Omphta is a serpentine or dragon-like entity from the syncretic magical traditions of late antique Egypt. The name appears to be a Graeco-Coptic corruption of an Egyptian original, possibly related to ḥfȝw (serpent) or to the Ouroboros—the tail-devouring dragon of alchemy and gnostic cosmology. In the Greek Magical Papyri (PGM), Omphta is invoked as a guardian of thresholds and a revealer of hidden things, often in contexts of necromancy or dream oracles.

Position on the Tree of Life

Omphta corresponds to the 22nd Path of the Tree of Life, which connects Yesod (Foundation) to Malkuth (Kingdom). This path is attributed to the Hebrew letter Tav (ת), meaning 'cross' or 'sign,' and to the zodiacal sign of Saturn (in some systems) or to the element of Earth. As a denizen of this path, Omphta embodies the serpentine power that coils at the boundary between the astral world and the physical, guarding the gate through which all souls must pass into incarnation.

Astrological and planetary correspondence

In the 777 system, Omphta is placed under the succedent houses—the astrological houses of fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius) that follow the angular houses. Succedent houses represent stability, resource, and the consolidation of power. Omphta thus corresponds to the fixed, enduring aspect of the serpent: the coiled potential that neither advances nor retreats but holds its ground. Its planetary affinity is with Saturn (as ruler of the 22nd Path in some attributions) and with the fixed star Algol, traditionally associated with Medusa and with the severed head that petrifies.

Historical context

The earliest known mention of Omphta occurs in the Greek Magical Papyri (PGM IV. 2441–2621), a spell for 'Direct Vision' that invokes the 'serpent Omphta' as a guardian of the underworld gates. The text describes Omphta as 'the great serpent who encircles the universe,' echoing the Ouroboros of the alchemists. Later, in the Sword of Moses (a Hebrew magical text from the early medieval period), the name appears as 'Omphta' or 'Omphtha' among the seventy-two names of God, suggesting a trajectory from pagan daimon to angelic or divine name.

In the Renaissance grimoire tradition, Omphta is listed in the Heptameron of Pietro d'Abano as a spirit of the air, ruling over the hours of the night. The 19th-century occultist Éliphas Lévi identified Omphta with the 'Great Dragon' of the Kabbalah, the serpent that supports the world and whose coils form the paths of the Tree of Life. This identification was adopted by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, where Omphta became a name for the 'Dragon of Wisdom' that guards the 22nd Path.

Closing

In Liber 777, Omphta appears at the 22nd step (Path 22) under the succedent houses, a fixed and guardian power. It is the serpent that encircles the threshold, the dragon that is both the gate and the key—a name to be spoken with caution and reverence in the rites of the path between the worlds.