Tree of Sapphires: The Enlightened Qabalah

It is impressive how David Goddard can unite very deep and enlightning exercises with such a capacity to sintetize the teory of Alchemical Qabalah, without missing the structure and core of it. I found no other author capable of identifying what is realy important in the Path (both teory and practice) and express them in such a graceful and enlightening way.

As all of his books have guided those with such amazing techniques, this is another addition to the series looking into the deep Spirituality of mankind. No other author has been found by this reader to successfully accomplish what David Goddard has within his writing and teachings: an ability to connect to the reader in ways which cannot be described. Not only do his books deliver such an impact on one's journey and life, but also his personal seminars and workshops enhance those teachings amazingly. The specific teachings of protection & healing of land and man are called for even moreso today than ever. For those who understand this statement, it is Time.

With this book, David Goddard, has rendered the sometimes overwhelmingly intellectual and mysterious aspects of the Qabalah accessible to the sincere practitioner. The text gently guides the reader through the labyrinth of arcane teachings and symbols, vivifying the profound principles using engaging techniques of meditation and sacred ceremony. This book is an invaluable companion for genuine practitioners of the Western Mystery Tradition.

Tree of Sapphires: The Enlightened Qabalah by David Goddard (Weiser Books) offers a working ceremonial magickian a system of practical correspondences built on the syncretic traditions, modern, Renaissance, Jewish, Christian, hermetic, Islamic and humanist with the keys to unlocking the ancient and modern Western mystery traditions for applied ritual magick. Avoiding heavy theory about Qabalah, Goddard offers exercises, meditations, and visualizations, as well as a prayer book to help readers gain a full understanding and experience of the Qabalah and its "Tree of Life," the root of all wisdom. He explains that the Qabalah is the root source of all Western mystery traditions-Kabbalist, Rosicrucian and Sufi-as well as the more modem, classic Western systems, such as the tarot, alchemy, angelology, and ritual magick. This is an experiential guidebook that explores Qabalah - "the Yoga of the West" - as a methodical system of spiritual enlightenment, providing exercises, meditations, visualizations, and prayers so readers can experience Qabalah directly. David Goddard is a Lineage-Holder and teacher of the Mystical Tradition of the West. He travels extensively, teaching internationally. His work enables others to experience directly their own divine consciousness, as well as to assist in healing the suffering of individuals and their communities. Goddard is the author of The Tower of Alchemy and Sacred Magic of the Angels. He lives in England. Excerpt: I have often been asked: Is Qabalah a religion? It is not. Qabalah is a spiritual tradition. Religion and spirituality are not the same thing. Religion is a means to get to a certain state of knowing gnosis. Spirituality is the state you are in when you get there. A spiritual practitioner is one who has come to know the realities that religious scripture and imagery indicate-directly, if imperfectly. The knowledge is imperfect because it involves realities that transcend form and dualistic thinking. This is very important to grasp. Religious image and scripture are metaphorical not literal; they need to be perceived wisely as poetic allegory, not as concrete fact. All religions, without exception, are time-fettered attempts to communicate with (and label) the inexpressible. Once you grasp this, you automatically move into a stance where you look for what you have in common with other religious expressions. If, however, you read your own religion as "prose" instead of as poetry, you automatically demonize others whose religious images conflict with your own deeply held beliefs. We see this in the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, where three world religions-Judaism, Christianity, and Islam (all derived from Abraham)-cannot tolerate one another because they each have different names and myths for the same deity. In the 21st century, it is time we outgrew such things. Such views cannot help us realize the Transcendent Mystery for which the term "God" is a metaphor. A realized spiritual practitio