Qabalah Books I’d Recommend

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Today, I’d like to talk about the Qabalah, otherwise known as Kabbalah and sometimes Cabala. Specifically, I’ll be talking about how other people talk about it… and what I think about what they have to say. Pretty meta, right? No, it’s just a book review post.

First of all, why is this one word spelled so many different ways? Well, I believe Ivo Dominguez Jr answered this question most aptly, by saying:

“K” is for kosher
“C” is for Christ and
“Q” is for the trans-dimensional being from Star Trek

The Four Elements of the Wise by Ivo Dominguez Jr

Does that make sense? If so, good. If not, go read his book, too.

By some minor miracle, all the books we’ll be talking about today use the same spelling – the one with a “Q.” I’ll be discussing The Chicken Qabalah by Lon Milo Duquette, Qabalah for Wiccans by Jack Chanek, and The Mystical Qabalah by Dion Fortune.

The Chicken Qabalah by Lon Milo Duquette

It was a common practice for some older occult authors to ascribe their writings or manuscripts to ancient authorities. Duquette takes this to another level by not just ascribing to, but also inventing, a character of authority. One of the first things you should know about this book is that Rabbi Lamed Ben Clifford was not a real person (except, perhaps, as an alter ego of Duquette himself).

Our story opens with a fictional account of Rabbi Lamed Ben Clifford and anecdotal tales of how his Chicken Qabalah philosophy came about. The reader is even presented with a wallet card to self-certify themself as a Chicken Qabalist, whose official slogan reads: “Hell no! I don’t worry about it!” What follows then is a hodgepodge of material from Ben Clifford, including a failed documentary screenplay, the transcript of a radio interview, a collection of “rare essays” from students of the “Zerubbabel Institute of Philosophical Youth,” and more.

The story is so ridiculous, you almost don’t realize you’re being introduced to the Hebrew alphabet, the Qabalistic worlds, Ceremonial Magick, and the Sephiroth. These are complex topics that would otherwise scare the casual reader away.

Duquette is extremely active on Facebook. He posts regular videos and has a bunch of other books for your reading pleasure.

The Qabalah For Wiccans by Jack Chanek

If Chicken Qabalah was your first date with the Tree of Life, then Qabalah for Wiccans is like the entire first year of a relationship where you really start to get to know the Sephiroth.

Alright, that sounds a little weird. Let me try another metaphor.

If Chicken Qabalah is a black and white framework of the tree, Qabalah for Wiccans starts to add drops of color to the page.

Chanek takes a very different approach than Duquette. He makes Qabalah accessible, not by disguising the Hermetic or Ceremonial aspects, but by stripping them away almost entirely. This allows you to work with the core concepts without getting too caught up in complicated ideas. It is very much a feeling book rather than a thinking book.

Many authors in this realm like to throw a bunch of facts and logic at you, then leave without any real guidance on practical application. Qabalah for Wiccans fills that gap with exercises, meditations, and rituals for each one of the Sephiroth.

Jack Chanek has a blog over here if you’d like to go stay up to date on what he’s doing.

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The Mystical Qabalah by Dion Fortune

Not for the faint of heart. The Mystical Qabalah is a heavy book. And it reads so slowly, sometimes it’s almost difficult to get through. But it’s densely packed with everything you never knew you wanted to know about the Tree of Life.

Dion Fortune, whose real name was Violet Mary Firth, founded of the Society of the Inner Light in 1924. She was also a member of the Order of the Golden Dawn along with people like Waite, Yeats, and Crowley. She passed away in 1946, but her book is still a pillar of Hermetic thought. The Mystical Qabalah is a frequent “go-to” recommendation. The information isn’t as accessible, but at this level it doesn’t need to be. Sometimes it just takes work.

Which One Is Best?

All of them.

Seriously.

Lots of things make more sense if you view them in an appropriate order. For instance, the order of Star Wars movies is IV, V, VI, I, II, III, VII, VIII, IX. As such, I’ve presented these books in the order I feel is best: The Chicken Qabalah, followed by Qabalah for Wiccans, followed by The Mystical Qabalah.

I’ve read each of these books multiple times. I can honestly say that each time I go through one of them, I learn something new.

Disclaimer: I’m not endorsed by these authors in any way. I just legitimately like their books. I have, however, included Amazon Affiliate links in this post, which generate revenue for me if you make a purchase.