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On the Nature of the Qlippoth. What they are and how not to work with them. A high level introduction by Frater Acher.

On the Nature of the QlippothIntroductionThe following article is an excerpt from a longer introduction to key concepts of Lurianic Kabbalah. The full article covers elements of the history of Lurianic Kabbalah, the cosmology, a more in-depth description of the Sephiroth and their evil counter-forces (Qlippoth) as well as an introduction to classic techniques of the Practical Kabbalah. Obviously, there is wonderful and plenty of literature available on Kabbalah and no need to reproduce concepts here that are well explored already. The nature of the Qliphoth, however, is something that I found less accessible with much fewer (qualified) information available online. “Since the demons aren’t summoned anymore, they are coming by themselves.” — Müller-Sternberg, p.9 I hope these brief meditations on names and nature of the Qliphoth will therefore be helpful to shed some light on a naturally ‘dark’ topic. Let me also point out that all comments below are made from a perspective of Philosophical rather than Practical Kabbalah. The intention of this page is to increase the understanding of the nature of the Qliphoth, rather than providing a framework or method for actively working with them. Should you be interested in the latter, I keep it with Israel Regardie and recommend a qualified psychotherapy as your starting point.Finally, for a more in-depth introduction to the Qliphoth according to Lurianic Kabbalah let me point you to Gershom Sholem’s groundbreaking book ‘Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism’. It provides an excellent idea of the fluidity of kabbalistic – and more specifically qliphothic – traditions in Jewish history. As a brief internet search will proof to everyone, until today many different interpretations, Latin spellings of Hebrew words and most importantly opinions exist side by side. The following offers only one path to the interested reader, to create an authentic and personal understanding (Binah) of the forces dealt with according to one’s own study, meditation and practice.Note: as the Qliphoth tend to be a relatively unexplored topic in western humanities I haven’t come across an official spelling neither of the term Qliphoth (Kelipoth, Klipot, etc.), nor of the actual names of the ten qliphothic forces. Thus, please consider the spelling below just one option which might be closer to the German literary sources than English language ones.)LVX,Frater AcherMay the serpent bite its tail. 1. The Tree of DeathThe dark side of the Etz Chiim is also called the Tree of Death and considered to represent the reverse or occult side of the Tree of Life. It is a diagram of the evil forces or Qliphoth (Hebrew for shells) assigned to each Sephiroth. They represent the counter-forces of the ten divine emanations as described in Lurianic Kabbalah. The Tree of Death, however, essentially is a creation of 20th century Western occultism rather than genuine Jewish Kabbalah. The orthodox origin of the Qliphoth according to Lurianic Kabbalah is described in an abbreviated version in the last chapter of this page.Below you can see the Tree of Life and Tree of Death side by side. Imagine them as two sides of one coin, with hidden pathways connecting their front and back (or better: inverted side) to each other. Click on the images to enlarge them. View fullsize View fullsize 2. On the Nature of the QlippothThe following chapter will briefly describe each Sephiroth as well as the nature of its equivalent Qliphoth. The intention is to foster a deeper understanding of how the respective divine and demonic forces are related to each other. Bringing together the nature of each Sephiroth and the literal translation of the respective demonic name might proof to be a valuable key for unlocking the dark side of the tree.🐍KETHER - THAUMIEL Kether (hebrew, Crown) represents the first and purest emanation of the Divine. Kether also represent the first moment of creation. It marks the moment of first motion, before non-self turns into self. With regards to spiritual development Kether is the highest point that can be conceptualized theoretically, yet it can not be accessed by our rationale minds. Its symbol is a single point as all differentiations or qualifications merge together in a single indivisible union in Kether.The name of Kether’s Qliphoth Thaumiel hasn’t been passed down with a precise translation unfortunately (just like the word Sephira itself). However, its archetype is the nature of the two conflicting forces and thus suggest a translation of The Contending Forces (german, Die Widerstreitenden Kräfte). Thaumiel being the evil side of Kether represents the eternally aggressive tension or duality between two opposing polarities. If all is one and unified in the first ray of light in Kether, all is divided and cleaved in its most inner essence in Thaumiel. 🐍CHOKMAH - GHOGIEL Chokmah (hebrew, Wisdom) correlates to the male aspect of Kether which is still completely indistinct in its presence in Kether. This Sephira...