Chapter 8:8-10
We have a young sister
And she has no breasts,
What shall we do for our sister,
When she is courted?
If she is a wall, we will build
A sliver turret upon her,
If she is a door, we will bolt her
With beams of cedar.
I am a wall
And my breasts are towers,
But for my lover, I will be
A city of Peace.
I feel the stirring of that place of vulnerability in me — The soft of my heart that I have been protecting so loyally.
Finally she speaks, or finally I listen.
“I only seem small to you because you do not yet know or trust me. All your protections, all your defenses have shut me in. The courtship that you are delaying for me (with your narrow fear) is the precious intimacy with the Beloved who has been calling.
Don’t you see?
It is the very reason you are here!”
In the Fever of Love ©2008 Shefa Gold. All rights reserved.
Practice
Chant: A City of Peace
Commentary
Literally, “Then I will be in his eyes, one who has found peace.” Through our practice and by steadfastly walking the path of love, I become a refuge for others, a place of calm in the storm. For the sake of Love, I dismantle the fortifications of ego, and welcome the Beloved into my center, which then becomes a radiant core. In shining the light of the Beloved, I will manifest a kind of strength, radiance and integrity that no longer requires defenses.
Bridge to Torah
The Torah of Vayelech recounts the story of Moses going out to gather the people to him, empowering them, warning them about their tendencies to forget, and giving them tools of remembrance. The most important vehicle of remembrance is the SONG. God tells Moses to sing a song, to put that song into the mouths of the people, into their hearts… so that when they become forgetful or complacent, the song that has been planted in them will call them back to Divine center.
Shir Hashirim is the SONG of SONGS. When we get lost in fear or distraction, it’s power and magic and passion will call us back to the path of Love; the power of the SONG will call us back to our wholeness.
Click to see Deuteronomy 31:1–31:30 in Hebrew and English (JPS 1985) or the associated Torah Journeys page.
Question for Contemplation
Can I let go of some of my old patterns of defense, trusting that the path of love is leading me towards the possibility of open-hearted presence in the city of peace?
Resources
View Love at the Center Resources.
Click to see Song of Songs Chapter 8:8-10 in Hebrew with the English JPS (1985) translation.