The bridge to nothingness
gnosis, kabala, existentialism, and the transcendental predicament of man
In The Bridge to Nothingness, author Shlomo Giora Shoham explicates myth as a projection of human experience. Human development dynamics, according to Shoham, are represented by myths and reflected in religious creeds. Myths constitute projective evidence of the development of psychic processes at early orality; they at once reveal and conceal their psychological content. In this work, Shoham deals with ideas that are common to Gnosticism, Kabala, and existentialism, irrespective of their historical interrelationships. He compares the Heideggerian notion of the thrownness of the individual into the world with the Gnostic teaching of the divine descent and incarnation, the incarceration of the divine in objects and life forms. All three ideologies speak of God as the spiritual core of human being. Union with God is unachievable, but one can achieve symbiosis with God and humanness through creativity and revelation. The author's integration of psychology and mythic symbolism is stimulating: The Bridge to Nothingness is filled with deep psychological and spiritual insights. His portrayal of kabalistic thought is perceptive and erudite. He makes use of the latest scholarship, and more importantly, what he says will contribute to the field and provoke discussion and debate. His sensitivity to the dynamics of mystical experience enables him to see clearly its positive dimension. Very little has been written on the interface between Gnosticism, Kabala, and psychology. Shoham's work is original, provocative, and insightful; The Bridge to Nothingness will break new ground in these studies, and enrich the understanding of psychological and religious symbolism.
