For Serious Study Of Kabbalah

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violetstar
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For Serious Study Of Kabbalah

Post by violetstar »

Quite simply a great resource for those seriously interested or currently practising Kabbalah. Suitable for Beginners through to Adept.

http://www.chabad.org/kabbalah/article_ ... bbalah.htm
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Re: For Serious Study Of Kabbalah

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I see that they have Aryeh Kaplan. He was one of the keys for my own development.

I had the old Sepher Yetzirah translation from William Wynn Westcott and thought I had a grasp on "this Kaballah stuff".
-"It's not that hard. " (I thought)
And then I saw Kaplans translation of the book. It turns out that the golden dawn took like 20 pages out of the original and added some stuff to it. The version I have is 58 pages, and like all other Golden dawn translation, it's not perfect.

Kaplans translation is almost 400 pages. He includes the original Hebrew text and then dissects it to form a scholarly translation of the book, that is still very open minded. The text works almost like an instruction manual for those who really wants to study authentic Kabbalah. And not just from a Jewish traditional religious point of view. This book is for those who really want to study Magic.

And then I got into Michael Berg and Daniel Matt. And I now realize that I know very very little about "this kaballah stuff".

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Re: For Serious Study Of Kabbalah

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Desecrated wrote:I see that they have Aryeh Kaplan. He was one of the keys for my own development.

I had the old Sepher Yetzirah translation from William Wynn Westcott and thought I had a grasp on "this Kaballah stuff".
-"It's not that hard. " (I thought)
And then I saw Kaplans translation of the book. It turns out that the golden dawn took like 20 pages out of the original and added some stuff to it. The version I have is 58 pages, and like all other Golden dawn translation, it's not perfect.

Kaplans translation is almost 400 pages. He includes the original Hebrew text and then dissects it to form a scholarly translation of the book, that is still very open minded. The text works almost like an instruction manual for those who really wants to study authentic Kabbalah. And not just from a Jewish traditional religious point of view. This book is for those who really want to study Magic.

And then I got into Michael Berg and Daniel Matt. And I now realize that I know very very little about "this kaballah stuff".
Kaplan had a big influence on my line of thinking about Biblical concepts and Kabbalistic Mysticism.This developed further with his The Bahir Illumination which is a serious but still accessible work.

There are many re-interpretations but there is only one original and here we are so near as damn it to that profound timeless wisdom.
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Re: For Serious Study Of Kabbalah

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chowderpope
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Re: For Serious Study Of Kabbalah

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I see that's a Jewish site. I understand there are some differences between the original Jewish Kabbalah and what's referred to as the Hermetic Kabbalah which was used in the GD system. Is that true and can anyone shed light on that?
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Re: For Serious Study Of Kabbalah

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chowderpope wrote:I see that's a Jewish site. I understand there are some differences between the original Jewish Kabbalah and what's referred to as the Hermetic Kabbalah which was used in the GD system. Is that true and can anyone shed light on that?
There is the original jewish kaballah.
But since Kaplan is on that site I would said it's more modern Jewish revival kaballah. There is also modern kaballah, but that's fucking rubbish.
(It's obviously a lot more complicated than just 2-3 different jewish kaballah. There is about 24 different schools of it)

Then there is the hermetic kaballah, which some people call christian kaballah that started around the Renaissance.

Then that was re-interpret by Eliphas Levi in the early 19th century. And he added the system of Tarot to it.
, and then that was picked up by the Golden dawn members in the late 19th century.

Now what they did which is unique, is that they added the english enochian to the hermetic qabalah,. Mathers for some reason always spelled it with a Q.

What we now know about the golden dawn kaballah comes mostly from Crowley and his secretary Regardie. Who both added and subtracted stuff from the original golden dawn.

And then from some of Crowley's student we get English Qabalah.

But there are also some different modern occult Kaballah out there, but the golden dawn stuff can usually be identified because they have both Jewish and Enochian angels in it.

(But, it's a bit more complicated than that.)

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Re: For Serious Study Of Kabbalah

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The Seven Hermetic Principles are a part of the Tree Of Life whether you acknowledge it or not. So declaration of that is no surprise. I have even incorporated Hermetic axioms with the TOL without even being explicitly aware that I was doing it, e.g. applying the Principle of Rhythm, and the Formula of IAO to the entire Model to establish a never ending cycle of creation and destruction. Creation/expansion, destruction/contraction mirrored in the Microcosm as breathing.

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Re: For Serious Study Of Kabbalah

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Spida wrote:The Seven Hermetic Principles are a part of the Tree Of Life whether you acknowledge it or not.
Hermeticism is much older than kaballah so it is not impossible that there was some inspiration taken from it.
Could you please provide some source that proves this. I have to confess that I do not know half as much about kaballah as I want to know. Is it in any of the original texts?

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Re: For Serious Study Of Kabbalah

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Here are some quotes taken from around the web that may help on the difference(s) between the Kabbalah and its Hermetic variant.

http://www.jewfaq.org/kabbalah.htm

" Hermetic Qabalah is nothing but a mnemonic device which steals its words and symbols from the Jewish Kabbalah. I can not make it more clearer than that. "

"The second form of Kabbalah is Qabalah, spelled by me with a 'Q' (obviously). This refers to the so-called Hermetic Qabalah. The only thing that this form of Qabalah shares with its Jewish namesake is that it totally ripped its terminology"

"Jewish Kabbalah requires a much higher level of ideological purity. Everything in the Torah, down to the shape of each individual letter, has a particular mystical meaning. It permits no syncretism because none could fit; it's a colossus of a framework. You could study it your whole life and still not come close to knowing it 100%."

"Occult Hermetic Qabalah arose alongside and united with the Christian Cabalistic involvement in the European Renaissance, becoming variously Esoteric Christian, non-Christian, or anti-Christian across its different schools in the modern era. It draws on a great many influences, most notably: Jewish Kabbalah, Western astrology, Alchemy, pagan religions, especially Egyptian and Greco-Roman (it is from the latter that the term "Hermetic" is derived), neoplatonism, gnosticism, the Enochian system of angelic magic of John Dee and Edward Kelley, hermeticism, tantra and the symbolism of the tarot. Hermetic Qabalah differs from the Jewish form in being a more admittedly syncretic form," - Wikipedia

This is taken from a Christian site:

"Kabbalah is derived from the Hebrew root for “reception and acceptance.” It is an esoteric (occult secret) system of interpretation of the Scriptures based upon oral accounts handed down from Abraham. It is also considered as secret oral teachings with a mixture of Jewish teachings, occultism, Gnosticism, and Neoplatonism. Jewish Kabbalah uses numerology to interpret the Bible’s message.

Kabbalah concentrates the attention of Jewish mysticism towards the nature of divinity, the creation, the soul’s beginnings and fate, and man’s place in this world. It is considered an esoteric off-branch of Judaism because it teaches meditation, loyalties, and mystical enhancements to a select few. It originated for Jews only, but many non-Jews have studied Kabbalah for the last 500 years.

The non-Jewish version of Kabbalah is called Hermetic Kabbalah. Some Jews have opted for the preferences of Hermetic Kabbalah. For centuries, Hermetic Kabbalah has grown in many directions with influences from Freemasonry, Rosicrucianism, and its continued input from Jewish Kabbalah. The strongest philosophies of Kabbalah are ideals of religious humanism.

Kabbalah vs. Christianity vs. Judaism
Primary Texts: Christianity uses the Bible. Judaism uses the Torah. Kabbalah texts are much like taking notes in a classroom setting, but utilize commentaries from Herchalat, Yetzirah, Sefer Chasidim, Malakh, Bahir, Zahar, Pardes Rimonim, Ets Khayim, and Sulam.
Explanation of the existence of evil: Christianity determines evil as a disobedient rebellion against God. Satan, as an angel of light first exercised it, when the devil tried to be like God. Then, the perpetrator enticed man to exercise the same rebellious disobedience. Judaism understands evil as the same act of rebellion. Kabbalah’s philosophy of evil stems from the belief that both good and evil come from God.
An existing need for a Savior (Messiah): Christianity teaches that the Messiah came as the Son of God (Jesus Christ) to redeem man from evil. Judaism teaches that the Messiah has yet to come and redeem Israel. Kabbalah’s philosophy does not include the sinful nature of man, and therefore, there is no need of the redeeming qualities of a Messiah.
One God or Ten: Christianity is built on one God, but expressed in the Trinity of God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit. Judaism believes in One God -- Jehovah, no Trinity. Kabbalah’s ideals believe that there are ten parts to God, which they call emanations."
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Re: For Serious Study Of Kabbalah

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That's great, thanks. The Gnostic Christians believed in emanationism as well. I'm guessing that is a direct influence from Jewish Kabbalah, although I think they believed in 7 planetary spheres of emanation rather than the emanating sephirot. If anyone knows about that, I'd be interested.

I'm trying to grasp the Tree of Life and Hermetic Qabalah better because I'm getting into the classic Golden Dawn system. Since so much of western occultism is influenced by their system, I figure it's worth an in-depth investigation.
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Re: For Serious Study Of Kabbalah

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chowderpope wrote:That's great, thanks. The Gnostic Christians believed in emanationism as well. I'm guessing that is a direct influence from Jewish Kabbalah, although I think they believed in 7 planetary spheres of emanation rather than the emanating sephirot. If anyone knows about that, I'd be interested.

I'm trying to grasp the Tree of Life and Hermetic Qabalah better because I'm getting into the classic Golden Dawn system. Since so much of western occultism is influenced by their system, I figure it's worth an in-depth investigation.
The gnostics are older than kabbalah.
We have to remember that there was no people at the time calling themselves gnostics. This is a umbrella term we use to describe a whole bunch of groups that was around a certain area in a certain time.
It's like calling all american 'Sportsers' Because all american in the 20th century probably watch some kind of sport, but there are different sports, and of course there was americans who didn't watch sports,and sport was watched in other countries as well.

So some gnostics would have been inspired by Hellenistic astrology, and some gnostics where later inspired by hermeticism. (Hermeticism and gnosticism starts in about the same area, at about the same time) Egypt at the time is a Greek state, but larges part of the Mediterranean, African and middle east are slowly turning into roman. So you have a lot of Jews running from the Romans to Egypt so that they can be protected by the Greeks. And then later the Arabs came and took everything.
So that is why in the Renaissance you end up with this, Roman, Greek, Jewish rediscovery from Arabic sources.

However the story gets a little bit more complicated. Another place to hid yourself was either in northern turkey/Balkans or Spain. Kabbalah most likely comes from Jewish mystics living in Spain.
This was okay as long as the Arabs where ruling Spain, but when they where driven back to Africa and the Catholics took over, a whole bunch of trouble started; known as the Inquisition.
Jews became outlaws and needed to flee and many took to Germany, France and northern Italy.
This is why we see kabbalah showing up in hermeticism and Neoplatonism.


This is an oversimplified timeline:

Hebrew religion
Hebrew mysticism (book of enoch)
Hebrew Gnosticism (God as a women, god as evil, so on)
Hermeticism (Jewish, Greek and Egyptian religions)
Christianity
Christian Gnosticism
Christian hermeticism
Christian Mysticism (apocrypha)
Spanish Kabbalah
Hermeticism+ kabbalah = hermetic kabbalah
The Renaissance
and so on.

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Re: For Serious Study Of Kabbalah

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@Desecrated

I remember hearing something about Kabbalah being so old, and that it was given to the Jews, meaning they did not formulate it, but was handed to them. in tact. So perhaps a preformulated via Hermetics Tree Of Life.

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Re: For Serious Study Of Kabbalah

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Spida wrote:
@Desecrated

I remember hearing something about Kabbalah being so old, and that it was given to the Jews, meaning they did not formulate it, but was handed to them. in tact. So perhaps a preformulated via Hermetics Tree Of Life.
That is the mythology of it. But in reality it started in 12th- to 13th-century Southern France and Spain.
The one myth I've heard the most is that it was given to Moses on the mountain...
But that is obviously nonsense. Lets stick to reality here. (As much as we can)

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Re: For Serious Study Of Kabbalah

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I think that myths are very important. We can acknowledge them as myth, and their likelihood of being fabricated, but I don't think it's good to discount myth completely.
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Re: For Serious Study Of Kabbalah

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chowderpope wrote:I think that myths are very important. We can acknowledge them as myth, and their likelihood of being fabricated, but I don't think it's good to discount myth completely.
I'm not discounting it because it is a myth, I'm discounting it because we have a lot of proof that it's not true.

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Woe if I reveal,Woe if I do not reveal...

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Re: For Serious Study Of Kabbalah

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Desecrated wrote:
chowderpope wrote:I think that myths are very important. We can acknowledge them as myth, and their likelihood of being fabricated, but I don't think it's good to discount myth completely.
I'm not discounting it because it is a myth, I'm discounting it because we have a lot of proof that it's not true.
I understand. The definition of myth includes powerful stories as well as fabrications and false histories. I was thinking more of the powerful stories, like Bhagavad Gita, when I was defending myth. But yeah, if this is just a historical misunderstanding, I wouldn't defend that, personally. My bad. Carry on!
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Re: For Serious Study Of Kabbalah

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chowderpope wrote:
Desecrated wrote:
chowderpope wrote:I think that myths are very important. We can acknowledge them as myth, and their likelihood of being fabricated, but I don't think it's good to discount myth completely.
I'm not discounting it because it is a myth, I'm discounting it because we have a lot of proof that it's not true.
I understand. The definition of myth includes powerful stories as well as fabrications and false histories. I was thinking more of the powerful stories, like Bhagavad Gita, when I was defending myth. But yeah, if this is just a historical misunderstanding, I wouldn't defend that, personally. My bad. Carry on!
No, I think I expressed myself with some uncertainty too. My bad, carry on.

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Re: For Serious Study Of Kabbalah

Post by landing »

I read the web, can anyone explain a bit more about the rose?
the white rose and red rose in Zohar/kabbalah, what is the paticular meaning? how to apply it in kabblah meditation?
I saw it in a vision, i want to keep seeing it another time or so.

also, someone told me she learnt a lot healing by kabbalah healing, but i lost contact from her,
what shall I read to learn kabblah healing, any articles pages to read?

Thank u:)

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Re: For Serious Study Of Kabbalah

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chowderpope wrote:I see that's a Jewish site. I understand there are some differences between the original Jewish Kabbalah and what's referred to as the Hermetic Kabbalah which was used in the GD system. Is that true and can anyone shed light on that?

It’s said that the original Kabbalah was set by the Brethren of Sincerity, a secret group, that issued many treatises on different subjects around 980 AD. Around 1066 this encyclopedia was brought to Spain. However, it was soon altered. From “The Sufis” by Idries Shah (chapter “Miracles and Magic”):

“...the Jewish Encyclopedia stresses the determining role of the Brethren of Sincerity on the production of the mighty Cabala system: ‘The Faithful Brothers of Basra originated the eight elements ... changed by a Jewish philosopher in the middle of the eleventh century into ten.’ “

Shah continues to discuss how the Kabbalah is based on Arabic grammar, and he emphasizes that its formula is for a mystical purpose. It was “the most ancient teaching” given to Arabized Jews which was later adapted by the Jews and then the Christians to their respective religious thinking.

Changing the 8 elements into 10 is seen as a distortion. Some think this was perhaps done to prevent people from tampering with it. The number eight is of high importance in sufi or higher knowledge, which often uses the Octagon or enneagram symbol. Every individual is said to be equipped with several dormant centers which, if activated, lead to higher transformation or a type of alchemy. The Kabbalah then is an inner map, often referred to as the Royal Road.

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