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The Mind/Body Connection

The MIND/BODY CONNECTION in the writings of the Rambam (1138-1204): “It is known…that internal psychological movements (ha’hafalos nafshiyos) bring about dramatic physical changes in the body, clearly visible to all. We find verification to this in the following: Take an individual with a generally strong/healthy constitution (adam chazak ha’binyan), whose voice is strong and pleasant, and whose face is illuminated with light. If something, some greatly distressing event occurs suddenly, his face will fall and lose all its luster, the light of his face will change, his posture will droop, and his voice will become raspy and thin/weak. If he wishes to raise his voice and speak with all his strength, he simply is unable to do so. He feels feeble, and he may even begin to shake uncontrollably due to this weakness. The pulse of his veins [blood circulation] will be feeble, his eyes will dilate, his eyelids will become too heavy to lift, the outer surface of his body will become cold, and he will lose any desire to eat. The physical cause behind all these symptoms: his natural body heat and blood has sunken and contracted into his body.

Conversely, take an individual who is weak, whose visage is off-color, and whose voice is weak. If something joyous happens, he will become stronger, his face will shine, his voice will become powerful, his movements quick/agile, and the pulse of his veins strong. The outer surface of his body will become warm and joy and happiness will become readily apparent on his face and in his eyes. All this will become readily apparent without any need to look deeper. The physical cause of all these: is the activation of his natural body heat, and the blood rising up to the surface.

The same is true of those who are anxiety-ridden (baaley pachad) on the one hand, vs. those who live with hope and anticipation [that things will always be better]. The same is true of those who are mistaken/confused in their thoughts on the one hand, vs. those who are successful in life. For there are times when a person can, as a result of his grief and bad luck, lose his eyesight. The face of a successful person, on the other hand, radiates, and the light of his eyes shines, to such an extent that the light of the day seems to grow brighter in his presence. This is all clear and does not require long explanations.

It is for this reason that doctors/healers warn us to pay attention to subtle internal psychological changes (tenuos nafshiyos), to constantly keep an eye out for them, and to make every effort to equalize them (le’hashvosam) while a person is still healthy, and in the event of any sickness as well. Indeed, no other treatment or physical procedure takes precedence over them. The doctor/healer should understand that the heart of someone who is ill is contracted/constricted, whereas the soul of a healthy person is expansive. He should therefore make it his business to remove psychological causes (hispaaliyos nafshiyos) that bring one to emotional stress (kotzer ruach), for this prolongs health, and in addition, it is first and foremost in the treatment of sickness.”— Rambam, Hanhagas HaBerius (Health Treatment), Shaar Gimel (end), pp. 32-33 (Hebrew translation by Moshe ibn Tibbon of Rambam’s letter to Al-Afdai, son of Saladin)— English translation by the wonderful Avraham Sutton.

Initial Post by Rav Doniel Katz

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Blogging

My Letter to G-d in 5781

Dear God,

Thank You for all You gave me this year, for Your faithfulness in me and for pointing me always into the right direction.

Thank You for my beautiful children’s health, life and happiness and for sustaining us until this season. I am grateful.

Please dear God, Bless me with a change of my heart, and allowing me to remove the layers that block her from connecting and receiving Your flow of energy to grow.

Help me to let go of my “lizards” so that I would be cleansed and able to return to Your palace to be able to dwell in Your presence all the days of my life.

May the words of my meditation be agreeable to You

Getting ready to prepare a new conversation before 5782

Each year, before the holy day of Rosh HaShanah (The Head of the Year or the new Jewish year), I examine my past year thoroughly, on all aspects, and resolve some of the issues that arise when I reckon what has unfolded for me.

I end the accounting of the soul with a letter or a conversation with the Ruler of the Universe, while I can still get a hold of attention before things get serious. The day of judgment is coming, the day when we officially go under scrutiny for all that we, human beings, are responsible for.

Like for instance, how did we take care of our businesses, our planet, our neighbors, our children, our elders, etc..?

Chief Oren Lyons speaks about Climate Change in 2007

This was fourteen years ago…

Today, we repeat we have to be ready. We continued waging wars. Abuse nature. We are not ready to face the consequences without shivering. It is time to change. From the inside out.

Oren R. Lyons is Faithkeeper of the Turtle Clan of the Onondaga Nation, one of the Six Nations of the Haudenosaunee (people of the Long House) whose territory once encompassed most of New York, Pennsylvania, and part of Ohio in the United States and Ontario and Quebec in Canada. Also known as the Iroquois Confederacy, the Six Nations includes the Onondaga, Mohawk, Seneca, Cayuga, Oneida, and Tuscorara nations. The Haudenosaunee form of government is based on a more than 1,000-year-old oral constitution called the Great Law of Peace, whose democratic ideals, some historians say, served as inspiration for the framers of the US Constitution.

A blessing for a Good Year

May we bring ourselves into goodness, into connection for the good

A Rosh HaShanah message
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Blogging, Elevation

Healing Meditation by Miriam Adahan

Miriam-Adahan-MeditationDownload

Okay, so take a moment to position yourself as comfortably as you can, allowing your body to feel supported and safe. Remember that there is no right or wrong way to do this and that you can accept or reject anything you hear during this meditation. And each time you hear it, you might hear different parts say, wow I didn’t hear that before. You will notice different things. You don’t have to pay full attention. Your mind will wander at times because that’s what minds do. So gently allow your eyes to close if they’re ready to do so and you’re willing to do so.

Let your hands rest comfortably on your abdomen so that you can feel your stomach rise as you breathe in. And settle back down when you breathe out. Notice how your breath moves in and out of your body like the waves of an ocean and a gentle healing powerful rhythm. This part of you that is able to observe your breath is your holy neshamah. Your precious eternal soul, a resource of never-ending love, guidance, compassion, and support. Like a driver in full control of the steering wheel, direct your attention to your breath each time your mind wanders.

Remember the steering wheel steer it just gently back to your breath. Take a breath in and a long cleansing breath out. Be aware of that precious nanosecond of sweet peacefulness at the end of each breath and allow your body to relax deeper and deeper as you take another breath in and out. Send the calming energy of your breath to any place in your body that might be tense or tight. Allowing the tension to release on its own. With the out-breath feeling your breath going into those places, soothing and healing, and know that your stillness is a gift to the universe.

Any unwelcome thoughts that arise just steer your attention back to your breath. You have to serve this time to nourish the cells in your body with calm consciousness in this frantic and frenzied world you need to nourish yourself with stillness and peacefulness. It takes time to get used to feeling Hashem’s love. Take this time. Think of every in-breath as a blessing and every out-breath as a thank you. If painful emotions or thoughts arise during this exercise, just notice them with the neutral eye of a camera lens without playing with judgment and then send them out with an exhalation so that just for a moment your mind is empty, free, and clear. Like a lake with no ripples. Now, scanning your body. Start with your head. Exhale and allow your breath to relax any tension in your eyes. Your nose your ears, your tongue, your mouth, your chin. Now move your awareness into your neck and shoulders we all carry so much tension there. And with an out breath, notice any tightness or heaviness and just breathe healing energy into this area, releasing all the excess tension, responsibilities, worries and judgments, and fears that may have accumulated over time allowing them to float away effortlessly.

Now move your awareness to your arms. And what’s your next out-breath release any tension in the arms, the elbows, wrist, hands, and all the fingers moving your awareness into your chest. Inhale through your lungs releasing any tension in this area.

Your stillness is a gift to the entire universe and to each and every one of your cells. Now like a driver, move your attention to your heart. Feeling the powerful rhythm of your heart as it beats confidently and reliably. Always with you. A sign of God’s love for you and becoming aware of the infinite power of your heart. Let each gentle breath nourish you as you breathe in and out.

Now direct your attention to your spine and release all the tension that might be stored there. On the top is your neck. All the way down. vertebra by vertebra all the way down down, releasing to the base of your spine so that you should be calm and comforted. Now release any tension in your hips and bottom. Softening the tight muscles on the out-breath and sending calming breath into your legs, knees, calves, ankles, feet all the way to the tips of your toes.

Think of your body as a loyal friend. It’s been with you since you were conceived, it has survived so many difficulties with so much courage and patience. Along with you. You have survived shattered dreams, loneliness, frustrations, betrayals and hurts all of which are perfect and necessary for your growth.

You cannot make the memories disappear. But you have the power to acknowledge the many strengths that you developed as a result of these experiences you have gained a sense of your own wisdom, courage, and compassion and at times you have sensed invisible forces which are guiding you on this journey towards greater and greater healing. As you become more deeply relaxed, know that you will heal more and more as you let go of harsh expectations, impossible demands, and limiting judgments. And now the sense of sweet peace sends soft waves of soothing comfort to your entire body as you learn more and more to accept your sorrow, and this is your mission. Release your anger. Forgive yourself, your limitations and embrace your strengths and gifts, and talents.

Know the certainty that you are being held in the hands of God who loves you and has never left you not for an instant on this long and sometimes painful and lonely journey know with certainty that your awareness is expanding, that more and more you are feeling cherished, important valued at good enough as you are right now, regardless of other people’s opinions. It’s your truth your self-acceptance, your self-love, and encouragement that are so necessary. And now as you are learning to step forward unafraid with courage and wisdom, return to the physical world, as I count down from four to zero: Four preparing to return. Three, knowing that you are bringing back with you the gift of faith courage, compassion, and inner stillness. Two with a full intention to heal your body, mind, and spirit. Getting ready to step forward with this rich sense of inner stillness and courage. One bringing sweet peace to the world and to those around you and to every cell in your body. And zero opening your eyes feeling fully awake and refreshed. Returning to the world with renewed strength, courage, wisdom, and faith

God bless you all for giving me this opportunity to spread light and love to the world. Thank you all for listening and for being part of this amazing adventure, this amazing healing journey and as you step forward, know that you are healing, that you are growing stronger.

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Blogging

Chanukah – the Festival of Lights

Chanukah celebrates the persistence of a handful of guerrilla fighters, whose victory led to the downfall of the mighty Greek army and the triumph of good over evil.

Click to access all the photos

A Hannukka Celebration from the Milken Archive’s collection 

Kathy Storfer, z”l is telling the story of Judah Who Always Said No a Chanukah story written by Harriet K. Feder with illustrations by Katherine Janus Kahn to a group of captivated young children from Early Childhood Center of Jewish Family Congregation in South Salem, NY, in December 2011.
“No,” said Judah Maccabee, when the Syrian king wanted him to change his name. “No,” he said again, when ordered to pray to strange gods. Judah’s defiance helped the Maccabees to victory. Only after the miracle of Hanukkah, did Judah finally say, “yes.”

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Blogging

Shabbat

A table set for Shabbat with wine, challah tray, shabbat candles, flowers, fruit

Participer à une nouvelle création du monde et faire l'expérience de l'éternité, le Shabbat

Shabbat:

a Hebrew word meaning "to interrupt work".

It is the Hebrew name for Saturday, the seventh and last day of the week.

Devout Jews abstain from work and pray to celebrate the Creation of the world completed by God on that day.

Here's a good idea, don't you think?

Interrupt work, to refrain from work.

Now, the idea of ​​"celebrating the creation of the world completed by god that day" could appear to many as a pretty tale that might be more difficult to digest.

And yet.

During these days of COVID-19, the world literally stopped in its frantic race to produce.

A tiny microbe declared a universal "Shabbat" by forcing the greatest number to stop their work as usual.

It forced them to replace it with new forms.
I am aware that consequences vary for everyone.

But this is not my purpose.

I mean that we are creating a new world right now.

Because we still have the choice to take part in Creation, through each of our decisions, one day at a time, one minute at a time.

In Judaism, the Shabbat holds a central place.
It contains the idea of ​​absolute freedom, and complete harmony between Man and Nature, between Man and Man.

It expresses the metaphysical idea of Man's victory over Time, sadness, and death.

When I wish you a Shabbat Shalom (a "Shabbat of peace" or "Peace of the Shabbat"), I am wishing you a complete harmony between you and the world you are in at that moment.

I am wishing for you to experience the peace, serenity or tranquility of your heart as a full experience.

You don't have to be a believer in God or anything to live this moment.

This is what I wish you all, if only for a moment, a moment of eternity. Shabbat shalom !!

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sprouting buds in mulch on spring day
Blogging

Confinement

sprouting buds in mulch on spring day

Who better than a parent of an autistic individual would have been prepared for what has befallen the world in 2020?

Trust me.

I know how you feel. I know the panic. I know the overwhelm. I know the need for over preparation.

I know that we need extra planning. We need to overthink. To foresee each step ahead. To structure the day. To expect that all will go according to plan, and to pivot in a split second because it does not. And in the face of the turmoil to keep a straight face, a loving demeanor, an understanding of the other’s fears and anxieties.

I know.

I have been there.

I trained in full confinement since the day my first-born was diagnosed with “moderate” autism, back in 1998. I had to adapt to a new “not-normal” and to live through social distancing not by choice to preserve our health or our loved ones’ health or the world’s health but because that is the nature of the beast when you are thrown into a world that places you in the “different” category.

Today, everyone is in the pit.

It is amazing to see.

It feels so surreal to many of you, and to many others, it feels scary like hell with thoughts of doom racing through your head and probably paralyzing ideas that you can’t survive such drastic isolation from others while you are quarantined in your own home with your loved ones or maybe even with your mother-in-law, who knows.

It is not doom.

It is not doomsday. It is a pandemic. It is new to most of us because this might be the first time we have to shelter in place with the resources at hand.

These resources were already prepared before we even knew it.
If you are reading these words that I post online, it is because the internet connects all of us. Even when we are separated by oceans, mountains and by time differences.

Technology has brought us immediate access to those we trust for wisdom, knowledge, information, inspiration. Solidarity springs like the birds who are ready to welcome the new season. Everyone is ready to offer a virtual hand through their shares.

This might be an extraordinary time in our lives and it will change our world for the better if we choose to react with our best selves.

When I started my first blog – in French – I chose to name it “One Day @ A Time” for a good reason: I was living a situation that was so overwhelming that I could only take one day at a time, each day I was “surviving” felt like the best accomplishment I could account for. I was proud of small steps, I was celebrating menial feats, I was immensely grateful every minute of every day because each of them was a treasure, one that kept giving, I had never imagined I was that strong and determined, I had never envisioned I could take in what I was taking in.

And yet I did.

Not alone.

Because I had a community, actually many communities, too many to even list them here without losing track. They know who they are. They are still in my life and smiling at these words. They know how grateful I am to them. They know the love we have shared at each step that we walked together, holding hands on the long and difficult path.

Today, you can have what I had then.

Communities are all there. You are part of them. Knowledge and wisdom are flowing in ways that we would have not imagined twenty years ago.

Our children are so much smarter than we were, their creative minds are bursting with ideas and joy, do not forget to celebrate them for how they will teach you news ways. They have not known the limitations we impose on our feelings of doom because their doom is at the end of the hour if their promised moment of delight is removed from them, not next year. They take one day at a time because this is all they have and they are so good at making the best of each hour.

Pay attention to what they say. How they say it. Their emotions. How quickly they recover. How resilient they are.

Even if you feel that confinement is a catastrophe, remember that it is just a moment in your life. One moment.

There are no “but”, there are “and”… and this moment shall pass as well.

I wish you all to be able to share each moment with joy and love, the same I have always wanted to do and known that it has taken me to this day, with faith and hope that all is good because honestly, it is.

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