Manifesting from Wholeness: A Kabbalistic Perspective

The beauty of realizing Life's dreams and aspirations comes from truly manifesting in alignment with one's True Nature -- who we truly are, not who we think we are or pretend to be. Within each moment of being present and aware of our True Nature we experience an indescribable aliveness. This aliveness flows throughout our very being and that which is manifested from that place of authenticity (truth, harmony) is preciously real. It's real because it's not an image of something created by the Ego. It's real because both the Relative and Absolute worlds are transcended.

Lately I've been working with quite a number of clients in helping them with their own manifesting projects, mostly dealing with big life-transitions. Some of these clients are somewhat knowledgeable about Kabbalah because of the work we've done together in our Integrated Kabbalistic Healing sessions. These are the clients who are also very interested in understanding how Kabbalistic wisdom and understanding fit into their own manifesting process. As is often the case, we get to their question for me: How do YOU do it!? I always find it interesting how others think that it's easy for me -- easy to manifest what I want in life. Actually, there's quite a paradox here, because it is easy and it's not. I go through my own periods of struggle which (a) other people don't necessarily recognize, and (b) the struggle is really part of the process.

From this point on, I'm going to be using a lot of Kabbalistic language. If you're reading this article and would like to learn more about Kabbalah and manifesting, contact me.

Manifesting from my Tree of Life
One of the reasons that I'm able to manifest so easily, I think, is my determination and perserverence (Netzach). Once I make up my mind that I want to do something, it's like the wheels begin to turn directing my focus and attention on the efforts I need to make in order to bring whatever it is into Reality. My Netzach needs to be in balance with my (Hod), and this is especially true when my efforts are directed toward manifesting something in the world.

There are times when my confidence (Hod) wavers -- it's there and then it's not. When this wavering of confidence is happening, it's because there are a number of things happening within my Tree. Hod is also about identity and what we're identified with. My confidence wavers when, rather than being identified with the part of me that holds the vision of what is possible from the view of my True Nature, I'm identifying with an image of myself that the Ego is creating. The Ego is a master image-maker. I know this about the Ego and yet I forget.

If I'm identifying with an image of myself, then I'm not seated in Reality! These images are not real. These images are manufactured by the Ego as a means of protecting itself. And, if I'm responding to Life experiences as an image of who I am, this affects how I relate to others and how I see others. Image-selves see other image-selves. That's not even a real relationship!

The foundation from where I stand and my connection to everything is supported by Yesod and Yesod informs, feeds (Malkhut --physical reality) and how I see the world (Assiyah) . Here's an important piece, I think. Yesod is also informed by Tiferet (Harmony). For me, that's where the "not my Will but Thine" comes in. Tiferet is also connected to Keter (Will). When every aspect on my Tree is in proper relationship, there is absolutely no difference between my will and God's Will. Truth with a capital "T" comes from a healthy Tiferet, so how could it even be possible for there not to be One-Will (I don't know how I know this, honestly; it just feels right).

When my Gevurah (judgement, boundaries) are too strong and rigid, I'm much too contracted. And, in this state of contraction, I have very little love and kindness (Hesed) for myself. It's obvious, looking back at the times when I've been so constricted/contracted, that I needed Hesed's expansiveness. Isn't that always the way though? We hardly ever recognize when we're in that contracted state -- we're too contracted. My Tiferet won't resolve (reach Harmony) until I do recognize my contractedness and relax, let go with love and kindness (expansion). In that very moment, where Gevurah and Hesed are in relationship with each other, providing the balance that I need, THAT's when the separation between my will and God's dissolves into One-Will. This is not about doing what a parent wants us to do against our will. This is about being mature enough to see that we both want the same thing. What is this same thing? It's not the object alone that we're wanting to manifest! It's the Divinity within the object and knowing there's no separation.

Some people have issues with the word "God" -- I don't. Probably the only issues I have around the word "God" is about others limiting who and what God is. That said, I wonder if a number of issues around manifesting what one wants in Life isn't also about a contracted-belief in God. I see this contracted-belief in God as one of those images created by the Ego. It's just an image and yet the images the Ego creates often hold us back from being in Life, the Real.


I love this Goethe quote: "Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creativity), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless and splendid plans; that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed have come his way.”
(to be continued)

Big Mind/Big Heart -- View from the Absolute

Because I am, heaven overhangs and earth is upheld.
Because I am, the sun and the moon go round.
The four seasons come in succession, all things are born,
Because I am, that is, because of Mind.
Eisai-zenji in the Kozen-Gokuku-Ron

---

We've been working mostly within the Relative View dialoging with voices (selves) having to do with the Mind (small mind or ego), the Body, and the Emotions. We began touching the Absolute View by dialoguing with Soul and specifically, with soul qualities. Additionally, we've learned to always end our sessions with the Integrated Human Being, the one who functions in Reality and through inner-realization work continuously unifies all parts of ourselves into the wholeness of whom we truly are.

From the Relative View

All of our inner voices (selves) come from Small Mind (Ego) and have something to say that we, as Integrated Human Beings, need to hear. Note: They're all a part of Big Mind. They just don't know it!

From the Absolute View

Everything is included with no exceptions. As the One, the Absolute, we are infinite and boundless. From this view, we can see there are no limits and everything is absolutely perfect. Everything manifests from this Oneness which is existence itself.

---

We've come to understand that when we dialogue with voices that come from the Relative, whatever they have to say is truth from their own limited perspective. The dialoguing practice provides space and time for each voice's perspective to be heard and giving each voice the freedom to speak for itself allows it to have a space -- something we've rarely done consciously in the past. Have you noticed the immaturity of these voices? This immaturity is rather narcissistic in that the whole world revolves around it. Interestingly, as each voice is given an opportunity to speak, all the other voices listen and learn. And, because of the open-ended questions we ask that come from a place of curiosity and wonder, the voice we're dialoguing with gets to explore it's own limited perspective. Each voice can actually become more conscious and thereby have less need to be intrusive, demanding, obnoxious, controlling, etc.

The opportunity to dialogue with Big Mind, as well as Big Heart, frees us to let go of all our limited views -- even if just for the moments that we're doing the practice. We actually get to experience what it's like to embrace and include it all. Even the idea of something this big can be scary for the Ego UNTIL it sees (experiences) that it's not annihilated (which is its fear) but instead is actually embraced and included in the wholeness.

Once we've experienced Big Mind and Big Heart, we can return over and over. In fact, you may find that beginning all of your dialogue practice from this point on with Big Mind changes the practice -- probably making it easier.

Lastly, after you've experienced and practiced with Big Mind/Big Heart, you'll be able to relate to the Buddha's allegory excerpted below:

The Head of a large household goes off on a journey and leaves his head servant (Controller) in charge of the house while he's away. This arrangement works fine as long as the Controller remains clear about his servant role. However, the Head stays away too long and the Controller forgets that he's there to serve the Master and begins to act as if he (Ego, small mind) was the Head of the house. When the true Master returns, he may need to set things right by putting the Controller back in his proper role as the Master's servant.

So, after practicing with Big Mind/Big Heart, we'll surely want to dialogue with the True Master.

Bridging the Gap: Integration of Emotion and Soul Voices

At this point, we may find it helpful to look at the two words: gap and integration. What do these two words mean for you? Maybe a better question is "what comes up for you in this moment around the word integration? gap?

Your first thoughts will probably be the intellectual knowing that comes from "what you know." What you know comes from mental concepts and ideas based on what you've heard others say, what you've read, or maybe what you've experienced. The level where we "know" things comes from our archives of stored information from the past rather than what we're experiencing directly in this moment -- in the present.

Wisdom-questions, Knowledge-Questions
Wisdom-questions take us deeper into ourselves whereas knowledge-questions keep us at the surface level where we "know" things. You can imagine how much our soul might love wisdom-questions. And, conversely, you can imagine how much our ego might love knowledge-questions.

When we ask wisdom-questions, we're asking from a place of wonderment, openness, expansion. From this place/space, we're open to anything that arises. Questions coming from such an open, expanded place leaves plenty of room/space for answers to arise from outside of our archived data bank. It's interesting that wisdom-questions often evoke other wisdom-questions and these other questions seem to drop us into a deeper, more expansive space.

You can see how asking knowledge-questions results in a narrowing focus as our minds search our archives for "the answer" -- the correct answer! The answer to knowledge-questions is stored in a small space, so that's where our mind has to go in order to find the answer.

Gap between Emotion and Soul
In the previous article, I introduced how Emotion and Soul arise from two different worlds or perspectives: Relative and Absolute. Emotions show up because of an "other" -- person, place, or thing and needs an "other" in order to be an emotion. Emotions need cause and effect, because they are the effect of some cause (and vice versa). Emotions come and go. Soul, with all its qualities, is ever-present whether we're conscious of this presence or not; and, soul does not need an "other" for it to be "what it is."

We can perceive this gap (difference, opening, space) between the two, emotion and soul. Working toward understanding the different emotions through dialogue practice helps to bring light into this gap. We begin to understand why particular emotions present themselves -- what triggers them.

If we let ourselves be curious enough to discover what the emotion is telling us that we're needing from an "other," we also find that it's a soul quality the ego is trying to imitate. We're literally reaching outside of ourselves for the soul quality, i.e., love, understanding, strength, that is not only within us but it's part of who we truly are.

Integration
The first step toward integration is the uncovering. We finally understand what the emotion is pointing to. It's like "the finger pointing to the moon;" it's not the moon itself. Once we see this truth, we begin to notice the presence of soul qualities that were actually present all along. We can actually dialogue with any soul quality to find out anything we're curious enough to find out -- including how to integrate It, our very own soul quality, into our lives. We can ask questions like, "how can I be aware of your presence more?" The bottom line here is that the more we're aware of, and directly experience, the ever-presence of our soul and it's qualities, the less we need the pointing devices, the emotions.

The integration process begins with our enlarging the space (ourselves) that embraces and includes both the pointing device (emotion) and that which is pointed to (soul quality). The foundation for this integration process is curiosity to know the truth and the courage to ask the questions that will inevitably lead us there. A vehicle for this integration process is dialoging and reflecting back (verbally aloud or in writing) to ourselves what we've learned. Keeping a notebook helps provide a map of the territory we're exploring.