Tag Archive for "awe and wonder"

Posts Tagged ‘awe and wonder’

Art and Practice

Posted on: January 14th, 2018 by Alden

Send a blessing. Be a blessing. These are two of the arts and practices of inspiring love and sowing peace. Here’s a new meditation on embodying G-d’s gifts.

Art and Practice
These are the practices of love,
And the arts of peace…

Gratitude is the practice of sending blessings.
Compassion is the art of being a blessing.
Kindness is the practice of granting mercy.
Forgiveness is the art of being mercy.
Wonder is the practice of seeking holiness.
Humility is the art of being holiness.
Hope is the practice of seeing abundance.
Joy is the art of being abundance.

These are the practices of love,
And the arts of peace.
Gifts of G-d,
To share with each other.

Please check out my ELItalk video, “Falling in Love with Prayer,” and This Grateful Heart: Psalms and Prayers for a New Day. For reprint permissions and usage guidelines and reprint permissions, see “Share the Prayer!” To receive my latest prayers via email, please subscribe (on the home page). You can also connect on Facebook and Twitter.

Photo Source: Connection to Healing

Howling at the Moon

Posted on: November 5th, 2017 by Alden

This meditation was inspired by a writing workshop I conducted for teens. One youth asked if howling at the moon could be a prayer. We went outside and howled at the moon, but I told them to howl with kavanah, with an intention of prayer. They invented a word – ‘Wowl’ – combining ‘howl’ with ‘wow.’ It means: ‘howling with the intent of prayer.’ They wrote a prayer called “Wowl-ing to G-d,” which I’ve already posted.

Howling at the Moon
What freedom
To dance in the rain, cool and clean,
On a warm summer afternoon?

Let me honor Your works.
Let me celebrate Your splendor.
Let me rejoice in Your creation.

What joy
To sit on the beach, empty and quiet
As the sun rises to meet the morning tide?

Let me listen for Your voice.
Let me hear Your whisper.
Let me know Your word.

What glory
To howl at the moon, full and bright,
Hanging majestic in the eastern sky?

Let me sing Your praise.
Let me shout Your glory.
Let me exalt Your majesty.

Postscript: See also “Come Walk,” a prayer in the voice of the spiritual traveler that also uses moon imagery.

Photo Source: NASA

The Rhythm of Wonder

Posted on: May 22nd, 2016 by Alden

This meditation about radical amazement was inspired during a class on Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies. I wondered silently if it would be possible to write a prayer that captures the experience of radical amazement, thus creating a meditation to prepare the eyes and open the heart to awe and wonder. Here’s a link to read an essay about the allusions and metaphors in this meditation — also entitled “The Rhythm of Wonder,” on RitualWell.org.

The Rhythm of Wonder
When the mountains sing,
When the seas dance,
When a crescent moon glides the heavens
And the sun lifts day from night,
When the rivers waltz to hymns of rain,
And the oceans drum on cliffs of stone,
When the caper bush wakes
And the wild iris blooms,
Remember this,
It’s not the wind that lifts the eagle.
The eagle lifts the wind.

You are the love
That frees the baritone hills
And the pirouette skies,
A shaft of light to loose the crescendos of glory
And the colors of awe,
A heartbeat summoning the rhythm of wonder,
A yearning to hear the pulse of G-d.

When silence resounds with music,
When darkness radiates light,
When creation reaches up
From the core of the earth,
And eternity is a breeze
From the edge of the universe,
When the call to holiness shines brilliant
In the breathless dawn,
Remember this,
It’s not the prayer that lifts the blessing.
The blessing lifts the prayer.

Postscript: This prayer was inspired during a class called “Jewish Thinkers and their Worlds,” taught by Peta Jones Pellach, director of educational activities for the Elijah Interfaith Institute. During class

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Photo Source: Alden Solovy

The Way of Spices

Posted on: May 15th, 2016 by Alden

Here’s a new song of the spiritual traveler. An extended metaphor, it’s about understanding the nature of each moment and taking those moments into ourselves as gifts.

The Way of Spices
When you reach the way of spices
Fiery and sweet
Cinnamon and ginger, cumin and cardamom
Inhale with all of your senses
Taste this moment
Mixtures familiar and new
Subtle and strong
Salt and pepper
The way of ending and beginning.

When you reach the path of color
Bold and bright
Azure and gold, crimson and amber
Breathe the hues through your chest
See this moment
A palace of refracted light
Sparkling radiant
Brilliant and luminous
The path of beauty and holiness.

When you reach the road of fabric
Coarse and fine
Burlap and silk, flax and silver thread
Remove your gloves and shoes
Feel this moment
The tapestry that weaves and reweaves
Seen and unseen
Stitched and embroidered
The road of being and becoming.

When you reach the canyon of shadow
Dark and steep
Unknown and unseen, shapeless and shifting
Let courage guide your steps
Ascend this moment
A trail of challenge and victory
Power and perseverance
Bravery and honor
The canyon of wisdom and grace.

When you reach the passage to your heart
Delight in the grandeur
Savor the brilliance
And voyage into adventure
Peace will be your companion
And joy will be your guide
Your nights will be bright with starlight
And your days will shimmer with splendor.

Postscript: Other songs of the spiritual traveler include: “Come Walk,” “All is Well,” “River,” “Bird is Bird” and “About the Rainbow.”

Photo Source: WikiMedia Commons

In Gratitude for Your Gifts

Posted on: January 10th, 2016 by Alden

This prayer of gratitude is one of my few attempts at an English alphabetic acrostic. Here, the acrostic is in second word of the first two sets of indented lines, and the first word of the third set. Many Psalms are Hebrew acrostics, such as Psalm 145, the core of the Ashrei. Many classic piyyutim also incorporate acrostics. A sample of the poetic structures of famous piyyutim can be found on Wikipedia.

In Gratitude for Your Gifts
Guardian of my life.
Guide of my spirit:

In Awe we seek You,
With Blessings we reach You,
In Communion we call to You,
With Devotion we come to You.
With Enthusiasm we turn to You,
In Faith we trust in You,
With Gratitude we look to You,
In Humility we yearn for You,
With Inspiration we return to You,
In Joy we praise You.

Source of all being,
Light of the earth:

In Kindness You heal us,
In Love You sustain us,
In Mercy You forgive us,
With Nobility you bless us,
With Openness You hear us,
With Peace you comfort us.
In Quiet we hear You,
With Radiance You bestow divine gifts,
With Splendor You renew the world,
In Trust You’ve given us free will.

Soul of the universe,
Grant us:

Understanding to follow Your word,
Vigor to live by Your law,
Wisdom to follow Your path,
Yearning to study Torah,
Zeal for justice and peace.

Postscript: The original version of my prayer “Elijah” is an acrostic, although when I revised and expanded the prayer, I chose to forgo the acrostic. I haven’t experimented with much with this form. Dealing with several letters – in particular, ‘x’ – is a challenge. In this prayer, I’ve chosen to avoid the issue by leaving it out.

Photo Source: Judaism.com

Breisheit: Evidence of Holiness

Posted on: October 6th, 2015 by Alden

In a patch of sky seen from the South Pole, researchers say they have glimpsed the beginning of time, a faint microwave glow of the Big Bang. Or maybe, just maybe, the scientists found something they cannot explain. The early stanzas of the prayer include lines adapted from an AP article that appeared in The Times of Israel. The prayer closes with lines from Gensis 1:1-5 as translated in the 1962 JPS volume The Torah: The Five Books of Moses. Quotes from these sources are shown in italics.

Evidence of Holiness

Suppose God
Plays hide and seek
Among the stars

Cosmic microwave radiation —
A faint microwave glow from the Big Bang —
Has been detected from Earth…

Leaving evidence of holiness
So that we might yearn
To glimpse the moment when
The divine desire to create burst forth
Into an explosion of awe and wonder.

These waves are signals of
An extremely rapid
Inflation of the universe…

Consider this, dear sister.
Answer this, dear brother.
What is it that you see
With your heart
When a faint glow
From the beginning of time
Reaches the earth?
What is it to know that
A rhythmic pattern
Of radiance is the
Foundation of everything?

Could it be,
Could it be

With darkness
Over the surface
Of the deep…

That the Painter,
The Composer,
The Sculptor,
The Author of all Being,
Signed this masterwork
Of creation

God said:
“Let there be light…”

Leaving a trace of glory
For us to find,
Using ripples in the
Fabric of the cosmos?

.ויהי-ערב ויהי-בקר, יום אחד
Viyhi erev, viyhi voker, yom echad.
And there was
Evening and there was
Morning.
A first day

Postscript: This is a revised version of the prayer first posted here on March 19, 2014. I welcome reactions to the combination of news text, scripture and poetry. I use the technique of posing questions to the reader in a variety of meditations and prayers, including “For Healing the Spirit,” “Regarding Old Wounds” and “For Sharing Divine Gifts.” All three appear in my book, Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing.

Photo Source: WikiMedia Commons

Quick Prayers

Posted on: September 8th, 2015 by Alden

“Quick Prayers” provide handy, fast, easy-to-recite prayers for specific circumstances. Here’s an annotated list of my “Quick Prayers.” Click on the title to read the full prayer. They are:

“Quick Prayer on Waking” – For a gentle day
“Quick Meditation for Today”- To be a source of blessings
“Quick Meditation at Noon” – To make the day great
“Your Name: Quick Prayer at Dusk” – To remember G-d
“Quick Meditation at Night” – A prayer of gratitude
“Quick Prayer for Sleep” – For a night of rest and renewal
“Bird Song at Midnight” – On restless nights
“Quick Prayer at a Turning Point” – For guidance
“Quick Prayer for Healing” – For all in need
“Quick Prayer for My Healing” – For my healing
“Quick Prayer for Healing (Specific)” – Naming one in need
“Quick Prayer of Gratitude” – Thanks for G-d’s gifts
“Quick Prayer of Joy”- For joy and delight
“Quick Blessing for a Friend’s Departure” – Blessings on the way
“Quick Prayer for Compassion” – To act with compassion
“Quick Blessing For a Past Love” – For someone special

Six of these prayers — including “Quick Blessing For a Past Love” and “Quick Prayer for Healing” — appear in Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing, which you can order here.

Tweetable! Click here to tweet this: 16 useful “Quick Prayers,” Easy-to-recite prayers for specific moments from @ToBendLight https://tobendlight.com/?p=13099

Photo Source: Alden Solovy

Tending Gardens

Posted on: January 6th, 2015 by Alden

Some gardens are tended by our hands. Others are tended by G-d’s will. This is a meditation on both the willingness to act in order to create beauty, as well as the power of refraining from action in order observe the beauty that arises from this amazing planet. This piece appears in This Precious Life: Encountering the Divine with Poetry and Prayer from CCAR Press.

Tending Gardens
Wildflowers bloom,
A field of colors,
A meadow on a hillside,
Wild and free,
Tended by sun and rain,
Gently painted by the will of the earth.

Another place of delight,
My garden blooms,
A blueprint from my heart,
Guided by my hand
Tended with love and affection
Planted according to my design.

G-d of splendor,
Grant me the willingness to plant gardens
And the wisdom to leave other gardens
To Your loving hand.
Teach me the beauty of doing
And glory not doing.
Grant me the power to act
And the strength to refrain.
Let my will to create,
And my willingness to accept,
Find balance and harmony
In my heart and in my hands,
So that my doing,
And my not doing,
Serve Your will
And Your world.

Postscript: Other prayers that use the “garden” metaphor include: “Life as a Garden” and “Garden of Blessings.”

For usage guidelines and reprint permissions, see “Share the Prayer!” For notices of new prayers, please subscribe. You can also connect on Facebook and Twitter. Please consider making a contribution to support this site and my writing.

Photo Source: Alden Solovy

Evidence of Holiness

Posted on: March 19th, 2014 by Alden

In a small patch of sky, seen from the South Pole, researchers say they have glimpsed the beginning of time. They have found the faint microwave glow of the Big Bang, when the universe was one trillionth of one trillionth of one trillionth seconds old. Or maybe, just maybe, they found something scientists cannot explain.

Written this morning, this meditation is a first attempt to combine original writing with both secular and religious texts. At the beginning, I’ve taken lines from the caption of a photo from the Associated Press as it appears in The Times of Israel. It closes, with lines from Gensis 1:1-5 as translated in the 1962 JPS volume The Torah: The Five Books of Moses.

Evidence of Holiness
Suppose G-d
Plays hide and seek
Among the stars

Cosmic microwave radiation
Is a form of light…

Leaving evidence of holiness
So that we might yearn
To glimpse the moment when

Changes in a particular
Polarization may be caused
By gravitational waves…

The divine desire to create
Burst forth

These waves
Are signals of
An extremely rapid
Inflation of the universe…

Into an explosion of awe
And wonder.

Could it be,
Could it be,

With darkness
Over the surface
Of the deep…

That the Painter,
The Composer,
The Sculptor,
The Author of all Being,

A wind from G-d
Sweeping over the water…

Signed this masterwork
Of creation –

G-d said:
“Let there be light…”

Leaving a trace of glory
For us to find –
Using ripples in the
Fabric of the cosmos?

And there was
Evening and there was
Morning.
A first day.

Postscript: I welcome reactions to the combination of news text, with scripture and poetry. Note here that I use the technique of posing questions to the reader within the prayer, a tool I use in a variety of meditations and prayers, including “For Healing the Spirit,” “Regarding Old Wounds” and “For Sharing Divine Gifts.” All three appear in my forthcoming book, Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing.

For usage guidelines and reprint permissions, see “Share the Prayer!” For notices of new prayers, please subscribe. You can also connect on Facebook and Twitter. If you like this prayer, please post a link to Facebook, your blog or mention it in a tweet.

Photo Source: WikiMedia Commons

Posts Tagged ‘awe and wonder’

Art and Practice

Howling at the Moon

The Rhythm of Wonder

The Way of Spices

In Gratitude for Your Gifts

Breisheit: Evidence of Holiness

Quick Prayers

Tending Gardens

Evidence of Holiness

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