The River of Light: Spirituality, Judaism, Consciousness

This is a lovely book about Jewish mysticism but written so as to be useful to anyone interested not only in understanding Jewish mysticism (or the spirit of Kabbalah) but also in valuing and understanding mysticism and relationships with the Divine in general. Kushner has a great deal of sensitivity and creativity in his representations. He has also written "Honey from a Rock" which I have yet to read. There are several fine quotes in the book that I've added to my collection: p. 18 Disgust and dread are the sorts of feelings we frequently marshal to conceal deeper layers of our psyche. "If an element appearing in a myth or in a dream belongs to a much earlier phase of development and is not part of the conscious frame of reference at the time of the final formation of the myth, this element often carries with it the quality of dread and awfulness." Quoting Erich Fromm p. 108 Humanity, one might say, is the organ of consciousness in the universe. We are the result of consciousness's desire to become aware of itself. As Jung observed, "If the Creator were conscious of himself, he wouldn't have needed us." Being speaks of and listens to itself through humanity... Of course, there is no consciousness in the universe without humanity. Humanity is the organ of consciousness in the universe and for this reason we hold our Creator hostage; without our eyes the Holy One of Being would be blind. Insensate.