Devekut. A kabbalistic concept that means “attachment to God.”
The basic practice is simple: stay aware of God’s presence. You can do it anywhere. Because, as Kabbalah teaches, the world is made of divine energy. No place is empty of God.
HOW TO PRACTICE DEVEKUT
Here’s an analogy. Your doctor says, “Don’t slump; it causes back pain.” You take this seriously. So, each time you find yourself slumping, you straighten up.
When you practice devekut, you do something similar. Each time you notice you are not aware of God, you redirect your attention.
How do you do that? There are so many techniques.
At a meal: Say a brachah, a blessing, thanking God for the food.
Lying in bed: Take a deep breath and imagine breathing in divine light.
On public transit: Look around the crowded bus and think, “God loves these people.”
Walking outdoors: Notice a little weed growing in a sidewalk crack and marvel at its resilience. Whisper, “God’s creatures are amazing!”
In synagogue: Listen to the actual words of liturgy and wonder. Ask yourself, “Is this really how I think of God? What does God mean to me?”
DEVEKUT AND COSMIC CONSCIOUSNESS
As part of your practice, you might experience a time of cosmic consciousness. You might perceive the field of divine energy behind all appearances. But don’t imagine that event means you have “achieved” devekut. You can—and should—practice devekut at any level of consciousness. As the Baal Shem Tov says, “Every once in a while the heavens split open and we are transported to the highest levels of consciousness. But most of the time we work at the lower levels.”
DEVEKUT AND GOD-CONCEPTS
Devekut will lead you away from a rigid conception of God. That’s because you will experience God in so many different ways. You may have life-giving spiritual experiences that lead you to joy and hope. But you might also have uncomfortable ones, reminding you of spiritual trauma. So, it can be helpful to work with a qualified spiritual director or guide.
TEXTS AND HISTORY
Want to learn the history of key concepts of Kabbalah? Join the Facebook group “The Zohar.” Here, Rabbi Ben Newman, Dr. Daniel Matt, and other admins share source sheets, podcasts, and more. This month’s topic is—you guessed it—devekut.
You write:
On public transit: Look around the crowded bus and think, “God loves these people.”
My first reaction, “Even the maskless menaces who refuse to wear a mask or keep a reasonable distance?”
My second reactionb
Lucky God loves them, ‘cuz I sure don’t!
As a Quaker friend of mine once said,”I know that there is that of God in everyone, but some people are very good at hiding it.”
So it’s a real struggle to remember to “answer that of God” in such folks and not react angrily and remind them how inconsiderate they’re being when they refuse to move away…..
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As a Quaker friend of mine once said,”I know that there is that of God in everyone, but some people are very good at hiding it.”
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ROFL!
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As a Quaker friend of mine once said,”I know that there is that of God in everyone, but some people are very good at hiding it.”
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ROFL!
This post reminds me of a story of two new priests, arguing over whether is was permitted to smoke, while meditating. They decided to ask their spiritual directors.
When they meet next, they compare notes. A says “My director says “Absolutely not!” B says “My director says “Sure, why not!”.
This puzzles them, but finally B asks:
“What, exactly, was your question?”
. . . A: “Is it OK if I smoke, while I meditate.”
. . . B: “Oh, that explains it. I asked “Is it OK if I meditate, while I smoke?”
Please be careful to not fall into devekut, while driving.
I love this discussion! Thank you both for the humour!
Of course devekut is a challenging practice! Of course it brings up negative and positive judgments and feelings!
Keep in mind that devekut is not a technique for making public health decisions.
So, Maxine, you are not failing at devekut by making harsh judgements about public health practices. For sure the Baal Shem Tov would say that your anger itself is a manifestation of divine judgment, i.e., the need to set limits and to make good decisions.
Charles, we might not want to do kundalini breathing exercises while driving, but I for one could do better at remembering that, as I put it above, God loves even the worst drivers. Probably not for their driving skills, though.
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Charles, we might not want to do kundalini breathing exercises while driving,
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Ironically, as we were driving in Kerrisdale today, Sandra had to brake-and-swerve to avoid a car running a stop sign, across our path. No damage, lots of adrenalin.
Stuff like that (IMHO) has little to do with God, but a lot to do with paying attention _to the right things, at the right times_.
There might be some spiritual value in that, as well as the obvious benefit to longevity.
. Charles
PS — somewhere in the high cable channels, there was an hour program on Singapore’s urban otters, absolutely fascinating. “Uptown Otters”, it might have been called.