Shamanic Trance in Modern Kabbalah

Jonathan Garb author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:The University of Chicago Press

Published:20th May '11

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Shamanic Trance in Modern Kabbalah cover

Bringing to light a hidden chapter in the history of modern Judaism, "Shamanic Trance in Modern Kabbalah" explores the shamanic dimensions of Jewish mysticism. Jonathan Garb integrates methods and models from the social sciences, comparative religion, and Jewish studies to offer a fresh view of the early modern kabbalists and their social and psychological contexts. Through close readings of numerous texts - some translated here for the first time - Garb draws a more complete picture of the kabbalists than previous depictions, revealing them to be as concerned with deeper states of consciousness as they were with study and ritual. Garb discovers that they developed physical and mental methods to induce trance states, visions of heavenly mountains, and transformations into animals or bodies of light. To gain a deeper understanding of the kabbalists' shamanic practices, Garb compares their experiences with those of mystics from other traditions as well as with those recorded by psychologists such as Milton Erickson and Carl Jung. Finally, Garb examines the kabbalists' relations with the wider Jewish community, uncovering the role of kabbalistic shamanism in the renewal of Jewish tradition as it contended with modernity.

"Garb draws on strong textual analysis to advance his thesis that Jewish mystical ideation is shot through with techniques and imagery that fit the definition of shamanic trance. Shamanic Trance in Modern Kabbalah represents a monumental step forward in the psychological analysis of mysticism, shamanism, and altered states." (William Parsons, Rice University)"

ISBN: 9780226282077

Dimensions: 23mm x 16mm x 2mm

Weight: 539g

288 pages