Set list Parshat Shemini ALIVENESS
THE POETRY OF FEELING FULLY ALIVE
Dear intrepid life seekers…dear speakers in emotions…dear feelers in love….reservoirs of inner wild fire can be found everywhere--- inside and outside of you ….animating your inner impressions …personifying your pre-natal expressions….bringing to life your deepest intentions….listen to the word that comes to you in the silence….ascend to the quintessential aligned-ness….embrace the interconnected aliveness…..sing the Nimba song of your soul that guides your every step in high times and low ---and then toss up your burden to the One who knows what we can only begin to know when we dare to venture into the unknown--- and be open to be shown what seeds are beginning to grow-- in the rich soil of our soul
AND SHE SPEAKS IN EMOTIONS
*and she speaks in emotions
and her emotions
can make
a emotionless man
feel again
*and she speaks in compassion
and her compassion
can melt away
the hardest hearts
*and she speaks in silence
and her silence
can wake up
the deepest sleeper
* and she speaks in love
and her love
can convince
the hater to see
things differently
*and she speaks in G-dliness
and her Gdliness
can open up
the door
for the denier
to believe
*and she speaks in aliveness
and her aliveness
can cause
the dead
to rise
to life
*and she speaks in hope
and her hope
can show
the despairing
the light
at the end
of the endless night
SHE WILL REVEAL
deep inside
she hides
and
no one knows
she dares not
show anyone
even herself
and she knows
that when she
will find
the right one
she will reveal
a love so fragile
a love so real
a love so beautiful
a love so vulnerable
a love so perplexing
a love so liberating
a love so powerful
that anyone
who will witness
this love
will be stunned
will be healed
will begin to reveal
to themselves
their own
hidden places
and these reservoirs
will spread
like wild fire
and love
will be found
every where
LOST AND FOUND
*he hadn't spoken to her
for such a long time
they carefully
tiptoed their way
through the niceties
*small talk
became heart talk
they know each other well
that never goes away
"my dear friend"
she confided to him
"I'm lost
and I can't find my way
so much brokenness
has shattered
and scattered
everything I do
and everything I say"
*he fell silent
for a brief time
and then an idea
came to his mind,
*"there is a way back
this is what you can do,
listen to the word
that comes to you
in the quiet times
that comes
to fill up your mind
and then enter into
the soul of the word
until all that is left
is a melody
and this sacred melody
will allow you to see
the way to come back home
to come back into your own
to really feel your soul"
and slowly
but surely
she found herself
she found her way
in everything she did
in everything she would say
A TALE OF NOTHINGNESS AND EVERYTHINGNESS AND ONENESS
***life comes from nothingness
nothingness comes from everythingness
everythingness seeks oneness
and reverts to nothingness
from which comes a life
of paradoxical striving
an unlikely unifying
an impossible re-defining
of the many into one
***she closed her eyes
and saw static and light
and let it all play itself out
in all of it's chaotic glory
until with the passage of time
a whole new story
presented itself to her
a quiet calm
informed her
where she
and all else
comes from
a supreme journey
back to the one
***Creation waits on the Pre-creation
like a worker waits for his long awaited vacation
like a song waits for singer full of inspiration
and the enlightened one sees
that the Heavens and the Earth
and the mountains and the seas
all await of course
their primordial force
their pre-creation source
to complete them
to free them
to lead them
back to the one
ALL THEY DO IS GO UP
***for most everyone
the fall
gives rise
to the ascent
for some
just a very few
all they do
is go up
because
going down
is not who
they are
***and these climbers
these cosmic aligners
know that summer
follows winter
and that day
follows night
they've seen it happen
too many times
to think it to be otherwise
***so why [they reason]
should their lives
be otherwise
and with this feeling
of security
of knowing
that all things
will be
eventually
just fine
they set out
to climb
and never to
come down
and the Universe
lends them a hand
and leads them
into enchanted lands
and always
gives them to drink
from her loving cup
because she knows
that all they ever do
is to go up
THE POETRY OF ALIVENESS
Dear lovers of life….dear sisters and brothers of aliveness…dear fathers and mothers birthing and guiding us all to vivifiedness…dear seekers of being truly alive ---you rejectors of settling for a life of surviving ---instead of celebrating an experience of thriving on being alive ------now is the time---unlike any other time that you've ever known before----and you can sense it in the doors that are opening for you -----and the smiles that accompany you----- and the more that you keep your eyes focused on these signs the whole day through ---the more aliveness is surrounding you ---the more side by side-ness people there are that are escorting you ….so let these poems show you how to truly be alive
THE TREE OF LIFE
The young seeker knows
that every word includes all others
and that every word has endless depth
and so
---never stops seeking revealing
The illuminated Soul
lights up the way in the dead of night
for all to see clearly
for all to proceed calmly confidently
The one with
the constant smile unattached
to the things of this world
is treated constantly
to the deepest secrets
sharing them
with those who can see
The true listener
in pristine receptivity
hears in between the lines
of the book of life----
what was what is
and what will be
The one who climbs
the tree of life has no fear
of the unknown
of the brokenness
---brings down
the fruits of eternity
wrapped up in simplicity
for all to partake
ALIVE
alive!
interface with the transitioning
into the gray mist
where the old notion of aliveness
pales in comparison with the new one
and when we flirt with the image
of a new un-familiar
[and at the same time -painfully familiar]
all encompassing home world
then suddenly
all of the old fears and concerns
melt away into the inconsequential past
we are born
we die into a new birth
headed towards
a new death-birth
constantly indelibly inevitably
and the beat goes on
and the pulse of life
beyond life
beckons......
a Heavenly Voice
hiding in the shadows
reminds us
invites us
engrosses us
captures us
subtlely
secretively
surreptitious-ly
show us
how to choose
the most important
selections
how to go in
the most meaningful
directions
how to bond with
the most loving
connections
how to be so alive
that we have no doubt
that all we do and say
and think and feel
will plant seeds of endless
purity and alive-ness
and love and light
that will last forever
BEING TRULY ALIVE
*Being truly alive
is the knowing that I've got to do it again
till I get it right ---despite all opposition
*Being truly alive
Is constantly growing Into something that
I never dreamed I could possibly be
*Being truly alive
Is seeing death as the beginning of
a whole new level of living
*Being truly alive
Is harmonizing my Body and Soul
In perfect harmony In all that happens to me
*Being truly alive
Is seeking to grasp what I don't yet know and to
Grow and glow and flow With this new knowing
*Being truly alive
Is to be ready to die to Live a life that is way beyond
The life that I live now
*Being truly alive
Is celebrating every single Experience I experience
With complete focus of mind and heart
*Being truly alive
Is harmonizing my Body and Soul
In perfect harmony In all that happens to me
*Being truly alive
Is seeking to grasp what I don't yet know and to
Grow and glow and flow With this new knowing
*Being truly alive
Is to be ready to die to
Live a life that is way beyond
The life I live now
*Being truly alive
Is celebrating every single
Experience I experience
With complete focus of mind and heart
*Being truly alive
Is sanctifying all the mundaneness
Of life by revealing the inner G-dliness
That keeps it all alive
*Being truly alive
Is elevating everything
To it's source
And drawing down it's
sweetened abundance
*Being truly alive
Is helping someone
Who is not truly alive
To begin to feel truly alive
THE OLD NOTION OF ALIVENESS PALES IN COMPARISON WITH THE NEW ONE
**we interface
with the transitioning into the gray mist
where the old notion of aliveness
pales in comparison with the new one
**and when we flirt
with the image of a new un-familiar
[and at the same time -painfully familiar]
all encompassing home world
then suddenly all of the old fears and concerns
melt away into the inconsequential past
**we are born
we die into a new birth
headed towards
a new death-birth
constantly indelibly inevitably
**and the pulse of life
beyond life
beckons......
a Heavenly Voice
hiding in the shadows
reminds us
invites us
engrosses us
captures us
subtlely
secretively
surreptitious-ly
**show us
how to choose
the most important selections
how to go in
the most meaningful directions
how to bond with
the most loving
connections
**how to be so alive
that we have no doubt
that all we do and say
and think and feel
will plant seeds of endless
purity and alive-ness
and love and light
that will last forever
THE POETRY OF DYING IN ORDER TO LIVE
[**Parshat Para's para aduma episode --this coming week --comes as a tikun for the Golden Calf ---the self nullification-- comes to heal the self indulgent idol worship ----a case of dying in order to live**]
Dear fellow mystical explorers ---those of you who are learning the cosmic secret that in order to partake of living—you must sometimes pass through the corridor of dying…..dear astute ones……dear aware ones…..surely you have noticed the principle of opposites and paradox that define our existence…surely you have seen that in order to taste of the fruits of light—you often must first immerse in the darkness…..and in order to unleash healing in all of it's harmonious glory—you oftentimes must first live out the story of brokenness---this you surely have seen--- is the recipe…..and as they say –such is the way----give to the wise a small taste—and they will see endless associations ….let's hope that the poetry will help us in the process of integration of this inescapable recipe
DYING TO LIVE
**rock bottom is a state of being is a place of healing is a way of seeing that there is nowhere to go anymore but up
**dying to live was all she could say she gave all he could give there was no other way so she let it go come what may and she began to live
***Life --in it's true sense is only accessed through dying we die into a brand new world one life-time gives way to another
***Abraham was told to let go of it all---- --his name, his fame, his wealth , his identity and only then when all the externalities are dead and gone does one's true essence live on
***and the day becomes the night and the night becomes the day that is the pattern there is no other way
THE OLD NOTION OF ALIVENESS PALES IN COMPARISON WITH THE NEW ONE
**we interface with the transitioning into the gray mist where the old notion of aliveness pales in comparison with the new one
**and when we flirt with the image of a new un-familiar [and at the same time -painfully familiar] all encompassing home world then suddenly all of the old fears and concerns melt away into the inconsequential past
**we are born we die into a new birth headed towards a new death-birth constantly indelibly inevitably
**and the pulse of life beyond life beckons...... a Heavenly Voice hiding in the shadows reminds us invites us engrosses us captures us subtlely secretively surreptitious-ly
**show us how to choose the most important selections how to go in the most meaningful directions how to bond with the most loving connections
**how to be so alive that we have no doubt that all we do and say and think and feel will plant seeds of endless purity and alive-ness and love and light that will last forever
PLEASE GIVE ME VISION TO SEE WHERE ALL THIS LEADS
[**a prayer about LIFE --about being embraced by the One forever**]
**I extend to You my hand take me where you will take me across the seven Seas take me to the Heavens and back show me the inner sanctum
**lead me into the Promised land where You go I will follow what You say I will do I know that my life is all about I and Thou You will show me how I will do When You call I'll come running
**even the Angels of Peace have no permission to be here in this holiest place in this Divine embrace in the embrace of life in the embrace of trust in the core desire of my Soul there is no other place I ever want to go:
**and we learned the recipe a long time ago when you placed the crowns on our heads and in our heads you taught us how to step inside of Paradise here on Earth never to know dying again never to experience crying again
**I extend to You my essence sight unseen I know that never will there be such an opportunity for such bliss again and all You ask is to take Your Hand sight unseen
**please give me the vision to see where all this leads please give me the courage to close my eyes and leap please give me the wisdom to know that You will set me free for all of Eternity
REKINDLING LIFE
Dear life kindlers…..dear precious begin again-ers…..dear darkness turned into lifers….your image dances in front of my inner eyes today and all days….your vision is the vision that we all need to draw from in order to light up the dark exiles of our lives tonight and all nights…..share with us your insight ---about life and about being alive and about rekindling life---so deeply and so profoundly that the aliveness will last forever and the decision to start living again will carry us into a new year with no fear ---but only hope and a craving to be so alive at all times ---that your very breath will breathe life to anyone and everyone who comes your way ….may this new collection of poetry rekindle our lives in ways we've never experienced before …..
RECONNAISSANCE
[**''He takes them out from darkness and the shadow of death and breaks their chains...'' [ Psalms 107 \ 14]
***there are those chosen few who are tasked with the impossible mission to infiltrate enemy lines to go with camouflaged disguise to sneak into the world of lies to be spiritual reconnaissance spies and they take a careful look around and keep an eye open for anything profound perhaps there is a lost soul that is looking to be found
***and the truly righteous ones know that they must leap into the mud come what may to try to save a young seedling soul bud who can't seem to extricate who can't seem to be liberated on their own unless they're shown by the ones who have known the art of ratzo v'shov a sense of when to come and when to go by the ones who truly know how to jump into the fire and come out somehow a little bit higher not only to survive but to somehow thrive because that's why they're alive to break the chains of darkness and pain again and again and again
THE POETRY OF THE NOTHINGNESS THAT GIVES RISE TO THE ULTIMATE SOMETHINGNESS
Dear self transformers…..relentless stormers of the Heavens---in search of something more….something that you have not experienced before….this monotony filled diet---screams at you to try it-------to try something that represents your deeper being......there has to be more than this….we surely have not come into this existence with such listlessness------there must be something that is not getting through ---some kind of blocked up part of you ---not allowing you to speak your truth-----only thing I can suggest that you do is to try to break through to the core---to the mystery root that can inform you what you have come here for---to the nothingness that gives rise to your ultimate somethingness---and when you touch this place ever so lightly-----you will find that the words will never stop coming ---and you will step into a state of transformation…..hopefully some poetic words of inspiration will tickle your imagination and ignite your inspiration
THE NOTHING-NESS SOURCE OF ALL TRANSFORMATION
invisible
what they can't see
they can't touch
impenetrable
there's no way in
for those who seek
to inflict harm
nothing-ness
the unfathomable dimension
--the source of all transformation
and re-birth
and the palmaliya shel maala
remains intact
the interconnected Divine network
connecting all the dots
remains secure
but there is one condition
that the sacred mystery
be left alone
be left in it's
holy state of AIN
of nothingness
of interinclusion
with all
yet at the same time
far removed
way beyond
and when the
retreat back to
not knowing
is held
in place
is kept
in reverence
then we make room
for The One Above
and for ourselves
to walk together
down this magic
pathway
that we call LIFE
WHEN ''I'' DISAPPEAR
when me as being
the do-er of what I do
disappears
there is no pain
there is no fear
and when the see-er no longer sees
that they are the ones seeing
cuz there is a deeper inner feeling
at the center of my being
when the sense of being alive
has no return to sender
address
nevertheless
life is at it's best
when it's not compressed
into being about me
into center-ing it
around my identity
that's when we become
euphorically free
because right now,
there is no we
and there is no I
say bye bye to the I
Enjoy the view
it's in endless supply
I don't know why
but the life force inside
is keeping perfect time
spectacular rhyme
it happens every time
I let go of the I
THERE IS NOTHING ELSE
cause and effect
keeps it all in check
as long as we choose to see
that this is the only way to be
but if you want
to set yourself free and try out
a whole new way to be
then allow yourself to see
that at the core of reality
is that there is nothing else
but Gd in His Divine Majesty
Ain Od Milvado
there is nothing else you need to know
except that Gd is running the entire show
not just the highs and lows
not just the fast and slows
not just the stops and goes
not just cuz I say so
but truth be told to thee
I exclaim rather boldly
There really is nothing else
but His Majesty and to the extent
that you allow yourself to see
to that extent all of your reality
will be nothing
short of miraculous actuality
stupendous factuality
not speculative surreality
don't believe me
open up your own eyes to see
SHE HAS NOTHING OF HER OWN
*** she has nothing of her own
except for what you give her
she is lit up in effervescent light
from what she receives
from your hands
***she makes you come alive
she extricates you
from your real
and imagined
chains
***she is a vision
constantly waving at you,
enticing you
at the edge of your consciousness
compelling you from afar
to have a closer look
to jump into the bliss
of her allure
of her demure
A FEW POEMS ABOUT THE LIFE FORCE OF SOUL
Dear holy Souls ….can we ever really know how deep it goes….our Souls--extending from our earthly bodies to dizziying heights from which all the shefa flows….when we see our beloved ones as Souls , and not just merely people----that's when we bring out their divine limitlessness….that's when we get a glimpse of where all of this World of Tikun is really going….that's when we begin to see the sublime beauty that's hidden inside of you and me……may the poetry help us see all this with a little more clarity
SOULS
*Souls
reach places, spaces,
that even Angels
fear to go
*Souls
span Creation
extend beyond imagination
hold the key
to all we could ever know
*Souls
a part of the Divine Above
Infinity
garbed in
limitless love
*Souls
know what was
what is
what will be
emulating
the One Above
*Souls
just the lowest tip
reaches our consciousness
just a trace, an impression
of their wholeness
is accessible to our awareness
*Souls
that inner voice
that dares us
to go beyond us
but in all fairness
it prepares us
in a way
that is effortless
*Souls
hold the key
to what we
will ultimately be
when we human beings
step out of
our present sense of reality
into a whole new way of seeing
*Souls
where we come from
is where we will return
and where all that
we presently learn
will be turned
into a whole new way of being
SOULS OF CHAOS
*for some people
this life can never be enough
they've tasted a higher light
they've feasted their eyes
on another place and time
*they spend their whole lives
fighting off the mediocrity and lies
the law and order
because they know
that they can never reduce their lives
to just fitting in
*for some people
this life can never be enough
the vessels
that satisfy the desires
of everyone else
suffocate them
they've seen
broader horizons
they've tasted
unlimited enticements
*they spend their entire lives
rebeling against the staus quo
and when they find that there's
nowhere for them to go
they retreat
to the other side
to the chaos lights
to live a life
no one else dares
to live
*for some people
this life can never
be enough
and they scare
anyone
who dares
get in their way
and they spend
the rest of their days
either locked up
or in a self imposed exile
no other lifestyle
will do
*and in the end of days
these souls of chaos
will show their faces
more and more
and will lead us
through a door
we've never opened before
and the more we
listen to who they truly are
the more we will learn
to recognize the rare light
that these chaos souls
will bring into our lives
HOLY EFFORTLESSNESS
[***inspired by R. Kook's 'The Lights of Holiness']
There are truly holy righteous ones
who are above and beyond
any need of exerting effort
They nevertheless desire for
such exertion or pain or tribulation
in order to exercise their sacrifice
in doing it all for HIS sake
But their lot is Menucha
Peace of mind and pleasure
It penetrates their spirit and flesh
and their every breath
every second of their lives
This holy pleasure-filled effortlessness
surrounds and embraces them
It's found in all that they hear and sense
Everything bespeaks peace\ Shalom.
Everything bespeaks Holy Holy Holy
Everything bespeaks Praise of Hashem
Every minute--new worlds are being born
Every minute--old worlds are being elevated
There is no effort
There is no tiredness
There is no fallenness
There is only pure joy and pleasure
But if these gifted righteous ones
don't believe in them-selves
don't believe in what they experience
then the overwhelming waters
will threaten to drown them
and show them what they've lost
And if they wake up in time
to believe in themselves
to see the glorious Divine
source of these waters
[the very same sublime waters
that they originally experienced]
then --with G-d's mercy
they will be able to return
to their original state
of holy effortlessness
OUR SOUL IS KNOCKING
[***drawn from R. Kook's , 'The Lights of Holiness]
The Soul knocks Listen to it's voice
It beckons us to hear it's majestic glory
The freer the purer the more passionate
the clearer, the more elevated this voice is,
the greater [in quantity and quality]
will be the awakening of like minded souls
who will reveal themselves to us
lighting up our lives and the world
THROUGH THE LENSES OF YOUR SOUL
****when you look at the world
through the lenses of your soul
you see souls all around youeverywhere you go
extending from thehighest Heavens
down to the Earth's floor
and every doorthat's closed to the body
is opened up to the soul
you have no doubts about which way to go
because new vistas will reveal to you insights
you've never seen before
when you connect to life
with the senses of your soul
***when you look at the world
through the lenses of your body
you see only bodies
and everybody is really nobody
because a body without a soul
has nowhere to go has nothing to show
for itself when it's all said and done
there's nowhere to run except to hide
from this world of helpless cries
from this world of lies
that don't fool anybody
when you connect to life
with the senses of your body
***but when you look at the world
through the lenses of your soul
you'll find that the deeper you go
into the essence of your soul
the more you will light up countless other souls
without having to make an effort at all
without having to chase anyone at all
the fire will be ignited from up Above
when your soul is engaged with love
when you connect to life
with the senses of your soul
you will light up countless other souls
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