-Avodah Zarah (worship of strange gods) was used as an easier way to achieve the mystical experience, or at least a bad copy of it.
-Prophesy and the path of Kedusha required much purification, which not everyone felt that they were able to do. The Sitra Acher was open for everyone.
-The question is, why couldn’t they just sit out? Meaning, if you couldn’t make it as a prophet, just live life regular like everyone does today.
-In order to understand this one must realize what pitiful levels the average person is holding by in current times. They are only using five percent of their capabilities of mind and body.
-The reason for this is because they are not vessels that can contain the energy. In order to hold the influx of energy one has to actively do many things.
-A person has to make himself into a chariot for that energy in order for it to come down to him.
-What a person achieves in current times through hours of meditation, was the constant state of mind in ancient times. One was constantly connected to the spiritual aspect of creation.
-However one had to constantly be in contact with these forces. To not be drawing down energy, would result in the person becoming shriveled up and probably dying.
-A person could get his energy from one of the two sides. It was very tempting to receive the energy from the side of evil since it required much less work.
-This explains a number of aspects in the Lust for Avodah Zarah.