Dont worry Payewacker, take it easy. We are all doing great here

Hey guys

I have been meaning to look into this myself for quite some time.  This was one of the first uses of the tarot I ever came across, before even divination.  I read in a book, I think it was the Kabbalah Unveiled, by Naomi Ozaniec.  This initiated me into the world of the Kabbalah, as well as deepening my interest into the Tarot.  Unfortunately it is something that I simply don't have time to investigate in the evenings considering all the other things I want to do as well.

I have been considering trying to do tarot readings for a while, mostly to learn and understand the significance of each different card, so that I can use the imagery in the form of the tree of life to understand the journey shown on a whole nother level without having to be constantly referencing back to books.  After happyme suggested I need to open up to my inner guides it might be a way of aiding this process as well.

Anyhow, will follow this space with interest.

Cheers,
Rook

I can say tarots never lie not to me anyway, and I have spoken to others who agree, especially when you attempt to read yourself, intuition tends to fog when it comes to self, so when that fails look to the tarot cards. All the best with the experience!

Hi Rook, Happyme,

It's wonderfull to have someone that may shed light on the Kaballah. Even the smallest bit of info you have, is handy and can guide me in exploring the Kaballah.

When I go get stuck in the Kaballah, I've done it before with the Transliterated Kaballah, and it's extremely complicated, I will attempt to make it as simple as possible. Each of the Hebrew letters are also linked to biological processes, which is where another link into the Kaballah may be, if we consider the road from 1-10 in the Minors.

Another posting of mine: "How much do you want to learn", is where a number of links are listed on subjects discussed. This I started editing yesterday and need to still run through the entire thread to pick up on other subjects discussed.

Also, Cedars, Pirbid and many other readers has done postings which is of significant value, these are links I still need to list.

Follow this link to the posting, and see if there is some info that may assist you.    



Blessed be

Hi Payewacker

From my understanding of Kaballah it is extremely complex and exists on many levels.  Sort of like the image of the chaos theory where you begin with a seemingly complex pattern, and as you zoom out in view that complex pattern becomes more complex and more complex until you zoom out far enough that the original pattern can no longer be seen but the greater pattern is exactly the same as the pattern begun with originally.  Such as in one of the intros to the Simpsons, the family is sitting on the couch.  The camera zoomes out to the house, Springfield, America, the World, the Solar System, the Milky Way, and so on and so on until the Universe becomes the pupil of Homer Simpson's eye.  I have seen this in a dream with the standard Kabbalistic image.

I am also familiar with the Golden Dawn, and have Israel Regardies publication on the Golden Dawn in my personal posession.  I am not a follower, but I do read it from time to time out of interest, and a lot of this comes back to Kabbalah tied to several occult practices.  Personally I think you could study all of this for a lifetime and still be learning on your death bed.

I will share what I have learnt, though this is from my Swiss-cheese memory, not directly quoted from a book so it is not authoritive.

I think you already know that each Sephiroth and each path between is related to a Hebrew letter.  The Hebrew letters are spilt into 3 Mother letters (the supernal triangle, Kether, Binah and Chockmah), the 7 double letters, related to the other 7 Sephiroth, and the 22 singles, each attributed to a path between the Sephiroth.  Each Hebrew letter also has a number and meaning attached to it.

The tarot apparently also relates to the Kabbalah, with the 10 cards of each suit relating to each Sephiroth, and the Major Arcana relating to a path.  I can not recall the significance of the court cards.  I have seen several different layouts of how the major arcana correspond to different paths, which is mostly what is motivating my desire to gain a more intimate working knowledge of the tarot, so I can figure for myself how this fits best through personal experience.  Personally  I find the tarot speaks to me far more clearly than Hebrew.  Personally I think the different symbollic attributions say the same thing, but in a different language as it were.

Going back to the initial paragraph, to really complicate things, each Sephiroth has its own tree, with its own Sephiroth.  So there is a Malkuth in Malkuth, a Yesod in Malkuth etc etc.  Just that addition makes it hard for me to take in.  But on top of that the tree also has four different planes of existence.  I can't remember exactly what they are, but there are the Supernals, everything down to Tiphareth, then the Formative below Tiphareth down to Yesod, and then the material being Malkuth.  I vaguely recall that again, each plane also has its own tree which is sort of mind-numbing.

Now in the Golden Dawn tradition there are different levels of the order, the outer, and the inner.  In the outer order the candidate advances through a series of occult lectures, initiations and tests to advance through different degrees that are directly related to each Sephiroth (with the beginning initiation relating to the advancement from the beginning up to just before being accepted into the inner order, which is the crossing of the Veil of Paroketh, which I understand as some sort of spiritual awakening.  I have not progressed any further than that in my study, but the point is the Kabbalah is traversed you could say, as a journey to increase the pace of spiritual advancement that would otherwise occur naturally, but may not be completed in the person's life time, resulting in the continuing cycle of incarnations.

Oh and I might add, from my understanding the primary purpose of the outer order is to 'balance the four elements' as a foundation to the rest of the personal development.  Now the outer order through my understanding consists of Malkuth (earth / body), Yod (air / mind), Yesod (fire / unconscious / spirit), and Netzach (water / emotion).  Each initiation and degree is associated with one aspect of the four-fold elemental structure.  I would thus suggest that this part of the tree captures most peoples awareness / experience.  The competing forces of body and spirit, and thought and heart (emotion).  Most people are aware of these different elements of their being, but knowledge of the further reaches of the tree I think is limited, myself included.

Now I also understand there are different pillars.  The black and white pillar, severity and mercy, masculine and feminine.  Then there is the middle pillar balancing the two.  But I have also heard tell there are actually 4 pillars.  Which is another source of confusion for me.  Anyhow, my understanding is that the way to advance is through the arrow fired from the 'bow of queseth', going straight up the tree, from Malkuth, through Yesod and up to Tiphareth.  Once  at Tiphareth I am not sure what happens from there.  But I believe the cards associated with this path are The World and Temperance.  Oh, and if you haven't seen Pan's Labyrinth I think it is worth a look for symbology here.

The first stage, that has alchemical implications as well, the girl must enter the 'roots' of the tree and kill a toad that is infesting the tree.  From this toad she pulls out three gems (the trinity, body soul spirit?).  In the process of doing this she dirties her nice dress, a symbol of the material world.  She then is given access to a dream-like world where she must excercise temperance, going past a table laden with fine food, without being tempted to eat of it lest she awaken the ugly monster at the end of the table.  From here she obtains something I can't remember what, but of course she has to try something and awakens the beast and must flee for the real world from the monster.  I am sure there are other associations but also not the three supernals in the final scenes of the film, with the royal figures seated upon thrones atop high pillars.

Anyhow, that is all I have time for, and starting to reach the limits of my memory.  Hope that is of service to you.

Cheers,
Rook