Citrine, russet, olive, and black (quartered) is a four-color combination that appears in the King Scale of Colour as the chromatic signature of the Qliphoth—the ‘shells’ or unbalanced emanations that oppose the Sephiroth. The quartered arrangement divides a square or circle into four equal segments, each bearing one of these earthy, muted hues: citrine (a greenish-yellow), russet (a reddish-brown), olive (a greenish-brown), and black. Together they form a palette that is both somber and complex, evoking the decayed or inverted aspects of the four classical elements.

Position on the Tree of Life

This color combination corresponds to step 32 bis in the King Scale of Colour, an extra step beyond the standard 32 paths of the Tree of Life. In the schema of Liber 777, step 32 bis is assigned to the Qliphoth of Malkuth—the most material and unbalanced sphere. The quartered pattern thus represents the four ‘impure’ elements (Air, Fire, Water, Earth) as they manifest in the realm of the shells, where each element is corrupted from its pure Sephirotic counterpart.

Astrological and Planetary Correspondence

While no single planet or zodiac sign governs this step, the four colors individually resonate with the four elements in their Qliphothic state: citrine with impure Air, russet with impure Fire, olive with impure Water, and black with impure Earth. This elemental tetrad is often linked to the four directions, the four lower worlds of the Qliphoth, and the four ‘evil’ archangels of the Kabbalistic tradition.

Historical Context

The origin of this quartered color scheme lies in medieval Kabbalistic texts, particularly the Zohar, which describes the ‘other side’ (sitra achra) as a realm of darkness and impurity. Later, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn systematized these colors in their color scales, assigning the quartered combination to the Qliphoth of Malkuth. Aleister Crowley’s Liber 777 (1909) codified this assignment in the King Scale of Colour, where step 32 bis appears as a late addition—likely derived from the Golden Dawn’s Book of the Concourse of Forces or similar unpublished materials. The quartered pattern itself echoes the four-color division of the ‘Evil Triad’ and the ‘Unbalanced Pillar’ in Kabbalistic diagrams, where each color represents a specific type of demonic or chaotic force.

In the table of Liber 777, this combination is listed at step 32 bis of the King Scale of Colour, serving as the chromatic key for the Qliphothic sphere. It stands in stark contrast to the pure, single colors of the Sephiroth and paths, reminding the practitioner of the dualistic nature of the Tree of Life—where light and shadow, balance and imbalance, are eternally interwoven.