Need a little help

[LRichard]

Originally Posted by Siochanai

Any suggestions on a basic Qabala book to get me started in looking into the Hebrew + Tree of Life?

Lon Milo Duquette's The Chicken Qabalah of Rabbi Lamed ben Clifford is a very readable, non-intimidating introduction to Hebrew and Qabalah.

[Yygdrasilian]

◃30ºN⊣3430 nautical miles
1 nautical mile = 1:60º Earth meridian

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http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0RgHwN_sXr...ovidence11.jpg

[fyreflye]

And then you could put all those books aside, along with all the concepts you've learned, and just ask the cards themselves what they mean. Try out the methods in this book http://tinyurl.com/buoe8hy and this one http://tinyurl.com/ceuv2rl Just because you love Lady Harris' images doesn't necessarily mean that you need to accept Crowley's interpretations.

[Aeon418]

Originally Posted by fyreflye

Just because you love Lady Harris' images doesn't necessarily mean that you need to accept Crowley's interpretations.

Crowley's interpretations? Crowley's ideas are the foundation behind the cards. Harris is the one who acted as interpreter when she attempted to portray those same ideas in visual form.

[Siochanai]

Originally Posted by Aeon418

Crowley's interpretations? Crowley's ideas are the foundation behind the cards. Harris is the one who acted as interpreter when she attempted to portray those same ideas in visual form.

I have to agree with Aeon here. To ignore the creator's vast amount of knowledge he poured into the cards is adding insult to injury. He put the information into the cards for a reason and that reason was the challenge the users to reach a higher level a level more united with the subconscious. Sure you can ignore that but it would be a great shame and a total waste of effort. Crowley did the world a favor in the creation of the deck. He gave us a goal to pursue. Just ignoring that is just as bad as giving up on your life's dreams. It is a sign of failure to take up the challenge he presented us. I am a Gemini I just can't do that and never will. It is great to create your own intuitive meanings to cards but you just can't blatantly ignore the creators work. It should instead get you thinking and help you refine your personal meanings to add more depth and understanding to your perspectives.

On another note thank you very much for Qabalah book link LRichard.

[Aeon418]

Originally Posted by Siochanai

It is great to create your own intuitive meanings to cards but you just can't blatantly ignore the creators work.

I don't think an intuitive approach is necessarily an automatic snub to the creator. If the artist/interpreter has done a good job the cards should communicate their intent to the receptive reader. The trouble is that what many people call "intuitive reading" is, in my opinion, neither intuitive nor reading.

[LRichard]

Originally Posted by fyreflye

And then you could put all those books aside, along with all the concepts you've learned, and just ask the cards themselves what they mean. Try out the methods in this book http://tinyurl.com/buoe8hy and this one http://tinyurl.com/ceuv2rl Just because you love Lady Harris' images doesn't necessarily mean that you need to accept Crowley's interpretations.

If the author's original intent enriches one's experience of a deck, then your suggestion may be of questionable value. Although your post was not directed to me, my perspective is not unique, and it is peripherically relevant to the topic. After using Rider-Waite for some thirty years, it really opened up for me only after I became cognizant of the esoteric traditions underlying its design. Studying the relevant background material enhanced not only my understanding of twentieth century esoteric Tarot, but also my experience of life itself. Therefore, for me, any suggestion to put all that aside is not only ludicrous but probably impossible to implement.

[cmarie]

I started with the Thoth deck and hit a wall pretty quick with it, then I used the Morgan Greer(RW style) and also a universal rw while I was learning. I almost sold my Thoth - but I am so glad I didn't!

Now when I am reading with the Thoth and I feel a little confused I think of the RW equivalent(visually) and it fits into place. I also find that I draw on the Thoth symbolism when I am using other decks. I am amazed at how much texture and extra meaning this adds to all of my readings - because it seems to me that they compliment each other.

[closrapexa]

Like others have said, just take your time. It may be depressing to hear that the Thoth is a lifetime thing, but in many ways I find actually reading with it secondary. It isn't a deck you learn the basics of and then you're a pro, it takes time, patience, mulling over obscure metaphysical minutiae... it really never ends.

It took me two years to understand enough to say that I didn't understand the double loop.

As to reading "intuitively"... well, you could, obviously, but in this case, my opinion is that it's kind of a cop-out. You could gain excellent readings this way, but the mere study is what enriches and opens your world. Think of it as constantly studying to improve yourself, not to have it over with so you can get to "the good stuff." Mostly because the Thoth wasn't really designed primarily as a "reading deck,' but an intellectual and spiritual journey. It's aim is very, very different from the RWS.

Although both the Thoth and the RWS come from the same Golden Dawn root, their fibers a different, the language is different. Comparing the two will only get one so far, and then you hit the inevitable brick wall, a little like trying to buy pork chops in a bakery. I wrote at length in another post how the Thoth wasn't easy, there are no shortcuts, no instant fixes, but that's part of the process. The difficulty is an initiation. If you forgo that, you'll really never get a fraction of what you could.

[Barleywine]

You might slip a couple (or a few ) other books in between DuQuette and the Book of Thoth. I got a lot of mileage out of "The Qabailistic Tarot" by Robert Wang and "The Tarot, A Key to the Wisdom of the Ages" by Paul Foster Case when I was first exploring the esoteric side. I did read the Book of Thoth first, but it was kind of a big gulp to take all at once. These other books helped me to nibble away at it. A bit less chewing, as it were. Other authors to consider are Israel Regardie, Gareth Knight, and, for thorough explanations of the 22 paths, Frater Achad (a protege of Crowley) and Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki. All of my examples are from the '70s and early '80s. Others will surely have more recent favorites. Also, some of them like Wang's book are probably expensive now.