A closer look
Victorian magic clubs were essentially just massive esoteric pyramid schemes. The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn—which heavily influenced modern witchcraft and Wicca—structured their entire secret society around the Sephiroth of the Kabbalistic Tree of Life. If you wanted to get promoted from a lowly 'Neophyte' to a cool 'Zelator,' you had to pass rigorous tests mapping perfectly to Jewish mystical concepts. It was basically a corporate ladder, but instead of stock options, you got a fancy robe and a secret handshake.
