What does your heart truly desire? To get out of debt? Find a new apartment? Adopt a puppy from your local animal shelter?
What if you dug a little deeper? What would you come up with? Start a small business? Go back to school? Find your soul mate?
Now ask yourself, what is stopping you from going after the things you want? If you took the time, surely you could write a long list of things preventing you from achieving what you desire. Despite how detailed your list, or how heartily you stand behind it, kabbalists would suggest the only thing really preventing you from the things you desire is yourself.
As soon as we set our sights on something, the universe takes note. The Light begins to open up doorways to help bring you closer to the things you desire. Kabbalists teach that we close these very doors with doubt and our own negative thoughts. It’s hard to believe we have so much control over our lives and far easier to settle into negativity and false beliefs.
“I can’t start a business without investors.” “I’m too old to go back to school.” “All the good people are taken.” These kinds of thoughts are impulse thoughts that pop into our mind quickly. It’s virtually impossible to stop them. What we can do, however, is stop ourselves from believing them.
Kabbalists teach we can prevent negativity from taking hold through restriction and certainty. According to Michael Berg, “There is no place where the Light of the Creator doesn't exist; yet, if an individual does not have that certainty and that clarity, then he stops the miracle from happening.” It takes concerted effort to restrict negative thoughts once we make a decision, and still greater focus to maintain certainty throughout the process, but the two go hand in hand.
When the road gets rough we tend to doubt our choices as we journey towards a goal. What seemed like a good idea initially suddenly seems farfetched or silly. “The Light of the Creator flows continuously for eternity,” Michael Berg adds, “and if we never had any doubt about it, the Light would flow to us forever. But every time we do have doubt, we shut off the flow of the Light of the Creator.” By restricting doubt and maintaining certainty, we preserve the flow of Light into our lives. In doing so, we keep those doors to possibility open, invite more blessings, and are more likely to attain the things we desire.
Restriction is one of the basic principles of Kabbalah. It keeps us connected to the Light and leads to transformation. But restricting doubt can feel like letting go of rational thought. When we look at the world through a scientific lens we see only the concrete—that which exists in our physical reality. In school we learn to think logically, especially when solving problems. Our caregivers and teachers encouraged us to rely on facts, statistics, evidence, or prior knowledge. Therefore, when faced with a challenging or arduous path in life, it becomes difficult for some of us to embrace infinite possibilities.
That’s when doubt begins to creep in. Practice restriction by diverting those thoughts. Then, instill certainty by reminding yourself that the Creator has your back, and the flow of Light is endless. We are each a single part of a much greater picture. In order for this future to manifest, we must rise to our full potential. “The truth is,” says Karen Berg, “that we are cursed when we don't realize that everything that happens in our lives is there to bring us to a higher spiritual level—in other words, when we haven't realized that there is something beyond the ‘me.’ Being cursed means that in one way or another we are blinded, and our limited vision holds us back from connecting to and living within the context of the bigger picture.”
No matter what is tugging at your heart, it is possible to open up a free-flowing channel of blessings into our lives. Remember, the Creator wants us to fulfill our dreams and desires. Look for the doors opening up to help you achieve your dreams; they are always there. When things don’t go as planned and you begin to have doubts, remind yourself that there is always a lesson to be learned. Have certainty in the fact that the Creator is on your side.
