#58

Today’s Topic is the Commandements and my (mostly kabbalistic) interpretation of them and/or my experiences with them. Hooray. It continually surprises me how ‘faithful’ I’m naturally beginning to be. I’m definately stepping closer to who I am, what I’m supposed to be and closer to the Tao, step by step. It will take me a while to get there, if I ever do in this life, but anywho, lets begin:

1. Belief in the one God

This one I’ve seemed to naturally step into the more and more I delve into spirituality. Look around you, look at the various religions and try to understand them for what they are. Even the very very different religions seem to be expressing the same thing, to my eye. Yes, many take it in ways extremely different from others, but at heart it’s all love and respect for the one true God. That is why the Tao is so akin to the Kabbalah. That is why Shiva is much like Din. They are people all worshipping God, albeit possibly different aspects of Him. It makes so much sense when you think about it, that the Kabbalah, if looked at with a discerning eye, can incorporate every world religion I’ve delved into with ease. The why is simple; because they’re all about the same God. This one is natural for me, I never have to worry about it or even think about it because it’s that much of a part of me.

2. No Graven Images, no Idols.

My interpretation of this one is going to be a bit different than the norm, however. Graven images, if taken literally, could very well mean the cross and pictures of Shiva and pictures of Jesus because they’re all representing the same thing; aspects of God. However, to me the essence of this commandment is NOT about not having images or things representing God, but rather it is about not holding those images above what they represent. What the symbols and imagery represents is far more important than the symbol. Too often people get caught up in the physical and in the ‘things’ and then they lose sight of God. That, to me, is what this commandment is about. It’s about respecting the kind priest, it’s about respecting the kabbalah and respecting the cross and respecting jesus, but remembering at the same time that those things are not God, they are just representations and expressions of God. This commandment is not about letting these things become our golden calves and not letting them take the central place of our lives over Him. Remember!

This one’s actually sometimes takes some thought for me, especially because I get wrapped up in the kabbalah quite a bit and hold it very high. Too high sometimes. At the same time I feel I’m very very good about this one; I respect the kabbalah because it helps me to understand Him and the way things are. I don’t often forget that. If it didn’t help me in that way, I wouldn’t like it as much as I do. So, thinking deep about this one, I think that that is exactly what this commandment is about. It’s not saying representations are wrong, in fact they might be a very good thing because it helps deepen your faith and love for Him. You just have to remember that they are important because of Him and to not replace them with Him.

3. Do not take God’s name in vain.

I don’t think this is what it seems to be either. I don’t think it’s about literally not saying “God damn it.” It’s about everybody and everything coming from the same place; everything comes from God. Therefore, taking His name in vain is far more broad than people realize. In fact, this commandment is VERY VERY hard to follow (at least I would think it is for, BY FAR, most people). It’s about not cursing anything or anyone and having respect for everyone and everything because we all have a piece of God inside of us. We all have that spark and we are all a part of God.

I’m sometimes good at this one. Usually even. Even so, I’m negative a lot. I’ve been absolutely terrible about this one the past couple days…I feel really guilty, actually. Because I was breaking this one left and right. I need to be more respectful and thoughtful.

4. Keep Holy the Sabbath.

And this one, to me, is extremely complex. I’m going to dumb it down a bit, but if you look around you’ll find the reasoning behind this. Or you can ask me and I can try to explain too. But anywho, it’s about keeping the sabbath and remembering the day of creation, saturday, because it was the 7th and final day of creation. When God created the everything, the world itself couldn’t hold His Holy Light and it broke apart. Thus the universe as it was meant to be is literally in pieces and it is the duty of those on the spiritual path (due to halakha directly because of this commandment) to try to mend the universe. Thus, this commandment is much like the second…Remember!

There is a very real objective to this particular commandment as well. The Jewish nation has a very specific task; the process of Tikkun and the reunion of The Messiah and Shekhinah; that is, bringing the world back together as it was supposed to be. To achieve Tikkun, one must reach out to God (through meditation, for example) and to have a direct experience with Him. Once someone on this sort of path achieved a higher level of conciousness and understanding of himself and of God, he becomes a sort of living bridge between God and the universe, and thus links another part of the universe back the place where it was meant to be. This was extremely important because he might be the final link to click into place and to complete the process of Tikkun. At the same time, if he were to fail to maintain the bridge, the situation actually became much worse because the Shekinah and the Messiah moved further apart than before. Thus, remember the Sabbath. Remember creation. Remember the shattered state of the universe. Remember who you are and what you are supposed to do. Remember that you are to bring all the pieces back together, remember Tikkun. That is what this commandment is about.

As for me…I don’t really have much on this level. I don’t know if I’m doing this well or not. Honestly, I feel that there’s a very strong chance I’m actually doing this poorly because I’m still not respectful nor open enough to the world. I need a lot more work before I’ll come anywhere close to mending the world.

5. Honor thy father and they mother.

This one’s weird. On some levels it could be taken in context with the past; honor thy father and they mother because sons would almost always follow their fathers footsteps and girls, their mothers. So literally it would mean honor yourself. Now it’s not really the same.

Or is it? Look at what it meant to be a father and to be a mother; the persons who nurtured you and shaped who your life. Nowadays it’s not just your parents, but there are other variables involved; schooling, movies and television, relationships with friends, etc. All of these things help to develop who we are. On a similar note, via my reincarnation theory, all of these things are not chance. All of our experiences at these early levels are absolutely right and proper; it can be nothing but perfect for the things you have chosen. Parents give us the context into which we were born. I guess what i’m trying to say (albeit poorly) is that experiences on this level (at the individual level) are perfect and precisely correct for who and what you are. On other levels they might not seem to be,

but on this level they are. Thus it’s important to remember these experiences and honor them. Your parents, your life, your past, your childhood and to remember them with honour, not with resentment, because at this level it’s the spark of God teaching us through others.

This reminds me a lot of my girlfriends and especially of Jacinta. In a lot of ways it makes it easier to accept them as people I was meant to learn something from, meant to grow from watching and understanding. I think that with Jacinta I was meant to soak a lot of the things she is from her and grow as a person for that (and I think vice versa, too, for her). In this way it’s easy to remember the good times and to not worry about the bad. I experienced the bad things because the time for learning was, perhaps, over. Or perhaps I experienced the bad things because I needed to learn something from them too. There is nothing inherantly wrong there, nothing inherantly wrong in anything I feel towards her or about her or regarding things around her (and I think this is exactly what is meant to be with her, too) because it was meant to be. There is nothing wrong on the level of individual learning and experience; as said before, it is all totally correct and perfect as per the individual.

Back to the commandment. It’s not only to remember your past and honouring it rather than being thought badly of, it’s also about remembering and learning in your current situation and honouring that, too, no matter how bad it might feel. You are growing as a person and you are learning. That is a necessary and important part of the human condition so that you might fufill your purpose. That is what this commandment is about, to me.

As for me, I feel I do a fairly good job of it. For the most part, I don’t regret my past and I learn from a great many of my mistakes and I always grow as a person from new experiences. I’ve let a lot of the bad go from the past and I now honour even my abusive childhood as a good learning experience; I wouldn’t be as strong an individual as I am today if I were not…and if I were weak, I would accomplish nothing here. I’m not nearly perfect, though. Especially with the parents part. I’ve let almost all of it go, but with my mother it’s still weird. It’s been especially hard to let go of the bad in regards to her…

6. Thou shalt not kill.

Almost a reiteration of 3, but it’s a little bit bigger. It’s about not stifling or destroying the process of creation either. It’s far easier to break this one rather than 3, because of that. Pretty simple to me, at this point. I’m also terrible at it, it’s SO EASY to stifle people, even when you’re trying to be nice. Thus it is necessary to understand and to make yourself understood so you don’t accidentally hurt those around you, but rather help them grow.

7. Thou shalt not commit adultery.

Another simple one. We can once again refer to the Messiah and Shekhinah; pairings of masculine and feminine aspects. Together we create pairs and the whole, it is how we are meant to be; a harmonious whole. It’s no mistake that the bible says “he knew someone.” To know someone is to understand them to such an utterly deep and know level that they were literally a part of each other. A whole. This commandment is about remembering that and it is about keeping the core (as I like to say) intact and respected above the innate desire for sexual unions with others. Simple as that.

This one isn’t that easy, but it isn’t that hard either. I’m good about not actually doing things, but lately I’ve been thinking kinda lusty about various people. Meh.

8. Thou shalt not steal.

This isn’t what it seems. It means physical theft, yes, but it also means much much more. It’s about valor and unselfishness and, once again, keeping the harmony. It’s about doing as much as you say you’re going to do, it’s about pulling your full weight rather than letting others do work, it’s about accepting and helping others through their pain and helping to keep them harmonious as well. This one’s totally, utterly, about harmony, balance and valor. Yes, this one’s simple too, it just encompasses quite a bit more than it logically seems. It also has more than a bit to do with the other commandments as well. Yup yup.

I feel I’m generally very good at this one. I actually get frustrated when I don’t throw myself completely into something. I don’t like not throwing myself completely into something. Sometimes I’m lazy though, and then I’m not achieving this one as deeply as I should.

9. Thou shalt not bear false witness.

Lying. To me it’s essentially the same thing as stealing though it’s definately a completely different act of it’s own. But once again it’s about honour and harmony.

10. Thou shalt not covet they neighbor’s belongings.

This one, to me, has nothing to do with what it sounds like. It has to do with recognizing yourself and respecting you, who you are, and what you are. You, too have a spark of God inside of you and you, too, are amazing because of it. What need do you have of his situation and his things when you are exactly the same as he is? Things are just things. The things that really truly matter, we all have. Remember that.

I’m not greedy at all over things. I’m proud of who I am for the most part. I do, perhaps, overdo this virtue into a vice sometimes and think too proudly of myself, though. So in that way, I break another commandment. But generally I don’t breakt this one. This is probably the commandment I’m best at after #1.

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Whoo, long-winded talk. I’m done for now. Going to catch a nap before class. 2 hours. Meh. Sorrow. Maybe I should just stay up…hrm…