Most spiritual teachers and traditions agree: Wisdom comes from within, not from without. However, that wisdom doesn’t show up simply because we ask it to or because we go looking for it. We have to live a life that invites it in. We have to allow ourselves to have experiences that give us to access the wisdom.
For example, you can eat a raisin unconsciously or consciously. In the first case, you put it in your mouth, chew it up and, about 10 seconds or less later, swallow. “Yummy,” you declare. In the second case, you put it in your mouth, roll it around on your tongue and notice the feel of the raisin. Then you begin very slowly to chew on the raisin, savoring the flavor, texture and sensation of doing so. The experience of eating that one tiny juicy bit takes you a full minute. “Wow,” you say when you finally swallow. “That was an amazing raisin and experience.” This is called “raisin’ your consciousness”!
You can read a book about Kabbalah, and understand the principles of Jewish mysticism. That is called learning about mysticism. It is a totally different thing to put what you learn into practice. That is called living as a mystic.
The Human Struggle
If, like me, you strive to learn and be more—to access the wisdom you know is inside—you might find it feels difficult to put into practice all that you study. Often, life gets in the way.
Or you may feel you don’t have a support system of like-minded people who want to practice living the experience with you. It’s hard to develop a spiritual practice, or even to put into practice the things you learn, alone. It’s easier with a support group of some sort.
Believe me, I know this better than anyone. Over the years, I’ve studied an enormous amount about Kabbalah and other wisdom traditions. I’ve also studied personal development. But my life is enormously filled with work activities and other obligations, and I don’t have a support or accountability group to help me stick to my daily practice. Thus, it has often—more often than I care to say—fallen by the wayside.
Yet, if it is wisdom you seek—and I know I do, the only way to find it within is through a daily practice, or at least a practice. So, what will that practice be?
Life as Practice
Your life must become your practice. And along with your constant focus on living a spiritual life, you also must incorporate activities that help you tap into that wisdom within.
If you are busy, like me, or have trouble meditating for 30 minutes at a time, don’t worry! Try meditating for 10 minutes. Or create many tiny rituals throughout the day that allow you to connect with yourself and your inner wisdom. For example, you can take a minute as you stir your tea or coffee to breath deeply and ask yourself if there is something important you need to know right now. It could be five minutes of walking around your home, office or yard as a break during the day; during that time, breath deeply and ask your Higher Self to send you messages or to give you the answer to a question or the solution to a problem. Or lie in bed just after you wake up or immediately before you go to sleep, and meditate. Have a journal close by in case you receive some wisdom.
Open to Receiving Wisdom
Kabbalah means “to receive.” The Esoteric School of Kabbalah, for instance, says that we receive the wisdom we seek through meditation and other spiritual practices. You get to choose your practice, though. I’ve used meditative cycling—meditating while I’m bike riding, hitbodedut—walking and talking to God, or just going out into nature to speak to God, and chanting sounds or prayers, such as “shalom,” “om,” “om nimah shivayah,” or the Sh’ma. I’ve also simply prayed or meditated or journaled. You have to find your own practice—one that works for you in the time you have.
However, the real point is to live as if your life is a meditation. Psalm 16:8 says, “I place God before me always.” That’s really the idea…to live as if you are always conversing with God, or with the part of you that is Divine. You want to stay connected, moment by moment, to the part of you created in the image of God.
Beyond that, you must remain open…open to receiving the wisdom that will come. “Ask and ye shall receive.” Ask for that wisdom in every moment, and the open yourself to hear, feel, see, or experience the wisdom. It takes practice to open to receive and to notice when the messages come. But they will.
Be quiet… Listen for the Still Small Voice.
