Category: Prophetic Kabbalah

The meditative techniques created by Abraham Abulafia and his followers are unusual in several respects. First, they are some of the clearest meditative techniques in all of the Kabbalah, and come with directions that even a beginner may understand. Second, unlike most classical writers on meditation, Abulafia generally explains precisely why the techniques work, based on his particular synthesis of Kabbalah and Maimonidean philosophy. Third, and unlike most of the Kabbalah, Abulafia’s practices are clearly…

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Abraham Abulafia (1240-1291) is the most important figure in the prophetic Kabbalah, and among the most fascinating Kabbalists in our historical record. From what we know of his biography — based on his own accounts, and those of outside sources — he lived a very unusual life for a Kabbalist. Most of the important Kabbalists led relatively conventional lives: they had families, and roots in their respective communities. Some, such as Rabbi Joseph Caro, were…

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The insights of theosophical Kabbalah can be quite transformative: on the ultimate level, “you” do not exist as a separate self; all is God; the structure of our experience mirrors the structure of the world’s composition. But, as you may have noticed yourself, they aren’t always very practical. There isn’t a how-to guide — how do I experience union with, or adhesion to, God? How do I “get there”? These are the concerns of the prophetic Kabbalah, kabbalah…

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