Chapter 7:1-2
Turn and return, Oh Shulamit,
Turn and return that we may gaze upon you!
Why do you gaze upon the Shulamit
As she dances through the camp?
How graceful your steps in those sandals,
Oh nobleman’s daughter,
The curves of your thigh are like jewels
Shaped by a master craftsmen.
I am riveted to her beauty. She is pure color, essence of fragrance, true vitality, hidden grace. She reaches out a delicate hand of invitation that I might join her in this dance of turning.
And this is my dance:
Turning away from the habits of shallow breathing,
Returning to my true depths,
Turning away from cynical judgments — my armor against the terror of being judged in turn,
Returning to my open heart, where the courage and humility to remain vulnerable yield treasure upon treasure of surprises.This is my dance:
Remembering,
Forgetting,
and Remembering again.
In the Fever of Love ©2008 Shefa Gold. All rights reserved.
Practice
Chant: Turn and Return
Commentary
The Shulamit, the aspect of ourselves that is the Perfected One, dances with fervor, authenticity, passion and artistry. When we can know our lives as a dance, then the twisting and turnings of fate are reframed and experienced as poignancy, beauty, dignity, nobility or play. It’s all a dance!
To gaze upon the Shulamit is to be inspired by her dance, so we can each find our own dance, our own way of moving in the world and between worlds. I often come back to the question posed by Gabrielle Roth, the great teacher of Ecstatic Dance: “If you don’t do your dance, who will?”!!
Bridge to Torah
After 40 years of wandering, Moses, (the place of prophesy within) speaks to us and gleans from the journey all the gifts of wisdom we need in order to enter the Promised Land, the state of being that is flowing with milk and honey. He remembers (and reminds us) of our victories and defeats along the way so that we might learn from them.
The Shulamit of the Song of Songs, whose name points to the possibility of wholeness, has found that same wisdom by entering into the dance of life. It is a dance of turning towards truth and beauty; it is a dance of returning again and again to center. When we gaze upon the Shulamit as she dances through the camp, we are invited to join the dance and know the twists and turns of our own journey through the wilderness as the Great dance — filled with beauty and the possibility of wisdom.
Click to see Deuteronomy 1:1–3:22 in Hebrew and English (JPS 1985) or the associated Torah Journeys page.
Questions for Contemplation
How can I know my life as a dance? In that knowing, can I give myself to the dance more fully? What holds me back from fully engaging with this dance of my life?
Resources
View Love at the Center Resources.
Click to see Song of Songs Chapter 7:1-2 in Hebrew with the English JPS (1985) translation.