Author Archives: Peter Needle

You Turned My Mourning into Dancing

In the depths of sorrow

I reached out for I knew not what

Your Light was hidden I knew not where

 

In the darkness of my bereft body

I danced with grief.

In the pit of my sad stomach

I knew only longing

My heart was crying for solace

Hands  reaching to touch love.

Aching neck, hard to swallow

Breath caught in the lungs.

My sinew wept in loss.

 

Now, You dance my legs

And lift me from the ground

The weight of fear rolls off my shoulders

Arms reaching into space

 

Beyond pain, beyond this self.

Turning, turning, turning

Spiraling upward on the wings of music.

 

It is here that you meet me

And dance my body

No-no more me

Nor longing, nor sorrow

Only the Holy dance

The sacred moment of merging into You

Into the One.

 

Who would have known

That the road to Mystery lay inside my body

Revealed in the Dance

You awaken my soul

In the core of my being,

I fly

With my feet on Holy ground.

 

Fair Fighting

  1. Listen, Listen, Listen
  2. Try your best to remain calm.
  3. Do not walk away.   Do not clam up.
  4. Deal with things as they arise and communicate at the earliest appropriate time.
  5. No physical assaults- that includes grabbing and pushing
  6. Own your own feelings
  7. Refrain from blame and shame
  8. No hyperbole-Refrain from exaggerating for effect. Omit words such as “never” and “always” even if this is what it feels like
  9. Take 100% responsibility for your thought, feelings and actions.
  10. Be willing to place HARMONY IN THE RELATIONSHIP above being RIGHT
  11. No threats or actions that cause long-term pain. Avoid statements regarding leaving for good or ending the relationship. This could cause long-term trauma to the relationship
  12. Sticks and stones can break hearts. Words can hurt- or heal
  13. Take responsibility- even if it means laughing at your own foibles. Maturity begins on the day you can laugh at yourself!
  14. Be compassionate towards yourself, your partner and the human predicament.
  15. Take an announced, agreed upon break of a few minutes to a few hours. Sleeping on it really does help give a fresh perspective.
  16. Stay on subject. Refrain from bringing in extraneous history.
  17. Try to walk in the other person’s shoes.  With this powerful technique you can learn so much and become empathetic
  18. Set your own ground rules. Talk about what works for you both.
  19. When all else fails come and see me!

21-Day “No Complaining Fast”

FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE

  1. Notice what complaining is. Become aware of how you affect yourself and others around you.  Remember you are the one who hears yourself the most.
  2. Separate out healthy complaining from “gvetching” whining, moaning, self-flagellation, negative thinking. It is this kind of thinking and speaking that we are giving up.
  3. Healthy complaining includes “customer service complaints” which encourages appropriate assertiveness.
  4. Mourning and grieving and deep prayer are healthy forms of complaining.
  5. Replacements. The mind abhors a void. Instead of complaining:
  6. Practice the Creativity Exercise.
    1. What are five possibilities not necessarily solutions to the problem?
    2. B. Practice the Gratitude Attitude.
    • Be silly and outrageous. We are not problem solving.
    • We are brainstorming. -breaking up the blocks in our addictive thinking patterns with humor and possibility.

Gratitude is the Fountain of Healing.

Say, “thank you” twice a day for that which you are truly grateful for in the moment

  1. Thank yourself
  2. Thank another person out-loud
  3. Thank God

No gratitude is too big or too small.

Notice the changes that you go through as you give up this addiction.

You will truly free yourself and open yourself and others to creative possibility

 

Complaining is the Number #1 addiction. It brings you down and inhibits creativity. This process works by awareness. Each time you notice that you are complaining – you must go back to Day 1 and start over. Rather than being discouraging you probably will begin to feel so much better, that the intrinsic good feelings of freedom will make you want to forge ahead.

Jewish Renewal Chicken Soup

Jewish Renewal Mother’s Chicken Soup
Very healthful; it’ll renew you! 

Ingredients:

  • One Empire Kosher chicken split and skinned (Keep a little skin for schmaltz)
    or
  • 4 split chicken breasts, if only white meat is desired
  • 1/2 cup brown basmati rice (or for variation, substitue wild rice)
  • 4-6 carrots, preferably organic
  • 3 parsnips, peeled and sliced
  • A few stalks of celery
  • 1 good-sized red onion
  • 1 green apple
  • Half a bunch of parsley
  • 2 cups brown mushrooms (preferably crimini)
  • Cinnamon-preferably 2 large 6” sticks, or five short 3” sticks (or 1/4 tsp.powdered)
  • 1/4 tsp. cumin
  • 1/4 tsp. curry
  • 2 tsp. salt or to taste
  • 8 cups of boiling water
  • A little olive oil if necessary

Rub skin on bottom of pot and lightly brown chicken and then brown uncooked rice.
Cut onion and celery and apple and brown in pot with rice and chicken.
Add a little olive oil if needed to prevent burning.
Add boiling water, cinnamon and other spices.
Add parsnips and carrots. Cover pot and simmer for one hour or until chicken falls off bone and kitchen is filled with a wonderful aroma. Remove chicken, cool and cut into small pieces and add back into soup. If necessary add more spices to taste. Add more water depending how soupy you want your chicken soup to be. Add mushrooms for a very short simmer 3-5 minutes.
Garnish with parsley. Serve in big bowls with challah, a salad and a glass of Shiraz. Enjoy!!

Jewish Renewal Chicken Soup

Jewish Renewal Mother’s Chicken Soup
Very healthful; it’ll renew you! 

Ingredients:

  • One Empire Kosher chicken split and skinned (Keep a little skin for schmaltz)
    or
  • 4 split chicken breasts, if only white meat is desired
  • 1/2 cup brown basmati rice (or for variation, substitue wild rice)
  • 4-6 carrots, preferably organic
  • 3 parsnips, peeled and sliced
  • A few stalks of celery
  • 1 good-sized red onion
  • 1 green apple
  • Half a bunch of parsley
  • 2 cups brown mushrooms (preferably crimini)
  • Cinnamon-preferably 2 large 6” sticks, or five short 3” sticks (or 1/4 tsp.powdered)
  • 1/4 tsp. cumin
  • 1/4 tsp. curry
  • 2 tsp. salt or to taste
  • 8 cups of boiling water
  • A little olive oil if necessary

Rub skin on bottom of pot and lightly brown chicken and then brown uncooked rice.
Cut onion and celery and apple and brown in pot with rice and chicken.
Add a little olive oil if needed to prevent burning.
Add boiling water, cinnamon and other spices.
Add parsnips and carrots. Cover pot and simmer for one hour or until chicken falls off bone and kitchen is filled with a wonderful aroma. Remove chicken, cool and cut into small pieces and add back into soup. If necessary add more spices to taste. Add more water depending how soupy you want your chicken soup to be. Add mushrooms for a very short simmer 3-5 minutes.
Garnish with parsley. Serve in big bowls with challah, a salad and a glass of Shiraz. Enjoy!!