Podcasts about Shekhinah

On the first episode of 2025, I'm joined by repeat guest Joy Ladin.  Joy is a widely published essayist and poet, literary scholar, and nationally known speaker on transgender issues. From 2003 to 2021, she held the David and Ruth Gotsman Chair in English at Stern College for Women of Yeshiva University.Her gender transition and return to teaching in 2008 made her the first openly transgender employee of an Orthodox Jewish institution. Joy's experience of being poetically mentored by the Shekinah resulted in the completion of a book length sequence, Shekinah Speaks, published by Selva Obscura in spring 2022, which she joined me to speak about on this podcast in 2023. She's published several other books, including, most recently, a new book of poetry, Family, and Once Out of Nature, selected essays on the transformation of gender. And she is the recipient of the National Jewish Book Award for The Book of Anna.On this episode, we riff about:The concept of family, at both the individual and national levelsHow our personal narratives help us make meaning in our daily livesHow Joy's understanding of the Shekhinah, the indwelling presence of God typically gendered as female, has shifted since our first conversation in 2023The role of gender binaries in helping us relate to divinity Joy's perspective on the historical need for a transcendent God, and how both Jesus and the Shekhinah were responses to His limitationsWhat the Shekhinah can offer us in this particular moment in time Notes about this episode: You can learn more about Joy and all her work at https://joyladin.com/You can watch mine and Joy's first conversation here: https://youtu.be/XYi7LUiNHJ4You can also listen to this episode here: https://player.captivate.fm/episode/e1b56ad3-b881-458e-a9e3-e9fb1635760cAnd here are a few more details about this show and my work:If you'd like to know whose ancestral tribal lands you currently reside on, you can look up your address here: https://native-land.ca/You can also visit the Coalition of Natives and Allies for more helpful educational resources about Indigenous rights and history.Please – if you love this podcast and/or have read my book, please consider leaving me a review, and thank you for supporting my work!For more Sacred Feminine goodness and to stay up to date on all episodes, please follow me on Instagram: @hometoher. To dive into conversation about the Sacred Feminine, join the Facebook group, also @hometoher. And to read about the Sacred Feminine, check out my award-winning book Home to Her: Walking the Transformative Path of the Sacred Feminine (Womancraft Publishing), available on Audible and wherever you buy your books!. If you've read it, your reviews on Goodreads and Amazon are greatly appreciated!Visit www.hometoher.com to learn more about your host, download a free meditation and sign up for my newsletter to stay up to date on all the latest episodes.

Cuando Moisés se presenta ante Dios, Él le habla debido a una característica especial: la curiosidad de Moisés. Fue esa curiosidad la que lo llevó a investigar por qué la zarza ardía sin consumirse. Dios entonces le reveló su nombre: "Yo soy lo que tú quieras que sea, cuando tú quieras que sea, donde tú quieras que sea y cómo tú quieras que sea. Ese será mi nombre." Dios llamó a Moisés para que se presentara ante el faraón. Dios nunca te encomendará una tarea sin estar involucrado. Siempre estará contigo antes de que llegues y te estará esperando. Así que cuando Moisés llegó y le dijo al faraón que liberara al pueblo, el faraón respondió: "No, ustedes solo piensan en cosas nuevas y en salir porque son flojos." El pueblo se enojó con Moisés porque las cosas no salieron como esperaban. ¿Cuántas veces te ha pasado que las cosas no salen como esperabas? Ahora bien, ¿qué haces cuando esto ocurre? Cuando Moisés vio que las cosas no resultaban como esperaba, preguntaba: "¿Por qué no envías a Aarón?" Durante siete días intentó desentenderse del proyecto, y Dios lo convenció persistentemente durante ese tiempo. Finalmente, Moisés aceptó ir más por obediencia que por convicción. Dios le preguntó a Elías: "¿Qué haces aquí encerrado? Mira todo lo que está pasando afuera y tú estás aquí recluido." Elías respondió: "Solo yo he quedado. He tenido un celo tan fuerte por ti, he sido tan religioso y cuidadoso con la ley, que realmente solo yo he quedado." Y Dios le contestó: "Tengo más de siete mil personas que no han doblado sus rodillas ante Baal; no eres la única opción. Ve y unge a Eliseo como profeta en tu lugar." ¿Por qué no se quedó Dios a convencer a Elías, como lo hizo con Moisés durante siete días? A diferencia de Moisés, quien sabía que Dios tenía otras opciones, Elías pensaba que era la única opción. Dios tiene opciones, pero entre todas, te eligió a ti. Dios nunca te dejará con malas conclusiones. Cuando entiendes que Dios tiene múltiples opciones, comprendes que Él nunca te dejará con malas conclusiones. Dios le dijo a Moisés: "Ravlah" (רַב־לָךְ), basta ya. ¿Por qué? Porque has pedido entrar a la tierra demasiadas veces, 515 veces para ser exactos. Basta ya. Si no has orado 515 veces por algo, no significa que Dios ha dicho no. Hay que seguir orando. A veces, la gente confunde el silencio de Dios con una negativa. Y a veces, un silencio de Dios no es una negativa, es un "déjame ver". Ya veremos si pasará o no. Dios le dijo a Moisés: "Ravlah", basta ya. Tú estás en una actitud de insistencia para entrar a la tierra. Dios le dijo a Moisés que cada vara tendría el nombre de una de las tribus de Israel, y todas serían colocadas en el Lugar Santísimo. Al día siguiente, solo una vara había reverdecido, mientras que las otras permanecían igual. ¿Cómo es posible que, ante la presencia más poderosa de Dios, las otras varas no cambiaran? Todas tienen identidad porque llevan el nombre de su tribu. Y lo sacó Jehová del huerto del Edén, para que labrase la tierra de que fue tomado. Génesis 3:23 En Génesis 3, Dios le dijo a Adán. "Vaygaresh" (וַיְגָרֶשׁ) es una palabra hebrea que significa "y él expulsó" o "y él desterró". "Vaygaresh et Adam mi'Gan Eden" (וַיְגָרֶשׁ אֶת אָדָם מִגַּן עֵדֶן) significa "y expulsó a Adán del Jardín del Edén". "Vaygaresh Et": ¿qué fue lo que expulsó? Et, ¿qué es Et? Shekhinah, la presencia de Dios. Et Adán: ¿quién le expulsó? Adán. Vaygaresh et Adam: Adán expulsó la Shekhinah, la presencia de Dios. Cuando una persona expulsa la presencia de Dios, permanece igual, sin importar que esté frente a lo más poderoso de Dios. Actúa como si nada hubiera pasado. ¿Cómo expulsa alguien la Shekhinah? A los cielos y a la tierra llamo por testigos hoy contra vosotros, que os he puesto delante la vida y la muerte, la bendición y la maldición; escoge, pues, la vida, para que vivas tú y tu descendencia; Deuteronomio 30:19 Te pondrá Jehová por cabeza, y no por cola; y estarás encima solamente, y no estarás debajo, si obedecieres los mandamientos de Jehová tu Dios, que yo te ordeno hoy, para que los guardes y cumplas, Deuteronomio 28:13 Solo hay dos caminos a elegir. El ser humano está diseñado para subir o bajar; no hay punto intermedio. Por eso el pasaje dice "cabeza y no cola", indicando que no hay términos medios. O subes o bajas. ¿Quién va a elegir conscientemente el camino de la maldición? Nadie. Pero inconscientemente, algunos toman un camino que no les corresponde. Hay quienes viven situaciones que no les corresponden, fruto de sus propias conclusiones. Mientras no concluyas correctamente ante Dios, seguirás igual. Y mandó Jehová Dios al hombre, diciendo: De todo árbol del huerto podrás comer; mas del árbol de la ciencia del bien y del mal no comerás; porque el día que de él comieres, ciertamente morirás. Génesis 2:16-17 Dios le dijo a Adán y a Eva que no comieran del fruto prohibido. ¿Qué hizo Adán? Obedientemente, no lo comió. ¿Y Eva? Ella fue y lo tomó. ¿Dónde estaba Dios en todo esto? ¿No se dio cuenta de que Eva iba a tomar el fruto? ¿Por qué no intervino? ¿Por qué no dijo: "Un momento, no lo hagas"? La Escritura dice que cuando comas de este fruto, serás como Dios. Eva pensaba que para ser como Dios, debía tomarlo. Creyó firmemente en eso. Como dijimos al principio: "Yo seré lo que tú quieras que sea, cuando tú quieras que sea y como tú quieras que sea". Si crees que algo no funcionará, no funcionará. Si crees que funcionará, funcionará. Tú decides cómo moverte, y yo me moveré contigo. Como los repartimientos de las aguas, Así está el corazón del rey en la mano de Jehová; A todo lo que quiere lo inclina. Proverbios 21:1 Proverbios dice que el corazón del rey está en la mano de Dios y Él lo inclina hacia donde el rey se inclina. Lo que tú quieras que suceda, así sucederá. Y ella respondió: Vive Jehová tu Dios, que no tengo pan cocido; solamente un puñado de harina tengo en la tinaja, y un poco de aceite en una vasija; y ahora recogía dos leños, para entrar y prepararlo para mí y para mi hijo, para que lo comamos, y nos dejemos morir. 1 Reyes 17:12:        Dios le dijo a la viuda: "Yo te di orden de dar de comer al profeta." Y la viuda respondió: "Solo tengo esto para comer, y luego moriremos mi hijo y yo." El problema no es solo lo que tú concluyes; también es que arrastras a tu descendencia contigo. Crees que si tú no tienes futuro, nadie lo tiene, ni siquiera tus hijos. El verdadero problema es cuando concluyes de manera equivocada, pensando que tú y tus hijos no tienen futuro. Sin embargo, tu hijo no tiene la culpa de tus conclusiones. Tu descendencia no es responsable de tus errores. Cuando Dios le dijo a la viuda que sustentara al profeta, ella concluyó: "Comeré esto y luego moriremos mi hijo y yo". No te has incluido. Mientras no te incluyas, no has concluido. Si no te involucras en lo que está sucediendo, no te afecta. Entonces Abraham se levantó muy de mañana, y tomó pan, y un odre de agua, y lo dio a Agar, poniéndolo sobre su hombro, y le entregó el muchacho, y la despidió. Y ella salió y anduvo errante por el desierto de Beerseba. Y le faltó el agua del odre, y echó al muchacho debajo de un arbusto, y se fue y se sentó enfrente, a distancia de un tiro de arco; porque decía: No veré cuando el muchacho muera. Y cuando ella se sentó enfrente, el muchacho alzó su voz y lloró. Génesis 21:14-16. La Biblia relata acerca de Agar, quien no podía ver a su hijo morir, y se alejó a la distancia de dos tiros de arco. ¿Por qué se fue? Porque una madre no quiere ver a su hijo sufrir. Irónicamente, es en esos momentos cuando los hijos más necesitan a sus madres. La Biblia dice que Agar no podía soportar ver a su hijo morir. Su alejamiento fue impulsado por el egoísmo, no por el amor, diciendo: "No me siento a gusto, no quiero esto." ¿Qué le dijo Dios a Eva cuando tomó el fruto? ¡Nada! ¿Por qué no le dijo nada? Porque lo que tú concluyes es cómo quieres que funcione para ti. No intervino, la dejó en su concepto. Entonces dijo Dios: Hagamos al hombre a nuestra imagen, conforme a nuestra semejanza; y señoree en los peces del mar, en las aves de los cielos, en las bestias, en toda la tierra, y en todo animal que se arrastra sobre la tierra. Y creó Dios al hombre a su imagen, a imagen de Dios lo creó; varón y hembra los creó. Génesis 1:26-27. Dios creó al hombre a Su imagen, con la capacidad de crear como Él, a través del Mahshaba (מַחֲשָׁבָה), que significa "pensamiento" o "idea", y del Diburi (דִּבּוּרִי), que significa "hablar" o "decir". El hombre tiene la capacidad de crear a través del pensamiento, del habla y de la acción. Algunos no se dan cuenta de que tienen un cerebro tan poderoso que están donde creen que están. La palabra "cerebro" en hebreo es מוֹחַ (pronunciada mó-aj). Moach son las iniciales de la muerte y de la vida. Dios nos dice: "He puesto delante de ti dos caminos: el camino de la vida y el camino de la muerte." Nadie quiere el camino de la muerte. Sin embargo, nuestro cerebro es tan poderoso que puede generar ideas que nos lleven a una buena vida o a una mala. Lo malo es solo la consecuencia de cómo concluimos nuestras decisiones. Eva tomó el fruto prohibido y también le dio a Adán. Concluir de manera correcta es crucial. ¿Por qué es importante hacerlo? Porque Dios sacó al pueblo de Israel de Egipto. Egipto en hebreo se dice "מִצְרַיִם" (Mitzráyim), y tiene dos nombres distintos: Mizraimah, que significa la facilidad de entrar en él, y Mizraim, la dificultad de salir de él. Egipto tiene 49 grados de impureza, que representan 49 grados de oscuridad y 49 grados de ignorancia, cada uno más oscuro e ignorante que el anterior. Cuanto más tiempo pasaba el pueblo en Egipto, mayor era su afectación. A medida que permanecían, descendían a grados de insensibilidad, incapaces de percibir la creación de manera correcta, llegando a creer que su situación era normal. La palabra "Al" (אַל) en hebreo significa subir, porque la única manera de salir de Egipto es elevándose. La salida está en elevarse, en adquirir la luz del conocimiento, en aprender. Cuando comienzas a recibir la luz del aprendizaje, te elevas, y en esa elevación empiezas a salir. La única forma de elevarse y salir es enfrentándose a barreras y obstáculos que impiden el libre pensamiento, y que te atan a ideas que no tienen nada que ver con tu destino. ¿Qué clase de libertad deseas? En Génesis 40, Tanto el copero como el panadero salieron libres. Uno fue al reino y se olvidó de sus penurias, mientras que el otro fue a la horca y murió. La libertad no es la meta, es un medio. La única manera de salir de Egipto es elevándose, enfrentando las barreras mentales que nos atan. ¿Qué es una barrera mental? Es una creencia errónea que desvía tu destino, como le sucedió a Eva, quien creyó que al comer del fruto sería como Dios, cuando ya lo era. En lugar de ver lo que tenía, comenzó a enfocarse en lo que le faltaba. Lo mismo le ocurrió a Adán, quien se dio cuenta de que estaba desnudo. Pero se refrenó Amán y vino a su casa, y mandó llamar a sus amigos y a Zeres su mujer, y les refirió Amán la gloria de sus riquezas, y la multitud de sus hijos, y todas las cosas con que el rey le había engrandecido, y con que le había honrado sobre los príncipes y siervos del rey. Y añadió Amán: También la reina Ester a ninguno hizo venir con el rey al banquete que ella dispuso, sino a mí; y también para mañana estoy convidado por ella con el rey. Pero todo esto de nada me sirve cada vez que veo al judío Mardoqueo sentado a la puerta del rey. Ester 5:10-13. En el libro de Esther, Amán, un alto oficial en la corte del rey persa Asuero, tenía todo: riqueza, muchos hijos, pero no podía disfrutar de su vida porque una cosa no le salía bien. Hay personas que no pueden disfrutar de la vida porque una cosa no les funciona. La oscuridad y la ignorancia no tienen por qué afectarte, a menos que tú permitas que te afecten. Si no permites que te afecten, no lo harán. El temor puede tentarte, pero no puede dominarte, a menos que tú lo permitas. ¿Quién es Agar? Agar es una sierva que tiene la capacidad de afectar a Abraham, pero solo si él lo permite. Cuando Abraham habilita a Agar, ella se eleva al grado de poder influir en él. Hay cosas en la vida que no deberían afectarte, pero has permitido que lo hagan, y esa es la razón por la cual vives como estás viviendo. Permitiste que factores ajenos a tu destino influyeran en tu presente, afectando así tu futuro. ¿Cómo solucionarlo? No quiero salir igual que esas varas. Quiero que algo me suceda. Estoy expuesto a la presencia de Dios en el lugar santísimo y deseo que esa presencia sea evidente en mí, que cuando salga, sea claro que estuve delante de Él. Isaías 40, del versículo 12 en adelante, nos dice que Dios crea este mundo equilibradamente. El equilibrio es funcionalidad, y si algo no te está funcionando, es porque no está en equilibrio o lo entendiste mal. Un concepto mal entendido solo resultará en un principio deficiente, incapaz de desarrollar, potencializar y expresar su poder. Todo lo que Dios te dice está en el contexto de propósito y destino, y siempre según cómo Él te ve, no cómo tú te ves a ti mismo. Por eso a veces no lo entiendes y parece que te habla en otro idioma. Cuando dice "Moisés, Moisés" o "Abraham, Abraham", ¿qué significa? Existen dos conceptos: el que tú tienes de ti mismo y el que Dios tiene acerca de ti. Puedes moverte en dos niveles: uno bajo y otro superior. ¿Qué es el nivel superior? Tener conceptos correctos y claros que sean capaces de proyectarse en el futuro. Cada vez que una persona expulsa la presencia de Dios debido a sus propios conceptos, impide que esa presencia provoque en ella lo que debería ser provocado. Dios creó el mundo de manera que funcione en equilibrio. Si algo no te está funcionando, es porque lo entendiste mal. Moisés fue y esperó que el faraón le dijera que sí para dejar ir al pueblo. Dios le había indicado a Moisés por dónde tomar el camino. Cuando Moisés llegó frente al mar, se preguntó: "¿Me equivoqué?" y le dijo a Dios: &

The Book of Malachi is the 'Capstone' of the Old Testament prophets. Each of the elements of the Mosaic covenant are referenced in the Book's 55 verses. Each of the rebukes of the previous OT prophets are also echoed in this prophetic book. One of the major themes of Malachi is also one of the central features of the Old Covenant: the ‘Temple'. This is where God and Man Meet. Thus, originally, the Garden of Eden was 'a temple' because it was where God and man met. When Solomon's Temple was dedicated, God's Shekhinah glory filled it (a visible manifestation of God's presence presented as intense light.) But when the Second Temple was dedicated, by those returning from their exile in Babylon, there was no such manifestation of God's presence. Malachi, though, foretold that the day would come when God Himself enter the Temple - not to glorify it, but to "come" in judgment. So, how did the Temple become godless? Dr. Andrew Corbett explores the factors that led to this sad state. Check out the supplementary series on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtlWLsHwjdATk9R5BcfAs6jY1BV041jT7

Rav Tzadok HaKohen wrote in his sefer, Tzidkat Hatzadik, just like a person has to have emunah in Hashem, he also has to have emunah in himself. Hashem gave every single one of us a נשמה טהורה , a pure soul, a piece of Himself that is eternal, and thus we have endless potential. The Chafetz Chaim once said about himself, he wanted to change the world for the better, but was unsuccessful. Then he tried to change his city, but again was unsuccessful. Then he tried to change his town, but once again was unsuccessful. Then he said he's just going to try to change himself, and with that he was successful. Eventually he changed the entire world. Every single Jew has improved due to the seforim of the Chafetz Chaim, including Mishnah Berura, Shemirat Halashon, Ahavat Chesed, and the list goes on. It is not only the Chafetz Chaim who has this ability. Every single person can affect the world, but he first has to work on himself. The Abudarham writes, if a person was successful in making teshuvah during the yamim noraim, Hashem considers it as if he is starting anew in the world. At this time, after Yom Kippur, we should all feel like a new creation, getting a clean slate. The Seder HaYom writes, the minhag is to say Birkat HaLevana after Yom Kippur, because it is then that we are similar to angels and are worthy of greeting the Shekhinah. Every person can become so great, and now especially when we are so pure, it is easier to bring out the greatness inside of us. We were all created for such lofty missions. There is so much more to life than just seeing how much money a person could amass. We have to aspire to be people with values, rising above the norm, to do what is right in the eyes of Hashem. Rabbi Ephraim Wachsman told a story which, besides being miraculous, shows the purity of a Jewish neshama. The rabbi said, two years ago, a man handed him a bag of thirty thousand dollars in cash, saying it was a donation to his yeshiva. The rabbi at that time was about to go to a wedding and didn't want to keep the money lying around, so he called the yeshiva's administrator and asked him if he could take it to the safe in the yeshiva. The administrator was at that same wedding. He came to pick up the bag and drove to the yeshiva. Then he felt that he didn't spend enough time at the wedding, so he went back and left the money in the car. When he walked back into the lobby, a man who was very close to the Ribnitzer Rebbe approached him and said he needed help. He explained that he had a special kiddush cup that belonged to the Ribnitzer that he had to give to someone as collateral, and if he didn't pay back thirty thousand dollars cash that night, he would lose the cup forever. The administrator was floored that he came to him asking him for that money. There was no way that he could have known that he had that exact amount on him. The man said he had just gone to the Ribnitzer's kever in Monsey and prayed for aw salvation. He felt after his tefilla, he should go to this wedding and look for someone there. While the Ribnitzer was alive, he was known to help people with miracles. On one occasion, a woman brought him her blind son for a beracha, and the rabbi said, "He sees." Miraculously, the blind boy began seeing. People who were medically unable to have children got a beracha from the Rebbe and miraculously had children. Anyway, the administrator asked Rabbi Wachsman what to do. They verified that the cup was indeed worth thirty thousand dollars, and so they made a contract with this man stating if he didn't pay back the money in a month, he would give the cup to the yeshiva. A month went by and he was unable to pay. They gave him another month and another month, but then he had to give up the cup. The cup has been in the yeshiva safe since. A few months ago, Rabbi Wachsman was at the home of a very wealthy man in another city, and the man was showing the rabbi his collection of various articles from different rebbes. The rabbi mentioned the kidush cup that he had from the Ribnitzer. The man said he would love to see it. The rabbi told him they were looking to give it to someone who would donate a large amount of money to their yeshiva. Last week, this man came to Monsey to go to the Ribnitzer's kever, and while he was there, he stopped by Rabbi Wachsman's house. While he was there, he asked to see the cup. When the rabbi got the cup, the man's eyes were popping out. Someone who is the collector of these things has a special love for them, especially when he sees something of this caliber. Then he told Rabbi Wachsman something amazing. He said he wanted to donate many times over the value of this cup to the yeshiva, and then he wanted the cup to go to the man who lost it, because he couldn't pay back his debt. The rabbi couldn't believe this man's care for another Jew, someone he didn't even know. Look at the purity of a Jewish neshama. We can all become so great. Let us start the new year off with high aspirations.

In this episode of Creations Paths, Charlie, a non-binary sci-fi fantasy writer, along with their husband, explores the transformative image of Mary as the Tree of Life. Charlie shares their personal journey through faith, the struggles of growing up neurodivergent in an evangelical household, and finding solace in the teachings of Saint Louis de Montfort. The discussion delves into various interpretations of the Tree of Life across traditions, the compassionate and non-judgmental nature of Mary, and how this imagery provided a refuge and deeper connection to the divine. This episode offers powerful insights into practical mysticism and spirituality focused on embracing the divine presence within everyday life.Support us on: https://ko-fi.com/cedorsettBecome a patron of the arts patreon.com/cedorsettFor Educational Resource: Wisdoms Cry https://wisdomscry.comFor all of the things we are doing at The Seraphic Grove go to Creation's Paths https://www.creationspaths.com/BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/creationspaths.comThreads https://www.threads.net/@creationspathsInstagram https://www.instagram.com/creationspaths/Transcript:Charlie- New: [00:00:00] When I was a kid, and I mean kid, I had a lot of struggles. I was undiagnosed with a lot of my neurodivergences. I knew I was different but I didn't really know what queer was and when I did start realizing what that meant I lived in a culture and in a household where that was wrong and I struggled with a lot of things.Faith was one of those things. I've always had a deep and abiding love for the divine, for Jesus in particular, but I always felt like I was never good enough. And then one of my great aunts gave me a copy of The Secret of the Rosary by Saint Louis de Montfort.Everything changed. Then I read The Secret of Mary and True Devotion to Mary and all of his other works. I've read everything that is available from him in English. But one of the most powerful thoughts that he ever put into my head is the image of Mary as the [00:01:00] tree of life. So let's talk about that today on Creations Paths.Intro hello everybody, my name is Charlie. I'm a non binary sci fi fantasy writer and I'm joined today with my husband. Brian - New: Hello. Charlie- New: When we talk about the Tree of Life, there are a couple places that your mind might go to. You might go to the Kabbalistic Tree of the Sephiroth. That's awesome. You might think about the Crann Bethadh, the Celtic Tree of Life. You might think about the Garden of Eden. You might think about St. Bonaventure's wonderful book, The Tree of Life, which is kind of his retelling of the life of Jesus. And yeah, for me, my mind goes to all those places. But primarily, to this image [00:02:00] of Mary. As the tree of life. And this image is born out of the Hail Mary, out of the Ave Maria. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you.Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Which, by the way, used to be where the prayer stopped. So if you've ever prayed the Ave Maria and thought, it should stop there. It used to, and often when I say it, it still does. This image of the fruit of Mary, Jesus is the fruit of Mary, St. Louis de Montfort into this wonderful mystical theology of Mary as the tree of life and Jesus as the fruit that grows on that tree. The fruit of life, the food of life that gives us everlasting life. And so, in some of the more mystical passages of his writing, he tells us that we are, at the beginning of our faith, granted a seed for the tree, that we [00:03:00] plant within us, and we water it, we cultivate it, we help to remove the weeds from around it, so that Mary might keep growing.That eventually the tree will bear fruit. And Jesus will be born within us. this imagery saved me as a kid. I don't know if you, um, I grew up in the kind of evangelical cult world that I did. Evangelicalism is a cult. It is a high control group that shuns people who leave it. Trust me, I know.But perfectionism is so strong in these groups. You have to be perfect. You can't have made any mistakes. You can't have done any of the things that they classify as mistakes. They seem to be minting new mistakes that you can make all the time to help keep people in line and subservient. It's a dangerous, dangerous practice they have.The image of Mary, my prayers to Mary, [00:04:00] learning to say the Ave Maria, learning to pray the Rosary, really did root me. Into the divine in a way that I never had before. The image of Mary as the tree of life was so powerful for Because, like I've said a million times, I love Jesus. Jesus is my Ishta Devata.Jesus can be kinda hard to identify with, depending on how you want to put it. conceive of this person. In most schools of Christianity, this is a divine being born into the world to save it.I am not a divine being born into the world to save it. And I hope, in a lot of ways, none of y'all will. Consider yourself to find means for it in the world to save it. That's a, that's a lot of pressure. In many ways, that's too much pressure to put on any person.But that's hard for me to identify with. Mary, on the other hand, is a woman. Just a woman. We can talk about the doctrine of the [00:05:00] Immaculate Conception and how I think the visions of the words made that meaningful to me. It is not meaningful to me in any other way because I do not believe in original sin. So I don't believe that Mary had to be born without original sin. We can talk about that when the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes approaches in more detail. But Mary's relatable. She was just a girl going to the well when she got her call. Brian - New: She was a mother of a difficult child. We will just put it like that because, you gotta be honest. Even to sit back and go, Jesus is the perfectly behaved child, this is still a child that is not going to necessarily do what the parents tell them to do. This is not perfect in the construct of perfect in a parent mind as the child is not bothering me with questions at this point in time, or, disrupting the flow of cooking, or whatever it is. They were still a child. They still had questions. They still evoked thought. So yeah, they're still a mother.They still have motherly things. What is the [00:06:00] child up to? There is even a story in the Bible where Mary has a panic moment because her child is missing. And later finds him at the temple he runs off to the big city.He disappears in the big city like You know, you know, he's up to and even at the temple. He's still up to trouble. He's still causing a ruckus He's still disrupting life, you know Charlie- New: I'm just gonna bring that up because within the non canonical Gospels. We have all kinds of infant stories of Jesus where he, yes, very much a divine troublemaker.Very, very much a trickster figure in those stories. And I have a sweet spot in my heart for quite a few of them. But even in the canonical Gospels, like you were saying, we have only one story of Jesus's childhood in the canonical Gospels. And it's, he snuck away from his family. When they show up, he backtalks them. Well, where did you think I would be? Brian - New: The easy way to phrase this Problematic isn't necessarily a moral judgment of good or evil. It is [00:07:00] Problematic in a sense that's still disruptive, still does things that are unexpected Whether joyful or sad or whatever, you know any other later moral Attributions are given to it. It's still trying it's still testing. It's still challenging As all the mothers out there know.Charlie- New: We fly to your patronage, O Holy Mary. Never has it been known that anyone who asked anything from you had ever been turned away empty. Brian - New: One of the things that I found that helped make Mary and God so much more approachable. it is instinctual for us to be able to go to our mother, to be able to turn to our mother, and the concept of this is the mother, the mother of mothers, to be able to approach with problems, or questions, or concerns, and to know that they're going, like hopefully mothers do, they will Listen, and try to make it a teaching moment, and try to just comfort, and just, give [00:08:00] you that hug, without judgment.Charlie- New: Mary is the only figure that is mentioned at being there through all of the major events of the Gospels. Mary is of course there at the Annunciation and the birth, she's there at his baptism, she's there when he's preaching. She's there at several of the miracles. She's there at the crucifixion.She's there at the resurrection. And even in the book of Acts, the last time we have a canonical reference to her, she's there at the day of Pentecost with the apostles. She's there for all of it. She is this wonderful stand in for us as we're trying to learn this lesson of we are co creators with God.Because when you call Mary mother of God, people have Strong reactions to this. How could a human be a mother of God? But no, that, that's the point. We are here to live Christ, we are here in this world to be the body of Christ, to be that agent of justice and healing and peacemaking and [00:09:00] compassion and wisdom.That's what we're here for. Jesus says this over and over and over and over again. These are the things that we are called to do. To love our neighbor as ourselves, mary is the living embodiment of that. as St. Louis points out in his books, we have very few words from Mary. One is a beautiful prayer in which she talks about God throwing down all those who think that they are powerful and all the rich and Elevating those who are of lower estate in their eyes.Viva la revolution. She also shows up at the wedding at Cana . Whatever my son tells you, do it. There are very few quotes from her. The ones that we have are powerful. So what does it mean for us? You know I like my practical mysticism. I like my practical spirituality. Brian - New: For me, one of the things that it means, Mary Tree of Life, when realizing that and matching that with that symbolism, back to the Garden of Eden, you had the tree of the knowledge of good and [00:10:00] evil, and then you had the tree of life.The tree of life is without judgment. It is separate from knowing good and evil. So therefore it is separate from judgment. There is no judgment. And recognizing it's that mother figure that is accepting, teaching, informative, but all without judgment. When you look at her life and the stories and where she fits in the stories, she is there without judgment.That is so important, so powerful, and so helpful because so many of us experience Christianity from a more fundamentalist experience. Even the imperial experience is still with judgment. We're all damned sinners. We're going to go burn in hell. Therefore come join us. Or burn in hell.That's such a judgy statement. That's judgment. We're taught original sin. We're taught all these things about judgment and it makes Christianity itself so unapproachable. [00:11:00] That's what was so powerful for myself because in my journey, I was raised Christian, but I had fallen away from it because of all the judgment, because of a lot of the hypocrisy that I was seeing, because you're supposed to be following Christ's teachings, but then I looked at what the various churches I was involved with were doing, and the members of the church, and I was like, you're doing none of the stuff that Christ taught.Like, most of the things you're doing are opposite of that. And so, by that point in my life, I was just like, oh, this is all BS, a control thing. St. Louis, the Tree of Life, Imagery, and Mary made all that approachable again, That's that first thing when you think about approaching God and adding God back into, at least in my experience, back into my life.I was afraid because I didn't want all that judgment. If there was judgment, then I wasn't worthy, just in judging myself, the things I had done and, and were up to in my life. by those judgment standards, I wasn't worthy, but [00:12:00] through Mary, through the tree of life. There was no judgment, so I was able, it gave me that safe space where I could go and start having those conversations and move beyond and realizing the illusion, the Mara that was standing there, yelling at me, keeping me from moving forward and realizing that there was no Mara there in the first place.Charlie- New: I see a lot of discussion over Mary as a goddess. One of my favorite kind of devotional books to Brigid refers to Mary as a goddess in there. I'm not opposed to that language. I think that we are all part of the Elohim. We are all part of God in that way that I don't find that phrase offensive, but Mary is the mother of God.if we're going to go back to older pantheons, Mary is more akin to Danu or to Jebele than to just a goddess. She is the mother of God. She is the mother of [00:13:00] Elohim, right? She's the mother of the gods. she is the matrix in which we are formed into the image of Christ and really come into our Christhood.She is the one that forms us, this to me is where I see the Tree of Life image so powerfully, in so much of my own personal faith, Mary is the Shekhinah. Mary is the glory of God, the Shekhan, the tabernacle that covers. That's actually where the word Shekhinah comes from. The feminine aspect, the divine presence of God.It comes from the Hebrew word Shekhan, which literally means tabernacle. It's the tent that you would go into to pray. And that is Mary. Mary is that glorious presence of God. She is that shelter, that refuge that we go into. She is the tree of life under whose boughs we seek refuge. And even more than that, [00:14:00] the Shekhinah is one of the names for the 10th sephirot.On the Tree of Life there are the 10 circles, if you've seen the pictures of it. And the 10th one is sometimes called Malkuth, or Kingdom. But sometimes it's called Shekhinah. The Divine Presence.that is Mary. She is the root of the tree. She's also Kether. She's crowned, she is the top of the tree. Crowned in glory, queen of heaven, queen of the angels, queen of all hearts. She is the queen who opens the divine treasury so the graces of God may flow. As saint louis points out very beautifully in his books, No grace comes into this world except by her hands. And for those who are Christ only people, I know that phrase sounds frightening, scary, out of place. But remember, Christ's hands were formed in Mary. Those are the hands that came from our mother.We are [00:15:00] told that whoever follows the path is Jesus sibling, sister, brother, or mother. And this is the thing that we're learning when we're sitting under this glorious tree. This font of wisdom. This fountain of all graces. That is Our sweet Maria. Our Mari Stella. Our star of the sea.Everyone is equal in God. In the one life that flows throughout all the cosmos. We're all equal. No one is greater or lesser. Jesus tried to explain this to the sons of Zebedee when they were arguing over who would be first in the kingdom. And we will sit. At your right hand, in your kingdom.And Jesus answered very simply, Whoever wants to be first, will be last. And whoever wants to be greatest, must be servant of all.There is no hierarchy in the kingdom. The imperial [00:16:00] church really tries to cover this up and hide it and create all manner of hierarchy.But Jesus is making this very flat kingdom. There is no hierarchy here. So when we say Mary is Mother of God, that is a great gift of hers. It's also a great gift of ours. That's why this image of she is the tree of life planted within us, is so powerful. It reminds me, not only, of Jesus.Our sweet and blessed mother. But, that this is my calling as well. This is your calling. We are here to live God, to live Christ into the world. As Paul said, I struggle with you and labor my children until Christ be formed in you.That's the point, right? We're here to bring Christ here, not to go there. This to me is the greatest lie of the Imperial Church, right up there with original sin. That our goal and all of our labors [00:17:00] are for the afterlife.They're for here. They're for now.We need to bring the fruit of the tree of life here now. In this world. Not in the next. In this one. In whatever small or great ways that we can.We do that in Mary, with Mary, through Mary, and by Mary, which I've talked about before on this podcast a long time ago.But we do that through her hands. So we sit under those beautiful, beautiful bows that Our moving in the wind of the Holy Spirit. The leaves rustling gently over our heads. The divine light of God shining through, almost making the tree crystalline, glowing, full of life, rooted deep into our ground of being, rooted deep down Into the one life from which we all [00:18:00] came and to which we will all return.Hail Mary full of grace. The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. And that's the power in this moment. That's the power in the entire practice. In everything that we do, we're watering that tree so that it will grow. But we're not just watering it with our kindness, with our joy, with our awe, our wonder, our letting go and letting be, our creativity, our celebration.Our justice making, our peacemaking. But we also go there to drink the waters of life that are ever flowing from its roots. We're told in the Book of Revelation that there is the tree, there is the tree of life, and the river of the waters of life pour forth from its roots.And that's where [00:19:00] we go to find that nourishment, to find that life. To find that meaning, that purpose.In my druidic practice, we often meditate and go into the sacred grove within. And right there, in my grove, every time, is that tree of life. It's one of the many trees around the circle. I can't tell you that it's an oak tree, or an olive tree, or a pine tree, or a cedar. Maple or Dogwood. It is the tree that it is when I go in there.But I always know it. It's the one that is filled with life. And often with light. It's often almost glowing. That's the one that I go and I sit down in front of. Or I stand near. Or I meet one of my guides or guardians at. It's a powerful image for visualization and meditation. It's one that really helps us understand our purpose and function in this world. Those deep [00:20:00] roots. Those high branches reaching up into the heavens.And that strong, sturdy trunk bridging the gap between them.It's a powerful image to me. And it's one that really means a lot.If it's not one that you're familiar with, I highly recommend that you play around with it. I really like the Latin, Prayer, Ave Maria, Mater misericordia. If you prefer English, Hail Mary, Mother of Mercy, Mother of Compassion. We really don't have a good translation for misericordia. It literally means Suffering Heart. Which to me is closer to our English word compassion to suffer with, to labor with. To me it's closer to compassion than mercy, butAve Maria, Regina Caeli, Hail Mary, Queen of Heaven. Whatever connects with you most, make up your own prayer. Don't say a prayer at all, just say it.See it in front of you. Or if you have trouble seeing it, go [00:21:00] outside and find a tree that just says, I am alive just sit with that tree in real space for a while.And just ponder The magic of its existence, its roots digging deep into the earth, and its branches reaching up to the heavens, and the strength and of its trunk. As it carries. The waters of life up. Into the branches. And the power of the light of God. Down. Into the. I hope that. This is an image that resonates with you. It's one that I. I have such a strong fondness for. One that I use a lot. If this episode has meant something to you and you. No somebody that you think would like it or. Get something out of it, please. Share. That helps us out. A lot to let people know that the podcast exists. Also, if you're listening to us on a platform [00:22:00] that lets you leave a rating. Or the podcast that helps out. Immensely. You make sure that you get everything that we're doing by. Following or subscribing or whatever. You do on the various apps that this podcast is on. You could also head over to. To https://www.creationspaths.com/ and there. You can subscribe to our newsletter and get an email. Every time a new episode goes out. Notifications about all the things that we're doing. And also, if you have a few dollars that you could. Pass our way. You could subscribe over there and that really does help us. Keep this coming to you. And you'll also be getting. The classes first. Before they go out to the general public. Thank you so much for supporting us and. For helping to give us the motivation to keep going. And as always. And you find blessings in the light. Amen. Amen. [00:23:00] Get full access to Creation's Paths at www.creationspaths.com/subscribe

Send us a Text Message.We all know "in the beginning, there was darkness," right? The first line of the first book of the Old Testament (AKA the Torah). But did you know, there was also “chaos and void”? And then, of course, God created everything. So we're told. Inspired by the places where "creation" began, Rabbi Adina Allen has made a life and a practice of understanding how all creation and creativity–whether art, new understandings, or life itself–comes from darkness, chaos and void, and how these acts of creation heal us. In her book, "The Place Of All Possibility," Rabbi Allen blends creativity, Torah study, and the open studio art therapy approach she learned at her mother's Open Studio Project to offer a practical guide to inspired creative practice. But, like this show, the book is not for people of a single tradition or faith, it's to demystify for and offer to all of us how curiosity, wonder, joy, creativity and healing are accessible, and challenge us to see that when we wrestle with darkness, ideas we already hold, or texts, or artwork, or family or the divisiveness and polarization of a moment, we can find something new in them, and in ourselves, and maybe even start to heal.GLOSSARYShechinah: Also transliterated "Shekhinah," Hebrew for "dwelling" or "settling." Is generally used to refer to the presence of God, and in Jewish mysticism, Kabbalah, connotes the divine feminine attributes of God.Chevrutah: From the Hebrew for "friendship," it is also used to refer to a group who studies together.Beit Midrash: From "beit" or "bet" in Hebrew meaning "house" and "drash" meaning "inquiry" or "study", the phrase refers to a designated area for the group study of Torah, AKA "study hall."B'reisheet: Meaning “in the beginning,” it is the first word in the Torah, and starts the first of the Five Books, also called Genesis.Tohu va'vohu: A Hebrew phrase appearing in the second verse of Genesis, meaning "chaos and void," or "formless and void." The Shema: Named for the first word, which means “listen,” or “hear,” this is the central prayer in Judaism and is generally translated: “Hear, oh Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One.”Yisrael: Hebrew for “Israel,” the name given to Jacob after wrestling with an angel and being left with a permanent limp, translates literally as “One who Struggles with God.”Talmud: The central book of law in Judaism comprising the Mishnah and Gemarah, containing centuries of rabbinic opinions.MORE: Jewish Studio ProjectThe Sabbath (Shabbat) BrideViktor Frankl: The Holocaust survivor and author is perhaps best known for "Man's Search for Meaning," but is also a philosopher and founder of the logotheraphy school of psychology.  The Blind Men and the ElephantFrom the Jewish book of law known as the Mishnah Sanhedrin, one passage famously equates saving a life with saving the world: “Whoever saves a single life is considered by scripture to have savedSupport the Show.

In this conversation, Mike and his client Shekhinah Cluba start off by discussing the concept of using "food as medicine," namely bee pollen and its impact on females. The heart of the show dives into Shekenah's return to performance with the Bulgarian Bag, as she is in town from across the country to work with Mike for two weeks to get Bulgarian Bag Level 1 & 2 certified. We cover her transition from being an active athlete to becoming a mother of two daughters and now reclaiming her athletic potential. We also discuss the importance of training coordination and neuromuscular patterning with the Bulgarian Bag. The Bulgarian Bag is a training tool with numerous applications for nearly any population and fitness or performance goal you'd like to achieve.Topics Covered:The Healing Power of Bee PollenTransitioning from Motherhood to Athletic TrainingThe Importance of Trust, Self-Care, and Respect in RelationshipsBulgarian Bag TrainingTraining Coordination and Neuromuscular PatterningLiving a Fulfilling Life: The Top Five PrinciplesLINKS:Book a FREE Strategy Session for Female High School & Collegiate Athletes (parents, students, or coaches) with Shekhinah via email: shekhinah@gmail.com Athleticism 4 Life, 30 Day Bulgarian Bag Program: https://www.mikesalemi.io/BulgarianBagProgram20% off Code: Path20

This woman! She is NINETY TWO years old and as you will hear, as sharp as they come. Anne has been a mentor for me, guiding me through her research, unveiling suppressed histories and ancient texts restoring the feminine face of the Holy Spirit - like the mind-blowing “Gospel of the Beloved Companion” detailing Mary Magdalene's sacred bond with Jesus.   I finally got to sit down with this mystic-scholar heroine of mine, Dr. Anne Baring (YT:@annebaring5850). She's authored eight powerful books and has devoted her life to decoding the Myth of the Goddess and unveiling the FORGOTTEN WISDOM about our spiritual origins in Mother God.   She has issued a RALLY CRY for modern women to embody our archetypal powers as wise crones and nurturers of humanity's higher destiny. Anne's work is a balm, resurrecting the sacred daughter within, restoring our cosmic wholeness.   Resacralizing the Feminine VISION and the “Divine Ground” Reclaiming the FEMININE ASPECT of the Holy Spirit/Holy Wisdom Women's crucial role in SHIFTING humanity to a HIGHER DESTINY WATCH this episode on my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@SoulRoseShow   Books we referenced in this episode: Dr. Annine E.G Van der Meer | Mary Magdalene Unveiled: Hidden Sources Restore her Broken Image: Including a commentary on the Gospel of the Beloved Companion, that emerged in 2010:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/9083318907   Jehanne de Quillan | The Gospel of the Beloved Companion: The Complete Gospel of Mary Magdalene: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1452810729/   … Join our new MINDBODY Soul Membership: https://www.cherieburton.com/mindbody-membership   Get my Free WHOLE BODY Healing Mini-Course:  https://www.cherieburton.com/freeminicourse   Discover Anne's work on her website: http://www.annebaring.com/   Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cherie.burton/   Ask to join our private Facebook group, Soul Rose COMMUNITY, for exclusive content and free monthly, live sessions & classes!  https://www.facebook.com/groups/353442392180748/  

Discover the profound lesson of accountability as we explore the historical moment when Aaron the High Priest faced the deafening silence of the heavens. Imagine standing amongst the sea of onlookers, the air thick with expectation, only to be met with an unsettling quiet where divine fire should have blazed. In this poignant narrative, we traverse the depths of Aaron's introspection. At this moment, he shoulders the blame for the absence of the Shekhinah, providing us with an enduring message about the essence of leadership and personal responsibility.Join me on a journey that takes us beyond mere retelling of ancient tales as we analyze how the greatest among us respond to failure and disappointment. Aaron's candid ownership of the situation reveals a powerful truth about growth and the human spirit—true greatness is not in never falling but in the courage to accept our falls and rise with lessons learned. This episode is not just a look back at a biblical event; it's an invitation to apply Aaron's example to our lives, challenging us to embrace accountability and transform every setback into a step forward on the path to self-improvement.Support the showJoin the WhatsApp community for daily motivational Torah content! JOIN HERE ---------------- SUBSCRIBE to The Weekly Parsha for an insightful weekly shiur on the Parsha of the week. Listen on Spotify or the new Jewish music and Podcast streaming platform 24six! Access all Torah talks and listen to featured episodes on our new website, themotivationcongregation.org ---------------- Questions or Comments? Please email me @ michaelbrooke97@gmail.com

Following the release of her latest single "Risk". Shekinah has stated in the past that the trouble from "Trouble In Paradise" is over and that the new music is coming from a brand new background. Zweli also tests Shekhinah's music knowledge of the music that came out in the year she was born!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

**Trigger Warning - This episode contains talk about abuse and violence Welcome to Without Regret, the podcast where stories of resilience and redemption take center stage. I'm your host, Tamara, and in each episode, we delve into the lives of individuals who have faced adversity head-on and emerged stronger on the other side. In this episode we continue the conversation with Michelle Shekhinah in part 2 of her story where she shares some very helpful, practical and valuable tips for planning your escape from an abuser. If you haven't listened to part I I recommend you listen to that first. This is Without Regret, lets dive right in.

***TRIGGER WARNING - this episode contains conversations about sexual violence and abuse. Welcome to Without Regret, the podcast where stories of resilience and redemption take center stage. and in each episode, we delve into the lives of individuals who have faced adversity head-on and emerged stronger on the other side. Today, we're honored to share the remarkable journey of Michelle Shekhinah, a survivor whose life took an unexpected turn in 2014. What began as a fairy tale marriage soon turned into a nightmare of abuse and exploitation. But in the face of unimaginable darkness, Michelle found the courage to break free and reclaim her life. Join us as we explore her path from despair to empowerment, from victim to advocate. Through her resilience, she not only saved herself but has also become a beacon of hope for others who have experienced trauma and abuse. Get ready to be inspired, moved, and uplifted in Part 1 of Michelle's story. At the end of this episode, there are a couple of messages I want to leave you with. The first is that what Michelle has experienced IS Trafficking. This is not normal behavior and if you are in a similar situation, you are not alone, you are not crazy, and there is help out there. The second is to believe the survivors when they tell their stories. It can be easy to hear all of this chaos and think "Oh this is just a jilted wife looking for revenge". That is not the case. Michelle is in hiding, she isn't naming any names or even her location. She has nothing to gain by talking about this other than helping other women who are being abused. I don't want to wait until the end of part 2 to talk about her foundation From the Floor to the door, which will be explained in more detail in part 2, but you can visit her website www.fromthefloortothedoor.com for help. Stay tuned for part 2 in the coming days.

My guest has seen the Shekhinah glory of God that was on Moses show up at his meetings, and 50,000 Muslims instantly came to know Jesus.To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.lightsource.com/donate/885/29 To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1489/29

My guest has seen the Shekhinah glory of God that was on Moses show up at his meetings, and 50,000 Muslims instantly came to know Jesus. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.lightsource.com/donate/885/29

Anele & The Club - We have 2 tickets to Calabash South Africa taking place at FNB stadium on Saturday 3 February.See Maroon 5 LIVE!!! They will be supported by Keane, Meduza, Ava Max, WillLinley, Lloyiso, Shekhinah and Timo ODV. (Tickets at Ticketmaster.co.za) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  Jewish revolutionary nonviolence Guiding Story strategies for Necessary Miracles! Caroline welcomes Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb “Explore legacies of Jewish and multi-heritage rituals born out of catastrophic loss and loving solidarity. Share how ceremony functions in contemporary emergent multi-heritage/faith networks dedicated to revolutionary nonviolence and social change    Lynn Gottlieb, one of the first women to become a rabbi in Jewish history, is a pioneer Jewish feminist, activist, writer, visual artist, ceremonialist, community organizer, master storyteller and performing artist. She is co-founder of Shomeret Shalom Global Congregation and teacher of the path of the Torah of Nonviolence. Currently, Lynn is director of Youth and Family Programs at Chochmat HaLev Congregation in Berkeley, CA. Rabbi Gottlieb is the author of She Who Dwells Within, “a practical guide to nonsexist Judaism,” published on March 3, 1995. Drawing on Gottlieb's own experiences as well as on traditional and feminist midrash (stories that comment on Biblical texts), the book combines thoughtful essays on gender and Judaism with new rituals for the important moments in Jewish women's lives. The title is taken from a translation of the word Shekhinah, traditionally understood as the feminine manifestation or aspect of God. http://www.rabbilynngottlieb.com Support The Visionary Activist Show on Patreon for weekly Chart & Themes ($4/month) and more… *Woof*Woof*Wanna*Play?!?* The post The Visionary Activist Show – Jewish revolutionary nonviolence appeared first on KPFA.

Interview starts at 26:55   Toby Gant joins us from the big island of Hawaii for a great chat about helping people and creating the new paradigm. We talk about ancestral healing, re-awakenings, synchronicities, the mama and papa trees, ceremonies, listening to the voice, guided mediations, breathwork, navigating deception, WEF, kids school assignments, meaning and purpose for kids and the state of Canada.   WHO are you when you are Doing? What about going within, how to protect from negative entities, scary stories, woke stuff and polarization.   25% off with Grimerica25 code for his coaching.   https://www.shekholistic.com/   In the intro we chat about the upcoming Eclipse, Half Moon Haven retreat, and travelling on the Sunshine Coast.   If you would rather watch:   https://rumble.com/v40x84u-toby-gant-shekhinah-holistic-the-supernatural-a-tool-for-soul-awakening.html   https://rokfin.com/stream/42457   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5S_ZWujONU   Help support the show, because we can't do it without ya. If you value this content with 0 ads, 0 sponsorships, 0 breaks, 0 portals and links to corporate websites, please assist. Many hours of unlimited content for free. Thanks for listening!!   Support the show directly: http://www.grimerica.ca/support https://www.patreon.com/grimerica   http://www.grimericaoutlawed.ca/support www.Rokfin.com/Grimerica   Check out our next trip/conference/meetup - Contact at the Cabin www.contactatthecabin.com Our audio book page: www.adultbrain.ca Adultbrain Audiobook YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@adultbrainaudiobookpublishing Grimerica Media YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@grimerica/featured Darren's book www.acanadianshame.ca Grimerica on Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/c-2312992 Join the chat / hangout with a bunch of fellow Grimericans  Https://t.me.grimerica https://www.guilded.gg/i/EvxJ44rk Get your Magic Mushrooms delivered from: Champignon Magique  Mushroom Spores, Spore Syringes, Best Spore Syringes,Grow Mushrooms Spores Lab Buy DMT Canada Other affiliated shows: https://grimericaoutlawed.ca/The newer controversial Grimerica Outlawed Grimerica Show Leave a review on iTunes and/or Stitcher: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/grimerica-outlawed http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/grimerica-outlawed Sign up for our newsletter https://grimerica.substack.com/ SPAM Graham = and send him your synchronicities, feedback, strange experiences and psychedelic trip reports!! graham@grimerica.com InstaGRAM https://www.instagram.com/the_grimerica_show_podcast/  Tweet Darren https://twitter.com/Grimerica Can't. Darren is still deleted. Purchase swag, with partial proceeds donated to the show: www.grimerica.ca/swag Send us a postcard or letter http://www.grimerica.ca/contact/ Episode ART - Napolean Duheme's site http://www.lostbreadcomic.com/  MUSIC https://brokeforfree.bandcamp.com/ - Something Jah Felix's Site sirfelix.bandcamp.com - SSU Revisited

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Caroline Welcomes Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb CWC: “The Guiding Stories for Necessary Miracles!” Rabbi Lynn “Okay. This will be a conversation about revolutionary nonviolence.” Lynn Gottlieb, one of the first women to become a rabbi in Jewish history, is a pioneer Jewish feminist, activist, writer, visual artist, ceremonialist, community organizer, master storyteller and performing artist. She is co-founder of Shomeret Shalom Global Congregation and teacher of the path of the Torah of Nonviolence. Currently, Lynn is director of Youth and Family Programs at Chochmat HaLev Congregation in Berkeley, CA. Rabbi Gottlieb is the author of She Who Dwells Within, “a practical guide to nonsexist Judaism,” published on March 3, 1995. Drawing on Gottlieb's own experiences as well as on traditional and feminist midrash (stories that comment on Biblical texts), the book combines thoughtful essays on gender and Judaism with new rituals for the important moments in Jewish women's lives. The title is taken from a translation of the word Shekhinah, traditionally understood as the feminine manifestation or aspect of God. http://www.rabbilynngottlieb.com   Support The Visionary Activist Show on Patreon for weekly Chart & Themes ($4/month) and more… *Woof*Woof*Wanna*Play?!?* The post The Visionary Activist Show – The Guiding Stories for Necessary Miracles! appeared first on KPFA.

Jesus, the glory of God and the glory of Israel, is also the ultimate prophet who proclaimed God’s judgment on the nation for its sins and rejection of Him. - SERMON TRANSCRIPT - Turn in your Bibles to Mark 13. You can also refer to Matthew 24. I'm going to be leaning on both of the chapters but mostly walking through Mark 13, as we begin to look at a topic that theologians call eschatology or the study of end times or last things. In 1925, the American poet TS Eliot wrote his masterpiece entitled The Hollow Men. It was a reflection of his generally gloomy outlook on the direction of human history after the devastation of World War I. That terrible so-called “War to End All Wars” left permanent scars in the minds and hearts of many. Pictures of bleak battlefields that were stripped of all trees, all vegetation, all life, looking more like a moonscape which had been pounded by artillery for years. Deep craters, mud and death everywhere. TS Eliot looked at that, he looked at human history and he wondered bleakly where it was all heading. In the poem he spoke of men with heads filled with straw, men without eyes groping through a valley with dying stars, in which little by little all energy just seems to leak out or drain out slowly from the universe until nothing is left. The poem ended famously with these words, “this is the way the world ends.” “This is the way the world ends, not with a bang but with a whimper.” That's TS Eliot's opinion or poetic prophecy. But it's just, in my opinion, another example of the fascination that human beings have with where this is all heading. Where are we going in all of this and more specifically with the conceptions of the end of the world? Doomsday scenarios, apocalyptic visions, dystopian societies clawing out some existence on a dying planet after World War III has wiped out most of the human race or some other such thing. It says in Ecclesiastes 3:11, “God has set eternity in the hearts of men, but they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” We have a sense of a movement towards something but we don't know what it is. We can't figure out where we've come from. We don't really understand the history that leads up to this, and we don't know ... even James says, what's going to happen tomorrow? But we have a fascination in it. We're interested in it. In our culture, especially movie makers cash in on this kind of thing. They depict earth in its final stage after some thermonuclear holocaust, like in the movie “Planet of the Apes” or “Dr. Strangelove” or others. Or perhaps a pandemic which wipes out all of earth's population, such as in the movie “I Am Legend.” Or some kind of ecological disaster, climate change, global warming, or some kind of solar flares like in “2012” or “The Day After Tomorrow.” Or a blight that kills all vegetation except corn, that’s “Interstellar.” Or even alien invasions, that's “The War of the Worlds”, or conquest by artificial intelligence robots, “The Matrix." I'm sure I've missed a few of the ways that the world ends. How exactly will the world end and how will we know when it's coming? Is there anything we can do about it? These are questions that burn in the hearts of normal people, and they burned in the hearts of the disciples of Jesus as well. These are the questions that Jesus Christ seeks to answer in Mark 13 and also Matthew 24 and 25. One of the key issues He brings up is, what are the signs by which we can see the impending end of the world as it approaches? Jesus amazingly begins, in the account we're going to look at today, Mark 13: 1-13, by talking about things that will happen commonplace in every generation and are no certain signs of the immediate end of the world. But in the midst of it ... as we're going to talk about next week more especially, is the central purpose of history, the unfolding of history, and that is the proclamation of the gospel to the ends of the earth. The unfolding of uncertain signs that are true in every generation is a matrix or a canvas on which the painting, the masterpiece of the spread of the Gospel ... or what we call the external journey, goes on. Today we begin a fascinating and vital journey into true prophecy, not the prophecy of movie makers or of American poets, but the prophecy that flows from the mind of God. The only one who really knows the future is the sovereign God who decrees it. God is sovereign and therefore when He tells us what's going to happen, we need to listen. I. Christ’s Shocking Prediction It begins with Christ's shocking prediction there in Jerusalem, in Mark 13:2; "Not one stone here will be left on another. Every one will be thrown down." We need to understand the significance of this moment. We get it more clearly in the Gospel of Matthew, at the end of Matthew 23 and on into 24. As Jesus has finished his words of judgment, his seven woes on the scribes and Pharisees and condemns them, then the glory leaves the temple. In the Old Covenant, the glory cloud represented the presence of God, the special presence of the omnipresent God with his people, the Jews. God's glory cloud entered the tabernacle when Moses had finished constructing it. The glory cloud entered the tabernacle and filled it, symbolizing the special presence of God there in the tabernacle. So also, centuries later when Solomon completed the construction of his temple, the glory cloud entered the temple and filled it. But sadly, tragically, when the Jews forsook the true God, the only God, for idols and did this over centuries, the glory cloud departed from the temple. Ezekiel saw it in Ezekiel chapter 10, "He beheld the glory," called sometimes the “Shekhinah” glory. You're not going to see that word but it just means the dwelling glory of God. The dwelling glory departing the temple because of Israel's great wickedness and idolatry, the glory leaving the temple. That rendered the temple really nothing more than a empty or desolate pile of stones, which then the Gentiles were about to flood in and destroy, the Gentiles being the Babylonians at that point. In the kindness of God, a remnant of Jews ... a very small remnant compared to the original population that entered the Promised Land, 42,000 came back and were given permission by their Gentile overlords to rebuild a smaller version of the temple, which they did. The story is told in Haggai and also in Ezra and Nehemiah. But now in Matthew 23 and 24 the true glory of God, the dwelling glory, the incarnate glory of God leaves the temple. He walks out because the Jews have officially rejected him from being their Messiah. In Matthew 23, seven times He says, "Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites." He condemns them. They are spiritual leaders and representatives of the Jewish nation. Jesus said in Matthew 23, "They sit in Moses's seat so you must obey them." They do represent the law of God, but they were deeply corrupted men. They were whitewashed tombs that looked beautiful on the outside, but inside full of dead men's bones and everything unclean. As Jesus says in Mark 12, "They devour widows' houses and for show make lengthy prayers." That's who they were. It culminates with these devastating words in Matthew 23:37-39, "Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who killed the prophets and stoned those sent to you, how often I've longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling. Behold, your house is left to you desolate." This is an incredibly important statement. Behold, look, your house is left to you desolate ... an important word. "I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” In Matthew 24:1 and also in Mark 13, Jesus then left the temple, He walks out. It's not just the actions, it's the words and what He says, "Your house is left desolate. It's empty because I'm walking out. I'm not coming back until you say, 'Blessed is he comes in the name of the Lord.'" So out He goes, it's a hugely significant moment in redemptive history. Jesus is the ultimate prophet from God. He is the one who has been sent. After all these other servants have been sent and have been mistreated and killed, then the the absentee owner of the vineyard sends His son. But they reject him and they are conspiring to kill him, so therefore Jesus is leaving. He's departing and Israel's house, the temple is going to be left desolate. That is vacant, empty, stripped of glory. Why? Because He is leaving and He is the incarnate glory of God. Hebrews 1:3, “the Son is the radiance of God's glory in the exact representation of His being.” The glory cloud symbolizes Jesus. Jesus is the glory of Israel. He's the glory of God, and He's leaving because of Israel's wicked unbelief. They had rejected Jesus. They would officially do it at his trial. But they had already made the decision that if anyone declared that Jesus was the Messiah, they'd be cast out of the synagogue [John 9]. They've rejected him and out He goes. The glory departed the temple. Indeed, Jerusalem itself will be nothing more spiritually than an empty, vacant set of piles of stone, ready again for the Gentiles to come in and destroy. That's what's going on. At this moment the disciples who frequently weren't on message ... Do you get that sense? They're frequently just missing what's happening. They represent us. They come up at that moment, and one of them in particular just can't get over how beautiful the temple is. Look at verse 1, “As Jesus was leaving the temple one of his disciples said to him, ‘Look, teacher, what massive stones, what magnificent buildings.’" This is really remarkably poor timing but it’s significant as well. Herod's temple was indeed an impressive temple. Some of those stones were truly massive. Josephus, the contemporary Jewish historian a generation later from Jesus, tells us that some of the stones were as large as 45 feet long, 12 feet high and 18 feet in width. That's a single stone. Approximately 1.5 million pounds, astonishing. Furthermore, the building itself was lavishly beautiful. King Herod was a vicious, wicked tyrant. He was the one that ordered the slaughter of the newborns in order to kill Jesus after He was born. He's just a terribly wicked man. But he thought to ingratiate himself to his people by adorning the temple with stones of marble and with a lot of gold and other glitter. It was rather a very impressive building. Human beings in general marvel at human achievement. We get blown away by what humans can do and humans can do amazing things, created in the image of God. But from the Tower of Babel, then through Nebuchadnezzar gloating over Babylon ... “this great Babylon that I've built for my own glory and display of my splendor”, et cetera, we are drawn in and amazed at human achievements. God is not. Stephen says in Acts 7, quoting the scripture, “God says, ‘Heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me? Where will my resting place be? Has not my hand made all these things and so they came into being?’" God's not impressed. God instead yearns for a people characterized by brokenhearted humility and faith and repentance. That's what He's yearning for, and the Jews did not have it. So Jesus makes this shocking prediction, verses 1-2, “As Jesus was leaving the temple one of his disciples said to him, “'Look teacher, what massive stones, what magnificent buildings.’ ‘Do you see all these great buildings?" replied Jesus, ‘Not one stone here will be left on another. Every one will be thrown down.’" "God …yearns for a people characterized by brokenhearted humility and faith and repentance." Jesus frequently used object lessons, pointing to things, “Look at it”. But this is very much the topic. They were the ones calling his attention to the stones, to the temple, that's what they're talking about. “Do you see them? Look at all these great buildings.” I don't know whether his hand swept over the temple complex itself or the entire city. As you know historically, the whole thing was going to be destroyed, not just the temple. So it could be He was talking about the entire city of Jerusalem, as He wept over Jerusalem, as He lamented over Jerusalem, but specifically the topic there was the temple. Either way, these words would have been shocking to these Jewish disciples. Every stone placed on top of another will be toppled down. This entire place will be leveled. It's going to be raised. Humanity in pride builds upward and goes lofty and high. Like in Isaiah 2, these lofty towers and these cedars of Lebanon and all this rising up, it's just a symbol of human pride. Like the Tower of Babel, God casts it downward. This is nothing less than the prediction of the total destruction, not just of the temple I believe but of the entire city of Jerusalem. That prediction would be fulfilled a generation later in 70 AD. Josephus, a contemporary at that time, a Jewish historian, tells the story of the destruction of the city of Jerusalem in the year 70 AD. It was the decisive event of the first Jewish-Roman war. It was followed by the fall of Masada three years later in 73 AD. The Roman Army was led by the future Emperor Titus. It besieged and conquered the city of Jerusalem, which had been occupied by zealous Jewish defenders, zealots, since the year 66 AD. For four years they had held out. Jerusalem is notoriously difficult to conquer, very difficult, it was easy to defend. Therefore frequently what would happen is, when the Gentiles like the Babylonians or the Romans would finally topple the city, they would be so filled with rage at how difficult it had been that they took it out on the defenders and on the city and that's what they did. Despite the fact that Titus wanted the temple preserved, they didn't. They burned it to the ground and they were determined, the Romans were, filled with rage, to remove even foundation stones so that it couldn't even be seen that there'd ever been a city there. The Romans did this kind of thing. It's the fulfillment of Jesus's words, just vindicating him as an accurate and faithful prophet of God. The spiritual significance is this, Israel had rejected God, so God had rejected Israel. Ezekiel 16 poignantly portrays a spiritual marriage between God and Jerusalem, his love relationship with Jerusalem and through Jerusalem, the people of Israel. But they had betrayed that love and had been spiritually unfaithful to God, spiritually adulterous through idolatry and wickedness. Despite his incredible patience, He swore that He would level it by means of a Gentile nation. This is his regular pattern. He said it in the Song of Moses in Deuteronomy 32, before Israel even entered the Promised Land, "I'm going to make you angry by those who are not a nation. I'll make you envious by a nation without understanding." He's clearly predicting Gentile destruction of the Jews if they do not keep the laws of God. Again and again, that's what God did. He would raise up Gentile armies who would come in and trample his people. In this case it was the Romans. He would pour out wrath on the Jewish nation and it began what Jesus called “the times of the Gentiles.” Luke 21:24, “Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” We're in those times now, “the times of the Gentiles.” What does that mean? It's a shift in the focus of God. First, God would give up the Jewish nation to Gentile armies to be trampled by the Romans. Then He would pour out his grace and mercy on the elect among the Gentiles all over the world to the ends of the earth, and rescue them from every tribe and language and people and nation. He would graft them into a cultivated olive tree, a Jewish olive tree, deriving nourishing spiritual sap from the patriarchs from the Jewish heritage, so we become sons and daughters of Abraham. Meanwhile, Israel would be experiencing a hardening in part; in every generation, some Jews believing in Jesus, but for the most part not. Until we're told a mystery at the end of time when God will turn the Jews back to himself through faith in Christ and be saved, so all Israel will be saved. That's the whole story of “the times of the Gentiles”, and part of it includes Gentile domination of the city of Jerusalem. This is the prediction of “the times of the Gentiles”, the destruction of the temple. It is also spiritually significant because it signals absolutely the end of animal sacrifice and the end of the Jews' ability to perform the Old Covenant. It's physically impossible for them to do. The destruction of the temple clearly means an end to animal sacrifice. The Old Covenant has come to an end, and now Jesus's death on the cross fulfilled the animal sacrificial system. Once He died on the cross, Hebrews 8:13 says that that old system, that Old Covenantal system was obsolete and aging and would soon disappear. The writer, writing clearly before the destruction of the temple is predicting, I believe there and in Hebrews 8:13, the destruction of the temple, It would disappear, you wouldn't see it at all. The moment Jesus died, the curtain in the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, signaling the end of animal sacrifice. The Jews should have known at that point, the priests should have all repented and come to Christ. There would have been no need for the temple to be destroyed. It would have been a Christian church. It would have been a symbol of the Old Covenant animal sacrificial system that has now been fulfilled in Jesus. But they had, through unbelief and hardness of heart, reestablished animal sacrifice, sewed up the curtain that was torn in two from top to bottom, reestablished all that. So God had to shut it down, and He did it by the Romans. "The destruction of the temple clearly means an end to animal sacrifice. The Old Covenant has come to an end, and now Jesus's death on the cross fulfilled the animal sacrificial system." The Jews cannot obey the law of Moses. Please do not say there is a spiritualized Judaism in which the animal sacrifice is not important. How could anyone ever say that? Read the first five books of Moses. There's an entire book, Leviticus, devoted to animal sacrifice from beginning to end. It is essential to the Jewish religion and it cannot be done. Even more later when the Muslims built the Dome of the Rock there, one of their sacred pilgrimage sites at the end of the 7th century. So Jesus makes the prediction, "Not one stone here will be left on another. Every one will be thrown down." [Mark 13:3-4] II. The Stunned Questions We have this stunned questions by the disciples in private. As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him privately, "Tell us, when will these things happen and what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?" That's a simpler version of the more extended question he asks in Matthew 24:3, "When will this happen?" This being, not one stone left on another. "What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?" It's asked in private on the Mount of Olives, across the Kidron Valley. They're up on the mountain, they can look down over the temple. I'm sure they could look down over the city of Jerusalem when they're sitting there privately. The disciples must have certainly been stunned and troubled by Jesus's prediction. They still fully expected that Jesus, the son of David, would just be another David, and that He would reign on a physical throne in Jerusalem and that animal sacrifice would continue, because they really didn't understand the need for his own blood to be shed for their sins—that the blood of bulls and goats could never take away sin that was waiting for the incarnate son of God to die. It was essential for their salvation. They didn't understand that. They were picturing Jesus in a palace of cedar, on a throne of gold, ruling over the Gentile nations. The idea that those Gentile nations would gain military ascendancy over Jerusalem and destroy it, would have been anathema to them. They would have hated it. They didn't understand any of these things. The key inner circle, Peter, John, James and Andrew, approached Jesus privately while He's sitting on the Mount of Olives. This probably was very wise. If the population in general had heard what Jesus was teaching here, they would not have taken it well. They're coming privately and they're asking for an explanation. Undoubtedly they could look down over the temple and over Jerusalem while this is going on. Because it's on the Mount of Olives, some scholars call this the Olivet Discourse, especially the longer version in Matthew 24 and 25, or sometimes the Little Apocalypse. In Matthew's Gospel, these three questions and Jesus's answer to them are woven together in a rather complex tapestry. What are the three questions? Question number one, "When will this happen?" Namely, the destruction of Jerusalem and of the temple. Number two, "What will be the sign of your coming?" The word “coming” is “parousia,” meaning the Second Coming of Christ, which they could not have fully understood. But certainly the parables Jesus tells in Matthew 24 and 25 will prepare them for the parousia, the coming. He also must have already been teaching, though I'm sure they didn't understand, "What will be the sign of your coming?" Then of the end of the age, the question of the end of the world. These are the three questions in Matthew 24:3. It's not as clear in Mark 13, but they're woven together. The complexity of Mark 13 and of Matthew 24 and 25 is to try to figure out what He's talking about at any moment. Is He talking about the destruction of Jerusalem? Is He talking about the end of the age? Is He talking about the Second Coming? What is He talking about and how do we understand that? As they go on, the questions go much bigger than just the destruction of the temple. They're thinking about everything. "Where is all this heading? If the temple gets destroyed, what's next? Where are we heading?" Jesus's answer I do believe does include the events connected with the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD by the Romans. But it goes beyond and extends to the entire age, right to the end of the world. So therefore I believe aspects of what Jesus says in Matthew 24 and in Mark 13 have yet to be fulfilled. They're still in front of us. For me an interpretive key on eschatology from Matthew 24:37 is, “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the son of man.” If I could just keep it simple; as it was, so it will be. We get recurring themes. You get the theme of the holy place like the tabernacle, the temple destroyed, rebuilt, and then this recurring theme, the abomination of desolation, which we'll talk about in the new year. On the teaching on the Antichrist, in 1 John 2:18 it says, “You have heard the Antichrist is coming and even now many Antichrists have come.” What that means is, there's lots of lesser Antichrists that come that do dress rehearsals of the final Antichrist. But there is an Antichrist coming, so that's what I would say. Also the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD is a foretaste of a final and full destruction that is yet to come. III. The Warning Against Spiritual Deception Jesus begins his answer in verses 5-6. He begins with a warning against spiritual deception. In verses 5-6 Jesus answered, "Watch out that no one deceives you. Many will come in my name claiming I am he and will deceive many." The danger in every era is false teachers and false Christs. It's the single greatest threat to the church, greater than worldliness, greater than persecution, is false doctrine. So false teachers are going to come in every generation. One of the great hallmarks of many ... not all but many cult leaders is eschatological focus, a sense of the imminent end of the world and that they themselves are the key leader that God has sent for the people at this end of the world time. It's happened again and again and again. It's a fascinating study of these kinds of cult leaders that claim themselves the key leader and that the end is imminent. The Zwickau Prophets during the Reformation were like that. The Millerites in the 19th century, they led into the Jehovah's Witnesses that made predictions of the end of the world that did not come true. The Branch Davidians in Waco, Texas and all that, making all of these kinds of ... It happens again and again and Jesus warns. He doubles down in verses 21 and 22, "At that time if anyone says to you, look, here is the Christ, or look, there he is, do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders to deceive even the elect, if that were possible." We'll talk more about that in time. I'm not getting to that today. I am mentioning it because it connects with this idea of false teachers that come and give false doctrine, and that culminates in the Antichrist himself who will be able to work great signs and wonders. He’s called the “man of lawlessness” in 2 Thessalonians 2:9-11. The Antichrist was coming, the final one. The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refuse to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason, God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie. He allows the Antichrist to work miracles. Jesus says, "To deceive even the elect, if that were possible." But it's not possible because you are forewarned in the scripture. You're told ahead of time this is going to happen, so you're ready. You should take this seriously, this idea of a world leader who can do signs and wonders and miracles. Get ready and tell your children and tell your grandchildren ... and if you live long enough, tell your great-grandchildren so they'll be ready. Because there will be a generation whose eternal salvation depends on knowing these truths. Forewarned is forearmed, Mark 13:23, “So be on your guard, I've told you everything ahead of time. Now we have the convulsions of a hate-filled dying world in verses seven and eight. When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.” IV. The Convulsions of a Hate-Filled, Dying World Here we have the wickedness of humanity continuing and unfolding, wars and rumors of wars, empires rising and falling. Human beings, with no love for God and no love for each other, violating overtly the two Great Commandments, will continue to hate and plunder and kill each other. That's human history and to some degree you could argue it's one of the reasons for history. We wanted an education at the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. This is what evil looks like. God is drawing it out and showing it to us, so we can see how awful it is. Then He mentions the physical convulsions of planet Earth, ecological disasters. He calls it famines and earthquakes. After Adam's sin, God cursed the ground because of him. It would produce thorns and thistles for him. We know from Romans 8 and from personal experience that the curse went beyond just the harvest of thorns and thistles from the ground. It extends to every area of physical life here on earth. Romans 8:20-22 makes it plain that God has cursed planet Earth because of human sin. Earth's ecology, God subjected the Earth's ecology to cycles of death and destruction and vanity. Earthquakes and famines that Jesus mentions, are just evidences of God's curse on the Earth. In every generation earthquakes and famines ... and other natural disasters like hurricanes and tornadoes, floods, tsunamis, mudslides, plagues, et cetera, display that the natural order has been cursed because of human sin. It's going to continue and Jesus says vaguely, "In various places." It's just going to happen in various places. He's not trying to be specific. He's saying, this is what life's going to be like. It's going to continue like this. These are what I would call non-specific signs. Is there any generation since Jesus in which there weren't famines and earthquakes and nations rising against nation and wars and rumors of wars? Every generation, there's no specificity to it. It's just general, but that's what life's going to be like. Jesus calls them the beginning of birth pains. He uses this language in John 16, also Romans 8:22 says, “The creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.” Jesus talked about the anguish of his own disciples. The anguish they would have when they would see him arrested, beaten and crucified but then on the third day raised to life, He likens it to birth pains. In John 16:21-22, "A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come. But when her baby is born, she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. So it is with you. Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you'll rejoice and no one will take away your joy." That's talking about his own resurrection, which is a foretaste of the New Heaven and New Earth that's coming, but the process before is birth pains. Jesus says this, "All of the rending and convulsion of planet earth is the beginning of birth pains but the end is yet to come," He's saying. Now, that is very hopeful, isn't it? If you look at John 16, Jesus says, "It's going to be painful for a while, but after that you're going to have joy and no one will take away your joy.” Lasting eternal undimmed joy will never happen in this world but it will happen in the world to come, where there'll be no more death, mourning, crying in pain. That's what Jesus's resurrection is pointing toward. In the meantime, there is the convulsions and the pain of labor, giving birth to something joyful afterwards. "Lasting eternal undimmed joy will never happen in this world but it will happen in the world to come, where there'll be no more death, mourning, crying in pain. That's what Jesus's resurrection is pointing toward." V. The Costly Growth of a Living Kingdom In the middle of all of this is, the real point of it all, and that is the costly growth of the kingdom of God. History has a purpose and the purpose is the salvation of sinners out of every tribe and language and people and nation. That's the reason for all of it. Wars, rumors of wars, famines and earthquakes, that's just the matrix of it or the blank canvas on which the real masterpiece is being painted. What is that real masterpiece? It is the spread of the gospel from Jerusalem through Judea and Samaria to the ends of the earth, saving people for all eternity. Look what He says about that costly growth of a living kingdom. Mark 13: 10 is the thesis verse. We're going to spend a whole week on it, God willing, next week, verse 10, “And the gospel must first be preached to all nations.” It's amazing this word “gospel", right in the midst of all this darkness and sorrow and misery, is good news. The good news is Jesus Christ. Jesus is the gospel. Jesus is the good news. Salvation through faith in Christ is the gospel. It is the good news. This good news must be preached to all nations in the midst of all these convulsions. The entire Gospel of Mark has been about understanding that gospel, that good news. Mark 1:1, “The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ or about Jesus Christ, the son of God.” These prophecies that Christ gives here in Mark 13 are incredibly sad and heavy and dark. "Not one stone left on another. Every one of them thrown down. Wars, rumors of wars, famines and earthquakes in various places, sorrow, destruction and death." Yet, Jesus hopefully calls them birth pains and what's being birthed is a perfect people of God redeemed from every tribe, language and people and nation through the blood of Christ, through faith in Christ, and a new heaven and new earth, which will be drawn out of this present cosmos through fire ... Peter tells us in 2 Peter 3, into perfection. That's what we're heading toward. Mark 13:10 is the centerpiece of all this, the kingdom of Christ is going to spread through the world through the proclamation of a verbal gospel, the Gospel. It's not random suffering for no purpose, rather, God is orchestrating these birth pains to end in eternal joy and glory. The suffering of the messengers of that gospel is clearly predicted. The suffering of the messengers, it's a laborious, a painful journey that the church has to go on. Look at Verse 9-13, “You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me, you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them, and the gospel must first be preached to all nations. Wherever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say, just say whatever is given to you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit. Brother will betray brother to death and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.” Jesus warns us, his followers, again and again, as the world hated him, it's going to hate us. It's going to hate Christians as well, and that hatred is actually going to increase. It's going to be greatly ramped up into the world. The persecution on the messengers of the gospel will be both informal and formal. Informally, family members and friends will betray and hate Christians. Verse 12, “Brother will betray brother to death and a father, his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death.” This is utterly heartbreaking. You look at Verse 12 and you're like, what would that actually mean for those people, to have those closest to you hate you and turn you over to death because they hate Jesus? That's how bad it's going to get, the betrayal. But the persecution will also be formal. It will involve synagogues, religious tribunals, governmental agencies, governors and kings and emperors and presidents and supreme courts, and all these formal tribunals that the messengers of the gospel are going to get hauled in front of. This has been a repeated scene in twenty centuries: the messenger hauled up in front of the authorities giving an account. It happens again and again and again. The Apostle Paul, the last third of the book of Acts is that; Paul on trial, Paul on trial, Paul on trial. They're standing before either religious tribunals or governmental inquiries, etc. Bottom line, all of that is going to culminate in the hatred of the Antichrist, when he controls the government of the entire world and uses his supernatural powers to seek to eradicate the church of Jesus Christ, precipitating the Second Coming of Christ I believe. So that tribunal aspect is going to keep coming and the persecution is going to get worse and worse. Summed up in Verse 13, “everyone will hate you.” It seems to me like American evangelicals need to understand, we're not going to win a popularity contest. We need to understand the truth. The more that our surrounding culture digresses from biblical Christianity, the more they're going to hate us. We need to be aware of that. That doesn't mean every single person will hate. There will be unconverted elects who will eventually cross over from death to life. But in general, the world's evaluation of Christians will be fiercely negative. In the middle of all of that persecution and tribunals and all of that, will be the powerful equipping by the Holy Spirit. The promise of the Spirit as power to witnesses. Acts 1:8 says, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you and you'll be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, to the ends of the earth.” We need the Spirit's power. The tribunals will be terrifying. The synagogues and the religious councils and the governors' courts and all of that, it's going to be terrifying. We're going to in our flesh, quake and melt in front of it. But we'll be positioned to be witnesses to them [verse 9], to preach the gospel [verse 10]. Jesus speaks of the violence of the persecutions. It says that they'll be betrayed by family members to death, to execution. But before that execution happens, the martyrs die, they speak words of witness. The blood of martyrs is seed for the church. They powerfully speak words of witness empowered by the Spirit of God. He says, "Don't worry ahead of time what to say, for the spirit will tell you what to say at that time." Some of the greatest statements in church history have been made by martyrs on trial. They could never have written that material ahead of time. The Holy Spirit knew what to say through them. A very good example of this is in Acts 4 when Peter and John were arrested for doing a miracle and they're brought before the Sanhedrin, and they are so filled with the Holy Spirit and they are absolutely fearless. They say, "If we are hauled in front of this tribunal and asked to give an account for a miracle done to a cripple, then know this, you and all the people of Israel, it is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth whom you crucified, by whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. He is the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." Wow, where did that come from? The Holy Spirit came on them. It says, when they saw the courage, the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled ordinary men, they're just regular people, they were astonished and took note that these men had been with Jesus. Stephen's whole speech was saturated with the Spirit of God. Also, Polycarp's courageous message when they burned him at the stake in Smyrna at the end of the first century. Felicitas, the Roman noble woman said, "While I live, I shall defeat you and if you kill me, I shall defeat you even more." It's one of my favorite statements ever in church history, “you can't win,” something like that. “There's no way you can win. If you let me go, I'm going to keep preaching the gospel. I'm going to keep winning disciples. If you kill me, then things really take off.” Awesome. Jan Hus said, "What I proclaim with my lips, I now seal with my blood." Martin Luther, though he was not martyred, he thought he was going to be martyred just like Jan Hus. He said, "Here I stand; I can do no other.” Courageous, bold. Do not worry ahead of time, the Holy Spirit will come on you at that trial of faith. The increase of persecution will be a severe test of nominal Christians, people who aren't serious. They're in the habit of going to church but they're not really Christians. The fires of persecution will weed those people out. In Matthew 24:10 it says, “At that time, many will turn away from the faith and betray and hate each other.” So they're apostates. The increase of wickedness, it says, will cause people's hearts to grow cold. Natural affections will be replaced by animal-like instincts. The survival of the fittest [Matthew 24:12] because the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold. True Christians can never fall away from Christ. But in the Parable of the Seed and the Soils, there is that stony ground that springs up. But when heat comes, when trouble or persecution comes because of the Word, they quickly fall away. Jesus gives a warning to all of his true followers, he who stands firm to the end will be saved. You have to stand firm in your faith through all that persecution. That's Mark 1-13. VI. Applications Let's take some applications now. First and foremost, it's simple, come to Christ. Come to Christ. There is macro-eschatology, the big story of the world. But then there's your eschatology, do you know how much longer you have to be alive? Do you know when you're going to die? That's the end of your time here on earth. Do you know when that is? No one knows. All of this wickedness and convulsions and famines and earthquakes and wars and rumors of wars, all of that is caused, the Bible says, by sin. There is one and only one remedy, and that is the blood of Jesus Christ shed on the cross. Flee to Christ while you can. You don't know how long you have. You've heard the Gospel here this morning. All you need to do is repent of your sins, turn away from your sin and trust in Christ and you'll be forgiven. You'll be forgiven. So come to Christ, come to Christ for salvation. If you're a Christian, come to Christ for wisdom. I love what Peter, John, James and Andrew do. They didn't understand and they came to Jesus privately and said, "Explain it." Just like with the parables, Jesus gives them the secrets. The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you but not the outsiders. He'll tell you what you need to know. If you want to know things about the future, come to Christ and ask and He'll tell you the Scripture by the Spirit. He's not going to tell you more than the Scripture but the Scripture says everything you need. So come to Christ for wisdom and expect it in the Scriptures by the Spirit. Then, understand the direction of history. History has a direction. It has a purpose. This is not random sorrow and destruction like there's no purpose at all. No, there's a purpose to everything. History has a direction. Revelation 21, the second to last chapter of the Bible, in verses 6 and 7 Jesus said, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end." History has a journey. It's a story being unfolded and Jesus is that story. “I am the Alpha, I am the first letter and I'm the Omega, I'm the last letter. The beginning and the end.” Then He says, "To him who is thirsty, I'll give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this. I will be his God and he will be my son." That's the purpose of history, salvation. Come to Christ and drink. Come to Christ and drink, and never think that history is spinning out of control. God is sovereign. He is on his throne. When the so-called eternal city Rome fell to the vandals in the 5th century, many Christians thought it was the end of the world but it wasn't. When the Muslims swept across North Africa, destroying lots of good churches ... and then swept across the Strait of Gibraltar and conquered all of Spain. Then when they swept up into France in the 8th century, many thought it was the end of the world, but it wasn't. When the Vikings were pillaging and ravaging monasteries and churches all throughout the Northern part of Europe and then on into Russia and even down into the Mediterranean and all that, people begged God, deliver us from the fear of the Norsemen. They thought it was the end of the world, but it wasn't. When Mongol warriors extended the largest contiguous empire that had ever been ... coming in from the Asian steppes and no band of Christian knights could defeat them, and they just won battle after battle after battle, many thought it was the end of the world, but it wasn't. When the Black Death swept across Europe and killed a third of the population ... and all of their good luck charms and all of their incantations and all of that stuff could not drive it away. They really thought everyone's going to die of this disease. The end of the world is imminent, but it wasn't. When the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, Constantinople, finally fell in the 15th century because of a new invention, cannons with gunpowder ... and the Muslim banners fluttered over Eastern Orthodoxy, over the most significant site of Eastern Orthodoxy. The backdoor to Europe was finally thrown open it seemed to Turkish invasion, many thought the end of the world was imminent, Martin Luther did, but it wasn't. The 20th century dawned with a war to end all wars and millions died in that senseless conflict. When European poets said, “I see the lights of humanity extinguished all over Europe and we shall not see them lit again in our lifetime.” Then twenty years later, an even worse war came with an even more terrifying scourge, Nazism, subjugating one nation after another. It seemed they could never be defeated. Many thought the end of the world was imminent, but it wasn't. So also Communism when it spread from one country to the next, the dominoes were toppling in Southeast Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America and all kinds of places ... and it was godless atheism and openly hostile to the church, many thought the end of the world was imminent, but it wasn't. Now there will come a time, the end of the world will come but God is sovereign over all these things. In every one of these cases, the church continued and even flourished. Nothing can stop the spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. So let's rest assured in that and realize what our calling is. Our calling is to be holy and to spread the gospel. Close with me in prayer. Father, we thank you for the time we've had to begin this study in eschatology, in Mark 13. I thank you for the themes that Jesus lays out and He tells us very clearly ahead of time what's going to happen. Lord, continue to strengthen us for our mission in this world, that we'll be courageous and clear and bold, and unafraid of what's happening with governments, unafraid what's happening with natural disasters, knowing that we will suffer. It's not going to be painless but we know also all of it has a glorious purpose. We thank you in Jesus's name. Amen.

Welcome to another episode of Seated with Lebo and Thato Rampedi! In this episode Stella invited us to dinner and gave us some time to interview some of your favourite celebrities and infleuncers! Let us know who you loved hearing from the most! #LetsDoDinner  @stellaartoisza6000  The views expressed in this podcast are only those of the hosts. None of the views shared in this Podcast are in any way affiliated with SAB and the brand.

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ICYMI: Micka was joined by Paxton on #TurnItUP! She's about to drop her long-awaited album, "23:23," taking us on a journey through love, vulnerability, and personal growth.

BiographyMichelle was married for many years and was a stay at home Mom for 2 children. In 2015, Michelle realized that her husband was addicted to drugs. In this time, she had experienced financial, emotional and sexual abuse from him, which turned into his sex trafficking her. Michelle spent many nights crying on the floor, until one night she saved her life, and ran for the door. Since then, she has been healing herself, with therapy and other techniques. She has become a strong Mom for her children, in addition to being an advocate and mentor for other women and teens who have suffered any form of trauma and abuse.Her story is compelling, heartbreaking, and yet full of hope and reconciliation.Send Audience To:http://www.fromthefloortothedoor.com#abuserecovery #domesticviolence #sextrafficking #survivor #intimaterelationships #sexualviolence #womenempowerment #traumarecovery #somatic #abuse #escape #podcast #podcastshow #alittlelessfearpodcast #podcaster This is Dr. Lino Martinez the host for A Little Less Fear Podcast. For more information, please use the information below. Thanks so much for your support!Author | A Little Less FearWriters Work | Write Your Way to the Life You WantA Little LESS FEAR Podcast (@alittlelessfearpodcast) • Instagram photos and videosLino Marinez (@alittlelessfear) TikTok | Watch Lino Marinez's Newest TikTok Videos

Meet Michelle Shekhinah who was married for many years and was a stay-at-home mom with two special needs children. In 2015 she realized her husband was addicted to drugs. In this time, she had experienced financial, emotional and sexual abuse from him, which turned into him sex trafficking her. Michelle spent many nights crying on the floor, until one night she saved her life and ran for the door.  Since then, she has been healing herself, with therapy and other techniques. She has become a strong mom for her children, in addition to being an advocate and mentor for other women and teens who have suffered any form of trauma and abuse.  Her story is compelling, heartbreaking, yet full of hope and reconciliation. Sponsors:    Hero Soap Company                     www.herosoapcompany.com                     Blue Sky CBD-use link below for a 20% discount on your first order                     https://www.bluesky-cbd.com/pages/_go_?ref=3251:615856&discount=ron                     Rare Patient Voice                     https://rarepatientvoice.com/Itsawrapwithrap   Links:          https://fromthefloortothedoor.com                    https://itsawrapwithrap.com                   #HC Universal Network      

Welcome to the Financial Secrets Revealed Series 2 podcast episode where Amanda Cassar meets with Michelle Shekhinah, a survivor of sex trafficking by her former husband, to support a drug habit and expensive lifestyle.Michelle shares her story of how financial abuse kept her in a horrific relationship where control was so important to her violent partner.  After 17 years of marriage, and two children, Michelle was introduced to a seedy world of overindulgence in alcohol, drugs, sexual deviance, and trafficking.  She'd wake up in places she couldn't remember getting to… was never protected by the one person that should have looked out for her; and wants to share what she's learned.  Michelle spent many nights crying on the floor, until one night she saved her life, and ran for the door. She has become a strong mum for her children and is now an advocate and mentor for other women and teens suffering from abuse.  Her story is compelling, heartbreaking, and full of hope and reconciliation. Amanda enjoys Lifting the Lid on Financial Abuse with Michelle.  It's a dark topic, but one that needs to be told, to help all victims become survivors.  And financial abuse is often just part of a larger picture of abuse.  We hope you've gained lots of nuggets of wisdom from Michelle's story.Offer Purchase your copy of Financial Secrets Revealed on Amazon: Financial Secrets Revealed: Cassar, Amanda: Amazon.com.au: BooksPurchase your copy of the book on Booktopia:Financial Secrets Revealed, Collective Wisdom from Business Gurus, Financial Geniuses and Everyday Heroes by Amanda Cassar | 9781925648546 | BooktopiaPurchase your copy of the book on Barnes & Noble:Financial Secrets Revealed by Amanda Cassar, Paperback | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)Connect with Michellehttps://www.fromthefloortothedoor.com/Follow Catch up with Amanda Cassar, host of Financial Secrets Revealed on Twitter and Instagram @financechicks or on LinkedIn at Amanda Cassar | LinkedInWebsites: https://amandacassar.com.au/ https://www.wealthplanningpartners.com.au/ (company website)https://trustedagedcare.com.au/ (company website)Support the show

In today's Episode I have the pleasure of speaking to an amazing woman, Michelle Shekhinah. Michelle was married for many years and was a stay at home Mom for 2 children.  In 2015, Michelle realized that her husband was addicted to drugs. In this time, she had experienced financial, emotional and sexual abuse from him, which turned into his sex trafficking her.  Michelle spent many nights crying on the floor, until one night she saved her life, and ran for the door.  Since then, she has been healing herself, with therapy and other techniques.  She has become a strong Mom for her children, in addition to being an advocate and mentor for other women and teens who have suffered any form of trauma and abuse. Her story is compelling, heartbreaking, and yet full of hope and reconciliation. FOLLOW HER AT Website - https://fromthefloortothedoor.com/ If you've found the Life With Francy podcast helpful Follow, Rate, & Review on Apple Podcasts Like this Show? Please Leave us a review here - even one sentence helps!  Post a screenshot of you listening on Instagram & Tag us so we can Thank you Personally! STAY IN TOUCH ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LINKTREE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠INSTRAGRAM⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠FACEBOOK⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Sign Up with Podmatch using this ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Link⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or paste this URL ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podmatch.com/signup/lifewithfrancy⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Support and Join my Patreon community at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://patreon.com/Lifewithfrancy⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ DOWNLOAD my Transform your Mind workbook for FREE here >>> ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/3mhiGQ9⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Hope you have a blessed day. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Support this podcast:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://anchor.fm/francelyn-devarie/support⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/francelyn-devarie/support

 Michelle Shekhinah is the founder and owner of “From the Floor to the Door,” a program of Trauma, Escape, and Recovery, where Trauma Experience Becomes Coaching Expertise.” She is also the mother of two children and an advocate for women and teens who experience trauma and abuse. Michelle has her own story of surviving domestic abuse, which she shares in this powerful episode. Download this episode with its important message of hope, survival, and awareness including the synergy of faith and fear, the power of trusting your instincts, the journey of healing, and how we can all work together to stop the horror of domestic abuse.       https://fromthefloortothedoor.com/

In this episode of Crime Over Cocktails, I talk with my guest Michelle. After losing a close friend she wanted to live life to the fullest. Little did she know that by doing this her world be turned upside down by her own husband.  Not only did she find out that he has been living a secret life but the life he would introduce her would involve drugs, alcohol, and sex.  Michelle was able to break free and now is the founder of From the Floor to the Door, program of trauma, escape and recovery. It is a consulting and coaching service to help others navigate to your new YOU!Personal coaching and therapy for trauma recovery (fromthefloortothedoor.com)Support the showhttps://www.crimeovercocktails.com/http://www.instagram.com/crimeovercocktailshttps://www.the-crime-connection.org/

On Unmasked Monday, Anele and Frankie speak to Shekhinah, the voice behind the Doughnut.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Michelle Shekhinah is a personal consultant and coach. She talks to us about her traumatic journey of domestic violence, manipulation, and sex trafficking. She also discusses how she found freedom.www.fromthefloortothedoor.com

Never Angeline Nꙩrth (she/her), is an agender author, artist, and musician living in Olympia, WA. Her creative book-length works include Sea-Witch, Careful Mountain, and Sara or the Existence of Fire. Find her online at https://never.horse/. ASL version coming soon. Join our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/dreamingtheworldtocome Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-PzunkdbVA4yrhBChIXY8od06z8POB4t The Indwelling Dreams of Olam haBa planner is on super mega-sale for $18. Purchase at https://www.dreamingtheworldtocome.com/ while supplies last! This podcast episode was edited by Kim Wayman and Nomy Lamm Convo: Dori Midnight: a friend, collaborator and teacher, abolitionist, liturgist, and magical Jewish witch. Learn more: https://dorimidnight.com/ Tree of Life: a cultural symbol throughout the world, here we are referencing a kabbalistic diagram of the many faces of the divine. Sefer Yetzirah: a very early Jewish mystical text from around the 4th century CE. Shekhinah: the Indwelling Presence of god in the physical world. Asherah Pole: a pre-Israelite symbol of the goddess, a tree or pole Ketubah: Jewish marriage contract B'rit Ahuvim: Lover's covenant, an alternative to the Ketubah Interview: Significance of the number 18: in gematria/Jewish numerology, 18 corresponds with the word chai which means life. Shavuot: The Festival of Revelation on the 6th of Sivan Isaac Luria: A rabbi who lived in Safed in the 16th century, he is known as the father of modern kabbalah Shabbos Bride: Shabbat is often compared to a bride or a queen (shabbos is the Ashkenazi/Yiddish pronunciation), who comes to join us and gives us an extra soul for the 25 hours of Shabbat The Dybbuk: a Yiddish play by S. Ansky written in 1914, about a bride who becomes possessed by the ghost of her beshert (meant-to-be love) on the day of her wedding. Dysphoria: discomfort, distress, dis-ease Sephirot: emanations of the divine on the kabbalistic tree of life This Way to Olam haBa: Anti-trans bills: https://translegislation.com/ Generation Alpha:  https://www.tiktok.com/@davidbowieshousewife/video/7214557539453635883 https://www.tiktok.com/@cllr.little.brighouse/video/7214988473428675845 https://twitter.com/BrokenAngel85/status/1648184015248138240 How to fight back: https://www.vice.com/en/article/bvzge5/how-to-fight-anti-trans-bills-legislation-united-states-activism⁠ Support Trans Lifeline: https://translifeline.org/ Support Transgender Law Center: ⁠https://transgenderlawcenter.org/support/⁠ Song: This is a new song that wormed its way into the world throughout the Omer counting period, just in time for Shavuot! For now it's called the Ophanim song, in reference to biblical angels as described in Ezekiel. 

The DepartureWe left our house at 1 am Sunday morning to make the two and a half hour journey to St Louis to catch our flight. Maybe I should stop right here at the beginning and tell you I am terrified of flying. I was in a minor plane crash when I was a child and I have feared flying ever since. Our pilots did not realize the electrical system wasn't on until we were in the air. It was a medium to small plane, and they had no means of contacting the tower or ensuring the landing gear was down, so we “landed” in a farm field.Oh, and did I forget to mention I have a fear of crowds and being around people, especially now with the rampant transphobia in the world. I am so used to being judged and harassed because of that I avoid the opportunity to receive such treatment. So, here I am in a car on my way to get on a plane to travel through crowded airports to meet a bunch of people that I have only ever met online. Terror would have been a kindness to the whirlwind of rumination and fear assaulting me. Why had I agreed to this? Why was I going? How was I ever going to survive the trip?My husband and I talked the whole drive to St Louis about the trip and my fear of flying, devising a plan to keep me from freaking out. The St Louis airport was a bit of a nightmare. They took my cane away from me and had me get out of my wheelchair to walk through the scanner. I fell a couple times in the scanner, but I suppose it did its thing. At this point, they pulled me aside for a pat down, which was explained to me very simply. He then proceeded with the back of his hands until he got to my genitals. He had me spread my legs, and he reached up and fiddled with my downstairs mixup a bit before pulling the front of my shorts and underwear open to inspect the contents. After all that I was allowed to hobble to the wheelchair and only after I was seated did they return my cane. I expected a violation of my personhood at the airport from stories I've heard, but this was worse than I expected.  With all this wind added to the storm of emotions raging within me. I vibrated in the chair as we waited to board the plane. There was no turning back.I couldn't breathe as they wheeled me onto the plane. My fears danced around me with a devilish glee, singing songs and celebrating my impending doom.The FlightThe plane took off at sunrise and we raced away from the sun, desperate to remain in the darkness where terror reigned and the shadow needn't struggle to reach out to grab me. Light prevailed, driving back the night, but the fears remained.Fronts pressed in, disturbing the air and shaking the plane. To a confident flyer, I am sure it was minor turbulence, but in my panicked heart, each shake foretold my impending doom.Shlama laki Mariam… Hail Mary, full of grace,ripe with power and healing.Hold us in your loving arms,cradle us close to your heart.We fly to your patronage…We fly…“Let me enter the Path of Darkness, peradventure thus shall I obtain the Light”Like a neophyte at the temple as the first golden rays of the dawn broke over my soul, I prayed all the way to Denver and again on the second flight to Oakland. The second flight shook more than the first.The seat belt dug into my left hip, leaving a dark bruise. Panic ruled me, but we arrived safe and prayed up.Like Cleopatra's procession into Rome, I returned to Oakland for the first time in too many years. They assigned three people to the wheelchair, two to push and one to march before us, proclaiming, “Out of the way, wheelchair coming through.”Embarrassment married fear in the terminal as I covered my face and they raced us to the rental car shuttle.As Brian sorted out the rental car, I continued to meditate and pray. Entering the way of silence, I let go of my fear and embarrassment. In the inner grove, in the ground of Alaha, I found the relief and rest I needed for my soul. With the Shekhinah guiding us all on this retreat, I knew I was in good hands, but needed to remind myself of the good graces of God, because like all humans, I am forgetful.Our hostess, Carolyn Million, greeted us with love and grace. Though we had not met in person before, we had talked so much online; I felt at home and at ease. We were not strangers. I apologized for my disheveled traveler's appearance, and we visited, going out for sushi and getting more personally acquainted over the delicious meal before checking into our hotel to rest up for the days of meetings ahead.MondayIt was difficult to get up the next morning. My back and legs were already done in from traveling and the lack of sleep on the journey out. I was up for over 36 hours before I finally fell asleep in the most comfortable bed I have ever slept in. Slowly, I pieced myself together and we made our way to the host's house for the first day of meetings.As the sun fell behind the clouds and the meeting began, I arrived just before the last, to find a kind welcome. With open arms, we embraced in gratitude and love, Our distance melted away, in the light of community above.We prayed with our bodies, our hearts, and our minds, Sharing dreams, concerns, and challenges of every kind. For daring to envision a future in a world so dark, We imagined a path forward, with a flame that sparked.Our hearts yearned to awaken the world to a new dream, Words struggled to form, but we pressed on, it would seem. With a will to listen to the cry of wisdom's voice, We caught her words, and made them our choice.While we wrestled with angels of hope, dream, and possibility, Brian prepared our lunch: a handmade, gluten-free udon noodle bowl with his signature ginger teriyaki sauce with mixed vegetables and fish. It was delicious. At first, I feared he forgot to make the noodles gluten-free because I didn't know they were until he said something about it. We discussed our lives and our work over lunch before returning to the work we travelled together to do.I led the group in Rabbi David A. Cooper's beautiful and powerful middle pillar meditation to recenter ourself after lunch. We stood together as a grove of trees of life, rooted in Malkuth in the center of the earth feeling the energy of the cosmos rain down from the supernal realms. It flowed into Chokhmah, then to Binah, before filling Da'ath and flowing down the middle pillar before entering the earth and then feeling the return of the energy back up into the cosmos.As we gathered to discuss the future's hue, Wisdom joined us, with her vision anew. Entrusted with the four paths and their mysteries to keep, Through gifts, outreach, and membership we shall reap.Spirit mediated, helping guide our cares and concerns, Leading us towards the path where consensus turns. Each voice added to the chorus of aspiration, We teased out the way, with hopeful determination.Raucous debate and compassionate listening intertwined, As we wrestled the Nereus beast called vision, to find A form we could barely make out, with our sight so thin, As the first day came to an end, and our vision closed in.To the LabyrinthIn a fitting cap for the day, we all journeyed into San Francisco by ferry to add to our number and walk the labyrinth at Grace Cathedral.If you haven't guessed yet, I have a fear of boats and traveling over water. I know, I know, so many fears. I said several prayers as we waited to board the ferry, calling out to Mary, to Lugh, and to Manann to give me strength and peace. They answered my prayers better than I could have imagined.The bay was rough and the ferry rocked quite a bit, but I never got seasick. The most amazing part was that I never felt fear. I enjoyed the ride and might even say that I loved it.We took an Uber or a Lyft from the Embarcadero to Grace Cathedral, I cannot remember which, and Mary Ann Wamhoff taught us how to walk the labyrinth.I was so tired so I walked the circle around the labyrinth chanting the Tehora he: “Elohi neshama shenetatabi, tehora he.” “My God, the soul which you placed in me, she is pure.” Then I sat while everyone else walked the labyrinth reading the clouds. Three times I saw a fire chalice open in the clouds to bless us and I read four messages for those there. As I read each message, I asked who it was for, and either a bird flew over only one person or a bubble popped over someone.I hope you can see them in the pictures. As the others walked the labyrinth, a man set up at the bottom of the steps leading up to the cathedral with a bucket and a hoop between two poles. When he raised the hoop out of the bucket, the wind carried bubbles of all sizes up into the air and over the labyrinth.It was a magical surprise that added to the beauty of the moment.I have not felt such a deep peace for a long time. It was a beautiful day. There air was just cold enough to numb my knees and back and keep them from hurting too much while we were in the city.After the labyrinth, we went to Chinatown to eat dinner. The food was delicious, but I wish it had a bit more heat. Our server warned us that the food was very spicy, so you could choose from four levels of heat: none, mild, medium, and hot. Because we wanted to not be distracted by the heat so we could visit, we ordered medium heat, which I would call mild at best, but it tasted so good, I quickly forgave it.The conversation was great, and after an adventure to get back to our cars then back to the hotel.My legs spasmed the moment I laid down, but I quickly got them to calm down and drifted off to sleep.TuesdayI didn't wear exactly what I wanted to on Tuesday. Originally, I was going to wear the yellow top in the picture with a burgundy wine skirt, but it was colder than I expected and raining, so I layered up and wore the heavier, black skirt to keep warm. My hair was a disaster the entire trip, but I figured it only manifested the wildness I felt in my heart so I didn't fret about it too much.I felt like a feral animal around all these educated and cultured people, but I learned Creation Spirituality in the wild with Brian, experience, and a few books to guide me. My appearance was the least of my concerns. They accepted me for me and that was all that mattered.The path was found, but now to tread,From one generation to the next, wisdom spread.Many matters at hand, we discussed with fervor,Healing waters of words, flowed on further.At times, the stream rose, threatening to sweep us away,But never too far, from the path, did we stray.With open hearts and minds, we set our sights on goals,Yet, our vision foggy, and unknown language stalls.The way we should go, stands guard before us,Unique paths to many, yet the goal never lost.Words escape us, as we grapple with the new,As we move forward, towards the goal in view.Brian made a quinoa salad with a medley of olives, artichokes, and oranges, topped with calamari and fish. I will remember it for such a long time and hope to have it again soon. The interplay of the olives and oranges made a magic that haunts my pallet and I long to have it again.In our final session, an elder spoke,With clear vision, he named the path bespoke.We organized ourselves to spread the message wide,Gathering those who hear, to walk beside.Merging the old with the new, we found our way,Reaching towards the future, where our purpose lay.Mission defined, vision held, everything clear,The path before us, now devoid of fear.Priorities set, we rested in the work well done,So much accomplished in so little time spun.Collecting the words, we set our course anew,With understanding, of the paths we must pursue.Next steps discussed, present fears and future lead,Discernment of the group, to do what's best, we agreed.A mantle offered, held in prayer, I will serve,As needed, my faith in the paths we preserve.Dinner with Matthew FoxFor dinner, Brian made a play on fish and chips with a roasted root vegetables and gluten-free panko crusted fish and fruit dessert that has yet to be named. It had a crushed pecan crust and layers of banana held together by one layer of strawberry compote and another of blue berry compote. It was phenomenal.Matthew Fox arrived early and we all talked while munching on a roasted sweet potato and goat cheese hors d'oeuvre. He asked about the work each of us was doing, and when it came to me, I talked a little about the Whisper in the Dark series I will be coming out with soon.The others filled him in on the other things I do from the music to the art, because, well, I don't like talking about myself. I did an oracle card reading for everyone and wasn't surprised that everyone pulled a card the reflected their personality and mission perfect.Matt pulled the Archangel Gabriel, and I thought I saw him blush a bit as I explained the meaning of the card which described his mission perfectly.Over dinner, he told us about the books he is working on and spent a lot of time talking to Brian about the food, the restaurant, and the spirituality of cooking and hospitality.I was happy to be able to talk more to Michael, and in fact my only regret from the trip is that I didn't get to spend more time with him and Randy. Two dinners together wasn't enough.Matt brought books to give to us, and put my head down not wanting to impose.As he talked about Nature, Man, and Society in the Twelfth Century by M. D. Chenu and what he called the renaissance that worked, I looked up and saw both Patty and Diedre point at me and mouth the words, “That is for you.”When Matt asked who wanted the book, Diedre spoke up and said it was for me and I turned red in the face. I explained to Matt the new renaissance project we had been working on, and he smiled and said, “Oh, yes, this is for you. then. There is a chapter in this book that explains how the renaissance started from the ground up.”I accepted the book.He also brought several copies of his own book, Julian of Norwich: Wisdom in a Time of Pandemic — and Beyond. I already owned the book and as much as I wanted a signed copy, I didn't speak up. I already received a book and didn't want to appear greedy.Two of the three copies were snapped up. As the meal ended and we were about to go our separate ways, I noticed that there was one copy left and mustered up the confidence to ask for one.As we were milling around about to leave, Patty asked me what Matt wrote in the Chenu book, and I told her I didn't think to have him sign it since it wasn't his book. She explained to me that it was about lineage. Chenu taught Fox, and Fox taught me through his work and gave me the book, and she pulled it out of my bag and got him to sign it.What a blessing! I am so glad she did that for me.We have discussed behind the scenes, for quite some time, about the need for a new renaissance and I have seen all the neon signs from the cosmos encouraging me to work harder on the project. So I will not only be reading the Chenu book, but I will be posting about it here so you all can follow along, so if you want to get a copy to read along with me, this is the time to do that.We returned to our hotel filled with blessing and inspired for the work to come. My mind is still racing about all the plans made both for the CSC and for what we are going to be doing with Creation's Paths itself. WednesdayWe had some time before our flight on Wednesday so we visited more with Carolyn and went out for a tasty Korean lunch.After we said our goodbyes we went to the park and visited with the bay for one last time before leaving. I miss the Bay Area so much. It was wonderful to visit with all the people from the CSC, but it was also wonderful to return, even if for a little while to one of the only places I ever felt at home.The trip back was an adventure. This time, I didn't have any trouble at TSA and they didn't make me get out of the wheelchair and scanned me with the wand.We did have one snafu with the wheelchair on the way back. As we approached the boarding ramp my intuition told me to move my cane so I held it in the middle of my chest pointing out. I am so glad I did. As we went down the ramp, the front left wheel hit the stirrup and locked up, throwing me out of the chair. Fortunately, my cane hit the floor first and I sprung into a standing position instead of falling to the ground. This happened twice on the way to the plane. I hope they fix that chair so no one gets hurt.The flight back was a miracle. I wasn't afraid at all. I actually enjoyed the flight and started writing this post on the plane on the way home.As we raced the sunrise on the way out, we flew into the night on the way home.The flight was late taking off from Oakland due to weather, so we arrived at Denver with 12 minutes to get to our connecting flight. They put us on a cart and drove us to the opposite side of the airport and I grabbled onto the safety bar arriving with 5 minutes before boarding.We arrived in St Louis to a number of issues, but they were all minor annoyances so I am not going to bother going into them.The biggest issue was that our allergies hit us hard the moment we stepped outside. They were made worse by the nasty smell that looms over St Louis as a warning the not spend long there.The Dance of Chaos and CosmosI really didn't know what I was doing when I joined the board last October. I had already started Creation's Paths and didn't know how my work fit within the bigger picture of what the CSC was doing or how I personally fit in with the larger work either.Now, I have a deeper understanding of both, and I apologize for being vague about both at the moment. It is not my place to discuss the plans of the CSC, and I will unfold the new plan for us Wayfarers over the next couple months as each element arises.I have never felt so inspired and energized and I have a vision of hope for the future. So much good came from this retreat and I cannot wait to share them with you. Get full access to Creation's Paths at www.creationspaths.com/subscribe

Show NotesIf you'd like to know whose ancestral tribal lands you currently reside on, you can look up your address here: https://native-land.ca/My book, “Home to Her: Walking the Transformative Path of the Sacred Feminine,” is now available Womancraft Publishing! To learn more, read endorsements and purchase, please visit www.womancraftpublishing.com.  It is also available for sale via Amazon, Bookshop.org, and you can order it from your favorite local bookstore, too.Please – if you love this podcast and/or have read my book, please consider leaving me a review! For the podcast, reviews on iTunes are extremely helpful, and for the book, reviews on Amazon and Goodreads are equally helpful. Thank you for supporting my work!You can watch this and other podcast episodes at the Home to Her YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCK6xtUV6K7ayV30iz1ECigwJoy's latest book of poetry is “Shekhinah Speaks”: https://selvaoscura.com/selva-oscura-books/shekhinah-speaksYou can learn more about Joy and her writing at her website, https://joyladin.wordpress.com/. You can also find her on Facebook as “Joy Ladin,” and on Instagram @joyladinJoy gave a wonderful Tedx Talk about her transgender identity, titled “Ain't I a Woman?” You can watch it here: https://youtu.be/g0K2YvvQyEwYou can also listen to Joy on the On Being podcast here: https://onbeing.org/programs/joy-ladin-finding-a-home-in-yourself/

#jannklose #surrender #jannkloseband  @JannKlose  is an award-winning pop singer-songwriter, who has released seven albums and two EPs. He is a recipient of 4 Independent Music Awards and a Grammy® nomination. https://jannklose.com/ https://www.facebook.com/jann.klose/ https://www.instagram.com/jannklose/ https://twitter.com/jannkloseband https://www.youtube.com/jannklose His recent singles "Sugar My," "Flesh and Blood," "Love You the Most," and "Pilot Light" have accumulated over 5 million streams across all platforms and charted on Top 40 radio in the US and South Africa. Jann is the singing voice of Tim Buckley in the movie "Greetings from Tim Buckley" (Universal). His songs have been heard on the Grammy® nominated "Healthy Food For Thought" compilation, charted in the Billboard Top 10 compilation "Action Moves People United”, the TV show MTV Cribs and movies like "Married Young" (Amazon), "Dead Broke" (Warner Bros) and “One Little Finger” alongside Quincy Jones. He has performed as an actor and singer in touring companies of Broadway musicals, including "Jesus Christ Superstar," "Jekyll and Hyde," and "The Who's Tommy" as well as various TV movies, voiceovers, and commercials. In 2020, Jann launched his podcast, Making Sound with Jann Klose. Recent episodes have featured industry legends like Mark Farner (Grand Funk Railroad), Frank Bello (Anthrax), and Simon Kirke (Bad Company). Jann tours year-round in North America, Europe, Africa, and Asia and has opened for and collaborated with a wide range of artists including Pat Benatar, John Oates of Hall and Oates, Suzanne Vega, Renaissance's Annie Haslam, The Yardbirds and Jim McCarty, Rosanne Cash, Paula Cole, Brett Dennen, Karen Zoid, Shekhinah, The Byrds' Roger McGuinn, Rusted Root, Pete Seeger, and Les Paul.    Jann Klose's 7th studio album, "Surrender" will be released March 3rd, 2023.

S8E198: Contrarian w/ Brian Mason - Tune in for a chat with Brian Mason, our most frequented guest on the show! Our primary focus is learning the ins and outs of Contrarian's upcoming release Sage of Shekhinah (scheduled for release in March 2023), but we just couldn't help ourselves, so we sprinkled in questions regarding the BML reunion teasers, and what's new with Sulaco and CHRMR! Don't miss what is invisible that Brian wishes he could see! *Available on your favorite streaming service*   Special Thanks to:  Brian Mason Contrarian, SONGs: In Gehenna (Sage of Shekhinah), Exorcism (Their Worm Never Dies), Transcend the Mundane (To Perceive Is To Suffer) 

In this week's episode, we're bringing back some wisdom from last year's Elul episode and  reflecting on the meaning of this month in the Jewish calendar that leads up to Rosh HaShanah and the high holidays. This time of anticipation calls us to prepare ourselves spiritually for the new year. We talk about the symbolic meanings of the holiday and how the ritual of hearing the shofar can be a powerful call to being “awake.” And, we're excited to hear from you! Let us know your insights or ask us a question at https://joyousjustice.com/jews-talk-racial-justice-questions. In the next few weeks we'll be sending some questions we would love for you to weigh in on. Join our mailing list at https://joyousjustice.com.  Find April and Tracie's full bios and submit topic suggestions for the show at www.JewsTalkRacialJustice.comLearn more about Joyous Justice where April is the founding and fabulous (!) director, and Tracie is a senior partner.: https://joyousjustice.com/Read more of Tracie's thoughts at her blog, bmoreincremental.comLearn more about the month of Elul here: https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/what-is-elul/Read more about the Senegalese holiday, Grand Magal of Touba here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Magal_of_ToubaLearn about the Kohenet Hebrew Priestess Institute here: https://www.kohenet.com/Read the Song of Songs here: https://www.sefaria.org/Song_of_SongsBetter understand Shekhinah, the Divine Feminine in Judaism, here: https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/the-divine-feminine-in-kabbalah-an-example-of-jewish-renewal/Discussion/Reflection Questions for this episode:April and Tracie spend the episode discussing Elul. What do you know about Elul? What, if any, traditions and rituals do you have for the month of Elul? April and Tracie reflect on the Kabbalistic teaching about Elul being an acronym for “Ani l'dodi v'dodi li/I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine” and the idea of intimacy with the divine. What does intimacy with the divine mean for you? What does it look like? April notes that hearing the shofar is a type of pattern interruption that reverberates within us? What do you feel when you hear the sound of a shofar? What memories or thoughts arise in connection with it? Tracie connects the daily sound of the shofar to a wake up call, and a daily reminder for us to do the work of fighting oppression. What are the injustices that you have become more attuned and “awoken” to over the course of the last year? April describes “awake” and “matrix” versions of herself. Do you have a similar view of how you operate in society? What are the daily acts of injustice and oppression that serve as their own kind of shofar for you? Tracie also reflects on what the sound of the shofar means to her, connecting it to mechayeh HaMetim, and enlivening the dead. Having listened to their discussion, do you have your own thoughts on what the sound of the shofar symbolizes to you? 

An attempt to leave our 21st century heads and get back into the mind of a 12th century philosopher who saw the world in entirely different ways than we do. Diving into the Middle Ages thought the mind of Maimonides. Exploring Maimonides on the Cosmic Spheres, the Flow, the Active Intellect, his theory prophecy and.. how to becoming an angel. Sources and Further Reading • A. J. Heschel, “Did Maimonides Believe That He Had Attained the Rank of Prophet,” in Prophetic Inspiration After the Prophets, 1996, pp. 69-126 • Adam Afterman “And They Shall Be One Flesh”: On the Language of Mystical Union in Judaism, 2016, p. 103-127 • Adam Afterman, “Moses Maimonides on the Holy Spirit,” in Journal of Religion vol. 100, 2020 • Alexander Altmann, Maimonides's Attitude Toward Jewish Mysticism, p. 213 • Alfred Ivry, The Guide and Maimonides' Philosophical Sources, p. 59 • Christopher A. Morray-Jones, ‘‘Transformational Mysticism in the Apocalyptic-Merkabah Tradition,'' Journal of Jewish Studies 43 (1992): pp. 1–31 • Daniel Abrams, “Orality in the Kabbalistic School of Nahmanides: Preserving and Interpreting Esoteric Traditions and Texts,” Jewish Studies Quarterly 2 (1995): 85–102 • Diana Lobel, “'Silence Is Praise to You': Maimonides on Negative Theology, Looseness of Expression, and Religious Experience,” American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly 76, no. 1 (2002): 31-58 • Diana Lobel, “A Dwelling Place for the Shekhinah.” Jewish Quarterly Review 90 (1999): 103–125 • Elliot Wolfson, ‘‘Yeridah la-Merkavah: Typology of Ecstasy and Enthronement in Early Jewish Mysticism,'' Mystics of the Book, 13–44, esp. pp. 23–26 • Elliot Wolfson, “By Way of Truth: Aspects of Nahmanides' Kabbalistic Hermeneutic,” AJS Review 14, (1989): 153–78 • Elliot Wolfson, “Mysticism and the Poetic-Liturgical,” p. 186 • Elliot Wolfson, “Seven Mysteries,” p. 191 • Haviva Pedaya, Nahmanides: Cyclical Time and Holy Text, (Tel Aviv: Am Oved, 2003) (Hebrew). • Ithamar Gruenwald, “Maimonides' Quest beyond Philosophy and Prophecy,” in Perspectives, ed. J. L. Kraemer (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996), pp. 147 • Justin Sledge, “Maimonides at the Crossroads of Jewish Occultism, Magic and the Kabbalah” @ESOTERICA, Youtube, 15 April 2022, https://youtu.be/i6qclz26OYY • Matthew David Litwa, Posthuman Transformation in Ancient Mediterranean Thought, Becoming Angels and Demons, Cambridge and New York, Cambridge University Press, 2021 • Moshe Idel, “Enoch is Metatron,” Immanuel 24/25 (1990): 234–237 • Moshe Idel, “Rabbi Moshe ben Nahman: Kabbalah, Halachah and Spiritual Leadership,” Tarbiz 64, (1995): 535–580 (Hebrew) • Moshe Idel, “We Have No Kabbalistic Tradition on This,” in Rabbi Moses Nahmanides: Explorations in His Religious and Literary Virtuosity, 1983, 51–73 • Moshe Idel, The Angelic World, pp. 102-4; 210 • Pico Della Mirandola, Oration on the Dignity of Man, trans. A. Robert Caponigri, 1967, p. 9 • Sarah Pessin, The Influence of Islamic Thought on Maimonides, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy 2005

"G-d for me was of my first model of an out and proud queer person, and a queer person who insisted that the entire community, really the entire world, change themselves to deal with G-d on G-d's own terms. And that's really the core of what became my approach to trans theology." -Joy Ladin We discuss poetry and trans theology with one of the artists featured in A Fence Around The Torah, poet Joy Ladin. Joy Ladin is the author of many books, including her memoir of gender transition, National Jewish Book Award finalist Through the Door of Life, and the Lambda Literary and Triangle Award finalist The Soul of the Stranger: Reading God and Torah from a Transgender Perspective. Her most recent book is Shekhinah Speaks from selva oscura press. Liora Ostroff is a painter and curator-in-residence at the Jewish Museum of Maryland.

Shekhinah refers to God's ‘dwelling”.  It's the cloud by day, fire by night during the time of Moses. It is God's Holy Spirit?  But Satan has his own version.  Listen as Glen and Dennis discuss the other version and the ultimate goal of happiness.

THE KOHENET HEBREW PRIESTESS INSTITUTEFeaturing: Keshira HaLev Fife, Executive DirectorMission: Kohenet Kavannah (Organizational Intention): Kohenet Hebrew Priestess Institute reclaims and innovates embodied, earth-based feminist Judaism. Kohenet's spiritual leadership training, ordination programs, publications and community offerings center ritual as transformative practice. They draw from ways women and other marginalized people have led across time - shrinekeepers, prophetesses and wise women of the Hebrew Bible and beyond. Kohenet honors the ways in which Shekhinah appears to them through traditions, imaginations, prayers, dreams, ancestors, and role models throughout Jewish history. They celebrate the sacred in the body, the earth and the cosmos. Kohenet is a training program, a sacred community, and a movement changing the paradigm of Jewish spiritual leadership. Kohenet Shabbat, holidays, and Virtual Temple / online classes are open to all.The three-year Kohenet training and ordination program welcomes applications from trans women, cis women, and nonbinary people, who are drawn to Kohenet's kavannah (intention). Kohenet's Why:The first known poet, Enheduanna, served as a priestess of Inanna in Sumer, and there were priestesses in many cultures throughout the known world.  Yet the title of priestess does not appear to exist in the Hebrew Bible, and indeed, the patriarchal authorities who compiled the Bible eliminated most references to women's spiritual leadership. However, some aspects of women's spiritual power shine through. From these hints, we can deduce how women participated in the sacred cult of the Israelite nation: as mothers, prophetesses, and even ritual officiants. We know, for example, that women baked cakes for the Queen of Heaven as part of a sacred rite honoring the Divine feminine. Our later Jewish foremothers did not entirely abandon the priestess role even after it was written out out of the tradition.  The title "priestess" appears several times on Jewish gravestones during the Roman period. Other titles such as "eldress" "mother of the synagogue," and "head of the synagogue" on similar gravestones lead one to believe that women served in leadership functions in pre-Talmudic and Talmudic times.  However, following this period the title fell entirely out of practice. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, women served as dreamers and diviners in communities of Jewish mystics in Sfat and elsewhere.  In their names, we seek to re-establish this sacred tradition.Definitions and ClarificationsBrit Shalom-lit. Covenant of peace; alternative to medical circumcision, welcoming a baby into Jewish traditionKohain- priestKohenet/ Kohenot- priestess / priestessesm'beit- from the house ofMizrahi (s) / Mizrahim (pl) - A Jewish member or descendant of the Jews who lived in North Africa and the Middle East and whose ancestors did not reside in Europe.Pogram- an organized massacre of a particular ethnic group, in particular that of Jewish people in Russia or eastern Europe.Safardi(s) / Safardim (pl) - a Jewish person of Spanish or Portuguese descent. They retain their own distinctive customs and rituals, preserving Babylonian Jewish traditions rather than the Palestinian ones of the Ashkenazim; any Jew of the Middle East or North Africa.Shoah - HolocaustTashlich- Jewish religious ceremony that entails visiting a body of water following the afternoon service on Rosh HashanahVisit The Kohenet Hebrew Priestess Institute here. Follow Kohenet on  Facebook , andSupport the show (https://www.bridges613.org/donate)

Today in our series Pastor Mark uses the statement, "I am the light of the world..." as a springboard for considering light and darkness in the Bible. Consider with us the lofty claim that Jesus made, his profound promise, and the life-changing call.

Welcome back to The Morning Muse. In todays episode Award-Winning R&B and Pop Artist, Shekhinah Joins Us On The Podcast for a Light Hearted and Exciting Show!We had the chance to talk about Resolutions, Idols Auditions, Gaining Fame, Stage Fright, Challenges and more!Enjoying this podcast? Please feel free to email us your thoughts, feedback and any suggestions you may have at themorningmuseofficial@gmail.comWe hope you enjoy what we have for you!

Bereishit Rabbah 48:7 God visits Abraham while the patriarch sits. Should he have stood up in order to acknowledge the Divine Presence?

On today's episode, Edi (@Kekeli_E) and Peaches (@musingatmidnite) discuss: In The News (00:45): Kano state bans the use of mannequins citing immorality, and Tanzania's President body shames female footballers. Songs Of The Week (14:05): featuring music from Majid Jordan, John Mayer, Christine and The Queens, Bonj and Shekhinah. WTF?! (23:00): Anglican father forces kisses on highschool students, and woman fined for breaking curfew to walk her husband on a leash. Two Pesewas (34:05): why its important to Kill Your Darlings, and whether to Give or Not to Give. 2 Pesewas broadcasts from Ghana ✌❤. For more information visit: Website: https://2pesewas.wixsite.com/2pesewas Other Platforms: https://elink.io/p/come-find-us Find out more at https://2-pesewas.pinecast.co

Episode 2 features an interview with Shekhinah Dawn and covers a wide range of healing modalities such as biofield tuning, color therapy, energy medicine, and emotion code. We also go into quantum healing, and sound/vibrational therapy. We share stories from our own personal experiences and towards the end we go into the I Ching and how it can be a tool to help bring clarity.

Rabbi Jill Hammer is the co-founder of the Kohenet Hebrew Priestess Institute, which is a training program in earth based embodied feminist Jewish leadership and spiritual life. She invites us to join in a davvening practice rooted in the Kohenet community, and which she would engage in herself, sitting in Central Park, or at home on Shabbat.