CHANUKAH'S LIGHT INTO DARKNESS MEDITATIONS
 
*******These meditations are designed to harness the unique power of bringing light into darkness--that is available to us in many ways on Chanukah--to draw from, into the rest of the year
 
1. THE HOLIDAY'S MYSTICAL ILLUMINATIONS
 
A. WHAT YOU DON'T SEE IS WHAT YOU GET
 
[unlike the Greek contribution to civilization which stresses the glory of human accomplishment, which can be measured and seen, Yisrael's gift to the world is to glorify what cannot be measured and seen]
 
the meditation;
Scan the highlights of your day, week or life. Repeat (in a mantra fashion)over and over, the following statement, "The hidden aspect of this is _____". Allow answers to come to you until you open up the dimension of hidden glory as much as possible
 
B. OHR GANUZ --THE HIDDEN LIGHT
 
[the first 36 hours after Adam was created, G-d shined the hidden light for him to be able to see from one end of the world, of history and of his life--- to the other. This light is available to us on Chanukah simply by staring at the candles with the proper intention]
 
While looking at the candle[s],squint your eyes and focus on the lines that radiate out. In your mind's eye, extend those lines endlessly from one end of the universe to the other. While you visually extend the lines, also conceptually extend the lines, and see the entire span of your life and all the lessons that you can derive, as well as the span of history and it's lessons...
 
C. 'AIN BRAIRA' ---THE POWER OF 'NO CHOICE'
 
[ one Jewish family realized that they had 'no choice' but to wage war against the entire Greek empire-----otherwise, their spiritual heritage would have been devastated. This absolute clarity that they possessed ultimately, with Hashem's help, enabled them to miraculously be victorious]
 
Identify one challenge in your life, that you have no choice other than to somehow miraculously succeed, despite imppossible odds working against you. Project with absolute clarity, how, with Hashem's help, you overcome and succeed. Continue in this way with other such challenges
 
D. THE 'PARATROOPER' PRINCIPLE 
 
[ the esoteric reason why we light the Chanukah candles when darkness sets in, can be explained with the analogy of a paratrooper who parachutes behind enemy lines in order to rescue his comrades in arms who are presently prisoner's of war. Similarly the 'Shechina'--the Divine Prescence--plunges Herself into the darkness of night in order to rescue with Her divine Light, those Holy Souls and Holy Sparks that are entrapped in their G-dless environment]
 
Focus on areas of life, past, present or future, that are presently sunk in darkness,  [ie...confusion, stuckness, imposssible challenges...etc..], whether it be your own darkness or that of others. Fill yourself up with the light of the Shechinah---ie...Feel yourself surrounded and filled up with G-d's loving, caring and nurturing Light. Now begin to shine that Light onto the people and redeemable parts of yourself that are trapped in the darkness until you begin to  sense that they are liberating and elevating 
 
 
  2. ILLUMINATIONS OF THE 'TIME' DIMENSION
 
A. MY YEAR'S 'ULTRASOUND' CHECKUP CHECKUP
 
[ on Rosh hashonah, we were 'impregnated'. We were Divinely granted a personal path or mission to carry out during the year. Just as the foetus in the womb is concealed until birth, so too with our year's mission---it is partially hidden until the time comes for it to be born (at the end of the Pesach Holiday). However, we do have the ability to peek. Just as a pregnancy cycle reaches a stage, at about a third of the way through, where it is evident to all onlookers that a pregnancy does indeed exist---so too does our year's 'pregnancy' mission reach this stage during Chanukah. In addition to that, we also have the abiltiy to to know the gender and a few other normally hidden aspects of the foetus nowadays, with an ultrsound checkup--------if we look carefully enough on Chanukah, we can access this extra insight about our lives also]
 
Conduct a dialogue between the foetus inside of yourself and the mother inside of yoursef. let the mother lovingly urge the foetus to express how he or she is doing, what he or she is all about and he or she can be maximally actualized and self expressed. The foetus represents your evolving year's mission unveiling and manifesting itself. Keep the dialogue going so that you can reveal as much as you can-----and all in an environment that is as loving and safe as it possibly can be
 
 
B. THE POWER OF THE DARKNESS CONTRAST
 
[ Chanukah takes place at the darkest time of the year. The length of the night compared to that of the day, reaches it's peak extremity. We are taught by the Kabbalistic masters , that Hashem set up the creation in order to allow a reality whereby G-diness could and would be revealed in the most G-dless environments. This is the purpose of Creation. This dynamic is only possible when there co-exists a  contrast---- a contrast between peak darkness and minimal Divine Light that ultimately overtakes the darkness completely]
 
Scan your life's history, as little or as much of it as you like. Identify those areas of your life which were the darkest of all. See that your life, while inside of the darkness, was far away from
 G-d. In as many ways as you can, draw down G-dliness into this darkness-----for example---see the redeeming features, and how it is/was all for the best and how it all somehow worked out for you and will continue to do so. Do this whole process for your present and future as well.
 
C. THE LAST HOLIDAY OF HISTORY
 
[ our Sages determined that the last holiday of our Holiday cycle to be instituted, should be Chanukah. So too, in the calendar year, Chanukah is the last Holiday before a very long stretch of the darkest and coldest winter months. So too historically, the Chanukah story took place right before we entered into the longest of all of our exiles---bereft of our Holy Temple, and for the most part, of our Holy Land. Somehow those tiny candlelights of Chanukah have the power to stand the test of time and sustaion us throughout the longest , coldest and darkest of time periods]
 
Etch into your mind or soul, a 'space', a sanctuary, a knowing----that will always exist and be available for you upon request. It consists of the 'Divine Prescence', of the light that you can tap in to no matter how far away you are in terms of time space and soul. This light, that is etched into your soul, will serve as a source of safety, sweetening, comfort, rescue and elevation. Project a few situations where this light will come through for you in the future, exactly in the way that you will need
 
 
3. ILLUMINATIONS OF THE PERSONAL DIMENSION
 
[some of the most famous people in History, from Napoleon to Mark Twain to the Dali Lama----have remarked in awe and in wonder---about how the Jewish people have been able to survive throughout all of history despite being subject to the greatest obstacles known to mankind. The 'Light into Darkness Principle' that Chanukah opens up for us, provides us with not only the keys to our near impossible historical survival as a nation, but also illuminates our personal lives with the knowledge of how to bring light into all of the many forms of darkness that we experence daily]
 
Focus on how each one of the following areas of our lives involve a process of overcoming a certain aspect of darkness [such as uncertainty, fear, pain...etc..] Draw on all of the previous techniques that we've brought in these meditations, as well as any other 'illuminations' that come to mind....Overcome and light up any and all forms of darkness that exist in the following self-actualizing processes that you
 are undergoing in your life;
 
a. coping with challenges
b. growth
c. getting clarity
d. relationships
e. healing
f. Emunah [Faith]
g. self actualization
h. transcendence into higher states of being