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Hi there,
If I understand correctly, one should focus on prayer and the Zohar reading for the sake of developing that point in the heart. He should do that even if he has doubts or doesn’t have spiritual senses. And that is the free will? And with consistency he will start to acquire the desire to receive in order to bestow and be similar to the creator. Am I correct?
Zied,
In the wisdom of kabbalah, there is not a slogan or a one line of instructions to put in my pocket and if I just do that, like a magic pill, everything will be fixed.
This method requires a person to go through a process of inner transformation.
In order to go through that process, we need to be influenced by the right influences.
For example, if one hears the news on TV in the morning, these thoughts and stories will stay with him all day and work on his thoughts and emotions. Sometimes we also notice that some song that we haven’t heard in 10 years is playing in our head.
So we want the influence of the Zohar to work on us as we go about our day.
Regarding doubts, etc. we need to work with them. We have a mind after all and we don’t advance by blind faith. So scrutinize the doubts and then decide based on your goal are you ready to go according to your mind built of your past or can you hold the hand of the one who is in front of you and take one step with him.
Repeat 🙂
Seth@KabU
I would like to understand the new man spirit vessel more including the relationship that the old egoistic man has with him. Is there an article or video on this?
As I study I am constantly shifting from states of feeling motivated and encouraged and that I am understanding the material to states of discouragement and confusion and feeling like maybe I don’t have that point in the heart and should just give up. I often feel these shifts several times during the same study session. I’ve been studying for about 2 months. Is it normal to have so much self doubt and go through such wild swings in my emotional state? Did you have similar experiences in the beginning and if so, how were you able to get past them?
Zach,
What you are experiencing is very normal.
Here is what I recommend. Either take a notebook or a document on the computer, whatever you prefer and write why you came to the wisdom of kabbalah and what you hope to gain by coming to the wisdom of kabbalah.
Be honest with yourself.
If after this exercise, you feel that this is a good place for you to mount this path that leads to the Creator, then next write down a doable framework, whether it is 30 minutes a day or 2 hours a week, whatever works for you. You can always add in your free time, but make a time that you will not waver from. Like exercise, or getting up for work, I do it whether I feel like it or not.
So I make a time to study and engage in the spiritual work and connect to the Upper Lights, whether I feel up and or whether I feel down.
This is the process of becoming more than just our animal body, that feels this way or that way, but we connect to the source whether the darkness shines or the light shines.
If you do this, you will begin to pass through the states (reshimot) quicker and feel your development happening more comfortably and swiftly.
Good luck and good question,
Seth@KabUHi Zach. I am a student in this week’s class also and hope you don’t mind my input. I have had the same swings since beginning here at KabU for various reasons and the one thing that stands out in the material is that these doubts are given to us by the Creator to help us grow our desire for true Spirituality. Without the darkness you do not recognize the light. No rain, no flowers. And so it is actually a good thing that you question yourself as you will be that much stronger as you go forward. I have learned to thank the Creator for my obstacles, each challenge bringing us a step farther in our learning. It’s the hardest lesson so far. Take time for yourself, breathe, and be grateful for questioning. Open your heart to your answers.
The doubt that comes before us from the will to receive, enables us to acquire free will where we are neither controlled by our lower nature, nor by the Creator. We are now working in what is called the “middle line.” What do you mean exactly by being controlled? We learned that everything comes from the Creator, and that our free will is only related to the choice of the right environment, the guide, the group: the rest is “predestined”, so even what I will respond He already knows. I’m missing something. Sorry, I thought I understood the Lesson about free will but now I feel confused. May you help me pls? ThankU so much.
Manuela,
You are correct and you are correct about being confused.
It’s like a child in playing in the playground.
Before, in her mother’s arms, she had no free will, she couldn’t use her legs to walk yet. Then she grows and mom let’s her run around the playground. The child feels free, she can run to the sand, run to the swings, run to the other children, but mom is always watching and protecting.
Similarly, we feel free until we reach our next degree and look back and see how everything was arranged.
Being confused is natural since what we are discussing are eternal things and our mind is not eternal and to perceive eternal things, we need to use new vessels.
Seth@KabUHi Sheila, I appreciate your input. What you said about thanking the Creator for your obstacles is particularly eye opening for me. Looking at my self doubt as something the Creator placed in my path so that I will have to overcome it, will help me draw closer to Him.
Thank you for sharing your experience and perspective with me and I wish you all the best as you continue your studies.
Hi there,
I posted in the other forum recently regarding our preparation question for this week and realized as I was writing it my response itself was actually a question. I’ll repost it here:
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Ultimately the goal is adhesion with the Creator – but the practical steps to attain this seem to change depending on the level of spiritual progress we are on.
It seems that for now, in the preparation stage where there is no perception of the Creator whatsoever, the goal is constantly aspire to Him and the desire to bestow in order to draw the Reforming Light. The Reforming Light can then do for us what we cannot do for ourselves, namely generating the first truly altruistic desire in us which provides with the screen.
Is it correct to say that the aim of our work differs before and after the acquisition of the screen? While it would seem to be true that the growing of an aspiration for the Creator should remain constant throughout, the goal in the preparation seems to be exclusively to draw Reforming Light. Where as it seems as if after the acquisition of the screen, the aspiration towards the Creator becomes a process with more input from the Creature, for example – the individual correction of egoistic desires as they appear and a constant back and forth process between the Creator and Creature to reject/reflect Light egoistically and accept it altruistically.
Hopefully this makes sense as it’s a bit confusing reading this back..
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