Building the Kingdom of Consciousness
The Kabbalah teaches, “There is no king without a nation.” This point requires deep exploration especially on Rosh Hashanna when we acknowledge G-d as our King. It may make sense that, in the human world, a king is dependent on having subjects who acknowledge his sovereignty. The last Emperor of China ceased to be emperor when there were no longer people who bowed when he entered the room. Even after the Communist government had exiled him, as long as people recognized him and acknowledged him as their sovereign, he was, in a very real sense, still a king, albeit without the power to rule. But how can G-d be dependent on human acknowledgment?
The world that you and I live in is a product of our perception of reality. The philosopher Immanuel Kant probed this concept. He asked: Do we see reality or do we see our perception of reality? Kant’s answer, of course, is that we do not see reality, but only our perception of reality. In other words, is this world reality? No, this world is your perception of reality. Therefore, the focus and clarity of your consciousness will determine the kind of world you live in.
Imagine three people sitting right next to each other in a doctor’s waiting room. Are they sitting in the same room? Let’s say the first person walked in, and complained, “Oh, how small this room is!” The second person entered, and exclaimed, “Look how bright this room is.” The third person came in, and thought, Ugh, what a messy room. Now, they are sitting inches apart, but they are not in the same room. The first person is sitting in a small room, feeling really cramped. The second person is sitting in a light room, feeling cheerful. The third person is sitting in a messy room, feeling disgusted.
Essentially, what you see is what you get. The world you live in is a product of what you are looking at and are willing to see. Your consciousness of reality determines the world you’re in. Your consciousness of G-d determines how much of the presence of G-d will be allowed into your world. To the extent that you acknowledge G-d, G-d will be in your life. This is a very crucial idea. Although G-d exists and runs the world, G-d is not revealed in your perceptual world as such unless you actively acknowledge and invite G-d in. This is our main focus of Rosh Hashanna and spiritual work.
Each one of us has a choice. You can believe that this world is a divine kingdom filled with the presence of G-d, the all-good, Who cares about it and guides it. Or you can believe that this world is one big accident, a chaotic mess. The choice is yours. But remember: What you believe creates the world you live in. Will the world you live in be a kingdom run by the all-good or a wild jungle?
Get More, Subscribe Now! www.RabbiDavidAaron.com
