CREATIVE SOUL JOURNEYS

Neshei Chabad Newsletter

Painting the Soul Canvas

September, Tishrei 2006

“You are standing at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. Take a step forward and touch the wall. Feel the cool stones; ancient stones filled with notes that fly skyward. Take a moment of silence and pray. The wall disappears and ..

It is Rosh Chodesh Tammuz and twenty women sit around a long table in the Chabad House of East Hampton. Their eyes are closed as Neria Cohen's voice guides them on a journey through their inner Temple - the sanctuary which exists timelessly within the human soul. The guided visualization leads the women through the outer courtyard where they transform an aspect of their animal soul and then on into the Holy where the internal lessons of the Menorah, Show Bread and Incense Altar light up different aspects of their relationship with their Soul and with G-d. Finally they are led through curtains of woven blue and crimson to the innermost chamber, the Holy of Holies, a space beyond space where the finite and infinite meet, where the possible and impossible embrace....

As the visualization ends 20 paintbrushes begin to streak colors of self-expression onto white canvas as the women paint their feelings and experience onto a stretched canvas with a palette of lively colors.

“Many of us stop painting when we enter adulthood, but it is a wonderful tool to connect to the emotions and the subconscious mind.” says Neria Cohen who leads Jewish Meditation and Painting Workshops at Chabad Houses and JCC's around the United States. “Learning Torah is not just an intellectual process. Chassidus encourages us to personalize and internalize the teachings of the Torah and to use all our faculties to explore our connection with G-d. The guided meditation makes the teachings personally relevant on a psychological and spiritual level. The painting and creativity is a fun and also profound way to process information. The Frierdiker Rebbe notes that art is the highest of the senses (chushim) and that people who have a talent for art and drawing will find it easier to grasp very deep concepts in Chassidus”

Once the women have completed their paintings, an animated discussion ensues as participants share their artwork and receive feedback from the other women in the group. Although all the women experience the same meditation, each person's canvas is different, expressing their own individualism and unique inner journey. It is extraordinary to see how the paintings reflect the personality of the painter and the feedback becomes Jewish art therapy.

“Many times I learn something inspirational but it can be difficult to internalize,” one participant comments. “Taking home this canvas will help me relate to and remember the knowledge and inspiration I gained.”

The shluchos are very excited with the seminars and some have invited Neria back for a second time. “This workshop is like a spa for both body and soul,” says Sarah Shemtov of Chabad of Riverdale, New York. “It is full of content; intense yet relaxing and nurturing. Neria speaks to all the women as a group while simultaneously connecting with them as individuals. As Neria skillfully shifts the audience to right brain mode, the women's minds begin to flow with creativity and self expression.” (The right brain is intuitive and creative, while the left brain is judgmental and analytical.)

Traditionally, much of the learning we do is passive - we listen to teachers and lecturers explain ideas in Torah. Yet the Torah is inside of us and when we hear it, it resonates and awakens our inner knowing. The painting workshop gives women an opportunity to actively process this knowing and also to share it with others. This empowers the women as they imbibe a subtle message that the Torah is relevant to each one of us and belongs to each of us.

Every month of the Jewish year contains a particular spiritual energy and focus. If we are aware of this we can align ourselves with the energy and transform the corresponding aspect of our neshamah and avodah in serving Hashem. Bearing this in mind, Neria has created a different workshop for each month of the year.