In today’s episode of “Healing From Within” Host Sheryl Glick welcomes Rabbi Wayne Dosick, PH.D author of “The Real Name of God- Embracing The Full Essence of the Divine”. Rabbi Dosick is the host of the weekly internet radio program Spirit Talk Live, the Spiritual Guide of the Elijah Minyan Jewish Renewal Community in San Diego, and the director of The Soul Center for Spiritual Healing with facilitators throughout the world. Rabbi Dosick is a former faculty member of the University of San Diego and the author of several books including “Living Judaism”.
Rabbi Dosick’s newest book, “The Real Name of God” is an examination of the many names of God commonly used in the Bible and other sacred literature reflecting the growing awareness among many religious leaders about the many aspects of the divine reaching beyond the original Old Testament view of God as the Loving Creator, militaristic authoritarian, of the all-knowing judge embracing the wholeness, the totality, the full Essence of God. In order to find the true name and intention and scope of God’s love for humanity, it is necessary to dig through many layers of presumption and deeply ingrained belief. The real name of God, hidden yet accessible to those who truly open their hearts and spirit is Anochi. Rabbi Dosick goes on to show how this sacred name unites all religions—both of the West and the East. The name Anochi enables us to finally meet the whole, complete, real God—both the God of the entire Universe and the God of each human being of breath, soul and heart who dwells within each of us.
As the title of Sheryl Glick’s show “Healing From Within” implies it is in the recognition of this spark of the divine in each of us that we are brought together in the Oneness and Unity of God’s Love and in the ability to find a personal and practical dialogue or communication with Spirit. To appreciate life and Universal Energy, leads us to access peace, health and prosperity in our own eternal Being. As we then KNOW who God is, and who we are, we may begin to accept the responsibility for co-creating a physical and spiritual world of refinement, hope trust integrity and a Love for Life for all people. Merging of all religions is not only possible but probable when more people are able to realize this spiritual truth. Furthermore, it has been the goal and intent of this show to bring forward thinking leaders in the spiritual and scientific community to share their evolving awareness of One God—One World and One Humanity. By realizing how man made beliefs and perceptions by different religious groups, often generates a separation between people while the premise of any religion should be bringing us all together. By realizing and embracing our Unity to life, God, and each other, we open ourselves up to the truth that we are the reflection of the many aspects of God’s ever-expanding Creation, and will eventually with this knowledge and divine help stem the destructive power of divisiveness.
“The Real Name of God” is a book for people of every religion and of no religion, of all faiths and of no faith, for spiritual seekers and rational empiricists—for everyone who perceives the Bible’s tremendous impact on human life and civilization, and everyone who has ever wondered about God. This book might be perceived as controversial and a radical theology for those theologians who function entirely and literally with the ancient beliefs written by man over the historical challenges during our evolution. But, for those who connect on a personal and intimate level with the Universal Source of Energy or Life Force, God may be seen as the expansion and love of All Life, and may be summoned by prayer, chants, and meditations personally or collectively.
In talking about contemporary thinkers and writers, friends and colleagues who have dared to take the first steps to bring God-talk back into public areas, Rabbi Dosick mentions Rabbi Michael Akiba for his valued knowledge about Covenant Theology from both Jewish and Christian perspectives. Others mentioned by Dosick, included Rabbi Harold Kushner, Dr. Richard Elliot Friedman, the men and women of the Elijah Minyan, who wrestled with penetrating questions and embraced the hidden God and finally discovered the real Being of The Whole Complete God. Rabbi Dosick also thanked his students, mainly coming from Catholic backgrounds who asked about Jewish beliefs and practices because they may have recognized Jesus was a Jewish Rabbi. They had a sincere desire to know the truth of that long ago time when perhaps Judaism was supposed to reach beyond the strict traditions to accept God and others in a less restricted more open way of observing life and God’s purposes. Perhaps Jesus was there in that time to make corrections and additions to the behavior of the people 2,000 years ago, but, not necessarily to create a whole new religion. Catholicism as is the Muslim religion are clearly based on the original tenants of Judaism. Sheryl has often said that she senses that when God proclaimed the Jewish people, the Chosen people who would go forth and multiply, that he might have meant all people would know the one God and truth of Creation, and therefore, we are all the same in the eyes of God.
Rabbi Dosick has mentioned that on his journey of transformation he has felt the very real presence of Elijah the Prophet who according to Jewish tradition will herald the messianic moment when we will all know there is One God, One World, One People. When people remember religion is meant to heal and love and foster fairness, integrity, honesty and faith, and a Higher view of Self and Others, all people will truly know the best aspects and hopes for all religious pursuits.
In giving a view of who God really is Rabbi Dosick writes, “ This life is an obligation to the souls from the past…to the men and women and especially the children who are the inheritors and at the same time the transmitters of who and what we are… and it is a blessing to be alive when all the spiritual energies, when our spiritual seeking and new openings bring us new revelation.
The real name of God is Anochi and in more conservative rather than spiritual approaches to understand the Divine there were and still are restrictions, fears and limited ways to say God’s name. Now that we know the real name is Anochi and while the Being of Anochi is majestic and holy, it is also the designation of GOD WITHIN…THE GOD WITH WHOM EACH OF US IS IN DEEP, PERSONAL, INTIMATE LOVING RELATIONSHIP.
Rabbi Dosick mentions the word, “Sefer” which literally means book…a book of sacred spirit, a modern day exposition of holy teachings and this book, “The Real Name of God”, is your interpretation of the most sacred texts leading to your own understanding of God. In reinterpreting many of the old texts of the Bible for modern day times, some of us realize the evolution of the human mind and intelligence allows us to reassess old laws that no longer work for us. Sheryl states that when her daughter, Stacey was married by Rabbi Matthew Gewirtz, author of “The Gift of Grief”, Sheryl was moved to tears when she realized that this young man was a Spiritual Rabbi – a new kind of Rabbi who wanted to help his congregation find the spark of God Within and the true meaning of brotherhood and Universal Love. On a radio interview with Sheryl years later, Rabbi Gewirtz, who had recently lost his mother, shared the fact that like Sheryl, his mother was an intuitive or medium who connected to the Realm of higher energy and received information to help people know themselves and Source. Sheryl is again honored and thankful to discuss the truth and wholeness of religion and spirituality with Rabbi Dosick and to share his book “The Real Name of God” and how the best within each of us finds its way back to God and the beginning.
Rabbi Dosick shares the words of the modern poet, Judy Chicago, as a prelude to all God’s children touching hands in peace:
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….All that has divided us will merge
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And then compassion will be wedded to power
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And then softness will come to a world that is harsh and unkind
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And then both women and men will be strong
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And then no person will be subject to another’s will
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And then all will be rich and free and varied
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And then the greed of some will give way to the needs of many
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And then we will all share equally in the Earth’s abundance
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And then all will care for the sick and the weak and the old
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And then all will nourish the young
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And then all will cherish life’s creatures
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And then all will live in harmony with each other and with the Earth
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And then everywhere will be called Eden once again.
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