What does William gray have to offer?

rebecca-smiles

I'm just about to embark on a study of william gray's kabbalah. Partly because i grew up wih it in the family (so more accessible to me) and partly because for the life of me i don't get the GD associations.

Now i know nothing (and i mean NOTHING) anout the GD kabbalah (or non-tarot kabbalah for that matter) but this...the one thing i do get while perusing these here threads, while everything else goes flying clean over my head: is the pains people seem to be at making these atrributions of cards to paths work, to cohere. When i think of where they place each card between sefirot, i can't understand how that card relates those two sefirot. but when i look at where gray places each card; i can see how it relates to the sefirot either side (and together) just so much easier.

For example:
judgement-mercy (geburah-chesed)
gray= justice
GD= strength

I can understand how justice is merciful judgement, but not how strength is merciful judgement (well, maybe at a push; you need strength to express merciful judgement).

Also: hod-geburah
gray: brilliance-severity: devil (i can see how the devil card is brilliantly severe)
GD honor-fear: hanged man (sorta. ish)

Obviously this reqquires more than mere consideration of words. But i can barely think this through clearly let alone articulate!

AND; they work in pairs on either side of the tree. You are meant (in grays system) to study them in pairs. (i have always found it difficult to understand a card on its own anyway).

Please bear in mind i am coming at this from a tarot perspective; the study of Kabbalah in itself is too consuming at this juncture! But working with the sefirot, without astrology, without extra associations other than the meaning of the card and the relationship between sefirot seems to bear more fruit for me.

Has anyone else had experiences with this system?
able to point out and explain anything i am totally messing up on?
general views/interest in his system?
 

Llynn

Hello rebecca-smiles

What Kabbalah I know started through reading WG Gray's books and they are still the basis of my system. I like the simplicity and the working in pairs (reinforcing and opposing) on the Tree of Life. I don't find the GD's system attractive but that is probably because I am a 'Hedge Kabbalist' - on the basis that there are Hedge Druids and Hedge Witches. All I can say is that Mr Gray's correspondences work for me (you're lucky that you grew up with this system.) I've read books which explain the GD method but like you they just don't do it for me.

Best wishes for your studies
Llynn
 

fyreflye

If you're primarily interested in Kabbalistic associations to the tarot using Gray's system I'd highly recommend you get a copy of R J Stewart's Merlin Tarot set, the only deck I know of based on it. R J was a long time student of Gray's. Since it uses entirely different images than the GD decks it might confuse you at first but it demonstrates in practical terms how the system operates. Stewart's two books explaining his tarot and Gray's own "The Sangreal Tarot" are must reads as well.