Shabbat Shalom from Santa Fe

Dear ones,

[HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!!]

It’s been a quiet, rainy day in Santa Fe. Marcos and I arrived last night after a couple days in another dimension…about 8000 feet up in the clouds of Crestone, Colorado. It was a time of restoration, creation and elevation–serious air energy. Our friends Chances R Good and Annmarie Misik have found a beautiful home in this mystical town to focus on their art, and they shared stories, space, art and wisdom with us all “weekend” (we were there Tuesday-Thursday but it felt like a weekend!).

Friends.

Annmarie completed this beautiful painting during our visit: “A Gracious Greeting” https://www.facebook.com/RiDesign1

Chances sitting down for an interview

There’s much that I’d like to share with you from those few days, not to mention our experiences with the Jewish Renewal community in Boulder and seeing Matisyahu in Colorado Springs. We stayed with a friend of a friend in CO Springs who studies Environmental Science at Colorado College, where students take one course at a time. Guess what hers is right now? Re-enchanting the World. A religion/philosophy/ecology course. After a late night of dancing, we had an early breakfast and after hearing about this course I decided to tag along! The intersections with what I’m exploring and the film Marcos and I are making were wild.

One of the major challenges of the trip so far is finding the time to reflect and share what I’m learning and experiencing. I will do my best to honor what the moment calls for, make space for my projects when it feels right, and trust that all will unfold in its right time. As I surrender to this knowing, magic seeps into more and more of my life.

Last night we arrived in Santa Fe and went out to look for a coffee shop so I could get organized. So many connections, suggestions, appointments, etc.! Within a few minutes I saw a sign that said “oxygen bar” and decided that sounded pretty great after the drive. I also remembered chatting with a healer in the same building in March when I passed through on my way back from Arizona, and I had mentioned to Marcos I’d like to reconnect with her. When we got upstairs, I was drawn into this etherial healing space and decided to splurge on a Heartmoon Rhythm treatment with flower essences, oxygen, aromatherapy, bodywork and energy healing…it was amazing. Even cooler was the fact that my therapist recognized from my name that I was Jewish and asked me if I’d been celebrating Sukkot, the holiday that began this Wednesday. After my treatment we talked and it turns out they’re a Jewish Renewal family business and we had several points of connection…including my friend Kelly from college whom I’m staying with! They were excited to hear about the film and are interested in hosting a screening! Tonight we’re all having a Shabbat potluck at the healing space 🙂 

Well, I’m going to put this away and cook with my friends. I thank Great Spirit for family all over the world, the rains and the reflection they bring, the mountains and raised consciousness, kind hearts and artistic avenues. Most of all I give gratitude for the opportunity to be here, now, having this human experience in a time of great change and awakening. I have so much love for you, whatever you do and however you’re contributing to world. May it be a Shabbat of peace, harmony, clarity and appreciation for the gifts all around us. ❤

Rivka

You are the Eyes of the World

Aloha!

Writing from the road as we travel from Colorado Springs to Crestone, CO to visit mystical musician Chances R Good!

It’s been about a week and the flow is only growing stronger. Every day I wake up, look around and remember where I slept that night and what city I’m in, and give thanks for another day in the paradise that originates in that most joyous center of my being. In addition to the (awesome) interviews we’ve collected for the film that will come out of this journey, I’ve gathered lots of footage of the places we’ve been and people we’ve seen. Exploring and researching in both inward and outward direction; it’s all coming together. I pick up a new phrase or concept or scientific model, and experiment with it as I adventure. What a gift to have my education in my hands, in my body and the womb of the world! With all this research and beauty collected, I’m just about overflowing and so yearning to share it with you. At the same time, the adventure continues! Hopefully in a few days I’ll have a storytelling/poetry video up.

In the meantime, I love you from the depths of my being and out from every pore. Be well and be free.

Your sistar,
Rivka

Corn you believe it’s only been two days??

Greetings family!

I write you from a very special co-op house in Boulder, Colorado. Though only four of us are Couchsurfing (and there are many couches), six of us chose to sleep on the floor in a puddle of love. More on this empowering and supportive community to come.

Our first day immediately blew through our conception of time and space; seven hours of driving went by (on a few hours of sleep) and both Marcos and I felt awake and enlivened, stimulated by conversation and laughter. After passing an absurd number of signs asking us to “corn-sider visiting” the WORLD’S ONLY CORN PALACE, we corndn’t resist! Oh, South Dakota, you do not get enough credit for your shenanigans.

When we weren’t making “corn” puns, we talked about the creative force/process, sacred geometry, the inner senses, Source and “God” language, telepathy, Atlantis, Jesus Christ, astrology, the power of our thoughts and subconscious beliefs, speculations on parenthood, and nonlinearity. We also came up with a little elevator speech to introduce ourselves and our project:

We are learning to embody tikkun olam through sacred livelihoods, contributing our natural gifts to help repair the world. Our journey is a chance to practice and develop our abilities and creatively connect with others. Along the way, we’re collecting interviews and adventures for a film that we hope will spread awareness and inspiration.

We reached the Black Hills National Forest by about 5:30pm Mountain Time, emerging through a one-lane tunnel to see Mount Rushmore standing stoic in the distance. Winding through the pine forest, we found that the campgrounds were closed. So, we parked The Magic Mobile in a little pull-out and spent some time exploring the forest in the cold and damp of a tapering rainstorm. The bark, the crystals, the rocks and the animals fascinated us. Marcos and I have been teaching each other so much in just two days; we discover the world around us anew through one another. 

As dusk fell, we ate leftover quinoa and carrots in the car and came up with a game plan. We didn’t have a tarp, and the ground was soaked. The nighttime temperature would be about 35 degrees F. We had two options: the front seats of the Magic Mobile, or the cold wet ground. For Marcos, who preferred the cold over the cramped, the tent posed the more attractive option. I on the other hand would rather sleep in a semi-upright fetal position than shiver all night. This actually enabled us both to sleep better! Marcos got to use my sleeping pad as a barrier between him and the freezing ground, and I got to spread out across the front seats, wriggling like an earthworm in my sleeping bag until I found a comfortable position across the e-brake and cupholders. This is my advice: find something to cover that area in between the seats, get inside your sleeping bag in the passenger’s seat, and wriggle your way across facing the seats until you can lift your feet up and tuck them against the passenger door. My yoga bolster was a pretty big help. Marcos’s advice for the tent option is to stick your arms inside your sweatshirt and cross your hands over your chest. We both slept pretty well! When I awoke and took the sleeping bag off my head, I let out a gasp at the pine trees surrounding me, illuminated by golden morning sun. What a way to wake up!

After a little walk among the deer and meditation on a large rock, Marcos and I met up and gathered things to make breakfast. We had found some dry ground underneath a rock cliff the night before, and carried our camp stove, pot, and oatmeal/coffee/tea/instruments to that now-sunny spot. With no sense of urgency, we savored our outdoor breakfast and played music together, making up a song about our day. Yes, we could get used to this. We laughed as we thought of people paying for a hotel room and missing this beautiful (free) experience.

Our second day of driving took us to Boulder, beginning with a walk around Pearl Street to get a feel for our new surroundings. It reminds me a bit of Madison, Wisconsin in the sense that it’s full of energy and yet has a stillness and serenity. We didn’t stay long, as we’d been invited to the house dinner being prepared by our Couchsurf host. I had sent only one request in Boulder; this host and house seemed such a perfect fit. As with the last time I Couchsurfed, at a co-op called The Lakehouse in South Minneapolis, the transition from strangers to friends took something between minutes and hours. Our first night together included: an amazing, nourishing meal (made mainly with ingredients found in dumpsters and cleaned with vinegar water) with chairs added every 10 minutes or so to accommodate a newly-arrived beloved; icebreakers for the benefit of us and a new friend who’d come to interview for a spot in the house; a yoga class in the living room; hours of conversation; chains of hand massages and a slumber party on the the living room floor.

All this produce was found in dumpsters!

Today one of the beautiful humans who lives here is taking us on a hike around the Flat Irons, and tonight Marcos and I will attend Kol Nidre services. I won’t be in communication on Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), which we’ll spend in communal prayer, reflection and fasting. I’m starting to see just how much of a new beginning this is. It’s been two days, and it’s as if I’m being activated, new lights and stripes igniting under my skin. Stay tuned–it’s going to be a wild ride. 🙂

With love, blessings, magic and gratitude,

Rivka

Words from the Road 10/2

Photo by Marcos

Prairie punctuated by mountain peaks
The only hint of borders
Contain me, constrain me
Restore a sense of order
As I flow
Orient me as I grow
Tossing seeds along the highway
Guides along the road say
“Why die?”
Why spend one more day
Living without breath
Loving stasis, fearing death?
So I fertilize the path
with each exhale sharing fire
Realize the truth that nothing external inspires
Harmonizing with the masses and merging with the grasses, let mountain roads take me
Higher
Even the clouds will fall
All’s the same for one and all
I’ve chosen to say yes
Continuing, with no illusion of
Progress

With love from Colorado,
Rivka

Presencing Completion

I write you from the MayDay Cafe by Powderhorn Park in Minneapolis. My car is filled with clothes, food, hula hoop, tinctures, instruments, camping supplies, and things only a yoga teacher would deem necessary to travel with. I’ve done it! I’ve packed up my material life.

Packing up my emotional, mental, and spiritual bodies to be ready for the journey has been a bit more challenging. Flowing through Wisconsin and sharing love and nourishment with family and friends felt so so good. Traveling creates this yummy space for total presence; when we’re out of our routines and busy schedules, we remember that all we’re really here to do is meet each moment with loving awareness. In giving our authentic selves, we discover who we really are when our comforts and usual identity markers are taken away. We find ourselves out of context.

It was a gift to celebrate the Jewish New Year with my family and friends, and I’m still warmed by the thoughts (and hey maybe the extra love on my body from all that great food). Then it was time to get real about preparing for this trip/move. Thankfully, Kohenet Taya Shere posted one last lesson for our online course Presencing the Priestess Body: Presencing Completion. YESS! With this framework, I witnessed myself complete a 17 year cycle in Minnesota.

I noticed that I seemed to regress, journeying back through cycles I thought I’d worked through. I re-created a duality between my living at my parents’ house and moving to Arizona or California. My past limitations, self-criticisms, doubts, habits and illusions came back out to play. Anxiety, over-eating, indulging in things that don’t truly feed me, ego traps, and that desire to just crawl in bed and binge on Garfunkel and Oates (great show if you haven’t watched it) all showed up. Thankfully, I met them with the tools I’ve gained. Connecting with my parents felt more difficult as we experienced an intense push and pull that on some level always exists. They would say things about how I shouldn’t leave, imagine worst case scenarios, etc., grieving the loss of the way things have been until now. Of course they don’t want me to move far away; I’m lucky to have parents who love me and enjoy being with me. At the same time, they do want to support me and to help me prepare logistically to leave. That support sometimes felt overwhelming; I wanted to do this myself! I crave independence! It’s time for me to do things my way! And yet I appreciated their help and attention. So here we are in that awkward moment of another labor, giving birth to my new life and separating from the womb that has supported my growth thus far. It’s been a great place to grow! And now it’s time to expand.

Following Taya’s suggestion of approaching completion from a YES to what I’m moving toward…

• developing and honoring my inner senses
• following my heart
• PLAYING
• freedom
• flow
• connecting with people who inspire me
• exploring partnership
• giving myself time and opportunities for creative expression
• open possibilities
• participating in an infinite cycle of nourishment
• visiting places and people I love
• LIVING AS LOVE

Completing in a way that denies myself those things (with stress, scarcity, etc) feels incongruent and causes me to doubt my ability to be in alignment on my trip. Aha! Makes sense. Storing that one in the files.

I’m feeling pretty awesome about how I’ve handled this phase. Giving myself Reiki, getting outside, rituals, meditation, time with loved ones, setting intentions, dancing/movement, affirmations and just DOING the things I need to do to get ready have helped a ton. So now I find myself finishing this post in perfect timing to get to my dear friend Justin’s house, where friends from all corners of my life will come together to creatively connect! We’ll eat good food, play music, write blessings to be scattered across the country, meet new friends, and have some epic hugs. Probably 90% of it will be hugs.

Then I get to pick Marcos up for a sleepover at my parents’ house before we set out at 6am for the Black Hills National Forest!!!!!! WOOHOO!

Thank you for witnessing and co-creating with me! Loving you here in this moment with smiles about what’s to come 🙂

Rivka