Theos-Talk Archives (June 1996 Message tl00688)

In message <2.2.32.19960621224941.006ba6ec@pop.slip.net>, alexis
dolgorukii <alexei@slip.net> writes
>No Alan: I am NOT kidding! But let me jog your memory a bit.
>
>Sometime past, Dr. Bain and Dr. Jerry Schueler had a discussion regarding
>the proper spelling of the word Qabbalah-Kabala and they arrived at a
>tentative agreement that Kabala meant tihe serious intellectual study of
>Kabala as philosophy-religion,

Yes, but not just intellectual - it has its methods, but not those you
mention below ...

> while Qabbalah or Qabala represented the
>Ceremonial Magical aspect of the subject.

This is now a common convention.
>
>Now it is patently clear that when we are talking about KABALA, then Rabbi
>Akiba, Scholem, and Kaplan are the paramount experts.

Not the only ones, but yes.

> But when were are
>talking about the ceremonial magic aspects of QABBALAH, it is Eliphas Levi
>who is the paramount authority to the "magical community". Israel Regardie
>and the other "Masters" of Occult Magic, Aleister Crowley included, would be
>much less without Levi's influence.  I consider eliphas Levi to be a far
>more important figure in the Ceremonial Magic Community that Aleister
>Crowley. Unfortunately Levi is tainted by his connections with Joseph Maria
>Hoene-Wronski and Theodore Reuss.

Agreed. To each his or her own.  Thanks for bringing out this
distinction clearly again.  It *does* need restating from time to time.
:-)
>
Alan.
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