Get Going!

Selections from In the Beginning/Lech Lecha Genesis 12

Yah (God) says go forth from your native land
To the land that I’m showing you
All the families of earth will bless themselves by you

Avram sets out from Haran (auspiciousness)
For the land of Canaan (humility)
God appears to Avram and promises this land
(This consciousness) to his offspring (all of us)

Avram moves to the hill country
And pitches his tent near Bethel
Let’s all of us pitch our tents near the house of God, bet’ El

He builds an altar there to God and invokes God’s name
A quality of God. By honoring and using various sacred names
We may perceive and draw on various facets of the divine

Famine in the land
Avram goes down to Egypt, mitzra-eem.

This is a code and sign. Famine indicates entering
The material realm with all its risks and attractions
These are the straits, mitzra-eem, in this scripture: Egypt
We must pass through this stage on our journeys home

As Avram is about to enter the straits
He says to his wife Sarai
I’m aware that you’re beautiful
We are spiritual sister and brother; please declare this

In Egypt Sarai is praised before the King
And carried to his palace
Sarai is the goddess riding on the vehicle of God

We remain alive thanks to one another
Because of Sarai, it goes well with Avram
He acquires plenty

Yah afflicts Pharaoh and his house with big plagues
Pharaoh can be seen as the ego, the decider, who at first
Wants whatever looks good, which can be misleading

We begin to learn that selfishness brings a mess of trouble
This in turn detaches us from chasing after only material successes
The material realm begins to lose its grip on us

All this is a blessing from the Goddess Sarai, wife of Avram