University of Tennessee, Knoxville TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 8-2011 The Phenomenology of Everyday Experiences of Contemporary Mystics in the Jewish Traditions of Kabbalah Priscilla W Levasseur [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss Part of the Other Religion Commons, Philosophy Commons, and the Psychology Commons Recommended Citation Levasseur, Priscilla W, "The Phenomenology of Everyday Experiences of Contemporary Mystics in the Jewish Traditions of Kabbalah. " PhD diss., University of Tennessee, 2011. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/1093 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a dissertation written by Priscilla W Levasseur entitled "The Phenomenology of Everyday Experiences of Contemporary Mystics in the Jewish Traditions of Kabbalah." I have examined the final electronic copy of this dissertation for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, with a major in Psychology. Sandra P. Thomas, Major Professor We have read this dissertation and recommend its acceptance: Debora R. Baldwin, Gilya G. Schmidt, Brent Mallinckrodt Accepted for the Council: Carolyn R. Hodges Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School (Original signatures are on file with official studentecor r ds.) The Phenomenology of Everyday Experiences of Contemporary Mystics in the Jewish Traditions of Kabbalah A Dissertation Presented for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree The University of Tennessee, Knoxville Priscilla W. Levasseur August 2011 ii Copyright © 2011 by Priscilla W. Levasseur All rights reserved. iii In Memory of Francis Xavier Levasseur Beloved Husband iv Acknowledgements The professors at the University of Tennessee who have served on this dissertation committee deserve the most thanks and recognition for their extremely helpful guidance and patience during the process of the writing of this document. They are Howard Pollio (who has been my mentor and former chair for years prior to his retirement), Professor Emeritus in Cognitive and Consciousness Psychology; Sandra Thomas (my current chair), Professor and Coordinator for the Doctoral Program in the Department of Nursing; Debora Baldwin, Associate Professor in Health Psychology; Brent Mallinckrodt, Professor and Director of Counseling Psychology; Gilya Schmidt, Professor and Director of the Jewish Studies Program in the Department of Jewish Studies; and Ralph Hood, Professor, Psychology of Religion and Philosophical Psychology in the Department of Psychology at The University of Tennessee in Chattanooga who was an important advisor during the early stages of this research. Others at the University who contributed their time and intelligence were all the members of both phenomenological research analytical laboratories who contributed boundlessly with the analyses of the transcribed interviews of my participants. Much gratitude is owed you. Thanks. Several spiritual friends were the sounding board for my thoughts and support for the anxieties that naturally arise as one confronts a large task such as this. These friends who are also my teachers of a different kind are Jean Hunt, Angelyn Bales, Joan Harrigan, Swami Chandrasekharanand Saraswati, Samuel Avital, Carol Redmond, Jane Cicchetti, Alice Beers, Rabbi Yossi Refson and his wife Sarah, Sharon Washburn, Bhakhang Tulku Rinpoche and the members of the Shiwa Center for Peace. I would have to write another book to note all the gifts these kind and gracious people have given me. In addition, a large ‘thank you’ goes to v Janet Collins for her expert assistance in the preparation of the final interview transcripts. Deepest appreciation goes to Tim Callaghan who did more than he knew in helping me when I was in despair of ever finishing this part of my life. Of course my brothers and sisters, Copes Wannamaker, Joy Kirchoffer, Leland Wannamaker and Tracy Loggins have been wonderful in supporting the completion of this project. We have been through the loss of both parents during the time I’ve been back in school. A large thank you goes to them, their spouses and all nine of my nieces and nephews. Before they died, my parents gave their blessings to my returning to school. I am grateful for all the unexpected love demonstrated by these, my family. Another death was much closer to my heart than even those of my parents. Last spring my husband of 20 years, Francis Xavier Levasseur, died after several years of dealing with cancers and complications due Agent Orange exposure that occurred when he was a soldier in the U.S. Army during the war in Viet Nam. He, more than anyone else, encouraged me to follow my dreams. He abided my absences while I was away at school, and he uplifted me when obstacles lay in my path. Because of his illness, I left my schoolwork and my friends in Tennessee to care for him. On account of that, I was amazed when the Psychology Department at the University of Tennessee allowed me to return after several years to complete this last year in my doctoral program. Their making this exception to school policy was a miracle. James Lawler, Department Head, and Connie Ogle, his assistant, gave me a great blessing by successfully asking the Assistant Dean of The Graduate School, Kay Reed, to give permission for my return. This work would be unfinished and lost in the wind without their help. vi Lastly, I would like to thank each of the participants in this study. They have given of not only their innermost, personal experiences but also many hours of their valuable time. I am eternally grateful. To all of you I voice my appreciation for being such powerful forces in my life. This whole process has been transformational. I wish that your influences could shine through my writing as they shine through my life. All of you are the most amazing people I have ever met. Thank you. vii Abstract This phenomenological study was conducted in order to understand the everyday experiences of contemporary mystics in the Jewish traditions of Kabbalah. This author could find no available information about psychological research of this topic in psychological, educational or psychiatric databases. She used the applied phenomenological methodology of Howard Pollio and the Research Groups at the University of Tennessee. Interviews were conducted by this author with eight volunteer, living, adult participants who lived throughout the United States and ranged in age from 37 to 60+ years. These mystics were found through various means after they had described themselves, by their own definitions, as mystics in the Jewish traditions(s) of Kabbalah. There were six men and two women who participated; four were Jewish and four were not. The interviews ranged from one to three hours in length, were recorded, and later transcribed for confidential analyses. After analyzing the results, the Ground of the participants’ experience was determined to be Being Aware. The Thematic Structure of the participants’ everyday experiences of living with their mystical events and processes contained six themes: 1) Divine/Sacred, 2) Receiving/Calling/Gift, 3) Knowing/Realizing, 4) Practices/Body, 5)Developing/Stages, and 6) Struggling: Self/Others/World. Implications for this study suggest that the everyday experiences of these mystical participants are different in many ways from everyday experiences of non-mystics. There is some support for the ideas of spiritual intelligence, spiritual giftedness, consciousness advancement. Appreciating intuition, higher emotional states, and the deeper, yet usually hidden parts of human experience, along with learning to identify and support young people who are having mystical experiences is a worthwhile goal for psychologists. viii Keywords: phenomenological psychology, contemporary Jewish mysticism, Kabbalah, everyday experiences, spiritual giftedness, spiritual intelligence ix Table of Contents CHAPTER 1 .............................................................................................................................. 1 Literature Review of Mysticism............................................................................................. 1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 1 Definitions of Mystics and Mysticism in General ............................................................. 1 Judaism and Mysticism .................................................................................................... 14 Short Description of the History of Jewish Mysticism within Jewish Traditions............ 19 Jewish Mysticism Compared with Jewish Rationalism ................................................... 22 Where is God in All of This? ........................................................................................... 26 God as Buber’s “I-Thou” or “I-It” ................................................................................... 26 How Mystics Experience “I-Thou” Relationships with God ........................................... 27 God and the Hebrews ......................................................................................................