¶ What is Kyaabalah?
Kyaabalah is a religious system used to worship and harness the energy of Kyaa. As the name implies, this is a syncretic religion focused on blending Jewish mysticism with Kyaaism.
I created the idea of Kyaaism because I felt that Kyaaism was incomplete. Kyaaism is centered on the worship of Kyaa, but it rarely gives any guidance as to the nature of worship. Moreover, due to the way Old Kyaaism was established, Kyaa has not created a formal magical system for harnessing Her energy. As someone who wants to embody the perfection of Kyaa, I felt the need to combine more established LHP systems to fill in these gaps.
¶ A Primer on Kyaabalah
The sections below will describe the syncretic knowledge necessary to use Kyaabalah as a religious system. This will be an abriged version that contains the original definitions/explanations followed by a quote explaining its relevance to Kyaaism.
The format will look like this:
Kabbalah (also spelled Kabalah, Cabala, Qabala)—sometimes translated as “mysticism” or...
Abridged Explanation
¶ What is Kyaabbalah?
Kabbalah (also spelled Kabalah, Cabala, Qabala)—sometimes translated as “mysticism” or “occult knowledge—is a part of Jewish tradition that deals with the essence of God. Whether it entails a sacred text, an experience, or the way things work, Kabbalists believe that God moves in mysterious ways. However, Kabbalists also believe that true knowledge and understanding of that inner, mysterious process is obtainable, and through that knowledge, the greatest intimacy with God can be attained.
The Zohar, a collection of written, mystical commentaries on the Torah, is considered to be the underpinning of Kabbalah. Written in medieval Aramaic and medieval Hebrew, the Zohar is intended to guide Kabbalists in their spiritual journey, helping them attain the greater levels of connectedness with God that they desire.
Kabbalistic thought often is considered Jewish mysticism. Its practitioners tend to view the Creator and the Creation as a continuum, rather than as discrete entities, and they desire to experience intimacy with God. This desire is especially intense because of the powerful mystical sense of kinship that Kabbalists believe exists between God and humanity. Within the soul of every individual is a hidden part of God that is waiting to be revealed. Even mystics who refuse to describe such a fusion of God and man so boldly, still find the whole of Creation suffused in divinity, breaking down distinctions between God and the universe.Thus, the Kabbalist Moses Cordovero writes, “The essence of divinity is found in every single thing, nothing but It exists...It exists in each existent.”
There are three dimensions to almost all forms of Jewish mysticism, which are likely to be understood by only small numbers of people who possess specialized knowledge or interest in the topic:
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
| Investigative | The theoretical deals with the form of the mysteries, teaching the structure of the angelic domains as well as of the sefirot, or divine emanations. With great success, it deals with problems posed by the many schools of philosophy, and it provides a conceptual framework into which all theological ideas can be fitted. It also provides a framework through which the mechanism of both the meditative and practical Kabbalah can be understood. The vast majority of Kabbalah texts and Kabbalah study today deals with the theoretical Kabbalah. |
| Practical | The practical Kabbalah, on the other hand, was a kind of white magic, dealing with the use of techniques that could evoke supernatural powers. It involved the use of divine names and incantations, amulets and talismans, as well as chiromancy, physiognomy and astrology. Many theoretical kabbalists, led by the Ari, frowned on the use of such techniques, labeling them as dangerous and spiritually demeaning. As a result, only a very small number of texts have survived at all. |
| Experiential | The meditative, or experiential, Kabbalah stands between these two extremes. Some of the earliest meditative methods border on the practical Kabbalah, and their use is discouraged by the latter masters, especially those of the Ari's school. Within this category are the few surviving texts from the Talmudic period. The same is true of the teachings of the Thirteenth Century master, Rabbi Abraham Abulafia, whose meditative works have never been printed and survive only in manuscript. |
The investigative aspect of Kabbalah involves searching the hidden reality of the universe for secret knowledge about its origins and its organization—a quest that is more esoteric than mystical. In Jewish tradition, there are three ways esoteric knowledge can be obtained:
- By interpreting sacred texts to uncover nistar (“hidden” meaning)
- By oral transmission of tradition from a Kabbalistic master
- By direct revelation, which might include visitation by an angel or Elijah, spirit possession, or other supra-rational experience
Although it is primarily interested in metaphysics, things “beyond” the physical universe, investigative Kabbalah is not anti-rational. All Jewish mystical/esoteric traditions adopt the language of, and expand upon, the philosophic and even scientific ideas of their time.
The experiential dimension of Kabbalah involves the actual quest for mystical experience: a direct, intuitive, unmediated encounter with a close but concealed Deity. As Abraham Joshua Heschel wrote, mystics “...want to taste the whole wheat of spirit before it is ground by the millstones of reason.” Mystics specifically seek the ecstatic experience of God, not merely knowledge about God. In their quest to encounter God, Jewish mystics live spiritually disciplined lives. Although neither formal nor informal monasticism is sanctioned by Jewish mysticism, experiential Kabbalists tend to be ascetics. Nonetheless, Judaism keeps its mystics grounded, and they are expected to marry, raise a family, and fulfill all customary communal religious obligations. Therefore, many willfully expand the sphere of their religious practice beyond what tradition requires, creating hanganot, personal daily devotional practices. In his will, one Kabbalist recommended this regime to his sons: periods of morning, afternoon, evening, and midnight prayer, two hours devoted to the Bible, four and a half to Talmud, two to ethical and mystical texts, and two to other Jewish texts, as well as one and a half hours to daily care, time to make a living – and five hours to sleep!
The practical dimension of Kabbalah involves rituals for gaining and exercising power to effect change in our world and in the celestial worlds beyond ours. This power is generated by performing commandments, summoning and controlling angelic and demonic forces, and otherwise tapping into the supernatural energies present in Creation. The practical aspect of Kabbalah furthers God’s intention in the world, advancing good, subduing evil, healing, and mending. The true master of this art fulfills the human potential to be a co-creator with God.
Historians of Judaism identify many schools of Jewish esotericism across time, each with its own unique interests and beliefs. Technically, the term “Kabbalah” applies only to writings that emerged in medieval Spain and southern France beginning in the 13th century. Beyond academia, however, the term “Kabbalah” is a catchall for all forms of Jewish esotericism.
As noted above, Jewish mystics are not like monks or hermits. Kabbalists tend to be part of social circles rather than lone seekers. With few exceptions, such as the wandering mystic Abraham Abulafia, esoterically inclined Jews tend to congregate in mystical associations, and it is not unusual for a single master to bring forth a new and innovative mystical school, which yields multiple generations of a particular mystical practice. Although until today Kabbalah has been the practice of select Jewish “circles,” most of what we know about it comes from the many literary works that have been recognized as “mystical” or “esoteric.”
From these mystical works, scholars have identified many distinctive mystical schools, including the Hechalot mystics, the German Pietists, the Zoharic Kabbalah, the ecstatic school of Abraham Abulafia, the teachings of Isaac Luria, and Chasidism. These schools can be categorized further based on individual masters and their disciples. Most mystical movements are deeply indebted to the writings of earlier schools, even as they add innovative interpretations and new systems of thought to the existing teachings. In contemporary Reform congregations, the observances of Kabbalat Shabbat, havdalah, and the Tu BiShvat seder derive from Kabbalistic traditions.
¶ How God Manifests Reality
Moreover, His existence is necessary existence (i.e. it is not contingent upon anything else), in the same way that the number one is a requisite for the existence of any other (whole) number. If the number one would cease to be, every other number would also cease to exist. However, if other numbers disappeared, one would continue to exist. There are properties of the number one; similar qualities apply to the Creator. Even if the act ceased to be, the One who acted remains. Because His being is not contingent upon the existence of anything else, were they to cease being, His existence would continue.
The unbounded revelation of G‑d underwent a profound constriction
Prior to Creation, there was only the infinite revelation of G‑d which filled all existence. This is called the Or Ein Sof — the Infinite Light — which is not G‑d Himself, only His infinite revelation of Himself. Within this infinite revelation, limited beings could not possibly exist. Accordingly, there was a progressive lessening and constricting of the Or Ein Sof, making room for limited existence.
This progressive constriction, called tzimtzum, brought about various planes of reality — called, in Kabbala, the five worlds. Each "world" is a certain level of concealment of G‑dliness, of the Or Ein Sof. From the highest to lowest (i.e. from greater to lesser revelation) they are: (1) the world of Adam Kadmon, which is the primordial world, or the first level of somewhat finite revelation; (2) the world of Atzilut, (3) the world of Beriya, (4) the world of Yetzira;, and (5) the world of Asiya. The entire physical universe is the lowest aspect of the world of Asiya. In each of the worlds there is an increasingly dim revelation of the Infinite light as it descends further and further and becomes more and more concealed. It is important to note that these worlds do not occupy different geographical places. They are not geographical at all, but rather descending planes of reality.
¶ World 5 - Adam Kadmon
The highest, or most exalted, of the five worlds is called Adam Kadmon. Adam means "in the likeness of" or "in the image of," from the Hebrew word domeh. Kadmon means "primordial", or "primary", from the Hebrew root kadam. So, Adam Kadmon is the primordial world which is "in the likeness of" the Infinite Light which preceded it and which was concealed in the process of creation. This means that even though Adam Kadmon is a world, meaning that it comes into being through the concealment of the Infinite Light, it is such an elevated plane of reality that it is "in the likeness of" the Infinite Light (which, by nature, "precedes" the world of Adam Kadmon).
Adam Kadmon...mirrors the original Infinite Light...
Thus, although the world of Adam Kadmon is a world, it is a level so sublime, pure and transcendent that that it is almost imperceptible. It cleaves to and mirrors the original Infinite Light.
In Kabbala, the world of Adam Kadmon represents the transcendent will of G‑d. G‑d's desire for the Creation and how it is manifest are planned out in one broad, all-encompassing overview, without separation into specific details. This is called the machshava kedumah, or "primordial thought" of Adam Kadmon. The primordial thought functions as the blueprint for all of Creation.
In the world of Adam Kadmon everything is seen in one broad overview, but the exact details are not yet separated and ordered into the categories of reality. All the details of Creation, from the beginning of space to the end of space and from the beginning of time to the end of time, are all superimposed in this one thought, for, in Adam Kadmon, there is no concept of space and time whatsoever. There is as yet no inside and no outside, no up and no down, no before and no after. There is only a potential for these limitations. Everything is undefined, unified, and simultaneous. Here lies the root and source of all the other planes of reality, which descend from Adam Kadmon.
As the light descends from Adam Kadmon, it breaks up into ten individual qualities...
It is clear that the succeeding levels of Creation, i.e. the series of worlds which descend from Adam Kadmon, particularly the lowest world, cannot possibly exist within the parameters of the existence of Adam Kadmon. Everything in Adam Kadmon is undefined, unified, and simultaneous, superimposed in a single primordial thought, which contradicts the very idea of worlds in the sense that we understand them, as limited being which presupposes separation and division. Subjectively, in terms of our awareness of G‑d, the world of Adam Kadmon parallels the highest source of consciousness in man. It is the awareness of total unity with the Infinite Light.
The first step in bringing about the separation and division necessary for creating the lower worlds, is by "breaking" the unity of the light as it is in Adam Kadmon. As the light descends from Adam Kadmon, it breaks up into ten individual qualities or attributes (sefirot, sefira in the singular), which act as separate independent points of light. Each of these points is an extremely powerful concentration of light as it descends from Adam Kadmon. These are called the sefirot of Tohu, which means "chaos" or "disorder". The world of Tohu is not included in the scheme of the five worlds mentioned previously, by virtue of the fact that it shattered and does not exist as a stable plane of reality.
The Sefirot of Tohu
It will be explained later that sefirot generally constitute the inner structure of each of the worlds, somewhat like the bones give shape and form to the body; however, in Tohu ("chaos" in Hebrew) this is precisely what is absent. The sefirot of Tohu are absolutely independent of each other and form no inter-relationships with each other. Thus there is no order and no structure. Moreover, each sefira in Tohu is the manifestation of only one absolute and quintessential aspect of the light of Adam Kadmon, and therefore it does not interact with the other sefirot, since they have nothing in common.
A consequence of this lack of interaction is that none of the sefirot of Tohu are able to limit the activity and expansion of any of the other sefirot to a level in which all the sefirot can function together. Therefore none of the sefirot can endure the activity of any of the other sefirot. This results in the disintegration, or "shattering" of the sefirot of Tohu.
The separateness brought about by the shattering of Tohu is rectified in Tikun...
Scripture hints at this process in describing the succeeding kings of Edom:
"These are the kings who ruled in the land of Edom before any king ruled over the Israelites [representing the rectification of Tohu as will be explained shortly]. Bela son of Beor became king…died and was succeeded as king by Yoav…Yoav died, and he was succeeded as king by Chusham….Chusham died, and he was succeeded…" (Gen. 36:31-39)
Rabbi Yitzchak Luria explains that this refers to the sefirot of Tohu, each of which rules exclusively, and then shatters and "dies".
Nevertheless, the shattering of the sefirot of Tohu is no coincidence, nor does it signify a flaw in the creative process. On the contrary, it serves a very specific and important purpose: to bring about a state of separation or partitioning of the light into distinct qualities and attributes and thus introduce diversity in creation. However, because the ultimate purpose of creation is not to remain in a state of separation and diversity but rather to achieve unity and harmony, the separateness brought about by the shattering of Tohu is rectified in Tikun, meaning "rectification", "restitution", or "reformation". Tikun signifies the syntheses and re-unification of the diversity and fragmentation introduced by the shattering of the vessels of Tohu.
¶ World 4 - Atzilut
The highest and most perfected level of Tikun is called the world of Atzilut, the world of Emanation. The word Atzilut in Hebrew derives from the word etzel, meaning "close to" or "near". The world of Atzilut is "close to" the Infinite Light, even though it is not united and identified with it to the same degree as the world of Adam Kadmon.
The word Atzilut also means "to set aside", "take from", or "draw down", for the light of the world of Atzilut is, so to speak, "taken from" and "drawn down" from the world above it, the world of Adam Kadmon.
At every stage of devolution of the Infinite Light, an additional factor of limitation is added. The dimension and limitation that is added in the world of Atzilut is the aspect of inner structure. Adam Kadmon is unstructured and so tightly bound together that it is impossible to distinguish top and bottom, inside and outside, beginning and end; in Atzilut, however, the dimension of internal structure is added. In fact, the entire concept of internalization, of immanence - as opposed to transcendence - is first evident in the world of Atzilut.
In the world of Atzilut there is a distinction between lights and vessels
Atzilut is thus the first plane, or world of immanence, of structure. In the world of Atzilut there is a distinction between "lights" and "vessels" —called orot and kelim, respectively. This is not a separation between the lights and vessels, for the lights and vessels of Atzilut are integrally bound up with each other. Nevertheless, there is a distinction between them. One aspect is recognizable as light and another is recognizable as the vessels which contain and limit the light.
A simple analogy: in an initial flash of insight, the "eureka" of sudden inspiration, one has not yet had the time to analyze and interpret the original insight and sort it into the appropriate categories of understanding. The inspirational idea is felt. It is present. However, the potential to analyze, interpret and understand the inspiration, hasn't been conceptualized yet. In our analogy, the world of Atzilut corresponds to the structuring of the idea and the process of understanding it. In more technical language, this is the forming of vessels for containing the original unformed light.
The amount of light revealed depends on the capability of the vessels to receive
Obviously, the amount of light revealed depends on the capability of the vessels to receive that light, just as the degree to which a person understands an idea is dependent on his intellectual capabilities. The original idea (an analogy for the light) and the understanding of it (an analogy for the vessels) are integrally connected — for the idea is grasped only according to the level of understanding. They are, nevertheless, two distinct things. It could be, in our analogy, that the person doesn't understand the original idea; accordingly, what he doesn't understand remains in a transcendent state, beyond his intellectual capabilities. Light is grasped (i.e. internalized or made immanent) according to the ability of the vessels to receive it, just as an idea is grasped (i.e., internalized or made immanent) only according to the ability of the person to understand. In other words, the quality of light drawn down corresponds to, and is dependent on, the receptivity of the vessels. In the world of Atzilut the correlation between lights and vessels is about as perfect as it can be without the vessels actually disappearing, as they do in Adam Kadmon. The vessels in Atzilut exist, but they are nullified to the light.
This is how we would define the world of Atzilut — there is internal structure, and the light becomes immanent; i.e. the light drawn down from above becomes structured and ordered. In our analogy — the idea becomes understood perfectly.
The World of Tikun
This is why the world of Atzilut is called the world of Tikun, which means "rectification" and order. This is because in Atzilut the light becomes ordered and structured, according to the capability of the vessels to receive it. The vessels of Atzilut are as capable of receiving light as vessels can be before disappearing into oblivion. Thus it follows that structure in the world of Atzilut is neither a hindrance to, nor an obscuring of, the light, as it is in the lower worlds. In this sense, the world of Atzilut is still a world of non-being, a world of thought, since the vessels are nullified to the light.
Note: the concept of structure will be explained where we discuss the sefirot, the emanated lights and vessels below. There it is explained how actual existence comes about through the vessels, not through the lights.