Archive for January, 2009


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Weekly Kabbalah Tune Up…1/25/09 – 1/31/09

Published on January 27, 2009

The Conversation

The quality of our thoughts determines the quality of our life.

The whispers of my soul and the divine counsel of the Light are heard loud and clear. I know what I have to do. I am willing and prepared to do what it takes to get it done.

The gift of this week is the ability to change the tone of our constant conversation we have with ourselves. It’s essential we have this awareness, for the kabbalists explain the most important focus is the mind. It controls everything. The quality of our thoughts determines the quality of our life.

Imagine hearing a good friend talk badly about himself. Or better yet, our child. When we hear our kids beating themselves up, naturally, we tell them how wonderful they are.

Do we do the same for ourselves?

This week the Light of the Creator is nudging us towards a finer awareness of how we talk to ourselves. Are we advocates or adversaries? Many of us are so accustomed to convincing ourselves we’re not enough, due to faulty childhood programming, or past lives, or what have you. But the next seven days, we want to convince ourselves that we are enough, that no mountain is too high to climb, no obstacle to great to overcome.

Before you leave this page and go back to the matters of the day, please remember to talk nicely to yourself, and to remind yourself, you are more than enough.

All the best,

Yehuda


Weekly Kabbalah Tune Up…12/28/08-1/3/09

Published on January 20, 2009

The kabbalists reveal a frightening truth: Every thought, every impulse, every reactive emotion that ignites in our minds caused by the ego, is the tool of the Opponent. Those thoughts and emotions do not belong to us. We only think they do. In fact, the only time we make contact with our soul and true happiness is when we resist those thoughts.

When we recognize the voice of the ego as the voice of the Opponent, we can then do something profound: the opposite of what the ego tells us to do. When we oppose the ego’s bidding, we are no longer receiving. We are sharing.

Let’s now see in more practical terms what it means to receive, what it means to share, and what it means to do the opposite of what the Opponent is compelling us to do.

Instead of yelling, we speak quietly.
Instead of cursing, we compliment.
Instead of taking, we give.
Instead of worrying, we awaken certainty and take charge.
Instead of fearing, we conjure up courage.
Instead of seeking revenge, we offer forgiveness.
Instead of blaming, we become accountable.
Instead of playing the victim, we hold ourselves responsible.
Instead of merely coping with a problem, we seek to cure it.
Instead of complaining, we start appreciating.
Instead of looking for the negative in a situation, we find the positive.
Instead of judging others, we look for the good in them.
Instead of gossiping and bad-mouthing others, we change the subject, or we simply walk away.
Instead of listing reasons why life is so unfair, we start counting our blessings.
Instead of calculating how something will benefit us, we figure out a way to ensure that the other party benefits.
Instead of reacting to external situations, we resist and become proactive.

Are you getting the picture? Good. My father Rav Berg has constantly stressed one point over the years, something we must remember this week: all of this opposite behavior is not motivated by morals, ethics, or some noble ideal. Rather, we do it because it’s smart business. It’s shrewd behavior. It pays off. My father calls it Enlightened Greed. Make no mistake, it is greed, plain and simple - but not for fool’s gold. It’s greed for the real thing, for the Light itself.

And this Enlightened Greed is the reason for walking the kabbalistic path.

All the best,

Yehuda


Inspiring Change by Michael Berg

Published on January 8, 2009

I Love You

What is love? Most of us feel it – or have felt it – and yet, what we think of as love and what is true love might not be the same thing. In fact, they may even be complete opposites.

At its core, when we refer to love, it is often rooted in self-love. This can be clarified with a parable. A man walks into a restaurant. The waiter asks him what he would like, and he responds, “I love fish!” Naturally, the choicest fish is filleted, cooked, and served up on a nice plate. The man then proceeds to chew and swallow the entire thing.

Is this how one treats something he loves?

The story sounds simple, and yet it reveals a profound lesson. For many of us, when we say, “I love you,” it is really the “I” that we love. We love what we get from people or things. They are all extensions of our ego’s selfishness.

Think about the many relationships in our lives. How many of them are focused on what we get rather than what we give? If we are honest with ourselves, then we will see that what we view as love is often seen in terms of what we receive from the relationship, be it emotional or physical. We love people who give to us, and we view loving relationships as ones in which our friends and spouses give us something. And while it is true that in any relationship one needs to be receiving, it cannot be solely based on that.

The more important basis of a relationship is giving.

Kabbalistically, a true relationship is when one enjoys the sharing more than the receiving. That’s true love. This means that my love for another person awakens within me a greater joy of giving to rather than receiving from them. True love is when my connection towards another person - and the love I feel for that person - makes it as enjoyable and fulfilling to share with him or her as it is to receive from that person.

When viewed in this way, how many of our relationships are truly based on love for the other person where our desire to share is greater than our desire to receive?

This isn’t simply an interesting concept. It is also the key to a sustainable, growing relationship - one that’s destined to last. Life – and the blessings in our lives, including our relationships – is sustained by the Light of the Creator. The way to bring more of the Light into our relationships is to maintain constant appreciation and a desire to impart. This is what keeps our love alive and growing.

However, the opposite is true as well. Love founded on “what can I get?” will always crumble because it is not bringing in the Light of the Creator which can sustain it. When we work and focus our relationships on sharing more than receiving, we bring the Light into them so they can truly grow and last forever.

This week assess your relationships and decide which ones you want to make last. Now that you are clear on what the deciding forces are, put what you’ve learned into action by awakening a greater desire to find little and big ways to share with your spouse, lover, kids, siblings, and friends. Do this knowing it will bring the Light of the Creator into your loving bonds, thereby making them strong, sustainable, and ever-lasting.


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