The more I explore Judaism, the more I realize I misjudged so quickly. Of course, it is so easy to gain this awareness in retrospect. This is the divine time to embrace the faith of my birth with beginner’s mind. A few years ago my Spiritual Director offered me a book on Judaism. I do not recall the book or her reason for doing so, but I was somewhat taken aback. But it doesn’t really matter. From this current vantage point I see that all we encounter is in preparation of the next step, and so on.
I recently participated in a Jewish celebration I never heard about. It is called Tu B’ Shevat , The New Year of the Trees. It often coincides with Imbolc. Imbolc is a cross quarter day celebrating Midwinter. It also lands on my Ascendant. I was excited to learn about another holy-day that takes place in Mid- Aquarius. It is Kabbalistic in origin and the symbolism incredibly beautiful. It is so mystical at its core and is akin to Animism. I am grateful it found its way to me. I also had no idea there are 4 new years in Judaism. This does relate to the 4 cross quarter days so maybe this is part of the pattern. My lack of understanding the Jewish Calendar leaves me at a loss here. This celebration is also similar in a way to a Passover Seder in that food is featured. In this case nuts and fruit are the stars. My synagogue focuses on walking in nature and worshiping outdoors. Animism and Paganism seem to permeate this expression of Judaism. My soul rejoices as I discover more and more alignments between who I am and from where I descended.
Check out this link below to learn more:
Click to access tu_bshevat_haggadah_updated_2019-01-09.pdf
I wish I could do a better job explaining what this celebration is about but it is all new to this body that houses my spirit. I sense that a part of my spirit knows it quite well and led me back to this group at this time. But I am not certain. It is just a theory..
I will end this post with some pictures taken from a recent visit to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. My interest was to take in the Matisse Exhibition but I also saw a smaller exhibit that featured the land of the Lenape. As a long standing resident of the Delaware Valley since age 11, this land is in my blood. The indigenous Leni Lenape people brought the magic to this land I call home. I will showcase a couple of those images first. Enjoy all the photos and consider what you have recently discovered that surprises and inspires you!
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