The Tools Aren’t Broken

I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to share kabbalistic wisdom and that’s the only reason I put so much of my life online for anyone who happens upon my blog. I don’t merely believe in Kabbalah’s efficacy, I have seen so many students begin to utilize the tools given in the teachings to completely transform themselves and their lives, and it is my merit to help share those practices and teachings.

 

Sometimes, however, a student will relate to me that they’re using all the tools, they make their connections, they practice using proactive behavior over reactive and yet, they are not able to manifest what they most desire in life, be it a lucrative career, a successful marriage, or children. It’s not that they’re doing anything wrong, per se, but I’d like to offer this analogy.

 

We all know that a car is a great tool to have. A car allows us to travel places faster than by foot or bicycle, like getting to work, visiting interesting places, dropping our kids off at school and on and on. But the car, in and of itself, does nothing to make our lives better. A car parked in a driveway and never driven adds no value to the quality of our lives. It’s all about the consciousness with which we use that car.

 

 

 

The kabbalistic technology that we have is like a car. Certainly without a car (for most people) it would be very difficult to get to work, to run errands and to maintain our relationships with our friends and family. Not impossible, but more difficult and time consuming.

 

Kabbalah teaches us that every single person is meant to be fulfilled; the very meaning of Kabbalah is ‘to receive’. So when students come to me, confused by why the tools don’t seem to be working for them, I ask a lot of questions and sometimes it’s very simple, people give up a little too soon. Just as you wouldn’t expect a promotion after 2 weeks at a job, spiritual work takes time to manifest. Tenacity is part of our spiritual path, we never know when that last effort will push us to our goal. The kabbalists describe a ladder and urge us to keep climbing and to expect to slip or fall from time to time.

 

 Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts. – Winston Churchill

 

Sometimes we get stuck. We feel that all of our efforts are returning very little. It is in those moments that consciousness is more important than ever. Our thoughts create our reality. Thinking in a defeatist or negative pattern will reflect on everyone and everything around us. These challenging times are opportunities for us to make it through to our next level, not to throw in the towel. It’s not that your spiritual discipline, your workout, your (fill in the blank) isn’t working, it’s that you aren’t doing it right.

 

The wisdom and tools of Kabbalah are solid. Just as you can drive your car to a job that you hate every single day, you could instead get a better job and drive your car to that new job. Did the car get you the job or keep you in the one that you didn’t like? Of course not! It all comes down to our consciousness and our desire to transform ourselves and our lives.

 

All that said, I’d like to share with you yet another kabbalistic tool, and one that will require quite a bit of tenacity. Last Saturday night began the Counting of the Omer, the 49 days after Passover. When we begin the process of Counting of the Omer, we begin with a renewed ability to remove any darkness that we have attached to ourselves. In life, you are either moving forward or falling backwards, there is no such thing as stasis and as such, there are only two pathways our souls can travel in life, they either embark on the path of elevating or falling, of positive actions or negative.

 

 

The Arvei Nachal explains that the system of the Counting of the Omer is a tremendous gift from the Creator. Not only do we have the ability to stop the process of falling (which is the purpose of Passover), but the Creator also wants us to elevate, rapidly! The power of the Counting of the Omer is like a rocket booster that elevates us spiritually, which not only shortens the time, but it also enhances the quality. The Counting of the Omer connection takes us approximately five to ten minutes each night for 49 nights. What usually takes us eight days of pure connection to accomplish we can do in a few minutes. When we Count the Omer every night for the 49 days between Passover and Shavuot, we are able to do the work of 400 days.

 

When astronauts go into outer space, the G-force causes tremendous pressure on their bodies. When we go through spiritual time quickly, when we count the Omer, there is a tremendous pressure on our soul. The pressure is going to be there for us too, manifesting in challenges. This process can be painful. But the benefits are more than worth it. I hope that many of you use the spiritual technology of the Omer to catapult yourself forward on your spiritual path.

 

Thought Into Action

 

Is there any area of your life where you aren’t seeing progress? What is your consciousness regarding that situation? Have you given up? Maybe you’re working really hard, but doing all the same things. The key isn’t to quit, but to try new ways and renew your efforts with the consciousness that great blessings are waiting for you on the other side of the challenge.