I have counted nearly twenty words in the Hebrew language that describe various states of seeking of the heart and mind - seeking that I believe is at the heart of all human experience, from the most exalted to the most tragic (including the devastating reality in my home country of Israel/Palestine.) But yearning for what? I am excited to offer Yah Ekh'sof: A Dozen Ways to Yearn into Presence.
In this 4-week series, through meditation, art practice, facilitated sharing, and musical prayer, I invite you to join me in exploring twelve of these nuanced words and the experiences they describe, their paths into embodied presence, and their unique insights into nature of the self. No Hebrew or prior meditation experience required. Open to all, in multi-religious space.
More themes we will explore in relation to yearning:
Apparent gaps between devotion & awareness practices
Apparent gaps between mindfulness & mysticism
Personal & ancestral trauma
Relationship to Buddhist models of craving
Relevance to needs-based communication modalities i.e. nonviolent communication
The universality of yearning, relevance to world suffering & conflict
