By Kristin Erekson  |  December 13, 2006

Mike "Zappy" Zapolin with actor Ethan Hawke. One of the cards in the "Ask the Kabala" set..

Newton man deals out some mysticism

A local businessman is using a deck of cards to bring some mysticism into the lives of Bostonians.

Michael "Zappy" Zapolin, 40, of Newton has joined forces with the world-renowned health guru Dr. Deepak Chopra to promote their joint project, the "Ask the Kabala Oracle Cards."

The pair met a few years ago through a common friend at Harvard Business School; in talking they quickly discovered their mutual belief that the practice of mysticism helped them to achieve success. Together, the two tapped into their spiritual sides creating the oracle cards.

Featuring a 137-page guide and 22 cards illustrated with the Hebrew alphabet, the mini-Kabala kit aims to show how the mystical tradition – turned pop culture trend – can deepen a person’s life and improve patters of behavior.

Zapolin, the chief visionary officer of Internet Real Estate Group LLC in Boston, and Chopra, founder of the Chopra Center at La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, Calif., teamed up Alys R. Yablon, a freelance writer and book editor, to produce the handbook, published this year.

"Sharing is the utmost tenant of Kabbalah," said Zapolin, a consultant to celebrities, business leaders, and politicians, helping them to infuse their life with kabbalistic energy.

"[This kit] now gives people the opportunity to explore and meditate," he added.

Zapolin said that he became involved in the spiritual practice in 1995, after coping with an enormous amount of stress from working in the marketing industry. Though he grew up attending Hebrew schools, Zapolin noted that he "never felt great about the traditional things rabbis were telling" him. But once he learned about kabbalah, it "lit a fire inside" him, he added, and it helps make his life less chaotic. By following the "less is more" mantra, Zapolin left the fast paced marketing field for a career creating internet brands.

"I am making more money than I ever have made before and I have less chaos on my hands," he added.

By combining their marketing dollars, Zapolin and Chopra have recently posted advertisements for their oracle cards in California and are preparing to bring billboards to the Bay State by the end of the year.

"Success in its broader context is the progressive realization of worthy goals, the ability to love and have compassion and to be in touch with the creative source within us," said Chopra in an email to the Advocate. "The [kabbalah] cards are a tool to explore the deeper realms of our personal and collective consciousness and thus to enhance our intuition and creativity."

For more information about "Ask the Kabala Oracle Cards," click here.



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