Tag Archives: Trump

Yoga with “45”

(whose name is best left unspoken)

(Note: In 2003, I wrote the following message which I have only slightly edited to reflect that there is a different President and circumstances. I hope it is helpful for some of you.)

For a good while there has been a groundswell, almost a tidal wave of interest in yoga. Yoga studios are open in storefronts everywhere. Yoga is being brought into the executive suites. Video tapes of yoga teachers are selling in supermarkets and chain video stores (a bit outdated, substitute streaming services). The word, from 10,000 years back, is now mainstream. 

I may not have to tell you that yoga, in addition to including stretching exercises that help the body relax and release stress, is a path towards spiritual wholeness. It is a way to move towards union with one’s true nature, the compassionate essential nature of living free of attachment and the entrapments of the reactive mind. There is a belief that when practiced with expanded awareness of the entire planet, its benefits are brought to all living beings.

Well, practitioners are about to have a powerful opportunity to practice yoga in a most challenging, and potentially life-transforming way, and at no charge. The upcoming Republican convention will culminate on Aug 27th with when President 45 will be giving his acceptance speech. It will be televised. He will, among other things, make his case for what he has done to this country and the world over the past three plus years. This is the opportunity for your practice. 

If you choose to watch this event, you will be challenged to maintain awareness of conscious breathing, observe your body deeply, stay centered in the heart of compassion, and allow images, thoughts and emotions to pass through your mind without clinging to them. The benefits of doing this will be enormous, both for your own growth and the entire planet, perhaps having an influence on whether or not he is re-elected.

 From my own practice and teaching experience, I want to share a couple of suggestions. I realize that I take the risk that some will think this is  “New Age” pablum. But as I see it, our civilization’s notions of what is real are as much in question as the politics of narcissism, fear and greed that have been dominant. The truth is, I could not be more serious about the depth and significance with which this process may be held. I offer these 12 suggestions to you for your consideration. Take of it only what resonates for you and feel free to pass it along.

Caution: If you are quite well established in your practice you may choose to do this alone. But most people will find that a group setting brings the necessary support for safe practice. Prepare by agreeing on your intentions. Practice lightly and with good humor.

1) Find an appropriate posture that best allows you to stay aware of your body, a comfortably straight back is good. Allow yourself space, and give yourself permission to move and stretch as your body needs.

2) It’s a good idea to prepare with a deep centering meditation prior to the viewing. You may want to do some movement to discharge tension. Center your awareness in the area of your heart or heart chakra, and allow love to radiate throughout you and the room, including the TV. Recognize the presence of others who share your intention, even those who are not physically with you.

3) As the President is introduced and you first see his face, remind yourself that the Spirit that pervades everything – the Source of Life – is within and all around you, and within and all around him. At the same time, be aware of any reactions that you are having: contractions in the belly, nausea, rage, the urge to flee, scream or break something. Open to these feelings and thoughts, and breathe. Especially be aware of your body. Breathe and relax. Do not be afraid if you feel a sense of empathy. He is, after all, a man, a man caught in a web of immense, almost incalculable influences from sources we barely fathom.

4) As he speaks, pay attention to his face. Notice his eyes, mouth and lips especially. They will help you see more clearly where he is coming from. This will also help you to be aware of your own reactions. Breathe. Stretch and relax. Don’t judge yourself for any emotions or images that appear in your mind. Let them be.

5) Remind yourself that you are watching a television or computer device. When your mind starts to pick up a stone to throw at the image on the screen, remember this: This machine is made largely of petro-chemicals (oil) and it is consuming electricity coming from energy sources that are part of a global empire, an empire expanding at the expense of the life of this planet.  Acknowledge that you are complicit in the human activity behind this man and what he is advocating. So am I.  Breathe. Let the tension soften. Accept how imperfectly you are able to release the contractions in your body that result from judgementalism. Accept the degree of release you are currently feeling. Breathe.

6) Open to recognize the forces that are behind and all around this man.  What do they feel like?  Do you have a name or image of what they look like?  Perhaps they are the same forces that are behind his apparent friends in Brazil, China and Russia? Perhaps they are the forces that sometimes work through you and me, perhaps  right now. Breathe. Consider the intensity of being really in the grip of these forces. Perhaps images that come from the Tolkein trilogy or Harry Potter will come to mind. Perhaps you’ve heard of Wetiko? Recognize how your body and mind react in the face of this. Call on your strength to stay in your heart and feel the light of compassion. Let tears or rage rise and let all feelings be in the fire of your peaceful intention.

7) Remember that we are in the flow of time and that as you breathe the present is forming into the future. The quality of your mind, your thoughts and intentions are helping shape the reality that is becoming, just as is the mind of 45. Be aware of what you are putting into the system. Know that you can be responsible for your thoughts. Breathe. Release judgement of yourself for not being perfect at this.

8) Continue to look at 45 and listen to his voice. If you find it difficult to stay centered, invoke the presence of all the peaceful warriors that have sought to bring humanity to more harmonious consciousness and behavior through teaching, healing, the arts, and through organizing activist movements. Remember your ancestors. Breathe.

9) When curses and gestures of rage are felt, notice how they effect your body. If you contract, move into that and exaggerate it, then release. If feelings of helplessness and grief arise, be aware of your breath and feel the strength of the life force within you.

10) Be aware of the people of color, the refugees, those currently demonized and made to seem “other” by this man. Be aware of the animals, plants, rivers, oceans and land. Picture as clearly as you can, the faces of actual men, women, children, babies separated at borders, abused by police and disempowered by the system of thought 45 promotes and amplifies. Be aware of the tens of thousands of  young American men and women who are required to enforce his commands and fight for him. Consider their families and your own relationship to these people. Allow whatever feelings you have to rise up into your full awareness. Let the awesome tide of suffering be in your view and in your heart. There is an ancient Jewish prayer that I find helpful in such moments: Shiviti Adonai L’negdi Tamid. “I invoke the presence of the Holiness of Life throughout and around me at all times.”

11) When 45 says “God Bless America”, remind yourself of the highest, deepest Reality that truly does bless ALL that is and helps that which it blesses to become more awake to the boundless love of the Source of life.  Feel that in yourself and in all your relations. Bring your hands to prayer position in front of you and bow humbly to that Presence even in this man.

12) Allow time to continue to be with the feelings and thoughts you are having during and after the speech. Allow your thoughts to gradually open to the question of what it is that you are called to do about what you are experiencing, about what is going on.  If you are with friends, perhaps a healthy discussion would help.

Perhaps you can do something to help.

Namaste (I bow to the divine spark within you)

Seeing Wolves or Crying Wolf: Anti-Semitism and Jewish Identity

I begin with an apology to wolves and wolf lovers (like myself) for using their name as a symbol of vicious, hateful creatures. Wolves have been mischaracterized in this way in a long line of fairy tales, literature and folklore as symbols of what is dangerous and threatening to us. So I ask forgiveness from the noble Wolf Spirit for the use of this old image and suggest you see this link to help undo how humans have made wolves an endangered speciesWhat I’m talking about here are anti-Semites, racists, Muslim-bashers, etc. They are vicious and dangerous, and they evoke great fear in the communities they threaten who have to wrestle with knowing real threats from imagined ones.

For centuries, especially in Europe, the extremely negative stereotyping and hatred projected at Jews was mirrored by a basic sense within the Jewish community: “Don’t trust the Gentiles.”  This dynamic boxed Jewish people into literal and psychological ghettos; feelings of being separate and fearful of others were a major aspect of Jewish identity. My baby-boomer generation witnessed a radical reduction of anti-Jewish prejudice as the anti-Semitism some of us experienced in childhood now seems rare.

When I interviewed fourteen spiritual teachers for Crossing the Boundary: Stories of Jewish Leaders of Other Spiritual Paths, they shared varying accounts of confronting anti-Semitism in their youth. But they mostly observed that it was far worse for their parent’s generation and they believed it was becoming a thing of the past.  Jews in the U.S., except for the ultra-Orthodox (Haredim), have enjoyed assimilation into the “White” majority mainstream of Americans. This is true whether or not they maintain Jewish religious practices and whether or not they maintain a strong Jewish cultural identity.

But now, coming from two different directions, this feeling of safety for Jews in the (White) American world is being shaken. First: recent news accounts, especially frequent in Jewish publications, have noted an alarming increase in the overt expression of Jew-hatred along with threats of violence. This very old form of anti-Semitism has come up through the gates of hell where it has festered in the darker pockets of America. It’s been liberated and emboldened by the campaign of Donald Trump. Though Trump certainly didn’t create it, his rhetoric and style sent signals to those who lived in the shadows of their own bigoted belief systems, freeing them to emerge onto the public stage, especially on social media. In just the past few days, numerous journalists and radio commentators have shared accounts of the vitriolic anti-Semitic messages and threats they are receiving. (See links below). This is scary stuff and it won’t simply go away after the election.

The second concern about anti-Semitism has been strongly fueled by alarms sounded by many Jewish “leaders” and publications. From their lens, critics of Israel are, in fact, critics of the Jewish people; anger at Israel equals anger at Jews. The more strongly the expressed criticism of Israel, the more they are seen as anti-Jewish. The debate over this, especially within the Jewish community, is ongoing and fierce (more links below). Young Jews especially are playing an increasingly significant role in the fight for Palestinian rights, against the Occupation, and challenging the morality of calling Israel a “Jewish State” as opposed to a “State of all its people.” The fact that these young people are Jews might seem to contradict the argument that Israel-critics are anti-Semites. But instead it heightens the anxiety and reaction in much of the Jewish community. From the point of view of Jews who identify Israel with the Jewish people, young Jews criticizing Israel is evidence that the wolves have kidnapped their children and turned them against their own people.  With loyalty to Israel so bonded with the sense of Jewish identity, the rising tide of world-wide condemnation of Israeli policy is felt by many Jews as wolves at the door.

In my opinion, the fears and charges of anti-Semitism regarding critics of Israel are a largely disingenuous attempt to defend the indefensible behavior of the Israeli government towards its Palestinian citizens and those it holds under military occupation. Legitimate protests, calls for non-violent boycott, attempts to call attention to the daily violence and humiliation of a captive people, (which violates the most fundamental values of Judaism and the long history of Jewish humanist thought) cannot with any integrity be called anti-Semitic.

None of that is meant to minimize the reality of anti-Semitism which continues within a vocal segment of the U.S. and may reveal feelings hidden in the larger population. This may be as good a time as any for us all to look deeply at what remains of the centuries-long conditioned misperception through which especially Europeans and their descendants have regarded the Jewish people. Cultural programming is multi-generational and embodied in ways that defy easy undoing. The most overt forms of prejudice may be reduced through a liberal education. But, to use the example of racism: the more subtle forms of it arise out of the visceral and unconscious feelings of “well-meaning” White people and don’t go away without deeper processing. “Undoing White-liberal-racism” workshops and trainings have helped me in this regard to face and deal with my own prejudices.

It seems true that racism, which imprisons us in the belief that people of color are inferior in fundamental ways, infects the minds of everyone, Black and White, until it is made conscious and transformed. It is likewise pretty much impossible to escape the long history of hostile beliefs about Jews. Opinions vary, but in my view, the primary integrating feature of the Jewish stereotype is that they/we are morally corrupt (if not downright evil). It is not that difficult to imagine the next stage of this idea, seeing it as necessary to protect the larger population from contamination with that evil. The fear of this, understandably, runs deep in the identity of Jewish people and for some it is the primary emotional bond of that identification.

However, the reckoning with anti-Semitism is made complicated and more difficult when accusations of anti-Semitism continue to be leveled at people who are expressing their opinions and taking action regarding the behavior of the nation-state of Israel. We all need to distinguish between these two perceived threats to the Jewish community and understand the distorted view of one and the real danger of the other. We also must recognize that the chorus of hatred is rarely only about Jews, but rather (as with the Nazis) may include Catholics, Gypsies, Gays, the disabled. In the current American context it is much more about Muslims, Blacks, Latinos, LGBT people, and yes, women, than it is about Jews.

The mentality of the alt-right wing of the “support Trump” movement is the same Nazi, neo-Nazi, White-supremacist network that has been around for a very long time, most likely with roots in the earliest humans. It’s the fear of the “other” focused into hatred and violence. With some honest introspection, we can see that It is a meme existing in us all, requiring our direct attention if we hope to be part of building a just and free society. We are, after all, one human family, including our most truculent brothers and sisters.

Please read some of these hair-raising accounts documenting the recent rise in anti-Semitism associated with Trump supporters:

“Twitters Anti-Semitism Problem” by Ryan Lizza  from the New Yorker

The Tide of Hate Directed Against Jewish Journalists by Emma Green  from The Atlantic

Anti-Semitic Posts, Many From Trump Supporters, Surge on Twitter By Jonathan Mahler from the New York Times   

Passing as a Non-Jew Has Been Easy for Me — Until Now, by March Daalder  from The Forward  

For more on the debate within the Jewish community regarding anti-Semitism as it relates to condemnations of Israeli policy, see:

Crying Wolf on Campus anti-Semitism: The Vassar College Talk Was No Blood Libel by  Mira Sucharov in Haaretz

US Jews adopted ‘deferential’ relationship to Israel, and tabooed dissent so as to preserve US gov’t support by Phillip Weiss

Occupation denial is pushing me out of my Jewish community by Jenn Pollan

The Truth About Anti-Semitism on Campus — It’s Not All About Israel by Sam Kestenbaum in The Forward

For an Israeli peace activist view of the Jewish identification with Israel, see:

It Can Happen Here by Uri Avnery