This article was originally published in 2019.
Life is like an upward spiral, traveling around and around in a circle, elevating higher with each pass. Even the seasons of the year rotate like a wheel, turning and turning. So too does the soul spin around like clay on a potter’s wheel. With each rotation of the wheel, the potter’s hands reshape the clay. Eventually, a mere lump of clay can transform into a beautiful smooth vase. We are on the potter’s wheel of life. It may surprise you to hear that this is not your first time on earth. This is not your first body. We have been here before and have returned to transform our souls of clay into beautiful vessels so that the Love of the Creator may fill us. Some people can even remember their previous lives with accurate detail, which I write about in my book, To Be Continued…. We return to this world many times to complete our spiritual purpose. Often, one life experience is not enough to shape our souls into what they are truly meant to be. We turn, life after life, and along the way we leave seeds that grow into the karma that builds our future. These seeds we may not remember planting, but nevertheless their influence is unstoppable. We come to this world born in a certain land, with certain parents, with certain talents, and with certain aspirations. We find ourselves meeting people and entering a variety of life events all of which were caused by actions from our previous lives. Each life is built upon the last. As we circle around and around, we elevate and build our beautiful souls into vessels of Light shaped by the experience of life itself. This week, we take a glimpse into our past in order to understand our future. The cosmos opens a window, so we may see where we have come from, in order to know exactly where we need to go.
“This week, we take a glimpse into our past in order to understand our future.”
Our unique and mysterious portion this week from the Bible is called Mishpatim. Mishpatim means “ordinances.” We left off last week at Mt. Sinai, and the story continues from there. After just having received from the Creator the first part of their spiritual guide, The Ten Utterances, the Israelites were now ready to receive the second part of their spiritual layout. The Israelites were like newborns, fresh from a rebirth from Egypt. They were new people embarking on a spiritual journey, and the Creator was there to guide them, just as He is for us, today. The Creator is our potter’s hands, shaping us into the evolved beings we ask to become. The Creator informs the Israelites of the “ordinances” of life, which are the karmic laws of living. These spiritual laws form a covenant between the people and the Creator, fortifying their spiritual bond. Again, the people responded, “Everything the Lord has said; we will do and we will listen.” This was the next step in their spiritual evolution. This was a peak moment of righteousness for the world and all of humankind. These spiritual guidelines create positive energy and help transform the Israelites so that they may be able to channel the Light of the Creator. Mishpatim offers us the knowledge of a spiritual system that was put in place to serve us and help improve our lives then, and today. The guidelines set forth from the Creator expand throughout all of our lifetimes and the entire human experience. It can help if we do not just think of our lives as a story contained in our current life, but a story composed of many lifetimes. Your journey did not just begin when you were born decades ago in this lifetime, but it began thousands of years ago. All of your lives are turns on the potter’s wheel shaping you into the person you are today. The guidelines of Mishpatim are the Divine path the soul takes throughout its journey. The Creator then asks Moses to ascend Mt. Sinai to unite with Him and receive all that was spoken into physical form – the Tablets of stone. Moses ascended and stayed there on the mountain for forty days and forty nights. A period of time that allowed the people to purify and prepare to receive the Tablets.
“Joy is the thought of Creation, and the Creator wants us to experience it.”
We may spend the majority of our days dealing with things of little spiritual significance. We may allow our hobbies or careers to consume us. But is this really why we came to this world? Do we really return to this world over and over to just wake in the morning, go to our jobs, and come home each night, only to repeat the same day after day? Is this why we were created? Or is there far more to our existence? Kabbalah teaches that the latter is true. We are here on earth to expand our soul and allow it to manifest into our lives. We were born not to just exist, but to live a life of endless joy and fulfillment. Joy is the thought of Creation, and the Creator wants us to experience it. The challenges we may face in this life are never random. The challenges you are experiencing in life are connected to a prior life. When we are open to accepting that whatever we may see in our lives today is a result of the seeds we planted in previous lives, we can then be free. We can be free from pain and blame. The greatest freedom is knowing that everything that is happening to us is for our own growth and benefit. Knowing that our struggles are not in vain or random can be one of the greatest freedoms of all. The karmic laws of life teach us that everything we give comes back to us. If we wish to have more love in our lives, we must give it. Mishpatim teaches us that everything that we give out will eventually, this life or next, boomerang back to us. This week, we are inspired to open our hearts to give love, because we know it is the only way we can receive it ourselves.
This week in your meditations, be open to traveling back to the past. Be willing to understand a little bit better of where you came from, so you may know where to move forward. Recall the times of childhood. What did you enjoy doing? What were your dreams? What did you love to play? Our closest connection to our past life can be felt as children. Our inner child holds access to the window to our past and it can give us the details we need. Be open to understanding that who you are today is a culmination of all you have been. You stand on the shoulders of your previous lives and you are the summation of all you have learned and experienced. So, be kind to yourself. The challenges you face today are a part of a long story that is still playing. A long story spanning many lives and thousands of years. You are not quite yet the beautiful finished work of art. You are a beautiful vessel, but still in the making. Allow life to shape you. Embrace it. Each day, walk in this world knowing that every encounter and every experience you have holds a greater meaning, designed to create the most beautiful of souls. Be patient with your process. Allow yourself to learn and to grow. Allow the wheels of your soul to continue to spin. Your story is a long and mighty epic, and it is far from over.
