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stellagramina's review against another edition
3.0
Content note: racism, homophobia, transphobia
This is an important text in the context of the modern Western magical tradition. Fortune does a good job of describing the Tree of Life for the modern (pre WW2) reader. There is some pseudoscience that made me uncomfortable, as well as transphobic, homophobic, and racist comments made in passing. I would recommend this to anyone who seriously studies tarot or anything esoteric, but it is definitely a product of its time, so I can't rate it as high as I might otherwise.
This is an important text in the context of the modern Western magical tradition. Fortune does a good job of describing the Tree of Life for the modern (pre WW2) reader. There is some pseudoscience that made me uncomfortable, as well as transphobic, homophobic, and racist comments made in passing. I would recommend this to anyone who seriously studies tarot or anything esoteric, but it is definitely a product of its time, so I can't rate it as high as I might otherwise.
wildguitars's review against another edition
4.0
Very good book to start learning cabala, alot of occult books i find boring and dragging or poorly written but dion fortune mostly keeps to the point and is honest with her readers.
elusivity's review against another edition
5.0
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!
arthurb's review
I had it on a subscription which I canceled. Would like to continue at some point.
everyeggmm's review against another edition
4.0
The Mystical Qabalah is a masterpiece in Western esotericism written by Dion Fortune, one of the most prolific authors to come out of the Golden Dawn current of magick, right up there with Crowley and Regardie - this book being the one that sealed her spot as one of the greats. Here, Fortune dives into an in-depth exploration of the ten sephiroth that make up the kabbalistic tree of life, providing not only expositions on their natures and correspondences, but also the way they interact with one-another to form a whole.
This last point is perhaps what makes Fortune's book as fantastic as it is. Whereas other authors I've read seem to just reiterate the same lists of characteristics over and over when it comes to describing the tree of life, Fortune takes a comparative approach, believing that they sephiroth cannot be understood separately, but rather bu their relationships to each other. Taking this top-down approach to analyzing the tree yields more than looking at all parts individually ever could.
Still, it's not a book without its faults. Whereas a criticism against someone like Crowley might be that his writing is too obtuse, Fortune's fatal flaw is how dry her writing is. As riveting as parts of this book may be, as eye-opening as it was, it also can be so very, very boring at times. On more than one occasion while reading, it quite literally put me to sleep.
This last point is perhaps what makes Fortune's book as fantastic as it is. Whereas other authors I've read seem to just reiterate the same lists of characteristics over and over when it comes to describing the tree of life, Fortune takes a comparative approach, believing that they sephiroth cannot be understood separately, but rather bu their relationships to each other. Taking this top-down approach to analyzing the tree yields more than looking at all parts individually ever could.
Still, it's not a book without its faults. Whereas a criticism against someone like Crowley might be that his writing is too obtuse, Fortune's fatal flaw is how dry her writing is. As riveting as parts of this book may be, as eye-opening as it was, it also can be so very, very boring at times. On more than one occasion while reading, it quite literally put me to sleep.
occultivatedbooks's review against another edition
4.0
I'm not going to lie, this one has taken me YEARS to read! But I'm officially done and ultimately felt that it was worth the slog.
Of course Kabbalah study is problematic and I cannot review the book without acknowledging that. But that aside, I did learn a lot that contextualized my understanding of the Western Esoteric view of Kabbalah.
Pros: learned quite a bit, the insights were generally intriguing, and it added depth to my understanding
Cons: dense, sometimes obscure text and at times very heavy Christian rhetoric
Would I recommend it? Yes - but as something you read one section at a time.
Of course Kabbalah study is problematic and I cannot review the book without acknowledging that. But that aside, I did learn a lot that contextualized my understanding of the Western Esoteric view of Kabbalah.
Pros: learned quite a bit, the insights were generally intriguing, and it added depth to my understanding
Cons: dense, sometimes obscure text and at times very heavy Christian rhetoric
Would I recommend it? Yes - but as something you read one section at a time.
skahn's review against another edition
4.0
This is a good presentation of Kabbalah. Dion Fortune is cautious in her claims, writing in a male-dominated "genre" but this gives a lot of what she says staying power. the imaginative fancies of less cautious authors tend not to age very well. Though I do not agree with her associations of the chakras nor her intepretation of the "false Sephirah" known as Daath, there is much value in this work - even in being forced to grappled with disagreeing with it
nejohnson's review against another edition
4.0
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.
elusivity's review
5.0
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!
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