Sign-In
Cart
Through the Gates: A Practice for Counting the Omer
Paperback
ISBN13: 9781482610161
Publisher: Createspace
Published: Apr 5 2013
Pages: 268
Weight: 0.80
Height: 0.70 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
This is the full color edition, with stunning photographs by Matthew van der Giessen. The first edition, published as an ebook, is available in the Kindle Store . A third, black and white print edition is forthcoming in 2013.
Through the Gates is a series of evocative letters and poems leading the reader through the practice of counting the Omer. Poet Susan Windle writes to a group of spiritual companions who share the same contemporary Jewish mystic for a teacher, Rabbi Shefa Gold, and who are engaged together in the spiritual discipline of the Omer, an ancient practice marking the forty-nine days between the spring festival of Pesach (Passover) and the early summer festival of Shavuot, (the Festival of Weeks.) In the course of counting the days, Susan tells the story of her convergence with Judaism. Methodist by heritage, with a long connection to Unitarian Universalism, she became Jewish by choice in 2008. A bridge builder in many ways, Susan Windle has been described as a multi-faith community within herself. In these intricate writings-poems within letters, letters within larger letters- offering both spiritual memoir and guidance for daily practice, the poet explores the rhythms and textures of daily life, inviting the reader into intimate engagement with the mystery of life itself. Susan's story, as it unfolds through the seven weeks of the Omer, is celebratory, sweetly challenging, and deeply satisfying.
From the author's Introduction:
How to Use this Book
These writings offer company and encouragement as you move through the practice of counting the Omer. The daily reflections and poems I've included are an invitation to attend to the quieter voices and subtler energies of your life, voices easy to miss in the rush-rush, flash-flash of contemporary daily life. The book is meant to be read day by day, each passage on its numbered day. For those new to the practice of counting the Omer, I include instructions on how to count the traditional way-beginning the second night of Passover, standing, after sundown, on the eve of each changing day.....I recommend saying the prayers in the traditional way at the traditional time-sometime during the dark of the evening, perhaps just before bed-and counting in the formal way. Doing so, we set our intentions for the following day, and we affirm our connection with generations who have counted before us. Having said that, let it be known the first year I counted I did none of this. I jumped in feet first-I wasn't even officially Jewish yet. Knowing very little about the Omer except the chart of daily attributes, I experienced the days as I found them. You, too, will find your way. ...The important thing here is to do something with the Omer, not just think, but do. As I've said, counting the Omer by the Tree of Life is more than a mental exercise or a topic of discussion. The [days] are portals, actual gateways to a deepening and expanding awareness of an extraordinary beauty: the heaven that hovers within and all around our so-called ordinary lives. The gates open to us when we open to them.
between the doors
all things are possible
i don't mean my house or yours
i don't mean inside or out
that space between
is where i'll meet you
let's stop this back and forth
let's stay right here
in the doorway
where all wars cease
it may seem like a narrow place
where nothing much
could happen
but we can not know the size
of openings we do not see
nor feel the breadth of
that which waits for us
the other side of what seems
impossible
Through the gates we go then-let's see what awaits us.
Susan Windle
1 different editions
Also available
Also in
Judaism
The Kabbalistic Mirror of Genesis: Commentary on the First Three Chapters
Smith, David Chaim
Paperback
Heart of a Stranger: An Unlikely Rabbi's Story of Faith, Identity, and Belonging
Buchdahl, Angela
Hardcover
The Books of Enoch: Complete edition: Including (1) The Ethiopian Book of Enoch, (2) The Slavonic Secrets and (3) The Hebrew Book of Enoch
Schnieders, Paul C.
Paperback
Conversations with My Rabbi: Timeless Teachings for a Fractured World
Goldstein, Nikki
Schlanger, Rabbi Eli
Hardcover
As a Jew: Reclaiming Our Story from Those Who Blame, Shame, and Try to Erase Us
Hurwitz, Sarah
Hardcover
El Poder de la Kabbalah: 13 principios para superar los desafíos y alcanzar la realización
Berg, Rav
Paperback
The Jew in the Lotus: A Poet's Rediscovery of Jewish Identity in Buddhist India
Kamenetz, Rodger
Paperback
The Complete Jewish Study Bible (Hardcover): Illuminating the Jewishness of God's Word
Rubin, Rabbi Barry
Hardcover
The Art of Jewish Joy: Crafts and Activities for Celebration and Connection
Kingloff, Amanda
Ultman, Suzy
Hardcover
The Talmud Unmasked: The Secret Rabbinical Teachings Concerning Christians
Pranaitis, I. B.
Paperback
This Is Real and You Are Completely Unprepared: The Days of Awe as a Journey of Transformation
Lew, Alan
Paperback
Passover Haggadah: A New English Translation and Instructions for the Seder
Rabbi Nathan Goldberg
Paperback
The Man in the White Sharkskin Suit: A Jewish Family's Exodus from Old Cairo to the New World
Lagnado, Lucette
Paperback
For Times Such as These: A Radical's Guide to the Jewish Year
Katz, Ariana
Rosenberg, Jessica
Paperback
Eat Jewish: Over 100 Recipes That Blend Jewish Heritage, Modern Flavors, and Family Traditions
Strauss, Melinda
Hardcover
Jews vs. Rome: Two Centuries of Rebellion Against the World's Mightiest Empire
Strauss, Barry
Hardcover
The Holocaust Industry: Reflections on the Exploitation of Jewish Suffering
Finkelstein, Norman G.
Paperback
The Ancient Book Of Jubilees: A Comprehensive Guide to the Lost Secrets of the Bible, Including the History, Mysteries, and Hidden Teachings of Enoc
Johnson, William Robert
Paperback
Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus: How the Jewishness of Jesus Can Transform Your Faith
Tverberg, Lois
Spangler, Ann
Paperback
Art of Torah Cantillation, Vol. 1: A Step-By-Step Guide to Chanting Torah
Portnoy, Marshall
Wolff, Josee
Paperback
Mind the Gap: How the Jewish Writings Between the Old and New Testament Help Us Understand Jesus
Henze, Matthais
Paperback
Moments That Matter: Marking Transitions in Midlife and Beyond
Geller, Rabbi Laura
Lieberman, Rabbi Beth
Paperback
Separation and Its Discontents: Toward an Evolutionary Theory of Anti-Semitism
MacDonald, Kevin
Paperback
We Plan, God Laughs: 10 Steps to Finding Your Divine Path When Life Is Not Turning Out Like You Wanted
Hirsch, Sherre
Paperback
Tough Questions Jews Ask 2/E: A Young Adult's Guide to Building a Jewish Life
Feinstein, Edward
Paperback
The Bible with and Without Jesus: How Jews and Christians Read the Same Stories Differently
Levine, Amy-Jill
Brettler, Marc Zvi
Paperback
The Complete Books of Enoch: The Full Collection of These Sacred Texts (Large Print)
Publishing, Sefan
Paperback
Complete Gospel of Mary Magdalene: Gnostic Gospel, Sacred Feminine Wisdom, and the Secrets of Early Christianity
Q. Publishing, Rubbles
Paperback
Josephus the Complete Works: Encounter the World and Traditions That Jesus Knew
Whiston, William
Hardcover
Messianic Daily Devotional: Messianic Jewish Devotionals for a Deeper Walk with Yeshua
Geoffrey, Kevin
Paperback
An Anti-Zionist Path to Embodied Jewish Healing: Somatic Practices to Heal Historical Wounds, Unlearn Oppression, and Create a Liberated World to Come
Somerson, Wendy Elisheva
Paperback
Lost in Translation Vol 1: Rediscovering the Hebrew Roots of Our Faith
Klein, John
Spears, Adam
Paperback
A Rainbow Thread: An Anthology of Queer Jewish Texts from the First Century to 1969
Sienna, Noam
Paperback
The Book of the W Atchers: Ancient Guardians, Forbidden Secrets, and the Battle for Humanity
Ashford, Selah
Paperback
The Antiquities of the Jews - A Classic History of Ancient Israel, the Jewish People, and the Biblical World
Flavius, Josephus
Hardcover
The Radical Jewish Tradition: Revolutionaries, Resistance Fighters and Firebrands
Stone, Janey
Gluckstein, Donny
Paperback
A People That Shall Dwell Alone: Judaism as a Group Evolutionary Strategy, with Diaspora Peoples
MacDonald, Kevin B.
Paperback
The Chicken Qabalah of Rabbi Lamed Ben Clifford: Dilettante's Guide to What You Do and Do Not Know to Become a Qabalist
DuQuette, Lon Milo
Paperback
Opening Your Heart with Psalm 27: A Spiritual Practice for the Jewish New Year
Robbins, Debra J.
Paperback
Disasters of Biblical Proportions: The Ten Plagues Then, Now, and at the End of the World
Weitzman, Steven
Hardcover
Torah in English complete: Including: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy
Jps
Schwarz, Noah
Paperback
The Ethiopian Bible In English Complete [Large Print]: A Historical and Canonical Guide to the 88 Books of the Orthodox Church
Decker, Rebecca Norma
Paperback
The Little Encyclopedia of Jewish Culture: 101 People, Places, Things (and Foods) Every Jew Should Know
Klickstein, Mathew
Paperback
The Mystery of the Tabernacle: Ancient Secrets for Experiencing the Divine Presence
Schneider, Rabbi Kirt a.
Hardcover
The Gifts of the Jews: How a Tribe of Desert Nomads Changed the Way Everyone Thinks and Feels
Cahill, Thomas
Paperback