Constantly Forward: Advancing on the Spiritual Path
The journey of spiritual growth demands that we consistently look ahead and exert effort to move forward. Progress on this path requires an ongoing process of examination and separation — carefully distinguishing between desires and fulfillments that can be used for pure bestowal and those that cannot. This refinement is essential for directing our intentions toward others and the Creator, ensuring that our spiritual work remains free from self-interest.
When we receive anything — whether physical or spiritual — we must not cling to it. Holding onto fulfillment transforms it into something stale, much like the yeast of wine, which turns bitter and becomes unsuitable for bestowal. Instead of allowing this to happen, we must either pass on or relinquish everything we receive, ensuring that we remain empty and receptive to new, higher-level fulfillments that align with the principle of bestowal.
As our desire for pleasure grows, even the previous level of fulfillment — initially received with the intention to bestow — can become a source of danger. The expanding desire increases the risk of receiving the light selfishly, making it necessary to remain vigilant. The next stage of spiritual deficiency continuously emerges from a higher level of bestowal that awaits us on the path. Each completed degree of bestowal gives rise to a higher level, drawing us forward, while our current state starts to feel like a place of reception from which we must escape.
Balancing Between Three States
In our spiritual journey, we must be conscious of three distinct states. The observer within us stands between the previous, completed degree and the next, higher degree, as though suspended between heaven and earth. To advance, we must forcefully detach ourselves from the previous level, which has now become stale and even dangerous, as it begins to be used for our own selfish sake.
However, we cannot work with the present screen (barrier against selfish reception) to engage with the new fulfillments that correspond to deeper, stronger desires. A complete renewal of the screen is required — an even stronger ability to reject fulfillment unless it is received solely for the sake of bestowal. This renewal is crucial for ascending to the next level.
Transitioning from Lo Lishma to Lishma
By our own power, we cannot reach Lishma — the state of receiving solely for the sake of others and the Creator. Our natural state is Lo Lishma, where our actions are driven by self-interest. Even when we no longer seek corporeal pleasures, we still desire spiritual fulfillment for ourselves. However, we understand that true spiritual pleasures can only be received through equivalence of form with the Creator — by adopting the intention of love and bestowal.
At our present level, we are incapable of genuinely asking for the ability to bestow in the way that corresponds to the higher level that awaits us. Instead, we ask as best as we can, though our request is still rooted in self-interest. The Creator, in response, corrects our request, shaping our desire so that it aligns with the bestowal required for the next stage of spiritual development.
The Paradox of Reception and Bestowal
A fundamental paradox exists within creation: the created being does not want to receive because it cannot do so with the intention to bestow, yet it also refuses to receive with the inherently selfish intention. However, total rejection of reception contradicts the very purpose of creation, which is to receive pleasure. The solution lies in asking the Creator to provide fulfillment in a manner that allows for true bestowal — through the formation of the correct screen, enabling the creature to receive in accordance with divine will.
To reach this state, we must cultivate total soul devotion, surrendering entirely before the Creator so that He may act upon us as He wishes. This involves raising a sincere request, acknowledging that we have no ability to use our desires at the higher level of bestowal, nor any hope of attaining such an ability on our own. From this profound sense of helplessness, we annul ourselves completely, inviting the Creator to take over and transform us as He sees fit.
The Desperate Plea and Divine Assistance
The created being strives to emulate the Creator by adopting divine qualities of love and bestowal. Yet, in this effort, all personal actions seem empty and ineffective. It is at this point — when all attempts feel futile — that a desperate plea for assistance arises. This is the key moment when the Creator intervenes, performing the necessary corrections for the lower being.
Initially, the creature seeks spiritual pleasures and fulfillment. However, these can only be attained by becoming similar to the Creator — by developing matching desires. The initial request to the Creator is still rooted in self-interest, as the creature asks for transformation in order to receive spiritual pleasures. However, in His mercy, the Creator corrects this request, providing the necessary screen. This adjustment enables the creature to truly desire similarity to the Creator — not for self-gain, but for the sake of bestowal. Only in this way does the creature become capable of receiving spiritual pleasures in a manner that bestows back to the Creator, thus fulfilling the ultimate purpose of creation.
This is the ever-ascending path of spiritual progress — constantly forward, toward higher and purer levels of bestowal.