Richard
Ignore the silly spelling distinctions in the Wikipedia article. [size=+1] קבלה [/size] is the Hebrew spelling. Since C and K are commonly used for other Hebrew letters, I like to reserve Q to transliterate the initial letter [size=+1] ק [/size]. (There really is no standard way to transliterate Hebrew.) The word basically means Received. It's history is so murky that I am very reluctant to write much about it. It consisted of orally transmitted teachings until certain Jewish scholars in Europe started writing about it. Gershom Scholem may be the expert on these matters, but that is debatable among scholars.
Hermeticism and Neoplatonism certainly influenced Gnosticism in the early CE period and these three movements may have had an influence on Qabalah as it developed in Europe. Christian Qabalah refers to an adaptation of Qabalah by the Renaissance philosopher Pico della Mirandola. So-called Hermetic Qabalah probably refers to another adaptation of Qabalah by later European occultists. Vague terms, such as Hermetic, Gnostic, Qabalah, just can't be categorized with any degree of precision.
If you are concerned about the background needed for so-called Hermetic Qabalah, my suggestion would be to read Chicken Qabalah and then add to that information whatever you think you need for whatever direction you take.
ETA. Avoid The Kabbalah Centre like the plague. That's the cult which sucked in Madonna, among other notables, some of whom have since wised up.
Hermeticism and Neoplatonism certainly influenced Gnosticism in the early CE period and these three movements may have had an influence on Qabalah as it developed in Europe. Christian Qabalah refers to an adaptation of Qabalah by the Renaissance philosopher Pico della Mirandola. So-called Hermetic Qabalah probably refers to another adaptation of Qabalah by later European occultists. Vague terms, such as Hermetic, Gnostic, Qabalah, just can't be categorized with any degree of precision.
If you are concerned about the background needed for so-called Hermetic Qabalah, my suggestion would be to read Chicken Qabalah and then add to that information whatever you think you need for whatever direction you take.
ETA. Avoid The Kabbalah Centre like the plague. That's the cult which sucked in Madonna, among other notables, some of whom have since wised up.