On Sacred Magic

Part 6, Sacred Magic in Judaism

Before turning to wrap up this series with a critical summing up and appraisal, I wanted to step a way from Christianity to make some observations about sacred magic within Judaism. Mainly because I think the Kabbalistic vision of sacred magic creates and expands an ontological imagination that isn't common to Christianity, and it also provides a bit of a proxy for comparison, what it might look like to integrate sacred magic into an Abrahamic religion.

In the Zohar, the seminal text of Kabbalah, and later interpreted by the preeminent teacher of the tradition, Isaac Luria, God creates—and continuously sustains—the world through Divine Light, power, and the emanations of the Ten Sefirot. The Sefirot function as channels of this creative energy, forming a structured blueprint for existence, including the human soul. This divine pattern can be recognized in daily life, guiding both cosmic order and human spiritual growth.

The Ten Sefirot possess relationships among themselves called the Tree of Life. Diagrams of the Tree of Life abound online. Here is one:

I won't get into why Da'at is included in the Tree, but the Ten Sefirot are those in the solid circles. They are:

1. Keter – Crown

2. Chokhmah – Wisdom

3. Binah – Understanding

4. Chesed – Loving-Kindness

5. Gevurah – Discipline

6. Tiferet – Glory

7. Netzach – Victory

8. Hod – Splendor

9. Yesod – Foundation

10. Malkhut – Kingdom

Again, God is continuously creating the world through these divine emanations flowing down and through creation. Think of these as ten channels of power flowing through the world. Kabbalist practice involves bringing these powers into proper balance and expression in the world and within oneself. The balances between the Ten Sefirot are numerous. There are balances between the three vertical lines of the Tree of Life: the right Pillar of Mercy (Chokhmah/Wisdom, Chesed/Loving-Kindness, Netzach/Victory), the left Pillar of Severity (Binah/Understanding, Gevurah/Discipline, Hod/Splendor), and the central Pillar of Balance (Tiferet/Glory, Yesod/Foundation, Malkhut/Kingdom). There are also balances between triads of Sefirot: the Intellectual Triad (Keter/Crown, Chokhmah/Wisdom, Binah/Understanding), the Emotional Triad (Chesed/Loving-Kindness, Gevurah/Discipline, Tiferet/Glory), and the Practical Triad (Netzach/Victory, Hod/Splendor, Yesod/Foundation). These triads are also balanced among themselves from top/higher to bottom/lower.

According to Kabbalistic tradition, when God emanated the Divine Light it flowed into the finite vessel meant to contain it. Since the finite vessel could not hold the infinity of the Divine Light, it shattered, scattering the Light into creation. This is called "the breaking of the vessels." Due to the breaking, the world is comprised of fragments of Light, which are concealed within material existence. The goal of Kabbalistic practice is tikkun olam, the "repair of the world." To repair the world is to gather and restore the scattered fragments of the Divine Light, allowing the Light to shine more fully. The Tree of Life, and the balance it displays, provides the guidelines for this work of repair. Currently, the Divine Light is obscured and fragmented, but through study, contemplation, ritual action, and righteous deeds, the vessel of the world is mended, and the Ten Sefirot are brought into harmony. This allows the Divine Light to shine more clearly in creation.

I bring up Kabbalah in this series, as an example of sacred magic in Judaism, to makes some observations about sacred magic in the Christian tradition.

First, I want to highlight the ontological vision of Kabbalah, the Ten Sefirot and how these powers create, govern, and flow through the material world. This notion--channels of sacred energy structuring and flowing through the cosmos--isn't common to Christianity. In light of this vision, one of the things I've highlighted in the last few posts is how the word "magical" does something different from "moral" and "symbolic." Kabbalah is a nice illustration of these contrasts. In Kabbalah, moral action in the world isn't simply moral from a juridical perspective—God as a divine judge deeming actions "good" or "bad." Rather, moral action is a practice of sacred magic in that it attunes one to the divine flow within creation (the Ten Sefirot) and helps bring those forces into harmonious balance (the Tree of Life). And it's precisely this ontological aspect of Kabbalah, attuning to flows of sacred power/energy in the world, that can tip Kabbalah away from sacred magic into occult magic.

Second, related to how Kabbalah gets pulled into occult practices, Kabbalah is a place where we can observe the pros and cons of introducing sacred magic into a religious tradition. Kabbalah, as a practice of sacred magic, is a rich, profound, and integral stream within Jewish life. But Kabbalah can also tip into hokum, self-indulgence, and occult misappropriation. There are a lot of people into Kabbalah who aren't practicing Jews, the same way people practice yoga who aren't Hindu, meditate who aren't Buddhists, or burn sage when they are not Native Americans. For these spiritual-not-religious practitioners of Kabbalah, the magic tips away from the sacred to become sorcerous, a magical technology I use to satisfy my own wants and desires. This would be, we might say, the "Prosperity Gospel According to Kabbalah." Similar to how witchcraft is a version of the prosperity gospel. And yet, and here's the point I want you to appreciate and ponder, when practiced within orthodox Judaism Kabbalah is called the "heart and soul of Judaism," Judaism's mystical and enchanting spirit.

All that to say, Kabbalah within orthodox Judaism is something to look at when it comes to integrating Biblical faith with the category of sacred magic, for both good and ill. We can see how Kabbalah, as sacred magic, vivifies and enchants Judaism, but also how Kabbalah, as sacred magic, can be misappropriated and misused.