COUNTING THE OMER – This prayer is traditionally recited between sundown and sunrise of each day.
Day 13: Yesod she b’Gevurah
The Blessing (Day 13):
Baruch atah Adonai elohaynu melech ha’olam asher kidshanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu al sephirat ha’omer.
Blessed are you, G-D, Source of Strength, You make us holy through your mitzvot, commanding us to count the Omer.
Ha yom shlosha asar yom, shehem shavuah echad v shisha yamim l’Omer. Today is the thirteenth day of the Omer, which makes one week and six days of the Omer.
Week Two – Gevurah (Discernment, Restraint, Strength)
Day Thirteen – Yesod she b’Gevurah (Foundation within Strength) – GENITALS to LEFT SHOULDER
Yesod, our Foundation, is a base of support where we can stand firm and strong to be able to make and discern our choices in life. (Gevurah is about Strength and about Discernment.) Another aspect of Yesod is about Bonding – as Yesod is placed in a space which is a focal point that bonds together the other sephirot. A well formed Foundation bonds itself together as well as to the base on which it itself sits. For example, consider a cement block that will be used as the Foundation for a building. If the cement block is not mixed well, the elements do not bond well together, creating a weak Foundation. But even if the cement is bonded fantastically together, and it seems like a perfect base, if it is on a weak piece of earth that can not support or bond with the cement block, we are still left with a poor Foundation.
What makes the best Foundation? Is it one that is stiff and unmoving, unwilling to bend? A stiff foundation structure may fail if there is an earthquake, but a flexible one will move along with the shifts in the surface of the earth, keeping the building intact and its occupants safe. It is STRONGER because of this! We each stand on our own individualized spiritual base, constructed of knowledge, experience and practice, which is best developed through the elasticity of careful distinction, not the rigidity of dogma.
Today, consider your own Foundation. Is it flexible? Has it stiffened over the years from negative life experiences? Have you done enough to keep your Foundation strong? How you used your Foundation to influence your choices, your Discernment, and to make you Stronger?
A good exercise is to nourish your Foundation through a meditative movement. The first thing you do when you meditate is create a firm Foundation. Sitting, standing, laying down, it doesn’t matter – you become keenly aware of your connection to the earth, our Foundation. This feeling of being strongly grounded allows for an empowering connection with the universe. It props us up, supports our vision and gives us the confidence to recognize right action in a clear way. So take a moment, standing (or sitting) straight, raise your hands above your head, reaching as high as you can. At the same time bring your awareness to the contact between your feet and the earth. Feel both grounded and connected with a link between the above and the below, between the past and the present. This will take a moment, but will be a wonderful reminder that you are strong because your foundation makes you strong, allowing you to make choices to move upward and forward in the world.
Yedi'a 