#seven blessings

[eretzyisrael]

joshbroide

“Getting ready for #Shabbos Sheva Brachos in #Israel, and as the rain started pouring, the most incredible rainbow appeared. A beautiful reminder of blessings and new beginnings

[pomegranateandhoney]

Sheva Berakhot Interpretive Translations - Ritualwell

"May you join together in songs of praise, songs of joy and songs of sorrow."

These are the versions of the Sheva Berakot we'll be using at our wedding. The explanations provided by the rabbi in this article are beautiful.

1. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְ-יָ אֱלֹהֵ-ינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגָּפֶן

May your branches cling to one another—wild and overflowing. I bless you with sweet fruits and luscious sanctity. 

2. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְ-יָ אֱלֹהֵ-ינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, שֶׁהַכֹּל בָּרָא לִכְבוֹדוֹ.

May you know one another fully and completely. May you come to learn and love each other’s light and darkness, each other’s blessings and shortcomings. May you help one another grow to better know yourselves, and may you live to be present with each other’s moments of peace and of pain. I bless you with finding and cultivating the places in each other where the entire universe—love and darkness, light and truth—can reside.

3. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְ-יָ אֱלֹהֵ-ינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, יוֹצֵר הָאָדָם.

I grant you the blessings of mystery and uncertainty. I bless you with the courage​ to ​not know—to love from the heart, not the head; to love even when you don’t know how; to love because you know no other way than this. I bless you with knowing one another better than yourself, and with knowing yourself through one another. I bless you with messiness and murkiness—with forgetting where one person stops and the other begins.

4. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְ-יָ אֱלֹהֵ-ינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר יָצַר אֶת הָאָדָם בְּצַלְמוֹ, בְּצֶלֶם דְּמוּת תַּבְנִיתוֹ, וְהִתְקִין לוֹ מִמֶּנּוּ בִּנְיַן עֲדֵי עַד: בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְ-יָ, יוֹצֵר הָאָדָם

May your marriage and your lives be guided by holy justice and principled action. May you find in one another the strength and resiliency to work on behalf of the oppressed and the downtrodden. May you walk together along a path of mercy, graciousness and righteousness. I give you a world in need of healing, and bless you with the power to heal.

5. שׂוֹשׂ תָּשִׂישׂ וְתָגֵל הָעֲקָרָה, בְּקִבּוּץ בָּנֶיהָ לְתוֹכָהּ בְּשִׂמְחָה: בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְ-יָ, מְשַׂמֵּחַ צִיּוֹן בְּבָנֶיהָ.

May you sanctify my name through the lives you impact. May you spread a love for people of all nations and creeds, and may your deeds of kindness be as numerous as the stars of the heaven and the sands of the sea. I bless you with the ability to share the love you have for one another with any and every divine spark you encounter.

6. שַׂמַּח תְּשַׂמַּח רֵעִים הָאֲהוּבִים, כְּשַׂמֵּחֲךָ יְצִירְךָ בְּגַן עֵֽדֶן מִקֶּֽדֶם: בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְ-יָ, מְשַׂמֵּֽחַ חָתָן וְכַלָּה

May you know joy. May each other’s laughter be the question you spend your life trying to answer. May you serve to make life’s quakes gentler, and life’s shakes steadier, for one another. I bless you with a life of finding joy despite—or perhaps amidst—the trembles.

7. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְ-יָ אֱלֹהֵ-ינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר בָּרָא שָׂשׂוֹן וְשִׂמְחָה, חָתָן וְכַלָּה, גִּילָה רִנָּה דִּיצָה וְחֶדְוָה, אַהֲבָה וְאַחֲוָה שָׁלוֹם וְרֵעוּת, מְהֵרָה יְ-יָ אֱלֹהֵ-ינוּ יִשָּׁמַע בְּעָרֵי יְהוּדָה וּבְחוּצוֹת יְרוּשָׁלָיִם, קוֹל שָׂשׂוֹן וְקוֹל שִׂמְחָה, קוֹל חָתָן וְקוֹל כַּלָּה, קוֹל מִצְהֲלוֹת חֲתָנִים מֵחֻפָּתָם, וּנְעָרִים מִמִּשְׁתֵּה נְגִינָתָם: בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְ-יָ, מְשַׂמֵּחַ חָתָן עִם הַכַּלָּה.

May you lead a life of sound and song. May you join together in songs of praise, songs of joy and songs of sorrow. May your voices provide comfort and solace, inspiration and ecstasy. May you find and create divinity in whispered “I love you’s” and in humble “I’m sorry’s.” I bless you with the capacity, and the lifelong desire, to hear each other’s calls.

[awardseasonblog]

(via Oscar 2024 Miglior film internazionale: Israele seleziona Seven Blessings )

[naneki-maid]

fingers crossed that Dany wins, that Tyrion finds the happiness he deserves, that Gendry declares his love again to Arya for the lady/warrior that she is, that Greyworm gets his vengeance, that Cersei pays, that Arya and Clegane battle gloriously side by side, that Brienne finds comfort, and that Jon ends up in the north. my little crow of both house Stark and Targaryen belongs in the north: at his family home in winterfell or with his second family in the real north, along side Tormund and ghost. That’s it. That’s all I want. Wrap her up!

[gifts-of-heimdall-runes]

Seven Blessings of the Goddess

This is a ritual for change and transformation.

The events here are reconstructed from a brief written diary Spring 1991 and shared to potentially assist others who may be experiencing difficult initiations seeking change.

The ritual was gifted / channelled by a man with whom I shared life experiences from 1991 for eight years.

This section first describes the ritual then provides a personal autobiographical context to assist understanding for any interested reader. To conclude, my personal seven blessings or wishes are shared to assist others reflecting on seeking change in life.

The ritual:

Gather seven items to be gifted to the Goddess.

Meditate on seven blessings wished for. What do you want? What do you wish for?

Sacrifice the seven items into water in return for the gifts of the seven blessings of the Goddess.

I my case, the ritual was executed by gathering seven pebbles from a beach on one date. These pebbles were taken home and meditated with seven wishes. On another separate date, the seven pebbles were cast back into the sea whilst reflecting on one of seven wishes with each stone. Lastly, the ritual was closed by the expectation of wishes being fulfilled.

Sounds easy, doesn’t it? Indeed, I would argue the potency of a ritual is not in its complexity but rather in the sincerity of execution. Please let me illustrate by providing some personal autobiographical context.

1991, aged 23 years, was an unhappy time for me. This was as a result of being diagnosed with a life-threatening incurable health condition in September 1990 that had the likely outcome of accelerated illness with premature death within a few years. Consequently, I had the attitude of feeling like there was nothing to lose with any life direction. However, on 8th March 1991 I met the man who ‘channelled’ this ritual. The ritual was performed sometime thereafter though no date was recorded.

Rituals involving sacrificing into the medium of water are well known in many cultures. Hence, this ritual arguably had good provenance and echoes a similar ritual described by Sandra Ingerman (2015.)*

Between 1988 – 1996, I was living, studying and working in Central London, UK. A convenient rail service enabled infrequent day trips from central London to Brighton on the south coast of England which was where this ritual was performed. From memory I recall a long walk was involved taking me past Brighton Marina to a quiet pebble beach where I wouldn’t be unnecessarily disturbed by members of the public. On reflection the walk wasn’t particularly necessary and could have been done on another beach (though take care throwing stones!) but I’ve always been unsociable in such things. The pebbles were gathered from this beach and cast from the same beach after unspecified time (I can’t remember exactly, to tell the truth, though the time may have been weeks between each visit which was dictated by work and finances.)

Why the Goddess? Reasons for this reflected life directions which were followed by me and others that shared this path for some years following the events described here. That will remain an unwritten part of my timeline, for now. Interestingly, appeals to The Goddess for granting wishes in when all hope seems lost is often echoed in other belief systems. Therefore, this ritual marked a punctuation between one life direction and another path for subsequent years. Therefore, the ritual symbolised initiation.

Why share this now? This was important time in my life which seemed appropriate to share and the means of sharing were not available before now. Another life change seems to be pending at the time of this blog entry being written. If that life change resulted in my life ending (inevitable, at some point), then the events of this ritual would be functionally lost because I doubt my husband or anyone else would pen this. At least this way a record is retained outside of the spiritual library. In addition, I doubt if anyone else would recall the events described here including the man who ‘channelled’ the ritual. It was a while ago now.

Thus, this personal context was provided for reflective clarity particularly in the context of what I wished for at that time in life. To summarise, what would anyone wish for when all hope seems lost?

In this case, these were my wishes:

Seven stones cast. Seven blessings from the Goddess:

To serve the ultimate spirit.

To communicate the divine.

To be strong in spirit.

To be healthy in mind and body.

To be true to the ultimate good.

To read the runes aright.

To learn and to grow.

Remember: be careful what you wish for; you might well get it. Thus, dear reader, please consider wishes carefully because wish fulfilment may take us into new life directions. It did for me.

As a final reflection: what would you wish for given a similar scenario?

As a closing comment, I hope your wish fulfilment leads to enlightenment both for you and those that share our life and wishes.

Michael

20th September 2019

gifts-of-heimdall-runes (Tumblr)

*Ingerman, Sandra (2015) Walking in Light: The Everyday Empowerment of a Shamanic Life. Sounds True. Inc. Louisville.

Photo Source: Pinterest.

[autumnleavesvideo]

What Are the Key Components of a Jewish Wedding Ceremony?

Photo: Lindsay Hite of Readyluck

Heading to your first Jewish wedding? Whether it’s reform or strictly orthodox, there are a few traditions that you will definitely see. Some may sound familiar, but knowing what to expect (and being versed in the meaning behind what you’re watching!) will make you even more prepared to celebrate. Our experts will take you through the five key components of a Jewish wedding.

Ketubah The ketubah is a Jewish prenuptial agreement that outlines the groom’s responsibilities to his bride. It dictates the conditions he will provide in the marriage, the bride’s protections and rights, and the framework should the couple choose to divorce. Ketubahs aren’t actually religious documents, but are part of Jewish civil law — so there’s no mention of God blessing the union. The ketubah is signed by the couple and two witnesses before the ceremony takes place, then is read to the guests during the ceremony.

Chuppah The chuppah is the altar beneath which the couple exchanges vows. A chuppah has four corners and a covered roof to symbolize the new home they are building together. In some ceremonies, the four posts of the chuppah are held up by friends or family members throughout the ceremony, supporting the life the couple is building together, while in other instances it may be a freestanding structure decorated with flowers. The canopy is often made of a tallit, or prayer shawl, belonging to a member of the couple or their families. You may see the couple’s parents join them under the chuppah, along with the rabbi, but this isn’t a requirement.

Seven Blessings The seven blessings come from ancient teachings. They are often read in both Hebrew and English, and shared by a variety of family members or friends, just as friends and family are invited to perform readings in other types of ceremonies. The blessings focus on joy, celebration, and the power of love. They begin with the blessing over the wine, then progress to more grand and celebratory statements, ending with a blessing of joy, peace, companionship, and the opportunity for the bride and groom to rejoice together.

See more: What Do We Need to Tell Guests Before Our Religious Wedding Ceremony?

Breaking of the Glass As the ceremony comes to an end, the groom (or in some instances the bride and groom) is invited to step on a glass inside a cloth bag to shatter it. The breaking of the glass holds multiple meanings. Some say it represents the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. Others say it demonstrates that marriage holds sorrow as well as joy and is a representation of the commitment to stand by one another even in hard times. The cloth holding the shards of glass is collected after the ceremony, and many couples choose to have it incorporated into some sort of memento of their wedding day.

Mazel Tov Once the ceremony is over and the glass is broken, you will hear guests cheer “Mazel tov!”, which has a similar meaning “good luck” or “congratulations.” The direct translation is actually closer to wishing the best for the future, a great destiny, or a pronouncement that the person or people have just experienced great fortune. There’s no better time to say “mazel tov” than at a wedding!

Source: Bride

What Are the Key Components of a Jewish Wedding Ceremony? was originally published on Autumn Leaves

[mllekaren]

(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvNkteV0ceE)