The disciples said to him, “Your brothers and your mother are standing outside.”
He said to them, “Those here who do the will of my father are my brothers and my mother. It is they who will enter into the kingdom of my father.”
There is a more important bond than that of mere flesh and blood to be discovered and honored. It is a bond and connection of the soul in Spirit. While the family with which you share a blood tie is your family for a lifetime, with the family of your soul you share a bond forever—a connection that spans many lives. On account of this, it may rightly be said that our spiritual family or our soul’s family is primary to us, and our temporary family of physical birth secondary, although in some cases it may be that these two families are interwoven, as in the case of Lord Yeshua. Recognition of this truth comes more and more as we let go of our strong self-identity with name and form and generate a new self-identity with our soul and Christ-self. Then we realize the purpose and meaning of this life to be far more than we might at first have imagined.
The masters of the holy Kabbalah teach us that living souls come forth from different spiritual roots and that, according to the root from which a given soul comes, it has a corresponding root essence and an intimate and special connection to other souls with which it shares the same holy root. The masters speak of this in terms of the organs of the body of Adam Kadmon, teaching that souls come from different parts of the body of the primordial human being and that one’s nature, temperament, and function corresponds to the organ of the Divine body from which one’s soul is derived. The closest bonds we share with others in this life are with those who have the same soul-root as our own, being drawn together in order to accomplish certain mutual tasks in this world. This is said to be especially true of the spiritual community we are attracted to and enter, becoming a member. Those who gather together in spiritual communities share something of the same root-essence in their soul, and thus have a special soul connection. Hence, in a mystical fellowship, it is said that a holy tzaddik and his or her companions share the same holy root-essence and come together for a specific mission. While this can be true of gatherings of souls other than those of spiritual communities, here the Master is speaking specifically of a mystical and spiritual community. Thus, on one level, the Master is giving a teaching on soul-roots and connections between souls, while, on another level, speaking about the importance of the spiritual community in the great work.
Not only is our own individual spiritual practice important, our collective work together in spiritual communities is also crucial. Working spiritually in seclusion and isolation will not accomplish the greatest good nor facilitate the highest advancement of the soul. To actually accomplish a greater good and for a higher level of attainment, we need a spiritual teacher and the spiritual community that naturally forms around the teacher. They are our soul’s family, and like our physical family, we cannot ultimately be severed from them. Rather, our spiritual community is our spiritual family for our lifetime and, according to the esoteric wisdom, far beyond that.
This teaching reveals why it is very important that we seek out and participate in a spiritual community and not make the mistake of bouncing around from one to another. Moreover, it reveals why, once we find an authentic teacher and community we have a true connection with, it is important that we remain with that community and labor with our spiritual community in the great work. An organic connection must be developed. The transmission that passes through a community to the individual member transpires only after due time. Likewise, whatever the work of our particular spiritual teacher and community, it is our work also. Fundamentally, we have a need for others and community for our greater fulfillment.
Here, it must be said, as we have before, that it will be through many small collectives of the faithful and elect working together that the advent of the supernal consciousness will ultimately occur, not merely through isolate individual efforts.
In terms of spiritual communities, their bond is deep within us, within our soul, and the ultimate unity is in God. Every individual has a unique role to play in the life of the community. Every community has its own task or mission in the great work. Thus, we find among the tzaddikim different modes and forms of the teachings, each lineage developing upon unique lines, even within the same Wisdom Tradition. Their own emphasis reflects something of their mission, the specific purpose for that manifestation of the Light-transmission reaching out to souls of certain levels and root-essences. Just as the individual is part of the greater body of the particular spiritual community, any given spiritual community is part of the greater community of the Wisdom Tradition followed, and ultimately, is part of the universal spiritual community worldwide, composed of all faiths and Wisdom Traditions—all who, in their own unique way, do the Will of God and so enter into the kingdom of God.
There is a basic truth underlying this teaching. We are all brothers and sisters, every living creature is part of our family, and God is our Father-Mother. May we remember to love and bring to unity. Amen.