Kabbalah of Prayer: Sacred Sounds and the Soul's Journey

“You are not expected to complete the work, nor are you permitted to abandon it.” ―Rabbi Tarfon, Pirke Avot In this remarkable, groundbreaking book, Shulamit Elson writes with eloquence and authority about our soul’s journey, our place in the universe, and our relationship to God through prayer. In beautiful and simple words, she shares the ancient teachings and the sacred sounds of the Kabbalah in ways capable of reconnecting us with the Eternal and changing our lives forever. We learn of her journey from the closed world of an Orthodox Jewish family, on a voyage of discovery that took her into a secular life of poetry and travel throughout Europe. Then, faced with personal difficulties and waking visions, she began a path of meditation. Gifts of healing and prophecy followed. Eventually she met her Maggid, the traditional Kabbalistic “answering angel,” with whose help she developed a series of meditative “Sound Prayers” using sacred sounds made with the voice. Elson explains the theological, cosmological, and esoteric foundations upon which “Sound Prayer” is based. We are introduced to the ancient wisdom of the Kabbalah, the “Tree of Life,” and the structure of the soul in its relationship with God. We learn the true nature of prayer, how it relates to Tikkun Olam (“Repair of the World”), and how “Sound Prayer” relates to different angelic levels of being and truth. This is a practical book that gives individual exercises as well as offering help on meeting specific challenges, including spiritual struggles, feelings of meaninglessness, and harsh self-judgment, as well as illness, fear, and anxiety. Contents: The Path of Kabbalah The Curtain of Souls Cultivating the Garden Angels The Names of God The Tree of Life Awakening Sound Prayer The Sacred Sounds of the Sefirot Sound Prayer Instruction The Sound of the Flame plus: Glossary of Terms; Notes; Bibliography Read more