The Kabbalah

As part of the background research for my new book Staccato House, I undertook a great deal of research into the occult, and into conspiracy theories which related to occult knowledge and traditions. I was very interested in weaving these themes into my story (a work of fiction, of course). There is a great deal of esoteric and arcane knowledge which is available out there, but is rarely ever formally studied- this made it intriguing as a sideline hobby to explore while I was working on the plot elements of Staccato House and in the process of writing my novel. 

Central to much of Western occult theory is the Kabbalah. The Kabbalah, or Cabala is synonymous with Hermeticism or Hermetic occult magic. Our word in English, 'cabal' which means a secret organised group of people, derives from this name. The Cabala was Jewish-Babylonian 'magic', according to occultists. It began to get widespread notice in Europe after the Enlightenment period. The Great Pyramid according to the occult is a symbol of the Cabalistic Tree of Life- the branches of the tree form the four streams or lines to the base of the pyramid. Here are some pictorial representations of the 'Kabbalah': 

Here are various definitions and explanations of the 'Kabbalah' according to online sources:

The Jewish-mystic explanation of the Kabbalah: http://www.jewfaq.org/kabbalah.htm

This is the introduction to the Kabbalah as explained by the official Kabbalah Centre, a form of New Age-spiritual enlightenment: https://www.kabbalah.com/what-kabbalah 

The Christian-occult versions of the Kabbalah explained in detail here: http://gnosis.org/jskabb1.htm 

Occult description of the Kabbalah and its meaning/use: http://www.occultopedia.com/k/kabbalah.htm

Here is the dark conspiracy-theorist explanation of the importance of the Kabbalah to various popular conspiracy theories allegedly involving the Freemasons and Illuminati: http://www.texemarrs.com/012006/occult_magic_of_jewish_cabala.htm