Anyone here study the Qabbalah?

I frequently come across references to Hindu, Buddhist, pagan, even Alchemical spiritual systems, but rarely do I see a reference to the Holy Qabbalah despite the massive influence it's traditionally had on Western culture.

Just out curiosity, has anyone else here studied the Qabbalah and found insight there? Especially the sacred figure called the "Tree of Life," which looks like this:




You can see Tarot cards associated with the different "paths" between the sephiroth. Like I said, this system has traditionally had a lot of influence in the West, and I've personally found it to be subtle, very deep and encompassing, and it ties well into all other philosophies of the world. Aleister Crowley thought similarly and incorporated the system into most of his work in one way or another.

So does this all look familiar to many of you out there, or is it just a foreign language? Anyone actively study the tree?

[edit on 30-4-2009 by bsbray11]

I don't know if it's the same guy or not but shrunkensimon (banned member) had some great videos on youtube on Sacred Geometry (www.youtube.com...), not sure why he was banned from here but some of his posts were great, and those videos are excellent 101 material.
I've been studying alot of qabbalah, or what amounts to jewish mysticism, over the last several years, but I always end up trailing off into freemasonry and gematria and the like, but I'm certainly not what I would consider knowlegable enough on the subject to really teach anybody anything...yet lol.
Here's a decent starting point for the basics...
www.sacred-texts.com...

I was thinking about sacred geometry when I posted, but thought it was distracting from the real topic. But really I guess there is no big distinction; most or everything I've gathered from the tree has been about shapes and forms and the meanings they pick up or that are inherent in them, basically relationships between things, because everything is related.

Here's the tree superimposed inside the flower of life:




The tree and the pentacle (pentagram) are the only two sacred geometrical shapes I'm aware of that mimic the shape of the full human body. The tree is also supposed to represent a fully realized human, all the sephiroth relating symbolically and literally to parts of our bodies as well as concepts and relations between things in nature.

Yes, I have studied the tree of life along with many other unique subjects. I love to learn. Sacred geometry and the tarot are definitely related to the tree. Unfortunately these subjects have a negative connection to the Illuminati now.
I have also learned from experience that the tarot can open dark doors
if you do not have spiritual discernment. I think studying the tree of life can lead to personal awakenings.

Don't have much time for this now due to full-time college. One day I want to write a book that connects many different esoteric subjects and artwork.

How long have you been interested in the Holy Qabbalah?

I find it to be interesting as well and perhaps a bit strange that it isn't discussed more. I find parts of Kabbalah in other religions as well which is sort of interesting. I think the Trinity is represented by the top 3 sephirot. The top three also remind me of Gnosticism with Christos (the logos) and Sophia being the right and left respectively. Below Bina there's a gap where Daat is, which reminds me of the fall of Sophia. Jesus is sometimes associated with Tifferet.

One such connection I found in this thread, sort of interesting. www.abovetopsecret.com...

People seem to like to bring up tarot cards, and sacred geometry ect. But I would recommend people study simply Kabbalah, and not associate it with those things. It really gives a false view of Kabbalah.

Much or all of the OT can be displayed through the tree of life, I still don't have a great understanding of it but I think the patriarchs can be found in the pillar of mercy. Kabbalah explains that the stories of the OT are not a history lesson (or not just a history lesson) but occur within each person's soul. The Exodus from Egypt having a fairly obvious application in a person's life if they think about it.

[edit on 30-4-2009 by ghaleon12]

Kabalah is nothing. It is merely a tool to discover nothing.
The study of it is the study of nothing. So why waste your time?

Originally posted by ghaleon12


People seem to like to bring up tarot cards, and sacred geometry ect. But I would recommend people study simply Kabbalah, and not associate it with those things. It really gives a false view of Kabbalah.


[edit on 30-4-2009 by ghaleon12]

In my opinion, to say that studying the Tarot and sacred geometry "gives a false view" is far from correct. In fact, not only would studying THK without learning anything of the Tarot or sacred geometry not be possible, but it would also leave the student with an incomplete grasp of the topics essential to knowledge/understanding and practice of THK.

Note:Edited for completeness.

[edit on 30-4-2009 by No_man4]

reply to post by dashen


Of all the things there are in the world to waste time on, I get the most personally out of wasting time on studying ancient philosophies like this. Maybe you get nothing out of it, but the "nothing" that I get out of it is no different than "something."

Originally posted by ghaleon12
I find it to be interesting as well and perhaps a bit strange that it isn't discussed more. I find parts of Kabbalah in other religions as well which is sort of interesting. I think the Trinity is represented by the top 3 sephirot. The top three also remind me of Gnosticism with Christos (the logos) and Sophia being the right and left respectively. Below Bina there's a gap where Daat is, which reminds me of the fall of Sophia. Jesus is sometimes associated with Tifferet.

Interesting about the abyss marking the fall of Sophia, I've never thought about it like that before. See, I knew someone would post something like this if I started the thread!

I usually think of Tiphareth being associated with the heart chakrah, being the "second head" (did you know there are neurons in your heart? ) or in this case a 2nd Keter. Associated with love, the Sun, Leo the Lion, all those warm & fuzzy feelings, confidence, etc.

There is actually an alchemical meditation that involves visualizing the 10 sephiroth as taking up physical, mental and spiritual residence in your body. Keter being the top or crown of your head, the Chokmah/Binah duo being your right and left hemispheres of your brain respectively (traditionally masculine and feminine respectively, thus the positive "+" and negative "-" associations at the top of each side pillar, equivalent to a Yin-Yang), Geburah and Chesed at your shoulders, Tiphareth your heart, Hod & Netzach roughly near your kidneys (near where you get that "sinking feeling" in your gut), Yesod being the base of the spine and Malkuth being the sphere of your legs, knees, feet, etc. This is used as a deep mental framework for re-creating the "divine" image of your body on "mental planes," and rebirthing your physical body to embody the knowledge there contained.

[edit on 30-4-2009 by bsbray11]

reply to post by bsbray11


See, the sad part is, you don't even understand what I said.
Even a new initiate would see. It's the first rule after all..........

reply to post by dashen


Is the second "rule" to go out and be condescending to people? Seems to me that you like enjoy putting your perceived spirituality in peoples' faces, eh? That's about the extent of what I've gathered from you so far and I'm not encouraged to press further. The world is full of too many people that are so sure of themselves, yet feel they have to prove themselves to everyone else every chance they get. I'm looking for people who realize they know nothing and are trying to do something about it, brother. Words are empty, you don't know what I read or don't read into them. Forget about it.

Because Nothing is my source and my destination; Nothing is True, all things are possible.

reply to post by No_man4


Now we're really beginning to see who knows what, eh?

And to my good friend bsbray11, if you don't know, don't speak.

Sigh......


Being that the tree is treated like any archetypal form, has anybody tried applying it to other fields of study?

A little while ago I started fleshing out a tree to reflect what I'd learned of music theory:




As you can see, I'm also an accomplished graphic artist. (That's a joke, arguably as bad as my graphic.)

Hopefully others here follow music theory too, and if not, it's definitely worth every bit of consideration. Many times I have learned something only because I could relate through some understanding of music, music is such a close parallel to life.

[edit on 30-4-2009 by bsbray11]

Ein Sof (sometimes transliterated as Ayn Sof) refers to the infinite Divine (or G_d). In Hebrew Ein Sof means "Boundlessness", but is usually translated as "Without End." Often it is referred to as the "Infinite No-Thingness." It should be understood that this does NOT mean that Ein Sof is "nothing" for It is NOT a THING, but is a "somethingness" that we cannot define in human terms. Ein Sof, in the Kabbalistic tradition, is the ultimate source of all creation or existence!

www.einsof.org...

Not the best reference but it works.

Part of the reason I don't like tarot or sacred geometry in a Kabbalahistic context is that tarot at least developed during the early part of the Renaissance and Kabbalah is much older than that. Kabbalah became fairly popular in Europe from what I've read during the Renaissance and people from many different walks of life were studying it, even Christians which is sort of interesting. Christians at that time wanted a more intimate closeness with Jesus and perhaps a greater understanding and they looked to Kabbalah.

Tarot seems like a product of imaginative people that happened to study Kabbalah, but it isn't Kabbalah.

I should also mention something else. The only "female" sephirot from my understanding are Bina and Malchut, which also is accurate within the Gnostic cosmology. The only "females" in gnosticism are Sophia and us, the fallen parts of Sophia. The upper Sophia gets saved by Christos, while the lower is still in its fallen state. This also fits with Kabbalah where Bina is actually understood to have an upper part and a lower.

So Part of Sophia is saved by the male side, the pillar of mercy. But what about the lower part of Sophia, us? The Gospel of Thomas has an interesting saying.

114. Simon Peter said to them, "Make Mary leave us, for females don't deserve life."

Jesus said, "Look, I will guide her to make her male, so that she too may become a living spirit resembling you males. For every female who makes herself male will enter the kingdom of Heaven."

Some decidely anti-gnostic scholars actually use this to attack the sort of well known fact that early gnostics actually treated women quite well. But it of course isn't talking about a physical quality, but a spiritual one which also can be understood from the Tree of Life. We're all born females, that's what needs to be understood. "We" are malchut, we can't be anything but female /receiving. So basically it says if malchut becomes bestowing instead of receiving, then the Kingdom of Heaven will arrive.



[edit on 30-4-2009 by ghaleon12]

Originally posted by bsbray11
Sigh......


Being that the tree is treated like any archetypal form, has anybody tried applying it to other fields of study?

A little while ago I started fleshing out a tree to reflect what I'd learned of music theory:


As you can see, I'm also an accomplished graphic artist. (That's a joke, arguably as bad as my graphic.)

Hopefully others here follow music theory too, and if not, it's definitely worth every bit of consideration. Many times I have learned something only because I could relate through some understanding of music, music is such a close parallel to life.

[edit on 30-4-2009 by bsbray11]

Music is purely a manifestation of Netzach silly, so your tree would be of the ten subdivisions of the above rung? Quite arbitrarily so.

Originally posted by ghaleon12

Ein Sof (sometimes transliterated as Ayn Sof) refers to the infinite Divine (or G_d). In Hebrew Ein Sof means "Boundlessness", but is usually translated as "Without End." Often it is referred to as the "Infinite No-Thingness." It should be understood that this does NOT mean that Ein Sof is "nothing" for It is NOT a THING, but is a "somethingness" that we cannot define in human terms. Ein Sof, in the Kabbalistic tradition, is the ultimate source of all creation or existence!

www.einsof.org...

Not the best reference but it works.
.

It is truly nothing silly, if it were in fact something, then we are in fact nothing.
Besides, if you do not speak the holy toungue you cannot know by what name to call your master.

Studiing Qabbalah without knowing Biblical Hebrew means nothing.

One should begin then with the Sefer Yetsirah.

Cheers.

Originally posted by ghaleon12
Part of the reason I don't like tarot or sacred geometry in a Kabbalahistic context is that tarot at least developed during the early part of the Renaissance and Kabbalah is much older than that.
[...]
Tarot seems like a product of imaginative people that happened to study Kabbalah, but it isn't Kabbalah.

That's true enough with the Tarot but studying geometry has a certain timelessness to it just because of how primal and archetypal it is. A separate study from Qabbalah maybe, but I also study Hinduism, Buddhism, etc., and try to incorporate it all, so it ultimately doesn't make any difference.

It all comes out in the wash, like they say.

I would judge effectiveness of any system depending on what kind of transformation it evokes from the student. And that depends not only on the system but how it's taught, who teaches it, etc. Crowley loved incorporating the Tarot in his work but then again he re-invented the deck himself using his own associations and symbolism. It's all what you make of it. But I do admit the much more recent Tarot doesn't seem to have the same depth as the genuinely Jewish stuff. I still take it all together, and see no harm or foul.

Originally posted by dashen
Music is purely a manifestation of Netzach silly

Wow, I finally feel as though I understand both music and the tree of life. Thank you. You know, the capital of Montana is Helena, too.

Originally posted by Netzar
Studiing Qabbalah without knowing Biblical Hebrew means nothing.

Are you referring to the Gematria? I should have mentioned that I think that system is particularly arbitrary (not saying no meaning can be derived from it), but this would be the place to show me what I've missed. I know there is structure built into the system, key words "built in." :-/

[edit on 30-4-2009 by bsbray11]

Originally posted by dashen

Originally posted by ghaleon12

Ein Sof (sometimes transliterated as Ayn Sof) refers to the infinite Divine (or G_d). In Hebrew Ein Sof means "Boundlessness", but is usually translated as "Without End." Often it is referred to as the "Infinite No-Thingness." It should be understood that this does NOT mean that Ein Sof is "nothing" for It is NOT a THING, but is a "somethingness" that we cannot define in human terms. Ein Sof, in the Kabbalistic tradition, is the ultimate source of all creation or existence!

www.einsof.org...

Not the best reference but it works.
.

It is truly nothing silly, if it were in fact something, then we are in fact nothing.
Besides, if you do not speak the holy toungue you cannot know by what name to call your master.

If you have a problem with a sentence in there, by all means email the webmaster, its a quote for a reason. Also being a quote, it means I didn't say it or believe it

Enough with the "silly" though, its not being helpful and doesn't make you any better than anyone else. That you put yourself on such a high pedestal is a bit sickening. And enough with the self-serving riddles.

Everyone can learn real Kabbalah today, despite what some might think. The person I study under is the successor to Baruch Ashlag, who was taught and is the son of Baal Ha-Sulam.

The technical part aside, Kabbalah is simply working with the will to receive pleasure, and turning our egotistical nature into altruism so that we can be similar to the creator, or Keter, since the creator/Keter is bestowing. That is all a person has to do, and everyone can do it. It doesn't require vast book knowledge, just a will to receive so it is available to everyone. Of course, book knowledge or clever riddles does nothing to make you anything other than a beast.

[edit on 1-5-2009 by ghaleon12]

reply to post by bsbray11


Why I truly love ATS is the fact that someone who knows little, can argue with someone who knows more. The dis-service in that being however that the passerby, or someone seeking truth will beleive the fool, the charlatan who knows little to nothing of what he/she speaks.