Miketz – Genesis 41:1 – 44:17

Dec 13 to 19, 2020 | 4 Tevet 5781

Watercolor by Nurullah Anya Godwin

The Alchemy of Dreams

We swim in the ocean of life. When the ocean is calm, we feel secure. We maintain an easy grip on a shared reality. And in times like these, when more people are dying every day in the USA than we lost in the Twin Towers terrorist attack, when the zipper to our underbelly is wide open, when the meaning of words cannot be relied upon…

It’s appropriate to ponder the role of dreams.

Brief recap of this week’s parsha Miketz – “At the end”. The Yosef Saga reaches a crescendo when Yosef’s servant finds his silver goblet in Binyamin’s pack, which had been placed there on Yosef’s command. Events that follow culminate in the reunification of the brothers and the migration of Yaakov’s lineage to Egypt. If like me, you are among the 51% of the world’s population who traces its religious and cultural heritage to Avraham, this is our story.

And it all hinges on dreams. If Yosef hadn’t told his dreams to his brothers, he might not have been sold into slavery. We never would have been in the diaspora, never wandered in the dessert for 40 years, never been enslaved, never left Canaan for Egypt. Telling the dream provides the stimulus for enacting the dream.

Pharaoh said to Yosef:

I have drempt a dream and there is no interpretation for it!

But I have heard it said of you

that you but need to hear a dream in order to interpret it!

.

Yosef answered Pharaoh saying:

Not I!

G’d will answer what is for Pharaoh’s welfare.

– Gen 41:15 – 16

Yosef planted a seed by revealing the meaning of the chief cupbearer’s dream. When Pharaoh had a dream he couldn’t interpret, the cupbearer remembered Yosef. If you know the story, this led to the reconciliation between the sons of Lea and Rachel, at least for a few hundred years.

So what does all this mean in our daily lives?

Pondering the Dream State

Right now, as you read this, tell me. Are you awake? Or are you dreaming? Remarkably consistent are the similarities in mystical perception throughout the ages and across cultures. Twenty-three centuries ago, the Chinese philosopher Zhūangzi observed this:

Once upon a time, I, Chuang Chou, dreamt I was a butterfly, fluttering hither and thither, a veritable butterfly, enjoying itself to the full of its bent, and not knowing it was Chuang Chou. Suddenly I awoke, and came to myself, the veritable Chuang Chou. Now I do not know whether I dreamt I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly dreaming I am a man. Between me and the butterfly there must be a difference. This is an instance of transformation.

– Translated by James Legge

More Than Poeticism?

Our shared reality is what our senses tell us. You hear a sound. Is that a dog barking, or a fox? A backfire – or a gunshot? You see a snake… or is it a stick? Even at the sensory level, we are not in agreement. Often, we are beguiled.

Diving deeper into the ocean of awareness, we realize our sensory perceptions are tinged with imagination, bias, concept… as such, we enter the world of human experience. Consider for a moment how literally you regard the stories of Torah. Was there a Yosef who wore a coat of many colors? Did he become the second most powerful man in Egypt? Did G’d Almighty interpret dreams through him?

Or is this simply a myth?

Living in the Land of Mythal

Our belief systems color our perceptions. Our priorities define which details we notice. Past experiences limit or free us to shape our future. What feels urgent and vital in this very moment will most likely fade and be forgotten tomorrow.

You see, how real is perception is a very deep question. Right this minute as I type these words, am I dreaming or am I awake? Why does my keyboard feel solid when we know through science that matter is mostly space? If by shared reality we agree that I am awake, how awake to The Real am I?

Mysterious Transmutation

According to Miriam-Webster, alchemy describes an “inexplicable or mysterious transmuting”. Certainly, when we dream during sleep we are mysteriously transmuted into a more fluid state. And when we awaken, how clear is our grip on Reality? Clarity? Truth? Love?

From the mystical perspective – e.g. Kabbalah, Sufism, Taoism – we are dreaming of our separation. We are dreaming that we can avoid consequences. We are dreaming that the visible, measurable world sets the standard. We are dreaming that we understand the inner life of the person closest to us.

Reflection: What are your awake dreams? What might you be mis-perceiving?

A frog in the well cannot conceive of the ocean. Can you play in the Ocean of Life without your feet touching the bottom? Can you leave the safety of the shore? Not needing to understand is the alchemical doorway to the wisdom of the Heart.

Let understanding stop at what cannot be understood.

– Doris Lessing

The “Great Dream”

In the parsha Miketz, three times Yosef ‘s dream interpretations set him on a new trajectory: with his brothers, with the Pharaoh’s imprisoned cupbearer and baker, and finally, with Pharaoh himself. These patterns reveal great truths that repeat and repeat, one inside the other.

Reflection: What pattern of rise and fall, of pivot and renewal do you perceive in your life? These are no less important than the archetypal story. Nor are they a separate reality.

Again, from the Taoist master Zhūangzi:

Only on waking do we know it was a dream. Only after the great awakening will we realize that this is the great dream. And yet fools think they are awake, presuming to know that they are rulers or herdsmen. How dense! You and Confucius are both dreaming, and I who say you are a dream am also a dream. Such is my tale. It will probably be called preposterous, but after ten thousand generations there may be a great sage who will be able to explain it, a trivial interval equivalent to the passage from morning to night.

Opening the Door to Inner Wisdom

This week we will focus on practices designed to wake us up from this slumber we recognize as our shared reality. We will seek to build our capacity to create harmony in daily life — to continue our awakening to the internal worlds, and ultimately, to bring together the outer and inner realms, in the marriage of heaven and earth.

Through breath, light and sound we can be in tune with the Infinite and the rhythms of this life. This beautiful, chaotic, ever changing, all-pervading Life.

Photo by Glenn Sackett

WEEKLY PRACTICES: The Door to Wisdom

With the Soul Manifestation Process, we awaken to the present in the fullness of our being. This crisp, embodied awareness becomes the portal to listen for divine guidance.  We step through this door via breath, light and sound.

Suggestion: Do one practice a day, or do all 6 consecutively. Remember… have your Journal nearby to jot down any insights that may arise.

Audio Recording – Coming Soon

BREATH

This week we will use breath to ground us in the body, focusing on 5 qualities of being: Awareness, Personality, Will, Connection, Purpose.

Awareness: Focus on the simplicity of your breath. Simple awareness and gratitude of being alive. Visualize standing tall, confident in your presence on this earth.  Feel the solidness of your body and the earth you stand on. Notice the pull of gravity keeping you rooted to the earth.

Earth Purification Breath: Breathe in and out through the nose, 5 times. Be aware of the solidness of your body, your bones, your hands on your lap, your feet on the ground. You are held securely here on earth. The color is yellow.

Personality: Scan the factors that make you, you. Your personality, likes and dislikes, beliefs and values. Visualize holding bowl in front of your heart, empty and ready to contain the flow of your wants and desires. This is the quality of water.

Water Purification Breath: Breathe in through the nose, out through the mouth, 5 times. Be aware of the liquidity of your body, your blood, the water in your tissues and organs. Feel water pouring over your body from head to toes, as if standing under a water fall or in the rain. Let the water dissolve any habits, traits and emotions that no longer serve you. The color is green.

Will: Pour energy into the aspect of you that decides and takes action. Visualize the bowl you are holding in front of your heart filling with light. This is the quality of Fire.

Fire Purification Breath: Breathe in through the mouth, out through the nose, 5 times. Be aware of the heat of your body, your warmth, your digestion. Feel the sun on your skin (either imagined or in the moment). Feel the waves of energy from the pulsing of your heart. Feel your longing. Sip heat through the mouth, exhale light through the shoulder blades. Let fire and light reveal to you your passion and desire. The color is red.

Connection: We co-create with others. Who are your most important connections in life? How does your environment support you? The complement to Will, Connection opens to Divine Grace, the Will of G’d. Retain the image of the bowl of light in front of your heart, and similarly imagine the light of your closest relationships. This is the quality of air – we all breath the same air, it circulates.

Air Purification Breath: Breathe in and out through the mouth, 5 times. Be aware of the spaciousness of your body, your breath filling your lungs, the air circulating in your body. Exhale and scatter your molecules as far as you can imagine. Inhale and recollect yourself in a perfect refection. The color is blue.

Purpose: Breathing gently and rhythmically through the nose, rest in the refinement of your breath. Feel the beating of your heart, allowing it to be filled with Love.

CONTEMPLATION

Following your breath, mentally recite these contemplations drawn from the words of this week’s parsha and from the Sufi master Hazrat Inayat Khan:

LIGHT

With eyes closed, breathe in and out gently through the nose. Balance your inhale with your exhale. Keep your body still. Breathe gently in and out through the nose. In this refined state, focus on the right side of your chest. Visualize white light filling the right side of your chest. Breathe in white light, exhale white light for 5 breaths.

Now focus on your physical heart. Visualize red light filling the left side of your chest. Breathe in red light, exhale red light for 5 breaths.

Now focus on the center of your chest. Visualize green light filling the center of your chest. Breathe in green light, exhale green light for 5 breaths.

When you are ready, open your eyes and breathe fully, deeply. What is your experience of this balancing practice?

SOUND

Similar to mantra, to practice Wazifa is to repeat a Name (quality) of G’d. Layers of meaning of the Name, which is encoded in the sound vibration, will be revealed to you through repetition and focus. 

This week’s Sufi practice with sound vibration will focus on developing our capacity to touch the hidden and bring it into manifestation. Ya Batin (yaa BAA-ṭin) is the most hidden treasure, the secret of secrets. Ya Zahir (yaa ḌḤAA-hir) means completely present in space, fully materialized, fully visible. 

We recite these Names of G’d on the inhale and exhale:

Inhale: Ya Batin

Exhale: Ya Zahir

Following a vertical line of direction, turn your head upward as you say Ya Batin and turn your head downward as you say Ya Zahir. Rhythmically inhale and exhale, softly repeating each Name out loud 33 times. Afterward, feel the effects of the sound vibration on your being.

ZIKR

Meaning “remembrance”, Zikr is the repetition of a sacred phrase with the intention of returning to the essence of Unity. Continuing from last week, we will repeat the central Jewish prayer known as the Sh’ma.

In Hebrew:

שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ יְהוָה אֶחָֽד

Shema Yisrael YHWH Eloheinu YHWH Echad

The Sh’ma can be translated as: “Hear, O Israel: the LORD our God, the LORD is one”. LORD is the unpronounceable four letter word יְהוָה – YHWH, the Name of G’d that can’t be named. Instead, we’ll use the word “Adonai“, meaning Lord, or “HaShem“, meaning The Name.

When practicing Zikr, it’s best to use the original language in which the prayer was revealed. As you inhale and exhale, softly repeat out loud, 33 times. Afterward, feel the effects of the vibration on your being.

NATURE

This week, be aware of the play of light and shadow in nature. Next time you are outside among the trees, locate two trees with their backs to the sun. Standing between the two trees, step between the shadows of their trunks. Know that as you step forward, you are moving through a threshold. What insight, purpose or intent arises?

For a direct experience of Sufi wisdom and insight, please listen to the podcast with Pir Shabda Kahn: Finding Happiness Through Gratitude

Shabbat Shalom!

After 6 days of practice, when Shabbat arrives, observe how this week’s practices shape your Shabbat experience. Be sure to check in Sunday morning for next week’s parsha.

You are invited to comment on how the contemplations and practices for this week have shaped your experience of daily life… any big Ah-ha’s? Please share your thoughts and feelings below.

חַיִּים
L’Hayyim…. To Life!