Evolution Of Desires, Part 8

Feelings and Emotions

Question: Do the concepts of “feelings” and “emotions” exist in Kabbalah? In psychology, emotion is a subconscious reaction to a situation. Moreover, such emotions as, say, anger, aggression, irritation, and fear quickly arise and quickly disappear, and feelings (love, friendship, hatred) arise slowly, but also disappear slowly?

Answer: Feelings can be controlled, meaning developed or extinguished. The big difference is in what prevails: the brain (thoughts, mind) over feelings or feelings over thoughts.

If feelings prevail over thoughts, then these are emotions, and if the mind prevails over feelings, then this is already a serious calculation, this is desire with calculation, that is, with intention.

Then I can manage desires, calculating what can be done in order to change my opinion about something or someone, my perception and so on.

Question: Does the Kabbalist work with his feelings or does he work on them?

Answer: A Kabbalist works with feelings, intentions, and desires. He tries to control them through the environment because there is no other way to control them.

If he is locked within himself, he will not change anything. He will simply feel different fluctuations in himself, what happens to his desires, his intentions, but no more.

You can change something within yourself only under the influence of the environment, how much you exalt it in your view, how impressed you become with its opinion, wanting to unite with it, become like it, or be lower or higher than it.
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From KabTV’s “Basics of Kabbalah,” 12/03/18