goddessing

A month ago, I read about the death of the world's "Senior Kabbalist Elder," Rabbi Yitzchak Kaduri. 105 years old, Rabbi Kaduri died in Jerusalem on January 29. He was clearly well-known, well-respected, and well-loved. More than 300,000 people participated in his funeral -- one of the largest-ever funerals in a city apparently known for large funerals.

I read about the Rabbi's death in the Arutz Sheva, the Israel National News. A month later, I'm still stimulated by the story, the man, the tradition. Though we didn't hear about the Rabbi's death in the mainstream press, clearly it was a passage of historic proportions and international interest. Religious news just doesn't make a splash compared to the news of politics, or sex.

Rabbi Kaduri was a family man, a book-binder, a teacher. He was also, by definition, a mystic -- the elder practitioner, in fact, of an institutionalized mystical tradition within a mainstream world religion. Kabbala is, of course, the religious mystical system of Judaism. While it originally referred to Jewish Oral Tradition and the full body of publically available Jewish teaching, it now refers to esoteric studies -- of the nature of divinity, of the origins of life and the universe, of the laws of nature -- and to "the path by which adult religious Jews can learn these secrets." [wikipedia]

Many Pagans study Kabbala, attracted to the esoterica, the path-working. Most Pagans I know never use the word "mystic" or think of "mysticism" per se as part of their/our religion. I never took to Kabbala, but I experience Paganism as a highly mystical religion. Or perhaps I should say I practice a "religious mystical system" of Paganism.

Early in my priestess path-working, "mystic" was the term and energy that came to mind when I thought of defining my path. I met some stiff opposition to this identity and still don't hear much talk of "mysticism" from Pagans. I find that strange. We're variously comfortable with Kabbala, shamanism, trance dancing, ceremonial magic, walking between the worlds, and other mystical practices and traditions. We just don't seem to like the word "mystic" or be willing to embrace it as a core facet of our religion, even though Paganism is nothing if not experiential religion. We hear, touch, smell, see, taste deity. We experience the sacred in ritual, in the woods, and at the office. We study the laws of nature. We believe that we co-create reality. What's not mystical about any of that?

Within Judaism there are laws, histories, well-specified observances and practices that are about daily living and communal life. What to eat, when to eat it, how to prepare it. Which prayer to say when. What to wear. When and how to celebrate passages into adulthood. How to maintain proper hygiene. How to deal with disputes, divorce, death. In such a wide-reaching religious tradition, it must make sense to have a system that focuses exclusively on the mystical.

Without centuries of established tradition, without well-discussed tomes dealing with social issues, perhaps we Pagans don't talk about mysticism because Paganism doesn't separate the mystical from the daily. Pagan practice, from self-blessing to herbcraft to scholasticism to covening is, in fact, a mystical path. Like Kabbala, Pagan practice takes us to the mysteries within and without.

I appreciate Rabbi Kaduri and Judaism for giving me an immense religious image across which to reflect on Paganism and Pagan mystical tradition.

We Pagans, like most religious people, are aware of and think about what is variously referred to as the end times, the world to come, the spiritual evolution of humanity, the end of the Mayan Calendar and its prophecied New Consciousness for the Renewed World. Given what's happening in the world today and especially the rise of religious-based politics and conflict, this part of Rabbi Kaduri's experience caught my eye:


Stunning news, at least to me. And credible, as far as I am concerned. While we Pagans are uncomfortable with prophecy, Rabbi Kaduri worked in a religious tradition that empowered him to see and name something/someone no less important than the Jewish Messiah himself.

Which Pagan among us might be deemed credible enough to make a similarly momentous declaration and have it respected by a large portion of Pagans, if not all of us? The answer for now, I think, is no one. We lack the length, depth, and breadth of tradition our Jewish sisters and brothers have.

What is a Pagan Mystical Tradition? I've been contemplating this for 15 years. I have a couple of answers: 1. It is the core of all Pagan practice, no matter whether we call it mysticism or not. 2. At this stage in our religion's development, there is no such thing.

Here are a few clues for consideration from the practice of Rabbi Kaduri:



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