I did not intend to restart the “Cosmic Weather Forecast” in the portion that involves candles and lighting the candelabra, yet I was rather amused that this (Beha’lota’cha) is the Kabbalistic portion of the week. I suppose being the co-creator of a magical candle line the understanding of how candle magic works is an important metaphysical philosophy to me. Despite our modern attempts at sanitization and simplification, candle magic is a powerful tool that can be used to link us directly with the light of the creator.
Although the modern translation of Beha’lota’cha is “when you light the candles” the word actually means “to elevate”. Elevate is a word in English which means “to rise”. Many people believe spiritual elevation simply means the internal change we go through in the process of our journey. However, the kabbalistic mystics disagreed and believe that true elevation are those times when we “instantly” get it, and begin to see reality in a different way. Often these are the moments when we truly are “connected” to the light force of God.
There is an interesting discussion that occurs in this week’s Zohar, which I spent a lot of time meditating on. I suppose with all the talk in the media over the “Rapture” that occurred last month, and its connection to the “world to come,” I found it rather interesting that this phrase appeared in this week’s Zohar portion. Religion interprets the “world to come”, as what occurs after we leave this particular life time. However, what would be the purpose of experiencing the “world to come” if we are not experiencing it during this lifetime?
What does this “world to come” really mean? To fully understand this we have to travel back to the beginning – as in Genesis! Why? So we can understand the concept of cause and effect.
It surprises me the number of people that are not aware that the book of Genesis has two creation stories! The first creation story is when God created the heavens and the earth, and everything that walks upon it. If you read the story, you will see that everything is instantaneous. God creates and it instantly appears. There is no separation between cause and effect! This means that the results of our actions were immediate, because time in the first creation myth really does not exist. Unfortunately, this also limited freedom of choice. The sages are very clear when they talk about the first creation that the limits upon our freedom of choice prevented us from earning what we were receiving from Light which caused ‘Bread of Shame’. In essence, ‘Bread of Shame’ is when we receive something that we did not merit, and ultimately holds little or no value to us.
In the second creation story of Genesis 2 reveals the spiritual elements that were created that allow us to grow, change, and earn the light we are receiving. These spiritual elements are time, space, and motion. Simply put, if we decide to perform an action the results of our actions are not always instantaneous, which creates a space. So, if we decide to take a higher spiritual path often the results of our positive actions are not immediate. This leads us to question our actions, and we will fill the space with either positive or negative thoughts. For example, say you begin a new business endeavor and you do everything right – the correct marketing, you communicate and networking with others, and you do everything you are supposed to do to make your business grow. However, you cannot see any results. This created space becomes an opening for our negative thoughts to begin to creep in. We begin to question why we are doing it, and whether or not we made the right decision. We begin to seek advice from others, and in many cases become fearful of failure or anxiety.
Let’s put this into a formula: CAUSE+SPACE = EFFECT
We decide to take an action, and immediately a space is created. We will attempt to fill a spiritual void or a space with something – whether that be the positive or negative. What comes after the space? The results! So, according to the kabbalistic mystics the “world to come” is the world of results (the effect of our cause).
Let’s revise the formula: CAUSE+SPACE = EFFECT = WORLD TO COME
So, I am sure you are wondering how this connects to candle magic? In order to understand this we have to change our perception of spiritual tools (whether they are tarot, astrology, a cross, an ankh, or a candle). We need to view them as tools for us to connect with the life force of the creator. According to the sages, candles allow us to fill the space with an intention (prayer/petition) that brings about the desired effect. Through this process we then control the results of the world to come.
Astrological Guide:
Good Days: June 7, June 8, and June 9
Challenging Days: June 5, and June 10
Storm Cestavani — June 4, 2011