Tree of death (Kabbalah)
The
Tree of death, also referred to as the
Adverse tree, refers to the reflection or opposite aspects of the
Tree of Life within the system of the
Kabbalah of
Judaism, and can be seen an expression of the
Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil mentioned in the
Book of Genesis.
Etymology
Qliphoth,
kliffoth or
klippot (
Heb. קליפות qelippot, meaning "shells" or matter
[The Kabbalah or, The Religious Philosophy of the Hebrews by Adolphe Franck translated by I. Sossnitz (1926): Relation of The Kabbalah to Christianity page 279], singular: קליפ×"
qelippah) and (sometimes (קליפות the primeval "husks" of impurity) refer to the representation of
evil forces in the
mystical teachings of Judaism (such as in the
Kabbalah.)
Description
The Tree of death, or
qlipothic tree, consist of 10 spheres in opposition to the
sephiroth on the Tree of Life. These are also referred to as the "evil twins". They are also the "Evil Demons of Matter and the Shells of the Dead."
[ The Golden Dawn by Israel Regardie]The three evil forms (before Samael), are said to be Qemetial, Belial, and Othiel.
[Liber 777 by Aleister Crowley]Bill Heidrick gives his own interpretation on the adverse tree, saying that the spellings are "mostly reconstructions with alternatives. Nonetheless, it is believed that the majority of the above are at least suitable if not perfect." He also says goes on to say that "These names are sometimes called the 'adverse Sephiroth' instead of the Demonic Orders. A.E. Waite makes this later point in his Holy Kabbalah, page 256. "
[Magical Correspondences by Bill Heidrick]The Adverse Sephiroth and Governors
What proceeds comes from the
Notes on the Demonic Orders (Adverse Sephiroth) in Magical Corresspondences by Bill Heidrick.
Thamiel
Thamiel: Duality in God
"Thamiel represents duality whereas
Kether represents unity. Thus Thamiel is the division of that which is perfect only in unity. As a demonic order name, the Thamiel were before their 'revolt'. This signifies, 'Perfection of God'. These angels sought to become more powerful by adding an Aleph to their name. They then became the , 'Duality of God', an order of the lesser demons. In the lowest state of their 'fall', they become the , 'the Polluted of God'. The cortex or outer form of the Thamiel is called Cathariel, , 'the Broken' or 'Fearful Light of God'."
Satan : Adversary and King
To Thamiel, "there are two demons that are attributed to stress the view that the demonic opposite of Kether is duality instead of unity and are
Satan and
Moloch or Malech."
Chaigidel
Chaigidel: Confusion of the Power of God
"These are the confusion of that great power which, as
Chokmah, goes forth at the beginning to give the vital energy of creation to the processes of Binah. The cortex of the Chaigidel is called Ghogiel, 'Those Who Go Forth into the Place Empty of God'."
Beelzebub: Lord of the Flies and Adam Belial: Wicked Man
To Chaigidel, "both Satan and
Beelzebub are attributed as well as Adam Belial. The name Belial is often used separately as a demonic name."
Sathariel
Sathariel: Concealment of God
"Even as
Binah is the great revealing one who bestows the structure of the Absolute onto the created, its opposite, the Sathariel, conceal the nature of The Perfect. The cortex or outer form of the Sathariel is called the order of Sheireil, , 'The Hairy Ones of God'."
Lucifuge: One Who Flees Light
To Sathariel,
Lucifuge "is attributed and is probably a name made up to replace the name
Lucifer, 'Light Bearer'."
Gamchicoth
Gamchicoth: Devourers
"
Chesed is the source of bounty both in idea and in substance to the lower forms. Gamchicoth is the order of 'Devourers' who seek to waste the substance and thought of creation. The outer form is the order of Azariel, , 'The Binding Ones of God'."
Astaroth: One of the Flock
To Gamchicoth, "
Astaroth is attributed. This is the name of the goddess Astarte, the
Ishtar of the
Babylonians and perhaps also the
Isis of the
Egyptians."
Golab
Golab: Burning Bodies
"
Geburah is a going forth in power to rule in strength. The order of Golab is composed of those who burn to do destruction --- even on themselves. The outer form is the Usiel, 'The Ruins of God'."
Asmodeus: The Destroying God
To Golab,
Asmodeus is attributed. "This name is half
Hebrew and half
Latin. Asmodeus is often mentioned in the literature of
demonology. The name can also be translated as 'The one adorned with fire'."
Togaririm
Togaririm(n): Those Who Bellow Grief and Tears
"
Tiphereth is the place of great beauty and rejoicing. The Togaririm build ugliness and groan about it. The cortex of the Togaririm is called the Zomiel, , 'The Revolt of God'."
Belphegor: Lord of the Dead
To Togaririm, "the replacement of Tiphereth, the sphere of the vitalizing Sun, with a place holding
Belphegor, the lord of dead bodies, is most striking."
Harab Serapel
Harab Serapel: Ravens of the Burning of God
"
Netzach is the openness of natural love. The Harab Serapel are the Ravens of Death who reject even their own. The outer form is Theumiel, , 'The Fouled Substance of God'."
Baal: Lord and Tubal Cain: Maker of Sharp Weapons
To Harab Serapel, "
Baal is attributed, and is "a word which means
Lord, much as Adonai means Lord. The word Baal or 'Bel' has become restricted in its usage to signify a 'Lord of Darkness'." Also attributed is Tubal Cain.
Samael
Samael: The Desolation of God, or The Left Hand
"
Hod is the complex working of the will of the Absolute. Samael represents the barren desolation of a fallen and failed creation. The outer form is the Theuniel, , 'The filthy Wailing Ones of God'."
Adrammelech: Powerful King
To Samael,
Adrammelech is attributed. "This name is found in Second Kings: XVII, 29-31: ' And the men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, and the men of Cuth made Nergal, and the men of Hamath made Ashima, and the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burnt their children in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim."
Gamaliel
Gamaliel: Polluted of God
"
Yesod is the place of the final forms that become matter in Malkuth. The Gamaliel are the Misshapen and polluted images that produce vile results. The outer form is the order of Ogiel, , 'those Who Flee from God'."
Lilith: Night Spector
To Gamaliel,
Lilith is attributed and "is the grand lady of all demons. The demons are sometimes considered to be the children of Lilith and is said to be the woman who comes to men in their dreams."
Nehemoth
Nehemoth (or Lilith): Whisperers (or Night Spector)
"These are responsible for frightening sounds in strange places. They excite the mind and cause strange desires." This corresponds with
Malkuth as well.
Nehema: Groaning
To Nehemoth,
Nehema is attributed, "and is traditionally a demon and the sister of Lilith, possibly a remembrance of the Egyptian Nephthys and Isis. It is conceivable that Nehema is the same as
Naamah, the sister of Turbal Cain."
All Judaic interpretations of the qliphoth agree they are the cause of evil and suffering (see
theodicy). There are kabbalistic worldviews that seek to explain evil without use of the qliphoth concept, as aspects of the
sephiroth (singular:
sephirah)
Binah,
Gevurah and
Hod.
The
Zohar describes the qliphoth as the result of
separation necessary in the act of
creation. Between two things, there must be a gap or barrier, and that is a qliphah.
In what may be the most widely-accepted teaching, they are the "[empty] husks" of "[holy] sparks" (
nitzotzot) that were cast down after
Adam and Eve defied God's command not to eat from the
Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil in the
Garden of Eden as told in the
Book of Genesis.
A
Hasidic view states that in the process of creation, ten
sephiroth were created, each
encapsuled by a qliphah. The ten
sephiroth are thought to be ten divine "enumerations" or "emanations" of
God into the
universe. The first set of ten qliphoth proved too weak to hold the emanating force, and the lower seven of them broke. They were replaced, but the broken former set, animated by a
residue of the creative power of God, remained and conflicts with those aspects of the world corresponding to the lower seven sephiroth.
A more modern interpretation attributes the creation of the qliphoth to an inherent imbalance towards the
Severity aspects of creation, which occurred either in Adam and Eve eating from the
Tree of Knowledge but not the
Tree of Life, or before that, in creation itself. The latter view is sometimes elaborated to state severity had to lose power to produce a balanced creation, and the excess power formed the qliphoth.
In a similar but less mystical interpretation, qliphoth come into existence whenever the powers of the sephiroth are used wrongly, and may manifest in any form, ranging from
hurricanes to
car wrecks to
demons and other
supernatural creatures.
Writing in
The Kabbalah Unveiled, of the founding texts of Hermetic Kabbalah,
MacGregor Mathers equals these forces to the Kings of
Edom. He also offers the suggestion they are the result of an imbalance towards
a merciful aspect of God and have since been destroyed. [
1]
In subsequent Hermetic teachings, the Qliphoth have tended, much like the sephiroth, to be interpreted as metaphysical
worlds or
entities, and merged with ideas derived from
demonology.
In addition to this, there are also
The Seven Infernal Habitations or seven hells (
Tehom,
Abaddon,
Titahion,
Barshacheth,
Tzelmoth,
Shaarimoth and
Gehinnom), twelve Qliphotic orders of demons, three powers before Satan and twenty-two demons which correspond to the 22 letters of the
Hebrew alphabet.
The qliphoth gained further independence in the writings of
Kenneth Grant and his
Ordo Templi Orientis. Here, they comprise a
Tree of death opposite or behind the Tree of Life. This concept is a central tenet of the magical order
Dragon Rouge.
The
qliphoth are thought of as the opposites to the sephiroth. It is thought that the
qliphoth are the ten (or eleven) manifestations of darkness, into which God's divine light cannot reach. The
qliphoth are the personifications of an "anti-God" condition. The assumption that such a condition can even exist spotlights how distant this view is from Judaic Qabalah, and how much it is informed by
Luciferianism.
This interpretation is very much a recent and marginal one, and even inside
occultism it is probably shared only by a small
minority. It is notable however, in first treating the qliphoth not as a disdained and unimportant topic but as a central concept described in much detail.
Like nearly all kabbalistic concepts, the qliphoth have been described in numerous ways often very much different from each other. They are also a decidedly obscure area of Kabbalah, which may have fueled speculation. Thus, the following is to be taken as an incomprehensive list of conflicting views, not as various aspects of the same concept.
Fallen angel*
Notes on Kabbalah: The Qliphoth by Colin Low
*
Newsnet post outlining some history and contents of the qliphoth concept
