Magic of Qabalah [Paperback]

Kala Trobe (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2001

Enter into the mystery of the Qabalah by a direct inner journey, discovering for yourself the Divine realms of Being and Becoming. "Magic of Qabalah "presents the Tree of Life in a way that resonates with the modern seeker--not as a static, arcane system that is only to be studied and pondered, but as a living structure that allows experience of and interaction with the primal forces of Creation. Sphere by Sphere and Path by Path, you will climb the branches and taste the fruit of the Tree of Life. Myths and symbols, energies and entities are revealed as living beings that form the body of the universe of which you are a part--and of which you can partake as you remake your world in the image of your will. This book includes:
-Specific guidance for connecting with the Tree of Life
-The qualities, symbols, and purposes of each Sphere and Path
-Guided visualizations for internalizing Qabalistic energies
-Explorations of traditional and contemporary applications
-The connection with the Tarot
-"A Qabalistic Tale: " a story based on Tree of Life symbols
-Chapter-by-chapter journeys into each of the ten Spheres

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

As evidenced in Religion Forecasts (this issue), Kabbalah books continue to be all the rage, though their quality often does not match their popularity. In Magic of Qabalah: Visions of the Tree of Life, Kala Trobe argues that Judaism's central mystical text is "no longer the province of a single philosophy or religion" and adapts its teachings for magickal. She says that Qabalah is the "cuckoo child... now an independent fledgling" of Jewish Kabbalah. Unfortunately, it is the case here that the adolescent child has failed to understand its venerable parent; Trobe falls too often into the trap of misinterpreting or even negating the text's Jewish symbolism in the interest of universalizing it. Bringing Kabbalah to the hoi polloi is a nice idea, but it is far too complex a mystical system to be tackled in so glib a fashion. (Llewellyn, $14.95 paper 336p ISBN 0-7387-0002-9; June)

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Kala Trobe (UK) is the main nom-de-plume of Kate La Trobe-Bateman. She is author of the award-winning work of fiction The Magick Bookshop and the new Magick in the West End, a dazzling collection of short stories that brim with imagination and come straight from the theatre-lit, gaudy, blinding, yet, bewitching streets of London's West End - and all seen through the eyes of a magically-minded young and aspiring occultist at one of Londons most well-known esoteric bookshops.

Kala Trobe is the author of several works of Llewellyn non-fiction including Invoke the Goddess: Visualizations of Hindu, Greek, & Egyptian Deities, Magic of Qabalah, Invoke the Gods: Exploring the Power of Male Archetypes and The Witchs Guide to Life, and is also published by Random House UK.
Ms Trobe currently divides her time between London and Amsterdam.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Llewellyn Publications; 1st edition (June 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0738700029
• ISBN-13: 978-0738700021
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #797,630 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent introduction to Qaballah, July 8, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Magic of Qabalah (Paperback)

I have been intermittantly interested in Qaballah for some years. Having read six or seven books on the subject, including Dion Fortune's Mystical Qaballah, Israel Regardie's books on the subject and Ellen Cannon Reed's Witches' Qaballah, I can honestly say that Kala Trobe's Magic of Qaballah is one of the best. Qaballah is a difficult subject which, while being inspiring, can all too easily leave the student bogged down in esoteric symbolism and high flown theories. Kala Trobe has done a superb job of making the subject approachable and enjoyable without losing the depth of spirituality which it conveys. The visualisations for the sephiroth are extremely well explained. The experience of Binah was deep beyond telling; the walk from Binah to Kether was mesmerising and hauntingly beautiful; the visualisation for Chokmah lifted the hairs on the back of my neck because of it's profundity...the incredible sense of sitting there with Binah beneath and the spiritual sun of Kether above. This book is an absolute gift for anyone wanting to explore the Tree but needing some clues and cyphers to get them started and guide their progress. I honestly couldn't put the book down and read it from cover to cover in about three sittings. Now I have the very welcome prospect of working through it stage by stage as an ongoing exploration of the Tree. I would eagerly recommend this book to anyone interested in the subject.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars inspiring and easy to follow introduction to Qaballah, August 14, 2001

By 

Xanthe (London) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Magic of Qabalah (Paperback)

I truly am at a loss to understand the damning magazine editorial posted with this book. I can only conclude that this is an example of the "establishment" wanting to keep knowledge for themselves and resenting a fresh approach. This book is ideal for people wanting to understand Qaballah in an accessible and inspiring way. The pathworkings are clear, beautiful and easy to follow, with vivid descriptions of the sephira and an allegorical story at the end which pulls the entire journey up the Tree together, but that doesn't undermine the solid foundations on which the Tree of Life is based. I felt this book helped me to understand the concepts of the Qaballah without losing sight of the ancient wisdom which gave birth to it. I found the experience of reading and working with this book profound, meaningful and satisfying. It has all the integrity of the standards in the field while making the material approachable in a way which the other Qaballah books don't ever seem to manage.

Read it...you won't regret it!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WHO ARE THE HOI-POLLOI, November 9, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Magic of Qabalah (Paperback)

Referred to by 'Publisher's Weekly'? People like myself I assume, who had a tentative knowledge of Qabalah prior to reading Kala Trobe's excellent book, and who now have a much better working knowledge of the subject. As far as I can see, Kala Trobe's approach is not 'glib', it is personal and it works for ordinary mortals like me.

There are many obscure books available on Qabalah, but this is the first time I have gotten any real purchase on the subject. I whole heartedly recommend that readers ignore the 'Publishers Weekly' review above and just try it for themselves. I shied away from the subject before reading this book. Now I feel confident that I at least have experienced the basics, and some more. Kala Trobe's descriptions of astral projection during her Yesodic time are very inspiring and interesting. More personal honesty is needed in these subjects, which otherwise are way too dry and intimidating.

I totally recommend this book. I found the imagery in it engrossing and will be using it to help me along the spiritual path.

JonB