Da-at: Sensuality and Intuition Beyond Hanukkah
Many people are aware that in Kabbalah there are ten sefirot, representing different aspects of God, but there is actually an eleventh attribute that is not talked about so much, but which I think is very important! This is Da-at דעת, which literally means “knowledge”, but I see it more as “sensuality” – an important aspect of our lives that, like Da-at, sometimes gets overlooked.
Now, to be fair, there are differences of opinions among kabbalists as to whether Da-at is one of the sefirot (excluding Keter so there are still ten) or something else, but this debate is irrelevant to the matter at hand.
Da-at is a gift that is always present within a person, to be revealed (like all divine attributes). It is classically recognized that all emotional characteristics originate from Da-at, symbolized in the biblical phrase: “And Adam knew his wife Eve” (Gen 4:1).
The sefirot are traditionally arranged in columns, and Da-at is placed in the center column in between Keter (desire/will) at the top and Tiferet (beauty/truth/harmony) in the middle. The three “upper” sefirot, with Keter at the center, are called the “intellectual” sefirot, and the lower ones, with Tiferet in the center, are called “emotional”, so that places Da-at as a synthesis of the intellectual and emotional. Da-at is a gateway to deeper dimensions of understanding.
Sefirot are also imagined as parts of the body. In this paradigm, Da-at corresponds to the brainstem which extends to the center of the brain and acts as a bridge between the rest of the brain Keter and the spinal cord Tiferet (Sefer HaBahir, 155). I also see Keter as identity, so we can say that Da-at connects us to our intuition.
Sensuality is related to physical sensations, but it also has an internal aspect, an anticipation of the physical, and this is where Da-at comes into things. It is experiencing your deeper self, which (since we contain a divine spark) is infinite and therefore perfect. In a transcendent way, it is uniting your self with the external world, a conscious merging of inner and outer worlds. You are remembering there is only One.
This state can be cultivated throughout the day through the choices we make when it comes to making decisions, big or small with a feeling of coherence. It means slowing down, feeling our inner harmony, and responding to it. It is a balance between strength and vulnerability; between order and spontaneity.
The sefirot and their functioning represent a flow of creative energy; therefore, we make choices to feel in harmony with all the energies flowing in our lives. We can remember that we are fundamentally sensual, whatever that may mean to us at any given moment.
We can slow down our thoughts to engage with our sensuality. This allows us to link our identities to harmony and inspire us with greater intuition. May you always feel the interconnectedness of intellect and emotion; internal and external by being mindful of the sensuality that is always part of you.
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I talk about this more in my upcoming events and writing so feel free to get into contact.
