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Qliphoth - Hermetic views

Qliphoth - Hermetic views: Encyclopedia II - Qliphoth - Hermetic views

Kabbalah as interpreted in Hermeticism is related to the original, but Hermetics ignore many of its concepts in favor of ones taken from other sources or originally created. Here, God is sometimes thought to shine with his pure, divine light into a chaotic darkness, Tohu va-Bohu, that did not cease to exist when God created light and order (the contrasting view in Judaic Kabbalah supports that the act of creation by God required retraction of the divine essence or tzimtzum; the notion of void or matter external to God is antithetical ...

Qliphoth: Encyclopedia II - Qliphoth - Hermetic views

Qliphoth - Hermetic views

Kabbalah as interpreted in Hermeticism is related to the original, but Hermetics ignore many of its concepts in favor of ones taken from other sources or originally created. Here, God is sometimes thought to shine with his pure, divine light into a chaotic darkness, Tohu va-Bohu, that did not cease to exist when God created light and order (the contrasting view in Judaic Kabbalah supports that the act of creation by God required retraction of the divine essence or tzimtzum; the notion of void or matter external to God is antithetical to Judaic Kabbalah, which leans toward panentheism). This darkness is equated to the qliphoth and also represents evil, because it is thought to be opposite or antagonistic to God's creation.

In one of the founding texts of Hermetic Kabbalah, 'The Kabbalah Unveiled', 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 Hermetic teachings following this one, the qliphoth have tended, much like the sephiroth, to be interpreted as metaphysical worlds or entities, and merged with demonological ideas. One such concept lists the qliphoth as follows:

Thaumiel (Governed by Satan and Moloch)
Ghagiel (Governed by Beelzebuth)
Sathariel (Governed by Lucifuge)
Gha'agsheblah (Governed by Astaroth)
Golachab (Governed by Asmodeus)
Thagirion (Governed by Belfegor)
A'arab Zaraq (Governed by Baal)
Samael (Governed by Adramelech)
Gamaliel (Governed by Lilith)
Nahemoth or Lilith (Governed by Naamah)

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 corresponding to the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet.