An infinitely practical vade mecum for Kabbalistic healing work

Kabbalah for Health & Wellness

From the Foreward by Colleen Deatsman:
"Mark Stavish is a fine teacher and an excellent writer. He breathes new life into the dry pages of ancient wisdom and finds ways to frame the antiquated in such a way that it is instantly useful to practitioners in the twenty-first century."

This is an excellent book for those who want to pursue a healing way based solidly upon Western Kabbalistic methods. As Deatsman writes, Stavish takes otherwise dry, obscure archaic theories and writings and lifts them out of the realm of the obtuse.

The healing methods presented in this book are very down to earth and come with enough detailed explanations so that the would-be practitioner will know why s/he is to do a certain thing, or not. However, the explanations, thankfully, do not run into overkill, that would otherwise make one's eyes glaze over.

Kabbalah is not a simple subject. And somehow Stavish finds a way of making this body of complex material accessible to the average person. That's an effort which cannot be sneezed at, as anyone who has tried to tackle the material of the Zohar can attest. What's more, taking such raw Kabbalistic material and trying to find practical ways in which to apply it is rather difficult without a scholar/mage at one's elbow.

Consider this work as the next best thing to having a well seasoned adept at your side.

All of Mark Stavish's writings are imbued with a sense of humility, compassion, and service to his fellow man (and woman!). It is rare to see all of these traits combined with genuine scholarly aptitude and a clear, unobtuse writing style.


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A Balanced System of Development

Kabbalah for Health and Wellness is similar in many ways to The Kabbalistic Handbook for the Practicing Magician by Joseph Lisiewski. I say this because even a cursory reading of it shows that the two are philosophically similar. In what looks like his second book, Mark Stavish gives a take on Kabbalah that is simple, direct, and above all, practical, just as is Lisiewski's book. The material explores how to work with the basic ideas presented in the Sepher Yetzirah: the Cube of Space, the Tree of Life, fundamental associations, and basic Path Working. In addition, he rounds out his presentation with the Middle Pillar exercise, making it relevant to his system of thought and expereince. And all this to emphasize the essential necessity of being able to demonstrate the usefulness of these ideas in the material world. Like Lisiewski's book too, Stavish insists that too many works on Kabbalah are concerned with spiritual fantasies at the expense of real world benefits - making our lives healthier, happier, and more useful. He further advocates that healing physical and psychological illnesses is one of the most direct, concrete, and simple ways anyone can begin to prove to themselves and others the reality of magic. In other words, he gives ways in which the efficacy of magic can be demonstrated. Stavish's emphasis on 'subconscious synthesis' ("subjective synthesis" as Lisiewski calls it in his three books) and developing a personal attunement to the tradition one is working in rather than simply layering it on a mish-mash of ill conceived New Age clap-trap, is something everyone needs to hear and understand if they want to make real progress in their WORK.

My recommendation: get this books, study it carefully, and apply what it says. In fact, if you think of it, get Lisiewski's too. Both are intensely practical books that WORK. You won't be sorry you did.

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