Going with Growth

We strive towards Oneness.

The Oneness of the Universe and the Oneness that aligns our soul’s purpose with the reality of our present.

Our work is to model an inner strength and a connection to self which is ultimately a connection to all that is within.

When we focus on rebuilding self we set a new course for going with growth.

Staying on the Path

We each have our own personal path to God, even those of us who struggle with defining God, denying God, or embracing God’s presence in the world. The search for something holy and big demands our attention.

Sometimes we look at others and wonder how their pathway leads to a greater sense of satisfaction and pleasure. Is God more present for them than for us? We project that the path of another is easier than our own.

Stay on your path, for it is the path that has been created for you. Navigate the detours and the downhills, but stay on course with your heart.

Stay on your path and this will lead you to a personal truth about God.

One Coin at a Time

Every year, a few hours before the beginning of Yom Kippur, the Lubavitcher Rabbi Menachem Schneerson would enter the synagogue for prayer holding a bag of coins.

The tables were covered with hundreds of charity plates that represented a multitude of causes, from food for the needy and assistance to poor brides, to schools and families in distress.

The “Rebbe” would methodically and mindfully place a coin into each plate. He took care not to skip a single one. Each plate represented a community or an individual who needed help materially or spiritually.

Each charity was significant. The Rebbe took this holy task to be his preparation for his Yom Kippur prayers and reflections.

What will be your holy preparation for your Yom Kippur prayers?

I count each one of you on my Spiritualetters list to be a significant blessing for me. I hope you will forgive me if I hurt you by word or deed, or by omission.

May we all be sealed in the book of life and contentment.

A Spiritual Accounting

Life is a braided string of doings. We flutter from goal to goal only to find that our wings are tired of the continual movements necessary to keep flying. Rather, we find our spiritual rhythms in the sacred sanctuaries of timelessness and stasis.

As Jews enter into the Higher Holidays of our spiritual calendar and character, assess your spiritual measurements with these questions: "What has my life been all about up till now? What am I living for? What is life all about for me today?”

Regret and Repentance

Behold I regret what I did and I am embarrassed by my deeds. I promise never to repeat this act again. ~Moses Maimonides, Laws of Repentance

Embarrassment and regret catapults us into the world of change and repentance. The very thing that embarrassed you is the key to an altered lifestyle. Accept your regrets and initiate new strategies for success. Make a pledge to yourself to stay in integrity with all your decisions.

The Sea and the Heart

All the streams run into the sea, yet the sea is not full. Ecclesiastes 1:7

There is an expansiveness in life and nature that can never be fully contained or fully completed. Like human wisdom, there are no limits on the ability of the heart to expand and to stretch and to love.

Realizing the Impossible

“Whenever you think something’s impossible, it simply means that you haven’t considered all the possibilities.” ~Sri Gawn Tu Fahr

As I look back on my life, I extract an extraordinary spiritual tool. I recognize the times in my life when the impossible actually happened. With my awareness heightened, I realize that more impossible things will happen if I consider all the possibilities.

Tapping into the wisdom of the past catapults us into the dynamics of the present where the future also resides.

Close your eyes. Meditate on a past achievement. Breathe into the joy of that reality.

Open your eyes. Smile. Dream again into that impossible dream.

P.S. I will be on the pulpit at Temple Micah (2829 Wisconsin Ave NW) this weekend! Please join me tomorrow, Friday, September 2, at 6:00 p.m. and/or on Saturday, September 3, at 10:00 a.m. We will be celebrating "Labor on the Bimah," and all are welcome!