Are mystical practices commonly found in perennial philosophy to be considered idolatry (as in, a breaking of one of the prime commandments of Abbrahamic spiritual currents)?
There are a range of mystical practices which could be considered idolatry. From the purely mental (contemplative) to utterly concrete (tangible offerings, alters, amulets and mezuzahs, and shrines) and a wide variety in between (contemplation of tangible things, from the more subtle like the Tarot, to the more gross like natural phenomenon in light of animism). To understand what qualifies as idolatry, we need to first define idolatry, which is not as clear as one may initially think.
It is intuitive that idolatry would be bad in that it misleads one’s devotion or reverence toward ungodly things. The Hebrew refering to idolatry translates literally to phrases like “wind and confusion”, “carcasses”, and “a lie” as seen in the below Wikipedia excerpt.
The English word “idol” in translations of the Bible may represent any of several Hebrew words. In the commandment “You shall not make for yourselves an idol”, the word is pesel, indicating something carved or hewn. In subsequent passages, pesel was applied to images of metal and wood, as well as those of stone. Other terms, such as nēsek and massēkâ, massēbâ, ōseb, and maskit also indicate a material or manner of manufacture.[13]
Some terms represent the consistently negative moral view with which idols are portrayed by the Bible.[14] For example, idols are referred to as “non-God,”[15] “things of naught,”[16] “vanity,”[17] “iniquity,”[18] “wind and confusion,” [19] “the dead,”[20] “carcasses,”[21] and “a lie”.[22] Other terms are deliberately contemptuous, such as elilim, “powerless ones”, and gillulim, “pellets of dung”.[23]
via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thou_shalt_not_make_unto_thee_any_graven_image
Is there any place in wholesome spirituality for those creations which remind one of the Almighty One, or which facilitate understanding and wisdom about divinity? Consider the art and architecture associated with holy places, and for that matter consider even holy places themselves – are these not forms of worship of creations rather than the creator? It is easy enough to argue that the fine line is in worshipping the creator versus the creations, and that extravagant architecture of a church can be idolatry if the creation itself is revered rather than the creator, the Source Most High. After all, a fairly simple definition of idolatry is “he worship of something or someone other than God as if it were God” (via the Wikipedia page on idolatry).
This fine line becomes less fine when considering how we interact with various creations and hold some as holier, or more useful in spirituality, than others. The line becomes blurrier still when considering how some spiritual currents like animism revere all creations as ‘useful in spirituality’, and yet don’t hold any creations in higher reverence than the Creator.
Take, for example, the Qabbalistic Tree of Life. Considered sacred by Hermeticists and Kabbalists, and interacted with through artistic diagrams, alphabets, Tarot cards, etc., the sephiroth and paths connecting them are revered as divine archetypes of great value to the spiritual seeker. Yet built into the heirarchy of archetypes is information about there being a One, Almighty Source. Further still, Jewish Kabbalists emphasize the importance of recognizing the whole Tree of Life and its veils of nothingness as all Unified, with each part and even the entire thing being emanations (creations) of an unknowable, unified Source. With all that said, is interaction with the Kabbalistic Tree of Life to be considered idolatry? Given the logic explored above, I’d infer that it is not idolatry so long as it is a tool for remembrance of G-d and not worshiped as if equivalent or surpassing G-d.
Reminders vs. items-of-worship: this is clarified with regard to mezuzah, a prayer scroll affixed to entrances of Jewish homes as commanded, which is also perceived as an amulet protecting against archetypal evil by giving a place for G-d at the doorway. Why is a mezuzah not considered idolatry, or at what point is it to be considered as such?
Maimonedes warned that special objects (such as the mezuzah) and special prayers (such as the shema) are intended to remind people of love for God and his precepts and do not in themselves guarantee good fortune (they are not to become idols).[65]
via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thou_shalt_not_make_unto_thee_any_graven_image
The line between ‘reminders’ and ‘items-of-worship’ become less clear with certain mystical traditions. Tarot cards initially seem idolatrous based on the cultural baggage they carry, yet in practice by Qabbalists they are not so different from other methods of studying and interacting with the Tree of Life. Qabbalists will use other creations – be it visualized colors or tangible materials like plants or incense or celestial bodies – as study tools as well. Based on the above discussion about the Tree of Life, it becomes clearer that these practices are not necessarily idolatrous, as long as they’re “kept in perspective” so to speak and remain reminders rather than items of worship. When one facilitates worship with something like sacred art, the important thing is that worship is of the One Creator the art sanctifies, rather than of the art itself or the art’s sanctity.
Taking this a step further, consider again the practices of animism and shamanism. In seeking wisdom for the archetype or ‘spirit’ of a deer, is one necessarily committing idolatry? By worshipping the deer or symbols and rituals associated with it, it does fit the script of idolatry. But what of merely respecting the deer and other objects as equals, peers in the animistic perspective, humble under the One, Unified Creator?
In a number of places the ancient texts assert that God has no shape or form and is utterly incomparable; thus no idol, image, idea, or anything in creation could ever capture God’s essence.[32] The narrative in Deuteronomy 4[33] recounts that when the Israelites were visited by God at Mt. Sinai at the time the Ten Commandments were given, they saw no shape or form and this is stated as a reason why any physical representation of the divine is prohibited – no idols of humans, animals, or heavenly bodies were to be made. Rather than use an idol, God chose to reveal himself in words, by working through people, and by working in history.[34]
via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thou_shalt_not_make_unto_thee_any_graven_image
As with much in mysticism, intention and humility matters a great deal. The same gross practice can be sanctifying or damning depending on those qualities.