Been Here Before...Almost 600 Years Ago.

We left the church and started heading down what looked like an alley, but no it wasn't dark and dreary like and old time movie. But it was old. And, the doors on the buildings were really interesting as we made our way down toward the Ben Ezra Synagogue. This one door just called to me so I had to take a picture of it.

(Even now as I type up this blog for you all to experience the trip with me the door still calls out to me. Can you feel it too?)
I lingered in front of the door for a little too long that I had to catch up with the rest of the group.

We were told that the religious population in Cairo is 90% Muslim, 10% Christian and 15 Jewish families...no I did not fail math class---that is 15 Jewish families. Amazing isn't it? For those of you who know me know that I have studied Judaism over the last few years and that I am called to go to Israel(another trip that hopefully the universe provides to me because I can't imagine how I would be going there.). I have reconnected with many of my past lives as many of you know and there were a few lifetimes that I was Jewish...often a Jewish male.

When I step foot in a Synagogue at home, I immediately take on a new energy--my energy seems to get bigger--I embrace the Hebrew as if it were a language I speak. I don't speak Hebrew at all except about 20 words or so that a guy that I dated a few years back taught me....I thank him immensely for the gift of teaching me. I am not one to do well learning on my own from books. I am someone who enjoys being in a school setting and learning form humans not computers or books---perhaps that has a lot to do with my guides. They don't teach me by reading they teach me by experiencing many things. (We won't go there for the sake of time and my hand would hurt writing the many dramatic at times experiences. But feel free to ask me sometime.) So I have many books on learning Hebrew, but I am not disciplined enough to learn it that way and quite honestly, I think I need to hear someone pronounce the sound of the words. Going back for a moment to the words I do know, apparently I speak them so well that I sound like I am Israeli. Now the first moment, I stepped into Synagogue I sang those prayers like I was an expert--I don't know where that came from other than my spirit channeled them right through me. Incredible experiences, but I digress! PS didn't think of blog my experiences with Hebrew, Judaism and Synagogues, but they too were amazing in and of themselves.

Anyway, we make our way to Ben Ezra and we are told we can't take pictures inside which is quite disappointing to me, but it is what it is. This is the entrance gate to get to the grounds of the Synagogue.

Oh ya, I failed to tell you that it started to rain when we left the Church. Yes, it rained in the desert in Cairo---I was surprised too!!

The security to get into the Synagogue was probably the best and most realistic security we went through the whole time we were there. As I mentioned in my earlier blogs, they didn't really look at our stuff in line, but just made us put our stuff up there like for appearances or something. This I felt secure in their checking things out. We walked into an area where we could sit while our tour guide, Setep en Ra started to talk about the history of the synagogue.

As I sat there trying to listen, my energy got pulled back in time. The voice of Setep en Ra began to fade out. I began to see everything change; the building in which I was sitting transformed to a Temple that was used and I was sitting in this temple as a member attending a Shabbat service. I saw people as they arrived in the building to pray and get prepared for Shabbat. I saw that I was a man and that I had a son who was there with me. There were no women in there; only men. It was incredible. I could hear the prayers being recited and I could see the men as they performed the Shabbat Service. This experience showed me one life that I lived as a Jewish male. I feel like I was one of the original founders of this Temple.

Then I started to hear our tour guide's voice again and he was telling something about Jewish tradition and I asked him if I could correct him based on the knowdledge that I had just experienced. He asked if I was Jewish and I said no, but that I had studied Judaism. He said that he had few friends that were Jewish and emphasized how the religions really got along here in Cairo. He asked me to share what I knew with the rest of the people there. I started to tell them what I saw, but also what the meaning of traditions were from my own knowledge.

Then as we were leaving, there was a place to purchase memorabilia from here and I really wanted to have something from here, but nothing resonated. I felt that I didn't need it the experience in the Temple was enough to help me to hold this memory. (Even as I type this to you now I am experiencing the sounds of the Temple and the visions of it too!)

A few days earlier, Sokehelia said that she felt there was something there at the synagogue for me. I felt it too. I couldn't wait to go there and now I know. Everything was so familiar and I felt like I could stay there for longer, but it was time to move on. So I left with a part of my energy (me) returned to me. Thank you Ben Ezra for still being there for my journey 600 years later.

1.16.2011