Number 31, in the Qabalistic Key Scale, corresponds to the thirty-first Path of the Tree of Life. In Hebrew numerals, 31 is the value of the word אל (El), a Divine Name meaning 'God' (aleph=1, lamed=30). This number is also the grand total of the single letter Shin (ש) when counted as 300 (the standard value) but here, on the Key Scale, it is a distinct integer representing a specific Path. The number 31 is associated with the Hebrew letter Shin in the specific context of the 31st Path, which is attributed to the element of Fire in the Yetziratic tradition.

Position on the Tree of Life

Path 31 is one of the connecting paths on the Tree of Life. It lies between Hod (8, Splendor) and Netzach (7, Victory). This path is the third of the three horizontal paths in the traditional Tree diagram, running across the lower part of the supernal triangle but here bridging the lower emotional and intellectual spheres.

Astrological and planetary correspondence

In the system of Liber 777, the 31st Path often carries the attribution of the element of Fire (the element itself, not a planet). Fire is the primal active principle, corresponding to the Hebrew letter Shin. This Path is not assigned to a planet but to the pure element, making it a gateway of raw energy, transformation, and spiritual illumination.

Historical context

The number 31 has deep roots in Jewish mysticism. The word אל (El) appears hundreds of times in the Hebrew Bible as a generic term for God. Its gematria is 31, making this number a symbol of divine power and judgment. In the Zohar, the number 31 is associated with the divine name of mercy as well as the concept of the 'Greatness of God.' The 31st Path in the Sepher Yetzirah is described as 'the Terrestrial Intelligence' or 'the Perpetual Intelligence,' which 'holds sway over the sphere of the elements and all their progeny.' This path is said to be the root of the material world, the channel through which the divine fire descends into creation.

In later Hermetic Qabalah, particularly in the work of MacGregor Mathers and Aleister Crowley, the 31st Path received the attribution of the element of Fire. The number 31 also appears as a key in the formulae of Thelema, notably in the phrase 'The Great Work' (Gematria 31) and in the word 'AL' (the name of the Book of the Law).

In Liber 777

In table row 31 of the Key Scale, the number itself serves as the primary reference point. The cell at this step is simply the numerical value '31,' which, through the system of correspondences, unlocks all the attributes of the 31st Path: Fire, the Hebrew letter Shin (in its Path context), the divine name El, and the connection between Hod and Netzach.