Chapter 6:1-3
Where has your lover gone,
Oh most beautiful of women?
Where has your beloved turned?
Tell us and we will seek him with you.
My love has gone down to his garden,
To the beds of spices,
To graze and to gather lilies.
I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine,
He pastures among the lilies.
On the Path of Love I seek out friends who will ask me the right questions; who will find me when I am lost; who will remind me when I forget. I dedicate the fruits of my practice to these companions. I give them permission to rebuke me when I betray myself; to help me laugh at myself when I am lost in tragedy; to help me see the big picture when I am mired in minutiae; to remind me of the startling details when I become intoxicated with the cosmos.
In seeking the Beloved, I must sometimes go outside my ideas, my learning, my civilized conventions. I don’t have to go far.
That garden of spices is just past my door.But my window is double-paned, weatherproof, wind-resistant glass, with a screen to keep the bugs out. And my door is locked against intruders, secured against the elements.
Yes, I am my Beloved’s and my Beloved is mine. I must risk everything to be with You.
In the Fever of Love ©2008 Shefa Gold. All rights reserved.
Practice
Chant: Beloved
Commentary
God as this world holds me in Her loving embrace. I belong to The Whole. I am an integral aspect to Everything-that-is. I belong. And that wondrous mystery I call God is central to all I see, all I do, all I know, all I am. With this chant I raise up my awareness and attune my vibration with the truth being totally accepted, and totally beloved… flowing with the Divine Will, lifted up into the arms of the Infinite.
Bridge to Torah
The Torah of Shelach L’cha tells the story of the spies who are sent to scout out the Land, to gather information. For many of them, that journey into the garden of the promised Land is fraught, poisoned by fear and a sense of overwhelm. Those spies might benefit from the wisdom and perspective of the Song of Songs. The lover of the Song goes down to his garden, his Promised Land to “graze and gather lilies”. Rather than information, he is gathering beauty; he is being nourished by possibilities. And when we seek the Beloved, our hearts are filled with the confidence that comes from knowing that we are beloved. We let the knowing heart lead, as we step into the unknown. And we bring back loving confirmation of what is already known in our depths.
Click to see Numbers 13:1–15:41 in Hebrew and English (JPS 1985) or the associated Torah Journeys page.
Questions for Contemplation
Can I step out of my familiar comfort zone to seek and to meet the Beloved? Can I open to being the Beloved?
Resources
View Love at the Center Resources.
Click to see Song of Songs Chapter 6:1-3 in Hebrew with the English JPS (1985) translation.