Fluid Integration

PRACTICAL EXERCISES TO ACHIEVE TRANSFORMATION

A crucial saying in the Pilzno community is: “Become a conscious practitioner to achieve the transformation you desire.”One of Rabbi Gerzi’s mentors, Rabbi Mordechai Zukerman, used to tell following story:Someone went to Rav Yisrael Salant and asked him what he did for a living. Rav Yisrael responded that he’s an engineer and that he builds bridges. The questioner was confused, since he was certain that Rav Yisrael was a rabbi. When he questioned Rav Yisrael further, the rav clarified that he builds bridges from the heart to the mind.In life, we are meant to live with alignment between our body, our emotions, and our mind. This alignment happens when we are living faithfully to our deeply rooted beliefs and values. When these beliefs and values are not actualized, we experience confusion, frustration and tension. Within Judaism, many of us experience these three things.Our faith has an abundance of texts, laws, and customs, yet we struggle to balance them in a way that brings us joy. It often seems that we must look to secular disciplines and sources of wisdom to find ways to create order, and take control of our lives. This is a good practice and thankfully there are many works out there that can help, when we know what we’re looking for. However, Jewish sources contain many practical teachings which increase the probability of positive tangible change.There is nothing more empowering than experiencing change taking place within yourself. Rabbi Gerzi was privy to learn under certain spiritual masters who had practical tools in creating transformative change, which can be called avodahs or targilim.. These transformational practices are the fuel that help people become the creators of their lives and reclaim their direction.Many of the targilim we practice and refer to come from an unbroken chain of teacher-to-pupil spanning back to the Baal Shem Tov, the Mussar Movement, and beyond!

For example, here is one simple but powerful exercise that the Pilzno Rebbe would suggest:

1. Write down a belief that you hold on a piece of paper (5-7 lines)

2. Now consider and note: How does your body feel when you consider this belief? What emotions come up? What thoughts accompany it?

3. Write down an action that you want to do in your life, correlating with how you react to, feel, and think about this belief.

There is nothing more empowering than experiencing change taking place within yourself.

THE BIG PICTURE

DIVINE PLAN

ARCHITECTURE OF THE SOUL

ARBA YESODOS

FLUID INTEGRATION