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Archive for the ‘Spiritual Traveler’ Category

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.

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,

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

Sweet Cake

Posted on: December 18th, 2013 by Alden

This is another song of the spiritual traveler, an extended metaphor that shimmers with hope and prayer. It’s more of a yearning than a classic prayer, a love poem about life. And yet, aren’t all yearnings simply silent prayers of the heart? One of my favorite pieces that’s written in the voice of the spiritual traveler is called “Come Walk.”

Sweet Cake
Give me a drop of honey,
And I will give you the harvest moon.
Give me a silent tear,
And I will give you the roaring sea.
Give me a cup of milk,
And I will give you the rising sun.
Give me your secret prayer,
And I will give you my broken heart.

Give me a drop of honey and we will
Make a feast of this life.
Sweet cake,
To feed ourselves with joy and love.
Sweet cake,
To feed the world with awe and wonder.
Sweet cake,
Of milk and honey.
Sweet cake,
Of prayers and tears.

Postscript: Other prayers in the voice of the spiritual traveler include: “Come Walk,” “All is Well,” “River,” “Bird is Bird,” “Leaving,” “Remember” and “About the Rainbow.” Please consider purchasing my new book, Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing. This piece appears in This Grateful Heart: Psalms and Prayers for a New Day from CCAR Press.

Photo Source: Kitchen Heals Soul

Inside the (Hanukkah) Light

Posted on: November 27th, 2013 by Alden

This meditation carries an echo of Hanukkah. It’s about seeing, feeling and loving the light shining around us, and our yearning to be a source of light and hope for the world. Here’s the meditation set as a song by my friend Cantor Brad Hyman, as well as the article he wrote about it for Reform Judaism.org. This piece appears in This Precious Life: Encountering the Divine with Poetry and Prayer from CCAR Press.

Inside the Light
A rainbow shines
Inside the light.
If you could be the dew drop
You would always see it.

Stillness waits
Inside the light.
If you could be the sky
You would always feel it.

The sunrise dawns
Inside the light.
If you could be the horizon
You would always find it.

Freedom flows
Inside the light.
If you could be the wind
You would always ride it.

Beauty rises
Inside the light.
If you could be the sparrow
You would always reach it.

Mystery pulses
Inside the light.
If you could be the wonder
You would always know it.

Majesty reigns
Inside the light.
If you could be the wisdom
You would always hear it.

Faith rests
Inside the light.
If you could be the eagle
You would always hold it.

Your soul glows
Inside the light.
If you could be yourself
You would never leave it.

Postscript: “Inside the Light” first appeared here on May 22, 2012, the day I arrived in Israel. I wrote it on the airplane from Chicago to Newark on my way to Israel to make aliyah. Cantor Brad Hyman set it to music in 2017 and it was published by CCAR Press four years later. Other Hanukkah prayers include: “Lamps Within” and “The Season of Dedication.”

Please check out my CCAR Press Grateful/Joyous/Precious trilogy. The individual books are: This Grateful Heart, This Joyous Soul, and This Precious Life. For reprint permissions and usage guidelines, 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. For a taste of my teaching, see my ELItalk video, “Falling in Love with Prayer.”

Photo Source: Ron Almog

Thank You! Cue the Music…

Posted on: October 27th, 2013 by tobendlight

Wow! What a weekend.

As you recall, I’ve been raising money to publish my book, Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing. On Saturday, your total pledges surpassed the Kickstarter goal. Yes, together we hit the goal. Thank you. Now I’m full speed ahead on finishing the book.

To celebrate, my musician friends Andy Dennen and Tracy Friend have offered to share some of their music with my backers. First, in Kickstarter lingo, we’ve created “stretch” goals:

If the campaign reaches $15,000, everyone who contributes $25 or more will get a free copy of the song “Psalm 150” from their new album, God is Near.
If we reach $18,000, all who contribute $25 or more will get a free copy “Psalm 150,” plus an audio companion of five prayers from the book that I will create as a special bonus gift.

Second, we’ve created a new reward category: “Prayer, Art and Song,” including everything in the “Prayer and Art” category, plus a copy of CD God is Near. Here’s a link to God is Near on CDBaby where you can preview all the songs on the CD, including “Psalm 150.”

After the Kickstarter campaign, I’ll open up a book store on my web site. Many of these same packages will be available, but at slightly higher prices. So, for newcomers interested in this work, now’s the time to join in. You can buy the book, or support this project at any level, by clicking here.

What will I do with the additional support? I’ll create two or three book tours to the U.S., Canada and the U.K. and possibly a book trailer, which have become very popular for introducing new books. The ability to build out the marketing campaign would have a huge impact on success of the book and the reach of these prayers.

I met Tracy and Andy as a result of my writing while I still lived in the Chicago area. They introduced me to a world of Jewish singer-songwriters that I did not know existed. Some of those musicians had a strong influence on my work. Andy and Tracy came to my home Saturday evenings, bringing music and musicians for folk singing and beautiful Havdallah services, the ritual ending the Sabbath. God is Near is the album they were finishing and launching as I left Chicago for Israel.

So, please continue to spread the word about the project on Facebook, Twitter and via email. With your continued help, we’ll sing some more songs and praises together. Please consider increasing your pledge to help meet the stretch goal.

Blessings from Jerusalem to you all. As we say in Hebrew, todah rabah, thank you very much. I appreciate your dedication, your help and your support.

P.S. Please “kick me again” on Kickstarter.

Kick Me, Please!

Posted on: October 6th, 2013 by tobendlight

There was once a little boy who loved to pray. He now writes prayers. Me. I’ve written a book called Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing. The book is the result of my years writing prayers and hearing your responses to them. As many of you know, my personal and family tragedies were the catalyst.

Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing is now available for pre-publication sales on Kickstarter. If you haven’t heard of Kickstarter, no worries. My page walks you through the concept and what you need to do. You’ll also get a chance to learn more about my journey as a poet and liturgist.

Thank you for being a subscriber to this blog. Thanks for the encouragement and support. Blessings.

P.S. Please “kick me” on Kickstarter.

First Bird

Posted on: July 9th, 2013 by tobendlight

This prayer/poem in the voice of the spiritual traveler was inspired by the birds of Jerusalem, their many voices and songs in the early morning. It’s a companion piece to two other prayer/poems using birds as the central metaphor, “Bird is Bird” and “Soarbird.” Sometimes the spiritual traveler will say a prayer with his eyes, with her heart, with his breath, with her being. And sometimes that prayer will be “said” by listening to other voices.

First Bird
The first bird of morning
Sings alone,
For the joy of breathing,
For the glory of seeing,
For the love of being,
Alive and awake
In this world.

The second bird of morning
Sings a duet
In the gentle breeze,
As daybreak meets the earth
With the wonder of being
Alive and awake
In this world.

Then the chorus appears.
The pitch rises.
Still, they make space
For solos and for silence.
They make space
To hear
They make space
To rejoice in being
Alive and awake
In this world.

Postscript: I use the phase “…alive and awake in Your world…” in the prayer titled “Every Beginning.” Here’s a short, short story about listening as a way of prayer. It’s called “Chava bat Chana.”

For usage guidelines and reprint permissions, see “Share the Prayer!” For notices of new prayers, please subscribe. Connect with To Bend Light on Facebook and on Twitter.

Photo Source: Malene Thyssen

The Spark

Posted on: May 28th, 2013 by tobendlight

This is a brief meditation on taking so-called negative emotions and harnessing them for sacred purpose. Although dark, it has an optimistic message: even when besieged by our worst thoughts and feelings, we can turn the power of these emotions toward healing. This theme is reflected in a set of prayers devoted to individual emotions, “Doubt,” “Fear,” “Anger” and “Shame.” This will appear in my forthcoming book, Song of the Spiritual Traveler.

The Spark
Oh strange fate.
Oh cruel humor.
I am stalked from within.
The dark night of my soul
Lurks heavy in the hollows of my veins,
Sometimes silent,
Sometimes wild with passion and revenge.

Oh odd fate.
Oh curious humor.
My fear and doubt,
My anger and shame,
Are a well of compassion
And a professor of justice,
A source of humility
And a guide to understanding.

Oh mystery and majesty.
Oh wonder and awe.
That alone, in pain,
The spark of holiness is ready,
Leading me to turn this power,
Toward healing the world.

Postscript: See also “Doubt,” “Fear,” “Anger,” “Shame” and “Witnessing: A Meditation.”

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.

Photo Source: Alaskan Campfire Fishing/Tours

The Last Moment

Posted on: May 16th, 2013 by tobendlight

This is a meditation on time, a meditation on living in this moment with the spiritual understanding that beauty and holiness remain. They remain even when one of us departs this existence. The meditation was inspired by the music of Randall Williams whom I heard recently in Jerusalem; in particular, his song “Suppose Time” and reading of “The World Will End” from the album Einstein’s Dreams, which was based on the best-selling novel by Alan Lightman. Special thanks to another musician friend of mine, Tracy Friend, for her ideas and suggestions on the word choice and flow of this meditation. This piece appears in This Joyous Soul: A New Voice for Ancient Yearnings from CCAR Press.

The Last Moment
What if this is the last moment of creation?
The last moment we have to share
Our joy, our hope, our love.

What if this is the last moment
With you on earth?
The last chance to feel
Your breath, your heart, your surrender.
When you depart
The world will remain,
Full of mystery and wonder.

What if this is the last moment
With me on earth?
The last chance to offer
My hand, my smile, my strength.
When I depart
The world will remain,
Full of glory and holiness.

What if this is the last moment
We have together?
The only chance we have to share
Our awe, our power, our peace.
When we say goodbye
The world will remain.
The sky will continue to fill with radiance.
The core of the earth will still burn
Molten hot with passion for living.
And light, light from the edge of the universe,
Light from the day when G-d spoke
And the world came to be,
Will reach my face
And will warm your heart.

Postscript: Related meditations include a three-part series written to be read in this order: “Leaving,” “Arriving” and “Now.” Be sure to check out the music of Randall Williams and Tracy Friend. Also check out Tracy’s latest collaboration with my Andy Dennen, “G-d is Near.”

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.

Photo Source: Dartmouth Undergraduate Journal of Science

Three Years of Prayer

Posted on: March 22nd, 2013 by tobendlight

Jerusalem, 22 March 2013

I don’t believe in coincidences. Today is the third anniversary
of launching this site, of living my mission to bring holiness into the world by sharing my prayers with you. It’s also the 10-month anniversary of my aliyah, my immigration to Israel, the fulfillment of a dream to live in the land, to live with my people, to challenge myself spiritually in the City of Gold. And when the Sabbath comes in tonight at sundown, it will also be the fourth yartziet — the fourth anniversary — of my wife Ami’s z”l death. Zecher tzadikim livrach. The memory of the righteous is a blessing.

One day. Three important milestones. Without a doubt, Ami’s death was the catalyst for my journey into prayer and finding my voice as a poet and a liturgist. Her death also led me back to the Land, first as part of my healing process, then as my path to a new life. The connection among the dates is clear. Perhaps the meaning is, as well. Like the forest fire that yields a meadow of wildflowers, the energy of life, the energy of healing, the energy of beauty surrounds us. Grief and joy can live side-by-side in holiness and love. Adventure is waiting.

As of today, I’ve written more than 300 new prayers, poems, meditations and songs. They’ve been read more than 92,000 times by people in 129 nations. The number of people who have supported me and my mission of prayer has grown too vast to fully list. I’m now working on two books based on my writing: a compendium of prayers called Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing and the story of one man’s journey into darkness and light, told with 50 meditations, called Song of the Spiritual Traveler.

Please take a moment today to say a quick prayer, perhaps this one, a prayer that I will say today more than once: “Quick Prayer of Gratitude.” I’m certainly grateful for all of you. So let me say thank you for your connection and commitment to prayer. Thank you for your ideas and suggestions. Thank you for taking time to read and listen to my words.

With love and blessings,

Alden

———-

Notice
These prayers may be used and shared only as described on this site. For complete information on reprints, permissions, using and posting these prayers, see “Share the Prayer!” No other uses are authorized and are in violation of the author’s copyright. All content on this site is copyright material of Alden Solovy and www.tobendlight.com. All rights are reserved.

Photo Credit: Alden Solovy

The Open Space

Posted on: March 3rd, 2013 by tobendlight

This is a meditation about opening the spiritual space for wholeness to enter. It is, of course, in the voice of the spiritual traveler, the one who hints at wisdom and loves the journey for its own sake. This prayer/poem will appear in my forthcoming book, Song of the Spiritual Traveler.

The Open Space

Wholeness is the open space,

The place between,

Where the rhythm of being

Enters, flows through,

In my vision and my courage.

Forgiveness is the open space,

Where yesterday meets tomorrow,

Where the tide waits to shift,

Where holiness blesses the mundane,

In my breath and my celebration.

Wisdom is the open space

Where the echo hears the wind,

Where the silence becomes G-d’s Voice,

Where all that I am meets all that I can be,

In my marrow and in my surrender.

Postscript: Here’s a link to one of my favorite prayer/poems in the voice of the spiritual traveler, “Come Walk.” Here’s a link to more related meditations.

Photo Credit: WWU Planetarium

Archive for the ‘Spiritual Traveler’ Category

Evidence of Holiness

Sweet Cake

Inside the (Hanukkah) Light

Thank You! Cue the Music…

Kick Me, Please!

First Bird

The Spark

The Last Moment

Three Years of Prayer

The Open Space

“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

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