In truth, despite my example, you are not a puppet. You are created in image of G-d. You are invested with conscious awareness and power to choose.

You can choose to relate to yourself only within context of your limited ‘role’; specific circumstances, struggles and goals of your daily life. You can believe, or at any rate live, as if that is whole picture. This is like identifying with appearance and role of puppet and with script of whatever play is being acted out today.

Or you can choose to look deeper, seeing through limits of your ego-based identity and immediate life circumstances to Creative Divine spark that makes you live.

So what’s this got to do with love?

Back to my experience. I didn’t know who I was, much less who man was. I was disconnected from all stories, agendas, past and future. I was disassociated from my identity, puppet. But love – leaping of my heart, my essence, to connect with another, was very, very real.

That’s because love is an indelible part of landscape of soul. Like spark within a flintstone - invisible but unextinguishable - spark of pure unconditional love is concealed but infinitely present within essence of every one of us.

Kabbalah often compares soul to flame of a candle. Just as a flame is always reaching up, trying to reconnect with its source in supernal fire, at pure heart of all love and yearning is soul’s passionate desire to reconnect with its Divine Source.

Within every human being who walks face of this earth, there is a pure spark of Divine Source of us all. Just as we’re drawn to connect with our Source, we are drawn to connect with that spark. Your own pure essence is seeking to connect with pure essence and spark of another.

As long as you identify exclusively with puppet, i.e. your limited ego-based identity, love that you experience will be limited as well. You will allow yourself to embrace only that which reinforces your ego, helps you meet your ‘survival’ needs, and protects you from a frightening sense of vulnerability. This level of love, although very human and an integral part of most relationships, is conditional and agenda-based.

But when you identify with Divinity within yourself, part beyond stories and agendas, you create an opening for your essence. This automatically creates an opening for essence of others. And wherever essence touches essence – love – authentic love - becomes revealed.

Making it real:

There are two basic paths to creating this opening, and both are important:

CREATE AN OPENING: Challenge limiting boundaries of your identity by doing things that take you out of your comfort zone. It’s especially important to do this in your relationships. For example: allow yourself to be vulnerable, let someone else be right, listen to understand instead of to be understood, open yourself to a new point of view, give generously of your resources even when it feels hard.

FILL YOURSELF WITH LIGHT: Nurture your inner spark by doing things that connect you with G-d and your own soul, a higher, truer plane of reality. Communicate with your Creator from your heart. Get more deeply acquainted with G-d’s perspective and your soul’s mission by learning, absorbing and integrating deep, powerful light of Authentic Kabbalah. Give charity and practice kindness. Watch for your messages and for opportunities to make a difference.

All of these things will help you to expand limits of who you know yourself to be and create an opening and channel for your essence to express itself.

© Shifra Hendrie, Kabbalah of Transformation, www.kabbalahoftransformation.com

*Since Torah forbids erasing of G-d’s name, it’s customary to avoid writing it out in full.

Most of us don’t wake up in morning in awe of our own potential, in touch with our Divine purpose, filled with joy of life, ready to create. More often we wake up all-too-conscious of our limitations, our disappointments, our frustrations, our unfulfilled needs, and burdensome problems we need to solve. No wonder so many of us are worn out before we even get out of bed.

HAROLD AND THE PURPLE CRAYON

You might have read a cute little children’s book called “Harold and Purple Crayon”. In this book, Harold, a baby, draws things with his purple crayon on his bedroom walls. He draws things like castles, mountains, roads and tigers. The interesting part is that then Harold climbs mountains, runs down roads, explores castles and runs away from tigers. Sometimes he gets so far into picture that he can’t figure out how to get home again – but then, he just takes his purple crayon and draws road back.

Harold is always creating something from nothing.

YOU CAN CREATE SOMETHING FROM NOTHING TOO

Your life, your present and future, is actually an ayin – nothing. Yes, as a soul in a specific physical body, there are some limits to what you can create.

But you have no idea what they are.

- - Do you want to experience unconditional love? How would you behave if you were committed to love others unconditionally, especially those people who long for your love? Your parents. Your children. Your spouse. Your friends. What if you noticed, accepted and appreciated way they love you – even if it doesn’t yet look exactly way you want it to look?

What might happen today if you behaved that way? What if you stayed committed to that experience over time – what might happen to your most intimate relationships, your family, your community, your world? Don’t shortchange yourself by skipping over this question. Really think about it.

- - Do you want to experience your power to live as a creator rather than a victim in your life? How would you behave if you refused to let your fears and past failures put any limits on what you do right now?

What would you do that you’ve been putting off? What else? What might you actually create or achieve over time if you do those things? And perhaps even more important, what would life be like for you right now if you choose to be a person who isn’t stopped by fear?

Do you want to be more intimately in touch with your Creator and your Divine purpose? How would you behave if you were a person committed to seeing G-d’s intimate, infinite and loving presence in all aspects of your life? What if every action you take was based on assumption that nothing is wrong – because G-d is intentionally, creating your world right now on behalf of your ultimate purpose and fulfillment?

What might your life be like – today – if you behaved that way? How about your relationships? Your energy? Your happiness? Your peace of mind?

HOW TO CREATE MIRACLES

Like a farmer who tills his field, plants seeds, waters and tends them, sometimes it can take time to see results of your efforts. But if you are willing to create something from nothing, you don’t have to twiddle your thumbs while you wait for things to grow. The very decision to be a creator in your own life brings with it some powerful, intrinsic rewards; rewards like joy, fulfillment - and miracles.

© Shifra Hendrie, Kabbalah of Transformation / www.kabbalahoftransformation.com.

*Since Torah forbids erasing of G-d’s name, it’s customary to avoid writing it out in full.