The journal
Editorial essays, source analyses, and translations. Every piece carries a citation to its primary source.
A history of the qlippoth: from ancient texts to the present
The term "qlippoth" travels from two dry Talmudic lines to a central category of an entire 20th-century occult culture. We trace how this happened — and which stages of the journey are typically smoothed over in simplified retellings.
KabbalahHistoryOn the nature of gold in hermetic texts
A short study of how "aurum vulgi" and "aurum philosophorum" were distinguished in early Latin grimoires — and why the line blurs among the late commentators.
HermeticismGoldWhy Samael is not Satan: unpacking the mythology
In popular culture and cheap grimoires, "Samael," "Lucifer," and "Satan" are usually used as interchangeable names for a single figure. This is convenient for fiction and disorienting for source work. We unpack where three different characters come from and why they should be distinguished.
SamaelDemonologyMapping the qlippoth: three schools of interpretation
The Lurianic school, the Hayim Vital school, and late Gothic kabbalism offer three irreducible maps of the qlippothic tree. Where do they meet, and where do they part?
KabbalahCartographyThe engraving as evidence: source-criticism
What to do with an engraving that has a date but no master? A short checklist for working with 16th–18th-century demonological iconography.
EngravingSource criticism
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