Messages

Tisha, why did you say "forget the race wars" if you obviously support racism?  Affirmative action is racism!  Don't take my tone to be offensive, I am standing up against racism, not you...

The bottom line is that I have watched, personally, white males be turned down for scholarships and jobs because of their skin.  Skin color doesn't and shouldn't matter, period.  Sure, Bush's acceptance to Yale or wherever is a good point, but not regarding race...it's about CLASS.  Everybody knows that $ rules the world.  That's what racism was all about.  Sure, ideological racism exists (and is dwindling rapidly for the most part) but it will hold on longer if affirmative action sticks around.  I really feel affirmative action causes more racism because it pisses people off and makes them think more along the lines of race.  The whole premise is, "Hey, it's our turn now".  Many black people will tell you the same thing I am...they don't want hand outs and gimmies, they want an even playing field...so sure, finacial aid, etc etc. is all good, but as soon as we use race as an indicator then we perpetuate hate and racism[!].

People keep seeming to get mixed up about race and class.  MJ 12 has the right idea...unless you are part of the 1-5 % of the population that belongs to the elite rich, then you are oppressed, regardless of your skin color[].

Just one more (I feel strongly about this and hope that people will become better educated about the dangers of large crowds...I am sure you have heard of the infamous soccer riots that have broken out time and time again across the world, some of them ending in dozens being killed and hundreds injured)

Are the Kids Alright?
Moshing Tragedies Abound at Recent Rock Shows

"The Music is All. People should die for it.

People are dying for everything else, so why not for music."
-- Lou Reed

By JESS BARRON / Last weekend ten randomly selected Vassar students and I made a spontaneous road trip to catch the free Green Day show at the hatch shell in Boston. (Now before you all start getting Mardi Gras flashbacks, just chill -- there were no near accidents or engine failures on this journey.) In fact, this story is much shorter because by the time our two-car caravan arrived in Beantown on Friday night, the show had been closed down by the police and public safety officials. According to the front-page article in the Boston Globe on Saturday morning, the crowd of plaid-shirted alterna-teens barely filling up their Doc Martens Air Wear Boots had swollen to 70,000 -- that's 20,000 more angst-ridden kids than the planners had expected.)

As it turns out, Green Day only played for twenty minutes. You would've left the stage too if you were pelted with beer bottles by your fans. When the State police were sent in to break it all up, the horde of 15-20 year-old neo-rioters apparently hurled rocks at the cops too. As has been the trend at recent large-scale concerts -- injuries abounded, with a large number of fans breaking their ankles and/or legs in the chaotic bee-hive of the mosh pit.

Can't people just enjoy a free concert without turning the event into an emergency-room land-mine waiting to explode? Which leads me to ask that age-old question, "Dammit, what is wrong with the kids today?" Don't get me wrong -- I am not opposed to moshing. At the tender age of fourteen, I returned home from an all-ages Dead Milkmen show at the Living Room in Providence, Rhode Island, with a virtual demographic map of varicolored bruises covering my torso, a bloody gash on my calf, and a huge grin on my face.

Pumped full of adrenaline, I couldn't wait to show the "war wounds" to my friends the next day at school. Surrendering to the power of the throbbing crowd, fighting to stay on afoot, slamming into friends and foes alike -- it was the ultimate rush (even more exciting than stealing ashtrays from local diners). The post-show afterglow brightened my cheeks for at least a week. Moshing in a downscale, club-sized atmosphere with a moderate number of people can be an incredible experience. In such situations, the attitude in the pit, although rambunctious, is often quite considerate -- when people fall down, fellow dancers will help them up, before they receive a combat-booted kick in the head.

A concert without a mosh pit today is basically a historical anachronism. Exuberant fans slamdance at soothing ethereal Cranberries and Lush concerts. When formally dressed, high-heel and loafer-clad suburbanites smashed around to "Smells Like Teen Spirit" three years ago at my senior prom, it proved to me that moshing is as much a part of mainstream teenage American Culture today as football and fast food.

"We're gonna have three pits at Lolly-paloser this year," Ad Rock, of the Beastie Boys explained on MTV last May, "the tough guy pit, the hippie peace pit, and the orgy pit." I'm not sure if Ad Rock's dream was realized at any of Lollapalooza's other stops in the country, but the August 5 show at Quonset Point airport in Rhode Island the entire venue was converted into a slam-o-rama by the 30,000 smart-drink-sipping music fans.

"We've brought ourselves into a vortex. Now how do I get out of this one?" asked Billy Corgan, singer/game-show host for Smashing Pumpkins, Lollapalooza's head-lining act as he surveyed the wasteland jam-packed with sun-baked, dirty, sweaty bodies.

"Did he just say Gortex?" asked some fool in the crowd who had taken one too many hits with the pipe. Corgan was not making a random reference to the waterproof material found in ski gloves; rather he was referring to the fact that the Pumpkins, after smacking the kids with a six-deep succession of their best-known songs -- pop, pop, pop -- were unsure what to play or say next.

I didn't envy Corgan, and his bandmates position one bit. Those feedback-charged, flannel-wearing, bundles of hormones had exploded into an eternal mosh. The kids were hungry. In fact, they were starving. 30,000 young adults stared expectantly at their stage-bound heroes awaiting The Answer.

Minutes before, during the band's orchestrally-enhanced performance of "Disarm," I shivered despite the August heat as 30,000 mud-slathered undulating urchins sang along with the haunting chorus: "I used to be a little boy, so old in my shoes, and what I choose is my choice, what's a boy supposed to do? The killer in me is the killer in you, my love." The scene absolutely haunted me. The orphans of Generation X-cess felt certain that Corgan and Co. understood their pain, confusion, and angst, and they desperately wanted Billy to say something profound and/or comforting.

To fully understand my perturbation at this moment you would have to take into account the entire panorama that was Lollapalooza '94 at Quonset Point Airport in Rhode Island. The surrounding fields of the military airport were littered with tripped-out teenagers, the long faded grass was splattered with vomit and the crumpled bodies of those who had replaced their entire bloodstreams with alcoholic plasma substitutes, and in the distance loomed the industrial gray defense plant buildings which created an ominous backdrop. A sign on one of the buildings said, "DEFENSE PLANT. No Trespassing. No photographing. Violators may be subject to criminal penalties under the espionage laws of the U.S."

A medical tent was set up to aid victims of bad trips ad broken bones -- the mosh pit casualties. The joke going around the parking lot was that all the black lipsticked Goths, bouncy nineties nouveau hippies, and backwards baseball capped hipsters had been lured to this dubious location to be bombed into extinction. It seemed almost plausible that some government official might want to clean up the area by killing off the drug-using, graffiti-painting, trouble-making teenagers from Massachusetts and Rhode Island. After the relatively conservative eighties (where attending a Madonna concert could be viewed as a major act of rebellion), nineties youth culture has become a runaway train out of control and gaining speed.

While sharing Rolling Rocks and hamburgers with some well-prepared hibachi grill-possessing strangers in the parking lot before entering the concert, I shared my apocalyptic destruction fantasy. One of the quick-thinking college guys blurted out, "Nope, They wouldn't do that. Look around -- we're just a bunch of middle-class white kids. No politician in his right mind would blow us up."

But still, what kind of place was this to hold a concert? An airport/defense plant? If concerts were meant to be held on runways singers would have been born with wings. Sure, The Great Woods Performing Arts Center in Mansfield, Mass. had vowed after the Lollapalooza '92 fence-becomes-bonfire fiasco that the humongous concert and (more importantly) its rampage of rambunctious fans would not bring their body piercings anywhere near the hallowed grounds of Mansfield.

So, the destructive kids and their day-long concert were banished to some radioactive airport in the middle of nowhere.

"I open my heart to you," Corgan announced in a moment between songs, "and I ask you what have we got? Nothing! Not rock and roll."

Corgan used the stage as a soapbox and tried desperately to stir some emotion in the kids. "Oh, by the way, the governor of your fine state tried to make this show not happen. Lord knows that the governor would not want the fine youth of his state tearing up this empty bonking lot. There are very important missiles underneath, and he doesn't want anything to go off."

Corgan tried everything -- from tap-dancing, to copping Van Halen riffs, to spoofing Lisa Loeb's "Stay." The renegade alterna-teens who had survived an entire day of fashion competition, high pressure bong salesmen, and the inescapable magnetic field of the mosh pit were not satisfied one bit .

Finally Corgan just apologized, "I'm sorry we suck." Smashing Pumpkins played a predictable encore, and fled the scene leaving the swarm of exhausted kids to plod through the garbage-strewn fields back to their cars.

The hidden dangers of concerts... what you should know before you go.
Jun 11 '00



Remember the good old days when you were a carefree youth? When you had fun sitting around drinking iced tea with your friends? The days that you would rush to the store to buy the newest 45 to play on your record player, which you'd listen to with your friends while singing and dancing to the music...

Although the times are changing, many people still do the same things that their parents did thirty years before them. It's true that people still enjoy their favorite groups, buy (or download) their music, and attend their concerts. The only problem is that more and more kids are attending concerts now, which can potentially put them in all kinds of dangers.

As a frequent concert goer, I know the tricks of the trade per say... what to do, what not to do, how to be careful, and what to bring. Parents, try not to go too crazy as I am not trying to scare you, but educate you about what goes on at concerts.

The dangers of concerts:

Mosh Pits: The biggest problem in my mind about attending concerts now a days, are mosh pits. I hear you asking, what is a mosh pit? To put it simply, it is a bunch of crazy people crammed into a small space trying to get closer to the stage. People jump up and down, push eachother, and cram in very closely... simply put, it is like a riot.

Mosh pits have the tendacy of being so packed together that people fall on top of eachother and fall down to the ground and get stepped on. If this happens you can easily break a few bones (I broke a rib when someone stepped on me), but hopefully you will find a nice person who will help you get back on your feet. Another bad thing is that some people lose the ability to breathe and pass out because they are too smushed in the crowd. In extreme cases, such as these, the people have to be pulled out of the crowd by security and revived by medics. Everyone else in the crowd will at least have bumps, bruises, or cuts.

My advice? Don't allow your children to go in a mosh pit! If they are like me, they will complain and tell you that all their friend's parents let them mosh... but then again, most parents aren't educated to what actually occurs in mosh pits. Besides, you don't get to enjoy the band if you are concentrating on staying alive or in an extreme amount of pain. Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins was so concerned for my health, that he made me promise to never go in another mosh pit... a promise that I plan on keeping.

If you can, stay away from buying General Admission tickets. Why? Because this is a standing room ticket, not seats (there isn't moshing in seats). If your children are in seats, they're not even going to be near the mosh pit and thus won't get hurt. Some concert venues are made up of all General Admission tickets though, so the ideal thing is to find a bench to sit on away from the mosh pit which will let you enjoy the show without getting hurt.

Drugs and alcohol: Just like when you attended concerts back in the day, drugs and alcohol are part of the whole concert scene. Although concert venues do not allow drugs inside their buildings, people still somehow manage to sneak the drugs in and do them. As the use of drugs are against the law, security guards will take the drugs away and kick the users out of the concert... but then again, they only catch a small fraction of those who do them. The three main drugs of concerts are marijuana (smoked), ecstacy (taken in pill form at raves), and nitrious oxide (breathed in and stored in balloons).

Alcohol is also a large part of the concert scene, as it is part of the social scene and is sold in bars at most concert venues. To get alcohol from a bar, you need proper ID stating that you are of legal drinking age (in the United States this is age 21 and up). Many people do get drunk at concerts, whether they are of age or not. So how do kids get beer? The same way they do outside of concerts, either using a fake ID or by asking someone to buy it for them.

So what do you do? Make sure that you teach your children the horrible things that drugs and alcohol can do to you. You know what to tell them better than I, but I know that I never did any of that simply because my parents told me not to. If you honestly tell them something like that, they will probably listen to you.

Other factors: In the summer months, a large number of concerts are held outdoors under the sun. This presents the problem of becoming dehydrated. Kids NEED to drink plenty of water, I can't stress this enough. Make sure that you give your children plenty of money so that they can buy food and beverages which are usually priced insanely high. Don't be surprised if a bottle of water costs three dollars...

Another thing that you want to keep in mind is when and where you will pick your children up. Set a time and a place beforehand, and make sure that you be there at that time. It's better for you to be on time and have them show up late, than the other way around which can possibily put them in a scary situation. Using your common sense, buy a few tickets so that you can have your child go with a friend or two. If they stay together they will be a whole lot safer than being alone in a strange place with potentially strange people.

You may want to encourage your kids to wear sunscreen. Getting burned is never fun and your kids will thank you for the nagging later in life when they don't develop skin cancer.

What to bring: It's good to carry a small backpack or bag which holds sunscreen, a hat, a bottle of water, some quick food items such as a granola bar, extra money, a towel or blanket (not necessary, but it can be to sit on if it is an outdoor concert), and a cell phone (in case of emergencies).

But mostly, stress that they use their common sense. If your children follow their common sense, they will be fine. Don't worry too much (I know you will though), because generally everyone has a great time at concerts.

[][xx(][:O][!][V]

Organizers Blamed In Limp Bizkit Mosh-Pit Death
11.08.2002

Limp Bizkit's Fred Durst
Photo: Interscope

Though Limp Bizkit weren't found to be at fault for the death of a teenager crushed at a concert last year, they could've been more helpful in efforts to aid the girl, an Australian court said Friday.

At a coroner's inquest in Sydney, Australia, coroner Jacqueline Milledge exonerated the band in the death of 15-year-old Jessica Michalik, who suffered a heart attack at the 2001 Big Day Out tour stop there, the Australian Associated Press reported. While she didn't find the band liable, Milledge said Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst should have acted more responsibly when it became apparent there was a problem in the pit.

"I accept that it may have been difficult for him to stop because of the intensity of his performing," the news service quoted Milledge as saying. "However, it is very clear that his words were inflammatory and indeed insulting to the security staff who were engaged in their best efforts to extricate crucially injured patrons from the crowd collapse."

The security practices employed by festival organizers Creative Entertainment Australia bore the brunt of the blame. After viewing videotapes and hearing witness testimony, Milledge said it was evident that the density of the crowd was dangerous at the time Limp Bizkit took the stage.

"There appears to be a reluctance on the part of the promoters and [security] to accept that the situation on that day was completely unacceptable. It is obvious to everyone who views the videotape that people are being squashed and jostled and at times are fighting for survival — a fight Jessica Michalik lost."

Although the judge's decision favored the Limp Bizkit camp, they weren't exactly celebrating. "No one is a winner in a court case where a young girl has lost her life," Durst said in a statement. "This has been a terrible tragedy."

After the hearing, Big Day Out organizer Vivian Lees said Limp Bizkit would never again be invited to perform at the festival, according to AAP.

The inquest began a year ago, and in the hearings that followed, some witness testimony pointed fingers at Limp Bizkit and the statements Fred Durst made from the stage. The Bizkit camp maintained that inadequate security was responsible for the death (see "Fred Dust Tells Aussie Court He Warned Fest Promoter").

A coroner's inquest is held when the details of a death, such as the factors that contributed to it, aren't completely clear. It does not determine criminal liability, but civil suits may result. Durst was questioned by police in July 2001, but they did not have sufficient evidence to warrant an arrest.

—Joe D'Angelo

Thank you for doing that!  I too have "saved" lives at concerts, namely a 311 concert about a year and a half ago.  Basically the same thing: a girl in the pit without shoes (she wore sandals!) and was getting trampled after she got down on all fours to find them.  She started bleeding and I pulled her out of the crowd.  I literally had to punch and claw my way past people who couldn't have cared less if someone was dying...anyway, as soon as I got back into the pit another girl started shrieking...and then, no joke, I started hearing and seeing many young ladies who were crying out for help.  I nearly fainted after I helped the second girl and then, thank goodness, the band took a break and told people to chill out.

I can't stress it enough that: 1) mosh pits, or crazy crowds...whatever you want to call them, are generally stupid and you shouldn't get too close up to the front if you are not 7 feet tall.
and 2) girls just shouldn't go in, unless they know full well what they are up against...

I no longer go into the crowds are concerts, I opt to hang out in the rear with all of the old people (I'm still in my 20's but I feel that way sometimes)

My wife is lactose intolerant and drinks soy milk.  I swore I would never drink it, but now I like is just fine.  The two brands we like the most are:
1. Silk
2. 8th Continent

I think they are good enough to drink straight...

http://www.astralpulse.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=2791&SearchTerms=dmt

I just wanted to reemphasize a point made by "Do":

"I think most of us experience that inner "chatter." (I prefer that term rather than inner "voice" which seems to me to be something else entirely.)"

I agree with this completely.  There is a big difference between the "chatter" which seems to come from so many different sources and the inner voice, which is something else completely different that I believe each of us has to dicover on our own.

There is a new car that runs on desiel fuel and gets 90 miles to the gallon...that's what we should all drive until they get the hydrogen fuel cell thing worked out (the only bi-product is water!)

Anyway, I did want to share my two dreams cars:

Range Rover
BMW M3 or Audi RS6
Audi: 450 HP Twin Turbo/ Triptronic

I am a child of God.  I am also the decisions I make.

http://www.crfg.org/pubs/frtfacts.html

Mad fruit info...

I think all fruits are good and need to be eaten...well, I mean at least a good balance of variety.

Some info:

1. FRUITS
- Acid Fruit

oranges - pineapples - sour apples - sour plums - lemons - grapefruits - sour peaches - limes - tangerines - sour grapes - tomatoes
These are the most detoxifying fruits and excellent foods. They should be avoided when you have the flu because the body could overreact detoxifying and make you even more sick.

Some people may have problems with these fruits because of their acid content. The acid though is a healthy and organic nutritional element (for instance: ascorbic acid is vitamin c, found especially in citrus fruits and vegetables).  

Sometimes one type of fruit from this category can irritate a particular part of the body. This can be caused by an allergic reaction caused by cowmilk. There is a good chance that after staying away from dairy this reaction disappears.

- Low-acid Fruit

apricots - blueberries - huckleberries - strawberries - nectarines - raspberries -  blackberries - gooseberries - mangos - elderberries - olives - fresh figs - sweet apples - cherries- sweet peaches - sweet plums - persimmons
These fruits are less detoxifying than acid fruits and can be handled well in any amount.

- Sweet Fruit

dates - sweet grapes - pears - prunes - raisins - dried figs
Rehydrate dried fruit by soaking it overnight in a jar of water.

- Melons

watermelons - cantaloupes - honey dew - galia
Are like all other fruits excellent food. What's very special about watermelons is that they contain as much iron as spinach. Eat as much of them as you like.

- Starchy Fruit

bananas - peanuts - pumpkins - winter squashes
Could work as a fattener but are always better than foods from the wrong nutrition list. Don't eat more than one banana a day if you gain weight easily.

- Non-starchy Fruit

cucumber - sweet pepper - zuchini - egg plant - yellow squash
- Protein containing Fruit

I personally think you are going to find yourself in some tight spots if you allow this to continue.  Relationships, whether they are mental/psychic, spiritual, etc. are just like relationships in the physical.  So you need to ask yourself this: Do I go around having sex like this with relative strangers in my "waking", normal life?  Is that a smart thing to do?  Are there dangers (physical, mental, etc.) associated with that kind of behavior?  Is it right?

Obviously it's already having some negative impacts on your life...

I love Thoreau!  Here are some quotes I think some of you will appreciate:

Thoreau Quotes
from the random Thoreau quote generator at
http://www.psymon.com/walden/


Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity!
from the chapter "Where I Lived and What I Lived For" in Walden

contributed by Ron Koster



As if you could kill time without injuring eternity.
from the chapter "Economy" in Walden

contributed by Kirk McElhearn



If a man does not keep pace with his companions,
perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer.
from the "Conclusion" to Walden

contributed by Matt Ames



Though I am old enough to have discovered that
the dreams of youth are not to be realized in this state of existence
yet I think it would be the next greatest happiness always to be allowed
to look under the eyelids of time and contemplate the perfect steadily
with the clear understanding that I do not attain to it.
from the Journal (October 24, 1843)

contributed by Kirk McElhearn



I had three pieces of limestone on my desk,
but I was terrified to find that they required to be dusted daily,
when the furniture of my mind was all undusted still,
and threw them out the window in disgust.
from the chapter "Economy" in Walden

contributed by Ken Winchenbach Walden



To be awake is to be alive.
from the chapter "Where I Lived and What I Lived For" in Walden

contributed by Ann Woodlief



Soon the ice will melt, and the blackbirds sing
along the river which he frequented, as pleasantly as ever.
The same everlasting serenity will appear in this face of God,
and we will not be sorrowful, if he is not.
from a letter to Lucy Brown dated March 2, 1842,
following the death of Thoreau's brother

contributed by Sue Petrovski



My Aunt Maria asked me to read the life of Dr. Chalmers,
which, however, I did not promise to do.
Yesterday, Sunday, she was heard through the partition
shouting to my Aunt Jane, who is deaf, "Think of it!
He stood half an hour today to hear the frogs croak,
and he wouldn't read the life of Chalmers."
from the Journal (March 28, 1853)

contributed by Gary Robertson



I learned this, at least, by my experiment;
that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams,
and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined,
he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.
from the "Conclusion" to Walden

contributed by Austin Meredith



If you have built castles in the air,
your work need not be lost; that is where they should be.
Now put the foundations under them.
from the "Conclusion" to Walden

contributed by Austin Meredith



Some circumstantial evidence is very strong,
as when you find a trout in the milk.
from the Journal (c. November 11-14, 1850)

contributed by Bob Lucas



The frontiers are not east or west, north or south,
but wherever a man "fronts" a fact.
from the chapter "Thursday"
in A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers

contributed by Gary Robertson



Live free, child of the mist,
-- and with respect to knowledge we are all
children of the mist.
From the essay Walking

contributed by Gary Robertson



In any weather, at any hour of the day or night,
I have been anxious to improve the nick of time, and notch it on my stick too;
to stand on the meeting of two eternities, the past and future,
which is precisely the present moment; to toe that line.
from the chapter "Economy"
in Walden

contributed by Ron Koster



As surely as the sunset in my latest November
shall translate me to the ethereal world,
and remind me of the ruddy morning of youth;
as surely as the last strain of music which falls on my decaying ear
shall make age to be forgotten,
or, in short, the manifold influences of nature
survive during the term of our natural life,
so surely my Friend shall forever be my Friend,
and reflect a ray of God to me,
and time shall foster and adorn and consecrate our Friendship,
no less than the ruins of temples.
from the chapter "Wednesday"
in A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers

contributed by Ron Koster



I would rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself,
than be crowded on a velvet cushion.
from the chapter "Economy" in Walden

contributed by Josh Randall



The fact which the politician faces is merely that
there is less honor among thieves than was supposed,
and not the fact that they are thieves.
from Slavery in Massachusetts

contributed by Richard Lenat



Let us first be as simple and well as Nature ourselves,
dispel the clouds which hang over our brows,
and take up a little life into our pores.
Do not stay to be an overseer of the poor,
but endeavor to become one of the worthies of the world.
from the chapter "Economy" in Walden

contributed by John Dempsey



I have a great deal of company in my house;
especially in the morning, when nobody calls.
from the chapter "Solitude" in Walden

contributed by Christopher Ryan Murphy



In the streets and in society I am almost invariably
cheap and dissipated, my life is unspeakably mean.
No amount of gold or respectability would in the least
redeem it,-- dining with the Governor or a member of Congress!!
But alone in the distant woods or fields,
in unpretending sprout-lands or pastures tracked by rabbits,
even in a bleak and, to most, cheerless day, like this,
when a villager would be thinking of his inn,
I come to myself, I once more feel myself grandly related,
and that cold and solitude are friends of mine.
I suppose that this value, in my case, is equivalent
to what others get by churchgoing and prayer.
I come home to my solitary woodland walk as the homesick go home.
I thus dispose of the superfluous and see things as they are,
grand and beautiful. I have told many that I walk every day
about half the daylight, but I think they do not believe it.
I wish to get the Concord, the Massachusetts, the America,
out of my head and be sane a part of every day.
from the Journal (January 7, 1857)

contributed by Sonya Welter



A man is rich in proportion tothe number of things
which he can afford to let alone.
from the chapter "Where I Lived and What I Lived For" in Walden

contributed by Tony Carleo



I should not talk so much about myself
if there were anybody else whom I knew as well.
from the chapter "Economy" in Walden

contributed by Casey Shane Sowers



I have heard of a dog that barked at every stranger
who approached his master's premises with clothes on,
but was easily quieted by a naked thief.
from the chapter "Economy" in Walden

contributed by Nathan Wagner



A writer who does not speak out of a full experience
uses torpid words, wooden or lifeless words, such words as "humanitary,"
which have a paralysis in their tails.
from the Journal (July 14, 1852)

contributed by Richard Dillman



I have always been regretting that I was not as wise
as the day I was born.
from the chapter "Where I Lived and What I Lived For" in Walden

contributed by Gail Valker



However mean your life is, meet it and live it;
do not shun it and call it hard names.
from the "Conclusion" to Walden

contributed by Sydney Rosen



An efficient and valuable man does what he can,
whether the community pay him for it or not.
The inefficient offer their inefficiency to the highest bidder,
and are forever expecting to be put in office.
from Life without Principle

contributed by Mark Heiden



The sea-shore is a sort of neutral ground,
a most advantageous point from which to contemplate this world.
It is even a trivial place. The waves forever rolling to the land
are too far-travelled and untamable to be familiar.
Creeping along the endless beach amid the sun-squall and the foam,
it occurs to us that we, too, are the product of sea-slime.
from the chapter "The Sea And The Desert" in Cape Cod

contributed by Robert Vasselli



To be a philosopher is not merely to have subtle thoughts,
nor even to found a school, but so to love wisdom as to live
according to its dictates, a life of simplicity, independence,
magnanimity, and trust.
from the chapter "Economy" in Walden

contributed by Richard Dean Banton



The physiologist says it [ripening of fruit] is "due to an increased absorption of oxygen."
That is the scientific account of the matter, -- only a reassertion of the fact.
But I am more interested in the rosy cheek than I am to know
what particular diet the maiden fed on.
from Chapter 1 of Autumnal Tints

contributed by Bill Hanna



I too had woven a kind of basket of a delicate texture,
but I had not made it worth anyone's while to buy them.
Yet not the less, in my case, did I think it worth my while to weave them,
and instead of studying how to make it worth men's while to buy my baskets,
I studied rather how to avoid the necessity of selling them.
from the chapter "Economy" in Walden

contributed by Alfred La Pointe



Perfect sincerity and transparency make a great part of beauty,
as in dewdrops, lakes, and diamonds.
from the Journal (June 20, 1840)

contributed by Patricia Anne Kuniega



Hope and the future for me are not in lawns and cultivated fields,
not in towns and cities, but in the impervious and quaking swamps.
From the essay Walking

contributed by Randy Porter



The greater part of what my neighbors call good I believe in my soul to be bad,
and if I repent of anything, it is very likely to be my good behavior.
What demon possessed me that I behaved so well?
from the chapter "Economy" in Walden

contributed by Richard Lenat



A lake is the landscape's most beautiful and expressive feature.
It is Earth's eye; looking into which the beholder measures
the depth of his own nature.
from the chapter "The Ponds" in Walden

contributed by Eric Brown



In the days before his death,
his Aunt Louisa asked him if he had made his peace with God.
His answer was "I did not know we had ever quarrelled, Aunt."
from the Harding and Richardson biographies

contributed by Paul Edward Draper



We linger in manhood to tell the dreams of our childhood,
and they are half forgotten ere we have learned the language.
from the chapter "Friday"
in A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers

contributed by Kenneth Bass



I will send the light-colored trout and the pickerel with the longer snout,
which is our large one, when I meet with them. I have set a price upon the heads
of snapping turtles, though it is late in the season to get them.
To Elliot Cabot, 1 June 1847, in Correspondence

contributed by Wallace Kaufman



Say what you have to say, not what you ought.
Any truth is better than make-believe.
from the "Conclusion" to Walden

contributed by Christopher David Greiner



It is a rare qualification to be ale to state a fact simply and adequately.
To digest some experience cleanly.
To say yes and no with authority--To make a square edge.
To conceive & suffer the truth to pass through us living & and intact....
Say it and have done with it. Express it without expressing ourself.
See not with the eye of science -- which is barren --
nor of youthful poetry which is impotent.
from the Journal (November 1, 1851)

contributed by Wallace Kaufman



As in old times they who dwelt on the heath
remote from towns were backward to adopt the doctrines
which prevailed there, and were therefore called heathen
in a bad sense, so we dwellers in the huckleberry pastures,
which are our heath lands, are slow to adopt the notions
of large towns and cities and may perchance be
nicknamed huckleberry people.
from the Journal (December 30, 1860)

contributed by Gary Robertson



Nay, be a Columbus to whole new continents and worlds within you,
opening new channels, not of trade, but of thought
from the "Conclusion" to Walden

contributed by John Butkis



You only need sit still long enough in some attractive spot in the woods
that all its inhabitants may exhibit themselves to you by turns.
from the chapter "Brute Neighbors" in Walden

contributed by Kevin Patrick Connor



I should not talk so much about myself
if there were anybody else whom I knew as well.
Unfortunately, I am confined to this theme by the narrowness
of my experience.
from the chapter "Economy" in Walden

contributed by Ron Faraday





fides quaerens intellectum

So what happens when you get a 1000 posts Tom?  If nothing does happen, you should protest.  I want to see "Astral master" or "Motor Mouth" or some other cool title next to your name!
http://www.astralpulse.com/forums/images/icon_Smile_big.gif" border=0>
-Dan

fides quaerens intellectum

I'd love to attend one of these workshops, but on my student income it would be very difficult indeed...and I love scuba diving!  

Well Robert, thanks for dropping by...we all like to hear how things are going every once in a while.  I don't know about everyone else, but I am still pouring over AD so don't rush the new one out!  jk

-Daniel

fides quaerens intellectum

Tom,
I have actually corresponded personally with Robert within the last 5 months or so and you are so right, he is very approachable and willing to help out people individually, but of course only as his time permits him.  I just wish he would drop in sometimes, or more often I should say, like he used to.  I bet he will again in the future, when he is less busy with his writing, etc.  From what I understand, he takes care of his kids too...and I know that is a full-time job!
-Dan



fides quaerens intellectum

Wednesday, 11 December, 2002, 11:13 GMT
Meet Gollum and friends


Serkis said he gave the character "emtional connection"

Lord of the Rings actor Andy Serkis has revealed the lengths he had to go to for his role as Gollum, by performing each scene twice so the character could be computer-generated (CG).
Gollum, who features heavily in the second Rings epic The Two Towers, is a slimy creature who hinders the Hobbits' efforts in protecting the Ring from evil while they take it to be destroyed on Mount Doom.



I haven't particularly done voice work before - this is totally extreme obviously

Andy Serkis [Gollum]  
Director Peter Jackson said it was vital for Serkis to act Gollum's scenes, so the computer could impose the CG image over that of the actor.

"Although it was computer-generated, Peter Jackson wanted an actor to lead the role," Serkis told BBC Radio 5's Phil Williams.

"You can't just have him be an animated creature with an animated voice on top because you wouldn't get that true emotional connection."

Serkis added that the intention had always been that the CG character would have its "psychology and physicality manifested by an actor".


Miranda Otto plays Eowyn

The role required a lot of extra effort from Serkis, who spent a year in post-production doing "motion capture" wearing a special white suit covered in dots, which pinpointed the joints in his body for a computer.

The dots were fed through cameras to a computer with a CG image of Gollum, which Serkis watched as he re-shot the scenes to "hone" his performance.

The actor, who said he had not previously specialised in voice work, had to provide a distinctive sound for Gollum, who has a split personality and talks in two very distinct ways.

"Gollum's voice is borne out of his mental state of mind, his schizophrenia and guilt at having stolen the ring," he said.


Legolas the elf [Orlando Bloom] fights for humanity

"He has two voices - Smeagal is the lighter naive victim who he was before he became Gollum, and Gollum is the harder, nastier creature he becomes. It came from the writing - fantastic script-writing," Serkis said.

He also explained that Gollum's face was based on his own muscle structure, which the computer used to create the creature's facial expressions.

Actress Miranda Otto, who is a newcomer to the Rings films, plays Eowyn the White Lady of Rohan, said her character was satisfying to play because she was "as good a fighter as the men".

But Eowyn got "even more ballsy" in the third film, she said, adding: "It was important to me she came across as a strong character and woman because in the book she very much is.


Frodo the hobbit is key to the tale

"It was a great character to play because on the outside she seems like the archetypal princess character but on the inside she's tough and strong."

Otto had to learn new skills for the film, including sword-fighting and horse-riding, but said her main battle scene had been "thrown together on the day", and that she was "lucky it actually turned out OK".

British actor Bernard Hill, who was Bafta-nominated for his portrayal of unemployed father Yosser Hughes in 1980s TV series Boys from the Blackstuff, said he preferred the Rings film to the book.

Hill, who plays Theoden, King of Rohan, said: "I found the book whimsical with too many tangents, and lost over-written and lost conclusions - things didn't resolve themselves."

'Nerves'

He said the film script "made more sense to me", and that it was "a real distillation of the good elements of the film".

Actor Karl Urban, who is also a newcomer to the film, admitted he found it nerve-wracking having to act in front of such major stars.

His first day of filming, playing Eomér the 18th King of Rohan, involved a battle scene with "300 guys in orc outfits and 500 guys on horseback".

"Right before my first shot I looked at the monitor and right behind Peter Jackson were Ian McKellen and Liv Tyler come to see what the new guy was all about.

"So I was battling away trying to keep the nerves under control as it was and it certainly didn't help the situation," he said.



fides quaerens intellectum

Canadian Press
Sunday, January 05, 2003
 
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The Two Towers has scored a triple. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers was the top film for a third weekend, taking in $25.65 million US, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The middle chapter of J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings fantasy epic, The Two Towers pushed its 19-day total to $261.7 million. With no big new films, box-office rankings shaped up much the same as last weekend. Steven Spielberg's Catch Me If You Can, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks in a cat-and-mouse chase between a con man and an FBI agent, remained in second place with $21.3 million, lifting its 12-day total to $97.6 million.

Romantic comedies again held the No. 3 and 4 spots, with Two Weeks Notice grossing $11.6 million and Maid in Manhattan taking in $9 million.

In its first weekend of wide release after debuting in a handful of theatres last month, Jack Nicholson's acclaimed black comedy About Schmidt climbed to No. 5 with $8.75 million. Nicholson plays a retired insurance actuary reassessing his life after his wife dies.

Also expanding was the musical Chicago, with Renee Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Richard Gere, which came in at No. 9 with $5 million.

Playing in relatively narrow release at 816 theatres, About Schmidt averaged a healthy $10,723, while Chicago averaged $16,500 in 304 theatres. The Two Towers averaged $7,082 in 3,622 theatres, while Catch Me If You Can averaged $6,719 in 3,170 theatres.

The Two Towers has passed Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, which came out a month earlier and has reached a total gross of $252 million.

Worldwide, Two Towers has hit $560 million, and distributor New Line hopes it will top $1 billion and become the No. 2 film behind Titanic, which climbed to $1.8 billion.

Two Towers picks up where Fellowship of the Ring left off and leaves viewers hanging, awaiting the conclusion next December with The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.

"This is a movie without a beginning and an end. It's not a sequel but a continuation of a story," said David Tuckerman, New Line head of distribution.

Several films that opened over the holidays to qualify for the Academy Awards continued to do well in limited release. The Hours, starring Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman and Julianne Moore, grossed $326,000 in 11 theatres for a $29,636 average.

Spike Lee's The 25th Hour, starring Edward Norton as a drug dealer on his last day of freedom before going to prison, earned $131,000 at five theatres to average $26,281.

George Clooney's directing debut, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, with Sam Rockwell as game-show host Chuck Barris in a fictionalized thriller, took in $91,789 at four theatres for a $22,947 average.

Estimated ticket sales in U.S. dollars for Friday through Sunday at North American theatres, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, $25.65 million.

2. Catch Me If You Can, $21.3 million.

3. Two Weeks Notice, $11.6 million.

4. Maid in Manhattan, $9 million.

5. About Schmidt, $8.75 million.

6. Gangs of New York, $7.4 million.

7. Drumline, $5.6 million.

8. The Wild Thornberrys Movie, $5.5 million.

9. Chicago, $5 million.

10. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, $4.5 million.





fides quaerens intellectum

Welcome!  Thanks for the insightful comments.  By the way, the child does supposedly have a mother and father (she was cloned from the mothers DNA because the father was impotent?)  but I highly doubt that any of this is legit because they are now refusing to let the baby undergo any testing to validate their outrageous claims...so we'll see...

fides quaerens intellectum

Malveaux: Bush sees difference between Iraq, North Korea

Wednesday, January 1, 2003 Posted: 1:10 PM EST (1810 GMT)
CNN's Suzanne Malveaux     
------------------------------------------------------------------------

CRAWFORD, Texas (CNN) -- President Bush is warning against comparing North Korea's nuclear weapons program to the threat from Iraq. He said he's confident that the stalemate with Pyongyang is not going to lead to military action. CNN White House Correspondent Suzanne Malveaux on Wednesday discussed the president's recent comments about this.

MALVEAUX: President Bush's New Year's resolution, he said yesterday, was to resolve these conflicts peacefully. It was at a coffee shop in Crawford, where he answered the one question that has been on so many people's minds -- why the administration is considering military action with Iraq, which says it has no weapons of mass destruction, but not with North Korea, which does have nuclear weapons and has been making some moves to possibly produce more.

President Bush said that when it comes to North Korea, it's not a military showdown, but a diplomatic one. He still believes that a peaceful resolution through diplomacy and economic pressure [can be done].

And despite calls from Russia and South Korea for dialogue, not isolation, President Bush is confident that he can win the support of North Korea's neighbors.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRESIDENT BUSH: There is strong consensus, not only amongst the nations in the neighborhood and our friends, but also at the international organizations, such as the IAEA, that North Korea ought to comply with international regulations. I believe this can be done peacefully through diplomacy, and we will continue to work that way. All options, of course, are always on the table for any president, but by working with these countries, we can resolve this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Iraq: President Bush [has expressed] very little confidence that Saddam Hussein will comply. He says that Saddam Hussein was close to producing a nuclear weapon in the '90s. He still believes that he is making those efforts today in defiance of the will of the international community for more than a decade.



fides quaerens intellectum

You want to talk about pardons?  Don't forget who Clinton paroned in his final days in office.  Of course all Presidents, or at least most, do this...but Clinton crossed the line...by a MILE!

Anyway, this list does contain names of individuals from 2002 who are IN power...and many are indeed Republicans.

fides quaerens intellectum

Here's some late "nite" humor, American style!  http://www.astralpulse.com/forums/images/icon_Smile.gif" border=0>

Leno
# (Opening of show) I feel like I know these people. Our whole audience tonight is all clones.
# There were so many people throwing up in Los Angeles last night, the city was reclassified as a Carnival Cruise Ship. That's how bad it is.
# I guess you know Diana Ross has a new man in her life, Jack Daniels.
# Do you know New Year's Eve is the second most popular day for couples to get engaged? The most popular day of course is the day the guy finds out she's pregnant.
# Of course New Years is a great day for sports on T.V. How many guys kicked back and opened a six-pack and watched the "Brian Boitano Skating Spectacular Special" on NBC? Wasn't that unbelievable? Man I tell you I was a guy in heaven this afternoon.
# This week the White House lowered their estimate about how much a war with Iraq would cost. They lowered the estimate. That shows you how smart Bush really is. You wait 'til after Christmas to find the bargains.
# Former NFL Coach Bill Parcells has agreed to coach the last place Dallas Cowboys. They finished 5-11 three years in a row and now Parcells is coming our of retirement to be their coach. That goes to show you, never make a big decision on New Year's Eve. "I did what, what'd I say?"
# McDonald's announced its plans to change its hamburger recipe in the hopes the new taste will help jumpstart sales. In fact the rumor is they plan to make the new burger taste like ground beef.

Letterman
# (rerun) It's been cold and nasty here in New York. This is how cold it's been – today I was walking to work and I saw a guy with a hammer trying to get a poodle off a fire hydrant.
# It's so cold in Washington that Trent Lott put his other foot in his mouth.
# It's so cold up in Chappaqua that the Clintons got into the same bed.

Conan
# It's the first day of the New Year! It's the day you're supposed to make your resolutions. This is a true story. In the paper Anna Nicole Smith said that her resolution was to lose weight. My New Year's resolution is for her to lose weight too.

Kilborn
# (rerun) Today I saw Anna Nicole Smith with a sign that said, "Will eat this sign for food."
# New papers show that John F. Kennedy was taking as many as eight different medications at one time. In fact he was so wasted that his code name was "Ted Kennedy."
# On this day in 1863 President Lincoln gave his famous Gettysburg Address. But did you know he was really just opening up for Aerosmith?

Friday December 31

Letterman
# (rerun) Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are engaged to be married. I have six months in the office pool.
# In showbiz news, Steve Martin has been picked to host the 75th Academy Awards this spring. I hosted the event in 1995. They don't really select a person to host, they have a host rotation. It works like this. It goes like with the rotating basis, Billy Crystal, Billy, Billy, Whoppi, me, Whoppi, Bill, Bill, Whoppi, Steve, Billy, Steve...

Conan
# Happy New Year! Tonight in New York as part of annual tradition they dropped a giant ball in Time Square. In L.A. as part of tradition Anna Nicole Smith fell off a couch.
# The Vatican has announced that they will soon be releasing a book of poems that Pope John Paull II has written. Catholics may not like the poems because the first one starts off with the words, "There once was a Pope from Nantucket."
# Yesterday Diana Ross was arrested for drunk driving. When asked about it she said, "You would drink too if you looked like Michael Jackson."

Kilborn
# (rerun) The big story today is rapper Bobby Brown being pulled over in Atlanta for speeding and marijuana was found in his car. You can learn more about Bobby Brown on VH-1's "Before They Were Punchlines."

Monday Night December 30

Leno
# Very tricky back East. It's like a nightmare. In fact, airports are so icy a drunken Delta pilot accidentally skidded back onto the runway.

# I want to congratulate the Washington State Cougars, who are playing in the Rose Bowl Wednesday. I've got the whole team here tonight in the audience. Thank God, last week we had the Oklahoma Sooners here and I had to talk sooooooo slowly.

# Washington State is located in beautiful Pullman, Washington. You ever been there, Kev? If you've never been to Pullman, it's kinda like Barstow, but with fog. Beautiful, beautiful trailers.

# They say this first cloned human baby is a girl named Eve. They say she has blonde hair and three beautiful blue eyes.

# They say the mother is now living in Florida. Forget the moral implications of cloning for a minute. Just the fact they're going to clone another Florida voter, right there, that makes it wrong.

# USC is down in Florida right now preparing for the Orange Bowl. You know who paid a surprise visit to them over the weekend? O.J. Simpson. How creepy is that? He gave the team a pep talk. He said, "Go out there and kill them – but don't get caught."

# In fact, today Robert Blake stopped by USC's practice to talk about the shotgun offense.

# Today the Cincinnati Bengals fired their head coach, willy Lebeau. They fired him. Here's my question – what took so long? 2-14, isn't that what they are? Even the coach was shocked. He said, "I should have been fired like six months ago."

# The Bengals won two games all season. You know who should get fired? The two coaches who lost to the Bengals.

# According to a new Gallup poll, President Bush is the most-admired man in America. He received the highest number of votes, 28 percent. President Bush was very excited – this is the first time he got the most votes.

# The FBI is now looking for five men of Arab descent illegally in the country. I just hope they don't get their hands on any sombreros – we'll never find these guys.

# Here's some happy news – a woman just graduated from the University of Southern Florida at the age of 76. It took her 57 years to finish college. You know what you call people who take 57 years to finish college? Linemen!

# Seventy-six years old and a college graduate. Guys, that's one "Girls Gone Wild" video you don't want to see.

# Over the weekend, Donald Trump's son, 24-year-old Donald Trump Jr. – what are the odds he'd name his son after himself? – had to get 24 stitches in his head after he was hit in the head with a beer stein at a comedy club. If he used a half a can of hairspray like his old man, that thing would have bounced right off.

Letterman
# (rerun) Earlier tonight on CBS they had the Victoria's Secret underwear show. It was a slam-dunk for CBS really. The only other thing on was "The West Wing." Tonight President Bartlett appointed a new secretary of transportation.

# Michael Jackson is back in the news. He was in Germany and went out on a balcony and held his kid over the balcony to show him to the crowd. They think this just might be the kind of thing that gives Michael the reputation of an oddball.

# The other day President Clinton was in Manhattan and he had his limousine driver pull over and he ran up to a building and asked to use the restroom. One day you're the leader of the free world – the next you're getting told "no" to using the restroom by the doorman.

# Later that day Clinton pulled up next to a parked couple in their car and he asked the guy if he could use his wife.

Conan
# (rerun) It's a big football weekend! (applause) The other day the NFL kicked off their season with a big rock concert in Times Square. It was huge. It woke up all the former XFL players that were sleeping in Times Square.
# Eighty-nine percent of Americans say that they are satisfied with their jobs. Not surprisingly, the other 11 percent work for the Mets.

Kilborn
# (rerun) Happy Halloween, everybody! Michael Jackson ran out of candy at his house so he started handing out noses.

# Anna Nicole Smith likes this time of the year. She combines Halloween with Thanksgiving so she has an excuse to bob for turkeys.

Friday Night December 27

Leno
# (Opening of show) Welcome, fellow clones!

# That's the big story. This 31-year-old American woman claims to have given birth to the first cloned human baby. At least that's what she told her husband, who had a vasectomy.

# The company that did the cloning is called "Clonaid." What is that? A Willie Nelson benefit?

# According to latest surveys, most retailers had the worst Christmas sales in over 30 years. In fact, at Wal-Mart they were so desperate to get people in the store, if you didn't have a kid, they'd give you one to beat in the aisle.

# Here's something I don't understand about the shopping season. Every store you go to, they're advertising "How to buy a gift for the man who has everything." Why do we even care about this guy? He has everything! Why are we buying gifts for him? We should be going over to his house: "Give us some of your stuff."

# Over the past holiday weekend, police made hundreds of DUI arrests and that was just pilots at the airport.

# Yesterday, another pilot was caught getting on the plane drunk. The guy failed the breathalyzer test. This time it was Delta. Never trust an airline named after a fraternity!

# You know why he was so drunk? It turns out he had stock in United.

# How about this West Virginia building contractor, the winner of the $315 million dollar Powerball Lottery. Imagine that – a building contractor. Now he's got $315 million bucks. Do you know who I feel sorry for? The poor homeowner waiting for this guy to finish his family room.

# What can you buy in West Virginia for $315 million dollars? OK, besides West Virginia?

# Weapons inspectors were kicked out of North Korea. And today Saddam Hussein said, "You can do that?"

# Speaking of Saddam Hussein, the other day Iraq shot down one of our unmanned drone spy planes. I was really shocked when I first heard about this. When they shot down one of our robot drones I thought, "Oh my God, they've gotten Al Gore."

# "Friends" is coming back for a tenth season. Coming back to NBC, which stands for "Nice Big Check."

Letterman
# Happy holidays! Here's a reminder from the New York sanitation department. Every year they have to remind you. You know you just can't leave your Christmas tree in the house all year long or you'll get raccoons and stuff. Well, so everyone puts it on the curb to be picked up by the sanitation department. But first make sure you take the ornaments off – and then put it on the curb right by last year's tree.

# I love the after-Christmas sales. Today I got a good price on a DVD boxed set of Trent Lott apologies.

# Alcohol is no longer allowed at Times Square on New Year's Eve. Well, that's not a bad idea, you don't want a million people together drinking. So the mayor just wants to remind everyone that if you're going to drink on New Year's Eve make sure you do so at home before attending the celebration at Times Square.

# Everyone is getting excited about the celebration. Earlier today workers were busy assembling willy Clark.

Thursday Night December 26

Leno
# How many of you already put the crappy gifts you got for Christmas up on eBay?

# My Christmas wasn't so hot, Kev. Yesterday, I think Santa was mad at me. He put something in my stocking more worthless than coal: Lakers tickets.

# Wal-Mart Stores all around the country pulled the new "Midge" doll off the shelves. Do you know who Midge is? Midge is Barbie's best friend. They pulled the doll off the shelves right before Christmas because Midge is pregnant. I don't know who the father is, but I think we can pretty much rule out Ken.

# On Christmas Eve at Camp David, the Bush family dined on a dinner of tamales and enchiladas. See, that's when you know the economy is bad – when, at Christmas time, the president of the United States has to go to Taco Bell.

# We've got a big Rose Bowl audience in from Oklahoma. You can always tell the out-of-towners. They're the only ones in L.A. who speak English.

# A lot of big guys here. Only thing that frightens you guys: the possibility of being drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals.

# The nickname is the Sooners. Don't confuse that with Whitney Houston's favorite team – the Spooners.

# According to a scientist in the latest issue of "National Geographic Magazine," all human beings alive today are descendants of a single man who lived in Africa 60,000 years ago. More bad news for Trent Lott.

# Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld announced he will be seeking more military base closings next year. The good news – most are in Iraq.

# A Los Angeles company is making fake ATM receipts for men who want to impress their dates by fooling them into thinking they have a lot of money in their bank accounts. So you drop it in her car and she looks. This is kind of like a man's version of getting breast implants. This is how we cheat.

# According to British tabloids, Jennifer Lopez may put her Valentine's Day wedding to Ben Affleck on hold. It turns out she already has two other weddings scheduled for the same day.

# According to a U.S. scientist, a herpes vaccine is on the horizon. Do you what that means? Another season of "The Bachelor."

# And finally, according to a recent survey, 56 percent of women carry condoms. The other 44 percent are carrying babies.

Monday Night December 23 (all shows are reruns)

Letterman
# New York City is in a fiscal crisis. Money is tight here. This is how bad it is – I was out walking through Central Park on my lunch break and I saw a squirrel marking down its nuts.

# We also have a noise problem here in the city. There's cars and sirens and people screaming bloody murder. Mayor Bloomberg sat down this week and came up with a solution – silencers. That should work.

Conan
# The big story right now is Major League Baseball. If they don't settle the labor dispute, the players will go on strike on August 30. The Mets, however, thought the strike began on April 30.

# A man has been arrested for stalking Anna Nicole Smith. As part of the punishment she has asked that the man be locked up and not released until he's 90.

Kilborn
# Eminem's grandmother is writing a book on the rapper's early home life. The working title of the book is "I'm Eminem's Grandmother and I'm Broke."

Late N

fides quaerens intellectum

http://www.kabbalah.info/
http://www.digital-brilliance.com/kab/nok/index.htm
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&safe=off&q=qabalah+definition+info

Wow!  I found all of this info in a matter of minutes.  I read a lot of it, but not all of it.  Amyone and everyone, please add any sites or books you know to this little databasre!  Thanks!
-Dan


fides quaerens intellectum

Kabbalah FAQ

Version: 3.0 Release Date: February 1996

This Kabbalah FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) was prepared for the Usenet/Internet newsgroup "alt.magick". It is intended to provide a brief introduction to Kabbalah, and pointers to additional sources of information. This FAQ may be freely copied as long as this header is retained. The contents are copyright and may not be abridged or modified without the written permission of the author. Printed copies may be made for personal use. Where third-party contributions are included they are clearly marked and are copyright of the authors.

Copyright Colin Low 1993-1996 (cal@hplb.hpl.hp.com )

The author would appreciate feedback on the accuracy of the material, modulo variations in the Anglicised spellings of Hebrew words.
Contents:
Section 1: General

Q1.1 : What is Kabbalah
Q1.2 : What does the word "Kabbalah" mean, and how should I spell it?
Q1.3 : What is the "Tradition"?
Q1.4 : How old is Kabbalah?
Q1.5 : Do I need to be Jewish to study Kabbalah?
Q1.6 : Is there an obstacle to a woman studying Kabbalah?
Q1.7 : I've heard that one shouldn't study Kabbalah unless one is over forty years old? Is this true?
Q1.8 : Do I need to learn Hebrew to study Kabbalah?
Q1.9: What is Hermetic Kabbalah?
Q1.9 : Is Hermetic Kabbalah really Kabbalah?
Q1.10 : How can I find someone who teaches Kabbalah?
Section 2: Specifics

Q2.1 : What is the Great Work?
Q2.2 : I want to know more about the Archangels.
Q2.3 : What is the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram and where does it come from?
Q2.4 : What are the Qlippoth
Q2.5 : Why is Gevurah feminine?
Section 3: A Potted History of Kabbalah
Section 4: Reading List
Section 5: Information on the Internet
Section 1: General
Q1.1 : What is Kabbalah?

Kabbalah is an aspect of Jewish mysticism. It consists of a large body of speculation on the nature of divinity, the creation, the origin and fate of the soul, and the role of human beings. It consists also of meditative, devotional, mystical and magical practices which were taught only to a select few and for this reason Kabbalah is regarded as an esoteric offshoot of Judaism. Some aspects of Kabbalah have been studied and used by non-Jews for several hundred years - see What is Hermetic Kabbalah.
Q1.2 : What does the word "Kabbalah" mean, and how should I spell it?

The word "Kabbalah" is derived from the root "to receive, to accept", and in many cases is used synonymously with "tradition".

No-one with the slightest interest in Kabbalah can fail to notice that there are many alternative spellings of the word, the two most common being Kabbalah and Qabalah. Cabala, Qaballah, Qabala, Kaballah (and so on) are also seen. The reason for this is that some letters in the Hebrew alphabet have more than one representation in the English alphabet, and the same Hebrew letter can be written either as K or Q (or sometimes even C). Some authors choose one spelling, and some choose the other. Some (the author for example) will even mix Q and K in the same document, spelling Kabbalah and Qlippoth (as opposed to Qabalah and Klippoth!). A random selection of modern Hebrew phrase books and dictionaries use the K variant to represent the letter Kuf, so anyone who claims that the "correct" spelling is "Qabalah" is on uncertain ground.

There has been a tendency for non-Jewish books on Kabbalah published this century to use the spelling "Qabalah". Jewish publications are relatively uniform in preferring the spelling "Kabbalah".

The author takes the view (based on experience) that the spelling "Kabbalah" is recognised by a wider selection of people than the "Qabalah" variant, and for this purely pragmatic reason it is used throughout the FAQ.
Q1.3 : What is the "Tradition"?

According to Jewish tradition, the Torah (Torah - "Law" - the first five books of the Old Testament) was created prior to the world and she advised God on such weighty matters as the creation of human kind. When Moses received the written law from God, tradition has it that he also received the oral law, which was not written down, but passed from generation to generation. At times the oral law has been referred to as "Kabbalah" - the oral tradition.

The Torah was (and is) believed to be divine, and in the same way as the Torah was accompanied by an oral tradition, so there grew up a secret oral tradition which claimed to possess an initiated understanding of the Torah, its hidden meanings, and the divine power concealed within it. This is a principle root of the Kabbalistic tradition, a belief in the divinity of the Torah, and a belief that by studying this text one can unlock the secrets of the creation.

Another aspect of Jewish religion which influenced Kabbalah was the Biblical phenomenon of prophecy. The prophet was an individual chosen by God as a mouthpiece, and there was the implication that God, far from being a transcendental abstraction, was a being whom one could approach (albeit with enormous difficulty, risk, fear and trembling). Some Kabbalists believed that they were the inheritors of practical techniques handed down from the time of the Biblical prophets, and it is not impossible or improbable that this was in fact the case.

These two threads, one derived from the study of the Torah, the other derived from practical attempts to approach God, form the roots from which the Kabbalistic tradition developed.
Q1.4 : How old is Kabbalah?

No-one knows. The earliest documents which are generally acknowledged as being Kabbalistic come from the 1st. Century C.E., but there is a suspicion that the Biblical phenomenon of prophecy may have been grounded in a much older oral tradition which was a precursor to the earliest recognisable forms of Kabbalah. Some believe the tradition goes back as far as Melchizedek. There are moderately plausible arguments that Pythagoras received his learning from Hebrew sources. There is a substantial literature of Jewish mysticism dating from the period 100AD - 1000AD which is not strictly Kabbalistic in the modern sense, but which was available as source material to medieval Kabbalists.

On the basis of a detailed examination of texts, and a study of the development of a specialist vocabulary and a distinct body of ideas, Scholem has concluded that the origins of Kabbalah can be traced to 12th. century Provence. The origin of the word "Kabbalah" as a label for a tradition which is definitely recognisable as Kabbalah is attributed to Isaac the Blind (c. 1160-1236 C.E.), who is also credited with being the originator of the idea of sephirothic emanation.

Prior to this (and after) a wide variety of terms were used for those who studied the tradition: "masters of mystery", "men of belief", "masters of knowledge", "those who know", "those who know grace", "children of faith", "children of the king's palace", "those who know wisdom", "those who reap the field", "those who have entered and left".
Q1.5 Do I need to be Jewish to study Kabbalah?

Some aspects of traditional Kabbalah are so deeply intertwined with Jewish religious beliefs and practice that they are meaningless outside of this content. Other aspects of Kabbalah (what I refer to below as Hermetic Kabbalah) have been studied and practiced outside of Judaism for so long that they have a distinct identity in their own right, and no, you do not have to be Jewish to study them, any more than you need to be English to study the Law of Gravitation.

However, if you choose to study Kabbalah by name you should recognise that Kabbalah was and is a part of Judaism, and an important part of the history of Jewish people, and respect the beliefs which not only gave rise to Kabbalah, but which are still an essential part of Jewish faith..
Q1.6 : Is there an Obstacle to a Woman studying Kabbalah?

Within Judaism the answer is a resounding "Yes!": there are many obstacles. Perle Epstein relates some of her feelings on the subject in her book on Kabbalah (see the Reading List below).

The obstacles are largely grounded in traditional attitudes: it is less easy for a woman to find a Rabbi prepared to teach Kabbalah than it would be for a man. Persistence may reward (see below).

Outside of Judaism the answer is a resounding "No!": there are no obstacles. For the past one hundred years women have been active both in studying and in teaching Kabbalah.
Q1.7 : I've heard that one shouldn't study Kabbalah unless one is over forty years old? Is this true?

The great Kabbalist R. Isaac Luria (1534-1572), began the study of Kabbalah at the age of seventeen and died at the age of thirty-eight! His equally famous contemporary R. Moses Cordovero (1522-1570) began at the age of twenty. Many other famous Kabbalists also began the study early.

This prohibition has come from Ashkenazic (East European) Jews and has never applied to Sepharidic (Middle Eastern) Jews. The historical basis for the "rule" comes from opponents of Kabbalah within Judaism who (successfully) attempted to restrict its study. At the root of this was the heresy of false messiah Shabbatai Tzevi (17th. C) which resulted in large numbers of Jews leaving the orthodox fold. This heresy had deep Kabbalistic underpinnings, and in the attempt to stamp out Shabbateanism, Kabbalah itself became suspect, and specific prohibitions against the study of Kabbalah were enacted (e.g. the excommunication of the Frankists in Poland in 1756).

A further factor was the degeneration (in the eyes of their rationalist opponents) of 18th. century Hasidism, which had roots both in Kabbalah and Shabbateanism, into "wonder working" and superstition. The rationalist faction in Judaism triumphed, and the study of Kabbalah became largely discredited, to the extent that many Jewish publications written earlier in this century discuss Kabbalah (if at all) in a very negative way.

Greg Burton has supplied this (mildly amusing) post from America OnLine, from a Rabbi Ariel Bar-Zadok:

" One thing I assure you, I am not a "new ager", nor am I sympathetic to anything that is not pure, authoritative Kabbalah. Remember, Kabbalah means "to receive". I am an Orthodox Sephardic Rabbi, ordained in Jerusalem. I teach only from the true texts, many of which most Rabbis for whatever reasons have never read. I document all my sources so as to verify to you that these teachings are authentic. (I must also admit that I have studied other religious and meditative systems, in this way I feel comfortable and confident to discuss them). My classes are open to all, Jew and Benei Noah alike, men and women, (in accordance to Tana D'vei Eliyahu, Eliyahu Raba, Chapter 9). By the way, according to the Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabi Ovadiah Yosef (Yehaveh Da'at 4,47) quoting Rabbi Moshe Cordovero, one only has to be 20 years old to study Kabbala, and not 40. THIS IS THE HALAKHA!!"

This still leaves R.Isaac Luria looking embarrassed, but R. Moses Cordevero scrapes in under the bar
Q1.8 : Do I need to learn Hebrew to study Kabbalah?

A Jewish Kabbalist would maintain that it is impossible to study Kabbalah without knowing Hebrew. Most Hermetic Kabbalists learn some Hebrew, but there are many practical exercises and ritual techniques which can be employed with only a minimal knowledge of Hebrew.

There is no question that a knowledge of Hebrew can make a very large difference. Non-Jewish texts on Kabbalah abound in simple mistakes which are due largely to uninformed copying. Thousands of important Kabbalistic texts have not been translated out of Hebrew or Aramaic, and the number of important source texts in translation is small. The difficulties in trying to read the archaic and technically complex literature of Kabbalah should not be discounted, but it is well worthwhile to acquire even a superficial knowledge of Hebrew. Four useful books are:

Levy, Harold, "Hebrew for All", Valentine, Mitchell 1976

Harrison R.K. "Teach yourself Biblical Hebrew", NTC Publishing Group 1993

Kelley, P.H., "Biblical Hebrew, an introductory grammar", Eerdmans 1992

Brown, F, "The New Brown-Driver-Briggs-Gesenius Hebrew-English Lexicon", Hendrickson 1979

Many Kabbalists view the Torah as the word of God and Hebrew as the language of creation. In this view the alphabet and language are divine and have immense magical power. Many of the source texts of Kabbalah are commentaries on the Bible, and derive their insights using a variety of devices, such as puns, anagrams, gematria (letter manipulations) and cross references to the same word in different contexts. The reader is presumed to be adept at playing this game, which becomes completely inaccessible in translation.
Q.1.9 What is Hermetic Kabbalah?

Many people who study Kabbalah are not Jewish. This has been happening for 500 years or so. It is difficult to know what to call this variant of Kabbalah. "Non-Jewish" is inaccurate, as I have personally known several Jews who opted for Hermetic Kabbalah in preference to the traditional variety! At one time it was called "Christian" Kabbalah, but this is also very misleading.

The origin of this variant can be placed in Renaissance Italy in the last decade of the 15th. century. It was an amazing decade. In 1492 Christopher Columbus set sail for America. In that same year the King of Spain expelled all Jews from Spain on pain of death, bringing to an end centuries of Jewish culture in Spain, and causing a huge migration of dispossessed Jews through Europe, many of whom were welcomed by the Turkish sultan, who is reputed to have observed that the King of Spain had enriched Turkey by beggaring his own country.

At around the same time, at the court of the great banking family of the Medicis in Florence, Marcelio Ficino had established the Platonic Academy under the patronage of the Medicis and was translating the works of Plato. A bundle of manuscripts, lost for centuries and dating back to the 1st. and 2nd. centuries A.D. was discovered; this was the Corpus Hermeticum, a series of documents relatingto Hermes Trimegistus, identical with the Egyptian god Thoth, god of wisdom. Cosimo de Medici told Ficino to stop translating Plato and to concentrate on the Corpus instead.

At the time it was believed that the Corpus really was the religion of the ancient Egyptians, and that Hermes was a kind of Egyptian Moses. The fact that they were written much later, and heavily influenced by Neoplatonism, had the effect of convincing readers at that time that Greek philosophy was founded on much older, Egyptian religious philosophy - this had a huge influence on liberal religious and philosophical thinking at the time. Into this environment came the Kabbalah, brought in part by fleeing Spanish Jews, and it was seized upon as another lost tradition, the inner, initiated key to the Bible.

Two figures stand out. One was Giovanni Pico, Count of Mirandola, who commissioned several translations of Kabbalistic works, and did much to publicise Kabbalah among the intellectuals of the day. The other was Johannes Reuchlin, who learned to read Hebrew and became deeply immersed in Kabbalistic literature. It must be said that Jews were suspicious of this activity, finding that Christian scholars were using the Kabbalah as a bludgeon to persuade them to convert to Christianity.

It was out of this eclectic mixture of Christianity, Hermeticism, Neoplatonism, Kabbalah and Renaissance humanism that Hermetic Kabbalah was born. Over the centuries it has developed in many directions, with strong influences from Freemasonry and Rosicrucianism, but continued input from Jewish Kabbalah has meant that many variants are not so different in spirit from the original. Its greatest strength continues to be a strong element of religious humanism - it does not attempt to define God and does not define what an individual should believe, but it does assume that some level of direct experience of God is possible and there are practical methods for achieving this. In a modern world of compartmentalised knowledge, scientific materialism, and widespread cultural and historical illiteracy, it provides a bridge between the spirit of enquiry of the Renaissance (the homo universalis or - in Hebrew - hakham kolel) and the emergence of a similar spirit of enquiry in our own time.
Q1.10 : Is Hermetic Kabbalah really Kabbalah?

On the basis of my own beliefs and practice I would say yes, but others might contradict me, and ultimately it is a matter of definition.

Jewish writers on the subject tend to downplay aspects of Kabbalah which conflict with orthodox rabbinical Judaism, so that we do not see the heretic Nathan of Gaza classed as an important Kabbalist, despite the fact that he was very influential for almost two hundred years. We hear little about the non-rabbinic "Baal Shem" or "Masters of the Name" who used Kabbalah for healing and other practical purposes. There is ample evidence that many magical practices currently associated with Hermetic Kabbalah were widely used and well understood by some of the most famous rabbinic Kabbalists.

It is the author's opinion that Hermetic Kabbalah has preserved up to the current day many practical techniques, and R. Aryeh Kaplan makes the following significant comment:

"It is significant to note that a number of techniques alluded to in these fragments also appear to have been preserved among the non-Jewish school of magic in Europe. The relationship between the practical Kabbalah and these magical schools would constitute an interesting area of study."

A more difficult question is whether Hermetic Kabbalah conforms to the spirit of Jewish Kabbalah. One of the most visible distinctions is that between theurgy and thaumaturgy, between the attempt to participate in the workings of the divine realm for the betterment of the creation, and the attempt to interfere with its workings for personal betterment. Modern Kabbalah outside of Judaism appears in many guises, and is often associated or combined with ceremonial or ritual. It may be mixed with a wide range of theosophical traditions. This does not in itself set it apart from historical Kabbalah. Ritual has always been an integral part of Kabbalah, and Kabbalah has absorbed from cultures and traditions all over Europe and the Middle East. Even the distinction between theurgy and thaumaturgy may be meaningless, as similar techniques can be used for both - only by examining intention could one begin to judge which was which.

Given the lack of a dogmatic tradition in Kabbalah it is not clear that the question about the legitimacy of Hermetic Kabbalah is meaningful. Even within Judaism it is unclear what the authentic spirit or tradition is - there are large differences in outlook between someone like Abraham Abulafia and Isaac Luria.

There is no good answer. One person will be reassured that the tradition is alive and going off in many different directions - that is the sign of a living tradition. Another person will feel threatened by outsiders and dilettantes who are bringing the tradition into disrepute. About the only thing which can be said with complete certainty is that there is a great deal of prejudice. Just about everyone who studies Kabbalah seems to be certain that someone else hasn't a clue what Kabbalah is about!
Q1.11 : How can I find someone who teaches Kabbalah?

It is not possible to recommend specific people or organisations as what is right for one person may not be right for another. In general, (good) teachers of Kabbalah are not easy to find and never have been. There is a tradition that when the pupil is ready, a teacher will appear.

The difficulty in finding a teacher can be viewed as a nuisance or a positive part of learning Kabbalah. A thing is valued more when it is hard to find. Associate with people who share your interests, go to lectures and public meetings, go to workshops, go to whatever happens to be available, (even if it is not entirely to your taste), and sooner or later someone will "turn up".

Many Kabbalists are people with strong personal convictions of a religious nature, and may see their teaching as a personal obligation (see "What is the Great Work?"). Those who do not charge money for their teaching may require a strong commitment from pupils, and are unlikely to welcome "flavour of the month" mystical aspirants.

A word of advice: a genuine teacher of Kabbalah will help you to develop your own personal relationship with God. Beware of a teacher who has preconceived and well-developed ideas about what is good for you, or who tries to control the development of your beliefs.
Section 2: Specifics
Q2.1 : What is the Great Work?

"Do not pray for your own needs, for your prayer will not then be accepted. But when you want to pray, do so for the heaviness of the Head. For whatever you lack, the Divine Presence also lacks."

"This is because man is a "portion of God from on high." Whatever any part lacks, also exists in the Whole, and the Whole feels the lack of the part, You should therefore pray for the needs of the Whole."

The term "the Great Work" has many definitions, and is not a term from traditional Kabbalah, but it has a modern usage among some Kabbalists. The quotation above, from a disciple of the Kabbalist R. Israel Baal Shem Tov, is a traditional Kabbalistic view: that the creation is in a damaged and imperfect state, and the Kabbalist, by virtue of his or her state of consciousness, can bring about a real healing. A name for this is "tikkun" (restoration). There are many traditional forms of tikkun, most of them prescriptions for essentially magical acts designed to bring about a healing in the creation.

This view of the Great Work also exists outside of Judaic Kabbalah and survives today, namely that the creation is in a "fallen" state, and each person has an individual role to play in bringing about a general restoration.

"When someone stands in the light but does not give it out, then a shadow is created."

This is a modern restatement of an old Kabbalistic idea. In this view, God gives life to the Creation: from second to second the Creation is sustained by this giving, and if it were to cease even for an instant, the Creation would be no more. If someone wants to know God then they have to resemble God, and this means they must give to others. Kabbalah is not a self-centred pursuit; it pivots around the Kabbalist's relationship with all living beings.
Q2.2 : I want to know more about the Archangels.

The following information was derived initially from a discussion on alt.magick where several people contributed pieces, in particular, (in no order) Le Grand Cinq-Mars, Amanda Walker, Leigh Daniels, Patric Shane Linden, B.A. Davis-Howe, Mark Garrison, Baird Stafford, and myself. Apologies if you said something and I missed it.

Angels are found in the Judaic, Christian, Islamic and Zoroastrian traditions. The word "angel" is derived from the Christian Latin "angelos", itself derived from the Greek "aggelos", which is a translation of the Hebrew word "mal'akh", a messenger.

Angels are typically found in groupings of four, seven and twelve, reflecting their role in mediating the divine influence via the planets and the stars. For example, in Zorastrianism there was a belief in the Amesha Spentas, seven holy or bounteous immortals who were functional aspects of Ahura Mazda, the Wise Lord. In Islam four angels are well known: Jibril (Gabriel), the angel of revelation; Mikal (Michael), the angel of nature; Izrail (Azrael), the angel of death, and Israfil, the angel who places the soul in the body and sounds the last judgement.

The sources for the angels used in Kabbalah and ceremonial magic are primarily Jewish. The canonical Old Testament books mention only Michael and Gabriel, but apocryphal and Talmudic literature provide richer sources, and there is a suspicion that this was a result of contact with Zoroastrianism during the period of the Babylonian Exile (6th-5th centuries BC). The four best-known angels are

Michael
According to one source his name is his war-cry: "Who is like God?". Michael is at war with the great dragon or serpent, often identified with Samael in Jewish sources. Michael's original position in the celestial hierarchy has been progressively eroded by angels such as Metatron. In medieval Kabbalah he is attributed to Chesed, but in modern Kabbalah he is attributed to Tipheret, and sometimes to Hod. Uriel/Auriel
Uriel means "Fire of God", from the word "oor" meaning "fire" and Auriel means "Light of God", from the word "or" meaning "light". Both names tend to be used synonymously, and the association with light is common in Kabbalah. In medieval Kabbalah Uriel is attributed to Truth and the middle pillar of the Tree, in Tipheret. The association with light is significant because of the importance of light in practical Kabbalah, where several different kinds are distinguished, including: nogah (glow), tov (good), bahir (brilliant), zohar (radiant), kavod (glory), chaim (life), and muvhak (scintillating). In Christian times Uriel may have been identified with Lucifer ("light-bearer") and Satan, an odd identification as the diabolic angel according to Jewish tradition is Samael. Raphael
Raphael means "Healing of God". Raphael is sometimes attributed to Hod and sometimes to Tipheret. Gabriel
Gabriel means "Strength of God" and in medieval Kabbalah was attributed to Gevurah (the words share a common root). In modern Kabbalah Gabriel can be found further down the Tree in Yesod, using his strength to hold up the foundations.

The four archangels can be found in a variety of protective incantations where they guard the four quarters, an almost universal symbolism which can be found in guises as diverse as nursery rhymes ("Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, bless this bed that I lie on") to ancient Egyptian protective deities. A well-known incantation can be found in the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram (see below).

The angel Samael is also important in Kabbalah. Scholem shows (in "The Origins of the Kabbalah") that in early medieval Kabbalah, Samael retained some of the characteristics of the Gnostic demiurge Ialdebaoth (the blind god), and derives the name from "sami", meaning "blind". He is attributed consistently to the planet Mars and the sephira Gevurah, and is the source of all the nastiness in the world. He appears in various guises as the Dark Angel and the Angel of Death. The suffix -el betrays his divine origin, and Kabbalists have been divided between placing him at the head of a demonic hierarchy (alongside his wife Lilith), and viewing him as an unpleasant but necessary component of creation. Samael is identified with the serpent in the Garden of Eden, a tempter and a poisoner of life.

The archangel Metatron does not appear in many lists of archangels, but has an important role in Kabbalah as the archangel of the Countenance. Legend has it that Metatron is none other than the Old Testament sage Enoch, lifted up to Heaven by God. Scholem comments that "...there is hardly a duty in the heavenly realm and within the dominion of one angel among the other angels that is not associated with Metatron". Metatron is usually associated with Kether.

There are many lists of seven archangels. Almost all of them differ from each other. Mark O. Garrison (ORMUS@SORINC.CUTLER.COM) kindly provided the following information which clarifies the difficulty:

--Mark's material begins here--

The problem lies in from whence the author goes to research the names of the 7 Archangels. The earliest sources giving the names of all Seven Archangels is ENOCH I (Ethiopic Enoch) which lists the names as following:

Uriel, Raphael, Raguel, Michael, Zerachiel, Gabriel, and Remiel

The next two sources which originate within a few decades of each other list quite different names of the Seven Archangels. In ENOCH 3 (Hebrew Enoch) the Archangels are listed as:

Mikael, Gabriel, Shatqiel, Baradiel, Shachaqiel, Baraqiel, Sidriel

While the TESTAMENT OF SOLOMON mentions:

Mikael, Gabriel, Uriel, Sabrael, Arael, Iaoth, Adonaei

The Xtian Gnostics changed things a bit further, but they still mention Uriel (though, in some cases they called him Phanuel). The compleat listing of the Archangels according to their tradition is:

Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Barachiel, Sealtiel, Jehudiel Pope

Gregory the Great wrote the Archangels as being these 7:

Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Simiel, Orifiel, Zachariel

Likewise, the Pseudo-Dionysians used a similar grouping, mentioning Uriel also. They list the following as the Seven Archangels:

Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Chamuel, Jophiel, Zadkiel

It was not until much later times, around the 10th century C.E. when the name Uriel was replaced by other names in these much latter sources. In Geonic Lore, Uriel is replaced by Samael (The Angel of Light, or THE Lightbearer, from whence the ideology of Lucifer had originated from also). In Geonic Lore the seven are noted as being:

Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Aniel, Kafziel, Samael, and Zadkiel

Around the 12th to 15th centuries C.E. the name of Haniel came to replace the name of Uriel. However, the two being quite different in their Natures. The name Haniel is common to the Talismanic Magical Tradition and other forms of Medieval Ceremonialism. These Medieval Traditions mention the seven as being:

Zaphkiel, Zadkiel, Camael, Raphael, Haniel, Michael, Gabriel

Also, a late sourcebook titled THE HIERARCHY OF THE BLESSED ANGELS mentions a different list of the seven archangels. They list them as following:

Raphael, Gabriel, Chamuel, Michael, Adabiel, Haniel, Zaphiel

It need be remembered, that the Judaeo/Xtian tradition originates from several religions and traditions, each having its own legends and thusly, its own hierarchies and namings of the angels. In Islam, there are only four archangels: Gabriel, Michael, Azrael (the Angel of Death, often interchanged with Uriel since the 15th century in some European traditions) for instance. One can easily determine the sources and origins of an book on Qabala or Ceremonial Magick by what angels they use, obviously.

I personally have drawn up a TREE OF LIFE for each of these traditions, based upon much research, for reference purposes. Note though, the differences do not stop with just the names of the Seven Archangels. These sources also do not agree on the Orders of the Celestial Hierarchy, The Ruling Princes, The Throne Angels, and the Names of God, just to name a few! Are you starting to get the idea yet, or are you more confused! [GRIN]

--Mark's material ends here--

Baird Stafford (BSTAFFORD@BSTAFFORD.ESS.HARRIS.COM) provides the following list of references to archangels for those who would like to read the original source material:

--Baird's material begins here--

And here is an expanded list of references to the Archangels, including those cited by Br'anArthur. I've included verses from the Pseudepigrapha (which are the apocryphal books of the Bible not included by the Roman church in its version of the Apocrypha, although I understand that some of them are included in the Orthodox Bible). Uriel had a number of stand-ins who appear to have been other angels who took over his duties for a while: their names are Sariel, Strahel, and Suriel. I've not included their references. And, just for the fun of it, I've also included some references from the writings of the early Christian gnostics. In all cases, the verses I've cited are only those in which the Archangelic Name actually appears; in some cases, subsequent verses refer to the original listing without naming Names.

Raphael:

   * 3 Baruch, 4:7 1
   * Enoch 10:4; 20:3; 32:6; 40:9; 54:6; 68:2-4; 71:8-9,13
   * Apocalypse of Ezra 1:4; 6:2
   * Apocalypse of Adam and Eve 40:2
   * Sibylline Oracles 2:215
   * Testament of Solomon 5:9 (24 in F.C. Conybeare's translation); 13:6 (59 in Conybeare); 18:8 (75 in Conybeare)
   * Tobit 3:16; 5:4; 7:8; 8:2; 9:1; 9:5; 11:7; 12:15

Michael:

   * Daniel 10:13; 10:21; 12:1
   * Jude 9
   * Revelations 12:7 3
   * Baruch 4:7; 11:2,4,6,8; 12:4,6-7; 13:2-3,5; 14:1-2; 15:1,3; 16:1,3 4
   * Baruch 9:5 1
   * Enoch 9:1; 10:11; 20:5; 24:6; 40:9; 54:6; 60:4-5; 68:2-4; 69:14-15; 71:3,8-9,13 2
   * Enoch 22:1,6,8-9; 33:10; 71:28 (Recension J); 72:1,3,8-9 (Recension J) 3 Enoch 17:3; 44:10
   * Apocalypse of Ezra 1:3; 2:1; 4:7,24; 6:2
   * Life of Adam and Eve 13:3; 14:1-3; 15:2; 21:2; 22:2; 25:2; 29:1-3; 43:3; 45:1; 51:2
   * Apocalypse of Adam and Eve 3:2; 22:1; 37:4,6; 40:1-2; 43:1-2
   * Sibylline Oracles 2:215
   * Testament of Solomon 1:6 (5 in Conybeare); 18:5 (73 in Conybeare)
   * Apocalypse of Abraham 10:17
   * Apocalypse of Sedrach 14:1
   * Martyrdom and Ascension of Isiah 3:16
   * Testament of Abraham 1:4,6; 2:2-14:7
   * Testament of Isaac 2:1
   * Testament of Jacob 1:6; 5:13
   * Vision of Ezra verse 56
   * Gnostic Texts (Nag Hammadi Scrolls)
   * Apocryphon of John 17:30

Gabriel:

   * Daniel 8:16; 9:21
   * Luke 1:19; 1:26 3
   * Baruch 4:7 1
   * Enoch 9:1; 10:9; 20:7; 40:9; 54:6; 71:8-9,13 2
   * Enoch 21:3,5; 24:1; 71:11 (28 Recension A); 72:1,3,8-9 (Recension A) 3 Enoch 14:4 (referred to as Angel of Fire); 17:3
   * Apocalypse of Ezra 2:1; 4:7; 6:2
   * Apocalypse of Adam and Eve 40:2
   * Sibylline Oracles 2:215; 8:455
   * Testament of Solomon 18:6 (74 in Conybeare)
   * Vision of Ezra verse 56
   * Apocalypse of Elijah 5:5
   * Testament of Jacob 5:13
   * Questions of Ezra (Recension B) verse 11
   * Gnostic Texts (Nag Hammadi Scrolls)
   * Gospel of the Egyptians 52:23; 53:6; 57:7; 64:26
   * Zostrianos 57:9; 58:22

Uriel:

   * 3 Baruch 4:7 (Phanuel in ms Family B)
   * Testament of Solomon 2:4 1
   * Enoch 19:1; 21:5; 27:2; 33:3; 40:9 (as Phanuel); 54:6 (as Phanuel); 71:8-9,13 (as Phanuel); 72:1; 80:1; 82:7 (text tells what Uriel's in charge of)
   * 4 Ezra 4:1
   * Apocalypse of Ezra 6:2
   * Apocalypse of Adam and Eve 40:2
   * Life of Adam and Eve 48:1,3
   * Prayer of Joseph verses 4, 7
   * Sibylline Oracles 2:215,225
   * Apocalypse of Elijah 5:5
   * Testament of Solomon 2:4 (as Ouriel) (10 in Conybeare); 7 (as Ouriel) (11 in Conybeare); 8:9 (as Ouriel) (40 in Conybeare); 18:7 (as Ouriel) (75 in Conybeare); 27 (as Ouriel) (93 in Conybeare)
   * Esdras 4:1; 5:21; 10:28
   * Gnostic Texts (Nag Hammadi Scrolls)
   * Apocryphon of John 17:30 (as Ouriel)

Two further notes: the early fathers of the Roman church appear to have rewritten the Sibyline Oracles to conform to their vision of what a proper prophesy for Rome ought to have been. Also, The Apocalypse of Adam and Eve is also known as The Apocalypse of Moses.

--Baird's material ends here--

Lastly, Leigh Daniels (Leigh@alexandria.com) writes:

A great book is Gustav Davidson's "A Dictionary of Angels" (including the fallen angels) published by Free Press, 1967. It is available in paper for US$17.95 and in my opinion worth every penny. It includes a 24-page bibliography of sources used in compiling it.

[Colin comments: it is a useful book, but the author was uncritical in choosing his sources of information]
Q2.3 : What is the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram and where does it come from?

The Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram is a protective formula which can be used to banish unwanted influences, to "clear the air" as a preliminary to ritual or meditative work. It can be carried out physically, but it can also be used as a concentration exercise which is performed in the imagination prior to going to sleep (for example).

The ritual exists in a number of variant forms, the best known being the Golden Dawn variant given below. The Golden Dawn version is is based on (or is at least strongly influenced by) Jewish sources.

The version of the ritual below was posted by Rodrigo de Ferres(rodrigo@vnet.net) and is included here with his permission. [I have altered a couple of Hebrew transliterations to make them consistent with normal Hebrew vowel pointing.]

--Rodrigo's contribution begins--

The following is derived from numerous GD sources.
The Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram

This ritual can be done to purify a room for further ritual work or meditation and can be used for protection. Its effects are primarily on the Astral (IMHO) though it uses the Earth pentagram. It also promotes a still mind, free of outside influenes which is a useful aid in meditation. It is therefore recommended that the ritual be used as part of a daily meditation work.

  1. Stand facing East.
  2. Perform the Qabalistic Cross
        1. Touch forehead with first two (or index) fingers of right hand and visualizing a sphere of white light at that point, vibrate: Atah (translates roughly - Thou Art)
        2. Lower hand to solar plexus and visualize a line extending down to your feet, vibrate: Malkuth (the Kingdom)
        3. Raise hand and touch right shoulder visualizing a sphere of light there. Vibrate: Ve Geburah (and the power)
        4. Extend the hand across the chest tracing a line of light and touch the left shoulder where another sphere of light forms. Vibrate: Ve Gedulah (and the glory).
        5. Clasp hands in center of chest at crossing point of horizontal and vertical lines of light. Bow head and vibrate: Le Olam, Amen. (for ever - amen.)
  3. Facing east, using either the extended fingers or a dagger, trace a large pentagram with the point up, starting at your left hip, up to just above your forehead, centered on your body, then down to your right hip, up and to your left shoulder, across to the right shoulder and down to the starting point in front of your left hip. Visualize the pentagram in blue flaming light. Stab you fingers or dagger into the center and vibrate: YHVH (Yod-heh-vahv-heh - which is the tetragrammaton translated into latin as Jehovah)
  4. Turn to the south. Visualize that the blue flame follows you fingers or dagger, tracing a blue line from the east pentagram to the south. Repeat step three while facing South, except vibrate: Adonai (another name for god translated as Lord)
  5. Turn to the West, tracing the blue flame from south to west. Repeat step 3, but vibrate: Eheieh (Eh-hay-yeah more or less - another name of God translated as I AM or I AM THAT I AM.) (Or "I will be" - Ed.)
  6. Turn to the North, again tracing the blue flame from west to north. Repeat step 3, but vibrate: AGLA (Ah-gah-lah - a composite of Atah Gibor le olam Amen - see step 2)
  7. Return again to the east, tracing the blue flame from North to East. Stab the fingers or dagger back again into the same spot as in step 3. You should now visualize that you are surrounded by four flaming pentagrams connected by a line of blue fire.
  8. Extend your arms out to your sides, forming a cross. Vibrate (visualizing each Archangel standing guard at each station):
     Before me RAPHAEL (rah-fah-yell)
     Behind me GABRIEL (gah-bree-ell)
     On my right hand, MICHAEL (mee-khah-ell)
     On my left hand, AURIEL (sometimes URIEL aw-ree-ell or ooh-ree-ell) for about me flames the Pentagrams, and in the column stands the six-rayed star. (Alternatively the last two lines can be: before me flames the pentagram, behind me shines the six-rayed star)
  9. Repeat the Qabalistic Cross (step 2). As can be seen, Raphael is in the East, Gabriel in the West, Michael in the South and Auriel/Uriel in the North.

For more detailed information I refer the reader to: The Practical Qabalah by Charles Fielding Ceremonial Magic by Israel Regardie, The Complete Golden Dawn System of Magic also by Regardie The Golden Dawn as well by Regardie

--Rodrigo's Contribution ends--

There has been some interest in knowing where the LBRP comes from. The answer appears to be that it is inspired, at least in part, by particular Jewish prayers and meditational exercises.

There are alternative versions extant, and one such is taken from a modern Jewish source. The source is a pamphlet called "A First Step - a Devotional Guide" which was written by Zalman Schachter and reprinted in "The First Jewish Catalogue" by Richard Siegel, Michael Strassfeld and Sharon Strassfeld, published by the Jewish Publication Society of America in 1973, ISBN 0-8276-0042-9.

The blurb describing the pamphlet states:

"A First Step by Zalman Schachter is not a translation. It was first written in English. It is a contemporary attempt to make accessible spiritual and devotional techniques from classic Jewish sources, sources on which the pamphlet was based."

[Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, (PhD and Professor Emeritus of Religion at Temple University, founder of the Jewish Renewal movement) is a very important teacher and scholar - Greg Burton]

The author of the pamphlet states

"The approach used here is that of classical Jewish mysticism, as refined by Hasidism, and in particular, by the Habad school."

[Chabad comes from Chokhmah, Binah, Daath - Wisdom, Understanding and Knowledge - and is usually associated with the Lubavitch tradition of Chassidism - Colin]

Now to the exercise given:

"On other nights, after a short examination, screen yourself off from sounds and cares by visualising an angel - a spiritual force field - of grace at your right, this force field being impenetrable by care or worry; at your left, an angel of power and strength; before you, an angel of soft light and luminousness, and behind you an angel of healing. Over your head, picture the very presence of the loving God. As you visualise this, say: "In the name of YHVH The God of Israel: At my right hand Michael At my left Gabriel Ahead of me Oriel Behind me Raphel Above my head the Sheckinah of God!"

"Imagine yourself plugging into Michael for love - so that you can love more the next day; Gabriel for strength - to fill you for the next day; Oriel filling you with the light of the mind; Raphael healing all your ills."

Greg Burton (gburt@aol.com) comments on this exercise:

--Greg's contribution begins here--

This particular exercise is derived from the practice of saying the Sh'ma 'before lying down' - the 'kriyat (bedtime) Sh'ma'. A full traditional Sephardic version, in Hebrew and English, and with some commentary, can be found beginning on page 318 of the 'Artscroll Siddur' (nusach Sefard), Mesorah, ISBN 0-89906-657-7. Traditional Hassidic kavvenot (intentions/directions/way to do it) can be found in 'Jewish Spiritual Practices' by Yitzhak Buxbaum, Aronson, ISBN 0-87668-832-6.

The attributes listed in the so-called 'Qabbalistic Cross' comes from Psalm 99, verse 5, and are part of the Shachrit (morning) Torah service. The attributes assigned for the movements are not traditional, and the order has been changed. If using the traditional assignments (Gevurah left, Gedulah or Chesed right), and saying the sephirotic names in the proper order, it more properly would describe the Lightening Flash in the lower 7 Sephirot, rather than a cross. (Note in the kriyat Sh'ma that Michael (Chesed) is on the right and Gabriel (Gevurah) is on the left. The implication is that one is facing Keter). Due to changes in directional / elemental / archangelic positioning, it is not obvious (but clearly implied) that physically one is facing North. Another change is that the LBRP does not bless the Divine, while the Jewish service does. This lack of blessing may reflect the not-so-covert Christian/Rosicrucian bias in G.D. liturgy and a particular theology, or it may not. In any event, it changes what was originally an theurgic act into a thaumaturgic act.

You might also note that many Jews coming across the LBRP are deeply offended that the liturgy has been so grossly distorted, and is being used (from their perspective) sacreligiously. Telling them that it's "just different" carries about as much weight as telling traditional Native Americans that Lynn Andrew's work is "just different". Combining aspects of two completely different aspects into one ritual can be done, but it really is better if you know what you're working with.

--Greg's contribution ends--

In confirmation of what Greg says, the prayers to be said before retiring to rest at night are a standard part of Jewish liturgy, and the British Commonwealth Authorised Daily Prayer book of the United Hebrew Congregations has (as part of a lengthy prayer which includes the 3rd., 91st., and 128th. psalms) the following:

"In the name of the Lord, the God of Israel, may Michael be at my right hand; Gabriel at my left; before me Uriel; behind me Raphael; and above my head the divine presence (lit. Shekhinah) of God."

Lastly, the rudiments of the LRPB have spread beyond ceremonial magic and can be found in places as diverse as a Kate Bush album and Katherine Kurtz's novels. It is even possible to see a version carried out by Christopher Lee in the film version of Dennis Wheatley's novel The Devil Rides Out.

The following extract was provided by Robert Farrior (farrior@b4pphf5.bnr.ca).

--Robert's contribution begins--

Not a scholarly source, try The Adept: Book Three, The Templar Treasure, by Katherine Kurtz and Deborah Turner Harris. There is a scene where a Jewish scholar is in the hospital dying and his son is reciting a Jewish prayer. The words are almost identical to the LBRP attributes of the Archangels, except the attributes are reversed. Sir Adam Sinclair, the hero, thinks how close it is to that used in his tradition. Its on page 40.

"Shema Yisrael, Adonail Elohenu, Adonai Achad. Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One...Go since the Lord sends thee; go, and the Lord will be with thee; the Lord God is with him and he will ascend."

"May the Lord Bless thee and keep thee; May the Lord let his countenance shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee; May the Lord lift up his countenance upon the, and give the peace."

"At thy right hand is Michael, at thy left is Gabriel, before thee is Uriel, behind thee is Raphel, and above thy head is the divine presence of God. The angel of the lord encampeth around them that fear Him, and He delivereth them. Be strong and of good courage; be not affrighted, neither be thou dismayed, for the Lord thy God is with thee, withersoever thou goest."

--Robert's contribution ends--
Q2.4 : What are the Qlippoth?

The word "qlippah" or "klippah" (plural "qlippoth") means "shell" or "husk".

The idea of a covering or a garment or a vessel is common in Kabbalah, where it used, at various times and with various degrees of subtlety, to express the manner in which the light of the En Soph is "encapsulated". For example, the sephiroth, in their capacity of recipients of light, are sometimes referred to as kelim, "vessels". The duality between the container and the contained is one of the most important in Kabbalistic explanations of the creative moment.

The word "qlippah" is an extension of this metaphor. A qlippah is also a covering or a container, and as each sephira acts as a shell or covering to the sephira preceding it in the order of emanation, in a technical sense we can say the qlippoth are innate to the Tree of Life. Cut a slice through a tree and one can see the growth rings, with the bark on the outside. The Tree of Life has 10 concentric rings, and sometimes the qlippah is equated to the bark. The word is commonly used to refer to a covering which contains no light: that is, an empty shell, a dead husk.

It is also the case that the qlippoth appear in Kabbalah as demonic powers of evil, and in trying to disentangle the various uses of the word it becomes clear that there is an almost continuous spectrum of opinion, varying from the technical use where the word hardly differs from the word "form", to the most anthropomorphic sense, where the qlippoth are evil demonesses in a demonic hierarchy responsible for all the evil in the world.

One reason why the word "qlippah" has no simple meaning is that it is part of the Kabbalistic explanation of evil, and it is difficult to explain evil in a monotheistic, non-dualistic religion without incurring a certain complexity....

If God is good, why is there evil?

No short essay can do justice to the complexity of this topic. I will indicate some of the principle themes.

The "Zohar" attributes the primary cause of evil to the act of separation. The act of separation is referred to as the "cutting of the shoots". What was united becomes divided, and the boundary between one thing and another can be regarded as a shell. The primary separation was the division between the Tree of Life (Pillar of Mercy) from the Tree of Knowledge (Pillar of Severity).

In normal perception the world is clearly characterized by divisions between one thing and another, and in this technical sense one could say that we are immersed in a world of shells. The shells, taken by themselves as an abstraction divorced from the original, undivided light (making another separation!) are the dead residue of manifestation, and can be identified with dead skin, hair, bark, sea shells, or excrement. They have been referred to as the dregs remaining in a glass of wine, or as the residue left after refining gold. According to Scholem, the Zohar interprets evil as "the residue or refuse of the hidden life's organic process"; evil is something which is dead, but comes to life because a spark of God falls on it; by itself it is simply the dead residue of life.

The skeleton is the archetypal shell. By itself it is a dead thing, but infuse it with a spark of life and it becomes a numinous and instantly recognisable manifestation of metaphysical evil. The shell is one of the most common horror themes; take a mask, or a doll, or any dead representation of a living thing, shine a light out of its eyes, and becomes a thing of evil intent. The powers of evil appear in the shape of the animate dead - skulls, bones, zombies, vampires, phantasms.

The following list of correspondences follows the interpretation that the qlippoth are empty shells, form without force, the covering of a sephira:
Kether Futility
Chokhmah Arbitrariness
Binah Fatalism
Chesed Ideology
Gevurah Bureaucracy
Tipheret Hollowness
Netzach Routine, Repetition, Habit
Hod Rigid Order
Yesod Zombieism, Robotism
Malkut Stasis

A second, common interpretation of the qlippoth is that they represent the negative or averse aspect of a sephira, as if each sephira had a Mr. Hyde to complement Dr. Jekyll. There are many variations of this idea. One of the most common is the idea that evil is caused by an excess of the powers of Din (judgement) in the creation. The origin of this imbalance may be innate, a residue of the moment of creation, when each sephira went through a period of imbalance and instability (the kingdoms of unbalanced force), but another version attributes this imbalance to humankind's propensity for the Tree of Knowledge in preference to the Tree of Life (a telling and precognitively inspired metaphor if ever there was one...).

The imbalance of the powers of Din "leaks" out of the Tree and provides the basis for the "sitra achra", the "other side", or the "left side" (referring to pillar of severity), a quasi or even fully independent kingdom of evil. This may be represented by a full Tree in its own right, sometimes by a great dragon, sometimes by seven hells. The most lurid versions combine Kabbalah with medieval demonology to produce detailed lists of demons, with Samael and Lilith riding at their head as king and queen.

A version of this survives in the Golden Dawn tradition on the qlippoth. The qlippoth are given as 10 evil powers corresponding to the 10 sephiroth. I referred to G.D knowledge lectures and also to Crowley's "777" (believed to be largely a rip-off of Alan Bennett's G.D. correspondence tables), and found several inconsistencies in transliteration and translation. Where possible I have reconstructed the original Hebrew, and I have given a corrected list.
Sephiroth Qlippoth Meaning
Kether Thaumiel Twins of God (TAVM, tom - a twin)
Chokmah Ogiel Hinderers (? OVG - to draw a circle)
Binah Satariel Concealers (STR, satar- to hide, conceal)
Chesed Gash'khalah Breakers in Pieces (GASh Ga'ash - shake, quake KLH, khalah - complete destruction, annihilation)
Gevurah Golachab Flaming Ones (unclear)
Tipheret Tagiriron Litigation (probably from GVR, goor - quarrel)
Netzach Orev Zarak Raven of Dispersion (ARV, orev - raven ZRQ, zaraq - scatter)
Hod Samael False Accuser (SMM, samam - poison)
Yesod Gamaliel Obscene butt (GML, gamal - camel? alt. ripen?)
Malkut Lilith Woman of the Night (Leilah - Night)
The Orders of the Qlippoth

Most of these attributions are obvious, others are not. The Twins of of God replace a unity with a warring duality. The Hinderers block the free expression of the God's will. The Concealers prevent the mother from giving birth to the child - the child is stillborn in the womb. The Breakers in Pieces are the powers of authority gone bersek - Zeus letting fly with thunderbolts in all directions. The Flaming Ones refer to the fiery and destructive aspect of Gevurah. Lilith is the dark side of the Malkah or queen of Malkuth.

Why Samael is placed in Hod is unclear, unless he has been christianised and turned into the father of lies. In Kabbalah he is almost always attributed to Gevurah, sometimes as its archangel. Yesod is associated with the genitals and the sexual act, but why Gamaliel is unclear to me. I could easily concoct fanciful and perhaps even believable explanations for the attributions to Tipheret and Netzach, but I prefer not to.

In "777" Crowley also gives qlippoth for many of the 22 paths. If the transliterations and translations are as accurate as those for the sephiroth, I would be tempted to reach for my lexicon.

The G.D. teachings on the qlippoth are minimal in the material in my possession, but a great deal can be deduced from those fascinating repositories of Kabbalistic myth, the twin pictures of the Garden of Eden before and after the Fall. There are so many mythic themes in these pictures that it is difficult to disentangle them, but they seem strongly influenced by the ideas of Isaac Luria, and it is now time to describe the third major interpretation of the qlippoth.

Luria's ideas have probably received more elaboration than any others in Kabbalah. The man left little in a written form, and his disciples did not concur in the presentation of what was clearly a very complex theosophical system - this is a subject where no amount of care will ensure consistency with anyone else.

Luria made the first step in the creation a process called "tzim tzum" or contraction. This contraction took place in the En Soph, the limitless, unknown, and unknowable God of Kabbalah. God "contracted" in a process of self-limitation to make a space (in a metaphorical sense, of course) for the creation. In the next step the light entered this space in a jet to fill the empty vessels of the sephiroth, but all but the first three were shattered by the light. This breaking of the vessels is called "shevirah". The shards of the broken vessels fell into the abyss created by contraction, and formed the qlippoth. Most of the light returned to the En Soph, but some of it remained in the vessels (like a smear of oil in an empty bottle) and fell with the qlippoth.

Scholem describes the shevirah and the expulsion of the qlippoth as cathartic; not a blunder, an architectural miscalculation like an inadequately buttressed Gothic cathedral, but as a catharsis. Perhaps the universe, like a new baby, came attached to a placenta which had to be expelled, severed, and thrown out into the night.

One way of looking at the shevirah is this: the self contraction of tzim tzum was an act of Din, or Judgement, and so at the root of the creative act was the quality which Kabbalists identify with the source of evil, and it was present in such quantity that a balanced creation became possible only by excreting the imbalance. The shevirah can be viewed as a corrective action in which the unbalanced powers of Din, the broken vessels, were ejected into the abyss.

Whether cathartic or a blunder, the shevirah was catastrophic. Nothing was as it should have been in an ideal world. The four worlds of Kabbalah slipped, and the lowest world of Assiah descended into the world of the shells. This can be seen in the G.D. picture of the Eden after the Fall. Much of Lurianic Kabbalah is concerned with corrective actions designed to bring about the repair or restoration (tikkun) of the creation, so that the sparks of light trapped in the realm of the shells can be freed.

The final word on the shells must go to T.S. Eliot, who had clearly bumped into them in one of his many succesful raids on the inarticulate:

"Shape without form, shade without colour,
Paralysed force, gesture without motion;"

"Those who have crossed
With direct eyes, to death's other Kingdom
Remember us - if at all - not as lost,
Violent souls, but only
As the hollow men
The stuffed men."
Q.2.5: Why is Gevurah feminine?

There is a common belief that certain sephiroth are "masculine" and other sephiroth are "feminine". This belief causes many problems in comprehending the Tree of Life, and is a source of questions. For example, why is Gevurah, a martial and aggressive sephira, depicted as feminine, and why is Netzach, the nurturing, caring, emotional and aesthetic sephira, depicted as "masculine".

No convoluted explanations are required. The difficulties occur because of a carelessness in choosing words, and a misunderstanding about planetary correspondences. In other words, the above depictions are inaccurate.

Masculine and feminine are acquired behaviours which have changed over time, and many people are learning their Kabbalah from books written several decades ago. These stereotype views of masculine and feminine were not shared by Jewish authors, who not only did not use these terms, but placed an entirely different meaning on the terms they did use. If you take "feminine" to imply emotional, caring, and passive, and "masculine" to imply active, aggressive, and intellectual, then not only do you risk offending a large number of people who find this stereotype insulting, but you wmay also have great difficulty in reconciling various correspondences for the sephiroth.

A more appropriate characterisation of the difference between sephira is that of "giving" and "receiving". Kether is a sephira that only gives, and Malkuth is a sephira which only receives, and all other sephiroth are both giving and receiving, so that Binah receives from Chokhmah but gives to Chesed. [Things are not so simple; there is a tradition that when a current reaches Malkuth, it reflects and travels back up the Tree again, so that even Malkuth and Kether play a part in giving and receiving. When human beings carry out simple acts in their daily life with full consciousness, then this results in a small "tikkun" or restoration in the upper worlds - in other words, it is our own actions which cause the reflection within Malkuth, and by doing so cause the "spiritualisation of matter"]

Kabbalists have used a sexual metaphor for this giving and receiving; they have observed that from a biological point of view, the male "gives", and the female "receives", and have given the sephira Chokhmah the title "Father" and the sephira Binah the title "Mother". In time, this distinction between male and female has been lost, and carelessness has lead to the substitution of masculine and feminine, which entirely changes the original meaning.

A second difficulty is caused by a common tendency in people to use the astrological correspondence of a planet as the primary means for understanding a sephira, so that for many people, Gevurah and Mars are synonymous. This is equivalent to saying that because a sunflower reminds me of the sun, the sun *is* a sunflower. The fact that one is a luminous ball of gas and the other is a plant with yellow petals should give a clue as to the magnitude of this kind of error. The metaphorical relationship between the sephira Tipheret and the sun is no closer than that between the sun and a sunflower. Likewise the relationship between Gevurah and Mars, and between Netzach and Venus - this is an example of the finger pointing at the moon: look at the finger and you don't see the moon.

What follows is a very brief characterisation of each sephiroth, with a brief rational for the corresponding planetary association.
Kether Unity
Chokhmah Unconditioned Creativity
Binah Possibility of Boundaries
Chesed Conditioned Creativity
Gevurah Response to Boundaries
Tipheret Self-Consciousness
Netzach Response to Creativity
Hod Appreciation of Boundaries
Yesod Ego
Malkuth Diversity

This is an abstract approach which concentrates on the polarity of force/creativity and form. In Kabbalah this is expressed as the polarity of Chokhmah and Binah. Chokhmah is the unconditioned creativity that explodes out of unity of Kether. Binah is concealed in this duality, in the separation between Kether and Chokhmah, and expresses the possibility of duality, of separation between one thing and another. Binah is the Mother of Form, the root of separation which forms the basis