It seems, Judaism today is searching for it's foundation-many voices can be heard that we need clear "mission statement", or general formulation of our most fundamental principles.
Certain confusion when it comes to the "big picture" of Judaism can in fact be seen as something POSITIVE. Simple AWARENESS of that lack of clarity and the urge to SEE THE BIG PICTURE are very healthy signs of the new soul-searching and quest for intellectual honesty, that are so important and even critical for our spiritual health!
Now, more to the point- coming across some of the discussions on the topic (both in English and in Russian), I've got surprised to see that these discussions fail to quote the most OBVIOUS SOURCE- which is TOTALLY RELIABLE, and seems to indicate the CORE idea, or maybe even single UNIFYING PRINCIPLE of our tradition- that of EMUNAH (Faith)-
This is direct quotation from the Talmud (Makkot 24a)
"Habbakuk came and erected them (all of the mitzvot) on one- "Tzaddik shall live by his Faith" ( Habbakuk 2:4)
It seems to reveal to us the MOST IMPORTANT KEY TO JUDAISM...and yet, to my knowledge, so few had spoken about it...Rav Nachman of Breslav was the one who dedicated his whole life to this teaching- and it seems, his writings and ideas are experiencing real Revival these days- another clear sign, that this is very much in tune with the need of our generation and resonates with our Zeitgeist ("Spirit of the time").
BUT WHAT IS FAITH? AND HOW ARE WE TO APPROACH IT PRACTICALLY?
R. Nachman doesn't address this question directly, maybe because it seemed to obvious, or possibly, such "logical", theoretical approach to the very foundation of religious Life would seem very unnatural and foreign to his style...
Yet it seems, we DO need to come to some very PRACTICAL, and SIMPLE UNDERSTANDING of FAITH...The word is so heavily used in our texts and is so familiar to many of us, it seems it simply LOST it's FRESHNESS, and every time something happens we can hear "You should have faith"... which sometimes means- don't bother thinking, at other occasions- be like everyone else , or- just do it!
But surely, we are not expected to abandon our HIGHEST IDEAL, and simply follow this uninspiring mediocrity!
WE NEED TO LIVE OUR FAITH<>
It seems strange that this most basic axiom of Judaism needs to be reiterated- it can only mean one thing- OUR MOST IMPORTANT CHALLENGE IS TO REESTABLISH this FAITH, discovering even deeper meaning in our Life, and in Faith itself!
Monday, November 30, 2009
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Ladder or tower?
In this week Torah portion, we're presented with one of the most magnificent images of the Torah, that constantly inspires me- the Jacob's Ladder.
Jacob is fleeing away from his brother's anger, leaving behind the Land and his family, facing the unknown in the darkness of the night. SYMBOLICALLY, says Kdushas ha Levi, it's us, his descendants, going into Exile, with no certain future in front of us, no earned income to rely on-past is left behind and future lies in the darkness...
It's at this moment of despair that Jacob is shown this most amazing image- his famous Ladder, Stairway to Heaven (I hope, you remember the song). It STAYS FIRMLY on earth, and REACHES HEAVEN, and angels of G-d are ascending and descending on it...Take a note of the order- FIRST, ascending, and only then going back down...But aren't they suppposed to come from Heaven? Truly, angels don't dwell on earth! So, what's going on?
Another striking parallel- we have yet another image in the Torah, where Heaven and earth are connected- but the message seems to be the opposite to that of the Ladder.
In the early days of humanity, when they just recovered from the Flood, people are concerned with their survival in face of G-d's anger- and they decide to build the Tower- to reach the Heaven- to "make name"for themselves...Their motivation is FEAR, their action is clearly Ego-based- and, we are told in the midrash, the whole purpose of this huge building project is to make sure NO DIVINE INTERFERENCE will become possible. That is- to cut earth from Heaven, to overpower Heaven (Spirit) by brutal force of the "might is right".
Yet, this reference to "it's head reaching Heaven" in both cases certainly needs to be addressed.
And it seems, Torah is clearly presenting two distinct paths here- one of the Tower, and one of the Ladder. The Tower is been built with ENERMOUS EFFORTS of all of the people who take part in the project- human being becomes totally insignificant, as Midrash tells us, less significant than the brick! Man is only DOER, his value is only temporary, but the BRICK WILL STAY FOREVER! The Tower will stay as the eternal image of the human Glory, burying underneath all the Gulags of various pharaohs and stalins...And that's the irony of the pyramids and masoleums-they are laughting at their masters, whose bones are trying to escape decay- brick is still GREATER! It doesn't need enbalming! If you are building the Tower of Glory, you are destined to fall from it- you will toil all your life for the lures of "making name", only to see that you are worth less than the brick it's been built of! What a DISGRACE to the REAL GLORY of MAN- created in the image of G-d, born to be FREE and GREAT!
But the real Glory is NOT that of the Ego- and it doesn't require HUGE EFORTS and much ACTION to ACCOMPLISH tremendous RESULTS-all this is your Ego talking- "let us build the Tower, let us make name to ourselves!". And no matter how many times you hear these voices coming from society you live in, trying to persuade you that THERE'S NO ALTERNATIVE to this ancient curse- "By the sweat of your brow shall you eat bread"- Go, build the Tower! Get the bricks- more, more bricks- we are told- that's what we all NEED to DO, that's what EVERYONE is DOING...No matter how much of this stuff is part of your world, you still have this CHOICE- the one between the Tower and the Ladder.
And yes, the Ladder is SIMPLY THERE- nothing to DO, nothing to build, just BE there, open your eyes and see it - right in front of you. And the angels are ASCENDING- because it's you who create them- through your good deeds, positive speech and thoughts! That's how you REALLY change the world- and stop the madness of the idolotrous worship of the Tower!
Excercise
When you are confused, disempowered, distressed- take a deep breath, breathe in naturally through your nose, and breathe out with a long breath through your mouth- after you calmed down, imagine the Ladder of Jacob in front of you- see how you are sending those angels (can imagine light, if you wish)- going up and then coming down to you, as the Light of Blessing!
Notice how your mood changed. Say thank you to G-d and your Higher Self!
Jacob is fleeing away from his brother's anger, leaving behind the Land and his family, facing the unknown in the darkness of the night. SYMBOLICALLY, says Kdushas ha Levi, it's us, his descendants, going into Exile, with no certain future in front of us, no earned income to rely on-past is left behind and future lies in the darkness...
It's at this moment of despair that Jacob is shown this most amazing image- his famous Ladder, Stairway to Heaven (I hope, you remember the song). It STAYS FIRMLY on earth, and REACHES HEAVEN, and angels of G-d are ascending and descending on it...Take a note of the order- FIRST, ascending, and only then going back down...But aren't they suppposed to come from Heaven? Truly, angels don't dwell on earth! So, what's going on?
Another striking parallel- we have yet another image in the Torah, where Heaven and earth are connected- but the message seems to be the opposite to that of the Ladder.
In the early days of humanity, when they just recovered from the Flood, people are concerned with their survival in face of G-d's anger- and they decide to build the Tower- to reach the Heaven- to "make name"for themselves...Their motivation is FEAR, their action is clearly Ego-based- and, we are told in the midrash, the whole purpose of this huge building project is to make sure NO DIVINE INTERFERENCE will become possible. That is- to cut earth from Heaven, to overpower Heaven (Spirit) by brutal force of the "might is right".
Yet, this reference to "it's head reaching Heaven" in both cases certainly needs to be addressed.
And it seems, Torah is clearly presenting two distinct paths here- one of the Tower, and one of the Ladder. The Tower is been built with ENERMOUS EFFORTS of all of the people who take part in the project- human being becomes totally insignificant, as Midrash tells us, less significant than the brick! Man is only DOER, his value is only temporary, but the BRICK WILL STAY FOREVER! The Tower will stay as the eternal image of the human Glory, burying underneath all the Gulags of various pharaohs and stalins...And that's the irony of the pyramids and masoleums-they are laughting at their masters, whose bones are trying to escape decay- brick is still GREATER! It doesn't need enbalming! If you are building the Tower of Glory, you are destined to fall from it- you will toil all your life for the lures of "making name", only to see that you are worth less than the brick it's been built of! What a DISGRACE to the REAL GLORY of MAN- created in the image of G-d, born to be FREE and GREAT!
But the real Glory is NOT that of the Ego- and it doesn't require HUGE EFORTS and much ACTION to ACCOMPLISH tremendous RESULTS-all this is your Ego talking- "let us build the Tower, let us make name to ourselves!". And no matter how many times you hear these voices coming from society you live in, trying to persuade you that THERE'S NO ALTERNATIVE to this ancient curse- "By the sweat of your brow shall you eat bread"- Go, build the Tower! Get the bricks- more, more bricks- we are told- that's what we all NEED to DO, that's what EVERYONE is DOING...No matter how much of this stuff is part of your world, you still have this CHOICE- the one between the Tower and the Ladder.
And yes, the Ladder is SIMPLY THERE- nothing to DO, nothing to build, just BE there, open your eyes and see it - right in front of you. And the angels are ASCENDING- because it's you who create them- through your good deeds, positive speech and thoughts! That's how you REALLY change the world- and stop the madness of the idolotrous worship of the Tower!
Excercise
When you are confused, disempowered, distressed- take a deep breath, breathe in naturally through your nose, and breathe out with a long breath through your mouth- after you calmed down, imagine the Ladder of Jacob in front of you- see how you are sending those angels (can imagine light, if you wish)- going up and then coming down to you, as the Light of Blessing!
Notice how your mood changed. Say thank you to G-d and your Higher Self!
Monday, November 23, 2009
Explore a New World
Here's the practical idea based on my previous post-
Imagine, you're confronted with something that appears to you stupid/inadequate/unreasonable...And as you're about to make that negative comment (and you know, it will cause chain-reaction of all the bad stuff on both sides, as is always the case)- just notice how you feel at the moment- take a DEEP BREATH- and MENTALY IMAGINE yourself being a WHOLE WORLD- (if the World is too much for you, imagine a planet- you've got the idea)- than, take a deep breath again, and APPLY the SAME IMAGE to ANOTHER PERSON ( with whom you're about to start an argument )- now, see yourself as an austronaut, who is landing on a differnt planet- you're about to learn something really exciting!
Don't miss the chance!
If for whatever reason, the situation escalated before you even had a chance to think of all these great things, notice where you're holding- it's never too late!
You can still do it even AFTER the argument- good training for the next time!
Imagine, you're confronted with something that appears to you stupid/inadequate/unreasonable...And as you're about to make that negative comment (and you know, it will cause chain-reaction of all the bad stuff on both sides, as is always the case)- just notice how you feel at the moment- take a DEEP BREATH- and MENTALY IMAGINE yourself being a WHOLE WORLD- (if the World is too much for you, imagine a planet- you've got the idea)- than, take a deep breath again, and APPLY the SAME IMAGE to ANOTHER PERSON ( with whom you're about to start an argument )- now, see yourself as an austronaut, who is landing on a differnt planet- you're about to learn something really exciting!
Don't miss the chance!
If for whatever reason, the situation escalated before you even had a chance to think of all these great things, notice where you're holding- it's never too late!
You can still do it even AFTER the argument- good training for the next time!
Separate realities
The following is taken from a modern-day classic of self-help,
"Don't Sweat the small stuff"by Richard Carlson- with my comments, of course!
If you have travelled to foreign countries, you are aware of vast differences between cultures.
The principle of separate realities says that the difference among individuals is every bit as vast. Just as we wouldn't expect people of different cultures to see or do things as we would (in fact, we'd be dissapointed if they did), this principle tells us that the individual differences in our ways of seeing the world prohibit this as well! It's not a matter of merely TOLERATING differences but of truly UNDERSTANDING and HONOURING the fact that it literally can't be any other way.
When we EXPECT to see things differently, when we take it as a given that others will do things differently and react differently to the same stimuli, the COMPASSION we hhave for ourselves and for others rises dramatically.
As we can see, this simple idea can potentially ELIMINATE MOST(or even ALL!) CONFLICTS FROM OUR LIFE!
Jewish perspective- I think, this is incredibly powerful way of approaching Life from Jewish perspective- with "Ayin Tova"-Good Eye- and judging others favourably.
Usually judging favourably is understood as simply resisting the urge to make some negative comment, and "pushing" yourself to find something good in that "bad guy". Here we are given an amazing tool how to accomplish it NATURALLY- BE AN EXPLORER OF LIFE, GIVE A CREDIT TO HASHEM- FOR HE CREATED SO MUCH DIVERSITY IN THIS WORLD!
Each human being is a WHOLE WORLD- thus, a Separate Reality- HONOUR that!
Here we need to appreciate our UNIQUENESS- which is at the core of Talmudic thinking-
"These and those are the words of Living G-d".
"Don't Sweat the small stuff"by Richard Carlson- with my comments, of course!
If you have travelled to foreign countries, you are aware of vast differences between cultures.
The principle of separate realities says that the difference among individuals is every bit as vast. Just as we wouldn't expect people of different cultures to see or do things as we would (in fact, we'd be dissapointed if they did), this principle tells us that the individual differences in our ways of seeing the world prohibit this as well! It's not a matter of merely TOLERATING differences but of truly UNDERSTANDING and HONOURING the fact that it literally can't be any other way.
When we EXPECT to see things differently, when we take it as a given that others will do things differently and react differently to the same stimuli, the COMPASSION we hhave for ourselves and for others rises dramatically.
As we can see, this simple idea can potentially ELIMINATE MOST(or even ALL!) CONFLICTS FROM OUR LIFE!
Jewish perspective- I think, this is incredibly powerful way of approaching Life from Jewish perspective- with "Ayin Tova"-Good Eye- and judging others favourably.
Usually judging favourably is understood as simply resisting the urge to make some negative comment, and "pushing" yourself to find something good in that "bad guy". Here we are given an amazing tool how to accomplish it NATURALLY- BE AN EXPLORER OF LIFE, GIVE A CREDIT TO HASHEM- FOR HE CREATED SO MUCH DIVERSITY IN THIS WORLD!
Each human being is a WHOLE WORLD- thus, a Separate Reality- HONOUR that!
Here we need to appreciate our UNIQUENESS- which is at the core of Talmudic thinking-
"These and those are the words of Living G-d".
Thursday, November 19, 2009
To be or not to be
This week we read in the Torah about an unusual encounter between the two brothers, who seem so much alien to each other- Esau and Jacob...twin brothers, I should say- and yet- separated from the womb, to take different paths in life...
"Two nations are in your womb, and two regimes from your inside shall be separated, the might shall pass from one regime to the other, and the elder shall serve the younger." (Bereshit,25:23)
Our Sages took this prophecy of the Torah and applied it to their time- ours is the last exile, that of Esau/Edom, Rome and later Christian Europe are the spiritual decendants of Esau called Edom (Red )- modern day West is their direct heir. Esau the Red knows of this world only, hence his materialism and lack of concern with "irrelevant" spiritual values-
"I'm GOING TO DIE, of what use to me is the birthright?"- he sells his spiritual priviledge for a lentil stew, with no apparent regret- "Jacob gave Esau a lentil stew, and he ate and drank, got up and left"- Torah's usage of 4 verbs in a row clearly indicates swiftness of action, no questions asked, no concerns on Esau's part...Esau is a typical westerner, he is the DOER- he conquers this world with ACTION! He DOES things, and he seems to be in total control of his world...later in life though, comes the regret- where's my father's blessing? And, by the way-where's my birthright? WE all act like esaus in this insane "world of Action"- till at some point in life comes the regret and the bitter question- "Where's my birthright?"
But what's the alternative- you can ask- we all need to work, make our living, and yes- it takes efforts and time...but why is it that our enlightened progressive world, that gives us all the benefits of industrial revolution, and we're the most prosperous people- at least financially-in the history of civilisation- why is this world BETRAYING US SO MUCH? Why are we SO LONELY?
Why do we feel that vacuum, that 'hole in place of G-d', as Sartre puts it- why?
There MUST be alternative-and we need to look no further than Jacob, of course- yes, the younger brother, who sits in the tents, and is described as "Ish Tam"- a WHOLESOME Man-
he seems to be not interested in this mad rally, this constant struggle for survival- and he CHOOSES not to be part of it...His is the path of freedom- the path of Life- and he reveals to us a deep secret- besides DOING, there's BEING! And you don't need to do anything in particular to BE yourself- just BE it! Create that space in yourself, and feel yourself as part of the WHOLE- part of the Great Being of G-d! And it's for that reason that the 4-letter name of G-d means just that-BEING! To experience yourself connected you need to shift your perspective-from DOING to BEING!
And of course, you will continue to do all the necessary things- this world is the World of Action-
you will be acting in this world, but you wouldn't belong to it- you wouldn't invest all your time, efforts and talents to bring yourself as a sacrifice to it's idolatrous nature, which only wants more and more, and gives you back nothing but "vexation of the spirit". You will be like Jacob- who was WHOLESOME in this state of BEING!
And that's the real meaning of the question- TO BE OR NOT TO BE.
Quite literally-NOT to be means DEATH, and that's what happens to all the matter- it seizes to exist, and Esau knows it well- thus he says- I AM GOING TO DIE
Reclaiming our spiritual Birthright- "You are sons to Your G-d"- is the other option- that of LIFE- because spirit never dies, never seizes to exist-it's connected to it's Eternal core- the Great BEING!
"Two nations are in your womb, and two regimes from your inside shall be separated, the might shall pass from one regime to the other, and the elder shall serve the younger." (Bereshit,25:23)
Our Sages took this prophecy of the Torah and applied it to their time- ours is the last exile, that of Esau/Edom, Rome and later Christian Europe are the spiritual decendants of Esau called Edom (Red )- modern day West is their direct heir. Esau the Red knows of this world only, hence his materialism and lack of concern with "irrelevant" spiritual values-
"I'm GOING TO DIE, of what use to me is the birthright?"- he sells his spiritual priviledge for a lentil stew, with no apparent regret- "Jacob gave Esau a lentil stew, and he ate and drank, got up and left"- Torah's usage of 4 verbs in a row clearly indicates swiftness of action, no questions asked, no concerns on Esau's part...Esau is a typical westerner, he is the DOER- he conquers this world with ACTION! He DOES things, and he seems to be in total control of his world...later in life though, comes the regret- where's my father's blessing? And, by the way-where's my birthright? WE all act like esaus in this insane "world of Action"- till at some point in life comes the regret and the bitter question- "Where's my birthright?"
But what's the alternative- you can ask- we all need to work, make our living, and yes- it takes efforts and time...but why is it that our enlightened progressive world, that gives us all the benefits of industrial revolution, and we're the most prosperous people- at least financially-in the history of civilisation- why is this world BETRAYING US SO MUCH? Why are we SO LONELY?
Why do we feel that vacuum, that 'hole in place of G-d', as Sartre puts it- why?
There MUST be alternative-and we need to look no further than Jacob, of course- yes, the younger brother, who sits in the tents, and is described as "Ish Tam"- a WHOLESOME Man-
he seems to be not interested in this mad rally, this constant struggle for survival- and he CHOOSES not to be part of it...His is the path of freedom- the path of Life- and he reveals to us a deep secret- besides DOING, there's BEING! And you don't need to do anything in particular to BE yourself- just BE it! Create that space in yourself, and feel yourself as part of the WHOLE- part of the Great Being of G-d! And it's for that reason that the 4-letter name of G-d means just that-BEING! To experience yourself connected you need to shift your perspective-from DOING to BEING!
And of course, you will continue to do all the necessary things- this world is the World of Action-
you will be acting in this world, but you wouldn't belong to it- you wouldn't invest all your time, efforts and talents to bring yourself as a sacrifice to it's idolatrous nature, which only wants more and more, and gives you back nothing but "vexation of the spirit". You will be like Jacob- who was WHOLESOME in this state of BEING!
And that's the real meaning of the question- TO BE OR NOT TO BE.
Quite literally-NOT to be means DEATH, and that's what happens to all the matter- it seizes to exist, and Esau knows it well- thus he says- I AM GOING TO DIE
Reclaiming our spiritual Birthright- "You are sons to Your G-d"- is the other option- that of LIFE- because spirit never dies, never seizes to exist-it's connected to it's Eternal core- the Great BEING!
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Choose Life!
Life and death I put in front of you- proclaims Torah- and you should choose Life...
Strange words, if we take them literally...for years I was really struggling to understand their meaning...But those things that we REALLY struggle to understand- questions that REALLY bother us- one day, when we finally receive the answers, these become OUR BLOOD, OUR VERY OWN FLESH!
So, Torah is telling us- this CHOICE is in front of you...EVERY MOMENT, it seems...you can live your life as DEAD, or-ALIVE, for a change- your choice...
Ok, then, what's the defenition of DEATH? Static, no movement, habitual...hot, very hot- finally-
DEATH is being on AUTOMAT, same things every day, same routine- NO thinking, NO real attention to what's going on- inside you and in the world around...
What is life then? The opposite, of course- very ACUTE sense of AWARENESS of EVERY MOMENT- LIVING in the moment, being PRESENT, awake and full of zest for Life!
Next time you're taking familiar route from your house to the subway station (or to your car)-
PAY ATTENTION, notice those little things around you- notice how everything is FULL OF LIFE-especially in nature! Feel the Divine in every tree, every leaf - and you will feel great sense of AWE, you will suddenly feel how much this world is indeed SACRED- and G-d is here with you- RIGHT NOW!
Strange words, if we take them literally...for years I was really struggling to understand their meaning...But those things that we REALLY struggle to understand- questions that REALLY bother us- one day, when we finally receive the answers, these become OUR BLOOD, OUR VERY OWN FLESH!
So, Torah is telling us- this CHOICE is in front of you...EVERY MOMENT, it seems...you can live your life as DEAD, or-ALIVE, for a change- your choice...
Ok, then, what's the defenition of DEATH? Static, no movement, habitual...hot, very hot- finally-
DEATH is being on AUTOMAT, same things every day, same routine- NO thinking, NO real attention to what's going on- inside you and in the world around...
What is life then? The opposite, of course- very ACUTE sense of AWARENESS of EVERY MOMENT- LIVING in the moment, being PRESENT, awake and full of zest for Life!
Next time you're taking familiar route from your house to the subway station (or to your car)-
PAY ATTENTION, notice those little things around you- notice how everything is FULL OF LIFE-especially in nature! Feel the Divine in every tree, every leaf - and you will feel great sense of AWE, you will suddenly feel how much this world is indeed SACRED- and G-d is here with you- RIGHT NOW!
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Fear not, Jacob
I'm reading a very good brochure on how to deal with fear...it's also available online on freefromfear.com. It has various techniques-22 total!- to help you deal with your various fears.
But you may think- "great, what this has to do with me? I'm not a chicken, let those who have nothing better to do waist their time for such rubbish"...If you think, fear is not part of your daily life experience- think better, I urge you!
Consider the following line taken from this brochure-"Fear RUNS MUCH OF THE WORLD, spurring on endless activity.Fear of enemies,of old age, death, or rejection, and a multitude of social fears are the basic motivators in most people's lives" . this is famous David Hawkins, from his book "Power vrs Force". And if you still feel- "So what's wrong with that? That's quite normal, I guess- especially if it's so common"-here's the GOOD NEWS-
ONE CAN CONSCIOUSLY CHOOSE TO TRANSFORM HIS PERSONAL LIFE, stepping out of the low vibrations of fear and with that HELPING TO RAISE THE CONSCIOUSNESS OF MANKIND!!!
How so? Well, D. Hawkins explains in his book, that as a result of series of experiments, that were conducted over a 20 year period, using a variety of Kinesiology tests and examinations, the following was established (I'm bringing only the most essential info here)
-Collective Consciousness- experiments reveakl that there is a Higher Power, connecting everything and everyone
- Everything calibrates at certain levels, from weak/ low to high, including animals, plants, inanimate objects.
- Hawkins calibrates people's emotions from levels 20 up to 1000. All levels(vibration levels) below 200 are said to be EMOTIONALLY DRAINING., and BELOW INTEGRITY.
These vary from Shame(20), Guilt(30), Grief(75), Fear(100), Desire (125), Anger (150) and up to Pride(175). People feel positively when they reach Pride, however, it feels good ONLY in CONTRAST to lower levels! Pride is defensive and vulnerable, because it's DEPENDENT upon EXTERNAL CONDITIONS, without which it can suddently turn back into lower levels.
NOW, WATCH THIS - it's VERY IMPORTANT!!!
-85% of humanity calibrates below the critical level of 200.
-The overall average level of human consciousness stands at 207.
Human consciousness was steadily below 200 for many centuries(at around 190 the average)-
BEFORE IT SUDDENLY ROSE UP to it's present level in the mid 80-s.
And if you ask me- hold on, but 85% are below 200- so how we get that over-200 average?
HERE'S THE ANSWER-
THE POWER OF THE FEW INDIVIDUALS AT THE TOP COUNTERBALANCES THE WEAKNESS OF THE MASSES!
-1 individual at level 300 (willingness) counterbalances 90,000 humans below 200
-1 individual at level 500 (Love) counterbalances 750,000(!) humans below 200
-1 individual at level 700 (Higher states of Consciousness, like Prophecy, Enlightenment, etc)-
counterbalances 7 million (!!!) individuals with vibrations below 200
In other words, WE CAN REALLY EFFECT THIS WORLD IN A VERY SIGNIFICANT WAY!
In my next post, I will try to address this question from more Judaic perspective
But you may think- "great, what this has to do with me? I'm not a chicken, let those who have nothing better to do waist their time for such rubbish"...If you think, fear is not part of your daily life experience- think better, I urge you!
Consider the following line taken from this brochure-"Fear RUNS MUCH OF THE WORLD, spurring on endless activity.Fear of enemies,of old age, death, or rejection, and a multitude of social fears are the basic motivators in most people's lives" . this is famous David Hawkins, from his book "Power vrs Force". And if you still feel- "So what's wrong with that? That's quite normal, I guess- especially if it's so common"-here's the GOOD NEWS-
ONE CAN CONSCIOUSLY CHOOSE TO TRANSFORM HIS PERSONAL LIFE, stepping out of the low vibrations of fear and with that HELPING TO RAISE THE CONSCIOUSNESS OF MANKIND!!!
How so? Well, D. Hawkins explains in his book, that as a result of series of experiments, that were conducted over a 20 year period, using a variety of Kinesiology tests and examinations, the following was established (I'm bringing only the most essential info here)
-Collective Consciousness- experiments reveakl that there is a Higher Power, connecting everything and everyone
- Everything calibrates at certain levels, from weak/ low to high, including animals, plants, inanimate objects.
- Hawkins calibrates people's emotions from levels 20 up to 1000. All levels(vibration levels) below 200 are said to be EMOTIONALLY DRAINING., and BELOW INTEGRITY.
These vary from Shame(20), Guilt(30), Grief(75), Fear(100), Desire (125), Anger (150) and up to Pride(175). People feel positively when they reach Pride, however, it feels good ONLY in CONTRAST to lower levels! Pride is defensive and vulnerable, because it's DEPENDENT upon EXTERNAL CONDITIONS, without which it can suddently turn back into lower levels.
NOW, WATCH THIS - it's VERY IMPORTANT!!!
-85% of humanity calibrates below the critical level of 200.
-The overall average level of human consciousness stands at 207.
Human consciousness was steadily below 200 for many centuries(at around 190 the average)-
BEFORE IT SUDDENLY ROSE UP to it's present level in the mid 80-s.
And if you ask me- hold on, but 85% are below 200- so how we get that over-200 average?
HERE'S THE ANSWER-
THE POWER OF THE FEW INDIVIDUALS AT THE TOP COUNTERBALANCES THE WEAKNESS OF THE MASSES!
-1 individual at level 300 (willingness) counterbalances 90,000 humans below 200
-1 individual at level 500 (Love) counterbalances 750,000(!) humans below 200
-1 individual at level 700 (Higher states of Consciousness, like Prophecy, Enlightenment, etc)-
counterbalances 7 million (!!!) individuals with vibrations below 200
In other words, WE CAN REALLY EFFECT THIS WORLD IN A VERY SIGNIFICANT WAY!
In my next post, I will try to address this question from more Judaic perspective
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Time to weep and time to laugh
In this age of great speeds and global communication over the internet, we are all short on time...especially when it comes to genuine human feelings. It seems like very soon we are going to substitute love poems and romance with text messages...Something like ILU- which means Ï LOVE YOU- which once was presented with a serenade, or a nice piece of poetry...if you still remember those days, lol
But I honestly think- this is the main reason why we feel so inadequate and so alienated- from the world, from ourselves and from each other.
And the ONLY way for us to recover from this numbness, I believe, is by simply RECOGNISING it- as our Sages used to put it, "Wise question is half an answer".
In our case, this AWARENESS means simply trying to be alert to your very own FEELINGS-and so to the FEELINGS of others around you- just another way how we can make our life so much more meaningful, avoiding those shallow interactions ("how-are-you-great" type-of thing) and having real soul-conversations instead...
Disclaimer- Life may become much more dangerous and painful- but it certainly will become more meaningful and exciting!
But I honestly think- this is the main reason why we feel so inadequate and so alienated- from the world, from ourselves and from each other.
And the ONLY way for us to recover from this numbness, I believe, is by simply RECOGNISING it- as our Sages used to put it, "Wise question is half an answer".
In our case, this AWARENESS means simply trying to be alert to your very own FEELINGS-and so to the FEELINGS of others around you- just another way how we can make our life so much more meaningful, avoiding those shallow interactions ("how-are-you-great" type-of thing) and having real soul-conversations instead...
Disclaimer- Life may become much more dangerous and painful- but it certainly will become more meaningful and exciting!
What's in the box?
A simple technique that can help you to face life's challenges with a SMILE!
Think of how often you have PROBLEMS in life- and sometimes, you really have very serious ones, that cause you a lot of discomfort, draw your energy, make you feel anxious, angry, frustrated, fearful- you name it!
ASK yourself a simple QUESTION- what kind of emotion you feel when you hear the word PROBLEM? Yeah, exactly- all those mentioned- fear, anxiety, frustration...
THINK- How does it effect you? Does all this heavy load of negative emotions, that surrounds you immediately when you have "problem"on your mind- does it HELP you or rather DISTRACTS you?
And if it distracts you, and even more so -DISEMPOWERS you-i.e- does NOT allow you to deal with a situation with all your talents and strengths-
THEN-obviously- YOU NEED A DIFFERENT STRATEGY!
Now, let's travel in time, and go back to your past, when you knew nothing of those PROBLEMS- childhood was the time when everything was so bright and colourful, full of Life, and you were so energetic and PASSIONATE to discover it's beauty- EVERY given moment!
Do you remember how it felt to receive a PRESENT- imagine yourself a little child, who is just about to get one! You can see that box right in front of you, and your heart is beating with that sweet expectation of something wonderful and amazing- that is JUST ABOUT TO HAPPEN!
Close your eyes, and be fully present there!
Make this experience ALIVE- with all your sences involved!
Now, with this wonderful feeling of wonder and excitement, let me take you back to your REAL LIFE- and let's think of your PROBLEMS as OPPORTUNITIES- opprtunities to LEARN who you are better, to DISCOVER and UNDERSTANd life better, to GROW spiritually and emotionally...all these things are REAL, my friend!
In fact, that's precisely true according to Baal Shem Tov, the founding father of the Hassidic movement- he used to say- life is a mirror, in which you can see yourself...
Now, next time when you are confronted with a real problem- think of it as an OPPORTUNITY!
And, if you're adventurous and CREATIVE enough, close your eyes, and imagine that BOX in front of you- the very same box, you saw years ago, given to you as a gift...Life is sending you another gift THIS VERY MOMENT! Something NEW is just about to reveal itself...Get READY!
Think of how often you have PROBLEMS in life- and sometimes, you really have very serious ones, that cause you a lot of discomfort, draw your energy, make you feel anxious, angry, frustrated, fearful- you name it!
ASK yourself a simple QUESTION- what kind of emotion you feel when you hear the word PROBLEM? Yeah, exactly- all those mentioned- fear, anxiety, frustration...
THINK- How does it effect you? Does all this heavy load of negative emotions, that surrounds you immediately when you have "problem"on your mind- does it HELP you or rather DISTRACTS you?
And if it distracts you, and even more so -DISEMPOWERS you-i.e- does NOT allow you to deal with a situation with all your talents and strengths-
THEN-obviously- YOU NEED A DIFFERENT STRATEGY!
Now, let's travel in time, and go back to your past, when you knew nothing of those PROBLEMS- childhood was the time when everything was so bright and colourful, full of Life, and you were so energetic and PASSIONATE to discover it's beauty- EVERY given moment!
Do you remember how it felt to receive a PRESENT- imagine yourself a little child, who is just about to get one! You can see that box right in front of you, and your heart is beating with that sweet expectation of something wonderful and amazing- that is JUST ABOUT TO HAPPEN!
Close your eyes, and be fully present there!
Make this experience ALIVE- with all your sences involved!
Now, with this wonderful feeling of wonder and excitement, let me take you back to your REAL LIFE- and let's think of your PROBLEMS as OPPORTUNITIES- opprtunities to LEARN who you are better, to DISCOVER and UNDERSTANd life better, to GROW spiritually and emotionally...all these things are REAL, my friend!
In fact, that's precisely true according to Baal Shem Tov, the founding father of the Hassidic movement- he used to say- life is a mirror, in which you can see yourself...
Now, next time when you are confronted with a real problem- think of it as an OPPORTUNITY!
And, if you're adventurous and CREATIVE enough, close your eyes, and imagine that BOX in front of you- the very same box, you saw years ago, given to you as a gift...Life is sending you another gift THIS VERY MOMENT! Something NEW is just about to reveal itself...Get READY!
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