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Between
Me and You...
Most Recent Post
August 15, 2010
I lost contact for a long
time due to technical dificulties which were gratefully cleared up for
me by my Cousin Bill last night. It's funny but blog-life stopped just
a few months after Obama's election - as if I'd hoped or believed we'd
arrived. It was a definite moment in time, in history, to feel
a part of..... and then of course, life goes on.
There was a joyousness
at that moment that so much of the world shared. It felt like the humanity
was singing a song of praise that we'd overcome bigotry at least to
that extent, that we could elect a leader of our very powerful country
who was African-American.
So much has happened in
this year and a half. I was in Israel again and will share some pictures...my
friend Jennifer who has a gift for fertility blessed my pond and suddenly
the goldfish after 2 years started spawning. I have babies to give away...
let me know! They are beautiful. So fast and colorful. I am working
on a new CD with Anderw Marlin and it feels so fresh and new. Like those
spawning goldfish, the recording has it's own nascent energy. Andrew's
youth and his old-soul wisdom join in bringing my songs to life. The
CD is not yet named, but to give you a peek in, one of the songs "No
One Has Been Denied" goes like this:
(chorus)
and the dust of the air
You breathe is glorified,
born to be a particle
of that light
carried into your care,
the way has been so wild
yet even I have the right
to know You,
Even I have my turn by
your side
Saints and sinners, all
who implore You,
No one has been denied,
oh Baba,
No one has been denied
-- beautiful One -- no one has been denied.
And some recent photos
-- nice to be back, much love -- until later --- Gabriella
May 26, 2009
The Doves Are Always Cooing Here
the doves are always cooing here
little squeezes of sound
bringing tears to my eyes,
born of deep comfort.
their pulsing melody
circles round the houses
and the edges of green
which touch the sand
scooping up the village
in a soft palm of vibration.
as we walk through the gardens
and speak to one another,
little trills of purity
rub their beauty
into our skins
without our even noticing.
it is a wet and wooing sound
in a dry land,
a background
that nudges gently at you
like a mother who holds her babe -
squeezing her to herself.
each squeeze emanates the
sweetness of infancy.
each squeeze regales her with
the exquisite pleasure
of her maternity.
by Gabriella Tal 2009 Kibbutz Ketura
A few more India Photos:
(from exhibit "Faces of India, 2006)
May 25,2009
I apologize for the 5
month gap in my posts! It's been so long since I've worked with the
site that I've forgotten alot. But there's an inspiration tonight. My
friend Karin, an amazing artist and I talked tonight. I was blown away
by her blog. She's one of my very favorite artists. One of the most
talented people I know. Here's her blog address: http://aviewbeyondwords.blogspot.com/
Anyway, I went back to
her e-mails to me a few years ago and she'd asked me to post some of
my photos from my exhibit I did a few years back, "Faces of India".
Inspired by her ebullient expression, I am going to put these up here
for her and any of you all to see finally. Thank you Karin.
I'll try to get some
more up another time. Not to comment on what may be obvious but it's
the sublime innocence of the Indian people that I love most of all.
Goodnight dear ones.
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December 11, 2008
Tonight late ride home -- once again
-- first a possum with his ungainly form shuttling across the road,
reminding me of Piglet. Then the flash of something - leaving only the
fluff of his bunny rabbit tail in sight as a memento. I was thinking,
"It's Eden - all but for the deer" -- and then there they
were -- a mother and her 3 fawns. As they danced away on their clumpy
new feet, I sighed - for that was all there was left to say.
I've gotten good at multi-tasking and
so, with presents, in the current economy. My family -- all of them
- from the 4-year old nephew to my father of 76 get Obama Inaugural
T-shirts. Move-on.com and Channuka gifts all with the stroke of one
pen (or computer key -- ) as life would have it. I may give in and get
something else for the 4 year old -- I mean after all -- what is life
for if not for Channuka gifts for a 4-year old decidedly totally apolitical
nephew.
November
28, 2008
Early in the A.M. after
the Thanksgiving Day. I was with a friend from India who does not have
this tradition who asked, "Why be thankful only on one day a year?
Why think of family only one day a year?' Many more whys I could ask
along with him.
Why did this year's Thanksgiving
coincide with a terrorist attack on the great city of Mumbail? I asked
my friend this question and he simply answered, "Kali Yuga."
The Kali yuga is the period
of time we are living in, according to the Vedic calendar. This calendar
really isn't a calendar; it's a definition of time in denominations
we don't conceive of as Westerners. In the east, they think big - they
think of the infinity of God-consciousness. So, with time. God has 3
aspects - the Creator, the Preserver and the Destroyer. All are part
of God. Time is likewise divided into 3 phases which cycle, each phase
lasting for thousands of years. the Creator phase of time is like the
Springtide of Creation. All is fresh, pure and all potential exists
within it. It is a time of peace and miracles, of wisdom and feeling
very close to the Creator. The Preserving Time follows. Then in the
Destroyer phase of time (Kali Yuga), we see destruction. It has to happen
to bring about the next phase of Creation - of Spring. So we are not
only in the Kali Yuga; we are close to the end of it. Meher Baba says
it is the end of a Cycle of Cycles.
So this Indian man - quite
an evolved yogi in his own right - who was born in Bombay - saw the
havoc, the destruction, but he had a context to put it in. He was therefore
at peace. Not that he didn't care. But he understood it as part of the
karma of this time, so he did not fight it or struggle. He accepted.
It helps perhaps to know
that after the dark, comes the dawn. The new cycle is pending!
I spent alot of the last
2 days cooking - learning Indian food, using Katie's cookbook. Katie
used to cook for Meher Baba so I cooked a dahl she wrote that he used
to like. And a curry. And some vegetables. I have so much respect for
Indian women! These recipes are so full of pastes and steps, I just
dedicated my days and nights to it! Now it is done and I feel a sense
of relief. Though it was joyful with the food and the fire and my friends
and some songs and our talk about God.
This Indian friend also
said that on these so-called holidays, Westerners are drinking and eating
and indulging and completely blocking God out in the process. It's true.
Jesus would probably cry.
But me tonight -- I am
feeling the fullness of the vatness of the heart. Getting still and
feeling the sorrow of my heart and the chamber within the sorrow which
is indescribably beautiful. The furthest thing from empty. Yet without
sound or form. Full of feeling but not emotions. Feeling itself. Pure
feeling. The bed for all feeling.
November 5, 2008
Last night after
the stupendous victory of Barack Obama, I was called to the hospital
where a friend had a possible heart-attack. Another friend/musician
Kevin Brock had died the day before, even as he was scheduled to come
and play for my new music project at the studio. We wondered where he
was -always so conscientous - we never imagined in a thousand years
he would be dead in his '30s. Aware of these mystical changing days,
I drove home - now 4:00 a.m. My being was still and I drove very slowly.
Never before have I seen so many deer out on the road, on the edges
of the forest, little ones, big ones, groups of deer, husbands, wives,
children... it was as if the entire natural world was out breathing
the air of change which had swept the world. I was awestruck at the
gentleness of these animal beings who carry such light and who reminded
me of their brother Barack Obama - graceful, kind, peaceful and wise.
My friend was alright.
I was so happy. She chose to stay. We all have to these days.
Lastly, I have to post
this poem my dear friend Nelle sent to me today. It's for today... perfect.
Joseph has come
Joseph has come,
the Handsome One of his age,
a victory banner floating over the Spring flowers.
Those of you whose work it is to wake the dead
back to life, get up!
This is your work-day!
The lion that hunts lions
comes charging into the meadow!
Yesterday and the day before is
gone.
The beautiful coin of Now
slaps down in your hand.
The streets and buildings of this city
are all saying,
The Prince is here.
Start the drumbeat.
Everything we've said
about the Friend is true.
The beauty of that peacefulness
makes the whole world restless.
Spread our Love-Robe out
to catch what's sprinkling down
from the Ninth Stage.
You strange, exiled bird with clipped wing,
now You have four full-feathered wings!
You heart, closed up in a chest,
open, for the Friend is entering You.
You feet ,dance
It's time to dance!
Don't talk about the old man,
He's young again.
And don't mention the past
Do you understand? The Beloved,
the Friend, is here
You mumble, "But what excuse
shall I say to the King?"
The King is here Himself, making
excuses!
You say, "How shall I escape from his Hand?"
That Hand has come to help you!
You saw a fire, and Light came.
You saw blood, and Wine is being poured.
Don't run from your own tremendous good fortune
Be silent,
and don't add up what's been given.
An Uncountable Grace
has come to You.
Jalaluddin Rumi
October 30, 2008
Another fall chills
its way into my room. This year more chilly because we try to save a
bit on heat and keep it cooler in the house. I've been appreciating
phases of time. Baba seems to grow me in a very specific way - like
a flower goes through phases developing before the bloom can be born.
I used to feel I was very clear what was going on - I could see my lessons
- or thought I could. I felt I understood what was "good"
and what was "bad" in my life and which way was up. As I go
along, I know less and feel more. I feel I am the flower straining to
the sun, but that motion has no logic behind it. It is pure instinct
and from some deeper place of knowing than any graphs of my own internal
development.
I know that being
with the children is very important to me right now. That reading Baba's
words is the deepest comfort. That love feels good - whether from this
plane or from those who have passed from it. That music can reach me
where nothing else can. That a smile, even if I missed it the first
time, can warm me when I remember it with my heart more open than before.
This time of
year always the time to feel defects of character and to offer them
up. To be prepared to offer them. To ready oneself for God's compassionate
touch. I must sweep the doorway and lay flowers down for His feet.
Oct. 20, 2008
This is such a gift for a late-night moment.
Sleep is such a wonderful thing. Too bad it's like an old friend I have
seen little of in the past few years. Pain makes it hard to sleep. It's
easier to get up and distract myself.
I've been feeling good and strong though
the last few weeks, I'm sure because my friend Jeff is in India at Meher
Baba's tomb and I'm feeling the gift of that energy. Also having met
Jennifer and her children has been a great joy - these kids are full
of light. I become a child myself with them and feel all the roses come
back into my eyes.
Tomorrow God willing I'll go with Mark
to hear James Taylor playing for Obama. Wow. In Chapel Hill - his home
town. Should be amazing.
I guess I'm supposed to make comments
about life here. The thing is life has felt more and more of a dream
to me. If sleep eludes me and dreams in that sense, I still feel I am
in the dream every day. It's never been more clear the reflective quality
of life and interaction. it makes it obvious why we must keep good company.
They always said in the spiritual world the only real sin is to keep
bad company. So all the joy of the life force I've felt with the children,
the surrounds of my plants inside now for winter warmth, even my goldfish
who I pray may make it through the winter.....these ones have gifted
me greatly in this time. I heard in a talk by Franklyn Sills (he was
quoting someone) My eyes are the same as God's eyes. When I see, God
is seeing. There is only one sight. Try that. Feel God seeing through
you. It's profound.
Well I must give the sandman a chance
here.... with love, Gabriella
Oct. 17, 2008 1:30
a.m.
What
a great night out with Jennifer to hear Andrew and Mollie play at the
Cave. Great talk with Jennifer. We were talking about how being a Mom
(she has 4 kids!) is the defining fact of her life. Got me thinking,
what is the defining fact of mine?
In
the obvious physical sense, it's having had this accident 13 years ago
which caused me to be in this wheelchair. That's defined my every waking
experience and the way in which I perceive the world. As she said about
motherhood, I too feel, "It's my greatest gift and my greatest
undoing".
But
then of course on the spiritual level, it's been meeting Meher Baba
(I said meeting though I never actually met Him in the body) but Baba's
with me all the time, every moment. Sometimes I remember and often I
forget that. But it defines my world, my purpose, the answer to the
question, "Who am I?"
I've
been defined by an amazing family, by being Jewish and Zionist, at times
as a wife, a lover, by my work as a therapist, a teacher and a musician.
Tonight was so great because I met Kathy Bright, a fine massage therapist
in Chapel Hill. I hadn't seen her for years but she'd been a student
of mine at the once thriving Carolina School of Massage Therapy. How
great it felt to be remembered for being her Polarity Teacher.
All
that's meaningful. I guess it's those things which have the deepest
sense of meaning for me which are the definitions that jump out at the
moment. The ones that give me joy -- and sometimes the ones that gives
me sorrow.
I
want to write about the experience of being in a chair more for you.
It does define me so much -- not ME -- but my EXPERIENCE. Anyway though,
it's late and this is my first blogging experience. Better let you get
to know me a little at a time.
I've
been working on the site so it's changing every day. Sorry for those
of you who crave structure. I do welcome your e-mails and responses.
What an amazing time that these thoughts once blogged are now available
and out there for the whole world. Something beautiful about that.
with
love,
Gabriella
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Oct. 3, 2008
Hi Everybody! Well, in
the dead of night, as usual, I'm up realizing how little I understand
this technological era! Isn't it funny how our lives are so connected
to these machines and technology? A friend of mine was telling me that
connections over the Internet and e-mail are a "pseudo" connection.
People feel they've connected when they haven't - not in truth. We connect
to an image of each other And it's a safe connection, made without commitment.
One can turn it off or on at whim.
So I try to do lots of
things AWAY from technology - and keep my human heart beating strong.
Still, this last year, I've felt some sort of sommersaulting over myself
into the next "dimension" if you will, into this next period
of time. There's a "must" about it. It' like "grow or
die". Die spiritually, perhaps, not physically. I've loved the
sense of letting go into the future and I stopped fighting it. I've
been blessed to be with many people younger and wiser than myself who
are another group entirely. They are so strong and clear. It has to
do somewhat with where Neptune and Pluto sit in their charts. More on
that when I figure it out enough to share it. Anyway I'm grateful for
the lessons.
The biggest thing lately
out of that, for me, has been MUSIC. Andrew
Marlin has been a great source of inspiration to me, helping to
"update" my music, if you will. Much more fire came into it.
I've also been studying
cranio-sacral therapy a little more and it dovetails so much with the
Polarity work I do. It's just profound really.
And a new beginning of
reading Meher Baba's book "Godspeaks"
with my reading group here in Chapel Hill, NC. This book guarantees
to change your life and the way you see things. My friend Jeff is at
Meher Baba's tomb in India right now and I feel Baba constantly because
of it. I've wanted to get to India again - I've traveled so often there
- but my health has been a little more difficult than before. So perhaps
in time. It's in His hands.
To know more about any
of these things, to read some of my writing, or to read about Meher
Baba, click on the links above. I continue a practice in Polarity Therapy
and Hakomi Therapy (a body-mind work). I'd love to talk to you about
sessions or study if you are interested. (Info on those links.) And
do pre-buy my new CD (printing in December) and help me clear out the
closets of these wonderful CDs I've done over the years. With my technological
love-hate relationship, I'm learning daily how to manage this site.
But I'm happy to have made it so far -- technology, music, heart and
all.
-- updated today Oct. 3,
2008.
Gabriella
A
LITTLE BIO AND GUIDE TO MY SITE:
I've lived in North Carolina for most
of my life. My practice is in Chapel Hill, NC. To set an appointment,
go to the sessions with Gabriella
Tal page. I've also spent a lot of time in India and Israel. I love
music and writing: I run music programs
for seniors and music
programs for children. I've made some CDs
and tapes of my music. Some of my prose and poetry are on the Writing
Page for you to look at too. Also, I am deeply inspired and guided
by Meher
Baba, my spiritual Master and I've collected some of his writings
and links to other websites about him. The
Polarity page explains more about how Polarity Therapy works. The
APP
Scheduled Topics and RPP Scheduled
Topics
pages let you know what is taught in the Listening Hands Polarity
program. My classes are accredited by the American Polarity Therapy
Association and provide certification at 2 levels. If you are interested
in studying Polarity, please let me know.
For more information, contact:
gtal@nc.rr.com
Gabriella's
CDs|Polarity
Therapy |
More
about Polarity Therapy |
Associate Polarity Practitioner Training)| APP
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