Philip S. Berg > Quotes

“Our souls are like streams that can never rest until they once again mingle with the Infinite Sea. Until that time comes we meander, trying out new channels, new lines of least resistance. Sometimes the stream of life swells and rises, sometimes it cascades down like a waterfall. At times the water is shallow, at other times deep, sometimes dark and murky, sometimes pure and crystal clear. At times we enter lakes of the spirit that are so large and still that they deceive us into thinking that we have reached the ocean of endlessness that we have sought so long. Sometimes we are lured by gravity into swamps of uncertainty, sometimes we are trapped in tidal pools from which we fear we might never escape. From lifetime to lifetime the stream goes on, searching, suffering, pursuing the Infinite reunion.”
― Philip S. Berg, Kabbalah for the Layman

“we must simply develop our spiritual potential in order to escape the chaos of a purely empirical relationship with the universe.”
― Philip S. Berg, The Essential Zohar: The Source of Kabbalistic Wisdom

“Everything found in this world must have its counterpart in the worlds above.   Kabbalists have a phrase to describe this process: As above, so below. Our world is the seeable, touchable, hearable, smellable, and tastable form of all the hidden spiritual worlds. There is nothing in our physical world that does not come from the worlds above. Kabbalah tells us that everything we see in this world is only a reflection, an approximation, a clue, to something beyond outward appearances.”
― Philip S. Berg, Kabbalistic Astrology: And the Meaning of Our Lives

“we begin to know our new friend’s mind and heart. We begin to “see” this person with our spiritual eyes as well as our physical senses. This may take place over a period of years. We may see our friend every day, or perhaps only less frequently, but once the relationship has passed a certain point face-to-face contact becomes less important. Long separations may take place with no effect on the relationship. We may miss seeing our friend, but this is really the absence of a physical experience, because in truth we are deprived only at the level of our physical senses. The emotional and spiritual bond that has formed is not affected by absence,”
― Philip S. Berg, The Essential Zohar: The Source of Kabbalistic Wisdom

“Tears shed with real sincerity foster an instant and powerful connection with the Creator. In a sense, they are an especially powerful kind of prayer that expresses itself beyond the limits of language.”
― Philip S. Berg, The Essential Zohar: The Source of Kabbalistic Wisdom

“The teachings of the Zohar concern not only the collective experience of humanity but also the stories of individual human beings—parents and children, students and teachers, friends and antagonists. “As above, so below” is a tenet of Kabbalah. Though the Zohar’s stories were written thousands of years ago and concern the spiritual macrocosm, your story is within them. The meaning of your life and the means to your spiritual growth and transformation are contained in these teachings. The purpose of this book, and the purpose of my life’s work, is to help you to discover them, recognize them, and take action in accordance with what you have learned.”
― Philip S. Berg, The Essential Zohar: The Source of Kabbalistic Wisdom

“Kabbalah teaches that most women come into the world to help men move toward the spiritual correction that they find so much more difficult”
― Philip S. Berg, The Essential Zohar: The Source of Kabbalistic Wisdom

“The only purpose of the Desire to Receive is to attract the infinite blessings of the Light. This is the whole reason for our existence in the physical world.”
― Rav Berg, Kabbalistic Astrology: And The Meaning of Our Lives

“Just as cellular DNA determines the development of our physical bodies throughout our lifetime, the DNA of our souls determines our spiritual and emotional development. Even more remarkable, our spiritual DNA is also expressed through letters, as we will discover shortly.”
― Rav Berg, Kabbalistic Astrology: And The Meaning of Our Lives

“Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle instead affirms the ancient kabbalistic tenet that the observer and the observed are inseparably, irretrievably bound up with one another. Everything is part of a unified whole, as the Bible declares in the Shema: “Hear, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One.”
― Rav Berg, Energy of the Hebrew Letters

“It is when the Desire to Receive is transformed into the Desire to Receive for the Sake of Sharing that we are most like the Light and become the cause of our own fulfillment. According to Kabbalah, we actually reunite with the Light at the moment we emulate its sharing nature. In this way, we serve as the link between the physical world and the spiritual world above. By exercising our potential for sharing, we form a connection to the Light that created us. And, as with any good exercise that makes us stronger, the more we share, the greater our potential becomes.”
― Rav Berg, Kabbalistic Astrology: And The Meaning of Our Lives

“Even rocks and stones have a little bit of the Desire to Receive. As we move up the scale of Creation, we see an increasing physical dependence on the external world—a carrot needs more from the world than a rock, and a cow needs more than a carrot. But human beings have by far the greatest Desire to Receive, because we not only need material things such as water, air, and food, we also require intangibles such as peace, hope, love, and fulfillment.”
― Rav Berg, Kabbalistic Astrology: And The Meaning of Our Lives

“Through the process of reincarnation, we return to an astrological location that gives us the best opportunity possible to revisit those not-so-good choices. This time, we can make different choices and overcome the limitations that held back the growth of our souls. We must play the game until we get it right. It’s just like kids playing a video game—they keep playing and losing and learning and remembering, until they figure out all the tricks of the game, work their way through all the levels, and . . . they win!”
― Rav Berg, Kabbalistic Astrology: And The Meaning of Our Lives

“Our purpose in the world is to gain joy and fulfillment though unity with the Creator. This purpose never changes. It is unaffected by the material conditions of our lives, including the state of our health.”
― Philip S. Berg, The Essential Zohar: The Source of Kabbalistic Wisdom

“The result of our sharing might be a positive effect on our health or in our relationships, or we might receive something too subtle and mysterious to notice right away. But whether we notice it or not, we can be certain that for every act of sharing, a deposit is made into our spiritual bank accounts.”
― Rav Berg, Kabbalistic Astrology: And The Meaning of Our Lives

“Our purpose in life is first to recognize God, then to understand His presence in our lives, and ultimately to achieve unity with His nature.”
― Philip S. Berg, The Essential Zohar: The Source of Kabbalistic Wisdom

“The Light wanted to share, yet it had nothing to share with. Obviously, something had to be done. So the Light created a Vessel to receive everything it had to offer. Receiving was the Vessel’s whole job, its only job—the Desire to Receive. Kabbalah teaches that the Light is the first cause, and the Vessel the first effect.”
― Rav Berg, Kabbalistic Astrology: And The Meaning of Our Lives

“Newtonian physics separated and thus alienated man from the universe. Astronomy revealed a universe so vast and ancient that humanity seemed to be of little or no consequence. Were it not for the ancient science of astrology, the thin connective strand between the vast universe and tiny humanity might have been severed completely.”
― Philip S. Berg, Energy of the Hebrew Letters

“How can one determine the spiritual worth of an individual? The answer is quite simple. Observe the person’s inner peace. Does this person share? Is he or she humble and devoid of hatred? Does he or she take steps to remedy the ills of the world? Does this person display a concerted effort to live by the dictum “love your neighbor as yourself?” Does he or she truly tolerate the opinions and ideas of others? Or does the person exhibit a tendency to force his or her beliefs upon others? By asking and answering these questions, one may find a spiritual mentor.”
― Philip S. Berg, Energy of the Hebrew Letters

“The ancient kabbalists called the Vessel’s act of pushing back the Light “Restriction.” Science calls it . . . THE BIG BANG.”
― Rav Berg, Kabbalistic Astrology: And The Meaning of Our Lives

“humanity is a bridge between the spiritual and the physical realms.”
― Rav Berg, Kabbalistic Astrology: And The Meaning of Our Lives

“But what about those people who receive money, power, and happiness without even thinking about sharing? Kabbalah recognizes that we can, at any time we wish, selfishly receive the blessings of the Light. Very often, our Desire to Receive degenerates into a self-centered Desire to Receive for the Self Alone. It forgets its true purpose and it is led astray by the pleasures of this earthly existence. But physical or spiritual satisfaction will not endure unless there is balance between receiving and sharing.”
― Rav Berg, Kabbalistic Astrology: And The Meaning of Our Lives

“People often discredit astrology when two individuals, born at the exact same time in the same place, lead completely different lives. The positions of their planets are identical, right? Why don’t their lives follow exactly the same paths? Kabbalah would answer this way: It’s because your life is not determined by the positions of the planets! “What?!?” you may say. “Run that by me again.” Your life is not determined by the positions of the planets. In fact, it would be more correct to say that the positions of the planets are determined by your life, or lives. Your birth occurred at a particular moment because it was at that precise moment that your soul needed to be born.”
― Rav Berg, Kabbalistic Astrology: And The Meaning of Our Lives

“It is also true, however, that “Egypt” is an internal state of being that we must pass through to achieve freedom and transformation.”
― Philip S. Berg, The Essential Zohar: The Source of Kabbalistic Wisdom

“As time passes and the relationship grows,”
― Philip S. Berg, The Essential Zohar: The Source of Kabbalistic Wisdom

“With our very first breath, we receive the seed of our whole life. But doesn’t that mean our whole existence is predetermined? If the seed of our life is all there in our first breath, why not just lie there like a fish and let “whatever” happen to us? Kabbalah would answer, “Because a seed is just a seed. It’s a possible tree. It is up to us to choose from all the different possible paths presented to us by that first breath.” Given the right care, the right food, the right Light, the seed grows into the best tree it can be. But if we don’t do the necessary work on ourselves—if we don’t consciously seek to transform our Desire to Receive into a Desire to Receive for the Sake of Sharing, if we don’t use our tikkun to keep ourselves on course—we will remain at the mercy of the planets. The positions of the planets at the moment of our birth do not determine our whole life; they merely influence it. They are the seeds, not the whole tree.”
― Rav Berg, Kabbalistic Astrology: And The Meaning of Our Lives

“Then, suddenly, business is booming again. Instead of reacting with happiness and joy at the prospect of higher profits, you acknowledge that your happiness should be present regardless of outside forces. This simple acknowledgement puts you in control of your inner life. You are the cause of your feelings. When we receive the Light directly, as we did when we were first created, we are merely an effect. However, when the Light is concealed, and we have to earn it by resisting our reactive instincts, the Light is then revealed. We are the cause of its revelation.”
― Rav Berg, Kabbalistic Astrology: And The Meaning of Our Lives

“Kabbalists have a phrase to describe this process: As above, so below. Our world is the seeable, touchable, hearable, smellable, and tastable form of all the hidden spiritual worlds. There is nothing in our physical world that does not come from the worlds above. Kabbalah tells us that everything we see in this world is only a reflection, an approximation, a clue, to something beyond outward appearances.”
― Rav Berg, Kabbalistic Astrology: And The Meaning of Our Lives

“The kabbalistic concept of tikkun reveals the kinds of choices we’ve made in past lives and, more important, which choices we should make this time around. By understanding our personal tikkun we can: • Identify our past weaknesses. • Recognize the baggage we’ve brought along from previous lives. • Avoid the roadblocks and detours that slow our progress toward the Light. • Overcome our deepest fears. • Become “all that we can be” in the deepest sense.”
― Rav Berg, Kabbalistic Astrology: And The Meaning of Our Lives

“Kabbalah allows us to use our understanding of the spiritual influence of the planets and stars for our own spiritual purpose. By making the necessary corrections to our life path, we can give ourselves the best chance of spiritual success.”
― Rav Berg, Kabbalistic Astrology: And The Meaning of Our Lives