Rabbi Steven Alan (Katriel) Fisdel (1948-2019) was the founder of the Center for Jewish Mystical Studies in Albany, California. Rabbi Fisdel had firsthand experience with both the esoteric and practical sides of Kabbalah, studying the original texts, clarifying the ideas and subsequently teaching the traditional doctrines to people of all spiritual backgrounds. In addition to serving for 12 years in the congregational rabbinate in Northern California, and also as a core faculty member from its inception at Chochmat HaLev, a center for Jewish meditation and spirituality, he was for many years a visiting scholar at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, CA. He is the author of four books: Roots & Branches: The Dynamics of the Kabbalah’s Tree of Life (2019), The Meditation Practice Within Kabbalah (2014), The Practice of Kabbalah: Meditation in Judaism (1996), The Dead Sea Scrolls: Understanding Their Spiritual Message (first edition 1997, republished 2020). Rabbi Fisdel received his BA at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and both his BHL (Bachelor of Hebrew Letters) and MA at Spertus College of Judaica in Chicago, IL. He was trained by and received his rabbinic ordination from Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi (z”l), the founder of the Jewish Renewal Movement.

Rabbi Fisdel (z”l) was a beloved teacher and brilliant scholar who in his work over decades helped many, many people “tap into the depths of self”. This book (which was developed by him originally as a four-CD course along with the Katriel Tarot deck) was intended for training others how to do a Kabbalist Tarot reading—what such a reading is designed to do and why it is so effective and complete.