Sefirot seventh world Sh’ma Shekhinah soul body soul levels soul’s sphere spiritual development stage Throne vision Tikkun tone Torah tradition trans transformative Tzaddik Tzelem Tzimtzum understanding unification vessel visualization whole Yechidah soul Yetzirah Ze’ir Anpin Zohar