Earth Etude for Elul 27 - Grateful Lament

by Judith Felsen, Ph.D.

My King, 
How will I love You when we meet in this year’s fields of Elul?
You who have sent illness, pandemic, bloodshed, injustice, hypocrisy, fire, starvation and death…
We have been estranged and denying our separation for eons
Now it has come to this…
With my ambivalence how will I love You?
Will I remember that You sent us Your
   starry sky on Your darkest night
   blooms of wild flowers in Spring
   symphonies of songs and calls 
   vocal ensembles of insects and birds
   pools of wild waters, waterfalls and streams
   cool forests and trees
   spongy meadows and lichen
fractal images of Your presence and love
Elul calls to us to turn to You to
rebalance
restore
revive 
    remember
Your presence always in love 


Judith Felsen, Ph.D. is a practitioner and seeker of paths facilitating the transformation of human suffering to wisdom, gratitude and grace. Engaged in this pursuit for most of her life, Judith has incorporated the natural world as well as mankind’s alliance in her work. Living in the White Mountain National Forest, Judith feels at home with two and four legged and all creatures and has likened the forest around her to a metropolis of symphonies creating a language of their own. Insight, comfort and connection are often concealed to us yet readily and always available in nature’s world. Addressing issues of complex earth changes and resultant grief, loss , voluntary and unchosen outcomes, Judith spends daily time in  mindfulness practice and presence to all of life. Elul is a time to embrace our part in meeting G-d in daily life in all ways including our hardships. We are asked to show up as a partner. Partnering with spirit is day  to day practice on our way to the palace as we wend our way on the trail home.