Cakephp lookup tables and saving data to subordinate models

So I've just read a bunch of the Cakephp model saving related data questions here on stack, but I am not finding what I'm looking for. Beyond the obvious technical issue, I have the distinct feeling that I am doing it wrong. My question is this: If you have an organizations table, and a users table, and you want to link them with a lookup table, so that neither is associated with another except by the linking association in the lookup table, how would you do it? Is a lookup table advisable 开发者_JS百科in Cakephp, or is that a horrible hold-over from my sql days that needs to die? What is best practice here? HABTM what I need? Furthermore, how do you learn this stuff? I try things I think might work, but they turn out kludgy at best.