This recording begins with a lesson.
To skip to the meditation,
Go to 4 minutes and 20 seconds.
The Jewish people have a core story that we tell every day in our prayers,
Every week when we celebrate the Sabbath,
Every season as we celebrate our holidays.
We recall the exodus from Egypt and we do so because this experience is the birth of the Jewish nation beyond being the children of Israel and so to speak go through the birth canal of this split sea of reeds into a new life,
Into a new mission.
And there's something about our experience in Egypt that was this pressure cooker just like the womb can be a pressure cooker so to speak,
A place of a lot of darkness,
A lot of growth.
We're not really sure what it's going to lead to when we're inside the womb.
We don't know what life outside the womb can be like and we're very trapped and constricted in this very tight place which really matches the language we have for Egypt.
The word for Egypt in Hebrew is Metsarim,
The place of constriction.
So just like the womb itself is constricting so our experience in Egypt really puts a lot of pressure on us to decide who we are and who we want to be.
And as we leave Egypt we have to be willing to leave behind all of the comforts that come with the enslavement,
The challenges that come with the enslavement,
In order to go somewhere new.
And the Jewish people don't actually know what it is they're going to be doing in the desert and that only becomes fully revealed when we get to Sinai.
And we're given this mission to become a light onto the nations,
To bring goodness and peace and justice and kindness into the world.
The question is for you as an individual,
How can you relate to this story?
What is the place of constriction?
What are the things that have been enslaving you that you'd like to step out of?
And for each of us that's a little bit different.
For each of us we have our habits of being,
The relationships that we're entangled in that aren't good for us,
The things we're addicted to,
The people or institutions that we're bowing down to in a way that really constricts us and makes us small.
And the other question is,
What is your unique Mount Sinai mission?
Meaning if you don't want to get stuck in the victim mentality from having experienced darkness,
Enslavement,
Entrapment,
Constriction in the past,
You need to have a really clear vision for what light you're going to bring into the world moving forward.
So I invite you to reflect on these two things.
What do you want to walk away from,
But also where are you going?
How do you want to be in the world and what kind of light do you want to shine in the world moving forward?
And over the course of this meditation,
You're going to have the opportunity to explore both walking away from the old and stepping in to the new.
I bless you to have a beautiful experience and to have that light that you've become invigorated with shine onto everyone you touch.
Sending you so many blessings from Jerusalem.
I invite you to find a comfortable seat and close your eyes and become aware of your breath as you breathe in,
In,
And with each breath you take,
Become aware of the constriction of the exhale and the expansion of the inhale.
How both of these movements are alive in you as they are alive in all of life.
The constriction of winter and of death and of cold and the expansion of summer.
How each breath is connecting you to this rhythm of constriction and expansion.
Everywhere.
And notice how this happens without any effort on your part as a divine wind is breathing life into you in this moment and this moment.
And invite that breath to slow itself down as you relax your body from the top of your head to your neck and shoulders.
Feeling a relaxation washing over your arms down to the tips of your fingers and an ease making its way down your spine.
Relaxing all of the muscles of your back and chest and mid back and diaphragm and lower back and belly.
Everything becoming more so that relaxation can wash over your pelvis and down your legs softening all of those muscles down to the tips of your toes.
And with that slowing of breath and softening of joints I invite you to become aware of that place of constriction and enslavement in your life.
Something you want to let go of and feel that thing that's been enslaving you standing behind you.
Even as you look forward towards that new light that you want to bring into the world once you're free of this burden behind you get a good sense of this light.
What could you do?
And who could you be?
If you weren't shackled by that old heavy stuff and allow your heart to be filled with an excitement with a passion towards this new light that you see growing with more and more brightness before you even as you see that constricting enslavement shrinking in darkness behind you.
And I invite you now to be aware of that to say goodbye to that enslaving thing by walking forward towards the light.
And as you do so come aware of a sea running between yourself and this light.
And as your foot steps on the shores of this sea watch its waters split before you as if nature itself were cheering you on pushing you towards this light.
And see yourself walking on miraculously dry land even as two walls of water surround you on both sides.
And even as a taskmaster that thing that has been enslaving you is following you from behind.
And just keep going.
Leave it behind you and never look back and keep taking one step after the other towards this light that awaits you on the other side of this sea.
And feel the footsteps and the calls and the jeers of your taskmaster behind you also walking on this dry land also calling after you.
But feel the passion that you have for this light pulling you forward faster and faster.
And now you have three steps to go until you reach the other shore.
And with each step I invite you to open your heart even more to this new light to this new mission that you're meant to bring into the world.
Even as you cut yourself off from what has been enslaving you even as you ignore the calls and the jeers and the screams and the stomping feet of your slave master behind you.
And now feel your feet reaching the opposite shore.
Hear the walls of water collapsing and gathering themselves back together toppling your slave master.
And now precious one you can turn around and see that thing that has been constricting you that has been enslaving you is drowned,
Washed away and allow your face to grow into a smile and your heart to burst into gratitude and feel the freedom of a new life.
As you turn back around and head with a run towards the new light at the top of your Mount Sinai and feel yourself reaching the peak of that mountain and grabbing that light and promising yourself and promising the divine that you will heed this call that you will live this mission and bring this light close to your heart as you bring your hands right now to your heart and feel the light penetrating into your heart and growing ever brighter inside of you as that enslavement becomes a forgotten memory.
And knowing that you can come back to this moment whenever you want and to remember what you've left behind I invite you to slowly come back to your body by wiggling your fingers and wiggling your toes batting your eyes open ready to bless the world with your gaze.
