In the last few years, Qabala has become popular in the world at large as
various celebrities such as Madonna and Elizabeth Taylor have begun their
studies in a very public way. Qabala, Qabalah, Kabalah, QBL and Cabalah are
all variations on the spelling of the same word. But just exactly what is
it? The word Qabala literally means "From mouth to ear". It was
originally an oral tradition and its first origins remain unknown. It is a
'wisdom' teaching and is seen as an essential means and framework for
accelerating spiritual growth as a tool and a map of the Universe, the
Macrocosm, and the Human Microcosm.
Qabala is a vital part of Western Mystery Tradition and has been called the
Yoga of the West. It is especially suited to the mind of westerners as a
means of understanding and accessing the Divine. Qabala is a map, a chart,
a philosophy and a way of understanding our inner and psychological,
spiritual selves.
The main symbol or glyph of the Qabala is called The Tree of Life. It's a
Mandala, an archetypal symbol of wholeness common to many cultures. The
eminent psychologist Carl Jung talked of mandalas and their spontaneous
emergence in healing patients. The Tree of Life is a magical symbol like the
diagram of a wiring circuit, only instead of electricity we are working with
spiritual power and energy. We still don't understand exactly how
electricity works but we are able to harness and make use of its power in the
same way we seek to harness the spiritual force within us through the use of
Qabala.
The Tree of Life is made up of 10 Spheres or Sephiroth (singular for Sepiroth
is sephira) and one hidden Sephira, Daath, along with the pathways that link
each Sephira to one another, allowing the current of Divine energy to flow up
and down the Tree, manifesting both on the physical plane and the spiritual
plane. In this series, we'll begin at the root of the Tree with the Sephira,
MALKUTH.
Malkuth symbolizes the entire physical world and the 4 elements. The
Yetziratic text calls Malkuth the "Resplendent Intelligience because it is
exalted above every head and sits upon the Throne of Binah" meaning that
Malkuth is the supreme manifestation of the form that was first conceived as
a potential in the Supernal or archetypalWorld. According to Gareth Knight
it is exalted above every head because it is the end result of the divine
impulse into manifestation, the spiritual pattern made manifest in the
physical world. This is why one of its titles is the Inferior Mother, in
other words, it is the physical manifestation of the potential of the Great
Mother, Binah. The word inferior has connotations of not as good as and this
is not what is meant by the word. Read it as lesser, as in the daughter of
Binah. This is another example of the necessity of looking beyond semantics
when studying QBL.
The magickal image of Malkuth is that of a woman crowned & throned, this is
the final Heh in the Divine name of God Yod Heh Vav Heh and this image is
considered the Daughter of the Divine Mother. The God name is Adonai Malekh
or Adonai ha Aretz meaning Lord of the Earth. The Planet of Malkuth is Earth
and some of the titles of Malkuth are The Gate; The Gate of Death; The Gate
of the Shadow of Death; Gate of Justice; Inferior Mother; Malkah the Queen
and the Bride. The experience of Malkuth is the Knowledge of and
Conversation with the Holy Guardian Angel sometimes thought of as the Higher
Self. Symbols are the Double cubed altar; the Equal Armed Cross; the Circle
and the Triangle. Gods & Goddesses associated with Malkuth are all Earth
deities such as Ceres, Demeter, Attis and Cernunnos.
The various titles calling Malkuth the Gate refer to the fact that the
experiences of the physical world are things that we 'go through' - birth
into this world; death which is a birth into another world; justice - karma
that we incur and that we act upon on the physical plane.
The English translation of Malkuth is "The Kingdom" as in the
kingdom of the body & the senses as well as the kingdom of Kether (the
Sephiroth at the top of the Tree of Life) or physical manifestation of
Kether, for Malkuth and Kether are reflections of each other. In Hebrew Mal
means royal and Kuth means vulva, so the Royal Vulva is the Gateway of
Manifestation of spirit into the physical, figuratively as well as literally.
The experience of Malkuth of the Holy Guardian Angel is the uniting of our
true, higher, inner selves with our ego self. That moment of bliss when we
know deep within that we are all creatures of spirit and united with all
things - this is the "Resplendent" consciousness we strive to
achieve in the manifest, mundane world of Malkuth.
The altar is a symbol of the transmission of pure energy into matter; the
Equal Armed Cross shows the 4 elements which make up the balance of Earth,
the 4 worlds, the 4 directions, etc; the Circle contains energy and
represents the cycles of physical manifestation upon the Earth; the Triangle
is the triangle of manifestation that magicians use to draw into physical
form the energies which they contact.
Suggested Exercises to understand and experience Malkuth:
1. Sit quietly and begin rhythmic breathing. Concentrate on each of your
senses one at a time: See, really SEE the objects in the room, not only
their physical form, but the energy which make them up; Feel the material on
the chair or on your clothes; Listen to the everyday sounds around you or the
magic of the music you have on; Taste some tea or fruit or whatever and
concentrate on the experience; Smell the tea or fruit or concentrate on the
smell of incense that you may be using. Be totally mindful of each of these
experiences as you do them. Now close your eyes and remembering your
experiences of your senses, extend your Sense of being into the room,
encompassing all that is there, now outdoors, expanding further and further
until you are extended out to the stars themselves. Breathe and begin to
contract again bringing yourself again totally into your body.
2. Play with the energy currents of your body. Create and play with a ball
of energy between your hands. Concentrate on different parts of your body
and feel them fill with heat. Become aware of your breath as energy - fill
yourself with energy and let it cleanse and balance each cell of your body.
3. Study the stories and lessons of an Earth deity, write an invocation to
them, meditate on their symbols.
4. Meditate on the Earth as sacred.
RITUAL WORKING FOR MALKUTH:
This working helps you to make contact with Elemental forces. Before the
working choose a crystal or stone to represent Malkuth that you will charge
with energy:
Air, sylphs - rhythmic breathing, enlarge the aura with each breath, become
lighter and more expansive, allow subtle body to float comfortably on the
vibrations of the bell. Commit to opening your awareness and being conscious
of the interconnection of all life. Note any resistance you may have.
Fire, salamanders - concentrate on the heart, feel its beating, its rhythm.
Become aware of the blood rushing thru your body, warming and feeding each
cell. Let the head, feet, hands and spinal column heat up, imagining fire in
each of these locations. Vow to use your energies actively to create the
life you wish to lead. Now note any resistance you may have.
Water, undines - Take a drink of water. Water is Life. Feel it flowing down
into your stomach, cooling you and soothing you. Feel it flowing out to each
cell and beyond into your energy field, calming and cool. Intuit that you
have access to the ageless wisdom, you are its heir, you have only to calm
yourself, quiet down and allow the silence within you to speak. Listen to it
now. Promise to use this quiet voice to aid in your decisions and actions.
Note any resistance you may have.
Earth; gnomes - hold object brought in hands, close eyes and begin to breath
energy into object while warming it in the hands. Fill with energy and offer
this object to Gheb, the king of gnomes, to ground the intention of
manifesting spirit into matter thru your work. Note any resistance you may
have.
Stand, then walking slowly clockwise, drawing up energy from the earth, bring
the energy up through your body and out your hands, filling your crystal with
power, stamina, endurance and commitment. When the crystal is full, bring it
up to your heart. When you are ready, begin intoning the word Malkuth and
hold the crystal up to the sky then place it closely in front of you on the
floor. Relax and allow any excess energy in your body to drain down into the
earth. Leave the crystal on the floor over night to absorb additional energy
directly with the earth.
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