Kol Zimra 7 will begin in July 2014 in New Mexico
Please contact Rabbi Shefa Gold for more info or to sign up.
Kol Zimra: Chant Leader's Professional Development
A Two-Year Training Program led by Rabbi Shefa Gold & Rachmiel O'Regan
Assisted by: Judith Dack & Yaffah Schnitzer
~ Kol Zimra 1, Chant Leaders Training ~ ~Third Retreat, July 2005 ~ |
From the liner notes of "The Majesty of Nurture" CD:
(Clip taken from #12 "Kol Zimra" on "The Majesty of Nurture" CD) |
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR: Rabbis, Cantors and Lay Leaders, Meditation Teachers, Rosh Chodesh Leaders, Healers, Prayer Leaders, Support Group Facilitators and Artists of Ritual.
Chanting, the melodic and rhythmic repetition of a sacred phrase, is a way of transforming the words of liturgy and Torah into doorways to expanded states of consciousness. The chant can attune us to ever-deepening levels of meaning, unlock the treasures of the heart, and give us an opportunity to generously serve each other. This Chant Training will be an opportunity to explore this powerful ecstatic practice with both rigorous attention to detail and expansive enjoyment of its transformative effects. Participants will be asked to organize a chanting group in their own communities in order to develop and refine the skills of chant and group energy. We will learn about the dynamics and potential of a spiritual group, using our own group as a living laboratory.
At Kol Zimra, we build a Mishkan for spiritual work. The sacred phrase becomes the tool of that building project. By using that tool, we are gradually initiated into an intimate relationship with text. The sacred text becomes our modality for… healing, community-building, deep inner exploration, the doorway into meditative states, cultivating midot, connection with the ancestors, with God and with our deepest truth.
The sacred phrase becomes the doorway into greater awareness, deeper love and the kind of connection with community and God, that can sustain us in our practice and in our leadership. We study the text and we study the many dimensions of intention that fuel and animate the text.
We engage in ritual and then we reflect on what exactly did that ritual accomplish; what doors were opened; what were the components that effected transformation.
Using the laboratory of our own community, we explore the “shadow”, and our own resistances to intimacy with each other, God and spiritual practice. We learn how to dedicate our practice in service, and bring awareness to what keeps us from that service. We support each other in growing our leadership, crafting practices that will sustain us in leadership.
We explore the power of breath, melody, harmony, rhythm, and tone to bring Life to the sacred phrase so that it can become a transformative tool. This is how liturgy comes off the page and into our hearts. This is how Torah becomes a Living force.
We learn the art of stereoscopic consciousness (Keeping a dual awareness on the group energy AND our own deepest presence.) We learn to ground energy and open to guidance. We study the functions of liturgy. We learn to inquire into the nature and purpose of ecstatic states, so that our awareness might become a bridge to access those states when needed. We explore the geography of The Heart.
Schedule for Kol Zimra 5 in Albuquerque, NM:
First Retreat (July 16 - 22, 2012):
Forming the container for Sacred Work, Clarifying our Intention. The Basics of Chant - Exploring the Uses of a Sacred Phrase and the Variables that Effect Consciousness. Cultivating Midot, qualities of Presence.
Second Retreat (January 28 - February 3, 2013):
Discerning and Practicing the Eight Functions of Consciousness in a Spiritual Group. Exploring the "Shadow" as it arises in group dynamics: where it comes from, why it is inevitable, and creative ways to deal with this powerful force.
Third Retreat (July 28 - August 4, 2013):
The Uses of Chant in the Exploration of Sacred Text and in preparing a spaciousness for prayerful silence. Constructing a chanting service. The use of chant in ritual and life passages.
Fourth Retreat (January 20 - 26, 2014):
Chant as a Healing Modality. Sustaining a personal practice and ongoing spiritual group. Instruction in voice, rhythm and maintaining the energy body.
Schedule for Kol Zimra 6 in Rhinebeck, NY:
First Retreat (May 6 - 12, 2013):
Forming the container for Sacred Work, Clarifying our Intention. The Basics of Chant - Exploring the Uses of a Sacred Phrase and the Variables that Effect Consciousness. Cultivating Midot, qualities of Presence.
Second Retreat (October 7 - 13, 2013):
Discerning and Practicing the Eight Functions of Consciousness in a Spiritual Group. Exploring the "Shadow" as it arises in group dynamics: where it comes from, why it is inevitable, and creative ways to deal with this powerful force.
Third Retreat (May 12 - 18, 2014):
The Uses of Chant in the Exploration of Sacred Text and in preparing a spaciousness for prayerful silence. Constructing a chanting service. The use of chant in ritual and life passages.
Fourth Retreat (October 20 - 26, 2014):
Chant as a Healing Modality. Sustaining a personal practice and ongoing spiritual group. Instruction in voice, rhythm and maintaining the energy body.
Resource Materials
Trainees will receive a curriculum guide specially developed for this course and not available to the public. Faculty will provide ongoing support and mentorship.
***Kol Zimra 7 will begin July 2014***
To Apply:E-mail an application directly to Rabbi Shefa Gold at Shefa@RabbiShefaGold.com Your letter should include a one paragraph description of your personal practice, current role in community, your background and training to date and your aspirations for this training.
For Further Information or to register [after applying to Shefa, above]: info@Ruachhaaretz.com
Co-sponsored by Ruach Ha'aretz & C-DEEP:
Center for Devotional Energy & Ecstatic Practice
A Project of ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal
"Rabbi Shefa knows how to contact the deep patterns of soul growth. She does that in the dimensions of sound, meditation, movement, and devotion. Her great strength is midwifing transformation for people. Her Center will serve those who are tired of doing only the beginner's work." - Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi
~ Kol Zimra 1, Chant Leaders Training~
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~ Kol Zimra 2, Chant Leaders Training ~ |
 ~ Kol Zimra 1, Chant Leaders Training ~ ~ Third Retreat, July 2005 ~ [Photo courtesy of Lorne Mallin] |
FACULTY
Rabbi Shefa Gold is a leader in ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal and received her ordination both from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College and from Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi. She is the director of C-DEEP: The Center for Devotional, Energy and Ecstatic Practice in Jemez Springs, New Mexico and around the world. Shefa composes and performs spiritual music, has produced ten albums, and her liturgies have been published in several new prayerbooks. She teaches workshops and retreats on the theory and art of Chanting, Devotional Healing, Spiritual Community Building, Meditation, and trains Chant Leaders in Kol Zimra, a two year program for rabbis, cantors and lay leaders. She is also on the faculty of the Institute for Jewish Spirituality. Shefa combines her grounding in Judaism with a background in Buddhist, Christian, Islamic, and Native American spiritual traditions to make her uniquely qualified as a spiritual bridge celebrating the shared path of devotion. She is the author of three books Torah Journeys: The Inner Path to the Promised Land released in 2006, In The Fever of Love: An Illimination of the Song of Songsreleased in 2009 and The Magic of Hebrew Chant (Along with its Companion: The Big Book of Musical Notations and Incantations) released in 2013.
Rachmiel
O'Regan, MA., Co-Director of C-DEEP: Center for Devotional, Energy and Ecstatic Practice. Shefa's husband, Rachmiel, has been a workshop and ritual leader, musician, chi qong teacher and holistic health practitioner for more than 30 years and a master's level counselor for over 25 years.
Judith Dack
KZ4 Co-Retreat Manager and Art Teacher: Judith Dack has been chanting with Reb Shefa since 1998 and joined the Kol Zimra faculty in 2008. Judith creates community art programs with the theme of soul discovery using the transformative power of art making in combination with chanting and writing. She welcomes each Kol Zimra participant to the experience of retreat with enthusiasm and joy. She is a graduate of the first cohorts of the Kol Zimra Chant Leaders Training and DLTI (Davvenen Leadership Training Institute). She has accompanied Reb Shefa on spiritual pilgrimage to Peru and Ecuador/Galapagos. Judith is active in the Jewish Renewal movement through her many years of service on the Aleph Board. She was best known as the yoga teacher for many summers and Shavuot at Elat Chayyim's Jewish Spiritual Retreat Center. Judith currently resides in Boulder, CO where she is immersed in the Art Therapy/Transpersonal Counseling Psychology Master's program at Naropa University. She is the mother of two grown daughters.
Yaffah Schnitzer
KZ4 Co-Retreat Manager and Movement Teacher: Yaffah Schnitzer has been chanting/studying with Reb Shefa since 1998 and joined the Kol Zimra faculty in 2008. She is a graduate of the first cohort of the Kol Zimra Chant Leaders Training and for many years, Yaffah has convened a monthly Shabbat Chant Circle at Bethesda Jewish Congregation in Bethesda, MD. She teaches Israeli and sacred dance and has created KZance, a choreographed dance program that complements the Kol Zimra Chant Leadership training. She holds a Master's Degree in counseling, and is also a passionate Jewish spiritual seeker, wellness coach and advocate, and is the drummer in the BJC Simcha b’Shabbat Band. Yaffah resides in Reston, VA with her husband, Rabbi Sunny Schnitzer. They have four grown daughters.
Rabbi Shefa can be reached by email at: Shefa@RabbiShefaGold.com
Rachmiel O'Regan can be reached by email at: CDEEP@RabbiShefaGold.com
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