The Void Teachings #3

Feel free to read my intro to The Void Teachings #1, in the earlier post, in order to understand the background to this series.

September 10, 2003
This meditation began with my seeing an image of a flame.
Then came the following Hebrew word.

להבה- לה' בה
To God within- this is what it means to become impassioned, excited- to be filled with the sense of God within you. Remember that this flame (להבה is the Hebrew word for flame) is the eternal flame. You may at times think that it has gone out, but know that this fire is always there within you. Sometimes it is like a coal whose light you can barely discern. At other times it is a roaring heat.

It is mean to felt in your heart (לב). By meditating on your heart and the pulse that is always there, you may more easily attune yourself to this eternal internal flame.* God has designed your bodies in great wisdom and the physical is indeed a metaphor for the spiritual contained within your hearts. Blood is pumped out and the blood returns back. You are meant to both give and receive in beautiful harmony and balance. That out flow and in flow is always present, though usually outside of your awareness. Think of the problems you would experience if only one of these functions were present.

You are meant to be givers and receivers in all things. Remember to keep this natural pulse in harmony. Why else were you given the commandment to give charity- צדקה? It is truly 'צדק ה- God's righteousness- and way of being in the world. God, too, gives and receives. This pulse was initially set in place in the first moment of creation. God is constantly giving to you, breathing love into you and constantly receiving as well. You were created so that God could experience the reception of love from you. And indeed, your very presence is a gift of love which God is constantly receiving. Even when you do not experiencing yourselves as loving, God does.

It is time for you to give more- to give and not to fear what the result will be.

How do I practice that right now? I am at times afraid of little or no income coming in.

Has God ever abandoned you? God does not fear when giving to each of his/her children, even when the “return” may be slow in coming. You all eventually return to God in your awareness. God's knowledge of that is so strong that the divine giving is as natural as your own breath. Practice giving with that same sense of certainty, of love, of giving without fear. It may take the form of money or service. Make it a daily habit.

* A few years later, I discovered a book, Living from the Heart by Puran Bair, which teaches a Sufi based meditation based on the heart rhythm and exactly discusses the points mentioned above.