THE
ARCANE
ARCHIVE

a cache of usenet and other text files pertaining
to occult, mystical, and spiritual subjects.


TOP | RELIGION | JUDAISM | KABBALAH

9611.qabalah.tn

To: alt.magick.moderated,alt.magick.tyagi,alt.magick,alt.divination,alt.magick.order
From: tyagi@hollyfeld.org (nigris (333))
Subject: The Qabalah
Date: 16 Nov 1996 23:51:12 -0800

49961008 AA1  Hail Satan!


rjc@plaza.ds.adp.com (Rick Crowell):
#I have seen many books about the Cabala (such as 777) but I have never
#seen the Cabala itself.   

usually it is heard or conceptualized, not seen in a strict sense.  the
book _777_ is a composite of Qabalistic information, inclusive of a table
of correspondences ('777' proper) begun by Knorr von Rosenroth, continued
by Aleister Crowley in an attempt to mesh global conceptualizations and
language to a numeric tridecameter centered in Hebrew letters and 
numbers (together totally 32 in number), which are heavily featured in 
any system, some favoring Hebrew, some other languages/cultures.


#Does it exist as a book? 

there are books called things like 'The Cabala' (various spellings).
some will claim that their particularly favored book constitutes the
entirety of the Cabala, though others would dispute this and there 
are Jewish and Hermetic traditions which appear to contradict this.

 
#I looked up the word Cabala in a dictionary and found the following
#defintion: An occult theosophy of rabbinical origin, widely transmitted
#in medieval Europe, based on an esoteric interpretation of the Hebrew
#Scriptures.  

not detailed but respectable.


#This isn't clear if it's an actual book or not.  

usually it is not, though it does have to do with particular books within
the traditions of its manifestation, and it may participate within the
unusual notion that the cosmos is such a Book.


#If it is a book then who wrote it and when? 

I'm not the ceremonialist on this list.  you ought to get more detailed
answers from those who are Hebrew-fanatics (which I am not).  when seeking
information about the Cabala, try books like 'The Sephir Yetzirah', 'The
Zohar', books by Isaac Luria, Halevi and Scholem for starters.  this is
in part what is valued within the Kabbalah or Jewish mystical tradition
("rabbinical").  beyond this, you may find books by Dion Fortune ('The
Mystical Qabalah') and other Hermetics like Regardie ('A Garden of
Pomegranates') or Frater Achad (Jones; various, ask Sr. Lillyth)  to 
be valuable.  this is what is popular in the Qabalah or Hermetic-
Christian mystical tradition ("theosophic").

the first books I mentioned are ascribed historical authors by some, but 
their origins are in dispute.  the timing someone can pin down who knows
the texts better than I.


#If it's not a book then what is it.  

some say that the Cabala is a kind of interpretation of the events around
one in terms of their spoken significance to the divine ('Logos').  see
the concept within Crowley and others on the 'Oath of the Abyss' for more, 
as well as letters within _Magick Without Tears_ referencing 'qabalah' for 
more liberal interpretations of the term.

literally it translates as 'spoken instruction' or 'tradition' or something.


#When someone studies the Cabala what is it they are studying.

usually when people say this they are studying the over-popularized 
ideas of people like Luria, or learning Hebrew letters or learning
the Golden Dawnian symbol-associations within what they are told is
'the Tree of Life' (a symbolic schematic which refers to something
beyond illustration and may have many different configurations
despite the dogma promoted within vulgar occult hack-houses).

some relate this tree to hidden worlds, some to systems or hoardings
of esoteric wisdom supposed secreted on 'other planes', some their
'psychic' or 'astral body' (compare the kundalini yoga ideas), some
to the entirety of the cosmos, splayed out in a multitude of symbols
for our rational minds to grasp hold of.  often we may hear people
speak of 'categorizing all known phenomena within the file system
of the Tree of Life' so as to come to comprehend the Word (of God).

others see these things as metaphors only to direct experience, and
that studying the Tree of Life (however it be constructed) is like
looking at a map of one's ideal life pattern.  orienting with respect
to that map and moving about or following through with some posited
'progression' (often enacting mythic mimicry of popular formulae)
may become the goal or 'working' or 'study'.

sometimes this involves visualization and presuming a specific
sequence of symbolic association which one may encounter in the
'astral' (imagination) realm.  some people even believe that 
experiences and revelation gained within such ritual visualizations
can 'mature their soul' or 'enhance their wisdom'.  others go
further in asserting that the instructions or reflection (what I
would call 'divination') gained through this process must be 
applied or 'grounded' in the world of the material (sometimes 
called 'Malkuth' in QBL studies).

most who make the claim are just throwing around words which we
do not understand in order to sound important and impress our
friends.  seldom are the oft-potent tools we have discovered or
stolen truly benefit us in any long-term way.

also see:	ftp://ftp.hollyfeld.org/pub/Esoteric/Web/Amgkfaq/qblref

		the alt.magick QBL REF ("Kabbalah FAQ")

blessed beast!

E6/6/6

nigris (333)
-- 
see http://www.hollyfeld.org/~tyagi/nagasiva.html  and  call: 408/2-666-SLUG!!!
 ----  (emailed replies may be posted)  ----  CC public replies to email  ---- 
 * * * Asphalta Cementia Metallica Polymera Coyote La Cuckaracha Humana * * * 

The Arcane Archive is copyright by the authors cited.
Send comments to the Arcane Archivist: tyaginator@arcane-archive.org.

Did you like what you read here? Find it useful?
Then please click on the Paypal Secure Server logo and make a small
donation to the site maintainer for the creation and upkeep of this site.

The ARCANE ARCHIVE is a large domain,
organized into a number of sub-directories,
each dealing with a different branch of
religion, mysticism, occultism, or esoteric knowledge.
Here are the major ARCANE ARCHIVE directories you can visit:
interdisciplinary: geometry, natural proportion, ratio, archaeoastronomy
mysticism: enlightenment, self-realization, trance, meditation, consciousness
occultism: divination, hermeticism, amulets, sigils, magick, witchcraft, spells
religion: buddhism, christianity, hinduism, islam, judaism, taoism, wicca, voodoo
societies and fraternal orders: freemasonry, golden dawn, rosicrucians, etc.

SEARCH THE ARCANE ARCHIVE

There are thousands of web pages at the ARCANE ARCHIVE. You can use ATOMZ.COM
to search for a single word (like witchcraft, hoodoo, pagan, or magic) or an
exact phrase (like Kwan Yin, golden ratio, or book of shadows):

Search For:
Match:  Any word All words Exact phrase

OTHER ESOTERIC AND OCCULT SITES OF INTEREST

Southern Spirits: 19th and 20th century accounts of hoodoo, including slave narratives & interviews
Hoodoo in Theory and Practice by cat yronwode: an introduction to African-American rootwork
Lucky W Amulet Archive by cat yronwode: an online museum of worldwide talismans and charms
Sacred Sex: essays and articles on tantra yoga, neo-tantra, karezza, sex magic, and sex worship
Sacred Landscape: essays and articles on archaeoastronomy, sacred architecture, and sacred geometry
Lucky Mojo Forum: practitioners answer queries on conjure; sponsored by the Lucky Mojo Curio Co.
Herb Magic: illustrated descriptions of magic herbs with free spells, recipes, and an ordering option
Association of Independent Readers and Rootworkers: ethical diviners and hoodoo spell-casters
Freemasonry for Women by cat yronwode: a history of mixed-gender Freemasonic lodges
Missionary Independent Spiritual Church: spirit-led, inter-faith, the Smallest Church in the World
Satan Service Org: an archive presenting the theory, practice, and history of Satanism and Satanists
Gospel of Satan: the story of Jesus and the angels, from the perspective of the God of this World
Lucky Mojo Usenet FAQ Archive: FAQs and REFs for occult and magical usenet newsgroups
Candles and Curios: essays and articles on traditional African American conjure and folk magic
Aleister Crowley Text Archive: a multitude of texts by an early 20th century ceremonial occultist
Spiritual Spells: lessons in folk magic and spell casting from an eclectic Wiccan perspective
The Mystic Tea Room: divination by reading tea-leaves, with a museum of antique fortune telling cups
Yronwode Institution for the Preservation and Popularization of Indigenous Ethnomagicology
Yronwode Home: personal pages of catherine yronwode and nagasiva yronwode, magical archivists
Lucky Mojo Magic Spells Archives: love spells, money spells, luck spells, protection spells, etc.
      Free Love Spell Archive: love spells, attraction spells, sex magick, romance spells, and lust spells
      Free Money Spell Archive: money spells, prosperity spells, and wealth spells for job and business
      Free Protection Spell Archive: protection spells against witchcraft, jinxes, hexes, and the evil eye
      Free Gambling Luck Spell Archive: lucky gambling spells for the lottery, casinos, and races