Starting a Spiritual Practice in a Practical, Sustainable Manner

I recently subscribed to a blog written by a friend of mine, Arthur Kurzweil, an author, geneologist and magician. The blog, called "Let My People Know," which offers "Essential Steinsaltz," or daily teachings from Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz, author of one of my favorite books on Kabbalah, The Thirteen Petaled Rose, and modern Talmud commentator. Arthur has been a student of Rabbi Steinsaltz' for many years and even recently wrote a book about his travels with him, called On the Road with Rebbe Steinsaltz, which is a fun and educational read.

In today's blog post Arthur mentions that he has been corresponding with a man who wants to become "more Jewishly involved." He then offers a teaching from one of Rabbi Steinsaltz' books that talks about the fact that we can take on one or two practices to begin our spiritual practice; we don't have to do all the mitzvot, or commandments, at once. I was struck by this posting, because much of my writing and teaching stresses the same point.

In fact, my booklet, The Priestess Practice, 4 Steps to Creating Sacred Space and Inviting the Divine to Dwell Within It, discusses taking on Shabbat (Sabbath) candle lighting, which happens just once a week -- on Friday night -- as a spiritual practice. I've recently written an essay for an anthology on Shabbat candle lighting that takes the same angle.

When we get overwhelmed by feeling that we have to do too much or spend too much time on religious or spiritual practices to be religiously observant or to lead a spiritual life, many of us end up not doing anything at all. We simply say, "Why bother? If I can't do it all, there's no reason to do anything."

That's why I recommend practical spiritual practices. Short, sweet, easy prayers, blessings and rituals. These are things you can do all day long without really taking up too much time but that constantly remind you of God and connect you to the Divine. These types of spiritual practices are not only doable but sustainable. And that's the point. We want to be able to sustain our spiritual and religous practice. Not to start, become overwhelmed and stop.

Anyone, Jew or non-Jew can find such religious or spiritual practices to put to use in their daily life. However, if you are Jewish, Judaism is replete with many mitzvot and traditional practices that fit the bill.

Practical spiritual Jewish practices include saying the traditional morning blessings when you wake up in the morning, saying the blessing for washing hands, kissing the mezuzzah when you enter or leave your home, and saying the Sh'ma when you go to sleep.

Lighting Shabbat candles on Friday nights, a weekly rather than a daily spiritual practice, offers you a chance to take more time and to create a sacred space, invite the Divine Presence into that sanctuary and to little by little extend your practice into a larger and longer one -- the full 25 hours of Shabbat. However, you don't have to do that. If you have no desire to take on all of Shabbat as a spiritual practice, you simply can light the candles each week as an additional ritual during which you can use the prayers and observance as one more way to deepen your Jewish spiritual life.

You get the idea. Little spiritual practices all day long. Longer ones when you feel ready to commit to them.

Anyway, in case you'd like to see what Arthur wrote and to also read the excerpt he provided from one of Rabbi Steinsaltz' books, I've copied today's posting below. You can find "Let My People Know" and subscribe to it yourself at: http://essentialsteinsaltz.blogspot.com/. You an find out more about Arthur and Rabbi Steinsaltz on Arthur's website, www.arthurkurzweil.com. Tell Arthur I sent you!

"The Caterpillar Does Not Become a Butterfly in a Single Act"

Recently I’ve been in email correspondence with a young man who has asked me to help him in his process of becoming more involved Jewishly.

Today I found myself insisting that he track down and read Rabbi Steinsaltz’s extraordinary book Teshuvah: A Guide for the Newly Observant Jew.

My suggestion prompted me to go back and reread one of the most important chapters in the book for me personally, “All or Nothing: The False Dilemma.”

In that chapter Rabbi Steinsaltz writes:

"All or Nothing: The False Dilemma"

A person who, through neglect, develops a malady in one part of his body, need not, for the sake of consistency, neglect the other parts as well.

So it is with the mitzvot.

The question of “all or nothing” is also invalid from a human, personal point of view.

Though the ba’al teshuvah may wish to see himself as one reborn and to begin his spiritual life with a sense of wholeness, it is important for him to recognize that even in spiritual rebirth it is not possible to take on everything at once.

The people of Israel, in accepting the Torah, did not receive it all at one time. Rather, the process was a protracted one, from the early preparatory stage of the seven Noahide laws to the acceptance of additional mitzvot in Egypt, at Marah, and at Sinai, to the full revelation there that followed.

Similarly, a child raised to be an observant Jew takes upon itself the full yoke of the mitzvot only after long preparation; years of training and the gradual, step-by-step assumption of responsibility according to its intellectual readiness and practical capacity.The essential point is that living beings do not undergo sudden, complete transformations.

The caterpillar does not become a butterfly in a single act but as a result of a gradual process, governed by certain laws.

Within this process there appears to be a series of jumps between distinct stages, and these the ba’al teshuvah also must make from time to time.

But these transitions, too, are neither as quick nor as sharp as they appear.

--Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz
From Teshuvah: A Guide for the Newly Observant Jew, “All or Nothing: The False Dilemma,” pp. 18-19

From Lack to Abundance in One Fell Swoop

I've been mulling over how one can seemly go from lack to abundance in one fell swoop. Maybe it's simply a mindset, though, a change in perspective.

My husband felt the lack of a job so profoundly for the four and a half months he was unemployed. He also felt the lack of any job opportunities. Then he landed a job. What do you think happened the following week? Not only did he receive several calls from head hunters and recruiters about possible job opportunities, but he also received a call from a former boss with a really great opportunity, which he is actually looking into despite the fact that he's just begun work.

Plus, whereas his dabbling in start up companies so far hasn't gotten him very far financially, the one he's gone to work for suddenly has some great deals in the works that might mean a fast sale. The other possible job could mean working for quick turn arounds, which means quick money as well.

There's abundance every where my husband looks if he opens his eyes to see it. He just needs to figure out how to take personal advantage of the abundance of opportunities and the abundance in general.

As for me, I have an abundance of viable book ideas. Actually, I have an overabundance of viable book ideas. The lack I have comes in the form of time to produce them and a perceived lack that there are no publishers to purchase my books. I say perceived, because some of the ideas have been turned down by large publishing houses and there are only so many small houses that cater to my niche. However, it is perceived...not real.

I need to figure out how to take personal advantage of the abundance of my ideas. I need to figure out how to make an abundance of time as well so I can write the books. I need to find an abundance of publishers, or at least just enough publishers, to buy my books -- and to pay me for those books.

In both cases, my husband's and my own, we need to be open to receiving all this abundance. We need to develop large containers to hold all the wonderful opportunities available to us.

How do we do that? First, (in light of Passover) by freeing ourselves from our perceived restrictions. We have to stop saying "I can't, I shouldn't, I won't, and I'm afraid." We begin, instead, reciting the words sung by Rabbi Gila Rayzel Raphael last night at the Chadeish Yameinu community seder I attended. We all sang together: "I will, I can, I know I should."

It is possible to do what we want and to have what we desire. We simply have to want it badly enough and be willing to change the perceptions that we can't have them, can't achieve it, aren't good enough, don't have the ability, aren't worthy. We have to want these things badly enough to move forward no matter what.

In my husband's case, he has to keep moving forward with the interviews despite the fact that he accepted a job, especially since the job culture where we live and in his industry is one of constant flux. And he has to believe he can create a situation in which he can take on situation all the way to fruition and then do the same with the next.

In my case, I have to believe that I can make time to write all my books and find publishers for them all and make money in the process. I have to then set out to do exactly that. I have to actually make the time, write the books and submit them (or have my agent do so). It's that simple.

Another way to increase the size and strength of our container and to open ourselves to receiving more abundance lies in giving. For me, that's easy. My writing involves giving to others. For my husband, he has to see that what he does is a way to give not only to employers but to those who use the end product of what the company manufactures. In addition, we can give in other ways, such as through tithing, charity work or anything that constitutes tikkun olam (healing the world).

Abundance is all around us. Lack is mostly in our minds. I'm not negating the fact that some people do, indeed, live in lack; their are people who don't have enough money to put food on the table or a roof over their head. Yet, the universe itself is abundant. With a little ingenuity and perseverance almost anyone that isn't too handicapped to take action can find a way to create abundance.

As Rebbe Nachman said, "Remember: Things can go from the very worst to the very best…
in just the blink of an eye." It's all in how we see things.

Living Fully and Weight Loss

Someone recently told me about a web site with a name quite similar to my Living Fully Challenge, 12 Months to a Fully-Lived Life, so I had to go check it out. The web site, www.livingfully.com, seems to be primarily about weight loss. However, it's got lots of great resources for weight loss if you are interested and if you feel that losing weight will help you live your life more fully. Of course, health and wellness and fitness are indeed part of the Living Fully program, and I, for one, could use to lose a few pounds and get in better shape myself.

I have to admit that perimenopause hasn't been good to me in the weight department, and my work load has kept me from exercising regularly. I used to cycle at least 4-6 times per week, but I'm lucky to go once a week these days. I do try to walk at least once or twice a week, but that's really not much, and sometimes I forgo the walks for work as well. Lately, I haven't cycled because my wrists have been bothering me. I was afraid it was carpal tunnel syndrome setting in, but my doc says its "overuse." So, I need to take breaks and at least walk. Cycling might not be the best thing for my wrists. And in the process of exercising a bit more, I might drop a few pounds -- and live my life a bit more fully to boot!

Anyway, I thought you might enjoy the LivingFully.com principles. They are right up the same alley as those I talk about in the Living Fully Challenge, so I thought I'd share them with you. I couldn't copy them here, but you can access them by going to http://www.livingfully.com/10_Living_Fully_Principal.pdf.

Also, I've been listening to some great shows on Conversations with Ms. Claus (www.thefamilyyak.com). I know she has me on her pod cast once a month now, but she's got some pretty awesome guest these days besides me -- and they don't all talk about Christmas either. (You know I don't...well, I do talk about Christmas and Chanukah and Easter and Passover and Valentine's Day and the High Holy Days...and all the holidays!) These guest talk about relationships, the Law of Attraction, laughter, and so many other things. And they always offer great tips for living our lives more fully and more positively. So, if you haven't subscribed to Conversations with Ms. Claus yet, I suggest you do so now and start downloading her pod casts to your Ipod and listening while you drive or exercise (!) or work. Plus, you won't want to miss some of the guest she'll be interviewing in the coming months. I can't tell you who they are, but they've written some super books and you'll definitely recognize their names.

I know this blog was a bit like a commercial. Sorry, but I really hope you will enjoy the information and find it useful.

Of Narrow Places and Miracles...Using the Energy of Passover

I've been living in a few narrow places. That's what the Hebrew word for Egypt, Mitzrayyim, means. Narrow Place. When Passover comes along we have to look at where in our lives we've struggled with our own narrow places. I don't have to look far this year to see mine.

My husband has been without a job for several months. That represented a very narrow place. Living in California with not much money in a savings account and a huge mortgage and very little income definitely made us feel as if we were being squeezed from all sides. However, this week he began a new job. The possibility of a job and then the job offer felt like the Red Sea parting. Negotiations and waiting for the deal to be sealed represented the crossing on dry land with the waters threatening to descend at any moment. And now we are standing on the other shore looking backward and looking forward, able to heave a sigh of relief, to take a deep breath and move forward once again.

Our relationship has suffered in the process, my husband's and mine. He has lost his faith. Mine has been strengthened. I married a man with whom I thought I'd always share a spiritual path. Now, I'm not sure we will ever share that path again. This place in our 20-year marriage feels like a narrow one. I feel I'm living in Mitzrayyim, not necessarily enslaved but restricted, unable to express myself fully, unable to share totally, unable to open myself with abandon to the man I love. I feel squeezed, as if sometimes it's hard to breath in my relationship. I stand at the edge of the sea hoping for a miracle. All I have right now is the promise that my husband will work on some of his issues and my promise to try and move forward together despite our differences in beliefs and approaches to life. I can't yet see the other shore. I'm willing to walk into the water, like Nachshon, who walked into the sea when it didn't part for Moses and whose faith brought about the miracle that saved the Israelites. I have faith that it will part, but I don't know what I'll find on the other side of the sea. I wish Moses' staff and God's will would create a miracle for me and return my husband's faith. I don't want to walk to the other side alone. I know God will be with me, but it's human companionship I desire as well.

I've been in a narrow place at work as well, feeling restricted by the publishing world's requirements and lack of time and support to do what my agents and publishers require for me to achieve my own goals. I've felt that I couldn't do what I wanted in the way I wanted and at the time I wanted. I was ready to change directions, to tell the literary agent I sought for so long that I had to follow my heart and find another agent that would take my project and run with it now, right now. And then the water parted before my eyes, and my agent agreed to take on my project and to help me find a publisher for it. A miracle. Now I just needed to get to the other side of the sea.

I find myself in a new narrow place between one shore and another. (Do they just follow one after the other?) I am afraid to move forward with this project that lies so close to my heart. (This narrow place is of my own making. It exists in my mind. It's the "Not Good Enough" thought that underlies so much of what I do and that holds me back. Do you have that thought?) I'm afraid to put myself out there. I have to speak my truth, and I am afraid. I know this narrow place. I know this fear. It has stopped me often, but I know that it is the trepidation that comes when I am on the right path, the path I am meant to take. This time, I must enter the water myself and create the miracle. I must move through my fear and towards my highest purpose. As I do, the water will part and my path will become clear. Then I'll find myself on the other shore, free, unrestricted, liberated, and successful. When I can fulfill my purpose, write my book and have it published, I will feel the expansion of who I am -- to myself and to others. (Not that I couldn't use another miracle. Not that a little Divine help wouldn't be nice in the area of finding a publisher and a publishing contract and an advance.) I'll keep walking with faith that on the other side the other miracle awaits.

Narrow places. How well I know them. How freeing it is to move beyond them. Miracles. Lovely to experience and to create.

Do you know your Mitzrayyim? Do you know how to squeeze out of your narrow place and into a more expansive place? Passover is just a week away...Use the energy of the holiday to help you create your own miracle of liberation. I'll be liberating myself, praying for miracles while walking, step by step, into the water, my faith helping bring those miracles into my life. I hope you will be doing the same.

Freedom to Live Your Life Fully this Passover

I was just reading a blog by Rachel Barenblat (http://www.velveteenrabbi.com/) that made me think about living fully this Passover. She comments on a recent posting by Reb Zalman Schachter-Shalomi called Toward Freeing the Seder, in which he takes the fifteen steps of the basic seder structure and offers creative suggestions for making each of them one's own. For anyone who has ever sat through a boring seder, the home service conducted on this Jewish holiday, you know that creative suggestions often are much needed. Reb Zalman is a genius when it comes to this sort of thing -- and in general. So, take a look at his post. It's well worth your time. I printed it out for my own use, and you can be sure that elements of it will show up during my seder.

Among other things, Rachel chose to highlight the section Reb Zalman wrote about the Four Questions, and I just loved the idea of doing this section differently. In fact, Reb Zalman's suggestions made me start thinking about how well these questions play into my Living Fully Challenge. Here' s what he says about the Four Questions:

Use your pencil and paper to jot down your four questions. What are
they?

Or your four questions about Judaism.

In other words, if I want to get some answers to my questions this
night, what are my real questions, the ones I want answered?

Mah nishtanah halyla hazeh? Why is the night different? And
what about life? Why is life different from what I expected? Jot
down four "Differents," four "It isn't as I had thought it would be"-s.

Rachel commented: "Imagine using those four questions in your seder, questions that arise out of who you are this year, in this moment, as this festival unfolds! How would that change your experience?"

I think I'll ask participants at my seder to answer, "How am I different this year." And, given that the topic of discussion in general revolves around freedom, "If I were free, how would I choose to be different?" By that I mean, if nothing were holding you back -- finances, ego, doubt, family, boss, time, etc. -- how would you change? I'm not necessarily talking about external situations now, because those issues would be gone. If nothing were in the way of you being the best you possible, who would you be?

Of course, the question that logically follows is: Can I be that person now despite what I perceive to be holding me back? Can I be free to live my life fully right now?

Now, whether you are Jewish or not, you can ask yourself these questions. You don't have to participate in a Passover seder, nor do you have to wait for Passover or a seder to ask these questions. In fact, ask away right now if you want!

To read all of Rachel's blog, go to http://www.velveteenrabbi.blogs.com/. She's also got a Passover haggadah of her own. Check it out. Plus, she's a great poet.