Earth Based Judaism
(Excerpt from the Elul 5770 Rosh Chodesh Guide – Take a Quick Survey to help with the 5771 Guides!) In Av we explored the meaning of Strength. Now in Elul with the Hermit, we must find the strength to Journey alone. Elul is a month of private reflection and inward turning. We turn inward, so we [...]
It’s very interesting to me that the months of Av and Elul, I have in previous years assigned different cards and/or Netivot. In theory, I’ve been using the same system for several years — but for some reason these months were reassigned. I don’t think there is any one system, so I could simply make [...]
~Excerpt from Nisan 5770 Rosh Chodesh Guide – Subscribe today for the full Guide ~ With Nisan we leave the lunacy of Adar behind. Rosh Chodesh Nisan is the New Year of Kings, so it makes complete sense that the Emperor (קֵיסָר) is the card for the month. In the Transparent Tarot, the image is [...]
A fully formatted, printer-ready PDF format of the Hanukkah seder is available for just $5 in my Etsy Shop. Purchases support my work both financially and spiritually, by letting me know you appreciate and are using the work. BTW – Newsletter subscribers receive a free copy of the Hanukkah/Solstice Seder in their Kislev (Nov/Dec) newsletter. [...]
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The recent US cattle recall, which was the largest in U.S. history, has clearly set my course for the next several months. I had already determined that Rosh Chodesh Elul would be the next seder that I would write, but I had been wavering. The first of Elul is considered to be one of the [...]
I realized that I’ve never shared a photo of my altar, and since I recently found what I think is just a great addition — I thought I’d take a picture. The new addition is the Jewish Wheel of the Year plaque. I was just blown away when I saw it. It’s shockingly heavy, too. [...]
Once we had The Temple where we made sacrifices of precious blood and grain. Now we we have temples where people pray, but few truly give offerings. The darkness. The darkness. The darkness. Doesn’t the light always return? The light, it does return? It does return. Hanukkah? חנוכה The lights. We light them. [...]
Maybe I’ll try to find Flickr pics that relate to the weekly parshat! Oooohh….well, no promises, but I was inspired to search on “beresheit” this week. Enjoy! בראשית בארא אלהים את השמים ואת הארץ B’reisheet barah Elohim et hashamayim v’et ha aretz I love seeing earth-based Judaism in the first line of the Torah. If [...]
I generally just celebrate this holiday with my friends at Beltane. This year (2006), the holidays were weeks apart. This put a damper on my enthusiasm. Blessed is the match that burns out in lighting the flame. Blessed is the flame that flares in the heart’s hidden chambers. Blessed are the hearts that know when [...]
Strange Findings in Yitro
I read Yitro with new eyes tonight and found wonder. There were several passages that I read, and saw some things that I had never seen before. As I read an English translation, I just poured over the Hebrew. These two are direct from the Everett Fox translation. What do you see? Indeed all the [...]
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