What’s Under Your Rug?
February 20th– February 26th, 2005
This week is all about experiencing the painful things we’ve repressed over the years. It’s all about cleaning out the garbage we’ve been sweeping under our rugs – emotionally speaking.
It goes without saying that dredging up the past is painful - but it’s a good thing that it is.
I sometimes meet people who say, “Oh, I had the perfect childhood, my life’s perfect, I pretty much have no problems. I just come to The Centre because I want to learn.”
Saying, ‘life’s great and I have nothing to change,’ is buying into an illusion. The gift the kabbalists have given to humanity is an awareness of a world beyond our five senses, a flawless realm of fulfillment and joy that we could only fathom in our deepest dreams. In Kabbalah lingo we call it the 99% world.
No matter how perfect our lives seem, it is nothing compared to the 99% realm.
So how do we taste this realm? Through struggle and breaking down the illusions put in place by our rational minds. The Zohar says if we don’t get fulfillment through effort, if we don’t go through struggle, it’s not real fulfillment.
So, when anxiety grips our guts, when fear rips a hole in our chest, when doubt freezes us solid, we need to remember that this is an opportunity.
The question is what do we do with it?
The answer: Jump in and swim. It’s the only way.
What happened in the story of Passover? You’ve heard of it, you’ve seen the movie The 10 Commandments. The Israelites were fleeing slavery in Egypt when they were cornered against the Red Sea, awaiting a certain death at the hands of the evil Pharaoh and his men. What did they do? They jumped in and split the Red Sea, making it safely to freedom.
If you don’t know the kabbalistic meaning behind all of this, you might be a bit confused right about now. Let me explain. We learn from the kabbalists that the ‘story’ of Passover is a code.
Historically, the Exodus from Egypt did happen. Yes, the Israelites became slaves and yes, they freed themselves. But there are hidden meanings behind the enslavement in Egypt and the subsequent Exodus.
“Egypt” is a code for our physical existence. Pharaoh is a code for ego – the cause of humanity’s self-serving and intolerant nature. Any negative aspect of our nature (anger, selfishness, impatience, fear, insecurity, jealousy, low self-esteem, anxiety) is Pharaoh enslaving us. And the Red Sea is any situation in our life that seems insurmountable.
To split their Red Sea, the Israelites jumped in with certainty, knowing beyond logic that the sea would split. Moses had taught them the technology of Kabbalah, giving them the power to create miracles of nature. The truth is, at first they balked, as we do when the situation looks impossible. They cried out to God, “HELP! SAVE US!”
The Zohar says God shouted back, “What are you praying to me for?”
Translation? We have everything inside us - all we need is certainty that we can do it.
And that’s exactly what happened. It started with one person who achieved total certainty. He just walked into the sea and when it was up to his chin and rising, the sea parted. No more waiting to see it to believe it. He knew his certainty would create a miracle and then he saw it. And they all saw it.
So if you are facing difficult moments this week, face them head on. Have 100% certainty that the pain is there to bring you closer to your fulfillment. Have certainty that if you embrace the uncomfortable, you will find at its core Light and love. Have certainty that scanning The Zohar, meditating with the 72 Names of God, and practicing transformative sharing will convert whatever ‘unpleasantness’ you discover hiding under your rug, into revealment of Light in all areas of your life.
Have a great week.
All the Best,
Yehuda Berg