Thursday 22 November
Kabbalah: Knowledge & Experience of Ten Sefirot
Occultists today learn kabbalah from authorities such as Regardie, Duquette, Nowicki, Gray, Butler, Dion Fortune - focusing on the famed Tree of Life glyph. This tradition of ascending the ten spheres goes back to Renaissance Neoplatonists. But what about Judaism’s Hebrew kabbalah? Tonight's talk compares how these two traditions guide the seeker to achieve knowledge and experience of the ten sefirot. Drawing on the Sefer Yetsirah, and emphasising practical methods, there will even be a small example meditation. If you love Western kabbalah, and wish to learn about its Jewish roots and branches, this night is for you. Simon Tomasi is a student of Jewish kabbalah and Hebrew mystical texts, with a friendly comparative interest in Western Mystery traditions. He returns by popular demand.
Time: 7.15pm for a 7.30pm start.
This is really a talk about Sefer Yetzirah (book of creation) and how it has shaped thinking and practices of people involved in Jewish Kabbalah and Western Esoteric movements.
Sefer Yetzirah is the first place that the Sefirot are mentioned and then only in chapter 1. Hence this talk is about practical steps to take to experience the Sefirot and thereby gain some knowledge of them.
Now if I can only just stop blogging, reading several dozen excellent blogs and playing Diablo 3 - I may just write it up in time.