Qabalah and Astrology

The Planets and Zodiac on the Tree of Life

May 25, 2021

I originally published this post several years ago, but I wanted to resend it since I’ve gained a lot of subscribers recently and I think it’s full of really good information! Thank you for joining me on this 67,000mph ride through the cosmos. Now, on to the show!

Qabalah is one of those frameworks in the occult world that is more or less omnipresent in almost every modern incarnation of magical practice in the western tradition. Because of that, it is important to understand the mechanics of how it works and why, so this week let’s talk about how we can use Qabalah and astrology! Learning the basics of Qabalah will help us gain a greater understanding of our world around us, and to better utilize this symbology for our magical workings. Qabalah is a vast topic —far too complex to cover in a newsletter. Even books struggle to contain and organize the broad scope of Qabalah. For the purposes of this conversation, we will focus mainly on the Tree of Life, as it is the most accessible and readily available for immediate use for any astrologer or magician.

Disclaimer: I will warn you guys, this post is a bit tedious. There is so much basic information to cover, that it ends up being a bit of a listicle. If you already know all this stuff and just want to skip right to the freebie, I’ve included a pdf of the Tree of Life that I recreated based on the version from Liber 777, since often times online you can only find fuzzy or hard to read versions. This one is free to use, but please just don’t resell it or use in a commercial product. On the flip side, if you are having a hard time figuring out what the heck is going on and don’t understand this post at all, leave me a message in the comments so I can get a better gauge of what topics to cover to help everyone learn!

The word Qabalah comes from the Hebrew root קבל, QBL which means “to receive.” If you add the letter Hé to QBL you get the word קבלה, QBLH, Qabalah, or “the reception.” The practice and tradition of Qabalah is simply the knowledge that is received by humanity from the divine source. Within the tradition there are several branches:

The practical Qabalah deals with ceremonial and talismanic practice, including esoteric angel names.
The literal Qabalah which includes the comparative study of word values such as Gematria, Notariqon and Temura.
The unwritten Qabalah, secret knowledge that is not written but transmitted orally.
The dogmatic Qabalah which are the supporting ideas that make up the Qabalistic mystical ontology.

Mainly we will be concerned with the ideas presented in the literal and dogmatic Qabalah for the purposes of integrating the ideas of astrology. It is important to note that the Qabalah of the western esoteric tradition, sometimes called Hermetic Qabalah, is quite far removed from traditional Judaic mysticism that is still practiced today, even though they stem from the same source. Hermetic Qabalah diverged from traditional practice during the Renaissance and took on a much more syncretic flavor as it entered the intellectual spheres of European courts and monasteries and eventually evolved into the practice that became the foundation of orders like the Golden Dawn and the Ordo Templi Orientis.

The most important element of Qabalah is the Hebrew language itself. The 22 letters of the alephbet are intrinsically tied to the creation of the universe and are fundamental in its operation. We can see this most clearly through the practice of gematria, where words represent different combinations of discrete universal energies. The primary source for the Qabalistic creation of the universe is the Sepher Yetzirah, or the Book of Formation. From the opening paragraph of the Sepher Yetzirah:

By thirty-two mysterious paths of wisdom Yah has engraved all things, who is the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, the living God, the Almighty God, He that is uplifted and exalted, He that Dwells forever, and whose Name is holy; having created His world by three derivatives of [the Hebrew root-word] sefar : namely, sefer (a book), sefor (a count) and sippur (a story), along with ten calibrations of empty space, twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet, of which three are principal letters (א מ ש‎), seven are double-sounding consonants (ב ג ד כ פ ר ת‎) and twelve are ordinary letters (ה ו ז ח ט י ל נ ס ע צ ק‎).

The divisions of the letters into three mother letters, seven double letters and twelve ordinary letters corresponds with three elements —air, water and fire, the seven visible planets, and the twelve signs of the zodiac. You can start to see how the universe is built up of the energies represented by the letters.

The Tree of Life is a visual representation of this unfolding of creation, a diagram of the 32 paths of wisdom as ten sephiroth or spheres and the 22 paths that connect them. The tree visually shows the creation of the universe as it coalesces from the nothingness of Ain Soph Aur into the first sphere of Kether, and then evolves through the other sephiroth until it reaches the place of material existence in the tenth sphere of Malkuth. The Tree of Life represents everything in creation, and acts as a filing cabinet for all sorts of correspondences that make it useful for trying to relate one thing to another. For example, if we know the eighth sphere of Hod corresponds to Mercury, and also to the color orange, we can then say that the color orange, the number eight and Mercury have something to do with one another.

How does astrology fit into this filing cabinet? Earlier we mentioned that the seven double letters take on the correspondence of the traditional planets, and the twelve simple letters take on the signs of the zodiac. This is one of the places where modern western esoteric usage departs from traditional attributions given in earlier texts. Since this post covers a more modern approach, I will focus on the attributions found in Liber 777 and in modern Golden Dawn derived tarot decks. It is important to note that the planets are attributed to both the sephiroth and the paths between in the form of the letters.

The Planets

Each of the double letters in the Hebrew alephbet represents a planetary energy. The attributions of the planets to the Tree of Life follow the Chaldean order and descend down the tree starting with Saturn in Binah. Kether represents the Primum Mobile, and also the field of fixed stars. Some schools of thought give Pluto to Kether. Chokmah is given Mazaloth, which means “garland of crowns” but refers to the twelve signs of the zodiac. Malkuth represents Earth. Each planet also corresponds to a path between spheres, where the planetary energy works on a lesser scale.

Each one of these entries could be an entire post in themselves, so I will try to keep it basic for now.

Saturn is given the letter tav, ת, in addition to the sphere of Binah. Tav is the last letter of the Hebrew alephbet, much like Saturn comes last as the farthest visible planet from earth. In ancient times the letter tav was written as an equal armed cross, more clearly showing the connection between the element of Earth and the sphere of Saturn, in fact the path of tav connects the pendant Malkuth to the rest of the Tree of Life through Yesod. The letter tav has the value of 400.

Jupiter is represented with the letter kaph, כ, and the fourth sphere of Chesed. The path of kaph connects Chesed with Netzach. The letter kaph represents the palm of the hand and has the value of 20.

Mars has correspondence with the letter pé, פ, and the fifth sphere of Gevurah. The path of pé connects the spheres of Hod and Netzach, and has the value of 80 in gematria. The letter itself represents a mouth.

The Sun corresponds with the letter resh, ר, and the sixth sphere, Tiphareth. The path of resh connects Yesod and Hod. The letter resh represents the head, and has the value of 200.

Venus has the seventh sphere, Netzach, and the letter and path of daleth, ד. The path of daleth connects the sphere of Chokmah to Binah. Daleth mean a door, and has the value of 4.

Mercury corresponds with the letter beth, ב, and the eighth sphere of Hod, which means splendor. The path of beth connects Kether and Binah. Beth means a window, and has the value of 2.

The Moon, the fastest and closest of the planets to Earth, corresponds to the letter gimel, ג, and the sphere of Yesod. The path of gimel connects Tiphareth to Kether, and is the only path to cross the abyss and penetrate straight into Kether. Gimel means a camel, and has the value of 3.

The Zodiac‎

The twelve ordinary letters of the alephbet correspond to zodiacal energies. Other than the entire zodiac in general being represented in the sphere of Chokmah, the zodical energies are only to be found in the paths, not the sephiroth.

Aries is ruled by Mars, and is attributed to the path of hé, ה, or the path of tzaddi, צ, depending on if you follow the original Golden Dawn attribution of hé, or the Thelemic attribution of tzaddi. Tzaddi means a fish hook and hé means a window. The Thelemic switch stems from the verse in Liber AL vel Legis:

All these old letters of my Book are aright; but צ is not the Star. This also is secret: my prophet shall reveal it to the wise.

Since the Star trump of the tarot was perviously given the letter tzaddi, Crowley came to interpret the passage in Liber Al to mean that tzaddi was not meant to correspond to the Star card and switched it with the letter of the Emperor card, hé. The letter hé has the value of 5 and the letter tzaddi has the value of 90. Going with the Thelemic model, the path of tzaddi connects the sphere of Netzach to Yesod.

Taurus is ruled by Venus and corresponds to the letter vav, ו, which means nail. Vav has the numerical value of 6. Vav is also one of the letters in the four letter name of god, the tetragrammaton. In this role, vav represents the Son, the Prince who marries the Princess and renews the process symbolized in the four letter name. The path of vav connects the spheres of Chokmah to Chesed.

Gemini, ruled by Mercury, is represented with the letter zayin, ז. The name zayin means a sword, which is appropriate for the airy and intellectual sign of Gemini. Zayin has the numerical value of 7. The path of zayin connects Binah to Tiphareth.

Cancer is the sole sign ruled by the Moon, and corresponds to the letter cheth, ח. The letter cheth means a fence and has the value of 8. The path of cheth connects Binah to Gevurah.

The fiery sign of Leo, ruled by the Sun, corresponds to the letter teth, ט. The letter teth has the value of 9 and means a serpent. This path connects Chokmah to Gevurah. For more on this subject read my earlier post, Slaying the Serpent Part 1 and Part 2.

Virgo is ruled by Mercury and corresponds to the path of yod, י. The path of yod connects the sphere of Chesed to Tiphareth, and has the value of 10. Yod means hand. The letter yod makes up the masculine father role of the four-fold name of God, the tetragrammaton.

Libra corresponds to the letter lamed, ל, and is ruled by Venus. Lamed means ox goad, and has the value of 30. The path of lamed connects Gevurah to Tiphareth.

Scorpio, ruled by Mars, corresponds to the letter nun, נ. Nun means fish, and has the value of 50. This path connects Tiphareth to Netzach. Nun has the general connotation of putrefaction and death, as can be seen by the golden dawn title “Lord of the Gates of Death” given to the corresponding tarot card, Death.

Sagittarius is ruled by Jupiter and is given the letter samekh, ס. The letter samekh means prop, as in something that holds another thing up, like a tent pole. The letter samekh has the value of 60 in gematria. This path connects the sphere of Tiphareth to Yesod.

Capricorn, ruled by Saturn, corresponds with the letter ayin, ע. Ayin means eye, and has the value of 70. The path of ayin is the mirror of the path of nun and connects Tiphareth to Hod.

Aquarius is the other sign that has dual attributions, depending on if you are in camp Golden Dawn or Camp Crowley. Aquarius is ruled by Saturn and is given either tzaddi, צ, or hé, ה. Hé is another letter that is part of the tetragrammaton, and serves the dual role of signifying the Mother and the Daughter. The path of hé connects the sphere of Chokmah to Tiphareth.

The last sign in the zodiac, Pisces, is ruled by Jupiter and signified by the letter qoph, ק. Qoph means back of the head, in contrast to resh that is the front of the head. Another way of thinking about it is that resh is the conscious process of though, and qoph the unconscious or subconscious self. Qoph has the value of 100, and the path of qoph connects Netzach to Malkuth.

The Mother Letters

There are three mother letters that have elemental attributions rather than planetary or zodical. These letters are aleph א, mem מ, and shin ש.

The letter aleph means ox and has the value of 1. Symbolically, it signifies the element of Air. In the tarot, the letter aleph is the Fool. The number 1 is the number of unity, and according to Plotinus, the source of all reality. The path of aleph connects Kether to Chokmah.

The letter mem means Water, and has the value of 40. There were 40 days of rain during the Biblical flood, and the number 40 was sacred to the Sumerian god Enki. Often in ancient Judaic and Christian texts, 40 was used to signify a long period of time, or an event that spanned two epochs. In the tarot, the card of mem is the Hanged Man. The path of mem connects Gevurah to Hod.

Shin is the letter of elemental Fire. The letter shin means tooth, and has the value of 300. In the tarot, the letter shin corresponds to the trump the Aeon, or The Last Judgement in Golden Dawn decks. The path of shin mirrors the path of qoph and connects Hod to Malkuth.

Now that we have the basics covered, how can we process this information and put it to work in our magical practice? By comparing position on the Tree of Life, how and where the paths connect and what correspondences are given to each, we can start to build a framework through which we can understand the universe.

An example: say the Sun has just entered the sign of Gemini and we want to understand on a deeper level what Gemini symbolizes. We know from looking at the Tree of Life that the path that corresponds to Gemini is that of zayin, and that it connects the spheres of Binah and Tiphareth. Binah means Understanding and deals with manifestation, and Tiphareth means Beauty and has to do with balance and perfection. We can then deduce that something fundamental about the sign of Gemini has to do with understanding the beauty and perfection of manifestation and creation. Understanding is key to the right use of intellect, which is the domain of Mercury who rules Gemini. We can say that the mind is the way to understand the beauty of creation. Zayin is a sword, relating the the swords suit of the tarot and again connecting us to the mind. A sword divides and cuts, just as the intellect divides and cuts thoughts into understandable pieces. We can also look at the value of the letter and examine the properties of Gemini through the lens of gematria. Since the value of the letter zayin is 7, we can see that אבד which means to scatter, and בדא which means to invent or create, are words that have the same value. Something about dispersing or scattering, and also the act of creating and inventing are linked to the energies present in the sign of Gemini.

Recall that the creation of the universe recounted in the passage from the Sepher Yetzirah at the beginning of this post, that God created the universe as a derivative of the ideas of a book, a count, and a story. By using Qabalah we are doing the same, creating our world through the book in the form of the sacred words, a count, through gematria, and a story. The story is up to us to tell.

Sources for Further Study

Since this article has only scratched the surface of this vast topic, I wanted to list some sources for further study of various correspondences and attributions that will help fill your filing cabinet of information that is the Tree of Life.

Liber 777 by Aleister Crowley - this is one of the best sources for quickly figuring out correspondences to the sephiroth and paths on the tree of life. It is laid out in an accessible format so you can get to what you want to know fairly fast.

Thelemapedia - sometimes you need to quickly look up a correspondence online. If so, this is your first stop. Thelemapedia has much of the same information as Liber 777, but in a somewhat more organized fashion.

Sepher Sapphires by Wade Coleman - Great set of books for comparing values of words for use in gematria. Each number has several entries of words in Hebrew, Greek and Latin.

Garden of Pomegranates by Israel Regardie - This book gives an in depth overview of the subject of Qabalah and is very readable.

Chicken Qabalah by Lon Milo DuQuette - I can’t recommend this book enough if you are beginning study on the qabalah, as it is accessible and actually pretty humorous.

Diagram of the Tree of Life - Download it here.

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