where are you all?

i'm a newbie to this group, and must say that converstion seems a bit sparse.

is there no interest in the kabbalah these days?

i must admit that in my area (Birmingham, uk) i can't leave my home without tripping over a pagan, wiccan, shaman (etc), but as for anyone interested in the kabbalah...

i'm curious to hear some views on this matter,

tx

I'm certainly in the same country as you! I've come to the cabbala through wicca/magick/tarot/I Ching and found common frameworks within everything that the cabbala seems to have something to say about. I'm now restarting my studies after 8 years as I've kindof strayed from the path a bit. The most fascinating subject I find is the connection between the tarot and the cabbala, they are one and the same. This is leading me to some deep insights on the tarot symbology and how it relates to my current existance - great stuff. Any one got views on tarot/cabbala - love and marriage, you can't have one without the other.

lechib

I know what you mean, I have been quite disillusioned with many 'groups' which profess to teach/practice Kabbalah. Usually, I have found a rather haphazard and shallow form. London has the same problems as Birmingham .. just keep tripping over bloody new agers everywhere. I have found it more rewarding to pursue my own studies in various Jewish texts .. a lot more work .. but you get out what you put in.

Sean

my partner has been a member of organised groups (no longer is), although i havent and she warns me against as they tend toward narrow mindedness - i must admit to being mildly curious still. anyone got experiences of organised groups to share good/bad?

well.. it depends on the group i suppose. I was part of one for about 6 years or so .. quite a friendly crowd .. but hierarchical .. maybe necessarily so. I never really had major problems, but some of the more gullible members had pressure applied to them.. 'you have to do these meditations .. or something bad will happen' .. but I suppose at the end of the day .. we only get what we can handle. But not all groups are strange cults that we hear about .. some are little more than social groups who massage each others egos and try and feel so spiritually superior to we masses

Sean

I have been a student of the Qabalah for about 16 years. I live in Derby, and have a few friends (mostly on the Nottingham area) who share my interest. I have some close and valued friends in Birmingham - and they are Shamans! Still, I frequently find we couch the same experiences and attitudes in different language. Naturally, I believe there are some aspects of the Universe explicable by Qabalah that other philosophies do not address - but everyone's got to find their own path, and I wouldn't necessarily recommend some of the byways *I* have taken!

Is there anyone out there with a view on the significance of dividing the Alephbeth into Mothers, Doubles and Simples? Experience tells me there will be more than one 'correct' answer - I am interested in collecting the set!

There's an article I wrote on my Web Site which discusses the differences between groups, orders and networks. Take a look and let me know what you think! (There's also an on-line Kabbalah book which contains exercises and rituals which might also be of interest to you).
http://www.templum.com

In the Great Work