Symbolism and Universe of the Letter

Qoph, the nineteenth letter, is associated with the lunar mansion and the primal state of sleep. Its form, roughly a circle with a descending tail, evokes a sun sinking below the horizon or a head bowed in contemplation. In the Sepher Yetzirah, it is one of the “mother” letters, though its primary attribution lies with the path of the Moon on the Tree of Life. The number 100, attaching to its name, implies a threshold of completion—the end of a hundredfold cycle that must be passed through to reach a new beginning.

Position on the Tree of Life

Path 29 connects the sphere of Netzach (Victory, the emotions) to the sphere of Malkuth (the Kingdom, the material world). This is the lowest horizontal path on the Tree, situated below the Abyss. It describes the descent of energy from the emotional and instinctual realm into the physical body. The path is known as [Qoph-Samekh-Resh] in the Greater Key of Solomon, a gate that rules the eclipsed light of the moon.

Astrological and Planetary Correspondence

In the 777 system, Qoph corresponds to the Zodiacal Sign of Pisces and the Moon in her wane (though some attributions give the Moon in general). The lunar quality is wet, cold, and fluid, while Pisces adds a double-bodied, mutable nature. Together, they create a current of dreaminess, mists, and the ability to see beyond the veil. The corresponding Hebrew name for this astrological combination is [Kaph-Kaph], a doubling that reinforces the idea of a hidden, reflected light.

Historical Context

In the Sefer Yetzirah, Qoph is one of the twelve simple letters, yet its lunar character in later Kabbalistic texts (especially the Zohar) ties it to the concept of the “sleep of the microprosopus.” The letter appears in the word [Qoph], meaning “monkey,” an allusion to the aping of higher forces in the lower world. In Liber 777, Aleister Crowley pairs Qoph with the English letter Q, the Hebrew word [Qoph], and the idea of the Reflected Light (the moonlight emanating from the Moon). The path’s name in the Sepher Yetzirah is [Qoph-Samekh-Resh], the “Gate of the Western Sea,” a link to the endless ocean of illusion.

The Thirty-two Paths of the Tree of Life

The Sepher Yetzirah gives Path 29 the title The Corporeal Intelligence (according to some versions) or The Resplendent Intelligence. It is a channel that perfects the physical body and grants the power to perceive the hidden states of matter. In the Table of 777, the path is attributed to the Second River of the Earthly Paradise (the River Gihon) and the 10 of Swords in the Tarot, a card of ruin and the end of a cycle.

Closing

In Liber 777, this page corresponds to the English letter Q, which in the Table of English Equivalents (Col. LI) is written as Q. The cell value is simply Q, marking the twenty-ninth step on the Tree.