Dire Straits/Merc Retro- July 13-Aug 3

At sundown on July 13th we entered a time known as Bein Hametzarim, the three week mourning period leading to Tisha b'Av (sundown Aug 2-3). This coincides with Mercury Retrograde (7/17-8/11). Here is an article I wrote 16 years ago about this period." May we take care of our hearts & spirits as we walk through changes in our lives, may the transformation of all bitter things becoming sweet be performed, may He increase & we decrease as He pours out His love & grace upon us. May we NOT BE SHAKEN, by our circumstances but stand strong on the word of God." ~ JL

During this 3-week period, it is a good time to set some extra time apart to pray and meditate. Instead of focusing on the lore around the evil activity and the historical destruction we focus on Divine Alignment.

Its not the time to necessarily start something new, but it is a time to tap into the potential. It's a time for healing, love, relationships, creative expansion, ideation, and innovation. It's a time when every gift is available, but there is this intense pressure, stress, confusion and even darkness. This doesn't mean that the fulfillment is getting further away, it means that it is getting closer. SO during these intense times we should be going inward, purifying, aligning, and tapping into the potential of what we want to have manifest... Then on Tu b'AV (sundown Aug 8-9) we dance!

--------------------------------------------Bein Hametzarim – the straight and narrow-------------------------------------------------

From the 17th of Tammuz (July 13, 2025) to the 9th of Av (Aug 2-3, 2025) we enter into a 3 week mourning period on the Hebraic Calendar. It is called bein Hametzarim which is translated the narrow places or dire straits. It comes from, Lamentations 1:3 “Judah has gone into captivity, Under affliction and hard servitude; She dwells among the nations, She finds no rest; All her persecutors overtake her in dire straits.”

The word Narrow in the English dictionary means to decrease or contract (to reduce to smaller size by squeezing or forcing together). We are in a time where we must decrease and He must increase. “Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” ~ Matthew 7:14

The 3 week period begins with a fast on the 17th of Tammuz which is to remember 5 tragedies that happened to the Jewish people: 1) Moses broke the first set of tablets of the law upon seeing the Israelites worshipping the Golden Calf; 2) The daily offering in the first Temple was discontinued for lack of sheep. [Daniel 11:31; Dan 12:11,12]; 3) The walls of Jerusalem were breached which led to the destruction of both the first and second temple; 4) Apostumus, a Roman ruler, burned the Torah; 5) An idol was erected in the Holy Temple. [Mt 24:15].

Both Temples were destroyed on the 9th of Av, known as Tisha B’Av. This day was also the day that God decreed that the generation of the Exodus shall die out in the desert after they refused to proceed to the Holy Land in wake of the bad report from the Spies. During these three weeks it is customary to refrain from: wearing new clothes, listening to music, bathing for pleasure, shaving, cutting your hair, weddings, drinking wine, eating meat, or going on long journeys.

It is traditionally called the time of the “Three Weeks” and not the 21 days because it is believed that the third temple will be built during this time and that either Messiah will come or His redemption will come during this period. Therefore, calling it the “Three Weeks,” emphasizes the good and redemptive quality of this time.

As it says in Zech 8:19-22, this fast along with the other 3 biblical fasts shall be a time of cheerful feasting, a time of joy and gladness (Yomim Tovim). This time represents a time of transformation, turning the bitter to sweet.

It is said that during this time a demon named Keteb-Meriri roams around the earth. This symbolizes the crossing of a boundary as it does not walk in darkness or light but on the line between them. It is at moments of transition that we feel vulnerable. When we move from one stage of life to another or when our lives are in flux. Av is the month of transition, reminding us to take care of our hearts and spirits as we walk through changes in our lives.

Rosh Chodesh for the month of Av (July 25-26, 2025) is known as Menachem Av –“Consoling the Father.” During this period of the temples being destroyed as well as, remembering the death of Aaron on the first of Av, the Jewish people seek to console the Father.

The Jewish people are so deeply rooted in God that the Shekinah Glory is with them, so when they are exiled the Shekinah is with them. When they are in the desert the Shekinah is with them, when they are mourning the Shekinah is mourning and when they are redeemed it is also the redemption for the Shekinah as well. Therefore, in consoling the Father they too are consoled.

Back in May the Lord laid Psalm 16 upon my heart and I have been mediating and coming back to this Psalm for the last 2 months now. It is very fitting for this time that we are in. The theme of this Psalm is the joys and benefits of a life lived in companionship with God. In verse 8, David says, “I will not be shaken.” This underlines the unique security we have as believers, although we are not exempt from the circumstances of life, we do have a confidence in God knowing that He will keep us from being moved off His chosen path. We can also see in this Psalm that David’s heart was glad – he found the secret to joy. JOIE DE VIVRE – THE JOY OF LIFE. We can feel joy in spite of our deepest troubles. True joy is far deeper than happiness, happiness is temporary because it is based on external circumstances, but joy is lasting because it is based on God’s presence within us.

May we take care of our hearts and spirits as we walk through changes in our lives, may the transformation of all bitter things becoming sweet be performed, may He increase and we decrease as He pours out His love and grace upon us. As we dig deep and live from a place of being rooted and grounded in Him, may we find that place of Joie De Vivre, the Joy of Life is in Him! May we know that our lot is secure, where our boundary lines are – they are in pleasant places and our inheritance is a delightful one. May we NOT BE SHAKEN, by our circumstances but stand strong on the word of God.

Psalm 16 A miktam of David

“:1 Keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge. :2 I said to the Lord, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.”:3 As for the saints who are in the land, they are the glorious ones in whom is all my delight. :4 The sorrows of those will increase who run after other gods. I will not pour out their libations of blood or take up their names on my lips. :5 Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. :6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. :7 I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. :8 I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. :9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, :10 because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay. :11 You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”

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Dire Straits/Merc Retro- July 13-Aug 3