Foundation. Generative Action. Rootedness. Union. Within Love. Generosity. Outreach.
As we approach the end of our first week, we come to the balance point of the lower triad of the lower seven sefirot, Yesod. The energies of the previous five days gather and coalesce into their maximum generative potential, creating the foundation for what is yet to manifest.
R' Aryeh Kaplan (referenced earlier this week) talks about Yesod as the foundation of a building. It does not just hold up the building, but also creates the proper relationship between the building and the ground. My teacher Reb Steve Silvern brought it to another level. He noted that to look at it that way, it would be important to imagine the building site being in a place like California, where the land is subject to frequent seismic activity. Why is that? Well, if you can tell me about two days in your life in which your spiritual structure was exactly the same, I'll give you a gold star!
We need to build a foundation, but it has to be a foundation flexible enough to support us through the viscisitudes of our ever-changing lives and ever-changing selves. R' Yael Levy's translation of Yesod is "rootedness", which I think does great justice to this idea. A tree's roots never stop growing. They grow deep and wide (the imaginal directions of Hod and Netzach). They seek out the roots of other trees and plants in symbiotic support systems.
If we are going to culminate our Chesed in Malchut (coming soon to an Omer calendar near you!), we'd better have a firm and flexible foundation. In order to give of ourselves without toppling, we must have a proper relationship to the Ground. The good news is that this has been happening all week long, as you count the days and take moments to remember that you exist in the Flow of All that Surrounds you.
As I stood outside and counted tonight, there was a great wind swirling all around me in which I could feel the energies of the days gone by coalescing, and inviting, ushering me into this new stage. That's an experience I won't soon forget.
May you be blessed today with a firm and flexible foundation. May you feel the energies gathering around you and in you. May you feel the Support that allows you to support as your heart desires.