Dear Lab/Shul,
In times of crisis and grief, I turn to art. When logical ways of making sense fail me, I look for meaning in the unconscious, in the in-betweens. I find sustenance in the kaleidoscopic way that art and reality speak to each other.
Several years ago, in the midst of one such societal crisis, I gathered with friends, one of whom wisely set out construction paper and a few other materials and indicated that we were welcome to play with them as we talked. I turned the paper over and over in my hands as we tried to make sense of the tragedy that had occurred, barely realizing that I was folding it. I fiddled with a paper clip, twisting and bending it into a new alignment, as we traversed familiar talking points and counterarguments, asking where wisdom could possibly be found in the mess. Only when I placed the paper in the crevice between couch cushions and placed the paper clip on top did an image become apparent to me. My unconscious mind had revealed something to me that my conscious mind desperately needed: a ladder, a narrow bridge from here to there.
Art can help to heal.
This Friday night, November 17th, we gather for our first Sabbath Queen of the season. I anticipate that Lab/Shul’s familiar, artist-driven practice of singing together, guided by a circle of ritual musicians and poetic liturgical translations, with inclusive and creative contemplation and prayer, will be deeply grounding for us as a community in the midst of this very unstable time.
Please join us for Sabbath Queen this Friday in person
in Brooklyn or online by registering here.
There are limited slots available for our vegetarian community feast
catered by Pixie and the Scout directly following the ritual.
Two weeks later, on Saturday, December 2, please join us for the culminating ritual of the third cohort of GENerate, our cohort-based rite of passage program for adults contemplating aging and elderhood. We’ll gather for a Saturday afternoon SoulSpa, in person in Manhattan as well as online, complete with an original Storahtelling created by the cohort. This experience invites us to consider how we stay present, grow wiser, and dance with both our shadows and blessings, personally and collectively, in the midst of life’s transitions. You can register to join us here.
The weekend after that, December 8-10, we’ll gather for our annual Lab/Shul community retreat, this year coinciding with Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights. My heart is already warmed imagining all of us together, entering the shortest days of the year with each other at our side. Please register to join us for the weekend in Connecticut here.
We’re one Torah portion away from Jacob’s famous dream of angels traversing the ladder between the heavens and the earth, between different planes of consciousness. This mailer, and the story of my accidental construction paper ladder, almost lined up perfectly. I’m sure there’s an unconscious meaning to be mined in all of that. Perhaps we can talk about it when we meet. One thing I know: the narrow bridge from here to there is community. We make it together.
Interested in hearing more from Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie? MARK YOUR CALENDAR for this Saturday, November 18 at 6pm for the first in a series of monthly Spiritual Survival Salons. Keep an eye on your inbox to learn more.
Looking forward to being together soon,
Ben Freeman
Associate Clergy
