History of the High Council

    This High Council Women’s Prayer & Meditation Happening on Purim has evolved over a period of about 30 years. It has gone through countless changes and paradigm shifts. The only thing that remains from its early years is the intention behind it: The goal of harnessing the powerful lights available on Purim, that were unlocked by Esther (a woman), and to direct them toward good, healing and mashiach now.

    The people that have been advisors, actors and enactors over the years are too numerous to mention. For the past (about) five years the format has stabilized and a group formed that is dedicated to empowering the Purim ritual by rehearsing its practices throughout the year. Our goal is to deepen our connection to these prayer and meditation modalities in order to serve, on Purim, as pole-holders who (behind the scenes), hold the space, ground the lights, and emanate a vibration that induces others to drop in more deeply than they otherwise could.

    Our Purim Happening (that evolved into the High Council) started as an adaptation of a Chassidic tradition:

    On Purim, the “Shpola Zeide” (a disciple of the Baal Shem Tov) would organize a special game. Certain chassidim, carefully chosen and directed by him, would disguise themselves, one as the “King of Purim,” the others as his princes and counselors. They would sit together in solemn session, in counsel or judgment, discussing weighty matters, all the time making resolutions and decisions. Sometimes the “Zeide” himself took part in the masquerade.

    The chassidim say that these games had a powerful effect on the world with repercussions throughout the heavens. They say that these Purim edicts were potent to avert doom or the threat of doom decreed for Israel.

    But I could never get comfortable with issuing decrees. Prayer, yes; decrees, no. I just can’t imagine that I would ever know better than HaShem what is the most spiritually productive outcome in this moment. And I just can’t imagine that Hashem would ever choose anything less than the most spiritually productive option. The very definition of Hashem (it seems to me) is that He/She/It will always choose the gentlest way that could possibly be designed to bring about our next step in personal and spiritual development given our current state of consciousness.

    Consequently, from my I-center, that last clause, “given our current state of consciousness” is the place to make a difference. I do not believe that insisting on a different outcome without changing the current state of consciousness will ultimately produce a better result. And I also cannot imagine that improving the present state of consciousness will not automatically, yes, generate a positive effect (and also, yes, accelerate the answering of our prayer). And so, that becomes the focus of our Purim ritual, which also happens to be timely since the very essence of Purim is about altering consciousness as evidenced by its highly “unorthodox” obligation of inebriation.[1]

    The name, High Council, refers to the entire group of women who gather on Purim to participate in the ritual. Sarah Yehudit Schneider is the formulator of the High Council. There is a whole list of women have been part of the inner circle at various points in the council’s development. They are too numerous to name at this point.

    The nusach of the High Council was reviewed by a Rav and received a yashar kokhekh.

    Mission of the High Council

    “I want to state our aim clearly and concisely. Our aim is to pull down a watershed of or chadash that can change the playing field, that will open options for us as a people (and individuals) that did not exist before Purim (and before our prayer council)…options that will accelerate our personal and collective paths to redemption while, at the same time, alleviating the birth pangs and the messianic wars (both inner and outer) that accompany the process.”

    Metaphysics of the High Council

    The High Council follows in Esther’s footsteps and moves through the various efforts that she applied to save the day. Esther employed four different practices that create a powerful mandala of prayer and meditation.
    We are going to move through those four modalities, and we are going to do them in sequence, one by one. We will give a short time to each pole, and close each one with a nigun. Here is diagram that maps out the plan.

    As you see from this diagram, each of the poles is partnered…there is rotzo and shov,  chash and  mal. Nevertheless, we are actually going to move in the following order. Rotzo, mal, chash, shov. I’ll introduce them briefly here, but I will give ample instruction, within the High Council, as we are about to do each one:

    So, ever so briefly: with ratzo we go up and gather a heap of ohr chadash (redemptive lights) free for the taking on Purim. Rotzo will be a guided meditation.

    Then mal is: if we have anything to say about its distribution, our preference and our prayer is for it to go to x,y and z. Mal will be a hitbodedut.

    Chash is asking for correction. If our prayers are off the mark then please adjust them (or even veto them if necessary). Do whatever you must do, HaShem, to assure that our efforts change the world in ways that are only good. And in the meantime we accept the present unconditionally.  Chash will be a meditation that could also be a hitbodedut.

    And finally in shov we begin to integrate the ohr chadash—binding light to matter, fusing soul to body that is women’s special gift. Shov will be a circle dance.

    Spread the Word

    PASS THIS INVITE ON TO ANY WHO MIGHT BE INTERESTED. THE MORE SOULS THAT PARTICIPATE, THE BIGGER THE CIRCLE, THE MORE LIGHT PULLED DOWN, THE MORE AWAKENING OCCURS.

    TOWARD THIS END, THERE IS AN AMAZING ADDITIONAL COMPONENT TO THIS PURIM HIGH COUNCIL PRAYER & MEDITATION EVENT  IN ORDER TO MAKE IT AVAILABLE TO THOSE WHO CAN’T GET TO JERUSALEM’S OLD CITY ON PURIM.

    WE HAVE CREATED A USER-FRIENDLY WAY TO SUPPORT ANY WOMAN WHO WOULD LIKE TO JOIN A PURIM HIGH COUNCIL WITH HER OWN CIRCLE OF FRIENDS IN HER OWN HOME, EITHER AS HOST OR PARTICIPANT.

    WE’LL PROVIDE THE SCRIPT, AND MALKA SIMA IS GIVING CLASSES THAT WILL INTRODUCE THE PRACTICES ENTAILED.

    “IT IS VERY CLOSE TO YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART, TO DO IT.” THIS LINK WILL TAKE YOU TO THE “MAKE YOUR OWN PURIM HIGH COUNCIL” RESOURCES.

    MAKE (OUR JOIN) YOUR OWN, LOCAL PURIM HIGH COUNCIL

    For more information about what the High Council actually entails, and why it is something not to miss, click the link above or open the landing page on this Still Small Voice site, HERE.

    AND IF YOU’D LIKE TO CONTRIBUTE TO EXPENSES

    CLICK HERE

    With gratitude to Hashem Yitbarach, you are invited to the Purim High Council’s new website!!!  

    Our goal: Connect Jewish women worldwide to an uplifting, spiritual, meaningful, empowering, feminine Purim experience and tip the scales towards personal and collective redemption THIS YEAR.

    Confronted with unbelievable darkness, we are called to access the power of collective prayer and meditation more than ever!

    Your participation is crucial and It’s EASY to help! Here’s how.

    About the Purim High Council

    Women worldwide join together in their communities on Purim for this facilitated Meditation, Prayer, and Movement Happening, that incorporates the four different practices that Esther employed to redeem her people from Haman’s genocidal decree.

    This prayer and meditation gathering was formulated by the esteemed Sarah Yehudit Schneider and was reviewed and approved by a posek..

    The Purim High Council follows in Esther’s footsteps.

    The Goal: To harness the powerful new lights available on Purim (that were unlocked by Queen Esther) and direct them toward revealed good, healing, and Mashiach now.

    • Connect in a meaningful way with women in your community and feel enlivened by collective prayer
    • Ensure your Purim is spiritual, inspiring, nourishing and transformative
    • Set aside a (realistic) time for YOU to get present and connect despite all the demands of the day
    • Relish the opportunity to IMPACT positively on the unfolding of personal and collective redemption

    The more souls who participate… the bigger the circle… the more new lights are pulled down… means a greater awakening, transformation, and healing for each one of us, for the Jewish People, and for the whole world!