During the Days of Awe, we are commanded to hear the blowing of the shofarA ram's horn that is blown on the High Holidays to "wake us up" and call Jews to repentance. It is also said that its blast will herald the coming of the messiah.. This is a meditation for the shofar blowers.
Sit quietly. Close your eyes. Take a few moments to become comfortable. Let your body relax. Focus on your breathing. Take a few deep breaths, inhaling and exhaling slowly. As you inhale, imagine that you are breathing in waves of healing energy. Envision these waves flowing into your lungs, and then from your lungs to your heart. Envision these waves flowing from your heart to all your blood vessels and into all your cells. With every breath, feel your body become more and more relaxed.
See yourself holding a shofar. You note the shape and texture of the shofar. Note how it shines and curves. Feel the smoothness of its walls. Now see yourself lifting the shofar to your lips. See yourself take a deep breath, hold it, and then blow it into the shofar. As you breathe this breath into the shofar, you feel a lightness within you. You see any darkness from within rise in a dark cloud from the shofar. This cloud contains anything that is negative, anything that restricts you, anything that holds you back, anything that prevents you from moving forward. See it float away from you on a light breeze. And now as it disappears, you see and feel the shofar changing. The hard walls become soft, transparent, like the most delicate fabric, like baby skin. You see and feel the shofar pulsate. You sense that it is organic, a living entity.Â
Now as you once again blow the shofar, envision your breath as a stream of clear light flowing from you into the shofar. Note the color of the light. Note its purity. Note how it moves, forming a spiral like the spiral of the shofar. This light contains all that is positive within you, all that impels you to grow and move forward, all that is healing and cleansing. And with each breath that you blow into the shofar, you see the shofar expand and grow. You see it reaching upward and outward. You note how its walls pulsate with the light of your breath. It is a vessel for light and energy, a container of all that is positive, of all that is healing, of all that is new, of all that is beginning. You note that it is completely filled with your breath of light. You note that all darkness is gone. You know that whenever you encounter darkness, you can blow your breath of light into your inner shofar. And with this breath of light—your breath of light—you start anew, you begin again.
Hold on to these images as you now become aware once more of the boundaries of your body. As you take a few deep breaths, you become aware of your physical presence. Then—whenever you are ready—slowly, gently, open your eyes.
