Many blessings to everyone, and especially to anyone Counting the Omer!
“6. Ignorance produces greater ignorance, and brings on unconsciousness as its effect: so knowledge leads on to higher knowledge, and produces self-consciousness as its result. (Good tends to best, and bad to the worst. Better tends to best, and worse to the worst).
7. The creeping plant of ignorance, has the passion for its leaves, and the desires for its odours; and it is continually shaking and shuffling with the leafy garment on its body.”
“23. It grows and dies and grows again, and being cut down it springs out anon; so there is no end of it. (It is hard to extirpate ignorance at once).”
“26. All distinctions of different objects, are dissolved in the crucible of the reasoning mind; but they remain undissolved in their crude forms in the minds of the ignorant, who are employed in differentiating the various natures of men and brutes, and of terrene and aquatic animals.
27. They distinguish the one as the nether world, and the other as the upper sky; and make distinctions between the solar and lunar planets, and the fixed starry bodies. (But there are no ups and downs, nor any thing as fixed in infinite vacuity).
28. Here there is light, and there is darkness on the other side, and this is empty space and that is the solid ground; these are the sástras and these are the Vedas, are distinctions unknown to the wise.
29. It is the same spirit that flies upward in the bodies of birds, or remains above in the form of gods; the same spirit remains fixed in the forms of fixed rocks or moves in continued motion with the flying winds.
30. Sometimes it resides in the infernal regions, and at others it dwells in the heavens above; sometimes it is exalted to the dignity of gods, and some where it remains in the state of mean insects and worms.”
“32. Whatever appears as great and glorious, and all that is seen as mean and ignoble in their form, from the biggest and bright sun down to the most contemptible grass and straw; are all pervaded by the universal spirit: it is ignorance that dwells upon the external forms; but knowledge that looks into the inner soul, obtains its sight up the present state.”
– quoted from (Book 6) “CHAPTER VIII. Allegory of the Spreading Arbour of Ignorance.” of The Yoga-Vasishtha Maharamayana of Valmiki (translated from the original Sanskrit by VIHARI-LALA MITRA)
Please join me for a 90-minute virtual yoga practice on Zoom today (Saturday, May 20th) at 12:00 PM.Use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or by emailing myra(at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Saturday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “0123-24/2022 Doing: Lessons in…”]
NOTE: If it is accessible to you, please consider using the Spotify playlist as it contains the original music (referenced in the original practice). Even better, if you already have the album!
The original Keith Jarrett recording is not available on YouTube (in the US) without a “Premium” membership and, after listening to several different “interpretations” – which do not / cannot include the vocalizations – I decided the Fausto Bongelli sounded the closest to the original. Sadly, one movement is missing and so I used a recording by Tomasz Trzcinkinski, who was the first person to record the music using the transcription. There are also now transcriptions for other instruments – which I didn’t sample, even though I think some of them would be lovely. There are also “covers” using electronic instruments, which I’m considering a hard pass (even if it seems contradictory to the original theme), out of respect for the composer.
In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es). Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.)
Many blessings to everyone, and especially to anyone Counting the Omer!
“‘Bhikkhus, I could tell you in many ways about the animal kingdom, so much so that it is hard to find a simile for the suffering in the animal kingdom. Suppose a man threw into the sea a yoke with one hole in it, and the east wind carried it to the west, and the west wind carried it to the east, and the north wind carried it to the south, and the south wind carried it to the north. Suppose there were a blind turtle that came up once at the end of each century. What do you think, bhikkhus [monks]? Would that blind turtle put his neck into that yoke with one hole in it?’
Bhikkhus: ‘He might, venerable sir, sometime or other at the end of a long period.’
‘Bhikkhus, the blind turtle would take less time to put his neck into that yoke with a single hole in it than a fool, once gone to perdition, would take to regain the human state, I say. Why is that? Because there is no practicing of the Dhamma there, no practicing of what is righteous, no doing of what is wholesome, no performance of merit. There mutual devouring prevails, and the slaughter of the weak.’”
– quoted from “The Animal Kingdom” in Majjhima Nikāya 129, Balapandita Sutta: Fools and Wise Men
Please join me today (Tuesday, May 16th) at 12:00 PM or* 7:15 PM for a yoga practice on Zoom. You can use the link from the “Class Schedules”calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email me at myra(at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
*SCHEDULE NOTE: I will not be available for the Noon class today, but plan to be back on schedule this evening.
Tuesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “05162021 Doing the Work”]
PLAYLIST NOTE: Due to artist protests, one song may not play on Spotify. As I support artists in their efforts to bring about change, I am not re-mixing affected playlists because of the protests. This particular remix was due to additional content.
In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es). Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.)
Many blessings to everyone, and especially to anyone Counting the Omer!
“I’m telling an old myth in a new way. Each society takesHa that myth and retells it in a different way, which relates to the particular environment they live in. The motif is the same. It’s just that it gets localized.”
– George Lucas (b. 05/14/1944) in the Mythology of Star Wars with George Lucas & Bill Moyers
Happy Mother’s Day to all of the moms. No matter how you came to be a mom (or what your kiddos call you), you are a powerful force in the world and represent a powerful Force in the world. The Mother archetype is present in every life story, every healing story, and in every religious and cultural story or myth. In the monomyth (or “Hero’s Journey”), the Mother can represent life, death, and time; nurturing, nourishment, and protection; unconditional love, acceptance, and devotion; as well as unselfishness. The Mother can present as the Matriarch, as Mother Nature/Gaia, as a Fairy Godmother, or as a Divine Mother/Goddess. The Mother can be seen as the Good Mother, the Working Mother (which opens up into a whole host of other archetypes), the Stay-at-Home Mother, the Perfect Mother, the Devoted Mother. the Co-Dependent Mother, the Abusive Mother, the Abandoning Mother, the Critical Mother, or the Hovering/Helicopter Mother.
I used the word “or” for the aforementioned archetypal patterns; because, in many stories, maternal figures are often portrayed as one-dimensional. In real life, however, mothers can be more than one thing… simultaneously – and sometimes in ways that may seem contradictory. In real life, mothers are people: they love, they hope, they desire, they fear, and the fit into so many boxes it doesn’t even make sense to put them into a box… let alone to regulate them to a single day.
And yet, here we are… Mother’s Day in the United States.
“I hope and pray that someone, sometime, will found a memorial mother’s day commemorating her for the matchless service she renders to humanity in every field of life. She is entitled to it.”
– quoted from the end of 1876 Sunday school lesson by Ann Reeves Jarvis (words that inspired her daughter Anna Maria Jarvis)
I added that “in the United States,” because for years I willfully ignored the fact that other countries – not to mention, a variety of religions – celebrate Mother’s Day at other times during the year and in very different ways than the way the observation has evolved here in the US. While I don’t know if I will ever go back to teaching on Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, I will continue to offer the 2020 recordings for those who are on my Sunday mailing list (or who request the recording via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email me at myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.).
The Mother’s Day playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “Mother’s Day 2020”]
“Leia saw her mother coming through the crowd toward her; those nearby parted before her, clearing a path without Queen Breha having to hold out a hand or say a word. At last, Leia would be able to talk with her mother about what she’d accomplished, about the splendid rescue she’d just completed on a world most people were afraid to even mention, much less visit. Breha Organa would have to talk to her daughter as an equal.”
– quoted from Star Wars: Leia, Princess of Alderaan by Claudia Gray
Since Mother’s Day falls on George Lucas’s birthday in 2023, I am also sending the Sunday mailing list an opportunity to consider how being a mother is it’s own “Hero’s Journey.” The May 14, 2022, practice does not specifically focus on mothers in movies by George Lucas. However, take note of how motherhood checks all the monomyth boxes, beginning with “The Call” and moving through “The Return.”
The playlist related to George Lucas and Yoga Sūtra 4.14 is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “05142022 That Same Force”]
“‘When last you stood before us, you swore to undertake Challenges of Mind, Body, and Heart. This you have done.’
Leia gripped the hilt even more tightly. ‘How do you judge me, my mother and queen?’
‘I judge that you have completed your three challenges with great strength and even greater spirit. In all ways, you have proved yourself worthy.’ Gesturing for Leia to step closer, Breha rose from her throne.
As Leia ascended the dais to join her parents, she held the Rhindon Sword aloft in one hand. Breha reached up to clasp the hilt along with her: two rulers, not fighting over the symbol of power but sharing its weight.”
– quoted from Star Wars: Leia, Princess of Alderaan by Claudia Gray
In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es). Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.)
I will be back on schedule (and on Zoom) tomorrow. If you are interested in receiving one of the aforementioned practices, please comment below or email me via myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Errata: The spelling of Tim Harford’s name has been corrected.
Many blessings to everyone, and especially to anyone Counting the Omer (Lag B’Omer or Lag LaOmer)!
This is a “missing” post for Tuesday, May 9th.You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email me at myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
“Tio, kio malamas vin, ne faru al via ulo. Tio estas la tuta Torao; la resto estas la klarigo. Nun iru studi.”
“That which is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow. That is the whole Torah; the rest is the explanation. Now go and study.”
– quoted from the story of Hillel the Elder “[teaching] the meaning of the whole Torah while standing on one foot,” translated into Esperanto and English by Dr. L. L. Zamenhof
It is not the point of the story – and, in some ways it doesn’t matter – however, today I am wondering “Which foot?”
According to the Talmud a potential convert to Judaism went to two famous rabbis of the 1st century and asked to be taught the whole Torah while standing on one foot.* Rabbi Shammai insulted the man and threw him out. Rabbi Hillel (the Elder) taught a lesson about respect, which some commentators say is also love.
Respect/love that’s the important part of the story. However, today, I am also wondering about which foot. Because, which foot determines which leg and which hip bear the weight of the lesson – and which leg and hip, represents the (symbolic) foundation of the teaching.
“Yes, how my love this moment here is ripe for us Yes, you and I so brave against the years If nothing’s left to live we must find a way There’s reason yet to live There’s something left to give We must find a way There is so much to give”
– quoted from “When Nothing’s Left” by Royal Wood
As I often mention this time of year, Jewish mysticism (Kabbalah) indicates that the Tree of Life has ten sefirot (“emanations,” attributes, or manifestations) of the Divine – seven of which are associated with the body. For instance, the right leg/thigh is associated with the fourth attribute, Netzach, meaning “endurance,” “sustainability,” “victory,” and “persistence.” Meanwhile, the left leg/thigh is associated with Hod, which can be defined as “humility,” “gratitude,” “splendor,” and “glory.” I often reference this in relation to the Counting of the Omer, a 7-week period of prayer and reflection which begins on the second night of Passover. Each night, for 49 days, people count the days of the Omer and reflect on a combination of two of the sefirot.
We’re heading towards the end of the fifth week; and so, the focus is on how each attribute – lovingkindness, strength, balance, endurance, humility, bonding, and stewardship – shows up in relation to Hod. Sunset on Monday marked the beginning of Lag B’Omer (or Lag LaOmer) – Day 33 of (or in) the Omer, which is Hod She’b’Hod. The 33rd day has an extra special significance and is treated differently from the other days. The reason it’s different is related to hope – gained, lost, and regained – and, also, to that first lesson regarding respect/love.
“They said by way of example that Rabbi Akiva had twelve thousand pairs of students in an area of land that stretched from Gevat to Antipatris in Judea, and they all died in one period of time, because they did not treat each other with respect.”
– quoted from Yevamot 62b:9 in The Koren Talmud Bavli Noé (Vol. 14 Yevamot 1), with commentary by Rabbi Adin Even-Israel Steinsaltz and English from The William Davidson digital edition
I often refer to Counting the Omer as a preparation ritual, similar to other observations and celebrations that fit within the rubric of kriya yoga. What I don’t often mention is that the beginning of the 7 weeks is also a period of mourning related to Rabbi Akiva’s 24,000 students and the lost hope that their deaths represent. Obviously, so many people being lost at once would be devastating and heartbreaking. However, the communal hopelessness is also related to the fact that the 24,000 were preparing for the return of the Temple.
Yet, somehow, despite focusing on the scholarly aspects of their faith, they got it wrong.
How? How could so many students of Torah not respect/love one another properly? How could so many students of one of the greatest rabbis not understand a foundational element of their teaching? According to some commentary, they did not love those that had different opinions and perspectives. Rather than learning from one another, they believed they could only respect/love those who shared the same views. So the were struck down by a plague.
Some scholars say the plague that killed them was an actual disease (as it is indicated in the text); others say it was a metaphor for war against the Roman Empire. Either way, Lag B’Omer (or Lag LaOmer) is the anniversary of the day when the plague ended – or when a revolt led by Simon Bar Kokhba achieved a victory against the Roman Empire. It is also the anniversary of the death one of the students from Rabbi Akiva’s second cohort: Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, whose life is celebrated as a symbol of hope for the future.
All the activities people put on hold during the period of mourning, resume on the 33rd Day of the Omer. Additionally, some people will make a pilgrimage to sacred sites. In some communities, people build bonfires to symbolize the ways in which people marked the beginning of the holidays and the sabbath in medieval times and the fires Bar Kokhba’s soldiers would have used to communicate. (Similarly, children may use toy boy and arrows to reenact the revolt.) Bonfires and torches are also symbolic of the mystical fire that surrounded Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai as he shared his wisdom of the Torah on his last day. Finally, the fires symbolize the light of the Torah and the return of that light to the Jewish people.
They are a reminder that Rabbi Akiva didn’t give up – even when all were lost and he hit the proverbial wall.
“And the world was desolate of Torah until Rabbi Akiva came to our Rabbis in the South and taught his Torah to them. This second group of disciples consisted of Rabbi Meir, Rabbi Yehuda, Rabbi Yosei, Rabbi Shimon, and Rabbi Elazar ben Shamua. And these are the very ones who upheld the study of Torah at that time. Although Rabbi Akiva’s earlier students did not survive, his later disciples were able to transmit the Torah to future generations.”
– quoted from Yevamot 62b:10 in The Koren Talmud Bavli Noé (Vol. 14 Yevamot 1), with commentary by Rabbi Adin Even-Israel Steinsaltz and English from The William Davidson digital edition
For Those Who Missed It: The following was originally posted in 2020. One quote was moved. Additionally, the first and third paragraphs have been slightly revised.
“For there is no doubt that the most radical division that it is possible to make of humanity is that which splits it into two classes of creatures: those who make great demands on themselves, piling up difficulties and duties; and those who demand nothing special of themselves, but for whom to live is to be every moment what they already are, without imposing on themselves any effort towards perfection; mere buoys that float on the waves.”
― from The Revolt of the Masses by José Ortega y Gasset
My friend Bob P once told me this joke: “There are two kinds of people in a kayak, the people that just fell out and the people who are about to fall out.” I find his joke is a pretty apropos metaphor for that feeling of “hitting the wall” during [the] pandemic; if you haven’t hit the wall, you’re about to hit the wall. The same can be said for some of life’s greatest heartaches. While it might seem trite to suggest that you can tell a lot about a person by how they get over/under/around/through the wall, it doesn’t change the fact that [what we’ve been through and are going through] is all part of our circumstances and, to paraphrase José Ortega y Gasset, we are (in part) our circumstances.
Born in Spain, today (May 9th) in 1883, Ortega y Gasset was an existential philosopher and writer, as well as a bit of an activist/social reformer, who believed that life was simultaneously fate and freedom, but that freedom could only be experienced within a given fate. In other words, we must play the hand we’re dealt – but, and this is key, we decide what game we’re playing with the hand we’re dealt. In fact, Ortega y Gasset encouraged actively deciding and creating a “project of life” and, in doing so, create meaning not only for one’s self, but also for others.
– “The objective world (what is seen), consisted of a combination of elements and senses, and having a nature of illumination, activity, and stability, has two purposes: fulfillment and freedom.
– The “gunas” fall into four categories: specific/identifiable, unspecific/unidentifiable, barely describable (by signs), and absolutely indescribable (because it is beyond reference)
It may seem strange, even counterintuitive to some, to draw parallels between the work of 20th century existential philosophers and psychologists (or psychoanalysts) and the work of the ancient yogis (and medieval rabbis). Yet, remember, Patanjali, Vyasa, and the authors of the sacred texts like the Upanishads were explaining their life experiences – just like modern day existentialists – and codifying their life philosophies. When you get right down to it, all of this comes down to an understanding of the nature of things and the nature of ourselves. So, once again, we are back to the same two questions: “Who are you?” and “Where does the world come from?”
José Ortega y Gasset was a strong proponent of creating one’s world and being an active creator rather than a passive receiver. The second section/chapter of the yoga sutras (“The Foundation on Practice”) begins by focusing on how we are creating our world and our experiences in the world – sometimes unconsciously.
“Life cannot wait until the sciences may have explained the universe scientifically. We cannot put off living until we are ready. The most salient characteristic of life is its coerciveness: it is always urgent, “here and now” without any possible postponement. Life is fired at us point-blank. And culture, which is but its interpretation, cannot wait any more than can life itself.”
– from Misión de la Universidad (Mission of the University) by José Ortega y Gasset
Tuesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “05009020 JOyG”]
*NOTE: In most translations of the Talmud, it clearly states that the gentile was the one standing on one foot during the lesson.
Many blessings to everyone, and especially to anyone Counting the Omer (Lag B’Omer or Lag LaOmer)!
“Yes, how my love this moment here is ripe for us Yes, you and I so brave against the years If nothing’s left to live we must find a way There’s reason yet to live There’s something left to give We must find a way There is so much to give”
– from “When Nothing’s Left” by Royal Wood
Please join me today (Tuesday, May 9th) at 12:00 PM or 7:15 PM for a yoga practice on Zoom.You can use the link from the “Class Schedules”calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email me at myra(at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Tuesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “05009020 JOyG”]
In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es). Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.)
“Happy Riḍván!” to those celebrating “the Most Great Festival.” Many blessings to everyone, and especially to anyone Counting the Omer!
“TRUST YOURSELF.
You know more than you think you do.”
– quoted from “Trust Yourself AND Your Children” in The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care (pub. 1946) by Benjamin Spock
Dr. Benjamin Spock, who was born today in 1903, started off his bestselling book with advice to parents that also applies to our yoga practice (on and off the mat). Even if this is your first time on the mat, trust yourself. Even if this is your 50,000th time on the mat, trust yourself. See what you see and notice how you engage what you see, inside and outside. Bring awareness, also, to how you engage what is unseen – and, how you engage yourself.
This is the practice.
Please join me today (Tuesday, May 2nd) at 12:00 PM or 7:15 PM for a yoga practice on Zoom.You can use the link from the “Class Schedules”calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email me at myra(at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Tuesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “05022020 Dr Spock’s Big Day”]
In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es). Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.)
“Happy Riḍván!” to those celebrating “the Most Great Festival.” Many blessings to anyone Counting the Omer or celebrating/observing Eastertide / the Octave of Easter!
This is a “missing” post for Saturday, April 22nd. It includes some recycled quotes and re-purposed information from earlier posts. Some embedded links will take you outside of the blog. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email me at myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature — the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.”
– quoted from Silent Spring by Rachel Carson (published 1962)
So, this week we considered the power found in waiting, waiting in community and also the power of water and light – which is akin to fire – (plus there were some references to wind). But what about Earth… and Space? And what does any of this have to do with grace, particularly shastra kripa (or, at least, one of the definitions of shastra kripa)? To get to all that we have to get grounded, dig deep, and take a little detour through another celebration related to waiting and through a yogathon.
Notice, however, that all of the references below are centered and grounded in community.
“But it seems reasonable to believe — and I do believe — that the more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us the less taste we shall have for the destruction of our race. Wonder and humility are wholesome emotions, and they do not exist side by side with a lust for destruction.”
– Rachel Carson accepting the John Burroughs Medal (April 1952) and printed in Lost Woods: The Discovered Writing of Rachel Carson
In addition to being the beginning of the 10th annual Kiss My Asana yogathon, today was Earth Day. While the roots of Earth Day can be found in the 1962 publication of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, an actual day dedicated to Earth and peace was initially proposed by John McConnell during a 1969 conferenced hosted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The very first Earth Day, as he proposed it, was held in San Francisco on March 21, 1970, to coincide with the first day of spring in the northern hemisphere. Gaylord Nelson, a United States Senator from Wisconsin, proposed a nationwide environmental teach-in and hired a young activist named Denis Hayes to organize the first national Earth Day, which was held on April 22, 1970. More than 20 million people, including then-President Richard Nixon and First Lady Pat Nixon, participated in the events on April 22, 1970, making that day one of the largest protests in the United States. (The 1970 Earth Day teach-in was the largest recorded protest until the 2020 protest after the murder of George Floyd.)
“In these troubled times it is a wholesome and necessary thing for us to turn again to the earth and in the contemplation of her beauties to know the sense of wonder and humility. There is modern truth to the ancient wisdom of the psalmist: `I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.’”
– quoted from Rachel Carson’s original submission to “Words to Live By” for This Week Magazine (1951)
“A determination to be outward looking in the process of community building had already become an established aspect of culture in many, many places; it has now blossomed, in a rising number of communities, into a sense of real responsibility for the spiritual and material progress of larger and larger groups within society, well beyond the membership of the Bahá’í community itself. The efforts of the friends to build communities, to engage in social action, and to contribute to the prevalent discourses of society have cohered into one global enterprise, bound together by a common framework for action, focused on helping humanity to establish its affairs on a foundation of spiritual principles.”
– quoted from the Riḍván 2022 message from the Universal House of Justice “To the Bahá’is of the World”
Thursday night marked the beginning of the twelve-day festival of Ridván, “the Most Great Festival” in the Baháʼí Faith. As I mentioned last month, the Baháʼí Faith is a monotheistic faith that believes in the oneness of God and religion, as well as the oneness and nobility of humanity. The community believes that, historically, there has been a “progressive revelation of religious truth” which has been shared with the world through the voices of the prophets or Divine Messengers, known as “Manifestations of God” (which include “Braham, Krishna, Zoroaster, Moses, Buddha, Jesus Christ, Muhammad, and, in more recent times, the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh”). People within the faith are taught to honor the value of different religious and philosophical traditions as well as the value of education, especially in science (which is viewed by some faiths as being contrary to religion).
The Bahá’í calendar begins around the Vernal (Spring) Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere and has 19 months with 19 days – each named for one of the 19 names/manifestations/attributes of God. For example, “Splendor” and “Glory” are the English translations for Bahá and Jalál, the first two months (and days) of this solar calendar. There are also 4 or 5 intercalary days that occur just before the final month and which are considered “transcendent” in nature. The calendar is partially tied to the Gregorian calendar, in that days on each calendar always correspond with each other; however, the Bahá’í calendar is very much focused around its own historical liturgy. Hence, why 2023 is the year 180 BE (Bahá’í Era).
The twelve-day festival of Ridván, one of the holiest times within the Bahá’í community, is celebrated during the second month and begins exactly one Gregorian-month after the new year. This “Most Great Festival” in the Baháʼí Faith honors the time that the founder of the Bahá’i Faith, Bahá’u’lláh waited in the original garden of Ridván prior to being exiled to Constantinople. The Arabic word ridván means “paradise” and I indicated “the original garden,” because in addition to the garden outside of Baghdad, where the great spiritual leader (considered a manifestation of the Divine) prepared for his exile, there is a second garden with the same name in Israel, which Bahá’u’lláh visited after years of exile.
The festival is a time of a sacred time of prayer, reflection, and celebration. This year’s celebrations began two hours before sunset on Thursday – with the specific timing meant to commemorate the actual time, in 1863, when Bahá’u’lláh entered the Najíbíyyih Garden with his three sons and his secretary and began to receive the visitors who wanted to wish him well before his departure. It was during this time, in the space he called “paradise,” that Bahá’u’lláh declared himself as the most recent manifestation of God; that all religious wars were repealed; that there would not be another manifestation of the God for another 1,000 years; and that the names of God (or attributes of the divine) are manifested in all things. To honor the fact that he made these announcements, the Universal House of Justice issues an annual Ridván message. They also hold elections held during this time. The first day (yesterday), the ninth day (next Saturday), and the twelfth day are considered the most holy of days. The ninth day is auspicious because it is the day the rest of Bahá’u’lláh’s family joined him in the garden and it is also the beginning of the third month, Jamál (“Beauty”).
“Besides my involvement with the Investor’s Circle, I temporarily put aside my plan for an institute and returned to the basics – an almost exclusive focus on my yoga practice. After a couple of years, I decided that it was time to share my experience with yoga and paralysis. If nothing else, I could help others who lived with disability. I started teaching an adapted yoga class at the Courage Center, a leading rehabilitation facility in a suburb of Minneapolis.
My idea was that by teaching this class, I could give something back – an obvious means to make my experience useful. What I found was much more. I thought I was teaching these students, when, in fact, they were teaching me. Neurological deficit is a frontier of mind-body integration. Working with these students has taught me that the principles of yoga are nondiscriminating – they can travel though any body.”
– quoted from “16, Falling Gracefully” in “Part Three: Yoga, Bodies, and Baby Boys” of Waking: A Memoir of Trauma and Transcendence by Matthew Sanford
As I have mentioned before, my first exposure to the physical practice of yoga was also my first exposure to Yoga Philosophy and to the fact that anyone and everyone can practice yoga. Sometimes we stumble upon the practice that works for us. However, sometimes it takes an extra effort to find the practice (and the teacher) that works for our particular mind-bod-spirit. In fact, it wasn’t until I took my first yoga teacher training that I really realized how many people weren’t practicing, because they didn’t know they could practice. Even worse, some people had been told that they couldn’t practice – which is heartbreaking.
Still, I believed (and continue to believe) in the transformative, healing, and joyful experience of yoga. I also still believe there is a practice for every mind/body/spirit – every veteran, every person with disability, every survivor of sexual assault and other trauma, every elderly person, every person living with chronic pain, every person with a terminal illness, and every caregiver. I am joyfully participating in the Kiss My Asana yogathon for the 10th year in a row, because Mind Body Solutions is helping people find their practice!
The Kiss My Asana yogathon is an annual event that raises awareness and resources for Mind Body Solutions and their life-affirming work to help people living with disabilities. Best known for their Adaptive Yoga Program, which provides adapted yoga opportunities for people around the globe, MBS currently provides live, online resources to people living with disabilities, worldwide. In addition to 11 live online yoga classes a week, MBS has also created a comprehensive library of recorded adaptive yoga classes for students, instructional videos for adaptive yoga teachers, and insightful interviews between the founding teacher, Matthew Sanford, and adaptive students. In the past, MBS has also offered training and workshops for yoga teachers, healthcare professionals, and caregivers (so they can share this work in their communities, too).
All of this helps people with disabilities live more fully, where they are and how they are. Ultimately, however, Mind Body Solutions is all about everyone having better relationships with their mind-body and spreading the message that a greater connection between mind and body can help us all live with improved comfort and ease. So, we can all benefit from the practice, because we all experience trauma, loss, and disability in some way shape or form.
The yogathon started as a month-long endeavor, but switched to a 7-day yogathon in 2020. This week (April 22nd – 28th) I’m planning to practice with purpose. I’m going to “Do Yoga. Share Yoga. Help Others.” – and you can join me! The practices I lead will be full of little bits of teaching/practice I’ve picked up from Matthew Sanford and other teachers and students at Mind Body Solutions. Plus, I’ll be posting on the community page on my YouTube channel.
If you’re interested in my previous KMA offerings, check out the following (some links only take you to the beginning of a series):
Saturday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “0422020 Earth Day”]
What’s this?
Dandasana (“Staff Pose”)
Have you subscribed to my YouTube page? It’s mostly playlists, plus a few mini-practices and videos from previous yogathons. Starting later tonight, I’m also going to be posting on my community page as part of my 2023 Kiss My Asana offering. So, check it out if you want to know more about the pose pictured above (and why we’re doing it).
“Happy Riḍván!” to those celebrating “the Most Great Festival.” Many blessings to anyone Counting the Omer or celebrating/observing Eastertide / the Octave of Easter! Also, “Happy Earth Day!” to everyone.
“But it seems reasonable to believe — and I do believe — that the more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us the less taste we shall have for the destruction of our race. Wonder and humility are wholesome emotions, and they do not exist side by side with a lust for destruction.”
– Rachel Carson accepting the John Burroughs Medal (April 1952) and printed in Lost Woods: The Discovered Writing of Rachel Carson
Please join me for a 90-minute virtual yoga practice on Zoom today (Saturday, April 22nd) at 12:00 PM.Use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or by emailing myra(at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Saturday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “0422020 Earth Day”]
In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es). Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.)
Blessings to anyone Counting the Omer or celebrating Easter and Eastertide / the Octave of Easter! “Ramadān Mubarak, Blessed Ramadān!” to anyone who is observing the holy month of Ramadān. (Keep your eyes open!)
This is the “missing” and slightly revised post for Saturday, April 8th, which was the 2023 Saturday before Easter in Western Christian traditions and Lazarus Saturday in the Orthodox Christian traditions, as well as Passover and the holy month of Ramadān. This is also an Easter post. NOTE: There are references to death and dying.You can request an audio recording of this Saturday practice and/or the Easter practice from 2020 via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email me at myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es). Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.
“Still; all that close throng Of spirits waiting, as I, For the message. Prompt me, God; But not yet. When I speak, Though it be you who speak Through me, something is lost. The meaning is in the waiting.”
– quoted from the poem “Kneeling” by R. S. Thomas, with accompanying music composed by Hilary Tann, featuring Guy Johnston
April marks the beginning of our Saturday exploration of the second of the four graces found in Indian philosophy, particularly in the Himalayan tradition of the Yoga Philosophy. We started with “Grace of God” (or Divine Grace) and we plan to end the year with Grace of Self. The second and third graces (Grace of Scripture and Grace of Guru) are often flipped and, in some ways, this practice connects the two. Mostly, however, this is about shastra kripa. In another practice (and post), I will get into why some traditions do not translate shastra as “scripture” and also why those tradition do not consider the scriptures I reference below as shastras. However, some do and, ultimately, the practice is about what we find inside the stories.
Pay close attention and you will find there is a lot of waiting – so much waiting – in the stories that people commemorate during Passover; the Saturday of Holy Week (which is the Saturday before Easter); Lazarus Saturday (which is the Saturday before Palm Sunday); and during the holy month of Ramadān. In 2023, all of those observations overlapped each other and overlapped some celebrations of the Buddha’s birthday – and there is significant waiting in the story of the Buddha. It is almost like there is something important about waiting. It is almost like there is something holy, something Divine, about waiting.
Waiting is something we all do at some point in our day-to-day lives – and it can be challenging. Whether we are waiting our turn or waiting for something for which we desire, we can get fidgety and impatient on the best days. We can be especially fidgety and impatient if we feel like nothing is happening or that something is not happening fast enough. But something is always happening; we just need to bring awareness to the moment.
This is where the waiting in yoga and meditation comes in handy: We can bring awareness to how we wait.
For instance, we may notice that we are so keen to do something that we start doing things that don’t actually serve us. We may even do things that are detrimental, because we don’t have the strength to wait. (And don’t doubt for a minute, that waiting, patiently, requires a certain kind of strength.) Additionally, we may notice that we are in the habit of saying, “I can’t wait,” when what we really mean is “I can hardly wait.” At first, the difference can seem like a matter of semantics, but then we notice that the mind-body is taking cues from our conscious awareness and that changing our inner dialogue (as well as what we verbalize to others) changes the way we show up in the moment. Over time, we may find that there can be kindness in waiting. We may notice that waiting sometimes gives us an opportunity to get ready for what’s ahead.
In fact, if you pay close attention, you will find that there is something important about what people do while they wait – especially in the sacred stories commemorated (this year) on April 8th.
“First and foremost, we believe creation of the world, G-d created a world in which he wanted the human being to actually be able to do something – that is to say, to exercise free will, to be like G-d, meaning to be a creator, not to be lab rats…. He wants us to have a relationship with Him. But to have a relationship with G-d requires that I have an exercise of my free will…. Free will means an environment in which not necessarily do I always have pleasure when I make the right decisions and not necessarily does someone always suffer when they make the wrong decision. Free will is having real power to create stuff. Free will is having real power to alleviate suffering.”
– Rabbi Mordechai Becher, in vlog explaining one of several reasons why suffering exists
While some people celebrate the birthday of the Siddhartha Gautama, also known as Gautama Buddha, on different days in May, some celebrate on April 8th. I have heard that Siddhartha Gautama sat under the Bodhi tree and was determined to wait there until he awakened to the nature of reality. In some suttas, it says that the Buddha (“the Awakened One”) sat there for an additional seven days. Eventually, he started teaching from this enlightened state. Some say that he only ever taught about two things: suffering and the end of suffering. His teachings were codified in the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism and the Noble Eightfold Path. According to the former:
Suffering exists
Suffering is caused by attachment, clinging, craving
There is an end to suffering
The Noble Eight-fold Path is the way to end suffering
Following the path includes some sitting… and waiting. What is promised at the end of the sitting and waiting is freedom from suffering.
Towards the end of the holy month of Ramadān, people in the Muslim community seek the holiest of nights, Laylat al-Qadr (translated as “Night of Power,” “Night of Destiny,” “Night of Value,” Night of Measure,” Night of Decree” or “Night of Honour”), which is commemorated as the anniversary of the revelations of the Qur’ān. As they seek (and wait) they pray. This pattern of people waiting for revelations (and freedom) shows up again and again in the other Abrahamic traditions.
For example, the story of Passover (which is summarized below), is the story of the Jewish people waiting to be free. Part of the story is also about waiting to be passed over during the 10th and final plague. Remember, that during most of the waiting, the Jewish people had to continue living their lives as enslaved people in Egypt. They had to suffer the indignities and hardships of slaver – and, also, the first nine plagues. They had to wait, with faith. Then, on that final night they had to wait and believe. They had to believe enough to celebrate freedom that had not been given. One the second night of Passover, some people begin Counting the Omer.
The sacred ritual of Counting the Omer is a period of 49 days, a total of 7 weeks, leading up to Shavuot or Shavuos (also known as the “Festival of Weeks”) – which itself is a commemoration of the Jewish people receiving the Torah. Commonly associated with Jewish mysticism (Kabbalah), the practice of Counting the Omer involves 7 of the 10 attributes of the Divine that are found on the Tree of Life. Each day is associated with a different attribute, as is each week – which means that for 49 days people are focusing-concentrating-meditating on the interrelation of two attributes. Since each attribute is associated with a different part of the body, and some people combine a physical component, it’s a ritual exercise wrapped in a mystical meditation disguised as a 49-day perspective changing challenge.
In some ways, Counting the Omer is a period of waiting. However, it is not the only time, in Jewish tradition, when people are praying and reflecting while they wait. Nor is it the only time when 7 is a factor. In fact, one of the notably periods of waiting occurs after someone dies and their loved ones are “sitting shiva.” The Hebrew word shiva ( שִׁבְעָה ) comes from shiv’ah ( שבעה ), which means “seven,” and it is a seven-day period of mourning. The rituals, traditions, and prayers associated with Shiva formalize the grieving process and also provide a container for people to express compassion. It can also be a way to express hope.
“As spring is nature’s season of hope, so Easter is the Church’s season of hope. Hope is an active virtue. It’s more than wishful thinking….. My hope in the Resurrection is not an idle hope like wishing for good weather but an active hope. It requires something on my part – work. Salvation is a gift from God for which I hope, but Saint Paul told the Philippians to ‘work out your salvation with fear and trembling’ (2:12). My hope in the resurrection and eternal life in heaven requires work on my part.”
– quoted from A Year of Daily Offerings by Rev. James Kubicki
In the Gospel According to John (11:1 – 45), Jesus received the news that Lazarus was sick, but then waited (until he died) before traveling to Bethany. The text is very clear that Lazarus had been dead (or dead and buried) for four days. Historically speaking, and given that there are seven-day periods of mourning depicted in the Torah, Mary and Martha (and all of their friends) would have been “sitting shiva” when Jesus and the disciples arrived in Bethany. To be clear, they were waiting for Jesus and then they were waiting for the end of the mourning period.
While Lazarus Saturday is not always highlighted in Western Christian traditions the way it is in Orthodox Christian traditions, there are several parts of the story that are critical. First, Jesus waited (and knew when Lazarus died). Second, the description of how Lazarus was buried – in a cave with a stone in front – matches the descriptions of how Jesus was buried. Third, Jesus asks the sisters if they believe in him (and ask for verbal confirmation) – which was the whole reason he waited. Finally, it is notable that news of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead reached Jerusalem before Jesus arrived home for Passover.
Why did the news travel faster than Jesus? According to the Gospel, it is because he waited… in the desert – and that period of waiting in the desert is commemorated by people who observe Lent and Great Lent. However, those are not the only periods of waiting in the Christian liturgy. Remember, after his crucifixion and death, Jesus was buried, much like Lazarus – and his mother, Mary, and his followers waited.
“This year however, we are experiencing, more than ever, the great silence of Holy Saturday. We can imagine ourselves in the position of the women on that day. They, like us, had before their eyes the drama of suffering, of an unexpected tragedy that happened all too suddenly. They had seen death and it weighed on their hearts. Pain was mixed with fear: would they suffer the same fate as the Master? Then too there was fear about the future and all that would need to be rebuilt. A painful memory, a hope cut short. For them, as for us, it was the darkest hour.
Yet in this situation the women did not allow themselves to be paralyzed. They did not give in to the gloom of sorrow and regret, they did not morosely close in on themselves, or flee from reality. They were doing something simple yet extraordinary: preparing at home the spices to anoint the body of Jesus. They did not stop loving; in the darkness of their hearts, they lit a flame of mercy. Our Lady spent that Saturday, the day that would be dedicated to her, in prayer and hope. She responded to sorrow with trust in the Lord. Unbeknownst to these women, they were making preparations, in the darkness of that Sabbath, for “the dawn of the first day of the week”, the day that would change history. Jesus, like a seed buried in the ground, was about to make new life blossom in the world; and these women, by prayer and love, were helping to make that hope flower. How many people, in these sad days, have done and are still doing what those women did, sowing seeds of hope! With small gestures of care, affection and prayer.”
– Homily of His Holiness Pope Francis, Easter Vigil, Holy Saturday, 11 April 2020
The following was originally posted in April 2020 and revised in April 2022 (in the “Down the Rabbit Hole” section). Some information was posted during Passover and holy week this year, but I am posting it here, For Those Who Missed It. This version has been slightly revised.
Whenever I think about Easter, the waiting that happened on the Saturday between Good Friday and Easter, and the moment when the rock was rolled away to reveal the empty tomb, I think of one thing: Wigner’s friend taking care of that quantum mechanics Cat.
For those of you not familiar with physicist Erwin Schrödinger’s thought experiment (or paradox), it goes like this: The (imaginary) cat is closed up in a box with an unstable radioactive element that has a 50-50 chance of killing the cat before the box is opened. According to quantum mechanics, there is a moment when the cat is simultaneously alive and dead. This is called superposition and it could be considered the scientific equivalent of non-duality. When the box is opened, revealing the state of the cat, the superposition collapses into a single reality. (There is also the possibility that opening the box changes the percentage, but that’s a whole different tunnel.)
Physicist Eugene Wigner took things a bit farther by adding a friend. According to the Wigner’s thought experiment, instead of doing the experiment, the scientist leaves it all in the hands of a friend and waits for a report. Now, there is the superposition inside of the box and there is a separate superposition inside the lab, which means the wave (or superposition) collapses into a single reality when the box is opened (creating reality as the friend knows it) and collapses again when the (imaginary) friend reports to the scientist (establishing the original scientist’s reality). Let’s not even get into what happens if the friend opens the box and leaves the lab without reporting back to the original scientist, but has a certain expectation – i.e., understanding of reality – about what the scientist will find in the lab. Through it all, the cat exists (and ceases to exist) within its own reality. It never experiences the superposition others experience. It just is.
That state of being, existing, takes us back to Passover, and eventually to the Resurrection of Jesus.
“And He said, ‘For I will be with you, and this is the sign for you that it was I Who sent you. When you take the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.’”
– quoted from Shemot – Exodus (3:12)
“God said to Moses, ‘Ehyeh asher ehyeh (I will be what I will be),’ and He said, ‘So shall you say to the children of Israel, “Ehyeh (I will be) has sent me to you.’””
– quoted from Shemot – Exodus (3:14)
In the Exodus story, while the Jewish people were slaves in Egypt, G-d commanded Moses to go to Pharaoh and demand the Jews be released. Moses had an interesting backstory and was, in some ways, the perfect person to be the (human) hero of the story. However, he was humble to the point of lacking confidence and ended up asking his brother Aaron to come along on the mission. When their show of power didn’t convince Pharaoh of the authority of G-d, everyone was subject to nine plagues: blood, frogs, lice, wild beasts in the streets, pestilence, boils, hail, locusts, and day(s) of darkness. Remember it was not only Pharaoh and the Egyptians who suffered. The Jews, who were already suffering the hardship of slavery, also had to endure the additional hardships. On the evening of the tenth plague, the death of the first born male child, the Jewish families were told to smear lambs blood on their doors – so their households will be passed over. They were also commanded to celebrate and give thanks for their freedom – even though they are still slaves.
Yes, it is a little mind boggling, but what passes as the first Passover Seder happened in Egypt and during a time of slavery. Considering Pharaoh had changed his mind before, they had no way of knowing (with any certainty) that they would be freed immediately after the tenth plague. See where this is going? In that moment, the Jewish people are simultaneously free and not free.
Furthermore, Rabbi David Fohrman, quoting Shlomo Yitzchaki, the medieval French rabbi known as Rashi, points out that when G-d initial spoke to Moses and Moses asked for G-d’s identity, Moses was told three times that the One who spoke was the One who would always be with Moses and the Jewish people. Regardless of what they experience, Rashi explained, G-d will be with them. This is the very definition of compassion, which literally means “to suffer with.”
“‘Whenever goodness and “dharma” (right action) weaken and evil grows stronger, I make Myself a body. I do this to uplift and transform society, reestablish the balance of goodness over wickedness, explain the sublime plan and purpose of life, and serve as the model for others to follow. I come age after age in times of spiritual and moral crisis for this purpose.’”
– Krishna speaking to Arjuna (4.7 – 8) in The Bhagavad Gita: A Walkthrough for Westerners by Jack Hawley
Jesus was (during his time), and future Christians are, kind of in the same boat. In the last week of his life, he was betrayed, crucified, dead, buried, and resurrected – and he simultaneously was not. However, most of that is semantics. What is critical is the dead/buried, and resurrected part. In those moments, even right after the tomb was opened and there was some confusion about what had happened, Jesus was essentially the quantum physics Cat – and Christians, as well as non-believers, were either the original scientist or the friend.
Yet, when everything is said and done (stay with me here), this is all head stuff. What people observe, commemorate, and/or celebrate in modern times, isn’t really about the head. Faith never is. It’s all about the heart. It’s all about love. Specifically, in these examples, it all comes back to G-d’s love expressed as compassion.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
– quoted from The Gospel According to John (3:16, NIV)
The playlist for Saturday (4/8/2023) is available on YouTube and Spotify.
“Chag Sameach!” to everyone celebrating Passover and/or Counting the Omer! Blessings to anyone celebrating Great Week or Eastertide / the Octave of Easter! “Ramadān Mubarak, Blessed Ramadān!” to anyone who is observing the holy month of Ramadān.
Depending on how you look at it, this is either a “missing” post for April 6th and 7th or an early post for April 13th and 14th. For Those Who Missed It: Elements of the following have been previously posted. Click here for last year’s compilation post, which includes links to the originals. Dates have been updated. NOTE: The change in the color of the quotes is intentional.
In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es). Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.
“We talk of becoming one with God and many seekers are looking to reach higher spiritual levels, but first we must unify the different parts of ourselves. To see that we are complex beings, often with apparent internal contradictions, but this too is also a form of oneness. Understanding the Divine begins by first understanding ourselves.”
– from the introduction to The Kabbalah Sutras: 49 Steps to Enlightenment, by Marcus J. Freed
During a Passover Seder, when Jewish people commemorate their ancestors’ exodus from slavery in Egypt, they wash their hands before and after the story of exodus is told through the lens of four questions. The first time, hands are washed without a blessing; the second time, hands are washed with a blessing. Like everything else in the Seder, even the name and the questions, the hand washing is crucial and symbolic.
The Hebrew word “Seder” means “order, procedure.” Just like in our yoga practice, everything happens in a very specific order that tells the story of the people, of their faith, and of their exodus. Symbols are used to engage not only the numerically young children at the table, but also those who are spiritually young and may not have studied the Torah. For example, the elements of the four questions (leavened vs. unleavened bread; all vegetables vs. bitter herbs; dipping the herbs in brine or vinegar and also in a sweet paste; eating in a variety of positions vs. eating in a reclining position) are symbolic of how quickly people fled when given the chance to escape Egypt; the bitterness of slavery; the sweat and tears of the enslaved people, as well as the bricks-and-mortar the enslaved were forced to build; and the luxury and privilege implied in eating in a reclining position – as if one has not a care in the world. The symbolic nature of the different aspects of the observation means that the ritual is both a mental experience and a visceral experience. Still, it’s easy to overlook the hand washing, even though it’s in the Bible.
“For Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet thereat: Whenever they enter the tent of meeting, they shall wash with water so that they will not die. Also, when they approach the altar to minister by presenting a food offering to the LORD, they shall wash their hands and feet so that they will not die. This is to be a lasting ordinance for Aaron and his descendants for the generations to come.”
– Shemot – Exodus 30:19 – 30:21 (NIV)
In the Eastern philosophies (like Yoga) and religions (like Judaism) arms and hands are recognized as extensions of the heart. They are how we reach out to others, embrace others, embrace ourselves, and even embrace a moment. We use our hands and arms to build the world around us. We also use our hands and arms to love one another (or not) and to defend or support what we love (or not). Love (chesed) and strength (gevurah) are two of the aspects of the Divine (found on the Tree of Life). Furthermore, Jewish mysticism identifies these elements of the Divine as being embodied by the right and left arms, respectively. It is no accident then, nor is it only an element of good hygiene, that hands are washed before handling sacred food. In fact, in the Hasidic tradition, “Water represents the healing power of wisdom. Water flows downward, carrying its essential simplicity to each thing. It brings them together as a single living, growing whole. We pour water over our hands as an expression of wisdom pouring downward passing through our heart and from there to our interaction with the world around us.”
Of the 613 commandments within the Jewish tradition, at least 21 – 27 are directly related to the observation of Passover, the Seder, the Counting of the Omer (which begins on the second night of Passover), and Shavuot (which begins at the end of the Counting of the Omer). The Last Supper (or suppers, depending on who you ask) is acknowledged as Jesus’ last meal and the source of the Eucharist or Holy Communion in Christian faiths. While the one of the four canonical gospels (John) places Passover after Jesus’s death, the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) present The Last Supper as a Passover Seder. Therefore, it would make sense that Jesus – recognized as a rabbi, a teacher, long before he was considered by some to be the Messiah – would have made sure everyone washed their hands, twice during the Seder. It’s part of the Law, part of the Commandments.
“This makes perfect sense on reflection, as these are the organs that we can use to master ourselves and to complete the relationship with others, depending on the words we speak and the way we interact (e.g., Who we are giving to or walking towards and away from). In this sense, Malchut-mastery also comprises communication. It asks us: how are you using communication as a tool for giving and creating? Are you using your feet to walk towards situations where you can be more loving, and are your hands creating a kinder world?”
– quoted from “Day 7 / THE ROYAL PATH OF LOVE: MASTERY IN LOVINGKINDNESS מלכות שבחסד ” in The Kabbalah Sutras: 49 Steps to Enlightenment by Marcus J. Freed
If you are familiar with the Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism) and the Tree of Life, you might be thinking that my explanation is not completely accurate. It’s not completely accurate, because The Zohar only associates chesed and gevurah with the arms. Meanwhile, the hands, as well as the feet and mouth, are associated with malchut, which can be translated into English as sovereignty, stewardship, leadership, kinship, queenship, and mastery. These body parts are, as Marcus Freed points out, what we use to create (and move towards) new experiences, new realities, and new world orders.
So, it is interesting to note that an (often) unnamed woman washing Jesus’ feet is considered the catalyst for Judas betraying Jesus. Equally interesting is that before the Seder, Jesus washed the feet of his disciples. That last bit of feet washing is one of the events commemorated by some Christians on Maundy Thursday.
Very few people talk about what happened to Judas and the money after the betrayal, even though the Gospel According to Matthew (27:1 – 10) and The Acts of the Apostles (1:16 – 18) give explicit, albeit slightly different, details. Additionally, there is some difference in notation about when Judas left the last supper or if he even attended. Either way, it was at the Last Supper – which some accounts depict as the Passover Seder – that Jesus washed the feet of his disciples. When Simon Peter objected, Jesus told him three particularly noteworthy things; things that remind us that none of this is about the money.
“‘Know ye what I have done to you? Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.’”
– The Gospel According to John (13:12 – 15, KJV)
“‘If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.’”
– The Gospel According to John (13:8, KJV)
“‘A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.’”
– The Gospel According to John (13:34 – 35, KJV)
The word “Maundy” comes to us, by way of Middle English and Old French, from a Latin word that means “command, order.” While it may be associated with the ritual of washing the feet of a saint, showing hospitality, or preparing a body for burial, the command or order associated with the Thursday before Easter is that “new command.” It is a command repeatedly reiterated in the Gospel According to John (15:12 and 15:17). It is also a sentiment that is echoed in one of the last things Jesus said on the cross, when he connected his own mother with one of his disciples as if they are mother and son. It is a lesson Jesus taught again and again. Yet, it is a lesson all too often forgotten; even though it is the whole point of the story.
“‘A second is equally important: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”’”
– The Gospel According to Matthew (22:39, NLT)
Sunset on Thursday night (April 6th) marked the beginning of the Counting of the Omer in Jewish mysticism (Kabbalah). The Counting of the Omer is a 49-day observation which reflects the days the newly freed Jews were in the desert and segues into the commemoration of the people receiving the Torah. When people observe the Counting of the Omer there is an extra element of prayer, of offering, and also contemplation on two connected elements of the Divine (from the Tree of Life). One the first night, the connect elements are Chesed She b’Chesed (Lovingkindness in Lovingkindness). In the Western Christian traditions, that same night (this year) is connected to the beginning of the events associated with Good Friday.
But, why is the Friday before Easter good? And why are there so many holy observations going on around the world at the same time?
Let’s start with the second question first, because that will lay the foundation for answering the first question.
“People ask me how I find hope. I answer that I don’t believe in hope, and I don’t believe in hopelessness. I believe in compassion and pragmatism, in doing what is right for its own sake. Hope can be lethal when you are fighting an autocracy because hope is inextricable from time. An enduring strategy of autocrats is to simply run out the clock.”
– quoted from Hiding in Plain Sight by Sarah Kendzior
Serendipitously, I received two texts from the same Austin suburb (on April 11, 2020). One was from a friend, sharing the Sarah Kendzior quote (above). The other was from my brother, asking why people were celebrating the same thing at different times. The quote sharpened my focus. The question brings me to you.
Even though he didn’t ask the question in an all encompassing way, I am going to answer his question here in a broader sense, and in a pretty basic way.
On Friday, April 7, 2023, people all over the the world celebrated the second day (and then the third night) of Passover; started (or were in the middle of) the third week of the holy month of Ramadān; celebrated Good Friday (in the Western Christian traditions); got ready for Lazarus Saturday (which was April 8th, in the Eastern Orthodox Christian traditions); and, after sunset, counted “two days of the Omer” (in some Jewish traditions). All of that was followed by, Easter Sunday (in the Western Christian traditions) and Palm Sunday (the Sunday before Easter) in the Eastern Orthodox Christian traditions. Oh, and some people observe/celebrate more than one of those traditions at the same time. When you add in the (Wednesday/Thursday) celebrations of Hanuman Jayanti (in the Hindu traditions) and consider that these observations and celebrations are occurring all over the world – and keeping in mind different time zone – it can get really confusing. Hence my brothers question.
If we just stick with the Abrahamic religions for a moment, remember that Passover is a commemoration of the Exodus story, which is the story of the Jewish people being freed from slavery in Egypt. The Jewish liturgical calendar is lunar-based and, therefore, Passover happens at a slightly different time each year on the Gregorian (i.e., secular) calendar. According to all four canonical gospels of the New Testament, Jesus spent the last week of his life preparing for Passover (and what he knew was coming in terms of the Crucifixion and Resurrection). Three of the four gospels indicate that what Christians (and artists) refer to as the “Last Supper” was actually a Passover Seder – so we are back to a lunar calendar, although it’s a different lunar calendar. Keep in mind that the initial switch to the Gregorian calendar (in the fall of 1582) was partially motivated by the Roman Catholic Church’s desire to have consistency in the timing of liturgical observations and that Orthodox Christians operate under the old-school Julian calendar, which brings us to a third timeline.
While most modern Christians focus exclusively on the New Testament and observe holy times accordingly, some Christians also follow the observations commanded in Deuteronomy and Leviticus.
Finally, the holy month of Ramadān is based on yet another calendar, giving us a fourth timeline. Islām, Christianity, and Judaism share historical roots and some of the same beliefs (e.g., a belief in the oneness of God, a belief in angels, a belief in revealed book, etc.); however, the ninth month of the Muslim calendar does not always fall in March or April and is not directly connected to Passover. So, just for this moment, I’m going to tighten my focus.
Are you still with me? Be honest. If you need a scorecard, I’m happy to provide one – especially since I’m about to go down the (metaphorical) rabbit hole.
“And God saw that it was good.”
– Words that appear 7 times in the Creation Story found in Bereish’t – Genesis
Tov is a Hebrew word that means “good.” If we only think of the word “good” in a modern context – as something desired, approved, right, pleasing, and welcome – we can find ourselves in a bit of a quandary; because, we’ve lost part of the meaning. I often say that there was a time when everything people did had meaning. Over time, as people got further away from the meaning, rituals became traditions – things people did just because their ancestors did them. Over more time, traditions lose their meaning and just become things people say. Even though, there are some rituals and traditions that have their meanings baked into the practice (i.e., Passover and Good Friday), people don’t always understand that meaning.
Things can get even more confusing when cultures overlap and people are suddenly witnessing multiple practices they don’t understand – because they don’t know the meaning. These kinds of perplexing situations happen a lot in the Spring, when all the major religions and philosophies have significant observations and celebrations that overlap. This can get even more confusing when, for instance, people outside of Judaism wonder why there’s a celebration associated with a time of so much suffering and non-Christians wonder how the Friday of Holy Week / Passion Week can be simultaneously associated with the trial, persecution, crucifixion, and death of Jesus and also good. It’s a bit of a conundrum… until you go a little deeper.
Going deeper means we don’t look at the events of Good Friday using the modern understanding of “good.” Instead, we go back to the beginning of the Torah (also the Christian Old Testament), where God defined something as “good” when it was useful and serving its purpose. In the Christian tradition, Jesus is recognized as the Messiah, the Christ, the one who heralds and ushers in an era of peace and salvation. He served his purpose, because he lived, suffered, was crucified, died, was buried, and was risen – in order for sins to be forgiven. Thus, the events commemorated on the Friday before Easter are considered “good,” because they were meaningful and served a purpose. And, just as there is a meaningful “order” to a Passover Seder, there is a particular path which tells the story of Good Friday.
“And God said, ‘There will be light,’ and there was light.
And God saw the light that it was good, and God separated between the light and between the darkness.”
– Beresh’t / Genesis 1:3-4
For Good Friday, many Christians move through the Stations of the Cross, a visual pilgrimage of Jesus’ last moments. The earliest “Way of the Cross” or “Way of Sorrows” artwork and the Scriptural Way of the Cross (introduced by Pope John Paul II on Good Friday 1991 and approved by Pope Benedict in 2007) depict 14 scenes or “steps,” ending with Jesus being laid in the tomb. The Resurrection is often considered to be the 15th Station of the Cross. (NOTE: The Resurrection is the 14th Station according to the “New Way of the Cross” in the Philippines; however, this version is different from the previous mentioned versions.) The art is meant to mirror Via Dolorosa (the “Way of Sorrow/Pain”) in Jerusalem, the actual path Jesus would have taken to Mount Calvary.
When people “move through the Stations of the Cross,” it is a ritual pilgrimage wrapped in a walking tour wrapped in a children’s picture book disguised as traditional art. That is not unlike our physical practice of yoga, which can sometimes be a history lesson wrapped up in philosophical discourse disguised as physical exercise.
The layers are baked in; however, we can sometimes be too far away from the meaning to understand the rituals of the practice. We can find ourselves facing that aforementioned quandary: We’re doing poses without understanding how they serve or benefit us – and then doing them in a way that means we’re not getting all the benefits. We might also do poses and sequences for the “wrong” reasons. Sometimes we forget that, regardless of the style or tradition, we want every yoga practice to be “good” in the Old Testament way. We want poses to have meaning and purpose.
So, again, we have to go deeper.
Going deeper to me means highlighting the physical-mental purposes and benefits of poses and sequences – and, also, digging into the symbolic aspects of the practice. Even doing a little svādhyāya (“self-study”) to notice what comes up (physically, mentally, emotionally, energetically, and even spiritually) in certain situations. So, for 11 years, I taught a Good Friday yoga practice that essentially mirrored the Via Dolorosa and the way people walk through the Stations of the Cross. I didn’t lead any prayers; but, I did hold a little space for people that wanted to pray.
I know it was a little much for some folks. I also know that some people really appreciated a yoga practice. Every year, someone asked me if I was going to do the Good Friday theme and, every year, someone thanked me and said that it was meaningful, which was good.
“You ain’t got no kind of feeling inside I got something that will sho’ ’nuff set your stuff on fire You refuse to put anything before your pride What I got will knock all your pride aside”
– quoted from the song “Tell Me Something Good” by Chaka Khan and Rufus
NOTE: This is a mostly Good Friday playlist for a “First Friday Night Special” and it is very similar to what I have used in the past for a the vinyasa practice referenced above.
METTA MEDITATION (with relationships):
Prior to the quarantine, Metta Meditation was part of my daily commute. Part I gives you a little background and a partially guided meditation. Part II includes guided meditation for the cardinal and intercardinal directions. These meditations were recorded in the Spring of 2019.
May you be safe and protected
May you be peaceful and happy
May you be healthy and strong
May you have ease and well-being, today and always.
NOTE: As much as I am able, I like to highlight the quotes with a good color, i.e., a meaningful color. That is why some of these quotes are black, for those who know.
### “et lux in tenebris lucet et tenebrae eam non comprehenderunt” (John 1:5) ###
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A Joyful Practice 