Elizabeth Clare Prophet - 18 Oct

If there is common ground among the worlds religions, it is to be found in mysticism. Adventurers of the spirit, the mystics have dared to push beyond the boundaries of orthodox tradition to pursue a common goal: the direct experience of God. Mystics long to see God, to know God, to be one with Godnot in the hereafter, but in the here and now. And they teach that while you may seek him in temple or mosque or church, you must ultimately find him in your own heart.

In Kabbalah: Key to Your Inner Power, I bring you a unique interpretation of the Jewish mystical tradition known as Kabbalah. Through the inspiration of mystics who have gone before, I would remind you of your birthright as a son or daughter of God. That birthright, which is your unique portion of God himself, is right inside of you. Only you can unlock it.

What is Kabbalah? It is a subject so mysterious that for centuries only married men over the age of forty were allowed to study it.

The term Kabbalah refers to the mystical tradition of Judaism. No one knows exactly when Kabbalah first began. As a body of knowledge it sprang from mysticism but was not a continuation of any known mystical tradition. Jewish mystical practices can be traced back to around the first century B.C., and the movement known as Kabbalah first emerged around 1200 in Provence, France. But some Kabbalists say the first Kabbalistic revelations dated back to the time of Adam.

Although the teachings of Kabbalah are highly mystical, they are also highly practical. Jewish mystics received revelations about the creation of the universe that are strikingly similar to modern sciences big bang theory. They came up with a language and a symbology to describe the qualities of God, our relationship to God, our spiritual purpose in life and the origins of evil.

Most importantly, Kabbalists developed an understanding of the mysteries of God that can help us unlock our spiritual powerthe power that God endowed us with from the beginning. The power that launched the big bang.

How can we use the keys of Kabbalah to access that power? By becoming mystics ourselves. Yes, we have the right to become mystics in our own time, using the map that Kabbalists have left us.

The hallmark of Kabbalah is its diagram of the ten sefirot (divine emanations or aspects of God), which Kabbalists call the Tree of Life. It is a blueprint not only for the inner workings of God but for the inner workings of the soul, for Kabbalah teaches that the Tree of Life is inside of you. It is the link between you and God.

You can reconnect with the Tree of Life of the sefirot through specific prayers, meditations and spiritual practices. This book outlines some of these techniques. It also shares the insights of the enlightened spiritual beings of East and West known as the ascended masters, especially the insights of the Ascended Master El Morya.

Through the centuries, El Morya has been illuminating the inner path to God. He is truly one of the worlds spiritual giants. In one of his past lives he was the patriarch Abraham. According to Kabbalistic tradition, the priest Melchizedek revealed to Abraham the teachings recorded in the Sefer Yetzirah, an early mystical text that had enormous influence on Kabbalah. Abraham is the acclaimed father of Jew, Christian and Muslim, and he still guides students of Kabbalah today.

In 1875 El Morya, then a renowned Eastern mahatma, sponsored the Theosophical Society through Helena Blavatsky. In the 1920s and 1930s, as the Ascended Master El Morya, he worked with Nicholas and Helena Roerich and the Agni Yoga Society. He also played a role in the I AM Activity, which was founded in the 1930s. Since 1952 he has worked with my late husband, Mark L. Prophet, and myself to teach seekers how to apply the truths of the worlds mystical traditions to their own spiritual journeys.

El Morya has seen to it that the tradition of Kabbalah has been preserved for all who have come to the place on their spiritual path where they are ready for it. And he has looked to the day when students of theosophy and mysticism would receive the full interpretation of its mysteries.

In exploring mystical Judaism with the help of El Morya, I discovered a core truth that I believe can help resolve the central conflict between Jew and Christian, which is their disagreement about who and what is Jesus Christ. The key is to be found in Kabbalahs teaching on Tiferet, one of the ten sefirot.

Kabbalah is filled with many profound and liberating concepts. Like each of the mystical paths of the worlds religions, it gives us a unique perspective on how to contact the presence of God within and how to sustain a strong connection with that inner source of power. This is a sacred adventure, personal to each one of us. Yet we can learn from the great mystics of all time who have gone before.

My goal in Kabbalah: Key to Your Inner Power is to bring to life the path of the Jewish mysticsto share with you their joys and ecstasies, their sacred visions and their practical techniques for experiencing the sacred in everyday life. Together, let us explore the quest of these mystics and find out how we can apply what they learned to our own adventures in self-discovery.

Note: Because gender-neutral language can be cumbersome and at times confusing, we have used the pronouns he and him to refer to God or to the individual and man or mankind to refer to people in general. We have used these terms for readability and consistency, and they are not intended to exclude women or the feminine aspect of the Godhead. God is both masculine and feminine. We do, however, use the pronouns she and her to refer to the soul because each soul, whether housed in a male or a female body, is the feminine counterpart of the masculine Spirit.