Qabalah Basics

[Neshamah]

Qabalah Basics

Let’s start off with a few definitions. I call what I practice Qabalah since it is taken primarily from the Western Mystery (or Occult) Tradition, rather than Kabbalah,, or Cabala, or any of the other variants. When I want to differentiate between the Qabalah and the Jewish Mystical Tradition, I call theirs the Kabbalah. Any questions along these lines will be answered gladly.

I don’t bother with much differentiation between the Practical or the Literal Qabalah. I see the practice of Qabalah as a single discipline which includes study of the Tree of Life, study of the gematria of various words, study of the relationships of words, concepts, and ideas based on gematria, but also on the correspondences of each Sephirah or Path. We’ll talk a lot about correspondences as we make our way through this class, but this is one of the more interesting aspects of the Qabalah (at least to me). For instance, the Sephirah Geburah is related to the planet Mars which rules the Zodiacal Signs Aries and Scorpio (co-rule with Pluto). The Sephirah and the planets have Archangels and Angels which are related to them, not to mention Metals, Stones, Colors, and even Scents.

You don’t have to know Hebrew to do Qabalah, but a working vocabulary is helpful. You might want to spend some time learning the Hebrew letters and their corresponding numbers (all of which goes into gematria). Sometimes when you see the words written out in Hebrew something will just “click” and you’ll have a deeper understanding than ever before. :yes:

There are a number of books on the Qabalah that are on sale these days; I don’t really recommend any one more than others – they all have their own positives and negatives. I will mention one that is back in print now that is excellent in relating the Qabalah with the Tarot; that book is Qabalistic Tarot by Robert Wang. Wang does have a Golden Dawn background, and the book is a little pricey, but I promise that you will not be disappointed in it or regret that you spent your money on it.

I’m not going to adopt one way of presenting this material; what I mean by that is that this will not be from a Golden Dawn perspective, or an Aurum Solis perspective, or any ONE perspective. I have been a member of the Golden Dawn in the past (a couple of times :rolleyes: ), but I do not ascribe to their metaphysical views on Qabalah. If you will see any kind of bias at all it might be a Rosicrucian bias, but I will attempt to keep that at a minimum. :p

We will start with a study of the Tree of Life, starting with the Sephirah and then moving to the Paths. I won’t spend a LOT of time on any one thing, unless there are questions. I will always take the time to answer questions (even if I decide to answer them via PM to keep the thread moving). I will be posting new lessons every two or three days, depending on the number of questions on each. If this looks to be too fast, I will slow things down – if it looks to be too slow, I will speed things up. It is all dependent on you and how fast you want this class to go.

I always start at the bottom of the Tree, since that is where we all begin our journey in life. So, our next class will be on Malkuth – the Sephirah called “The Kingdom,” which relates directly to our physical world. So, if you have a book, you might look ahead so you can play “stump the Teacher” (I always loved that game :laugh: ).

Oh, one more thing; we will discuss the Dark Side of the Tree, the Qlippoth (or Qliphoth) when we get to that place in the class. I don’t want to discuss Qliphothic elements while I’m talking about the Dayside Tree. There’s already enough info to keep us busy for years, we don’t need to clutter up the class by mixing Dayside and Nightside Trees. Ok?

Love, Light, and Peace,

Neshamah

[sock]

Hi Neshamah,

Really looking forward to this class :)

I just wondered if you 'rate' Duquette's 'The Chicken Qabalah' as being enough to get along with your class lessons? I have the book and have done some work with it but would be interested to hear your thoughts as to its overall suitability.

[Neshamah]

I've only skimmed DuQuette's Qabalah work, but I do have several other of his books and I find him to be honest and refreshing. I'm sure his Qabalah book will be fine - as long as you are aware that he has an extreme Crowley bias. In my opinion, Crowley's Qabalah wasn't very well constructed (he didn't know the language at all).

Love, Light, and Peace,

Neshamah

PS: Malkuth class will be posted tomorrow.

[Neshamah]

Sorry I'm running a little late today. I had a doctor's appointment and (of course) they kept me longer than was necessary (why is their time more important than MY time? :o_O: ).

Anyway, here's the first Malkuth Lecture. I wrote it up in .pdf format, since Acrobat Readers are free and most everyone has one. If you don't have one, put Acrobat Reader in your search-box and hit enter. You should have several sites from which you can download the Reader (and it should cost you nothing).

I plan on waiting a couple of days before I post the second part of this Lecture. This is so everyone who has comments and questions has a chance to post them. Please, don't be afraid to ask questions -- I don't consider any question a stupid question except the one that goes unasked. I will answer your question quickly (if I don't know the answer you'll get an "attaboy" ;) ).

I hope you learn a thing or two from the lecture. And, I hope it sparks some discussion -- that's the way we all learn, when we are engaged with one another in a good discussion. So, please, comments or questions, don't hesitate to post !

Love, Light, and Peace,

Neshamah

[Kain]

Most professional format Neshamah, thanks very much! I will read further on this and post any thoughts or questions that come up.

Kain

[Kain]

Here's a question...

When we speak about Malkuth being the Sphere of the 4 Elements, are these Elements perceived in a gross/literal sense? I ask this because they are all collectively assigned to the lowest (and thus most densely formulated) sephirah of the Tree (which also happens to correspond to the Physical Universe). From what is said so far, it doesn't seem that the Elements map the spectrum of manifestation's different densities (which, I think the Four Elemental Worlds do however, so perhaps it is a matter to be explained further on).

Another question is this: What is the "Vice" property assigned to a Sephirah? Perhaps the side-effect more prone to occur from imbalanced employment of the Sephirah in question?

Thanks Neshamah, tell me if I'm running ahead of your scheduled explanations.

Kain

[Neshamah]

Of course, we can and do experience the Elements in the physical world; and as we make our way up the Tree, into the less dense areas of the Tree, we are going to experience the Elements differently.

The Elements hold true all the way up the Tree. Even in the Realm of the Supernals one finds Fire, Air, Water, and Earth. This is why it is so important to understand (or even master) the Elements in our world. The lessons learned in Malkuth can be applied much later (say, in Geburah), even though the Elemental nature of the "universe" in Geburah is quite different than the Elemental nature of the "universe" in Malkuth.

The "Vices" assigned to each Sephirah are much like the 'sinful' expressions of that particular "sphere" of being; 'Avarice' for a world of material objects; 'Inertia' for a world of physical motion (and it will be met by anyone attempting anything creative in this world). Carried even further, to the very personification of the Vice of the Sephirah, leads us to the Qliphoth. Direct work upon these evil forces will tend to set up a polarity and an occult link with them, and this is something which must be avoided at all costs.

We will talk more about the Qliphoth after we have discussed all of the Sephirah. Until then, it is better to just mention them and move on to the next Sephirah.

Love, Light, and Peace,

Neshamah

[Kain]

Thanks for the clarifications Neshamah, much appreciated!

Kain

[sock]

Neshamah,

I'm not trying to be funny in any way, and if this is criticism, it's positive criticism.

Anyone just starting out with the ToL is going to be confused if you start at Malkuth with no background simply because they aren't going to get the concept of how or why the tree is constructed.

For example;

Ain / Ain Soph / Ain Soph Aur = 1 (Kether)

1 becomes 2 becomes 3 (self awareness) = Supernal Triad

<----------- the abyss -------------->

4 / 5 / 6 = first reflected Triad

7 / 8 / 9 - second reflected Triad

10 (Malkuth) = material plane

If someone doesn't understand that 4/5/6 and 7/8/9 are reflections of 1/2/3 (and why) then they wouldn't understand why there is no direct connection between 3/4 and 2/5 for example.

Please don't take this the wrong way because I'm really enjoying the work you've put in so far and look forward to your next installment. You just had me going back to basics to make sure I understood the rational behind the trees layout and the links eg; (1,6,9,10 : Yod-Heh-Vau-Heh)

humbly

sock

[Neshamah]

Dear Sock,

I appreciate your question, but having done this now for several years, I have found that it is easier to teach the Sephirah in detail, each in its own vacuum, if you will, before I start bringing up the relationships of the Sephirah, one with another. Believe me, there is a method to my madness :confused: and I assure you that things will become more clear as we progress in this class.

There is a Tree that does have the connections you mentioned (2 - 5 and 3 - 4). It is called the Luria Tree, named after Isaac Luria (its creator). He leaves off the three connections to Malkuth (believing that Tav was the only connection of Malkuth to Yesod). He also believed that the Paths from 7 - 10 and 8 - 10 were a Christian addition. ;)

My point being that there are many Trees, the Golden Dawn's Tree is one of them, and I believe it is the one you are referring to if I'm not mistaken. My approach attempts to be non-sectarian, and I will point out relationships between the Sephiroth when the time is right.

Love, Light, and Peace,

Neshamah

PS: My second installment of Malkuth will be posted tomorrow. Sorry for any inconveniences.

[sock]

Thanks for that. It seems that the Luria Tree (http://www.kheper.net/topics/Kabbalah/LurianicKabbalah.htm)adds a fifth universe 'Adam Kadmon' to the mix...

Looking forward to the nest lesson.

[Neshamah]

Here's the remainder of the Malkuth lecture. I'm withholding the Gematria information for now - we will discuss this in great depth when we conclude the lecture on Netzach (remember, I said there is a method to my madness ;) ).

Please, ask any questions you have. I can't answer questions that aren't asked. If there is any part of this information that isn't clear, or any part for which you would like more explanation, ask or tell me. My philosophy of education is that I haven't taught anything if no one LEARNS something. So, help me help you learn something here.

My next lecture will be on Yesod, the Ninth Sephirah, and will be posted on Wednesday, provided that discussion of this information is complete.

Love, Light, and Peace,

Neshamah

[Neshamah]

I apologize for missing my self-imposed deadline of Wednesday. I've been sick for the past 3 or 4 days and it has really messed up my schedule. I will try to have the Lecture on Yesod ready before Monday, but I promise to have it posted by the morning of Monday. Again, please accept my apologies for any inconvenience this may have cause you.

Love, Light, and Peace Profound,

Neshamah

[Neshamah]

Here's my first "lecture" on Yesod. It sets the stage for a much longer discussion of the Moon in the Qabalah, since the Moon is the mundane chakra of Yesod. The second "lecture" will discuss the significance of the Moon at length.

For this first "lecture" we are just getting some basics down, primary correspondences and the like. As usual, any questions and or comments should be posted in this thread.

Love, Light, and Peace Profound,

Neshamah

[Neshamah]

Here's the second "lecture" on Yesod. As stated earlier, it deals more specifically with the mundane chakra of Yesod, the Moon. It also introduces a couple of new ideas which will be explored in more depth as we proceed with the Sephiroth Hod and Netzach.

As usual, any comments or questions please post them in this thread. :)

Love and Light, with Peace Profound,

Neshamah

[Neshamah]

Hello Friends,

I'm posting the first installment to the Sephirah Hod. I will post the second part of this lecture in a few days.

Love and Light, with Peace Profound,

Neshamah

[Ocean]

I know this is a few lessons back, but one thing that really resonated with me when reading the "Malkuth" material was the explanation of how Qabalists see the world as the ultimate expression, in form, of the mind/will of the Creators, and therefore feel that to know, feel, and experience the world is to know, feel, and experience the Creators.
And that the puritanical view of the world being what divides us from the Creators (God) casues them to shun this level of experience.
This is how I interpreted it, at least, maybe because this is how I try to describe to others what a "pagan" truly is. It can't be defined as a belief in God or not, because many pagans are atheists. It is this feeling that the world is to be experienced and honored, and that to immerse yourself into the Earth is to immerse yourself in the awesome power of creation, because, no matter what you believe, had to start somewhere.
Also I noticed, it seems that Malkuth, the world, is regarded as female in essence, Yesod is regarded as male, and Hod is regarded as trans or non-gendered. This makes sense to me, and is ringing a lot of bells but I am unsure of the song just yet.
Does this pattern continue to weave itself up and down the tree?
Also I was wondering, is there a phonetic available for these words? Or are they pretty much pronounced as they appear?
Thank you for this class.
Ocean

[Neshamah]

It's not just Puritans that regard the "world" as 'evil.' Many Gnostics also saw/see the world as being a creation of the Demiurge, and therefore 'evil' in its very essence. Both Puritans and (some) Gnostics say that we are to "shun the world and its temptations" if we are to be saved.

You are absolutely right in that the Qabalah doesn't make this kind of harsh deterministic valuation of the world. It is seen as the "ultimate expression" of Binah (the Will to Form) and is therefore the "ultimate expression" of the Divine (how ever one wishes to define that) in manifestation. Humankind then, is meant to enjoy the world and make the best out of the "situation," here in the material world. Of course, for the Qabalist, the world is 'broken' in that we no longer live in the Garden, and we (as descendants of Adam and Eve) must be cautious that our overindulgence doesn't land us in the "world of shells" (Qlippoth). But, we will discuss this more in depth at a later time.

Malkuth is feminine in essence, since she is the Daughter of Binah. I would say that Yesod is androgynous, since one can see the Moon as either masculine (Thoth) or feminine (Artemis-Hecate-Diana). And then Hod is hermaphroditic, which is a being with both kinds of sexual organs (lingam and yoni). The sexuality of the Tree actually grows more and more pronounced (and complicated) as we make our way up through the various Sephiroth. Netzach comes next and it is without doubt feminine (its mundane chakra is Venus); and further up, the Sephirah Geburah is without doubt masculine (its mundane chakra is Mars).

The right-hand side of the Tree (with Netzach, Chesed, and Chokmah) is called the masculine side, and the left-hand side (with Hod, Geburah, and Binah) is the feminine side. However, since Netzach is on the masculine side of the Tree, and Geburah is on the feminine side, you can see how the issue of sexuality becomes more and more complicated as we proceed upward.

Pronunciation of the various Sephiroth is fairly straightforward - they are basically pronounced the way the look. Malkuth has a long u (as oo); Hod has a long o (as oh); the Ch in Chesed is hard (almost a k sound), as is the Ch in Chokmah. I think from these examples you can get a "feel" for how things are.

Love and Light for a Peace Profound,

Neshamah

[Neshamah]

The second part of the Hod lecture. Sorry it took me so long to get it done (I had a minor physical ailment that kept me from working as I should).:o_O:

Please ask any and all questions you may have in this thread.

Love and Light for a Peace Profound,

Neshamah

PS: More Gematria will be posted later today.

[Neshamah]

Thank you all for your patience. Here's the first lecture on Netzach, the Seventh Sephirah. I will post the second lecture in a few days.

Any questions and / or comments, please post in this thread.

Love and Light for a Peace Profound,

Neshamah

[Kain]

Good to see you back with the next installment of Qabalah Basics Neshamah!

I'll get to reading this one soon,

Kain

[Naomi]

Neshamah these documents are beautifully done and so helpful. The Thoth Count class has really been overwhelming up until now as I try to learn the ropes so it's nice to be able to take on this class as well to help me understand aspects of the Calendrics class I don't understand. The central library here in Memphis carries about 1,000 different copies of the Christian Bible and related works, but there's absolutely nothing on the Sephiroth.

Anyways thanks for putting these together I'll be studying them extensively, I'm already finding that they are answering a lot of my loose ends in regards to mental phenomenon occuring both in the distant past and recently.

[Ocean]

I have been away from the computer much of the summer.
I am looking forward to catching up. ;)

[Kuroyagi]

Thank you for taking the time and putting together the lessons and the pdfs, Neshamah! Im looking forward to studying them.

Can I ask you what you think of the author Gershom Scholem- my brothers got a book by him in his library and says its not bad. What do you make of him especially in relation to occult studies etc., are his writings useable in this context?

[Frater Yechidah]

Neshamah may (or may not) feel differently, but I like Scholem's work. You have to understand, however, that he is taking the perspective of a distinctly Jewish Kabbalah, not the Hermetic form we, as magicians, tend to use. Scholem also approaches from more of a historical vantage-point, as a scholar rather than a practitioner, as it were, so I wouldn't buy his books looking for practical work, etc. With all of that in mind, if you're looking for some great historical information on the Kabbalah, his work is well-written, informative, and well-researched.

LLLSHJ,
Yechidah.

[Kuroyagi]

Thanks for your opinion frater, i appreciate it. Thats also the impression I got from the descriptions my brother gave me, I think I'll look into it then. :)

[Neshamah]

I definitely agree with Frater Y. here. Scholem is THE authority on the Jewish approach to the Kabbalah. If you are in the least bit interested in viewing the Tree of Life from a Jewish perspective then Scholem is essential. Another author who really "knows his stuff" about the Kabbalah is Aryeh Kaplan; his Sepher Yetzirah and Bahir are the best available (both translations and commentaries).

How useful this information is for those of us who practice Magick in the Western Hermetic Tradition is a point of much debate. Some will tell you that it only "muddies the water" and confuses the issues. While others say that studying the Tree of Life based on the original sourceworks helped them comprehend the Qabalah / Kabbalah as never before. I fall into the latter category; studying the Kabbalah has brought the Qabalah TO LIFE for me. I can't imagine studying either without the other.

This course, however, is based solely on the Western Hermetic Tradition since that is the approach most commonly used by Magickians. If anyone is interested in looking at the Kabbalah alongside the Qabalah, I could start another thread for that purpose.

Love and Light for a Peace Profound,

Neshamah

[Neshamah]

I'm posting the first section of our Lecture on Tiphareth today. I will try to have the second part done by Monday morning.

As usual, if there are any questions and / or comments, please post them in this thread.

Love and Light for a Peace Profound,

Neshamah

[Kuroyagi]

Thank you Neshamah! I'm opening a new file for your explanations and hope I'll have time soon to study up on this subject along with the classical Kabbalah. Is that spelling how one differentiates between "hermetic" and the "classic" one? I dimly seem to remember to have read that Hebrew has no standard system of transcription, is that correct?

[Neshamah]

Your "dim recollections" are correct. There really isn't any standard for transcribing Hebrew into English. The Hebrew word is QBLH, (Qoph-Bet-Lamed-Heh, with no vowels) and since English rarely has a "Q" without a "U" following, many have decided that Kabbalah is the correct spelling (in spite of the fact that Kaph is the Hebrew letter for "K"). Most who spell the word Kabbalah are Jewish in persuasion. ;)

The Qabalah spelling is the most common used in the tradition of Western Hermeticism. However, this spelling has its problems, as well. In Hebrew, one Bet is usually pronounced as a "V" (which would make the word Qavalah). To distinguish between the "V" and "B" sounds Hebrew has a dot (called a Dagesh) that is placed in the middle of the Bet, telling everyone that this Bet is pronounced "B." When this dot is used in Hebrew the English transcription usually has double-"Bs;" so the spelling would be Qabbalah. This is actually the spelling I prefer, by the way; I just use Qabalah because of its popularity.

Love and Light for a Peace Profound,

Neshamah

[Neshamah]

Here's the second installment on Tiphareth. Please post any responses in this thread.

Love and Light for a Peace Profound,

Neshamah

[Naomi]

Who are you talking about sacrificing here? Are these godforms in our mind we sacrifice during the Tiphareth experience?

[Neshamah]

NaomiChan,

I didn't say that we have to sacrifice anything or anyone. The magickal image of Tiphareth (think archetype, here) is that of a Sacrificed and Dying God. I listed several gods that fit into that framework, so that no one would think that I necessarily meant Jesus Christ (because the Sephirah isn't limited in that regard).

When we "look" at Tiphareth, in Astral vision, or whatever, we are going to "see" certain images that represent Tiphareth. Those images are a King, a Divne Child, and a Sacrificed and Dying God. When we "see" these images (one or all) we know that we are "looking" at the proper Sephirah.

Our experience of Tiphareth should be in an Initiatory experience. So, in a Ceremonial setting we might "meet" the god Osiris and speak to him about his sacrifice. This Initiatory experience should propel us into a higher state of consciousness (the purpose of all Initiatory experiences). Nothing is Sacrificed, except our consciousness before the Initiation. :yes:

I hope this explains things a little more clearly,

Neshamah

[Naomi]

NaomiChan,

I didn't say that we have to sacrifice anything or anyone. The magickal image of Tiphareth (think archetype, here) is that of a Sacrificed and Dying God. I listed several gods that fit into that framework, so that no one would think that I necessarily meant Jesus Christ (because the Sephirah isn't limited in that regard).

When we "look" at Tiphareth, in Astral vision, or whatever, we are going to "see" certain images that represent Tiphareth. Those images are a King, a Divne Child, and a Sacrificed and Dying God. When we "see" these images (one or all) we know that we are "looking" at the proper Sephirah.

Our experience of Tiphareth should be in an Initiatory experience. So, in a Ceremonial setting we might "meet" the god Osiris and speak to him about his sacrifice. This Initiatory experience should propel us into a higher state of consciousness (the purpose of all Initiatory experiences). Nothing is Sacrificed, except our consciousness before the Initiation. :yes:

I hope this explains things a little more clearly,

Neshamah

Hey just because I'm a Satanist doesn't mean sacrificing people ever crosses my mind, I'm really just all about sex and evil video games. Sheeeesh

:tweaks your nose:

[Ocean]

This material on Tiphareth is beautiful. Thank you Neshamah.
I look forward to studying this more.

[Neshamah]

I apologize for not posting in several days; I've had some physical "difficulties." I will try to have a Lecture on Geburah done by Wednesday (August 1).

Thank you for understanding.

Love and Light for a Peace Profound,

Neshamah

[Kuroyagi]

I hope youre all right Neshamah- at times we all have to go through some shit if we do that Higher stuff you know...but your lessons are much appreciated...I have an extra folder for them and am looking forward to comparing them to the classical stuff (Scholem etc.) you recommended...

Best regards, K.

[Neshamah]

Thank you all for your well-wishes. Sometimes the "physical" world simply overwhelms the mental and spiritual side of our existenece and leaves us pretty much helpless to the so-called "elements." Hopefully, I will have everything "straightened out" in a couple of weeks.

To that end, I think it would be prudent for us to take a short break (until the last week of August). That would help me get things in better order and get my "physical self" over this hurdle that has had it gasping for breath in the past couple of weeks (it's just exhaustion, they tell me).

So, consider this your "Summer Break;" and we will pick up with Geburah - Sephirah 5, during the last week of August.

And, thank all of you again for your kind words and your understanding.

With much Love and Light for a Peace Profound,

Neshamah

[Frater Yechidah]

Hope you're feeling better soon, Brother.

I think it's fortunate that we stop at Tiphareth for a bit before approaching Geburah :)

LLLSHJ,
Y.

[Radiant Star]

I have been finding your input on the tree very helpful and am looking forward to you returning with energy and vigour.

Ricci