PATHS OF WISDOM [Paperback]

John Michael Greer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2007

Acclaimed as an instant classic on its original publication and eagerly
sought by students of magic ever since, _Paths of Wisdom_ is a
comprehensive introduction to the theory and practice of the magical
Cabala, as practiced in the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and most
other contemporary Western occult traditions. Engaging and accessible,
yet packed with material found in few other books, it illumines the
Cabalistic underpinnings of today's Hermetic magic as never before.

From the fundamentals of Cabalistic philosophy, through a detailed
examination of the Spheres and Paths of the Tree of Life, to the magical
disciplines that bring the symbolism to life as a potent toolkit for
self-knowledge and esoteric attainment, _Paths of Wisdom_ is your guide
to the principles and practices of the magical Cabala.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

John Michael Greer is the author of more than a dozen books on magic and
alternative spirituality and a longtime practitioner of the Golden Dawn
system. Also active in Druidry, he currently heads the Ancient Order of
Druids in America (AODA) as its Grand Archdruid. He lives in the
mountains of southern Oregon, USA

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Thoth Publications; 2nd Revised edition (July 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1870450256
• ISBN-13: 978-1870450256
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,297,960 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born in the gritty Navy town of Bremerton, Washington and raised in the south Seattle suburbs, I began writing about as soon as I could hold a pencil. SF editor George Scithers' dictum that all would-be writers have a million words of so of bad prose in them, and have to write it out, pretty much sums up the couple of decades between my first serious attempt to write a book and my first published book, "Paths of Wisdom", which appeared in 1996. These days I live in Cumberland, Maryland with my spouse Sara; serve as presiding officer -- Grand Archdruid is the official title -- of the Ancient Order of Druids in America (AODA), a Druid order founded in 1912; and write in half a dozen nonfiction fields, nearly all of them focused on the revival of forgotten ideas, insights, and traditions of practice from the rubbish heap of history.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Useful Guide to the Hermetic/Christian Qabalah, August 3, 2002

By 

Nicq MacDonald (Sioux Falls, SD United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Paths of Wisdom: Principles and Practice of the Magical Cabala in the Western Tradition (Llewellyn's High Magick) (Paperback)

Qabalah is usually considered to be an extremely dense topic- mostly because of the fact that the standard guides to the topic (Dion Fortune's "The Mystical Qabalah", Crowley's "777", Mathers' and Westcott's books on the subject, etc) are written with more technical jargon and less style than a UNIX manual. Most of these (outdated) books assume that the reader has recieved initiation in a magical order and is pursuing study with a teacher already versed in the "mysteries". Being that this is seldom the case today, the modern student of Qabalah needs a guide tailored to their level of understanding.

"Paths of Wisdom" provides such a guide. Presenting the reader with a step by step guide to the philosophy, metaphysics, and psychology of the Qabalah, the author (John Michael Greer) guides you through a tour of the tree of life, from bottom to top, all within a single book. With considerable erudition as well as an easy reading style, the book succeeds at presenting Qabalistic wisdom to a modern audience.

Unfortunately, the book's strengths end there. There is a brief introduction and overview of the actual practice of Qabalistic mysticism, but Greer does not go into considerable depth in presenting the practice. He does, however, present enough material to get the beginner started in Qabalistic practice. I'd recommend D.M. Kraig's "Modern Magick" and Israel Regardie's "The Golden Dawn" to anyone looking for a book of practical work to go with the theory so clearly deliniated here.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent introduction to Hermetic Cabala., January 3, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Paths of Wisdom: Principles and Practice of the Magical Cabala in the Western Tradition (Llewellyn's High Magick) (Paperback)

This book is an introductory text on Hermetic Cabala,
a form of magical mysticism practiced in the European
world since the Renaissance, where it had been borrowed
from Jewish mysticism.

John Michael Greer gives a concise introduction to the
principles of the Cabala in the first few chapters and then
moves on to a detailed analysis of the Tree of Life and
its paths, which are the foundation of Cabalistic mysticism.

His writing is clearly done and his grasp on the subject
is obviously that of a practitioner of this path with
many years of experience, not simply that of an academic
writing about a topic foreign to himself. Unlike most
books on this topic, Mr. Greer's work explains the
theoretical foundations of Cabala as well as giving the
details of its practical use.

All in all, the best book I have found on the subject.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fresh new insights, August 5, 1998

By 

D. Durden (Decatur, Georgia USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Paths of Wisdom: Principles and Practice of the Magical Cabala in the Western Tradition (Llewellyn's High Magick) (Paperback)

We chose this book on Kaballah to use in my study group and we have had excellent results. The group consists of many levels from a beginner to a person who has written her own interpretations of Kaballah. Greer is able to simplfy enough for the beginner to grasp difficult concepts, yet offers enough new information to keep the expert interested. His ideas are fresh and his perspective opens up a lot of new information to a group of people who have been studying Metaphysics for almost 30 years. It should be part of every Metaphysician's bookshelf.