Tag Archive for "journeys" | To Bend Light

Posts Tagged ‘journeys’

Things Break

Posted on: March 26th, 2011 by tobendlight

Each day we face the flow of endings and beginnings. G-d’s love remains. To listen along, click on the triangle in the bar below. The text follows.

Things Break
Things break. Things die.
People break. People die.
The end approaches
Sometimes swiftly,
Sometimes slowly,
Sometimes secretly,
Sometimes in plain sight.

Things thrive. Things live.
People thrive. People live.
Vitality flows from the heavens.
Energy reaches up from the core of the earth.
Love shines from the center of my heart.

G-d of time and space,
All beginnings lead to endings.
All endings are beginnings.
Grant me the wisdom to see life as a sea
Of losses and gains,
A tide of joy and heartache,
Birth and death,
Illness and recovery,
The sacred and the profane.

G-d of All,
Glorious and Holy,
Things thrive, things break.
People live, people die.
Your love is Eternal.

Postscript: These prayers are also about beginnings and endings: “Leaving,” “Arriving,” “Now” and “Near The End: A Meditation.”

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Against Tyranny

Posted on: February 24th, 2011 by tobendlight

This is a prayer for the end of tyrannical rule. To listen while you read, click on the triangle in the bar below. The text follows.

Against Tyranny
G-d of the oppressed,
G-d of the subjugated and exploited,
The voice of freedom echoes across the land,
A hunger for liberation
And an end to the reign of tyrants.
Our brothers,
Beaten and abused,
Our sisters,
Dominated and forgotten,
Rise up to face the despot
Risking life and limb
In the name of the future,
With the dream of emancipation.

Source of mercy,
Rock of generations,
You have led people to deliverance in every age.
Bless those who struggle against cruelty and oppression.
Grant them courage and fortitude,
Safety and strength.
May their purpose remain righteous
And their vision focused on peace.

Bring an end to the rule of dictators in every land.
Release the hand of cruelty and evil.
Thwart the hand of brutality and slaughter.
Grant a swift end to violence,
So that renewal and rebuilding can begin
And hope renewed.

Bless a new government with wisdom and compassion
To give meaning to the uprising and suffering.
Let honorable nations lend skill and resources
To the leaders who emerge from this struggle.

Blessed are You, G-d of All,
Who summons us to free the captive,
Pursue justice
And oppose the reign of tyrants.

Postscript: Other prayers in this series include: “Against Human Trafficking” and “Against Poverty.”

Upon Losing Employment

Posted on: February 17th, 2011 by tobendlight

This prayer is to be said when losing a job. Adapt it using choices in [brackets]. To listen along, click on the triangle below. The text follows.

Upon Losing Employment
G-d on high,
I stand in the shadow of fear and loss
As my employment comes to an end.
I have no way to see or to know
How my livelihood will be restored
Or my financial obligations fulfilled.
Grant me determination through these difficult times.
Grant me strength and courage to use this moment
As an opportunity to examine my life, my goals and my needs.
Help me find a way to meet my commitments to my
[Family][children][parents][friends][and][community].

Source of goodness and life,
Watch over me in this challenge.
Protect me from bitterness and resentment.
Open my heart to understanding and forgiveness.
Grant me the patience and energy to persevere.

Blessed are You,
G-d of bounty and grace,
Who provides sustenance of body and spirit
In the hour of need.

Postscript: Here’s a prayer “For Work,” one said “Upon Gaining Employment” and more about emotions that may come with a job loss: “Doubt,” “Shame,” “Fear” and “Anger.” This is a prayer “Against Worker Exploitation,” one of my prayers for social justice.

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For Egypt

Posted on: February 5th, 2011 by tobendlight

As Egypt faces monumental change, here’s a prayer for the nation, its people and the world. To listen as you read, click on the triangle in the bar below. The text follows.

For Egypt
G-d of All,
Protector and Redeemer,
Watch over the people of Egypt
As their nation faces struggle and strife
On the journey toward hope and promise.
Grant safety to its citizens and residents,
Visitors and guests,
During moments of unrest.
Grant wisdom and courage to its leaders,
Insight to its advisors,
And understanding to its friends.
Lead them on a path toward justice.
Direct them on the road to freedom.
Guide them on the way to prosperity.
Make them a shining light of peace.

Source and Shelter,
Grant safety and security to all nations,
So that truth and harmony resound
From the four corners of the earth.

Blessed are You, G-d of All,
Forging nations and peoples
In the crucible of change
Throughout history.
May this time of challenge for Egypt
Become a blessing for its inhabitants and for the world.

Postscript: I used this piece as the basis of of prayer “For Libya.” Here’s a prayer “For the Women of Congo and Sudan,” as well as prayers “For Peace in the Middle East” and “Israel.”

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Another Year: An Introspection

Posted on: December 30th, 2010 by tobendlight

20120327-kryptomorphaics-introspection-2_mg_3874 For the New Year: a meditation on the passage and the use of time. Have I spent this time wisely? And what have I learned? Contrast this meditation, which is about living a life of integrity, with another New Year meditation, “In This Turning,” which is about love. Here’s another prayer “For the New Year” and another called “A New Year Begins.” To listen along as you read, click on the triangle in the bar below. The text follows. This prayer appears in This Grateful Heart: Psalms and Prayers for a New Day.

Another Year: An Introspection
Another year slips away,
As they all do,
Day by day,
Hour by hour,
Moment by moment.
Many used wisely,
Many wasted.

Another year opens,
As they all do,
With anticipation,
With wonder and amazement,
With excitement.
With consolation.

Was last year so different from the one before?
What will the New Year bring?
What will I bring to the New Year?

This I pledge to myself:
Love is my answer to grief,
Hope is my answer to loss,
Strength is my answer to fear,
Honor is my answer to slander,
Action is my answer to injustice.

This I pledge to you
Dear sisters and brothers:
To see you as you are,
To respect your journey,
To hear your truth,
To stand with you in dignity,
To walk with you as a companion and friend.

This I pledge to You
G-d of my ancestors:
To seek Your wisdom,
To follow Your command,
To obey Your Law,
To observe Your Sabbath,
To rejoice in Your works,
To do Your will.

G-d of time and space,
Another year slips away,
As they all do.
Another year opens before me,
As they all do:
With one hundred choices,
One thousand possibilities
And one sacred duty.
Life. This life. My life.

Postscript: Here’s another prayer “For the New Year” and a meditation called “In This Turning.” Please consider purchasing my 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 Credit: jansenphoto

Now

Posted on: December 29th, 2010 by tobendlight

This is the third of a three-part meditation about the rhythm and flow of life. These meditations are written to be recited in order: “Leaving,” “Arriving” and “Now.” Please listen along as you read. Click on the triangle in the bar below. The text follows.

Now
This is now.
Always now.
Now and now and now.
The arrivals and departures
That bring me here
And take me way,
Are only dreams and memories,
Windows and smoky mirrors,
Distractions from the pulse of this moment.

What is this thing called now that always leaves,
That always arrives,
That changes and stays the same,
That is always present, ripe and waiting?
This is now.
Always now.
And the world is full of
Now and now and now.

Oh to live in this life,
This wondrous river of gifts.
This being. This becoming.
This shimmering light of awe and thanksgiving.
Let the currents flow,
Let the tides shift
And the moon rise and set,
So that now stays vital, vibrant and alive
With joy and grace.

Postscript: Take a look at my book, Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing.

Photo Source: Alden Solovy

Arriving

Posted on: December 27th, 2010 by tobendlight

This is the second of a three-part meditation about the rhythm and flow of life. These meditations are written to be recited in order: “Leaving,” “Arriving” and “Now.” To listen along as you read, click on the triangle in the bar below. The text follows.

Arriving
I’ve already arrived
In the moment to come.
The yet-to-be opens before me
As a flow of gifts and blessings,
Wounds and losses,
Nights and days,
A steady stream of danger and wonder.
The blue white sky.
The moonless night.

What is this thing called arriving
That feels so uncertain, unsteady, unknown
And yet so full of promise and hope?
I am arriving, always arriving,
In the next shimmering sunrise,
The next afternoon shadow.

Oh to live in this heartbeat,
This amazing pulse of earth and sea.
This place.
This space.
This radiant sigh of being.
Let the world laugh,
The earth cry,
The seasons ebb and flow,
So that the space for now
Opens with gratitude and peace.

Leaving

Posted on: December 26th, 2010 by tobendlight

This is the first of a three-part meditation about the rhythm and flow of life. These meditations are written to be recited in order: “Leaving,” “Arriving” and “Now.” The text follows. Here’s the piece, along with a photo I took of a sunrise over Lake Michigan. This meditation will appear in my forthcoming book, Song of the Spiritual Traveler. To listen along as you read, click on the triangle in the bar below.

Leaving
I’ve already left
The moment that just was.
I’ve already taken in new sights
New sounds,
The rhythm and motion around me.
The grey dusk.
The morning light.

What is this thing called leaving
That feels so much like a knife
That slices my safety, my solace, my peace?
I am leaving, always leaving,
And the world is always leaving me
In the next gust of wind,
The next quiet night.

Oh to live in this breath,
This joyous expanse of air and light.
This here.
This now.
This wonder and amazement,
This luminous pulse of being.
Let the world sigh,
Let the earth turn,
Let the currents flow,
So that the space for tomorrow
Opens with awe and surrender.

Photo Source: Alden Solovy

River

Posted on: November 19th, 2010 by tobendlight

This simple prayer/poem is an extended metaphor for the interior landscape of challenge and change. It will appear in my forthcoming book, Song of the Spiritual Traveler. To listen along as you read, click on the triangle in the bar below. The text follows.

River
River and free.
River and free.
Current and rapid.
River and free.

Ocean and gone.
Ocean and gone.
Storm and gale.
Ocean and gone.

Tide and return.
Tide and return.
Whitecap and wave.
Tide and return.

Eddy and flow.
Eddy and flow.
Headwater. Backwater.
Eddy and flow.

River and free.
River and free.
Boat and paddle.
River and me.

Postscript: Please click here to read other prayer/poems from the voice of the Spiritual Traveler.

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 Credit: U.S. Forest Service / John Hutmacher

We Share the Same Pain

Posted on: November 9th, 2010 by tobendlight

This is an invitation, an invitation to men to bond as equals, as brothers, as friends, sharing our deepest pain and our deepest fear. It’s posted today to honor the men of the November 2010 New Warrior Training Adventure held by Chicago Community of The ManKind Project at Camp Ronora, Mich.

Please listen along as you read. (Click on the triangle in the bar below. The text follows.)

We Share the Same Pain
Brother,
You do not know me…
And you know me.
I do not know you…
And I know you.
We have travelled different roads,
But they are paths across the same landscape,
Trails across the same terrain.
Joy and anger,
Pride and shame,
Fear and love.
Our fathers and their fathers
Faced the journey of the heart alone,
Without the guidance of their brothers,
Without the wisdom of the generations.

Brother, we share the same legacy and
We share the same pain.
That is all I need to know
To love you today
For who you are and for who you can become.
Hurt, but not broken.
Still able to find the deep root of majesty within,
The gift of passion and power,
Radiance and joy,
Directed toward a life of service.
You know me.
I know you.
Let us share the challenge,
The journey,
And the victory.

Postscript: Check out these prayers for men: “My Work Remains,” “For the Lost,” “We Share the Same Pain”and “My Heart Knows What It Needs,” as well as a list of other prayers for and about men.

Please use these prayers. See “Share the Prayer!” in the right hand column.

Posts Tagged ‘journeys’

Things Break

Against Tyranny

Upon Losing Employment

For Egypt

Another Year: An Introspection

Now

Arriving

Leaving

River

We Share the Same Pain

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