Malchut Big Picture
	The Tenth Path
	[PREVIOUS PATH] [NEXT PATH]

Qabalistic meditation and pathwork should always be firmly grounded in Malchut. Floating free in the upper realms with no grip on terra firma is to be dis-embodied. The many ideas and provocative psychological influences in this study can be dis-orienting. Invoke Malchus regularly, giving thanks for your opportunity to have a body, and to connect with your own personal "terra firma," your own viewpoint of the universe. This idea for a such a meditative reading is called the Invocation of the Orchard.

MALCHUT - the beginning of personality; the physical body. YESOD, or "Foundation" the next sphere up, is the realm of the sub-conscious. It is where repressed energies are channeled up into the next appropriate sephirot, either HOD (thoughts) or NETZACH (feelings). TIPHARET is the personality's first foray into the realm of Soul.

Potentials of Malchut: Discovering the mystery of the physical world, learning discrimination, patience, physical healing and vitality, overcoming sloth, taking care of the body.

This is the beginning, where the soul is united with source. This is the beginning of separating desire, the urge to individuate. The realm of separating desire is among the middle sephirot, with desire for source bringing reunion in KETER.

Malchut is formed from the Hebrew letters Mem, Lamed, and Kaph.

• Mem is water - "maim" is water in Hebrew, as "Eym" is mother, and "yam" is ocean. These are the "mother waters," the waters of birth, and point to the maternal aspect of the creator, showing Source as the "womb of creation." The depths of the ocean remain calm, while the surface can rage in storm. Mem is 40, which is also the gematria for the word "cHalav," in Hebrew, which means "milk."

• Lamed is the "camel whip," the discipline of learning. "Lmd" is the root for both learn and teach in Hebrew, it is a letter of guidance. The letter lamed is a crooked letter - a winding path. Lamed is the guide along the not-straight path.

• Kaph is the cupped hand, ready to recieve the water-source of creativity, channeled and guided to the hand/vessel that is open to recieve and give.

TORAH CROWN

The MELEKH of the Universe/Space/Time

Malchus is associated with King David. It is sometimes called "Kingdom." It receives its crown from above, and bestows it below. Crowns appear in Keys 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 11, 14, 16, Keter, and Malchut.

"Malchut takes us from source through channel to ourselves as receivers and givers. "Mem, Lamed, Kaph," is also the root of Melekh, the word for "King." Malchut is the connection point between our world and the world of the Eternal One, providing a link to the infinite. This conduit is the interface, the threshold, between our humble selves and the Divine Shekinah. When we open ourselves to the higher force, and invite the Creator to come down to our world, Malchus is the "Throne" in our hearts. Through meditation and prayer we draw the Divine energy into our kaph, our soul vessel. When we "become the throne," our ego is dissolved by the presence of the Creator Before Time. We release our judgements and are filled with divine radiance. We exchange self-satisfied cleverness for a taste of true wisdom." [Rabbi Marcia Prager, The Path of Blessing] The Throne is also part of the symbolism in Key 4.

Kaph, soul vessel, and Throne are related, in that koss, which means "cup," and "throne" or kisey are both Gematria 86, the same as Elohim, the Divine Name that has the attribute of gevurah, in forming healthy boundaries.

Beriekh Shemei, and K'Gavna (Sefard), Zohar excerpts used in the Jewish prayer liturgy, both address the feminine aspect of the deity, the Shekhina, and speak of the mystical union of Tipheret and Malchus, through Yesod, which occurs Shabbat eve. Like the Cherubim on the Ark, the feminine and masculine aspects of the deity achieve union by a spiritually infused interchange of energies.

Malchut is also the realm of "machshava" or personal thought processes. Being "sovereign" or "king" of our own thoughts is one of the keys to personal/spiritual development.

Another way of explaining Malchut is to say that it represents the entire fractal, infinitely complex, deeply patterned, and ineffable characteristics and laws of nature. But this is so impersonal, and Kabbalah seeks to bring feeling into the world ~ so we say "malchut" which means "royal," "sovereign," "leader and champion." So as to separate it out from the "ordinary," we adorn it in terms of the regal, but this doesn't mean there's an old man in the sky in a throne.

In fact, the Jewish "king" language, besides glorifying the mystery of creation, also tacitly makes the point that earthly kings do not rule us. The predominance of "king" as opposed to "queen" is perhaps because the male needs more healing, and more spiritual work. The female is certainly exalted on the Sabbath, when "all bearers of grievance flee together and She, the Shekhina rules over all earthly kings, and she crowns herself with many crowns, that are borne on the praises of her creations below" which is part of k'Gavna.

Malchut is the Persona, an idea concieved of by Carl Jung.

JUNGIAN CONCEPTS

Three Basic Threads of Jungian Thought:

1. Personal unconscious is supplemented by a "collective unconscious" consisting of universal images.

2. Spiritual needs are at least equally, if not more important, than basic biological needs ("search for meaning").

3. Introverts try to harmonize inner conflicts into a whole self. Extroverts try to harmonize self with social realities.

"Life, so-called, is a short episode between two great mysteries, which yet are one."
Carl Jung 1875-1961

Malchus is the Persona or mask, concealing the inner personality, the Anima (inner female Key 2), or Animus (inner male Key 1). The persona is the public face (mask) one presents to the world for everyone else to see. It is in opposition to the shadow and is mostly conscious as a part of personality. Sometimes the persona is referred to as the "social archetype" since it involves all the compromises appropriate to living in a community.

The Shadow is both a part of the personality and an archetype. The shadow is the dark side of your personality that contains the animal (and sexual) instincts. It is the opposite of the Persona (mask) and is the part of personality that is repressed from the ego ideal. As an archetype, the shadow is seen in its symbolic representation as devils, demons, evil spirits, Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde, Darth Vader ("The dark side of the force"), etc. We meet our Shadow in dreams, fantasies, repressions - slips of the tongue, when caught off guard. Repressing the Shadow creates denial, hiding something all the time, and blocked energy expressed as anger, depression, etc. Repression causes "Projection," that is, seeing your own faults in everyone around you, while ignoring them in yourself. Projection is assuming that others are thinking a particular thing, with no proof. Our own attitudes are "projected" onto someone else - without them knowing at all.[More below] Re-integrating the Shadow is a key part of Individuation, or integration. Embracing the Shadow taps new energy and vitality that was blocked, gives a sense of humor, spontenaiety, creativity, and strong emotion. The Shadow is Key 15.

Archetypes are the primary structures of the collective unconscious. An archetype is an inherited predisposition to respond to certain aspects of the world. Just as the ear and eye have evolved to be maximally sensitive to certain stimuli, we have evolved psychologically to be maximally sensitive to certain categories of experience, categories that all human beings have experienced. These would include birth, death, sun, mothers, fathers, heroes, demons, wise men, etc. The most obvious Archetypes are the Signs of the Zodiac, the Hebrew letters, and the psychological complexes people are prone to.

Archetypes do not have content in and of themselves, only form. They are not unconscious ideas, rather predispositions to perceive. Archetypes are autonomous, patterns that emerge naturally, fractally. [Key 3]

Functions of thought: How the person deals with information from the world:

1. Thinking: Tells what a thing is, gives names, categories to things (true, false), defines alternatives, and reasons objectively. Air Signs.

2. Feeling: Is basically evaluative; tells whether something is good/bad; acceptable/unacceptable; like/dislike. Do not confuse with emotion. Essential notion: Is the object of value? Water Signs.

3. Sensing: Tells you what exists; detects the presence of things. Does not evaluate. Is interested in facts and objects in the objective world; focus is on the trees. Earth Signs.

4. Intuition: Uses hunches, sees possibilities, sees around corners and goes beyond the facts; sees the forest and the trees. Fire Signs.

The four functions are grouped together as two opposing pairs. Thinking and feeling are called "Rational Functions," because they make judgements and evaluations - use reason and logic - in the evaluation of the external world. Sensing and Intuition are called "Irrational Functions," because they seem to go beyond reason and logic and represent a direct linkage to the external world.

"To the psychotherapist, an old man who cannot bid farewell to life appears as feeble and sickly as the young man who is afraid to embrace it."
Carl Jung 1875-1961

More Ideas About Projection

Projection is a difficult concept to grasp, more so for people with conjunctions among the personal planets. (Space between planets gives better perspective. More about 'aspects'.) The difficulty is in defining the boundary between self and other, seeing where we end and other begins. Much of what we experience is filtered through our own personal history and makeup, and this often manifests as projection.

Projection is misinterpretation - it is mis-reading reality in deference to our assumptions and mis-conceptions. What you judge or condemn (do not accept) within your own being, you tend to submerge and store into the shadows of your subconscious body-mind-energy field. This dark area within is called the "shadow self." Human nature is to "project" that shadow self onto those around you ("Judge not less you be judged"..."beware the mote in thine own eye"). An example of projection is when a person longs for something subconsciously, but because of social restrictions must reject the same exact thing on the conscious level, when "others are watching." The mind "projects" the negative thoughts onto others, deflecting the responsibility, accusing others of the crime the person so badly wants to commit themselves.

Projections are actually fairly easy to identify. If a person or thing in the environment informs us, we probably aren't projecting - but if it affects us, we probably are projecting. An example scenario: Celia might very well be a prude, but is that any reason for Alice to hate her? Certainly not; Alice was not just informed that Celia was a prude, she was violently affected by Jill's prudishness, which is a sure sign that Alice's hatred of Celia was projected self-contempt. If what you see in other people merely informs you, or imparts information, it's more or less correct - but if a characteristic in another person strongly affects you emotionally, it's probably a projection.

Often, these qualities we imagine another to posess that we utterly loathe, qualities we are always itching to point out and violently condemn. Never mind that we are but flinging our condemations at our own little black heart, hoping thereby to exorcise it. Occasionally the projected qualities will be some of our own virtues, so that we cling to those onto whom we hang our goodies, frequently attempting to guard and monopolize the chosen person.

Projections divide the self, drain our energy, and destabilize our internal locus of control. Integrating the personality means taking responsibility for our blind spots - integrating our projections. The aspects of our selves that we have invested in our projections are abandoned potential.

If you would like to know how your shadow views the world, then - as a type of personal experiment - simply assume exactly the opposite of whatever you consciously desire, feel, like, intend, want, or believe. In this way you may consciously contact, express, play, and ultimately re-own your shadow opposites. In this way you will have an informed relationship with the parts of yourself you don't like - otherwise, your shadows will force you to be aware of them - usually unpleasantly.

Engaging the Shadows, embracing your opposites, is not necessarily to act on them! People are often reluctant to confront the Shadow in fear that it might overpower them. Actually, it's usually the other way around - we end up, totally against our will, following the dictates of the Shadow only when it's unconscious.

Creating dialog with negative parts of ourselves heals us emotionally. Resisting or repressing Shadow symptoms only makes them stronger. Fritz Perls said: "as long as you fight a symptom, it will get worse. Deliberate change never works, for it excludes the Shadow."

Identifying shadow aspects of ourselves and then allowing them to "flex" - to express themselves in imagination to their fullest - letting the demon run its "dog and pony show" - you align your persona and your shadow, and have more awareness of it and how to deal with it, to get it to cooperate. Symptoms like depression, anger, resentment are all under our control - we just don't see it. As part of the exercise of integrating the personality, we can intentionally create short bursts of actually strengthening these symptoms, of giving them free rein - showing us that if we can increase them, we can decrease them. The easiest way to un-tense a person is to challenge him to be as tense as he possibly can. In all cases, conscious adherence to a symptom delivers you from the symptom, by virtue of owning it.

Projection of the shadow self is one of the most insidious saboteurs of healthy and loving relationships. The darkness you see in those around you may really not be in them, but the shadow self within that you are projecting. The more you deny your Shadow, the more it will manifest itself and attract what you will interpret as disruption or pain.

 

Once an angry man dragged his father along the ground through his own orchard. "Stop!" cried the groaning old man at last, "Stop! I did not drag my father beyond this tree." It is hard living down the tempers we are born with. We all begin well, for in our youth there is nothing we are more intolerant of than our own sins writ large in others and we fight them fiercely in ourselves; but we grow old and we see that these our sins are of all sins the really harmless ones to own, nay that they give a charm to any character, and so our struggle with them dies away." from "The Making of Americans" by Gertrude Stein, 1925

Some symptoms of projection:
Difficult people, situations, themes, or scenarios that keep repeating themselves.
Blaming everyone or someone else for your problems.
Scapegoating a person or people as the cause of society's problems.
Feuds between people, starting them, perpetuating them.
Destructive obsessions.

It's important to remember that problems in others are not always a result of our projections. Some people really are what they appear to us to be. In any case, its useful to stay alert to the possiblity that the "irritant" might be coming from within.

Working with the Shadow and Projections is complicated. The quickest route to the core of the Shadow is through dreams and dreamwork.

A Word of Caution: Be careful with the shadow. Encounters with your own dark side can be dangerous if you are not adequately prepared with a firm sense of self. Suppressed pain and rage being newly exposed to the light of consciousness is rarely pretty, or easy.

Malchut is the receptive potency which distributes the Divine stream into the lower worlds. Malchus is the Below aspect of the Shekhina, Key 2.

The Personality Triad is comprised of the Secondary colors.

The Personality Triad is rooted in Malchus, comprised of the Tertiary colors.

The scents ascribed to Sephir Malchut are Patchouli, Poppy, and Dittany of Crete. Mythically, Malchus is Demeter and Persephone.

Commandment: Do not covet what is not yours.