Devekut And Descent: Connecting With God

Devekut and Descent: Connecting with God By definition, the noun Devekut has several theological and mystical meanings in Kabbalistic literature. While sometimes it means “being near” or “to cleave,” the more widely known definition in Judaism is "communion with God." This connection or “communion” with God is achieved mainly during prayer or meditation before prayer using the correct kavvanot. Devekut is a highly recognized status on the spiritual ladder, which is reached after the believer has mastered the attitudes of fear of God, love of God, etc. The aspect in the divine world, according to the kabbalistic concept of the ten Sefirot, to which the mystic prays when he aspires to reach the state of Devekut, is usually the Shekhinah, the
Ezekiel is known for revealing his prophetic vision of the Heavenly Merkava chariot. In order to descend to the depths of transdimensional consciousness, a prophet must first perceive the image of the chariot. The vision of the Merkava was a prophetic secret. “Without accomplishment of walking this path, no novice would be able to achieve prophetic consciousness. In other words, revelation of the Merkava revealed that the mind of the prophet was properly aligned with the holy spiritual “frequency” and thus able to hear within the Voice of God.”2 Merkava literature refers to the ascent into the spiritual realm as descent rather than ascent. Indeed, within Merkava literature, the meditative process to ascend into the spiritual realm is always referred to as a descent and not an ascent. “Those who meditated upon the Heavenly Throne were said to descend before the Merkava, not to rise up and see it.”2 This so called descent was a descent into the unconscious mind where one was capable of entering the spiritual
Mental isolation is reached when one is able to navigate the inner space without distraction from the outer environment. If this state could be described using one word, it would be “nothingness.” While nothingness could lead to the belief that one is experiencing empty, nonmeaningful thoughts, a mystic regards this nothingness as putting God first. A true mystic regards this state of nothingness as imagining nothing but God, nothing is as important as the Creator. Much of Kabbalistic literature connects Devekut and prophecy, as they both require a communion with God. “The last phase of this development was reached with the hasidic movement, where Devekut became not only the supreme achievement of religious life but also its starting point.”3 According to Hassidism, Devekut should be a man’s focus constantly. Even while completing day to day activities and chores, God must be the center of focus. Interestingly, “Kabbalah has been called the "soul of the Torah", describing its esoteric dimensions, while Hasidism has been called the "soul of the soul", looking to the inner Divinity within everything.”4 With the Hasidistic movement came a mystical revival and a renewal of devotion to the inner