So I spent most of Saturday at the Los Angeles Book Fair, with a friend, soaking up words of wisdom from James Ellroy who gave a fantastic lecture on his process and his life as a novelist. That man is nuts, but very entertaining.
As I made my way through the crowded booths on the UCLA campus I came across the tent of a local Kabbalah Learning Center. As the lady spoke to me, I realized I knew absolutely nothing about Kabbalah except that it was something MaddonnA was into and had some connection with Hebrew Mysticism. I took home their free dvd and while it intrigued me, it said a lot without saying anything at all. I went to their website and found myself with that same feeling. I felt like I was drinking water but couldn't quench my thirst. Strangely, the fact that I couldn't get clarity on what Kabbalah was made it more interesting to find out.
With the help of Google, I found myself at the Bnei Baruch Kabbalah Learning Center, based in NYC where they were offering a 10 week free course in the Fundamentals of Kabbalah. It is a live on-line class taught two days a week, Sundays by an instructor in NY and Wednesdays by an instructor in Israel. I seemed to have registered just before the April 28th deadline. Students from around the world are following along and able to send in questions regarding the day's subject matter. It is a path toward spiritual growth that takes some time to comprehend. I have absolutely no idea why I am filled with a desire to understand what Kabbalah is all about but I am hooked. I may need a few weeks of study before I can even articulate if this path of spiritual study is something I want to incorporate into my life. However, for now, the desire is strong just to understand the concept.
I love that fate has guided me to this fascinating new subplot to the epic adventure I call my life. The mystery of the unknown with the promise of profound transformation seems like something I just can't miss. I believe everything happens for a reason. I look forward to discovering why I am walking on this particular path at this time. Here's to enjoying the journey!
(Below is a youtube clip I found that was created by the folks at the Bnei Baruch Learning Center regarding a poem written about the Tree of Life.)
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
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2 comments:
Your enthusiasm for life and learning is admirable. The main book of the Kabbalah is the Zohar. A real mind-bender. A close friend of mine has been studying it for many years. She gets a real spiritual lift out of it.
I think I have a way to go before I tackle the Zohar. I already feel like my mond is twisting into knots but somehow I'm still enjoying the experience!
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