The Nourishing Tree of Life

When you discuss Kabbalah with someone one of three things usually happens: they ask if you are Jewish, mention Madonna, or their eyes glaze over. It is also common for all three to occur. This is in large part due to the fact that for over a century, self-described kabbalists have been their own worst enemy when it comes to making the existence of kabbalah known outside of a small circle of esotericism, as well as demonstrating the day-to-day practicality of “the Tradition” to a broader audience.

Using the Sepher Yetzirah, one of the oldest and most important kabbalistic manuscripts, Kabbalah for Health and Wellness shows how just a few symbolic associations and ideas (coupled with breathing, visualization and a well-formulated prayer) can assist us in directing the inner energies of the Elements of Fire, Air, Water and Earth, the energies of the planets and, through the Hebrew letters, the powers of creation itself.

Kabbalah has been examined by a variety of disciplines from psychology to quantum physics. Unfortunately, very often the practical applications of these studies have gone largely ignored. Kabblah for Health and Wellness utilizes the mind-body connection that is established by modern science in a user-friendly format that makes it both an introduction to energetic healing from a kabbalistic perspective, as well as an introduction to kabbalah for the energy healer.

For too long, a narrow approach has clouded our understanding and practice of kabbalah, involving extensive rituals of invocation and evocation, complex symbolic systems of pentagrams, hexagrams, and a multitude of pantheons and godforms, and emphasis on cosmological concerns of angels and demons. Kabbalah for Health and Wellness helps to remedy this by emphasizing the basic ideas and practices behind kabbalah, and by showing how they can be used to improve our attitude, physical and emotional health, and our awakening to the profound presence of the seed of God within each of us — without having to be a scholar or ceremonial magician.

Among the material covered are directions for Pathworking the Tree of Life in clean, clear and simple steps designed to produce both inner transformation and physical healing. The results of these methods have been described by some as the most powerful Pathworking experiences they have ever had — all because of their simplicity and ease of use.

Dynamic and practical methods are presented for those wishing to emphasize the mystical aspects of kabbalah. These include exercises for attuning with the tradition wherein students can connect their personal consciousness with the psychic stream of generations of practicing kabbalistic masters. One such is a quick and powerful method for invoking the powers of the Elements and opening to the presence of God — the Shekinah, or divine feminine — in an active and present manner. Easier and more effective than using Pentagram rituals prior to meditation, this method can be used anywhere at anytime. Directions for awakening the power of the Hebrew letters in one’s energy body is fully explained, along with using the Middle Pillar ritual for physical and psychic healing. Simple methods using the Tree of Life, planetary hours and a natal chart to enhance healing practices are fully described for ease of use by beginners and experienced students. The healing power and energy storage capacity of water is discussed in detail along with practical experiments linking it to talismanic magic and laboratory alchemy. Finally, there are ways to understand the role of the teacher, practices to discover one’s Inner Name, and instructions to awaken the Inner Master through recognition of one’s teachers — a form of kabbalistic “guru yoga” to aid in developing gratitude, humility and sincerity.

If we look at traditional magic as it was practiced in the Classical, Medieval, and Renaissance periods we see a distinct emphasis on magic as a method, a technique or even a science for creating change in the consciousness of the magician, of others and in the material world directly. For too long modern practitioners have emphasized complex psychological aspects of kabblah and ignored the most fundamental issues of practicality and applicability to daily concerns. Healing of body and mind is the first step to understanding and using the methods of kabbalah in a practical manner, thereby bringing peace, happiness, wisdom, and prosperity to our day-to-day life — allowing us to increase our spiritual understanding of where we are in the universe.

Mark Stavish is the Director of Studies for The Institute for Hermetic Studies, and is the author of Kabbalah for Health and Wellness,  The Path of Alchemy – Energetic Healing and the World of Natural Magic, and Freemasonry.