A Shabbat Candlelighting Ritual by Hanna Tiferet
Yin Yang Ceremony: Choosing the Dark and the Light

This ceremony arose from my need to embrace the dark as well as the light and to see God in both. Shabbat candlelighting offered the perfect traditional framework for this modern interpretation.

You will need: black fabric, white fabric, black feather, white feather, white cyrstal, black onyx (or similar gem), Shabbat candle and candlestick, round brass tray, cedar or sage, yin yang symbol, heart shaped box. Dress in black and white.

Making the space sacred

• Make a Yin Yang prayer space on the floor with a white and black cloth.

• On the black side, place a large black feather, a white crystal and a Shabbat candle and candlestick.

• On the white side I place a large white feather, a black onyx (or gem) and a Shabbat candle and candlestick.

• In the middle place a round brass tray with cedar or sage for burning, a Yin Yang charm and a heart-shaped box.

Ritual

• Begin by lighting cedar or sage as incense to purify and uplift the breathing space.

• Call on the male and female aspects of God: and recite the words below. If this is a group, you might change "I" to "we."

Brukha At Shekhina
Barukh Ata Adonai

Today I choose the dark and the light
the male and the female
the Yin and the Yang
Today I see the light in the darkness
and the darkness in the light
and they are whole
In the center of my heart they meet.
It is a dance of the waves,
up and down
round and round.
God is in all
and all is in God.

• Light the candles and continue

I kindle the lights to illumine the dark.

I bless the dark that reveals the light.
I choose them both, not either/ or
and draw a circle around their tug of war.

In the beginning there was One.
And then there were two.
But it was always One.
And the great secret
was hidden and revealed
in every moment of breath.
In six days the world was created
in perfect duality.
And on the seventh day God rested
and received the face of the Beloved.
For it is only in the reflection
that we can see ourselves
and open our heart
to the divine in all things.

• (Circle the altar, stopping alternately with each half of the statement on the white and black sides.)

I am the sun and I am the moon
I am male and I am female
I am love and I am hate
I am hope and I am despair
I am perfection and I am illusion
I am beautiful and I am ugly
I am good and I am evil
I am fat and I am thin
I am righteous and I am greedy
I am happy and I am sad
I am content and I am frustrated
I am blessed and I am cursed
I am free and I am a slave
I am inspired and I am confused
I am peace and I am war
I surrender and I control
I am healthy and I am sick
I am alive and I am tired
I am patient and I am intolerant
I am present and I am lost in thoughts
All these I am and many more.
And so it is with everyone.

With these candles
I make circles
to welcome the light
and bless the darkness.
One is not better or worse than the other.
In their touching, truth is revealed.
So I sing with my soul's breath,
Praise for creator and creation.
"I am One with the Infinite
And the Infinite is One with me."

"Shema"

I bring together my differences
and see how compatible they are,
laughing at their struggle to be right
and dancing to the tune of their reunion.