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The Witches Qabala: The Pagan Path and the Tree of Life

by Ellen Cannon Reed

Series: The Witches Qabala (Book 1)

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2262118,040 (3.23)None
Because the classic writings on the Qabala have been expressed primarily in the terminology of the Western Mystery Tradition or in terms of the ceremonial magician, its usefulness as a tool for the Craft has been overlooked. With this book, Ellen Cannon Reed -- a High Priestess of the Isian tradition -- brings the symbolism of the Qabala into a new light so pagans can see its value and use it to enhance the Great Work. Reed explains the Tree of Life -- the primary symbol used to represent the universal energies as "revealed" by the Qabala -- and how its spheres and paths correspond to elements in the pagan tradition. Teachers can use the Qabala to understand the growth of students and their problems, using the Vices and Virtues to recognize stages of growth. Reed also provides exercises, meditations, and encouragement to students who are studying without a teacher. She discusses the Qabala as it appears in everyday life, which spheres of the Tree of Life to use for specific workings, and details two rituals using the Tree: a Dedication to the Journey, and the Rite of mending Love. Reed's command of the material allows teachers and students alike to gain powerful insight into their own search for spirituality. First published in 1983 as Witches Qabala Book 1: The Goddess and the Tree, this revised and updated edition is enhanced with Reed's thirteen additional years of experience.… (more)
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This is one of the first books of its kind that I have read. I picked it up because of The Witches Tarot by Ellen Cannon Reed. There's a beautiful version of the Charge of the Goddess and the presentation of the information shed a lot of light and provoked a lot of thinking. ( )
  Silversi | May 6, 2011 |
I am a witch interested in the roots of my religion which lie in the Qabalah. I have studied the Qabalah before, using the more traditional approaches of e.g. Dion Fortune, and I was expecting this book to be a kind of missing link between the highly esoteric approach and the more down-to-earth pagan viewpoints. I also bought the book to learn how to apply Qabalistic concepts into my own spirituality.

Both my expectations were never fulfilled. "The Witches Qabalah" is a very easy read, but that is exactly why it can never be a good treatise on anything as profound as the Qabalah. And it isn't; the Tree of Life is presented in a matter-of-fact way with a great many number of correspondences, some of them of interest to paganists but certainly not all of them. The various diagrams are useful, but all-in-all it left me a little dissatisfied. Still: it is a good introduction to the systematic approach of the Qabalah to spirituality, but for those already acquainted with it it will leave a sense of superficiality.

But what I found worse than that is that the title does not keep its promise. The Qabalah is discussed (or, rather, presented) in the traditional judaeo-occult framework. Witchcraft and wicca concepts sporadically enter the discussion, but this happens far to infrequently to justify the title "Witches' Qabalah".

To me the book appears to be simplifying the Qabalah - sometimes to the point of dogmatism- and embellishing it with some remarks and elements that will cater and appeal to the pagan community.

The author also seems quite preoccupied with the traditional Angels, Archangels, Names of Power and other typically Qabalistic ideas. This is all OK for ceremonial magic users, but of less immediate interest to the average witch or pagan who hopes to gain a deeper understanding of his or her own path, rather than learning about the assets of a different path.

My final assessment of this book: a nice and quick read and a nice and readable introduction to elements of the Qabalah. The treatment of the relationship between Qabalah and Witchcraft or other pagan paths I found highly unsatisfactory, however. ( )
  BajorRon | May 8, 2007 |
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Because the classic writings on the Qabala have been expressed primarily in the terminology of the Western Mystery Tradition or in terms of the ceremonial magician, its usefulness as a tool for the Craft has been overlooked. With this book, Ellen Cannon Reed -- a High Priestess of the Isian tradition -- brings the symbolism of the Qabala into a new light so pagans can see its value and use it to enhance the Great Work. Reed explains the Tree of Life -- the primary symbol used to represent the universal energies as "revealed" by the Qabala -- and how its spheres and paths correspond to elements in the pagan tradition. Teachers can use the Qabala to understand the growth of students and their problems, using the Vices and Virtues to recognize stages of growth. Reed also provides exercises, meditations, and encouragement to students who are studying without a teacher. She discusses the Qabala as it appears in everyday life, which spheres of the Tree of Life to use for specific workings, and details two rituals using the Tree: a Dedication to the Journey, and the Rite of mending Love. Reed's command of the material allows teachers and students alike to gain powerful insight into their own search for spirituality. First published in 1983 as Witches Qabala Book 1: The Goddess and the Tree, this revised and updated edition is enhanced with Reed's thirteen additional years of experience.

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