About Me

My photo
Joy Serves G*d in Joy as a passionate performing percussionist, poet, publisher, photographer, publicist, sound healer, spiritual guide, artist, gardener and Gemini. "Ivdu Et Hashem B'Simcha" -Psalm 100:2 ....... Joy Krauthammer, active in the Jewish Renewal, Feminist, and neo-Chasidic worlds for over three decades, kabbalistically leads Jewish women's life-cycle rituals. ... Workshops, and Bands are available for all Shuls, Sisterhoods, Rosh Chodeshes, Retreats, Concerts, Conferences & Festivals. ... My kavanah/intention is that my creative expressive gifts are inspirational, uplifting and joyous. In gratitude, I love doing mitzvot/good deeds, and connecting people in joy. In the zechut/merit of Reb Shlomo Carlebach, zt'l, I mamash love to help make our universe a smaller world, one REVEALING more spiritual consciousness, connection, compassion, and chesed/lovingkindness; to make visible the Face of the Divine... VIEW MY COMPLETE PROFILE and enjoy all offerings.... For BOOKINGS write: joyofwisdom1 at gmail.com, leave a COMMENT below, or call me. ... "Don't Postpone Joy" bear photo montage by Joy. Click to enlarge. BlesSings, Joy
JOY's POEMS

JOY'S POEMS ... "You G*d are the Compassion, the Strength, the Beauty, the Victory, the Splendor, and the Foundation of everything in Heaven and on Earth." (1 Chronicles 1:29) ... I see Your Face in All Nature that I photograph. ... ... http://joys-poems.blogspot.com/ . . . Click "Older Posts" on lower right of each post page for MORE earlier posted stories and art.

Fallen Red Leaves


Fall's Fallen Red Leaves

- Joy Krauthammer


Fall's fallen red leaves
make my heart skip a beat
and my feet 
skip in joy.


© Joy Krauthammer


Early morning, 
silly I feel
 jumping into the little pile of leaves
moist with evening's foggy dew.



Autumn 2013 

Fall's fallen foliage
peak in redness.
Please peek at picture.

Sharing the only red leaves
I've encountered in LA.

love and blesSings, Joy



© Joy Krauthammer


Love lone Liquidambar styraciflua, 
sweet gum tree in Santa Monica.
Five pointed leaves turn crimson, flutter down. 
Their fruit-- spiky, prickly hard round pods,
hang over my parked car.

On a thick foggy fall,
early Sunday morning
as I squat on the damp ground
and photograph beauty,
walkers go silently past. 

Do they see the brilliant red leaves
 solely on this tree?

- Joy Krauthammer



Liquidambar styraciflua red leaves
© Joy Krauthammer   12.2017  Encino


Liquidambar styraciflua red leaf
© Joy Krauthammer 


Liquidambar styraciflua red leaves
© Joy Krauthammer 



~ ~ ~

Homage to Mom


Homage to Mom


 © Joy Krauthammer

 © Joy Krauthammer


Agave at LACMA

- Joy Krauthammer


Agave, shot for this week's "Green" theme 
for 52 Frames, on-line photo group.

While I was editing/cropping Agave, 
I had a visceral jolt, 
and also suddenly realized for first time 
that my photo looked like my mother's, obm, art,
all green (which I truly couldn't stand) 
agave and leaves painting 
from 50-60 years ago.

Art mostly hanging on walls of our NY home, now gone,
over the green upholstered, down feather couch
which I wasn't allowed to sit on.
(No plastic covering!)

I still have a metal serving tray
with Mom's painted green agave
and her poem written on tray back. 
Turn over the tray.

Shocking that I had no idea
I was so connected to Mom from so long ago. 
She, too, before me, was also
a poet, photographer, multi-dimensional artist, and a gardener,
 but Mom died young, 49 years old, over 44 years ago.

Mom had worked WW II in the Pentagon
and in the aftermath of the Holocaust,
the only religion statement I heard growing up,
Mom would say out loud,
"How can there be a G*d?"

Maybe Mom is helping G*d to paint the sunrise...

~ ~ ~

POEM ON PAINTED TRAY

"In the hour of False Dawn
The Beasts of Burden appear
Dun-Colored, one with the earth
Silhouetted dimly against the promise
Of a rising sun."

- Libby M. Melton







The green couch in poem, I trucked from NY to Maryland to cousins for them to enjoy.
 A great couch, even if green.  - Joy

~ ~ ~

Compassion Haiku


Compassion Haiku


friend dying at home

holding hands, and saying Bye

I bring her my joy


- Joy Krauthammer



© Joy Krauthammer




Cancer kills too young

Tishrei arrives in hours

Friend enters new year

~ ~ ~

No Camera Haiku



No Camera Haiku


Mesmerized by sky
Pink purple sunset color
Camera not used

- Joy Krauthammer


Sunrise Pine Haiku

Sunrise Pine 
© Joy Krauthammer


Big pine blocks my view
40 years old hides sunrise
red glows through needles.

- Joy Krauthammer

Sunrise Palm



© Joy Krauthammer

Sunrise Palm

Unprotected in the powerful wind, 
trying not to be blown over, I wait
until the palm lifts her feathery frond
to envelope and reveal the rising sun.

- Joy Krauthammer
12.2013

Full Moon Haiku


August Blue Moon
©  Joy Krauthammer


Moonlight

By light of full moon,
my garden I watered well.
Moonlight touched my skin.

- Joy Krauthammer

~ ~ ~


Ruach Moon, Canby, Oregon
© Joy Krauthammer    7.9.2014



Geese In Flight Haiku



Geese In Flight

Waiting for the sun
looking toward the Old City
G*d's beauty meets me


- Joy Krauthammer

River of Light



River of Light 
Painted Path

by Joy Krauthammer © 


Torah, a path to follow, 
sometimes through a dense forest, 
with Light guiding the way, 
and painted with the colors of the rainbow. 

Path may be curvy or straight, 
short or long, 
narrow or wide, 
deep or shallow. 

Is the path rapid or slow, 
high or level? 
Familiar or new? 
Easy to follow or not? 
Filled with delights or difficulties?


Torah gives place to pause.
(as do stones in a stream)
Breathe deeply, reflect, and listen.  
From flowing waters, 
varied sounds are heard 
as many voices are heard in Torah. 

The ear of the heart
can flow to the heart of G*d 
in silence or sound. 
Quiet the mind. 
Shema / listen
What do you hear?


What is my path, 
my purpose toward the Divine One?
Do rocks, challenges, become obstacles (to a well), 
or provide places to step higher on the path?

Shema. 
Can you hear the sounds of water 
tinkle, splash, rush
falling, passing over the stones? 
Is the heart awakened?


In the quiet shade of trees, 
high, by a cliff,
Big Sur
overlooking the ocean, 
I have sat 
on raised stones 
in a gentle mountain spring, 
and played my Tibetan singing bowl.  

I sing Shalom / peace. I am grateful.  I am at Onement. 

-  Joy Krauthammer
~


G*d is Love
We are created B'Tzelem Elokim / in the image of G*d.
River of Light 
of our illuminated heart 
lives in the path of the Tree of Life.
Beginning with Chesed / Loving-Kindness 
to Malchut / Shekhina's Presence of full Light, 
49 Gates of our emotions and actions
 flow through the heart
from the Source.
-  Joy



Genesis 2:10  A river watering the garden flowed from Eden;
Psalm 46:4  There is a River whose streams make glad the City of G*d. 
Psalm 23:2  He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters.

Water as a metaphor for Torah. 
There is no water except Torah.  Bava Kama 17A
"O, all who are thirsty, come for water."  Isaiah 55:1

~ ~ ~


Molalla River
Canby, Oregon
© Joy Krauthammer  July 2014
~ ~ ~



G*d Loves Me Heart



Heart
silk, salt painting
by  Joy Krauthammer ©

G*d Loves Me

Outlining a radiant heart
to fill with intense red and purple
is exciting to me.

Freely splashing water
and wildly brushing layers of color onto silk
is satisfying for me.

A frosting of salty tears
add surprise and a magical marbling finale.

With a bit of a broken heart
I dance on silk, knowing
G*d loves me.

- Joy Krauthammer
~


G*d Loves You
 ~ a story

by Joy Krauthammer

Grieving
when my husband, z'l, had died
 after lengthy life-support,
and after I had served for years
as Caregiver Angel Warrior,
I felt very 'alone',
although surrounded by friends. 

My beloved Jerusalem rebbe Yosef Ben Shlomo Hakohen, z'l, said to me,
 "G*d loves you."

I painted these words
 and hung them on my wall where I work.
I felt loved and healed,
 no longer alone,
 accepting this wisdom,
and have shared the thought
"G*d loves you"
 with others during my Bikkur Cholim / visiting the sick experiences.
~ ~ ~


Published in Chabad.org
The Creative Soul site "ART FOR THE SOUL, Jewish Artists Reflect". 
May 2013
~


A Kol ALEPH Feature:  Words to Inspire
June 5, 2013 issue
published by Kol  Aleph Online Journal

"This lovely bit of poetry by Joy Krauthammer inspired us when we had a long day at the office!"



~ ~ ~

Artist of Life

I am an 'Artist of Life

~  Joy Krauthammer

1.  
My life as art 
comes from my heART. 
It beats as a drum 
and it is open 
and flows in abunDance.  
It is open to you.  
It is open to Oneness. 




Raindrops

RAINDROPS

- Joy Krauthammer

In the garden,
from deep inside
my joy is delicate and expansive.
Raindrops dangle from flowers 
Dazzling, translucent gems.
Each a crystal of delight. 
They hang and don't fall.

Sun shines through the gems.
Drops sparkle on tubular red flowers.
A circus of joy-drops.
I dance and sing.

Sitting on green leaves of rose bush 
raindrops make their presence known. 
They don't fall.

Gently, I shake down the drops
off favorite Double Delight rose
to lift its heavy wet head.
"Come back, Rose".

Reaching high, standing beneath
laden boughs of a citrus tree,
I carefully tug at the round, full fruit
to receive from the tree.
I pluck the fattest golden grapefruit 
first harvest of the season. 
Ah, so juicy and delicious.
Thank you, G*d.

Over 33 years ago
I planted citrus trees.
Shaking the branch 
I release the sun-lit crystals. 
Hanging from the fruit
raindrops fall on me.
My body accepts
the gift of falling fresh raindrops on my skin,
Ah, a delight.
Baruch Hashem.

So filled with true joy,
I don't feel the morning chill
until I leave the garden.
              ~ ~ ~

PS
The glorious raindrop day ended not with more rain where I live, but with a  w
When the sun appeared I hoped I'd see G*d's miracle, and went outside.

From the other end of the Valley in the Eastern sky where I could see a partial rainbow, friend Suzanne called to say she saw a full rainbow and hailstones! She remembered to call me with rainbow alert! 
On the phone, we share the blesSing.

For more Garden of Joy photos:
http://joys-poems.blogspot.com
http://joys-inthemorning.blogspot.com/2013/03/mornings-joy-filled-deep-delights.html

Joy-drops also photographed on International Women's Day
3/8/2013


Raindrops on Lagartijos
Rose Pink "viviparous" Kalanchoe succulent
Do you see the reflections on raindrops?
© Joy Krauthammer

Rose Leaves and Raindrops 
© Joy Krauthammer

Raindrops on Grapefruit
© Joy Krauthammer


Grapefruit inside
Golden raindrops
© Joy Krauthammer


Orange Raindrops
© Joy Krauthammer

Raindrops on Oranges
© Joy Krauthammer

Raindrops on Jade
(planted the Jade 35 years ago)
© Joy Krauthammer

~ ~ ~

Rainbow Eastern sky toward sunset time
G*d planted a Rainbow.
 © Joy Krauthammer 

Eastern sky toward sunset
Rainbow and Plane
© Joy Krauthammer 
~ ~ ~