Dear Friends, please ask questions about these passages from the great Kabbalists. The commentaries in brackets are mine.

Thought. Movement. Time.

Spiritual movement is not movement from place to place. Rather, it refers to a renewal of form since we denominate every renewal of form by the name “movement.”
– Baal HaSulam, The Study of the Ten Sefirot, Part 1, “Inner Reflection,” Chapter 9

The spiritual definition of time is only a sensation of movements. Our mind pictures and devises a certain number of movements, which it discriminates one by one and translates them like a certain amount of “time.” Thus, if one had been in a state of complete rest with one’s environment, he would not even be aware of the concept of time.
– Baal HaSulam, The Study of the Ten Sefirot, Part One, Inner Reflection, Chapter 9
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Dear Friends, please ask questions about these passages from the great Kabbalists. The commentaries in brackets are mine.

Thought. Movement. Time.

The very essence of the soul is a will to receive. And the difference we can tell between one object and another is discerned only by its will since the will in any essence creates needs, and the needs create thoughts and concepts so as to obtain those needs, which the will to receive demands.
– Baal HaSulam, “Introduction to The Book of Zohar,” Item 21

Spirituality depends on neither time nor place, and there is no death there.
– The Writings of Baal HaSulam, “From within my Flesh shall I see God”
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Dear Friends, please ask questions about these passages from the great Kabbalists. The commentaries in brackets are mine.

Thought. Movement. Time.

A thought is an upshot of the desire. A person thinks of what he wants, and does not think of what he does not want. For example, a person never thinks of his dying day. On the contrary, he will always contemplate his eternity since this is what he wants.

However, there is a special role to the thought: it intensifies the desire. If a person has a small desire that lacks strength to expand and reach the desired, but thinks and contemplates on a matter, he can make the desire grow, expand, and start to demand its fulfillment.

It turns out that the thought serves the desire, and the desire is the “self” of the person. A great desire dominates the small desires. And if a person wants to increase some small desire, the advice is to strengthen his persistent thought of the desire since the desire grows to the extent that one thinks of it.

And so, one should study Kabbalah constantly for the persistent effort in thought increases one’s spiritual desire until it becomes the actual ruler.
– Baal HaSulam, Shamati (I Heard), Article No. 153, “The Thought Is an Upshot of the Desire”
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Dear Friends, please ask questions about these passages from the great Kabbalists. The commentaries in brackets are mine.

Thought. Movement. Time.

The desire is the root of the mind and not the mind the root of desire.
– Baal HaSulam, “Peace in the World”

The desire is the “self” of the person, and the thought is the consequence, outcome of the desire.
– Baal HaSulam, Shamati (I Heard), Article No. 153, “The Thought Is an Upshot of the Desire”

The mind is enslaved by and serves the desire.
-Baal HaSulam, “Introduction to The Book of Zohar,” Item 21
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Dear Friends, please ask questions about these passages from the great Kabbalists. The commentaries in brackets are mine.

All Changes Are in the Desire, Not in the Light

All these images and changes begin and end only with the impression of the souls.
– Baal HaSulam, “Preface to The Book of Zohar,” Item 33

There is no change at all in the world of Atzilut itself, whether the lower ones receive its great abundance lushly, or receive nothing at all. The above mentioned greatness lies solely on the lower ones.
– Baal HaSulam, “Preface to The Book of Zohar,” Item 32

When the Light of Malchut descends and expands over the people, it appears to them, to each and every one, according to their own appearance, vision, and imagination, meaning only in the receivers and not at all in the Sefira Malchut herself.
– Baal HaSulam, “Preface to The Book of Zohar,” Item 35
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Dear Friends, please ask questions about these passages from the great Kabbalists. The commentaries in brackets are mine.

All Changes Are in the Desire, Not in the Light

We can only speak on the basis of our sensations, to the degree that we are impressed by the impact of the Light that fulfills us and is aroused by “His desire to do good to His creations,” and to the degree that it reaches the receivers.

Similarly, when we examine a table our sense of touch feels it as something hard. We also discern its length and width, all according to our senses. However, that does not necessitate that the table will appear so to one who has other senses. For example, in the eyes of an angel, when it examines the table, it will see it according to its senses. Hence, we cannot determine any form with regard to an angel since we do not know its senses.
– Baal HaSulam, Shamati (I Heard), Article No. 3, “The Matter of Spiritual Attainment”
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Dear Friends, please ask questions about these passages from the great Kabbalists. The commentaries in brackets are mine.

All Changes Are in the Desire, Not in the Light

For themselves, all the worlds are regarded as simple unity and there is no change in them. This is the meaning of “I the Lord do not change.” There are no Sefirot and Behinot (discernments) in the Creator since the essence of the Light itself, the Creator, cannot be attainted. Rather, all the discernments speak only of what a person attains in them.
– Baal HaSulam, Shamati (I Heard), Article No. 3, “The Matter of Spiritual Attainment”

The proliferation of the names is only with respect to the receivers. Hence, the first name that appeared, that is, the root for the creatures, is called Infinity. And this name remains unchanged. All the restrictions and the changes are made only with regard to the receivers, and He always shines in the first name, “His desire to do good to His creations,” endlessly.
– Baal HaSulam, Shamati (I Heard), Article No. 3, “The Matter of Spiritual Attainment”
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Dear Friends, please ask questions about these passages from the great Kabbalists. The commentaries in brackets are mine.

All Changes Are in the Desire, Not in the Light

“There is no change in the Light.” Rather, all the changes are in the Kelim, meaning in our senses. We measure everything according to our imagination. From this it follows that if many people examine one spiritual object, each will attain according to his imagination and senses, thereby seeing a different form.

In addition, the form itself will change in a person according to his ups and downs, as we have said above that the Light is simple Light and all the changes are only in the receivers.
– Baal HaSulam, Shamati (I Heard) No. 3, “The Matter of Spiritual Attainment”
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Dear Friends, please ask questions about these passages from the great Kabbalists. The commentaries in brackets are mine.

All Changes Are in the Desire, Not in the Light

We attain everything according to our sensations. And reality, as it is in itself, is of no interest to us at all. Hence, we do not attain the upper Light and the Creator at all, but only attain our sensations. Thus, all of our impressions follow only our sensations.
– Baal HaSulam, Shamati (I Heard), Article No. 66, “The Giving of the Torah”

The spiritual Light tells us not about its path, but only about the reaction within us to the encounter with the Light.
– Baal HaSulam, “The Wisdom of Kabbalah and Philosophy”
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Dear Friends, please ask questions about these passages from the great Kabbalists. The commentaries in brackets are mine.

We Have Neither Attainment Nor Perception of any Matter

As there is no perception of the Creator whatsoever, is it impossible to attain the essence of any of His creatures, even the tangible objects that we feel with our hands.

Thus, all we know about our friends and relatives in the world of action before us are nothing more than “acquaintance with their actions.” These are prompted and born by the association of their encounter with our senses, which render us complete satisfaction although we have no perception whatsoever of the essence of the subject.

Furthermore, you have no perception or attainment whatsoever even of your own essence. Everything you know about your own essence is nothing more than a series of actions extending from your essence.
– Baal HaSulam, “The Essence of the Wisdom of Kabbalah”
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