I am currently reading The Rosh Hodesh Table: Foods at the New Moon for my Kohenet project. (Thanks for the recommendation, Ashera Batya! More info on my project later!) and I came across a sidebar that mentioned that the fish would have survived the Great Flood. I suppose this should be obvious, but it never occurred to me before. Fish and all animals in the ocean would have survived the Flood. That’s one of the reasons why fish are a symbol of good luck. I guess that dreadful Star Trek movie was right — it is all about the whales. They can follow many lines back before the Flood. We all have to trace our lineage (mythic or otherwise) to Noah and his family. Save the whales, save the world!...
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Anyone who has been on the Jewitchery Yahoo Group in the past two years knewthis book, Magickal Judaism, was coming. Jennifer Hunter is one of our own, and put great trust in her community by sharing what she was working on with us. Needless to say, this built up great anticipation in the community. People were excited that there was going to be about Jewitches, as a unique nitch in both the Jewish and Pagan communities. The fact that someone was going to tell our story — that was exciting. The book is a mixture of narrative and interviews with a variety of flavors of Jewitches. There are thirteen featured contributors to this book. I find that number funny as hell, since that’s the traditional number of people in a Wiccan coven. Oh, and let me say up front — I don’t think there’s a Wiccan in the bunch, except maybe Jen. Each of the feature contributors, including myself, were interviewed by Jennifer either by phone or email about a variety of topics. Our answers are used as illustrations throughout the book, as Jennifer brings up various issues about the world of Jewitchery. Jennifer does a great job of explaining both the Pagan and Jewish elements, without being pedantic. In reality, most readers will have a stronger foundation in one than the other and need explanations of different terms and ideas. I’m really impressed by how well Jen was able to show the variety and diversity in our small community. The age range and paths of the people interviewed is far and wide. I think one thing that will surprise people is how old we all are. I’m one of the youngest at 32. Many of the people interviewed are in their 40s and up. I am also glad that Jen was able to include Elisheva. While Elisheva would never call herself a Jewitch, she is a hugely important part of the Magickal Judaism community. Also as a native Israeli, she brings a unique...
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I’m currently reading Sisters at Sinai, by Jill Hammer and it’s so good I have to share it. I originally added it to my library queue (yes, I have a queue) because I was really impressed with Jill’s website, www.telshemesh.org. What’s interesting is that I’ve gotten to know her a little, and the book arrived the same day as the application for the Kohenet: Hebrew Priestess Training. It was an interesting moment of synchronicity. The book is one of women’s midrash. In the book, Rabbi Jill explores familiar stories from the Bible and Talmud filling in more details and re-envisioning familiar stories — in the finest tradition of midrash writing. Not only are the stories moving as stories, but also they add new illuminations to the study of Torah and women’s place in Judaism. I’ve now read through the book once and am on a second read. R. Jill put extensive notes about each story at the end of the book. I decided to read the whole thing through once, without reading the notes and then read it again with the commentary. I’m finding it quite interesting. With some stories I had enough context to pick up on some of the subtleties. In others, I missed the threads completely and have learned valuable new information by reading the notes. I think my favorite story is the first, Havdalah, which is a story of Adam, Eve, and Lilith. I won’t tell you too much about it, because I don’t want to ruin the story for you. I really loved the majority of them, but this was the first — so it created the initial impression. I can’t recommend this book highly enough. [tags]books, midrash, telshemsh, sisters at sinai, women’s stories, women in the bibile, recommended reading, jewitch, earth-based...
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Most of the traffic to this site this time of year is people looking for instructions on how to peel pomegranates or things to do with them. Peeling a pomegranate is a metaphor for a spiritual way of interacting with the world which respects and embraces the many ways people can approach the same thing and the way that one person can embrace something on many levels at once. It seems appropriate then to share Pomegranates by Ann Kleinberb, an amazing book about pomegranates that revels in them from historical, cultural, beautifying, and eadible perspectives. The cover photo alone, shows the inherent natural beauty of this fruit. In the book are 70 fabulous recipes using pomegranates and pomegranate juice as well as tips on buying them, using them, and interesting tidbits about them. Author Ann Kleinberg, an Israeli author, has created the ultimate ode to the pomegranate in its many forms. If you are looking for historical or cultural information about the pomegranate it’s a great book. If you are looking for recipes, it’s a great book. If you just want advice on how to buy and peel it — it’s a great book! And for those who just would like to see instructions on how to peel this phenomenal fruit — here you go. How to Peel a Pomegranate Take the pomegranate and cut of the crown, being careful to not cut into seeds. Score the rind from crown to base into 6 sections. Place pomegranate in large bowl filled with cold water. The pomegranate should float upright. If you like, spin the pomegranate in the water and focus on it while meditating. Leave the pomegranate in the water for 5-10 minutes. Then peel of the rind and let the seed drop to the bottom. You can then skim the rind off the top and drain the water, leaving just the seeds. [tags]pomegranates, cook books, reading list,...
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I’ve been exploring Librivox, and online catalogue of recorded public domain literature and poetry. I started thinking about one my favorite poems, “The Arrow and the Song” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. I first read the poem years ago when my grandmother gave my sister and I a book of his poetry. We treasured, and still fight over, this book. It was from the 20s or 30s, and was as beautiful to look at as it is to read. I can’t ever seem to find a copy of this poem, but Librivox reminded me about Project Gutenberg, and I decided to see if it was there — and to my joy it was. I love Longellow, so I downloaded his complete collection (totally legal, it’s public domain). There are other poems that I love and that move me, but this is the first I remember stopping me cold. The only poem that holds as strong a place in my heart as this one is “The Invitation” by Shel Silverstein. These two just find that place that rings like a singing bowl in my heart. It’s amazing. With no further ado … The Arrow and the Song Henry Wadsworth Longfellow I shot an arrow into the air, It fell to earth, I knew not where; For, so swiftly it flew, the sight Could not follow it in its flight. I breathed a song into the air, It fell to earth, I knew not where; For who has sight so keen and strong, That it can follow the flight of song? Long, long afterward, in an oak I found the arrow, still unbroke; And the song, from beginning to end, I found again in the heart of a friend. and …. The Invitation Shel Silverstein (Where the Sidewalk Ends) if you are a dreamer, come in, if you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar, a hope-er, a pray-er, a magic bean buyer… if you’re a pretender, come sit by my fire for we have flax-golden tales...
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Abraham Joseph Heschel I love this man. He was a visionary genius. His writing is lyrical, poetic, and profound. I find myself so continually moved that I take notes as I read. So far I’ve read Sabbath, Man’s Quest for God, and I Asked for Wonder. I plan on adding all of his books to my collection. He does use masculine imagery for God, but — trust me — you’ll get over it quickly. Marcia FalkThe main book most people talk about when then refer to Marcia Falk is The Book of Blessings. It is a reinterpretation of the traditional Jewish services. Rabbi Falk is a poet as well, so her writing is unique and thoughtful. It uses a good deal of nature and feminine imagery, so Jewitches will feel right at home. Gershon WinklerMagic of the Ordinary was a book I avoided reading for a long time. I don’t know why. It’s a fantastic book by one of the leading proponents of Shamanic Judaism. Rabbi Winkler writes a fantastic book that will speak to anyone interested in Shamanic, Earth-based, or any alternative form of Judaism. Poppy Palin Ms. Palin isn’t exactly Jewish. Okay — she’s really not Jewish. She’s a British woman, who is a natural pyschic and tattoo artist. She’s also create an extraordinary tarot deck, Waking the Wild Spirit Tarot, that I have used for about a year now. I’m looking forward to reading more of her books as I have the...
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