1.       INTRODUCTION

a.       THE SOURCE:  ADAM’S 130 YEARS OF SOLITUDE

After the 'Sin', Adam separated from Eve in order to do “Tshuvah”, and as a result of the separation, there occurred spilt sexual seed that came from Adam.  This seed was transformed into entire generations of humans and sub-humans spanning the generations of the flood, the Tower of Babel, Sodom and finally the Egyptian exile.  These spilled seed based generations reincarnatated from a more un-rectified state to greater and greater states of rectification.  Upon becoming the Children of Israel or the 'Generation of Daas' (knowledge) after the Egyptian exile when they received the Torah at Mount Sinai, they almost reached a perfected state.  Since we partake of  this last phase of the rectification process, in these first six to eight Parsha/weeks of the book of Shemot, therefore this is an auspicious time period for alligning and rectifying our sexual orientation.  This period is known as the “Shovevim”.  The word Shovevim is the acronym for the first letters of the first six weeks/Parshas of the Book of Shemot.

b.      THE TRADITIONAL PRACTICAL APPLICATION

Kabbalistic Yeshivahs traditionally have taken advantage of the auspicious time period to conduct weekly public “tikunim”.  The public come together usually late Thursday afternoon.  Many of the people are fasting.  Each week focuses on a different rectification or tikun, most of which concentrate on fixing up sexual aberrations, such as wasted seed, adultery and other similar “missing the mark” occurrences.  The prescribed readings and activities are drawn from the teachings of the Arizal [Rabbi Isaac Luria].  In addition to these Kabbalistic gatherings, other less Kabbalistic elements of the Orthodox world focus on different types of tikunim in this period.  These include increased Torah learning and refraining from engaging in activities that are more indirectly related to or lead to sexual misconduct, such as unguarded speech, lustful gazing and other sensory and spiritually related activities.

c.       OUR APPROACH

According to my humble opinion, and based on my experience, I feel that perhaps  an alternative way to approach  that which needs rectification in the realm of sexuality, is to stress the positive as opposed to the negative and to stress the application of sexuality in our personality and in our interpersonal relationships. 

 In order to understand the connection between sexuality and personality, we need to examine the biological and Kabbalistic roots of sexuality.  This can be done by understanding the Sefira called 'Yesod.'  Yesod corresponds to the male sexual organ as well as to the entire dynamic of sexuality.  Just as the biological male sexual organ is distinguished by certain characteristics in the sexual act, such as representing the entirety of the body, being the conduit for reproduction, being the bridge between one person and another, being the source of the most intense pleasure, and being responsible for the make- up of the child that will be born, so too, do all of these characteristics express themselves in life, in our personalities, and in our relationships even when there is no physically-sexual activity being expressed.  These characteristics are equally found in men and women, and have a crucial and all encompassing impact on individuals as well as on the entire cosmos, just as it's parrallel expression  in sexual physical activity have. 

 These meditations will be ways that we can awaken and actualize these characteristics in our lives and perhaps strike at the root of Tikun in this highly charged realm.

2.       KABBALISTICALLY CORRECT SEXUALITY MEDITATIONS

A.      THE ALL OF ME MEDITATION

REALIZE

Realize, that in the sexual act, the entire person’s DNA is transferred from the male to the female [and the entirety of the female is also conveyed by her DNA in the process].  The Kabbalists teach that to the extent that the entire person is involved in the process, to that extent the fetus will be whole.  The same goes for any type of creative expression, i.e. to the extent that we completely communicate to another person our thoughts and feelings, to that extent we create a complete spiritual being.

PROJECT

Project yourself communicating in a way that conveys more of yourself, i.e. your feelings, your creativity, your inner motivations etc..., and envision the more complete resulting energy and impact that you create.  See yourself opening up and growing in this way little by little all the time, until you become an overflowing wellspring of holistic communication.

B.       THE REPRODUCTIVE MEDITATION

REALIZE

Realize, that all of the characteristics that we are dealing with in this topic are directly responsible for   your ability to be reproductive.  Therefore the more that you communicate the totality of yourself with pleasure, and intent, and bonding etc, the more you will find that other people will communicate in that way also.

PROJECT

Project yourself experiencing having an impact on your surroundings that inspires other people to flourish and flow in their own creativity, just as you yourself do.  Enjoy the feeling of this abundance, and have certainty that this energy will reproduce itself in yourself, others and in the world beyond you endlessly.

C.      THE REPRESENTATION MEDITATION

REALIZE

Realize, that what is conveyed in the sexual act from a man to a woman, is the exact replica or representation of both of them.  Similarly, when we communicate, to the extent we communicate from the essence of our authentic self, we in turn cause the other person to communicate in that way back to us. 

PROJECT

Project that from now on you begin to develop the awareness and ability to say what you mean and to mean what you say.  Envision how this type of enhanced communication elicits a mirror effect in all people that you talk to.   Enjoy this enhanced level of authentic communication, and see how it naturally inspires all the people of your life to do the same.

D.       THE KAVANAH [INTENTION] MEDITATION

REALIZE

Realize, that just as the spiritual make-up of a child is greatly influenced by the thoughts and intentions that this child’s parents had at the time of conception, so too, you should know, that what you intend, feel and think in life, will determine the quality of all future outcomes and birth-products resulting from your present activity.

PROJECT

Project that you are becoming more and more sensitive to the effect that all of your actions, thoughts and feelings have.  See yourself intending the outcome of more and more of what you do in life and experience your ability to cause reality to become more and more miraculous.  Enjoy this ability and be grateful to Hashem for it.

E.       THE BONDING MEDITATIONS

REALIZE

Realize, that to the extent that a man and a woman in the sexual act bond physically and spiritually without anything separating them; to that extent the child will be born with a maximal blend of both of their traits.  Similarly, regarding interpersonal relationships, to the extent that two people bond and remove any separations between them; to that extent the fruits of their bonding will reveal the maximal blend of both of them.

PROJECT

Project yourself in a certain interpersonal connection in your life.  Experience yourself connecting with that person without holding back anything of your personality, such as your feelings, your vulnerabilities, your humor, etc etc....  Notice how the other person reciprocates in kind.  See yourself doing this more and more with the people of your world, and enjoy the level of bonding that this approach enables you to experience.

THE KABBALISTICALLY CORRECT SEXUALITY MEDITATIONS
Part 2

      GOOD TO THE LAST DROP!

REALIZE

Wasted seed parallels wasted resources.

Realize that on the one hand, as we see with the wasted seed of Adam, a painful rectification was required over the span of generations.  On the other hand, to the extent that one’s seed or one’s resources are properly gathered and utilized, to that extent does the person in their creative expressions impact the world.

PROJECT

First scan as many spiritual creative and actual resources that you have at your disposal, such as books that you have read, friends that you’ve gathered, pieces of art that you’ve  created, etc.   Do this by reciting over and over again, in “mantra” style, the statement, “Thank you Hashem for this resource…………..……”  Let your mind spontaneously receive a free flowing list of your resources, and take note of them [preferably in writing].  Now project yourself utilizing and applying as many of these resources as you can in your life.  Next project yourself becoming more of a “resource utilizing human being” until you [and others] can testify about yourself that you are truly one who is good to the last drop.

2.       ATTRACTION

REALIZE

The feminine paradigm in the conception process parallels the characteristic of human attraction.

Just as the one feminine egg cell serves to attract one of countless sperm cells to herself in order to elicit a new being, and similarly, the feminine paradigm attracts to herself the male paradigm in order to bond and ultimately bring new life to the world, so too can a person [male and female], attract to themselves and bond with someone or something whose influence can give birth to a well spring “Shefa” [abundance], both spiritual and material in their life.

PROJECT

Scan the potential sources of influence in your life [whether it’s a person or not].  Beginning with the most fruitful and beneficial one, envision the eventual positive results that could come with forging a relationship with such a person/influence.  See now how you connect in the best way and then go and do it actually in your life.  Project yourself becoming more and more a truly attractive person for all of the right types of influence, and how this ever increasing attractiveness is opening up huge stores of “Shefa” [abundance in your life].

3.       PRIMAL PLEASURE

REALIZE

The pleasure experienced in the sexual act parallels primal pleasure we can experience in life.

Realize that Hashem planted inside the sexual experience, one of the most profound senses of pleasure experienced in our lives ------- a sense of pleasure often felt as a feeling of surrender and oneness to that which is beyond us. To the extent that we awaken the same Divine like pleasure to be the innermost motivator of all we do in life, to that extent can we invest our lives with an ecstatic and surrendering sense of clinging to the One Above.

PROJECT

Scan the level of primal pleasure [i.e. profound Divine based pleasure] that you have experienced in various activities in your life.  See yourself steadily increasing that level.  Project yourself a few months from now after having constantly worked on increasing your primal pleasure level.  Take great joy in the impact that all this is having in your life, and in the lives of others in your world and beyond.

4.       MERITING THE MULTITUDES

REALIZE

The rectification for wasted seed is to properly allocate that seed, and this parallels the act of causing many people to be righteous i.e. meriting the multitudes.

Realize that just as Adam was responsible to causing the multitudes of people [even entire generations] untold suffering as a result of his wasted seed, so too, in a diametrically opposite fashion, one can be responsible for bringing endless blessing into the world by pursuing a path of bringing multitudes of people to righteousness.

PROJECT

Scan the talents, abilities and capacities that you excel in life.  Start with your strongest and favorite talent, and then move on to others.  Envision how you can use this talent to truly impact for the good, multitudes of people, and project the exponential results of this impact in the not too distant future.  Take great pleasure, and have a large dose of gratitude to the One Above.

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