Date: 07 JUL 95 02:02:00
From: cal_hplb_hpl_hp_com@hms.com
Newgroups: alt.magick
Subject: 02:Kabbalah FAQ
"Baal Shem" or "Masters of the Name" who used Kabbalah for healing and
other practical purposes. There is ample evidence that many magical
practices currently associated with non-Judaic Kabbalah were widely
used and well understood by some of the most famous rabbinic
Kabbalists.
It is the author's opinion that non-Jewish Kabbalah has preserved up
to the current day many practical techniques, and R. Aryeh Kaplan
makes the following significant comment:
"It is significant to note that a number of techniques alluded to
in these fragments also appear to have been preserved among the
non-Jewish school of magic in Europe. The relationship between
the practical Kabbalah and these magical schools would constitute
an interesting area of study."
A more difficult question is whether non-Jewish Kabbalah conforms to
the spirit of Jewish Kabbalah. One of the most visible distinctions
is that between theurgy and thaumaturgy, between the attempt to
participate in the workings of the divine realm for the betterment of
the creation, and the attempt to interfere with its workings, for a
variety of reasons which might include personal gain. Modern Kabbalah
outside of Judaism appears in many guises, and is often associated or
combined with ceremonial or ritual. It may be mixed with a wide range
of theosophical traditions. This does not in itself set it apart from
historical Kabbalah. Ritual has always been an integral part of
Kabbalah, and Kabbalah has absorbed from cultures and traditions all
over Europe and the Middle East. Even the distinction between theurgy
and thaumaturgy may be meaningless, as similar techniques can be used
for both, and one would need to climb into someone's head to figure
out what is going on.
Given the lack of a dogmatic tradition in Kabbalah it is not clear
that the question is meaningful. Even within Judaism it is unclear
what the authentic spirit or tradition is - there are large
differences in outlook between someone like Abraham Abulafia and Isaac
Luria.
One person will be reassured that the tradition is alive and going off
in many different directions; another will feel threatened by cowboys
who are bringing the tradition into disrepute. About the only thing
which can be said with certainty is that there is a great deal of
prejudice. Just about everyone who studies Kabbalah seems to be
certain that someone else hasn't a clue what Kabbalah is about.
+++
Q1.10 : How can I find someone who teaches Kabbalah?
----------------------------------------------------
It is not possible to recommend specific people or organisations as
what is right for one person may not be right for another. In general,
(good) teachers of Kabbalah are not easy to find and never have been,
and the search for a teacher proceeds in the Micawberish belief that
when the time is right "something will turn up".
The difficulty in finding a teacher can be viewed as a nuisance or a
positive part of learning Kabbalah. A thing is valued more when it is
hard to find. Associate with people who share your interests, go to
lectures and public meetings, go to workshops, go to whatever happens
to be available, (even if it is not entirely to your taste), and
sooner or later someone will "turn up".
Many Kabbalists are people with strong personal convictions of a
religious nature, and may see their teaching as a personal obligation
(see "What is the Great Work?"). Those who do not charge money for
their teaching may require a strong commitment from pupils, and are
unlikely to welcome "flavour of the month" mystical aspirants.
A word of advice: a genuine teacher of Kabbalah will help you to
develop your own personal relationship with God. Beware of a teacher
who has preconceived and well-developed ideas about what is good for
you, or who tries to control the development of your beliefs.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Section 2: SPECIFICS
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Q2.1 : What is the Great Work?
------------------------------
"Do not pray for your own needs, for your prayer will not then be
accepted. But when you want to pray, do so for the heaviness of
the Head. For whatever you lack, the Divine Presence also lacks."
"This is because man is a "portion of God from on high." Whatever
any part lacks, also exists in the Whole, and the Whole feels the
lack of the part, You should therefore pray for the needs of the
Whole."
The term "the Great Work" has many definitions, and is not a term from
traditional Kabbalah, but it has a modern usage among some
Kabbalists. The quotation above, from a disciple of the Kabbalist R.
Israel Baal Shem Tov, is a traditional Kabbalistic view: that the
creation is in a damaged and imperfect state, and the Kabbalist, by
virtue of his or her state of consciousness, can bring about a real
healing. A name for this is "tikkun" (restoration). There are many
traditional forms of "tikkun", most of them prescriptions for
essentially magical acts designed to bring about a healing in the
creation.
This view of the Great Work also exists outside of Judaic Kabbalah and
survives today, namely that the creation is in a "fallen" state, and
each person has an individual role to play in bringing about a general
restoration.
"When someone stands in the light but does not give it out, then a
shadow is created."
This is a modern restatement of an old Kabbalistic idea. In this view,
God gives life to the Creation: from second to second the Creation is
sustained by this giving, and if it were to cease even for an instant,
the Creation would be no more. If someone wants to know God then they
have to resemble God, and this means they must give to others.
Kabbalah is not a self-centred pursuit; it pivots around the
Kabbalist's relationship with all living beings.
+++
Q2.2 : I want to know more about the Archangels.
-------------------------------------------------
The following information was derived initially from a discussion on
alt.magick where several people contributed pieces, in particular, (in no
order) Le Grand Cinq-Mars, Amanda Walker, Leigh Daniels, Patric Shane
Linden, B.A. Davis-Howe, Mark Garrison, Baird Stafford, and myself.
Apologies if you said something and I missed it.
Angels are found in the Judaic, Christian, Islamic and Zoroastrian
traditions. The word "angel" is derived from the Christian Latin
"angelos", itself derived from the Greek "aggelos", which is a translation
of the Hebrew word "mal'akh", a messenger.
Angels are typically found in groupings of four, seven and twelve,
reflecting their role in mediating the divine influence via the planets and
the stars. For example, in Zorastrianism there was a belief in the Amesha
Spentas, seven holy or bounteous immortals who were functional aspects of
Ahura Mazda, the Wise Lord. In Islam four angels are well known: Jibril
(Gabriel), the angel of revelation; Mikal (Michael), the angel of nature;
Izrail (Azrael), the angel of death, and Israfil, the angel who places the
soul in the body and sounds the last judgement.
The sources for the angels used in Kabbalah and ceremonial magic are
primarily Jewish. The canonical Old Testament books mention only Michael
and Gabriel, but apocryphal and Talmudic literature provide richer sources,
and there is a suspicion that this was a result of contact with
Zoroastrianism during the period of the Babylonian Exile (6th-5th centuries
BC). The four best-known angels are
Michael
According to one source his name is his war-cry: "Who is like God?".
Michael is at war with the great dragon or serpent, often identified
with Samael in Jewish sources. Michael's original position in the
celestial hierarchy has been progressively eroded by angels such as
Metatron. In medieval Kabbalah he is attributed to Chesed, but in
modern Kabbalah he is attributed to Tipheret, and sometimes to Hod.
Uriel/Auriel
Uriel means "Fire of God", from the word "oor" meaning "fire" and Auriel
means "Light of God", from the word "or" meaning "light". Both names
tend to be used synonymously, and the association with light is
common in Kabbalah. In medieval Kabbalah Uriel is attributed to
Truth and the middle pillar of the Tree, in Tipheret. The association
with light is significant because of the importance of light in
practical Kabbalah, where several different kinds are distinguished,
including: nogah (glow), tov (good), bahir (brilliant), zohar (radiant),
kavod (glory), chaim (life), and muvhak (scintillating). In Christian
times Uriel may have been identified with Lucifer ("light-bearer") and
Satan, an odd identification as the diabolic angel according to Jewish
tradition is Samael.
Raphael
Raphael means "Healing of God". Raphael is sometimes attributed to
Hod and sometimes to Tipheret.
Gabriel
Gabriel means "Strength of God" and in medieval Kabbalah was attributed
to Gevurah (the words share a common root). In modern Kabbalah Gabriel
can be found further down the Tree in Yesod, using his strength to hold
up the foundations.
The four archangels can be found in a variety of protective incantations
where they guard the four quarters, an almost universal symbolism which can
be found in guises as diverse as nursery rhymes (Matthew, Mark, Luke and
John, bless this bed that I lie on) to ancient Egyptian protective deities.
A well-known incantation can be found in the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the
Pentagram (see below).
The angel Samael is also important in Kabbalah. Scholem shows (in "The
Origins of the Kabbalah") that in early medieval Kabbalah, Samael retained
some of the characteristics of the Gnostic demiurge Ialdebaoth (the blind
god), and derives the name from "sami", meaning "blind". He is attributed
consistently to the planet Mars and the sephira Gevurah, and is the
traditional source of all the nastiness in the world. He appears in
various guises as the Dark Angel and the Angel of Death. The suffix -el
betrays his divine origin, and Kabbalists have been divided between placing
him at the head of a demonic hierarchy (alongside his wife Lilith), and
viewing him as an unpleasant but necessary component of creation.
Samael is identified with the serpent in the Garden of Eden, a tempter and
a poisoner of life.
The archangel Metatron does not appear in many lists of archangels, but has
an important role in Kabbalah as the archangel of the Countenance. Legend
has it that Metatron is none other than the Old Testament sage Enoch,
lifted up to Heaven by God. Scholem comments that "...there is hardly a
duty in the heavenly realm and within the dominion of one angel among the
other angels that is not associated with Metatron". Metatron is usually
associated with Kether.
There are many lists of seven archangels. Almost all of them differ from
each other. Mark O. Garrison (ORMUS@SORINC.CUTLER.COM) kindly provided
the following information which clarifies the difficulty:
-----------------------Mark's material begins here-------------------------
The problem lies in from whence the author goes to research the
names of the 7 Archangels. The earliest sources giving the names of all
Seven Archangels is ENOCH I (Ethiopic Enoch) which lists the names as
following:
Uriel, Raphael, Raguel, Michael, Zerachiel, Gabriel, and Remiel
The next two sources which originate within a few decades of each
other list quite different names of the Seven Archangels. In ENOCH 3
(Hebrew Enoch) the Archangels are listed as:
Mikael, Gabriel, Shatqiel, Baradiel, Shachaqiel, Baraqiel,
Sidriel
While the TESTAMENT OF SOLOMON mentions:
Mikael, Gabriel, Uriel, Sabrael, Arael, Iaoth, Adonaei
The Xtian Gnostics changed things a bit further, but they still
mention Uriel (though, in some cases they called him Phanuel). The
compleat listing of the Archangels according to their tradition is:
Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Barachiel, Sealtiel,
Jehudiel
Pope Gregory the Great wrote the Archangels as being these 7:
Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Simiel, Orifiel, Zachariel
Likewise, the Pseudo-Dionysians used a similar grouping, mentioning
Uriel also. They list the following as the Seven Archangels:
Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Chamuel, Jophiel, Zadkiel
It was not until much later times, around the 10th century C.E.
when the name Uriel was replaced by other names in these much latter sources.
In Geonic Lore, Uriel is replaced by Samael (The Angel of Light, or THE
Lightbearer, from whence the ideology of Lucifer had originated from also).
In Geonic Lore the seven are noted as being:
Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Aniel, Kafziel, Samael, and Zadkiel
Around the 12th to 15th centuries C.E. the name of Haniel came to
replace the name of Uriel. However, the two being quite different in their
Natures. The name Haniel is common to the Talismanic Magical Tradition and
other forms of Medieval Ceremonialism. These Medieval Traditions mention
the seven as being:
Zaphkiel, Zadkiel, Camael, Raphael, Haniel, Michael, Gabriel
Also, a late sourcebook titled THE HIERARCHY OF THE BLESSED ANGELS
mentions a different list of the seven archangels. They list them as
following:
Raphael, Gabriel, Chamuel, Michael, Adabiel, Haniel, Zaphiel
It need be remembered, that the Judaeo/Xtian tradition originates
from several religions and traditions, each having its own legends and
thusly, its own hierarchies and namings of the angels. In Islam, there are
only four archangels: Gabriel, Michael, Azrael (the Angel of Death, often
interchanged with Uriel since the 15th century in some European traditions)
for instance. One can easily determine the sources and origins of an book
on Qabala or Ceremonial Magick by what angels they use, obviously. I
personally have drawn up a TREE OF LIFE for each of these traditions, based
upon much research, for reference purposes. Note though, the differences
do not stop with just the names of the Seven Archangels. These sources
also do not agree on the Orders of the Celestial Hierarchy, The Ruling
Princes, The Throne Angels, and the Names of God, just to name a few! Are
you starting to get the idea yet, or are you more confused! :) :)
------------------------Mark's material ends here--------------------------
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