This book explores the sophisticated insights into consciousness and the mind that may be found in the Kabbalah, and the value of bringing the lens of modern psychology to the study and practice of this ancient path of mysticism. But this is not a book only about individuals and their spiritual paths; the larger context is the “shadow” of the Western mind that, so argues Lancaster, continues to play an unconscious role in catalysing many crises we are experiencing today.

The shadow stems from events in ancient Israel at the beginning of the Common Era from which the religions of Rabbinic Judaism and Christianity emerged. These two religions brought worldviews and ideas about the sacred that fundamentally conflicted with each other, with the result that, as it gained political and cultural ascendancy, Christianity projected its shadow onto its “parent,” Biblical Judaism. In addition to having devastating consequences for Jews throughout much of European history, this rift continues to haunt the Western psyche. Lancaster argues that a Kabbalistic psychology can play a central role in healing the rift.

This book will be essential reading for anyone interested in a psychological approach to Kabbalah, scholars of Western religious history, and practitioners alive to the inner dimensions of social change in cultures shaped by the Western heritage.

B Les Lancaster is a Founding Director and Academic Dean of the Alef Trust, a non-profit Community Interest Company that has become an international leader in holistic and online education. He is Professor Emeritus of Transpersonal Psychology at Liverpool John Moores University and Honorary Research Fellow in Religions and Theology, University of Manchester, UK. He has previously served as Chair of the Transpersonal Psychology Section of the British Psychological Society, as President of the International Transpersonal Association, as a Board member of the Association for Transpersonal Psychology, and as a committee member of the Consciousness and Experiential Psychology Section of the British Psychological Society. His research interests focus on the cognitive neuroscience of consciousness and the connections between this topic and mysticism, focusing especially on Kabbalistic psychology. His published books include The Essence of Kabbalah and Approaches to Consciousness: The Marriage of Science and Mysticism. In over 50 journal articles and chapters in edited books, he has explored the relevance of kabbalistic ideas and practices to contemporary psychology. In addition to his writing and lecturing, Les has been a contributor to BBC radio.