THE PRACTICAL KABBALAH GUIDEBOOK by C. J. M. Hopking a review by Errol McLendon, CTM, CTI

This book disguises itself as a lovely, full color coffee table book on the Kabbalah. My experience with these types of books in the past is that they contain a lot of pretty pictures, but very little substance. Something urged me to take this book from the shelf and thumb through it; and when I did, I realized that this author's simple approach was just the key I needed to understand the Tree of Life, and it's cousin the Ladder of Light.

The author begins with a very standard explanation of the history of the Kabbalah. No real revelations here. the author's writing style is clear, interesting and very accessible to the reader. Highlights of hundreds of years of esoteric history are squeezed into 17 pages (with pictures as well) without giving the feeling of rushing or skipping big gaps of time.

The second chapter immediately gets into the meat of the book. The author (Please excuse my continued use of "the author" to replace pronouns. No bio is included to identify the gender of C. J. M. Hopking.) very concisely lays out a very complex theory in a organized and understandable way. Through the next 6 chapters, we are taken step by step up the Ladder of Light from Malkuth in the material world of Assiah all the way to Kether in the tree of Adam Kadmon, the godhead.

In an attempt to avoid giving away the joy of making your own climb with the author, I will not reveal a great deal of the book's premise here. I will tell you that it involves the belief that there are five worlds which correspond to the five elements (and ultimately to the four Tarot suites plus the Ten Commandments). Each world has 10 spheres (corresponding to the pips of each suite); however, when you move up each tree from 10 to 1, you reach a point between sphere 4 and 3 that cannot be crossed because of an abyss. In order to cross it and get to sphere number 1, you must transcend to the 10th position on the next tree.

Along with the explanation of each step up the path, the author has included exercises, meditations and visualizations which take the reader experientially into 22 of the 32 spheres along the path. These 22 spheres are related in this book to the 22 Major Arcana and the meditations the author suggests are an excellent way to tie into the cards organically making this an ideal book for students just learning the Major Arcana.

Through correspondences to the Ladder, the sephiroth (spheres), Tarot cards and the Hebrew letters, the author gives a deeper understanding of the universal messages that lie within the spheres and along the paths that join them together.
Through very contemporary illustrations and references, the author reminds us that the messages in the Kaballah are as valuable today as they were hundreds of years ago.

The Practical Kabbalah Guidebook (ISBN 0-8069-3121-3) is a new offering by Sterling Publishing in New York. It is very rare that I find a book that I would recommend to both beginning and advanced students, but this book certainly fills the bill. For beginners, it give a simple pathwork guide for living the Major Arcana cards. For the advanced student, it can unravel the confusion of the Kaballah in a pleasant, colorful format. For the mystical researcher, it can become the jumping off point for further exploration of this map of our human existence. Enjoy your climb.

"The Practical Kabbalah Guidebook",
by C.J.M. Hopking
©2001 Sterling Publishing Co. LTD
Images used by kind permission from Sterling Publishing Co. LTD.

Book is also available at Barnes & Noble