Learning Hebrew, for magical purposes Options

Do you think it would be worth while to become, at least semi-fluent in Hebrew, strictly for magical purposes? I mean, a LOT of ceremonial magic stems from Judeo-Christian dogma, and while not personally being a follower of said dogma, the use of Planetary pentacles, and ceremonial ritual does fall into my area of study, and many of these have Hebrew in them. I, of course could just look up the translations of these words, or in the case of the pentacles, find a transliteration, but what about just learning the language?

if you learn only the alphabets in Hebrew and Greek, a lot of occult literature becomes easier to grasp. I wouldn't say it is necessary or even helpful to learn Hebrew for occult purposes, but very seldom is learning wasted. If you have a Hebrew-included occult book (like Godwin's Cabalistic Encyclopedia), you can get some idea of how it is written for familiar concepts. Books like "Teach Yourself Biblical Hebrew" are useful, too. The best way to learn (once you know the letters and a few words or phrases) is to find a real live Jew and make buddies, which has the odd side effect of providing contextual insight into some of the elements of Hebrew-based occult ideas.

Well, I do have a love for learning languages, I am currently self-teaching myself four languages, and doing quite well. I suppose just adding in the Hebrew alphabet and maybe a few key words shouldn't be too difficult. I might eventually learn the language in its entirety, but probably not for a few years. I'll take your word for it that the alphabet will be enough for the time being. Thank you Imperial.

Traditional biblical hebrew is not the same as spoken hebrew, and biblical hebrew is what is typically seen in occult works, frequently in the case of the magical use of the psalms. One excellent way to learn hebrew, judeo-centric mysticism and thought, as well as an excellent tool for magical practice, is to slowly translate the psalms one by one. By the time you are halfway through, you'll be practically reading them right out of the book. Of course, verses from the psalms are frequently used in, at least, those books attributed to solomon, and with some creative interpretation and contemplation, verses can be applied to all manner of ritual uses. In fact, I believe there is a book out there somewhere specifically about the magical uses of the psalms, but it's been a while since I saw it.

peace

edit: Ah, "Jewish Magic and Superstition" was one interesting source for ideas about employing biblical hebrew and particular verses towards magical ends.

This post has been edited by Vagrant Dreamer: Apr 25 2010, 12:50 AM

Hello everyone! I just wanted to share a link I am considering using for my Hebrew studies (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)
http://www.ancient-hebrew.org/7_home.html

Good luck, my friend!