THE OLD CRAFT AND THE QABALA

E.W.Liddell

     The Qabala and the Tree of Life were generally the preserve of the old cunning men. Few rural witches bothered with such things, although some used spells from the Jewish grimoires. Some traditional ‘knowledge’ covines studied the Zohar and modified the Tree of Life to suit their own beliefs. The Tree embodies a claim in the Zohar that ‘the end is embedded in the beginning’ because the aspirant can ascend the so-called ‘levels of descent’ and regain original states of being.

   Knowledge covines often position the Four Elemental Castles on the Tree of Life. Other traditional witches do not concern themselves with the whereabouts of these Castles. They were assured of safe ingress and egress into these when they joined the Craft. The acquisition of elemental consciousness requires the assistance and co-operation of the their respective elementals. Earth consciousness is obtained in the ‘Castle of the Depths’; water in the ‘Castle of the Stars’; fire in the ‘Castle of Lights’; and air in the ‘Castle of the Winds’.

   The Earth Castle is sited on the Tree of Life between the sephira Malkuth and Yesod. Malkuth is the abode of the ‘kings of Edom’ and it is the realm of human instincts and lust. A biblical text claims ‘There were kings in Edom before a king reigned in Israel.’ The sole aim of the Jewish mystic was to ‘install a king in Israel’. The God-fearing initiate would use the Path of the Chariot to ascend the Tree. No Jewish believer would ever confuse the creature with the Creator, hence there had to be an Abyss on the Tree to denote the unsurmountable gulf between the self-perfected human – the ‘king in Israel’- and his God. Other belief systems appear to have impinged the original Jewish faith structure.  Malkuth is directly linked to the sephira Hod (Mercury), Yesod (Moon) and Netzach (Venus). The inhabitants of Earth (the kings in Edom) are endowed with intelligence, emotions and the reproductive instinct. However, they need the impetus from Yesod before any spiritual progress can be made.

   The Water Castle is situated in Yesod. The solar energy from the sephiroth Tiphareth (Sun) illumines the ‘lesser light’ of the moon. Both Hod and Netzach counterbalance the swirling thoughts and emotions in this realm of forms. Prurient and erotic fantasies accumulate here. Both orgies and the Witches’ Sabbath can be accessed in this region. However, it is in Yesod that the aspirant disciplines his or her mind and controls the emotions.  The line drawn from Hod to Netzach represents the boundary of mental comprehension.  The aspirant needs both intuition and imagination to proceed further.

   Tiphareth is the intermediary between the divine and the mortal; the hub of sephirothic activity. The line from Hod to Tiphareth stresses that divine thought must supersede human beliefs. The line from Tiphareth to Chesed (Jupiter) demonstrates the links between the Solar Redeemer and the Father of the Gods. The line drawn to Geburah (Mars) highlights the courage needed to sacrifice the lower self.

  The Fire Castle is sited below Tiphareth and Kether (Uranus), Chokmah (Neptune), Binah (Saturn) and Da’at or Daath converge on that sephiroth. However, Da’at – the ‘Hidden Sephiroth’- is closer to Tiphareth than the Supernal Three. It is the Indwelling God in the human mechanism and equates with the ‘Jewel in the Lotus’ of Buddhism. The so-called Fall of Man is the link between Tiphareth and Da’at, the sephiroth descending directly from Kether at the top of the Tree. Both the phenomenal universe and the individualised human unit sprang from the self-immolation of the Original and Unknowable Source. Da’at is situated above the line drawn from Geburah to Chesed and this represents the boundary of mortal comprehension.

  The Castle of the Air is situated above Tiphareth, but below the Geburah-Chesed boundary. The ‘knowledge’ covines concentrate on accessing, and transcending, the various types of elemental consciousness. Once attuned to earth, water, fire and air the aspirant can respond to the outpouring of spirit from Da’at. The ‘temple not made with hands’ (aka the Tower of Babel in biblical myth and Masonic legends) is erected when the initiate’s consciousness is attuned to spirit. The conjoined inner godhead – Lucifer the Lightbearer/Queen Venus – then manifests when the initiate’s consciousness is centred in Da’at. These deities are pale reflections of Chokmah and Binah. The line drawn from Chokmah to Tiphareth highlights the return of the ‘Prodigal Son’. The line from Binah to Tiphareth denotes the ‘Immaculate Conception’, the messiah born of a virgin or the son-lover of the Goddess. Some Freemasons associate Tiphareth with the ‘widow’s son’.

   Initiation is primarily for the protection of the witch because natural magic is just as dangerous as ceremonial magic. Many elementals are inimical to humans and will harm or lead them astray at the first available opportunity. The ‘knowledge’ covines fashioned Castles on the inner planes as refuges from adverse entities or energies. The denizens of these Castles are human friendly. Certain preliminaries must be performed to enter each of the Castles and there are passwords that assure safe ingress and egress. It may be possible to specify these details in subsequent articles. Traditional witches have ‘power stones’ that have been consecrated to the Gods of the elements. This gives them additional protection when working with elementals. Originally the mainstream English Craft never ascribed the four elements to the cardinal points. This practice was borrowed from magical groups. However, a handful of English covines borrowed from the French Craft practice of stationing a Horned God form at the four cardinal points. The elements were subsequently ascribed to these God forms and, by extension, to their nominated cardinal points.

  It is possible to seek the earth consciousness without the necessary precaution of entering the Earth Castle. If the earth elementals favour you then this may be possible. Select a secret spot in your garden, if it is blooming and well tended, or a special place outdoors. It is important to choose a cheerful and fertile spot. This ritual can be performed indoors providing flowers, green leaves and a bowl of earth are in the room. A makeshift power stone would be advantageous. Any small stone found outdoors would be acceptable and one from a river bed  is ideal. It should sit comfortably in the palm of the left hand.

  Break an egg and smear the yolk on the stone. This is the sacrificial consecration. Pour earth on it to honour the Horned God in his form as the Ram. Hold it in the flame of a candle to honour the Bull and then sprinkle it with water to honour the Stag. Finally spit and breathe on it in honour of the Goat God. When doing this the air should be expelled from your lungs. Hold the stone in the left hand and visualise yourself sitting in a circle with twelve elves. Everyone is holding hands with the person on either side of them and lines of force flow around the circle and enervate you. A dome of consciousness is formed overhead and the energy flows continuously around and into you. Sometimes a musty smell will be noticed and it is possible you may be aware of the fragrance of violets or roses.

 If you are favoured by the elves, one or two things will happen. One elf may well break the circle and present you with a ring or a necklace. This gift will be influenced by your gender. Usually the officiating elf will touch your forehead with a branch or a feather, which he has dipped in what looks like a small cauldron. Drops from the liquid will enhance your sensitivity and mark you out as friendly to benign earth elementals. One elf will attach himself to you as your own personal protector. He may reveal his name, but it is difficult to pronounce elven names correctly.

Biographical note: E.W. Liddell is a hereditary member of the Pickingill Craft and lives in Australia. He was inducted into his family tradition in Essex in the early 1950s. He is the author of The Pickingill Papers: Old George Pickingill and the Origins of Gardnerian Wicca, published in the UK by Capall Bann, and is a regular contributor to TC.