Thursday 26 May 2011

naomi's question of the day - #13

"naomi's question of the day" is a new feature of the Nishmablog featuring a question for you to ponder, extend and/or respond to through your comments.

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May 26, 2011

We are told (by Rambam, I think) that if we are conscious of God constantly, we will be safe.
"...existential psychology recognizes that for man, the only 'norm' can be creativity, some form of self-transcendence." (C. Wilson)
To transcend the self - is this to come in contact with Godliness? But to create is to feel God-like -- and it necessitates a powerful and focused self, a self that hears all of its own voice. How is it possible to clearly attend to that voice and, simultaneously, be conscious of God?

3 comments:

Mighty Garnel Ironheart said...

In the words of Bobby McFerrin:
"Here is a little song I wrote
You might want to sing it note for note
Don't worry be happy
In every life we have some trouble
When you worry you make it double
Don't worry, be happy...... "

c. said...

Is there a single voice of the conscious self? Can't we hear too many voices always? Even the creative individual, entirely self-aware, wades (drowns?), I think, in some tangled crowd of voices.

But is the God-voice distinct? Don't we want to hear Him as an external voice, not our own? The objective Good and Just.

This voice does not co-exist with our own, cannot, I think. And maybe the directive to be conscious of God is, I thought in light of your question, meant to instruct us toward humility, to compel us to recognize that the God-consciousness we know is a voice within us and not a voice that echoes from heaven. (I wonder, though, what a prophet might say. I think, for a prophet, it must be very difficult to write.)

Nishma said...

The key is to set one's ego voice aside and to here G-d's voice via one's own "highest" voice, or the voice of one's "highest" self.

The lowest self is "nefesh" the animal self

Ruach is a higher spiritual self

Neshamah is transcendant going beyond one's own self

G-d Himself is beyond us [l'eilah] , but we do have access to Higher Realms of Spirit that emanate from G-d


Shalom,
RRW