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In the
Zohar The ''Zohar'' ( he, , ''Zōhar'', lit. "Splendor" or "Radiance") is a foundational work in the literature of Jewish mystical thought known as Kabbalah. It is a group of books including commentary on the mystical aspects of the Torah (the five ...
,
Lurianic Kabbalah Lurianic Kabbalah is a school of kabbalah named after Isaac Luria (1534–1572), the Jewish rabbi who developed it. Lurianic Kabbalah gave a seminal new account of Kabbalistic thought that its followers synthesised with, and read into, the earlie ...
and Hermetic Qabalah, the ''qliphoth/qlippoth/qlifot'' or ''kelipot'' ( ''qəlīpōṯ'', originally
Aramaic The Aramaic languages, short Aramaic ( syc, ܐܪܡܝܐ, Arāmāyā; oar, 𐤀𐤓𐤌𐤉𐤀; arc, 𐡀𐡓𐡌𐡉𐡀; tmr, אֲרָמִית), are a language family containing many varieties (languages and dialects) that originated in ...
: ''qəlīpīn'', plural of ''qəlīpā''; literally "peels", "shells", or "husks"), are the representation of evil or impure spiritual forces in
Jewish mysticism Academic study of Jewish mysticism, especially since Gershom Scholem's ''Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism'' (1941), distinguishes between different forms of mysticism across different eras of Jewish history. Of these, Kabbalah, which emerged in 1 ...
, the polar opposites of the holy
Sefirot Sefirot (; he, סְפִירוֹת, translit=Səfīrōt, Tiberian: '), meaning '' emanations'', are the 10 attributes/emanations in Kabbalah, through which Ein Sof (The Infinite) reveals itself and continuously creates both the physical realm and ...
. The realm of evil is also termed ''Sitra Achra'' (
Aramaic The Aramaic languages, short Aramaic ( syc, ܐܪܡܝܐ, Arāmāyā; oar, 𐤀𐤓𐤌𐤉𐤀; arc, 𐡀𐡓𐡌𐡉𐡀; tmr, אֲרָמִית), are a language family containing many varieties (languages and dialects) that originated in ...
: ''sīṭrāʾ ʾaḥrāʾ'', the "Other Side") in Kabbalah texts.


In the Zohar

The ''Qlippot'' are first mentioned in the
Zohar The ''Zohar'' ( he, , ''Zōhar'', lit. "Splendor" or "Radiance") is a foundational work in the literature of Jewish mystical thought known as Kabbalah. It is a group of books including commentary on the mystical aspects of the Torah (the five ...
, where they are described as being created by God to function as a literal nutshell for holiness. The text subsequently relays an esoteric interpretation of the text of Genesis 1:14, which describes God creating the moon and sun to act as "luminaries" in the sky. The verse uses a defective spelling of the Hebrew word for "luminaries", resulting in a written form identical to the Hebrew word for "curses". In the context of the Zohar, interpreting the verse as calling the moon and sun "curses" is given mystic significance, personified by a description of the
moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width of ...
descending into the realm of Beri'ah, where it began to belittle itself and dim its own light, both physically and spiritually. The resulting darkness gave birth to the ''qlippot''. Reflecting this, they are thenceforth generally synonymous with "darkness" itself. Later, the Zohar gives specific names to some of the ''qlippot'', relaying them as counterparts to certain sephirot: ''Mashchith'' ( he, ''mašḥīṯ'', "destroyer") to ''
Chesed ( he, חֶסֶד, also Romanized: ) is a Hebrew word that means 'kindness or love between people', specifically of the devotional piety of people towards God as well as of love or mercy of God towards humanity. It is frequently used in Psalms i ...
'', ''Aph'' ( he, ''ʾap̄'', "anger") to '' Gevurah'', and ''Chemah'' ( he, ''ḥēmā'', "wrath") to '' Tiferet''. It also names ''Avon'', ( he, ''ʿāvōn'', "iniquity"), ''
Tohu Tohu can refer to: *Tohu Harris, New Zealand rugby league footballer *Tohu Kākahi, New Zealand Māori leader *Tohu, a biblical person (an ancestor of the prophet Samuel; 1 Samuel 1:1) *Another transliteration of the Japanese word "tofu" In Hebrew ...
'' ( he, ''ṯōhū'', "formless"), '' Bohu'' ( he, ''ḇōhū'', "void"), ''Esh'' ( he, ''ʿēš'', "fire"), and '' Tehom'' ( he, ''təhōm'', "deep"), but does not relate them to any corresponding sephira. Though the Zohar clarifies that each of the Sephirot and Qlippot are 1:1, even down to having equivalent '' partzufim'', it does not give all of their names.


In Lurianic Kabbalah

In the Kabbalistic cosmology of
Isaac Luria Isaac ben Solomon Luria Ashkenazi (1534Fine 2003, p24/ref> – July 25, 1572) ( he, יִצְחָק בן שלמה לוּרְיָא אשכנזי ''Yitzhak Ben Sh'lomo Lurya Ashkenazi''), commonly known in Jewish religious circles as "Ha'ARI" (mean ...
, the qlippot are metaphorical "shells" or "peels" surrounding holiness. They are the innate spiritual obstacles to holiness, and receive their existence from God only in an external and circumstantial manner, rather than an internal and direct manner. In this sense, qlippot have a slightly beneficial function, as much like a peel protects a fruit, so do the qlippot technically prevent the flow of
Divinity Divinity or the divine are things that are either related to, devoted to, or proceeding from a deity.divine
(revelation of God's true unity) from being dissipated as it permeates throughout the various facets of Creation. Nevertheless, as a consequence, the qlippoth conceal this holiness, and are therefore synonymous with what runs counter to Jewish thought, like
idolatry Idolatry is the worship of a cult image or "idol" as though it were God. In Abrahamic religions (namely Judaism, Samaritanism, Christianity, the Baháʼí Faith, and Islam) idolatry connotes the worship of something or someone other than the A ...
, impurity, rejection of Divine unity (
dualism Dualism most commonly refers to: * Mind–body dualism, a philosophical view which holds that mental phenomena are, at least in certain respects, not physical phenomena, or that the mind and the body are distinct and separable from one another ** ...
), and with the ''Sitra Achra'', the perceived realm opposite to holiness. Much like their holy counterparts, qlippot emerge in a descending seder hishtalshelus (Chain of Being) through ''
Tzimtzum The ''tzimtzum'' or ''tsimtsum'' (Hebrew ' "contraction/constriction/condensation") is a term used in the Lurianic Kabbalah to explain Isaac Luria's doctrine that God began the process of creation by "contracting" his ''Ohr Ein Sof'' (infinite ...
'' (God's action of contracting His ''Ohr
Ein Sof Ein Sof, or Eyn Sof (, he, '; meaning "infinite", ), in Kabbalah, is understood as God prior to any self-manifestation in the production of any spiritual realm, probably derived from Solomon ibn Gabirol's ( 1021 – 1070) term, "the Endless O ...
'', "infinite light", in order to provide a space for Creation). Kabbalah distinguishes between two "realms" in qlippot, three completely impure qlippot ( he, ''haṭmēʾōṯ'', literally "the unclean
nes The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit third-generation home video game console produced by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan in 1983 as the commonly known as the The NES, a redesigned version, was released in American ...
) and the remainder of intermediate qlippot ( he, ''nōgah'', literally "light"). The ''qlippot nogah'' are "redeemable", and can be refined and sublimated, whereas the ''qlippot hatme'ot'' can only be redeemed by their own destruction. Similar to a certain interpretation of the Kabbalistic
Tree of Life The tree of life is a fundamental archetype in many of the world's mythological, religious, and philosophical traditions. It is closely related to the concept of the sacred tree.Giovino, Mariana (2007). ''The Assyrian Sacred Tree: A History ...
, the qlippoth are sometimes imagined as a series of
concentric In geometry, two or more objects are said to be concentric, coaxal, or coaxial when they share the same center or axis. Circles, regular polygons and regular polyhedra, and spheres may be concentric to one another (sharing the same center point ...
circles which surround not just aspects of God, but also one another. Their four concentric terms derived from various phrases used in
Ezekiel Ezekiel (; he, יְחֶזְקֵאל ''Yəḥezqēʾl'' ; in the Septuagint written in grc-koi, Ἰεζεκιήλ ) is the central protagonist of the Book of Ezekiel in the Hebrew Bible. In Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, Ezekiel is acknow ...
's famous vision of the Throne of God (Ezekiel 1:4), itself the focus of a school of Jewish mystic thought, "And I looked and behold, a ''whirlwind'' came out of the north, a ''great cloud'', and a ''fire infolding itself'', and a ''brightness'' was about it..." The whirlwind, great cloud, and infolding fire are associated with the aforementioned three "impure" qlippot, with the "brightness" associated with the "intermediate" qlippot. In medieval Kabbalah, it was believed that the
Shekhinah Shekhinah, also spelled Shechinah ( Hebrew: שְׁכִינָה ''Šəḵīnā'', Tiberian: ''Šăḵīnā'') is the English transliteration of a Hebrew word meaning "dwelling" or "settling" and denotes the presence of God, as it were, in a plac ...
(God's presence) is separated from the Sefirot by man's sins, while in
Lurianic Kabbalah Lurianic Kabbalah is a school of kabbalah named after Isaac Luria (1534–1572), the Jewish rabbi who developed it. Lurianic Kabbalah gave a seminal new account of Kabbalistic thought that its followers synthesised with, and read into, the earlie ...
it was believed the Shekhinah was exiled to the qlippot due to the "shattering" of Divinity into Tohu and Tikun, which is a natural part of its cosmological model of Creation. This in turn causes the Sephirot's various " Sparks of Holiness" to be exiled in the qlippot as well, thereby causing these respective qlippoth to manifest as either the ''qlippot nogah'' or ''qlippot hatme'ot''. From there, the ''qlippot nogah'' would be redeemed through the observance of ''
mitzvah In its primary meaning, the Hebrew word (; he, מִצְוָה, ''mīṣvā'' , plural ''mīṣvōt'' ; "commandment") refers to a commandment commanded by God to be performed as a religious duty. Jewish law () in large part consists of discus ...
'', whereas the ''qlippot hatme'ot'' would be indirectly "redeemed" through abiding by the negative prohibitions put forth by the
613 commandments The Jewish tradition that there are 613 commandments ( he, תרי״ג מצוות, taryag mitzvot) or mitzvot in the Torah (also known as the Law of Moses) is first recorded in the 3rd century AD, when Rabbi Simlai mentioned it in a sermon that i ...
. In addition to righteous living, genuine
repentance Repentance is reviewing one's actions and feeling contrition or regret for past wrongs, which is accompanied by commitment to and actual actions that show and prove a change for the better. In modern times, it is generally seen as involving a co ...
also allows the qlippot to be redeemed, as it retrospectively turns sin into virtue and darkness into light, and thus deprives the qlippot of their vitality. According to Lurianic Doctrine, when all the Sparks of Holiness are freed from the qlippot, the
Messianic era In Abrahamic religions, the Messianic Age is the future period of time on Earth in which the messiah will reign and bring universal peace and brotherhood, without any evil. Many believe that there will be such an age; some refer to it as the consu ...
will begin. In Hasidic philosophy, which is underlined by panentheistic and monistic thought, the qlippot are viewed as a representation of the ultimately acomistic self-awareness of Creation. The Kabbalistic scheme of qlippot is internalized as a psychological exercise, by focusing on the self, opposite to '' devekut'', or the practice of "self-nullification" in order to better grasp mystic contemplation.


Hermetic Qabalah magical views

In some non-Jewish Hermetic Qabalah, contact is sought with the Qliphoth unlike in the ethical- mystical Jewish prohibition, as part of its process of human self-knowledge. In contrast, the theurgic Jewish Practical Kabbalah was understood by its practitioners as similar to white magic, accessing only holiness, while the danger inherent in such ventures involving the intermingling of holiness and impure
Magic Magic or Magick most commonly refers to: * Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces * Ceremonial magic, encompasses a wide variety of rituals of magic * Magical thinking, the belief that unrela ...
ensured that accessing the Qlipoth remained a minor and restricted practice in Jewish history.


Mathers' interpretation

Christian Knorr von Rosenroth Christian Knorr von Rosenroth (15/16 July 1636 – 4 May 1689) was a German Christian Hebraist and Christian Cabalist born at Alt-Raudten (today Stara Rudna) in Silesia. After having completed his studies in the universities of Wittenberg and Lei ...
's Latin ''Kabbala denudata'' (1684) (translated ''The Kabbalah Unveiled'' by MacGregor Mathers) equates these forces with the Kings of Edom and also offers the suggestion they are the result of an imbalance towards
Gedulah ( he, חֶסֶד, also Romanized: ) is a Hebrew word that means 'kindness or love between people', specifically of the devotional piety of people towards God as well as of love or mercy of God towards humanity. It is frequently used in Psalms i ...
, the Pillar of Mercy or the merciful aspect of God, and have since been destroyed. In subsequent Hermetic teachings, the Qliphoth have tended, much like the sephirot, to be interpreted as mystical worlds or
entities An entity is something that exists as itself, as a subject or as an object, actually or potentially, concretely or abstractly, physically or not. It need not be of material existence. In particular, abstractions and legal fictions are usually ...
, and merged with ideas derived from demonology. In most descriptions, there are seven divisions of
Hell In religion and folklore, hell is a location in the afterlife in which evil souls are subjected to punitive suffering, most often through torture, as eternal punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hell ...
('' Sheol'' or '' Tehom''; '' Abaddon'' or '' Tzoah Rotachat''; ''Be'er Shachat'' (בְּאֵר שַׁחַת, ''Be'er Shachath'' — "pit of corruption") or '' Mashchit''; ''Bor Shaon'' (בּוֹר שָׁאוֹן — "cistern of sound") or ''Tit ha-Yaven'' (טִיט הַיָוֵן — "clinging mud"); '' Dumah'' or ''Sha'are Mavet'' (שַׁעֲרֵי מָוֶת, ''Sha'arei Maveth'' — "gates of death"); ''Neshiyyah'' (נְשִׁיָּה — "oblivion", " Limbo") or '' Tzalmavet''; and ''Eretz Tachtit'' (אֶרֶץ תַּחְתִּית, ''Erets Tachtith'' — "lowest earth") or ''
Gehenna The Valley of Hinnom ( he, , lit=Valley of the son of Hinnom, translit=Gēʾ ḇen-Hīnnōm) is a historic valley surrounding Ancient Jerusalem, Ancient Jerusalem from the west and southwest. The valley is also known by the name 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 Hebrew alphabet ( he, wikt:אלפבית, אָלֶף־בֵּית עִבְרִי, ), known variously by scholars as the Ktav Ashuri, Jewish script, square script and block script, is an abjad script used in the writing of the Hebrew languag ...
.


Crowley, Regardie, and Heidrick

According to Aleister Crowley, the three evil forms (before Samael), are said to be Qemetial, Belial, and Othiel. Crowley (who call them "Orders of Qliphoth") and Israel Regardie lists the qliphoth as: תאומיאל (
Thaumiel Keter ( he-a, כֶּתֶר, Keter.ogg, link=yes, ''Keṯer'', lit. "crown") also known as Kether, is the topmost of the sephirot of the Tree of Life in Kabbalah. Since its meaning is "crown", it is interpreted as both the "topmost" of the Sep ...
), עוגואל ( Ghogiel), סאתאריאל (
Satariel Sathariel ( he, סתריאל, grc, Σαθιήλ, translit=Sathiḗl) is described in the Book of Enoch as the 17th Watcher of the 20 leaders of the 200 fallen angels. Michael Knibb believes the name to mean "Moon of God" or "Dawn of God" based ...
), געסכלה ( Agshekeloh), גולחב ( Golohab), תגרירון‎ ( Tagiriron), ערב זרק ( Gharab Tzerek), סמאל ( Samael), גמיאל ( Gamaliel), and לילית ( Lilith). 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 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


In popular culture

* The Qliphoth (spelled "Qlippoth") has a heavy role in the "Book of the Fallen" supplement for ''Mage: The Ascension, 20th anniversary edition''. The Nephandi (Evil Mages) go through a spiritual journey very heavily influenced by the ideas present in the Qliphoth. * A demonic tree named after the Qliphoth appears in the 2019 video game '' Devil May Cry 5''. The demon Urizen uses its fruit to gain more power. * In the 2007 visual novel '' Dies irae'', one of the antagonists has a power called "Qliphoth Bacikal". * The astral world's region of darkness is called Qliphoth in ''
Berserk Berserk (meaning "very angry" or "out of control") may refer to: * ''Berserk'' (manga), a 1989 Japanese manga by Kentaro Miura ** ''Berserk'' (1997 TV series), the first anime adaption of the manga ** ''Berserk'' (2016 TV series), a second adap ...
''. * In '' Fullmetal Alchemist'', Edward Elric's door of truth is characterized by the Qliphoth. * In ''
Persona 5 is a 2016 role-playing video game developed by Atlus. It takes place in modern-day Tokyo and follows a high school student known by the pseudonym Joker who transfers to a new school after being falsely accused of assault and put on probation. ...
'', the final area of the game is named the "Qliphoth World". * In ''
Black Clover is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yūki Tabata. It has been serialized in Shueisha's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' since February 2015, with its chapters collected in 33 ''tankōbon'' volumes ...
'', Dante, the leader of the antagonist group the Dark Triad, mentions a magic channel between the underworld and the regular world known as "The Tree of Qliphoth" which would allow for "Devils" to pour through the world. * In ''
Fate/Grand Order is a free-to-play Japanese mobile game, developed by Lasengle (formerly Delightworks) using Unity, and published by Aniplex, a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment Japan. The game is based on Type-Moon's ''Fate/stay night'' franchise, and ...
'', a 2015 online free-to-play role-playing
mobile game A mobile game, or smartphone game, is a video game that is typically played on a mobile phone. The term also refers to all games that are played on any portable device, including from mobile phone (feature phone or smartphone), tablet, PDA to ...
, has a character under the "Foreigner" class based on
Abigail Williams Abigail Williams (born c. 1681, date of death unknown) was an 11- or 12-year-old girl who, along with nine-year-old Betty Parris, was among the first of the children to falsely accuse their neighbors of witchcraft in 1692; these accusations eve ...
. Her noble phantasm is named "Qliphoth Rhizome". * In ''
Lobotomy Corporation ''Lobotomy Corporation'' is an indie horror strategy management simulation video game for Microsoft Windows developed and published by South Korean studio Project Moon in April 2018. The sequel, deck-building game ''Library of Ruina'', was rele ...
'', the Qliphoth is a unit defining the stability of an Abnormality's behavior, with a minimum of 0, indicated by Qliphoth Counter above each containment unit. At 0, the Abnormality breaches containment. *In the game Counter:Side, the strongest group of Corrupted Objects are known as the "Demon Lords of Qliphoth". These beings come from the "Qlipha Dimension" and possesses "Divinity". Sometimes, these beings has fragments of their power knowns as "Qliphoth Factors", which is utilized by some Counters who can control or it or if they are chosen by that certain Demon Lord. Usage of this power, however, is dangerous since it hastens the Global Corruption Rate (or the destruction of the world). *In the '' Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game,'' there are a series of cards named the "Qliphort", a portmanteau Qliphoth and fort. Each card's name corresponds to a member of the Qliphoth and a concept in computing. * In the ''
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game The ''Pathfinder Roleplaying Game'' is a fantasy role-playing game (RPG) that was published in 2009 by Paizo Publishing. The first edition extends and modifies the System Reference Document (SRD) based on the revised 3rd edition ''Dungeons & ...
,'' Qliphoth (spelled "Qlippoth") are an ancient race of
Chaotic Evil In the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') fantasy role-playing game, alignment is a categorization of the ethics, ethical and morality, moral perspective of player characters, non-player characters, and creatures. Most versions of the game feature ...
outsiders that existed in the plane known as the Abyss long before mortals came into being. Though the qlippoth originally ruled the plane, the rapid reproduction of demons (formed from mortal souls sent to the Abyss) caused them to be outnumbered, displaced and nearly wiped out. Qlippoth are depicted as not only evil but extremely alien to human eyes, composed of nonsensical flesh and organs or possessing insectoid or squidlike forms, and the mere sight of them can cause harm to onlookers. Qlippoth seek to eradicate mortal life to end the production of demons, though a few have acquired worshippers and become demon lords themselves.


See also

* Fallen angel * Ohr *
Satan Satan,, ; grc, ὁ σατανᾶς or , ; ar, شيطانالخَنَّاس , also known as Devil in Christianity, the Devil, and sometimes also called Lucifer in Christianity, is an non-physical entity, entity in the Abrahamic religions ...
* Tohu and Tikun * Tumah and taharah * Yetzer hara


Notes


References

* ''The Early Kabbalah'' by
Joseph Dan Joseph Dan (, 1935 – 23 July 2022) was an Israeli scholar of Jewish mysticism. He taught for over 40 years in the Department of Jewish Thought at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He was the first incumbent of the Gershom Scholem Chair ...
* ''Kabbalah'' by Gershom Scholem * ''Qabalah, Qliphoth and Goetic Magic'' by Thomas Karlsson {{ISBN, 978-0-9721820-1-0 Kabbalah Hermetic Qabalah Left-Hand Path Kabbalistic words and phrases