Qaballah and Tarot

Driley

After a little bit of discussion in another thread, the idea of starting a new study group to explore the connection between Qaballah (Kabala, etc) and Tarot has been floated. This will start at an introductory level -- so if you know nothing at all, don't feel like you can't join in.

"Qabalistic Tarot : A Textbook of Occult Philosophy" by Robert Wang has been suggested as a good resource. Other suggestions as to books can be found in the thread on Tarot of the Sephiroth and, I'm sure, will eventually find their way here. (Amazon only seems to have this used and at silly prices. I'm paying around $25 for a new copy. So, check around.) No particular book or deck is required, although suggestions as to ones that are helpful are welcome.

I've offered to help coordinate this study group -- I've some experience with Qaballah, but I'm sure other, more knowledgeable persons are floating around these boards. If someone with more experience would like to lead the group, I'd certainly be glad to defer to them.

If you are interested, let us know. By the end of the week, hopefully, we'll start in earnest.

Thanks!

David
 

Jewel

Count me in. Is the Wang book OOP?
 

Ravenswing

david--

ready whenever you are....

steve
 

Dragonfly

I just started reading a book on this. And would love to learn more. I feel the book alittle to over my head. So it would be great to talk to someone who knows more to get a better understanding :)
 

Driley

Wang Not-OOP

My understanding is that the Wang book was unavailable for a time but that the publisher has re-printed it or otherwise made copies available again.

So, check with a local bookstore -- or, perhaps, wait a few days and see if Amazon has updated.

I ordered my book Friday a week ago and was told that the books had just arrived at the distributors the morning before.

David
 

Dragonfly

I look at Barns and Noble and said it could take 2-3 weeks. I'am going to check around to see if any local bookstore has a one. Blessing :)
 

Jewel

Whewww ... that is good news Driley. Let me know when you get your book and we can start planning how to do this in the easiest and simplest possible way for everyone. I think this will be a great process for us to all learn together.
 

Driley

Amazon

Amazon now has a copy of Wang's book, used, at a much more reasonable price.

I hope that if anyone here needs it, that you are quick and snatch it up because there is, it seems, only one copy available.

Just FYI...

David
 

Ravenswing

an elementary beginning

good evening all--

for those of you who are not familiar with kabalah, i would suggest The Elements of the Qabalah by Will Parfitt. very clear and concise. wang's book is excellent, but i'd rather get my feet wet first before being thrown into the deep end.

my first question was "What is this Kabalah anyway (and why do they keep changing how it's spelled??) a show of hands please-- who can tell me what the tree of life is?

Okay. let's call it a model-- and this is important: it is ONLY a model (maybe one of the best, but still a model.) A model of a framework of reality.

("What was that??" "i think he said he's modeling frames, and it's real work." "Oh.")_

the tree of life is composed of 10 circles and 22 lines. sounds simple? well, in a way it is. The complex part is how these 32 pieces of geometry are inter-related. and what you can mak of them.

http://www.dimensional.com/~randl/esa/treedex.htm

(i don't know how to make these things blue, so you'll have to copy and paste. if anyone could explain that one to me, i'd really appreciate it)

this'll take you to an interactive tree of life. click on the circles or the lines and you'll get an explaination. not that you'll completely understand it-- that takes time, cause kabalah is a way of thinking

good night all
steve
 

Jewel

Steve, thanks for posting that! That should definetly be our first topic!. I also agree that we should share our info from various books that we have. We need to write up the FAQs for our group so we all know what we are doing.

Here is a list of additional books I have, some read some not. I will be using them as well:

-Qabalah a begginer's guide by Kate Rheeders (ISBN 0-340-67339-7). 94 page intro to the Qabalah has one chapter on Tarot & Qabalah. This is the book that got me started on my quest. Easy read.

-The Truth About the Tarot by Gerald Suster (ISBN 1-871438-07-1. 107 pages, focused on Tarot with one chapter devoted to Tarot & Qabalah. Another easy read, one of my favorite books of all time with the exception of about 4 pages towards the end.

-Thorsons Principles of The Qabalah by Amber Jayanti (ISBN 0-7225-3680-1). 145 pages. I am about to read this one. Looks pretty comprehensive and easy to read. Its focus is primarily on the Qabalah itself, with a section on Tarot & Qabalah.

-Tarot and the Three of Life, finding every day wisdom in the Minor Arcana by Isabel Radow Kliegman (ISBN 0-8356-0747-X). 219 pages. Will read as we go along and share. I have heard many good things about this book here in the Aeclectic Forums.

-Qabalistic Tarot by Robert Wang. Very text book style. I will use this as my foundation bringing in the other sources to better understand and share.

Hopefully between the info we all have we will be able to have some really great discussions and sharing and increase our understanding of this complex subject.