Is Yom Kippur A Magical Spell?
Are you tired of missing out on your spiritual moment?
If so, then you have another chance! Why? Every year the universe / light / God has an appointed time for you. In Kabbalah, this day is known as Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement. In fact, the word atonement means “one with god”.
Let’s take a brief look at the Holy Torah.
The Foundation:
“Three times in a year shall everyone shall appear before the Lord thy God in the place which he shall choose…in the feast of unleavened bread (Passover), and in the feast of weeks (Shavuot), and in the feast of tabernacles (High Holy Days and Sukkot); and they shall not appear before the Lord empty”
“Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the lord thy God which he hath given thee” – NLT – (Italics mine)
You see, the universe regardless of what idealism you come from has certain appointed periods in which settling into your own skin and connecting with the light is of prominent importance. Many people tend to skate past these days and do not give as much importance to them as they do the more glamorous holidays of Christmas, Chanukah, and Yule. However, what they are missing out on is the blessings that are provided by participating on some level in these powerful rituals. In fact, many people miss these powerful appointments all together.
Before, we get to the blessings that are given for participating in the ritual of Yom Kippur, let’s get to the bottom of the part of the verse that says “shall not appear before the Lord empty.”
In kabbalah, life is not about religious idealisms and legalisms; it’s about transformation. Many of the religious denominations have taken this verse to mean giving to the church, ministries, or other religious based organizations. Although I am very in favor of giving charity to those in need and I believe that is part of our spiritual work, this verse is not asking for charity it is asking for an offering. In the times of Moses (see Leviticus 23), an offering was given in the symbolic form of a lamb or a ram (both symbols of the sign of Aries). However, we no longer participate in these types of symbolic offerings. Further, we are required to offer a burnt offering (another fire reference). So, what are we required to offer? It’s simple – ourselves.
As we go through life we all go through experiences that transform us in powerful ways for good or ill. Many come from difficult family of origins, have had difficult marriages, suffered some form of abuse, have felt bitter rejection, and as a result have develop behaviors in order to cope with life on life’s terms. In fact, most people gravitate towards spiritual living because they no longer want to live according to the laws of the physical world, yet live life on their own terms. Through this process, we discover self-defeating behaviors that are no longer working for us such as approval addiction, drug dependency, eating disorders, resentment, people pleasing, caretaking, fear of relationships, fear of success, and a vast number of other plagues.
At some point on our spiritual path these “tools” no longer work for us and we become burned out on the way they have influenced our lives. Therefore, the most powerful offering that we can make to Light on Yom Kippur is a willingness to work through an area of our life over the coming year in order to become healthier more spiritually adapted individuals.
The Process of Reconnecting to the Light:
The book of Joel is one of the most profound books of the Bible. Although it has been dissected by many for the abundance of prophecy such as future earthquakes, famine, locust swarms, and other nature disasters, what is often ignored is the plagues that occur in each of our lives that are usually self-created. We have a tendency to view the world “out there”, yet we must acknowledge that the insane chaotic reality of the outer world is merely a representation of the insane chaotic reality of the inner.
So, what is the purpose of self-created plagues? Well, simply put, plagues and chaos being present in our life represents a disconnection from the light of the creator. This happens when we get caught up in our own reality that kabbalists call the “desire to receive for the self alone” and let the EGO take control. We begin to live life through the lens of our wants and needs and begin to disregard the wants and needs of those around us. We begin to become selfish, self-centered, egotistical, and at times we do this even though we are “spiritual minded” individuals. In essence, the creator gives us the “gifts” (I know how hard that one is to swallow) of plagues in order to bring us back to our spiritual center. Every problem, situation, or struggle you have purpose is to bring you back to the light of the creator.
Yom Kippur gives us our most powerful appointment with the Light in order to reconnect. It provides us with the opportunity to admit that we need to be connected in order to achieve true fulfillment. This provides us with a new beginning. Plus, our desire to connect alone starts our spiritual engine once again. Once our engine is going and we are reconnected, the Book of Joel gives us a list of 8 blessings that occur over the next year. These blessings can be found in Joel 2:23-28.
The Blessings:
- Increase — This concerns receiving a double portion. Once we connect to the light we receive everything that we have lost as a result of our self-defeating behaviors.
- Revelation – We begin to see our lives in a clear way. We get the ‘a-ha’ moments and start to begin to have foresight.
- Fresh Anointing – In magical circles, one anoints a candle in order to create a certain effect or desire. In spiritual circles anointing does the same thing. When your spirit becomes freshly anointed it creates an outward effect of transformation in your life.
- Miracles – One activates the subtle power of mind over matter.
- Restoration – You spirit is restored and you are given a fresh beginning. The slate is cleaned.
- Removal of Shame – Your self-defeating behaviors become experiences that you are able to share your experience, strength, and hope with others.
- Financial Abundance – Your finances begin to increase because the Light begins to provide you with what you need. However, there is one catch to this – the desire to receive becomes the desire to receive in order to share with others.
- The Presence of the Light – You begin to feel the presence of the light of the Creator active in your life.
The blessings of Yom Kippur are a given. All you need to do is keep your appointment with the Light of the Creator and give an offering of yourself. We all go through experiences in life and learn different behaviors that become tools in order to cope with an often cruel physical reality. Now is the time to give up those worn out tools and replace them with true inner magic that allows you to live a more spiritual rewarding and fulfilled life. This is YOUR time – don’t miss out on it!
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Here is an audio companion to this blog from the archives of Keep It Magic with Jacki Smith and Storm Cestavani
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Storm Cestavani is the co-host of the top rated metaphysical show “Keep It Magic” and the co-creator of the “Tarot Magic” with Coventry Creations. Storm is available for consultations by setting up an appointment to speak with him. Simply click on Book A Reading with Storm at the top of the page.
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