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Greetings!
Welcome to the
fourth of eight Kabbalah-Dating newsletters. This edition covers the
Leaf of Wisdom, with practical insight to help you become a better
dater/relater, or spiritual single. These newsletters are also posted
on the Kabbalah-Dating website.
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Chochmah, the Leaf of Wisdom
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On the Tree of Life, Chochmah, Wisdom, is one of three supernal Leaves
at the top of the Tree that point towards G-d. Its proximity to
the Source of Creation means that a Wise seeker lives fully in the
light of Spiritual Devotion. There are no vices on this level except
for Avariciousness, a negative aspect of Understanding that
may occur when one does not Listen. Does Spiritual
Wisdom mean that once someone access the top Leaves in the Tree,
overcoming the vices in the lower Leaves is finished? No. The
upper realms of Spiritual Wisdom cannot be separated from tangible
living on earth.
Let's take sex, driven by the
Physical Foundation Leaf. Those who are unfortunate enough to be
trapped in its vice spend a great deal of psychic energy
on Slothfulness. Someone trapped in this kind of vice, or any vice
in the Lower Leaves, cannot then jump to the Leaf of Wisdom and declare
that they are truly Devoted.
For many, vices in the Lower
Leaves grip us, to the extent of clouding out potential virtues.
Vices can be torturous, and those who strive for complete psychic
health are prepared to do anything to get rid of them. The problem
is that sometimes, when a breakthrough in one vice finally occurs,
another one becomes apparent, exposing layer upon layer of
personal issues.
In Kabbalah-Dating, we strive to
balance our virtues and vices to promote healthy dating and
relating. How? With the names of the virtues. For
Physical Foundation, we add Vigorousness, meaning turning away from
Slothfulness and using our spiritual powers to assure that we
never harm another person sexually, that we humbly thank G-d for the
gift of sacred sex, and that we promote similar intentions in our
actions and outlooks.
The virtues in the Tree of Life are
great words. I believe, as Kabbalists say that the world was created by
the utterances of G-d, the Dynamic virtues on the Tree
of Life are utterances to our own physical, emotional,
intellectual and spiritual healing and health. When we work on these
words and what they mean to us, we are then ready to access the
highest level of spirituality as described in the Leaf of
Wisdom.
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Why Deal with Human Issues?
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Why we were created, and what our role is in Creation,
are fundamental questions to Kabbalists. See if you interpret the
following poem* from the Zohar,
(the foundational work of Kabbalah) the same way that I did. I believe
it contains a clue to our purpose as humans, and how to deal with human
issues.
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In the beginning
When the King conceived
In the beginning,
When the King conceived
ordaining
he engraved engraving in the luster on high.
A blinding spark flashed within the concealment of the concealed
from the mystery of the Infinite,
a cluster of vapor in formlessness, set in a ring,
not white, not black, not red, not green, no color at all.
When a band spanned, it yielded radiant colors.
Deep within the spark gushed a flow, imbuing colors below,
concealed within the concealed of the mystery of the Infinite.
The flow broke through and did not break through its aura.
It was not known at all
until, under the impact of breaking through,
one high and hidden point shone.
Beyond that point, nothing is known.
So it is called Beginning.
"The enlightened will shine like the zohar of the sky,
and those who make the masses righteous
will shine like the stars forever and ever."
Zohar**, concealed of the concealed, struck its aura.
the aura touched and did not touch this point.
The Beginning emanated, building itself a glorious palace.
There it sowed the seed of holiness
to give birth for the benefit of the universe.
Zohar, sowing a seed of glory
like a seed of fine purple silk.
The silkworm wraps itself within, weaving itself a palace.
The palace is its praise, a benefit to all.
With Beginning, the unknown concealed one created the palace,
a palace called God.
The secret is: "With Beginning, _____________ created God."
* This poem
can be found on page 52 of The
Essential Kabbalah, by Professor Daniel C. Matt.
** The translation of "Zohar" is "splendor."
The beauty of
this poem is that like the silkworm, a cocoon of meaning is spun around
the center of our spiritual existence. This beautiful image
is somewhat intangible, though, for things that occur in the
cosmos are beyond our reach. Performing acts of
righteousness connects us to
the fabric of spiritual existence.
This month, as you experiment with the balance of grays (Wisdom), black
(Understanding), and white (Enlightenment) in your supernal
Leaves, remember to reflect upon all of the colors shining up
from tangible human areas on your Tree of Life.
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Malka's
Explanations
My method of interpreting the Tree of Life is called "p'shat,"
which in Hebrew means, "a simple explanation of the text." I am an
English teacher who enjoys writing, not a mystic. I encourage you
to interpret the Tree of Life in a way that makes sense to you, and to
engage in deeper study. If uncomfortable experiences arise out of
your Kabbalah-Dating practice, please seek professional assistance.
And, we would love to hear about your dating and relating experiences
on our blog.
Shalom,
Elly Malka Faden
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A
Wise Dating Experience
Once,
I went to the beach with a beau, and had in mind discussing the
status of our relationship. After setting up our picnic, I asked him to
commit to, or at least make a definitive statement about, our
relationship. He said that I should accept where things were as a shade
of gray. A little disappointed, I took a long walk, and thought about
the perspective of viewing relationships as fluid, changeable
experiences, not things I could fit into my own finite,
mental categories. The ebb and flow of energy between partners is
ever-changing, like waves on the shore, or the interplay of energies in
the Tree of Life. We dated for a while after our beach day,
but, many issues came up before we were anywhere near a
"black and white" commitment. Our relationship ultimately ended
without this occurring.
We achieve Wisdom by reflecting
upon experiences and determining to use our inherent virtues
to improve future ones. Seeing things as they truly are, and
committing to change, is a form of repairing the world, or
Tikkun Olam. Using the virtues in the Tree of Life can be
said to form the Spiritual Foundation of relationships.
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Chochmah
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Want to Give or
Receive Kabbalah-Dating Lessons?
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Kabbalah-Dating talks
are a great way to connect with like-minded people.
Lesson plans include introductions to the Leaves and meditations on
strengthening the spiritual inclinations we rely on in our
relationships.
I am also available to make presentations to your
group. Malka.
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