PROFESSIONAL ENDORSEMENTS OF BOOK: “OUR ANCIENT MOTHER’S ALPHABET”
It is with true joy that I recommend the manuscript of the book “Our Ancient Mother’s Aleph-Bet…” I have had the honor of working with Madeleine over this last year as a consultant for her book, a process that has had spiritual integrity at every step.
Madeleine first gave me a copy of her book almost six years ago. I was immediately interested in the descriptions she had written about the Hebrew letters. As a rabbi, I am always on the lookout for credible resources about the Jewish tradition that are accessible and useful for people and I found her commentaries about the letters to be an especially potent and fresh lens that I hadn’t seen before. Many people are beginning to re-incorporate the Divine Feminine into our understanding of the Hebrew letters, but Madeleine’s work has a uniqueness that stands out from the pack in a way that resonates with me deeply.
This is actually the second oracle of Hebrew letters that I have helped edit and have consulted on several others, all of which are written by “amateurs” in a non- rabbinic, popular style, and all with merit—so there is something going on that is coming into the world to pay attention to. How can everyday normal people access the wisdom of the Hebrew letters and of Kabbalah directly, from the truth of their own hearts, without needing a rabbi or scholarly authority to guide them? This is so critical. And at the same time, to not have people playing with spiritual lineages in ways that are inappropriate and incorrect. This book and the oracle provided through it balance these points beautifully. The Hebrew letter commentaries are an exceptional example of an authentically received wisdom stream that has been vetted through a Kabbalistic lineage holder to ensure authenticity.
The correlations with the traditional Tarot and the way in which the cards as an oracle are presented, also are in keeping with the ways of Torah and of all authentic spiritual traditions, in the sense that the reader/user is encouraged to utilize the oracle as a vehicle for accessing their own truth and their own connection to the unifying G-d presence, and not as a fortune-telling device. Best of all, the oracle works! The deck and the commentaries have been tested in readings across many years and have proven their usefulness as a divine channel.
Please receive this manuscript with an open heart. Read the letter and card commentaries and test the oracle, either by making your own cards or by opening randomly to a page in the book. Your feedback is welcome! Bless you for your time in examining the merits of this book and this oracle.
—In Peace,
Rabbi Julia Melanie Vaughns
In exploring the “almost fit” between the Tarot archetypes and the Hebrew letters, Madeleine Sklar re-introduces us to the Aleph-Bet: the 22 sacred Hebrew letters that serve as portals into a core understanding of Jewish mysticism. Our Ancient Mother’s Aleph-Bet is not only a fascinating read, but is designed as a guide for practice. Sklar skillfully weaves the Tarot and the Hebrew letters in a way which is very much in line with kabbalistic theory: allowing the ancient and timeless to come through by way of – and in relationship to – new forms and combinations. I recommend this book.
—Best, Rabbi Joshua Boettiger
Dear Madeleine,
Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful book with me. I so enjoyed getting a chance to spend some time with your words, with the depth and wisdom of what you offer. You are clearly a mystic, wise and talented. What an amazing contribution you have made to the worlds of Tarot, Kabbalah, and writings on the Great Mother, the Feminine.
This is a wonderful reference for those wishing to depend their knowledge of the Tarot. Sklar adds a feminine, warm, rich, and broad understanding of the way in which Jewish mysticism and the Feminine come through in the energies of the Tarot.
—Rabbi Vanessa Grajwer Boettiger