Prophetic Kabbalah and letter permutation (Abulafia)

Domain XIII · Contemplative & religious disciplines · Abraham Abulafia · Saragossa, Aragon

What it is

Abraham ben Samuel Abulafia (born 1240 in Saragossa, Aragon; died after about 1291) was a Spanish kabbalist who travelled to Acre, Capua, Barcelona, Greece, Rome, Sicily and the island of Comino. He studied Maimonides' Guide of the Perplexed in Capua with Hillel of Verona and later taught it to…

Format

• No source gives session counts for this work; length follows the presenting problem.

Who practises it, and how they are trained or regulated

• Preparation. Abulafia's path presupposed Torah learning and philosophical training in Maimonides' Guide and Sefer Yetzirah. It was taught orally and in writing to selected disciples. His Otzar Eden Ganuz (written in Messina in 1285 for a disciple) lists his students and places, and in Hames's reading it records "far more records of failure than success".

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Does it involve any substance, plant preparation, remedy or supplement? Has your doctor or prescriber been told, especially about any medication you take?
• Does it involve intense or unusual breathing? Have you been told about the medical conditions for which that is not advised?
• Does it involve fasting, a special diet or 'detox'? Have you discussed this with your doctor?
• Is it a group, retreat or community? How do they respond if someone wants to leave or raises a concern?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• Mixing traditions in ways the client does not want. It is working when the client has a practice that fits their values and is safe.
• Flashbacks, numbness or time loss after practice. It is working when the client can practise or pray while staying present, or chooses to step back.
• Fear, secrecy toward family, financial strain, and the client's loss of their own judgement. It is working when the client can think freely about the relationship.
• The client treating you as a spiritual authority, or your own religious views pulling you to promote or discourage the practice. It is working when the roles stay clear.
• Collusion against the client, a teacher who discourages medical care, or the client feeling outnumbered. It is working when the client gets consistent, role-appropriate support.

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.