The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows

[Ci Celli Ddu]

Coming across the reference to the Qlippoth as the "Nine Keys to Hell" I obviously thought of the De Umbrarum Regni Novem Portis, the fictional grimoire featured in Arturo Perez-Reverte's excellent novel El Club Dumas, on which the movie The Ninth Gate is (very loosely) based. If you've seen the movie then don't let that stop you reading the novel, as they are substantially seperate enteties, and the twists and turns in the novel will surprise you the more for having seen the film.

At first glance the nine engravings (http://www.eclectichistorian.net/Engravings/) of the fictional grimoire appear to have been created with some knowledge of both the Qlippoth and the Qabbalah. It would seem that these engravings do incorporate symbolic elements from both the Qabbalah and the Tarot, not least that they are ten in number, as Eclectic Historian (http://www.eclectichistorian.net/) explains:
This...is essentially a step-by-step guide to summoning Satan, and buried within the text are ten engravings - a printer's mark and nine illustrations representing each of the "doors" that need to be opened along the way.

In reality the woodcut engravings in the novel were designed by the Spanish artist Francisco Sole. The engravings have a tarot-like quality and are rich in symbolism- and "variations."

Although the idea of books containing dark secrets is nothing new (a literary device perfected decades ago by H.P. Lovecraft), Francisco Sole's engravings constitute a unique graphic representation of an occult mystery. These engravings, along with Arturo Perez Reverte's tale, present a troubling meditation on the nature of knowledge. If knowledge is power and power corrupts- if eating of the tree of knowledge was the original sin- then can enlightenment come only at the price of damnation?

By looking at the tables of Sephirothic Correspondences (which include each Sephirah's "Klippoth") on pages 21-28 of Colin Low's A Depth of Beginning (PDF) (http://satanicsingles.com/library/notes_on_Kaballah.pdf), as well as pgs 81-83 on the Letters & the Paths, and pgs 91-102 on the Tarot and the Tree, one can make comparisons with the symbolism contained in the engravings. Any systemised correlation between them and the Qabbalah would be an invention on the part of the reader, nevertheless the intent to correlate them can be an entertaining exercise in symbolism. The ten engravings are:

The Printer's Mark

SIC LUCEAT LUX (http://www.eclectichistorian.net/Engravings/Frontis.html#Caption)
Thus shines the light

The Gates

NEMO PERVENIT QUI NON LEGITIME CERTAVERIT (http://www.eclectichistorian.net/Engravings/One.html#Caption)
Only he who has fought according to the rules will succeed


CLAUSAE PATENT (http://www.eclectichistorian.net/Engravings/Two.html#Caption)
They open that which is closed

VERBUM DIMISSUM CUSTODIAT ARCANUM (http://www.eclectichistorian.net/Engravings/Three.html#Caption)
The lost word keeps the secret

FORTUNA NON OMNIBUS AEQUE (http://www.eclectichistorian.net/Engravings/Four.html#Caption)
Fate is not the same for all

FRUSTRA (http://www.eclectichistorian.net/Engravings/Five.html#Caption)
In vain

DITESCO MORI (http://www.eclectichistorian.net/Engravings/Six.html#Caption)
I am enriched by death

DISCIPULUS POTIOR MAGISTRO (http://www.eclectichistorian.net/Engravings/Seven.html#Caption)
The disciple surpasses the master

VICTA IACET VIRTUS (http://www.eclectichistorian.net/Engravings/Eight.html#Caption)
Virtue lies defeated

NUNC SCIO TENEBRIS LUX (http://www.eclectichistorian.net/Engravings/Nine.html#Caption)
Now I know that darkness comes from light

[Ci Celli Ddu]

The novel itself states:
Nine pages, or nine doors...That cannot be opened by just anybody...Every door has two keys, every page offers a number, a magical element and a key word, if all is studied in the light of reason, of the Kabbalah, of the occult art, of the true philosophy...Of the Latin and its combinations with the Greek and Hebrew...

The novel itself offers a solution to the secrets of the engravings based on numerology and mathematics, but the uncovering of the solution* is dependent on certain instructions in the grimoire that are not revealed in the engravings themselves (nor in the novel until the very end). But that, as it were, is another story, and doesn't involve a study and appreciation of the occult (Qabbalic and Tarot) symbolism of the images themselves.

*The solution being the incantation: sic me dedo, sic me exeo, sic me damno

[MythMath]

I must have missed this thread when first posted...

This 'novel concept' is intriguing and the images are great...

[Frater CaO]

Just watched The Ninth Gate again, first time in years that Ive seen it. Its a really nice movie! Im going to try to find the book now and order it.
Really interesting all of this, how the Nine Gates corresponds with the Qlipphoth and everything. These Gates might somehow prove somewhat usefull when working with the Qlipphoth, Im going to look into this some more and see what I get out of it.
Much appreciated thread! Really good link you found there too! :)

/HS!

[Copuldaemon]

Well, it's seems you've been doing research. I will check every link out.
Also, like every novel-based movie where the novel is superior, comes as no surprise but I must say that there is something about the movie itself that I like.

[Phoenix]

Good evening my friends, i had the chance to possess the book in my library and read it again last night, what a great book, it reminds me of The Name of the Rose (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Name_of_the_Rose) in a startling manner.

I ask you a question, has ocorred to you that it can have a bottom of truth?

( I love this part ) - Check this out - (it´s not a book but)


http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/thumb/4/44/400px-Flamel-figures.png

I believ you know this, Flamel had these mysterious alchemical symbols carved on his tomb (http://www.answers.com/topic/tomb) in the Church of the Holy Innocents (http://www.answers.com/topic/massacre-of-the-innocents) in Paris.

"References"

Decoding the Past: The Real Sorcerer's Stone, November 15 2006 History Channel video documentary
The Philosopher's Stone: A Quest for the Secrets of Alchemy, 2001, Peter Marshall, ISBN 0-330-48910-0

Interesting Links:

Nicholas Flamel (http://www.crystalinks.com/flamel.html)
An explanation of some of the alchemical figures on Flamel's tomb (http://www.levity.com/alchemy/flam_h0.html)
Flamel Technology (http://www.flamel-technologies.fr/) French based company named after the alchemist includes a biography (http://www.flamel-technologies.fr/flamelBio.shtml) of his life and major accomplishments
Reginald Merton, "A Detailed Biography of Nicolas Flamel" (http://www.flamelcollege.org/flamel.htm) Highly detailed legend.