The Royal Tea - Chodesh Tov Av

I majorly realized how much joy I find in writing the monthly kavannah that I had to pause writing this month’s blog until after the 9th Day of Av. I trust the love I press into every key of each post is deeply felt. I’m curious to know how you felt during the last nine days. Did you fast? What were your thoughts as you embarked this pretty heavy time and what type of intentional space did you hold? I would love it if you could put your reflections in the comment section below.

The month of Av starts out rocky as it’s purpose is to unstable us just enough outside of our comfort zone. This allows us to intentionally reflect on the “destruction” we have caused; purposefully, accidentally, negligently, etc…so that we can transform that energy into our very own personal re-construction. Once we have mastered ourselves solidly, we then move on to learn how to reconstruct our home/family environment, our local community, the nation, and then globally—completing the five areas of impact in one’s lifetime.

The five books of Torah teaches us that there are five aspects of a purposeful life; transcended by the five levels of the soul. Four are given to us to utilize in the physical realm: the my Study of Torah - which we learn the rules and ordinances in order to create safety, Respecting one’s body for optimum physical energy - where we learn the beauty of security, Utilizing one’s Gd given talents & gifts - where we learn to nurture stability, Honoring mitzvot - where we learn the healing power of earning merit to receive grace and mercy for sustainability. This is what we call in our home “The 80” (meaning Hashem's requirement that in life, we put forth 80% of the effort towards any goal). The final aspect of a purposeful life is designed to ascend one spiritually by way of Divine Intervention from Hashem or “The 20” as in 20%. This final completion of these five forces working together, in alignment, ensures we can achieve the goal we agreed to accomplish before ascending down to earth. 

Now for the challenge:  We must stay on the straight and narrow while avoiding all distractions…Simple, yes? Ah…hmm…ehhh…perhaps…perhaps not. 

Well, this is where having keen leadership vision comes into play.

During this month of Av we have parashiyyot: D’varim, Va’etchhanan, Eqev, and Re’eh. As we embark on the final book of Torah, we set the goal of reflecting, identifying, setting, and initiating the vision for 5787. Set in the sign of Leo, the paternal energy of the Universe, we have the fast for Tisha B’Av, the holiday of Tu B’Av alongside Mercury Retrograde underpinning our leadership abilities for sustainability.

When we align the parashiyyot to the moon cycle, we will reflect on parashat D’varim to guide the intentionality and planning behind the seeds we have already sown, Va’etchannan will facilitate the actions we revisit to cultivate those seeds, Eqev will set the tone for how we reflect on the nurturing of those seeds, and Re’eh will prepare us to initiate the growth of those seeds; creating a portal for divine intervention, which will afford us the ability to then rest and restore. Keep in mind one should never initiate anything new during the Mercury retrograde period; as this is a very auspicious time to look back in reflection on goals already in progress in order to move forward. Like the sport of fencing, one must know when to retreat in order to advance.

So if we put this all together then what do we got?!

Let’s examine one portion.

As I am writing this during the Parashat of Eqev—at the conclusion of the Three Weeks, Mercury retrograde, and a gratitude filled Tu B’Av—we now examine the paternal masculine energies: our spiritual father Hashem, our earthly fathers (the man/men who raised us both in this life and ancestrally), our masculine energy and the masculine metaphysical leaders i.e. Rabbis, spiritual leaders, clergy in our lives—we then ask ourselves: “How has the consequences of our leadership actions, “The 80”—either allowed us or prevented us from receiving “The 20?” How have our leadership choices affected our covenant with Hashem. 

By conjoining with the masculine energies in our life this month, we can maintain a checked ego to acknowledge that we are unable to lead in the completion of our purpose for our life alone. This “vaccine” aids us in understanding the consequences of giving and receiving so that we place a high value on relationships to avoid the “virus” of loneliness—a functionality of an enslaved mind.

“Here you will meet G-d.” ~Rabbi Yehuda Ashlag

Through engagement, we tend to get out of our own way. We then can genuinely ask these trusted paternal members of our tribe the same questions we asked ourselves last month regarding maternal energies:

“Does this relationship support me in alignment with my relationship with Hashem?” 

“Am I pouring into this energy from an overflowing cup or a deficient one?”

“Who is currently in my tribe? Who needs to remain in and who is out?”

“Is there someone I need to have a talk with about how they or I am showing up in the relationship?,” 

“Am I ready to nurture or let go of this relationship once and for all?”

This feedback creates an opportunity for a mitzvah by way of discernment. We then analyze how the masculine energies closest to us react to our inquiries. Through these exercises we can adapt  our leadership in the ways and areas we need improvement, transformation, and recalibration—all in gratitude. 

This week we have the fullest picture on whether we succeeded or failed to do “The 80” and next week we can reflect on the consequences we may receive in the month of Elul—when Hashem comes down to intimately connect with us. Will we get “The 20?” I encourage you to journal about it. Can you imagine this time, B’nai Israel on the brink of entering the Promised Land, writing their affirmations with the utmost gratitude as they prepare for Hashem to bless them with the completion of “The 20”? That last portion you need after 11 months of truly doing “The 80.” Allowing us to achieve the goals we set for 5786? Now, in compassion, can you imagine our esteemed ancestral leader Moses drafting his  “just hear me out” monologue pleading for Hashem’s grace and mercy? After all he went through, his vision of “The 20” is different from what Hashem has declared.

Leadership will always have a higher level of scrutiny than the people. Everytime we step into our masculine divine energy, we are choosing to lead, to abide by all the rules and ordinances of leadership at the highest level of perfection, and to then be willing to be held acutely accountable for every action and reaction our leadership causes.

Darkness will relentlessly try to overshadow light and fail every time. Side commentators will try to scrutinize leadership without fully knowing Hashem’s reason, purpose, or plan. Spirituality is the Director’s Cut of the physical world. Hashem directs and produces all restoration of the scenes that we thought were deleted or missing. Hashem alters time —the pace we thought life was moving at is now faster when we thought it was going to be slow and slower when we thought it was going fast, thriving when we thought it was stagnant and paused when we thought it was time go-time; creating entirely different endings to the year from which we originally thought on Rosh Hashanah. Hashem reveals the true vision for our lives right up against our perceived one. 

Spiritually alters and controls the narrative flow that the man-made world tries to algorithmically hamster wheel by annually revealing that sovereignty is ultimately Hashem’s.

Chodesh tov!