My intension in learning theArizal was because I had seen in Rav Moshe Haim Lutzato [Ramhal] the emphasis on doing so. That is in a small booklet attached at the end of Mesilat Yesharim. So my intension was not  for mystic powers or enlightenment. It was simply to continue my studies in the Oral Law. However there were side effects. One was when I got to Israel, the light that shines there did enter my soul in a powerful way. Another side benefit was that many of the questions that people have on the Written Torah evaporated since the Ari explains all the verses of Torah in a mystic fashion and he considers this to be the פשוט פששט simple explanation.