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Hi, I recently joined Graduate Environment and I feel a bit lost. I tried to post here a week ago and it seems as my question got lost 🙂
Can someone please guide me on what am I supposed to do in The GE? Is it structured or do I just watch videos? How do I join the 10?
Thank you
Hello Yana.
Welcome to the Graduate Environment we are very glad you are with us.
The GE currently consists of six interactive components, and you can use all or some of them.
The heart of the Graduate Environment is the Young Group. You will be receiving an email assigning you to your group.
In the meantime, you can visit either of the current Young Groups (one on Sundays and another on Tuesdays) to get a feel for it and start connecting with friends.
On Tuesday night “A Sage Speaks” taught by Seth Breitman covers some of Baal HaSulam’s articles.
On Thursday night “Grad Class” with Mike Kellogg explores one of the aspects of Kabbalah that Rav Laitman taught this week.
“Sunday meeting with Friends”, hosted by Zohar, is a chance to ask any questions about our work and study in kabbalah.
“Weekly Portion of Light” is taught by Gilad Shir.
Also, you have access to the “Forum” where you can post any questions you have, and they will be answered by KabU instructors.
In the event you missed, or want to watch again, a particular class, all are recorded and archived.
There are also links to all sorts of Kabbalah materials such as songs, articles, videos, so explore the site.
As you have heard, joining a ten is a very important part of Kabbalah. Once you have been assigned to your permanent Young Group, about 4-5 weeks into the semester, the YG will be divided into tens and you will work with this 10 throughout the course.
Use the Graduate Environment how it works best for you, some, or all.
Enjoy and Connect
Dear Instructor,
FAO Seth
Re. Apr 5, 2022 | A Sage Speaks
Thank you so much for your reply to my last question, appreciated as always pal.
One of the students in the above class asked about the war in Ukraine, the question was complicated and it was passed by. You later referred to how our perceived reality is like looking at the front of the tapestry when “all the knots, frayed edges and tied ends” are behind on the reverse side.
My question is, as stated in ‘Kabbalah for the Student’;
“ the wisdom is no more and no less than a sequence of roots which hang down by way of cause and consequence . . . This continues similarly down to the world before us where the substance of the elements in reality is coarser and darker however the shapes and elements of reality and all their occurrences are unchanged and equal in every world both in quantity and quality”
Now, to go back to the question asked about Ukraine, with the dreadful consequences of this war; if we extrapolate the rationale form above we conclude that all such dreadful occurrences emanate by way of ‘root and branch’ to our world down from the upper worlds ABYA to our meaning that the actual root cause of the war [and all other infractions] are a product of occurrences in the above worlds cascading down and their roots are from above down?
This is a bit rough on us poor Malchut-dwellers? and, doesn’t make sense to me like this?
Thank you in advance.
Lyndon S.
We were in a live Q and A together with Julian. I wanted to point out that during that session Julian also pointed out that you dont even have to know the language you are listening to or reading. Confusion is not forever, so if you are stuck on something, might I suggest asking yourself what about that obstacle on your path seems to be the true conflict within?
We learned in Kabbalah revealed we dont have free will. We also learned that the only thing we can control is our “environment” of study. Rav Leightman says that “all of our spiritual work” is done in the 10. If that is the case then we can deduce that the creator will sort this out for your Reshimot, and you are already doing everything you can to produce both qualitative and quantitative results for your spiritual growth. Now may be the time to focus more on what faith above reason from the Rav’s lessons.
We learned that creator does not reveal himself unless we pretty much give up trying to do it on our own this proves we are still evil, have flaws, and are totally opposite the creator’s nature. It also makes us cherish the relationship (zivug) that much more because we know we cant do anything without the creator for a fact there is no longer any doubt we need a creator (it is genius when you think about it really).
We dont lose faith in the creator but we must stop believing we can do something without the creators help or outside the creators will. Believing in a power outside of the creator such as myself is plain Idolatry, and believing any power but the creator exists according to KabTV in the last 48 hours was defined as “heresy”. This is what keeps us in darkness, and keeps us from the “revelation of evil”(Knowing we have no light and are in total darkness without the creator’s light having been revealed), which is required to actually receive the light through the work in the 10.
All that being said, I understand the process pretty well to this entry point but, admittedly I do not have a 10 from KabU and I wont even go as far as to say im not in darkness. I personally have adopted that theory only takes me so far and that is why im just going to let the method which is the tool do the work. Its a lot like hammering a nail with a hammer. If you hold the hammer wrong you end up doing twice the work and with less results. Sometimes holding on to what we want (ourselves and its dopamine fix through feeding the ego) hurts us so much we forget the pain exists. This is why I let go, I am now just accepting I dont know, and soon I will.
I really hope this helps. I felt the same way you did a few weeks ago and that is when i came to this conclusion to just let things happen. Part of acceptance is a stage of grief. I am dying inside so the creator can grow. Im mourning my own death so i can become a spiritual birth. Every part of me wants to be knowledgeable and know all things, but I know now that the creator will just put more in my path to learn until final correction. So acceptance is the path of least resistance to grow.
I hope this helps friend.
Dear Richard, Thank you very much for your reply and comments to my question. Many things appear strange, back to front, counterintuitive or mutually exclusive and this is certainly one of them (i.e. the existence of the cruelty in the world which must emanate from above down and down to above and therefore exist in all worlds).
I have to yield to the greater power at some point and just accept things and take the writings on faith. I am not yet in a permanent 10 and this is where I’m struggling a little bit as it’s all a little bit ‘stop & start’ at this time with different people in our new 10.
Thank you for your kind comments I will try and implement what you have said. Warm wishes. Lyndon.
Hello, I am new to the Graduate Environment.Please, I need your assistance to join a Ten.
Thank you
Tiago
Hello Tiago.
Welcome to the Graduate Environment we are very glad you are with us.
The GE currently consists of six interactive components, and you can use all or some of them.
The heart of the Graduate Environment is the Young Group. You will be receiving an email assigning you to your group.
In the meantime, you can visit either of the current Young Groups (one on Sundays and another on Tuesdays) to get a feel for it and start connecting with friends.
On Tuesday night “A Sage Speaks” taught by Seth Breitman covers some of Baal HaSulam’s articles.
On Thursday night “Grad Class” with Mike Kellogg explores one of the aspects of Kabbalah that Rav Laitman taught this week.
“Sunday meeting with Friends”, hosted by Zohar, is a chance to ask any questions about our work and study in kabbalah.
“Weekly Portion of Light” is taught by Gilad Shir.
Also, you have access to the “Forum” where you can post any questions you have, and they will be answered by KabU instructors.
In the event you missed, or want to watch again, a particular class, all are recorded and archived.
There are also links to all sorts of Kabbalah materials such as songs, articles, videos, so explore the site.
As you have heard, joining a ten is a very important part of Kabbalah. Once you have been assigned to your permanent Young Group, about 4-5 weeks into the semester, the YG will be divided into tens and you will work with this 10 throughout the course.
Use the Graduate Environment how it works best for you, some, or all.
Enjoy and Connect
Hello!
I understand that ascent and descent refferes to spiritual states that appear in relation to our conection in the ten. But how these states relates to our corporeal lifes? Is there any relation between our spiritual work and what is happening in our lives? Thank you!
Hello Monica. In spirituality ascents and descents refer to getting closer or further from the Creator. Is He more important or less important to me? In corporeality ascents and descents refer to my mood – happy or sad. So, I could find myself in a situation to where, perhaps, I win the lottery and I’m feeling great. But if my corporeal good fortune has caused me to forget about the Creator, I find myself in a spiritual descent.
So everything that is happening to us is good or bad fortune? There is no way to influence our life through the spiritual work? Not in terms of reward or punishment, rather in terms of cause and effect. For instance in your exemple if you “win the lottery” is not a reason to scrutinize why the Creator put you in such a situation? Thank you so much!
Hi Monica,
There are two distinct realities, corporeality based on reception and spirituality based on bestowal. Our corporeal life is depicted to us through vessels of reception and considered only a starting point not spiritual life as discerned in Kabbalah. However, this is a very important stage of our development because without it we would not have free choice. Free choice is the pursuit of spiritual life, faith above reason. In order to attain spiritual life, we must acquire new vessels, vessels of bestowal. All our spiritual work occurs in a Kabbalistic environment and in our Ten. Its only purpose is to influence one very specific thing, our “point in the heart”. This point is our key or opening to spiritual life.
I often hear we should focus on the center of the ten. I have a very difficult time wrapping my ahead around what that means. We are connecting through Zoom scattered across the globe. I’m sure it’s not literal, but is there another way to say it?
Hello Wikus. This is a very good question. The real answer is something that grows and changes in us as we pursue the goal of kabbalah – learning how to put an intention to bestow on top of our will to receive. Here is a link to the best explanation of the “center of the ten” that I have found.
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