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Authentic Kabbalah Tradition and Practical Wisdom
Samuel Ben-Or Avital, author of “The Invisible Stairway: Kabbalistic Meditations on the Hebrew Letters,” will be holding a seminar on authentic Kabbalah, starting January 20 in Boulder, CO. The seminar, entitled Gathering of the Sparks: Authentic Kabbalah and Practical Wisdom, will run January, 20, 27 and February 3, 10, 17, 24, 2011, six Fridays from 10 am – 12 noon. This series will focus on the Hebrew letter Sheen.
Avital, descendent of Moroccan Kabbalists tracing their lineage to 15th Century Spain and before, explains that the Hebrew letters are one of the most basic keys to properly explore the Kabbalah’s “mysteries.” In his seminars, Avital delves into the spiritual meanings and discoveries contained in each letter.
Avital shared just a few of the meanings of the letter SHEEN, which will be explored in the upcoming workshop:
The SHEEN ש, which among other things represents the flame, could be an invitation to ignite your spiritual spark and to learn a new way to discover the great inner treasures of our Jewish tradition. The SHEEN reaches high like three flames, purifying and changing the external conditioning that has been built into our lives, and can also can be understood as the original three ways of learning, to be and become one with oneself and aligned with the whole of Creation.
In the Kabbalistic tradition, the Hebrew Letters are understood as the building blocks of the creation of the universe – each letter stores and contains within it certain spiritual powers, and serves us as a unique tool of practice and exploring ourselves and the universe in an unconventional way of learning how to learn, think and be.
The Sheen with its three vertical lines could symbolize the inner dimensions of being, three ways, gates, levels, and the three branches of the tree of Life – left pillar, middle pillar, and right pillar. The three branches relate to the right and left extremes, and to the rampant human tendency to go to the extremes – teaching us to intelligently and willingly choose to apply the middle and balanced way of becoming – the middle path.
It can also teach us much about applying creative processes, and to learn to think in a circular way (spelled out fully, the Sheen ש י ן comes to 360, the perfect number for the circle). It is also in the pronouncement of being, the YESH י ש . It stands as an invitation to keep the sacred flame alive, despite all the odds.”
For more information on the Gathering of the Sparks Seminar, or to register, please visit:
