3 Offerings by Hadar Cohen and Daniel Maté
Hadar Cohen and Daniel Maté are both developers and teachers of potent modalities for helping human beings orient and align themselves mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. These collaborative offerings will bring their approaches together for three unique learning experiences geared toward the challenges of the current moment.
1. A Live Q&A with Hadar Cohen and Daniel Maté
This 90-minute online event is designed for anyone struggling with the chaos of the current moment. Hadar and Daniel, two contemporary Jewish thinkers, will speak and answer questions about the potential for alignment and transformation at this moment in the history of our hurting world.
Date: Thursday, February 29 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern / 7pm Central Europe
Location: Zoom (link to follow once you register)
Duration: 120 minutes
Format: Brief talks by Hadar and Daniel, then lots of time for questions and interactions
Price: $18 suggested donation (50% of proceeds to Gaza fundraising efforts)
It can be deeply distressing to live in times like these, with so much pain rising to the surface, so many aspects of our world breaking down before our eyes. There is no sense in putting a “positive spin” on a bewildering, terrifying, heartrending moment like this.
But even as the times keep changing at a pace that can be frightening, it is worthwhile to ask how the times are changing us, or at least trying to. Wisdom traditions have long grasped how our days of greatest heartbreak and turmoil offer us the opportunity to transform our relationship with reality and to align our vision with deeper truths about who we are and what we’re here for. Whether from a spiritual, psychological, or energetic perspective, we might consider that there are unseen dynamics at play, forces that might be on the side of our development.
But how do we shift our perception so we can see the opportunity in the obstacles, and so make our greatest contribution in this lifetime?
Register
2. Jewish Healing Circle
This four-week online cohort over the Hebrew month of Adar II (March/April) is an invitation to anyone looking to heal wounds around Jewish identity, or seeking a new vision for what being Jewish could mean as we face the future of a world in deep distress.
Dates: four Sundays— March 10, 17, 31; April 7* (* no class March 24 (Purim))
Duration: 90 minutes per session
Time: 10 am Pacific / 1pm Eastern / 7pm Central Europe
Location: Zoom (link to follow once you register)
Price: Sliding scale $120-$240
Speaking of a “crisis in Judaism” is nothing new: it can often seem as if to be Jewish has always been to wonder about Jewishness itself. Quite aside from other groups pondering (in a not-so-loving way) what to do about the “question” of us, questions like “what is a Jew?” and “how should a Jew live?” and “what is our mission as a people?” have been ongoing concerns throughout our history. Still, there does seem to be something heightened about how these questions are manifesting today.
Israel’s assault on Gaza has brought Zionism’s contradictions to the fore and exposed just how much of Jewish identity and life has become unhealthily wedded to a rigid and often cruel nationalist narrative. Even for those who oppose Israel’s actions, there is the dawning of a highly uncomfortable question: who would we be without this belligerent state that purports not only to act on our behalf, but to define who we are as a people?
On the other side of the ideological river, many Jews who stand with Palestine proudly do so from the vantage point of a pro-justice Jewish identity—think of the slogan “Not In Our Name”. Relatively few of us are entirely sure what we would want our names to be used for. The question we face is the mirror image of the one Zionist Jews are facing: without Israel as a force to oppose, who would we be?
And then there’s the perennial issue of Judaism and God. Unlike most religious identities, Jewishness seems to allow for a great amount of non-religious and even anti-religious sentiment while still maintaining core parts of the tradition. Many Jews look forward to reciting the ancient texts and songs of the Pesach seder every year, yet manage to participate in an entirely secular way, devoid of any devotion, yet full of passion and thoughtfulness. Whatever our personal history with religious education and practice, what sort of future do we want to envision for this spiritual aspect which is, historically at least, the very core of what it means to be Jewish?
Themes to be explored include: the nexus of ancestral and personal trauma and what it means to truly heal; how we relate to the Jewish (and human) longing for belonging; alignment and intention from both a spiritual and secular perspective; how we can relate to the Divine no matter our explicit belief system; how ancient Jewish wisdom and ritual might apply to our current crisis of Jewishness; and much more!
Hosting this interactive community container will be Hadar Cohen and Daniel Maté, each a practitioner of their own carefully developed technology for human alignment. This will be a transformational space where people can share their pains, sorrows, challenges, hopes, and questions about who we are as a people. Jewish people of all denominations, identities, and backgrounds are welcome.
Register3. Mapping The Moment: Orienting Ourselves In Disorienting Times
This four-week online cohort over the month of April is designed for anyone of any background struggling to find their footing in this shaky and turbulent time.
Dates: four Sundays— April 14, 21, 28; May 5
Duration: 90 minutes per session
Time: 10 am Pacific / 1pm Eastern / 7pm Central Europe
Location: Zoom (link to follow once you register)
Price: Sliding scale $120-$240
It can be deeply distressing to live in times like these, with so much pain rising to the surface, so many aspects of our world breaking down before our eyes. There is no sense in putting a “positive spin” on a bewildering, terrifying, heartrending moment like this.
But even as the times keep changing at a pace that can be frightening, it is worthwhile to ask how the times are changing us, or at least trying to. Wisdom traditions have long grasped how our days of greatest heartbreak and turmoil offer us the opportunity to transform our relationship with reality and to align our vision with deeper truths about who we are and what we’re here for. Whether from a spiritual, psychological, or energetic perspective, we might consider that there are unseen dynamics at play, forces that might be on the side of our development.
But how do we shift our perception so we can see the opportunity in the obstacles, and so make our greatest contribution in this lifetime? And is it even possible to “find” ourselves without suppressing the experience of being “lost”? (Is being lost such a bad thing?)
This community cohort welcomes people of all backgrounds seeking a road map for the current moment. We will engage with the troubles of our time through multiple lenses, from the personal/internal to the social/collective
The month-long weekly course will be split into four broad topics:
- Week 1: the power of intention
- Week 2: accessing presence, heightening attunement
- Week 3: revealing the “working theories” that block our transformation
- Week 4: seeing the possibilities in rupture
Hadar Cohen
Hadar is an Arab Jewish scholar, mystic and artist whose work focuses on multi-religious spirituality, politics, social issues, and community building. She is the founder of Malchut, a spiritual skill-building school teaching Jewish mysticism and direct experience of God. She teaches and consults in a variety of settings and formats, from one-on-one coaching to online group classes and in-person retreats. Her podcast, Hadar’s Web, features community conversations on spirituality, healing, justice, and art. Hadar is a 10th-generation Jerusalemite with lineage roots also in Syria, Kurdistan, Iraq and Iran. Subscribe to her Substack for access to her latest writings, offerings, and media appearances.
Hadar’s work as a performance artist and teacher of Jewish mysticism focuses on the energetic, somatic, and devotional channels that allow us to align our consciousness with the life force known as God. In her presence, people get to experience Divine love directly, in an embodied rather than theoretical way. Hadar is also highly attuned to the complex and beautiful dance of identities, and how our particular lineages and historical traumas show up on the energetic and emotional level.
Daniel Maté
Daniel Maté is an award-winning composer, lyricist, and playwright for musical theatre who has received the Kleban Prize, Cole Porter Award, and Jonathan Larson Grant for his music and lyrics. He holds an M.F.A. in Musical Theatre Writing from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, as well as a B.A. in Psychology and Philosophy from McGill. Outside of the arts, Daniel runs the world’s only “mental chiropractic” service, Take A Walk With Daniel. He co-authored the New York Times bestselling book, The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness and Healing in a Toxic Culture, with his father Dr. Gabor Maté. The two Matés’ next book will be called Hello Again: A Fresh Start for Parents and Their Adult Children, based on their popular workshop of the same title. Originally from Vancouver, Canada, Daniel now lives in Brooklyn, New York.
Daniel’s mental chiropractic method enables people to get unstuck in important areas of life by lifting the hood on their hidden mental mechanics. Just like an aligned spine allows for ease of functioning throughout the body, an aligned mind makes it possible to bring our best qualities and greatest gifts to bear. Mental chiropractic isn’t problem solving, it’s problem dissolving. He also brings his award-winning skills as a musical theater songwriter to highlight how our words and thoughts create the script and the sheet music for our lives.
