Wars on Earth are initiated in Heaven

About a month back, one of my Kabbalah teachers stated that wars on earth are initiated in Heaven, (as opposed to in the psychological or physical universes ; see my blog posts 'The Four Universes' and 'A Spiritual Cosmology'.)

I have taken a little while to think about this. My teacher was referring, among other things, to the role of Providence, something I’ve already touched on in this blog (see 'Vegetable, Animal and Human People'.) Wars ‘stir up’ ‘vegetable’ people, affording them opportunities to become’ animal’ or ‘human’ people. They move populations around, face them with new situations, speed up the introduction of new technology, and test the mettle of all those involved. Like natural disasters, they provide opportunities for acts of courage and love, and not just towards our family or our comrades, but towards our enemies as well.

And of course, wars are responsible for terrible suffering and loss.

How I long sometimes for the God of my childhood, for ‘gentle Jesus, meek and mild’ (his smashing things up in the Temple in anger was swiftly glossed over). God did not start wars, humans did, in strict disobedience of Him. God was Love.

Of course ‘he’ is, and a whole lot more.

Even as a child I knew that there was something awry with the view of God that my Sunday School teachers were giving me. So a lot of evil might be down to humans using their free will, but what about the natural world? Did it become red in tooth and claw because Eve ate the apple and, if so, wasn’t that a bit ‘unfair’ on animals? Furthermore, if God cared so much, why didn’t He intervene more to stop really terrible things? But it didn’t matter because, when we died, we would all go to heaven and live in bliss and splendour for ever and ever, so that was all right then.

It was via James Hillman’s writings, such as his book ‘The Soul’s Code’ that I first became aware of just how ruthless the soul can be in pursuit of its Divine purpose, and what it can put its various earthly incarnations through in the process. When I came to study Kabbalah I learned that existence in its fullness is manifested between the two opposing poles of mercy AND severity (force and form, see my blog post 'A Spiritual Cosmology') The aim of the kabbalist is to help to keep these two poles balanced, to proceed in consciousness back up through the universes, using a path centred between the two poles, to reunite again at one with the Divine, bringing with us all our experiences of those realms. And while we make our journey upwards, we act to ‘bring down’ the freedom and glory and Divinity of the upper universes to this material one.

Each incarnation is an adventure. Don’t get too attached to it, or anything in it because, like a dream, it will all dissolve. Throughout this life, and many others, you’ll win some, you’ll lose some. It is all simply a process which you can use to become more and more fully human, wiser, more loving, more aware of who you really are. Like childbirth, it’s going to hurt and, yes, you’ll voluntarily go through the whole thing again.

Vegetable, Animal and Human People

According to at least one version of the kabbalah (see Z’ev ben Shimon Halevi’s book “The Way of Kabbalah”), people can be classified as ‘vegetable’, ‘animal’, or human. (My friend Francine, on reading this, asked, ‘What about us minerals??’ Unfortunately, there’s no such classification….!)

It does seem to be a rather insulting way of labelling people, but it is worth thinking about these classifications, even while emphasising that all people are aspects of the Absolute Ground of All Being, or ‘God’ for short, and all of equal value.

The term ‘vegetable people’ is used to describe those whose main concern is with the outer world, and conforming to their ‘tribe’. They eat, grow, reproduce and die. A predictable, safe life is the main priority. After death, vegetable people tend to be re-born very quickly, often into the same society.

‘Animal people’, while also needing to eat, grow, reproduce (and die), seek more from life such as becoming rich and/or powerful and/or famous, even if there is risk involved. These people leave more of a mark, often as leaders. Nevertheless they are still slaves to their own egos, ids andsuperegos.

Human people are those who are less identified with their egos, and are further along the way to achieving their full potential as a human being. They direct their lives from a place that oversees and directs their ego, superego and the id. Furthermore, from this level of consciousness they are also in touch with their own souls. This is something I have already written about in ‘The Human Being’ and earlier, in ‘A Spiritual Cosmology and the Problem of Suffering’.

I have been contemplating for some time where I might be in this scheme. I think, like a lot of people, I might slide back and forth between ‘animal’ and ‘human’. It is only now, when I have the time and the inclination to regularly meditate, pray, and go to Kabbalah meetings, that I feel I am more than just occasionally in touch with my soul. Singing in a choir helps in this endeavour as well, though I hadn’t anticipated that before I joined one.

I have also come across the belief that Providence only works for individuals once they have achieved ‘human’ status. Until a person reaches that level they are simply subjected to ‘general Providence’.  General Providence affects people en masse. Providence as you would expect provides. It makes things possible and makes the necessary resources available, either for entire populations, or for individual people who have ‘become human’.

My own observations however suggest that Providence works for individuals who are not yet in touch with their souls in order to actually help with that process, though I suppose It has to see potential in that person. I’ve written about how I think this happened to me in my post ‘So What Now?’. My worry is, in this profoundly materialistic age, that many people just don’t see the many opportunities offered to get in touch with their souls. Especially when so many people no longer entertain the idea they have one.

I would be very interested in other people's ideas and experiences.

Another Seeker

Well souled and healed! I didn't think of that, Joe Delaney did (but I wish it had been me.)

I have been enjoying watching two of Joe's presentations on YouTube. These are the second and third talks he gave out of a series of three. Unfortunately the first wasn't recorded, but he re-caps the main points from that talk at the beginning of the second. You can see them at:

Talk 2
and then
Talk 3

IMHO, Joe has humour, knowledge and insight. Enjoy