I enjoyed reading Shamanic Qabalah by Daniel Moler, which blends Qabalah and shamanism in a unique way. I don't practice either of these traditions, so I was curious to learn more about them. The book was engaging and informative.

Author, Daniel Moler’s book brings together two subjects that have long held my interest; a shamanic perspective and Qabalistic studies. The latter is an area of study that has been my passion and work for many years now, the former one that I have long been acquainted with and know many well-respected practitioners.

With that being said, I was intrigued as to how the author would approach the Tree of Life and its application to shamanic work. The sheer weight and history of Qabalah, in this book used in its Hermetic form, has been a daunting study for many. This, largely because of the more traditional approaches used in its exploration. I am happy to see that there are now a variety of spiritual paths and practices that are using the overlay of the Tree’s knowledge and thus engaging more students and seekers of its mystery teachings.

Mr. Moler makes use of an impressive bibliography of trusted and reputable sources of Qabalistic studies and then weaves the Shamanic approach of delving more deeply in the work of the Soul and roots of transformative processes aligned with those practices.

Part One is aptly entitled “The Great Work”. This semantic evocative of something out of the ordinary and initiatory in experience. Daniel dives right into the work of the world enticing us towards materialism and chaos that is moving us further away from the path of the mystic and the explorations of what that actually means for modern seekers. This section covers “everything that is wrong with society today”, what the truth of initiation can reveal and heal and how illumination can awake even the deepest sleeper.

Part Two offers the basics of what Qabalah is, how its symbology as the Tree of Life affects all planes of existence and spiritual practice and how the components of the Tree are defined and work together to provide a universal Whole. Chapter Five within this section focuses on Malkuth, the sephira of the Earth and Greater Earth Plane and becomes the natural starting point of alignment with a very earth based Shamanic perspective.

Chapter Six diverges back into a more traditional Judaic approach to Qabalistic study in looking at the “Topography of the Inner Worlds” and the journey of Adam Kadmon, the Perfected Man that embodies all of the wisdom of the Tree. A reference to the Hebrew letters assigned to the paths and the descent of man via the emanation of Yahweh and the sacred Hebrew names of creation gives the reader another vision of the Tree.

Part Three ties everything together with plenty of practical experiential and a further breaking down of the Tree incorporating the Triangles, Four Worlds and specific paths. Having read the Qabalistic referenced based books of the bibliography and having first hand teachings from some of the authors, I would say this book made good use of the author’s expertise in Shamanic work and the information presented regarding the Tree of Life.

My only criticism would be in the amount of diverse ways of presenting the Tree that were incorporated-Judaic- Hermetic and a more modern approach of fusion. I would have appreciated a more consistent approach throughout and more of the overlays of the Shamanic application that I believe would have provided more focus. Overall, a very well written book and kudos to Mr. Moler for making more bite-size an enduring and often challenging course of study.

http://paganpages.org/content/2018/12/book-review-shamanic-qabalah-by-daniel-moler/

I was initially hesitant about this book. because of the title, but the contents surpassed all expectations. Moler somehow managed to weave together the work of the likes of Dion Fortune and Ursula K. Le Guin to make a fascinating tapestry of Andean curanderismo, spiritual anarchy, and qabalah.

Shamanic Qabalah is one of my favourite books I have read from Llewellyn this year. Author Daniel Moler takes the reader on an initiatory journey through the mystical Qabalah from the perspective of South American Shamanism. At first, it seemed that the “shamanic” aspects of the book were missing. There was definitely more emphasis and time spent on the Tree of Life, but as with Western Mystery Traditions, things are not what they seem. Shamanic Qabalahism is about grounding the mystical into the practical. For those who know little about Shamanism, it can appear as a mind tripping exploration of altered states of consciousness. However, this book proposes that the whole purpose of exploring the spiritual should be to harmonize the material world, which allows one to truly acknowledge and embrace their divine essence. My favourite part of the book was the deep look at the Sephiras. I thought they were beautifully and concisely explained. I especially enjoyed the discussions of the corresponding Tarot cards which I feel other books on the Qabalah have skipped past. I wish there was more discussion about how Shamanism incorporates into the Tree of Life in the chapters that delved deep into each Sephira, because from my understanding, it was missing. If you are new to the Qabalah this book will be difficult to understand, but do not let that scare you away. There is an abundance of information contained within this volume that your consciousness will know what to do with. Afterall, one of the main tenets of Shamanism is to create a bridge of trust between the supernatural and natural worlds.

It almost doesn’t seem right to review a book of this type. I would have to re-read this a few more times to fully grasp its messages, but I believe this would only be scratching the surface. Daniel Moler said in his conclusion that this book was only an introductory book on this topic. I sincerely hope that Daniel will follow-up this book with more on this unique subject. As someone who is looking to imbue life with practical spirituality, Shamanic Qabalah has awakened my soul to a new way of viewing the world and cross cultural traditions.