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A bold line-by-line reexamination of the first 3 chapters of Genesis that reveals the essential nature of mind and creativity.
- Deconstructs each line of Genesis chapters 1-3 with esoteric methods derived from the oral teachings of the Kabbalah
- Reveals the sefirot, the Tree of Life, as the Divine blueprint of the creative process
- Explains how Genesis reveals the Divinity of mind and consciousness
Hidden within the first three chapters of Genesis rests one of the greatest jewels of Western mystical literature. For millennia religious literalism has dominated our understanding of the Bible, imprisoning its subtle inner wisdom within the most coarse and superficial aspects of the narrative. Generations have been led to believe that Genesis 1-3 is only a primitive proto-cosmic history, a mythological explanation of the human moral disposition, a religious fairy tale. But by accepting the text as pure kabbalistic metaphor, the mystical content of Genesis springs forth, revealing the Divine nature of creativity as well as a new understanding of the human mind.
Deconstructing each line of Genesis 1-3 with esoteric methods derived from the oral teachings of the Kabbalah, David Chaim Smith reveals how the ten sefirot, collectively known as the Tree of Life, are not simply a linear hierarchy. They are a unified interdependent whole with ten interactive functions, forming the template through which creative diversity manifests. Through acts of creation and creativity, the mind expresses its Divine nature. Through our Divine creative power, we are able to touch upon Ain Sof (the infinite), the lifeblood of all creative expression. Smith's line-by-line examination of Genesis 1-3 reveals a complete model not only of Divine creativity but also of the predicament of the human mind, of the Divine nature of consciousness as well as our inability to recognize the mind's Divinity.
With this new interpretation, which removes the concept of a Creator God, we are able to transcend the contrasting notions of "being" and "non-being" at the heart of conventional habits of perception and awaken a new mystical understanding of Unity and the fathomless depth of Divinity.
- Sales Rank: #346111 in Books
- Published on: 2015-10-10
- Released on: 2015-10-10
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 9.00" h x .50" w x 6.00" l, .0 pounds
- Binding: Paperback
- 224 pages
Review
The Luminous Space of David Chaim Smith: A Review of The Kabbalistic Mirror of Genesis When read literally, the Vedas seem like hymns, rituals, and magic spells devoted to many gods, goddesses, and spirits all seasoned in a warrior triumphalism. But the parabolic commentaries of the Upanishads and distillations of the epics and Puranas reveal a clearer vision of a dynamic nonduality which acknowledges the infinite variety of manifestation. This is Dharmic thought at its best. Kabbalistic tzaddikim, like Dharmic sages, are able to see nondual reality not merely through but active in the heart of phenomena.
Unfortunately, many books on Kabbalah today reflect the largely dualistic habits of human thought. To use one of David Chaim Smith's favorite words, they use language patterns which tend to reify rather than liberate our conceptual frameworks. Smith's art has always served to undermine this tendency in the receptive viewer, and in the several interviews I have heard with the man I have always been impressed with his uncompromising push toward the luminous space of transpersonal Holiness.
Unlike the endless literature of neo-nondualism, which often seeks to transcend sectarianism by merely abandoning the discipline of sect rather than digging deeply into it, Smith's writing in The Kabbalistic Mirror of Genesis does not shy away from the detailed analysis of kabbalistic teachings; and unlike much post-Golden Dawn "Hermetic" Kabbalah, Smith is not afraid of diving deeply into the Bible itself, as the gnostic container of kabbalistic wisdom.
As the full title suggests, The Kabbalistic Mirror of Genesis: Commentary on the First Three Chapters presents a multilayered exploration of the first three chapters of the Bible's first book. In true kabbalistic fashion, each verse is picked apart by word and phrase, and then by numerology (gematria). This is not, as a famous modern occultist asserts, a game for confusing the cognitive faculty into abeyance, but is instead a very real flowering of gnostic insight. More, it is a means of making plain the interweaving natural to these concepts. Far from tricking the mind, gematria sets it to the very deliberate task of dissolving its own limitations. The Bible thus revealed is not different from the mind reading it: capable of opening or closing according to the angle of approach.
David Chaim Smith's artwork is on display, here, small in number but representative in scope. All in grayscale, it resembles the famous alchemical woodcuts of the Renaissance though often more abstract in its composition. Though not integral to the text, the more complex pieces serve as powerful contemplative supplements, while the simpler diagrams directly illustrate the concepts being explored.
Though slightly familiar with Smith's approach when I was offered a digital review copy of this book, I did not know what to expect from his writing style. His writing is clear but extremely dense. While concise and comprehensible, The Kabbalistic Mirror is no leisurely beach read. Far from a criticism, this is just a heads-up for the reader: be prepared to rearrange your brain.
I recommend this book in particular for two audiences: occultists looking to understand kabbalistic roots, and the many people born into either Christianity or Judaism trying to find a deeper spirituality in the Bible. In any case, approach this book with fresh eyes; read it the way you might read a book on a totally unfamiliar mystical tradition. Find the memory of the first time you read Herman Hesse, Gustav Meyrink, or Tao Te Ching, and bring those eyes to The Kabbalistic Mirror of Genesis. The work required from even a cursory reading will be repaid manifold as David Chaim Smith reveals the inner significance of the biblical creation as a living myth rather than the dry bones of our cultural assumptions.
-Purnacandra Sivarupa, Peace Profound
“An amazing book--boy does it have chutzpah!” (Hymenaeus Beta, Frater Superior, Ordo Templi Orientis)
“A gifted artist who has a deep contemporary understanding of Jewish mystical wisdom, David Chaim Smith takes us into the domain where zero is one, where the all is nothing, and where the creative moment is constantly renewing itself. The Kabbalistic Mirror of Genesis is not a book simply to read but to contemplate and live with.” (Rodger Kamenetz, author of Burnt Books and The Jew in the Lotus)
“A unique mystical voice out of a Blakean tradition, The Kabbalistic Mirror of Genesis is a mind-expanding spiritual text that will both clarify and transform you. Smith has rethought biblical basics from the ground up (‘with-beginningness’) providing insights into the profound depths of mind, perception, reality, life, creativity, luminosity, and transcendence. . . . This is kabbalistic commentary from a living practitioner that will help us immeasurably to help heal the world.” (John Zorn, musician)
About the Author
David Chaim Smith is a writer and artist who has described himself as an esoteric cartographer whose work reflects sacred, geometric relationships. He has held exhibitions in New York at the Cavin-Morris Gallery and at the Andre Zarre Gallery, and his work has been lauded by the New York Times. He has studied Hermetic Qabbalah, Chassidic mysticism, and traditional Hebrew kabbalah for more than thirty years, focusing since 1999 on The Fountain of Wisdom, a 13th-century text that has deeply inspired his ecstatic, visionary art. In addition to being the author of several books, he has made a collaborative album, The Dream Membrane, with John Zorn and Bill Laswell. He lives in the suburbs of New York City.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
1
The Essential Nature of Creativity
The First Word of Genesis
With-beginningness Elohim created the heavens and the earth.
(Gen. 1:1)
The first word of the Bible in Hebrew is B’reshit. This word is usually translated with the phrase “In the beginning,” but the interpretive translation “with-beginningness” is preferred here. In Hebrew the letter bet (B’) is a prefix, which signifies “in” or “with.” The word Reshit refers to a continual state of becoming. This is the condition that all things are “in.” B’reshit is the dynamic nature of creativity that presents total possibility. It is always unfolding fresh, new, and unique. The continual beginning is the volatile and playful disposition that can do or be anything, which displays itself as everything.
When properly understood, B’reshit constitutes a direct assault on all conventional assumptions about the solidity of substance, the linear cohesiveness of time, and the integrity of thought. Conventional perception assumes that moments in time, appearances in space, and individual thoughts are separate, unrelated, random occurrences. The wisdom of B’reshit attacks this by asserting the changeless basis of continual change.
The primordial dynamism of B’reshit is evident in the relentlessness of perception. Considering the “texture” of cognition is helpful in appreciating this. Ordinary perception is an ever-changing ocean of transformation. Waves of thought arise and fall back onto themselves, following an unquestioned and unexamined continuum. When an attempt is made to grasp a thought or feeling, the perceived moment and its contents immediately slip away into the next moment. The next moment always presents itself in a manner subtly different from the last. As this occurs, the moment that was originally sought has vanished before it could even be glimpsed. Neither the content nor context of any moment of perception is the fortress of security that it is assumed to be. The artifice of perception erodes on contact with any attempt to investigate it. The only conclusion that can be made is that the unfolding of perceptual events is not a static parade of frozen moments to be grasped at one by one, it is a constant, uncatchable, and
elusive barrage.
Exoteric religion interprets the Bible’s first word as an indication of creation “ex nihilo.” In the proto-historical mythology a distinction is made between “before” and “after” creation. In the mystical sense, this separation is nullified by the equalizing nature of Divinity, which goes beyond all distinctions. It is asserted by the essential nature of B’reshit, which equalizes all divisions with the wisdom of pure creativity. The wisdom of B’reshit is a “Beginningness” that cannot be experienced or known in any conventional sense. Ordinary perception cannot comprehend its own nature. This would be like trying to see your own face without a mirror. B’reshit is not a concept about wisdom that confronts the mind like a visitor, it is the mirror of the mind itself and reflects whatever habits and tendencies the mind clings to. However, B’reshit is beyond all habits--it is the open reflectivity of the mirror that can reflect anything. It is equal before birth and after death; it is beyond change but is the basis of all change. It is the common basis of what is known as well as that which knows it. Realization of this simultaneity is gnosis (mystical realization).
The wisdom of B’reshit continually explodes into phenomenal play. It is always arising and dissolving, beyond grasp, never static, insubstantial yet vivid. Appreciating this irrepressible wisdom in all things is the door out of the superficial, petty concerns that obscure the Divine mystery. Conversely, not appreciating it perpetuates ordinary perceptual fixation, which literally shuts the door to gnosis. This is made clear in The Zohar:
B’Reshit is a key enclosing all, closing and opening.
(Haqdamat Sefer HaZohar)
The pure Divine creative essence is referred to by the Hebrew term Ain Sof, which can be translated as “the infinite.” The essential nature of creativity is not dependent on anything, but it is not an independent existent entity either. Ain Sof is composed of two words: Ain (without) and Sof (limitation).
No matter what phenomena arises, or does not arise, the purity and wholeness of Ain Sof is unaffected. Ain Sof cannot be diluted or subjugated, no matter how it appears to be distorted, misapprehended, or ignored. Nothing ever leaves and nothing can ever be brought in. These categories are attempts at a definition, which is impossible. All that can be said is that Ain Sof is creative and free. This is indicated in the following quote from the thirteenth-century kabbalist Moshe de Leon.
The highest crown is the pure avira (luminous space) that cannot be grasped. It is the sum of all existence, and all have wearied in their search for it. One should not ponder this “place.” It is secretly named Ain Sof, for it engenders everything that is. The belt of the wise is burst by this mystery. Arouse yourself to contemplate, to focus thought, for the Divine is the annihilation of all thoughts, uncontainable by any concept. Since no one can contain the Divine, it is called Ain (nothingness). (Sheqel HaKodesh)
Ain Sof is the essential unadulterated purity that arises as all things, and B’reshit is its nature. Here the esoteric dimension of language must be extremely precise. Ain Sof is pure essence, and B’reshit expresses the nature of that essentiality. Both aspects, the essence and its nature, are a complete unity. For example, sugar’s nature is to be sweet. We know sugar through the expression of its nature in a variety of forms. No matter how the nature becomes known, it is always sweet. In any form this sweet nature expresses the essence of sugar directly, and it can be known that sugar is present.
The essence and nature of creativity are represented by the first two sefirot, called keter (crown) and chochmah (wisdom). Keter is Ain Sof ’s sublime essential potentiality, and chochmah is its wisdom nature. Both are included in the word B’reshit.
Most helpful customer reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful.
A True Gem
By Daniel L. Sweet
Attention, all students of Kabbalah & the Mysteries; this book is a MUST ! Being a student of kabbalah and Hermetic Science for some forty-odd years now, I believe I am safe in saying that, if you are pursuing these things, you know how difficult and tedious they can be at times. That being said, I must directly challenge you to read and study this work carefully.
Having studied the ZOHAR and many other Kabbalistic source-works for many years, I can vouch for "Kabbalistic Mirror's" authenticity and faithful accuracy to the venerable ancient tradition, as well as viewing the whole thing from a very refreshing approach. Truly, as you read it, you may wonder if all of the ideas are truly grounded in Kabbalah. My answer is a resounding YES !! Dealing with the first three chapters of Genesis, this work is accurate, in depth and illuminating. Mr. Smith is a first-rate scholar, as well as a devout mystic, who has had access to rare & obscure Kabbalistic texts, some of which aren't yet available in English. His work WILL provide much needed insight into the core truths of Kabbalah, and is presented in such a way as not to insult the modern mind (although, in my humble opinion, the "modern mind" (so-called) could use a little shaking up every now and then).
Dealing with the essential nature of spiritual perception and reality, it will surprise and delight. You may even see surprising parallels to modern quantum mechanics and particle physics! (Keep a copy of Mr. Hawking's "A Brief History Of Time" nearby).
There are several good reviews of this work, and much more could be said here, but if you are truly seeking Light and Truth, you need this book! It is a true Gem in the Garden. (do I need mention WHICH garden?)
This is an update written after the fact: Mr. Smith has since published two more books as companions to "Kabbalistic Mirror", entitled "The Sacrificial Universe" and "The Blazing Dew Of Stars". Both of these titles considerably expand & enhance "Kabbalistic Mirror"s" principles & teaching. With the addition of contemplative artwork, both are excellent companions and material for those who truly desire a truer and deeper understanding of Kabbalistic truths and worldview. They are a powerful combination, and I cannot recommend them highly enough.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful.
Paradigm Shattering.
By Melchizedek
After a long wait because of its initial limited availability this work is now in paperback again (also available from Daat press in London)! I was initially intrigued by David's art as a meditative tool while reading Leo Schaya and was motivated to research all his work online. I even purchased hardcover editions of his two subsequent works as well as two pieces of his artwork via Fulgur. I began to read his third work, THE BLAZING DEW OF STARS, and realized that this is a trilogy. So I stopped and waited patiently, reading a lot of Traditional school literature which led to Carlo Suares (again), and ultimately Aryeh Kaplan's works on Meditation in addition to Mark Verman's work on the Books of Contemplation and The Fountain of Wisdom (which I never would have even found had it not been for this author's indirect inspiration).
The non-dual treatment of the three first three chapters of Genesis is phenomenal and David is to be congratulated for bringing us this work, out in the open where it belongs. His treatment of the material is masterful yet direct. He has captured multidimensional awareness in words, which is quite frankly simply brilliant. "Chutzpah!" in spades as a reviewer comments.
The availability of this work to the general public marks a very important transition point in Kabbalah. There is even an intriguing presentation of the Cube of Space of which I am not familiar with (when you consider the traditional Planetary/Sephiroth attributions) and I look forward to his elucidation.
Thank You David!
AND Mazel Tov!
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful.
SUPERB
By Fiamma
Just received the book. I must say I have only read to page 24 on which there is a picture of the Hebrew word ELOHIM...There are books that just have that ''magic", where they draw you in and you just want to read, put it down, and contemplate deeply....This is one of THOSE books!!! I have read and studied many religions since I was 13 and now am 41. Ramana Maharshi has been the greatest of Teachers for me..There are such great parallels to ATMA VICHARA and" Merging" back into the Hridayam from Ramana, to Spanda of the Kashmir Saivism School, all the way through the Kabbala that definitely show there is SOMETHING Radiant and Transcendent to our reality and life....This book by Mr. Smith shows the Kabbalistic side of the magic!!! It needs to be worked on, dug deeply into and experienced...One just needs the Desire and Grace from beyond to realize it NOW... Contemplating ELOHIM takes you to that place of NO-PLACE...Truly inspiring book....Not a Gershom Scholem type read, which for me does not make me want to read and meditate, but a Meditative/Contemplative work....EXCELLENT for seekers of all Traditions...
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