My First Kabbalah Experience

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Why I love New York. One minute you are having coffee with a friend the next you are attending a Kabbalah lecture. My friend volunteers at the Kabbalah Centre which has celebrity clientele who attend (saw one in the elevator - sssh!) and after talking about all the negativity going on in my life she suggested I attend the lecture "Mastering Negativity." I was intrigued. While I am Atheist, I do appreciate some of the teachings religion has to offer. The "Golden Rule" is a very nice rule that people should practice no matter what their faith. However, as the lecture progressed she quickly realized that it was an advance class so I moved to the introduction of Kabbalah in another room.



They gave a quick synopsis about what Kabbalah is. It means "receiving" (literally) and the concept is about how you can't chase intangible things like happiness and fulfillment but rather you have to change your way of looking at challenges in your life. Everything has energy and we need to learn to connect with that energy. Everyone has their own challenges to overcome like anger, procrastination, jealousy, etc. and the universe sends messages (sometimes in the form of people) to deal with those challenges. It was basic basics and if you wanted to know more they recommended signing up for the 10 week Kabbalah 1 classes, or buying the cds and book.

They claim they are not a religion or belief but rather a way of life, a spiritual philosophy. The centre felt very much like a church. Someone stood on a stage and preached to the audience. They give you free lectures but you must attend certain levels of classes before understanding them so they're not essentially free since you paid a couple hundred bucks for the beginner classes. I never was a fan of the way churches or religious establishments requested money. Religion shouldn't be a profitable business (in my opinion).

I understand that many people turn to religious philosophies to find new meaning to life or to make sense of things they cannot otherwise understand but it has never really been my cup of tea. Yes, I need to remind myself that there is a lesson to be learned in every challenge and obstacle which can be hard sometimes because you get overwhelmed by all the stress and drama. However, I do not wish (or feel I need to) pay a couple hundred dollars to learn such lessons. Everyone has their own way of dealing with what life throws at them. Religion has never been one of them for me.

What are your thoughts about Kabbalah?