# Contemporary Mitnabot Practices ## Introduction: The Mitnabot and Us Broadly speaking, I am imagining that we are initiates into the mystical school of the Mitnabot. In this spirit, we will not only reconstruct the ideals of the Mitnabot, we will engage in their practices. As you read below, look out for invitations to engage in the practices. The more you engage yourself personally, the deeper into the world of the *mitnabot* you become. Of course, you will decide for yourself whether you are an initiate, an academic observer, or something in between. Please feel free to participate in whatever way you like in the spirit of experimentation. I see my own Jewish religious practices as in keeping with the *mitnabot* in regard to prophetic practice, mystical symbolism and politics. These are practices with which I have been engaged for many years, before the *mitnabot* were discovered. The situation is a bit more complicated in regard to the cultic practices. I find these fascinating, and have begun to experiment with them. However, unlike the other areas, I'm not familiar with any received Jewish tradition as to how to practice the *mitnabot*'s cult. Perhaps you will figure it out. Each of the five practices is grounded in an existent Jewish text known outside of the story of the *mitnabot*. Inside that story, four of the texts were known only as medieval Kabbalistic texts by Avraham Abulafia and the circle of the Zohar until the discovery of the *mitnabot* cavern revealed that they were copied from ancient inscriptions. The fifth text is that of the prophet Isaiah who spoke out against family evictions in the 8th century BCE. In the *mitnabot* cosmere, he worked closely with the prophetesses in opposition to family evictions in ancient Jerusalem, and his words on this subject express their shared vision. ## Entering the Divine Name Entering the divine name involves the prophetic practices taught by Rabbi Avraham Abulafia: [[The Prophetic Practice of the Mitnabot]]. We'll also explore scholarship about ancient Israelite practices such as standing stones, sacred trees, altars, incense and sacrifice. ## Connecting to the Sefirotic Tree This practice involves understanding and encountering the power of the Zohar as a language of mystical experience. We will focus in particular on the symbolism of the Tree of divine overflow. We'll also explore Tree of Life imagery in the ancient Canaanite-Israelite world. I think there are elements of their practices and symbolism create powerful synergy with the medieval symbolism of *ein sof* and the *sefirot*. ## Envisioning the Hebrew Goddess In *tiqqunei ha-zohar*, the latest layer of the zoharic corpus, there is a powerful and subversive vision of the Hebrew Goddess. I believe that this text unlocks the gate to a lost Jewish-Israelite tradition of Goddess worship. On the chest of the Goddess is a Tree of Life. The Tree of Life is also a symbol of the ancient Israelite Goddess Asherah. Worship of Asherah, or of cultic symbols associated with her such as the asherah and asherot poles, stood at the center of Canaanite-Israelite religious identity and worship. The violent destruction of the cult of Asherah among the Israelites, by the same forces that preached genocidal supremacy and religious intolerance more broadly, represents an ancient wound that we have yet to heal. By uncovering Asherah worship, and connecting it to the symbolism of the Hebrew Goddess in the Zohar, we will return the Hebrew Goddess to Her rightful place at the center of the Israelite-Jewish cult. Envisioning the Goddess is a spiritual practice, like prayer more generally, directed towards entering and experiencing Her presence. ## Speaking the Language of Faces ![[Under Construction PNG - Free Download.jpeg|50]] Speaking the Language of Faces The Face of the Ancient One Facing the Genocidal god ## Witnessing the Oppression of Families in Silwan / Ancient Jerusalem Isaiah 5:8 Batan Al-Hawa