VV (1) - More fun with the Qabalah

[Otto Sell]

This as a warning to all would-be Harry-Potters to learn to distinguish
Black from White Magic!

>"The Qliphoth are aptly termed the evil and averse Sephiroth, for
>they are not independent principles or factors in the cosmic scheme,
>but the unbalanced and destructive aspect of the Holy Stations
>themselves....Woever uses the Tree as a magical system must perforce
>know the Spheres of the Qliphoth, because he has no option but to
>deal with them."
      >(Dion Fortune, "The Mystical Qabalah," XXVI.6)

>and

>"There is a point in every magical operation when the negative aspect
>of the force comes up to be dealt with, and unless dealt with will
>lure the experimenter into the pit which he has digged. It is a sound
>maxim not to invoke any force unless you are equipped to deal with
>its averse effects."
      >(Dion Fortune, "The Mystical Qabalah," XXVI.4)


This "Jewish Mysticism" (Terence, Re: Satire in the WL) is pretty binary
too. With this long catalogue of binary, esoterical "systems" in GR like
Astrology, Tarot, I Ching, Seances etc it would have been a case of missed
opportunity if the Qabalah hadn't been 'incorporated' into this novel.


>II. "I am your father, Luke."

>1. Qabalah 101:
>The Tree of Life has a negative reflection called the Qliphothic
>Tree; each Sephirah has a negative Qliphoth which represents its
>averse nature, a trap to fool those not prepared to deal with the
>energies therein.

>I think Pynchon is very clever in his limited use of the
>Qabalah as well as all other systems of thought and organization --
>they are never totalizing, and co-exist with elements that oppose,
>parody, satirize, or refute them, including the notion that all such
>systems are sense-making fantasies projected against the dark.

Nice Darth Vader quote. Luke had been raised by foster parents too, like
Mose, Enzian, Harry. Absolutely necessary for herohood.

Otto
(Zauberlehrling)

----- Original Message -----
From: The Great Quail <quail at libyrinth.com>
To: <pynchon-l at waste.org>
Sent: Sunday, October 08, 2000 8:08 PM
Subject: VV (1) - More fun with the Qabalah