Rising Above

This article on the portion of the week was originally published in 2019.

Life is a lot like walking up the down escalator. If we stop climbing and making effort on our spiritual path, we can feel as if we are slowly moving downward. With spirituality, we can ascend in this world, even if we are on an escalator moving downward. There is a beautiful divine balance inherent within each of us. Our body wants to sleep, eat, and feel comfort. Our soul, however, pines, every day, for union with the Creator. These two forces, together, allow us to exist in this world. This is the hidden balance of the human experience. It is a divine and beautiful system that the Creator created so that we may learn our spiritual lessons. If it were not for the desires of the body, we would not be able to fully develop our divine attributes of love, care, and concern for others. It is the existence of the night that allows us to understand and appreciate the day. This force of the body, that wishes to receive for the self-alone, is a relentless force. Like the down escalator, it is forever imposing its energy upon us. However, we have our soul, our gift from our Creator. Our soul is our birthright and our constant link to the Creator. It is our Light, our reprieve, and our power to rise above the forces of self-involvement, apathy, ego – all those things the kabbalists refer to as a Desire to Receive for the Self Alone. Our soul is our inner truth, and the soul has but one desire: To share. We are at our greatest and most authentic when we are in alignment with our soul’s desire. This week, we are bestowed with the precious gift to connect further with our inner divinity, allowing us to rise above any challenges or negativity that may be present in our lives.

"Our soul is our birthright and our constant link to the Creator."

Korach, is our portion and spiritual guidance for the week. The portion of Korach presents itself in just the right time of the year to help connect us to certainty, abundance, and positivity. The portion begins with the words, “Korach took...” Korach was an Israelite who became consumed with his desires. He thought only of what he wanted and the power he wished to obtain. He had lost his connection to his soul and his divine attributes. We read about Korach’s journey so we may be given an inoculation and protection from the same fall. The portion of Korach is an invaluable gift from the Creator, a week before the new moon of Cancer begins, insuring our protection from any similar negative energy. Korach, being driven by his selfishness and his own desires, created a rebellion and confronted Moses. He wanted to be leader and questioned the Creator’s choice of Moses. At this point, Korach had shifted to a space far from love and connection to his inner divinity. He had separated himself from his soul’s desires and had become rooted solely in the consciousness of the body. As a result, after the rebellion had occurred, the earth opened up and took Korach and his followers into the ground. 

"We remember the value in being a positive force in this world so we may strengthen the Light within."

The story of Korach is a unique tool for our benefit. How lucky are we to be able to receive this vital energy this week? What happened to Korach does not happen today, but it is a powerful lesson in what can happen when we lose touch with our inner purpose and divine essence. One may not be consumed into the earth as Korach, but nevertheless we are capable of becoming consumed with ourselves and only our needs. This imbalance can lead to depression, sadness, and a multitude of challenges in our lives. When we disconnect from the Creator’s Light and our spirit within, we descend the escalator towards negativity. Korach teaches us that if we are not working on a spiritual path and “moving upward”, we can quickly fall downward. It is interesting to know and understand, however, that negativity is also from the Creator. Because of the night we can understand what the day is. It is the challenges and obstacles in our lives that awaken us and encourage us to be stronger on the path of spirituality. Life’s challenges cause us to reach for our inner strength, power, and help us to reconnect to our Light within. We are all striving to be happy in this world. We all desire blessings, prosperity, love, and joy. However, the way to connect to these blessings is a paradox. If we behave like Korach, only pursuing what we want, losing touch with the sharing divine nature within us, we create an imbalance and draw to ourselves negativity. A person who does not nurture his or her inner Light is left, oftentimes, in the dark. However, if we continue to climb the escalator of life, and make the effort to think of others, showing them love and care, we rise above all negative forces and challenges. This ultimately allows us to cleave to the Creator where all blessings exist.

This week, in your meditations, seek balance. Take yourself to the seashore. See yourself slowly walking down the shore. Feel the warm sand under your feet, while the cool ocean water hits your legs. The air is fresh with the faint smell of salt from the sea. You feel the warm sand move through your toes, and the cool water of the tide moving back and forth across the beach. The sand is of the earth and is the receiving force, while the water is the sharing force, and the energy of mercy and love. Here, at the shore, they unify and harmonize. A balance is reached. The tide comes in and out each day in accordance with the moon. The beach teaches us that, yes, we are beings who receive, and we will always have this essence. But, we also possess divinity within and we have a desire to share, to love, and to impart positivity to others. The ocean reminds us of this. It reminds us of our soul and the importance to daily nurture this energy. We remember the power of love and acts of kindness. We remember the value in being a positive force in this world so we may strengthen the Light within and achieve our balance. We remember the power of our soul that allows us to rise above every negativity in this world, and ultimately bring us every blessing we could ever desire.