The Alt.Magick Kabbalah FAQ

Version: 1.1
Release Date: 6th. July 1993

This  Kabbalah FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) was prepared  for  the
Usenet/Internet  newsgroup "alt.magick".  It is intended to provide  a
brief introduction to Kabbalah,  and pointers to additional sources of
information.

This FAQ may be freely copied as long as this header is retained.  The
contents are copyright and may not be abridged or modified without the
written  permission  of the author.  Printed copies may  be  made  for
personal use.

Copyright Colin Low 1993 (INET: cal@hplb.hpl.hp.com )

The author would appreciate feedback on the accuracy of the  material,
modulo variations in the Anglicised spellings of Hebrew words.
**********************************************************************

CONTENTS:

Section 1: General

   Q1.1  : What is Kabbalah
   Q1.2  : What does the word "Kabbalah" mean, and how should I spell it?
   Q1.3  : What is the "Tradition"?
   Q1.4  : How old is Kabbalah?
   Q1.5  : Do I need to be Jewish to study Kabbalah?
   Q1.6  : Is there an obstacle to a woman studying Kabbalah?
   Q1.7  : I've heard that one shouldn't study Kabbalah unless one is
           over forty years old? Is this true?
   Q1.8  : Do I need to learn Hebrew to study Kabbalah?
   Q1.9  : Is non-Judaic Kabbalah really Kabbalah?
   Q1.10 : How can I find someone who teaches Kabbalah?

Section 2: Specifics

   Q2.1 :  What is the Great Work?

Section 3: A Potted History of Kabbalah

Section 4: Reading List

Section 5: Information on the Internet

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Section 1:                     GENERAL
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Q1.1 : What is Kabbalah?
------------------------
Within Judaism,  Kabbalah is an integral part of Jewish  religion.  It
consists of a large body of speculation on the nature of divinity, the
creation,   and  the  role  of  human  beings.  It  consists  also  of
meditative,  devotional,  mystical  and magical practices  which  were
taught  only to a select few and for this reason Kabbalah is  regarded
as an esoteric offshoot of Judaism.

Kabbalah  has  been studied and used by non-Jews for  several  hundred
years.
+++

Q1.2 : What does the word "Kabbalah" mean, and how should I spell it?
---------------------------------------------------------------------
The  word  "Kabbalah" means "tradition".

No-one with the slightest interest in Kabbalah can fail to notice that
there are many alternative spellings of the word,  the two most common
being  Kabbalah and Qabalah.  Cabala,  Qaballah, Qabala, Kaballah (and
so on) are also seen.  The reason for this is that some letters in the
Hebrew  alphabet  have  more than one representation  in  the  English
alphabet,  and the same Hebrew letter can be written either as K or  Q
(or  sometimes even C);  some authors choose one  spelling,  and  some
choose the other.  Some (the author for example) will even mix Q and K
in  the same document,  spelling Kabbalah and Qlippoth (as opposed  to
Qabalah  and Klippoth!).  A random selection of modern  Hebrew  phrase
books and dictionaries use the K variant to represent the letter  Kuf,
so  anyone who claims that the "correct" spelling is "Qabalah"  is  on
uncertain ground.

The  author  takes the view (based on experience)  that  the  spelling
"Kabbalah"  is  recognised  by a wider selection of  people  than  the
"Qabalah"  variant,  and for this purely pragmatic reason it  is  used
throughout the FAQ.
+++

Q1.3 : What is the "Tradition"?
-------------------------------
According  to Jewish tradition,  the Torah (Torah - "Law" - the  first
five  books of the Old Testament) was created prior to the  world  and
she advised God on such weighty matters as the creation of human kind.
When Moses received the written law from God, tradition has it that he
also  received the oral law,  which was not written down,  but  passed
from generation to generation. At times the oral law has been referred
to as "Kabbalah" - the oral tradition.

The Torah was believed to be divine,  and in the same way as the Torah
was accompanied by an oral tradition,  so there grew up a  secret oral
tradition  which claimed to possess an initiated understanding of  the
Torah,  its hidden meanings, and the divine power concealed within it.
This is a principle root of the Kabbalistic tradition, a belief in the
divinity  of the Torah,  and a belief that by studying this  text  one
can unlock the secrets of the creation.

Another  aspect of Jewish religion which influenced Kabbalah  was  the
Biblical phenomenon of prophecy.  The prophet was an individual chosen
by God as a mouthpiece, and there is an implication that God, far from
being a transcedental abstraction, was a being whom one could approach
(albeit with enormous difficulty,  risk,  fear  and  trembling).  Some
Kabbalists  believed  that  they  were  the  inheritors  of  practical
techniques handed down from the time of the Biblical prophets,  and it
is not impossible or improbable that this was in fact the case.

These two threads,  one derived from the study of the Torah, the other
derived from practical attempts to approach God,  form the roots  from
which the Kabbalistic tradition developed.
+++

Q1.4 : How old is Kabbalah?
---------------------------
No-one knows.  The earliest documents which are generally acknowledged
as being Kabbalistic come from the 1st.  Century C.E.,  but there is a
suspicion  that  the  Biblical phenomenon of prophecy  may  have  been
grounded  in a much older oral tradition which was a precursor to  the
earliest  recognisable forms of Kabbalah.  There is no clear point  at
which a distinct Kabbalistic tradition "began", and its origin is more
a  matter  of definition than anything else.  The origin of  the  word
"Kabbalah" as a label for a tradition which is definitely recognisable
as Kabbalah is attributed to Isaac the Blind (c.  1160-1236 C.E.), who
is also credited with being the originator of the idea of  sephirothic
emanation.

Prior to this (and after) a wide variety of terms were used for  those
who  studied the tradition:  "masters of mystery",  "men  of  belief",
"masters  of knowledge",  "those who know",  "those who  know  grace",
"children of faith",  "children of the king's palace", "those who know
wisdom",  "those  who  reap the field",  "those who have  entered  and
left".
+++

Q1.5 Do I need to be Jewish to study Kabbalah?
----------------------------------------------
No.

The  Law  of  Gravitation was formulated  by  Isaac  Newton,  who  was
English.  You do not need to be English to fall on your face.  You  do
not need to be English to study the physics of gravitation.

However,  if you choose to study Kabbalah by name you should recognise
that Kabbalah was and is a part of Judaism,  and an important part  of
the history of Jewish people,  and respect the beliefs which not  only
gave rise to Kabbalah, but which are still an essential part of Jewish
faith.
+++

Q1.6 : Is there an Obstacle to a Woman studying Kabbalah?
---------------------------------------------------------
Within  Judaism  the answer is a resounding  "Yes!":  there  are  many
obstacles.  Perle Epstein relates some of her feelings on the  subject
in her book on Kabbalah (see the Reading List below).

Outside  of  Judaism the answer is a resounding "No!":  there  are  no
obstacles.  For the past one hundred years women have been active both
in studying and in teaching Kabbalah.
+++

Q1.7 : I've heard that one shouldn't study Kabbalah unless one is over
forty years old? Is this true?
---------------------------------------------------------------------
This  idea  appears to have come from the  great  Kabbalist  R.  Isaac
Luria  (1534-1572),  who  began the study of Kabbalah at  the  age  of
seventeen  and  died at the age of thirty-eight!  His  equally  famous
contemporary  R.  Moses  Cordovero  (1522-1570) began at  the  age  of
twenty. Many other famous Kabbalists also began the study early.

The  historical basis for the "rule" comes from opponents of  Kabbalah
within  Judaism  who (successfully) attempted to  restrict  its  study
(e.g.  the excommunication of the Frankists in Poland in 1756). At the
root of this was the heresy of false messiah Shabbatai Levi  (17th.  C)
which  resulted  in large numbers of Jews leaving the  orthodox  fold.
This heresy had deep Kabbalistic underpinnings,  and in the attempt to
stamp out Shabbateanism,  Kabbalah itself became suspect.  A  further
factor was the degeneration of 18th. century Hasidism (which had roots
both  in  Kabbalah  and  Shabbateanism)  into  "wonder  working"  and
superstition; the rationalist faction in Judaism triumphed, and the
study of Kabbalah became largely discredited.
+++

Q1.8 : Do I need to learn Hebrew to study Kabbalah?
---------------------------------------------------
Do you need to learn French in order to visit France? Should you learn
French  if you intend to visit France regularly?  These are  questions
you need to answer for yourself.  The author of this FAQ visits France
regularly and does a lot of pointing and grunting - it all comes  down
to  deciding  whether  asking for food in colloquial  French  is  more
important than simply getting the food and eating it. The author takes
the latter view;  the realities of mysticism and magic can be  pointed
at,  and  the accmpanying grunts can be found in many traditions  and
many different languages.

However,  there is no question that a knowledge of French (or  Hebrew)
will enrich the experience. Thousands of important Kabbalistic texts
have not been translated out of Hebrew or Aramaic. The difficulties in
trying to read the archaic and technically complex literature of
Kabbalah should not be discounted, but it is well worthwhile to acquire
even a superficial knowledge of Hebrew. Two useful books are:

Levy, Harold, "Hebrew for All", Valentine, Mitchell 1976
Harrison R.K. "Teach yourself Biblical Hebrew", NTC Publishing Group 1993

Many  Kabbalists view the Torah as the literal word of God and  Hebrew
as  the language of creation.  In this view the alphabet and  language
are divine and have immense magical power.
+++

Q1.9 : Is non-Judaic Kabbalah really Kabbalah?
----------------------------------------------
This is a matter of definition.  Jewish writers on the subject tend to
downplay  aspects  of Kabbalah which conflict with  orthodox  rabbinic
Judaism,  so that we do not see the heretic Nathan of Gaza classed  as
an important Kabbalist,  despite the fact that he was very influential
for  almost two hundred years.  We hear little about the  non-rabbinic
"Baal Shem" or "Masters of the Name" who used Kabbalah for healing and
other  practical  purposes.  There  is ample evidence  that  the  many
magical  practices currently associated with non-Judaic Kabbalah  were
widely  used and  well  understood  by  some  of  the  most  famous
rabbinic Kabbalists.

It  is the author's opinion that non-Jewish Kabbalah has preserved  up
to  the current day not only a large part of the authentic  spirit  of
Kabbalah,  but many practical techniques,  and the greatly esteemed R.
Aryeh Kaplan makes the following significant comment:

     "It is significant to note that a number of techniques alluded to
     in  these fragments also appear to have been preserved among  the
     non-Jewish  school of magic in Europe.  The relationship  between
     the practical Kabbalah and these magical schools would constitute
     an interesting area of study."

One  should not read too much into this,  but it does seem clear  that
it would be unwise to be too hasty in deciding what is "real" Kabbalah
and what is not.  The Kabbalah has been many different things over the
past 2000 years.

Q1.10 : How can I find someone who teaches Kabbalah?
----------------------------------------------------
It  is not possible to recommend specific people or  organisations  as
what is right for one person may not be right for another. In general,
(good) teachers of Kabbalah are not easy to find and never have  been,
and the search for a teacher proceeds in the Micawberish belief  that
when the time is right "something will turn up".

The  difficulty in finding a teacher can be viewed as a nuisance or  a
positive part of learning Kabbalah.  A thing is valued more when it is
hard to find.  Associate with people who share your interests,  go to
lectures and public meetings,  go to workshops, go to whatever happens
to  be  available,  (even if it is not entirely to  your  taste),  and
sooner or later someone will "turn up".

Most  Kabbalists are likely to be people with strong personal  beliefs
of  a  religious  nature,  and may see their teaching  as  a  personal
obligation (see "What is the Great Work?").  Such people are  unlikely
to  charge  money  for  their  teaching,  but  may  require  a  strong
commitment  from pupils,  and are unlikely to welcome "flavour of  the
month" mystical aspirants.

A  word  of advice:  a genuine teacher of Kabbalah will  help  you  to
develop your own personal relationship with God. Beware of any teacher
who  has preconceived and well-developed ideas about what is good  for
you.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Section 2:                    SPECIFICS
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Q2.1 : What is the Great Work?
------------------------------
     "Do not pray for your own needs, for your prayer will not then be
     accepted.  But when you want to pray,  do so for the heaviness of
     the Head. For whatever you lack, the Divine Presence also lacks."

     "This is because man is a "portion of God from on high." Whatever
     any part lacks, also exists in the Whole, and the Whole feels the
     lack of the part,  You should therefore pray for the needs of the
     Whole."

The term "the Great Work" has many definitions, and is not a term from
traditional   Kabbalah,   but  it  has  a  modern  usage  among   some
Kabbalists.  The quotation above,  from a disciple of the Kabbalist R.
Israel  Baal Shem Tov,  is a traditional Kabbalistic  view:  that  the
creation is in a damaged and imperfect state,  and the  Kabbalist,  by
virtue  of his or her state of consciousness,  can bring about a  real
healing.  A  name for this is "tikkun" (restoration).  There are  many
traditional  forms  of  "tikkun",   most  of  them  prescriptions  for
essentially  magical  acts designed to bring about a  healing  in  the
creation.

This view of the Great Work also exists outside of Judaic Kabbalah and
survives today,  namely that the creation is in a "fallen" state,  and
each person has an individual role to play in bringing about a general
restoration.

     "When someone stands in the light but does not give it out, then a
     shadow is created."

This is a modern restatement of an old Kabbalistic idea. In this view,
God gives life to the Creation:  from second to second the Creation is
sustained by this giving, and if it were to cease even for an instant,
the Creation would be no more.  If someone wants to know God then they
have  to  resemble  God,  and this means they  must  give  to  others.
Kabbalah  is  not  a  self-centred  pursuit;   it  pivots  around  the
Kabbalist's relationship with all living beings.
+++

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Section 3:          A POTTED HISTORY OF KABBALAH
---------------------------------------------------------------------
The earliest documents associated with Kabbalah come  from the  period
~100 to ~1000 A.D. and describe the attempts  of "Merkabah" mystics to
penetrate  the seven halls (Hekaloth)  of creation in order  to  reach
the  Merkabah (throne-chariot) of  God.  These mystics appear to  have
used  what  would now be recognised as familiar methods  of  shamanism
(fasting,  repetitious  chanting,  prayer,  posture) to induce  trance
states  in which they literally fought their way past terrible   seals
and  guards to reach an ecstatic state in which they  "saw   God".  An
early  and highly influential document,  the  "Sepher   Yetzirah",  or
"Book of Formation", originated during the earlier part of this period.

By the early Middle Ages further,  more theosophical developments  had
taken place, chiefly a description of "processes"  within God, and the
development of an esoteric view of creation as a process in which  God
manifests in a series of emanations,  or sephiroth.  This doctrine  of
the  sephiroth  can  be found  in a rudimentary form  in  the  "Sepher
Yetzirah",  but by the time of  the publication of the book "Bahir" in
the  12th.  century it had  reached a form not too different from  the
form it takes today.

A  motive behind the development of the doctrine of emanation  can  be
found in the questions:

     "If  God  made the world,   then what is the world if it  is  not
     God?"

     "If the world is  God, then why is it imperfect?"

It  was necessary to bridge the  gap between a pure and perfect  being
and a manifestly  impure and imperfect world by a series of "steps" in
which  the divine light was successively diluted.  The result has much
in  common with neoplatonism,  which also tried to resolve  the   same
difficulty  by postulating a "chain of being" which  bridged  the  gap
between  the perfection of God,  and the evident imperfection  of  the
world of daily life.

One of most interesting characters from this early period was  Abraham
Abulafia  (1240-1295),  who believed that God cannot be  described  or
conceptualised  using  everyday  symbols.  Like   many  Kabbalists  he
believed  in  the  divine  nature of the   Hebrew  alphabet  and  used
abstract  letter combinations and  permutations ("tzeruf") in  intense
meditations lasting many hours to  reach ecstatic states.  Because his
abstract  letter  combinations  were used as keys or entry  points  to
altered  states  of  consciousness,   failure  to  carry  through  the
manipulations correctly could have a drastic effect on the  Kabbalist.
In "Major  Trends in Jewish Mysticism" Scholem includes a  fascinating
extract from a description of one such experiment. Abulafia is unusual
because (controversially) he was one of the few Kabbalists to  provide
explicit written details of practical techniques.

The most influential Kabbalistic document,  the  "Sepher ha Zohar"  or
"Book  of Splendour",  was published by Moses de Leon  (1238-1305),  a
Spanish  Jew,  in the latter half of the thirteenth century. The Zohar
is  a   series  of separate documents covering a wide  range  of  sub-
jects, from a verse-by-verse esoteric commentary on the Pentateuch, to
highly theosophical descriptions of processes within  God.  The  Zohar
has  been  widely read and was highly  influential  within  mainstream
Judaism.

An important development in Kabbalah was the Safed school of   mystics
headed  by Moses Cordovero (1522-1570) and his successor Isaac   Luria
(1534-1572). Luria, called "The Ari" or Lion, was a highly charismatic
leader  who  exercised   almost total control over  the  life  of  the
school, and has passed  into history as something of a saint. Emphasis
was  placed on  living in the world and bringing the consciousness  of
God   through  *into* the world in a  practical  way.  Practices  were
largely devotional.

Throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries Judaism as a whole
was  heavily  influenced by Kabbalah,  but two influences  caused  its
decline.  The first event was the mass defection of Jews to the  cause
of the heretic and apostate pseudo-messiah Shabbatai Levi (1626-1676),
an  event  Scholem  calls "the largest and  most  momentous  messianic
movement in Jewish history subsequent to the destruction of the Temple
and  the Bar Kokhba Revolt." The Shabbateans included  many  prominant
rabbis   and  Kabbalists,   and  from  this  point   Kabbalah   became
inextricably mired with suspicions of heresy.  A second influence  was
the  rise  in Eastern Europe of a populist Kabbalism in  the  form  of
Hasidism,  and its eventual decline into superstition, so that by  the
beginning of this century a Jewish writer was able to dismiss Kabbalah
as an historical curiousity. Jewish Kabbalah has vast literature which
is almost entirely untranslated into English.

A  development  which  took  place  almost  synchronously   with   the
translation  and publication of key texts of Jewish  Kabbalah was  its
adoption  by  many  Christian  mystics,   magicians  and  philosphers.
Some Christians thought Kabbalah held keys that would reveal mysteries
hidden  in the scriptures,  others tried to find in Kabbalah  doctrines
which might be used to convert Jews to Christianity. There were some
who recognised in Kabbalah themes with which they were already familiar
in the literature of Hermeticism and Neoplatonism.

Renaissance  philosophers such as Pico  della Mirandola were  familiar
with  Kabbalah and mixed it   with  gnosticism,  pythagoreanism,  neo-
platonism  and hermeticism to form a snowball which continued to  pick
up traditions as it rolled down the centuries. It is probably accurate
to   say that from the Renaissance on,  virtually all European  occult
philosophers  and  magicians  of  note had  a  working  knowledge   of
Kabbalah.  Non-Jewish Kabbalah has suffered greatly from having only a
limited  number  of  source  texts  to  work  from,   often  in   poor
translations,  and  without  the  key commentaries  which  would  have
revealed the tradition associated with the concepts described.  It  is
pointless to criticise non-Jewish Kabbalah (as many writers have)  for
misinterpreting Jewish Kabbalah; it should be recognised as a parallel
tradition  with  many  points of correspondence  and  many  points  of
difference.

Very little information has survived about the Practical Kabbalah, but
there is abundant evidence that it involved a wide range of  practices
and included practices now regarded as magical - the fact that so many
Kabbalists  denounced  the  use of Kabbalah for  magical  purposes  is
evidence in itself (even if there were no other) that the use of these
techniqes  was  widespread.  It  is highly likely  that  many  ritual
magical techniques were introduced into Europe by Kabbalists or  their
less  scrupulous camp followers.  The most important medieval  magical
text is the "Key of  Solomon", and it contains the elements of classic
ritual magic -  names of power,  the magic circle,  ritual implements,
consecration,  evocation of spirits etc.  No-one knows how old it  is,
but  there is a reasonable suspicion that its contents preserve  tech-
niques which might well date back to Solomon.

The combination of non-Jewish Kabbalah and ritual magic  has been kept
alive  outside Judaism until the present day,   although it  has  been
heavily adulterated at times by hermeticism, gnosticism, neoplatonism,
pythagoreanism,  rosicrucianism,  christianity,  tantra and so on. The
most  important  "modern" influences are the French  magician  Eliphas
Levi,   and  the  English "Order of the Golden  Dawn".  At  least  two
members  of  the  Golden Dawn (S.L.  Mathers  and  A.E.  Waite)   were
knowledgable   Kabbalists,   and  three  Golden  Dawn   members   have
popularised Kabbalah - Aleister Crowley,  Israel  Regardie,  and  Dion
Fortune.  Dion Fortune's "Order of the  Inner Light" has also produced
a number of authors:  Gareth  Knight, William Butler, and William Gray
to name but three.

An unfortunate side effect of the Golden Dawn is that while   Kabbalah
was an important part of its "Knowledge Lectures",   surviving  Golden
Dawn  rituals  are  a syncretist hodge-podge  of  symbolism  in  which
Kabbalah seems to play a minor or nominal  role,  and this has led to
Kabbalah being  seen  by many modern  occultists as more of a  theoretical
and intellectual  discipline,   rather  than a potent  and  self-contained
mystical and magical  system in its own right.

Some  of the originators of modern witchcraft (e.g.  Gerald   Gardner,
Alex  Saunders)  drew  heavily on medieval ritual  and   Kabbalah  for
inspiration,  and  it is not unusual to find modern  witches  teaching
some  form  of  Kabbalah,  although it is  generally  even  less  well
integrated  into practical technique than in  the case of  the  Golden
Dawn.

To  summarise,  Kabbalah  is a mystical and magical  tradition   which
originated  nearly  two  thousand years ago and  has  been   practiced
continuously during that time.  It has been practiced  by Jew and non-
Jew  alike for about five hundred years.  On the  Jewish side  it  has
been  an integral and influential part of Judaism;  on the  non-Jewish
side  it has created a rich mystical and  magical tradition  with  its
own  validity,  a tradition which has  survived despite the  prejudice
generated through co-existing  within a strongly Christian culture.

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Section 4:                READING MATERIAL

The  choice of texts for a reading list is always contentious -  there
are too many books on Kabbalah to recommend all of them.  If you  feel
strongly  that  a book should be included in this list then  mail  its
details  and  some (relatively) factual comments on  its  contents  to
cal@hplb.hpl.hp.com
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Crowley, Aleister, "777", Metaphysical Research Group 1977
[Tables  of Kabbalistic correspondences,  some from the  Golden  Dawn,
some from Crowley, many traditional]

Epstein, Perle, "Kabbalah", Shambhala 1978
[Information  on traditional Jewish Kabbalah by a  student  of  Aryeh
Kaplan.  It contains many biographical details, and useful information
on practical techniques.]

Fortune, Dion, "The Mystical Qabalah", Ernest Benn Ltd, 1979
[One  of the first  books to relate the Sephirothic Tree to  everyday
experience,  and for this reason a useful beginners' book. It contains
many  digressions  on matters circa 1930 which  now  appear  extremely
dated.  Dion Fortune was strongly influenced by Theosophy and Esoteric
Christianity as well as Kabbalah, and it shows.]

Kaplan, Aryeh, "The Bahir Illumination", Weiser 1989
[A  key  Kabbalistic  source  text  with  an  extensive  and  informed
commentary by Kaplan]

Kaplan, Aryeh, "Meditation and Kabbalah", Weiser 1992
[Essential reading for the experienced Kabbalist.  Not an introductory
text. Many biographical and historical details worth reading for their
own sake.]

Kaplan, Aryeh, "The Sepher Yetzirah", Weiser 1991
[A  key  Kabbalistic  source  text  with  an  extensive  and  informed
commentary by Kaplan.]

Kaplan, Aryeh, "The Living Torah", Maznaim 1981
[A key Kabbalistic source text with an informed commentary by  Kaplan.
Contains  both Kaplan's translation and the Hebrew source text of  the
five books of Moses.]

Knight, Gareth, "A Practical Guide to Qabalistic Symbolism", Vols 1  &
2, Helios 1972
[Volume  1  provides  an  introduction to the Tree  of  Life  and  the
sephiroth, and follows the correspondences of the Golden Dawn and Dion
Fortune.  Volume  2 covers the paths on the Tree,  draws on  the  same
basic  correspondences,   but  contains  more  personal   meditational
material.  At  the  level of a personal commentary  it  provides  many
insights into the G.D. correspondences.]

Levi, Eliphas, "Transcendental Magic", Rider, 1969.
[A key text by an important and influential magician.  Levi's  factual
information should not be taken at face value]

Mathers, S. L., "The Kabbalah Unveiled", Routledge & Kegan Paul
1981
[A translation of a translation of three texts from the "Zohar",  with
an  introduction  by both Moina and Samuel Liddel  Mathers,  which  is
interesting  not  only for what it says about Kabbalah but also  as  a
source  of  insight into two key members of the Order  of  the  Golden
Dawn.]

Mathers, S. L., "The Key of Solomon the King", Routledge & Kegan Paul
[Classic magical grimoire with a Kabbalistic flavour.]

Mathers,  S. L., "The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage",
Dover 1975
[The authenticity of this text has been questioned,  but its influence
on  20th.  century  magic and practical Kabbalah  cannot  be.  It  may
be based on an authentic technique for acquiring a "Maggid" or angelic
teacher, something widely employed by Jewish Kabbalists in the past.]

Ponce, Charles, "Kabbalah", Garnstone Press, 1974.
[A straightforward and not too fanciful introduction to Kabbalah  with
a Jewish flavour.]

Regardie, I., "The Complete Golden Dawn System of Magic", Falcon
Press 1984
[Essential  reading for anyone interested in the development  of  non-
Jewish Kabbalah this century.]

Scholem, Gershom G. "Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism",
Schoken Books 1974
[Essential reading for anyone with an interest in the historical basis
for Kabbalah.]

Scholem, Gershom G., "Origins of the Kabbalah", Princton 1990
[Traces the origins of Kabbalistic thought through the book "Bahir", the
 Kabbalists of Provence, and the Kabbalistic circle of Gerona. Gripping
 stuff for the academically and historically minded]

Scholem, Gershom G. "Kabbalah", Dorset Press 1974
[Essential reading for anyone with an interest in the historical basis
for Kabbalah.]

Simon,  Maurice  & Sperling,  Harry,  "The Zohar",  Bennet 1959  (also
recently reprinted by Soncino)
[A translation a major part of a key Kabbalistic text.  Oh, that Kaplan
had lived long enough to translate The Zohar!]

Tishby, Isaiah, & Lachower, Yeruham Fishel, "The Wisdom of the Zohar"
Oxford University Press 1989
[An anthology of texts systematically arranged and rendered into Hebrew
 by Fischel Lachower and Isaiah Tishby ; with extensive introductions and
 explanations by Isaiah Tishby; English translation by David Goldstein.]

Waite, A.E., "The Holy Kabbalah", Citadel.
[A  large  volume  on Kabbalah by a key member  of  the  Golden  Dawn,
greatly  diminished  by Waite's verbose  and  circumlocutious  writing
style.]

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Section 5:         INFORMATION AVAILABLE ON THE INTERNET
----------------------------------------------------------------------
FTP Sites:

   slopoke.mlb.semi.harris.com (132.158.82.36) has an ftp archive on
   various occult and magical topics. Some material on Kabbalah can be
   found in
      pub/magick/qabalah

   rtfm.mit.edu (18.70.0.224) has an archive from soc.culture.jewish
   in
      pub/usenet/news.answers/judaism.
   A very useful reading list for Jewish Kabbalah and Jewish Mysticism
   can be found in
      pub/usenet/news.answers/judaism/reading-lists/chasidism

Usenet Newsgroups:
   Useful information and discussion on Jewish sources and Judaism  in
   general can be found in soc.culture.jewish

   Information  and  discussion  on  Kabbalah  as  a  part  of   the
   framework for modern (non-Jewish) ritual or ceremonial magic can be
   found in alt.magick