Judaism and Christianity are monotheistic religions. They proclaim faith in one God the Creator, a being separate from humanity. Both traditions firmly reject and condemn magic. Islam likewise worships one God, Allah, who is beyond the human world. According to Islam, he rules over two worlds: the visible world, al-shahada, which people can come to know, and the invisible world, al-ghaib, which is mysterious and experienced through revelation and miracles.
Even so, these traditions inspired unorthodox mystical traditions which teach that it is possible to be reunited with God and to know the Creator.
Within the Judaeo-Christian tradition, a form of mysticism developed that seeks to reunite humanity with God. This doctrine is the Kabbalah. It concerns the unexplained mysteries contained in the Book of Genesis and is passed on only to initiates. It consists of a series of meditations on the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet and the four letters of God’s name, YHWH, together with the writings of various scholars. The most fascinating text is the Book of Creation, the Sefer Yetzirah, which was written in Babylonia some 2,000 years ago. There is also the great Book of Splendour (the Zohar), written in Spain in the 12th century.
Kabbalists believe that God created four worlds. The highest world is the one closest to God; the lowest is the everyday world of each human being.
In each of these worlds, creation unfolds through a cycle of ten emanations known as the sefirot, symbolised by the Tree of Life. Through meditation on the sefirot you can establish a bond with the higher plane of the universe and draw closer to God.
Because the Kabbalah questions the truths revealed in the holy scriptures and encourages a direct relationship with God, both the Church and mainstream Judaism have regarded it as heretical.
The Renaissance was a period in which Catholic priests tried to interpret Kabbalistic writings in order to draw angelic powers down into people’s everyday world.
Islam is a religion that has always emphasised the difference between the human being and God. However, the Sufi tradition developed a form of mystical practice whose aim is to overcome this distinction. Sufism brought an inner spirituality into Islam. Sufis taught that the self and God can become one through the purification of human consciousness.
Some orthodox Muslims, however, reject this view.
First published (Polish original): 2 April 2010. Written by astrologers and esoteric specialists working with our editorial team; edited and translated for HOROSCOP.SPACE. © All rights reserved.
