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Hey,
I am now only beginning to learn about Kabbalah,the Jewish mysticism, and I wonder if any of you came across this drawing of the tree of life according to the Kabbalah,
I don't know, this is very complex material, and I feel I need more guidance to understand it's true meaning, and also to understand if it's really relevant to my life now.
As I understand it, in a very superficial brief, the Kabbalah says you can achieve spiritual transcendence through simple day-to-day actions. this is a nice way of thinking, but I do feel that I would need to hear and learn more about this... [geek]
Anyway, I came across this article, which I feel starts to capture some of the main elements of the principals of the KAbbalah tree of life.
Article: http://www.zoharebook.com/what-is-kabba ... -kabbalah/
What do you think about it? [yay]

The Kabbalah is part of a body of Western esoteric magic that is both broad and complex. If you'd like to learn about the Kabbalah, go cruise through the Hermetic library at hermetic.com. Anyone that suggests that it's some kind of easy spiritual transformation is trying to sell you something.

If you are interested in the Zohar, also check out Sefer Yetzirah and Bahir. Along with the Zohar you have a life long study ahead of you. As you pointed out, the Zohar is a text of jewish mysticism, but there is a whole tradition of western ceremonial magic that uses the qabalah. So, have fun and preper to study your ass off! [lol]

Azkhet wrote:Anyone that suggests that it's some kind of easy spiritual transformation is trying to sell you something.

Heheheh...
The same should be said of any Path.

Anna-loulou, The Kabbalah is originally derived from Judaism, and made it's way into Western Esotericism via The Spanish Jewish community during the Middle Ages. The result is that there are now different forms of Kabbalah. In other words, if you talk to a Rabbi about it you are going to get a very different perspective on it than you would if you were to talk to the flakey hippy chick down at your local occult store. This being said, the Western esoteric form of Kabbalah is as Azkhet wrote, very broad and complex; and as with most Western esoteric subject matter, there is a ton of crap out there mixed in with the gems. The Hermetic Library too is a well respected online resource, however I get the sense that you might find it a little overwhelming at this stage.

I'm probably going to be strung up for this, but there is a really good, entertaining, easy to understand '101' book on Western Esoteric Kabbalah by Lon Milo Duquette, entitled "The Chicken Qabalah of Rabbi Lamed Ben Clifford,". It is a really good place to start for someone with zero experience with the subject in spite of it's ridiculous sounding title.

Anna-loulou wrote:What do you think about it? [yay]

The Kabbalah is much more than merely a technique of spiritual transcendance, it is a map of how all creation works and the meaning of the axiom "As Above, So Below". It is the Truth behind the notion that we are all gods; microcosmic versions of the macrocosmic creative force behind the totality of everything in it's enormous Oneness. It's actually not that difficult to grasp the basics of. It's more that, once that particular door has been opened, there is simply just so much vastness of philosophical Space to expand into, that it gets really, really, really big; or small, depending upon which way you are chasing your thoughts on the matter.

Either way, it's really cool and fun, and makes sense, and works; just, ya know, caveat emptor. [geek2]

TheSeeker wrote:I'm probably going to be strung up for this, but there is a really good, entertaining, easy to understand '101' book on Western Esoteric Kabbalah by Lon Milo Duquette, entitled "The Chicken Qabalah of Rabbi Lamed Ben Clifford,". It is a really good place to start for someone with zero experience with the subject in spite of it's ridiculous sounding title.

Not at all! His books are amazing! Good place to start, but keep in mind he's an OTOer so he will have a bit of a Thelemic spin to things which means some of the correspondences will be slightly different within the ToL.