This article was previously published in 2018.
As we walk down the road of life, we are offered many paths to choose. We may find ourselves arriving at a crossroads where we must make a choice which direction to proceed. Or, we may be looking ahead at a single path, a path horizontal like a timeline in which keep moving forward. Sometimes, however, the path before you is a vertical one. This is the path of spirituality where advancement occurs in areas, often in areas unseen by the naked eye.
"It is the path of love that leads us to evolve into holy beings."
What does it truly mean to be advanced in life? What is a true evolution? Gary Zukav writes in The Seat of the Soul, “Our deeper understanding tells us that a truly evolved being is one that values others more than it values itself, and that values love more than it values the physical world and what is in it.” We come to learn in life that it is not the size of our home or bank accounts that matter, but rather the size of our hearts. It is the path of love that leads us to evolve into holy beings. In the moments we choose love, we begin to ascend on the vertical path and take steps to higher ground.
In this way, we can begin to understand that it is the way we treat each other that determines our evolution. The Holy Creator is a force of love, an all giving and loving force and we have been created from this force. This force is our essence. Like a buried treasure within, when we choose to walk the path of love, we discover our hidden righteousness. When we choose to be more like our Creator, we reveal our holiness. A holiness that is our birthright and that purifies, heals, and removes every dark corner in our lives. This week the universe beckons us to walk the path of righteousness and fan that spark of divinity that lies within into a great flame. This week the opportunity is there for us to ascend the stairway of spirituality.
Our portion this week, is once again, two. This week, we read Acharei Mot and Kedoshim. They are given to us by the Creator to work together and offer us a double dose of much needed energy. Acharei Mot translates to after death. Kedoshim translates to holy. Together, the portions read: after death, they are holy. The kabbalists reveal that the death we are speaking of is not a physical one, but the death of our ego. The ego is like a cage that surrounds the heart. When our hearts are released to love freely, we discover the holy path that leads to the Creator. Indeed, holiness is our gift this week.
"We open our hearts and rise to meet our holiness."
In these two portions, we find Aaron sacrificing at the Tabernacle to purify the Israelites of their negativity. This purification is a means to bring them closer in form to the Creator. In addition to the sacrificing, the Creator instructs Moses to inform the Israelites of a set of guidelines, or laws, on how to act and how to treat people with human dignity. The Creator informs the Israelites “you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” We learn here, that loving they neighbor as yourself is a part of the path to becoming one with the Creator. It is the care for our fellow man that purifies us in the Creator’s Light and energy. Acharei Mot is read just two times a year. Once now, during the month of Taurus, known as the month of healing, and once on Yom Kippur, known as the holiest day of the entire year. A day that elevates us to unify with the Creator and bring about total purification. This week, this priceless and rare energy is available to all who wish to partake in it.
In life, we can certainly find ourselves feeling overwhelmed or lost, not knowing our next path. We can find ourselves mired in the physical world, pursuing one empty lead after another. Even when we do reach our goals, we often find they didn’t bring us the happiness we seek. The path of holiness is the path of our deepest fulfillment. Merging with the Creator, here on earth, is our very reason for being. We travel through life, finding souls who need our care and need our love. They give us the opportunity to melt our frozen hearts and activate the Creator within us. Once we open our hearts and begin to love, darkness vanishes, impurities wash away, and we begin to reveal the Creator’s holiness within.
In your meditations this week, sit quietly by a window and close your eyes. Take several deep slow breaths. Now begin to feel the sunlight’s warmth on your face. Begin to see yourself floating from your home, into the sky. There on a cloud, you land. You find a beautiful stairway leading high above. As you float on this warm cloud, begin to open your heart and remember all the people you love in your life. See their faces. Feel the love. Take this love and widen it further. Feel your heart expanding and growing. Send your love to the people you work with and other acquaintances. Now take this love and widen it even further across the whole city; loving each and every person there. Then expand your love further to the whole country, and then, finally, to the entire globe. The entire world bathed in love and light. It is now time for you to embody the Creator’s love. As you feel the love radiate through your being and your giant heart, you shine brighter than ever before. Now begin to ascend the staircase. With each step, the Light and Love of the Creator engulfs you removing all the negativity in your being. This Light heals you. This Light purifies you. You feel the Creator’s Light shining throughout your entire being. Feel all of who you are to be made entirely of love; love for others, love for the Creator, and love for yourself.
It is through love, that we all may merit, in this life, to be holy and one with the Creator.
This week, we open our hearts and rise to meet our holiness. With this evolution of the soul will come the truest treasures we could ever know.
