Qabalah Offers More Insight Than Christianity

Q&A with Anita Kraft

1. I do not know much about the Qabalah so I am addressing these questions from a beginners stand point. What exactly is the Qabalah?

This is a tough question because the answer really should be much longer to be thorough.  But, briefly, Qabalah is the journey to the attainment of Unio Mystica (one with the Divine or one with one’s own Divinity.) It has its foundations in many Western Esoteric systems including Gnosticism, Neo-Platonism, Magick, and Occultism, with its structure derived from Hebrew Mysticism.

2. What do you mean by the Sephiroth exactly? These are angels correct?

No the Sephrah(plural of Sephiroth) are from the 2nd–4th Century work called the Sefer Yetzirah.  There is no translation in English for the term Sephiroth.  This book details how “God” created the Universe using the 10 emanations called Sephiroth and the 22 letters of the Hebrew Alphabet.  However each Sephiroth has correspondences which include hierarchies of Angels.

3. I am familiar with Aleister Crowley, how does he fit into your work exactly in your book The Qabalah Workbook for Magicians?  

I am a 20 plus year student of Crowley and his magical techniques, as well as being a Thelemite.  Crowley was an avid student of Qabalah and it is interwoven into all of his magical work.  I have found over the years his advice and insight to be of great use to me in my own Qabalistic studies and wanted to pass along that resource to others.

4. I am interested in practicing and learning about the Qabalah. Where should I start and what results could I expect?

You should start with this book!  What to expect is change.  Qabalah literally means “tradition” and the tradition of Qabalah is change.  It is about the journey, not the destination and the journey will change you.  Be it insight into part of yourself you haven’t explored or a new way of looking at your world.  Being a Qabalist will only give you greater insight into yourself and I can’t think of a better exploration, than the depths of one’s own mind and soul.

5. How important is it to have an Altar?  

It is important to collect the things you need to study. You can place them on an Altar or a table if you want.  But it should be a dedicated space to this study and this alone.  Don’t clutter up your meditations and studies with yesterday’s lunch on the same table.

6. Tell us please about the Qabalah’s Tree of Life and what it means exactly.  

In the 1100s a Jewish mystical work called the Sefer Ha-Bahir was published. This was the first work to take the Sephirah and put them in a structure, the Tree of Life.  All 10 emanations were mapped in a formation called the tree, and the 22 Hebrew letters were mapped to paths between the 10 Sephirah.  Over time there have been many, many versions of this tree.  When Christians got into Qabalah the paths again changed and through Agripa, Kircher and others, Christian Qabalah and Jewish Kabalah diverged down different paths.  The Golden Dawn and other modern magicians used the Christian tradition to develop the structure most magicians use today, which is laid out in the book and online.

7. What would you like to share with us from your book that might help someone just starting out?  

We are a fast food, fast everything world and the path to understanding and wisdom cannot be done through that mentality.  Acquiring insight, developing wisdom, coming to know your own divine nature will take time.  But the journey will be amazing.  Don’t rush; take the kernels of insight as you get them.

Remember when you turn on the lights, the room will be really dusty and might be down-right dirty. You must Will to do the work. Do not turn from fear, keep joy in your heart, and love as your foundation.

8. What can we expect from you in the future book wise or projects wise and any links you’d like to share? Thank you. The next book is on the Paths of Wisdom.  My website is www.magickqabalah.com.  Thanks!