If you connect directly with the Light without the careful use of restriction (the decision not to have immediate gratification), you will reenact what happened in the Endless World when the Light fed the Vessel (without fulfillment) and created Bread of Shame (if these terms are unfamiliar, I explain them in The Power of Kabbalah.)
If you satisfy your desire right away without first becoming the cause of your life, the experience will burn you out. But that immediate delight can be so seductive that we find ourselves engaging in the same behavior again and again and again.
Break an addictive pattern today. Or at least set the intention to do so. Remember the deal you struck with the Creator way back when.
In what relationships and behaviors are you creating Bread of Shame?
Thursday, August 21, 2008
SHOCKED!
Reactive behavior creates intense sparks of Light but eventually leaves darkness in its wake.
Nestled within our reactive behavior is the desire for instant gratification. It offers a quick high that makes us feel alive and in control of our lives. We can become addicted to this feeling.
As we see in the case of a light bulb, when we resist reactive behavior, we generate Light. When we opt instead for instant gratification, we also create a very bright light. A direct connection occurs between our reactive desire (the negative pole) and the Light (the positive pole), producing a momentary flash of delight followed by darkness, because the bulb has burned itself out.
This is one of the unseen laws of the universe, not unlike gravity. If you jump out of a tall building, you will fall to the street below even if you are unaware of the existence of gravity. The same holds true of electricity. If you play with a live, high-voltage wire, you will get electrocuted even if you can't see the source of your demise.
Today, look into the areas of your life where you are sticking your finger in the socket. Ask yourself if the momentary jolts are worth all that pain.
Nestled within our reactive behavior is the desire for instant gratification. It offers a quick high that makes us feel alive and in control of our lives. We can become addicted to this feeling.
As we see in the case of a light bulb, when we resist reactive behavior, we generate Light. When we opt instead for instant gratification, we also create a very bright light. A direct connection occurs between our reactive desire (the negative pole) and the Light (the positive pole), producing a momentary flash of delight followed by darkness, because the bulb has burned itself out.
This is one of the unseen laws of the universe, not unlike gravity. If you jump out of a tall building, you will fall to the street below even if you are unaware of the existence of gravity. The same holds true of electricity. If you play with a live, high-voltage wire, you will get electrocuted even if you can't see the source of your demise.
Today, look into the areas of your life where you are sticking your finger in the socket. Ask yourself if the momentary jolts are worth all that pain.
The Real Source
Consider the light bulb in your ceiling. You flip a switch, and on it goes. But the light bulb is not the source of the light; the real source is an electric generator somewhere you can't even see. And there are rules around how much light can be emitted as well as when and why. The same is true with the Light of the Creator.
One of the common mistakes we all make is to confuse a person or thing with the Light. For instance, nothing feels as good as falling in love. So naturally we associate our girlfriend or boyfriend with those happy feelings and assume that person is the source of them. But it doesn't work that way. No other person can guarantee us the good feelings of love we are after. It's the way we act in relation to other people that brings the Light.
And that's what today is all about. Remembering that ultimately, your relationship to people and places is about your relationship to the Light of the Creator.
One of the common mistakes we all make is to confuse a person or thing with the Light. For instance, nothing feels as good as falling in love. So naturally we associate our girlfriend or boyfriend with those happy feelings and assume that person is the source of them. But it doesn't work that way. No other person can guarantee us the good feelings of love we are after. It's the way we act in relation to other people that brings the Light.
And that's what today is all about. Remembering that ultimately, your relationship to people and places is about your relationship to the Light of the Creator.
Google It
We each come to this world with a soul mission. However, most of us leave this world without ever having accomplished that mission.
We return back "upstairs" and realize we had our sights set on all the wrong things. If we are lucky, we get a chance to start over and come back again.
Why not get it right this time around? You don't want to go through the terrible two's again, do you? And puberty? I don't think so.
Why are you alive? What did your soul come here to do? These are worthy questions to ask of yourself today. Too bad we can't just Google what our life mission is. Maybe some day. But for now, the best way to find the answer is to ask the question. Ask enough times - and with intensity - and you will start seeing signs pointing you in the right direction.
We return back "upstairs" and realize we had our sights set on all the wrong things. If we are lucky, we get a chance to start over and come back again.
Why not get it right this time around? You don't want to go through the terrible two's again, do you? And puberty? I don't think so.
Why are you alive? What did your soul come here to do? These are worthy questions to ask of yourself today. Too bad we can't just Google what our life mission is. Maybe some day. But for now, the best way to find the answer is to ask the question. Ask enough times - and with intensity - and you will start seeing signs pointing you in the right direction.
Don't Take It Personally
How much pain and trouble is caused because we misinterpret what people say and do to us?
It's our ego-centric nature to think the worst and to take everything personally. It's not in our nature to think, I wonder what's going on for him right now? What pain inside caused him to do or say that?
When we take the actions of other people personally, this is our ego speaking, telling us that we are the center of the universe, that everything that happens in our lives revolves around us. Our ego is the veil separating us from the true, spiritual, 99% reality.
Today, know that the more you tame your ego-centric thinking, the more you don't take it personally, the more connected (ie. happier) you will be.
It's our ego-centric nature to think the worst and to take everything personally. It's not in our nature to think, I wonder what's going on for him right now? What pain inside caused him to do or say that?
When we take the actions of other people personally, this is our ego speaking, telling us that we are the center of the universe, that everything that happens in our lives revolves around us. Our ego is the veil separating us from the true, spiritual, 99% reality.
Today, know that the more you tame your ego-centric thinking, the more you don't take it personally, the more connected (ie. happier) you will be.
You Happen To You
How often have you heard or used the word suddenly? Suddenly she broke up with me; suddenly the coach kicked me off the team; suddenly my mom moved out.
But how sudden is sudden? For instance, have you ever woken up to suddenly find a new tree in your backyard? Or to find that your hair had suddenly grown ten inches? Or that you suddenly lived in a new home? Not likely.
"Sudden" implies a sense of chaos, a sense that things happen to us, rather than the deeper truth that we happen to ourselves.
Happening to ourselves is a good thing. No one else is calling the shots. And while this introduces a whole lot of responsibility for our thoughts, words, and actions, it also allows limitless possibilities.
We have already, perhaps unwittingly, shaped our past. And we have the power to shape our present and our future as well.
As you live today, keep this thought in mind: If something happens to me, I am locked in the physical. I am reacting. But if I am happening to me, good or bad, I am connecting with the spiritual. I am being proactive.
Don't expect to understand this completely now. This idea is a huge gold mine that will continue to yield riches as you explore it.
But how sudden is sudden? For instance, have you ever woken up to suddenly find a new tree in your backyard? Or to find that your hair had suddenly grown ten inches? Or that you suddenly lived in a new home? Not likely.
"Sudden" implies a sense of chaos, a sense that things happen to us, rather than the deeper truth that we happen to ourselves.
Happening to ourselves is a good thing. No one else is calling the shots. And while this introduces a whole lot of responsibility for our thoughts, words, and actions, it also allows limitless possibilities.
We have already, perhaps unwittingly, shaped our past. And we have the power to shape our present and our future as well.
As you live today, keep this thought in mind: If something happens to me, I am locked in the physical. I am reacting. But if I am happening to me, good or bad, I am connecting with the spiritual. I am being proactive.
Don't expect to understand this completely now. This idea is a huge gold mine that will continue to yield riches as you explore it.
Butterfly's Wings
According to Kabbalah (and theoretical physics), we are all interdependent.
Think about that. It means your presence on this planet matters. Just like the gentle flapping of a butterfly's wings, your actions resonate beyond your wildest dreams.
This means acting responsibly and not selling yourself short. It also means remembering that your neighbor's actions are resonating as well, so don't sell them short, either.
Today, know you are special. Make an extra effort. Because when you don't feel how special you are, spiritually speaking, you make it harder for others to feel it.
Think about that. It means your presence on this planet matters. Just like the gentle flapping of a butterfly's wings, your actions resonate beyond your wildest dreams.
This means acting responsibly and not selling yourself short. It also means remembering that your neighbor's actions are resonating as well, so don't sell them short, either.
Today, know you are special. Make an extra effort. Because when you don't feel how special you are, spiritually speaking, you make it harder for others to feel it.
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