The Void Teachings - # 6

Happy fiscal New Year to all. I am again posting information that I received over five years ago in meditation, but the message seems particularly relevant now: walking the middle path of peace and joy. How to do this as just to the south of us in the Gaza strip war is waging with no apparent end or solution in sight? I ask that each of us first imagine that a different result is possible. I ask that each us find the space within ourselves in which we are peaceful. I ask that each of us then see the problem as already resolved, in whatever form this takes for you. I do not want to enter into the politics of this, as politics seem to have embroiled us even more. So following the message on walking the middle path, you will find two short clips to raise your hopes for a more peaceful New Year. With all my love.

Message from October 14, 2003


It is time for you to walk the middle path and not be distracted.

What is the middle path for me at this time?

It is the time for being and acting peace in all that you do. Always ask yourself, am I acting from my center, from this place of peace? Do not struggle in your attempts to get more work. Approach that as well from a centered and balanced place. Do not act from a place of struggle for that is what it will bring you. You and many others no longer have the luxury of acting one way and expecting the result to be different than the action. This is the full meaning of the phrase as you sow, so shall you reap. If you sow in love with the expectation of joy and being fully provided for, this is what you will reap.

In the past there was more accommodation for sloppy or hesitant intention. This is no longer the case. Everything is being more clearly aligned and so it is with intentions and goals.

This sounds a bit scary and not very forgiving.

You have entered a different cycle- out of youth into maturity. So the demands on you are greater as well. This will be played out in many realms simultaneously. For instance, whereas in the past the immaturity of your actions regarding nature and your immediate environment were not readily apparent to you, now the consequences will be far more rapid.

As you may recall, I stated that humanity asked for acceleration- so now you will experience an acceleration as well. What used to take generations will no longer do so. This is in keeping with assisting you all in the lessons of manifestation for better and for worse. You are currently wondering about the connection of הגשמה(fulfillment) and גשם (rain) and מטרה (goal) and מטר (showers). Is it not interesting the connection between such material elements as rain and realization and goals? Ask yourself for the moment why nature connections are imbedded in the Hebrew words for actualization.

I'm not sure why- but it does strike me as interesting that there is an apparent combination of basic elements- air, water, earth.

Notice that rain falls and enters the earth. Dew collects and disappears with the sun, water evaporating back into the air. One is a downward movement, the other upward. God assists with actualization, realization. You could say that God provides the inspiration. But you in turn must have goals- clear goals. Allow them to form, to collect and then release them back to God. They may seem to evaporate but the perspiration of your work-your goals, are collected by the divine who then showers them back onto you.

It is so very important to have faith in this process. Be very clear of your goals and then trust implicitly that they will be fulfilled. It is only when you are to sure and when you doubt that you set up obstacles in the process. I have spoken of this before. Doubt is what keeps you from fulfillment. Do whatever is necessary to keep your goals clear, alive, exciting. If your goal is to write a book, then write- daily. Remind yourself daily that you are creating or rather co-creating a book, for you are always being helped. Do not doubt, though it is easy to do so. Believe it fully from your heart and it will be so. Thus the connection between אמונה (faith) and the ending of so many prayers, אמן (amen)- may it be so. Replace each doubt with belief and you will create worlds. Amen.






We Can Work It Out

The Void Teachings- #5

September 25, 2003

What is the most important message to get out to people regarding money?

It's not about numbers. It's about faith. You will note on American currency the phrase “In God we trust.” If you faith was 100% in God, you would have all of what you need.

That seems to go counter to the fact that there are many “faithful” people who are really suffering, really poor.

Note that the phrase is “we.” It will take the collective “we” to have the impact on the collective poor. When you reach a critical mass of people who put their faith in God, you will see miracles and the disintegration of poverty. If one had perfect faith, was a true master, then he too would experience what you deem miraculous and would have all his needs met. Yet very few of you indeed are at that level.

So for the rest of us that still have a long way to go, how do we begin to become money masters? What are the first steps?

First, become very clear on what you need- physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. You tend to address your needs only partly which automatically creates an imbalance, not just in your being but in your money affairs as well. Ironically your “wants” can get in the way of your needs- such as “I want a vacation.” So you work so hard to obtain that vacation and in the meantime ignore the need, which is perhaps for quiet, perhaps communion with a higher force, with nature. You postpone the fulfillment of the need, which if you weren't so busy pursuing the want, you could have obtained this very day.

Very often the want camouflages the need. So first you must critically examine the need, or if you prefer the terminology, the motive behind your want. For example, why do you want that vacation? What do you expect it to give you? What qualities? If it's adventure, then bring more adventure into your life this very day. If it's relaxation, then bring in some peace and quiet right now. Do not delay. The longer you allow imbalances to remain in your system, the harder they are to address. So, the most crucial step is identifying true needs, on all levels, as mentioned above and satisfying those.

So few of you are truly aware of your needs at even one of the levels mentioned above- thus so many of you are out of balance. And as you are fond of linguistic connections- here's one for you: איזון (balance) and אוזן (ear). You need to become a listener to that voice inside to find your balance. How much wealthier your world would be if there was a daily ritual of listening to oneself. And though many of you pray, you are not really listening. Listening is the truest form of prayer. Your central prayer, the “shma”- Hear, Israel” starts with the commandment to listen.

The Void Teachings- #4

September 24, 2003

You are still very afraid.

Afraid of what?

Afraid of how immense you really are.

Why is that?

Because it would mean taking the ultimate responsibility for every action, every thought, every feeling you have and to realize the consequences that these have as well. You wast your time trying to bend a spoon when in reality you could bend the world. You doubt the utter reality of these words and that doubt, in actuality, is the only thing- I repeat- the only thing that keeps you from actualizing that grandness.

I would guess that doubt is pretty common to most of us. So how does one begin to eliminate it and begin to realize our greatness?

Learn to be more like a laser- concentrated light- very focused. Your doubts cause you to vacillate and that back and forth movement results in the loss of directed power. One good exercise for practicing this focus is to stare into the innermost core of a flame where the energy is most focused. Notice the further out you go, the further from the core, the more oscillation and movement there is. Focus of will is a very powerful tool and you can use that to practice cutting away at doubt. Note again that in the Hebrew there is great wisdom: פסק/ ספק decree/doubt

Can you feel the tension in the polarity between doubt and decree? One is full of oscillation, the other certainty, a decision. You need to decide what it is you are creating and fully go with that. Your will is the engine, your doubts are the brakes. You can go far far beyond what you dreamed possible when you begin to eliminate doubt.

I asked a question regarding why some of this information comes in the form of Hebrew words.

Language is a powerful tool. Think of it as a computer of sorts. The sounds and letters actually function as a program at a level generally beyond your awareness. Language can be used to create- not just thoughts, but to create matter. The letter patterns carry actual energy patterns and these can be more readily activated via speech. Therefore choose your words very carefully. Realize that דבר (speaking) creates דבר (things- of all sorts.) Be immensely careful and sensitive of your speech for it has power beyond what you know. Better, when in doubt, to be silent and to wait for the proper focus to come before you speak. That is enough for now.

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.

The Void Teachings - # 2

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 4, 2003

Always ask what are you most afraid of and then send your love to those fears. Know that love and fear cannot coexist together. What does it mean to send love to fear? To love it as a parent would a child who has hurt herself. To recognize that the fear is temporary and is begging to simply be embraced. Fear hates to be pushed away. So embrace it, love it and listen to what it wants. ( a pause...)

Do you have more to say?

Oh, yes (laughter)- always much more. Now about stillness- know that in the non-movement you will learn to feel the living movement and pulse that is in all things. Sounds like an oxymoron, but there you have it. The more still you become, the more you will sense and feel and become. The Hebrew word שקט (quiet) contains the same letters as קשט (decorate). And, indeed, God has chosen to decorate the world with a stillness that speaks, that moves and feels with a resounding beauty.

Where is that in each one of us?

In each one of your cells, in every particle that comprises you.

But I remember learning in high school chemistry about how the electrons zip around the cell nucleus. That hardly seems like stillness to me.

In every cell and particle there is a great deal of space. From this emptiness all is formed. Modern physicists will become more aware of this apparent mystery.

I'm not at all sure I get what you mean.

The point is that you have made a business of busy-ness and from that place very little that is true is created. Creation takes place in the void. Therefore, bless, bless and bless again the seeming voids in your life. They are the source of great creation.

If it seems to go counter to your intution, think of it like this. You know that on the seventh day the Sabbath is created, a time of not doing, of simply being. This is the original state from which all things came. Those cycles of creation from the void are infinite.

The Void Teachings #1

This is the first of a series of silently posed questions (in italics) and answers received in meditation, that date to a period about five years ago, in which my work suddenly dried up for no explicable reason. I knew a major shift was underway, but at the start had no clue what it was about. These messages, which I call “The Void Teachings” began around 1-1/2 months before my father suddenly died and continued for several months following.

September 2, 2003

My dear child. You are not by nature very patient. So you are being given opportunities to practice patience. You can enjoy them, or if you like, you can fight them. But it is so much more fun to enjoy them.

Why does it seem like the cycles of violence world-wide are speeding up?

The cycles of all things have been speeding up. It presents you with an opportunity. With there being so much violence, you can more easily see the patterns and decide what you want to do about those. The choice is always yours. On some level, as a collective, you also made the choice to speed things up and turn your lives into crash courses in learning. So humanity has asked for this acceleration and all that comes with it, though at times it seems totally overwhelming to most of you.

How can we best deal with that sense of being overwhelmed? Lately on both the personal and collective level I have definitely been feeling like that, and a part of me just wants to retreat into my cave and do nothing.

Sometimes doing nothing is a most appropriate response but not one that your culture particularly favors. Remember God tends to favor possibility and choice, so there is never just one right answer or way to dealing with a situation. Generally speaking, what is right for you in a particular moment is what you feel urged to do. What makes it so complicated is learning how to recognize this urge as it is so often overlaid with other voices telling you what you “should” be doing or what is “appropriate.” So you are all pretty much in need of training yourselves to listen to your soul urges since there is so much other noise overlaying those. The best way to listen is to seek that quiet, go inwards and begin to learn how to distinguish between your voice and the others'. This takes a great deal of practice. One method is to notice the body reaction to the different voices as they come up and where you feel a sense of expansion and opening and where you feel the opposite.

Why is it that my work seems to have dried up for now? What does it mean in terms of direction?

First of all, it is a good thing occasionally to fast, especially in a world where so much is moving so fast. Yet few of you are willing to empty your digestive systems even for one day. So can you begin to imagine the resistance to emptying out the other things that comprise your life? It scares you, doesn't it? You immediately want to fill that space. Yet, God loves space and created an awful lot of it. Look at your own bodies, the solar system. There is a tremendous amount of space or what appears to you as emptiness and that scares you half to death. If you only understood how alive that emptiness is, you would visit it much more often often and without as much fear.

You think that your “efforts” to find and create work are basically what brings you your clients? If God wanted to,God could send you lots of work and people in ways you'd never expect and only a very small amount of that has to do with your effort. What really creates your work or lack of it again stems from what your soul urge is. How do you know if right now what your soul urge is is not about becoming familiar with these empty spaces? Basically, whatever one is experiencing is perfect for them in that moment. Yes- including all the familiar curses such as hunger, violence, etc. because each situation carries within in many potential gifts. Emphasis on many. Remember, God loves choice and variety. So even in experiencing hunger, you have a variety of gifts.

Such as?

Experiencing your reaction to deprivation, to fear. Eventually each of you must learn to master this difficult lesson. What if you were told you don't actually need food to survive? You wouldn't believe it. Yet, eventually, when you reach a level of total mastery, you will realize the truth of this. Until then, you master other lessons and gain other gifts on the path: how to deal with fear, the growth of compassion, the urge to take action (of many different kinds.) The list is actually almost infinite in terms of the potential gifts in any one situation.

Anything else for now?

Enjoy the space. It is the hollow instrument, one that is clean and empty, that beautiful music is played upon. Obstructions, dirt affect the sound. Enjoy the cleaning out process.

A Simple Rx for Happiness

You've heard how an apple a day can keep the doctor away? It seems that writing a letter every week or so could do the same for you, especially if you accept a correlation between happiness and health.

Kent State's Dr. Steven Toepfer enlisted students in a study exploring the impact of writing gratitude letters. The students were asked to write one letter every two weeks over a six week period to someone who had positively impacted their lives. The only directions were that the letters should be reflective, positive and contain a high degree of gratitude. Students were then asked to measure a number of factors, including their level of happiness. With each letter written, their happiness levels went up along with their sense of satisfaction and gratitude. 75% of the students mentioned that they were planning on continuing the gratitude writing habit after the course ended. Another study by Sonja Lyubomirsky of the University of California found that a group of people keeping a gratitude journal over a ten week period were happier, exercised more and even had less acne. Go ahead and tell your teenagers about the last benefit and see if they don't start thanking you more...

A longitudinal study on a group of Catholic nuns found that those that expressed thanks and gratitude regularly when they were younger lived up to 10 years longer than those who didn't. I recently started the nightly habit along with my husband of sharing 5 daily gratitudes. What I love about it is that often after hearing his list, I'm reminded of something else to be rejoice over. For more information on gratitude go to: http://gbr.pepperdine.edu/064/gratitude.html

I decided to check out the hypothesis behind gratitude letters for myself and the first letter goes out to you. I know it's cheating a little bit as it's not to an individual but to a community, but what the heck.

Dear fellow inner alchemists,

You continue to surprise and delight me! First, there was your tremendous response to my “name your own price” offer to the first ten people to register for the upcoming “Experiment in Living”course. Within a few hours, my inbox was filled with enthusiastic e-mails and the ten special offer slots were filled. (By the way, there are still some openings under the regular price...)

The letters were heart warming and encouraging, including those from folks outside of Jerusalem and even beyond the borders of Israel. I so appreciate your support. It gives me the faith to continue pursuing my dreams and partner with others seeking to do the same. I want to thank you as well for your comments on my brand new blog. I cherish your wisdom, your humor, your thoughtfulness.

Over the course of the next week or so I'll be posting a number of letters on the blog.The letters contain questions I posed and the answers I received while in meditative prayer during a period in which I was going through a challenging time in my life, about five years ago. Around the world people will soon be celebrating Christmas and Chanukah. Both faiths see these holidays as a time of miracles, a time of finding the light within the darkness. Perhaps some of you are going through a period of struggle, fear, or confusion about something in your life. While it feels a bit risky to share this part of myself as it's quite personal and could be considered too new-age, I know the answers I received gave me tools, hope and faith. I offer them to you in that spirit as my small thanks for your trust and friendship. In gratitude and love,

Tzippi