Customer Reviews

The Chicken Qabalah of Rabbi Lamed Ben Clifford: Dilettante's Guide to What You Do and Do Not Know to Become a Qabalist

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1 star:		(2)

 

 

I was initially rather excited to read this book based on the glowing reviews from several of my friends and I found the first chapter or two to be highly amusing, but by the time I reached the end of the book, not only did I no longer find the book funny, but I was extremely disappointed at its ridiculously oversimplified and biased view of the Hermetic Qabalah. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to have a cheap laugh at the expense of the Western Mystery Tradition, but not to anyone who would actually like to learn something about the Qabalah. One disclaimer that the book should have had is that the views presented are actually the Thelemic view of Qabalah rather than the mainstream Hermetic, Jewish, or Christian variants of this tradition. Instead, the Thelemic view was simply presented as the Qabalah without any further explanation, and the Thelemic Qabalah wasn't even particularly well-conveyed at that. I'm more inclined to recommend books by Ze'ev ben Shimon HaLevi or Dion Fortune for those with a serious interest that goes beyond mocking the Qabalah. All this book does is present a very shallow view and then lead you to believe you "know" the Qabalah. I've seen a few people taken in by this and it is really quite a shame. I am very disappointed because I do think humor is one of the best methods of teaching difficult concepts, but this book attempts that and falls flat on its face.

Lon DuQuette, Deputy Grand Master of the American Caliphate Ordo Templi Orientis, has a unique take on the subjects that he writes about.

Unlike many authors (particularly many of those who write about Kaos or "pseudoreligions"--cf. Robert Anton "Bob" Wilson), DuQuette manages to be humerous without being a cynical relativist. His book "Magick of Thelema" is probably one of the best starting points for people who are interested in learning about "orthodox" OTO-style Thelema. Not being an "orthodox" Thelemite, but rather "heretical" (though I am an Assosciate of OTO), I don't entirely agree with all his points made in the book. What I like THAT one for is his genius for bringing together all the bigger rituals of Crowley's make and commenting on them in what I perceive to be more of a suggestive--rather than authoritative--manner. For the more "orthodox", however, the book is definately worth your while.

Essentially, DuQuette does the same thing with this book. My first introduction to Qabalah was Dion Fortune's classic, "The Mystical Qabalah". I still reference it when I need to figure something out. While a profoundly influential book, it certainly has its own flaws. One technical error of the book is the lack of any discussion of the paths on the Tree--thus an entire half of Qabalah is pretty much ignored by her, and arguably the more important half. A second flaw is style--comparing aspects of the Qabalah with current science, she sometimes sounds loony due to the fact that her comparisons are to discredited ideas (though they would have been useful for those who were current in the time, and her point still stands albeit it's not as forceful). The second major stylistic flaw with her book is--it's boring. Horribly, horribly boring. Her style is more academic there than friendly. She sounds like a professor describing some obscure aspect of Newtonian physics (of course, the book IS instructional material, so that fits).

Here is where DuQuette's book comes into play. His book is much easier to read through than Fortune's, and just as informative. It's also more current, which might be helpful in some ways.

To those who would say that only the Jewish Qabalah is accurate, I say "bull". Modern scholars have made a convincing case that the Qabalah originated with the Greeks, not the Jews. Anyone who actually uses Qabalah knows that either way it is a very flexible system. Anyone can create gematric systems if they know how, and the structure and meaning of the Qabalah is unique to each person. It is not some racially-secluded attavistic, nationalist philosophy. It works with the Bible, it works with Thousand and One Arabian Nights. Heck, it works with Alice in Wonderland. Learn it, use it, love it.

Like the rest of Mr Duquette's books, The Chicken Qabalah of Rabbi Lamed Ben Clifford takes a difficult subject and simplifys it so that it can be easily understandable. It isn't strictly for novices, however; even those who have studied the Qabala for years can pick some golden eggs of wisdom from this book. The only kind of person I wouldn't reccomend this book to would be to a strict Kabbalist with no sense of humor. All in all, this book is probably the best introduction to the Qabala out there and is genuinely hilarious.

I hate this book, yet I recommend it to my "students" and fellow travelers alike. I hate this book, but I regularly refer to it in need or out of boredom. I hate this book, yet somehow all the things that I detest just make me love it more.

In this book, Lon DuQuette (or, if you prefer, Rabbi Lamed) has produced the finest set of introductory knowledge lectures on Hermetic Qabalah in print. Only Regardie et al surpass him in scope, and only D. M. Kraig approaches him in accessibility - but the former go too far, and the latter not far enough. The metaphors may be strained, the plot devices hackneyed, and the jokes incredibly lame, but there is still no better book for confused neophytes in existence today.

Some have criticized this as a work of "Thelemic" Qabalah, at odds with the traditional literature on the subject. I respectfully disagree. Though the author describes himself as an apostate and a dilettante, his contributions are nonetheless valuable to students of all traditions (and his correspondences are classical, not Crowleyan). In the words of the Great Rabbi, "Don't worry about it!"

To sum up, any bright first-year initiate could have written this book, probably with equal clarity and better jokes. BUT NONE DID, so let us give the devil his due. 93, 418, 666 stars!

This book is awesome! Lon Milo DuQuette does an excellent job keeping your attention focused while making you think and laugh at the same time. Once you start reading you will not put this book down.

This book is absolutely wonderful. It whets the appetite of the reader to study qabalah. The use of parable, as in the bible, has proven effective once again. He left me with clear explanations of his points, as well as lucid questions to fuel my future qabalistic researches. Before this volume, the astrological attributions to the Tarot left me clueless, and now I have an understanding of these attributions, as well as poignant questions to guide me onward in my understanding of these attributions. His explanations of the rationale for the astrological attributions help the reader test and observe for himself the meaning of the pictures. This really gives rocket fuel for the experimental evaluation of the tarot pictures. You will be amazed and thrilled as you see the tarot through new eyes. Modern Magick, by Donald Michael Kraig, used to be my favorite intro to the Hermetic Qabalah; now this one is. It's incredible.

As an experienced Tarot card reader, I looked for insights in this book to help me in that pursuit. After reading "The Chicken Qabalah," here is my a quick review of it:

READ THIS BOOK.

Okay. I'll expand on that a bit.

If you are already an expert on this subject, but you just want to roll on the floor laughing while reading about it, read this book.

If you have little or no knowledge of the Qabalah and you want an easy-to-read and easy-to-understand introduction to it, read this book. Be prepared to laugh too, though, because DuQuette knows that you learn more when you are entertained at the same time.

If you have no idea what the heck the Qabalah is, or if you just don't [care]about it, read this book anyway. You may not learn anything of use to your Tarot practice (although you may be surprised!), but this book is so clever and so very amusing that you won't regret it. Honest...

Well, I am a physician and spent years learnig about authentic Jewish Kabbalah. Learned biblical hebrew from a rabbi, own most of the major texts and have been studying for 12+ years. While I was vaguely familiar with Qabalah I had been avoiding it since I had so many bad experiences with the Occult version of this mystical system. Well, a few months ago the universe kept trying to get me to read this book. I laughted and said you have got to be kidding me and blew it off repeatedly for about 3 months. Finally I broke down one day in boredom and bought it thinking "You have to be kidding me. No one can make fun of a spiritual system and effectively teach it. This should at least be good for a laugh" Boy was I wrong. It was a fast entertaining read that taught me many things. First it is traditionally accurate to the best of my knowledge. The Tarot section alone was worth it. For years I had read the Tarot was Kabbalistic but no one touched the subject any further. In 20 pages Lon had me hooked and trained. I literally finished it in an airport and was so deep in thought for 3 hours I almost missed my flight. I have since authored my own course with all the connections I have learned prior to this. The text alone is well over 200 pages of correspondence material. And I had such a great time laughing. I do feel that sometimes his explainations were too simplistic but for people with no background the ideas still communicate the essence. As you go along they will flesh out later into more depthy understanding. Read this book for he Tarot section and Ark of the Covenant section alone if for no other reason and prepare to have a fantastic ride of pure spiritual entertainment and learning. :-)

Finally, a book that explains The Qabalah in a user-friendly, comprehensible format! I highly recommend The Chicken Qabalah to anyone interested in the subjects of; Qabalah, Magick, Masonry, Astrology, Tarot, etc. This wonderful Treatise on the subject explains The Qabalah in a fun, entertaining manner that sort-of tricks you into learning the subject.

Most books about The Qabalah (Cabalah, Kabalah...spell it however you want, and don't worry about it) will put you to sleep-thus are not conducive to teaching the subject. However, The Good Rabbi has figured-out a way to trick us into staying-awake long-enough not-only to get through a chapter, but THE ENTIRE BOOK !

My wife and I both finished this book very quickly-in fact, we could not put it down. After reading the book, my wife made some wonderful Qabalah Flash Cards, based-upon The Good Rabbi's work, "777" (Crowley --ISBN: 0877286701) and "Paths of Wisdom," by John Michael Greer (ASIN: 1567183158 ). We have found this is the easiest way to learn Qabalistic Correspondences, The Hebrew Alphabet, etc. My wife's idea was brilliant and we now have requests for the Flash Cards, from other would-be Chicken Qabalists.

"The Chicken Qabalah" is, without question, the most fascinating book I have ever read, on the subject! Anyone who can make The Qabalah interesting as The Good Rabbi has should get a Gold Medal, or...perhaps, a Gold Chicken award.

I will treasure my copy of "The Chicken Qabalah" and give it a clear-contact-paper cover to protect it on it's journey about the house-it doesn't take a Psychic to see that this book will be a constant resource / reference in my studies and will rarely find it's way back to the bookshelf.

For anyone who has ever been interested in The Qabalah, but doesn't want to grow old and grey trying to figure it out-or, for anyone who has tried and fell-asleep or become frustrated-this is the best book to acquire, for an introductory course and an exciting, humorous read! Besides, The Rabbi has figured it all out for us, and explained it with diagrams / illustrations, so don't worry about it.

You'll laugh, you'll cry....you'll mutter to yourself, "well, I'll be damned !" Often, you may find yourself slapping your forehead, and proclaiming, "Duh." (Illumination is like that, sometimes). Also, you will find yourself learning the Hebrew letters despite yourself....I do not want to give it away (so to speak), but the methods The Rabbi uses to teach the Hebrew Letters are unforgettable.

If I were to give this book a short description, it would be "Common Sense Qabalah."

Disclaimer:

For anyone, who feels the need to inform me that only one version of The Qabalah is correct...or believes only one organization is correct...or that "Western Qabalah isn't 'real' Kabbalah"...or doesn't approve of the Rabbi's style...I only have one thing to say,
"I'm a Chicken Qabalist, and I don't worry about it."

The Chicken Qabalah
of
Rabbi Lamed Ben Clifford

by Lon Milo Duquette
Weiser Books
2001
ISBN #1-57863-215-3

Like many in the Tarot world, the Qabalah (in any of its numerous spellings) strikes terror into my heart! How in the heck am I supposed to make sense of anything this complex? I can barely follow a very basic discussion concerning the Qabalah - which in ways, may be a blessing, as no two people in these discussions ever seem to agree on anything, and tangents break off all the time!

OK I have to admit, I have had some bits of luck with getting a basic understanding of the Qabalah as it relates to the Tarot - specifically through the works of Ellen Cannon Reed ("The Witches Qabala: The Pagan Path and the Tree of Life, Samuel Weiser, Inc, 1997) and Alexandra Genetti ( "The Wheel Of Change Tarot", Destiny Books, 1997). These ladies have done a marvelous job of presenting their work - my hat is off to both of them. This is where my personal study of the Qabalah began.

To get past the very basics was not easy - the material is complex, dry and ... well, not easily palatible! And then the good Rabbi came along. The very first thing that he did was to expand my vocabulary and sense of literature - all in one fell swoop of chicken feathers! I quote,:

" Revered Hebrew scholar, Gershom G. Scholem wrote:

For a long time we have known that literary forgeries represent a flight into anonymity and pseudonymity just as often as they indicate trickery; and not for nothing have we retained the foreign word "pseudepigrapha" to designate in particular a legitimate category of religious literature ... the Zohar is the most important but by far not the only example of such love of masquerade in Jewish literature."

What does this mean in plain English? It means that Lon Milo Duequete presents this as the work of Rabbi Lamed Ben CLifford, of the "Zerubabbel Institute of Philosophical Youth" (ZIPY), with introductions to each chapter in Mr. Duquette's own words. Quite frankly, this was the only way that the good Rabbi could be kept in check!

While a sense of humor and the Qabalah at first glance do not seem destined to be in the same room, I found this presentation heartwarming, palatible, tremendously funny (picture me in my living room, with only my cat as company, laughing so hard that I have tears running down my cheeks) ... and very instructive. The reason that you cannot read this book straight through is not that the material is so difficult, it is that you have to take time outs to wipe your eyes and blow your nose.

The Rabbi himself takes over the FAQ chapter of this book. It is quite important that we understand who Chicken Qabalist's are, and where they fit into the scheme of things. There is also an authentic certificate in this book that the reader may fill out and present as Qabalistic credentials. The problem here is that the certificate is IN the book - i.e. part of it. I considered making a photocopy, but that seemed like a sham. I mean - I want to see the real thing when I am checking someone's credentials. I haven't quite decided how I am going to handle this one yet.

The "Ten Command Rants" is a nice introduction to the work in this book. Here we begin to glimpse the divine nature of the Qabalah - according to the Rabbi, of course!

Without even realizing it, in the ensuing chapters we are led through the formation of the Sepher Yetzirah, the Hebrew alphabet (not a small study in itself), the Four Qabalistic Worlds and the Four Parts of the Soul , the Tree of Life ... and much, much more.

The key here is the journey - the journey is important, not where it leads you. Enjoy the journey, learn from the journey - but do not <become> the journey. There is a great deal of material presented in this book - and it is intended only as a beginning. The reader is encouraged to work with the information, to allow it to become part of them.

There are many excellent graphs and charts presented here. The path is made very easy to create one's own workbook, and bring the Qabalah into reality. If you allow it to, the Qabalah readily takes a three dimentional form - it has a face, it has a sense of "being".

I recommend this book to all levels of students. Why all levels? Because if you think that you understand it, you might not, really. And, if you really do understand it, by reading this book you may see a whole new way to present it to your own students.