Obstacles Along Your Spiritual Path

In general, whenever we begin to do real work on ourselves, we immediately begin to see the obstacles on our path to the perception of the spiritual.

These obstacles appear as various extraneous thoughts and desires, as the loss of confidence in the correctness of the chosen path, as discouragement in the face of our real desires.

All these obstacles are sent to us to test us from Above. They will determine whether we really possess a thirst for the truth, no matter how contradictory it is to our own egoistic nature, or how distressing it is to give up our own comforts for the sake of the Creator.

On the other hand, ordinary people are not being tested, and feel very comfortable with the accustomed way of life, even thinking that a place in the next world is guaranteed because these people keep the commandments of the Bible.

Thus, such individuals feel that both this world and the world to come are assured, and so rejoice at the thought of the future reward, feeling that it is well deserved because they are carrying out the Will of the Creator, and thus have earned compensation both in this world and in the world to come.

That is, the egoism of the observant person increases many times in comparison to the egoism of the nonobservant person, who expects no reward from the Creator in the spiritual realm.

The Enemy of Your Spiritual Advancement

But the Creator tests us not to find out where we stand spiritually. The Creator knows this without testing, because it is He who gives a particular position to every person. He tests us to make us aware of our own spiritual state. By creating in us the desire for earthly pleasures, the Creator pushes away those who are unworthy, and gives those whom He wants to approach Him the opportunity to come closer to the gates of the spiritual world by overcoming all obstacles.

In order for the chosen individual to feel hatred towards egoism, the Creator gradually reveals one’s real enemy and shows the real culprit standing in the way of one’s entering the spiritual realms, until the feeling of hatred develops to such a degree that one manages to tear away from it completely.

It’s Just You and The Creator…

Everything that exists outside one’s “self” is the Creator Himself, since the foundation of the creation is the perception of the “self” by each of us. This illusion of the personal “self” constitutes the creation and is felt only by us alone. But outside of this sense of the personal “self,” only the Creator exists.

Thus, our attitude towards the world and everyone around us reflects our attitude to the Creator. If we grow accustomed to such an attitude towards everything, we thereby reinstate a direct bond with the Creator. But if there is no one except the Creator, then what is this “self”? The “self” is the sense of “I,” the sense of our own being, which does not actually exist.

However, in accordance with the wishes of the Creator, the soul (which is a part of Himself), feels this way because it is removed from the Creator. The Creator conceals Himself from the soul, but as that part of the Creator senses the Creator more and more, the “self” begins to feel increasingly that it is a part of the Creator, rather than an independent creation.

The stages of our gradual perception of the Creator are known as “the worlds,” or Sefirot.

Usually, we are born without any sense of the Creator, and perceive everything around us to be “reality.” This condition forms “our world.”

Overcoming and Receiving the Creator’s Assistance

If the Creator wishes to bring us closer to Him, we will at times begin to sense a vague existence of an Upper Force. We do not yet see this Force with our inner sight, but we sense that from afar, from the outside, something illuminates, bringing us feelings of confidence, of spiritual elation, and of inspiration.

But the Creator can once again become distant and imperceptible. In such a case, we feel this to be a return to our original state, and somehow manage to forget that at one time we were certain of the Creator’s existence, and even perceived Him.

The Creator may also distance Himself in such a way that we feel the departure of a spiritual Presence, and as a result become despondent. This feeling is sent by the Creator to those whom He wishes to bring even closer to Himself, because a sense of yearning for the wonderful feeling that disappeared makes us attempt to bring that feeling back.

If we make an effort and begin to study Kabbalah, and find ourselves a true teacher, then the Creator alternatively either reveals Himself to a greater extent through our spiritual ascension, or conceals Himself, prompting us to find a way out of our state of downfall.

If, by exerting our willpower, we are capable of overcoming this unpleasant state of the concealment of the Creator, then we will receive help from Above in the form of spiritual uplift and inspiration. On the other hand, if we do not try to move out of that state through our own strengths, the Creator might approach us Himself, or He might leave us entirely (after prompting us several times to make an independent effort to advance towards Him), although we are still unable to perceive Him.

“The Secret of Receiving the Creator’s Help” is based on the book, Attaining the Worlds Beyond by Dr. Michael Laitman.