Experiencing G-d (also, afterlife)

[Corina]

Hi to everyone,

I'm curious to know what it means to experience G-d for a Jew (or even a non-Jew, for that matter). Some religions focus on direct communion with their divinity by magic ritual, others through meditation or through energies felt throughout the body; some rely on miracles to prove themselves. Judaism has it's one "mystical" branch, the Kabbalah, but I rarely, if ever, hear any Jews talk about successful magic or any sort of direct divine intervention in their lives, despite the fact it's such a popular topic in our skeptical modern world.

Also the afterlife, the most important aspect of a religion (for me, at least, and for many people I know) is hardly ever discussed. Jews treat mourning and the burial rituals very seriously, but I rarely read anything meant to reassure believers of life after this life.

(Lately, I've been having a serious existential crisis, I'm not sure what I believe in anymore, if I even believe in anything; my father is Jewish though and he's the only non-atheist in my family and, like me, he's also scared of death, so naturally, I'm seeking ways to comfort him and myself through faith, but I'm stumbling on a wall of skepticism that I'm trying to break. All help is appreciated).

Thanks!