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

Leonora Leet Ph.D. (Author), Leonora Leet (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 25, 2003

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.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"a daring and innovative exposition of the secret doctrines and practices of traditional Jewish mysticism uniquely applicable to the present."
(Elliot R. Wolfson, Abraham Lieberman Professor of Hebrew and Judaic Studies at New York University, author of Through a Speculum that Shines and other works of Kabbalah scholarship )

". . . a work of astounding erudition and truly amazing variety and originality that provides an illuminating, new ‘guide for the perplexed.’"
(Philip Beitchman, Ph. D., author of Alchemy of the Word: Cabala of the Renaissance and The View From Nowhere: Essays in Mysticism, Literature and Philosophy )

"Leet’s adventurous spirit and erudition--charting new territory for Kabbalistic exploration--deserves an audience of those who take Kabbalah seriously."
(Gerald Epstein, M. D., Director, American Institue for Mental Imagery, author of Healing Visualizations and Waking Dream Therapy

)

"Leet's extraordinary and brilliant investigation offers profound insights into the authentic tradition as it discovers its contemporary relevance. ‘Hallelu-Yah’ !"
(Rabbi Itzchak Marmorstein, Educational Director, Mercaz HaRaya Center for Vision )

"Continuing the Zoharic and Lurianic traditions, Leet reclaims the soul of Kabbalah to build an inclusive model of personal transformation."
(Jason Shulman, Director, A Society of Souls, a school of Integrated Kabbalistic Healing )

"This scholarly, highly creative kabbalistic model of interpenetrating levels of soul and cosmos offers a new model for transpersonal psychiatry."
(Ann Massion, M.D., Department of Psychiatry, University of Massachusetts Medical School )

From the Back Cover

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. 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 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--the bull-ox, lion, eagle, and man. The final two paths correlate to the prophet and the envisioned man on the throne whom 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.

LEONORA LEET received her Ph.D. from Yale University and was Professor of English at St. John’s University. Her other books on the Kabbalah are Renewing the Covenant and The Secret Doctrine of the Kabbalah.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Inner Traditions (March 25, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 089281957X
• ISBN-13: 978-0892819577
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #380,473 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #27 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Judaism > Mysticism

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Profound, more meat than most, January 11, 2005

By 

Byron W "Voracious Reader" (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Kabbalah of the Soul: The Transformative Psychology and Practices of Jewish Mysticism (Paperback)

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.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Speculative Kabbalah, February 22, 2008

By 

Neal J. Pollock (VA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: The Kabbalah of the Soul: The Transformative Psychology and Practices of Jewish Mysticism (Paperback)

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.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not for me, October 7, 2009

By 

Barbara Graver - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Kabbalah of the Soul: The Transformative Psychology and Practices of Jewish Mysticism (Paperback)

I didn't get far with The Kabbalah of the Soul though I was interested in a potential psychology of Kabbalah. There are many better books out there IMO. Daniel Matt is probably the one I'd recommend most.