A Garden of Pomegranates: Skrying on the Tree of Life

First, on physical book quality. I saw some reviewers mention bad copies. My copy had none of the issues mentioned. It is the 2017 Llewellyn version which is a thirteenth printing on a third edition.With that said I'll divide this review into sections for Regardie and sections for the Cicero additions. Given that the majority of this book is the Cicero additions (pages 171-482) the review mostly hinges on what those additions introduce.+ RegardieThe sections by Regardie are written as mile wide and inch deep. It covers the basics of typical path working and associated practices. I would recommend it for anyone who is interested in the topic, but has yet to dive in. This gives you an idea, but you are mostly left to your own devices to discover how to venture forth into the topics.Unfortunately, I am unsure how well the delivery is for a beginner. It is clearly made for a beginner, but I'll leave it up to the discretion of beginners to decide how well the material is introduced. What I can tell you is the basics are absolutely here and consists of your general exercises you can find in any other curriculum on the subject.+ Cicero AdditionThe real reason I would recommend this book is the inclusion of the visualized path working on the tree. It is a lengthy section detailing "one person's abbreviated experience in Rising on the Planes". However, unless I've misunderstood the section notes here, it also seems to include elements of other people's experiences, rituals, and other sources of inspiration interspersed. Probably to fill in and include relevant details. This serves to help.This section alone is worth using the book as a reference when path working or other associated exercises. I keep a multitude of books from different people's experiences and knowledge on path working to reference when doing my own work and research. Each one has their own key strengths and weaknesses and will often reveal different approaches. Due to this the value they contain far exceed dry descriptions. I think this one (in comparison to others like Crowley, Knight, Meral, etc.) is quiet mythical and there is a lot off interaction with an assortment of myths and deities. Compare that to the highly astrological descriptions as provided by Soror Meral. This gives a great handle into possibilities that are not present in many authors as we see direct interaction with the myths. Due to this it also reads like a novel which no doubt is incredibly helpful for a number of students and workers.I have attached a picture of one of these sections so you can see it includes a brief description of either the Sephiroth or the Path, lightly detailed common associations, and then includes the guided meditation into it. The guided meditation showing the basics of the ritual entry and experience that follows.Finally, I'd like to also leave a note for those who have newer associations ("Tzaddi is not the star"). The worker used old associations, but I think you'll find the newer associations would be even more relevant to the experience given. This should be interesting to ponder and might lead one to new insights.

Much like Regardie’s Tree of Life, this book is very clear overview of the Kabbalah, and its Tree of Life. Recommended for magicians of any experience. This edition has extensive end notes (praise IHVH, it helps a lot). The Ciceros once again have shown their respect for their teacher (Regardie himself), by clearing up the writing and the switch from Azkenazic to Sephrodic dialect, with pathworking exercises added. It should be in every magician’s library

Product was exactly as advertised and arrived ahead of schedule. I will buy from this seller again.

This book is totally indespensable for anyone interested in the Practical Kabbalah. I only regret that I purchased three books which covered different aspects of the material contained in this volume without checking out the "Garden" first. Don't make the same mistake. Most modern texts are versions of bits and pieces of this one. The editors' contribution, which constitutes half of the edition, contains practical meditations that illuminate the different paths beautifully. There are also instructions for Scrying in the Sprit Vision and actual pathworking. I only wish all modern writers on the Kabbalah took the approach the Ciceros do. That is, taking an existing classic, adding footnotes to clear up confusion, then giving practical suggestions for its usage. This is much better than the typical proccedure of throwing together a cribbed version of ohter's work and passing it off as your own. Highly, highly reccomended.

Honestly what more do you need to say? It's Regardie and it's been updated by the Ciceros. An essential book for any practicing magician. I only wish it was also published in hardcover.

This is a good reference on the Tree of Life and its other hermetic correlations.However, I would recommend different text for beginners. Maybe text from Bardon, Key to the True Kabbalah would serve as a good introduction, as would Dion Fortune's text, The Mystical Qabalah. Use this as a companion, not as a sole source.And I'm not sure how I feel about the Cicero's commentaries and additions. Take what you want, leave the rest, I guess. I do like Regardie's writing styles and continue to reference his books, despite the additions that have been done by Chic and Tabitha to his books.

This really explain the topic is a easy to read way. But i admit that you have to know a little about the topic or this will be a complicated book to digest. But for those who have a good understanding of the tree of life and the teachings of kaballah, this is a good book to solidify your understanding of the topic. It has really good visual aids and graphs

In case one already has a good working knowledge of the Tree of Life then the second half of the book pertaining to the path workings is what makes this book worth a buy. Besides that it's an excellent piece of literature to add to a library.