Ayamanatara on Kabbalah

Posted on May 21, 2025 by Francesca

Ayamanatara: A Lesson in Kabbalah

One of the joys of having an independent website is showcasing my wonderful students. Meet Ayamanatara, who has studied with me for a number of years.

An ardent seeker, Ayamanatara has studied with determination and respect numerous Shamanistic practices, folk magic from around the globe, Kabbalah and the Western Mystery Tradition, and major Western religions. Her practice is a synthesis of everything she has studied, from a Shamanic viewpoint that honors the masculine and the feminine, with a focus on Empowerment, Community, and Equality. It is from this place that she designs her courses, creates custom ceremonies, writes books, and works one-on-one with clients.

I asked Ayamanatara to write an article about Kabbalah. Here it is:

Kabbalah

I’ve been teaching Kabbalah for probably 15 years. I will always be a student of Kabbalah, because it’s one of those subjects that always has new discoveries for me. It’s full of endless epiphanies.

There are different ways of coming at Kabbalah. It is a form of Jewish mysticism kept sacred by the Hassidim; anyone who studies Kabbalah owes them an enormous debt for keeping the main body of work safe for centuries. Did you know that there are also forms of Kabbalah in mystical Christianity (specifically Rosicrucian) and in mystical Islam (amongst the Sufi)? I think the most common path outside of those would be Ceremonial Magic, which can be part of any number of traditions. This is the form of Kabbalah we see most of the books about, unless it belongs to a specifically religious path.

What is Kabbalah?

If you have 5 kabbalists in a room, you’ll get at least 6 opinions about what Kabbalah is. But I can tell you what Kabbalah is to me. It’s a study of everything. Using the Tree of Life as a glyph or a diagram, a person can discover the energies of creation, the aspects of themselves, and the facets of the Divine and how those relate to titanic and mythical beings and to physics itself, and a person can also use the energy of the Tree of Life to create real, measurable change in their life. Everything is interconnected, and the study of Kabbalah can help us see that. And when we can see the flow of energy, it’s empowering.

It’s also a mystical philosophy, like Buddhism. I don’t feel like it contradicts belief systems; rather it works in concert with them, which may be why each of the People of the Book religions has a thread of Kabbalah in their mystical tradition. I also see parallels with Buddhism (especially in the idea of The Middle Way) and Hinduism (within the energy centers known as Chakras). As a mystical philosophy, the teachings are designed to help the seeker have an experience of the Divine. That experience cannot be handed to you, it’s personal for each person (which is the definition of mysticism). I (or any skilled teacher) can give you the tools to get there, though.

My Own Path of Kabbalah

I come to the broad table of Kabbalah via both Ceremonial Magic and Shamanism, with some religious scholar flavorings. I realize that the Tree of Life, which to me is a blueprint of everything, is going to relate to a lot of different things, especially magical practices. And, conversely, Kabbalah helps me organize information into manageable parts, so it helps me relate to the world as a whole.

Because of who I am and the path that my life has taken, my connection with Kabbalah is also very much flavored with my keynotes of Empowerment, Equality, and Community. That means that my mysticism seeks to create a level playing field. I try to avoid gendered terms – I do talk about the Feminine and Masculine Divine, and about Gods and Goddesses, because those are real and gendered. When it comes to energies, I am more gender neutral. For example, instead of referring to the outer pillars as masculine and feminine, which is a pretty common practice, I talk more about push and pull, or active and passive/receptive, or as being boundaried vs chaotic. Just like humans have a spectrum to who they are, so does energy. Pigeonholing an active force is dissonant to me, whether it’s the mechanism of energy or a human being. Gender is a social construct anyway, so I try to step out of that, to give my students a more precise understanding of the polarities without preconceived notions.

How to Find Your Own Path of Kabbalah

There are books you can read about Kabbalah, although I have found that they’re frequently dense and hard to get into if you haven’t studied any of it yet (and sometimes even if you have). Some of the ones that aren’t overly esoteric are too simplistic to help you have a mystical experience. There’s a group here in Los Angeles which holds regular meetings or services, and some people really groove on them; I find them very heady. Having an in-person teacher does give you an experience the written word cannot (in-person, of course, means something different than it used to). Finding a teacher with whom you resonate is equally as important. There are an infinite ways of imparting the information – you want to find the technique and the teacher that make the lightbulb in your head light up. Put the energy out there, if you are interested in pursuing Kabbalah teachings more, and the Universe will likely put the right tools and teacher in front of you.

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Francesca here:

A while back, Ayamanatara told me, “I have the same reaction when I’m sitting with you as when I’m sitting with anyone who teaches Kabbalah. I have frequent moments of inspiration about how your teachings weave with Kabbalah.”

And she has mentioned parallels between Kabbalah and the Fairy Shamanism I teach her.

This post was going to be a conversation about these similarities.

Ayamanatara’s comments about the parallels interested me. I never studied Kabbalah. I channel a lot of my lessons. It amazes me that we seekers find the same universal truths when we search.

The creative process wanders as it will. We put aside the idea of comparisons in favor of an article by Ayamanatara.

The creative process did its thing again. I realized that I could add a few parallels at the bottom of her article:

1) Ayamanatara wrote, “The Tree of Life … is a blueprint of everything.” That is similar to what I teach:

I see the Tree of Life as the Magna Mater—Great Mother Goddess. Why? Because I experience Her as all things and all powers, magical and worldly. She has also revealed Herself to me as all lessons and the path to all knowledge. Her endless power and wisdom help create miracles for my students and me.

2) Ayamanatara wrote that everything is interconnected, and the study of Kabbalah can help you see this.

Yes! I teach that my Gods are the connections between all things, every atom and empty space of the universe woven together to hold me, sustain me, and carry me toward my dearest goals. I give Shamanic tools to students that help them experience this firsthand.

3) Ayamanatara has diligently pursued her mystical education. This helps her be a good teacher. An ardent student makes an ardent teacher.

Power and truth cannot be contained in any single tradition. So I’ve spent my lifetime studying magic, spirituality, and Shamanism.

4) Ayamanatara leads her students to their own experiences.

I teach experientially. A direct experience with the Tree of Life is more transformative than mere lectures. Walking next to Gods provides more bounty and other blessings than anything else might.

My divine Mother and Father pour Their love into every plant, rock, and moment. I give lessons about how to interact with any situation to receive this love. It will come as bounty, peace, and all other blessings, including Their awe-inspiring companionship.

5) There are other similarities:
* power and complex issues presented in an accessible manner
* a focus on equality
* understanding gender fluidity, yet still using terms like Goddess
and Divine Father for Deities who are gendered.
* Most importantly, Ayamanatara is down-to-earth. If teachers who are mystics are not practical, they can be harmful. Too often, mysticism glosses over real life, offers “wisdom” that is oppressive instead of helpful, and misuses spiritual tools so that they squelch students instead of lift them up.

Mysticism needs to include an understanding of oppression and daily human needs. So mote it be!

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Peaceful Prosperity Now! So Mote It Be!

Posted on February 22, 2019 by Francesca

For me, prospering financially, emotionally, and spiritually requires fully engaging in life, not backing off from whatever’s occurring. Being human, I readily forsake the moment, but if I move into the now on a somewhat consistent basis, abundance comes, accompanied by serenity. One of my blocks to being in the moment is finding glory in self-pity. I try to avoid it, even when things are at their worst, because self-pity makes my defeat more likely. For example, when we thought I had only months to live, trying to avoid self-pity and instead committing to the moment and being of service to it allowed triumph; now I have another 20 years in me.

I want to feel my life is of epic proportion. However, I don’t want to create that feeling by constantly dwelling on my problems, making them grow in my mind, so that I view myself to be an abandoned, struggling hero.

Mind you, my problems are constant. Some are dire. And, as is the case with many individuals, there are ways I am an abandoned, struggling hero, who should be widely admired and is, instead, viewed as complaining about nothing. (Has this happened to you?) Stories of my heroic achievements despite great odds have been stolen to be portrayed as someone else’s, usually one of the very people who tried to block my goals. (Has this happened to you?) I don’t want to ignore any of that.

I do not want to dwell on any of it, though, with the gorgeous self-pity in which I, too readily and too often, indulge. Goddess, please help me not use atrocities perpetrated on me as an excuse to indulge in self-pity. Compassion for myself is not the same as the glory of self-pity.

I want a life that feels huge from the joy I experience, my awareness of my accomplishments, a commitment to live in reality good or bad, and the attempt to be fully who my Gods made me. I’m grateful my Gods give me the ability to constantly do the things cited in this paragraph. I want to do them more. More! Living myth is an ancient magic, one of the most powerful spells I know. It has not prevented all my misfortunes. Tragedy is part of life. However, living myth has made enough differences that my existence has been filled with beauty and abundance, instead of being a tragedy as a whole.

I imagine many people, like me, feel huge one moment because they’re living fully, kindly, and gracefully, and the next moment feel huge from having mesmerized themselves with a self-pitying tale that, even if true, is self-damaging when recited over and over to oneself. (There are times when repeatedly telling the same story of a problem is part of a healing process. That’s not the sort of repetition I’m referring to here. … If you view existence panoramically, a constantly repeated, self-pitying tale is part of a healing process, but the panorama might have to provide such a widely sweeping view that we’re looking at that self-immolation in the context of a healing process that happens over several incarnations. Or, if looking at a single lifetime, every detour from healing and empowerment is part of moving toward that healing and empowerment because every step along the way to health is needed. But I want to avoid as many detours as possible, which means being honest with myself about how self-pity derails me, damages me, and makes me feel powerless so that I am deterred from taking action to stop other people from hurting me.)

I want a life that feels huge and abundant because I face problems as if I have a sword in one hand and a tea cup in the other. I’ll deal with the problems with sword or tea cup, depending on which is most suited to the problem meeting me. If I only use the sword, I’ll hack away 24/7 until my life is shredded to ribbons. Sometimes, I can best solve a problem by sitting down and savoring a cup of tea.

I want to be a mythic, mystic, enchanted servant—to the Gods, the Tree of Life, all its inhabitants, and my oh-so-flawed-yet-perfect-and-beautiful self.

I will have peaceful prosperity now! So mote it be!

Note: if you don’t see how my above thoughts are related to having peaceful prosperity or having it now, trying to figure that out is a shamanic ritual. Even spending two minutes trying to figure it out will move you toward peaceful prosperity, whether you can find your answer or not. I’d love to hear from you about how that goes. If you already see the relationship between this essay and peaceful prosperity now, and apply it in your life, please tell me the results.

Rabbit Magic: an Easy Prosperity Spell

Posted on September 5, 2017 by Francesca

This morning, I intuitively chose a talisman to wear, without knowing why it was the right one for the day ahead. A while back, I’d made the talisman out of Angora fibers (otherwise known as rabbit fur), Cormo, which is one of the softest wools in existence, some other fibers, and two glass beads. (In case it’s hard to see in the photo: the three center beads are ones I made out of fibers, and on each side of them is a glass bead. If memory serves, I spun the cord entirely out of bunny fur.)

Later today, while on my physical therapy walk through the woods, I meditated on what the talisman had for me today. The first thing that came to me was the gentleness of rabbits.

The second thing that came was a new chant Rabbit sent me. I really enjoyed using it, but apparently it was meant just for the moment because, when I arrived home from the forest, I couldn’t remember the exact chant. What I did manage to hear from Rabbit, once I had my iPad to type on, was another, really solid version to use henceforth.

Like the original, this version is silly, fun, and singsong. I believe these traits feed magic.

Instructions: recite the chant while you’re walking. Or if you’re in a wheelchair, roll along. If you’re laid up in bed, perhaps you can move a finger or some part of your body a little bit in rhythm to the chant. If not, no problem, your spirit will automatically move to the rhythm of the chant.

Don’t rush the words or shout them. Just say them in a natural, easy-going manner, at a natural pace, enjoying the fun of singsong.

If it feels comfortable and unaffected, you might want to slow down the three lines that repeat at the end, but if so, probably slow down just the tiniest bit. And for those lines, don’t suddenly get loud, majestic, ceremonial, or the like. Still just have natural fun.

The ritual consists of saying the chant once or saying it three times (the repetitions happening right then and there, as opposed to spacing them out over time).

After you’ve finished the recitation, you can consider the rite finished or repeat the rite once a day for a week, whichever feels right. Then return to it again later if you need another prosperity boost.

You don’t need to add any special magical techniques for this chant to work, just the simple instructions above. However, if you personally feel the need to add certain techniques, do so. The same goes for protection: if you feel like this rite should be done in a magically protected space, do so. Myself, I set up a spell that always has me in protection, wherever I go. Someone else might not need that.

The chant mentions the World Tree. “The World Tree” means the Divine as it manifests in everything in existence. Well, it means a lot more than that. However, to do the chant, the simple definition here is sufficient. I should tell you, though, the definition I provide here is not one everyone uses. The World Tree is a deeply esoteric reality, which means definitions widely vary.

Rabbit Magic: an Easy Prosperity Spell

Hippity hoppety, hippity hop,
abundance comes and never stops
coming to me.
La la lee,
money and goodness flow to me.

Hippity hop, it’s easy to leap
over road blocks to what I need.
Hippity hippity hippity hop,
gently gently as I walk,
all I need will roll in now.
The World Tree holds me in its boughs.

Hippity hippity lala lee.
As I will so mote it be.
As I will so mote it be.
As I will so mote it be.

One nice thing about this rite is that, after I did it once a day for a week, little snippets of its words—or just its cadence without its words—would occasionally sing in my head. That was lovely because it cheered me up and made me feel optimistic about getting what I needed. For one thing, it helped me feel the Tree of Life (Tree of Life is another term for World Tree) was taking care of me—that I was part of the magic I believe pervades the entire universe. That doesn’t need to happen to you for the spell to work, but if it does, it’s a wonderful experience and a good sign.

Upcoming Teleseminar

Posted on February 5, 2014 by Francesca

Update: This class has been rescheduled. I hope our starting it a few weeks later than intended, and moving it from Thursday to Friday, makes it possible for you to attend this extraordinary event, since it won’t occur again for three years.
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Sleep and Other Gods—Applied Pantheism; Life as a Fey-Druid

Nurture your ability to hear Nature’s music. Join its song to heal and empower self, Gaia, and the Tree of Life.

Safe and Powerful, digital painting, Francesca De Grandis. 2013

For decades, I’ve practiced what I’ve privately defined as Applied Pantheism or Faerie Taoism. I share these personal terms now, because I want to teach more of my Druidic material to fellow seekers.

My loving, protective Gods seem to arrange a flow whereby special people visit this site. So, though some people glibly choose pantheism to avoid inner growth or spiritual rigor, I think you’re like me—wanting the full pantheistic possibility. I created this curriculum for you.

The written word can’t describe oral tradition lessons. And the attempt makes the lessons sound shallow or easily gotten elsewhere. Or what you already know. Or it sounds like hype. Nevertheless, I’ll give a few examples of what we’ll address:
* Relaxed, easygoing interaction with plants, stones, and animals, for guidance, nurturance, company, and mutual aid
* Your innate—but possibly untapped or not completely used—ability to find soul nourishment in Fey realms
* The exact pantheist modalities you personally need for maximum inner transformation
* Courage to serve community joyfully (even when “haters gonna hate”).

This teleseminar is suitable to entry-level beginners and adepts.

Nuts and bolts:
* These are group meetings by phone. To participate, just dial the phone from anywhere.
* The class meets seven consecutive Fridays, noon to 1:00 E.S.T., starting Friday April 11.
* Reserve Friday, May 30, same time, for a makeup class in case I’m unavailable for one of the planned sessions.
* Tuition is $250. Your usual long-distance charges apply, and appear on your phone bill. The event’s area code is a U.S. #.
* Register online at http://www.well.com/user/zthirdrd/specialevent.html
* Or pay by check or money order.
* Upon receipt of payment, I email you event phone number, etc.
* Scholarship and work trade available. Refunds unavailable.
* Call me—814-337-2490—for more info or to discuss scholarship, trade, or payment plan. Do not email me.
* Participants are personally responsible for the consequences of their voluntary participation.

Want to be immersed in the immense love available through applied pantheism? Register now.

Blessing #2 and Gratitude

Posted on April 5, 2012 by Francesca

Detail, Faerie Landscape, Outlaw Bunny

As the relaunch of this site approaches, I pray to all gods I hold dear, World Tree, the lines which I come from and which I create, and the rest of my Faerie crew, please keep safe and bless this site.

Please keep safe and bless all who support this site through their direct work on it or simply by visiting in good cheer.

Please keep safe and bless me and mine, all my work and all my life.

May this site be maximum fun and beauty, helping cosmos, my Gods, Tree of life, the lineages I come from and which I create, the rest of my Faerie crew, and all beings stay safe, whole, ecstatic.

May this site be maximum service, helping all be safe, whole, ecstatic.

Keep me and my work in your light
that my own light be bright—a beacon.
May all I do and am be a shining beacon
for those who should see it—not a beacon to me,
because I am too frail to carry anyone,
but a beacon leading people to Divinity, as they see it,
that they be loved so fully as to be stardrenched.

May I shine bright in joy.

May I shine free from harm.

May I shine hidden from anyone who’d try to
extinguish my light or otherwise harm me and mine.

May all for whom I am the right spiritual guide find me.

May this site create abundance for me and tribe.

May this site and all my work
be a welcoming hearth to star-dusted travelers.

May all I do here be according to the Divine Will.

Thank you. So be it.

Dear visitor, a bit of the above blessing is adapted from an earlier prayer I wrote on my other site.

On another note: Humbled by blessings in my life, I had to paint this banner to express gratitude. It hangs in my kitchen. I put it here to send thanks into the universe, to you who bless me—this includes a site visitor who blesses me simply by a single good-willed visit here, whether now or any time since the 90s when the site started.

It is such joy to love my gods, ancestors, and the rest of my community—the joy of loving a blessing itself.

I feel excited wonder about all the blessings this site has received during our revamp of it, so want to share about that in upcoming blogs.

Thank you for visiting.

Kathi, my webmaster. I painted it in gratitude for and homage to this amazing woman

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