Middot are soul traits, Divine qualities that require daily attention if we wish to live a life that is filled with (w)holy interactions. Our awareness of how each middah has an impact on our relationships with other people, with our selves and with God, leads us to develop these traits more fully. There are many excellent resources to help us on this sacred path including old texts and contemporary teachers (Alan Morinis and the other teachers at the Mussar Institute), yet the most valuable resource of all is our own nature. By monitoring and observing our own inner reactions and behavioral responses as circumstances arise, we learn to adjust our way of being in the world. We can become better people, kinder people, more honest, better listeners, and do mitzvot with our kavannah in alignment with the Higher Good.
I suggest adding the practice of SoulCollage® to the many other techniques available for improving our soul traits. Before you create your card, meditate upon a trait that you have been struggling with. Ask for Holy guidance as you open your eyes and reach for images. Construct your SoulCollage and follow through with the "I am the one who..." exercise. Each day for a week, or month (depending on how you approach Middot refinement) consult with your card in the morning. Ask it a question such as: What wisdom do you have to offer me today in regard to ________________(name the middah you are working on)? Allow the card to "speak" and write the words down in a journal before going on with your day. There is no need to look back at what you wrote on other days until after you have moved on to the next middah.
Be aware, that like the study of Torah, middah development is ongoing. "Turn it and turn it again for everything is in it." Rabbi Ben Bag Bag
My hope is to eventually create a SoulCollage® Middot Gallery of Our Cards. Please forward your images and comments to me about your experience working with SoulCollage® in this way.
In her wonderful teaching resource Teaching Jewish Virtues Sacred Sources and Art Activities, Rabbi Susan Freeman includes a list of 48 Middot gathered from Pirke Avot and Orchot Tzadikim (Appendix 8, pg 355 & 356)
Here are 12 to work on over the next year if you choose:
Shmiat ha Ozen (attentiveness/listening)
Binat HaLev/rachamim (an understanding heart/compassion)
Anavah (humility)
Da'agah (worry)
Yirah (awe)
Simcha (joy)
Erech Apayim (slow to anger)
Azut (arrogance)
Seyag LiD'varav/lashon hara (gaurding one's speach-tongue)
Dibuk Chaverim (cleaving to friends)
Shalom (peace)
Emet (truth)
Another great resource is www.meaningfullife.org where middot/sefirot are explained and thoughts to ponder are offered.
I suggest adding the practice of SoulCollage® to the many other techniques available for improving our soul traits. Before you create your card, meditate upon a trait that you have been struggling with. Ask for Holy guidance as you open your eyes and reach for images. Construct your SoulCollage and follow through with the "I am the one who..." exercise. Each day for a week, or month (depending on how you approach Middot refinement) consult with your card in the morning. Ask it a question such as: What wisdom do you have to offer me today in regard to ________________(name the middah you are working on)? Allow the card to "speak" and write the words down in a journal before going on with your day. There is no need to look back at what you wrote on other days until after you have moved on to the next middah.
Be aware, that like the study of Torah, middah development is ongoing. "Turn it and turn it again for everything is in it." Rabbi Ben Bag Bag
My hope is to eventually create a SoulCollage® Middot Gallery of Our Cards. Please forward your images and comments to me about your experience working with SoulCollage® in this way.
In her wonderful teaching resource Teaching Jewish Virtues Sacred Sources and Art Activities, Rabbi Susan Freeman includes a list of 48 Middot gathered from Pirke Avot and Orchot Tzadikim (Appendix 8, pg 355 & 356)
Here are 12 to work on over the next year if you choose:
Shmiat ha Ozen (attentiveness/listening)
Binat HaLev/rachamim (an understanding heart/compassion)
Anavah (humility)
Da'agah (worry)
Yirah (awe)
Simcha (joy)
Erech Apayim (slow to anger)
Azut (arrogance)
Seyag LiD'varav/lashon hara (gaurding one's speach-tongue)
Dibuk Chaverim (cleaving to friends)
Shalom (peace)
Emet (truth)
Another great resource is www.meaningfullife.org where middot/sefirot are explained and thoughts to ponder are offered.
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