Lighting Your Precious Candles

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Well, what do you use to light up your seven precious candles?

The best oil is olive oil!

According to Rebbe Nachman, in Likutey Moharan lesson #21 we all have seven precious candles. These candles are our eyes, our ears, two nostrils and our mouth. When we use pure, clean oil to illuminate these candles that means we are checking what we take in --good books, good blog posts, positive, useful information, good tidings, important tidings, good food, fragrant or cool air, etc. When it is said that unclean, dirty oil is used, its as if we are putting shmutzy, trashy, junky, gossipy, disgraceful movies, songs, pictures, bad smells into ourselves.

It can be worthwhile to use good, healthy oil for illuminating these candles because a well lit face brings us to grace from The Holy One, Blessed be He and also the intellect can more easily absorbs information (the channels are not clogged up by falsehood, hurtful info, and the like).

Now who wouldn't want that?

It goes further. There are two kinds of knowledge. The one that is inside the brain already and the one that hoovers around us waiting to be let in. Let's give these two names. The one that's inside us already, we'll call absorbed knowledge; the kind that is not yet processed yet, we'll call floating knowledge (in Hebrew its called makif. Should I use the Hebrew?)

Using my favorite mascot, Karen. Say Karen is waiting to absorb some floating knowledge. For the time being she's just not getting it.

The floating knowledge x, y, and z are buzzing around her. She can't really see it, but its there. Some of it is so pure, so refined that unless Karen refines her seven candles, she may not be able to absorb all of it.

This floating knowledge of x, y, and z can also be called her "garments" because they hoover around her like a coat.

There was once a thug who was waiting for a girl to pass by to hurt her. He hid behind a bush and prepared for his ambush.  Luckily, that girl decided to wear a disguise. She wore something different than what she already had. Thus, when she passed by the thug behind the bush, she was unrecognizable and was able to pass unharmed!

Another good reason for illuminating our candles and absorbing new knowledge is that we eliminate the old "garment" around us and have a brand new garment unrecognizable than before. Thus, we can experience life quite differently than before.  The "thugs" won't recognize the new garment and we pass unharmed; that is to say, old naysayers and previous hurtful words and haters can not effect us because they are chasing after the wrong garments.

(hmmm, perhaps that explains why kids are always putting things in their mouths! lol. Forever learning, absorbing from the outside and bringing it in)

The concept of "garment" is too deep and I don't think I would do it justice to explain any further.

So to sum it all up: using pure oil to make your candles shine bright -i.e. using proper speech, no cuss words, not breathing hot air of anger, keeping cool, seeing good and hearing good- is beneficial in that it allows you to absorb knowledge faster. As you keep absorbing new knowledge and more knowledge, you get wise. You receive grace and you leave your enemies powerless.  

A Hair, Nose and Skin Specialist?

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There are certain parts of our physical bodies which seem to really shame many Black folks. These parts are often used by other to shame, humiliate and embarrass us. Its our hair, our nose and our skin. Perhaps we need a Hair, Nose and Skin Specialist to go to to remove all the mysteries around these parts and get us back to a healthy relationship with them?

Well, we're in luck! today, I have decided to be just that specialist!

Come, my beloved one, step into my office. Be careful of my various medical equipment. What? you say, my medical equipment consist of mostly books? Yes! I'm somewhat of a therapist as well bwahhahahaha!

Now, sit here and tell me your troubles...

Ah, the hair. Yes. Its quite curly, I see. Wooly, soft, um hmmm, go on. You're right, its not like any other hair on earth. Yes, go on, I am listening. You were told straight hair is good hair, okay... you were given an iron to straighten your hair and got hooked on the straight, yes, go on.... others frown when you wear your hair natural, which reinforces the good hair=straight hair idea, I understand...

Oh and the nose! It has been compared to not so nice things because of its size. It sit boldly in the middle of your face, calling attention to itself constantly.... go on...

Um, and the skin. Yes yes, I have heard all about that one.

Well, before we begin a treatment, I would like to look up and share with you somethings about these parts that you possess. Please be patient,yes?

Let's start with the nose.
This is the channel in which air passes. It is compared to prayer for many reasons. For one, this is where God Almighty breathed life into us. After that, we could have exhaled that air and finished. End of life. But we go on. Why? Because He still breaths life into us through our nose. Now because we need this air constantly and because we need to pray constantly, they are compared to one another.

Air is called ruakh in Hebrew. It is also the same word for wind. There is a concept in Kabbalah which teaches that there are four winds- the northern, southern, eastern, and western. Each represent something different. The northern wind represents wealth. The south represents wisdom. East spirituality. For this reason, some rather face north when asking for material things, south for wisdom, etc.

Now why were you given such a nose, I am not sure. But let me keep reading, yes, my friend?

In addition to the mystery of holy ruakh that passes through your nose is also the question of how much life, potency, capability is actually passed to you. No one knows the potential of a man, woman or child. Perhaps for you God breathed (so to speak) a long and powerful wind into you? Perhaps for the next guy a short wind?

Now what should you do with this ruakh? Breath deeply. This is your source of life. It physically rejuvenates your every cell as you breath deeply. Its a life force. And just as the Holy One, Blessed be He gave you this breath of life so you can give life. When you lack something, what is it that we naturally do? We sigh. We think about what we lack and sigh. Sighing is us giving life force to that which we lack. Sort of like making it a reality, like God made us a reality with His breath.

Ah, let me stay on topic. We were reading about the nose...yes...

It is also taught by the Jewish sages that the Messiah's weapon will be prayer. And that he will judge people through the sense of smell. What a powerful nose this person will have!

What? You are fine with your nose? Nevermind any treatment for it? Ah very well. Let us move on to the hair...

TO BE CONTINUED...