Kotel – the western wall

      

I was at the Kotel (Western Wall) in Jerusalem yesterday. The feeling there is absolutely overwhelming in every possible way. You walk up to the giant wall, you realise its been here for thousands of years. Its a representative for a people and a religion that has survived no matter what has come and no matter what has happened. You feel an overwhelming sense of awe, of respect, of admiration…at the same time it is soothing and you feel a calm come over you. I stood at the wall and laid my hands against it and my head against it. I felt the stone against my skin. It felt like some sort of thousands-of-years old energy entered me and flowed through me, it soothed me down and calmed me down. I felt like I couldn’t feel any weight anymore. I stood there for minutes and you know people leaves notes in the wall with prayers and wishes…but I just stood there and felt this overwhelming wave of emotion flood over me and I had no wishes left, in this moment I felt so at ease and peaceful with myself and with the universe, with everything and all around me.

I prayed that I may be forgiven for all the sins I may have ever committed intentionally or unintentionally, that I may be forgiven for any and all pain I may have ever caused someone or anyone in any way (intentionally or unintentionally) and I prayed that anyone who has ever hurt me or caused me any pain in any way (intentionally or unintentionally) may be forgiven too. I felt like I became one with all around me, like everything is a giant circle which closed for me in that moment. I had no wishes, no requests left.

I walked away from the wall, walking backwards all the time because I could just not turn my back on it. I came away from it and then broke down crying, but it was a happy crying. and I’m not even Jewish, so I’m not going to try to imagine what its like for a Jewish person to go through this experience.