The Birth of The Ego: Where It All Began

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“And G-d commanded the man, saying: ‘Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, you shall not eat of it; for on the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.’”GenesisI

In the last post we talked about the Human Condition – the sense of helplessness and imperfection that we all feel as human beings. This sense is part of our limited ego-based identity, not the essence of who we are.Our ego is our biggest trap – and also our biggest gift. It is fundamental to our purpose here on earth. That’s why the ego was born in the very beginning of the human story, n the Garden of Eden, on the first day of Creation.

“And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and they felt no shame.” Genesis“And the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit, and did eat, and gave also to her husband with her; and he did eat… And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked” Genesis

Adam and Eve were created conscious. They were fully aware of their purpose, their awesome potential and the intimate presence of their Creator. But the moment they ate from the forbidden Tree of Knowledge, Adam and Eve fell from the brightness of consciousness to the darkness of self-consciousness. They realized that they were naked – shamefully naked – in a physical sense. But more than that, they were emotionally and spiritually naked as well. From the serene wholeness of a perfect world, they plunged into the fearful reality of a world where something was terribly wrong.

At the dawn of human history mankind was created living life from the inside out, attuned to Divine Truth, free of judgment, guilt, shame and fear. Adam and Eve were create egoless. But from the instant they bit into the forbidden fruit of the Eitz HaDaat, the Tree of Knowledge, ego and self-consciousness became an intrinsic, inevitable part of the human condition. They fell from awareness, clarity and power to confusion, disempowerment and shame. No wonder they wanted to hide.

Turning Darkness into Light

But this entire scenario– the original state of light, the sin, the fall into darkness, and the personal, painful experience of self-consciousness and exile – is an integral part of the Divine template for Creation. The whole point of all of is that, through our own efforts, we find our way back to the Garden once again. But unlike at the beginning of Creation, when our ancestors experienced G-d’s presence from the outside in, we are meant to experience it from the inside out. By falling into darkness and finding our way out, step by step, we transform that darkness into light, becoming actual partners with G-d in the perfection of our world.

At the beginning of Creation, Adam and Eve were in a very high spiritual state. But it was all due to the kindness, the largesse, of the Creator. They themselves were mere recipients – they contributed, essentially, nothing of their own.

 

In addition, before the sin, although everything was filled with light, there remained one piece of lurking, unrectified darkness – an Achilles heel to all of Creation. The Garden was created with a snake, the personification of all evil.

 

The sin of eating from the Eitz HaDaat precipitated a terrifying fall. The darkness that once lurked only in unactualized potential was made real. It was internalized, and spread throughout the world. But together with that darkness, mankind internalized the potential for transformation. And that potential was the purpose of the darkness all long.

 

In embracing our power to transform we accomplish three things. First, we reveal that there is an inner Divine purpose behind every challenge and concealment, and in doing so, reveal the G-dliness within it. Second, we start to connect with our sense of purpose, even in our everyday lives. We no longer see the obstacle as part of ourselves; we see it as part of our mission. Instead of the shame and helplessness we often feel as we attempt to fix or conceal our flaws, we feel a profound sense of purpose, fulfillment and pride. And third, just as weights bring out the latent power of the body-builder, our obstacles begin to bring out latent power and light from the essence of who we are. 

How to Make it Real

Start by thinking of something right now that really bothers you, something that you feel is in the way of your being who you truly want to be.

 

Next, imagine that instead of being a problem, this situation is just a brilliant training exercise, something designed to make you strong and powerful, to help you achieve real excellence in life, to bring out the best of you.

 

If you believed that, would it change how you think about the situation? What you say to yourself, how you feel? Would it change your way of being, what you do?

 

What would you do differently, and what might happen as a result? What untapped potential would you begin to touch – in yourself, in a relationship? What possibilities might open up that were not there before?

These questions are not random. They are designed to actually help you begin to tap in to your own latent power. So please give yourself the gift of thinking about the answers – and better yet, post them here.

The Cosmic Game – the Blueprint

 

The Cosmic Game

Kabbalah is the spiritual Blueprint for Creation. That means that everything that happens, whether in the world at large or your own very personal life, comes directly from that Blueprint. So if you want to understand your life, your potential, and your world, there is no question – you must first understand what the Blueprint says about you.

We Are All Players in a Cosmic Game

There are no limits to what G-d can do. Since He is Infinite, expressing that Inifinity in an infinite way is no challenge at all. But to express that same Infinity in finite ways – in a world full of darkness, separateness, conflict and concealment – that’s a challenge; a game worth playing.

We – in our small vunerable bodies, in our temporal lifespans, bound by our limited ego-based perspective and the struggle to survive – each one of us is the finite expression of G-d. Like it or not, we are the players in the Game.

Understanding The Rules of the Game

Everybody starts the Game with a set of cards. The qualities and tendencies you’re born with, the family you’re born into, and all that happens to you as you go through life – these are the cards that are uniquely yours.

But even though we are unique, most of what we experience in life is common among us all. All human beings can reason, understand and learn. We all innately want to grow, to love, to achieve. We all sense that there is more to life than we can see, and most of us long to know what lies beyond. Most important of all, we all are gifted with the power to choose. That, more than anything else, is what makes us players in the Game.

At the same time, however, all human beings feel deeply vulnerable and basically flawed. If you thought it was just you, think again, because every one of us walks around with that deep sense of vulnerability and the nagging inner feeling that something is wrong. Although we try very hard not to show it – in fact, may even structure our lives around trying to hide it or make it go away – deep inside we all feel less than in some way.

RULE #1: Stop Taking Yourself So Personally

It’s important to realize that there’s nothing personal about any of this. That deep sense of vulnerability, the inner feeling of helplessness, smallness and shame, is all part of the Game. It’s the Human Condition, something we all share. And simply knowing that – realizing that there’s really nothing wrong with you – is fundamentally important to your sense of power and peace of mind. In addition, instead of trying so hard to fix yourself, you can spend more of your time and energy on what life is really about.

As inevitable as the Human Condition is, it’s not your permanent address. it’s only a place to start, not where you’re meant to stay. You must get more comfortable with your humanness, but not complacent. Turning our darkness into light, our walls into doorways, is why we’re all here. It’s why G-d created this world in the first place.

That means that the limitations you were born with, the ones you struggle against, are not actually in the way of your purpose. They ARE your purpose. You can begin to fulfill that purpose by coming out of hiding. Embrace your challenges, accept them, understand that they are not your flaws, but your mission, your piece of darkness to transform This is the first step on the road to true power and peace of mind, to becoming who you were truly meant to be.

Think About This

So much of our time, energy and potential is caught up in the never-ending drive to fix what’s wrong with us. Like hamsters on a spinning wheel, we keep running – after whatever we think we need in order to feel that life is okay. More youth. More beauty. More money. More success. More love. More, more, always more.

But the Blueprint tells us a different story. According to Blueprint, the very walls you keep bumping up against are the doorways to your fulfillment – and to fulfilling your mission here on earth.

It’s a big change in perspective, and one that may take some time to really sink in. But try thinking about this now, just for fun.

If you knew for certain that your flaws are an intrinsic part of your purpose, that they are what will allow you to access your true potential, power and fulfillment, what would change for you? Would you feel different? Think differently? Act different? What would change in your life?

I want to hear from you!

Much more to come as we explore the secrets of the Blueprint and winning the Cosmic Game.