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9. Work of the Chariot Publications

B. Description of the Book "QABALAH: The Mystical Heritage of the Children of Abraham"


The book is composed of seven chapters, an epilogue, a glossary, and two appendices. The first chapter focuses on how the Mystical Qabalah of the children of Abraham developed and took shape through successive transmissions of the universal mystical spirituality by Adam, Abraham, Mosheh (Moses), Yeshuvah (Jesus), and Muhammad. The ensuing discussion addresses a number of basic questions:

What is the universal Mystical Qabalah of the children of Abraham?
In what ways is the Mystical Qabalah distinct from the Practical or Hermetic Kabbalah?
In what ways is the Mystical Qabalah distinct from the Rabbinical Jewish Kabbalah?
What is the relationship between the Mystical Qabalah and Mystical Christianity?
What is the relationship between the Mystical Qabalah and Sufism?
What are the similarities between the Mystical Qabalah and North Indian Tantra?
Chapter One concludes with a comparison between the qabalistic teachings regarding the Work of Creation (ma’aseh b’reshith) and the Work of the Chariot (ma’aseh merkabah), and contemporary ideas in modern scientific cosmology.

Chapter Two introduces and describes the primary textual sources of the Mystical Qabalah of the children of Abraham. These sources include the Sefer HaShmoth (Book of the Names); the Sefer Yetzirah (Book of Formation); the Seferim HaTorah (Books of the Law); the Sefer HaZohar (Book of Splendor), and particularly its three core texts—the Sifra Detzniyutha (Book of THAT Which is Concealed), the Idra Rabba Qadusha (Greater Holy Assembly), and the Idra Zuta Qadusha (Lesser Holy Assembly); Merkabah (lit. Throne) literature, including the Seferim HaChanokh (Books of Enoch son of Yared), the verses from the Books of Isaiah and Ezekiel, and the Sh’ir Qoma (Measure of the Divine Body from the Sefer Raziel HaGadol); the Peshitta (Gospels) and the Revelation of John; the Qur’an; and the Etz HaChayyim (Tree of Life). While many would question including the Peshitta and Qur’an as primary sources of the Mystical Qabalah, it is appropriate to include them if one acknowledges that the Hebrew, Jewish, Christian, and Islamic religions are progressive developments or branches of the same Shemite Tree.

Chapter Three gives a thorough introduction to the core teachings of the Mystical Qabalah. In this chapter, the reader will learn about the Ayn, the negatively existent Mysterious Unknown at the Roots of All Things and Its two Faces: Vast Face and Small Face. This is followed by an explication of the nature and composition of the qabalistic Tree of Life, including its roots, columns, Inner Court, Directional Sefiroth, and letter-gates. The Tree of Life is a central feature of the mystical tradition that lies at the heart of the ancient Hebrews. Among students of Qabalah, there is considerable confusion about the Tree. This is due in no small measure to the many books on the subject that present various hybrid versions of the Tree, and attribute to the Tree a wide range of occult and mythological information not based in the qabalistic tradition. Hermetic Qabalists will find notable differences between the way the Mystical Qabalah correlates the Hebrew letters with the Gates on the Tree and those commonly seen in occult books on the subject. The Tree provides a map through the four qabalistic worlds and the shells of embodied existence (qlifoth), which are addressed in successive sections in this chapter. The Tree also portrays what the first book of the Torah describes as the “Fall of Adam,” which is then discussed in detail within the context of qabalistic teachings. The information that is provided up to this point in the chapter serves as a suitable backdrop to introduce the Divine Name hvhy, which is of singular importance in qabalistic practices, and to discuss the nature of messianic appearance within the context of the qabalistic teachings.

Chapters Four and Five contain extensive information and a singularly comprehensive collection of Tree of Life diagrams culled from all of the primary texts. As a useful comparison, Chapter Five examines some Trees of Life from other mystical traditions, including the Chakras of the Tantric tradition, and the “Before-the-World Sequence” of Trigrams from the Shuo Qua, the eighth and oldest wing of the Chinese I Ching (Book of Changes). With a solid foundation of core ideas regarding the qabalistic worldview and a thorough orientation to the nature of qabalistic practices under the reader’s belt, Chapter Six presents a wealth of information in preparation for engaging in the meditation practices of the Mystical Qabalah. This chapter also draws some interesting analogies relating qabalistic ideas, the neurology of the human brain, and cybernetics. The theoretical infrastructure provided in Chapter Six is then followed directly in Chapter Seven by detailed instructions on how to actually perform the primary qabalistic meditation practices. This chapter also describes a variety of valuable ancillary practices that might be used to complement a daily routine of qabalistic meditation.

The main body of the text closes with an epilogue containing some final observations on the study and practices of the Mystical Qabalah, and a brief discussion of the idea of “Hebrew Renewal” i.e. a return to the religion of Abraham. Appendix A contains the complete listing of the Divine Names in the Sefer HaShmoth (Book of Names). Appendix B applies the ideas of modern scientific cosmology to the qabalistic model of the Work of Creation (ma'ase bareshith). The appendices are followed by a glossary of terms.


Disclaimer
The information in this book is intended for educational purposes only. Readers who elect to engage in the practices and disciplines described herein do so at their own discretion and liability.

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