I had an extended period of time sitting on my behind this past autumn, so I was able to spend time reading, which seems to be a wedge-in-when-I-can activity. I had heard rumblings from the west coast that there was a follow up book to Lon Milo DuQuette’s Chicken Qabalah of Rabbi Lamed Ben Clifford. Having thoroughly enjoyed the first volume, I was curious to see where Lon would take this book.

In the first volume, we are given broad introductions to concepts in Qabalah, and some very basic work to do with those concepts. It was weighty stuff described in light language, perfect for an uninitiated audience. It fit very well with the concept of taking a student from a zero on a scale of one to five, and getting them to a two or three, where they have some knowledge and can make some basic intuitive leaps without having to refer back to the source material. (I’ll go into the Mohnkern Learning Scale some other time, it’s a holdover from my course developer days.)

Son of Chicken Qabalah takes those folks who were functional in Qabalah and gives them new material to work with. It also introduces the concept of an initiatory society based on the material. The Zerubbabel Institute of Philosophical Youth (ZIPY) aka “Our Holy Order” can be joined in your living room on your own or by attending one of Lon’s workshops. It is an interesting twist in the material, as most Americans no longer participate in fraternal/sororal groups or in community groups like the Rotary. I think some of the new stuff gets lost in the ZIPY noise, but there is good stuff in there if you are patient.

Overall, the approach is a fresh one, on material that has been trod by others with a much more academic or dry style. Lon’s wit and dad jokes go a long way to try to keep it fresh. If you aren’t interested in the Jewish mystic system as filtered through western ceremonial magick, you probably won’t be interested. If Qabalah is a component of your magickal practices or you want to expand on what you already know, this might be worth the time. It’s an easy and cheap read, compared to other books on the topic. If you are starting from scratch, I’d wholly recommend picking up the initial volume, and if your appetite remains, grab this. If you are looking for more serious works with a different thrust, pick up Israel Regardie’s books on the topic.