Unifying Heaven and Earth

March 6 and 7 Kabbalat Shabbat service and workshop: “Unifying Heaven and Earth: Spiritual Teachings: Practices from the Kabbalah and Jewish Mystical Tradition,” in Richmond, VA, hosted by the Chrysalis Group.

On Friday, March 6th at 7:30 pm, Rabbinic Pastor and psychotherapist Estelle Frankel leads a Kabbalat Shabbat service — a celebratory and contemplative evening of song, ritual, meditation, and study — at Congregation Or Ami.

On Saturday, March 7th from 10:30 am to 3:30 pm, Ms. Frankel leads an experiential workshop “Unifying Heaven and Earth: Spiritual Teachings & Practices from the Kabbalah and Jewish Mystical Tradition.”

“Long before Einstein contemplated a unified field theory,” Ms. Frankel writes, “medieval Kabbalists portrayed the cosmos as a manifestation of a single substance, the Or Ein Sof, the endless light of the infinite. On the Sabbath, as we cease from doing and practice the art of being, we rest in this divine ground of Being. The Sabbath, according to the Kabbalah, is a time to celebrate the union of all opposites, of heaven and earth, spirit and matter. It is a time when we taste inner peace, healing, wholeness and freedom. Participants will engage in a day of contemplative study, prayer, guided meditation, chant, and storytelling.

Estelle Frankel is a practicing psychotherapist and Rabbinic Pastor who blends depth psychology with the spiritual healing wisdom of Kabbalah in her northern California practice. She has taught Jewish studies in Israel and throughout the U.S. for over thirty years and is the author of Sacred Therapy: Jewish Spiritual Teachings on Emotional Healing and Inner Wholeness.

Her work was the basis for a pre-selichot program for Kol Isha at Temple Micah (DC) in 5768. That program was an adaptation, with long-distance assistance from Ms. Frankel, of a ritual concerning brokenness found in her book Sacred Therapy.

The program is open to the public to provide an educational opportunity to learn about Jewish mysticism as well as to facilitate interfaith dialogue and relationship building.

For additional information and to register for this program go to http://www.thechrysalisgroup.com.

The Chrysalis Group, based in Richmond, Virginia with an interspiritual membership of over 200 members, was established as an educational non-profit in 1994 to support people in living lives of meaning, creativity and compassion. Chrysalis has earned a reputation for developing cutting edge educational programs at the intersection of spirituality and creativity and provides opportunities for growth in the spiritual journey.

Congregation Or Ami is a synagogue in the Reform tradition located at 9400 Huguenot Road on the south side of Richmond. Or Ami has earned a reputation for creativity, social action, and experimental liturgy since its establishment over 30 years ago.