The Magician’s Kabbalah Course (Introductory) - Marcus Katz
Syllabus
Each unit of the course is designed to be studied over a month, with a total of
twelve units taking a year to study in total. Each unit comprises a Reading Paper,
a Revision Sheet, Exercises, and a Booklist. In some units there is supplementary
material including tables, illustrations, diagrams and further revision material.
1. The History and Tradition of the Kabbalah
Our first session gives you an overview of the history and tradition of the
Kabbalah with specific reference to its development through the medieval and
renaissance periods. Its influence and integration via Christian mysticism into the
western mystery schools is also pointed out. These developments are covered in
detail in the reading material, taken from the work, "The Magician's Kabbalah."
The accompanying exercises for this first session encourage you to be able to
draw the Tree of Life, the central glyph of Kabbalah, and begin to perceive the
patterns around you. This ability to change perception and observe underlying
structure is essential to all later exercises in the course.
2. The Four Worlds
The second session of the course moves onto a fundamental idea in
Kabbalah, that of the Four Worlds. Although this is often neglected or deemed
complicated in many texts, here it is simplified and presented as a practical tool
for observing the world. This builds on the first exercises and gives you an
advanced Kabbalistic model in a comprehensible and usable format. You are
given an exercise and supplementary examples of how the Four Worlds model
can be utilised in your everyday life and business. The formula of Paradise is also
given, which is discussed in more detail later in the course.
3. The structure of the Tree of Life
Session Three moves onto examining some core building blocks of
Kabbalah, namely the Hebrew letters, and their relationship to the Tarot cards.
In order to examine these ideas, you are presented with a means of analysing
the names of the Sephiroth and discovering hidden meaning by using the
symbols of the Tarot cards. The idea of the Tree as a fractal system is introduced
to you with regard to the metaphor of the Orchard.
4. The Processes of the Tree of Life
We now come to look at the processes within the Tree of Life, using the
Minor Arcana of the Tarot to illustrate the activity of the Tree through the
Sephiroth. The Court Cards of the Tarot are examined in the light of Elemental
attributions to gain a fundamental understanding of the character types and
energies depicted by these cards.
5. Concepts of Kabbalah
This session deepens our appreciation of the scope of the Kabbalah by
summarising some of the key terminology and concepts of the tradition;
Tzimtzum, Teshuvah, Tikkun, and Kavanah. Further consideration is given to the
process of the the Sephiroth by breaking down a creative act through the stages
of the Sephiroth. The model of Qesheth, the Rainbow is also summarised, which
gives you a means of analysing everyday experience to judge where imbalances
or missing parts may be causing problems, and hence suggest practical
solutions.
6. Concepts of Kabbalah
One specific concept of Kabbalah, Mishna, is analysed in detail for this
Session. In Kabbalah this refers to "repetition," and here we see its application to
a number of forms of meditation. We use a technique of analysis by Tarot cards
through the letters, learnt in an earlier session, to uncover the techniques
underpinning Mishna. This session also provides you an opportunity to review
learning to date by performing Mishna.
7. Tarot on the Tree
In Session Seven we begin to look deeper into the Tree by returning to
the Tarot. We examine the difference between spreads and layouts, and use a
specific layout to uncover hidden patterns in the major Arcana. The three cards
attributed to the paths connecting horizontally across the Tree of Life are
examined in more detail. The work done prior to this in learning to recognise
underlying patterns and emergent properties, combined with the techniques of
using attributions and correspondences will allow you to begin to discover your
own meanings.
8. Interpreting the World, The Letters, and Stories
Session Eight returns to the Hebrew letters and we take further examples
of using the letters for interpretation. We take a diversion into popular culture
and look at a couple of films to introduce again the formula of Paradise and
some specific Gnostic concepts. We look at the Four Worlds as modelling the
path between Learning and Understanding.
9. Kabbalah : Unity and Multiplicity
In this important Session the concept of holographic structure is
introduced with examples, which is also fundamental to many of the ideas
explored in the Magician's Kabbalah. Once that has been appreciated, we begin
to look at the attributions of Gods and Goddesses to the Tree, bearing in mind
the Golden Dawn injunction not to "confuse the hierarchies." You are asked to
use your prior learning to explore the manner in which a chosen correspondence
of Deity to Sephirah illuminates both.
10. Kabbalah : Magical Formulae
Following on from the previous session in which we looked at Gods and
Goddesses, we now come to explore advanced practical magic in the manner of
magical formulae. We begin by examining INRI and LVX and you are given
pointers by which to create your own magickal formulae, for example, the
formula of Amen.
11. The Tree in Everything; Everything in the Tree
In this synthesis of previous sessions, we start to look at being able to see
the Tree in daily life to illuminate the mystical in the mundane. As it is written,
"the light shineth in the darkness, but the darkness comprehendeth it not."
12. The Hebrew Letters and an Introduction to the Soul
To conclude this one-year introductory course, we look at the
development of alphabets generally, and then a specific technique for using the
Hebrew letters by analysis of their full spelling with Tarot attributions. We finish
by a brief introduction to the Soul as seen by Kabbalah and a short but powerful
meditation to synthesize your learning. MsSVig
Syllabus
Each unit of the course is designed to be studied over a month, with a total of
twelve units taking a year to study in total. Each unit comprises a Reading Paper,
a Revision Sheet, Exercises, and a Booklist. In some units there is supplementary
material including tables, illustrations, diagrams and further revision material.
1. The History and Tradition of the Kabbalah
Our first session gives you an overview of the history and tradition of the
Kabbalah with specific reference to its development through the medieval and
renaissance periods. Its influence and integration via Christian mysticism into the
western mystery schools is also pointed out. These developments are covered in
detail in the reading material, taken from the work, "The Magician's Kabbalah."
The accompanying exercises for this first session encourage you to be able to
draw the Tree of Life, the central glyph of Kabbalah, and begin to perceive the
patterns around you. This ability to change perception and observe underlying
structure is essential to all later exercises in the course.
2. The Four Worlds
The second session of the course moves onto a fundamental idea in
Kabbalah, that of the Four Worlds. Although this is often neglected or deemed
complicated in many texts, here it is simplified and presented as a practical tool
for observing the world. This builds on the first exercises and gives you an
advanced Kabbalistic model in a comprehensible and usable format. You are
given an exercise and supplementary examples of how the Four Worlds model
can be utilised in your everyday life and business. The formula of Paradise is also
given, which is discussed in more detail later in the course.
3. The structure of the Tree of Life
Session Three moves onto examining some core building blocks of
Kabbalah, namely the Hebrew letters, and their relationship to the Tarot cards.
In order to examine these ideas, you are presented with a means of analysing
the names of the Sephiroth and discovering hidden meaning by using the
symbols of the Tarot cards. The idea of the Tree as a fractal system is introduced
to you with regard to the me
4. The Processes of the Tree of Life
We now come to look at the processes within the Tree of Life, using the
Minor Arcana of the Tarot to illustrate the activity of the Tree through the
Sephiroth. The Court Cards of the Tarot are examined in the light of Elemental
attributions to gain a fundamental understanding of the character types and
energies depicted by these cards.
5. Concepts of Kabbalah
This session deepens our appreciation of the scope of the Kabbalah by
summarising some of the key terminology and concepts of the tradition;
Tzimtzum, Teshuvah, Tikkun, and Kavanah. Further consideration is given to the
process of the the Sephiroth by breaking down a creative act through the stages
of the Sephiroth. The model of Qesheth, the Rainbow is also summarised, which
gives you a means of analysing everyday experience to judge where imbalances
or missing parts may be causing problems, and hence suggest practical
solutions.
6. Concepts of Kabbalah
One specific concept of Kabbalah, Mishna, is analysed in detail for this
Session. In Kabbalah this refers to "repetition," and here we see its application to
a number of forms of meditation. We use a technique of analysis by Tarot cards
through the letters, learnt in an earlier session, to uncover the techniques
underpinning Mishna. This session also provides you an opportunity to review
learning to date by performing Mishna.
7. Tarot on the Tree
In Session Seven we begin to look deeper into the Tree by returning to
the Tarot. We examine the difference between spreads and layouts, and use a
specific layout to uncover hidden patterns in the major Arcana. The three cards
attributed to the paths connecting horizontally across the Tree of Life are
examined in more detail. The work done prior to this in learning to recognise
underlying patterns and emergent properties, combined with the techniques of
using attributions and correspondences will allow you to begin to discover your
own meanings.
8. Interpreting the World, The Letters, and Stories
Session Eight returns to the Hebrew letters and we take further examples
of using the letters for interpretation. We take a diversion into popular culture
and look at a couple of films to introduce again the formula of Paradise and
some specific Gnostic concepts. We look at the Four Worlds as modelling the
path between Learning and Understanding.
9. Kabbalah : Unity and Multiplicity
In this important Session the concept of holographic structure is
introduced with examples, which is also fundamental to many of the ideas
explored in the Magician's Kabbalah. Once that has been appreciated, we begin
to look at the attributions of Gods and Goddesses to the Tree, bearing in mind
the Golden Dawn injunction not to "confuse the hierarchies." You are asked to
use your prior learning to explore the manner in which a chosen correspondence
of Deity to Sephirah illuminates both.
10. Kabbalah : Magical Formulae
Following on from the previous session in which we looked at Gods and
Goddesses, we now come to explore advanced practical magic in the manner of
magical formulae. We begin by examining INRI and LVX and you are given
pointers by which to create your own magickal formulae, for example, the
formula of Amen.
11. The Tree in Everything; Everything in the Tree
In this synthesis of previous sessions, we start to look at being able to see
the Tree in daily life to illuminate the mystical in the mundane. As it is written,
"the light shineth in the darkness, but the darkness comprehendeth it not."
12. The Hebrew Letters and an Introduction to the Soul
To conclude this one-year introductory course, we look at the
development of alphabets generally, and then a specific technique for using the
Hebrew letters by analysis of their full spelling with Tarot attributions. We finish
by a brief introduction to the Soul as seen by Kabbalah and a short but powerful
meditation to synthesize your learning. MsSVig