Simplified Qabala Magic

Just finished this book at my cousin's house in Crisfield, relaxing on the Eastern Shore of Maryland for a week. As always, this is another very well written book by Ted Andrews. Ted is extremely knowledgeable about diverse modalities and he does not hesitate to provide step by step directions on the "how to". It seems like some authors write just enough to get you interested in their next book. Not Ted. The information he provides in his books is thorough, well written, easy to follow and easy to understand. This book is no exception. As a beginner into the Kabalah (which you will find spelled several ways), I found this book excellent. It provides a lot of detail. I became interested in the Kabalah as a result of delving into various healing modalities, beginning with Reiki. I listened to a CD on the Kabalah by Rabbi David something, but it just gave some real basic overall theory, like "we are all one". It was true and good but not much info. I tried to pick up a class with the Rocky Mountain Mystery School but my schedule conflicted. Since I regard the books produced by Ted Andrews as always excellent, I thought I would give this a try, especially since I found myself beginning to use a few God names, by accident? Strange, huh? Especially since I do NOT have a Hebrew background. Now, after reading this book, I understand why I began using these God names. If you have a sincere interest in moving forward in spiritual understanding, you will most likely be reading though most of this book over and over, because it provides information that you will probably reference over and over. I found myself developing my own chart for reference of the 10 God names corresponding to the Tree of Life explained in the book, the archangels who work with each sephiroth (level), the attributes of each God name (what qualities you work with for each), the color attributed to that level (black, white, etc.) and much other info. I assure you, I plan to work with this book. I probably will try again to pick up a class or 2 on the Kabalah. (I am also scheduled for a Silva class in August 07.) To give you a better example of what's in the book: it teaches you how to understand the Tree of Life and how to work with each of 10 levels of the sephiroth. Let's pick one, and I think God will forgive me for saying his name in a review if it will convince those who need it to buy the book and progress spiritually. Jehovah Elohim is one of the 10 God names. Yes, you can just pray to God, but if you say Jehovah Elohim, it's more specific: kind of like calling me Kathy W. instead of saying "Hey, You". It's calling on a specific attribute of God. That level of consciousness is BINAH, which is "understanding" and the Archangel most closely associated with that level is TZAPHKIEL, and the lower order of angels is Aralim. You can seek assistance in "understanding" from these angelic beings. The related virtue is silence. The vice is avarice if the energy is out of

What exactly is the Qabala? It can be a daunting undertaking to study something that may seem very complicated. With Ted Andrews as your guide, it is a delight to study this tradition called the Tree of Life. Ted Andrews is the author of 15 other titles in the paranormal / New Age categories. He is widely known for his wealth of knowledge and the ease in which he shares it with his readers. Simplified Qabala Magic offers a primer to anyone wishing to realize their potential in manifesting the power of ourselves. Beginning with a brief history of Qabala and explaining that we are the masters of our own destiny, we are then led to remember that we are part of the universe, that the Tree of Life is the path to connecting our energies. The next two chapters are the who, what and where of The Tree of Life: what archangels are there to help us to awaken our own abilities. Knowing who the powers that be are is helpful to understanding what they are and how we connect with them. Then we get to the details of how to make those connections; how to reach those levels of consciousness. Methods of meditation for reaching those levels and the ability to understand them are gone into in great guiding detail. This is the purpose, to help the reader reawaken these abilities. It is said that we are in great times of change in the aspect of spirituality. Understanding the connections we have with the universe will help us deal with those changes and gain from them. Simplified Qabala Magic is a beginning to that understanding. I intend to reread and reread it until I have accomplished my own goals. This is a book that will become very important to those who seek the knowledge, and cherished for Ted Andrews' guiding voice.

If you are a beginner student to the Qabala, Ted Andrews is the FIRST to actually simplify this subject to where even the most inept can understand. I've been studying the Qabala for three years prior to coming across this book. And at first I believed it would merely just cover items that I already have known. To my amazement, it actually clarified numerous things that Qabalists teach on a scholar level, to the laymen. The Qabala is extremely technical when written about. Primarily due to the fact that most authors on the subject are in fact Qabalists, and their intelligence is much higher than the average indivdual. Therefore, when an average person attempts to begin study, he/she is quickly discouraged merely from confusion. Ted does a magnificent job in simplfying this matter that cannot be found in any other book up to date. And for the advanced Qabala student, it can easily explain many complicated items that are extremely technical, the structure of the spiritual worlds etc,. This is an excellent study aid to possess.

In the past, I've found Jewish Kabbalah books long on rhetoric, long on history but short on practical application and personal development. Not being particular, I switched over to the magical tradition. The first (magical) book I tried reading--Gareth Knight's book, A Practical Guide to Qabalistic Symbolism--went right over my head. By then, I realized I was really a beginner: I didn't even know how to meditate or visualize...or anything. Simplified (Qabala) Magic by Ted Andrews helped me out a great deal. Not only did it make the Tree of Life platable for a budding magus, it suppled me with simple meditation and visualization techniques, tips on candle-color-fragrance selection, and even showed me how to pronounce/intone the sephiroth God-names. Generally, I appreciate his brief and gentle approach. This book, IMHO, is useful to those who want a straightforward, practical approach to the Tree of Life. Add to it, Andrew's More Simplified Magic (which covers the Tree's paths), one would then have all he initially needs to enter the mystical qabalah.

I have read a few books on Qabala in the past, but this one is the one that has caught my attention. The explainations are in laymans terms so that even an adolescent could grasp the concepts. Ted Andrews' descriptions of the Sepheroths and thier Guardians is so beautiful it makes the reader feel as if they are taking a visual guided tour of the Tree of Life. If you wish to learn the basics of Qabalistic study and it's practices in Magick, buy this book. You won't regret it.