… witch named brandee gave to me

the Ten Sefirot of the Kabbalah

Mysticism has been a part of Judaism since Ancient times, especially because the belief system relies so much on what we do in this life. While many religions concern themselves greatly with what life after death is like, Jewish belief concerns itself with the relationship to others, to God, and to the self. This spiritual orientation is certainly a part of pagan and occult traditions, so it makes sense that many have been drawn to Kabbalah. Christian and occultist mystics since at least the Renaissance have been drawn to Kabbalah and The Tree of Life. I think it would be a shame for me to continue the mistakes they made in propagating something I have only begun to understand. I have linked sources throughout, please comment more if you have them. I thought this topic was important because many folks still misunderstand the Tree of Life and Kabbalist ideas.

“Mysticism,” in the simplest definitions, is the belief that one can connect to a higher deity or essence through surrender. Mystics can be found in every sect of spirituality, including Christianity and Atheism. As you’ve likely noticed if you’ve been following along, many Mystics love to pull their practices from diverse sources. For me, it’s a way of finding more truth as I see what beliefs actually feel aligned. Rather than taking an Atheistic perspective, believing in reason and science above all things, I’ve always felt more agnostic about my spirituality. As a Christian, I had many doubts, especially with the traditions and standard practices I felt I had to follow. It has felt much better for me to lean into that agnosticism. I wrote a little bit about this on Day Two with Ambiguity (and I certainly will write more with time), it just seems to make more sense that the various spiritual practices likely came from similar places. Instead of needing one to be correct and all others to be bastardizations, I think it’s a much kinder approach to assume that everyone has something worthwhile to share — if we’re brave enough to listen.

If you find yourself drawn to a certain spiritual topic, please consult primary sources whenever possible. Talk to people with different backgrounds. Lean into the uncertainty of it all. If you’re interested in topics like this, you likely have been finding some solace in connecting with goldy essences, doing research and listening to other people will greatly help that goal. Take this opportunity to reach beyond yourself and take a look at these sources.

I’m hoping and planning to have guests for this series next year so we can delve deeper into these topics.

https://reformjudaism.org/beliefs-practices/spirituality/what-kabbalah

https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/kabbalah-an-overview

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Kabbala

https://www.jewfaq.org/kabbalah_and_mysticism

https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/170308/jewish/What-is-Kabbalah.htm