The Temple of High Witchcraft: Ceremonies, Spheres and The Witches' Qabalah (Penczak Temple Series) [Paperback]

Christopher Penczak (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 8, 2007 | Series: Penczak Temple Series (Book 7)

"This is foremost an engaging textbook designed for home schooling the advancing witch, and it is encyclopedic in its rituals, charts, and even homework assignments." —Publishers Weekly
 
Take your spiritual evolution to the next level by mastering the essentials of ceremonial magick. In this much-anticipated fourth volume in Christopher Penczak's award-winning series on witchcraft, he introduces the concepts of the Qabalah and the rituals of high magick, and explores the deeply interwoven relationship between these traditions and the Craft.

The teachings in this book correspond to the element of Air, guiding you into the realm of creative and critical thinking, communication, knowledge, and truth. Four preliminary chapters introduce the basic concepts, history, and skills you will need for your journey. Next, twelve formal lessons, in the witches' traditional year-and-a-day format, provide instruction in the fundamentals of ceremonial magic:

·The Qabalah
·The Tree of Life
·Symbol and sigil magick
·Elemental constructs  
·Qabalistic Cross
·The four worlds and their correspondences
·Middle Pillar
·Pathworking
·The Ritual of the Rosy Cross
·Invoking and banishing rituals
·Fluid condensers
·Barbarous words of power, magickal constructs, and the Goetia

The book's thirteenth lesson culminates in a ritual initiation fusing the traditions of witchcraft and high magick—the creation of your own Reality Map. The cosmology you create will be based on your own spiritual experiences as well as the philosophies and practices of ceremonial magick.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Like his other thorough guides for all things witchcraft, Penczak (The Mystic Foundation) offers fans another comprehensive, user-friendly handbook for the aspiring witch, this time for advanced practitioners—what he calls continuing education for followers of his Temple of Witchcraft series. According to Penczak, high witchcraft is quite different from the household magick of the everyday witch. It is known as god magick, involving the use of ritual to align with the divine and seeking divine enlightenment while incarnated in a body. Penczak helpfully likens learning the ceremonies and rituals of high witchcraft to a regular routine of exercise, yet instead of the body, you are build[ing] your psychic and magical 'muscles.' And readers should get ready for a hefty workout. Following several introductory chapters, Penczak provides a highly technical course of 13 lessons designed to provide all the necessary tools and intellectual, academic and ceremonial background information readers need to deepen their connection to the divine and self-initiate into high witchcraft. Audiences looking for witchcraft history will certainly find it here, but this is foremost an engaging textbook designed for home-schooling the advancing witch, and it is encyclopedic in its rituals, charts and even homework assignments. (Oct.)
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About the Author

Christopher Penczak is an award-winning author, teacher, and healing practitioner. He has studied extensively with witches, mystics, shamans, and healers in a variety of traditions from around the world to synthesize his own practice of magick and healing.

Formerly based in the music industry, Christopher was empowered by his spiritual experiences to live a magickal life, and began a full-time practice of teaching, writing, and seeing clients. He is the author of the award-winning Temple of Witchcraft series: The Inner Temple of Witchcraft, The Outer Temple of Witchcraft, The Temple of Shamanic Witchcraft, and The Living Temple of Witchcraft Volumes 1 and 2.

His other books include City Magick (Red Wheel/Weiser), Spirit Allies (Red Wheel/Weiser), Gay Witchcraft (Red Wheel/Weiser), Magick of Reiki, Sons of the Goddess, Ascension Magick, Instant Magick, The Mystic Foundation, The Witch's Shield, The Witch's Coin, and the forthcoming The Witch's Heart. Christopher Penczak resides in New Hampshire. Visit him online at http://www.christopherpenczak.com.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 576 pages
• Publisher: Llewellyn Publications (October 8, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0738711659
• ISBN-13: 978-0738711652
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.5 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #536,583 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Christopher Penczak is an author, teacher, and healing practitioner. Rooted firmly in the traditions of modern Witchcraft, he draws from the timeless wisdom of many cultures in the creation of new techniques and traditions.

Christopher is the author of numerous books, including the award-winning six-volume Temple of Witchcraft series (Llewellyn) and the Three Rays of Witchcraft (Copper Cauldron Publishing). Other works include Ascension Magick, Instant Magick, and the Witch's Shield (Llewellyn) and City Magick, Gay Witchcraft, and Spirit Allies (Red Wheel/Weiser). He has been a featured columnist for newWitch magazine and publications such as Genre, InnerSelf, and Kaleidoscope.

Christopher is a co-founder of the Temple of Witchcraft tradition and not-for-profit religious organization, and teaches and travels extensively teaching Witchcraft. He also offers a variety of online classes and lectures. For more visit www.christopherpenczak.com and www.templeofwitchcraft.org.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Introduction to Qabala for Pagans, November 21, 2007

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Darmony91 (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Temple of High Witchcraft: Ceremonies, Spheres and The Witches' Qabalah (Penczak Temple Series) (Paperback)

This book is the fourth in a series on Witchcraft by Penczak. It follows a very similar layout to previous volumes. The first four chapters introductory reading, then thirteen lessons to be studied in a year and a day. The first lesson is basics, then one lesson for each sepherot (plus Da'ath), then ending with an initiation. The material on the Qabalah follows orthodox Golden Dawn teaching very closely. There us not much material on the 22 connecting paths nor on the Tarot. In fact it is remarkable how little information is conveyed in 500+ pages. Other writers cover much more in less space. But this is not necessarily a bad thing. For pagans unfamiliar with the Qabalah the conversational tone and lucid exposition is very helpful in learning what is, in my opinion, a dry and intellectual subject. All in all, I would say this book will be of interest mainly to those familiar with his three previous volumes. Ceremonial magicians will find it too elementary to be of much use. But for pagans who are curious about the Qabalah and how it could be incorporated it into their craft, it can be very useful.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars effective and pleasant, December 8, 2008

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blackwolf (elyria, oh) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Temple of High Witchcraft: Ceremonies, Spheres and The Witches' Qabalah (Penczak Temple Series) (Paperback)

i have enjoyed other books by this author, but this is by far his greatest work. the qabalah is a subject i have had some difficulty with over the years even with such refernce tools as kraigs modern magic and witcombs magicians companion in my library. this book presents the material in a way that is very accessable to most readers and is very detailed in the attributes of the spheres to include assosciated dieties from all pantheons and related spell work. if you are interested in this subject and wish a more thorough insight into its mysteries, especially from the perspective of a witch, this book is invaluable.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars ....., October 27, 2011

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LaStregoneGrigria - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Temple of High Witchcraft: Ceremonies, Spheres and The Witches' Qabalah (Penczak Temple Series) (Paperback)

This book, quite honestly had me falling asleep while I was reading it. I couldn't even learn anything because it was just so uninteresting. Definitely not the best way to teach modern witchcraft.