Shavuot: The Forever After

Imagine for a moment that you were immortal. How different would life look?

 

Things like failure or the thoughts and opinions of others wouldn’t seem so daunting. If you had just discovered that you were immortal, there’s a good chance you would feel a sudden infusion of possibility. You would be able to see yourself and your life in a far less limited manner.

 

This is the power of Shavuot. It is a day on which we are given the opportunity to recommit to living our best life — one of unending happiness, success, and love. Shavuot is a connection to what kabbalists call “the revelation on Mount Sinai.” It is a code word for the perfect union between the Light and the physical world that occurred 3,400 years ago in the desert: total perfection. Every year on this date, the full revelation of immortality returns to the cosmos in a state of potential, allowing us to overcome the force called Death. Kabbalists teach that it is this unseen force that not only strikes and affects the physical body but is also responsible for the demise of relationships, prosperity, and happiness in any form.

 

“The promise of immortality?” you may ask with skepticism. Immortality is a concept that most people dismiss out of hand as being not within the realm of possibility. But what if it’s not?

 

A Great Basin bristlecone pine (Pinus longaeva) is measured by ring count to be 5066 years old. That’s a tree, you may argue.

 

One 16.5 foot Greenland shark has been estimated to be between 272 and 512 years old. That’s a fish, you may be point out, albeit a very large one.

 

An Aldabra giant tortoise died at an estimated age of 255.

 

So I ask, what makes the promise of immortality an impossibility? These long lived creatures live on the same planet, breathe the same air and are made up of all the same basic components we humans are. In fact, scientists have recently successfully reversed aging in mice with gene therapies. All I request is that you keep an open mind about the realistic possibility of living forever.

 

During Shavuot we are given an opportunity to see our lives through the lens of immortality which brings with it infinite opportunity and possibility. As we connect to that energy, we let go of our resistance to growth and change. We take on the perspective of someone immortal, giving us a viewpoint that leads us to a higher version of ourselves. From here we see that what may feel like a challenge or a setback is actually another opportunity and possibility. Perhaps we become aware of what we resist and instead choose to observe it as a chance to become an even better version of ourselves. For some, this may encourage slowing down and engaging in this moment.

 

Connecting to the energy of Shavuot helps to anchor and integrate this consciousness of immortality creating infinite possibilities in your life. Because as we know, our thoughts create our reality.