When you go
THE BIG IDEA
When you go into a life of spiritual manifestation, don’t assume you are beyond the realities of unsavory human behavior.
This week the Torah Omens encourage us to take our awareness to the darker places, both within ourselves, and in the world around us. Notice the way Amalek energy (concentrated evil) moves around you. Notice the types of negative thinking that enters you when you are tired or hurt, see the people that feed off of your energy when you are most weak. Open your eyes to the shadows of this world.
This Elul moon is an important time to pray for your life AND for the life of the world. Pray for effective ways to prevent, manage and heal the trauma caused by forced marriage, spousal neglect, defiant children, spousal abuse, rape, human trafficking, prostitution, cheating, divorce, untimely death, animal abuse, extreme poverty…. Pray for a system that roots out evil at its core.
Be sure to include a prayer for the financial, emotional and political resources needed to maintain systems that protect you, those you love, and everyone in this world.
This week, remember those forces that attack you when you are weakest. Don’t forget.
PRAYER EXERCISE
If you are having trouble crafting a personal prayer vision, (or you are looking for a great Elul activity), try this exercise:
Take a piece of paper and cut it into 4 pieces.
Lay out the four papers in front of you.
Close your eyes and slow your breath.
Imagine a golden light coming down from above the crown of your head. Allow it to surround you like a golden blanket or dome. Feel the safety within it.
Once this golden light feels secure, and you sense yourself surrounded by some sort of presence, open your eyes and reach for your papers.
On the first paper,
1) write a prayer for yourself. What is something that would be pleasant in your life this coming year?
“may it be the will of the Source Energy of the universe to bless me with…..
On the second paper,
2) write a prayer for someone other than you. What good do you hope for someone in your life, or a stranger on the street?
“ may it be the will of the Source Energy to bless X with ……. ”
One the third paper,
3) write a prayer for the world. If you had all the resources in the world, how would you want to help this planet and her people, plants, waters, and animals?
“may it be the will of the Source Energy of the Universe to ……… .
On the final paper,
4) write something you are grateful for, like your legs and the ability to walk.
“thank you Source Energy of the universe for my ……..
(repeat each step as many times as desirable - keep refining your prayer, building on it)
Please note- If you find yourself losing focus during this exercise. Pause. Take a breath. Drop back into your mediation. Sense the golden light that surrounds you. Imagine your prayer reaching the hearts of women living in shelters, children being beaten or molested, those that are sick and unable to walk, those forced into slavery and prostitution, those forced to fight in war of any kind. Imagine your prayer reaching the highest of courts on high and charity and through that court imagine sending compassionate energy and endless support raining down on each one.
And then turn that rain on your own self.
Sink back into your own body. Sense the golden light around you. Use all that power you summoned to envision a positive vision for your life in this world. Use all your power to make goodness your truth and continue to focus deeply within.
Or do your best to try. After all, if you had the power to try to talk to God directly and shape the direction of your life and life on this planet, wouldn’t it be worth trying?
Use this Elul to reconnect with the Source of all Power.