“People ask why there must be negativity. Because only through the transformation of our personal negativity can we become full of Light.” - Karen Berg
Kabbalah teaches that when it comes to spiritual growth, you can’t play it safe. Our comfort zone is a wall separating us from experience, enclosing us in a cozy little corner of familiarity that prevents us from taking a chance, trying something new, embracing discomfort. In order to transform and fundamentally change ourselves, we must leave that “safe” space. In actuality, there is danger in staying in the same place, in being complacent.
It is an illusion of security in which we wrap ourselves. Our comfort zone is really the Ego, which creates a barrier between ourselves and the blessings The Creator tries to shower upon us.
What prevents us from action and change is most often a fear of making mistakes. Our Ego HATES to look wrong. We’ll do anything to maintain our rightness; we defend our safe choices, under the misconception that being right means living right. Kabbalah, however, teaches that we are wrong about what it means to make mistakes—rather than fearing our mistakes, we should welcome them.
We are far too adept at criticizing ourselves, or worse, berating ourselves for our failures. That is part of the problem. When we realize that these thoughts come from the Ego, whose sole purpose is to derail our progress and process, then we can earn the blessings that are waiting for us— waiting for us to take a chance, to risk our Ego taking a hit.
We readily accept that life is about persevering through discomfort. We understand that uncomfortable situations are essential tools aiding our transformation. And yet, we avoid these uncomfortable situations at all costs. Overcoming challenges and obstacles gives us the opportunity to transform past mistakes into wisdom that will inform future decisions for the better, as well as freeing ourselves from the grip of the Ego.
Sometimes in the process we discover that despite doing all the “right” spiritual work, the results still do not manifest. We may not have received the rewards we believe we deserve. This is the time to pause and reflect—is it because we do not deserve them? Or is it because we have not done quite enough to earn them? Our mistakes are often our greatest gifts bringing us deeper joy and fulfillment.
Here is the crux, even when we fall, get back up, and carry on stronger, wiser, and more determined than before, there are still more challenges that lie ahead. Each time the Ego warns us not to fail, to be wary of making mistakes, we must strive again to dispel these thoughts. Step out of our comfort zone. Accept risk and embrace change. Herein lies one of the most profound secrets: though there are two paths to walk and choose from, “wrong” and “right,” each path leads us back to, and unifies us with the Source, the Light of the Creator.
Our purpose on earth is simple: to change the world for the better, but first we must change ourselves.
Transformation is the point of it all—transformation of ourselves and of the world as a whole. This process is never easy, but the harder it is, the bigger the reward, the brighter the Light, and the closer we get to true fulfillment.
