Healing Archives - Page 6 of 14 - To Bend Light Archive | To Bend Light

Archive for the ‘Healing’ Category

Praise for Healing

Posted on: May 27th, 2015 by Alden

This is a prayer to be said after recovery from illness. Although I’ve written several specific prayers — such as “Cancer Remission” and “Upon Recovery from Surgery” — this is my first general prayer of thanks for physical recovery. It’s an adaptation of “Inviting Healing,” which appears in my book, Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing.

Praise for Healing
Radiance and awe.
Splendor and wonder.
The energy of being surrounds me
Flowing day-by-day
From the holy realms.

These gifts of holiness
Flow into my hands,
Into my body,
Into the core of my being.

The energy of life flows
Into my limbs,
Into my chest,
Into my heart.

Thank you
Source and Shelter,
For opening the well of healing to me,
Bringing renewal and hope.

G-d of Old,
Healer and Guide,
You have blessed me with life,
With days of joy and yearning.
You have blessed me with Your care,
Leading me back
To a life of wholeness and peace.

Postscript: Thanks to my friend, Rabbi Len Zukrow for the idea for this prayer. He asked me if I had a something that could be used at a communal Shabbat gomel service for all who’ve recovered from illness. As a result, I put this together. Other healing prayers include: “For Surgery,” “For a Critically-Ill Child,” “For a Critically-Ill Mother,” “For a Critically Ill Father,” “For Cancer Treatment” and two Hospice Prayers. See also: “Quick Prayer for Healing,” “Quick Prayer for My Healing,” “Quick Prayer for Healing (Specific)”and “On Recurrent Pain.”

Please consider making a contribution to support this site and my writing. 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 purchasing my book, Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing.

Photo Credit: Agility Recovery

Entrances and Exits

Posted on: May 17th, 2015 by Alden

This is a new prayer about living in the best and the highest moments of our lives.

Entrances and Exits
This moment is an entrance:
An entrance to your breath,
An entrance to your heart,
An entrance to your journey,
An entrance to your destination.

This moment is an exit:
An exit from your solitude,
An exit from your fear,
An exit from your wounds,
An exit from your cage.

G-d of Old,
Open my eyes to the majesty
That surrounds us.
Grant me the courage
To enter this day
With wonder and amazement,
With enthusiasm and joy,
With strength and with hope.
Teach me to dance
In the direction of holiness.
Teach me to sail
In the direction of beauty.
Teach me to love
In the direction of wholeness and peace.

The world is Yours
In fullness and glory,
Given to us as a gift
So that we may rejoice
In the mysteries
Around us.

Postscript: See also: “Now.”

Photo Source: WikiMedia Commons

Mounting Losses

Posted on: May 3rd, 2015 by Alden

This is a prayer for those facing multiple loses or tragedies. It’s straightforward and general, crafted to allow individuals to include the specific losses that have occurred. This is one of two prayers with the same structure. “Facing Challenges” deals with ongoing struggles, while this prayer deals with loss. The two prayers share common language. Word choices are shown with a slash (“/”). The blank lines identify spots to insert the specifics of your losses.

Mounting Losses
These losses,
G-d of my ancestors,
G-d of my people,
These losses continue to mount:
First ____________ [a recent event/tragedy],
Now ____________ [the most recent events/tragedies],
And I am trapped
In a pit of grief and despair.

Where is the light?
Where is the air?
Where is the sound
Of my own breathing?

Ancient One,
Grant me rest and comfort
As the burdens of loss
Rise around me,
As my suffering magnifies,
As my hope is assailed.
Source and Shelter,
Protect me.
Heal these wounds.
Bring me back to holiness and light.
Bring me back to awe and wonder.
Bring me back to Your tabernacle of peace.

Blessed are You,
G-d of Wonders,
Still Small Voice,
You heal the wounded spirit with love.

Postscript: Special thanks to Rabbi Paul Kipnes for his review and comments on this prayer, as for his suggestion to write “Facing Challenges.” His book, Jewish Spiritual Parenting, co-authored with Michelle November, will be available this Spring from Jewish Lights Publishing.

Photo Source: Rick Warren on Instragram

Facing Challenges

Posted on: April 14th, 2015 by Alden

This is a simple, straightforward and general prayer for people who face challenges that weigh heavily upon their days: financial, medical, emotional, spiritual. It’s crafted to allow individuals to include the specific challenges that they face. Word choices are shown with a slash (“/”). The blank line identifies the spot to insert the specifics challenges. Special thanks to Rabbi Paul Kipnes who suggested the idea for this prayer.

Facing Challenges
Challenges,
G-d of my ancestors,
G-d of my people,
Challenges that threaten my/our
Safety and well being
Weigh heavy upon me/us.
I/We face ________________ [list the challenges with which you struggle].
And [I am/ we are] trapped in what appears to be
An impossible situation.

Where is the light?
Where is the air?
Where is the sound
Of my own breathing?

Ancient One,
Grant me/us comfort
As I/we struggle to find solutions,
As I/we struggle to find hope,
[As my/our suffering magnifies.]
Source and Shelter,
Protect me/us.
Bring me/us back to holiness and light.
Bring me/us back to awe and wonder.
Bring me/us back to Your tabernacle of peace.

Blessed are You,
G-d of Wonders,
Still Small Voice,
You heal the wounded spirit with love.

Postscript: This is one of two prayers with the same structure. This prayer deals with ongoing challenges; the other prayer, called “Mounting Losses,” deals with multiple difficult endings, such as multiple deaths, or a divorce and a family death. It will be posted here in the next few weeks. The two prayers share some common language. Again thanks to Rabbi Paul Kipnes who suggested the idea for this prayer and made suggestions to the drafts of both prayers. His book, Jewish Spiritual Parenting, co-authored with Michelle November, will be available this Spring from Jewish Lights Publishing.

Photo Source: MD Anderson Cancer Center

Tazria-Metzora: Take Me Apart

Posted on: April 11th, 2015 by Alden

The combined portion of Tazria-Metzora deals with impurity, with reference to a form of leprosy that afflicts the mortar of a home (Leviticus 14:33-53). The home itself gets a spiritual sickness. In extreme cases the mortar is removed, the stones scraped and some discarded. This meditation imagines a human being as “the house,” that we can be afflicted with an internal spiritual sickness that can only be cured with an inner dismantling and, even then, only with the help of G-d. Word choices are designated with a slash (“/”).

Take Me Apart
Take me apart,
Bone by bone,
Sinew by sinew,
Organ by organ,
To reveal the lesions and strange bumps,
The fungus and the broken glass,
That blacken my veins,
That grind my joints,
That cloud my eyes.

I will take a knife and a wire brush
To scrape out the poison,
I will take rags and bleach
To wipe out the sludge,
Until my heart glows
And my soul shines
With the fruit of my own labor.

Only then,
Holy One,
When my flesh shimmers
And my spirit soars,
Reassemble me into
The man/woman/human
You intended
For me to become,
Clean and ready,
Holy and strong,
A sacred mirror,
Reflecting Your vastness
And Your glory.

Postscript: The house-leprosy is a powerful and useful metaphor for family dysfunction.

Please check out my ELItalk “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: SelfTalkSoulTalk

Choosing to Heal

Posted on: February 23rd, 2015 by Alden

Sometimes, healing from pain and trauma is a matter of making a choice. Not an easy choice, by any means, but a simple one: to walk with courage and to invite healing to come. It’s a matter of surrender to the possibility of relief from grief and sorrow. And it takes time. May you find the healing you need.

Choosing to Heal
To heal from grief and loss,
Breathe gently into the morning
And walk with courage
Into the new day.
If you want to heal
Choose it, claim it,
Invite healing into your heart.

G-d of our Ancestors,
Rock of Ages,
You have witnessed our sorrows,
You have seen our struggles,
For generations, for millennia,
Since Avraham and Sarah
First headed Your call.
And You have witnessed
Our joys and celebrations
As we wandered the earth,
And when we returned home.

Bring us back.
Bring us back, G-d of Old,
Bring us back to gladness.
Bring us back to love.

Postscript: Here are other prayers about spiritual healing, including: “R’fuat HaNefesh: Healing the Soul,” “Inviting Healing” and “The Cut that Heals.”

Photo Source: The Grief Recovery Kit

Renewal

Posted on: February 15th, 2015 by Alden

This simple meditation is a reminder that making space for spiritual renewal is vital to a life of love and service.

Renewal
Make for yourself
A quiet place,
Beyond the noise and chaos,
A place of refuge and retreat
To renew your mind.

Make for yourself
A prayer place,
Beyond the fear and doubt,
A place of comfort and calm
To renew your heart.

Make for yourself
A healing space,
Beyond the shadows and grief,
A place of hope and love
To renew your soul.

G-d,
Teach me to use my moments and days
As acts of renewal,
Drawing your divine energy
Into my life
So that I may serve You
And Your creation
With the fullness of my being.

Postscript: Related prayers include: “Quiet,” “This is the Place” and “All is Well.”

Photo Source: Alden Solovy

Before Calling Social Services

Posted on: January 4th, 2015 by Alden

This is a prayer for humility before taking a difficult step: calling a social service agency to report a neighbor, family member or some other individual perpetrating violence on others. Along with asking for wholeness and healing to be the result, this prayer also asks for an end to all family violence. Optional language and choices for customizing the prayer appear in [brackets]. This prayer will appear in my forthcoming book, Prayers from the Heart of Darkness.

Before Calling Social Services
With humility,
I prepare to take a step that may
Profoundly influence the lives of others.
The [violence / physical abuse / sexual abuse / emotional abuse]
Against _____________ (insert name of victim)
Must end.
The time has come to call [the authorities / social services / the police].
[There appears to be no other way.]
I do this with [sadness / fear / reluctance / shame / hope].
I do this in the name of safety and healing.
I do this so that justice and love may be restored.

Ancient One,
So many have suffered trauma inflicted by [loved ones/people they know].
Bring us to a time when violence and abuse are removed from our midst,
When friends and family treat each other –
Their parents, husbands, wives, partners, children, sisters and brothers –
With constant tenderness and steadfast care.
May this act be for blessing and not for curse,
For joy and not for sorrow,
For wholeness, consolation and peace.

G-d of Old,
Let your blessings rain down upon
All who suffer at the hand of family aggression,
All who suffer at the hand of daily terror.

Blessed are You, Source of peace.

Postscript: My prayers for mental health include: “My Depression” and “Mental Illness.” They both appear in my book, Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing. A related prayer, called “My Child’s Self-Inflicted Wounds,” will appear in my forthcoming book, Prayers from the Heart of Darkness.

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. Please consider making a contribution to support this site and my writing.

Photo Source: National Union of Public and General Employees

My Child’s Suicide Attempt

Posted on: November 16th, 2014 by Alden

This is difficult prayer: a prayer for healing after a child attempts suicide. It focuses on the child’s emotional and spiritual health, although it includes an optional section in [brackets] for a child who’s still in physical danger as a result of the attempt. This is the first of several prayers about suicide. Others will be posted in coming weeks. Here’s a related prayer called “My Child’s Self-Inflicted Wounds.”

My Child’s Suicide Attempt
How deep is her/his pain,
G-d of Old,
That my daughter/son
Would attempt to take his/her own life.
I call out to You
From the depths of confusion and fear.
[Carry her/him out of physical danger,
Healing her/his body from this trauma and]
Lead her/him to solace and relief.
What balm will ease her/his suffering?
What consolation will guide her/his journey
Back to wholeness, to self-respect, to love?

G-d of healing,
Bless my child
__________________________ (full name)
With comfort and well-being.
Grant him/her healing of mind,
Healing of body,
And healing of spirit.
Bless his/her doctors [and his/her medications]
With healing power.
Teach her/him to see the world through Your eyes,
As a place of abundance and kindness,
A place of joy and adventure.

Well of Hope,
Grant __________________________ (first name)
The ability to be gentle and forgiving to herself/himself.
Lead her/him to new ways of expression,
On a path to happiness and peace.

Postscript: See also: “The Cut that Heals,” “Witnessing” and “Redeeming My Life,” which appear in my book, Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing.

Photo Source: Softpedia

Grouchy, a Love Prayer

Posted on: November 9th, 2014 by Alden

This prayer is written to be a reminder of love when love has been temporarily forgotten. It’s to be used when kindness and care have been set on the sidelines as the result of a bad mood or a bad moment.

Grouchy, a Love Prayer
Dear one,
Heart of my heart,
I am grouchy today/now.
I’m sorry.
It’s not my intent
To treat you with disregard
Or disrespect.
It’s not my desire
To dismiss you,
Your care or your work.
This moment, I’m not at my best.
I know your dedication and your friendship.
I know your affection.
I know your kindness.
Thank you for your understanding
And willingness to forgive.
Thank you for your presence.
Thank you for your compassion.

G-d of wisdom,
Help me to soften
My words and my deeds
So I may show up in the life
Of my husband/wife/partner
With the fullness of heart.
Give me the willingness to be gentle and kind
To myself and others.
Let me always see him/her
With the eyes of love.

Postscript: Here are more prayers about love: “For New Love,” “Blessing for a Spouse/Partner,” “A Heart of Love,” “Let Love” and “Finding My Beshert.”

Photo Source: Tumblr User tumblr18

Archive for the ‘Healing’ Category

Praise for Healing

Entrances and Exits

Mounting Losses

Facing Challenges

Tazria-Metzora: Take Me Apart

Choosing to Heal

Renewal

Before Calling Social Services

My Child’s Suicide Attempt

Grouchy, a Love Prayer

“Alden has become one of Reform Judaism’s master poet-liturgists…" - Religion News Service, Dec. 23, 2020

“Mesmerizing, spiritual, provocative, and thoughtful, Alden was everything you would want in a guest scholar and teacher.” – Rabbi Denise L. Eger, Congregation Kol Ami, Los Angeles, and Past President, CCAR

**"Alden Solovy has become one of the most revered liturgists of the last decade…" - Jewish Post & Opinion, March 29, 2023**

“Alden left everyone feeling inspired.” – Cantor Jeri Robins, Shabbat Chair, NewCAJE6

Your contribution helps support the creation of new prayers available to all on this site.