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Kim,
We limit the books that we study from to only books written by kabbalists who have reached the spiritual degrees that they are writing about.
We have major works like the Study of the Ten Sefirot by Baal HaSulam, which itself expands on the Tree of Life by the ARI. These texts describe how the light of Ein sof emanates from above to below and cascades down through the worlds, partzufim and sefirot.
Additionally we have texts that deal with our inner work from the opposite direction, from below to above. Where we study all of the degrees that we go up as we retrace the steps that the light took as it was concealed and came down until our world.
But your question is clear, and demands and answer, why all of this system in the first place?!
And here we have a simple answer, however it takes time and effort to understand.
The kabbalists explain that we are still in the field of endless light, love and bestowal. However we don’t feel it, we feel the opposite, that we are always deficient, empty and far from the Creator.
They explain that in the state where we are totally absorbed and one with the Creator, with the endless fulfillment, there in that place we don’t feel ourself at all. The Light is so great, the pleasure so great that we lose all sense of self and are totally absorbed. To give you a much smaller example, image if your biggest role model of all time were to come to you and ask to spend the day with you. Could be the person you admire and hold the highest in your eyes and this person wants to spend the day with you. So you would be happy to carry his or her bag, to eat where she wants to eat, to talk about what she wants to talk about, you wouldn’t care about your own needs because you just want to be with this other person. Now image that it’s not another person, but the source of all life, in this case, our identity is like a spark absorbed in the sun.
So how do we solve this problem? How can we feel all of the abundance and love?
For this we were created 100% opposite from the Creator. He is 100% to give and we are 100% to receive.
But, this also leads to another problem. Due to this situation, we our qualities are opposite from His and we are as far as east is from west.
And so through many garments called worlds, the Creator clothes Himself more and more until all that remains is a tiny spark of light that shines through. This is what we grab onto and slowly by working, dancing, playing with Him, we reveal more and more light until we do reach again that state of complete unity with Him, but now it will be after all of our efforts to reach it, so instead of being a spark absorbed in the sun, we will be fully conscious and have attained all of these sensations and feel that we are together with Him in everything, eternally.
Seth@KabIGustavo,
The spreading of the light from above… we can say sketches out the contour of the future ten sefirot.
As the light exits, the ten sefirot appear according to the contours outlined by the spreading of the light.
When the light is expelled from the vessel, what remains is the otiot, the letters.
The otiot/letters are the state where there is no light, but a strong desire to receive the light in a designated form.
Seth@KabUTracy,
Nice insights. You are right. Final Mem doesn’t go below the parsa like you mentioned.
You already feel that the letters are describing our inner processes and transformation. Meaning that as go through our process of growth we reach the qualities of those letters.That square shape of the final Mem is the symbol of the desire to reach a whole state, to feel surrounded and protected by that love.
To use a metaphorical language in the way you asked, our inner process has two parts, the “desert” and the bountiful land. The journey through the desert is 40 (Mem) years, which is Malchut rising to Bina.
Seth@KabUSchalk,
It takes some time to calibrate to the language of the kabbalists.
The books of the kabbalists only speak of natural forces. What are the forces operating on us, who are we, or what are we and what can we do in the situation we are in…why is it happening like this and where is it leading.
I hiked in the desert this summer. By mid day, the sun was aggressive, burning our skin and drying us out.
The sun is the sun. We were caught in the mid day sun, in the desert.
As a kid I went skiing in a small town in Vermont, where the snow was great and the landscape was gorgeous. This week I saw a story online that the entire village was flooded…underwater…homes and businesses ruined.
Water is water.
So now back to our topic. In the wisdom of kabbalah, a force of bestowal is called male and a force of reception is called female.
On the largest scale, of light and vessel, to our personal relationship as all of creation as female towards the Creator who is male.
Seth@KabU
