38 Spirituality Studies 10-2 Fall 2024 the client and greater ideas about the notions of the “darker” components of himself. In a sense, providing this reading provided a new context to consider about his experience of feeling trapped in the dream, and mitigated a sense of shame he initially experienced about the dream. In this way, Jewish mysticism lends an accessible metaphor to Fairbairn’s more intellectualized description of the process of the fracturing of the Self. We can begin to experience the light of “true Self” in a more sustained way, even through our darker internal spaces. If we experience components of the true Self as what they might be – points of Divine light – we can practice getting to the source that was necessarily hijacked in the process of getting along in the world, creating these internalized and hidden structures. 7 Integrating the Full Self: Running and Returning In reality, however, one cannot easily live in the constant state of near-ecstasy and continue to manage in life. It may be helpful, then, to consider this last bit of wisdom from Jewish mystics. The Rebbes immersed themselves in states of bliss, but also had to carry on a life of everyday responsibilities. They did not generally withdraw from society into a monastic lifestyle – most of them also had ordinary lives to live, like most of us. To complete a metaphor – the Velveteen Rabbit became real through contact with the mysticism of the Fairy and had a felt experience of this. But to be real also requires a means of obtaining nourishment and survival with the other rabbits in the forest. The creator of the Hasidic movement, Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer, known popularly as the Ba’al Shem Tov, provided the following idea of running and returning – from the ecstatic to the ordinary in life, potentially involving multiple capacities of our Self (Keter Shem Tov 1:24:2). ‘Sometimes the neglect of the study of Torah is its foundation…’ (b. Menahot 99 a–b). It is hard to understand how ignoring Torah can possibly support it. The Ba’al Shem Tov explains it with the verse, ‘The living creatures were running and returning, (Ezekiel 1:14).’ Everything burns to return to its root. Through eating, drinking, and business dealings a person neglects the study of Torah and the service of God. However, at that point the soul rests from its burning and is strengthened so it can return later to an even higher ‘devekut’. And about this the Ari said, ‘Sometimes the neglect of Torah is its foundation’ is the mystery of ‘the living creatures were running and returning.’ And understand! In everything from spiritual enlightenment to weightlifting, we must take a break and embrace the mundane, employing other functions of our Self, and tending to the ordinary. One patient describes connecting with feelings of ecstasy amidst meditation yet living in a disorganized and messy home that disturbed him. He complained of the ordinary tasks in his life – particularly cleaning the dishes stacked in the sink. I just don’t want to do it. Any of the chores: Making the bed, cleaning the dishes – I get so frustrated when I need to scrub the pots that I just don’t want to do any of it. An authentic, real life involves the balance of everyday existence with potential contact with something beyond. The process of “running” can feel ecstatic, though can also lead to deeper psychological shifts. It is wise to take time both for experiences beyond one’s everyday experience as well as for the integration of these potential shifts to one’s inner landscape. This “return” can lead to a new understanding of oneself and is critical in the integration of Divine experiences. Though ultimately, once that fairy has come down and touched our soul introducing us to the experience of what is real, there may be no easy turning away from the path. 8 Conclusion Through our tracking of the famous Velveteen Rabbit through the experience with the Boy and other toys, we can relate to the experience of becoming “shabby” through the impacts of these relationships over our lifetime. Yet it is these very relationships, and ultimately one with something greater, that have the potential to lead to our feeling more authentic and ultimately “real”. This sense does not come to us exclusively through intellectual understandings, but rather, the felt experience that these relationships have imprinted. Through considerations of how we are all connected, and ultimately to something greater, Jewish mysticism provides one pathway toward a deepening experience supporting both psychological and spiritual development. Even those experiences that contain difficult and hidden memories have the potential to bring light into our lives once understood and our feelings about them potentially re-experienced in the presence of an attuned and skilled practitioner.
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