More Love
Resources to find compassion in impossible times
Hello Dear One,
Since I heard the news on Saturday of this latest outbreak of war and violence in Israel/Palestine, I have experienced shock, dismay, heartbreak and soul sickness. I am horrified by the violence being perpetrated against the people of Israel and Gaza. I have found myself unable to find useful words of explanation for myself or others. I have been paralyzed by fear and confusion.
And then my friend, Hadar Cohen, who is there now, shared that she led grounding meditations for her community, which includes Israelis and Palestinians, so together they could focus on having regulated nervous systems and keep their hearts open to love. Her work reminded me that I know how to do this, too. I am reminded that our activated/triggered/traumatized nervous systems cause us to operate with fear at the centre. We need to feel grounded, safe, and regulated to access love, hope, optimism, innovation, creativity, and compassion.
Then yesterday, in a Jewish Learning session, I found myself offering my favourite teachings: that we are all God/dess, that I believe the words “You Shall Love” are the most important words in the Jewish tradition, and that the hardest and most important work in the world is to love everybody. And that when we cannot find love for others because we are too afraid or angry, we can step back, take breaks, pray for grace and softening and tend to and love ourselves until we can.
I share here the toolkit of prayers that I shared with my co-learner. I am grateful to her for our conversation that reminded me of all of this. Hyperlinks will take you to recordings of the chants and meditations. May they bring you a few moments of peace and grace.
Ve'ahavta l'Re'acha Kamocha1
Hareini mikabel alai et mitzvat haBorei ve'ahavta l're'acha kamocha l're'acha kamocha.
Behold I take upon myself the connection to The Creator [saying] "you shall love your neighbour as you would yourself" or "love yourself as you would a friend."
Ve’ahavta | You Shall Love2
(interpretive translation of Dvarim/Deuteronomy 6:5-9 & Bamidbar/Exodus 15:40-41. These texts are part of the Jewish Sh’ma prayer and are inside the amulets called mezzuzot and tefillin that mark the doorposts of homes and adorn heads and arms at prayer.)
You shall love God, who is you and in you and in everyone you come across. All those you love and all those who you are not sure about and all those who make you uncomfortable, and those who make you angry. We are all God!
You shall love yourself, and all of them and all of us!
You shall love them with your whole heart, with all of your soul and with every ounce of your muchness.
Today, I connect with you to teach you about love.
Get it? Hold it in your heart.
When you are with children, build them up! Teach love.
In your home, with your own family, when you look in the mirror,
Teach love.
When you leave your home and go out into the world Teach love.
When you think you can rest, Teach love.
When you think you can get away from it Teach love!
Paint hearts on your skin
Wear them on your clothes, and clip them in your hair and on your shoelaces so you are teaching and living love from the top of your hair to the tips of your toes.
Mark your home and your desk and your car and everywhere that is yours.
Show up with love all over you so you will remember your connection to me and to each other.
You will remember to be holy ones to your God/dess and to each other.
For I/You/He/She/They are your God/dess who birthed You from the narrow place to be your God/dess. Your Mama.
I/We/You/They are your God. So You’d better
Teach love.
You Shall Love3
You shall love with all your heart, with all your soul, with all of you
You are loved for all your heart, for all your soul, for all of you.
(optional verses:)
We/I/they shall love with all our/my/their heart/s, with all our soul/s, with all we/I/they are/am.
We/I/they are loved for all our/my/their heart/s, for all our/my/their soul/s, for all we/I/they are/am.
Open the Eyes of My Heart [God/dess] 4
(originally recorded Nov 2021, let's reframe the intention and add a desire for softening our hearts to the humanity in all of us. A lifting of the veil that makes us think there is an "us" and a "them".)
Open the eyes of my heart, [God/dess]
Open the eyes of my heart
I want to see You,
I want to see You
High and lifted up
Shining in the light of Your glory
Pour out Your power and love
As we sing, holy, holy, holy...
More Love5
More love, more love
the heavens are calling, the angels are singing
Oh Zion, more love, more love
AHAVA (love) meditation
A full breath for each syllable. Inhale space, grace and softness. exhale compassion:
AH-HAH-VAH
Several grounding and regulating meditation options from Rabbi James Jacobson-Maisels of Or Halev.
I hope you have found one or more of these offerings helpful or inspiring. Feel free to reply or comment to let me know how you are and/or what is helping you. And it’s 100% okay if nothing feels helpful right now. May we remember that we are learning and practicing how to be loving to ourselves and others so all will one day be loving to one another and that’s how Olam Hesed Yibaneh - the world will be built on lovingkindness.
Love,
Annie
melody by Gabriel Meyer Halevy, translation by Kohenet Annie Matan
Kohenet Annie Matan
Kohenet Annie Matan
Paul Joseph Baloche
Shaker Hymn, adapted by Rabbi Rachel Barenblat
This is beautiful Annie, thank you for sharing this heartfelt wise offering. It is truly what we need. 💔🙏🏻
Thank you so much for sharing, Annie. ❤️🙏🏻