Golden Dawn Blog by Frater Yechidah

Every so often I encounter some "rules" regarding how old one should be before embracing the occult, or comments that dismiss the role and contribution younger people have made. While some of these have some logic behind them, many of them are based on the presumption that older equals wiser (which, unfortunately, is not always the case). It is well known that some Rabbis, such as Shabbatai HaKohen, suggested that a man should not study the Qabalah until he is at least 40, and that this gives him time to live life, have and raise a family, and thoroughly learn Jewish tradition and law. Yet, according to Professor Elliot Wolfson, the Abraham Lieberman Professor of Hebrew and Judaic Studies at NYU, this rule was not widely followed, with many Qabalists starting out before 40, and some not even living to 40 years of age. “For the most part, I do not see that this was ever taken too seriously until recent times,” Wolfson said, according to MyJewishLearning . “As inte...

"The Zohar is one of the primary sources of Qabalistic material we have, and also the largest, spanning a number of volumes in its various translations. Its teachings penetrate the very fabric of Qabalah, both Jewish and Hermetic, even when not overtly referenced. However, it is also one of the most difficult texts to read and interpret, and thus an introductory book is often needed. A Guide to the Zohar by Arthur Green qualifies as one of the best books to fill this need." To read the rest of this review, click below: "A Guide To The Zohar" Book Review

"The Kabbalist exults in the notion that God creates the world through some supernal and mysterious manifestation of language. This may take the form of permutation of letters, in the tradition of the Sefer Yetsirah , the uttering of mysterious divine names, or some other aspect of verbal self-revelation. A key symbol for the emergence of the sefirot is the movement within God from thought ( Hokhmah and Binah ) to voice ( Tif'eret ) to speech ( Malkhut ). This is to say that Creation is a form of divine self-articulation." - Arthur Green, A Guide to the Zohar

Here is another interesting Qabalistic passage relating to the imbalance of Severity ( Din = Judgement) and Mercy ( Chesed = Love). I believe many in positions of power, particularly within the Golden Dawn community, would be wise to meditate on this: "Here we have one of the most important moral lessons of Kabbalah: judgment untempered by love brings about evil; power obsessed with itself turns demonic." - Arthur Green, A Guide to the Zohar