Images of The New Shul
“Pilgrimage” Mandala
Pilgrimage to Bliss
One thing I am aware of in my day-to day-existence
is that the longer I meditate, the better I feel.
Opening to communication and connection with others
in a way that was not there before.
In the last ten days I took different pilgrimages
around the city and beach.
I tried on different ways of doing things in different aspects of my life.
It came easy.
Thom Knoles recently spoke about OCD behaviors
and how breaking patterns in how we do things
is a good way forward.
To not be stuck in old ways,
“the ever-repeating known”,
ways which we are maintaining
that are no longer of service to us…
that are simply habit.
So at the final day of Yom Kippur Services,
I created a Mandala for anyone who wanted;
they could create their own journey and build their personal
reflection at the table.
That way I could remove myself from the director
role I’m so used to.
To allow what I started with the process to build on its own.
Before ending the middle spine of the table
from which all others could build, I found myself welling up,
listening to the music, singing.
Before I knew it, I made this heart shape.
Bliss
“The last quality of the unified field—-
and the most important—-
is bliss.
Bliss should not be confused with happiness.
Happiness is always for a reason.
You are happy when someone pays you a compliment,
or when you get a great job,
or when you make a lot of money,
or when you have a satisfying relationship.
But when you are happy for no reason whatsoever,
in the mere fact of existence,
you are in a state of bliss.
This bliss is where we come from;
it is the nature of existence itself.
It is inherent in the field;
it is more primordial than our body,
nearer to us than our mind.
And it follows us wherever we go.
In this state of pure bliss is the expression of pure love.
When love is pure you become the embodiment of love.
This love is offered to none, denied to none.
it just radiates from you,
like light from a bonfire or dreams from a dreamer.
It kindles the spark of love wherever it falls.”
Bliss description is from Creating Affluence by Deepak Chopra.
10.05.2025 Deck Talk available upon request info@fifthfloormeditation.com