Non-Jewish Kabbalah
Authentic or Not?
Will Parfitt
There is no orthodoxy in Kabbalah despite some (usually Jewish) Kabbalists
trying to assert there is. Mystical and esoteric practitioners in most religions
hold views at odds with the orthodoxy and Kabbalah is no exception. The
idea, as some assert, that all Kabbalistic ideas outside of Judaism may
be dated to the rise of Christian Kabbalah, mainly during the early renaissance,
and that there is no evidence of any continuous Kabbalah tradition outside
of Judaism is ludicrous. Indeed, to suggest that all developments of Kabbalah
that are not within Judaism are unreal or corrupt is a one-sided and bigoted
position. In reality, many of developments within Kabbalah since the early
renaissance have happened because of non-Jewish interest in a system that
clearly transcends any specific religious belief.
Because a tradition has different streams within it, to assert that one
is authentic and another not so reveals biased opinion not factual evidence.
Thank God and Goddess that the Kabbalah is beyond such limited and partial
positions. Kabbalah has always had a pragmatic side and the proof of the
pudding is in the eating. My Kabbalah teachings are an attempt to transcend
fundamentalism and make a rich and rewarding system available to both Jews
and non-Jews alike.
Will Parfitt is a UKCP registered psychotherapist and an experienced
and innovative group leader. Trained in Psychosynthesis, he has more than
forty years experience of working with psychospiritual development, and
travels internationally to run courses on a variety of subjects including
kabbalah and psychosynthesis. Will is author of several books
including 'The Complete Guide to Kabbalah', 'The Something and Nothing of Death', 'Kabbalah:The Tree of Life' and 'Psychosynthesis: the Elements and Beyond.
