Monday, December 12, 2011

JOY AS HEALER

JOY AS HEALER


HEALING with Joy    


----- Original Message -----
From: JOY
To: chazon4@
Sent: Friday, November 23, 2007 5:22 AM
Subject: HEALING with Joy

Dear Reb Yosef,

I tried to remember what could have precipitated my writing Joy As Healer in 1994.
That year, 1994, I got my MBA. Got accepted to rabbinic school--couldn't go--that was a loss (Marcel, z"l was sick). Had a major E. quake shaking Northridge, trauma putting me into massive stress symptoms--living in my car. Spent summer away in delight in Jewish adult camps (Elat Chayyim, National Havurah Institute, Omega Institute) for six weeks, being with the best teachers and new friends (to this day). 
Not too many days earlier, my dearest rebbe, Shlomo Carlebach, z'l, had suddenly died, and left many bereft. I was called on to heal, while in my own deep sorrow.

And I now added a quick, 2007 PS.

One love, shalom and abundant blesSings of harmony, wholeness, health and joy to you,
Joy
"Serve G*d With Joy"


JOY AS HEALER

By Joy Krauthammer   November 3, 1994

Joy is the pure expression of my quality as healer.
I heal with G*d’s energy.
I heal with breath.
I heal with my spirituality.
I heal with space, being contemplative.
I heal by allowing mourning, the deep sense of loss and grief to be felt, to feel the enormous void and pain and to understand the entirety of loss.
I heal by seeing perspective and reality.
(It could have been worse.) “Gam zeh ya’avor”. This too shall pass.
I heal by realizing the painful disappointment of expectations not met, were my ideals and not another’s.
I heal by learning from my mistakes.
I heal by taking advantage of opportunities, knowing sometimes it has been too late.
I heal by renewal.
I heal with questions, and with answers.
I heal by returning, teshuvah to what I am.
I heal by returning to what I love.
I heal by turning to my sources, my Judaism, friends, family, art.
I return to what which was loved, a symbol, of a friend, now gone.
I heal by studying and by quoting Torah.
I heal by quoting the words of our teachers.
I heal with my multi-colored ribboned tambourine.
I heal with my music, my drumming.
Others dance to my drumming.
Others play my drums.
Others play my tambourines.
I heal with my dancing. Others dance.
I heal with my hands, to soothe another, to remove their pain.
I heal with my hands, in teaching clay for others to explore themselves and raise their self-esteem.
I heal with my creativity.
I sense my aliveness.
Others sense the beauty of the creation and their aliveness.
I heal with my listening, my compassion, comfort, sympathy, empathy, hugs, heart connection, presence.
I heal with my spoken words.
I enable others.
I heal with humor; at times, dark.

~


2007
I heal with prayer.
I heal with time.
I heal with memories.
I heal with guidance.
I heal with PTSD by stopping, going over, past the painful memory.
I heal with cathartic writing. I paint with words.
I heal in my garden, by weeding and watering, planting and picking, pruning, smelling, touching, seeing, photographing, and sharing.
I heal with playing music.
I heal with silence.
I heal with gentle classical music.
I heal with song.
I heal with sound, crystal and Tibetan singing bowls, bells, chimes, gongs, ocean drums.
I heal knowing that the Compassionate One loves me.
I heal with Shechina’s night time embrace as I cry myself to sleep.
I heal honoring the dead, z’l.
I heal by acknowledging my loss, my grief, mourning, my vulnerability, my aloneness, my tears.
I heal by acknowledging and feeling my joy.
I heal by being ME, by touching life.
I heal by Returning to the Land of my Soul.
I heal with my energy, my passion, my heart.
I heal with chocolate and more chocolate.
I help others heal by giving them permission by example.
I heal by stepping out of the way.
I heal by knowing I am a vessel for G*d.
I heal with Emuna v'Bitachon / faith and trust in G*d.

~ ~ ~


2013
I heal myself:
I heal by swimming.
I heal by creating art.
I heal by photographing. 
I heal by sharing.
I heal by filling my dozens of websites with my writing and art.
I heal by doing mitzvot.
I heal by speaking my truth.
I heal by letting it go. 
I heal by reading words from my rebbes, and friend, and family.
I heal with forgiveness, myself and others.

~ ~ ~

From: Yosef <chazon4@netvision.net.il>
To: joy@
Date: Fri, 23 Nov 2007 05:49:38 +0200
Subject: Re: HEALING with Joy

Dear Joy,

Your personal statements about healing contain beauty and wisdom.

In general, you are developing the art of painting with words.

I, too, heal with chocolate; however, only with small amounts, as too much chocolate can create an imbalance in the energy. The media has reported that a number of nutritionists now recommend in "moderation" the dark bittersweet chocolate, as it is supposed to be good for the immune system. By the way, the list of your healing suggestions has a "bittersweet" flavor, so you are therefore in harmony with the nutritionists.

Shabbos, however, is meant to be sweet and not bittersweet, so I want to bless you with a Good and Sweet Shabbos!.
Yosef
(Reb Yosef Ben Shlomo Hakohen, Bayit Vegan, Jerusalem)

P.S. The good news is that there is bittersweet chocolate available with a kosher and pareve label. And when I have some on Shabbos, I find that it is truly sweet.
~ ~ ~



Sunday, December 11, 2011

Spirited Woman 'Share Fest'

Dear Spirited Women,

For the last 11 days on Spirited Woman tm FaceBook's site (thank you and congratulations, Nancy Mills), it has been uplifting, inspiring, and thoughtful to view your souls' beautiful offerings. I felt that a community had become more visible and inclusive. 
I know that in America, this hour, tonight will be midnight and becomes 12-12-11, when the "12 day Share Fest" finishes at 12 pm with a celebratory internet party.


As an Artist of Life, participating has been fun for me. I have loved offering my own Herstory recent art creations in different mediums. I submitted my expansive, intricate, passionate, holiday, fun, visionary and also subversive graffiti art, along with a couple quotes. I have posted some of my 70 sites filled with illustrated explanations. I have posted my support, and compassion for other Spirited Women.

My last submission included here, is on the other very serious side of life which addresses challenges, trials, strength, courage, hope, transition, transformation and healing. Below are 
3 photos. One is of a life-size heavy sculpture made of ceramic, weaving, rope and bronze that I purchased in a Sedona gallery a couple decades ago. She is a BOUND WOMAN. She represents what I honestly felt I was at the time, experienced; and that felt bad. You may see that I decorated and embellished her over the years with accessories; goddess pendants, hearts, amethyst, art museum buttons, and powerful meaningful amulets: personal spiritual enriching symbols of my Jewish faith.  Consciously, slowly I have turned BOUND WOMAN into beautiful supported woman. I also made her my hat rack as I finally didn't need to see the Bound Woman pained facial expression. Being Bound, she has no visible arms or hands to give or receive.

In my foyer, adjacent to BOUND WOMAN is a whimsical colorful JOYOUS CREATURE; a taller than life-size metal sculpture that I purchased at the Beverly Hills Affaire in the Garden art show, also around the same era. She holds my MBA '94 graduate cap, ethnic bells, hamsas, Tibetan decor, etc., and is my 'grab a sun shirt' rack, and is also ready for me on rainy days to give me weather essentials. (I have not yet opened the hanging umbrellas.) 



For two decades, here in the kitchen where I work, practice drumming for gigs, create and write, flies Bali WINGED WOMAN. She is a light-weight wood painted sculpture I purchased in Bali when I had bravely escaped temporarily from being bound. (I breathe deeply recalling the past.) WINGED WOMAN was my secular strength, symbol of my potential, my HOPE. She is beautiful and looks out at me all the time as she swings freely in the breeze, reminding me of the FREEDOM that I needed, and the FREED WOMAN THAT I AM, a bat chorin. If you look closely behind WINGED WOMAN, you'll see delightful gold and purple ANGEL, holding out to me, her star. My daughter sent purple ANGEL to me, knowing I would like her, even though I say, "no physical gifts".

Friends, I bless you to always reach for the freedom to be, all that is rightfully yours to express in Four Worlds: spirit, mind, heart and body. Thank you, Spirited Woman for this festival of freedom that I have so greatly enjoyed. 



As my old and worn t-shirt from Atlanta says, "Do What U Love, Love What U Do, and the Whole World Will Come to U."   That's another story...
Love, 
Joy





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embellishment on purchased sculptures,
 and photos by Joy Krauthammer ©
.