This word I say so often
As a prayer, as an intention,
As my own work.
To be both a student
As well as a teacher
Of such a devotional practice.
To be embodied, is to be in the body
With breath, sound + motion
Being in the World with intention
Rooted in our own feet
Connected to presence
Grabbing the wisdom from the past
To then listen deeply to what is
And responding accordingly…
Recently, I’ve been asked
Lots of embodiment questions Rooted in… HOW
That it has me… come to write this to you.
To let myself unravel the subject,
Offer some questions, examples and experiences
As I allow myself to take
Even more time to be in study
All, to offer to you
As I deepen in me.
May we be curious
About the art of beingness
As we learn how to embody
All of our hues of human.
May I now let myself unravel myself here
In my attempt to grab some syllables to write to you…
I find being embodied Is a moment to moment practice
Of returning to the present moment
By being aware of our surroundings
While also been deeply connected
To the sensations in our body.
A consistent practice
May I even say the word…
Devotion?
Yes, devoted to the present moment
And to be returning to it again and again.
To listen to both the bitter and the sweet
As they are evoked within us to mirror
Our exterior worlds
Through all of the senses
(As well as the energetic intangible world).
So this… how question…
How does one continuously
Return to themselves and the present moment
Again and again and again?
Even when the world around us
Will continue to provide us with
Even more opportunities to heal
(For we are never done, honey).
My roots of the answer,
Actually lead me to offer an equation
Followed by a question:
Em: being the emotions
Bod: being the body
I: being the inner I/eye/spirit
Ment: being the mind
When dis-embodied, I feel into the breakdown of embodiment, to see what part of me needs some sort of… tending to.
To release something,
To reclaim something,
To forgive/forget
To remember/reconnect.
I take a moment,
One might call it a sacred pause
To tend to myself,
All I can be more present
Allowing myself to become
Embodied again… and again..
Through… an action.
If there are emotions to feel, to feel them.
If my body needs something, to tend to it.
If I’m not connected to Hashem, to connect.
If my mind is somewhere else, to take a moment to swift through it
Bring self back to presence.
There is more than one way to answer the how.
When it comes to embodiment,
It is an ever lasting process of practice
Where we must allow ourselves
To take the time to be with self
Ever-remembering ourselves.
For what I know about the most embodied people I know, is that they have really felt through their heart. Gotten to know themselves… take themselves on a pilgrimage to find out who they are… over and over again.
May we continue to get to know
Who we are, why we are here
And what our futures will hold
Let us be able to use this new moon
To release what was: to allow what could be
In the highest good of all.
Our hearts may ache, may peak
May weave and flow into highs and lows
For the tides are high and hearts are tender
Whatever is appearing right now
For us to feel through… speak through…
Move through… forgive through…
Reclaim our power through…
Come back to ourselves through
Is here for a reason.
The opportunity at hand
Is one to take the moment
To feel through the story
Until it brings up the previous story
To the one before
(Keep going… keep breathing)
Until it’s at the root of that wound.
There is an ability to surrender to the heart
To let the tears rinse it out to become
Lighter… more present… more here
Letting go ever-more
To what has happened to us
All, so we can no longer be
The hues of human
That had that happen…
Rather gather the wisdom
Of how to deal with such events
When life hands us an opportunity
To rewrite our stories.
Of who we are…
Of how we respond…
To what is possible for us…
To what we are worthy of…
To what our life looks like…
This new moon carries its own Shabbat wisdom, so I shall flow to that..
For I wish to step more into sharing this journey of devotion to studying Torah:
Vows as the doorway into the journey
There’s a teaching from this past shabbat,
Matot and Masei… which seem to be paired on purpose
(isn’t everything divine):
Matot reminds us to sanctify our words,
Masei reminds us to sanctify our journey.
Together, they teach that entering the Land requires truthful speech, purified hearts, unity, and courage. Speech comes first because, as the sages frame it, speech is the bridge between the inner soul and the outer world.
Our word is our vow.
We must make this ordinary ability and take spiritual responsibility about it.
And this new moon opens the month of Av, which carries its own version of that same teaching.
Av is sometimes called the moon of endings and beginnings, a season to embrace that all that ends will begin anew, and all that begins must one day end. Its constellation is Leo. Its tarot card is Strength, a woman with her hand resting on a lion, not fighting it, not fleeing it, staying present enough that the fierce thing softens on its own. Its soul trait is Ometz Lev: courage. (With gratitude to Ketzirah haMa’agelet at Devotaj for these correspondences, a teacher I studied with and hope to collaborate with again.)
Feeling through the shadow, most likely means… we get to feel through shame.
At one point in my life, I was doing one of my many attempts to do The Artist way. I found that I had a lot of shadow work to do, for me to be… well, embodied.
Where that has led me, is to give myself the homework: of creating a shadow self portrait once a week for 2 months.
The process, was the beginning of my deepening into accepting the body, for having all of these wild sensations… for I was experiencing myself moving through them… by making these portraits: instead of turning to the shadow responses of bad habits and addictions.
This unraveling of shadow, began to slowly seep out shame from my essence, for as I was creating them… I was boldly sharing them, to have responses of deep relation to my work and my words.
Instead of avoiding these feelings, not actually working through it… I found myself able to give that piece of me: an outlet, an expression… some space: I was able to then connect more deeply to myself.
The amount of art I made in my recovery, replacing art making with my own addictions (from alcohol to disordered eating): was absolutely wild and very… esoteric in nature. What taking the chance to… make through it, provides me: was an opportunity to more deeply connect with another, with the present moment… with life itself.
As I speak about shame… I wish to take a little dance around this topic, to make it… well, a common human experience.
Let us take a moment, to un-shame addiction… by actually knowledge the wisdom that comes, from having the courage to loose… to then find ourselves: through any of the vices that we can claim someone: an addict.
It makes me curious of the archetype of the victim. Aren’t we always coming back into right relation? Add in the observer in there… How many different ways can we embody This thing called human…
Let’s unshame the human condition, by saying simply: we all are working to have right relations with all things.
Let it be known, my paid subscribers Will get more content and juice: if you are feeling the call to make yourself a supporter in that way (to the both of us), take the leap here:
And if it isn’t listed… and you wish to start a conversation: PLEASE reach out so, however you wish - and if you don’t know how: shalom@thiswhollylife.com
🔥 THIS SUNDAY: Monthly Gathering at Milkweed Medicine : Featuring a Fire Ceremony + Potluck!
Sunday, July 19 | Milkweed Medicine
This month we gather around the fire. Come sit in ceremony with us, let the flames hold what’s ready to be released.
🌀 The Wholly School
Meets weekly, Tuesdays at noon EST | Virtual, over Zoom
A collaboration between myself and Gina Savacool of Milkweed Medicine. A safe virtual space to explore expression, embodiment, and ritual together, all rooted in Wholeness and Holiness.
🧘 Kundalini Yoga: Tuesday Evenings (bi-weekly)
Tuesday, July 21 | Thyme Travelers Conservatory
Moving through a Kriya, into a gong sound bath, then a kundalini meditation together. All are welcome, no experience needed.
🧘 Wednesday Morning Rooftop Kundalini + Raw Monje Drink
Andorra neighborhood, Philadelphia
A morning practice, kriya into a sound bath into meditation, closing with one of Monica's magical drinks.
✨ The Dissolve: Retreat + Journey Weekend
Friday, July 24 | North East, PA
A weekend retreat of ritual, rooted in ceremony and plant medicine, held by Simcha Guttenplan and Gina Savacool. We are down to our last spots. If you feel the pull, please reach out as soon as possible so we can plan your zoom call with us, to begin your onboarding process.
Shakti Awakening: Circle of Sacred Life Force
Wednesday, July 29
An evening of embodiment, connection and remembrance, held with the Women’s Collective of Greater Philadelphia and Tantra Collective.
Lions Gate Retreat (with Ancestral Rhythms)
Friday, August 7 | Rancocas Woods
A weekend campout, returning to the earth, kayaking, and moving into our Lughnasadh dance together.
Lughnasadh Dance (with Ancestral Rhythms)
Saturday, August 8 | Rancocas Woods
Our Ancestral Rhythms gathering for Lughnasadh and Lions Gate.
Wellness Fest
Saturday, September 12 | Thyme Travelers Conservatory
Simcha and Gina offering sessions and facilitating among the South Jersey community.
Harmonic Earth Healing Arts Festival
Thursday, September 17 | Stonehedge Gardens
Your favorite intimate but mighty festival returns for year six. Ways to apply to facilitate, volunteer as well as claim your early bird ticket is all posted!
If you are feeling called to a private session at this new humble and beautiful abode in Chestnut Hill, reach out to plan your session.
If you wish to connect and do work virtually, that is also an option: reach out all of the same.
If you are someone wanting some of my more artistry work… please reach out as well (see what I’m doing here?!)
If you are thinking about joining our next journey, wish to have your own journey with me (or me and Gina together) that could be another reason to reach out and say hi.
Lastly, if you wish to buy a reading for yourself or another, one of my self published books, a piece of art, etc… shop around!
Now… it’s time for me to say farewell to the subscribers who follow along for free. Let me continue to unravel myself and the study of loneliness - in my own search for embodiment this past week.
Again, if you wish to continue on (and have access to all the past and future, here’s another opportunity)
All the love to you regardlessssssss
Simcha Rachel
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