Hermetic Qabalah
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Hermetic Qabalah (from
Hermetic Qabalah arose alongside and united with the Christian Cabalistic involvement in the European Renaissance, becoming variously Esoteric Christian, non-Christian, or anti-Christian across its different schools in the modern era.[citation needed] It draws on a great many influences, most notably: Jewish Kabbalah, Western astrology, Alchemy, Pagan religions, especially Egyptian and Greco-Roman, Neoplatonism, Hermeticism, and the symbolism of the tarot. Hermetic Qabalah differs from the Jewish form in being a more admittedly syncretic system; however, it shares many concepts with Jewish Kabbalah.
Teachings
Conception of Divinity
A primary concern of Hermetic Qabalah is the nature of divinity, its conception of which is quite markedly different from that presented in monotheistic religions; in particular there is not the strict separation between divinity and humankind which is seen in classical monotheism.[1] Hermetic Qabalah adheres to the Neoplatonic conception that the manifest universe, of which material creation is a part, arose as a series of "emanations" from the "godhead".[2]
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 initial brilliance that the first emanation of creation originates.[3]
The Sephiroth in Hermetic Qabalah
The emanations of creation arising from Ain Suph Aur are ten in number, and are called
From Ain Suph Aur crystallises Kether, the first sephirah of the Hermetic Qabalistic tree of life. From Kether emanate the rest of the 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 it is considered part of Binah or a hidden sephirah.[5]
Each sephirah is considered to be an emanation of the divine energy (often described as 'the divine light') which ever flows from the unmanifest, through Kether into manifestation.[6] This flow of light is indicated by the lightning flash shown on diagrams of the sephirotic tree which passes through each sephirah in turn according to their enumerations.
Each sephirah is a nexus of divine energy, and each has a number of attributions. These attributions enable the Qabalist to form a comprehension of each particular sephirah's characteristics. This manner of applying many attributions to each sephirah is an exemplar of the diverse nature of Hermetic Qabalah. For example, the sephirah Hod has the attributions of: Glory, perfect intelligence, the eights of the tarot deck, the planet Mercury, the Egyptian god Thoth, the archangel Michael, the Roman god Mercury and the alchemical element Mercury.[7][8] The general principle involved is that the Qabalist will meditate on all these attributions and by this means to acquire an understanding of the character of the sephirah including all its correspondences.
Tarot and the Tree of Life
Hermetic Qabalists see the cards of the tarot as keys to the Tree of Life. The 22 cards including the 21 Trumps plus the Fool or Zero card are often called the "
Orders of angels
According to the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn's interpretation of the
| Rank | Choir of Angels | Translation | Archangel | Sephirah |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hayot Ha Kodesh | Holy Living Ones | Metatron | Keter |
| 2 | Ophanim | Wheels | Raziel | Chokmah
|
| 3 | Erelim
|
Brave ones[13] | Tzaphkiel
|
Binah |
| 4 | Hashmallim | Glowing ones, Amber ones[14] | Tzadkiel
|
Chesed |
| 5 | Seraphim | Burning Ones | Khamael
|
Geburah
|
| 6 | Malakim | Messengers, angels | Raphael | Tipheret
|
| 7 | Elohim | Godly Beings | Haniel | Netzach |
| 8 | Bene Elohim | Sons of Elohim | Michael | Hod |
| 9 | Cherubim | [15] | Gabriel | Yesod |
| 10 | Ishim | Men (man-like beings, phonetically similar to "fires") | Sandalphon | Malkuth |
History
Hermetic views of Qabalah origins
Both Jewish tradition and mainstream academic scholarship understand Kabbalah to have originated within Judaism, developing concepts and ideas from earlier Medieval Jewish neoplatonism. In the mid-twentieth century, Gershom Scholem hypothesized that Medieval Kabbalah had its roots in an earlier Jewish version of Gnosticism; however, contemporary scholarship of Jewish mysticism has largely rejected this idea.[16] Moshe Idel instead has posited a historical continuity of development from early Jewish mysticism.[17] In contrast, some Hermeticists see the origins of Qabalah in a western tradition originating in classical Greece with Indo-European cultural roots, later adopted by Jewish mystics.[18]
Renaissance occultism
Jewish Kabbalah was absorbed into the Hermetic tradition at least as early as the 15th century when Giovanni Pico della Mirandola promoted a syncretic worldview combining Platonism, Neoplatonism, Aristotelianism, Hermeticism and Kabbalah.[19] Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa (1486–1535), a German magician, occult writer, theologian, astrologer, and alchemist, wrote the influential Three Books of Occult Philosophy, incorporating Kabbalah in its theory and practice of Western magic. It contributed strongly to the Renaissance view of ritual magic's relationship with Christianity. Pico's Hermetic syncretism was further developed by Athanasius Kircher, a Jesuit priest, hermeticist and polymath, who wrote extensively on the subject in 1652, bringing further elements such as Orphism and Egyptian mythology to the mix.[20]
Enlightenment era esoteric societies
Rosicrucianism and esoteric branches of Freemasonry, such as Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia, taught religious philosophies, Qabalah, and divine magic in progressive steps of initiation. Their esoteric teachings, and secret society structure of an outer body governed by a restricted inner level of adepts, laid the format for modern esoteric organisations.[citation needed]
Nineteenth-century magical revival
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Post-Enlightenment
Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
Hermetic Qabalah was developed extensively by the
Aleister Crowley passed through the Golden Dawn before going on to form his own magical orders. Crowley's book
After the Golden Dawn
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Many of the Golden Dawn's rituals were published by Crowley, altered in various ways to align them with his own New Aeon magickal approach. Israel Regardie eventually compiled the more traditional forms of these rituals and published them in book form.[23]
English Qabalah
There are various systems of English numerology, sometimes referred to as English Qabalah,
See also
- Christian mysticism
- Goetia
- Magick
- Thaumaturgy
- Theurgy
- Western esotericism
References
- ^ Fortune 1987, p. 44.
- ^ Fortune 1987, pp. 37–42.
- ^ Fortune 1987, pp. 29–36.
- ^ Fortune 1987.
- ^ Regardie 2000, p. 51.
- ^ Fortune 1987, p. 1.
- ^ Regardie 2000, pp. 20–21.
- ^ Fortune 1987, pp. 238–251.
- ^ Regardie 2000, pp. 540–593.
- ^ Fortune 1987, p. 107.
- ^ Fortune 1987, p. 102.
- ^ Regardie 2000, p. 69.
- ^ "Strong's Hebrew: 691. אֶרְאֵל (erel) - perhaps a hero". Biblesuite.com. Retrieved 2014-02-13.
- ^ "Strong's Hebrew: 2830. חַשְׁמַל (chashmal) - perhaps amber". Biblesuite.com. Retrieved 2014-02-13.
- ^ "Strong's Hebrew: 3742. כְּרוּב (kerub) - probably an order of angelic beings". Biblesuite.com. Retrieved 2014-02-13.
- ^ Dan 2007, chapter on early Jewish mysticism discusses contemporary views that Gnosticism did not form a distinct religion.
- ^ Idel 1988.
- ^ Barry 1999, p. [page needed].
- ^ Farmer 1999.
- ^ Schmidt 2001–2002.
- ^ Howe 1972, p. ix.
- ^ Crowley 1973.
- ^ Cicero & Cicero 1998, p. xix.
- ^ Fielding & Collins 1998, p. 151.
- ^ Richardson 1991, p. 137.
- ^ Nema 1995, p. 24–25.
- ^ Hulse 2000.
- ^ Rabinovitch & Lewis 2004, p. 269.
- ^ Thompson 2016.
Works cited
- Primary sources
- ISBN 0-87728-222-6.
- ISBN 978-0-85030-335-3.
- Idel, Moshe (1988). Kabbalah: New Perspectives. New Haven and London: Yale University Press.
- ISBN 978-0-87542-663-1.
- Secondary sources
- Barry, Kieren (1999). The Greek Qabalah: Alphabetic Mysticism and Numerology in the Ancient World. Samuel Weiser.
- Cicero, Chic; Cicero, Sandra (1998). Self Initiation into the Golden Dawn Tradition. Llewellyn. ISBN 978-1-56718-136-4.
- Dan, Joseph (2007). Kabbalah: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford. ISBN 978-0195327052.
- Farmer, S. A. (1999). Syncretism in the West: Pico's 900 Theses (1486). Medieval & Renaissance Texts & Studies. ISBN 978-0-86698-209-2.
- Fielding, Charles; Collins, Carr (1998). The Story of Dion Fortune. Thoth Books. ISBN 978-1-870450-33-1.
- Hanegraaff, Wouter J. (1998). New Age Religion and Western Culture: Esotericism in the Mirror of Secular Thought. SUNY Press. ISBN 978-0791438541.
- Hulse, David Allen (2000). The Western Mysteries: An Encyclopedic Guide to the Sacred Languages and Magickal Systems of the World. Llewellyn Publications. ISBN 1-56718-429-4.
- Howe, E. (1972). The Magicians of the Golden Dawn: A Documentary History of a Magical Order, 1887-1923. Routledge and K. Paul. ISBN 978-0710073396.
- ISBN 0-87728-827-5.
- Rabinovitch, Shelley; Lewis, James (2004). The Encyclopedia of Modern Witchcraft and Neo-Paganism. Citadel Press. ISBN 0-8065-2407-3.
- Richardson, Alan (1991). The Magical Life of Dion Fortune. Aquarian Press. ISBN 978-1-85538-051-6.
- Schmidt, Edward W. (Winter 2001–2002). "The Last Renaissance Man: Athanasius Kircher, SJ". The World of Jesuits and Their Friends. Vol. 19, no. 2.
- Thompson, Cath (2016). The Magickal Language of the Book of the Law: An English Qaballa Primer. Hadean Press Limited. ISBN 978-1-907881-68-8.
Further reading
- Clark, Paul A. (2012). The Hermetic Qabalah. Fraternity of the Hidden Light. ISBN 978-0971046917.
- Gray, W. G. (1997). Qabalistic Concepts: Living the Tree. Red Wheel Weiser. ISBN 978-1578630004.
- Greer, John Michael (2007). Paths of Wisdom: A Guide to the Magical Cabala. Thoth Publications.
- Knight, G. (2001). A Practical Guide to Qabalistic Symbolism. Weiser Books. ISBN 978-1578632473.
- Knight, M. (2010). Trinity of Wisdom: Truth, Philosophy and Hermetic Alchemical Qabalah. Oaklight Publishing. ISBN 978-0982653326.
- Low, Colin (2015). The Hermetic Kabbalah. Digital Brilliance. ISBN 978-0993303401.
- Mistele, W. R. (2024). The Hermetic Tree of Life: Elemental Magic and Spiritual Initiation. Inner Traditions/Bear. ISBN 978-1644117453.
- Parfitt, W. (1995). The New Living Qabalah: A Practical Guide to Understanding the Tree of Life. Element. ISBN 978-1852306823.
- ISBN 978-0877281498.
- Regardie, Israel (1995). A Garden of Pomegranates: Skrying on the Tree of Life. Llewellyn Publications.
- Wang, Robert (2017). The Qabalistic Tarot: A Textbook Of Mystical Philosophy. U.S. Games Systems, Inc. ISBN 978-1572819108.
External links
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