Rating: 
Summary: A Mini-Masterpiece from a Modern Master!
Review: The Chicken Qabalah
Of Rabbi Lamed Ben Clifford
By Lon Milo DuQuette
Samuel Weiser, 2001
Reviewed by Poke RunyonAfter some thirty years of studying, practicing and even daring to
teach what is called "Hermetic Qabalah" (or Kabbalah or Cabala, or
what ever ) I was recently confronted by a person (not even Jewish)
who condescendingly informed me that the word was pronounced
"Kab-ah-LAH" and that if I had not studied it under a bone fide Rabbi
I really knew nothing about it. Even though I had taken a class in
Jewish mysticism in college from a real Rabbi, that didn't seem to be
good enough. I was a "Chicken Qabalist" and I was made to feel as if I
should sit in the back of the metaphysical bus. Before the mid-1970s we Hermetic qabalists lived in a happy dream
world where we thought we actually were studying and practicing a
deeply profound system of spiritual growth and magical attainment
based on long-forgotten medieval Jewish and renaissance Rosicrucian
roots. We had no idea the "real" Kab-ah-LAH had no Tarot cards, no
Pagan Gods (certainly no Pagan Goddesses!), very little astrology, and
absolutely no magick. But then came our sad awakening. Faced with too
many brilliant young people committing themselves to various forms of
Eastern mysticism, Jewish Biblical and Talmudic scholars, led by
Greshom Scholem and followed by Aryeh Kaplan, dusted off and
refurbished the old, nearly forgotten orthodox Jewish kabbalah. We Hermetic qabalists (if we even dared to call ourselves qabalists
at this point ) were now second class metaphysical citizens.
What we desperately needed was our own Rabbi --- a roly-poly, white
bearded, good-natured esoteric sage who would tell us: "Hey, it's okay
to be a Chicken Qabalist. Have all the Tarot cards and magick you
want. The qabalah is for everybody! Enjoy!" And that is exactly what Maestro Lon Milo DuQuette has given us in the
"pseudepigraphic" personage of Rabbi Lamed Ben Clifford. Ben Clifford
is an iconoclastic, renegade scholar who teaches the students of his
school (the Zerubbabel Institute of Philosophical Youth; 'Z.I.P.Y')
all the basics of the qabalah we know and love --- with delightful humor
and wonderfully cogent analogies. For example: the theory
of the Four Worlds of descending creative emanations is explained as a
four story building where chairs are
conceived, designed, manufactured, and finally put
in the show room on the bottom floor. But don't make the mistake of thinking that Ben Clifford (or DuQuette)
is dumbing down the qabalah; far from it! Lon DuQuette has already
established himself as one of the leading exponents of Hermetic
qabalah and magick. His "Chicken Qabalah" is rib tickling but it is
also profound---and I make bold to suggest that he can make a deep
concept-such as The Four Parts of the Soul (Chia, Neshamah, Ruach, and
Nepesh) more grokable than Greshom Scholem or Aryeh Kaplan --- even to Jewish readers. That brings up another key point: this book is not a "They have
theirs" and "We have ours" sort of presentation. The intent and the
humor is not irreverent and certainly not anti-Jewish. Actually this
review is more critical of the second-class status imposed on Hermetic
qabalah than either Lon, or his Ben Clifford, have been in the book
itself. The Chicken Qabalah should be a delightful read for interested
people of all religious backgrounds. It forms a light-hearted, but
deeply meaningful, bridge between two systems of qabalah that have
recently drifted apart. Last but not least, it provides those of us who have been immersed in
Hermeitc qabalah for years with a delightfully humorous review of
basics (and profound principles) that we would otherwise not bother to
undertake, given the dry nature of the previously published material.
All considered, The Chicken Qabalah is a mini-masterpiece from a
Master with a twinkle in his eye. Poke Runyon
Rating:
Summary: The Chicken Qabalah of Rabbi Lamed Ben Clifford
Review: The Chicken Qabalah
of
Rabbi Lamed Ben Clifford by Lon Milo Duquette
Weiser Books
2001
ISBN #1-57863-215-3 Like many in the Tarot world, the Qabalah (in any of its numerous spellings) strikes terror into my heart! How in the heck am I supposed to make sense of anything this complex? I can barely follow a very basic discussion concerning the Qabalah - which in ways, may be a blessing, as no two people in these discussions ever seem to agree on anything, and tangents break off all the time! OK I have to admit, I have had some bits of luck with getting a basic understanding of the Qabalah as it relates to the Tarot - specifically through the works of Ellen Cannon Reed ("The Witches Qabala: The Pagan Path and the Tree of Life, Samuel Weiser, Inc, 1997) and Alexandra Genetti ( "The Wheel Of Change Tarot", Destiny Books, 1997). These ladies have done a marvelous job of presenting their work - my hat is off to both of them. This is where my personal study of the Qabalah began. To get past the very basics was not easy - the material is complex, dry and ... well, not easily palatible! And then the good Rabbi came along. The very first thing that he did was to expand my vocabulary and sense of literature - all in one fell swoop of chicken feathers! I quote,: " Revered Hebrew scholar, Gershom G. Scholem wrote: For a long time we have known that literary forgeries represent a flight into anonymity and pseudonymity just as often as they indicate trickery; and not for nothing have we retained the foreign word "pseudepigrapha" to designate in particular a legitimate category of religious literature ... the Zohar is the most important but by far not the only example of such love of masquerade in Jewish literature." What does this mean in plain English? It means that Lon Milo Duequete presents this as the work of Rabbi Lamed Ben CLifford, of the "Zerubabbel Institute of Philosophical Youth" (ZIPY), with introductions to each chapter in Mr. Duquette's own words. Quite frankly, this was the only way that the good Rabbi could be kept in check! While a sense of humor and the Qabalah at first glance do not seem destined to be in the same room, I found this presentation heartwarming, palatible, tremendously funny (picture me in my living room, with only my cat as company, laughing so hard that I have tears running down my cheeks) ... and very instructive. The reason that you cannot read this book straight through is not that the material is so difficult, it is that you have to take time outs to wipe your eyes and blow your nose. The Rabbi himself takes over the FAQ chapter of this book. It is quite important that we understand who Chicken Qabalist's are, and where they fit into the scheme of things. There is also an authentic certificate in this book that the reader may fill out and present as Qabalistic credentials. The problem here is that the certificate is IN the book - i.e. part of it. I considered making a photocopy, but that seemed like a sham. I mean - I want to see the real thing when I am checking someone's credentials. I haven't quite decided how I am going to handle this one yet. The "Ten Command Rants" is a nice introduction to the work in this book. Here we begin to glimpse the divine nature of the Qabalah - according to the Rabbi, of course! Without even realizing it, in the ensuing chapters we are led through the formation of the Sepher Yetzirah, the Hebrew alphabet (not a small study in itself), the Four Qabalistic Worlds and the Four Parts of the Soul , the Tree of Life ... and much, much more. The key here is the journey - the journey is important, not where it leads you. Enjoy the journey, learn from the journey - but do not the journey. There is a great deal of material presented in this book - and it is intended only as a beginning. The reader is encouraged to work with the information, to allow it to become part of them.There are many excellent graphs and charts presented here. The path is made very easy to create one's own workbook, and bring the Qabalah into reality. If you allow it to, the Qabalah readily takes a three dimentional form - it has a face, it has a sense of "being". I recommend this book to all levels of students. Why all levels? Because if you think that you understand it, you might not, really. And, if you really do understand it, by reading this book you may see a whole new way to present it to your own students.
Rating:
Summary: excellent introduction to the hermetic qabalah
Review: This book is absolutely wonderful. It whets the appetite of the reader to study qabalah. The use of parable, as in the bible, has proven effective once again. He left me with clear explanations of his points, as well as lucid questions to fuel my future qabalistic researches. Before this volume, the astrological attributions to the Tarot left me clueless, and now I have an understanding of these attributions, as well as poignant questions to guide me onward in my understanding of these attributions. His explanations of the rationale for the astrological attributions help the reader test and observe for himself the meaning of the pictures. This really gives rocket fuel for the experimental evaluation of the tarot pictures. You will be amazed and thrilled as you see the tarot through new eyes. Modern Magick, by Donald Michael Kraig, used to be my favorite intro to the Hermetic Qabalah; now this one is. It's incredible.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome !!! Laugh and learn about the Qabalah!
Review: This book is awesome! Lon Milo DuQuette does an excellent job keeping your attention focused while making you think and laugh at the same time. Once you start reading you will not put this book down.
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