David Chaim Smith - Kabbalistic Contemplative Mysticism & His New Book The 32 Keys

Welcome to Occult of Personality: esoteric podcast extraordinaire. I’m your host, Greg Kaminsky. This is a very special episode! Our 200th! Returning to the show to celebrate as well as discuss his upcoming book is the one and only David Chaim Smith!

I want to say a very sincere thank you to all our listeners, guests, supporters, and friends who make doing this podcast such an extraordinary experience! Occult of Personality podcast is made possible by you, the listeners, and by the subscribers to https://chamberofreflection.com, our membership site.

Now, in episode #200, David Chaim Smith discusses his highly anticipated new book in this 90+ minute interview extravaganza. You can find David online at https://www.davidchaimsmith.com/.

"David Chaim Smith was born in 1964 in Queens, New York. His early career was as a visual artist throughout the 1980’s. In 1990 he began an immersion into the root sources of Alchemy and the Hermetic and Hebrew traditions of the Kabbalah. In 1996 he abandoned visual art for a total dedication to spiritual practice, from which came a unique blend of practical mysticism and creative innovation. This blend coalesced while working with an obscure thirteenth-century text called The Fountain of Wisdom, which he mapped out diagrammatically in notebooks during his ten-year hiatus from visual art. The resulting symbol vocabulary served as the basis for his 2006 return to art, generating the content for several books. He currently lives in the suburbs of New York City with his wife, Rachel.

"David’s latest book, The 32 Keys, will be released in the spring of 2020 by Anathema Publishing Ltd.

"This project will include a full-length book and 32 contemplation card-images. The system derives from three separate Kabbalistic sources. The first is the post-Renaissance version of Hermetic Qabalah; a syncretic system configured to support alchemical ideas and symbols. The second source is the mystical Chassidut of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov and his unique adaptation of Lurianic Kabbalah. The third source is the thirteenth-century literature of the Iyyun Circle. The Iyyun Circle material is the most important element of all because it provides the overall structure through which the other sources coalesce into a single system."

It's always a real pleasure for me to talk with David, and this time was no exception. Of all the interviews we’ve ever done, I feel that this is by far the best. Additionally, of all the books of David’s that I love, his newest, The 32 Keys, may be the best. David’s devotion to contemplative mysticism and his unwavering determination to break through barriers to his practice is exemplary. As he goes deeper in his practice, it is undeniable that his ability to articulate the path, the view, and the methods is only becoming more and more clear and lucid. I highly recommend all of David’s work, but this new book is more practical than any of his others. Watch David’s website, Facebook page, and the Anathema Publishing Ltd. website for news about the book’s impending release.

The intro music is “Awakening” by Paul Avgerinos (http://magnatune.com/artists/albums/avgerinos-gnosis?song=3) and the outro music is excerpted from “The Dream Membrane” by David Chaim Smith, Bill Laswell, and John Zorn.

In the Chamber of Reflection, David Chaim Smith and I discuss contemplative mysticism and the power of redemption. Essentially, due to David’s practice over decades, his behavior has radically improved to the point where he doesn’t seem like the same person he was when he began. How is it possible that a person can change in such fundamental ways? What is redemption? How does it happen? And can it happen to you or me? Listen to that exclusive recording at https://chamberofreflection.com.

I’d like to remind you that although you’re able to listen to this podcast at no charge, it costs time and money to create. We ask you to support our efforts and the creation of future podcasts by joining the membership section at https://chamberofreflection.com or subscribing via Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/occultofpersonality. And if you’re already supporting the show or have done so in the past – my heartfelt thanks and I salute you!

Thanks for listening and until next time . . .

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