Review - The Book of Self Creation by Jacobus Swart

Review: The Book of Self Creation
Author: Jacobus Swart
Publisher: The Sangreal Sodality Press
ISBN: 978-0-620-42884-2

When we pick up a book that relates to the topic of Kabbalah, what do we expect to find? I am sure that most people would answer, “The Tree of Life”, and this would be true in a majority of cases. But the question is, how important is the Tree of Life glyph to Kabbalah? Is the Tree of Life the bee-all-and-end-all of Kabbalah? The answer is no, the Tree glyph is relatively new and there is a great deal more than just the Tree. When considering Practical Kabbalah and the roots that it arose from, we begin to venture into a world that is shamanic and pagan in nature. Yes, you read correctly, Judaism was once very much Pagan.

In his book, The Book of Self Creation, Jacobus Swart discusses many of these topics. He begins by outlining the history of the Jewish people and their Rabbinical beliefs. He then takes a brief look at the sephirah on the Tree of Life, and then goes full throttle into the actual nature of Practical Kabbalah, outlining a hoard of discussions, exercises and practices that can be worked through the gain a better understanding of the Mysticism that is held in Kabbalah and how we function in the Cosmos. It allows you to develop your psychic energy and to bring you into alignment with the bodies that make up your being as well as Divinity.

If you think you know Kabbalah, you have to get this book. I think you will find that what you knew was only a pin prick on a gigantic iceberg. What is also extremely refreshing is the manner in which Jacobus writes. Instead of a continuous droning of information that leaves you wondering what you read half an hour into the book, he brings this information to life in a conversational manner as thought you were sitting with him. Having met Jacobus and listened to him talk, I can tell you that he is captivating and fun. To give you an example (purely to demonstrate how wonderfully down to earth this man is), when describing exorcism, he says the following:

“In other words, what needed to be “exorcised” were their own thoughts and feelings, and the only way in which the exorcist ascertained whether the “exorcism” was effective, was when it was accompanied by some sort of cathartic action in which the “obsessed/possessed” individuals forcefully rid themselves of the obsession/possession with an evacuation of physical waste from their bodies—a nice way of saying that the catharsis involves patients crapping themselves, or vomiting all over the show.”

Now if you don’t get a chuckle out of that, right in the midst of finding yourself engrossed in powerful information, then you need to go and see a doctor.

The book can be ordered at Red Path Publications (South African customers) or at his own Lulu Storefront – The Sangreal Sodality Press.