Rating: 
Summary: An informative but strongly biased book
Review: A caution -- this is the first book I've read on kabbalah/qabalah, though I had a rudimentary grasp of the topic from books that touched on the subject (from both occult and Jewish approaches). However, since I expect many of the people reading this review will also be looking for their first book on qabalah, I hope my comments will be helpful.The major thing to know about this book was that it was written in England in the 1930's. It is very literate, clear, and relatively easy to follow, and since it was written as an introduction to the subject, it explains many of the more difficult concepts step by step. Fortune is well aware of the difficulty of her material and uses multiple examples to illustrate each of her points, often backtracking in order to show how later concepts fit together with earlier ones. Though she has a tendency to repeat herself, this seems like a strength when dealing such abstract material. Unfortunately, the book is weakened by strongly showing the biases of its time. Firstly, the book draws heavily on the standard 1930's understanding of physics -- and by this I mean the physics that was being taught in schools at the time, meaning 1. the concept of ether was still in use and 2. we're not just talking pre-quantum physics, but pre-relativity. The result is that many of the connections Fortune makes between the various cosmic forces and physical principles vary from irrelevant, being that her model is so outdated, to flat-out wrong. (This, of course, is the eternal danger of mixing science with metaphysical philosophy.) Second, Fortune shares at least some of the imperialist, elitist attitudes of early-20th century Britain. While I admire the fact that she condemns other occult writers for their elitism and their deliberate attempts to mislead the uninitiated, she still makes a number of comments about the "temperament of the European and Asian races" that are very much at odds with a 21st-century perspective. This is not to say that her observations are necessarily wrong, but she attributes to genetics what people today usually attribute to culture, and often makes sweeping generalizations that I found uncomfortable. Third, Fortune reinforces the traditional belief that women are born emotionally strong and intellectually weak, while men are born the opposite. Though she asserts that both men and women need to be strong in both areas in order to be whole people, this still seems a rather backwards point of view from a woman whose primary personality trait was so clearly her intelligence. While it may be true that men and women have tendencies in these directions, her belief that gender and certain personality characteristics come as an inseparable package is clearly wrong. If you can ignore these flaws as you read, this book is excellent for gaining a basic understanding of the qabalah from an occult perspective. For myself, however, I will be looking for a book whose biases are not quite so pronounced.
Rating: 
Summary: A Beauty
Review: Dion Fortune is at her best in this pillar of western mysticism. Not only does she manage to introduce the general reader to a topic of much complication and diversity, but she does so with grace and sensitivity to the topic. The real value of this work is especially evident when one has become somewhat familar with the rest of the works on Kabbalah; without question, one sees that 99% of the authors are merely repeating what others have said, and many of them are mimicking Dion Fortune. However, in spite of her contribution to this field and the importance her works has in the western spritual tradition, she was not authorized to reveal the Path in detail, nor provide the essential knowledge any seeker must have in order to enter into the real Path. This knowledge (Gnosis, Daath) was given beginning in 1950 by Samael Aun Weor. His mind-blowing "The Initiatic Path in the Arcana of Tarot and Kabbalah" is the greatest work of occultism of this aeon, and though new to English, will rise to legendary status in a short time. The comprehension of this work will provide any reader with the understanding required to see what Dion Fortune was saying indirectly; and she was saying a lot.
Rating:
Summary: Essential, but elusive
Review: Dion Fortune wrote in accordance with the needs of her time. This book, while perhaps her best, is as yet only an introduction to the subject of mysticism and the Tree of Life. All genuine occultists (positive or negative) recognize that the Tree is the essential key to access knowledge that lies beyond this physical world. Yet few reveal the real secrets of that art, and this book is no exception: it points toward the keys, yet does not reveal them. It is good to study these works, yet without the fuel to power the machine, it is not possible to move. Dion Fortune hints in most of her books toward the source of that fuel, but she does not reveal it openly. So those who do not have that key will be left guessing and building useless concepts in the mind, something even she warns against repeatedly. Read this book; it is valuable. But better still, read the works of Samael Aun Weor, the only one who was authorized to reveal the hidden key of all mystical traditions.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best books to buy on the Holy Qabalah
Review: Dion Fortune, despite her self-expressed Biblical and Christian leanings, is a valuable and flexible source of information regarding this once-obscure subject. Her elucidation is clear, rationally expounded, and written in a friendly voice. She shows us that the Qabalah is compatible with any religion, not only her own or that of Judaism, but that it serves a tool for understanding not only oneself better, but also onself's conception of the Divine. She is one of the few authors (that I have read) of any religion whatsoever that is perfectly willing to take a system she believes in and allow for it to be utilized in a tradition radically different from her own. Perhaps one flaw with the book is a benign one: she consistently repeats herself throughout. While this can be (and was) helpful in some circumstances, and is a welcome change from authors who give you a bit of information and expect you to never forget it, once you understand the point it can bog down the text. The only major flaw of the book is that it does not include such a detailed description of the 22 paths. It focuses exclusively on the sephira, neglecting what is really the most important part of the entire Tree. This is somewhat remedied, however, by the editorial addition which includes some writing on the paths. In the end, this is an essential text for anyone interested in mysticism, of any tradition. This book, as I understand it, is used to this day as the instruction material for Fortune's order, the Fraternity of the Inner Light. To this day it is a classic. Regardie, in his introduction to Crowley's 777 (which Fortune refers to repeatedly throughout the text), cites this book as a necessary introduction to that text, and a definite classic in it's own right. Coming from so esteemed a master of the Qabalah as Israel Regardie, one could not ask for a better endorsement. I emphatically recommend you buy this book.
Rating:
Summary: IMHO, the very best intro to QBLH
Review: 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).
Rating:
Summary: Mystical Qabalah
Review: I really looked forward to reading this book after encountering many references to it as one of the precious few sources of initiatic Qabalah. After an initial reading, I can see why it is held in such high regard. Rooted in the Western tradition, Fortune delivers a profound teaching specifically tailored to a Western audience in a stunning and transformative way. I could, of course, go on and on about the pearls of wisdom to be found here, but I would risk losing any semblance of objectivity and would rather leave it to you, the reader of this review, to intuitively sense the worth of Fortune's teachings. You won't be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent is the only word for this book.
Review: Such great detail, that I'm sure it will take me many, many reads before I even begin to remember what she has written. This really is like a sourcebook for all things Qabalah. Must-have for anyone seriously studying the subject. One word of warning though-- this is not an "easy read" Be prepared to *study* this text.
Rating:
Summary: The best work on the qubalah and the most definitive...
Review: Sure Ophiel's Qabala book is good, Ted Andrews stuff is all right. But if you want the knowledge that rooted it all and even influenced them: come to Dion Fortune's "Mystical Qabalah". It is the most powerful and definitive work on the Qabalah I've ever read. I ordered the original from Builders of the Adytum via Amazon.com and the original is the best, all the other stuff in the new version makes it a little too voluminous. But still, I tell you, it is the best in every way. When I read it, I understood all the forms of magic and how they work at their core, especially tarot, meditation, spells, et cetera and their hermetic core. It helped me with the why's and whats' of it all. Especially in pathworking. Happy reading. Captain Josh.
Rating:
Summary: Essential
Review: 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".
Rating:
Summary: If you're after...Qabalah Fundamentals
Review: This is a great book for getting the fundamentals of Qabalistic Magick down.
By the end of the book I felt I clearly understood the nature of each Sephira, symbols associated with them etc.
If you can avoid being put off by the Christian bias and black/white magick attitudes you can learn a lot.
You could read this with almost no knowledge of the Qabalistic system and still get a lot out of it.
Despite her clarity in some areas Dion Fortune tends to get caught up in unnecessarily long-winded descriptions or explanations if the topic is a difficult metaphysical one. Overall her writing style is beautiful - if a little old fashioned.
Read this if you are interested in the Book of Thoth/ Thoth Tarot as Crowley already assumes you know this stuff, it will definitely lead to a deeper understanding of the deck.
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