Since being in the health profession for over 25 years and as an Ayurvedic Practitioner, Yoga Therapist, Massage Therapist and Health Coach, relationship and communication are a core part of our curriculum, healing and teaching to support others and be a skillful leader, that it is within my scope of practice to speak and shed light on raising awareness of how we can do better to serve our clients and each other.
This weekend I experienced a disconnected conversation with someone that is in a position of leadership in a
healing institution. When this happens it catches me by surprise, because I don’t
expect this from someone who considers themselves a healer, demonstrating the
disconnect and dysfunction of health practitioners and those in leadership roles
in such an important, visible and affecting position, contributing to the separateness
of disease rather than being part of the unity of healing, and contributing to
the world as a stressful upside down place rather than being part of the
solution of turning it up right.
Long before wonder woman adorned herself with a golden tiara
as a symbol of her royal status and
invulnerability from telepathic attacks, there was a golden tiara of a
different variety. It was the golden
tiara worn by the High Priest, and a symbol within many traditions, Jewish, Greek, Hindu and others of adorning these head pieces.
Known in Hebrew as the “Tzitz”, it was said to serve as an
antidote to brazenness, aka chutzpah (both giving and receiving it, through the
self actualization it creates through raising our attention to something higher
than ourselves). Beholding the words, Holy unto G-d on the forehead of the High
Priest, was enough to keep the beholders’ brazenness in check. In the absence
of the Holy Temple and the Priestly garments that went with it, the sages say, one
should always pray in a house of worship with windows open to the sky, so that
one will be mindful of heaven and be humbled in its presence.
This is not to suggest that one should be meek or timid,
rather that ones’ “brazenness” should be directed to heaven - channeled and utilized
for the sake of heaven, meaning a connection to divinity and a higher purpose.
There’s “ugly Chutzpah” as in disrespect and then there’s
“beautiful Chutzpah” - as in boldness, daring, bravery, similar to Brenee Brown’s
research and subsequent book on daring to lead, and a necessary topic of constructive discussion to
counteract the negative impacts of immature, inadequate, ignorant and destructive
leadership, which really is not leadership at all. It’s like hiring a life
guard who may have read the book, passed the written exam, but still doesn’t have
the strength or skill to swim or save another,
unless the victim also read the same book and they dog paddle together, ending
up on the wrong shore. How many people will have to drown or be lost before it
is recognized?
As part of this beautiful creation, we have the ability to
access our divinity, perhaps symbolized by wearers of the Golden Tiara - a
constant reminder of our calling to be - Holy Unto G-d, which means, be like
the warrior, be bold and brave with an open heart, which results in being respectful,
authentically kind, compassionate and virtuous which uplifts and empowers
everyone and is at the root of healing and differs from being disrespectful, self
righteous, passive aggressive, narcissistic and bullying which is disempowering and contributes to stress
and the disease process.
There is no leadership or communication class you can
successfully complete without purifying and opening your own heart to listen
and hear the others’ and no healing relationship or leadership that can be decorous and
up-leveling without it.
May we all wear our tiaras, mindfully, with humble pride, by remembering to listen with
our hearts and change the world with beautiful Chutzpah, one heart at a time.
