Friday, April 11, 2014

49 Gates of Light: A Course in Kabbalah

 
Count the Omer with 49 Gates of Light!

It's back!  The latest "incarnation" of Rabbi Yonassan Gershom's seven-week course of daily kabbalah lessons, coordinated to "counting the omer" on the Jewish calendar.  You can now get the new 2010 revision  in epub format -- readable on the iPad, Nook, and most ebook readers or computers.  

Newly updated and now in full color, this is not just another book “about” kabbalah.  It’s an experiential set of daily lessons, designed to help you learn the Tree of Life diagram and apply the principles of kabbalah in your own life.   Includes all the stories and lessons of the 1987 and 1993 editions, the "Wizard of Oz" as a kabbalah teaching parable, plus many new diagrams and illustrations.  128 pages in all.

The print version of this book retails for $36 (color printing is very expensive) but you can have the same book in epub format for only $10 on Lulu.com -- order here and download instantly!

Here’s how it works:  Each day, you will explore one of the 49 “flavors” of consciousness with a specific Hebrew mantra to open the Heart (spelled out in English letters), a story or teaching to study to develop the Mind, and something active for you to do on the path of Action.  The 49 lessons are co-coordinated to the “Omer” period on the Jewish calendar, which is the seven weeks between Passover and Shavuot (Feast of Weeks.)  However, you can also do this program anytime as a set of personal lessons any time of the year.   

The Tree diagrams and lesson pages are color-coded to match the rainbow pattern on the B'nai Or tallis (prayer shawl) designed by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, as well as the Seven Days of Creation and other kabbalistic themes.  Each week focuses on one of the Seven Lower sefirot (levels) on the Tree diagram. 
The process works on many levels, and you are free to make it as simple or complex as you wish.  If you are not the type of person who likes to analyze, simply read the daily page, do the mantra and experiential meditation, then journal your thoughts and reactions.  If you do this faithfully for the entire seven weeks, you will be amazed at your spiritual progress.  

However, if you are not content to “just do it” and want to know how the process works and why, the introductory and sections will give you the theory, along with diagrams of the Tree and more in-depth ways to use the book.  Also included is a glossary of Hebrew terms and some interesting background history.

Buy and download your copy now! 

(Or, if you want to spend 36 bucks for the print version, you can get it here. )

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Got a link to the printed version?

I like books on paper.

Regards
Tony

Yonassan Gershom said...

Yes. Print version is also on Lulu at:

http://www.lulu.com/shop/yonassan-gershom/49-gates-of-light-a-course-in-kabbalah/paperback/product-10279543.html

That's the only place you can get it, because distributing to Amazon, etc. would mean DOUBLING the price.

Anonymous said...

Book ordered. I am not actually Jewish, but I cannot help but feel that the 1st century Christians left some really important stuff behind in their determination to be not Jewish.

Regards
Tony

Anonymous said...

I bought your book a few years ago and I've used it to count the Omer ever since (I'm in the middle of counting it now, actually). I paid the $36 for the print edition and I'm glad I did because it's very nice to have the paper edition on my bookshelf.

Thanks,
Dena

Yonassan Gershom said...

You can also get this as a PDF on lulu if you prefer to read on a computer or tablet in the book layout. just search "49 Gates" there to find it.

Yonassan Gershom said...

It sounds very interesting! Hard to say what "the Orthodox community" would think, since we are not clones and there would be many different opinions. I would only be able to give my opinion of it. I do like speculative fiction so will keep it in mind. Good luck with it!