Velle is the Latin infinitive meaning "to will" or "to wish," and in the context of the Qabalistic system of Liber 777, it stands as the transcendental virtue of Will—the pure, self-originated power of volition that is the engine of spiritual attainment.

Position on the Tree of Life

Velle corresponds to Path 31, the thirty-first path of the Tree of Life, which connects Hod (Splendor) to Malkuth (Kingdom). This path is attributed to the Hebrew letter Shin (ש), the letter of Spirit and Fire. As a virtue on this path, Velle represents the will that descends from the higher spiritual realms into the material world, transforming abstract intention into concrete action.

Astrological and Planetary Correspondence

Path 31 is governed by the element of Fire in its most refined, spiritual aspect—the Fire of the Spirit (not the elemental fire of Path 23). This is the fire of pure aspiration, the will that burns away dross and propels the initiate toward the Great Work. The planet associated with this path is Sol (the Sun) in its role as the source of life and light, symbolizing the central, directing will of the individual.

Historical Context

The concept of Velle as a transcendental virtue draws from the Latin philosophical tradition, particularly the Stoic and Neoplatonic emphasis on the will as the faculty that aligns the soul with the divine order. In the Hermetic and Qabalistic synthesis of the Golden Dawn, the Latin virtues were adopted for their precision and lack of the emotional overtones of English terms. Velle appears in the list of ten transcendental virtues (corresponding to the ten Sephiroth) and is specifically placed on Path 31 to indicate that the will must be exercised in the lowest, most material sphere of the Tree—Malkuth—to effect real change.

Crowley, in his commentary on Liber 777, notes that Velle is not mere desire or wishful thinking but the active, focused will that is the first step in any magical operation. It is the virtue that precedes and enables all others, for without the will to act, no virtue can be realized. The pairing of Velle with the Path of Shin also echoes the alchemical principle that the fire of the will must be applied to the lead of the material world to produce the gold of spiritual transformation.

In the table of Liber 777, Velle appears at the intersection of Path 31 and the column of Transcendental Morality, standing as the active counterpart to the more passive virtues of Silence (Binah) and Devotion (Chokmah). It is the will that says "Let there be Light" in the darkness of Malkuth.