The Midrash says: ‘’if you bring an omer of barley for me, I will give you your whole harvest.’’
If you’re Jewish, you might have been travelling to all corners of the world seeking for answers how to develop psychologically and spiritually, not knowing that the treasure has been in front of you.
People invest in yoga retreats to search for peace of mind, in self leadership retraites to build resilience, strength and relationships or read self-development books with the aim of transforming themselves. The modern challenge is that people really want to change, although have a difficulty breaking through their behavioural patterns. According to Harvard only 3% of the people write actively down their goals and 40% of our behaviour is automatic.[1][2]How can we truly change if we don’t set goals and our behaviour is largely unconscious?
One ritual for really changing yourselves and make better use of your physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual capabilities is found within Judaism and called the omer count. It’s given to us thousands of years ago and some people think the omer count is about growing a beard but its really a ritual for personal transformation.
What is the omer count?
The basis of the omer count shows us that the world is created according 10 forces or powers of the soul. They are the building blocks of the universe and us human beings, simply put. If, we understand these building blocks we can become master builders of ourselves and to create better lives, careers or organizations. It’s a bit like the movie from the Matrix, when Neo meets Morpheus he awakes from his routine behaviour and starts training and building himself. During the omer count, we focuses solely on 7 forces (sefirot), the explanation is for now beyond the scope here.
Using these sefirot, can help us with:
- Building better connections with yourself and others?
- Are you looking for more passion and strength in your life?
- Are you looking for a sense of meaning and purpose?
- Are you looking to better understand the difference between your personality and self?
We talked about transformation, the omer count can help and once we start to understand (not to only know) how these forces operate in our lives, we can start transforming our physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual sources. There is a great reward for a focused period of self-reflection and taking decisions to change our being. With the omer count deeply rooted in the yearly cycle of Judaism we can use this opportunity every year, building every year layer upon layer. A bit like the french dessert mille feuille (meaning thousands of layers). In such a way, as the midrash says, we truly get a whole year of harvest and that each year, each omer count.
The omer count in my life: a personal example
Who’s a hero? The one who overcomes his inclinations.
Pirke Avot 4
Let me share a bit with you why I’m so excited about the omer count and what I had to face within myself.
It’s difficult to really see that we can be strong in certain areas yet quite young in other areas. From the age of 27 years old, my comfort zone was speaking foreign languages and building relations in many foreign countries. I worked for multinationals and build partnerships in all corners of the world – I flew to places such as Buenos Aires, Bogota, or Casablanca, on a monthly basis. That was my comfort zone.
I couldn’t see that I had so many levels of fears and weak discipline. I went to work and their were so many things that I was afraid of. One of my biggest fears, I was afraid or better to say, terrified to speak in groups and to share failures or personal stories. I avoided it all costs. To be able to work with and lead groups? In my dreams perhaps.
Then the omer count helped me go from insights, action to becoming (a bit) different. I started to reflect upon daily behaviour and challenges and to take everyday a decision to do something different or that I was afraid of for a certain period. It showed me that change was possible as long as we take a decision every day. In such a way, I discovered that the gap between what you want (or is healthy for you) and action can be closed by small daily steps.
On a deeper level, working with self-development methods or rituals from your own cultural heritage gives a sense of home. We can be inspired by many different methods and sources of inspiration from around the world and I’m to denying how important they are. What I do sense is that using Hebrew, the storied and rituals within our Jewish tradition gives me a sense of home. After, all we are all the last generation of a chain of hundreds of generations within a culture.
The workshop: the omer count: the ultimate personal transformation ritual
What will you learn during the workshop?
- In a learning circle of maximum 10 people, we will:
- Our role as human beings in creation, the 4 levels of the soul and the tree of life as a blueprint of the world
- Understanding the 4 levels of the soul and corresponding worlds
- Understanding the 7 sefirot/power forces within us, how they operate in a positive and negative way in our lives.
- Understanding the process of personal transformation – counting the omer with meaning and results
- Duration: 2,5 hours
[1] https://www.forbes.com/sites/annabelacton/2017/11/03/how-to-set-goals-and-why-you-should-do-it/?sh=44b960f162d3
[2] https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/08/140808111931.htm