The first step of this week of Yesod was to infuse this ninth sefirah with the energies of Chesed. Now it is time to limit Lovingkindness with Gevurah, the sefirah of Emotional Boundaries. The Acceptance and Love that we carry must have proper form for it to express meaningfully in our world. On this day we feel the channel of Light between the genital area and the left shoulder.

Honouring the ego, the identity which awakens at Yesod, is one of the great challenges we face. From the lesser “i”, our more limited point of view, we experience a constant parade of judgements and comparisons with which we separate ourselves from ourselves, from others and from our world. Gevurah, that first sefirah of separation, reminds us of the necessity of such boundaries, for it is Gevurah which supports Creation when it shapes the fullness it receives. Even our judgements and comparisons can be for blessing when they help orientate us in the world, when they teach us to better use ourselves as vehicles of Divine Purpose.

The ego does not function simply in an environment of light. It knows the shadow as well. Gevurah symbolises that shadow, and by its strength we know the strength of the Light it contains. All aspects of our being proclaim the glory of the One we are, so we do not seek to rid ourselves of shadow, but to utilise its energies in the service of evolution itself.

The ego functions as an environment that reflects the polarities awakening at Gevurah. Just as Gevurah allows fuller energies to manifest, so Yesod becomes the necessary vehicle for walking holiness into our world. We are reminded that all aspects of our being proclaim the glory of the One we are, so we do not seek to rid ourselves of shadow, but to utilize its energies in the service of our evolution.

It is too easy to collapse into the darkness we perceive in our awareness of the shadow self. Our goal, instead is to appreciate even those aspects of ourselves which carry forgetfulness, fear, insecurity and inadequacy. By working with the rejected aspects of our ego, we are finally able to recognise and make allies of our fears, enabling us to journey deeper into the wilderness entrusted to us.