The Ladder Of Lights [Paperback]

William G. Gray (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1981

The Tree of Life is growing, flexible and adaptable life pattern capable of indefinite extensions throughout all states of existence. The Qabalah, or "received teachings," is the outcome of experiences of those who have climbed the ladder of the Tree by arranging their lives according to its pattern of perfection. The Tree provides the means of receiving inner world contacts with types of consciuosness normally inaccessible to the ordinary human mind--it is from and through these sources that the "teaching" comes. Here William Gray has presented a step by step guide to the Tree of Life and the Four Worlds of the Qabalahs--the worlds of contemplation, meditation, magic and daily action. The Tree of Life is a means and not an end. It is a map for helping you attain the single objective common to all systems, mysteries and religions--namely, the mystical union of humanity and divinity.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Red Wheel / Weiser; Second printing edition (September 1, 1981)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0877285365
• ISBN-13: 978-0877285366
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #337,595 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Companion Piece to Fortune?, November 4, 2003

By 

LVX "rosy-cross" (North America) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ladder Of Lights (Paperback)

Hands down, this is one of the best books on modern Qabala ever written! Gray takes a step-by-step look at the Ten Sephiroth and their traditional attributions in each of the Four Qabalistic Worlds. A relatively simple, no-nonsense approach to modern Qabalism.

In some ways, I view this book as a companion piece to Dion Fortune's much better-known work, "The Mystical Qabalah," since both books provide the reader with a fairly straightforward approach to this challenging subject. Where Fortune starts at the top of the Tree of Life and works her downward, however, Gray starts at the bottom of the Tree and works his way to the top. Although Grey's interpretation of the Tree is similar to Fortune's, by approaching the material from a completely different perspective he is also able to provide new insight.

This book's greatest strength is that it analyzes each of the ten Sephiroth from each of the Four Qabalistic worlds, providing the reader with something sorely missed in Dion Fortune's classic book on the subject. This book's greatest weakness is that, unlike Fortune, Gray pays almost no attention to the organization of the Sephiroth upon the Tree, or to the relationships between them. Without a word of explanation Gray also reverses the traditional Yetziratic attributions of Malkuth and Yesod, assigning them to the angelic choirs of Cherubim and Ashim respectively, although I do see the logic and consistency of this attribution.

Overall, this is a good, solid title for somebody interested in approaching modern (non-rabbinical) Qabalism for the first time. I'd recommend reading Dion Fortune's book first, if you haven't already, and then tackling this book immediately afterwards for a different take on the same material.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Book on Qabalah, June 24, 2008

By 

Greenlite350 (Western PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ladder Of Lights (Paperback)

This is by far the best book I've ever seen on the Qabalah and its philosophy. William Gray has a feel for the technical nuances of the Qabalah that few others possess. While the Qabalah is indeed "mystical" as Dion Fortune states in her excellent book (a perfect companion to Ladder of Lights), it is also a living thing, growing, changing, and redefining itself as time passes and human culture changes. Gray's technical approach appeals especially to me as a professional engineer - as above, so below, especially with his excellent analogies that ring true today. Grey is not afraid of looking at the Qabalah in new ways, even ways that contradict "tradition". Again, Qabalah is a living thing and living things that don't change are, well, dead.

I've re-read this book every year for many years, and I always find new things in it. Few books come close to the sheer density of insight that this one possesses.

You can't go wrong with this book if you're looking for a way to cut through the veils and get a true understanding of what makes Qabalah the best-ever method of getting a handle on the way the universe works.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential Modern Quabalah Text, May 28, 2007

By 

Understanding and Wisdom - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ladder Of Lights (Paperback)

Unlike most books on the subject, William Gray's 'The Ladder of Lights' speaks to the reader personally in a simple and sane way, without any obstruction to meaning.

His writing style is very different to other authors who produced books around the same period or earlier and his approach is very down to earth.

He also has a clever capacity to put simple meanings into short phrases which are designed to illuminate and assist the reader in understanding concepts which in other books are consistently given obscure meanings.

He is frequently able to bring fresh meanings and contemplation to Quabalistic symbols and ideas in a way that is very matter of fact which provides the reader with ample room for contemplation.

A very good book that should be on the shelf of any serious Western Magician.