Hi friends,
Good Morning here in Salt Lake City. On my way to Ca. this morning to spend a week with a group of friends, spiritual teacher types, some great rabbis, and other folks to vision together what we would like to share in the world in coming years. Before I leave I need to send my to my friend and assistant, a letter to some friends inviting people to visit the website.
I am sooo bad at writing short letters. My assistant said, keep it short, four lines, As usual I got confused and thought he meant four pages. Part of it is a brief response to some Jewish leaders who have written and acted in ways that are in my experience, a sad violation of love and integrity. I send them all my love and need, for integrity’s sake, and for the record, to register my objection. Objection your honor! Sustained!
So I have excerpted part of the note that is being send today to share it with you.
Wishing you the most gorgeous day ever!
Shalom Chaver…
…….
Response to some voices in jewish “leadership”
Their are, as we expected, a group of people, some of them ostensible “leaders” in the jewish community who have written and said things, both in public and private, which are blatant lies.
They have represented themselves in ways which are disingenuous at best. The have acted, talked, written, without checking the facts which myself or people in my circle have offerred to make a avaialble.
They have not seen the extensive doumentation available. Hiding behind pious expressions and ostensibly noble motives, some of them in public statements have acted in way which are abusive, manipulative, blatantly dishonoest and cowardly.
Some of these “leaders” have then projected thier own shadows outward and in a frenzy of domination, accused anyone who dared opposed them of the same.
Sad…
I have made mistakes. I have been wild, sometimes boundary breaking, sometimes wrong in relationship choices and at times have made decisions that did not reflect my highest self. This is true of all of us in leadership positions and all of us human beings. Where possible and appropriate I have asked forgiveness. None of this however has anything to do with the vicious and vile demonization that has gone on in certain circles. Oh well:)
The demonizers have hidden behind what seem on the outside to be sexual issues, in order to let the full range of their own lack of wholeness run free. This lack of wholeness found expression expressed in venemous shadow acting out of many forms, disguised as “protecting the women” or some other noble intention. For the most part I would imagine, disguised not only from the public but even from themselves.
Demonizers are virtually always driven by the inability to own the demonic in themselves.
Demonizers can never hold complexity, multiple perspectives or even much of the simple truthS. Empirical facts never slow them down.
Troy did not fall because Paris prince of slept with Helen of Sparta. Troy fell because the Greek King Agammemnon, driven by abusive ego and ambition wanted to destroy Troy. Helen was not the reason but the excuse. This is what Patriarchy has always done. Abused women and at the same time hidden behind the veneer of, “protecting the women” in order to let the full viciousnes of male shadow, driven by envy, malice, insecurity and fear to run amok. In doing so Patriarchy abuses women again and again.
Hidden however under noble and righteous guise.
In doing so they have engaged in what can only be termed Sexual Abuse, the abuse of sexuality, which in the teaching of hebrew mysticism is no less then defilement of the holy of holies. In the words of Akiva, all the books are holy, the Song of Songs, the biblical book which expereinces spirit in terms of the erotic and sensual, is holy of holies.
These leaders who would sit and talk in a heart beat to speak to the terrorists of Hamaas in Israel, who justify Bin Laden at every turn, refuse to sit and talk with their own colleagues and use McCarthyite tactics to silence any and all opposition.
Kind of crazy but there you have it.
Instead of displaying spiritual leadership and creating a container for truth, for all perspectives, and for the highest in everyone to emerge, they have refused, for two years to speak to both of sides of the conflict in which I was engaged. None the less they have literally lied – time and again – in order to cover up the fact that they have never spoken to me or examined the extensive documentary record that supports my assertions in the controversy section of this website.
The record shows that the relationships in which I engaged were with awake, powerful women, who in their words, felt that I “honored their sacred autonomy”, loved and respected them. The record indicates the the women initiated much of the sexual dimension in the relationship with the full audacity and dignity of feminine desire. The record indicates beyond a a shadow of a doubt that I – in no way what whatsover, sexually harassed anyone. It shows not only the loving and affectionate nature of the relationships, it also shows that no promises were broken, no deception deployed to gain sexual engagement, and that all sides in the story held significant power and vulnerability.
Despite repeated offers make by many parties, these leaders have refused to directly hear both sides of a story. This simple elemental requirement of decency and fairness has been ignored. This is sadly a sure sign of the malice and ill intention driving the shadowy players behind the scenes who, while keeping themselves hidden from the public eye, have done their “Iago” work. The Iago energy a Shakespeare reminded us is, driven by its own emptiness and hurt, dedicated to killing love that they cannot own or does not satisfy their own grasping or feed their own hungry ghosts. It opposes healing at all costs and can never give up being right!
These ostensible leaders, have in my view betrayed their own integrity and the trust of the community. While not unexpected, it is sad beyond measure.
