The Book of Formation or Sepher Yetzirah

Description

The Sepher Yetzirah Or Book Of Formation, although very short, is probably the most important of the Kabalistic texts. Its secrets were passed on in the Hebrew oral tradition until it was written down in the 2nd century BCE. It lays out the principles of Kabalistic cosmology and the Tree of Life, and how humanking (the microcosm) reflects the Divine (the macrocosm). It, also, sets forth the Hebrew doctrine of Logos - the creation of the world in numbers, letters and sound. As such, it is a seminal text for all serious magicians. Stenring has made a word-for-word translation from several texts, chosing only those parts which he believed to be authentic. He reveals the text's secrets in his diagrams, tables and extensive notes. His 'MasterKey to the theoretical and practial Kabala' is a diagram of the correspondences between the English and Hebrew alphabets and is not found in other translations of The Sepher Yetzirah. Also unique in this translation is Stenring's assignment of certain tarot cards to the paths on the Tree of Life. Several authors have done this before, but Stenring asserts that he arrived at his correspondences on his own. The introduction by Waite surveys the historical background of The Sepher Yetzirah translations and the import of this foundational Kabbalistic text. R. A. Gilbert's foreword provides background information on Waite's interest and involvement with Stenring's translation.