How do I shine

I wanted to share this morning some thoughts from a Yahoo group I belong to that discusses and teaches the mysteries of Kabbalah. The name of the group for those interested is Kabbalah Concepts and is lead by Rabbi Benyomin Walters. I have been trying to attempt to study Kabbalah now for the last year and trying to fill some of those "heartfelt empty places" and am hoping and prying Kabbalah is the answer or key to this.



On a lighter note, I did go to the gallery interview yesterday with my paintings it went alright, not quiet what I expected but not horrible either. She said that my paintings were very well done, beautifully drawn, well executed and if I had mentioned I had only been painting teo years she woould have never known. However, there was really one painting out of all of them that she would be interested in having in the October show. It is a $35 fee to enter the show and if the piece sells its a 60%-40% split. 60% for me and 40% for them. She also mentioned she would love to see me work a specific theme, idea, or emotion a few times say 4-5 paintings as the arena or style I am painting now is VERY broad based and she feels as if I am trying to find my voice, which is exactly right. Not exactly sure yet what I am going to do in regards to the October show and she did mention she would be interested in seeing new paintings as they are done.

Okay. I want to uncover the essence and make it shine. Now what? Well your question is the answer. There are two steps to shining: Finding the essence, and making it shine. It’s that easy.

Let’s see how this works with a simple example. What would you rather wear, a sack or a custom-made suit? Sure you could wear a sack, but who would want to? In a sack, you are trapped, you can’t move freely. A good suit is the opposite: it conforms to your body’s shape. It moves with you, so you are free to move as you wish. Your body is free to shine in your suit.
Recognizing that you would prefer a custom-made suit to a sack means you recognized what your body is really like, and then made sure that the clothes around you fit that shape. In other words, you looked inside to find your essence, and then figured out how to bring it out in your clothes.

That was simple enough, but this is only the beginning. A custom-made suit only allows your movement to shine freely, but what about your personality and taste? What about your emotions and intellect? What about your goals and dreams? These things are all "clothes" that you "wear" throughout your life. Just like clothes, you've chosen these as your way of expressing yourself in the world.

But these "clothes" might not always be the right fit for you, and that's where people run into trouble. Sometimes we think and act in ways that don't really represent our true selves, our essence.

Hasidic philosophy shows you how to find the essence in every aspect of life, and how to make sure that everything around you fits. The better the fit, the more you will shine.
Throughout your journey on this site, watch for these two steps:

1. Finding the essence and

2. Making everything fit the essence

The first step leaves the limitations of the world behind as we peel away all the layers that cover the essence. Once this essence is exposed, we then return to the world, but this time making sure that everything fits. And once everything is in line with the essence, it can shine through everything.

By Rabbi Benyomin Walters