More movement during service?

I'm wondering about incorporating more movement during the service. Do we want more? How comfortable are most of us with movement during prayer or music or our singing-as-prayer? When I daven alone I move a lot more, but am quite shy about doing this in front of others, and especially about instigating and leading movement. Still, I do believe in an embodied spiritual practice, not just sitting on our butts and using only our heads.

I know Sue Hoffman has a special interest in this. If we set up a service that intentionally incorporated movement (not Torah Yoga, but something with structured ways to participate), how would y'all feel about it? Awkward? Resistant? Willing to try? Or will we leave you stuck firmly to your seats muttering "uh-uh, you can't make me"?

Chime in. Diiiiiinnnnnng.....

Gathering tzitzit

Hey all,

I'm curious about people's experience of gathering each others' tzitzit before we say the Sh'ma. I'm personally finding it a little bit touchy-feely and somewhat distracting at a moment when I really want to be very focused on the sounds and words and ideas. I'm feeling enough connection and community in the group without holding my neighbor's fringes, but I wonder if I'm just being a grumpy curmudgeon or if others feel similarly?

Hope no one gets mad at me for raising this...

Hannah

March Feedback?

Hi all-
I'm interested in some specific feedback from the March 10 service.
I'm wondering whether the Modah Ani musical meditation "worked" as such... with the mandolin and all... it was an experiment, and it's a little hard for me to know what it was like from the participants' point of view. Please be candid... my feelings will not be hurt if you didn't like it. Just trying to learn from the experience and inform future experiments...

thanks, Otter
ps-- any other specific comments about something that really did or really didn't "work" for you are also always helpful.

Aleynu alternative wording

I am also uncomfortable rising before "melech malchay ham'lachim." The Havurat Shalom Siddur Project (1991) offers this alternative, copywrited by Aliz Arzt 1987.:

Lifney moraynu m'kor hahayyim.
before our Teacher, Source of Life.

And, she changed the next section that begins:

"shehu noteh shamayim v'yosed aretz." that's the same, but the next line is:
haporays k'nafav aleynu u'maynikaynu b'chasdo.
who spread wings over us, nourishing us with lovingkindness.

There's more, and I can bring it to the next meeting, or copy and send it if someone wants it before then. Email me off-line to let me know
suehoffman99@verizon.net

Singing as prayer

I was transported by our music and voices into a place of prayer/connection that I've longed for. Thank you for creating a space and liturgy so I did not have to translate metaphors in my head, but could sing and speak fully from my woman's heart and mind.

I have some suggestions for more music to incorporate and learn together -- and would be happy to lead or teach:

1. sim shalom tova u'racha -- translation: bring peace, goodness and blessing (like Dona Nobis Pacem) in a round. After the Amida.

2. Hinach Yafah Rayati -- translation: note sure - does someone else know? Here we are my beautiful friend??? A chant for p'sukey d'zimrah, at the beginning of the service.

Deep Appreciation to Otter, Elliott and Hannah

Thank you so much for the time, energy, wisdom, and love that you put into creating the first serivce and litergy. It was a very powerful experience for me. I felt that sense of release - finally a service that speaks to who I am and what I live - no exceptions. I have not felt that deeply awakened spiritually in a very long time.

In a private e-mail I offered help with recording and uploading services, if the community agrees to do that.

One thought that I would like to put on the table - I was thinking it might be wonderful to have some time during the "torah service" for some spontaneous contributions from the congregation to speak the torah of truth that was revealed to us during the previous week. Of course, there would need to be some clear guidelines regarding time alotted to each person and format (speaking from the "I"), but it's a thought. Something for us to consider.

Yashir Koach!

2/10 --- Feedback???

Hi all... we would love to hear feedback about the 2/10 Shabbat Service. We have had a few very nice emails that came in privately... you are encouraged to post those comments here and also to be as specific as you can about what worked or was valuable to you about the service. If you have constructive criticism or suggestions to offer, those are welcome too.

ground rule: Given that we each bring unique sensibilities and history to our participation, please use "I language"... that is... talk about your own experience, impressions, ideas, opinions... and be careful not to assume what others' experiences and opinions might be.

(in order to comment, click on the place below, next to the "posted by" line, where it says # comments and follow instructions.)

Ready? Set? Go!

Fringes Participants Added as Blog Posters....

I have set up each person who attended the 2/10 service with posting capabilities for this blog site so that we can use this to have dialogues and conversations here. This feature is enabled by my adding your email address to a list. I have used the same email addresses that are on the googlegroups email list. If you want to receive mail or post to this blog using a different email address, you will have to notify me (Otter) at shewho1 at msn dot com. (spelled out to keep spam trollers from skimming my address... just fill in the appropriate symbols).

Otter, thanks so much for getting this blog site up and running. I am so grateful to you and Elliott for all of the extraordinary and creative work you have been doing in preparation for the first Fringes meeting on Saturday morning. It feels wonderful to know that we are creating a new space and a new emotional/spiritual venue to which we can bring these otherwise isolated parts of ourselves. Looking forward to davvening and singing and talking and thinking and being with you and all the other Fringes...

Welcome to Fringes Chavurah

Hello all-- we are furiously working to learn these new technologies for supporting the development of Fringes Feminist Chavurah in Philadephia... (Phrynges?)

Working to develop this blog as a place for ongoing dialogue about the various issues that arise as our community and practices take shape.
Otter