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

“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 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

“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

“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

“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

“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

“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

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

“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

“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

“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

“If Moses tendered such loving care to animals, then how much greater would his love for humans be.”
― Philip S. Berg, Energy of the Hebrew Letters

“By virtue of knowing the letters [internal manifestations] of the sun, the moon, and the eclipses of each, the planets, and the signs of the zodiac, they know all that exists in our universe.”26”
― Philip S. Berg, Energy of the Hebrew Letters

“When a man is at home, the foundation of the house is the wife, because of whom the Shechinah does not leave the house. He who goes on a journey should pray to the Creator before departing, so as to draw the Shechinah upon himself.”
― Philip S. Berg, The Essential Zohar: The Source of Kabbalistic Wisdom

“Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge.”
― Philip S. Berg, Energy of the Hebrew Letters

“The kabbalists explain that when a human being dies and the body decomposes, a tiny bone at the base of the spine always remains intact. This bone, called the luz, is the seed from which the physical self will arise when humanity is redeemed and the dead are resurrected. But the generation of the Flood are excluded from this process. They are gone forever, and not even a tiny bone of them remains.”
― Philip S. Berg, The Essential Zohar: The Source of Kabbalistic Wisdom

“The Lord informed Abraham that because he could “count the stars” (that is, have knowledge of the stars) he could transcend the influence of the cosmos and be less subject to planetary influences.”
― Philip S. Berg, Energy of the Hebrew Letters

“NO POINT IS MORE
CENTRAL THAN THIS,
THAT EMPTY SPACE
IS NOT EMPTY.
IT IS THE SEAT OF THE
MOST VIOLENT PHYSICS. —JOHN A. WHEELER”
― Philip S. Berg, Energy of the Hebrew Letters

“It is also true, however, that Noah could have done more. He built the ark as God commanded, and he withstood the contempt of onlookers, but he did not attempt to intercede with the Creator on behalf of his fellow man. Abraham literally argued with God in an effort to save Sodom and Gomorrah. And Moses was prepared to give up his own life in exchange for the safety of the nation of Israel.”
― Philip S. Berg, The Essential Zohar: The Source of Kabbalistic Wisdom

“FOR THE SCIENCE OF
MATHEMATICS IS ONE OF
THE GATES WHICH LEAD
TO A KNOWLEDGE OF THE
SUBSTANCE OF THE SOUL.”
― Philip S. Berg, Energy of the Hebrew Letters