CHAPTER 1
I Am the Lord Your God
Kether — Crown
I am. These are the two most powerful words we can recite. They remind us that we are both the creation of the God or the universe, and we are creators of our own lives.
"I am the Lord Your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out the land of slavery." Who is the Lord? The Lord is the One and the All. This was the first commandment bestowed after God's miraculous creative powers were demonstrated, when the Israelites were delivered out of the house of Egypt and the bondage of slavery. Look around you and within yourself. You were divinely created from the raw ingredients that existed within the primordial soup that came forth at the first dawn of life, and you remain infinitely connected to it. We are of it and with it at the same time, yet we have trouble accepting the knowledge of this duality that we are one with God as both the creation and as creators of life. On the tree of life, this is the highest sephiroth, the breath of God, the spark where it all begins. When you understand the first commandment and acknowledge your connectedness with God, you can break free of the bonds holding you back from reaching your highest potential, embrace your ultimate power, and learn how to live Godlike in the present time.
God, the Source, and Abraham
Since the beginning of man's existence, there seems to be recognition of a higher or creating source, the so-called king of the universe. You can see evidence all around the planet that most, if not all, civilizations have prayed to gods of some kind or other, and they generally recognize one as most supreme.
The Greeks revered Zeus, the ancient Romans prayed to Jupiter, and the Egyptians worshipped the sun god Ra. Historically, gods were depicted in various shapes and forms, including half man, half animal beings or strange-looking visitors from outer space. The stars and planets are represented as possessions of the gods.
Then came the Old Testament, the story of Abraham, and for the first time, acceptance of the One, the Father. (But there is evidence that Abraham's God was considered the God of all gods, and it was centuries before there was truly monotheistic representation of God. That monotheism more likely evolved in ancient Egypt when the country was ruled by Amenhotep IV.)
From Abraham, three great religions have descended: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. All teach the Ten Commandments in their own format, with the first and foremost message that there is only one god, the Creator.
Most Eastern religions, whether atheistic with no gods such as Buddhism and Taoism, or polytheistic belief systems with many gods, recognize a source for the flow of life or the spark of the divine. This makes perfect sense and resonates to us: it is a truth. Look at all of our so-called "not so" primitive societies that worshipped nature and Mother Earth and whose practice are more recently embodied in modern-day Wicca. They follow the cycles of the seasons of all living things in support of their own existence, and they draw from what they observe in their search for the right balance. Our ancestors were spiritually more enlightened, but they had not reached the full potential of the evolution of their minds. They intuitively knew that everything one needs to know can be found in the nature around us. Within the matrix of the universe is woven a direct link with our creator, and we don't need intermediaries to tell us what we are supposed to do. We simply need to follow the right path!
The Supreme Commander of Light
God's very first commandment is that we recognize who and what God — the one God — is, and that we are truly created in his or her image. All the godlike powers that our creator possesses, we possess too, and we are here to do God's work.
We are like magicians and simply need to wave our magic wands, which we must do now in this critical point in humankind's existence. Our history has shown that we have not followed the most important commandment or guide for existence on this planet. It is time to use our gifts of light. The ultimate sin occurs when we come here but do not fulfill the purpose for which we incarnated: to act godlike in pure love and light, and to both create and share, because we are both one and all. For things to be of real worth and beauty, they need to emanate from the purest love and positive energy that we can bring forth from God's light, because we are also using physical or dark matter for our creation. And because of its physical properties, we have to make sure our creation does not take control of us.
Do not succumb to the dark side. We all walk a tightrope, zigzagging between the two worlds. We must own our god self, be vigilant, and ensure that we are acting godlike, in balance with everyone and everything.
Individually, both you and your neighbors directly derive power, and therefore the responsibility for using it properly, from God. But do you have the right to forego this heaven-sent burden unless the outcome directly affects you? As you learn and understand the One and the meaning of the rest of the commandments, it will become apparent: as God's creation, you are now the source of your actions, and they have consequences. Although I don't control you and you don't control me, we are still connected. What is important is that you have power over your own life and are responsible for whatever you choose to do.
We would need very few laws if everyone paid attention and took complete responsibility for their own actions, but who does today? We often speak or act without regard for its effect. We see daily in the news how just a mindless act of disrespect can escalate to a needless death. We live in the world of the blame game, blaming others and taking little or no responsibility for our acts, as well as feeling weak and powerless with very little identity or self-worth. But positive messages and feel-good stories generated from random acts of kindness keep circulating as well. Just recently the acronym THINK circulated among various social media sites with the following questions attached: "T: is it true? H: is it helpful? I: is it inspiring? N: is it necessary? K: is it kind?" With the right thought and right action, you can change any outcome.
The wrath of God is unleashed. Within our God-given powers of cocreation also lay the seeds of our self-destruction. The principle of divine retribution exists in many cultures. In the Old Testament are several depictions not of a God of love and light, but a God of wrath, as in the story of Noah's ark. The deity of punishment ascended to earth from time to time to administer justice, a dark force unloving of his creation. What preceded those events? If you study your history, you learn that God only turns against us when we are against God and turn our energies to dark purposes. We are reaping what we sow. But we also learn that God teaches compassion. In the ultimate act of love, according to the New Testament, God sent his son, Jesus, to earth to teach that the way back to the light is through love of the One and the All. Jesus then died on a cross in absolution of the sins of man and left behind a prophecy that he would return and deliver true believers from evil and back to God's kingdom, leaving chaos and darkness behind.
When we fail to emanate light and create in God's light, the darkness takes over and pollutes the universe. It is no coincidence that oil and the carbon dioxide emissions we create are black and were probably buried deep in the earth for a reason. They are derived from the most toxic elements existing on this planet, and they become absorbed in and pollute our bodies as well as the environment, blocking out the light and distorting the balance necessary to create and sustain life. We see how the pursuit and use of oil has had a destructive effect on our planet, both politically and environmentally. Therefore when we tap earth's resources for humankind's purposes, we must not let these substances destroy the balance of nature. It is our responsibility to use the building blocks we were given to sustain a physical life without unleashing great darkness and destroying the planet in the process. We must find the true unseen power in the light, which is our greatest resource.
God Is One and All
There is no difference between the one God and the god of the many. We are the many, the all, and the one within the ten.
In Hebrew, the name of God is frequently written in the plural, Eloyim, and represents the combination of the masculine and the feminine. All is one and one is all, both singular and plural. This axiom is usually the first universal truth that resonates within each of us. All of humankind is connected to one another like the cells in our bodies create the whole beings that we are. The planet earth is but one planet, but it is comprised of a myriad of elements and life forms. We are infinitely woven together from individual strands to form a very strong fabric, but each thread is capable of unraveling and tearing a hole in this cloth. For every action, there is a reaction, like a thrown stone rippling in the water. What we do ripples like waves across the universal sea. Our actions have consequences.
I am — be of God. If you are in fact of God, what must you do to be of God? First you must also recognize the person next to you is also of God, and that you have no divine power over him, or he over you. You must learn to coexist in peace and respect your own boundaries and the boundaries of others. Those boundaries are not limited to people but apply to all living things. The creations of God are all parts of God too, and you must honor and respect them. Even so, we still coexist in a symbiotic but parasitic state of balance, and therefore we do need organic life forces to survive. You need food and water to nourish your body, you need shelter and clothing to protect yourself from the elements, and you need others for propagation and protection. To be of God, we must learn to draw enough from this planet and life's bounty to survive. At the same time, we must give back, nurture it, and do all we can do to enhance its beauty.
We must use what we need without destroying, and must be cultivators of the planet.
Living the One
Build a temple for your crown. You have been crowned with the gift of creation, and so you need to build the most beautiful temple to house the internal mechanisms that sustain your life. One of the most important assets you have is your brain, because this is where your power to reason lies. This temple need not be elaborate because your brain experiences its home both from within the temple walls and by finding stimulation and sustenance everywhere else. Although it functions from deep within the highest realm within your body, it needs you to take care of your entire being as best as you can.
We need to keep ourselves healthy by eating right and allowing our temples to be built strong and our bodies to develop to their highest potential, maintaining the delicate balance necessary to enable us to receive the pure energy of light. The brain links and transmits universal intelligence to every reach of our very beings. The heart receives love and light and pumps this life force that the brain's transmissions spark. We control how well our bodies functions by how well we take care of them. We must worship and care for our bodies in the same way we worship God and the source. We must give thanks for the lives we have and dedicate them for good.
I am the Lord thy God. In his image, he created you and me. We are the light and we are the lighthouse too, keeping watch and illuminating the way.
Be holy. Look at how the ancients consecrated their temples as an analogy for our times. Temples were sanctified places to be kept clean, and their lamps were always supposed to remain lit, ready to receive those who sought its spiritual shelter. When we take care of ourselves, we are then able to take care of other people and our planet. We must live as if we are holy. Exercise and diet is important to us, and we know that being too fat or too thin is unhealthy because we need to remain balanced in order to keep our temples intact. We must also make sure we provide exercise for our minds. In order for you to have control of your life and develop to your highest potential, you we must fully develop your mind.
You must educate yourself and practice discipline and control.
Unlock your brain. When you take full responsibility for the god of creation that you are, you are at one with your highest purpose: to be the best you can be. Your special gifts will manifest, and you will seek learning and feed your mind. You will see that within your own light, you possess enormous powers to help you mold an enlightened and beautiful world. We perform acts of creation daily as a result of combining our light force with earthly clay, the physical elements that comprise this planet, and they become experiences that are also forever imprinted on our souls. As we continue to learn and create, our souls become tattooed with memories and images from our earthly existence, and this amazing work of art is what we take back with us when we cease to occupy our bodies. It is why we are here in the first place.
I AM Is Not Me
It is our ability to be God the creator for a short time, which allows us to know we are of God and not just be one with God.
Unfortunately, we have misinterpreted the meaning of the "me" generation. The dawn of the age of Aquarius is represented by this transcendence into the new millennium and the self-absorption of the post–World War II generation. It exemplifies the split existing between the beauty and wonder we can create for our planet with enlightenment, as opposed to the destruction and self-pity that comes with living in excess for our own hedonist pleasure — the ultimate relinquishment of our self-control to our ego selves. We have stopped doing God's work. When you drink too much or eat too much and say, "But I am not hurting anyone else," is that really true? We are not alone, and therefore when we fixate on excessive personal pleasures, we are not only hurting ourselves, but we are creating negative consequences. We are depleting physical and mental resources, both on a personal and global level, and we are weakening our creative abilities. Multiply the effect this has on the world if we all take this approach!
Remain vigilant. Start being a creator in God's image. Keep using your light force for the highest good. You must monitor yourself and be sure to take care of your body so that you don't become undisciplined or lazy, and you don't lose your gifts of creation through both atrophy and apathy. If each person allows this to happen and stops his individual development and growth, it will negatively impact the collective, and our society will regress as we allow evil external forces to slowly take us over. The darkness spreads when we lose control over our lives, and we fail to tend to our own gardens and let the temples that represent both our bodies and the communities we have created decay. When we sit on the sidelines and watch society decline, we lose sight of what is good in each of us, and we inevitably lose our self-respect and suffer the loss of respect for everyone and anything else.
Choose to be aligned with God and your higher God self in everything you do, and the power of the light will grow.
Find balance between the light and the dark. We affect each other in many ways. We have an aura, a measurable energy force that we emit, and as this light force grows, it attaches to the light forces and the creations of other individuals living their divine lives. We become energy vampires if our intentions are not for the good of both the One and the All. Always be aware of the divine balance in nature, because we are capable of overconsuming and overpopulating our planet.
We are what we eat. We must pay attention to divine numerology and recognize that although there are some renewable resources derived from light — the plant life that sustains itself through photosynthesis, for example — this planet also consists of finite amounts of other forms of matter, which also are building blocks of life. They are elements such as water, which we all must use and combine with our light to create and sustain our physical beings. We are therefore capable of exhausting these resources. There are many examples of situations where men and women have been stranded with no food and do the unspeakable to survive because they had no other means of survival. We still have a choice. But if we are not careful, we can overconsume what is available to us, especially in our immediate vicinity, to the extent that we are stealing someone else's matter or sustenance to survive. When this occurs, we as individuals or nations are out of balance, and part of God's light source is snuffed out in the process.
