Happy Shavuot!

Tonight, at sundown, we celebrate the holiday of Shavuot. 

The word “shavuot” literally means “weeks”, and the holiday occurs exactly seven weeks after Passover. It commemorates the Israelite’s receiving of the Torah, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the ten commandments. Shavuot is joyful, for several reasons, though as a child I knew only that it meant lots of flowers, and my mother’s special cheese cake. 

The holiday celebrates the first harvest, and the traditional food is all things dairy. We eat blintzes (cheese and fruit-filled thin crepes), Bourekas (savory cheese-filled filo dough), and of course, cheese cake. All this joy and feasting is in celebration of the Torah as well as the representation of Canaan as the land of milk and honey. According to scripture, the very earth celebrated receiving the Torah, as the slopes of Mount Sinai, suddenly filled with verdant greenery and colorful flower blooms! (and hence the flower tradition)

During the rabbinical period, a tradition was formed called “Tikkun Leil Shavuot” (The repairing of the eve of Shavuot). The Zohar tells us that the people of Israel overslept that morning, and had to be awakened by Moses to receive the Torah. In order to make up for this, Kabbalists stayed awake all night, reading the scripture, and poetry, discussing and learning together, to ensure being awake when the sun rose. In addition to showing our commitment, staying up all night studying creates an inner spiritual growth and understanding in those staying up, and that too is a reason to celebrate.

The Bible (in Deuteronomy)  tells us that the people were awake and that the coming of the commandments was announced with thunder, lightning, and God’s voice itself, which no human can bear. They could not have slept through that if they tried.

We don’t know what the people actually heard on that morning, but we do know that they, and much of the world in later centuries, would never be the same.

For witchy folks, Shavuot is a good time to focus on our inner values, and our own strength. What are your rules for righteous living? What are your personal ethics? As we light candles on the eve of this holiday (as every holiday), try dressing the candles with fresh flower petals, say a word or two of gratitude for the abundance the spring brings to our gardens, the abundance, seen and unseen, in your life.

Do you have any Shavuot traditions or rituals? Please share them below!

Wishing you all a joyful Shavuot! May you find inner enlightenment and spiritual growth, may your surroundings suddenly bloom and please, have some cheesecake!

Searching

A clear lake, the Sea of Galilee, with palm trees in the forefront and faded hills in the background

I was surrounded by the most beautiful shade of green I have ever seen. I felt nothing but calm and wonder. My eyes wide open, my breathing passages naturally closed. I was immersed in the gentle, sweet waters of the lake, looking around at the beautiful green, wanting to absorb it into me.

I don't know how long I was under water when I felt strong hands reach for me, strong arms surround my little body, holding me and lifting me up, out of that calm green. Away from the wonder. Away from quiet and into commotion.

I was pulled up into sunlight, harsh and bright. My calm was gone, as was my wonder. All I could feel was anger, verging on rage. I had no words to describe it. I did not know the words.

The quiet, seemingly endless, green, I felt, contained knowledge and peace. I was there, and then I wasn't.

I was now in my father's arms. He pulled me out of the waters of the Sea of Galilee. I was about two years old. I had been lying on an air mattress when my dog, wanted to say hi, flipped it over. Into the water, I went. Into the green, and the absolute calm.

I have been searching for that shade of green ever since. Searching for the calm, and the knowledge and wonders I know it possesses.

Post-script At two years old I nearly drowned in that lake; at about six years old I learned to swim there, submerging myself on purpose and swimming toward sound: my aunt's bangle bracelets gingling sound waves through the water.

How It Started

Growing up in Jerusalem, I was surrounded by and immersed in Magic before I knew the word. Jerusalem, continually inhabited for thousands of years, has intense and diverse energies all working together to create a powerful environment.

As a young child I had intense dreams informed by these energies, and have always experienced lucid dreaming. In fact, I thought that being able to direct and control dreams, and being consciously aware while dreaming, is just....dreaming. I thought everyone's experience of dreaming was like that. I didn't find out until my early twenties.

My family and circle of friends spent weekends out in the hills surrounding Jerusalem, and from this circle of friends I learned about the herbs, flowers , insects, and animals around me. I began communicating with all of these, before I could speak. I took for granted that all things have energy, and can interact with me.

While out in nature, I could hear the trees, rocks, and rivers. They spoke to me as clearly as the people around me did.

I have learned more as I grew, of course, but these early experiences shaped my identity and practice in permanent and immutable ways.