Weekly MMM - Set List for Gevurah Week - Poetry of The Brave Ones

Click to hear our MMM recordings

SET LIST GEVURAH WEEK

THE POETRY OF THE BRAVE ONES

[**Welcome---Ladies and gentlemen-- to our Gevurah of Gevurah stop--- here in our annual Sefirat Ha-Omer tour—we will be re-boarding the bus shortly –so do your best to breathe in the rarified atmosphere that you can find here---it is the heart of Gevurah ---it is the heart of courage ---it is what is needed these days to stand up for what is right –to hold tight to the endless light that is within grasp ---dig deep and liberate this absolutely necessary side of your lives**]



Dear fearless lion-hearted chance takers-------brand new friend makers-----------Tikun Olam for G-d's sake-ers-----never ever pretenders or fakers------unashamed to tell the fakers to go jump in a lake-ers……..the time has come to step up-----the One Above is looking for a few good men and women---to get things started again -----to share your heart-full expressive selves with those newcomers and older veterans who are looking for some light filled courage to be able to jump into your essences again -------so jump on board ----what are you waiting for----let your inner lion roar---like it's never roared before ----need I say anything more ? we all know what the score is-- here in the end of days------the wise ones are saying we all need to find our own unique ways to push it over the edge------to jump back into Paradise again---like Adam and Eve once did -------but to do this ---we need to be fearless and crystal clear –that there is only one way out of here --------we need to hear that lion inside and derive as much inspiration as we can ---the fate of the nation and the whole of humanity is in your hands….so reach out and take His Hand----He's leading us all back to the Promised Land



Dear brave children of vision…..dear intenders to live by the decision that you have made -----don't let it slip away---it is your unique voice---you have no choice but to follow it's call ---no matter where it leads you ----and all the distractions and abstractions and reactions that you get from inside and out---are only a test to see if you will carry out your holy 'yiud' ---your unique melody and tune---which sooner or later in this incarnation or the next—will be carried out-----follow the holy sparks –guiding you from beyond the stars to do what you must do---and listen to the voice that comes to you ----and let go of control and go with it---it's the only reason that you are here---so do not fear dear one---your time has come—and it may not come again too soon……..we are all rooting for you



Dear brave vulnerable friends…..friends who are willing to take a chance and be vulnerably intimate with themselves and their dark sides…and their closest intimate friends and life in general ….Dear lovers of the opportunity that intimacy can give to you –to let yourselves truly be you---no one else will do ---only the real you with all of your flaws coming through will allow the love between them and you be true to the core---and nothing is more sweet and real---than when you can't wait to feel the exquisiteness of representing who you really are –and your partner ---most likely will follow suit---and the interplay and exchange of your and their vulnerable truths –will build a foundation of love like none you have known before and truth will saturate the atmosphere of every place you frequent and love will be inspired to make itself known to all those you know and to everywhere you go



Dear wanderers through the wilderness of life ….searchers for a plan or for some inspiration to help to make it all work out right…..hear the calling deep inside your spirit –like the bat kol of old announcing it's message to the bold ones……see the horizon's distant light selectively shining in your eyes like the the pillar of fire leading you past the pitfalls of life in the seemingly endless life…..know your path and know it well and don't fall for some cliché way that passes for a respectable plan for any decent woman or man---time and life is way too precious for that…you have a song that no one else can compose ---and that's the one and only way that you are meant to go…..perhaps some poetic inspiration can light up your absolutely unique resonation





THE PATH OF THE CHOSEN FEW

take me there
show me where
I don't care
about anything else
so please take me there
light up my way now
the path eludes me somehow
show me the what and how
so that I too can know
how to light up my way now
the past holds every clue
the future leads me into the new
this path is only for those chosen few
who knows if I belong
only the One Above can provide me a clue
take me back home
back to where I come from
to the place above the sun
bring me back
back to the place of One





FROM THE NARROW STRAITS I CALL

**the narrow straits

the struggling places

sometimes makes us

fall on our faces



**but the woman

and the man

when they know the secret of faith

that the narrow straits

always lead

to an expansive place



**and there was darkness

and then there was light

and G-d said ,

Let there be light

and every blessing has endless light

and every prayer has infinite might



**cast away the bitterness

banish the hopelessness

melt away the despair

as if it was never there



**from the narrow straits I call to You

and when I do

I know that You'll come through

just like you always do



**and that's how you turn the narrow straits

into the most expanded place

a place of love and grace

an amazing sacred space

an eternal sanctuary

an infinite way to see

that no one

and no thing

that stands in your way

will stay there

if you open your lips to pray

to the One Above

to just take it away

that's what I wanted to say



LISTEN TO THE LION INSIDE OF YOU

listen to a whole new voice

opening inside of you

quiet and subtle at first

but growing in intensity

a birthing the birth screams of Mashiach

happening deep inside you

listen to the the darkness

all the darknesses of your life

calling you from a distance

at first but steadily coming closer

growing bolder you've always kept them at a distance

but something has shifted

you can now see right through them

when you don't take your eyes off of them

even for a second

that's when you become friends

that's when the angels in charge of your pain and suffering

surrender to you and they have

no choice but to yield to

your penetrating stare

and the walls of illusion

and delusion and dissolution

and confusion

come tumbling down

just because you know that underneath

that pain that hurt

there lies a light from Above

a light that keeps

everything in existence

and the Angel of death

revealed to Moses

the supernal ways

these secrets the Ketoret the holy spices

the sublime combinations

of goodness and badness

meshed together in sacred light

and dashed away the darkness

of the endless exile night

and the messianic light

is being born inside of us

and the birth pangs distract us

but the promise of a better day

of a higher way

of an endless voice guides us

listen to the lion

inside of you

now in the time of messianic birthing

and let the roar

encourage you to say never more

will I take my eyes away from

the golden gate that is open to one and all

just walk on through that door

**the price of admission

is submission to His Mysterious ways

the secret code is believing

believing is seeing and seeing is believing



POETRY OF THE SEFIROT [GEVURAH WEEK]



[**these first few poems are inspired by the writings of R. Avraham Yitzchak Kook Ztz'l followed by some other poems that I was inspired by this Gevurah week**]



BOUND AND BOUNDLESS



**Every person and every matter great and small

That are found in this place that we call 'Olam'

They all have an appearance of being normal and limited and bounded



**But we know that this World is a place that hides His true nature

And nature itself is hiding Super-Nature

And the bound is hiding the bound-less



**And when we open our minds to see this hidden seeing

Then we will truly see that when the Red Sea splits

Every Sea splits



**And what can manifest at the core

Of anything and everything

Is endless and boundless infinity

For those with eyes to see



THE HIDDEN AND REVEALED RATZON



**There is revealed Ratzon {Primal Will}

In the hidden recesses of the soul



**Loving Ratzon in the heart

When it is revealed

Awakens the hidden Ratzon in the World



**This Ratzon draws down the light

Of the Holy Shechina—the Soul of the world



**And then all of the world's Ratzons

Are elevated

And birth new Souls

And heal all those

Who need healing



RAISHIT CHOCHMA YIRAT HASHEM

{The Beginning of Wisdom is the Fear of G-d—Proverbs 9/10}



The quintessence of wisdom

The source of endless insight;

Is Yirat Hashem

Is fear of G-d

Is seeing G-d

Is Awe of G-d

Is being terrified of losing connection with G-d



How can the fear of G-d become wisdom?

How can fear be the key to wisdom?

How can fear be the source of wisdom?



But then I see

I see G-d seeing me

I see Heaven embracing me

I see my passion to see G-d

I see that passion guiding me constantly



And seeing G-d seeing me

Sets me free

Guides my life

Liberates my mind

Expands my insight endlessly

It's the outer key

That unlocks my inner me

Enabling me to see

The essence of reality







FEAR OF LOSING



Have you ever felt the preciousness of someone so deeply/ so completely

That you know with certainty

That you cannot

That you will not

Ever

Lose it

[come what may]

Through thick and thin---through life and death!

So what do you do?



You simply say –no way

No one and no thing will get in your way

Nothing that anyone can say



You build a wall

So strong and tall

That nothing at all can get through

And you set aside a sacred space

A sacred time

When no one else is there

To sing the praises of that which you hold so dear

And your fear of losing

Is transformed

Into a constant choosing

To never lose



THE INFINITE POWER OF CONSTRICTION



And the Creator of it all

Saw in his infinite and eternal way

That in order to create something beside Him

In order to let others in

Something else that He could relate to

Something like a child or a student or a friend

He would need to create

A beginning and an end

A constriction to the expansion

A saying to the Universe—Enough!!

A moving Himself out of the way

A limiting of time that there could be a night and a day



And in His Infinite wisdom

He moved his infinity out of the way

[or at least so it seemed

For those who can't see Him in His hiding

And that's how He taught us all

That in order to allow

Your own infinity to be shared endlessly

You must constrict yourself

And let your loved one free

To be whoever they want to be



SAYING NO



For other people , he was a yes sayer

He wanted to be a good player

In the game of people pleasing



He was terrified of saying no

He wouldn't know how to cope

With the threatening silence that

Follows a disapproving stare



He would always leave the interaction

With a promise that by the next time

That they met

He would see to it that all would be YES



And then one day out of the blue

A new possibility presented itself to him

A possibility that he'd never known

The possibility of saying NO



And he was shown that when he said no

Life would nevertheless go on –just like before

But new doors

Would open themselves to him

New possibilities cams his way



And the more 'Nos' that he would say

The more choices that would come his way

The more his inner voice would come into play



And from that 1st no saying day on

He stumbled upon

Blessed yesses

Carefully selected yesses

True to his essence yesses

THE MANY SPLENDORED COLORS OF SAYING NO



Saying no can take you to places that yes sayers

Can never go



Painting your day with the colors of saying no

Will show you how to hold on

To the blessings that come your way

Every day



When you find yourself wanting to rain down limitlessly

All that you know and see

on some unsuspecting being

try to restrain yourself a bit

though it might be painful a bit

the eventual gain you can gain from it

will be well worth it



The getting yourself out of someone's way

Might just reveal to you a whole new side of life

A whole new way

A new side of them

And a new side of you too



POETRY OF THE ETERNALLY RESTLESS SPIRIT



Dear eternal life kindlers…..dear restless begin again-ers…..dear darkness turned into life emulaters ….your images dance 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 emulate His Eternal spirit---in order to light up the darkest exiles of our lives tonight and all nights…..share with us your insight ---about life and about being alive and about rekindling life and about seeing so deeply and so profoundly that the aliveness will last forever--- and about receiving so completely –that the blessings will dance their way around us –inside and outside of us------and the hunger will consume us and resurrect our ancient restless spirit---and paradoxical voices will encompass us –with holy hunger for more –the battle of evermore---teaching us what it's all –and we will reach out for You and never stop desiring to penetrate your eternity to see and know nothing but you to pledge poetic allegiance to thee—to be aware that you are watching me—lovingly—endlessly –compassionately--eternally





EMULATE



And I offer a heart-filled prayer

to the One who sees right through me

to the One who loves me infinitely

to the One who shows me the possibility

of giving away all I own for free

and a great weight is removed from me

when I emulate the

The One

Whose love is given

Freely

Infinitely

Effortlessly

Eternally



GIFTS



We are blessed human beings

We are blessed with gifts

that come to us all the time

and

Seep their way into our lives

just on the edge of our awareness

just on the edge of our consciousness



just waiting us to embrace them

To unwrap them,

to bring them into our souls

Into our lives




so many words

so many people

so many things

going on





We have

no inkling

or fathoming

of just how endless

and profound these gifts truly are





ALLEGIANCE



***poetry

has staked it's property
here inside of me
I can't seem
to find
any other way to be



******electricity

is the eye
with which I see
with such intensity
that I can't seem
to free myself
from it's light
which enraptures me



***eternity

I pledge allegiance to thee
your spacious expanse
draws me inside of thee
it's the only voice
that speaks to me





THE HUNGER



we can never still

the hunger we feel

once it becomes real

when the walls come tumbling down

and the truth makes itself all too clear

Take me back

Take me back home



how can I possibly

tame the wild beast?

how can I contain

the tempest storm?

How can I stifle

the insatiable longing

to come back to my ancient home

to return to my infinite womb



I remember your voice

I remember our dance

I remember our joy

I remember the bliss

I remember the love



THE PARADOX PASSWORD



Paradox is the password…

it's the only way to get from here to there

in a world where attaching to one side alone

will paralyze you…

will stifle you ..will minimize you…



But when you set in motion

paradoxical notions

then the mountains

and the oceans

will go to bat for you

will show where it's at for you

will point you in a direction

that's based on your inner predilection



Though it may make no sense

to your linear minded friends

it's really the only way

to find your way home







THIS IS WHO I AM



the barriers

of her fears

the blockades

of years

came tumbling down

like a dam

crashed by a battering ram

she declared

this IS who I am



she found her voice

and the more she spoke

and the more she wrote

the more the world

spoke to her

at first with great demure

timid and mild

not wreck-less or wild





until she opened her eyes

and she stood up and enticed

the messages from far and near

to present themselves

crystal clear

to anyone

who really wanted

who really needed

to hear



GO INTO THEE





To go into Thee

that's where I want to be

and I listen closely

for the real me

to set myself free

will the real me

please step up

and let me be me

the essential me



and I am shown

a glimpse

of the true ANI

and that's enough

to drive me

to become

the real me

from now

through eternity



TO BE SO ALIVE THAT OUR ALIVENESS LASTS FOREVER



**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 WATER AND FIRE LOVE

[***At this time when the Sefirot of Chesed and Gevurah converge {in the counting of the Sefirat Ha-Omer}---it's an auspicious time to poetically explore the poetry of the Love of Water {Chesed} and Fire {Gevurah}***]



Dear love seekers….love speakers ….love thinkers…love dreamers …… constantly …and you surely know that there are different kinds of love …fire love and water love…. And the two so often get confused with each other …..passionate love masquerading as universal love ….and universal love longing to be embraced as passionate love…..and the beat goes on…and the love entrances us…enhances us…enchants us…implants in us--- the desire for more ….for just as the sea's crashing waves are not stilled until they arrive at the shore---so too does the thirst for love never leave us in peace ---until a beloved one reassures us of their love and allow us to be released –at least as long as we feel that the love is real…..perhaps one or two of these water and fire love poems will steal your heart away…and if not today---there's always another day …there always is…..

LOVE LIKE WATER AND FIRE

*****Some speak of a love like water

a love that has no bounds

a love that never ends

a love that only gives

a love that is the essence of life a love that is so subtle

so pure in it’s frequency level so unselfish so G-dly

so much a part of everything so much a part of you and me

that you may not ever notice it

unless it’s threatened to be taken away

****Some speak of a love like water

a sisterly love a blissful love

an essential love an unconditional love

a love extended to one and all

a love that free loves from above

a love of silver a love of the Tree of Life

a love of The Crown a love of nothingness

a love which is perfect as is

***** Some speak of a love like fire

a love that comes and goes

a love that threatens to get away

a love that gives and takes

a love that is intoxicating

a love that is so deeply felt

so deeply experienced

so attached to one’s sense of wellbeing

so connected to self esteem

so human

so personal

that you can’t think of anything else

and you don’t think

you could live without it

*****Some speak of a love like fire

a lover’s love

an eccentric love

a fragile love

a jealous love

a love directed solely to one’s beloved

a love is that is aroused from below

a love of gold

a love of the Tree of Knowledge

a love of The Kingdom

a love of something ness

a love which constantly yearns

*****Some know how to love both loves

To yearn like fire

And be in bliss like water

To arouse the water love

With the fire love

And when one knows love

Then one lives love

And the fire and water love

Become one love

MAY YOUR LOVE WATER THE THIRSTY ONES

~May You share love

May you give of yourself completely

May that giving manifest

as an ever growing

ever deepening love

for every human being

and for THE ONE

who is the source

of all love

~May you create at all times,

incredible love...

a love that reflects back to you

the true love inside of you

that lies at the core

of who you are

~May you be a love giver

a love creator

a love maker

at all times

~May your love

make the world

a better place

always in all ways

~May your love

water the thirsty ones

parched from no one

in their lives

sharing love with them

like the new season's rains

water the dried up desert

LOVE

***I have a new/ old friend

Her name is Love

**** She is everybody's friend

at least they all

would like to think so

but in any case

she never turns them away

when they look her way

****When I saw her once

in a new and different way

She no longer was for me

elusive

or intrusive

or abusive

****She was in fact

light as a feather

and whether I chased her

or just let her go

she no longer ran away

****I could tell at this time

that she was

here to stay

SPEAK TO ME

******He tastes her words

He breathes in her name

He drinks in her sighs

His heart longs

to engage her

in heart dialogue....

******He then dares

to reach out to her

and he says,

''please, dearest flower

, flower of love---water love,

speak to me from the heart,

speak to me of the love

of water

and fire too,

speak to me of passion

my eyes seek to see you

in the light of the dawn

my heart longs to know you

in a way

that only hearts

can know

******speak to me of the night

speak to me in silence

speak to me in sacred song

speak to me from the mystery

that lies hidden

inside you

A HOLY FIRE OF LOVE

there is a holy fire of love

a love for all that exists

a love that sees no distinctions

a love that sees nothing but soul

a love that keeps us warm

a love of endless delight

a love dependent on nothing

a love that embraces all creatures

a love that sees through the facade

a love experienced by those

who have penetrated consciousness

a love that is fueled by infinite love

from The One Above

MANY WATERS CANNOT QUENCH THE LOVE

[*Song of Songs*]

****and he says to her,

"how can I possibly

tame the wild beast?

how can I contain

the tempest storm?

How can I stifle

the insatiable longing

I have for you?"

****and she says to him

"many waters cannot quench

the love that I feel for you

night and day

There's nothing else

I can do

this love will be forever

it will never go away "

****and he says to her,

" the hunger

is never stilled

there is no cure

there is no magic pill

I continue to roam

these desolate streets

searching for any clues

listening for any news

I may hear about you"

****and she says to him,

"I remember your voice

I remember our dance

I remember our joy

I remember the bliss

I remember the love

the endless love

the love that no one

can live without"

****and he says to her

"and the search goes on

it always will

we can never still the hunger we feel

once it becomes real

when the walls come tumbling down

and the truth makes itself all too clear

Take me backTake me back home to you"



From: Yitzchak schwartz
Sent: Tuesday, April 6, 2021 9:26 AM
To: Yitzchak Schwartz <yitzchakschwartz@msn.com>; Mia <miasherwoodlandau@gmail.com>; mia@mia-sherwood-landau.com <mia@mia-sherwood-landau.com>
Subject: SET LIST GEVURAH WEEK pls post Mia---thank you!!!





SET LIST GEVURAH WEEK



THE POETRY OF THE BRAVE ONES

[**Welcome---Ladies and gentlemen-- to our Gevurah of Gevurah stop--- here in our annual Sefirat Ha-Omer tour—we will be re-boarding the bus shortly –so do your best to breathe in the rarified atmosphere that you can find here---it is the heart of Gevurah ---it is the heart of courage ---it is what is needed these days to stand up for what is right –to hold tight to the endless light that is within grasp ---dig deep and liberate this absolutely necessary side of your lives**]



Dear fearless lion-hearted chance takers-------brand new friend makers-----------Tikun Olam for G-d's sake-ers-----never ever pretenders or fakers------unashamed to tell the fakers to go jump in a lake-ers……..the time has come to step up-----the One Above is looking for a few good men and women---to get things started again -----to share your heart-full expressive selves with those newcomers and older veterans who are looking for some light filled courage to be able to jump into your essences again -------so jump on board ----what are you waiting for----let your inner lion roar---like it's never roared before ----need I say anything more ? we all know what the score is-- here in the end of days------the wise ones are saying we all need to find our own unique ways to push it over the edge------to jump back into Paradise again---like Adam and Eve once did -------but to do this ---we need to be fearless and crystal clear –that there is only one way out of here --------we need to hear that lion inside and derive as much inspiration as we can ---the fate of the nation and the whole of humanity is in your hands….so reach out and take His Hand----He's leading us all back to the Promised Land



Dear brave children of vision…..dear intenders to live by the decision that you have made -----don't let it slip away---it is your unique voice---you have no choice but to follow it's call ---no matter where it leads you ----and all the distractions and abstractions and reactions that you get from inside and out---are only a test to see if you will carry out your holy 'yiud' ---your unique melody and tune---which sooner or later in this incarnation or the next—will be carried out-----follow the holy sparks –guiding you from beyond the stars to do what you must do---and listen to the voice that comes to you ----and let go of control and go with it---it's the only reason that you are here---so do not fear dear one---your time has come—and it may not come again too soon……..we are all rooting for you



Dear brave vulnerable friends…..friends who are willing to take a chance and be vulnerably intimate with themselves and their dark sides…and their closest intimate friends and life in general ….Dear lovers of the opportunity that intimacy can give to you –to let yourselves truly be you---no one else will do ---only the real you with all of your flaws coming through will allow the love between them and you be true to the core---and nothing is more sweet and real---than when you can't wait to feel the exquisiteness of representing who you really are –and your partner ---most likely will follow suit---and the interplay and exchange of your and their vulnerable truths –will build a foundation of love like none you have known before and truth will saturate the atmosphere of every place you frequent and love will be inspired to make itself known to all those you know and to everywhere you go



Dear wanderers through the wilderness of life ….searchers for a plan or for some inspiration to help to make it all work out right…..hear the calling deep inside your spirit –like the bat kol of old announcing it's message to the bold ones……see the horizon's distant light selectively shining in your eyes like the the pillar of fire leading you past the pitfalls of life in the seemingly endless life…..know your path and know it well and don't fall for some cliché way that passes for a respectable plan for any decent woman or man---time and life is way too precious for that…you have a song that no one else can compose ---and that's the one and only way that you are meant to go…..perhaps some poetic inspiration can light up your absolutely unique resonation





THE PATH OF THE CHOSEN FEW

take me there
show me where
I don't care
about anything else
so please take me there
light up my way now
the path eludes me somehow
show me the what and how
so that I too can know
how to light up my way now
the past holds every clue
the future leads me into the new
this path is only for those chosen few
who knows if I belong
only the One Above can provide me a clue
take me back home
back to where I come from
to the place above the sun
bring me back
back to the place of One





FROM THE NARROW STRAITS I CALL

**the narrow straits

the struggling places

sometimes makes us

fall on our faces



**but the woman

and the man

when they know the secret of faith

that the narrow straits

always lead

to an expansive place



**and there was darkness

and then there was light

and G-d said ,

Let there be light

and every blessing has endless light

and every prayer has infinite might



**cast away the bitterness

banish the hopelessness

melt away the despair

as if it was never there



**from the narrow straits I call to You

and when I do

I know that You'll come through

just like you always do



**and that's how you turn the narrow straits

into the most expanded place

a place of love and grace

an amazing sacred space

an eternal sanctuary

an infinite way to see

that no one

and no thing

that stands in your way

will stay there

if you open your lips to pray

to the One Above

to just take it away

that's what I wanted to say



LISTEN TO THE LION INSIDE OF YOU

listen to a whole new voice

opening inside of you

quiet and subtle at first

but growing in intensity

a birthing the birth screams of Mashiach

happening deep inside you

listen to the the darkness

all the darknesses of your life

calling you from a distance

at first but steadily coming closer

growing bolder you've always kept them at a distance

but something has shifted

you can now see right through them

when you don't take your eyes off of them

even for a second

that's when you become friends

that's when the angels in charge of your pain and suffering

surrender to you and they have

no choice but to yield to

your penetrating stare

and the walls of illusion

and delusion and dissolution

and confusion

come tumbling down

just because you know that underneath

that pain that hurt

there lies a light from Above

a light that keeps

everything in existence

and the Angel of death

revealed to Moses

the supernal ways

these secrets the Ketoret the holy spices

the sublime combinations

of goodness and badness

meshed together in sacred light

and dashed away the darkness

of the endless exile night

and the messianic light

is being born inside of us

and the birth pangs distract us

but the promise of a better day

of a higher way

of an endless voice guides us

listen to the lion

inside of you

now in the time of messianic birthing

and let the roar

encourage you to say never more

will I take my eyes away from

the golden gate that is open to one and all

just walk on through that door

**the price of admission

is submission to His Mysterious ways

the secret code is believing

believing is seeing and seeing is believing



POETRY OF THE SEFIROT [GEVURAH WEEK]



[**these first few poems are inspired by the writings of R. Avraham Yitzchak Kook Ztz'l followed by some other poems that I was inspired by this Gevurah week**]



BOUND AND BOUNDLESS



**Every person and every matter great and small

That are found in this place that we call 'Olam'

They all have an appearance of being normal and limited and bounded



**But we know that this World is a place that hides His true nature

And nature itself is hiding Super-Nature

And the bound is hiding the bound-less



**And when we open our minds to see this hidden seeing

Then we will truly see that when the Red Sea splits

Every Sea splits



**And what can manifest at the core

Of anything and everything

Is endless and boundless infinity

For those with eyes to see



THE HIDDEN AND REVEALED RATZON



**There is revealed Ratzon {Primal Will}

In the hidden recesses of the soul



**Loving Ratzon in the heart

When it is revealed

Awakens the hidden Ratzon in the World



**This Ratzon draws down the light

Of the Holy Shechina—the Soul of the world



**And then all of the world's Ratzons

Are elevated

And birth new Souls

And heal all those

Who need healing



RAISHIT CHOCHMA YIRAT HASHEM

{The Beginning of Wisdom is the Fear of G-d—Proverbs 9/10}



The quintessence of wisdom

The source of endless insight;

Is Yirat Hashem

Is fear of G-d

Is seeing G-d

Is Awe of G-d

Is being terrified of losing connection with G-d



How can the fear of G-d become wisdom?

How can fear be the key to wisdom?

How can fear be the source of wisdom?



But then I see

I see G-d seeing me

I see Heaven embracing me

I see my passion to see G-d

I see that passion guiding me constantly



And seeing G-d seeing me

Sets me free

Guides my life

Liberates my mind

Expands my insight endlessly

It's the outer key

That unlocks my inner me

Enabling me to see

The essence of reality







FEAR OF LOSING



Have you ever felt the preciousness of someone so deeply/ so completely

That you know with certainty

That you cannot

That you will not

Ever

Lose it

[come what may]

Through thick and thin---through life and death!

So what do you do?



You simply say –no way

No one and no thing will get in your way

Nothing that anyone can say



You build a wall

So strong and tall

That nothing at all can get through

And you set aside a sacred space

A sacred time

When no one else is there

To sing the praises of that which you hold so dear

And your fear of losing

Is transformed

Into a constant choosing

To never lose



THE INFINITE POWER OF CONSTRICTION



And the Creator of it all

Saw in his infinite and eternal way

That in order to create something beside Him

In order to let others in

Something else that He could relate to

Something like a child or a student or a friend

He would need to create

A beginning and an end

A constriction to the expansion

A saying to the Universe—Enough!!

A moving Himself out of the way

A limiting of time that there could be a night and a day



And in His Infinite wisdom

He moved his infinity out of the way

[or at least so it seemed

For those who can't see Him in His hiding

And that's how He taught us all

That in order to allow

Your own infinity to be shared endlessly

You must constrict yourself

And let your loved one free

To be whoever they want to be



SAYING NO



For other people , he was a yes sayer

He wanted to be a good player

In the game of people pleasing



He was terrified of saying no

He wouldn't know how to cope

With the threatening silence that

Follows a disapproving stare



He would always leave the interaction

With a promise that by the next time

That they met

He would see to it that all would be YES



And then one day out of the blue

A new possibility presented itself to him

A possibility that he'd never known

The possibility of saying NO



And he was shown that when he said no

Life would nevertheless go on –just like before

But new doors

Would open themselves to him

New possibilities cams his way



And the more 'Nos' that he would say

The more choices that would come his way

The more his inner voice would come into play



And from that 1st no saying day on

He stumbled upon

Blessed yesses

Carefully selected yesses

True to his essence yesses

THE MANY SPLENDORED COLORS OF SAYING NO



Saying no can take you to places that yes sayers

Can never go



Painting your day with the colors of saying no

Will show you how to hold on

To the blessings that come your way

Every day



When you find yourself wanting to rain down limitlessly

All that you know and see

on some unsuspecting being

try to restrain yourself a bit

though it might be painful a bit

the eventual gain you can gain from it

will be well worth it



The getting yourself out of someone's way

Might just reveal to you a whole new side of life

A whole new way

A new side of them

And a new side of you too



POETRY OF THE ETERNALLY RESTLESS SPIRIT



Dear eternal life kindlers…..dear restless begin again-ers…..dear darkness turned into life emulaters ….your images dance 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 emulate His Eternal spirit---in order to light up the darkest exiles of our lives tonight and all nights…..share with us your insight ---about life and about being alive and about rekindling life and about seeing so deeply and so profoundly that the aliveness will last forever--- and about receiving so completely –that the blessings will dance their way around us –inside and outside of us------and the hunger will consume us and resurrect our ancient restless spirit---and paradoxical voices will encompass us –with holy hunger for more –the battle of evermore---teaching us what it's all –and we will reach out for You and never stop desiring to penetrate your eternity to see and know nothing but you to pledge poetic allegiance to thee—to be aware that you are watching me—lovingly—endlessly –compassionately--eternally





EMULATE



And I offer a heart-filled prayer

to the One who sees right through me

to the One who loves me infinitely

to the One who shows me the possibility

of giving away all I own for free

and a great weight is removed from me

when I emulate the

The One

Whose love is given

Freely

Infinitely

Effortlessly

Eternally



GIFTS



We are blessed human beings

We are blessed with gifts

that come to us all the time

and

Seep their way into our lives

just on the edge of our awareness

just on the edge of our consciousness



just waiting us to embrace them

To unwrap them,

to bring them into our souls

Into our lives




so many words

so many people

so many things

going on





We have

no inkling

or fathoming

of just how endless

and profound these gifts truly are





ALLEGIANCE



***poetry

has staked it's property
here inside of me
I can't seem
to find
any other way to be



******electricity

is the eye
with which I see
with such intensity
that I can't seem
to free myself
from it's light
which enraptures me



***eternity

I pledge allegiance to thee
your spacious expanse
draws me inside of thee
it's the only voice
that speaks to me





THE HUNGER



we can never still

the hunger we feel

once it becomes real

when the walls come tumbling down

and the truth makes itself all too clear

Take me back

Take me back home



how can I possibly

tame the wild beast?

how can I contain

the tempest storm?

How can I stifle

the insatiable longing

to come back to my ancient home

to return to my infinite womb



I remember your voice

I remember our dance

I remember our joy

I remember the bliss

I remember the love



THE PARADOX PASSWORD



Paradox is the password…

it's the only way to get from here to there

in a world where attaching to one side alone

will paralyze you…

will stifle you ..will minimize you…



But when you set in motion

paradoxical notions

then the mountains

and the oceans

will go to bat for you

will show where it's at for you

will point you in a direction

that's based on your inner predilection



Though it may make no sense

to your linear minded friends

it's really the only way

to find your way home







THIS IS WHO I AM



the barriers

of her fears

the blockades

of years

came tumbling down

like a dam

crashed by a battering ram

she declared

this IS who I am



she found her voice

and the more she spoke

and the more she wrote

the more the world

spoke to her

at first with great demure

timid and mild

not wreck-less or wild





until she opened her eyes

and she stood up and enticed

the messages from far and near

to present themselves

crystal clear

to anyone

who really wanted

who really needed

to hear



GO INTO THEE





To go into Thee

that's where I want to be

and I listen closely

for the real me

to set myself free

will the real me

please step up

and let me be me

the essential me



and I am shown

a glimpse

of the true ANI

and that's enough

to drive me

to become

the real me

from now

through eternity



TO BE SO ALIVE THAT OUR ALIVENESS LASTS FOREVER



**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 WATER AND FIRE LOVE

[***At this time when the Sefirot of Chesed and Gevurah converge {in the counting of the Sefirat Ha-Omer}---it's an auspicious time to poetically explore the poetry of the Love of Water {Chesed} and Fire {Gevurah}***]



Dear love seekers….love speakers ….love thinkers…love dreamers …… constantly …and you surely know that there are different kinds of love …fire love and water love…. And the two so often get confused with each other …..passionate love masquerading as universal love ….and universal love longing to be embraced as passionate love…..and the beat goes on…and the love entrances us…enhances us…enchants us…implants in us--- the desire for more ….for just as the sea's crashing waves are not stilled until they arrive at the shore---so too does the thirst for love never leave us in peace ---until a beloved one reassures us of their love and allow us to be released –at least as long as we feel that the love is real…..perhaps one or two of these water and fire love poems will steal your heart away…and if not today---there's always another day …there always is…..

LOVE LIKE WATER AND FIRE

*****Some speak of a love like water

a love that has no bounds

a love that never ends

a love that only gives

a love that is the essence of life a love that is so subtle

so pure in it’s frequency level so unselfish so G-dly

so much a part of everything so much a part of you and me

that you may not ever notice it

unless it’s threatened to be taken away

****Some speak of a love like water

a sisterly love a blissful love

an essential love an unconditional love

a love extended to one and all

a love that free loves from above

a love of silver a love of the Tree of Life

a love of The Crown a love of nothingness

a love which is perfect as is

***** Some speak of a love like fire

a love that comes and goes

a love that threatens to get away

a love that gives and takes

a love that is intoxicating

a love that is so deeply felt

so deeply experienced

so attached to one’s sense of wellbeing

so connected to self esteem

so human

so personal

that you can’t think of anything else

and you don’t think

you could live without it

*****Some speak of a love like fire

a lover’s love

an eccentric love

a fragile love

a jealous love

a love directed solely to one’s beloved

a love is that is aroused from below

a love of gold

a love of the Tree of Knowledge

a love of The Kingdom

a love of something ness

a love which constantly yearns

*****Some know how to love both loves

To yearn like fire

And be in bliss like water

To arouse the water love

With the fire love

And when one knows love

Then one lives love

And the fire and water love

Become one love

MAY YOUR LOVE WATER THE THIRSTY ONES

~May You share love

May you give of yourself completely

May that giving manifest

as an ever growing

ever deepening love

for every human being

and for THE ONE

who is the source

of all love

~May you create at all times,

incredible love...

a love that reflects back to you

the true love inside of you

that lies at the core

of who you are

~May you be a love giver

a love creator

a love maker

at all times

~May your love

make the world

a better place

always in all ways

~May your love

water the thirsty ones

parched from no one

in their lives

sharing love with them

like the new season's rains

water the dried up desert

LOVE

***I have a new/ old friend

Her name is Love

**** She is everybody's friend

at least they all

would like to think so

but in any case

she never turns them away

when they look her way

****When I saw her once

in a new and different way

She no longer was for me

elusive

or intrusive

or abusive

****She was in fact

light as a feather

and whether I chased her

or just let her go

she no longer ran away

****I could tell at this time

that she was

here to stay

SPEAK TO ME

******He tastes her words

He breathes in her name

He drinks in her sighs

His heart longs

to engage her

in heart dialogue....

******He then dares

to reach out to her

and he says,

''please, dearest flower

, flower of love---water love,

speak to me from the heart,

speak to me of the love

of water

and fire too,

speak to me of passion

my eyes seek to see you

in the light of the dawn

my heart longs to know you

in a way

that only hearts

can know

******speak to me of the night

speak to me in silence

speak to me in sacred song

speak to me from the mystery

that lies hidden

inside you

A HOLY FIRE OF LOVE

there is a holy fire of love

a love for all that exists

a love that sees no distinctions

a love that sees nothing but soul

a love that keeps us warm

a love of endless delight

a love dependent on nothing

a love that embraces all creatures

a love that sees through the facade

a love experienced by those

who have penetrated consciousness

a love that is fueled by infinite love

from The One Above

MANY WATERS CANNOT QUENCH THE LOVE

[*Song of Songs*]

****and he says to her,

"how can I possibly

tame the wild beast?

how can I contain

the tempest storm?

How can I stifle

the insatiable longing

I have for you?"

****and she says to him

"many waters cannot quench

the love that I feel for you

night and day

There's nothing else

I can do

this love will be forever

it will never go away "

****and he says to her,

" the hunger

is never stilled

there is no cure

there is no magic pill

I continue to roam

these desolate streets

searching for any clues

listening for any news

I may hear about you"

****and she says to him,

"I remember your voice

I remember our dance

I remember our joy

I remember the bliss

I remember the love

the endless love

the love that no one

can live without"

****and he says to her

"and the search goes on

it always will

we can never still the hunger we feel

once it becomes real

when the walls come tumbling down

and the truth makes itself all too clear

Take me backTake me back home to you