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Hermetic Qabalah

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about traditional Hermetic Qabalah. For other Kabbalistic traditions see Kabbalah,Christian Cabala, and Hurufism, Practical Kabbalah

Hermetic Qabalah (From the Hebrew ַקָבָּלה "reception" or"accounting") is a Western esoteric, occult and mysticaltradition. It is the underlying philosophy and frameworkfor magical societies such as the Golden Dawn, Thelemicorders, mystical-religious societies such as the Buildersof the Adytum and the Fellowship of the Rosy Cross, andis a precursor to the Neopagan, Wiccan and New Agemovements.[1] The Hermetic Qabalah is the basis forQliphothic Qabala as studied by left hand path orders,such as the Typhonian Order.

Occult Hermetic Qabalah arose alongside and unitedwith the Christian Cabalistic involvement in the EuropeanRenaissance, becoming variously Esoteric Christian,non-Christian, or anti-Christian across its differentschools in the modern era. It draws on a great manyinfluences, most notably: Jewish Kabbalah, Westernastrology, Alchemy, pagan religions, especially Egyptianand Greco-Roman (the latter being from which the term"Hermetic" is derived), neoplatonism, gnosticism, theEnochian system of angelic magic of John Dee andEdward Kelley, hermeticism, rosicrucianism,Freemasonry, tantra and the symbolism of the tarot.Hermetic Qabalah differs from the Jewish form in being amore admittedly syncretic system, however it sharesmany concepts with Jewish Kabbalah.

Contents [hide]

1 Teachings1.1 Conception of Divinity1.2 The Sephiroth in Hermetic Qabalah1.3 Tarot and the Tree of Life1.4 Relation to Western Magic, Alchemy and Astrology

2 History2.1 Hermetic views of Qabalah origins2.2 Renaissance occultism2.3 Enlightenment era esoteric societies2.4 Nineteenth century magical revival2.5 Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn2.6 After the Golden Dawn

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3 See also4 References5 External links

A primary concern of Hermetic Qabalah is the nature of divinity, its conception of which is quitemarkedly different from that presented in monotheistic religions; in particular there is not the strictseparation between divinity and man which is seen in monotheisms.[2] Hermetic Qabalah holds tothe neoplatonic conception that the manifest universe, of which material creation is a part, arose as aseries of emanations from the godhead.[3]

These emanations arise out of three preliminary states that are considered to precede manifestation.The first is a state of complete nullity, known as Ain (אין "nothing"); the second state, considered a"concentration" of Ain, is Ain Suph (אין סוף "without limit, infinite"); the third state, caused by a"movement" of Ain Suph, is Ain Suph Aur (אין סוף אור "limitless light"), and it is from this initialbrilliance that the first emanation of creation originates.[4]

Main article: Tree of life (Kabbalah)

The emanations of creation arising from Ain Suph Aur are ten innumber, and are called Sephiroth (ְסִפירֹת, singular Sephirah ְסִפיָרה,"enumeration"). These are conceptualised somewhat differently inHermetic Qabalah to the way they are in Jewish Kabbalah.[5] SeeTree of life (Kabbalah) for the Hermetic conceptualisation, andSephirot for the Jewish conceptualisation.

From Ain Suph Aur crystallises Kether, the first sephirah of theHermetic Qabalistic tree of life. From Kether emanate the rest ofthe sephirot in turn, viz. Kether (1), Chokhmah (2), Binah (3),Daath, Chesed (4), Geburah (5), Tiphareth (6), Netzach (7), Hod(8), Yesod (9), Malkuth (10). Daath is not assigned a number as itis considered part of Binah or a hidden sephirah.[6]

Each sephirah is considered to be an emanation of the divineenergy (often described as 'the divine light') which ever flows fromthe unmanifest, through Kether into manifestation.[7] This flow oflight is indicated by the lightning flash shown on diagrams of thesephirotic tree which passes through each sephirah in turnaccording to their enumerations.

Each sephirah is a nexus of divine energy and each has a numberof attributions. These attributions enable the Qabalist to form acomprehension of each particular sephirah's characteristics. Thismanner of applying many attributions to each sephirah is anexemplar of the diverse nature of Hermetic Qabalah. For examplethe sephirah Hod has the attributions of; Glory, perfect intelligence,the eights of the tarot deck, the planet Mercury, the Egyptian godThoth, the archangel Michael, the Roman god Mercury and thealchemical element Mercury.[8][9] The general principle involved isthat the Qabalist will meditate on all these attributions and by this

[edit]Teachings

[edit]Conception of Divinity

[edit]The Sephiroth in Hermetic Qabalah

The Sephirothic tree showingthe lightning flash and the paths

Hermetic Qabalah - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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means acquire an understanding of the character of the sephirah.

Main article: Divinatory, esoteric and occult tarot

Hermetic Qabalists see the cards of the tarot as keys to the Tree ofLife. The twenty-one trumps and the fool are often called the "MajorArcana" or "Greater Mysteries" and are seen as corresponding tothe twenty-two Hebrew letters and the twenty-two paths of the Tree; the ace to ten in each suitcorrespond to the ten Sephiroth in the four Qabalistic worlds; and the sixteen court cards relate tothe classical elements in the four worlds.[10][11][12] While the sephiroth describe the nature of God,the paths between them describe ways of knowing God.[13]

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See also: Gnosticism

Traditionalist Judaic views of Kabbalah's origins view it as an inherentdevelopment from within the Jewish religion, perhaps expressedthrough syncretic terminology from Medieval Jewish Neoplatonism.Contemporary academics of Jewish mysticism have reassessedGershom Scholem's theory that the new doctrine of Medieval Kabbalahassimilated an earlier Jewish version of Gnosticism;[14] Moshe Idelinstead has posited a historical continuity of development from earlyJewish mysticism.[15] In contrast, Hermeticists have taken different views of Qabalah's origins. Someauthors see the origins of Qabalah not in Semitic/Jewish mysticism, or ancient Egyptian Gnosticism,but in a western tradition originating in classical Greece with Indo-European cultural roots, lateradopted by Jewish mystics.[16]

According to this view, "Hermetic Qabalah" would be the original Qabalah, even though the worditself is Judaic Hebrew, over the Christian Cabalah or the Jewish Kabbalah: Alongside the Christianconversion from paganism, Jewish mystical circles would have been able to incorporate gematria andthe Tree of life to their own concepts and fully monotheistic framework, without being suspect.Christians, in contrast, would have been persecuted for the same process, as it would have beensimilar to their pre-Christian polytheistic panentheism. With the Renaissance, this wisdom would havebeen relearned by Christianity from Judaism.

The Qabalistic Tree of Life inthe Servants of the Lightorganisation's Hermetic theory

[edit]Tarot and the Tree of Life

[edit]Relation to Western Magic, Alchemy and Astrology

Syncretism of Cabala,Alchemy, Astrology andother esoteric Hermeticdisciplines in a 1654 Germandepiction

[edit]History

[edit]Hermetic views of Qabalah origins

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See also: Christian Kabbalah and Hermeticism

Jewish Kabbalah was absorbed into the Hermetic tradition at least as early as the 15th century whenGiovanni Pico della Mirandola promoted a syncretic world view combining Platonism, Neoplatonism,Aristotelianism, Hermeticism and Kabbalah.[17] Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa (1486–1535), a Germanmagician, occult writer, theologian, astrologer, and alchemist, wrote the influential Three Books ofOccult Philosophy, incorporating Kabbalah in its theory and practice of Western magic. It contributingto the Renaissance view of ritual magic's relationship with Christianity. Pico's Hermetic syncretismwas further developed by Athanasius Kircher, a Jesuit priest, hermeticist and polymath, who wroteextensively on the subject in 1652, bringing further elements such as Orphism and Egyptianmythology to the mix.[18]

Once Hermeticism was no longer endorsed by the Christian Churchit was driven underground and a number of Hermetic brotherhoodswere formed. With the Enlightenment Age of Reason andskepticism of mainstream religion, the tradition of exoteric-theological Christian Cabala declined, while esoteric-occultHermetic Qabalah flourished in the Western mystery tradition. Non-Jewish Cabala, unlike in Judaic Kabbalah's mainstream censure ofits magical side, became a central component of Western occult,magic and divination.

Rosicrucianism and esoteric branches of Freemasonry taughtreligious philosophies, Qabalah, and divine magic in progressivesteps of initiation. Their esoteric teachings, and secret societystructure of an outer body governed by a restricted inner level ofadepts, laid the format for modern esoteric organisations.

Post-Enlightenment Romanticism encouraged societal interest inoccultism, of which Hermetic Qabalistic writing was a feature.Francis Barrett's The Magus (1801) handbook of ceremonial magicgained little notice until it influenced the French magical enthusiastEliphas Levi (1810-1875). His fanciful literary embellishments of magical invocations presentedQabalism as synonymous with both White and Black magic. Levi incorporated the Tarot cards into hismagical system, and as a result the Tarot has been an important part of the paraphernalia ofWestern magicians. He had a deep impact on the magic of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.Through the occultists inspired by him, Levi is remembered as one of the key founders of the 20thcentury revival of magic.

Hermetic Qabalah reached its peak in the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn,[19] a 19th centuryorganization that was arguably the pinnacle of ceremonial magic in the west. Within the GoldenDawn the fusing of Qabalistic principles such as the ten Sephiroth with Greek and Egyptian deitieswas made more cohesive and was extended to encompass other systems such as the Enochiansystem of angelic magic of John Dee and certain Eastern (particularly Hindu and Buddhist) concepts,all within the structure of a Masonic or Rosicrucian style esoteric order.

Aleister Crowley, a member of the Golden Dawn, is the most widely known exponent of HermeticMagic[20] or Magick as he preferred to spell it. Crowley's book Liber 777 is a good illustration of the

[edit]Renaissance occultism

The "Kircher Tree":Athanasius Kircher's 1652depiction of the Tree of Life,based on a 1625 version byPhilippe d'Aquin. This is still themost common arrangement ofthe Sephiroth and paths on thetree in Hermetic Qabalah

[edit]Enlightenment era esoteric societies

[edit]Nineteenth century magical revival

[edit]Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn

Hermetic Qabalah - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Occult portal

wider Hermetic approach. It is a set of tables of correspondences relating various parts of ceremonialmagic and Eastern and Western religion to the thirty-two numbers representing the ten spheres plusthe twenty-two paths of the qabalistic Tree of Life. The panentheistic nature of Hermetic Qabalists isplainly evident here, as one may simply check the table to see that Chesed (חסד "Mercy")corresponds to Jupiter, Isis, the colour blue (on the Queen Scale), Poseidon, Brahma, and amethyst.

Many of the Golden Dawn's rituals were published by Crowley, altered in various ways to align themwith his own New Aeon magickal approach. Israel Regardie eventually compiled the more traditionalforms of these rituals and published them in book form.[21]

Dion Fortune, an initiate of Alpha et Omega, who went on to found the Fraternity of the Inner Lightwrote the seminal book The Mystical Qabalah, widely considered one of the best generalintroductions to modern Hermetic Qabalah.[22][23]

Pat Zalewski is a student of Jack Taylor, who was in turn a student of Robert Felkin's school, astaught in New Zealand after Felkin emigrated there.

Samael Aun Weor has written many significant works that discuss Kabbalah within many religions,such as the Egyptian, Pagan, and Central American religions, which is summarized in his work TheInitiatic Path in the Arcana of Tarot and Kabbalah.

Paul Foster Case (1884–1954) was an American occultist and author of influential books on occulttarot and Qabalah. He founded the Builders of the Adytum (B.O.T.A) mystery school, rooted in theHermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and the Masonic blue lodge system, later extended by AnnDavies. B.O.T.A. teaches esoteric psychology, occult tarot, Hermetic Qabalah, astrology, andmeditation.

Hermetism and other religionsRenaissance magicWestern esotericismTheosophyOccultAlchemyDivinatory, esoteric and occult tarotMagical organizationsEnglish QabalahEsoteric ChristianityChristian Kabbalah

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1. ^ Bogdan, H; "Western Esotericism and Ritualsof Initiation", University Of New York Press,2007, ISBN 978-0-7914-7069-5, p 49.

2. ^ Fortune, Dion; "The Mystical Qabalah",Aquarian Press, 1987, ISBN 0-85030-335-4, p

Aquarian Press, 1987, ISBN 0-85030-335-4, p102

14. ^ Kabbalah: A Very Short Introduction, JosephDan, Oxford. Chapter on early Jewish

[edit]After the Golden Dawn

[edit]See also

[edit]References

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44.3. ^ Fortune, Dion; "The Mystical Qabalah",

Aquarian Press, 1987, ISBN 0-85030-335-4, p37-42.

4. ^ Fortune, Dion; "The Mystical Qabalah",Aquarian Press, 1987, ISBN 0-85030-335-4, p29-36.

5. ^ Fortune, Dion; "The Mystical Qabalah",Aquarian Press, 1987, ISBN 0-85030-335-4.

6. ^ Regardie, Israel; "The Golden Dawn",Llewellyn, 2000, ISBN 0-87542-663-8, p 51.

7. ^ Fortune, Dion; "The Mystical Qabalah",Aquarian Press, 1987, ISBN 0-85030-335-4, p1.

8. ^ Regardie, Israel; "The Golden Dawn",Llewellyn, 2000, ISBN 0-87542-663-8, p 20-21

9. ^ Fortune, Dion; "The Mystical Qabalah",Aquarian Press, 1987, ISBN 0-85030-335-4, p238-251

10. ^ Waite, A.E.; "The Holy Kabbalah", UniversityBooks, 1971, p 554-557

11. ^ Regardie, Israel; "The Golden Dawn",Llewellyn, 2000, ISBN 0-87542-663-8, p 540-593

12. ^ Fortune, Dion; "The Mystical Qabalah",Aquarian Press, 1987, ISBN 0-85030-335-4, p107.

13. ^ Fortune, Dion; "The Mystical Qabalah",

mysticism discusses contemporary views thatGnosticism did not form a distinct religion.

15. ^ Kabbalah: New Perspectives, Moshe Idel,Yale 1990

16. ^ The Greek Qabalah: Alphabetic Mysticismand Numerology in the Ancient World, KierenBarry, Samuel Weiser 1999

17. ^ Farmer, S.A; "Syncretism in the West: Pico's900 Theses (1486)", Medieval & RenaissanceTexts & Studies, 1999, ISBN 0-86698-209-4

18. ^ Schmidt, Edward W. "The Last RenaissanceMan: Athanasius Kircher", SJ. Company: TheWorld of Jesuits and Their Friends. 19(2),Winter 2001–2002.

19. ^ York, The Magicians of the Golden Dawn,(1972) p. ix.

20. ^ Symonds, J & Grant, K; The Confessions ofAleister Crowley, Hill & Wang, 1969, ISBN080903591X.

21. ^ Cicero, Chic & Cicero, Sandra; `Self Initiationinto the Golden Dawn Tradition, Llewellyn,1998, ISBN 1-56718-136-8, p xix.

22. ^ Fielding, Charles and Collins, Carr; The Storyof Dion Fortune, Thoth Books, 1998, ISBN 1-870450-33-7, p151

23. ^ Richardson, Alan, The Magical Life of DionFortune, Aquarian Press, 1991, p137, ISBN 1-85538-051-X

Survey of Occultism in the RenaissanceHermetic Kabbalah websiteThe Mystical Qabalah pdf from The Society of theInner Light

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