There Is No God

Do you realize when you are in a fit of anger, it’s synonymous with saying there is no God?

Think about it. The Light is constantly feeding you growth opportunities — the more uncomfortable, the more potential for growth. When you’re “losing it”, overpowered by feelings of rage, you’re basically admitting that God has left the building.

This instantaneous knowing that the Light sent this situation to you is a matter of consciousness. However, when you’re sitting in bumper to bumper summer traffic with a broken A/C, late for a job interview, and some guy just blocked you from making your exit, it’s not so easy to be Mr. or Mrs. Spiritual, is it?

When you find yourself unleashing your middle finger and searching for the choicest curse words, try repeating to yourself over and over — “What is the Light teaching ME?”

I don’t expect you to achieve this state of consciousness today. It takes repetition. But the more awareness you inject, the easier it gets to pull yourself out of the fire.

Rachel's Tomb

This is a visit to Rachel's tomb in Bethlehem. Rachel's greatest desire and purpose in life was to protect and defend her children from evil. That's why she evokes the element of protection of the universe.

She gave us the "Red String". Kabbalists wear it for protection against the 'evil eye' -- that negative look or thought we consciously or even unconsciously give each other that actually keeps us away from our potential. Each piece of Red String is taken to Rachel's tomb and imbued with the essence of protection.

The energy here was intense. Visitors were not especially happy (or remotely happy!). Much heavier energy than I expected. A lot of pushing and 'desire for self alone'. I actually felt like pushing this 1,000 year old woman back. The religious conservative were making some of us put on shalls to cover up more. We weren't exactly exposed or flaunting it. Then, we started singing and one guy started screaming -- almost hysterically -- about Elijah the prophet's disapproval. As if!

It was really dramatic. In all honesty, I found it entertaining and I wanted to sensationalize it more. Like, "get a load of the crazies in there!"

Which is actually kind of ironic, right?

Is it possible that I'm no more enlightened? I cringe at the thought. But it is quite possible. It almost feels justified to give the evil eye at times. And therein lies today's human consciousness.

It's all perspective, I guess.

A lesson in consciousness from the Dead Sea

Below is a clip (6:35 mins) of my kabbalah teacher Yehuda explaining the spiritual purpose of our trip to the Dead Sea. They call it the Dead Sea because it's so salty, nothing can live there. I floated in it -- bobbed like a cork. I've never seen any such thing. I got one tiny drop of water in my eye and had to get out and run for the shower to flush it. It burned like holy hell.

Spiritually speaking, the sea is dead because other waters flow into it, but nothing flows out. A metaphor for life, really. Kabbalah explains the universe works on a 3-column system of energy. Left column (desire to receive), Right column (desire to share) and Central column (restriction between the two). Very much like a lightbulb -- the negative charge (left), positive charge (right) and central filament that brings the two together and restricts the flow of energy so it generates light.

Laws of energy dictate that whatever you receive, you must, at minimum, share 10% to create that circuitry. Not because you are a good person. Not because it's the right thing to do. Only because, if you don't, that energy gets blocked and eventually dies like the Dead Sea.

This was the first lecture I heard at the Kabbalah Center in NY when I was a new student. It's what had me search for a charitable project to put my energy into. It's what lead me to Raising Malawi. I still donate to other charities, but I wanted to find a big, grassroots cause I could throw my life at to a) unlock my energy and b) grow my vessel/capacity to receive.

That's what my fundraising amounts to for me personally. Does anyone have a clue how much I dread fundraising? I can't stand it. But I want to build this left column muscle of mine. And I want to grow my consciousness and chip off some of the more negative aspects of my personality. And mostly, I want to die knowing that I made a difference. That my existence mattered.

I remember when I took my friend Ananya for a past-life regression at this place (a guy's home) he found in Chicago. He wanted some company in case the guy 'regressing' him pulled any tricks. So, I waited in the livingroom. Ananya went back into a separate room for about an hour.

He was all groggy when he came out. I asked him, "so what is it? were you a king or something?" Ananya comes from privilege in this life, growing up in Dubai with servants and whatnot. His grandma was good friends with Endira Gandhi. He's a lovely person and one of my best friends, so I expected great things.

Anyway, he comes out of the session and shakes his head. He told me he lived a few interesting lives but there was one that really bothered him. He was a very simple man in this particular life. He never married. He died peacefully in his bed with his dog sleeping quietly nearby. Wholly unmemorable. It really got to him.

I think about that story every now and then when my life gets so busy that I spend more time chasing it than designing it. No matter what my reasons for spending my time as I do (chores, work, yada yada) in the end, the legacy will be mine. I certainly want peace, but I don't want to die with any potential in tact. I still don't know how to levitate. I'd like to learn that. Seriously, what if all of the change that needs to happen in the world is sitting idle just waiting for me to change it? I wasn't wired to think like that. I still don't think like that, but i'm trying my damndest to elevate my consciousness.



Here's a shorter clip (1:38) about how hard and important it is to share 10 percent. It's really a matter of consciousness.