What is Kabbalah really all about?

An explosion of interest worldwide in Kabbalah has helped fuel an all-out media frenzy. The involvement of high-profile celebrities like Madonna and Demi Moore has stirred the pot of controversy, with many conflicting ideas about Kabbalah circulating on the internet, in brooks, and throughout mass media outlets.

"Kabbalah is not a self-help process, a mysticism, philosophy, or a religion," insists Michael R. Kellogg, author of Wondrous Wisdom: Everyone's Guide to the Study of Authentic Kabbalah. "The current media and public have no idea what authentic Kabbalah really is and would be stunned to find out what it [has to offer] us. Constantly comparing Kabbalah to religions or philosophies only creates misunderstanding. Kabbalah is a process, not a religion or philosophy.

"From the perspective of the Kabbalist, Kabbalah is a ... way to research the spiritual, which is what is outside of us. Our entire life is made up of seeking one form of pleasure or another. Kabbalah is the process that enables a person to reach the ultimate permanent pleasure that cannot be fulfilled or even found in this world. The only thing keeping humanity out of touch with the genera] laws of the universe is our complete and unending desire to serve ourselves.

"Through this process, one discovers and reaches many different degrees and states of inner capability and wisdom. It enables a person--and humanity as a whole--to stop making mistakes."

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COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning