Day 6
Find the work inside: the work of self-kindness, the work of healing and repair.
The work on the street will still be there when you re-enter.
The world needs you whole.
~Dane Kuttler, "The Social Justice Warrior's Guide to the High Holy Days"
Sabbath Silence
Jewish tradition holds open space in high regard. The silent Hebrew letter א (aleph) is said by the mystics to contain the entire Torah within it.
The idea of the aleph being both silent and full of Torah fits neatly with another Rabbinic tale. The Rabbis teach that Torah, the teachings God gave to the Jewish people on Mt. Sinai, was delivered inside of complete silence.
In the middle of the vast open space of the desert, there was at that moment no chatter, no sounds of wildlife, and certainly no iPhone notifications.
It is said that this silence was not created so that God's voice could be heard - for surely God could make Godself heard above any racket. Instead, the world was silent so the voice inside of each of us could be heard, so that we could connect the public Torah with our own inner torah.
The vast expanse of open space, silence, and pause are also present in the Jewish calendar. Fast days give us the opportunity to rest from the work of preparing and eating food, allow our bodies to rest from digestion, encourage us to slow down and be more present to ourselves as our energy runs low. (some do not fast from food/water for various reasons, but these days still offer opportunities for rest)
Weekly, we have the opportunity to rest on Shabbat, the seventh day which has been declared Holy. On Shabbat, we are invited to tune out the bustling of the world; to refrain from commerce; to turn off our electronics and turn toward our inner selves, toward the Holy, toward our sacred texts, toward our beloveds, toward life. We are given the opportunity to stop creating and simply revel in what already is.
I encourage you, whatever your own practices ordinarily are, whether or not you identify with Judaism, or typically observe a sabbath on any given week, to consider carving out open space for turning, each Saturday this month.
Traditional practice is from sundown Friday to full dark Saturday (when 3 stars appear in the sky), but your sabbath doesn't have to be a whole day, if that seems too daunting. Perhaps just a few hours, or even a few minutes.
Take a moment to welcome the open space, set your intentions to be attentive in this time.
Light a candle, perhaps, say a prayer or some words of focus.
Settle in with your favorite soothing beverage, think of this as a little retreat.
I won't be sending out emails on Friday nights, so Saturday may be a time when you can catch up, or look back over what we've done the previous week.
You might see if there are themes repeating themselves, or wonder how your reflections tie into the Tarot reading you did at the beginning of this course.
You could take the time to draw new cards, asking what it is that you need to hear in the midst of this silence.
It would even be enough just to turn off your phone, breathe into silence, and open your heart to whatever has been waiting for a quiet moment to speak.
When your sabbath is over, you might also take a moment to say farewell, to prepare to bring what has come to you in this time back into your everyday life.
