ALIM (אלים)

ALIM (אלים) is the Hebrew masculine plural of El (אל, “god” or “mighty one”). It is a contracted form of ELOHIM, appearing in the Hebrew Bible as a generic term for “gods,” “divine beings,” or “the Mighty Ones.” In biblical usage, it can refer to the God of Israel (when context demands singular force), to foreign deities, or to angelic powers—as in Psalm 8:5, “Thou hast made him a little lower than Elohim” (often rendered “angels” in translations). The word carries the connotation of active, masculine, fiery force, and in occult application it serves as a formula for invoking the raw divine energy that structures the astral and elemental worlds.

Position on the Tree of Life

In the schema of Liber 777, ALIM is the magical formula assigned to Path 13, which connects Chokmah (Wisdom) to Binah (Understanding). However, the present classification places it at the ninth step of the scale, corresponding to Yesod (the Foundation). This dual placement is not a contradiction but a reflection of the formula’s function: it works through the synthesizing power of the Moon-sphere to mediate between the supernal polarities and the manifested world. On the Daleth path, ALIM governs the letter Daleth (ד), meaning “door”—symbolizing a gate through which the collective divine forces enter creation. At Yesod, the same formula is applied to the magical work of shaping astral images and communicating with spiritual intelligences.

Position on the Tree of Life

ALIM carries no direct planetary assignment of its own. However, its station at Yesod (the sephirah of the Moon, astrology, and the astral plane) ties it to lunar and fluidic influences. The formula itself is considered active rather than receptive, appropriate for invocation of Chokmah-type energies (the primal will of the divine) as they condense into form through the foundation of Yesod. In the zodiacal scheme of the Paths, Daleth is linked to Venus (Nogah) in the Golden Dawn system, but ALIM as a formula is not ruled by Venus; rather, it is a verbal key to unlock the “door” of Daleth and access the collective divine power that streams from the supernal triad.

Historical context

ALIM first appears in Hebrew scripture as a common noun. In Exodus 15:11, the Song of the Sea asks, “Mi kamocha ba’elim, Adonai?” (“Who is like You among the gods, O LORD?”) Here the word is used generically for divine beings of other nations, contrasted with the singular God of Israel. In later Jewish angelology (especially in the Zohar and Merkabah texts), the Elim are sometimes identified as an order of angels—fiery, masculine, and associated with the element of Fire—or as a class of celestial judges. The Zohar (II, 43a) speaks of the “Elim” as “the mighty ones, the great princes,” and places them in the sphere of the sephirah Gevurah (Strength) in some contexts. This angelic association made the word attractive to Renaissance Christian Cabalists such as Johann Reuchlin and Pico della Mirandola, who adopted it as a divine name to be used in theurgical operations.

In the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, the formula ALIM was incorporated into the system of Divine Names for the thirty-two paths of wisdom. The Order’s Cipher Manuscripts assign it to Path 13 (Daleth), but the version printed in Liber 777 also lists it at step 9 (Yesod) under “Magical Formulæ.” This indicates that the formula was used in practical ritual—often as a vibratory name in Hebrew—to invoke the “gods” or “powers” that govern the astral light. The spelling ALIM (אלים) is distinct from ELOHIM (אלהים), although etymologically related; the intermediate letter Heh (ה) of ELOHIM is omitted, giving a shorter and more concentrated sound, more suitable for rapid or repeated use in ceremonial invocations.

Closing paragraph

In the table of Liber 777 at step 9 (Yesod), under the column “Magical Formulæ,” ALIM sits among a group of powerful Hebrew and Greek god-names, angelic sigils, and word-powers. Its presence here indicates that the formula is to be used for establishing a stabilized link to the divine masculine forces that sustain the astral world—appropriate to the Foundation, where the magician speaks directly to the “gods” of the elemental and planetary spheres, compelling them to appear as coherent images in the lunar light.