Rabbi Gershon Winkler discussed his work on Jewish shamanism, as well as translating and teaching rarely studied dimensions of the Kabbalah, and other ancient manuscripts which describe realities beyond the known, including the 7 underworlds and their spirit gatekeepers. One of the foundations for the Kabbalah is the Zohar, an early medieval set of books that compiled ancient wisdom and mystery teachings. The word Kabbalah means "receiving," he noted. "Mystery wisdom is something that you do not seek...but comes to you when you are open to receive," instead of having a closed mind filled with previous patterns of thought, he explained.

In the Kabbalah tradition, one can do a shamanic journey to the 7 underworlds, realms within the Earth that can be visited while in a spiritual state, and which serve to reveal aspects of the self. Each realm has a gatekeeper that requires the visitor to surrender different attributes of themselves if they want to enter. The lowest underworld has an absence of light, another has two-headed creatures; the fourth level has beings of wizardry that share information about maneuvering the physical world with physical energy, he outlined. According to the tradition, upon arriving at the end of the 7th underworld, you reach the gate of the 7th heaven, which joins the underworld in a circular fashion.

There are good spirits, and bad spirits, Winkler reported. The problem is that when people dabble unknowingly in the occult they can open a portal in which these spirits can come through. Sometimes people can get possessed by spirits of the deceased, who have trouble making the transition to Other Side. A Rabbi could then conduct an exorcism that would serve as a healing ritual for both parties and help the spirit to cross over, he said. Regarding hauntings, he noted that abandoned places can become a magnet for darker spirit entities. Winkler also pointed out some interesting similarities between Native American spirituality and Kabbalah teachings.

Seeing Angels

First hour guest, author Lorna Byrne talked about her lifelong contact with angels. When she first began to see angels as a young child, they told her to keep it secret, as people wouldn't understand. Angels actually do have wings, she revealed, though she said she doesn't always see this aspect of them. Everyone has a guardian angel, and these angels love to be around us because our souls are a speck of light of God, Byrne shared.

News segment guest: Mish Shedlock