An Introduction to the Mystical Qabalah

First: you need to know that the Qabalah as it is used by Western Occultists bears little resemblance to Qabalah as it is practiced by Chasidic and Orthodox Jews. (Dion Fortune says as much in this book, but many miss this distinction). The Qabalah of the Occultists should be judged as a thing in itself, not as an outgrowth of Judaism... in fact, you'll find that efforts to link the two will only get you confused.As a thing in itself, the Western Qabalah is a fine system for organizing the mind; it can provide a wonderful framework for structuring rituals, and it is a powerful mandala for meditation. And Dion Fortune's book is unquestionably the best introduction to the Qabalah of the Occultists. Her writing is clear and concise and her examples are easy to grasp. In connection with Crowley's *777*, this provides you with everything you need to create your own rituals in the Western Ceremonial tradition. (If you're going to do this, you should also [a] read Fortune's *Psychic Self-Defense* and [b] avoid slavishly following Crowley's suggestions: remember, the Qabalah is essentially an empty filing cabinet, to be organized in the way which suits your needs best... although some will hop up and down and scream "blasphemy" because I dared to say that).

Dione Fortune first published The Mystical Qabbalah in 1935. She was a member of the prestigous occult society, The Golden Dawn, and so many of the approaches this book takes draw from that order's conclusions. Aleister Crowley's ideas permeate this book as well. This book is written with a deeply prosaic style and study upon the text reveals layers of meaning. Considering the book was written over 60 years ago by a exceptional woman, in an age where women were far from being equal, I candidly recomend this title.

A must for those interested in learning the ancient and mystical tradition of Kabbalah as shown in its primary symbol - the Tree of Life. The serious student will find it an invaluable reference and resource. Written by one of the great women thinkers from the original Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, the founder of the Society of Light.

My copy of Dion Fortunes 'Mystical Qabalah'has become worn from years of use, and stained various colors from the different highlighters I have used each time I read it to mark out new revelations from it's pages. This book is more than a fantastic and definitive manifesto of the modern Qabalah (which it is) it is also a stand-alone philosophical work in itself. It awoke me in many ways. Seldom would I spend the time to actually write a review for any book I've read, but this one is different... I would actually recommend that *anyone* interested in the occult buy, steal, or make manifest this book into your reality...