Fool for God

The following article is an exploration of the Spring holiday season and its spiritual implications. In it will be a unique perspective with a special emphasis on the importance of owning our dualities for the purpose of transcending them. The duality of Spring is that while it is a time for thorough "house cleaning" it also requests of us our lightness of being and simple trust.

When we make a complete and unconditional surrender and trust the mysterious, unknown void with our lives, we enter the domain of the Fool for G-d. We become a servant to G-d, which is as free as we can be as human beings. There is no way humans will ever experience pure Happiness, peace or love without connection to Spirit. We will always encounter our next level of pain and challenge until we can hold on to our divine connection in all our human interactions and worldly activities. In being a Fool for G-d, we are led by the allure of a deeper mystery, a presence that leads to unimaginable freedom. This article is but one attempt to reawaken ourselves to the truth of that freedom.

Michael Ozair

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Spring Harvest

The Birthing of a New Energy Cycle

Background

Each year when the Sun goes into Aries, when the Earth begins a new life cycle at the Spring Equinox and when the Moon and the Sun join at the New Moon in Aries, we are offered another opportunity to redefine ourselves, our world and our place in it. The following is a study of some of the energy changes taking place this month.

The Talmud records: Conception of the world is in Tishrei (Autumn); Birth of the world is in Nissan (Spring). (Tosaphot; Rosh HaShanah 27a).

The Kabbalah distinguishes two types of spiritual dynamic. It speaks of an itaruta de-leylah and an itaruta de-letata, 'an awakening from above' and 'an awakening from below.' An awakening from above is an encounter initiated by G-d - an epic event in history, a miracle, a deliverance, a moment in which the veil is lifted from the course of history and the hand of G-d becomes visible. An awakening from below, though, is one that comes from the hearts and minds of human beings. Something within the human soul breaks forth and reaches out to God.

According to Talmud, the birth (of New Energy) happens this coming month, the Hebrew month of Nissan. This itaruta de-leylah , the Arousal (as initiated) from the Above contributes to the birthing in us. This birthing comes as a result of the conception of the earlier part of the year. But unlike the Fall/Winter season of conception, Nissan initiates a different energy dynamic. The connection we make with our Higher Power is no longer something we have to labor for, nor is it contingent upon any merit, but rather it is more about allowing and receiving. The "arousal" is initiated from Above.

Our job is simply to "clean house" in order that we may host this New Light, and allow it to stimulate in us a process of awakening to our Higher Nature.

When the Higher Meets the Lower

Itaruta d'leila, or "Arousal (as initiated) from the Above" gives us specific spiritual work to do. Our job is to allow the Divine to penetrate our very depths, our darkness, and the most hidden aspects of ourselves. According to Kabbalistic philosophy, the lower has to be transformed, not neglected, shunned or condemned.

What does it mean to "transform the lower"?

The lower part of us is the area of the psyche that an individual would rather not acknowledge. It contains the denied parts of the self. Since the self contains these aspects, they surface in one way or another. Bringing the lower into consciousness diffuses the charge that our darkness has over us , and in the process can even recover valuable resources from it. The transformation comes from having accepted your lower parts and integrated them as components of your Self.

Passover is a time of an incredible Itaruta d'leila, an undeserved outpouring of kindness and beneficence from G-d. Israel had descended to the 49th level of impurity and had almost no merits with which to beseech G-d for salvation. Nevertheless, G-d initiated a great Exodus for Israel. On Passover a person must be an open vessel to receive this blessing of Divine Flow. In preparation, we rid ourselves of chametz, all the vanity, the inflated ego, and the resistances for change. On Passover we must remove all the false exteriors, we must be free of obstructions, and op