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Dear Seth, thank you very much for your patience and explanation, i now understand that aspect, due to your explanation, which relate it to this week’s lesson. thanks gain. sincerely, Csilla 🙂
sorry to bother for this question, but i don’t understand the quote, if someone would please explain the quote (below), because i unfortunately don’t understand much beginning with who are the ‘them’, the ‘anyone’ and the ‘one’ complaining; and then, the actual intended meaning is difficult, since i may not understand, in which way the reader is supposed to identify with the examples, meaning, is the opposite intended as what is preferable? sorry, i’m just confused by it. thanks though 🙂 very much.
One can complain only to the one he works for, and demand to be given vitality and pleasure during his work. It is said about him: “Anyone that trusts them shall be like them that maketh them.”
this is a difficult exercise and less fun, but it’s very important and i’m grateful for the opportunity to work through “what can i possibly think of that i can actually hold on to? something concrete?” So, for now i’ll begin by saying people aren’t always nice; sometimes they’re mean on purpose and that corresponds to a reactive tendency in me that i’ve noticed. Meaning, i tend to get flustered and caught up in their desire to erupt, sustain and pursue drama; i think i freeze up emotionally and adopt an almost non-interactive, or rather non-emotional stance of trying to talk it through to have ‘peace love and understanding’, although people aren’t always interested in that while the desire for drama is active (or even after, if ever). but i truly do think now, since the first Lab’s exercise, that this reactive tendency has also been brought to light as a result of the altruistic sneakiness of caring observation…. i heard about not fueling a fire, an empty boat or wtv other analogy, but since the previous exercise, i always thought participating was justified, since “on my end, i’m simply trying to arrive at a peaceful moment to talk, resolve and find a solution”… So, my conclusion for now is twofold: a) when applicable irl, take into account what triggers another person and refrain from doing what ‘unjustifiably’ triggers the other person in the first place and b) no need to talk/work through or try to resolve that type of eruption; and i suppose c) i can care with my heart (and cry a bit, as now, since it’s sad how others get this way at times) instead of freezing up in my emotions (i suppose i’m scared when others erupt). i think c) is perhaps most important of all, being scared and freezing up…. if i don’t get scared, that type of extreme situation may be more manageable…. maybe with being quiet, the other person just needs to ‘blow off steam’ and then it’s over. idk, seems sad and i wish it never would happen ever
i’m thinking of big ideas like helping to achieve world peace and the like, but, while they seem true and i agree tih such ideas, tbh the most genuine answer i can find for now is “to learn more about this path of Kabbalah and to continue improving in the ways that are opening up to me.”
i’m not really sure about my answer about What is freedom?, since it actually came up for me, as a question, in week 1, video 1 and seemed like a ‘conundrum’, which is a word i’ve come to appreciate, as often confusing solutions all seem equally plausible. But, after video 2, and reading Shamati 15-19, i would ask (based on the assumption that freedom = choice): “Does freedom in Kabbalah’s pov mean that once we’re ‘in the holiness’ that the only thing we can choose is to stay in it “the King’s Palace”, (rather than give in to the pull of descent and ‘normal life’ pleasures and pass times)?
On pages 17/18 of Shamati, Rabbi Yehuda Ashlag writes: “when one feels that now he is in a state of ascent, and feels some good flavor in the work, he must not say: “Now I am in a state that I understand that it is worthwhile to worship the Creator.” Rather he should know that now he was favored by the Creator, hence the Creator brought him closer, and for this reason he now feels good flavor in the work. And he should be careful never to leave the domain of Sanctity…”
i’m thinking in this way of “freedom” as such a limited “freedom of choice”, since it seems like if “There is None else than Him”, then even our traditionally ‘bad or good’ actions and thoughts wouldn’t be ours to have chosen (and to this i thought we might be like a Kabbalistic version of Pharaoh who asks to God “Why did You harden my heart?”)
as for the 2nd part of the question, i’m thinking maybe it’s not unlike Rousseau’s concept of General Will, in Shamati, p. 19: “Through these calculations he loses his individuality and avoids being trapped by the Sitra Achra, which is the will to receive for his own benefit.” Only, a bit different in that the General Will would be universally determined by God and we can achieve freedom, with help of the Reforming Light, through efforts to overcome the pull of descent into ‘normal life’, or maybe better to go with choosing to stay in the Palace by cultivating the desire to cleave to the Creator.
it took a few tries irl to do the exercise and sometimes i don’t exactly do it completely, but, even then, i’m aware of what’s going on more; So, when i do succeed to a certain degree: first of all, it’s like a quiet observer’s private secret (and kind of fun, altruistic sneakiness? lol); secondly, i noticed that nothing really changes if i don’t interfere with the moment’s flow; meaning: i used to think certain interactions or “decisions” etc were each time very worthy of attention and standing up for what i thought was right (or what i thought i wanted). Ultimately, it doesn’t seem to matter most of the time and somewhat curiously, perhaps, my special someone has been happier. Oh! and i liked especially the idea of our special shared space/moments and i laughed when i realized that they can be literally any mundane activity, as banal as can be, but… the “quiet observer’s private secret” mentioned above is like a floating awareness of love and harmony… that, maybe is ‘bestowing’ ? although not really giving anything in particular; just room to breathe and be happy (which doesn’t seem so insignificant after all). and finally, it’s not really like this, but seems a bit like baby-sitting a toddler, enjoying their exploration and experience of their expanding inner joy… but ! this is very new, so, we’ll have to see how it develops… thanks for this Lab for personal growth. i look forward to continuing and hoping for the best
