8/4/2019 AURUM SOLIS ---- Did You Miss Something? Qabalah versus Hermeticism

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Did You Miss Something? Qabalah Versus

Hermeticism

This article was written by Jean-Louis de Biasi - Grand Master of the Aurum Solis

This is the first article in the series "Aurum Solis: The Heart of the Hermetic Tradition."

For many centuries the Western Tradition seems to have become reduced to teaching only one

aspect of the tradition: Hebrew Qabalah. In a previous article, I explained that magic rituals,

philosophical teachings, etc. existed long prior to the creation and development of the esoteric

interpretations of the biblical texts. Of course this is an important aspect of the history of the West,

which led to a new point of view of nature of the universe. Even more importantly, different aspects

of our understanding of the cosmos were radically modified by this new vision. Your first reaction to

this fact might be to accept it as a part of natural, historical evolution. Thus, in the same way that

science and technology have evolved, you could infer that the Esoteric Tradition has also evolved.However, it must be understood that the term evolution does not necessarily imply a promise of 

progress towards something better. Rather, evolution can be seen as a succession of transformations

that change things from one state to another state. Therefore, not all evolution brings about good

results, but you can learn from each step in the process. For example, surely no one would argue that

the dark days of the Middle Ages and the disappearance of nearly all the scientific knowledge that

existed up to that point is a good thing. Still, we can learn from this period of darkness and

intolerance. This principle is equally true for the evolution of esoteric traditions. These

transformations were not always positive for the person who was eager to know the hidden arcana of 

the universe and the sacred Mysteries of the West. It is also true that, at certain periods in history,

obscure minds or those with a specific religious agenda have warped or hidden essential parts of 

esoteric knowledge for long periods.

Qabalah is a generic word that describes various techniques of interpretation of an esoteric text

known as the Bible, which is the original sacred text of the monotheistic religions. The Jewish people

invented Qabalah and developed it around the 1st century. However, Qabalistic teachings and

practices were restricted to Jewish people until much later. During the fifteenth-century, only a small

number of Christian philosophers learned this aspect of the Western tradition, and used it to

interpret their own religion: Christianity. Of course, this esoteric manipulation of numbers, letters,

and sacred words existed long before the Jews began using these principles in their religion. Although

neither of these systems is superior to the other, it should be noted that the Qabalistic tradition that

developed from the Biblical Tradition is rooted in different principles than the pre-biblical Ogdoadic(Hermetic) Tradition...

Read More: http://www.llewellyn.com/journal/article/2230