Tag: Spirituality

A Teachable Moment

I’ve been having trouble writing lately. My spidey senses warned me that October was going to be a brutal month, but my inability started long before the world as I knew it blew up. After a challenging year, I had lost my sense of self. The words that I connected to were no longer flowing freely. I became determined to find a way to recapture what I had always considered my gift, expecting that a glimmer of light would eventually lift my creative darkness. Instead, I was shocked to find a spark of evil igniting my breakthrough.

Over the past few weeks, I have been reading and seeing things that have taken me some time to process. Now my emotions have settled in as a calling to write. My identity as a writer has returned along with one that feels even more important at this time in history. I am a Jewish American.  And until a month ago, I was able to walk around forgetting about a malignancy that has been lurking in the shadows of that identity for decades. A hatred every Jew is aware of, but hoped would never land on their front doorstep.

I have heard people make the argument that antisemitism is not the same thing as taking a stand against Israel. Before October 7th, I might have been swayed. But by the end of the day on that gruesome Saturday, every Jew became one and the same.

I’m not going to pretend to know every detail of a history that goes back centuries in time, and I wish others would join me in being so honest. Because the unaware who are now speaking up for a cause they don’t fully understand have chosen to link arms with centuries of people who are taught at birth that the Jews have no right to exist. Too many supported the cold-blooded annihilation of six million Jews during World War II. How can it be that in 2023 we are seeing masses of new faces cheering on the prospect of another Jewish genocide?

Here are some facts that cannot be disputed. The Jewish population has recently been calculated to stand at roughly sixteen million people. With eight billion people in the world, that means we account for 0.2% of the world’s population. The largest portion of the those sixteen million live in the United States and Israel, two places that felt safe to migrate to when our families were being murdered in Russia and Eastern Europe. Genocide is a concept we understand all too well.

There is no way to explain the connection that many American Jews feel toward Israel. It is our homeland, even if we have never lived there. And for those who have friends and family there, that feeling is even stronger. The thought of fourteen hundred people being slaughtered in unimaginable ways for simply being Jewish is devastating and sickening to us. We are scared for the two-hundred plus Israelis and Americans who were dragged off to become useful hostages. What started off as empathetic pain is now growing into massive fear. A country the size of New Jersey is being targeted as a hateful nation that has no right to defend itself because its residents are Jewish. In what alternate universe would this not be called antisemitism?

A recent video posted by the actress Mayim Bialik touched me so much that I had to dig deeper into my own thoughts and feelings. While others are simply re-posting or picking a side, I think everyone should take a hard look at this issue from both sides. It’s a complicated one with plenty of suffering and death to go around. People are not their governments, but at this point in history, there is a big difference between a democratic state and a terrorist regime.

In June of 2007 after Israel withdrew troops and disengaged from Gaza, Hamas took over the government. Hamas is a terrorist organization that is being trained and funded by Iran, the world’s largest sponsor of terrorism. Hating Jews and wiping Israel off the map is their top priority. If you don’t believe me, ask them. They tell everyone. Hamas does not work for the people of Gaza and they don’t put value into any human life (not even their own). They store weapons in schools and hospitals and use their own people as human shields. They feed the blood-thirsty antisemites with anti-Israel propaganda and the world listens and believes. There is nothing good to root for here. They will never help the Palestinian people and they will never stop going after Israel.  The world needs to understand that their goal will never be peace, so the time has come for them to be eradicated. For further proof, look up the meaning of the word Hamas in Hebrew. It translates to violence. 

Two things can always be true at the same time. Both Israelis and Palestinians deserve peace, safety and security. While I sit and question why no Arab nations are stepping up in any way to help the Palestinians, it’s important to remember that many Palestinians had jobs in Israel and were crossing back and forth to make a living. Sick Palestinians were being treated in Israeli hospitals. In Jerusalem, Temple Mount is as prominent a structure as the Western Wall. The Dome of the Rock remains a place for Muslim worship with no Jews allowed. There are tensions at times, but for the most part, the Muslims and Jews have found a way to live side by side. That could never happen in Gaza because of Hamas. 

It’s a known fact that antisemitism is passed through the Arab generations by inserting the hatred of Jews into the school curriculum. In the past month, it has become more apparent that something similar seems to be emerging on our own college campuses. Activism is nothing new, but activism fueled by hate is bringing up a lot of questions. Is this coming from the classroom? Where are the administrative voices that should be shouting an unwavering decree that hate will never be tolerated? Good and Evil is usually not that complicated. Can someone explain to me when the terrorists became the good guys?

For my own sanity, I’m choosing to believe that we need this widespread hatred to be exposed. Everyone needs to see it and the Jewish people in the United States need to know who is lining up against them. Antisemitism needs to become universally troubling to all good people who understand right from wrong. Any country attacked by terrorists has a right to defend itself. Every person deserves an equal right to live and prosper. Every life should matter – period and full stop. Jewish lives matter, but in some circles we are learning that they do not.  Some of the loudest voices are screaming that the Jews should die. And make no mistake, they mean all Jews. Do I have to worry that someone is going to draw a Jewish star on my front door so the evil will know where to find me? Just a few weeks ago I was afraid to buy a dreidel centerpiece in Home Goods because I was scared that someone around me might see that I was Jewish. Are we supposed to be grateful because at least we’ll see it coming?

As I hope for peace, I also pray for an awakening. For the closed minds who have decided that Israel has no right to defend itself or exist, let me remind you that there is plenty of hate out there to go around. Eventually, someone will come for you if they haven’t already. The time is now to change the trajectory. We need a return to humanity, which used to be such a simple concept. Good over evil, right over wrong, and life over death. 

I titled this piece A Teachable Moment because in the last few decades I have learned that people can only relate to what they have experienced. 9/11 always seemed like a regional event to me based on the reactions of some who lived outside the New York area. And yet, it pulled people together in the most heartening and uplifting ways. We need another dose of that now. I only hope a relatable experience doesn’t have to come in the form of a terrorist attack on US soil. Because terrorism doesn’t take on a different definition only when you become the victim.

Posted on by Shari Brauner

Finding – And Sharing – My Sixth Sense

Intuition: When you don’t know how you know… but you know you know… and you know you knew, and that’s all you needed to know.

Spoiler Alert: This is one heck of a crazy story that not everyone is going to believe, which is totally okay because sometimes I don’t believe it either.

For as long as I can remember, I have felt a presence in my life — some form of intuition. Nothing huge, just a moment where I would know the phone was about to ring, or I would anticipate running into someone I knew right before our paths would cross. During that period, raising my young family was all I had time to think about. Then, life got quiet. And when it did, I decided the time had come to explore a side of myself that had always intrigued me.

In September of 2018, I began actively looking for something to fill my palpable void. Cut to a class popping up in my search that seemed like a perfect match. A beginner’s workshop on clairvoyance and intuition. A somewhat scary endeavor, but I went with my gut and signed up.

Three years later, it would be impossible to sum up the spiritual twists and turns that have changed the course of my life. Many have dropped my jaw to the floor. As I learned early on, intuition can teach a person to expect the unexpected. Add to that the warning given by my teacher: If you choose to open this side of yourself, be prepared that your abilities will grow stronger — and you will never be able to go back.

I remained undaunted thanks to the incredible women in my class. They would become my soul sisters as we bonded and supported each other through a journey that often seemed unbelievable. Our gatherings became immeasurable spiritual therapy as we delved into our different abilities and used them to learn and grow with each other.

For me, things took a noticeable turn in March of 2020 when the coronavirus sent us into lockdown. With normal life at a standstill, I began to notice a cosmic silence that somehow created an opening for a loud and clear level of chatter. I had always thought that my own voice had been guiding me, but in a quieter setting, I could distinctly hear voices that were no longer my own.

My intuition level had reached an all-time high, still nothing surprised me more than when I started to hear messages in the middle of the night. I lost a lot of sleep during that time, including the night I had a “visit” from one of my father’s best friends who was in the end stage of his life. Their friendship had become strained in later years, so he wanted both of my parents to know that he loved them and that he was sorry. I grabbed a pen and paper and wrote down every word, not even remembering what he had said until the next day when I read the message to my mother. His words were so beautiful that I couldn’t help but cry, all the while wondering if I had made the whole thing up.

The 3 a.m. wake-up calls became so frequent that I kept a journal next to my bed in order to write things down before they vanished by morning. While pandemic-related fear crept into all of our lives, I began investing in the late-night distractions that came in the form of hopeful fortune-telling or cryptic riddles. These were the learning stages, when I would feel like a crazy person, until more tangible events started to take place. One of the most memorable was when I had the ability to pass along a message to a friend that it was time to say a final goodbye to his father. This important heads-up helped bring closure to a complicated relationship before it officially ended just a few days later. After that, my gift began to feel purposeful at a time when many of us felt like we had no purpose at all.

Intuition can also bring something special into your life when you least expect it.

Even though good things seemed to be emerging from my self-diagnosed “crazy,” my doubts often trumped my abilities, as I constantly questioned the reality of what was happening to me. As the experiences continued, I began to notice an additional spark of personality in the messages I was hearing. The prankster brother-in-law boasting about his trickery in causing a cell phone alarm to go off. The golfing buddy cheering on his friend for hitting the ball a little straighter (for the record, I know very little about golf). And my favorite being the wise aunt who convinced her nephew to give up a longtime grudge because the source of his anger was no longer alive.

Moving forward, I still had a great sense of caution when it came to sharing what I was hearing. First, I didn’t want to be carted away to the looney bin, but more importantly, I never wanted to hurt someone I cared about. When I got a message for a good friend who lost her son, I wanted her to feel like she could trust that I was saying his words and not my own. If I’m with a friend who I know will cry if I share that we are not alone, I hesitate until I know they will gain comfort from what I have to tell them. And, for the people who need closure, I am very careful to repeat the exact words that their loved one wants them to hear. The results are truly indescribable and often blow me away just as much as the person I am sharing my gift with.

In my 30s, I felt a strong sense that I had been put on this Earth to help people. Two decades later, I am starting to believe that I am also being guided toward the people who need me. A few weeks ago, I began running into a neighbor who had recently lost her husband. We had only crossed paths a handful of times prior, but suddenly she and I were constantly outside at the same time. As we began to talk about our shared spirituality, I realized that her husband wanted us to be friends. He had been trying so hard to get messages to her, and he knew I could be the person to validate them. And as I did, he provided me with an invaluable lesson to trust what I’m hearing, even when I continue to be so afraid to be wrong.

Intuition can also bring something special into your life when you least expect it. Just as my beloved Maltese started to experience a difficult decline in his health, one of my closest friends took on the challenging role as president of his local animal shelter. He became so devoted to walking dogs and running board meetings that I figured the least I could do was follow the shelter on Instagram. Early on, I had a feeling that I would eventually adopt one of their dogs, but Nicky’s difficult passing left me feeling reluctant to consider repeating such a heartbreaking experience. Four years went by, and even though my daughter had a dream about a black-and-white dog joining our family, no dog tempted me until I saw Piper — the pitbull mix with the irresistible cuteness who had charmed almost everyone working at the shelter, including my friend. I had the immediate sense that she belonged with us, and for once, the signs were too clear to question. Piper was the name of my daughter’s college a cappella group and the airplanes that my son was working on in aviation school.

I think it’s highly likely that we all possess some form of intuition. Messages are all around us in dreams and songs. Even repeating words can take us outside the boundaries of our normal daily experiences. It took me many years to shake off the skepticism, even with my growing ability to help people with their pain and loss. As I witnessed the greater good playing out time and time again, I realized that my focus should turn to feeling grateful for this gift in my life. It’s not for me to convince anyone as much as it is for me to appreciate and share.

Posted on by Shari Brauner 3