Roshel i Yabamiya (Roshel and Yabamiya) are a pair of angelic beings who, in the Western esoteric tradition, govern the suit of Cups (the element of water) at the level of the ninth sephirah, Yesod. The etymology of the names is uncertain: “Roshel” may derive from a Hebrew root meaning “secret” or “head” (רֹאשׁ, rosh), while “Yabamiya” could be a variant of a name meaning “God is father” or relate to the divine name Yah. Together they represent a dual current of lunar, emotional, and formative power.

Position on the Tree of Life

Yesod (יסוד), “Foundation,” is the ninth sephirah, the astral sphere that receives and transmits the energies of the higher sephiroth to Malkuth. It corresponds to the Moon, the realm of dreams, instinct, and the subconscious. As the rulers of Cups on this step, Roshel and Yabamiya channel the fluid, receptive qualities of water into the lunar foundation, shaping the raw material of desire and imagination.

Astrological and planetary correspondence

The sephirah Yesod is attributed to the Moon (☽), and the suit of Cups to the element of Water (♋︎♏︎♓︎). Thus, Roshel and Yabamiya operate at the intersection of lunar and watery influences: the ebb and flow of emotion, the tides of psychic sensitivity, and the reflective, nurturing aspects of the divine feminine. In ritual, they are invoked to purify the astral body, strengthen clairvoyance, and bring hidden feelings to the surface.

Historical context

The names Roshel and Yabamiya appear in the angelological lists of the Renaissance grimoires, particularly those derived from the Heptameron of Pietro d’Abano and the Three Books of Occult Philosophy by Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa. These works catalogued hierarchies of angels for each of the 72 quinances of the zodiac, often pairing names to govern specific decans or elemental sub‑divisions. Crowley, in compiling Liber 777 (1909), systematized these attributions into a coherent table of correspondences. For the row “Pairs of Angels ruling Cups,” he assigned Roshel and Yabamiya to Yesod, drawing on the earlier tradition that linked lunar‑watery forces to the foundation of the Tree of Life. The pair is also mentioned in some Russian occult manuscripts of the early 20th century, where the names are transliterated as Roshel and Yabamiya, preserving the pronunciation of the original Hebrew or Latin forms.

In Liber 777, Roshel and Yabamiya appear as the angelic pair governing the Cups on the level of Yesod, linking the element of water with the lunar foundation. They are invoked in ceremonies aimed at emotional clarity, dream work, and the stabilization of the astral light.