Truth and Faith
“…By that you will understand what we asked, ‘Why we need two things that deny one another?’ That is, on the one hand, we should walk by the path of truth, meaning to feel our situation, that we feel that we are moving farther from self-love and toward love of others, and how much we would like the world to be in, ‘May His blessed name grow and be sanctified.’ And when we see that spirituality is still not important, we feel ourselves in great deficiency, and also to see how much we regret it, and how it pains us that we are removed from Him. This is called ‘truth,’ meaning the state we feel in our Kelim according to our sensation. Also, we were given the path of faith, which is above reason, namely not to take our sensations and reason into account, but say, as it is written, ‘They have eyes and see not. They have ears and hear not.’ Rather, we should believe that the Creator is certainly the Overseer, and He knows what is good for me and what is not good for me. Therefore, He wants me to feel my state as I do, and for myself, I do not care how I feel myself because I want to work in order to bestow. Therefore, the main thing is that I need to work for the Creator. And although I feel that there is no wholeness in my work, still, in the Kelim of the upper one, meaning from the perspective of the upper one, I am utterly complete, as it is written, ‘The outcast will not be cast out from Him.’ Hence, I am satisfied with my work — that I have the privilege of serving the King even at the lowest degree. That, too, I regard as a great privilege that the Creator has allowed me to come closer to Him at least to some degree.…”
(The Meaning of Truth and Faith, Rabash)
The Emotional Reality of Spiritual Development
The path of spiritual development, especially after entering spiritual perception, is a deeply emotional, visceral, and tangible experience. It is not an abstract or philosophical pursuit but a reality that we must feel and taste, sensing it in our very bones with unwavering certainty. This path is not easy — it is raw, demanding, and profoundly transformative. To navigate it, we are guided by a scientific method that allows us to observe, record, and verify these emotional impressions in a repeatable, justifiable, and objective manner, grounding our spiritual growth in a structured and empirical framework.
The Need for an Objective Observer
To engage in this transformative process, we must develop a unique capacity — an “independent objective Human observer” within ourselves. This observer enables us to step outside our subjective experience, as if watching ourselves from the side, and evaluate the vastly opposite and seemingly incompatible emotional influences that shape our being. Through this contrast and comparative analysis, the observer helps us understand our development, respond appropriately to changes, and maintain control over our spiritual progress.
Without this observer, the paradoxical states and stark contrasts we encounter on the spiritual path would overwhelm us. These contradictions arise because we commit to an impossible goal: to become similar to the Creator by acquiring His qualities of pure, selfless, and unconditional love and bestowal. Yet, by our very nature, we are entirely opposite — born selfish, egoistic, individualistic, subjective, and exploitative, acting solely for our own benefit at the expense of others. All we initially possess is a faint curiosity and aspiration to attain the Creator, driven, of course, by our own self-interest.
The Awakening of the Ego
At the outset, we are unaware of the impossibility of our mission or the depth of our egoistic nature. Only through dedicated engagement with the authentic, practical method of spiritual development do we begin to provoke and uncover the ego’s dominance. As we invest time and effort to learn, practice, and tangibly acquire the Creator’s godly qualities, we start to see how our desires, thoughts, decisions, and actions are wholly governed by selfish intentions.
This realization deepens within a spiritual group, where we strive to love and serve others more than we naturally love and serve ourselves. Through this mutual, devoted work, we feel the overwhelming control of our ego, which resists our efforts to transcend it. We come to recognize the ego as our mortal enemy, the barrier that keeps us disconnected from the single benevolent source of life and prevents us from entering the Creator’s perfect, eternal reality, where we could become His partners in creating and nurturing life.
The Pain of Spiritual Truth
The more we dedicate ourselves to this path, the more acutely we feel the “spiritual truth” — our utter opposition to the godly qualities we seek and our lack of strength to overcome our inherent nature. This truth is painful, revealing the hopelessness of our mission. As our emotional and physical investment grows, the importance of attaining the Creator becomes a “life or death” necessity. We cannot imagine continuing our mundane existence without fulfilling our human purpose.
This impossible state — desperately wanting something we feel is unattainable — can break even the most resolute individual. When faced with an impenetrable wall and a narrow escape back to a simpler, material life, the temptation to retreat, defeated and disillusioned, is overwhelming. Without support, most would abandon the spiritual path entirely.
The Power of Spiritual Faith
Against this deflating truth, we rely on the vital force of “spiritual faith.” This is not blind belief but a mutual atmosphere of inspiration within the spiritual group, where the next, higher spiritual state — where part of the ego has been corrected — feels almost tangible, like glimpsing a fine pastry through a bakery window. This faith is a lifeline, a signal from our next spiritual level, reassuring us that we are not lost, offering light at the end of the tunnel.
Spiritual faith provides the security of a mother’s womb, guaranteeing our development if we surrender to its conditions, no matter how painful the truth of our opposition to the Creator’s qualities. This “womb” is the spiritual group, where we create fertile conditions through our collective efforts. We surrender to the group, nullifying our individual egos and adopting the thoughts and aspirations of others, receiving from them the absolute importance of our shared goal and the Creator’s unconditional love. Simultaneously, we actively support others, ensuring they feel enveloped in the same security.
The Creator’s Role in the Spiritual Womb
The spiritual group’s “mother’s womb” belongs to the Creator, who cannot directly influence us without the right conditions. Only when we foster this mutual environment can He connect to us, nurturing us with His love. We remind each other that the Creator has chosen us, lovingly guiding our development like an unconditionally loving mother, providing the most purposeful conditions and feelings to aid our growth.
Both “spiritual truth” — revealing our opposition to the Creator through mutual work — and “spiritual faith” — the womb connecting us to the Creator and our next spiritual degree — depend on the group’s methodical, persistent, and mutually committed efforts. With the group’s loving support, we can face the painful truth without fleeing. Instead, we turn to the Creator in prayer, asking Him — the only force capable of change — to correct our destructive nature with His godly qualities.
The Danger of an Incomplete Womb
If the spiritual group’s “mother’s womb” is not properly established, the revealed truth of our opposition and inability to change ourselves will inevitably drive us away from the path. Without the group’s support, the weight of our inadequacy becomes unbearable.
Navigating with the Human Observer
The developing “independent objective Human observer” is our guide through this demanding path, balancing the painful revelations of “spiritual truth” with the uplifting embrace of “spiritual faith.” With the group’s support and the Creator’s guidance, we persevere, transforming our nature to align with the Creator’s qualities, moving ever closer to His eternal reality and our purpose as His partners in creation.