Malkuth
Malkuth is the tenth sefirot in the Kabbalistic Tree of Life.
Etymology
Malkuth comes from the original Hebrew מַלְכוּת, romanized as Malḵūṯ. It means "kingdom."
Description
In the Zohar, an important Kabbalistic text, Malkuth sits at the bottom of the Tree of Life below Yesod and "governs the simple fact of existence in the physical world;" it is also known as Shekhinah.
The central teaching of the Zohar coalesced around an anthropomorphic model, in which the sefirot represent a cosmic anthropos. The lower sefirot, Malkhut, Yesod, Hod, and Netzach, constitute the most physical dimension of life, the nefesh.
Unlike the other nine sephirot, it is an attribute of God which does not emanate from God directly. Rather it emanates from God's creation, when that creation reflects and evinces God's glory from within itself.
Kabbalistic practice
It is important not to think of this sephirah as "unspiritual." Even though Malkuth is the emanation "furthest" from the Divine Source, it is still on the Tree of Life and therefore has its own unique spiritual qualities. It is often said that Keter (the "highest" sephira) is in Malkuth and Malkuth is in Kether. As the receiving sphere of all the other sefirot, Malkuth gives tangible form to the other emanations. The Divine energy comes down and finds its expression in this plane, and our purpose as human beings is to bring that energy back around the circuit again and back up the Tree.
Although Malkuth is seen as the "lowest" sefirot on the Tree of Life, it also contains within it the potential to reach the highest. This is exemplified in the Hermetic maxim "As above so below" (from the Emerald Tablet) and "Kether is in Malkuth, and Malkuth is in Kether."
As Malkuth is directly associated with Assiah, Malkuth also represents the second He (ה) in the Tetragrammaton (יהוה).
Occult correspondences
In occult practices, Malkuth is associated with the realm of matter/earth and relates to the physical world, the planets and the Solar System.
Malkuth is also associated with the World of Assiah, the material plane, and the "densest" of the Four Worlds of the Kabbalah. Because of this relation to Assiah, some occultists connect it the suit of Pentacles of the tarot. Through Assiah, Malkuth is also related to the four Page cards in the Tarot as well. There is also a connection between Malkuth and the tenth card of each suit in Tarot as Malkuth is the tenth sephiroth. In the modern set of playing cards, Malkuth is related to the Suit of Diamonds' symbolizing material wealth, or the treasures found in the physical world. Malkuths association with the Page cards of the Tarot is reflected in the modern playing card deck as the Jacks of the deck.
Other correspondences include:
- the Names of God associated with Malkuth are Adonai Melekh and Adonai ha-Arets.
- the angel of this sphere is Archangel Sandalphon.
- the Ishim (Souls of Fire) is the Angelic order associated with Malkuth.
- the planetary/astrological correspondence of Malkuth is the Earth.
- the element of malkuth is earth.