Dear Unique Holy Souls,
The Summary-For Those Who Prefer The Short(er) And Sweet:
I have been MIA (I know!) . It seems that I needed time and space to go inward during these intense times and I have been focusing on my one-on-one clients and creating more groups that focus on jewish spirituality and general mystical life this Fall. I would be delighted to have you join a circle, a one-off, or a class. The specific details are coming your way soon. But here are some of the offerings to join and to save the date for so please feel free to e-mail me if you are interested or have questions. And please share with your fellow people.
**All offerings with The Ritual House unless specifically noted are open to all individuals who are jewish, jew- adjacent, jew curious, spiritual seekers, and beyond. I will be facilitating all of the circles and classes and as usual, welcome you to be you- I am merely the facilitator with wisdom to share with a fresh perspective for these times that require religion to be- well, different. Today, you donât need clergy to access Divine and spirituality (you never did, really!) but so many of us do not know how to do so- I am still a work-in progress. So, please bring you and your unique light because that is what will change our world.
Both/And Circle - This circle is for Jewish individuals holding the pain and grief of this moment for all who are suffering through this war and beyond. Reserve your spot here. We will meet on zoom 5:30pm-6:45pm PST: September 3rd, September 10th, September 17th, September 24th.
Soul Mapping +New Moon - Our signature drop in event that can be done over and over again is happening again at beloved Riverbank. Join me on August 5th to welcome the new moon with soul mapping.
Family Collage New Year Intention Evening - Join me and incredible artist of Mind-Body Collective, Jenna Freeman, for an in person family evening of collage making to create sacred intentions as we transition to the school year. Save August 18th in mid-city. E-mail if interested.
Self-Love Circle- In the ancient Hebrew calendar, we have a technology to go through different powerful and potent energies towards healing. Much like astrology, we have a rhythm that allows us to find our way. The upcoming month is one leading up to the high holidays- Elul uses the acronym mystically: Ani Lâ Dodi Vâ Dodi Liâ, which translates to: âI am beloved and my beloved is mine.â Which means that this month, is the month for self-love. In Judaism we do this through deep spiritual inventory. Letâs do this sacred work together, reserve your spot today. We will meet on zoom 12:00pm-1:15pm pst: September 4th, September 11th, September 18th September 25th.
Birth, Itâs A Story - A One Time Witnessing Circle - The birth of our children and our projects/books is a form of birthing ourselves. Whether we birth ourselves, through a partner, a surrogate, through adoption, we go through a process and a labor. Join fellow birthers to witness and be witnessed. It is a perfect pre Rosh Hashanah activity for any individual who is in touch or would like to get in touch with their personal birthing process. September 30th 11:00am, mid-city, sign up forthcoming.
A Water Ritual + Shofar + Mystical Shabbat + Ritual House Anniversary - wow! Rosh Hashanah, the start of the Jewish new year and it is also the birthday of the world and rebirth for each of us. Join The Ritual House on October 4th, the second day of Rosh Hashanah, at 4:30ish for Tashlich, a sacred water ritual+shofar+experiential mystical shabbat service to walk into this new year renewed. This day also happens to be the anniversary of The Ritual House! In Judaism it is the most sacred shabbat in the calendar - the one between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur and I canât wait to celebrate with you in a very unique way. We are hoping to do this by the beach. Send me an e-mail if interested in joining/helping/being part of this evening in anyway!
Introduction To Judaism- After many requests, I am finally offering an in person intro class! If you are interested in returning to your Jewish roots (maybe you didnât like Hebrew school but always liked learning about Judaism), have a desire to potentially convert to Judaism or are an individual on a spiritual journey who would like to learn more about this spiritual tradition - this is the course for you. We will likely meet on Thursday evenings in mid-city. Sign up to follow!
Torah, A Cycle For The Soul + Torah Tarot - Each week we read from the Torah. Most of us have no idea what is being chanted out loud each week and if we do, we may be understandably offended by the antiquated language and patriarchy veiled onto the text. But what if each Torah Portion had something important for each one of us and our souls? What if there was a message of light encoded for us to hear today? There is. Join our weekly class starting the week of October 28th. Specific day TBD during lunch time PST. E-mail if interested and you have a deep desire for a particular day!
If you are interested in getting into your personalized Jewish mystical chart, wanting to dive into the deeper questions of self during these intense times, curious about spirituality and spiritual life, wanting to learn more about Judaism? I would love to connect and help. Check out the offerings that are tailored for your specific needs in this moment.
Below is where I have been and where I hope we are going collectively. With special appreciation for one of my teachers, Rabbi Kalonymus Kalman Shapira, known as the Warsaw Ghetto Rabbi or the Esh Kodesh.
xoxo
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It has been a minute. At first, the break was unintentional. I got busy. The kids! Summer! LifeâŚ. But the less I wrote, the more aware I was of this decision. When I began to ask why, I realized that part of the problem for me was that I didnât have the answers. While I never claimed to have the answers, folks have an expectation for rabbis: we are to be the providers of light in times of darkness. We are to hold hope and, more importantly, faith despite external circumstances. And while most of the time, I do have faith and hold hope, lately I have needed more time and quiet to find it. In some ways, I have let the title rabbi hinder me from accessing the parts of me that need to fall and doubt. And this process of doubt, question, and wonder with faith allows me to choose the light. I find that if I do not allow myself to feel these existential questions, then what I do is provide what folks want to hear, but it is empty without heart and certainty. The energy of certainty is needed in these times of chaos.
And so, quiet is what I have cultivated to find my way. The last few months have been ordinary in the best of ways. I am a mom spending ample time with my children. I am a wife finding ways to reconnect with my husband as we approach our B Mitzvah year of marriage (13!), while I feel slight shame admitting that these items do not always come naturally to me even though they are the loves of my life. Still, my emotional go-to is work - more work and more work⌠but it is in this space and the shapelessness in summer that my friend Abby writes about that I have gently found access to certainty. Through long hikes with two complaining children, I could laugh with my husband and notice the Aspen trees connected at their roots as one community. Better yet, when the kids feel incredibly moved, and their complaints halt as they stare with awe at those trees. It is noticing the both/and of the hike and other smaller moments that I feel more certain than ever that the collective is the light and we will find our way through.
For instance, it is astounding to observe how well we are handling the sheer chaos of this moment. An attempted assassination of a former president and an incumbent president faltering and no longer seeking re-election, to name just two items in the backdrop of the swirls of chaos! How each scenario is thickly pasted with uncertainty. Nothing is straightforward of what to feel and what to want. Yet, we are holding on somehow - collectively. My group chats are buzzing; instead of dread, they feel appropriately mixed with doubt and a possibility of hope. We collectively hold spiritual resiliency at this moment, thanks to the years of disintegration we have experienced. While there is uncertainty in the way, there is a certainty that we will move through.
Rebbe Kalonymus Kalma Shapira, known as the Esh Kodesh, the Rebbe of Piaseczno, and Warsaw Ghetto rabbi, is a teacher of mine and someone whose words I return to again and again. His strength, certainty and words of spiritual light amidst such darkness epitomize spiritual leadership. He writes:
âNow, in our present circumstances, we can see that by comparison with the way we used to feel we have become numb to all pain and suffering. In the past, we suffered every hurt, no matter how minor. But if we were capable of responding to all the pain of our current suffering with emotion and distress, as we once did, it would be impossible to survive, God forbid, even for a single day.ââŚâŚâŚ.
âGod's "inner sanctuaries" are not in the heavens. They are the recesses of the soul, of man's innermost existence. Submission to suffering happens in the outer sanctuaries â in the world of "asiya" â the tangible, objective world. But when the soul finds the strength to look beyond the suffering, or when it looks inward to that deep place within the sorrow that is not embittered or despairing towards life but rather a genuine sorrow over its situation, over the situation of the Divine Presence, over the absurdity of existence â then it encounters the "inner sanctuary," and there it discovers that its weeping is not alone.â
These two quotes perfectly describe how it is possible to move differently through the world. The rebbe was living through the unimaginable; he shares a model of how capable we are of choosing to find our way amid any circumstance.
It is possible that we are also able to dwell through the chaos differently than we once did, which is a beautiful form of collective spiritual resistance. Additionally, we are finding our pathway toward the inner sanctuaries, so that we know that we are not weeping alone. Because we arenât. We never were. It is in these sacred inner sanctuaries where we build a foundation of spiritual resilience to find our way. And this is exactly what we are doing.
All my love,
Râ Tova
p.s. In case you missed it, my sermon from a few weeks ago at Ikar is here.