By: Yehuda BergDecember 21 - 27, 2008
Light and Dark
“... the, I can achieve anything attitude, is the Light expressing itself in our consciousness.”
Life appears complicated, but it's not. We complicate our own lives. We create chaos out of order. We muck things up, continually making matters worse because we just don't understand what life is about or how it works.
The first thing we need to understand is that life is as simple as darkness and Light. I am not speaking metaphorically when I say Light. Nor am I using the word darkness allegorically. Only two things exist in this world: darkness and Light. Life appears complicated because darkness has a nearly endless variety of shades, and Light comes in countless colors. Nonetheless, at the heart of all that exists, you will either find darkness or Light.
From the time we are born, darkness and Light are all that exist. Our growth and increasing power are manifestations of Light. As we start to age, our gradually increasing weakness is an expression of darkness. Similarly, when we are content, full of passion, brimming with optimism and filled with the ultimate, I can achieve anything attitude, this is Light expressing itself in our consciousness. These positive emotions are only the effect of Light, which itself is the underlying cause of all our happiness.
Conversely, when we are pessimistic, depressed, listless and cynical, these are manifestations of increased darkness in our consciousness. Again, these negative emotions are the effect; darkness is the cause.
Now if something external is causing our pain, such as a divorce or a sudden financial downturn, this, too, is an expression of increased darkness in our lives - but this time the darkness is affecting the world around us. Divorce is the effect; the darkness that somehow crept into our lives is the cause. In a similar way, when the right business deal comes along, when we happen to meet the girl of our dreams or Mr. Right, this means Light has come into our lives.
Our emotions, our state of mind, our state of consciousness, and every single event that unfolds around us is merely an expression of either the darkness or Light that we have invited into our lives.
There is nothing else.
The problem with humanity is we have not been taught to think or live according to this simple paradigm. We live life by trial and error, never knowing that, in truth, it is all just as simple as darkness and Light.
These considerations lead us to a question that might be popping up in your mind right about now: How can we increase the quantity of Light in our lives? And, more importantly, where is this Light?
Each time we forgo a selfish desire and choose selfless behavior - each time we choose our response instead of reacting - we make a change in our lives. And with each change, we receive a little more Light. And our efforts benefit our families as well, giving them additional strength to identify and transform their own selfishness. And as a family experiences the power of spiritual transformation and connects to the world of Light, those benefits extend to its friends, neighbors, and community.
This week, sprinkle more Light into your life! As people throughout the world succeed in moving away from the dictates of the ego and toward selflessness, the entire planet will be transformed into a paradise.
This is the purpose of life, and the tools offered by Kabbalah can help us achieve that goal.
All the best,
Yehuda
72 Name of the Week
Lamed Zayin Yud
13. Heaven on Earth
I ignite the Light of the Messiah within myself, within others, and throughout the planet. The concept of heaven on earth becomes conceivable and achievable.
