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A
Blessing of New Beginnings
We Give thanks for beginnings
For the fear and wonder of the new
We ask a blessing on our intentions
To Grow
In awe which is both intimate
and infinite
Like a tiny seed gestating in
the darkness
PUSHING
at the edges of becoming
Like the fiery birth of a star
in a spiraling cosmos
We ask a blessing on our impatience
That we would learn the nature of Grace
That we would gain tolerance for unknowing
That we would evolve into kind witnesses
Of our own transformations
And the transformations of
others
We ask a blessing for our gifts
That our talents known and unknown
Would more fully emerge
Would be valued and affirmed
Would be of service and be more fully
integrated
Into our lives and our
communities
We ask that the sharing of our gifts be a source of joy
and delight
Renewal and refreshment
To ourselves and those our lives
might touch
We ask that we might be blessed with courage and
compassion
The blossoming of the heart
We ask that we would be blessed with the healing of our
wounds
And we pray for healing for those we have
wounded
May we be blessed with self awareness, love and
friendship
May our souls be tuned
So that we might lift up our voices and sing
Out of the darkness
Out of the seed of the newness
The chrysalis emerging
May we recognize ourselves
As lilies, butterflies, ever-changing as the
sea
A mirror for others, and the place to look
to find
Our true nature
May our questions become friends and guides
May we find comfort and creativity in quiet
May we grow in clarity as we walk this path
So that we might recognize and encounter the
Divine in each breath
And in each step
The Sacrament of Sushi
Gina Rose Halpern
Through a glass door
on a busy street I enter a culinary temple
Here is the
sanctuary of sushi
The offerings float
by me in little dragon boats in a moat of moving water.
Time slows down.
I enter a state of
preparing
For communion
I select the seaweed
salad
Shining green upon
two thrones of nori wrapped rice
They sit on a
porcelain island waiting
I eat the seaweed
slowly
As it enters my
mouth
I chew a prayer
I remember you
waving on the bottom of the ocean
Bless my body and my
mind
With your fluid
motion and flexibility
I ask for salmon
eggs
They arrive
Each amber jewel has
a visible embryo
As its heart
I eat the eggs one
by one
Each salty bite is a
hymn
I see your flashing
unborn silver bodies
Take up your life in
me
As shining thoughts
and dreams
Make your upstream
migration from heart to head
Fill me with your
life
And vitality
A small slab of
orange tuna flesh becomes the final sushi sacrament
The fish speaks to
me
“This is my body
which is given up for you
Eat this in
remembrance of me”
I thank you sister
salmon
For giving up your
life
That I may have life
Taste life and be
nourished
Find your rest in my
round belly
And there be
transformed by enzymes into flesh of my flesh
That I might know
the mystery.
In
Praise Of My Most Purr-fect Teacher
Gina Rose Halpern
finds her perfect resting-place atop the carved red
lacquer Tibetan alter.
Reclining like the Buddha she takes her rest
on the woven wool blanket which covers this station of
prayer.
She is my purr-fect teacher.
“When you play,
Nothing exists but the contemplation of the object of
the
moment.”
Ball, bell, piece of
fur, all become ritual objects.
She embraces them in
cat mudras.
She stretches herself in a backward arching circle
Tail touches ear in a yoga posture of grace.
She purrs a mantric syllable with half closed eyes.
“When I sleep I surrender,
and when I awake, I am totally present to each moment”
Kitty Dharma is most powerful.
Therefore I offer thanks and praise to
my most purr-fect teacher,
who eats
her kibble with gusto
and releases the past into sleep
with
twitching
outstretched paws
atop the carved
Tibetan alter.
A
Prayer For Self Care (In the Midst of Our Busy Lives)
Rev Gina Rose Halpern
Oh Source of Blessings, help me to know when to stop
Give me the strength to turn off the computer
To close my eyes and breathe deep belly
breaths until my heart stops racing
Give me the wisdom to and unplug the phone
And become like one of the creatures.
Curling up in the sun, to let the warmth
Melt away my compulsions
Until I remember it is enough to
be & breathe, & be some more
Give me the courage to turn off the television and nap
Between flannel sheets
Or on the sofa in the late afternoon
Remind me to stop
The car, recline the seat
And doze while the rain pours down on the
roof
Help me to be quiet
And find restoration as I drink from the
well of stillness
It is here in the quiet when I listen that I
hear
Your voice speaking
And when I stop
I hear your almost inaudible
lullaby
A Prayer for:
Deep
Peace
from
the Celtic with additions from Gina Rose, may be sung.
Deep peace of the running wave to you
Deep peace of the shining stars to you
Deep peace of Mother Earth to you
Forever and ever more
Deep peace of the nesting bird to you
Deep peace of the sprouting seed to you
Deep peace of the drifting cloud to you
Forever and ever more
Deep peace of the gentle rain to you
Deep peace of the falling snow to you
Deep peace of the loving touch to you
Forever and ever more
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