Hadar Cohen joins Madison for a conversation spanning Judaism, art, spirituality, politics, psychedelics, movement, intuition, Hebrew, and transformation.
Hadar Cohen is a Mizrahi feminist multi-media artist, healer and educator. She is the founder of Feminism All Night – a project that designs communal immersive learning experiences about feminism and spirituality. Hadar is a Jewish mystic who works to build decolonial frameworks for worshiping God. She teaches Jewish scripture and embodied practices through various platforms. Her artistic mediums include performance, movement, writing, weaving, sound and ritual. For a deeper dive, sign up for her Patreon. For more info, visit HadarCohen.me
The World Happens Inside Us // Art, Spirituality, Politics
Welcoming Mizrahi feminist multi-media artist, healer, and educator, Hadar Cohen, to Set & Setting, Madison invites her to shed light on the catalysts which brought her to the forefront of Judaism, spirituality, feminism, and decolonialism. Born in Jerusalem and surrounded by mysticism early in life, Hadar reflects on her innate aptitude for creating spiritual community of prayer and devotion, and explores how spirituality and art intersect with politics and trauma right inside our very being.
“So often we have this thought or imagination that the world exists outside of us and we are observers looking out, but actually the world happens inside of us. When I learned to relate to my body as this site of political and spiritual fusion, I actually started to develop more of my own power.” – Hadar Cohen
Jack Kornfield speaks of politics, possibilities, & spiritual sanctuary, on Ep. 113 of Heart Wisdom
Going Up & Coming Down // The Magic of Sound (13:31)
Exploring the spiritual method of psychedelics through the Ram Dass-ian notion that ‘what goes up, must come down,’ Madison and Hadar integrate the balancing wisdom encased in the spiritual story of Jacob, the ladder, and the angels. From here, they speak to the cosmically embodied language of Hebrew, and describe the Kaballah’s magical implications surrounding sound, vibration, and prayer.
“When I speak Hebrew there’s a direct relationship of the word, what’s happening in the body, and what’s happening in the cosmos. This is why it’s also seen as a magic language. The Aramaic saying, ‘Abracadabra’ literally means ‘the thing is as it is said’ – meaning the power of magic is actually through the word.” – Hadar Cohen
Ethan Nichtern & Jay Michaelson interweave Judaism and Buddhism, on Ep. 34 of The Road Home
Movement & Intuition // Shabbat Here Now (31:13)
Relaying how movement practices like yoga, dancing, and hooping can help tune our intuition, Madison shares how we can move through the world more gracefully once when we balance our stillness with embodied motion. Next, she prompts Hadar to merge the essence of “being here now” with congruent concepts in Judaism like Shabbat. Engaging the landing gears, they discuss the mystery, Rabbi Nachman, heaven, hell, transformation, nature, dreams, prostration, and giving yourself space.
“I was in India a few years ago, and one of my biggest issues is getting in touch with my gut and intuition. I met this Indian guy who said, ‘To do that, just dance.'” – Madison Margolin
“When we think about darkness and these spaces that are more challenging, they’re actually spaces for transformation, spaces where our power can be actually cultivated and expressed. In some ways, I think that’s the human journey, this why we’re on earth is to transform ourselves and each other.” – Hadar Cohen
Zen Priest, Norman Fischer creates safe spaces for Jewish people practicing Eastern traditions, on Ep. 397 of Mindrolling
