Keslynn

I just ordered Tarot and the Tree of Life (the one that covers minors only) from Amazon. However, I don't have a Qabalistic book related to the major arcana and I was hoping to fill in that area of ignorance. Can anyone recommend a book that covers the major arcana and the Tree of Life in an interesting way? It could even be a general Qabala and tarot book with a hefty section on the majors.

Thanks.

Kes

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"You should be careful what you wish for 'cause every one of us has the devil inside" -Incubus

tigerlily

Living the Tarot by Amber Jayanti is Majors-only and the perfect companion book IMO. She has also written an introduction into Qabalah (pick your favourite spelling), but that one wasn't too informative. But her Tarot book is very good and mentions the Tree of Life here and there

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The idea of "finishing" with a trump seems bizarre... on the order of saying you're finished with breathing or digestion or memory. ~ scion

"Physics does not explain away the secrets of nature, it refers them back to deeper secrets." ~ Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker

Laurel

I don't know if its in print, but I swear by "The Qabalistic Tarot" by Robert Wang. It covers both the major and minor arcana and the Tree of Life in detail and was personally one of the most helpful reference books for me when I was first learning Kabbalah, coming from a tarot background first.

Laurel

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"Adventure isn't hanging on a rope off the side of a mountain. Adventure is an attitude that we must apply to the day to day obstacles of life -- facing new challenges, seizing new opportunities, testing our resources against the unknown and in the process, discovering our own unique potential."

divinerguy

The Builders of the Adytum, which is where Amber Jayanti studied, is a fabulous resource for those who are into Qabalah study. Lots of books and study aids.

http://www.bota.org/cat1.html

Divinerguy

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divinerguy
That's the way I like it.

Sullanciri2002

You can say a lot pro and con Crowley, and his books are definitely not easy literature ... but the parts in THE BOOK OF THOTH on the connection between Qabalah and the Tarot are among the better and more understandable sections.
Try it - you can find most of the book online, free !!!

jmd

As the title of this thread is Qabalah books, I thought I would add what I consider to be absolutely essential reading. These texts form, so to speak, the backbone of Kabbalistic tradition, which itself rests on the Old Testament.

• Sefer Yetzirah (also transliterated as Sepher Yezirah).
  
  A. Kaplan's translation(s) of this book, and commentary, probably remains unsurpassed (published by Weiser, 1997). A very useful and different translation has also been done by Wescott (of the Golden Dawn), and another by I. Kalisch in 1877, still published by AMORC.
  
• Sefer Bahir (sometimes simply called 'The Bahir)'.
  
  Again, A. Kaplan's translation and commentary stand, to my knowledge, unsurpassed.
  
• Sefer Zohar (again sometimes simply called 'The Zohar'.
  
  Here G. Scholem's multi-volume work remains the standard. Scholem has also edited this into a very manageable 'little' extract of a mere 124 pages, published by Rider in 1977. I only have this edition, though I am aware that others exist.

Apart from these, a wide variety of Kabbalistic books are in existence, including some other highly worthwhile ones by, again, Gershom Scholem and Aryeh Kaplan, as well as Moshe Idel.

In my opinion, the three above mentioned texts, and the three above mentioned authors, can provide solid foundations for someone with the will to undertake the necessary studies.

jema

many thanks jmb for fleshing out my amazon.co.uk wishlist even more :smirk:
i will never catch up!
*LOL* it will be a few years at least just to get the essentials down.

did anyone here read Mystical Qabalah by Dion Fortune?
is it worth getting?

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To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong.
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IDS deck is Tarot of the Spirit

jmd

You're welcome!

Re.: D. Fortune's Mystical Qabalah, I do think it is very worthwhile getting...

Laurel

The Sefer Yetzirah, by the way, is available online in several translations. Its the source for the fundamental attributions for each letter of the alphabet and works well as a meditational tool. You'll see it referenced in all modern qabalistic texts and even if tarot is your primary focus, its worth having a copy of.

Laurel

__________________
"Adventure isn't hanging on a rope off the side of a mountain. Adventure is an attitude that we must apply to the day to day obstacles of life -- facing new challenges, seizing new opportunities, testing our resources against the unknown and in the process, discovering our own unique potential."