Kabbalah in Spain |
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The medieval city of Toledo is set in the heart of Spain on a rocky hill overlooking a bend in the Tajus River. Its skyline is dominated by the Alcazar, a castle palace built on the base of a Moorish fortress, and the great Gothic Cathedral whose spires assert the power of the Church. However, the old Moslem and Jewish quarters with their courtyards, markets, mosques and synagogues tell of a time when the three cultures existed harmoniously together. Traces of this epoch are not only to be seen in arabesque arches, Hebrew inscriptions and Castillian coats of arms, but in Toledo inhabitants. Their faces reveal Celtic, Roman and Visigothic ancestors as well as Arab, African and Jewish forebears. The past is still with us, to discover. Spain was major area for Kabbalah in the Middle Ages. It was here, where the Christian, Moslem and Jewish civilizations met, that the classical form of Kabbalah was born. Out of these conditions, an amalgam of of philosophy and mysticism, came the reformulation of the ancient Merkabah esoteric tradition that was to spread out from Spain to both the wider Jewish and Christian world. The Toledano tradition, which the Kabbalah Society continues, roots back to the then capital city of Spain, Toledo, where a cosmopolitan atmosphere of tolerance allowed Jews, Moslems and Christians to meet and discuss their different approaches to God, the universe and the purpose of human existence. This was possible through the mode of the “New Learning” or knowledge extracted from ancient Greek and Oriental texts. Scholars and Seekers of Truth would meet at the King’s court, the university, in taverns and private houses to form various schools of the soul. During this period, Toledo was the spiritual center of Europe. The Kabbalah is the mystical dimension that underlies Judaism, Christianity and the Occult tradition of the West. It is a body of esoteric knowledge that has been passed down the generations by schools of the soul. In the course, the Teaching is presented in both ancient and modern terms so that its theory and practices become an accessible reality. For those seeking to understand their spiritual roots or find their place and purpose in the universe, Kabbalah is perhaps the door to their pilgrim’s path. The Course in the City of Toledo This began with an introductory slide show in the Maria Blanca synagogue on the history, principles and practices of Kabbalah in ancient, medieval and modern terms. It gave a general idea of the tradition and a background to what would be seen, heard and experienced. The evening ended with questions and the ceremony of the Kiddush—tthe lighting of candles and sharing bread and wine to welcome in the Sabbath. The first part of Saturday morning was an exposition of the Kabbalastic view of the origin, structure and inhabitants of the universe. This was followed by an explanation of the different levels of body, psyche, soul, spirit and the Divine within a human being. In the afternoon, the session was a ritual to experience the great journey all humanity is embarked upon in symbolic form. In the evening, an exercise in practical metaphysics gave insight into the Tree of Life, the key diagram in Kabbalah. Sunday began with an account of fate, destiny and reincarnation as perceived by Kabbalah and the ancient art of Astrology., revealing an insight into karma or “measure for measure” as it is called in Kabbalah. Then an interior exercise took us into the House of the Psyche, a symbolic picture of the mind and its current state. In the afternoon, the anatomy of a school of the soul was set out and in the evening we went on a imaginary visit back to the time of the Toledo school. This took place within the walls of the Maria Blanca, where such a spiritual institution was to be found. On Monday, we examinedthe developmental scale of humanity. In this, the various levels from the living dead up through the masses and their leaders to the saints, sages, the Messiah and beyond were set out on Jacob’s Ladder. The second part of the morning was an interior pilgrimage to the Heavenly Jerusalem upon which we sailed in the ship of the soul, glimpsed Paradise and met our inner Teacher before visiting the Holy Temple. The course ended in the evening with reflections and questions. The Tour Monday, May 17th Toledo froze in time when the capital of Spain was moved to Madrid. It still retains the street plan of the great Islamic and medieval epochs. It was here that King Alphonso the Wise in the 13th century employed Jews and Moslems to translate philosophical, astrological and other texts. It is said he was particularly sympathetic to the Jews on account of his beautiful and cultured mistress Rachel. The different quarters of the city hold various memories that have been absorbed by the buildings and images of the people who lived in that bustling cosmopolitan community of long ago. Tuesday, May 18th From Toledo across Castille, the land of castles, and into Andalucia. This frontier area was fought over by the Moslems and Christians for centuries. Cordoba began as a Roman city, but over time it became Visigoth, Moorish and then Catholic. Those periods are seen in its architecture and felt in its atmosphere, experienced strongly in moving from the Moorish part of the old mosque to the church built into its center and again in the Jewish quarter. Cordoba was the most civilized city in Europe during the Dark Ages with its palaces, university and library, public baths and street lights. Maimonides, an eminent Jewish philosopher, was born here where Moslems and Jews created a golden age of high culture. Wednesday, May 19th Seville was an important port where ships from the Orient would unload not only goods but inventions, fashions and ideas from the East, which was then more advanced than the West. This city still has traces of a Moorish and Jewish presence, even though these communities have officially gone. This is because many, not wishing to go into exile, converted to Catholicism. However, some still practised the rites of the old religion until the Inquisition tracked them down. Thursday, May 20th On to Malaga, the birthplace of Ibn Gabirol, the philosopher, poet and mystic who is part of the line which the Kabbalah Society continues. In the old Arab town full of objects from that time, one may become aware, as in the Jewish quarter, of the shades that still hover there. It was from this port many Jews and Moslems left for exile because they refused to convert. Some took the keys to their houses hoping one day to return to Spain.In the afternoon, the group travelled to Granada, the capital of the last Moslem kingdom. In the old Jewish quarter was the home of the Tibbon family of translators who migrated to Southern France and brought the “New Learning” that was to transform Kabbalah. Friday, May 21st In the morning a visit the Alhambra fortress palace of the Moorish Kings, where the exotic halls and chambers still echo momentous events. This is in contrast to the gardens of the quiet summer Palace. If one is alert, the veil of the past might be drawn back to glimpse the harem’s way of life. It was at the bottom gate of the Alhambra that the weeping Moorish King surrendered his keys to Ferdinand and Isabella so ending over six hundred years of Moslem rule. The afternoon was a free period until the farewell dinner in the evening. Saturday, May 22nd Some flew from Granada to Madrid for transatlantic and UK flights. Others went to Malaga airport for European destinations. Each person carried home some remarkable experiences and memories besides a deeper understanding of Kabbalah.
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Kabbalah in Spain