Malkut represents the lowest level of creation, the furthest removed from the Divine source but also the level of greatest density, where the scheme of the Divine intent reaches its greatest elaboration. It represents the physical world, solidity and stability, pure existence. In man, it represents the material nature only: literally, the body, without even the basic innate drives which keep it functional. In the hierachy of being, it can be seen as relating to the Mineral kingdom.
These meditations on the Sefiroth are intended to be taken in a logical sequence. Malkut is the first in the sequence. If you are new to meditation, please first read how to prepare yourself.
Malkut: Prepare yourself in the usual way. When you are ready, visualize a place that is special to you. This will be the place that you will always use as a starting point for these meditations. It might be a house, it might be a clearing in the forest, it might be a small Temple. Put yourself into your special place. Visualize yourself clearly there.
When you are comfortably settled, look around. There is an object lying on the ground, something that will help you on your journey. Pick it up and put it in your pocket.
Look around again, and nearby, you can see the entrance to a passageway. Approach the passageway and go inside.
Now you are inside; examine the walls. They are of bare, rough hewn rock. It is a little cooler here than it was outside. In front of you, the dimly lit passage leads downwards.
How does the passage look to you? Is it mysterious? Is it frightening?
But there is nothing here that can harm you, so you step forward, and almost immediately start down a spiral staircase carved out of the rock. It is steep, but the steps are well made and there are good handholds, so you do not have too much difficulty proceeding. There is no light on the stairs, but a steady, greenish golden glow comes from below, which is sufficient for you to see your way.
You go down and down, ever deeper and deeper into the Earth. The air is slightly warmer now, but it is not oppressive.
How are you feeling now about this journey? Have you encountered anything unusual on the staircase? Or has your journey so far been uneventful?
At last you reach the bottom of the steps. You find yourself in a cave. The walls are smooth agate, in rich colours: reds, and greens, and browns, with some black here and there.
How big is your cave? Is it a vast cathedral? Or a tiny space that you can barely stand up in? How does is feel to you? Is it inviting? Cosy? Or cold, frightening? Can you relate to your cave in the Earth? Can you sense the presence of the Earth all around you? How do you feel about that? Do you feel at home, or are you a stranger here?
You see a bright opening ahead of you, leading into a much larger cave. But pause here for a moment before you proceed, absorbing the energizing powers of the Earth: solid, warm, nurturing.
Now turn your attention to the opening into the larger cave. There is a filmy, almost transparent curtain hanging over it; on the curtain is a pattern of bright spots, like tiny stars. They are arranged in a pattern: four points in a square, with a fifth point at the centre; and another five points in the same arrangement, just below the others.
Draw the curtain to one side and walk through.
You are now in a vast cavern. The colours are much the same as the smaller cave you have just left but brighter. There is a small fire burning just to one side of the entrance. On the opposite side, a little stream of water trickles down the rocks and into a gully in the floor of the cavern. There is a smell of incense in the air; it seems to be sandalwood.
You are drawn towards a stone slab in the very centre of the huge cave. It is about 120cm in height, and 60cm square; made of solid stone, banded in four colours, citrine, olive, russet and black. The top of it, at the moment, is completely bare; nevertheless you examine it carefully. Notice the shape, the texture, the colours. If you encounter this stone again in the course of your meditations, it will serve you as a landmark.
Suddenly you realize that there is a figure, standing nearby, silently watching you. He has been there all the time, but you have only just noticed him. His form is that of a well-built man, with the rugged features of a peasant, someone who lives close to the land. He has a stern but not unfriendly expression; he continues to regard you.
The thing that you brought with you from outside the cave, do you have it? Take it out of your pocket now and offer it to the figure. This figure is Sandalphon, and he is the Lord of Malkut.
He takes your gift, smiles, and nods. He puts it in the folds of his robe, and he gives you something in return. Examine it: what is it that you have been given to help you on the next stage of your journey?
Sandalphon beckons to you to follow him, which you do. He takes you to the far end of the cave, where there are three doors, which are closed at the moment, but will be opened to you at a future time.
The door on the left is a bright, fiery red, and over it is the image of Mary Madgdalen discovering the risen Christ in the garden for the first time.
The door on the right is bright magenta; over it you see the image of back of a man's head; he is catching fish by the light of the Moon.
The centre door is the largest of the three. It is a rich violet colour, surrounded with garlands of flowers and fruits. Young men and women dance together in their midst. Above their heads is a giant, ringed planet; above that, a glowing, golden cross.
The images fade. Sandalphon leads you away from the doors, back to the opposite end of the cave, to the opening where you entered.
He stands in the entrance, puts his hands together, and bows, solemnly. You return his salutation, and pass back through the entrance, into the smaller cave.
Here, you quickly find the spiral staircase, and start back up it. Soon, you are at the top; you pass back out of the passageway, back into your special place.
Pause here a while for a last look around, to thoroughly familiarize yourself with this place before your next visit.
Be still for a few moments; then, finally, return to objective reality, in the place and the time where you started your meditation. Put your consciousness in the centre of your head, just behind your eyes; and when you are ready, open your eyes.
Take a few hours, or a few days, to absorb the significance of this meditation. Then proceed with Yesod.