Malkuth and the Root Chakra: Embodied Spirit

BY NICOLE LAU

The correspondence between Malkuth (the Kingdom) in Kabbalah and Muladhara (the Root Chakra) reveals mysticism's most grounding truth: spirit seeks embodiment, the divine dwells in matter, and the physical world is not a prison to escape but a temple to inhabit. This teaching transforms our understanding of spiritual practice—the goal is not transcendence of the body but full presence within it, not escape from earth but conscious participation in the sacred dance of manifestation.

Malkuth: The Kingdom

Malkuth (מלכות, 'Kingdom') is the tenth and final sephirah, representing full manifestation in physical reality. Divine Name: Adonai Ha-Aretz (Lord of Earth). Archangel: Sandalphon. Element: Earth. It represents the physical world, the body, the completion of the descent from Kether, and the Shekinah—the divine feminine presence dwelling in matter.

Muladhara: The Root Support

Muladhara (मूलाधार, 'root support') is the first chakra at the base of the spine. Element: Earth. Color: Red. Sound: LAM. Symbol: Four-petaled lotus, the square (earth), the elephant (stability). It governs survival, grounding, physical health, and the foundation of all spiritual work.

The Deep Correspondence

Both represent the earth element and physical embodiment. Both are the foundation—Malkuth receives all the energies from above; Muladhara supports all the chakras above. Both teach that spirit must become flesh, that the divine journey is incomplete without full incarnation. The Shekinah in Malkuth and Kundalini in Muladhara are both the divine feminine power dwelling in the lowest, most material realm.

Embodied Spirituality

This correspondence reveals that true spirituality includes the body. The physical is not separate from the spiritual but its expression. Grounding is not optional but essential. The root must be strong for the tree to grow tall. This is why every authentic tradition includes practices of embodiment—yoga asanas, walking meditation, sacred dance, mindful eating.

The Living Wisdom

In honoring Malkuth and Muladhara, we honor embodied spirit—the recognition that we are not spirits trapped in bodies but spirits expressing through bodies, that the earth is not fallen but sacred, that the goal is not to leave but to fully arrive. The kingdom of heaven is not elsewhere—it is here, now, in this body, on this earth, when we are fully present to the miracle of incarnation.