Zeraph (זרף) is a name of angelic or fiery essence, drawn from the Hebrew root שָׂרַף (saraph), meaning "to burn" or "to consume." It is directly cognate with the Seraphim—the burning, six-winged beings of Isaiah’s vision—but appears in a more singular and specific context as an angelic name in certain Kabbalistic and grimoire traditions. The name signifies a principle of purifying fire, often associated with the destructive yet transformative aspect of divine power.

Position on the Tree of Life

Zeraph is assigned to Path 25, the 25th path of the Thirty-Two Paths of Wisdom. This path connects Hod (Splendor, sphere of Mercury) to Yesod (Foundation, sphere of the Moon). The nature of this path is one of transmission of astral and intellectual fluidity—a channel through which verbal and imaginal forms descend from the logical mind (Hod) into the subconscious image-repository (Yesod). Zeraph, as the name of this path, indicates that the agent of this transmission is a burning, volatile force that purifies as it descends.

Astrological and Planetary Correspondence

In the astrological scheme of the cabala, Path 25 is attributed to the zodiacal sign Pisces (♓). Correspondingly, Zeraph operates under the watery, mutable, and nocturnal influence of Pisces. The name’s fiery quality (the root saraph) creates a symbolic paradox: the burning angel moving through the cold, dark, dissolving waters of Pisces. This represents a spiritual fire that consumes illusion and psychic dross within the deepest layers of the unconscious.

Historical Context

Zeraph appears as an angelic name in the Key of Solomon manuscripts and subsequent grimoires, often listed among the names of power for planetary or celestial hours. In these texts, it is typically a name to be invoked for purposes of binding, compelling, or burning away obstacles, reflecting its fiery nature. The name is not found in canonical scripture but is a Hebrew-derived construction typical of Renaissance ceremonial magic.

The 17th-century magical treatise The Sixth and Seventh Books of Moses (a compilation likely of earlier Jewish and Christian magical traditions) includes “Zeraph” as one of the spirit names used in the conjurations of the Mendel Talmud circle. In this context, Zeraph is a high spirit of the fiery realm, subordinate to the names of God, and is called upon to bring judgment or manifest esoteric knowledge.

In the Kabbalistic tradition of The 32 Paths of Wisdom, each path is assigned an angelic intelligence. For Path 25, the intelligence is Tau Aleph Zain Resh Aleph Pe (תאזראפ), which in some manuscripts is read as Tazrap, or Zeraph. The Tikkunei Zohar alludes to a burning letter at the base of the pillar of severity, which aligns with Zeraph's role in transmuting the harsh judgments of Yetzirah (the formative world) into the shimmering receptivity of Assiah (the material world).

In Aleister Crowley's Liber 777, Zeraph is placed at the column that corresponds to the Cadent houses of astrology (the 3rd, 6th, 9th, and 12th houses). The cadent houses are associated with dispersion, communication, and dissolution. Thus, Zeraph is the specific intellectual/angelic current that disperses the fiery energy of the supernal spheres into the multi-faceted forms of the astral plane.

Correspondences in Liber 777

At the scale of Path 25 in Liber 777, Zeraph is the specific angelic/demonic title of that step. Its sibling names along this column (Path 15: Horus, Path 16: Apophis, Path 17: Titan, etc.) form a sequence of theurgic entities for the 22 letters and the 10 Sephiroth. Zeraph here stands directly in the row for the letter Pe (פ), meaning “mouth,” with a numerical value of 80. Pe is the letter of Mars and power, yet in this context of Path 25, its fiery nature is modified by the Piscean fluidity and the cadent house correspondence, making Zeraph the “Burning Mouth” that speaks in the whispers of the dream world.