The Kabbalah of the Soul: The Transformative Psychology and Practices of Jewish Mysticism

By Leonora Leet

Book Overview

Reveals the transformative spiritual work by which the soul can reach ever higher dimensions of consciousness.

- Relates the soul levels of the Zohar to the various paths the soul may travel toward ultimate realization.

- Introduces a new meditative technique called "the Transformative Moment".

Throughout the history of the Jewish esoteric tradition, humankind has been understood to play a pivotal role in the perfection of the cosmos, uniting the finite with the infinite in the perfection of divine personality. Working from an original synthesis of the major kabbalistic traditions of cosmology derived from the Bible, the Zohar, and the school of Isaac Luria, Leonora Leet has erected a new framework for understanding the mechanism of the transformative spiritual work that enables the human soul to reach increasingly higher dimensions of consciousness. This analysis extends the frontiers of Leet's prior works on the Kabbalah to provide a new illumination of human possibilities.

Leet first considers the false temptations of worldly power and pleasure that lead to the fall of the soul and then the means of its redemption. She develops a powerful meditative technique called "the Transformative Moment," whose workings are exemplified by Jacob and Joseph and that allow the individual to progress through all the higher levels of the soul, even possibly to attain the miraculous powers of the legendary spiritual masters. She further correlates the hierarchy of soul levels with Ezekiel's Throne vision to show the various paths the soul may travel toward self-realization: sex, love, power, knowledge, holiness, and unification. The first four paths relate to the four-faced living creatures (Chayot) of Ezekiel's Throne vision--the bull-ox, lion, eagle, and man. The final two paths correlate to the prophet and the envisioned man on the throne he recognizes to be his divine higher self, the knowledge that defines the secret doctrine of the whole of the Jewish mystical tradition culminating in the Kabbalah.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 089281957X
• ISBN13: 9780892819577
• Release Date: April 2003
• Publisher: Inner Traditions International
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 1.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.1" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Speculative Kabbalah

This is the author's personal model based mostly on Kabbalah but also other mystical, metaphysical, spiritual traditions. It's an interesting account, far more erudite than the many introductory Kabbalah books available today. While I don't agree with all of her assumptions, assertions, & conclusions, her analysis is well thought out; notably Luria's system (though stemming to a degree from his master Cordovero) was HIGHLY speculative in the 16th century. She also includes her own meditation (Appendix A) similar to Tibetan Buddhist (Vajrayana) deity yoga [How to Free Your Mind: Tara the Liberator & Rosicrucianism [Wisdom of the Mystic Masters]. The many parallels to Vajrayana are IMHO very supportive of her position. Per George MacDonald, "Those don't' know England who only England know." [Lilith] I often juxtapose Kabbalah & Vajrayana (esp. Dzogchen teachings) in order to understand each in terms of the other. Frequently, what is obtuse in one is clearer in the other. [The Ways of Knowing or the Methods of Philosophy] For example, her discussion of light is very similar to the Vajrayana mother-son (i.e. cosmic or God) light and her highest soul light: pp. 157, 269, & pp. 303-4: "The Yechidah soul...viewed as the ultimate salvific form of an individual human personality...would be identified with a centering point of this Light, a particular know in its network of light. All individuals who have reached this point could be thought of as individually filling & transcending cosmic space, each connected to others while retaining its own personal definition...And in such interconnection, the soul can experience all the others with all the levels of its being." [Clear Light of Bliss : The Practice of Mahamudra in Vajrayana Buddhism] John Reynolds' [see endnotes in Oral Tradition From Zhang-Zhung] points out numerous parallels between Dzogchen & Kabbalah. I would particularly note the great similarity between the Buddhist kayas and the many soul levels of Kabbalah. Similarly, she provides p. 307 an octahedron model paralleling Jungian analyst Robert Moore's (proponent of the men's movement) octahedron model of Jungian archetypes. She also gives a valuable analysis of balancing love, power (p. 269), & service p. 143: "the individual who embarks on the path of social activism without sufficient spiritual development may find that his efforts have, indeed, served to purify some aspect of society but at the sacrifice of his own spiritual health" including Jewish religious service (ceremony)--in Appendix B. Overall, I would not recommend this book for beginners, but for those already steeped in Kabbalah (esp. those having studied other spiritual traditions--most esp. from the East) this book is refreshing, provocative, and thought-provoking.

Map of the journey

I've just read this book and i thought it to be just one of the best descriptions of the stages of the path that i've ever read (and i assure you that i've read many ) Miss Leet seems to write from her own experience and also with great knowledge about the Jewish Tradition . It's interesting to all those familiar with the Gurdjieffian Stages of the path ( the seven levels of "men".Today , in our post-patriarcal society ,would be better to speak of "human beings" ) to have that in mind when she writes about the seven worlds .I guess she gives a very vivid description of what is to be a "man(or woman) number 5 , a woman( or man) number 6 and a wo-man number 7 . A must read for all those who already know the importance of having and being a soul ...

Profound, more meat than most

In contrast to the other person reviewing the book, i found much to grapple with and like in this book. Being new to the Kaballah, and gravitating toward substantive accounts of anything, i found Leet's book to be supremely useful in understanding the Hebraic and Jewish Kaballah. Leet gives a lengthy comparison of the Lurianic and Zoharic traditions and synthesizes them into a new model of the cosmic process. If and when you make it through the introduction, then she examines the 'fall' of man through a few different lenses, gives an insightful account of the seemingly contradictory genesis stories, relates that story (those stories) to not only the star of David but the progression of the soul towards higher echelons of spirituality. If you're looking for a deeper account of the Kaballah than some pop-kabballah book that re-hashes what most other books have, then this is you're ticket. This book seems to have the audience of serious Kaballah practitioners and spiritualists rather than a easy-going introduction to the literature, theory and paradigms of Hebraic mysticism. I liked this book more than her previous two, but haven't read the fourth in the series. ps: I don't know what the other reviewer was talking about with the ruby/tv story.