The Beginning Is Here

One of the blogs I regularly read is www.laitman.com

Here Kabbalist/Scientist Michael Laitman and his closest students post several daily entries, all about the wisdom of Kabbalah.

This blog has been talking about 'world crisis' for some time now and today's post includes a list of the latest signs of the crisis. These include: (from http://www.laitman.com/2009/10/the-next-chapter-in-the-world-crisis-book/ )

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Drought Is Spreading in the World
In the News (from Joabess): “Big Dry: Global Drought Update”

August 13, 2009: This spring, northern China experienced its worst drought in 50 years, The drought also left 3.5 million people and 1.66 million livestock with no access to drinking water.

August 6, 2009: Mexican authorities facing a drought-weakened sugar crop.

August 11, 2009: “Serious Drought in Africa Drives Cattle into Wildlife Parks.”

August 06, 2009: Drought expected to cut Ugandan tea output.

August 13, 2009 [India]: Drought fears rise, soybean crop on brink.

August 11,2009: Russia may have to face a food crisis next winter. Whole fields of fodder and cereal crops have been withered by scorching sun.

Japan’s unemployment rate hits record high
In the News: (from The Telegraph): “Japan’s unemployment rate hits record high” – The jobless rate rose to a worse than expected 5.7pc in July, up from 5.4pc in June, the government said. Deflation also deepened last month with core consumer prices dropping 2.2pc a year earlier – the fastest pace on record.

Alan Greenspan: ‘This will happen again’
In the News (from BBC): “Market crisis ‘will happen again’” – The world will suffer another financial crisis, former Federal Reserve chief Alan Greenspan has told the BBC. “It’s human nature, unless somebody can find a way to change human nature, we will have more crises and none of them will look like this because no two crises have anything in common, except human nature.”

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It reminds me of my father, who became a Jehovah's Witness when I was about 10 years old. During my preadolescence and teenage years his voice was constantly in my head preaching that the 'end is near'. Indeed a quick search of images will yield many cartoons showing individuals standing amidst the masses carrying signs of the coming apocalypse. That's my Dad, I would think!

I'm actually looking forward to the 'end'. Finally I'll be able to carry around a sign that says 'THE BEGINNING IS HERE'!

Everything's Gonna Be Alright

The following is a synopsis of the Article of the Day from www.kabbalahgroup.info from August 24, 2009

Spiritual wisdom teaches that everything will be fine if I first come to the stage of loving my neighbour, and then I’ll have the desire to love the Creator. Can't it also be the other way around? Can't you first imagine that you love the Creator, and then from this state you could come to love your neighbour, and then at last you could feel good! Perhaps neither of these approaches really correct our core problem.

We find ourselves with all kinds of crazy situations that are very far from the final goal. We shouldn’t think that we’re capable of exerting any effort on our own. We should discover and determine if there is any place where we can exert an effort; any place where there is a real chance to act. If we’re able to do everything we’re capable of at this place of action, we can move ahead. It doesn’t matter if my strength seems so small; if I only know the right place to act, I’ll move ahead by exerting whatever small amount of strength that I have there. The most important thing is not to think that we lack strength or anything else; the most important thing is to find the right place to act, the right place to exert our tiny effort.

Did I get confused? Yes, I did! Do I have no strength? I agree I have no strength! I feel that I hate others and I discern that I push them away. This is really how I am. Even my pittance of aspiration toward the goal matters little, the main thing is to discover the right place to act. This is called, “tipping one’s own scale and the scale of the entire world toward merit.”

I should mobilize all of my strength and everything that I have to find out where the point of breaking is, what is called the third part of Tifferet. It is a real point and finding this point is our main task.

No actions are demanded from a person and no success is expected of him; he should only determine what he wants. It is demanded of an individual to determine his desire, find out what it is, what is sensible for him, and the Creator will do the rest. Everything starts working as soon as one discovers his correct desire for this means that he has pushed the right button.

Funny People

I just got back from seeing the movie "Funny People" for the second time and I was captivated once again.

There are some really great performances in this movie and some really fabulous filming.

Firstly, Adam Sandler pulls off another great acting feat in playing George Simmons, the selfish boob who starts to realize that he has wasted his life and relationships and wants to change, but has no relationship skills with which to accomplish this.

Secondly, my oscar goes to Seth Rogen in his portrayal of Ira (Wiener) Wright, the personal assistant to George Simmons, wannabe stand up and befuddled boyfriend. Seth comes through as the moral rock of this plot. His character's genuine love and care and enchantment with people is uplifting and endearing, it provides all the hope for this movie. The fact that even George Simmons returns to this earnest and honest young man at the end of the movie and is willing to be his friend and mentor, outside of an employee/employer relationship redeems the entire plot.

Lastly, the subplot of George attempting to reunite with his lost love, played by Leslie Mann, complete with her own two daughter's on screen with her and Eric Bana playing her aussie/buddhist husband, is both troubling and telling. For anyone who has travelled down this path, what Ira advises is true 'you can't find happiness in another relationship because the you that is miserable will just follow you'. Also Eric Bana provides a gem in responding to George's epiphany 'but she loves me, she's not happy with her marriage'...saying 'no one is happy with their marriage'. Ain't that the ever lovin' truth...we are all unhappy in marriage, working always to make it better.

All in all...a great flick, a brilliant well made and well played out film, worth seeing and contemplating.

Everything You Wanted To Know About Kabbalah

Questions, questions, questions...humans are a curious bunch! Our minds are either asleep (droning about the usual routine mindlessly) or piqued by curious and wondering about something that we can't quite place into our current picture of reality.

It is this quality that gives us the potential to rise above the animal level and reach for the stars!

So...here's a great opportunity I was just made aware of. You can send your spiritual questions to

http://www.kabbalahblog.info/2009/08/qa-celebration-coming-wednesday-26-august-09/

any time before August 26. On that date, Bnei Baruch Kabbalah will be hosting a live event where they answer the questions that have been sent in.

Here's a test for the very lazy among us...
Just think about your question and tune in for the live event. We are supposedly so interconnected that someone else will feel your question and send it in (of course your action is important and appreciated if you feel so motivated).

May all of our questions receive answers!

Advice For Successful Gatherings

Some people love to get together with groups of family and friends. There's the extended family BBQ events, highschool reunions, a myriad of clubs. Others prefer small group gatherings, one to one conversations, or complete solitude. However you are affected by such gatherings, it does provide you with a chance to figure out why and for what we maintain these relationships.

Why do we need unity and what do ancient wisdoms offer about this topic?

The feeling of unity is not a result of each individual being inspired by the production. Although such gatherings may be very touching, unity is actually built by each individual contributing their part toward preparation for the gathering. There is a profound difference between an event that one or a few people organized for many, and an event that every had a part in planning and preparing. Such a gathering, where everyone contributes and everyone participates, is a microcosm for the state the whole world should come to!

Declaration of Unification

http://www.kabbalahgroup.info/eng/new/2009/05/declaration-of-unification/

In the movie National Treasure, Nicolas Cage's character and his friends, steal the famous document, the US Declaration of Independence.

At a recent congress in New York state, a large group of Kabbalah students created an opposite document. This Declaration of Unification seeks to rise above individual ego pursuits and create a society where the many act and function in the interests of serving the one.

The teacher of this group, Michael Laitman, PhD, explains that the power to accomplish this will come from the upper forces when the desire is expressed whole heartedly. In fact, he asserts that the unification is already in place and has only to be revealed to the masses.

The key action is in seeing the greatness in every person regarded as separate from yourself. Even when those persons appear as small in comparison to you, you must focus only on their goodness, or greatness and completely ignore their smallness. In this you attach yourself to a higher force that will supply the fuel for connecting to the whole.

Check out the document at the link above!

Unity Conference in the Catskill Mountains

Here is the link to your opportunity to join others seeking to unify with the force that will bring all of humanity out of crisis. Please join us May 15 to 17th.

For more information click on: www.kabbalahcongress.org