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The Mystical Qabalah
An occult classic and a Dion Fortune bestseller of strongly growing interest.
Fortune was one of the first to bring this “secret tradition” to a wider audience with her clear and comprehensive exploration of the Qabalah tradition. The Mystical Qabalah remains a classic in its clarity, linking the broad elements of Jewish traditional thought—probably going back to the Babylonian captivity and beyond—with both Eastern and Western philosophy and later Christian insights.
The Qabalah could be described as a confidential Judaic explanation of the paradox of “the Many and the One”—the complexity and diversity within a monotheistic unity. Whereas the Old Testament outlines the social and psychological development of a tightly knit “chosen group” culture, the supplementary Qabalah provides a detailed plan of the infrastructure behind the creative evolutionary process.
The Mystical Qabalah devotes a chapter to each of the ten schematic “God-names,” the qualities or Sephiroth which focus on the principal archetypes behind evolving human activity: the Spiritual Source; the principles of Force and Form; Love and Justice; the Integrative principle or the Christ Force; Aesthetics and Logic; the dynamics of the Psyche; and, finally, the Manifestation of life on Earth in a physical body.
Fortune was one of the first to bring this “secret tradition” to a wider audience with her clear and comprehensive exploration of the Qabalah tradition. The Mystical Qabalah remains a classic in its clarity, linking the broad elements of Jewish traditional thought—probably going back to the Babylonian captivity and beyond—with both Eastern and Western philosophy and later Christian insights.
The Qabalah could be described as a confidential Judaic explanation of the paradox of “the Many and the One”—the complexity and diversity within a monotheistic unity. Whereas the Old Testament outlines the social and psychological development of a tightly knit “chosen group” culture, the supplementary Qabalah provides a detailed plan of the infrastructure behind the creative evolutionary process.
The Mystical Qabalah devotes a chapter to each of the ten schematic “God-names,” the qualities or Sephiroth which focus on the principal archetypes behind evolving human activity: the Spiritual Source; the principles of Force and Form; Love and Justice; the Integrative principle or the Christ Force; Aesthetics and Logic; the dynamics of the Psyche; and, finally, the Manifestation of life on Earth in a physical body.
360 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1957
628 people are currently reading
5644 people want to read
About the author
Dion Fortune
125 books458 followersViolet Mary Firth Evans (better known as Dion Fortune), was a British occultist and author. Her pseudonym was inspired by her family motto "Deo, non fortuna" (Latin for "by God, not fate").
From 1919 she began writing a number of novels and short stories that explored various aspects of magic and mysticism, including The Demon Lover, The Winged Bull, The Goat-Foot God, and The Secrets of Dr. Taverner. This latter is a collection of short stories based on her experiences with Theodore Moriarty. Two of her novels, The Sea Priestess and Moon Magic, became influential within the religion of Wicca, especially upon Doreen Valiente.
Of her non-fiction works on magical subjects, the best remembered of her books are; The Cosmic Doctrine, meant to be a summation of her basic teachings on mysticism; The Mystical Qabalah, an introduction to Hermetic Qabalah; and Psychic Self Defence, a manual on how to protect oneself from psychic attacks. Though some of her writings may seem dated to contemporary readers, they have the virtue of lucidity and avoid the deliberate obscurity that characterised many of her forerunners and contemporaries.
From 1919 she began writing a number of novels and short stories that explored various aspects of magic and mysticism, including The Demon Lover, The Winged Bull, The Goat-Foot God, and The Secrets of Dr. Taverner. This latter is a collection of short stories based on her experiences with Theodore Moriarty. Two of her novels, The Sea Priestess and Moon Magic, became influential within the religion of Wicca, especially upon Doreen Valiente.
Of her non-fiction works on magical subjects, the best remembered of her books are; The Cosmic Doctrine, meant to be a summation of her basic teachings on mysticism; The Mystical Qabalah, an introduction to Hermetic Qabalah; and Psychic Self Defence, a manual on how to protect oneself from psychic attacks. Though some of her writings may seem dated to contemporary readers, they have the virtue of lucidity and avoid the deliberate obscurity that characterised many of her forerunners and contemporaries.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 133 reviews
Currently reading
July 1, 2009I am always "currently reading" this book as it is not the kind of book that one can "finish".
October 28, 2007
Forget the Qabalah you hear about from Hollywood and Madonna. This is an excellent book devoting a chapter to each of the sephiroth on the Tree of Life. Philosophically interesting regardless of your beliefs.
August 16, 2007
My favorite basic book on the 17th century Kabbalistic tree of Life. Good explanation of how the sephiroth and paths work together. Great primer for building the proper correspondences to each part of otz chiim, which then leads to the phenomenological understanding of the inner workings of the tree.
I've read this one several times, riveted all the more with every read as the concepts resonate and form a whole infrastructure.
I've read this one several times, riveted all the more with every read as the concepts resonate and form a whole infrastructure.
August 23, 2007
Very clear introduction to the Qabalah - for NON-Jewish mystics. It is important to note that the Qabalah is used differently in a lot of non-Jewish mysticism than it is in Jewish circles. Very good book. Focuses primarily on the Sephiroth rather than the paths. Fantastic introduction to the topic.
December 7, 2007
The Qabalah is a very complex system, and one can spend liftimes studying it. This is the best introduction to what can seem overwhelming at the start.
October 21, 2023
One of the best books I have read so far about the esoteric. I will be reading it again stat and continue using it as a daily reference for Healing Sephora Meditations. All of the great books so far have come as suggestions from fellow initiates or on recommendation from some other true heavy I happen to be reading at the time. This one came as a mandate from the latter. I feel like I’m doing post-doctoral studies with every author, the master within and God herself as my professors. Speaking of one of my favorite quotes (though I probably added 33 others to Goodreads and my notebook) was, “If Goddess is not in your worship then you are already half way to atheism.” Classic Fortune. I spend hours per day studying with bliss for the first time ever because I find this to be the most important and interesting information I have ever read. I can see why the parasitical class of self proclaimed elites (seemingly fucking up just about everything) would want to keep all this ancient wisdom and psychology secret. They need us to be programmed into this narrow, tiny view of ourselves lest we wake up and realize the potential of our Vital Life Force and the powerful Vibrations and Manifestations we are all capable of. That we may comprehend fellow illuminated member, Jesus Christ was not hyperbolic when he said we could perform all the miracles he did and more. I feel like Hi-Rez when he sings, “I’ll deprogram myself, I don’t need ya.” I only regret not learning this earlier in life instead of doing what Kris Kristofferson sang about, “Fooling with some Foolish things I should have left alone.”
December 26, 2011
A clear explanation of the philosophical structure of the Hermetic Kabbalah, filled with easily-understandable but profound analogies and metaphors to point the way towards true understanding.
Dion Fortune, being a magician and psychic in the early 20th Century, clothed her discourse with much discussion of the practicum of magic. My interest being primarily to use the Kabbalah as a vehicle to aid thought, I skipped through all the discussion of invocations and ether and psychic emanations.
What is left remains immensely valuable. I think I finally have an idea of what the Tree is all about.
Highly recommended!
Dion Fortune, being a magician and psychic in the early 20th Century, clothed her discourse with much discussion of the practicum of magic. My interest being primarily to use the Kabbalah as a vehicle to aid thought, I skipped through all the discussion of invocations and ether and psychic emanations.
What is left remains immensely valuable. I think I finally have an idea of what the Tree is all about.
Highly recommended!
March 27, 2022
A must-read introduction to Hermetic K/C/Qabalah (though I strongly prefer the K spelling), one that I’ll go back to for reference over and over as time goes on. Dion Fortune argues that Kabbalah is the “Yoga of the West,” as in, the root of Western Esotericism, and the more I learn, the more this seems to be true.
January 11, 2015
difficult to stay focused but very interesting
March 30, 2016
So far, the best, most concise book on Qabalah.
February 4, 2016
This is not a book you read in a day. Well you could read it in a day but not really understand it, nor absorb any deeper meaning.
It is a book about the Tree of Life but not the more mundane Kabalah but rather a higher plane perspective.
If read as an intellectual exercise it would provide one lesson. If studied and each item meditated upon it would take a long time and in some cases it would be beneficial to have a lot of background or a guide.
My actual rating is 4.5 stars because some of the ideas and terminology is a little dated and assigning Mars to Water as a primary indicator (in one place) is incorrect.
For any serious student on the Pathway who is seeking some background, some guidance and starting points then this book will be useful. It took me weeks to get through it and I made comments in the margins in a number of places. Now I need to go back and test some of the information.
It is a book about the Tree of Life but not the more mundane Kabalah but rather a higher plane perspective.
If read as an intellectual exercise it would provide one lesson. If studied and each item meditated upon it would take a long time and in some cases it would be beneficial to have a lot of background or a guide.
My actual rating is 4.5 stars because some of the ideas and terminology is a little dated and assigning Mars to Water as a primary indicator (in one place) is incorrect.
For any serious student on the Pathway who is seeking some background, some guidance and starting points then this book will be useful. It took me weeks to get through it and I made comments in the margins in a number of places. Now I need to go back and test some of the information.
March 4, 2014
This is a very thorough survey and guided tour through the Qabalistic Tree of Life as practiced by occultists of the Golden Dawn variety. I enjoyed it, and it really helped clarify a lot of the functionality of various Sephira including Netzach, Hod and Yesod which have always been a bit hazy in my previous perceptions of them. Kudos Ms. Fortune for illuminating me! Be warned that, although the principles of metaphysics that this book point to are eternal and do not change over time, the author's analogies are quite outdated, making her sound too much like an Edwardian-era British schoolmarm (which may be to one's liking, but in the realm of metaphysics, it becomes a bit off-putting to me.) As a guide for the student of mysticism, the book is indispensable.
Read
November 30, 2009I love Dion Fortune but I found this book quite difficult to fully absorb and understand. Perhaps it is a life's work to understand it and I have been told this is one of the most staight forward and simple books on the subject. It is something to which I shall return, I am sure, but it is certainly not an 'easy' read, I think!!
September 14, 2016
Review is also available on my blog The Shameful Narcissist Speaks.
Let me just put this out there right now. I read this book because of Final Fantasy VII. It's about the Tree of Life, which is made up of the Holy Sephiroth, the emanations or "God-names" that focus principle archetypes behind evolving human activities. I had no idea the rabbit hole I was diving into, nor did I realize either how well SquareSoft (now Squeenix...unfortunately) had done their research or had managed to align their usage of that term with the appropriate symbolism. The Qabalah seeks to solve the paradox of "the Many and the One," speaks about microcosm and macrocosm, and essentially serves as a guide through the metaphysical and esoteric. Reading The MQ showed not only how much the symbolism of the Tree is present in my favorite game (and also favorite story), but in so many other narratives, as well.
One of the major points Fortune brings us to is that though they are named Holy and Unholy Sephiroth which would suggest two trees, in reality there is but the Holy Tree and its shadow. This is reminiscent of what Martin uses in ASOIAF for the religion of the Red God R'hllor (see my review of the Game of Thrones episode "The Dance of Dragons" here for more on that). It is a ubiquitous, all encompassing glyph that is frequently used without even the knowledge of invocation, and in either having knowledge or lacking it, creates a meta for the symbol itself as first and foremost knowledge is Qabalism's greatest concern.
Fortune does a phenomenal job laying out all aspects of the Holy Stations, and while I did have to be nominally awake to absorb some of the concepts, they were simply explained and easily laid out. The complication came in the rumination on higher meanings.
It took me over a decade to finish this book. Pay no attention to the "Date Added" and "Date Finished" above. I bought it years before Goodreads existed when I was still in my twenties and reading tarot regularly. Both that system of divination and astrology have heavy connections to the Tree of Life. Interestingly enough, I'd seen mentions of the Qabalah before I played VII, but it flew above my radar, because there was nothing connecting me to it. Once I played it and knew the origin of the name Sephiroth, I couldn't purchase this fast enough, but at the time, the esoteric symbolism was beyond me. I lamented that it was far too much to get through (at the time), but when I picked it up again approximately a year ago, I wondered what the hell my juvenile self had found such issue with.
The one complaint I have has to do with some caustically casual racist remarks that are sprinkled throughout the volume. Unfortunately, as mystical as Fortune was, she was still a product of her time. This is used as an explanation and not an excuse. So if you read The MQ, prepare for a few cringe worthy moments. This almost made me lower the rating by a star, but the information and the way it's presented is excellent, so it retains a high rank but with that caveat.
Let me just put this out there right now. I read this book because of Final Fantasy VII. It's about the Tree of Life, which is made up of the Holy Sephiroth, the emanations or "God-names" that focus principle archetypes behind evolving human activities. I had no idea the rabbit hole I was diving into, nor did I realize either how well SquareSoft (now Squeenix...unfortunately) had done their research or had managed to align their usage of that term with the appropriate symbolism. The Qabalah seeks to solve the paradox of "the Many and the One," speaks about microcosm and macrocosm, and essentially serves as a guide through the metaphysical and esoteric. Reading The MQ showed not only how much the symbolism of the Tree is present in my favorite game (and also favorite story), but in so many other narratives, as well.
One of the major points Fortune brings us to is that though they are named Holy and Unholy Sephiroth which would suggest two trees, in reality there is but the Holy Tree and its shadow. This is reminiscent of what Martin uses in ASOIAF for the religion of the Red God R'hllor (see my review of the Game of Thrones episode "The Dance of Dragons" here for more on that). It is a ubiquitous, all encompassing glyph that is frequently used without even the knowledge of invocation, and in either having knowledge or lacking it, creates a meta for the symbol itself as first and foremost knowledge is Qabalism's greatest concern.
Fortune does a phenomenal job laying out all aspects of the Holy Stations, and while I did have to be nominally awake to absorb some of the concepts, they were simply explained and easily laid out. The complication came in the rumination on higher meanings.
It took me over a decade to finish this book. Pay no attention to the "Date Added" and "Date Finished" above. I bought it years before Goodreads existed when I was still in my twenties and reading tarot regularly. Both that system of divination and astrology have heavy connections to the Tree of Life. Interestingly enough, I'd seen mentions of the Qabalah before I played VII, but it flew above my radar, because there was nothing connecting me to it. Once I played it and knew the origin of the name Sephiroth, I couldn't purchase this fast enough, but at the time, the esoteric symbolism was beyond me. I lamented that it was far too much to get through (at the time), but when I picked it up again approximately a year ago, I wondered what the hell my juvenile self had found such issue with.
The one complaint I have has to do with some caustically casual racist remarks that are sprinkled throughout the volume. Unfortunately, as mystical as Fortune was, she was still a product of her time. This is used as an explanation and not an excuse. So if you read The MQ, prepare for a few cringe worthy moments. This almost made me lower the rating by a star, but the information and the way it's presented is excellent, so it retains a high rank but with that caveat.
January 14, 2017
Dense, comprehensive analysis of the Western Qaballah's ten sephiroth and the Tree of Life. Nothing is left under-analysed, every new age sin is here committed, frequently for the first time (physicists just catching up to Theosophists? Check. Freud as dimly grasping the truths of the ancient priesthoods? Check...) and the tired early twentieth century trope of race-as-destiny rolls round yet again (if only this had been its last hurrah).
And yet.
There's nothing *fuzzy* about Dion Fortune. When her presentation of this system (and it is a system) works, it works hard. Like Ezra Pound in modernist poetry, Fortune has to be taken account of. For anyone looking for a direct and clearly set-out (within the limits of the esoteric subject matter) insight into why some of the more creative and intelligent people of the 1900s, 1910s, 1920s took this material so seriously, this is as good a starting point as any and still better than most.
And yet.
There's nothing *fuzzy* about Dion Fortune. When her presentation of this system (and it is a system) works, it works hard. Like Ezra Pound in modernist poetry, Fortune has to be taken account of. For anyone looking for a direct and clearly set-out (within the limits of the esoteric subject matter) insight into why some of the more creative and intelligent people of the 1900s, 1910s, 1920s took this material so seriously, this is as good a starting point as any and still better than most.
March 12, 2015
I am certain I will return to this book and refer to it frequently. Dion Fortune's classic work on the Qaballah presents this system and schematic in a clear an logical manner. How I wish she had completed her work on the paths. After reading this book I now understand that this is a map, a memory palace and a structure. By the way, the cover artists sells lovely posters reproducing her work in greater detail, and I found that it helped me to refer to it as I read.
February 4, 2024
Nooo... nie było to do końca to, czego oczekiwałam od tej książki. Dużo osobistych przemyśleń, dużo wiedzy i elementów, które nie były wyjaśnione, więc nie rozumiem po co się tam znalazły. W sumie sama nie wiem dla jakiego odbiorcy została ona napisana
October 11, 2017
"Zayin... I represent the observance of the Sabbath, as it is written, 'Remember (Zakhor) the day of the Sabbath'" (p.315)
"Above the Abyss the Spirit functions through states from which emerge the qualities of Love, Wisdom and Strength." "On the emotional level there are feelings extended to the ecstacy of divine union which is love, and on the sensory level there is perception extended to the ecstacy of immortality which is strength."(p. 333)
I got really into this book, but at about halfway, it disappeared. I read other things, and then finally decided to order another copy. I wasn't able to get into it the way I had before. Hard to say why. It is, in some ways very logically organized, but then in others seems to dive off into tangents that make its use as a reference somewhat complicated. At any rate, I wasn't nearly as receptive as I had been a few years ago. Reading mostly in transit, the completion of the book took an inordinate amount of time, so a rhythm was never established. These faults are mine.
Fortune beats not around the proverbial bush, and attempts to lay the concepts out as clearly as possible. Still, 80 year old English can be significantly more circuitous than the contemporary vernacular. A second attempt with more focus is needed, but for now other texts await.
"Above the Abyss the Spirit functions through states from which emerge the qualities of Love, Wisdom and Strength." "On the emotional level there are feelings extended to the ecstacy of divine union which is love, and on the sensory level there is perception extended to the ecstacy of immortality which is strength."(p. 333)
I got really into this book, but at about halfway, it disappeared. I read other things, and then finally decided to order another copy. I wasn't able to get into it the way I had before. Hard to say why. It is, in some ways very logically organized, but then in others seems to dive off into tangents that make its use as a reference somewhat complicated. At any rate, I wasn't nearly as receptive as I had been a few years ago. Reading mostly in transit, the completion of the book took an inordinate amount of time, so a rhythm was never established. These faults are mine.
Fortune beats not around the proverbial bush, and attempts to lay the concepts out as clearly as possible. Still, 80 year old English can be significantly more circuitous than the contemporary vernacular. A second attempt with more focus is needed, but for now other texts await.
April 26, 2018
The book is meh... I think it is a very important book for students of esotericism and Qabalah. It is very good for meditating on the various aspects of the sephiroth and the paths as you work through the book. However, it is too much wrapped up in the psychological model for my taste, and is a little bit biased in this regard. For example, she views gods and goddesses simply as thought forms created by human imagination and empowered with veneration, and that astral visions are projections of the subconscious that may or may not reflect higher realities. These are popular ideas in late 19th century and early 20th century occultism. As I said, I do think it is one of those books that should be considered a must read for students. The books focuses almost entirely upon the Tree of Life, its use and structure, the 10 sephiroth, and 22 paths. It does not really go much into other aspects of the Qabalah or into practical applications or techniques. It is almost entirely theoretical text dealing specifically with the Tree of Life diagram.
November 6, 2014
Finally finished! It took me a long time to get through it, as it is all rather complex, and I could only process small sections at a time.
I don't think this was the best book to pick for a complete novice to this system.
While it is certainly very thorough, it is just so heavy.
But then, maybe that just goes with the territory.
By the end of the book, I must admit I was a little lost and unsure of exactly how to put this system to use, in both tarot and my magick.
This doesn't reflect so much on the quality of this book,but just my understanding of it.
This is one I will probably come back to after reading some lighter texts on the subject.
I don't think this was the best book to pick for a complete novice to this system.
While it is certainly very thorough, it is just so heavy.
But then, maybe that just goes with the territory.
By the end of the book, I must admit I was a little lost and unsure of exactly how to put this system to use, in both tarot and my magick.
This doesn't reflect so much on the quality of this book,but just my understanding of it.
This is one I will probably come back to after reading some lighter texts on the subject.
June 8, 2016
I can't wait to read her other books. Not that I'd know what a true adept reads like, but Fortune reads like one. This book has the feeling of an Eastern book, but not in a fabricated way, but holistically. There are some sentences or ideas that are a bit dated, but for the most part, id recommend this as an introduction to the (at least magical) qabbalistic system. It does get a bit repetitive, but only to induce several mantras that end up being really effective when used. This system goes mostly off of the Liber 777 correspondences, so I'd recommend this to any Thelemite.
March 22, 2017
On the one hand, this is *The* definitive work on Qabalah or at least the Christianized version adapted for European Occultism. On the other hand, it should be noted that it is very long, often boring, and at times quite racist and homophobic (though I'm sure it was scandalously progressive for the 1930's) and it should be noted that it is markedly different than the older Hebrew Qabalah in a few small but rather important aspects. On the plus side again it was one of those works that gave me many ah-ha moments and insights into human nature.
November 16, 2019
I've been reading fairly widely regarding ascension paradigms lately, including later books partially based on this one, but there was so much to be learned in the original. It's my first Dion Fortune book, and I really should have started with her earlier. I've been thoroughly confused about Kabbalah up to this point, and this has sorted out many things for me. I'm still confused about it -- I think it would take a teacher to help me really get some of the concepts -- but her clarity is phenomenal and has brought me quite far.
September 21, 2020
This is a very thorough guide to Qabalah and working through it. However it unfortunately has some portions that have aged rather poorly regarding concepts involving race, gender and sexuality. That said it is worth reading.
February 17, 2025
3.5
There are parts of this book I absolutely love. It’s a great introduction to hermetic qabalah, and I find most of its value as a reference point for the topic. The outlines at the beginning of each chapter on the spheres is wonderful. There really is not much content in here regarding application of the concepts to creative, or meditative practices though.
The attempted correlations between hermetic qabalah and dated science gets really old. The random homophobia out of nowhere is weird. Fortune straddles this line of being almost progressive in her thinking and approach and then randomly weaves in puritanical virtues. This work is definitely of its time. Keeping these filters in mind, there’s still a lot of good stuff you can get out this book, especially as a reference.
There are parts of this book I absolutely love. It’s a great introduction to hermetic qabalah, and I find most of its value as a reference point for the topic. The outlines at the beginning of each chapter on the spheres is wonderful. There really is not much content in here regarding application of the concepts to creative, or meditative practices though.
The attempted correlations between hermetic qabalah and dated science gets really old. The random homophobia out of nowhere is weird. Fortune straddles this line of being almost progressive in her thinking and approach and then randomly weaves in puritanical virtues. This work is definitely of its time. Keeping these filters in mind, there’s still a lot of good stuff you can get out this book, especially as a reference.
Read
March 21, 2018Not for me
June 27, 2025
This is a treasure trove of information on understanding the QBL. I wish I had read it earlier, but I will certainly be returning to mine its depths in the future.
August 9, 2025
Now this changes things.
February 1, 2020
Oprah-ass new-age kabbala; rabbis cry.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 133 reviews