Within the great intellectual currents of our time, Lawrence Kushner discerns the river of light: consciousness-a passageway for what begins in the shadows of the dream, surfaces in a moment of rare and striking vision, and illuminates the world with fresh vision.

The River of Light is a manual for all spiritual travellers who would attempt a spiritual journey in our times. It is a guide to the meaning of self-discovery and scientific inquiry. It demonstrates that we stand at the frontier of a new spirituality. Taking us step by step, Kushner allows us to discover the meaning of our own quest. He points the way for us 'to allow the river of light-the deepest currents of consciousness-to rise to the surface and animate our lives.'

'...a very important book, applying Jewish concepts to contemporary living in particularrly creative and suggestive ways...'-Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz, Jerusalem Kabbalist and Talmudic scholar

'Philosophy and mystical fantasy...exhilarating speculative flights launched from the Bible...Anybody-Jewish, Christian, or otherwise...will find this book an intriguing experience.'-The Kirkus Reviews

'...Rich, bright, mystical and intellectual in one...and a wornderful window for Christian readers into Jewish spirituality that is both rooted in the tradition and transcends it by depth...'-Krister Stendahl, Former Dean of the Harvard Divinity School and Bishop of Stockholm

'All those who enjoyed Lawrence Kushner's Honey for the Rock will plunge into his River of Light and emerge from it enchanted: The author's imagination is matched only by the reader's desire to enter the hidden world of their common mystical memory.'-Elie Wiesel

Lawrence Kushner, author, lecturer, spiritual leader, is regarded as one of the most creative religious writers in America. For over twenty years, he has focused people of all faiths on spiritual renewal with wisdom and humor.

His acclaimed books include Honey from the Rock: An Easy Introduction to Jewish Mysticism; The Book of Letters: A Mystical Hebrew Alphabet; and Invisible Lines of Connections: Sacred Stories of the Ordinary. Rabbi at Congregation Beth El in Sudbury, Massachusetts, he is on the faculty of the rabinic school of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, and is a commentator on National Public Radio.

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.-Neal J. Pollock

Contents

Foreword
Introduction
Abraham's journey: A legend
1 Like ones in a dream
2 The river of light
3 The self-reflection at Sinai
4 Protoplasm of consciousness
5 The light of creation
6 Returning to nothing
7 Living in the river
Epilogue
Notes

Spiritual life--Judaism.