we are all gold

i'm all ready to meditate. the posture is ready. the intention is high. the breath flow is steady and easy. a thought comes. what do i meditate on today? in super rapid succession a bunch of possibilities shoot through the dark, velvety awareness like fireworks of meteors. i love all of them. i can easily meditate on any of them. i am just about to pick and choose when somehow something unexpected catches my inner eye. shema israel. i'm pleasantly surprised. there's a lovely, lyrical melody that goes with this central jewish prayer. spontaneously it is imbuing my hearing like sunset colors dyeing the cosmos.

my rabbi says, in his reading of torah, israel, besides meaning someone who wrestles with god, also indicates connecting with god, going straight to god. where do i find god? how about starting with...within. shema. hear. not just hearing with the outer ears. pay attention. get it in the guts. hear it from the heart. i listen to the song of the breath as it blossoms into an unbroken chanting of the prayer. the longing that is embedded in the melody reveals itself. builds and builds.

shema israel. adonai eloheinu. adonai echad.

the one who yearns to connect with god, get this. god is all the forces and powers in the universe. god is one.

in this way i have a fantastic, satisfying meditation. is it indian? yes. is it jewish? yes. the self is the same in all. multitudes leave mitzrayim, the narrow land, narrow consciousness. jews. egyptians. it's the same self after all. walk into a goldsmith's shop. many forms, shapes and sizes. i like this one, not that one. this one looks ugly. that one looks pleasing to the eye. yet, in essence, they are all gold. in essence, we are all gold.