After reading some of the Temple of Ascending Flames materials on the Qliphoth, combined with a few other sources (such as Karlssons work), I’ve found myself very mystified and excited about the Tree of Knowledge, and the Draconian/Luciferian tradition but I’ve got a couple of questions.
How do you see the Sephiroth? I can see that you see the Qliphoth as a complete initiatory system, but you seem to claim that it’s full (or mostly full) of destructive forces, especially when worked with in a Draconian tradition. Are the Sephiroth to you then, simply creative forces? My understanding of the Tree of Life has led me to believe that it is full of both creative and destructive forces, taking on various forms in the Left, Middle, and Right sides. Is there a similar dynamic to the Tree of Knowledge? And if not, why wouldn’t you want the creative to balance out the destructive? Please pardon me if I’ve misunderstood your position here!
As a side note, I’ve heard people such as Michael W. Ford claim that the Qliphoth are actually more inclusive than the Sephiroth when it comes to “kinds of spirits” that are available. It seems that in the work of you and your temple, typically demons are employed through the Qliphothic Tree. Is this simply a personal choice in your writing to use mainly demonic imagery to get a certain magickal aesthetic across?
Thank you for offering up this Q&A session! Looking forward to reading the new book.
When we speak about the tree, nothing is simple. The Tree of Sephiroth and the Tree of Qliphoth can be seen in many different ways. I personally see them not as two separate concepts but as one - it’s like you and your shadow - you’re not separate but connected all the time. When you access the bright side of the tree, you also access the dark one, and the other way round. There’s also a theory that the Qliphoth are like shells on a nut - you have to go through them to get to the core. I like this idea, too, and see the Qliphoth as forces that challenge and test us to prepare us for successive initiations on the tree, not as something solely destructive. Yes, you can apply the principles of the left, right, and middle pillar to the Tree of Death, the planetary correspondences, the division into four worlds, veils, palaces, etc. - it may help you understand these forces and make the work with them more logical. But then again, another idea is that the Qliphoth are the void, nothingness, not actual realms or temples, and no rules of logic or rationality apply to them. In my experience all this is true. I don’t view the Qliphothic rulers as “evil” demons - these are old gods that originally had no sinister associations and embodied the many forces that the universe is composed of. If you choose to see them as evil archdemons, you’ll most likely see them this way, but it’s only an outer form, and in their core they’re primal beings that you can work with to get to the very root of all creation and all destruction. Some may say that the same is offered through the work with the archangels associated with the Tree of Life, but the work with the primal gods that embody the currents of the Dark Tree appeals to me much more than interactions with the angelic entities of the Sephiroth. Both, however, are useful and can teach you a lot about the tree. I focus on the Dark Tree in my own work, though, and that’s what you’ll find in my books. There are lots of books about working with the Sephiroth, and my suggestion is to read both, because that will give you a more complete picture of the tree, but you need to have in mind that the Qliphoth have to be experienced to be understood, there’s just no other way.
I very much agree with the “nut assessment”, heh. Thank you, this definitely cleared up a lot I’ve been hung up on. I feel like I can read your work with a bit more insight & clarity now!
Looking forward to starting ‘The Ascending Flame Project’ some time in the near future!
