Deck to aid Qabalah Study
Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 10 May 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.
| Shade |
10 May 2004 |
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I want to get into a study of the Qabalah (Kabalah, Cabala and whatnot) and was wondering what decks out there people felt would be helpful in this.
Although one could probably use any deck and may use Qabalistic (Kabbalistic?) correspondences 'm looking for a deck that will help me with learning the system itself not the otehr way around. I've thought of getting the Oswald Wirth or the Sephiroth decks. The Crowley seems an obvious choice but I'm thiking if I go back to it I will get sidetracked and spend my time and energy on the deck ratehr than on the system.
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| Strange2 |
11 May 2004 |
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The Tarot Cabalistico would be a natural for the study of Qabalah. This deck uses images from the Tarot de Marseille, and also shows the path on the Tree of Life, as well as Hebrew letters, astrological, and elemental correspondences.
The Tarot of the Sephiroth would also be a good choice. I recommend getting the full book "Guide to the Tarot of the Sephiroth" for more details and insights on the Qabalistic correspondences.
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| jmd |
11 May 2004 |
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There are no decks which help in studying Kabalah 'in itself'.
Both decks mentioned above presume the Golden Dawn version of correlations, and the Wirth deck you mention has a different allocation - you can easily see this by looking at what Hebrew letter is written on, for example, the Bateleur/Magician.
Any deck you obtain which has already made particular attributions will therefore narrow your studies in that particular direction.
I would recommend studying of Kabalah as Kabalah, and independently of Tarot (at least initially), with such a wonderful text (if only one can be pruchased) as Aryeh Kaplan's Sefer Yetzirah, isbn 0877288550.
Of course, if you wish to have a look at Kabalistic correspondences as made by the Golden Dawn, then either of the two decks mentioned would be useful, and if you prefer correspondences as made by the Kabbalistic Order of the Rose Cross, then the Wirth or Lasenic would equally be useful. Just be aware that their peculiar ways of connecting 'paths' from the Tree to the cards, or Hebrew letters to the cards, differ, and are not universally accepted - hence my recommendation above.
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| Shade |
11 May 2004 |
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Thanks for the dvce, yes studying Kabbalh on its own does seem to be the most sound idea. I suppose that after I am firmly grounded there I will be better able to pick a deck that reflects my understanding of the system.
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| Jewel |
11 May 2004 |
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The advice JMD has given you is very sound, as the Tarot and the Qabalah are two different and independednt systems. However, if you are interested in looking at Tarot and Qabalah correlations, as I have, I studied them from the Golden Dawn point of view (which occassionally made me make a scrunchie face in dissagreement). For this type of study I would recommend Robert Wang's book Qabalistic Tarot (which I believe is OOP), and any of the decks that have already mentioned if you do not feel the Thoth would be the most appropriate for you to use.
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| genna |
12 May 2004 |
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I donīt know if Gill is a good deck for studying Kabbalah,(and I know very little about it),but it is Kabbalah inspired,and very pretty too.Itīs also easy to read with,and comes with a Tree-of-life card with an example for a spread.
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| Jewel-ry |
12 May 2004 |
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Originally posted by genna
I donīt know if Gill is a good deck for studying Kabbalah,(and I know very little about it),but it is Kabbalah inspired,and very pretty too.Itīs also easy to read with,and comes with a Tree-of-life card with an example for a spread.
I echo this! Although I don't know enough to make an informed decision on its usefulness, its colours are supposed to be related to the tree of life and the little handbook does give some information. It may be a good start. There are some threads on this deck, I shall see if I can find them and post them.
J:)
Found one
http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=4366&perpage=10&highlight=gill&pagenumber=4
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| Jewel |
12 May 2004 |
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Another deck that uses the Qabalah is the Navigators of the Mystic Sea. It uses some different correspondences than the Golden Dawn. I would suggest getting the book with this deck to follow its correspondences. I have not studied with it so I cannot speak to how good or lacking it might be.
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| Dakota |
13 May 2004 |
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You might be interested in Rachel Pollack's newest book "The Kabbalah Tree: A Journey of Balance and Soul", coming out in June. It includes a foldout spread sheet painted by Haindl which is beautiful in its own right but also can be used for a Tree of Life reading. RP has a monthly gathering at her home (thank the heavens I live where I do!!) and that is exactly what we did last night. It was a fascinating and illuminating experience, especially since one of the other folks in the group knew an incredible amount about the Kabbalah. I would not attempt such a complex reading at my current level but will definitely use it to study with!
:CL
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| Shade |
13 May 2004 |
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Yes I've been eagerly awaiting the Kabbalah tree since I saw it in Llewellyn's catalog months ago.
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The Deck to aid Qabalah Study thread was originally posted on 10 May 2004 in the Tarot Decks board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Tarot Decks, or read more archived threads.
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