Dear Lab/Shul,

As a Black, Queer, Jewish, Neurodiverse Earthling, my life has been marked by the will to survive. Survival was central to my character until 2020, when I decided to shift my focus to thriving. As a hate crime survivor, what happens to us saddens me but does not surprise me; I have learned how to live with the fleeting emotions of fear that come with existing as I am.

Knowing that there will always be danger, I made the choice to balance what I need to do to survive with what I need to enjoy the very life at risk.

During this challenging time of wars, hatred and explicit-isms, I offer tools for Living with Loving-Kindness: Glow Up, a brand new Learning Lab that focuses on contemplative practice and embodied presence on April 16. Over the course of three meditative sits, we will connect to our bodies through our breath. We will sit with the Here and Now. Between sits, we will walk with each other. In the end, we will Listen to each Other. Together we will dream of the world we wish to see because that world can never come to be if we do not first imagine it.

This journey, from disassociation to embodiment, redemption, and freedom, is a practice. We can come to it, again and again. As I write about this, I am reminded of another practice we keep, Passover. So let’s clear the chametz of our souls:

REGISTER HERE: LEARNING LAB

Seeking to further prepare for Passover, join our ritual team for SAYDER, a 4-part virtual series. Lab/Shul proposes FOUR NEW QUESTIONS to help us hear each other’s truths, engage in honest conversations, raise our cups to healing, life and peace, together. SAYDER 2024 is our redesigned Everybody-Friendly, God-Optional Passover Seder Insert with four new questions to integrate into your Haggadah, however works best for you. This Thursday, we will welcome special guests: Inheritance Theater Project‘s Jon Adam Ross, Executive Director and Zhailon Levingston, Artistic Director.

REGISTER HERE: SAYDER

WATCH: LATEST SAYDER RECORDING

A CALL TO PASSOVER ACTION:

Lab/Shul Partners: If you’re hosting a Seder on the first or second night of Passover, would you consider opening one or a couple of seats at your table for Lab/Shul Partners?

Bonus: anyone who signs up to host will receive free entry to SAYDER.

If you’re open to it, please fill out this form. Sam Hipschman, our Director of Community and Culture, will be in touch with you.

With Loving-Kindness,
Luis Burgos, Operations Manager and Resident Artist