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Malkuth - Tenth Sephira
by Frater GVTEL
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(Special Annotated Edition) in this carefully annotated edition. |
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IntroductionPrior to the study of Malkuth, it would be necessary to specify several concepts, but in a simple and summarised way, without going into the subject, otherwise the work would be too long and the concrete task of analysing Malkuth would be lost between its lines. How, then, can we define the Kabbalah and its origin in a simple way? We could say that the Kabbalah is the esoteric science that attempts to unravel the mysteries of creation, the aim of which would be the connection of Man with the Light: "Mystery, the occult, mysticism, ciphers, numbers as ways of communication between the earthly world and the higher worlds. These are the pieces of a mental chess that line up on the chessboard of tradition and strive in the battle of knowledge - Casa Sefarad-Israel". Its roots go back to the Mercabah as a precursor and base, but its origins are neo-Platonic, beginning in the 12th and 13th centuries north of the Pyrenees, later extending to Girona and the other Hispanic kingdoms. The best known part, outside of strictly Jewish circles, are the ten sefirot (paths), which emerge from the Ain Soph (the infinite) representing the ten emanations of God, through which the world is created as the infinite light contracts in the tsimtsum. These sefirot, in turn, are interconnected through 22 paths, resulting in the symbolic ensemble called the Tree of Life. Being thus a representation of the emanations of God that make up creation, we can say that the Tree as a symbol contains the totality of creation and therefore all that exists can be identified in the Tree (hence the magical tables of correspondences). Furthermore we see that the Tree is divided into three distinct Pillars which are Severity, Balance and Mercy. The Pillars of Severity and Mercy present notable differences in their characteristics: The Pillar of Severity is considered to be of negative polarity, feminine and passive, the Pillar of Mercy is of positive polarity, active and masculine; while the Pillar of Balance combines in harmony the energies of both pillars. Thus in Kabbalah the descent of the Light of the Ain Soph through the sephiroth is represented as a zigzagging ray, which carries the energy from one pole to the other (Pillars of Severity and Mercy) and balances (in the Middle Pillar). It is also worth noting that according to the Kabbalah, existence overlaps into four distinct subtle worlds, which in microcosmic terms would correspond to four different planes of consciousness of the human psyche. These worlds are Assiah (World of Action), Yetzirah (World of Formation), Briah (World of Creation) and Aztiluth (World of Archetypes). The purpose of initiation is to pass through the sephiroth by opening the gates that separate these four worlds.  Tree of Life Scheme 
Tree of Life adapted to the A.·.A.·. degree system. Once we are clear on these concepts, the structure of the Tree of Life and its symbolism, we can move on to the analysis of the sephira on which this study focuses: Malkuth. This study will be structured in four parts plus a bibliography: -Table of magical correspondences -Theoretical development: the meaning and symbolism of Malkuth and its correspondences. -Meditations and practices -Conclusions -Bibliography 1.-Table of Magical Correspondences
2.-Theoretical DevelopmentLiterally the translation of Malkuth is "The Kingdom". It is the Tenth Sephirah and stands at the base of the Pillar of Equilibrium, functioning as the support of the entire tree. The tree is made up of 3 functional triangles representing the upper worlds of Atziluth, Briah and Yetzirah. Separate and isolated is Malkuth, representing Assiah. By its position on the tree and its connection with the three pillars, Malkuth is the receptacle of the whole Tree of Life, being the Sphere in which the whole of Reality is perceived and experienced. For this reason it is attributed with the Four Elements which make up the whole of creation. As with all matter, in order to understand the fundamentals of the Tree of Life, it is necessary to understand that which is its basis, in this case Malkuth. The relationship to its synonyms and titles, as well as the relationship to its immediate neighbours, will help us to better understand The Kingdom. Malkuth is the Sphere of Form, and all coherence of parts, except mechanicity, attraction and repulsion, is dependent upon the functions of Yesod, which is its immediate neighbour. Yesod needs the substance of Malkuth to manifest the forms it produces, just as the matter of Malkuth needs the influx of the forces of Yesod to be animated, for Yesod is the vehicle of life, and its force is present in all that has electrical conductivity or activity, such as the metals used for the creation of talismans which function as accumulators of astral force. The main qualities of any foundation must be Stability and Firmness. These qualities can be understood through the translation of Malkuth itself, for every Kingdom must be stable and founded on the steadfastness of its King. We shall see this relationship later in the discussion of the Divine Names. If we take the additional titles given to Malkuth, we see that they clearly express its attributes. We see for instance that she is the Gate and the Bride, and that the two concepts can be seen as one, since the womb of the Mother is the gate of Life. Further, since birth on the plane of Form entails death in the higher spheres, we have the connection with her title of the Gate of Death. She is also called Kallah, the Wife of the Microposopos, and Malkah, the Queen of the King, thus making clear the polarising function that exists between the planes of Form and Force, Form being the feminine aspect that fertilises the emanations of the planes of Force. We note that these titles also refer to the relationship between Malkuth and Binah, the latter being the Higher Mother, since it is where Form is given in the first place, and Malkuth the Lower Mother, since it is where Form is developed and manifested. This idea will be developed further below. Let us take a look at the divine names of Malkuth and their translation: -Adonai Malekj: Lord who is King -Adonai ha Aretz: Lord of the Earth Immediately we see the relationship to his name (The Kingdom) and the relationship that exists with Kether. Remembering that Adonai is a holy emanation of God, like any of His other names, we see that Malkuth is no less holy than Kether, for it is an expression in manifestation of the same force. Looking at the Yetziratic text, we can see three distinct ideas: The Magical Image of Malkuth is a crowned (and veiled) Young Woman on a throne, representing the Isis of Nature, whose face is veiled, representing how spiritual forces are hidden because of the outer form, an idea that is also present in the symbolism of Binah (The outer robe that conceals). 1. The concept of "Shining Intelligence illuminating the splendour of all lights" is due to the fact that Malkuth reflects all the emanations of the other Sephiroth, illuminating them, i.e., making them visible as soon as they are reflected by specific aspects of Malkuth, because of its formative function and specifically because it makes tangible, visible and definite the undefined and intangible of the higher planes. We see the connection with the final idea that rituals must have components of the physical plane (talismans, tracing of symbols, etc.). 2. The relation between Malkuth and Binah. As we have seen before, Binah is called the Upper Mother, being the one who gives the form in the first place, and Malkuth is called the Lower Mother, being where that form is developed and manifested. Further Binah is called "The Dark Barren Mother", while Malkuth is called "The Bright Fertile Mother". In relation to their corresponding ancient deities, we can see Binah as the higher aspect of Isis, who is sterile because the positive pole is always stimulating but without producing a result. Isis as the Bright Fertile Mother (Malkuth) indicates the result of Isis' operations on the physical plane (the flowering of the Form given by Binah). Binah and Malkuth are not two different types of forces, but the same on different levels. This is something we can see in some gods who are represented with different forms but maintaining qualities (Zeus as the father of all and Priapus dedicated to fatherhood, the Celestial Venus and Venus the Goddess of Love, etc.). 3. The Function of Malkuth resulting in the emanation of the Angel of Kether. Although already explained, the function of Malkuth is to materialise the forces of the higher spheres, and its status as the base of the Tree, at the foot of the Pillar of Equilibrium, places it in direct line of descent from the Power of Kether, whence the zigzagging ray sets out on its march, descending until it reaches the terminal point at Malkuth, to be replaced by the Serpent of Wisdom, ascending inversely until its head touches Kether. This represents the unconscious Force of the higher planes that builds the planes of Manifestation, passing from the active to the passive, maintaining equilibrium, and hopefully becoming the Serpent, the symbol of Initiation, representing the Dawn of Consciousness. For this reason we might say that Malkuth is the nadir of evolution insofar as it functions as the point of return after the manifestation of the Forces of the higher planes, directing this ascent towards Yesod, where the domains of inanimate matter are crossed. We can deduce, then, that magical operations are generated from the higher spheres, i.e., the operator brings that power down through the planes to put it to his service, and for it to work, it must be embodied on the physical plane, and for this reason every operation must be expressed in some way in terms of Malkuth (the action). The Magical Image of Malkuth is a crowned (and veiled) Young Woman on a throne, representing the Isis of Nature, whose face is veiled, representing how spiritual forces are hidden because of the outer form, an idea that is also present in the symbolism of Binah (The outer robe that conceals). As to its mystical number, Malkuth being the ultimate emanation of the Absolute, manifests as the tenth and last sephira. If we take its mystical number to be 55 and simplify it, we see that 5 + 5 add up to 10, the number of the sephira, but if, in addition, being the last emanation of the Absolute and the recipient of all the emanations descending through the three pillars, we add up all the numbers from 1 to 10, the result is also 55. The Sphinx is the imaginary animal of Malkuth, its most famous representation can be found in Egypt, but it appears in different forms throughout history (as in the Haaiots that lead to the Merkabah), commonly called Tetramorph because it is formed by four animal forms: Lion, Bull, Man and Eagle . As a symbol, it represents a synthesis of the 4 elements, just as Malkuth contains them represented in the Sphere of the Elements. In Crowley's words: “It is thus a Glyph of the Satisfaction and Perfection of the Will and of the Work, the completion of the True Man as the Reconciler of the Highest with the Lowest, so for our Convenience conventionally to distinguish them. This then is the Adept, who doth Will with solid Energy as the Bull, doth Dare with fierce Courage as the Lion, doth Know with swift Intelligence as the Man, and doth keep Silence with soaring Subtlety as the Eagle or Dragon. Moreover, this Sphinx is an Eidolon of the Law, for the Bull is Life, the Lion is Light, the Man is Liberty, the Serpent Love. Now then his Sphinx, being perfect in true Balance, yet taketh the Aspect of the Feminine Principle that so She may be partner of the Pyramid, that is the Phallus, pure Image of Our Father the Sun, the Unity Creative. ” - Liber Aleph, 152 - Aleister Crowley. As we have already mentioned, Malkuth contains the four elements within itself. The elements themselves are the symbolic form in which we refer to the primary forms of matter (or Forces) that combined together in different proportions result in all that exists in The Realm. Malkuth is also the only sephira that includes the Earth as we can see in this diagram:  The Sephiroth and their associated Elements Its hidden element is the Earth (an element that also contains the other three), which already indicates the characteristic of Firmness as the base of the Tree (although thinking in a conventional way, what would be more logical to represent a tree than placing its base on the Earth). The simplest division of the circle, as an expression of totality, is into quadrants. This division is an expression of the potential characteristics of balance, solidity and regularity. This quaternary system is widely used throughout humanity (division into quarters, cities divided into quadrants, etc.), but it has a deep metaphysical background. Taking numbers as symbolic expressions of metaphysical realities or principles, we see that One is the primordial number (for from it all others arise). The determination of the number One creates duality (the number Two) and from the product and comparison of this arises the Three which represents the traditional cosmogonic potency (Hindu trimurti, icha-kriya-jnana of tantra, the Holy Trinity...) so the number Four is the number of Manifestation. This is represented in the tetrahedron, considered the first perfect Platonic solid, whose development is the projection of the equilateral triangle in a three-dimensional form, resulting in a pyramid formed by four triangles. The Pythagorean tetraktys also serves as a reference, seeing that its series (1, 2, 3, 4) encloses the whole ten (since its sum is Ten), that is to say the tetraktys makes up the integral cycle (all the numbers) being a representation of the totality and a reflection of what mathematicians have called the Decimal Base. For this reason it is not surprising that the quaternary manifests itself in a spatio-temporal form and that there are four cardinal points, four seasons, four lunar phases, four high points of the earth's orbit (2 Equinoxes and 2 Solstices), four phases of the day, four worlds of the Kabbalah ... and the four elements that make up matter. If we conceive of Matter as composed of four divisions, the psyche could also be perceived in a similar way. “Fire and air express masculine qualities. They are active, positive, and creative. Water and earth are feminine in nature, being passive, negative, and receptive. Fire is known as the spiritual element, and is associated with aspiration, energy, purification, and transformation. Water is the universal medium, the unfathomable depths of the human subconscious. Air is associated with the breath, soul, and flights of the imagination. Earth expresses solidity and practicality, the physical body. The ideal, or perfected person, is a balanced combination of these forces.” - The Holistic Qabala: A Contemporary Guide to Magick - Richard and Iona Miller We can say, furthermore, that matter would be part of the Earth of Malkuth, the activity of which (in the form of construction and destruction) would be Air and Water of Malkuth, the Fire of Malkuth being related to consciousness and life, being the energy that brings about change in the rest by naturally functioning as a catalyst of the Yetziratic forces. The aim of the Aspirant in Malkuth, and how Malkuth expresses itself in its ideal state, is to achieve that Balance which Crowley mentions in the passage from the Liber Aleph, the equilibrium of the four elements, thus symbolising the Cross of Equal Arms. This task is represented in the work of mastering the powers of the Sphinx mentioned above, of the tasks of the Neophyte of the A.·.A.·., where each "power" would correspond with an element, in addition to the Sphinx's own attributes, this will be further developed in the essay on the Four Powers of the Sphinx. It is the balancing of the four elements that allows the influx of the fifth element to break through and result in the mystical experience of Malkuth, the descent of the Divine into the Human, This mystical experience is called the Vision of the Holy Guardian Angel or of Adonai, but to reach it one must pass through the first of the major ordeals. Once the powers of the Sphinx have been mastered and the Astral Vision developed, we find ourselves treading Path 32, the path which links the physical world with the astral. This path is ruled by Saturn which represents the illusion of duration and rigidity of earthly manifestation. So the goal is to break through that illusion, when the outer sense of self ceases to struggle against Saturn, to embrace the fundamental truth of existence, that the perceiver and the perceived are illusions. He is therefore the lord of Form, but also of Limits, and it is no coincidence that his presence is present in the Duat as if crossing the Abyss. He serves as a boundary between the visible and the invisible, as he also serves as a boundary between our conscious and our shadow (all that we deny as our own, but also the creative potential) which will be the archetype to be reconciled and which is the representative of the personal unconscious (and repressed) contents. This experience is the Ordeal X.: “The other images group around me to suppor me: let all be worshipped, for they shall cluster to exalt me. I am the visible object of worship; the others are secret; for the Beast & his Bride are they: and for the winners of the Ordeal x. What is this? Thou shalt know.” Al, 3:22 The outcome of the ordeal, once overcome, is the Vision of the Holy Guardian Angel, the descent from the Divine to the Human. For some authors this is a kind of higher self or, in other words, the non-conscious version of ourselves in the higher spheres, which is logical given that the four worlds of the Kabbalah occur simultaneously, at the same time, although we are not aware of them because we have not initiated the processes that open the way through them (which would be the goal of Initiation). The microcosmic correspondences are: -The Feet: Since the feet are in contact with the Earth, it suggests to us the relationship of Steadfastness and Stability as Virtues of Malkuth, since they keep us upright. From this we can say that expressions such as "keeping your feet on the ground" come from, referring to the idea of not being carried away by absurd or inordinate illusions and acting with reason and caution. On the other hand, stability taken to the extreme becomes uncertainty, the vice. -The Anus: If we take Discernment and Discrimination as Virtues of Malkuth, we see that in macrocosmic terms all that is considered corrupt (discernment) must be expelled from the Tree of Life (discrimination) and that excretion is cast into the Qlifot, which are below Malkuth, where they cannot be reborn on the planes of organised Form without having been equlibrated. The tendency to retain that which is to be discarded, and which is the opposite of discrimination, is called Greed, functioning as the Vice of Malkuth. For the symbols and magic weapons, I leave a brief overview of each of them: -Double cube altar: Placed in the centre, it symbolises the maxim "What is above, is below", the visible world being a reflection of the invisible world. In the words of A. Crowley: “The Altar is the solid basis of the work, the fixed Will of the Magician and the law under which he works [...] The Altar is a double cube, which is a form to symbolise the Great Work [...] The surface of this Altar is composed of ten squares. The upper part is Kether, and the lower part Malkuth. [...] For this Altar is to be a vessel of the Magician's knowledge of the laws of nature, which are the laws by which he works.” Book 4, Part two, 3 - A. Crowley. -The Circle: It represents the protection of the Magician, so it must be concrete and firm, as well as announcing the nature of the Great Work, as it affirms its identity with the infinite, the limitation implied by devotion to the Great Work and represents balanced work. -The Art Triangle: It is where the Spirit manifests in accordance with the Will of the Magician, i.e. where the evoked spirit, hitherto invisible, manifests in visible form. “The circle and the triangle are the spheres of the magician's operation and his work which is in Malkuth, the Kingdom, the Kingdom of Assiah. The triangle is outside the circle, it is the place of the Spirit, but it does not belong to him, for his realm is formless. The triangle is the figure in which Chorozon must be evoked to confer form.” Liber 777 -A.Crowley -The equal arms cross: It represents the four elements in perfect balance. It is represented by the division of Malkuth into quarters, being lemon (towards Yesod), olive (Netzach), maroon (hod) and black (region of the Qlifot), being the reflections of the three pillars and the chliphotic region, attenuated and tempered by the veil of earthly matter. In other words, all things are gathered together in Malkuth, though seen as a reflection and not face to face. The Four Tens are the cards attributed to the sphere of Malkuth and function as a warning against taking false steps. The Four Tens represent the energies of fire, water, air and earth, in all their possibilities of manifestation and degrees, through the five senses and analysed by the mind. -The Ten of Wands: It is called Oppression, which is the consequence of continually using force alone. It represents the energy of Fire in all its variants in the material world. -The Ten of Cups: It is called Satiety or Perfect Success, after which one realises that all that one wanted so much, when achieved, was not what one really wanted and pays accordingly. It represents the feelings, the energy of water and liquids in all their variants in the material world. -The Ten of Swords: Ruin, reflects how when one fights for too long, everything ends up destroyed. Ruin is never complete, for first comes exhaustion from which one begins to recover. It represents the thoughts, the energy of air and gases in all their variations in the material world. -The Ten of Discs: Wealth or Opulence. “When wealth accumulates beyond a certain point, it must either become completely inert and cease to be wealth, or call in the aid of intelligence to use it rightly. This must necessarily happen in spheres which have nothing whatever to do with material possessions, as such. [,,,] this is the last of all the cards, and therefore represents the sum total of all the work that has been done from the beginning.” Book of Thoth – A. Crowley. It represents sensations, dense matter (earth) in all its variants. The Archangel Sandalphon as such is considered the twin of Metatron because of the human origin of both (the prophet Elijah and Enoch respectively). He is also regarded as an inferior reflection of Metatron himself, or even as a counterpart of Metatron, with Metatron being the Bright Angel and Sandalphon the Dark Angel. He is an Angel bound entirely to matter, subject to physical mortality and to the Karmic Laws (one could say that he presides over the Karmic Debt). On the other hand, he is the intelligence that governs the processes of planet Earth and humans and is associated with music and prayer. The Ashim or souls of fire represent the natural consciousness of matter, being the basis of material form. They transmit to man the characteristics of civilisation and the knowledge of divine things. As for the correspondences with different deities, an in-depth study of them will give us the key to their relationship with Malkuth, but let's see a small summary. We can see that for example Seb (Geb) is a creator god, the principle of life and fertility, and his authority is over the Earth. Ymir in Norse mythology is the giant with whom Odin and his brothers, after sacrificing him, create Midgard. Jord, who is also a giant, represented nature and the archetype of the Mother, being in fact the mother of Thor. Ceres for the Romans and Demeter for the Greeks was the goddess protector of the earth, agriculture and fertility. A much more extensive study could be made, as we have said, which would serve for a better understanding of the aspect of these deities, but it would not add much more to this study. Plants, perfumes, minerals and drugs will serve for magical work in this sphere, working upon the imagination of the operator and inspiring him. For example, rock crystals are of an earthly nature, for they embody the quality of firmness; on plants we may review the commentary in Liber 777: “The Willow is the traditional tree of the neglected maiden, Malkuth unredeemed. The Lily suggests that maiden’s purity, and the Ivy her clinging and flexible nature. All Cereals pertain to Malkuth, Wheat being the foundation of the Pentacle which represents Nephesch” Finally we come to the Magical Formula of Malkuth: V.I.T.R.I.O.L. which stands for “Visita Interiora Terrae Rectificando Invenies Occultem Lapidem” which literally means Visit the Interior of the Earth and Rectifying You Will Find the Hidden Stone. This alchemical formula gives us several keys to the work to be done in Malkuth. It represents a balanced combination of the three alchemical principles, Sulphur, Mercury and Salt, referring to the trichotomist vision of Body (Salt), Soul (Mercury) and Spirit (Sulphur), components that are found in all creation and that represent Paracelsus' tria prima. The perfect combination of these three substances means achieving transmutation, an operation that is synthesised in the maxim solve et cuagula. The whole of this motto has its central importance in the word Rectifying, for it entails the process of adjusting these elements, so that once balanced, the transmutation is conducted on the path of True Will. The Hidden Stone refers to the Philosopher's Stone, the Universal Medicine. And so much for the Theoretical Development of the sphere of Malkuth and its correspondences. In the next section we will discuss some exercises that will serve as practice for a sensory experimentation and a deeper experience, beyond what our senses dictate, of Malkuth. 3.- Meditations and practicesThere are various methods of finding and experiencing Malkuth. Not all of them seem to have a magical or mystical aura, some involve actions that we consider everyday actions within our mechanicity, but which bring about a change when we do them consciously, an example of this might be the practice of Karma Yoga in our day to day lives. Being the sphere of action, we could also determine that any physical exercise would be linked to Malkuth, so if we also focus our attention on how our body reacts, on our breathing, on the impressions that the exercise causes us, how it affects us, etc. we will see that the control over our body is firmer and therefore more balanced. Examples of this could be Hatha Yoga, Dance or even walking in a conscious way, enjoying everything that surrounds us, the manifestation of the world. Simple matters such as looking for a job or studying for training in an occupation of our interest is a clear example of how to approach one's own material needs. In addition, we could use the elemental forces to help us. There are also intellectual forms of observation. For example, we can look for something specific that represents it, as in some of the sections of the Tablets we have seen above, where we see the difficulty of finding something that represents only a certain thing or quality. We can also choose something specific and try to recognise in that something all those aspects which correspond to Malkuth, provided we look deeply into the essence of that something, for in itself and in general all manifested things could be Malkuth by the mere fact of their having manifested. The use of the Tarot is also a good practice. Divination is linked to the Neophyte degree in the A.·.A.·., hence to Malkuth, which in the words of Dion Fortune in his Mystic Qabalah "All divinations are performed in the Sphere of Malkuth. The object of all method is to find a series of things on the physical plane, which correspond properly to the invisible forces, just as the hands of a clock correspond to the passage of time," so that any exercise in Tarot study and divination would be good practice in the sphere of Malkuth: studying the cards, meditating on them, especially those attributed to Malkuth, as we said earlier, the four tens, passive pathworking, etc. Astrology and more specifically the birth chart also gives us the opportunity to see our predominant elements and to be able to work on this basis, for example, if we have too much of one element and not enough of another, to find ways of balancing by working on them and with the appropriate elemental beings. You don't need to be a professional astrologer to do this, it is desirable to be familiar with it and you can find a lot of serious material on the net that can help you, including free resources for charting and so on. The practices indicated in the Liber E vel Exercitorium sub Figurâ IX, such as Asana, Pranayama and Dharana, are vital for the control of body and mind. In the meditations the main thing is to be focused or to begin by paying attention to the Muladhara chakra, where the Kundalini serpent is coiled around it three and a half times, i.e. visualising the prana as it rises through Ida and exits through Pingala, in rhythm with the pranayama and reflecting the left and right pillars. Nowadays, guided meditations can be easily found on digital platforms that can be helpful as an introduction, although it is desirable to do your own meditations by adjusting procedures that work for you personally. Meditations on the elements, working several days analysing their characteristics, coming into contact with them (their manifestation in nature), evocations in nature of both the elements and elemental beings, etc. are also desirable and useful practices for the balancing of the elements. Here one could make use, for example, of Eliphas Levi's exorcisms and elemental prayers in his Dogme et Rituel de la Haute Magie part 2, chapter 4. Meditation on the tattvas, given their correspondence with the elements, is not only a good practice for improving visualisation, but also serves this purpose. The tattvas are also used for the practice of Dharana (adding the element Spirit / Akasha).  As one of the central practices in magical work, the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram (both banishment and invocation) fits perfectly as a practice in Malkuth given its location on the Tree. It is situated at the intersection between path 25 and 27 (Samekh and Peh), which places it below the veil of Paroketh, which essentially means that you are working in the Elemental Grades and each of them takes full manifestation in Malkuth, in short, it is about the mastery of the Square, the squaring of the circle, symbolising the total union of the four elements in the centre, where the magician stands. The Middle Pillar Exercise is also of interest because it serves psychic balance through the circulation of energy. As Iona and Richard Miller point out in The Holistic Qabala: A Contemporary Guide to Magic: “The Middle Pillar links up the various up the various aspects of our Being from Body-consciousness, to Ego-consciousness, to Self-Realization, mystical experience, and Perfection. The gulf between our animalistic nature and our incarnation of Divinity in the Master-soul is symbolically expressed by the vertical column of Middle Pillar.” Finally, we can use the correspondences of Malkuth to elaborate rituals, worship, altars... that are in consonance with this sephira and whose aim is to balance the elements, to anchor the idea of Malkuth in our psyche and to experience it. 4.- ConclusionsIn general, from what I have observed in various circles, it often seems that Malkuth is not given the importance it deserves, perhaps because it is the step before Initiation itself, perhaps because we take its nature as the manifested Creation for granted and consider it to be all that surrounds us and where we live, perhaps because people have their eyes on the sefirot beyond... but the study of Malkuth and its characteristics gives us the ability to understand its importance. As I said, Malkuth can be considered the nadir of evolution, all conscious work done in Malkuth leads to the return to the higher planes of consciousness, therefore all such work is of vital importance to the path of initiation. The balancing of the elements (The Four Powers of the Sphinx) and thus of the psyche (though its total mastery is presumably unlikely at this point), being one of the central workings of Malkuth, is to bring together the ideal conditions without which taking the next step in Initiation could be unsuccessful at best, or counterproductive to the mental and physical health of the Neophyte by awakening the Kundalini too soon in an environment of imbalance. In the words of P.D. Ouspensky: "The Sphinx with its riddle...devoured those who approached it and could not solve the riddle. The allegoryof the Sphinx means that there are questions of a certain order which man must not approach unless he knows how to answer them. Having once come into contact with certain ideas man is unable to live as he lived before; he must either go further or perish under a burden which is too heavy for him.". Ultimately the understanding of the nature and characteristics of Malkuth, and therefore of oneself, is the trigger for all further work of ascent through the Tree and the guarantee of beginning the path of Initiation with the tools, understanding and balance necessary for success in the accomplishment of the Great Work. It is the basis of the Tree, of all the work, and as long as the basis of a subject is not understood, nothing else of the subject can be understood. Bibliography* Mystical Qabalah by Dion Fortune * Liber 777 by Aleister Crowley * Complete Magician’s Tables by Stephen Skinner * The Holistic Qabala: A Contemporary Guide to Magick by Richard & Iona Miller * Liber Aleph by Aleister Crowley * The Middle Pillar by Israel Regardie * Book 4 by Aleister Crowley * Dogme et Rituel de la Haute Magie by Eliphas Levi * Book of Thoth by Aleister Crowley * Liber Al vel Legis by Aleister Crowley * Tarot y Cábala: caminos espirituales by J. A. Portela * Initiation of the King and the Ordeal X article by Nemo Pandragon * Malkuth and Foundation of Qabalistic Dogma article by Frater 273 |
