Kabbalah

The Astrological Origins of Hanukah and Christmas

On December 21st, the Winter Solstice, millions of Jews and their non-Jewish friends who just like to play with fire, will light the first candle of Hanukah.

Besides the fact that people and spell-checkers all around the world argue on what is the correct spelling of Hanukah, the holiday represents the christening of light, and the birth of a new cycle of light.

This year, Hanukah, Jewish version of the Holiday of Light, will begin December 21st, right on the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, the day we encounter the least amount of light. It is a very auspicious synchronicity that Hanukah, the celebration of light, begins at the sunset of the darkest day of the year. From December 21st for the next eight days, Jews around the globe will light one more candle each day, thus helping light vanquish darkness. It is a ritual of light, a ceremony that is designed to put us at one with the heavenly cycles. It can be viewed as sympathetic magic – by lighting the candles we bring light, love and happiness into our life. The rabbis instruct us to place the candles in the windows so that everyone can see the light growing every night. So the question is: why do we celebrate Hanukah – the Holiday of Light at the darkest time of the year? Is the origin of Hanukah historical or psychological? Read More

No on Prop 8 - Without Sounding too Negative

The Astrological Remedy for the Economy – Add More Taurus!

We have just moved into Scorpio, the sign of death and transformation. If you are feeling some slight winter blues then don’t take it personally, the trees, nature and the earth herself (at least her Northern side) is there with you, shading the old and preparing for a renewal. It is in Scorpio that we celebrate Halloween, a celebration of death and transformation, a festivity of magic and spells. It is this time of the year that the Celts have insured us, we have the ability to look through the veils and see the other side. Who knows, maybe that is why the election in the US always takes place in the midst of Scorpio as to facilitate change and transformation. This email though will be dedicated to the opposite sign of Scorpio – Taurus

At last we are over the Mercury retro in Libra. It has been a rather intense period of time. The scales of Libra swung violently and the place where we saw it the most was in the stock market. 8 days of the worst slide in 7 decades and then on October 13th the highest rise in 75 years! My friend Evi Orologas send me this link from CNBC mentioning the Mercury Retro and its association to the financial situation. Economist are so desperate to explain what is happening in Wall Street that they are not afraid to be seen flirting with Astrology…
http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=875316256

While Libra is governed by Venus the planet associated with money, it is the other sign ruled by Venus, Taurus, that is considered to be the zodiac archetype associated with money and finance. It is not surprising that when the market is doing well it is called Bull market and when it is sleeping it is called Bear. The symbolic logic of astrology tells us that if Taurus rules astrology, by connecting to that sign we can enhance our moneymaking abilities and attract abundance into our lives. Astrology asks us in times of recession to become a Taurus and do what we can to embrace that archetype.

So how do we do it? Read More

The Zen Question of the Presidential Debate

“What don’t you know and how will you learn it?”

I watched the Presidential debate hoping it will generate some ideas, thoughts, associations etc, something to write about or comment. But nothing. The political ping pong went on and on going someplace close to nowhere. It felt to me like both candidates could not say what they really wanted and therefore resorted to slogans, repeated statements and recycled jokes. I would like to suggest a new type of debate where the candidates are forced to take a truth drug before they begin. I promise the network much higher rating and America a better future…

But like in any good story, there was a twist at the end to save the day. The last question came from the internet. I love it! It is as if this collective body of knowledge, this cyber entity called www came up with a question. Tom Brokaw warned the candidates that the question had a somewhat “Zen like” koan quality: What don’t you know and how will you learn it. I think the internet is living up to its name. The internet speaks a binary language of yes – no, true – false, 1-0, no wonder it produced a question that is both true and false and illogical in its logic. If there is something the candidates do not know, how will they know it? And if they do not know what they do not know, how could they possibly know what they need to learn? But that was not the question. The internet came out with a rhetorical question which can be rephrased: Do you two guys recognize the fact that there are things you do not know, and if so, are you OK with that? Both candidates failed to answer the oracle of the internet. But, an interesting chain of events and synchronicities followed the question. Senator Obama started answering the obscure question by referring to his wife, Michelle, who was sitting dressed in a Republican red dress. Hmmm, I thought to myself at last, the plot thickens… Read More

Astrology & Symbolism of the Presidential Candidates Part 2

Astrology & Symbolism of the Presidential Candidates Part 1

Power of Names II

Before I begin, happy Equinox! On Sep 22nd, we officially started the introversive and feminine part of the year. We are asked to mimic nature, shed off what we do not need and let go of our masks. This will help us become more intimate with ourselves and others. It is a wonderful time for insights, meditations, self discovery and study. Mercury is going retrograde from September 25th to October 15th. You know the drill, watch what you sign, don’t make major purchases and be careful what you say, write or communicate.

In this SpiriTalk, I would like to continue the subject of the Power of Names by analyzing the names of the Presidential candidates. I will start with the Republican nominees Sarah Palin and John McCain and next SpiriTalk work with the Democratic elected Joe Biden and Barack Obama. Read More

Power of Names

In the book of Genesis we read that once God finished his creation, he politely asked Adam and Eve to name the animals and plants. Since an early age I wondered how come Adam and Eve chose such complicated unpronounceable names such as Agathis Australis etc. That query put aside, names are considered to be of out most importance in many spiritual traditions. In Kundalini Yoga, the yogini starts her practice with the chant Sat Nam, which roughly translate to “truth is my name.” In Judaism, God is many times called Ha’Shem which means “the name.” Many traditions assert that our names contain our destiny, the DNA of our soul. In other words, our name can tell us where we came from, where we are as well as our destiny. Our names tell a story which takes as much time telling as our years on earth. Our names’ tale begins in conceptions and ends with our final breath.

While our name might change, add or subtract letters, shift, morph, misspelled or mispronounced, it will always serve as a lighthouse that shows the way even in the darkest most turbulent nights. In the introduction to Cosmic Navigator, I share the story of how I followed the meaning of my name all the way from Israel to the US and how it helped me connect to Astrology, Kabbalah, Yoga and everything that I am today. Read More

Bad is the New Good – Meditations on HellBoy

The tagline “Believe it or not, he’s the good guy,” started a train of thoughts that eventually lead me to this Spirit Talk.

The line is from the poster for the new film of master storyteller, Guillermo del Toro, Hell Boy. The poster depicts an image of what appears to be a red demon, an image that could have been taken from a manual used in the Middle Ages by clergy to identify devils and demons.

The poster actually counted on the fact that we might not believe he is the good guy. Immediately I thought about the graphic novel I am currently reading called Lucifer. In that story, the fallen angel takes residence in Los Angeles after retiring from running Hell. As you get to know the unlikely hero, you cannot help falling for the charming Devil and identifying with him. He is kind of intriguing, deep, and multi-dimensional. Common notions up until a few decades ago, would have made me a Satanist for reading such a thing. Read More

ABC EyeWitness News - Gahl Sasson and Kabbalah

ABC EyeWitness News - Gahl Sasson and Kabbalah