ABSTRACT
Probably more than any other mystical philosophy, the Qabalah has exerted a profound influence on the occult. The Qabalah employs a complex symbol called the Tree of Life as its central motif, and it is because this Tree is such a pragmatic framework on which to base rituals and meditations that the Qabalah is relevant. According to the Qabalah the universe is composed of a dynamic conflict between life and death—building up and breaking down. Hesed maintains peace and order in the cosmos, Geburah breaks things down once their use is past. In fairness to the classical Qabalists, it has to be admitted that the summary given presents a modern, occult view of the Qabalah rather than an historical one. Magicians and occultists use the Qabalah and the Tree of Life as a framework on which to pin the symbols of all Western (and Eastern) religions. The Qabalah has thus become an intricate and profound ‘modernized’ cosmology.
