Hanukkah Night 8, 5776 - Seeing in Detail

Text by Rabbi Katy Z. Allen
Photos by Gabi Mezger

Eight lights burning,

sending out light,

sending out heat -

the hanukkiah is full.

May our hearts be full as well,

of light 

and warmth,

allowing us to see

in detail

both the pain

and the beauty

of the world.

Rabbi Katy Allen is a board certified chaplain and serves as an Eco-Chaplain and the Facilitator of One Earth Collaborative, a program of Open Spirit. She is the founder and rabbi of Ma'yan Tikvah - A Wellspring of Hope, which holds services outdoors all year long. She is the co-founder and President pro-tem of the Boston-based Jewish Climate Action Network, and a hospice chaplain. She received her ordination from the Academy for Jewish Religion in 2005. 

Gabi Mezger photographs wherever she goes.

Hanukkah Night 7, 5776 - One

Text by Rabbi Katy Allen

Photo by Gabi Mezger

One.

What does it mean?

One Homo sapiens.

One Earth.

One G!d.

One Universe.

One time.

One future.

What does it take 

for us

to live 

as ONE?

Rabbi Katy Allen is a board certified chaplain and serves as an Eco-Chaplain and the Facilitator of One Earth Collaborative, a program of Open Spirit. She is the founder and rabbi of Ma'yan Tikvah - A Wellspring of Hope, which holds services outdoors all year long. She is the co-founder and President pro-tem of the Boston-based Jewish Climate Action Network, and a hospice chaplain. She received her ordination from the Academy for Jewish Religion in 2005. 

Gabi Mezger photographs wherever she goes.

Hankkah Night 6, 5776 - Let it Flow

Text by Rabbi Katy Z. Allen
Photo by Gabi Mezger

Let the light within us flow,

Let our lives flow,

and our hearts,

and our souls.

Shabbat shalom.

Rabbi Katy Allen is a board certified chaplain and serves as an Eco-Chaplain and the Facilitator of One Earth Collaborative, a program of Open Spirit. She is the founder and rabbi of Ma'yan Tikvah - A Wellspring of Hope, which holds services outdoors all year long. She is the co-founder and President pro-tem of the Boston-based Jewish Climate Action Network, and a hospice chaplain. She received her ordination from the Academy for Jewish Religion in 2005. 

Gabi Mezger photographs wherever she goes.

Hanukkah Night 5, 5776 - Sparks

Text by Rabbi Katy Z. Allen
Photos by Gabi Mezger

A spark of Mystery

burns within every single human being,

and within every part and parcel

of Creation,

and every one of those sparks is different.

All of the sparks are needed

for shleimut --

for total healing,

wholeness,

Oneness.

What is the essence of your spark?

Rabbi Katy Allen is a board certified chaplain and serves as an Eco-Chaplain and the Facilitator of One Earth Collaborative, a program of Open Spirit. She is the founder and rabbi of Ma'yan Tikvah - A Wellspring of Hope, which holds services outdoors all year long. She is the co-founder and President pro-tem of the Boston-based Jewish Climate Action Network, and a hospice chaplain. She received her ordination from the Academy for Jewish Religion in 2005. 

Gabi Mezger photographs wherever she goes.

Hanukkah Night 4, 5776 - What Is Burning?

Text by Rabbi Katy Z. Allen
Photo by Gabi Mezger

What is burning in your heart?

What is burning to be expressed?

To come out?

To be shared with the world?

To bring a blaze of light?

Whatever it may be...

Let it out!

Let it come forth!

Let it shine!

Rabbi Katy Allen is a board certified chaplain and serves as an Eco-Chaplain and the Facilitator of One Earth Collaborative, a program of Open Spirit. She is the founder and rabbi of Ma'yan Tikvah - A Wellspring of Hope, which holds services outdoors all year long. She is the co-founder and President pro-tem of the Boston-based Jewish Climate Action Network, and a hospice chaplain. She received her ordination from the Academy for Jewish Religion in 2005. 

Gabi Mezger photographs wherever she goes.

Hanukkah Night 3, 5776 - Within and Without

Text by Rabbi Katy Z. Allen
Photos by Gabi Mezger

Baruch atah Adonai - Blessed are You Adonai --

Blessed is the spark of G!d --

of Life,

of Light,

of Specialness,

that burns within

your being,

within every living being.

Blessed is the Spark.

Eloheinu melech ha'olam - Our G!d, Sovereign of the Universe --

We acknowledge You,

Source of All,

from before time began

to the end of time, 

and beyond,

from this pin point of place

to the farthest ends of the Universe,

and farther still.

We acknowledge You.

As the words of the blessings

enter the atmosphere,

as the match kindles the candles,

as the lights glow in the night,

may blessing sparkle in your being,

surge forth, encircling the Universe,

touching all that is, 

from your inner most vulnerable pin point

to the ends of the Universe

and beyond.

May blessing blossom

in every corner 

of the cosmos.

Rabbi Katy Allen is a board certified chaplain and serves as an Eco-Chaplain and the Facilitator of One Earth Collaborative, a program of Open Spirit. She is the founder and rabbi of Ma'yan Tikvah - A Wellspring of Hope, which holds services outdoors all year long. She is the co-founder and President pro-tem of the Boston-based Jewish Climate Action Network, and a hospice chaplain. She received her ordination from the Academy for Jewish Religion in 2005. 

Gabi Mezger photographs wherever she goes.

Hanukkah Night 2, 5776 - Reflections

Text by Rabbi Katy Z. Allen
Photos by Gabi Mezger

The moon appears in the sky

while sunlight still shimmers,

the sky can still be called blue,

and clouds are visible.

In the waning daylight,

the reflection

of the reflected light 

we call moonlight

sears a bright path

across the sea.

As darkness rolls in

the moon seems to brighten. 

And when the darkness of the sky is complete -

though not fully complete -

the reflected light still shining forth in the sky 

and the reflection of that reflection,

a glittery path in the sea,

make perception of surrounding rocks and ridges

possible.

The candles we kindle radiate visible light,

that emitted through the blessings we recite

invisible.

How are these two lights reflected?

Can one see their reflections 

shining forth from our faces?

From our hearts?

And is there a reflection of those reflections

that makes perception possible,

enabling those nearby

to readily perceive

not rocks and ridges

but love, 

compassion, 

wisdom

and peace?

Rabbi Katy Allen is a board certified chaplain and serves as a Nature Chaplain and the Facilitator of One Earth Collaborative, a program of Open Spirit. She is the founder and rabbi of Ma'yan Tikvah - A Wellspring of Hope, which holds services outdoors all year long. She is the co-founder and President pro-tem of the Boston-based Jewish Climate Action Network. She received her ordination from the Academy for Jewish Religion in 2005. 

Gabi Mezger photographs wherever she goes.

Hanukkah Night 1, 5776 - Reviving Hope

Text by Rabbi Katy Z. Allen
Photos by Gabi Mezger

dark emotions lurk in our hearts
heaviness weighs down our souls
the night stretches on
           interminably;
we cannot see
we are lost

hope fades
         

but the picture is incomplete

a candle burns
piercing the darkness

anticipating dawn

reviving hope

carrying us forward
into the new day


Rabbi Katy Allen is a board certified chaplain and serves as a Nature Chaplain and the Facilitator of One Earth Collaborative, a program of Open Spirit. She is the founder and rabbi of Ma'yan Tikvah - A Wellspring of Hope, which holds services outdoors all year long. She is the co-founder and President pro-tem of the Boston-based Jewish Climate Action Network. She received her ordination from the Academy for Jewish Religion in 2005. 

A Night Meditation

by  Rabbi Katy Z. Allen

וּמְסַדֵּר אֶת הַכּוֹכָבִים בְּמִשְׁמְרוֹתֵיהֶם בָּרָקִֽיעַ כִּרְצוֹנוֹ.

[G!d] arranges the stars in their heavenly courses according to Divine will.

Evening liturgy

 וַיּוֹצֵ֨א אֹת֜וֹ הַח֗וּצָה וַיֹּ֨אמֶר֙ הַבֶּט־נָ֣א הַשָּׁמַ֔יְמָה וּסְפֹר֙ הַכּ֣וֹכָבִ֔ים אִם־תּוּכַ֖ל לִסְפֹּ֣ר אֹתָ֑ם 
G!d took him outside and said,
"Look out at the sky and count the stars,
if you can count them."

Genesis 15:5

Let G!d take you outside
at night.

Gaze outward at the sky
gaze 
and gaze.
Experience the stars
flecks of light against the dark night.

Breathe in
breathe out
and let yourself be.

Pick a star
any star
focus your gaze
on a single point of sky.

Reach deeper
beyond that star
beyond that point
far into the distance
to the next 2000 galaxies
outside our own.

Breathe in
breathe out
and let yourself be.

As you can
allow your heart 
and your soul 
to sense that vastness.

Breathe in
breathe out
and let yourself be.

Maintain your focus
hold that pinpoint in the sky
and those 2000 galaxies.

Hold the space.
Hold the place.
Hold the time.

Breathe in 
deeply, 
breathe out
allow your heart 
to hold it all
for a quiet 
moment.

When you are ready
take a risk.
Widen your vision
to the neighboring stars,
then to their neighbors,
and theirs,
slowly
very slowly
and then to their neighbors,
gradually
until you hold 
the entire sky 
in your gaze.

Breathe in
breathe out
let yourself be.

Gently
star by star
absorb awareness
of the Universe,
its hundreds 
of billions (1) 
of galaxies
all filled with stars.
Slowly
star by star
allow yourself
to begin to fathom
the significance 
of perhaps
70 thousand 
million 
million 
million 
stars. (2)  

Breathe in
breathe out
let yourself be.

Each morning we say
מָה אֲנַֽחְנוּ
What are we?

The Psalmist asks
מָֽה־אֱ֭נוֹשׁ כִּֽי־תִזְכְּרֶ֑נּוּ
What are mortals 
that you are mindful of them? (Ps. 8:4)

Take it slowly.

Breathe in
breathe out
let yourself be.

Consider.
What are YOU
in this
Universe?

Breathe in
breathe out
let yourself be.

(1) http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2013/06/500-billion-a-universe-of-galaxies-some-older-than-milky-way.html
(2) http://www.rmg.co.uk/discover/explore/galaxies


Rabbi Katy Allen is a board certified chaplain and serves as a Nature Chaplain and the Facilitator of One Earth Collaborative, a program of Open Spirit. She is the founder and rabbi of Ma'yan Tikvah - A Wellspring of Hope, which holds services outdoors all year long. She is the co-founder and President pro-tem of the Boston-based Jewish Climate Action Network. She received her ordination from the Academy for Jewish Religion in 2005. 

Blessing: To You

by Judith Felsen

To you who have not known the velvet blackness of a moonless starry night,

who have not tasted wild water and quenched your thirst in the brooks of our wildernesses,

who have not heard the profundity of windless silence in the woods and on the meadows,

who have not sought shelter under the canopy only of our forests,

who have not played in the gardens of our wildflowers growing madly in impoverished  soils,

who have scoffed our culture and denied our values,

who have scolded our schools and demeaned our institutes of greater learning,

who have bemoaned our loneliness and screamed at our alienation,

who have combated our negligence and cried out for our abuses,

who have cradled our animals and protected our innocents,

who have wandered lost and aimlessly through years that might otherwise have been abundant.

To you I wish that the magic of nature soothe your mind as the rains water your soul,

that the madness of ferocious lightning illuminates your essence and kindles your heart,

that the wisdom of the equine kingdom penetrates your senses,

that the hills support you, the trails guide you and the moon, sun and stars light your path.

May you be blessed in the presence of wildness, free, and released in the spirit of the natural world.

May you find your wise woman in the call of the world around you.

May you bring her home and keep her with you forever, always to journey in joy, light and peace.

May the forest enter your heart and never leave.

Copyright 2015  Judith Felsen, Ph.D.

Judith Felsen holds a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, certificates in hypnotherapy, NLP, Eriksonian Hypnosis, and Sacred Plant Medicine. She is a dancer of sacred circle dance, an AMC kitchen crew, trail information volunteer, trail adopter, and daily student of Torah and Judaism. She is enrolled in Rabbinical Seminary International. She has studied Buddhism, A Course in Miracles, and other mystical traditions. She is a hiker, walker, runner, and lives in the White Mountains with her husband and two large dogs. Her life centers around her Jewish studies and daily application.

Asher Yatzar - A Meditation

by Rabbi Katy Z. Allen

Often we want to focus on how we are connected to everything else in the Universe, and I write about that frequently, for we are just one tiny part of G!d’s infinite Creation. The Asher Yatzar blessing, however, with its focus on our physical being, offers the opportunity to explore the boundaries and the differences between us and all that is beyond our skin, which can, paradoxically, bring us to greater understanding of our connections. 

The blessing begins with these words:

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר יָצַר אֶת הָאָדָם בְּחָכְמָה, וּבָרָא בוֹ נְקָבִים נְקָבִים, חֲלוּלִים חֲלוּלִים.

Baruch ata Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha'olam, asher yatzar et ha'adam be'chochma, u'vara vo ne'kavim ve'kavim, chalulim chalulim.

Blessed are You, Hashem/Adonai/Holy One/Mysterious One, our G!d, King/Ruler/Sovereign/Amazing One/Source of All of the universe, Who fashioned humans with wisdom and created within humans many openings - for each physical opening a spiritual opening - and many hollows - for each physical hollow a spiritual hollow.

It is traditional to recite these words and the remainder of this blessing after washing our hands after using the bathroom. The idea is to stop. To take a moment to acknowledge our physicality. To take a moment to let G!d into our lives, into our very physical beings. To acknowledge the wonder and blessing of our functioning bodies.

I offer this meditation to be used together with these words; sometimes there is more than one option of how to translate a word - I invite you to take your pick.

Meditation on First Line of Asher Yatzar

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם

Baruch ata Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha'olam... 

Blessed are You, 

Hashem / Adonai / Holy One/Mysterious One, 

our G!d, 

King / Ruler / Sovereign / Amazing One / Source of All 

of the universe...

As you recite these words, envision the entire Earth, the entire Cosmos, and feel the energy that surrounds it and flows through it.

...אֲשֶׁר יָצַר אֶת הָאָדָם בְּחָכְמָה...

...Asher yatzar et ha'adam be'chochma...

...Who fashioned humans with wisdom...

With your eyes open, focus on what is before you. You may gaze out the window at the more-than-human world or to focus on some item, any thing, that appears in front of you. As you fix your eyes upon the view before you, feel in your heart how you are different from this object or group of items.

...וּבָרָא בוֹ נְקָבִים נְקָבִים, חֲלוּלִים חֲלוּלִים. 

...u'vara vo ne'kavim ve'kavim, chalulim chalulim. 

...and created within him / her 

many openings, 

for each physical opening a spiritual opening, 

and many hollows, 

for each physical hollow a spiritual hollow.

As you recite these words, focus first on your lower body and legs and feel the flow - of blood, of energy, of life - that flows thorough the openings and hollows of your body; then focus on your upper body and arms and again notice and feel and be aware of all that flows in rhythm and well-being through your body.

When you are ready, continue on with your day.


May we grow healthier in body and spirit with each blessing; may we grow in understanding of the special gifts we each hold within us; may we recognize our connections to all the Universe, may we understand our responsibilities to ourselves and to all that surrounds us.

Rabbi Katy Allen is a board certified chaplain and serves as a Nature Chaplain and the Facilitator of One Earth Collaborative, a program of Open Spirit. She is the founder and rabbi of Ma'yan Tikvah - A Wellspring of Hope, which holds services outdoors all year long. She is the co-founder and President pro-tem of the Boston-based Jewish Climate Action Network. She received her ordination from the Academy for Jewish Religion in 2005.  

In Memory of a Very Special Family Feline

by Rabbi Katy Z. Allen

My mother's last cat - of many, many cats throughout her life - was named Octavio Paws. Yes, you read correctly. This black cat was named after Octavio Paz, the Nobel-prize-winning Mexican poet.

Octavio Paws entered our mother's life while she was still living in her own home and while she also still had a dog. The dog and cat became good friends, and Paws and Ginger and Mary would settle in together on the couch in the evenings and on cold winter nights, keeping each other company. Paws enjoyed wandering in the garden and beyond, through the small town in Southwestern Wisconsin where they all lived together. 

Paws and Ginger were very solicitous of Mary, and gave her extra attention and love and comfort when she was ill and when she was laid up with a bad leg. They were mainstays in her life, providing emotional and spiritual support to her as she aged.

And then one day, Mary had to leave her home and move into an apartment in elderly housing in Madison. A new home was found for Ginger, but Paws was able to come along to the new home.

Paws spent the first 24 hours or more in his new, and much smaller, abode yowling. He was not happy.

But with time, Paws adjusted to being an indoor cat. He settled in. And over the years, as our mother's health and mental status declined, the importance of Paws in her life grew. The two had very real conversations together. Paws was our mother's confidante, her go-to "person" for questions both large and small - especially in the middle of the night, and he was her constant companion. They discussed what to have for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and all the other details of daily living, as well as the more profound philosophical questions of life and death and aging and everything else.

This was not, I assure you, an abrupt change for our mother - and no one in the family batted an eyelash. Every cat and dog that lived with my mother held an important place in her heart and in her life. She talked to all of them as equals. They were part of her life and her family.

As our mother aged, I worried. What would happen if Paws died before she did? I couldn't bear the thought.

But it didn't happen that way. Our mother died in her bed at night, and Paws was found curled up beside her in the morning.

At first, my brothers and I didn't know what to do with Paws. A friend, who had cared for Paws when Mary had been in the hospital,was a likely person.

But then my teenage nephew arrived for the memorial service, and in no uncertain terms he told his parents that they were taking Paws back to New Hampshire to live with them.

And bless them, they did.

Paws lived out his years in the country, learning again to be an outdoor cat but to come in at night when the coyotes might be out. He stayed close to home, but loved to wander near by, and he came in when called.

More than once reports from my brother sounded as though Paws' life was coming to a close. But this little black cat kept on going and going.

He kept going until two nights ago when that familiar yowl was unexpectedly heard, the yowl that also meant, "I've brought you something to see," after catching a mouse or other small animal.

But this was Paws' last time to yowl. Soon after, held by my brother and sister-in-law and nephew, Octavio Paws breathed his last breathe and went to join his mother in the place where cats and their owners meet again.

Paws will never be forgotten. He will be remembered for his yowl, and he will be remembered for being a people-loving cat. He will be remembered for his gentle spirit. He will be remembered for accompanying our mother through her declining years. And he will be remembered for modeling resiliency, for adapting - after a few yowls - to all that life dealt him. He will be remembered because he was loved, so deeply and so unconditionally, by so many people, most of all, by our mother.

Thank you Paws, for being part of her life, and part of ours.

Rabbi Katy Allen is a board certified chaplain and serves as a Nature Chaplain and the Facilitator of One Earth Collaborative, a program of Open Spirit. She is the founder and rabbi of Ma'yan Tikvah - A Wellspring of Hope, which holds services outdoors all year long. She is the co-founder and President pro-tem of the Boston-based Jewish Climate Action Network. She received her ordination from the Academy for Jewish Religion in 2005.