Kabbalah and the Occult

Having completed and published "The Book of Seals & Amulets," the third volume of what I chose to term the "Shadow Tree Series," I am contemplating the unpredictable "mystical journey" I have been traversing since the appearance of the first volume, "The Book of Self Creation," five years ago, i.e. the amazing Companions who shared the journey with me; the realisation that I have personally gained so much from sharing material which were not so readily accessible to an English speaking readership, and that I am commencing writing the fourth volume, "The Book of Immediate Magic," with my mind ready to embrace the next glimpse into, as it were, the "Greater Whole of Divine Manifestation."

Obviously all human viewpoints are of necessity limited in terms of the "All" of the "All-in-All" and the "All-with-All," and I understand that my fundamental intention to share primary material from the vast arena of Practical Kabbalah in harmony with what is popularly termed the "Western Mystery Tradition," has become a life task. In this regard, considering my current age, it might be difficult in this incarnation to fully realise the estimated twelve titles which I believe would make this a definitive investigation into Jewish mystical/ magical teachings, the latter having been accessible to only a selected few for many centuries.

Be that as it may, I recall how, prior to commencing writing this series of "esoteric/occult" texts, I have "quizzed a host of individuals regarding their understanding of what they think 'the occult' or 'occultism' was all about," and, as I mentioned in "The Book of Self Creation," some were "greatly suspicious of the 'hidden agenda' behind my query," and I also recall how "I ended up with a most confusing list of what is considered 'occult' by both the general public as well as by those who claim to have 'informed insight,' the latter often hinting vaguely at having acquired their sagacity straight from the horse’s mouth." In the said tome I shared ten extracts from a large list of what the individuals I queried considered to be "occult." As noted in the mentioned publication, the phrasing of some of the responses were very amusing, and I thought sharing the direct quotes here might equally bring a smile to the faces of those who peruse this blog. So here they are for your amusement, or "serious consideration".....if you so will!

1. Astrology and related “astral arts.” To Astrology many joined numerology and “analysis of one’s birth date,” the latter being considered different from “numerology” by some.

2. Palmistry, graphology (handwriting analysis), “checking the moles on one’s body” and “looking at one’s liver to find out what the weather would be like tomorrow.” Since the latter two responses were so amusing, I could not resist quoting them verbatim. Included here is the practice of “reading faces,” and other related divinatory activities pertaining to one’s personal anatomy.

3. Freemasonry, Rosicrucianism, etc., and literally every organization—whether involved in esoteric studies or not—whose meetings are held in private or considered clandestine, are all considered “occult.” Even if their meetings were open to the public and their practices common knowledge, it is believed they were still meeting in “secret” and were working “hidden rituals which we do not know.”

On inquiring how these respondents could have such direct information regarding these hidden details, they often turned offensive.

4. UFO’s and the Egyptian pyramids, which some maintained are linked to “crop circles in England,” and according to others to “South America,” and again according to still others to a large hole in the North Pole (some having a suspicion that such a hole also exists in the South Pole and elsewhere, e.g. a special mountain somewhere in the USA), which leads to a powerful, sinister anti-Christian world in the centre of the Earth. This is but a brief summary of a voluminous list comprising even more outrageous related responses.

5. All forms of Divinations, e.g. Tarot, I Ching, Dream Interpretations, etc., far too numerous to list here in full.

6. “Wearing charms on your wrists”! At the time I thought the respondent might not object to one wearing these around one’s ankles, but suspecting that the objection is to wearing “lucky charms” in general, I did not bother to question any further. As it is, there were many who thought “charms,” “horseshoes,” “amulets, “talismans,” etc., to be positively diabolical since they “interfere with the work of God.”

I meant to ask how these objects meddled with “the work of the Almighty,” but since the fanaticism of many of the respondents would have deemed me one of the “fallen ones doomed to eternal damnation,” I thought further probing would be a waste of time.

7. Spiritualism, “travelling in the air with the help of demons,” “making oneself invisible,” and “calling up the dead which is called ‘necromancy’ which is calling up demons for nasty purposes.” In this case, the passionate look and excitement of the respondent conjured up images in my mind of demons fornicating with humans blissfully heaving under the furious onslaught, though I cannot be sure that this is what the respondent had in mind.

8. Crystals and stones, “herbs used for occult reasons”—heaven knows what the respondent was talking about. Be that as it may, the most amusing response here must certainly be “Kissing stones and the rings of the bishops and the Mafia”! This response reduced me to fits of laughter!

9. “Doing black rituals with blood taken from the stabbed vagina of a virgin”.....OY! .....and all forms of ritual magic and witchcraft, which include “praying to angels and demons.” Here I wanted to remind the respondent, who informed me that he was a most committed Roman Catholic, that his own religion called on the aid of “angels and saints.”

Be that as it may, one respondent queried whether I knew that David Copperfield and David Blaine have actually “sold their soles (sic!) to the Devil and that the public does not know that they are working REAL magic”? The same individual added apologetically that there is of course no such thing as “real magic.” Well.....did the mentioned individuals work “real magic” or not? Since I did not pursue the topic with the respondent, there is no conclusive answer forthcoming.

10. My compilation of what the general public considers to be “occult” comprises over 2,000 different and, in many instances, unique responses. I certainly do not intend presenting you with the full enumeration, but I thought I would conclude this very condensed summary of my survey with a tenth “unique” response (10 being the “lucky number” as it corresponds to the ten “Sefirot” which might turn out to be fortuitous for me!)

This response is especially interesting as it derived from a “reborn Christian” who maintained the Roman Catholic church is practising “black magic all the time” by changing the wine in the communion chalice into the literal “blood of Jesus” and then drinking it. He added some thoughts regarding the “Virgin Mary” whom he said “is not the mother of Jesus but a pagan goddess of sacrifice who demands the blood of the Christian god which is the blackest side of occultism!”

Where have we heard that one before? Haven’t Jews been accused of ritually sacrificing Christian children in order to drink their blood during Passover dinners, etc., and this despite the fact that religious Jews do not actually eat or drink blood at all, such actions being strictly forbidden by Jewish religious laws?

My survey concluded with the realisation that there is not an absolutely clear or exact definition of “the Occult.” An etymological dictionary, which we might at least consider somewhat reputable, defines the term:

“Occult: from Latin occult-(tum) past participle of occulere ‘to cover up, conceal’ oc– & base kel– etc., ‘to hide,’ and seen in celare, ‘to hide.” 1. Hidden, secret, esoteric. 2. Specifically supernatural, mystic, magical: occult sciences; also as noun the Occult.....
Occultism: Theory of, and belief in supernatural, occult (unknown) forces and powers; study or practice of occult sciences and arts.....”

If I take these definitions at face value, then I am obliged to concede that all religious worship and all spiritual activities fall in the “occultism” category! On the other hand, since most of the items listed above have actually lost their earlier “hidden” status, and are now openly shared in the gutter press, i.e. journals and daily newspapers around the globe, it is somewhat odd to continue considering these topics “occult” from their erstwhile “clandestine status” perspective. In fact, as indicated earlier, the word “occult” is used loosely as a reference to any spiritual activity viewed with disapproval, or with approval by those who, like myself, define themselves “occultists.” While there are amongst the latter several of the “sensationalist” variety, there are equally many who are most seriously aligned with the Western Mystery Tradition as a whole.

So how about Kabbalah and “the Occult”? At one stage Kabbalah was considered “occult,” because it was a “hidden tradition” accessed by relatively few committed students and serious investigators. Considering the items earlier listed “occult,” most of them are present in what is called “Jewish Kabbalah” or what I prefer to term “Traditional Kabbalah.” For example:

1. Both astrology and numerology comprise major portions of Kabbalistic doctrine, and a large quantity of primary information is devoted to this topic both within mainstream Judaic texts and mystical writings.

2. Palmistry (Chochmat ha-Yad) and studying the face (Chochmat ha-Partzuf), including examining the “moles” on the body, were practised by Kabbalists.

We might also note that the Holy Ari, read the faces of those he encountered, but I must admit that none I am aware of were actually investigating the “livers” of their fellow humankind, or the innards of sacrificed beasts to ascertain weather conditions or anything else for that matter!

3. As to the possibility that there might have been organizations or schools considered “occult,” i.e. hidden or clandestine, amongst Kabbalists, there were indeed many Kabbalistic schools down the centuries who kept their teachings hidden from all but a very restricted membership. Kabbalah was for a long time, and in many instances still is, an exclusive esoteric tradition within the ranks of the larger community, and while the existence of such schools were common knowledge, their doctrines were secret and available to the mentioned very select few. What is more, they worked special ritualistic practices unknown to those outside their closest circles of companionship.

4. UFO’s, Egyptian Pyramids and “crop circles” do not play a part in Kabbalah, even though some years back an acquaintance arranged for a “crop circle Tree of Life” to be constructed for her. Neither do “holes in the poles” feature in Kabbalistic doctrines. Probably the only “Inner World” Kabbalists might be interested in, is the “the World to Come.”

5. As far as all sorts of divinations are concerned, there are very many in Kabbalah, including the mentioned “dream interpretations” discussed. Consulting a variety of oracles (Goralot) is also not a strange pursuit amongst Kabbalists.

6. Wearing special “charms,” “amulets” or “talismans” was not a strange phenomenon in Kabbalistic circles, which included some of the greatest masters writing “Kameot” amongst their ranks. These kameot range in purpose from protection during childbirth to the promotion of physical health and the invocation of financial success, etc. There is an enormous literature, penned by “authentic” Kabbalists, in existence on this very topic.

Regarding kameot, there are some who are of the opinion that they have been replaced by modern medication, e.g. pills. There are however many within this tradition, myself included, who prefer to employ kameot “with understanding” rather than taking pills “without understanding.” It should also be noted that not all “Kameot” and “Segulot”(Magical Remedies [Spiritual Treasures]) are of the “pill taking” variety, and that the principles underlying “Kameot” are quite different from the mind-set behind taking pills.

7. Contacting the “spirits of the dead” is equally not a foreign custom amongst Kabbalists, who to this very day indulge in prostrating themselves on the graves of departed saints and chanting special incantations, in order to establish a link between the “soul” of the departed and themselves. Here we might also consider the topic of “Maggidim,” a term used in reference to anything from living lay preachers to “spirit messengers,” some of whom are spirits of the deceased. In fact, this is what an “Ibbur,” the beneficial “impregnation” of a living human by a deceased soul, is all about, which should be carefully distinguished from a “dibbuk” which pertains to malevolent possession.

As far as the earlier statement regarding “travelling through the air with the help of demons” is concerned, we might note “kefitzat ha-derech,” magical travel from one destination to another, which involved the use of what is termed the “air of demons.” When it comes to the use of techniques to create “invisibility,” we again have several instances of these being employed in “Practical Kabbalah.” Consider for example the great Shalom Sharabi, who is reported to have made his way to the Wailing Wall every night at midnight to pray. At the time the terrain of the Wailing Wall was prohibited to Jews, but this did not deter the remarkable 18th century Kabbalist from employing a special method to range himself invisible to the guards.

8. While I have certainly not seen Kabbalists kissing the rings, or the butts for that matter, of some highly esteemed noble or notorious personality, I have certainly perused writings describing the benefits derived from the use of certain minerals, plants, and other substances for a variety of special purposes.

9. Again Kabbalah is no stranger to activities classified in the “ceremonial magic” genre. There are numerous rituals, incantationary uses of Divine Names, angelic invocations, etc. to be found in the primary magical texts of “Practical Kabbalah.”

It is worth noting that the practitioners of all the related primary works, very many of which I have listed in the extensive bibliographies of the three published volumes of the "Shadow Tree Series," were all Rabbis, greatly esteemed in their communities. So, having established that most of what is generally considered “occult” was flourishing in the very heart of Jewish mysticism, I am baffled by claims denying any primary connection between Kabbalah and “the Occult.”

Four Great Archangels, Four Winds & Four Elements

Every now and again I receive queries regarding the "Four Great Archangels" and their links with the "Four Directions." The latter is often termed the "Four Winds" (Ruchot) in Jewish Mysticism. The main problem appears to be the differences between the attributions found in Judaism and those generally employed in Hermetic Kabbalah. In the latter tradition the attributions are:

Rafael — East — Air; Michael — South — Fire; Gabriel — West — Water; and Oriel [Auriel] — North — Earth.

I addressed this topic somewhat in "The Book of Self Creation," saying:

"In Kabbalah the 'Four Elements' have been attributed to the four letters of the Ineffable Name, four Archangels, four Sefirot, four directions, the four seasons, the four phases of the Moon, etc., etc. However, attempting to find a uniform set of attributions from primary Kabbalistic literature is extremely difficult, since there have been major differences of opinion in this regard. In fact, nowhere does the statement 'there is only one thing Kabbalists agreed upon and that is that they don’t agree,' apply more accurately than in this instance.

In many instances authors were dealing with the topic from a single perspective alone, without consideration of any 'broader implications,' so to speak. As a case in point, consider the traditional bedtime prayer (Kriat Sh’ma al ha-Mitah) from the Siddur (Hebrew prayer book). Here we find the invocation 'To my right Michael and to my left Gavriel, in front of me Uriel and behind me Rafael, and above my head Shechinat El.' This portion of the evening prayer is claimed to be based on Midrash Bamidbar Rabba 2:10  and the Pirke d’Rabbi Eliezer 4:1.

Now, in this night-time prayer the four archangels are aligned with the 'position of service' each archangel held around the 'Throne of Glory' in early Jewish mysticism, e.g. as depicted in the large merkavistic portion of the Pirke d’Rabbi Eliezer, where we read (4:1) 'Four classes of ministering angels minister and utter praise before the Holy One, blessed be He: the first camp (led by) Michael on His right, the second camp (led by) Gavriel on His left, the third camp (led by) Uriel before Him, and the fourth camp (led by) Rafael behind Him; and the Shechinah of the Holy One, blessed be He, is in the centre.'

Here it is clear that Michael is in attendance to the right of the 'Throne of Glory,' hence is guarding our right; Gabriel to the left, thus guarding our left; Uriel [Auriel] to the front, and guarding our front; and lastly Rafael, positioned behind the 'Throne of Glory,' is protecting our rear. Keep in mind these attributions were made in very early Midrashim some centuries prior to the appearance of the Sefer ha-Zohar, and long before the Tree of Life was fully formulated in its current order.

If one is facing East while uttering this bedtime invocation, the positions of the four Archangels would naturally be Michael in the South, Gabriel in the North, Uriel in the East and Rafael in the West, and this set of attributions is in fact maintained in some Kabbalistic writings. However, inspecting the positions of the archangels in Midrash Bamidbar Rabba (2:10), considered one of the sources of the bedtime protection invocation, the entire issue gets quite confusing. Scrutinising the 'four directions,' which the four archangels are respectively said to be associated with in this verse, suggests that those who originally listed the positions of these 'spirit entities' around the 'Throne of Glory,' did not have specific directions in mind, i.e. East, West, etc., when they listed the positions of the archangels around the 'Throne of Glory.' Such directional attributions appear to have been added somewhat later, and are simply not reconcilable with the associated celestial positions of the four archangels.

Of course, problems inevitably arise when one attempts to broaden the application of a set of attributions initially employed in a singular manner, unrelated to any broader perspectives. Regarding this issue we read in Midrash Bamidbar Rabbah 2:10 'As the Holy One blessed be He created four winds (directions) and four banners (for Israel’s army), so also did He make four angels to surround His Throne — Michael, Gabriel, Uriel and Rafael. Michael is on its right, corresponding to the tribe of Reuben; Uriel on its left, corresponding to the tribe of Dan, which was located in the north; Gabriel in front, corresponding to the tribe of Judah as well as Moses and Aaron who were in the east; and Rafael in the rear, corresponding to the tribe of Ephraim which was in the west.'

Here the archangels are attributed to the directions in the following order, and despite alternatives listed elsewhere, this order became generally accepted:

Michael to the South; Uriel [Auriel] to the North; Gavriel to the East; Rafael to the West.

Consider that according to the bedtime prayer, Michael is to my right, and we are told in the Midrash that he is associated with the 'South'.....so I must be facing East, which I am! However, Gavriel, located to my left according to the same sources, is associated with the East....which is in front of me? Worse still, Uriel is supposedly in front of me but, hold on to your seat, if I am facing East—because Michael is on my right, and Gavriel is associated with the East, which is somehow supposed to be to my left—how in blazes can Uriel be in front of me when he is associated with the North? Even Rafael appears to be oddly placed. Also, if I keep Michael, the archangel associated with the South, to my right, i.e. as if I were facing the 'Throne of Glory' myself, I would be looking in the direction of Rafael who is positioned 'behind the Throne'.....that would be East.....but this archangel is associated with the West? If the traditional bedtime invocation was aligned with this arrangement of their respective positions, it should read 'To my right Michael and to my left Uriel, in front of me Gavriel and behind me Rafael.' Keep in mind that there are other variations to this Angels/Directions theme, e.g. South – Uriel; North – Gavriel; East – Michael; West – Rafael; or again South – Michael; North – Uriel; East – Gavriel; West – Rafael. There is simply no general agreement on this topic to be found throughout the primary texts of Traditional Kabbalah.

It is worth noting that much of the early 'angel teachings' in both Judaism and Christianity, were derived from Zoroastrianism. In this regard, it is recognised that the archangelic protection portion of the bedtime prayer was derived from the ancient Babylonian incantation which reads 'Shamash before me, behind me Sin, Nergal at my right, Ninib at my left'.

 Now, considering this subject and related issues, we should also peruse the attributions made of the mentioned four archangels to the 'Four Elements.' In the Sh’lah al Sefer Vayik’ra by Yeshayahu ben Avraham we are told that 'Micha’el is the base source of Spirit Water, Gavri’el of Spirit Fire, Auri’el of Spirit Air, Rafa’el of Spirit Earth.' These attributions are based on teachings found in Kabbalistic literature in which the archangel Michael is attributed to the Sefirah Chesed (Mercy), Gavriel to Gevurah (Severity), Uriel to Tiferet (Beauty), and Rafael to Yesod (Foundation). In this case, Chesed, attributed to 'Spirit Water,' is the domain of Michael, while Gevurah, the domain of 'Spirit Fire,' belongs to Gavriel. In turn, the sphere of Tiferet, being the balancing central Sefirah between Chesed and Gevurah, is attributed the 'Spirit Air' and Uriel, this being aligned with the statement in the Sefer Yetzirah about 'Air tipping the scale' between 'Fire' and 'Water.' Finally, in this instance, Yesod is attributed to Rafael and 'Spirit Earth.'

 As we know well enough by now, these attributions are by no means universally accepted amongst Kabbalists, and there are again numerous variant attributions of these four, as well as other archangels, to the ten Sefirot. Some of these attributions are decidedly odd, but they are always in accordance with specific mind-sets. Here are a few examples of attributions of the four archangels to the sefirot to be found in traditional Kabbalistic literature: 

1. Michael – Binah; Chesed; Tiferet; Hod; Yesod;
2. Gavriel – Binah; Gevurah; Netzach; Yesod;
3. Rafael – Tiferet; Hod; Yesod; and
4. Uriel (Auriel) – Tiferet; Netzach; Yesod.

It gets even more befuddled when we investigate the related planetary and zodiacal attributions. We can be certain that it took a lot of careful investigation and consideration of all the details involved, including a study of related material, i.e. the writings of Averoes and the literature of ancient astrology, in order to arrive at the neat, coherent and efficient systems used in the Hermetic Orders."

Following the publication of "The Book of Self Creation" I have encountered further details and variants, one of these, listed in "Me’irat Einayim" by the 13th century Rabbi Isaac of Akko, offered the following angelic/directions arrangement: North – Rafael; South – Uriel; West – Gavriel; and East – Michael. I have included these details in my "The Book of Seals & Amulets." As it is, I have found further information on this very topic in the many Hebrew Kameot (amulets) written over the last millennium, i.e. those in which the Names of the four "Archangels of the Quarters" are employed. To date I have noted the following combinations in primary Hebrew sources:

• South – Michael; North – Gavriel; East – Uriel; West – Rafael.
• South – Michael; North – Uriel; East – Gavriel; West – Rafael.
• South – Michael; North – Gavriel; East – Rafael; West – Uriel.
• South – Uriel, North – Gavriel; East – Rafael; West – Michael.
• South – Uriel; North – Gavriel; East – Michael; West – Rafael.
• South – Uriel; North – Rafael; East – Michael; West – Gavriel.

 As can be expected, I have neither accessed nor perused every primary Hebrew source dealing with this topic, and can thus not provide an absolutely definitive statement on this topic. There might well be further variants as far as the archangel/directions/elements/ sefirot associations are concerned. In this regard I have recently begun investigating a number of East European Hebrew/Yiddish sources in which this topic is addressed, which I pray will afford me greater clarity.

The Name Shadai in Hebrew Amulets - Part 1

As can be expected, Hebrew Divine Names comprise the major portion of material addressed in "The Book of Seals and Amulets." The Name  (Shadai) is certainly considered amongst the most important in Hebrew Amulets. As noted in my "Book of Sacred Names," this Divine Name refers to the “All-sufficient Unlimited One,” and whilst there have been a lot of debate and speculation as to what this very ancient Divine Name really signifies, "it is generally accepted that it means 'Almighty'," and "some scholars conjectured that the Name was derived from Shadu, the ancient Akkadian word meaning 'mountain.' Thus the 'Almighty' would be seen to be strong, fortified, immutable....." As it is, the power of protection is associated with this Name, hence it appears as the single Divine Name engraved on the surface of small metal Kameot of all shapes and sizes. I have inspected several such Shadai amulets in the magnificent collection of Hebrew amulets housed in the Magnes Museum in Berkeley.

Be that as it may, (Shadai), or at least the capital of this Divine Name, adorns the front of every Mezuzah, an item comprised of a biblical inscription which is affixed to the doors of Jewish homes. Whilst it fulfills a religious function in our day, there are many still who, like our mediaeval ancestors, still consider it to be a protection amulet of the most potent kind. As in the case of the Monogrammaton in which a (Heh) is the single letter abbreviation of the Ineffable Name, the initial (Shin) represents the Name Shadai, and both of these Hebrew letters appear in this singular format on many ancient and modern amulets.

The letters comprising the Name (Shadai) are also sometimes arranged in the form of a letter square. In this regard, I have recently perused an amulet ring the front of which is comprised of the following Shadai square:

The Divine Name in question comprises six permutations, which can be traced on this chotam (magical seal). However, the listed format of the Shadai square is by no means standard. For example, this letter arrangement is very different from the following version presented in the famous Toldot Adam:

The six permutations of Shadai () are also at times employed in Kameot. Consider the following amulet, the intention of which is to save oneself from plagues and epidemics. The amulet comprises the following Divine Names:

This set of Divine Names were constructed from the initials of the words comprising Leviticus 26:5 reading:

Transliteration:

v'hisig lachem dayish et batzir uvatzir yasig et zara va'achaltem lach'm'chem lasova vishav'tem lavetach b'artz'chem

Translation:

And your threshing shall reach unto the vintage, and the vintage shall reach unto the sowing time; and ye shall eat your bread until ye have enough, and dwell in your land safely.

The six permutations of the Name Shadai () in the earlier mentioned Divine Name construct, refer to the word (dayish—“threshing”) in the associated biblical verse, this term being itself one of the permutations of the Divine Name in question. As it is, the mentioned six permutations relate to the twelve zodiacal periods, of which I have perused two versions. In one version the zodiacal months are aligned in pairs in direct order to the six permutations of Shadai, i.e. Aries/Taurus—; Gemini/Leo— ; etc. I was taught the following order of Shadai/Zodiacal affiliations, which was said to be correct. It also agrees with related details addressed in "The Book of Sacred Names":

We are informed the Divine Names should be written on a kosher lambskin scroll together with the Shadai permutation pertaining to the month or zodiacal period in which you are constructing the amulet. It is understood that the listed Divine Names act in conjunction with the said permutation, in order to protect a home and all within it from an epidemic or plague. Afterwards it is located at the entrance of ones own or any other residence.

Should you be in any doubt regarding the correct Shadai permutation aligned with the specific period in which you might be composing this amulet, you could simply include all six permutations of the said Divine Name. In this manner, the correct one will be effective at the time, and the rest will, as it were, join the “process of empowerment” over the succeeding months, all depending on how long the amulet remains on your front door.

(More to follow)