Renewal

When the world is upside down,

I/Me/Us/We must flip the script:

Grab hold of the narrative,

revolt against the same old story,

resist the riptide of history

despite grim odds,

the plot twist brought

to untwist this plot.

Thus begins every

inner rebellion.

I/Me/Us/We enter

the cold wetness

of the cave

made of echo-stone

to retrieve the oil

hidden in secret

and Maccabean shadow-folds

for generations.

When the world is upside down,

I/Me/Us/We must flip the script:

Watch the exalted letters

dance into all possible combinations,

account for every permutation,

precisely as numerous

as each luminous star

in the numinous field

of our milky and honeyed galaxy.

I/Me/Us/We reclaim our sovereignty

over the landscape

of our heavenly body,

shore up our borders,

draw constellations as boundaries,

rededicate the sacred space

in the center of us,

sanctify the nourishment

of moon and sun.

Let us rise elemental,

offer our/self as vessel,

four mothers to the left,

four angels to the right,

we long to be anointed, filled with

hyssop and frankincense,

spikenard and myrrh,

balsam and cassia,

jasmine and rose,

holy olive.

Pour in the gloaming

moment of every tiny brave blaze

thrown in stark relief

against the gift

of mysterious darkness.

When the world is upside down,

I/Me/Us/We must flip the script:

Grab hold of the narrative,

revolt against the same old story,

resist the riptide of history

despite grim odds,

the plot twist brought

to untwist this plot.

Thus begins every

inner rebellion.

I/Me/Us/We enter

the cold wetness

of the cave

made of echo-stone

to retrieve the oil

hidden in secret

and Maccabean shadow-folds

for generations.

When the world is upside down,

I/Me/Us/We must flip the script:

Watch the exalted letters

dance into all possible combinations,

account for every permutation,

precisely as numerous

as each luminous star

in the numinous field

of our milky and honeyed galaxy.

I/Me/Us/We reclaim our sovereignty

over the landscape

of our heavenly body,

shore up our borders,

draw constellations as boundaries,

rededicate the sacred space

in the center of us,

sanctify the nourishment

of moon and sun.

Let us rise elemental,

offer our/self as vessel,

four mothers to the left,

four angels to the right,

we long to be anointed, filled with

hyssop and frankincense,

spikenard and myrrh,

balsam and cassia,

jasmine and rose,

holy olive.

Pour in the gloaming

moment of every tiny brave blaze

thrown in stark relief

against the gift

of mysterious darkness.

When the world is upside down,

I/Me/Us/We must flip the script:

Grab hold of the narrative,

revolt against the same old story,

resist the riptide of history

despite grim odds,

the plot twist brought

to untwist this plot.

Thus begins every

inner rebellion.

I/Me/Us/We enter

the cold wetness

of the cave

made of echo-stone

to retrieve the oil

hidden in secret

and Maccabean shadow-folds

for generations.

When the world is upside down,

I/Me/Us/We must flip the script:

Watch the exalted letters

dance into all possible combinations,

account for every permutation,

precisely as numerous

as each luminous star

in the numinous field

of our milky and honeyed galaxy.

I/Me/Us/We reclaim our sovereignty

over the landscape

of our heavenly body,

shore up our borders,

draw constellations as boundaries,

rededicate the sacred space

in the center of us,

sanctify the nourishment

of moon and sun.

Let us rise elemental,

offer our/self as vessel,

four mothers to the left,

four angels to the right,

we long to be anointed, filled with

hyssop and frankincense,

spikenard and myrrh,

balsam and cassia,

jasmine and rose,

holy olive.

Pour in the gloaming

moment of every tiny brave blaze

thrown in stark relief

against the gift

of mysterious darkness.

By Rabbi Noam Raucher

Meditation: What is “peace” anyway? Have you ever thought about it? Peace might mean that we are safe, as long as we live without violence or pain. The best our Torah offers are visions of peace, with love and justice flowing together like a mighty stream. But peace in the world is not possible until we learn to be peaceful beings ourselves. Inner peace refers to equanimity and resilience in our responses to conflict. This can lead to wholeness.

Practice: Take a moment to quiet your own mind. Remove all distractions from around you and breathe. Ask yourself, do I possess an internal conflict between who I am and I should be? Envision what peace from that conflict looks like and dwell in that idea for longer than one moment.