The Films in Our Eyes
The first film I went to see was at a drive-in. It was the animated Disney classic Bambi. My mother has since recalled that I cried profusely when Bambi’s mother is killed. I don’t remember going to the movie or having cried but it certainly fits my knowing me. I cry at movies. I have […]
The Risk of Love
A number of our students went to hear a spiritual teacher last week on the topic of Intimate Relationships and Authentic Awakening. This mystic teacher hails from Vienna and is currently living with his wife in Tel Aviv. Thomas Hubl is his name and he is relatively young. Some of those who attended added up […]
Bode and Soul
“Some of Chelone’s ashes were scattered at Mammoth Mountain in California, the hub of his snowboard escapades in recent winters. Others were spread on Mount Kinsman, some high in the sugarbush where he roamed as a child while the thrush and warblers sang and life seemed as sweet as the maple sap on his lips. […]
A Look in the Mirror
I thought of a trivia game (perhaps it is already on the market) where you have names of characters an actor played in films and you have to guess who the actor is. For instance, if the following sequence of names were read out loud, after which name would you guess Marisa Tomei: Natalie Hegalhuzen, […]
The Manning Behind the Mask
Growing up I had a collection of miniature plastic football helmets. They were my treasure. I loved the colors and the emblems. Most survived. That was my football legacy, a dozen or so plastic replicas of helmets of teams I watched play during my childhood. I gave the collection to my son as a gift. […]
Sand in Your Pocket
Yesterday on the way to teaching class my cell phone rang. My policy is to not answer the phone when I don’t recognize the number. I ignored it—my policy that is–to encounter a woman’s voice on the line. In the recesses of my cortex connected to voice recognition the name came to my vocal chords. […]
The Rhyme of the Ancient Mime
He said “time will be my judge” He left without a trace Of regret or words unspokenEvery crease upon his face The delight and pain of grooves Etched in pantomime Filled space Enter silence you will Feel him For movement was his grace To express the finiteness of our personal existence, Yoga tradition […]
Being Centered
“Being centered” is a phrase that is used to connote being at peace, being whole. In mythology, the world has its center as well—a geographic center from which creation flows. In the Jewish tradition this center is Jerusalem—Yerushalayim–the city of peace or wholeness. In Greek mythology that center is Delphi—the center of mother earth. In […]
Why You Were Born
Early in the movie Slumdog Millionaire the main character as a participant on Who Wants to be a Millionaire needs to answer the question: What motto is inscribed on India’s national emblem? The answer stuck with me: Truth alone triumphs. In Jewish tradition there is a similar phrase “The seal of the Holy One […]
Kabbalah at Work
I want to thank Rabbi Tirzah Firestone for trekking down the Boulder turnpike for the last three months to share with us her exquisite style of teaching. We were on her loom, creating together a quilt of the garment of light that the Zohar texts illuminate for us. Her guiding hands and melodic voice of […]