Archive for Parsha

Your Inner Noah: Rise Above Turbulent Waters

November 3, 2016Exodus, Parsha, The FreedthinkerLeave a comment

What can we do with negative or toxic energy? How do you respond to the person is who annoys you, or the annoying thing you just can’t get out of your mind?

This year, every week, I want to ask one question: How is the Torah happening Right Now In My Body? I am on the hunt for the Biblical teachings deep within us. Admittedly this stuff isn’t obvious…but join me for the ride if you are interested in the journey. Here is an example. There is corruption on the earth (Genesis 6:11), toxicity needs to be ‘flushed out’ and God brings a flood. After the flood, water covers the entire earth: ‘God caused a spirit-breath pass over the earth and the waters subsided’ (Genesis 8:1).

A version of this process happens inside your body. You have this internal pool of water (your bladder) that is used to flush out waste, and this is one version of the ‘flood’ that expels negativity. Above your bladder there is air, namely, your abdomen which is used for breathing. Your breath – which is part of God – is literally hovering right above the surface of your waters.

Similarly, Noah’s Ark – the vessel he uses to rise above the flood – is called a Tevah in Hebrew (תבה). Tevah could mean ‘box, hull, body’..yes..body! On one level your entire body is a vessel to get you through the turbulent waters of life (in Kabbalistic teaching, water represents feminine intuitive emotion). Or we could take this one stage further – our body is made of 60% water, so the solid parts of our body – bones and so forth – are technically sitting in water. Who is the passenger of your body-ark? Your soul.

Now..this could be a nice little intellectual exercise, but I am interested in action. We can meditate on the flood of information around us or the flood of emotion, and we can mindful to not drown in it. We can live consciously, connect with the ‘spirit of God in our nostrils’ (Genesis 7:22), and rise above the waters. When somebody bothers us, when a thought is stuck cycling in our mind, we can take a breath and rise high. Let the Divine breath hover above the turbulent waters.

Yours in Freed-Om

Marcus
www.marcusjfreed.com

Words

September 12, 2016Blessings, Eikev, Higher Purpose, Parsha, Spiritual, Success, The FreedthinkerLeave a comment

38-shelach-think-big

Most of us can remember somebody who hurt us with their words.
A schoolteacher, a relative, a so-called friend. Their loosely-uttered
sentence sits in our memory from decades ago. Late in our life we may
still be holding onto something negative that was said to us when we
were 10 years old, or younger.

And yet, despite this knowledge, we still treat our words lightly. As if
our words cannot hurt. Or heal. Or create. Rabbis argue over the
so-called sin of the 12 spies who went to check out the land of Israel,
10 of whom came back with negative reports. Why were they punished
so heavily? On that note, why was Moses punished so heavily for hitting
the rock rather than speaking to it?

We try to have it both ways. To acknowledge we are made in the image
of God but then not take responsibility for it. If we stay conscious that
we have a Divine power with our words – yes, THIS MEANS YOU!!! – then
we are careful not to spread negative reports like the spies, and not to doubt
the power of our words like Moses.

How will you use your words today?

(Originally Published June 29th 2016. Parshat Shelach).

Divine You (Yitro #17)

March 17, 2016Parsha, The FreedthinkerLeave a comment

Let us wrestle with this famous line: “I am the Lord Your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, the house of slavery, you shall have no other gods before me”. (Exodus 20:2)

The Kabbalists explain how the four-letter name of G-d is physically represented in the body. If you place the letters vertically, they represent the head, arms, torso & legs (Yud, Hey, Vav, Hey). So “I am the Lord Your God” might read “I am the Divine within you”.

If we take this one stage deeper, we could read it that our inner calling is the subtle voice of God (assuming our calling is a peaceful one). “Have no other gods but me” could be read as “do not step away from your inner feelings, or your soul’s mission. Listen to your calling. Don’t get swayed by negative thoughts other people may project upon you. Stay true to yourself. “Egypt” represents narrow thinking, limited thinking or non-abundant thinking, a “house of slavery” to ideas that are foreign to your soul.

To take it the whole way: “I am the Lord Your God” (I am the inner voice of your calling to help you fulfil your soul’s mission on earth) “who took you out of Egypt” (think big! think abundant! think free!), “you shall have no other gods but me” (if you don’t listen to your inner calling then you are going to pay for it. It is may hurt you. Listen up, baby). Now, get free & purse your calling.

Big love

Marcus

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[TRANSCRIPTION OF VIDEO]:

Can we really free ourselves from jealousy? If so, then let’s do it now. Welcome to The Kosher Sutras.

Presented by Marcus J Freed.

Sign up for more at www.marcusjfreed.com
Get your copy of “The Kosher Sutras: The Jewish Way in Yoga & Meditation” at http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00J…

Yoga, Torah, Meditation: Welcome to The Kosher Sutras.

KOSHER SUTRA “Do not be jealous” (Exodus 20:14)
Welcome to The Kosher Sutras.

PROBLEM/QUESTION. Envy can get to anyone. We see other people’s stuff and want it: their car, their income, their house, their holiday home, their spouse. It seems that if we could change the “theirs” into “ours”, then we would be happy!

The last of the 10 commandments is “Do Not Covet” and it is the most specific of all of them. We are told “Do not be jealous of your neighbour’s wife, his male servant, his maidservant, his ox, his donkey; do not be jealous of anything that belongs to him”.

Even The Yoga Sutras explains that “raga” (attachment), which is one of the Top Five Upsets of All Time.

MEDITATION/POSTURE. Practice Mountain Pose and as you do so, meditate on all that you do have in your life. Be grateful for you body, be grateful for your home, your food, your family, your friendships. Take any jealous energy and transform it into a deep gratitude for everything you have, and faith that God is looking out for you, is listening to your prayers, and will give you exactly what you need. Shalom.

OUTRO I hope you’ve enjoyed this video. Please feel free to share it with your friends & comment below. [For More of These Teachings] You can get your copy of The Kosher Sutras on Amazon. Be Happy, Stay Happy & Celebrate Life. Shalom.

Banish Stress & Get Happy: The Yoga of Exodus. Kosher Sutra #13. Torah, Yoga, Meditation & Love

January 6, 2016Parsha, Shmot, Success, The FreedthinkerLeave a comment

Is your 2016 going to be a year of pushing or allowing? There is a time for both. Our education systems focus on continually pushing, producing & doing, but taken to its extreme this can lead to stress & illness. The art of allowing – of creating space rather than filling it – is an essential quality in any relationship, be it human or Divine. Equally, too much allowing without action can lead to a whole lotta nothing. Everything is in the balance.

Here is a quick Kabbalistic meditation. Disclaimer: I have completely made it up. But it works nonetheless. 2016 = 2 x 16 = 32. The hebrew letters for 32 spell “Lev”, or Heart. In 2016, let your heart be your guide.

One last thing. I’m halfway through filming a series of videos based on my first book The Kosher Sutras. Video #1 is below. If it’s your thing, enjoy. If not then hit unsubscribe & I’ll leave you alone for the rest of this incarnation. If you love it then you know what to do (share, share, share….).

Big love & Blessings for a Rocking Year. Shabbat Shalom.

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SEE THE KOSHER SUTRAS ON YOUTUBE. Banish Stress & Get Happy: The Yoga of Exodus. Kosher Sutra #13. Torah, Yoga, Meditation & Love

Sign up for more at www.marcusjfreed.com
Get your copy of “The Kosher Sutras: The Jewish Way in Yoga & Meditation” at http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JJ5F0ZC/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?ie=UTF8&btkr=1

KOSHER SUTRA “A new king arose over Egypt who did not know about Joseph” (Exodus 1:8)

Sometimes life can change and we don’t like it. How can we go with the flow so that things are better than ever before? Welcome to the Kosher Sutras.

Humans can put extraordinary energy into resisting change. Sometimes it is time to leave a job, let go of a client, leave a relationship…but we may hold back all costs.

The Children of Israel were experiencing prosperity in Egypt when their boy Joseph was Prime Minister, but they faced a sudden change when, “a new king arose over Egypt who did not know Joseph” (Exodus 1:8). Everything changed overnight. One view is that the Pharoah had a sudden change of heart after Joseph died, while another is that the King himself also died and a new Pharaoh took over with different values.

Our external situation can change – a client leaves, a relationship ends, a job is over – but you go with the flow? Can you adapt to your new circumstances? Can you find G-d in the flow.

. Practice some Sun Salutations, in whichever variation you know, and focus on breathing with the flow. Tune in and move with the motion of your breath. The yogis teach about calming the mind and finding stillness, and our aim is to find stillness in motion, with whatever is happening in life.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this video. Please feel free to share it with your friends & comment below. [For More of These Teachings] Pick up your copy of The Kosher Sutras on Amazon. Be Happy, Stay Happy & Celebrate Life. Shalom.

Exodus image borrowed through Google Search 😉

Unhealthy Prophets Warning: How To Change Your Future

September 24, 2014Parsha, Success, The FreedthinkerLeave a comment

usa_train_crash A great teacher will not only share information, but will impart wisdom as well. These days knowledge is free and you can get a university-level education on Youtube. Wisdom is another matter entirely. A business mentor once had the wisdom to tell me that a certain area of my life was hurtling along like a steam train headed towards a ravine, and the tracks were about to run out. He guided me to take fast action, the equivalent of building a bridge across the valley. I immediately started “construction”.

Where is your “train” headed right now? When we get really honest with ourselves, we often know the truth deep inside, although it certainly helps when the warning is voiced by an external source. Are your tracks strong, or do you need to make serious adjustments to your course? Where is there a potential “cliff” in your life, be it in your relationships, body, spiritual outlook or career & business?

In the ancient world there were differing views of destiny. Ancient Rome & Athens believed in fate. Accordingly to mythology there were three sisters, the “three fates” who decided your future. Ancient Jerusalem believed you could bend your karma and change your destiny, through action (teshuva), prayer (tefilla) and charitable karma-balancing (tzedakah). When Moses warned “you will surely become corrupt..[and] evil will befall you” (Deuteronomy 31:29), it was with the knowledge that the future could be changed.

Look ahead into your future and see if it needs changing it before you get there. Get in touch if you need help. The wisdom is out there. The story of your future can be rewritten today.

Today’s teachings were inspired by Nitzavim-Vayeilech.

The Biblical Art of War: how to disarm your enemies & influence people

September 5, 2014Parsha, The FreedthinkerLeave a comment

Many people switch off when reading the words “If you go out to war against your enemies” (Deuteronomy 21:10). ‘I am no soldier’, one may think, ‘so this is irrelevant’. Yet The Bhagavad Gita also begins with family tribes “assembling in the place of pilgrimage at Kurukshetra, desirous of battle” (BG 1:1). Perhaps it is wise to be battle-ready. The Huffington Post reported that “for business leaders, reading The Art of War is a rite of passage; quoting from it is de rigueur”.

Many of us behave as if we are going to war on a daily basis, getting angry with the driver who just cut you up, slightly resentful towards lovers, or vaguely frustrated with certain friends. The list goes on. The Biblical art of war is to be mindful when going into conflict, which means being sensitive to captives, respectful of powerless innocents and even honouring fruit trees (i.e. no ‘scorched earth’ policies). This way we maintain our human dignity, preserve a Divine connection and remember that the other people are also humans. Even that idiot in front who can’t drive and apparently bought a car without indicator lights.

There are selfish reasons to take on this perspective. We suffer when when hold hate. Hippy scientists have shown how this manifests in our body (see movie What the Bleep or read The Message from Water: The Message from Water is Telling Us to Take a Look at Ourselves). Whilst there is a time to go to war – there is a time for everything under the sun – our bodies and internal organs feel the stress if we jump to a battle response every single day, and it also doesn’t do much for our relationships.

These teachings were partially encoded in yoga postures. If you are practicing Warrior 1 then make sure you can stay grounded and free from hate. If you are entering a conflict situation in relationship, ensure you keep a higher intention of peace unless you are deliberately seeking destruction. If you enter a work situation with an attack mentality, expect to receive back what you are giving out. In The Book of Five Rings, famed Samurai warrior Miyamoto Musashi taught ‘from one thing, know ten thousand things’, e.g., see how you overreact in some situations and realise you may be doing it in many situations.

We often have far more power than we recognise. By staying calm in the face of conflict we might release more energy to our brain to choose a course of peaceful action. Warriors, at ease.

640px-Musashi_ts_pic

FOOTNOTE: Parsha Ki Teitzei

Word Up

July 15, 2014Blessings, Business Development, Courage, Numbers, Parsha, Spiritual, Success, The Freedthinker, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Many of us were brought up with the same lie; “sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me”. Do you want to bet? Think back to the most hurtful and hateful words that somebody has ever said to you. Now consider how long it takes to heal a broken bone – maybe a few months, a year. And how long can it take for someone to heal from damaging words? The verbal weapon alone has kept many a therapist in business for years if not decades.

Words can hurt & words can heal…

Moses takes a moment to instill the importance of vows. He explains the spiritual weight of the spoken word, the way it can cause damage and how to renegotiate a promise that has been made. The most oft-misquoted opening to the Bible is ‘in the beginning there was the word’, which is in fact the opening to the gospel of John, but he was certainly in line with the Kabbalistic perspective which outlines how spiritual worlds can be created and destroyed with the power of our words*.

We all know what it is like to be betrayed by the words of others, to be let down by somebody’s promises or perhaps to be upset by their choice of vocabulary and the intent behind it. An even more powerful insight can be to understand how we have let ourselves down at times, or the words we use against ourself.

I for one have been completely guilty of this, making huge promises to myself about creative projects I planned to launch, short films I planned to make, productions I planned to stage, books I planned to write. When we make a vow to ourself, however subtle, we create something that exists. On a delicate level, that promise exists in our heart and our mind, which is why so many people live out of the would-a/should-a/could-a mindset of things could be different if..life would be different if.

When we realise the true power of our words and the potential they can generate, we can start harnessing that energy and using for the good. We begin by keeping the word to ourself, then to others, and bringing our visions into being.

(now..pre-order your copy of The Kabbalah Sutras and help get this wisdom out into the world!).
*See Sefer Tanya, Chp 40.

Looking Good vs Being Great

July 15, 2014Blessings, Business Development, Courage, Numbers, Parsha, Spiritual, Success, The FreedthinkerLeave a comment

We currently live in a wonderful world where, for just a few hundred of your hard-earned shekels, you have the choice of enough personal growth & leadership seminars to help you transform your very DNA. The downside of the Lead-Like-Ghandi-In-A-Weekend-Seminar or Learn-To-Speak-Like-Martin-Luther-King-in-an-Afternoon or Build-a-Donald-Trump-Business-Whilst-Surfing-Facebook is that most teachers will miss out one simple fact; realising your potential can demand extreme sacrifice which may be painful, messy and incredibly uncomfortable.

Be unafraid. Be very unafraid to brandish your metaphorical spear. Just don’t hurt anyone in the process…

Pinchas was the great-nephew of Moses. He was rewarded with a ‘covenant of peace’ (Numbers 25:12) after taking an action in line with his beliefs that was so extreme it could have resulted in social banishment, career failure, or even being killed. Whilst most of us do not have to go through anything quite so severe on a physical level, there is an internal equivalent we might face on the path to leadership and self-realisation.

Facing our fears and breaking through them demands smashing through personal habits built up over a lifetime. Pinchas drove a spear through two people he saw transgressing. If we are to step into our own highest potential it usually means driving a spear through the fears that have been holding us back. On a Kabbalistic level it is as if we are destroying the negative energy sheaths known as klipot, which are analogous to shells – like a nutshell.

The first stage is to name your ‘shells’. What are the deepest fears and behaviours holding you back from reaching your highest good? What needs to happen for you to do the thing you have been scared of, and let your light shine at its brightest? Take your spear, smash some eggs to make an omelette, crack those nutshells, mix up some more metaphors, and do something EPIC.

(now..pre-order your copy of The Kabbalah Sutras and help get this wisdom out into the world!).

The Lion Wakes Today

July 7, 2014Blessings, Business Development, Courage, Leadership, Numbers, Parsha, Spiritual, Success, The FreedthinkerLeave a comment

BE THE LION!!! We enjoyed the press coverage when primetime TV actor Charlie Sheen publicly proclaimed how he drank tiger blood to channel the ‘winning’ qualities of the beast, yet he is not alone in his Big Cat sentiments.

The heathen prophet Bilaam, a hater who was trying curse the Israelites but had his words unwittingly come out as blessings, said “Behold, a people that rises like a lioness (See Malbim) and raises itself like a lion” and later continues “He crouches and lies like a lion and like a lioness; who will dare rouse him?” (Numb. 23:24 & 24:9).

The Lion imagery does not stop there. Indeed, the most prominent book of Jewish law the Shulchan Aruch famously encouraged people to “Arise like a lion to serve your Creator in the morning” (SA 1:1). There is much to meditate on; lions are estimated to sleep for upwards of 13.5 hours a day to as much as 20 hours.

Either way, they wake up as paradigms of efficiency, completely focused on their hunt-and-kill – not forgetting, of course, eating and procreation when required or
desired – and they use their waking hours to maximum effect. Can you imagine if we could do the same?

I have long wondered if there was a hidden clue in the exhortation to ‘arise like a lion’ as its author, the great legalist Rabbi Yosef Caro (1488-1575) spent his final years living in the mystical city of Tsfat in close proximity to history’s greatest Kabbalist Rabbi Yitzhak Luria (1534-1572). Rabbi Luria was known as ‘the Ari’, which means ‘Lion’. We might read ‘arise like a lion’ as ‘wake up completely mindful of the mystical energies, bringing light into the world, transforming reality into a Divine space’…but that is of course speculation*.

The Lion may Sleep Tonight, but when you wake up this week, arise like a king…and make those hours count.

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==> have you reserved your pre-sale copy of The Kabbalah Sutras? The book is written and we need your help to get it published! Pre-order your signed copy and get your name formally published in the book for as little as $36!! Igg.me/at/kabbalah-sutras
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*_KABBALISTIC FOOTNOTE_ ‘Rising up’ or ‘arising’ can refer to the feminine sefira or mystical energy of ‘Binah’, which means ‘understanding’. My friend Rabbi Hillel Simon explained: “pondering the splender of Hashem creation can arouse one from the deepest sleep”. Happy meditations!

(based on Parsha Balak)

Small Details/Big Difference

June 29, 2014Blessings, Business Development, Courage, Numbers, Parsha, Spiritual, Success, The Freedthinker, UncategorizedLeave a comment

The little details can make all the difference when it comes to strengthening relationships. We like it when somebody remembers our preference, whether it is your partner surprising you by making your favourite meal, or the bartender remembering your name and knowing your drink. Internet fortunes are made on the little details as cookies track our preferences and create a custom-made advertising journey to present us with exactly what they think we will want.

Moses received a simple request from God, to ‘speak to the rock’ (Numbers 20:8), but instead he chose to strike it twice with his staff(1). Perhaps he thought his way was better or maybe he sensed that a stronger action was needed than just speaking.

I have certainly got into some trouble in the past through not listening to specific instructions and going ahead with what I thought was the best course of action. Even if our intention is a good one, when we ignore other people’s specific detailed requests, it is a sure-fire path to weakening relationships and potentially damaging them.

A Kabbalah Sutras approach to strengthening relationships is to apply both Gevurah (Strength-through-Discipline) and Netzach (Endurance). First we hold back our passion and desire to listen to the other person’s requests (Gevurah) and then we go the distance and fulfil what they have requested (Netzach). This does not mean that there is not a place for personal initiative, but when you have specifically asked someone for a cup of tea with milk and two sugars, how would you like it if they took initiative and brought you a cup of decaffeinated tea with coconut milk and natural stevia sweetening?(2)

If ‘God is in the details’ then so are successful relationships, whether it is listening to the needs of your body, your soul, your partner, your family, your clients or your friends. Small details make a big difference.

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FOOTNOTES
(1)Rashi explains that this is why Aaron and Moses were not allowed into the Land of Israel, although the specific nature of Moses ‘sin’ is contentious and the subject of much discussion by commentators.

(2)This does not apply to anyone living in LA where dairy and sugar is, like, so, totally last century.

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