Hermetic Tree of Knowledge Attunements
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According to the Kabbalist writers, when God poured his divinity into creation to form the Sephiroth of the Tree of Life, their containers shattered into the Qlipoth, shells or husks, which became the home to various demons. This Tree of Death was considered to be the source of evil in the universe. Later, Hermeticists of the Left Hand Path would explore the Qlipoth and find not evil and death, but hidden knowledge about the darkest parts of their being. They were a powerful tool for self-knowledge, especially for the parts of themselves they had repressed. It was not a Tree of Death but a Tree of Knowledge.
Each Qlipha is the shadow of a Sephiroth. By exploring the shadow of these primal forces you find that you are exploring the darkest parts of your being. The parts that you repress because either these aspects of your personality are not appropriate for civilized society or you at least were taught so. Don’t get me wrong, all of us have dark desires that should never be acted on, but if we repress them and pretend they do not exist they tend to bubble up in our unconscious causing us to act out in ways we normally wouldn’t. I can’t tell you how many people I met in prison who said their criminal actions were completely out of character and they didn’t know where they came from or why they did what they did. This is because they had repressed this part of them to such a degree that they didn’t even recognize they had these desires.
Jung calls this repressed part of our personality the shadow and you hear a lot about shadow work in the occult community these days. I used to focus on it heavily when I first started to the point of calling myself “the shadowbinder” and even used it as the domain name for my website. I’ve now moved away from calling this part of us the shadow because too many people treat it as a separate being who lives in them who must be dealt with. Because of this I don’t like to use the term as much anymore. What we call the shadow is just us. It’s not some separate entity hiding in the darkest parts of our personality who jumps out occasionally to sabotage our lives. It’s us. It’s just a part of us that we don’t acknowledge. It doesn’t hide from us, we hide from it. And we love the idea that it is this separate shadow being who isn’t really us.
The beauty of the Tree of Knowledge is that by working with it you can’t separate yourself from the darkness. As you explore the Qliphoth you are exploring your own darkness. Yes these realms and energies exist beyond you, but when you work with them you can’t pretend that they are separate from you. You find that they are deeply personal. They may be tangled up in old traumas. You may believe you don’t have this darkness within yourself when you start, but very quickly you find yourself faced with what you really want and there’s no denying who you are after that.
Knowledge of the self is THE key to everything. The Left Hand Path has long been known to be the fastest path to enlightenment. This is because it focuses on stripping away your illusions and forces you to come face to face with who you really are. And who you really are is divine. Both the Left and the Right paths lead to the same place: the realization that you are divine and that all of this is happening within you. If you are reading this, it is because you are giving yourself a message. You are God, but you are asleep and have forgotten yourself. You must explore yourself if you are to remember who you are and find yourself. And if you are finding this here, it is a sign you may need to partake of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge.
Below is a map of the Tree of Knowledge and a description of each of the Qliphoth. To purchase an attunement with the energies of each Qliphoth just click on the name which is a link to my Etsy Shop. For more information on attunements, click here.
Lilith is the shadow of Malkuth and is associated with the earth and the underworld. The cavernous underworld is the womb of the goddess and so this Qlipha is associated with feminine and sexual energy as well as with blood and the body. It is the gateway to further exploration. Return to it when you need to feel grounded and in touch with the earth and your own body. Work with this energy to understand your unconscious or repressed feelings about your own body and sexuality as well as face any fears that you may have about them as well.
Gamaliel is the shadow of Yesod and is associated with the Moon and water. It is the world of dreams where we live out our most repressed fantasies and is thus known as “the Obsense One.” Like Lilith before it, Gamaliel is highly feminine. It is a place of water and emotions and bringing things up from the depths. It also helps with intuition and all forms of psychic abilities. It is a place of witchcraft and magick. Imagery from this qlipha often involves caves, silvery seas, as well as blood. It is a place to learn magick and open up psychic powers.
Samael is the shadow of Hod or the intellect. The name Samael means the “Poison of God” and this poison dissolves all that is rational and breaks down logic. By sowing doubt in all that you believe and breaking down the foundations of your world view Samael is able to begin the process of setting you free from societal programming and limiting beliefs. It will break down thought patterns and habitual assumptions so that you can begin to question who you really are and why you act the way you act.
A’arab Zaraq is the shadow of Netzach and is associated with Venus and our passion. It is called the “Raven of Dispersion” and is the world of emotion and desire. Here they exist in their darkest and most primal form and you must gain control of them through direct confrontation with your unbridled lusts and desires. This is also the Qlipha of leadership and inspiration helping you to motivate others to victory. Often associated with lightning and sexual energy and the chaos and fury of desire. This is the realm of war and warriors.
Thagirion is the shadow of Tifereth and is associated with the Sun. Meaning “The Disputer” Thagirion is hollowness and the principle of disintegration. It is the Black Sun. This is the energy of rebellion. Here you will question everything, taking nothing at face value. You will disbelieve everything you have been told and go on an unending quest to figure everything out for yourself.
Here there be dragons. The energy of Thagirion is that of dragon fire. Hot enough to burn the world and reforge it. And in the heat of the apocalyptic fire you will begin to find the black diamond of your divine consciousness.
Golachab is the shadow of Gevurah and is associated with the planet Mars. Meaning “The Burning One” Golachab is the realm of violence, rage, and cruelty. Here you will take whatever isn’t necessary and burn it until it is utterly destroyed.
Here lies the lake of fire. It is a place of destruction and ruin. Where you will burn to ash and be reborn like the phoenix. Here you must confront and embrace your wrath and your own violence so it doesn’t destroy you or anyone else.
Gha’agsheblah is the shadow of Chesed and is associated with the planet Jupiter. “The Smitter” Gha’agsheblah is devoid of both mercy and justice. It is about ruthlessness. This is the realm of the autocrat who rules with an iron fist and destroys all opposition. Here you confront your need to control others and make them serve you.
Gha’agsheblah is an endless labyrinth leading you deeper into the void and within the nothingness of yourself. It is full of venomous snakes. The energy is vampiric, as the vampire steals the vitality of others for themselves. Here you will shed your human weakness as you journey towards the divinity within.
Da’ath, the hidden Qlipha, is the abyss where you face the emptiness of the void. Here you struggle with the paradox of unity, of all things being one, and dispersion, where everything is scattered and separate. The abyss is a place of isolation and confusion. You will be cut off from others. You will also not be able to feel the divine. It is to somehow experience everything and nothing. Dryness and emptiness are common. Nothing will seem to take solid shape but will be protean and amorphous.
It is called “crossing the abyss” because there is nothing to grasp onto. Nothing to experience. You just struggle to get through it as quickly as you can. It is vital that you do not give up no matter how pointless it may seem. This is the test: can you keep going when there is no reward?
Satariel is the shadow of Binah and is associated with the planet Saturn. Where Binah is the realm of understanding, Satariel is “The Concealer” and is the place of lies, absurdity, delirium, and confusion. Your mind will be full of activity and energy but nothing will make any sense. This chaos will lead you deeper through the labyrinth and to a higher awareness and a deeper sense of consciousness beyond what your human mind can comprehend.
Ghagiel is the shadow of Chokmah. Wherein Chokmah you may meet God face to face, in Ghagiel you find the emptiness of God. It is “The Hinderer” and you may face visions of incompleteness and infirmity. Pieces of you may be missing. Rather than intuitive wisdom here you will find the great cosmic Will. A phallic energy. As this is a realm beyond the abyss it is very difficult to describe in human terms. It is a desolate place yet full of wild energy.
Thaumiel is the shadow of Kether and while that name means “Crown” as in the crown for the single God, Thaumiel is “The Twin God” it is duality. It is ruled by Lucifer with two other faces: Shahtan the Adversity and Moloch the King. The Adversity challenges and questions creation and you and your beliefs. The King opens the way to the void for man to become divine. It is two separate challenges.
The void is not empty like the abyss. It is full of potential. It is the Black Diamond, the divinity within. The infinite power and potential within all of us.
The energies of the Qliphoth are not evil, but nor are they for the faint of heart. They are the shattered energies of hidden truths. The world is not all love and light. It is also pain and suffering. It is lies and manipulation. It is fucking and fighting. All of these are just as real and just as much a part of reality as love and peace are. And you will never know true peace until you reconcile the parts of you that desire these things. You will never reconcile with this part of yourself if you never explore these realms of darkness within yourself where you will meet face to face with the real you, screaming in lustful rage while covered in cum and blood. You know that part of you is in there. You’ve glimpsed them before. It’s time you stopped hiding from them, met them, and got to know them as you walk in their shoes along the shores of the lake of fire and cross the abyss where in the realms beyond you will discover the black diamond of your divinity.