{"id":18351,"date":"2019-02-01T01:10:27","date_gmt":"2019-02-01T06:10:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/paganpages.org\/content\/?p=20366"},"modified":"2019-01-29T12:55:34","modified_gmt":"2019-01-29T17:55:34","slug":"book-review-son-of-chicken-qabalah-by-lon-milo-duquette","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/2019\/02\/01\/book-review-son-of-chicken-qabalah-by-lon-milo-duquette\/","title":{"rendered":"Book Review – Son of Chicken Qabalah: Rabbi Lamed Ben Clifford\u2019s (Mostly Painless) Practical Qabalah Course by Lon Milo DuQuette"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Book Review <\/strong>
Son of Chicken Qabalah: Rabbi Lamed Ben Clifford\u2019s (Mostly Painless) Practical Qabalah Course<\/strong>
by Lon Milo DuQuette <\/strong><\/em>
Published by Weiser Books<\/strong><\/em>
Copyright November 2018 <\/strong><\/em>
Pages: 235<\/strong><\/em>

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\nThis\nbook is a sequel to \u201cChicken Qabalah\u201d published in 1997. The\nprologue states this book can stand alone, but it was written\nassuming the reader has read the first book or is at least \u201cgenerally\nfamiliar with the elementary Qabalistic principles included in that\nwork.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nIt\nis a work of fiction about the teachings of the controversial Rabbi\nLamed Ben Clifford\nfrom the first book, who is finally determined to be dead 21 years\nafter his unexplained disappearance. His unorthodox teachings\ncontinue because his previously unknown notebooks, ritual scripts and\nan assortment of documents were\ndiscovered\nin a storage locker. Lon Milo Duquette draws from this an initiation\nprocess \u201cnot so much a matter of \u2018educating the unawakened\nstudent,\u2019 but of \u2018awakening the student to be educated.\u2019\u201d \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nHe\nadds a second subtitle: \u201cThe Secret Initiation Ceremonies,\nExercises, and Meditations\nof a (probably completely fictitious) Qabalah Initiatory Society.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nNot\nhaving read the first book, it took me a while to appreciate this\none, written as a script, complete with stage directions, notes,\nmeditations and instruction that add up to\nserious teachings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nIt\nhelped to listen to a December 28, 2018 podcast with Thelma Now! in\nwhich DuQuette related the backstory. He explained \u201cChicken\nQabalah\u201d was a collection of the fundamentals and gags he used for\nthe Monday night magic class he taught at a Lodge of Ordo Templi\nOrientis in Costa Mesa, California.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\u201cQabalah\ncan be really boring,\u201d he said in the podcast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nHe\nrealized people remembered information better when it was attached to\na gag, joke or a funny illusion. So\nevery year, he said he made his teaching techniques goofier and\ngoofier. His was\npretending to be teaching like an ancient Qabalist teaching at a prep\nschool. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nDuring\none class, a man became angry, and sputtering, called DuQuette\u2019s\nQabalah teachings \u201cchicken.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nRather\nthan taking it as the insult it was intended to be, DuQuette\nrealized \u201can\nangel of God\u201d had just given him \u201cthe name of the kind of Qabalah\nthat I teach.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nDuQuette\ncontinued, \u201cI just wanted to say to him, \u2018Well you know, my rabbi\nsays that there is no such thing as correct Hebrew pronunciation\u2019\nor \u2018My rabbi said they probably didn\u2019t even speak Hebrew the way\nwe think.\u2019 \u2026 I wanted to say that, but I didn\u2019t have a rabbi to\nrefer him to, so I thought I would make up my own rabbi and refer to\nmyself. That way I could call my rabbi a genius.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nWhat\nthe rabbi teaches in \u201cSon of\nChicken Qabalah\u201d through the materials he left behind is a handbook\nthat will enable readers to create their \u201cown personal Hierarchy of\nHeaven.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nDuQuette\nsaid the book grew out of the course he taught to a small group of\ncompetent mystics in China over the course of a year, broken into\nfour three-day seminars held on the solstices and the equinoxes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nBecause\nof the language barrier, DuQuette worked to get across his message in\nas few words as possible. To help his translator, he scripted\neverything. Those materials formed this book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nThe\nbook presents detailed initiation\nrituals for the rabbi\u2019s secret society whereby a Holy Teacher and a\nWorthy Guide lead initiates through a three-degree Qabalah Mystery\nSchool. Each degree covers a group of the 22 letters of the Hebrew\nalphabet. Each letter is a path on the Tree of Life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nThe\nfirst three \u2013 Mother letters \u2013 create space with the directions\nup and down, right and left, and front and back. Motion in that space\ncreates time. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nNext\nare the seven Double letters, where light is broken into seven layers\nof the color spectrum and sound is broken into seven vibratory\nmusical notes. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nThe\nthird section introduces the twelve Simple letters that are the keys\nto unlock the Twelve Gates to the City. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nAt\neach stage, the letters\u2019 meanings are given and explored on\nmultiple levels to embed\nthem into the initiate\u2019s mind. In addition to scripted initiation\nrituals including music, images and tasks, there are study programs\nand assignments. It provides a multi-sensory approach that includes\nmudras, a pitch pipe, flashing colors and mandalas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nThe\nappendix contains a reference library, end notes and a summary of\neach of the 32 Paths of Wisdom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nIn\nthe podcast last year, DuQuette explained, \u201cInstead\nof teaching Qabalah and memorizing stuff, I thought, \u2018I am just\ngoing to initiate them; I\u2019m going to implant the Hebrew alphabet\nsystematically step by step: three Mother letters, seven Double\nletters, twelve Simple letters. I\u2019m going to implant them using the\npsychodrama of the initiatory process.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nConsidering\neach chapter was presented in a long weekend with a detailed script\nand precise rituals, and then students had ninety days to complete\nthe exercises, I did not get well enough into this book to get\nanywhere near internalizing the entire Hermetic Qabalistic universe,\nlet alone be able to it in magical practices. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nHowever,\nthere are enough details and simple explanations that would bring a\ngroup or individual on a creation adventure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nDuQuette\ncloses the book writing, \u201cAs a matter of fact, using your mastery\nof the Hebrew alphabet, you could (right now) set to work to create\nyour own personal and unique names from Hebrew letters enumerating to\nnumbers that have eight as a conspicuous factor. Your knowledge of\nthe proper colors reveals what these angels look like; your knowledge\nof their elemental, planetary, or zodiacal makeup reveals their\nspecific powers and gifts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\u201cThink\nabout it \u2013 your own private hierarchy of spiritual beings \u2013\nimmediately and intimately linked to you, because they are your\ncreations. That\u2019s the kind of thing grown-up Qabalists do! That\u2019s\nwhat Qabalah is about! \u2026 Create your own angels! Create your own\npersonal Hierarchy of Heaven. Think of it as an exercise, or think of\nit as your Great Work!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nI\nglanced way ahead for that, but it convinced me to add this to my\ncollection of magic books. And, should you care about ratings, the\nfive reviews it book got on Amazon are all fives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Son of Chicken Qabalah: Rabbi Lamed Ben Clifford’s (Mostly Painless) Practical Qabalah Course on Amazon<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

***<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

About\nthe Author:<\/strong>\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Lynn\nWoike<\/strong> was\n50 \u2013 divorced and living on her own for the first time \u2013 before\nshe consciously began practicing as a self taught solitary witch. She\ndraws on an eclectic mix of old ways she has studied \u2013 from her\nSicilian and Germanic heritage to Zen and astrology, the fae,\nBuddhism, Celtic, the Kabbalah, Norse and Native American \u2013 pulling\nfrom each as she is guided. She practices yoga, reads Tarot and uses\nReiki. From the time she was little, she has loved stories, making\nher job as the editor of two monthly newspapers seem less than the\nwork it is because of the stories she gets to tell. She lives with\nher large white cat, Pyewacket, in central Connecticut. You can\nfollow her boards on Pinterest<\/a>,\nand write to her at woikelynn at gmail dot com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Book Review Son of Chicken Qabalah: Rabbi Lamed Ben Clifford\u2019s (Mostly Painless) Practical Qabalah Course by Lon Milo DuQuette Published by Weiser Books Copyright November 2018 Pages: 235 This book is a sequel to \u201cChicken Qabalah\u201d published in 1997. The prologue states this book can stand alone, but it was written assuming the reader has read the first book or is at least \u201cgenerally familiar with the elementary Qabalistic principles included in that work.\u201d It is a work of fiction about the teachings of the controversial Rabbi Lamed Ben Clifford from the first book, who is finally determined to be dead 21 years after his unexplained disappearance. His unorthodox teachings continue because his previously unknown notebooks, ritual scripts and an assortment of documents were discovered in a storage locker. Lon Milo Duquette draws from this an initiation process \u201cnot so much a matter of \u2018educating the unawakened student,\u2019 but of \u2018awakening the student to be educated.\u2019\u201d He adds a second subtitle: \u201cThe Secret Initiation Ceremonies, Exercises, and Meditations of a (probably completely fictitious) Qabalah Initiatory Society.\u201d Not having read the first book, it took me a while to appreciate this one, written as a script, complete with stage directions, notes, meditations and instruction that add up to serious teachings. It helped to listen to a December 28, 2018 podcast with Thelma Now! in which DuQuette related the backstory. He explained \u201cChicken Qabalah\u201d was a collection of the fundamentals and gags he used for the Monday night magic class he taught at a Lodge of Ordo Templi Orientis in Costa Mesa, California. \u201cQabalah can be really boring,\u201d he said in the podcast. He realized people remembered information better when it was attached to a gag, joke or a funny illusion. So every year, he said he made his teaching techniques goofier and goofier. His was pretending to be teaching like an ancient Qabalist teaching at a prep school. During one class, a man became angry, and sputtering, called DuQuette\u2019s Qabalah teachings \u201cchicken.\u201d Rather than taking it as the insult it was intended to be, DuQuette realized \u201can angel of God\u201d had just given him \u201cthe name of the kind of Qabalah that I teach.\u201d DuQuette continued, \u201cI just wanted to say to him, \u2018Well you know, my rabbi says that there is no such thing as correct Hebrew pronunciation\u2019 or \u2018My rabbi said they probably didn\u2019t even speak Hebrew the way we think.\u2019 \u2026 I wanted to say that, but I didn\u2019t have a rabbi to refer him to, so I thought I would make up my own rabbi and refer to myself. That way I could call my rabbi a genius.\u201d What the rabbi teaches in \u201cSon of Chicken Qabalah\u201d through the materials he left behind is a handbook that will enable readers to create their \u201cown personal Hierarchy of Heaven.\u201d DuQuette said the book grew out of the course he taught to a small group of competent mystics in China over the course of a year, broken into four three-day seminars held on the solstices and the equinoxes. Because of the language barrier, DuQuette worked to get across his message in as few words as possible. To help his translator, he scripted everything. Those materials formed this book. The book presents detailed initiation rituals for the rabbi\u2019s secret society whereby a Holy Teacher and a Worthy Guide lead initiates through a three-degree Qabalah Mystery School. Each degree covers a group of the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Each letter is a path on the Tree of Life. The first three \u2013 Mother letters \u2013 create space with the directions up and down, right and left, and front and back. Motion in that space creates time. Next are the seven Double letters, where light is broken into seven layers of the color spectrum and sound is broken into seven vibratory musical notes. The third section introduces the twelve Simple letters that are the keys to unlock the Twelve Gates to the City. At each stage, the letters\u2019 meanings are given and explored on multiple levels to embed them into the initiate\u2019s mind. In addition to scripted initiation rituals including music, images and tasks, there are study programs and assignments. It provides a multi-sensory approach that includes mudras, a pitch pipe, flashing colors and mandalas. The appendix contains a reference library, end notes and a summary of each of the 32 Paths of Wisdom. In the podcast last year, DuQuette explained, \u201cInstead of teaching Qabalah and memorizing stuff, I thought, \u2018I am just going to initiate them; I\u2019m going to implant the Hebrew alphabet systematically step by step: three Mother letters, seven Double letters, twelve Simple letters. I\u2019m going to implant them using the psychodrama of the initiatory process.\u201d Considering each chapter was presented in a long weekend with a detailed script and precise rituals, and then students had ninety days to complete the exercises, I did not get well enough into this book to get anywhere near internalizing the entire Hermetic Qabalistic universe, let alone be able to it in magical practices. However, there are enough details and simple explanations that would bring a group or individual on a creation adventure. DuQuette closes the book writing, \u201cAs a matter of fact, using your mastery of the Hebrew alphabet, you could (right now) set to work to create your own personal and unique names from Hebrew letters enumerating to numbers that have eight as a conspicuous factor. Your knowledge of the proper colors reveals what these angels look like; your knowledge of their elemental, planetary, or zodiacal makeup reveals their specific powers and gifts. \u201cThink about it \u2013 your own private hierarchy of spiritual beings \u2013 immediately and intimately linked to you, because they are your creations. That\u2019s the kind of thing grown-up Qabalists do! That\u2019s what Qabalah is about! \u2026 Create your own angels! Create your own personal Hierarchy of Heaven. Think of it as an exercise, or think of it as your Great Work!\u201d I glanced way ahead for that, but it convinced me to add this to my collection of magic books. And, should you care about ratings, the five reviews it book got on Amazon are all fives. Son of Chicken Qabalah: Rabbi Lamed Ben Clifford’s (Mostly Painless) Practical Qabalah Course on Amazon *** About the Author: Lynn Woike was 50 \u2013 divorced and living on her own for the first time \u2013 before she consciously began practicing as a self taught solitary witch. She draws on an eclectic mix of old ways she has studied \u2013 from her Sicilian and Germanic heritage to Zen and astrology, the fae, Buddhism, Celtic, the Kabbalah, Norse and Native American \u2013 pulling from each as she is guided. She practices yoga, reads Tarot and uses Reiki. From the time she was little, she has loved stories, making her job as the editor of two monthly newspapers seem less than the work it is because of the stories she gets to tell. She lives with her large white cat, Pyewacket, in central Connecticut. You can follow her boards on Pinterest, and write to her at woikelynn at gmail dot com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":210,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":1,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18351","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18351","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/210"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18351"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18351\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18351"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18351"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18351"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}