Nugget #107 Positive energy: Shalom Beit

A few months ago I had the pleasure of meeting the mother-in-law of our Rabbi. It was pure pleasure to have met her for a few reasons. But there was one reason in particular. She was a woman that believed in and enforced a home of “Shalom Beit” (Peaceful Home). She was very demanding on ridding her home of any negativity and thus only kept positive energy in house.

There was a time that her and her husband had a very sick child in the home. It was to a point that even her husband was feeling down over the matter. She, however, kept going and asked her husband to leave the house for a few hours when she noticed he was down. She knew he needed to go out and find a way to release that negative energy someplace else. He did just that.

She was very fastidious about keeping the home cleansed of negative energy thus maintaining a positive environment.

Nugget #106 – False gods: No religion please

In light of what we just covered with G-dliness, we have to suggest worship is not what we would call a worship service with music, singing, praying, and readings.  Yes, these are very beautiful expressions of “worship” but they are not “worthship”.  On a physical level they are wonderful but on a spiritual level they can be very vain and lacking any redemptive quality.

Worship is compliance, submission of oneself (elohim) to emulate Elohim.  It is that simple.  It is difficult to implement but easy to understand.  To bow down means to submit to the proper order established by Elohim’s attributes. 

We should be “singing” to harmonize our elohim to Elohim.  We should be “praying” to earnestly request help to bridle the ego’s attempt to prevent that compliance and harmonization.  Religions will not accomplish this!

Nugget #105 – False gods: Attainment

The attribute associated to that name is what we are after.  It is what we are looking to emulate.  G-d is G-d so it is imperative for us to make ourselves like G-d.  We are to attain the name/attribute. 

Kabbalist have a saying, “what we do not attain we do not know by name.”  We cannot name something we have not attained.  Meaning we cannot name what we cannot understand.  In order to understand we must be able to implement or apply.  So the name of something requires us to apprehend an intimacy with that something.  Saying names like Jehovah, Yahovah,  Yah, HaShem, Adonai, or any other name does not guaranteed the speaking has an attainment associated to that name.  Yet many of us think a person is somehow “holy” because of uttering such names.  Or worse yet think they are more “holy” simply because they speak that name.

Our society is quick to throughout names of things it really has no knowledge of simply to create an illusion of knowledge.  In the spiritual we cannot do that.

Nugget #104 – False gods: “Proclaim the Name!”

Worthship can be induced by the person that wants to be worshipped or by a person or people that want that person, place, thing, or thought to be a god.  For instance a statue cannot be a false god by its own choice; rather it is worshipped by others that make it into a false god.

It is important to note that a name does not make something a false god.  Uttering a name does not make a G-d or false god.  A name is a sound.  In essences it is meaningless.  The concept of power in the name is a Greek concept.  So professing a name does nothing.

Can we proclaim a name instead?  Yes, but proclaim not by sound but by deed with proper intent.  This transform our attributes, bringing them into balance is the true “proclamation”.  Utter no words, “just do it!” as Nike tells us.

Worthship can be induced by the person that wants to be worshipped or by a person or people that want that person, place, thing, or thought to be a god.  For instance a statue cannot be a false god by its own choice; rather it is worshipped by others that make it into a false god.

It is important to note that a name does not make something a false god.  Uttering a name does not make a G-d or false god.  A name is a sound.  In essences it is meaningless.  The concept of power in the name is a Greek concept.  So professing a name does nothing.

Can we proclaim a name instead?  Yes, but proclaim not by sound but by deed with proper intent.  This transform our attributes, bringing them into balance is the true “proclamation”.  Utter no words, “just do it!” as Nike tells us.

Nugget #103 – False gods: “Worthship”

So let’s consider: if Elohim/G-d is in balance and unified and we are essentially opposites, then being G-dly is achieving a balanced elohim within us.  So a True G-d is the unified balance of Elohim.  A false god is one that creates or sustains an imbalance of that union within us.

The old English word for “worship” is “worthship”.  What do we “worthship”?  Is it a person, doctrine, religion, philosophy, teacher, a religious leader, statue, money, sex, drugs, possessions, political party, cars, dresses, entertainers, and so forth?

Ask your Self: Do these people, places, things, and thoughts produce or sustain an imbalance (in the 10 attributes) in our lives, in society’s lives?  If so they are false gods!

Nugget #102 – False gods: Imbalance

There are a few key factors mentioned above that I feel need to be emphasized.  They’re only 10 primal forces within Creation.  All 10 are a union and cannot exist separately of the others.  Thus at the highest level of creation only these 10 exist as a unified whole.

Being that these forces are primal and imbued within creation, then it would be reasonable to suggest that we are imbued with these primal forces as well.  These forces are out of balance within us and our primary effort is to bring them into balance.  Meaning they operate somewhat independently of each other within us.  This is where the ego, selfishness, or the “I” are the strongest.  This gives us “freedom of choice” – Ego or Altruist (soul).  To do right for all or “right” for the “I”.

Nugget #101 - False gods

Since we finished up the First Triad a few posts ago I figure it is a good time for us to explore what false gods are. We learned that Elohim means forces. These forces that we read about are the pinnacle forces that our Creator has imbued creation with. It would stand to reason, since there are no forces greater or equal to them, by default all would be a product of and contain these forces by default.

These 10 forces are meant to work in a cooperative and balanced union since the Creator is a singularity and as such nothing is left to its own. Everything at the end must support that singularity. These forces are attributes that the Creator has placed within creation so that we would strive to become G-d/Elohim like.

Nugget #100 – A recap

It’s hard to believe but we have reached our 100th Nugget. This is a great time to reflect on what we have covered, just the highlights, and contemplate the lessons we have learned in this cycle.

One of the common themes is the ego. We learned that the ego is a powerful force that is essential to our existence but at the same time needs to be balanced with altruism so that we become part of the collective whole without losing our individual purpose and mission. We must constantly keep this in mind.

Another common theme is that there are forces (Elohim) that imbue creation and us as well. Knowing that there is nothing equal to or greater than the Creator creates a paradox in our thinking. Elohim has created 10 forces or attributes that creation and us have in common with the Creator. That means we can relate and understand the revealed part of the Creator. As such we can also use this to better understand and draw even closer to the Creator. We are to constantly strive for the Creator.

We found that the soul has levels. Not like steps of a stairway but more like a ramp. Meaning the levels are simply identified points on a continuum of the soul. The soul is part of creation from the Creator down to the individual. Each level can be thought of as awareness levels that we at least part of the time can access. We are to be persistent in raising our awareness.

There are so many more themes we can cover but these 3, in my opinion, stood out. Please go back and read the Nuggets and find others that speak to your heart.

L'Shanah Tovah!!

Nugget #99 – Physical unity: 70 Nations

We saw with the first two words that the totality of the ego’s desire is expressed.  But at some point, by virtue of the ego, division must take place and thus divisions and subdivisions take place.  Meaning egos become organized differently as it finds some commonality with other egos to serve its needs or common needs (desires).  Meaning it will join with other egos provided it receives its desires for as long as it can.  Remember, the ego wants to be a loner but it can’t.  It needs others to survive.  Now lets look at the next few words.

Nations:  We find in Genesis 10 the listing of the 70 original nations.  In Genesis 11 the 70 nations, which were joined under Nimrod, were divided so the ego would be forced to seek unity at a higher level that would lead to unity with the higher altruistic soul.  The “nations” are simply a level of organization of egos around a leader of a similar acceptable ego.

Cities: Is a further breakdown of egos.  Again the egos are rallying around one central ego and thus raising that ego’s common desire among the people. 

As we look at the TNK and read about places we are to realize that the ego is the central driving force behinds man’s activity.  Thus everything in the TNK is speaking of a war going on between the ego and the altruistic soul.  Or rather the ego is resisting the eventuality of joining with the altruistic soul.