Malchut or Malkuth? Both spellings refer to the pendant sphere connected to the bottom of the Tree of Life. It represents "The Kingdom," thus The World card of Tarot corresponds to this realm. Why is Saturn the ruling planet of Malkuth when we all know that Earth is the planet we call home? I believe there are two reasons for this discrepancy. Firstly, before Saturn was a known planet, the Greeks had a god of agriculture and the harvest. He was the son of Ouranos, god of the Sky and Gaia, mother Earth. The youngest of the Titans, Cronus is depicted as an old man with a scythe or sickle. He is the father of the first Olympian gods and is known for devouring his children. He ruled during The Golden Age of Hellenistic Greece. He is celebrated during the fall season, when humankind reaps what they have sewn upon the Earth. The harvest provides seed for next years' plantings. Therefore, the "harvester" becomes the "gardener," or steward of life on earth, representing the Kingdom.
Secondly, all the celestial bodies affecting the earth are represented by the spheres on the Tree of Life. Since we, who live on Earth, are affected by the attributes of the spheres on the Tree of Life, Earth itself is not a sphere. . . Let it sink in. . . The Tree of Life is a map of the territory. . . not the territory itself. It makes sense for Saturn to be the ruling planet of the Element of Earth. Contemplate this, if you will. . .
Saturnine means gloomy, slow to act or change and having a sardonic aspect. Look at how Saturn, aka The World card interacts with the Elemental forces on earth! The bottom four cards in the pic here are decans, a pip card representing life experiences. From left to right notice Grief, Conflict, Unfulfilled Success and Abandoned Dreams. I will leave you to decide whether or not we live in a saturnine world. Use your intuition when reading these cards. Grief is a 3, which comes from Binah, the sphere of understanding. Consider how Saturn/ Cronus in the sign of Libra (scales) brings UNDERSTANDING through grief. You can figure out the other three worldly cards for yourself. Enjoy!
www.etsy.com/shop/LunataTarot for a reading or to purchase the Adept's Tarot deck. YL
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