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{{Short description|Impure spiritual forces in Kabbalah}}
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In the ''[[Zohar]]'', [[Lurianic Kabbalah]], and [[Hermetic Qabalah]], the '''''qlippoth''''' ({{Langx|he|קְלִיפּוֹת|translit=qəlippōṯ}}, {{literal}} "peels", "shells", or "husks", {{singular}} {{lang|arc|קְלִפָּה}} ''qəlippā''; originally, {{langx|tmr|קְלִיפִּין|translit=qəlippin}}) are the representation of [[evil]] or [[tumah and taharah|impure]] spiritual forces in [[Jewish mysticism]], the opposites of the ''[[sefirot]]''.{{sfnp|Mathers|1887|loc="The Book of Concealed Mystery"}}{{sfnp|Franck|1926|p=279}} The realm of evil is called '''''Sitra Achra''''' ({{langx|tmr|סִטְרָא אַחְרָא|siṭrā ʾaḥrā|link=no|the Other Side}}) in [[Kabbalistic texts]].

== In the Zohar ==
{{religious text primary|section|date=September 2023}}

The qlippoth are first mentioned in the ''[[Zohar]]'', where they are described as being created by [[God in Judaism|God]] to function as a 'nutshell' for holiness.<ref>{{cite web |title=Zohar |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Zohar.1.19b?ven=Sefaria_Community_Translation&lang=bi |website=www.sefaria.org |access-date=2021-10-10 |archive-date=2021-10-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211010202527/https://www.sefaria.org/Zohar.1.19b?ven=Sefaria_Community_Translation&lang=bi |url-status=dead }}</ref> The text subsequently relays an esoteric interpretation of the text of [[Genesis creation narrative]] in Genesis 1:14,<ref>{{Tanakhverse|Genesis|1:14}}</ref> which describes [[God in Judaism|God]] creating the moon and sun to act as "luminaries" in the sky. The verse "Let there be luminaries ({{lang|hbo|מְאֹרֹת}} ''məʾoroṯ'')," uses a [[defective script|defective spelling]] of the Hebrew plural form for "luminous body, light source" ({{lang|he|מְאוֹרוֹת}}), 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 descending into the realm of [[Beri'ah]], where it began to belittle itself and dim its light, both physically and spiritually. The resulting darkness gave birth to the ''qlippoth''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Zohar, Bereshit 9:110 |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Zohar%2C_Bereshit.9.110?lang=bi |website=www.sefaria.org|quote={{lang|arc|כַּד הֲוַת סִיהֲרָא בְּשִׁמְשָׁא בִּדְבֵקוּתָא חָדָא, הֲוַת סִיהֲרָא בִּנְהִירוּ. כֵּיוָן דְּאִתְפָּרְשָׁא מִן שִׁמְשָׁא וְאִתְפַּקְדַּת עַל (כל) חֵילָהָא, אַזְעִירַת גַּרְמָהּ, אַזְעִירַת נְהוֹרָא. וְאִתְבְּרוּן קְלִיפִּין עַל קְלִיפִּין לִגְנִיזוּ דְמוֹחָא. וְכֹלָּא תִּקּוּנָא דְמוֹחָא. וְעַל דָּא יְהִי מְאֹרֹת חָסֵר (כתיב). וְכָל דָּא לְתִקּוּנָא דְעָלְמָא. וְדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב לְהָאִיר עַל הָאָרֶץ:}} When the moon was in connection with the sun, she was luminous, but as soon as she separated from the sun and was assigned the charge of her own hosts, she reduced her status and her light, and shells upon shells were created for covering the brain, and all for the benefit of the brain. Hence ''meoroth'' is written defectively. All this was for the benefit of the world, and hence it is written, “to give light upon the earth”.}}</ref> Reflecting this, they are thenceforth generally synonymous with "darkness" itself.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Zohar.2.115b.10?vhe=New_Torat_Emet_Zohar&lang=bi |title=Zohar 2:115b |access-date=2021-10-10 |archive-date=2021-10-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211010202525/https://www.sefaria.org/Zohar.2.115b.10?vhe=New_Torat_Emet_Zohar&lang=bi |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Full Zohar Online - Mishpatim - Chapter 10 |url=https://www.zohar.com/zohar/Mishpatim/chapters/10 |website=www.zohar.com}}</ref>

Later, the ''Zohar'' gives specific names to some of the ''qlippoth'', relaying them as counterparts to certain ''sefirot'': [[Mashhith]] ({{langx|he|מַשְׁחִית|mašḥīṯ|destroyer|link=no}}) to [[Chesed]]; Af ({{langx|he|אַף|ʾap̄|anger|link=no}}) to [[Gevurah]]; and Hema ({{langx|he|חֵמָה|ḥēmā|wrath|link=no}}) to [[Tiferet]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Zohar.3.279b.1?vhe=New_Torat_Emet_Zohar&lang=bi |title=Zohar 3:279b |access-date=2021-10-10 |archive-date=2021-10-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211010202525/https://www.sefaria.org/Zohar.3.279b.1?vhe=New_Torat_Emet_Zohar&lang=bi |url-status=dead }}</ref> It also names Avon ({{langx|he|עָוֹן|ʿāvon|iniquity|link=no}}),<ref>[https://www.sefaria.org/Zohar_Chadash%2C_Tikuna_Kadma'ah.31?vhe=Zohar_Chadash&lang=bi Zohar Chadash, Tikuna Kadma'ah 31], Sefaria</ref> [[Tohu wa-bohu|Tohu]] ({{langx|he|תֹהוּ|tohu|formless|link=no}}), [[Tohu wa-bohu|Bohu]] ({{langx|he|בֹהוּ|bohu|void|link=no}}), Esh ({{langx|he|אֵשׁ|ʿēš|fire|link=no}}), and [[Tehom]] ({{langx|he|תְּהוֹם|təhom|deep|link=no}}),<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Zohar.3.227a.10-14?vhe=New_Torat_Emet_Zohar&lang=bi |title=Zohar 3:227a |access-date=2021-10-10 |archive-date=2021-10-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211010210627/https://www.sefaria.org/Zohar.3.227a.10-14?vhe=New_Torat_Emet_Zohar&lang=bi |url-status=dead }}</ref> but does not relate them to any corresponding ''sefirot''. Although the ''Zohar'' clarifies that each ''sefira'' and ''qelippa'' has a one-to-one match, even with equivalent ''[[partzufim]]'', it does not give all their names.{{cite needed|date=July 2025}}

==In Hermetic Qabalah==

=== Mathers' interpretation ===

[[Christian Knorr von Rosenroth]]'s Latin ''Kabbala denudata'' (1684) (translated ''The Kabbalah Unveiled'' by [[Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers]]) equates these forces with the Kings of [[Edom]] and also offers the suggestion they are the result of an imbalance towards Gedulah, the Pillar of Mercy or the merciful aspect of God, and have since been destroyed.{{sfnp|Mathers|1887|loc="Greater Holy Assembly", [http://www.sacred-texts.com/jud/tku/tku34.htm Chapter XXVI: Concerning the Edomite Kings]}} In subsequent Hermetic teachings, the qlippoth have tended, much like the sefiroth, to be interpreted as mystical [[hell|worlds]] or [[demon|entities]], and merged with ideas derived from [[demonology]].{{citation needed|date=July 2025}}

In most descriptions, there are seven divisions of [[Hell]]:{{sfnp|Boustan|Reed|2004|p={{pn|date=December 2023}}}}{{sfnp|Mew|1903|p={{pn|date=December 2023}}}}{{sfnp|Lowy|1888|p=339}}{{sfnp|Pusey|1881|p=102}}
#[[Sheol]] or [[Tehom]] "the Deeps"
#[[Abaddon]] "Doom" or [[Tzoah Rotachat]] "Boiling excrement"
#'Well of Corruption {{lang|he|בְּאֵר שַׁחַת|}} or Mashhith "destroyer"
# Cistern of Noise ({{lang|he|בּוֹר שָׁאוֹן}}) or "Sticky Mud/Filth" ({{langx|he|טִיט הַיָוֵן|link=no}})
# [[Dumah (angel)|Silence]] or Gates of Death ({{lang|he|שַׁעֲרֵי מָוֶת|}})
# Oblivion ({{langx|he|נְשִׁיָּה||link=no}}) or Shadow of Death ({{lang|he|צַלְמָוֶת}})
# Lowest Earth ({{lang|he|אֶרֶץ תַּחְתִּית}})
There are also twelve qlippothic orders of demons, three powers before [[Satan]], and twenty-two demons which correspond to the 22 letters of the [[Hebrew alphabet]].{{citation needed|date=April 2020}}

===Regardie and Crowley===
{{thelema|expand=Related topics}}
According to [[Aleister Crowley]], the three evil forms (before Samael), are said to be Qemetial, [[Belial]], and Othiel.{{sfnp|Crowley|1986|p={{pn|date=December 2023}}}}

Crowley (who calls them "Orders of Qliphoth"){{sfnp|Crowley|1986|p=2|loc=Table VIII}} and [[Israel Regardie]]{{sfnp|Regardie|1970|p=82|loc="Fifth knowledge lecture"}} list the qlippoth and their associated [[sephiroth]] on the [[Tree of life (Kabbalah)|tree of life]] as:

#'''Thaumiel''', associated with [[Kether]]
#'''Ghogiel''', associated with [[Chokmah]]
#'''[[Sathariel|Satariel]]''', associated with [[Binah (Kabbalah)|Binah]]
#'''Agshekeloh''', associated with [[Chesed]]
#'''Golohab''', associated with [[Geburah]]
#'''Tagiriron''', associated with [[Tiphareth]]
#'''Gharab Tzerek''', associated with [[Netzach]]
#'''[[Samael]]''', associated with [[Hod (Kabbalah)|Hod]]
#'''Gamaliel''', associated with [[Yesod]]
#'''[[Lilith]]''', associated with [[Malkuth]].

===Kenneth Grant===
[[Kenneth Grant (occultist)|Kenneth Grant]], founder of the [[Typhonian Order]], provided extensive teachings on the qlippoth. Grant emphasized the importance of understanding and integrating these darker aspects for a holistic spiritual perspective.{{sfnmp|1a1=Grant|1y=1991|2a1=Asprem|2y=2013|3a1=Rees|3y=2022}} In ''Nightside of Eden'', Grant explores the Tunnels of Set, pathways corresponding to the Qlippothic Tree. These tunnels symbolize hidden paths filled with transformative energies beneath the surface of consciousness. Traversing these tunnels involves confronting and integrating darker aspects of the psyche and the universe, which Grant views as crucial for spiritual development.{{sfnmp|1a1=Grant|1y=1977|2a1=Butler|2y=2011|3a1=Fries|3y=2012}} Grant advocated for balancing light and dark forces, believing that engaging with Qlippothic energies can lead to significant spiritual growth. He often linked the Qlippoth to [[sex magic]] and [[Tantra|Tantric practices]], suggesting these could harness primal energies for transformation.{{sfnmp|1a1=Grant|1y=1991|2a1=Flowers|2y=1997|3a1=Rees|3y=2022}} Grant suggested that [[H. P. Lovecraft]]'s description of [[Yog-Sothoth]] as a conglomeration of "malignant globes" may have been inspired by the Qlippoth, part of his view that Qlippothic forces are integral to ancient and contemporary esoteric thought.{{sfnmp|1a1=Grant|1y=1991|2a1=Drury|2y=1989|3a1=Harms|3a2=Gonce|3y=1998|3p=109}}

== See also ==
{{div col}}
* [[Fallen angel]]
* [[Goetia]]
* [[Tohu and Tikun|''Tohu'' and ''Tikun'']]
* ''[[Yetzer hara]]''
{{end div col}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

===Works cited===
{{refbegin}}
*{{cite book |last=Asprem |first=E. |year=2013 |title=Arguing with Angels: Enochian Magic and Modern Occulture |publisher=State University of New York Press |isbn=978-1-4384-4190-0}}
*{{cite book |editor1-last=Boustan |editor1-first=Ra'anan S. |editor2-last=Reed |editor2-first=Annette Yoshiko |title=Heavenly Realms and Earthly Realities in Late Antique Religions |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2004 |isbn=978-1139453981}}
*{{cite book |last=Butler |first=Alison |title=Victorian Occultism and the Making of Modern Magic: Invoking Tradition |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-230-29470-7}}
*{{cite book |last=Crowley |first=Aleister |author-link=Aleister Crowley |title=[[777 and Other Qabalistic Writings of Aleister Crowley]] |year=1986 |isbn=0-87728-670-1 |publisher=Weiser Books}}
*{{cite book |last=Drury |first=Nevill |author-link=Nevill Drury |title=The Occult Experience: Magic in the Modern World |publisher=Prism Press |year=1989}}
*{{cite book |last=Flowers |first=Stephen E. |author-link=Stephen Flowers |title=Lords of the Left-Hand Path |publisher=Runa-Raven Press |year=1997}}
*{{cite book |last=Franck |first=Adolphe |author-link=Adolphe Franck |year=1926 |title=The Kabbalah: Or, The Religious Philosophy of the Hebrews |place=New York |publisher=Kabbalah Publishing Company |translator=I. Sossnitz |chapter=Relation of the Kabbalah to Christianity}}
* {{cite book |last=Fries |first=Jan |year=2012 |title=Nightshades: A Tourist Guide to the Nightside |place=Oxford |publisher=Mandrake of Oxford |isbn=978-1906958459}}
*{{cite book |last=Grant |first=Kenneth |author-link=Kenneth Grant (occultist) |year=1977 |title=Nightside of Eden |place=London |publisher=Frederick Muller Limited |isbn=0-584-10206-2}}
*{{cite book |last=Grant |first=Kenneth |title=The Magical Revival |publisher=Skoob Books Publishing |year=1991}}
*{{cite book |last1=Harms |first1=Daniel |last2=Gonce |first2=John Wisdom |title=The Necronomicon Files |publisher=[[Red Wheel/Weiser/Conari|Red Wheel/Weiser]] |year=1998 |isbn=1578632692 |location=[[York Beach, Maine|York Beach]], [[Maine]]}}
*{{cite journal |last=Karr |first=Don |title=Notes on the Study of Later Kabbalah in English |journal=Journal of the Western Mystery Tradition |number=3 |date=Autumn 2002}}
*{{cite conference |last=Lowy |first=A. |conference=Proceedings of the Society of Biblical Archaeology |volume=10 |title=Old Jewish Legends of Biblical Topics: Legendary Description of Hell |year=1888}}
*{{cite book |first=S. L. MacGregor |last=Mathers |author-link=Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.36728 |title=The Kabbalah Unveiled |year=1887 |location=London |publisher=Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co. |url-access=registration }}
*{{cite book |last=Mew |first=James |title=Traditional Aspects of Hell: (Ancient and Modern) |publisher=S. Sonnenschein & Company Lim. |year=1903}}
*{{cite book |last=Pusey |first=Edward Bouverie |title=What is of Faith as to Everlasting Punishment: In Reply to Dr. Farrar's Challenge in His 'Eternal Hope', 1879 |publisher=James Parker & Co. |year=1881}}
* {{cite book |last=Rees |first=I. |year=2022 |title=The Tree of Life and Death: Transforming the Qliphoth |publisher=Aeon Books Limited |isbn=978-1801520065}}
*{{cite book |last=Regardie |first=Israel |author-link=Israel Regardie |title=The Golden Dawn |year=1970 |isbn=0-87542-663-8 |publisher=Llewellyn Worldwide}}
{{refend}}

==Further reading==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |editor-last=Dan |editor-first=Joseph |author-link=Joseph Dan |year=1986 |title=The Early Kabbalah |publisher=Paulist Press |isbn=978-0809127696 |ref=none}}
* {{cite book |title=Cults of the Shadow |last=Grant |first=Kenneth |publisher=Skoob |year=1994 |isbn=978-1871438673 |ref=none}}
* {{cite book |last=Scholem |first=Gershom |author-link=Gershom Scholem |year=1974 |title=Kabbalah |publisher=Quadrangle/New York Times Book Company |isbn=978-0812903522 |ref=none}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
* [https://theomagica.com/on-the-nature-of-the-qlippoth On the Nature of the Qlippoth]

[[Category:Qlippoth| ]]
[[Category:Kabbalah]]
[[Category:Hermetic Qabalah]]
[[Category:Left-Hand Path]]
[[Category:Kabbalistic words and phrases]]