Anyone Else Just Starting?

Quotidianlight

I needed introductions to the introductions.

Thank you, this is EXACTLY where I am right now. I've been reading a really badly edited really understandable cliff notes... I mean book, that has been extremely helpful. I also reached out to a local thelemite who has offered to let me bounce stuff off of him. This morning I was ducking so many giant lightbulbs during study time I gave myself a headache from thinking too hard ;) I just put the elements of Qabalah is now in my Amazon cart. Thank you!
 

Barleywine

Interesting ... especially this; " ... The issue is the much deeper human tendency to associate the direction "up" with light, consciousness, and "goodness" - while at the same time associating the direction "down" with darkness, unconsciousness, and "uncertainty and anxiety". Everyone, regardless of his or her ethnicity, dreams of "dark scary figures" and "situations" on a fairly regular basis."

The only quibble I have is that he - perhaps intentionally - misses what is probably one of the most obvious sources of the "up = light, consciousness, good/ down = dark, unconsciousness, bad" duality: orthodox religion, especially Christianity and its antecedents. (Oops, I know I'm not supposed to talk about that here <bares back for wet-noodle lashes>.)
 

Zephyros

The only quibble I have is that he - perhaps intentionally - misses what is probably one of the most obvious sources of the "up = light, consciousness, good/ down = dark, unconsciousness, bad" duality: orthodox religion, especially Christianity and its antecedents. (Oops, I know I'm not supposed to talk about that here <bares back for wet-noodle lashes>.)

I think that's because he's talking about things that predate religion. Sun worship (such as Christianity) arose, developed and elaborated on the already existing theme of fear of the dark, not the other way 'round. We may call the dark evil, but our ancestors would have called it fear of wild beasts.

But back on topic...

Quotidianlight said:
Thank you, this is EXACTLY where I am right now. I've been reading a really badly edited really understandable cliff notes... I mean book, that has been extremely helpful. I also reached out to a local thelemite who has offered to let me bounce stuff off of him. This morning I was ducking so many giant lightbulbs during study time I gave myself a headache from thinking too hard

Join the study group, it is open to any level of knowledge. Also, I recommend my own essays about Kabbalah for beginners in that forum (although I run the risk of blowing my own horn by doing so). While by no means exhaustive or complete, and even I have modified many views since writing them, they should give you at least an introduction, at least to participate. The trick is learning a few basic definitions; after that the actual work of discovering how the pieces interact is up to you, and is very enjoyable.
 

Richard

The only quibble I have is that he - perhaps intentionally - misses what is probably one of the most obvious sources of the "up = light, consciousness, good/ down = dark, unconsciousness, bad" duality: orthodox religion, especially Christianity and its antecedents. (Oops, I know I'm not supposed to talk about that here <bares back for wet-noodle lashes>.)

One and not two
Is the beginning and end of all;
But two are the aspects it presenteth to mankind,
Because men are subject to the illusion of duality.

P. F. Case​
 

Richard

......ETA: I'm glad someone brought up Dion Fortune being a big old racist, that really threw me for a loop when I started reading Mystical Qabala. She's also Christian-centric (is that a thing? did I just coin a new word?) - a lot of the texts I've perused that are Qabalah related are.
Metaphorical use of Christian jargon does not a Christian make. *points at self*
 

Barleywine

I think that's because he's talking about things that predate religion. Sun worship (such as Christianity) arose, developed and elaborated on the already existing theme of fear of the dark, not the other way 'round. We may call the dark evil, but our ancestors would have called it fear of wild beasts.

Agreed, "source" was a bad choice of words. "Perpetuator" is more accurate. If it is in fact a basic human instinct, religion codified it and gave it context (while also capitalizing on it).
 

Richard

Agreed, "source" was a bad choice of words. "Perpetuator" is more accurate. If it is in fact a basic human instinct, religion codified it and gave it context (while also capitalizing on it).
It is one of the inconsistencies of certain religions that an omnipotent god relinquishes a portion of its power to an anti-god.

Valentinus tried to formulate a monistic (or dialectical monistic) version of Christianity, but it didn't catch on. (At least he tried. At one time he was a candidate for the Papacy.)
 

Aeon418

I think that's because he's talking about things that predate religion. Sun worship (such as Christianity) arose, developed and elaborated on the already existing theme of fear of the dark, not the other way 'round. We may call the dark evil, but our ancestors would have called it fear of wild beasts.

Today we 'modern humans' still fear a certain wild beast in the dark. Death.
 

ann823

Also, I recommend my own essays about Kabbalah for beginners in that forum (although I run the risk of blowing my own horn by doing so). While by no means exhaustive or complete, and even I have modified many views since writing them, they should give you at least an introduction, at least to participate. The trick is learning a few basic definitions; after that the actual work of discovering how the pieces interact is up to you, and is very enjoyable.

I was about to blow your horn, these are a great way to get your feet wet. I've just printed them off and started studying them. Also the astrology one you did.
 

Barleywine

It is one of the inconsistencies of certain religions that an omnipotent god relinquishes a portion of its power to an anti-god.

Valentinus tried to formulate a monistic (or dialectical monistic) version of Christianity, but it didn't catch on. (At least he tried. At one time he was a candidate for the Papacy.)

Valentinus the Gnostic? Manly P. Hall has a couple of paragraphs about him, but not much detail, saying only that he "further complicated the system of gnostic philosophy by adding infinitely to the details." From the following link to the Hermetic Library, I can see what Hall was talking about:

http://hermetic.com/sabazius/valentinus.htm