Kabbalah/Tree of Life system... and Tarot

jmd

oops - missed your post, LittleBuddha.

As far as I'm concerned, at the very minimum the Sefer Yetzirah, Bahir and at least parts of the Zohar need to be read if one in interested in Kabalah. The rest that is read will not only make more sense, but also show from whence it strives to both derive and deviate.
 

Little Baron

Thanks Moonbow and Jmd,

It is a big subject, which is why it appears quite overwhelming to me at the moment. I am at a point where I want to make changes and from what I have read in some books previously [regardless of how useless some consider them], the Kabbalah is a life-alterring religion [if you see it as such]. The Berg's book 'The Power of Kabbalah' was such a book, even though it was mainly about the principles, rather than a study of the Tree of Life and its componants. I remember coming away from it feeling very enriched. I think I ought to read it again, as I have slipped since the last time - letting frustration, anger and quick-fixes dictate a lot of my life. Buddhism was another path I researched heavily. Looking at the two, there are simularities which I need to open myself up to. Tarot can come later, as you say, Moonbow. I think I might miss a lot if I tried to combine the two straight away.

I will look out for the book Jmd. I wonder if I can pick up these texts on my way to work.

LB
 

Little Baron

I bought a copy of the Torah this afternoon. And it was my fathers birthday so I bought him a copy of 'How to make a living from betting'. The sales assistant gave me a good look.

LB
 

moderndayruth

"The Berg's book 'The Power of Kabbalah' was such a book, even though it was mainly about the principles, rather than a study of the Tree of Life and its componants. I remember coming away from it feeling very enriched. I think I ought to read it again, as I have slipped since the last time - letting frustration, anger and quick-fixes dictate a lot of my life. Buddhism was another path I researched heavily. Looking at the two, there are simularities which I need to open myself up to. Tarot can come later, as you say, Moonbow. I think I might miss a lot if I tried to combine the two straight away."

I began studing Tarot first, some 7 years ago and then Kabbalah four years ago; just now i began making correlatons between the Majors and Hebrew letters and it could be confusing...
Like, this month's letter, Tzzadi, when you look at it, consist of Yud , the first letter of Tetragrammaton and Zayin. Zayin is said to be connected with the fall, (fall of relationship, business etc.), together the latter two form Tzzadi, which is letter of Aquarius and transformation of the "fall" into something filled with Light. This far this good, but then i found out that some systems, while connecting Hermit to Yud and The Star to the Tzzadi, ( which makes sence to me), connect Zayin with the Lovers... which i don't really undestand. Confusing... :(
 

jewishbohemian

I have written a book precisely about combining tarot and Torat Emet/True Teachings from the side of the Cabala which I studied for 30 years before entering into Tarot. the book is called Kabbalistic Tarot recently published by Inner Traditions. This book is further than GD and closer to GOD.
 

moderndayruth

"I have written a book precisely about combining tarot and Torat Emet/True Teachings from the side of the Cabala which I studied for 30 years before entering into Tarot. the book is called Kabbalistic Tarot recently published by Inner Traditions. This book is further than GD and closer to GOD."
That's my first book on Tarot and Cabala/Kabbalah and i love it :)
Love&Light
Ruth
 

Little Baron

jewishbohemian said:
I have written a book precisely about combining tarot and Torat Emet/True Teachings from the side of the Cabala which I studied for 30 years before entering into Tarot. the book is called Kabbalistic Tarot recently published by Inner Traditions. This book is further than GD and closer to GOD.

Thankyou Dovid. I want to study Kabbalah without tarot for now, but when I decide to bring the two together, I will most definitely check out your book. I just read a review. Looks very interesting and offers different theories into how tarot originated, it seems.

Do you have any recommendations for Kabbalistic study, without the tarot. I have a very simple manual to get me through the historical side in bite-size chunks. I also have a guide by Will Parfitt and a few other books I forgot I had even bought until I glanced up at my shelf. Also, a translation of the Torah.

All the best, LB
 

jewishbohemian

LittleBuddha said:
Thankyou Dovid. I want to study Kabbalah without tarot for now ...Do you have any recommendations for Kabbalistic study, without the tarot.

I believe the most important part of learning Cabala is in the Hebrew language, no translation can compare. The most escoteric knowlege can not contradict the simple meaning of the text. Since every letter has an unique number associated, the entire Torah is like a very long equation. The Cabala is the key to recieving the information, but the text is the validation needed to proceed.
 

Gazel

Waking up an sleeping thread

Recently I realized that I should study Kabbalah and several other subjects, like for example ED, to reach an - at best - deeper understanding of The Thoth Tarot. I must say that this is my primary aim: To understand the Thoth by trying to study the kabbalah, not the other way around, since my point of departure is the Tarot. This is also due to the fact that both subject areas (to talk librarianese) is so deep and wide, that studying just one of them is, like you will all know, a project that takes like an aeon.

The problem only being : How should I study the Kabbalah? Where to start, which path to choose?

I lingered awhile on the Thoth forum and this forum, where I stumbled over this very interesting thread.

And I must say, that I am with Aeon on this one:

Aeon418 said:
4 worlds, 10 sephiroth, and 22 paths. Take your pick how you want to apply the Tarot, but I know what it suggests to me.

Basically I use the Golden Dawn qabalah because I have always used the Thoth deck which is encoded with the G.D. qabalistic attributions.
I've found that Tarot and Qabalah go hand in hand. What you learn about one, you can apply to the other. Studying qabalah on it's own can be very dry and arid. Using the Tarot as a pictorial symbol of the qabalistic Tree of Life is a great aid to learning. For example, contemplating the abstract qualities and meaning of a number in the four worlds is a little difficult. But by looking at the tarot you have a ready made pictorial representation. And a picture says a thousand words.

When approaching the Tarot via qabalah, the Tarot suddenly gains new levels of depth and connections that weren't apparent at first suddenly manifest between the cards. Practically anything can be applied to the qabalah, from myths and legends to symbolism and the objects of the natural world. And what you add to qabalah you also add to the tarot.

I guess that I, beeing the noviciest of novices, must start with a system, somewhat familiar to me, i.e. The Thoth Tarot, that led me on to Kabbalah, and I do think that it is okay (for me) to start within an established fundation. I guess I would get lost if I should study the Kabbalah first, then make the links, on my own, to the Tarot.

So I've ordered the Wang book from the danish public libraries (there is only one copy, so I hope that it hasn't been stolen or something like that), and the Chicken ... by DuQuette.

Thats my starting points. That and then Fortune, which I am reading at the time being.

Just my considerations on the subject: Kabbalah/Tree of Life system... and Tarot.

K. Gazel.