Queer Qabala: Nonbinary, Genderfluid, Omnisexual Mysticism & Magick

by Enfys J. Book, Christopher Penczak (Foreword)

A fresh look at Hermetic Qabala, this book highlights the inherent queer and non-binary nature of this powerful mystical system as well as the innate inclusivity of its practice. Author Enfys J. Book explains the basics of Qabala in an easy-to-understand way, making it a powerful spiritual tool for any practitioner to enjoy.

While walking you through the Tree of Life and its ten spheres (Sephiroth), Enfys offers a variety of pathworkings, exercises, and spells to deepen your understanding. Through these magickal workings and the modernization of outdated language, this book encourages all readers to expand their viewpoint of Qabala. It welcomes queer people to see themselves in this esoteric practice and invites teachers to update their lesson plans by making them friendlier and more accessible to all.

Genres: LGBT, Nonfiction, Queer, Spirituality

256 pages, Paperback

Published June 8, 2022

About the author

Enfys J. Book (they/them) is an author, priestx, blogger, teacher, performer, singer, songwriter, and comedian. They wrote the Gold COVR award-winning Queer Qabala: Nonbinary, Genderfluid, Omnisexual Mysticism & Magick (Llewellyn, June 2022); co-authored (with Ivo Dominguez, Jr.) Sagittarius Witch (Llewellyn, 2024); and wrote the forthcoming Queer Rites: A Magickal Grimoire to Honor Your Milestones with Pride (Llewellyn, 2025).

They are also a founding member of the “funny, filthy, feminist, fandom folk” band The Misbehavin’ Maidens, the creator of a website on queer magick called majorarqueerna.com, and the host of a podcast called “4 Quick Q’s: Book Talk with Enfys,” where they interview pagan authors using questions determined by a roll of the dice. They have taught many classes on tarot, Hermetic Qabala, magickal rites of passage, and queering one’s magical practice at conferences and events around the world.

By day, Enfys is a technical account manager at a tech company, specializing in content migration and onboarding new customers.

As a nonbinary, bisexual pagan and performer, Enfys employs a queer lens to break down limiting binaries in magickal practice, and advocates for bi, trans, non-binary/genderqueer, queer-, and asexual visibility and inclusion through their writing and music.

Reviews

[Ariel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hi y’all. So glad you enjoyed the book! One major problem. Kabbalah is a CLOSED PRACTICE. Non-Jews do not get to practice it. It is Jewish, and only Jewish. We, the people who practice it, aren’t even supposed to study Kabbalah until we are 40. So I, a queer Jew, have 15yrs before I can even consider studying it. Why? Because it’s to dangerous to study for someone (a Jew, because that’s who can study + practice it) who doesn’t have base knowledge of our Torah, Midrash, Talmud, etc. It takes 37 years of pre-study (we start at age 3) before we are allowed to study Kabbalah.

So please, please, do not appropriate this closed practice. It’s massively disrespectful, and it’s dangerous. Kabbalah is not something studied for fun or lightly. It’s serious. It’s hard. It’s dangerous. Please do not appropriate our culture + faith. Thank you.

[Morgan · Rating 1 out of 5]

"Magick" pagans stop cultural appropriation challenge. Kabbalah is a Jewish tradition. It's insulting for ex-Christans to "reclaim" a tradition which isn't theirs. If you want to learn about queer Kabbalah, read something by a queer Jew.

[yehudit · Rating 1 out of 5]

Kabbalah isn't for non-jews to rewrite. It is a closed Jewish practice. This is incredibly inappropriate and appropriative.

[Cassandra Corrigan · Rating 1 out of 5]

As a genderqueer gentile pagan, I feel the need to reiterate what many Jewish people have already said. Kabbalah is a closed practice with roots in Jewish mysticism, and this is a fact that anyone who has studied Kabbalah for more than 5 minutes knows. It is not for non-Jewish people to partake in or profit off of. I would be all for a book focused on queer magic, especially one focusing on the issues of trans and non-binary people- especially considering the rampant transphobia in certain neopagan communities such as Dianic Wicca. But cultural appropriation is not the way to do it.

This is not how we fight bigotry in our communities. This is not how we uplift trans and non-binary people- in fact, this is just one of many ways we SILENCE Jewish trans people.

If you want to learn about Kabbalah, learn about it from actual Jewish sources who have studied it for years, not this Great Value stuff. Give THEM your money, not this author.

[Savannah]

putting this one down while i try to do a little more research. picked it up because it looked interesting and 'qabala' is a term unfamiliar to me, but when i did some googling to see if i could find a little more definition than given in the intro, i discovered there may be some appropriation of Jewish practice and faith. Would like to look into this more before i choose to continue reading.

dnf @ ~35%

[Irene Glasse · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Queer Qabala" is a revolutionary take on the magickal system that supports and governs the functioning of this world. And we finally have that take from an author who took one look at an inherently queer, deeply liminal, beautiful system and asked “Why isn’t anyone talking about this aspect of Qabala?”

Well, we definitely are now.

"Queer Qabala" is divided into three parts. The first section grounds the reader in the basic premise and function of Qabala. The Tree of Life and Sephiroth are presented in an understandable, contemporary fashion. Enfys also spends the first part of the book connecting the dots between queerness and magick, and making a compelling argument for the expansion of magickal practice through a queer lens.

The second part of the book takes the reader through each of the ten Sephiroth, covering both the nature and properties of each Sephira and its inherent queerness. In a bit of authorial genius, Enfys offers a queer identity, experience, or archetype that expresses the energy of each Sephira. These archetypes help draw the Sephiroth out of the realm of the conceptual and into the reality we know today. Fantastic pathworkings and exercises to connect with the Sephiroth help the reader truly integrate the system and understand it from their own perspective.

The third section of the book is a collection of workings, rituals, and tools using the Qabala and the reader’s new understanding of it. These workings are for everyone, queer-identified or not. Who doesn’t need more resiliency right now? Or help balancing their lives?

In case you couldn’t tell by now, I loved the book. It’s an amazing gift to the occult world, and one that is truly welcoming to everyone. "Queer Qabala" brings a fresh gaze to a traditional magickal system, reveals deep beauty and resonance that often gets overlooked, and gifts the reader with new tools and techniques to further their spiritual and magickal practice. The very best books not only improve our magick but also our outlook, and "Queer Qabala" does so with ease, humor, and potency.

[Storm Faerywolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

One might be tempted to think that Queer Qabalah is just a modern restructuring of traditional teachings to better fit with a modern sensibility. But what is so revolutionary about this book is that it doesn’t project a queer sensibility onto an existing, oppressive paradigm, but instead explores the inherent (and traditional!) queerness of the Qabalah, offering a lens that is at once both traditional as well as relevant to an evolving consciousness. Besides being an extremely important book for the queer occultist, this is also a sound introduction to the Qabalah in general, offering practitioners a greater understanding of the Tree of Life and how to work with it toward the betterment of their lives. Destined to become a staple for the queer occultist.

[パットリク · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this book from Edge of the Circle in Seattle, WA. It’s basically a tour of Hermetic Qabala from an explicitly queer perspective. This book counts as my first introduction to Qabala, and I was quite impressed and enthralled by the theory and practice of the Tree of Life. This guidebook gives several opportunities to pathwork, which have been helpful for me in reducing anxiety and increasing spirituality in me. I haven’t yet practiced magic, or believed such things could work. I’m a bit hung up on it given the clear interdictions of the Bible. That said, Qabala sprung from Judaism, from Neoplatonic philosophy and esoteric practice. Its applications are as many as its mysteries. Most powerful was one particular pathworking I took after smoking a bowl to see the effects. I went off the rails a bit and couldn’t comprehend Enfys as I drifted away. I met a spirit, an emptiness with a purple cloak and mask, named Matma, in a spinning tower somewhere in the cosmos. This spirit visited and said something I couldn’t yet understand. Then I perceived rainbows expanding from my legs and arms, eroding the space around me. I lost myself, became an absence, a void. This journey I associate with Chokmah, the sephirot of pure energy, even though I also floated between Hod and Netzach, between feeling and intellect. Underneath, the pure formless energy of Chokhmah pervades to such a degree. After I came out of it I felt more inspired and more open-minded, less set in my ways, less set in dogma. I read people who disagreed with me and tried to formulate counterarguments. So this expansion of spirit, of boundless energy, led to an expansion of self. This is the meaning of spirituality, to transgress boundaries of the self and to seek unity with society, and with God.

[Liquidlasagna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think Enfys explains things beautifully, especially in interviews.

I may not agree with quite a few interpretations, and most people's over-magnified emphasis of sexuality and the Qabalah.

Yes there are male/female energies in all people, and at higher levels there can be integration, and i don't think it needs to sexual in any way, shape or form.

Though i'm neutral at best with some ideas, some things are explained very nicely, and the true worth of the book is that it speaks to an audience and the exercises will help ground people, and understand their individuality, and deal them deal with their struggles to achieve what they want in this world.

I may not appreciate nonbinary, genderfluid, omnisexual, or any type of sexual concepts in this subject, but i like the author's voice.

And if someone wants to see the moon's astrological energies and archangel of Yesod is the super drag queen archetype, it's just oddly flaky to me. But there's a lot of effort in the book to be gentle and healing.

And I liked That Witch Life Podcast

I think there's Astrological Energies to the spheres, and Hebrew Archangels, and roughly three Enochian Aethyrs and their Karmic/Spiritual Lessons to each one (and half of those lessons are unusually harsh)

But i think the only sexualized context is that there are negative and positive forces within us, or male and female energies, and they usually don't merge because it could be harmful to us.

And Regardie's Middle Pillar Ritual is helpful, and doesn't have any harmful or unpleasant side effects like Yoga-Tantra-Kundalini.

You are who you are, and we all have problems we want to solve, and we want to find out who we are, and what our purpose is, and how to live harmoniously as best we can in the universe.

Even if we feel, we didn't ask to be here.

Enjoy the roller coaster ride, if you can.

[Hawkhead · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think it is important to clarify that there are 3 reviews here that are well-intentioned but misguided. While Kabbalah is, indeed, of Jewish mysticism origins, over time versions of study based upon the Kabbalah have been established. For hermetics, Qabalah. For Christians, Cabalah.

Magical study, delving deep into one's identity, self-improvement and the path towards enlightenment is not cultural appropriation. It is the quest for ascension.

Reaching back before the days of Judaism, spanning continents, various populations all practiced forms of shamanism. Today's faiths and practices all derive from forms of shamanism and have all taken bits and pieces from each other to be what they are. They are also, importantly, relevant to current times and not stuck in centuries past.

Read the book without fear of appropriation. Read the book with intention to apply what it teaches toward your self-enlightenment. If you believe that either the Universe or God, or the pantheon of Gods has your back, then you know that there is no judgment when you sincerely apply yourself to become a better person.

Note: 4 stars because I am about to purchase the book and based on what I know about it so far, it is beneficial. Rating will be altered up or down, after reading. I did think it was important to clarify that while Kabbalah is a Jewish mystic practice, Qabalah and Cabalah are just as valid, and in reality more practiced and interwoven with magical practices than Kabbalah is, just based upon sheer population sizes. Things that remain stagnant can rot, but things that remain current and in the minds of generations to come will remain vibrant.

[Eron Mazza · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am blessed to be alive in a time when queer spirituality is showing out loud and proud! With books like “ The Satyrs’ kiss“ by Storm Faerywolf and “Queer Magic” by Tomàs Prower , those of us who are of the “Rainbow path” we have quite a few choices!
And now we have another amazing book to add to our queer spirituality library, enter “Queer Qabala” by Enfys J.Book. This book is RESPECTFULLY researched and written. They take a subject that would be intimidating to someone (I.e. Me) and make it relatable and approachable. I feel like they take away a lot of the pageantry and pomp that comes with trying to learn about the tree of life that comes with learning it from books written by scholars.
Enfys also makes Qabala relatable by taking it out of the usual duality of the male/female pillars and comes at it from the “middle pillar.” I love this book and I believe it would be helpful for anyone looking to understand and study the tree of life from a unique and impactful perspective

[Alan D.D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Atrapante de principio a fin, con un estilo fácil de seguir, entender, explicaciones que van directo al grano, salvo por algunas al final del libro que parecen un poco rebuscado. Solo critico la inclusión de material bíblico que "podría" ser considerado como queer, cuando en la introducción le autore dice que no es fan, y aquí hace una excepción que realmente no agrega mucho. Fuera de eso, una lectura interesante y educativa.

Captivating from start to finish, with an easy-to-follow style, to understand, explanations that go straight to the point, except for some at the end of the book that seem a bit far-fetched. I only criticize the inclusion of biblical material that "could" be considered queer, when in the introduction the author says that they're not a fan, and here they make an exception that doesn't really add much. Other than that, an interesting and educational reading.

[Bobbie Sobel · Rating 5 out of 5]

So… Here we are… I finally finished Queer Qabala by Enfys J Book from a Jewish perspective. Go Out and get this book. I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed reading page after page. What I really appreciated was how they broke down the differences between Kabbalah and Qabala. The time and respect that was put into this book shines through every single page. They really made Qabala not only accessible, but thorough as well. The idea that the tree of life is essentially queer is a perfect representation of the duality and the spectrum it encompasses. One of the best things was making your own tree. Make it in a way that you can understand and deepen your relationship with the tree. We get so focused on memorizing but do we understand why behind it? This was something I’ve never done. I did this and it unlocked so much more.

[Lazarone · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this book you will learn about concepts which are not exclusively male or female and how they transcend genders, and this time those concepts are in relation to the esoteric teachings of Qabalah. Actually concepts were always there, and indeed (forex) they can be found in a Dion Fortunes book. In that way this book will open your mind to much broader and human insight. But beside that, in this text one will find a very fine general introduction to the theory of Qabalah and valuable practical magical techniques and rituals. New and fresh ideas are offered. In few minor places further explanations about some terms would be welcomed because Qabalah can be hard to grasp sometimes. One uplifting, beautiful and lucid book or in short: queer book recommended for all.

[M · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I could only recommend one Qabala book to friends and customers for the rest of my life, it would be this one. The author approaches the tradition with love and respect, reframing binary attitudes towards gender and addressing cultural appropriation from the start. They don't ask readers to rely on them as a sole authority on the subject: they provide amazing references and citations for readers who want to continue their journey.
You don't have to be queer to love this book -- it's for anyone who is curious, open-minded, and wants to build inclusion into the foundation of their Qabala practice. It will always have a plave on the shelf at my local bookstore, and I hope it finds a place on yours too.

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really excellent resource for newbies to Qabala! The author gives simple descriptions in a predictable format to help practitioners understand the general flow of the Tree of Life and how to view it from a non cisheteronormative perspective.

[Joshua Freedman · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent book. not just for LGBTQ+ but an amazing interpretation and covers a good bit. I felt lucky to read it.

[Alanna L.P. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book about QABALAH. Not KABBALAH. Not CABALA. I feel the author makes this very clear and anyone who is confused by that needs to do some research about these three very different modalities.

With that being said, as far as a QABALAH book goes, I found this book delightful. I’ve been studying Qabalah for over 10 years and I enjoyed the fresh perspective and guided meditations. The Tree of Life manifestation at the end of the book in the practical application section really touched my soul and reminded me why I love this sacred art so much.