| Side A: | Restoring my soul .... | A guided meditation on Psalm 23 |
| Side B: | Gathering me in ....... | A guided meditation on Psalm 27 |
| © 1995, Joseph G. Rosenstein, 223 South 3rd Avenue, Highland Park, NJ 08904 | ||
Following is the text of the card that accompanies this meditation tape; you can direct email questions or comments to the author at joer@dimacs.rutgers.edu.
"To dwell in God's house" is the most urgent desire of the psalmist -- see psalm 27:4, echoed in psalm 23:6.
To find a place of serenity, where we can turn away from the reality of daily life and come to feel the sweetness of God's eternal presence may also be high on our own spiritual agenda.
If we listen closely to the words of the psalmist, we can hear the message that God is always there to "gather us in", always ready to "restore our soul"; and we can learn what we need to do to find those blessings and bring them back with us to enrich our daily lives.
Guided meditation provides a way to help us listen closely to the words of these two psalms.
I invite you to join me in this journey.
About guided meditation: You will need to set aside 35 minutes when you can give this tape your full attention. Find a place where you will not be disturbed or distracted. Turn off your telephone, put aside your to-do list, and find a quiet place where you will be comfortable.
Since you will need to close your eyes, you should not listen to this tape while you are driving down the highway! And you should not try to listen to this tape when you are very tired, or while you are lying down, lest you fall asleep.
After some breathing exercises, I will ask you to follow me in a slow interpretive reading of the psalm. Please focus on my words and images, let me be your guide.
If some thought is holding on to you, face it directly, acknowledge its significance, watch it fade to a corner of your mind, and return to the breathing, return to the meditation. If you find the meditation long or difficult, you may stop at any time, and return when you're ready.
You may want to listen to this tape with other people, and share your experiences afterwards.
About the Psalms: Psalm 23 is often chanted for consolation, at the departure of a soul or a Sabbath, and Psalm 27 to provide hope and courage during the weeks of introspection that surround the high holy days.
These psalms are in essence prayers, so that this is a prayer tape; please treat the tape with respect, as you would a prayerbook.
Some verses of the psalms are recited in Hebrew, but translations are provided; if the Hebrew words are unfamiliar, let yourself be absorbed in their sounds.
Though deeply rooted in Jewish tradition, the meditations are available to people of all spiritual backgrounds.
Please share with me your comments on these meditations.
© 1995, Joseph G. Rosenstein
December 1995 -- Kislev 5756
If you wish to share copies of this tape with others, please respect them, yourself, and the author by purchasing this tape, rather than copying it.
Copies of this tape (and subsequent tapes) may be ordered for $10 U.S. (plus $2 mailing) from
Joseph G. Rosenstein
223 South 3rd Avenue
Highland Park, New Jersey 08904