The magickal tools of the Kabbalah

Abstract

The project goal was to create a road map for the spiritual aspirant who would walk a path within an installation setting toward the goal of attaining knowledge of God. The project consisted of eleven mixed-media religious objects. The pieces had as a basis the symbolic and philosophical doctrine of the Kabbalah, alchemy, and related occult arts. A variety of materials were utilized, enabling me to transmit the symbolic and religious concepts contained within the project. The pieces were displayed in an installation setting, mimicking the Kabbalistic Tree of Life so that the viewer would have a better understanding of the relationships between the individual tools while also gaining knowledge of the growth of a spiritual aspirant upon the Kabbalistic path.The pieces were produced using a variety of sculpture and metalsmithing techniques referenced through a variety of tables of correspondences. The individual pieces were meant for religious ritual but collectively displayed an entire philosophical doctrine as well as a path-working toward attainment of Knowledge of God.The project fully conveyed the intentions of a spiritual aspirant as well as relayed the processes such aspirants might experience throughout the quest.Thesis (M.F.A.)--California State University, Long Beach, 1998.School code: 6080