The law of equivalence of form is the main law of the worlds, including “our world.” This equivalence can be direct and opposite, attracting or rejecting, that is, they interact and work at the same frequency. This may result in some pulse, a seemingly negative or positive interaction, but the law of equivalence is the most important law in creation! Therefore, if we aspire to the characteristic of the space that surrounds us, to the characteristic of the Light, we awaken its influence on us.
This influence is called the the Returning Light or the Surrounding Light (Ohr Makif), which surrounds us implicitly. But the moment we move as it does, according to its nature, we immediately begin to feel its influence on us. However, “immediately” is conditional because first of all the influence of the Light is gradually gathered in us, then we begin to feel it.
We need to know exactly what the means are for attaining the first level of discovering the Light when it transforms from Surrounding Light to Inner Light (Ohr Pnimi). All this is explained simply, there is nothing unique here beyond simple physics.
The person wants to know where he is because his point in the heart draws him to its source. The source is found in the world of Ein Sof, but he doesn’t know this. However, there is a link between the point in the heart and the world of Ein Sof.
Afterward, the person enters into some kind of group, which has a teacher, friends, and books. All this is done through the Surrounding Light. It creates the environment for the person; this is its function and this is under its control.
All conditions were created from the start and one doesn’t even have to be concerned about this. But if we make efforts and are concerned about building the group, then ultimately these means increase the influence of the Surrounding Light and it attracts people. Suddenly, seemingly by chance, more people arrive. Each one of us knows how that happens from his own fate, from his own story.
When I told my teacher how I found him, he immediately explained to me that there is nothing accidental; the point in the heart simply reaches a particular stage in its development. Throughout a person’s life, it awakens him all the time, it doesn’t let him rest, and gradually devours him from within. He suffers; he is concerned about his life being so uncertain, superficial, and lacking value. Sometimes he suffers from depression, sometimes he searches, even tries to emulate others, but it does not work…
We are all familiar with this and we have played in this life. The rest lived it as if it were real, and for us there was no point to it. And yet we tried to live it. So gradually the “point in the heart” grew and developed within us until it finally broke out and demanded serious, true realization. Suddenly we found ourselves with some books and with a person who explained everything to us, in brief, somehow we found an environment. It’s clear that this is the most important thing, yet we don’t pay particular attention to it.
The main thing is that we found a teacher, or some Internet site, or something else, but we don’t value the group, because this is already the next stage of development. This is quite a different property that doesn’t exist in us: to be in a group, in an environment, in a community, which I must lower and nullify myself in front of. I must imitate everything about them and just serve them.
Yet when we come to any other environment, for instance, when we get a job, we are very nice to everyone; we egoistically want to be part of the team and want them to relate to us nicely. We are nice to everyone and expect the same treatment in return. In time this passes and we become like everyone else.
And with us it is different. It doesn’t matter what you are and how you relate to everyone, you must begin to work on yourself. And we don’t understand or more precisely don’t even hear what must happen in a group. And this goes on for many years. Even though this is a latent period, it’s really very important.
It must be organized very precisely. Because we don’t understand what we are doing, there must be some people in the group who guide it, they must be “police” and “guards”; there must be a precise and strict system about all requirements like in the army. And then we will gradually begin to understand.
However, in order to attract the maximum amount of Light, we need to carry out simple mechanical actions. In this case it’s impossible to demand anything else from someone. At this stage, we are in a state that we must obey. They tell me today that it’s my turn to wash the dishes in the kitchen, so I go and wash. It’s my turn to do something else, and I do it. And if not, they will throw me out because it’s impossible to convince me any other way. It’s impossible to explain to a person that this is how we connect and approach love of the other and with this we will begin to feel the upper world. What is the connection to the upper world? It’s all so far away from those sweet words…
Therefore in the first stage of its development, the group needs to stubbornly maintain all the conditions that don’t depend on us but that are contingent upon the physical parameters for attracting even greater Surrounding Light onto us, more precisely onto our point in the heart, on this “fetus” of our spiritual strength that aspires to advancement. Indeed this fetus is running forward egoistically, and we need to attract the influence of the Light onto it.
Then comes the next, more difficult period, when people who enter into a group already begin to feel ascents and descents, all kinds of inner changes, simultaneously both pleasant and unpleasant. We need to gradually explain to them from where everything comes, that this arrives from the influence of the same source. And this is not just a psychological factor, let’s say, today he is depressed, and tomorrow he is happy for no reason. Here we begin to clearly feel the expression of some new characteristics and powers that hadn’t previously existed.
We must explain to them that the Surrounding Light influences us through two lines. Its influence in the “right line” elevates us, expands our emotions, our understanding. The Light illuminates us already, even if it’s not in an apparent way, and we still can’t feel or define it, but we already feel something: The limits of intellect, emotion, and consciousness are expanded.
We see greater connection between one thing and another and then suddenly everything will be clear to us within those same limits in which we are found. Everything is as if illuminated by Light. And so we enter into another state where, on the contrary, there is detachment, darkness, confusion, and such, so that you don’t understand where you are found at all, you are bewildered.
States of the “right line,” and likewise states of the “left line” become even more extreme. When in an extreme right state you are found in such euphoria that you are afraid of doing something wrong. And in the extreme left state you feel darkness, nothing is clear, there is no yearning for anything, you are ready to abandon everything, you have absolute confusion in your head.
All of us know this from experience. But we must pay attention to the new people who pass through this. We need to help them; we need to soften their state.
I remember the first time I was in a state of euphoria when I asked one of the elders who studied with Baal HaSulam, “What is this?” He answered: “That’s it; another two weeks!…Wait for a change.” I relaxed and waited. After two weeks, I received such a blow that I got up with difficulty! That is how I understood what “That’s it” means.
With this they let me understand that all this was okay; this was something normal. You sit in a lesson like a dummy, as if you don’t exist, and it seems as if someone is playing a joke on you. They specifically showed me that they understood my state, and in fact the same thing is happening to them only at different levels. In them this is not so visible. Just as now, for example, my students don’t see what kind of states I pass through. Many of you haven’t seen this yet as we are used to it, we already live with it.
But we must support the new ones. We must get them to understand that this is the normal effect of the Surrounding Light (Ohr Makif) which affects the point in the heart and the heart itself (desire).
When it influences the point in the heart (right line), then we feel the increase of inspiration, a push forward; immediately a reaction that attracts the Light is awakened in us, we are ready for the noblest possible deeds. And when it influences the heart itself, the result is the opposite, there is an increase of egoistic desires in us and we are pulled down.
Basically, from both of these states we receive an increase in the Light and an increase in the desire opposite to it. And our goal is to shape the “middle line” for ourselves so that both the egoistic desire and the altruistic aspiration for bestowal, for connection, for revelation, and so on will connect in us.
The central point is the desired condition in which we control ourselves. We connect the right line and the left line in us through emotional and intellectual effort. Where is this realized? Only in a group. If the person tries to carry this out alone, nothing will come of it. Where can an egoistic desire acquire an altruistic characteristic? How can you aspire to the Light? You see, you don’t know how to do this. How can you, through using the characteristics of the Light, correct the additional ego that you received?
What is the result here? You need to make a Kli from your egoistic desire and correct it into the characteristic of bestowal through a Masach (screen) and Reflected Light (Ohr Hozer). Where will you realize this?
All this can be realized in a group and only in a group; only in it can you realize your characteristic of bestowal with which you can clearly construct yourself together with them, with those with whom you want to connect. Therefore the Ohr Hozer needs to pass through the group and be realized in it.
It’s difficult to explain to a person how this is done, this takes many years. Perhaps now this period is contracted and truly passes more rapidly. I see how many people are beginning to understand this rapidly and comprehend this, more naturally understanding the method. But still it’s very difficult for us. This is so contrary to our nature, because at every stage, on every side, the person seemingly passes through the entire way again.
You see, every level is composed of ten Sefirot and really begins from that state called an “embryo.” And then there is the feeding state (Yenika), the small state (Katnut), and then the big state (Gadlut). And every time we need to begin from nothing. This is truly amazing because every time you are born at the next level.
In our world, we don’t see, we don’t feel these incarnations, but on a spiritual level, we gradually pass through these periods of development. And all this takes place solely and only within the group. In no place, in no way, with nobody, not with anything, can you check if you are doing this correctly or not, if you are acquiring the Light, if you are gradually transforming into a man (Adam) of the world.
To the degree that any kind of motivations are awakened in you, you realize them in connection with the group, you seemingly adjust, direct yourself to the group, to connection with it. This is me. I direct myself to the group, to a link with it, and in the end receive a rejection from it. I go to a plus, and in the end I get minus (rejection). We call this rejection the “evil inclination,” which is to say, this is what I need to correct.
This requires prior action: first my inclusion in a group, second, the discovery of the evil inclination. This is my true
ego. Everything linked to our world is not called ego. All these are our normal beastly characteristics and we can relate to them absolutely quietly. This rejection, the serious addition that I begin to receive, this is my first egoistic level. And I need to begin to work with it.
The next stage (the third) is my participation in a group against my ego. And when I do this, when I invest as much effort as I can, I begin to attract the Surrounding Light (the fourth stage) onto myself. That is how this works.
To the degree that I am included in a group, the upper Light comes to me through the collective soul, through the entire empty void. Everything is realized only by getting closer within the group.
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From the St. Petersburg Convention “Day Two” 7/13/13, Lesson 3
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Gradual Development
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Shifting The State Around
Filed under: Conventions, Group Work, Spiritual Work - 1 Comment →
Question: We have learned a very powerful thing in this convention; it is to look at each other more. Then you discover that you can find great joy in the friends while there is great emptiness inside you.
