The Holy Kabbalah

2019 Reprint of 1960 Edition. Full facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition software. Originally published in 1929. The Kabbalah is the occult or secret tradition within Judaism. Waite's comprehensive and annotated guide to this tradition of mysticism is enthusiastic in tone and grounded in scholarship. The author presents and interprets the fundamental ideas within this tradition. He also discusses Kabbalah's foremost interpreters, its impact on Christian scholars, and its reputation as "the secret tradition." Waite's thought-provoking analysis includes a rejection of proposals by earlier occultists that many esoteric practices --alchemy, astrology, and Freemasonry, for instance -- are founded on or are integral to Kabbalah.

 

Kabbalah is the "occult" and "secret" tradition in Judaism. One of the most ancient wisdoms, its origins go far back into the distant past. The Holy Kabbalah is a fascinating introduction to this world of mystery. Arthur Edward Waite was one of the few persons in the modern era to write a sensible and penetrating study of Kabbalah. Contemporary of such occultists as Eliphas Levi, Madame Blavatsky, and Annie Besant, Waite unravelled the history and traditions of what generations have whispered about as Hebrew witchcraft. The very term Kabbalah was enough to strike fear into the heart of an orthodox believer.

 

Arthur Edward Waite was a scholarly mystic who wrote extensively on occult and esoteric matters and was the co-creator of the Rider-Waite Tarot deck. As his biographer, R.A. Gilbert described him, "Waite's name has survived because he was the first to attempt a systematic study of the history of western occultism viewed as a spiritual tradition rather than as aspects of proto-science or as the pathology of religion."

 

Kenneth Charles Marion Rexroth was an American poet, translator, and critical essayist. He is regarded as a central figure in the San Francisco Renaissance, and paved the groundwork for the movement.