What Is Kabbalah?
Kabbalah is an ancient wisdom that reveals how the universe and life work. On a literal level, the word Kabbalah means “to receive.” It's the study of how to receive fulfillment in our lives.
Most of us, at some point in our life, have been overcome with the feeling that we are not as fulfilled as we could be. Paradoxically, often the harder we strive to achieve that fulfillment, the more it eludes us.
When we speak about fulfillment, we don't mean just being temporarily happy or experiencing fleeting senses of wellbeing. We mean connecting to the energy, and maintaining our connection to true long-lasting fulfillment.
Kabbalah is an ancient paradigm for living. It teaches that all of the branches of our lives - health, relationships, careers - emanate from the same trunk and the same root. It's the technology of how the universe works at the core level. It's a way of looking at the world that can connect you to the kind of permanent fulfillment you seek.
Kabbalah teaches universal principles that apply to all peoples of all faiths and all religions, regardless of ethnicity or where you come from. The beauty of studying Kabbalah is that you can't be forced to think in a particular way. There can be no coercion in spirituality. All we can do is simply share information with you and hope that you will apply it to your life with the intention of bettering it. That's the purpose of everything you will discover through Kabbalah.
The knowledge that is imparted, the information that is provided, and the tools shared must have practical results in your life, results you can feel. Kabbalistic wisdom is not based in blind faith, but practical application. Kabbalah will deepen your understanding of the universe and give you more information and tools to understand why things are happening to you, and how you can better connect to the Light of the Creator and receive the fulfillment you're seeking.
Why Study Kabbalah?
Kabbalah helps you to understand yourself better, to live more a fulfilling life, to have a richer experience of who we are and what we are here to contribute. All of us want to be happy, and in Truth ... most of us really desire the same things out of life.
We desire ...
... to love and be loved
... to have the best relationships
... to enjoy financial security
... great health
... our children to be happy and safe
And we have questions, so many questions. Deep down, we all want to understand the meaning of our lives.
As a child, you may have even wondered, "Why was I born? What is the purpose of my life?" Then we grow up and get busy. We have to pay the rent, create a life, pursue a career, pick up the groceries. Sometimes, out of exhaustion, we lapse into a rut, a robotic existence, and stop asking the profound questions that had fascinated us when we were children.
But do we have to? Wouldn't we be much better off if we continued to grow and develop, to wonder about and define our purpose in life? To connect to our true potential?
We've all been resigned on a certain level to the ups and downs of life. One day, we're feeling good about ourselves; the next day we're a little depressed. One day we're happy with our partner; the next day we break up. One day there's money in the bank; the next day it vanishes.
Does life have to be so rocky? Can situations start at one point and just continue to improve every day? Is that possible? Is there a way to achieve what I want in my life?"
Yes, there is a way. Not only that, but you always have the opportunity to alter your destiny and achieve your true potential. Everybody can make it - no one is too young or too old or too stuck in their ways. We all have the ability to find meaning and achieve fulfillment beyond our wildest dreams and imaginings. You don't have to live a life that seems purposeless or filled with random ups and downs. You have no limits; you can soar.
Ancient Wisdom
Five thousand years ago, a set of spiritual principles was communicated to humanity in a moment of divine revelation. These ancient revelations unlock all of life’s mysteries and give us the secret code that governs the universe.
It's an incredible system of logic and a phenomenal technology that can alter the way you view your life. It is the oldest sacred document in existence. This extraordinary, powerful set of tools is known as The Zohar - the original instruction manual for life, the basis of kabbalistic wisdom.
In recent years, millions of men and women all over the world have discovered Kabbalah and have changed their lives dramatically. Its timeless principles apply to everyone who seeks fulfillment.
Kabbalah provides a roadmap for getting rid of chaos, and experiencing the universe the way the Creator meant for you to experience it. In learning Kabbalah, you will understand what chaos really is, and you will realize that it was never meant to be a part of your life. What's more, you will discover powerful tools for eliminating this chaos, and replacing it with unity, love, and fulfillment.
Our physical universe operates under a clear set of spiritual laws. You may be unaware of the laws that govern it. Through the wisdom of Kabbalah, these spiritual laws are explained clearly and understandably. Be better able to make sense of your life and experience the joy and fulfillment that you are meant to have.
It may seem unlikely that knowledge first communicated to people who lived 5,000 years ago could have any relevance to men and women in today's world. We need the Wisdom of Kabbalah more now than at any other time in our history.
Kabbalah is not a religion, it's not dogma, and it's not a belief system that you have to buy into. Even more importantly, it's not anyone's personal opinion of how the universe works. It's simply knowledge that was always meant to be known and shared—the birthright of humanity.
The Secret Revealed
The teachings upon which Kabbalah is based have existed since the beginning of time, but the first written record of it is called The Book of Formation. This ancient document, written 5,000 years ago, attempts to help us to understand the secrets of our universe.
However, two thousand years ago, the main body of the teachings of Kabbalah, called The Zohar, or the Book of Splendor, was revealed in Israel by Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai. While the knowledge of how the universe functions is contained in The Torah (also known as The Five Books of Moses or The Old Testament), The Zohar actually deciphers the ancient scripture, explaining that all of those stories are not just meant to be understood on a literal level. Rather, they are analogies or codes for how the universe functions in a spiritual way. In fact, The Zohar deciphers the Bible chapter by chapter.
For centuries, the study of Kabbalah was available only to scholarly, married Jewish men over the age of forty, and forbidden to all others. This tradition of hidden knowledge existed until 1969, when Rav Phillip Berg (“Rav” is simply another way of saying "Teacher") first became Director of the Kabbalah Centre.
At that time, he and his wife Karen made available the wisdom of Kabbalah to everyone, regardless of race, gender, or religious belief; this is because they believe that when we are on a spiritual path, we are seeking solely to reconnect with Light. This “Light” has no name. It is not Christian, or Jewish, or Buddhist, or defined by any other limiting description. It is just Light, far beyond the confines of any particular faith.
It wasn't easy to make the teachings of Kabbalah available to the whole world. Historically, Kabbalah has been reserved only for the most advanced scholars. By making Kabbalah available to anyone who was interested, they were defying a 4,000-year-old tradition.
But despite their difficulties, the Kabbalah Centre has grown from a small organization in Israel to a worldwide effort that has provided instruction to nearly four million students, with more than 40 physical locations and over 100 study groups in cities throughout the world.
Just a thought ...
~Justin Taylor, ORDM., OCP., DM.
My thanks to the Kabbalah Centre. Visit them online at Kabbalah.com and please research many other books and online Kabbalah and Gnostic resources as you study.
