This is actually the first book I've read on the Qabalah of the Western Mystery Tradition, and I'm very much glad that I began here instead of somewhere else, such as Crowley. Like most of the glowing reviews before this one, I can't recommend this book enough to the curious occultist, and especially beginners. I've been practicing Qabalistic magic for about 3 months now, and this book more than any other (besides Modern Magick by Donald Michael Kraig) has facilitated more wisdom and understanding within me concerning the Qabalah than I ever could have hoped for.

Dion Fortune's writing style, whilst claimed to be 'out-dated' by many, was one of my favorite parts of this book. I don't agree with her on some things, such as her views on government being a necessary institution for mankind, and that women are more emotionally inclined and intellectually lacking, but despite the flaws that I personally find within the book, the overall knowledge and beauty within this book overwhelmingly make up for them.

Highly recommended. Don't wait to pick this one up. Do yourself a favor and get it right now.

This is actually the first book I've read on the Qabalah of the Western Mystery Tradition, and I'm very much glad that I began here instead of somewhere else, such as Crowley. Like most of the glowing reviews before this one, I can't recommend this book enough to the curious occultist, and especially beginners. I've been practicing Qabalistic magic for about 3 months now, and this book more than any other (besides Modern Magick by Donald Michael Kraig) has facilitated more wisdom and understanding within me concerning the Qabalah than I ever could have hoped for.

Dion Fortune's writing style, whilst claimed to be 'out-dated' by many, was one of my favorite parts of this book. I don't agree with her on some things, such as her views on government being a necessary institution for mankind, and that women are more emotionally inclined and intellectually lacking, but despite the flaws that I personally find within the book, the overall knowledge and beauty within this book overwhelmingly make up for them.

Highly recommended. Don't wait to pick this one up. Do yourself a favor and get it right now.

There is no better place to start than this book if you want a solid foundation in Western Qabalah. Dion Fortune headed up her own magical order, and this book is written from the perspective of an experienced practitioner. Start here before you branch off with other writers.

There isn't much I can add to the other positive (and nicely detailed) reviews. This is simply one of, if not the best, books you can buy regarding the western tradition. Get this, then pick up Crowley's 777 for checking details, symbols, correspondences, etc. This is a strange area of study in that, on one hand, every piece of valid information you can get your hands on is helpful, but on the other hand it's very subjective when it comes down to the practice itself.

The only thing I can think to add is that A.O. Spare and Alan Moore are the only authors that have done as much to educate me as Fortune and Crowley.

This is an excellent book. I enjoyed every inch of it. Going into the book I had no knowledge of the Qabalah. My knowledge has grown to what I consider to be more than a basic or general understanding. I own several books by Dion Fortune and I must say this is the best of them. It is very well written and also extremely practical in its approach.

First off, let me say that I love this book. My problem is with whatever nitwit or nitwits at Weiser who re-edited this book, who, among other things, ran amok with the spelling and grammar checker. The most glaring instance is how "ein soph aur" has been changed to "or, ein soph"! For an example of changes made to the substance of the text itself, see the earlier customer review: "New Edition is badly flawed." By Greg Wotton. This edition is useful for the updated material added to the back of the book, but for the main text I recommend keeping your earlier edition, or if you do not have one getting a used copy.

What others below this review have stated regarding cultural bias and archaic science is true. However, we should always wear our ethno-culturocentric colored glasses when reading anything over fifty years old. Dion Fortune is an excellent writer, nonetheless, and her numbered paragraphs system makes each paragraph worth digesting on its own. Compare her writing to MacGregor Mather's "Kabbalah Unveiled" or the pedantic A.E. Waite's "Holy Kabbalah"...is it their Kabbalah that is difficult, or is it their language that makes them unnecessarily difficult reads? Ditto the reviewer who said this book has changed the way she approaches her study of Qabalah. The Mystical Qabalah is pleasurable and prerequisite. Another practical companion, a close second in readability would be Will Parfit's little primer, "The Elements of the Qabalah".

Some keen observations Fortune made that I wish to reveal here: This book was written in the 1930s. When she talks about the conflagration of the Alexandrian Library in Egypt, she wonders out loud how many sacred mystery texts have yet to be discovered buried under the desert sands. She also mentions the Essenes dwelling near the Dead Sea. Ofcourse, in 1945 the Nag Hammadi codices were discovered, where else, but under the Egyptian desert sands. In 1947, the first of the Dead Sea Scrolls was discovered in a cave in Qumran.

Another fundamental source for those of us who are interested in comparative religion is her classifying the three branches of higher consciousness: the devotional discipline, which is religious observance; the mystical discipline, which is the meditative or "putting yourself in a different space" kind of god consciousness, like the sufis, or hermits, Gnostics, etc.; and the occult or philosophical discipline, wherein the practitioner seeks to create change, making a situation adapt to the will, rather than adapting to the situation. It is important to understand these three tiers of spiritual understanding and practice. Likewise, the Tree of Life can be a glyph for understanding one's relation to the universe, or it can be a tool for effecting change in one's universe--Ms Fortune teaches us the former, while not-so thinly alluding to the latter.

I caught this mistake, but perhaps someone can reconcile it for me: In one passage she correlates the Pillar of Severity, with Binah at its head, in the house of Venus, with the feminine aspect, or the Chinese "Yang"...of course, any school child of our era can tell you Yin is the feminine aspect. Also, more than passing familiarity with Chinese Taoism, I would modernize her correspondence further. She equates the Middle Pillar with "Tao". I think the Middle Pillar is more correctly equated with "Tai Chi", while Tao, which is not strictly the balance of the yin and yang, as is the ta'i chi (great ultimate), but is something more than the sum of its parts, or nothing at all. Therefore, I think Tao is more correctly relegated to kether, the crown. In any case, in Fortune's time Western mystics had a nasty habit of mixing, matching and trying to reconcile eastern philosophical systems with western. I am totally against it, as it is like fitting a square peg into a pentagonal hole.

Finally, I can't easily express my delight at reading this book, above all others on the subject. I think Dion Fortune both knew her material on an intuitive level and was a natural born teacher. If I could make an analogy, it's like the difference between simply memorizing the Pythagorean theorem by wrote, versus manipulating formal trigonometric operations in your head for sport.

This book is a classic work on the magical qabalah which is a must-read for all students of Western Mystery Magick.

It is not about jewish kabballah, true. But it is an insight from a period in which the Western Mystery Tradition flourished into the way it was used by secret societies and of course the followers of Dion Fortune still practice her way and interpretations of the system in the same way today.

There are better books available today - such as the excellent CLIMBING THE TREE OF LIFE by David Rankine. John Bonner's book is pretty good too. But Mystical Qabalah should be read alongside these more contemporary books.

I would personally recommend Rankine's book first, followed by Bonner and then Fortune as students will find it easier to follow the symbolism and practices in this way. Reading Mystical Qabalah when you have little or no knowledge of Western Mystery Qabalah will make for a difficult, if not impossible read.

Classic, but archaic and certainly not the best available anymore. However, still a must read - thus ****

Best book I've ever read. Seriously. Buy this. I am a Kabbalist and this is what shifted how I work with Kabbalah and the astral in general.
All of her books are amazing. Look past the bias.

One of the books that any student of the Western systems should have on their shelves.
The information is clear and easy if you are a beginner and an accurate reference if you consider yourself advanced.
One setback is that at the time of writing, most authors were very cautious in giving out usable information. Consequently we are flooded with books of this type that give knowledge but we often find we can do little with it.
One direction some of the bold have ventured, is the practice of Magic/k, this of course gives `techniques' for interacting with `beings' of other realities/dimensions. If Qabalah is the map, Magic is at least, the telephone.

However until recently no one author disclosed what the other realities/dimensions were, how to get there and what to expect when you arrived!!
Tom Campbell's TOE trilogy was for me the books that did it, they turned my multiverse on its head and enabled me to see past the limitations of magic/k without denying its value.
The staggering wealth of the next stage of self is astounding.
Other useful publications I have found are Laura Knight-Jadczyk's `Secret History', and the books on Gnosis by B Mouravieff.
For those who wish to learn how to generate the energy to visit the `other' realms, or to help make magic work, Robert Bruce's books are pretty good

I don't know how many times I've read this book. Each time I do, I discover something new. Read this book.

This book is essential for any occultist/mystical student, as it is necessary to know the Kabbalah when relating ourselves to "the path" and with the organization and structure of the universe within and without.

A perfect compliment to Samael Aun Weor's masterwork book "The Initiatic Path in the Arcana of Tarot & Kaballah".