Khenti-Khas is an Egyptian funerary deity whose name translates as "Foremost of the Nose" or "He Who Is Before the Nose." In the microcosmic anatomy of the Hermetic Qabalah, this god presides over the left nostril, the channel through which the breath of life enters and departs the physical body. The left nostril, in particular, is associated with the lunar, receptive, and cooling current of the breath (ida nadi in yogic terms), balancing the solar right nostril.

Position on the Tree of Life

Khenti-Khas—the Left Nostril appears at Path 27, the twenty-seventh path of the Tree of Life, which connects Netzach (Victory) to Yesod (Foundation). This path is attributed to the Hebrew letter Peh (פ), meaning "mouth," and to the planet Mars. The nostril, as a paired organ of the face, naturally aligns with the dualistic nature of this path—the breath that both sustains and can be withheld in judgment.

Astrological and Planetary Correspondence

Mars, the red planet of force, conflict, and purification, rules Path 27. The left nostril, under Khenti-Khas, becomes the physical locus for the martial aspect of breath: the sharp inhalation before action, the exhalation of exertion, and the final breath of death. In Egyptian thought, the nose was the organ through which the soul (ba) could exit the body at death, and Khenti-Khas, as its guardian, oversaw this transition.

Historical Context

Khenti-Khas is a relatively obscure deity, mentioned primarily in the Pyramid Texts and Coffin Texts as one of the many minor gods who attend to the deceased pharaoh or noble. In Utterance 364 of the Pyramid Texts, the king is said to "take his nose" (khenti-khas) as a means of receiving the breath of life from the gods. The god is often depicted as a jackal-headed figure or as a human with a canine head, linking him to Anubis and the funerary realm. His specific role—guardian of the nostril—emphasizes the Egyptian belief that the breath was a divine substance, not merely a biological function. The left nostril, in particular, was sometimes associated with the left eye of Horus (the moon) and with the lunar cycle, reinforcing its receptive, passive quality.

In the context of Liber 777, Khenti-Khas—the Left Nostril is the assigned correspondence for Path 27, the path of Peh (Mars). This pairing underscores the dual nature of the breath: it is both a gentle, life-giving force and a weapon of destruction when withheld or used in anger. The left nostril, as the lunar counterpart to the right nostril (also attributed to Khenti-Khas at Path 27's sibling Path 27—the Right Nostril), completes the binary of the breathing apparatus, reflecting the Hermetic principle of balance between opposing forces.