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Q.B.L.: Being A Qabalistic Treatise on the Nature and Use of the Tree of Life
Q.B.L. is a masterpiece of Qabalah and controversy. Its importance to the world of modern occult literature can be measured not only by its value as a remarkably understandable textbook of the fundamental Qabalistic principles, but also because it offers us a rare glimpse into the heart and mind of a brilliant, sincere seeker of wisdom and truth.
This book was controversial in 1922 when it was written and it continues to provoke passionate debate among 21st-century magicians, mystics, and Qabalists—some consider it an inspired advance in the evolution of Qabalistic though, others a damnable heresy.
Charles Robert John Stansfeld Jones (1886-1950), known by his magical name, Frater Achad, was the prize student of Aleister Crowley (1875-1947) the most famous magician of the 20th century. Indeed, for several years Crowley considered Achad his Magical Son, a shining example of the efficacy of his program of Scientific Illuminism.
Achad's revolutionary ideas concerning the basic structure of the venerable Qabalistic diagram, the Tree of Life, which he published in Q.B.L., however, drove a bitter wedge between the two men and sparked an ongoing controversy that to this day raises the blood pressure of otherwise mild-mannered mystics.
This book was controversial in 1922 when it was written and it continues to provoke passionate debate among 21st-century magicians, mystics, and Qabalists—some consider it an inspired advance in the evolution of Qabalistic though, others a damnable heresy.
Charles Robert John Stansfeld Jones (1886-1950), known by his magical name, Frater Achad, was the prize student of Aleister Crowley (1875-1947) the most famous magician of the 20th century. Indeed, for several years Crowley considered Achad his Magical Son, a shining example of the efficacy of his program of Scientific Illuminism.
Achad's revolutionary ideas concerning the basic structure of the venerable Qabalistic diagram, the Tree of Life, which he published in Q.B.L., however, drove a bitter wedge between the two men and sparked an ongoing controversy that to this day raises the blood pressure of otherwise mild-mannered mystics.
176 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1922
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About the author
Frater Achad
84 books25 followers
Charles Robert Stansfeld Jones
(1886-1950), aka Frater Achad, was an occultist and ceremonial magician. An early aspirant to A∴A∴ (the 20th to be admitted as a Probationer, in December 1909) who "claimed" the grade of Magister Templi as a Neophyte. He also became an O.T.O. initiate, serving as the principal organizer for that order in British Columbia. He worked under a variety of mottos and mantonyms, including V.I.O. (Unus in Omnibus, "One in All," as an A∴A∴ Probationer), O.I.V.V.I.O., V.I.O.O.I.V., Parzival (as an Adeptus Minor and O.T.O. Ninth Degree), and Tantalus Leucocephalus (as Tenth Degree O.T.O.), but he is best known under his Neophyte motto Achad (Hebrew "unity", אחד), which he used as a byline in his various published writings.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 5, 2023
So this book can be divided into 3 parts: The Qabalah Intro, the Thelema refresher, and then lastly the Weird Experimental Shit.
The first part is a good overview of the Hermetic or Occult Qabalah. It might be a lil much for total newbies but once you got some other books under your belt this will be a breeze.
The Thelema Refresher is important mostly for the next section which is mostly made up by the appendix. If you’re new to Thelema, again, I recommend doing some preliminary research before tackling this part but even if you don’t, most of it will click fairly easily.
The Weird Experimental shit is when it gets fun 😏
So this is where Achad, a student of Aleister Crowley and an important figure in the development of Thelema as a whole, starts playing games with Gematria and the shape of the Hebrew alphabet. This takes the form of him completely reconstructing the correspondence for the pathways of the Qabalistic Tree of Life and the Major Arcana of the Tarot.
For the most part I was with him when he was mostly basing his changes on zodiacal and elemental that were pretty backed up by passages from The Book of the Law. Towards the end though is playing with the numbers and shapes of the letters and words starts getting really out and isn’t a common thing seen in Qabalah. His breaking down of the Hebrew letters to their core shapes is something mostly often only seen on the traditional Kabbalah, that which holds true to the system’s Jewish origins. But even then, his justifications start getting more and more obtuse but I wouldn’t call them entirely incorrect either.
In the end, I’m excited to read his next book where he takes this idea of a reworked Tree further and I’m definitely curious to see how this all plays out in the development of the New Aeon English Qaballa. All in all, a good and interesting read
The first part is a good overview of the Hermetic or Occult Qabalah. It might be a lil much for total newbies but once you got some other books under your belt this will be a breeze.
The Thelema Refresher is important mostly for the next section which is mostly made up by the appendix. If you’re new to Thelema, again, I recommend doing some preliminary research before tackling this part but even if you don’t, most of it will click fairly easily.
The Weird Experimental shit is when it gets fun 😏
So this is where Achad, a student of Aleister Crowley and an important figure in the development of Thelema as a whole, starts playing games with Gematria and the shape of the Hebrew alphabet. This takes the form of him completely reconstructing the correspondence for the pathways of the Qabalistic Tree of Life and the Major Arcana of the Tarot.
For the most part I was with him when he was mostly basing his changes on zodiacal and elemental that were pretty backed up by passages from The Book of the Law. Towards the end though is playing with the numbers and shapes of the letters and words starts getting really out and isn’t a common thing seen in Qabalah. His breaking down of the Hebrew letters to their core shapes is something mostly often only seen on the traditional Kabbalah, that which holds true to the system’s Jewish origins. But even then, his justifications start getting more and more obtuse but I wouldn’t call them entirely incorrect either.
In the end, I’m excited to read his next book where he takes this idea of a reworked Tree further and I’m definitely curious to see how this all plays out in the development of the New Aeon English Qaballa. All in all, a good and interesting read
November 12, 2024
Great book for a beginner, but if you’ve studied Qabalah this book will not offer anything new (aside from the controversial Appendixes). The main reason I got it was for “The Bride’s Reception”. Now, I was with Achad as he described the new paths below the Abyss. It actually makes sense. I had always found it a bit strange that we started with the Tarot backwards while working up the Tree. (The Ra Material teaches the Tarot in sets of 7 for mind, body, and spirit in that order.) However, past this point it got a bit unhinged and I had a hard time following along.
The traditional attributions are good and have been proven to work well. The Book of the Law stated all the letter were aright except that Tzaddi was not the Star. The change with The Emperor works and other occultists who aren’t followers of Crowley attest to this (for example Gareth Knight). Achad started to interpret that verse as “NOT” (=LA 31) the Star. I thought the verse was clear with its meaning and that his interpretation is incorrect.
Anyway, the book was good, but it’s only basic information. Definitely a good start if you’re a beginner. Make your own decisions when reading the final parts of the book.
The traditional attributions are good and have been proven to work well. The Book of the Law stated all the letter were aright except that Tzaddi was not the Star. The change with The Emperor works and other occultists who aren’t followers of Crowley attest to this (for example Gareth Knight). Achad started to interpret that verse as “NOT” (=LA 31) the Star. I thought the verse was clear with its meaning and that his interpretation is incorrect.
Anyway, the book was good, but it’s only basic information. Definitely a good start if you’re a beginner. Make your own decisions when reading the final parts of the book.
January 5, 2021
An excellent treatise on the Qabalistic Tree of Life.
January 24, 2023
One of the clearer expositions of the Qabalistic Tree of Life and its relationship to the Tarot. Although much in line with Crowley's 777 and the Egyptian mythos underlying The Law Is For All, it does not align with Crowley's Thoth Tarot deck but references Waite's instead, which could bring some confusion depending on where you're coming from. Still, this work would appear to offer a very serviceable introduction to the Tree Of Life, the Tarot, and the fascinating nexus between them.
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August 27, 2018Errors in QBL book by Achad…
1. Binah is the 3rd Sephiroth, not the 6th (obviously 3 is not listed, and 6 is used twice. This is why.)
2. The Path Of Mem is Geburah to Hod, not Geburah to Netzach (There is no traditional path from Geburah to Netzach)
3. Not important - but the observation “but notice the slight projections of the upper line to the right” doesn’t seem at all noteworthy, or different from the letter He’ used in the book which he distinguishes it from.
4. He describes two paths as connecting Tiphareth and Netzach. The mistaken one is Ayin, which is Tiphareth and Hod.
I stopped keeping track after this. But there's more, just so you know.
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Only was interested in the Tree Of Life; The Paths and Sephiroths. Everything else just seems completely insignificant and meaningless... but maybe one day.
1. Binah is the 3rd Sephiroth, not the 6th (obviously 3 is not listed, and 6 is used twice. This is why.)
2. The Path Of Mem is Geburah to Hod, not Geburah to Netzach (There is no traditional path from Geburah to Netzach)
3. Not important - but the observation “but notice the slight projections of the upper line to the right” doesn’t seem at all noteworthy, or different from the letter He’ used in the book which he distinguishes it from.
4. He describes two paths as connecting Tiphareth and Netzach. The mistaken one is Ayin, which is Tiphareth and Hod.
I stopped keeping track after this. But there's more, just so you know.
--------------------------------------------------------
Only was interested in the Tree Of Life; The Paths and Sephiroths. Everything else just seems completely insignificant and meaningless... but maybe one day.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews